Supreme Golden Palace

Chapter 246 Subduing Demons (Part 1)

When Liu Chong and his men arrived at full speed, they saw Lü Shang standing outside the mountain god temple. On a whim, Liu Chong immediately dismounted and led his personal guards forward.

"Brother Lü, is this the beast's lair?"

After witnessing Lü Shang's supernatural abilities again, Liu Chong's attitude towards Lü Shang also changed subtly. He addressed Lü Shang as "brother" and became increasingly humble.

Although Liu Chong had some of the drawbacks of being born into a powerful family, his ability to become a key official in a region was certainly due to the protection he received from his clan. If he himself had not been adept at adapting to changing circumstances and being pragmatic, he would not have achieved his current official career.

Lü Shang nodded and said, "This beast was originally a green snake with hundreds of years of cultivation. It had become quite powerful and even took people's lives to refine its inner core. Now that I have destroyed its inner core, it can no longer cause harm."

Upon hearing this, Liu Chong felt greatly relieved. He glanced into the temple again and said, "Brother Lü, you are truly skilled. If I hadn't seen you transform into light and leave, I wouldn't have known you possessed such abilities. You are truly a terrestrial immortal."

"It is thanks to Brother Lü's intervention that countless people would have suffered. On behalf of the people of the state, I, Liu, thank Brother Lü."

“Brother Liu, there’s no need for such formalities. Exorcising demons is simply my duty, so why the need for thanks? Now that the demonic scourge has been eliminated, I, Lü, will take my leave first.”

Lu Shang waved his hand, his gaze sweeping across the depths of the desolate forest. Within his divine sight, there was no trace of demonic energy remaining.

Seeing that Lü Shang was about to leave, Liu Chong hurriedly said, "Brother Lü, please wait. You've gone through a lot of trouble. Why don't you come back to the prefecture with me to rest for a while? Let me prepare some wine to express my gratitude."

Lü Shang paused slightly and said, "I appreciate Brother Liu's kindness, but I still have some administrative matters to attend to in the camp, and I really don't have the time to spare, so I won't bother Brother Liu by going to the prefecture."

As soon as he finished speaking, a faint golden light rose around Lü Shang.

"Brother Lu,"

Before Liu Chong could speak again, Lü Shang's figure transformed into a golden rainbow and vanished in an instant.

"Lü Shang,"

Gazing in the direction where the golden light disappeared, Liu Chong remained silent and motionless for a long time.

------

Diezhou military camp

"My lord,"

A pale golden light fell upon the camp gate. Huo Xiao, a military officer on duty at the gate, saw the figure emerging from the golden light and hurriedly stepped forward to pay his respects.

"Um,"

Lü Shang nodded and asked, "After I left the camp, was there any unusual activity? Have any military orders come from Liangzhou?"

Huo Xiao bowed his head and replied, "Reporting to Your Excellency, everything in the camp is as usual. The soldiers are training as scheduled, and there is still no news from the Commander-in-Chief."

Lü Shang frowned and muttered to himself, "There's been no news from Liangzhou for so long. Could it be that He Louzigan has other considerations?"

Logically speaking, after Liu Chong dealt a heavy blow to the Zhong Qiang and Dangchang Qiang, this rebellion of the Qiang people in Longyou should have been difficult to gain momentum.

As a guest general, Lü Shang had no more rebellions to quell and was now waiting for the order from He Louzigan, the governor of Liangzhou, to recall him to Liangzhou.

As the governor of Liangzhou, Lü Shang could not possibly stay in Longyou for long.

After all, compared to the Qiang people of Longyou, who each had their own tribes and ruled independently, the Tuyuhun, who were near Liangzhou, were the real threat to the Sui Dynasty.

"Perhaps it's not due to other considerations, but rather because military orders haven't been delivered?"

Huo Xiao, standing nearby, said softly, "There are always delays in the delivery of documents. Perhaps the commander's military order is still on its way."

"That's not impossible,"

Lu Shang pondered for a moment and said, "I'm just afraid that if we delay too long, something else might happen."

"The Tuyuhun have been making frequent disturbances on the Liangzhou border recently. I have been staying in Longyou for a long time, leaving Liangzhou vulnerable."

"so,"

Lü Shang turned to Huo Xiao, his tone calm, and said, "Immediately select two elite scouts, each on horseback, and send them to the commander-in-chief."

"Tell them that Lü Shang requests your immediate return to secure the border defenses of Liangzhou,"

Huo Xiao bowed and accepted the order, saying, "This subordinate will make the arrangements immediately."

After Huo Xiao left, Lü Shang climbed the camp's watchtower alone, gazing into the distance. "Let me see if there are any other demons lurking within Diezhou besides that green snake," he thought.

A long wind swept across the armor, causing the copper bells on the eaves to ring softly. Lü Shang's eyes gleamed with a divine light as he surveyed the surroundings.

He was well-versed in Buddhist scriptures and knew that whenever there was war or chaos, demons would take the opportunity to stir up trouble, and the green snake he had encountered earlier was just one of them.

Don't be fooled by the fact that this green snake was in Lü Shang's hands; after only a few rounds, it was reduced to ashes by the Three Lights Purple Bamboo Whip.

That's because Lü Shang had attained the status of a martial arts immortal, and his supernatural powers were too great.

It should be understood that for demons, there is a hurdle to overcome every hundred years in their cultivation. After five hundred years of cultivation, they are qualified to undergo tribulation and thus attain the path of an earth immortal.

From this perspective, the Green Snake, with its three hundred years of cultivation, is no ordinary creature.

"If there are still demons lurking, I might as well use them to hone my elite soldiers."

"Although I aspire to immortality, immortality does not mean I must be all alone,"

"Yang Jian has six brothers from Meishan and 1,200 grass-root gods; Nezha has five battalions of divine generals; Wang Lingguan has thirty-six generals from the Thunder Department; even the Monkey King has Ma, Liu, Beng, and Ba, and seventy-two demon kings from different caves. Why can't I have my own personal guard?"

With this thought in mind, Lü Shang looked again at the location of the demonic aura near Diezhou, his face showing a thoughtful expression.

"I'll use you all for training."

Thinking this, Lü Shang walked down from the watchtower just as the drills on the training ground had ended.

When the soldiers saw him approaching, they all took up their weapons and stood in formation.

"Everyone,"

Lü Shang walked slowly into the center of the training ground, his gaze sweeping over the soldiers.

"My lord,"

The four generals, Yan, Xiao, Huo, and Ling, responded sternly.

Lu Shang's gaze fell on Ling Yue, and he said directly, "Ling Yue,"

Ling Yue immediately replied, "Your subordinate is here."

Lü Shang said, "Go to the camp immediately and select five hundred elite soldiers to come with me into the mountains."

"promise,"

Ling Yue accepted the order and left immediately.

Lü Shang then turned to Yan Rui and said, "Yan Rui, you stay in the camp and keep watch. Ensure the soldiers continue their regular drills. If any documents arrive from Liangzhou, immediately send someone on horseback to the mountains to deliver them to me."

"The last general takes command!"

Yan Rui bowed and agreed.

Boom!Boom!Boom!
Before half an incense stick had burned, the sound of drums rose in the camp, and Ling Yue led the way, with five hundred elite soldiers gathering like a tide.

Ling Yue strode forward, knelt on one knee before Lü Shang, and said, "My lord, the five hundred elite soldiers have been mustered. They are all strong men who can draw an eight-stone bow at full strength and cut through ten layers of armor with a sword."

"What a formidable team!"

Lu Shang's gaze swept across the formation, and he saw that the five hundred elite soldiers were all clad in black armor, with ring-pommel swords hanging at their waists, longbows slung across their backs, and quivers full of arrows. The sound of their armor plates clashing together was not a sound, only the muffled sound of their uniform breathing.

This was naturally a formidable force. The Liangzhou soldiers that Lü Shang led when he entered Longyou were originally elite border troops, each capable of taking on ten men.

Even though the Liangzhou troops led by Lü Shang suffered losses along the way from Dazhen Pass to Qinzhou and then from Qinzhou to Diezhou, the number of casualties never exceeded two hundred.

The five hundred elite soldiers selected from such a formidable force are the cream of the crop.

Its sheer killing aura alone is enough to make ordinary mountain spirits and monsters retreat in fear.

And this is only five hundred elite soldiers. If it were five thousand or even fifty thousand elite soldiers, their killing aura would truly frighten even ghosts and gods.

(End of this chapter)