【CG Unlock Progress +20%】
【CG Unlock Progress: 50%】
As that cold progress bar in his sea of consciousness ticked upward, the last trace of wishful thinking in Gu Chengming's heart vanished into thin air.
Fine, this was now set in stone.
If not for the Mind is Myriad Things CG, he would never have imagined that the runner-up of the Hidden Dragon Ranking, who appeared so cold and self-contained in public, would be linked to such extremely suppressed thoughts.
Gu Chengming rubbed the space between his eyebrows.
Well, at least for him, if it was just Fellow Daoist Xu thinking it in her head, it didn't really matter.
After all, looking at the current situation, this Fellow Daoist Xu was still quite reserved on the surface.
Over the next few days, contact between Gu Chengming and Xu Huayi gradually increased.
It wasn't intentional; setting up the Heavenly Sight and Earthly Hearing Array required the cooperation and authority of the Myriad Wonders Gathering. Furthermore, both were core figures stationed at Falling Snow Pass by their respective powers, so official dealings were naturally frequent.
On the morning of the second day, Gu Chengming had just finished processing several pieces of intelligence from the Myriad Wonders Gathering when he received a sound transmission talisman from Xu Huayi.
【At the training ground. The array improvement plan is complete. Please take a look, Fellow Daoist Gu.】
Gu Chengming put away his jade slip and stood up to head out.
At the training ground, Xu Huayi had already been waiting for a long time.
The previous accident had made her reflect deeply, and she had stayed up all night re-calculating the entire deployment plan.
Currently, three miniature array diagrams floated before her, each densely marked with her annotations.
"Fellow Daoist Gu is here."
She looked up with a calm expression, showing no hint of embarrassment or avoidance due to yesterday's events. Gu Chengming, however, felt a subtle strangeness in his heart. How exactly did this Fellow Daoist Xu manage to completely suppress her true inner thoughts without revealing a single trace?
【Qingxin Art chuckled softly, teasing: Little Huiyuan could learn a thing or two. It's said that boys are most vulnerable to the 'gap moe' trope. This is much more effective than any sweet words.】
Gu Chengming thought to himself: That is pure slander!
【Huiyuan Sword Manual was skeptical, but ultimately refused righteously: If it likes someone, it will express it boldly, and would never hide it in its heart.】
【After speaking, it stole a glance at Gu Chengming, feeling somewhat conflicted: Does Chengming really like that kind?】
Don't believe her, Mother Huiyuan, Qingxin Art is just gaslighting you.
Gu Chengming sent a mental thought to soothe the Huiyuan Sword Manual and helplessly told the Qingxin Art to stop teasing it.
Of course, none of this showed on his face. Practicing multitasking, he listened to Xu Huayi's new deployment plans.
Plan A was the most stable, reducing the array's coverage by thirty percent to completely avoid the leyline interference in the Eagle Sorrow Ravine area. The price was a monitoring blind spot created in the northwest. Plan B maintained the original coverage but needed to be implemented in three stages, taking about twenty days. With the current speed of the demon tide, it might just barely be in time.
He pondered for a moment before choosing Plan B. Stability was paramount, and twenty days was just enough.
Xu Huayi nodded slightly and then invited Gu Chengming to observe and provide guidance from the side if he was free.
Gu Chengming naturally agreed.
For the better part of the day, Gu Chengming remained at the training ground, watching Xu Huayi transform the complex array diagrams into actual array markings step by step.
Unlike her rashness yesterday, she appeared exceptionally steady today.
Before every stroke fell, she would repeatedly confirm the leyline's flow and the circulation of spiritual energy. For every node embedded, she would stop and carefully sense for a moment to ensure there was no deviation.
This almost harsh level of rigor reminded Gu Chengming of his own state when he first studied the way of the sword. That kind of obsession with the dao could not be faked.
Of course, back then, Gu Chengming wasn't doing it for the way of the sword, but for the grand way of galgames.
Still, since all daos share the same origin, seeing someone as passionate as himself—even if it was for something else—was indeed worthy of his admiration.
As dusk approached, the first stage of the deployment was finally complete.
Xu Huayi put away her judge's pen. Fine beads of sweat appeared on her forehead, indicating a significant expenditure of energy, but her eyes held a spark of satisfaction.
"Thank you for accompanying me today, Fellow Daoist Gu." She gave Gu Chengming a slight bow. "With you by my side, my heart feels much more at peace."
Gu Chengming waved his hand. "Fellow Daoist Xu, you overstate it. Today was quite beneficial for me as well."
This wasn't just politeness.
Some of Xu Huayi's techniques when setting the array had indeed opened his eyes, especially her unique approach of incorporating painting into the array, which had some subtle similarities to the way of the sword he practiced.
The two smiled at each other and went their separate ways.
When he returned to the side courtyard, the midnight inner voice arrived on schedule.
Gu Chengming turned a deaf ear, climbed into bed, and soon fell into a deep sleep.
Well, a gentleman is judged by his deeds, not his thoughts.
...
On the third day, Falling Snow Pass welcomed a rare heavy snowfall.
Goose-feather-like snowflakes fell from the sky, and within half a day, the entire pass was covered in a thick layer of silver.
This weather was not suitable for setting arrays, so Xu Huayi simply paused her work and made a request to Gu Chengming.
"I want to take a walk in the city."
She stood under the corridor of the Northern Mansion, watching the swirling snow. "The orders from the capital are always so cold—calling this place a strategic stronghold or the gateway to the north. But hearing those terms isn't as good as seeing it with my own eyes."
Gu Chengming glanced at her and nodded.
"Just as well, I have a few places to inspect."
One after the other, they left the Northern Mansion and stepped into the wind and snow.
Although Falling Snow Pass was a major frontier town, the atmosphere of life within the city was much more vibrant than Xu Huayi had imagined.
Shops lined both sides of the streets, including wine shops, teahouses, cloth manors, and grain stores. Although the passing pedestrians were in a hurry, their faces did not show much panic.
These commoners might not know the news of the approaching demon tide, or perhaps they were already used to this precarious life. In any case, they continued to live each day earnestly.
Xu Huayi followed behind Gu Chengming, her gaze scanning over those ordinary faces one by one.
An old man selling candied haws, children chasing and playing, a woman carrying a pole and shouting about hot soup, an old soldier rubbing his hands together for warmth in the snow...
She didn't speak, but her steps grew slower and slower.
When they reached a congee shed, she stopped.
It was a relief station set up by the Falling Snow Pass guards, specifically to help refugees displaced by war or natural disasters.
Despite the heavy snow, there was still a long line in front of the congee shed.
Xu Huayi stood to the side and watched for a long time.
She looked at the refugees in their tattered clothes, watching them carefully drink congee from coarse ceramic bowls, and watching the children peeking at her from behind their parents...
After a long while, she suddenly asked, "Fellow Daoist Gu, tell me, why do we cultivate?"
Gu Chengming paused his steps and turned to look at her.
Xu Huayi's gaze remained on the refugees, her tone carrying a bit of emotion: "I've heard the cultivators of the Tianting Sect say most do it for longevity, for freedom and ease... but I always feel that if cultivation is only for oneself, how is it different from those wild demons?"
"I often heard a phrase from my elders: Establish oneself between heaven and earth, with the people in one's heart." She turned her head to look at Gu Chengming, her eyes filled with seriousness.
"To be honest, I used to think those words were too grand and empty. But now, standing here on the frontier and seeing these people, I suddenly understand a little."
"These people might be one of the reasons for my cultivation."
【Upon hearing this, the Zhou Rites Heavenly Rectifying Art actually nodded slightly.】
【Although she is a female cultivator and has some rather shameless fantasies regarding the boundaries between men and women... mortals all have private desires. Even a saint can't avoid commonality.】
【A gentleman is judged by his deeds, not his thoughts; if one judged by thoughts, there would be no perfect person in the world. As long as she has the people in her eyes, follows the laws in her actions, and does not spare her life in the face of great crises, she can be called upright in her principles.】
Gu Chengming was silent for a moment before nodding: "Fellow Daoist Xu, I deeply agree with your words."
He didn't say much more, but his impression of this Tianting Sect prodigy improved several notches.
Anyone could talk a big game, but being able to come to Falling Snow Pass in such a dangerous situation at least proved she wasn't some hypocrite who only knew how to boast.
In the following time, the two visited several more places.
The barracks, the infirmaries, the workshops, and the city walls...
Xu Huayi looked very carefully, occasionally asking Gu Chengming for details about life on the frontier. Seeing her humble attitude in seeking knowledge, Gu Chengming couldn't help but feel some emotion.
If the officials from the capital all had such a heart, the borders of Great Qian might not have rotted to this extent.
...
Seventh day.
The second stage of the Heavenly Sight and Earthly Hearing Array was officially completed, a full two days ahead of schedule.
On this day, Xu Huayi took a rare rest, while Gu Chengming continued his daily inspection work.
The inspection route at Falling Snow Pass was fixed, starting from the east gate and passing through the barracks, armory, and granary, finally ending at the west gate.
When he reached the vicinity of the granary, Gu Chengming suddenly stopped.
A group of children was gathered in the open space outside the granary, chirping about something exciting.
Gu Chengming walked closer and found a low table in the center of the space, with Xuan paper spread across it. A familiar figure was holding a brush and painting.
It was Xu Huayi.
Today, she had changed into a plain white dress, with her long hair casually tied up with a wooden hairpin, making her look exceptionally pure and elegant.
At the moment, she was focused on her painting, oblivious to the noise of the children around her. Most of these children were the sons and daughters of Falling Snow Pass commoners. They weren't old, the youngest appearing to be only five or six. They surrounded Xu Huayi, eyes wide as they watched the painting take shape under her brush, occasionally letting out gasps of wonder.
"Wow! It's a big tiger!"
"No, no, that's a lion!"
"It's not either of those. It's... what was it again?"
"Idiot, that's a qilin! My dad told me that a qilin is an auspicious beast. Seeing one means good things will happen!"
The children argued back and forth. Xu Huayi's lips curved upward slightly, but she didn't speak to correct them.
She simply continued painting. The qilin under her brush became more and more lifelike, as if it were about to leap off the paper at any second.
Finally, the last stroke fell.
Xu Huayi put down her brush, gently blew on the wet ink, then looked up and smiled at the children. "Alright, it's finished."
"Wow—!"
The children cheered in unison, scrambling forward to get a better look at the painting.
Xu Huayi didn't stop them, only smilingly reminding them, "Be careful, don't touch the ink."
"Older sister, older sister, this qilin is so beautiful!" A little girl with pigtails looked up and asked, "What's its name?"
Xu Huayi thought for a moment and replied, "Let's call it Furry. I hope it brings you all good luck."
"Furry! Furry!"
The children excitedly repeated the name, their faces lit up with innocent smiles.
God damn it, Furry?
Gu Chengming complained in his heart, yet looking at this scene, he couldn't help but smile as well.
Just as he was thinking this, Xu Huayi seemed to sense something and looked in his direction.
Their eyes met. A flash of surprise crossed her face, followed by a shallow smile as a greeting.
Gu Chengming nodded and didn't step forward to disturb her, turning to continue his inspection.
Behind him, the laughter of the children gradually faded into the distance.
...
Eighth day, ninth day, tenth day...
The days passed one by one, and the deployment of the Heavenly Sight and Earthly Hearing Array progressed steadily.
At the same time, the movement from the demon territory grew louder and louder.
Intelligence from the Myriad Wonders Gathering showed that the frequency of demon activity on the border had increased by more than thirty percent compared to usual, and many high-level demons of the second and even third realm had appeared.
This was the precursor to the eruption of a demon tide.
The atmosphere within Falling Snow Pass also grew tense.
The number of soldiers patrolling the streets doubled, the restrictions on the city walls were all activated, and heavy guards were stationed in front of the armory and granary.
The commoners, who had once been relatively leisurely, also began to stockpile grain and medicinal herbs in preparation for the upcoming battle.
On this day, Gu Chengming and Xu Huayi stood on the city wall once again, looking out over the snowy plains beyond the pass.
Compared to a few days ago, many black dots had appeared on the snow. Those were the traces left by demons moving in the snow, dense and shocking to behold.
On the eleventh day, the Heavenly Sight and Earthly Hearing Array was officially completed.
Falling Snow Pass council hall.
A massive sand table occupied the center of the hall, with dense black command flags marking demon movements.
Xu Huayi, dressed in green with her long hair tied up, stood before the sand table. Her white jade judge's pen traced red lines on the map. Her expression was focused, showing none of the fatigue accumulated over these days.
Gu Chengming pushed the door open and entered.
Seeing him enter, Xu Huayi nodded slightly, her gaze clear and upright. "Fellow Daoist Gu arrived just in time. There are new discoveries regarding the demon tide's movements."
Gu Chengming calmly returned the salute and walked to the sand table. "Please speak, Fellow Daoist Xu."
Xu Huayi's pen tip pointed toward the northern snowy plains. "In the past, beast tides mostly happened because of the bitter winter cold. Food was scarce in the depths of the plains, causing low-level demons to instinctively migrate south for food. That kind of beast tide, though large in number, was disorganized."
"This time is different."
She shifted her pen, pointing to several clusters of red dots. "According to the intelligence from the Myriad Wonders Gathering and my observations of the stars last night, the proportion of demons above the second realm in this tide is unnaturally high. They advance and retreat in an orderly fashion and know to gather outside the arrays. It's very likely that high-level demons are coordinating them from behind."
Gu Chengming looked at those command flags and pondered, "This is planned by great demons in the demon territory?"
"Indeed, but that's not even the worst of it."
Xu Huayi looked up, her gaze solemn. "What truly worries me is the number of fourth realm great demons in this demon tide."
"Usually, for a probing attack, having one or two fourth realm demon sovereigns in command is the limit. When the fifth realm doesn't appear, the fourth realm is the peak combat power. Every demon sovereign has their own territory and pride, making it extremely difficult for them to join forces." Xu Huayi pointed to several names on the intelligence summary. "But look, just from what we've scouted so far, the auras of three fourth realm great demons have appeared at the front lines."
"With such a massive mobilization, they aren't just after food or killing a few human cultivators for revenge."
Gu Chengming took up the thread, his gaze shifting slightly. "They want Falling Snow Pass."
"Exactly," Xu Huayi said. "Only a plan to capture Falling Snow Pass can explain why these demon sovereigns, who usually can't stand each other, would join forces to this extent. They want to take advantage of the gap while Director Zhou is seriously injured and Senior Luo hasn't returned to completely tear open a corner of Great Qian's northern border."
Their gazes met, both reading the meaning in each other's eyes.
If the goal was to take the city, relying solely on a frontal war of attrition was clearly not enough.
Falling Snow Pass had been fortified for centuries, and its city-protecting array was linked to the leylines. Even several demon sovereigns joining forces would take at least ten days to half a month to break through, unless they had a surprise tactic.
"Eagle Sorrow Ravine."
Almost simultaneously, both of them spoke the name.
Gu Chengming walked quickly to the detailed map on the wall, his finger pressing heavily on the narrow rift valley to the northwest of Falling Snow Pass.
"That was once the Wanjin Pavilion's stronghold for hiding forbidden drugs. The location is hidden and the terrain is dangerous."
He recalled the previous clues, and the threads became clearer in his mind. "When we found the forbidden drugs, although we destroyed the ice cavern, we didn't explore the depths of the abyss below."
Xu Huayi added, "When I was setting up the Heavenly Sight and Earthly Hearing Array, I tried to extend my perception there, but I encountered demon qi backlash and interference from resentment. At the time, I thought it was just the residual aura of the Green-Scaled Eagle King, but thinking back now, I'm afraid it wasn't that simple."
The two made a decisive decision to personally go to Eagle Sorrow Ravine to investigate.
...
Eagle Sorrow Ravine lived up to its name.
The cliffs on both sides were as if carved by a knife, piercing straight into the clouds. It was perpetually shrouded in gray-white miasma, and the cold wind howling through the canyon sounded like ghosts wailing.
Gu Chengming and Xu Huayi hid their figures as they moved through the cliffs.
The deeper they went, the stronger the fishy, stinking smell in the air became, mixed with a certain rotting sweetness.
"The demon qi concentration here is several times higher than what the rogue cultivators' intelligence suggested," Xu Huayi transmitted, her judge's pen held tightly. "And this resentment is too heavy."
Gu Chengming didn't speak. Instead, he activated the Red Dust Technique. In his perception, the depths of the originally gray canyon were filled with a thick, dark red mist that refused to dissipate.
His heart sinking slightly, Gu Chengming accelerated, following that resentment deeper into the ravine.
The valley was filled with grotesque rocks and withered trees, and a decaying aura hit them in the face. One after the other, they walked down the winding mountain path toward the bottom of the valley.
The deeper they went, the more intense the resentment became.
Halfway down, Gu Chengming suddenly stopped.
His gaze fell on a rock wall by the path, his expression tightening slightly.
There were strange runes carved on that wall, appearing to be part of some array. The runes were a dark red color and faintly emitted demon qi, clearly not the work of human cultivators.
"A demon race restriction."
Xu Huayi stepped forward and studied it for a moment before saying, "I've seen this kind of rune in the Tianting Sect's records. It's a method used by the demon race to lock down space and isolate auras."
"Meaning if anything happens in this valley, the outside world won't be able to sense it." Hearing this, Gu Chengming's brow furrowed even deeper.
When they had investigated the forbidden drug case last time, they had come to Eagle Sorrow Ravine but hadn't gone deep into the valley floor.
Now it seemed the real secret was hidden behind this restriction.
"Can Fellow Daoist Xu break it?" he said to her.
Xu Huayi nodded. Her judge's pen danced in the air, and array markings flowed out like water, colliding with that dark red demon race restriction.
A piercing hum sounded. The two forces held each other in check for a moment before the demon restriction shattered piece by piece like broken glass.
Rounding that rock wall, the view suddenly opened up.
At the bottom of the cavern, bones were piled high as mountains. Hanging above the mountain of bones were hundreds of corpses that hadn't completely rotted—the bodies of humans. There were elderly people, women, and children, but mostly young and middle-aged men. They had been gutted like livestock, their blood drawn by a weird array into crimson streams that flowed into a blood pool in the center of the cavern.
In the blood pool, several massive black tripods devoured the essence blood, emitting an eerie red light. What was even more alarming was that a dense aura of fourth realm demon power lingered above the blood pool—it was the aura of the Green-Scaled Eagle King.
Xu Huayi's hand, which was usually very steady when holding her pen, was actually trembling slightly with rage, her knuckles white from the pressure.
So this was why its injuries recovered so quickly.
No wonder the Eagle King hadn't shown his face; no wonder he ignored the movements outside. He didn't need to go out. What the Wanjin Pavilion had been sending in through the smuggling routes all these years wasn't just forbidden drugs, but likely this continuous stream of living people.
"This beast!"
Xu Huayi took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the killing intent in her heart. She said in a low voice, "Fellow Daoist Gu, the resentment from these people after death is too heavy. Their souls are trapped here, tormented by this blood pool, unable to find peace... I want to send them on their way."
Gu Chengming nodded and stepped back half a pace, holding his sword to protect her. "Do as you wish."
Xu Huayi closed her eyes, adjusted her breathing, and with a light flick of her wrist, her judge's pen drew a soft arc in the void.
What flowed from the pen's tip was a faint shade of pink.
The pink diffused in the air, transforming into a sky full of flower petals that drifted down lightly.
Flowers bloomed from the withered bones, and the blood pool was hidden.
Xu Huayi's brush moved like the wind, painting a landscape of rural serenity in the void.
The grass was lush, and petals fell in abundance. The elderly and the children with their hair in buns seemed happy and content.
As the scroll unfolded, the dark red resentment swirling around the corpses slowly dissipated, turning into specks of fluorescent light that merged into the peach forest and flowing water in the painting.
Xu Huayi chanted softly. The final stroke fell, burying all the bones beneath the green mountains in the painting.
Leading the painting into a peach orchard, she used it to bury all living beings.
She finished the painting and stood tall, her body swaying slightly, her face somewhat pale.
Gu Chengming stepped forward and handed her a Rejuvenation Pill. "Are you alright?"
"It's fine."
Xu Huayi shook her head. She took the pill but didn't swallow it, just clutching it tightly in her hand.
"Let's go. This matter is urgent; we need to report to the vice commander in Falling Snow Pass as soon as possible."
However, at that moment, Gu Chengming's expression suddenly turned grim.
"Fellow Daoist Gu?" Xu Huayi sensed something was wrong.
Gu Chengming didn't answer immediately. His divine sense was immersed in the sudden explosion of messages within the Myriad Wonders Gathering.
"It's too late."
"What?" Xu Huayi was startled.
"The demon tide has already begun."
Gu Chengming turned his head, his gaze piercing through the narrow strip of sky above the canyon, looking toward Falling Snow Pass.
"The battle on the front line has already broken out. At least three fourth realm great demons have acted simultaneously and are launching a heavy assault on the main array of Falling Snow Pass."
Xu Huayi's face changed drastically. "Then if we rush back now..."
"We can't make it back, and there's no point. Since the frontal battle has started, the hidden move on this side should be starting too."
As if to confirm his words, the space deep within the canyon suddenly distorted violently.
"They want to use this path to strike directly at the rear of Falling Snow Pass."
Gu Chengming gripped the Quexie in his hand. His aura surged steadily, forcing all the surrounding snow to retreat.
He turned to look at Xu Huayi.
"Fellow Daoist Xu, it seems we'll have to play the role of gatekeepers here today."
This was Eagle Sorrow Ravine, the 'Line of Heaven,' the only path to the rear of Falling Snow Pass.
Xu Huayi was stunned for a moment, then understood Gu Chengming's intention.
She didn't retreat in the slightest; instead, she began to laugh.
"Fine."
She raised her hand, and the judge's pen drew a sharp arc in the air, marking a deep boundary line before the array base.
"Since Fellow Daoist Gu has invited me, today we shall let this beast know that this road is closed."
The wind and snow grew fierce, and killing intent filled the field.
...
A certain underground cavern.
A dark red blood pool bubbled and boiled in the center of the cavern. The sound of blood bubbles bursting rose and fell in this deathly silent space. A figure was half-submerged in the blood water.
It was the Green-Scaled Eagle King.
His massive green wings hung limply at the edge of the blood pool, the wounds on them gaping with exposed flesh and bone.
The wounds showed no sign of healing. Instead, a sharp sword intent was attached to them, constantly eroding his life force and preventing the repair of his demon power.
"Zhou Qingmu..." The Eagle King suddenly opened his eyes. The intense pain caused his half-human, half-demon face to contort slightly.
The demon territory's plan this time could originally have been called flawless.
For this plan, they had even been willing to use their own lives as bait to set an inescapable trap.
Three demon kings besieging one person should have been a guaranteed, crushing victory.
But what was the result? Two dead, one heavily injured.
They didn't even get the chance to detonate their demon cores before being sliced into a sky full of blood rain by that sword.
If the Green-Scaled Eagle King hadn't been naturally gifted with speed and hadn't burned his essence blood to flee madly at that instant, he would likely be a pile of withered bones on that snowy plain by now.
Although Zhou Qingmu was also heavily injured and might have even damaged the foundation of her dao, she was still alive after all.
But that wasn't what made the Green-Scaled Eagle King feel the most frustrated.
Since the frontal assassination had failed, although the demon territory's high command was furious, they hadn't completely given up. After all, Zhou Qingmu had returned to the capital for treatment, and Falling Snow Pass had temporarily lost its pillar of strength. This was still a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
They agreed to the Long-Life Sect's request for cooperation. As long as the timing was right, an inside-outside coordination might still be able to take Falling Snow Pass.
The Wanjin Pavilion had done very well, and Qian Tong was very obedient. It looked like the net was about to tighten, and Falling Snow Pass was about to rot from within...
Then, Wanjin Pavilion collapsed.
It wasn't besieged by a large force, nor was it identified by an array from the Imperial Observatory. It was taken down single-handedly by a green boy whose cultivation was only at the second realm!
That trash Qian Tong, a dignified fourth realm cultivator who even held the trump card given by the Long-Life Sect, was actually tricked to death by a second realm kid!
Along with him, the years of accumulation of the Wanjin Pavilion, those secretly placed informants, and even the crucial smuggling route intelligence all fell into human hands.
That night, when the news reached Eagle Sorrow Ravine, the Green-Scaled Eagle King nearly fainted from rage.
At that time, he was in the critical period of his recovery and couldn't personally act.
So he could only comfort himself that since Wanjin Pavilion was one of Falling Snow Pass's intelligence hubs, its fall would lead to an intelligence gap, material shortages, and public panic... for the demons about to launch an offensive, this might not be a bad thing.
Muddy waters were good for catching fish.
While the humans were in a frenzy trying to fill the void left by the Wanjin Pavilion, he could take the opportunity to use the transport array in Eagle Sorrow Ravine to catch them off guard.
However, that kid who had personally destroyed Wanjin Pavilion had immediately turned around and created something called the "Myriad Wonders Gathering."
At first, the Green-Scaled Eagle King didn't take it seriously.
In his view, so-called soul communication and intelligence sharing were just children's games. But as time passed, he realized he was wrong.
That Myriad Wonders Gathering didn't die young. Instead, it spread across the northern frontier at an astounding speed.
As soon as a demon scout showed their face, they were discovered by a rogue cultivator and uploaded to the Myriad Wonders Gathering. Just as a small-scale beast tide began to gather, its location was marked by a passing demon-hunting team. Even the fake news he deliberately released to confuse them was quickly identified and debunked by that damned thing.
Now Falling Snow Pass was as if it had grown thousands upon thousands of eyes.
And the one who had created all this was still that same person.
—Gu Chengming.
When this name finally landed on the Green-Scaled Eagle King's desk, new and old grudges erupted completely in that instant.
He remembered this name.
Or rather, he remembered this aura.
That ant who had escaped from an inescapable trap right under his nose on the snowy plains using some weird escape technique and boxing style.
At the time, he only had eyes for Zhou Qingmu and didn't care about that ant, treating it as an accident.
But who would have thought he would not only destroy the Wanjin Pavilion and build the Myriad Wonders Gathering, but even...
The Green-Scaled Eagle King slowly raised his hand. A broken soul jade appeared in his palm.
That was the natal soul jade of one of his direct descendants, the Iron-Feathered Goshawk.
Although that little eagle's bloodline wasn't pure, it was one of the descendants he focused on cultivating. He had hoped it would gain experience in that area and eventually take over a part of the tribe.
But not long ago, its soul lamp went out. It had been slain by a human cultivator, its body gone, and even its demon core had been blown to pieces.
And according to the intelligence gathered later, the one who struck the killing blow was exactly this Gu Chengming!
"You killed my descendant, destroyed my foundation, and ruined my grand plan..." The Green-Scaled Eagle King took a deep breath, the killing intent in his eyes boiling.
The Green-Scaled Eagle King knew very well that the Myriad Wonders Gathering was the greatest threat currently. But if this thing could be seized by the demon race, even if only a part of the authority was stolen, it would play a decisive role in the upcoming war.
Except... he looked down at the wound on his back.
Zhou Qingmu's sword strike had been too vicious. If not for outside help, he wouldn't just be unable to get revenge now; he'd likely struggle even to maintain his human form.
Thinking of this, the Green-Scaled Eagle King turned his head and looked at a protruding rock beside the blood pool. There sat a simple jade bottle. The mouth of the bottle wasn't sealed, and wisps of aura with a faint golden luster were continuously flowing out, merging into the blood pool below.
It was this aura that neutralized that domineering sword intent, allowing his injuries to be rapidly suppressed and recovered within a short time.
That was demon qi, true demon qi originating from the source of a fifth realm Jiao demon.
The Green-Scaled Eagle King looked at the jade bottle, a complicated light flashing in his eyes.
This thing had been sent by a special envoy from Lord Fubai, who occupied the East Sea.
Within the demon race, the birds and the scaled creatures had never gotten along. Although he had some acquaintance with Lord Fubai, it was limited to business dealings; it would never reach the level of providing help in a crisis.
The reason the other party was so generous was for only one reason—Gu Chengming.
When Gu Chengming had slain the Jiao in the East Sea, the one he killed was Lord Fubai's most beloved youngest son.
And as a regional hegemon, Lord Fubai was restricted by the covenant between Great Qian and the East Sea, as well as the surveillance of those human experts hiding in the shadows. He couldn't personally act, nor could he blatantly send people into the northern frontier for a hunt.
So, he chose to kill with a borrowed knife.
The Green-Scaled Eagle King slowly stood up from the blood pool.
"Splash—"
Massive green wings suddenly snapped open behind him, kicking up a foul wind.
Although his injuries weren't fully healed, he had recovered seventy or eighty percent. Even if Gu Chengming had some tricks, he wouldn't escape his grasp.
He took flight, transforming into a streak of green light, and sped along the passage deep within the cavern.
Demon power surged through his body, creating gusts of wind that shattered any rocks in his path into powder. At the end of the passage, the spatial fluctuations grew more and more violent.
The Green-Scaled Eagle King slowed down, extending his divine sense to confirm the operational status of the transport array.
However, the moment his divine sense touched that area of space—
The world changed color.
The originally dark passage suddenly became as bright as day. Countless golden lines emerged from all directions, weaving into a dense, airtight net in the void. Those lines weren't ordinary array markings but were drawn with a special brush technique. Every stroke contained a mysterious rhythm, as if it were the most exquisite painting in the world.
A painting array!
The Green-Scaled Eagle King's pupils shrank suddenly.
He tried to retreat, only to find that those golden lines had already firmly trapped him. The lines tightened, and space solidified, even causing the circulation of demon power in his body to become sluggish.
—When did the humans set up an ambush?
Alarm bells rang in the Green-Scaled Eagle King's heart. His demon power surged wildly, trying to break through the shackles of this painting array. However, those seemingly soft golden lines were surprisingly tough. No matter how he charged into them, the lines only trembled slightly, refusing to break in the least.
Even worse, as the painting array operated, he could clearly feel his strength being suppressed.
His demon power, which had recovered to eighty percent, could now only exert forty percent, and it was still continuing to drop.
—Damn it!
A flash of shock and anger appeared in the Green-Scaled Eagle King's eyes.
One who could set up a painting array of this level was certainly no ordinary cultivator. And the other party clearly had full knowledge of his movements; otherwise, they couldn't have set such a precise ambush at this time and place.
Just as the Green-Scaled Eagle King's mind was racing, two figures—one male and one female—walked slowly toward him from outside the painting array.
The man had a long sword at his waist and a steady, restrained aura. He appeared to be only in his early twenties. The woman wore a plain white dress and held a judge's pen. Her features were elegant, and a faint spiritual charm surrounded her.
The Green-Scaled Eagle King's gaze fell on the man, and his pupils shrank again. He remembered this face. The ant who had luckily escaped on the snowy plains, the culprit behind the destruction of the Wanjin Pavilion, the creator of the Myriad Wonders Gathering, and the sword cultivator who had slain his direct descendant.
—Gu Chengming.
But after sensing carefully, he found there was no one else besides these two, which surprised him quite a bit.
In an instant, countless emotions swirled in the Green-Scaled Eagle King's heart—surprise, anger, killing intent—finally turning into a low sneer.
He had originally been thinking of how to go through the trouble of dragging this kid out of the city after capturing Falling Snow Pass. He hadn't expected the other party to deliver himself to his door.
A second realm cultivator dared to ambush him, a fourth realm demon sovereign?
The Green-Scaled Eagle King didn't know whether to say the other party was courageous or utterly stupid.
His gaze then swept over to the female cultivator. The one who could set up such a painting array was likely this woman. Judging by her aura, she should be near the third realm...
If he were in his prime, he naturally wouldn't care about a third realm and a second realm. But now his injuries weren't healed, and he was suppressed by the painting array, so he needed to handle it carefully.
However...
A cold look flashed in the Green-Scaled Eagle King's eyes.
Even suppressed to forty percent of his strength, dealing with a second realm and a third realm was more than enough.
He even began to calculate how he would torture these two later to slightly appease the hatred in his heart.
However, in the next moment, six sword lights soared into the sky from behind Gu Chengming.
For an ordinary sword cultivator, it was already difficult enough to refine a single natal sword to its limit, let alone managing six at once. This was a rare method even among human sword cultivators.
But that was all it was.
The gap in realms was not something numbers could bridge.
Gu Chengming wasted no words. The six swords instantly became six streaks of light, attacking the Green-Scaled Eagle King from different angles.
The moment the sword array formed, the Green-Scaled Eagle King sensed something was wrong.
This wasn't a simple six-sword siege but a complete sword array.
The six swords echoed and cooperated with each other. What was even weirder was that every strike would leave an indistinct thread in the void.
Those threads wrapped around him. They weren't noticeable at first, but as the sword array operated, the threads became more numerous and denser, eventually starting to affect his movements.
—Entanglement Technique.
The Green-Scaled Eagle King's heart sank. His demon power erupted, trying to shatter those threads wrapped around him. However, those threads seemed fragile but were actually incredibly tough. No matter how he struggled, the threads only pulled tighter.
At the same time, the offensive of the six swords became increasingly fierce.
The Green-Scaled Eagle King had to respond with all his strength. His massive green wings formed a barrier in front of him, blocking all six swords.
"Clang clang clang—" The sound of clashing metal was endless.
The six swords struck the wings, kicking up sparks, but they couldn't break through the defense condensed from demon power.
The Green-Scaled Eagle King felt slightly relieved.
As expected, a gap in realms couldn't be bridged by techniques... Though this kid's swordplay was exquisite and his sword array mysterious, he was only at the second realm after all.
His sword couldn't break a fourth realm demon sovereign's defense. As long as he held out until the painting array's effect weakened or until he found a chance to break the array, the winner would be decided.
However, just as the Green-Scaled Eagle King thought this, he suddenly discovered a fact that alarmed him.
Those threads wrapped around him didn't dissipate over time; instead, they accumulated more and more.
And as the threads increased, his movements became slower, and the circulation of his demon power became more sluggish.
Even more terrifyingly, although those six swords couldn't break his defense, every attack would leave a tiny mark on his wings. Those marks seemed insignificant individually, but when they accumulated to a certain point, they actually began to produce a kind of resonance.
Gu Chengming never intended to use his second realm cultivation to defeat him frontally. Instead, he wanted to use this slow, grinding method to bit by bit consume his demon power, weaken his defense, and eventually trap him to death here.
And that painting array existed exactly to cooperate with this tactic.
The painting array suppressed his strength, the sword array consumed his demon power, and the Entanglement Technique restricted his movements.
Three prongs working together, linked link by link.
He had to admit that this Gu Chengming indeed had some skill. If it were an ordinary early-stage fourth realm demon cultivator, they might really be ground to death in this situation. But he was no ordinary early-stage fourth realm... even if the opponent struck tens of thousands of times, they still wouldn't break his defense.
However, just as he thought that, Xu Huayi, who was maintaining the array to the side, suddenly took out a sword talisman.
That sword talisman was silver-white all over, its surface carved with complex patterns, faintly emitting an extremely sharp sword intent.
—That was sword intent belonging to a fourth realm sword cultivator.
Luo Jinyao!
The name instantly surfaced in the Green-Scaled Eagle King's mind, and his originally relaxed expression instantly turned into a furious glare.
Before he could think further, Xu Huayi had already activated the sword talisman.
"Hum—"
A sword hum echoed between heaven and earth.
The sword talisman exploded in the air, transforming into a brilliant silver-white sword light. When the sword light first appeared, it was only three feet long, but in the blink of an eye, it surged to dozens of meters, as if it were about to split the entire world in half. Wherever the sword light passed, space shattered piece by piece, and pitch-black cracks even appeared in the void.
This strike had already surpassed the scope of an ordinary fourth realm.
In this moment, the Green-Scaled Eagle King truly felt the threat of death.
Wanted to flee? But the painting array trapped his form. Wanted to block? But those threads wrapped around him restricted his actions. Wanted to counterattack? But that sword light's speed was at the extreme, giving him no time to react.
The Green-Scaled Eagle King let out a shrill howl. His demon power burned madly, and he even resorted to burning his essence blood again.
A green light shield formed in front of him. That was his ultimate life-saving measure, a protective treasure he had obtained from a secret realm deep in the demon territory years ago.
That light shield was called the Azure Scale Protection, refined from his own shed scales and some heavenly material. It used his lifespan as a trigger, so he wouldn't bring it out unless he had no other choice.
He couldn't care about that much now. The silver-white sword light struck the green light shield.
"Boom—"
A world-shaking explosion echoed through the canyon.
The entire Eagle Sorrow Ravine trembled violently under this strike. Countless rocks rolled down from the cliffs, and smoke and dust rose, blotting out the sky.
The green light shield cracked piece by piece under the impact of the sword light and finally dissolved into a sky full of light specks.
The smoke hadn't cleared, and the cold wind was like a knife.
That silver-white sword light, powerful enough to open the heavens, finally exhausted its last bit of power and vanished into specks of stardust in the freezing wind of Eagle Sorrow Ravine.
Xu Huayi's body swayed violently. Her originally elegant face was now frighteningly pale.
Although the sword talisman left by Luo Jinyao was incredibly powerful, for her current state, both the guidance of divine sense and the channeling of true essence were burdens that were difficult to bear.
The judge's pen almost slipped from her hand, and her whole person was teetering on the edge of collapse—the sign of extreme true essence exhaustion.
"He's not dead..." Xu Huayi looked at the patch of demon qi ahead that hadn't completely dissipated, a flash of gravity in her eyes.
The smoke cleared, revealing the Green-Scaled Eagle King's wretched form.
That originally radiant Azure Scale Protection had been completely shattered. One of the wings he was so proud of was broken, half his body was a bloody mess, and even white bone could be seen.
But he was still alive, staring at the two with eyes full of venom and madness.
"Good... very good."
The Green-Scaled Eagle King's voice was hoarse like a broken gong.
"To force this King to such a state, you are worthy of pride!!"
Without any hesitation, and ignoring the wails from his battered body, he spat out a mouthful of essence blood containing his fundamental life force, which transformed into a weird blood mist that enveloped him. His originally fading aura actually surged madly in this instant. It was a desperate strike that burned his lifespan and cut off his future path.
He knew very well that the female cultivator was finished. As for the remaining second realm kid, no matter how exquisite his swordplay, he definitely couldn't block this suicidal grab.
However, facing this lethal strike, Gu Chengming didn't retreat, didn't hide, and didn't even show a change in his expression.
He simply took a step forward, blocking the path of the teetering Xu Huayi.
"As expected." Gu Chengming sighed in his heart.
A fourth realm demon sovereign's life force was incredibly stubborn. He had never expected that a single sword talisman would completely decide the outcome.
His true killing move had always been saved for the end.
Gu Chengming slowly closed his eyes. In the instant that the gale capable of shredding stone was about to touch his brow, deep in his sea of consciousness, that pink red dust aura that had long been gathering its strength burst its banks once again.
If the slaying of the Jiao in the East Sea had borrowed the 'hatred' of that sword cultivator from a hundred years ago...
Then today...
Gu Chengming snapped his eyes open. Within his pupils, there seemed to be a reflection of those countless white bones floating in the blood pool at the bottom of the Eagle Sorrow Ravine.
Red Dust Technique—Reversing Cause and Effect.
At this moment, the wind in Eagle Sorrow Ravine stopped.
The rapidly charging Green-Scaled Eagle King suddenly felt a palpitation like never before.
In his vision, the space behind the young man blocking the way of the female cultivator suddenly became crowded.
Those were shadows—countless phantom-like yet incredibly real shadows.
At first there was one, then ten, a hundred...
Those shadows, some wore old coarse cloth clothes, some were still just infants, some looked like old farmers just returned from working the fields, and some were mothers who had died to protect their children...
Those were the 'materials' thrown into the blood pool, whose every drop of blood was drained by the array, and whose bones were eventually filled into the abyss.
They were the ones this Eagle King had called 'two-legged sheep' over the past ten years, the 'ants' in his eyes who weren't worth even a blink if ten thousand of them died.
But today, these ants stood up.
These phantoms were layered one upon another. Some looked sorrowful, some looked angry, and some had numb expressions.
But at the moment this sword was swung, all the shadows made the same movement—
They reached out their hands, as if they wanted to push this sword, or as if they were lifting it up.
They were dense and layered, like an impassable mountain, pressing down upon the edge of Gu Chengming's sword.
"Since this body has entered the red dust..."
Gu Chengming slowly raised the Quexie. Following his movement, those countless phantom shadows behind him also seemed to make the same movement.
"Then today, I shall collect this debt from you on behalf of all living beings!"
The cause and effect had arrived.
A single strike, swung out.
This strike was as simple as a farmer swinging a hoe, a butcher dropping a cleaver, or a mother grabbing a firewood stick to protect her child.
—The aura of the mortal world's red dust soothes the hearts of mortals most, yet it also slays the courage of demons most!
The Green-Scaled Eagle King turned pale with horror. Before that sword, the power he had gained by burning his essence blood rapidly dissolved.
The sword edge sliced through the void, leaving a gray trail.
"Puchi—"
That unstoppable bloody figure came to a sudden halt three feet away from Gu Chengming.
The sky full of blood mist dissipated.
The Green-Scaled Eagle King froze in place, his clouded eyes bulging out intensely.
The next moment.
A blood line slowly emerged from his brow, traveling downward and piercing through his entire body.
This fourth realm demon sovereign, who had occupied the area outside Falling Snow Pass for decades with terrifying ferocity, saw his body collapse outward to both sides.
—Blood showered the long sky.
Xu Huayi didn't seem to have reacted yet, staring blankly at the scene.
It was like a storyteller in a teahouse who, after finishing a thrilling tale of slaying a demon, suddenly struck the sounding board, leaving the audience in silence, only feeling a surge of righteous spirit echoing in their chests that couldn't be calmed for a long time.
And that final closing line might only need a few words to circulate in the wind and snow of the northern frontier for a hundred years—
In the north, the cold blade rises to slay the demon for the sake of all living beings.
Rate on N.U.
