The old man manipulated the starfield projection, presenting a horizontal view of the battle situation behind the ancient demon tide.
Everyone present, including the old man, were veterans of countless battles. Even Zhao Wang, who had just arrived, could immediately discern the perilous and delicately balanced nature of the entire battlefield with just a few focused glances.
Beyond the battle circle where the Peacock Army was situated, there were seven other battle circles that could disrupt this fragile equilibrium.
However, as the intense fighting continued, the other areas descended into stalemate. Only in the Peacock Army's sector did two figures suddenly emerge – a man and a woman.
The woman threw herself into the fray, aiding the Peacock Army. She unleashed terrifying combat power, severely injuring the Dijiang Clan ancient demon.
"Such powerful Celestial Lord Realm strength!"
"That woman's celestial techniques are quite rare, seemingly like some kind of lost ancient arts!"
Within the Star Sea Palace, everyone except the old man narrowed their eyes. They hadn't expected such a powerful expert to be hidden in this battle. The woman's combat prowess was definitely comparable to an A-grade Peacock Army, perhaps even surpassing it.
Just as the balance seemed about to be broken, an even more terrifying ancient demon figure suddenly surged out from the demon tide, aiming to suppress and kill the woman.
Seeing this, some people's expressions drastically changed. They were not on the front lines and hadn't expected such a perilous turn of events to occur in this battle.
The silver-haired youth in black armor and the woman with heterochromatic pupils had both committed themselves to the battlefield earlier. When the Reincarnation Royal Clan ancient demon appeared, they had already keenly sensed a soaring demonic aura. Therefore, they weren't too surprised at this moment, though their expressions did become more solemn.
Just as the woman seemed about to be suppressed, terrifying demonic energy suddenly erupted from her body, and eight wings unfurled behind her back.
This sudden transformation caused many to abruptly stand up, exclaiming in horrified voices.
"Ancient demon? A Royal Clan ancient demon?!"
"How is this possible!"
"They're killing each other?!"
Apart from the old man, both the silver-haired youth and the heterochromatic-eyed woman were stunned, somewhat bewildered.
Immediately afterward, the eight-winged ancient demon woman engaged in a fierce battle with the Reincarnation Royal Clan ancient demon, chasing and fleeing from each other.
Before leaving, the ancient demon woman's palm churned with black energy, revealing an object.
Upon seeing that thing, Zhao Wang, whose body was encircled by black dragon qi, had a drastic change in expression. The dragon qi that usually drifted around him like clouds suddenly straightened like nine sharp spears, exuding terrifying momentum, as if about to explode at any moment.
Even when he saw the woman reveal her Royal Clan ancient demon form, he was only surprised, not losing his composure. But now, he was staring intently at the starfield projection.
The old man glanced at him impassively but didn't pause the projection. He allowed the miniature scene to quickly play through. By the time the Reincarnation Royal Clan ancient demon chased after the woman and disappeared, his own battle with the Dijiang Clan King Realm ancient demon also quickly concluded.
And this battle also ended with his victory. He suppressed the ancient demon tide and ordered a full army pursuit, practically wiping out the demon tide, with only a very small fraction escaping back into the chaotic asteroid field.
The starfield projection slowly came to a halt, and the hall fell silent, devoid of sound for a moment.
Zhao Wang snapped back to reality. The shock on his face quickly receded, and the dragon qi around him resumed its swirling pattern. He scanned the room, his gaze settling on the old man, and said:
"Which sect does that young man belong to? True Immortal Realm level three, yet he actually blocked a casual blow from a Celestial Lord Realm level nine ancient demon, truly remarkable!"
His words broke the silence, and everyone else also recovered.
"What's going on here?"
"That woman is actually an ancient demon? Ancient demons are killing each other?"
"I've heard that amongst the three Royal Clans and seven King Clans of the ancient demons, while they treat all races equally with brutality and slaughter, there are also conflicts amongst themselves. As far back as ninety thousand years ago, to contend for a certain Immortal Emperor's Immortal Forbidden Emperor Artifact, two ancient demon Royal Clans fought each other to the death, resulting in the fall of countless ancient demons, and giving the Eastern Region a chance to breathe."
Compared to the young man's brilliance, everyone was more concerned about the ancient demon woman's situation.
Seeing everyone arguing, Zhao Wang's eyes remained calm, silent. He knew the answer in his heart.
The old man also remained silent. After the discussions subsided, he finally spoke:
"The ancient demon Royal Clans are involved in matters that are far-reaching, so we won't go into detail here. This battle was able to be won largely thanks to that young man. Otherwise, before my battle with Di Qiu could even end, we would have suffered countless casualties. Even if we could win in the end, it would be a pyrrhic victory!"
As he spoke, he raised his hand and rotated the starfield projection, using immortal energy to guide it and project it into mid-air. He then employed military strategist immortal laws to deduce and simulate.
In the simulated deduction, during the final stages of the battle, without the young man and the ancient demon woman's intervention, the Peacock Army was destroyed by the Dijiang Clan ancient demon. Their military formation was breached, and nearly half of the ten thousand Peacock Army soldiers were killed. Subsequently, the Dijiang Clan ancient demon turned to assist another battle circle, shattering the balance there.
This triggered a terrifying chain reaction. The other battle circles received reinforcements from the ancient demons and gained the upper hand against the human forces. Elders from various immortal sects fell one after another, tragically devoured by the ancient demons. The Tiger-Lion Army was also wantonly slaughtered by the freed high-ranking ancient demon commanders. The battlefield was filled with wails, screams, and countless deaths.
Everyone present, though they had some deductions and expectations in their hearts, couldn't help but have their expressions subtly change upon witnessing this scene.
Who could have imagined that the shattering of such a delicate balance would cause such terrible casualties!
In this projected deduction, the human casualties were devastating. Although the old man eventually defeated Di Qiu, by the time he personally cleared the battlefield, only a scorched earth filled with corpses remained.
Those who died at the hands of the ancient demons had their primordial spirits extinguished, losing even the chance for reincarnation.
Among them, the silver-haired youth in black armor was also critically injured by an ancient demon, on the verge of death.
One of the heterochromatic-eyed woman's eyes was permanently blinded in the battle. She had to unleash her strongest trump card to barely save her life.
Seeing such a result, the Star Sea Palace became somewhat quiet.
"To think there would come a day when we humans would have to thank an ancient demon," a general murmured in a low voice, his tone tinged with bitterness.
The old man looked at him, his expression stern, radiating a chilling aura that penetrated to the bone. He said, "Ancient demons devour all races in the True World. Racial hatred transcends everything. As a general of Yan-Chu, you must be mindful of your words!"
The general's heart leaped. He instantly felt cold sweat seeping from his back, finally remembering that the person standing before him was the Heavenly Master of the Demon Subduing Division.
"This subordinate misspoke, I beg Heavenly Master for forgiveness." He quickly cupped his fist and bowed his head sincerely.
The old man coldly snorted, ignoring him. Instead, he said, "As expeditionary soldiers, besides killing ancient demons to accumulate celestial merit, those who render great service on the battlefield must also be heavily rewarded. In everyone's opinion, how much celestial merit is appropriate to award this young man's actions?"
Hearing his words, everyone exchanged glances. Someone asked in a low voice, "Heavenly Master, that young man is mixed up with that ancient demon woman. Putting aside rewarding him for merit, should we first summon him and properly examine him?"
"Indeed, colluding with an ancient demon, if it weren't for the ancient demons fighting amongst themselves, she might have sneaked into our borders," another general nodded in agreement.
"Examine a meritorious contributor?"
The heterochromatic-eyed woman suddenly spoke, her voice cold, "If that young man were an ancient demon spy, colluding with ancient demons, why would he even bother to act? He could just quietly wait for the battle to end and take advantage of the chaos to bring that ancient demon woman back to the border."
"That's right. In my opinion, that young man might not even know the ancient demon woman's identity. Perhaps he was simply used by her. After all, that young man is only at the True Immortal Realm level three, while that Royal Clan ancient demon is at the Celestial Lord Realm. It's too easy for her to deceive a True Immortal Realm junior," the silver-haired youth in black armor nodded in agreement. He knew that the Heavenly Master before them highly valued the young man. Going against his will at this moment would be utterly foolish.
Moreover, considering the deduced outcome just now, if it weren't for that young man's butterfly effect, he would have been on the verge of death in this battle, critically injured, delaying his cultivation for thousands of years. He naturally held some goodwill towards the young man.
"The two of you shouldn't jump to conclusions so readily. Examining him would clarify everything," the middle-aged general who had spoken earlier shook his head. He was burly, with golden misty light enveloping him, his aura not inferior to the heterochromatic-eyed woman and the silver-haired youth. His military rank was also equivalent, so his words weren't overly courteous, "Perhaps that young man did it intentionally, but he just didn't expect a Reincarnation Royal Clan ancient demon to emerge from the demon ranks, forcing the woman to reveal her true form. That woman didn't show her true form when she aided the Peacock Army, indicating she intentionally concealed it."
"That still has nothing to do with the young man."
"If this matter has nothing to do with the young man, then the celestial merit should even less be counted towards him. After all, it wasn't him who helped the Peacock Army repel the ancient demons."
"Are you suggesting we reward the celestial merit to that ancient demon woman?" the silver-haired youth said coldly.
The middle-aged general said indifferently, "This is a twist of fate, one could only say this expedition was divinely ordained, a blessing from the Heavenly Dao, our human race's fortune."
"I believe examination is justified, indeed prudent," another general nodded in agreement.
The heterochromatic-eyed woman's face darkened. "That young man has such extraordinary talent. If he's subjected to examination, do you know how much damage it would inflict on his cultivation?"
Border region immortal army examinations, especially when treated as a suspected traitor colluding with ancient demons, are cruelly and rigorously conducted, which can significantly impact cultivation, even causing dao hearts to deteriorate.
"Border matters are of utmost importance. Although that young man possesses heaven-defying talent, our vast Yan-Chu Immortal Dynasty has thirteen provinces, each province with three thousand commanderies, each commandery spanning billions of miles. How can we be lacking in geniuses? We can still find a batch of prodigies who surpass that young man."
Another old general with a long beard said. His face was long and narrow, his cheekbones prominent, appearing stern and extremely solemn.
Hearing this old general's words, several other generals slightly nodded.
"Indeed, for the sake of prudence, examination is still better. Perhaps that young man's action is precisely to make us avoid examination. That young man might even be an ancient demon himself!" one general said.
"Don't forget the lessons of the former Li-Bei Immortal Dynasty. Ancient demons are cunning and deceitful, using honey traps to infiltrate the Li-Bei Immortal Dynasty, ultimately almost wiping out their royal clan," another general reminded.
Seeing more and more people agreeing, the heterochromatic-eyed woman's expression became increasingly unpleasant.
At the same time, a hint of wavering arose within her. Though the young man's talent was extraordinary, the Yan-Chu Immortal Dynasty had even seen the birth of nine-petal immortal imprint prodigies before, let alone this young man.
"The ancient demons that young man killed, just a rough estimate, can accumulate millions of celestial merit. Even if we examine him, we should consider it leniently, so as not to affect him," the silver-haired youth said with a沉着 (calm and collected) face, choosing to concede a step.
Hearing his words, the long-bearded old man slightly paused, then stroked his beard and nodded slightly, "Considering this celestial merit, it's indeed not appropriate to make things too difficult for him. But we should observe him more closely afterward."
"Everyone, there's no need to argue."
At this moment, the old man suddenly spoke, interrupting the discussion.
He surveyed the room, his gaze sweeping over everyone, his expression calm, a slight smile playing on his lips. "That young man is from my Demon Subduing Division. He absolutely will not collude with ancient demons. Judging solely from the starfield projection, there are two possibilities. One is that he was unaware that the woman was an ancient demon, but still took her with him to provide aid. This resolve deserves praise, and it also led him to accidentally achieve great merit."
"The second possibility is that he knew the woman was an ancient demon, and intentionally had her act, wanting to use the ancient demon woman to pit ancient demons against each other."
He glanced around, seeing the stunned expressions on everyone's faces, and continued with a smile, "Regardless of which it is, both are praiseworthy. Awarding this celestial merit to him seems like the only appropriate choice."
Everyone was taken aback.
The heterochromatic-eyed woman and the silver-haired youth exchanged glances, both seeing the sudden realization in each other's eyes.
No wonder this Heavenly Master had been so favorably disposed towards the young man from the start; he was paving the way for him all along.
The others looked at each other, somewhat speechless.
You should have said he was your person earlier, and we wouldn't have argued. This is clearly watching us make fools of ourselves, isn't it…?
"So, he's a prodigy from the Demon Subduing Division, no wonder he's so powerful."
"True Immortal Realm level three yet able to block a casual blow from a Celestial Lord Realm level nine expert, such a prodigy, I wonder if his soul age is under three thousand years old? If it is, he might even have a chance to participate in the Southern Region Assembly Battle, and bring honor to our Immortal Dynasty!"
"Could this person be the Heavenly Master's disciple?"
The generals spoke up, one after another, the tense and confrontational atmosphere from just now instantly vanishing.
Zhao Wang glanced at the Heavenly Master, his eyes flickering slightly, but remained silent.
The old man smiled faintly and said, "Let's still calculate the celestial merit for this battle item by item first. Everyone also shouldn't be overly lenient just because this child is from my Demon Subduing Division. After all, the merit record will ultimately be reviewed by His Majesty."
Hearing his words, everyone's expressions eased. They understood that his mentioning His Majesty meant everything would be handled officially, which would also not put them in a difficult position.
"Then let's follow the rules, determine battle losses, and calculate battle merit based on losses," one general said.
"Good," the others nodded slightly, without much disagreement on this matter.
The old man nodded slightly and began to calculate with them. In the end, they arrived at a number:
1.92 million celestial merit!
"Someone, summon him to wait for me at my Water Moon Palace," the old man transmitted his voice, giving instructions.
A Demon Subduing Guard outside the hall acknowledged the order and quickly departed.
The old man turned the starfield projection in his palm and then began to calculate the celestial merit for other Celestial Lords and immortal sects.
...
Water Moon Palace, located a hundred miles away to the left of the main general's palace in the city area.
Demon Subduing Guards were hidden in the shadows around the palace, patrolling the surroundings. Two teams of Demon Subduing Guards stood watch at the main palace. Compared to the main general's palace and other generals' residences, there were no heavily armed guards here. On the contrary, it appeared quite spacious and quiet.
However, the streets and city areas adjacent to this place were deserted, with no one daring to approach, appearing extremely desolate.
Li Hao followed two Demon Subduing Guards to the Water Moon Palace. The Demon Subduing Guards brought him to this place and then departed, only informing him that the Heavenly Master would return soon.
Li Hao waited in the courtyard outside the palace. Some time passed, and he became idle. He strolled around the courtyard.
The courtyard was vast, with immortal laws in operation, like a small secret realm, seemingly a courtyard, but in reality, a blessed land for cultivation.
Li Hao wandered about. When he passed by a small stream with an arched bridge, he suddenly heard the sound of wind being whipped through the air.
With his sharp hearing and dao realm, he instantly discerned that the wind sound was sword wind, someone was practicing swordsmanship.
The sound of a sword cutting through wind and the sound of a blade cutting through wind had distinct differences. From the faint rustling of the piercing wind, Li Hao could almost visualize the sword practitioner's sword-wielding posture, including their physique.
He became somewhat curious. He walked down from the arched bridge, went around a small forest, and saw ahead, at the end of a pebble path leading to a pavilion, a young girl around fourteen or fifteen years old, wearing a goose-yellow dress, gracefully practicing swordsmanship.
However, although her face looked childish, her sword form was surprisingly mature.
"Hmm?"
Li Hao watched her sword form. The girl was repeatedly practicing the same sword move, seemingly taught hand-in-hand. In her practice, the sword move slowly revealed a trace of extremely faint charm.
And that charm, Li Hao found extremely familiar. He quickly recognized that the sword technique the girl was practicing was actually one of the Ten Great Immortal Techniques – 'Azure Sky' (青天)!
Li Hao was somewhat astonished. He hadn't expected to see a girl casually practicing one of the Ten Great Immortal Techniques, once so rare in the True World, here.
However, her sword form seemed to be slightly distorted, only barely able to capture a trace of dao charm. Cultivating like this, she would probably need to spend an extremely long time to gradually comprehend the true essence of this immortal technique.
"Who's there?"
While Li Hao was quietly observing, the girl seemed to sense something. Suddenly, her eyes narrowed. Her eyes, originally as soft as water, instantly became sharp. With a casual sword strike, sword qi like a rainbow, slashed towards Li Hao's location.
This sword qi showed no mercy. Being caught secretly learning sword techniques was a major taboo in any sect.
But when this sharp Azure Sky sword qi instantly reached Li Hao, Li Hao raised his hand and extended two fingers, gently pinching them, easily stopping the intangible yet spirited sword qi.
Then, with a slight force between his fingers, the sword qi shattered.
"Who are you, how dare you secretly learn my sword practice!"
The girl took a step forward, pursuing, and appeared ten feet away from Li Hao. Seeing her sword qi broken, a hint of anger appeared on her delicate face, but no fear.
"Secretly learn?"
Li Hao was taken aback, then smiled. The fingers that had just shattered the sword qi slightly closed, forming a sword finger. He then, as if scooping up a cloud or the moon, gently waved his finger outwards.
In an instant, a sword qi burst forth from his fingertip, instantly severing space, like an ancestral dragon emerging from the abyss, soaring across the heavens. In a flash, it grazed past the flying strands of hair at the girl's temples, like a dragon's long roar, soaring straight up to the sky above the courtyard, leaving a crack!
(End of Chapter)