Chapter 38: The Delaying Tactic

  Just as Shendu fell into a coma, Tianmo used the Holy Spirit technique with all his might to treat him.

  At the same time, in the sand city, hundreds of gray-clad soldiers gathered on the square, discussing something together.

  "I don't know where Shendu went last night, but he was seen early this morning, probably because he heard that Modu was about to attack Shacheng, so he escaped from Shacheng in advance." A soldier in gray clothes analyzed.

  Another grey-clothed soldier also expressed his opinion, saying in a low voice: "I think that even if he escapes from the Allied Provinces alone, it's unlikely that he'll be able to make it out of the Desert City alive. The desert area surrounding the Desert City is vast, and unless one is extremely familiar with the terrain, it's impossible to easily escape the city."

  Everyone who heard this felt that it made some sense and nodded in agreement.

  But a burly man expressed his different views: "I don't think so. The city master has always been proficient in the art of war, and it's highly likely that this is a strategy planned by the city master. Shen Dou's disappearance is only temporary, and at the critical moment, he will return to our side and fight alongside us."

  But such remarks have won no endorsement from anyone, and instead been met with a chorus of disapproval.

  "Do you know the true strength of Demon King Han Xuan? Even if he hasn't broken through the Sword Emperor's barrier yet, with just his peak swordmaster strength, it's enough to make this small Sand City perish in a single day and night. Shen Du isn't an idiot either, since he's already left, how could he possibly come back to seek death?" A young military officer said with a affirmative expression.

  And this statement seems more credible to everyone.

  That burly man's face turned extremely ugly upon hearing this, his serious expression pointing at the young soldier's nose as he loudly shouted: "Do you know that this is a dangerous rumor?! According to military rules, it's a capital offense!"

  "Get out of my sight, what kind of timing is this? The Sand City is in dire need of manpower, how could the Lord possibly kill his own soldiers so easily?" The young soldier seemed to have a complete grasp of Fei Lu's state of mind and still spoke with a resolute expression.

  Just then, a man's thunderous roar echoed through the square.

  "Shut up, all of you!"

  Following the sound source, everyone cast their eyes on the man at the same time.

  "He is the Dark God."

  "Hei Shen Lai Le" translates to "The Black God is Coming".

  Everyone, stop talking!

  Everyone seemed to be intimidated by Hei Shen's furious face, and they all stood still in their original positions, the square suddenly becoming quiet.

  The young soldier still had an air of arrogance, standing in front of everyone, with his hands clasped around the hilt of a ordinary long sword, looking at Hei Shen with disdain and said coldly: "What, is Shachen facing such a huge crisis that you won't even let us speak?"

  The black god's height was more than half a head taller than that young man. He strode to the front of the young man, glared at him with anger, grabbed his collar and gritted his teeth: "You are destroying your own prestige by boosting others' morale! Is this what you should say as a soldier? The most important thing in military campaigns is morale. With such a dull appearance, how can you fight against the powerful Mo Du?"

  The young man faced the black god with a ferocious expression, seemingly not feeling any fear at all. Instead, his mouth corners slightly rose, and he said in a light tone: "What do you think you are? Do you want to teach me a lesson? If you have the ability, go kill Han Xuan! If you have the ability, take the initiative to attack Mo Du! What's the point of being arrogant in a small place like Sha Cheng?"

  Hei Shen's facial muscles twitched slightly as he slowly released his grip on the young man's collar and coldly commanded: "Tell me your name."

  "Hmph!" The young man adjusted his clothes and twisted his somewhat uncomfortable neck, speaking with an extremely arrogant attitude: "I'm Ji Guang, the son of Old Man Ji." After finishing, he still looked at Hei Shen with disdain.

  Hei Shen's heart skipped a beat when he heard that it was Ji Lao's son. Ji Lao was the most loyal subordinate of the old city master and also one of the most important veterans in this resistance against Mo Du. If not for his suggestion, no one would have thought to let Sheng Dou go to Jiu You City to practice swordsmanship.

  Hei Shen's face turned gloomy, and Ji Guang's attitude became even more arrogant. He burst out laughing in front of everyone: "What sword master? Isn't it just a lucky break that you got your hands on some broken steel sword, went out to gain experience once, and came back thinking you're so grand? Don't think that just because you've become our commander-in-chief, you can do whatever you want. You should know that everyone here is a highly trained senior swordsman. If you want to move against any one of us, I'm afraid you'll have to weigh your own strength carefully!"

  Hei Shen's face turned iron-green, his chest heaving violently as if he was about to explode with rage. He gritted his teeth and said, "Fine, let's try it then!"

  As they spoke, the two people took up their positions, and a fierce gust of wind swept across the square.

  Everyone immediately dispersed from the scene, and someone secretly discussed: "What kind of person is that Seasonal Old Man after all? Why does he look at Hei Shen with a worried expression?"

  Yet it seems like no one knows who Seasoned Old Man is, they just look forward to the wonderful show that's about to unfold before their eyes.

  He saw Hei Shen gritting his teeth, staring fiercely at Ji Guang's proud face.

  Ji Guang still had a disdainful expression as he glanced at Heishen who was on the verge of collapse.

  After Hei Shen broke through the Sword Master's barrier, his position in the army rose rapidly, and almost everyone showed him a few more points of respect. It was the first time he had been humiliated by Ji Guang, and he couldn't help but feel some resentment in his heart. However, as the commander-in-chief, he remained calm and composed, saying:

  "You're younger than me, so I'll let you have three moves first."

  Ji Yan narrowed his eyes and said in a low voice: "This is what you said yourself." Before the words had fallen, a single palm shot out like a knife, flashing horizontally towards Heishen's neck.

  Hei Shen saw the situation and calmly dodged Ji Guang's attack with ease.

  He didn't expect Hei Shen to be unscathed and composed, which made Ji Guang's heart skip a beat. "It seems that this guy's strength is indeed not to be underestimated." Thinking so, he slowly drew out the long sword in his hand.

  It was at this moment that everyone in the square had their hands on

  Everyone was sweating bullets.

  No matter how arrogant Ji Guang is, he is still only a high-ranking sword hand, while Hei Shen is indeed a strong swordsman, if Hei Shen really draws his sword and strikes with all his might, Ji Guang will likely be left without a chance to survive.

  Just as everyone's heart was tense with anticipation, a tall and charming woman appeared.

  "Lord of the castle!"

  The city master has arrived.

  "It seems this won't be a fight after all." Everyone secretly exclaimed in surprise.

  "What are you doing? You're all brothers who have been through life and death together, how can you turn against each other here? Do you all want to die on the battlefield when the great army of Demon City launches a massive attack?" Fei Lu said with an icy expression and a cold tone.

  Hei Shen heard this and walked up to Fei Lu with a serious expression, clasped his fists together in respect and bowed.

  "Lord, the current situation in Sand City is chaotic, and if things continue like this, it's likely to be a problem."

  "Oh, then how do you think it should be?" Flying Lou's hands were clasped behind his back as he swept a questioning glance over Hei Shen and Ji Guang's faces.

  I thought I should

  "We should let everyone take a good rest and catch their breath, I think everyone is tired too. There are still eight days before the demon comes to attack, in these eight days, we should eat and drink well, don't be too tense, everything has its own arrangement." Fei Lu interrupted Hei Shen's words with an iron tone, shouting towards the crowd on the square.

  Everyone's face lit up with joy, as if their tense nerves were suddenly released. The square erupted in cheers and applause, with almost everyone shouting "Great!" in unison, and excitedly crying out: "From now on, we'll drink from big bowls and eat meat by the mouthful!"

  Seeing everyone's happy faces, Hei Shen was taken aback for a moment and thought to himself, "It seems that everyone is indeed too tense."

  Just as everyone was excited about no longer having to practice sword fighting, Feilu quietly took Heishen and Jiguang away from the square.

  Three people sat beside the stone table in the rear courtyard's side hall.

  Feilu's face lit up with excitement, and she smiled coquettishly: "Your performance just now was truly brilliant. In this way, even if the Demon Capital sends a spy over, it will be very difficult for them to guess the true state of Shacheng."

  Heishen and Jiguang both didn't understand why Feilu wanted to do this, so they looked at her in surprise, waiting for her to continue speaking.

  "You are also very clear that those people do not care about life and death at all. Moreover, the strength of both sides is vastly different. With just a few days of practice, how can they possibly be a match for the powerful Mo Du? It's better to give them an illusory appearance, so they don't dare to attack recklessly."

  Hei Shen and Ji Guang finally understood that this was just a delaying tactic.

  "As long as Shen Du returns smoothly, we will have a great advantage." Hei Shen nodded as if he had realized something.