The Taihu Lake Grand Camp.
Lu Jingchun was clad in heavy armor, holding a pair of refined iron double halberds, standing before the platform.
He looked up at the sky.
The sun was blazing, and noon was approaching.
Standing beside him were three figures in golden robe.
Although all wore golden robe, the methods employed by these three were vastly different.
The hunched old man leading them hailed from the Wang Clan of Taiyuan. Rumor had it that his Spiritual Seal was the extremely superior 'Thunderwood' from the Martial Temple.
At this moment, his eyes were slightly closed, seemingly dozing, but in reality, the Qi mechanism around his body had already stirred the celestial phenomena.
Above the originally clear sky, faint Thunder Snakes were slithering, hidden and unreleased.
Granny Liu, with her benevolent expression, possessed even stranger methods.
She held no weapon, yet a faint cold Qi was subtly leaking from her cuffs.
As for the last one, the young You Wujiang.
He stood with his hands behind his back, carrying a long, ghastly white sword.
The sword remained sheathed, but a sharp Sword Intent was already subtly straining to be contained.
Lu Jingchun took a deep breath and tightened his grip on the double halberds in his hands.
"The time is almost right..."
Just as he was about to give the order to prepare.
"Report—!!!"
"Why the panic?!"
Lu Jingchun frowned sharply, a flicker of anger crossing his eyes.
If it were normal times, it would be fine.
But now, with the three in golden robe present and the arrow already on the string, rushing up at this moment—if it disturbed the army's morale, who would bear the blame?
The Demon Suppression Guards tumbled off his saddle, scrambling up the steps, holding a letter high in both hands.
"Reporting to the Commander-in-Chief!"
"A letter from Lieutenant Xie Tinglan!"
"The troops have reached Hengshan Ferry, and he specifically ordered This subordinate to rush here on horseback to deliver it for your personal opening, Sir!"
Hengshan Ferry?
Lu Jingchun's heart tightened.
Wasn't that kid following the Jiang girl?
Why did he run off to Hengshan Ferry?!
Could it be... Lu Jingchun quickly stepped forward and reached out to take the envelope.
He tore open the seal.
Pulled out the letter paper.
His gaze quickly swept over it.
"What the f—?!"
An exclamation burst from his mouth.
The shout was extremely loud, even cracking slightly.
Not only were the surrounding personal guards startled.
Even the three golden robe Inspectors turned their heads.
Granny Liu curiously leaned closer.
"Lord Lu? Has something gone wrong?"
"N-nothing went wrong... it's just... Inspector Jiang..."
Granny Liu paused, then, as if she realized something, a sharp light flashed in her eyes.
"Oh? Is there news about that girl?"
Lu Jingchun took a deep breath, pointing at the letter with an expression like he was constipated.
"She... she is at Hengshan Ferry!"
"..."
A seventeen-year-old in the Late Stage of the Ink Staining Realm, a peerless Prodigy carrying the high hopes of General Bureau.
If she were to perish there... "Nonsense!"
"How could they let that girl run off to a place like that?"
Granny Liu's chest rose and fell; clearly, she was furious.
If Jiang Yuechu were at any of the other seventeen passes, it would be fine.
Even if she had bad luck and encountered a Demon King, relying on a few Zhonglian Realm experts might still save her life.
But Hengshan Ferry... considering its location, they had specifically only dispatched Yue Huaiyuan.
How could he protect that girl?
Never mind someone at Perfection in the Ink-Dipping Realm—even someone newly entering the Seed Lotus stage would meet a fate of death and Dao destruction if they weren't careful!
Lu Jingchun was also sweating profusely, his face drawn in distress.
"Lord Liu, this subordinate... this subordinate just found out!"
"Who knew she would actually follow that old bastard Yue Huaiyuan to Hengshan Ferry..."
"Enough!"
Granny Liu waved her sleeve, interrupting his explanation.
She turned around and looked at the hunched old man beside her, her tone urgent.
"Old Wang, the plan must change!"
"That girl cannot die. We must get her out first, even if this old woman has to personally..."
"It's too late."
A hoarse, indifferent voice interrupted Granny Liu.
The hunched old man, Wang Mo, slowly opened his eyes. His cloudy pupils were now filled with indifference.
He looked up at the sky.
The sun was high, and noon had arrived.
"Now the eighteen routes are in position, the encirclement is complete. Under this traction, moving one hair affects the entire body."
"If we change formation now, we will miss the opportune moment..."
The old man paused here.
"Old Liu, you are also an old timer in The Department. Do I still need to teach you the gravity of this situation?"
Granny Liu's body stiffened.
How could she not know this principle?
But that was a seventeen-year-old in the Ink Dot Realm!
"If she is a Prodigy, she naturally has the fate of a Prodigy."
Wang Mo closed his eyes again, his voice indifferent.
"If she cannot survive this calamity and dies in the mouth of that Demon King, then it proves..."
"She was only meant to stop here."
Although the words were cruel, they were the truth.
The path of the Martial Dao is inherently a struggle against fate itself.
The number of Geniuses who perish prematurely in this world is countless; only those who survive until the end are the true powerhouses.
The area before the hall fell into silence once more.
Granny Liu took a deep breath, seemingly having made a decision.
She turned around, facing away from the crowd, but subtly tugged on the sleeve of the young man beside her.
You Wujiang tilted his head slightly.
"Granny?"
Granny Liu's lips moved slightly, her voice wrapped in True Qi, condensing into a thread that drilled into You Wujiang's ear alone.
"Listen closely, kid."
"When the fighting starts later, if that beast runs somewhere else, so be it."
"But if it truly barrels toward Hengshan Ferry, as Lu Jingchun said..."
"You must stick to it like glue for this old woman!"
"Once you reach the location, ignore the beast for a moment, and protect that girl for me first!"
"As for that Demon King..."
Granny Liu tightened her grip on her staff, "With Old Wang and me covering the rear, it won't escape!"
You Wujiang nodded slightly.
Without any unnecessary words, he simply uttered a single syllable.
"Good."
...Boom—!!!
Without any warning.
A massive sound, as if the heavens had collapsed, burst forth in the center of Taihu Lake.
Immediately following.
The people at Hengshan Ferry, despite the great distance, felt the ground beneath their feet tremble violently.
"It has begun!"
Yue Huaiyuan's pupils constricted, his fierce eyes fixed on the horizon where the water met the sky.
In the extreme distance, a torrent like a white Dragon roared and shot up into the sky, reaching thousands of feet into the clouds!
Even separated by hundreds of miles, the terrifying pressure spread like a tide.
The Mountain Gazing Realm!
This was the power of a Mountain Gazing Realm mighty expert!
With every move, they could move mountains, split ridges, and sever rivers—a feat beyond human capability.
Immediately after.
The originally clear sky instantly filled with rolling black clouds the moment the white Dragon ascended, obscuring the sun.
Thunder boomed, and Electric Snakes danced wildly.
Deep within the black clouds, a faint gold figure could be seen, holding a staff and standing suspended in the air.
Every time the staff descended, a bolt of thunder as thick as a water barrel violently struck the lake water.
"Roar—!!!"
A savage roar pierced through the thunder and the waves, echoing across the entire Taihu Lake.
Crash—
The river water in front of Hengshan Ferry suddenly began to surge violently.
The water level rapidly rose at a visible speed.
Turbid waves crashed one after another against the shore reefs, splashing water several yards high.
"It's coming..."
Jiang Yuechu narrowed her eyes, her hand slowly pressing down on the hilt of the Cold Moon Saber.
Just as Chen Gong had predicted.
Facing the siege of two Mountain Gazing Realm experts and one at Perfection in the Seed Lotus Realm, the River-Flipping Demon King had no chance of victory whatsoever.
It didn't even have the qualifications to fight desperately.
The only path to survival was to flee!
And the direction of escape... In the center of Taihu Lake, the battle was raging fiercely.
Following that cry of distress, a massive black shadow, like a mountain, suddenly broke through the water surface.
It was a giant Alligator Dragon, over thirty zhang long!
Its body was enormous, covered in thick black armor.
Every scale was the size of a millstone, covered in sharp barbs.
And on its head, two imposing Dragon horns had sprouted.
Only now.
This arrogant Demon King was in a terrible state.
More than half of its black armor was cracked open, revealing fresh red flesh underneath. A sword mark, deep enough to expose bone, ran across its entire spine, still oozing demon blood.
Furthermore, its tail section was scorched black, as if a bolt of thunder had forcefully severed a piece of it.
"Flee! Must flee!!!"
The River-Flipping Demon King's eyes were filled with terror.
Damn it, has this Great Tang Demon Suppression Division gone mad?!
It was only a small Zhonglian Realm cultivator.
Yet they sent two Mountain Gazing Realm experts!
What the hell are they playing at!
It frantically thrashed its damaged body, creating a white streak in the water.
Running blindly?
No.
As a great demon that had gained sentience, it knew the water system distribution of Taihu Lake better than anyone.
South was against the current, and East was a dead end.
Only West!
There was a waterway called Hengshan Ferry that led directly to the main channel of the Yangtze River!
Once it entered the Yangtze River, it would be like a Flood Dragon entering the sea. Even a Mountain Gazing Realm expert couldn't hope to find it within the ten thousand miles of the river!
Although it also sensed a Human Race aura that it found repulsive at the Hengshan Ferry crossing.
But that aura was not strong.
The strongest was merely an ant in the Dianmo Realm.
If an ant blocks the path, crush it!
"Roar—!!!"
The River-Flipping Demon King let out a roar, its massive body carving a huge arc in the water as it frantically charged west.
Its speed was so great that it left an afterimage on the water's surface.
Wherever it passed, waves split and broke, like a warship plowing through the water... Hengshan Ferry.
Chen Gong, on the lookout tower, was pale.
"It's... it's coming!"
"It's heading this way!!!"
In fact, he didn't need to say it.
Everyone saw it.
At the end of Taihu Lake, a white line was rapidly expanding.
Accompanying the white line were terrifying giant waves, several yards high.
"Everyone! Prepare!"
Yue Huaiyuan roared, his voice like a great bell, suppressing the sound of the waves.
The dark gold spear in his hand struck the ground heavily.
"Godly Arm Crossbows! Draw the strings!"
Creak—
Sixteen Godly Arm Crossbows turned simultaneously, their thick arrowheads tightly locking onto the rapidly approaching white streak.
"Fire!!!"
Snap! Snap! Snap!
Sixteen twanging bowstrings merged into a single sound.
Sixteen giant crossbow bolts, as thick as a child's arm, whistled through the air with a mournful sound.
Like sixteen black Dragons, they savagely plunged into the white streak.
Pfft—!
Several blood blossoms bloomed in the surging waves.
This was immediately followed by an enraged roar.
But for that thirty-zhang-long behemoth, these crossbow bolts—powerful enough to pierce city walls—were merely flesh wounds, completely unable to halt its charge.
Boom—!!!
The giant wave violently slammed against the cliffs on both banks.
Crushed stones tumbled down.
The massive black shadow, carrying irresistible kinetic energy, barreled into the narrow waterway of Hengshan Ferry.
"Raise the nets!!!"
Chen Gong shouted the order.
The winches spun rapidly.
The three profound iron Dragon-locking nets on the riverbed instantly went taut.
Bang—!!!
The mountain bodies on both sides of Hengshan Ferry shook violently.
The Demon King's momentum was too fierce; it actually slammed head-first into the first net.
The incredibly tough profound iron net immediately cut into its flesh, forcing the massive body to halt for a single instant.
But it was only for an instant.
Snap! Snap! Snap!
The iron anchors were actually ripped from the riverbed by this monstrous force.
The first net, broken!
Followed immediately by the second!
The third!
In the blink of an eye.
The three Dragon-locking nets, strong enough to trap any great Ink Dot Realm demon, were completely ripped apart by this frenzied Lotus Cultivation Demon King.
But its speed had, after all, slowed down.
And this... was the opportunity Yue Huaiyuan wanted.
"Inspector Jiang! Aim carefully!"
The old general roared and leaped up.
While in mid-air.
The phantom image of a Green Flood Dragon soared up behind him.
The great spear in his hand transformed into a dark light piercing the heavens and earth, stabbing fiercely toward the Demon King's head!
At the same time.
Jiang Yuechu's figure blurred, and she vanished from her spot.
When she reappeared.
She had already stepped onto the river surface.
She moved against the monstrous waves, skimming the water surface, charging straight toward the Demon King's face.
The Cold Moon Saber unsheathed.
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