Sword Qi to the Sky

Chapter 431 Chaos arises
Nothing serious happened in Xijiang City in the end. The imperial court sent powerful figures to 'investigate' the situation, and the news then began to spread from Xijiang City outwards.

Although Xijiang City is a small city, it is located in the heart of the Dali Dynasty. Now that Li Fan is extremely famous, there are even more people talking about him.

Li Fan left his name so that the outside world would know about the events in Xijiang City. This was not an isolated case, but rather a sign that the entire Dali Dynasty might have been infiltrated by the demon race.

Demons are not entirely wild, but rather reside in cities and among humans.

The news caused a huge sensation as soon as it spread, and demon-hunting campaigns broke out in cities of Dali, with demands for the court to publicly disclose all registered demons.

Nowadays, no one dares to be sure whether the demons registered by the imperial court are content with their lot, or whether there are demon sects behind them.

The term 'Demon Sect' is relatively unfamiliar to most humans, and it also instills a faint sense of fear in human cultivators.

If the Azure Emperor Sect can easily send out a sixth-realm demon, how strong must its backing be?

How many demonic sects like the Azure Emperor Sect exist among humans within the Great Li territory?
What's even more alarming is...

Is the imperial court trustworthy?
The events that occurred at Lishan, Baiyujing, and Xijiang City inevitably raise suspicions about the court's motives.

The storm intensified and swept across the cities and prefectures in the heart of Dali.

Meanwhile, in one of the main cities of Dali, there was a human residence.

Deep within the mansion, in a courtyard, a middle-aged man was climbing a mountain with his eyes closed when a figure approached, bowed to him, and said, "My lord."

"How is it?" the middle-aged man asked calmly, his eyes still closed.

"In various human cities, cultivators have joined forces to hunt down demons, vowing to eradicate all the demons in the cities of Dali," the visitor replied.

"Ignorant of the immensity of heaven."

The middle-aged man spoke in a cold tone, and his eyes, when opened, revealed a sinister aura.

"What is the name of that cultivator who left the mountain?" the middle-aged man asked again.

"Li Fan, a disciple of Zuo Canglan, is at the middle stage of the Dao Body realm and also cultivates martial arts."

“I’ve heard of the Sword Inquiry at the summit of Baiyujing.” The middle-aged man spoke calmly: “Those useless people in the imperial court have been unable to level a single declining Li Mountain for so many years, yet they still allow a few junior sword cultivators from Li Mountain to wreak havoc everywhere. In that case, let’s help them.”

"Sir, what should we do?" the visitor asked.

"Pass on my order: level several cities and let the humans deal with Li Fan themselves." The middle-aged man looked into the distance, a strange, cold glint flashing in his eyes: "It's been peaceful for too long. Humans seem to really think they are the masters of this world. Since humans have forgotten the past, then let's help them remember it properly."

"Yes, my lord."

Several days later, Yongzhou, the gateway to the heart of Dali, was attacked by a large-scale demonic attack. The demons even breached the main city, causing countless deaths and injuries.

Later, in the heart of Dali, several cities were attacked by demons at the same time, and the demons leading the army were all great demons of the seventh realm.

The demon race threatened that if human cultivators did not execute Li Fan, such attacks would continue.

For a moment, the world was shaken.

Countless people were shocked, angry, and terrified.

Decades ago, in the bloody battles, human cultivators fought valiantly, and countless cultivators perished. The Great Li Dynasty was devastated, but countless demons were also slain, allowing humanity to enjoy several decades of peace.

Humans believed they had defeated the demon race.

However, today they discovered that nothing has changed.

Humanity has developed for over twenty years, and so has the demon race.

…………

Outside Jingzhou City, a flying sword streaked past at terrifying speed.

Li Fan and his two companions arrived in the city on their swords and saw that the entire city was in ruins, the ground was blood red, and there were dried bloodstains everywhere.

A few days ago, this place was subjected to a devastating attack by demons and was one of the cities destroyed.

After cultivators from all sides arrived to provide support, the demons had already retreated.

At this moment, there were many cultivators in the city. They were all cultivators who had come from all directions to provide support. Seeing the hell on earth before them, they were filled with rage.

On his flying sword, Li Fan looked up into the distance. A terrifying aura emanated from him, making him appear like a demon. His eyes turned golden as he swept across the sky above the city.

"Om..."

The sword's cry was piercing as it flew through the void, heading in a certain direction. A moment later, he arrived at a ruined place. There were many cultivators in this ruin. Li Fan's gaze swept across the area and instantly locked onto the figure of an old man.

The old man was thin and had a restrained aura. Noticing Li Fan's gaze, he looked up and asked, "What brings you here, sir?"

"boom!"

A loud explosion rang out, and a flying sword instantly severed the old man's arm, causing blood to flow freely.

The old man's expression changed drastically. He stared at Li Fan and asked, "Why did you resort to such a deadly attack?"

Another sword shot out, and the old man was forced to retreat, his fifth realm aura erupting. But he couldn't dodge Li Fan's flying sword. His other arm was severed, and blood gushed out.

The surrounding crowd watched this scene in astonishment. Who was this sword cultivator who could kill someone without saying a word?

Then, flying swords shot out in unison, one after another, shooting towards the old man and instantly covering his body. The sharp swords sliced ​​through his skin and cut into his body, causing the old man to scream in agony.

The scene before them, resembling an execution, sent shivers down the spines of the surrounding crowd, with many even glaring angrily at Li Fan.

But Li Fan seemed oblivious, continuing his brutal sword fight, coldly saying, "Where is your lair? I can give you a quick death." This voice startled everyone.

What do you mean?
The old man lay sprawled on the ground, his body a bloody mess. He looked up and stared intently at Li Fan, realizing that the other man had discovered him.

A demonic aura emanated from him, and his body began to swell. He lunged at Li Fan, but the flying swords surrounding him pinned him to the ground. One flying sword after another fell and pierced different parts of his body.

"Speak," Li Fan demanded.

"Those adults, how can we possibly contact them? Kill me." A hoarse voice rang out as a flying sword sliced ​​through his body, cleaving the demonic form in two.

Li Fan looked up, his sword energy whistling, and headed in another direction.

"Walk."

The crowd below followed suit, their hearts filled with mixed emotions.

The demons were right beside them, and they hadn't even noticed.

This demon also cultivated methods of concealment.

The demons of the Fifth Realm, after transforming into human form, are no different from humans. If they cultivate some special techniques, it is basically impossible to detect that they are demons.

It can only be discovered with special magical artifacts.

Soon, the same scene appeared in another direction, where a demon was struggling madly and being executed.

In different directions around the area, figures could be seen flying through the air, trying to leave.

Li Fan glanced around and saw countless swords rise into the sky at the same time, then head in different directions. The crowd looked into the distance and saw the swords falling from the sky, each one accompanied by the roar of demons.

"So many demons?"

"Senior, I see someone who hasn't taken human form. Could they be a human cultivator?" A figure in the distance flew through the air and said to Li Fan.

“In Xijiang City, demons use human women to bear and raise their children into adulthood,” Li Fan replied.

Hearing this, the crowd felt a chill run down their spines; they naturally knew about what was happening in Xijiang City.

So, it seems that the Great Li has already been infiltrated to an unknown extent.

"Are you Li Fan from Lishan, senior?" someone below asked.

"Yes." Li Fan nodded.

"No wonder..."

"Senior, the events in Xijiang City have shaken the Great Li. Afterwards, demons massacred the city, threatening to continue their slaughter if you are not executed," someone said.

"Li Fan."

At this moment, a figure approached from a distance. It was a middle-aged man who looked at Li Fan and said, "I am Jin Wuyou, a local. I have come here today to ask you for a favor."

"What is it?" Li Fan seemed to guess what the other party wanted to say and looked at him coldly.

“The events in Xijiang City were instigated by you, and it is up to you to end them, not to bring disaster upon the people of the world,” Jin Wuyou said.

"How to end this? By atoning for my sins with my death?" Li Fan looked at Jin Wuyou, and wisps of sword intent emanated from him.

Jin Wuyou sensed the sword intent and said, "I witnessed the massacre of the people in the city with my own eyes. It was a terrible tragedy. In any case, this matter was ultimately caused by you. If you want to attack me just because I told the truth, I have nothing to say."

Li Fan stared at him, silent, but the wisps of sword intent dissipated.

The cultivators below all looked at Li Fan with complicated expressions.

Li Fan's initial intention in quelling the demons in Xijiang City and letting the world know what the demons had done was good, but it caused terrible consequences.

Lu Yuan glanced at the crowd, then looked at Li Fan, a cold glint flashing in her clear eyes.

With a flash, she appeared in front of Jin Wuyou at an extremely fast speed, and the icy intent instantly froze Jin Wuyou's body.

“Dao Body…” Jin Wuyou’s expression changed abruptly.

"You say you witnessed demons slaughtering the city with your own eyes, so why are you still alive?" Lu Yuan stared at him with cold eyes and said, "Are you afraid of death? Or are you allied with demons?"

“How could I, Jin, possibly associate with demons?” Jin Wuyou replied.

“If that’s not it, then it’s just being a coward.” Lu Yuan said, “You dare not move when you see demons slaughtering people, yet you want others to die while you are a coward yourself. What a noble character.”

Jin Wuyou's expression changed slightly, and Lu Yuan continued, "He was the one who killed the demon, but the one who massacred the city was a demon. You dare not kill the demon in front of you, but you dare to want him dead? Is it because he is a sword cultivator from Lishan, and is easier to bully than a demon?"

Strands of sword intent emanated from Lu Yuan's body. Jin Wuyou seemed to sense something. He wanted to move but couldn't, as the power of Taiyin froze his body.

"If he won't kill you, I will." Lu Yuan's figure swept past, and a wisp of cold moonlight sword light slashed through, and blood appeared on Jin Wuyou's throat, but it was instantly frozen, and the corpse fell into the air.

After killing her opponent, Lu Yuan looked down at the crowd and said angrily, "Demons use humans as vessels to cultivate their offspring and infiltrate the cities of Dali. Is this all so they can coexist peacefully with humans? If we don't expose them today, will the demons grow stronger and wreak havoc on the world? Will fewer people die then?"

After saying that, she turned back to Li Fan's side and said, "Let's go."

Li Fan looked at it with some surprise, then nodded slightly and rode away on his sword.

As the sword sliced ​​through the sky, Lu Yuan suddenly turned to look at the crowd and said, "The killer is Lu Yuan of Lishan. If everyone thinks like him, then Lishan's sword can at least protect him. This world is not worthy of possessing Lishan's sword."

(End of this chapter)