Chapter 53: Standard-Bearer
Chapter 53: Chapter 53: Standard-Bearer
Three months after returning to Langlang Mountain, Xu Chang’an applied for his Middle-grade Alchemist certification.
The news sent the entire Hundred Arts Peak into an uproar.
To have reached such a profound level of skill after studying the Alchemy Dao for less than ten years!
It wasn’t just the Alchemy Hall; demons from the other halls of Hundred Arts Peak were all paying close attention.
Many demons were skeptical.
A few days later, under the watch of several Elders including Jin Ling’er, the Alchemy Hall’s sole High-grade Alchemist personally conducted the assessment.
Xu Chang’an successfully refined a Middle Grade cultivation elixir, the Qi Replenishing Pill.
And with that, Xu Chang’an’s promotion to Middle-grade Alchemist was set in stone.
A few more days passed, and a decree came from Elder Peak, appointing Xu Chang’an as a Standard-Bearer of Langlang Mountain and granting him a Standard-Bearer’s cloak.
His semi-annual stipend would be eighteen Demon Stones and five bottles of Qi Replenishing Pills!
Furthermore, in recognition of his outstanding talent in the Alchemy Dao, he was specially granted one Tier-Breaking Elixir—a Qi Condensing Pill—and two Low-grade Magical Artifacts.
For a time, the demons of Hundred Arts Peak often spoke of the matter, filled with envy.
They began spending much more time in secluded cultivation to practice their own skills.
The Standard-Bearer’s cloak was a higher grade than the Little Banner Cloak, and its design was more ornate.
It even fell into the category of a Low-grade Defensive Magical Artifact.
However, whether it was the Standard-Bearer’s cloak, the Qi Condensing Pill, or the two specially granted Low-grade Magical Artifacts...
...none of it meant much to the current Xu Chang’an.
However, this move elevated his status within Langlang Mountain by a whole level.
His standing was now a cut above that of an ordinary Standard-Bearer.
Another three months passed.
Xu Chang’an announced that with the help of the Tier-Breaking Elixir, the Qi Condensing Pill, he had successfully broken through to the Qi Refining Fourth Layer.
On the same day, Xu Chang’an invited the demons of the Alchemy Hall to Pinglang Valley for a hearty feast.
In recent days, the war between Langlang Mountain and Black Crow Mountain had reached its most critical juncture.
On this day, in a clearing in Wave Valley,
almost all of Langlang Mountain’s demons, excluding those on the front lines, had gathered.
Seven Sequence Elders, sixteen ordinary Elders, over a hundred Vanguards, Standard-Bearers, and Little Flags, and several hundred Little Demons were all present.
Langlang Mountain’s Third Elder, representing Elder Peak, delivered a mobilization speech for the final, decisive battle against the Black Crows.
The demon host was fired up and greatly encouraged, eager to charge into Black Crow Mountain’s main peak and capture the Black Crow King alive.
Finally, the King of Langlang Mountain, Jin Yuanba, appeared in person.
He announced that the final, decisive battle had begun!
This was the first time in the ten years since Xu Chang’an had joined Langlang Mountain that he had seen this Foundation Establishment Great Demon.
He had the head of a bird and the body of a man, stood a full fifty to sixty feet tall, and his feathers gleamed with a metallic luster.
Xu Chang’an had a feeling that their toughness was likely on par with an ordinary Low-grade Magical Artifact.
Jin Yuanba stood there like an insurmountable mountain peak.
"King! King! King!"
The demons of Langlang Mountain roared, the atmosphere fervent.
Xu Chang’an shouted along with the rest of the demon army.
Xu Chang’an’s cultivation was low, and he was a core disciple being groomed by the Alchemy Hall, so naturally, he didn’t need to go to the front lines.
Instead, he was to stay on the mountain, focus on alchemy, and provide elixir support for the demon army at the front.
"Grey Rat, I’m heading out for this great battle.
The Merit Hall has opened up a lot of rare resources. If I earn some merit, I might be able to try for the Qi Refining Sixth Layer."
Feeling the fervent atmosphere around them, Xiong Da seemed very excited.
He felt his blood boiling, itching to rush to the front lines immediately.
"Be careful."
Xu Chang’an said with concern.
Then he handed Xiong Da a pitch-black bottle of elixirs.
"What’s this, Grey Rat?"
Xiong Da was a little confused.
"Qi Enhancement Pills! Taking one can increase the power of your Demon Power by one-fifth."
Xu Chang’an explained.
This bottle of elixirs was quite expensive, much more so than ordinary Middle Grade cultivation elixirs.
Xiong Da didn’t refuse, but he took it to heart.
"Grey Rat, when I get back this time, I might just be a Vanguard!
Haha, that’ll be way more impressive than you."
Xu Chang’an just smiled and said nothing.
’With help from Cyan Snake Mountain and Wild Boar Mountain, this decisive battle should be a smooth victory.
The chances of earning merit are extremely high!
But...
things in this world are unpredictable. Nothing is certain until the dust settles.’
"Xiong Da, come back alive!"
"Alright! I still want to use a Middle-grade Magical Artifact to try Flying in the Sky!
Of course I’ll come back alive."
...
Led by Jin Yuanba and numerous Elders, several hundred demons from Langlang Mountain set out for the final, decisive battle.
With so many demons gone, the entirety of Langlang Mountain was left feeling incredibly empty.
Only a single Elder and a few Vanguards remained to stand guard.
There were also dozens of Little Demons responsible for daily patrols and guarding the passes.
The rest were demons with specialized skills like Xu Chang’an, who were in charge of logistics.
The mountain’s forces were depleted, so the Defense Array was kept active at all times, on high alert to prevent any mishaps.
Xu Chang’an paid attention to the battle on the front lines while practicing his Pill Art and refining his Magical Artifact.
’I hope everything goes smoothly,’
he thought.
’If some major incident were to happen to Langlang Mountain...
with my own power still fledgling, I’d probably have to find another faction to join.’
Every few days, the latest news would arrive from the front lines.
A Black Crow Mountain stronghold was successfully breached.
A Black Crow Mountain Spiritual Spring was successfully seized...
Everything was trending in a positive direction.
The demon army had successfully rendezvoused at the foot of Black Crow Mountain, preparing for the final assault.
When the latest news arrived, the demons’ spirits were high.
Black Crow Mountain, their enemy of many years, was about to become history.
Just as all the demons remaining on Langlang Mountain thought the battle was a resounding victory...
...all news from the front lines ceased.
Inside his cave, Xu Chang’an sat cross-legged, channeling his Demon Power to refine the Golden Radiance Needle.
After more than half a year of refining, the Golden Radiance Needle was almost completely refined.
It was ready to be used against enemies!
However, Xu Chang’an held himself to an extremely high standard and was still continuously refining it.
’It’s been several days with no news. Could something have changed on the front lines!?
Logically, with the help of Cyan Snake Mountain and Wild Boar Mountain, plus Langlang Mountain’s own forces, this siege on Black Crow Mountain should have been a sure thing.
Could it be that Black Crow Mountain called for reinforcements!? Or maybe...
...one of our allies betrayed us on the battlefield!’
Xu Chang’an speculated.
Without enough information, he couldn’t figure anything out just by thinking.
’If the situation turns sour, I’ll head straight for the Spirit Plant Garden and devour everything.
Then I’ll flee far away!’
If not for the fact that a large number of Spirit Medicines and Spirit Plants in the Spirit Plant Garden had been harvested for war supplies right before the battle...
...the amount there should have been enough for him to accumulate the Energy needed to break through to the Qi Refining Ninth Layer.
But now...
it was better than nothing!
This was also why Xu Chang’an hadn’t made his move yet.
If given the chance, he still wanted to build up his own power on Langlang Mountain.
’I hope nothing happened to Xiong Da,’
Xu Chang’an sighed.
That blockhead, so simple-minded... he probably heard about the chance to earn merit and charged right to the front.
They were both from Cyan Mountain and had been friends for ten years.
From the bottom of his heart, Xu Chang’an didn’t want anything to happen to Xiong Da.
And so, a few more days passed.
Led by Elder Jin Ling’er, over a hundred demons returned from the front lines.
As far as the eye could see, every single one of them was wounded.
Even Jin Ling’er herself was pale, her vitality drained.
At the same time, they brought the latest news.
...