Volume 1, Chapter 24 – Sudden Upheaval

Judging that the time was about right, Shi Lan exited the virtual space.

After washing up and getting dressed, Shi Lan grabbed a length of vine-like herb from the desk and took a bite.

Feeling the bitter taste spreading in her mouth, Shi Lan couldn’t help but frown. The flavors of these herbs were all over the place; that blood ginseng from before was already considered top-tier when it came to taste.

The herbs she’d been eating these past few days were either bitter enough to kill, or so astringent they made her tongue go numb.

Only when these herbs were refined into pills could they bring out their full medicinal power, but alchemists were far too rare—at least, there were none in Tenglong City.

Moreover, most alchemists had no interest in refining low-grade pills used for Body Tempering Realm cultivation. The pills circulating on the market were mostly for martial artists at the Innate Realm and above.

The Body Tempering Realm was mainly about tempering the physical body. For that, one still relied primarily on the blood and flesh of birds and beasts, supplemented with some herbs as tonic—the so-called medicinal cuisine.

Shi Lan sat down cross-legged, circulated the Jade Tempering Art, and began to digest the medicinal power.

Two days ago, she had already reached the peak of the first stage of the Body Tempering Realm. Her strength seemed to have hit a bottleneck. She knew this was the barrier to the second stage; if she wanted to break through, she could only continue to strengthen her body.

The flow of qi within her body grew slower and slower, while her bones, muscles, and flesh were reinforced bit by bit. Then, all of a sudden, like clouds parting to reveal the sun, the membrane to the second stage of the Body Tempering Realm shattered in an instant.

The speed of the circulating qi instantly surged by several levels, and Shi Lan felt her strength swell in a single breath.

The expanding power in her body left her no mind to go on refining the medicinal power. She rose to her feet and started practicing the Vajra Divine Fist.

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A faint wind stirred between her fists and feet. Compared to the first time she’d gone through the form, it was like the difference between a snail’s crawl and heaven and earth.

After she finished the set of fist techniques in one smooth, flowing motion, Shi Lan had worked up a light sweat and was slightly out of breath. The remaining medicinal power had, in the process, merged into every corner of her body.

Wiping the sweat from her forehead, Shi Lan, in high spirits, walked into the bathing room.

……

Six hundred li west of Tenglong City lay Nine Skies City. Compared to Tenglong City, Nine Skies City sat closer to the human race’s border, less than ten thousand li from the Boundless Demon Domain. An Innate Realm martial artist could make the round trip in under half a month.

A unit of troops clad in black armor, each astride a jiaoma, slowly rode into Nine Skies City.

Jiaoma carried a trace of flood dragon bloodline. Their speed was extremely fast, coming and going like the wind, no slower than ordinary Innate Realm martial artists flying on their artifacts.

Most of the soldiers’ grim armor was stained with blood, the blood long since dried into dark brown scabs clinging to the metal.

On some soldiers, the blood scabs on their armor had already turned black, making it hard to tell where the armor ended and the blood began.

The entire column numbered less than five hundred. Within the formation there was dead silence. At the center of the ranks stood a great banner of black with gold characters, bearing the two words “Demon-Suppressing.”

Onlookers lining the road to watch the spectacle felt an immense, awe-inspiring might when their eyes fell on those two words, filling them with reverence.

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The banner itself was immaculate, not a speck of dust on it, forming a stark contrast with these soldiers whose bodies were caked in blood and grime.

After entering Nine Skies City, this unit rode straight toward the City Lord’s residence.

The City Lord of Nine Skies City was already standing at the gate to welcome them.

The army formed ranks before the residence. The leading general swung down from his mount, walked up to the City Lord, and gave a brusque order: “Summon all martial artists in the city at the Innate Realm or above to the City Lord’s residence, at once!”

The City Lord showed a wry smile. “My lord, my standing in Nine Skies City is not high. I’m afraid many martial artists won’t heed my command.” Though he was City Lord in name, in this Nine Skies City he still had to live under the noses of several great clans.

“This is a decree of the Imperial Court. Any who refuse to heed the summons are to be killed without mercy!” As the general’s voice fell, an incomparably terrifying aura of slaughter burst out in all directions.

At the mention of a name that had not been heard in a long time, the City Lord’s blood surged hot in his chest. He answered in a loud voice, “I will strictly obey the Imperial Court’s decree!”

The City Lord’s residence swiftly issued the summons. Ordinary commoners felt nothing at the words “Imperial Court,” but in the eyes of a few elders past their seventies, shock flickered.

The great clans in the city did not hesitate in the slightest. They counted their clansmen at the Innate Realm and above, then marched in imposing numbers to gather at the City Lord’s residence.

Seeing the sizable crowd of martial artists in the plaza, the general let out a faint breath of relief.

“Yunshan Gorge has fallen.”

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With the general’s very first sentence, he stirred up a storm of shock.

“How is that possible?”

“Yunshan Gorge is one of the key passes on our human border! Seven hundred thousand Demon-Suppressing Army troops are stationed there year-round! There are even Heaven-Man Realm martial experts whose Dao touches the divine sitting in town! It’s as solid as an iron wall—how could it possibly fall?!”

“That’s right, this is absolutely impossible!”

The square erupted into noisy discussion, the place a cacophony of voices.

A clean-shaven man in his early forties narrowed his eyes slightly, yet there was no trace of surprise in his expression.

At his side stood a clear-featured young woman. Seeing the look on his face, she couldn’t help asking softly in some astonishment, “Father, did you already know?”

The man shook his head slightly and said in a low voice, “I’ll explain it to you in detail once we’re back.”

“Silence!” The general standing at the very front suddenly bellowed. The shout actually crushed the noise in the square, and some of the lower-ranked Innate Realm martial artists even felt their qi and blood churn inside, almost to the point of vomiting.

When they came back to their senses, everyone looked toward the general at the front, horror in their eyes.

“A Demon Emperor tore up the pact and launched a surprise attack on Yunshan Gorge. Of the seven hundred thousand Demon-Suppressing Army troops, eight or nine out of ten have fallen. Six Heaven-Man Realm martial experts whose Dao touches the divine shed their blood at the border.” The general recounted the events of not long ago in an even tone.

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A suppressed hiss of shock rose from the crowd. The words “Demon Emperor” dealt too great a blow to them.

Some even grew panicked, edging slowly toward the gates of the City Lord’s residence, their minds already on fleeing this place.

“Do not panic, everyone. The Imperial Court urgently summoned you here precisely to resist the invasion of the demon beasts.” Seeing the crowd’s reaction, a trace of disappointment flashed in the general’s eyes.

“My lord, please don’t jest,” an old man nearing sixty couldn’t help saying. “What kind of existence is a Demon Emperor? Even if you tied all of us here together in a bundle, we probably wouldn’t be enough for it to slap to death with one hand!”

“Naturally, you will not be sent to face the Demon Emperor. With Yunshan Gorge fallen, a vast number of demon beasts of unknown rank have poured into the Chengtian Domain. If these beasts are not stopped, the hundreds of millions of common folk in the Chengtian Domain will surely be plunged into misery and death!”

The general drew a deep breath and bent slightly at the waist. “I hope all of you can assist the Demon-Suppressing Army in stopping the beast tide.”

The responses in the crowd were few and far between. A cold gleam flashed in the general’s eyes—so they wouldn’t drink the toast, but wanted the forfeit instead. Just as he was about to erupt, a gentle voice slowly sounded. “My Lu Clan is willing to do our small part for the hundreds of millions of common folk in the Chengtian Domain.”

The general gave the speaker a measuring look, then sudden joy flashed in his eyes. “May I have your name, sir?”

“Lu Changfeng, current head of the Lu Clan.”