I manage female characters in all the heavens.

That was a natural disaster.

The formation of the 50,000-strong army collapsed completely within the time it takes for an incense stick to burn.

Not everyone can remain unmoved by such a horrific scene, let alone when facing that horror themselves.

Of the 50,000-strong army, only a few thousand were directly killed by "Tie Xinlan," but they were already collapsing uncontrollably.

Compared to when they came, they were running away much faster, each in their own direction, making it impossible for her to chase them down.

But actually, she doesn't need to pursue him.

They abandoned their armor and weapons, trampled each other, pushed and shoved one another, and those who were trampled to death, crushed to death, or drowned in the river were more numerous than Lord Yingri himself had killed.

This team is very sensible; it expands on its own without her having to lift a finger.

Wang Weiyang also wanted to run away.

He was, after all, a top-tier expert. Although he had difficulty moving around in the indiscriminate AOE of "Tie Xinlan," he could still barely hold on.

He retreated with all his might, trying to blend into the fleeing soldiers and escape.

Then he saw a flash of sword light.

No, that wasn't sword light. It was a semi-transparent, curved blade formed from condensed ice crystals that appeared out of thin air in front of him and, to his horrified surprise, grazed his neck.

This was the last scene he ever saw in his life.

The soldiers could run away in this battle, but Wang Weiyang, the leader, could not escape no matter what; he had been under surveillance for a long time.

"Tie Xinlan" did not chase after the fleeing soldiers. Instead, she beheaded Wang Weiyang, picked up the head, and flew back to the city wall.

She hung the head on the city gate tower, clapped her hands, as if she were hanging a lantern.

Even before that, there were already hundreds of heads hanging on the city wall, all hung by her using her Absorption Technique amidst her busy schedule.

She was so composed!

"Tie Xinlan" admired the shocking scene of the army's rout; these were all her own achievements.

Soon, she drifted off into thought.

After this battle, the Jiangdong branch of the Eastern Depot was almost completely destroyed, which saved her the trouble of making a trip to Jiangdong herself.

The main quest given by Yaoyue to destroy the Jiangdong branch was completed incidentally while pushing through the side quests, which was beyond her expectations.

The Eastern Depot was incredibly cooperative; knowing she had this mission, they willingly came to offer themselves up for execution. Liu happy's godson was truly devoted to his duty.

She wiped out the elite of the Jiangdong branch, even killing the branch leader. The remaining small fry will probably be dealt with by the local martial arts heroes of Jiangdong.

She had already completed the task assigned by Yaoyue before she even arrived in Jiangdong, all thanks to Liu happy's filial piety.

"Yes, very good. Next time I see Liu happy, I, as his godmother, will definitely give him a good compliment!" Lord Yingri said with a smile.

This battle involved too many people, and even more people witnessed it firsthand; the relevant information could not be concealed no matter what.

The news spread like wildfire, reaching every corner of the country within just a few days.

"Have you heard? The Eastern Depot's army that was sent to punish the Demon King Yingri has been completely wiped out!"

"Ah, the Eastern Depot's campaign against Yingri? When was that? Why?"

"...Shouldn't you be concerned about the total annihilation? Why did you veer off-topic right from the start?"

"There has to be a cause and effect, right? You just throw out a bunch of nonsense about a total wipeout, nobody wants to listen to that!"

At this moment, someone interjected:

"What do you mean by annihilation? That's nonsense. Of the 50,000 troops, nearly half ran back to Jiangdong. There was no annihilation at all. Moreover, most of them died from trampling or went missing during the rout. The devil only killed a few thousand."

"Only a few thousand people...?"

"That demon single-handedly routed an army of 50,000 and killed thousands of elite soldiers? Is...is he even human?!"

"It's more than just murder! She hung Wang Weiyang's head on the Anqing city wall, and displayed hundreds of heads of people from the Eastern Depot as well. It's incredibly vicious!"

"That was the leader of the Jiangdong branch of the Eastern Depot! A top-tier expert! And she just killed him like a chicken?"

"It's said that the martial arts she used could suck people into the air! Thousands of people were sent flying into the sky at the same time, and then they exploded! It rained blood for days!"

"No, no, no, that's not all. I heard that on that day she soared into the sky and used a palm technique that descended from the heavens, leveling Lingxi Mountain outside Anqing City with a single blow!"

"What I heard was that she leveled Anqing City with a single sword strike, and then restored it with a wave of her hand?"

"This is getting more and more outrageous! Are you telling a myth? Can't you be more realistic?!"

Similar dialogues were repeatedly staged in the restaurants and teahouses of every city, in the post stations in the mountains, and in the council halls of various factions.

Some listened with their faces ashen, some with exclamations of admiration, some with trembling fear, and some with boiling blood.

But many more people were gripped by deep fear.

A person.

One man defeated an elite army of 50,000.

What kind of power is this?

A hundred years ago, when the previous dynasty collapsed, there was a legend of a single person breaking through an army, but that was just a legend after all, and it is hard to tell whether it was true or not due to the passage of time.

And now, this legend is unfolding right before their eyes.

In a secluded mountain villa in Hedong, several elderly men with white hair gathered from all over the country and sat around a room.

They were all renowned figures in the martial arts world of the previous generation. Some had retired for many years, while others had long been forgotten by the martial arts community.

But at this moment, their faces all wore the same solemn expression.

"Have you all heard the news that the Demon Lord Yingri defeated the Eastern Depot's army?" The old man sitting in the main seat spoke slowly, his voice hoarse and deep.

"I've not only heard about it, but my disciple came here yesterday to deliver the news and gave a detailed account of the battle."

Another old man stroked his beard, his brows furrowed, "To fight against 50,000 men single-handedly, kill thousands, and rout tens of thousands... Such achievements are rare even in the annals of martial arts history."

"Just who is this Yingri? When did such a monster appear in the Yihua Palace?"

"It's said she's the daughter of Crazy Lion Iron Warrior, whose real name is Tie Xinlan. But with Iron Warrior's abilities, how could he possibly raise such a daughter? It's just a rumor. It's more likely that she's Liu Xi's godmother."

"The question is... what exactly is her relationship with Liu happy, that eunuch dog from the Eastern Depot? Wasn't it rumored that she was Liu happy's godmother? How come they're fighting among themselves?"

"Who knows? Maybe it's a dispute over the spoils? Maybe Liu happy wants to seize power? Maybe that devil wants to use the Eastern Depot to cleanse the martial arts world and then silence them?"

Various speculations arose, but no consensus was reached.

But regardless of the truth, one fact has been laid bare before everyone—

The martial arts of the Demon Lord Ying Ri have reached a level that is beyond the comprehension of ordinary people.

It is beyond our ability to defeat.

In Sichuan, at the foot of Mount Emei, there is an inconspicuous tea stall.

A swordsman in blue robes with a long sword at his waist sat in a corner, listening to the discussion of several martial arts practitioners at the next table. He had been holding a teacup in his hand for a long time without putting it down.

He is Han Qing, the junior brother of the Emei Sect leader and known in the martial arts world as "Qingfeng Ke".

He was supposed to attend the second meeting of the Demon Extermination Alliance.

But after hearing those descriptions, he fell silent.

One man defeated an army of 50,000...

Han Qing slowly put down his teacup, stood up, and cupped his hands in greeting to the several martial arts figures at the next table:

"Were there any exaggerations in what you just said?"

The group turned around, and one of them shook his head and smiled bitterly:

"Master Han, we followed the Jiangdong garrison to Anqing. Although we didn't enter the center of the battlefield, we saw it from afar. No one would believe it unless they saw it with their own eyes."

"When that demon of the sun jumped down from the city wall, the whole earth shook and the sky changed color! Even though I was three miles away, I was still knocked to the ground by that shockwave!"

"Then I saw the people from the Eastern Depot fly up one after another, exploding in mid-air! Blood and flesh flew everywhere! The scene..."

The speaker turned pale and couldn't continue speaking halfway through his sentence.

Han Qing remained silent for a long time before slowly sitting down, pouring himself a cup of tea, and drinking it all in one gulp.

Then he stood up, cupped his hands in greeting to the group of martial artists, turned and left. Instead of heading towards the Demon Extermination Alliance, he walked along the mountain path back to Emei.

That cup of tea was cold.

But his heart was even colder.

This is more like sending your immortal demon to its death!

Many more masters from various sects in the martial arts world sighed, saying that Yingri was invincible. Throughout history, she was one of the strongest people and could not be defeated.

However, at the same time, a question arose throughout the martial arts world.

Isn't Yingri the godmother of Liu happy, the supervisor of the Eastern Depot? How come they're fighting amongst themselves, and fighting so fiercely?

Have we fallen for a rumor?

……

The capital city, the Eastern Depot (Dongchang) government office.

"Bang--!!!"

Another teacup was smashed to pieces on the ground; this was already the 10th one in the past few days.

Liu happy stood amidst the mess, his well-maintained face now twisted with anger and...fear.

"Fifty thousand troops...fifty thousand troops! Those are all battle-hardened elites!" His voice was so shrill it almost cracked. "She alone! She single-handedly defeated fifty thousand troops?!"

The members of the Eastern Depot kneeling below the hall dared not raise their heads, and even their breathing was extremely soft, for fear of attracting the attention of the supervisor and provoking his anger.

"That's the Jiangdong garrison! The most formidable force the imperial court has in the southeast coastal region! And they have artillery! Hundreds of artillery pieces!"

Liu happy suddenly turned around and kicked over the bookshelf next to him, scattering documents all over the floor.

"Even I could kill someone with such a sharp edge, so what is Ying Ri?! What makes her think she can do this?!"

No one dared to answer.

Liu happy, panting heavily, paced back and forth in the hall like a trapped beast.

He was angry, but even more so, he was terrified.