Chapter 1339

Turbid waves part the void, yin winds howl in fury.

Bai Yuan leads with a single monkey, "pushing waves and aiding surges"; the Black Tiger Whale King stands beside, his body merging with water.

Two hegemonic-level demon kings—wherever placed, they are unmatched sovereigns—yet behind them, fish fins cleaving waves, hooked tentacles, sharp sword bones, springing shell tails—each demon king of different clan, with the two hegemons as eyes, spreading like wings, wherever they go, heaven and earth change color.

Even if these fourteen were all Entering Zhen Xiang, their number alone would trouble any power, let alone fourteen Abyssal Dragons!

This is no longer a question of whether they can be dealt with.

"Haha, Southern Frontier is in terrible luck! The new Tusi probably has liver and gall trembling, roll up your bedding and scram!"

When Bai Yuan went south to Jianghuai, the situation wasn't apparent; when the Whale King went south to the Southeast Sea, it wasn't apparent either; as the demon kings gathered, just setting out, it still wasn't apparent.

But now———

Tens of thousands of miles flash by in an instant—Southern Frontier land, now within arm's reach.

Mobilizing troops, just to go drink tea, chat, and shoot the breeze?

Lan Jicái clapped with delight, laughed heartily, picked up a biscuit and chewed vigorously, thoroughly relaxed. Apart from him, the entire Directorate of Astronomy occasionally burst with suppressed laughter they couldn't hold back, filling the Directorate with a jovial atmosphere.

Lan Jicái really wanted to take advantage of the chaos to loot, but now openly it's merely "River Stones" moving everywhere—what exactly happened with all this "love and hatred," the Great Shun "should not know"; these years, Great Shun has always been "defensive counteroffensive," justified in action, too proactive would expose flaws and ruin this righteous pretense, making it ugly instead.

Thinking of this.

"Your Majesty—has he returned?"

In Lan Jicái's peripheral vision, a blank space—he realized the Holy Emperor had left at some unknown time; he just raised his head to search for traces when a clerk rushed over, bowed low, and whispered: "Lan Mr., Your Majesty requests you hurry to the second floor to send an urgent memorial."

"Send an urgent memorial?" Lan Jicái dared not delay, took a sip of tea, rinsed his mouth, swallowed the dregs, brushed biscuit crumbs from his chest, "Coming, coming."

Golden Wang Ting, spring all year round.

Great Shun had prior warning, knew a bit or two; the Northern Court's interior remained utterly bewildered, only watching a few River Stones fly about like flies, finally merging into a mass heading south to the Southern Frontier.

The Khagan's face was stern.

What heaven-anger, human-resentment deed did the Southern Frontier commit to attract such a huge group of murder stars?

Demon kings mostly stand in opposition, mutually hostile—deliberately provoking them would hardly create today's situation, let alone the Southern Frontier; even if Great Shun faced such a formation, they'd need to drink a pot of tea.

Formerly, the Southern Frontier was an enemy that gave Great Shun headaches; north and south joining forces, strained resources, massive losses—who would have thought that in just a few short years, though the Abyssal Dragons clearly still exist, only two dead, yet they've somehow given people the feeling of the sun setting westwards, of being spent and done for.

As an onlooker, Great Shun and the Northern Court, who haven't directly faced the fourteen demon kings, still tremble for the Southern Frontier; the Southern Frontier's Nine Strongholds, bearing the brunt, are utterly chaotic, the Tusi Valley's administrative system nearly paralyzed—no one knows what to do.

The Nine Strongholds aren't incapable of blocking; if an equal number of Great Shun Martial Saints attacked, they'd surely gather in each stronghold—such numbers have occurred before—but today's situation is truly inexplicable, utterly a case of needlessly making enemies, only wanting to rush to Tusi Valley, point at the Tusi's nose, and curse him for having been in office less than two years—what exactly has he done?

Xiao Xing Lou.

"Yin Sir." The Left Envoy stepped half a pace forward: "You are Black Water Poison, standing at the pinnacle of Entering Zhen Xiang under heaven; we two know your strength is extraordinary—even if we fight, we may not defeat you or gain advantage—but today others are outside, you cannot possibly flee; you were just in Xiao Xing Lou, you can see the River Stones, understand the situation, no need for us to say more—please, maintain your dignity."

The Right Envoy stepped half a pace forward: "Yin Sir, please maintain your dignity."

Tea water swayed, teacup struck teacup, Yin Ye couldn't help but retreat, his waist leaning against the vermilion-lacquered table; in the process, his hand unintentionally snapped the table corner, which crumbled into powder.

The two celestial beings saw this, assumed the renowned Black Water Poison was about to flee; the left envoy instinctively stepped two paces forward, then realized there was none—Yin Ye merely stood unsteadily.

Adam's apple rolling, lips cracked with dead skin, vision nearly blurred by sweat, Yin Ye's lips trembled twice: "This is————

but the Tusi's meaning? Or other great elders, elders————"

"Yes." The Left Envoy nodded.

"The Grand Tusi's meaning." The Right Envoy spoke.

The two sentences fell.

Yin cold like a tidal wave surged forward, filling every inch of room for maneuver dead solid. Snuffing lamps, pulling wicks—Yin Ye's vital spirit rapidly withered, truly like a snuffed candle, only the last faint wisp of blue smoke left trembling.

Clatter clatter.

Black-blue chains shook, colliding inch by inch with sound.

Boots stepped over the threshold.

The clerks inside Xiao Xing Lou quickly averted their gaze, pretended to work, merely stealing glances askance, using peripheral vision to look—once radiant Black Water Poison Yin Ye, hands clasped before him, accompanied left and right by the two celestial beings, was led out of Xiao Xing Lou.

After the three departed, surrounding soldiers withdrew, Xiao Xing Lou suddenly erupted in noise, clamor boiling over.

Iron chains tightened around his wrists, Yin Ye stumbled out of Xiao Xing Lou, faintly hearing the uproar behind him, yet unable to discern what exactly was boiling over inside Xiao Xing Lou.

Was it cursing him?

Or mocking him?

Yin Ye thought.

Blazing sunlight pierced the leaves, forming light shafts, directly shooting into his eyes, making his vision—already blurred by sweat—even more bewildered, dazzling and bewildering; he could think of nothing anymore, only feeling his arm pulled by someone, forcing him into a closed carriage.

Squeak squeak.

Wheels rolled over dirt road, flying dirt clods.

Yin Ye lowered his head, his whole body swaying left and right with the carriage.

Swaying?

No, not right.

In his dazed stupor, Yin Ye still sensed a hint of discord.

How many years, how many years since he last rode a swaying carriage? As the esteemed Black Water Poison traveling, at minimum he'd ride a heaven-flying steed, enveloped in true Gang, motionless, unwavering—let alone the Tusi, no matter how poor, wouldn't be reduced to this state.

Even if impoverished, demon kings act with such speed—he himself should have been rushed back posthaste, not slowly trudging along a dirt road.

The long stretch of time made Yin Ye forget carriages sway; this novel sensation stimulated him.

Just as he realized the situation was wrong.

"Boom!"

Gang wind struck his face, drying sweat, slightly chilly, wooden splinters scraped past his ears, embedding into tree trunks.

Under unobstructed sunlight, Yin Ye raised his hand to shield; amidst wind and dust, his clothes fluttered.

The entire carriage roof was completely lifted, edges neat as if cut, followed by incessant explosions and screams from his ears, dust flying.

Yin Ye felt dazed; before he could comprehend the situation, a cold light flashed before him, the chain snapped with a sound, and then his arm was seized in an iron grip.

Perhaps because the situation was urgent, the other party exerted great force, practically dragging Ren Ye out with hardly any regard for decorum.

"Lord Ren! Quick, come with me!"

"But—" Ren Ye hesitated; he knew he was a crucial link in appeasing the Demon King's fury, to just leave like this—

"No buts, hurry up and go!"

Under the newcomer's repeated urging, despite not having figured out exactly what the situation was or who the newcomer was, Ren Ye's survival instinct surged up. He moved his legs and followed the newcomer, fleeing all the way amid the surrounding shouts of killing, speeding through the dense forest.

"Gah!"

The great bird shrieked, the flock startled into flight from the woods.

In no time at all, the land for several li around was razed flat.

Inside the Xiao Xing Building, the clerks were in a panic. Not long after the convoy left, an explosion occurred ten-odd li away; the commotion was so enormous that no one dared approach. After the uproar had subsided for a long while, a man suddenly stumbled out of the dense woods, covered in blood, brandishing a saber and shouting loudly: "Quick, quickly send men to inform the Tusi — the Black Water Poison Ren Ye has escaped!"

"Hwa!"

Thud.

The newcomer fell, kicking up a faint cloud of dust.

The clerks reacted belatedly, scurrying about in the noise like headless flies.

"What did you say? The Black Water Poison escaped? How did he escape? So many men couldn't take down one Black Water Poison? Is he Liang Qu's sworn brother Li Sheng? Can one man fight three hundred? Or did he break through the Heavenly Gate and enter the Yao Dragon on the battlefield? If he had this ability early on, how could our Southern Frontier have been humiliated by that yellow-haired brat?"

The news flew like lightning. The Xiao Xing Building was originally inside the Tusi Valley, only a few hundred li away; in an instant the Tusi slapped the table and rose, glaring with fury.

"Tusi, it wasn't Ren Ye escaping on his own — someone made a move and rescued the Black Water Poison!"

One wave subsides, another rises.

Here they had just received the dire news when another clerk cried out in alarm inside the mountain building.

"Bad news, the Demon King has already entered the Lu Cang River, Lord Tusi—"

The Tusi's head spun, the world turned upside down.

"It's over, it's over!"

"Quick, first send men to appease the Demon King, issue a warrant for the Black Water Poison, seize his entire family, force him to show himself. Where's Jiu Zhai? Where are the Jiu Zhai people? We should weather this crisis together!"

Crack, crack.

Branches and leaves snapped; having briefly escaped that lethal vortex that left everyone at a loss, Ren Ye's heart lightened, his muddled thoughts regaining a thread of direction. He looked at the masked men around him, baffled.

"Who exactly are you?"

"Lord Ren, a noble forgets easily — have you forgotten me too?" The one who seemed to hold the lead among the raiders, also the one who had grabbed Ren Ye, spoke up; his voice changed, utterly different from before.

Ren Ye felt the voice inexplicably familiar; he carefully recalled the timbre, and his face changed drastically: "Xie—"

"Shh!"

The leader raised a forefinger.

Ren Ye sealed his lips, lowered his head, and pressed on until they had run another great distance, roughly a thousand li or more.

The group arrived at a valley.

The leader removed his mask and rubbed his face; the transformation was swift, and a handsome visage known to every high-ranking figure in the Southern Frontier — recognized by all — gradually emerged.

The newcomer was none other than.

Xie Hongyu!

Xie Hongyu had another identity, even more widely known than his name.

The Old Tusi's most favored grandson!

Xie Hongyu patted the dust off Ye's body: "Lord Ren, I know you have many doubts; rest assured, this is my grandfather's intention. My grandfather sensed a change in the river-center stone and felt the Tusi might act foolishly, arresting you to take the blame and calm things down, so he immediately dispatched me. Coincidentally, among the two Heavenly Men the Tusi sent to seize you, one had once received my grandfather's kindness; we made temporary contact and coordinated from inside and out, passing through danger unscathed."

"Fortunately, among the two Heavenly Beings sent by the chieftain to capture you, one had previously received a favor from my grandfather, so he contacted me on short notice, and we coordinated inside and outside—we had a scare but came through unharmed."

"Lord Ren, rest easy. My grandfather has also sent people to your family's side; they will certainly be faster than the Tusi. Lord Ren's son died at Liang Qu's hands, the whole clan loyal and martyred — such a vile act cannot be committed again. The plan was a good plan, only the wrong person was entrusted."

"My lord, rest assured—your family's side has also been contacted by my grandfather, and they will certainly act faster than the chieftain. Your son died at Liang Qu's hands; the whole family died loyal and fierce. Such despicable acts cannot continue. The plan itself is sound, only the wrong person was entrusted."

Xie Hongyu sighed: "Not handing you over won't appease the Demon King's wrath; handing you over harms our Southern Frontier — it would collapse in an instant. My grandfather couldn't think of a better way for the moment, so he had to compromise: first let Lord Ren bear the stigma of fleeing in fear of punishment, life or death unknown, shouldering the matter; take your family to live at my house. After some time passes and the Demon King's affair is settled, my grandfather will exonerate you, and the matter will be considered closed."

In the dense woods birds sang; land leeches on the leaves touched the insect-repellent powder and fell to the ground.

Ren Ye was silent for a long time, two clear streams of tears flowing down alone; with a thud he knelt on the ground.

"Ye, ten thousand thanks to the Old Tusi!"

"Lord Ren—"

"Your Majesty, where to send the telegram? What to telegraph?" Lan Jicai asked.

The Sage Emperor stood with hands behind his back, pondered briefly: "You send a telegram to the Huai Dong River Heposuo in Pingyang Prefecture, addressed to Governor Su Guishan."

"Got it." Lan Jicai operated swiftly.

The Violet Lightning Ship was of critical importance, so its operation did not lean toward simplicity but was instead extremely complex, to prevent the enemy from seizing it one day or a traitor from taking it away — if anyone else got hold of it they could use it.

The Purple Lightning Ship is of utmost importance, so its operation was not simplified but made highly complex, to prevent the enemy from seizing it one day or an insider taking it away—otherwise, anyone who obtained it could use it.

"Your Majesty, Governor Su is on the other end; what should I say?"

The Sage Emperor closed his eyes: "The following words, Governor Su must relay in full to the Huai King's Consort; tell the Ape King: no matter how much benefit the Ape King gained this trip, first take out half of it to win over the East Sea Demon King; the price difference will be made up by the imperial court. Remember, it must be fast."

Lan Jicai was startled, dared not delay, and telegraphed it word for word without a single mistake.

In Pingyang Prefecture, Su Guishan could not sense the river-center stone; he was eating hotpot and humming a tune, completely unaware anything major had happened, only knowing the other side said it was ten thousand fires urgent, so he hurriedly put down his chopsticks and went to find Long Eying.

"Southern Frontier Tusi! You son of a bitch, born without an asshole, hermaphrodite, rotten leather drum, big-tailed wolf — you pig-nose-sticking-green-onion, dare act but not dare own up! Dare own up but not dare take responsibility! If you don't come out, soon we'll go ashore, chop off your head, and let your Monkey Grandpa wipe his ass with it!"

"Chieftain of Nanjiang! You bastard, born without an asshole, a hermaphrodite, a rotten-skinned drum, a big-tailed wolf—you've got a pig's nose stuffed with scallions, daring to act but not to own up, daring to admit but not to take responsibility! If you don't come out now, we'll surely land later, chop off your head, and use it to wipe my monkey grandfather's ass!"

The Whale King disparaged inwardly.

Earlier, fighting Fu Zi, he had already experienced its verbal sharpness; he didn't expect there would be new tricks today.

The Demon Kings entered the South Sea from the Southeast Sea, went upstream on the Lu Cang River, then followed a tributary of the Lu Cang River toward the Tusi Valley; all along the way, surprisingly, no one obstructed them.

The myriad Demon Kings entered the South Sea from the Southeast Sea, traveled upstream along the Lúcāng River, then followed a tributary of the Lúcāng River toward the Tusi Valley, and along the entire way, no one actually obstructed them.

The Demon Kings figured out what was going on.

Humans lump the demon race together, and the demon race lumps humans together.

They fundamentally understand the political situation and distinctions between the Southern Frontier and Great Shun — only Liang Qu is the exception.

Fourteen Demon Kings, among them two Overlords; not a single stockade in the Southern Frontier can face them alone, and even if one could, it would be nearly finished after the fight, plus the Tusi problem — they probably simply don't care, moving as if through an uninhabited land.

The Frog King scratched its butt, occasionally raising the great anchor to intimidate.

The deeper they pushed into the heartland, the Demon Kings were now less than three thousand from the central Tusi Valley.

Some Demon Kings had already begun to worry this was a trap — turtles in a jar.

"Great Sage, hold on!"

On the stern bank, several Entering Zhen Xiang hurriedly gave chase.

Gold eyes slanted in a sidelong glance; Bai Yuan paid no heed and continued forward.

Seeing this, the lead Entering Zhen Xiang chased along the bank, looked up, and shouted: "Great Sage, humans and demons have never offended each other's waters — why act like this today!"

Bai Yuan flew into a rage: "You Southern Frontier lot stirred up trouble among my demon race, causing great chaos; the Seahorse clan, the Little Horse King died because of you, and now you still pretend not to know! I've never seen such shamelessly thick-skinned people — brothers, smash them! Today we'll definitely cut off that Tusi's head and take turns wiping our asses with it — I'll go first!"

Before the words fell.

The dark-red great anchor had already rushed toward the several Entering Zhen Xiang.

The several Entering Zhen Xiang were scared out of their wits; before the great anchor could crash down on their heads, Heavenly Gang giant hands manifested, intercepted the great anchor, heaved hard, diverted its path, barely blocking it.

"Turtle with a shrunken head, finally shrunk back — finally something with weight shows up, hahaha, an acquaintance." Bai Yuan grinned.

Two Great Manifestations stepped out on empty air.

One of them was none other than.

"Ape King!" The Centipede Great Witch glared furiously, "Back then you killed my Great Witch Pan Dong, fled into Great Shun, not seeking you was already a grace — today what do you want coming again? Really think the Southern Frontier is a place you come and go as you please?"

"Hmph, dead duck's mouth is hard, shit-scared yet pretending to be tough! What do I want to do? It's what your Southern Frontier wants to do! Confess and be lenient, resist and be severe — you insist on playing dumb, that's another matter. Bring the demons, present the evidence!"

The Sea Tooth King, Big and Little Horse Kings swam forward, and also produced the Creation Great Pills the Southern Frontier sent back then.

"Witnesses and physical evidence are all here — inciting the demon race, destroying aquatic clan unity, causing the Little Horse King's death — what else do you have to say?

This King tells you, today's matter, no room for negotiation! Whoever pulled the shit, opens their mouth and eats it! If it was that Tusi brat who pulled it, then let that Tusi brat come eat it!"

"Outrageous!" The Centipede roared, "You're all aquatic demon beasts, produce some treasure pills and you say it's so — how do we know it's not you lot colluding to set a trap?"

"Good! Brothers, smash them! Cut off the Tusi's head and take turns wiping————"

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