Chapter 334: Chapter 325: Demonic Trace
Only now did they learn that this matter was related to the Demon Seed.
As everyone stared in shock, Liu Zhengwen, who stood beside Bai Yuan, cleared his throat.
"Everyone, I am Liu Zhengwen of the Astronomical Bureau. I have come on the Emperor’s orders to vanquish the Demon Seed."
"The Demon Seed is a disaster of untold proportions. If we allow it to grow, the very foundations of Xuanyang Country will be shaken. It must be eliminated!"
Liu Zhengwen spoke with impassioned conviction.
However, the crowd was more concerned with Liu Zhengwen’s identity.
As the Commander of the Imperial Guard, Fang Yong was a familiar face to the many officials who had come from the Capital City.
But the Astronomical Bureau was Xuanyang’s most secretive department. Aside from the Emperor and a handful of powerful figures, it was inaccessible to almost everyone else.
Standing in the crowd, Chen Danian’s jaw nearly hit the floor.
He, of course, recognized these two—the Jianghu Guests he had personally delivered to Bai Yuan’s door.
’These two are actually high-ranking officials from the Capital City!’
The memory of how he had ordered them around made him sick with regret.
Having offended someone from the Astronomical Bureau, his dream of returning to the capital to serve as a Capital Official had now become a fantasy.
Chen Danian’s face turned ashen.
Of course, Liu Zhengwen paid no mind to the insignificant Chen Danian’s reaction.
A flash of gold emerged from his sleeve.
"A Holy Decree from the Emperor! You are all commanded to join the punitive campaign!"
The valley instantly fell silent.
Liu Zhengwen slowly unfurled the Holy Decree.
"By the Mandate of Heaven, the Emperor proclaims: The officials of Ling Province are hereby ordered to immediately purge the demonic scourge and restore peace to the world!"
The Holy Decree was as if the Emperor himself had arrived.
Everyone knelt and obediently accepted the order.
Normally, they would have been required to chant, "Long live the Emperor! Long live His Majesty!" However, because they were too close to the Demon Seed and worried about startling it, Liu Zhengwen waived this step.
With the Emperor’s Holy Decree, Liu Zhengwen’s command over the proceedings became much smoother.
Most of those present were officials of Xuanyang. If anyone dared to defy the Holy Decree, it wasn’t just a matter of losing their head—their family would likely suffer as well. The execution of one’s three familial clans was a distinct possibility.
He divided the men into five teams.
Each team consisted of a thousand soldiers. They would form an encirclement around the area where the Demon Seed had appeared, approaching from five directions to ensure it could not escape.
Liu Zhengwen had only identified the Demon Seed’s general area with the Qingming Stone; they still needed to conduct a detailed search to pinpoint its exact location.
This process would require a great deal of manpower.
"The moment you find the Demon Seed, use this signaling flare."
Liu Zhengwen held up an object that looked like a large firecracker.
Although this world lacked powerful firearms, gunpowder had been invented long ago. Besides being used to drive away the Nian beast at the turn of the year, the military often used it for signaling, and it was very effective.
"Once the flare soars into the sky, the Lord Grand Protector will make his move."
Upon hearing Yan Shao’an’s name, the crowd immediately grew solemn.
With the Lord Grand Protector himself overseeing the operation, a sense of security settled over them.
The rest of the arrangements were left to Fang Yong.
As the Commander of the Imperial Guard, Fang Yong knew the art of warfare like the back of his hand.
In just half an hour, he had divided everyone into five groups.
He and Liu Zhengwen would each lead a group.
Since they both possessed Qingming Stones, they would serve as the main force in the search for the Demon Seed.
Bai Yuan and two other Third-Grade Officials were each assigned to lead one of the remaining groups.
Because these three groups did not have Qingming Stones, their main task was to lock down their respective three sectors to prevent the Demon Seed from escaping.
The five groups formed an encirclement.
By gradually shrinking the perimeter from the north and south, they were bound to find the Demon Seed.
’Fang Yong may seem carefree,’ Bai Yuan thought, ’but his work is meticulous and reliable.’
’He may have made the assignments in just a few words, but he clearly did his homework.’
’Take my team, for example. Fang Yong assigned both Qiu Yang and Fang Yan to my command. Beyond that, the other experts from the Capital City he placed with me are mostly even-tempered.’
’Fang Yong must be aware of the unspoken hierarchy, where local officials are considered inferior to Capital Officials.’
’He must recognize my strength; that’s why he let me, the youngest leader, command a team.’
’But the matter is urgent. If my subordinates had been defiant, I would have had to waste precious time and energy establishing my authority, which would have delayed the search for the Demon Seed.’
’That must be why Fang Yong assigned me experts who weren’t hostile toward local officials.’
Bai Yuan led his thousand men, moving stealthily through the mountain forest.
As they were all Martial Artists, their footsteps were exceptionally light.
The forest’s wild animals might have mistaken them for a romp of rowdy rabbits.
Before long, Bai Yuan and his contingent arrived at the interception point designated by Liu Zhengwen.
This was the eastern shore of a large lake.
Bai Yuan had his men take up positions in the woods by the lakeside.
According to Liu Zhengwen’s plan, they only needed to hold this position.
A peculiar stone peeked out from Bai Yuan’s sleeve, half inky green and half blood-red.
It was the Qingming Stone that the old Daoist had given him.
The redder the stone, the closer they were to the Demon Seed.
Aside from Liu Zhengwen and Fang Yong, he was probably the only person here who possessed a Qingming Stone.
"They say the birth of a Demon Seed brings chaos to the world. I wonder if it’s true," Qiu Yang said, his eyes fixed on the surface of the lake.
Fang Yan added, "The legends of the Demon Seed are thousands of years old, yet no one has ever seen what one actually looks like."
The others all wore grave expressions.
As high-ranking officials of Xuanyang, they had all, to some extent, heard the legends of the Demon Seed.
Bai Yuan’s expression flickered.
’In order to better hunt the Demon Seed, I once discussed its nature with Liu Zhengwen.’ he recalled.
’Coming from the Astronomical Bureau, Liu Zhengwen’s knowledge of the Demon Seed far surpassed that of an ordinary official.’
’He speculated that a Demon Seed is actually a vessel for a Demon God in the mortal realm.’
’The Celestial Heart Sect cultivates the Demon Soul Technique, which allows them to turn others into vessels for their own souls. If members of the Sect can do it, there’s no reason a Demon God couldn’t.’
’That was the basis for the Astronomical Bureau’s theory.’
’But whether that theory held water, no one knew.’
’It was all just Liu Zhengwen’s own speculation.’
’Even within the Astronomical Bureau itself, opinions on the Demon Seed were varied and inconclusive. Perhaps the riddle would only be solved once they finally captured one.’
...
The teams led by Liu Zhengwen and Fang Yong began their search along the Nameless Lake in the Ten Thousand Mountains.
Although Martial Artists could hold their breath far longer than ordinary people, they still needed to surface for air eventually, which made the underwater search problematic.
Fortunately, they had come prepared. Bai Yuan had brought a large supply of Turtle Breath Pills from Ling Province.
This pill had only one effect: it greatly extended the time one could hold their breath.
After consuming a single Turtle Breath Pill, a Martial Artist could remain underwater for a full four hours without needing to breathe.
The lake’s surface was placid, but below it, the depths must have been teeming with men.
Bai Yuan and his thousand men lay hidden in the dense forest.
They were waiting for the signal from Liu Zhengwen and Fang Yong.
’The Demon Seed must die!’
Qiu Yang mused, "The Demon Seed is truly a monstrous thing, to be able to live in a lake. How strange, how strange."
His words voiced what everyone else was thinking.
’Could the Demon Seed be a fish?’
In the Daoist tradition, there is the "One Qi Transforms into the Three Pure Ones." In Buddhism, a Bodhisattva can manifest in countless incarnations to save the world. If a Demon God was an existence on par with such divine figures, then its avatar wouldn’t be restricted to a human form. Taking the shape of a Fish Demon was not out of the question.
Bai Yuan’s prior speculation that the Demon Seed was a disciple from the Longevity Palace was just that—speculation.
Furthermore, according to Liu Zhengwen, the Demon Seed could switch vessels at will.
That was precisely why someone as powerful as the old Daoist was forced to search the entire world for it.
As everyone waited, Bai Yuan’s ears twitched slightly.
’Someone’s here!’
His gaze as sharp as a hawk’s, he snapped his head around to stare at a patch of the forest.
At almost the same instant he turned, Qiu Yang and the other masters also sensed the abnormality.
Less than a li away from them stood a group of people in black robes.
’It’s obvious,’ Bai Yuan thought. ’Where there’s a Demon Seed, followers of the Celestial Heart Sect are sure to be found.’
A cold smile touched the corners of Qiu Yang’s mouth. "Kill them?"
Bai Yuan nodded, his gaze icy.
’My side has a thousand men. At this range, a quick retreat is impossible. Our only option is a swift and decisive battle.’
’Liu Zhengwen and Fang Yong are already searching under the lake, and the other three flanks are guarded by the army. The Demon Seed won’t be able to escape even if it grew wings.’
’All I have to do is hold this gap.’
The two forces, roughly equal in number, clashed moments later.
The battle erupted instantly.
For a time, the forest was filled with battle cries that shook the heavens.
Qiu Yang and the other masters each found their opponents, and the scene devolved into a chaotic melee.
’The Celestial Heart Sect wants to enter the lake?’
’In their dreams!’
Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!
Use arrow keys (or A / D) to PREV/NEXT chapter