"Speak! How is the situation at the front? Have the demons crossed the border?!"
The scout pulled on the reins, panting heavily. His face wore an expression as if he had seen a ghost.
"Re...Reporting, Commander!"
"Up a...ahead... in Baxi Commandery..."
"Th...there are no demons."
Xu Xiao was stunned: "What?"
"No demons!"
The scout's eyes widened, as if he still hadn't recovered from the scene he had just witnessed.
"Baxi Commandery is still here!"
"This subordinate did not see any demons besieging the city, nor did I see any signal fires... It's just..."
Xu Xiao's brows furrowed tightly: "It's just what?"
"It's just too quiet."
Hearing this, Xu Xiao felt a surge of doubt in his heart.
No demons?
How is that possible?
Calculating the time, at this hour, these Beasts should have already arrived at Baxi Commandery...
Could it be that they suffered a defeat and retreated?
As soon as this thought arose, he extinguished it himself.
Absolutely impossible.
Currently, Jiannan Circuit has empty military forces; what could they use to resist?
"Could it be a ruse of an empty city? Or perhaps..."
Xu Xiao's expression changed abruptly.
"All troops, be on alert!"
"Follow me into the city!"
Regardless of whether what lies ahead is a dragon's den or a tiger's lair, or a cunning trap.
Since we have arrived, there is no reason not to go in and take a look.
The army marched to the foot of Baxi Commandery.
Xu Xiao reined in his horse, stopped, and looked up at the city.
The city walls were in ruins, covered everywhere with gaps shattered by immense force.
Dark red bloodstains, like splashed ink, dyed most of the wall surface red.
But this blood was not the blood of the common people!
Countless demon corpses were packed densely together.
Some were cut in half at the waist, others had their skulls pierced through.
They died in various ways, with not a single one intact.
This...
The people following behind Xu Xiao were dumbfounded, looking at each other in dismay.
What is going on?!
Defeated?
But if they were defeated, who killed these demons covering the ground?
Just at this moment.
Figures suddenly darted within the city.
Xu Xiao's heart grew cold, and he held his horizontal blade in front of him.
However, he saw that those figures held no hostility; instead, they were running quickly towards this side.
"Commander Xu!"
Seeing the person clearly, excitement welled up on Meng Shan's face.
Xu Xiao was stunned, as he also recognized this person.
Shannan East Circuit and Jiannan Circuit were adjacent, and they had frequent interactions, so he naturally had some impression of him.
He dismounted, stepped forward quickly, and grabbed the staggering Meng Shan.
"Brigade Commander Meng! What exactly happened here..."
Meng Shan shook his head, then nodded.
"It was Your Highness."
"Your Highness?"
Xu Xiao frowned: "Has the imperial army arrived?"
"No... just Your Highness... alone."
Xu Xiao suddenly froze in place.
He had thought of countless possibilities.
But he had never thought of this one.
However, upon second thought.
Your Highness had just beheaded a Demon Saint a few days ago.
With such methods, why be so surprised?
After calming his mood, he asked again: "Where is she?"
Meng Shan raised his hand and pointed to the southern horizon.
"She left."
"Where did she go?"
"She went south."
"..."
Xu Xiao felt a surge of blood rush to his head, his eyes widened, and he grabbed Meng Shan by the collar.
"Meng Shan! Are you f*cking blinded by pig fat, or were you scared out of your wits by the demons? Your Highness is of golden body, how dare you let her risk danger alone?!"
Meng Shan was shaken until he was dizzy, but he did not dodge or avoid it, letting the other's spit spray onto his face.
He just smiled bitterly, his voice hoarse.
"Commander Xu... Do you think we wanted this? But that is Your Highness; can she be stopped?"
"Even so..."
Xu Xiao released his hand and pushed Meng Shan half a step away.
The remaining words could no longer be spoken.
That's right.
Since Your Highness could behead a Demon Saint, how terrifying must her strength be?
She cannot be stopped.
Even if it were him, he could not stop her.
But if this group couldn't stop her, why didn't Chang'an stop her?!
Why didn't Your Majesty stop her?!
This time, the demons came with great ferocity, capable of ravaging two Circuits overnight; the danger involved is obvious even with one's toes.
While Your Highness can indeed behead a Demon Saint, what if something goes wrong?
The more Xu Xiao thought about it, the more anxious he became.
"Pass on my orders!"
"Leave some troops behind to assist Brigade Commander Meng in settling the common people and gathering the remnants!"
A Deputy General stepped out quickly and cupped his hands to receive the order.
Xu Xiao mounted his horse, drew the horizontal blade at his waist, and pointed the tip towards the south.
"The rest of you!"
"Follow me south!"
Rumble—
The sound of horse hooves, which had just ceased not long ago, exploded again like thunder.
Thousands of iron cavalry, without the slightest hesitation, followed closely behind their Commander, kicking up clouds of dust, and galloped towards the south, a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood.
On the Dragon Throne.
Watching the civil and military officials in the hall disperse one by one.
The Emperor slowly raised his hand and rubbed his brow, feeling a wave of exhaustion wash over him.
The Old Eunuch on the side saw this and hurried forward, saying softly: "Your Majesty, do not overwork your heart. Everything that should be done, Your Majesty has done. Now, we only wait for the reply from Five Immortals Mountain."
Hearing this, the Emperor just sighed lightly.
"I am just wondering... what exactly should become of the future of the Great Tang?"
The Old Eunuch bowed slightly, not daring to interrupt.
"When the High Ancestor was alive, the Great Tang still had over a dozen Lamp-Lighting Martial Saints."
"But now... aside from the High Ancestor guarding Chang'an, and Elder Bai and a few Old Ancestors from the great clans, there is no one else."
"The rest who have entered the Lamp-Lighting Realm have all joined Five Immortals Mountain."
"I know they pursue the Dao of martial arts, pursuing that path to ascend to the heavens, but can they just disregard the Great Tang empire?"
The Old Eunuch quickly comforted him: "Your Majesty, please do not think this way."
"The path of cultivation is inherently difficult, and... the decree of the Immortal Mountain allows Lamp-Lighting Martial Saints to join, so Your Majesty cannot stop them."
"That's right... how could I stop them?"
The Emperor turned his head, "By the way, where is Lonely Moon? Is she still in the Golden Jade Palace?"
The Old Eunuch's face broke into a smile, and he bowed: "Replying to Your Majesty, Your Highness has just returned to Chang'an, so she is likely resting in the Golden Jade Palace."
Hearing this, the Emperor's expression softened slightly.
"That is good, that is good..."
He waved his hand, signaling the Old Eunuch to come closer, and lowered his voice: "Pass on my oral edict: blockade the inside and outside of the Golden Jade Palace. For these few days, no one is allowed to reveal even half a word of the events outside the palace to Lonely Moon."
"With this girl's temperament, I fear that if she finds out, she will rush over there again. It is true that she can behead a Demon Saint, but Lingshan... is not as simple as just one Demon Saint."
"As long as Lonely Moon can stay safely in Chang'an, as long as she can successfully enter the Lamp-Lighting Realm."
"The future of the Great Tang will have some hope."
Hearing this, the Old Eunuch nodded and said: "This old servant understands!"
The Emperor straightened his body, stretched, and said again: "By the way... Lonely Moon has been drifting outside for sixteen years, so she probably isn't very used to the palace. You send someone to see if there is anything she needs, and do not neglect her."
"Yes."
The Old Eunuch acknowledged and turned to pass the edict.
A moment later.
A little eunuch ran over in a hurry and whispered a few words into the Old Eunuch's ear.
Hearing this, the Old Eunuch's face suddenly turned deathly pale.
He turned around tremblingly, and step by step, shuffled back to the Emperor's side.
Seeing his strange expression, the Emperor's heart skipped a beat.
"What is it?"
"Your Majesty..."
"Speak!"
"Your Majesty... Your Highness... Your Highness... seems to not be... in the palace..."
"..."
The Emperor rolled his eyes back and fainted on the spot.