Chapter 439 - 183: Demon Dragon Seal, Ten Thousand Demon Mountain
Chapter 439: Chapter 183: Demon Dragon Seal, Ten Thousand Demon Mountain
Evil Cults. Demons and Monsters.
They existed there too, and in some places, the situation was even more severe than it had been in Qing Province.
The Liang Kingdom was chaotic. Martial Dao Sects ran rampant and had all but usurped the authority of the Court.
The situation was even more dire than in the Great Jing.
The Liang Kingdom lacked a Royal Court as powerful as the Great Jing’s. It even had to rely on the Martial Dao Upper Sects within its borders just to stay afloat and avoid complete collapse.
He had learned all this from Hong Miaojin. As for the reality of the situation, he would only know for sure once he was there.
Fang Xing didn’t mind. The more chaotic it was, the more it would benefit him.
’Demons and Monsters, Evil Cults... they’re all high-quality Resources.’
After memorizing the entire map of the Liang Kingdom, Fang Xing had a clear picture of the situation.
The Liang Kingdom had a total of thirty-six Province Mansions.
In addition to the Liang Kingdom’s capital.
Its territory couldn’t compare to the Great Jing’s, but it wasn’t drastically smaller either.
It was roughly a quarter of the Great Jing’s total area.
After putting away the map, Fang Xing thought for a moment before heading to the Merit Hall.
He redeemed some elixirs, treasure medicines, and the like.
’Better safe than sorry.’
「Early the next morning.」
Fang Xing left the Observatory.
Once outside Qing Province City, he executed the Zongyi Ascension Step, and his figure vanished without a trace.
「Three days later.」
Fang Xing’s figure appeared on a hillside outside Qingshan County, located in Jiang Province of Celestial South.
He gazed at the city in the distance.
Fang Xing was filled with a myriad of emotions.
’Come to think of it, it’s been several years since I crossed over...’
Fang Xing remarked inwardly.
He never would have predicted the changes that had occurred in just a few years.
After gazing at Qingshan County Town and pondering for a moment, Fang Xing vanished on the spot.
He paid his respects at Xu Le’s grave and visited a few acquaintances in the city. However, he didn’t linger or exchange many words. After gifting them some elixirs, he left Qingshan County.
He was just a passerby here, after all.
The world was vast, and he had no intention of confining himself to a single corner of it.
...
「Half a month passed in the blink of an eye.」
Yun Province, Great Jing. This was the borderland between the Liang Kingdom and the Great Jing.
A single province straddling two nations.
However, Yun Province was still under the jurisdiction of the Great Jing. As a Vassal State, the Liang Kingdom naturally had no objections.
After all, the Liang Kingdom couldn’t even govern its own core territories, let alone these borderlands.
The setting sun was the color of blood. In Yun Province, atop a majestic peak, a figure clad in Profound Black Martial Attire appeared.
It was Fang Xing. It had taken him half a month, traveling through many regions, to reach the border of the Liang Kingdom.
Below him lay the Great Jing Realm, but a County Town just over ten miles away was already within the Liang Kingdom.
"Dongchuan..."
Fang Xing gazed at the County Town over ten miles away. It was the first one he would encounter upon entering the Liang Kingdom.
It was less than thirty miles in a straight line from the nearest County Town in Yun Province.
That was remarkably close.
Fang Xing hadn’t been idle during his half-month journey; he had gathered more information about the Liang Kingdom.
For instance, there was the language.
As an Affiliated Country of the Great Jing, the Liang Kingdom had also adopted its official language.
The languages were identical.
In other aspects, they had also borrowed heavily from the Great Jing.
Most of their customs were the same.
However, when it came to their foundation and heritage, the difference was night and day.
The Liang Kingdom had only been founded a little over three hundred years ago.
This was nothing compared to the Great Jing’s historical heritage, which spanned more than a millennium. They weren’t even in the same league.
Currently, only the Great Wei could stand as a true rival to the Great Jing.
Most of the other surrounding Vassal States had histories of only a few hundred years.
SWOOSH—!
With a single step, Fang Xing’s figure vanished from the summit. In the next instant, he appeared on the outskirts of Dongchuan County Town.
His Golden Eyes of Truth scanned the area. Above the County Town, the fires of the mortal realm burned, but they were mixed with a large amount of Demonic Qi.
’It seems the situation is indeed grave...’
Fang Xing’s eyes gleamed as he looked at the Demonic Qi hanging over the County Town.
He could tell a thing or two just from the Demonic Qi.
With such dense Demonic Qi, the number of evil beings lurking in Dongchuan County Town was likely far more than just one or two.
’I should head into the city and take a look.’
Without further delay, Fang Xing slipped into Dongchuan County Town unnoticed.
The city was quite populous, yet all of Dongchuan County Town seemed to be blanketed in a deathly stillness.
It lacked the vibrant, bustling atmosphere of a normal County Town.
To the naked eye, nothing seemed amiss, but with his Primordial Spirit Perception, it was all perfectly clear.
Nine out of ten people he saw had numb, vacant expressions on their faces.
It was as if their souls had been stolen.
’Looks like the Demons and Monsters here have really done a number on them...’
A flicker of light crossed Fang Xing’s eyes.
This deathly air, these numb expressions—they were all signs of a populace oppressed by Demons and Monsters.
He had encountered a similar situation once before, back in Qing Province.
Such numb, cold expressions only appeared when people had completely lost all hope in life.
They could be dead by tomorrow.
As Fang Xing was walking through the city, he abruptly stopped while crossing a street, his gaze fixed on something ahead.
A cacophony of voices reached him.
"Lord Official, please have mercy! She’s my only daughter! I’m begging you, Lord Official, please leave her with me."
"You bastard! It’s a tremendous honor for her to serve the Great Immortal! Now get lost! Keep babbling, and I’ll drag you away with her."
"Lord Official, no!"
...
Drawn by the commotion, Fang Xing looked toward the crowd gathered ahead. A gaunt middle-aged man was kneeling before a group of Officials, kowtowing and begging repeatedly.
Among the Officials, a burly Constable was gripping a young girl, who looked to be about eight or nine, as if she were a little chick. The girl shivered and wept nonstop.
The surrounding crowd watched, but not a single person dared to speak up.
The Officials stared down at the kowtowing man with cold, arrogant expressions.