Furious curses echoed through the mountain path.
The child, however, was not afraid in the slightest.
He merely looked at Cheng Buxiu with a half-smile.
"Well?"
Cheng Buxiu's body trembled slightly.
His hands, hanging at his sides, were clenched tightly.
Though the fire in his heart could not be suppressed, what could he do at this moment?!
Cheng Buxiu slowly closed his eyes.
The current situation of the Great Tang was as precarious as a pile of eggs; demons from Spirit Mountain were running rampant.
Every moment of delay meant the tragic death of thousands of commoners.
Five Immortals Mountain... perhaps it truly was the fastest way to resolve the crisis of the two paths.
If they missed Five Immortals Mountain... although the fall of the nation was still far off, the price to pay would be unacceptable no matter what.
Compared to that...
What did his old face matter?
"Is what the Little Immortal Master said... true?"
The child shrugged: "I never lie."
"Fine."
Cheng Buxiu nodded.
He straightened his somewhat disheveled clothes and hat, brushing the dust off his cloak.
His movements were meticulous.
As solemn as when he attended court to face the Emperor on ordinary days.
Then.
Under the watch of dozens of eyes that were nearly bursting with rage.
He slowly bent the spine that had never once bent for an enemy.
Cheng Buxiu supported himself with his hands on the ground, his head lowered.
On his aged face, his expression could not be seen.
"Woof, woof, woof..."
Behind him.
Dozens of iron-willed men now had eyes rimmed with red.
Some bit their lips so hard they bled.
Some turned their heads away, unable to bear watching this scene any longer.
The dignified Minister of War of the Great Tang.
To be forced to this point!
This so-called Immortal Mountain... was it for Immortals, or for demons?!
"Hahahaha!"
Crisp laughter exploded through the mountain forest.
The child clapped his hands in delight, laughing until he doubled over: "Interesting! Truly interesting! I didn't expect this high-ranking official of the mortal world to sound even more like a stray dog than the ones in the mountains when he barks!"
After laughing.
The child wiped the tears from the corners of his eyes.
Suddenly, he said expressionlessly, "I don't lie to people, but you're a dog. Since you're a dog, why haven't you gotten lost yet?!"
Boom—
Cheng Buxiu snapped his head up.
His eyes, which were originally as dull as dead ashes, were now filled with shock.
"You—!!!"
The Deputy General behind him could no longer restrain himself.
Drawing his transverse blade, he roared and charged forward.
"You beast! I'll slaughter you!!!"
The others were also beyond furious and drew their blades one after another.
Cheng Buxiu remained kneeling on the ground.
He stared blankly at the child.
He seemed unable to process what was happening.
He had abandoned his dignity, abandoned everything, and knelt here like a dog to plead.
And in return... he got such a joke?
"Is this..."
Cheng Buxiu muttered to himself, his voice trembling.
"Is this an Immortal of... Five Immortals Mountain?"
The child looked indifferently at the crowd rushing toward him. Massive clouds of crimson mist appeared out of thin air, instantly enveloping an area of dozens of feet.
Amidst the churning mist.
The shadow of a giant toad slowly emerged.
The child stood atop the toad's head.
His robes fluttered, and his expression was grim.
"I told you to get lost... are you deaf?!"
...Yizhou Prefecture.
In the courtyard inside the gates.
Several demons were idling on guard.
Suddenly, a shattering sound was heard.
Boom—
The two gates shattered at the sound.
Broken wood fell into the bloody mud.
Kicking up a stench.
Jiang Yuechu stood outside the gates.
Her black robe was as dark as ink, her cloak as red as fire.
Three Dragon Pearls circled around her.
Red, white, and black colors flowed incessantly.
Seeing the gates kicked open by external force.
The demons all froze in place, their faces full of shock.
"You are..."
As the words fell.
The young girl raised her hand.
The three pearls vibrated in unison.
Black lightning struck out from the Void Realm, crimson flames spread from the cracks in the ground, and heavy water vapor converged from all directions.
Lightning, fire, and water all roared in fury.
In just a single exchange.
All the demons in the courtyard were shredded.
Flesh and blood splattered onto the broken stone pillars.
Then slowly dripped down through the cracks, turning into pools of unidentifiable mangled meat.
[Current Dao Cultivation: 170,623 years]
Within her Sea of Consciousness, the numbers were rapidly jumping.
From Baxi Commandery to Yizhou Prefecture, she had not stopped along the way.
Although the demons stationed in the city were scattered, they added up to a massive amount of Dao Cultivation.
She stepped over the threshold.
Her expression was calm, showing no signs of joy.
The three Dragon Pearls were like stars surrounding the moon; whenever Demonic Qi approached, lightning, fire, or water arrows would fly out to slay it.
Passing through the corridor.
Dozens more demons roared as they poured out of the rooms.
However.
As the Great Halberd swung,
it brought forth clouds of blood.
Until she arrived outside the main hall.
Jiang Yuechu stopped her pace.
Her black robe had long since lost its original color, showing only layer upon layer of dark red that had dried and then been soaked again.
The crimson cloak hung behind her, heavy with the weight of the demon blood it had absorbed.
She turned her head slightly.
It was not quiet inside the hall.
The sound of clinking glasses and the wild laughter of demons.
And faint sobbing.
These demons had been so careless that they had completely failed to notice the commotion outside.
Perhaps... in the eyes of these demons from Spirit Mountain, no one would dare to break into such a place alone.
Jiang Yuechu lowered her eyes and took a deep breath.
Then.
She raised her foot.
Boom—!!!
The two carved redwood doors, along with the high threshold, exploded into a shower of wood chips in an instant.
A powerful wind rushed in.
Dozens of gazes simultaneously turned toward the doorway.
The girl dragged her halberd with one hand; behind her was a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood, and before her was a hall full of demons.
At the head of the main hall.
A Woman in a luxurious Phoenix robe slowly set down the jade cup in her hand.
Her gaze passed through the flying wood chips and landed on Jiang Yuechu.
"You've come?"
"..."
The Woman didn't seem to care about her silence.
She slowly closed her eyes and leaned back slightly, as if reminiscing about something.
"That worthless son of mine... though he was a bit mischievous and acted a bit arrogantly, he was ultimately of the Bloodline of my Great Roc Clan. He should have soared upwards to strive for..."
Before she could finish.
Whoosh—!!!
She suddenly felt a foul wind hitting her face.
The Woman snapped her eyes open.
In her field of vision.
The sole of a brocade boot covered in bloody mud rapidly enlarged.
A flash of shock appeared on the Woman's face.
"Your mother..."
Thump—!!!
Her features instantly collapsed inward, and her high nose was flattened.
Her whole body turned into a blur, flying backward.
Rumble—!!!
The hard wall was instantly smashed through.
Following that.
Several more booms of collapsing walls could be heard.
Jiang Yuechu slowly retracted her foot, expressionless.
Facing a great enemy and you still close your eyes?
Addicted to acting cool, are we?
"Audacious madman! How dare you insult the Great Sage?!"
After a brief, deathly silence.
A tiger demon was the first to react.
With a roar, his Demonic Qi soared into the sky.
He revealed his true form as a striped tiger, opened his bloody maw, and lunged toward Jiang Yuechu.
The other great demons also came to their senses.
In an instant.
Demonic winds howled in the hall, accompanied by ghostly wails.
Several terrifying auras locked onto the black-clad figure in the center.