Mang Shusheng's Ink Painting Practice

Chapter 278 The Northern Expedition

Looking at the full attire of Master Wenheng, Zhao Yifu felt as if he had stepped right out of a folk painting or theatrical performance.

At first, Zhao Yifu found it somewhat amusing, but as he looked at it more closely, he realized that the attire was indeed majestic and extraordinary, just like the image of the Demon-Subduing Emperor in his mind.

Seeing him like this, Master Wenheng stroked his beard and smiled, saying, "This outfit was all given to you by the people of the lower realm, and it suits you quite well."

Zhao Yifu nodded and smiled, saying, "That's right. This time I've discovered that the image of the Patriarch at this moment perfectly matches the image in my mind."

Master Wenheng sighed, "Yes, so many years have passed, and I have become like this too..."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Yifu seemed to realize something as well. He turned to look at General Hong Zhao, but did not say anything more at this moment.

It is quite normal for the power of incense offerings and prayers to enhance divine power, and even directly elevate a person to godhood.

However, this same will can also change God.

Since the power of will itself contains the will of living beings, how can so many wills coming together not have an impact?
The current Hong Zhao Divine General possesses significantly greater divine power than when Zhao Yifu last saw her. In the Heavenly Court, there's only one explanation for this: her faith in the mortal realm has been unleashed…

It even affected her perception to some extent...

Zhao Yifu sighed, "This is the downside of abandoning the physical body and ascending to godhood. Without a guiding consciousness, she is easily swayed by the power of her faith and will."

What exactly happened in the mortal realm that caused such a sudden surge of faith?
Zhao Yifu had no time to investigate. He clasped his hands in a fist and asked the Demon-Subduing Emperor, "Grandmaster, what should be done with that Blood Demon?"

The Demon-Subduing Emperor stroked his beard and squinted, a cold glint in his eyes. He said, "It's just a matter of beheading them anyway."

"However, things aren't over with Baihu yet, so we can only wait here for a while."

"You've come here for something else, haven't you?"

Zhao Yifu nodded and said, "This disciple knows that a demon called the Blood Shadow Demon Lord is gathering here. This disciple's mission is to kill this Blood Shadow Demon Lord."

"Judging from all signs, there is probably a deep connection between the Blood Shadow Demon Lord and the Blood Demon."

The Demon-Subduing Emperor nodded and said, "I see... Alright, since we have nothing else to do, let's devise a plan together to capture that Blood Shadow Demon Lord."

Zhao Yifu nodded happily: "That's great."

The Xuan Yin Maiden beside her was dumbfounded... Good heavens, while her colleagues were still struggling to find clues and hunt down the Blood Shadow Demon Lord, Zhao Yifu directly brought her here to cooperate with the Demon Subduing Guard.

Emperor Subduing Demons, you are the Emperor Subduing Demons, how could you be involved in 'collusion between officials and bandits'?

As it turns out, the Demon-Subduing Emperor was quite unfazed by this.

He even asked, "Junxin, I heard you're a great demon now?"

Zhao Yifu said, "I just took a look at it while I was in a demonic state, and I thought it was pretty good."

The Demon-Subduing Emperor became interested and suddenly turned his blade, saying, "Come on, give it a try."

Zhao Yifu smiled, then drew his killing blade and said, "Alright."

Xuan Yin Cha Nu was bewildered again. Why was she about to attack again?
Moreover, these two were quite intimidating; they looked like they were ready to fight to the death.

Little did people know that when Zhao Yifu learned swordsmanship from the Demon-Subduing Emperor, the most important thing was to cultivate his aura.

Without an indomitable spirit, this sword technique cannot be mastered.

The commotion attracted onlookers, many of the Demon-Subduing Guards' generals showing great interest.

The one with the highest cultivation level is the Prison Suppressing God General.

Seeing this, he shook his head slightly and said, "This junior brother's swordsmanship is still far inferior to that of the Emperor."

The implication was that there was no comparison. However, he addressed Zhao Yifu as his junior brother because Zhao Yifu had demonstrated the same swordsmanship inherited from this lineage.

Upon seeing this, the Demon-Subduing Emperor said, "Junxin, this level of sword skill is not enough. You are too modest."

The Demon-Subduing Emperor's unyielding spirit shaped his swordplay, which could be considered both an advantage and a disadvantage.

Upon hearing this, Zhao Yifu said earnestly, "Master, watch closely. This is the profound mystery that I have comprehended from the demonic path."

As soon as he finished speaking, his aura changed.

His gaze was no longer calm; instead, it suddenly erupted with a tangible resentment, as if the Demon-Subduing Emperor had committed some heinous crime.

This intense resentment amplified his swordplay, making it seem as if he intended to wipe out all living beings in the world.

Extreme resentment, extreme terror, and extreme darkness.

Anyone who saw Zhao Yifu at this moment could only think of the word 'demon'.

And in this one move, just in terms of sheer force, it seemed as if they could hold their own against the Demon-Subduing Emperor.

Upon seeing this, the Demon-Subduing Emperor's eyes flashed with a cold light, and he whispered, "Good demon, take this!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a slash actually came down... This slash was so powerful that it seemed to overwhelm the mountains and the sea.

Zhao Yifu met the attack with a swift and deadly strike, a strike that seemed to defy heaven and earth and annihilate everything.

"boom!"

The blades of the two sides did not actually touch; it was merely a clash of their auras.

But even just the clash of blades was deafening to everyone.

However, Zhao Yifu's swordsmanship was still slightly inferior, and it ultimately crumbled first.

Zhao Yifu was thrown back three steps by the force of the blade before he regained his footing.

Then the demonic aura emanating from him vanished, and he returned to his gentle and refined demeanor, saying, "Thank you for your mercy, Ancestor."

The Demon-Subduing Emperor said thoughtfully, "You did not use your full strength."

Zhao Yifu said with a wry smile, "It's not that I'm unwilling, but that I can't."

"The demonic path is the ultimate exploitation of emotions. If I push my emotions to the extreme, there is a risk of losing control."

"If I can control it, that is the demonic path; if I lose control of myself, that is 'madness'."

The extreme of passion is demonic, but restraint in conduct is the way. Therefore, "extreme passion with the right conduct" is Zhao Yifu's understanding of the "demonic way".

Upon hearing this, the Demon-Subduing Emperor nodded and said, "I see. It seems you have indeed learned quite a bit at the Pure Yang Palace."

"Did you all hear that? Remember this well, and don't let your blades get out of control... As long as you keep your blades under your control, you are my generals under the command of the Demon Subduer. If you lose control of your blades... I will have no choice but to slay demons and monsters."

The surrounding deities bowed and said, "Yes, thank you for your guidance, Your Majesty."

So, the Demon-Subduing Emperor's sword technique, when put into words, is actually a rather extreme technique.

However, driven by his righteousness and pride, the Demon-Subduing Emperor is naturally impartial and unwavering in his justice.

But if you look at it from a different angle... yes, I'm talking about Zhao Yifu. If you use it from a different angle, it becomes the Demon Blade!

Xuan Yin Chan Nu also understood that Zhao Yifu was a person who had integrated the demonic and the Dao, or rather, at a higher level. Once the demonic path was clearly explained, what demonic path was there?
There are only good and evil, right and wrong.

Xuan Yin Chan Nu gained a deeper understanding from this, and the icy blue patterns on her face gradually faded, revealing her completely fair complexion.

She was indeed a stunningly beautiful woman.

The Demon-Subduing Emperor glanced at Xuan Yin Chan Nu with surprise, then nodded approvingly before saying to Zhao Yifu, "What are your plans for that Blood Shadow Demon Lord? Although we are currently safe, it will probably be long before we have to deal with the Blood Demon."

"The Blood Demon who escaped from Heavenly Prison is our primary target."

Zhao Yifu nodded, then offered another guess: "If we look at it from another angle, why would the Blood Shadow Demon Lord suddenly abandon everything to join forces with the Blood Demon at this time?"

"Considering the relationship between Blood Shadow Demon Lord and Blood Demon, and looking at Blood Demon's current state... it's not hard to guess the reason."

Upon hearing this, the Demon-Subduing Emperor nodded and said, "In that case, we can do the two things together."

"At that time, we will set up a trap and use the Blood Demon to lure the Blood Shadow Demon Lord into it."

He didn't take the Blood Shadow Demon Lord too seriously, after all, he was just a 'little demon' with the cultivation of a Celestial Immortal, and a single divine general under his command could handle him. In His mind, this was just helping Zhao Yifu out of the ordinary.

however……

Zhao Yifu pondered for a moment and said, "Actually, it's not necessarily impossible to do it the other way around."

The Demon-Subduing Emperor looked surprised and said, "Oh? Tell me about it?"

Zhao Yifu said, "Is it possible that the Blood Shadow Demon Lord is also very important to the Blood Demon himself?"

"Actually, we could use the Blood Shadow Demon Lord to ambush the Blood Demon. This would be much more effective than a head-on confrontation."

"what?"

The Demon-Subduing Emperor was surprised for a moment, then pondered for a moment and exclaimed in admiration, "Brilliant!"

He continued, "The only difficulty lies in how to find the Blood Shadow Demon Lord and trap him."

Zhao Yifu smiled and said, "I'll have to leave this matter to my friend. She has her own ways of finding out where Blood Shadow Demon Lord is."

"It's not difficult to trap them. I'll personally cast an illusion array, and it shouldn't be hard to confuse them."

The Demon-Subduing Emperor laughed heartily: "Good, if that's the case, then so be it."

He didn't ask about the origins of the Mysterious Yin Maiden, which demonstrates his absolute trust in Zhao Yifu.

Xuan Yin Chan Nu was somewhat dazed; she never imagined that she would one day be able to cooperate with the Heavenly Court's forces.

So, what exactly is Zhao Yifu's doing?
We agreed that we were all people who had come to join Youquan's cause, right?

It turns out that becoming a demon doesn't necessarily mean being hated by everyone; it turns out that joining the Netherworld doesn't necessarily mean severing ties with one's past.

Xuan Yin Chan Nu felt extremely uncomfortable; compared to Zhao Yi Fu's condition, she was in a much worse state.

However, he had no complaints about using the system under Youquan's command to obtain intelligence, and even worked very hard at it.

The feeling of doing things without going against one's conscience is wonderful.

Therefore, after a pause, Xuan Yin Chan Nu suddenly said loudly, "The Blood Shadow Demon Lord has shown his tracks in Fu Cang Mountain in the Southern Heaven Realm. It seems that he is indeed coming from the west."

Fucang Mountain is a mountain range in the northwest of the Southern Heaven Realm, home to many cultivation sects and a relatively dense population of cultivators.

Hong Zhao Shenjiang said knowingly, "This must be a deliberate attempt to confuse the situation by using a complicated tactic. However, as long as we know their approximate location, we can wait for them at the destination."

He actually has the air of a strategist.

To be honest, Zhao Yifu was really curious about what happened in the mortal realm, how Zhou Qingzhao was turned into this state.

So he stretched and said, "Looks like it'll be a while, I'm going to take a nap."

He then fell asleep.

The instant he fell, a black cat emerged from his sleeve, dragged the mattress beneath him, and made him comfortable.

Then a white cat emerged and crouched beside him with the black cat as his guards.

The gods were all surprised to see this, after all, these two cats were both at the Immortal Realm, and should not be underestimated. They quickly realized that Zhao Yifu was being extremely arrogant, especially in front of the Demon Subduing Emperor.

Just as the gods were about to erupt, the Demon-Subduing Emperor smiled and said, "You all shouldn't interfere. He has his reasons for doing this."

In truth, the Demon-Subduing Emperor did not know why Zhao Yifu acted this way, but he doted on this successor who was almost completely capable of inheriting his swordsmanship... Moreover, he had essentially watched Zhao Yifu grow up.

……

A wisp of Zhao Yifu's divine consciousness descended to the mortal realm during his sleep.

The mortal realm has changed quite a bit in the past two years. First of all, his old father passed away, which is why he hasn't been able to descend to the mortal realm to visit him as often.

It's only been a short time, hasn't it?

Why are there all sorts of strange things happening in the mortal realm?

Then, his divine sense followed the cause and effect and arrived at a bookstall in the capital.

He stared wide-eyed at the neatly stacked pile of best-selling books in front of the bookstall... Good heavens, what is this?

The Northern Expedition: A Story...

What's the deal with this book?

With a single sweep of his divine sense, Zhao Yifu could see the contents of the book clearly.

Good guy!
This is a memoir that recounts everything that happened during the Northern Expedition!
Moreover, the perspective is extremely unique, clearly from the viewpoint of a member of the Zhao family, who uses the form of a 'memoir' to provide a comprehensive overview of the entire Northern Expedition, though it certainly contains some fictional elements.

Many plot points involving Zhou Qingzhao appear in the story, some of which are fictional, while others are based on reality.

Because the emperor's name at that time contained the character "Qing," Zhou Qingzhao had to avoid using it. Because of her love for red clothes, she was given the nickname "General Hongzhao" in the novel.

"General Hong Zhao" and "General Man Nu" are two popular female generals in this novel, and they are extremely popular.

Other famous generals of the Northern Expedition, such as Yang Zaixuan, are also household names.

Among them, the 'Confucian General' Zhou Su and the 'Little Martial Saint' Zhao Guhe are the most popular...

But among all these people, there is one character who is weakened or even vilified... This is the lazy, cunning, and comical character in the Northern Expedition team. This person's surname is Zhao. He is the husband of "General Hong Zhao", the good-for-nothing student of "Scholarly Commander", the useless nephew of "Little Martial Saint", and even the nominal superior of many famous generals of the Northern Expedition...

This very person became known as the "chosen one" among readers, followed by complaints such as: "What merit does he possess to marry General Hong Zhao?"

Zhao Yifu finally understood why the Heavenly General Hongzhao disliked him; it turned out to be influenced by this book.

But... damn it, who wrote this book? Why did they portray him so badly?

Zhao Yifu was filled with resentment and became extremely agitated.

He immediately thought of his good-for-nothing brother... Yes, it must be that bastard Zhao Yi'an. Otherwise, decades have passed, and most of the people who should have died are dead. Who would know so much inside information?

And the author of this book is listed as... Lord of the Lake?

Ha, who else could it be besides that little bastard?

Zhao Yifu's fists were hardened; he wanted to teach that guy Zhao Yi'an a lesson.

But he couldn't find this guy through cause and effect... He and his wife seemed to have disappeared from this world?

Zhao Yifu's heart stirred, and he began to calculate with his fingers.

He then sighed with some melancholy, "This guy, he and his wife have actually been reincarnated again."

"Is this a case of old grudges being resolved and a fresh start?"

"Well, they weren't aiming for immortality in this life, so perhaps they'll start the path to immortality anew in the next."

"But you'll have to make the most of your next life..."

Zhao Yifu sighed regretfully, then withdrew his divine sense and returned to the heavens.

There was nothing left for him in the mortal realm.

Perhaps all that remains is his and Ying Cong's expectation that 'everyone will be a sage ruler' a thousand years from now, but everyone knows that such a thing is too far away.

His divine senses receded, but just as he was about to regain his senses, a sudden thought struck him…

During his dreamlike journey, his consciousness exists in another dimension, and he only needs a tiny bit of karmic connection to pursue his goal.

Is it possible?

On a sudden impulse, he found himself in a bustling city.

This is a city located at the border of the Southern Heaven Realm and the Western Heaven Realm, where a large number of cultivators reside.

Similarly, the Blood Shadow Demon Lord was also hiding among them, looking at the streaks of rainbow light flying across the sky with a mocking expression.

Only after the clearly menacing rainbows overhead had passed did he leisurely walk out of the city.

Zhao Yifu clicked his tongue in amazement. It seemed that Youquan had sent out quite a few powerful people, but the Blood Shadow Demon Lord's concealment skills were too good. He could even hide in the shadows of mortals to avoid being tracked.

The area where the Southern Heaven Realm and the Western Heaven Realm meet is covered with dense forests, where the dappled shadows of the trees make it the perfect place for the Blood Shadow Demon Lord to sneak around.

Seeing this, Zhao Yifu understood that at least for this part of the journey, those people would not be able to cause any trouble for the Blood Shadow Demon Lord.

However, he is now only a wisp of divine thought, and being able to see the Blood Shadow Demon Lord is already his limit; he can't do anything else...

Hmm, it doesn't seem like it's impossible?
His ability to control water is still intact.

If you could control the waves to suppress Zhao Yi'an back in the mortal realm, you can do the same in the celestial realm now.

He may not be able to defeat the Blood Shadow Demon Lord, but can't he at least point the way for those who are hunting him down?
Thinking of this, he smiled mischievously.

The clouds in the sky stirred with his thoughts, and a moment later...

Blood Shadow Demon Lord sensed something was wrong. Why did his pursuers seem to have suddenly found his location and were all heading this way with a clear objective?

His heart skipped a beat, and he quickly vanished into the shadows.

In the past, this move could quickly shake off pursuers because the opponent had no ability to pinpoint his location.

But this time it was different; the other side clearly knew which way he was running.
"Damn it, what went wrong?"

The Blood Shadow Demon Lord cursed under his breath, then looked up at the sky and saw a white cloud blocking the direct sunlight, which made him feel a little better.

Then he withdrew his gaze and vanished into the shadows, disappearing quickly.

Since there's no way to escape, he should hurry to the Heavenly Prison...

In his haste to get somewhere, he had no idea that the problem lay with the cloud above his head.

When he looked up, he could only see a rather thick cloud... but from a distance, the pursuers saw a large, arrow-shaped cloud pointing downwards.

Zhao Yifu used the most flamboyant method to mark the location of the Blood Shadow Demon Lord, which greatly pleased Zhao Yifu, who was watching the battle from another dimension.

He suddenly felt that he could go even further.

He is now at the Celestial Immortal realm, and can do many more things than before.

The most direct effect was that while his primordial spirit didn't experience a qualitative improvement, he could now accomplish certain tasks more easily...

For example, right now, he has separated another wisp of his divine consciousness.

This action took place right under the nose of the Demon-Subduing Emperor, who exclaimed in surprise, "Interesting! I've never heard of such a technique of distraction. You really are up to something."

Zhao Yifu, distracted by his dream, smiled sheepishly; he hadn't originally intended to do anything...

However, there's no need to explain further at this point. This dream-like consciousness has entered the dream dimension and is now independent of the real world.

He quietly arrived at the place where the White Tiger God was besieging the Blood Demon...

It must be said that this Blood Demon is indeed of the same lineage as the Blood Shadow Demon Lord, even their methods of hiding and concealing themselves are exactly the same.

In this snow-covered black forest, the White Tiger Guards were completely unable to find any trace of the Blood Demon.

This was actually a one-sided massacre.

One after another, White Tiger Guards collapsed to the ground without a sound, never to rise again. When they were discovered, their bodies were withered and all their vital essence had been lost.

This kind of silent death seemed utterly worthless, severely damaging the morale of the White Tiger Guards and gradually making them somewhat neurotic.

The White Tiger God himself was like a trapped beast, his head slightly lowered, constantly emitting the low roars of a tiger.

He was very angry, extremely angry.

The Blood Demon, which had just escaped its clutches, was no match for Him. However, the Blood Demon was too slippery to catch. He had tried twice to surround it, but it still managed to escape... If He failed again, He would really lose face.

However, just as He was filled with rage, He suddenly saw that the clouds above the forest not far away were changing abnormally.

He looked over in astonishment and saw that the cloud had turned into a huge arrow pointing to an area below.

"This……"

The White Tiger God was filled with doubt and suspicion, his first reaction being to wonder if there was a trap.

But the next moment, He saw a line of blood suddenly shoot out from below the 'arrow cloud,' piercing through the 'arrow cloud' and shooting towards a certain place in the sky...

Of course, there was nothing there; nothing was hit.

How could the White Tiger God Lord care about anything else?

He immediately charged forward, his fighting spirit surging... He absolutely could not let the Blood Demon escape this time!

Zhao Yifu looked at the lump of flesh and blood that suddenly emerged from a shadowy crevice at his feet, still feeling lingering fear.

He had just thought he was about to be killed because of his distraction.

Fortunately, the opponent obviously couldn't penetrate the dream dimension with their attack.

He also discovered that the dream dimension wasn't entirely safe either; at least the Blood Demon could detect him.

Fortunately, it can't do anything about itself!

Thus, the 'arrow cloud' above the blood demon's head formed again.

Such a dangerous thing should be left for the proud and arrogant White Tiger God to confront head-on.

His family's ancestral master Wenheng's demon-subduing guards cannot be lost.

And the patriarch can't be harmed either.

Looking into the distance, at that suddenly appearing 'arrow cloud'...

The Demon-Subduing Emperor chuckled, speechless: "You...you..."

(End of this chapter)