Oliver Sheng led a thousand cavalry into Suiyuan County.
“Another troop has arrived, and it’s an army. I wonder which army it is,” someone remarked as they saw Oliver and his men approaching.
“Wow, that general in the lead is so young,” many people exclaimed upon seeing Oliver, finding him surprisingly youthful.
His battle armor accentuated his heroic aura, making him look like a young general straight out of a painting.
“What a handsome young general, truly impressive!”
Many people sighed in admiration. Oliver’s presence, with his bright attire and spirited horse, red cloak paired with a silver spear, exuded a heroic spirit. His sword-like eyebrows and authoritative gaze added to his commanding presence.
Seeing the army approach, Victor Cui stepped forward to greet them.
“May I ask the general’s name and where you come from?” Victor asked with a smile.
“We are the Garrison from River West, here by invitation to slay demons and exorcise evil,” Oliver replied.
Victor was taken aback. So, it was this young man who led his troops to wipe out my dogs, he thought bitterly, though he maintained a smile.
“So, it’s the Cavalry General. My apologies for not recognizing you sooner!”
“The Cavalry General? Why does that sound so familiar?” Many people in Ding Prefecture felt they had heard the title before.
“That’s Oliver Sheng, the one known for his poetry,” someone recalled. “He’s the one who wrote, ‘New Green Ant Wine, Red Clay Stove, Snowfall at Dusk, Shall We Drink a Cup?’”
“Indeed, such a talented young man. So young and already a general, with exceptional talent in poetry, and even famous for brewing Green Ant Wine and Western Wind Blaze,” people began to discuss animatedly.
“Cavalry General, please follow me. I’ll arrange your accommodations,” Victor said, having no choice but to act as a host, given that the Demon Slayer Division was now in control.
Seeing Victor’s courteous manner, Oliver thought well of him.
“Thank you for the trouble!” Oliver nodded with a smile.
After arranging for Oliver and his men to camp in a designated area, Victor left.
After Victor departed, Zane Wang spoke to Oliver.
“General, that man is Victor Cui, the Prefecture Commander of Ding Prefecture.”
Oliver was momentarily stunned. So, this is the Prefecture Commander? The one who harbors the Tiger Roar Hall bandits!
“Did you find out if he knows we wiped out the Tiger Roar Hall bandits?” Oliver asked in a low voice.
Zane replied, “General, don’t underestimate these local aristocratic families. Their influence in the region is not to be taken lightly.”
“Hmph, this old fox, smiling at us without showing any sign of hostility. Truly cunning and deceitful,” Oliver thought, deciding to retract his earlier favorable impression of Victor.
This man is a smiling tiger, deeply scheming and utterly vile, someone who must not be left unchecked.
After setting up camp, Oliver took a brief tour. The once bustling Suiyuan County was now desolate, with only the imperial court’s troops and martial artists from the Jianghu present, not a single ordinary person in sight.
There was no place to go for a drink or tea, as the town had turned into a ghost city.
During his stroll, Oliver noticed a swordsman holding a long sword, dressed plainly, without any aura of True Essence or signs of Dao cultivation.
However, the man’s sharp gaze and the aura of sharpness he exuded were unmistakable.
Oliver couldn’t help but take a few more glances at him. The swordsman, noticing Oliver’s gaze, nodded in acknowledgment.
The swordsman, solitary and aloof, did not interact with others and settled in a dilapidated house.
The martial artists in the town gathered in small groups, chatting and discussing various topics.
Oliver observed that most of the martial artists present were not very powerful, with many at the Martial Master level. There were over thirty Postnatal Martial Artists and only about ten Innate Martial Artists.
These martial artists were largely drawn by the benefits promised by the Demon Slayer Division.
The Demon Slayer Division had offered rewards for killing wolf demons, which could be exchanged for cultivation methods, pills, or gold and silver.
“That swordsman seems to be from the Sword Dao Sect in Shu Prefecture,” someone whispered, looking at the swordsman with the long sword.
“Shu Prefecture is quite far from Ding Prefecture. Why would a sword cultivator come here?”
“Probably out on a journey or trial.”
“Those sword fanatics, carrying their swords and roaming the world. It’s not surprising to see a sword cultivator in Ding Prefecture.”
Hearing this, Oliver realized that the person he had seen was a sword cultivator.
The Sword Dao Mountain in Shu Prefecture was renowned for producing swordsmen, and the Sword Dao Sect was a famous sect in the world.
…
To prevent the wolf demons and members of the Yin Corpse Sect from escaping, the Demon Slayer Division called upon those who had come to slay demons and exorcise evil to enter the mountains the next morning.
“General, this is a request for assistance from the Demon Slayer Division, asking us to enter the mountains from the right side to clear out the ordinary wolf demons,” Zane Wang handed Oliver the request letter from the Demon Slayer Division.
The Demon Slayer Division and the border army were not under the same command, so they could only request Oliver’s assistance. Oliver’s troops were not part of the prefectural army, and the Demon Slayer Division had no authority to command him.
“Alright, we’ll enter the mountains from the right side,” Oliver nodded.
The Demon Slayer Division, leading a newly arrived force of ten thousand troops, entered the mountains first, followed by the martial artists from the Jianghu.
Oliver led his men into the mountains from the right side. They were there to assist, and Oliver also wanted to see the ordinary demon tribes and earn some Kill Points.
The crowd moved in a grand procession, marking the second demon-slaying expedition in Qingyuan Mountain.
This time, the Demon Slayer Division had brought six Grandmasters, determined to avenge Master Deng and eradicate the demons.
As Oliver led his soldiers into the mountains, he sensed with his Grandmaster-level spiritual awareness that the Spiritual Energy in the mountains was denser than outside.
Such spiritual mountains and blessed lands were often occupied by major sects, where the Spiritual Energy was abundant, making it easy for demons and spirits to emerge in deep mountains.
After traveling dozens of miles into the mountains, they encountered towering ancient trees, many of which required several people to encircle.
“Awooo…”
A wolf’s howl echoed through the forest.
Oliver sensed a strong demonic aura and sword energy ahead.
“General, there’s a swordsman fighting a wolf demon up ahead,” Zane Wang reported after scouting ahead.
“Let’s go and take a look,” Oliver spurred his horse forward, followed by his soldiers.
Upon reaching the battlefield, they saw the swordsman from the previous day engaged in a fierce battle with a wolf demon.
Sword energy and sword light filled the air. The swordsman was clearly an Innate Realm sword cultivator, and the wolf demon was also an Innate Realm great demon.
The two were evenly matched, with the wolf demon, now in human form, having a broad frame and a dark face, resembling a ghostly figure.
The clash of sword energy and demonic claws created sparks, with the wolf demon wary of taking the sword strikes head-on.
Behind the wolf demon were over five hundred wolf demons, watching intently.
Jiang Yibai had entered the mountains alone that morning and encountered this pack of wolf demons, leading to the battle with their leader.
The wolf demon was agile and matched Jiang Yibai in strength, resulting in a stalemate.
Seeing the human army arrive, the wolf demon quickly distanced itself from Jiang Yibai and retreated into the wolf demon pack.
The wolf demons behind it had not yet reached the level of transforming into human form.
Demons needed to cultivate to a level comparable to the human Innate Realm to transform.
The wolf demons’ green eyes glinted as they stared at Oliver’s troops, their mouths twisted in snarls, ready to attack at any moment.
“Be careful, General. These wolf demons are not to be underestimated,” Jiang Yibai warned.
“Form up!” Oliver commanded immediately.
His soldiers quickly formed ranks, preparing to fend off the wolf demons’ assault.
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