Chapter 318: Follow the trend
After the man fell into the pit, Ada and Zhihuo didn't stop to let him detoxify.
The Red Luan Mist that could bewitch Zixun was also capable of confusing the man. Moreover, considering the several ruthless attacks he launched against Zhong Shan, each time becoming more vicious, from attempts to capture to attempts to kill!
Every time the Purple Cotton Kasaya counterattacked, Zhong Shan could release a large amount of Red Luan Mist towards the man.
The Red Luan Mist, as it was now, had been altered by Zhong Shan until it was completely colorless. It was no longer the conspicuous pink color from before. It had no color or smell, and even the man couldn't immediately detect it.
Once he did notice, however, the man was already deeply poisoned.
As the poisoning grew deeper, Ada and Zhihuo found it increasingly easier to handle him.
Finally, not long after, Ada and Zhihuo subdued the man.
He was completely limp, like a dead dog, thrown in front of Zhong Shan.
"Commander, should we keep him for our own use?" Zhao Chuan asked with a sigh.
"His information—over these days, you've been collecting it. A wicked person, thoroughly evil. Subdue him? What if he turns around and bites us one day?" Zhong Shan narrowed his eyes.
"Yes!" Zhao Chuan stepped back quietly.
With a turn of his hand, he took out a palace from his storage bracelet.
He tossed the man inside, closed the door, and everyone stood guard.
Zhihuo followed Zhong Shan inside, killed the man, and extracted his primordial spirit to be devoured by the Octagonal Heaven Tail.
Zhihuo acted swiftly, but seeing the man's primordial spirit enter Zhong Shan's body, he still couldn't help but feel a chill. Yet this Zhong Shan was also incredibly strange; in an instant, he defeated that primordial spirit?
Zhihuo didn't know about the Octagonal Heaven Tail, but even so, it was enough to astonish him.
It was useless; although his cultivation increased slightly, it still wasn't enough to break through.
However, Zhong Shan wasn't discouraged in the slightest. There were still plenty of prey.
After destroying the man's body, Zhong Shan led Zhihuo out of the palace.
"Commander!" Zhao Chuan frowned and called out.
"Rest for two days and then find the next target!" Zhong Shan ordered.
"Yes!" Zhao Chuan nodded strangely.
Resting for two days was necessary because despite the main fight being against three Huangji Realm experts, the massive aftermath had left many archers injured. After Ada and Zhihuo retaliated against the man, they also needed two days to recuperate.
Zhong Shan swiftly slaughtered Huangji Realm experts with his army.
Watching such a commander, Zhao Chuan was already somewhat numb. This commander was too terrifying.
Huangji Realm experts—those were Huangji Realm experts! This is the fifth one? Why does the commander want to kill them?
Zhao Chuan could see that after subduing the Huangji Realm experts, they were taken into that palace and never came out. The palace was then stored in the storage bracelet. This meant they were dead—completely dead, even their primordial spirits were refined. Could it be that the commander is refining some wicked magic treasure? But that would be too terrifying, using the primordial spirits of Huangji Realm experts?
The fifth one.
Finally, after devouring the primordial spirit of the fifth expert, Zhong Shan's cultivation broke through.
"Crackling! Crackling!..."
A large amount of lightning erupted from Zhong Shan's body, the energy from the primordial spirit being devoured by the Octagonal Heaven Tail, and the small part of the energy needed by Zhong Shan being absorbed.
He broke through. Amidst Zhong Shan's purposeful assassinations, he finally broke through.
"Boom~~~~~~~~"
The lightning erupting from Zhong Shan's body suddenly blasted the entire palace to pieces. For a moment, the valley where Zhong Shan was located turned into a sea of thunder. Endless thunder and fire erupted from Zhong Shan's body, destroying all the vegetation in the mountains.
ADa and ZhiHuo quickly escorted the crowd, but some soldiers were inadvertently injured by the shock when Zhongshan broke through.
"Bang~~~~~~" The lightning dissipated, revealing Zhongshan standing alone on a giant stone at the center.
Zhongshan took another hour to recuperate.
Golden Core Eighth Stage! He had finally broken through again, and his spiritual awareness now reached a diameter of several kilometers.
However, Zhongshan was genuinely concerned about his progress.
He had absorbed the souls of six Imperial Realm experts, including Wu'an, to achieve the Golden Core Eighth Stage. What next? Zhongshan felt that his breakthrough to the peak of the Golden Core Eighth Stage was still far off.
How many more Imperial Realm experts would he need to absorb? Twenty? A hundred? How many Imperial Realm experts were left in the Four Directions for him to slaughter?
With a deep breath, Zhongshan rose lightly.
"General!" Zhao Chuan looked at Zhongshan in surprise. He knew Zhongshan must have broken through, but what exactly was going on?
"Well, the raids on the Imperial Realm experts will temporarily come to a close. You take the army back to guard Baihuang City and wait for my return," Zhongshan said.
"Yes!" Zhao Chuan nodded with lingering doubts.
The army left, leaving only Zhongshan, Ah Da, and Zhi Huo.
"Congratulations, sir, on breaking through once more!" Ah Da grinned.
"This time, it's thanks to you and Zhi Huo!" Zhongshan chuckled.
"You're too modest, sir. Even without us, you could have broken through if you wanted to!" Ah Da said.
"Now that you've sent the army away, what's our next move?" Zhi Huo asked.
"Capturing the Fiend Demon? With such a grand event, how could we let it pass? Let's go there," Zhongshan smiled.
"Okay!" The two nodded.
Moon Bright City and Moon Sparse City, also known as Twin Cities in the Great Guang Empire.
These two cities were located very close to each other, allowing mutual assistance during times of war. They were heavily fortified. Another critical point was their population: each city had an average population, but together they surpassed any single city in numbers. Their combined population was close to that of the Imperial Capital.
In the center of the two cities was a plain known as the Twin Plains. It consisted mostly of small hills, more accurately described as mounds.
This was where they planned to lure the Fiend Demon.
Every time the Fiend Demon absorbed blood, it needed a place to refine it thoroughly. Previously, it flew high in the sky and had large targets, but now it hid underground, making it harder to locate.
The last time it disappeared, it was close to this pair of Twin Cities. In five months, it would have had enough time to refine all the blood it had previously absorbed. It was about to reappear.
The Twin Plains possessed the most abundant source of blood. However, to effectively lure the Fiend Demon, they needed to be even more cautious.
At the center of the Twin Plains, standing on a small mound, was Da Wei Tianlong, who had resumed his human form.
He looked at the bizarre formation set up by the powerful men before him.
It was a pentagon-shaped eerie formation with numerous indentations. A large amount of blood flowed rapidly through these indentations, circulating around the formation with a diameter of about five hundred meters. Above the formation, strands of blood mist emanated.
This blood, collected rapidly by the powerful men, was the finest quality blood available.
Dragon blood! Phoenix blood! Tiger blood! And countless blood from other powerful beings. Inside, there was even blood from Da Wei Tianlong and the souls of numerous Imperial Realm experts.
The blood, though not abundant, was of extremely high quality! Its function within the grand formation was to disseminate its scent far and wide, even beneath the earth, in hopes of catching the attention of the Fiend Demon. The powerful individuals present believed that once the Fiend Demon sensed such high-quality blood, coupled with the proximity of the Twin Cities, its limited intelligence wouldn't resist the temptation and it would rush over at the fastest speed possible.
On the hilltop, Da Wei Tianlong stood firm, his eyes filled with determination. The Fiend Demon!
"Elder, will the Fiend Demon come?" asked an Imperial Realm expert.
"It will, without a doubt!" Da Wei Tianlong replied solemnly.
"What level of strength does the Fiend Demon currently possess?" the expert inquired further.
"After consuming blood from over a hundred million people, its strength now rivals mine. In fact, even in this battle, I'm not sure if I can survive. If any of you are afraid now, you can leave immediately!" Da Wei Tianlong spoke with a heavy tone.
"Leave? How could that be? We came precisely for the Fiend Demon. With the Elder's presence and our team now increased to seventy, such a formidable force, how difficult could it be to deal with a Fiend Demon? The malice from over a hundred million people's blood—such a great opportunity to eliminate evil! Who would give up such merit? Accumulate external virtue to aid internal virtue!" The expert smiled.
Da Wei Tianlong glanced at him with a sideways glance and said, "My level is not something you can currently comprehend. The Fiend Demon's strength is not inferior to mine. If you want to share in the merit, you must also survive. To stay alive, it's best for you to form a coordinated formation during this period. Otherwise, you'll only be sending yourself to die!"
Hearing Da Wei Tianlong's words, the man furrowed his brow slightly but nodded, "Thank you for the reminder!"
The man organized the other Imperial Realm experts, while Da Wei Tianlong inserted his Zen staff into the ground and sat cross-legged, closing his eyes to await the Fiend Demon's assault.
Five months passed in the blink of an eye.
In a small town near the Twin Plains, Zhongshan sat in a teahouse drinking tea, accompanied by Ah Da and Zhi Huo, gazing into the distance.
"Sir, we've been waiting for a month already. Shouldn't we go out and investigate?" Ah Da frowned.
"Investigate what? Forces from various sides? Heh, those who could come, surely have come," Zhongshan sipped his tea.
"All of them?" Ah Da looked at Zhongshan in confusion.
"Back then, during the battle between Nalan Piaoxue and Da Wei Tianlong Bodhisattva, anyone nearby went over. But that was just a sparring match. Next, it's a fight to the death. With the same level of combatants, and even larger forces, and the merits to be gained, the Twin Plains may seem calm, but there's definitely a lot brewing underneath. I'm sure Xiao Wang, Shui Jing, Xiang Bu, they're all nearby," Zhongshan asserted.
"Huh? Why is sir so sure they're here too?" Ah Da furrowed his brow.
"Because this isn't just about dealing with a Fiend Demon anymore. This mission to eradicate the Fiend Demon is even related to the battle situation between the Great Luo and Great Guang dynasties. If we don't handle it well, the situation will surely change drastically," Zhongshan took a deep breath.
"Change drastically? Sir, how does this relate to the dynastic battle?" Ah Da looked at Zhongshan in confusion.
"This was originally a matter between the Fiend Demon and Da Wei Tianlong, completely unrelated to the two dynasties! Haven't you seen that I didn't let Shui Wuheng come with us?" Ah Da paused for a moment.
"Because, before coming out, I had already arranged the troops and prepared Shui Wuheng for the battle formation after the demon eradication. In these five months, while we appear leisurely, Shui Wuheng hasn't relaxed at all. Not only us, but Mr. Shui's army, Mr. Xiang's army, and Mr. Xiao's army are all surely in frantic preparation. Once the results come out here, it will definitely be a grand battle," Zhongshan said in a deep voice.