The Eastern Victory Divine Continent, the Southern Zhao Kingdom.
Apart from being geographically distant from one another, the various great continents also differ vastly in customs and traditions.
Even their state structures vary significantly in some cases.
For example, the Xuanwu Kingdom in the Southern Gaze Continent is undeniably a centralized autocracy—or, to put it more plainly, a realm where the emperor holds absolute power.
The political landscape of the Xuanwu Kingdom essentially mirrors the centralized authority seen across the Southern Gaze Continent.
At the very least, the emperor possesses the authority to openly defy anyone without reservation.
The Eastern Victory Divine Continent naturally has its own centralized states, but due to differing customs and historical trajectories, feudalism and alliances are the prevailing systems here.
Broadly speaking, it can be described as a kingdom within a kingdom—where the Son of Heaven delegates territorial authority to regional lords. While the Son of Heaven can issue commands that the lords must obey, he lacks direct control over the internal affairs of their domains.
These differing circumstances give rise to entirely distinct organizational structures.
In the Xuanwu Kingdom, where the emperor reigns supreme and all land belongs to the throne, the need to maintain stability against supernatural threats and anomalies naturally led to the creation of the Demon Suppression Bureau—an institution capable of operating nationwide, serving both as a military force and an intelligence network.
The Demon Suppression Bureau is directly under the emperor’s command.
Under such centralized rule, an organization like this functions without issue.
But in the Eastern Victory Divine Continent, things are different.
While the Son of Heaven holds nominal supremacy, his authority does not extend into the territories of the feudal lords. As such, a nationwide organization like the Demon Suppression Bureau cannot exist here.
With regional governance left to the feudal lords, the methods of organizing defenses against supernatural threats vary drastically between domains.
Some flourish, while others flounder.
Wealthy domains abundant in spiritual mines and resources naturally develop robust demon-hunting forces, as their riches allow them to maintain sizable organizations.
But for remote, resource-starved domains, the situation is one of near-abandonment.
The prevailing attitude is one of complacency—so long as the demons don’t slaughter their way to their doorstep, they’ll keep indulging in revelry.
After all, if they can’t afford to support cultivators, how can they expect them to sacrifice themselves selflessly?
Even if some cultivators might be lured by the pleasures of the mortal world, would such individuals truly risk their lives for the cause?
Yet, necessity breeds adaptation.
Most nations in the Eastern Victory Divine Continent have given rise to a joint organization of rogue cultivators and sects—the Demon Hunters.
Unlike the Demon Suppression Bureau, which is fully funded by the state, the Demon Hunters operate on a merit-based system—missions determine rewards.
Complete a task, receive the corresponding payment.
This system has significantly alleviated the pressure on impoverished domains facing demonic rampages.
While handling specific incidents may require hefty additional payments, the overall cost remains manageable since they don’t need to sustain high-level cultivators year-round.
The Demon Hunters are composed of sects and rogue cultivators from the Eastern Victory Divine Continent.
Sects handle core regions and high-risk missions, while rogue cultivators scatter across the land, taking on less perilous tasks.
Under this system, the Eastern Victory Divine Continent boasts the highest number of rogue cultivators and nominal organizations among all the great continents.
This is precisely why Li Yingling was able to recruit so many Golden Core cultivators here.
For those willing to risk their lives, becoming a Demon Hunter offers substantial resources—no need to join a sect.
Given that most rogue cultivators here take up the mantle of Demon Hunters for survival, they are, compared to their counterparts in other continents, the most reliable and grounded bunch, with relatively even tempers.
After all, in these lands, one truly relies on friends when venturing out.
The Eastern Victory Divine Continent—a vibrant and unique realm. Beyond its lands, even its people leave a distinct impression.
At least, that’s how Chen Baiqing sees it.
When Chen Baiqing first set foot in the Eastern Victory Divine Continent, she deliberated for a long time before obtaining a Demon Hunter identity token.
The Demon Hunters issue different tokens based on cultivation level:
Copper for Qi Refinement, silver for Foundation Establishment, gold for Golden Core, and jade for Nascent Soul.
As for those at the Deity Transformation stage and above—they would never stoop to becoming mere "Demon Hunters."
Even if one insisted, they would be honored as honorary elders, with no additional tokens issued.
The token system allows for quick identification of a cultivator’s reliability and, without causing offense, reveals their cultivation level.
It also helps assess the strength of one’s allies, preventing high-risk missions from being assigned to clueless novices.
Originally, Chen Baiqing hadn’t been keen on registering.
But when Li Yingling returned to the sect, she had boasted at length about her "glorious history" as a Demon Hunter—commanding a vast entourage of followers at her beck and call.
Whether this tale was true or not, the only one who knew was Zhang Miaoyu. Yet Zhang Miaoyu, ever loyal to Li Yingling, kept her silence.
Thus, the truth of Li Yingling’s claims remains an unverifiable mystery.
Still, influenced by her senior sister, Chen Baiqing hesitated only briefly before registering and receiving a gold token.
Admittedly, the token system had its merits.
While a Qi Refinement cultivator might pawn a gold token for a meal, a Golden Core cultivator would never stoop to such undignified behavior.
In her childhood, Chen Baiqing had spent her days listening to stories—some from her master, but most from her senior sister.
In the earliest days, she had even shared a bed with Li Yingling.
Every night before sleep, her senior sister would tell her strange and fantastical tales.
It wasn’t until later, when Chen Baiqing began reading, that she realized many of those stories had been borrowed from books.
Compared to her senior sister, her master told fewer stories—but each was of higher quality, vivid and captivating.
Most importantly, Chen Baiqing had never come across tales like her master’s in any book.
But… it had been a long time since her senior sister last told her a story.
The most recent tales were of Li Yingling’s own exploits—summed up as: "The Days of the Chosen One as a Demon Hunter in the Eastern Victory Divine Continent."
In truth, Chen Baiqing’s subconscious reason for coming to the Eastern Victory Divine Continent was because her senior sister had been here.
But unlike Li Yingling, who had rallied a massive following and led them as their commander, Chen Baiqing had no such ambitions.
Not that she doubted her ability to do so—she simply had no interest in investing effort in those who were destined to walk different paths.
In the parlance of the Eastern Victory Divine Continent’s rogue cultivators, someone like Chen Baiqing—who only joined others’ teams for missions—was called a "roaming cultivator."
But this time, the mission she had accepted was no ordinary roaming assignment.
The reward for this task might amount to nothing more than gratitude and some trinkets useless to cultivators.
It was the kind of mission even rogue cultivators would refuse—leaving Chen Baiqing to undertake it alone.
Well, not entirely alone.
There was also her employer—a mortal with no cultivation whatsoever—tagging along as an assistant.
As she turned from the main road onto a rural path, Chen Baiqing rode on horseback, a violet veil draped below her eyes.
Although Chen Baiqing had her illusion magic activated around the clock, others merely saw her as an exceedingly plain-looking Golden Core cultivator who appeared somewhat rustic and impoverished.
Still, to avoid encountering any high-level cultivators who might see through her illusion and glimpse her true appearance, she wore a purple veil.
Chen Baiqing wasn’t particularly skilled at riding horses, nor had she ever practiced any equestrian techniques.
But she knew how to make a horse obey her.
"Truly worthy of a great city’s steeds—so intelligent."
A young man’s voice, filled with awe, sounded from behind Chen Baiqing.
She sighed inwardly, her gaze flickering back to see a dark-skinned, short, and wiry young man dressed in tattered hemp robes, his straw sandals nearly falling apart at the straps.
"Are we almost there?" Chen Baiqing asked.
The young man quickly raised his head, offering an ingratiating smile.
"Immortal Master, we’re nearly there. I truly appreciate your help."
Chen Baiqing gave a slight shake of her head, her eyes drifting forward again.
She wondered… had her master returned safely yet?
But if he had, her senior sister should have sent word by now.