Liaozhai: Immortality Begins with Becoming Yan Chixia's Apprentice

Chapter 84 Slaying the Demon General

After traveling for three days, he arrived at a city called "Luoxia City".

Luoxia City is an important town in the north, with towering city walls, wide streets, and a bustling market.

But unlike the cities in the south, the air here is filled with a chilling atmosphere.

Pedestrians on the street hurried along, their faces showing worry.

On the city wall, the soldiers stood ready, their eyes warily fixed on the north.

Zhou Ning found an inn in the city to stay in, intending to inquire about the situation in the north.

The innkeeper was a middle-aged man in his forties, surnamed Liu. He had an honest face, but there was a hint of weariness in his eyes.

"Sir, you must be from out of town?" Manager Liu asked as he poured him tea.

Zhou Ning nodded: "You came from the south. Manager Liu, what's the situation in the north?"

Manager Liu sighed and lowered his voice, saying, "It's bad. A few days ago, Qingfeng City in the north was breached by demons, and not a single person in the entire city survived."

Zhou Ning's heart skipped a beat: "Qingfeng City? Isn't that only three hundred miles away from here?"

Manager Liu nodded: "That's right. People in the city are panicking, and many are preparing to flee south. Although the government has sealed the city gates and forbade people from leaving, everyone knows in their hearts that this city probably won't last much longer."

Zhou Ning was silent for a moment, then asked, "Where are the people from the Demon Suppression Division? Aren't they doing anything?"

Manager Liu said, "We've taken care of it. But there are too many demons to kill them all. The people from the Demon Suppression Division are either dead or wounded, and they're almost at their breaking point. I heard they're asking the major sects for help, but the reinforcements are slow to arrive."

Zhou Ning clenched his fists, a surge of anger rising within him.

Reinforcements are slow to arrive?

Are those so-called righteous sects just going to stand by and watch the people of the North be slaughtered by demons?

"Manager Liu, where is the Demon Suppression Division's headquarters?"

Manager Liu pointed to the north of the city.

"There's a large mansion in the north of the city, which is the headquarters of the Demon Suppression Division. There are two stone lions at the entrance, so it's easy to spot."

Zhou Ning thanked Manager Liu and got up to leave the inn.

He walked along the main street toward the north of the city.

Sure enough, there was a large mansion in the north of the city, with blue bricks and gray tiles, and two stone lions crouching in front of the gate, majestic and solemn.

Two guards from the Demon Suppression Division, dressed in black uniforms with long swords at their waists, stood at the entrance, their eyes wary.

Zhou Ning stepped forward, cupped his hands, and said, "I am Zhou Ning, a disciple of Yan Chixia of Qingyun Mountain. I request an audience with the head of the Demon Suppression Division."

The two guards exchanged a glance, and one of them said, "Wait a moment, I'll go and inform them."

A short while later, a middle-aged man dressed in black with a resolute face came out.

He was tall and broad-shouldered, exuding a sharp and menacing aura.

"Zhou Ning? Long time no see." The middle-aged man, Han Wei, looked him up and down, a hint of surprise in his eyes.

Zhou Ning was pleasantly surprised to see Han Wei and said, "It's been a long time. Lord Han Wei, you are as majestic as ever."

"please!"

Zhou Ning followed Han Wei into the mansion.

The mansion was large, and there were many guards from the Demon Suppression Division busy in the courtyard. Some were organizing their equipment, some were bandaging their wounds, and some were talking in hushed tones.

The air was filled with a strong smell of medicine and blood.

Han Wei led him into the main hall and gestured for him to sit down.

"Young Master Zhou, you've come at the perfect time. We're short-handed."

Han Wei got straight to the point.

"You must have heard about the situation in the North. Qingfeng City fell, and all 30,000 civilians perished. Our Demon Suppression Division lost more than 30 brothers, and we are now severely understaffed."

Zhou Ning asked, "Lord Han, what can I do?"

Han Wei said, "Fifty miles to the north, there is an abandoned mine. Recently, the Black Mountain people built a stronghold there, specifically to capture people and transport them to the Black Mountain Demon's lair. We sent several groups of people to destroy it, but all failed. I would like to ask you to give it a try."

Zhou Ning thought for a moment, then nodded and said, "Okay. I'll go."

Han Wei was overjoyed. He took out a map from the table, spread it out, and pointed to a location marked on it.

"This is it. The mine isn't large, but it's heavily guarded. According to our reconnaissance, there's at least one demon general stationed inside, with more than twenty men in black robes under his command. Young Master Zhou, are you confident going alone?"

Zhou Ning said, "Yes."

Han Wei took out a token from his pocket and handed it to Zhou Ning.

"This is my Demon Suppression Division's token. Take it with you. If you encounter other righteous cultivators, you can use this token to mobilize them."

Zhou Ning took the token and put it away.

"Lord Han, I will depart tonight."

Han Wei hesitated for a moment, but quickly nodded: "Be very careful."

Night falls.

Zhou Ning left Luoxia City and headed towards the mines to the north.

The moonlight was pale and the wasteland was silent.

The cold wind howled, whipping up withered grass and sand that stung my face.

Zhou Ning wrapped his robes tightly around himself, used his lightness technique to move swiftly through the night.

He covered the fifty-mile distance in less than an hour.

The mine is located between two hills and has been abandoned for many years.

The mine entrance was boarded up, but there were fresh marks on the boards, indicating that it had been tampered with recently.

Around the mine, several men in black robes stood, holding black spears, patrolling back and forth.

Zhou Ning took out an invisibility talisman from his bag and stuck it to his chest.

His figure gradually blurred and disappeared into the night.

He quietly approached the mine, climbed over the wooden planks, and entered the mine.

It was pitch black in the mine; you couldn't see your hand in front of your face.

Zhou Ning poured his true essence into the Qingfeng Sword, and the sword emitted a faint blue light, barely illuminating what lay ahead.

The passage was narrow, allowing only one person to pass at a time. The walls were rough rocks, and water droplets fell from above from time to time, making a dripping sound.

After walking for about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, a huge stone chamber appeared ahead.

Inside the stone chamber were several iron cages, each containing a dozen or so people.

There were men and women, young and old, all with pale faces and eyes full of fear.

Beside the iron cage stood a burly, ferocious-looking demon general, clad in black armor and wielding a large black sword.

Beside the demon general were a dozen or so men in black robes, some meditating and others patrolling.

Zhou Ning held his breath and quietly approached the iron cage.

Just as he was about to make his move, the demon general suddenly turned his head and looked in the direction where he was hiding.

"Who's there?"

Zhou Ning's heart skipped a beat, knowing he could no longer hide. He tore off the invisibility talisman, drew his Qingfeng sword, and slashed at the demon general!

A golden sword aura shot out and headed straight for the demon general's chest!

The demon general snorted coldly, swung his broadsword, and a black blade aura rushed forward!

"boom!"

The two forces collided, producing a deafening explosion.

The stone chamber shook violently, and rubble fell from the cave ceiling.

The demon general was forced back a step, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes.

"You are... Zhou Ning?"

Zhou Ning did not answer, and unleashed another sword strike!

The demon general parried with his sword, and the two figures clashed in the stone chamber, sword flashes and sparks flying.

The demon general is stronger than the guardians we encountered before; he should be at the late Foundation Establishment stage.

However, his swordsmanship was crude and full of flaws, far less cunning than that of the Black Mountain Protector.

Zhou Ning seized an opening and thrust his sword toward the demon general's throat!

The demon general was shocked and quickly retreated, but the sword light was too fast and still managed to cut a bloody mark on his neck.

"what!"

The demon general clutched his neck, staggered backward, and his eyes were filled with terror.

"You...you actually..."

Zhou Ning gave him no chance to catch his breath and unleashed another sword strike.

He used the full power of the "Demon-Slaying Slash" for this sword strike.

The golden sword energy, like a dragon emerging from the sea, rushed straight towards the demon general's chest.

"Pfft!"

The sword energy pierced through the demon general's chest, and black blood gushed out.

The demon general stared wide-eyed at the hole in his chest in disbelief before collapsing to the ground with a thud.

Upon seeing this, the other men in black robes scattered and fled in terror.