Chapter 530
“Fear death if you must, but there are plenty of murals to admire.”
Suddenly, a voice clicked its tongue from the side.
The Fourth Prince raised an eyebrow, “Huh?”
A woman in a green dress stood there, snorting, “The Celestial Clan clearly has the strength to act. While preserving their power, they could have relocated the people from the outer realms before the demons fully occupied the human cities, yet they choose to stand by and watch.”
“To achieve great things while fearing for one’s own safety? Your Highness, that’s truly unreliable.”
Zhong Qin, who had been silent until now, spoke up coolly.
Princess Yu Yang couldn’t find a retort and could only respond in anger, “If my elder brother is unreliable, then who can we rely on? Ying Bing?”
“Not just her. How can you separate Xiao Mo from her?” Shang Qin Qing shot her a displeased look.
“What you’re saying, Li Shao Xia... oh no, now it’s Li Lao Tou. He’s half buried in the ground; what can he do now?”
Tu Yan sighed, looking as if she couldn’t bear to watch.
The few invited Bai Hua were equally conflicted.
In just a few days outside, decades had passed in the grand tapestry of the nation.
They watched helplessly as the spirited young man transformed into a gray-haired old village chief, spending his days either forging iron or toiling in the fields.
There was no trace left of the extraordinary in Li Mo; he had completely blended into the crowd.
Thus, the last remnants of their youthful admiration for him shattered.
“You’re not just less beautiful than Xiao Bing’er,” Shang Qin Qing shook her head, grabbing a handful of sunflower seeds and sauntering away.
Princess Yu Yang, furious and embarrassed, was about to retort when Zhong Qin interjected, “Calm down.”
“Zhen Nan Wang, you’re a prince of Da Yu; how can you turn your elbow outward?!”
“But Li Mo calls me ‘brother’ and treats me like a benefactor.”
“????”
There were many voices of doubt in the crowd.
However, Huang Donglai, Xiao Qin, Xie Xuan, and the others showed no intention of arguing.
They simply clenched their fists, silently believing in him.
---
**Chapter 601: Li Town Chief is Also a Genius!**
“The southern gate of the human city has fallen.”
On that morning, sunlight did not shine into the ancestral hall of Da Wang Village.
A falcon made of gentle breeze landed on the offering table, its voice echoing with Feng Zhi’s tone.
With his head full of gray hair, Li Mo had just lit a stick of incense for his ancestors, gazing silently at the flickering, dim light of the incense, swaying in the wind.
After a long pause, he finally asked, “What about the warriors of the Celestial Clan and the Earth City?”
“They’ve retreated into the inner city to preserve their strength. They won’t reclaim the southern gate until Emperor Jiang completely recognizes the sword’s master, but you won’t see that day.”
“Not necessarily.” Li Mo shook his head.
The voice in the breeze asked in confusion, “Sister is no longer in the town. If she has given up, why do you linger here?”
She could sense that Ying Bing was no longer in Da Wang Town.
Perhaps her fleeting interest had faded, finding the mundane life of mortals dull after experiencing it for a while, and then she simply drifted away.
The Celestial Clan, over the long years, inevitably felt the urge to move after a period of stillness, a thought arising and then dissipating.
Just like how she felt compelled to remind Li Mo.
“Regardless, thank you.”
Li Mo bowed slightly to the pale blue falcon.
Seeing his stubbornness, Feng Zhi said no more, her form dissipating like a gentle breeze.
In the morning, the townsfolk gradually arrived at the ancestral hall. They were still unaware of what had happened in the human city, but the urgent summons had left some with a vague sense of foreboding.
In addition to the original villagers of Da Wang, people from nearby villages and the refugees who had settled here also gathered.
Those who entered were all skilled in martial arts, once children who had fished in rivers and climbed trees to catch birds, now they had all reached the age of being grandfathers.
Now, even in Earth City, they could stand on their own, with Dong Er Niu being the most talented, easily capable of establishing his own sect.
“Little Li Ge, why did you suddenly call everyone here?” Dong Er Niu was the first to ask.
“The southern gate has fallen.” Li Mo’s words were succinct.
The townsfolk erupted in disbelief, some gasping, others sighing, and some were filled with anxiety.
They calculated the days, and only a few days had passed since the fifty-year mark.
This meant that the fall of the southern gate had happened almost instantaneously.
Moreover, judging by Li Mo’s tone, the Celestial Clan had no intention of reclaiming it anytime soon.
This also meant that Da Wang Village would soon face a wave of marauding demons.
“What should we do?”
“Didn’t the warriors of Earth City expand and establish several new cities between Earth City and Human City? Shouldn’t we head there?”
“I’m afraid it’s too late.” Li Mo shook his head.
“With our speed, we should be able to bring the women and children along…” the simple-minded Qi Tie Zhu said.
He was a descendant of the old village chief, and his mother had once admired Li Mo; Li Mo had taught him many blacksmithing skills.
Dong Er Niu pondered for a moment and said, “Little Li Ge means that we can outrun the demons, but we can’t outrun others.”
“The human city is vast, with too many people. Too many are trying to escape for their lives. Even if Earth City has newly extended a few cities, it can only accommodate a small portion, and we hold no value to them. We’d likely be turned away.”
“Er Niu is right.”
“Have we not seen the true colors of the people of Earth City?”
“If they truly cared for the common folk, they wouldn’t have retreated into their shells.”
Many villagers had been to Earth City, and after becoming skilled in martial arts, they didn’t want to farm anymore, hoping to make something of themselves in the city.
Many returned.
The reason was simple: just like naive students who cram into big cities, they found that their ambitions were mere illusions, and they felt like a drop of water lost in the ocean, just a cog in the machine.
Those better than you work harder, and those not as good as you have connections.
In the fields, you’re still a beast of burden; in the city, you’re still a beast of burden. So why bother going to the city?
At this moment, after letting everyone’s emotions simmer for a while, Li Mo raised his hand, calling for silence in the ancestral hall.
“Everyone has their own aspirations. For those who wish to go to Earth City for a living, I assure you, no one will stop you.”
“But for those who stay today, we must work together; no one can act against the interests of the group.”
His voice had aged considerably, yet it still carried the same weight as in his youth.
Some bowed deeply to the ancestral hall, deciding to leave, while more chose to stand their ground.
Dong Er Niu took a deep breath.
Under the gaze of the crowd, he walked to the entrance of the ancestral hall.
However, he didn’t leave; instead, he firmly closed the door and then smiled, “Little Li Ge, what do you think we should do?”
“Give up on fantasies.”
Li Mo shot him a glare and said, “The Celestials sit high in the clouds, while the Earthlings are blinded by greed. We can’t rely on them; we can only depend on ourselves!”
“It’s time to put the shape-based martial arts we’ve practiced for so many years to use!”
“Everyone, go prepare!”
As the founder of shape-based martial arts, Li Mo’s depth of skill was known to none.
And it was well-known that Li Town Chief was a genius.
Thinking of this, the crowd inexplicably gained confidence.
---
“What does Li Mo intend to do?”
“His shape-based martial arts are indeed remarkable, but against such a scale of demon invasion, he might be powerless, right?”
“Small groups of demons are manageable, but this time, there’s someone orchestrating them. Killing a few will only attract a horde.”
“Is he planning to confront them head-on?”
Those watching the grand tapestry of the nation had no idea of Li Mo’s intentions.
They were all in the dark.
And some entities were even more oblivious.
“Look, they’re already here!”
Someone pointed to the sky.
In the grand tapestry of the nation, a hundred demons had arrived just a hundred miles from Da Wang Town.
They were massive, exuding a malevolent aura.
Any one of them was far beyond the batch Li Mo had encountered before.
But coincidentally, the leader was also a human-snake hybrid, though its scales were dark red, wielding a blood-soaked giant axe.
A steady stream of demons poured through the southern gate.
Some were heading towards the border with Earthlings under the banner of the Hundred Beasts Hall, while many others scattered throughout the human city.
“There’s a gathering of humans ahead, hahaha, I smell so many living beings!”
The human-snake leader suddenly let out a triumphant roar, “What a sizable group! We can feast well!”
The demons pounded their chests and raised their weapons, filled with bloodthirsty excitement.
However, after being tamed by the Hundred Beasts Hall, they had gained higher intelligence and could temporarily suppress their ferocity, waiting for the leader’s command.
“Children, follow me…”
“Wait!”
A deep voice rang out.
Table of Contents
