After Chen Yuan and others arrived, the first wave of refugees, escorted by the troops previously dispatched by Gou Zhi, also entered Guang’an Prefecture amidst a torrential rain, stretching for miles!
The densely packed crowd, each looking exhausted and especially terrified, finally couldn’t help but break down once they entered Guang’an City, either overwhelmed with joy for escaping the grim days, or devastated for losing family members, leaving them utterly alone....
"Boom!"
The rain poured down heavily, and the thunder shattered the sky, deafening for this scene.
However, many citizens who had made a long journey from Weiyuan Prefecture, traveling hundreds or even thousands of miles, and encountering Demon disturbances along the way, were tense throughout the trip. Relaxing upon arrival at Guang’an Prefecture caused their bodies to instantly give out, with many collapsing.
The sound of the alarm and shouts erupted from the army, causing some disturbances.
Some quickly used their Divine Skills to build earth walls beneath the city walls to create simple shelters, and others urgently rode off to seek help...
At this moment, the people in West City were still reeling from the scene, not knowing what had happened. Seeing the refugees, tattered and wailing or weakly falling, the noise instantly escalated.
"So many people, what happened to them?"
"Didn’t you hear the rumors in town? Something must have happened in the west."
"Oh God, such a tragedy."
"Hurry, go see, I see many people have fallen, let’s go to help first, and yes, bring some food from home."
Conversations erupted among the families living near West City.
Then, doors banged open, figures, either with rain gear or dressed in raincoats, holding something, braved the heavy rain, hurrying towards the city walls.
Numerous figures gradually joined together into a black stream of people, warming the coldness brought on by the heavy rain.
"Child, wake up."
A middle-aged couple, hurrying to the western city wall along with the people of West City coming to aid the refugees, found a boy collapsed on the ground with his lips cracked and peeling, shoes dark blue, and the flesh of his feet blurred with blood, carrying a woman on his back showing signs of death, tied closely together with a rope.
The couple vaguely guessed the relationship between the two, and couldn’t help but be moved.
The boy, hearing the distant call, weakly opened a slit of his eye, and through the blurred light and shadow, seemed to see his mother’s face. He struggled to lift his hand, his cracked lips revealing a heart-wrenching smile,
"Mother!"
followed by his hand falling with a "slap."
The woman hurriedly caught the boy’s hand, unable to hold back her tears, weeping, "Poor child, what have you all been through?"
"Honey, quick, save him."
This scene unfolded under the western city wall.
In these chaotic times, with Demons rising, insignificant individuals in the raging torrent were as nothing, leaving behind one bloody, tearful story after another.
With the arrival of these refugees, broke stories came together, clarifying a message!
Then, by word-of-mouth, the blocked news finally unfolded, causing a stir in Guang’an Prefecture.
A thousand miles to the west, the Senluo Demon Country turned into Abyss Hell, countless people became Blood Food or slaves to Demons. At that time, five Great Divine Ability Users emerged, heading west, stormed into the Demon Country, and rescued them.
Among them, one name was repeatedly mentioned.
Ninth Mountain’s Colonel!
All clues put together, it was the Ninth Mountain’s Colonel who, leading several Human Clan masters, charged into the Demon Country thousand miles away, rescued cities full of citizens, and returned triumphant.
Soon, as the story pieced together, many previously blocked messages also caught much attention.
For instance, the Ten Thousand Mountain Demon Clan had breached the defenses; the Demon Suppression Envoy guarding Youmen Pass had fallen.
Weiyuan Prefecture had been occupied; the Ninth Mountain’s Colonel, on a mission, supported Guang’an Prefecture, holding the front line against the Demon Clan.
Those Divine Ability Users were simultaneously supporting from various Sect Heavenly Passes... and so on.
The whole Guang’an Prefecture was shaken!
Some were alarmed by the rise of Demons.
Some were exhilarated by the Ninth Mountain’s Colonel leading the Sect Heavenly Passes on a Demon-slaying campaign.
Others denounced the Prefecture for concealing news about Demons.
Meanwhile, inside the Sky Patrol Department compound, in a separate courtyard, Liu Qing and two others rushed out.
Then, sharp whistles sounded, and shouts were heard.
Soon, the Ninth Mountain Troops, having just rushed back, swiftly prepared and, with a whoosh, left the Sky Patrol Department compound, heading out towards West City.
Inside the courtyard, Chen Yuan issued several commands, delegating the finishing tasks to his troops.
After handling these tedious matters, which took about half an hour.
Having done all this, Chen Yuan finally relaxed slightly, slaughtering Demons he could handle, but dealing with the aftermath was not his forte.
Only then did he turn to the waiting Sect Heavenly Passes, clasped his fists in apology, and said, "My apologies, thank you for waiting!"
"It’s alright, we used this time to quietly regulate our breath, which is good," Qing Yangzi of Shu Mountain Sword Sect replied, then added, "I guess we all need some rest after this battle."
Qing Yangzi was right. Battling back and forth over a distance of five to six thousand miles in just two days and three nights, without a single moment to rest was no exaggeration. Such intense combat had drained his True Qi alarmingly, to the extent that he had even tapped into his vital energy, leading to a deficit.
This was under the circumstances of being besieged by the Demon forces of Weiyuan Prefecture, where Chen Yuan had several times used Heavenly Cup’s Sky Flapping Sleeve to collect enemies and recuperate.
At this, a flicker emanated from the depths of Qing Yangzi’s eyes. Fighting side by side with this Nine Colonel, he truly felt the man’s strength, far surpassing that of an ordinary Taoist Soldier, particularly the unfathomable Divine Skills he displayed.
A pair of golden eyes that could slay Demons, Capture Forms, and even break through Prohibitions. With a wave of his sleeve, he seemed to have touched upon the legendary Sleeve Universe, such a Great Divine Power.
Yet, he still had some doubts. He possessed the Qi Observation Skill and had previously seen that during this slaughter, the Nine Colonel’s vital energy was soaring. Every time he killed a Heavenly Pass Demon, his vitality grew stronger, to an extent that even scared him.
But now, there seemed to be no trace of it.
Could it be...
"Qing Yangzi Daoist Brother is right, I am also slightly injured, but having killed so many beasts, what does it matter to bear some wounds, haha, exhilarating!" Yun Kun from Thunder Mountain, with his light yellow eyebrows raised, laughed like rolling thunder, making the entire hall resonate.
The others, slightly weary, perked up when this was mentioned, nodding or chuckling.
Third Mountain’s Changshan Colonel, fresh from battle with bloodstains yet to dry on his armor, chuckled lightly: "It’s indeed because of you, Nine Colonel, with high skill and great courage, leading four men into the fray. Reminiscing now still sends shivers down my spine, it all happened so suddenly. The entire southwest was a mess, almost stunned me too."
At these words, laughter filled the hall.
Having fought together against the Demons, their camaraderie had quickly deepened.
Listening, Chen Yuan too smiled,
"Brother Chang jests. Not only were you not prepared, I also had not expected it. The battlefield is unpredictable, I merely acted on the spur of the moment."
"This time, thanks to everyone, otherwise it would have been difficult for me to conclude. I see that all of you are injured."
Saying this, he flicked his sleeve, and eight Small White Jade Bottles flew out, floating in front of the eight people.
"This contains the Blood Essence of Taoist Soldier Demons!"
"It can help you all to quickly recover from your injuries."
"Afterward, I will have someone send over the Blood Food of these Demons to your residences."
Upon hearing this, their expressions flickered.
One of the beauties from Su Nu Sword Sect, with a cold demeanor, shook her head,
"There’s no need for me, as I didn’t help much, and besides, slaughtering Demons is our duty."
The others said similar things.
Chen Yuan spoke earnestly, "All of you have fought side by side with me, Chen Yuan, venturing into perilous grounds and getting injured. Now having killed these Demons, you should all drink Demon Blood and eat Demon Flesh, you deserve it. If you don’t take it, who knows what people might say about me later."
This elicited light laughter from the Sect Heavenly Pass members.
However, the next second, as Chen Yuan continued, the smiles on their faces gradually faded,
"Moreover, I also hope that you all can recover quickly, as, from what we know along the way, the number of Six Mountains Heavenly Pass Demons that have appeared here has exceeded twenty, and that’s just a part of the Six Mountains, not to mention the Ten Thousand Mountains."
"Maybe this sounds harsh, but you and I, in this sweeping tide, are merely a slightly larger wave, always at risk of being crushed to death, our Divine Souls obliterated, vanishing into oblivion."
Chen Yuan was not unduly alarmist but was stating the harsh reality before them. All they had seen along the way was just a part of the Six Mountains; who knew what terrifying demons were hidden within the Ten Thousand Mountains. In his own words, they were just a slightly larger wave.
At the moment, he was not courting death by advancing boldly against the tide but because he knew the situation wouldn’t wait for him to slowly bide his time. He urgently needed to strengthen himself, needed the Demons, which to him, was an opportunity.
Right then, inside his Mud Ball, his Luck surged, and he was about to step into a new layer of life!
He hoped to have more and more helpers by his side. As for those eight bottles of Demon Blood Essence, he didn’t care. Currently, inside his Heavenly Cup’s Sky Flapping Sleeve, he had collected the corpses of more than ten Heavenly Pass Demons; what were a few bottles of Blood Essence in comparison? His words were not false; following him into battle and entering dangerous grounds to slay Demons was indeed their due reward.
In the hall, hearing this, the Sect Heavenly Gate members no longer hesitated and accepted the Demon Blood Essence.
"Then we thank the Nine Colonel!"
Seeing this, Chen Yuan finally smiled.
"Everyone, please go rest for now!"
"Colonel Chang and the others, I have already instructed my men to prepare your accommodations."
"Alright!"
The eight Heavenly Gate members nodded and then stood up to leave.
Just as they walked out of the hall, they saw a man with the build of a tiger and bear entering.
"Colonel Gou?"
Qing Yangzi and the others, seeing the greatly changed appearance of Gou Zhi, expressed slight astonishment.
They were unaware of Gou Zhi’s circumstances, knowing only that a person’s appearance can change, but their aura does not, thus recognizing him. Gou Zhi’s expression was somewhat stiff, and he smiled,
"Is the Nine Colonel still inside?"
"Yes, we will take our leave now."
Gou Zhi did not notice the other new faces and hurriedly made his way into the hall.
Changshan and the others found it odd; this local Colonel seemed somewhat nervous, but they did not think too much of it and left the other courtyard.
As Gou Zhi entered the hall, he saw Chen Yuan sitting there properly, apparently waiting for him.
"Lord Chen, about today’s events, I have already imprisoned King Xiao and Zhang San’s family in the dungeon, awaiting your orders!"

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