CHAPTER 109 (1): EMERGENCE OF FLAME DEMON

"Around 10% of our sect's high-ranking members are being sent out on this occasion," Gu Changhan admitted with an embarrassed expression.

Dongfang Sansan smiled and nodded in silence.

This was the expected outcome.

Even if a central figure of a sect like this had been deeply moved, there was no way they would go all-in.

Instead, the most powerful members of the sect would still remain where they were.

However, this was already a very good outcome, and Dongfang Sansan was certainly very pleased.

"There are some things that I must reveal to you in advance, Elder Gu. Right now, both the Guardians and the Protectionists are locked in battle against the Church of the Self-Righteous, and each year, the Guardians suffer around twenty thousand casualties, while that number is as high as three hundred thousand for the Protectionists.

“Furthermore, that's not the average number. Instead, that's only what we've observed over the past few years, during what we would consider a period of relative peace. If you send the disciples of your sect to join us, they will inevitably suffer casualties too. Out of the seventeen thousand disciples that you entrust to me, I don't know how many I'll be able to return to your sect alive."

"I understand," Gu Changhan replied with a nod. "There will inevitably be casualties in a war that encompasses the entire continent."

"Thank you, Elder Gu. On behalf of the Guardians, I, Dongfang Sansan, offer my utmost gratitude to the Frost Sword Sect!"

"You're most welcome, Master Nine. In that case, I'll be taking my leave now. The disciples of our sect should be arriving in about five days."

"I'm glad to hear it," Dongfang Sansan said with a pleased smile. This was going to be a significant injection of power for the Guardians, and he would be sure to put everyone to great use.

Right at this moment, the door was slammed open from the outside, and Xue Fuxiao rushed in like wind without even bothering to knock.

"We've got trouble, Sansan!"

Dongfang Sansan's heart instantly sank, and the smile on his face faded as he asked, "What's going on?"

It had to have been a major crisis for Xue Fuxiao to be so worked up.

"Nine volcanoes have suddenly erupted in succession in the southeast in a semi-circular formation! Right now, there are almost no survivors left on the outskirts of the White Phoenix Prefecture closest to the volcanoes!"

"They erupted all at once without any warning?" Dongfang Sansan exclaimed with an alarmed expression.

A look of realization then appeared on his face as he slammed a hand down onto his desk.

"It's Flame Demon, isn't it? Has he reappeared?"

"It must be him! I can't think of anyone else who could've brought about a calamity like this!" Xue Fuxiao confirmed in an enraged manner.

Dongfang Sansan immediately swept a sleeve through the air, and a map of the southeast appeared on the desk before him.

"You said nine volcanoes in a semi-circle, right? Then it must be these ones..."

Dongfang Sansan pulled out a brush as he spoke and marked out the nine volcanoes one after another.

"These volcanoes don't just threaten the White Phoenix Prefecture, the lives of hundreds of millions are under threat!" Dongfang Sansan exclaimed as his complexion turned deathly pale.

Gu Changhan was also furious to hear this.

In his eyes, it was utterly deplorable that a warrior of their caliber would orchestrate a disaster like this to hurt the powerless masses.

"Send reinforcements to the southeast right away! Smoke poisoning is sure to follow after volcanic eruptions, so everyone in the affected areas must be evacuated as soon as possible! In addition, Flame Demon must be dealt with! You go after him yourself, Fuxiao! Kill him at all costs!"

"Alright, I'm on it!"

"Take Bing Qianshan with you too! Flame Demon must die! At the same time, make sure to proceed with caution. The Church of the Self-Righteous must've sent out powerful warriors of their own if they're making such a major move."

"I'll go investigate!"

With that, Xue Fuxiao gave Gu Changhan a brisk nod of acknowledgement before rushing out the room.

Looking at the weariness on Dongfang Sansan's face, Gu Changhan's heart suddenly felt very heavy.

With the entire continent resting on Dongfang Sansan's shoulders, his load was impossibly heavy.

The influx of warriors from the Frost Sword Sect was a rare piece of good news, but it was immediately overshadowed by much more terrible news, and the pressure weighing down him was only compounded.

He had been carrying the same burden for countless years, and Gu Changhan could imagine that anyone else would've already collapsed in his place, but Dongfang Sansan had carried this heavy burden with dignity and aplomb.

"Please pardon me for a moment, Elder Gu."

Dongfang Sansan took a moment to excuse himself, then began issuing a string of orders, and the entire Guardian headquarters instantly sprang into action.

Every order that he issued was done so with a sense of calmness and confidence in his voice, as if this calamitous disaster wasn't a big deal at all.

His orders planted a seed of composure in everyone's hearts, and they all felt much calmer and more reassured.

In the blink of an eye, everyone's panic miraculously subsided, and it was all the work of a single man!

It was astonishing to Gu Changhan that there existed someone in the world capable of doing something like this.

With him at the helm, even a catastrophic disaster like this one failed to evoke much panic.

The entire continent was moving like a well-oiled machine under his orders, and if Gu Changhan hadn't been present to see the clear agitation and fury in Dongfang Sansan's eyes, he would've been misled into thinking that the latter was some unfeeling machine.

Finally, after all of the orders had been issued, Dongfang Sansan turned his attention back to Gu Changhan.

"My apologies, Elder Gu. Where were we just now?"

Gu Changhan stood up in a respectful manner as he said, "Everything that needs to be discussed has already been discussed, so I won't take up any more of your precious time, Master Nine. I will return to my sect right away and instruct our disciples to set off. After that, I will personally be traveling to the southeast to hunt down Flame Demon!"

"Thank you, Brother Gu."

"Please don't thank me, Master Nine. You're only deepening my embarrassment."

Gu Changhan cupped his fist in a parting salute with his head lowered, then raced away into the distance in the blink of an eye.

He had never felt such a clear and urgent sense of purpose.

***

In the wake of Gu Changhan's departure, Dongfang Sansan slumped down onto his chair, looking utterly exhausted.

In a battle of intellect, he wasn't afraid of anyone, even if his opponent were a deity.

However, the bane of his existence was when the Church of the Self-Righteous did things like this, triggering volcanic eruptions or tsunamis in coastal areas.

It was a completely demented way of striking at the continent, and it made Dongfang Sansan feel utterly powerless.

However, these painful experiences only served to further bolster his determination to bring down the Church of the Self-Righteous.

He massaged his own temples vigorously as he fell into deep thought.

Why has the Church of the Self-Righteous triggered these volcanic eruptions in the southeast? This must've been Yan Nan's plan all along! Sending those people from the main church down into the southeast was nothing more than a distraction! There must be something of interest in the southeast!

Recently, Duan Xiyang had also appeared in the southeast, and that had definitely not been a coincidence.

At the same time, he was considering what the Guardians could stand to gain from this calamity.

Sure, everyone would unite against the Church of the Self-Righteous, but that still wasn't enough.

***

At this point, everyone in the White Cloud Prefecture Hall of Protectionists had already been mobilized.

Some of the volcanoes that had erupted were close enough to pose a threat to the White Cloud Prefecture, in half a day at most, the volcanic ash thrown up into the air would inundate the entire prefecture.

It was clear that the Church of the Self-Righteous was behind this, and that it had to be left to the most powerful warriors among the Guardians to deal with them, so the task of consoling the masses and cleaning the cities fell upon the Protectionists and the local authorities.

Everyone had already received an order directly from Dongfang Sansan, granting them permission to kill on sight anyone who tried to take advantage of the calamity for their own personal gain, whether that be rabble-rousers, burglars, etc.

The severity of the situation was not lost on anyone, and all those who were planning to profit from the disaster immediately did away with any such ideas.

Even the thugs on the streets had become very polite and restrained.

One of the deputy hall masters had been sent out right away with a search and rescue team, while the administrators were given two days to clean and organize the White Cloud Prefecture as much as possible in preparation for the influx of displaced refugees that were surely on the way.

During this time, they would also have to inform their families of the situation, and after the two days had passed, a second search and rescue team would be sent out to the most heavily affected areas.

Fang Che volunteered to be a part of this second team, and his request was quickly approved.

***

"Master, the volcanic eruptions in the southeast haven't affected you, have they?"

"No, our One Heart Church headquarters is fine."

"The Hall of Protectionists is rounding up people for search and rescue efforts, and I've been ordered to go to one of the most heavily affected areas."

"Alright, make sure to be careful, and avoid battles as much as possible."

This was a very telling statement from Yin Shengong.

It told Fang Che that there were going to be many powerful warriors from the demonic churches where he was going.

"Yes, Master. Also, I recently made a breakthrough to the Warlord tier."

"You're progressing a little fast. Has your foundation been compromised at all?"

"Not at all, Master."

"Didn't you only just reach the ninth-rank Lord tier just a few days ago?"

"That's true, but this latest breakthrough was made under rather special circumstances."

"How so?"

"Do you remember how I made all those contacts during the Parasite Ascension Project? One of them has a codename of Obsidian, who I've since found out to be Chen Yin of the Chen Clan. Not long ago..."

Fang Che gave Yin Shengong a recount of events.

There was no point in keeping this a secret from him, and informing Yin Shengong of his newly established ties with Chen Yin would only work to his benefit.

Sure enough, Yin Shengong's interest was immediately piqued.

"Is this the same Chen Clan of Deputy Pope Chen?"

"That's right."

Yin Shengong was ecstatic!

"Master Chen Yin decided to send me some cultivation resources after hearing about slow rate of progress."

"Your rate of progress is slow?"

Yin Shengong was astonished.

In his eyes, Night Demon's rate of progression had been nothing short of extraordinary!

"I've heard that Master Chen Yin and Mistress Yan Beihan have both already reached the King tier, but during the Parasite Ascension Project, they had both been Generals like me."

A wry smile appeared on Yin Shengong's face.

It was understandable that those two looked down on Night Demon for his "slow" rate of progress. No matter how extraordinary a prodigy Night Demon was, there was no way he could compete against the wealth of two of the main church's most powerful clans.

"He sent me four things in total, namely two vials of Cloud Spirit Pills, a Spirit Nourishment Pill, a protective undershirt, and some Spirit Raising Tea."

"Those are some hefty gifts."

"While Master Chen Yin's subordinate was here, I hatched a plan to lure out the four people who killed Master Sun Yuan and used him to kill them for me."

It came as quite a surprise to Yin Shengong that Li Mengyun and her group were still around.

Perhaps fate had dictated their deaths at the hands of Fang Che.