Chapter 84 - Whispers in The Camps
The return to the Qi border camp was quick. Su Ming flew at a steady pace, keeping his Nascent Soul aura tightly pulled back as much as possible under the guise of a peak Golden Core cultivator. Beside him, Han Chen kept pace, while Lin Yao and Qing Luan followed closely behind on their flying swords.
As they neared the canyon pass, the noise of battle had mostly reduced, though a few clashes still echoed from the distance. The defense lines had held without any problem. Disciples and mortal soldiers were already clearing the field, dragging dead beasts out of the bloodstained valley, harvesting valuable claws and fangs.
Wang Tian stood on the high basalt wall, watching them land. His robes were stained with dark blood. His right hand gripped the hilt of his Broken Star Sword in rest. Though he looked exhausted, his breathing was deep and steady. Left to guard the wall, he had spent the last few hours fighting and killing low-level beasts, and helping the elders bring down several high-level targets.
A faint silver-blue light pulsed under his skin. The intense fighting was exactly what his Shattered Sword Physique needed. Since his progress relied heavily on the circulation of raw sword Qi, the stress of active combat let him do just that much faster than normal. During this brief battle, he had already broken through two minor realms.
"Master," Wang Tian bowed as their feet touched the stone. Behind him, the Jade Leopard and a few inner disciples fell back, returning to their posts.
"You did well," Su Ming said. His eyes swept over the youth, checking his meridians. The rapid progress of his second disciple was clean and solid, the new cultivation realm settling well within his body.
General Lu came closer with heavy steps, his armour clanging. His posture was straight and his expression stern, showing the discipline of an experienced General. Two of his lieutenants followed closely behind him.
"Elder Su, Elder Han," General Lu saluted. "The valley is safe for now. But the Earth Tyrant... did you find it?"
"It is dead," Han Chen said, his voice loud enough for the guards to hear. "Elder Su tracked and killed it in the forest."
The wall went silent for a second. Then, a loud cheer broke out among the soldiers and disciples alike, the guards clanging their iron shields in celebration, and the sound spread down to the camp below. The fear that had weighed on everyone for the past few days vanished. With the Demon Lord dead, the main danger was gone.
"Killed..." General Lu muttered, his hands tightening on his spear. He looked at Su Ming with awe. ’To slay such a beast alone and so quickly....’
Inside the command pavilion, Han Chen activated the communication array. The mystical formation hummed, its smooth surface rippling before showing glowing runes that linked the three battle fronts. Han Chen operated the array with a practiced flick, choosing his words carefully. He remembered Su Ming’s request on the way back and kept the Nascent Soul breakthrough completely out of it. The message was simple.
Su Ming had tracked the Tyrant. He tried using binding spells and the talismans given by the sect, but a strange, chaotic energy made them fail. In the end, he had to resort to his raw force to kill it.
Hiding the breakthrough was smart. A new Nascent Soul cultivator would draw too many eyes. Still, Han Chen looked at Su Ming with a trace of awe. Reaching such a realm at this age was unheard of. Han Chen remembered his own Golden Core breakthrough and how many years of bitter seclusion it had taken him.
***
For the Heavenly Cloud Sect, an elder killing a Demon Lord was normal. The shock was the speed. Slaying such a beast alone and clearing the beast tide in a matter of hours without any casualties was what stunned the other commanders.
At the main staging camp, the news arrived during a clash.
High in the sky, Second Elder Mu Bairong was holding the Seven-Star Array to pin down the Armoured Hell Behemoth King. When the mirror message flashed, he gave a slow nod. He did not care about peak rivalries, but he appreciated the efficiency.
’To clear his side so quickly... the boy is smart.’
On the battlements, Guan Feng of Sword Peak cut down a rock-beast with his sword Qi. When he heard the news, his sword paused for a split second. Slaying a Demon Lord-rank beast alone with raw force... the scale of that strength made his own blood boil.
Nearby, Xiao Ran of the Iron Sword Sect parried a wolf’s claws and cut its throat. Hearing the shouts of the other disciples, he paused, nearly letting a low-level rat-type beast bite his leg. He had never met Su Ming, but he immediately decided this Peak Master Su was his new hero, wondering if he was accepting any new disciples.
Further down the wall, Bai Yu watched her shadow panther clear a group of climbing wolves. When the news reached her, she only gave a quiet approving nod. It was a good result, but not enough to impress her. To her, it was only natural.
At the Chu front, the fighting was just as bad.
Zhao Kang threw his crimson flame lance through a lunging beast. Hearing the report from an assistant disciple, he grunted, adjusting his spell. His face was covered in sweat, and his muscles burned from the constant combat.
’White Lotus Peak... they aren’t just an ordinary outer peak anymore.’
Zhang Yuexin was running through the mud, placing barriers over wounded disciples. She froze when she heard the shouts, her face turning pale. She could not understand how the master of a peak she had looked down on could do this. She looked at Zhao Kang, who was panting and struggling to push back his own line. For the first time, a shadow of doubt rose within her heart.
Near a pine ridge, Lin Yuying froze a dozen wolves with a single frost strike. She paused, nodding to herself. Elder Su Ming’s strength was indeed real.
Nearby, Ji Han blasted a high-level tiger with thunder spells. When the news reached him, his eyes narrowed, and his sparks flared wildly. He remembered his master, Jun Tianya, mentioning Su Ming. Gritting his teeth, he forced his Qi to circulate faster, refusing to be left behind as he pushed his Core to its limit.
Across the entire border, the younger generation felt a shift. Su Ming was no longer just an ordinary master of an outer peak. To them, he was becoming someone aspiring, a name addressed with genuine respect.