Vanguard for the King
Zhu Jianhao's eyes dimmed and lost focus, and with a thud, he fell backward to the ground.
Under the cover of night, the battle cries echoed across the vast plains, but the battlefield outside Huaian Town fell into a brief silence.
Qin Ming stood like a mountain, his stillness pressing down on all the demons, making it hard for them to breathe.
His bronze eyes, severed at the waist, were wide open in horror. He followed the path of a pure immortal, and before he had completely died, the dim Consciousness Spirit Light was about to surge forth.
A bright flash of light swept across, his eyes lost their luster, and he died instantly.
Qin Ming, dressed entirely in white, stood before the battle formation with an unwavering composure, the Mutton Fat Jade Iron Saber in his hand dripping blood.
The demon camp was deathly silent, feeling as if they were suffocating.
The fact that renowned Fiend Sword Immortal sword immortals like Tong and Zhu Jianhao were killed together would surely cause Xuanran if this were to spread back to the Demon Race.
His hero is my enemy!
Without a doubt, in the eyes of the Demon Race, what had just happened was tragic and heroic. Their young heroes had done their best, but they were still no match for them.
In an instant, all four Heavenly Demon Seed perished in battle.
Some Demon Race roared, gripping their weapons tightly, while some young demons, their eyes bloodshot, charged forward.
However, the battlefield is cruel, and the facts are never changed by anyone's joy or anger. With a series of splattering sounds, blood splattered continuously, and the White-clothed Youth in the field wielded his Jade Iron Saber, causing the heads of demons to fly off one after another.
"Kill them!"
Back in Night Prefecture, the people were filled with fervor. They stood on the same side as the demons, and Qin Ming, who had turned the tide of the demon invasion and slain the enemy's Fiend Sword Immortal immortal, was a hero.
Luo Jingxiao and the awakened Single-Tusked White Elephant, along with other experts, led their men back into the battlefield, charging towards the demons.
Qin Ming went all out, bathing in demon blood, displaying a sweeping momentum, slaying demons and clearing a large area of the battlefield.
Even if the Demon Race is fearless of death, in a battle where there is no hope, their fighting spirit will eventually be worn down.
The demons in this region felt utterly powerless. No matter how Demon Race surrounded and attacked the White-clothed Youth, it was all in vain; they could only die in vain.
Around Qin Ming, corpses littered the ground. Demons continued to attack, but they all collapsed at his feet, eventually piling up a high layer of corpses.
The demon camp collapsed. In their hearts, the legendary "Upright Ape Demon King" was completely materialized and took on a form, which was Qin Ming.
"Run away!"
The demons suffered a crushing defeat. Faced with an invincible opponent, even the most stubborn could not withstand the onslaught; they could not hold on any longer.
"Kill!"
The people of Huaian Town have suffered from demons for too long. Several Immortal Seed and God Seed have already died in battle. How could they not be filled with grief and indignation? Now they naturally want to press their advantage and pursue the enemy.
The demons fled in a great massacre, leaving behind countless corpses on the plains, suffering heavy losses.
Finally, the shouts of battle ceased completely, and the area returned to silence. Many people, supporting each other, returned from the horizon, utterly satisfied.
The stalemate in several towns, including Huaian Town Taihe Town, was completely reversed, and the demons in this region were wiped out.
Qin Ming planned to refine the Strange Blood of the four Heavenly Demon Seed, and with the golden tiger bones and Crystal Clear Rhino Horn horns he had previously accumulated, his gains were truly enormous.
He took a short rest here in order to quickly transform the Treasured Medicine into his true strength.
Qin Ming spoke up, "Everyone, these bronze and porcupine creatures have already revealed their true forms, even plucking their own feathers and quills. Don't waste them; they're all excellent tonics."
A being capable of giving birth to Strange Blood naturally possesses an extraordinary physical body. Earlier on the journey, Qin Ming had wasted too much, making it impossible to carry anything with him. Now, by giving away the spoils of war, he was doing a favor.
Immediately, many people's eyes lit up with excitement.
The corpses of the Heavenly Demon Seed are almost equivalent to Treasured Medicine.
"Thank you for your support, Brother Qin. Otherwise, if those two new Fiend Sword Immortal had made their move, we would have been completely wiped out."
Many people stepped forward to express their heartfelt gratitude.
"Brother Qin saved all of our lives," an old man said.
A young man stepped forward and solemnly promised, "Brother Qin, I come from the Wu Family Beyond the Mundane Yang Land. Although we are not a top-tier clan, if you ever need anything in the future, feel free to send me a message, and I will do my utmost to help you."
"Brother Qin, I come from the Esoteric Sect..."
Many people stepped forward, leaving their names with great enthusiasm. Some were genuinely grateful, while others had witnessed Qin Ming's terrifying performance and knew that if he continued to grow smoothly, he would undoubtedly have a bright future.
"Qin... Ming, I'm sorry for what happened before!" Luo Jingxiao, covered in wounds, approached and felt somewhat awkward saying these words.
Qin Ming nodded and said, "You're quite good too. You dared to come here alone to fight and support this place. You're already worthy of being called Immortal Seed."
"Qin Ming, thank you!" Zi Lin stood tall and graceful, her silky purple hair cascading down to her waist, even her pupils were deep purple.
She held a prominent position among the Violet Lightning Beast, and at this moment, she helped her cousin approach to express her gratitude.
Qin Ming smiled and nodded, saying, "No need to be so polite. We're old acquaintances. Although there have been some misunderstandings, we've fought side by side before."
Her cousin, Zi Xiao, was quite surprised and said, "You two were acquaintances before, and even fought against each other? Cousin, you never mentioned this before; you kept it from us."
Zi Lin, who was expressing her gratitude with a sincere smile, suddenly froze. Thinking back to those days, it seemed... less than a year had passed. She had indeed participated in the war, but... as a mount!
She never wants to mention this dark history again.
However, when Zi Xiao pressed her for an answer and asked her to maintain a proper smile, her slender fingers clenched until they turned blue.
It's only because he's her cousin; if it were anyone else who dared to be so oblivious and pry so deeply, she would have definitely smashed out that Violet Lightning Hammer.
Soon after, Qin Ming's place quieted down, and no one disturbed him anymore. Everyone could tell that he was refining Strange Medicine, trying to improve his cultivation.
Qin Ming had fought his way here from two hundred miles away, without stopping. He then went on to kill the Fiend Sword Immortal and pursue the demon army, which left him extremely tired and exhausted.
However, such high-intensity raids and battles are also the best time to extract and absorb the essence of Treasured Medicine.
His whole body was glowing, and his cultivation was improving thread by thread, and one could feel that slow process of improvement.
He frowned slightly. Sure enough, even if the Blood Medicine wasn't from the same clan, the effects would diminish if too much was extracted.
However, the sheer volume of energy was overwhelming, and he successfully broke through to the Second Layer of the Spiritual Field, reaching the later stages.
A normal genius would need at least ten years of hard work to reach this level, yet Qin Ming achieved this feat swiftly after a single battle.
Qin Ming knew this was something that couldn't be replicated; how many herbs had he collected? Twenty-two kinds already!
And what is the source of these Treasured Medicine? They are either Heavenly Demon Seed, direct descendants of the Sixth Realm Ancestor, or extraordinary demons born in extremely special environments.
Only in such a large-scale bloody battle could one encounter so many, and besides him, how many others could possibly kill so many Heavenly Demon Seed?
Normally, the death of even one of those special creatures would cause considerable trouble.
Qin Ming briefly checked the spoils of war. There were very few secret manuals. Although the opponents he had killed were all extraordinary, they all knew that they were going to the battlefield of life and death, and few people would carry True Scripture with them.
His biggest gain was healing medicine, which he felt he couldn't possibly use up in the Third Realm.
Qin Ming lowered his head to wipe the blade. Even though it was made of Mutton Fat Jade Iron, it already had many chips and was covered with small cracks.
"This is a rare opportunity, I must continue hunting!" He stood up, resolved the crisis here, bid farewell to the others, and once again disappeared into the vast plains under the cover of night.
In the distance, the battle continues. The two races have been holding back for over four hundred years; are they planning to wipe out their entire elite force in one decisive battle?
Qin Ming's heart sank, because he knew that the most crucial battle was still the Ancestor Battlefield. The Night Prefecture was full of "powerful Ancestor," and they had been fighting for so long without a victor?
A gloomy feeling settled over him; the outcome of this great battle was completely unpredictable.
He thought of the Silver War Beast and others; these were not traditional Demon Race, but they had also joined the war. Undoubtedly, the demons had brought in many helpers.
This battle was particularly difficult.
As Qin Ming wielded his sword and traversed the battlefield, he learned some bad news: the "young leader" of the Jade Clarity Sect had been killed in battle.
He met Lu Yuzhi, and almost went to the Jade Clarity Sect with her back then.
She is a top-tier Otherworlder, possesses a complete lineage of the Esoteric Sect, and has devoted herself to cultivation at the Jade Purity Ancestral Court, advancing along two paths simultaneously. At the same time, she is also a direct descendant of the Lu Family, Millennium Aristocratic Family.
"I never imagined that your skills are now even higher than mine. Thank you for resolving my crisis." Lu Yuzhi's beautiful face showed a complex expression.
Then, she sighed again. She had seen the young master of the Fourth Realm die in battle from afar.
"Senior Sister Lu, you're seriously injured. You should leave the battlefield as soon as possible," Qin Ming said.
"Okay!" Lu Yuzhi thanked him and led a group of people away.
"What? The Sky Shaker of the Sky Bearing Sect has died in battle?" Qin Ming was deeply shocked when he heard this news.
Only those who master the Three Imperial Force at a very young age have special titles. The Sky Shaker of the Sky Bearing Sect and the Golden Body Nirvana One of the Tathagata Sect are such people.
Throughout the entire New Life Path, anyone who holds this title is undoubtedly one of the most outstanding disciples of the sect.
Qin Ming gasped. Even someone like him had fallen on the battlefield; the great battle was indeed extremely bloody.
Not long after, he encountered people from the Five Elements Palace, who naturally did their best to help him. Just because Jin Yuan had taken care of him, he was determined to lead this group out to fight their way out.
"This time, we encountered a young Golden Behemoth!" The people of the Five Elements Palace suffered a terrible fate. They joined forces with the Esoteric Sect, but were annihilated by the behemoth and scattered.
The Golden Behemoth is even more terrifying than the Silver War Beast. Once it reaches adulthood, it will inevitably reach the Mid-Fifth Realm, which is the Master level.
After Qin Ming led the Five Elements Palace people away from the dangerous area, he returned to fight his way back.
However, the boy who was actually the Golden Behemoth was very cautious. After an explosion in one area, he would quickly disappear without a trace, clearly avoiding the risks.
The demons and their allies also suffered heavy losses, and some of the Old Devil went mad, howling in the distance.
"Thank you, Brother Qin. I am from the Tang Family of the Undying Hall of the Esoteric Sect."
Qin Ming intervened along the way, rescuing some of the people from Night Prefecture.
The group of people all wore expressions of grief. Their Undying Hall's God Seed had died in battle, and it was a powerful figure whom their Tang Family had been cultivating.
"Tang Yutian..."
Qin Ming was slightly lost in thought. This God Seed, like Su Shiyun and Xue Yunzheng, had once been given special treatment and allowed to go to the heavenly medicinal fields to collect otherworldly spiritual substances.
He went far away and soon encountered people from the Six Royals Ancestral Court, who rescued the two Otherworlder, Zhuo Ya and Cao Wuji. However, Zhuo Ya could not hold on and was already at her last gasp, her Mental Field collapsing.
Qin Ming had once been with them in the trials of the Six Royals Ancestral Court on the edge of the world. Zhuo Ya was Yu Zhuohan's cousin, and unexpectedly, she died right before his eyes.
His face was stiff, because he had no idea how many acquaintances would be permanently lost after this battle.
Initially, it was acquaintances like Lu Zhenyi and Chen Bingyan who were killed or wounded. Later, even the top-tier Immortal Seed Su Shiyun was killed in battle, and all routes on the Western Territory Battlefield suffered heavy losses.
Qin Ming's heart sank. He was worried about Li Qingyue, Wu Yaozu, and the others. He had thought they were capable of protecting themselves, but now it seemed that was not the case.
Blood-stained yellow leaves drifted down from the night sky. He felt the chill of late autumn was intense, and there were dead people everywhere. Some familiar faces might never be seen again.
Soon after, his pupils contracted as he saw Chu Pianran, who had been resurrected from Ancient Immortal Dojo, wielding her Sword Qi with overwhelming force and slaying a Fourth Realm old demon mixed in with the demons.
Qin Ming was quite unsettled; this woman was indeed extremely formidable.
At the same time, he also realized that some old guys wanted to nip the seeds of the opposing camp in the bud, and the atmosphere throughout the area was extremely unsettling.
Qin Ming left, quickly changing out of his blood-stained white clothes, and then became much more low-key.
In the distance, at the Heavenly God Palace, a large faction of the Esoteric Sect, a group of people were wailing in grief. Their strongest God Seed had died in battle, a figure who was on par with Cheng Sheng and Zhao Qingcheng.
Before long, the demon camp was in chaos, some Old Devil went mad, and on their side, some top-tier Heavenly Demon Seed died.
"A Heavenly Demon Seed, on par with the Jade Emperor, was beheaded by Immortal Path Old Senior on our side!"
The people of Night Prefecture spread this message.
Clearly, the people of the Immortal Path are seeking revenge. Su Shiyun was killed by the old demon, and now the Immortal Path has successfully hunted down their "heart's treasure."
"Thank you for saving me, brother. I am from the Qian Family of Moonfall City. You'd better hide quickly, there's an old guy hunting down immortal Immortal Seed in the shadows!"
Along the way, Qin Ming rescued several experts who were on the verge of death. Some of them told him that the environment was becoming increasingly dangerous and that he should not stand out too much.
Qin Ming nodded. He guessed that the battle on the Ancestor Battlefield might not be a clear winner, so both sides wanted to eliminate the other's future Grandmaster Level and were frantically attacking the seed masters.
Sure enough, not long after, an old fellow rushed over to his territory, extending his Consciousness Spirit Light as if searching for someone.
Boom!
In the distance, Jiang Ran slew an extremely powerful Fourth Realm demon.
In an instant, several old demons appeared and charged at her.
However, on the human side, even more old guys suddenly appeared and began to hunt them down.
Qin Ming's pupils contracted as he muttered to himself, "A chaotic melee... Is this a sign of collapse? I reckon neither side can withstand such losses."
He began to become cautious; in fact, neither side dared to easily sprout any seeds.
Half an hour later, a long howl came from the Demon Race camp. A "Phoenix Child" of Fire Phoenix Mountain with a very high status was strangled by an old man from the human camp.
Instantly, flames roared across that area, and a Grandmaster- level Heavenly Phoenix appeared, filled with rage and eager for bloody revenge.
Boom!
Amidst lightning and thunder, many of its feathers were blown off. Two human Grandmaster, covered in blood, went to hunt it down: one was an old monster from Ghost Path, and the other was a master from the Desolate Lands.
"It's over, the entire Godfall Great Plain are going to be in complete chaos." Qin Ming had a premonition that something terrible was about to happen; there was no safe place left.
And at that very moment, he suddenly felt a chill run down his spine, his hair stood on end, and he had a premonition of impending Great Calamity. Was some old monster targeting him?
Qin Ming remained calm and hidden among the crowd, unaware of the source of the crisis.
Finally, danger did indeed appear. At first, it was silent, then the sky and earth collapsed, and the thick clouds above the battlefield exploded and disappeared on the spot.
This is not targeting one person, but rather a vast, densely packed population.
Qin Ming saw a silver spear flying from the direction of the Demon Race race camp, swirling with dense Demon Race characters. It rapidly enlarged, shaking the heavens and the earth as it flew.
On the Night Prefecture side, a Nine-Colored Sword appeared, slicing out endless Order Patterns, cutting through the pitch-black sky, as if breaking free from the shackles of time and space.
"Gods... appear!" A Master's voice trembled as he revealed the truth.
Qin Ming finally understood the source of his unease: the intervention of gods was like a natural disaster. How could someone with his "small physique" possibly withstand it?
No one knows whether it was the Demon God who launched the attack first, or the powerful figures of Night Prefecture who struck first, but both were aiming to annihilate a massive number of cultivators in the opposing camp.
The two weapons met in the night sky, and the light was so intense that many people couldn't bear to look at it; their eyes almost bled. It was a clash of divine power.
Qin Ming wondered if he might just "die" from that moment on.
Regardless, his first instinct was to protect himself, using Earth Evasion Technique is a type of magic that allows one to escape into the ground beneath the Great Plains).
The clash between the two weapons created a catastrophic aftershock, enough to kill many low- to mid-level cultivators in the vicinity.
At the critical moment, both sides made their moves. Giant hands reached out from two different directions in the night sky, their Divine Rosy Radiance surging and blocking the divine light emanating from the two weapons, as well as the endless runes.
Even so, many people on the ground still fell down, panting heavily, as they had been suppressed to the point of suffocation.
Even on the Ancestor Battlefield, someone intervened, unleashing extraordinary treasures; it seems someone wanted to slay a god!
"Retreat!"
A Grandmaster Level figure spoke, ordering everyone from Night Prefecture to step back.
On the other side, the Demon Race gods personally ordered their army to retreat.
Qin Ming arrived at the surface, blended into the crowd, and quickly retreated back to the boundary line.
He knew that the enormous crisis had not been resolved; on the contrary, it might have escalated to its peak, because with the appearance of the Gods, even old guys of this caliber were being forced to step down.
Whether the two sides are going for a final blow or starting to negotiate and retreat is currently impossible to determine.
In the Ancestor Battlefield, the great battle among the Sixth Realm experts had also ended. Blood mist surged there, staining the sky red, and the crimson color lingered for a long time. The exact number of casualties among the Ancestor was unknown.
As some of the Ancestor, such as Leng Mingkong, He Lian Chengyun, Sky-Pillar, emerged from the blood-red clouds, people's hearts sank; many Ancestor were missing!
Were those men killed in battle, or did they retreat due to serious injuries? If it was the former, the losses in this battle were unimaginable.
On the human side, white Immortal Mist surged, revealing a massive figure with partial outlines, displaying inhuman attributes, seemingly the body of a certain Ancestor after achieving godhood.
At this moment, he spoke up, "Are you all forced to act as the king's vanguard, trying to test the strength of the Jade Capital? You cannot bear the consequences."
This single sentence sent a chill down the spines of many cultivators on both sides.
On humanity's side, everyone's hearts are sinking. Are the vanguard leading the charge, while the true ruler remains hidden behind, never to appear?
If that's the case, is there any way for people in Night Prefecture to survive?
The Demon Race cultivators at all levels were incredulous. Could it be that even they, so powerful, were being used by another civilization, driven to advance and attack the human race?
These words nearly broke the defenses of some Great Demon who were arrogant about the brilliance of their Demon Race civilization, and they found them hard to accept.
Immediately, many demons looked at the old monster of the Sixth Realm, and then at the Demon God in the clouds, wanting to verify whether this was true.
However, the Demon Race's high-ranking officials fell silent for a brief moment.
This silence speaks volumes.
Finally, the Demon God spoke, "It's not about commanding, it's just normal cooperation. No matter how powerful a civilization is, it cannot enslave my Demon Race."
Amidst surging white Immortal Mist, the deities of Night Prefecture spoke up, "Even they themselves dare not come, why should your Demon Race wade into these troubled waters? This territory is not to be tested, and the Jade Capital must not be offended!"
He laid these secrets out in the open, making sure everyone heard them clearly.
Qin Ming was truly shocked and his heart was filled with unease. There were others behind the terrifying Demon Race, which was truly frightening!
Immediately, many in the Demon Race race camp were dissatisfied. Why should they obey the orders of another civilization? Their Demon Race was incomparably brilliant; were they to become a subordinate civilization?
The Demon God had no choice but to speak, and quite frankly at that, saying, "To be honest, we really don't want to bite into the tough nut of Night Prefecture anymore, but the die is cast."
"Reason?" the deity from Night Prefecture asked coldly.
In fact, a large number of Demon Race were even more curious and felt extremely aggrieved that they hadn't initiated the attack, but rather that it was led by another mysterious civilization.
They felt extremely humiliated to be used as pawns.
The Demon God, "Our Demon Race's most precious treasures, which have been lost for many years, and the Supreme Heavenly Tome, have reappeared. However, they have fallen into the hands of others, and since they concern the fate of our race, we have no choice but to agree to one condition in order to retrieve them."
Clearly, his main purpose was to appease the Demon Race army.
"You should all retreat," the deity from Night Prefecture said calmly.
The Demon God replied, "We cannot retreat. We have already agreed that even if we cannot conquer Night Prefecture, we will try our best."
The enormous figure within the white Immortal Mist, its powerful aura surging, declared, "So, a final, bloody battle is unavoidable."
"There is no other choice!" As the Demon God spoke, he once again grasped the divine weapon, the spear wreathed in numerous demonic runes.
Someone in the Ancestor's group spoke up forcefully, "Isn't it just a battle? You're only slightly stronger than Insignificant God. Demon God at the Early Seventh Realm dares to act wildly in front of us? You're courting death!"
Leng Mingkong stepped forward, appearing as a young man in his early twenties. He strode through the void, his armor tattered, his body covered in demonic blood, exuding a powerful aura, his entire body radiating light and rain, as if he wanted to suppress the gods.
"Insignificant God, Fallen Immortal, I'll slaughter you!" He Lian Chengyun also stepped forward, looking like a young man, his crimson armor clanging as he held the Sun-Shooting Heavenly Bow, exuding an indescribable ethereal and otherworldly aura.
"Sigh, stop cursing. If you call them Insignificant God and Fallen Immortal, then what are we?" The massive figure in the white mist said helplessly from Night Prefecture's side.
"You are... Grand-Uncle Master Ye!" Leng Mingkong stared into the depths of the white mist and suddenly recognized the enormous, inhuman creature.
In fact, behind the white mist, there were several enormous figures, some sitting cross-legged, others standing still.
"The Past Tathagata?" One of the Ancestor on the New Life Path looked surprised as he recognized one of the figures.
Amidst the white Immortal Mist, an old Ancestor spoke, "Alas, we have no face to face those who come after us. As our lifespan drew to a close, we chose to become Fallen Immortal, transforming into fallen gods, disgracing you all."
"This... Grand-Uncle Master Ye, I'm so sorry!"
"Master!"
There was a commotion among the Ancestor's group.
"Seniors, step back and let us slay the god!" one of the Ancestor said forcefully.
"Time may ravage a beauty, but it also slays a hero." Immortal Mist, the Ancestor sighed, shaking his head to stop those who came after him. He said, "Let us go. Even after becoming gods, our lifespans are short. Today... let us slay our enemies, face death, and complete the final journey of our lives!"