The guards on the north city wall of Jiangning Commandery stared wide-eyed, fixed on the Void Realm experts battling beneath. Though the clash between these masters moved too swiftly for the eye to truly follow, the guards could, at least, discern who held the advantage and who was on the back foot.
"Senior Jing Yi’s helper—that humanoid demonic beast, two zhang tall—took down several thousand Silver Jiao Army soldiers in a single move."
"Senior Jing Yi and the other archer are evenly matched. Against the blind man in black, Senior Jing Yi is at a disadvantage."
A soldier standing on the battlement chanted these facts internally, ensuring he wouldn't forget.
His name was 'Hu Chuan'.
He was a member of the Jiangning Commandery City Guard. As a guard, his salary wasn't particularly high; making a comfortable life in Jiangning Commandery, marrying a beautiful wife, and providing for his parents required more than just his official pay. Thus, he often took on side jobs... This time, he had accepted a clandestine assignment—
As instructed, should a battle between experts of Senior Jing Yi's caliber erupt outside Jiangning Commandery City, he was to watch closely and record the main events.
Afterward, delivering this account to his employer would earn him five hundred taels of silver!
Five hundred taels was a massive sum for a low-ranking, ordinary guard. So, of course, he complied... And in his estimation, an epic battle like this would certainly generate much discussion afterward. Therefore, sharing the information felt like no genuine disservice to the Guiyuan Sect. He felt perfectly at ease earning this money.
People like 'Hu Chuan' were often 'external contractors' for even the intelligence organizations of major powers.
After all, there were places where the agents of intelligence organizations couldn't easily infiltrate.
And because the process of a Void Realm expert battle could often reveal a secret about a Void Realm master, the Eight Great Sects of the world placed high value on such intelligence, offering substantial prices for acquisition. Most guards wouldn't pay close attention to the details, and many locations wouldn't bother recording them. But those who were hired would diligently observe and commit everything to memory.
"That arrow from the archer sent Senior Jing Yi flying nearly two li, smashing him against the city wall. Thankfully, Senior Jing Yi was unharmed."
"Senior Jing Yi's helper, the humanoid demonic beast, flies incredibly fast—one transformed into two."
"The humanoid demonic beast chased the silver giant wolf, which then burrowed into the earth."
The young man Hu Chuan committed everything he witnessed to memory. While he couldn't fully grasp the intricacies of the Void Realm experts' detailed combat, these fragments were the most precise observations he could manage without distraction.
"The blind man in black also dove underground."
"The blind man in black and the silver giant wolf have both emerged!" Hu Chuan’s eyes were wide saucers.
Bang!
The earth split open, and the Blind Sword Saint and the blood-soaked silver giant wolf leaped from the surface almost simultaneously. The silver giant wolf no longer possessed its former majesty. Setting aside the gore covering its fur, look at its once formidable weapon—its tail. That magnificent appendage was now reduced to a tiny stump near its haunches.
Its tail was severed!
This Sun-Shooting Heavenly Wolf had become a tailless demonic wolf. Furthermore, a horrific gash marred its rear thigh, revealing faint glimpses of bone beneath.
"Boom!" From another spot on the surface, the Six-Legged Blade Cicada burst from the soil. Clamped in one of its bladed legs was a section of the demonic wolf’s tail, nearly an zhang long. With a flap of its wings, it soared toward Teng Qingshan... At this moment, Shen Gongtu and Teng Qingshan simultaneously retreated, creating distance between them.
Swish!
Teng Qingshan leapt onto the back of the Six-Legged Blade Cicada, while Shen Gongtu darted to the side of the Sun-Shooting Heavenly Wolf.
"Aoo, aoo wu~~" The silver giant wolf leaned against Shen Gongtu, letting out painful cries.
"Aoo, aoo~~" Shen Gongtu, a renowned figure across the Nine Provinces at the Great Accomplishment stage of the Void Realm, stroked the silver giant wolf's feathers. Upon seeing that the wolf was left only with the stub of its tail near its rump and the gaping wound on its thigh, Shen Gongtu's face flushed purple, and his eyes were clouded with unshed tears.
Shen Gongtu understood the beast tongue and had been with this silver giant wolf for over three hundred years; they were as close as brothers.
A leg injury could heal with rest, but losing the tail meant the silver giant wolf lost a weapon, its ability to execute those quick, uncanny dodges and pivots was compromised, and worst of all, the loss of the tail was a profound humiliation.
It was akin to a human becoming lame, inviting scorn. Even among wolves, a tailless wolf was looked down upon. Though the silver giant wolf was a Void Realm demonic beast, they too possessed a sense of aesthetics.
"Tie Wu, and you, esteemed expert from Sun-Shooting Divine Mountain, did you not intend to kill us today?" Teng Qingshan laughed from his perch on the Six-Legged Blade Cicada. The cicada proudly looked down upon the two humans and one beast below. The silver giant wolf glanced at the Six-Legged Blade Cicada with palpable dread.
Before the battle, the silver giant wolf dared to fight the Blade Cicada to the death. But after the fight, it realized it couldn't win a full contest, nor could it escape. Had the Blind Sword Saint not thrust his staff out to intervene, its injury would likely have been far worse than just a severed tail.
"Shen Gongtu, can you fire another 'Void-Breaking Arrow'? This time, don't shoot Jing Yi, shoot that demonic beast. It might kill it in one shot," the Blind Sword Saint transmitted mentally.
"How easy is it to make a 'Void-Breaking Arrow'?" Shen Gongtu shot back, furious. "Besides... I saw the battle when Heavenly Wolf fought that beast. Heavenly Wolf’s sharp claws barely left marks on its hide, let alone piercing the scales... My 'Void-Breaking' arrow might pierce it, but its power would be severely weakened. Moreover, that beast dodges far too quickly. Hitting a vital spot would be nearly impossible."
Recalling how the Six-Legged Blade Cicada had appeared to become 'two' flying entities mid-air, Shen Gongtu marveled anew. That beast's evasiveness was utterly exaggerated.
"Gentlemen, what say you? Do you wish to fight another round?" Teng Qingshan sat atop the Blade Cicada, smiling. "If you still have the inclination... I wouldn't mind having roasted wolf meat for dinner tonight."
"Hmph," the Blind Sword Saint snorted coldly.
Shen Gongtu’s gaze sharpened. They both knew the situation was difficult. With Teng Qingshan mounted on the Blade Cicada, the mere flying speed of Shen Gongtu and the Blind Sword Saint wouldn't even allow them to touch its tail. If they truly fought, and Teng Qingshan found an opening, the Blade Cicada might suddenly ambush the silver giant wolf.
"Fighting won't lead to victory, only heavy losses. Why continue?" Shen Gongtu transmitted to the Blind Sword Saint.
The Blind Sword Saint glanced toward the distant, terrified Silver Jiao Army and the piles of corpses, fire welling up inside him. He shot back, "I am so unwilling to yield! Even when I was forced to retreat last time, it was because Gu Yong was present. Unexpectedly this time—Jing Yi is lucky to possess such a demonic beast proficient in both flight and burrowing."
"A demonic beast like that is more coveted than two experts at the Great Accomplishment stage of the Void Realm," Shen Gongtu lamented.
Leaning on the Sun-Shooting Heavenly Wolf, many sects courted the Sun-Shooting Divine Mountain because Void Realm demonic beasts were incredibly useful, and few sects managed to subdue one. But Teng Qingshan’s beast was clearly superior to the Heavenly Wolf.
"Go!"
"Go!"
The Blind Sword Saint and Shen Gongtu hesitated no longer, taking to the air immediately with the silver giant wolf. With the three of them together, any attempt by Teng Qingshan to strike would be a waste of effort.
"Retreat! Fall back!" the Blind Sword Saint’s mental message reached the ears of the Silver Jiao Army commander.
"Retreat!!!"
The command echoed through the Silver Jiao Army. Immediately, the more than twenty thousand troops began a miserable withdrawal, taking their severely wounded and dead comrades with them.
"Tie Wu, and you expert from Sun-Shooting Divine Mountain, I hope there won't be a next time... If you come again, I won't mind taking my good brother here for a tour of your respective sects," Teng Qingshan's mental message reached the ears of the Blind Sword Saint and Shen Gongtu, now distant specks in the sky.
The Blind Sword Saint and Shen Gongtu shivered internally. If Teng Qingshan rode the Six-Legged Blade Cicada to cause chaos in their sects, they truly would be helpless.
"Hmph, this was your half-baked idea; you didn't investigate properly beforehand," Shen Gongtu grumbled, slightly annoyed.
"How was I supposed to know?" the Blind Sword Saint countered, equally displeased.
The two parties separated halfway, heading back to their respective sects.
**
Following this battle, setting aside the ecstatic celebration of the tens of thousands in the Guiyuan Sect, people like 'Hu Chuan,' who had taken private contracts, were equally delighted.
"This is what I observed this time." In a private room at a tavern, Hu Chuan handed over a sheet of paper.
A thin man with a pointed beard took it with a cheerful smile. His eyes immediately lit up as he unfolded the document. He glanced over, chuckling, "Hu Chuan, you did exceptionally well this time. I’ve received three reports, and yours is the most detailed and the best written. Here you go." With that, the pointed-beard man passed over a small stack of silver notes.
Hu Chuan excitedly took them and counted closely. They were all 'Yang Yan' bank notes, valued at one hundred taels each—there were six of them?
"Six hundred taels?" Hu Chuan was surprised, though he didn't believe the man had made a mistake.
"Yes, six hundred taels of silver," the pointed-beard man chuckled. "You performed very well, so this extra hundred taels is a bonus. Remember, just watch carefully and remember everything, and I won't shortchange you if you remain the best."
"Heh heh," Hu Chuan laughed heartily, already calculating in his mind, "With this much silver, I can certainly afford a good wife."
"Then I'll be taking my leave now," Hu Chuan quietly departed, even taking the precaution of closing the private room door behind him.
The pointed-beard man looked at the paper in his hand and revealed a faint smile.
...
Almost that same day, sealed messages began racing out of Jiangning Commandery City in every direction across the Nine Provinces—toward Yongzhou in the southeast, Youzhou in the northeast, Qingzhou, and even Rongzhou and Yuzhou. All major sects had stationed personnel in these crucial locations.
...
On horseback, Pei San rode leisurely mixed in with the vast, straggling army.
"This Jing Yi is truly formidable," Pei San mused, allowing a rare hint of pleasant surprise to show as he read the paper. "To actually acquire such a Void Realm demonic beast. With this beast... how could that cunning old rogue from the Carefree Palace possibly escape?"
...
Three thousand li into the Qin Mountains, within a tranquil underground hall belonging to the Ying Clan, the hall was densely packed with gleaming swords. In the mist-shrouded chamber, a golden-robed figure could vaguely be discerned, a crimson mole marked upon his forehead.
"Such a demonic beast?"
"This Jing Yi has obtained such a beast! If my Ying Clan possessed such a creature, how could we have been made a laughingstock by that drunkard in the past?" The voice of the golden-robed figure held undisguised excitement.
...
In an instant, many prominent, visible masters across the Nine Provinces—those long in seclusion, or living avatars like the Reincarnated Living Buddhas of the Mani Temple—all received this news. Void Realm demonic beasts were notoriously arrogant, and very few managed to subdue one, let alone a beast skilled in both flight and burrowing, capable of slaughter on a massive scale.
It sparked intense covetousness!
However, the various major sects also understood that possessing such a beast meant Jing Yi would not be easily trifled with.
Fortunately—
Jing Yi was unaffiliated with any sect. If he could be persuaded to join their ranks, wouldn't that be a marvelous thing?