Chapter 698: Chapter 698. The Siege of Saint’s Rest

Amon instructed Xin Wuming to use the same tactic as when they sieged Steam Water City. They employed a defensive formation, utilizing their superiority in long-range assault.

The charging mass was not comprised only of the temple’s formal members, but also the civilians. These civilians were devout followers of the temple. They were willing to die for their faith. Hence, the number of people charging out of Saint’s Rest was immense.

The First Demon Army, however, had grown since it sieged Steam Water City. Hence, they were not daunted by the number. Thankfully, most of the defenders were Human Realm cultivators. The bulk of their Martial Realm defenders followed Mu Qin to assault Farghous’ camp. The Martial Realm experts in the charging mass mostly came from civilian cultivators. They were few and less equipped.

The charging crowd fell in droves as elemental explosions bombarded them. This didn’t discourage them, though. Their charging speed didn’t appear to slow, and a similar number of people continued to charge out of the city.

The sieging soldiers were amazed that faith could drive this crowd so. Even so, they were prideful soldiers. They wouldn’t let these defenders get past them. The soldiers aimed their prepared rifles. They waited for Xin Wuming’s signal.

Xin Wuming waited until the defenders entered the rifle’s effective range before giving the signal. The explosive sounds of the rifle firing joined the muzzle blasts from the Yuanxu Cannons behind them. The rifle bullets tore through the mass. Only Martial Realm cultivators with good defensive art survived the barrage.

When the charging mass got close enough, elemental mines awaited them. Those who happened to get past the mines had to face the battle puppets. The battle puppets rose from their prone condition. Not many survived past the mines, so it didn’t take long for the battle puppets to pummel these survivors to death. They then lay flat on the ground again with mechanized efficiency, allowing the riflemen to fire again.

This continued for some time. Unlike the time at Steam Water City, the defenders of the city didn’t get discouraged, no matter how many of their brethren had fallen. They were like a mindless mob with a singular purpose. They continued to charge out without fear.

After a while, a sufficient number of people reached the battle puppet line. In the lead was someone who wielded six flying longswords.

“Heretics! In the name of the divine! I will punish you!!” Xin Dhaije bellowed. Other members of the Xin Lai Sect and Khei Ji Sect were among the defenders.

Xin Wuming shot forward and engaged Xin Dhaije in direct combat. Yong Baili, Zue Du, and the others fought beside him. Constant close-range combat now dominated the front line. Martial Realm riflemen flew into the sky so they could continue firing, while the cannons never stopped their bombardments.

Fen Nu received the signal then. They were positioned on the flank. They charged in and struck the mob from the side. While on the opposite flank, the human puppets pounced at the mob.

*

When Saint’s Rest’s protective barrier was destroyed, Hierophant Zhang Daofeng prepared to head out after getting the report. He was vexed. Why did the alliance attack this city instead of facing Mu Qin’s force? Now he had to go out and face them. Wouldn’t that weaken the alliance’s force? With Mu Qin wreaking the Farghous’ camp, would they still have enough force when it was time to face Mu Qin openly?

When he exited his residence, he stopped and looked to one side.

“Something the matter, Your Holiness?” One of his accompanying priests asked.

There was a brief pause before Zhang Daofeng answered. “It’s nothing. I just remember I forgot something. You take everyone and go ahead first. I will head to the wall once I can.”

“Alright, Your Holiness. We will head out first.”

After the priests were gone, Zhang Daofeng looked to the same side as before and called out, “What are you doing here?”

Amon materialized out of thin air. “As expected, neither a concealment art nor this mid-tier runic invisible talisman could fool a Lord cultivator like you.”

“You have a mid-tier runic invisible talisman?” Zhang Daofeng asked.

“I got them from Sima Fang,” Amon answered.

Zhang Daofeng frowned upon hearing it.

Before Zhang Daofeng could say anything, Amon added, “I’m sorry. She didn’t make it. The Soul Flayer got to her before we caught it.”

“How did she die?” Zhang Daofeng asked.

“The Soul Flayer killed her,” Amon answered.

“I asked, how did she die?” Zhang Daofeng repeated. “Did the Soul Flayer destroy her body?”

“… No, but she was pierced in the heart and beheaded. I only managed to save her space ring. Here, the contents are still intact. I only take two invisible talismans from her possession. One I used to sneak here. The other one will be for sneaking out.”

Zhang Daofeng caught the space ring Amon threw at him. He didn’t bother to check the contents. “You mentioned you caught the Soul Flayer?”

“I did.” Amon gestured for Zhang Daofeng to follow him.

They walked to the side courtyard of Zhang Daofeng’s residence. A half-conscious Soul Flayer lay there with multiple engraved chains binding it.

Amon heavily drugged the Soul Flayer using Endless Slumber Poison. The poison couldn’t fully affect the spirit beast, but after an insane amount of doses, the poison still managed to put it into a heavily groggy state. Amon placed the Soul Flayer here in advance because he didn’t want to show the prison box to Zhang Daofeng.

Zhang Daofeng approached the Soul Flayer. It struggled to shake off its sleepiness and rise, but now that Zhang Daofeng was here, its chance to escape was gone. Zhang Daofeng released his aura, and the Soul Flayer was pressed into the ground. It couldn’t move.

“The army that attacks this city outside. It’s yours?” Zhang Daofeng asked.

“Even if I use the invisible talisman, sneaking into here is still risky. I need something to distract the temple’s occupants,” Amon answered. “After all, we are short on time. I heard Mu Qin headed for Farghous’ camp. That’s why I chose to deliver this Soul Flayer directly instead of calling you out to take it. How long do you need to make the Demon Revealing talisman?”

“I can put our talisman masters to work immediately,” Zhang Daofeng answered. “We have all the other materials ready for use. We only lack the blood of this Soul Flayer. I say, I should have the talisman in around three to four hours.”

“That fast? Good. In that case, I will keep my army sieging this city,” Amon said.

“Why?” Zhang Daofeng asked. “You know I have the obligation to go out there and obliterate your troops if you don’t pull back.”

“Give a reason to stall. You are the hierophant. No one can force you to go out if you don’t want to. Oversee the making of the talisman to ensure it is done in time.”

“You haven’t told me the reason why you insist on sieging this city. I can’t just let you kill my citizens like this.”

“It is for the greater good,” Amon reasoned. “With my troops causing trouble here, Mu Qin will no doubt be forced to come back. You should have the talisman ready by the time she is back. We will reveal her true identity here.”

“Why does it have to be here?” Zhang Daofeng asked.

“So all her followers can witness it with their own eyes,” Amon answered. “Faith is a powerful thing. If a devout believer is only told by words that the person they worship is a demon, they won’t believe it, even if everyone around them convinces them it is the truth. The evidence must be so irrefutable that they have no choice but to accept. That’s why they must see it with their own eyes when the talisman exposes her demon blood.”

Zhang Daofeng was silent for a while as he pondered Amon’s words.

“If we are doing it in front of everyone, I need to be sure that you are absolutely certain you are not wrong about her identity,” Zhang Daofeng said. “I will be in huge trouble if it turns out that is not the case.”

“There is no mistake that she is a demon,” Amon uttered.

Zhang Daofeng saw unshaken confidence in Amon’s tone and expression. He wasn’t sure if that was because Amon truly believed what he said, or if he was simply too good at pretending.

Zhang Daofeng sighed. Things had progressed to this stage. There is no point in backing off now. Might as well barrel ahead with this gamble. “Alright. I will stay out of the battle out there and monitor the talisman making. A warning, though. Do not let your army enter the city. That will make it harder for me to make excuses for not joining the battle.”

“Don’t worry. My army will stay outside the wall,” Amon said.

“If Mu Qin returns earlier, how are you going to keep her occupied? Are you willing to sacrifice your army to do that?”

“I will do whatever is necessary,” Amon replied.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep