Can a Scholar Be Called a Villain

Chapter 112: The Blood Bat Locusts harassment

Murong Lin’s figure glided effortlessly through the forest, rapidly approaching the outskirts of a small town. He fixed his gaze on the town, a hint of malevolence flickering in his eyes.

Ever since he had decimated the army dispatched by Chu Ze to purge the Demonic Beast Forest, he had been journeying toward Chu’s borders.

While several Sky Reaching realm demonic beasts had been causing turmoil at the borders of Chu, their efforts were relatively restrained. They had inflicted minor destruction, targeting a few houses rather than entire towns or villages.

The small town before Murong Lin had clearly endured the wrath of Sky Reaching realm demonic beasts, but to his discerning eyes, the destruction was far from sufficient to provoke Chu’s military response. 

Without enticing the Chu army to take action, Murong Lin wouldn’t be able to launch a full-scale assault by himself.

He patted the spirit beast bag containing the Blood Bat Locusts, and in an instant, the entire sky above the town darkened.

The immense swarm of locusts descended upon the small town with frenzied fervour, assaulting its inhabitants with unchecked chaos. Their objective wasn’t to kill, but to unleash havoc.

“Ahhhh! What in the world is that? It’s terrifying!”

“Everyone, flee! They’re unbelievably powerful!”

“It’s a beast wave! Save me! The beast wave is upon us!”

The residents of the small town immediately recognized the perilous situation. After witnessing the overwhelming might of the Blood Bat Locusts, terror overcame their faces.

The town’s mightiest inhabitant was a meagre Fetal Enigma realm cultivator, who could only gaze at the vast swarm of locusts for a brief moment before shouting with a horrified expression, “Everyone, run, hurry!”

The locusts, with their monstrous wings in full frenzy, devoured the town with ruthless abandon. They left a trail of destruction in their wake, destroying buildings and slaying anyone who dared to resist. Those who managed to escape their wrath were spared, as the locusts focused their madness on reducing the town to rubble.

The Blood Bat Locusts exhibited merciless ruthlessness as they devoured anything living or capable of cultivation, plunging the entire town into a cacophony of wails and screams.

Frantic people fled from the town, with some riding their spirit familiars or fleeing without clothes, all in desperate attempts to escape the impending catastrophe. Some risked a glance backwards, only to cry out heart-wrenchingly, “What sins have we committed to deserve this?”

Indeed, what had they done to deserve such a calamity?

As they helplessly witnessed the locusts annihilate their town and saw their friends who valiantly resisted meet their demise, those who managed to escape were left deeply scarred. They fled toward neighbouring towns and cities, carrying with them the horrifying tale of the town’s destruction.

Meanwhile, Murong Lin stood on the outskirts of the town, watching impassively as his locusts consumed the settlement. He then divided them into swarms devoid of any Sky Reaching realm locusts and dispatched them toward the surrounding towns and cities.

The vast swarm in the sky fragmented into a dozen clouds, each heading in a different direction. Every Blood Bat Locust emitted spine-chilling screams, their wails hauntingly piercing.

Murong Lin remained motionless, his gaze fixed on the borders of Chu. He sighed inwardly, reflecting, “Chu Ze has acquired an emperor’s system; his luck is quite remarkable. It’s a pity that I can’t steal it for myself.”

Murong Lin naturally harboured a desire for Chu Ze’s system, driven by the prospect of continuously summoning subordinates, officials, and generals through bolstering his nation’s destiny.

Yet, he was acutely aware that the protagonist’s systems were impervious to theft.

His cunning plan revolved around sowing dread along Chu’s borders, ultimately fomenting a war between the Demonic Beast Forest and Chu. Once chaos reigned, he intended to bask in the passive rewards it would yield.

Surveying the desolation of a town irreparably ravaged before him, Murong Lin extended his divine senses and clapped his hands, “Reveal yourselves.”

In response, two silhouettes materialized from the forest behind him, they were none other than the floor masters Qing Sha Lou and Qing Miao Lou.

As for floor master Qing Long Lou, he was killed by Murong Jiao long ago during the chaos within the Murong clan.

Their gazes were brimming with deference, fixed on Murong Lin’s back as they emerged from the forest. Descending to their knees, they paid their respects, “We greet our master.”

Without turning, Murong Lin continued to fix his gaze on the shattered town and inquired, “What progress have you made regarding the task I entrusted to both of you?”

Qing Sha Lou respectfully cupped his hands and reported, “Master, our men have successfully disseminated the news of Chu Ze’s aggression against the Demonic Beast Forest as the cause for triggering the demonic beasts’ assaults on humanity across the twenty-one counties.

Moreover, it appears that we’ve garnered the assistance of several individuals in spreading this information. From my observations, it seems likely that the actions of these individuals can be attributed to spies from the former Chu nobility and the three neighbouring countries.”

Murong Lin remarked, “Excellent. Let us leverage their influence to further propagate this information.”

Then, he continued to ask, “What is the current situation in Yan?”

Qing Sha Lou promptly replied, “Master, following our retreat from the capital, Murong Tong has returned to the Murong clan to recover from his injuries. Meanwhile, Murong Jiao and Mo Wen Dao have thrown their support behind Murong Ran’s claim to the throne. There are still numerous matters left unresolved.

Although Chu Ze’s army managed to quell the rebellion led by the South Village King, killing Ning Wei Wu in the process, the capital now faces imminent peril as Chu Ze advances in light of their triumph.”

Murong Lin brushed off the news of Ning Wei Wu’s demise at the hands of Zhao Zi Long and shifted his attention to the domains conquered by Chu and those that remained.

“What did the Ridge Fir Alliance have to say?” he inquired.

“The Ridge Fir Alliance is preoccupied with nurturing their seed players for the upcoming ‘Great Nanyue Wan Guo Tournament’. They have issued a warning to Chu Ze, considering his substantial contingent of Sky Reaching realm experts and rumours of Lu Feng Xian breaking through to the Cognizance realm. Consequently, influential factions within the Ridge Fir Alliance are hesitant to intervene.”

Murong Lin casually remarked, “How short-sighted they are. Are they not aware of the peril in nurturing a viper within their midst?”

It was evident that, once the Ridge Fir Alliance mustered the courage to act, Chu’s offensive would falter without a doubt. However, the overpowering influence of Chu Ze’s protagonist halo effectively deterred any decisive move by the Ridge Fir Alliance.

The Ridge Fir Alliance, a coalition comprising three mighty nations and twenty-five smaller states, contained formidable powerhouses. Daling, Daqing, and Dale, the trio of dominant nations, possessed vast territories, dwarfing smaller nations like Yan tenfold. Moreover, each of these great nations boasted nearly a hundred Sky Reaching realm experts.

Most crucially, each of these great nations could count a Cognizance realm ancestor among their ranks.

Cognizance realm experts enjoyed lifespans of five centuries and harboured a Primordial Spirit within their spiritual seas, capable of surviving even after the demise of their physical bodies.

The applications of the Primordial Spirit were manifold. Those who withstood the soul tempering of the Sky Reaching realm could mould their own Primordial Spirit to mirror their Manifestation transformations.

However, the majority opted to create clones of themselves, with the radiance of their Primordial Spirit aligned with their elemental attributes.

A minority pursued the creation of Primordial Spirits attuned to their innate talents. For instance, practitioners of the Sword Dao crafted Sword Soul Primordial Spirits, those devoted to the Pill Dao birthed Pill Medicine Primordial Spirits, and followers of the Ghost Dao manifested Spectre Primordial Spirits.

For instance, the Tiger-faced Verdant Dragon Python residing within the Demonic Beast Forest, a seasoned expert of the Cognizance realm, had forged a Primordial Spirit resembling a smaller version of itself, its sapphire form representing its affiliation with water attribute cultivation.

If Murong Lin were to craft his own Primordial Spirit, it would likely take the form of condensed darkness, a manifestation of the 《Lifelessness Law》. This entity would be ever-shifting, formless, and elusive.

Murong Lin remained motionless, contemplating Chu Ze’s strengths and vulnerabilities.

While Chu Ze commanded loyal soldiers and formidable officials and generals, he was not without his own shortcomings.

One glaring issue was the lack of cohesion among his various domains.

Perhaps, given more time and notable achievements, the people might unify behind Chu Ze as their rightful ruler.

However, his brief rule had been marked by conflicts with three neighbouring countries, resulting in a ceaseless drain on his resources in his pursuit of expanding his influence and territory.

War was an undesirable prospect for all, but Chu Ze’s excessive self-confidence and impetuosity had sown seeds of discontent.

Dissatisfaction with his rule loomed, and if a catalyst were to emerge, imminent disaster could befall Chu Ze.

The dissatisfaction of his subjects posed the most significant hidden threat to Chu Ze.

Translator’s note

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