Outside Baishi County's city gates, beneath the blazing sun, the scorching sunlight baked the earth. In the distance, clouds of dust rolled up as hurried hoofbeats came like a sudden downpour.
Seven or eight spirited horses galloped wildly, and as they neared the city gate, someone kept shouting for the way to be cleared.
"Lord Chu was severely wounded fighting demons! Move aside at once!" Ma Han howled loudly, his words urgent and fraught with panic.
The horses neighed without cease, charging into the city on a gust of fierce wind.
Wherever they passed, people turned to look.
Chu Jiang, who had always lived in luxury and comfort, had actually gone to fight demons.
And he had even been seriously wounded. Why did it feel so unreal?
"I'd believe Master Chu went to flirt with decent women, but if you say Master Chu went to fight demons, anyone who believes that is a complete idiot!"
Everyone knew Chu Jiang's reputation in Baishi County. It could not have been worse.
"Exactly. Master Chu's skills at eating, drinking, and having fun are beyond question. But if he fought demons, wouldn't he be beaten to death in a single exchange?"
"Ah... your information is outdated. I heard Master Chu has already turned over a new leaf. A few days ago, I even saw him bringing warmth to a widow living alone!"
"I heard that too. He rescued several fallen young women and even left them silver, saying it was to supplement the children's nutrition."
"Really?"
Some people's eyes widened as though they had heard something utterly unbelievable.
The sun had truly risen in the west.
"Also, Master Chu has already killed two demons. The two demons in Daxing Village were killed by Master Chu. Who knew how many people he saved?"
"I have a cousin from Daxing Village, and I can prove he's telling the truth. Master Chu not only killed demons, but also waived the Demon Extermination Tax. He is a true Benevolent Lord."
"Master Chu is the real good man. We wronged him."
"The Master Chu of old endured humiliation and bore heavy burdens, even willing to be entangled with demons. Now that the time is ripe and Master Chu's divine arts have reached great mastery, he has slaughtered those demons until not a single piece of armor remains!"
The more people spoke, the more outrageous it became, yet strangely enough, their words were convincing.
Master Chu had had no choice before. Now, Master Chu had the strength to resist the demons.
This was a great blessing for Baishi County.
Chu Jiang's two-courtyard residence had guards stationed at both the front and rear gates.
These people had followed him through life and death. Their loyalty was absolute.
"Brother Ma, your acting just now was incredible. This little brother admires you."
"Even I was a little scared."
After entering the courtyard, Lu Feiyang laughed. He had thought himself Invincible Under Heaven, yet he had not expected someone to be even fiercer than him.
"Enough. I'm going into seclusion now. Guard the gates well. No one is allowed in. Just say I was seriously wounded and need to enter seclusion to recuperate."
Chu Jiang made his final arrangements before entering seclusion.
Ever since leaving Black Tiger Mountain, Lu Feiyang had followed him everywhere, refusing to leave. He insisted on becoming sworn brothers and recognizing Chu Jiang as his elder brother.
Like a plaster stuck to a dog's hide, he could not be shaken off no matter how hard one tried.
Chu Jiang had also arranged for Liu Guangwu to stay here and had not allowed him to return.
Although Liu Guangwu was fairly respectful toward him, he was close to Assistant Magistrate Liu.
He might reveal Chu Jiang's intentions.
After entering the Cultivation Room, Chu Jiang took out the Blood Saber Manual and began to read.
Meanwhile, in the county yamen's rear courtyard, the two men rose to their feet together after hearing the report from below.
Expressions of confusion appeared on their faces.
"Assistant Magistrate Liu, didn't you say there was no room for error? How did that bastard come back alive?" Clerk Hu said with a stiff face, already cursing his mother in his heart.
Assistant Magistrate Liu frowned deeply. "It shouldn't be possible. With that lord's strength, even ten Chu Jiangs could not escape his grasp."
"As long as he was still at the Xiantian Realm, escape was absolutely impossible. How could this..."
"Could he have some life-saving trump card that let him survive that lord's hands?"
"All these years, I thought I had seen through you. Yet it turns out I knew nothing about you."
"Chu Jiang, very good."
Assistant Magistrate Liu's voice was filled with anger. The corner of the table in his grip crumbled into powder.
"The most urgent matter now is to deal with Chu Jiang!"
"The demons have just sent word. The great demon of the sheep demon clan is enraged. Its only offspring was killed by Chu Jiang in Daxing Village. If we do not capture Chu Jiang..."
"Baishi County will bear that great demon's wrath."
"I dare guarantee that before Great Chu's experts arrive, Baishi County will already have become a field of ruins."
"When that happens, forget the plan falling behind schedule. We'll all die."
"Perhaps we should never have given him a dignified death in the first place."
"Otherwise, this disaster would never have been stirred up."
Assistant Magistrate Liu sighed. "Who could have expected what happened afterward? The odds of this were harder than ascending to heaven!"
"But it happened anyway," Clerk Hu said gloomily, as if a thousand-pound boulder were pressing on his heart. He hated such accidents.
"He was able to escape alive from that lord's hands, so he isn't weak."
"While he's seriously wounded, we'll eliminate him completely and be done with it once and for all."
"This time, do not be softhearted!"
"Didn't the Hall Master give you a Resentment Thunder Pearl? Take it out. There cannot be another accident this time!"
Assistant Magistrate Liu looked shocked. "That Resentment Thunder Pearl can seriously wound Vajra Realm experts. It's also an essential item for the plan. Are you sure we should use it?"
No matter how strong Chu Jiang was, he was only in the Xiantian Realm. Was there really a need to use such a secret treasure?
"What if he's faking it? Can you guarantee that he's truly seriously wounded, rather than waiting by a tree stump for a rabbit?" Clerk Hu sneered. He had always sought stability in his actions.
If they were going to do it, they had to do it thoroughly.
Whether the injuries were real or fake, Chu Jiang had to die!
"Fine. This time, I'll listen to you!"
Assistant Magistrate Liu felt that Clerk Hu's words were not without reason. They had already made one mistake.
The second time, they had to deliver a killing blow.
"Tonight, we'll send him to the western paradise!"
Inside the Cultivation Room, Chu Jiang closed the Blood Saber Manual.
"This Blood Saber Manual truly is broad and profound. Saber techniques are merely one part of it—the skills of the saber, diagrams of saber forms, the fusion of saber techniques and movement techniques, and more."
"At the end of the manual are Blood Saber's own annotations on his comprehension of the saber path, as well as his cultivation insights."
It was like being told which road to take. As long as one followed the steps in order, one would eventually achieve great mastery.
The Blood Saber Manual contained a total of nine saber forms, each more powerful than the last.
Yet each was also harder to comprehend than the last.
The Blood Saber Manual recorded that there was supposedly a tenth form, called Boundless Sea of Blood.
It could stand shoulder to shoulder with Grandmaster-level martial arts.
It was Blood Saber's ultimate secret. One had to thoroughly master the previous nine Blood Saber forms and unite oneself with the saber before one might have the chance to recreate this move.
When Boundless Sea of Blood was unleashed, a sea of blood mist would form around the user, shrouding the enemy. The blood mist would devour the enemy's Life Force.
The stronger one's strength and the higher one's realm, the wider the area covered by the sea of blood.
Moreover, within the sea of blood, one's own side would gain a massive increase in strength, while the enemy's strength would be suppressed.
Unfortunately, even Blood Saber himself had only comprehended seven Blood Saber forms.
He had failed to comprehend the eighth and ninth forms until his death, let alone the legendary Boundless Sea of Blood formed by uniting all nine forms. He had never had the fortune to witness it.
There were no relevant records in the manual. Everything depended on one's personal comprehension.
[ Demon Lifespan: 686 years ]
Chu Jiang calmed his mind and poured an immense amount of Demon Lifespan into the Blood Saber Manual.
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