Unfulfilled at 24
The entire torso had a nearly through-and-through open wound, this kind of severe injury would normally be fatal for any ordinary monster, but the Plant Monster tribe's vitality was extremely tenacious, even with such serious injuries, it didn't seem like it would definitely die.
Imagine a large tree being cut down from the roots, as long as the underground roots still exist, even if the tree stump on the surface appears to be lifeless, it can still sprout new buds in the spring of next year.
The tree demon's vitality was as strong as its kin, and despite being cut by Lin Xuan's Seven Star Sword, the milky white sap mixed with green liquid splattered everywhere. The tree demon didn't dare to delay for a moment. It let out a hoarse curse at its opponent, followed by a long, mournful howl, before speeding away into the forest. In the distance, the trees began to shake violently from side to side, and the tree demon's shadow quickly disappeared into the dense foliage of the vast forest.
Beating a snake but not killing it will only get you bitten, Lin Xu couldn't just watch as the tree demon granny escaped right under his nose, so he immediately gave an order saying:
"Hurry up and catch up."
Upon receiving the pursuit order from their superior, Huo Shan Shen Lin Xu, they immediately divided into countless small teams and rushed into the forest, completely unaware of the danger of pursuing the fugitives in the dense woods.
In the places where the heavy military boots of the dark soldiers reached, tall and straight trees were felled, then these large trees were cut into blocks, sliced, until the towering giant trees became toothpicks and shavings. The low shrubs that grew on the ground were all cut to pieces by swords at this moment, and the average size of the wood chips was not enough to make matches. This dragnet search was so meticulous that even the slightly taller wild grasses suffered the same fate as the fish in the pond, being pulled up by the roots by the dark soldiers who strictly executed their orders. For a time, this mountainous area looked desolate, as if it had been ravaged by a swarm of locusts several times, thoroughly becoming a barren wasteland.
It wasn't until the sky was slightly light in the east that Lin Xu arrived in front of Huang Shi Ren with a face full of exhaustion and helplessness, and the old man anxiously asked:
"How could you have found that demon?"
At the sound, Lin Xu really had a somewhat difficult to speak feeling, after all this time's demon-expelling action was he who strongly advocated for it, now it's become neither here nor there, his personal responsibility cannot be shifted.
Then, taking a deep breath, Lin Xu bitterly smiled and said:
"Alas, we didn't find that demon. This time I miscalculated, and we can only retreat."
Although Huang Shiren also felt that Lin Xu's handling of this matter was not elegant enough, it was pointless to blame him for his momentary impulsiveness now that things had come to this pass. The Landlord sighed and said:
"Never mind, let's just say that evil spirit still has some tricks up its sleeve. Don't be too hard on yourself, little brother, there's always tomorrow!"
It is said that if one strike doesn't hit, it will flee for a thousand miles. The two of them have mobilized such a large array to kill the Tree Demon Granny, and she has already become a startled bird after narrowly escaping. Continuing to delay some time in guarding Lanruo Temple would also be a futile effort. If the Tree Demon's head hasn't gone into the water, it will absolutely not come back to throw itself into the net again.
Listening to Huang Shiren's insincere words of consolation, Lin Xu weighed the current situation and had no choice but to lower his head and announce the end of this demon-slaying operation.
After calming down a bit, Lin Xu turned to Yan Chixia and said:
"Where does Yan Daozhang want to go from now on?"
Hearing this, Yan Chixia also felt helpless. He had planned to eliminate the tree demon of Lanruo Temple for a long time, and now it seemed that he would end up with nothing. After careful consideration, Yan Chixia spoke up:
"When I was six, I learned swordsmanship, and at twelve, I studied the Tao. My intention was to use my skills to bring peace and stability to the world, and to serve in government to punish evil and eliminate corruption. But fate is cruel! The current state of affairs is unbearable, with each day worse than the last. Corrupt officials and thieves are everywhere, and no matter how many you kill, more arise. Bandits and robbers swarm from all sides, and the common people suffer greatly. This time, I plan to return to my hometown in Guanzhong to settle my worldly affairs, and then retreat to this Lanruo Temple. Even though the demonic creatures and ghosts run amok in these mountains, it's still better than the outside world where right and wrong are not distinguished, and good and evil are turned upside down."
Lin Xu nodded silently, he could very well understand Yan Chixia's inner sorrow and resentment. The more passionate a man is, the more ambitious his heart is, wanting to make a difference. Unfortunately, they were born in this unreasonable world, if they couldn't be in power to serve the people, then hiding away from the world and not asking about worldly affairs was probably Yan Chixia's only choice for now.
Lin Xu looked at Yan Chixia with a sympathetic gaze and said:
"Everyone has their own aspirations, I won't persuade you any further. Farewell for today, and I hope you will take good care of yourself."
He burst out laughing and Yan Chixia also returned the courtesy with a bow, saying:
"Yan Mou bid farewell for now, we will meet again someday."
Having said that, Yan Chixia led out his sorrel horse and mounted it, whipping it into a gallop as he departed.
Looking back at the lonely Yan Chixia disappearing into the distance, Huang Shiran, the Landlord, couldn't help but shake his head and say:
"Alas, the shameless and base-born occupy high positions in court, while honest gentlemen are reduced to poverty in the wilderness. I would rather keep company with ghosts than speak of this world..."
At the sound, Lin Xu also paused for a moment, then revealed a calm smile and said:
"Huang, we have been supported by the incense and fire of our believers, and it is already a great virtue to bless the local water and earth with peace. As for those major events such as the rise and fall of nations, let us leave them to those who are interested in studying them! Why bother thinking so much?"
Only today did I realize yesterday's mistakes. Even if one was originally a god among humans, once they have lived for a long time, they will naturally form a worldview that is different from ordinary humans.
At this time, Huang Shiren also laughed together with Lin Xu, and he said with a somewhat emotional tone:
"Yes, younger brother's words are reasonable, it's just that I've thought too much. Indeed! Such trivial matters, let's not mention them! Let's not mention them!"
Although Lin Xu's plan to eliminate the Tree Demon Granny of Lanruo Temple was not fully successful, he only severely injured the tree demon and killed many small demons in the process. However, this news spread like a heavy bombshell, greatly shocking the various demon kings around Mount Huo.
Since taking office, Huo Shan Shen suddenly made a move with Jiang Jiaji's land god, who was so honest that he was not noticed by the monsters. Even powerful thousand-year-old monsters like Shu Yao Lao were left to flee for their lives, and it can be imagined that if they hadn't run fast enough or hidden well enough, they would have died a terrible death. After receiving the news, many Tu Jiaoyao monsters who were content with eating blood food and occasionally ran out to eat a few more people woke up from their dreams. At this time, they finally realized that the good times of the past 300 years could not be maintained forever.
The mountain god, the land and other earthly gods are actually orthodox gods who have received heavenly seals. No matter how weak their powers may seem, once they make up their minds to take action, those who dare to attack them first will inevitably suffer a tragic end of being crushed to pieces.
For a time, the monsters near Huo Mountain were in a state of panic, and their usual lawless behavior was greatly restrained.
The bloody lesson of the past is still in Lanruo Temple, and the monsters of Huoshan are temporarily afraid to make a move under the warning of "killing a chicken to scare the monkey". However, Lin Xu is not willing to engage in a life-and-death struggle with these guys before his wings are fully grown. Therefore, during this period, the two major camps maintained a seemingly calm and peaceful confrontation.
The great demon, Mr. Ho Shan, was eager to try at this time, and he brought out all 3,000 of his small demons, with a total combat power that was not inferior to the 4,000 dark soldiers under the jurisdiction of the Mountain God Temple.
Although, He Shan Jun's sworn brother and military advisor, Bei Da Fu, strongly disagreed with this approach. Who can't just fight to the death? Wait until they've exhausted their resources, will they still have a territory left? Moreover, there are the ruthless characters like the Black Mountain Old Monster from the northern Beimang Mountain and the Silver Python King from the southwestern Shuipo Lake. Not to mention that these two big shots' cultivation levels far surpass He Shan Jun's, even if it's just their cannon fodder and thugs, they're not easy to get along with.
For example, under the command of Bei Mang Hei Shan Lao Yao, there were four great corpse generals, known as the Golden, Silver, Copper and Iron Four Great Kings. Their average cultivation was around 600 to 700 years. One-on-one, they couldn't win against Ho Shan Jun and Bai Da Fu, but if it was four against two, it would undoubtedly be a perilous situation.
It's already tough enough with just Guang and Da Shou, if Hei Shan Lao Yao doesn't shamelessly join in. Today's weather, hahaha...
Clarify the relationship, make clear the pros and cons. Ba Daifu had a hard time persuading him, his tongue was dry from talking so much, before finally convincing Ho Shan Jun to promise not to take any rash actions until he found an appropriate opportunity.
As soon as life gets busy, time always flies by. When Lin Xu was engrossed in drafting various development plans, three years passed unknowingly.
The former mortal flesh had long been replaced by the divine golden body, and after years of passing time, Lin Xu's face looked no different from before, even if he was exhausted to the point of vomiting blood, there wasn't a single wrinkle on his face. The biggest change in Lin Xu was in his eyes.
As the old saying goes, the eyes are the windows of the human soul. Often, by gazing into a person's eyes, you can glimpse their inner world, so prolonged eye contact between two people is a test of each other's willpower.
After years of tempering and refinement, Lin Xu's temperament has gradually transformed from that of a mediocre insurance salesman who clocks in at 9 and out at 5 to one who gazes calmly at the vicissitudes of life with an air of serenity. His gaze has transcended the ordinary person's scattered confusion, overcoming multiple obstacles to enter a new stage of sharp introspection. Thus, whenever Lin Xu narrows his eyes and remains silent, those around him can't help but feel a sudden drop in atmospheric pressure.
Sitting upright in the main hall of the Mountain God Temple in Jiufeng Town, Lin Xu held a cup of new tea in his hand and said calmly:
"Wang Liang, has there been any news from the mountains recently?"
At the sound, Deputy General Wang Liang, who was reviewing the arsenal's armory account, hastily stood up and replied with a bow:
"Reporting to the Grand Master, everything is calm and peaceful. However, in recent days, many residents of coastal villages have fled into the mountains and been intercepted by outer scouts. These people will be handed over to the Ministry of Civil Affairs for resettlement."
Upon hearing this, Lin Xu's eyebrows rose in surprise, and he asked further:
"Oh, is there a disaster at the seaside?"
Just then, Zhang Xin, the deputy general who had been silent until now, couldn't help but speak up. Without waiting for Wang Liang to respond, he preempted him and said:
"Great lord, this is not a natural disaster. I've heard that it's a group of bandits who are killing people and setting fires everywhere, and even the lucky survivors who escaped don't dare to stay in their homes, so they all fled to Huai Xi to seek refuge."
