Da Xuan Martial Saint

To the east of Jingyu County.

Within a ruined manor.

Everywhere lay broken walls and pillars, while gushing crimson bloodstains flowed along puddles of water.

Amid the ruins of the buildings, a monster that vaguely resembled a fish in its body with a snake-like head could be seen, along with six feet and six claws. Its enormous body spanned several zhang, and at the moment, each of its front four claws clutched pieces of bloodied and mangled limbs, which it continuously shoveled into its mouth to gorge upon, the chilling sound of bones being crunched echoing through the air.

Not far from the buildings, on a small hill, Yan Guang was currently crouching, hiding behind a large rock, his face looking exceedingly grim as he watched the scene from afar.

"A Water Demon of abundant legacy..."

Such a fifth-rank demon was not something ordinary martial artists could handle. Either one at the Five Viscera Realm needed to take action, or it took one of those elite armies capable of forming military formations to suppress its fierce demon power to subdue it.

Most of Jingyu County consisted of the Xue Family's properties, including many manors located outside the county government. This particular manor, almost completely destroyed, was one of them. Yet as he watched the Water Demon wreak havoc, he didn't dare approach.

More than that.

Not only did he not dare go there, even hiding here required him to do his utmost to contain his breath.

In fact, Yan Guang's heart was incredibly heavy at this moment. The appearance of a fifth-rank demon had always been a major calamity in the past. Losing a manor could actually still be accepted, but the problem was its proximity to the county government!

If the demon, after rampaging through this manor, turned towards the county government, the losses would be far from trivial. The people there either wouldn't have enough time to relocate, or even if they had the time, they wouldn't be able to do it. This was different from the villages and rural residents' evacuation; the county government's population was too large, and any movement would result in significant losses.

Just then.

A scout quickly approached from a distance, cautiously getting closer.

"Is there any news from Flat Sand Lake?"

Yan Guang asked the scout in a low voice.

Flat Sand Lake was the new name for the area downstream of the Qingping River, given because the earth's veins had fractured and sunk to form a lake. It just happened to be at the junction of Qingping River and Golden Sand River, thus they took one character from each as a temporary name. Of course, such temporary names often became the actual names in the future.

"Not yet."

That scout, too, disregarded formal salute, his eyes filled with terror as he glanced at the tragedy in the manor from afar and cautiously responded to Yan Guang in a low voice.

Yan Guang's expression turned even uglier. With no news from Flat Sand Lake and no help from a True Disciple forthcoming, City Lord Xue was far away in other river domains—even if he received the news, it wouldn't be possible for him to arrive promptly. Meanwhile, Bureau Head Meng Tianzhang of the Demon-Slaying Office was stationed in Yu City, and he certainly wouldn't leave his post in such a time.

As for the Heavenly Sword Sect, Hehuan Sect, and the other sects, it was actually also possible to seek their aid now, but just the same, their True Disciples and stewards had not been seen. This could be understood, as the disruption of earth's veins was very rare. Most would still be exploring beneath the earth's veins and wouldn't come up until the fractures closed.

"Do I really have to try luring away this demon."

Yan Guang took a deep breath.

At this time, in order to prevent disaster from befalling the county government, the only thing to do was to find a way to lure away this Water Demon. The problem was that luring the creature away was by no means easy. Ordinary martial men who had undergone Tendon Changing and Body Refinement wouldn't be able to get far in front of it. Even for someone like him at the Bone Tempering Realm, once targeted, it was highly likely to be instant death.

Under such circumstances, who would be willing to draw away the Water Demon?

Would they use human lives as a sacrifice?

Yan Guang hesitated for a moment.

But just then, a thunderclap suddenly sounded from the dark clouds above.

It seemed to be the first thunder of the spring, instantly illuminating heaven and earth, resounding in every direction, and startling the already tense scout behind Yan Guang, who inadvertently stepped into a puddle, splashing water in every direction.

In an instant.

In the broken house, the Water Demon, which was gnawing on flesh and blood, suddenly stopped moving. Its huge body twitched, and the serpent-like head turned, its eyes looking in the direction of Yan Guang and the others.

"This is bad."

Yan Guang's mind was struck with alarm, fearing the worst.

In the very next moment, he stamped his foot and dashed back, swiftly retreating into the distance.

The nearby attendants and scouts were terrified. Under the terror of the demon's power, they were so paralyzed they found it hard to move, their eyes filled with fear, unable to even muster their thoughts.

Whoosh!

In the blink of an eye.

The massive body of the Water Demon leapt out from between the broken walls and appeared above with a sweep, its six hind legs crushing the large rock where Yan Guang had been hiding, erecting its huge body.

Boom!

The rock shook violently under the weight, unable to bear it, and cracks began to form on its surface.

The nearby scouts and officials were so scared they were dumbfounded. Overwhelmed by the aura of the demon, they struggled to even budge, frightened eyes wide, unable to concentrate their minds for a moment.Nôv(el)B\\jnn

But at that moment.

Boom.

Another Heavenly Thunder struck, yet this one fell straight towards the head of the water demon Feng Yi, with a bang covering its entire massive body. The brilliant lightning exploded at close range, making everyone involuntarily close their eyes.

When they reopened their eyes, they saw the giant body of the water demon Feng Yi frozen in place, scorched marks from the lightning strike all over its body. But most importantly, atop its head, unbeknownst to them when, a person appeared, a blade in hand thrust straight into its skull and buried to the hilt.

"Hiss!!!"

Despite such a severe injury, the fifth rank water demon was still not dead. Its rigid body started moving again, letting out a mournful and angry hiss. A demon's power spread, causing the nearby water on the ground to sweep up, forming column after column of curtains rushing skyward, heading towards the silhouette above its head.

Yet Chen Mu remained calm, swiftly pulling out the Flowing Fire Blade, leaping high in the air to dodge the incoming water from all directions before raising the blade over his head in midair.

Sizzle!

Silken arcs of thunder traced over the edge of the blade, as in the thunderclouds above, similar silken arcs intertwined.

Then, as he swung his blade downwards, another thunderous boom resounded. A bolt of lightning fell from the clouds onto the Flowing Fire Blade in his hand, and he, accompanied by the lightning, swung downwards.

The brilliant band of thunder first struck the surging curtain of water, causing interweaving arcs of thunder to spread throughout it, then the blade in his hand chopped down, splitting the enormous serpent head of the water demon Feng Yi in half right down the middle!

Splash.

Chen Mu flipped in the air and landed in a puddle more than ten yards away, water splashing around him, with faint arcs of thunder still weaving around his body.

Under the stunned gaze of Yan Guang and others, the massive body of the water demon Feng Yi staggered a few times before finally crashing to the ground.

"Cough."

As Yan Guang and the others were still immersed in shock, Chen Mu coughed up a wisp of black mist, a hint of a bitter smile flashing through his eyes as he shook his head. This was the first time he had attempted to utilize the 'opportune time' of Thunderclap, and indeed the power was extraordinary. Without even applying Xun Wind and Separating Fire, he had slain the fifth rank water demon Feng Yi with his blade. However, the power was so great that even he found it difficult to fully endure. Fortunately, the Evil-Breaking Thunder Spear he wore had absorbed much of the Heavenly Thunder's power, so he wasn't seriously harmed.

It seemed that Heavenly Thunder should not be drawn upon carelessly. At least, he should wait until he had fully mastered the Artistic Conceptions of Gen Mountain, Dui Ze, and such, and possessed the two Realms of mountain and marsh that could better withstand the power of Heavenly Thunder, before he could more comfortably utilize the Thunderclap Artistic Conception's opportune time.

Splash.

The rain that had briefly frozen in the atmosphere began to fall again.

Chen Mu slowly stood up in the rain, and by this time, Yan Guang and the others had already clearly seen Chen Mu's figure.

"Lord... Chen?"

The few surviving officials and scouts were all staring at Chen Mu with wide eyes, their faces filled with shock, while Yan Guang from afar was equally shocked.

However, before he could approach, Chen Mu had already stepped past him, striding in the direction of the county government, and said, "Take the water demon's corpse back to the county government for the time being. Handle the other matters yourself."

After his voice faded,

Chen Mu's figure had already disappeared in the rain.

Only leaving Yan Guang and several officers frozen in the rain, it took them a long time to finally come back to their senses. They exchanged glances, still seeing the lingering shock in each other's eyes.

Chen Mu did not pay attention to the reactions of Yan Guang and the others; after giving his orders, he made his way back to the county government of Jingyu County.

"Lord Chen?"

The County Magistrate of Jingyu County was pacing anxiously under the eaves at the front entrance of the county government, waiting for news. Suddenly seeing Chen Mu's figure approaching through the rain, he quickly composed himself, rushed to salute Chen Mu, and said, "Lord Chen, to the east of the county government..."

"Has been dealt with."

Chen Mu strode past the entrance of the county government, not pausing as he calmly said, "I need to rest for a while. Do not disturb me unless it's something important."

As his words settled,

he vanished inside the county government within a few steps, leaving the County Magistrate of Jingyu County standing there in a daze.

... Continue your adventure at empire

Returning to the courtyard he had been resting in,

Chen Mu approached the door.

As he pushed it open, he vibrated his Yuan Gang Force, shaking off all the mud and water, then a flame emerged from his body, drying his clothes in an instant with a flick and a wrap.

He stepped into the room, closed the door, sat down next to the Taishi Chair, put some tea leaves into the kettle, brewed a cup of hot tea, and placed the parcels and various gains aside, finally letting out a long sigh of relief.

The flood disaster was not yet over, but the largest-scale disturbances in Earth's Veins had subsided, and the floods and river channels were nearly stable. There would be no larger disturbances to come, at most some demon attacks.

"It's finally come to a close."

He picked up the teacup, took a sip of hot tea, and then slightly closed his eyes.

Outside the window,

The drizzle continued unceasingly.