“Don’t forget, your demon race is on the hunting list of those Black Bird Guards here in the Great Xia Empire.”
“King Qing, this isn’t the Western Extreme Lands.”
“You must have put in a lot of effort to sneak from the Western Extreme Lands into the Great Xia Empire.”
“Besides, it’s only because of the great heavenly changes that those annoying guys from the Sky Monitoring Department have lost most of their power.”
“Otherwise, the moment you, King Qing, set foot in the Great Xia Empire, the Sun, Moon, and Earth Mirror would have already revealed you.”
The old man in the white robe spoke these seemingly advisory words, but they were actually a naked threat.
He was clearly warning the King Qing beside him.
Don’t forget, you are a demon. Here in the Great Xia Empire, there’s no place for you.
“You damned humans, is your Pure World White Lotus Cult threatening me?”
The next second, King Qing’s pale yellow vertical pupils emitted a dazzling light.
That pale yellow light illuminated the dark cave, making it clear and bright.
Facing King Qing’s terrifying pressure, the old man in the white robe remained unmoved, looking as if he was certain King Qing wouldn’t dare do anything.
“I wouldn’t dare. Calm your anger, King Qing!”
“I only wanted to make it clear to you, King Qing, that here in the Great Xia Empire, no one is willing to help the demon race except our Pure World White Lotus Cult.”
“Moreover, our Pure World White Lotus Cult and your demon race share a common enemy.”
“That is that dog emperor of the Great Xia Empire, the Female Emperor Xia Mingyue.”
“So, as long as you, King Qing, help our Pure World White Lotus Cult eliminate that Li Chengxing this time.”
“The Pure World White Lotus Cult will definitely inform you, King Qing, of the Dragon Lord’s whereabouts.”
“We would even be very happy to go with you, King Qing, to rescue the Dragon Lord.”
After a long moment, the pale yellow light in the cave gradually dimmed until it disappeared.
“Hmph, you people of the Pure World White Lotus Cult had better do what you say, or I will not let you go.”
Having said that, without even glancing at the old man beside him, King Qing turned and walked out of the cave.
As for the Pure World White Lotus Cult offering to help him rescue the Dragon Lord, King Qing chose to ignore it.
For this bunch of sinister humans to tell him the Dragon Lord’s whereabouts was already a rare thing.
Expecting them to help him as well—King Qing wasn’t foolish enough to trust human words to that extent.
These damned humans are all a bunch of cunning, shameless, greedy, and utterly evil lot.
Back then, Lord Dragon Lord was tricked into coming to this place by that Great Xia Emperor, which is why he’s now missing.
The old man in the white robe stood there, his remaining right eye fixed intently on King Qing ahead.
Deep within his pupils lay endless greed and fervor.
What stood before him was a demon beast at the peak Demon King realm. Its inner demon core was ten thousand times better than those human blood meals.
Ah, what a pity, though.
A demon beast at the peak Demon King realm—even he, a martial artist at the great completion of the Outer Gang Grandmaster stage, was no match for it in a single exchange.
And this King Qing clearly came prepared. My Holy Cult couldn’t possibly make a move against it.
As for the Tiger-Servant King from earlier? That was just bait thrown out.
This Tiger-Servant King stirring up a bloody storm here in Baidao Prefecture will inevitably attract a large number of Black Bird Guards.
When that happens, that Li Chengxing in Mingzhou will surely have no reinforcements.
If that’s the case, with Red Elder over in Mingzhou, plus myself and King Qing, that old bastard Li Chengxing will be at the end of his rope, with no escape!
The Deputy Commander of the Black Bird Guard, a member of the Li family, will die at the hands of our Holy Cult.
I simply don’t believe that dog emperor Xia Mingyue will still be able to sit still.
………..
Inside the town of Huangshan, at the town mayor’s residence, the courtyard originally belonging to the town mayor had been completely vacated.
Of course, this vacated large courtyard was naturally left for the Black Bird Guards to stay in.
In the main room of the courtyard, there were five or six men dressed in Black Bird Guard uniforms.
These Black Bird Guards were naturally He Yan and the others who had rushed over from the prefecture city.
However, lying on the bed in the room was a dying old man.
That old man was none other than Deputy Envoy Yu Hong!
“Old Yu, it’s been four days, and the demonic energy from that Tiger-Servant King is still lingering inside you.”
“You can’t stay in Liusha County. You must return to the prefecture city immediately.”
“Throughout the entire Baidao Prefecture, only the Mystic Envoy can save you.”
Although Yu Hong had blocked that strike from the Tiger-Servant Demon King, some demonic energy still remained inside him.
That demonic energy, while minimal, had severely injured Yu Hong, leaving him unable to resist its erosion.
If He Yan hadn’t brought along many of the Black Bird Guard’s healing elixirs, Yu Hong might very well have died.
Hearing this, Yu Hong, lying on the bed, also felt helpless.
He had thought he had survived that strike from the Tiger-Servant Demon King.
But he hadn’t expected that the strike also contained a terrifying demonic energy.
Caught off guard, Yu Hong hadn’t noticed the anomaly inside him right away.
By the time he did, it was already too late.
That demonic energy was frantically eroding the Inner Energy within his body, causing his injuries to worsen dramatically.
Finally, He Yan had arrived in Huangshan Town and given him a large number of healing elixirs.
“Oh well, Old He. In my current state, it’s already too late.”
Yu Hong’s face was ashen, and his words came out muffled, hoarse, and weak.
The prefecture city was at least several days’ journey from Liusha County.
Moreover, he was seriously injured and couldn’t travel fast, which would significantly extend the travel time.
It would take at least seven or eight days to barely make it to the prefecture city.
With such a long journey, he’d probably die on the road before even reaching the prefecture city.
Seeing He Yan about to speak again to persuade him, Yu Hong cut him off.
“By the way, Old He, do you think that Tiger-Servant Demon King will leave the Hulao Mountain Range?”
“It’s been several days now. Could it be that the Tiger-Servant Demon King has already headed to another county?”
“Another county?”
“That’s not impossible, is it?”
“It’s just that the Mystic Envoy hasn’t come out of seclusion yet, and we can’t do anything about this Tiger-Servant Demon King.”
Upon hearing the Tiger-Servant Demon King mentioned, He Yan’s face showed a grave expression.
The power of this Tiger-Servant Demon King was no joke.
Back then, it took the combined effort of several Envoys who had come from the capital to barely defeat it.
Just then, Yu Hong propped himself up with difficulty on the bed and leaned against the wall.
“Old He, that bronze saber the Mystic Envoy gave you—I can’t see anything special about it.”
Yu Hong stared at the bronze saber in He Yan’s arms, a hint of suspicion in his eyes.
These past few days, He Yan had been holding the bronze saber in his arms, treasuring it like a precious gem. No matter when, he wouldn’t let go of it.
Yu Hong had only glanced briefly at this bronze saber and found it no different from any ordinary bronze artifact.
It was just that the mysterious patterns on the bronze saber looked more flawless and perfect than usual, as if naturally formed.
“Old Yu, I… well, I’m not entirely sure either.”
“But if the Mystic Envoy did this, there must be a reason for it.”
He Yan’s old face showed a hint of embarrassment, because he didn’t know the Mystic Envoy’s intention either.
The Tiger-Servant Demon King was a terrifying demon beast that several Envoys from the capital couldn’t even kill together.
Could this bronze saber the Mystic Envoy gave him really kill such a powerful demon beast?
“Old Yu, let me have a look at that bronze saber.”
Yu Hong furrowed his brows, carefully observing the bronze saber, but he couldn’t see its entirety.
He Yan didn’t say anything. Instead, he carefully lifted the bronze saber from his arms with both hands and placed it on the edge of the bed.
Without overthinking it, Yu Hong reached out, also tightly holding the bronze saber, not daring to be careless.
But just a few breaths after Yu Hong touched the bronze saber, a faint sound suddenly echoed in the room.
“Oh? Demonic energy?”
Meanwhile, back in the prefecture city at the Black Bird Guard mansion, Lu Xuan’s eyes suddenly opened wide, as if he had perceived something.
With that strand of Divine Thought attached to the Wind and Fire Saber, Lu Xuan could clearly sense the surroundings of the blade.
“The person touching the Wind and Fire Saber has actually activated that strand of my Divine Thought.”
“This person has some thin demonic energy inside them.”
So this is the power of Divine Thought?
It’s simply unbelievable!
Compared to Lu Xuan’s calmness, over on the other side, Yu Hong and He Yan were filled with shock, looking around the room.
“Who’s there!”
“Who’s nearby?”
Lu Xuan, however, didn’t answer their questions. Instead, he simply moved his mind.
The bronze saber held in Yu Hong’s hands began to glow with a faint purple light at that moment.
Then, a wisp of purple energy slowly spread from the blade, along one of Yu Hong’s arms, and gradually seeped into Yu Hong’s body.
“What is this!”
Yu Hong stared at the bronze saber in disbelief, his hands trembling involuntarily.
He Yan and the other Black Bird Guards noticed this miraculous sight.
They were as astonished as Yu Hong, their eyes filled with disbelief.
Right before everyone’s eyes, Yu Hong’s entire body was enveloped in a faint purple glow.
Then, within just a few short breaths, that faint purple glow quickly surged back into the bronze saber.
As if nothing had happened at all.
Yu Hong’s pale, weak face began to regain its normal healthy color, and his previously erratic aura stabilized.
“Old He, I… I… I…”
Feeling that the rampaging demonic energy inside his body had completely disappeared, Yu Hong’s face lit up with elation.
“What kind of power is this? The demonic energy inside me is all gone!”
“Hahahaha!”
“Old He, I didn’t expect this old life of mine could still linger on for a while longer.”
When truly faced with the choice between life and death, even Yu Hong, who had lived most of his life, couldn’t stay calm.
Moreover, Yu Hong still had a great obsession—he hadn’t yet seen his niece stand on her own two feet.
How could he die now?
The next moment, before anyone could process what had just happened.
Suddenly, a commotion of panicked, uneasy voices came from outside into the room.
“Ah!”
“What is this thing!”
“A monster!”
“It’s a tiger.”
“How can there be such a huge tiger!”
“Help! Everyone run!”
“Sir!”
“Help!”
These cries for help rang out one after another from all directions.
“I didn’t expect a little ant like you to still have the guts to stay here.”
“Hehe, there are a few decent-looking martial artists inside, too.”
Just then, everyone in the room felt the ground tremble violently, as if some massive creature was approaching.
“Oh no!”
“It’s that Tiger-Servant Demon King!”
He Yan’s face changed dramatically. He quickly rushed forward, and with a swift motion, snatched the bronze saber from Yu Hong’s hands.
Then, without a moment’s delay, He Yan dashed straight out the door.
The moment He Yan rushed outside, he saw a massive black tiger, dozens of feet tall. Its blood-drenched maw still had various mangled, bloody remains stuck to it!
The instant He Yan appeared, the Tiger-Servant Demon King’s enormous eyes glowed with a dark green light, fixed intently on He Yan as if locking onto him.
“You, human martial artist, look even tastier than those little ants outside!”
Saliva dripped slowly from the corners of the Tiger-Servant Demon King’s fanged mouth.
As soon as these eerie words faded, He Yan suddenly felt it hard to breathe. An overwhelmingly oppressive force seemed to surge from all around, pressing down heavily on him.
This terrifying aura was also accompanied by an icy, bone-chilling malice, making He Yan’s heart shudder with fear. His body instinctively stiffened.
That feeling of utter despair was like facing an insurmountable natural enemy, leaving no thought of resistance.
While He Yan’s mind went blank, the Tiger-Servant Demon King had already started walking toward him on its heavy limbs.
With each step its sharp claws took on the ground, deep gouges were left behind.
Whoosh!
The next moment, a blood-filled maw lunged toward He Yan’s position, as if trying to crush and swallow him whole.
Then, the bronze saber in He Yan’s arms blazed with a brilliant purple light.
“Evil creature!”
“How dare you be so reckless!”
A terrifying force erupted. The Tiger-Servant Demon King, which had pounced through the air, seemed to collide with something immensely powerful.
Its mountain-sized body was flung backward as if swatted by an invisible giant hand, hurtling into the distance.
Boom!
A deafening crash followed, along with violent tremors that shook the earth.
Dust and smoke filled the air. The Tiger-Servant Demon King’s massive body slammed heavily into the ground, leaving a large crater in its wake!
In mid-air, a hazy purple phantom face materialized.
The purple phantom face was dozens of feet across, as if dominating the entire sky.
