Chapter 301 - 144: Top-Level Gambit, The Great Families of Qing Province

Chapter 301: Chapter 144: Top-Level Gambit, The Great Families of Qing Province

Fang Xing rose and saluted. "Rest assured, Ma’am. I am at your command."

Hong Miaojin gave a slight nod. "Go," she said, looking at him. "Memorize the files, then get some rest."

Fang Xing nodded, then turned and left the hall.

As she watched Fang Xing’s retreating back, Hong Miaojin’s fingers gently tapped the table.

"The Demon Alliance..."

She murmured, a cold glint flashing in her eyes.

—

Stepping out of the residence, Fang Xing headed for the Demon Suppression Mansion.

"Greetings, My Lord!"

"Lord Fang!"

"Mm."

...

Along the way, he ran into numerous Commanders who all greeted him, and Fang Xing nodded back at each one.

He could sense the peculiar looks they gave him.

It was only to be expected, though.

After all, a Demon Suppression Envoy with a mere First Layer True Gang Realm cultivation was likely a first in the entire history of the Observatory.

He was the very first.

He didn’t care if they doubted or scorned him.

Given time, he was absolutely confident he would shatter every last bit of their doubt and contempt.

...

"My Lord."

Returning to the Demon Suppression Mansion, Hong Luan immediately came forward to greet him, her expression deferential.

Fang Xing glanced at her. "You were under Marshal Wei before. What was your position?"

Hong Luan bowed, revealing an unintentional glimpse of snowy white. "My Lord," she said respectfully, "I was a Commander under Marshal Wei."

"A Commander..." Fang Xing looked at her. "Don’t you feel it’s a waste for you to be my Steward?"

Hong Luan gave a faint smile. "My Lord, I have long heard of your reputation. I am more than willing to follow you. In fact, it is my honor."

’This woman... certainly knows what to say,’ Fang Xing thought.

"My Lord, the mansion is a bit empty. Do you need any servants? I can arrange it and purchase some from a city brokerage."

Fang Xing considered for a moment. He looked at her and casually took out a money pouch, handing it to her. "Yes, you can procure some. Not too many, though. I’m not fond of crowds."

Hong Luan glanced at the gold leaves inside the pouch and bowed. "My Lord, this is too much. Besides, the Observatory provides a budget for this; we can use the official accounts."

"Keep the rest for yourself. You’ll need funds later on," Fang Xing said plainly.

Hearing this, Hong Luan didn’t refuse again. She accepted the money pouch and looked at Fang Xing.

"My Lord, do you have any specific requirements?"

"Just make sure they’re presentable and know their place," Fang Xing said.

Hong Luan nodded. "I understand."

Fang Xing looked at her and asked, "Do you have a Sound Transmission Bell?"

"I do, My Lord." Hong Luan said, taking out a golden Sound Transmission Bell.

Fang Xing took the Sound Transmission Bell, left his Sound Transmission Mark on it, and returned it to her. "I’ve left my mark. Go on, run your errands. Just notify me if anything happens."

"Yes, My Lord." Hong Luan put away the Sound Transmission Bell, bowed, and then left the Demon Suppression Mansion.

Watching Hong Luan leave, Fang Xing headed deeper into the mansion.

Arriving at the study, Fang Xing sat down leisurely in a Grandmaster’s Chair and took out the detailed files on Qing Province that Hong Miaojin had given him.

This was information compiled by four Marshals.

It recorded the overall situation in Qing Province in its entirety.

’One must plan before acting.’

The more he understood, the more confident he would be when it was time to act.

As he carefully reviewed the documents, Fang Xing’s eyes scanned ten lines at a time, committing every piece of information to memory perfectly.

"South County... Beiyang County..."

After finishing the documents, he noted that the situation in several prefectures and counties was particularly dire.

It was no exaggeration to say that from the Prefecture Cities and County Towns down to the villages, almost everything was completely controlled by the Demon and Demon Power.

The local government officials were colluding with Demons and Monsters.

This wasn’t an isolated phenomenon—it was happening everywhere.

From the Prefects of the Prefecture Cities and the Governors of the County Towns, down to the common County Magistrates and Constables, the collusion with Demons and Monsters ran deep.

"The mountains are high, and the emperor is far away," as the saying goes. The Imperial Court’s control here was virtually nonexistent.

A true Land of Darkness!

If a purge were to happen, you could get rid of every single one of them from top to bottom without a problem.

However, each situation required its own specific analysis.

The situation in Qing Province, and even the entire Southern Border, was different from other Provincial State Mansions.

Demons and Monsters, Evil Cults, and Demon Sects were all interwoven, creating an impossibly vast and tangled web.

Even if one had the will, they lacked the power.

Any who disobeyed could be eliminated at any time and replaced with a new puppet.

’Now *this* is what you call a fucking turbulent age...’

Fang Xing closed the file and sighed inwardly.

The chaos elsewhere was completely incomparable to the chaos in the Southern Border.

In other places, refugees fled and regions descended into chaos, but the Imperial Court’s control had not diminished; its grip remained firm.

But the Southern Border was different.

Aside from retaining some influence in the major Province Cities, everything below them had all but fallen.

Killing these officials would be pointless. More would simply rise to take their place.

The only true solution was to eliminate the Demon and Demon Power backing these officials. That was the only way to pull out the problem by its "roots"!

Cut off the roots, and these officials would naturally become obedient.

However, purging them was not a task that could be accomplished in a day. It had to be done slowly, step by step.

Unless he had the strength to just flip the whole table.

To wipe out the Demon Alliance in one fell swoop.

As for that kind of power... forget him, not even a Celestial Martial Saint would be enough.

According to what was currently known, there were at least ten beings at the Demon Saint Level within the Demon Alliance.

The Ten Great Demon Saints!

These were the top titans of the Demon Alliance, the ones known to the public.

And these Ten Great Demon Saints were no Ordinary Level Demon Saints.

Each one’s combat prowess was off the charts, making them top-tier existences even among other Demon Saints.

Beneath each Demon Saint were gathered numerous Demon Emperors and Demon Kings, not to mention countless Great Demons.

A Demon Demon Saint is an existence on par with a human Martial Saint of the Celestial Human Realm.