My Beasts Grind Proficiency For Me

Chapter 355 - 215: Killing Intent Arises

A Demon Suppression Army soldier hurried through the corridors of the Flying Boat until he reached Yang Jing’s Quiet Chamber, where he carefully slowed his pace. The moment he took his first step inside, a fierce and unmatched Sword Intent enveloped him.

The soldier’s face instantly turned deathly pale, and sweat poured down his face.

For a split second, he felt as if he were being torn to shreds by ten thousand swords.

He cautiously raised his head and saw Minister Yang Jing sitting on a Meditation Cushion, his long hair unbound, clutching a Token in his hand.

CRACK!

With a crisp sound, the Jade Talisman, harder than any metal, shattered into fine powder that scattered across the floor.

Yang Jing retracted his Sword Intent and looked up at the soldier.

"What happened?"

The soldier swallowed hard. It was the first time he had ever seen Yang Jing radiate such intense killing intent.

"A few men started causing a commotion. They said that since the army is stalled, we might as well let some people return to the Marketplace to rest."

"A few? How many, exactly?"

Yang Jing looked up, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.

"T-twelve in total. Demon Patrol Envoy Yang has already taken men to suppress them."

"Sowing discord and disrupting morale in the ranks. What is the penalty for that?"

Yang Jing’s voice was laced with a chilling cold.

"According to military law... execution."

Cold sweat instantly drenched the soldier’s back.

"Then follow the law. Execute all twelve of them and parade their heads through the camps."

Yang Jing brushed the jade powder from his hands.

"But... but among the troublemakers... are Inner Sect Disciples from the Dharma Image Sect and the Profound Pure Sect."

The soldier said, forcing the words out.

"Disciples of the Six Sects leading the violation of military discipline? Their crime is even greater. Now go!"

Yang Jing flicked his sleeve and stood up.

"Yes, sir!"

Seeing that Yang Jing was fully intent on killing, the soldier didn’t dare hesitate for a moment and immediately turned to leave.

A moment later, Yang Jing keenly sensed fluctuations of Magical Power from below the Flying Boat. After just a dozen breaths, everything fell silent.

"Master, this disciple has executed all the troublemakers."

Iron Head returned to the Flying Boat, a few drops of blood still splattered on him. When the two Inner Sect Disciples leading the commotion realized Yang Jing actually dared to order their execution, they were shocked beyond belief and even tried to resist. But how could they be a match for Iron Head, especially at such close quarters?

He had taken all twelve of their heads with almost no effort.

"Mm."

Yang Jing nodded. ’Just a few insignificant fools, sent out as pawns to test my limits. But even the ones who sent them probably didn’t expect me to be so ruthless.’

In his eyes, the status of an Inner Sect Disciple of the Six Sects was as worthless as scrap paper.

"Did you run into some trouble?"

Zuoqiu Feng walked in slowly, a worried look on her face as she spoke to Yang Jing.

"Magistrate Guan rejected my request to mobilize the Qi-guiding Dragon-shaking Array," Yang Jing said. "He claims the Array is too important, and with the Governor leading the army elsewhere, he must first seek permission from the Six Sects. Only after their directive comes down will he allow me to mobilize it."

On the surface, there was nothing wrong with what Magistrate Guan had said.

The Qi-guiding Dragon-shaking Array, capable of moving a Spirit Vein, was an extremely sensitive asset, second only to the Heaven-shattering Earth-collapse Array which could directly destroy a Grand Array. To prevent it from being lost, every mobilization required the approval of either the Governor or the Elders of the Six Sects.

But Magistrate Guan, using the excuse that Canyuan True Monarch was busy with the war on the Northern Line, had chosen to apply to the Six Sects’ Elders instead. Going through that whole process could easily take half a year.

If he deliberately chose an Elder who was in seclusion, he could delay the matter for decades without issue.

"How dare they!" Iron Head’s eyes widened in shock. "If they sabotage the Governor’s great campaign to pacify the Demon Realm, aren’t they afraid of his punishment?"

"Those fools," Yinjiao said with disdain. "Over a month of smooth sailing has made them think victory is already in their grasp. They actually believe they can flatten the Demon Realm without Master."

"If they manage to push Master out and still successfully destroy the Demon Realm, do you really think the True Monarch will punish them for it?"

These Capital City Commanders had served in the Northern Army Governor’s Mansion for many years, but they had mostly faced Demon Cultivators from the Four Demon Sects.

Their so-called "battle experience" was nothing more than leading army formations in fights against the Four Demon Sects. They rarely had the chance to face High Tier Celestial Demons alone, let alone the Other-Transformed Self-Free Celestial Demons, which almost never appeared in the Nine Heavens World.

"Master, what should we do?"

Yinjiao was deeply worried. The four Capital City Commanders led the majority of the three-thousand-strong Demon Suppression Army. They had commanded these troops for years, and the low-ranking officers were all their people. If they banded together to sideline Yang Jing, their master would instantly lose command over the Demon Suppression Army.

"If they were just feigning compliance and delaying our tasks, I would have tolerated them until after the Demon Realm was pacified before settling the score. But since they’ve resorted to such tactics to seize my command, they can’t blame me for what comes next."

Yang Jing stared at the Jade Talisman powder on the floor, his voice seething with killing intent.

’Do these pathetic fools really think the bureaucracy of the Northern Army Governor’s Mansion can render me helpless?’

"They’ve come to vie for power with me under the naive delusion that they can manipulate me, but I can’t do the same to them."

***

The four Capital City Commanders gathered together. Wang Xu, his hands clasped behind his back, paced back and forth anxiously like an ant on a hot pan.

"What... what are you all doing? Are you really going to defy the Governor’s orders just for a bit of merit?"

Only when he saw soldiers parading the freshly severed heads on long poles did he realize with a shock that the conflict between Yang Jing and the other three Capital City Commanders had escalated to this point.

Wang Xu was deeply grieved. He had intended to act as a mediator and bridge the gap between them, but he never thought the other three would give him no chance at all.

"How many True Disciples of the Four Demon Sects have died at his hands? Do you really think he’ll hesitate for even a second when it comes to killing disciples of the Six Sects, or even killing you?"

Shi Jinrong, the youngest of the three Capital City Commanders, had also been frightened by Yang Jing’s ruthlessness.

He had assumed that while they might squabble over merit, they would at least show some respect for the disciples of the Six Sects and not go so far as to take lives.

He never expected that the next time he saw his own junior brother, it would be just a severed head with eyes wide open in disbelief.

"Hmph! Is it us who wants to fight him?" the white-haired Wen Ximing scoffed. "He’s hogging all the troops for himself and leaving us with scraps. If we don’t fight him for it, how are we supposed to earn any merit?"

"We’re the ones doing all the work while he’s up on the Flying Boat enjoying himself with that beauty! Even if I were to agree to this, my seven hundred soldiers of the Demon Suppression Army would not!"

Wang Xu’s eyes widened in disbelief as he stared at Wen Ximing.

"Brother Wen, are you treating the Demon Suppression Army as your own private soldiers? Infighting for merit and squandering a strategic opportunity right before a major battle... what do you think the Governor will say about that?"

At the mention of Canyuan True Monarch’s name, Wen Ximing’s pupils constricted slightly; he clearly feared the Governor. But his greed for Core Formation quickly suppressed that fear.

This was Core Formation he was talking about.

After forming a Golden Core, his lifespan would increase by three hundred years, and his status in the Sect would skyrocket. The True Disciples who used to look down on him would have to respectfully call him Martial Uncle.

Wen Ximing could even leave the Sect, establish his own family in one of the many Fiefdoms, and perhaps even become part of that nation’s Royal Family. It wasn’t entirely impossible.

These immense potential rewards were more than enough to make Wen Ximing risk everything.

"Squandering what opportunity? Yang Jing is the one squandering our chance by concentrating the entire army on one front just to monopolize the merit! He’s the one slowing down our advance!"

Wen Ximing’s eyes gleamed with a cunning light.

Guan Weiqun stood up and gave Wang Xu a sinister look.

"Wang Xu, the great merit from pacifying the Demon Realm is enough for all four of us to get a Golden Core Pill. Are you really so scared of that Yang Jing that you’d rather be a good little dog under his command?"

Wang Xu was left speechless by his words.

"Do you all honestly believe the Celestial Demons in this Demon Realm are just easy prey for you to crush? Do you really think victory is already assured?!"

Wen Ximing let out a disdainful snort.

"Celestial Demons? This is a steamroll campaign. What can they do besides flee back to the Outer Realm? Before our Demon-Catching Tripods, they’re nothing but lambs to the slaughter."

Seeing that there was no getting through to the three of them, Wang Xu could only turn and leave with a flick of his sleeve. Unlike them, he had actually seen Yang Jing in action and was deeply impressed by his methods.

"Hmph! Brother Wen, have you forgotten? Those Demon-Catching Tripods were all refined by Yang Jing!"

He added mockingly to Wen Ximing before he left.

Wen Ximing’s face flushed crimson.

"For Yang Jing to be able to refine Magical Treasures of the Four Demon Sects, his background must be shady! I’m going to report him to the Sect!"

Having his sore spot exposed by Wang Xu, he flew into a rage out of sheer embarrassment.

"Haha! A mediocre disciple like you, who has lived for two hundred years and only barely reached Foundation Establishment Perfection, dares to accuse a peerless genius like Yang Jing? You’re just asking to be humiliated!"

Wang Xu let out a few disdainful laughs before standing up and leaving.

The three remaining men in the hall fell silent, for Wang Xu’s words had pricked their hearts like needles.

"Brother Wen... have we gone down the wrong path?"

Shi Jinrong, the youngest of the three, was already feeling a hint of regret. He was only one hundred and thirty-seven years old and still had over sixty years to strive for a Golden Core Pill. Naturally, he was the first among them to waver.

"It’s too late for regrets now!" Guan Weiqun immediately stared hard at Shi Jinrong. "In for a penny, in for a pound. There’s no backing out halfway."

His Guan Family had five Golden Core Cultivators and was considered powerful and influential within the Dharma Image Sect. Even if they failed in this power struggle, he would only suffer some punishment. With his family’s influence, what did a little punishment matter?

But if they succeeded, the reward was a Golden Core Pill.

Even the Guan Family could only guarantee one Golden Core Pill per generation. As a Guan disciple with ordinary aptitude who had been relegated to the Northern Army Governor’s Mansion, he would never be in line for it.

’Once I get that Golden Core Pill,’ he thought, ’I’ll immediately go into seclusion for Core Formation. After I become a Golden Core Cultivator, could a mere Foundation Establishment Cultivator like Yang Jing possibly threaten me?’

’Even if I anger Canyuan True Monarch, at worst I can just walk away and return to the Dharma Image Sect.’

"Besides, with how decisive and ruthless Yang Jing is, we’ve now thoroughly angered him. Do you really think he’d let you off if you went begging for mercy?"