Please, Young Master, Slay the Demon!
Chapter 454 - 33: Grand Priest [Vote for the month!]

Chapter 454: Chapter 33: Grand Priest [Vote for the month!]

"Bah—"

A cry rang out from outside. Chu Liang went to check it out and found that this month’s Seven Star Mansion Report had arrived.

Many significant events had happened in the Immortal Cultivation World over the past month, and Chu Liang had personally experienced one of the biggest ones.

Just as expected, once past the Human World Treasure List, the first item of the Strategy of Nine States was the big battle at the Whale Guild Headquarters and its causes and consequences.

From Mars assassinating Xu Baishan, to the search for Chu Liang at Shu Mountain, to Empress Feng’s punch that incapacitated the Red Door God, and Jiang Shenting’s plot being exposed, the whole story was full of ups and downs.

What surprised Chu Liang, however, was that this edition of Seven Star Mansion Report didn’t slander his Master. When describing Empress Feng, it didn’t skimp on praises. They depicted her as a Immortal Sect power figure who loves her disciples and upholds justice, which was completely contrary to her previous image in the reports.

Presumably, when his Master went to Tianshu Pavilion to seek help in finding him, she must have also "intervened" them... Or probably, she mainly went over for "intervention", and to find him just by the way.

At the end of this piece, Tianshu Pavilion also reminded all Immortal Sects in Nine States that Mars might re-emerge, and they must guard against this group of madmen, who not only stir up chaos but also possess great power.

The second piece of news was about the resurgence of beast waves in the Western Countries.

Ever since the remnants of the Demonic Clan fled to the Far West Land thousands of years back, the Human Clan hasn’t forgotten this terrifying existence. The recent uproar over the return of the Demon God made them even more vigilant towards the Far West.

The western regions, serving as a buffer zone between the Yu Dynasty and the Demonic Clan, react nervously at the slightest sign of unrest.

Usually, only major movements in the Far West would provoke the beast tides to attack the western regions. This time, even though Tianshu Pavilion made various attempts to investigate, they found nothing.

The Imperial Court might have received intelligence, but keeping some information confidential was a common practice.

In these few thousand years, several prosperous cities have emerged at the frontiers of Xizhou in the Yu Dynasty. They grew by trading with the Western Countries and established a well-regulated ecosystem.

However, after the recent news of Demon God’s return, massive populations started departing Xizhou, moving inland. The prosperity of the frontier cities fell drastically.

"Demon God..."

Chu Liang found this term quite strange as he gazed upon it.

Previously, the Far West had sent a Divine Envoy to announce worldwide that the Demon Clan was returning; with that grand display, it felt as if the return of the Demon God was a foregone conclusion. Yet, so much time had passed, and there wasn’t a hint of news, it felt like a lot of thunder and little rain.

This made their previous actions seem quite eccentric.

If they weren’t certain of the Demon God’s return, they should have searched quietly. Why did they make a big fuss about it beforehand instead?

It was quite baffling.

Moving on to the Jianghu Yiwon Record.

The most explosive news was that the Chief General Election of the Nanyin Square was coming!

After these days of tour competition, Shen Qingyan was currently the most popular, followed closely by Yu Xiang’er and then Xue Lingxue. If the final election were to be held with this momentum, it’s hard to tell who would become the Chief.

It would certainly be full of excitement.

People from all corners of the world were expected to rush to Nanyin Square to support their favorites. It wasn’t rare for a turnabout to happen because of a group having fewer supporters but greater strength.

This was sure to be an exciting general election season.

Chu Liang, though not interested in such things, could imagine that it would be an unprecedented grand occasion, with many disciples from Shu Mountain likely to rush over.

Like a certain Lin-surnamed disciple from Jade Sword Peak.

...

Far West Land, at the Seven Kings Ridge.

At the summit of the steep mountain that resembled black iron, stood a temple that wasn’t extravagant. It looked rather simple and small, and the plaque had only two simple characters.

"God’s Temple".

But this little temple was now the power center of the entire Far West Demon Clan. The commands from the temple were obeyed even by the seven Great Demon Kings.

At this moment, two figures were waiting outside the temple.

One was a woman dressed in a rainbow-colored dress, fair-skinned and beautiful, with an ethereal aura. It seemed as if she wasn’t in the demon territories, but in the immortal lands.

The other was a young man with disheveled hair. He had bronze skin, with decisive and distinct features, and three purple stripes on his left cheek.

"Cai Yi?" The man exclaimed in surprise. "You’re here too?"

"The Grand Priest summoned." The woman’s response was somewhat cold.

"The Grand Priest didn’t summon anyone else, only called the two of us, does that mean we share a destiny?" The man said joyfully.

Cai Yi frowned and ignored him.

Long-haired man, named Changfeng, was the current Great Lake Demon King and the leader of the Snake Tribe.

He had nearly two hundred wives and concubines from various clans, but he always wanted to unite through marriage with her. This had been a source of annoyance for Cai Yi, and she generally avoided speaking to him at the Demon King meetings. Unexpectedly, this time, the temple summoned just the two of them.

Just as the atmosphere was growing awkward, a Divine Envoy wearing a bronze mask walked out of the temple and said in a loud voice, "The Grand Priest invites the Qingqiu Demon King and Great Lake Demon King to enter the temple!"

Even for the kings at the apex of the demonic power structure, none would dare to enter the divine temple without the command of the Grand Priest, a testament to his authority.

As they entered the temple, they saw a statue of the demon god enshrined on the divine platform right in front of them.

It was the only demon god’s statue in the mortal realm.

The features of the demon god’s statue were vague, bearing a humanoid form with six unfolding wings behind. Merely a statue, yet it emanated an unparalleled oppressive aura that the demon kings could hardly look at straight.

Beneath the statue stood a tall figure wearing a golden mask. Nearly ten feet tall, he held a scepter in his right hand, twisted and braided with the hair and feathers of myriad beasts. It symbolized the unity of all demonic creatures and displayed his authority.

"Grand Priest."

Both Cai Yi and Changfeng bowed their heads first in respect.

"King of Qingqiu, King of Da Ze..." The Grand Priest’s voice was somber and distant, as though coming from far beyond the heavens. "I have summoned you both here because I have an important mission to entrust."

"We will carry out the will of the gods," the two demon kings replied in unison.

"Since we last received the breath of the gods, my divine envoys have announced this news to the world, but the god has yet to descend. I understand that many demon kings are perplexed. I believe you two share the same doubts," said the Grand Priest calmly.

The demon kings remained silent, not daring to question the gods, yet they certainly harbored doubts about the Grand Priest.

After proliferating in the lands of the Far West for thousands of years, the majesty of the gods has faded within the demonic clan, and although the status of the divine temple remains revered, it’s not as submissive as it once was. There is a subtle power struggle going on within it.

Because everyone has lost hope in the gods, the status of the divine temple and divine envoys naturally declines.

However, as word of the return of the demon god spread, the divine temple, which shared the honor and disgrace of the gods, naturally rose in status, instantaneously gaining unparalleled authority.

But after all this time, with no new news and the absent gods not descending to save their children from the peril in the Far West, people’s enthusiasm naturally started to wane. Some demons even suspected that this was a lie fabricated by the Grand Priest to elevate his status.

Of course, these doubts could not be openly expressed.

Meanwhile, in Nine States without the authority of the divine temple, such comments have been spreading wildly, with countless humans starting to mock the god of the demonic clan as a fake, accusing them of causing unnecessary panic for so long.

"The truth is, the god has indeed appeared," the Grand Priest continued. "But the supreme god is in a chaotic and obscure slumber. I can sense its breath, but I can’t make contact with it through the statue. Hence, I had my divine envoys announce the news to the world, hoping that the collective call of the numerous members of the demonic clan for the god’s return may break through this chaos."

"And it did work. I can feel that the god’s slumber is becoming shallower..."

The Grand Priest’s words stirred some emotions in the two demon kings.

So, it was for this reason?

News that the god needed the demonic clan to save him could naturally not be made public, so it was no wonder the divine temple has been tight-lipped about it, offering no explanations.

"Now, I hope to send a vanguard to infiltrate the Nine States of the Human Race in preparation for the war upon the god’s return," the Grand Priest paused briefly before continuing, "and you two are the ones I hope would take up this mission."

Only then did the demon kings understand the Grand Priest’s intention.

It was not surprising that they were chosen. Among the seven major demonic clans, only they were the young and new-generation demon kings, and their authority was not as high as that on Seven Kings Ridge.

The other five were great demons who had existed since the times of the demon god. The Grand Priest could not easily summon them, and they might even refuse.

"Sure!" Changfeng immediately agreed, "it would be best if we could work together. Even though I am not very familiar with the Nine States Human Race, Cai Yi is. She has done great deeds before because of..."

He stopped abruptly in his speech.

Because at that moment when he was about to say something, Cai Yi glared at him fiercely, her eyes sharp as a knife.

For a moment, Changfeng even felt she genuinely wanted to kill him!

His pupils shrunk, and he quickly changed his words: "Never mind, let’s act separately."

...

Shu Mountain, Silver Sword Peak.

In a secluded berry field atop the mountain, a skinny young cultivator crouched down, looking at the berries in his basket with a conflicted look.

If these picked berries were taken out, he would have to pay for them. But if he ate them right now, he wouldn’t have to.

After some thought, he decided to eat a few of them right then.

Just as he was about to act, a sharp voice came from above his head: "Seriously?"

"Huh?" The cultivator stumbled in surprise.

When he looked up, he saw a gold pattern flower in front of him, its radiant glow flickering. It was undoubtedly the source of the voice!

"I didn’t want to say anything but your actions are incredibly shifty. If you didn’t want to spend money, you should’ve picked less. Why pick so many? Want to eat more, then pay a little. Who wouldn’t be able to afford that? In consideration of your hesitation earlier, I presume you still have some semblance of conscience left, so I’ll refrain from shouting for help this time. I see you’re here with a female companion. You wouldn’t want her to think you’re a morally flawed young man, would you? Hurry up and go pay. Let’s not repeat this. Why are you dawdling? Get going."

"Ah... okay."

The young man was left a little dazed by the flurry of words. The flower displayed no demonic aura, so how did it speak?

It could even berate people?

Huh?