Daqian Martial Saint

However, for several days in a row, Yuan Zutong had not brought back any concrete news. There were only some rumors circulating on the streets. These rumors varied wildly and even contradicted one another.

Some said the Celestial Net Saintess had been subdued by their combined efforts and was now being escorted to the State Garrison Command. Others said the Celestial Net Saintess had fled with serious injuries and was on the brink of death. Still others claimed that the Celestial Net Saintess had been rescued by someone and had now escaped safely.

Aside from these rumors, there were also some comments that were quite unfavorable to the Beicang Garrison, but they were quickly suppressed as soon as they surfaced. For example, news that the seven Grandmasters had returned in a crushing defeat, having gained nothing.

With all these different stories, the news was a muddle, and it was hard to tell fact from fiction.

Chen Ping’an didn’t say much about this in front of Yuan Zutong, but a bad feeling began to grow in his heart.

’If I were in Xue Kunsheng’s shoes, given the current situation, I’d probably be dying to publicize any good news. Why would I hide it?’

’There’s only one reason for this to happen: there is no good news.’

’The seven Grandmasters failing to subdue her would have been a relatively good outcome. Analyzing the current situation, it’s highly likely that some accident occurred. Or even... a crushing defeat!’

’Honestly, I can’t even imagine such a scenario. For the Celestial Net Saintess to just survive an attack from seven Veteran Grandmasters would be impressive enough. To escape completely unscathed would be something to boast about for ages!’

’But for the seven Grandmasters to return in utter defeat? To me... that’s simply unbelievable!’

’Setting the others aside, take Xue Shishun of the Seven Luminaries Vein-Sealing Hand. Even if I reached the Grandmaster Realm, I wouldn’t be confident of a surefire victory against him alone!’

’What’s more, among the seven Grandmasters was the Gu Family Grandmaster, Gu Qingchan of the Ice Soul Divine Needle, who is even stronger than him!’

...

Beicang Garrison.

The chaos had just subsided, but with negotiations between various factions, the pursuit of the Evil and Heterodox Dao, the investigation of spies, and countless other matters, everyone at the Beicang Garrison was already overwhelmed. They had been working for days without rest, handling their official duties.

And yet, amidst this situation, Xue Kunsheng, the Vice Beicang Garrison Commander, sat stiffly at his long desk, not saying a word.

At this moment, Xue Kunsheng had lost his usual domineering aura; he looked like an ordinary middle-aged man.

After dealing with the most urgent matters, a sense of powerlessness washed over Xue Kunsheng. He had been sitting there desolately for nearly two hours.

When he was promoted to Vice Beicang Garrison Commander, he had been full of ambition. ’Once I sort things out, coordinate with all the factions, and secure my position,’ he had thought, ’what’s to stop me from taking the seat of Beicang Garrison Commander!?’

’As long as no Grandmasters interfere, no one can escape my Vajra Demon-subduing Chain. Then, with my Vajra Demon-subduing Chain, I will preside over Beicang, subduing demons, destroying enemies, and suppressing all lawlessness.’

The idea was beautiful, but reality dealt him a cruel blow.

Chaos erupted in Beicang, with countless dead and wounded!

’It was one thing that I couldn’t participate in the battles between Grandmasters. But to think that even below the Grandmaster level, I couldn’t even suppress the various factions! In the midst of the chaos, I couldn’t even control the situation!’

’Forget Tantai Jinfeng of the Shadowless Blade Sect and his Hidden Dragon Saber; I was no match for several of the Dragon and Tiger Masters who appeared during this turmoil!’

According to the Beicang Garrison’s post-incident investigation, during the turmoil, besides the battle between the several Grandmasters and the Celestial Net Saintess, another Grandmaster-level fight had broken out within the major town.

Although the level of combat reached that of a Grandmaster, the masters involved had not actually reached the Grandmaster Realm.

In this battle, an extremely mysterious master appeared. Not only had he cultivated the Vajra Unbreakable Divine Skill to Perfection, but he had also mastered a Finger Technique Divine Skill.

’Though he wasn’t a Grandmaster, his combat strength was terrifying!’

’Iron Tower Demon Luo, a master from the Rising Dragon Dao on the Dragon and Tiger Chart, fell at his hands!’

’Gai Zijie, the Meridian Cyan Light Sword, ranked thirty-ninth on the Dragon and Tiger Chart, was repelled by him!’

’Lan Yingying of the Five Poison Earth Fiend Palm, whose combat strength was nearly equal to a true Grandmaster, used every trick she had, but still couldn’t escape the fate of being severely wounded by him!’

’Among all these masters who appeared, aside from Iron Tower Demon Luo, I wouldn’t have been a match for any of them!’

’In the midst of the chaos, my Vajra Demon-subduing Chain, my vow to subdue demons, destroy enemies, and suppress lawlessness... it all became a joke!’

Of course, no one would laugh at him, and no one would dare to do so openly. But he suddenly realized that with his strength, he couldn’t keep Beicang Town in check at all.

These members of the Evil and Heterodox Dao, these ghouls and goblins—he couldn’t suppress any of them!

’It wasn’t just me who couldn’t suppress them; even the Grandmasters couldn’t!’

At this thought, Xue Kunsheng’s face paled. The terrible news from a few days ago resurfaced in his mind.

Gu Qingchan of the Ice Soul Divine Needle! Xue Shishun of the Seven Luminaries Vein-Sealing Hand! Wang Xu of the Fiery Sun Palm! Zuo Jia Dao of the Nether Divine Fist... A total of seven Grandmasters, all striking together to subdue the Celestial Net Saintess.

They started fighting at the Blessed Land and battled all the way out of Beicang Town. But the result...

Two dead, five injured!

Of the five injured Grandmasters, aside from Gu Qingchan of the Ice Soul Divine Needle who was slightly better off, the other four were all severely wounded and on the brink of death! The palm of Fiery Sun Palm Wang Xu was nearly severed, and his chest was pierced through. Both arms of Zuo Jia Dao of the Nether Divine Fist were crippled; even if they were reattached later, he would never be able to recover his peak combat strength. As for Xue Shishun of the Seven Luminaries Vein-Sealing Hand, his Spirit Platform Spirituality was greatly damaged, and he had no hope of advancing further in his lifetime...

Each scene was more shocking than the last!

In stark contrast, the Celestial Net Saintess was completely unharmed and departed gracefully.

In fact, if not for the timely arrival of Lord Nie, Nie Yunlong, the Garrison Commander of Long’an Town, it’s likely that not a single Grandmaster present would have survived. All of them would have been killed on the spot!

’What a despairing truth!’

Compared to this truth, Xue Kunsheng wished the rumors circulating on the streets were true! Even if the Celestial Net Saintess had escaped unscathed, he could have used it to publicize how the Beicang Grandmasters had joined forces to repel her.

’Even if the seven Grandmasters had returned in a crushing defeat, at least they would have kept their lives! Not... like this...’

”To defeat seven Grandmasters, and then to escape even when Lord Nie Yunlong himself intervened! The Celestial Net Saintess’s talent is enough to make one despair!” Even though it wasn’t the first time he’d heard it, recalling it now, Xue Kunsheng was still utterly shaken.

Even though they were on opposing sides, he couldn’t help but marvel at the Celestial Net Saintess’s talent.

If her talent had been just a little bit weaker, Lord Nie Yunlong would have been able to subdue her when he acted.

Originally, that had been the only chance to turn things around.

If they had been able to kill or even capture the Celestial Net Saintess, such a monumental event would have been enough to quell all outside discussion.

But unfortunately, that was just wishful thinking!

Ultimately, he still had to face reality, brace for the fury of the State Garrison Command, and... the questioning from the Xue Clan Elder Hall.

A severely injured Grandmaster was no small matter, even for the Xue Family!

Sitting desolately at the wooden desk, a thousand thoughts raced through Xue Kunsheng’s mind.

His thoughts jumped from the Celestial Net Saintess to the Xue Family’s reaction, from the Xue Family’s reaction to the State Garrison Command’s fury, from the State Garrison Command’s fury to the current state of the major town. And from the town’s current state, his thoughts landed on that mysterious master.

’Vajra Unbreakable Divine Skill, a body like Vajra... Could Cao Yingxiong have died at his hands!?’

With the Grandmasters severely injured and reinforcements yet to arrive, the thought that such a master might still be hiding in the major town was like a fishbone stuck in Xue Kunsheng’s throat, making it impossible for him to eat or sleep in peace.

...

For more than ten days, Chen Ping’an focused all his energy on recovering from his injuries. In his spare moments, he practiced the Dragon Elephant Dominating Body Technique a little. However, since his injuries had not yet fully healed, his practice was not very fast.

During these days, under the intervention of the Garrison Commandant’s Office, an eerie silence fell over Beicang Town. However, this buffer period allowed the Beicang Garrison’s various tasks to get back on track, and the work of tallying Merit was also proceeding in an orderly manner.

According to the Daqian Law, during a period of turmoil, anyone who participates in suppressing it and achieves results can be rewarded according to the law. As a member of the Garrison Commandant’s Office, Chen Ping’an had participated in the suppression and killed an Evil Master, so he should be able to accumulate Merit according to the law.

Therefore, Chen Ping’an made a special trip to the Beicang Garrison, bringing the head he had taken with him to have his contribution certified. After so many days, if Chen Ping’an hadn’t intentionally preserved it, the head would have likely been unrecognizable.

During the certification, Chen Ping’an learned the name of the head’s owner: Mountain-Shattering Fist.

This certification earned Chen Ping’an a considerable amount of Merit, which would later be synchronized with the Weishui Garrison and recorded under his name.

...

PS: I managed to keep up with daily updates for another month, feels great~

I’ve gone over the outline for the next part again, and I’m getting really excited. I can’t wait to write it out, ahhh!

The book is expected to be over 3 million characters long, and the detailed outline is already planned out to around the 1.5 million character mark.