Defying the Purple Mansion Realm, Slaying Demons with a Sword

Sword light flashed. In an instant, clouds parted and rain cleared, as though daylight had split the clouds!

The River God saw only a faint glimmer flicker, followed by a streak of azure light sweeping across the air. Then a blue-edged sword flashed before his eyes and vanished.

"Click."

The sound of a sword returning to its sheath rang out behind him.

Though he felt no pain, the River God could sense the power of incense and faith within him beginning to spill away wildly in an instant.

Only when he lowered his head did the River God discover a wound across his chest, extending all the way from his breast to his lower abdomen.

Through the wound, the River God could even see the layered peaks of the Qingping Mountain Range behind him, its deep-winter scenery blanketed in gleaming white snow.

His body had been pierced through by a single sword strike. The scant power of incense and faith within this incarnation leaked away at a terrifying pace, and his entire body began to collapse with it.

Borrowing the final wisp of incense power remaining within the incarnation, the River God forced himself to turn and look at the Daoist in azure robes and a jade crown, handsome and radiant. "What a fast sword."

Then the River God's entire body exploded completely, turning into dust!

On the twenty-seventh day of the twelfth month in the year 39,825 of the Shanhe Calendar, Jiang Sheng of Qingping Mountain, at the Foundation Establishment Realm, defied and slew the Purple Mansion Realm demon of the Taiping River with a single sword strike, emerging entirely unscathed!

Within Qingping Mountain, Zhang Qing, Zhang Qingyun, Xu Xiao, and Qiao Xuan stared up at the River God, who had been imposing and invincible just moments ago, only to be instantly slain by a single sword strike. The four of them stood stunned for a long while, unable to come back to their senses.

Daoist Jiang had actually slain the River God—and appeared completely unharmed?!

Had the truth not unfolded right before their eyes, Xu Xiao and Qiao Xuan would have thought they were dreaming!

The common folk at the foot of Qingping Mountain had fallen into an even deeper silence.

That mighty River God, divine and unstoppable, had just died like that?

That River God who had enjoyed their incense and faith for half a century, who had made them sacrifice countless children, had just died like that?

That River God who had been about to flood Qingping Mountain, summoning wind and rain to bring down a curtain of water across the heavens, had just died like that?

Whether a quarter-hour or three quarters of an hour had passed, a cheer suddenly erupted from the crowd. Then thousands upon thousands began to cheer, began to weep.

The River God was dead. They had survived!

Countless commoners gazed at the figure hanging quietly in the sky and bowed deeply. "We thank Daoist Jiang for saving the people from Water Fire!"

The shouts of tens of thousands scattered the lingering dark clouds in the sky, and the great sun, hidden by those clouds for so long, appeared once more.

Warm sunlight shone over Qingping Mountain, making the Daoist in the sky appear even more like an immortal.

Zhang Qingyun looked complicatedly at Jiang Sheng, who was receiving the worship of all the people overhead. He did not know whether he felt joy or worry. "Qingxuan Temple will no longer lack incense and faith from now on."

"Everyone, the demon has been removed and the floodwaters have receded. Please return home as soon as possible." Jiang Sheng's clear, calm voice rang through the air.

The commoners bowed once more before setting out for home in twos and threes with their neighbors.

When Jiang Sheng returned before Qingxuan Temple, Zhang Qingyun again led Zhang Qing forward in a bow. "Qingyun thanks Daoist Jiang for removing this great menace from Qingshan County."

Xu Xiao and Qiao Xuan also congratulated Jiang Sheng in turn. To defy and slay a Purple Mansion Realm cultivator while at the Foundation Establishment Realm—Jiang Sheng's methods inspired boundless admiration in them. Were it not for the gap in their statuses, they likely would have already taken the initiative to befriend him.

Jiang Sheng nodded slightly, then said, "We merely took what each of us needed. Speaking of which, this poor Daoist's task has been completed. But County Magistrate Zhang, you still have much to do."

Zhang Qingyun nodded. He understood Jiang Sheng's meaning. Now that the River God of the Taiping River was gone, he needed to return to Qingshan County to handle the aftermath. To put it bluntly, it was time for him to leave.

Xu Xiao asked again, "Daoist Jiang, now that the demon of the Taiping River has been removed, why don't we explore its cave abode?"

Jiang Sheng looked at Xu Xiao, then at Qiao Xuan. "Fellow Daoist Xu and Fellow Daoist Qiao have both expended a great deal today. That demon may well have left formations or traps in its cave abode. Why not let the two of you rest and recuperate today, then act tomorrow?"

Qiao Xuan approved of the proposal. "Daoist Jiang's words are reasonable. Both this old man and Fairy Xu were badly injured while resisting that demon. We truly need to recuperate properly."

Thus, the three agreed to meet outside East River Town at noon the next day and explore the demon's cave abode together.

Afterward, Xu Xiao summoned her brocade-handkerchief magical artifact and departed with Zhang Qingyun and Zhang Qing. Before leaving, Xu Xiao clearly had something she wished to say to Jiang Sheng, but she first escorted Zhang Qingyun and Zhang Qing back to the county seat.

After those three departed, Qiao Xuan exchanged a few words with Jiang Sheng before taking his leave as well. He still needed to search for his disciple.

Once everyone had dispersed, Qingxuan Temple returned to tranquility.

Jiang Sheng let out a deep breath and spread open his palm, looking at the grain in his hand. It glimmered faintly, seeming neither quite stone nor metal.

After the River God was slain, his corpse had turned to dust, leaving behind only this tiny thing.

Jiang Sheng frowned deeply as he looked at the River God's remains. They seemed familiar, yet strange. "How peculiar."

"Master." Tian Ming'an emerged from the temple and respectfully bowed.

Jiang Sheng put away the sole remnant left by the River God and glanced at Tian Ming'an. "Have you thought it through?"

Tian Ming'an nodded. "This disciple has thought it through."

"If you've thought it through, what are you still standing here for? Go do your lessons." Jiang Sheng lightly tapped Tian Ming'an on the head, then stepped into the Daoist temple.

He was not as completely unscathed as he appeared. In truth, that sword strike had taken a great toll on Jiang Sheng as well.

Setting aside the spiritual energy he had expended, his sword-wielding right arm was still trembling faintly.

Jiang Sheng had kept his hand hidden within his sleeve and clasped behind his back, which was why nothing seemed amiss. Otherwise, Xu Xiao and Qiao Xuan would certainly have discovered that Jiang Sheng was already at the end of his tether.

Fortunately, they had been intimidated by Jiang Sheng's breathtaking sword strike. Qiao Xuan and Xu Xiao had never imagined that Jiang Sheng, who had seemed so relaxed and effortless, had already exhausted his strength.

Jiang Sheng had been forcing himself to hold on just now.

He could not reveal anything unusual before Qiao Xuan, an old hand at wandering the martial world, nor could he show weakness before Zhang Qingyun, the local strongman.

Not to mention, who knew whether there were hidden evil cultivators or Rogue Cultivators nearby, waiting to play the mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind?

One must never lack the vigilance to guard against others. Thus, Jiang Sheng had maintained an air of calm indifference throughout, as though slaying a Purple Mansion Realm cultivator was nothing worth boasting about.

Even before his own disciple, Jiang Sheng remained carefree and composed. Even Tian Ming'an had noticed nothing amiss.

He strolled into the Daoist temple and sat cross-legged before the patriarch's portrait in the front hall, meditating and cultivating as usual.

Late that night, while drawing upon the power of moonlight to cultivate, Jiang Sheng reflected on the battle from that day. The River God's final behavior had left him with an enduring sense of unease.

Yet Jiang Sheng could not identify the reason, so he could only suppress his doubts for the time being.

"Young Master Kongxu is dead, so let us set aside his possessions for now. When I used my sword today, it was clearly somewhat unsteady. Though that was partly because I forcibly executed that sword technique, my body does indeed still have weaknesses. It seems the tiger demon's body in my storage pouch cannot be kept any longer."

Jiang Sheng had originally planned to save the tiger demon's body for future use, but now it seemed he needed to use it to refine a batch of second-rank pills to strengthen his physique.

There were no places where cultivators gathered near Qingshan County, let alone any spiritual herbs.

If he wished to purchase spiritual herbs, he would at the very least have to travel to the prefectural city of Dongjun, but that was simply too far away.

"Now that I think about it, all I can do is hope the River God's cave abode contains something useful." Jiang Sheng pondered as he quietly circulated his cultivation through the heavenly cycle, regulating his body.

At noon the following day, outside East River Town, three figures swept in from three different directions.

With the floodwaters receded, East River Town remained silent and devastated. Everywhere lay the swollen, pale corpses of drowned chickens, ducks, cattle, sheep, and humans. Large swathes of buildings had been destroyed and collapsed, leaving only broken walls and ruins.

After Jiang Sheng, Xu Xiao, and Qiao Xuan gathered, they did not hesitate for long before diving into the water and exploring toward the bottom of the Taiping River.

The Taiping River here was less than a hundred zhang deep, and the three quickly discovered the towering Taiping River Palace on the riverbed.

They examined this river palace, situated under ten thousand layers of water pressure. The plaque above its gates bore gilded characters, and the entire estate was grand and majestic. Its layout resembled that of a county yamen or prefectural yamen, projecting an imposing dignity.

A curtain of light flowed around the estate. It was clearly the estate's water-avoidance formation.

Xu Xiao volunteered to step forward. After examining it for a moment, she tentatively injected a thread of spiritual energy into it, then smiled. "This is a third-rank Flowing Light Jadewater Formation. It is not a difficult formation to unravel."

Qiao Xuan was rather surprised. "Fairy Xu is skilled in formations?"

"I would not call myself skilled—only modestly accomplished." Xu Xiao smiled as she took out a formation disk from her storage pouch, then injected spiritual energy into it and began using the disk to adjust the formation.

"If this formation still had an owner controlling it, attempting to break it would inevitably invite the formation's attacks and backlash."

"But now that demon is dead, the formation is currently ownerless and possesses only simple defensive effects."

"So long as we are careful, it will not trigger the formation's counterattack."

Xu Xiao explained, but her hands never stopped moving. Threads of icy-blue spiritual energy flowed into the formation disk. As Xu Xiao continuously formed hand seals and guided them, she found a weak point within the formation.

"Daoist Jiang, attack here!" Xu Xiao waved her hand and pointed out a spark of spiritual light.

Jiang Sheng did not hesitate. Drawing his sword, he slashed at the spot indicated by Xu Xiao's spiritual light.

The next moment, the flowing light on that section of the barrier paused briefly before a small breach appeared.

"Quickly, the formation will recover soon." Xu Xiao spoke as she took the lead in rushing into the formation, with Jiang Sheng and Qiao Xuan following closely behind.

Less than two breaths after the three entered the formation, the curtain of light over the breach had already repaired itself, and the entire formation returned to normal.

Qiao Xuan surveyed the grand estate. Thinking of the legacy left behind by a Purple Mansion Realm being, a hint of heat flashed in his eyes. "Daoist Jiang, Fairy Xu, shall the three of us explore separately, then gather here afterward?"

Jiang Sheng nodded. "That will work. It is no bad thing to explore this estate as quickly as possible."

Once they had agreed, the three split up.

Jiang Sheng headed directly for the main hall. Qiao Xuan and Xu Xiao had no objections to this. After all, Jiang Sheng had slain the River God, so naturally he was entitled to the lion's share of the best items.

Jiang Sheng had chosen the main hall with that intention as well. Ordinarily, the cave abode's owner would keep their frequently used valuables in the main hall.

Yet when Jiang Sheng entered the main hall, he saw only a formation embedded within it, along with red candles half the height of a person, burning one after another.

The formation appeared vast and radiant, yet faintly exuded a sinister aura.

Upon closer inspection, Jiang Sheng discovered that those red candles were actually children under the age of six!

The next instant, a three-foot blue-edged sword appeared in Jiang Sheng's hand. "So that is why the demon demanded six pairs of young boys and girls every year—it was to maintain this evil formation!"