parentshiftbook Chapter 68: Attacking Gui Tianhe
Chapter 68: Attacking Gui Tianhe
A figure in black stood beneath the city gate in the distance.
His gaze fell upon the black-armored army reflecting the sunlight outside the city gate.
Pedestrians hurried by, and many others stopped to watch, just like him; his figure was not particularly noticeable.
"The Black Abyss Army? It seems they're making quite a move this time," Zhang Ping thought to himself. Since confirming his trip to the Ghost River yesterday, he hadn't felt any worry. With his strength, he should be safe there.
Gui Tianhe was once the territory of Shanze. Last time he crossed the river, he clearly sensed the water god's power within him resonating with the river water. There, his combat power could be unleashed to its fullest extent.
What he was truly worried about was the overall situation. At the same time, he was also somewhat puzzled by the way the court dealt with demons.
Since even the Black Abyss Army has been dispatched, why not utilize the top combat power of the Demon Extermination Division headquarters? The six realms of Body Refinement, with the final realm of Marrow Refinement possessing unfathomable power that is beyond human reach, represent the final step in the evolution of life. Beyond that lies transcendence of the mortal realm.
Zhang Ping was slightly lost in thought as he recalled the martial arts manuals he had read at the Nangong family's residence.
The carts and horses rumbled, and supplies were continuously transported from the city to the military camp outside. Zhang Ping quickly came to his senses, turned around, and went back into the city.
"Perhaps it's time to start cultivating some of our own people." This thought suddenly flashed through my mind on the way.
Previously, I was all alone and had nothing to worry about. Now that I've settled in the prefectural city, I realize that many things require manpower to manage.
The martial arts school business needs to be maintained and generate revenue; the channels for personal training and obtaining external information are too limited; and it also needs to cultivate some connections with the Demon Extermination Bureau...
Things must be done one at a time.
Back at the Lu family home.
Zhang Ping's status in the Lu family is now widely known. He freely enters and leaves Lu Wanrou's courtyard, even staying in a guest room, and no one dares to utter a word of complaint.
As he passed through the garden, he greeted Fu Huiying and Lu Wanrou, who were chatting inside.
This morning he brought Fu Huiying along, thinking that his wife would be unhappy to see Lu Wanrou, but Fu Huiying showed her strong social skills and in half a day she affectionately called her "Sister Rou".
Although Lu Wanrou had been the head of the family for several years, she always felt insecure in front of Fu Huiying because of her relationship with Zhang Ping, and obediently called her "elder sister." Seeing the two women getting along well, Zhang Ping felt relieved.
Bypassing the garden, Zhang Ping walked alone towards a newly built artificial pond. The pond was fed by fresh water from the Lanjiang River, and its sides were paved with pebbles, with bits of green grass sprouting from the cracks in the stones. A transplanted peach tree stood by the pond, its branches laden with unripe small fruits.
Zhang Ping walked straight into the pool, his body slowly sinking to the bottom of the deep pool, where he sat cross-legged.
"The cowhide beast pattern and the spirit fox concealment are both perfected... The others are progressing too slowly." He checked the beast pattern data on the panel.
The perfect cowhide with animal print grants the ability "Toughness," further enhancing the suppleness of the hide.
For Zhang Ping, whose strength is now comparable to that of a bone forging expert, this improvement is better than nothing.
"It's still just a common ox beast pattern, I need to replace it as soon as possible." This beast pattern helped him a lot when he was in the Skin Tempering Realm, accelerating his breakthrough, but it failed to generate a powerful ability like divine power, unlike the ox strength beast pattern.
The Spirit Fox's Concealment Perfection brings "Sudden Clarity," which can eliminate one's own killing intent and gaze.
When martial artists reach a certain level, they become exceptionally sensitive to gazes directed at them. When they are being watched, they develop an intuition and subconsciously turn their heads to look in the direction from which the gaze is coming, somewhat like a sixth sense from a past life.
The killing intent is easier to detect. This support ability is decent and might be able to turn the tide at crucial moments.
These days, the Lu family's channels for collecting demon materials have been on track, and Zhang Ping has handled quite a few.
Unfortunately, the harvest was not satisfactory.
The materials mostly came from rogue martial artists, primarily demons at the Skin Tempering Realm; those at the Flesh Refining Realm were rare. Items as valuable as the young Blade Demon were almost nonexistent. After careful consideration, he selected only a few valuable items:
The Fiery Bull, a beast at the Refining Body Realm, is renowned for its immense strength. Upon reaching adulthood, its strength rivals that of a late-stage Refining Body Realm cultivator. It possesses thick hide and tough flesh, but its weakness lies in its slow speed. Replacing the Bull Strength Beast Mark with this beast retains the divine power ability, transforms the beast mark into "Fiery Bull Strength," and reduces its proficiency to 35%.
The Ghostly Butterfly is a peculiar demon capable of tracking auras within a thousand miles, possessing extremely strong tracking abilities, but its strength is weak, reaching a maximum of only the late stage of Skin Tempering. It is intended to replace the Dog Nose Pattern, but one of the materials only grows in northern Wei, requiring time to gather.
I originally intended to replace the leather with the animal pattern, but considering that I was about to head to the Ghost River and might have a chance to take action against the Turtle Prime Minister, I put it off for the time being.
As for other patterns like horse leg markings, he has instructed the Lu family to keep an eye out for demons or strange beasts that are skilled in speed.
"Perhaps, in the future we should actively hunt down specific demons and monsters to brand our beast markings." Zhang Ping stroked his chin, lost in thought.
Three days after the Demon Extermination Bureau issued its conscription order, no force in the city dared to disobey.
On this day, the first rays of dawn appeared.
A streak of crimson light streaked across the sky and crashed down outside Lanjiang City!
Outside the city gates, thousands of martial artists gathered. Even the lowest-ranking among them had reached the Body Refining Realm, each possessing a robust physique and wielding various weapons.
Nine out of the thirteen squads of the Prefecture City Demon Extermination Division arrived. Xu Rulin led the members of the seventh squad, solemnly watching the figure descending from the sky.
"The big shots from headquarters have arrived!" whispers arose from the crowd.
Zhang Ping's expression was equally grave: "Blood Qi Soaring Through the Sky... Entering the Marrow Realm!"
At the pinnacle of the sixth realm of body refinement, the strongest person in the world, according to legend!
The crimson light dissipated, revealing an elderly man with white hair and beard. His gaze was piercing as he swept over the crowd. Those whose eyes met his felt an intense, burning pressure and lowered their heads.
The old man's voice boomed like thunder: "I am Lieyun Mountain! The Fifth Commander of the Demon Extermination Division!"
"Now, everyone, listen up!"
"Rush to the Ghost River at top speed and vanquish the demons!"
Once the command was given, the blood and qi surged like smoke rising into the sky!
All the martial artists instantly unleashed their qi and blood in response! Zhang Ping also restrained his aura, controlling it at the level of the early stage of flesh refining.
Thousands of unicorn-scaled horses, brought from the capital, were led out of the city gates, one for each person. The atmosphere was tense, and even the usually carefree rogue martial artists dared not utter a sound.
Once the Black Abyss Army had assembled, thousands of men formed a mighty torrent, rushing towards the direction of Ghost Heaven River like an arrow released from a bow!
Behind them, atop the Lanjiang city wall, were the gazes of countless people.
On the city wall, Nangong Feiyan watched the departing procession, her gaze darkening, a hint of gloom in her eyes.
......
A vast black river runs through the mountains, its surface shrouded in mist.
Gui Tianhe and the surrounding hundred miles have become a hellish inferno for demons.
The desolate land was replaced by an eerie and sinister atmosphere, with a demonic aura that eroded the mind permeating the air.
On the shore, a giant tortoise, hundreds of meters long, lay on the back of a small pink tortoise, tens of meters in size, its rounded rear end twitching.
The river was churned into huge waves. The splashing sound echoed between the cliffs on both banks.
Just as the heat was building, a giant crimson bird with a wingspan of a hundred meters flew in from afar. Its wings were streaked with fire as it landed on the cliff face, stirring up a fierce wind.
"Screech—!"
"Prime Minister Turtle! The Demon Lord has foreseen the human counterattack and orders you to defend the Ghost River to the death, and absolutely not to allow human reinforcements to advance south!"