Chapter 145: The Skin of the Demon God

"My lord, the Southern Navy has already transported two shipfuls of supplies over. I checked them, and many are precisely what you need," Qin Tiesheng said in a low voice.

"Have them sent to the North Island Governor's Mansion." Baili Feihong wore a smile, having heard that the military governor had gone to the Southern Navy. Yan Fei was clearly feeling the pressure.

Opening his divine eyes, he gazed far into the Central Plains. The nation's fortune was violently shaken, shrouded in black Qi. Clearly, the battle for the dragon's throne had reached its fever pitch. With the Crown Prince holding the moral high ground, the only way for the other imperial princes to turn the tables was to depose the Crown Prince so they could ascend the throne.

On Feiyuan Island, things were remarkably calm. The only bustling place was the Devil's Strait. However, for the military governor to go alone to the Southern Navy was walking right into the tiger's den. If he died halfway, they could simply stage a play and pin it on the Dark Heaven Cult. Military Governor Wang Qianqiu surely didn't think that having the Gongyang family backing him would allow him to safely seize control of the Southern Navy, did he?

Moreover, the Crown Prince and the Eighteenth Imperial Prince were rivals, and Yan Fei belonged to the Crown Prince's faction.

"Yan Fei, do not disappoint me after I have opened up this situation for you."

Conquering the Devil's Strait was a monumental achievement for the declining Dayuan Empire. The greatest credit wouldn't go to Yan Fei of the Southern Navy or Baili Feihong, but to the Crown Prince. The Southern Navy belonged to the Crown Prince's faction.

"Although I hold no affection for the Dayuan Empire, I understand that the best candidate to inherit the throne is the Crown Prince. His succession would be a smooth continuation of the orthodox line; anyone else ascending the throne would plunge the Dayuan Empire into chaos."

"If the future followed its normal course, the loss of the Devil's Strait—with maritime supremacy falling into the hands of the Falla Empire and its allies, coupled with the Sakura Nation's aggressive movements against Dayuan—would only accelerate the empire's decay."

"Yet I intervened and helped Dayuan capture the Devil's Strait."

"The strategic space of the entire Dayuan will expand."

"Instead of waning, the national fortune of Dayuan has increased."

"With the threat of the external environment removed, once the new emperor ascends and Dayuan enters the era of the Industrial Revolution, the general trend will surge upward."

"The entire national fortune has made a 180-degree turn."

As a transmigrator, Baili Feihong knew all too well how crucial maritime supremacy was to a nation. Even in an era filled with airplanes and missiles, whoever controlled maritime supremacy controlled the majority of the world's resources.

Within a week, all factions on Feiyuan Island mobilized completely, assisting Baili Feihong in gathering materials to forge the Cosmos Pot. These factions had no idea what Baili Feihong intended to do with such a vast amount of materials, but that did not hinder them from trying to ingratiate themselves with the garrison commander.

The Dark Heaven Cult had exterminated so many nations, nearly driving their populations to extinction. With the people dead, vast fortunes had been left behind. If they could obtain an official permit from the Suppression Demon Department to enter these territories, what did these few resources amount to? They could reap tenfold or hundredfold returns.

A ray of sunlight pierced through the shade of the trees, spilling over the majestic mountain manor. The scenery of the manor was picturesque, but the mountain path was currently obstructed and ruined by piles of various materials stacked everywhere.

Baili Feihong quietly watched the people transporting the materials leave the North Island. The list of materials he had given to Teferra had now been completely collected.

Forging a pot, inscribing divine abilities within it, and imbuing this Cosmos Pot with formidable power—as a martial artist, he had never attempted such a feat before. According to Baili Feihong's understanding, the Suppression Demon Department also possessed this kind of technology. The Hall of Ingenious Artisan Workmanship was an institution dedicated to researching such crafts.

However, when it came to profound mastery in weapon forging and alchemy, one had to mention the Divine Supervision Bureau—a unique and highly secretive institution.

The Divine Supervision Bureau was the most mysterious agency in the Dayuan Empire. Aside from the Emperor himself, outsiders knew very little about its intelligence. One only needed to know that those who entered the Divine Supervision Bureau possessed special talents. Such individuals were even scarcer than practitioners with top-tier martial arts aptitude.

Yet, after coming into contact with alchemists and combining Baili Feihong's knowledge of technology from his previous life, these people could essentially be called Dayuan's scientists. Of course, they were not traditional scientists, but esoteric sorcerer-scientists.

"Time is running out for me."

A dim, unseen force impelled Baili Feihong to return to Dongbin City as soon as possible. When he used the Tiangang divine ability—Inferring the Future—he only saw boundless crimson blood.

"Originating in blood, Dongbin destroyed, Dayuan ends."

He had previously thought it was opium, sucking the blood of the Dayuan people. He had thought it was foreign enemies, about to unleash endless bloodshed. But as his cultivation realm grew higher, his awe for the world deepened. In the past, he hadn't believed in prophecies, until he mastered similar divine abilities himself and realized how terrifying the prophecies of higher-level practitioners truly were.

"First, cast the foundation using the Five Elements Essence Gold."

His spiritual sense enveloped the materials, instantly discerning their properties.

"Use blood essence as fire to incinerate all things..."

***

Dongbin City.

Zheng Yishan, missing an arm, was very happy today. The prosthetic limb he had commissioned others to make had finally arrived.

"Are you Zheng Yishan?"

At the third watch, in a certain alley on Changsheng Street, the delivery seller wearing a dark robe radiated a faint martial aura. Such a simple disguise was laughable before Zheng Yishan.

"I am Zheng Yishan. How should I address this brother?"

Having fallen into the trough of his life, Zheng Yishan no longer possessed his former swagger. His state of mind was deeply settled, and it was precisely this composure that had altered his style of conduct. Lord Gongyang looked upon him with newfound regard, entrusting him with many important tasks to handle.

However, having lost an arm, he could clearly feel his authority within the Suppression Demon Department declining. In the past, among all Grade-A Demon Suppression Envoys, his authority had been the greatest. Later, Baili Feihong had been added to their ranks. But Baili Feihong had already been transferred away from Dongbin City, and given his current status, he would never be transferred back.

He had never desired the recovery of his normal arm so intensely.

"You don't need to know my name. You should understand the rules of the black market. You pay the money, we give you the goods. Money and goods change hands simultaneously. Once the transaction is completed, we each go our separate ways and do not disturb each other," the dark-robed person said in a deep voice.

"I understand the rules. Do you want gold coins or silver notes?" Zheng Yishan actually felt a sigh of relief.

"Black market" was merely a general term, but he had a fair idea of the faction the dark-robed person before him belonged to—it was the branch personnel of the Treasure Pavilion operating within the borders of Dayuan.

"Gold coins."

After speaking, the dark-robed person looked at the bulging money pouch at Zheng Yishan's waist.

Zheng Yishan unclipped the money pouch from his waist and tossed it over. The dark-robed person caught the heavy pouch, reached inside, fumbled around for a moment, and suddenly looked up. "Aren't you afraid I'll run off with the money?"

Zheng Yishan's face showed disdain. "I am considered a person of some standing in Dongbin City. No doubt you've already inquired about my identity. Do you think you could swallow my money and run out of Dongbin City?"

"Demon Suppression Envoy Zheng is renowned throughout Dongbin. I was merely joking," the dark-robed person said, taking a wooden box down from his back and handing it to Zheng Yishan. "The instructions for use are already placed inside the wooden box."

Zheng Yishan took the wooden box with his left hand, could hardly wait to squat down and place it on the ground, and opened it with his single hand.

The contents of the wooden box were clearly visible to his sharp eyesight. He stroked the black arm with its metallic texture. This was no ordinary arm; it was a prosthetic limb crafted by the sorcerers of the Divine Supervision Bureau. Once installed, his blood Qi could circulate through this special arm.

"The leather sleeve for the arm is a gift presented to Lord Zheng."

Pressed beneath the black arm was a glove resembling human skin. When worn over the black right arm, ordinary people would find it very difficult to distinguish the true nature of the limb.

Looking up again, the dark-robed person had already turned and hurried away. Zheng Yishan did not give chase; one had to keep faith in transactions. If he offended the Treasure Pavilion and the arm got damaged, any request to the pavilion for repairs or replacement would be rejected.

Zheng Yishan closed the wooden box, tucked it under his armpit, quickly left Changsheng Street, returned to his home, and locked the door of his secret chamber. He began to carefully read the paper left behind, which detailed how to use the arm.

*Blood refining?*

Zheng Yishan frowned slightly. He had not sensed any evil aura from this right arm. However, the method of using the special black right arm was bizarre, resembling blood sacrifice more than the "blood refining" mentioned on the paper.

*"Take two liang of heart blood, pour it onto the black gold arm, then slash the wound of the severed arm and press the black gold arm against the wound to attach it."*

Zheng Yishan almost cursed aloud. Heart blood?

His expression turned dark and gloomy. He looked at the right arm—the smooth wound on his body had healed over, but the rounded, protruding stump looked so ugly in his eyes.

*"Heart blood... piercing the skin over the heart should probably work too, right?"*

If he were really to stab into his heart and let the blood surge out, even though Zheng Yishan had refined his five viscera and six bowels, he would not withstand such an injury.

He fetched a dagger. But before taking the dagger, he placed a Black Soul Jade against the black gold right arm, yet the jade showed no reaction whatsoever. If there were any demonic qi, the Black Soul Jade would naturally react and absorb it.

He examined the patterns engraved on the arm, drawn with extremely fine gold threads to form special runes. The faint aura emitted by the runes was quite pure.

No wonder Zheng Yishan was being cautious. Once this black gold right arm was installed, it would merge with his flesh and blood to form a special limb, becoming a part of his own body.

He brought a dagger and a bowl, held the blade in his left hand, and slashed a cut across his chest over his heart, deep enough to reach the sternum. A large amount of blood welled up, and he used his spiritual sense to guide the blood to flow into the bowl.

After filling a bowl with blood, he pressed his left hand over the wound and gently swept across it. White frost froze the wound, stopping the bleeding. With his physique, by tomorrow morning this wound would leave only a faint, thin scar.

After a long silence, Zheng Yishan thought many things. He let out a soft sigh; there was simply no other way.

The Divine Supervision Bureau was unfathomably mysterious, and sorcerers were figures he could not normally reach. It was only through his connection with the Treasure Pavilion that he had managed to have them contact a sorcerer of the Divine Supervision Bureau to forge this black gold right arm for him.

The people of the Divine Supervision Bureau were not entirely aloof; they also purchased materials. Therefore, these sorcerers often crafted special items and leaked them onto the market to exchange for sufficient funds to buy materials.

He had already paid the middleman. He had also paid the sorcerer. What he needed to pay just now was the Treasure Pavilion's channel fee. To restore his right arm, he had spent a fortune down to the last coin.

With this in mind, Zheng Yishan poured the bowl of blood over the black gold right arm.

The gold-threaded runes on the black gold arm burst into brilliant light, absorbing all of his blood. The glow of the runes grew more vivid, transforming from golden to blood-red. The gold-threaded runes also turned crimson and grew thicker, resembling actual veins and arteries.

A faint blood Qi emanated from the black gold arm, blending with the blood Qi of his body without any rejection. It felt completely natural, as if this black gold right arm was simply an arm he had detached and reattached, a part of his own body.

Wielding the dagger, he made a clean slice to cut away the smooth, rounded, protruding scar tissue on his stump. The intense pain did not cause Zheng Yishan to grimace. He grabbed the black gold right arm and pressed it firmly against the wound.

Densely packed crimson runes intertwined and merged with the blood at the wound, gradually fusing with his flesh and blood.

Looking at the junction of the wound, apart from lacking skin and having a different texture, the black gold arm had already merged perfectly with his body.

Zheng Yishan took a deep breath, subconsciously clenched his right hand, and the open fingers of the black gold arm curled into a fist.

"A perfect arm. The sorcerers of the Divine Supervision Bureau are truly formidable."

The Suppression Demon Department, as one of the two special agencies of the Dayuan Empire, possessed unquestionable skill in slaying demons and subduing monsters. Zheng Yishan had always believed that the Suppression Demon Department was the most powerful faction in the Dayuan Empire, and as a demon suppressor, he took pride in it.

Now, that notion was beginning to change.

He glanced at the right-arm skin glove lying quietly in the wooden box. Stroking it gently, he found its texture identical to human skin.

Zheng Yishan sighed. It was highly likely that the sorcerer had used human skin to craft this right arm. But for Zheng Yishan, he was unwilling to delve deeply into what materials the sorcerer had used to make the skin.

The skin glove had excellent elasticity; when worn, it could stretch without tearing. Zheng Yishan estimated that even an expert in the Bone-Refining realm would find it difficult to break the skin with a single slash against this glove.

It was an exceedingly resilient skin glove.

Zheng Yishan grew increasingly fascinated and satisfied the more he looked at it. He could even sense the peculiarities of the skin—the glove was merging with the black gold arm, and his own blood was circulating through the runic blood vessels into the black gold arm, completing his entire body's circulatory system.

"Too perfect."

"It's simply rebirth from a severed limb."

Zheng Yishan praised it repeatedly, his eyes filled with joy. Stroking his right arm and feeling the delicate skin, he felt as though he were caressing his own lover. His expression grew increasingly infatuated.

"Is the task handled?"

"Yes, my lord, the task has been accomplished. I could see the flaw in his heart; Zheng Yishan will definitely love the skin glove we gave him."

The dark-robed trader had already left the city. Standing before him was none other than the long-vanished Lord of Eastern Marquis.

Hearing the words of this outer disciple of the Underworld, the old man curled the corners of his mouth into a full smile. "You have done well. It was not in vain for this seat to deploy you as a deep-planted mole inside the Treasure Pavilion. Very well, return to the Treasure Pavilion to report for duty first. I will have someone send your reward to your home."

"Yes, my lord." The dark-robed person hurried northward.

The Lord of Eastern Marquis gazed toward Dongbin City, his line of sight falling upon Mount Dali. Jiang Dongliu of the Yin-Yang Heavenly Sect was stationed at Mount Dali, attempting to crack its secrets and locate the hidden Gate of the Yellow Springs. Although a rising star, the Lord of Eastern Marquis did not dare underestimate him.

What truly made the Lord of Eastern Marquis wary, however, was the garrison commander of Dongbin City, Gongyang Yan. The token in her possession was no ordinary artifact.

"I hope you like the grand gift I have presented to you."

This was a skin glove crafted from a bizarre piece of hide obtained from the ancient Xuanbing female, Hansu. The skin was fine skin, but it was not human skin.

"The dormant skin of a demon god. Long dormant, it thirsts for blood and thrives on it."

"The layout established by that old ancestor of the Chu family in Dongbin City suppressed Mount Dali and blocked the Gate of the Yellow Springs."

"Only by breaking this formation can the Gate of the Yellow Springs see the light of day once more."

Having spent half a year by the side of the ancient Xuanbing female Hansu, he had won the recognition of that founding master and learned many secrets. This was merely one of them.

"Gongyang, you dog. On the day your new emperor ascends the throne, this seat will deliver this grand gift to you. Its weight will be more than sufficient."

The body of the Lord of Eastern Marquis atomized and vanished. He dared not linger here for long; neither Gongyang Yan nor Jiang Dongliu were figures to be trifled with.

***

Zheng Yishan awoke from a dream, feeling an indescribable comfort throughout his entire body. He instinctively reached out with his left hand to dress himself, only to suddenly remember that he now possessed a right arm.

Extending his right arm, he rolled up his sleeve. It felt like a dream; had he not known this was a prosthetic limb made by the Divine Supervision Bureau, he would have thought his actual right arm had truly recovered.

Stroking his right arm, he could feel the warmth radiating from the skin.

"The skin crafted by the Treasure Pavilion, when worn on a person, feels just like real human skin."

He pinched it firmly, and a faint trace of pain reached him. Though very slight, it filled Zheng Yishan with immense astonishment. The presence of pain indicated that this black gold arm was flawless.

Dressing himself, grooming his appearance, and shaving his beard, he looked completely refreshed, appearing ten years younger.

Zheng Yishan felt different today; the sensation was akin to the shedding of a mortal shell and transforming into a new one, much like when he had broken through into the Bone-Refining realm. Whether due to his state of mind or not, his weak spiritual sense had also grown stronger, and his martial intent had become more solid.

This was the sign of entering the Spirit-Refining realm. He had been stuck at the Orifice-Refining realm for many years; although he had touched upon some superficial aspects of the Spirit-Refining realm, he knew he was not yet there. But now, that membrane had been pierced.

Looking at the heavens and earth once more, they seemed much brighter. He knew this was not an illusion, but rather his spirit beholding creation.

On the road back to the Suppression Demon Department, the speed of his horse unconsciously increased.

Arriving before the Demon Suppression Building, he looked toward the Slaying-Kun and Subduing-Demon Sword in front of the building and instinctively averted his gaze. For some reason, a flutter of palpitations surged into his heart.

He shook his head, pushing the thought aside, and stepped into the lobby of the Suppression Demon Department. Radiating vigor, he had regained his former imposing demeanor.

The demon suppression envoys in the department were arriving for work one after another, or heading out on missions. As they passed by Zheng Yishan, they could not help but reveal looks of astonishment.

"Lord Zheng, your arm... did you experience rebirth from a severed limb?"

Someone looked at him as if seeing a ghost.

Ding Bo frowned slightly, but quickly realized something. He spoke up to defend Zheng Yishan, saying, "Making a fuss over nothing. This should be a runic prosthetic limb crafted by the sorcerers of the Divine Supervision Bureau. It is no different from a real arm."

"Congratulations, Lord Zheng, on recovering completely." Hearing this, many immediately offered their congratulations. Zheng Yishan accepted them with a smile.

"Lord Zheng, did you really purchase a runic prosthetic limb through the Treasure Pavilion...?" Ding Bo walked up to Zheng Yishan and asked.

"I must thank Brother Ding for clearing up my confusion; otherwise, I wouldn't have known that the sorcerers of the Divine Supervision Bureau could forge runic prosthetics."

"It was just a small effort. Being able to help Lord Zheng is my honor."

Yet Ding Bo's eyes kept staring at Zheng Yishan's right arm.

Sensing something, Zheng Yishan smiled and said, "The skin was a gift from the Treasure Pavilion. Seeing that this skin glove was exquisitely made, I accepted it to conceal the true nature of the runic prosthetic. After all, as a demon suppressor, maintaining one's image before the common people is quite important."

"The Treasure Pavilion truly possesses vast magical powers," Ding Bo sighed.

"By the way, Brother Ding, I see you looking so hurried. Did something happen at the Water Transport Gang?"

"Ever since the war in the Devil's Strait broke out, the port docks have been affected. The Water Transport Gang can only run more domestic shipping routes, so there's not too much to worry about."

Ding Bo suddenly leaned in close to Zheng Yishan's ear and whispered, "The garrison commander has been in a bad temper today. Late last night, a major incident occurred in the city: dozens of people were killed by demons. The manner of their extermination was having their blood sucked dry until they were like dried husks. Does Lord Zheng have any impression of such methods?"

"The blood-sucking bat demon case?" Zheng Yishan blurted out.

Of course he knew; at that time, he had been the one pursuing the blood-sucking bat demon, engaging in battle within the city, until the garrison commander ultimately saved the day. More importantly, ever since that incident, the garrison commander had grown tough and purged the key personnel of the Suppression Demon Department. The only reason he had survived was because he knew which way the wind blew and had firmly latched onto the garrison commander's coattails.

"Could that blood-sucking bat demon have appeared again?" Zheng Yishan's expression turned solemn.

"To find out the details, I am now heading to the scene to investigate. Is Lord Zheng interested?"

Zheng Yishan had originally wanted to casually agree, but what came out of his mouth was: "No, Brother Ding. With your abilities, you will certainly find out what kind of demon is responsible."

As he spoke, Zheng Yishan frowned slightly. Thinking it over, he found nothing amiss. If it truly were the blood-sucking bat demon, the two of them combined might not be a match for it anyway.

"Little brother Chen Xingyan is set to depart for Feiyuan Island today. I just happen to want to bid him farewell; after all, during the days he spent here, I was the one who showed him the ropes and the operational system of the Suppression Demon Department. The Suppression Demon Department on Feiyuan Island has been neglected for many years, and Feihong reopened it with his own hands. But Feihong hasn't been in the Suppression Demon Department very long, and he doesn't understand many of its rules. With this little brother returning to help him, the Feiyuan Suppression Demon Department will surely flourish," Zheng Yishan hurriedly fabricated an excuse.

"Little brother Chen's talent is truly formidable. I saw the shadow of Garrison Commander Feihong in him."

"Young talents emerging like this are all brothers and comrades of our Suppression Demon Department. The more such talents, the better," Zheng Yishan laughed.

"Lord Zheng, then go tend to your business. I must also head to the scene. The patrol guards have cordoned it off, but after all, they aren't people from the Suppression Demon Department, and they don't understand many of the precautions needed." Ding Bo cupped his fists and left the Demon Suppression Building.

Zheng Yishan did not go look for Chen Xingyan. Instead, after walking a circle around the Demon Suppression Building, everyone within the department soon knew that Zheng Yishan had installed a runic prosthetic limb.

The Sihai Martial Arts Hall had been sealed off once again. Not only the Sihai Martial Arts Hall, but all the martial arts halls on Changsheng Street had suffered disaster. The martial artists left behind to guard the halls had all been slaughtered by demons.

With a gloomy face, Ding Bo walked toward the Sihai Martial Arts Hall. He saw Zhang Qianshan standing at the entrance of the hall, and his heart finally settled a little. Clearly, Zhang Qianshan had returned to the Zhang family residence for the night. The people left behind to guard the hall were all his disciples.

Experiencing demonic incidents twice in succession left Zhang Qianshan standing in a daze of sorrow, reminding him once again of when his master, Wu Sǐhai, had been killed by the Night Demon.

"Brother Zhang, please accept my condolences." Ding Bo sighed, though inwardly he felt relieved. If something had happened to Zhang Qianshan, he wouldn't know how to answer to Baili Feihong.

"Lord Ding, the martial arts halls on our Changsheng Street are nearly wiped out to the root. You must seek justice for us," Zhang Qianshan said, his face full of sorrow and grievance.

"Rest assured, Brother Zhang, this matter has already alarmed Lord Gongyang. No matter what, we will not let the demons escape this time."

Ding Bo thought of the Night Demon case he had once been in charge of, which had remained unresolved to this day. Although the case had been handed over to Baili Feihong, Ding Bo had taken it back during this period. He had studied it for a long time, yet he still couldn't figure out how the Night Demon had managed to evade the Demon-Fixing Compass, a magical artifact of the Divine Supervision Bureau.