Slaying Demons and Cultivating Immortality, Starting as an Imperial Guard

[Lighthearted version] “Ding! Congratulations, Host, for slaying a five-hundred-year-old pipa demon. You have received a cultivation manual!” “Ding! Congratulations, Host, for slaying a fifty-year-old pheasant demon. You have received a Yellow-grade demon-slaying sword!” With his System at his side, Shen Cong thrives in the Jinyiwei’s secret division, slaying demons while openly cultivating immortality. With the System in hand, I’ve got all the cheats I need. What are demons? I’ll slay every one that comes along! Between slaying demons and cultivating immortality, Shen Cong also happens to become emperor and wipe out a band of Japanese pirates. [Poetic version] In the early years of the Celestial Dynasty, the Jinyiwei roam the night; Across the Central Plains, demons and monsters run rampant. The Gu family massacre, the cat demon of Chang'an, fox spirits in painted skins, flying corpses of the Daoist sect, Japanese pirate hauntings, Persian vampires... One baffling case leads to another, each more bizarre than the last. Step by step, Shen Cong cultivates and rises ever higher, vowing to help the young Marquis of the Gu family solve the massacre of his family. Unbeknownst to him, years later, Emperor Jingyuan dies suddenly, the entire imperial family perishes, and no one is left to rule. The Xiongnu and Japanese pirates threaten from without, while traitors seize the moment within. The foundations of the Celestial Dynasty are still unsettled, and already the realm is teetering on the brink. Returning from a demon hunt, Shen Cong produces the imperial edict and ascends the throne by decree. He sweeps away the barbarians and unites a hundred kingdoms. After ten years of war, he finally brings the realm under his rule! [Dialogue version] “Why don’t you settle down and start a family, Marquis?” “The Xiongnu are not defeated, the Japanese pirates are not eliminated, and the realm is not at peace. How can I start a family?” “The northern frontier is fraught with danger. What brings Your Highness here?” “I’m taking someone back to his hometown.” “Who?” “Gu Jiuling of Chang’an.”