Twin Dimension Yin-Yang Mirror: Attaining immortality through the martial path
Chapter 476 - 424 Where Demons Do Not Hide

Chapter 476: Chapter 424 Where Demons Do Not Hide

The armored lady, with just a few words, had seized the initiative. Unknowingly, she led everyone to follow her train of thought. Even the covert black-clothed person, who preferred lurking in the shadows, did not express any dissatisfaction.

Obviously, the earlier move "Sun and Moon Shine Together" had earned their respect.

"I’ll start. My name is Yan Bing, and I cultivate the ’Sun and Moon Sacrifice’ from one of the three major schools of Minglan Star. I am currently at the fifth stage of the Space Fusion Realm. The weapon I excel in, as you’ve seen, is the Sun and Moon Dual Rings. I can act as the main attacking warrior. What about you, Brother Hu?"

The reason she asked the tiger first was clear to Zhou Ping’an.

This white-haired tiger had, with bare hands, just pressured the black-clothed person to use a weapon for a desperate attack, clearly showing an even more dominant aura.

"One of the Thirteen Tribes of Heavenly Demon Ridge, I am called Bai Yuanhua, specializing in the ’White Tiger’s Sky Shout Slash.’"

Bai Yuanhua’s amber gaze swept all around, pride clear in his expression. His mentioned tribe must be quite extraordinary, warranting such pride.

Zhou Ping’an managed to keep his expression neutral upon hearing this, but his heart stirred greatly.

One claimed to be from Minglan Star, another from Tiger Demon Ridge; these were places he had never heard of.

Could it be that this ’Nine Sons Subdue Demon Order’ draws trialists from different worlds?

That seemed to be the case.

He hadn’t heard of Heavenly Demon Ridge and could comfort himself as ignorant; perhaps there existed such a ridge and tribe, hidden in the far reaches of the west or north, unknown to all.

But the term "Minglan Star" was more definitive.

Moreover, Yan Bing’s armor, as well as the name of her cultivation technique, both had a distinct interstellar character. As for the language, he couldn’t make it out.

It was only then he noticed that their lip movements did not match the words they spoke.

He guessed that it must be the work of the Nine Sons Subdue Demon Order automatically conveying the true meaning of words directly into his mind.

In short, the Subduing Demon Order came with a translation function, synchronous and accurate, to the point where even the intent behind the words was impeccably conveyed.

"Centurion under the third vice-general of the Spirit Realm Passage, Yin Jiu. I am at the second layer of Foundation Building, specializing in assassination and spiritual communication."

The black-clothed person stepped out from the shadows and into the sunlight.

Zhou Ping’an looked carefully but still couldn’t make out the person’s features; enveloped in a kind of mist, it was as if they had no face.

This shadowy appearance greatly displeased the tiger spirit, evident in its disdainful gaze, almost as if it were ready to spit in contempt.

Clearly, the tiger still held a grudge for the earlier mockery.

"So, what about you two younger brothers and the younger sister? Tell us what you’re good at," Yan Bing said, her face still cool but her voice turning gentle.

She seemed to be caring for the younger ones.

Zhou Ping’an however, keenly detected a strong desire for control in her tone.

She saw herself as the leader.

But given that she was of the True Martial Realm, also referred to as "Space Fusion Realm," meaning the same thing, she was indeed more advanced in cultivation than himself and appeared to know more about the mission and trials, thereby justifying her seizing control.

Since neither the white tiger nor the ghastly individual objected, Zhou Ping’an naturally had nothing to say.

He smiled and said, "My name is Zhou Chu, specializing in the Wild Blade Technique, Ninth Level Mortal Refinement, Martial Intent..."

"No need to mention your realm; we can tell. And the little sister? You’re empty-handed, did you forget your weapon?" Yan Bing interrupted Zhou Ping’an, turning to question Fang Sheng instead.

"Yes, my expertise is in swordsmanship. I didn’t expect to physically enter this challenge without even bringing a sword. Sister Yan, do you know what our mission is this time and who the enemy might be? You’ve been here a second time, so you should be aware, right?" Fang Sheng asked without feeling out of place, rattling off questions in a familiar manner.

Her barrage of inquiries caused Yan Bing to pause briefly.

She smiled, "An intelligence officer will soon voluntarily provide us with the information. Rest for now, by dawn the enemy will arrive. It would be best if we take advantage of this rare opportunity before the battle to break away as quickly as possible, taking the Commandery Princess and the young master with us."

"We can’t leave, the battle is inevitable. It’s better to fight sooner rather than later. If we flee in disgrace, even if we reach Dingyang City, we won’t be able to stabilize those arrogant soldiers. With everyone in my father’s army losing heart, the overall situation would be beyond salvation," Zhou Ping’an turned to see the twelve-year-old girl he had just lifted from the chair, now speaking determinedly.

"Little child, you don’t understand. Just quietly follow the arrangements with your brother. We can at least secure a way out for the both of you," Yan Bing said gently, softly ruffling the young girl’s hair, her tone gentle but unquestionable.

The Little Princess, stunned by these words, looked slightly disheartened and ceased to speak.

She simply held her seven-year-old brother’s hand, her gaze filled with sorrow.

On the other hand, Bai Yuanhua shook his head and said, "Taking along a burden is one thing, but to protect two individuals makes it difficult. I think it’d be better to only take the young boy with us."

"How do you know? What if the key to the mission is the young boy, not the girl? What happens if you make the wrong choice?" Yin Jiu’s cool voice broke the silence.

This angered the Old White Tiger to the extreme.

They nearly came to blows again.

Zhou Ping’an, however, had no more idle interest in listening to the constantly quarreling pair. Instead, he recalled the words of the little girl from before.

Though she was young, and her words lacked force, they made sense.

The mission was named "Break the Encirclement," not "Break Out and Escape." They sounded similar, but their core meanings were worlds apart.

To "Break the Encirclement" surely meant to scatter and defeat the enemy, to walk out openly and uprightly. To break out, on the other hand, would be to flee. If one only considered the present, there might be nothing wrong with that, but if one looked to the long and distant future, even if they survived, what could two children possibly do?

Yan Bing and the others surely understood this.

Yet, they still chose the easier option without a second thought.

There must be some compelling reason.

...

"General Zhou, can you go and lead the troops to prepare for battle? Although you only have three thousand soldiers under your command, that sister seems to place great trust in you, and you can lead her three thousand soldiers as well. There have been historical instances of winning against the odds, so we still have hope."

The Little Princess tugged at the corner of Zhou Ping’an’s clothing, persuading with full of hope.

Meanwhile, the seven-year-old boy, Shen Yu, was engrossed in playing with a small wooden puppet, murmuring to himself, obviously still at an age of carefree innocence, not considering too much.

He didn’t even have a clear concept of danger.

On the contrary, this girl named Shen Bi, the King Ying’s Little Princess, was so smart it completely belied her age.

She even sharply sensed that she herself might be the first choice for reversing their predicament.

Others might not know, but how could Zhou Ping’an not?

For this visit in person, he came fully equipped, even carrying the Tiger Talisman with him at all times.

Indeed, with sufficient soldiers, the army forming a circle, it would not be so easy for the enemy to win.

Of course, all of this hinged on the condition that the level of the masters was not too disparate.

On their side, the three True Martial Realm experts—an alien, a member of the Demon Clan, and one from the Underworld Clan—each with a strong temperament, clearly did not hold him and Fang Sheng in their eyes. It looked impossible that they would pin their hopes on them.

Under such circumstances, let alone persuading them to stay and form a formation to face the enemy, the mere act of speaking a bit more could potentially lead to internal conflict.

To tell them he possessed treasures that could enhance the strength of his soldiers...

That would simply be delivering treasures to their doorstep.

Without giving them the Tiger Talisman to experiment with themselves, others simply wouldn’t believe it.

So, it was an unsolvable dilemma.

"It’s not that I refuse to fight desperately; I actually want to face the enemy properly and fight a battle, but they only want to flee... With divided hearts, one side has to accommodate the other, otherwise, before the enemy even attacks, our side might have already fought to the death among ourselves."

Zhou Ping’an didn’t patronize Shen Bi because of her young age. Instead, he explained the current situation to her in detail.

"Fortune favors the bold, but if there’s truly no other way, then preserve the living strength. ’Where there is life, there is hope’—staying alive means there is still hope."

His words meant to tell the Little Princess that since the decision was not in her hands, she should do her best to preserve herself.

Shen Bi looked blankly at Zhou Ping’an for a long while before speaking softly, "It’s useless. With Wu Qi leading the troops under King Liang, a man known for his infallible strategies, solitary escape simply won’t work. Instead, we would be methodically encircled by the enemy and gradually exterminated.

"He has a distinctive way of employing troops, like a wolf pack on the plains, never letting go once he grips. His title is the ’Heavenly Wolf General,’ and nobody can outmaneuver him."

"As for the masters, I’m not sure about others, but Li Nantian of the Pure Yang Sect and Su Pengju of the Cloud Water Sect will definitely come. I saw them ten days ago in that battle where Uncle Ming died. They haven’t seen the bodies of me or my brother... they won’t retreat."

"You’re talking about the Cloud Water Sect?"

Upon hearing the familiar name, Zhou Ping’an momentarily stopped pondering why the little girl said that the enemy would not retreat without seeing their bodies.

"Isn’t it said that the stars have descended? As far as I know, the force supporting King Ying’s lineage comes from the Subduing Demon Sect disciples. Naturally, the enemy from the stars above styling themselves as Immortal Gods is on the other side. How are the Pure Yang Sect and Cloud Water Sect also aiding them?"

Zhou Ping’an had heard plenty of Jianghu tales while in Qingyang City, including famous names like the Four Immortals Sect, Three Buddha Sect, Three Demon Paths, Seven Great Sects... Among them were the Pure Yang Sword Sect and the Cloud Water Heavenly Sect.

The disciples of these four sects who roamed the Jianghu were not numerous, and in recent years, they hadn’t been involved in any remarkable events, but the depth of the hidden undercurrents within their sects was unfathomable to anyone.

Hearing that disciples from these two sects were also in this trial setting, Zhou Ping’an grew curious.

Was this setting illusory or real?

And how was it connected to the Jianghu and the Imperial Court he was part of?

"Don’t you know that the Cloud Water Sect is under the Ancient Heavenly Court? And as for the Pure Yang Sect, it is said to be the direct lineage of the Daoist Sect, all descendants of Immortal Gods. They are one of the main forces in this descending of the stars.

"Furthermore, our side is composed of Subduing Demon Sect disciples, but which of the world’s princes is not supported by the Subduing Demon Sect? Take Wu Qi, commanding the opposing forces for instance; he’s a nineteenth-generation disciple of the Subduing Demon Sect, following the Powerful Condensing and Refining Evil path, highly formidable.

"And then there’s you. Where in the world doesn’t submit to demon subjugation? When you announced your origins, there were some places I hadn’t even heard of, and aren’t you all Subduing Demon Sect disciples?"

Shen Bi looked over with a strange expression in her eyes.

She found that Zhou Ping’an apparently was unaware of many common pieces of knowledge, which was puzzling.

.........

Today I stalled with writing, spending a lot of time organizing my thoughts, which is why the update is only happening now. I’m embarrassed, but although it’s late, it’s not neglected—rest assured!