Chapter 401

In the Demon Palace, among the mountains of molten-gold vines.

Many candidate maids stood frozen, breath held, gazing solemnly at the thirteen women in the courtyard, their eyes filled with envy and excitement.

"Miss Gong Gong Caiyu."

Jiang Ding took from a candidate maid's tray a red-hued flying sword, its length a foot, streaked with straight, deep-blue light, and looked into the woman's eyes, whispering: "Will you become my maid, protect me throughout my cultivation journey, obey my commands, and fight for me?"

"In return, so long as you do not break our agreement, I will provide you with a certain degree of protection and corresponding Gong Fa."

"Should either party violate it, this agreement shall be automatically nullified."

"Will you?"

"Young Master, I will!"

Gong Gong Caiyu's face flushed crimson; she knelt on one knee, her white long skirt spreading across the ground, and declared firmly: "From this moment on, I vow to fight for you, protect you, obey your commands, until the day my body perishes and my soul shatters."

"Thank you."

Jiang Ding smiled faintly and placed the Heaven-Light Radiant Yang Dao Weapon Sword into her hands.

The Dao sword glowed crimson, and in an instant, searing sword qi surged through her entire body, automatically recognizing her as its master.

"This is…"

Gong Gong Caiyu's heart trembled; an overwhelming sense of kinship flowed from the sword, triggering the Heaven-Light Radiant Yang Sword Scripture automatically. A red-hued flying sword streaked with straight, deep-blue light danced nimbly around her, its sword qi pulsing with an aura far exceeding that of a Foundation Establishment mid-stage cultivator.

She stared, dumbfounded, feeling as though she no longer feared even a Foundation Establishment late-stage cultivator, despite being only at the early stage herself.

"Rest for a moment."

Jiang Ding spoke gently, lifting her hand and helping her rise.

"Yes, Young Master."

Gong Gong Caiyu's cheeks flushed again; she hurried to stand behind him.

"Miss Xia Tu…"

"Miss Chun Shi…"

One by one, the young maidens knelt before him, receiving the Heaven-Light Radiant Yang Sword. Thirteen in total—all maids who had followed since the Jin Ling Mountain era and earned numerous battle merits, wise and reliable.

Thirteen flying swords each recognized their masters, shining brilliantly.

Without being activated, they rang out spontaneously, their array patterns spreading and merging, linking the thirteen maids' auras into one whole centered on Gong Gong Caiyu, radiating a sharp, searing power far beyond Foundation Establishment peak.

"Sisters look so powerful!"

The candidate maids' eyes sparkled with stars.

Moments later, the aura faded, leaving only thirteen graceful maids standing in place, their presence so faint they seemed ready to vanish at any moment.

"Good."

Jiang Ding gave a slight nod.

Sixteen years of training had not been wasted; their control over magic power and understanding of Dao Weapon arrays had reached a qualified level.

"Go."

Jiang Ding whispered: "Form groups of three, each no more than twenty kilometers apart. Sweep the five-hundred-kilometer perimeter around Tushan Xiancheng. Upon discovering any evil cultivator or bandit, record evidence and execute on the spot—no trial needed."

"Let the world know: Tushan Xiancheng is a land of order. No lawless acts shall be tolerated."

"Yes, Young Master!"

Gong Gong Caiyu, Xia Tu, and the others bowed deeply; their forms blurred and vanished.

The candidate maids around them widened their eyes, scanning with their spiritual senses again and again—nothing could be found. Their mouths hung open in shock.

"Let's continue the lesson."

Jiang Ding gave a slight nod.

Their numbers are still too few now. But in hundreds or thousands of years, when their numbers grow, they will play a massive role even on the main battlefield—one sword drawn, ten thousand Dao Weapon swords follow, sealing heaven and earth.

In those days, the Sword Soldiers of the Great Sun Sword Pavilion were known throughout Ming Zhen Gao Jie.

…

The maids' first formation as personal guards immediately delivered a devastating blow to nearby bandits.

They appeared without warning and vanished without trace, soaring through the sky. Upon spotting any bandit, three crimson flying swords struck at once, slaying the target in the blink of an eye—before even the victim could react, they were gone.

Occasionally, large groups of demonic cultivators or Foundation Establishment peak cultivators would resist for a moment—then thirteen crimson swords converged, and in an instant, entire squads of demonic Foundation cultivators fell, like straw before the wind.

Unlike Xiang Xiang Qiyu's Sword Sons, who only appeared rarely and left whoever encountered them cursed, these maids patrolled every few days, with no predictable pattern.

Like a sieve, they swept back and forth across the five-hundred-li radius around Tushan Xiancheng, again and again.

In just over a month, hundreds of Qi Condensation and Foundation Establishment demonic cultivators fell, their blood staining the earth; the survivors fell silent as frozen frogs.

The unrest caused by the imminent Spirit Treasure auction vanished instantly—even better than usual.

Cultivators traveling through were orderly, courteous, and no longer prone to sudden duels or violent clashes.

Outside, the maids earned a new title.

Tushan Demon Maidens!

…

A battlefield.

Thirteen crimson flying swords crisscrossed, merging into a sky-filling blaze of light, swift as lightning. Amid roars, they tore apart Dong Xue Gu Shangren, a Foundation Establishment peak cultivator famed among demonic cultivators, reducing his blood-bone serpents to scattered fragments.

After clearing the battlefield, the thirteen women vanished—practiced to perfection.

Yet they did not know that, high above, two cultivators watched silently.

One, a monk in tattered robes, holding a wooden fish; the other, a handsome young master with a face as radiant as jade.

"All are quasi-grade-three artifacts. Which Daoist has such a grand gesture?"

The handsome young master snapped shut his fan, his peach-blossom eyes sweeping over the hidden maids, filled with covetousness.

"Young Master Peach Blossom, you know full well."

Vajra Monk shouted a Buddhist chant: "Besides the City Lord of Master Tushan Xiancheng, that Tushan Xiancheng sword cultivator, who else would expend such effort to maintain order in the vicinity?"

"This little monk has visited many markets and immortal cities these years; most merely forbid fighting within the markets, with conflicts spreading at most twenty or thirty li beyond."

"This fellow, however, wishes there were no bandit cultivators anywhere in his entire domain; once caught, they are executed immediately."

"The Tushan sword cultivator..."

Peach Blossom Young Master's face showed apprehension.

Huang Bao and Tianluo Hand Liu Yan were not unknown figures among the Jin Dan cultivators of the Northern Plains.

Huang Bao cultivated both body and technique; his Golden Ape Subduing Divine Art had few rivals among Jin Dan Zhong Qi cultivators, and he had once faced a Jin Dan Hou Qi cultivator for a time without defeat, truly overwhelmingly powerful.

Yet in a short span of time, they had successively perished at this person's hand, unable even to flee.

"Hehe, this person is indeed strong, but he made one mistake."

Peach Blossom Young Master sneered: "He should never, under any circumstances, have pinned Huang Bao's Ben Ming Fa treasure to the city wall; it was no different from hanging a corpse for public display. The Blood Cloud Eighteen Cavalry will not let him go; pretending to be deaf and mute will be difficult."

"Furthermore, Blood Flowing Cloud is renowned across the Northern Plains for his righteousness reaching the clouds. Although he is currently being hunted by a Nascent Soul from the Liu Dao Sect and cannot free himself, if someone can avenge his brother, gaining a favor from him will not be difficult."

"This is a favor from a quasi-Nascent Soul cultivator, or even a Nascent Soul cultivator hundreds of years hence. If utilized properly, it is enough to make a family flourish for a thousand years and more; truly, it makes one's heart itch with desire."

Vajra Monk also showed a look of being tempted.

He was alone and had no family to care for, yet if he could obtain a favor from a future Nascent Soul, whether used to extend his lifespan, to Break Through Realm, or to kill an enemy, there was much he could accomplish.

(End of this chapter)