Chapter 185: Summoning the Demon
On this modest altar, two streaks of blade light flashed—one horizontal, one vertical. The horizontal slash severed that Daoist's head, while the vertical cut sliced down from the face of another female Daoist, cleaving her at the waist.
That female Daoist was a cultivator at the Six Harmonies realm. Although she had never trained in combat techniques, a golden chain hung across her forehead. At the center of this chain was a gemstone that blazed with brilliant light, blocking Qin Mu's strike.
Qin Mu dragged his blade. The female Daoist's head bled profusely as her primal qi erupted. The horsetail whisk in her other hand unfurled like countless flower stamens, its thousands of strands shooting toward Qin Mu.
The moment her attack began, countless blade lights engulfed her.
Night Battle Across Fortress City.
Qin Mu's footsteps crossed as he dodged the thrusting whisk and circled behind the female Daoist's corpse. Her body still stood, and behind her was another Daoist.
That Daoist had already recovered his wits. Talisman papers flew from the pouch at his waist, but at that moment, Qin Mu abandoned his twin blades. Pointing with his finger, his primal qi transformed into a sharp sword light that pierced through the Daoist's brow.
Behind Qin Mu, a dragon and elephant soared. Monk Yun Que, entwined with the dragon and riding the elephant, charged toward another female Daoist. With a thunderous crash, he slammed her against the demon god statue.
The female Daoist spat blood as her primal qi erupted, sending him flying. Just as she was about to deliver a killing blow, a sword light flashed and grazed her throat, producing a crisp clang.
This female Daoist's primal qi was incredibly dense, actually blocking the sword with raw energy. But the next moment, Shen Wanyun appeared beside her, grabbed the sword hilt, and poured all her strength into pressing the blade against the demon god statue. She pulled hard, and blood burst forth.
Wolf Slave's form flickered as he leaped to the statue's head. His two demon blades struck mysteriously downward, while Yue Qinghong stood on his shoulder. Swords flew from the sword case on her back, forming a drilling sword technique aimed at a Daoist below!
That Daoist grabbed a white banner planted at the altar's edge. The banner trembled as runes on it lit up like red serpents slithering out, blocking the two demon blades. However, Yue Qinghong's drilling sword technique tore through the banner's surface and pierced his brow.
Meanwhile, on the other side, Si Yunxiang moved like a ghost, striking repeatedly with a strange hand seal. She shattered the bones of another female Daoist, killing her outright.
Shen Wanyun's heart jumped: "Junior Sister Si is hiding her true strength. Her cultivation is formidable!"
He lunged at another Daoist, who suddenly leaped off the altar and sprinted away, while talisman papers flew in a flurry toward the altar behind him.
Shen Wanyun gave chase, but the talisman papers exploded one after another, blasting him away.
On the other side, Yun Que also blocked the Daoist's path, using the Great Five Terraces Seal to obstruct his escape.
The Daoist sneered, spreading his five fingers. Thunder erupted from his palm, blasting Yun Que into a daze.
Relieved, the Daoist shouted harshly, "A bunch of juniors who haven't even reached the Six Harmonies realm, and yet—"
Before he could finish, a chill struck his back. He looked down to see a sword protruding from his chest. He hadn't even sensed the person behind him approaching.
Qin Mu withdrew his sword. The Daoist's voice rasped, "Excellent footwork!" He collapsed to the ground, dead.
Qin Mu sheathed his sword. On the altar, Yue Qinghong, Wolf Slave, and Si Yunxiang were about to kill the other Daoists, but after circling around, they saw bodies lying haphazardly around the demon god statue.
Some Daoists hadn't fallen but were pinned to the statue. Others hung from the white banners. Some were smashed into pulp by fists, and others had their heads crushed by hammers—each death different.
The three were deeply shaken. Si Yunxiang's expression turned grave as she carefully examined each corpse. They had all fallen to Qin Mu's deadly hand in an instant, their divine abilities never given a chance to manifest.
"Mostly killed in one move, rarely two," she thought, looking up at Qin Mu.
Thirteen cultivators—though their close-combat abilities were weak, cultivators were still cultivators. Everyone said that if a combat technique expert got close, a spell technique expert was doomed, but that was just talk.
With a realm gap, a combat technique expert might not even break through the opponent's defensive divine abilities.
Although they had caught the enemy off guard, Qin Mu's combat power was too strong, his speed too fast.
Qin Mu shook the Shaobao Sword, flicking off the blood, and sheathed it. "Clean the battlefield. Destroy the demon god statue immediately!"
As he spoke, a thunderous roar came from not far away. Blood light burst from within the black mist, dyeing it crimson.
The blood light soared hundreds of feet high, clearly visible even from the mountain hollow.
Terrifying forces from another world surged, slamming into the source of the blood light.
Then rolling thunder followed, and lightning crackled around the blood light—lightning squeezed out of space by the overwhelming power. If the force was too strong, the vibrations would compress space, causing instability.
When space became unstable, the lightning hidden within it would erupt.
The group stared in shock. At the convergence of blood and lightning, a colossal figure slowly rose. It was a demon god statue with horns on its head and four arms and four legs. Though just a sculpture, it now radiated overwhelming aura like a demon descending into the world!
This descending demon god was even taller than the Deer Mountain they stood on. Thick smoke rolled around it, carrying fire and lightning, while blood light surged above its head.
"There's another group of Hongshan Sect cultivators summoning a demon..."
Qin Mu's hands and feet went cold. The other group of Hongshan Sect cultivators had succeeded in their ritual, summoning the demon.
The majestic demon god's gaze was like woven lightning. Wherever its eyes passed, trees, rocks, and everything else sizzled and turned to ash.
Qin Mu exhaled a turbid breath and said quietly, "Strip their clothes!"
Everyone was momentarily stunned. Monk Yun Que muttered, "We have to take off clothes again..."
Si Yunxiang understood immediately and began stripping the corpses. The others also grasped Qin Mu's intent and quickly removed the clothes from the Hongshan Sect cultivators.
Qin Mu donned the garments of a Hongshan Sect disciple and said softly, "Pull up those white banners too. Collect the talisman treasures for backup."
Shen Wanyun and the others stepped forward, pulled up the banners, and gathered the talisman treasures. As they dressed, they saw the demon god roar at the river, causing massive waves on the Yong River.
Their faces paled. Dragon Qilin hurried over, and Qin Mu said rapidly, "We need to retreat from here immediately. This place is no longer fit for Five Luminaries realm scholars like us. Do any of you still have items identifying you as Imperial Academy scholars? Hand them all to me."
Yun Que took out his waist token and book token, muttering, "Are we really going to die in the Southern Frontier?"
Qin Mu collected everyone's tokens and put them in his glutton bag. "We're just taking a detour through the Southern Frontier to bypass this battlefield. Once we cross the river to the north bank, we'll be safe."
He exhaled another turbid breath and was about to order the retreat when he caught sight of the unfinished demon god statue. His heart stirred, and he hoisted the statue onto Dragon Qilin's back, tying it down.
"Let's go. South."
With heavy hearts, the group followed him along the mountain's southern slope.
After walking about ten miles, they finally emerged from the black mist. They continued another ten-plus miles, and Qin Mu looked back. The black mist was like an enormous black cauldron overturned near the Yong River, trapping both banks. Lightning flashed and thunder rolled within the mist, with faint glimmers of Dao techniques and divine abilities clashing.
A massive gate stood within the black mist, a portal connecting life and death, yin and yang.
"Li Prefecture... I wonder how many will survive," Qin Mu thought.
Not long after, Qin Mu suddenly stopped. "An army is approaching."
Yun Que's heart leaped with joy. "An army? The Yan Kang army?"
Qin Mu shook his head, pointing ahead. "The rebel army."
They looked forward and saw dozens of tower ships sailing toward them, banners fluttering. Around the ships, all kinds of strange beasts flew through the air—countless and varied.
Below the aerial army, rows of soldiers composed of martial artists and cultivators marched. Among them were giant beasts laden with massive round boulders, standing dozens of feet tall like moving hills. Their steps made the earth tremble.
Qin Mu and the others stood aside, letting this army heading for the Yong River battlefield pass. On one of the tower ships stood a general, his gaze sweeping like lightning. It glanced over Qin Mu and the others before he asked the officer beside him, "Who are those people?"
The officer scanned Qin Mu's group a few times and said, "They look like Hongshan Sect disciples. I'll go down and ask."
The officer leaped from the tower ship. With each step, golden lotuses bloomed beneath his feet. He walked through the air step by step until he stood before Qin Mu and the others, making their hearts pound.
This was a Seven Luminaries realm grandmaster. Walking on empty air, he could kill them effortlessly with no trouble at all!
The officer glanced at the demon god statue on Dragon Qilin's back and said coldly, "Hongshan Sect disciples fleeing from battle—what punishment do you deserve?"
Qin Mu bowed, neither humble nor arrogant. "Our Hongshan Sect has done our utmost. We have already summoned a demon god to aid the battle. We deserve no punishment, but merit instead."
The officer snorted. "But fleeing the battlefield is a capital offense—execution on the spot!"
Qin Mu's face filled with grief and indignation as he argued, "We were ambushed by Li Prefecture. Of thirteen brothers and sisters, seven died in battle, leaving only six of us! Where were you when we were fighting for our lives? Our Hongshan Sect has been wiped out—only we remain. Do you want us all to die there? General, leave some roots for the Hongshan Sect!"
The officer hesitated and looked up.
On the tower ship above, the general said solemnly, "The Hongshan Sect's numbers are already very few. There's no need to pursue this too harshly. Summoning a demon god to aid the battle is a great merit. Have them demonstrate a spell to verify their identity, then let them go."
Shen Wanyun, Yun Que, and the others broke out in cold sweat. None of them had ever practiced Hongshan Sect spells.
Qin Mu activated a talisman treasure. The general's voice came again: "Not a talisman treasure—a spell."
Qin Mu channeled his primal qi, forming a rune that shone on the demon god statue. One of the runes on the statue lit up.
The officer bowed and said, "General Xiaoyi, it is indeed the Hongshan Sect's Ghost-Summoning and Deity-Commanding Rune Command."
General Xiaoyi on the tower ship waved his hand. "Let them go. The army advances—conquer Li Prefecture... Wait!"
General Xiaoyi's gaze fell on Qin Mu and the others again, a smile curling at the corner of his mouth. "Send them to Tianbo City. Let them summon another demon god there."
—First update. Today's second update will be at 6 PM, and the third at 8 PM!