Chapter 289: Rehearsal

Today was for discussing at the Northern Garrison Command how to resolve the issue of "potential unrest caused by cultivators entering the capital." After teleporting back to the Danyuan Secret Realm, Hua Changxi wasted no time; she exited the realm directly, flew down from Danyuan Peak, and briskly left the Medical Bureau under various overt and covert gazes.

At the entrance of Qihuang Hall No. 10, seeing Gu Jinfan staring unblinkingly at Hua Changxi's departing figure, Tang Yufeng smiled and stepped forward.

"Since the Imperial House chose not to strike immediately, Hua Changxi's visit to the Northern Garrison Command today will likely only cost her some blood."

Speaking thus, he wore an expression of sighing.

"I just didn't expect the Imperial House to raise its hand high only to let it fall lightly."

In the past, if anyone dared provoke the Imperial House, it would absolutely employ thunderous means to suppress them; now... the lofty imperial power was truly beginning to wane, and its rate of decline was faster than they had imagined.

Gu Jinfan's eyes flickered; she hadn't expected this either.

Was the Imperial House afraid of Hua Changxi?

Of course not.

Admittedly, Hua Changxi was a variable, but facing the Imperial House, she still had no choice but to passively take blows.

The Imperial House's choice not to pursue the matter was undoubtedly a wise move.

Although the Imperial House still held sway in the current situation of the Medical Bureau, it lacked follow-through; neither the core personnel of the Qihuang Pavilion nor those of the Spirit Realm Pavilion included a single member of the Imperial family.

In other words, no matter how the Imperial House struggled, it would not occupy a core position after the future revival of the Dansheng Hall.

Under such circumstances, all strife became meaningless.

For the Imperial House to suppress Hua Changxi would yield no actual benefit beyond venting anger; instead, confronting Hua Changxi would only inflict heavy injuries upon itself.

She knew very well that Hua Changxi was very likely the Hall Master of the Lingguang Hall. If the Imperial House truly moved against Hua Changxi, Hua Changxi would most probably deploy the Zhu Que Army.

Even though the current Zhu Que Army was not yet fully regularized and its numbers were few, it remained one of the four most orthodox armies in the Four Spirit Realms.

If the Imperial House clashed with the Zhu Que Army, well, even if the Imperial House might hold an advantage early on due to its deep foundations, the Zhu Que Army obeyed the commands of the Zhu Que Emperor. Once the Zhu Que Emperor emerged, it would mean the Imperial House had offended one of the only four Emperors in the Four Spirit Realms; for the Imperial House, that would be an absolute catastrophe. Even if the Zhu Que Emperor did not pursue the matter, his followers would never let the Imperial House off.

Gu Jinfan felt that the Imperial House, having ruled Great Jin for a thousand years, had accumulated some fortune, preventing them from underestimating Hua Changxi and making a wrong decision.

She was delighted to see this situation where the Imperial House and Hua Changxi remained at peace.

Regardless, due to Hua Changxi's existence, the trajectory of many events had deviated from the path of her previous life.

Especially this open recruitment by the four great sacred lands could absolutely be counted as a milestone pushing the Four Spirit Realms to fully enter the era of cultivation.

With the era of cultivation opening, human cultivators would become increasingly numerous.

By the time the first spiritual tide passed and the demon beasts' strength surged to launch the first beast tide, the human race should not suffer a defeat as tragic as in her previous life.

As long as the basic foundation of human cultivators remained, it would not be so easy for external cultivators to invade.

Seeing Gu Jinfan remain silent, Tang Yufeng could only continue speaking to himself: "That day, Hua Changxi loudly declared her unwillingness to bear sole responsibility for cultivators entering the capital; I wonder if the Embroidered Uniform Guard can invite people from other sacred lands to step forward?"

Gu Jinfan finally reacted: "The other sacred lands will definitely step forward."

Tang Yufeng was surprised: "Are you so certain?"

Gu Jinfan turned to look at him: "What do you think 'pillar of strength' means? Since the great sacred lands decided on open recruitment, they will certainly assume corresponding responsibilities."

Tang Yufeng sensed Gu Jinfan's reverence for the great sacred lands and, somewhat surprised, smiled: "It is simply that the other three great sacred lands have been too low-key; I know too little about them. Since they are now willing to reveal themselves, I must pay close attention to them in the future."

Gu Jinfan's expression shifted slightly: "Actually, Hua Changxi... possesses the character of a sacred land successor; she is just too unconventional."

Tang Yufeng did not dislike Hua Changxi; in fact, he admired her somewhat, and he sighed along: "Yes, they say stiffness invites breaking; sometimes one cannot help but worry for her."

Hearing this, Gu Jinfan also sighed in her heart; she still hoped that Hua Changxi, whose fate of early death had been changed by her rebirth, could walk higher and farther.

On the other side, after leaving the Medical Bureau, Hua Changxi headed straight for the Northern Garrison Command.

The Northern Garrison Command was easy to find; she had been there with Pang Shaoyu before and had even picked up the Fuguang Sword and the Fuguang Sword Technique that the Embroidered Uniform Guard found in the ruins.

The Northern Garrison Command stood adjacent to the Heaven Department; perhaps because the Heaven Department managed all affairs regarding the spiritual recovery and held too much authority, the Imperial House felt uneasy, so they placed the Northern Garrison Command next door to the Heaven Department for convenient surveillance.

Just as Hua Changxi walked onto the street of the Northern Garrison Command and was about to approach the yamen gate, commotion erupted at the street entrance; turning to look, she saw a squadron of cavalry with terrifying aura marching in perfect uniformity toward this side.

These cavalrymen wore black armor and donned Qilin masks, radiating a dense aura of slaughter that made people dare not look directly at them.

The Demon-Suppressing Army!

With the Heaven Department right next door, the appearance of the Demon-Suppressing Army on the street was not surprising, yet Hua Changxi's face still showed surprise.

For no other reason than that the Demon-Suppressing Army was openly escorting a massive tiger demon, and furthermore, a demon beast at the Infant Transformation stage!

Although the tiger demon was bound by iron chains and covered in wounds, parading it so ostentatiously, did the Demon-Suppressing Army not fear the tiger demon suddenly erupting and harming the common people of the capital?

"Is this the demon beast that appeared in Nanxiang County and ate up several villages and towns?"

As soon as the tiger demon appeared, many members of the Embroidered Uniform Guard rushed out from within the Northern Garrison Command yamen.

"It seems it must be."

"It really takes the Demon-Suppressing Army; with just one move, they captured the tiger demon."

"I heard that in recent months, many demon beasts have appeared in Nanxiang County, causing many deaths."

"Not just Nanxiang County; many places outside the capital have seen great demons appearing, eating people everywhere. Wherever demon beasts appear, people die in great swathes. Nowadays, only the capital remains somewhat peaceful."

Listening to the Embroidered Uniform Guard's discussion, Hua Changxi frowned; had things become this chaotic everywhere?

"Roar~"

A piercing beast roar pulled Hua Changxi's thoughts back.

Following the sound, Hua Changxi saw that the tiger demon bound by iron chains had indeed erupted; while fending off attacks from the Demon-Suppressing Army, it constantly tore at the thick chains on its body.

Whether it was because this batch of the Demon-Suppressing Army had just fought and their strength had not recovered, after the tiger demon erupted, it directly sent a large group of people flying.

"Whoosh~"

Unable to immediately snap the chains on its body, the tiger demon opened its huge mouth and spewed a waterfall of flames toward the crowd on the street.

"Splash~"

A colorful halo flew out from the crowd, transforming into a colorful transparent spiritual cloth that blocked the flames.

Next, a golden character 'Zhen' (Suppress) flew out, enlarged in mid-air, covered the tiger demon, and pinned it firmly to the ground.

The next moment, a giant iron hammer conjured from spiritual energy flew out and smashed heavily onto the tiger demon.

The sound of bones breaking, 'crack crack,' rang out continuously; in the blink of an eye, the tiger demon that had been erupting just moments before became barely breathing.

At the same time, almost the instant the colored halo shot out, in a place invisible to the human eye, a slender spiritual needle silently pierced the tiger demon's body, directly shattering its demon core.

The commoners on the street were frightened half to death by the tiger demon's sudden rampage; just as they thought they were doomed, the tiger demon died in the blink of an eye.

Amidst the crowd's mix of shock and terror, Jing Liao, Tong Yao, and Yan Zhenzhen emerged one after another; the three exchanged glances, then simultaneously looked toward Hua Changxi outside the Northern Town Guard Office.

Hua Changxi had not expected the three sent by the three great holy lands to be Jing Liao, Tong Yao, and Yan Zhenzhen; she nodded to them, waited for them to approach without saying a word, then turned and stepped into the Northern Town Guard Office together.

Only after moving away from the Embroidered Uniform Guards at the entrance did Hua Changxi speak: "Was this stunt meant to test our strength?"

Tong Yao replied: "It was likely a rehearsal. Although the people of the capital are not unfamiliar with cultivators and know about the beast man-eating incidents occurring everywhere, they do not understand the specific details, and many have never witnessed it firsthand."

"The Demon-Suppressing Army escorted this tiger demon from the South Gate all the way here today; coupled with the beast's sudden outbreak, it is enough to ignite fear in the hearts of the capital's populace."

Jing Liao added: "Having witnessed the terror of the tiger demon firsthand, any conflict involving outside cultivators will surely trigger panic and resistance among the people of the capital."

Yan Zhenzhen tugged Hua Changxi's sleeve, signaling her to look back.

Hua Changxi looked outside the office and saw the leader of the Demon-Suppressing Army escorting the tiger demon remove his mask, revealing a cold and imposing face.

Yan Zhenzhen said: "That is the First Imperial Prince, Right General of the Demon-Suppressing Army, Chu Junling."

"That performance just now was not only meant to ignite public panic but also to show us the extent of the danger posed by a beast outbreak; the danger from cultivators will only be far greater."

"Because once cultivators enter the crowd, they can hide even deeper, and people are even less guarded against them. Should they truly commit crimes, tracking them down will be even more difficult."