A Demon's Path Chapter 79

Outside Seadragon City, waves of murderous screams shook the heavens. But inside it was quiet as it could be. There was a miniature array incorporated in the city when it was built, protecting the citizens from the sounds of battle. It didn't matter how intense the fight was, nor did it matter how loud the screams of pain and agony were, not a single one of them reached past the city walls.

If the citizens of Seadragon City didn't visit the beach, they could even remain oblivious to the fact there was a warzone on the edge of town. They could live a life of ease. And with every additional year the city stood tall, the fear of its citizens for the Demonic Clan slowly subsided. That, of course, didn't mean they would recklessly wander onto the beach.

The Castellan ordered his men to secure this end of the city walls. Like this, the demons could be kept out, while the humans could be kept in.

When Ling Xiao arrived at the Castellan's side, the soldiers had already thrown themselves down the city walls, fighting the enemy tooth and nail. Next to him stood his fellow comrades from the Sunken Wind Valley. They quietly observed the intense battle from the safety of the city walls in earnest.

The assailants were a species of the Demonic Clan known as Humanoid Crabs. They resembled humans quite closely. The only real difference in appearance were their claws at the ends of their arms. These claws looked ferocious, seemingly from a large crab species, a very large crab species.

Thousands of Humanoid Crabs were waving their claws as they flocked to the Celestial Soul Masters on the beach.

Having undergone Liu Xintang's rigorous training, these Celestial Soul Masters faced the onslaught of thousands from the Demonic Clan without batting an eye.

The Humanoid Crabs' attacks were actually quite simple and straightforward. They wedged the Celestial Soul Masters' weapon between one claw and used the other to smash their heads. Either that, or they would use the sharp claws to clamp onto their throats.

The Celestial Soul Masters of Seadragon City had more than a few combat techniques at their disposal. However, their one-to-one techniques excelled in exactly that, and not to fend off against a large horde of enemies.

Ling Xiao watched a Celestial Soul Master dodge the attack from a Humanoid Crab in front of him with a martial arts technique. But just as he did so, another claw appeared from his blind spot and clipped his body squarely in half.

Another Celestial Soul Master got the upper hand against a Humanoid Crab, sending it flying with his sword technique. But when it was at death's door, it clamped onto the sword in a final struggle. This was all it took to turn the tides of battle. In the brief moment where the Humanoid Crab clamped onto the sword, the Celestial Soul Master's awareness wavered. As he focused on pulling back his sword, he felt something hard smash the back of his head. Someone had attacked him from behind! With a bang, his brain cracked open and he died shortly after.

The newcomers from the Sunken Wind Valley were stunned to their very core as they watched the scenes unfold before their eyes. At the end of the day, they grew up in a greenhouse. Never before had they seen such a barbaric fight that was devoid of any sense of reason. Some newcomers couldn't hold their food down any longer, lunging over and puking down the city walls.

The battlefield before them was valuable teaching material on the subject of survival. It was different from merely looking at the remains of a battle to a certain extent.

Not long after, both sides had lost a large number of men with well over 1,000 corpses strewn about the beach.

Ling Xiao felt there was a flaw in how they fought, and a huge one at that. Since we're well guarded from the enemy by the city walls, why do we need to rush out and throw our advantage to the wind?

"Castellan Liu, don't we have war machines to protect the city?" Ling Xiao asked, frowning. "I mean, like crossbows we could shoot from atop the city walls."

Liu Xintang looked at Ling Xiao, a profound look in his eyes. "We thought of that before too. But the Demonic Clan isn't stupid. They brought shields to counter our crossbows. Once they raised them, they would approach the walls and dig a hole through them in less than an hour. They have a large number of demonic beasts who're well trained in the arts of digging."

Ling Xiao bitterly laughed. As it turned out, they could only stop the Demonic Clan by throwing human lives at them. Seeing the Celestial Soul Masters arduously fighting, he retrieved a number of Accelerating Talismans and threw them at those in the midst of battle.

The Celestial Soul Masters felt their limbs grow lighter and their movements quicker. In the blink of an eye, many of them who were on the brink of death escaped attacks that would've otherwise ended their lives.

At the same time, Ling Xiao placed his palms together and recited an incantation. He unleashed Will-o'-Bolt, his fused Elemental Soul technique. Hundreds of crimson thunderbolts the size of a thumb rained down on the field. They accurately struck the Humanoid Crabs and screams of agony ensued, their bodies charred black.

A sea breeze blew past and the fragrant scent of roasted crab meat filled the air.

The fight that was once even quickly turned in the favour of the men of Seadragon City. With Ling Xiao's help, the Celestial Soul Masters in combat had a huge boost in morale. They seized the opportunity and reaped the lives of the Humanoid Crabs who Ling Xiao had electrocuted half to death.

At this time, the sound of a conch came from far off across the sea. The Humanoid Crabs fled in a flurry, leaving the corpses of their comrades and enemies behind.

This battle seemed to have gone better than the last, if even by only a little. Of the 2,000 Celestial Soul Masters, 1,400 of them returned to the city. There was no joy on their faces for their victory. Instead, there was only sadness for their departed comrades combined with exhaustion.

But behind the sadness and exhaustion was another emotion, curiosity. Who had helped them out? They quickly learned it was Ling Xiao who had helped them, and when they did, strange expressions formed on their faces. Nevertheless, they walked over to him one by one and respectfully thanked him for his assistance. Without his help, there would've been many more casualties.

Ling Xiao was deep in thought. A moment later he said, "Since we can't install these weapons to protect the city, why don't we invite Celestial Soul Masters from the other Holy Lands who specialize in ranged attacks? Can't we simply send the Crystal Sea Pavilion an invitation to send over a group of Elemental Soul Masters?"

Liu Xintang was in a rather good mood, possibly because this battle was a little more relaxed than the one before. He chuckled and said, "I've discussed this with the Valley Master before, but he didn't agree to my request. He said this would diminish the Sunken Wind Valley's military glory."

Ling Xiao looked at Shen Xuan who wore a smile that looked like anything but a smile. A realisation dawned on him. It wasn't because they couldn't, it was because they didn't want to request for help!

Shen Nanfeng would only allow the disciples directly under his Sunken Wind Valley to come to the rescue and protect Seadragon City. And since every single one of them was at least of the yellow rank, what did this city have to fear? This was also why he let Liu Xintang watch over this city. All he had to do was cover the costs, and in return he got prime training grounds for his disciples!

When the fog was all cleared up in his head, Ling Xiao grieved for Liu Xintang and the Celestial Soul Masters who put their lives on the line to defend their home. They were nobodies. They would forever be the playthings of the big shots sitting on their high horses for all of eternity.

Ling Xiao thought of himself then. He was nothing more than a tool for Ancestor Qi Mo to seek revenge. However, when he thought of the Northern Jade Sect, his Master, Tang Yingying, and even his father, he felt a warmth. They were all people he treasured deeply. There would come a day, yes there would. In this moment, Ling Xiao firmed his resolution. He would become a person with power, in power! He didn't want to wield power for the sole purpose of conquering others. Instead, he didn't want other people to conquer him and become their plaything.

…

Far off in the distance, a green raft was drifting on the sea. It was of a decent size at a little more than three by three meters.

A young man stood on the green raft, his chest bare. He held a massive conch in his hands as he watched the Humanoid Crabs retreat in defeat. A gloomy and cold expression showed on his face.

The man was well-built, his muscles bulging out on his body. Ten eye-catching ab slabs were distinctly highlighted on his midsection. Every vein on the upper half of his body was faintly discernible. Without a doubt, no one in Seadragon City had the luxury of holding this man's strength in contempt.

"Seems like there are a few exceptional newcomers in the Sunken Wind Valley this year!" A hint of a cold smile hung on the man's lips. "It'll probably do the Demonic Clan good to play with them a little. Consider this a warm up. Humph!"

Even further out on sea, someone rode the wind and stepped on the waves, quickly approaching. "Ao, what are you doing?" a delicately soft voice came floating over with a trace of fierce strictness.

Ao turned around to find a woman dressed in motley clothes of light silk. She stared at him with those almond shaped eyes of hers, a small blue whale under her feet. With a mocking smile, he said, "Qin, what is a small blue whale like you doing here? You have to know, war is a man's game."

Qin was furious! The wanton expression on Ao's face in combination with his disdainful smile were clearly mocking her. "The Demon Lord said war is war. Either you die, or I die. It's not a game," Qin angrily rebuked. "If you continue behaving in this way, I'll report all your actions to the Demon Lord. Let's see how you'll explain yourself then!" She flourished her long sleeves and turned around, stepping away on the waves.

Ao lied down on his green raft. He held the ten-centimeter long conch in his mouth and looked up at the sky. "Compared to fighting with the heavens and the earth, wouldn't it be better to fight with humans? There's boundless joy in that! Haha!" His vulgar laughter was loud and clear, resonating all the way to the walls of Seadragon City.

"What's this laughter? Why does it sound so unpleasant?" The people atop the city walls frowned.

Liu Xintang's expression suddenly changed. He urgently cried out, "Quickly, cover your ears! It's the Demonic Clan's Sea Whistling Roar!"

Chapter end