Chapter 58
After leaving the courtyard, Zhou Xuanzhi continued to slay these demonic creatures outside, gradually realizing something was amiss. Although these were demons, they were all insignificant; he hadn't encountered a single truly powerful demon. Could there be some kind of conspiracy? In the capital, only the imperial city could make the demons go to such lengths.
He flew towards the imperial city.
Demons have already gathered outside the imperial city, and a portion of the Exorcism Bureau is holding their ground. Inside the imperial city, there's a powerful array set up, so it should be safe. What is that?
“Something’s not quite right about this.” It was Su Liyue from the Exorcism Division.
The outer perimeter of the imperial city was guarded by Su Liyue and her disciples.
“If they really want to cause trouble in the capital, these wretches aren’t enough.” Zhou Xuanzhi said, looking at the group of demons gathered together without making a move, “I have a feeling something’s not right…”
Zhou Xuanzhi couldn't quite describe how he felt at that time.
"Is this what you mean by 'our elders are keeping something from us'?" Su Liyue said seriously, "It seems like our elders have some other plan."
Zhou Xuanzhi said nothing, silently watching the demons that had gathered together, and they began to move.
The monsters had combined into an exceptionally tall creature, its entire body pitch black except for its eyes, which resembled two bright lanterns.
Su Liyue instructed the disciples of the Exorcism Division to prepare themselves, as any monster that dared to approach would be killed.
This monster looks familiar, but I remember the demons I rarely killed when I went down the mountain. Back then, it was my master.
"Don't underestimate these inconspicuous little demons. Once they combine into one, they will be very difficult to deal with. Their skin is as hard as iron and impervious to swords and spears. When they throw a punch, the power is terrifying. But don't worry, your master has a way to deal with them. Their eyes are their weak point."
Zhou Xuanzhi opened his eyes, looked at the monster in front of him, and said to Su Liyue, "Eyes, attack its eyes."
Upon hearing Zhou Xuanzhi's voice, Su Liyue began to rearrange her strategy. She had some people distract it while Su Liyue leaped forward to strike its vitals.
The group that made the feint attack did indeed feel its skin as hard as iron. When they cut its calf, sparks flew, but the swords couldn't penetrate it. They didn't even leave a scratch on its dark skin.
Su Liyue had already reached the monster's front. The monster saw someone enter its field of vision and reached out to grab her. The monster looked clumsy, but it was unusually agile and could even move its joints in reverse.
Taking its eyes is not an easy task.
Watching Su Liyue nimbly maneuvering, along with her teammates' coordinated efforts, they prevented the monster from getting even a step closer to the imperial city. This monster wasn't recorded in any books, and none of the sects had ever heard of such a thing. Had their master encountered it before? Was this how she gradually discovered its weaknesses?
Zhou Xuanzhi drew his sword to assist, coming to Su Liyue's side to feign an attack. So what if they could counter her joint locks? They were still just a bunch of little demons. Since that was the case, they would defeat them one by one!
Seeing Zhou Xuanzhi almost taking down a demon with a single sword strike, Su Liyue realized that he was a cultivator, someone trained by the guardian elder of Tianyu Mountain. Such a person couldn't possibly be the refined gentleman she usually saw; if he were to take up his sword and fight, he could surely stop even the most nagging child from crying.
Zhou Xuanzhi's flying up and down made the monster very uncomfortable, and now that his hand had been cut off, the monster became agitated. It focused all its attention on Zhou Xuanzhi, and its newly grown arms were all grabbing at him.
Seizing the opportunity, Su Liyue leaped forward and plunged her sword into the monster's left eye. The monster paused for a moment, then suddenly became agitated, stomping wildly and swaying its body as if trying to shake off those in front of it and move them away.
Su Liyue didn't dare to think too much at this moment. She drew her sword and retreated quickly. Zhou Xuanzhi also left at this time.
What's going on?
Master wouldn't lie to me, there must be something going on... Zhou Xuanzhi looked down at the sword in his hand, the Remnant Sun Sword felt very awkward in his hand.
“My master uses two swords, so it should be his eyes that are taken out,” he said firmly.
Upon hearing this, the members of the Exorcism Division immediately set up an array. This array trapped the monster in place, and Su Liyue and Zhou Xuanzhi began a new round of coordinated action.
The streets were teeming with low-level demons, some of which could be easily wounded by ordinary people with just a kitchen knife. Of course, there were also demons that even cultivators struggled to deal with. Their appearance was not much different from humans, except for some significant differences in certain organs.
What on earth happened? Shi Yunzhou cursed inwardly. Were those three immortal mountains at sea just for show? How could the people of Tianyu Mountain let these monsters arrive in the capital without any reaction, without even having time to send a message?
Seeing those about to be harmed by the demons, Shi Yunzhou summoned his sword and slashed directly at them.
Unexpectedly, the demon slightly shifted to the side to dodge, and a chill swept over him. Shi Yunzhou turned around and blocked the demon's blade.
"Master Yunzhou."
The demon before him was only different from ordinary people in his ears; without a closer look, it would be difficult to tell he was a demon. Shi Yunzhou had no recollection of this person: "Who are you?"
“Your father knows me.”
...No wonder Master said not to talk much when encountering demons, just kill them. This monster seems not to understand human speech, and its answers are irrelevant.
“My father has been dead for over two hundred years, and I’ve never even seen him since I was born.” Before Huanmo could speak, Shi Yunzhou added, “My master has never mentioned you either.”
The demon wasn't angry; he just smiled and said, "Li Sheng."
Li Sheng is the deputy envoy of the Demon Clan, equivalent to a high-ranking general in the imperial court. Does the arrival of such a person in the capital mean something terrible is about to happen?
Shi Yunzhou kept his sword in front of him and looked at the other person, saying, "Although I know you, we don't have any connection, do we?" He then used his hand behind his back to draw a sound transmission talisman to inform Zhou Xuanzhi and Lin Jichen of the situation.
The moment he left Tianyu Mountain, he was unable to contact the elders of Tianyu Mountain. He could still contact these two people, and he could only hope that they could pass on the information that Li Sheng had arrived to Han Wenqing.
Shi Yunzhou's actions naturally did not escape the notice of this demon clan deputy envoy, who tilted his head and squinted, indicating that he could see the little tricks Shi Yunzhou was up to.
"The news has already been spread," Shi Yunzhou said.
“I’ve met your master. You and your master look quite alike. Back then, she was just like you, seemingly calm on the surface but actually very scared. But your master…” He looked like he was recalling something, and his eyes were particularly unpleasant.
"You have no right to mention my master." This deputy envoy was not bad-looking, but he was also known in the demon race and the cultivation world for his lecherous side. Shi Yunzhou really wanted to beat him up for mentioning his master.
"I had almost forgotten about that war if you hadn't mentioned it... um, you call it the 'Battle of the Mountain Gate,' right? I must say, Shi Wanqing was incredibly beautiful on the battlefield."
Shi Yunzhou had already held his sword horizontally in front of him. He asked, "What exactly do you want to say?"
"I'll provoke you, and then kill you." His expression changed, and his entire being was filled with murderous intent. This murderous aura actually caused Shi Yunzhou to take a slight step back.
Before he could say anything more, Li Sheng's knife was already in front of him. Shi Yunzhou didn't care about anything else and started fighting with Li Sheng. In the blink of an eye, the two of them had exchanged countless blows.
But how could Shi Yunzhou compare to this seasoned demon general? With one mistake, Li Sheng's knife was already at his neck.
Before Shi Yunzhou could close his eyes and await his death, Li Sheng suddenly stopped. He distanced himself and looked Shi Yunzhou up and down, who was covered in blood.
He was acting on orders from Demon Lord Chonghua, who commanded him to kill Shi Yunzhou. What grudge could this two-hundred-year-old boy, Shi Yunzhou, possibly have against Chonghua? Could it really be as the rumors say?
"You're just a little kid. If I kill you today, it would be me bullying the weak." With that, he disappeared.
Shi Yunzhou could no longer maintain his ignorance. He knelt on the ground, clutching his chest and revealing the still-bleeding wound. If the wound had deepened any further, he would have truly died. Why would Li Sheng want to kill him? His mind was filled with questions, but no one could answer them for him before he collapsed to the ground.
Zhou Xuanzhi and Su Liyue were still fighting the monster, and no victor had yet been determined.
Lin Jichen and An Zhi leaned back to back, panting heavily. They were guarding outside a large courtyard, which had already housed many women and children. Several disciples of the Qingxu Sect were also there to keep watch.
They held off wave after wave of attacks. Finally, when the demons stopped coming and they could rest for a bit, Lin Jichen received a letter from Shi Yunzhou.
The letter contained only six words: Li Sheng, Deputy Envoy of the Demon Clan.
Anzhi saw the letter and asked, "Who sent this?"
“Shi Yunzhou,” Lin Jichen realized, “has he run into Li Sheng?” The fact that the Demon Clan’s deputy envoy has arrived in the capital is not good news.
Lin Jichen brought this news to Mu Jin.
Mu Jin read aloud the message from the letter: "Shi Yunzhou encountered the demon Li Sheng."
"How did he get here?" Cheng Yaojun asked.
Li Sheng is the deputy envoy of the Demon Clan. For many years, he has been obediently staying in the Boundless Realm behind the Ten Directions Barrier. He came to the human world as a junior officer six hundred years ago, and has not appeared since.
The leaders and elders of various factions within the Exorcism Bureau gathered together, and this news naturally reached everyone. No one could figure it out, and Han Wenqing was especially baffled as to what the demons were up to.
“I’ll go!” Cheng Yaojun said. “We have a mission today, so I’ll handle Li Sheng’s unplanned situation.”
"Be careful." Looking at Cheng Yaojun, he said, "The demons are cunning. We don't know what they're up to. Li Sheng, try your best to stall them."
The situation outside wasn't as dire as I'd imagined. Most of the demons who came to the capital were small, inhuman creatures. The few humanoid demons were held back by powerful disciples who had set up formations.
Cheng Yaojun also casually rescued disciples from other sects. "Has any of you seen Shi Yunzhou?"
Some disciples said they didn't recognize it, and others said they didn't know it.
Shi Yunzhou is truly pitiful. Logically speaking, he's a disciple of an elder from Tianyu Mountain, handsome and outstanding. If it weren't for that series of events before, he could have easily made a name for himself in the cultivation world just based on his looks. How did he end up in this situation, having to ask around and search everywhere for help?
He didn't know how long he had been searching, but he finally saw the man lying on the ground. He went over and turned him over, and saw that otherworldly face. He sighed.
Thankfully, I'm still alive; otherwise, I wouldn't have the face to see Shi Wanqing after I died.
There was indeed no trace of Li Sheng around. After sending the injured Shi Yunzhou to the Exorcism Division, Cheng Yaojun patrolled the outer perimeter of the Exorcism Division.
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