A Scroll of Infinite Glory

Chapter 170 Entering Chang'an

With this retreat, Shao Lingxiao not only concealed his own figure, but also his four attendants disappeared. Only the faintest senses remained of five streams of primordial energy, one large and four small, wandering aimlessly in the void.

Guan Luoyang can say with certainty that they did not actually transform their flesh and blood into a state of vital energy. They were still in a normal environment where light shone, scattered, and was received by other people's eyes, and they did not achieve invisibility in the conventional sense.

That should be because Shao Lingxiao's sword intent aroused the psychological perception and resonance of everyone present, causing those who had not yet touched the spiritual perception of the Grandmaster realm to uncontrollably release their spiritual power and mix it with the vast streets and alleys.

Everyone around was suppressed by Shao Lingxiao and thought they couldn't see him anymore. Their chaotic feelings were then swept up and affected Guan Luoyang as well, making him really unable to "see" Shao Lingxiao's existence.

The Blazing Eyes can break through evil illusions and yin mists, but in this situation, it's really hard to know where to start, not knowing which direction to attack in order to see the truth.

However, those chaotic and flowing senses could not penetrate within three feet of Guan Luoyang. As soon as Shao Lingxiao launched another attack, his specific form would be detected the moment he approached Guan Luoyang.

He held his sword for three seconds, but the attack still didn't come, and his brows furrowed.

Three seconds is an extremely short time in the eyes of others. It seems to be just a pause in Guan Luoyang's steps after the two of them exchanged blows. In fact, Guan Luoyang's robe was still fluttering in the aftershocks and gusts of wind generated by the previous clash.

However, in the eyes of a grandmaster, three seconds is a long enough time.

"wrong!"

Guan Luoyang cleaved the ground with his sword, and the sword energy spread out from underground.

Whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh—

In an instant, hundreds of slender, dark sword marks shot out from the surrounding ground and into the sky.

These sword energies are scattered over a wide area, and their intensity is no longer very strong. However, if someone is still hiding nearby, it will definitely cause some abnormalities in the trajectory of the sword energies.

The most distinctive feature of the true energy cultivated by the Wuwei True Scripture is its meticulous detail. The power that Guan Luoyang comprehended from it is called "Wuwei Buzhi," which actually means meticulousness. It is perfect for probing the surroundings.

The fine, ink-colored streaks rose straight up, without the slightest sign of distortion.

"You actually intend to leave like this?"

Guan Luoyang took a breath and slowly uttered the words, his voice carrying clearly for miles.

"Right now, you still have the chance to kill us here. But if you wait until Chang'an, you'll be facing at least three times the manpower you have now."

"As the leader of a demonic cult, don't you even have the courage to try this?"

He was using his hearing and senses to their fullest potential as he spoke.

The sound waves vibrated, and a faint strange noise echoed from the city gate. Guan Luoyang moved and flew across the street, leaving afterimages, to the city gate not far away.

The city gate was wide open, and on the right-hand gate, many wood chips had fallen off, revealing a line of large characters.

"The song is over, the bet is settled, and no further action will be taken within fourteen days."

Guan Luoyang returned to Jubuyong's place.

Many top-tier experts appeared to have suffered significant losses of their inner energy, panting heavily.

Lu Ningxian supported Shi Qing.

Ju Bu, without holding his pipa, sat on the ground, wiping the blood off the pipa with a silk handkerchief, and apologized to them, "Gentlemen, I was reckless this time. If I had waited for General Feng and Young Hero Guan to arrive before taking action, you would not have been implicated."

Shi Qing's face darkened, and he said gruffly, "Mr. Ju, you have quite the reputation. Do you think we're all here for you?!"

He spoke angrily, managing only to cough repeatedly after managing to utter a single sentence.

Ju did not realize he had spoken out of turn. These people came with pride and were unwilling to tarnish the reputation of Guanzhong or cause others to look down on the Tang Dynasty. His words now made it seem as if he felt that this meeting with Shao Lingxiao was not their responsibility, which was inevitably infuriating.

"Sorry, it's me..."

"You did absolutely nothing wrong in this matter."

Guan Luoyang walked over and said, "Before Shao Lingxiao came here, he had just wiped out a fleet on the river. Now that you have encountered him, if you don't take action, no one knows what he might do in the city."

"As for you all coming here for the greater good, that is by no means wrong."

"However, I have a question: what kind of bet did he make with you that allowed him to promise not to make a move for fourteen days?"

Everyone was stunned. None of them expected Shao Lingxiao to keep the bet, especially after being completely controlled by the Qi Silk, they all thought it was just a scam.

No one even noticed when the pipa music stopped.

Looking back now, it becomes clear that the group of people who rushed forward to protect Ju Buyong were indeed standing beside him, a total of fourteen people.

After they explained the situation in a few words, Guan Luoyang repeated, full of doubt, "You mean, he proposed the bet himself?"

Not right.

There are many ways to provoke the martial arts world of Guanzhong; why make such a bet?

If the purpose of gathering these experts was to expedite the transfer of his injuries, then why keep them alive after they've been used up?

Although the five-colored true energy significantly weakened their internal strength, it was not a permanent injury. After a few hours of recuperation and taking the various healing medicines they carried, they could recover to the level of a top-tier expert.

In some respects, the injuries these people sustained were not even as severe as those from the chronic poisonings suffered by others.

Without a doubt, these people would become obstacles to the Demonic Sect's future actions, and when Shao Lingxiao sensed Guan Luoyang in advance, he had enough time to kill them all first.

If one could control those energy threads to pierce the internal organs through acupoints and destroy the heart meridian, it would be as easy as turning one's hand.

After about half an hour, everyone had settled down and were recuperating at the local government office. Guan Luoyang helped several of the more seriously injured people to finish their treatment, but his doubts had not been alleviated.

General Feng and An Feiyu had also arrived, so Guan Luoyang talked to them.

After hearing about the battle, General Feng looked at Guan Luoyang with great delight and said, "Perhaps he did not expect that Young Hero Guan's martial arts had improved so much, so he thought he could deal with everyone later. But when they actually fought, he didn't have that opportunity."

"Could it really be such a simple mistake?"

Guan Luoyang shook his head, suppressing his doubts for the time being, and said, "No matter what, after this, your original strategy of delaying his recovery by constantly fighting him will not work. He will be able to fully heal the remaining injuries very soon."

"With the detachment of non-action from the body, he may even have more room to maneuver than he did on Mount Laojun. We must prepare to deal with Shao Lingxiao when he is at his peak."

General Yin said, "Could we find a way to send him to the Shattered Void, just like we did with the Celestial Immortal back then?"

An Feiyu disagreed: "He used this method himself, how could he not be wary? He was originally evenly matched with Master Tianfang, and he was almost killed on the spot in order to force Master Tianfang to break through the void and leave. Put yourself in his shoes, who on our side could have survived such a situation?"

"Then we'll just have to wait until we go to Chang'an. Our forces will be concentrated there, and compared to those uncontrollable demons, our forces will form a more tightly organized structure."

General Yin said, "By then, after both sides have finished exchanging their pieces, the extra force that can be used specifically to deal with Shao Lingxiao should be more than the number of people we have now."

Guan Luoyang's lips moved, but he didn't say anything more.

Even if there were a way to force him to shatter the void, I'd first try to see if I could kill him.

After that day, the martial arts world in Guanzhong was like a calm lake suddenly turning into a raging torrent, with undercurrents surging to the surface and the sounds of boiling water heard everywhere.

No matter what kind of news it is, in order to see its impact, it must go through a fermentation process. In the era of feudal dynasties, the fermentation time of news was often even longer.

Originally, the rumors about Lao Jun Mountain, Shaolin Temple, and demonic mutants were just rumors. Many people only heard the rumors, and many more didn't even hear the rumors.

But ever since Shao Lingxiao's bet in the city spread, it was as if a heavy punch had been thrown into the Guanzhong martial arts world. Whether you could hear it or not, he had already come to your doorstep.

From large, renowned sects with deep roots and connections to both government officials and commoners, to small, impoverished families that only taught one or two disciples in their own courtyards, all truly felt the impact of a passing storm and the impending flood.

Among them, hundreds or thousands of people chose to remain indifferent, believing that no matter how much trouble the Demonic Cult caused, it might not come to them. They simply treated it as a topic of conversation. Some of these were medium-sized sects, and they even deliberately consolidated their external forces to reduce the chances of encountering the Demonic Cult members.

Their actions may not have been wrong, and sometimes having self-awareness is a good thing, but many more people still felt indignant.

Because those more than a hundred mutated demons, following the traces of disaster, have poured into Guanzhong from all directions. They are destroying, devouring, growing, and setting fires without rest.

During the Tang Dynasty, there were many wildernesses. The distance that each demon traveled in the wild mountains and forests was actually more than the distance they traveled between cities and towns. Guan Luoyang and his men continued to pursue and hunt them.

However, even such accidental, pass-by, and even interrupted acts of destruction have brought some villages and towns to the brink of destruction and caused widespread panic in some cities.

People in Guanzhong are likely to hear news of disasters or misfortunes that have befallen their old friends, their maternal hometowns, or the hometowns of their friends during this period.

Some of the information was fake news, but it was difficult to distinguish at the time, and all of it became fuel for anger. It prompted them to use all their abilities to target it, even if it was just verbal attacks.

They would go to the government to complain and plead with renowned masters to come forward and eliminate these evil people who have angered both heaven and man.

Hiss! !

Blood splattered on the riverbank as Guan Luoyang tore apart a demon that resembled a lion but was covered in thick, horny skin like a rhinoceros.

This demon's blood had turned purple, and it weighed nearly two tons, making it a species completely different from humans.

But before that, when a group of martial artists surrounded and killed it, it would occasionally stand up on its own two feet and unleash a series of fierce claw techniques during the intervals between the attacks.

Several martial artists were caught off guard by this turn of events and had their shoulders crushed by a single claw strike, or were hit in the waist or chest.

The few survivors, their eyes red, stood beside the corpses. A young swordsman with a broad forehead was the first to step forward and bow deeply to Guan Luoyang in gratitude.

A scroll of silk stained with bright red blood fell to the bank, half of it submerged in the river.

Guan Luoyang picked up the scroll, which contained the petition written by the crowd, with nearly a hundred names and the signatures of many more illiterate people, as well as proof left by ink imprints on their fingers or palms.

"These demons are strong enough to rival top-tier martial artists, but their habits are more like those of wild beasts. If you want to protect the people of this region, you should gather in the towns and support each other. If a demon attacks, you can use fire and loud noises to try and drive it away."

The top-tier experts of this era are equivalent to three-star reincarnators. These demons are actually three-star creatures, while the heroes in front of us are mostly only two-star level, and one of them is even less than two-star.

The young swordsman with a broad forehead took the silk scroll and said, "I understand the hero's kindness. This silk scroll was left by that brother, and we are not from the same place."

"We heard that these demons are heading straight for Chang'an and won't stop there. The places we are in are only because we heard that the area has been ravaged by demons and that we don't need to hold our ground, so we specifically came out to chase after them."

Guan Luoyang nodded: "Then you should find out where those top-tier experts are, go and meet up with them, and act together."

The young swordsman replied, "A master like you, a senior expert, is supposed to be swift as the wind. If you slow down your movements to accommodate us, and more places fall victim to demons, how can we bear that?"

"Actually, there's no need for you to worry too much about us. There are plenty of people like us, traveling in groups of three or five. Even if we overestimate our abilities, we might be able to delay the demons for a while, make some noise, and attract nearby experts to eliminate this menace. That would be enough for us."

A man lying beside the corpse, tears welling in his eyes, cried out, "A demon like this, if it were to leap across a street, would cause walls to collapse and houses to crumble, killing and injuring countless people. If my brother could slash it, delay it for a moment, and let this beast run into my benefactor's hands and die on the spot, my brother could die in peace."

There was another man with a broken leg, sitting on the ground, crying and laughing in pain, shouting: "The storytellers in the brothels have been bringing up the Southwest War from ten years ago again lately, adding more ways those demonic cult members died and telling more about their ugly deeds, making them furious."

"He has his own arena to spit on; how can we martial artists be outdone by them?"

"My benefactor, you don't need to worry about us. Let's hurry on and kill more of these demons."

Guan Luoyang stared at them for a while, seemingly lost in thought, then bowed to them and left.

What those people said was true; in the days that followed, he encountered such martial arts practitioners more and more frequently.

Sometimes, when traveling between towns, the faces I see are mostly filled with unease and anger.

Many people talk about the evil cult, cursing them for burning food, and many are worried, but few are truly afraid. True fear is what silences people, reduces the volume of discussion, and makes people subconsciously avoid mentioning or hearing about it.

Time passed day by day, and the demons and the pursuing experts all entered Chang'an.

The 100,000 Imperial Guards had already received orders and were deployed outside, searching outwards from the vicinity of Chang'an.

The closer you get to your destination, the more the routes begin to converge.

Guan Luoyang and his group reunited. Many members of the pursuit team that set off from Dongdu were unable to meet here again, but the number of top-tier experts had actually increased two or three times.

When those people heard that Guan Luoyang, Li Gong, Ju Yongbu, and General Feng were all here, they all rushed over to meet them. In the end, it turned out that nearly a hundred top-notch experts had gathered in the area adjacent to Chang'an.

Almost all the top experts of the righteous path of the Tang Dynasty had gathered here. Some were old friends who had been separated for a long time, while others were people who had heard of each other for a long time and were meeting for the first time. The sounds of them exchanging greetings and talking filled the entire temporary residence set up by the Imperial Guard with noise.

This was a necessary meeting.

According to calculations, most of the original two hundred-plus demons have been killed in the tortuous pursuit that lasted for more than a month, but there are still eighty or ninety left.

If they want to break into Chang'an, the Imperial Guards alone cannot stop them; at most, they can only issue a warning. Li Gong needs to ask these experts to cooperate with the Inner Guards to carry out a more thorough defense.

The emperor issued three imperial edicts in response to this matter, dispatching high-ranking officials as special envoys to read them aloud in public.

The meeting lasted from dawn until dusk before getting down to business. It wasn't until the lamps were lit that Li Gong laid out a detailed map of Chang'an.

Except for the location of the palace, which was blank, the map clearly marked all the other towns and cities, and even the residences of some high-ranking officials and noble families.

Given Guan Luoyang's previous performance, Li Gong would not assign him to a fixed position; he would definitely be a reinforcement.

So when Li Gong started speaking, Guan Luoyang found it boring and simply went to the garden by himself.

There is no moon tonight, and the stars are sparse, but there are lights everywhere, so the garden doesn't seem too dark. I wonder what the original purpose of this mansion was. The flowers in the garden are incredibly diverse and beautiful, and in the height of summer, their fragrance is so strong that it's almost like the smell of rotten, sweet wine.

Guan Luoyang paused in deep thought under the shade of a clump of bamboo, casually breaking off a large, vibrant purple-red flower, its petals glistening with the evening dew, and crumpling it between his palms.

"You seem troubled?"

Gu Lanxiang's voice came from behind, bringing with it a smell of alcohol.

"Destroying flowers with cruel hands will not relieve sorrow."

She handed Guan Luoyang a wine glass, "Try this."

Guan Luoyang clapped the floral pattern off his hands, took the cup, and drank it all in one gulp: "Hmm, it seems even richer than what we drank before?"

"The wine recipes I obtained were originally related to the Zen-like essence in the Panda Wine Immortal's martial arts. A couple of days ago, after I broke through to the fourth star, I extracted the Zen essence according to the methods in the Vajra Mantra, and then combined it with the methods in the wine recipes."

Gu Lanxiang shook the gourd, took a big gulp, and laughed, "It tastes even better now."

"Brewing wine with spiritual power?" Guan Luoyang looked at the wine cup and chuckled. "This cup is too small. Give me a gourdful; that'll be a perfect way to congratulate you on your advancement to four stars."

"I already knew I was 100% confident when we met last time, so what's there to congratulate me on? Brother An seems to still have some unresolved issues, but it'll be over soon, right?"

Gu Lanxiang poured Guan Luoyang another cup from her gourd. "It's a pity. It's only the beginning of July. Otherwise, once we got to Chang'an, we could have used the service we bought at the base to pinpoint the enemy team's location and find Shao Lingxiao and his group, allowing us to make preparations in advance."

"At most, they have three four-star beings on their side. Even if Sun Ling, as a demon awakened being, has untapped potential and can temporarily boost his level using some means, it's still only four."

"On our side, there's you, me, the abbot, General Feng, and I've heard there's another one in Chang'an. Ju Yongbu, Lu Ningxian, and the other two divine soldiers together can also be counted as one."

"In other words, if things go smoothly, after the exchange of cards is completed, at least three of us will gang up on Shao Lingxiao, and we're pretty confident of winning."

Guan Luoyang took a small sip of the strong liquor and said, "Unfortunately, things will not go so smoothly. Besides killing demons and practicing my skills, I have passed through many places on the road during this period, and my doubts are getting deeper and deeper."

Gu Lanxiang asked, "What are you wondering about?"

"Let's start with a discovery."

Guan Luoyang looked up at the night sky and said, "Unlike some of the eras I've been to before, the people of the Tang Dynasty are really... very... confident, even proud."

"Even knowing about those demons, and knowing that since the attack on Lao Jun Mountain, one bad news after another has been reported, and that so many granaries and grain transport fleets have been destroyed, they are still not too anxious."

Even if they can't name the people who can quell this rebellion of the demonic sect, they certainly believe that the Tang Dynasty will win.

Gu Lanxiang pressed the gourd against her chin and said, "Isn't this good?"

"How could it be bad? Of course it's great, I love it, which is why I find it even stranger..."

Guan Luoyang posed a profound question, "I've only been here a short time and I've already experienced the pride of the Tang Dynasty. So, what about Shao Lingxiao?"

"He shouldn't be unaware of the true nature of the Tang Dynasty. Even if he succeeded in killing the emperor by burning down the granaries, could he truly have fulfilled his desire for revenge?"

Gu Lanxiang understood a little: "You think he didn't go far enough?"

"Not nearly enough!"

Guan Luoyang said firmly, "A person who could lead the Demonic Sect and complete such a devastating battle ten years ago should not seek revenge in this way."

"This dragging on and on, this lack of focus, this talk of scattering troops, this bet, and even retreating from me several times—when we first met, he shouldn't have given me this impression at all."

Guan Luoyang's voice gradually lowered, "There must be some crucial point that we haven't thought of yet."

He recalled his first encounter with Shao Lingxiao on Lao Jun Mountain, a fight that was far less intense than the subsequent, less impactful meetings.

The humiliation of that first encounter, that feeling of emptiness, vast emptiness, emptiness and crippling emptiness, was the "truth" that Guan Luoyang instinctively preferred.

There was a second time at Lao Jun Mountain, although it seemed he was suppressed by Tianfang Zhenren...

Tianfang Zhenren.

Suddenly, Guan Luoyang recalled the words that Tianfang Zhenren couldn't finish saying when he struck Tianmen with his palm.

"The fragrance of orchids!"

"Um?"

"Where is Abbot Wangsheng? I have something very important to ask him."

(End of this chapter)