Free Web NovelChapter 140: Chapter 140: Borrowing Power
"Who is this Yan Demon Venerable? Could it be that you two know something?" Qin Muxian asked, seeing their reaction was clearly amiss.
The two Elders exchanged a look.
They both saw the gravity in the other’s eyes.
A Demon Cultivator at the Nascent Soul Realm was no minor figure.
In present-day Dinghai State, there wasn’t even a single Nascent Soul Level powerhouse!
In other words, this one Demon Venerable, now released, could slaughter everyone in Dinghai State if given enough time.
Even if he said he wouldn’t interfere in the conflict between the righteous and demonic paths.
But those were just his words. A person’s true thoughts are unknowable; who could tell what he was really thinking?
The world today was nowhere near as powerful as it was in Ancient Times.
In the entire Great Qi Kingdom today, only the top two or three states had powerhouses at the Nascent Soul Realm.
If they told Qin Muxian the truth now, with so many people and prying eyes around, the news would likely spread like wildfire, causing mass panic.
For now, the safest course of action was to put him off, then report back to the Sect and see how Sect Leader Zhenren decided to handle the matter.
"Yan Demon Venerable is a Demon Cultivator who entered the Secret Realm with Elder Demon Su. He didn’t make a move this time, but he is still an extremely dangerous individual. You must not provoke him!" Elder He answered grimly.
"So it really was a Golden Core Powerhouse causing trouble!" Qin Muxian felt a chill run down his spine. ’I knew my guess was right,’ he thought. "Do you two happen to know why that Golden Core Demon Cultivator behaved so strangely?"
"We don’t know either."
In truth, the two Elders were also very puzzled.
Especially Elder Gu.
She, like the others, had also been subjected to the Demon Venerable’s strange behavior, only to be let go.
Even having experienced it firsthand, she still didn’t understand the reason.
Furthermore, from what she heard in Qin Muxian’s account—that Yan Demon Venerable specifically targeted Female Cultivators while ignoring the men, and had even abducted a disciple from her own Purple Flower Palace—she grew even more distressed and wary.
After all, her Purple Flower Palace was filled with Female Cultivators; they made up nearly the entire sect.
If Yan Demon Venerable were to set his sights on Purple Flower Palace, they would face a disaster they couldn’t possibly escape!
...
「By noon.」
The two Elders immediately floated up and positioned themselves at the peak of Linglong Mountain.
They intended to open the passage between the Secret Realm and the outside world, allowing for an exit.
According to Elder He’s calculations, the barrier between the Secret Realm and the outside world was thinnest at the peak of Linglong Mountain. Noon was also the best time in the next two days to break through it.
Although a better opportunity would arise in another two days, one that would require even less power to break the barrier, they couldn’t wait. Faced with such a momentous issue, they had to return to the Sect and report the matter with the utmost speed.
Yan Demon Venerable’s presence could bring unimaginable disaster upon the Cultivation Realm of not just Dinghai State, but the entire Great Qi Kingdom. Thus, it was imperative to notify Sect Leader Zhenren and the other Golden Core Cultivators to plan a counter-strategy as soon as possible.
The two Elders’ expressions were grave. The Magical Power emanating from their bodies gradually intensified. Then, they wielded their Magical Treasures, located a weak point, and struck with all their might, piercing the barrier between the Secret Realm and the outside world.
A spatial passage to the outside world slowly materialized. After the two Elders used their Magical Treasures to stabilize it, they immediately shouted to everyone present:
"All disciples have fifteen minutes to enter the passage and leave the Secret Realm! If you don’t make it, you’re on your own!"
Why the rush?
Everyone hurried forward, rushing into the passage.
Jiang Xu scanned his surroundings and saw many familiar faces besides Zong Ziqi: Yan Chunyu, Ding Shiping, Shan Lanlan, and even the group he’d stolen the Yellow Jade Fruit from.
Besides these people, there were also quite a few Demons still in the group. Among the two or three hundred people, there were about a dozen Demons.
Jiang Xu looked toward the two Elders and saw they didn’t seem to have noticed these Demons. He couldn’t help but wonder to himself,
’Why aren’t the Elders dealing with these Demons? Do they think these things aren’t a threat and can be ignored? Or do they have some other plan that requires their presence? It couldn’t be... that they haven’t noticed anything strange about them, could it?’
’If even the Golden Core Ancestors can’t detect what’s wrong with them, does that mean they can just keep hiding like this indefinitely?’
’I wonder if these Demons can still advance their Cultivation Realm.’
’If they can still advance to Foundation Establishment Cultivation or even higher, that would be truly terrifying.’
’But should I warn the two Elders or not?’
’But if I, a mere Little Qi Cultivation disciple, point out something even the Elders missed, it would draw way too much attention to me.’
’Besides, what if the Elders already have a plan? Me saying something might just mess it up.’
Torn by his indecision, Jiang Xu stepped into the passage.
After the last Cultivator stepped into the passage, Elder He and Elder Gu exchanged a glance. Sensing with their Divine Sense that no other Cultivators were approaching, they followed close behind into the passage.
In the final instant, the passage closed. The Secret Realm returned to its tranquil state, but the temporarily hidden crisis, like a roiling undercurrent, was far from over.
...
Not long after the two Elders had led everyone away, a figure abruptly appeared on Linglong Mountain.
The newcomer was handsome and melancholic. His eyes, deep as the night sky, held an endless, world-weary look, and an unspeakable sadness lingered between his brows. His long black hair was casually draped over his shoulders, adding to his transcendent and otherworldly aura.
This was none other than the long-vanished Yan Demon Venerable.
He scanned his surroundings, his gaze finally landing on the spot where the spatial passage had disappeared. He murmured:
"One of the six has been found, but it’s not enough. Far from enough."
Then, with a flash, his figure vanished, leaving only a black afterimage to slowly fade into the air.
His own whereabouts were once again unknown.
...
"Damn it, a step too late again!"
Half an hour after Yan Demon Venerable left, Su Duo finally arrived.
"This Demon Venerable is so unreasonable! Didn’t he say I did him a favor? He says one thing and considers the debt repaid? Where’s my actual reward!"
Su Duo was practically losing his mind with anger.
It was as if the Demon Venerable was deliberately stringing him along; Su Duo could only ever find the spot where he had just been, right after he vanished.
However, Su Duo knew he was no match for the Demon Venerable and there was nothing he could do, so his anger subsided quickly.
’Looks like this Demon Venerable really is unreliable,’ he thought. ’Getting him to actually work on developing the Demon Dao is probably a long shot.’
At this thought, Su Duo’s head began to ache.
After much consideration, Su Duo made a decision.
’The Demon Venerable doesn’t want to get personally involved? Fine. Then all I have to do is find a way to develop the Demon Dao that doesn’t require his personal involvement, right?’
And so Su Duo decided—he would borrow his influence!
In other words, he would fly a great banner to serve as his tiger’s skin!
