Chapter 161 - 125: White Tiger Guardian! Cyan Willow Town
It was a fine day, the weather pleasant.
In the Saint Demon Sect’s chat group, the various Demon Sects and Demon Generals noticed a change on the message scroll, which had been quiet for quite some time.
The scroll indicated that a new member had joined the group.
His name was: White Tiger Guardian!
Saint Master: "The White Tiger Guardian is one of my Four Great Protectors. Everyone, please welcome him."
The Saint Demon Sect Master had Four Great Protectors under his command.
In Lu Changfeng’s generation as Saint Master, none of the Protectors had yet made an appearance. The White Tiger was the first, making him seem quite mysterious.
As for two of the other Four Great Protectors, Cyan Dragon Sikong Jue and Vermilion Bird Teng Xiaofan, the former had already joined the group under the guise of the Sword Killing Demon Sect.
The latter had only just entered the Bone Forging Realm and was still a long way from the Rebirth Realm. His strength was insufficient, so Lu Changfeng had not yet revealed his identity or added him to the group.
Once the Saint Master finished speaking, a chorus of welcomes echoed through the Saint Demon Sect’s chat group.
The Blood Saber Demon Sect, far away in the Western Domain, was always the first to speak.
Blood Saber Demon Sect: "Welcome, White Tiger Guardian! The White Tiger presides over slaughter, so your strength must be extraordinary!"
Gluttony Demon Sect: "Saber, there you go again, being a suck-up."
Heavenly Corpse Demon Sect: "HAHAHA!"
Demon General Bai Touweng: "Oh? Congratulations, Saint Master! ’I follow the Saint Master around Qin City every day. When did he go out and recruit another subordinate? The Saint Master truly comes and goes without a trace, he’s impossible to fathom.’"
Demon General Fanyun: "White Tiger Guardian, you should come visit us in Yong City soon!"
As the Demon Sects and Demon Generals chimed in one after another, the atmosphere in the group instantly became cheerful.
However, through it all, the mysterious White Tiger Guardian never said a word.
This let the group members know that, in addition to the Law Enforcement Demon Sect, they now had another stern and silent member.
In a Cultivation Chamber in Yong City, Fanyun, Xuansha, and Lin Xiong were cultivating.
Away from Lu Changfeng, they had to spend most of their time in a state of feigned sleep, which was the only way they could accumulate enough Spiritual Power to cultivate.
It also helped them maintain peak condition to deal with any sudden attacks from the Imperial Court.
After reading the group’s messages, Fanyun looked at Xuansha. "Who is this White Tiger Guardian? Xuansha, you’re the Saint Master’s confidant. Have you ever heard of him?"
Xuansha shook his head slightly. "Never. He must be a powerful expert the Saint Master recently recruited."
"That’s great. Our Holy Sect has grown stronger," Fanyun remarked with a sigh.
If even Xuansha didn’t know, then the other Demon Sects and Demon Generals in Yong City were certainly in the dark.
This only made the White Tiger Guardian seem all the more mysterious.
...
Lu Changfeng remained in the Hua Mansion in Qin City, continuing his cultivation.
He intended to further raise his Realm and accumulate more Annihilation Value before the great war began.
「One day.」
Hua Youran rushed to find Lu Changfeng, accompanied by his third and fifth brothers.
"What’s wrong?" Lu Changfeng said, calming the three anxious-looking brothers.
"Changfeng, we have news about our second, fourth, and sixth brothers!" Hua Youran exclaimed.
’Oh?’ The matter of the three brothers flashed through Lu Changfeng’s mind.
These three were Hua Yiran’s half-brothers. They had been fighting on the front lines in Jiangnan Prefecture and had been out of contact. Because of this, they hadn’t been able to return for Hua Yiran and Lu Changfeng’s wedding.
Receiving sudden news of them should have been a good thing, but seeing the expressions on the three brothers’ faces, Lu Changfeng had a bad feeling.
"Were they injured on the battlefield by Daliang Martial Artists?" Lu Changfeng guessed.
Hua Youran shook his head. "If they’d been injured by Daliang Martial Artists, that would be a risk they willingly took. I wouldn’t have come to you for help, Changfeng."
"The truth is, the news we received says our three brothers have been imprisoned by the Jiangnan North Army!"
"The reason given was that our Hua Family has joined the Saint Demon Sect. As members of the Hua Family, they are suspected of being potential spies for the Saint Demon Sect on the front lines!"
Lu Changfeng shook his head after hearing this. "That’s rather petty of them. Do you know who did it? Is the source reliable?"
’They could have just sent them away. To detain and imprison them... they truly have no regard for the Hua Family, or the Saint Demon Sect backing them.’
Hua Youran explained everything from the beginning.
The news came from an old friend of the Hua Family in Jiangnan Prefecture, another Martial Arts Family—the Lu Family.
The Lu and Hua Families had a friendship that spanned a century. Several of the Lu Family’s own young talents were also serving on the front lines. Unable to bear seeing the three Hua brothers trapped and tortured, they secretly sent someone back with the news.
The Martial Arts Army established by the Mansion Master of Jiangnan Prefecture mirrored the five armies of Daliang’s five Supreme Generals, and was thus also divided into five armies.
These were the Jiangnan Central Army, led by the Divine Sword Sect, and the Jiangnan Left, Right, Southern, and Northern Armies, making five in total.
The three Hua brothers had joined the Jiangnan North Army, which was commanded by three major powers: the Lan Family of the Eight Great Martial Arts Families, the Ape Sect of the Top Ten Sects of Jiangnan, and the Divine Dream Sect.
According to the news from the younger members of the Lu Family, the one who had proposed imprisoning the three Hua brothers was an Elder from the Divine Dream Sect named Meng Wuhen.
He held the position of Military Chief within the Jiangnan North Army.
In the military hierarchy, his authority was second only to the General of the Northern Army. There were two other Military Chiefs of the same rank.
Meng Wuhen made the proposal. Of the three Hua brothers in question, two were in the Tendon Transformation Realm, and the third, their Second Brother, was only at the Jade Bone Realm.
Because of this, the Grand General and the other two Military Chiefs agreed without giving the consequences a second thought.
And so, the three Hua brothers were thrown into prison, locked up with captives from Daliang and subjected to all manner of torture.
"For now, the three of you are not to tell Yiran about this," Lu Changfeng said after listening.
Hua Yiran was deeply attached to her brothers and often told Lu Changfeng stories about how they had doted on her when she was a child.
If she found out that three of her brothers were in prison, she would surely make herself sick with anger.
"Changfeng, what should we do? The Saint Master certainly won’t intervene for such a small matter."
"And Father is at a critical point in his seclusion."
"You, the Holy Sect’s Law Enforcement Demon Sect, are the only one we could think to ask for help."
Lu Changfeng nodded. "Don’t worry."
"As it happens, the Holy Sect’s White Tiger Guardian is nearby. I’ll go speak with him. If he’s willing, I’ll have him accompany me to the front lines!"
"If he takes action, your three brothers will be safe."
"White Tiger Guardian? Who’s that?" The three Hua brothers exchanged glances. None of them had ever heard of such a figure in the Saint Demon Sect.
Lu Changfeng thought to himself, ’Even the other Demon Sects and Demon Generals within the sect have never met this White Tiger Guardian, let alone the three of you.’
Committing to the act, Lu Changfeng said, "I’ll be right back. Wait here."
Lu Changfeng turned and left.
Before long, the three Hua brothers saw Lu Changfeng return, accompanied by a tall man wearing a menacing white tiger mask.
A Profound Iron Long Saber hung from the tall man’s waist, but he carried nothing else.
Lu Changfeng had just stepped out to retrieve Yang Jingtian from the Ba Snake Space.
He activated his ’Purple Lotus Clone’ technique, now simultaneously controlling both his main body and the Yang Jingtian Clone.
The three Hua brothers were fine, as their cultivation level was too low to notice anything amiss.
But when Demon General Bai Touweng, who had rushed over after hearing the news, saw Yang Jingtian in the white tiger mask, he immediately felt an immense pressure.
’This White Tiger Guardian! He’s an absolutely terrifyingly powerful existence!’
’In this era of weak Heaven and Earth Primordial Energy, he’s probably one of the terrifying few who have broken through the Primordial Spirit Body to reach the True Spirit Body!’
"White Tiger Guardian! I am Demon General Bai Touweng," Bai Touweng said, stepping forward to greet him with a grave expression.
He secretly rejoiced that he had started following the Saint Master so early. ’If a figure like this is willing to serve the Saint Master, one can only imagine how terrifying the power our Saint Master truly conceals is.’
Yang Jingtian merely nodded slightly, his cold demeanor suggesting he had no desire to speak.
His demeanor matched his persona in the chat group perfectly.
Although the three Hua brothers didn’t know Yang Jingtian’s specific strength, they could guess a thing or two from the slightly nervous expression on Demon General Bai Touweng’s face.
This White Tiger Guardian had to be an individual of supreme strength, so they all cupped their fists and greeted him one by one.
Lu Changfeng had Yang Jingtian give a slight nod in response.
"Bai Touweng, you stay in Qin City. Watch over the city and the Hua Mansion for me. I’m taking a trip to bring the three brothers back," Lu Changfeng said.
Bai Touweng nodded lightly. "Rest assured, Lu Law Enforcement."
"The Saint Master sent me here to coordinate with you," Bai Touweng added, suddenly realizing his initial tone had been slightly off.
"Youran, if anything comes up, go to Bai Touweng. Don’t hesitate."
"As for my two wives, just make an excuse for me."
"I’ll be back in two or three days at the most."
Hua Youran nodded. He wanted to go with Lu Changfeng but was afraid he would only be a burden.
"Changfeng, if things prove too difficult, remember to pull back. Don’t force it," Hua Youran urged.
’It would be terrible if he failed to rescue his three brothers and they lost a brother-in-law in the process.’
Lu Changfeng nodded lightly. "I know what I’m doing."
’As long as Li Zongdao from the Divine Sword Sect and Pei Yuanshi from Daliang don’t intervene, my Clone Yang Jingtian is invincible!’
’It’s just a shame that I have to reveal this trump card now, before it’s time to deal with the Imperial Court.’
After a moment’s thought, Lu Changfeng still felt a little uneasy about leaving Hua Yiran and Chunzhu behind.
He gently set Little Bai down from his shoulder. "Go find your two mothers. Protect them well. I’ll be back before you know it."
Although the Fire Qilin was a little displeased, it understood the difference between a single good meal and a lifetime of them.
With a few leaps, it vanished from Lu Changfeng’s shoulder and went to find Hua Yiran and Chunzhu.
Having stayed by Lu Changfeng’s side for so long, the creature’s Demon Power had long since recovered to an extremely profound level.
However, the strength of its Realm, which had regressed over countless years, would not recover so quickly; it would still take a long time cultivating to regain its former power.
Of course, even with its current regressed strength, this member of the Ancient Demon Race was by no means weaker than Yang Jingtian in his True Spirit Body.
With the Fire Qilin standing guard at home, Lu Changfeng could finally set his mind at ease.
Finally, Lu Changfeng had Hua Youran pick out two swift steeds. He and his Clone, Yang Jingtian, leaped onto the horses and rode off toward the Jiangnan North Army’s position as the others watched them go.
...
Riding without rest, they traveled for a full day.
At last, Lu Changfeng arrived at the headquarters of the Jiangnan North Army—Cyan Willow Town.
Cyan Willow Town was the base of the Jiangnan North Army. Together, the Five Jiangnan Armies had formed a perimeter, trapping the Daliang Martial Arts Army inside.