Scripture of Days Past

Layman Evergreen had invested a great deal of time, energy, and resources into creating the undying divine general, and he was confident that no more than ten cultivators under the heavens below the Dao Comprehension state were capable of defeating it.

He had given the undying divine general to Yi Shuang to ensure the conquest of the archive building, yet his plans had been thwarted by a Demon Vanquishing Department instructor whom he had never even heard of.

This Yang Ling must be an extremely formidable martial artist to have defeated the undying divine general. There’s a very good chance that he could be one of the candidates chosen to inherit one of the Demon Vanquishing Department’s four orthodox arts. Given that I haven’t heard of him before, the Demon Vanquishing Department must’ve been keeping him hidden as a secret weapon this entire time. Hold on a second...

The Demon Vanquishing Department answers directly to the emperor, so does that mean that the emperor is the one who’s been hiding Yang Ling? Does that mean... Could he be one of the Eight Han Resurgence Generals?

Layman Evergreen’s eyes instantly lit up at this revelation.

At the moment, Jiang Longyu was the only confirmed member of the Eight Han Resurgence Generals. However, it was widely speculated that more had already been found and were being kept hidden for their own protection.

Layman Evergreen also believed this theory, and he now strongly suspected that he had just uncovered one of the hidden Eight Han Resurgence Generals in the form of Yang Ling.

”To think that one of the Eight Han Resurgence Generals is hiding on Jade Face Mountain. It seems the emperor really does place a great deal of trust in the Demon Vanquishing Department,” he chuckled, his voice ringing out across the entire training ground.

Everyone was perplexed to hear this, unsure of whom Layman Evergreen was referring to, but his next declaration immediately cleared up any ambiguity.

”Yang Ling, you may have been able to defend Jade Face Mountain today, but in doing so, you’ve also exposed yourself to be one of the Eight Han Resurgence Generals. From now on, you’ll be hunted relentlessly until the day you die!”

Everyone instantly erupted into a frenzy at this revelation, and the initial ubiquitous reaction was one of disbelief, but the fact that the assertion had come from a Dao Comprehension-state cultivator left everyone unsure of what to believe.

All of a sudden, Yang Ling felt a sense of immense pressure descend upon him, as if some type of sinister force had converged around him, making him feel as if his soul were about to leave his body.

However, the feeling vanished just as quickly as it came, and the living corpses on the training ground also began to retreat, signaling Layman Evergreen’s departure.

Everyone heaved a collective sigh of relief.

As for Layman Evergreen’s assertion that Yang Ling was one of the Eight Han Resurgence Warriors, some were unconvinced, while others turned to look at him with peculiar expressions.

Zhong Shan’e was very perplexed.

What the hell is he talking about? How could Yang Ling possibly be one of the Eight Han Resurgence Generals?

Jiang Longyu was the most astonished of them all.

Yang Ling is also one of the Eight Han Resurgence Generals? Is that why he’s constantly been sucking up to me? Does he want to befriend me as a fellow Han Resurgence General?

Jiang Longyu shook his head vigorously to cast the absurd thought out of his mind. He then turned his gaze toward Chu Qiguang and thought back to the sounds he had heard while hiding in the water vat.

Was it really Chu Qiguang that passed by back then? Was he the one who killed that wolf fiend? But that doesn’t make sense! That wolf fiend was a fifth-state martial artist!

Yang Ling felt very uneasy under everyone’s intense scrutiny. He wanted to explain himself, but didn’t know where to begin. In the end, he could only heave a resigned sigh.

***

With Layman Evergreen’s departure, the battle on Jade Face Mountain finally drew to a close.

The Demon Vanquishing Department began clearing the battlefield and tending to the wounded, while Layman Evergreen arrived at the rendezvous point away from Jade Face Mountain to wait for Yi Shuang and the undying divine general.

Given his undying divine general’s combat prowess and regenerative abilities, he was confident that it would be able to escape even if it were defeated in battle.

However, when the next morning arrived, the undying divine general was still nowhere to be seen, Layman Evergreen could only set out in search of it.

***

Following the battle on Jade Face Mountain, most of the fiends split up and fled, while the rest were gathered by Qiao Zhi before escaping into the mountain range.

Among them were three fifth-state martial artists, all of whom Qiao Zhi deemed suitable for induction into Hidden Fiend Village.

They had taken part in the attack on Jade Face Mountain due to personal vendettas against the Demon Vanquishing Department, but none of them had committed any heinous or unforgivable transgressions.

There were also around a dozen foxes, all of whole were Han Ying’s subordinates, and Qiao Zhi had lured them away using the unconscious Han Ying.

”What are your plans from here?” Qiao Zhi asked. ”If you don’t have anywhere to go, I suggest you come with me to Spirit Province’s Northern Mountain Manor. I established a village in the Millet Mountain Range with tens of thousands of acres of fine land and hundreds of fiends under my command. It’s a safe haven where everyone has plenty of food, and no one has to worry about persecution from the authorities. You can come with me and see whether you like it there. If you want to stay, you’re more than welcome, and if you don’t, you’re free to leave.”

All the fiends were deeply tempted by this proposition.

Safe havens for fiends were very few and far in-between in the Great Han Empire, so this was a very appealing option for them.

***

It was a sleepless night for many on Jade Face Mountain, particularly the trainees.

For most of them, it was the first time they had fought in such a horrific battle, and the gruesome scenes that they had witnessed during the day kept them awake at night.

Over the next few days, the atmosphere on Jade Face Mountain remained grim and heavy, with a constant stream of new soldiers arriving to patrol the mountain.

The trainees’ lessons and half-yearly examination had also been put on hold, so they could only remain in their own courtyards all day, practicing martial arts and reviewing their studies.

News of the attack on Jade Face Mountain had caused a massive stir throughout the officialdom, and it was said that the Yong’an Emperor had even smashed his most beloved teapot.

He had been full of praise for Yang Ling and Chu Qiguang, both of whom had played pivotal roles in defending the archive building.

Meanwhile, the Immortal Dao released a public statement, openly admitting that their supreme guardian, Layman Evergreen, was responsible for the attack.