Chapter 316: The Death of the Divine General

What kind of monster is this, able to run so fast? In just a few days, it has already wreaked havoc in three regions, leaving ten thousand miles devoid of life!

The White Armor Divine General's face turned ashen; this territory was his jurisdiction, yet in such a short time he had committed three grave mistakes.

Within this eon, forget about promotion; not being severely punished would already be a cause for gratitude to heaven!

Wushan Divine General stood on the cliff; after a moment, countless streams of escape light approached. The arrivals varied in aura, most cultivations no higher than Heavenly Immortal, with only a few Golden Immortals.

They were the clan chiefs and elders within Wushan Divine General's jurisdiction, basically able to voice the sentiments of all beings in the territory.

The leader appeared youthful, a lotus mark on his forehead glowing brightly; his cultivation was the highest among those present, reaching the Taiyi Golden Immortal realm.

He was even a step above Wushan Divine General, and within this jurisdiction he seemed to wield great prestige; as he arrived, everyone present made way for him.

"Divine General, this is already the third incident in recent days; if it weren't for daybreak, there would be no vital energy left here, and even we would hardly notice the anomaly."

"The perpetrator of such a heinous act possesses methods far beyond what we can oppose; yet it seems they do not wish to clash with us."

The speaker said this, seeming somewhat hard to comprehend; after all, given the opponent's methods, there should be no rival in this region.

Yet that person always manages to avoid them; if not for knowing that there is no such powerful individual nearby, everyone would even suspect that a demonic cultivator had emerged locally.

Wushan shook his head and denied:

"Lord Qingyao's words I have also considered, but I always feel they are unreasonable; if the other side truly did not want conflict with us, why would they commit such atrocities here?"

"However, the intruder's methods are superb; I am not one to throw away my life, I have already sent word to my superiors, summoning the Thunder Department, awaiting their aid."

"After all, I may die, but I cannot fail the myriad beings under my jurisdiction; this person's vicious methods are rare under heaven, and they will surely invite calamity."

Upon saying this, Wushan Divine General's face grew somewhat embarrassed; this incident essentially meant that for this eon, he had labored in vain.

Had he not been somewhat pragmatic, not thinking of capturing the culprit to make amends, delaying further would likely inevitably bring punishment.

As for the Qingyao before him, he was one of the strongest tribes under his jurisdiction, the chieftain of the Deerfolk Tribe.

Since he took over the tribe, he had developed a once insignificant clan into a major tribe now possessing four Golden Immortals and himself as a Taiyi Golden Immortal, with territory spanning hundreds of thousands of miles.

Even across the entire Xifang Dalu, they enjoyed some renown; after all, given the Deerfolk Tribe's scale, on Xifang Dalu they could barely rank among the top thousand.

Moreover, after accepting this jurisdiction from Wushan, the other party fully cooperated with Wushan's work, never engaging in superficial compliance while secretly opposing.

Among the many Divine Generals garrisoned in the Wilderness, this made Wushan the object of everyone's envy.

Qingyao could only shake his head helplessly and say:

"Besides that, I truly cannot fathom why the other side hides themselves; after all, we know nothing about them, so we can only speculate."

"Perhaps they wish to avoid conflict with the Heavenly Court? Yet the one who committed this act must necessarily oppose the Heavenly Court—how could they worry about conflict?"

The people present chattered wildly, their random analysis giving Wushan a headache; in the end he could only decree:

"Let us each scatter and search nearby; after all, sunrise is not far off, and having committed such a heinous act, the culprit likely needs to digest a bit first."

"If anyone discovers this person or any suspicious individuals, do not startle the snake; instead, prioritize sending word."

Everyone nodded; Qingyao took the lead, flying off toward the due east, while the others each chose a direction and dispersed.

As for Wushan Divine General, he intended to search along the junction of the eastern and western continents, back and forth, since this place lies in the seam between two landmasses, historically a good spot for ambush and concealment.

Many clan chiefs and elders were also in tacit agreement, leaving such the most likely and most dangerous places to Wushan, for he was a Divine General of the Heavenly Court, naturally superior to them.

Wushan Divine General's eyes gathered spiritual light; his divine sense fully extended, scanning a mountain range, the time taken not even exceeding five breaths.

But just as Wushan Divine General felt he would return empty-handed and was about to withdraw, he suddenly sensed that a mountain valley seemed anomalous.

After a brief hesitation, Wushan Divine General chose to descend, gazing at the endless strange rocks before him, his heart faintly stirring with unease.

Walking through the valley, Wushan Divine General dared not make a sound; his entire spirit was tensed to the limit, only a slight mountain breeze swirling around.

Suddenly, a water droplet falling from a leaf emitted a clear tone; Wushan Divine General's heart jolted, and he instantly transformed into a streak of escape light, flying out of the valley.

The next instant, the fleeing Wushan Divine General halted again, his body rigid as iron, and he saw a human figure standing in the sky.

The figure was not particularly tall, yet it just blocked the sunlight shining on Wushan Divine General's face, enveloping him in shadow; the figure was none other than the Great Demon.

The Great Demon's voice hoarse, he looked at Wushan Divine General before him and slowly spoke:

"Little friend, since you came to seek me, now that I appear before you, why do you suddenly wish to turn back?"

"I have followed your wish; you should be pleased, why act so frightened?"

Wushan's heart alarm blared; for the first time he realized how close death was, his spiritual sense frantically pounding, urging him to leave.

Yet under the Great Demon's gaze, Wushan could not move at all.

Wushan frantically tried to circulate his immortal power, but all he felt was sluggishness; in the Great Demon's sight, he felt like a fish on a chopping board, awaiting death.

The Great Demon's words reached his ears; Wushan wanted to reply, but no matter how he tried, he could not utter a sound.

At this moment, Wushan could not even shout threats or beg for mercy; only then did a faint regret rise in his heart.

He did not regret coming to investigate; he regretted not knowing earlier of this person's threat, which might lead his fellow cultivators to fall into the same hands.

The Great Demon was not in a hurry, merely silently watching Wushan, observing his attempt to control his body, only to discover it felt as if his own body had betrayed him.

To outsiders, this scene was eerie and perilous; yet in the Great Demon's eyes, Wushan's present state fascinated him.

After an unknown span, Wushan finally sensed his body; his fingers twitched slightly, as if responding to him, nearly moving him to tears of joy.

But all that awaited him was the Great Demon's hoarse voice, saying: "I see you wish to move, so I helped you a little; you need not be so overjoyed, grateful for my mercy—at least before your death, satisfy your desire to move."

As the words fell, the Great Demon hooked a finger; Wushan could only watch helplessly as he drifted slowly into the Demon's grasp.

The Great Demon continued: "In fact, I have placed no restriction on you; you may move or speak freely, but seeing me you lost your courage, hence this feeling."

"Look, I have not used even a trace of divine power; yet the gap between us is so vast it is like a mortal gazing into an abyss."

"Does the abyss truly devour mortals? No, it is merely a frog in a well seeing daylight, thus opening its eyes. "Look at you: you cultivate the Dao, painstakingly study, have joined the Heavenly Court, and are quite a talent."

"Yet now you must die, silently and soundlessly; do you think this is worthwhile?"

"Knowing you cannot win, yet perhaps bound by duty or delusion, seeking to atone for your faults, you instead lose your life."

"An immortal seeks freedom; you, bound by worldly rules and your own desires, is this cultivation?"

"Without freedom, without transcendence, aside from your realm, what have you gained?"

Having said this, the Great Demon seemed to lose interest, directly pulling Wushan before him and extending a hand slowly into his chest cavity.

Just as the tip of the great demon's finger was about to touch the Wu Mountain deity general, the Wu Mountain deity general finally came to his senses; although he still could not move, he was able to speak.

I heard the Wu Mountain deity general spit, and his saliva flew straight toward the outstretched hand of the great demon.

Seeing this, the great demon frowned slightly, lightly twisted his palm to dodge the spit, and was about to continue when he heard the Wu Mountain deity general burst out cursing:

"You rely only on your slightly higher cultivation to spout these heretical theories; do you think I don't understand cultivation? I know far more than you, a thing neither human nor ghost."

"You wretched creature, ignorant of heavenly principle, oblivious to heavenly numbers, wantonly slaughtering beings—you will surely die and lose your Dao!"

"Look at your monstrous appearance; likely no one would dare pass on the Dao lineage. If all demonic cultivators were like you, growing into this crippled form, it's no wonder your faction is weak."

"If cultivation results in such a form, it harms the human way; everyone loves beauty—where is any ease in your appearance?"

"Or perhaps you hide in the mountains, never seeing any living beings, and think you've transcended the world, free from mortal dust, attaining great ease?"

"Indeed, you have no face to meet beings; no wonder you committed such heinous crimes—you simply cannot bear to see the beauty of living things."

Upon hearing this, the great demon furrowed his brows and said:

"Your mouth is full of filthy words, fixated on outward appearance, unaware that the Dharma has no form—what difference is there between a beautiful person and a white skeleton to me?"

"Your nature is shallow, you do not perceive the Great Dao, you cling to anger and ignorance; though you may appear refined when untroubled, in adversity your petty nature shows—can such a one be an immortal?"

Wu Mountain continued his tirade; since death was imminent anyway, he might as well vent his anger, and as for sending a message, Wu Mountain held no hope for it.

The gap between them was too great; he was merely a golden immortal, while the opponent's cultivation level was unfathomably higher.

To show off tricks under such a person's gaze would only bring self‑humiliation; yet even if he must die, the Wu Mountain deity general felt he ought to die painlessly.

Then I heard Wu Mountain continue cursing:

"You look like a corpse, exposed to sun and rain—filthy and stinking, likely plagued by disease; you should be hung from a tree for birds and beasts to peck at."

"However, even as such a monster, you cannot compare to oviparous or viviparous creatures; you lack even a trace of humanity…"

As the Wu Mountain deity general spoke to this point, before he could finish, blood began to well up in his mouth, and a large hole appeared at his chest over the heart.

Through the hole one could faintly see the green hills opposite; the great demon wore a smile, his hoarse voice sounded out, but the Wu Mountain deity general felt dazed and could not hear clearly.

Seeing this, the great demon expelled a strand of black qi from his hand, which entered the Wu Mountain deity general's body, slightly reviving his spirit.

One saw the great demon gently grasp the still‑beating heart in his hand; pale gold blood mixed with a hint of pink slowly seeped through his fingers.

The great demon gave a light laugh, looking extraordinarily ferocious, and then asked:

"You sharp‑tongued brat, why aren't you cursing now? Weren't you just shouting happily a moment ago?"

Saying this, the great demon placed the heart in his hand before his mouth, deliberately pausing so the Wu Mountain deity general could see it clearly.

The great demon opened his mouth, tossed the Wu Mountain deity general's whole heart inside, and chewed slowly; fresh blood spurted from his mouth, and a flying sword struck the Wu Mountain deity general's face.

Despite such a brutal act, the Wu Mountain deity general merely forced a smile and said:

"How is it? Tasty?"

The great demon was somewhat surprised, yet still gave a rather cruel smile and replied softly:

"The meat is fresh and delicious; indeed, since my revival, your heart is the tastiest I have ever eaten."

"Next, I will eat your viscera bit by bit while you remain conscious; rest assured, you will not die while I consume you."

The Wu Mountain deity general paid no heed, instead showing a hint of pride and said:

"Naturally, your father's meat is naturally fragrant and sweet; just because you, an unfilial son, have eaten it, it's bound to be somewhat spoiled."

The great demon, enraged, suddenly thrust out both hands, tore open the Wu Mountain deity general's chest cavity, ruthlessly ripped out the organs, shredded them, and shoved them into his mouth.

In a moment, the Wu Mountain deity general's abdominal cavity was empty, and the great demon hurled him from the air; he landed with a thud on the ground.

As the Wu Mountain deity general's breath faded away, the great demon turned and left; though he had eaten his fill, he still felt a lingering gloom in his heart.

However, having just slain a Heavenly Court deity general, even he could not linger long; after spitting on the corpse, the great demon turned and departed.

And the Wu Mountain deity general's breath also gradually vanished; his original body suddenly swelled up.

A gentle breeze swept through; in the valley lay a colossal divine tiger, its fur snow‑white, clad in silver armor, utterly majestic.

Yet if one were to overturn or lift this divine tiger, one would see a huge rift beneath it and the tiger's empty abdominal cavity.

In the Heavenly Court, a jade tablet shattered suddenly as the divine tiger appeared; shortly thereafter, a figure hurried over.

Outside Yunmze Marsh, Shaohao suddenly lifted his head, his eyes flashing with killing intent, drawing sidelong glances from those nearby, who asked:

"Father, what has happened?"

Shaohao hesitated slightly, then said softly: "Little Nineteen is dead; the opponent is no ordinary foe—I will personally go investigate later and bring Little Nineteen's corpse back to the clan."

"As for the Heavenly Court, I will also go specially to inquire; at the very least we must state the White Tiger clan's stance on this matter."

PS: Thanks to the book friend who didn't farm horses, wasn't a holy mother, and wasn't a naive white‑lotus for the 500‑point coin reward! (End of chapter)