The scene before me was one of utter desolation: vast stretches of barren earth, an immense, sprawling desert. This was the Qila Province, situated in the northern reaches of the Demon Sealing Empire. Further south lay the largest desert on the Marfa Continent: the Qila Great Desert. After departing the Imperial Palace, I had pushed directly towards the fiercest frontline battleground between the Misbi Holy Word Alliance and the Moluo Alliance, infiltrating the occupied territory held by the Moluo forces. It was much like my previous infiltration of Cicheng, only now, having become a Heaven Demon Warrior, my power had increased exponentially. Furthermore, stealth and concealment were my old specialties. Though it cost me considerable time, I managed to slip through unnoticed, burrowing deep into the Moluo Alliance’s supply routes, the cargo ships traversing between Misbi and the Demon Sealing Continent.
More than a month later, I finally reached the Demon Sealing Continent's northernmost port city, Qila Harbor. The perils and twists encountered during that journey are too numerous to recount, but at least I had made it to this land.
I had no idea what state the Imperial Palace was in at this moment, but I was certain of one thing: Jiuyao Chongyang and Jidu must be tearing their hair out with fury.
However, I couldn't afford to dwell on that.
After "disembarking" at the pier, I casually "acquired" another one of the garrison’s High Furnace warhorses and set off due north, heading inland across the Demon Sealing Continent to execute my planned act of terror.
Perhaps this entire operation would change nothing. I might even be cut down by the Demon Sealing Empire’s own Heaven Demon Warriors.
Yet, this was the only path left open to me. The illusory world, Yunju’s dying plea, Shenyin’s kind face—these images constantly haunted my dreams.
To stand by and watch them face mortal danger with indifference—I simply could not do it. I prayed inwardly that everything would still be timely.
The sun began to ascend from the east, ushering in a new day. The High Furnace warhorse tethered beneath a withered tree snorted impatiently, its thick tail swishing back and forth irritably, batting away the flies that plagued its back.
After four hours of rest, both the warhorse and I had regained our strength. Forcing down the unease churning in my heart, I stowed the tent into my spatial wrap and approached the warhorse tied beneath the barren tree.
It was then that I heard a series of rapid, violent thundering sounds, accompanied by a slight tremor running through the ground.
In an instant, I recognized the unmistakable sound of cavalry charges—and a considerable number of them, judging by the sheer noise. Instinctively, I looked toward the distance, toward the southern horizon, where a black line was rapidly surging toward my position!
Estimating quickly, there were at least over a hundred riders, arrayed in a tight, orderly square formation. The dust billowing skyward nearly obscured the soft, late-autumn morning sunlight, rendering the approach hazy.
As they drew closer, I saw them clearly: these were the magic cavalry of the Demon Sealing Empire! Though slightly surprised, I had no intention of fleeing. I swiftly vaulted onto the back of my horse!
I never expected my first intended targets to deliver themselves to me so quickly!
Rumble!
Faintly, I could hear someone in the cavalry formation shouting commands at the top of their lungs! Immediately, over a thousand magic cavalry surged toward me, and in the blink of an eye, they had completely surrounded me!
“Who are you?” The leading knight, clad in a long, black demon robe, appeared immensely robust even for a mage. He held an ancient jade scepter, sitting firmly astride his mount, looking down upon me as his eyes scrutinized me with cold intensity.
My standard warrior attire, along with the High Furnace warhorse branded with the army's mark, had clearly aroused his suspicion.
At this moment, I was still wearing the Fire-Sun Heaven Demon Armor, though its external form had changed significantly. The Heaven Demon Wings on my back were completely retracted, hidden beneath the crimson cloak. Otherwise, the armor’s appearance was nearly identical to the golden God of War armor I had seen on Jidu and Rahu when I was in Cangyue.
This was the other miraculous function of the Heaven Demon Armor: transformation and disguise. Outside of combat, the armor could present itself to the world in this guise—a feature specifically designed for Heaven Demon Warriors on missions. Although the standard issue armor across the Marfa Continent's ranger world was mostly green, there were quite a few instances of gold, red, and blue variants.
Too weary for pleasantries, I rested my right hand on the hilt of the Dragon Shadow Sword!
Whoosh! A crisp dragon's cry echoed, and six streaks of blood-red light instantly flashed forth!
“Ah.” No one expected me to draw my weapon and strike without uttering a single word.
Thwack! Thwack! Thwack! The six Dragon Shadows moved with terrifying speed! In an instant, they streaked through the cavalry formation like six crimson arcs of lightning across the heavens! After a few swift passes, they pierced clean through the riders' chests, raising clouds of bloody mist!
The leading knight, however, wore an expression of utter disbelief! He instinctively reached toward his chest, where a fist-sized hole gaped straight through to his back, large gouts of bright blood gushing forth!
“So… so fast.” Perhaps until his very last breath, he never saw how I had struck!
In mere moments, the Dragon Shadows had returned to rest upon the Dragon Shadow Sword. Yet, every magic cavalryman surrounding me stood frozen, like statues, unmoving!
Thump! Thump! Thump!
After a noticeable pause, they all slumped off their horses simultaneously! Every man clutched his chest, his eyes wide with blank confusion and bewilderment!
Yes! Until their deaths, they never registered what had happened! Even without deploying the Heaven Demon Wings, my power was more than sufficient to annihilate them instantly. Their mistake was their overconfidence in completely surrounding me! After all, for mages, the greatest taboo is allowing a warrior to close the distance.
While a standard warrior’s blade aura attack could reach a maximum of twenty-five meters, that was for an ordinary fighter. For a Heaven Demon Warrior, the effective range of their sword aura could extend to an astonishing one hundred meters, though power naturally diminished with distance. My Dragon Shadow worked similarly, but these limits only applied against masters of equivalent rank. Against experts of the Crimson Moon tier, no such distance restrictions existed! Furthermore, they were all mages, their defenses inherently fragile—how could they possibly withstand my Dragon Shadow attack? An instant kill on the first pass was slightly unexpected, but logically inevitable!
In the wilderness, deprived of their riders’ control, the over one hundred High Furnace warhorses scattered in panic, neighing mournfully! I instinctively gave a light squeeze to the flank of my own mount!
Whoa! The warhorse let out a long cry and dragged me forward as we charged directly into the Qila Great Desert!
This was only the beginning! Demon Sealing Empire! From this moment forward, I, the Blue Lightning, intend to turn your Dragon Continent upside down and grant you no peace!