Longevity Chronicles-Chapter 100 - 93: The Might of the Red Sun, Enthronement of the Devil God

The roaring of muskets and cannons, demons aspiring to be ruler, refugees fleeing calamity; these scenes together made it difficult for Tao Qian not to pay attention.

But Tao Qian didn't plan to recklessly reveal himself by charging into that battlefield. What if this was his fated calamity? To rush in without observing the situation clearly and fulfill such a disaster would be a wrongful death… With that in mind, Tao Qian led Little Age and Lian Jing'er, channeling the Immortal Spirit Qi within his body. He instantly took to the wind, ascending up the mountain stream, and with the help of the Gang Wind Cloud Qi, landed on the peak of this unnamed mountain.

Taking advantage of some cover, he looked towards the end of the refugee queue that was avoiding disaster, the two sides engaged in battle.

One side was clearly a group of Demon Magicians, led by a Demon who seemed to have mutated from a human.

It was completely wrapped in a big cloud of stinking, black-red Demonic Qi, with the upper body vaguely resembling that of a seductively handsome man, with a gaunt face, scales embedded in it, fish gills, hollowed-out ribs, and only a pale bone armor protecting the throbbing dark red heart, while the lower body was a ten-meter-long Jiao Demon's tail.

It was unclear whether the decay covering it was due to his Cultivation Technique or a mishap in cultivation, but there were hints of rot everywhere, and even large maggots sporadically burst out, as if they were laying eggs, littering the route with maggots and contaminating an expanse of land.

And this Jiao Demon's subordinates were nothing more than lowly Evil Cultivators and Mutated Demons. Their main force consisted of over a hundred Warlock Demon Soldiers, donned in bizarre hemp cloth, faces smeared with blood, tusks exposed, wielding Demon Weapons, and eyes brimming with ferocity.

In Tao Qian's eyes, they were easy to kill, but their opponents were having trouble.

Unexpectedly, the other side was not Cultivators nor the Demon Suppression Army, but rather seemed like local group of soldiers, with not a single standard uniform between them, yet somehow, they had acquired muskets and cannons, and given their familiarity, had clearly drilled with them often.

Although their leader was a middle-aged Great Man, Tao Qian, at a glance, could see that the true strategist of these several hundred soldiers was a heroic-looking young man standing next to the middle-aged person, covered in dust.

It was rare to see him wearing a modified military uniform, sporting a buzz-cut, and whether it was with a gun or a cannon, he handled them with ease.

Unfortunately, however impressive the firepower, it couldn't harm those sorcerers refined by the "Jiao Demon" using a Secret Technique.

Tao Qian, with his extraordinary vision, could tell that beneath the layers of hemp, were bodies akin to zombies, impervious to the "bang, bang, bang" of gunfire. What did it matter if their flesh was torn and tattered?

They were dead to begin with; let their bodies lie in ruins, they would only get up and charge again.

However, this group of soldiers wasn't entirely without support. The heroic young man and a few subordinates were jointly operating a cannon that appeared extremely refined, covered in many Exotic Realm symbols and radiating light, exuding a threatening aura.

It seemed to be this cannon that kept the Jiao Demon from charging directly.

The young man glanced behind him, where the people of Wending County were still running for their lives.

But with families in tow, how could they escape quickly?

Thus, the bustling procession stretched along the mountain path, trying to flee to the neighboring county, but their speed was painfully slow. Not to mention comparing them with the Jiao Demon, they couldn't match the pace of those zombie sorcerers.

In contrast, a few wealthy households with their struggling automobiles disappeared in a puff of smoke.

He clenched his teeth and then called out to the Jiao Demon, "What exactly do you want, you Demon? We have already given up Wending County to you. Whether you want to be King or just a county head, go on and do it. Why must you chase us to the brink of death?"

He would have been better off not speaking. As soon as he did, the Jiao Demon burst into a piercing laugh.

Hiding within that foul-smelling Demon Cloud, he stuck out a disheveled head and screeched, "Hahaha... Drive to the brink of death? Youngster, you misunderstand, how could this great king bear it? A hundred years of cultivation cannot all be for naught; this great king has read many books and understands the importance of subjects."

"If I killed all of you, how could I still be King of Wending? You all are my subjects, quick, go back home."

"Rest assured, this Great King doesn't have a huge appetite either. Only on festivals and auspicious days do I occasionally crave something fresh. At that time, this Great King will employ a very fair lottery system which treats both the rich and the commoners equally."

"Young man, I see you are a person of talent. Why not serve under this Great King and I'll grant you the position of Prime Minister of Wending, how about that?"

These words that were said had made Tao Qian, who was communicating with his Puppet Body to get the latest news, also turn his head in surprise.

Good heavens, where did this Demon come from?

The source of this c𝓸ntent is frёeweɓηovel.coɱ.

It was enough that he was so blunt, but he also knew the profound saying of sustainable development.

You see, other Demons, upon seeing so many fresh and tantalizing humans, would have lost patience long ago, pouncing to take a bite here and there, feasting first before anything else.

This Jiao Demon, however, was already considering these people as his subjects. He intended to be frugal with his meals, not to devour them all at once and end up as a King without a nation.

Tao Qian was astonished, but the leader of the local troops was enraged. Seeing the Jiao Demon's head so close, believing the opportunity was not to be missed, stepped forward, signaling his men to light the fuse while he himself blocked the Jiao Demon's line of sight.

"In your dreams!"

With a roar to catch the Jiao Demon's attention, he counted silently for two breaths before sharply stepping aside.

Then, a blaze as intense as the sun erupted from the cannon, accompanied by a thunderous 'boom.'

Visible to the naked eye, a slantingly projected beam as thick as a millstone smashed the cluster of demonic clouds along with the Jiao Demon inside it to smithereens.

Flames burst across the sky, and smoke and dust rained down.

"We hit it, excellent! The elders of the Western Study Society didn't deceive me. The power of this 'No.1 Red Sun' is enough to blast down those so-called Immortals, let alone a rank fishy Jiao Demon."

"Dad, we don't have to leave home anymore. From now on, the safety of Wending County will be protected by me, Zhang Zhenwu..."

"Bang!"

The valiant young man's words were cut short when suddenly, the ground beneath them violently upheaved. A massive creature burst from the soil, sending the Village Soldiers flying, and a wickedly thin face with long Jiao body emerged, its mouth tearing open to an extreme width, dripping with sticky, foul-smelling saliva with corrosive poison.

As everyone watched in shock and astonishment, the Jiao Demon actually caught the magic artifact known as "No.1 Red Sun" from the West in its mouth.

With a gulping sound, the still-smoking cannon disappeared into the Jiao Demon's belly.

He reared his body proudly against the fierce sun, baring a wild grin and looking down at the helpless Village Soldiers, his voice hoarse:

"Young man, you're too arrogant. This Exotic Realm Magic Artifact has a commendable might, but you as the wielder lack insight, failing to see through even such a shallow illusion."

"Do you think, because I am a member of the Demons, that although I possess strength, I am so foolish I can't detect such a simple trap?"

"Alright, enough fuss has been made, and enough running has been done, my subjects, follow this Great King home."

"If you don't comply, this Great King might just start feasting now..."

Having said that, the Jiao Demon slammed its tail fiercely, only to see a large number of maggots fall off and instantly transform into tens of thousands of grotesque flies, as large as a baby's fist. In the booming buzz that exploded, they formed a fly storm that blocked all the fleeing civilians in place.

Those wealthy families who thought they had escaped far enough by car were out of luck, directly devoured clean by these flies.

Amidst the storm, there were incessant cries of sorrow. The people of Wending County seemed to foresee their miserable future.

As members of the Human Clan, they would have to acknowledge a demon as their King, and during festive occasions, auspicious days, they would also have to offer up fresh human beings as sacrifices for it to eat.

Who could have imagined such a thing happening just a few months ago?

Even in dark and chaotic times, it shouldn't come to this.

Similarly envisioning the terrifying future, the leader of the group of soldiers known as "Zhang Zhenwu" collapsed to the ground, mumbling: "It's over, all is over."

Just as the clouds of despair gathered, not far from a mountain.

Tao Qian, leading Little Age and Lian Jing'er with his Puppet Body, had just taken advantage of this convenience to inquire clearly about the many changes that erupted within Southern Yue during the ten days of his secluded cultivation, as well as the current situation across the entire region.

Inconceivable?

No, it was far worse than that.

Even before his seclusion, due to the matter with Hong Youhu, Tao Qian had vaguely glimpsed the plans of ambitious men like Tang Xianzong, Ji Xianxian, and Qin Wuxiang, aware that a major upheaval was coming to Southern Yue.

But now that he truly understood, he was still shocked beyond belief.

Southern Yue!

This populous Southern province of the Longevity Heavenly Dynasty was almost completely overrun by demons.

And it all began with an overlord of the Devil God Army within Southern Yue territory, Tang Xianzong.

This scoundrel had made an extremely shameless and mad decision.

Even though Southern Yue had yet to be occupied by the Devil God Army, he went ahead and sent out "Enfeoffment Decrees" bearing the Devil God Seal to all the big and small demons in the surrounding area, who had not yet come out to create trouble.

In other words, this scoundrel had preemptively divided Southern Yue up.

Great Demons might get a city and several counties, or outright a dozen counties; the Little Demons could get a single county, or several prosperous towns.

It was because of this strategy that these big and small demons, who were still hesitating which province to go to, all poured into Southern Yue in droves.

Dark and chaotic times?

No, by this time, Southern Yue was almost indistinguishable from a ground-based Demon Country.

Devilish Qi and demonic miasma were everywhere, with some arrogant Great Demons taking over markets and counties and promptly setting up Demon Arrays on the spot, forbidding foreign demons or cultivators from passing through.

The Beautiful Corpse Bodhisattva, as the collaborator of Tang Xianzong, was also the most prominent demon in Southern Yue at present.

The territory she was enfeoffed was so huge it was astonishing, including places like Seeking Immortal County and Wending County.

In order to manage conveniently and to win over her subordinates with sweet rewards, the Beautiful Corpse Bodhisattva also carried out an enfeoffment within the Iron Buddha Temple.

Pan Hongniang, Tao Qian's cheap master within his Puppet Body, also received control over a county.

As for the Jiao Demon that had been granted Wending County, its background, roots, personality preferences, and so on were naturally all inquired into by Tao Qian without any effort.

Hearing all this, Tao Qian's expression remained calm, but his mind was a whirlwind of towering waves.

So many doubts surged up.

With Southern Yue turning out like this, why was there no action from the Righteous Sects led by the Ten Thousand Infant Sect?

What about Master Xiao, hadn't she gone back to report the situation? Could she have run into trouble?

Ji Xianxian wanted to become the Overlord of Southern Yue, so why hadn't she made a move, allowing Tang Xianzong to run amok?

...

Even though his mind was filled with shock and confusion, Tao Qian also made his move.

Having witnessed the recent battle and carefully weighed both sides' strength, Tao Qian knew his enemy as well as himself, leaving no room for hesitation.

Glancing at the land engulfed by devilish Qi and demonic miasma, Tao Qian told Little Age and Lian Jing'er to stay put.

His body then swayed, transforming into an unremarkable, plainly dressed sword cultivator emitting a sharp aura.

To make it more realistic, Tao Qian took out the Hundred Refinement Sword Pill and tossed it forward.

With a "whoosh," the sword pill immediately burst into dazzling light, streaking like a meteor toward the Jiao Demon's location.

Deliberately stimulated by Tao Qian, this Pill, which could only be considered a magic artifact, at this moment emitted the radiance that only a "True Device" could possess.

Even in broad daylight, it was scintillating enough for even mortals to recognize.

This object must be a precious treasure.

And Tao Qian, riding on clouds, wobbled along behind it.

Chasing after the sword pill, he shouted towards the multitude of civilians, village soldiers, Evil Cultivators, and the Jiao Demon ahead:

"Hey, hey, make way for me, this is my treasure, not yet fully refined, do not block the way, careful not to be hurt by it, I, this True Master, will not be held responsible, ah."