Chapter Forty-Four: A Desperate Battle and Sudden Change

“You’re actually a Jinshi of the Heavenly Purity Guard, Li Bai’s poetry? The Li Clan, the Sect of Poetry?!” Shi Bufeng finally recalled the name of the spirited young woman before him. His eyes brimmed with disbelief, and he hastily withdrew, channeling demonic energy to defend himself. But the golden qilin was already bearing down upon him.

A flood of golden literary aura swept across the heavens and earth. The cultists of the Demon Sect screamed in agony, and Shi Bufeng too was forced into a rapid retreat, tumbling through the air.

Jin Changwu felt the pressure on his body abruptly ease. The Demon Sect jinshi controlling the formation was crushed by the qilin’s might, and the pressure of the array beneath Jin Changwu’s feet was instantly relieved. Veins bulged across Jin Changwu’s face as he roared in fury.

“Paltry remnants of the Demon Sect, you dare to cause chaos in Shiyang County? Prepare to die!”

Seizing the moment, Jin Changwu and Registrar Zhou rose together, shattering all obstacles in their path.

Jin Changwu soared into the air, his robes billowing. He drew forth a blood-red brush, pouring all his literary power into it with wild abandon.

In a heartbeat, the crimson brush swelled like a pillar reaching the sky, transforming instantly into a towering column.

Waves of literary aura surged from the brush’s tip. With a furious shout, Jin Changwu’s sleeves burst apart, and he embraced the brush with both arms, bringing it down toward the earth.

A black cloud presses the city, threatening its collapse…

…He raises the Jade Dragon, prepared to die for his lord!

A mighty poem, its verses written in red, took form in an instant. The winds and clouds of heaven and earth shifted abruptly; an endless pressure swept out, descending upon the entire city. With the official seal at Jin Changwu’s waist and the power of the Ascendant Hall of Letters, a vast formation took shape, resonating with the Hall’s might.

That overwhelming pressure filled the soldiers on the walls with hope and courage, while the roaring beasts outside the city whimpered and fell silent.

At that moment, Shi Bufeng turned and charged at Registrar Zhou.

“Shi Bufeng, how dare you use me? How dare you harm the people of Shiyang County!” Registrar Zhou, a fellow jinshi though not as strong as Jin Changwu, unleashed his own oppressive aura despite his injuries, showing no fear of Shi Bufeng’s attack.

Shi Bufeng’s expression turned frigid as the tides shifted. Then, his gaze landed on Pan Shun, who was on the verge of demonization.

In a split second, Shi Bufeng’s demonic energy wrapped around Pan Shun, surging into his body. Pan Shun, who had been unconscious, snapped awake with a scream of agony.

“Pan Shun!” Jin Changwu shouted, swinging his brush in attack. Shi Bufeng seized Pan Shun and leapt away, retreating at breakneck speed.

Jin Changwu and Registrar Zhou gave chase at once, while on the other side, Li Mo’er suddenly turned her gaze beyond the city walls.

Outside the city, beneath the eastern wall, corpses were strewn everywhere.

That section of wall had long been the weakest, hastily reinforced during reconstruction. It had already endured a midnight assault by the beasts. If not for the desperate struggle of the garrison and the scholars within the city, and the presence of a great scholar’s writings, the city would have already been breached.

After the fierce battle, verses of red poetry flared in the sky, strengthening the city’s defenses together with the Ascendant Hall and the scholar’s works. The defenders, exhausted, had finally repelled the attackers—if only for a moment.

But before anyone could catch their breath, calamity struck again.

From the shimmering waters of the Gan River, waves suddenly began to rise.

A captain squinted at the disturbance, about to alert the nearby soldiers when suddenly, arrows of water shot forth from the river.

Those watery arrows rained down upon the city, slamming into the walls like massive boulders. The barely repaired section of wall was instantly pockmarked with deep craters.

“Enemy attack! To arms!”

The battered captain shouted again, raising a longsword etched with ancient texts. The battered, weary soldiers around him struggled once more to their feet.

“What’s happening?” a voice asked at his side—it was Master Xun, his face ashen and bedraggled.

“I don’t know. It must be a great demon, an exceptionally powerful one!”

Master Xun’s face twisted in fear as he peered outside. Suddenly, a pillar of light shot up from the city wall.

“Clear River Demon King, do you have a death wish?!”

A furious roar resounded. Master Xun’s heart trembled—he recognized the voice of Instructor Ouyang Hong.

Ouyang Hong, robes billowing with official power, rose in anger, his gaze piercing the river’s surface. Beneath the water, he saw a massive golden-red carp.

The carp’s body was so enormous it occupied a third of the river. At Ouyang Hong’s shout, the beast slowly surfaced, transforming into a burly man with a carp’s head, standing atop the river.

The Demon King revealed himself, his demonic aura surging to the heavens. Countless lesser demons howled in response.

Ouyang Hong’s face paled in terror.

Since the fall of the Celestial Star, demons had become humanity’s greatest threat. They absorbed the world’s spiritual energy, wielding their formidable bodies and long lives to tyrannize without ever needing to master poetry or literary power.

But now, these already fearsome demons had learned cultivation. With demon aura, they created demon soldiers, demon generals, demon marshals, demon kings, demon lords, demon emperors, and demon saints—each matching the ranks of human scholars: pupil, licentiate, recommended man, jinshi, hanlin scholar, grand academician, and great scholar.

And among the boundless seas, the demon race had a Demon God—a being rivaling humanity’s own sages.

Now, humanity had only half-saint scholars; there were no true sages left. The demons still had their god.

This ancient Demon King carp, with even a trace of dragon blood, possessed might far beyond Ouyang Hong, who had only advanced to jinshi a decade prior.

Ouyang Hong felt an unprecedented sense of doom.

“Human jinshi, begone at once! Today, I require only the people of this city for a feast of blood. You may live.”

The monstrous head spoke, its words dripping with arrogance.

It had reason to be arrogant. Before it stood ten thousand demon soldiers, dozens of demon generals, and several demon marshals.

A mere Shiyang County could not withstand its might.

“Clear River Demon King, have you forgotten our agreement? Do you truly believe you can slaughter the innocent and leave Jizhou Prefecture alive?”

“What’s that to me? The Gan River Demon Lord has given the order. Your Du Feiying slew seven of our Demon Kings. We demand the lives of seven hundred thousand humans in return!”

“If you have any grievances, take them to our Demon Lord!”

At these words, Ouyang Hong’s face turned ashen.

“Enough talk! My minions are starving. Tonight, they shall feast until they are sated!”

With a thunderous bellow, the Demon King’s voice echoed everywhere. The beasts roared as one, launching a fresh assault.

“Impudence!” Ouyang Hong could no longer hesitate. He unleashed all his literary power and charged forward.

Battle raged furiously beyond the east wall.

Within the city, Shi Bufeng, having absorbed Pan Shun, was now holding off two jinshi single-handedly.

“Heh heh… Hear that chaos outside? Even with the Heavenly Purity Guard’s help, the Demon King will break through and devour your citizens. Then, you’ll lose more than just your official hats.”

“Monster! You deserve death!” Registrar Zhou shouted, his face twisted with rage. Jin Changwu, equally fierce, slashed down with his brush again and again.

“I’ll kill you, even if it means my life!” Jin Changwu roared.

At that moment, a figure appeared behind Shi Bufeng. Li Mo’er, radiating a chilling aura, raised her sword, and blades of light flickered into existence around her.

Shi Bufeng’s expression changed abruptly, sensing the immense power within Li Mo’er. He suddenly tried to flee.

His black eyes darted around. He saw several of his subordinates, all at the recommended man rank, trying to block Li Mo’er—only to be slain instantly.

Shi Bufeng’s heart pounded. He had not expected Li Mo’er to be so terrifying. Without hesitation, he slashed his own chest with his claws.

Several drops of blood spurted out, mingling with demonic energy and cocooning Shi Bufeng.

“Blood Escape! He’s trying to flee!” Registrar Zhou shouted.

Jin Changwu exclaimed, “No, he has another purpose!”

In the next instant, Shi Bufeng, wreathed in black mist, appeared near the east wall, his gaze sweeping the area.

Jin Changwu and his companions blanched and rushed after him—only to be surrounded by the remaining Demon Sect cultists, the other jinshi among them fighting desperately.

A massive explosion erupted at the east wall. Smoke and dust billowed skyward.

The east wall had collapsed.

A gigantic breach appeared, and countless demon beasts began pouring into the city.

“It’s over,” Jin Changwu murmured, his face livid. Registrar Zhou, overwhelmed with fury, hacked down a cultist.

Li Mo’er gritted her teeth and rushed forward.

Within moments, a sea of demon beasts surged into the city, while cries of terror rose from the populace.

Shi Bufeng’s maniacal laughter echoed from the skies. But just then, a mighty voice, grand as the heavens themselves, resounded from above.

“Through the ages, rivers and mountains have stood—yet where are the heroes like Sun Zhongmou?”

…