「Three days later.」

Heavy snow, with flakes like goose feathers, began to fall from the sky.

The temperature had dropped so low that even the great river encircling Cangshui County was frozen solid.

Han Yuan and Huang Xian’Er galloped into the city on their swift horses, making a beeline for the Observatory.

"Han Yuan, this matter is of great importance. We should go straight to Supervisor Du."

Huang Xian’Er said gravely.

If the Yellow Springs Saint Mother was truly an Evil Demon Seed, it would undoubtedly cause a massive upheaval in Cangshui County.

As the most powerful Noble Family in the region, this affair could have a significant impact on the Huang Family as well.

"Let’s go, then."

Han Yuan nodded.

He and Huang Xian’Er passed through many solemn, dark buildings before arriving at the entrance of a grand hall.

Only after the guards at the door announced their presence were Han Yuan and Huang Xian’Er given permission to enter.

"Greetings, Supervisor Du."

Han Yuan and Huang Xian’Er clasped their fists in unison.

Deep within the grand hall.

Du Qiuxu was in the middle of reviewing official documents. He raised his head and asked quietly, "Han Yuan, have you gotten to the bottom of the situation in Wushan County?"

"I have... It’s related to an Evil Cult."

"It might even involve an Evil Demon Seed, which is why I came to report it in person."

Han Yuan said in a low, serious voice.

At first, Du Qiuxu wasn’t concerned. With Han Yuan’s abilities, resolving the Wushan County incident should have been a simple task.

But when he heard the words "Evil Demon Seed," his expression changed in an instant. He stared intently at Han Yuan. "What did you say?!"

Du Qiuxu had assumed that the annihilation of the Feiying Tribe’s stronghold in Wushan County was the work of a criminal from the Black List.

He had never imagined an Evil Demon Seed would be involved.

Han Yuan recounted everything that had happened in Wushan County.

Huang Xian’Er corroborated his story from the side.

With this, Du Qiuxu had no choice but to believe them.

"Yellow Springs Saint Mother... the Wangling Sect... a plague..."

"This is a huge problem."

Du Qiuxu’s brow furrowed as he recalled the successive reports of plagues from various regions.

"You two have handled this very well."

"Han Yuan, you killed Liu Bao, and then you killed two Wangling Sect Masters."

"For the three of them combined... I’ll credit you with two thousand five hundred Contribution Points."

"Add to that the reward for completing the mission, and your total comes to three thousand five hundred Contribution Points."

"Huang Xian’Er, you contributed a great deal as well. On top of your one thousand Contribution Points, I’ll add an extra five hundred."

"How does that sound?"

Du Qiuxu settled the mission’s rewards for them right then and there.

Han Yuan was very satisfied with the amount. He immediately clasped his fist and said, "Many thanks, Supervisor Du."

"Don’t thank me... You risked your life for this."

Du Qiuxu waved his hand and quickly stood up. "I must report this to the Director personally. You two should go back and rest. The Feiying Tribe will contact you later to take a detailed statement."

"Understood!"

Han Yuan and Huang Xian’Er clasped their fists and departed.

Du Qiuxu also departed from his hall in a great hurry.

Before long, he arrived in a dimly lit hall.

Inside, dim candles flickered.

A tall, thin man with a weathered aura and chiseled features was meditating cross-legged.

He opened his eyes at the sound of footsteps.

"What’s happened to agitate you so?"

Nie Jing asked, his eyes showing a hint of surprise and doubt.

He had partnered with Du Qiuxu for many years and had rarely seen him in such a state.

"We’re in real trouble this time."

Du Qiuxu said gravely.

"What is it?"

Nie Jing asked quietly.

"Han Yuan discovered something in Wushan County..."

Du Qiuxu repeated what Han Yuan had told him.

Now, even Nie Jing could no longer remain calm.

"An Evil Demon Seed?!"

"Weren’t those damn things supposed to be extinct?"

Nie Jing’s voice was noticeably louder.

"Yes... but based on what Han Yuan has found, everything points to an Evil Demon Seed."

Du Qiuxu said grimly.

"We have to get to the bottom of this."

"It’s impossible that the Wangling Sect is only active in Wushan County. They must be elsewhere, too."

Nie Jing calmed himself slightly.

The first step is to determine whether the Wangling Sect’s so-called Yellow Springs Saint Mother is actually an Evil Demon Seed.

"Plagues have been breaking out in parts of Cangshui County recently. It’s highly probable that the Wangling Sect is causing the trouble."

"We can start our investigation there," Du Qiuxu said.

"Hmm... If it really is an Evil Demon Seed... then this is serious trouble."

Nie Jing’s expression turned grim.

With the reappearance of the Evil Demon Seeds, which vanished during the Chaotic Ancient Era, no one knew what consequences would follow.

"All we can do is wait for the investigation’s findings."

Du Qiuxu sighed as well.

...

Shortly after Han Yuan returned to his courtyard, a Flying Eagle Guard came looking for him.

The guard questioned Han Yuan for a full two hours, probing every last detail and recording everything before finally leaving.

After the questioning was over, Han Yuan went to Dust Hall to formally submit his report on the Wushan mission.

’Du Qiuxu must have notified them in advance.’

Soon enough, three thousand five hundred Contribution Points were transferred to his Demon Extermination Token.

Without a moment’s hesitation, Han Yuan went straight to the Spirit Pill Pavilion and exchanged his points for one hundred Spirit Yang Pills.

Instead of returning to his quarters, however, he first made a trip to the Library Pavilion.

This was where the Observatory kept its vast collection of books. All sorts of genres could be found here, and access was free, requiring no Contribution Points.

Han Yuan first made some inquiries with an attendant at the Library Pavilion.

Following the attendant’s directions, he soon arrived at a section dedicated to myths and supernatural phenomena.

The books here consisted mostly of legends about gods and ghosts, along with some ancient myths.

As soon as Han Yuan entered the area, he was hit by an ancient, musty scent.

There were so many Ancient Texts here that Han Yuan was dazzled by the sheer number of them.

He casually picked one up to examine it.

It was a book about Abnormal People, titled the *Divine Soul Scripture*.

Han Yuan began to read it carefully.

He discovered that Abnormal People also had their own cultivation realms.

These were Qi Condensation, Spiritual Acupoint, Spirit Nourishing, Three Souls, and Seven Spirits.

Each corresponded to a Cultivation Realm for Martial Artists.

’So, the two Abnormal People Mages I met in Wushan County must have been at the Spirit Nourishing realm.’

Han Yuan mused thoughtfully.

But as he read on, he discovered that among the Abnormal People, there was an extremely small minority of special individuals.

These individuals were known as Celestial Spirit Roots.

Their Divine Souls were innately powerful, and upon awakening, they could command all kinds of mysterious forces.

However, Abnormal People were already exceedingly rare, and Celestial Spirit Roots were rarer still—one might not appear for a hundred years.

This *Divine Soul Scripture* wasn’t very long. After reading it through once, Han Yuan put it down and continued browsing other books.

He had actually come here to look for any records about the Evil Demon Seed.

But after searching through a dozen or so Ancient Texts, he still hadn’t found a single related entry.

Finally, he remembered Huang Xian’Er mentioning that the Evil Demon Seed had vanished long ago, during the Chaotic Ancient Era.

So, he began searching for books related to the Chaotic Ancient Era.

To his surprise, however, he couldn’t find a single book about the Chaotic Ancient Era.

’Why aren’t there any records at all about the Chaotic Ancient Era? Could every account have been deliberately erased?’

Han Yuan’s curiosity grew even stronger.

’I know far too little about this world,’ he realized.