Chapter 67

Chapter 67: The Aftermath in Eastcalm Prefecture

Under Jadesun Palace Lord’s command, many soldiers and veterans put pressure on the demons, forcing them to flee .

“Although killing demons is important, staying alive is more important,” shouted a human expert in the lead . “We need to force the demons to leave Eastcalm Prefecture as soon as possible . It’s best if we use bows or throw short lances . Engage in melee combat as little as possible . ”

With orders from all over the place, the soldiers and veterans of Eastcalm Prefecture skillfully drove out the demons . Demons that were slow to escape would be circled and killed . This compelled the demons to escape with all their might .

“Run!”

“A Godfiend is here . Where are our demon monarchs?”

“The demon monarchs must have been defeated . Otherwise, we wouldn’t be ordered to retreat . ” The demons’ morale had completely plummeted as they frantically fled .

Jadesun Palace Lord occasionally attacked, mostly targeting the stronger demons .

There are too many ordinary demons . If we really don’t force them into a corner, they will scatter and wreak havoc everywhere . It would result in bigger trouble . However, the demon commanders can forget about escaping . The lieutenant commanders will be killed if possible . Whenever Jadesun Palace Lord discovered a demon commander, he would immediately rush over . As long as he was within a thousand feet of the enemy, he would be able to slay them using thread wisps easily .

“The commander is dead . ”

“The lieutenant commander is dead as well . ” The remaining demons fled in panic .

…

One party was frantically retreating while a Godfiend cornered another . In just an hour, all the demons retreated to the Demon Realm .

“The invasion has ended . ” Meng Chuan walked along the streets with his father, Meng Dajiang, as they took in the city .

The region closest to the World Entrance was the most miserable . There were many casualties; other places were relatively better . People below the Marrow Cleansing realm had hidden in the deep underground tunnels . There had been no time for the demons to enter the tunnels during the short invasion . Those who had participated in the defense were at or above the Marrow Cleansing Realm; they numbered a few thousand .

Roughly 1000 people had died in battle . The casualties in the region near the World Entrance numbered 10,000 . It was the most tragic region .

Furthermore, many places in the city had been destroyed during battles between demons and humans . Houses had collapsed, restaurants were damaged, and the streets were scarred . The traces of battle were everywhere .

“Dad, Mom, our shop collapsed . ” A child looked at the collapsed street and cried .

“It’s fine . ” The woman hugged the child and looked at her husband—who was covered in blood . She smiled and said, “It’s better that we’re alive and together . Nothing else matters . ”

The child was still confused .

The husband gently hugged his wife and child and said with a smile, “It’s indeed good to be alive . ” In the past two hours, he had killed three demons with his companions . He had survived and had not lost any limbs . He felt very lucky .

“Hahaha! Eastcalm Prefecture has survived this tribulation . Another few decades of peace is in order . Hahaha…” A bandaged, old man covered in blood held a gourd of alcohol and laughed as he drank . As he did so, he watched people appear on the streets . The weak, ordinary civilians had been hiding in the underground tunnels, but they had all come out now . This added more life to Eastcalm Prefecture .

“Uncle Zhang, you’re a hero!” shouted a neighbor as he looked at the elder .

“Uncle Zhang, come . Take this pair of pig trotters and make some soup with it . ” A butcher realized that their shop hadn’t been damaged . The pork that was prepared early in the morning was still there . He immediately wrapped up a pair of pig trotters and gave it to the elderly man .

Upon seeing this, Meng Chuan and his father felt much better .

“Godfiends are very important, but mortal soldiers are equally important,” said Meng Dajiang with a sigh . “It’s because of them that we were able to hold back the countless demons, preventing the people hiding in the tunnels from being slaughtered . No matter how powerful a Godfiend is, how many of them are there? Of course, battles between the Godfiends and demon monarchs determines the outcome of a war . If the Godfiends lose, it would be pointless for the mortal soldiers to fend off the demons . ”

Meng Chuan nodded slightly .

For the sake of this vibrant Eastcalm Prefecture and for the sake of countless human cities, he had to become a Godfiend! Only after becoming a Godfiend would he have enough power to protect everything .

…

The ancestral mansion .

Meng Chuan and his father arrived at the ancestral mansion .

White lanterns now adorned the main entrance of the Meng ancestral mansion . Many clansmen were dressed in mourning attire .

“Elder . ” Soon, a clansman delivered mourning attire to them .

Meng Chuan and Meng Dajiang wore them .

“Let’s go to Third Elder,” said Meng Dajiang . Quite a number of people from the Meng family had died . Four elders had died, and many more at the Marrow Cleansing and Mortal Shedding realm .

The Third Elder was the strongest person who had died in battle, so it was only right to pay their respects to him first .

The mourning hall was already set up .

“You’re here . ” Clan Leader Meng Yanping sat inside, looking like he had aged considerably . “Give Third Brother a kowtow . ”

“Okay . ”

Meng Dajiang kowtowed first, followed by Meng Chuan .

After kowtowing, Meng Chuan stood up and saw Third Elder’s corpse . He had already been cleaned up by a mortician . He lay there like he was sound asleep, and even his expression was much more serene than usual .

Clan Leader Meng Yanping looked at Meng Chuan and said in a low voice, “What Third Brother wanted the most when he was alive, was for you to enter Archean Mountain and become a Godfiend . Meng Chuan, you must not let him down . ”

“Yes . ” Meng Chuan nodded . “I won’t . ”

…

After staying with Third Elder for a while, they went to the other mourning halls .

The atmosphere in the Meng Estate was stifling and solemn . After all, many clansmen had died . Many children were still oblivious, having not realized what had happened . After the demon invasion erupted—although 3000 clansmen lived in the ancestral mansion—roughly 2000 people, that had yet to reach the Marrow Cleansing realm, hid in the tunnels . They hid in the tunnels for an hour before coming out again . They had not encountered any danger .

They felt like everything was the same as usual .

However, many mourning halls were set up in the ancestral mansion, and almost the entire clan was mourning . The children didn’t dare tantrum .

“Kowtow . ” The parents’ eyes were red . They got their children to kowtow one by one . Every family that had lost somebody needed to receive a kowtow . This was because the parents knew that it was due to clansmen risking their lives so they could survive .

Meng Chuan and Meng Dajiang went to each residence before finally visiting Grandaunt .

“Grandaunt . ” The father-son duo entered the courtyard .

Fairy Meng sat alone in the yard . She didn’t like people tending to her . Cough . Cough . Fairy Meng’s face was pale . Her aura was waning slightly, making it difficult for her to maintain her normal appearance .

“Grandaunt, your injuries…” said Meng Chuan worriedly .

Upon seeing Meng Chuan, Fairy Meng smiled . “Ah, you’re here . My injuries are nothing . I can’t live for long anyway . I’m already very happy that we could fight the demon monarchs and not have Eastcalm Prefecture razed to the ground . ”

Meng Dajiang also said, “Aunt, you don’t have to worry about anything else . Rest well . ”

“Yes, rest well,” said Meng Chuan immediately .

Fairy Meng had been a Godfiend for nearly eighty years . She was the family clan’s pillar of support . The Meng family was used to her protection . When she was around, the Meng family would feel settled . If she wasn’t around, it felt as though the Meng family would collapse .

“I know my body well,” said Fairy Meng with a chuckle . “Don’t worry . I can’t bear to die so quickly . I’ll hold on… Regardless, I’ll survive until winter this year . I need to hear about your successful entry to Archean Mountain before I can rest in peace . ”

At this time, there was a knock on the door outside the small courtyard .

The door opened .

Clan Leader Meng Yanping said from outside, “Third Sis, someone from Jadesun Palace is here . He’s here for Meng Chuan . ”

“Someone from Jadesun Palace is looking for Meng Chuan?” Fairy Meng frowned slightly .

“Fairy,” said another person respectfully from outside the door . “Marquis Southcloud from Wu State’s capital has come to Eastcalm Prefecture . Marquis Southcloud has informed us that he would like to meet Young Master Meng . ”

“Marquis Southcloud?” Fairy Meng was alarmed .

King Calm Sea’s position was extremely lofty, and all surrounding states were affected by it . However, Marquis Southcloud was also an extremely powerful Godfiend—one of the strongest in the entire Wu State . He was the one who answered Eastcalm Prefecture’s call for help .

“Meng Chuan, hurry over,” said Fairy Meng immediately . “Dajiang, you should go with him too . ”

“Yes . ” Meng Chuan and Meng Dajiang answered .

The father and son immediately followed the messenger to Jadesun Palace .