Chapter 287 Demons Approach the City

He had come via Transmigration, seeking immortality, power, and the capital to control his own destiny.

Yet this path of "coexisting with the world's Lifespan" and "perishing together" was one only chosen by noble-minded heroes.

The philosophy of this Cultivation Technique ran counter to his own.

Still, since it was sent by Chu Jiangli and was a unique Cultivation Technique of the Jade Bell Guard, it would be a pity to just leave it gathering dust.

Chen Mu's heart stirred slightly. As he held the booklet in his hand, the System prompt sounded quietly.

[Detected Cultivation Technique "Karma Co-Perishing Art", do you wish to infuse Lifespan to learn it?]

Chen Mu did not respond; he simply let the System read the contents of the Cultivation Technique, then tucked the booklet into his robes.

"Thank you."

Chen Mu cupped his fists in a salute. Xie Baizhou was taken aback, then waved his hand.

"What are you thanking me for? I didn't write it. If you want to thank someone, thank my Senior Sister. But then again, you're quite interesting. I originally thought you were just a glory-seeking fellow, but I didn't expect you to actually have some real skill."

As he spoke, his gaze swept around the courtyard and finally landed on the empty side room by the courtyard wall.

"I'll stay here."

Chen Mu raised an eyebrow. Xie Baizhou crossed his arms, looking as if it were a matter of course.

"I don't have anything else to do anyway, so I'll just stay here. I need to practice properly; I must beat you. Before Master returns, I will definitely..."

Chen Mu looked at him for a moment and finally nodded. "As you wish."

Xie Baizhou's eyes lit up. He suddenly became energetic and strode toward the side room, looking it over as he walked.

"This room is okay, just a bit small. Whatever, it'll do."

Ling Xiaoning, listening from the courtyard entrance, saw him acting as if he weren't an outsider and was so anxious he hopped on one foot.

"Hey, hey, hey! That's where I keep my miscellaneous items!"

Xie Baizhou didn't even turn his head.

"Move the junk out. I'm staying."

Ling Xiaoning: "..."

Watching this scene, Chen Mu's lips curved into a smile, and he turned to walk out of the courtyard. Zhuifeng poked its head out from behind the stone steps, looked at the messy scene in the courtyard, then looked at Chen Mu's retreating back. After hesitating for a moment, it finally trotted its four little legs and followed happily.

Behind them, Xie Baizhou's voice continued.

"Hey? Is that dog yours? Quite interesting, can I borrow it to play with?"

Zhuifeng ran even faster.

...

Several days passed, and life in the Demon Suppression Division was rarely peaceful for a few days.

Zhuifeng's wounds had completely healed. Compared to when it first arrived at the Prefecture, this little black dog had grown quite a bit. Its fur was becoming blacker and shinier, and when it ran, it looked like a streak of black lightning. The golden glint in its eyes was also deepening, as if hiding something indescribable.

Ling Xiaoning held it every day and wouldn't let go. That kid Xie Baizhou really did stay in the Team C courtyard, pestering Chen Mu for sparring every day. He would lose, come back, lose again, and come back again. That unyielding spirit of his was actually quite impressive.

One day, Chen Mu was practicing in the courtyard. Xie Baizhou was squatting on the stone steps, chin in his hands, watching intently. Zhuifeng was lying at his feet, occasionally lifting its head to take a look, then lazily lying back down.

Suddenly, a dull bell toll rang out.

Chen Mu's blade movement paused.

The bell toll was deep and resonant, with strong penetrating power; it did not sound like a regular alarm bell.

Then came the second toll, the third toll—each one more urgent, each one deeper than the last, echoing over the entire Demon Suppression Division.

Xie Baizhou stood up abruptly, his expression changing drastically.

"This is..."

Before he could finish speaking, Lu Dachuan rushed out of the room, barefoot on one foot, with a boot hanging off the other, his face deathly pale.

"Something happened! This is the highest-level alarm bell!"

His voice was trembling.

"Hurry! This bell only rings when a Disaster of Demon King level approaches the Prefecture. In all my years in the Division, I've only heard it once! That time, half of Jingzhou Prefecture was almost wiped out!"

Everyone else also rushed out of their rooms one after another. Chen Mu frowned, sheathed his blade, and strode toward the main hall of the Demon Hunting Division.

"Let's go!"

The drill ground in front of the main hall was already packed with people. All the remaining teams of the Demon Hunting Division were present, and even the Medicine Demon Division and Demon Search Division were there. A sea of black heads stood there, yet it was deathly silent, with only the sound of rapid breathing and the rustle of robes.

Cheng Xiaoqing stood on the high platform, his face livid. That usually calm and composed face was now filled with gravity. His eye sockets were sunken, his lips pressed tightly together. His gaze swept over the crowd below, and he spoke in a deep voice.

"Urgent report from the Southern Wilderness."

His voice was not loud, but everyone present heard it clearly.

"The three great Demon Generals under the Burning Heaven Demon King have led hundreds of demon soldiers to bypass the front line and are heading straight for Jingzhou Prefecture via the mountain trails."

The crowd below erupted in an uproar.

"What? They bypassed the front line?"

"Three great Demon Generals? Those are demons at the Peak of the Heart-Awakening Realm!"

"Hundreds of demon soldiers... how many people do we even have in our division?"

Cheng Xiaoqing raised his hand in a gesture to calm them, and the uproar ceased immediately.

"After receiving the news, Thousand-Household Liao immediately led troops to reinforce, but was intercepted by the Burning Heaven Demon King halfway. Now..."

He paused, his voice dropping lower.

"Now his life and death are unknown, and his whereabouts are a mystery. Flag-bearer Qi of the Demon Search Division has already led an elite force to set out, following the location of Thousand-Household Liao's last transmission to investigate."

At this, the crowd fell completely silent.

Thousand-Household Liao's life and death were unknown.

That pillar of strength who had sat in the Jingzhou Prefecture Demon Suppression Division for decades, the backbone who had led them to wipe out demon infestations countless times—his life and death were now unknown.

Everyone's face changed color. Chen Mu stood in the crowd, his eyes narrowing slightly.

Cheng Xiaoqing continued, his voice growing heavier.

"There is one more thing."

Cheng Xiaoqing looked toward Huo Chao. Huo Chao stepped forward, cupped his fists in a salute, and said in a deep voice.

"This subordinate, following the orders of Flag-bearer Cheng, investigated the Life-Saving Temple and made a major discovery."

Chen Mu's brows twitched. That temple?

That night, after he was lured into an illusion by the Beimang demon and killed the Five-Tailed Demon Fox, he rescued Zhuifeng from under the shrine of that temple. Later, he heard that Cheng Xiaoqing had ordered Huo Chao to lead people to investigate, but he never knew what they had actually found.

Huo Chao took a deep breath and said word by word.

"That temple is exactly the one Medical Officer Duan mentioned previously, the temple built by the commoners for the white-haired old man after he administered medicine."

Chen Mu's mind instantly flashed back to what Duan Shenxing had said.

An old man with white hair and silver beard, who went to epidemic-stricken villages to administer medicine; the medicine cured the illness, he took no money, and the commoners were grateful and built a temple to worship him, calling him a living immortal.

That statue, tightly covered by a red cloth, was indeed an old man with a kind face and lowered eyebrows.

So it was him.

Huo Chao's voice continued.

"When I led men into the temple to investigate, the commoners already knew that the statue had been destroyed. They blocked the entrance and wouldn't let us in. We had a dispute, and it took a great deal of effort to appease the commoners. We entered the temple to search, but discovered something inside the statue."

His gaze paused, sweeping over the crowd.

"Inside that statue was carved a Formation to absorb the people's will. It could absorb all the incense and Power Of Will offered by the commoners and gather it into the statue's body. I didn't realize what this meant at the time, but then the incident occurred."

He raised his head, a trace of shock flashing in his eyes.

"The commoners of those few villages suddenly underwent demonification collectively."

The crowd completely exploded. Huo Chao ignored the commotion and continued.

"The things they turned into were different from ordinary demons. They had no consciousness, no fear, and only knew how to obey orders, attacking everything around them crazily. Half of the brothers I brought with me were lost before we barely managed to escape."

"We only realized later that the white-haired old man was not saving people at all. He hid demon seeds in the medicine he administered. The commoners drank the medicine, and the demon seeds were planted in their bodies. Normally, they were no different from ordinary people, but once the time was ripe, the demon seeds would erupt, completely transforming them into Burning Heaven's demon soldiers."

Chen Mu listened quietly, his face expressionless, but his heart was surging with turbulent waves.

What a grand scheme.

That white-haired old man traveled to various villages to administer medicine and save people, making the commoners grateful and building temples to worship him. The commoners thought they had met a living immortal, little knowing they had long since become containers for demons. Those incense and Power Of Will were not offerings to a deity, but nourishment for the demon seeds, allowing them to mature faster.

"Now those few villages have completely fallen. The demonified commoners are moving toward the Prefecture, and barring any accidents, they will arrive at the city gates tonight."

The crowd was silent; no one spoke, no one moved.

Ling Xiaoning stood beside Chen Mu, his face as white as paper, his hands trembling. Lu Dachuan also clenched his fists, gritting his teeth, not saying a word.

Cheng Xiaoqing took a deep breath and began to arrange defense tasks.

"The remaining members of the Demon Search Division, monitor the movements outside the city with all your might. Report back every half hour. Any disturbance must not be missed."

"The Demon Archive Division, inventory all usable Magical Artifacts, Medicinal Pills, and Talismans, and distribute them to each team. This battle is dangerous; every bit of extra protection counts."

"The General Affairs Division is responsible for calming the commoners in the city. Close the city gates tightly and strictly forbid anyone from entering or leaving. If there is any riot, suppress it on the spot."

"The Medicine Demon Division, fully prepare medicinal supplies, set up temporary medical tents, and send all wounded to the rear immediately. This battle..."

Cheng Xiaoqing paused.

"The casualties in this battle will not be small. Please, I'm counting on you."

Duan Shenxing nodded slightly without speaking, turned, and left in a hurry with the medicine boys.

Cheng Xiaoqing finally looked at the Demon Hunting Division members, his gaze sweeping over everyone's face, finally landing on Chen Mu. He paused.

"The entire Demon Hunting Division will guard the West Gate. I will lead the team personally."

Chen Mu's eyes narrowed slightly, and he did not speak.

"For the other gates, there will be reinforcements from other Prefecture Demon Suppression Divisions to assist in the defense. Our mission is to hold the West Gate; we must not let the demons break into the city from the West Gate."

Everyone answered in unison. A trace of complexity flashed in Cheng Xiaoqing's eyes.

"Go down and prepare. Three hours from now, every team must arrive at their designated defense zone. Tonight..."

He paused.

"Tonight, a fight to the death."