Chapter 109: Pollution? Like It’s Just A Snack!
The news of the Demon Realm’s appearance truly shocked Li Ye for a moment.
However, he already had a plan. After the City Martial Arts Competition ended, he wanted to see where a Demon Realm appeared to go for experience and enhance his cultivation.
Now one suddenly popped up.
For Jinze City, this was bad news, but for Li Ye, this news wasn’t so bad.
But for the other martial artists in Ningjiang City who received the news, this news was extremely bad.
Normally, unless mobilized, nothing had anything to do with them, and no one could command them.
But Li Ye could!
The local tyrants and gang forces entrenched in Ningjiang’s districts and counties all received phone calls.
Li Longhu specifically named them to stand by at the Disinfection Bureau and go together to resolve the Demon Realm that appeared in Jinze City.
The sky has fallen!
What the hell does this have to do with them!
This wasn’t the usual minor disturbance, at most causing some pollution from demonic creatures. For those demonic creatures, if the Disinfection Bureau couldn’t handle them or wasn’t strong enough, they could deal with them.
But that was a Demon Realm!
A Demon Realm where they might all die!
Even in Ningjiang locally, if the matter didn’t fall on them, they had the right to refuse, let alone in Jinze City next door.
No matter how powerful the demonic creatures in the Demon Realm were, they couldn’t kill their whole families now.
Li Ye could.
So they had to come.
Xuanyue County Second Realm Divine Movement Pass ‘Trace’ level martial artist Kong Jing, skilled in leg techniques.
Jingpu County Second Realm Qi Meridian Pass ‘String’ level martial artist Qi Yuan, wields Hook Scythe Spear.
Yunlu County Second Realm Army Breaking Pass ‘Full’ level martial artist Bai Rongzu, uses Dual Swords.
And other martial artists not yet at Second Realm, at Eight or Nine Dragon Gates, mixing in black and white in the districts and counties, all arrived at this moment.
Actually, there were also some martial artists properly doing business, including a few at Second Realm, but since they obeyed the law, there was no need to trouble them.
Among the martial artists who came, there were three at Second Realm.
Only these three remained after Li Ye killed the rest.
“Bureau Chief Li.”
“Chief Li.”
These martial artists, willing or not, all shouted respectfully on the surface at this moment.
“I don’t care what you think. A Demon Realm has appeared, and the higher-ups entrusted me to provide support. You have to contribute too. If you do well, you’ll get benefits. If you do poorly, you’ll either be killed by demonic creatures or by me.”
Li Ye swept his gaze over them. “Any problems?”
Everyone shook their heads like rattles.
You, Li Longhu, are aloof, you’re impressive, the Disinfection Bureau handling demonic creatures is your duty, but when it comes down to it, this Demon Realm also involves them.
But no one dared refuse; they had all come.
Fei Peng Gang’s Song Zhengyu gripped his spear tightly and flattered with a smile, “Bureau Chief Li, rest assured. Even if it costs this old life, I won’t let you down.”
“Why would I need to be disappointed? I need results.”
Li Ye said, “Don’t worry, be cautious and you won’t die. Just prevent the peripheral demonic creatures from escaping. You don’t need to handle the Demon Realm inside.”
These words finally let everyone breathe a sigh of relief.
Not entering the Demon Realm reduced the danger significantly.
Sun Shun walked in at this time and said to Li Ye, “Bureau Chief Li, we’re here.”
Li Ye nodded, picked up his coat and draped it over himself, then walked toward the main entrance.
Just as he reached the main entrance, he heard a buzzing sound from the sky. An armed helicopter with spinning propellers descended rapidly, hovering above Li Ye’s head, followed by several painted off-road vehicles.
This stunned Li Ye a bit; he thought cars would pick him up, but it was a helicopter instead.
The situation was more serious than he thought.
“You follow behind.”
Li Ye said to the martial artists behind him. As soon as the helicopter’s cabin door opened, his figure blurred into afterimages, kicking off several waves of qi in the air and flashing into the helicopter.
At this moment, the soldier in full military gear inside was about to lower the rope ladder when he saw Li Ye climb in and plop down in the back seat.
“You… I wanted you to climb the rope.”
The man retracted the rope ladder, first saluted Li Ye, then said, “The situation happened too suddenly. We don’t have enough strength, but we can’t let the Demon Realm spread, so we had to ask for help from the surroundings.”
“But after asking around, only you have sufficient strength. Who would’ve thought, a few months ago you were only at a few Dragon Gates, and now you’re the Disinfection Bureau Chief, even at Second Realm having broken three passes.”
This person was Fan Tie, who had contact with Li Ye during the district martial arts competition.
Li Ye’s great name was known in their small unit’s military camp.
A young man came to Ningjiang City’s Disinfection Bureau, fiercer than Pan Ghost King, who had thoroughly scared Ningjiang City.
He had even asked Pan Zhengyang back then if he could give the person to their military, only to get a good scolding.
“Tell me about the Demon Realm first. We can catch up after it’s resolved,” Li Ye said.
“It was prepared for you to see.”
Fan Tie handed over a tablet and said, “This Demon Realm currently isn’t large in scale, not even covering the entire Tongguan Mountain. It generated inside the mine cave. But the pollution from the Demon Realm has spawned other demonic creatures on the periphery, in considerable quantity, which is a headache. We have no clue yet.”
“No clue?” Li Ye opened the tablet.
“Right, Jinze City’s Disinfection Bureau Information Section got polluted just from seeing pictures and videos. Breathing in caused copper dust, iron lice in the spine, and flesh and blood with varying degrees of metallization.”
Fan Tie rubbed his forehead. “We sent this information up, but time was too short, no detailed solution yet. But roughly, this should be a historical-type Demon Realm descent.”
“What do you mean?” Li Ye asked puzzled.
“Demon Realms appear in various ways: some directly overlay terrain, others expand land. Among many Demon Realms, some may come from other planets, some appeared in our history, and there are also mythological ones. You know the most famous Yancheng, not Jiangnan Province’s Yancheng.”
“Sodom.”
Li Ye interjected, “I know that one.”
As he spoke, he looked at the videos and inserted pictures on the tablet.
The location was at a mine, surrounded by soldiers using firearms and weapons, even with howitzers, wearing gas masks, and constantly attacking drones.
The attacked things were varied: a mass formed from wriggling coal ash ore slag, but with a mouth cracked open on one side, extending a rusted iron tongue that withstood bullets, sparks flying where bullets hit the tongue, and swatted a drone in half.
“Grave Dust Ore Demon.”
Just one glance, and Li Ye identified the demonic creature’s type.
There was also a humanoid object, like a hunched old man crying, indigo all over with metallic sheen. Tears falling to the ground left clear corrosive traces like strong acid.
This thing just flung, continuously dripping tears like shotgun blasts, corroding large holes in soldiers who couldn’t dodge.
There were also flying ones: the center like a copper coin but with limbs, head and wings like a moth’s demonic creature. Flapping wings dropped a pile of powder dust; anyone or anything touched sprouted copper coin-shaped tumors that rotted.
Objects directly lost function, occupied by massive copper and iron. People lost mobility; no matter how they stimulated qi and blood, it had no effect. They could only watch as their bodies grew massive copper coin tumors, ultimately turning into half-human half-copper dead things fusing with the earth.
Those people, with qi and blood surging, Li Ye even saw qi blood leaps of four or five Dragon Gates.
The military differed from the Disinfection Bureau; they focused more on weapons, but now weapons clearly weren’t very effective.
There were also animal-like ones, like mules, but the lower body occupied by an ancient mine cart. In motion, it extended several steel cables, shredding drones, and when attacking people, wrapped their waists and tore them to pieces.
Just watching the video made Li Ye feel itchy all over, difficulty breathing, body dulling, let alone those facing the demonic creatures directly.
The demonic creatures in the Demon Realm were not on the same level as those he encountered in Ningjiang City.
And this was just the periphery. One Demon Realm, from the video alone, many people had already died.
He closed his eyes, frantically thinking of the information and ancient texts he had read.
These demonic creatures, except Grave Dust Ore Demon which appeared in modern papers, the others seemed unrecorded.
Historical type.
That meant ancient texts.
Especially ancient texts where Grave Dust Ore Demon appeared.
“Did you check the local gazetteer records?” Li Ye suddenly asked.
“We did. Only Grave Dust Ore Demon appeared. Ultrasonic weapons are most convenient for this demonic creature, but the equipment hasn’t arrived.”
Fan Tie said, “And the time span is too great, from Tang Dynasty to Qing Dynasty.”
“Then search within those dynasties.”
Li Ye looked again at the information on the tablet, not missing any detail.
The provincial level definitely had experts who would eventually find what demonic creatures they were or their prototypes and give a plan.
Gunpowder exorcises evil, but now it seemed too consumptive, and clearly support was inadequate, lacking more powerful weapons.
Now they couldn’t afford to waste time; every second less spent meant fewer deaths.
Crying people, copper coins, and mule carts.
Li Ye suddenly widened his eyes, looking at a flash of silver revealed amid fragments shredded by the mule cart’s steel cables.
That seemed like a shattered spine, scattering on the ground like broken silver.
Silver ingots, mule carts.
“Mine Pendant Tragedy Record!”
“Wanli Era, mine supervisor collected mine tax, killed thirty mules. At night, mule bones dragged steel cables into the yamen, wrapped people’s waists and flung left and right, bones turning into tax silver ingots.”
“Wanli is Ming Dynasty.”
With this anchor, Li Ye carefully recalled Ming Dynasty demonic creature ancient texts he had seen.
“Got it. The Donglin Party’s copy of Mine Disaster Lament Record mentions: repeatedly killing mine mules, bones wrapped in blood-soaked steel cables standing, cables transformed from mine tax official’s whip tips. At night dragged living people as livestock, shattered into silver, filling tax carts.”
“It’s Ore Mule Silver Fiend!”
Li Ye looked at the other demonic creatures again.
“Jinze copper liquid accumulated abyss, at night indigo-robed crying man roamed the wilds, tears falling formed blue armor soil, crops grew copper needles. Farmers ate them, bellies like boiling cauldrons, bodies melting into copper fields.”
From Springs River Works Gazette · Bile Water Chapter.
Also Ming Dynasty, still Wanli!
“That crying demonic creature is Gall Tear Slave!”
“Springs Gazette · Suppression Chapter states: privately cast evil coins gather malice, transform into flying moths carrying copper disaster. Wings shed dust descending, contact causes copper coin sores, sores rotting revealing copper and transforming.”
“The flying moth is ‘Coin Moth’!”
Li Ye said rapidly, “Stop using bullets and cannons. For Gall Tear Slave, use low-temperature hibernation weapons or similar. For Coin Moth, electronic pulses. For Ore Mule Silver Fiend, suffocation combustion, like foam fire extinguishers.”
Heavenly Creations Opened Things has neutralization methods; ancient way is lime coverage for Gall Tear Slave, modern low temperature works.
Springs Gazette method for Coin Moth is ink to block the copper coin treasure light; modern direct electronic pulse.
Donglin Records method for Ore Mule Silver Fiend is glutinous rice to suppress the steel cable and body connection, that spot very hot, can use glutinous rice ‘settle boil’ method; modern direct suffocation fire suppression.
This reminded Li Ye of a record he had seen.
“Ming Shenzong Veritable Records, volume 351, Wanli 45th year, Tongguan Mountain mine collapse, crushed over 200 miners to death. Afterward, nights heard gold drums and wailing cries in the cave; over-mining surged copper silver blood sand, workers touching it died instantly.”
“This Demon Realm is Ming Dynasty!” Li Ye confirmed.
But this place.
“Before summer vacation, I saw news that Fu Yan took down a demonic creature here, but now demonic creatures appeared again.”
Li Ye asked, “The appeared Demon Realm, is it related to Fu Yan or to the owner here?”
Fan Tie shook his head. “Not related to Fu Yan. He’s a free agent, like a mercenary, works for whoever pays more. The industry here belongs to Jinze Chen Family.”
“We went to Chen Family first thing, but Chen Family denies it.”
“You’re more violent than us, right? If they don’t admit it, that’s it?” Li Ye said surprised.
The true violence institution was the military.
“We need higher-ups to order. You’re freer. Let’s resolve the Demon Realm first.”
Fan Tie sighed, then resentfully glanced at Li Ye. “Besides, this should be your Disinfection Bureau’s job, but not every place is your Ningjiang. Jinze City’s Disinfection, you should know, is very poor.”
Every place has drawbacks. The military is the true violence institution but needs orders.
Disinfection Bureau is very free but needs martial force.
Li Ye narrowed his eyes. “What’s the highest realm in Chen Family.”
“Three Realms, same as your Ningjiang Ren Family, both Human Origin Status.”
“Then I’ll go ask personally.”
Perfectly, he hadn’t settled his own strength’s ‘ecological niche’ yet; one Zheng Jun wasn’t enough to test.
A Three Realms Human Origin Status, he could fully test where his ecological niche was.
“We’re here.”
Fan Tie looked down. “We’ll have people withdraw first, wait for your Ningjiang troops to arrive, then.”
“Then lose the great containment situation bought with these people’s sacrifices.”
Li Ye stood up, yanked open the cabin door, letting airflow blow his hair and draped coat.
“I’ll handle the containment!”
Fan Tie was stunned, seeing Li Ye step forward, fumbling for the gas mask prepared nearby. “This.”
“No need.”
Whoosh!
His hand just extended, and Li Ye swooped down, turning into a straight line in the air, heading straight for the demon-infested mine below.
What gas mask? Others had pollution, but he didn’t.
Breaking Six Passes martial arts realm, this pollution was pure child’s play.
Besides.
Pollution of this degree was just like eating snacks!
