King of Creation Chapter 1778 - 1763: Organized Invasion

Dazhou Jianwu's 738th year, the sixth month, the fourteenth day. As midnight struck and the town watchman finished his rounds, Pingshan Town in Xiyang County, Dongshui County, Lingzhou, succumbed to a profound silence, sinking into slumber.

The occasional bark of a dog was the only sound punctuating the deep tranquility of the sleeping town.

Suddenly, eleven dark silhouettes infiltrated Pingshan Town under the cover of night.

"This is the location!"

"The tavern's attendant, the scholar residing in the third courtyard from the east, the two clerks at the carriage station, and the proprietor of the town’s sole inn—these five individuals are our targets.

Intelligence suggests they might be secret operatives of the Second Route Wind Patrol Envoy. We are to eliminate them in pairs, ensuring pinpoint accuracy!" the leader, clad in complete black, commanded in a hushed tone.

"Understood!"

The assembled figures in black acknowledged the order. The leader continued, his voice stern, "Remember, absolute discretion is paramount! The strike must be fatal, leaving no opportunity for them to send out a warning! You must conceal your Qi completely."

"Yes!"

Under the leader's watchful gaze, ten figures clad in black dispersed into pairs, vanishing swiftly into the profoundly still Pingshan Town.

Mere moments later, an aura, indicative of the Realm King Realm, momentarily flickered within Pingshan Town.

However, it was an ephemeral presence, vanishing as quickly as it appeared.

This fleeting display of power ignited a spark of displeasure in the black-clad leader's eyes; someone had indeed faltered and revealed their aura.

Despite his annoyance, the leader ascended into the air, cloaked by the night sky, his gaze sharp as a hawk's, surveying the entirety of Pingshan Town.

Should anyone have been awakened by the transient Realm King Realm aura, he was prepared to intervene and silence them immediately.

Fortunately, the brief surge of power was insufficient to rouse the Martial Artists cultivating within Pingshan Town.

Furthermore, the cultivators in Pingshan Town generally possessed modest cultivation levels.

After the passage of more than a hundred breaths, the ten figures who had departed began to return. Each reported their success to the leader through their eyes before assembling behind him.

The final two to return appeared visibly uneasy.

Yet, a single stern glance from the leader sent them half-kneeling in apprehension.

"My Lord, it wasn't a lack of caution on this subordinate's part. The scholar himself was merely at the Seventh Stage of the Divine Communication Realm, but his wife proved to be a Martial Artist of the Dark Palace Realm First Stage. This forced me to unleash my full strength once."

The leader's icy gaze softened slightly as he nodded slowly. "A reasonable explanation. However, you are aware of our internal regulations: only the outcome is judged, not the means!

You will report for your punishment once the mission concludes."

Hearing this, the subordinate visibly relaxed, expressing, "Thank you for your mercy, My Lord."

"Was the operation completely clean?"

"My Lord, everything is accounted for. All other inhabitants within those targeted residences have been permanently dealt with."

"Excellent. Then, initiate the signal!"

In the ensuing moment, one operative responded by launching a brightly burning talisman light, which ascended rapidly into the heavens.

"Disperse!"

Within mere breaths, the eleven figures in black vanished, leaving no trace, just as they had arrived.

Less than a quarter of an hour after the black-clad figures disappeared, a potent surge of Evil Qi swept in from a distance, causing the dogs and other creatures in Pingshan Town to erupt in frantic barks and howls.

This sudden commotion roused the slumbering residents of Pingshan Town.

However, those who awoke were met with the terrifying sight of monstrous Demon Clan forces.

Bone Demons, Snake Demons, and Dual-headed Demons, each of colossal stature, instilled paralyzing fear in some citizens with a mere glance.

Compounding this horror was the shocking combat prowess displayed by these demons; the leading Dual-headed Demon radiated the formidable aura of the Realm King Realm.

A massacre ensued!

It was a brutal, one-sided slaughter.

In less than fifteen minutes, the small town, once home to thousands, was drenched in blood, its streets strewn with corpses and severed limbs.

Pingshan Town was virtually annihilated.

A Snake Demon, a wicked grin twisting its features, slithered towards the vegetable cellar concealed within the woodshed of a courtyard. This particular Snake Demon had witnessed the male homeowner hastily usher his wife and two children into the cellar before bravely opening the courtyard gate to confront the demon.

The man, a simple farmer, was effortlessly crushed by a single palm strike from the Snake Demon. Now, the demon intended to feast upon the terrified family hiding in the vegetable cellar.

To the Snake Demons, women and children were more delectable than men.

Yet, just as he was about to pass through the courtyard entrance, the black-clad leader, who had vanished earlier, reappeared, obstructing his passage.

As the Snake Demon prepared to strike, the black-clad leader presented a Token, eliciting a roar of dissatisfaction and anger from the demon.

The commotion drew the attention of the Double-headed Demon Leader from the invading Demon Clan forces.

"What is the meaning of this? Did you not state that we could attack freely? Why are you now blocking my troops?"

"This is our stipulation. Do not concern yourselves with other matters; simply follow our arrangements without question," the black-clad leader replied emotionlessly.

"Follow? Cooperate?" A hint of ferocity flickered in the Double-headed Demon Leader’s eyes.

"It is imperative!"

The black-clad leader reaffirmed, "Unless you wish to remain permanently bound to this land!"

This veiled threat ignited fierce resentment in the Double-headed Demon Leader's gaze, but the black-clad leader's subsequent words quickly extinguished it.

"Naturally, this is merely the initial target you have visited! Over the ensuing days, you shall partake in such banquets daily!" the black-clad leader added.

Upon hearing this, the Double-headed Demon Leader gave the Snake Demon a forceful kick, sending him stumbling, and commanded, "Heed them!"

A little over a hundred breaths later, as the final wail subsided in Pingshan Town, towering infernos erupted throughout the settlement.

The black-clad leader materialized once more before the Double-headed Demon Leader and produced a General-Grade Spirit Boat.

"Henceforth, all your men shall board this Spirit Boat. Our personnel will then pilot the vessel to transport you to the subsequent objective!"

Witnessing the Spirit Boat, sheer avarice flashed in the Double-headed Demon Leader's eyes. "This presents my inaugural opportunity to examine the comprehensive internals of a Spirit Boat. However, it must be navigated by our own people!"

"Impossible!"

The leader of the black-clad figures shook his head. "Within, there are specialized Divine Soul Imprints and formations. Should the Spirit Boat's navigator perish, the central formation of this Spirit Boat will instantly self-destruct!"

"Furthermore, you possess no knowledge of the route or the navigation methods."

Ultimately, persuaded by the black-clad leader's reasoning, the Double-headed Demon Leader guided his thousand-plus blood-soaked demon soldiers onto the Spirit Boat.

Merely a few breaths later, the Spirit Boat ascended into the heavens like a streaking meteor, hurtling towards the distant horizon.

However, within the Great Zhou, particularly in border regions like Lingzhou, the sight of Spirit Boats traversing the sky is a commonplace occurrence.

Typically, these Spirit Boats are piloted by the organized soldiery of the Great Zhou, ensuring no one dares to interfere.

Even if spotted, observers would naturally assume it to be a deployment of the Great Zhou Army.

It is highly improbable that anyone would conceive of Spirit Boats freely navigating the skies harboring a substantial contingent of demonic forces.

After the Spirit Boat had departed, the ten black-clad figures who had previously vanished reappeared behind their leader.

"Utilize your Divine Sense meticulously once more to ascertain if any potential witnesses remain," the black-clad leader commanded.

In the subsequent moment, an expansive Divine Sense emanated from the ten black-clad individuals, permeating Pingshan Town like a liquid spill.

"None, sir!"

"No survivors!"

"Negative!"

"Sir, there are three living presences within the vegetable cellar ahead. Shall I proceed?" one of the black-clad men gestured, prepared for lethality.

"There is no need!"

Although the black-clad subordinate followed the order, a flicker of bewilderment crossed his eyes.

"We require a few individuals, a select few victims, to instigate a grander spectacle, thereby identifying this as a Demon Clan invasion.

Only through this method can we eradicate the Second Route, removing this persistent irritant to the West Patrol!"

Should any acquaintance overhear this discourse, they would undoubtedly recognize the voice of the black-clad leader as that of Weis Gang, the Right Officer of the West Patrol.

After a period of observation lasting approximately one hundred breaths, the leader of the black-clad men, Weis Gang, produced another, smaller Spirit Boat.

"Board this vessel and proceed to the next designated location!"

The smaller Spirit Boat vanished into the night, moving with significantly greater speed than the Spirit Boat that had departed moments earlier.

The skyward flames served as a beacon, alerting nearby villagers, yet the miasma of bloodshed emanating from Ping’an Town, ten miles distant, deterred ordinary civilians from approaching.

It was not until the break of dawn that the most courageous villagers converged, only to be struck with horror by the ghastly tableau within Ping’an Town upon their arrival.

Many were overcome, retching on the spot.

Half a day later, the Magistrate and Captain of Xiyang County, faces slicked with sweat, hastily arrived with their contingent of troops.

Following a thorough search and rescue effort, hope surged as a woman and several children, huddled and trembling, were brought out from the confines of a vegetable cellar.

The moment they were brought to safety, the woman's voice pierced the air with a terrified scream.

"The Demon Clan!"

"There's a huge number of them!"

"An invasion by the Demon Clan?" The news sent a wave of extreme displeasure through the County Magistrate.

After confirming the harrowing details multiple times, the County Magistrate officially recorded the testimony and secured the Spirit Shadow before rushing back to the county town. His priority was to report the grave situation to the Lingzhou Governor with the utmost urgency.

Meanwhile, within the grand State Governor Mansion of Lingzhou Prefecture City, Governor Bai Jinjiang was already consumed by a tempest of fury.

In a single morning, he had been burdened with three critical reports!

Under Lingzhou's jurisdiction, three towns had been brutally annihilated overnight. Twenty thousand civilians residing in these three towns had been completely eradicated.

The number of survivors from these devastated towns could be counted on a single hand.

Critically, not only the sparse survivors from these towns but also the undeniable traces of the battles bore witness to the culprits: the Demon Clan.

An invasion by the Demon Clan!

And it was a meticulously organized invasion!

"Dispatch the official document!"

"Immediately draft a directive for the West Patrol Second Route's Wind Patrol Envoy. I demand to know their actions! How could a full-scale Demon Clan army sweep through unchecked? Are they blind?

Will they only react when the Demon Clan army is at the gates of Lingzhou Prefecture City?"

Lingzhou, the very territory designated as Ye Zhen's area of responsibility within the West Patrol Second Route!

"Furthermore, this is a matter of extreme gravity. Transmit an urgent document to the West Patrol Office at once. Inform them of this crisis and demand an explanation for the inactivity of the West Patrol personnel!

Twenty thousand civilians, all perished in a single night!"

"Additionally, ensure this incident is reported immediately to Luoyi and the Heavenly Patrol Department Headquarters. The blame for this catastrophe will not fall on Lingzhou; this gross incompetence rests squarely with the West Patrol Second Route!"

"Moreover, prepare an impeachment memorial for me. I intend to impeach the West Patrol Second Route's Wind Patrol Envoy, Ye Zhen, for his gross dereliction of duty and negligence, allowing the Demon Clan army to infiltrate on such a massive scale.

I also wish to impeach West Patrol official Xio Qiangu for his utter failure in managing his subordinates effectively! Furthermore, all the Spirit Shadow Jade Scrolls must be sealed as irrefutable evidence!"

With a heavy sigh and a slap to his forehead, Governor Bai Jinjiang declared, "Right, send another dispatch to the Second Route Wind Patrol Envoy. Demand they locate the invading Demon Clan army's tracks within three days. No, within one day!

Otherwise... hehe, the consequences they face will be far clearer than any words I could utter!"