Chapter 101 - 94: Saint Demon Sect’s Business!
A bright, clear moon hung high in the sky.
The moonlight playfully slipped through the window and into the small teahouse.
It reflected in the teacup before Lu Changfeng.
Lu Changfeng gazed at the reflection of the bright, full moon in his cup, then, without hesitation, brought it to his lips and drained it in one gulp.
’Moonlight paired with tea... it has a unique flavor.’
A gentle breeze swept by.
Xuansha’s figure stepped into the teahouse. Today, he was clad in Night Clothes that concealed his head and face. "Saint Master."
Lu Changfeng nodded slightly. "Is everyone here?"
"All three of the Dark Buddha Demon Sect’s Bone Refining Fifth Layer experts have been mobilized, along with ten at the Bone Refining Fourth Layer and thirty other Bone Refining Realm Disciples."
"All Disciples are already spread out around the tavern. At your command, Saint Master, we can launch the assault," Xuansha replied in a low, focused voice.
"Mm," Lu Changfeng nodded. "Among the members of the Daliang Mission, two people at the Bone Refining Fifth Layer require our attention. The first is their National Preceptor. The second is the sole Bone Refining Realm expert among Daliang Country’s nine contestants."
"Both of them possess a Demon Fiend Bloodline."
"Other than them, the rest of the entourage are nothing to fear."
This was all intelligence Lu Changfeng had gathered.
The strongest experts in the Daliang Mission were only at the Bone Refining Fifth Layer.
It was reasonable that there were no Rebirth Realm experts in the Daliang Country mission.
The Heaven and Earth Primordial Energy was currently weak. Once a Martial Sect advanced to the Rebirth Realm, they had to enter secluded cultivation and a state of torpor to maintain their Spirit Body.
The moment they came out of seclusion, they would begin to consume the energy stored in their Spirit Body. Once that energy was depleted, their cultivation would fall back to the Bone Refining Realm.
This was an unacceptable outcome for any Rebirth Realm expert.
Therefore, after a Martial Artist entered the Rebirth Realm, most chose to go into secluded torpor to accumulate Spirit Body Energy.
Only at critical moments would they choose to emerge, and they would not stay out for long.
This was because once they left their state of torpor and their Spirit Body activated, the energy consumed could not be replenished by the current world’s Heaven and Earth Primordial Energy.
To put it simply, a Rebirth Realm Martial Artist’s Spirit Body would activate the moment they were awake. Once activated, it would consume Spirit Body Energy, causing their Energy Value to plummet wildly.
Only when a Rebirth Realm Martial Artist entered a state of torpor would their Spirit Body’s consumption drop to a minimum, allowing them to accumulate Spirit Body Energy.
Therefore, the experts who could remain active in the Martial Arts Realm were generally at the Bone Refining Fifth Layer.
’Those legendary beings of the Celestial Tier probably never show themselves because they, too, are constrained by the weak Heaven and Earth Primordial Energy, which is insufficient to support them.’
It had to be said, this was the tragedy of this era.
Mighty Rebirth Realm experts were trapped by their own power, unable to move freely, all because of the insufficient Heaven and Earth Primordial Energy.
If nothing changed, the path of Martial Arts would likely come to a dead end here.
’Thinking about it this way, the reason the woman at the bottom of Fengtian Lake slumbers in an Ice Coffin becomes traceable.’
Of course, this didn’t mean one could just ignore Rebirth Realm Martial Artists.
If one truly angered a Rebirth Realm Martial Artist, the energy they had accumulated would be more than enough to make their enemy suffer.
An ordinary person wasn’t worthy of forcing a Rebirth Realm Martial Artist to completely exhaust their Spirit Body Energy.
It was just like when Xuansha had slaughtered his way into the Lan Family. The Lan Family Ancestor had decisively ended his torpor, consuming precious Spirit Body Energy to capture Xuansha alive.
And some time ago, Lin Ye of the Gluttony Demon Sect was said to have been personally rescued by a Rebirth Realm expert from the Gluttony Demon Sect. One could imagine how important Lin Ye was in the eyes of that expert.
Instances of Rebirth Realm Martial Artists taking action could still be encountered occasionally in the Martial Arts Realm.
Daliang Country’s situation this time was unique.
The journey from Daliang to Jiangnan Prefecture required crossing the East Sea, a trip that took over a month.
This wasn’t a formal war, so a Rebirth Realm Martial Artist would obviously not spend so much time on a long journey, consuming their precious Spirit Body Energy to join the mission.
Thus, the strongest experts in the mission were only the two at the Bone Refining Fifth Layer.
The National Preceptor never would have imagined that the mission would be targeted by a Demon Dao Influence from the Song Country.
In his mind, the Jiangnan Prefecture Lord would resist with all his might but would never dare to actively provoke a conflict. Instead, he would try to avoid it. Therefore, the National Preceptor had never considered the mission’s safety and was not at all worried about danger.
Right now, the important matter the National Preceptor was contemplating in the tavern was the defeat of the Daliang contestants at the Martial Arts exchange. This meant the divination result was that Daliang Country could not use force against Jiangnan Prefecture.
He didn’t know how he was going to explain such an outcome to his monarch.
...
Xuansha put his palms together. "This humble monk understands. Leave the Daliang National Preceptor to me."
Lu Changfeng nodded slightly. He trusted Xuansha’s strength.
The Martial Arts Ultimate Skill: Dark Buddha Glazed Body, developed from an Advanced Martial Arts True Intent, was extremely formidable.
One could only say that the reason Xuansha’s name wasn’t on the Cyan Dragon List was simply due to his status as a member of the Demon Dao.
"Relay the orders. Remember to leave as many as possible alive."
Without Lu Changfeng needing to spell it out, Xuansha understood immediately.
’Leave them alive to refine into Buddha Heart Pills, of course.’
’The Saint Master really isn’t a soft-hearted person.’
"Understood, Sect Master," Xuansha nodded.
This style of conduct was much to Xuansha’s liking. In this day and age, only by seizing every moment to plunder and strengthen oneself could one catch the winds of opportunity and rise.
’This Daliang Mission... I, Xuansha, will seize it for the Saint Master!’
「One hour later.」
The time had reached the third quarter past midnight.
The streets of Jiangzhou City had fallen completely silent, devoid of a single person.
After a bustling day, the common folk had all fallen into a peaceful sleep.
The bright moonlight spilled onto the empty streets.
Under the moonlight, dozens of figures with powerful auras silently leaped through the air, slowly encircling the Government Office Tavern.
Inside the Government Office Tavern.
The Daliang National Preceptor, who had just fallen asleep, suddenly snapped his eyes open.
’Someone is approaching the tavern!’
’No, it’s many people, and they’re surrounding us! This is definitely aimed at the mission. They’re going to attack the mission?!’
’Is the Jiangnan Prefecture Lord brain-dead? Has he considered the consequences of attacking the mission?’
’Is he not afraid of the wrath of the entire Daliang Country?’
The Daliang National Preceptor shot to his feet. At the same time, a figure shattered the window.
The figure landed inside the room.
A person in Night Clothes stood in the room, placing their palms together toward the Daliang National Preceptor. "Amitabha Buddha. You must be the Daliang National Preceptor."
The Daliang National Preceptor stood up. "Where did this bald donkey who hides his face come from?"
"It seems I’ve found the right person."
Confirming he hadn’t found the wrong person, Xuansha immediately activated his Dark Buddha Glazed Body. His form swelled in size as he threw a punch at the Daliang National Preceptor.
Caught off guard, the Daliang National Preceptor was sent flying by the punch, crashing into the wall behind him. Xuansha’s fist was so powerful it directly pulverized the wall, creating a deafening crash in the dead of night.
This tremendous noise seemed to be the signal to begin.
The sounds of battle cries erupted from all over the Government Office Tavern.
The constables inside the Prefectural Yamen were startled and rushed out.
"The Saint Demon Sect is at work! We are only targeting the Daliang People! Scram if you don’t want to die!"
A Disciple from the Dark Buddha Demon Sect shouted to drive the constables away.
A Gold Medal Chief Constable saw that all the Saint Demon Sect members in action were Martial Sects of the Bone Refining Realm.
Coupled with the previous incident involving Lin Ye, it seemed the Mansion Master had reached some kind of tacit understanding with the Saint Demon Sect Master (or so it appeared to ordinary people).
After weighing the pros and cons, the Gold Medal Chief Constables in the Prefectural Yamen decisively chose to watch the tigers fight from a safe distance. They sent out other constables to disperse the ordinary citizens who had heard the commotion and gathered nearby to watch.
Their Chief Constable, Jin Changsong, was still at the Prince’s Mansion for a celebration banquet tonight. How could a few Gold Medal Chief Constables dare to make the decision to oppose the Saint Demon Sect?
"The Saint Demon Sect is so powerful. I wonder which of its factions is behind this attack?" one of the Gold Medal Chief Constables remarked with a sigh.
Judging by the number of Bone Refining Realm experts in action, there were almost fifty of them.
The auras of a few of them were even frighteningly powerful.
They could casually deploy so many experts.
’The Saint Demon Sect truly lives up to its name as the Demon Dao’s First Sect. Its organization is so complex and varied.’
’If that legendary Saint Master could truly unify the Saint Demon Sect, I wonder if any power in the Song Country today could stand against them.’
’Would it be the Divine Sword Sect, or perhaps Yunfo Temple?’
The sounds of fighting grew more and more intense.
Curses and shouts rang out from all corners of the tavern, and members of the Daliang Mission could be heard crying for help, but no one responded.
After reaching a crescendo, the noise suddenly began to die down.
A moment later, the tavern, now nearly a ruin, fell deathly silent.
The Gold Medal Chief Constables from the Prefectural Yamen then saw Saint Demon Sect experts, clad in Night Clothes, leap away one by one.
Each of them seemed to be carrying something.
After another short while, once they confirmed that no more sounds were coming from inside, the Gold Medal Chief Constables finally led their men into the dilapidated tavern to handle the aftermath.
They saw that the tavern was covered in signs of a struggle, but not a single member of the Daliang Mission was to be found.
"Sigh... Report this to the Mansion Master."
"Who knows what changes this incident will bring..."
...
At a certain pier in Jiangzhou, Lu Changfeng and his group had already arranged for a dozen small boats to be on standby.
When Xuansha arrived with his men, they immediately boarded the boats, carrying the captured prisoners, now turned into Human Pigs.
With the Dark Buddha Demon Sect’s methods, keeping these Human Pigs alive for several years would be no problem.
Lu Changfeng used his interface to inspect the members of the Daliang Mission who had been turned into Human Pigs, one by one.
If he found any with a Root Bone or bloodline worth copying, he told Xuansha they had another purpose and to keep them well-maintained.
All the rest were to be refined into Buddha Heart Pills by Xuansha.
There were many Grand Martial Artists and Bone Refining experts in the mission; Lu Changfeng expected to harvest a good number of Buddha Heart Pills this time.
Lu Changfeng quickly finished his inspection.
Noticing a trace of blood at the corner of Xuansha’s mouth, he asked, "Are you injured?"
"This humble monk is fine. The National Preceptor’s Demon Fiend Bloodline is truly powerful. It was only with the help of my junior brother, Xuannu, that I was able to take down that beast."
Xuansha pointed to his side. Lu Changfeng looked over and saw a tall monk whose features resembled an Angry-eyed Vajra.
This was Xuannu, one of the few Bone Refining Fifth Layer experts of the Dark Buddha Demon Sect.
Besides him, the Dark Buddha Demon Sect also had Xuanxin and Xuan Zhan, both at the Bone Refining Fifth Layer and both Xuansha’s martial brothers.
"Greetings, Saint Master!" Seeing Lu Changfeng’s gaze upon him, Xuannu put his palms together and bowed.
Lu Changfeng nodded slightly. "Thank you all for your hard work. Go back and get some rest."
"Saint Master, would you like to return to the sect’s garrison with us?" Xuansha invited.
Lu Changfeng shook his head, declining. "You all return first. Take good care of those few people. When the time is right, I will have a use for them."
Xuansha and the others accepted their orders and departed.
Lu Changfeng watched the small boats leave the pier and head in the direction of Jia City, then returned to the Martial Arts Hall with Zhisha and the others.