https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-477-A-Million-Immortal-Merits-Heaven-Master-s-Summon/13451875/
Chapter 478: Heaven Master's Protection
Chapter 478: Heaven Master's Protection
The old man manipulated the star domain projection, presenting a horizontal view of the battle behind the Ancient Demon Tide.
Everyone present, including the old man, were seasoned veterans. Even King Zhao, who had just arrived, quickly discerned the peril and delicate balance of the entire battle with a focused gaze.
Apart from the battlefield where the Peacock Army was engaged, there were seven other battle zones, each capable of tipping the delicate balance.
However, as the battles raged on, the other zones fell into a stalemate, while at the Peacock Army's location, a man and a woman suddenly emerged.
The woman plunged into the fray, aiding the Peacock Army, and erupted with immense combat power, severely wounding the ancient demons of the Di Jiang Clan.
"What a powerful Immortal Lord Realm!"
"That woman's Immortal Art is quite rare, seemingly an ancient Immortal Technique that has been lost for ages!"
Inside the Star Sea Hall, everyone except the old man's eyes narrowed, surprised to find such a formidable expert hidden in this battle. The woman's combat strength was on par with an entire Class A Peacock Army, if not more.
As the balance was about to be broken, a more terrifying ancient demon suddenly emerged from the Ancient Demon Tide, intent on suppressing and killing the woman.
Seeing this, some faces turned pale with shock. They had not been on the battlefield and did not expect such a perilous turn of events.
The Silver-haired Black-armored Youth and the Heterochromic Woman with Double Pupils had already joined the battle, and when the Reincarnation Royal Clan ancient demon appeared, they had keenly sensed a surging demonic aura, so they were not overly surprised, but their expressions grew more serious.
Just as the woman was about to be suppressed, she suddenly exuded a terrifying demonic aura and extended eight wings from her back.
This sudden change made many people leap to their feet, gasping in shock.
"An ancient demon? An Imperial Clan ancient demon?"
"How is this possible!"
"They are fighting each other?!"
Even the Silver-haired Black-armored Youth and the Heterochromic Woman with Double Pupils were taken aback, their expressions showing a mix of surprise and bewilderment.
Next, the eight-winged ancient demon woman engaged in a fierce battle with the Reincarnation Royal Clan ancient demon, chasing and fleeing from each other.
Before leaving, the ancient demon woman revealed an object in her palm, surrounded by black aura.
Seeing this, King Zhao, who was enveloped in black Dragon Qi, suddenly paled. The Dragon Qi swirling around him, like drifting clouds, suddenly stretched out like nine sharp spears, radiating a terrifying aura as if ready to erupt at any moment.
Even upon seeing the woman reveal her true form as an ancient demon from the Imperial Clan, he was only surprised but not discomposed. Now, he stared intently at the star domain projection.
The old man glanced at him without a word, allowing the projection to continue swiftly. When the Reincarnation Royal Clan ancient demon chased the woman out of sight, his battle with the Di Jiang Clan King Realm ancient demon quickly concluded.
With his victory, the battle came to an end. He suppressed the Ancient Demon Tide and led the entire army in a pursuit, almost completely annihilating the ancient demons, with only a few escaping back to the Rubble Star Region.
The star domain projection slowly halted, and the hall fell silent, with no one speaking for a moment.
King Zhao regained his composure, his shock quickly subsiding, and the Dragon Qi around him resumed its swirling. He scanned the room, his gaze settling on the old man, and said:
"Who is that young man? A Third Tier True Immortal, to withstand a casual strike from a Ninth Rank Immortal Lord Realm ancient demon, truly remarkable!"
His words broke the silence, and everyone else also snapped back to reality.
"What's going on?"
"That woman is actually an ancient demon, and ancient demons fighting each other?"
"I've heard that while the Three Great Imperial Clans and Seven Royal Races treat the ten thousand races equally, cruelly slaughtering them, there are gaps between the ancient demon clans. Over ninety thousand years ago, two Ancient Demon Kings fought over an Immortal Emperor's Imperial Forbidden Immortal Artifact, causing countless ancient demons to fall, and giving the Eastern Domain a chance to breathe."
Compared to the young man's impressive performance, the crowd was more concerned about the ancient demon woman.
Seeing the debate, King Zhao's eyes remained calm, and he did not speak, knowing the answer in his heart.
The old man also remained silent, waiting until the discussion died down before speaking:
"That ancient demons' Imperial Clan is deeply involved, so I won't go into the details. Our victory in this battle is largely thanks to that young man. Otherwise, countless lives would have been lost before I could finish the battle with Di Qiu. Even if we had won in the end, it would have been a Pyrrhic victory!"
As he spoke, he raised his hand and rotated the star domain projection. Immortal Power guided it, projecting it into the air, and then he began to deduce using the Martial School's Immortal Dao Law.
In the deduction, the final moments of the battle showed that without that young man and the ancient demons' woman, the Peacock Army would have been destroyed by the Di Jiang Clan's ancient demons. Their military formation would have been breached, and nearly half of the ten thousand Peacock Army soldiers would have been slaughtered. The Di Jiang Clan's ancient demons would then have turned to assist another battlefield, tipping the balance.
This would have triggered a terrifying chain reaction. With the reinforcements from the ancient demons, the Human Race would have been overwhelmed in other battlefields. Elders from various Immortal Sects would have fallen one after another, only to be devoured by the ancient demons. The Tiger Lion Army would have been mercilessly massacred by the freed ancient demons' high-ranking commander. The battlefield would have been filled with screams and moans, with countless casualties.
Seeing this, everyone's faces turned pale, even though they had all anticipated and deduced such an outcome.
Who could have imagined that the delicate balance, once broken, would result in such a catastrophic loss!
In this projection, the Human Race suffered heavy casualties. Although the old man eventually defeated Di Qiu, by the time he cleared the battlefield, it was a scene of mass suffering, littered with corpses.
Those who died at the hands of the ancient demons had their Soul Spirits extinguished, losing any chance of reincarnation.
Among them, the Silver-haired Black-armored Youth was severely injured, barely clinging to life.
The Heterochromic Woman with Double Pupils lost one of her eyes in the battle and had to use her ultimate trump card to barely survive.
Seeing this outcome, the Star Sea Hall fell silent.
"Who would have thought that we, the Human Race, would one day have to thank the ancient demons."
A General murmured, his voice tinged with bitterness.
The old man turned to him, his eyes stern, radiating a bone-chilling coldness. "The ancient demons have devoured the True World's ten thousand races. The enmity between our races surpasses everything. As a General of Yan Chu, you should be careful with your words!"
The General's heart skipped a beat, and he felt cold sweat drenching his back. He then remembered that the person before him was a Heaven Master of the Demon Suppression Bureau.
"I spoke out of turn, Heaven Master, please forgive me."
He hurriedly bowed, speaking sincerely.
The old man coldly snorted, ignoring him, and said, "As warriors, apart from the immortal merit for slaying ancient demons, those who have made great contributions on the battlefield should also be heavily rewarded. What do you all think, how much immortal merit should this young man receive for his actions?"
Hearing his words, everyone exchanged glances. One person asked in a low voice, "Heaven Master, that young man was with the ancient demons' woman. Before discussing rewards, shouldn't we first call him in for a thorough examination?"
"Exactly, if he had colluded with the ancient demons, without their internal conflict, he might have brought the ancient demons into the border", another General agreed.
"Examine a hero?"
The Heterochromic Woman with Double Pupils spoke, her voice cold. "If that young man were a spy for the ancient demons, why would he need to act? He could have just waited for the battle to end and taken the ancient demons' woman back during the chaos."
"Indeed, from my perspective, that young man might not have known the woman's true identity. He may have been manipulated, considering he's only a Third Tier True Immortal, while the ancient demons' Imperial Clan is at the Immortal Lord Realm. It would be too easy to deceive a True Immortal Realm youth."
The Silver-haired Black-armored Youth nodded, knowing that the old Heaven Master held a high regard for that young man. Going against his wishes would be foolish.
Besides, according to the deduction, if it weren't for that young man's actions, he would have been critically injured, delaying his cultivation for thousands of years. He couldn't help but feel a bit of gratitude towards the young man.
"You two shouldn't jump to conclusions so hastily. An examination will reveal the truth."
The middle-aged General who had spoken earlier shook his head. He was a towering figure, enveloped in golden mist, his aura not inferior to the Heterochromic Woman with Double Pupils and the Silver-haired Black-armored Youth. Given his equal rank in the military, he spoke without reserve:
"Perhaps the young man did it on purpose, but he didn't expect an ancient demon from the Reincarnation Royal Clan to emerge and force the woman to reveal her true form. The woman didn't reveal her true form even when she was aiding the Peacock Army, indicating that she was intentionally hiding it."
"That has nothing to do with the young man."
"If this matter has nothing to do with the young man, then the immortal merit should be even less likely to be credited to him, since it wasn't he who helped the Peacock Army repel the ancient demons."
"Do you actually want to award the immortal merit to the ancient demon woman?" the Silver-haired Black-armored Youth said coldly.
The middle-aged General said indifferently, "This is a twist of fate. We can only say that our mission was blessed by Heaven and bestowed upon us by the Heavenly Dao. It is the destiny of our Human Race."
"I don't think it's unreasonable to conduct an examination. It is indeed a prudent approach", another General nodded in agreement.
The Heterochromic Woman with Double Pupils frowned and said, "If the young man is so talented, do you know how much damage an examination would cause to his cultivation?"
An examination by the Border Immortal Army, especially one that treats him as a traitor suspected of colluding with ancient demons, would be extremely harsh and could severely impact his cultivation, even causing his Dao Heart to decline.
"The Border is a matter of great importance. Although the young man is exceptionally talented, our Yan Chu Immortal Dynasty, with its vast thirteen states, each comprising three thousand counties, and each county spanning billions of miles, is not short of geniuses. We can always find others who surpass him."
Another bearded old General with a long, narrow face and prominent cheekbones, who looked stern and serious, added this.
Upon hearing the old General's words, several other Generals nodded slightly.
"Indeed, to be on the safe side, an examination is best. Perhaps the young man's actions were intended to steer us away from an examination, or he might even be an ancient demon!" one General said.
"Let's not forget the lessons from the Labei Immortal Dynasties. Ancient demons are cunning and deceitful. They infiltrated the Labei Immortal Dynasties using a feigned retreat, nearly wiping out the Imperial Clan", another General reminded them.
Seeing more and more people in the room agreeing, the Heterochromic Woman with Double Pupils' expression turned grim.
She also felt a bit shaken. Although the young man was a prodigy, the Yan Chu Immortal Dynasty had once produced even greater geniuses, such as those who could break the Nine Flower Immortal Seal, let alone the young man.
"The young man has slain a number of ancient demons, roughly accumulating to a million immortal merit points. Even if we conduct an examination, we should be lenient to avoid affecting him."
The Silver-haired Black-armored Youth, with a solemn expression, chose to take a step back.
Hearing his words, the bearded old man was momentarily taken aback, then stroked his beard and nodded slightly, "Given this immortal merit, we shouldn't be too hard on him, but we should observe him closely afterward."
"Everyone, there's no need to argue anymore."
At this moment, the old man suddenly spoke, interrupting the discussion.
He looked around the room, his gaze sweeping over everyone. His expression was calm, and a slight smile played on his lips as he said:
"That young man is one of ours from the Demon Suppression Bureau. He would never collude with ancient demons. From the star domain projection, there are two possibilities. One is that he didn't know the woman was an ancient demon but still brought her to aid the Peacock Army. His determination is commendable, and he inadvertently accomplished a great feat."
"The second possibility is that he knew the woman was an ancient demon and deliberately let her act, intending to use her to create conflict among the ancient demons."
He glanced around, seeing the stunned expressions of the others, and smiled, continuing, "In either case, he deserves praise. It seems the immortal merit should be credited to him without a doubt."
Everyone was taken aback.
The Heterochromic Woman with Double Pupils and the Silver-haired Black-armored Youth exchanged glances, both seeing the realization in each other's eyes.
No wonder the Heaven Master was so optimistic about the young man from the start; he was laying the groundwork for him.
The others looked at each other, at a loss for words.
If it's your person, you should have said so earlier. Making us argue like this is just making a fool of us...
"Originally, he is a prodigy from the Demon Suppression Bureau. No wonder he's so impressive."
"Someone at the Third Tier True Immortal realm can withstand a casual strike from an Immortal Lord at the Ninth Rank. Such a monster must be at least three thousand soul years old. If not, perhaps he still has a chance to participate in the Southern Domain Battle and win glory for the Immortal Dynasties!"
"Could this person be a high-ranking disciple of the Heaven Master?"
The generals chatted amongst themselves, and the tense standoff atmosphere dissipated instantly.
King Zhao glanced at the Heaven Master, his eyes flickering slightly, but he remained silent.
The old man smiled faintly and said, "Let's settle the immortal merit for this battle first. Don't be too lenient with him just because he's from the Demon Suppression Bureau. After all, the final merit table will still be reviewed by His Majesty."
Hearing his words, the generals' expressions eased. They understood that his mention of the emperor meant they should handle things fairly, which made things less difficult for them.
"Then let's follow the rules and determine the battle losses, and then the battle merit based on those losses."
One of the generals said.
"Agreed."
The others nodded slightly, with little contention on this matter.
The old man nodded and settled the accounts with them, arriving at a final number.
1,920,000 immortal merit points!
"Send for him to wait in my Water Moon Hall."
The old man instructed telepathically.
Outside the hall, a Demon Suppression Guard received the order and quickly departed.
The old man manipulated the star domain projection, then began to settle the immortal merit for the other Immortal Lords and Immortal Sects.
...
The Water Moon Hall was located a hundred miles to the left of the main hall in the city district.
Around the hall, Demon Suppression Guards were hidden in the shadows, patrolling the area, and two squads of guards stood watch at the main hall. Compared to the main hall and the other generals' residences, this place was not heavily guarded and seemed quite spacious and quiet.
However, the nearby streets in the adjacent districts were deserted, as no one dared to approach.
Li Hao followed two Demon Suppression Guards to the Water Moon Hall. The guards left him there, informing him that the Heaven Master would return soon.
Li Hao waited in the courtyard outside the hall, and after some time, he wandered around the yard to pass the time.
The courtyard was vast, with Immortal Dao Law in operation, making it a small secret realm. It appeared to be a courtyard, but in reality, it was a cultivation sanctuary.
Li Hao strolled around, and as he passed a small arched bridge over a stream, he suddenly heard the sound of wind being cut.
With his keen senses and Dao Realm, he immediately recognized that the wind sound was from a sword. The sound of a sword cutting through the air was distinctly different from that of a blade. From the faint, sharp wind sound, Li Hao could almost visualize the sword practitioner's movements and posture.
Curious, he walked down from the bridge and circled around a grove of trees. He saw a young girl, about fifteen or sixteen years old, wearing pale yellow attire, practicing her sword form gracefully.
Despite her youthful appearance, her sword stance was remarkably mature.
"Hmm?"
Li Hao observed her sword form. The girl was repeatedly practicing the same sword move, as if guided by a master. The move slowly began to take on a faint, subtle flavor.
And that flavor was extremely familiar to Li Hao. He quickly recognized the sword technique she was practicing as 'Qing Tian,' one of the Ten Great Immortal Techniques!
Li Hao was somewhat surprised. He hadn't expected to see one of the rare Ten Great Immortal Techniques, which were once scarce in the True World, being casually practiced by a young girl.
However, her sword form seemed a bit off, only barely capturing a hint of Dao Resonance. At this rate, it would take an extremely long time for her to truly grasp the essence of this Immortal Technique.
"Who's there?"
As Li Hao watched quietly, the girl seemed to sense something. Her eyes narrowed, and her previously gentle gaze turned sharp. She casually slashed her sword, releasing a Sword Qi that shot toward Li Hao like a rainbow.
The Sword Qi showed no mercy; in any sect, being caught stealing someone's sword technique was a serious offense.
But as the fierce Qing Tian Sword Qi approached Li Hao, he raised his hand, extended two fingers, and gently pinched the invisible yet potent Sword Qi, holding it in place.
Then, with a slight pressure, the Sword Qi shattered.
"Who are you, daring to steal my sword practice!"
The girl took a step forward, appearing ten paces away from Li Hao. Seeing her Sword Qi broken, her delicate face showed a mix of anger and determination, but no fear.
"Steal?"
Li Hao was taken aback, then smiled. He brought his fingers together in a sword point and, as if drawing a cloud and moon, gently waved his hand.
Instantly, a Sword Qi burst from his fingertips, slicing through the air like an Ancestral Dragon emerging from the depths, soaring into the sky. In an instant, it brushed past the girl's flying hair, emitting a dragon's roar as it ascended to the heavens, leaving a crack in the sky.
(End of Chapter)
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