A Demon's Path Chapter 73

The beautiful sun stood high in the sky with moderate wind blowing in the air. It was rare for the weather to be so pleasant. The procession prepared to set off for Seadragon City. They were standing orderly in ten rows of ten in the arena where Ling Xiao had made a brilliant display in the newcomers tournament several days ago. The row in front of the rest comprised the others who were ranked in the top ten of the newcomers tournament.

Naturally, Ling Xiao and Shen Xuan stood at the very front. They observed the troops before them, carrying the attitude of a leader.

With a stern expression and full concentration, Shen Xuan looked at this batch of fresh recruits who were in high spirits and filled with vigour. The majority of them were teenagers, with the youngest having just turned 14. They all dreamed of growing into beast amongst men in the demon exterminating operative carried out near Seadragon City.

Seeing they had such a good state of mind, Shen Xuan nodded in commendation. He slightly bore the traits of a general. Ling Xiao on the other hand seemed to lack any hint of leadership. His lewd gaze only caressed the girls, not the men. He judged every single one of them as he graded them in his mind on their curves, appearance, temperament, and many more aspects. After which he helplessly shook his head. They couldn't even compare to Cheng Yu, much less Tang Yingying. They really are a disappointing bunch! A desolate look covered his face, like he was the black sheep in the family who had gambled all his money away.

All of the sects under the Sunken Wind Valley's flag were extremely pleased with the lineup the Sunken Wind Valley sent off this time. They willingly offered their disciples who participated in the newcomers tournament to participate in the excursion led by Shen Xuan and Ling Xiao.

Other than those who were extremely unlucky, there weren't many casualties amongst the disciples who participated in the previous excursions.

When the procession was about to depart, Ling Xiao approached the Northern Jade Sect with a small smile on his lips. "Take care, Master. And everyone else, too."

Aside from Cheng Qiantai, everyone else cupped their fists at Ling Xiao and said, "Take care, Junior Brother." Whereas the disciples of the Everlasting Pool Sect bowed toward Ling Xiao and said, "Take care, Brother Sect Master."

Ling Xiao feared people would assume he was an old man when his disciples addressed him as Sect Master. So, he had intentionally instructed them to address him as Brother Sect Master.

Ling Xiao nodded at them. "You guys, follow my Master and Senior Brother back to the Northern Jade Sect. They'll take care of you. I'll make arrangements for all of you when I return."

"Yes. Safe journey, Brother Sect Master." The disciples from the Everlasting Pool Sect waved their hands at Ling Xiao. They left the Sunken Wind Valley together with the other branch sects in a large procession.

Ling Xiao watched them leave, a sense of loss growing in his heart. Ever since becoming a disciple of the Northern Jade Sect, this was the first time he was separated from his sect. Ling Xiao was used to being alone before, so he didn't feel anything. But having lived together with others for so long, he started to become increasingly afraid of a thing called loneliness. He was in no way alone, with 100 people accompanying him to Seadragon City, but he wasn't close with any of them. What he felt wasn't physical loneliness, it was a feeling of the heart.

"We should also go. I'll be troubling Valley Master Jr. to lead the way," Ling Xiao said to Shen Xuan.

"Alright," Shen Xuan replied with a smile that looked like his father's; they were equally fake in Ling Xiao's eyes.

The procession grandly headed for Seadragon City.

Shen Nanfeng kept his promise and gave the participants the best equipment the Sunken Wind Valley had to offer. Even the horses they rode were special. They bore the lineage of the Tempest, a celestial beast. The horses were aptly named Tempest Horses. They could run twice as fast and were twice as strong as ordinary horses. Ling Xiao was very pleased with all this.

"How many days will it take us to reach Seadragon City with these Tempest Horses?" Ling Xiao asked Shen Xuan who rode behind him.

"Three days," came Shen Xuan's reply. "Elder Ling, we're only heading out on an excursion to gain experience. Why are you so anxious? There's nothing wrong with admiring the scenery along the way."

Ling Xiao forced a laugh, but didn't say anything. Instead, he cursed Shen Xuan in his mind, Admiring the scenery? You bastard. Are you really on holiday?

While Ling Xiao was caught up in his own thoughts, an old man appeared out of nowhere and barred their way forward. The procession was forced to a halt. Everyone reigned in their horses with puzzled looks on their faces. There were only some from the Sunken Wind Valley whose expressions abruptly changed.

A sinister expression surfaced on Shen Xuan's face. He shouted out in a deep voice, "Hua Que, you still dare to show yourself here?"

"You old bastard! Give me back my mother's life!" Lan Xiuhua cried out through gritted teeth.

Xue Lian didn't say a word, but the look of bitter resentment in his eyes spoke louder than words.

Even if they felt indignant at the injustice of the situation, not a single person dared to take a step forward, much less rashly rush into action. They knew all too well that Hua Que was a green ranked Celestial Soul Master. No one here was his match.

They were more than 500 kilometers away from Sunken Wind Valley. Even if they sent out a distress signal, these youngsters would most likely be young ghosts when the rescue crew arrived. However, it didn't seem like Hua Que came here to kill them. He laughed and said, "Ling Xiao, my boy, follow me back to the Blue Moon District. My Master requests the pleasure of seeing you."

Ling Xiao didn't believe a word this old man said. "The Master of the Blue Moon District is inviting me over, you say? What proof do you have? I don't have the habit of following a stranger around, even if he's an old man."

Hua Que's face turned a shade of reddish green. He wanted to take Ling Xiao by force, but quickly discarded that thought. With Shen Xuan around, Hua Que believed there was most likely an expert nearby to protect him. If he made a move now, his back would be open to a sneak attack. At that time, the losses would far outweigh any potential gains. So long as the other side didn't hastily rush in, he wouldn't make any rash movements either.

Having taken everything into consideration, Hua Que could only put on a brave face and try to invite Ling Xiao over with the Master of the Blue Moon District's name. After all, there wasn't a single person in the Clear Sky Continent who didn't try to curry favour with him. Even if Ling Xiao turned this invitation down, he wouldn't be too upset. It's got nothing to do with me if that brat refuses to give Master face, he considered.

But Hua Que never expected Ling Xiao to sprout the nonsense he did. He almost fainted from anger. "This is an invitation card to my Blue Moon District. Take a look." Hua Que flourished his hand and sent a dark green invitation card flying into Ling Xiao's hands.

Ling Xiao flipped the card left and right, up and down, inspecting it from all angles. His actions baffled Hua Que. What's this brat doing?

After Ling Xiao finished inspecting the card, he threw it back to Hua Que and said, "I say, oldie, I don't have the habit of following an old man after he gives me such a tattered thing."

Anger nearly pushed Hua Que over the edge, his blood pressure rising and his blood vessels nearly bursting open. This brat isn't planning on discussing official business with me! He's just taking the opportunity to play me for a fool!

Hua Que was normally respected by everyone wherever he went. How could he have possibly been subjected to such dallying? When the thought of a boy playing him for a fool crossed his mind, Hua Que could no longer suppress the grief and indignation he felt. He was about to pounce forth, but suddenly realised he couldn't move at all. He felt someone staring at him, a cold breeze blowing past the back of his neck. It seemed as though the owner of that aura would break his neck if he took another step forward.

Hua Que didn't know when, but a robust man wearing a grey masked had appeared behind him. An expressionless voice reached his ears, "Elder Hua, even if I can't catch you, I can make you walk away with serious injuries."

Hua Que didn't move a step. Frustrated by the turn of events, he ground the earth beneath his feet, contemplating his next move. Only after two footprints were deeply embedded beneath him did rational triumph over impulse. He hatefully spat out at Ling Xiao, "It's best if you don't appear in front of me alone. If you do, I'll let you taste the feeling of 1,000 ants nibbling your body."

Ling Xiao chuckled. "I wouldn't know what it feels like being bitten by 1,000 ants. But I have to ask you, what's it like being poisoned by the venom of a Thousand-Year Green Snake?"

Hua Que's face turned green, like moss covering a dark and moist area. He opened his mouth wide, but couldn't say a word. An ice-cold numbness coursed through his body as his nerves stopped working. Never in his wildest dreams did he think the poison Ling Xiao administered had the capability of overwhelming him. So, he'd accepted the card back without a worry.

Hua Que was furious, afraid even. He wanted to say, Master, you only gave me three days to bring this boy back. It's not enough! But Ling Xiao never gave him the chance to. He moved quickly and jumped down from his Tempest Horse. With a swoosh, he lobbed Hua Que's head off with the Soul Murdering Sword.

How shocking! A red ranked Celestial Soul Master killed a green ranked one. What did this mean about the ways of the world? Ignoring the fact that other people wouldn't believe it, even in death Hua Que himself didn't believe this was possible!

The poison Ling Xiao coated the invitation card in just now wasn't the venom from the Thousand-Year Green Snake, but rather from its mother. It was about to turn into a dragon and had even seriously injured Shen Mingfang. How could Hua Que possibly resist this venom with his green rank cultivation?

Although Hua Que had computed various possibilities in his mind, it was never in his calculations that Ling Xiao would actually be hiding such a potent venom in his chain depository. Not just him, Shen Xuan was similarly shocked. His mouth hung open far enough for an egg to fit through and his eyes were as wide as two longans.

Shen Xuan figured he could fight Hua Que until one of them was left standing if he used all the treasures in his possession. However, by hook or by crook, he couldn't kill Hua Que as effortlessly as Ling Xiao just did. The resolve in his heart thickened. Ling Xiao had to die, no matter what!

This wasn't solely because Ling Xiao knew of his love for his family members. The more important factor was because a youngster who was more dazzling and outstanding than he was had appeared in his own sect. Shen Xuan absolutely couldn't tolerate this!

Chapter end