The palace walls were yellow with red tiles, towering dozens of meters high. A translucent hemispherical shield enveloped the entire palace, with colorful halos swirling on its surface.
Someone had activated the palace’s restrictions, forbidding anyone from entering or leaving to prevent the thieves from escaping.
Not only that, but in the capital city of Langya outside the palace, the officials and soldiers from the government offices, military affairs bureau, transportation office, and the Dali Temple all received orders to dispatch their forces to the palace to assist in capturing the thieves.
These people held special tokens that allowed them to open a gate in the palace’s restrictions. Once everyone had entered, the gate would automatically close.
Over ten thousand cultivators formed a formation, supplemented by Celestial and even Immortal Grade spiritual treasures from various departments, capable of instantly killing any cultivator below the Morning Glow Realm!
“According to the intelligence from the palace, there are two thieves. General Qianyu and Elder Bing have both fallen! His Majesty has been in the harem and has not shown himself, leading to initial suspicions that he has been taken hostage by the thieves’ accomplices!”
“The thieves are definitely not simple. They are likely the top combat forces of a certain power, so be prepared for a tough battle.”
The head of the Dali Temple briefly explained the situation, then solemnly looked at the county magistrate of the capital city. The two exchanged glances and communicated telepathically:
“The female slaves raised in the palace must not be discovered by the thieves. If this is made public, the entire Langya Kingdom will be in crisis, targeted by all the countries in the Wilderness.”
“That’s true, but one of the thieves is skilled in the Dao of Souls. She can’t do much against the military formation, but our formation will also have a hard time capturing her.”
“According to the latest intelligence from the palace, most of the palace has fallen, controlled by that female soul cultivator. She is also skilled in disguise, able to change her soul form and even her Dao fruit aura…”
Both the head of the Dali Temple and the county magistrate of the capital city were mid-Moon Glow Realm cultivators, yet they felt deeply troubled facing a half-step Moon Glow Realm cultivator.
The Dao of Souls, Dao of Puppets, and Dao of Gu are known as the three most insidious and difficult principles to cultivate, requiring a special physique and talent.
General Qianyu’s death was not in vain!
But the thieves’ target was clearly the female slaves in the palace, which touched the reverse scale of Langya Kingdom and could not be tolerated!
Although the countries in the Wilderness have been at war for years, such inhumane sacrificial practices, capturing female cultivators on a large scale to serve as cauldrons for the ‘fake monks’ of the Buddhist Kingdom, would be directly labeled as demonic by all countries.
Moreover, Langya Kingdom had been secretly capturing female cultivators from a wide range of places over the years, including the Great Jin Dynasty, the Ancient Divine City, the Empire on Which the Sun Never Sets, the now-defunct Ancestral Sect Alliance, and various countries in the Wilderness, all of whom had female cultivators secretly sacrificed to the Buddhist Kingdom.
The lamas of the Western Buddhist Kingdom, who donned robes and pretended to be Zen masters and blissful Buddhas, were actually committing all kinds of evil. Their tantric artifacts were often made by sacrificing living people, skinning and extracting tendons to create treasures, requiring female cultivators with high qualifications and cultivation levels.
Therefore, over the years, Langya Kingdom had been targeting the wives and daughters of the middle and upper echelons of various countries in the Wilderness. These people often had high cultivation levels but poor combat abilities, and they liked to travel alone, making them easy to capture silently.
Imagine, once this matter is exposed, which country in the Wilderness wouldn’t turn hostile?
“I’ve been searching for my wife (daughter, disciple, master, sister…) for years, only to find out that you captured them and offered them to those lustful monks of the Western Buddhist Kingdom!”
“We don’t dare to provoke the Western Buddhist Kingdom, but do you think we won’t fight you, Langya Kingdom!?”
If things escalated to that point, the lamas of the Buddhist Kingdom would likely abandon Langya Kingdom without hesitation, as their ambition was to dominate the Wilderness. Angering all the countries would jeopardize their future dominance.
With these thoughts, the county magistrate of the capital city and the head of the Dali Temple exchanged a glance and said:
“At all costs, capture the thieves!”
“Activate the ‘Divine Descent Formation’ and vow to eliminate the invaders!”
With their orders, the ten thousand-strong military formation reassembled. The head of the Dali Temple took out a small square mirror, which reflected nothing.
The soldiers cut their fingers, and drops of blood gathered into a small stream, flowing into the square mirror.
The ‘Divine Descent Formation’ was a special military formation developed by Langya Kingdom, with remarkable effects.
Hosted by two cultivators above the Moon Glow Realm, who could not leave their positions, the others offered their blood as a sacrifice, forming an invisible thread connecting them.
The two cultivators hosting the formation could transfer all their cultivation to one person, occupying that person’s divine sense, five senses, limbs, and more.
Like a spider web, with tens of thousands of threads extending out, the predator at the center of the web could appear at any node at any time.
This way, the ten thousand soldiers would become the avatars of the county magistrate and the head of the Dali Temple, making it easier to search for the female soul cultivator without fear of being picked off one by one.
“Go, find the invaders! Kill anyone below the rank of a third-grade official you encounter along the way!” the head of the Dali Temple ordered coldly.
“Yes!”
The ten thousand soldiers dispersed, flooding into every corner of the palace.
Some palace maids and eunuchs with vacant eyes and stiff bodies walked woodenly along the Imperial Dao. When they encountered the searching soldiers, they tried to step aside, only to be decisively beheaded!
“The head of the Dali Temple is assisting the capital city’s government office in handling the case. Anyone below the rank of a third-grade official should stay home and not appear outside. Anyone who dares to appear will be killed!”
The loud shouts echoed throughout the palace.
In a secluded corner room, Wu Die suddenly opened her eyes, a trace of surprise flashing in them.
In her vision, countless soul light spots flickered, densely covering the entire palace. Roughly estimated, there were over ten thousand!
These ten thousand cultivators below the Sea Covering Realm were meant to confuse and delay, allowing Su Qingqiu to rescue Lian Yue.
But now, the situation looked grim.
The head of the Dali Temple and the county magistrate of the capital city were so ruthless, willing to slaughter the palace indiscriminately, preferring to kill the wrong ones rather than let any go.
In just the time it took for a stick of incense to burn, two thousand light spots had dimmed, representing the deaths of two thousand soul-controlled cultivators.
Wu Die could even hear the sounds of fierce fighting outside.
“No matter how weak Langya Kingdom is, it is still a well-organized country, not comparable to ordinary forces. Their orders are strict, and their defenses are thorough.”
“I can’t let them continue this slaughter…”
“If you dare to kill indiscriminately, then let me use you to fight back.”
Wu Die muttered to herself. As she spoke, her deep eyes suddenly turned grayish-white. Sitting cross-legged on the bed, she brought her slender fingers together and lightly touched her forehead. Her expression became sacred and solemn, her red lips parted, and she uttered a single word:
“Kill.”
Immediately, a special soul wave spread out like ripples on water. The soul-controlled cultivators it touched along the way went berserk.
The previously dazed palace maids, eunuchs, and Imperial Guards, who had been walking like zombies or wandering spirits, suddenly stopped in unison, turned around abruptly, their pupils contracting into vertical slits, and let out roars.
Even the soldiers of the Dali Temple and the capital city’s government office were stunned, caught off guard by this sudden change. Before they could react, the palace maids, eunuchs, and Imperial Guards charged at them like zombies.
These soul-controlled cultivators still followed their deep-seated combat habits. Without fear, pain, or panic, their combat power soared!
In an instant, the Langya Palace turned into a battlefield, with continuous explosions and buildings collapsing under the impact of divine powers.
The sounds of battle echoed through the heavens and earth.
Both sides fought fiercely, and the battle quickly reached a fever pitch.
“Witch! How dare you turn our Langya cultivators into pawns of war!” the county magistrate of the capital city roared in fury.
Before Wu Die appeared, they hadn’t used the ‘Divine Descent’ to avoid alerting her and making her wary. This technique was only effective if it could kill or severely injure in one strike.
“A mere half-step Moon Glow cultivator, and we still can’t capture her despite all our efforts.” The head of the Dali Temple muttered, “Are soul cultivators really this terrifying?”
“Master, what should we do now? Do we really have to keep fighting like this?” the county magistrate of the capital city asked urgently.
The head of the Dali Temple’s face was as dark as water. “We have no choice but to fight! These palace maids and eunuchs have limited combat power. At most, they can delay us for a while, but we can eventually wipe them out! Then, the witch will have nowhere to hide!”
“But… she has accomplices. They might have already infiltrated the Scripture Repository to rescue the female slaves.”
“No matter. The palace’s restrictions are still in place. No cultivator below the Morning Glow Realm can break them. Even if they rescue the female slaves, they won’t be able to escape.”
“True… but let’s hurry. I have a bad feeling. His Majesty has yet to appear, and I suspect a high-level intruder. These two women might just be pawns.”
At this point, the two fell silent, looking towards the depths of the palace.
With such a major incident, there was no reason for His Majesty to hide. With his strength, he could easily quell the chaos. So why hadn’t he appeared?
The only explanation was… someone had taken him hostage…
……
……
“Sword Saint, I beg you to spare Langya Kingdom, to spare us… We were forced by those lamas of the Buddhist Kingdom to serve them. If you could show mercy, I am willing to… become your servant!”
“The Great Jin Dynasty and the Buddhist Kingdom will eventually clash. If I can act as a spy, the Great Jin’s chances of victory might increase.”
The King of Langya, seeing the terrifying soul cultivation of Wu Die, could no longer hold on and knelt on the ground, begging.
Initially, the King of Langya had a glimmer of hope, thinking that once the head of the Dali Temple and the county magistrate of the capital city reacted, they could capture Wu Die and Su Qingqiu.
He had thoroughly understood Sword Saint Meng Qin’s character, knowing he was grateful and deeply attached to those around him. If Wu Die and Su Qingqiu were captured, he would have the leverage to negotiate.
But now, it seemed, not only had they failed to capture them, but Wu Die had single-handedly dragged the Dali Temple and the capital city’s government office into a quagmire of war!
“What?”
“You’re giving in so quickly?”
“Why not wait a bit longer, wait for the Dali Temple and the capital city’s government office to capture my two maids, wait for the Eighteen Arhats of the Buddhist Kingdom to arrive and save you?”
Meng Qingzhou asked with a smile.
He had long seen through the King of Langya’s little schemes and couldn’t be bothered to expose them.
“I dare not, I dare not.” The King of Langya prostrated on the ground, trembling like a peke begging for mercy.
He was utterly terrified. People often said the Space-Time Sword Saint was invincible, but he hadn’t expected even his maids could single-handedly take on a nation!
The Great Jin’s foundation was truly unfathomable!
Before this, the King of Langya had always underestimated the Great Jin, believing in the overwhelming power of the Buddhist Kingdom. But seeing Wu Die’s performance, he suddenly felt that the Great Jin Dynasty might indeed have a chance!
The world of the Wilderness was currently divided into two. Perhaps this was an opportunity to hedge his bets. If he could successfully align with the Space-Time Sword Saint, this attack might be a blessing in disguise! No matter which side won in the future, Langya Kingdom could claim credit for supporting the victor.
In fact, the King of Langya was more inclined towards the Space-Time Sword Saint.
After all, those lamas and monks from the West were too perverse! Almost devoid of humanity, always at risk of being discarded after use. It was better to follow a normal person who valued loyalty and righteousness.
Hearing this, Meng Qingzhou’s smile faded, and he said coldly:
“Enslaving female cultivators, using them as cauldrons, making human flesh tantric artifacts, slaughtering countless countries over the past century, and not even sparing ordinary residents, committing countless atrocities for the Western Buddhist Kingdom.”
“The wars among the countries in the Wilderness have been going on for thousands of years. Killing on the battlefield is understandable, but slaughtering innocent civilians, killing without cruelty, and you even enslave female cultivators, draining them dry until they have no more use, then grinding them into meat paste to feed the Zen beasts…”
“Such acts are countless…”
“And you still want me to spare you? Isn’t that too blindly confident?”
Meng Qingzhou grew angrier as he spoke, flicking his fingers to shoot out several strands of sword sense, severing the King of Langya’s tendons in his hands and feet, then stabbing his dantian with a sword, shattering his cultivation and Dao fruit.
“Ah!!” The King of Langya collapsed in pain, screaming and writhing, his face contorted in agony.
Killing without cruelty, war was inevitable, but cruelty was inhumane, worse than animals!
“Beast.”
Meng Qingzhou, annoyed by the pig-like screams, simply slashed his throat, cutting off his voice. This injury wasn’t enough to kill a peak Moon Glow Realm cultivator, but it would silence him temporarily.
After a while, Meng Qingzhou calmed down, reconsidering Wu Die’s value.
Previously, he hadn’t realized Wu Die had such potential. In the original book, there was little description of her, only emphasizing her high talent and near invincibility upon reaching the Morning Glow Realm.
Who would have thought she was this terrifying!
A half-step Moon Glow Realm cultivator, taking on the entire Langya Palace!
No wonder in the original book, Zhao Gou relied on Wu Die to kill everywhere in the early and mid-stages, until Zhao Gou broke through to the Morning Glow Realm, and Wu Die faded into the background.
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