"350,000 people are all dead?"
"Impossible!"
"How could so many people die in just three days? That's 350,000 people, not just 35 people!"
Before Yan Se spoke, Ye Que and Red Bean had mentally prepared themselves. This was a devil, after all. It was certain to cause tremendous destruction once it made its move. However, tried as they did, they couldn't have imagined 350,000 soldiers would die in You Prefecture in just three days. Even if each person were to kneel for the monster to hack, it would still take it a very long time to do so.
"Are you telling the truth?" Ye Que yelled furiously while kicking Yan Se to the ground.
"I said nothing but the truth." Yan Se, who collapsed on the ground, had his head against the sky.
Seeing the shivering old man on the ground, Ye Que believed that he wasn't lying. Moreover, there was no need to deceive him with something like this. He would only be bringing himself Ye Que's murderous vengeance. Even so, the answer didn't make sense. Had the Ye Army and the grassland barbarians gone mad?
Just how deep was their grudge that they would engage in a bloody battle that lasted for three days?
It wasn't the first or second time that the grassland barbarians went down north. Their goal each time was to plunder foodstuff. How could they directly attack the heavily-guarded city of You Prefecture? Moreover, they even attacked the city for three long days despite not seeing success. Even if they miraculously won, what benefit would they gain? They would just gain some extra rations.
On the other hand, what the grassland kingdom lost was 150,000 armored horses. That was a tremendous loss.
Ye Que considered this from another perspective. How could the Ye Army, which possessed the strategic defensive position, perish alongside the 150,000 armored horses? 200,000 soldiers fighting against 150,000 armored horses shouldn't have resulted in a lose-lose situation.
"Where did the two armies face off? Is it outside of the city of You Prefecture?" Ye Que asked Yan Se.
Hoarse laughter came from within the snow cover. In a raven-like voice, Yan Se said only three words.
"Within the city."
He looked as if he was recalling some wonderful memories. His voice became agitated and excited. "Stop guessing. It was my master who arranged for the death of these 350,000 people. You'd never be able to imagine how powerful my master is. I can confidently tell you whether it's the commander-in-chief of the Ye Army or the grassland armored horses, all are my master's seed. Their goal is to kill all the soldiers."
"It was a battle of great tacit understanding. If it's the wish of the commander-in-chief that his soldiers die in battle, what do you think the outcome will be?"
"Perhaps you'll wonder. The soldiers outside the city might not obey commands. Those on the frontlines might not go all out in fighting. If the fighting is done half-heartedly, maybe not everyone will die. But you're wrong, terribly wrong. Do you think my master hasn't considered all these? Before the battle began, the 67,000 commoners of the city of You Prefecture had been inflicted with a Bloody Curse. Even the entire city was placed under my master's grand formation."
Yan Se's excitement lent his voice a hysterical quality. "Soldiers who entered the city of You Prefecture within those three days would surely fight like a madman until they die. If it's not our people, no one would notice anything from the announcement of the battle. Unless they're heroic soldiers with particularly strong willpower, no one would be able to walk out of the city of You Prefecture."
Yan Se, who lay amongst the snow, knocked his head to the ground with as much strength as he could muster. Then, he faced the sky and said, "Even the strong-willed ones who escaped the influence of the grand formation and somehow fled from the city of You Prefecture alive, would have to face us. The mowing man would weed out all of these runaways."
"Not one of the 350,000 military souls could hope to escape."
Thanks to Yan Se's explanation, Ye Que and Red Bean finally understood the entire story. Sure enough, it played out like the legend. Whenever a devil appeared, people would surely be plunged into death and despair.
There was a lot for Ye Que to consider. He was surprised that something as major as the city of You Prefecture didn't register in his memories at all. This proved only one thing: there was a change in history. Ye Que was experiencing a new life after returning to his youth. The changing of his path had resulted in a change in the nation as well.
Moreover, it was a colossal change.
Until now, there was no news from Luoyang, the city that ought to have been under attack.
Similarly, he heard nothing from the Great Demon Army that should have shown up.
What he got in exchange was the death of 350,000 people of the city of You Prefecture. But that wasn't quite right. If Yan Se was being truthful, the lives of 67,000 commoners were also lost.
Instead of the Great Demon Army, it was the "Devil" who showed up!
Ye Que felt a chill down his back.
"What's your motive in killing so many soldiers? What do you mean by 'military soul'? What's its use? Was the white banner previously in your hand what you use to collect souls?" Red Bean issued a barrage of questions. Despite her disdain for humans, 350,000 living beings had disappeared in just three days. Who could accept something like this?
Then, Red Bean continued to ask, "If the military souls of the dead were recovered, is there hope of reviving them?"
Yan Se's expression finally changed after hearing this question. Previously, he was full of fear and didn't dare to look at Ye Que. However, he was now giving Red Bean a mocking smile. It was faint but it was there if one looked closely.
"I'm just an insignificant little mowing man; my cultivation is just in the Starburst Realm. How would I know such secrets? The white banner that you cut was indeed used to absorb the military souls, but I know how to use it, not the concrete principle behind it. Every mowing man was given one to use."
With his gaze still fixed on Red Bean, Yan Se panted a little. Perhaps the injury that Ye Que inflicted on him earlier had almost exceeded his limit. "You ask if reviving the dead is possible if you recover the military souls. I can give you a very frank answer: it's completely impossible. Everyone knows that the dead can't come back to life. Have you ever seen someone escape this rule of life? Unless..."
Hearing him mention the word "unless", Red Bean stamped her foot on his thigh and asked, "Unless what?"
Blood trickled from the corner of Yan Se's mouth. He coughed horribly before putting on a wry smile. "Unless it's our Devil Lord. In this world, he's the only one who will live forever. Everything else will dissipate into nothingness alongside this world. Only the Devil Lord is an everlasting existence!"
"Only the Devil Lord..."
While speaking, Yan Se's eyes began to lose its focus. Soon, a blood-red flower bud emerged from the pit of his chest. The flower bud, like the Epiphyllum oxypetalum, blossomed instantly. The blood-red radiance spread throughout Yan Se's body, traveling from the pit of his chest to his four limbs and finally to his head.
The blood-red blossoming flower soon withered. Yan Se had also stopped breathing. He died with his eyes wide open.
"Bloody Curse of the Red Spider Lily!" Red Bean cried out in surprise after seeing what had happened.
"350,000 people are all dead?"
"Impossible!"
"How could so many people die in just three days? That's 350,000 people, not just 35 people!"
Before Yan Se spoke, Ye Que and Red Bean had mentally prepared themselves. This was a devil, after all. It was certain to cause tremendous destruction once it made its move. However, tried as they did, they couldn't have imagined 350,000 soldiers would die in You Prefecture in just three days. Even if each person were to kneel for the monster to hack, it would still take it a very long time to do so.
"Are you telling the truth?" Ye Que yelled furiously while kicking Yan Se to the ground.
"I said nothing but the truth." Yan Se, who collapsed on the ground, had his head against the sky.
Seeing the shivering old man on the ground, Ye Que believed that he wasn't lying. Moreover, there was no need to deceive him with something like this. He would only be bringing himself Ye Que's murderous vengeance. Even so, the answer didn't make sense. Had the Ye Army and the grassland barbarians gone mad?
Just how deep was their grudge that they would engage in a bloody battle that lasted for three days?
It wasn't the first or second time that the grassland barbarians went down north. Their goal each time was to plunder foodstuff. How could they directly attack the heavily-guarded city of You Prefecture? Moreover, they even attacked the city for three long days despite not seeing success. Even if they miraculously won, what benefit would they gain? They would just gain some extra rations.
On the other hand, what the grassland kingdom lost was 150,000 armored horses. That was a tremendous loss.
Ye Que considered this from another perspective. How could the Ye Army, which possessed the strategic defensive position, perish alongside the 150,000 armored horses? 200,000 soldiers fighting against 150,000 armored horses shouldn't have resulted in a lose-lose situation.
"Where did the two armies face off? Is it outside of the city of You Prefecture?" Ye Que asked Yan Se.
Hoarse laughter came from within the snow cover. In a raven-like voice, Yan Se said only three words.
"Within the city."
He looked as if he was recalling some wonderful memories. His voice became agitated and excited. "Stop guessing. It was my master who arranged for the death of these 350,000 people. You'd never be able to imagine how powerful my master is. I can confidently tell you whether it's the commander-in-chief of the Ye Army or the grassland armored horses, all are my master's seed. Their goal is to kill all the soldiers."
"It was a battle of great tacit understanding. If it's the wish of the commander-in-chief that his soldiers die in battle, what do you think the outcome will be?"
"Perhaps you'll wonder. The soldiers outside the city might not obey commands. Those on the frontlines might not go all out in fighting. If the fighting is done half-heartedly, maybe not everyone will die. But you're wrong, terribly wrong. Do you think my master hasn't considered all these? Before the battle began, the 67,000 commoners of the city of You Prefecture had been inflicted with a Bloody Curse. Even the entire city was placed under my master's grand formation."
Yan Se's excitement lent his voice a hysterical quality. "Soldiers who entered the city of You Prefecture within those three days would surely fight like a madman until they die. If it's not our people, no one would notice anything from the announcement of the battle. Unless they're heroic soldiers with particularly strong willpower, no one would be able to walk out of the city of You Prefecture."
Yan Se, who lay amongst the snow, knocked his head to the ground with as much strength as he could muster. Then, he faced the sky and said, "Even the strong-willed ones who escaped the influence of the grand formation and somehow fled from the city of You Prefecture alive, would have to face us. The mowing man would weed out all of these runaways."
"Not one of the 350,000 military souls could hope to escape."
Thanks to Yan Se's explanation, Ye Que and Red Bean finally understood the entire story. Sure enough, it played out like the legend. Whenever a devil appeared, people would surely be plunged into death and despair.
There was a lot for Ye Que to consider. He was surprised that something as major as the city of You Prefecture didn't register in his memories at all. This proved only one thing: there was a change in history. Ye Que was experiencing a new life after returning to his youth. The changing of his path had resulted in a change in the nation as well.
Moreover, it was a colossal change.
Until now, there was no news from Luoyang, the city that ought to have been under attack.
Similarly, he heard nothing from the Great Demon Army that should have shown up.
What he got in exchange was the death of 350,000 people of the city of You Prefecture. But that wasn't quite right. If Yan Se was being truthful, the lives of 67,000 commoners were also lost.
Instead of the Great Demon Army, it was the "Devil" who showed up!
Ye Que felt a chill down his back.
"What's your motive in killing so many soldiers? What do you mean by 'military soul'? What's its use? Was the white banner previously in your hand what you use to collect souls?" Red Bean issued a barrage of questions. Despite her disdain for humans, 350,000 living beings had disappeared in just three days. Who could accept something like this?
Then, Red Bean continued to ask, "If the military souls of the dead were recovered, is there hope of reviving them?"
Yan Se's expression finally changed after hearing this question. Previously, he was full of fear and didn't dare to look at Ye Que. However, he was now giving Red Bean a mocking smile. It was faint but it was there if one looked closely.
"I'm just an insignificant little mowing man; my cultivation is just in the Starburst Realm. How would I know such secrets? The white banner that you cut was indeed used to absorb the military souls, but I know how to use it, not the concrete principle behind it. Every mowing man was given one to use."
With his gaze still fixed on Red Bean, Yan Se panted a little. Perhaps the injury that Ye Que inflicted on him earlier had almost exceeded his limit. "You ask if reviving the dead is possible if you recover the military souls. I can give you a very frank answer: it's completely impossible. Everyone knows that the dead can't come back to life. Have you ever seen someone escape this rule of life? Unless..."
Hearing him mention the word "unless", Red Bean stamped her foot on his thigh and asked, "Unless what?"
Blood trickled from the corner of Yan Se's mouth. He coughed horribly before putting on a wry smile. "Unless it's our Devil Lord. In this world, he's the only one who will live forever. Everything else will dissipate into nothingness alongside this world. Only the Devil Lord is an everlasting existence!"
"Only the Devil Lord..."
While speaking, Yan Se's eyes began to lose its focus. Soon, a blood-red flower bud emerged from the pit of his chest. The flower bud, like the Epiphyllum oxypetalum, blossomed instantly. The blood-red radiance spread throughout Yan Se's body, traveling from the pit of his chest to his four limbs and finally to his head.
The blood-red blossoming flower soon withered. Yan Se had also stopped breathing. He died with his eyes wide open.
"Bloody Curse of the Red Spider Lily!" Red Bean cried out in surprise after seeing what had happened.
