Chapter 188 - 140: Making a Move
The Thousand Knowledge Sect’s small building had closed down after all.
The Daliang Alien Race didn’t care if you were a neutral Sect.
As long as you were one of the Song People, you had to die.
Lin Yuesheng stayed behind to be the last to leave, but only to gather more information on the Sect Leader’s orders.
Lu Changfeng walked slowly through the streets of Jiangzhou.
Dressed in a moon-white robe and holding a small dog, Lu Changfeng seemed utterly out of place amidst the current situation in Jiangzhou.
"They’re here! They’re here!"
"The Jiangnan Central Army, led by the Divine Sword Sect, has been defeated!"
"The Daliang Alien Race’s vanguard is marching straight for Jiangzhou Prefecture City!"
Someone who had come from afar was shouting the latest news.
At this, the people who had been reluctantly and slowly leaving their homes immediately fell into a panic.
"Hurry! Let’s go!"
"The Daliang People kill without batting an eye! They’ve beheaded powerful Martial Artists and Martial Sect masters and used their skulls as wine flasks!"
"Run!"
The atmosphere of panic in the streets grew noticeably thicker.
Lu Changfeng opened a letter and read it. The intelligence just sent by Lin Erfeng confirmed this was no lie.
Naturally, the Saint Demon Sect couldn’t completely ignore the situation unfolding in Jiangnan Prefecture.
On Lu Changfeng’s orders, spies arranged by the Saint Demon Sect were constantly scouting for the latest intelligence on the front lines.
Lu Changfeng walked to a pier. Amidst the panic, it was packed to overflowing. The prices for tickets on cargo and passenger ships had skyrocketed, yet a ticket was still nearly impossible to find.
"Brother Lu?"
A familiar voice came from his side.
Lu Changfeng looked up and saw that it was the Hero of the Divine Sword Sect, Bai Yimeng.
Name: Bai Yimeng
Root Bone: Hero (50%)
Talent: High-Grade Talent [Sword Immortal]
Bloodline Talent: [Ancient Baize 5%]
They hadn’t seen each other in several years.
Bai Yimeng’s strength had increased by a large margin.
With the support of the Divine Sword Sect, he had already advanced to the same Bone Refining Realm as Lu Changfeng.
He was probably around the Silver Bone level.
What surprised Lu Changfeng the most was Bai Yimeng’s Heroic Root Bone, which had jumped directly from 20% to 50%.
A line of text had once flashed on the interface: [Hero] Root Bone has a completion percentage, which can be increased by continuously aligning with one’s own beliefs.
It seemed that during this time, Bai Yimeng’s personal beliefs had been greatly strengthened.
Lu Changfeng had Bai Yimeng to thank. If not for the copy of the Heroic Root Bone that Bai Yimeng had provided, Lu Changfeng would never have reached his current level.
Of course, Bai Yimeng himself knew nothing about it.
"What are you doing here?"
"I was about to ask you the same thing."
The two looked at each other and smiled.
"Find a place for a drink?"
"Are there any shops still open in Jiangzhou right now?"
"Of course there are. Many people have lived in Jiangzhou for generations. Now that they’re old, they’re naturally unwilling to leave."
Lu Changfeng nodded. That made sense. "Then lead the way."
The two of them walked to a remote alley in Jiangzhou.
Inside the alley was a deli that primarily sold braised beef.
The owner was an old man in his eighties.
"This shop was already open when I was a child. My father used to bring me here to buy braised beef, and we’d get a full flask of sake too," Bai Yimeng said as he led Lu Changfeng inside.
Lu Changfeng nodded slightly. "You’re a local from Jiangzhou City?"
Bai Yimeng had already taken a seat. "Yes, I’m a local. My family has lived here for generations."
Lu Changfeng said, "Then I’m not surprised to see you here today."
"Haha!" Bai Yimeng laughed heartily.
"What can I get for you two gentlemen?" The old man walked over, hunched over. He clearly didn’t recognize Bai Yimeng.
"Just bring us a few snacks and a flask of sake."
"Right away!"
Perhaps knowing that the shop wouldn’t be open for much longer, the old man was very generous. He brought out five side dishes to go with the drinks, all of them piled high.
"This soft-braised pig ear is good..."
"This braised beef still has that same old authentic taste!"
Bai Yimeng tasted and commented on the food like any ordinary customer.
To the side, the old man smoked his long-stemmed pipe with a faint smile. A ray of noontime sun cut across the shop, falling diagonally on his face. His deeply lined face showed no fear of the city’s fall and the death it would bring, only a profound, lingering sense of time’s passage.
"What does the Divine Sword Sect plan to do?" Lu Changfeng asked softly.
The question pulled Bai Yimeng back to reality.
At that moment, the owner of the Heroic Root Bone couldn’t help but reveal a trace of bewilderment.
"At a time like this, there’s nothing to hide. Our Sect’s Grand Martial Uncle Li Zongdao passed away last night."
"What other plans could we possibly have?"
"Without Grand Martial Uncle Li Zongdao to support us, the Divine Sword Sect stands no chance against the Daliang Alien Race."
"Junior Martial Uncle Jiang Changge is exceptionally talented, but there’s no more time. If only we had been born a few years earlier," Bai Yimeng said, his face full of dejection.
The Jiang Changge that Bai Yimeng mentioned was his junior martial uncle and Li Zongdao’s Direct Disciple.
Jiang Changge was exceptionally talented. Though only in his early fifties, he had already entered the Rebirth Realm and condensed an Advanced Martial Arts True Intent.
At his age and with his level of cultivation, given a few more decades, he would surely have become another Li Zongdao.
Unfortunately, the Daliang Alien Race wasn’t going to give him a few decades to continue improving his cultivation.
"Why not consider seeking refuge with Yunyang Prefecture?" Lu Changfeng didn’t directly mention the Saint Demon Sect.
Bai Yimeng shook his head repeatedly. "Brother Lu, the Divine Sword Sect and the Saint Demon Sect have been rivals for thousands of years. How could we possibly submit to them?"
"Our situation is different from yours. You’re on your own, free to join the Saint Demon Sect whenever you please."
Lu Changfeng replied, "You could choose to leave the Divine Sword Sect. I can recommend you to the Saint Master. With your Root Bone and Talent, you’re guaranteed the position of a Demon General."
Bai Yimeng gave a bitter smile. "Thank you for thinking so highly of my Talent, Brother Lu, but there’s no need to persuade me further."
Lu Changfeng sighed. He really couldn’t say any more to persuade him. It was just a pity about Bai Yimeng’s Heroic Root Bone.
Lu Changfeng stood up, patted Bai Yimeng’s shoulder gently, and used his first copy of the year on him.
He wasn’t in a hurry to deal with Ni Wei. There was no telling how long it would be before he saw Bai Yimeng again, so this was the perfect chance to copy his Heroic Root Bone.
’Then again, maybe it’s because my Heroic Root Bone was copied.’
Lu Changfeng’s own Heroic Root Bone had been stuck at 33% without any change.
Even after the battle in the Capital Region, where Lu Changfeng led the Saint Demon Sect to bring all of Yunyang Prefecture under its control, his Heroic Root Bone hadn’t changed at all.
’Could it be that my own conviction isn’t strong enough?’
Lu Changfeng shook his head and didn’t dwell on it. In any case, he could still increase the completion percentage of his Heroic Root Bone through copying, so it was all the same.
After the copy was successful, Lu Changfeng chose not to fuse with it immediately to avoid arousing Bai Yimeng’s suspicion.
BOOM! RUMBLE!
A massive sound came from the eastern side of Jiangzhou Prefecture City.
Bai Yimeng’s expression changed slightly. "Brother Lu, I must be on my way as well."
He possessed a Heroic Root Bone but lacked Lu Changfeng’s means of escape. If he were caught by a Rebirth Realm expert, he would undoubtedly suffer the fate of a Human Pig.
Lu Changfeng waved a hand dismissively. "Go on, then."
"Aren’t you leaving, Brother Lu?"
"I’m going to watch a while longer."
Bai Yimeng clasped his hands in a gesture of admiration and turned to leave.
He was probably returning to the Divine Sword Sect’s mountain gate.
Having failed to recruit the Hero Bai Yimeng, Lu Changfeng felt a little frustrated.
He lifted his cup and downed the last of the sake.
Lu Changfeng took out an ingot of silver and placed it on the table.
"You should close up early, owner."
"Alright. I’ll close up as soon as I’ve cleared your table. Ah, this bunch of Daliang People..."
Amidst the owner’s muttering, Lu Changfeng left the small shop.
Lu Changfeng leaped across the rooftops, heading east.
Stopping on the roof of a tower, Lu Changfeng saw the Daliang’s Martial Arts army beginning to enter the city.
Their advance was slow.
They searched house by house.
They spared not a single one of the Song People. Men and children were killed, women were dragged into cages.
Perhaps it was because of the circumstances of Li Zongdao’s death.
The Daliang Army knew no one was left in Jiangnan Prefecture to stop them, so they had arrived with exceptional speed.
On one side, huge crowds of commoners were crammed onto the pier; on the other, Daliang soldiers were carrying out a slow and methodical slaughter.
Lu Changfeng let out a long sigh. He was not, after all, made of stone.
Lu Changfeng activated his Transformation and Disguise, changing into the purple-robed Saint Master of the Saint Demon Sect.
He opened the Ba Snake Space, releasing his Clone Yang Jingtian and the White Tiger Guardian.
He gently tossed out the Fire Qilin.
It already knew Lu Changfeng’s intentions. In mid-air, it transformed into a majestic Ancient Fire Qilin over ten meters long!
"Heavens! A Qilin has appeared!"
"A Divine Beast has appeared! Could it be here to save us?"
The commoners being hunted by the Daliang Alien Race saw the Fire Qilin, and their spirits soared. The Daliang soldiers behind them froze, halting their drawn blades in mid-swing.
A Martial Artist among the crowd recognized the Ancient Fire Qilin’s origin. "That... that must be the Divine Beast Fire Qilin that serves the Saint Demon Sect’s Saint Master! What is he doing in Jiangzhou Prefecture City?"
"ROAR!"
As soon as the Ancient Fire Qilin appeared, it flew eastward. It then aimed at the Daliang soldiers on the ground and unleashed a hundred-meter-long pillar of fire!
The Ancient Fire Qilin’s pillar of fire hadn’t seemed particularly powerful when used against True Spirit Body experts before.
But now, aimed at these ordinary Martial Artists, it was an absolute superweapon.
The Ancient Fire Qilin controlled the massive pillar of fire, sweeping it across the ground and instantly causing hundreds, even thousands, of casualties!
Even Martial Artists at the Tendon Transformation or Bone Refining Realm could not possibly survive for more than an instant within the pillar of fire.
"Vile beast, how dare you!"
Two figures shot out from the rear of the Daliang Army. They were two experts at the True Spirit Body Realm.
But from behind the Fire Qilin, another person flew forth—it was the masked White Tiger Guardian!
"Heaven-Slaying Blade!"
Lu Changfeng controlled his Clone, unleashing a sweeping ultimate attack!
Although the Clone’s strength was greatly reduced, it was still definitely among the top tier of the Spirit Body Realm.
One strike of the Heaven-Slaying Blade immediately caused the expressions of the two Daliang True Spirit Body experts to change.
One activated his Demon Fiend Bloodline to resist with a Demon Fiend Skill.
The other condensed his Martial Arts True Intent and retaliated with a Spiritual Martial Arts technique.
BOOM! RUMBLE!
In the sky, the Heaven-Slaying Blade shattered. Their combined counterattack also dissipated. One against two, it was an even match!
"Stand down!"
Just then, a sharp cry rang out.
Clad in a yellow robe, the Daliang Sword Saint, Pei Yuanshi, finally appeared in mid-air.
When the two True Spirit Body Realm experts saw who it was, they both retreated resentfully behind him.
"I request the honor of a meeting with the Saint Demon Sect’s Saint Master." Pei Yuanshi looked up at the Yang Jingtian Clone and spoke with a frown.
The Ancient Fire Qilin let out a furious roar and its form shifted. A purple-robed figure had appeared on its back.