novelapdf Chapter 175 Jiang Mu's research is very inspiring.
Chapter 175 Jiang Mu's research is very inspiring.
As Yuan Qianfan's Dharma power flowed into his entire body, Jiang Mu felt as if his body was expanding infinitely.
It transformed into this towering giant, hundreds of feet tall.
The illusion that he could pluck stars from the sky with a mere wave of his hand, or punch a hole in the heavens, captivated him. "Is this the power of the eleventh realm?"
"That's incredible!"
Jiang Mu roared inwardly.
Outside the city, the Peacock Demon King was still probing.
It sneered, its tone tinged with suspicion:
"Playing tricks. If you are truly safe and sound, why are you holed up in the city and refusing to fight?"
Could it be... that this is just a remnant soul putting on a brave face?
Yuan Qianfan's voice remained calm and authoritative: "If you don't believe me, you are welcome to enter the city and try it."
Thus, the two sides engaged in a psychological battle across the city's protective formation.
Inside the Dharma Image, Jiang Mu felt the power within him continuing to expand.
A subtle, throbbing feeling even arose within me.
He subconsciously raised his head.
Through the burning eyes of the Dharma image, one gazes towards the heavens above.
There, a purple-gold star is radiating its magnificent light.
Ziwei Emperor Star!
For some reason, the moment Jiang Mu's gaze met that imperial star, a strange longing arose in his heart.
It was as if that imperial star, which commanded the bows of all other stars, was born to belong to him!
"I am the best in the world!"
"I am the supreme ruler of this world!"
An unprecedented ambition and arrogance surged wildly in Jiang Mu's heart.
Perhaps sensing Jiang Mu's inner desire, the previously dormant Ziwei Emperor Star suddenly burst forth with dazzling starlight. An aura of unparalleled dominance pierced through the endless void.
It was an invisible blessing bestowed upon Jiang Mu.
Under the dual stimulation of this imperial aura and the power of the eleventh realm Dharma form, Jiang Mu became completely arrogant.
A mad fighting spirit flashed in his eyes, which were already filled with power.
Looking at the conspicuous Peacock Demon King outside the city, he almost instinctively controlled the Fire God Dharma Image, raised the huge fiery foot, and actually stepped out of the city's protective formation!
"Then let's fight!!"
The roar exploded like thunder.
As he took that step, the surrounding void collapsed violently because it could not withstand the terrifying power.
Dark spatial cracks spread out one after another.
Holy crap!
This sudden scene left everyone on the city wall dumbfounded.
This scared Yuan Qianfan and the Peacock Demon King so much that they broke out in a cold sweat!
Yuan Qianfan, in his remnant soul state, was so angry that he almost lost his soul on the spot.
He roared wildly in Jiang Mu's sea of consciousness:
"What are you doing, you brat?! Don't you know we're just a paper tiger, all bark and no bite?"
"How much fake liquor did you drink, kid? You dare to rush out and fight it head-on!"
Meanwhile, the Peacock Demon King outside the city was so frightened by the oppressive aura emanating from the Fire God's Dharma Image that he retreated repeatedly.
"Damn it, is this lunatic really courting death?!"
The Peacock Demon King cursed inwardly, no longer daring to harbor any thoughts of probing.
It knew that if it were to fight to the death against a garrison commander who possessed the incense offerings and prayers of an entire city and had the advantage of playing on its home turf, even if it won, it would inevitably end up severely injured and on the verge of death.
It's not that stupid!
In the blink of an eye, the Peacock Demon King flapped his five-colored wings and flung out a radiant peacock feather.
The feathers exploded in mid-air, transforming into a mesmerizing, multicolored light curtain.
It instantly concealed its true form within.
Immediately afterwards, ripples spread through the air as the Peacock Demon King retreated rapidly like a ghost.
In the blink of an eye, they vanished from the spot, disappearing without a trace.
Seeing the once invincible demon king flee in disarray, the demon slayers on the city wall were first stunned, then erupted into a deafening cheer. "The demon king has escaped! The garrison commander is mighty!"
"May Daqing be victorious!"
As the cheers and adoration surged like a tsunami, Jiang Mu, still in the posture of stepping out of the city, clearly felt an invisible but incredibly powerful force continuously flowing into his body.
It made him feel an unprecedented sense of euphoria.
It is the power of incense offerings and prayers.
"So... this is what it feels like to be worshipped, to be treated like a god?"
A strange light flickered in Jiang Mu's eyes.
Yuan Qianfan, who was hiding deep within the Dharma image, watched this scene with mixed feelings.
"This kid... he's really suited to be a god on earth."
With the Peacock Demon King's escape, the crisis that had been looming over Yan City was finally temporarily relieved.
The image of the fire god slowly dissipated.
The Garrison Commander's Office, High and Mighty.
As soon as he left the Dharma form, Yuan Qianfan's already illusory remnant soul became even thinner, as if a gust of wind could blow it away.
He glared angrily at Jiang Mu, who was panting heavily and still looked somewhat unsatisfied, and rebuked her:
"Are you crazy? Who told you to rush out like that!"
"If that Peacock Demon King were to stubbornly confront you head-on, a single move would blast your physical body to dust from the backlash. And this entire city of Yan would be utterly destroyed!"
Jiang Mu awkwardly touched his nose.
For a brief moment just now, he did indeed feel lightheaded.
The feeling of wielding power capable of destroying the world is too easy to make one lose their way.
He raised his head and looked up at the sky again.
The Ziwei Emperor Star still hangs high, but that mysterious and strange sensation has vanished without a trace.
It seems that only when one's own power reaches the level of a great being can one resonate with that imperial star.
"However, on the other hand..."
Yuan Qianfan looked at Jiang Mu, his tone softening slightly.
"If it weren't for your reckless actions just now, you probably wouldn't have been able to fool that suspicious peacock."
But the Demon King is still the Demon King; it was only temporarily fooled by you.
I suspect that in three or four days at most, it will realize its mistake and discover the flaw. Unfortunately… I no longer have the strength to support you in casting a second Dharma Form.”
At this point, Yuan Qianfan's voice revealed a hint of sadness.
Looking at the man before her who had exhausted his last bit of strength for the sake of the people of the city, Jiang Mu couldn't help but feel a surge of respect.
Previously, he harbored many suspicions and distrust towards Yuan Qianfan.
But at this moment, he was completely convinced that this garrison commander was indeed risking his life to protect the people of the city.
"Lord Yuan, please rest assured."
Jiang Mu promised, "I will do everything in my power to protect Yan City."
A self-deprecating smile appeared on Yuan Qianfan's lips:
"In fact, when I learned that I was doomed, I seriously considered whether to use those unorthodox methods to possess you. After all, your talent is just too good, too enviable. But in the end, I gave up. Do you know why?" Jiang Mu shook his head.
Yuan Qianfan looked up and sighed:
"I started practicing cultivation at the age of six. Along the way, I have had a smooth journey without experiencing any major setbacks."
To outsiders, I am a figure of immense prestige, a chosen one of heaven.
However, the greatest truths are both simple and difficult. The path of cultivation is inherently defying the will of Heaven.
Everything in this world has a cause and effect, and everything is relative.
Those blessings that were once easily attainable will eventually turn into karmic obstacles that hinder your progress in the latter half of your spiritual journey.
The saying goes, "Too rigid, and you'll break; too flexible, and you'll crumble."
A path that is too smooth lacks the tenacity forged on the brink of life and death.
Yuan Qianfan's tone became cryptic:
"At this point in my life, there is no turning back."
Either accept your fate and give up on this life, or, like those old monsters, use any means necessary to continue moving forward. Actually, after I die, I have two paths to take.
He looked at Jiang Mu and said slowly:
"The first path is the 'solution' I mentioned to you before."
I can borrow the power of the incense offerings in Yan City to create another incense-offering body. But the price is... the lives of half the people of Yan City must be sacrificed. "Half the people of Yan City?!"
Jiang Mu's heart skipped a beat.
Yuan Qianfan nodded slightly, his tone calm:
"This is not difficult for me. As the garrison commander of this place, I have been worshipped by them for many years and have an inextricable karmic connection with them."
Refining half the city's inhabitants to create a body for me to offer incense offerings is not only easy, but also has a high chance of deceiving Heaven's secrets and avoiding divine punishment. This is like a father with two children.
When the family faced a life-or-death crisis and food shortages, the father had no choice but to kill one of his children to save the life of the other child and himself in order to preserve the family bloodline.
This is a tragic human tragedy, but also a desperate act under dire circumstances.
Heaven's way is ruthless, yet it also has its constant principles; under certain extreme rules, it will not unleash divine punishment for such an act.
Jiang Mu felt a chill run down her spine and was momentarily at a loss for words.
He frowned and asked:
"Could the other garrison commanders also use this method to prolong their lives?"
Yuan Qianfan shook his head and said:
"Some things are possible, some are not. This involves extremely deep ties of fate and karma. If you become a garrison commander in the future, you will naturally understand the key points."
However, no garrison commander would be willing to do this unless they were truly forced into a hopeless situation with no chance of survival.
After all, no one would have the heart to slaughter their own child.
My other way out is to possess another body.
However, possession is a heaven-defying and evil technique that requires the right time, place, and people, and it is extremely risky. If one is not careful, one's soul will be scattered.
But I believe that with my eleventh realm of cultivation, if I really wanted to, I would be very confident that I could successfully possess your body.
After all, even though you're clever, you're not always so hard to fool.
Jiang Mu was silent for a moment, then said:
"I am a rather honest and pure person."
So why didn't you ultimately choose to take either of those two paths to survival?
Yuan Qianfan softly uttered two words:
I'm tired.
"Tired?"
Jiang Mu clearly didn't understand the answer.
Yuan Qianfan raised her head.
The illusory and transparent body, at this moment, is like morning mist blown away by the wind, its edges beginning to melt and dissipate little by little.
"From the moment one unknowingly embarks on the path of cultivation, one walks on thin ice."
We spend our entire lives searching for our own "Tao".
But in the end, they often find themselves unsure of where their own path lies, or even what the path they initially sought truly was… He withdrew his gaze, fixing it once more on Jiang Mu, his face showing a mixture of weariness and relief.
"Jiang Mu, this road... is really, really hard to walk."
It's too far, so far that even if you give it your all and exhaust your energy, you still can't see where the end is.
I can't walk anymore.
The sense of powerlessness conveyed in the other person's words left Jiang Mu speechless for a moment.
As someone who has a built-in "magic slot" cheat and has made rapid progress like he's cheating, it's really hard for him to empathize.
He was silent for a moment, then asked softly:
"Senior Yuan...do you have any last words?"
Or is there any unfulfilled regret that I, as a junior, need to make amends for you?
"Pity?"
Yuan Qianfan chuckled softly.
"Life is made up of countless regrets."
A wrong step is a regret, not getting what you want is a regret, and even finding out that what you got is not so great after you got it is also a regret.
Regrets are everywhere, what's the use of saying anything?
His body dissipated faster and faster, turning into specks of light from bottom to top.
Before he completely dissipated, his gaze towards Jiang Mu revealed a tenderness akin to that of an elder looking at a junior:
"Young man, since we've met, before I leave, I'll give you one last piece of advice."
"In the world of cultivation, the higher a person's cultivation level, the more vigilant you must be, and never trust them easily."
"besides……"
"Besides General Shangguan of Huzhou City, do not trust any other garrison commanders... Remember, never trust them..." With this meaningful warning, Yuan Qianfan's illusory image suddenly shattered.
It transformed into countless tiny specks of light.
Like fireflies on a summer night, it hovered in the wind for a moment before finally merging completely into the world.
This once renowned cultivator of the eleventh realm, worshipped by countless people, has ultimately perished.
There were no earth-shattering phenomena, no sorrowful or melancholic tales.
All that remained was desolation and deathly silence.
The so-called path to immortality is ultimately nothing but a pipe dream.
No matter how glorious or powerful you were in life, after death you are nothing more than a handful of ashes in this vast world.
Jiang Mu felt somewhat disheartened.
He knelt on one knee, as if to bid the other party a final farewell.
A soft sound of footsteps came from behind.
Shui Miaozheng came to his side.
She didn't speak, but squatted down with her plump body, stretched out her arms, and gently hugged Jiang Mu from the side.
The woman's expression was equally somber, revealing a hint of confusion.
The two embraced quietly, speechless for a long time in the wind.
at the same time.
Inside the demon clan's stronghold.
The morale, which had been high because the Peacock Demon King had personally taken action, was now as if a bucket of ice water had been poured on them, leaving them feeling extremely depressed.
The tent was completely silent.
All the demon generals lowered their heads, not daring to even breathe loudly.
They could clearly see the image of the fire god that stretched from the sky to the earth, radiating the power to scorch the heavens and boil the seas.
It is definitely not an illusion.
He was, in fact, a genuine garrison commander of the eleventh realm.
In that instant, their last glimmer of hope was shattered.
"Your Majesty..."
The Golden Roc Demon King steeled himself and stepped forward cautiously to report.
"News just came from the rear camp that the demon kings who were invited have already... have already left."
In addition, several other demon forces also sent people to say that they would not send troops until the city's protective formation was broken...
Upon hearing this news, the atmosphere inside the tent plummeted to freezing point.
The Peacock Demon King sat in the main seat.
A long, slender hand with sharp nails tapped lightly on the armrest.
His face showed no expression.
After a while, the Peacock Demon King suddenly stopped what it was doing and said softly, "It's alright. I was too impulsive. I don't blame them." It stood up.
Colorful wings unfurled gently behind him, and his tone regained its former haughty indifference:
"Pass down the order: proceed with the original plan and prepare to attack the city."
"yes!"
Several powerful demon leaders, feeling as if they had been granted a pardon, withdrew from the camp one after another.
After the demons dispersed, Nan Zhi, who had been standing by, hesitated for a moment, but still couldn't help asking:
"Your Majesty... do you really believe that the Dharma image you just saw was cast by Yuan Qianfan himself?"
The Peacock Demon King turned around and looked coldly at Nan Zhi:
"Having already lost the initiative, if we continue to guess and probe, we will be at a disadvantage in terms of momentum."
However, since things have come to this point, and the die is cast, there's no turning back. We have no choice but to fight a real battle. Let's start with the usual siege tactics. Even if Yuan Qianfan is still alive, with our current numerical advantage, we can wear him down to some extent."
Nan Zhi gave a soft "hmm," said no more, bowed respectfully, and turned to leave the tent.
Inside the vast tent, only the Peacock Demon King remained.
It gently rubbed its temples, its gaze seemingly piercing through the tent, looking in the direction of Yancheng, and murmured to itself:
"Is it really true...?"
Apart from Jiang Mu, Shui Miaozheng, and Tian Wenjing, no one else knew about Yuan Qianfan's complete demise.
The tower of the garrison commander's mansion maintained an air of unfathomable mystery because the hidden array set up by Yuan Qianfan before his death was still in operation. Even the trusted guards who stood watch outside the tower day and night were completely unaware of anything unusual.
Meanwhile, the real siege began.
The two sides clashed for the first time, separated by the city's protective array.
This time, the demon army not only dispatched a massive number of low-level beasts as cannon fodder, but also mobilized avian demon races.
These monstrous birds, with iron beaks, steel claws, and wings like blades, circled and swooped down in mid-air, coordinating with the monsters on the ground to launch a continuous attack on each node of the city's protective formation.
On the city wall, the demon slayers were equally determined.
The massive crossbow spewed fury, and its rune-inscribed arrows, as thick as a child's arm, whistled as they riddled the unprepared demonic birds in mid-air with holes.
In this tense battle to defend the city, Jiang Mu seemed somewhat out of place.
Relying on his divine skill of teleportation, he would occasionally dart out of the city to ambush the attacking monsters.
By the time the surrounding demons reacted and roared as they pounced on him, trying to tear him to pieces, he used the pre-arranged demonic anchor points to return to the city walls.
The main strategy is "When the enemy advances, we retreat; when the enemy is exhausted, we attack; and when we're done, we run away."
Initially, this stunt caused the demon army a lot of trouble, and Tiger Vanguard was so angry that he jumped up and down cursing on the front lines.
But the demon race isn't stupid either.
After being ambushed by Jiang Mu several times, they quickly made targeted deployments.
Every time Jiang Mu dared to show his face, five or six fifth- or even sixth-order demons would immediately surround and attack him from all directions.
Not only that, they even dispatched a seventh-tier demon to keep a close eye on any possible gaps in the formation that Jiang Mu might appear in.
Moreover, the demon army acquired some magical artifacts specifically designed to interfere with spatial fluctuations.
This significantly reduced the distance and speed of Jiang Mu's teleportation.
Unable to teleport smoothly, once entangled by several high-level demons, even if he is a powerful fighter, he cannot withstand the attrition of the demon sea tactics.
Moreover, in order to keep the news of Yuan Qianfan's death a secret, he could not publicly display the image of the God of Fire.
Under Shui Miaozheng's stern rebuke, Jiang Mu finally gave up this jungle-farming behavior.
Stay obediently on the city wall and join the other demon slayers in playing a tower defense game using ranged spells and bows and arrows.
In the end, feeling bored, he simply went back to his room to study the Dharma images.
The other demon slayers had no complaints about Jiang Mu's lazy behavior.
After all, Jiang Mu has killed the most demons and has the most impressive record so far.
In the Demon Slayer Division, where strength reigns supreme, power is everything.
No one has the right to point fingers at this god of death.
Over the next few days, Jiang Mu studied the Fire God's Dharma Image in the house, trying to better integrate it with himself.
Occasionally, he would exchange ideas and discuss philosophy with Shui Miaozheng.
During this time, Jiang Mu even had a sudden inspiration and tried to improve his newly mastered divine ability, Whirlwind Slash.
Since the core lies in "transformation", let's compress it into a single point.
Similar to a drill bit...
Jiang Mu excitedly shared his new ideas with Shui Miaozheng, attempting to incorporate this drill concept into their discussion. However, reality proved harsh.
After several attempts, the results were not satisfactory.
This also caused Shui Miaozheng to feel very disgusted.
Ultimately, Jiang Mu temporarily abandoned this promising new move and began researching other tactics.