The commander of the Liuli Kingdom stared wide-eyed, nearly crushing the military report in his hand, "Quick... retreat!"
However, before the order could be issued, dark clouds loomed over the horizon.
Countless hideous monsters roared and charged forward. A War Souls named Jibu, wielding twin blades, rode a skeletal warhorse, followed by an army of tens of thousands of undead.
The soldiers of the Liuli Kingdom didn't even have time to remove their armor before they were reduced to skeletons by the overwhelming Sha Qi.
On the other side, Zhang Yu flicked his fingertips, and the Short Saber transformed into a stream of light, returning to his palm and then merging into the Formation Runes around his body.
Longqie stared at the Short Saber, a look of understanding flashing in his eyes—yet another Demon Grotto had been opened.
Just then, a clear, resonant voice reading aloud pierced the sky. "Confucius did not say that strange phenomena, physical prowess, disorder, or spirits..."
A golden scroll unfurled in the sky, and dozens of men dressed in Confucian Robe descended from the heavens, led by Meng Hai, Zhu Lunbin's eldest disciple.
Holding Bamboo Slip, they chanted the Analects in unison, and golden ripples, as if formed from culture, spread across the battlefield like a tide.
"Awe-Inspiring Righteous Qi?"
"Again, the traitor's Disciples and Grand-Disciples?"
Longqie Qi looked up and his expression changed drastically.
He sensed that this power was specifically designed to counter evil spirits and ghosts, especially since his War Souls had been sealed for a long time and its Soul Power was reduced to less than one-tenth, making it utterly powerless to resist.
"Senior Brother!"
Zhu Wuyuan was overjoyed and rushed forward, asking, "Where is Father?"
Meng Hai smiled calmly, "Master is summoning fellow cultivators from various states, but judging from the strength of these ghosts, there's no need for Master to take action."
He turned his gaze to Longqie and the others, and sneered, "Mere ghosts dare to wreak havoc on the human world?"
Before the words were even finished, Awe-Inspiring Righteous Qi pressed down like Mount Tai, causing Longqie and the others to Soul Body violently and nearly collapse.
"This person is Literary Dao Immortal, employing the orthodox Confucianism path of that traitor; his Righteous Qi is your nemesis."
The system voice sounded at the opportune moment, "Retreat to the Demon Grotto for now. Once Nine Great Demon Caves open and your king is freed, we can then make further plans."
Longqie and said, "Yes, sir!"
He immediately gave the order, and thousands of War Souls retreated into the ground like a tide, clearing the battlefield in the blink of an eye.
"You run pretty fast!"
Meng Hai scoffed dismissively and said to Zhu Wuyuan:
"Junior sister, you're being far too nervous."
"Is this kind of trash even worth bothering Master?"
Zhu Wuyuan gazed at the empty battlefield, his expression complex.
She had a vague feeling that this seemingly "ordinary" demon-slaying operation was probably hiding a deeper scheme.
Zhang Yu's unfathomable figure cast an even deeper shadow in her heart.
"Senior Brother, we must not let our guard down."
Zhu Wuyuan's brows furrowed slightly, a lingering worry still visible in her eyes.
"If what Sheng Yu said is true, there is probably more than one den of Demon Grotto within the territory of the Eastern Sheng Kingdom."
Although things seem to have calmed down for now, who knows how many hidden dangers are still lurking underground?
Meng Hai, however, appeared confident, standing with his hands behind his back and calmly saying:
"Junior sister, you're overthinking it."
"If these Devil Creature are all like this, even a hundred Demon Grotto could be reduced to ashes with a single palm strike from my Master. Why would you and I need to worry about them?"
His tone was casual, yet it exuded an undeniable confidence, as if even the most powerful demons in the world were insignificant in the face of orthodox Literary Dao and morality.
Upon hearing this, Zhu Wuyuan felt relieved, but his resentful gaze drifted towards Zhang Yu.
He questioned Zhang Yu in public:
"Sheng Yu, you have arbitrarily lifted the seal on the Demon Grotto, causing the tragic deaths of countless people. This is an unforgivable crime."
Furthermore, by standing idly by while Devil Creature ravaged the land, refusing to offer aid and ignoring the people's pleas for help, they deserve to be condemned to death.
In front of the entire city, she listed the crimes she had prepared beforehand, each word like a knife, piercing straight to the heart.
The citizens who had just been crying and begging Zhang Yu to save their lives, now seeing that the situation had stabilized, changed their tune one by one, and joined in the shouting of curses with intense emotion:
"Let him die! Make this cold-blooded, ruthless culprit pay with his life!"
The outcry was overwhelming, and it seemed as if the entire nation had reached a unified consensus at the same moment.
Meng Hai naturally supported Zhu Wuyuan: "He opened Demon Grotto without authorization, causing immense suffering and death; his crime is unforgivable—he should be executed!"
Upon hearing this, the entire room fell silent, only to erupt in even more fervent agreement.
Zhang Yu remained unmoved, gave a cold laugh, and slowly said:
"Zhu Wuyuan, you have manipulated public opinion to force me to abdicate."
As a descendant of the Sheng Family, I no longer have the responsibility to protect the world after abdicating. What is wrong with taking back the Sheng Family's Divine Weapon?
Zhang Yu stared at Zhu Wuyuan and said:
"Zhu Wuyuan, you keep saying that I released the Demon Grotto."
But the truth is—I have repeatedly told you the truth, informing you that your Sheng Family Ancestor used their Fortune and Divine Weapon to seal the Demon Grotto.
It's you who don't believe me, it's you who say I'm exaggerating.
It was your insistence on my abdication that led to the current situation.
He surveyed his surroundings, his gaze sharp as a knife, piercing those who had previously begged him for help but now hurled curses at him.
"I repeatedly explained the truth about the Demon Grotto beforehand, but no one believed me, didn't I?"
If you had believed me back then, things wouldn't have come to this!
These words were like needles, each sentence hitting the nail on the head.
The phrase "It was you who forced me to abdicate" in particular left Zhu Wuyuan for a moment, his face turning red and then white, unable to utter a rebuttal for a long time.
"It's me... don't you believe me?"
She was both ashamed and angry, and tried to defend herself:
"It's because you weren't persistent enough."
If you threaten to kill yourself and vow to protect us to the death, then perhaps we will believe you.
"Yes, it's because you're not determined enough."
"It was your weak will to protect that led to this tragedy."
"Besides, your failure to save someone in distress is a heinous crime."
The people of the Eastern Sheng Kingdom seemed to have found an outlet for their emotions, and regardless of whether the logic was sound, they simply pushed all the blame onto Zhang Yu.
They don't need the truth; they just need someone to vent their fear and anger on.
Seeing his junior sister rendered speechless, and witnessing the overwhelming public opinion, Meng Hai seized the opportunity and loudly proclaimed:
"Sheng Yu, since you have lost your virtue and position, and caused immense suffering, you should atone with your death to appease the public's anger!"
Zhang Yu simply watched them quietly, his eyes showing no anger or panic, only an extreme clarity.
"What a fine way to atone for one's sins with death!"
He said softly, "Unfortunately, my life, Zhang Yu's life, is not something you can decide."
"Stubborn and incorrigible."
A cold glint flashed in Meng Hai's eyes, and he said no more.
Since this person dared to offend his junior sister and repeatedly defied her, he deserved to die.
As for right and wrong, he couldn't be bothered to care.
With a flick of his sleeve, the Bamboo Slip in his hand shone brightly, and a vast and Awe-Inspiring Righteous Qi condensed into a golden giant palm hundreds of feet high, carrying an overwhelming force that slammed directly into the Imperial Palace's Grand Formation.
If this palm strike lands squarely, an ordinary city wall would be reduced to dust in an instant.
However--
"Buzz!"
The Grand Formation behind Zhang Yu suddenly lit up, and the phantom images of three Divine Weapon appeared.
The mighty palm struck the formation, but it was like a mud ox entering the sea, only stirring up ripples, but it could not shake it in the slightest.
Meng Hai frowned slightly, clearly not expecting Zhang Yu's Imperial Palace Grand Formation to be so sturdy.
Zhu Wuyuan, standing beside him, also paused for a moment.
She knew perfectly well that her Senior Brother was Second Rank Literary Dao Immortal, whose Awe-Inspiring Righteous Qi could suppress all evil. How could he not even break through a mere Formation today?
Damn it!
Enraged and humiliated, Meng Hai abandoned all pretense of decorum and roared, "Fellow countrymen, help me vanquish the demon!"
Upon hearing this, the dozens of Confucian scholars behind him responded in unison and activated their Literary Dao Divine Ability.
In an instant, Golden Light filled the sky, and scriptures rained down. Countless chapters and verses from the Analects and Mencius transformed into physical Runes, which coiled around the Grand Formation like chains.
Each Runes contains the True Intention of the righteous path, specifically designed to subdue evil, yet now it pours down like a torrential downpour.
Zhang Yu's expression was solemn as he focused all his efforts on maintaining the operation of the Grand Formation.
The three illusory images of Divine Weapon flickered during the attack, and cracks had already appeared on the Formation Runes.
He felt the overwhelming pressure of the Literary Dao, enough to crush ordinary cultivators into ashes, and was secretly shocked. "The art of Literary Dao actually possesses such power..."
"Click--"
With a crisp sound, a clear crack finally appeared on the surface of the Grand Formation, and it looked like it was about to break apart.
Seeing this, Zhu Wuyuan's eyes flashed with a hint of joy, while he said disdainfully, "Sheng Yu, no matter how you struggle, you will die today."
"Hahaha, kill him! Kill this demon!"
"Demon, your death is nigh."
The remaining citizens of the Imperial City, along with those who were watching the Image Jade Token, all looked on with anticipation as it was about to shatter, ready to witness Zhang Yu being reduced to ashes.
"Anyone who dares to touch him dies!"
Just as the Grand Formation shattered, Zhang Lingyun's voice slowly rang out.