Chapter 226: Slaying Demons in Songzhou

The desolate city streets had an eerie, muddy quality.

Crushed rotten flesh and entrails lay everywhere, spreading a sickening stench.

Scattered pedestrians trudged across the mud as if they could neither see nor smell it, their faces numb, each step producing a wet slap.

They were the abandoned.

Nanyue City, once the chief city of a commandery, no longer belonged to the Da Qian Dynasty, nor did it still enjoy the protection of Zhen Mo Si.

Lord Chimu's General Leopard had smashed the plaque of the Zhen Mo General's Residence, then lopped off the head of the old man in tattered black armor, and hung that wide-eyed, furious head on a spear at the gate.

From then on, Nanyue City gained a new Demon Lord.

Chanting Lord Chimu's sacred name day and night, and going to the temple to worship the Lord every three days, was the only way to keep one's life—of course, while chanting, one also had to pray that the one chosen for the banquet was not oneself.

The Demon Lord had a habit of throwing grand feasts.

Those invited to the banquet had gradually shifted from lofty experts of noble clans and sects to ordinary folk like themselves.

Shelter the common folk, and enjoy every carnal pleasure of the palate.

This was the Lord's reward for the Demon Lord's diligence—to be chosen for the banquet, to become a dish upon the table, was the honor of these sheltered folk.

"..."

A thin man in patched hemp clothes walked with his head down along the street, and was suddenly blocked by two people.

He looked up; the two nodded at him.

The man's palm slowly loosened, the incense and candles he had been clutching scattering all over the ground. He did not struggle or beg for mercy—his legs simply gave way, and the two promptly caught him.

Drawing the lot could only be blamed on bad luck, or perhaps on insufficient sincerity when worshipping the Lord.

He was half-dragged, half-led toward the most conspicuous courtyard in the city.

The Zhen Mo General's Residence.

The man's legs slid and he knelt on the ground. He looked again at the head on the spear—now only a waxy, dried husk of skin wrapped around a skull—and then at the others beside him who had also been chosen. Even as he was led into the back kitchen, he could not help glancing up at the sky.

"The Lord is a demon."

If there truly were gods, why did they not send down punishment?

The sky was clear and bright, yet utterly empty.

The residence's roof had been violently torn off, and the council hall converted into a dining hall.

A towering figure, a full zhang and eight chi tall, sat at the head seat, its back ramrod straight, dressed in smooth, glossy silk robes. Even the specially tailored, extra-wide long gown was stretched taut by its bulging muscles, as if about to burst apart.

The leopard rested both paws on the table; it would not pick up its chopsticks until all the dishes were served.

As a general under the Lord, it naturally could no longer behave like a rule-less demon.

Huge wooden trays requiring several men to carry were brought up to the broad table one by one—stewed, roasted, boiled, braised, everything was there. Today's was a minor feast, requiring thirty-six dishes in all.

"Where's the main course?"

The leopard waited a moment, looked at the empty space on the table before it, and glanced sideways.

Mere mortals could not satisfy its appetite.

Even for a minor feast, a martial-artist tonic dish of the Jade Liquid Realm or above had to be arranged.

"The other cities' deliveries won't arrive today, so it must be my turn—I'll go prepare now."

The middle-aged man standing nearby in attendance had once been a renowned expert of a sect. Now, he casually undid his outer robe, wearing only a clean plain garment beneath—clearly prepared long ago—and turned to walk toward the back kitchen.

"Make it quick."

The leopard nodded and urged him softly.

"..."

The middle-aged expert's steps faltered slightly; his hanging hands tried to clench into fists, only to find that the fist techniques he had once known and taken pride in—he had now forgotten how to use them.

On the day the city fell, all those with any backbone had already died.

What remained were all the hesitant, indecisive lot.

He could turn and throw a punch, dying with more dignity—but the price of that dignity would be the lingering lives of his clansmen.

Boiled frog in warm water—unable to leap out anymore.

The middle-aged expert resumed his steps and walked out of the dining hall.

Perhaps it was an illusion, but a long saber had quietly appeared in his line of sight.

It hung silently in the sky.

The slender blade was etched with tooth-like scale patterns, gleaming with a ghostly light, and wreathed in black mist rising from its surface.

"..."

The middle-aged expert suddenly lost all strength, his whole body swaying, nearly collapsing to his knees.

He forced himself to stay upright, afraid the leopard would notice something amiss.

A saber does not appear in the sky for no reason—it must be held by someone...

The Commander has come!

Zhen Mo Si, who could no longer protect the remaining four commanderies, had finally returned.

But this place no longer held a trace of incense or vow power.

"Tch."

The leopard looked up at the sky; the muscles on its body suddenly swelled and tore its splendid robe apart, and it reached for the weapon beside it.

By rights, a Wu Xian should have possessed absolute crushing power over a Demon Lord of the Embracing Elixir Realm, but with the Commander having lost four commanderies and lacking the aid of incense vow power, the leopard was still confident it could block a single strike.

"Old bastard, you don't want your Songzhou anymore?"

With a roar, the leopard suddenly rose.

In an instant, the long saber in the sky plunged straight down.

There was no overwhelming aura.

Before the leopard could raise its weapon, the long blade pierced through the top of its skull and out through the chin, pinning its massive head firmly to the only empty spot on the table.

Vast incense-willpower dispersed within its cranium.

A muffled "huh-chi, huh-chi" rose from the leopard's throat; blood gushed from its eyes, nose, and ears. Like a fat fish nailed to a chopping block, only its body twitched out of habit.

Amid the banquet of severed limbs and broken arms, the main course had finally been served.

……

Outside the city gate.

Zhang Xuan watched as Lord Shen closed his eyes, and saw the long blade at his waist hiss free of its sheath and soar into the air.

It took him a full breath to realize the man had actually sent his Yin Spirit out directly.

Wait—was he that confident?

Zhang Xuan swallowed, leapt down from his horse in an instant, and tensed up as he shielded the man's side.

Before he could even steady himself—

A streak of light swept across the horizon, and a massive figure slammed down from the sky.

The streak of light clanged back into its sheath.

And before the massive figure even hit the ground, Shen Yi opened his eyes, gave a casual wave, and drew it into the pouch at his waist.

"Let's go."

Shen Yi tugged the reins and rode into the city.

Earlier he had merely wanted to test whether, when his Yin Spirit—his own, yet under Lady Qinghua's control—could actually claim a demon's lifespan.

【Slain Embracing Elixir Realm leopard. Total lifespan: 8,700 years. Remaining lifespan: 2,900 years. Absorption complete.】

"……"

Zhang Xuan looked at the demon horse; the demon horse looked at Zhang Xuan; then it gave a loud snort.

A Yin Spirit leaving the body—that was a true, bona fide Wu Xian.

It did befit the status of a disciple of the Martial Temple.

The problem was, it wasn't as though he had never seen a Wu Xian before. Without incense-willpower, how could anyone be so swift and decisive?

From the moment Lord Shen closed his eyes to the moment the long blade returned, no more than sixty breaths had passed.

Setting aside travel time, that meant the leopard demon hadn't even lasted a single move?!

"Lord Shen, wait for me!"

After a brief hesitation, Zhang Xuan realized the man was already gone, and hurriedly swung himself back onto his horse to give chase.

(End of chapter)