[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-immortality-begins-with-slaying-demons":3,"chapter-immortality-begins-with-slaying-demons-immortality-begins-with-slaying-demons-chapter-74":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Immortality Begins with Slaying Demons",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2317962,4533,"Chapter 74: The Figure on Guanjian Platform","immortality-begins-with-slaying-demons-chapter-74",74,"\u003Cp>Linjiang Commandery, Qingfeng Mountain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Guanjian Gorge.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dozens of sturdy demonic horses galloped day and night, hooves churning up clouds of dust.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With a long sigh.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A deputy general clad in a black cloak dismounted and gazed ahead at a neat row of tents.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was early morning; the campfires, damp with dew, crackled as blackened charcoal emitted wisps of white smoke.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>About a dozen corpses of Golden Eagle Captains had been gathered together, their bodies riddled with sword wounds, skin torn open, flesh split to the bone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hong Lei led the demonic horse, his eyelids twitching slightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If outer-camp captains were more like wandering martial heroes skilled in small-team investigations, then inner-camp captains were soldiers, forming a Suppressing Demon Array of a hundred or more, crushing demonic dens with unstoppable force.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Any casualties meant the situation had nearly spiraled out of control.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Perhaps hearing the hoofbeats.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A young man, also draped in a cloak but with a golden eagle embroidered on his shoulder, stepped out from a tent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He looked at least ten years younger than Hong Lei.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His right arm was wrapped in bandages, his face pale, his breath shallow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He frowned slightly in displeasure: “Why are you only here now?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I was about to ask you the same, Deputy General Zhao,” Hong Lei replied coldly, his hand resting on his saber’s scabbard: “I gave you forty men to guard Guanjian Gorge—just to keep Qingfeng disciples from leaving the mountain—and this is what you’ve done?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As he spoke, his gaze fell upon the dozen or so corpses.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Guanjian Gorge was a steep cliff, naturally defensible, easy to hold, impossible to sneak past unnoticed—the Qingfeng disciples’ every move was under the Suppressing Demon Corps’ watch.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Any unusual activity would give ample time to report upward and request reinforcements.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I don’t have the habit of sitting here doing nothing.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Kanglin sneered, lifting his brow: “If that furious old man hadn’t shown up unexpectedly, I’d have already slaughtered my way through. I’d be reporting a major victory to General Chen.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing this, Hong Lei barely restrained the urge to slap him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He looked up toward the cliff.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There, on the cliff’s edge, sat a figure in gray robes, knees crossed, silver strands tied into a simple wooden pin bun, eyes half-closed, face withered, palms resting open on his knees, a plain iron sword laid across them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Furious Sword Elder of Qingfeng Sect, long ago a Sword Master at the Jade Fluid peak, was already renowned throughout Qingzhou.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Had he not grown old and frail, his lifespan exceeding three hundred years, and feared failure, unwilling to waste his precious chance at condensing a Golden Core in the Sword Pool, he might have had a real shot at achieving that realm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Though I’m wounded, he’s taken a hidden blow—he won’t recover for at least ten or fifteen days.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Kanglin’s eyes gleamed with pride.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Born into a distinguished family, he had unleashed his ancestral secret technique, a Jade Fluid mid-stage cultivator trading blows with a famed elder of the martial world—and walked away alive. To anyone who heard it, this was worthy of pride.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing his triumphant expression.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whether the Golden Eagle Captains in the tents or the outer-camp captains atop demonic horses, all wore grim expressions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shen Yi held the reins with calm composure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So this was why they’d been forcibly summoned here.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hah. Reporting achievements?” Hong Lei grinned, studying him intently: “You’d better wait to be whipped when you return.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You—!” Zhao Kanglin gritted his teeth. If only he hadn’t been unlucky, stranded here, desperately needing troops to hold the line.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How dare an outer-camp deputy general speak to him like this—so disrespectful, so uncouth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hong Lei ignored him, turning: “Outer-camp disciples, dismount!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Forty-odd men landed in unison.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hong Lei walked past them one by one: “We left in a hurry, no time to talk. Most of you aren’t under my command. I’m Hong. I’ve served as deputy general in the Suppressing Demon Corps for sixty years, Jade Fluid mid-stage, always working for General Chen... yes, that old man on Qingfeng Mountain’s peak—Chen Qiankun.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I know you’re resentful, having to clean up after these fools who’ve grown stupid in Qingzhou.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Don’t worry—so long as you don’t mess up, when we return, each of you will be credited with a Golden Core achievement.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At these words, many captains’ faces finally brightened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To advance from one stripe to two, one needed to participate in five Jade Fluid-level demonic disasters; to advance from two to three, over twenty.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But participating in just one Golden Core-level demonic incident counted as at least twenty Jade Fluid-level ones.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And this time, though labeled Golden Core-level, they wouldn’t even need to fight—just hold this mountain for General Chen Qiankun.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Three bottles of treasure elixirs, unlimited beginner-grade martial arts, one lower-grade Jade Fluid martial art.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Three years’ salary, two months’ leave.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Hong Lei extended his palm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not just the others—even Shen Yi’s gaze flickered slightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Suppressing Demon Corps was harsh, but its rewards were generous indeed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Back in Baiyun County, such things were beyond imagination; now, everyone would get a share.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“All you have to do is guard this cliff for me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hong Lei gazed sternly, lowered his hand, and stepped before the first man: “Name and realm?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Liu Daqian, beginner stage late, skilled with the saber.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Wang Meng, beginner stage late, decent in fist and palm techniques.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Dai Bing, Jade Fluid stage early—I... use a sword.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hong Lei paused slightly, his gaze lingering on the three cloud stripes visible on her sleeve.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Such a young Jade Fluid beginner couldn’t possibly be unknown.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He casually reached toward the long sword at her waist; Dai Bing’s expression darkened, stepping half a pace back, hand shielding her blade.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hong Lei’s lips twitched thoughtfully.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He moved on to the next.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The young man stood tall and slender, back straight, a black, straight ceremonial saber slung diagonally at his waist, his ink-black robe tailored as if made for him alone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His features were refined and handsome; aside from his unusually pale skin, there was no flaw to be found.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hong Lei scanned the two cloud stripes on his sleeve, then asked slowly: “Beginner stage peak?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shen Yi shook his head, calmly: “Jade Fluid stage.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At these words, the captains erupted in murmurs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though all were well-traveled Qingzhou youths, typically, reaching Jade Fluid at seventy or eighty was enough to qualify as a master of a household.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A Jade Fluid beginner in his thirties? Only the deepest lineage, paired with extraordinary talent, could achieve that.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if he preserved his youth and was actually forty, it was still astonishing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, what was hardest to accept was:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After only a few men had been asked, two such figures had already appeared.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hong Lei blinked, suddenly recognizing the face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In that small courtyard, there had stood the Regional Commander’s disciple and the Li family’s young lady—two experts. Beside them, the stout, round-bellied man, though his aura seemed weak, had stood with them—he must have been someone notable, merely concealing his power.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Similarly, this man’s strength was not surprising.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He clearly had the power to refuse, yet still came with me to Qingfeng Mountain—a young hero, indeed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thinking this, Hong Lei’s expression softened: “Don’t worry—it’s just guarding the cliff. Old Master Chen hasn’t truly decided to draw his blade against Qingfeng Sect. As long as they hand over that man, we’ll sound the retreat and return.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Provided you don’t act like some spoiled brat—forty-something, still acting like a pig’s brain.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1262,"2026-06-20T15:00:36.117Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","2c50333674b672b22c8444563b81beeeaafc217331f1f22815e4a56e48c4d4d3","immortality-begins-with-slaying-demons-chapter-75","immortality-begins-with-slaying-demons-chapter-73",840,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fimmortality-begins-with-slaying-demons-cover.jpg"]