Chapter Twenty-Four: The Calamity of the Royal Capital

Leng Tian yearned to take another look, but the terrifying mental strike from the Nine Dragons still resonated within him, quelling his curiosity. Such a grand residence, concealing an underground palace, countless treasures, and by sheer accident, he had stumbled upon a mysterious space. That enormous bow—what kind of treasure was it? Guarded by nine divine dragons—could it be a weapon wielded by those lofty immortals?

Leng Tian felt that all of this was simply too fantastic to believe. Had none of the previous owners of this house ever discovered the underground palace? The lecherous fat man had claimed to have found a treasure map by chance, but wasn’t that story a little too far-fetched?

Although Leng Tian’s suspicions were reasonable, the world is never short of bizarre happenings. The underground palace had indeed been constructed by the original owner of this residence. Yet, for more than a hundred years, as the property changed hands numerous times, no one had ever uncovered the existence of this subterranean palace!

When the palace was first built, it was a miracle in itself. During its expansion, they were mere inches from exposing the jade Nine-Dragon stone gate, but fate intervened. Only with Leng Tian’s arrival, guided by his instincts, was the existence of this secret space finally revealed.

Suddenly, Leng Tian’s expression shifted—hurried footsteps echoed from the corridor! Two figures emerged. “Brother, something terrible has happened! Demons have appeared, and the entire royal capital is in chaos!”

It was Huo Wu who blurted out the shocking news upon seeing Leng Tian. The two who had arrived were Huo Wu and Xiao Ke; both girls’ cheeks were flushed, probably from running all the way back. Leng Tian’s face darkened. “Demons?”

“Yes, brother! Even the White-Clad Sword Saint Du Qingfeng and the Dream-Chaser Yan Nanfie have appeared, joining forces to fight three abyssal demons who suddenly emerged!”

Xiao Ke, breathing heavily, relayed the urgent news to Leng Tian. “Where are the others? Where’s Yan Long?” Leng Tian asked anxiously, seeing only the two of them had returned.

“They followed the martial artists from the city to witness Du Qingfeng and Yan Nanfie hunt down the demons outside! We were worried for their safety, so Xiao Ke and I came back to find you,” Huo Wu replied, her tone tinged with reproach, yet helpless as she recounted Yan Long and the others’ reckless actions.

“Nonsense!” Leng Tian’s expression changed dramatically. He immediately led Huo Wu and Xiao Ke out of the underground chamber, hurrying toward the city gates.

The appearance of the demons had been sudden, with the incident taking place at the death row prison in the royal capital. Today, a notorious bandit chief had been captured. His methods were cruel; for selfish desires, he had slaughtered countless innocent people. He was sentenced to the underground prison to await proper punishment.

But before the prison gates could even be opened, three strange men, their bodies wreathed in sinister gray mist, broke through the doors. They drained not only the bandit chief but also four others of all their blood and cultivation, leaving them as withered husks.

From the third level below ground up to the surface, everyone—whether prisoners or the warrior guards—met the same fate, their life force devoured. In the blink of an eye, the three levels of the prison had become a true graveyard under the demons’ merciless slaughter.

It wasn’t until the guard shift change that this horror was discovered, with gray mist continuously seeping from the prison depths. Any martial artist of lesser strength who came in contact with it lost their wits and descended into madness.

The gray mist spread rapidly, covering a radius of a mile around the prison before anyone could react. Within its reach, people and animals alike began to mutate.

Bodies swelled grotesquely, fangs bared. A woman, unfortunate enough to be caught in the mist, barely made it a few steps before her body transformed with shocking speed, doubling in size. Twin fangs jutted out, her gray pupils bulged, and, driven mad, she pounced on her own child. The little girl, still frozen with terror at her mother’s transformation, was ripped apart in an instant, blood splattering everywhere.

Such scenes were playing out all across the area—a bloody, hellish nightmare come to life. The entire northern district, where the prison was located, had fallen into utter chaos.

Powerful martial artists soon arrived, each one capable of flight—a testament to their mastery. Among them was the middle-aged man who had appeared at the Three Demon Mansion the previous day, now speaking respectfully to an elder.

A grotesque, evil cackle shattered their focus as the three demons who had slaughtered the prison revealed themselves to their wary audience.

“It’s them!” The middle-aged man’s face twisted in disbelief as he stared down at the three fiends, still feasting on the townsfolk.

“They’re possessed by demons!” The elder’s eyes flashed with cold light; his expression darkened as he prepared to act.

“What cruel creatures—are these the demons?” A figure in blue, Yan Nanfie, appeared suspended in the air not far from the group. His wickedly beautiful face curled into a mysterious smile as he spoke to the empty air, teasing, “Brother Du, your stealth skills have only grown more refined. How about we join forces to slay these three demons?”

The void rippled like water, and the White-Clad Sword Saint Du Qingfeng materialized, hands clasped behind his back. He exchanged a glance with Yan Nanfie and replied coolly, “Why not?”

Yan Nanfie nodded with a smile, then turned to the elder. “Elder, we’ll handle the demons. The rest of you should focus on containing the spread of this evil miasma before it gets out of hand.”

The elder’s face was grave as he replied, “Thank you, both of you.”

Du Qingfeng paid no mind to the rest, instead commanding the ancient sword at his back, which split into a hundred copies and shot toward the three demons.

The three possessed men were none other than the notorious Flower-Picking Trio who had been imprisoned. In a flash, a hundred ancient swords formed a dense net above their heads, sealing off every escape.

Yan Nanfie smiled wryly, unfurling a pair of azure wings behind him. With a slight tremor, he flashed downward in a streak of blue light.

Seeing them act, the elder and several strong warriors took up positions above the prison, each standing at one of four corners. A yellow glow shimmered as a round, earthen-yellow disc of unknown material floated before the elder, its surface etched with complex symbols.

With a solemn gesture, the elder pointed at the disc, which flared with radiant light. The symbols transformed and merged into a brilliant golden barrier.

“Go,” the elder commanded. With a wave, the massive golden array spun upward, hovering over the prison. The others, seeing the formation established, each channeled their energy from a distance into the barrier.

As their true essence poured in, the array expanded steadily until it covered the entire prison. The elder pressed his palm downward, uttering a single word, “Seal!”

Martial Dao: Edge of Extremity
Chapter 24: Catastrophe in the Royal Capital — End of Update