The Blade-Wielding Legend

"Nonsense!"

The person throwing cold water was immediately interrupted.

"Hmph, what does the old cynic know!" Someone beside refuted, "Dealing with jackals, are we supposed to talk about righteousness? Have the pirates ever spoken of harmony to our people of the Divine State? Young Hero Li is merely using their own method against them! It’s satisfying!"

"Right! Refreshing!"

A bare-chested dockworker suddenly slammed the table, causing the teacups to jump around wildly. His eyes were bloodshot, and his voice hoarse, "Deserved! Retribution! The pirates slaughtered my father and brothers along the southeastern coast, violated my sisters, even spared not the babes suckling! Let’s make them taste it today!"

"Young Hero Li did well! Relieved the anger! Damn, really relieved the anger!" He shouted, yet murky tears rolled down the corner of his eye. All around, there was an uproar of praise.

...

The sound of horse hooves, crushing the snow on the street.

Almost at the same time, a copied dossier from a secret report was sent through the Mystical Sect’s unique secret channel to the ominous Black Stone Government Office under the Imperial City.

The Captain of Xuan Yi Guards on duty examined the badge, opened the secret report, and his face instantly turned ashen. He turned and slammed open the innermost quiet room’s wooden door.

"Sir! Urgent report from Japan!"

...

The atmosphere in the Imperial Palace Warm Pavilion was even more heavy than the biting cold of early spring.

The secret report from Japan was now spread open on the Golden Silk Nan wood Imperial Desk, with not a chirp heard.

Finally, the Emperor spoke, "The demon leader Zhao Changsheng has personally gone to Korea, setting up the ’Grinding Plate’ trap, intending to deplete our elite forces."

An old minister scoffed, stroking his beard, "The ’Grinding Plate’ scheme? Scaremongering! How could pirates, mere clowns, have such profound strategies?"

Pei Zongti, Chief of the Mystic Priest, slowly stepped forward.

He did not respond directly to the argument but made a deep bow toward the direction of the throne, his voice steady yet carrying an undeniable weight:

"Your Majesty, ministers. The secret report from Japan has been thoroughly analyzed by the Mystic Priest. The Hundred Ghosts Night Parade in the Capital City, the Resentful Evil skyrocketing, the scene of its ferocity is unprecedented. These means are not conventional Mystic Sect’s True Technique, arousing millennium grievances of the Earth Vein, extremely dangerous, slightest carelessness, the caster will inevitably suffer rebound, the annihilation of Divine Soul is not uncommon. Li Yan’s accomplishment in this matter and his safe retreat, his will, cultivation, and the uniqueness of his Cultivation Technique must all be re-evaluated."

"What he referred to as the ’Grinding Plate’ scheme..."

He paused slightly, swept his gaze over the disdainful official, emphasizing his tone, "Is by no means groundless. Zhao Changsheng, a core offering of the Jianmu Organization, is skilled in scheming, and his methods are insidiously ruthless. His abandonment of the long-established main base in Capital City to personally travel to Korea must have deep intention. Combined with the information Li Yan acquired and the sporadic anomalies reported from our front line in Korea, the possibility of this trap... is very high."

The chief’s words were like a large stone thrown into a lake, causing those sneering voices to abruptly stop.

Li Yan in the Capital and other places stirring trouble, although eliminating officials corrupted by the Jianmu Organization, some of the deceased inevitably had friends and relatives, at the time dared not speak up, but given the chance, would not speak well.

Similarly, the Mystic Priest and Qiankun Academy were his supporters and naturally would not allow these people to succeed.

Seeing no one further speaking frivolously, Pei Zongti continued to bow, "I humbly request Your Majesty’s judgment, given the pirates’ ’Grinding Plate’ deadly plan, the Korean battlefield could undergo drastic changes. To ensure the safety of our royal troops and thwart the pirate’s conspiracy, I request the immediate dispatch of the elite of the Mystical Sect, to aid Korea!"

"Approved." A decisive word from the Emperor on the throne.

"Instruct Mystic Priest Wei Qian to immediately coordinate with Taiyi Orthodox, select experts, and travel through the night to Korea! The Jianmu Demon’s plot must be nipped in the bud!"

With the imperial order given, the Mystic Priest’s Office remained brightly lit throughout the night.

Orders sealed with mysterious talismans, traveling through special channels, were sent flying towards each celebrated mountain and river, and hidden cave in the Divine State...

......

Several days later, along the coast of Northern Beilu Road, a secluded mountain hollow in Japan.

The wind, laden with the salty scent of the sea mist, passed through the broken paper sliding doors, wailing as it swirled within the cavernous Buddhist Temple.

This abandoned temple nestled beneath the cliffs, its roof tiles dilapidated, its walls crumbling, several moss-covered statues of the Earth Store King left colorless and faceless scattered around the courtyard, adding further desolation.

The air retained a slight trace of sulfur and burnt scent, remnants from when the group worked together a few days ago to clear out the "Gouchang" demon residing here.

This spirit monster, feasting on filth and spreading pestilence, was the reason for the area’s desolation.

Inside the hall, the crackling of the campfire barely dispelled the damp cold brought by the sea breeze. The firelight revealed faces weary and tense.

Sha Lifei sat on a fallen beam, using a cloth soaked in whale oil to repeatedly wipe the barrel of his treasured flintlock short gun, nerves taut, carrying a hint of restless anxiety.

A burlap bandage on his shoulder seeped a dark red, a result of being wounded by a Iaido Slash from a Yagyu Shinkage-ryu swordsman during yesterday’s breakout. Though the wound wasn’t deep, it burned painfully.

Wu Ba leaned against a pillar in the hall, his burly figure like a sturdy wall, his snores rumbling.

He rested with the heavy Tiger-Squat Cannon tube by his side, the muzzle still stained with uncleaned mud and spots of deep brown blood scabs.

Night Crying Man curled up on a straw mat at his feet, wrapped in layers of thick felt, his face still pale as paper, though his breathing had steadied much.

The soul injury from stripping the Demonic Qi origin was not to be healed overnight, and at this moment he slept uneasily, his brow tightly furrowed.

Long Yan’er sat cross-legged in the shadowy corner, eyes closed regulating her breath, several dull-colored Gu Worms quietly nestled in her open palm, as if in hibernation.

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