Volume 1: The Divine Kingdom of Long Night Chapter 54: Manifesting Holiness Before Mortals (Part 2)

Xie Wuxing wore a solemn expression.

The demon Yingyu was indeed an anomaly; it was not exceptionally powerful, but rather utterly brainless, and naturally feared nothing.

The man surnamed Xiao asked indifferently, "What is your purpose?"

The great demon Wuhou turned its eyes to look at him, answering irrelevantly, "You are somewhat strange."

"I can sense a trace of threat from you, yet on the surface, you appear to be merely an ordinary mortal. Ancient cultivators certainly knew how to conceal themselves, but in the present era, unless one's realm is sufficiently high, it is exceedingly difficult to achieve."

Hearing this, Xie Wuxing wondered if it was truly as the old steward of the marquis's estate had claimed—that Liu Pian and the man surnamed Xiao had merely stumbled upon ancient methods by sheer coincidence?

If that were the case, although Liu Pian still deserved to be called naturally gifted, he was not all that important.

Both in the Divine Capital and among major sects, there were some lingering ancient techniques, but they had virtually no practical use and were kept purely for collection.

Even if they possessed some bizarre methods, they were hardly enough to drive the cultivators of this world mad, unless Liu Pian held in his hands a powerful technique that had long been lost.

Wuhou’s pale eyes, patterned with gray markings, stared fixedly at the man surnamed Xiao and continued, "I am basically aware of all the major figures in the Sui Empire who are capable of such a feat. Therefore, even though you are very strong, you should not pose too great a threat to me."

The man surnamed Xiao gently stroked the sword in his hand, its blue tassel swaying in the wind. "The demons of Longchan are even more numerous than those in Kutan, yet great demons are practically never seen."

"Because Mantang Mountain is located right in Longchan. Whenever a great demon appears, it is inevitably slain by Mantang Mountain within a short time. As for the remaining lesser demons, they either become sparring partners for Mantang Mountain's initiates or provide Longchan cultivators with an opportunity to subdue demons and vanquish devils."

Looking at the great demon Wuhou, the man surnamed Xiao said indifferently, "You are indeed the first demon with such profound cultivation that I have encountered. The sword in my hand is urging me; it desperately wants to drink your blood."

Xie Wuxing looked at the man surnamed Xiao in astonishment.

Putting aside the length of his speech, in the face of a monster like Wuhou, he was actually able to utter such words with such absolute calm.

Clearly, he wasn't just talking big.

The moment his voice fell, the sword in the man surnamed Xiao's hand leapt out of its scabbard.

Without the slightest pause, it slashed directly down upon Wuhou’s head.

A vibrating resonance of the sword spread outward in all directions.

The lesser cultivators cowering before the city, the martial artists with faces flushed crimson from holding their breath, and the peak-realm Dongming cultivators standing panic-stricken atop the city wall all stared at the scene with incredulous eyes.

Crimson blood trickled down from Wuhou’s head. It blinked its eyes slightly, gazed at the man surnamed Xiao before it, and muttered, "It really does hurt a bit."

"So it only hurts a bit." The man surnamed Xiao felt a quiet sense of regret, then said, "Then take another sword from me."

How could Wuhou simply stand there and take a beating?

Of the four tails lashing behind it, one whipped directly toward the man surnamed Xiao, carrying the concussive roar of split air like the explosion of rolling thunder.

Xie Wuxing, standing right beside the man surnamed Xiao, swung his sword at once, but his blade failed to harm that tail in the slightest, and he was sent flying by the sheer impact.

As for the man surnamed Xiao, he merely reached out and firmly grabbed hold of that tail.

Crashing to the ground, Xie Wuxing shouted at the top of his lungs, "The toughest part of Wuhou's body is its tail! It's extremely hard to sever—don't entangle with it, avoid it if you can!"

With one hand grasping the tail and the other wielding his sword, the man surnamed Xiao made a crisp snapping sound, followed by a splatter of blood, and the tail was severed straight into two halves.

Xie Wuxing: (O_O)?

The man surnamed Xiao looked down at him and asked, "What did you just say?"

Xie Wuxing: "...Nothing."

The peak-realm Dongming cultivators atop the city wall were struck dumb with astonishment.

Though few among them recognized the great demon Wuhou, there was no doubt it was a Zhaoxue-realm great demon. Who on earth was that man? How could he sever Wuhou's tail so effortlessly?!

The shock in their hearts was beyond measure.

Could he too be a great figure of the Zhaoxue realm?!

Having only ever heard the legends of sword immortals without ever truly laying eyes on a great cultivator of the Zhaoxue realm in their lives, they, who had struggled through the trials of the cultivation path, firmly believed the man surnamed Xiao must be a supreme expert who had returned to simplicity, and instantly bowed down in deep worship.

In their vision, a halo seemed to hover above the head of the man surnamed Xiao, shining with brilliant light.

It was far too dazzling!

...

Inside the City God Temple.

The faint candlelight flickered upon the table.

Ning Tianzhi and Rong Yulu knelt in meditation upon the straw cushions.

No matter what methods they tried, they failed to make the City God manifest.

Ning Tianzhi, who had been skeptical from the very start, sighed softly, "Perhaps there are no immortals in this world at all; those rumors are merely stories fabricated by our predecessors."

Rong Yulu retorted, "What kind of talk is that in front of the City God Immortal? Besides, there are immortals right in the Divine Capital. While certain rumors are indeed false, others are based on fact. I believe Lord City God will surely step forward; perhaps his venerable self is simply asleep right now."

Ning Tianzhi wanted to say more but held his tongue.

If there truly were immortals in the Divine Capital, they would naturally be aware of the situation in Huncheng. Because great demons were running rampant across the Sui Empire, perhaps the powerful figures lacked the time to rescue Huncheng, but for an immortal, wouldn't descending take mere moments?

He harbored no hope left.

At that exact moment, the City God Temple suddenly began to tremble.

Rong Yulu cried out in alarm, "Lord City God is manifesting!"

Ning Tianzhi bolted straight out of the hall, shouting, "Manifesting what? That great demon is going crazy!"

Having had his tail directly severed by the man surnamed Xiao, Wuhou was flying into a rage. When had it ever suffered such severe injuries? Its heart was filled with a mixture of terror and fury.

Xie Wuxing turned his head and shouted, "Lower-realm cultivators and martial artists, fall back quickly!"

The two cultivators in green and white robes were trembling with fright, yet unwilling to lose face before Mr. Jiang, they joined the Black Flame Army in intercepting the scattered Yingyu demons trying to attack the city from all directions.

Some martial artists and cultivators indeed retreated back into the city, while others, like the green-robed cultivators, though unable to contend with a great demon, still possessed the skills to deal with the Yingyu.

Xie Wuxing lunged forward with his sword, but the blade was caught by one of Wuhou’s tails. Wuhou ignored him entirely, glaring fiercely at the man surnamed Xiao.

"My perception was right after all. Although very few people besides that sword-wielder ever descend from Mantang Mountain to walk the world, since you are from Longchan, it figures that only Mantang Mountain could produce someone of your caliber. But even if you are a true successor of Mantang Mountain, I will make you pay a hundredfold for the pain of my severed tail!"

The man surnamed Xiao said calmly, "If this is all the capability so-called great demons possess, then you truly disappoint me."

Wuhou’s pale eyes narrowed slightly. It opened its mouth and spewed a billow of white mist, which surged forward with thunderous momentum to smash into the man surnamed Xiao.

With a single chime of a sword, the white mist was cleaved directly apart.

The man surnamed Xiao swung his sword to strike Wuhou on the head, followed immediately by a whip-kick that shattered one of Wuhou’s fangs. With a loud shout, sword qi surged straight into the clouds, then cascaded down like a reversed Milky Way, forming a dazzling rainbow that poured over Wuhou’s body amid a continuous sequence of dull, heavy thuds.

Wuhou’s massive body was actually battered down onto its knees, and in an instant, it was covered in bloody lacerations.

Xie Wuxing swallowed hard in secret. He felt he had still underestimated the man surnamed Xiao; if it weren't so utterly exaggerated, he would have openly asked if the man surnamed Xiao was an immortal himself!

As for the immortal-seekers, they too deeply doubted whether the man surnamed Xiao was an immortal, because the great demon Wuhou had possessed no power to resist before him. This was not merely an exaggeration—it was sheer absurdity.

Wuhou was likewise gripped by terror.

Having merely endured a few simple moves, its injuries were terrifyingly severe!

Who on earth was this man?!

Jiang Wang had just arrived before the city.

Staying within the divine realm, the Night Wandering Deity remarked with emotion, "He beat you to acting cool."

With a placid expression, Jiang Wang pushed aside the immortal-seekers blocking his path.

"What are you shoving for?"

"To witness a great figure slay a demon here with one's own eyes is truly the fortune of three lifetimes. Even if he isn't an immortal, he's likely someone on par with the Sword God of Kutan. Even if we find no immortals in Huncheng, witnessing a sight like this means our trip was not in vain!"

"What's wrong with you, young man? Shove forward again and I'll beat you up! Look at how frail you look—is this a place for you? Have you got a death wish?!"

The immortal-seekers standing atop the city wall were filled with awe toward the man surnamed Xiao, while glaring sideways at Jiang Wang. They were fighting to protect the people of Huncheng, and were annoyed both that an ordinary mortal like Jiang Wang had wandered into such a dangerous place and that he was blocking their view of the battle.

Chai Bi noticed Jiang Wang and hurriedly smoothed things over, walking directly toward him.

"Mr. Jiang, this is truly a blessing amidst misfortune. I never expected there to be such a mighty expert in Huncheng; it seems Huncheng's crisis can be resolved."

Jiang Wang said, "Don't be too optimistic. The true masterminds behind the scenes have yet to show themselves. The one before us is merely a vanguard leader."

Chai Bi said in panic, "A Zhaoxue-realm great demon is only a vanguard?! Do you have any basis for this, Mr. Jiang? If that's truly the case, how could we possibly hold them off!"

Though he guessed Jiang Wang's cultivation was high, watching the man surnamed Xiao casually thrash Wuhou made him think that no matter how impressive Jiang Wang was, he could only be on that level.

Even though the news of the demon raid on the city had come from Jiang Wang's lips, proving the matter was real, this latest claim made it very difficult for Chai Bi to believe.

If not for the man surnamed Xiao, Wuhou alone would have wiped out their entire army. If even stronger demons appeared, Chai Bi would have no choice but to turn tail and run.

"Utter nonsense!" An immortal-seekers cast a cold glance at Jiang Wang. "Zhaoxue-realm great demons are exceedingly rare even in Kutan. What kind of existence would a demon have to be for such a creature to swear allegiance to it?"

"Besides, whenever great demons frequently appear in the Sui Empire, they are intercepted by the great figures of each realm. How could one slip into Huncheng without a sound? The appearance of a single Zhaoxue-realm great demon is already a massive anomaly."

They were not brainless; they could easily guess why demons would attack Huncheng, and the high-level cultivators were even more aware of the reasons, naturally preventing any rampaging great demons from escaping.

No matter how profound a demon's cultivation was, once it ventured out, it was extremely difficult to conceal itself. How tremendously difficult would it be to slip past the sight of the great figures and reach Huncheng?

For a single Zhaoxue-realm great demon to slip through could be excused as an oversight, but if an even stronger demon appeared, wouldn't the great figures of the Sui Empire become a laughingstock?

Though Jiang Wang also felt the probability was low, he trusted the Night Wandering Deity's judgment more.

"Your sole task is to protect Huncheng. Stay if you wish to watch the battle."

Jiang Wang stepped onto the wall's edge, fell silent for a brief moment, and then looked back at Chai Bi. "Give me a hand."

Chai Bi wore a look of utter bewilderment.

By the time he helped Jiang Wang down to the base of the wall and hurried back up to the ramparts, he still hadn't recovered his senses.