Baxi Commandery.
On the long streets, blood reached the shins.
Severed limbs and remains were scattered everywhere.
In this once-prosperous major town, the city gates were now shattered.
The heavy, iron-clad wooden gates were broken into several pieces, lying slumped in the mud.
A half-broken Red Cloud Black Flag was stuck diagonally into the ruins.
A young Commandant, who had lost an arm, leaned against a dilapidated gate pillar.
Behind him, hundreds of commoners huddled in the shadows.
Old men held their grandsons; women covered the mouths of their young children.
Their pupils were unfocused, their expressions dazed.
Having reached the peak of terror, they instead stopped crying.
Outside the city.
Countless pairs of indifferent eyes flickered in and out of sight within the black mist.
An old soldier leaned on a broken spear, swaying on his feet. He looked back at the young Commandant, then at the commoners behind him.
He opened his mouth, seemingly wanting to say something.
But with the situation as it was, even he didn't believe such words... so how could he offer any comfort to the crowd?
Overnight, demons had suddenly appeared in the heart of Jiannan, and more than half of the counties had already fallen.
Even if the Imperial Court moved as fast as possible, how could they send reinforcements in a single day?
Trembling, he reached into his robe and pulled out a piece of dry flatbread.
He took a bite and chewed slowly.
Then, he held his broken spear across his chest.
Boom—!!!
The entire commandery city shook violently.
The black mist was shattered by a brutal force.
A colossal figure stepped over the broken city walls and into the town.
"Kill!!!"
The young Commandant let out a roar, raising his sword and rising.
The old soldier charged forward with his spear.
The remaining dozens of Demon Suppression Guards and soldiers burned their last bit of blood and Qi, charging upward with angry roars.
But facing the Mountain-Viewing Realm Demon Venerable, even if their numbers were multiplied by hundreds...
What use would it be?
No miracle occurred.
Mists of blood exploded on the street, brilliant and fleeting.
The great demon continued its forward march, crushing the old soldier's chest with a single step.
The young Commandant lay on the ground, staring blankly at the sky.
He didn't know if it was an illusion, but a splash of color suddenly appeared in his vision.
He strained to open his eyes wide.
The blood-red and dimness in his eyes were completely dispelled by a brilliant golden light.
Golden light doesn't just appear out of thin air.
Could it be... that the Imperial Court's reinforcements have arrived?
He struggled, wanting to lift his head to see more clearly.
Suddenly, the sound of tearing silk descended from the Nine Heavens.
At this very moment.
Whether it was the colossal Demon Venerable marching forward, the thousands of commoners cowering in the shadows, or the demons following behind the Demon Venerable.
All of them subconsciously raised their heads.
A golden rainbow pierced the sun, flashing past from the edge of the sky.
Before anyone could react, the golden rainbow suddenly plummeted, like a meteor smashing down in fury!
Boom—!!!
A sudden thunderclap exploded between heaven and earth.
Dust filled the air like a turning earth dragon, soaring into the sky.
The Mountain-Viewing Realm Demon Venerable lowered its massive head in a daze.
At its chest, a human-sized hole had appeared at some point, clear from front to back.
The wound was smooth, with not a drop of blood gushing out.
Only wisps of forest-white Qi swirled around it.
Through the hole, one could even clearly see the ruined streetscape behind it.
"Heh... heh..."
A hiss escaped the Demon Venerable's throat.
It reached out with a giant claw, as if trying to grasp something.
But in the end, it fell powerlessly.
Rumble—!!!
Losing its support, the massive body crashed backward.
Amidst the dust.
A figure in mysterious black had appeared before the young Commandant at some unknown moment.
She did not look back, standing there quietly.
Her black hair fluttered, her robes silent.
It was as if she had been standing there since time immemorial.
The young Commandant stared blankly at the not-so-tall figure before him.
In his vision, a slender, fair hand was extended toward him.
The Commandant froze for a long time before tremblingly reaching out with his blood-stained hand, using the leverage to stagger to his feet.
Just as he was about to speak and ask who she was.
He saw the girl turn around, her back to him, as she stepped toward the crumbling city gates.
On her right shoulder, a dark-gold Vicious Beast pauldron protruded fiercely, its dragon-maw spitting out chilling killing intent.
With a flick of her wrist, a blood-red cloak appeared out of thin air.
Like a prairie fire, it billowed in the biting, cold wind.
Only her cold words remained behind.
"Notify everyone here."
"In the name of the Grand Princess of the Great Tang and as the Commander of the Longyou Military Commission, I take command of all troops here. All who bear blades, follow behind me."
"Since the demons dare to invade, to tread upon an inch of my Great Tang's soil, and to feast upon my Great Tang's people..."
"...then they must be prepared to offer their necks to the slaughter!"
The black mist outside the city surged, and countless demons actually took a step back instinctively.
Boom—!!!
In black robes and a red cloak, one person and one halberd.
She transformed into a blood-colored bolt of lightning that tore through heaven and earth, plunging headlong into the torrent of demons!
...Chang'an.
Inside the Imperial Palace Hall.
The young Emperor propped his head with one hand, his eyes closed in silence.
The civil and military officials were lined up on the left and right, yet at this moment, none dared to speak.
After a long while.
He slowly opened his eyes: "Are you all mute?"
"Usually, every one of you can argue until you're red in the face in this hall over trivial matters, even rolling up your sleeves to start a fight."
"Now that they've fought their way to our doorstep, my dear ministers, give Your Majesty a plan!"
"..."
An Old Minister dressed in purple robes tremblingly stepped forward.
"Your Majesty, it is not that your servants are incompetent, but... this upheaval came too suddenly and too fiercely."
"In Jiannan and Longyou, beacons of war were lit overnight; the demons of Spirit Mountain possess heaven-defying means..."
"Enough!"
A military general couldn't help but jump out: "What damn use is whimpering! The only plan now is to mobilize all the world's troops and fight them to the death!"
"Easier said than done!"
The purple-robed Old Minister flicked his sleeve and said, "How much money and grain are needed to mobilize an army? Although the national treasury is currently full, it cannot withstand such squandering. Besides, when facing demons, can the gap be filled with human lives alone?"
"Go to hell! Are we supposed to just watch as two Regions fall?"
"You vulgar martial brute..."
Seeing that they were about to fall into another argument.
"Enough!"
The Emperor shouted in anger.
He finally made everyone stop their bickering.
Silence returned to the hall.
Suddenly, at this moment.
Another figure stepped forward.
"Your Majesty."
Elder Cheng bowed deeply and said in a heavy voice, "The current situation is no longer an ordinary demon calamity."
"Spirit Mountain's aggressive advance this time clearly shows they have no intention of leaving the Great Tang a way out. With only the Demon Suppression Division and the Imperial Court's troops, I fear... we are a single tree trying to support a falling house."
The Emperor sat up slightly straighter: "What brilliant ideas does Elder Cheng have?"
Elder Cheng sighed: "When the nest is overturned, can any eggs remain intact? The Cui Clan of Boling, the Lu Clan of Fanyang, the Zheng Clan of Xingyang... they have received the nation's grace for hundreds of years. How can they sit idly by in this moment of life and death?"
As soon as these words were spoken, the expressions of many officials in the hall changed slightly, but no one dared to speak out in rebuttal.
"And the various Sects in the Jianghu."
Elder Cheng continued, "Although they are people of the Jianghu and it is inconvenient for them to interfere in Imperial Court matters, if these demons truly take over the world, will they leave a path for them to survive?"
The Emperor nodded slightly.
Indeed.
If the world's noble families and Jianghu Sects could be gathered... "However..."
Elder Cheng's tone shifted, and a trace of bitterness appeared on his face.
"Even if we assemble the strength of the entire world, facing Spirit Mountain... the chances of victory are still slim."
"The seventy-two Demon Kings of Spirit Mountain's caves are each above the Lamp-Lighting Realm, and the demons under their command number more than a million. The Master of Spirit Mountain is an existence who already controls a Daoist lineage."
"And our Great Tang..."
Elder Cheng glanced at a certain empty seat.
A flash of gloom appeared in his eyes.
"The High Ancestor needs to guard Chang'an, and Commander-in-Chief Bai... is currently lying on his sickbed, his life or death uncertain. As for other Lamp-Lighting Martial Saints, if they are moved, it would only be a matter of robbing Peter to pay Paul..."
Elder Cheng took a deep breath and finally said slowly, "The only plan for now is... to send an envoy into the mountains and plead with the Five Immortals Mountain."