Great Demon Comes to Slay Immortals (Part 1)

While Jiang Wang was trying to discuss creating Immortal Traces with the Night Roaming God, Constable Zhou of the Garrison Headquarters suddenly paid a visit.

Led by the White-robed Cultivator, Constable Zhou went straight to Jiang Wang's courtyard. He cupped his hands with a smile. "Young Marquis, I apologize for disturbing you so late at night."

Jiang Wang nodded. "What is it?"

Constable Zhou said, "Because of what happened in South City Alley, we found a little girl in the Du Family household. We temporarily brought her back to the headquarters, but she refused to answer anything we asked. Not until tonight did she say she knew the Young Marquis. I thought there must be some misunderstanding, so I brought her here."

As he finished speaking, he shifted aside and revealed Akong's tiny frame.

Akong blinked her big, adorable eyes. "I'm hungry..."

Constable Zhou hurriedly explained, "It isn't that we refused to feed her. She simply eats far too much."

Jiang Wang silently looked at her and said, "I understand."

Constable Zhou did not leave immediately. Still smiling awkwardly, he continued, "Strange, though. How did the Du Family become empty overnight?"

Jiang Wang said calmly, "Perhaps they offended someone and moved away with their whole household. You know there are many visiting cultivators in Hun City."

Constable Zhou said in relief, "So that was it."

He promptly took his leave.

The White-robed Cultivator lowered his voice. "Did he notice something?"

Jiang Wang smiled. "He is, after all, Hun City's foremost Divine Constable. But he is a smart man."

He waved the White-robed Cultivator away to rest, then looked at Akong and said helplessly, "We aren't familiar with each other. Even if you had nothing to eat, why come to me?"

Akong said, "Your house looks pretty rich. Even the stone slabs on the ground are so fancy. Feed me, and I'll work for you."

Jiang Wang raised a brow. "What can you do for me?"

Akong held out both hands and diligently counted on her fingers. "There are lots of things I can do. I can cook, and I can eat. I can spend money, fight, and farm..."

Jiang Wang watched Akong chatter on without end. Other than eating and spending money, she really did seem like a treasure chest that contained everything.

"If you want to stay, then stay. You eat a little too much, but my marquis manor can still afford to feed you." Jiang Wang stretched and pointed toward a room. "You can stay next door to Xiaoyu."

Akong patted her little belly and said plaintively, "Give me something to eat first."

Jiang Wang laughed. "The kitchen has everything. Go make it yourself."

After pointing Akong toward the kitchen, Jiang Wang ignored her no longer. His consciousness slipped into the Divine Kingdom, where he found the Night Roaming God rolling around and playing on the mountain again. He lay down where he was and said, "Since you are a deity, creating some Immortal Traces should be easy, right?"

The Night Roaming God glanced at him. "You are making things too simple. If a second anomaly appears on Qixia Street and some great figure notices it, this search for immortals will become anything but ordinary. By then, you may well die without a whole corpse."

Jiang Wang felt deeply troubled.

If he could not take the initiative, how long would he have to wait before becoming truly invincible?

The Night Roaming God flapped its wings and soared high into the sky, sending grass clippings flying everywhere. Its body grew incomparably vast, blanketing the entire mountain. Its voice seemed to come from all directions. "Recently, I sensed great demons moving around Hun City. Cultivators have been seeking immortals for so long; the monsters coming to slay immortals will soon arrive as well. If you create Immortal Traces, the monsters will surely swarm to attack you."

"Rather than setting your sights on those cultivators, you would do better to go subdue demons and eliminate monsters. By tomorrow at the latest, the first batch of vanguard monsters will reach Hun City. Their levels will not be too high, which makes them perfect for you to pick up the scraps."

Jiang Wang looked up at the Night Roaming God. "Little monsters are no fun. Why not just deal with that great demon directly? The rewards would definitely be greater than killing small monsters."

The Night Roaming God spat, and a gale swept through the Divine Kingdom. "You're dreaming while eating shit. Do you think a great demon daring to come slay immortals would be weak? Picking up scraps is one thing, but once that great demon truly appears, you should start thinking about how to flee with your whole household."

Jiang Wang furrowed his brow. "When the great demon arrives, will Hun City fall?"

The Night Roaming God said gravely, "If I were still at the height of my power, one sneeze would blast it to death. But if no great cultivator of the Zao Xue Realm appears in Hun City, then once the great demon descends, Hun City will surely fall."

Jiang Wang's expression darkened.

If he used Immortal Traces to lure in a great figure, he might lose his life. But if he did not, Hun City would perish.

Whether to save his own life or save Hun City was an immense dilemma.

Though he still had not set foot throughout all of Hun City and knew only a handful of people.

The next day, at the hour of the Snake.

Rain fell over Hun City.

Luo Xianshan came to Xunyang Marquis Manor as usual.

Though practicing martial arts in the rain carried a finer mood, Venerable Luo cherished Xiaoyu and chose a sheltered place to teach her.

Jiang Wang lay beneath the covered corridor and watched. While Xiaoyu was comprehending things on her own, he said to Luo Xianshan, "Has the great demon ravaging Sui Kingdom not been dealt with yet?"

Luo Xianshan frowned. "Our Martial God Temple has sent Fourth Realm martial artists, even Grandmasters, to help slay demons. But because the Sword God is in Kutan, I have had no chance to act. Great demons appear and vanish like ghosts and never remain in one place. Completely resolving the matter always takes time."

Jiang Wang asked, "Does Ao Yin count as a great demon?"

Luo Xianshan shook his head. "Ao Yin is considered a great demon among lesser monsters. A true great demon possesses strength comparable to a cultivator of the Zao Xue Realm. Even I would not have much chance of victory against one."

He looked at Jiang Wang curiously. "Why did you suddenly ask about this?"

Jiang Wang said, "A Mirage has appeared in Hun City, so cultivators have come seeking immortals. At the same time, great demons have begun wreaking havoc everywhere. Haven't the great figures of Sui Kingdom found anything strange about that?"

Luo Xianshan said in a deep voice, "Whenever there are signs of Immortals Descending, great demons always emerge. But a scale like this is indeed rare. Chancellor Chang of Fish Abyss Academy once suspected that great demons feared immortals and sought to strangle them in the cradle just as they descended into the world."

"But since Sui Kingdom established its barriers and kept most monsters outside, events such as monsters attacking cities cannot be said to never happen, yet they are rare."

"If they truly wish to kill immortals, why are the great demons wreaking havoc in places far from the anomalies? Their purpose may be to draw the attention of great cultivators, but there should always be some follow-up action. Yet there has been no word of it before."

Luo Xianshan pondered aloud, "I think it may be because past searches for immortals all ended in failure. No true immortal ever appeared, so after the great demons caused a stir, they naturally withdrew. Yet the Imperial Preceptor once found an immortal. Though great demons wreaked havoc then as well, there was still no further development. It is indeed quite strange."

Jiang Wang thought that great demons would act once they noticed signs of Immortals Descending, but perhaps the anomalies of the past had not all been caused by immortals descending. If there were no immortals, then withdrawing was only natural.

As for the Imperial Preceptor finding an immortal, that could also be explained by the great demons failing to locate the immortal in time. If they directly attacked the Divine Capital, they likely lacked the strength to do so. Otherwise, the entire world would long ago have contained only monsters and no humans.

Yet the more Jiang Wang thought about it, the more panicked he became.

If monsters were going to attack Hun City, did that not mean they had already found the immortal?

It would be fine if there really were an immortal, but if they set their sights on him, that would be the end of him!

Jiang Wang looked solemnly at Luo Xianshan. "I have received news that great demons have been spotted near Hun City. There may even be a gathering of monsters. Could Venerable Luo return to the Martial God Temple and mobilize people to defend Hun City?"

Luo Xianshan's expression changed abruptly. He lowered his voice. "Is your information reliable?"

Jiang Wang replied, "Basically reliable."

Luo Xianshan's expression shifted uncertainly. "If that is so, could there truly be an immortal in Hun City?"

Jiang Wang fell silent.

Luo Xianshan looked at him and said, "This must be reported to the Sword Pavilion. If great demons attack the city, then an immortal may truly have descended here. As long as we find the immortal first, the monsters will be nothing to fear. The situation is urgent. I must return to the Martial God Temple, though I do not know whether I can make it in time."

Jiang Wang had no confidence that an immortal was in Hun City.

Otherwise, why would the Night Roaming God have come looking for him?

But he dearly hoped that Hun City truly did have an immortal.

Inside a tavern on Pinglan Street.

Cups were raised and exchanged, drinking games played amid crisscrossing goblets.

By the window, Jiang Wang slumped in his seat.

Xie Wuxing silently drank across from him, then said in a deep voice, "Before I came to Hun City, my teacher had already descended the mountain to slay demons. I heard that the monsters are only ravaging the areas around cities, but the people within those cities are also terrified. All the Sword Pavilion cultivators with any cultivation have followed him down the mountain. It will likely be very difficult for them to return and save Hun City."

Jiang Wang asked, "Chancellor Chang is staying at Fish Abyss Academy?"

Xie Wuxing said, "The Martial God Temple and Fish Abyss Academy are both slaying demons and eliminating monsters in nearby regions. The Sword Pavilion is handling most areas, after all. There are only a few in the Martial God Temple capable of contending against great demons, and Fish Abyss Academy needs no mention. Chancellor Chang is their only great figure of the Zao Xue Realm."

"Great demons are wreaking havoc throughout every region of Sui Kingdom, and the Divine Capital's forces have been scattered because of it. Hun City now faces a situation where aid cannot come from any direction."

Hearing this, Jiang Wang realized that even if Immortal Traces lured a great figure here, Hun City would already have been overrun by monsters by the time that so-called great figure arrived.

Other than fighting, there was only fleeing. Those were the only two paths.

Hun City was not large, but it was by no means small either. According to the Night Roaming God's estimate, the first monsters to attack the city would appear today. Trying to evacuate the entire city's population would be harder than ascending to heaven.

So in truth, there was only one path.

It was still the same question.

Either save only the marquis manor, along with Old Xu, or defend the city and fight.

As though recalling something, Xie Wuxing said, "Do you still remember the Man surnamed Xiao who appeared on Qixia Street?"

Jiang Wang raised a brow.

Xie Wuxing continued, "I suspect he may be a great cultivator of the Zao Xue Realm. If we can confirm it, then with our strength, we may not be unable to withstand a great demon's attack on the city."

Jiang Wang asked, "Do you know where he is?"

Xie Wuxing said, "I have been looking for him these past few days. I have already confirmed his location."

Jiang Wang stood. "Then let us go."

In a bamboo grove somewhere in West City Alley.

The light rain filled the place with a damp, misty air.

Jiang Wang held a black oil-paper umbrella. He let out a soft breath, lowered his head to look at his mud-caked boots, and frowned. "He lives here?"

Xie Wuxing pointed ahead. A bamboo house could faintly be seen there, clearly newly built. Amid the hazy rain and fog, it possessed a rather wondrous atmosphere.