A black shadow radiating monstrous energy sped toward the county from a thousand miles away. It made no effort to conceal its presence.
Such blatant behavior could only mean one of two things: either the person was a fool or a powerhouse. Clearly, this shadow belonged to the latter.
Many human cultivators saw it along the way, but none dared step forward to stop it. Who would be foolish enough to block a seventh-rank demon king?
Just as the demon king was about to reach the city, a Buddhist chant echoed through the air.
“Amitabha. Benefactor, please halt your steps.”
An old monk sat cross-legged in midair, blocking the demon king’s path while gently rotating a string of prayer beads. Behind him stood eighteen martial monks wielding staves.
The demon king paused, glanced at the lineup, and scoffed. “Just a measly sixth-rank cultivator, and you think you can stop me? Do you really believe that you and your so-called Eighteen Arhats can hold me back?”
Boom—
The aura of a seventh-rank cultivator burst forth, plunging the entire sky into darkness.
Fashan, at the peak of sixth rank, along with eighteen fifth-rank martial monks, might be able to hold off the demon king for a few rounds. But defeating him? Impossible. The gap between sixth and seventh rank was vast. Like the difference between heaven and earth.
“Benefactor, the killing intent within you is too heavy. If we allow you to leave unchecked, it will surely bring disaster. Please, return to where you came from.”
The words were calm and steady. Even when facing a seventh-rank demon king, Fashan appeared composed, though the fingers turning his prayer beads trembled slightly.
Damn it! Why had they tossed such a hot potato into his hands?
When Fashan first learned he was to block a seventh-rank demon king, he felt as if the sky were collapsing. Oh, merciful Buddha! How was this even possible?
At first, he considered trying to talk his way out of it. But the moment he heard that Zhao Lei and Elder Wei had killed the demon king’s wife, Fashan fell silent. He said nothing. He just quietly donned his kasaya.
Hopefully, the reinforcements Zhao Lei had requested would arrive soon. Fashan estimated he could hold the demon king off for no more than an hour. After all, a seventh-rank’s power was no joke. If the demon king got serious, his group wouldn’t stand a chance.
“I have no interest in you monks. You are not my target. If you step aside now, I’ll pretend I never saw you.”
The demon king wasn’t eager to fight Fashan either. These monks had a nasty habit of showing up in large numbers to gang up on you….or, save all beings from suffering, as they liked to call it.
The Buddhist sect was vast and powerful. Just in the Great Yan alone, they had three eighth-rank cultivators stationed. What’s more, the Empire lay close to the Buddhist sacred mountain.
Fashan didn’t want to fight either. But if he dared to retreat and caused heavy civilian casualties in the city, he might as well start spinning the karmic wheel early and draw his next reincarnation. Hopefully, it wouldn’t land him in the animal realm.
“Amitabha. In that case, why not pretend this never happened and return the way you came?”
Fashan’s words made veins pop on the demon king’s forehead. His wife had been killed, and he was being told to go back like nothing happened? How would he ever face anyone in the demon realm again? Could he even keep his reputation?
“Hah! Easy for you to say…it’s not your wife who died! Do you even understand how I feel right now?!”
“Benefactor, it is a Buddhist rule that disciples are forbidden from marrying. Naturally, I cannot understand your feelings.”
“……”
Meanwhile, Elder Wei was frantically searching the entire city for Bai Yuyan’s whereabouts. He had nearly turned the city upside down, but she was nowhere to be found.
***
In the sky, a spirit boat was speeding forward at high velocity.
Chu Feng stood at the edge of the deck and foolishly glanced downward. His legs instantly turned to jelly.
Come to think of it, he’d been pretty lucky. He’d drawn the grand prize: a one-day cruise aboard a spirit boat.
And now, here he was with Bai Yuyan on board. Still… why were there so few people around?
Inside the room, Bai Yuyan looked over the intelligence report in her hand and asked, “A seventh-rank demon king. Is the reason for his arrival confirmed?”
She was clearly displeased. Things were just starting to heat up between her and her junior brother, but now she had been informed that a demon king was heading their way. She had no choice but to abandon her carefully laid plans.
“We’ve confirmed it,” the innkeeper replied respectfully. He stood to the side as he reported. “The demon king’s wife was a fox demon at fifth rank. She was accidentally spotted by Zhao Lei and Elder Wei while she was draining the essence of a human cultivator. They assumed she was behind the recent murders and killed her on the spot. They had no idea she was the demon king’s consort from Luoyan Mountain.”
“…..”
Bai Yuyan hadn’t expected that her random gesture would actually end up exposing a fox demon and at fifth rank, no less.
“I understand. You may go.”
She waved her hand dismissively. As it turned out, she herself was the root cause of this mess.
“Miss, if I may speak freely. That young master….well, the master may not approve of this marriage.”
He tried to phrase it as delicately as possible. It wasn’t just that Chu Feng had no background, his talent and cultivation were also unremarkable. Even if the master agreed, the rest of the clan would surely oppose it.
In prominent noble families, daughters were typically used as tools for forging alliances. Unless, of course, they were exceptionally gifted. In that case, they had more freedom to choose their path.
Bai Yuyan was one of those exceptionally gifted individuals. If she chose not to marry, the clan wouldn’t force her. But if she did choose a husband, he had to be someone of comparable talent.
Marrying an average cultivator posed the risk that their children would be just as average. And that was something the clan absolutely couldn’t accept.
“My affairs are none of those old bastards’ business!”
Bai Yuyan declared boldly. Just a bunch of old geezers. When the Great Elder launched his rebellion back then, they all stood by and did nothing.
Seeing that the young lady had made up her mind about marrying Chu Feng, the innkeeper sighed in resignation and quietly withdrew.
Outside the cabin, Chu Feng no longer dared to look down again. Instead, he sat cross-legged and began cultivating. Surprisingly, it felt pretty good!
As true qi flowed through his meridians, his whole body felt warm and tingling.
After circulating it for one full cycle, Chu Feng opened his eyes and felt the buildup of energy inside him. It was almost at its limit. This must be what they called a bottleneck.
Just then, he caught a glimpse of a familiar figure. It was the innkeeper from the restaurant? What was he doing here?
But in the very next moment, the figure vanished from right in front of his eyes.
“!!!”
Chu Feng rubbed his eyes. Holy crap….was that a ghost? After all, this was a cultivation world, where ghosts were entirely real. But for one to show up in broad daylight? That was just brazen.
Creak—
The door opened, and Bai Yuyan stepped out.
The moment she saw her junior brother, all the frustration she had been feeling vanished without a trace.
“Senior Sister Yuyan, where are we headed?”
Chu Feng asked while glancing around. All he could see was blue sky and white clouds. To figure out their exact location, he’d have to look down at the terrain again…and just the thought made his legs go weak.
“We’re heading back to the sect.”
With Bai Yuyan’s current strength, she couldn’t guarantee her junior brother’s safety if they had to face the demon king. She was still far too weak. Once they returned, she planned to enter secluded cultivation and break through to fifth rank first. With her past-life experience, her cultivation speed in this life would be much faster.
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