Chapter 178: Revenge is a Dish Best Served Immediately
by DiswaStepping into the Tingfeng Tower, Bi Jie seemed quite familiar with everything and spoke directly:
“A Xuan-character room.”
As his voice fell, a servant immediately appeared and led Lu Yan and Bi Jie to the third floor.
Bi Jie and the attendant remained at the door, while Lu Yan stepped into a pitch-black secret chamber.
Inside the secret chamber, a figure completely shrouded in a black robe sat before a counter. A voice, with a vague and greasy quality, spoke to Lu Yan:
“What news would you like to inquire about, sir?”
Possessing the True Intent of Xuan Tong, Lu Yan could clearly perceive that the black-robed man and the darkness in the room were merely illusions. The one speaking to Lu Yan was not human, but a giant squid covered in tentacles.
It spewed ink to create darkness that enveloped the room, making it impossible for ordinary means to discern its true nature. Its tentacles were disguised as the black-robed man, while its massive body hid in the center of the Tingfeng Tower, controlling the entire building.
A hint of interest flashed in his eyes, and Lu Yan spoke in a calm tone:
“The Li family, the Emissary of the Underworld.”
Inside the Tingfeng Tower, the giant squid revealed a smile, its indistinct voice responding:
“The price for information regarding the Underworld Emissary is not cheap.”
Lu Yan said nothing, his right hand reaching into his robes and taking out a piece of blood-stained gold from his storage bag, tossing it towards the black-robed figure.
“Demon Blood Gold!”
The squid exclaimed in a low voice, a greedy look immediately appearing in its eyes.
Demon Blood Gold was gold that had been steeped in demon blood for a long time. Holding it for an extended period could increase the body’s level of contamination, helping a Transcendent martial artist shed their mortal coil.
According to Bi Jie, ten taels of Demon Blood Gold was enough to purchase a low-grade true technique manual practiced by fewer than a thousand people.
Although it was only the lowest grade of true technique, the fact that fewer than a thousand people practiced it meant there was a hope of comprehending the True Intent of the Great Dao, making its value far beyond that of ordinary treasures.
The Demon Blood Gold that Lu Yan had tossed out was part of the gold left over from the previous urban-themed version of the world, a full fifty taels.
“Not enough!”
The squid demon said greedily:
“The Underworld is a force from mythology, and the Lord of the Underworld is even suspected to be an Enlightened One. A mere fifty taels of Demon Blood Gold cannot buy information about the Underworld Emissary.”
Lu Yan remained completely unmoved and sneered:
“Fifty taels of Demon Blood Gold certainly can’t buy information on a real Underworld Emissary, but the one in the Li family is just an impostor.”
The squid demon’s aura faltered for a moment, and its expression immediately turned grim:
“Since you already know, why did you still come to the Tingfeng Tower?”
“Merely to verify some information, and to see if the Tingfeng Tower lives up to its name.”
The squid demon fell silent for a moment, then a tentacle rolled up a scroll and threw it to Lu Yan.
Lu Yan reached out, caught the scroll, and looked at its contents.
The demon version of the Li family was different from the xianxia and urban versions. In the xianxia and urban versions, Li Hao was the sole dominant figure, suppressing the rest of his clan to the point where they had no say.
But in the demon version, the Li family had three branches.
The first branch was led by the family head, Li Hao, whose cultivation was at the peak of the Mara Realm, making him the strongest in the Li family.
However, the Li family’s second branch had two Mara Realm true technique martial artists, and even the third branch had a newly advanced Mara Realm expert.
Although the first branch was powerful, it could not completely suppress the other two branches.
During the Underworld chaos half a year ago, the family head, Li Hao, was the first to pledge allegiance to the ghosts and gods of the Underworld, accumulating considerable prestige and pushing the Li family’s influence to its peak. The first branch completely suppressed the other two.
But the news of this Underworld Emissary’s arrival had first come from the second and third branches.
At that time, the family head, Li Hao, was reporting his duties in the Imperial Capital. By the time he learned of the matter, the news had already spread throughout the entire human territory.
Li Hao, upon returning from the Imperial Capital, was furious. He had reprimanded the Mara Realm experts of the other two branches in the family mansion, and a conflict had even broken out within the Li family residence because of it.
The specific details were unknown, but after this incident, the Li family was completely split internally.
At this point, the Tingfeng Tower made its deduction: the Underworld Emissary who had graced the Li family was very likely a fake. The so-called banquet for all to display the Underworld’s might was just a joke born from the Li family’s internal strife.
However, all the major millennium-old families had responded. Even if Li Hao knew it was a fake, he could only pinch his nose and accept it for the time being.
After browsing through this information, Lu Yan slowly breathed a sigh of relief.
His biggest worry was that Li Hao himself had colluded with external forces to deliberately create this so-called Underworld Emissary to test the Underworld.
Now that it was just an internal struggle within the Li family, with a few idiots creating a fake emissary for power and profit, Lu Yan felt much more at ease.
Although there were still many suspicious points in this information, there was no news proving that Li Hao had betrayed the Underworld.
His right hand ignited a flame, turning the scroll in his hand to ash. The squid demon spoke with displeasure:
“What else does the esteemed guest require?”
“Li Hao’s whereabouts these past few days.”
A thoughtful look flashed in the squid demon’s eyes, but it still said, “Ten taels of Demon Blood Gold.”
Lu Yan once again took out ten taels of Demon Blood Gold and tossed them to the squid demon, receiving another scroll in return.
Just as he was about to leave with the scroll, the squid demon suddenly spoke:
“Esteemed guest, I wonder if you have any interest in selling a spatial treasure? My Tingfeng Tower is willing to purchase it at a high price.”
Lu Yan frowned and said coldly, “Not interested.”
With that, he strode towards the door.
“My Tingfeng Tower conducts legitimate business. If the esteemed guest is unwilling to trade, we will not force you.
However, if someone else inquires about the Li family later, what the esteemed guest has done today might also become part of the information.”
The squid demon’s slimy, mucus-coated voice sounded again, and the black mist at the doorway grew thicker, obscuring the entrance.
Lu Yan’s steps halted. He turned to look at the disguised black-robed figure.
“Are you threatening me?”
The squid demon let out another light laugh, “How could that be? We at Tingfeng Tower are a legitimate business; we value mutual consent. This is just part of the transaction.”
Lu Yan’s gaze pierced through the obstruction of the floor, his sight falling upon the giant squid demon.
The squid demon was only at the peak of the Foundation Establishment realm, not particularly strong. If Lu Yan used the Gate of Xuanpin and attacked with his full strength, he could kill it in an instant.
However, this was Luo City, after all, a place where various forces mingled. Although he didn’t know if there were any Nether Abyss Realm ancestors, at this critical juncture, there were at least a double-digit number of Mara Realm experts present in Luo City.
If Lu Yan made a move, he would surely be detected by the various forces.
The squid demon was naturally unaware that Lu Yan had already developed killing intent. In its eyes, although Lu Yan was generous, he was just a minor character who hadn’t even comprehended the True Intent of the Great Dao.
If not for the rules within Luo City, it would have already killed Lu Yan and taken his treasures.
After a long silence, Lu Yan took out the lowest-grade gray storage bag from his robes and threw it to the black-robed figure disguised by the squid demon’s tentacle.
The squid demon chuckled, its voice indistinct:
“A wise choice! The Tingfeng Tower will seal all information related to the esteemed guest. No one will know what you inquired about today.”
Lu Yan didn’t believe the squid demon’s words at all. He pushed open the now-revealed door and strode out.
Inside the room, the squid demon’s tentacles fumbled with the gray storage bag, muttering in a low voice:
“It’s not made from the body of a demon that has comprehended spatial true intent, but rather some kind of fabric?
A fine treasure! Truly a fine treasure!”
“For him to hand it over so readily, he might have more of these spatial treasures on him.”
Lu Yan left the Tingfeng Tower with Bi Jie and disappeared into the crowd.
At night, in the forbidden land of Beiman Mountain.
The Li family had long since sealed off all areas around Beiman Mountain, especially the forbidden ruins, which were of utmost importance, and no outsiders were allowed to enter.
And right at the core of these forbidden ruins, an old man stood.
He wore a worn-out Daoist robe, his face aged, but his eyes were as black as an abyss. His long beard drifted like smoke and mist, and the dark red staff in his hand was entwined with writhing vines. With every step, a faint green ripple spread from under his feet, his shadow twisting erratically, exuding a bizarre aura.
He was none other than the head of the Li family, Li Hao, the number one expert in Luo City at the peak of the Mara Realm.
Ever since that strange event occurred in his family, he had come to the Beiman Forbidden Land almost every day.
Each time, he hoped to see a trace of the Underworld, but each time he returned disappointed.
Half a year ago, the Beiman Forbidden Land appeared, and the chaos of the Hundred Ghosts Night Parade and the passage of Yin soldiers swept through Luo City. As the head of the number one family in Luo City, Li Hao naturally took the lead in exploring the Beiman Forbidden Land.
It was here that he met the ghosts and gods of the Underworld, which had only existed in myths and legends.
Seeking opportunity, he willingly became a running dog for the Blood God of the Underworld and eventually obtained the Blood God’s decree to explore the Great Tomb of Beiman.
The exploration teams formed by the various forces were nearly wiped out in the Great Tomb of Beiman, which led the Ghost God of Beiman to give up on returning to the world of the living and start a war of ghosts and gods with the Blood God of the Underworld.
In this battle, the two great ghost gods displayed their unparalleled divine might. The battle’s impact was widespread, even attracting the intervention of the Heavenly Dao.
In the end, the Lord of the Underworld descended, erased the effects of the Heavenly Dao’s intervention, and with supreme power, took away the Beiman Forbidden Land and the two ghost gods, leaving behind a legend that shook both the demon and human races.
Although the Underworld had departed, there were still benefits left behind in Beiman Mountain from the Beiman Forbidden Land.
Initially, the Li family, using their title as running dogs of the Underworld’s ghosts and gods, held absolute dominance in the division of Beiman Mountain, and no other force could interfere.
But as the Underworld remained hidden, the millennium-old families began to covet the benefits of Beiman Mountain and sought cooperation, but they were all rejected by Li Hao.
At first, the millennium-old families were still wary of the terrifying power displayed by the Underworld and did not dare to press the issue.
But as time passed and there was no movement from the Underworld, rumors even spread that the Underworld had already left this world. This gave the millennium-old families an opportunity.
Some families stirred up trouble, actively guiding the Li family’s second and third branches, inciting them to fight with the first branch. After the conflict intensified, they even claimed that the true lineage of the Underworld lay with the second and third branches and forged a so-called Underworld Emissary.
This matter instantly put Li Hao in an extremely awkward position.
To acknowledge the fake Underworld Emissary was undoubtedly a blasphemy against the Underworld. Once the ghosts and gods of the Underworld returned, Li Hao, as the head of the Li family, would surely bear the responsibility.
But the news had already spread. If he publicly declared the Underworld Emissary to be a fake, it would undoubtedly damage the Li family’s reputation and even attract suspicion from the millennium-old families.
“Your Li family claims to be the orthodox lineage of the Underworld’s ghosts and gods, yet you can’t even distinguish an Underworld Emissary. You must be rebellious traitors using the Underworld’s name in vain!”
Once this label was attached, unless the Underworld’s ghosts and gods could acknowledge them in person, the Li family would never be able to rise again.
But the Underworld’s ghosts and gods had already crossed realms and left. Whether they would reappear was still unknown. How could Li Hao cope?
In just one short month, the changing situation had nearly pushed Li Hao to the brink.
“Three days from now, a banquet for all?”
Li Hao’s gaze grew deeper.
As the formidable leader who had single-handedly brought the Li family to its current position, how could he be willing to fail so easily?
As of today, he no longer held any hope that the ghosts and gods of the Underworld would respond.
Li Hao had placed all his bets on the banquet three days later. If the various families chose to use the fake Underworld Emissary to pressure him, he would go all out and activate the backup plan buried in his mansion, devouring everyone present to break through to the legendary Nether Abyss Realm.
If he could succeed in breaking through, even the millennium-old families and the imperial royal family would have to pinch their noses and acknowledge his status.
If he failed, it was nothing more than death.
“It’s just… a pity for the opportunity that should have soared on the momentum of the ghost gods.”
“Relying on external forces is, in the end, too fragile.”
Li Hao let out a soft sigh.
Just then, Li Hao suddenly turned his head, a divine light shooting from his eyes towards a certain spot in the forbidden land.
“Who is it?”
Layers of clouds and mist were pierced by the divine light, finally revealing a figure in a black robe.
The newcomer was none other than Lu Yan.
He had used the True Intent of Xuan Tong to evade the Li family’s heavy blockade and come to the depths of this forbidden land, precisely to find Li Hao.
At this moment, he was wearing the black robe condensed from the Blood God’s soul’s computational power, striding towards the number one peak Mara Realm expert of Luo City, with no fear on his face.
On the contrary, when Li Hao saw the black robe on Lu Yan, his pupils suddenly contracted, and his aura showed a moment of instability.
Li Hao instinctively bowed and asked cautiously:
“And you are?”
Lu Yan did not speak, merely sizing up Li Hao with a scrutinizing gaze.
After a moment, Lu Yan smiled and said, “Lord Blood God said he had taken in an old dog in the mortal world and ordered me to come and see.”
Li Hao immediately prostrated himself on the ground, proclaiming loudly:
“Old dog Li Hao pays his respects to Lord Emissary!”
Lu Yan chuckled and asked, “Aren’t you afraid of mistaking the person?”
“I was fortunate enough to witness that battle of ghosts and gods. The aura on Lord Emissary is exactly the same as Lord Blood God’s. I would not dare to forget!”
“Very good!” Lu Yan clapped his hands in praise.
“But if you want to show loyalty, just barking a few times is not quite enough.”
Li Hao immediately understood Lu Yan’s meaning and said at once, “I will obey any command from you, my lord!”
A curve formed on Lu Yan’s lips, “It’s nothing troublesome, just a little thief who has his eyes on my belongings.”
A quarter of an hour later, above Luo City, a clap of thunder exploded.
“The Tingfeng Tower harbors a demon. The crime is unforgivable!”
As the voice fell, a giant palm descended from the sky, enveloping the entire Tingfeng Tower.
The void distorted under this power, and countless vengeful souls swirled around the palm, letting out sharp wails.
The countless bronze bells of the Tingfeng Tower trembled and rang in unison, about to manifest a demonic phantom, but in just an instant, all the bells shattered, and the nine-story building collapsed with a roar.
Inside the tall building, the giant squid demon only had time to let out a single wail before being turned to dust under the mighty power of the Mara Realm.
(End of this chapter)
0 Comments