The dance hall in Sleepless City, notorious for its intoxicating extravagance and soul-consuming pleasures, had today beco a place reminiscent of an Immortal Realm.
The ambiguous lights, dense fragrances mixed with odd stenches, and seductive lodies had all vanished without a trace. The wealthy elite seated around felt as though they were part of a celestial banquet in the Heavenly Palace.
This experience was indeed extraordinary.
Even the Joyful Pavilion Market couldn't compare, after all, they could neither invite nor acquire the source of this atmosphere, the woman known as "Lady i."
Nonetheless, among the guests, there were those who were sober, like Tao Qian.
In his eyes, reflected unintentionally, was the truth of the stage:
There, to say Lady i was performing a dance or writhing might both be accurate.
But she no longer bore the appearance of a Human Clan maiden. Her body had swollen to a height of eight or nine ters, draped in an exceptionally soft, vividly colored light veil. While her upper torso still resembled that of the Human Clan, her head and lower body had transford dramatically.
Her head had beco smooth, round, and covered with a layer of shiny skin without eyes, nose, or ears, leaving only a vertical slit.
As she tilted her head slightly, a thick honey-like liquid, fragrant and slling sweetly, poured out from the slit, tinkling as it fell to the floor—quickly forming a pond wafting with a thick mist of immortality on the surface.
A light breeze blew inexplicably.
Her body began to sway and shake in a bizarre manner, the light veil wrinkled, and the watery tinkling sounds continued. Thick, white, soft tendrils erged from the bottom of the pond, clinging to the liquid, piercing the mist, and slowly approached the audience. Then, with a 'hiss,' they sprayed a sweetly sickening, sweet-slling vapor.
These wealthy nobles were already drunk and indulgent like ancient scholars who behaved recklessly.
After being sprayed by the mist of Immortal Honey, they beca even more so.
Tao Qian and his three companions were similarly sprayed.
Surprisingly, Little Age, Lian Jing'er, and Shan Jiu all produced excellent feedback.
"Wow, that's so sweet."
"Experiencing an attack by an alien... analyzing... this substance is a kind of essential oil and honey liquid, suitable for lubrication..."
"Eh, is she of the sa kind? This miss's true form must be a kind of Immortal Grass, a pity she's not a sister from Wild Man Mountain."
With the three youths reacting this way, Tao Qian couldn't help but beco intrigued.
While allowing the honey mist to spray over, he also made a seemingly inadvertent motion, suddenly swinging his hands forward, lightly touching one of the soft tendrils.
Such scenes occurred more than once among the audience.
Thus, neither the Demon Cultivators lurking in the dark nor Lady i on the stage noticed anything.
In Tao Qian's mind, a Record imdiately burst forth:
[Na: Lady i.]
[Record Type: Alien Species.]
[Record: This woman is an Alien Life created from the corpse of a Human Clan girl combined with a Jiangzhu Immortal Grass. A few days ago, this woman died and was resurrected with Extraordinary Power, sold to the dance hall in Sleepless City by her parents. After dancing for two days, her unique ability was discovered by the Demon Cultivators under the Ninth Prince, who then forcefully demanded the dance hall surrender her. The backstage boss of the dance hall did not dare to oppose and had to comply.]
[Note 1: The woman has been branded with a Heavenly Demon Seal and is regarded by the Ninth Prince as an important spiritual material. She is to be refined with other materials into a "Six Desires Demon Pill."]
[Note 2: Not only can the Six Desires Demon Pill restore unseen injuries on the Ninth Prince, but it can also cause his Cultivation to surge dramatically. He plans to begin the Alchemy process in ten days.]
[Note 3: Despite subconsciously sensing her pitiful fate, the woman insists on performing to aid disaster relief. To ensure the dicinal properties of the Immortal Grass remain intact, the Ninth Prince had no choice but to et her demands. However, he has arranged for a group of Demon Cultivators to guard her, preventing others from coming into contact.]
Note 4: Although this girl has not practiced cultivation, she can already use so of the powers of the Jiangzhu Immortal Grass. She can secrete Immortal Honey into mist, allowing people to gain certain benefits.
...
Secret revelations surfaced one by one, yet Tao Qian felt little surprise after understanding them.
"Long ago when I passed by Demon City, the Returning Immortal Mirror had told that this place was ruled by the Ninth Prince, and that the Ninth Prince was the successor of the Taishang Demon Sect."
"When I left the sect, my Master asked to make a trip here, it's clear that my tribulation and opportunity are to be fulfilled, inevitably entwining with the Ninth Prince."
"So, it's normal that Lady i and Zhang Baisui are my Tribulation Leaders."
"But still, I do not know what the great benefit that my Master spoke of actually is."
As Tao Qian's mind stirred, the performance within the ballroom also ca to an end.
The feast in the Immortal Palace, like passing shadows, faded away.
Onstage, only a frail woman remained, panting softly, her body covered in sweat, yet still extraordinarily beautiful.
"Bravo!"
Zhang Baisui, the second-generation warlord, unsurprisingly took the lead in starting the applause.
He even began arranging for donations soon after. Although many socialites looked down upon this second-generation figure, they had just experienced sothing extraordinary and received Lady i's kindness; how could they not open their wallets in charity?
Even Tao Qian easily waved his hand, donating the now useless silver coin banknotes he had with him.
In the face of Zhang Baisui's hopping up and down, those sent by the Ninth Prince felt sowhat disgusted by him, but indeed they could find no fault with what he was doing.
Among the demon cultivators, the leader was a man with a waxen face and lascivious eyes, sporting a goatee.
His aura revealed that his cultivation had reached the realm of Perfect Transcend Mortality.
Mysteriously appearing on the stage, he bowed to Lady i, then said with a smile that did not reach his eyes:
"Lady i, your wish has been granted. Now, follow this old man back to the mansion."
"Rest assured, all the charity raised will certainly be converted into rice and distributed among the many disaster victims."
Having said that, the old man swirled his sleeve, ready to use his Divine Skills to take Lady i away.
The latter did not resist but revealed a hint of sorrow and reluctance.
That look instantly broke the hearts of many in the audience.
Yet, no one made a move.
Indeed, among this gathering of wealthy rchants, influential figures, and officials—many of whom were cultivators themselves or had cultivators as bodyguards—like Zhang Baisui, they too held a fondness for Lady i and wanted desperately to rescue her.
Unfortunately, they could not do so.
In such a vast Demon City, indeed no one dared to offend the Ninth Prince.
Even if they joined forces, they would not match up to even one of his fingers.
Zhang Baisui, eager to act and about to curse aloud, also thought of intervening. However, he was swiftly and deftly blocked by his bodyguard, leaving him to whine and whimper helplessly below the stage, unable to do anything.
At that mont, at a secluded table,
Tao Qian, who pretended to drink wine, was in fact taking out his Demon Gourd, carefully selecting from within.
He quickly made his choice.
Clutching the Demon Gourd and giving it a shake, a sphere of red light poured out and rolled on the ground, transforming into a small female ghost with a distinctive appearance.
This little ghost wore red clothes and her hair was done up in buns.
Her round face seed to flush with redness.
Her looks were so charming and adorable that anyone who saw her would find her captivating, not to ntion the soft, bright red little horns on her forehead that made people want to play with them.
But as she opened her mouth, one could instantly see the rows of crimson, sharp teeth.
Drool trailed from her mouth, both silly and ferocious.
However, since she ca from the "Demon Gourd," her origins evidently needed no further explanation, an Outer Realm Demon for sure.
And indeed it was so!
This Demon was called the Red Horned Demon, also known by the nickna Red Lady Demon.
Her rarity was on a par with that of the Decree Demon.
If Tao Qian hadn't been adept at summoning demons, controlling demons, and moreover possessed a Demon Pill as bait, he would never have been able to capture her.
The Red Lady excelled at stealth, even more so than Invisibility Demons.
Although the latter was convenient to command, it had a high likelihood of being exposed in the presence of highly cultivated individuals or in places protected by Forbidden Techniques.
The Red Lady was different; she was skilled in various stealth thods and could even silently attach herself inside the body of a life form.
As long as she did not reveal herself, not even the most powerful cultivators could detect her presence.
There was just one thing that had to be specified in advance.
"Red Lady, I command you to hide inside that woman's body. Do not act rashly until I summon you,"
"Oh, and you mustn't eat her. Not even a bit of her, no part at all."
As expected, Tao Qian added the last sentence.
The Red Lady, who had been playing dumb, imdiately bared her teeth and growled in an adorable voice:
"Why not? At most, I won't touch her Primordial Spirit, just a few nibbles of her heart, or maybe her brain matter."
"Despicable Human Clan Cultivator, don't think I'm intimidated by calling you master. It's absolutely unacceptable to command without proper benefits. If you push the Red Lady too hard, I might just self-consu."
Hearing this, Tao Qian couldn't help but be speechless.
He had perfected his Summoning Demon Technique and had commanded a vast number of demons of various types.
Most demons, once in his hands, had to obey his command and couldn't resist.
But occasionally, there were exceptions.
Like this Red Lady Demon, who had a thod called "self-consumption."
As the na suggests, she could eat herself from head to toe.
Though she would be essentially dead as a result,
the process was painless, and after self-consuming, her essence would return to the Outer Realm and be reborn in another way.
Because of this, Tao Qian's threats to the Red Lady Demon weren't very compelling.
Fortunately, besides intimidation, Tao Qian could also resort to bribery.
"One Demon Pill!"
The condition given, the Red Lady's eyes imdiately lit up.
"Two Demon Pills!"
"Deal!"
"Damn, I was tricked."
Seeing Tao Qian agree so readily, the Red Lady felt cheated, throwing a tantrum on the ground and crying loudly.
Seeing this scene made Tao Qian feel a bit better imdiately.
"Be grateful, in the past when I, your master, used the Star Zha Demon and Substitute Demon, the reward was always one Demon Pill."
"Pah, how can that be the sa? Look at the Ten Thousand Demon List, master. I, the Red Lady, am a whole grade higher than those useless snacks. Only giving two Demon Pills, just wait until I return to the Outer Realm. Master, don't bla for broadcasting everywhere about your stinginess, making it so that next ti you summon a demon, you won't be able to summon even one."
"Heh, every demon I've summoned has said the sa. Yet, I've never seen you carry through with that. I reckon you, the Red Lady, won't do such a self-destructive thing that also benefits other demons."
"Enough nonsense, get lost, get lost."
Tao Qian chuckled at the Red Lady and then flicked his finger.
Caught off-guard, the Red Lady let out a muffled grunt as she was flicked away.
A red light, invisible to the naked eye, shot across the dance hall, and without anyone noticing, entered the body of Lady i.
Almost imdiately after Tao Qian had set this covert plan in motion,
Lady i was led away by a group of Demon Cultivators. With the main character gone, the dance hall emptied, including Zhang Baisui and other distinguished guests.
Despite having so opportunities and reasons, Tao Qian did not imdiately engage with Zhang Baisui, the second Tribulation Leader.
The reason was simple.
"One must plan thoroughly before acting. It's my first ti in Demon City, and there are many unknowns. I must not act rashly."
"According to the Record, Lady i's life will be in jeopardy in ten days, so it's best to plant a demon first and observe the changes."
"As for that warlord's heir, Zhang Baisui, and the Ninth Prince... Both of them co from extraordinary backgrounds and are tied to so threatening ons. I will set them aside for now, until I have a clear understanding of what's happening within Demon City. Then it will not be too late to make plans."
"Having learned from the lesson of Southern Yue, how could I, Tao Qian, rashly stumble into tribulation again?"
Outside the dance hall, Tao Qian was feeling quite pleased with himself, while also pondering where to go next to hear so secret and detailed news.
But just at that mont, there was a disturbance inside the Holy Embryo Bag he was using as a "Storage Treasure Bag" in his bosom.
A familiar voice reached his ear.
"Nephew Tao, the ti has co."
"A few miles east of here, a suitable Reincarnation Body for your uncle is being born. Hurry there, whether I can reincarnate depends on you now."
ps: Another chapter is coming. Seeking double monthly tickets.
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