Chapter 373: What is a Demon from Beyond the Realms?

Chapter 373: What is a Demon from Beyond the Realms?

Beyond the Yellow Springs, in the human world of Great Tang.

Lei Jun, who had taken on the guise of "Chen Donglou," along with Tang Xiaotang, Fang Jingsheng, and Xiao Hang, were all carefully studying the changes in the Yellow Springs portal at the entrance of the void portal they had previously created.

On the side of the Tang Imperial Family, Prince Zhang Luo of Xiang, who had dealt with the mountain folk who were previously attacked by Li Linxue and others, also arrived with his entourage.

Zhang Taegang, Ji Chuan, and Xie Yiyi successively appeared from within the Qingxia오 Mansion.

"Master Chen," Zhang Taegang asked in a low voice, "What is the relationship between that bone boat and the leader of the Yellow Springs heretics?"

"Chen Donglou" nonchalantly replied, "It's his main artifact, refined from his own body after he broke through the Nine Heavens."

Zhang Taegang nodded repeatedly, "Then, with the boat sinking, that brute himself must be in a dire situation."

Although the Great Tang Shushan Sect unanimously condemned the Shushan lineage in the Yellow Springs as treacherous and evil,

from the perspective of the Daoist arts, the other party was undoubtedly a descendant of the Daoist School of Artifact Refinement.

Since this was the case, the destruction of the main artifact would undoubtedly affect its master, Ji Yao.

This master of the Daoist School of Artifact Refinement, who had already cultivated the perfect body of a scattered immortal of the Nine Heavens, possessed an exceptionally resilient immortal soul.

However, with his main artifact destroyed, the disturbance in qi would inevitably affect him internally and externally.

Even though they were enemies, the Great Tang Shushan Sect still acknowledged Ji Yao's profound cultivation, talent, and strength.

The white-boned divine boat refined by him was indeed comparable to the past Five Declines Grand Dao Clock and the present Qingxia Mansion, which were both treasured by the Shushan Sect.

However, by referencing the aura and mysteries of this artifact, one could roughly deduce the number of human lives that had been sacrificed during its refinement process.

The more powerful this treasure was, the more chilling it became.

Now that Ji Yao was forced to sink his boat in the River of Forgetfulness, it was indeed a relief... Ji Chuan thought.

"Chen Donglou" gazed at the direction where the Yellow Springs portal had once existed but had now completely vanished, and with a casual wave of his hand, he sent two sword lights, one purple and one green, flying towards Ji Chuan and Xie Yiyi, who promptly received them.

He then instructed Zhang Taegang, "After returning to the mountain with the Qingxia Mansion, make sure to tidy up the mountain gate and its peak."

"Yes, Master Chen," Zhang Taegang replied promptly.

Ji Chuan and Xie Yiyi quickly put away the Shushan Sect's two great flying swords, Ziwei and Qingming respectively.

"Master Chen," Xie Yiyi asked softly, "What about the evil sword from the Yellow Springs?"

"Chen Donglou" replied offhandedly, "It's already destroyed, and that old hag has been slain by me as well."

Although their conversation seemed somewhat disjointed, given the context and the presence of others, it wasn't difficult for them to deduce that "Chen Donglou" and Xie Yiyi were referring to another treasure of the inner Shushan Sect, the Yellow Springs Sword.

Only this sword could be compared to the Shushan Sect's Ziwei and Qingming Swords, which had just returned to the hands of Ji Chuan and Xie Yiyi.

So...

Not only had the White-boned Divine Boat been destroyed, but the Yellow Springs Sword had met the same fate?

Two treasures, comparable to the six great treasures of the Great Tang Shushan Sect, had been completely annihilated?

Had Li Linxue, the elder of the inner Shushan Sect and a master of the Daoist School of Artifact Refinement of the Nine Heavens, who wielded the Yellow Springs Sword, also perished?

The Yellow Springs Sword, although not Li Linxue's main artifact, had nonetheless gained infamy as she brandished it on two occasions in the human world of Great Tang.

Now, not only had the sword been broken, but its wielder had also perished?

As they gazed at the back of "Chen Donglou," a sense of awe filled the hearts of the onlookers.

Although it seemed that he had held the upper hand with the Ziwei and Qingming Swords in his possession, it was still impressive that he had defeated Li Linxue and taken her down in the Yellow Springs, a realm she was familiar with.

It was not an easy feat to wield both the Ziwei and Qingming Swords simultaneously and bring out their full power.

This "Chen Elder" of the Shushan Sect had indeed seemingly reached the realm of a master of the Nine Heavens of the Daoist School of Artifact Refinement.

Previously, the Great Tang Shushan Sect had not produced a master of the Nine Heavens for hundreds of years, but now, had such a master finally reappeared?

Not only Fang Jingsheng, but even Zhang Luo, a member of the Tang Imperial Family, could not help but fall into deep thought at this moment.

However, Tang Xiaotang, who had been studying the opening and closing of the Yellow Springs portal by his side, suddenly glanced at "Chen Donglou" from the corner of her eye.

A slight twitch appeared at the corner of her mouth, as if she wanted to make a sneering expression.

At this moment, Zhang Taegang spoke to Zhang Luo, "Your Highness, my fellow sect members and I, following Master Chen into the Yellow Springs, not only retrieved our sect's treasure, the Qingxia Mansion, but we also brought back numerous common folk, who are currently temporarily housed in the Qingxia Mansion. Later, we will need the court's coordination with local governments for further proper arrangements."

He paused slightly before adding, "When I was in the Qingxia Mansion earlier, I made a rough inquiry, and it turns out that most of these commoners... are not subjects of our Great Tang, but have been abducted from other human worlds by the Yellow Springs heretics and have been living there for quite some time."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Luo's expression turned solemn.

Although Zhang Taegang's words were not explicit, Zhang Luo had inferred several meanings from them:

Most of these commoners originated from human worlds beyond Great Tang.

The Yellow Springs was not a world suitable for human life.

Much less for a large number of ordinary people to live and reproduce for many years.

Such a scenario could only be the doing of the Shushan lineage in the Yellow Springs.

Referring to their style of conduct, their Daoist arts, and their artifact refinement techniques, it was truly difficult to believe that they had transformed the Yellow Springs into a utopian world for ordinary people to live peacefully and prosper.

Perhaps superficially.

However, their initial intentions and ultimate goals were definitely not that simple.

Among those present, perhaps very few had experience with raising livestock.

However, most of them had witnessed the cultivation of medicinal spirit plants, and when they reached maturity, they would harvest and pluck the spirit plants imbued with spiritual energy...

"Rest assured, Your Highness, I will coordinate with the various local governments for the proper disposition of these commoners," Prince Zhang Luo of Xiang reassured.

"We will provide assistance from our sect as well," Zhang Taegang added.

Zhang Luo nodded slightly.

Then, his gaze shifted towards the back of "Chen Donglou."

"Master Chen..." Zhang Luo began, trailing off slightly.

"Chen Donglou" casually replied, "What is it?"

"I was wondering if you plan to return to the peak of Shushan Mountain with Zhang Zhangmen soon," Prince Zhang Luo inquired.

"Chen Donglou" replied indifferently, "Not necessarily."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Taegang, Ji Chuan, and Xie Yiyi couldn't help but let out bitter smiles.

"Your Highness, the turmoil in the Yellow Springs this time has been pacified thanks to your efforts. The dawn of Great Tang is now secure," Prince Zhang Luo continued. "However, the human world is currently in a state of unrest, with demons and evil spirits running amok. It is indeed a tumultuous time. If we have Master Chen's assistance, then at least the western regions of Great Tang will be at peace."

"Chen Donglou" remained unmoved, "I'd rather continue exploring the Yellow Springs.

Zhang Luo detected the coldness in the other party's tone.

Zhang Taegang, Ji Chuan, and Xie Yiyi, a group of Shushan warriors, remained silent, their eyes lowered in a show of respectful submission.

From the perspective of the Shushan Order, maintaining amicable relations with the Tang Imperial Family brought more benefits than drawbacks.

The Great Tang Shushan Order had, on multiple occasions, received aid from the Tang Imperial Family in their conflict with the rival Shushan Order of the Yellow Springs.

Thus, the Shushan Order, to a large extent, was willing to cooperate with the Tang Imperial Family.

However, this logic did not apply to Chen Donglou, and Zhang Taegang and the others were in no position to offer advice.

Both the legendary Sword of the Heavens and the Qingxia Mansion had been returned to the Shushan Order due to Chen Donglou's presence.

Furthermore, when the rival Shushan Order of the Yellow Springs first invaded the human world, the Great Tang Shushan Order nearly lost the Northming Divine Spear, and it was only because of Chen Donglou that disaster was averted.

"Eradicating evil to its very root, Elder Chen's concerns are not unfounded." Zhang Luo's expression remained unchanged.

The rival Shushan Order of the Yellow Springs had indeed suffered significant losses this time.

However, as long as Ji Yao, the leader of the Yellow Springs Shushan, a powerful sorcerer at the Realm of the Nine Heavens, remained alive, the threat was still immense.

No one could guarantee that, after suffering a major setback, the Yellow Springs Order would not regroup and seek revenge at a later time.

With Chen Donglou and the Great Tang Shushan Order keeping a close eye on them, the Tang Imperial Family could focus their attention on other matters.

The members of the Jingxiang Clan exchanged glances, silently nodding in agreement.

There were no mistakes in the names they called, only in the nicknames they gave.

"Chen Donglou," the Unyielding One, lived up to his name, a warrior of unyielding spirit, unrestrained and unconventional.

His reappearance in the human world of Great Tang exuded his true nature, unchanged from before.

While he did not oppose the Tang Imperial Family, it was evident that he had no intentions of allying with them either.

The Jingxiang Clan had interacted with the Shushan Order of Ba Shu for many years.

Fang Jiheng, Fang Jingsheng, Fang Shantong, and others were quite familiar with Chen Donglou.

Although his strength had become even more formidable, his style remained unchanged.

It would be challenging for the central authority of the Tang Imperial Family to exert influence over him.

For such an individual, the Jingxiang Clan did not expect any favoritism and were content as long as he remained impartial and uninvolved.

Especially since Chen Donglou seemed to have a somewhat distant relationship with the Great Tang Shushan Order at present, with only a faint connection through shared origins.

At this moment, Tang Xiaotang displayed her Imperial Seal, and a faint glow emanated from it.

"It seems like there's trouble in the east again," the Imperial Teacher of Tang frowned, turning to Zhang Luo, "Does Hai Wangju dare to return?"

"The Imperial Teacher has injured Hai Wangju, and he does not dare to reappear for now," Zhang Luo of Xiang replied solemnly. "However, the portal connecting the human world and the Realm of Heaven's Principles has reopened in the East China Sea, and Suzhou's Chu Kingdom has sent their old master to Yuhang to maintain stability."

Indeed, the human world of Great Tang was facing a tumultuous period.

Zhang Luo's inquiry into Chen Donglou's future plans was due to this reason.

Tang Xiaotang tapped her foot on the ground, and the mountain remained still, with no sign of the Yellow Springs portal reopening.

"Alright, I'll head over to the East China Sea," the Imperial Teacher of Tang said, unbothered by the travel. "I missed it the last time, so this time, I'll take a look at that Confucian scholar in the Realm of Heaven's Principles and see what's going on."

"Your Highness, we appreciate your efforts," Zhang Luo continued.

"I'll provide assistance from our order as well," Chen Donglou casually replied.

Zhang Luo nodded slightly.

Then, his gaze shifted towards the back of Chen Donglou.

"Master Chen..." Zhang Luo began, trailing off slightly.

Chen Donglou casually replied, "What is it?"

"Indeed, it seems that trouble is brewing once more in the east."

Lei Jun focused his gaze on the intelligence report, a hint of a frown appearing on his face. "Has Lin Yuwei himself also perished in battle?"

The new patriarch of the Lin Clan, a master of the Divine Archery lineage, had reached the eighth level of the Open Frontier realm. A perceptive individual, his powers of observation were no trifling matter.

If the enemy forces were indeed overwhelming, any sensible person would recognize the futility of resistance and promptly flee to avoid disaster. Yet, Lin Yuwei had chosen to make his stand at the Lin Clan's ancestral land.

Given the ancestral land's location between Qing Province and Suzhou Province, Lei Jun couldn't help but speculate further. "For now, details are still unclear."

Yuan Mobai spoke up, "Aside from the Heaven's Will manifesting once more in the East China Sea, there's also the emergence of a powerful demon, the Six-Horned Golden Shark, near the coastal areas. It has been confronted by the old master of the Suzhou Kingdom."

Lei Jun nodded slightly. "It would seem that the Six-Horned Golden Shark has successfully risen to greater heights?"

"Indeed," Yuan Mobai affirmed. "The Butterfly King has fallen, and the Sea Emperor has mostly kept a low profile, allowing the Six-Horned Golden Shark to finally establish itself, much like the North Sea Whale King and the Black Mountain Lord."

"Hmm," Lei Jun murmured, his expression thoughtful.

It was difficult to say what role Ye Yan and Chu Xiuyuan had played in all this. To be precise, they didn't need to do anything. Their inaction was more than enough to seal the fate of the Lin Clan.

Lin Yuwei had spent over two decades maneuvering and negotiating, first finding refuge for the Lin Clan between Qing Province and Suzhou Province, and then pledging allegiance to the central authority of the Imperial Family.

However, following various changes, the major families had mended their relationships with the central authority, and so they had maintained a peaceful coexistence for many years, even joining forces on occasion.

But now, the Lin Clan had finally reached its moment of decline and destruction.

With deep roots and a strong foundation, many branches and blood descendants of the Lin Clan remained scattered and survived.

Yet, with the blow delivered by the Heaven's Will, the main trunk of the Lin Clan had been severed.

And in these tumultuous times, with signs of chaos and disorder appearing everywhere, this was just the beginning. More storms and turmoil would inevitably sweep through the lands.

The descendants of the Lin Clan still had many trials and tribulations to endure.

Lei Jun set down the intelligence report, turning to his master, Yuan Mobai, and said, "One after another, it seems they're all coming."

Yuan Mobai slowly nodded. "Indeed, it would seem so."

As expected, not long after, news arrived from the northern seas. The sealed portal of the Luo Sect, which had been closed off for so long, had begun to reopen.

According to court rumors, Xiao Xuelin, leading a group of elite Imperial Army troops, had embarked towards the overseas lands, aiming to prevent further unrest and turmoil stemming from the Luo Sect.

And just as Lei Jun and his companions had departed from the west, new troubles arose in the east.

With the Yellow Springs sealed off, even if the monks of the Li Shu Mountain wanted to descend upon the human world once more, they were currently unable to do so.

However, before this situation had arisen, they had left a lingering problem in the human world.

The Li Shu Mountain elder, Lu Changpeng, had previously traveled to the Snowy Plateau in pursuit of hunting and capturing powerful demons.

But due to the conflicts between the Li Shu Mountain and the Ri Shu Mountain, Lu Changpeng had been forced to alter his course, making a sudden strike on the Li Shu Mountain's summit.

However, his actions had enraged the other powerful demons of the Snowy Plateau.

Especially the Snow Eagle, a demon comparable to a human cultivator at the ninth level of the Open Frontier realm.

Under the leadership of the Snow Eagle, a large number of demons from the Snowy Plateau were advancing eastward.

From the perspective of the demons, there wasn't much difference between the various human cultivators. Their bloodlust and violent tendencies were often similar.

Xiao Xiang and Zhang Taigan of the Long Clan, along with Shu Mountain's Zhang Taigan and others, immediately turned their attention westward, working together to contain the group of demons and prevent them from crossing the snowy mountains and approaching the Long Valley and Hexi Corridor.

"The Abdicated Emperor, accompanied by a group of loyal subjects, withdrew into Tianli, and the imperial lineage has continued to this day."

Indeed, while Tianli was abundant in spiritual energy, it was not truly part of the human realm, and thus, establishing the geography, national fortune, and dragon veins there was especially difficult.

This small court wanted to seek peace, so it naturally isolated itself from Tianli and cut off communication with the Great Ming human realm.

Time eventually proved that Xu Yuanzhen's earlier trip to Tianli was not in vain.

At that time, she had failed to reopen the passage from Tianli to the Great Ming human realm.

This time, after circling back from Penglai to the Great Ming human realm, she truly lived up to her name, and strikingly, she reopened the passage from the Great Ming human realm to Tianli.

Furthermore, she thoughtfully allowed the current Great Ming imperial dynasty to sense this.

From Lei Jun's understanding, their Master Sister, on her own over there, had made quite a stir.

For example, she exposed the existence of the Western White Emperor and the Great Ming human realm's Daogu.

Of course, Master Sister Xu's reputation over there was equally not that good.

To put it bluntly, to the Great Ming human realm, their Master Sister was nothing short of an otherworldly demon...

But be it the Western White Emperor or Master Sister Xu herself, neither of them compared to the attention of the Great Ming imperial dynasty.

Lei Jun currently had difficulty communicating with Master Sister Xu, but from the bits and pieces of information she sent back, the Great Ming imperial dynasty had already dispatched troops to Tianli.

In their eyes, Xu Yuanzhen, the Western White Emperor, and the Daogu of the Great Ming human realm were all equally unimportant.

What mattered was Tianli and the small Ming court within.

As expected, after Tang Xiaotang and the others had studied the opening and closing of the Yellow Springs portal, Tang Xiaotang led the Great Tang cultivators in a counterattack into Tianli.

The Tang and Ming sides joined forces, making Tianli extremely lively.

Lei Jun remained on Dragon-Tiger Mountain at his own sect, quietly cultivating and recuperating.

"This Doumu Star Iron, later when I've cultivated to the Ninth Heaven Realm, will be just right for refining together with the Seven Star Sword."

Before Lei Jun, the verdant Nine Abyss True Fire burned quietly.

Within it, seven flying swords lay horizontally, which were the Seven Star Swords.

It had to be admitted that compared to the Yellow Springs Sword, the quality of the Seven Star Swords currently fell short.

With Lei Jun's spiritual power and Yuan Magnetism nurturing it, it could hold its own against other treasures in a direct clash, but when pitted directly against the Yellow Springs Sword, the pressure was even greater than that of the Five Cobalt Vajra Pestle.

The Yellow Springs Sword deserved its reputation as Shu Mountain's foremost killing artifact.

The Seven Star Sword, despite having sustained some damage, was ultimately no match for it.

Hence, after Lei Jun had vanquished Li Linxue and seized the sword, he put it away for restoration and maintenance.

Now, with the newly acquired Doumu Star Iron, he had a better plan for refining the Seven Star Sword.

"Palm Master, urgent news from the Southern Wasteland."

Later, Zhang Jingzhen arrived.

Lei Jun asked, "Has the void portal in the Southern Wasteland finally opened?"

Zhang Jingzhen solemnly nodded.

The national fortune of the Great Tang was in turmoil.

Following the Yellow Springs, Tianli, Luo Yuan, and now the Southern Wasteland, the void portal connecting to the Earthly Sea had reopened.

A vast amount of black mist poured forth from it.

"His Highness Zhang Luo has already dispatched General Shen Quibing southward," Zhang Jingzhen said. "I'm here to inform you of the situation."

Lei Jun was not surprised.

Among the Great Tang imperial family, Shen Quibing was the most familiar with the situation in the Southern Wasteland. He was proficient in the languages of the Nine Li and had even established personal connections with the Martial Li clan.

Given the situation, it was only natural for the Great Tang imperial family to send Shen Quibing.

Furthermore, when the Luo Sect in the Northern Seas had caused trouble earlier, Xiao Xuelin, leading an elite force of imperial soldiers, had embarked overseas to prevent further unrest and turmoil stemming from the Luo Sect.

And just as Lei Jun and his companions had departed from the west, new troubles arose in the east.

With the Yellow Springs sealed off, even if the monks of Li Shu Mountain wanted to descend upon the human realm once more, they were currently unable to do so.

However, before this situation had arisen, they had left behind a lingering problem in the human realm.

The Li Shu Mountain elder, Lu Changpeng, had previously traveled to the Snowy Plateau in pursuit of hunting and capturing powerful demons.

But due to the conflicts between Li Shu Mountain and Ri Shu Mountain, Lu Changpeng had been forced to alter his course, making a sudden strike on the Li Shu Mountain's summit.

However, his actions had enraged the other powerful demons of the Snowy Plateau.

Especially the Snow Eagle, a demon comparable to a human cultivator at the ninth level of the Open Frontier realm.

Under the leadership of the Snow Eagle, a large number of demons from the Snowy Plateau were advancing eastward.

From the perspective of the demons, there wasn't much difference between the various human cultivators. Their bloodlust and violent tendencies were often similar.

Xiao Xiang and Zhang Taigan of the Long Clan, along with Shu Mountain's Zhang Taigan and others, immediately turned their attention westward, working together to contain the group of demons and prevent them from crossing the snowy mountains and approaching the Long Valley and Hexi Corridor.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end