“What?” Yun Wanhai’s expression changed. “The unstable World Entrance actually allowed a third Firmament demon monarch to pass through?”
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
Suddenly, a bell rang out within the Jadesun Palace. Several Seamless realm experts were striking the bells with hammers repeatedly. The bell-ringing spread throughout the entire city.
In Eastcalm Prefecture City, where many hawkers had set up stalls, everyone—pedestrians, people at home who were cooking breakfast, and disciples who had begun cultivating in the Dao Academies—was stunned when they heard the bells. Their expressions changed. All of the hawkers ran as fast as they could, ignoring their stalls. The pedestrians also ran.
“Quick, hide!”
“Quick!”
Every region had deep tunnels. Over 100 people of all ages and gender ran towards the tunnels.
“Stay here. Don’t come out,” a man and his wife said.
“Dad, Dad…” their daughter shouted.
“Daddy has to fight the demons.” The man smiled as he held his spear and rushed out.
Decree when encountering demons:
Everyone below the Marrow Cleansing realm shall hide in the tunnels.
Those at the Marrow Cleansing realm and above—regardless of gender or age—have to fight the demons.
Reaching the Marrow Cleansing realm means one will serve the military when they are twenty. Most of the men and women who fight have experience battling demons.
…
At Mirror Lake Meng Manor, Meng Chuan had been cultivating his Saber Drawing Stance when he suddenly heard the bells ringing. The guards who had been helping him stopped, while Meng Chuan’s expression changed.
These bells… At this level of urgency… He had heard them once when he was six years old.
“Assemble, head to the nearest Dao Academy,” the guards in the manor immediately shouted. They were veterans. Their peaceful lives in the city hadn’t worn away their fighting spirit. They had long gotten used to this due to their five years of military service. When they encountered demons, it was a fight to the death! Everyone had to fight to the death!
At this moment, the entire Eastcalm Prefecture would become a battlefield. Anyone at or above the Marrow Cleansing realm had to take up arms!
Chapter 53
“Uncle Qian.” Meng Chuan gave orders. “Open the armory and let everyone choose from it. After everyone at and above the Marrow Cleansing realm chooses their armor and weapons, immediately head to Mirror Lake Dao Academy.”
“Yes.” Everyone responded in unison, their eyes filled with fervor and fighting spirit.
The Dao Academies needed to be well-protected. Eastcalm Prefecture City was currently being attacked by the demons. The whole city was in danger. The other Dao Academies were too far to head to. Even the ancestral mansion was over five kilometers away. It was simply too difficult for these guards to cover such a distance. They might perish along the way. As for Mirror Lake Dao Academy, it was very close.
Swoosh. A figure charged into the Meng Manor and arrived at the training grounds.
The figure hurriedly called out, “Meng Chuan!” It was a black-haired elder.
“Fifth Elder.” Meng Chuan immediately recognized the person.
“Fairy’s orders,” said the black-haired elder in a low voice. “Eastcalm Prefecture is in grave danger, so you are allowed to do anything. However, please protect the 3000 clansmen in the ancestral mansion! The five Godfiend family clans will also be the focus of the demons’ attack. Also, if Fairy and the others were to die in battle and the demon monarchs win, countless people in Eastcalm Prefecture will flee. You must also flee, but do so alone. You are the entire Meng family’s hope. Don’t fall into a dire situation.”
“Understood.” Meng Chuan nodded. He knew what his grandaunt’s intentions were.
The demon monarchs were now being held down by the Godfiends. With Meng Chuan’s speed, no one could stop him if he wanted to leave! Thus, he was permitted to take any action. She even hoped that he could protect the 3000 clansmen at the ancestral mansion.
If the Godfiends were defeated, the demon monarchs would be free to massacre the entire prefecture. By then, Meng Chuan would have to flee!
“I’ll be returning to the ancestral mansion immediately. Are you coming with me?” asked the black-haired elder.
“I’ll head over to save Qiyue first. Qiyue is still on the way to Blazing Sun Dao Academy,” said Meng Chuan. “I’ll go to the ancestral mansion after saving Qiyue.”
“Okay.” The black-haired elder turned and left. Time was precious.
Swoosh.
Meng Chuan took a step forward and leaped past the yard wall. He was like a wisp of smoke that flew across houses as he headed straight for Blazing Sun Dao Academy. His sensory domain spanned half a kilometer, so he was confident that he could find Liu Qiyue immediately once he was near.
Qiyue is in the Mortal Shedding realm; she’s an archer who’s not good at close combat. It will be troublesome if she encounters a horde of demons. Meng Chuan’s heart burned with anxiety.
They grew up together.
Qiyue was very important to him. He had to protect her. Although his father and Uncle Liu were outside, they had long achieved Force and had years of experience fighting demons on the battlefield. Working together, there were high chances they could deal with dangerous situations. Most importantly, he had no idea where his father had gone. Searching for him would be futile. However, he knew Qiyue had gone to Blazing Sun Dao Academy.
Swish! Swish! Swish!
Meng Chuan moved very quickly. Suddenly, he saw something a distance away.
From afar, ugly figures were running on the streets. Some were running on the roofs while others were flying in the sky. Demons were generally taller than humans, and it was common for them to be over ten feet tall. Sometimes, one could even see massive demons about 20 to 30 feet tall! All sorts of demons were maniacally advancing, charging towards Meng Chuan.
There are so many demons. Meng Chuan’s heart tightened. From the looks of it, the World Entrance is somewhere in that direction, Meng Chuan guessed. The demons head in different directions once they exit the World Entrance.
There’s no way to avoid demons on the way to Blazing Sun Dao Academy. I can only storm my way through. Meng Chuan didn’t slow down as he rushed into the demon army.
Under normal circumstances, a mortal realm individual’s strength was rather useless against an army. However, Meng Chuan’s abilities bolstered his courage. He could sense everything within half a kilometer. With his extraordinary speed, he feared nothing.
Oh? As he ran, he got closer to the demon army. At a glance, he saw many demons engaged in battle.
Human experts were holding them back.
Roar! A wolf demon was entangled by a net. It let out an angry roar but couldn’t tear the net apart. Following that, three short spears shot out from a house and pierced through the wolf demon’s body. It fell to the ground, devoid of any life.
“Let’s charge in.” Immediately, five demons charged into the house. The room was filled with traps, and three human experts were lying in ambush.
The moment the demons rushed in, two demons were entangled in ropes before short spears killed them!
Ropes were the easiest to obtain and could be quickly set up. Therefore, it was basic knowledge for humans—who had served in the military—to set up rope traps. Clearly, there were many ropes traps set up in the house. However, the demons were no fools. Only two demons succumbed to the traps before the two-storied building was partially destroyed.
If one were to say that the combat skills of the human experts were very brilliant—with them setting up traps and working together—demons only had one skill. All they did was charge forward and kill!
“From the looks of it, the three of us are about to die here,” said an elderly, one-armed man holding a saber as he chuckled.
A single-eyed woman was carry
ing a short spear sack on her back. She wielded a short spear in each hand and once again threw them at the demons. The threat she posed at short distances—like in the room—was extremely high, but the mantis demon at the very front easily blocked it. The single-eyed woman smiled as well. “The three of us are in the Marrow Cleansing realm. Killing three lesser demons makes our sacrifice worth it.”
“Madam, Uncle Zhang, let’s do it again. Every demon taken down helps,” said a tall man holding a shield and a large axe.
The overall strength of the demons was far greater than that of humans.
For example, in this 18,000-strong demon army that had been deployed, there were more than two hundred demons that could release their demonic aura! As for Eastcalm Prefecture, only about twenty humans had comprehended Force. Although humans could generally single-handedly deal with two or even three demons, the most powerful members of the demon army were the eighteen commanders! These commanders all had top-notch demon monarch bloodlines. They were several times stronger than ordinary Core Condensation humans. These commanders were all capable of crushing the human Core Condensation experts.
The weakest lesser demons among the demons… No matter how brutish they were in battle, they had bodies on par with humans in the Mortal Shedding realm. With the decree in effect, Marrow Cleansing realm experts had to use traps, allowing them to use their cooperative techniques to put up a fight against the demons.
Therefore, even the Godfiends admitted that in the mortal realm, demons could indeed crush humans.
However, Godfiends were no weaker than demon monarchs. As long as the Godfiends won, slaying the ordinary demons would be much easier.
“Kill!” The tall, muscular man, the single-eyed woman, and the one-armed elder went into a frenzy. They braced themselves for a final battle as the three demons lunged forward to tear the three humans apart.
Swoosh.
A saber beam flashed past. The saber beam sliced through the three demons. The three demons were cut in half, and their bodies convulsed on the ground.
Meng Chuan’s figure appeared near the house momentarily before he left quickly.
Looking at the three demons that were instantly killed, the stocky man, the single-eyed woman, and the one-armed elder were stunned to see the distant Meng Chuan.
“It’s Young Master Meng.”
“Young Master Meng saved us.” The three of them felt joy from surviving a calamity. They obviously wanted to live, if possible.
“Why would Young Master Meng take the initiative to attack the demon army?” The one-eyed woman was puzzled.
“Don’t waste time thinking about it. Hurry up, we need to defend Uncle Zhang’s place,” urged the tall man. The three of them immediately abandoned the house and went to the next ambush spot.
During a demon invasion, humans used the terrain to their advantage. They set up traps in the entire city. This was the most efficient method. There was really no way for them to defeat the demons if they fought head-on.
…
“There are humans resisting over there. Head there.” The demon army was advancing. At the same time, some greater demons led the lesser demons to bring hell upon an area.
The demons could afford to lose a lesser demon for the life of a Marrow Cleansing expert. After all, the Marrow Cleansing experts in Eastcalm City only numbered five to six thousand.
Meng Chuan slaughtered demons along the way. When his saber beams killed more than ten demons, he immediately attracted the attention of two demon lieutenant commanders.
“That human is very powerful. He should be a human who has comprehended Force.”
“Surround him and kill him.”
“Kill!”
The two demon lieutenant commanders led over a hundred demons to surround him.
This scene was also noticed by the black bear demon commander, who was half a kilometer away. It was fifty-foot tall, far taller than an ordinary restaurant.
“Deal with that human quickly. Head to Mirror Lake Dao Academy and destroy it.” The black bear demon commander gave the order. It had a Black Mountain demon monarch bloodline. Normal Core Condensation bear demons were about twenty to thirty feet tall. However, this one was fifty feet tall… Its strength was several times greater than the typical Core Condensation bear demon. Its body was much stronger, so it naturally took up the position of a commander.
It had immense strength. It could crush an ordinary house with a single step. Its voice rumbled, echoing about a kilometer away.
“Head to Mirror Lake Dao Academy.”
“Head to Mirror Lake Dao Academy.”
Many demon lieutenant commanders under its command began repeating the order.
“Quickly, kill this human.” The two demon lieutenant commanders who were surrounding him heard the bear commander’s instructions. They were also rather anxious as large groups of demons swarmed Meng Chuan.
Head to Mirror Lake Dao Academy? Meng Chuan’s eyelids twitched as a cold glint flashed in his eyes.
As the eldest senior brother of Mirror Lake Dao Academy, his choice of first rescuing Qiyue before heading to the ancestral mansion made him feel like he had let down Mirror Lake Dao Academy.
At this moment, he saw the thousand-odd demon army heading towards Mirror Lake Dao Academy. His killing intent was cold.
Once I kill the demon commander, the threat of this demon army will be halved.
Chapter 54
“Hold him back.”
“As long as we restrain him, he’s dead.” The two demon lieutenant commanders commanded as the demons under them charged forward fearlessly. Five avian demons swooped down from the sky.
Meng Chuan also felt pressure.
These two demon lieutenant commanders. One of them can release their demonic aura while the other has condensed a demon core. Meng Chuan immediately determined his opponents’ strength through his perception. There are also 19 greater demons and 176 lesser demons. As long as a demon restrains me, a horde of demons will immediately rush over. The two lieutenant commanders will then kill me.
Although I’m stronger than the two demon lieutenant commanders, my strength is limited. Once I’m restrained, I will be torn apart.
This was the battlefield. A large group of demons lunged at him. If not for his sensory domain, he would have long dodged the demon army.
“Kill!” Although he felt a little wistful, his speed did not slow down. Compared to experts in the same realm, he was very good at dealing with group attacks. He could even make his enemies hit themselves!
Meng Chuan unleashed terrifying speed, transforming into a blur and charged towards one of the demons in the group.
“He isn’t dodging and instead charged over?”
“Stop him.”
“Quick!”
These two hundred demons were somewhat scattered and had yet to completely surround him before Meng Chuan took the initiative to attack.
You’re too slow. As Meng Chuan rushed forward, he unsheathed his saber, and the blade lit up.
With one saber beam, three demons were sliced apart. The saber beams flashed again and again.
He charged straight towards the black bear demon Commander. Several saber beams flashed, and the 30 demons that barely managed to gather around him were easily culled. A single saber beam was about twenty to thirty feet long. It sliced the demons into two. This left the other demons—who were prepared to pounce over—shuddering in fear. Even their charging speed slowed down.
He sensed the demons charging towards him as he swung his saber repeatedly; his speed could not help but slow down.
“Make way.” Two demon lieutenant commanders charged over. One was a spider demoness, while the other was a goat demon.
The spider demoness was faster. She had six arms that each held a scimitar. She was the first to reach fifty feet within Meng Chuan. Without warning, she opened her mouth, and a white spider web flew out, enveloping Meng Chuan. The distance was too close, and its speed was t
oo fast.
However, having been forged in the crucible of arrow volleys, Meng Chuan’s reaction speed had been honed to new heights. Besides, everything within a hundred feet was within his sensory domain! The moment the spider demoness opened her mouth, Meng Chuan was immediately prepared.
His figure vanished.
The white spider web only covered two unlucky lesser demons. The two lesser demons wailed in pain as they rapidly turned into meat paste as they were pinned to the ground by the spider web. When the spider demoness saw her killer move dodged, she was somewhat indignant.
“Kill!” Meng Chuan used his movement technique and attacked the two demon lieutenant commanders.
The spider demoness brandished her scimitars. and instantly, a slew of saber slashes rained upon Meng Chuan. As for the goat demon, he engaged in close combat.
Pfft. Pfft.
Meng Chuan moved to a spot between the two demon lieutenant commanders. His control of the situation was very fine. He could see the traces of the two demon lieutenant commanders’ attacks clearly. With a saber beam, one of the spider demoness’ scimitars was redirected towards the goat demon.
What’s going on? The spider demoness and the goat demon were alarmed. Why were they attacking each other?
They didn’t know that two of the Skydemon Sect’s Eastcalm branch’s leaders had once encountered a similar situation before. However, Meng Chuan had only managed to do so by using the Power of the Soul previously. Now, he could accomplish it easily.
Clang! The goat demon immediately blocked the spider demoness’s attack.
Pfft.
Following the spider demoness’s attack was a silent and gentle slash from Meng Chuan.
What? The goat demon’s heart jolted. The saber beam had already reached its neck, and soon, its head flew up.
The goat lieutenant commander was dead.
The spider demoness immediately thought something was amiss, but Meng Chuan turned his head and furiously chopped down. This was the first strike of the Five Lightning Descent! It was extremely fast, and lightning was released. The power of the lightning was still very weak, so it would’ve been easily resisted by the spider demoness’s powerful body—not causing any negative effects. However, the terrifying power of that strike made it extremely difficult to block it. Fortunately, the demoness had a total of six arms. The six scimitars were barely able to block it. Even so, an opening was revealed.
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