Chapter 390: The Stars

“SCREECH!”

Fang Rui made no attempt to conceal himself, descending on a crane with wisps of pure light swirling around him.

But just a moment before—

SPLAT!

A gleaming white blade, reflecting the blood-red setting sun, swung down. A scarlet spray, more blinding than the sunset itself, instantly burst forth.

Under the glow of the village fires, thick plumes of blood qi rose and flowed into a Blood Cauldron.

“Killing civilians for military credit?!”

Fang Rui stared at the severed heads of the old, the weak, women, and children scattered on the ground. The eldest had white hair; the youngest were even younger than Fang Ling had been when he first arrived in this world. He glanced at the more than one thousand armored soldiers, his brows furrowing deeply.

“I am Xiahou Xian, Camp Commander of the Liangzhou Black Flood Dragon Army, here on orders to suppress bandits. And who might you be, you… fellow? Where are you from? And why are you skulking about with a mask?”

Xiahou Xian was tall and powerfully built, clad in black Armor. He had been about to address Fang Rui as a Daoist, but seeing that the man was even bigger and burlier than he was, he quickly changed his tune.

Of course, he wasn’t a patient man. If Fang Rui hadn’t made such an extraordinary entrance and looked like someone not to be trifled with, he wouldn’t have even bothered with these pleasantries.

Behind him, the thousand-plus Armored Soldiers who had been scattered about assembled in solemn silence, forming a military battle formation.

“Suppressing bandits? So how did you end up in a village?”

Fang Rui asked with a sneer.

“The reasons are classified, under orders from my superiors. What, are you planning to stick your nose where it doesn’t belong?”

As Xiahou Xian spoke, he didn’t wait for a reply, decisively striking first with a Soldier Dao Secret Technique.

The man might look tough, but Xiahou Xian had more faith in his army’s formation. He was confident he could eliminate any unexpected factors and silence this witness for good.

“Kill!”

An aura of slaughter surged, coalescing into a ten-foot-long Black Spear that shot toward Fang Rui in a flash.

‘Such discipline… Orders Must Be Followed and Prohibitions Must Be Observed. A Military Secret Technique? As expected of elite soldiers… but that just means they deserve to die even more.’

Fang Rui’s expression grew even colder.

This Black Flood Dragon Army was ordered to suppress bandits, but instead of doing that, they came to slaughter a village. It was obvious they wanted to avoid a real fight and feared taking casualties.

As for that spear condensed from Military Qi?

He didn’t even have to act personally. The three hundred Tribulation Demon Black Eagles arrived with a screech, forming a shield of their own military-like qi to block it.

“Beasts formed into an army? Is this some kind of Demon Technique? Are you… a Spirit Master?!”

When Xiahou Xian saw the three hundred Tribulation Demon Black Eagles, his pupils shrank. He pulled a bandit-suppression Gold Medal from his breastplate.

‘A Spirit Master’s various forms of Magic are most vulnerable to Qi Fortune and military formations. I don’t care if you’re a remnant of the Ancient Spirit Masters or an Imperial Spirit Master—today, you’re not leaving here alive!’

He sneered inwardly and waved the bandit-suppression Gold Medal.

“ROAR!”

A Qi Fortune Golden Dragon, invisible to ordinary people, ascended. It consumed the army’s Military Qi and transformed it into a thirty-foot black dragon, which roared at the three hundred Tribulation Demon Black Eagles. The roar manifested as translucent sonic waves that swept toward them.

But Fang Rui’s Tribulation Demon Black Eagles had been enlightened by his Divine Technique, Gathering Beasts and Taming Birds. How could they possibly be restrained by mere Qi Fortune and military formations?

They stood their ground, unshakable as a mountain.

“Hmph!”

Fang Rui let out a sudden, cold snort that boomed like thunder.

Before Xiahou Xian’s disbelieving eyes, a bolt of azure lightning fell from the sky, shattering the thirty-foot black dragon formed from Qi Fortune and Military Qi. The bandit-suppression Gold Medal suffered a backlash and instantly cracked apart.

“Now die!”

Fang Rui reached out his hand and grabbed. A massive, azure Great Hand Seal materialized in the air and shot down toward Xiahou Xian.

“Argh!”

Xiahou Xian’s eyes bulged with rage. He activated the military formation, merging his essence with the thousand soldiers behind him, but the Great Hand Seal still shattered their formation and plucked him right out.

Even then, he struggled and bellowed, “Insolence! I am a soldier of the Liangzhou army, one of the Court’s Celestial Soldiers! How dare you act so recklessly? Aren’t you afraid of bringing disaster upon your family?”

“If you can reverse life and death to resurrect them, I’d be eternally grateful!”

Fang Rui sneered. An azure light flashed in his eyes, shining into Xiahou Xian’s. He was using an Enchanting Technique to search for information.

“Hm? So this Black Flood Dragon Army really was ordered to suppress bandits, their target being the outlaws of the Qilian Six Strongholds. But it’s not as simple as killing civilians for credit. They’re also tasked with… heh heh!”

“There isn’t a single person in this army who doesn’t deserve to die. They must all be killed!”

With Xiahou Xian forcibly ripped from the formation, the Black Flood Dragon Army’s second-in-command immediately filled his position and organized an orderly retreat.

“Trying to escape?!”

Fang Rui flicked his sleeve. His Spiritual Essence transformed into a hurricane that swept through and shattered their formation. Then, with a long, piercing cry, the three hundred Tribulation Demon Black Eagles dove down for the kill.

“Ahhh!”

“They’re Spirit Monsters!”

“Stay away! Get away from me!”

…

These so-called elite soldiers couldn’t withstand a single blow from the flock of Tribulation Demon Black Eagles, all of which were at least Entry Grade. They were butchered like livestock.

“That’s over a thousand men! You… you… how could you be so ruthless?!” Xiahou Xian shrieked, his eyes nearly bursting from their sockets as he watched his subordinates, his brothers-in-arms, being slaughtered.

“Aren’t you perfectly aware of what you were doing? Murder? All I see is a pack of beasts wearing human skin!”

Fang Rui looked down on him with the indifference of a high and mighty Divine Spirit. “Do you know why I held back? Why I didn’t perform a destructive Soul Searching that would have turned you into a drooling imbecile?”

“Why?” Xiahou Xian asked instinctively, a terrible premonition suddenly dawning on him.

“Heh heh.”

But Fang Rui didn’t answer. He simply squeezed the Spiritual Yuan Hand, and Xiahou Xian’s physical body exploded like a watermelon. His Divine Soul, however, was preserved for the moment by wisps of azure light.

Then.

He beckoned with his hand. From the Blood Cauldron the Black Flood Dragon Army had used to collect their ‘blood food’, a torrent of resentful energy erupted. It formed into the ghastly faces of vengeful spirits, which swarmed toward Xiahou Xian’s Divine Soul.

“Give me back my life!”

“Die, die, die!”

“Just die!”

…

Xiahou Xian’s Divine Soul was devoured piece by piece. The agony was far more excruciating than being drawn and quartered by five horses.

“I was wrong… Kill me, just kill me… Someone will avenge me… I curse you to a miserable death… Ah, you’re not human… You’re a Demon…”

“You flatter me. Compared to all of you, I still have a long way to go.”