Bamboo Mountain Temple was supposed to be a tranquil place for the Buddhist Sect, yet it harbored all manner of depravity, from illicit affairs to a secretly-raised private army.
Their cris were utterly damnable!
The General of Yidu was commanded to march against it!
The matter was of grave importance, and within days, the news had spread throughout Yidu City.
The local Governnt Office and the Demon Hunting Alliance even joined forces to issue a conscription order: all local Magicians were to report for duty imdiately upon hearing the news.
Slay the Demons. Failure is not an option.
As Mages of Yidu who had personally witnessed Wan Zian’s death, Zhu Ju and Ye Baici were, of course, among those conscripted.
Night.
Figures darted toward Bamboo Mountain.
Like scarlet threads, the General’s Personal Guard Blood Armor Army led an army of several thousand to completely surround Bamboo Mountain.
"Master Zhu, Immortal Lady Ye."
A young, armored commander on horseback cupped his fist in salute to the pair:
"You two will guard this path. Do not let anyone down the mountain. If anyone tries to force their way through, you have permission to kill them!"
"Yes."
The two agreed.
"Hiyah!"
With his orders given, the young commander spurred his horse onward to another position, a hundred-odd soldiers following in his wake and stirring up a chill wind.
’The Evil Soldier thod?’ Zhu Ju narrowed his eyes, watching the soldiers depart. ’No wonder the army doesn’t fear Magicians.’
Many of these soldiers were tainted by Evil Qi. When gathered together, they could break Low-Tier Techniques without even needing to act.
If they were to fight, a charge from a thousand such Evil Soldiers in a battle array would force even a Great Mage to avoid a direct confrontation.
"Evil Soldiers are short-lived. If they had a choice, no one would refine Evil Qi into their bodies," Ye Baici said, shaking her head.
"They’re just pitiful souls."
Zhu Ju smiled faintly.
’Short-lived is a relative term.’
’An Evil Soldier can live to thirty or forty, which isn’t much shorter than the average lifespan of a commoner in Yidu.’
’Beggars, slaves, and thugs live even shorter lives, with no security at all. At least Evil Soldiers don’t have to worry about where their next al cos from.’
’As long as they survive the process of Refining Evil and having it enter the body, they have a future to strive for, whether in the army or in service to a Magician.’
’For those truly at the bottom of society, becoming an Evil Soldier might not be such a bad choice.’
"Bamboo Mountain Temple..."
Ye Baici gazed toward the summit, her expression complex.
"Buddha’s Birthday just passed, and now it’s revealed that they’ve been hiding Demons and plaguing the common folk. In a single mont, this Buddhist Holy Land has beco a laughingstock."
"Why not just attack directly?" Zhu Ju asked.
"Is Bamboo Mountain Temple that strong?"
"Very strong." Ye Baici’s expression was grave.
"Publicly, Bamboo Mountain Temple has two Great Mages. With the Parasitic Demon Bee, that’s the equivalent of at least three Great Mages."
"They also have several hundred Monks, many of whom are Cultivators of Buddhist Techniques. If a battle truly broke out, even the entire Yidu army would suffer devastating losses."
"Besides..."
She paused in thought.
"The temple is still full of visiting Monks who ca for Buddha’s Birthday. We don’t know yet whether they are friend or foe."
Zhu Ju understood.
’But in his view, there had to be more to it than that.’
’The Monks in the temple are hardly a monolithic bloc. Surrounding them without attacking should incite internal strife.’
’Once Bamboo Mountain Temple weakens itself through infighting, Yidu’s side can conserve its strength, making it easier to strike at the enemy’s core.’
"RUSTLE RUSTLE..."
The leaves rustled.
The Ghost Monkey leaped down from above, holding a child, and threw him onto the ground.
"Mages, I found a little monk trying to sneak down the mountain."
The little monk was seven or eight years old, with rosy lips, pearly teeth, and bright eyes. He was currently curled into a ball, trembling.
"A Novice Monk."
Ye Baici looked at Zhu Ju.
"Young Master Zhu?"
"Don’t mind ," Zhu Ju said with a wave of his hand.
"If the Court hadn’t forced to be here, I wouldn’t have co at all. Fellow Daoist Ye, you may handle this as you see fit."
With that, he walked off to one side.
It looked like the problem at Bamboo Mountain Temple wouldn’t be resolved quickly, so he decided to pitch a tent.
All the better for a long stay.
SWISH!
Ye Baici raised a hand, and a slender Golden Needle materialized before her.
The Golden Needle was incredibly sharp. Even in the dim night, it gave off a faint glint that was chilling to behold.
"No!"
The little Novice Monk’s face was deathly pale. He watched the approaching Golden Needle in terror, shaking his head frantically.
"Don’t!"
"Please, don’t!"
"Don’t move," Ye Baici’s voice was firm. The Golden Needle flashed out and pierced the back of the little Novice Monk’s head.
PFT!
The Golden Needle probed for but a mont before she withdrew it.
"He hasn’t been parasitized."
After retrieving the Golden Needle, Ye Baici gave a light flick of her long sleeve.
"Little one, you won’t make it down the mountain dressed like that. You should change into so other clothes before you go."
"Y-You’re not going to kill ?" The little Novice Monk was stunned for a mont. He felt the back of his head, which was completely unhard. Then, coming to his senses, he dropped to his knees and kowtowed.
"Thank you, Immortal Lady! Thank you, Immortal Lady!"
With that, he tore off his Novice Monk’s robes, grabbed so dirt, and sared it on his head to look like hair before scampering down the mountain in a flash.
"Clever kid," the Ghost Monkey chuckled.
"When he grows up, he’d be well-suited for my line of work."
Having started as a street perforr himself, he had a fondness for clever children.
Ye Baici shook her head and looked over at Zhu Ju, who had already finished pitching his tent and gone inside.
......
The Ten Thousand Swords Map!
Unfurling the scroll, Zhu Ju gently caressed the various Sword Artifacts depicted on its surface, a smile gradually appearing in his eyes.
’The Sword Control thod?’
’It’s really here!’
The Qi flowing across the Ten Thousand Swords Map would naturally appear to be the remnants of Magic to any other Magician or Mage.
But it was different in Zhu Ju’s eyes.
Although they were traces of Magic, they also depicted a thod for circulating Qi.
The Qi circulation was different for each Sword Artifact on the map, corresponding to a unique Sword Control thod.
’Ten thousand swords’ was an exaggeration, but there were certainly a thousand.
In other words...
This map contained over a thousand different Sword Control thods!
’Cultivators in this realm rely too much on their Divine Soul, to the point that they don’t even pay much attention to circulating their Magical Power. No wonder no one discovered the Sword Control thods hidden in this map.’
’Hmm...’
’Then again, it’s also possible that Miaoran never t a true Sword Immortal!’
There were Sword Immortals in this world, after all.
They were just exceedingly rare.
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