Anti-Demon Hero

[Da Qing 315, September 17th. A Spark of Fire ignited in Baixian City.]

[It was like striking a match atop a vast ocean—any tiny wave could snuff it out.]

[When over three thousand Demonized Soldiers surged outside Baixian City, you felt your own foolishness. This was a mantis trying to stop a chariot.]

[Even the mightiest Grandmaster would find it nearly impossible to sweep through ten thousand troops, let alone three thousand Second-rate Martial Artists formed into a battle array—equivalent to fifty thousand soldiers. You had only two Grandmasters here, and you had to protect an entire city of civilians who couldn't flee. How could this be fought?]

[Then you watched as a group of fierce warriors charged out from among those numb, listless crowds. Judging by their aura alone, no fewer than three were Grandmasters.]

[One was especially ferocious, standing two meters six tall. He must have been crouching among the crowd all along. Now on his feet, he wielded two thousand-jin hammers with such force that a single exchange could instantly kill seven or eight Demonized Soldiers.]

[The aloof woman beside you, Jiang Yueli, explained that most of the rebellion organization's strong had gathered here. They had long since decided—this place was farthest from the Demon Country's master, the Alien Demon, and no Human Demons would appear in this remote region. They had to quickly capture a city before it could react.]

[The Unrivaled Under Heaven Alien Demon had grown lazy and idle seven or eight years ago, barely leaving its "Holy King's Palace" in all that time. So only other Blood Demons and the higher-ranked Human Demons would come.]

[And over these ten years, you had discovered a countermeasure: Use the alien's own techniques against it!]

[Smelt demon iron to forge divine weapons!]

[These self-proclaimed "Ancient Clan" Alien Demons—some bloodline power or other component within their bodies—were perfectly suited for forging divine weapons!]

[Extract the demon blood from the most ordinary Demonized Soldier, and you could forge a weapon fit for a First-rate Martial Artist. And this stacking seemed to have no upper limit.]

Yun Shou: "???"

You're saying that even though I, an ordinary man, can't beat a First-rate Expert, as long as I have a blade that can cut through iron like mud, I can go take them on?

Before I even raised my hand, they'd have lopped it off!

[The three thousand Demonized Soldiers were quickly wiped clean under the combined efforts of the Grandmasters. The one who contributed the most was that two-meter-six giant.]

[You learned he was once a general of the Wu Kingdom, named Xu Zhenwu. Born with Dragon Elephant Strength, even without any martial training, a casual wave of his hand carried ten thousand jin of force.]

[But don't misunderstand—that doesn't mean his foundation Talent Aptitude was ten times that of an ordinary person. Though higher than average, it was only about two or three times greater.]

[An ordinary person reaching First-rate Martial Artist could beat two hundred versions of their untrained self. But someone with a rare talent like "Dragon Elephant Strength" who trained to the First-rate level saw little actual improvement in power.]

[Only upon reaching Grandmaster did their strength become equivalent to several times that of an ordinary person.]

Yun Shou: "Wu Kingdom, general, Dragon Elephant Strength."

"Is this an old acquaintance I've heard of somewhere? So hard to guess."

[In short, the rebels were betting—betting that before they became a real threat, the Alien Demon itself wouldn't come.]

[A month later, a set of Demon Armor was forged. The one to wear it was, of course, Bei Chenguang.]

[Afterward, the surrounding Blood Demons mobilized their armies to crush Baixian City. Bei Chenguang charged alone into the ten-thousand-strong force. Wearing the Demon Armor, he was practically a God of War, and by sheer force he killed the three Blood Demons in the main camp.]

[You stayed in the rear, forging iron. Honestly, it felt safer than in the Demon Extermination Forest.]

[Da Qing 316. You were still forging iron.]

[That same year, a Human Demon attacked. A single palm strike shattered Xu Zhenwu's sternum. The Grandmaster with Dragon Elephant Strength, two or three times stronger than an ordinary Grandmaster, couldn't withstand that one blow.]

[All the Grandmasters of Baixian City went out together. In the end, Bei Chenguang beheaded it.]

Yun Shou: "Why do I feel more and more like a side character?"

[Da Qing 317. You heard that Bei Chenguang infiltrated a Demon City and, through a clever scheme, single-handedly killed a Human Demon!]

[Da Qing 318. You heard that Bei Chenguang, for some unknown reason, charged straight at the Holy King's Palace and sliced open a corner of the palace with his sword. The only reason you heard this news was that he came back alive!]

[Somehow, he managed it. But he survived.]

[That same day, the people of Baixian City scattered into the plains. Soon after, several Human Demons swept through the city, killing those who refused to leave.]

[Later, you heard that the Demon Extermination Forest was swept clean by a determined demon army. Tens of thousands of human corpses were transported to the border, their skulls severed and piled into a Jingguan.]

[Da Qing 319. You wandered the wilderness. Piece by piece, Demon Armor and Demon Swords were forged. Wearing compatible Soldier Armor, a martial artist could fight a full grade above their own!]

[You planned to forge Divine Armor and Divine Weapons that would allow a Supreme Grandmaster to fight the Alien Demon itself.]

[Da Qing 320. All the hidden schemes the rebels had buried were unveiled at once. Over a hundred cities erupted in rebellion simultaneously!]

[Though many were suppressed by bloody means in a short time, plenty of demon blood was delivered into your hands.]

[That year, the Demon Slaying Divine Will manifested behind Bei Chenguang. Facing a former Grandmaster turned Human Demon, he didn't even move—he crushed it to its knees with sheer divine will alone.]

[Twenty years old. Supreme Grandmaster.]

[That year, he donned his armor and helmet. The Divine Weapon forged from the demon blood of a hundred thousand Demonized Warriors was worn upon his body. He headed straight for the Holy King's Palace.]

["So this is the protagonist of the era?" you thought. You had chosen correctly that day—following the "protagonist," and you hadn't died along the way.]

[As long as Bei Chenguang could win, you would be one of his saviors. Your whole life would be set!]

[No one knows how that battle ended.]

[Because neither Bei Chenguang nor the Alien Demon ever appeared again.]

[Over thirty Human Demons, over four hundred Blood Demons, and around five hundred thousand Demonized Warriors remained—this was the mess left on your doorstep.]

[With the help of "Demon Weapons," the non-renewable forces of the Demon Country still held the upper hand, but their extinction was only a matter of time.]

[What followed would be a long, drawn-out war of attrition.]

[Da Qing 323. You were sixty-eight years old. Over the years, your Foundation Amplification had reached 181%, but it was still insufficient to support any further progress in your Martial Cultivation.]

[Your blacksmithing skill is terrifyingly high; the efficiency of Blood Demon blood in your hands is quite remarkable.]

[In the 325th year of Da Qing, you traveled to another city to forge weapons.]

[In the 327th year of Da Qing, you heard that the Demon Country wanted to negotiate peace with humanity. As a veteran of the anti-demon resistance, you naturally voted against it.]

[In the 330th year of Da Qing, a new generation of human warriors had undergone the baptism of blood. The Demon Country's forces had been pushed back to a third of their former territory, with only the original Qing Kingdom still under their rule.]

[In the 332nd year of Da Qing, you noticed that Bei Chenguang's former companion, Jiang Yueli, was listless and lost all day.]

[In the 335th year of Da Qing, you turned 80. Your body was still in good shape, and you felt you could live to be 120.]

[In the 340th year of Da Qing, Demonized Warriors numbered less than a hundred thousand, but there were still three hundred Blood Demons comparable to Grandmasters, and thirty Human Demons. These high-ranking members were finally forced into a corner and began to act frequently.]

[In the 342nd year of Da Qing, the Human Demons remained locked in a stalemate.]

[In the 345th year of Da Qing, Jiang Yueli, clad in Demon Armor, had advanced to Grandmaster. She fought her way to a certain Human Demon and pressed him for the truth of the battle from over twenty years ago.]

[After she returned, she also told you the information: Bei Chenguang and the Alien Demon had fought their way out of the Holy King's Palace, their battle carving a long trench into the earth before the two vanished over the East Sea...]

[In the 350th year of Da Qing, a Human Demon discovered a method to refine bloodlines and reproduce offspring, which would make the war drag on even longer...]

[In the 355th year of Da Qing, in the inner regions of human territory, you celebrated your centennial birthday with a grand feast. Many of your disciples and their disciples came to pay their respects. You were the first generation Divine Weapon Forger, now enjoying your twilight years in peace.]

[In the 360th year of Da Qing, you were 105 years old, with a Foundation Amplification of 218%. After a few idle sessions of circulating your energy, you finally felt a faint improvement in your cultivation.]

[But you had already grown too lazy to practice martial arts.]

[In the 368th year of Da Qing, the Demon Country's forces finally collapsed. The remaining Human Demons and Blood Demons scattered in all directions.]

[In the 375th year of Da Qing, you were 120 years old, but you felt you could live another ten years. You could still walk and jump around!]

[In the 387th year of Da Qing, you lay in bed, feeling the slow drain of life, a touch of sorrow in your heart.]

[In the 388th year of Da Qing, you realized your end had finally come. With the Martial Cultivation of a Martial Master, you had lived to the age of 133. No one thought this was a regret; it was a happy death.]

[The new human nation held a grand funeral for you, honoring the hero of the anti-demon (blacksmithing) resistance.]

[You died.]

(Taking a break on the weekend, two chapters a day? (ˉ▽ˉ;))