I Grind to Martial Saint

Now, even Zhou Yuanhu was gravely injured.

This bizarre case could naturally only be investigated by Han Yuan himself.

Now that Zhou Yuanhu had not yet woken up, there was no point in staying here.

It would be better to avenge him by dealing with the troublemaking Evil Spirit. That would at least provide some closure.

After walking out of the Celestial Phenomena Tribe's main hall, Han Yuan had Zhai Mu pull the case file for this strange arson case.

After reading through it once, Han Yuan set out immediately.

According to the case file.

These strange fires were mostly concentrated in the villages and towns near Changhe County.

Following this trend, it was feared that even Changhe County would soon be engulfed in a sea of fire.

And Changhe County was quite a distance from Cangshui County Town.

If one were to set out on a fast horse, it would take three days of non-stop travel.

But Han Yuan didn't need to.

Now that he had broken through to the Gang Essence Realm, once he unleashed his Great Demon Gang Essence, his speed surpassed that of a prize stallion. With his abundant energy, he wouldn't feel any fatigue, shortening the travel time by two-thirds.

「One day later.」

Han Yuan arrived in the vicinity of Changhe County.

He didn't go to Changhe County first to get the details, but instead went to the place where Zhou Yuanhu had been attacked by the Evil Spirit.

Niu Bei Town.

The town was situated at the foot of a mountain ridge shaped like a cow's back, from which it got its name.

In the past, this town was home to more than ten thousand residents.

But now, it had all been reduced to a pile of ashes.

Everything had been burned to cinders, turning the ground into a scorched, black earth.

When Han Yuan saw the state of Niu Bei Town, he found it very strange.

Because in Niu Bei Town, only the area of the town itself had been turned to ash; the surrounding areas were completely untouched.

After all, a fire massive enough to burn down an entire town would normally burn down the whole mountain forest as well.

Harboring doubts in his heart, Han Yuan walked into this expanse of gray, scorched earth.

Even though several days had passed since the great fire in Niu Bei Town, Han Yuan could still feel a scorching, oppressive heat as he walked through it, with black dust floating in the air.

Some places were even still on fire.

But after walking a full circuit, Han Yuan saw no bodies, nor did he sense any strange aura.

This was also the strangest part of these arson cases.

Niu Bei Town had over ten thousand people. Even if they had all been burned to death, there should have been at least some charred corpses left behind.

But this scorched earth had nothing. It was as if everyone had been burned to ashes.

This made Han Yuan feel that the blazing fire seemed more like a sacrificial ritual.

'It seems the arsonist Evil Spirit has already left.'

Finding no clues in Niu Bei Town, Han Yuan had no choice but to leave.

His next destination, naturally, was Changhe Town.

'If I'm not mistaken, its next target should be Changhe Town.'

...

At this moment, Changhe Town was also gripped by panic.

Even during the day, few residents could be seen.

Even the one or two people who occasionally passed by had deep, dark circles under their eyes.

This was all because the recent, successive fires had left the residents terrified.

When night fell, they didn't dare to sleep at all, having to stay constantly vigilant for fear that a fire might break out without them knowing.

Only after staying up until dawn did they dare to rest a little.

「Inside the Changhe County Yamen.」

County Magistrate Li Li paced back and forth in the main hall, his brow furrowed with worry.

He also looked exhausted, his eyes swollen and ringed with black, as if he were very weak.

"If this goes on... even if no fires break out."

"I'm afraid the people of the county won't be able to take it anymore."

Li Li sighed.

The Master, standing to the side, said helplessly, "My Lord, there's nothing to be done."

"A few days ago, even that Supervisor from the Observatory's Demon Extermination Tribe was gravely injured in Niu Bei Village..."

"Somehow, this news leaked out, making everyone deeply worried."

"They're worried that if they fall asleep at night, a mysterious fire will break out and burn them to cinders."

Li Li gave a bitter smile. "Even I am afraid... For now, we can only see if the higher-ups will send someone else down."

The Master couldn't help but say, "It would be best if *that* person came. Then we wouldn't have to live in fear."

Li Li naturally knew who the Master was talking about.

But he didn't know how the County Town's Observatory would handle it, so he could only say softly, "I also hope it's him, but one can never predict the decisions of those above."

Just as they were talking, a Government Official came in to report, "Lord Li, a Demon Exterminator from the Observatory has arrived."

"Really?"

"Do you know his name?"

Li Li hadn't expected such a coincidence; they had just been talking about the Observatory, and someone had already arrived.

"No, I don't," the Government Official said, shaking his head.

"Never mind, don't worry about that for now."

"Quickly, show him in!"

Li Li said, waving his hand.

Soon.

The Government Official led in a young man carrying a Heavy Saber on his back, with a physique as robust as a Divine Mountain.

The moment he stepped into the main hall, Li Li and the Master felt an extremely powerful pressure wash over them.

'An expert!'

'He must be an expert!'

Even though Li Li didn't know who the man was, just from his aura, he could tell that his origins were anything but simple.

"I am Li Li, the Magistrate of Changhe County. I greet you, my lord!"

Li Li was being very humble.

In this chaotic era, the power of official authority was gradually weakening, while the voice of the strong carried more and more weight.

"I am Han Yuan. A pleasure to meet you, Magistrate Li."

The tall young man said with a slight smile.

"So it's Han..."

"Han Yuan!!!"

"This lowly official, Li Li, greets Director Han!!!"

The moment Li Li heard the name, he was so shocked he went numb, and he hurriedly bowed to Han Yuan again.

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