Eternal Swordmaster
Chapter 752 - 747 Corpse Path One

Chapter 752: Chapter 747 Corpse Path One

However, the woman was hit by cannonballs several times and remained unscathed, which startled him.

Even flying Yakshas, if hit directly by a cannon, would sustain minor injuries.

With a sufficient number, it was even possible to be blown to pieces.

Yet the woman did not even change her facial expression when killing, showing no fluctuations in her demeanor as if she were reaping wheat or eating and drinking, her every move as natural as if born to do so, without a single flaw.

Even the shadowy figure felt a chill in his heart upon seeing this.

"If she’s not a Yaksha, then, the emergence of such an unparalleled fiend might actually help in reviving His Majesty..."

He pondered thoughtfully.

********************

Boom!!

A blazing explosion soared into the sky.

On the ocean, the foreigners’ ironclad warships exploded and sank one after another.

Zhao Wumian stood on a slowly sinking warship, looking at the foreigners jumping into the water and wailing miserably, his heart tranquil, a slight smile on his face.

"Demon! This man is a demon!!"

"Run for your lives! May God protect us!!"

Large groups of marines jumped into the water, but only the first few managed to swim to safety; the rest were dragged into the whirlpools created by the sinking ships and drowned alive.

Zhao Wumian, who had fought in battles both in the north and the south, had seen even crueler scenes, not to mention that, in his heart, these foreigners were nothing more than descendants of demons in human skin.

Not to mention killing them—if he were to capture a few to roast and eat, it wouldn’t burden his conscience one bit.

"Five warships, all taken care of, that should be no problem now."

He looked around and, seeing no more suspicious figures, took a flying leap down toward the docks.

The sea water could not submerge him, not even reaching over his ankles.

Residents living by the dock, looking out from their homes, were stunned to see Zhao Wumian actually walking on the surface of the sea, without sinking in the slightest.

Some who had been watching the battle earlier had even seen with their own eyes Zhao Wumian chasing after each warship and sinking them all one by one.

They felt their blood boiling with excitement.

They had endured the arrogance of these foreign overlords for far too long. Now, witnessing such brutal slaughter, they were surprisingly not afraid; instead, they felt a great sense of relief.

In the Concession, some people saw what happened and began to calculate how to betray him to the foreigners.

In no time, rumors that an Immortal had descended to the Human World and a high adept from the Taoist Sect had appeared spread far and wide through the stories of the populace.

Outside Hanzhong City, the number of people who witnessed the great battle was no small amount, and they all were frightened as if they had seen a supernatural being.

A single man stood against an army, driving back the Imperial Court’s army of 120,000 in defeat, slaughtering thousands, and terrifying tens of thousands into fleeing until only 70,000 remained.

It was nothing short of a miracle!

And with some interested parties spreading the news, word of the emergence of Lake Mountain Sect, the holy land of the Taoist Sect, quickly spread across the region.

Amidst a national crisis, with a corrupt and feeble Imperial Court at the helm, foreigners committing atrocities, oppressing the citizens, and imposing egregious taxes.

At this time, numerous patriotic scholars in the northern part of the Empire heard the news and, half in doubt, many set off to Hanzhong to investigate the truth.

However, the real military warlords remained immobile, utterly disbelieving any tales of a divine being descending to Earth.

There had been the Spirit-Conquering Fist Movement earlier on, which started with great momentum, claiming to be immune to blades and bullets, but in the end, wasn’t it thoroughly extinguished by the foreigners and the Imperial Court?

This time was probably no different.

As for rumors of one man overpowering an army, the common people are ignorant; just spread the word a bit, make the story credible, and many will believe it, which is not worth mentioning.

However, in the north was Dingwutang, gathering patriotic scholars and martial artists, attempting to strengthen the people and enhance national power through martial arts.

Upon hearing of this matter, they sent someone to Hanzhong to find martial arts masters.

During this time, in Yuhai, a major city in Xia Country, the stationed troops clashed with foreign military forces, causing devastating losses. The foreign troops quickly assembled and invaded overnight, entering the coastal town of Linhai near Yuhai, where they looted, killed, and massacred tens of thousands of civilians!

The news of the telegram spread rapidly, causing a nationwide uproar and stirring public outrage!!

Countless students took to the streets, holding banners and marching in protest.

In this era, private academies had largely dwindled, while more and more public schools emerged. Many children in big cities relied on these schools for centralized education.

The people had become somewhat enlightened, and following the Yuhai tragedy, countless students joined the local Righteous Armies and warlord forces, attempting to serve their country and resist the invaders.

But to no avail.

Yuhai fell to the joint force led by Annu Nation, with the other two nations at its side; the defense army, the Thirteenth Army, had no power to resist and crumbled upon contact.

The number they slew was still less than the number trampled to death in their own retreat.

In just three short days, Yuhai had fallen.

Other nations, which had not secured any benefits for themselves, condemned the three countries for meddling in the internal affairs of another nation.

But the three countries defended themselves by claiming they were peacekeeping forces, merely helping Xia Country to quell a civil war, and refused to leave.

Meanwhile, other military warlords throughout the land remained on the sidelines; the Imperial Court, at this time, had no strength to counterattack and quickly ordered the returning of the 120,000-strong army that had gone to Hanzhong.

But of that once mighty army of 120,000, now only a meager 60,000 remained.... no matter how the leading general explained, no one believed that his tens of thousands of soldiers had been defeated by a single man.

With no choice left, he had to honestly lead his troops back.

The crisis in Hanzhong was resolved in an instant.

***********************

Sun Guotao stood in front of the window, looking at the dock outside as it gradually returned to order.

Ships came and went, continuously loading and unloading cargo, and soldiers were busy maintaining order, allowing caravans transporting military supplies priority in entering and leaving.

Small steam passenger ships also continuously entered the port, bringing a steady flow of outsiders into Hanzhong.

It was early morning, and the air was slightly cool; the sea was calm and tranquil.

But Sun Guotao’s heart was anything but peaceful.

"General, do you have any concerns?"

The room wasn’t only occupied by himself, there was also a woman quietly sitting on the genuine leather sofa, dressed in a Taoist robe, delicately sipping on imported Western coffee.

"Your Sect... by helping me so much, is there something you need me to do?"

Sun Guotao didn’t believe that Lake Mountain Sect had altruistically come to help him repel the enemy.

Wang Kongyan smiled slightly and put down her coffee.

"Our Great Xia is a land of outstanding people and profound influences, and repelling the armies is but a trivial matter. The General should not dwell on it.

The main reason we assisted you was with the intention of establishing Hanzhong as our worldly Sect’s location. As for those heretical blood descendants..."

"Heretical blood descendants?"

Sun Guotao was somewhat puzzled.

"Those are the individuals with blond hair and blue eyes or white hair and blue eyes," Wang Kongyan explained.

"Ah..."

Sun Guotao was speechless, thinking these old-fashioned ideas were coming from some corner, as Westerners naturally looked like that, merely due to living in different places. How had they become heretical blood descendants?

"Such blood descendants are born to cause trouble in the Human World and must not be allowed to bring chaos to our Great Xia territory,"

Wang Kongyan said seriously.

Although her Honored Master hadn’t mentioned these specifics, she deeply despised these heretics.

By now, almost three thousand Soul Reapers had entered, and facing ordinary mortals, they could be utterly decisive, striking once and guaranteeing death.

They were the ideal Taoist soldiers for dealing with large-scale armies.

Now all that was lacking was population; several of her junior brothers and sisters had already begun searching in Hanzhong for suitable locations to establish their Sect.

"Starting a Sect is naturally possible... it’s just..." Sun Guotao’s heart skipped a beat. The opponent was too strong, and even though he commanded firearms, he felt somewhat incapable. If they were allowed to grow and strengthen...

"Regarding the incident at Yuhai, does your Sect know of it? Is it possible to borrow one or two powerful experts like your sister?"

"You don’t have the right to negotiate with us," Wang Kongyan said, somewhat impatient.

"The matter of Yuhai is too distant and doesn’t concern us. Stabilizing Hanzhong is the primary concern."

"That may be true... but..." Sun Guotao’s voice hesitated, his heart pounded upon being reproached, but thinking of the Western military’s unfettered slaughter of civilians near Yuhai filled him with irritation and rage.

"We have already made our choice, and our Honored Master will soon arrive. You should prepare to welcome him,"

Wang Kongyan said indifferently.

As a Fifth Rank Human Immortal, she could clearly feel a strange Fortune continuously converging toward Hanzhong.

The Chen Family ran Hongde Commerce and had branches in Hanzhong. In recent days, per Honored Master’s orders, they began to move towards Hanzhong.

"The Taoist Lord is about to arrive?"

Sun Guotao’s expression slightly changed. If a sister was so formidable, what would it be like when the Honored Master arrived? It would be even more tyrannical.

This Lake Mountain Sect was shrouded in mystery; their depths unknown. Although they had greatly assisted him, he remained uneasy and had already sent someone secretly to request aid from the Taoist masters at Hongde, hoping to uncover the roots of Lake Mountain Sect.

The Hongde Taoist Master, renowned in the southern region, might be able to check Lake Mountain Sect’s power.

It was said that there had been a great tumultuous earthquake in the Hanzhong region in the past. It was only because the Hongde Taoist personally prayed for blessings and sacrificed himself to stabilize the epicenter that hundreds of thousands of people survived...

But he was unaware that it hadn’t been an ordinary earthquake, but the birth of the Corpse King, bringing calamity upon the world.

"In that case, Sun will respectfully await the Taoist Lord’s arrival." His heart underwent various changes, and Sun Guotao managed a strained smile, speaking in a low voice.

The strength of Lake Mountain Sect, capable of driving out both the Westerners and the Imperial army in one breath, was not something he dared to offend lightly.

*********************

Lin Xin sat in the carriage, quietly looking out at the outskirts of Hanzhong passing by.

"The investigation is clear, Honored Master," another young man in the carriage said respectfully. "The Taoist Sects here have some capabilities, but because nature’s spiritual energy is so weak, they can only use simple Talismans to aid them.

Mostly, they rely on their martial arts and a few magic artifacts passed down from ancestors; their strength and influence are extremely weak."

"Martial arts?"

Lin Xin shook his head mutely.

"What about that zombie incident before?"

"That zombie, named Jiuya, is the Family Protector of the Yin Family, a Demon-Subduing Noble Family. In this world, these Demon-Subduing Noble Families are even more formidable than the Taoist Sect or Buddhism. Their heritage is unfathomably deep! It is said that the Yin Family descends from the bloodline of an ancient ’Generals Star’ fallen to the world.

There is also the Yuan Family, which is said to be inherited from a Maid of the Nine Heavens Profound Lady."

"Nine Heavens Profound Lady?" Lin Xin laughed quietly to himself. "So you’re saying that the Righteous Path in this world is supported by Demon-Subduing Noble Families such as the Yin and Yuan Families?"