: Playing the Righteous Path is Actually Quite Fun (Third Update, Seeking Monthly Tickets!)

The Black Wind Tiger Demon grunted, affected by the collapse of the night shadow, its fierce assault weakening considerably.

Meng Zizhong wanted to counterattack but attempted various methods, all of which failed.

The Black Wind Tiger Demon's close-combat prowess was profound, clearly surpassing Meng Zizhong in martial skill.

Meng Zizhong's golden core remained dim and showed no signs of recovery despite the close-quarters combat.

After some thought, Meng Zizhong had no choice but to deliver a heavy hammer blow, temporarily forcing the Black Wind Tiger Demon back before swiftly changing direction and leaping into the cultivator army formation.

Military Strategy – Speed is Paramount in War!

Military Strategy – Head and Tail Respond to Each Other!

Two layers of military strategy were applied, immediately causing the cultivator army's speed to skyrocket, and their coordination became over five times more synchronized than before.

The cultivator army was already in a moving formation, and now, with their speed and coordination drastically increased, the formation's power multiplied seven to eightfold.

What was once a single battle formation now felt like at least seven stacked together.

The battle formation surged like a flood across the land, swiftly enveloping the Black Wind Tiger Demon.

Meng Zizhong, acting as the formation's core commander, was now high-spirited and invigorated, actively confronting the Black Wind Tiger Demon.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The two engaged in fierce combat once more, but the situation had completely reversed. Meng Zizhong now firmly held the upper hand, surpassing the Black Wind Tiger Demon in strength, offense, and defense.

The Black Wind Tiger Demon was at a disadvantage, sustaining several wounds in a short time. Fortunately, its Flesh Tank Blood Devouring Technique, combined with its demon beast physique, provided ample recovery, preventing its defeat.

However, while it could hold its ground, the other demon cultivators could not.

The human cultivators launched a massive counterattack, swiftly slaughtering the demon cultivators.

"Run! Run quickly!"

"We can't hold on! Your Majesty, take care of yourself!"

"Waaah…"

Some demon cultivators wailed, others shouted, all turning to flee.

The Black Wind Tiger Demon had no military strategies to rely on and had never disciplined or trained the demon cultivators. Though individually strong, they were essentially a disorganized mob fighting for themselves.

They could handle battles where they had the advantage, but once the tide turned—like now—their weakness was immediately exposed.

As the demon cultivators fled, the human cultivators did not pursue them. Instead, under Meng Zizhong's command, they focused on grinding down the Black Wind Tiger Demon like a millstone.

The pressure on the Black Wind Tiger Demon multiplied!

It roared, fighting desperately while drenched in blood.

A golden core-level battle was not something ordinary cultivators could withstand. Many were caught in the crossfire, dying tragically within the formation.

High above the clouds.

Zhu Xuanji and the Xuansi Prefect remained hidden, coldly observing the battlefield.

Seeing this, Zhu Xuanji snorted coldly, displeased. "That Meng Zizhong, deliberately preserving his Meng family elites while expending ordinary cultivators, all to prepare for replenishing his garrison forces in the future."

On the mountainside of Misty Hidden Mountain.

Ning Zhuo and the others lacked Zhu Xuanji's insight to detect Meng Zizhong's subtle manipulations.

Even so, Ning Zhuo secretly found it thrilling.

Leading troops was one of the hundred arts of cultivation, corresponding distantly to governance.

Ning Zhuo had read about military strategies in texts and publications and knew many classic tactics. Witnessing them firsthand today, comparing them with his theoretical knowledge, brought him even greater gains.

"Black Wind Tiger Demon, you have plagued this land for years. Today, I, Meng Zizhong, acting for the people and the nation, will slay you!" Meng Zizhong's aura was imposing, his words like spring thunder, striking the Black Wind Tiger Demon until it could barely lift its head.

Sun Lingtong observed the battle with his innate talent. Now that the Black Wind Tiger Demon was extremely weakened, he finally saw the truth: "This black tiger is done for. Its internal energy is nearly exhausted, unable to sustain itself."

"We need to make our move!" Sun Lingtong reminded.

The Fox Deity was slightly startled.

Ning Zhuo nodded slightly, smiling as he looked at the Fox Deity. "Fox Deity, obey my command. Quickly use your means to bring the Black Wind Tiger Demon back into the mountain."

The Fox Deity was shocked, its face paling. "You want me to aid the Black Wind Tiger Demon?"

Ning Zhuo snorted coldly. "The Black Wind Tiger Demon is our prey, and so is Meng Zizhong."

Hearing this, the Fox Deity's mind wavered, its lips parting slightly, face full of hesitation.

If it acted, it would inevitably incur Meng Zizhong's wrath. The Fox Deity wasn't overly concerned about Meng Zizhong alone, but the Meng family was another matter.

Ning Zhuo's gaze turned icy. "Fox Deity, you have received the imperial decree. Will you still hesitate? Do not bring ruin upon yourself!"

The Fox Deity's heart turned cold, realizing it had already been dragged into the political struggle between the Zhu and Meng families.

Even as a golden core-level existence on Misty Hidden Mountain, it dared not get involved in such a conflict. With slightly bad luck, it could become a casualty, crushed to dust between the two opposing forces.

But as Ning Zhuo said, did it have any way out?

No!

If it didn't act now, it might face disaster even before the Black Wind Tiger Demon.

Innate Talent – Clouds Obscure the Mist.

Gritting its teeth, face dark with gloom, the Fox Deity finally made its move.

In an instant, mountain mist rose, enveloping all of Misty Hidden Mountain before rapidly spreading to cover the battlefield.

Thick fog billowed, sweeping up the Black Wind Tiger Demon and pulling it out of the battle formation.

Meng Zizhong had considered intervening to stop it, but the Black Wind Tiger Demon fought with all its might,死死缠住 him, leaving him no opportunity.

The other foundation-building cultivators, though enhanced by the battle formation, lacked the means to resist the enveloping fog.

The Fox Deity succeeded easily.

Rescued, the Black Wind Tiger Demon fled into Misty Hidden Mountain, shouting, "Fox Deity, thank you for helping me! I will repay this lifesaving grace!"

Meng Zizhong, now controlling the battle formation, dispersed the mountain mist before him. Gazing at the towering Misty Hidden Mountain, he roared in anger, "Fox Deity, you disgrace your title as a righteous deity conferred by the Southern Kingdom by aiding a demon!"

The Fox Deity snorted coldly, deciding to smash the pot since it was already broken. Without waiting for Ning Zhuo's order, it used the mountain mist to sweep up many human cultivators and pull them into Misty Hidden Mountain.

"General, save me!"

"Ah…"

The human cultivators fell into chaos. Separated from the battle formation, their strength returned to normal, and many were killed by the demon cultivators fleeing into the mountain.

Others found themselves in desperate battles with no one to save them, doomed to lose their lives.

Meng Zizhong had already considered withdrawing his troops when the mountain deity intervened to rescue the Black Wind Tiger Demon.

But the current situation left him no way to retreat.

If he abandoned his subordinates and fled alone, he would be seen as deserting his post. Not only would his reputation be ruined, but he would also face severe official punishment. His position as the commander of Jade Steel Town would be lost for sure.

This would greatly damage the Meng family's interests in the area.

And personally, Meng Zizhong was unwilling to abandon his subordinates, especially the Meng family elites. He had trained them diligently, spending countless time and effort together, developing deep bonds.

As the saying goes, "do not pursue a broken enemy." Meng Zizhong naturally knew this principle.

But he had no choice. Gripping his long-handled war hammer, he charged into Misty Hidden Mountain.

Contrary to his expectations, he wasn't intercepted by the Fox Deity upon entering the mountain. Instead, he smoothly reached the western valley, once again confronting the Black Wind Tiger Demon.

The Black Wind Tiger Demon, having caught its breath, had recovered much of its combat strength.

It clashed with Meng Zizhong again.

Without the support of the battle formation, Meng Zizhong lost his earlier dominance. But the Black Wind Tiger Demon was also quite weakened, resulting in a stalemate.

The feeling of exhaustion grew stronger. Finally, the Black Wind Tiger Demon played its last card.

It threw out a divine seal, suspending it overhead.

Under the seal's empowerment, the Black Wind Tiger Demon's combat prowess surged, forcing Meng Zizhong into retreat.

Earlier, outside the mountain, this divine seal had been useless. Now, within Misty Hidden Mountain, the Black Wind Tiger Demon, leveraging its bloodline kinship, activated part of the seal's power, completely gaining the upper hand.

"Defeated!" Realizing the situation was irreparable, Meng Zizhong could only drag his war hammer and flee toward the mountain exit.

The Black Wind Tiger Demon pursued closely, catching up to Meng Zizhong and severely wounding him.

Meng Zizhong fell to the ground but remained calm. The distance was now sufficient. He promptly activated a Escape Void Talisman, quickly teleporting outside the mountain.

The Black Wind Tiger Demon didn't dare pursue outside.

The divine seal was ineffective beyond the mountain.

Just as it turned to slaughter the trapped human cultivators in the mountain to vent its fury, Zhu Xuanji descended from the sky.

With a single finger, the Southern Bean Kingdom's divine arrestor punctured the Black Wind Tiger Demon's skull.

The Black Wind Tiger Demon resisted with all its might, but the divine seal was useless, and it was extremely weak and exhausted, utterly unable to withstand Zhu Xuanji's immense power.

Pfft.

The Black Wind Tiger Demon's head shattered.

The headless body swayed a few times before collapsing with a thud, motionless.

Dead.

Meng Zizhong, who had been preparing to flee, saw this and showed surprise and joy.

He recognized Zhu Xuanji, shouting, "Divine Arrestor Zhu!"

But Zhu Xuanji offered no pleasantries, his gaze scrutinizing. "Meng Zizhong, you recklessly led troops into battle, displayed incompetence in combat, caused heavy casualties to the Jade Steel Mountain garrison, were defeated, and fled—showing no dignity befitting a Southern Bean Kingdom military officer!"

"Do you admit your guilt?"

Meng Zizhong's face turned extremely grim. His mouth hung open, Adam's apple bobbing as if he wanted to speak, but in the end, he only lowered his head and muttered, "This general admits his guilt."

Ning Zhuo looked at the Fox Deity. "Aren't you going?"

The Fox Deity transformed into mountain mist, vanishing on the spot. The next moment, it appeared before Zhu Xuanji.

It bowed deeply, proactively admitting its crimes.

Zhu Xuanji sternly reprimanded it, delivering a harsh warning before finally letting it go.

Next, the Fox Deity personally gathered the remaining human cultivator forces in the mountain.

Zhu Xuanji escorted Meng Zizhong, leading the garrison remnants back to Jade Steel Mountain to manage the situation.

The crime of "nurturing bandits to strengthen oneself" was too severe, likely to provoke full-scale conflict between the Zhu and Meng families. But Meng Zizhong's defeat and flight were sufficient crimes to strip him of his position as commander of Jade Steel Town.

Ning Zhuo and Sun Lingtong met privately and, according to their prior agreement, participated in the final division of spoils.

Because Ning Zhuo had previously handled negotiations with the Fox Deity and received a share of the benefits, he only took a small portion of the final loot.

In the end, Ning Zhuo acquired many body parts of demon cultivators, including a set of tiger bones from the Black Wind Tiger Demon, reaching the golden core level.

Additionally, he received a share of the profits from Jade Steel Mountain's output.

He sent a letter via the royal channel to Ning Jiufan of the Ning family, explaining the situation and temporarily appointing Ning Youfu as the representative to station at Jade Steel Mountain.

Although this former family elder was advanced in years, he was experienced, prudent, and a suitable candidate for external assignment.

Thus, the conflict surrounding Misty Hidden Mountain finally settled.

Sun and Ning continued their journey aboard the Thousand-Mile Wandering Dragon.

Inside the dragon-head cabin, Sun Lingtong pondered more and felt increasingly pleased. Looking at Ning Zhuo, his eyes shone. "Playing the righteous path is actually quite fun."

"We gained the most but contributed very little. I wouldn't mind having such good things happen many more times!"

(End of )