A Demon's Path Volume 1 Chapter 26

"Urghh!" Ling Xiao violently coughed out a mouthful of blood. It was so sudden that Tang Yingying's face turned as white as paper, "Big Brother Xiao, what happened? Are you okay?"

Cheng Qiantai and Li Yuanhuan also quickly came over to Ling Xiao's side. Li Yuanhuan asked in a worried tone, "Junior Brother Ling, what's wrong? Shall we stop so you can rest?"

Ling Xiao and Tang Yingying's faces wore similar complexions. But where Tang Yingying was scared, Ling Xiao had a pained look on his face. "I'm fine. I overexerted myself in the fight just now. I'll be good as new after taking a few Energy Restoration Pills."

Meanwhile, colour slowly returned to Qian Hai's face. He thought Ling Xiao really was that awesome after getting wind of his battle with tens of orange ranked Demonic Soul Masters. Wouldn't it be bad for him if Ling Xiao was such a tough nut? Qian Hai felt a little better when he saw Ling Xiao cough blood out of his system. He snorted and thought, In the end, that boy is just a good-for-nothing who got lucky. How can he ever stand on equal grounds with a Young Master like me?!

Ling Xiao bitterly laughed in his heart. I only got so little information. Ah! It's not enough. It seems all tranquil from the surface of the Celestial Sects in the Seven Grand Holy Lands. But I reckon a storm is brewing. I wonder what'd happen if I seized those two vile guys from their high horses. Whatever, since they dared to plot against me, I shall pay them back in full! I'm not only going to kill them, but I'll drag their sects down along with them! We wouldn't want any of them to ever have the thought of annexing the Northern Jade Sect again, after all, Ling Xiao bitterly thought. He continued onwards, contemplating just how to take those two down. If I can't beat you fair and square, let me show you the deathly power of my traps!

…

Elder Qing, Pan Xuan, Luo Shang, and Chen Tao had strange complexions. They looked at each other with shifty eyes. None of them trusted the other, so they were guessing who would be so daring as to snoop on them here.

Since Pan Xuan couldn't kill the other party just now, he deduced that the person's mental strength definitely wasn't below his own. With such a powerful master monitoring them, how could they not feel distressed?

Luo Shang and Chen Tao both looked around with suspicion. Just who was this person? A master from a Demonic Sect? But the person who got rid of that corpse was a demon himself. It was clear that they weren't from the same faction.

Just who is it? This question tormented Luo Shang and Chen Tao as they paced to and fro. Someone else definitely knew they were colluding with demons, but they didn't know who it was or what their objective was.

"What are we going to do? Should we still go to the Sunken Wind Valley?" Chen Tao asked.

A cold glint flashed in Luo Shang's eyes. "We're going! Why shouldn't we? Whatever the case, the Valley Master has long since strayed from the righteous path. Haven't we adequately prepared for that?"

"You both should relax. The Seven Devils Cult won't let Shen Nanfeng have his way in the Sunken Wind Valley's newcomers tournament. I reckon having half the sect over at the Sunken Wind Valley is more than enough," Elder Qing comforted them. He was laughing without restraint and although the other three couldn't see his face from under the green mask, they could smell a strong scent of blood from his maniacal laughter.

…

When the moon hung high in the sky, the Northern Jade Sect and the Everlasting Pool Sect finally reached the nearest city—Moon River City. It got its name from a clear river right outside the gates. Whenever the moon rose up in the sky, its moonlight would drizzle across the surface of the river and make the water look like it was blanketed in moonshine.

When Ling Xiao and the rest saw this silver stream, they couldn't help but sigh. Beautiful, it's really fucking beautiful!

If it wasn't for Ling Xiao holding her back, Tang Yingying would've rushed up to the riverbed and cupped the silver water in her soft hands.

Even Cheng Yu was charmed by the beauty of the river, like any girl would. But as usual, her face was devoid of any expression.

"Oh, why can't some girls be like Younger Sister Tang and be honest about what they like?" Ling Xiao casually said.

Cheng Yu silently shot a vicious glare at Ling Xiao, but moments later cast a glance at the beautiful river. Only when she believed no one was watching her, would she throw another glance.

Ling Xiao watched his Senior Brother who was vigilantly observing his surroundings and somewhat understood why Cheng Yu didn't really like him.

The party was about to enter Moon River City, when they noticed that a few young Celestial Soul Masters were standing guard outside the city gates.

"Excuse me, may I know what sect you're all from?" a Celestial Soul Master that looked to be around 20 years old courteously asked.

Qian Gui and Cheng Qiantai frowned as they exchanged glances. Finally, Cheng Qiantai asked, "Are you disciples of the Moon River Sect?"

The Celestial Soul Master at the guardpost smiled and said, "My apologies, I've been impolite. My name is Dong Xuan. I'm the Prime Disciple of the Moon River Sect. My Master has granted me the honours to welcome all the sects under the Sunken Wind Valley."

Dong Xuan seemed to be an impeccable man, whether it was from his disposition, conversational tone, manner of treating people, or the way he handled his affairs. Qian Gui and Cheng Qiantai exchanged glances again, but this time Qian Gui was the first to speak. "We are from the Northern Jade Sect and the Everlasting Pool Sect. We'll be troubling you then, we're staying for the night."

"Please, follow me." Dong Xuan turned around and led the way. Cheng Qiantai and Qian Gui followed behind him with their respective disciples in tow.

Ling Xiao started muttering in his heart, Are all Celestial Soul Master Sects so generous? Humph! If it were me, I'd feel my heart ache for every glass of water or piece of bread I'd share!

Unlike most other sects, the Moon River Sect wasn't erected outside the city walls. Rather, it stood tall in the eastern part of Moon River City. Before long, the group led by Dong Xuan reached the sect's grounds.

Ling Xiao appreciated the view. The front of the sect really was the epitome of grandiose!

The jade wall spanning more than 100 meters shone with a dark green glow under the moonlight, illuminating the surroundings. It was as though the sun never set here. Everyone felt their mood turn for the better as they bathed in this soft dark green light.

In the middle of the wall stood a gate, its size immense. It towered 10 meters high, while it was 20 meters wide. Even if the entire group of the Northern Jade Sect, which added up to about 20 people, walked side by side, they could still easily pass through.

Ling Xiao really looked like a hillbilly who entered the big city as he touched and knocked on the wall surrounding the Moon River Sect. Even the elegant Dong Xuan couldn't help but question Ling Xiao who looked like a money-grubber. "Excuse me, fellow disciple. What are you doing?"

Ling Xiao foolishly laughed and said, "I'm looking to see whether a piece will fall off on its own so I can pick it up."

Cheng Yu clenched her teeth in anger. "Father, look at this brat!"

Li Yuanhuan and the other disciples couldn't help but feel their faces flush up in embarrassment. They pretended they didn't know Ling Xiao as they turned their heads away. They were very grateful to Ling Xiao. Without him, who knew how many times they would've died along the way. However, regardless of how good their relationship with him was, they were all wondering if they could leave him behind right now.

Cheng Qiantai quickly feigned a cough and said, "Xiao'er, everyone is waiting."

"Oh, I'm sorry for holding everyone up. Don't wait for me! I'll catch up to you all in a bit. Right! Yingying, come and keep me company."

"Alright!" Tang Yingying replied excitedly. She jumped off the horse and ran to Ling Xiao's side, seriously touching the wall made out of jade bricks with him.

Cheng Qiantai was about to get angry at Ling Xiao. But when he remembered the way in which Ling Xiao handled things, he decided against it. When had Ling Xiao ever acted on impulse? Wasn't he someone who always kept the big picture in mind? Since he wanted to stay behind, Cheng Qiantai decided to leave him up to his own devices.

"Yuanhuan, let's go." Cheng Qiantai walked off without turning his head back.

Li Yuanhuan always obeyed his Master. Since Master said they were going, he would naturally follow. However, he still glanced at Ling Xiao with a curious glint in his eyes. Who knew, Ling Xiao was still staring at the wall like a money-grubber. Helplessly, Li Yuanhuan entered the Moon River Sect with a bitter smile.

Qian Hai looked down on Ling Xiao and said to Cheng Yu, "There's really nothing great about Junior Brother Ling!"

Cheng Yu wasn't in a good mood and actually didn't retort. She followed her father close on his heels, ignoring Qian Hai. Qian Hai had no choice but to follow after her, swaying his buttocks as he went along after having been tactfully rebutted.

Seeing as everyone had entered the sect, Ling Xiao's greedy eyes turned cold. He dragged Tang Yingying to a remote corner and used 10 yellow gems to form a Ghostly Roundabouts Array. "Yingying, stay here. Don't go anywhere. Big Brother Xiao will fetch you after I finish what I have to do."

The higher ranked the gems were, the stronger the effect of the Ghostly Roundabouts. By using yellow gems, no one would realise where Tang Yingying was unless they had stronger mental strength than Ling Xiao.

Tang Yingying understood he definitely had an important matter to attend to seeing the serious look on his face. She nodded in understanding and said, "Go, Big Brother Xiao. Yingying will wait here for your return."

"Sure." Ling Xiao was about to leave when Tang Yingying suddenly called out to him, "Wait!"

Ling Xiao paused in his tracks and turned his head around. "What's the matter?"

Tang Yingying looked at Ling Xiao with a serious look in her eyes. "Big Brother Xiao, I'm afraid you can't find me. I have a way for you to find me at all times."

Tang Yingying clasped her hand in front of her heart. She bowed her head and closed her eyes, mumbling something under her breath in a language Ling Xiao couldn't understand.

A beautiful image of a golden bird flew out from Tang Yingying's crown. It rapidly flew to the top of Ling Xiao's head where it settled on his hair before disappearing in an instant.

Ling Xiao was surprised to find a mental connection being formed between him and Tang Yingying. He paused for a moment as the feeling passed, then said, "This-"

Tang Yingying sweetly smiled and said, "Big Brother Xiao, go. You have urgent matters to attend to."

"You're right. Stay put!" Ling Xiao was so impatient he didn't notice there was something amiss with the little girl's expression. He left in a hurry after briefing her.

Once Ling Xiao left, a red shadow appeared in front of Tang Yingying. It was a beautiful woman, yet the look in her eyes was as cold as ice. She coldly said, "Interesting. This boy actually knows how to use Demonic Soul Master techniques." The woman in red looked at Tang Yingying, then continued, "But he does treat our Yingying rather well. He actually spent so much energy to create a safe place for you to hide."

The look in Tang Yingying's eyes dimmed. "Mother, don't harm Big Brother Xiao. He saved me!"

The woman in red had an apathetic look on her face. "I know. If not, I would've already killed him for that overly familiar way in which he treats you. But you're too despicable, too. You actually formed a spirit contract with him. You know what this means to us Golden Weavers."

Tang Yingying gazed into the distance where Ling Xiao had left in and calmly said, "Mother, if I didn't form a spirit contract with him, I'm afraid Big Brother Xiao won't live past tonight. Big Brother Xiao is a good person. He said he'll protect me. I believe in him." A light shone in Tang Yingying's eyes, a certain calm held within. It was as if she had blind faith in Ling Xiao.

The woman in red snorted. With a flourish of her red sleeve, she disappeared together with Tang Yingying, leaving behind the yellow gems Ling Xiao had used to set up the array.  

Chapter end