The Demon Lords

Chapter 479 5 Heaven's Will_3

The man in black said directly, "I didn't intentionally stand by and watch. After all, no one knows which direction the demonic beast controlled by the Jade Order will charge."

The middle-aged Taoist ignored this explanation. In fact, he believed it. Although the two sides had different positions, some duties were common. When it came to the fundamental issue of dealing with demonic or evil entities, they wouldn't resort to such petty tricks. Most importantly, the middle-aged Taoist knew the other party had no need to play such tricks.

"Cut it open and find the Jade Order," the man in black said to the maidservant by his side.

The maidservant nodded, drew her sword, and sliced open the black bear's back. The black bear let out a final, feeble cry and died. The maidservant in black, disregarding the blood and gore, began to search the black bear's corpse. But after much rummaging, she found nothing.

The middle-aged Taoist snorted coldly and said, "The head."

Obviously, the Jade Order was not in the black bear's body but in its head.

"Is the Jade Order really this small?" the man in black asked.

The middle-aged Taoist explained, "It's only a bit larger than an ordinary jade pendant. It's quite normal that you wouldn't know."

The man in black heard the sarcasm in the Taoist's words but didn't get angry.

The Yan people don't believe in gods or Buddhas; they believe in their warhorses and sabers. When the previous emperor was on the throne, various esoteric sects enjoyed a period of prosperity. But with Ji Runhao's ascension, a single decree was enough to purge them all. Therefore, the people of the faith in Yan State are not as influential as those in other countries, where one might occasionally find a state preceptor. In Yan State, pragmatism reigns. People of the faith who are competent or possess useful abilities are all incorporated into the Spy Bureau. Nominally part of the Spy Bureau, they are actually under the command of that grand eunuch within the Imperial Palace. It's somewhat like martial arts sects being co-opted by the imperial court to become its lackeys. Thus, in terms of knowledge and legacy, they indeed fall short compared to sects elsewhere. After all, even that "Grandfather" eunuch is no prodigy among Qi cultivators; he was forcibly nurtured by the Ji Family using the Cauldron of National Destiny.

Further away, Zheng Fan and his three companions began to communicate via their private channel:

"Looks like it's resolved?" Zheng Fan asked.

"My lord, it should be resolved. They're probably looting the bodies now," A Ming stated.

The Blind One then said, "My lord, there are only three of them left, and we have two hundred cavalry. A volley of arrows followed by a charge would wipe them all out."

People of the faith and swordsmen are different. The former might be more adept at dealing with malevolent entities and divining heavenly secrets, rather than outright killing. Therefore, a charge by our two hundred cavalry would most likely succeed in this 'dog-eat-dog' scenario.

Zheng Fan, however, shook his head and said, "Too risky. Half of these two hundred cavalrymen are barbarian soldiers. In fact, the barbarian soldiers are somewhat more reliable. However, there's also a good portion of prisoner soldiers. Although they harbor grievances against the imperial court, ensuring that every single one of them keeps this a secret would be extremely difficult."

Hearing this, The Blind One nodded. He understood Zheng Fan was being cautious. After all, they were all just waiting for the Imperial Edict to be issued. This would allow them to go to the new territories in Jin State and establish their own domain. If any mishap occurred now, the losses would indeed outweigh the gains.

"However, my lord, I have a premonition that this so-called Jade Order is an extraordinary item."

"I know, I know," Zheng Fan chuckled. "But what's destined to be mine will eventually be mine. If it's not, let's not force it for now."

A Ming glanced at The Blind One, slightly puzzled. He wondered why The Blind One, usually so composed, was this agitated today. However, A Ming quickly understood. Magical artifacts like this might be of little use to the other Demon Kings; even their lord was treading the path of a Martial Cultivator. But for The Blind One, his spiritual power, when paired with an exceptional magical artifact, would be vastly amplified. It was akin to him encountering someone whose blood was irresistibly tantalizing—the inability to resist, the agitation, was a perfectly normal physiological reaction.

Meanwhile, the maidservant in black had forcefully split open the black bear's skull with her saber. Just then, a black snake suddenly shot out from the bear's severed head. It slithered up the maidservant's saber, bit her wrist, and then flung itself towards the middle-aged Taoist, who was sitting nearby, recuperating.

The man in black roared in anger. He had never imagined the Jade Order involved a double parasitism—first infesting a snake, then using that snake to control the black bear. This had caught them completely off guard.

The peachwood sword in front of the middle-aged Taoist shot up and struck the snake's tail. But the snake opened its maw and spat out a black venom, splashing it directly onto the Taoist's face.

"AAAAAAAGH!!!"

The middle-aged Taoist screamed instantly, clutching his face as he thrashed wildly on the ground.

The man in black immediately formed a hand seal, preparing to suppress the snake. There was a bulge in the snake's belly; it had presumably swallowed the Jade Order. A blue ring of light materialized again before the man in black, enveloping the snake. The creature was pinned to the ground and began to struggle, but it was clearly unable to break free.

"Let me see how much power you, sealed for hundreds of years, still possess!"

The flagging snake suddenly stiffened. Its eyes began to glow with a red light.

SLICE!

A saber had cut open the man in black's throat. The man turned his head in disbelief. He saw the maidservant in black standing beside him, her eyes emitting the same red glow as the snake's.

THUD!

The man in black collapsed to the ground.

Elsewhere, Zheng Fan's mouth fell slightly open. A Ming's eyes slowly widened. The Blind One's expression turned grave, and he said, "My lord, what I'm about to say next is truly not flattery."

Zheng Fan nodded.

"My lord, I think I might be witnessing... destiny."