Follow the path of Dao from infancy

"Transmit the order!"

His face was cold as he said, "Slay all demons encountered along the way, leave none alive, capture the Great Demon alive, and after Liangzhou is pacified, I will construct a high altar and refine the Great Demon to awe the demons of the world!"

"Let these demons know the fate that awaits those who dare invade the territory of the Dayu Divine Dynasty!"

As the royal army rushed to the scene, forces from other major states also hurried to Liangzhou, reinforcing the battlefield.

These forces consisted of scions of noble families, various Jianghu sects, and local armies from each state—learning of Liangzhou's plight, reinforcements were sent from all directions.

However, with each major state spanning seventy to a hundred thousand miles of vast territory, unless the armies used certain secret military assets to hasten their march, reinforcement often took time.

By the time all the allied forces had arrived, the cleanup of the Liangzhou battlefield was almost at its end—the campaign from the demons' initial attack to its conclusion took less than ten days in total.

What remained was the sweeping of demons lurking in various places within the territory. Some of these demons had fled to towns and other locations to hide, waiting for the commotion to die down before continuing to endanger the populace.

After all, with the defense line broken, it was unknown how many demons had poured in, and Liangzhou covered a large area that needed to be thoroughly examined.

"Old Seven, we've just interrogated a Bird Demon from Tianji Palace. Hao Er has drawn the three Demon Kings to Mo River, where your Fourth Uncle is stationed."

In the Liangzhou Military Department, hope flared in Li Xuanli's eyes as he said, "Perhaps, with Fourth Uncle's help, Hao Er might not come to harm. Fourth Uncle does have considerable experience with Mo River."

Li Tian Gang breathed a sigh of relief and nodded, "With Fourth Uncle there, there's hope of escaping via Mo River. So, the Demon King is now guarding outside Mo River?"

"He's gone in too."

"In that case, this is valuable intelligence; we can catch the turtle in the jar!"

Li Tian Gang's eyes started to glimmer faintly.

Li Xuanli nodded: "But the Candle Flame God is at a Half-step Taiping Dao Realm. To hunt him down, we'd have to ask Second Uncle to come over, and even that might not be enough. We still need the assistance of those few from the Divine General Mansion wielding the Sea-Calming Divine Needles. If we could get help from that old lady of the Xia Family..."

He paused, then shook his head—the old lady had been anchoring the Xia Family for many years and rarely left; it was unlikely that she would take action for this matter.

"Why not ask the Buddha Lord?" proposed Li Xuanli thoughtfully.

Li Tian Gang's eyes narrowed slightly as he said, "The Buddha Lord might not intervene; he might just send a Bodhisattva to make do. You should have seen clearly what happened in Liangzhou this time!"

Li Xuanli thought of Lin Wujing and certain rumors, nodding subtly:

"But the True Masters of the Gan Tao Palace are loath to leave their abode—surely we can't let this rare opportunity slip by?"

"Let's ask the imperial family to step in. With their call to arms, I've heard that Princes Jiang Yan and Jiang Chong have both arrived. Let's discuss with them. If they can summon other powerful figures like the Sword Saint to unite in a siege and also call upon the commander of the imperial guards, the Candle Flame God is sure to die!"

A cold light flickered in Li Tian Gang's eyes.

"Agreed."

Li Xuanli nodded in response.

With the rebellion in Liangzhou quelled and peace restored, Prince Jiang Yan, in collaboration with the Liangzhou Army and the Divine General Mansion, constructed a high altar within the state and sacrificed nine Great Demons of the Three Immortal Realms to heaven.

This act was ostensibly to honor the souls of the Liangzhou populace, but in reality, it was intended to intimidate the demons.

The news spread rapidly, inciting even greater fear among the demons beyond the borders.

After the Demon Sacrifice Ritual concluded, messages were sent out to all corners.

...

At the Xia Family.

In a plain courtyard, an old lady was tending to the poultry, feeding chickens and ducks.

"Cluck, cluck."

She took out a handful of rice and threw it in front of several chicklings, letting them peck at the grains.

The little yellow chick pecked at the rice demurely, savoring its meal with relish.

Suddenly, the gate to the small courtyard was pushed open, and a middle-aged woman in patched clothing walked in, holding a letter in her hand.

She appeared simple, with a gray wooden hairpin in her hair, yet beneath the coarse hemp sleeves, her skin was white as mutton fat, seemingly delicate enough to break at the slightest touch.

The elderly woman was sitting in a rocking chair, gently swaying, watching the little yellow chick peck at the rice in front of her with a benevolent expression on her face.

Only when the middle-aged woman came closer did she look up and naturally glanced at the letter in the other's hand, her smiling face becoming slightly reserved.

"Madam, it's a letter from the Li Family."

The middle-aged woman spoke in a gentle and respectful tone.

The old woman reached out for the letter and read through it slowly. After a while, she gently closed the letter and murmured,

"Now that the country's fortune is waning, these old fellows have started getting restless."

"Madam, shall we go?"

The middle-aged woman cautiously whispered, "It truly is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and that Candle Flame God with the Dao Domain should not fall into the Mo River. Once he emerges, it'll be an ideal time for the hunt."

The old woman placed the letter behind the rocking chair and grabbed another handful of rice to throw to the little yellow chick at her feet:

"The Tianji Palace must have already shared this intelligence with other demon powers, right? Demons, although often at odds with each other, still understand the principle of mutual interdependence in survival."

"The Ancient Demon Palace and the Great Void Realm don't get along; they'll likely not send reinforcements. But Gluttonous Valley, Dragon Gate, and the Holy Palace will all send people."

"It's both an opportunity and a trap."

"This battle could well be bait for the demons."

As she spoke, she gently kicked one of the little yellow chicks with her foot and chuckled, "Don't be greedy and eat it all. Leave some for the others."

The biggest little yellow chick was nudged aside, looking somewhat aggrieved and then huddled closer to the feet of the middle-aged woman.

The middle-aged woman shifted her stance slightly before saying, "So Madam, do you mean that we should just observe the situation for now?"

"Let's wait."

The elderly woman said softly.

...

The Wang Family.

Within a palace-like hall, three figures were gathered.

"We've just received another letter from the Li Family; Liangzhou has been pacified."

One of the figures, a burly man with a dignified face, spoke in a low voice, "Li Tian Gang had sent out the Eight Directions Orders asking for assistance earlier. Our Wang Family is too far away. By the time we sent help, it would have been over. Since we didn't respond last time, if we don't show some gesture now, we might be criticized."

"Hmph, what of criticism? Such matters concerning demons are none of our business. Haven't we already divided our forces among them? Isn't that enough?" Another gaunt middle-aged man said coldly.

"Those are all things of the past; let's not bring them up again."

An elderly figure seated at the head of the group spoke in a low voice, "Grievances and grudges are all past smoke, untraceable."

"The current situation under the Dayu Divine Dynasty is that the threat of demons is a minor issue. The problem with the Mo River is becoming more serious by the day."

"Zhen Dong is currently striving for those ten thousand merit points, but it's unclear what special changes will occur once he reaches the ten thousand."

With a sigh, worry tinged his brows, yet he seemed to carry a hint of hope as well.

"There should be some changes. Over the years, our research and challenges regarding the Mo River show that the merit ranking is not simply an empty name or merely a title."

The authoritative man on the right said, "An ancestor of our 98th generation broke ten thousand in merit, didn't he? It's recorded that he seemed to have received an extra chance to defy fate, and it was his thriving fortune that led to the flourishing of talents in our Wang Family over these years."