Chapter 70: Firewing Tiger Lord
At the same time, one human encampment after another on the outskirts of the Qinghe Mountain Range was uprooted by demonic beasts. Worse still, many savage beasts charged into villages and towns inhabited by humans and massacred them.
For a time, the entirety of Shenglong Prefecture was seized by terror.
“Family Head, this demonic beast calamity came far too suddenly. We were completely unprepared. Some of the family’s industries on the outskirts of the mountain range were struck by the beasts and suffered heavy losses.”
Third Elder Li Xuanyong said, his brows tightly furrowed and his face full of worry.
The Grand Elder stroked his beard, sharp light flickering in his eyes.
“Under normal circumstances, a demonic beast calamity occurs only once every three hundred years. Since only a hundred years have passed since the last one, the fact that the demons are once again stirring up chaos means something strange must be behind it.”
Li Xingge nodded in agreement, then said slowly, “No matter what, our foremost priority right now is to evacuate the Li Clan members in the Qinghe Mountain Range and reduce casualties. Grand Elder, that matter is yours.”
The Grand Elder cupped his fists.
“Also, Second Elder, lead a team of Enforcement Hall disciples and personally take charge of Li Family Town. Protect the Li Clan’s branch line there.”
“Understood.”
“As for the rest of the elders, each of you is to perform your duties and prepare for the possibility that this demonic beast calamity will last a long time.”
“We obey!”
The unrest caused by the demonic beast calamity was no small matter. It was not something a tiny household like the Li Clan could face head-on. Li Xingge could only prioritize the safety of his own people.
As for everyone else, when the heavens fell, the tall would bear them first. It was not his place to worry.
......
Shenglong Prefecture, prefectural yamen.
Dozens of officials dressed in green official robes sat in order according to rank. Their faces were stern, and their auras were deep and restrained.
Not one of them spoke. It seemed as though even the air itself had frozen solid, and the atmosphere was unbearably oppressive.
“The Prefect has arrived!”
With that loud cry, a middle-aged man clad in a great crimson official robe arrived at an unhurried pace.
His features were refined. A black official cap sat upon his head. He had a square face, a handsome beard, and a gaze as sharp as blades.
Taking the seat of honor, he was immediately greeted by the many green-robed officials, all of whom rose and cupped their fists.
“We greet the Prefect!”
“The demon race’s uprising in the Qinghe Mountain Range has already spread across eight counties of Shenglong Prefecture. More than a million people have died in demonic jaws, and tens of millions have been driven from their homes. If we do not deal with this quickly, once word reaches the Provincial Governor, none of us will escape punishment. I intend to mobilize a great army and pacify the Qinghe Mountain Range.”
Suppressing his anger, the Prefect went straight to the point.
“Please calm your anger, Prefect. According to the agreement between Shenglong Prefecture and that one in the Qinghe Mountain Range, there should still be another two hundred years before the next demon uprising. For it to launch a demon uprising ahead of time means there must certainly be a reason. If we rashly start a war, it may bring about untold slaughter. I ask that the Prefect discern this clearly.”
Shenglong Prefecture’s Vice Prefect hurriedly stepped forward to dissuade him.
The instant his words fell, a rough voice sounded in ridicule.
“The Vice Prefect truly does rival the tortoise I keep at home.”
At those words, the gathered officials could no longer contain themselves and burst into laughter.
The Vice Prefect’s fat, fair face turned bright red on the spot. He glared furiously at the speaker.
“Zhang Xingyi, you insult me again and again. Do you truly think I am easy to bully?”
The man he had named Zhang Xingyi stood.
He was eight chi tall, with a full beard, the back of a tiger, and the waist of a bear. His skin was bronze in tone.
Looking down on the Vice Prefect, he gave a disdainful snort, then turned and cupped his fists toward the Prefect.
“Prefect, the demons have already risen in chaos. That is a fact. If we do not dispatch troops at once, many more will die. Zhang Xingyi may be lacking, but I am willing to personally lead the army in a campaign against the demon race!”
As soon as he finished speaking, more than a dozen officials voiced their agreement.
“The Commander is right. We ask the Prefect to issue the order!”
At the same time, more than a dozen others spoke in opposition.
“Please discern clearly, Prefect! The cause of the demon race’s chaos is unknown. We cannot rashly move troops!”
Watching this scene, the Prefect rubbed his brow, a pounding headache rising within him.
Only after a long while did he finally make the decision.
“Let Zhang Xingyi, Commander of the Prefectural Forces of Shenglong Prefecture, lead all the troops of Shenglong Prefecture and launch a joint campaign against the demon chaos in the Qinghe Mountain Range!”
Having said that, he rose and departed.
Zhang Xingyi’s faction, upon hearing the order, were all delighted beyond measure. Like cocks that had won a fight, they left with noses high in the air.
The Vice Prefect’s faction, on the other hand, all wore dejected expressions.
“Vice Prefect, Zhang Xingyi’s influence was already not small to begin with. Now that the Prefect has handed him such authority, his power will only swell further. If that happens, it will be even harder for you to compete with him for the position of Prefect in the future.”
one of the Vice Prefect’s close confidants said worriedly.
The Vice Prefect stood with his hands behind his back and let out a cold laugh.
“Do not worry. The seat of Prefect can only be mine. Zhang Xingyi is nothing but a brute. He is not worthy. Just wait and see.”
......
Red Maple City lay at the meeting point of Baihe County, Dong County, and Shi County. Its terrain was perilous, and it was one of Shenglong Prefecture’s great military strongholds.
Thirty thousand elite soldiers were stationed within Red Maple City.
Yet at this moment, outside the city walls, demonic qi surged to the heavens. As far as the eye could see, the beast tide stretched beyond sight.
The roars and shrieks of countless demonic beasts rose one after another, to the point that the winds and clouds changed color and the mountains and rivers trembled.
Within Red Maple City, the defending soldiers stood atop the ten-zhang-high walls and looked down upon the beast tide below. Many of them could not help trembling in both legs.
“ROAR!”
A dreadful roar thundered across the skies above Red Maple City. It was as if the demonic beasts had received a command. At once they launched their assault on Red Maple City, and the very earth shook beneath them.
Dozens of Red-Eyed Demon Bears, each seven or eight zhang tall, charged forward. The fur upon their bodies was as hard as iron armor, and their strength was inexhaustible. They tore up towering trees by the roots and hurled them into the city, crushing and injuring countless humans.
Close behind them came a black tide of rats.
These rats were only the most common and lowliest demonic beasts in the Qinghe Mountain Range, but they made up for it with their terrifying ability to reproduce. Fearless of death, they crashed themselves against the walls in relentless waves.
High above, several hundred Azure-Feathered Eagles circled through the air. Their claws were as sharp as blades and could split gold and crack stone.
Upon the walls, the human defenders drew bows and let fly volleys of arrows, the shafts falling like swarms of locusts. Spears flew like bolts of thunder and meteors, pinning countless rat demons to the ground.
Yet even that could not stop them.
Like moths hurling themselves into flame, they came one after another without end. Before long, demonic corpses had piled into mountains beneath the walls.
Seeing this, the general commanding Red Maple City could not help frowning deeply.
If the corpses continued piling up like this, it would not be long before they reached the height of the walls. At that point, the defenders would lose their only real advantage.
As expected, the thing he feared came to pass.
Several thousand demon wolves hidden among the rat tide used the corpse mountain as a springboard and leapt up onto the walls, slaughtering the defenders in a frenzy.
Though there were many powerful cultivators among the troops, the number of demon wolves was simply too great. They could not be held back.
Worse still, the Azure-Feathered Eagles in the sky also began their assault. Screaming across the battlements at incredible speed, their razor-sharp claws harvested the lives of the defenders like the sickles of death.
Before long, a breach was torn open in the city wall, and innumerable demons poured through it into the city itself, where they fell into savage hand-to-hand slaughter with the defenders.
“General, we have to act now! If we still don’t move, Red Maple City won’t be able to hold!”
the two deputy generals beside the commander cried anxiously.
The commander let out a sigh, then nodded.
Three mighty Qi-Blood Realm auras surged toward the heavens.
The commander slashed out with one saber strike and split several demon wolves cleanly in two.
The two deputy generals were no less fierce. Their qi and blood surged wildly as they slew one demonic beast after another rampaging through the city.
With three Qi-Blood Realm cultivators joining the battle, the momentum of the demon assault faltered, and the defenders were finally granted a moment to breathe.
But just as the three of them let out a sigh of relief, a roar arose that chilled the soul.
The ground shuddered.
A giant Mountain Lord, dozens of zhang in size, with a pair of wings on its back and flames coiling around them, appeared high in the air. From above, it looked down upon the mountains below with overwhelming disdain.
Its appearance drove all the demons to prostrate themselves upon the ground in cries of submission.
The three men looked upon that tiger, and their faces turned deathly pale at once.
It was the foremost war general beneath that one—the Firewing Tiger Lord!
The three did not hesitate in the slightest. They frantically circulated their cultivation arts, even going so far as to burn their qi and blood, and turned to flee with all their might.
As for Red Maple City, the moment this being appeared, it had already been doomed.
“You still think to flee beneath this lord’s very eyes? You truly do not place this lord in your sight.”
The Firewing Tiger Lord spoke in human language, its lantern-sized eyes filled with contempt.
“ROAR!”
The Firewing Tiger Lord lifted its head and gave a world-shaking roar. Terrifying sound waves spread outward from it in every direction, crashing unceasingly into the depths of every human soul until they could bear no more and exploded into showers of blood.
With Red Maple City breached, the myriad demon race charged straight through and drove toward the heartland of Shenglong Prefecture.
A great calamity had descended.