Daqian Martial Saint

「Weishui County City.」

As the Deputy Commander-in-Chief and second-in-command of the Weishui Garrison, Liu Yuanhua’s days were naturally packed. He sat at his desk, processing a variety of official documents.

"Recommendations for Deputy Commander Candidates!"

"State Garrison Command File Review."

"..."

With a stern expression, Liu Yuanhua flipped through the documents before him, occasionally making a few marks and annotations with his brush.

As he finished one document, placed it on a separate pile, and opened the next, his gaze suddenly sharpened.

The document was from the Commander-in-Chief of Xingyuan City.

Among the dozens of cities in Weishui County, Xingyuan City was a major one, and its Commander-in-Chief held a rank equivalent to a Deputy Commander.

The document wasn’t long, but its contents made Liu Yuanhua’s expression tighten.

"Suspected sightings of Ten Thousand Demons Sect cultists in the vicinity of Xingyuan City!"

’Ten Thousand Demons Sect cultists! They’re a persistent plague!’

’Taking advantage of the Beicang Auction to come out and stir up trouble again.’

In recent years, the Weishui Garrison and the local Ten Thousand Demon Sect Branch had clashed constantly, but neither side had made any significant, lasting gains. Any victories had been minor skirmishes at best.

The most recent victory had been when the Ten Thousand Demons Sect stirred up trouble in Weishui Outer City, only to have one of their minor claws clipped in the end.

Come to think of it, the root of that incident was the Outer City Garrison Command arresting a Ten Thousand Demons Sect Steward and imprisoning him in the South City Prison.

Hmm!

A flicker of realization crossed Liu Yuanhua’s face.

’If I recall correctly, the Prison Chief of the South City Prison back then was none other than today’s sensational prodigy from the Rising Star Chart, Mang Blade Mang Vajra, Chen Ping’an!’

’Back then, he hadn’t made a name for himself; he was just a Prison Chief in the Weishui Outer City.’

’It’s barely been any time at all!’

’His promotion speed is truly astonishing!’ Liu Yuanhua was inwardly shaken.

’In just about a year, he’s already become an Outer Trade Road Patrol Envoy!’

’And because of the annihilation of the Celestial Net Church, he’s even left an impression on the higher-ups in the State Garrison Command.’

’Still, he earned that credit. During the assault on the Celestial Net Church, nearly all the cultists inside were wiped out. Even Soul-Breaking Spear—a rising prodigy the Celestial Net Sect had been grooming—perished with them. It was a rare and glorious victory for the Canglong Province Garrison Command against a branch of the Celestial Net Sect, the likes of which we haven’t seen in years. Now, if only we could do the same with the Ten Thousand Demons Sect...’

A spark of hope ignited in Liu Yuanhua’s mind.

’If we could just annihilate a few of their Chapter houses like we did with the Celestial Net Church... If we could kill a few of their Profound Light Realm Elders and deal them a truly crippling blow, how would the Ten Thousand Demons Sect dare to cause trouble again!?’

’The only reason we can’t stamp out those Ten Thousand Demons Sect cultists is because we’ve never dealt them a truly painful blow—never damaged their foundation. Every victory we claim is just clipping their claws. The Ten Thousand Demons Sect doesn’t even need to recuperate before they’re back to causing mayhem!’

’And in terms of power and resources, the Celestial Net Sect is orders of magnitude stronger than the Ten Thousand Demons Sect. If even they could suffer such a major loss—a Profound Light Realm prodigy, no less—then why can’t the Ten Thousand Demons Sect!?’

At the thought, Liu Yuanhua’s pulse quickened. If he could effectively suppress the Ten Thousand Demons Sect’s activities, it would be a significant accomplishment to add to his record during his term.

’The Ten Thousand Demons Sect cultists have surfaced. I wonder what scheme they’re cooking up this time. I hope they don’t have their sights set on the Trade Route,’ Liu Yuanhua mused.

’Xingyuan City isn’t far from the Outer Trade Road. Together with White Stone City and Five Peaks Mountain City, it forms a triangle. If Ten Thousand Demons Sect cultists are appearing there, it’s highly likely they could threaten the Outer Trade Road.’

’Furthermore, if the Ten Thousand Demons Sect has other bases in the outer region, they could coordinate and, in theory, even threaten the Trade Route itself!’

’However...’

’The three major towns anchor the Trade Route’s security; common rabble wouldn’t dare cause trouble. Long’an Town, in particular, is less concerned with suppressing bandits and more focused on the Demon Beasts from the Canglong Mountain Range and the political games between the two states.’

’In fact, forget the other two—a single Beicang Town is far beyond what a mere branch of the Ten Thousand Demons Sect could hope to challenge.’

’The possibility is low, but we can’t afford to be careless. With the Beicang Auction about to begin, all the major players are gathering. It’s the perfect storm, and entirely possible that the Ten Thousand Demons Sect will try to use the opportunity to cause chaos along the Trade Route!’

’Theoretically, though, attacking the Trade Route or the major towns directly isn’t very cost-effective. Even if they succeeded, the Ten Thousand Demons Sect would suffer immense losses. With the Trade Route open and everyone converging, all eyes are on the major towns. This means the paths leading to them are less protected and more chaotic. The sect’s real aim is probably to threaten the Outer Trade Road.’

’However, it’s also possible this is a feint, a false signal deliberately released by the Ten Thousand Demons Sect to cover their true objective. This sighting might just be a smokescreen. What if their real target is Xingyuan City itself!?’

Liu Yuanhua’s mind raced as he analyzed the possibilities. But with limited intelligence, he had no way of knowing whether the Ten Thousand Demons Sect had revealed themselves on purpose or had simply slipped up and been discovered by the Xingyuan City Garrison Command.

Liu Yuanhua couldn’t make a decisive judgment. The most he could do was strengthen defenses and be prepared to counter whatever move they made.