Li Shui Empire, Royal Palace.
At this moment, it was the time for court affairs.
The Li Shui Grand Hall was bustling, lacking its usual solemnity!
"In the past, demons usually appeared one at a time, but this time there are multiple, and they are coming fiercely. Many towns have already suffered, and many citizens are in distress!"
"Many citizens have gone from initial hope to bitter complaints."
"Yes, if this continues, our Li Shui Empire will be devastated."
"……"
At this point, the elder seated first on the left discreetly glanced at the king, whose face was dark with worry. He then stood up and loudly said: "Silence! What kind of decorum is this in the Li Shui Grand Hall? Who doesn't know what you are saying? Now, we should be thinking of solutions to relieve the king's worries. That is the priority!"
With these words, the hall immediately quieted down.
The Li Shui King, seeing this, slightly relaxed his expression and looked at the elder with satisfaction. He then said in a serious tone, "If anyone has any ideas, feel free to speak up, but do so in an orderly manner."
Everyone looked at each other, and finally, a middle-aged official stepped forward, bowed, and said, "Your Majesty, when it comes to demons, we mere mortals are naturally helpless… As in the past, we still need… the intervention of immortals."
Upon hearing the term "immortal," everyone was visibly shaken.
The common people might not know that immortals exist, but all those who could attend court knew of their existence!
At the same time, the immortals had warned them not to reveal their existence to the secular world.
Everyone remembered this well and treated it as a secret.
In the past, demon problems were mostly handled by immortals, as they received tributes every year, and it was only natural for them to protect the region.
But this time, the immortals had yet to arrive, and they were starting to panic.
Seeing the officials looking at him with hope, the Li Shui King shook his head and sighed, "At the onset of the demon problem, I sent people to the Cyan Cloud Sect to request the immortals' assistance, but there has been no news so far…"
Hearing this, the officials all slumped, their faces gradually turning pale.
If this continued, their lives would also be in danger.
"How many have died in the affected towns so far?" the Li Shui King asked in a deep voice.
"Your Majesty, Jiayuan City has about two hundred dead, Pingyang City about three hundred, Green Willow Town about one hundred and ten… and many other small villages have yet to be counted due to their remote locations… and the number of deaths is still increasing!" the middle-aged official reported with a pale face.
"Over six hundred dead already…" The Li Shui King's pupils contracted. This was just the countable number…
"And the injured? Didn't I ask for both deaths and injuries to be reported?" The Li Shui King was furious!
The middle-aged official trembled, knelt down, and said sorrowfully, "Your Majesty, there are no injuries. Anyone who encounters a demon is certain to die!"
The Li Shui King's anger froze on his face, and for a moment, he didn't know what to say.
"Your Majesty! The town masters of the affected towns can no longer calm the panicked citizens! A major upheaval could happen at any moment! Please, Your Majesty, come up with a plan!"
The middle-aged official said in a serious tone.
Hearing this, the other officials quickly knelt down and shouted, "Please, Your Majesty, come up with a plan!"
Their voices were deafening. The Li Shui King was stunned for a moment, then suddenly stood up and shouted with a livid face, "Those are demons! What can I, a mere mortal, do? And you? Are you all useless? In times of peace, you all boast of your abilities! Now, are you all cowards?"
Facing the king's wrath, the officials trembled and lowered their heads, not daring to speak.
As the atmosphere grew increasingly oppressive, a series of rapid footsteps sounded, and everyone saw a general leading eleven young men and women into the hall…
Except for the young man in fancy clothes at the front, the others were all dressed in uniform dark green attire, each with a proud expression, their chins almost raised to the sky.
This group included Christopher Tong and the outer disciples of the Cyan Cloud Sect.
"Your Majesty, I have fulfilled my mission!" The general bowed to the stunned Li Shui King.
The Li Shui King had no time to praise the general. He quickly descended from the high platform and, with great excitement and respect, said to Christopher Tong and the others, "The immortals have finally arrived! Our Li Shui Empire is saved!"
Based on the general's words and the demeanor of these young men and women, the officials had already guessed they were immortals. Seeing the king's respectful attitude and words, their eyes shone with reverence and excitement!
Christopher Tong waved his hand and looked at the Li Shui King, saying indifferently, "Enough with the nonsense. Let's get straight to the point. We didn't see any demons in the towns we passed along the way. Why is that?"
The Li Shui King, not showing any dissatisfaction with the young man in fancy clothes, quickly and respectfully replied, "Immortals, you may not know, but the towns plagued by demons are all in the eastern region of our Li Shui Empire. You must have come from one of the other three directions…"
So that's how it was.
Christopher Tong and the ten disciples nodded slightly.
"Approximately how many demons are there? What are their physical characteristics?" Christopher Tong squinted his eyes, trying to gather some useful information.
The Li Shui King's face turned pale, and he stammered, "I-I don't know."
"Then what about the condition of the unfortunate victims?" Christopher Tong asked again.
The Li Shui King's face changed again. He knew very little, almost nothing, and said with difficulty, "I only know that the victims' bodies look like dried corpses. Other than that… I don't know…"
Dried corpses? Christopher Tong frowned slightly.
"You don't even know basic information. What are you doing?" Before Christopher Tong could speak, a male disciple couldn't help but step forward and scold loudly!
His voice was infused with spiritual energy, making everyone feel dizzy.
"Immortal, please calm down! Everyone who has seen the demons has died, not one survived! We… we are just mortals." The Li Shui King bowed deeply in fear, speaking sorrowfully.
"You…!" The male disciple glared, about to say more.
But Christopher Tong, with a cold face, raised his hand to interrupt, "Enough."
"Senior Brother Tong…!"
"Stand down!" Christopher Tong said sternly.
"Y-yes." The male disciple's face turned pale as he stepped back, looking at Christopher Tong with the same reverence as the other disciples.
Senior Brother Tong usually seemed amiable, but when he got angry, it was terrifying.
Although Senior Brother Tong was younger than them, his talent and status were far superior!
He was the personal disciple of Elder Gu, a position far above theirs as outer disciples, like the difference between clouds and mud.
Sensing the young men and women's fear, everyone realized that the leading young immortal had a very high status!
The hall was unusually quiet, with all eyes focused on Christopher Tong.
"Immortal…" The Li Shui King couldn't help but break the silence, wanting to say something.
"You don't need to say more. Just tell us the specific locations of the towns plagued by demons. As for the rest, don't worry. Our Cyan Cloud Sect receives tributes from your Li Shui Empire every year, so naturally, we will protect you!" Christopher Tong said seriously, looking at the Li Shui King.
"Thank you!" The Li Shui King and the officials felt relieved and moved, bowing deeply to Christopher Tong and the others.
Although Christopher Tong's face remained expressionless and cold, he felt immensely proud inside!
Ah, the high status in the secular world is truly wonderful. This feeling of being revered by everyone is indescribable, like floating on air.
Especially being called "Immortal" repeatedly, it was incredibly satisfying.
But to be honest, they were just novices in the cultivation world!
Even the leaders of the cultivation world wouldn't dare to call themselves immortals!
What does being an immortal mean? It means achieving immortality!
There are no real immortals in the world…
Well, no need to think about it. As for those minor demons, with Christopher Tong here, they are nothing to fear!
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