章 81: The Beguiling Demon Queen, Shan Qing Luo.
Chapter 81: The Beguiling Demon Queen, Shan Qing Luo.
'That mist…'
A few kilometres away from Su Mu and Xia Ning Chang, there was a green poison fog that enveloped a several thousand-meter radius. Inside that poisonous shroud, all the trees and plants had withered and died, with the ground littered by the rotting corpses of many once-powerful cultivators. Their remains were now little more than bleached bones.
In the sky above, numerous Immortal Ascension Realm Cultivators were injured and soon fell back into the poisonous fog, which instantly killed them. Most of these high-level cultivators were masters the great forces had stationed here. However, it was clear that the Immortal Ascension Realm Demonic Cultivators had the upper hand against them.
As Su Mu and Xia Ning Chang flew towards the Hidden Cloud Peak, a man covered in thick Demonic Qi stopped them, standing mid-air while pointing a sword stained with fresh blood at them. From his aura, they could tell that the man was a 2nd Stage Immortal Ascension Realm Demonic Cultivator, a single realm higher than them.
"You two…" The Demonic Cultivator examined them for a few seconds. "Are you Xiao Fu Sheng's disciples?"
'Outside of the Hidden Cloud Peak, everyone still believes us to be Senior Xiao's disciples…' Xia Ning Chang thought, and she soon replied. "What if we are?"
"Obediently surrender, and I will keep you alive."
'It's always the most incompetent swordsmen threatening me with a sword. Seriously, they aren't even worth exchanging a few moves with for fun…'
Thinking about it now, Su Mu had yet to meet a single decent swordmaster in this world.
Even those who cultivated Sword Dao, like the Demonic Cultivator standing in his path, had little to no dedication towards their swords.
Su Mu stepped forward, placing his right hand on the hilt of the sword hanging on his waist before focusing a bit of his True Qi into his legs.
"To have the audacity to try and raise a sword against me..." The Demonic Cultivator grinned, releasing his cultivation base in its entirety. "So you have chosen death."
Although he was also a sword cultivator like Su Mu, his temperament wasn't much better than any other cultivator from the Ash Grey Cloud Evil Land.
It was embarrassing for a sword cultivator not to have control over themselves, regardless of whether they had fallen into the devil's path.
[Seven Divine Steps: Second Step.]
"What?!" The Demonic Cultivator gasped with wide eyes, unable to hide his surprise when Su Mu appeared a step away from him instantly. "How did you—?!"
'Now that I am an Immortal Ascension Realm Cultivator, it's much easier to use the Second Step than before, but the strain it leaves on my legs hasn't completely disappeared; for now, continuous usage is impossible.'
Su Mu paid no attention to the Demonic Cultivator, whose body fell to the ground after being split into two halves.
The enemy this time wasn't even worth humiliating, so he quietly examined the state of his movement technique.
'However, using a bit of the Third Step should be possible now…'
That was a good thing.
"Let's go, Sister Xia."
Not even glancing at the dead cultivator, Su Mu and Xia Ning Chang dashed towards their destination.
Compared to the other surrounding peaks, Hidden Cloud Peak had very few casualties. After all, this place had always been quiet, and basically, no one ever visited due to Xiao Fu Sheng's secluded nature.
But now, there was an intense fight going on here.
"Master…!"
Before reaching the summit, Xia Ning Chang looked up into the sky and saw Meng Wuya single-handedly fighting against a large group of Immortal Ascension Realm Demonic Cultivators.
Two of them had reached the Immortal Ascension 8th and 9th Stage, while the remaining five were at least Immortal Ascension 6th Stage.
"I told you that Treasurer Meng would be fine, right?"
"Yes."
There was no possible way for a 2nd Order Transcendent like Meng Wuya to have a disadvantage against some Immortal Ascension Realm Cultivators.
Mid-battle, one of the Demonic Cultivators couldn't help but complain, "Where did this old bastard suddenly appear from?! He's so damn strong!"
When they received orders to capture Xiao Fu Sheng, only two Immortal Ascension Cultivators were dispatched, and both of them were in high spirits as they felt reassured about their victory.
But just before reaching Hidden Cloud Peak's summit, Meng Wuya suddenly appeared and mercilessly slaughtered them.
With two Immortal Ascension Realm Cultivators suddenly dying, six nearby devil's path masters learned that a strong cultivator was guarding the Hidden Cloud Peak, and all of them rushed over to attack. However, even with all of them attacking together, they couldn't gain the upper hand. Although Meng Wuya only had the aura of peak Immortal Ascension, he still held them all back single-handedly.
It was something they couldn't understand.
All of Meng Wuya's Martial Skills were dangerously lethal, and many of them were completely unknown and different from commonly used skills. Seeing these moves, the six attackers slowly became more and more frightened, realising they had kicked an iron plate.
What corner did this old guy suddenly jump out from? The six people were thoroughly confused. Wasn't the only Immortal Ascension master on Hidden Cloud Peak Xiao Fu Sheng?
Meanwhile, on the top of the peak, Xiao Fu Sheng calmly stood as he leisurely observed this battle.
Although he was also an Immortal Ascension Cultivator, he dedicated his life solely to Alchemy, so he was not proficient in battles. Even if he utilised the Martial Skills he cultivated, they wouldn't help much.
Aunty Xiang and Aunty Lan stood behind him, and behind them was Dong Qing Yan. The three beautiful women held some faint tension, unlike Xiao Fu Sheng's indifferent calm.
"Grandmaster Su…" But suddenly, Xiao Fu Sheng called out, pleasantly surprised as he turned around, and sure enough, Su Mu and Xia Ning Chang appeared on top of the Hidden Cloud Peak.
"Master…" Dong Qing Yan still couldn't get used to how Xiao Fu Sheng acted in Su Mu's presence, whom she treated like a friend.
Xia Ning Chang and Su Mu joined the crowd, and the former inquired. "What happened here?"
"A day ago, the Ash-Gray Cloud Evil Land suddenly attacked Medicine King's Valley. From how swiftly and menacingly they acted, they had been plotting this for quite some time. After injuring or killing most cultivators from the various great forces standing guard in the Valley Town, they proceeded straight towards Medicine King's Valley's twelve peaks, capturing numerous disciples and various Alchemists who had come here to participate in the Alchemist Summit..."
Dong Qing Yan softly spoke about the current situation and all the relevant information she could remember.
Ash-Gray Cloud Evil Land was this world's most prominent collection of Demonic Cultivators, a haven for all those who cultivated demonic arts, situated in the southwest corner of the Great Han Dynasty.
The entire southwest region could be considered part of the Ash-Gray Cloud Evil Land.
'My initial thought was correct, but why does Yang Bai want to collect so many alchemists?'
The Medicine King's Valley refined pills for anyone who brought them ingredients and paid the required price, and that included Demonic Cultivators from the Ash Grey Cloud Evil Land, so there was no need for Yang Bai to go through the trouble of capturing so many alchemists.
'Maybe he needs them to refine thousands of pills for him without stopping to strengthen the Ash Grey Cloud Evil Land, almost as if he wants to wage a war against the world… but why?'
A 3rd Order Transcendent like Yang Bai could easily take over the world if he wanted to, someone even Meng Wuya couldn't stop with his cultivation sealed, so why would the Demon Lord go through all the extra trouble for no benefit?
'Waging a war wouldn't help even if he wanted to leave this small world and visit the Tong Xuan Realm…'
Since nothing came to his mind, Su Mu pushed those thoughts to the back of his mind.
"Hmm…"
The battle in the skies above was incredibly fierce, and although it was Meng Wuya versus six Immortal Ascension Realm Cultivators, he was still holding his own against them.
"Battle Array!" An old black-haired man suddenly shouted.
Hearing that order, the six devil path cultivators suddenly scattered, arranged themselves into a mysterious Spirit Array formation, and unleashed a single coordinated strike, which caused Meng Wu Ya's composed expression to suddenly become slightly serious.
Just as he was attempting to defend himself, the six enemies all exchanged a glance, and an Immortal Ascension 6th Stage Cultivator suddenly broke formation and flew back down towards Hidden Cloud Peak.
"Stop right there!"
Meng Wuya tried to stop the attacker, but the remaining five masters ferociously attempted to impede him.
'An Immortal Ascension Realm slipping by a 2nd Order Transcendent… Has Meng Wuya's skills gone rusty?' Su Mu looked at the scene with a bland face. He'd haunt Meng Wuya with this shameful memory for the rest of his life.
"You dare!" Meng Wuya roared while releasing a devastating strike, knocking his five opponents off balance. Then, he took advantage of this momentary opening to launch a palm at the man flying towards Hidden Cloud Peak.
[Decaying Wood Divine Strike!]
It was Mysterious Grade Top-Rank Martial Skill.
A swift and invisible palm of wind burst forth, immediately causing the Ash-Gray Cloud Evil Land Immortal Ascension Cultivator to sense danger and hastily dodge.
The Palm strike narrowly missed his body but brushed past his arm, instantly paralysing it. Just this brief contact made his whole arm shrivel up like a dead tree, and it quickly began to decay.
With his face stricken with panic, the man began revolving a Secret Art to resist this encroachment.
Fortunately for the attacker, he was only grazed by the palm wind and could resist its effects. His shrivelled-up arm slowly started to restore itself to its original appearance, which allowed his nerves to settle once again.
Laughing maniacally, the man once again sped off towards Hidden Cloud Peak, like an eagle swooping down towards his prey.
Watching the approaching enemy, Xia Ning Chang and Dong Qing Yan started circulating their True Qi to defend against the incoming attack, but Su Mu placed his hands on their shoulders.
"This isn't a battle you two can participate in."
Or that there was no need for them to participate.
As the attacking devil path cultivator approached, he grinned ferociously and yelled. "Xiao Fu Sheng, if you don't want to die, don't resist! This old master only wants to invite you to our sacred land! There's no need for this to get unpleasant!"
However, Xiao Fu Sheng's expression remained indifferent, totally unafraid.
The man then glanced towards Aunty Xiang and Aunty Lan. He stretched out his tongue and licked his lips while grinning wantonly. "A gathering of delicious beauties… Unfortunately, this old master has an important task to complete today; we'll have to enjoy ourselves together next time!"
Done talking, he swiped out his hand with a grabbing motion towards Xiao Fu Sheng.
In response, the Alchemy Grandmaster coldly snorted, raised his hand, and countered with his punch.
Seeing that, the man sneered disdainfully and used just his fingers to crush the Martial Skill Xiao Fu Sheng had launched before extending his grip towards Xiao Fu Sheng's shoulder once again.
Completing all this within a breath, the man prepared to leave.
"Follow us to the sacred land, Xiao Fu Sheng!"
But before his voice even faded away, two slender palms suddenly struck towards him.
World Energy suddenly stirred, and the surrounding air was filled with numerous floating petals as if the sky had opened up and flowers began raining down; it was a beautiful sight to behold.
Within this rain, Aunty Xiang and Aunty Lan's two images flashed. One by one, they arrived beside the Ash-Gray Cloud Evil Land cultivator. Their moves were swift and illusory, and their graceful bodies seemingly danced within the fluttering petals.
"You…" The Ash-Gray Cloud Evil Land's cultivator was aghast, and he inadvertently inhaled some of the petals. His body immediately weakened as he screamed, "You possess such skills!"
"Hmph!" Xiao Fu Sheng coldly snorted, "Since you've already come, don't expect to leave."
"It's a trap!" The man howled mournfully. Whether it was Aunty Xiang or Aunty Lan, at the moment, they both displayed strength in no way inferior to his own. So, with the two of them together, even if he wanted to escape, he wouldn't have a chance.
The two beautiful women remained silent, only gazing coldly at him.
Aunty Xiang soon flourished her hand, gracefully flicked her wrist, and sent one of the gently falling petals between her fingertips shooting forward.
"Gahhh!!!!"
Instantly, the seemingly weightless petal pierced the man's shoulder, causing him to cry out in pain.
Aunty Lan, on his other side, also waved her hands. Her lithe body shuttled back and forth endlessly and caused the flower petals to flutter, enveloping the enemy and cutting off all avenues of escape.
Repeated screams rang out before the whirlwind of flowers dissipated, and the man reappeared with his clothes ripped to shreds, his body covered with numerous slash wounds.
"To think that they were cultivators…"
"Amazing…"
Dong Qing Yan and Xia Ning Chang were in shock.
The two of them had lived with Aunty Xiang and Aunty Lan for a while, but up until now, they had never seen the slightest hint that those two were cultivators.
In the outside world, it was a widespread rumour that on Hidden Cloud Peak, in addition to Xiao Fu Sheng, the only other living people were two unknown ordinary maidservants who had been serving him for the past twenty years. Many people didn't even know their names.
But just now, these two ordinary maids had revealed themselves to be Immortal Ascension Realm 5th or 6th Stage Cultivators.
This change was too fast. Dong Qing Yan found it difficult to believe that the two beautiful women standing before her were the same delicate, gentle, and kind Aunty Xiang and Aunty Lan she thought she knew so well.
As the battle between Aunty Xiang, Aunty Lan, and the Ash-Gray Cloud Evil Land cultivator continued, it became clear that he had lost the strength to fight back. Amidst the rain of petals, the two women flashed back and forth, and each hit they landed caused a steady accumulation of damage as they occupied the absolute advantage.
Soon after, a loud howling voice rang out in the distance.
'My Divine Sense couldn't detect someone?'
Su Mu's eyes widened slightly, and he hurriedly turned towards the source of that roar. From that direction, three figures charged toward the Hidden Cloud Peak at speeds impossible for an Immortal Ascension Realm Cultivator.
He could tell a person's cultivation at a glance because of his experience, but his Divine Sense was a different case. If someone had far superior Divine Soul Strength to him, they could slip past his Divine Sense unless he glanced at them physically.
And to do that, one's cultivation should be at least—
'Two 2nd Order and a 1st Order Transcendant…'
According to Meng Wuya, the strongest cultivators from this world were 1st Order Trancendents who didn't even know the name of their cultivation realm, so how did two of the six Evil Kings turn out to be 2nd Order Trancendents?
'How troublesome…'
"Hahahaha!"
One of the approaching figures laughed maniacally, striking his palm towards Aunty Xiang and Aunty Lan without delay.
"Who dares!"
Aunty Xiang countered the palm with an attack of her own.
Su Mu wanted to warn her, but alas, he knew it was too late.
The palm effortlessly crushed Aunty Xiang's attack, and her flower petals disintegrated into thin air, pushing her against the ground while coughing blood.
'A 6th Order Immortal Ascension Realm Cultivator defeated in a single attack…' Xiao Fu Sheng's face darkened as he glanced at the three figures levitating mid-air.
"It's been a while, Grandmaster Xiao."
"You seem to be in good health, Old Man."
"Enough nonsense. Let's take Xiao Fu Sheng and leave already."
Two of the newly arrived Demonic Cultivators greeted Xiao Fu Sheng, but he didn't reply.
"Master, who are they?" Dong Qing Yan's slender body trembled slightly. Even though none of the intruders had yet released their cultivation bases, their auras were enough to weaken someone as weak as her.
"Three of the Six Evil Kings from the Ash Grey Cloud Evil Land…" Xiao Fu Sheng replied, his frown deepening. He had once refined pills for the two who had just greeted him, but he never expected that one day, they'd come to attack him like this. "The Tyrannical Force King, the Thunderbolt Beast King, and the last one should be…"
Xiao Fu Sheng glanced at the only female among the intruders, whose face was covered by the cloth gracefully levitating around her body.
Since he was familiar with the last intruder, Su Mu continued from where Xiao Fu Sheng left off. "That's the Beguiling Demon Queen, Shan Qing Luo."
***
A/N:
I don't know how many survived the passage of time, but if you are still here, thank you, and I'm sorry for not uploading.
Since it's been a while, here are the cultivation bases of some characters when they last appeared, along with the current harem members.
Su Mu: 1st Stage Immortal Ascension.
Su Yan: 3rd Stage Immortal Ascension.
Hu Jiao'er: 2nd Stage Immortal Ascension.
Hu Mei'er: 2nd Stage Immortal Ascension.
Xia Ning Chang: 1st Stage Immortal Ascension.
—
Harem Members:
Head Wife: Su Yan.
Wives:
Hu Jiao'er.
Hu Mei'er.
Xia Ning Chang.
Servants:
Lan Chu Die.
Du Yi Shuang.
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