Chapter 274 - 153: Bloody Slaughter

Yang Wenqing's sword strike was both blindingly fast and utterly silent.

Its speed came from his deeper understanding of 'Nine Heavens Thunderous Movement' after entering the Marrow Cleansing Realm. It wasn't just velocity; it was the sudden eruption of his entire essence, killing intent, and Spiritual Qi, all compressed into a single point.

As the sword flew, it left a vacuum trail in the air, briefly outrunning sound itself.

Its silence came from how the strike condensed all its outward force, light, and killing intent into an infinitesimal point on the sword's tip. From a distance, one could only see a faint, crimson-gold thread. Without careful observation, it would be completely overlooked.

The crimson-gold thread crossed paths in mid-air with the silver trident, which was wreathed in a raging waterspout. The moment the trident's violent Water Spirit qi and spiraling vortex touched the crimson-gold thread, they collapsed like snow under a scorching sun.

The crimson-gold thread, its momentum unbroken, shot up the trident's shaft. Wherever it passed, the silver light dimmed, and spiderweb cracks appeared on the steel-like haft.

Then, it lightly tapped the center of the Fishman Demon General's brow.

A soft, almost inaudible sound rang out.

The Fishman Demon General's ferocious expression froze on its face. Its bulging eyes still held the madness of launching a fatal blow and the excitement of imminent success, but the depths of its pupils were rapidly replaced by an endless, deadened confusion.

The next moment.

CRACK... BOOM!

The silver trident was the first to go, unable to withstand the complete destruction of its internal structure. It exploded into countless metal fragments in mid-air. The raging waterspout attached to it, having lost its core, dissipated into a sky-wide spray of water.

Immediately after, the Fishman Demon General's body lit up from within with countless fine, crimson-gold lines of light, like a piece of porcelain about to shatter. Then, its massive form silently disintegrated, crumbling down in a mix of seawater and metal shards.

From the Fishman Demon General's sudden attack to it and its trident being turned to ash, the entire process took no more than two breaths.

The City Defense Bureau officers fighting in the heat of battle and Yang Wenyuan's group, who had just regained their footing, all stared, dumbfounded. All they saw was a flash of silver light, followed by a fleeting streak of faint, crimson-gold light—and the seemingly invincible Demon General was just... gone?

Yang Wenqing retracted his right hand. The Azure Peak sword slid silently back into his sleeve, its blade unstained by even a speck of blood or a drop of water, its cold gleam still contained.

Only he knew that the seemingly effortless strike was actually the result of 'Concealing the Edge' for a long time. And that 'concealment' held the immense power of an accumulated charge.

High above, on an auspicious cloud, Inspector Fang Sui retracted his spell-casting left hand and smiled at Lei Kang beside him. "Director Yang is certainly cautious. And his foundation is truly solid. After using all his strength to destroy that Talisman and casting so many Spells, he can still unleash a Sword Control Technique of such power."

Fang Sui appeared to be chatting casually with Lei Kang, but in reality, a fine layer of cold sweat had broken out on his back. 'That seemingly casual flick of my hand just now was actually me placing a life-saving seal near Yang Wenqing. If it had really come down to the wire, it could have bought him half a breath of time. Thankfully, it wasn't needed.'

The moment the Fishman Demon General burst from the water, the two inspectors had already locked onto it with their Divine Sense. They were even prepared to intervene, because Yang Wenqing's status was now different.

He wasn't just the Vice Director of the Lingshan New District; he was now a True Disciple taken in by Qin Huaiming himself. Behind them stood the deeply rooted and complex 'Xuanyue Lineage'.

If Director Qin's prized new disciple were to be successfully ambushed and killed by a mere Marrow Cleansing Realm demon general right under the noses of two Foundation Establishment Stage cultivators, the consequences would be unthinkable.

"This young man is indeed worthy of Director Qin's high regard," Lei Kang said, slowly exhaling a turbid breath.

"Let's continue to watch how things unfold," Fang Sui said, reigning in his thoughts and refocusing his attention on the battlefield.

Platform Seven.

The brief silence was shattered by a new wave of even denser roars and gunfire. The deterrent effect of Yang Wenqing's strike was limited; more Water Race Demon Soldiers continued to surge forward, wave after wave.

The next half-hour was a true battle of attrition.

The barrel of the runic rifle in Yang Wenqing's hands glowed red from continuous fire. The pre-arranged automated defensive Arrays overloaded one after another. The City Defense Bureau officers were forced to frequently change their firing positions, several times even engaging in brutal close-quarters combat with Demon Soldiers who broke through the firing line and charged onto the platform.

Sweat, blood, and seawater mingled together. The platform was thick with the smell of gunpowder and the heavy stench of the sea. Everyone's nerves were stretched to their absolute limit.

The Demon Race had already left at least five thousand corpses behind, yet their assault didn't stop. From above the clouds, the sound of something tearing through the air could be heard from time to time, clearly indicating that Great Cultivators were advancing. But no battles ensued, no news came from the municipal bureau, and there was certainly no sign of reinforcements.

Just as Yang Wenqing was beginning to wonder if a full-scale war had truly broken out, Director Gao's voice rang out from the Communication Array in every officer's badge:

"All units, be advised: Government Soldiers' suppressive fire is about to cover the front lines. I repeat, suppressive fire is imminent. All forward units, fall back to the second line of cover immediately!"

At almost the exact same time, from behind the ridges on both flanks of the battlefield, came the low, continuous rumble of interlocking mechanical gears. The sound grew louder and denser, finally merging into a heart-pounding roar.

"Fall back! Get back now!" the commanders on each platform roared hoarsely.