Dao Equaling the Heavens
Chapter 215 - 155: Ba Snake Demon Saint, the Current Sword Master of Broken Sword Mountain

Chapter 215: Chapter 155: Ba Snake Demon Saint, the Current Sword Master of Broken Sword Mountain

The dust settled, but the repercussions had not.

Atop the lush Qingcui Mountain, a woman’s face showed deep thought, the giant golden-winged roc flying high above had pupils filled with gravity, and Tushan Yun was utterly shocked.

"He’s dead..."

Cold sweat began to break out on Tushan Yun’s back without reason. She was confident she could win against Gu Wen with one move, but how many cultivation levels did he have?

Four or five cultivation levels against seven or six cultivation levels—it was a difference of four heavens.

Could the Immortal Sword really be so mystical that it transcended common sense?

She couldn’t understand it, but Gu Wen’s strength was unquestionable, and she couldn’t imagine what he would become in the future.

Especially once he reached the Ninth Level, the watershed between a True Monarch and a Venerable, where no one could suppress another based on realm alone. At that time, what level of strength would Gu Wen possess, and who could possibly stop him?

This person, like the Heavenly Girl, was a rare prodigious talent seen once in ten thousand years, and even more troublesome than the Heavenly Girl.

He must be killed!

A hard-to-contain killing intent arose in Tushan Yun, a pure desire to kill Gu Wen.

Suddenly, a divine thought sought her from beyond the heavens, a divine thought of a Demon Saint.

Tushan Yun recognized this aura. It belonged to a Demon Saint two generations her senior, the old ancestor from the Ba Snake Cave Heaven who had avoided a calamity due to seclusion.

"Tushan Demon Emperor Yun, I am willing to lend you a helping hand."

Tushan Yun asked, "Did that Demi Immortal send you?"

The divine thought did not reply, but everything was self-evident.

However, did that Demi Immortal truly have so much confidence in his sister, to act recklessly enough to involve two Demon Saints, with the Heavenly Girl protecting them, it was still possible they might meet their end?

-----------------

Sanqing Taoist Sect, Jade Emperor Hall.

A hearty laughter echoed.

"Interesting, truly interesting, defeating enemies above four levels, one gain three immortal skills."

Yun Miao, with a smile brimming on his face, looked at Huayang’s stone-faced expression, which currently didn’t matter, because now Gu Wen could truly behead Huayang.

Previously, it was just for fun, but now Huayang was in real trouble.

He cautioned, "Don’t even think about playing dirty; I’ll be watching you closely."

Huayang coldly responded, "Don’t measure me by your pettiness. If he can kill me, then it’s a fortune for the Daoist Sect, it doesn’t matter even if Qingcang Master is not around."

Buzz!

The void hummed, a wave of Sword Intent transmitted, followed by a rough voice.

"Two snoopers, I heard you’ve been in a tough spot recently, do you need help from my Broken Sword Mountain?"

Hearing that the first military helper was offering assistance, Yun Miao and Huayang’s expressions remained unchanged, utterly unrippling.

"You old sword maniac, you never start early without benefits; tell me, what do you want?"

"I heard the Daoist Sect has a talented junior from the Red Dust..."

"Scram."

Yun Miao provided a concise answer, while Huayang, as always, coldly stated, "Even if you move your Broken Sword Mountain atop the Three Pure Mountain, it won’t do."

Unexpectedly, the divine thought was not annoyed and chuckled, "It’s not impossible, but the Sanqing must grant my Broken Sword Mountain the status of Siqing."

-----------------

The strife ended with the death of the enemy.

The person who had to die had died, and the powers that had to act had acted; at least for now, no one would continue to contest over a dead man.

Gu Wen felt the attentions retracting from all around, he slightly exhaled a breath of dull energy, immediately followed by a faint ache starting in his arms and across his body.

Looking down, the base of his palm was a bloody mess, and his arm’s skin was cracked open with several fissures, continuously oozing blood. Even using the healing techniques, it was hard to stop the bleeding.

Threads of green light were faintly visible, traces left by the Feathered Snake’s Divine Skills.

Yet he could still move his hand, his actions were completely unaffected.

Could the Xuanpin Divine Skill constantly keep his body at its peak, or could it, like losing the sense of pain, cause a cultivator to misjudge their condition?

Gu Wen pondered, then actively circulated the healing cultivation technique, Soft Breathe Skill, to suppress his injuries, stopping the blood flow.

Yu Hua came closer to look at the injuries on Gu Wen’s hand but said nothing, as it was only superficial.

Getting injured wasn’t all bad; knowing the pain would make one more cautious next time.

Gu Wen bent down to split the snake body and using divine thought, extracted the Demon Core within. Ao Tang approached and asked, "Do you want to take this snake body?"

"Can the protector carry it away?"

"Just a change of form will do, though it will slow down my Escape Skill."

Yuhua interjected, "It’s alright, in the short term no one will make a move against us, and Gu Wen needs Spiritual Medicine right now."

Ao Tang no longer hesitated, he dived into the water and disappeared, soon after a huge dark shadow appeared beneath the water surface.

Splashing sounds!

A splash of water flew, a white snake much larger than the Qing python emerged from the water’s surface, biting onto the bisected python corpse, slowly swallowing it into its belly.

Protectors are indeed essential creatures for home and travel.

Gu Wen asked, "What Divine Beast is the protector specifically?"

Yu Hua replied, "The All-encompassing, capable of transforming into all things, each form capable of cultivating a Divine Skill. However, it is said that when it was young, it was injured, causing severe damage to its foundation and stalling its progression in the Mahayana Realm; only the Escape Skill, Alchemy, and Sumeru Mustard Seed remain."

Within a few sentences, the body of the Qing python was completely swallowed and the white snake then submerged into the water.

When it resurfaced, it had transformed into a donkey with a big belly; Gu Wen could tell that Ao Tang was quite fond of this form.

-----------------

Nanchun Army at the ferry crossing.

Jiang Jucai returned with the captured civilians, where the grand marshal of the Nanchun Army personally greeted them; soldiers lined the path and welcomed them with cheers that shook the heavens and the earth.

To celebrate this battle, a grand feast was opened in the military camp.

Under the dim candlelight, the soldiers dispersed, leaving only a group of generals.

The atmosphere became somewhat silent and was then interrupted as several Jiang clansmen entered; one of them shouted, "Young master, there’s been an emergency with the elder, you must come back and check."

Jiang Jucai had drunk a lot, but his mind remained clear.

His eyes flickered with a strange light as he stood up and bowed, "There is an emergency at home, and I wish to return to see if I can help. I hope the grand marshal approves."

"Filial piety comes first, but I have a few words to say to Captain Jiang, and it doesn’t matter when you leave after I have spoken."

Song Ziyi did not let him leave but stood up and personally poured Jiang Jucai a drink, saying, "Captain Jiang is truly brave, leading the troops personally to fight demons. This battle, once known, will greatly elevate the prestige of our Nanchun Army, and conquering the provincial capital will be within reach."

"What honors would the captain like to receive for such merits?"

"It is all within my duties."

Jiang Jucai felt a chill in his heart, then stood and bowed as he said, "On the contrary, I should be punished; I led troops to meet the demons without military orders, which should be a capital crime."

"Capital crime, so Captain Jiang knows it too."

Song Ziyi watched him with a smile, the murderous intent in his eyes slightly reduced.

Admitting wrongs might save him, but irresponsibility couldn’t be tolerated. As for giving up the Nanchun Army, no one would let go until they were on the brink of death.

Interest is a poison that entices immensely.

The expressions of the three Jiang clansmen who had entered changed; they each reached for the daggers at their waists while the surrounding generals also showed cold expressions.

Just waiting to drop the cup as a sign, eight hundred axemen would then chop Jiang Jucai into mincemeat.

Jiang Jucai held back one of his cousins, then stepped forward and downed the wine in his cup, saying, "Since childhood my father taught me to draw a sword to aid those in distress, to save people as urgently as putting out a fire. If the marshal wants to kill me, let it be by military law; I have no regrets."

Song Ziyi’s murderous intent decreased even further; he also picked up his wine cup and drank it all, smiling, "Captain Jiang’s righteousness is boundless; surely your father must be a truly upright man."

Father?

Jiang Jucai couldn’t help but recall his stout father, though it was Gu Wen who had taught him the saying about drawing a sword to aid those in distress.

He also smiled and replied, "Naturally, my father is eighteen feet tall."

"How come I heard that your father is a wealthy landowner, a mere six inches tall?"

An inappropriate comment emerged, the speaker a scion of the Nanshui elite families, who had always been at odds with Jiang Jucai, solely due to their different backgrounds.

This person was also planted by Song Ziyi, who watched Jiang Jucai with interest.

If Jiang dared to be angry, he could stay.

If he wasn’t angry, he could not stay.

Jiang Jucai’s current prestige was somewhat too great; today he could lead troops out, tomorrow he could lead troops here.

Raising a rebellion was most dependent on two things: the ability to fight, at least not being easily extinguished by the government, and the other was having a loud reputation, for with a well-known name, many would flock to his cause.

From powerless commoners to wealthy landlords, no one would resist rebellion—everyone just feared beheading.

Nowadays, more are dying of starvation than are being beheaded; hence, they might as well raise a rebellion.

Nanshui had two main issues: killing officials and demonic calamities.

The Nanchun Army could become a force due to the right time, place, and people. If the imperial court had not imposed harsh taxes in recent years, relying on Nanshui’s wealth, there would have been enough food to eat. If the demonic calamity hadn’t occurred, there wouldn’t have been so many refugees from Nanshui.

The combination of the two suddenly pushed the local rebels like the Nanchun Army to prominence, making it one of the leading rebel groups throughout Daqian, widely known.

Other rebels also couldn’t perform exorcisms and offer sacrifices to heaven; Jiang Jucai was undoubtedly the face of the Nanchun Army, perhaps from the beginning.

Initially, everyone was just waiting for the imperial decree to pacify the rebellion, but this naive young man fought fiercely and was especially good at it. Under one victory after another, a group of unsophisticated countrymen continuously placed glory upon him, and the entire Nanchun Army’s spirit was different.

Rebellion was like this, a group of ignorant hicks, a headstrong leader, plus a little bit of luck.

But ultimately, this world still depends on one’s background.

Jiang Jucai was brave and fierce, beloved by people, and his righteousness was boundless, so what? He didn’t have an Immortal as a master, but I did, hence I’m the marshal.

One moment, two moments, three moments.

"Kill him, and I’ll protect you."

A whisper of wind came, Jiang Jucai’s ears twitched slightly, and the anger he had just suppressed suddenly surged uncontrollably.

He looked up at the man, then suddenly drew a short dagger from beside a Jiang clansman, stepped forward, and slapping aside a guard who tried to draw his sword.

Seizing the scion by the neck, he plunged the dagger into his throat, blood gushing like a spring.

The scion collapsed onto the table, and everyone around was stunned, even Song Ziyi was a bit taken aback.

How dare he kill someone?

"Jiang Jucai!"

Song Ziyi came to his senses, outraged yet laughed in return, "Do you really think I wouldn’t dare to kill you?"