Chapter Forty-Three: The Tall One Has Arrived

Blocked at the front by the corpse child of the Jade Bodhisattva, and pursued from behind by that hideous half-human, half-beast monster, Qi Xiu found himself surrounded by more than a dozen fiend ghosts. In an instant, he was trapped in a deadly siege. An unprecedented aura of danger surged like crashing waves, each crest higher than the last, bearing down upon him.

It seemed today would truly be a battle for his life.

The bundle on his shoulder slipped and fell to the ground. Qi Xiu unleashed the full force of his Pure Yang Red Sand Palm. His eyes blazed, and crimson-black cracks faintly appeared across his upper body. He braced his feet, grinding against the sand and stone. Fixing his gaze on the Jade Bodhisattva atop the city tower, he was just about to make his move.

Suddenly—a sharp whistle split the air.

An arrow, inscribed with intricate talismanic runes, soared from outside the city and struck a fiend ghost mid-flight. The ghost let out a miserable scream, its body rapidly swelling before exploding like a firework with a thunderous boom.

Reinforcements?

Qi Xiu watched in astonishment as the fiend ghost was obliterated by a single arrow.

A deep, oppressive horn shattered the silence of the night.

Beyond Baohe County, an army of over a thousand soldiers approached the city gates. The armored men were stout and powerful, led by a vanguard bearing a massive battle standard. He was broad-shouldered and thick-waisted, resembling a towering mountain astride a robust warhorse whose hooves danced upon snow.

Flags whipped in the wind, emblazoned with the character "Gao," glowing even in the midnight darkness.

"Commander, ahead lies Baohe County. It appears the demon calamity has already broken out," an aide riding with saber at his side reported quietly to a man with a square face, clad in silver armor, his sword-like brows stern.

"These wicked cultists and rebel demons fear Zhu Shanhe like a tiger, yet think our Dianchuan province is a soft fruit to be squeezed at will. Mere minor demons dare to wreak havoc upon a city. Convey my orders: breach the city. Any who have dealings with demons or evil spirits—kill!"

The silver-armored commander raised his hand, and with his command, over a hundred soldiers responded with a resounding cry.

"Kill!"

The horn blared, accompanied by thunderous shouts that seemed to drape the world in blood.

The vanguard spurred his horse forward.

Boom—

The horse’s hooves struck the ground with crushing force. In a single instant, the solid city gate was smashed to pieces, splinters raining down like a storm of wood.

"Commander’s orders! Any who have dealings with demons or evil spirits—kill without mercy!"

The vanguard, bearing the great standard, thundered like a muffled storm.

Qi Xiu, who had slipped into a side alley as the gate exploded, stood in the shadows, his eyes flickering as he watched the vanguard burst through, the fiery red standard in his hand.

Gao?

Gao Tianxiong, the Dianchuan Provincial Governor!

Had this governor finally realized his own house had fallen into chaos? Seeing the imperial army, Qi Xiu felt a wave of relief and glanced at the city tower. The Jade Bodhisattva who had been there moments before had vanished without a trace. On the distant city wall, three tall corpse children were carrying the Jade Bodhisattva, fleeing at breakneck speed, disappearing in the blink of an eye.

Tch, they ran fast.

Qi Xiu scoffed. He had not expected the Jade Bodhisattva to be so prudent, turning tail and fleeing as soon as the army breached the city. This left him, who had planned to report the demon artifact, with nothing to say.

There shouldn’t be anything left for me to do now.

Hidden in the shadows, Qi Xiu tore off his hundred-faced mask, reverting to his delicate, scholarly appearance. He watched as the soldiers poured into the city, swiftly slaughtering fiend ghosts and the hideous monster. Qi Xiu rubbed his nose, quietly stepped back, and turned to leave.

As the saying goes: when the sky falls, let the tall ones bear it.

And now, the tall one had arrived.

...

Firelight flickered through smoky, oppressive streets as hundreds of soldiers charged into the city. They moved with agile, comet-like strides, leaping onto rooftops and walls several meters high in just three steps. Each was evidently of the Forging Force realm, weapons and arrows engraved with mysterious runes.

Any fiend ghost struck was instantly suppressed by the talisman, crumbling to ash.

After exterminating the fiend ghosts gathered at the gate, the soldiers dispersed throughout the city. Teams of three, each carrying a bell-like magical device. Whenever demonic or evil spirits were near, the bell would ring.

In moments, hidden demon shrines and cultists were rooted out and destroyed.

The vanguard, bearing the great standard, faced Guo Youfang, who had transformed into the hideous monster. Charging on horseback, his gaze was sharp, the battle standard whirling like a spear cleaving a river.

The horse’s hooves thundered, confronting the roaring monster. The vanguard pressed his tongue to his teeth and shouted, his arm bursting with ferocious strength, unleashing waves of pale energy.

Boom—

The battle standard flew like a raging dragon from the depths, friction with the air producing scorching heat, the character "Gao" erupting with radiance.

"Annihilate!"

In that moment, as if a whisper echoed from the void, the standard transformed into a lance of light, piercing Guo Youfang's body and pinning him to the ground. Dazzling light blazed like fire, and in an instant, the monster was burned into a puddle of black water.

The vanguard dismounted, pulled the standard free, and shook his arm, scattering the stains from the lance.

The slaughter continued until dawn.

The fires died down, and lingering smoke dimmed the sky.

Within the city, ruins and charred corpses lay everywhere. The streets were filled with ashen-faced, dazed survivors. Throughout the night, over a hundred demon shrines were destroyed, and hundreds of cultists were beheaded. Their heads were hung along the city wall, stretching for dozens of meters.

At the Baohe County administrative office, an official boot crushed the head of a ruined fox demon statue. Surveying the county office, now a demon’s den, Yuan Baiyi’s gaze swept the scene, feeling a sense of irony.

A county office, turned into a demon’s nest.

The magistrate, once the parent official, now the chief devotee of demons.

Pathetic.

Ridiculous!

"Commander! All teams have returned. Last night, one hundred and twenty-five demon shrines were destroyed. Four hundred and nineteen demon cultists executed. Another two hundred and twenty-one, who cohabited or were suspected of contamination, are still being interrogated," the aide reported solemnly to Yuan Baiyi in the rear courtyard.

"No need for interrogation. Those who knew and did not report are equally guilty. Execute them," Yuan Baiyi replied calmly, waving his hand.

"In chaotic times, harsh laws are necessary. The rapid spread of demon calamity in this county is surely due to longstanding moral decay. Kill more, and it will deter those who harbor false hopes."

"Yes!" The aide answered and strode away.

Yuan Baiyi climbed the filthy, bizarre altar in the courtyard, gazing coldly at the distant mountains. Raising his hand to point, his lips moved silently.

"Don’t worry, you’re next."

...

"This should keep them from finding it," Qi Xiu muttered in the kitchen as he looked at the three-meter pit he had dug. He wrapped the hundred-faced mask and the Autumn Sand Bamboo Staff in oilcloth, affixed two layers of [Suppress] talismans, and tossed them into the pit, burying them with earth.

He jumped twice atop the pit, breathed a sigh of relief, and wiped the dirt from his face.

Six or seven hundred people, beheaded without hesitation.

In a feudal society, life truly is the cheapest commodity.

The army entered the city, and the demon scourge was wiped out in one night. Baohe County returned to peace, but Qi Xiu grew wary. These soldiers were ruthless and uncompromising. Anyone with the slightest connection to demons—cohabitants, even those unaware—were all executed.

He held two demon artifacts. If discovered, these soldiers would surely not listen to his explanations. So he had no choice but to bury the artifacts, hoping to avoid calamity.

"I’d better pack up and leave. Staying in Baohe County feels like courting disaster."

He rubbed his brow, gazing regretfully at the filled-in pit beneath his feet. He could only retrieve the artifacts later, if the opportunity arose.

...