Rage and Despair, the Earth-Shaking Army

Wang Jie's eyes were gloomy. "Hmph."

Inside the Mission Hall of the Demon Extermination Hall, nearly a hundred Demon Extermination Captains had been summoned.

A middle-aged man looked at everyone and spoke.

"For this year's conscription mission, each of you will be assigned to one to three locations."

"There may be cultivators from the Blood Demon Sect inside, or perhaps soldiers sent from who knows where."

"You are to head there immediately and apprehend all of these people."

"If there is any resistance, kill them on the spot."

"At the same time, the soldiers of the Garrison have all mutinied. If they appear to obstruct you, kill them on the spot as well."

"If they surrender, you may accept it."

"Once the mission is complete, each of you will receive a Grade-A merit."

Hearing the details of the conscription mission, the thirty-plus Demon Extermination Hall cultivators were stunned.

They were Dao Lineage cultivators, and this was their first time encountering a conscription mission involving the suppression of a rebellion.

They vaguely sensed that a storm was brewing; it seemed the sky over Jade City was about to collapse.

The middle-aged man's gaze swept over the Demon Extermination Captains. "Does anyone refuse?"

The crowd looked at one another, but no one refused.

After all, this was a Grade-A merit; ten points of merit was no small amount.

The middle-aged man nodded. "Very well. We shall now begin distributing the missions."

Wen Taiquan hid within the crowd, cold sweat beading on his forehead. He felt that he was in deep trouble.

This is bad. How could I have been exposed?

As a sleeper agent hidden deep within the Demon Extermination Hall, he knew exactly what his fate would be if the mission failed.

No, I have to go and send word immediately.

Just then, the middle-aged man's gaze landed on Wen Taiquan.

"Wen Taiquan, you don't need to go. I have an additional task for you."

Upon hearing this, Wen Taiquan's face turned deathly pale. He knew he had likely been exposed.

Without a moment's hesitation, he turned and bolted toward the exit of the Mission Hall, a burst of blood-colored light erupting from his body.

It was a spell of the Blood Demon Sect—the Blood Burning Escape Technique.

Once unleashed, one instantly transformed into a streak of blood light, traversing a hundred-meter radius in a flash.

But the moment he transformed into the blood light, a mirror hanging above the plaque of the Mission Hall cast down a beam of cyan light.

The cyan light landed on him instantly, and Wen Taiquan let out a miserable shriek.

"Ah!"

The blood light surrounding his body was extinguished instantly under the cyan glow, and all his vital energy was locked down by the light, leaving him unable to move a muscle.

The middle-aged man flickered and appeared before him. He took a talisman from his hand and slapped it onto Wen Taiquan's forehead.

A yellow radiance diffused outward, manifesting into a chain of light that bound him tight.

"Wen Taiquan, you really did have a problem."

"To think you dared to defect to the Blood Demon Sect. I truly wonder what benefits they gave you."

"What? Wen Taiquan actually defected to the Blood Demon Sect?"

The Mission Hall erupted in an uproar.

The remaining Demon Extermination Captains stared at the scene in disbelief.

Wen Taiquan's face was pale, a trace of wretchedness appearing on his features.

"Why? Isn't it because you of the Dao Lineage hoard all the resources? You claim openly that we can exchange merit for resources."

"I accumulated 100 points of merit, all just to exchange for a single Rebirth Pill."

"Yet you rejected me, claiming I was too old and my innate talent was too poor."

"You never had any intention of giving us the real resources."

"You only wanted to use us—to use us Rogue Cultivators who have no sect or clan."

Hearing Wen Taiquan's words, the middle-aged man's eyes turned slightly cold.

The Demon Extermination Hall did indeed allow the exchange of resources for merit, but there was an unspoken rule.

Those without potential or superior innate talent would never be allowed to exchange for overly precious resources.

They could only exchange for common ones.

"Heh, resources are precious indeed."

"You lack innate talent and are advanced in age; your potential has long since withered. Giving such a rare resource to you would be a pure waste."

"For thousands of years, which dynasty has not been this way? Which Dao Lineage has not done the same?"

"Your meritorious service can at least be exchanged for resources to continue your cultivation. But for something so precious, you must first possess the corresponding value."

"Among the many cultivators in the Demon Extermination Hall, how many have aptitude far superior to yours?"

"The Rebirth Pill is incredibly precious, and the supply is limited. If you take it, they will have none."

"Rather than wasting it on someone like you, it is better to wait for them to earn it."

"If you must blame someone, blame your own low aptitude and advanced age. Your path to immortality was severed long ago."

"Pah, what a load of horse manure."

Wen Taiquan glared at him, "These are nothing but excuses for you lot."

"That Rebirth Pill, in the end, isn't it just..."

Before he could finish, the middle-aged man swung a fist at his head, knocking him unconscious instantly.

"Enough. You lot, go and complete your missions."

"I am taking this man away."

With that, he dragged Wen Taiquan into the Mission Hall and vanished into its depths.

The group of Demon Extermination Captains exchanged glances, eventually taking their mission plaques and heading out.

The Demon Extermination Hall was already the best place they could hope to find.

Even with all sorts of unspoken rules, it was still far better than being a Rogue Cultivator out in the wild.

They had seen what happened to Wen Taiquan, and feeling a sense of shared sorrow, they naturally understood his plight.

But understanding did not mean they would resist; in this world, there was no opportunity for them to fight back.

Fang Qingyu arrived at the Yellow Flower Pavilion in a sedan chair.

Accompanying him were the Chief Constable Fei Yangming and four of his guard bailiffs.

Inside a private room on the second floor, Fang Qingyu, Fei Yangming, and the others took their seats by the window and began to wait in silence.

The Yellow Flower Pavilion was not just a restaurant; it was also an inn.

Next to this private room was another.

It was also filled with people, yet everyone there held their breath, waiting quietly, their breathing barely audible.

The Garrison was located in a satellite town a hundred meters outside of Jade City, where the daily lives of the 6,000 troops were centered.

At this moment, the gates of the small garrison town slowly creaked open, and six thousand troops surged out.

Among them were one thousand cavalry and five thousand infantry. Wang Jie, clad in iron armor, exuded a wave of Military Baleful Intent that blanketed the area.

The army reached the city gates, which the guards had already quietly opened.

At the gate, a bailiff observing from the shadows turned pale with horror at the sight.

"This is bad! Wang Jie is actually leading troops into the city—he's rebelling!"

The city garrison was entirely under Wang Jie's control, which was why Fang Qingyu had arranged for a bailiff to keep watch. He had not expected to witness this.

He turned and ran, darting through alleys and side streets, racing toward the Yellow Flower Pavilion.

Wang Jie remained silent, leading his one thousand cavalry in a direct charge toward the Yellow Flower Pavilion.

The five thousand infantry quickly seized control of all defenses within the city, slamming the four main gates shut. The entire Jade City was now a trap, with no one allowed in or out.

The few pedestrians on the main street, seeing the situation, scrambled in terror into nearby houses.

Rumble.

A violent thundering of hooves erupted from the distance. Inside the Yellow Flower Pavilion, everyone felt the ground tremble.

Prefect Fang Qingyu's expression shifted, and he rose to look out the window.

Huang Tairen, the commander in the other room, did the same.

When they saw the cavalry sweeping through the streets outside, their faces turned grim.

"What incredible audacity!"