Huangxiu

Chapter 1153 Siege and Killing
A quarter of an hour later, Chu Zhiyuan floated back to the city gate.

Ding Huanchun and the others hurried forward to greet them.

Chu Zhiyuan remained calm and composed, as if he had just returned from a spring outing. He smiled and said, "I would trouble you all to go and clean up the place and tidy it up so as not to frighten anyone."

"Sir, how many did you kill?" Ding Huanchun asked with a smile.

Chu Zhiyuan said, "Kill them all."

Ding Huanchun's eyes widened.

The other city guards also stared wide-eyed at him in disbelief.

These demons are extremely skilled at escaping, possessing superb lightness skills, and are very cunning, spreading out to escape.

No matter how good Chu Zhiyuan's lightness skill was, he couldn't be in two places at once, and he could almost kill all those demons.

Chu Zhiyuan laughed and said, "There might be some that slipped through the net."

Ding Huanchun hurriedly said, "To be able to kill so many is already extremely rare. If it weren't for you, sir, this time we really would have..."

Chu Zhiyuan waved his hand: "I never expected a ninth-level Venerable to make a move... Just who is this person, and why did he take action?"

Ding Huanchun smiled bitterly: "I don't recognize this demon either. Anyone who has seen a demon with such cultivation is probably dead."

Chu Zhiyuan nodded slowly.

That's true. Based on the way these evil spirits operate, they will never show mercy and will never let their opponents go just because they are weak.

Ding Huanchun summoned a city guard and asked him to find some more city guards in the city.

As the gatekeeper general, he could not freely increase the number of city guards at the gate, but he could mobilize some temporary staff within the city.

More than a hundred city guards were mobilized, divided into eight groups, and sent out to retrieve any corpses they found within ten miles.

Ding Huanchun had the city guards bring over several huge stones, which were used to form a stone table, stone benches, and a stone bed.

Chu Zhiyuan said a few words to Ding Huanchun, then sat cross-legged on the stone bed to the side.

He needs to expedite the restoration of the Jade Heaven Sword.

Unexpectedly, they had to use the Jade Heaven Sword as soon as they arrived in the capital.

He had just sat down on the stone bed when he saw several figures floating over.

Chu Zhiyuan opened his eyes, clasped his hands in a fist and smiled, "Uncle-Master."

Gu Junqi and four middle-aged men were looking at him solemnly.

Ding Huanchun waved his hand from a distance, and the city guards who were cleaning and admiring the corpses looked away and did not come closer.

Chu Zhiyuan said, "We've disturbed our martial uncle."

"I didn't expect you to be back so quickly." Gu Junqi shook his head and said, "Just now was..."

"I used the Jade Heaven Sword to deal with a demon..." Chu Zhiyuan then recounted the previous events.

Once activated, the Jade Heaven Sword becomes indistinguishable from the Heavenly Sword, and all practitioners of the Heavenly Sword Secret Scripture can sense it.

Gu Junqi was a practitioner of the Heavenly Sword Secret Scripture and sensed the aura of the Heavenly Sword.

He was initially puzzled, then suspicious, but ultimately brought people over to take a look.

“A demon at the Ninth Revolution Venerable Realm…” Gu Junqi’s expression turned solemn.

Even he wasn't entirely confident of victory against a demon of this level.

It can only be said that this demon was really unlucky.

His face was solemn.

A demon at the Ninth Stage Venerable Realm has actually made a move, and the evil sect's offensive against the imperial city is growing stronger.

The heretical sects are becoming increasingly rampant.

Chu Zhiyuan said, "Uncle-Master, it's time for our villa to make a move."

Gu Junqi frowned: "This requires the sect leader to make the decision."

Chu Zhiyuan said, "The sect leader didn't say it, but since he sent me here, he must have this intention."

“…I will ask the sect leader,” Gu Junqi said solemnly.

Taking action now would only bring disadvantages, aside from earning the court's gratitude.

The court's gratitude is not valuable.

The imperial court is unpredictable and cannot be relied upon; the key lies in one's own strength.

If they were to actually make a move, they would likely lose a skilled fighter and weaken their own strength.

“Nephew, why don’t you go back to our villa and stay for a while to recover?” Gu Junqi said.

As an elder, he knew the special characteristics of the Jade Heaven Sword.

Once activated, recovery is not so easy and takes a long time.

Chu Zhiyuan killed the Nine Revolutions Venerable Demon using the Jade Heaven Sword, but the Jade Heaven Sword can only be activated three times.

He could kill at most three Ninth-Rank Venerable Realm demons. If the evil sect retaliated and sent two more, he wouldn't be able to handle it, and his life might even be in danger.

Chu Zhiyuan has a bright future. He cultivates the Heavenly Sword Secret Scripture, and with his talent and intelligence, he will at least become an elder in the future.

It would be a real pity if he died here.

“Uncle-Master, I can restore the Jade Heaven Sword here. While the demons are still strong and have the courage to attack, let’s teach them a lesson. If we miss this opportunity, they will disappear without a trace, and it will be difficult to kill them.”

Gu Junqi was taken aback, then chuckled, "Your idea is really..."

He could hear disdain for evil and soaring ambition in Chu Zhiyuan's tone.

It can't be said that he was a fearless newborn calf, after all, he had seen the giant demons and great demons of the Azure Lotus Sea, and the Nine-Turn Venerable of evil.

But he still possesses such amazing spirit that he can't help but sigh that he's getting old.

Does getting older mean losing that kind of courage?

"Alright, then let's teach them a lesson and show them the might of our Heavenly Sword Sect... but remember to protect your lives."

"Don't worry, Uncle-Master."

……

After Gu Junqi and the others left, Chu Zhiyuan sat back down on the stone bed.

Ding Huanchun and his team have already taken care of the aftermath.

They retrieved all the corpses of the fleeing demons from afar.

Looking at the neatly arranged corpses of demons, their blood flowing freely, they felt no discomfort, but rather excitement and high spirits, their eyes burning with fervor.

So many demons died at once, including demons at the level of a ninth-level Venerable.

The anger that had been building up over the past year seemed to be released all at once.

It was exhilarating.

Ding Huanchun approached Chu Zhiyuan, clasped his hands in greeting, and said with a smile, "Sir, if you hand over these corpses, the imperial court will surely reward you handsomely."

Chu Zhiyuan said, "How about we cut off their heads and set them aside?"

“This…” Ding Huanchun hesitated.

This move was indeed ruthless and satisfying. However, it would inevitably enrage the demons.

They'll probably go crazy and attack the imperial city desperately. If the siege fails, they might attack innocent civilians.

Chu Zhiyuan said, "At this point, it's either the East Wind prevails over the West Wind, or the West Wind prevails over the East Wind. There's no room for retreat. The people also want to see the court's momentum. Can the court back down any further?"

“…Okay, let’s do it this way!” Ding Huanchun gritted his teeth.

Chu Zhiyuan said, "Let's consult first, and we shouldn't make decisions on our own."

If this were to be done, Ding Huanchun would be under too much pressure; there's no need for that.

Ding Huanchun hesitated: "I guess the general..."

Based on his own understanding, his superiors would never agree; they didn't have the courage to go all out.

Chu Zhiyuan smiled without saying a word: "Just do as you're told."

As a prince, how could he not know the intricacies of officialdom?

No matter the world or the dynasty, the most similar place is the officialdom.

As officials, they all strive to seize power to the maximum extent possible and shirk responsibility to the greatest extent possible.

Displaying the demon's head outside the city will thoroughly enrage the demon and inevitably invite fierce retaliation.

The consequences of this may be something the capital city can currently withstand.

As Ding Huanchun's superiors, they probably wouldn't dare to take on such a heavy responsibility.

However, as a disciple of the Heavenly Sword Sect, he implicitly represented the sect's attitude: irreconcilable with evil.

……

Ding Huanchun went into the city to report, and soon returned with a sullen face. When he came to Chu Zhiyuan, he had a bitter smile on his face.

Chu Zhiyuan sat cross-legged on the stone couch and smiled slightly, "How is it?"

Ding Huanchun smiled wryly: "The general said that it is not advisable to provoke the evil spirits now."

Chu Zhiyuan laughed and said, "Killing so many isn't enough to enrage them?"

Ding Huanchun said, "This is a passive defense, which is different from displaying their heads."

“That’s true,” Chu Zhiyuan nodded. “Then let’s wait a little longer.”

Ding Huanchun took a deep breath, suppressing his helplessness: "Sir..."

Chu Zhiyuan said, "Our responsibility is to kill demons; there's no need to think about anything else."

"Thank you, sir!" Ding Huanchun said solemnly.

Chu Zhiyuan looked up into the distance and chuckled, "Here they go again. They're really bold."

Ding Huanchun looked in the direction of his gaze, but was completely unaware.

Trusting Chu Zhiyuan's judgment, he hurriedly asked, "How many demons are there?"

“More than thirty,” Chu Zhiyuan said.

Ten miles away, thirty-three demons moved swiftly and silently through the woods in the twilight, without disturbing the leaves and concealing their forms.

Ding Huanchun said, "I'll call for help!"

Chu Zhiyuan nodded and rose to his feet: "I'll go kill some first, you guys take care of the ones who escaped."

"Sir, be careful!" Ding Huanchun hurriedly said.

Chu Zhiyuan waved his hand and drifted away into the distance, disappearing into the twilight.

Ding Huanchun turned and ran towards the city gate, quickly summoning a group of experts.

At this point, no one was entering the city; only the city guards remained at the city gate.

They all asked curiously.

Upon hearing that more demons were approaching and another great battle was about to begin, their spirits immediately soared.

The rows of corpses lying not far away at their feet emboldened them.

"Lord Ding, this time we should also slaughter a few evil spirits, so that Mr. Chu doesn't have to work so hard."

"Exactly, we're not useless either."

"..."

Ding Huanchun glanced at them and said irritably, "You think you're so great? What were you doing all this time?"

They couldn't even catch a glimpse of the demon before, let alone kill it.

“The previous demons fled after a single blow, not giving us a chance, but now they are coming to us of their own accord.”

"Yes, we are not afraid of their attack, but we are afraid that they will escape after a single blow."

Ding Huanchun snorted, "Fine, fine, then let's see what you're capable of."

They stared intently into the distance.

Meanwhile, Chu Zhiyuan had already silently infiltrated behind a group of demons.

Walking in the shadows, he silently killed two demons.

The Shadowless Divine Sword played a crucial role at this moment, allowing him to conceal his aura and merge with the surrounding shadows.

Using the Earthly Origin Technique, he instantly appeared behind a person and, before the person could react, stabbed them in the back of the head with his sword, killing them instantly.

Support him and help him land slowly, then move on to the next person.

He silently killed six demons in one go, finally alerting them.

This enraged the demons, who immediately surrounded and attacked.

Chu Zhiyuan, however, moved swiftly and fled into the distance.

After chasing the demons for two miles, he killed four more of their experts.

So they stopped the pursuit and turned back towards the imperial city.

Chu Zhiyuan was curious.

Thirty-three, ten of whom he had already killed, leaving only twenty-three, and they still wanted to go to the imperial city?
So they chased after them again and killed four more, which provoked a frenzied pursuit.

Then he killed two more experts.

Only seventeen demons remained.

As they headed towards the imperial city, Chu Zhiyuan caught up with them again.

This time they were on guard, and instantly enveloped him.

However, Chu Zhiyuan's Earthly Origin Technique was so profound that he instantly broke free from their encirclement and took the opportunity to kill four more on the outer perimeter.

When only thirteen of them remained, they finally realized that they could not defeat Chu Zhiyuan on their own, so they turned around and walked back.

Chu Zhiyuan continued his pursuit.

They surrounded and attacked, but he easily reaped the rewards; those who tried to kill him with their own might were easily evaded by him.

He essentially single-handedly wiped out a whole group of them.

(End of this chapter)