I Slay Gods and Demons in the Deceit Night
Chapter 133 - 107: Difficult Choices, Where to Go

Chapter 133: Chapter 107: Difficult Choices, Where to Go

Dawn was breaking, the rising sun just beginning to show.

The darkness had receded, and evil spirits had all retreated.

Only a portion of demons, capable of moving about in daylight, still showed reluctance to leave the many sources of ’Blood Food’ within the manor, but they ultimately withdrew unwillingly, vanishing into the forest.

And the villagers within, after a night of terror and slaughter, finally saw the sunlight and released the sorrow and panic they had not dared to in the dark.

The sounds of wailing and crying rose and fell incessantly.

Last night, they faced the darkness of evil spirits and the blades of the "Guardians," falling into endless panic.

And beside them, family members and neighbors, many familiar faces, had died in the darkness of the previous night.

What’s more, the minor Venerate they had devoutly worshiped until now had already fallen.

Since the establishment of Jinliu Manor, the minor Venerate had stood there, driving away the darkness, and protecting the people.

Many of the villagers of Jinliu Manor, who were previously displaced in various ’Pure Lands,’ without a place to call home, wandering the world, struggling to survive, starving and struggling.

Lucky to come to this place, they formed a village, built houses, and were spared from wind and rain, allowing them to settle down for longevity and to reproduce, ensuring a carefree life for the rest of their days.

But they couldn’t enjoy many years of peaceful days. With the fall of the minor Venerate, it signified that Jinliu Manor would cease to exist.

Their homeland, henceforth shattered and gone, forced them once more into displacement and homelessness.

The crying continued without end.

A mournful gloom hovered over the ruins.

"My child..."

The weather-beaten man gently touched the child beside him, his voice trembling, "Your mother and I wandered the world’s Pure Lands for half our lives, knowing well its desolation and tragedy, life as fragile as a weed."

"I had thought that since you were born in Jinliu Manor, you would live the rest of your life in peace and security, marry, and have children, with descendants filling your home."

"But now, even Jinliu Manor is destroyed."

"Minor Venerate..."

One after another, villagers staggered towards the willow tree, bowing their heads and crying in unison.

——

Lin Yan walked out of Jinliu Manor, slowly exhaled a breath, and turned his head to look at General Pei.

"How will these villagers be resettled?"

"Not sure, Jinliu Manor is quite special," said General Pei. "At least within Qifeng Prefecture, the creation of Jinliu Manor is an unprecedented accomplishment..."

"Or should I say, an experiment?" said Lin Yan.

"About right. Although Pei Xiong is not from High Willow City, with my limited experience, I can still see clearly," he sighed.

Pei Xiong continued, sighing, "The establishment of Jinliu Manor was an attempt by the higher-ups of Qifeng Prefecture City to create a more stable ’Pure Land’ to expand the living boundaries of the Human Clan!"

The scale of Jinliu Manor was that of a medium-sized Pure Land.

But it excelled in being expandable, and it would certainly become a large Pure Land and even a large city in the future.

Moreover, the "natural Pure Lands" of the world, with their town objects, were mysterious and unpredictable. Without shedding blood or causing death, otherwise ominous signs would certainly arise!

But with the protection of the minor Venerate in Jinliu Manor, those ominous signs were also dispelled.

"To put it in perspective, Jinliu Manor placed next to Li City, doesn’t even match up to half the district of an outer city," General Pei said with a sigh.

"With the minor Venerate here, and adding a town garrison commander from the Observatory, one Manor Lord, three incense burners, numerous elite soldiers from High Willow City, and members of the Observatory, such a lineup... should have been sufficient to defend Jinliu Manor."

"Tribulation Ash..."

Lin Yan exhaled, his eyes filled with a killing intent.

General Pei sighed, "If Tribulation Ash were a straightforward enemy, we’d just draw our swords and decide life and death by battle."

He rubbed his brows and said, "But they’re not demons, not foreign clans, they were born within the Human Clan."

"They’ve always been beside us, and sometimes, when you and I act on orders, we might be unwittingly serving Tribulation Ash!"

"To my knowledge, they weren’t from the start intending to destroy the Human Clan!"

"Maybe today, they are still heroes who fearlessly defend the Human Clan and bravely resist evil spirits. But perhaps tomorrow, they’ve already joined Tribulation Ash, with the intention to destroy cities."

"They claim to serve the will of ’God,’ but which God it is, it’s still a ’mystery’ to this day!"

General Pei said this, with an air of weariness and defeat.

Lin Yan said nothing further, only turned to look back at Jinliu Manor.

General Pei thought for a moment and said, "In the past, there have also been large Pure Lands that experienced catastrophes; as for the people inside, they would be relocated."

He paused, then continued, "Usually, Qifeng Prefecture City would dispatch people, and the nearby cities would assist."

"Most of the time, they are settled into a variety of medium and small Pure Lands, but from then on, they mostly have to survive on their own, without further help."

"However, occasionally, when a city expansion occurs, they do consider taking in a group, but such cases are extremely rare."

"My father too, drifted among Pure Lands and by chance, was able to enter Li City. As a laborer building city walls, he earned the right to settle down."

Pei Xiong said in a low voice, "I was born in Li City, and though I never wandered through Pure Lands, I’ve heard some of the stories from my father; they’re quite hard."

He didn’t elaborate on the related stories, summarizing them only in three words.

Quite hard.

"Hmm."

Lin Yan nodded slightly and looked ahead, slowly saying, "Someone’s coming."

A troop of cavalry came swiftly, about thirty in number.

Inside the High Willow City, the Left City Guard Army.

In order to hunt down the assassin who murdered Colonel Wang Yuan, they were scattered in various Pure Lands.

The cavalry that stayed in this Pure Land last night should not be far from Jinliu Manor, which allowed them to sense some activity.

At daybreak, they rapidly gathered and rushed to this place.

"The Left City Guard Army from within High Willow City?"

General Pei uttered these words, looking at Lin Yan, and seemed as though he wanted to ask something but ultimately refrained from saying more.

He probably wanted to inquire about the matter of killing Colonel Wang Yuan.

But since the issue was fraught with significant consequences, concerning life and death, he suppressed his curiosity.

"I will go to meet them," General Pei said, looking towards Lin Yan.

Lin Yan nodded slightly and walked into Jinliu Manor.

The Left City Guard Army, having left the city to hunt, was not small in number.

The leader of this group of cavalry was around forty years of age, likely a colonel in the army, with internal strengthening cultivation.

And Great Commander Yuan Tongye likewise led a group of elite troops but, for some unknown reason, headed towards Feng City.

——

At this moment, to the east of Jinliu Manor, more than six hundred miles away.

A giant eagle lay at the edge of a cliff, bathed in blood, its feathers fluttering in the wind.

The Inspection Envoy panted heavily, blood continuously dripping from his hands, his gaze serious.

Before him, a hundred paces away, an old man in a sorry state was pinned to the rock wall by a long sword through his shoulder.

"Uncle Master, now that you are awake, come back with me to Qifeng Prefecture City," the Inspection Envoy said with heavy breaths, laboring to speak.

"I don’t want to die," the old man reached out, pulled out the long sword from his left shoulder, threw it to the ground, and shook his head slightly.

"This time, you were harmed by Tribulation Ash, which triggered the hidden dangers of ancient laws, leading to a grave mistake," said the Inspection Envoy with a complex expression, trying to persuade him. "There’s a reason for everything, I will plead for you, based on the newly reformed laws, as well as your peak Refining Essence Realm cultivation, plus your decades of merits for the Human Clan, I can ensure your life is spared..."

"I’m getting old, Uncle Master, how many years can I still live?" the old man said with a self-mocking laugh. "Yesterday’s slaughter left a mountain of blood debts. Even with a lighter punishment, I would still be confined in prison for at least twenty years, or is it thirty? To let Uncle Master die old in prison? Or to wait until one day when demons attack, then send Uncle Master to defend the most dangerous places, to atone for the crimes and offset the guilt?"

He pointed at his own face, laughed loudly, and said mournfully, "Uncle Master has been catching criminals all his life in the Observatory. Aside from Tribulation Ash, there are also many powerful individuals from the Human Clan who have committed crimes... Should this old man spend his remaining life locked up with them?"

"Uncle Master, you taught me that when a person makes a mistake, they must accept the punishment," said the Inspection Envoy, shaking his head slightly and speaking slowly. "Either you kill me today, or I take you back."

"If I kill again, I won’t be able to maintain my sanity," said the old man, shaking his head. "Either you kill me yourself or... let me go."

He kicked the sword on the ground over to the Inspection Envoy and said gravely, "I know what you’re worried about. I can promise you here that I will never join Tribulation Ash for the rest of my life! From now on, Uncle Master will flee far away, leave Qifeng Prefecture, find another place to hide my identity and end my days in obscurity."

The Inspection Envoy looked at the sword at his feet, silently complex in his emotions.

Taking a deep breath, the old man said, "In remembrance of my years of fighting for the Human Clan, exterminating demons and other evil creatures outside, and slaying the criminals of Tribulation Ash inside, spare Uncle Master for these merits..."

He slowly moved backward, continuing, "Finally, give my message to your master, Tribulation Ash has already mastered the secret technique to manipulate the ’hidden dangers of ancient laws’... From now on, we old guys are a threat to Qifeng Prefecture City, so let him gracefully step down from his position this year."

"Uncle Master, please go slowly!"

The Inspection Envoy finally spoke, stomping his foot; the sword vibrated and rose to his chest.

His expression cold, he grabbed the sword with his right hand and promptly chopped off his left hand.

Then, with a kick, the severed hand fell down the cliff.

"What are you doing?" exclaimed the old man in shock and anger.

"Releasing a major criminal, I cannot be at peace," said the Inspection Envoy, exhaling. "But having cut off one hand, I cannot keep you, and at least I can deceive myself..."

He sheathed the sword, turned, and walked towards the giant eagle, saying, "I will report today’s events truthfully and accept my punishment! Uncle Master... remember your promise, do not join Tribulation Ash, or I swear I will kill you!"

"Foolishness!"

Suddenly, the old man cursed furiously, "The sheer folly! You ungrateful thing, such a waste of the Human Clan’s cultivation in you!"

He ground his teeth, wanting to rush forward but seemed to recall something and eventually let out a long sigh and turned to leave.

——

Lin Yan was in the manor, practicing his cultivation, with the perfected Vajra Strong Soul Divine Skill, he cultivated and gained four points of cultivation.

Added to the Evil Qi from slaying the manor’s master.

At this moment, his cultivation had further advanced.

Cultivation: Refining Essence Realm (3181/3650)+

By after midday, noise and commotion could be heard outside Jinliu Manor.

The people sent from High Willow City had already arrived, and there were many of them.

"Wu Chang... Wu Chang... where are you?"

The voice of Han Commander came from outside, calling out loudly.