Elian had no choice but to let the others accompany him despite his dissuasion, instructing the clan members along the way to take good care of him.
Adding up the elders and youths, the Chen Immortal Clan managed to gather more than forty Qi Refining cultivators. Combined with the twenty or so Chen family cultivators stationed in Pingyang City, the total number reached nearly seventy.
The last time such a large group had been mobilized was during the beast chaos sixty years ago. At that time, nearly a hundred cultivators from the Chen Immortal Clan had gone to the front lines to fight the beasts, but tragically, it had resulted in their complete annihilation.
This time, even though the group consisted entirely of cultivators, their varying levels of cultivation meant it took four whole days to reach Pingyang City.
Upon arrival, the Great Elder Chen Qingxu was the first to receive them.
In the main hall, stroking his long beard, he said, "Ten days ago, I ordered the formation to be activated. Pingyang City and several nearby towns are now sealed off. If there are still demonic cultivators, they should already be trapped."
The Fourth Elder, Chen Qingyuan, quickly interjected, "Then what are we waiting for? Let's root them out now."
"Pingyang City has a population of over a hundred thousand," Elian shook his head and replied.
"To identify the demonic cultivators is no easy task. Moreover, to prevent desperate actions that could cause unnecessary casualties, we must proceed cautiously."
As he spoke, Elian looked around at the gathered cultivators and continued.
"The Great Elder will remain with twenty cultivators to oversee the city-protection formation and must not act rashly."
"The task of searching falls to those of us who came from Qingyuan Mountain."
After a brief discussion, the plan to root out the demonic cultivators was finalized.
According to the plan, except for those guarding the city-protection formation, the rest would be divided into groups of five. Each group would include one late-stage Qi Refining cultivator responsible for ensuring safety, while the other four focused on detecting demonic cultivators.
With this method, even if a demonic cultivator had practiced a technique to conceal their aura, the combined efforts of four individuals would uncover the demonic energy within their body. After all, no matter how well-hidden a demonic cultivator might be, they couldn't entirely conceal the demonic energy from their cultivation.
Though slow and taking nearly a month to complete the inspection of Pingyang City, this method was deemed reliable.
Elian and two other Qi Refining ninth-layer elders were tasked with patrolling and would personally suppress any discovered demonic cultivators.
Once the plan was set, the Great Elder immediately issued orders to the city guards to maintain order and assist in the search for demonic cultivators.
Early the next morning, the Chen Immortal Clan's cultivators began inspecting every mortal in the city square, checking for traces of demonic energy according to their household registration.
Standing on a high platform, Elian observed the bustling crowd below and the cultivators checking for spirit roots. A slight frown creased his brow.
"It's said that powerful immortal clans often possess treasures specifically designed for detecting demonic cultivators."
"Such treasures can simultaneously inspect large numbers of mortals, easily exposing hidden demonic cultivators."
"If we had such a treasure, we wouldn't need to go to such lengths."
Beside him, Chen Qingwan smiled faintly, her eyes filled with longing as she said, "It's said that the Qingyang Sect possesses such a treasure called the Hao Tian Mirror."
"Legend has it that the Hao Tian Mirror is immensely powerful. Wherever its light shines, demons scatter. Even Purple Mansion and demonic fiends cannot withstand it, and ordinary demons are instantly reduced to ashes."
"Such a treasure is coveted even by Purple Mansion or Golden Core-level immortal clans. Who knows if our Chen family might one day have the fortune to acquire one."
The elderly Uncle Chen Changyan glanced at Elian upon hearing this. His gaze held a hint of hope, and after a moment, he smiled and said, "Elian, our Chen family places its best hopes on you. I dare say you have the bearing of an immortal descended from the heavens."
"This old man won't live to see it, but you must cultivate diligently. If you ever acquire a demon-slaying treasure, remember to bring it to my grave and show it to me."
Everyone treated his words as a joke, but Elian felt a heavy weight in his heart.
He narrowed his eyes slightly, silently whispering to himself, "A demon-slaying treasure… there will come a day."
Though the group chatted idly, they remained vigilant. The first day's inspections proceeded smoothly.
By sundown, they had checked four to five thousand people but found no demonic cultivators.
This was within expectations. While demonic cultivators infiltrate almost every immortal clan, their numbers are typically small.
The inspections continued methodically for several days. On the fourth day, Elian finally noticed something amiss.
On that day, a man brought to the square by the city guards appeared visibly tense. Suddenly, his expression twisted in fury as he unleashed a blood-red skull artifact toward the inspecting cultivators.
Fortunately, Elian, having sensed something wrong, quickly unleashed a golden blade of light, striking the attacker down in an instant.
The demonic cultivator, only at the early Qi Refining stage, was no match for Elian and was killed in the blink of an eye.
The commotion attracted the Fifth Elder, Chen Qingwan, who removed a human-skin mask from the corpse's face.
The captain of the city guard approached, inspected the body, and reported, "This man was named Chen Dabao, aged forty-seven. He lived alone and showed no unusual behavior in recent years."
"After his parents' deaths over a decade ago, he became reclusive. Who would have thought he'd been replaced by a demonic cultivator?"
"For over a decade… it seems this demonic cultivator took the identity of a Chen clan mortal and hid in Pingyang City for many years," Chen Qingwan said coldly.
Pingyang City was home to a second-tier spiritual vein. Though most of its spiritual energy was supplied to the city-protection formation, it was still an ideal cultivation ground for low-level demonic cultivators.
Elian sheathed his golden blade, glanced at the demonic cultivator's remains, and said, "Lead the way to his residence."
The city guard captain led the group to Chen Dabao's house. Upon entering the yard, Elian's eyes narrowed. He strode forward, lifted the cover of a cellar in the woodshed, and found dozens of human heads inside.
"These were used to refine a Bone Skull Demon artifact," Chen Changyan said, recognizing the heads' purpose at a glance.
He explained to the group that the Bone Skull Demon artifact was a demonic treasure. A century ago, the infamous Bone Skull Old Demon had used it to wreak havoc across Chu Kingdom.
"To refine the artifact, the Bone Skull Old Demon slaughtered several Purple Mansion immortal clans, collecting tens of millions of mortal heads."
"It's said that when the artifact was unveiled, wailing ghosts filled the area for hundreds of miles, turning it into a hellscape."
"The Bone Skull Old Demon, with the artifact's power, was nearly invincible in Chu Kingdom."
"Eventually, it was the Qingyang Sect's former leader who wielded the Hao Tian Mirror to kill the demon in a decisive battle. That battle left the Qingyang Sect's leader gravely injured, and he passed away shortly afterward."