Demon Emperor

The sun rose and the moon set.

Ancient silver ginkgoes bore lingering snow upon withered branches. Thin mist hung over the cold river, broken ice drifted with the current, and white birds flew by. An east wind swept across West Lake, dampening the remnants of snow.

The thick smoke over Suzhou and Hangzhou had yet to disperse, and chaos reigned. Earthquakes, banditry—what had once been a water town of little bridges, flowing streams, white walls, and gray tiles was now a scene of utter devastation. Refugees fled while bandits ran rampant. Fortunately, the cold weather had prevented an outbreak of plague. The rebels had turned a once-prosperous land into an inferno.

Osmanthus Alley had become the only haven of peace.

The powerful and wealthy had suffered severe losses and dispatched experts from their sects to seek revenge against the bandit leaders, plunging the situation into even greater chaos. The only ones unlucky enough to suffer were the common folk.

A little boy holding a Ring-pommel Saber sat atop a roof, eating fish and watching the sunrise. The weapon forged from refined steel was cold and razor-sharp. Anyone carrying a weapon, whether bandit or expert raised by the powerful, was forbidden from approaching.

Those who approached with weapons would be killed.

The Martial Monk was badly wounded and pale-faced. He sat by the waterway, silently watching the murky current full of floating debris. Whenever a corpse drifted past, he would sigh and chant a Buddhist invocation, never even looking back as the snake demon cut down evildoers behind him.

Inside the shop, the deadly poison in Xu Xian's body had receded, leaving only two bite marks on his neck.

His eyelids twitched, and he slowly awakened.

"Hanwen... you scared your sister to death..."

Xu Jiaorong had been on tenterhooks, unable to