Overnight, the thousand-plus men of the Lingzhou Army were left leaderless. With the war in the north escalating, Lu Xiao and Ma Kui couldn’t possibly return to Ling Province. In the end, command was temporarily given to an officer of the Thousand Households rank.

The once incomparably powerful Lingzhou Army had now fallen to such a state.

Fortunately, Liang Ziheng had been severely wounded by the combined forces of Ling Province’s experts and had fled into the mountain forests.

Thus, the situation in Huanglong Prefecture was still relatively stable.

As for Ji Chang’s death, the blame was pinned entirely on the Northern Plains Blood Saber.

...

"How did you do it?"

Lu Yu stared at Bai Yuan with a strange expression.

This was their first meeting since they had joined forces to kill the Kaiyang Taoist and Yan Mo.

All the bigwigs were busy dealing with the Demon Sect now, so they wouldn’t be paying attention to such trivial matters.

Bai Yuan said, "Xiaoyu’Er, you’re still a long way off when it comes to Gu arts."

To deceive the forensic doctors of the Lingzhou Army, he had not only chopped Ji Chang into mincemeat but had also used the Iron-Eating Gu to devour all of his bones.

This way, even if the forensic doctors had god-like skills, it would be impossible for them to find any clues from a pile of rotten flesh.

The Lingzhou Army cavalry had arrived too quickly, so this was all he could do.

Otherwise, Ji Chang, like that Assassin from the Soul-Chasing Tower, would have been completely devoured by the Iron-Eating Gu, leaving nothing behind.

In that extremely short window of time, Bai Yuan had decisively chosen to take the Soul-Chasing Tower Assassin’s body to mislead the Chunyuan Taoist and the others.

The effect was excellent. Just as he’d planned, the Chunyuan Taoist had pinned Ji Chang’s death on Liang Ziheng.

Only someone like him, with so many tricks up his sleeve, could have pulled this off so flawlessly. Had it been anyone else, they would never have escaped the vicious eyes of that old Staff Officer.

Lu Yu rolled his eyes.

’He had plenty of tricks himself, but he had to admit he could never achieve the kind of terrifying feats Bai Yuan did. He’d put most of his talent points into running away.’

"So who are you planning to kill next?"

Lu Yu couldn’t help but feel a keen interest in Bai Yuan’s next target.

The Kaiyang Taoist, Yan Mo, hundreds of Lingzhou Army soldiers, and now General Zhao Wu Ji Chang... Bai Yuan was well on his way to single-handedly destroying the entire Lingzhou Army.

He had single-handedly killed three masters ranked in the top twenty of the Heavenly Ranking. The last person with such a terrifying record was the Thousand-Handed Butcher.

’So that’s how it is. Damn, it really runs in the family!’

Lu Yu even felt the urge to ask Dong Wanjun to be his master. Maybe then he could inherit some of the Dong Sect’s fearsome legacy.

Bai Yuan shrugged. "Of course, I’m going to lie low and practice my martial arts. It’s not like I’m some bloodthirsty killer."

Lu Yu sneered.

"Still trying to put on an act in front of me?"

Half the Lingzhou Army had died at Bai Yuan’s hands. You’d be hard-pressed to find anyone in all of Ling Province who had killed more people than him.

Even the most demonic and crazed villains would have to call Bai Yuan their grandmaster.

Bai Yuan spread his hands. "I’m serious. Why don’t you believe me?"

’If I killed off the entire Lingzhou Army, who would be left to protect Huanglong Prefecture? It can’t be the Divine Mansion Sect, can it?’

’Right now, the Divine Mansion Sect is hiding in the Hundred Thousand Mountains, developing in secret. We’ll emerge after the Demon Sect crisis has passed, perfectly positioned to reap the rewards.’

’So of course, there’s no reason to attack the people from Ling Province again.’

’The killing will definitely continue, but only after the Demon Sect crisis is over.’

Bai Yuan suddenly asked, "Do you have any connections for buying Spirit Medicines?"

Lu Yu’s interest was immediately piqued. He loved two things: practicing martial arts and making money. And Spirit Medicines were the most profitable venture of all.

"I have a batch of medicine that can quickly heal injuries. Help me sell it, and we’ll split the profits eighty-twenty."

Lu Yu’s eyes lit up.

’This is a golden opportunity to profit from a national crisis.’

The Demon Sect and the Northern Garrison Army were locked in a bitter struggle, causing the prices of weapons and Spirit Medicines to skyrocket. Healing-type Spirit Medicines, in particular, had seen their prices multiply many times over.

Lu Yu hadn’t expected Bai Yuan to also know how to concoct healing Spirit Medicines.

But he was past the point of crying "Unfair!" at the heavens. He was already numb to it all.

He even suspected that bastard Bai Yuan had probably started learning Alchemy in the womb.

Otherwise, how could he explain it? Alchemy took even more time than practicing martial arts. After all, the Lu Family’s own Alchemy Master was already white-bearded by the time he earned his title.

Without a moment’s hesitation, Lu Yu said, "Deal!"

As the illegitimate son of a General and someone who had spent time in the Northern Garrison Army, he naturally had plenty of connections.

Besides, by cooperating with Bai Yuan, all the silver would end up in his own pocket, which was more than enough motivation.

After the two of them settled the details, Bai Yuan left Huanglong Prefecture, a place rife with trouble.

...

The Divine Mansion Sect.

The monstrous waves roiling Huanglong Prefecture had not had much of an impact on the Hundred Thousand Mountains.

Even the refugees fleeing the chaos didn’t dare to dream of hiding in the Hundred Thousand Mountains, so the area remained as peaceful as ever.

A blessing in disguise.

Although the Divine Mansion Sect had suffered a great blow, it had also avoided the Demon Sect’s murderous rampage.

The Divine Mansion Sect had now even rebuilt its walls.

Seeing Bai Yuan return, Liu Li, who was on the wall, excitedly rushed forward to greet him.

"Sect Leader, you’ve finally returned."

Bai Yuan nodded.

By his count, it had been over a month since he’d left the Divine Mansion Sect.

"Notify Commander Yu and have him lead his troops back as soon as possible."

Bai Yuan ordered.

The situation was chaotic now. Although Yu Hui was powerful, leading troops in the field was still fraught with danger. Besides, there was no longer a need to target the Lingzhou Army.

Liu Li cupped his fist. "Yes, sir."

Seeing that Liu Li didn’t seem to be leaving, Bai Yuan couldn’t help but ask, "Is there something else?"

Liu Li gave an awkward chuckle. "Sect Leader, that kid Zhao Han broke through to the Entering Realm not long ago. I was hoping to ask for a good assignment for him."

Bai Yuan raised an eyebrow.

’This is a good thing.’

’Every Entering Martial Artist is a pillar of the sect.’

’A sect might have many members, but the ones who truly uphold its reputation are just the few Martial Artists at the Entering Realm and above.’

’The rest are just being raised like Gu worms in a jar.’

’That’s why Murong Tian valued True Disciples so highly back then. True Disciples were the Poisonous Insect Kings who emerged victorious from the swarm, so of course, they had to be cultivated with care.’

After a moment’s thought, Bai Yuan said, "Then let’s make him the Commander of Gang Camp."

Liu Li was surprised. "What about Hu Ben?"

"He’ll be Vice Commander."

’Bai Yuan was not Old Dong. Besides, Hu Ben was far more intelligent than he looked. It would be a waste of talent to have someone like him commanding only a single camp.’

A pleased expression appeared on Liu Li’s face. "The Sect Leader is truly thoughtful."

When Hu Ben heard the news, he was, of course, a hundred percent against it.

But under Bai Yuan’s tyrannical pressure, he had no choice but to submit in the end.

With Ouyang Hua around, the Divine Mansion Sect had a steady stream of fresh blood. He often secretly sent over promising martial arts prospects, so even though the sect wasn’t officially accepting new disciples, it was still growing.

Since the crisis, the internal strife within the Divine Mansion Sect had greatly diminished.

The Divine Mansion Sect had now swept away its former decline, showing signs of a revival that hadn’t been seen in a thousand years.

As long as they returned to Shenfu Mountain, Bai Yuan would go down in history as the undisputed ancestral master of the sect’s revival.

Old Peak Masters of the Divine Mansion Sect like Ruan Xiuluan and Liu Donghai were all looking forward to the day they could return to Shenfu Mountain.

...

More and more experts from the Demon Sect were breaking through the Northern Garrison Army’s defensive lines.

It wasn’t just Ling Province; all the Northern States were suffering.

Chunyuan Zhenren and Liu Kanshan took the initiative, launching an attack that severely wounded the Northern Plains Blood Saber, Liang Ziheng, which finally blunted the Demon Sect’s offensive in Huanglong Prefecture.

Although the situation in Ling Province had stabilized, more than half of the sects in its Jianghu had been destroyed in the great battle.

This was all thanks to that old Poisonous Scholar of a Staff Officer.

That Poisonous Scholar was clearly using the Demon Sect’s power to give the Prefecture Magistrate’s Office a legitimate reason to purge the Ling Province Jianghu.

Liu Kanshan was in charge of masterminding the defensive layout for all of Ling Province.

In areas where sects were located, the Lingzhou Army’s defenses were practically non-existent. Although the Demon Sect experts knew what Liu Kanshan was up to, they were happy to play along. Why would they refuse an easier chance to kill?

It was a blatant conspiracy, plain for all to see.

Even if the Court found out, they wouldn’t say a thing.

Now that Longevity Palace had joined forces with Ling Province, every sect was in a precarious position, with the exception of major powers like the Seven Star Sect.

Even the Changhe Gang had been nearly wiped out, to say nothing of the other factions.

For a time, the Ling Province Jianghu actually found itself feeling nostalgic for the old Divine Mansion Sect.

If the Divine Mansion Sect were still around, Ling Province would never have dared to be so brazen.

Unfortunately, the Divine Mansion Sect of today was nothing but an empty shell on Shenfu Mountain.

On the main peak of Shenfu Mountain.

Ouyang Hua gazed with a sneer at the now-empty Lingzhou Army camp.

After being decimated by Bai Yuan several times, the Lingzhou Army was now stretched thin just trying to suppress the Demon Sect’s chaos. Their men had all been redeployed to various locations in Huanglong Prefecture, leaving no one to stand guard over the Divine Mansion Sect.

Ouyang Hua felt an unprecedented sense of satisfaction.

’Ji Chang is dead, and most of the Lingzhou Army with him. It’s all thanks to our new Sect Leader.’

’He couldn’t wait to see the day Bai Yuan would lead the members of the Divine Mansion Sect back to Shenfu Mountain.’

’As long as Bai Yuan lives, the great revival of the Divine Mansion Sect is a certainty.’

’The day Bai Yuan becomes powerful enough to challenge the Prefect will be the day the Divine Mansion Sect returns to the world.’

’That day is not far off.’

...

「A month passed in the blink of an eye.」

The Huanglong Prefecture Magistrate’s Office had now been made a sub-office of the Ling Province Magistrate’s Office.

The man in charge was no longer the Prefect but the Vice-Prefect, Yuan Dingcai. A higher rank was a crushing weight, so the Lord Prefect naturally didn’t dare to object.

Besides, the current situation was far beyond what a mere Prefect could control.

Liu Kanshan remained hidden behind the scenes.

The two Taoists from Longevity Palace, Chunyuan and Fa Zhen, led troops everywhere, rushing to suppress the Demon Sect rebels.

Yuan Dingcai frowned at the battle report in his hand.

’Something’s wrong. Terribly wrong.’

’The Lingzhou Army’s kill count is high, but their casualty rate is even higher. It’s as if they’re trading lives, one for one.’

Liu Kanshan’s eyes narrowed slightly.

He, too, had noticed the problem.

Scouts from the front lines reported frequently seeing scenes of Lingzhou Army soldiers and Demon Sect members taking each other down together. Yet, everything seemed plausible, and they couldn’t find anything definitively wrong.

Liu Kanshan flipped through the list of the Lingzhou Army’s dead.

He hadn’t become Ling Province’s Staff Officer just by relying on his venomous schemes; he also possessed a powerful intellect.

After a long while, he slowly closed the list.

Most of the dead from the Lingzhou Army were men who had previously participated in the siege of Huanglong Prefecture. As he looked, he realized that, without him even noticing, the Lingzhou Army force that had come to Huanglong Prefecture had been almost completely wiped out in battle.

’Ji Chang is dead. The Kaiyang Taoist is dead...’

Liu Kanshan’s eyes suddenly flew open.

But just as he was about to open it—

An anxious voice shouted from outside the door.

"Report!"

"Longevity Palace’s... Fa... Daoist Fa Zhen... has been killed in battle..."

Liu Kanshan stared intently at the panting soldier, and through gritted teeth, he slowly spat out three words.

"Divine Mansion Sect!"