Sandalwood incense curled through the main hall.
Chu Bai sat at the head of the hall in a black robe edged with dark gold. Three years had tempered him, leaving the pressure of his Purple Abode more restrained and seamless than ever.
Unless he released his aura, no one would have connected this refined young man, so like the heir of an Aristocratic Clan, with the fearsome figure who had once swallowed a hundred thousand years of a world's Karmic Obstruction.
Yet the moment the Qingzhou commander stepped into the hall and faced Chu Bai, a suffocating pressure rose from the depths of his soul. He drew a breath, forced down his awe, knelt on one knee, and presented a red Jade Slip in both hands.
"This subordinate is a commandant of the left army of the Qingzhou Grand Commandant's Office. Greetings, Grand Protector Chu!"
"Rise."
Chu Bai raised a hand slightly. A gentle, invisible force lifted the commandant to his feet, and the Jade Slip flew straight into Chu Bai's palm.
Chu Bai did not examine it at once. Instead, he regarded the dense demonic aura still clinging to the commandant and arched a brow. "Judging by the Killing Intent on you, the Qingzhou border is even livelier than the rumors suggest."
"Grand Protector, it's far worse than lively. The Southwest border has nearly become a pot of boiling chaos!"
The commandant gave a bitter smile, his expression turning grave. "The Great Zhou Immortal Dynasty may appear peaceful, but a terrible Demon Race uprising has erupted deep in the Hundred Thousand Mountains along Qingzhou's Southwest border. For reasons unknown, several Ancient Great Demon Kings that had lain dormant for millennia have suddenly awakened.
"They gathered a million Demon Beasts into a monstrous tide the likes of which we've never