Invasion Myth: Starting with the Schoolteacher

Chapter 829 In Danger
The outer perimeter was a scene of carnage, with numerous experts from Baoan Hall and countless demonic souls fighting fiercely, creating a bloodbath and a chaotic, dark atmosphere.

Sword light and demonic energy intertwined to form a net, illuminating the entire Yunmeng Marsh with its light and shadow shifting.

It can be said that the game has entered a stalemate, with neither side gaining the upper hand.

Li Yingqi, this chosen one of calamities, was indeed fierce and unparalleled, and his magical weapons were top-tier in the mortal realm. The purple and green swords in his hands were like living things, sometimes combining to transform into a magnificent rainbow, and sometimes flying apart like swallows cutting through the spring breeze.

But after cutting for so long, my eyes are getting a bit dry.

The boisterous chanting subsided, replaced by the silent slaying of demons.

He slashed left, slashed right, slashed up, slashed down, and a slight smile appeared on his face as he slashed, the red dot between his eyebrows burning like fire.

His swordsmanship had improved again, and by a great margin. Li Yingqi felt that he had touched upon some profound realm, like standing on the edge of a bottomless cliff, just half a step away from glimpsing a completely new world.

As the most legitimate inheritor of the Yue Maiden Sword technique, this divinely bestowed swordsmanship is constantly being innovated and refined.

Each time he engages in slaughter, he can embody the will of Heaven and reach the Heavenly Sword Realm described in "Master Xu's Sword Manual".

I finally understand why Xu Tang always said, "The end of the way of the sword is the way of heaven." At this moment, I feel as if I have become a sharp sword between heaven and earth, and all my thoughts and feelings are sharp.

Although the master and hall master's swordsmanship level is somewhat unpredictable, they are truly formidable in guiding the path ahead.

How much profound insight is hidden in those seemingly absurd metaphors?

Having followed Baoantang and seen countless things in the world, the brilliance he displayed after integrating all of these experiences was enough to amaze the world.

"Roar--!!!"

A deafening roar erupted from the depths of the demon army, and in an instant, countless yin spirits retreated like a tide.

The roar was like a thunderclap, shaking the lake surface and causing waves to surge and even tearing a crack in the dark clouds in the sky.

"How dare a mere human act so violently!"

A beast suddenly rose from the blood-red wave, its demonic aura soaring to the sky, its ferocity overwhelming!

Shaped like a giant pig, yet possessing a ferocious human face, with fangs as white as swords and spears, its drooling caused the lake surface to hiss and steam, with poisonous mist rising and even distorting the air.
Its entire body was crimson red, with veins bulging under its skin like molten lava. Each heartbeat was like the beating of a war drum, and with each step it took, a ghostly green flame would ignite beneath its feet. Wherever it passed, the lake water would boil and all living things would perish.
Its back was covered in bone spurs, each pierced with an undigested cultivator's head. Phosphorescent flames of remnant souls flickered in its empty eye sockets. With its roar, those heads also let out mournful howls, as if cursing all things in the world.

The ferocious beast stirred up a hundred-foot-high turbid wave and rushed over, the wave carrying the curses of the drowned. Every drop of water turned into a hideous ghost face, roaring as it pounced on Li Yingqi!
The Classic of Mountains and Seas states:

"Two hundred li to the northeast is Mount Shan, which is rich in gold and jade. There is a beast there, which looks like a pig but has a human face. It has a yellow body and a red tail. Its name is Heyu. Its cry is like that of an infant. This beast eats people, as well as insects and snakes. Its appearance foretells a great flood."

Heyu is man-eating and ferocious.

It once ravaged ancient times, unleashing a massive flood that devoured countless lives.

But it is also unfortunate.

Because it encountered the excited Li Yingqi.

"Well done!"

The bloodstain between the girl's brows suddenly blazed brightly, the twin swords, one purple and one green, hummed and trembled, their sword light cascading like a galaxy! Instead of retreating, she charged forward, riding the waves, a wildly arrogant smile playing on her lips:

Purple Ying Sword - Cloud Dream Killing Force!
With a flick of the sword, the Netherworld Water Essence accumulated over millennia in the Yunmeng Marsh was summoned, and wherever the sword light passed, a black tide surged like the wailing of ten thousand ghosts.

The sword's power is unpredictable and elusive, like a dense fog that gathers and disperses at will. When a demon touches it, its flesh and blood are eroded, and its bones turn into black sand.
The sword intent is long and sinister, like an undercurrent at the bottom of a swamp, lingering endlessly. No matter how you dodge and weave, you will eventually be strangled by the force of the water!

Green Chain Sword - Raging Waves of Dongting Lake!

The sword turned again, drawing upon the vast waters of Dongting Lake, stretching for eight hundred miles. The sword energy surged, and the angry waves rose into the sky like a dragon's roar!
The sword's momentum was expansive and powerful, like waves crashing against the shore. With a single horizontal slash, hundreds of demons were sent flying like grass.
The sword intent was domineering and fierce, like a raging tide bursting its banks. Wherever the sword's edge pointed, even mountains had to retreat!
"The Sword of the Yue Maiden: The Calamity of Yunmeng Dongting!"

Li Yingqi let out a cold shout, and his sword stance changed again.

The purple and green swords intertwined and swirled, causing the waters of the two lakes to condense into a towering water tornado around her!
The dark, murky waters of Yunmeng intertwined with the clear, turbulent currents of Dongting Lake, transforming into a destructive vortex of yin and yang. She stood at the eye of the storm, her robes billowing, her eyes like cold stars, her sword's edge striking down countless demons!
A look of terror immediately appeared on Heyu's pig-headed face, and his beady eyes trembled wildly: "This human brat can actually play like this?!"

Before he could finish speaking, the vortex of sword energy had already engulfed him.

The waters of the two lakes transform into countless water blades; the bone-corroding black waters of Yunmeng peel away its flesh, while the fierce torrents of Dongting shatter its sinews and bones.

When the storm subsided, only a cloud of blood mist slowly sinking to the bottom of the lake remained, not even a single intact bone was left.

They died a horrible death.

However, those like Li Xianfeng, who were able to hang out with Xu Qing and the other two in the early days and still be alive and kicking, were a minority.

Yu Yingnan's fair face was covered in fine sweat. Although the Nanming Li Huo Sword was still emitting a dark blue flame, its swordplay was noticeably less fierce than before. She had to retreat frequently to take the opportunity to catch her breath.

Yan Renying's Galaxy Sword light also dimmed a bit. This usually calm young swordsman had a furrowed brow and blood was seeping from the wound on his arm.

Qi Lingyun and her brother formed a sword formation back to back. Jin Chan's Thunder Mandarin Duck Swords had cracked, and although Lingyun's Azure Gang Sword was still sharp, its swing speed had slowed down by 30%.

All four men were injured and breathing heavily, clearly indicating that they had reached a rather difficult stage.

Lacking the destiny of a killer star and having experienced relatively few legion battles, he lacks a certain foundation and cannot fully enjoy the experience. Perhaps this is what a normal sword cultivator is like.

It's tiring, it hurts, it's scary, but I still grit my teeth and persevere.

The others were also fighting rather poorly, and Yun Zhongjun's statement about using demon souls to overwhelm Bao'an Hall was not just empty talk.

Turtle, its shell bearing the words "Loyalty! Sincerity!", rampaged through the demon horde, its spiked club covered in fragments of scales.

Qilicha's gilded spear had long been stained dark red, with half of the snake demon's remains protruding from its tip.

The Three Wonders' chariots crushed countless corpses, their blue robes stained with blood, and even the white deer pulling the chariots had turned red.

Yan Chixia has abandoned the "Taiyi Exorcising Demon-Slaying Protective Spell" and instead uses the Great Five Elements Yin Yang Yuan Magnetic Universe Starlight Extinction Divine Sword, which is more suitable for group attacks.

Wherever the sword pointed, countless starlight-like sword energies descended from the sky.

In the flash of light, countless demon souls were unknowingly cut open with several lacerations, and strange forces rushed into their bodies from the wounds.

Before the monsters could react, they were torn to pieces, like wheat being harvested, one piece at a time.

Master Mao also formed the Three Talents Sword Formation above his head with three divine swords, casting a clear light to protect his body.

The old Taoist priest, who was usually dignified and otherworldly, was now using a rare sword technique called the "Yellow Heaven Sword Technique".

This is a move inherent in the cultivation technique, or rather, a mental cultivation method for controlling the sword, which is forged with the most yang and the most powerful energy to create the ultimate "invisible weapon".

He made a fist with both hands, and with each swing, a golden sword aura swept out, turning all the demons in its path into ashes.

These changes do not reflect their combat strength, but rather are changes they have to make because they are already struggling.

They had just slain a Heyu, when another Huashe appeared; after finally repelling the Huashe, several nine-headed worms emerged from the water. These ancient ferocious beasts were all incredibly difficult to deal with, each requiring the combined efforts of everyone to defeat.

The sheer number of them is constantly shrinking the space available for Baoan Hall.

At the same time, the external situation is also precarious.

The raging waves of Dongting Lake crashed against the crumbling dikes, and the turbid floodwaters had already overflowed the official road and swallowed up large tracts of farmland.

On the distant mountains, refugees lined up like ants, struggling to move forward through the mud.

Even more horrifying, pale corpses could be vaguely seen floating in the water amidst the ruins of the destroyed houses.

Although Dongting Lake attempted to retaliate against Yunmeng, the water vapor, under the control of the water disaster gods, continued to fall like a waterfall from the sky.

The sky seemed to have been ripped open; the rain wasn't just falling, it was pouring down. Each drop felt incredibly heavy, pounding against the rooftops with a muffled, drum-like sound. On the lake, dozens of enormous waterspouts connected heaven and earth, sweeping up trees, houses, and even entire villages, tearing them apart.

Storms and rainstorms are troublesome for cultivators, but natural disasters for ordinary people.

How similar this scene is to the "raging flood" recorded in the Classic of Mountains and Seas?
The desperate situation that Yu the Great faced when taming the floods must have been just as dire. Even today, though humanity is prosperous, in the face of natural disasters, ordinary people are still as insignificant as ants.

Many counties have already been affected by the disaster, and dozens of urgent dispatches for the flood are being sent to Luoyang every hour. The couriers are riding fast horses through the torrential rain.

"The city of Nanyiyang County has fallen," "All seventeen counties of Wuling County have perished." These shocking words are being sent to Luoyang at top speed.

The eyes of the Li family uncle and nephew were bloodshot as they continuously directed the Taihu Lake demons to dredge the waterways and create new flood discharge areas.

"To the left! Dig to the left again!" Li shouted hoarsely, her voice completely gone.

The shrimp soldiers and crab generals brandished their pincers, digging vigorously in the mud. Meanwhile, Lord Li stood on high ground, constantly adjusting the flood discharge plans, the compass needle in his hand spinning wildly.

Just watching the water level rise so dramatically makes one feel increasingly powerless.

The wooden stake marking the water level was completely submerged, its top no longer visible. The murky floodwaters rose at a visible speed, and the newly dug flood discharge channel was washed away in the blink of an eye.

Li punched a tree, his knuckles bleeding, but he didn't even notice.

"Li Feng is incompetent, and Du Mu has ruined the country!"

The young student, Li, finally broke down, roaring at the torrential rain: "The dikes of Nanhedong County should have been reinforced last year! The flood discharge canal blueprints of Wuling County were submitted three years ago! These corrupt officials!" His curses were drowned out by the thunder, leaving only endless anger and despair.

"The governors of Nanhedong Commandery, Nanyiyang Commandery, Wuling Commandery, Changsha Commandery, and Baling Commandery should all fill in the lake!"

Thinking of those mountains of flood control proposals, and those disaster relief strategies shelved. If we had prepared earlier, would things have come to this?

Those displaced people, those innocent souls who perished in the bellies of fish, should have all had a way to survive!
Old Li was calmer, or perhaps his already disheartened heart was even more grief-stricken.

The old water conservancy official looked at the raging flood with exhaustion in his eyes.

He knew all too well the intricacies of officialdom—funds for flood control were embezzled at every level, important projects were always relegated to the bottom, and those who truly understood the situation had no say.
The issues involved are too complex to handle.

The factional struggles in the imperial court, the vested interests at the local level, and the buck-passing among officials at all levels—each and every one of these issues is more difficult to deal with than this flood.

(End of this chapter)