Chapter 68 Playing Along

A roaring river of horses, whether man or beast, was utterly paralyzed and stunned by this sudden catastrophe!

After a moment of silence, the mudflat boiled. Everyone forgot about the fierce battle before their eyes, scrambling and fleeing in all directions like startled pigs and panicked wolves. But the floodwaters were immense and swift, and in just a moment, they rushed upon the shallows.

A colossal wave, weighing millions upon millions of catties, descended from the skies with terrifying might. Even the golden turtles hurriedly plunged into the depths. How could those lesser demons and humans withstand such force? Under the tremendous impact, countless individuals were instantly crushed or stunned, drifting helplessly to the bottom of the water where they suffocated to death.

However, many among the demon race still used their demonic arts to either dive beneath the surface or summon protective shells to shield themselves. Some quick-witted soldiers also plunged into the water in a bid to escape, but alas, the mudflat was merely waist-deep—how could such shallow water offer any protection?

Exceptions are always few!

Just as the giant wave was about to crash down, two figures suddenly soared from the mudflat, shooting straight up. They were Ji Yu and a centurion of his personal guards. Treading upon floating reeds, they instantly rose into the sky, while pre-prepared Qi practitioners flew swiftly to their sides, supporting Ji Yu and carrying him straight upward.

The two of them had clearly prepared in advance!

This monstrous deluge was originally Zhu Ganglie's strategy: damming the upper reaches to store water, and then, at the height of the battle and upon the signal, breaching the embankment to unleash this wrath of heaven and earth. This was the most powerful force in the world. As long as one could not ascend to the heavens, neither man nor demon could resist it. At the cost of burying tens of thousands of human soldiers, it would send more than one hundred thousand demon troops into a watery grave, lifting the crisis facing the Great Zhou and the human race!

Yet, while this feat was immense, the crime of such slaughter was equally monstrous!

The hesitation Ji Yu felt just a moment ago was precisely because of this...

While Ji Yu soared into midair with the aid of the Qi practitioners, the centurion of the personal guard was not so fortunate. How could reeds compare to the speed of the surging river? Terrified, he wailed and cried out for help. Some Qi practitioners wanted to turn back to rescue him, but the torrent was too swift—it was already too late!

Amidst the centurion's prolonged shrieks, the giant wave lunged fiercely, smashing him violently into the water, never to appear again...

The Way of Heaven is a recurring cycle; whom has the heavens ever spared?

Perhaps before his death, he regretted trying to stop Ji Yu from ordering a retreat; perhaps before his death, he also regretted not taking flight sooner. But none of this mattered anymore; everything had been swallowed by the roaring river, sinking into eternal silence!

Human beings are always like this: regret always arrives too late, while cleverness comes far too early.

The sudden appearance of the immense floodwaters obliterated the mudflats and destroyed all human defenses along the riverbanks. Yet, as Ji Yu hovered in midair, what met his eyes was the demon army on the opposite bank, still densely packed, tangled, and disorderly. At the very front of the entire demon host, a small group of demon officers sat calmly atop giant boulders, gazing up into the distance.

The four-eyed demon at the vanguard wore a half-smile on his face. Suddenly, he reached out toward Ji Yu and raised a single finger!

His index finger!

The four-eyed demon hooked his index finger at Ji Yu, and then pointed toward the surface of the river...

An indescribable sensation welled up in Ji Yu's heart. He abruptly turned his head back in midair, only to see the river currents rushing furiously, carrying corpses and bloodstains downstream. The water level was gradually receding, and the bodies of humans and demons drifted up and down in the water, motionless, flowing away with the current...

Suddenly, a head broke the surface of the water!

Looking closely, it was an aquatic demon. Having already revealed its true demonic form, it swam through the roiling waters like a dragon, making swiftly for the eastern shore...

Then came another, and another, and yet another...

The water surface bubbled continuously as aquatic demons emerged one after another: prawn soldiers and crab generals, turtle footmen and fish squads. Turtles wielded swords, toads brandished spears, snakes swam the shallows, and snails blew war horns. In all their myriad forms, they emerged from the water one by one and rapidly swam across.

These were none other than the reinforcements of over seven thousand three hundred lesser demons—every single one of them of the aquatic tribe!

Only then did Ji Yu understand what had caused that thick fog moments ago. It was for no other reason than to trick him into believing the demon army had launched a full-scale assault, luring him into breaching the dam and releasing the flood.

Ji Yu felt a wave of sweet, fishy warmth rise in his throat. His gullet roturned, and with a loud "wa," he spewed a mouthful of blood across the sky, plunging straight down from the void...

Two Qi practitioners immediately rushed forward to catch him, then rapidly retreated toward the east.

A wave of cheers erupted from the demon host. As the golden turtles floated back to the surface, the demon army began crossing the Cang River in swarms, pouring into the heartland of the human territory. Faced with Ji Yu fleeing like a stray dog in the distance, though the demons knew he was the commander-in-chief of the army, none pursued him, nor did anyone spare him a second glance.

For they knew that after this battle, though this man was still alive, he was as good as dead.

On this day, the human race fought fiercely against the demon race at the Cang River, losing over one hundred thousand lives while tens of thousands of demons were buried alongside them. Yet the entire Cang River line was broken. The strategy Ji Yu had wrung his brains to devise was shattered like rotting wood before the General of a Hundred Eyes. From then on, the final line of defense in the western territory of the human race was declared lost, and the entire western territory, including the region of Qinting, fell completely into the hands of the demon race.

Standing at last before Ji Yu's command tent, the General of a Hundred Eyes gazed across the vast wilderness, brimming with self-satisfaction. A thunderstorm was approaching; the sky was pitch-black like ink, and the boundless, surging river had washed away all traces of battle. No bloodstains or corpses remained on the river; the earth was wild and boundless, and in the distance, the landscape was as picturesque and alluring as a painted beauty.

He suddenly burst into loud laughter, his voice like thunder!

In the eyes of the many demons, he saw a worship and awe unlike anything before.

Every demon understood what the significance of this battle represented. Ever since the War of the Investiture of the Gods, this was the first time the demon race had breached the human defense line at the Cang River. The myth of human invincibility ended here, and the confidence and morale of the entire demon race soared, greatly inspiring their spirits.

This battle re-established the unbreakable resolve of the demon race. Many lesser demons, such as those under Moyun who had once favored the human race, now returned to the embrace of the demon clan. Countless demon clans emerged from deep mountains and secret realms, pledging allegiance to the command of the Great Golden-Winged Peng, being reorganized into troops and marching majestically toward the Southern Jambudvipa.

This battle also struck awe into the hearts of the Buddhist kingdoms affiliated with Lingstai in the far west of Xiniu Hezhou, causing them to turn pale at the mere mention of the vast majority of Xiniu Hezhou now occupied by the demons!

And after this battle as well, demon uprisings began to erupt across all parts of Southern Jambudvipa, howling through cities—especially when the blood moon arrived. Apart from the cities where conditions were slightly better, the wilderness echoed with the cries of demons. Demon armies marched majestically in all directions, fiercely contending with Great Zhou, storming cities and seizing territories.

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Leaving Qiyi, Liuchou chose a sparsely populated route and continued his journey toward Mount Mei.

The battle between demons and humans continued, and it remained uncertain who would ultimately prevail. Liuchou had no intention of returning to Tianshan Dun, nor did he wish to join the demon race just yet. All he could do for now was to fulfill the entrustment of Ksitigarbha and strengthen his own power; in troubled times, that could never be wrong.

After trekking for dozens of days, a deep mountain appeared before Liuchou. The terrain was rugged and profound; to skirt around it would require several more days. After a brief consultation with Qingmei, the two decided to abandon the carriage and cross the mountain on foot.

After two days, Liuchou, Qingmei, and Jinjing—who occasionally served as a mount—caught sight of a desolate mountain valley hidden deep within the mountains, where a dilapidated village quietly rested.

This was a village of wild people.

"Wild people" was the general term for those living in the wilderness outside the citizens of the Great Zhou state. These people might be criminals, outcasts, or runaway slaves... of all sorts and stripes. While some had once been citizens of the state, they had now become wild people, while other wild people, over the span of several generations, might return to the cities and somehow become citizens once more.

The three of them soon appeared at the edge of the village. A few lazy-looking figures standing at the village entrance immediately stood up, and at the sight of two humans and a beast, instinctively reached for the weapons by their sides.

Alarm whistles blew almost simultaneously, shattering the peace of the entire village.

Liuchou and Qingmei stood their ground, quietly observing. These people still bore heavy traces of urban civilization; it was clear that they were different from the wild people who had always lived in the deep mountains, completely isolated from the world. Their clothing and weapons were not particularly ragged; though animal skins were present, the craftsmanship was still quite similar to that of the state citizens.

These must be... mountain bandits, or perhaps roving outlaws!

A few burly men emerged from various low-eaved huts, gathered together, and approached the two travelers. The leader had a full beard, a hemp cloth wrapped around his head, and held a long bronze blade that was broader and longer than those commonly used. Coming up to the pair, he first gave them an unkind, head-to-toe inspection, his gaze lingering on Jinjing for quite a while before speaking:

"Hey you brat, Zhou people are not welcome here!"

"Zhou people?" Liuchou smiled faintly, taking a step forward to close the distance between himself and the burly man. Then, slowly raising his head and narrowing his eyes, he said, "I am not a Zhou person."

The bearded man's expression shifted. A surge of unruly energy rose within him as he sneered, "Oh? Not a Zhou person? Could it be that you're a wild person as well?"

"I am neither a wild person!" Liuchou shook his head, then slowly unstrapped the iron staff from his back, holding it in his hand as he asked, "Could it be that apart from state citizens and wild people, there is nothing else left in this world?"

The man's expression changed abruptly. With a fierce lunge, he grabbed toward Liuchou's head. But the moment his hand was raised, Liuchou casually tossed the iron staff, which struck the man squarely. The hundred-plus-catty brute was sent flying like a withered leaf, crashing heavily onto the ground far away.

"Who is in charge here? Call them out," Qingmei said, looking at the others whose expressions had all turned pale. "I'll count to ten. If they don't come out, they won't ever have the chance to!"

"M-My lord!"

Just as Qingmei finished speaking, a clattering sound suddenly echoed from a nearby thatched hut, as if someone had fallen to the ground and knocked over numerous utensils. Following that, a lean, gaunt man came scrambling out of the room on all fours. The moment he caught sight of Liuchou, he froze abruptly, his face instantly draining of color.

"G-Greetings, my lord!"

Not only did his face change, but the very tone of his voice transformed—it was the change of someone who had been deeply frightened, terrified, and shaken to the core.

"You recognize me?" Liuchou caught a glimpse of a certain fear in the man's eyes, a reaction that clearly belonged only to someone who knew him. He asked with curiosity.

"My lord, this lowly one once... once guarded the pass... at Ghost Valley..." The gaunt man replied with a hoarse voice and a weeping expression, "That's why I recognize you. This lowly one... this lowly one greets both lords..."

"That explains it," Liuchou and Qingmei exchanged a glance and smiled. "So we're old acquaintances. That makes things much easier!"

"Easy, easy, whatever my lord says is easy!" The skinny man nodded repeatedly while frantically waving his hands to signal the others to put down their weapons.

Since he had served at Ghost Valley, it was hardly strange that he knew the two of them were demons.