Chapter 701: This Blade Is Called Concealing Skill Within Clumsiness

Pine Wind Prefecture, before the pavilion.

A youth in dark robes stood with hands at his sides, waiting quietly.

When a black-bearded man strode out to greet him, Shen Yi cupped his hands and said, "Nanyang has come to request an audience with Lord Yang; I have an urgent matter to report."

"Lord Yang?" The black-bearded man froze for a beat, frowning. "Hasn't Lord Yang gone west to the Nine Prefectures to reinforce you lot?"

"…"

Shen Yi slowly unclenched his palms and lifted his gaze, rather at a loss for words.

Reinforcing the western Nine Prefectures?

When he had been garrisoning the Nine Prefectures earlier, he had slain several fifth-rank great demons, refined them into Garrison Stones, and after thinking it over—since they weren't exactly short-handed—had simply sent one Garrison Stone back in his place.

Granted, anyone with deep cultivation could easily spot the anomaly in the Garrison Stone.

But this pack of great demons wasn't like the former Qingluan, who hadn't even half a servant by her side, leaving only Princess Ziling to attend her.

The horde of demons was a mixed bag; the odds of slipping one in were far higher, and even if it failed, at worst it would only cost one Garrison Stone.

In the end, his luck held, and he truly got hold of a crucial piece of intelligence.

More often than not, when great powers contended, what decided the outcome was who moved first.

For instance, right now—if the imperial court learned in advance of the three great demons' plot, then what would be waiting for that horde would no longer be the unprepared city garrison formation, but Yang Mingli himself, the third-rank General Who Pacifies the South.

Able to wipe them out in one net while also making the demons wary, unable to fathom just how many experts the imperial court had stationed here.

Two birds with one stone.

For this reason, Shen Yi had set out in person to deliver the message, and along the way trailed behind to scoop up plenty of demon lifespans without lifting a finger.

But for all his calculations, he had never figured that Yang Mingli would not be here.

"This…"

Seeing Shen Yi fall silent, the black-bearded man grew equally awkward. He knew Lord Yang had gone precisely to investigate the Nanyang General standing before him.

As a fellow colleague, he couldn't speak too bluntly, so he could only say tactfully, "Whatever urgent matter General Nanyang has, if you head back now, Lord Yang should still be at Jianyang."

"No need."

Shen Yi shook his head and said softly, "At top speed, gather the nearby Zhan Yao Si runners, notify the Songfeng Fucheng government office—there's a demon calamity incoming. Do your best to keep the casualties down."

These concise, to-the-point words, falling on the black-bearded man's ears, somehow took on a strange flavor.

Setting aside that the two sides had already split, even if they hadn't, the two men were both titled generals—equals in rank—and here the other was already issuing orders on his own accord.

Besides, the western Nine Prefectures had already run into trouble, and this General Nanyang still had the suspicion of "concealing and failing to report" hanging over him, yet he was already meddling in Songfeng Prefecture's affairs.

Under Lord Yang's command, a full eighteen prefectures had, to date, not suffered a single major incident.

The black-bearded man forced a smile, but before he could speak, the next words that rang in his ears struck him like a thunderbolt, freezing him on the spot.

"Eight fourth-rank demon immortals. Thirty-six fifth-rank great demons."

The other hadn't even used qualifiers like "roughly," but had stated the exact numbers, as though he had laid eyes on the horde himself.

When it came to slaying demons, there was absolutely no room for play.

When he came back to his senses, the black-bearded man had broken out in a cold sweat. If such a horde of great demons were allowed to approach Songfeng Prefecture unnoticed, in half a day at most, Dananzhou would be down to twenty-six prefectures.

Moreover, neither Lord Yang nor Lord Feng was present; if the demons tore open even a single breach, the consequences would be unthinkable.

"Many thanks for the warning, General Nanyang! I'll go notify the government office and our colleagues at once!"

The black-bearded man snapped ramrod straight and bowed respectfully to the youth before him.

At any rate, getting the news early would always cut the losses.

Besides, since General Nanyang had come, he certainly wouldn't stand by idle. With his aid, even if they couldn't win, they could at least hold out longer.

Once Lord Yang noticed something was wrong and hurried back to Songfeng Prefecture, there shouldn't be any major problem.

"I have other matters; I'll take my leave."

Shen Yi gave a slight nod of his chin and turned to walk toward the street.

The warning delivered, all that remained was to figure out how to respond.

Since stepping into the fourth rank, he had clashed a handful of times, big and small. Shen Yi had a fairly clear grasp of his own strength, but facing eight great demons of the same realm at once still weighed on him considerably.

Especially fighting within the Divine Dynasty's territory, where there were too many eyes and ears.

The Arhat Golden Body he relied on, the Grand Void Golden Core, and the immortal seal included—all bore features far too distinctive, and each came with its own heap of trouble.

He had to fight with restraint while also ensuring Songfeng Prefecture came to no harm.

"Tough."

Shen Yi murmured, letting out a soft sigh.

Then his figure melted into the sea of people.

……

Songfeng Prefecture, Juyang Tower.

This tavern was one of the tallest buildings in the prefecture city; its topmost floor was like a spire, with only a single table for guests. Even the highest nobility had to book far in advance to entertain here.

At this moment, only one pair—a man and a woman—sat facing each other.

Hong Jing had chosen this place for a single reason: from the height one could see far and wide, spot anything unusual at once, and make it convenient for his own senior sister to make her move.

Moreover, leaping into action from here would naturally draw the gaze of more of the prefecture city's common folk.

"Since you knew a demon calamity was coming, did you notify the government office to prepare in advance? And where are the Immortal Court's soldiers?"

When Lady Tiandong was handling serious matters, the childishness on her face quietly faded, and at last she showed a hint of the bearing befitting the foremost second-generation disciple of Elder Yu Chi's sect.

"The Immortal Court is still moving troops; they should arrive soon—they're waiting on my word. As for the Songfeng Fucheng government office, I've sent word too." Hong Jing gently rolled the wine cup in his palm.

"If you've notified them, why is there no movement in Songfeng Prefecture at all?" Lady Tiandong asked, frowning as she looked down at the street below.

"That… this junior brother isn't too sure. The mortal government office are just bogged down in red tape." Hong Jing shrugged helplessly, though inwardly he sighed—if he let the imperial court react in advance, where would the chance be for Elder Yu Chi's sect to show its might? This stage would have been built for nothing.

Hearing this, Lady Tiandong frowned instinctively.

Having not emerged for many years, how had the Immortal Court and Divine Dynasty fallen into such a sorry state? No wonder it had given those great demons ideas again.

"It's fine. With Jiang Shijie here to hold the line, nothing major can go wrong."

Hongjing laughed and offered a word of reassurance, but the moment his voice fell, the corner of his eye caught a change on the street — ranks of soldiers in neat formation were striding through the long avenue, the townsfolk dodging aside one after another, then quickly flooding back into their homes.

"Not bad. At least it's a bit better than the Immortal Court."

Lady Tiandong's brow gradually eased, her complexion improving considerably, and she even found the mood to tease Hongjing once.

"…"

Hongjing slowly set down his wine cup and drew a deep breath.

What was going on? Could the Songfeng Prefecture Office really have received word?

How could that be? Only his own side, the Puti Sect, and that band of great demons knew of this matter — none of them had any reason to tip off the Divine Dynasty.

Could it be that the imperial court had figured it out on its own?

Enough. Master had long since calculated everything; as long as the court's third-rank powerhouse didn't make a move, the garrison of Songfeng Prefecture alone could never stop the demon horde, no matter what.

Some of the mortals in this city were bound to die.

Otherwise how would they know pain, how would they see how unreliable the court was? Only thus could the immortal sects' benevolence be made manifest.

Hongjing forcibly steadied his heart.

The two of them sat like this all the way until dusk.

The crimson clouds on the horizon gradually faded, about to be swallowed by the boundless curtain of night — and just then, those already dimmed-to-the-extreme evening clouds suddenly burst forth with an unprecedented, bewitching scarlet.

Even though he had long known everything, at the instant he saw with his own eyes this heaven-rising demonic qi, Hongjing could not help a tremor in his heart.

Such a grand display — he had not seen one in many years.

To deal with a horde of great demons like this, even when Qingluan was still alive, a fourth-rank Hongze Daxian general would not have been fit to be the Regional Commander — at the very least it would have taken a third-rank subordinate Immortal Venerable to lead.

These demons had hidden themselves in remote corners, yet their foundations had not waned but grown!

"Jiang Shijie, it's truly dangerous as expected — I'll go muster our forces at once!"

Hongjing abruptly rose and darted off in another direction.

In a situation like this, if he stayed here he would surely have to charge into battle alongside Jiang Shijie, but facing that group of fourth-rank demon immortals, even with the protection of his immortal seal, one careless slip and he was likely to perish on the spot.

What Hongjing had claimed was merely the merit of leading the way — there was no need at all to take such a risk. Besides, his status was special: he was an immortal general, and staying here would steal the Jade Pool Sect's thunder.

Hence he had long since prepared an excuse.

"Go quickly, come back quickly."

Lady Tiandong's mind had already been wholly given over to the demonic qi filling the sky. She drew a deep breath, her expression somewhat ugly.

Although she knew that unless absolutely necessary, Master would not lightly let her descend the mountain to save the world, she had likewise not expected that the state of the world had already grown so perilous.

Against great demons of this caliber, even if she used every trick she had, she absolutely could not stop them all. She had more than enough to protect herself, but she was far from resolving the demon calamity.

"Prefect of Songfeng, I am Yu Chi's Tiandong — aid me in subduing the demons!"

Lady Tiandong made a snap decision. Seeing the soldiers already standing ready, she at once raised her voice in a great cry, intending to coordinate with the mortal world's imperial qi to repel the enemy together.

At the same moment, her graceful figure had already drawn her sword and stepped up into the nine heavens!

By all reason, at a moment when a demon calamity struck so suddenly, to have a Taiyi Zhenxian step forward — and one who was, moreover, a standout among the younger generation — was, for the imperial court, a great blessing indeed.

But what was somewhat awkward was that the official in the prefecture office directing the imperial qi had clearly noticed Lady Tiandong's figure, yet showed no intention of cooperating.

The dense ranks of soldiers still stood where they were, all raising their eyes to look ahead, faces filled with awe.

"You…"

At the sight, Lady Tiandong felt a tightness in her chest.

She had clearly come to help, yet was ignored like this — anyone would feel aggrieved.

But before her words had finished falling, when she cast her gaze toward the outside of Songfeng Fucheng, the scene that met her eyes left her briefly dazed.

Outside the towering prefecture city, red clouds shrouded the earth, and the demon horde had gathered.

A terrifying beast — a fierce tiger thousands of zhang long, like a mountain range — lunged out first. Its enormous tiger-paw came crashing down, intent on tearing apart the imperial qi, smashing the splendid gate-tower, and carving a path for the demons behind.

Roar—

The tiger's roar shattered metal and split stone, forcing the soldiers standing ready to retreat three steps.

One must remember that these seemingly ordinary soldiers, having received word in advance, were now not only reinforced by the imperial qi of Songfeng Prefecture, but had even temporarily drawn over part of the imperial qi from the surrounding prefectures as well.

Iron soldiers like a mountain!

To shake this formation, even an ordinary Taiyi Zhenxian likely could not have done it.

This fiend's ferocity was rare in the world.

At least within the Divine Dynasty's borders, no great demon this fearsome had appeared in many years.

But the reason the soldiers were awed — and Lady Tiandong stood stunned in the air — was that the sky-covering tiger-paw had actually failed to land on the city wall.

Above the city gate, a tall figure stood upon the void.

He wore a dark-gold hair crown, a cloak of black armor, and rolling black clouds wreathed his whole body like a long cape.

His face looked to be in his early twenties — still young and handsome.

His blade had not left its sheath; he held it in his palm.

The young man gripped his blade and thrust out his palm — with the fist formed by those five fingers, he so lightly and casually pressed it against the tiger-paw.

The impression it gave was like a slender beam propping up a towering great hall!

Inside Songfeng Prefecture, the demon-slayers hastily recalled were each taking out their magic treasures to fight for their lives. Even though they had received wind of it in advance, because it was all too rushed, the titled generals who had rushed back — counting even that black-bearded man — numbered only three.

Fortunately, all three were fourth-rank Taiyi Zhenxian, none weaker than General Wushan, and already qualified to take part in this battle.

They had originally been marveling at Lady Tiandong's appearance, but with a shift of their gaze, they all looked together at the figure above the city gate.

Perhaps it was because that former ink-colored robe had been too plain, while this suit of armor now possessed both splendor and a biting chill.

Even the black-bearded big fellow took several breaths before he reacted, muttering, "This… this is General Nanyang?!"

The other two titled generals, who had originally been doubting whether such a terrifying demon calamity truly existed, now fell utterly silent, their eyes wide.

That young junior had actually become so overwhelmingly powerful.

Without any magic power showing, using only his flesh and blood body, he had forcibly blocked a ferocious great demon of that caliber.

The next moment.

Shen Yi suddenly clenched the scabbard tight; the gold-patterned profound blade shot forth and fell into his right palm.

And in his left palm, which still gripped the scabbard, Jin Guang erupted, like a long river flowing backward, wrapping the tiger demon's body and, with a fierce momentum, blasting it violently back.

The massive tiger frame, like a mountain ridge, flew sideways; the sound of breaking wind thundered like an explosion, causing the demons behind it to change color drastically and hurriedly rise to dodge.

A palm strike meant to breach the city had ended up in such a wretched state.

The horde of demons instinctively raised their eyes toward the sky above the city gate, wanting to see what kind of being this was — one who had reacted with such incredible speed and gone out of the city alone to intercept them.

What met their gaze was Shen Yi's slightly narrowed eyes, the dark pupils reflecting a sharp blade-gleam.

The gold-patterned long blade tore through the void; the vast tribulation force transformed into boundless blade-light, spreading at a speed barely visible to the naked eye, slashing apart the very curtain of the heavens!

Among the demons who had risen to dodge, those with high cultivation could still evade again, but those great demons who were only at the fifth rank — how could they possibly dodge such wind-and-lightning-fast blade-light?

Puchi! Puchi!

The sound of flesh and blood separating rang out one after another, muffled, echoing across the heavens.

This single slash astonished everyone present and shook the entire Songfeng Fucheng!

Even Tian Dong Xianzi's pupils contracted slightly.

It wasn't that the technique was especially profound — quite the opposite. This slash carried no technique at all; it was simply a wanton release of tribulation force, a slash that did half the work for double the effort.

It utterly displayed this person's contempt for the horde of demons!

Tian Dong Xianzi, as the foremost of the second-generation disciples with deep cultivation, naturally also heard the mutterings of those with the highest cultivation within Songfeng Fucheng.

Nanyang General…

This is a court official?!

She somewhat startled, tightening her grip on the sword in her hand: "Within the Divine Dynasty there is actually still such an existence."

As everyone knew, the Divine Dynasty's generals also cultivated, but under the deliberate actions of the Three Teachings, they were only slightly better than those loose cultivators — they had the chance to come into contact with Dao Fruits and Fruits of Position, but most of what they got was the Three Teachings' leftovers, learning a little of everything without mastery.

Borrowing on treasures like the human realm's imperial qi, their cultivation speed was actually no less than that of sect disciples, perhaps even more so.

But once it came to a real fight, their foundations were crude and shallow; they were usually at the bottom among those of the same realm, only managing to hold their own against sect disciples thanks to the help of imperial qi. Once they left the Divine Dynasty's territory, no one truly regarded them.

Yet based on the two moves just witnessed—

A thought actually arose faintly in Tian Dong Xianzi's heart… that perhaps this person was no weaker than herself!

(End of this chapter)