https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-174-The-Martial-Temple-s-Invitation-Retrieving-the-Blade-and-Descending-into-the-Abyss/12554275/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-176-Demon-Spirit-Dao-Seed-Breakthrough-to-the-Nascent-Soul-Realm-/12554284/
Chapter 175: All Thanks to Me
Chapter 175: All Thanks to Me
In Qingzhou, within the Yu Mountains, the moonlight bathed the land in a soft glow, casting an ethereal light over the tranquil streets. A burly man in a short jacket, clearly drunk, let out a loud belch, his head spinning. Suddenly, he felt a chill run down his spine, and he looked up into the sky.
There, hovering over a dozen zhang high, was a long suspended sword, its presence as indifferent as a hawk's gaze fixed upon him. Before he could react, a brilliant flash of sword light, even more intense than the moonlight, poured down.
Puchi—
The man's body was instantly dismembered, his flesh and blood splattering onto the dark red-stained bluestone slabs. His massive furry limbs and hideous beastly head, filled with bewilderment, lay scattered.
The blood continued to spread, seeping into the crevices of the stones.
The longsword shifted direction and sped toward Qingzhou City, flying over the walls and into the Demon Suppression Office, finally coming to rest on a stone table in a quiet courtyard. The sword, clean and free of blood, reflected the moonlight.
Jing Yuanhua opened his eyes, a hint of fatigue in their depths.
Although his astral soul could leave his physical body and roam freely, surveying city after city was an exhausting endeavor.
Bai Zimin approached with a cup of replenishing tea, offering it to his master. "Master, please have some tea."
"You're the only one with any filial piety. As for the others..." Jing Yuanhua accepted the cup and moistened his throat, his expression indifferent.
"Master, they've returned," Bai Zimin coughed, changing the subject.
"Among the others, Qiulan is the most sensible," Jing Yuanhua acknowledged, setting down his cup and glancing toward the courtyard entrance.
In just over a month, they had returned.
Even if the young master had issues, he probably wouldn't dare show them in front of his mother, the consort.
Qiulan, with her aloof nature, rarely lost her temper.
These two, interacting with each other, would undoubtedly be polite and courteous, and no problems would arise. From Consort Ji's perspective, she would likely believe that the relationship between the young couple was gradually improving.
Once she felt assured, she probably wouldn't hesitate to invite a Mixed Yuan Sect master from Xuanguang Cave to Qingzhou.
Then, with the Howling Moon Demon King dealt with, he wouldn't have to bother with that nagging old woman anymore.
"Go and invite your senior sister here. I have something to ask her."
With that thought, Jing Yuanhua nodded slightly.
Bai Zimin was about to step forward to do so when a figure in ink-black robes walked in slowly.
"How was it?" Jing Yuanhua asked with a smile.
Jing Qiulan, his disciple, looked at him calmly. "I've offended Consort Ji. She asked me to deliver a message to you."
As soon as these words left her mouth, Jing Yuanhua's smile froze slightly, but he maintained his composure. "What message?"
"She said that when you lose your astral soul, severed by the Howling Moon Demon King, remember that it's all thanks to me." With that, Jing Qiulan turned to leave.
Hearing her calm tone, Bai Zimin averted his gaze and took a couple of steps back.
Indeed, his senior sister was fearless; such words coming from her felt utterly natural.
Jing Yuanhua's smile faded, and he watched expressionlessly as his disciple walked away, her figure disappearing into the night.
He turned his attention back to the longsword on the table, his eyes as calm as a still well.
"Master, you're not planning to harm Senior Sister, are you?" Bai Zimin asked, a hint of tension in his voice.
Jing Yuanhua glanced at him as if he were an idiot.
Rubbing his temples, Jing Yuanhua showed no intention of calling Jing Qiulan back. Her message alone conveyed that any hope of aid from the consort was lost.
What transpired between them was no longer important; his disciple had simply delivered the message.
With a sigh, he lowered his hand, falling silent for a long moment before speaking again. "Your senior martial brother Yu once explained to Qiu Lan on my behalf. I merely passed on the golden silk monkey's martial arts and gave it a precious sword, asking it to go out and gain experience. I never intended to harm it."
"So Senior Sister misunderstood?" Bai Zimin asked softly.
"There was no misunderstanding." Looking at the neatly arranged wine jars under a tree in the distance, Jiang Yuanhua said indifferently, "I could tell at a glance what it intended to do. I deliberately sent it to its death, and I've never regretted it."
Upon hearing this, Bai Zimin fell silent.
If there was no regret, there was no need to bring it up again.
"When I was a junior general in Tanzhou, I once witnessed the city fall. I never want to see that happen again."
"For this, I don't care about anything else."
Jiang Yuanhua reached out and took the precious sword, exhaling a turbid breath as a cold light returned to his eyes.
The fleeting trace of regret in his heart vanished in an instant.
Did he really not care? Bai Zimin secretly rolled his eyes. Obviously, his master's heart was more disturbed by Senior Sister's casual mention of those words than by the failure to obtain aid.
He needed to confide in someone to relieve the depression in his heart.
However, as his disciple whom he had cultivated with his own hands, Jiang Qiulan still did not earn his trust, despite her current exceptional performance.
With such a mode of interaction, how could they ever enjoy a normal master-disciple relationship?
"Has Ah Qian returned?" Jiang Yuanhua asked, his tone once again calm.
"Yes, the position of the Howling Moon Demon King has been restored." Bai Zimin took out a letter and opened it.
His master glanced at it briefly before closing his eyes again, his entire body becoming as still as a sculpture once more. The precious sword streaked across the sky!
The prolonged standoff between this martial arts master and the demon king had become a daily occurrence.
This time, he would likely remain seated in meditation for several more months.
...
In a remote courtyard of the Demon Suppression Office.
Shen Yi sat on the edge of the bed, his eyes closed as he focused inward, a puzzled expression on his face.
Within his qi sea, there were now numerous faint white lights, and their number seemed quite substantial.
The Devouring Heaven Pill quickly absorbed them, looking like a jade pellet filled with white mist.
What are these things?
A soft knock sounded at the door.
Shen Yi opened his eyes. "Come in."
Jiang Qiulian pushed the door open and entered. She did not mention the general's matter, knowing that he would not be interested and would not care about the general's thoughts.
"I'm returning to Yushan County."
She sat down by the table. Having been used to acting alone, she suddenly felt the urge to bid him farewell. "If there's anything..."
"I want to know what kind of aura would actively come to me."
Shen Yi was certain that this was not the effect of any demon or magic martial art, so he did not hide it and asked directly.
Upon hearing this, Jiang Qiulian was slightly taken aback. "Spiritual energy from worshippers... But you're only temporarily acting as the grand marshal, so you shouldn't have this situation."
She thought for a moment before asking, "Did you establish a temple in Qingzhou?"
Ever since the establishment of the Demon Suppression Office by the court, there was no longer any large-scale temple-building by demons or spirits. Even if there was, it would be due to special circumstances and limited to a very small area.
"...” Shen Yi shook his head. He didn't have the time to turn himself into a statue and place it in a temple; just the thought of it was embarrassing.
(End of Chapter)
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