The Immortal Lord and the Demon Venerable Are Both My Vests - Chapter 25

The news of Daoist Tianxuan’s fall rapidly spread throughout the entire Lantian cultivation world.

From the various Dao Integration cultivators at the top down to the Qi Refinement wandering cultivators at the bottom, even cultivation practitioners with the most limited information channels knew that a great power of a realm they couldn’t even imagine had fallen.

And left behind world-shaking treasures that they could never obtain in their entire lifetimes!

Like a drop of water falling into a pot of hot oil, overnight, the entire cultivation world exploded.

Countless cultivators holed up in various remote corners of the Lantian Realm packed up their belongings and headed toward the northern part of Zhongzhou, crossing mountains and traversing ridges.

Hu Yunu and Hua Tinglan, the two demons, were naturally no exception. After all, nominally they were still Tribulation-stage Elders of Jietian Dao Sect and Tiantai Buddhist Sect, so there was no reason not to participate in this matter.

The entire Eighteenth Hell breathed a collective sigh of relief.

They were finally gone.

Although Venerable Jiao had helped block them somewhat, Jiao Yuyu still had his own faction to manage and couldn’t stay in the Eighteenth Hell for extended periods.

These past days, Li Sun’s smiling face had almost reached its breaking point.

Demons really were creatures even more unreasonable than demonic cultivators. He felt that facing Wu Mantuo would be easier than facing Hu Yunu.

…Of course, he absolutely couldn’t let Ah Zheng know about these thoughts.

Before leaving, Hu Yunu repeatedly instructed Jiao Yuyu with a thousand warnings. “This matter has caused quite a stir, so this lady must leave first. Don’t get involved recklessly—stay obediently in your den and don’t move around! If you really can’t decide what to do, just follow Yin Lang. Whatever he does, you do the same!”

Jiao Yuyu was utterly confused. “But foster father, you just earlier…” were finding fault with Yin Lang’s subordinates.

“Fool!” Hu Yunu poked his head in frustration. “If this lady didn’t provoke him until he felt guilty, would he look after you!”

Hu Yunu traveled through the night, arriving at dawn at the mountain gate of Jietian Dao Sect located in the Eastern Region.

Jietian Dao Sect was built above the clouds in the sky. Every building was carved with levitation arrays, layer upon layer, gilded and jade-carved, like a celestial paradise.

At this time, the thin mist had not yet dispersed, drifting slowly among the rows of golden palaces and halls.

On the white jade stairs entering the sect, a white-veiled woman accompanied by maidservants walked slowly forward. Upon seeing Hu Yunu, her beautiful brow showed slight surprise, then she nodded and said warmly, “Elder Hu has returned.”

“Saintess.” When Hu Yunu became serious, his bearing was quite imposing. His clothing was conservative, his gestures upright without a trace of seductiveness, and his shimmering peach-blossom eyes gazed steadily and respectfully at the other’s eyes… Judging by appearance alone, no one would think this man was actually a fox demon.

The woman called Saintess stopped three steps away from Hu Yunu and asked softly, “Why has Elder returned at this time?”

Hu Yunu said, “Since the matter has been completed, there is no reason to linger outside instead of returning to the sect. Moreover, with recent storms gathering in the cultivation world, if I returned a day earlier, I can contribute to the sect a day sooner.”

“…” The Saintess’s eyes met his for a moment, then she suddenly sighed very lightly and stepped aside to clear the only path into the sect.

As the two passed each other, the Saintess spoke in a low voice, but that voice was really too soft, too light—accidentally dissipating into the air, never to be found again.

After Hu Yunu walked away, the maidservant said indignantly, “Elder Hu’s attitude is too poor! You kindly came to warn him, yet he brushed you off with evasive words.”

Taihua Immortal Sect could receive detailed information about the Ming City incident, so naturally Jietian Dao Sect of the same rank wouldn’t fall behind. Recently, the Lantian Realm was in turmoil because of the treasures left behind by Daoist Tianxuan. Hu Yunu had just become entangled with the legendary jade fragment at this particular time, so naturally he couldn’t avoid suspicion.

The maidservant didn’t know the specific details, but understood that her master’s good intentions had been completely wasted!

“Watch your words.” The Saintess lightly rebuked. “Without any evidence, how can you falsely accuse others?”

The maidservant stuck out her tongue and turned her head to resume her decade-long worry. With master being so kind-hearted, what would she do if she really encountered bad people in the future…

The departed Hu Yunu was nothing like the clear-conscienced and forthright person the Saintess imagined. He seemingly returned normally to his cave dwelling in Jietian Dao Sect, but as soon as the arrays activated, he squatted on the ground, his hands unconsciously transforming into claws, frantically digging at the earth in frustration.

“Ahhh, this one is so angry! That surnamed Yin is practically killing people!”

Only after entering the Southern Region did he learn what caused that midnight white light in the heavens.

The entire Southern Region was under Jietian Dao Sect’s surveillance. It was too late to run, so he could only steel himself and pretend to return normally. Facing the Saintess’s veiled hints, he could only pretend not to understand, not daring to show the slightest guilt.

“Isn’t this asking for this lady’s fox life…” Hu Yunu was on the verge of tears, worrying so much his fox fur was about to fall out in patches.

“If only Lu Li were here, at least this lady could escape…”

Elder Lu, remotely invoked by his colleague, sneezed violently.

Under Tu Feng’s puzzled gaze, he raised his hand to rub his nose, then ‘accidentally’ scattered the go board that was almost entirely black pieces, feigning surprise. “Oh my, oh my, how did it get messed up? So sorry, Sect Master. Shall we start a new game?”

Tu Feng smiled and declined.

——What’s the point of playing with a terrible player!

“Since Martial Uncle has no heart for the game, this nephew naturally cannot continue.”

Lu Li looked regretfully at the board being put away.

So difficult. He’d finally found someone willing to play go with him—how could he stop after just three games?

The two began discussing serious matters.

“…Borrow some magical artifacts? Easy, what do you need?” Lu Li slapped down a storage pouch with a ‘pa‘. “Pick whatever you want!”

“Cough... Martial Uncle is generous, but this nephew only needs one item.” Even Tu Feng, as Sect Master of the foremost immortal sect, was startled by Lu Li’s wealthy display.

Opening the storage pouch revealed a golden, dazzling light—rows upon rows of treasures at the treasure-rank level and above.

He selected carefully and took out an array disc at the precious-rank level.

Lu Li looked at it critically and, after recalling for a long time, finally dug out this item’s origin from distant memories. “What do you want that broken thing for?”

“Naturally this nephew has uses for it.”

Tu Feng was mysterious about it. Lu Li didn’t mind. He reached into the storage pouch, rummaged around twice, and pulled out a go board made of Clear Spirit Jade, with black and white pieces made from the extremely precious bones of phantom beasts. He slammed it in front of Tu Feng with a ‘pa’.

He lifted his chin and drawled slowly, “The item is yours. Playing a few more games with Martial Uncle isn’t too much to ask, is it?”

Tu Feng’s just-rising smile suddenly froze.

Fortunately, a loud boom in the distance saved the Sect Master who had nearly fallen into the inner demon of playing against Elder Lu.

“Master!” Lu Changfeng crashed through the door, too rushed to perform proper courtesies before urgently saying, “There’s a problem with the small secret realm. Please come quickly and take a look!”

Tu Feng rushed to the small secret realm with his people.

The entrances to these small secret realms were all fixed together by secret methods, but were actually scattered throughout various parts of the sect. Standing on the clouds and looking down, Tu Feng’s vision filled with scattered points of distorted space throughout the sect—the vast majority of secret realms had been affected!

“The array space has been twisted from the inside. The positions of most small spaces have shifted!” Elder Xu, most skilled in arrays, spoke gruffly with beads of sweat the size of beans on his forehead: “Surface treatment is just drinking poison to quench thirst. We must find the first small space that underwent mutation and cut off this change from the source to completely stop it!”

“The cause?”

“Don’t know!” Elder Xu angrily kept adjusting the formation, his hands striking down with force as if hammering the culprit’s head. “Must be some disciple fooling around in the small secret realm! I’ve said it how many times—go in, honestly search for treasures and inheritances, don’t blindly believe legends and poke around everywhere, thinking you’re some Child of Destiny who’ll have treasures fall on your head!”

“When he comes out, I’m going to smash his skull!”

Elder Xu had severe dark circles under his eyes. The last demonic qi eruption at Tianji Peak had already made him lie down for over ten days, and before he’d even caught his breath, someone was causing trouble again. This work intensity and difficulty—even cultivators couldn’t handle it!

Tu Feng automatically filtered out the extensive complaints and got straight to the point. “Can it be forcibly broken open?”

“If that were possible, I would’ve already called Elder Li and Tianshu Daojun.” Elder Xu shook his head like a rattle-drum, his back completely soaked with sweat. “The array center is moving every single moment. If one strike doesn’t accurately hit the array eye, ninety percent of the disciples inside will die! That’s several thousand inner sect disciples—who dares gamble lightly!”

“No more waiting. If we wait longer, there really will be deaths. Taking the gamble at least gives a chance to win. I’ll go!” A voice suddenly emerged from behind. Before Elder Xu could react to stop him, a white figure had already swept past, disappearing in the blink of an eye into the high sky.

The deep purple distorted light constantly changed positions. Each movement of a light circle would trigger a major change in the entire array. With several thousand circles constantly changing, the array eye’s position would shift thousands of times every instant.

A one-in-several-thousand chance of success—no wonder no one dared gamble.

The long sword drawn from his waist reflected the blazing sun’s rainbow light, dazzlingly brilliant.

He held the sword in one hand, eyes fixed intently on the array eye’s changes. Without the slightest hesitation, he struck down with his sword!

Only then did everyone finally see that person’s appearance clearly.

Gu Fuxuan’s expression changed drastically. He simultaneously drew his sword and sent a sword qi upward, shouting sternly, “Shen Muxuan, stop right now!”

Boom——

A tremendous explosion sounded. Mountains toppled, waterfalls collapsed, transforming into countless tributaries rushing in all directions.

Blinding white light suddenly appeared, leaving everyone’s vision filled with white. Only a golden light shot down through the sky, instantly enveloped and hidden by the white expanse.

Xu Rong looked up in confusion at these cave ruins.

Yes, ruins.

He clearly remembered that just a moment ago, Lin Xinqiao had collapsed softly into his arms. Without noticing the earth veins trembling, the cave had inexplicably collapsed.

Like a false pavilion built of sand, it fell apart with the lightest push.

Then the entire secret realm suddenly began to shake violently. From sky to ground, from birds and beasts to vegetation, like a painting whose colors had been erased, everything gradually lost its original hue and transformed entirely into deep purple distorted space.

Spatial turbulence.

Spatial turbulence that even Tribulation stage cultivators dared not force their way through.

Why was this happening…

In his previous life, the small secret realm activity had clearly ended perfectly without any abnormalities… Could this also be a change brought by his rebirth?

Xu Rong clutched his hair fiercely, his eyes turning red.

If even the advantage of knowing what would originally happen was erased, what was the point of his rebirth!

The sky split open at that moment.

The deep purple spatial turbulence suddenly tore open a massive gap. First came blinding white light, immediately followed by golden sword qi rushing in violently. Dozens of sword strikes crisscrossed, shattering the spatial turbulence near the small secret realm, bathing the entire secret realm in the brilliant gold of sword qi.

“Cough cough… As expected, Mahayana stage is still a bit of a stretch.”

Xu Rong heard someone muttering softly. The voice was very close. He instinctively turned toward the source, looking back. On the ruins of the collapsed cave, that person’s long sword flowed with brilliant light, yet couldn’t match even a fraction of his elegance.

He noticed Xu Rong’s gaze. The instant their eyes met, he tugged the corner of his mouth slightly. “What a coincidence, it’s you?”

Shen Muxuan leapt down from the ruins and walked toward him. “From afar I glimpsed someone protecting an unconscious disciple while methodically searching for the array eye and trying to find solutions. I thought this child truly has excellent character. Yet I didn’t expect it would actually be an acquaintance.”

The closer he came, the more nervous Xu Rong’s heart grew, his palms also seeping with sweat. He hurriedly lowered his head, trying to hide his anxious expression.

But he heard that person say, “Your talent is good, and your character passes muster. This lord happens to lack a young disciple. Would you consider it?”