Chapter 364 - 355: Marshal Ming Enters the Capital, Military Martial Killing Dao

Chapter 364: Chapter 355: Marshal Ming Enters the Capital, Military Martial Killing Dao

The Banner Officer supervising the execution brandished his spear to drive back the encroaching commoners. He turned, looked at the dozen or so headless corpses on the ground, and thought, ’What a pity.’

In the past, when traitors from the Banner-cutting Alliance were caught, they were all sent directly to be used as materials for Alchemy.

But this time, this band of scoundrels had caused too much trouble, ruining the Magic Sacrifice held once every five years. Every time the Nobles of the Upper Banners sent men to repair a formation node, their hatred for them grew.

So it was ordered that a portion of the captured traitors must be taken to the city gates for public execution as a warning.

After the executions, the crowd of onlookers before the city gate gradually dispersed. Those who needed to enter the city entered, and those who needed to leave, left.

At that moment, in the line to enter the city, a man was being questioned by a City Gate Officer.

The man was of medium height with short hair and sparse eyebrows. The skin on his face, neck, and arms had a faint purplish-red hue.

It looked as if it were caused by constant exposure to the sun, or perhaps from being scorched by a fierce fire.

But he lacked the timidness and cowardice typical of a common farmer. Instead, his bearing was unusually calm and composed.

The man seemed "parched."

A feverish agitation seemed to radiate from within him, as if a fire were burning inside his body. It left his lips dry and chapped, and he appeared to be in a constant state of dehydration.

On his back, the man carried a massive, nearly circular object wrapped in layers of gray cloth. It somewhat resembled the hub of a carriage wheel, but resting on his not-so-broad shoulders, it didn’t seem as heavy as it looked.

"Where are you from?"

With the Banner-cutting Alliance traitors causing chaos, the City Guard Officers were now conducting routine, simple interrogations of everyone entering the city. It wasn’t as lax as before.

"The Southwest."

The man answered softly.

His tone was gentle, with an indescribable quality to it.

He looked the City Guard Officer in the eye as he spoke, his gaze calm and focused. He seemed less like the one being questioned and more like the questioner.

"A refugee, I take it..."

Hearing the word "Southwest," the City Guard Officer shook his head.

For the past two years, war had been raging in the Southwest. He had seen countless waves of refugees flocking to Yingjing.

He asked again, "Name?"

"Xie Mingzhi."

The City Guard Officer looked up, his gaze falling on the massive, cloth-wrapped, wheel-like object on the man’s back. He asked instinctively, "What are you carrying back there?"

A glint flashed in the man’s eyes. Before he could answer, the officer had already shaken his head and waved him through.

"Never mind, go on in.

Just remember to keep your head down in the city. Don’t cause any trouble..."

A smile appeared on the man’s scorched, ageless face. He offered a gentle "thank you" and walked through the city gate.

Once inside the city, the man strolled along the long street.

The massive object on his back drew many curious glances, but he paid them no mind. He simply took out the water flask at his waist and continuously moistened his dry lips as he walked.

Along the way, people began to peel off from the crowds of passersby, naturally falling in behind the man.

By the time the man was approaching the inner city, a dozen or so people in various garbs had gathered around him.

These people ranged from lowly rickshaw pullers to silk-clad young masters, but without exception, they all treated him with extraordinary respect, deferring to him as their leader.

Their gazes held a reverence tinged with the fanaticism of a true believer.

The group passed through the inner city checkpoint as if no one else existed. The man sipped the water from his flask and asked softly, "Where is he?"

One person stepped forward and reported quickly, "The Zhe Banner’s Main Family.

The kid has Manchus blood. He was officially recognized by the clan and has now become a Young Master of the Zhe Banner Mo Family."

The man lowered his water flask and nodded. "Take me there."

"Yes, sir."

The subordinate complied, but after a moment’s hesitation, couldn’t help but speak up. "We’ve been lying low here. With just a few more days, we could have found an opportunity to bring both the person and the item back to Marshal Ming.

Why did Marshal Ming have to personally risk coming to this Demon Capital...?"

"What risk is there?"

The man’s tone was flat, as if he were discussing the most trivial of matters. "I’m just here to pick something up. I’ll leave once I have it. Even if the people of the Nine Banners know I’m Xie Mingzhi, they won’t make a big show of trying to capture me."

He paused, lifting his head to gaze toward the distant Imperial Palace, shrouded in gray clouds. He spoke in a low voice, "I’ve heard the Nine Banners are supporting four Sin Level and one Calamity Level Great Demon in the Imperial Palace.

I was a little curious, so I thought I’d come and see for myself..."

"Your Marshal Huo just shed his ’Ba’ form and is in urgent need of consuming fiends of the same level to recuperate."

As the man spoke, a hint of almost doting tenderness appeared on his scorched, chapped face. He said softly, "It pesters me every day. I was getting restless in the army camp anyway, so I figured I might as well come out, scout the way for it, and clear my head..."

The man walked calmly and composedly down the empty street. Despite his plain appearance and coarse gray clothes, he exuded an unparalleled aura, like that of a world-conquering sovereign.

It was a quality that transcended physical appearance. Even the most handsome person standing next to him could not eclipse his brilliance.

"I’ve already had a look."

The man continued, "In this Yingjing City, there is only one person who could pose a threat to me."

The man looked toward a distant spot where the tip of the Thousand Blessings Tower was faintly visible.

A moment later, he retracted his gaze.

"If I were to use..."

He glanced at the massive, wheel-like object on his back and said coolly, "...then there would be none."

Then, he gave another order in the same flat tone:

"The Sin Level and Calamity Level Great Demons supported by the Nine Banners are Marshal Huo’s future provisions.

The Heirloom Magical Artifacts in the hands of the Nine Banners are the foundation upon which I shall establish my rule...

You all need to watch closely.

We can’t let our things fall into someone else’s pocket..."

"Yes, sir."

The followers around him responded in unison, their expressions filled with adulation and fervor, as if they could already see the day the man would lead the great Fire Cloud Army to lay siege to the Demon Capital.

As they spoke, the group unknowingly arrived at a wide alley with a grand entrance.

The man stopped beneath a Golden Plaque that read "Zhe Banner Mo Mansion." He waited for most of the accompanying Fire Cloud Army subordinates to disperse, leaving only two behind to help identify the target.

He merely lifted his eyelids, and a few meters away, the two great vermilion doors, studded with gleaming bronze nails, suddenly exploded without warning!

Cries of alarm immediately erupted from within the mansion as the man slowly walked inside with his followers.

Inside the Mo Mansion, chaos and panic reigned.

The servants and women of the household ran about frantically, all of them shouting, "The Spirit Banner! Have the people from the Spirit Banner come again?!"

Everyone who saw them reacted as if they were facing a flood or a ferocious beast. No one dared to stand in their way; they only fled for their lives.

Seeing this, a strange look appeared on the man’s face. He couldn’t help but ask, "It seems they’ve mistaken us for someone else?"

"It would seem so."

A subordinate replied, "There’s a menace in the Lower Five Banners that no one dares to provoke. He came and wreaked havoc on this Mo Family just the other day..."

The man smiled slightly upon hearing this. "What a coincidence."

As they spoke, a large group of people came rushing out from the depths of the Mo Mansion.

Before the figures arrived, an anguished voice called out, "Young Master Ling, why must you bully us so? It wasn’t enough for you to steal our Demon Lord? What more do you want?"

The Zhe Banner Lord led his relatives and subordinates to the front courtyard. But when he got a clear look at the man and his two followers, his expression froze.

The group quickly realized their mistake; they had been like startled birds, reacting to a false alarm.

It wasn’t their fault, really. After all, among all the Yingjing Nine Banners, only those under the "Spirit" Banner would dare to break down the doors of one of the Lower Five Banners in broad daylight.

"Where did these bastards come from? Kill them and throw them to the dogs!"

The Zhe Banner Lord’s face was ashen as he pointed at the three men and gave the cold command.

The members of the Mo Family realized it was a false alarm and breathed a collective sigh of relief.

In the crowd, only a man and a woman standing in the corner turned deathly pale the moment they recognized the man’s face. They spun around to leave.

The man naturally noticed the pair’s strange reaction. A glint flashed in his eyes, and he took a single, gentle step forward.

At the same time, two figures from the Mo Family’s side shot forward like eagles pouncing on a tiger.

The man didn’t even look at them. He simply raised a finger and nonchalantly pointed forward.

"CLANG!!—"

The instant he pointed, the empty front courtyard filled with the sound of countless weapons being drawn and clashing.

The clang of metal on metal and the roar of battle cries shook the heavens!

An indescribably terrifying killing intent erupted from the man’s fingertip. In a daze, everyone seemed to see a vision of armored cavalry charging and roaring before them, a maelstrom of flashing blades and flying blood....

"THUD! THUMP!"

The two figures fell from mid-air almost simultaneously, landing stiffly on the ground. A clear, bloody hole had appeared in the center of each of their foreheads. They were now two corpses.

One of them had a contorted face, still halfway through the process of Spirit Awakening.

The vast courtyard instantly fell deathly silent.

Everyone stared blankly at the middle-aged man with the purplish-red face who looked like an old farmer, unable to process what they had just witnessed.

After a long moment, a voice, trembling with shock and disbelief, finally spoke.

"Military Martial Killing Dao!"

"Who... who in the world are you?!"