Chapter 331: Chapter 177: Azure Sea, Rising Tide
Qingyuan County had many rivers. Although water levels had fallen and some rivers had even dried up, the drought was not severe enough to prevent the common people from managing a meager harvest. The disaster there was not serious.
Moshan County, however, was filled with large mountains and had few rivers, so the disaster there was very serious.
The Shen Family had no choice but to gather funds and food from all over to manage the disaster relief efforts.
After all, although Moshan County was mountainous and lacked water, it was also rich in medicinal materials and mineral resources. If the situation wasn’t handled properly, the Shen Family’s losses would be even more severe.
This was where Shen Qingshuang, in her position as the Chief of the South City Guard, played a crucial role.
The wealthy families and Jianghu influences of the South City District all donated money and grain, largely out of respect for her.
Although these funds and provisions were donated to the South City District City Guard Headquarters, Shen Qingshuang had the authority to prioritize their allocation. Naturally, she directed them first to Moshan County, which was under the Shen Family’s control.
Although the matter of funds and food was tricky, the Shen Family managed to stabilize the situation by relying on Shen Qingshuang’s power and influence.
In recent days, however, the counties most severely affected by the disaster experienced a series of "earth dragon upheavals." The people’s homes collapsed, leaving them displaced and homeless.
These "earth dragon upheavals" were different from ordinary earthquakes; they were tremors in the ley lines of the earth, triggered by various celestial phenomena.
Things like the ground cracking from severe drought or flash floods erupting during a deluge could all trigger an earth dragon upheaval, often resulting in landslides or the earth splitting open into bottomless fissures.
In a world where the Martial Dao flourished, these upheavals had little to no effect on Martial Artists at or above the Muscle Strengthening Realm. The ones who truly suffered were the ordinary commoners.
What was even more grim was that every time an earth dragon upheaval occurred, the Demons hidden deep within the ley lines would grow agitated and burst forth to wreak havoc upon the populace.
Several villages and towns in Moshan County also experienced earth dragon upheavals, and one even gave rise to an extremely rare Demon Beast Tide.
A Demon Beast Tide often consisted of tens or even hundreds of Demon Beasts attacking in a group. Even a military array formed by a thousand armor-clad soldiers of the Protectorate Army would struggle to fend them off.
If left unchecked, the aftermath of the Demon Beast Tide would leave Moshan County in a state of utter devastation.
Two days after Moshan County reported its Demon Beast Tide, the neighboring Xin’an and Xinyi Counties also reported Demon Beast Tides in succession.
Afterward, these three counties also reported several cases of suspected Tier Four Demon Beast sightings.
In an instant, the entire Linji Prefecture was shaken.
The Four Great Clans of the Inner City, the City Lord’s Mansion, the Protectorate Army, and the Demon Suppression Department all began dispatching additional personnel to actively address the crisis.
They dispatched powerful experts to slay the Tier Four and higher Demon Beasts and tried to find ways to lure the Demon Beast Tides away from the borders of Linji Prefecture.
Of course, when it came to dealing with the demon beast menace, the Four Great Clans of the Inner City still chose to prioritize their own territories.
Xin’an County and Xinyi County were the respective territories of the Jiang Family and the Wang Family. The Jiang Family, which controlled the City Lord’s Mansion, had long since mobilized a large number of people, forming demon-slaying teams to hunt the demons.
The Wang Family also had abundant manpower. Since Xinyi County had reported the highest number of Tier Four Demon Beast cases, they had even requested two of the three Bone Marrow Cleansing Realm Vice Directors from the Demon Suppression Department to provide support.
Moshan County, on the other hand, was a different story. Due to its remote location and having reported only two Tier Four Demon Beast cases, the Demon Suppression Department sent only a single Bone Marrow Cleansing Realm Vice Director to oversee the situation. The Shen Family would have to find the rest of the required personnel on their own.
As for the Protectorate Army, their duty was to manage the overall situation and stabilize the entirety of Linji Prefecture, so they could not be easily deployed.
They merely dispatched a single Thousand-man Camp to each county to coordinate with the local garrisons and handle logistics, communications, and intelligence for the demon-slaying teams.
Faced with this situation where every family was only looking out for themselves, the Shen Family discussed the matter and decided that the Patriarch, Shen Mingyuan, would personally lead a team to Moshan County to slay the demons.
Shen Qingyao and Shen Qingshuang would also go with them to gain experience.
As a Purple-clothed Guard of the Demon Suppression Department, Chen Cheng had no choice but to go with them.
After all, with the demon scourge so rampant, no Purple-clothed Guard from the Demon Suppression Department could remain idle. If Chen Cheng didn’t go with the Shen Family, he would simply be assigned elsewhere.
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