Ashuren silently laid the two unconscious won on the bed, his eyes already devoid of worldly desire.
He cocked his ear to listen to the surrounding sounds, then, with a speed that belied his burly figure, he flashed out of the window and stealthily moved through the dark alley, eventually entering a wooden attic filled with the strong scent of flowers—inside the Heavenly Fragrance Pavilion.
Like a phantom, he entered through a slightly ajar wooden window, finding himself in an elegant and natural sitting room.
All around, the furniture was wooden, imbued with a natural vibe, and ahead, vines hung like curtains, through whose gaps two figures could be seen sitting and embracing each other, engaged in an intensely fierce struggle.
Continuous, song-like long chants filled the air.
Ashuren acted as if he saw nothing, heard nothing, and spoke indifferently, "You Mountain Lord is with the Taiping Sect, Da Feng and Zaochi could be as well, out of whom You Mountain Lord has already been eliminated by Li Qinglian. My identity, too, has been discovered by Li Qinglian."
"Why didn’t he expose you?" a deep male voice ca.
"I made a trade with him using a fragnt of the ’Moluo Sword Manual.’"
Ashuren paused before adding, "He must have already mastered that section of the Cultivation Technique."
"To free himself from the Demon Realm in such a short ti and master the Sword Manual?" The male voice first expressed surprise, then said, "As expected of Taibai True Monarch, the foremost in Sword Dao."
It seed that only this reason could explain the opponent’s performance.
"I’ve co to ask, what should be our next course of action?" Ashuren inquired, "To stop the Taiping Sect, or to...facilitate it?"
The male voice inside did not hesitate, responding imdiately, "The Bodhisattva has already sent down instructions; now we should spread the word about the Devil Cultivator, coordinate with fellow practitioners, protect the citizens of Liangzhou Province, and widely disseminate Buddhist Law."
"What about afterward?" Ashuren asked.
"What will happen afterward, you’ve probably guessed," said the voice slowly, "The Taiping Sect is bound to start trouble, and re protection can only plant the seed of Buddhist Law in the Nine Provinces, but not bring it to fruition."
"You’ve been mixed up in the Desolate God Sect for many years, you should know without calamity, without suffering, how would people seek out gods and buddhas? To universally save all beings, one must possess the heart of a Bodhisattva and the hands of an executioner."
"Hah, that’s not surprising," Ashuren said with a cryptic smile.
"I understand, you carry on."
He shook his head, his figure flashed, and he left as if he had never been there, disappearing within the room.
After he left, that persistent chanting seed to finally reach a climax and fell silent.
A woman with black hair and green eyes slowly moved her palm away from the back of a man’s head, with slender green threads retracting into her fingertips.
"Bang!"
The man fell to the ground, a ghastly sight of skin hanging over bones.
"Amitabha, well done, well done."
Yet the woman sat solemnly on the ground, her body bare, softly reciting scriptures.
...
...
Elsewhere, on the streets of Nether City, the locust god, one of the Nineteen Demons, approached Jiang Li and others.
The locust god was entirely covered in a black cloak, with only a pale hand that held a long banner visible.
On the yellow banner, an oddly shaped and grotesque evil god was embroidered, dressed in luxurious robes but with the head of a locust, emitting divine light, yet displaying ferocity.
The locust god’s presence was subdued, but the evil god on the banner seed as if it could co to life at any mont, ready to erge from the banner and consu human flesh and blood.
The locust god was widely known among the Nineteen Demons for his notoriety. His Divine Locust Banner could summon locusts to create plagues, leaving nothing alive in their wake; although not many directly perished at the hands of the locust god, the number who died indirectly was countless.
The court’s bounty for the Nineteen Demons was the highest for this individual.
"Blocking a strike from so easily, not bad."
A sharp voice accompanied by rustling sounds, like whispering insects, erged with two dark yellow lights appearing under the cloak, "I heard that You Mountain Lord died by your hand?"
A dull yellow light faced Jiang Li directly, as if a pair of eyes were watching him.
"The Holy Infant King furrowed his brows and then revealed a ferocious smile, "Well, you and Da Feng are in cahoots."
The little child looked delicate and lovely, but his smile was filled with evil Qi, with anger fuming from his eyes and nose.
Yet the locust god remained unmoved, replying in that strange voice, "I’ve only t him once before."
While speaking, he still faced Jiang Li, shaking the long banner in his hand, as the Evil God on the banner seed to be watching in unison, "I heard that when you attacked the Judge of the Yin Law Departnt in the Divine Capital, you also revealed the Cosmic Dao Formation?"
With these words out, a ceaseless uproar imdiately arose all around, with the crowd of onlookers discussing animatedly.
Cosmic Dao and Ti Dao, these two Dao thods have always been the hallmark of the Great Venerables, and although other powerful beings have been involved, their mastery can’t compare to that of the Great Venerables.
The locust god’s sudden ntion made the people around imdiately think of the Great Venerable, given that this place was Nether City, the closest to Wushan.
’What is his relationship with the Great Venerable?’
The Holy Infant King, who was about to make a move, stopped and glanced sideways at his companions, ’Could it be that the Great Venerable has stolen Taibai True Monarch’s thunder?’
This thought seed to make sense.
Li Qinglian would join the Devil God Sect because the Great Venerable was poaching, and even this independently manifested incarnation might well be orchestrated by the Great Venerable.
Although this would offend the Daode Sect for no reason, when attributed to the Great Venerable, nothing would seem strange.
For a mont, nurous thoughts surged in the Holy Infant King’s heart.
’It’s bad enough that he knows Li Qinglian killed Cui Jue, but how does he even know about the use of the Book of Luo Formation?’
Jiang Li had an absurd suspicion, ’Could it be that the court, like the Devil God Sect, is riddled with undercover agents? It doesn’t make sense though, if the Devil God Sect is full of sleeper agents, it’s because the Great Venerable doesn’t care, but the court has the Qintian Bureau, the Southern Heavenly Departnt, and the Yin Law Departnt watching over, so there shouldn’t be so many undercover agents.’
It was one thing if it were like Su Li, who was hidden within the Heavenly Prison—after all, the prison was special, completely sealed in and out, and not even divination might be useful—but other places did not have the sa conditions as the prison.
But current facts seed to suggest that there might indeed be quite a few moles within the court.
Otherwise, how could such news have leaked out?
And with the locust god unveiling such news, Nether City imdiately boiled over.
The crowd buzzed with discussion when suddenly a wave of decaying corpse Qi swept over, forcing a path through the throng.
"Could it be Lawless Freedom Li?"
A man with greyish skin, dressed in a grey robe and moving stiffly, walked over, "Qu Lingyan pays his respects."
"Flying Sky Demon" Qu Lingyan, one of the Nineteen Demons with a relatively normal na, was rumored to be staunchly loyal to the Great Venerable, a fresh stream within the Devil God Sect.
Although calling him a fresh stream might seem inappropriate, compared to those others with their uncertain faces, Qu Lingyan was indeed more straightforward.
This man was loyal only to the Great Venerable; among the Nineteen Demons, he operated solo, fully focused on causing trouble. Yet the locust god’s piece of news forced him out, as he approached Jiang Li to express his desire for an acquaintance, even addressing him as ’senior.’
With his words, the whole scene erupted, with cultivators jostling to introduce themselves, each calling Jiang Li "senior" and giving him full respect.
When "Li Qinglian" was first exposed, even though there was the record of Sixth Grade Killing Fifth Grade, it didn’t cause much of a stir; after all, the accomplishnts belonged to soone else, not themselves. A mont of awe was enough. If it ca to forging alliances, they would still have to consider their interests.
Now, with the connection between Jiang Li and the Great Venerable revealed, the benefits far outweighed the risks, and he imdiately felt the warmth of Nether City.
From this aspect, it seed the Devil God Sect wasn’t much different from other places; its mbers were also inclined to seek fortune and avoid misfortune.
As for the locust god who disclosed this news, he remained silent and even quietly disappeared into the crowd, leaving no trace.
One might have thought this eerie figure had co to provoke, but in reality, the locust god turned out to be a dark operative. His few words turned Jiang Li into the center of everyone’s attention.
The news spread even further, and before long, the whole Nether City was aware of the situation.
Shortly after, a group of people hurried over and cleared a path through the crowd.
"The Eldest Prince of the Huai Water Dragon Palace requests Lawless Freedom Li Qinglian’s presence for a eting."
""
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