Chapter 245: Desire To Establish A Demon Kingdom
The bright moon hung high in the sky, draping the mountains and seas in silver gauze, illuminating the ages without fading. The night was thick, covering heaven and earth with a black curtain, hiding all evils in the darkness.
Clouds raced across the horizon like galloping horses.
Zuo Qiu Hong Ting wore a wooden mask, dressed in a green Daoist robe that accentuated her waist, exuding an extraordinary demeanor. She flashed to the top of the city tower on the inner city wall of the Southern City.
Behind her stretched the outer city’s central avenue, dozens of zhang wide, leading straight to the seaside of Bing Zu Ze Sea, from where one could gaze afar at the brightly lit Bright Moon Seven Stars Pavilion on the sea.
She faced the inner city, where towering Taoli Mountain rose straight into the nine heavens like a heavenly pillar, eternally seated at the edge of her vision.
Below the city tower, from the Attendant Hall in the inner city to Bing Zu Marsh in the outer city, the entire north-south Qiankun Grand Avenue echoed with deafening cries of battle, clashing magic energy lights, blood staining over ten li.
Every successor formed their own battle zone.
What a Lantern Festival, a night dyed red by blood.
The naked corpses hanging on the inner city gate had long been cut down from the ropes by Cang Li and Li Ling, falling to the ground.
On the plaza at the city gate, a copper cauldron over a zhang high still boiled with churning water, stewing flesh and blood into broth. The horrific scene in the cauldron was enough to make countless human martial cultivators retch.
“Swish!”
Luan Sheng Lin You appeared on the city wall, with a clear and coldly handsome face, eyes bright to an eerily demonic degree, silver-white long hair gently swaying. He said softly: “I originally thought you would lead the remnants of Zuo Qiu Gatehouse, Jiu Li Clan, and Zhu Men out of the city to preserve your lives, but unexpectedly, you still couldn’t let go. You’ve killed even more people!”
Zuo Qiu Hong Ting was unaffected by his words on her state of mind: “We are all duckweeds in chaotic times—where to flee? If we don’t fight today, tomorrow it will be our clan, our prefecture that dies.”
“Your injuries are severe, your combat power greatly diminished. This so-called fight is just seeking death.” Luan Sheng Lin You pointed out her weakened essence.
Zuo Qiu Hong Ting’s gaze was unwavering: “If I seek death, what price will you pay?”
Luan Sheng Lin You stopped a hundred zhang from the city tower, sitting on a battlement, gazing toward the distant sea and moon, saying nonchalantly: “Ten thousand flower lanterns have already been lit, like a starry sea in the water, brilliant and prosperous. In a moment, the immortal turtle will carry the Dragon Palace, the venue will open, and the Lantern Festival will truly arrive. Unfortunately, this festivity and joy belongs only to the Far West Ash Region and our allies.”
“Just like the soon-to-be Lingxiao Life Realm, which will establish a glorious and prosperous demon country, its territory far larger than the current Twenty-eight Prefectures. The Ash Region and the prefectures swallowed by the Nether Realm of the Dead a thousand years ago will all be included. At the founding ceremony, all allies will be rewarded by merit—demon race, ash spirits, departed spirits, humans… it will be a celebration under heaven!”
Zuo Qiu Hong Ting said: “Unfortunately, humans’ status in the demon country is too low, treated as livestock and food, casually cooked. There probably aren’t many human martial cultivators who would support establishing the demon country.”
“Awooo!”
A dragon’s roar resounded through the night.
Long Dian stepped on Azure Dragon Battle Intent, riding the mist to ascend the city wall.
His twelve wan jin heavy bronze war spear struck the rampart walkway’s ground heavily, over seven hundred scriptures flashing on the war spear.
The entire city wall shook violently.
“Young Esteemed One, Tang Wan Qiu was caught off guard by Yin Mountain’s demon race martial cultivators. Snow Sword Tang Court has been crushed by us. Qi Jin has taken people to pursue and kill; she will surely bring back all the longevity pill vouchers, dragon seed vouchers, and dragon bone tickets.”
Long Dian ranked among the Three Immortals, with the name of banished immortal, his features ruggedly handsome to the extreme, his golden armor accentuating his tall and sturdy figure. He added: “Zuo Qiu Hong’s remaining combat power is probably less than seventy percent. Leave her to me?”
“Very well! After tonight, the titles East Dragon West Pig South Tiger North Sword will surely need changing.” Luan Sheng Lin You said.
Long Dian appeared indifferent: “Top experts of Five Seas Realm change every few years; I’ve never cared for such titles. The Dao Seed Realm’s decades-long struggle gathers the top experts of the past ten generations of Five Seas Realm—this is the game of the mortal world’s strongest, truly reached the hall and entered the room. As for those longevity seekers no longer fighting in the mortal world, that’s another heaven and earth.”
“With dragon bone, dragon seed, and longevity pill, you and I will surely flatten the mortal world’s martial cultivator peaks within a few years.”
Luan Sheng Lin You’s gaze turned to the chaotic battlefield below the city wall. His figure flashed, turning into a graceful silver light arc, heading toward Bright Moon Seven Stars Pavilion to first clear out Ge Xian Tong and Zuo Qiu Hong’s contingencies.
A look of shock finally emerged in Zuo Qiu Hong Ting’s calm eyes. She stepped on flower rain of “peaches and plums fill the world,” floating and shadowing in pursuit.
“Zuo Qiu Hong, your opponent is me!”
Long Dian’s golden armor blazed like a fierce sun, his magic energy thick and domineering, speed surging explosively, colliding head-on with the flower rain in the sky dome, intercepting Zuo Qiu Hong Ting.
…
On the sea.
Bright Moon Seven Stars Pavilion was hung with bright lamps, figures in white clothes and carrying long swords standing on both sides of the stairs.
They were Five Seas Realm martial cultivators trained by Thousand Mile Mountain.
“Immortal Forest” and “Heaven Pavilion” were both industries under Thousand Mile Mountain.
Thousand Mile Mountain earned its name by recruiting only one-in-a-thousand talents.
They were businesspeople, unwilling to join the struggle under heaven, not wanting to offend anyone.
Helping Zuo Qiu Gatehouse hide hidden sect martial cultivators was because they thought Zuo Qiu Hong might be a hidden dragon, wanting to invest early. Now, it seemed Luan Sheng Lin You was more suitable for investment.
At the seaside just three li from Bright Moon Seven Stars Pavilion, Ge Xian Tong was trapped in a formation constructed from Ash Region, single-handedly facing five departed spirit experts from the Nether Realm of the Dead.
They all had beast heads, draped in blood robes, born with wisdom, heavenly prodigies of undead from a certain domain in the nether realm world.
At the edge of this Ash Region stood thousands of spirit tablets, ghostly shadows dense, controlled by Ming Nian Sheng.
The twenty-eight Calamity Fire Realm great mind masters presiding over the formation were drawn by Luan Sheng Lin You from various forces under him, a hard dish specially prepared for Ge Xian Tong. The lead array master was Eastern Territory First Rank third, Tan Tai Jing from Huai Yi Island.
One of Eastern Territory’s Three Islands Pirates, “Huai Yi Island,” had already submitted to Dragon Gate, incorporated under Luan Sheng Lin You.
The direct lineage forces originally belonging to Luan Sheng Lin You—experts from Western Territory’s Quan Rong and Que Rong whom he had high hopes for—had been nearly slaughtered by the Imperial Court and Zuo Qiu Gatehouse, forcing him to employ Eastern Yi people.
It was already the final moment; everyone’s trump cards and contingencies were fully revealed.
Many forces that had previously remained neutral or had no intent to join the struggle under heaven also joined in by aiding with reinforcements.
Because Luan Sheng Lin You’s victory seemed already a foregone signal.
The forces behind him were too vast, surely having plotted for a long time. With Du’e Temple’s support, the demon country’s establishment might truly be the general trend. Who wouldn’t want to offer a token of allegiance early?
…
On Taoli Mountain, the older generation strong practitioners of major powers realized something was gravely wrong as Luan Sheng Lin You’s trump cards and contingencies gradually revealed themselves.
Some rushed back to Northern Territory, some to Eastern Territory and Western Territory…
All felt that the demonic calamity sweeping under heaven might have erupted at the same time.
They now only hoped Du’e Temple would not side with the force behind Luan Sheng Lin You, so human cultivators of Lingxiao Life Realm would still have power to resist.
On the Third Heaven.
The clan elders of Zuo Qiu Gatehouse stared dumbfounded at Evergreen Temple, then at the insect swarm charging along the inner city wall, all utterly bewildered.
“How is Evergreen Temple connected to underground? What’s with that Eight Trigrams well? Your Daoist Sect lineage has hidden it deeply!”
“Evergreen Temple’s secret must have been told to him by Hong Ting.”
“Forget Evergreen Temple. The situation now is collapsing heavens. We only hope that kid surnamed Li can arrive in time to turn the tide. Seven marquis level larvae emerging and summoning the insect swarm is heaven’s fortune.”
Zuo Qiu Ling glared at Hidden Lord, transmitting with magic energy: “I dare say, even Hong Ting didn’t know Evergreen Temple’s secret. What exactly is that kid’s background?”
Hidden Lord was half glad, half worried.
The glad part was that in this moment of utmost danger, Li Weiyi’s cultivation advanced again, slaying two successor level experts in succession and drawing the insect swarm, surely reigniting hope on the despairing battlefield.
If Li Weiyi truly turned the tide tonight, it wouldn’t be something the Imperial Court and Lei Xiao Sect could touch just because they wanted. At least on the surface, they’d have to consider influence.
Given Lingxiao Life Realm’s current crisis, they likely lacked the energy anyway.
The worries were many!
Could the tide truly be turned?
As for Evergreen Temple’s secret…
Hidden Lord guessed it must relate to the leader’s wife, the Jiu Li Clan’s former ancestress.
Hidden Lord said: “A thousand years ago, Zuo Qiu Gatehouse Daoist Sect lineage’s transcendent ancestral master married into Jiu Li Clan. It’s normal that you didn’t know, but Jiu Li Clan did.”
…
Taoli Mountain’s Ninth Heaven, in the void above the solution character tablet.
Transcendents gathered, none resembling mortal world martial cultivators, like immortals and gods discoursing on the Great Dao.
Lingxiao Palace Second Palace Master’s imperial carriage was as vast as a palace hall, resplendent in gold and jade, like a heavenly palace, floating above the sea of clouds, scriptures like myriad stars surrounding it.
Her voice drifted out: “How wonderful. For ten years, everyone has fought heaven and earth upside down, completely forgetting dangers from outside. A single Hidden Dragon Lantern Festival woke the world’s rebels. Gentlemen, will your righteous army continue fighting? Continue the campaign?”
“Great Palace Mistress doesn’t issue a decree of self-blame, doesn’t cancel the small field edict—for the sake of the world’s common people, we must fight on, break through Lingxiao City, reach outside Lingxiao Palace, and ask her face-to-face if she knows her wrong.” A Northern Territory transcendent sat cross-legged in the sea of clouds, myriad scenes around him, forming his own small world.
The voice from the imperial carriage said: “What qualification do you have to campaign against Great Palace Mistress? The Twenty-eight Prefectures of Lingxiao rest on Great Palace Mistress’s shoulders, not yours. The words ‘world’s common people’ aren’t yours to say.”
“Great Palace Mistress’s harm, danger, terror surpass even the demon race. As long as she lives, everyone will forever live in fear. As long as she lives, more and more human forces will turn to the demon race. The righteous army will never abandon flattening Lingxiao City; no possibility of reconciliation.” Another transcendent’s voice rang in the void.
From the imperial carriage: “Stir it up, stir it up—you must stir until Lingxiao Life Realm becomes a demon country. Then, everyone dies together!”
A scholarly old man in a robe with refined features sat with Du’e Temple immortal master under an ancient peach tree as thick as a grinding mill.
His eyes sharpened slightly: “It seems Du’e Temple actually leans more toward the demon race? Hosting the Hidden Dragon Lantern Festival to draw the old guys to Qiu Prefecture City—doesn’t that make it easier for Far West Ash Region to succeed?”
Du’e Temple immortal master smiled bitterly: “I’m human, of course I hope Du’e Temple supports Zuo Qiu Gatehouse. But Du’e Temple’s rules outweigh any person’s will. Let me ask you: even without this Hidden Dragon Lantern Festival exercise, with Zuo Qiu Gatehouse seizing under heaven, would Far West Ash Region not act? Would Nether Realm of the Dead not exploit the weakness?”
“All variables of the Hidden Dragon Lantern Festival, all hidden forces—in the struggle under heaven, what should happen will still happen.”
“Now it’s just a preview; haven’t you also prepared in advance? So, very fair.”
“I see, Du’e Temple thinks choosing Far West Ash Region can quicker pacify Lingxiao Life Realm’s turmoil. Hmph!” The robed old man looked down at Qiu Prefecture City’s battle like viewing a battlefield sand table, sneering coldly: “What if we win instead?”
