novelapdf Chapter 176 How about we study a different Dao?
Chapter 176 How about we study a different Dao?
Time flew by amidst the intertwining of slaughter and tender affection.
As the demon army's offensive intensified, the situation in Yancheng deteriorated rapidly.
By the evening of the third day.
The protective array's light barrier had become much dimmer, and it was covered with cracks like those on a tortoise shell.
It seemed as if it could collapse completely at any moment.
The spirit stones and array materials that supply the operation of the great array have run out.
At this moment, everyone on the city wall understood that the real hand-to-hand combat was about to begin.
They have no way out now.
Fortunately, after these few days of retreat and recuperation, coupled with the morale boost brought by the garrison commander's fleeting appearance of his Dharma form, the morale has been greatly improved.
The demon slayers remained confident about the upcoming battle.
As long as the garrison commander is still alive, we cannot lose!
Inside the quiet room.
The flickering candlelight gently swayed, caressing the woman's graceful figure.
"It's already the third day..."
Shui Miaozheng sat worriedly on the edge of the bed, her delicate brows furrowed. "There's still no news from the imperial court."
The woman had just finished bathing and was wearing only a thin, plain white silk nightgown.
The thin fabric could not conceal her mature and voluptuous figure.
Her slightly damp, dark hair cascaded over her rounded shoulders, and as she leaned forward slightly, glimpses of her neckline were revealed.
Jiang Mu leaned against the headboard, gazing at the picturesque scenery before her, and said:
"I estimate that it can only hold out for one more day at most before the city's protective formation breaks."
"Aunt Shui, once the city falls, the situation will definitely descend into chaos. Why don't you take some people and find a chance to break through and leave?"
Upon hearing this, Shui Miaozheng's delicate body trembled.
She abruptly raised her head, grabbed Jiang Mu's hand tightly, and her watery eyes were filled with determination:
"That's what Auntie should be saying."
"My aunt is at least at the eighth level of cultivation. Even if the Demon King himself comes and can't defeat her, my aunt is confident that she can escape unscathed."
"But you can't. Besides, you've killed so many demons before, those demon kings already hate you to the bone. Once the great formation breaks and the demon army enters the city, their first thing will definitely be to search for your whereabouts."
"Xiao Jiang, listen to your aunt. If it really comes to that, you should leave immediately."
Feeling the slight dampness in the woman's palms and her genuine concern, Jiang Mu felt a warmth in her heart.
He turned his hand and enveloped Shui Miaozheng's soft, boneless yellow breasts in his palm. With a little force, he pulled her into his arms, encircling her slender waist.
My hand slid down smoothly, and my hand was filled with the aroma of ripe food.
"Aunt Shui, what kind of person do you take me for?"
Jiang Mu chuckled softly.
"If what you say is true, and I've become the target of everyone's hatred, then if I run out of the city now, wouldn't I become an even bigger sitting duck?"
He leaned close to Shui Miaozheng's ear, his breath hot against her skin:
"So, it's better if we just stay together. If it really comes down to a fight to the death, even if we use up all our cards and die together... we can keep each other company on the road to the underworld."
Let's be a carefree and happy couple, bound by fate, don't you think?
Shui Miaozheng, who was originally full of worries, blushed and playfully slapped his mischievous arm when she heard his frivolous words, pushing him away a little:
"What kind of time is this to be spouting nonsense! What are you talking about, dead or alive, or any kind of 'lovers' nonsense!"
Her beautiful eyes held a hint of reproach, yet a resolute glint shone within them:
"Don't worry, as long as I'm still alive, I will never let those beasts hurt you in the slightest. I will definitely protect you." Jiang Mu looked at the woman's slightly flushed face and felt a slight stirring in his heart.
He suddenly grabbed Shui Miaozheng's wrist and, with a little force, pushed the woman down onto the bed.
Shui Miaozheng was startled and let out a soft cry.
She frantically reached out and placed her hands against Jiang Mu's firm chest, trying to push him away:
"Xiao Jiang, what are you doing?"
You promised me today, you can't keep messing around!
She blushed and tried to persuade her.
"You're still young. Such lack of self-control will damage your foundation for cultivation. You must learn to take care of your body..."
Jiang Mu ignored her struggles.
He braced his arms on either side of her ears, gazing into the woman's beautiful, slightly trembling, watery eyes, his voice soft:
"Aunt Shui, I'm not being silly."
He lowered his head and gently kissed the woman's smooth forehead.
Then it flows downwards.
He gently bit the other person's soft, luscious lower lip.
His fingertips slid slowly down the contours of her cheek, gently caressing her small, fair earlobe.
Shui Miaozheng clenched her delicate fists, her breathing rapid.
The scorching breath from her slightly parted lips fell on Jiang Mu's handsome face, as if igniting something.
Just as she was about to steel herself and forcefully push this nemesis away.
At this moment, Jiang Mu slowly raised her head.
He looked at Shui Miaozheng's beautiful face with gentle eyes and said softly:
"Aunt Shui, if we can all survive this calamity in Yancheng..."
"You'll be my wife."
"I promise I will treat you well for the rest of my life and never let you suffer any injustice."
Shui Miaozheng's body suddenly trembled.
Her beautiful eyes widened involuntarily, filled with astonishment.
She never expected that at this crucial moment, the other party would suddenly say something that sounded almost like a marriage proposal to her.
Shui Miaozheng's eyes darted away, her heart pounding faster:
"Xiao Jiang, didn't we agree that...we wouldn't talk about this?"
She tried to mask her inner emotions by using the tone of an elder in her daily life:
"Auntie is already this old..."
Jiang Mu, however, did not give her a chance to back down.
He lowered his head and gently bit her lips again, without any possessiveness, only tender comfort.
Only when Shui Miaozheng's breathing gradually calmed did he relax and say softly:
"I just can't bear to part with Aunt Shui. I want to take responsibility, I want to rightfully take care of you for the rest of my life."
Upon hearing this, Shui Miaozheng's heart was immediately enveloped in a warm feeling.
My eyes stung, and I almost burst into tears.
She reached out her delicate hand and gently stroked the man's sharply defined face, her eyes filled with complex emotions.
It is a feeling of being moved, a feeling of longing, yet also tinged with helplessness and rationality.
"Silly child..."
She sighed softly, her voice still gentle and tender.
"Auntie knows how you feel, and Auntie is very happy, really happy that you could say such things to Auntie."
But Auntie can't make you take responsibility.
"Auntie isn't some naive little girl. If you really can't bear to part with her, just come visit me in Fazhou City whenever you have free time, and I'll be content. I'll also come to see you."
She gently stroked Jiang Mu's temples and earnestly comforted him:
"Little Jiang, your auntie really isn't right for you."
Don't force yourself, don't make things difficult for your aunt, and don't ruin your life because of a momentary sense of responsibility.
You know there are more suitable women to be your wife?
Jiang Mu sighed and turned over to lie down next to her.
This woman is really difficult to deal with.
She appears gentle and kind on the outside, but is incredibly stubborn at heart.
She could indulge him, spoil him, and let him do whatever he wanted in any other way.
But on the very line of respect for status and feelings, she held firm to that line, which was impossible to breach.
It seems the bond wasn't deep enough...
Then we'll just have to keep chiseling.
Jiang Mu rolled over, pulled Shui Miaozheng back into his arms, nuzzled his head against her neck, and murmured:
"Okay, I'll listen to Aunt Shui."
By the way, Aunt Shui, I think there are some issues with our discussions on cultivation. Our previous research was too superficial and too limited. The so-called Great Dao is infinitely vast.
"You said... how about we explore a different path?"
The next day.
The sky was overcast, with thick, dark clouds pressing down on Yancheng, preventing even a breeze from getting in and creating a suffocating atmosphere.
Outside the city, the demon army surged like a black flood bursting its banks, relentlessly assaulting the protective array's barrier.
Leading the charge were still the first and second-tier lesser demons.
Although their strength is weak, they have a reckless and fearless spirit in their bones.
Countless demons crashed into the barrier one after another, only to be shredded into blood mist by the backlash of the great formation.
But the demons behind them, stepping on the corpses of their companions, continued to climb and charge upwards like mad dogs.
Perhaps sensing that the city's protective array was about to run out of spiritual energy, the demon army's offensive today was exceptionally fierce and brutal, almost without pause. Inside Yan City, Yan Wu, his eyes bloodshot and his voice hoarse, directed the overall situation.
He and the other governors of various states had already devised a retreat plan to gather the city's inhabitants in safer areas in the city center.
Meanwhile, the various Demon Slayer Divisions coordinated with each other, stationing themselves in sections on all four sides of the city wall to defend against the demon tide that could breach the city at any moment.
Because of Jiang Mu's presence as a "human weapon," several teams, including those from Fazhou, were assigned to the area around the North Gate, where the defensive pressure was greatest. Huzhou City and the other two divisions were responsible for the west side, while the remaining defensive lines were also heavily guarded.
After struggling for a day and a night, the city's protective formation finally gave way, and the demon soldiers managed to break through it.
As more and more demon soldiers poured into the breach, the crack grew larger and larger.
In the end, the great formation that had protected Yan City for several days completely collapsed.
Without the great formation to hold them back, the demon race's offensive became even more ferocious.
Countless enormous rat demons, along with giant spiders with colorful long hair and spitting venomous silk, like dense swarms of black leeches, climbed vertically up the steep city wall.
"Pour the oil! Set it on fire!"
The demon slayers on the city wall poured buckets of scalding hot, specially made oil down the wall.
Immediately afterwards, a burning rocket was fired.
"boom!"
The fire was fueled by the wind, and the oil fueled its power.
The entire section of the city wall instantly turned into a blinding sea of fire.
Countless burning monsters struggled in the sea of fire, emitting a pungent, acrid smell, and crashed down from the city walls.
Even so, the number of demons was simply too great.
The charred corpses in front fell off, and those behind continued to climb up, stepping on the charred bodies, an endless stream, as if they could never be killed off.
Finally, the first monster leaped onto the city wall.
A melee broke out between the demon slayers and the demon soldiers.
The demon leaders, both large and small, who had been secretly overseeing the battle from the rear, finally couldn't hold back any longer and launched a full-scale attack.
Tiger Vanguard, who had been harboring a lot of resentment towards Jiang Mu, wielded a large, door-sized ghost-headed sword and let out a deafening tiger roar before charging onto the city wall.
Other powerful demons also joined in, putting pressure on the defensive line.
Faced with these top-tier combatants, Yan Wu, Shui Miaozheng, and the other leaders naturally dared not be negligent and all confronted these seventh and eighth-level demons, engaging in a fierce battle in mid-air.
The hall masters, along with their elite troops, relentlessly pursued the minor leaders of the fifth and sixth rank demons.
Ordinary demon slayers could only form formations and engage in fierce hand-to-hand combat with the surging low-level demons.
Severed limbs and warm blood splattered all over the city walls.
The area around the North Gate, which Jiang Mu was in charge of, had a slightly eerie atmosphere.
Holding the Blood Mad Blade and dressed in a tight-fitting outfit, Jiang Mu had the power of the four core stars faintly flowing within his dantian. He was originally rubbing his hands together, ready to harvest a wave of "demonic energy" to fully charge his cheat.
He waited and waited, but no monster rushed over.
Looking around, he saw a strange vacuum zone appear in front of his defense zone.
Not only did the lower-level demons of ranks one to four prefer to take a longer route to squeeze into the neighboring defense zone, but even the lower-level demon leaders of ranks five and six would simply detour when they saw him standing there.
There was no way around it; the psychological trauma Jiang Mu had inflicted on the demon army was simply too great.
Back when this kid was only at the fourth realm, he could kill a fifth-level Great Perfection demon general like a dog.
Now that it's said that this evil star has broken through to the fifth realm, what's the point of fighting anymore!
Going to him is just like giving him free experience points, isn't it?
Tiger Vanguard and Golden Roc Demon, along with other seventh and eighth-rank demons, were seething with hatred, wishing they could personally come down and tear this brat apart.
However, Shui Miaozheng and Yan Wu and the others had them entangled and could not break free at all.
Jiang Mu stood on the battlements, carrying his blood-stainless Mad Blade, utterly speechless at the snobbish demons.
Okay, since you're not coming, I'll come find you.
Jiang Mu grabbed his knife and charged towards the area with the highest concentration of monsters in the neighboring defense zone to provide support.
As a result, a hilarious scene unfolded.
Those demons who were originally locked in a fierce battle with the Demon Slayer had already obtained intelligence through the scout bird demons circling in the sky.
Before Jiang Mu could even reach the edge of the defense zone, the monsters vanished in a flash, running off to fight to the death in other areas.
No matter where Jiang Mu went, he always came up empty-handed.
The demon slayers, who had just been fighting a bloody battle with the demons but had seen them vanish in the blink of an eye, were dumbfounded.
They stood frozen in place, knives in hand, speechless.
Jiang Muqi laughed.
Since you're going to hide, I'll let you hide to your heart's content today.
He simply picked up the Blood Frenzy Blade and began a cross-country marathon along the four defensive lines of the city wall.
Jiang Mu ran to the east gate.
The monsters at the East Gate scattered with a "boom".
Upon reaching the south gate, the demon soldiers there jumped off the city wall.
I ran to the west gate, but there was nothing there.
He was like a giant mosquito repellent, running around and around.
Although the demons managed to dodge quickly and didn't absorb much demonic energy, the demon army's original momentum of attacking the city was completely disrupted by his "street-skimming" tactic.
The offensive miraculously weakened considerably.
This also gave the exhausted demon slayers a precious chance to catch their breath and rest.
Not far away, on a hilltop, in the newly built demon clan's main camp.
The demon leaders who stayed behind to watch the battle were all dumbfounded by what they saw.
"Damn it, what the hell are they hitting?"
"So many demon soldiers, and they're all like rats, hiding at the sight of a human?"
"I've never fought such a humiliating battle in my life, it's almost laughable."
"Disgraceful! No, disgraceful to demons!"
The demons' faces were filled with a mixture of resentment and shame.
In the center of the large tent, the Peacock Demon King stood with his hands behind his back, his magnificent robe fluttering slightly in the wind.
Its narrow eyes stared at the city, its gaze unfathomable.
In his mind, every detail of his confrontation with Yuan Qianfan's Fire God Dharma Image outside the city was still replaying over and over again. After a long while, the Peacock Demon King suddenly laughed.
The demons were taken aback and stopped complaining, looking at it with suspicion.
"I've been scammed..."
The Peacock Demon King muttered a self-deprecating laugh.
A cold glint of anger and cruelty appeared on that handsome, almost demonic face.
The next instant, it took a step forward.
His figure appeared in the void outside Yan City.
The moment he took that step, a dazzling light burst forth from behind the Peacock Demon King.
A pair of magnificent, feathered wings, tens of feet wide, unfolded.
Above the wings, every feather shimmered with five divine lights of blue, yellow, red, black, and white.
The light flowed and intertwined.
It's as if the aurora borealis and colorful clouds from the heavens have been torn off and draped over one's shoulders.
Gorgeous and beautiful.
Yet it also exudes a powerful aura that could make all things tremble.
Like an ancient god, looking down upon all living beings.
The absolute pressure of the eleventh-tier demon king poured down without reservation.
On the city wall, whether it was the demon slayers engaged in fierce combat or the crazed monsters, everyone felt a sudden urge to breathe. It was as if a mountain was pressing down on their chests.
Everyone turned pale with shock, and their movements stopped simultaneously.
"It's the Peacock Demon King!"
"Where is the garrison commander? The garrison commander must make a move!"
The Demon Slayer looked terrified and began to hope that Yuan Qianfan could scare away this peerless demon again, just like last time.
However, this time, the garrison commander's mansion was eerily silent.
The Peacock Demon King hovered in mid-air.
Those eyes, gleaming with divine light, stared coldly in the direction of the garrison commander's residence, a smirk playing on their lips.
"I was so careless. I have dominated the world for hundreds of years, but I never expected to be deceived by a wisp of remnant soul."
"What a bold move, Yuan Qianfan!"
It raised its chin, its voice like thunder, rolling throughout the entire city:
"Unfortunately... this city will ultimately belong to me, Your Majesty. Yuan Qianfan, if you truly have the ability, jump out of your coffin and try to stop me one more time!"
With his hands behind his back, the Peacock Demon King strode through the air, step by step, toward the west gate ahead.
With each step, a circle of colorful ripples emanated from the void.
Whether it's a crazed monster or a demon slayer standing ready, no one can get within three zhang of it.
Everyone was forcibly pushed to both sides.
The sturdy city gates were blown open by this overwhelming force even before it got close.
The Peacock Demon King walked straight into Yan City.
The demon slayers inside the city gripped their weapons, trembling, their eyes filled with despair and confusion.
Why?
The powerful demon has already leisurely strolled over to our door, why hasn't Lord Yuan shown up to stop it?!
Just as everyone was puzzled, the Peacock Demon King stopped in his tracks.
It stood at the end of the long street, gazing into the distance at the garrison commander's mansion, which symbolized the highest power in Yancheng.
The Demon King slowly raised his right hand.
Five-colored divine light converged between his five fingers, compressing into a dazzling ball of light, and then he struck out with a palm strike from a distance.
"boom!"
The five-colored divine light, like a beam of light, swept across the garrison commander's residence.
The once grand mansion, along with the tower that bore witness to countless offerings, was reduced to dust in the light, not even a single tile remaining. A gust of wind blew by, leaving only a bare expanse of white earth.
At that moment, the entire city fell into a deathly silence.
The demon slayers who witnessed this scene were completely stunned and their minds went blank.
Where is the garrison commander?
Why is there not even a trace of life left?
As the explosion ripped through the sky, the already dark sky became even darker, with clouds churning even more.
Raindrops fell silently.
Immediately afterwards, the continuous rain, like a lament, poured down on the land, carrying a sense of sorrow.
The Peacock Demon King reached out and caught a raindrop that fell into his palm.
It stared blankly for a moment, then looked up at the sky and sighed:
"Heaven and earth are impartial, they are fair to everyone."
"Yuan Qianfan, oh Yuan Qianfan, you ultimately preempted me in repaying the wrath of Heaven."
Upon hearing this, everyone was stunned.
Feeling the cold raindrops hitting their faces, and seeing the garrison's mansion turned to pink, the high morale that had been sustained by a sliver of faith was completely extinguished in that instant.
The garrison commander... is he really dead?
"roar!!!"
After a brief silence, the demon race erupted in a deafening roar of celebration.
The other demon forces, who had been observing from the distant mountaintops, finally couldn't hold back any longer and rushed down the mountain after confirming the fact that the garrison commander was dead.
The thunderous roar of their frantic running was like an earthquake.
From afar, a vast, dark torrent, stretching as far as the eye could see, was sweeping towards Yancheng with overwhelming force.
The demon slayers in the city felt as if they had fallen into an ice cellar, their faces ashen.
"Run...run away quickly!"
Finally, someone realized what was happening, and their mental defenses crumbled.
Many people began to flee.
After all, most of them came here just to make a name for themselves and advance their careers.
In this desperate situation where even the garrison commander has fallen and Yan City is doomed, no one is willing to risk their life in vain.
As for the people in the city... they really did their best.
Jiang Mu, holding the Blood Mad Blade, stood on the crumbling city wall, a trace of sorrow flashing in his eyes, and muttered to himself:
"Lord Yuan, the imperial court has ultimately failed you."
"Whoosh!"
Just then, a graceful figure in light blue rushed towards them.
Shui Miaozheng's beautiful hair was wet from the rain and stuck to her temples; her pretty face was as pale as paper.
She grabbed Jiang Mu's arm:
"Xiao Jiang, the imperial court won't be sending anyone. Take Cuicui and the others and leave quickly!"
Jiang Mu gripped the hilt of the knife tightly.
Looking at the demon tide that had already engulfed the demon slayers who hadn't had time to escape, like a black tsunami, and the powerful demons that were closing in, he could only sigh helplessly in the end.
"Lord Yuan, I'm sorry. I... I did my best."
Faced with this absolute dead end, even with his cheat codes, there was nothing he could do to turn the tide.
Just when the situation in Yancheng had completely turned into a one-sided collapse.
The continuous rain in the sky suddenly stopped.
There was no warning whatsoever.
The countless raindrops falling seemed to be pressed down by an invisible hand of creation.
It just hovered there, motionless in mid-air.
All the sounds of fighting, roaring, and screaming fell silent in this eerie stillness.
Then, something truly astonishing happened.
The transparent raindrops suspended in mid-air slowly smudged with black from their centers.
In the blink of an eye, all the rainwater turned into pure ink.
"Tick-tock..."
The stillness was broken, and the black raindrops fell again.
When the ink-like rain fell on the earth, on the city walls, and on the demons and cultivators.
An irresistible, mighty force of the Great Dao rippled outwards.
It robbed the world of its splendor.
The mountains and rivers, cities, blood, fire, and even all people and demons except for the Peacock Demon King, were stripped of their original colors. The entire world was transformed into a black and white ink painting!
Everyone stood frozen in place.
Looking at my hands, which had turned black and white, I was at a loss.
Jiang Mu instinctively looked up at the sky.
Amidst the clouds, a solitary figure seemed to appear and disappear amidst the wind and clouds.
"Have reinforcements arrived?"
Jiang Mu was startled.
Shui Miaozheng looked astonished, guessing the identity of the newcomer, yet finding it somewhat unbelievable:
"How could it be her?"
Yuan Qianfan had previously revealed that the imperial court was negotiating with the woman who was imprisoned under the sacred lake.
But what has appeared now is actually another being.
But then she thought about it again and felt relieved.
The negotiations between the imperial court and Jiang Ruoxi mostly failed.
That's right. That woman has already become a demon for Jiang Chaoxi. She doesn't care about the lives of the people in the world. How could she obediently follow the court's orders to come and save people?
"Who is it?"
Jiang Mu stared intently at the clouds and asked in a deep voice.
The voice just fell.
The clouds slowly parted to both sides like a curtain.
A delicate foot, clad in a white, coarse cloth shoe with a thousand layers of soles, emerges slowly from the clouds, utterly untouched by worldly concerns.
The dark blue ribbons spread out, like the night tide pushing the moon, creating a circle of ripples.
Immediately afterwards, the woman's figure became fully visible.
She held a jade-handled whisk, its fine hairs fluttering gently. Her face was exquisitely beautiful and aloof, without a trace of vulgarity.
She wore a simple Taoist robe, her long black hair was not adorned with any fancy jewels, and was simply tied up with a black wooden hairpin.
It exudes a pure and aloof air, untouched by worldly affairs.
And behind her.
A huge black and white yin-yang diagram slowly rotated.
Like two giant yin-yang fish emerging from the beginning of chaos, they intertwined and swam together, giving rise to the infinite Daoist charm of the primordial world.
It makes the woman appear both like a celestial being from another world and a stunning beauty in the mortal realm.
Shui Miaozheng said, enunciating each word clearly:
"She is the leader of the Dao Sect, Mo Huaisu."
"What we cultivate is the purest and most genuine desire in this world."
"The Way of Abstinence!"