Please, Young Master, Slay the Demon!
Chapter 853 - 64 Launching the War [Seeking Monthly Votes!]

Chapter 853: Chapter 64 Launching the War [Seeking Monthly Votes!]

Actually, ever since that incident in Fuyao Country, everyone guessed that Penglai would definitely take action. They couldn’t possibly tolerate any infiltration by a force at their doorstep.

Perhaps prompted by the public opinion of the various Immortal Sects, they wouldn’t directly send troops to Fuyao Country, but it was certain they would secretly place some stumbling blocks, with assassination being the most likely. That’s why Han Lingshou had been so cautious, using a body double to move around in his stead.

However, the matter that Penglai had instigated this time was a bit too significant.

Inciting civil strife in another country was a common tactic for Penglai, but they should have anticipated Shu Mountain’s intervention, or at least expected some pressure from public opinion. They went so far as to directly stir up rebellion and assassinate the Monarch, which seemed rather unrestrained.

Chu Liang keenly sensed that things might not be as simple as they appeared in Fuyao Country.

He consoled Han Lingshou, "Monarch, you should settle down in Shu Mountain for now. We will not ignore this matter. After I discuss it with the Sect Master, we will decide how to seek justice for you."

"Okay," Han Lingshou replied pitifully.

Fuyao was also a strong nation of the Eastern Sea, and at its peak, it was capable of contending with the Yu Dynasty. But that was only possible with the support of Penglai. The corresponding price was to be at the beck and call of the Penglai Upper Sect, realizing how weak they actually were once there was any sign of defiance. Over-reliance on others was never a long-term solution.

After arranging for Han Lingshou’s stay, Chu Liang wanted to fly immediately to Tontian Peak to report the matter to Master Wen Yuan. Penglai’s long-hidden patience indicated their actions wouldn’t stop here, and he needed to discuss precautions with the Shu Mountain Upper Echelon.

In fact, he wouldn’t have been so sensitive if not for Lu Cang’s four words "be cautious of Penglai," which made him extra vigilant.

But just as he stepped out of the main gate of the Red Cotton Peak loft, he saw a familiar figure.

This person, dressed in a Taoist robe with a bamboo clasp in his hair, wore a solemn face—it was Daoist Cang Sheng, the Sect Leader of the Penglai Upper Sect. His left sleeve hung empty and billowed in the wind, while his right hand was behind his back. He stood there quietly, observing everything about Red Cotton Peak.

Seeing this figure, Chu Liang’s slight worries were immediately confirmed.

"I have always been curious about what kind of magic you possess?"

Daoist Cang Sheng turned to look at Chu Liang. Although they hadn’t met many times, his eyes treated Chu Liang as if he were an old acquaintance, probably because he had been studying Chu Liang’s life quite a bit during this time.

"Rising so quickly in a short period of time, completely transforming Shu Mountain. Despite not practicing much, you have made rapid progress in your cultivation, possess strange Magic Artifacts of unknown origin, have survived numerous crises, and each time you have turned misfortune into fortune—even I could not kill you personally... To escape from the hands of the Demonic Clan, and even..."

He paused here, then added another sentence, "If I could, I actually wouldn’t want to kill you."

Chu Liang looked at Daoist Cang Sheng calmly, not uttering any threats, because he knew that since the other had come, he wouldn’t care that this place was Shu Mountain. He posed a question instead.

"Is it worth it?" Chu Liang asked indifferently.

No matter what, Penglai was certain to pay a heavy price for this intervention. He was also curious about what kind of magic he possessed that made the Penglai Upper Sect willing to go so far.

Daoist Cang Sheng shook his head, "Perhaps I would have a chance to know if you stayed alive, but I don’t want to give you that opportunity."

Everything around him froze, even the falling leaves suspended mid-air, and the birds in the sky neither rose nor sunk. From the moment Chu Liang walked out of the loft, time on Red Cotton Peak had stopped.

Though he could speak and move, he couldn’t do anything else, not even return to the Black Dragon Secret Realm. Last time he realized that when an Eighth Realm cultivator wants to kill you, there’s basically no way to resist, unless another Eighth Realm cultivator steps in.

But there was none now.

Daoist Cang Sheng extended his right hand and gently pointed at Chu Liang.

Whoosh—

For others, achieving the effect of the Counter Current would require the use of Immortal Law, but for Daoist Master Wu Ya, it was a simple gesture. Chu Liang’s face and skin aged rapidly, his bones disintegrated into dust, and his clothes shattered into nothingness.

In an instant, he vanished like smoke in the wind.

But Daoist Cang Sheng’s brows furrowed slightly, "Huh?"

...

Shu Mountain, Guard Peak.

Baize sat cross-legged in her cave dwelling, meditating. When she opened her eyes, she reached out to touch the Baize cubs sleeping next to their mother and whispered, "Go out and play for a while."

"Wu..." The Baize cub, snuggled up against her in its sleep, made a reluctant whining sound.

Baize pressed her palm down, and the cub’s body instantly vanished. When it woke up, it would be utterly bewildered, lying atop of Silver Sword Peak.

And in Baize’s cave dwelling, another figure appeared.

The newcomer was hunched over, leaning on a walking stick, and his aged appearance resembled a burnt, withered tree that seemed on the brink of death. His patchy face and protruding bones gave him a somewhat sinister look.

Baize regarded him with a calm gaze and asked softly, "Aren’t you afraid of dying?"

"Baize... senior, hehe, I truly envy you Divine Beasts for having such long lifespans," the old man said leisurely, "For us of the Human Clan, living to my age means I’ve already gained several hundred years, and I have no regrets. If there is regret, it’s that I couldn’t reach the pinnacle in life, and that yearning remains unfulfilled."

"What is your name?" Baize asked again.

"I can’t remember the name I had two hundred years ago, and for the past two hundred years, they have called me Lu Mountain Old Man," the old man replied. "If today I can die at the hands of Elder Baize, my four hundred years of cultivation would not have been in vain."

Baize looked at him and suddenly said, "Heroes emerge in droves among the Human Clan, and it’s truly a pity for a strong practitioner like you to remain unnamed."

"A Sect can’t possibly have all its strong practitioners in the limelight," Lu Mountain Old Man said with a smile.

"What’s more regrettable is that you’re going to die before you could become famous," Baize added.

If we talk about the strongest in Penglai, naturally it would be Daoist Cang Sheng who wields the Eastern Sea Time Wheel. However, if we disregard the Divine Artifacts and focus purely on cultivation level, few people know that above Cang Sheng there is an elder uncle who is a generation higher.

Just as Lu Mountain Old Man said, a Sect’s full strength should not be fully known to others.

Boom—

As the light from Guard Peak suddenly appeared, at the top of the ancient trees on Biluo Peak, Daoist Yan also received an unexpected visitor.

The person was clad in a clean-cut cyan-black Taoist robe, his hair bound in a cloud bun, his countenance handsome, his skin fair, sporting a strand of goatee. He carried a wooden sword on his back with a hilt that bore a bright red tassel.

"Jing Yuanzi?" Daoist Yan looked indifferently at the other, "It’s been many years since we last met."

During the era when Shu Mountain’s Golden Generation overwhelmingly dominated the times, if there was anyone who could slightly contend with them, Jing Yuanzi of Penglai was definitely one of them. Unfortunately, the dazzling brilliance of the three heroes of Shu Mountain made it difficult for their contemporaries to garner any glory, and even heavenly talents would be overshadowed.

Jing Yuanzi was one such individual.

He had been quietly cultivating on Mirage Mountain, and similarly, few people knew that he had assumed the role of Tianyuan slightly earlier than Daoist Yan.

"Yan Zi." The other person looked into Daoist Yan’s eyes and also called her by name, saying, "I’ve wanted to issue a challenge since the time you just succeeded in the Wen Dao competition. Now I finally have my chance. Let’s settle our past scores today."

"You would have lost back then, and you won’t win now either," Daoist Yan’s tone was utterly unfluctuating. "If Penglai Upper Sect desires to keep me occupied, they should have sent your elders instead."

Sss—

Before her voice fell, Sword Aura soared with the Xiaoyun Ancient Sword!

As the Sword Aura shot toward the sky, two daoists from Penglai appeared before Master Wen Yuan in Unbounded Palace as well.

"Senior Daoist Cang Yun, Elder Daoist Cang Qiu, how come you didn’t announce your arrival?" Master Wen Yuan asked with a smile.

Aside from Elder Daoist Cang Qiu, whom Chu Liang had seen before, there was another older daoist present. Both were Eighth Realm cultivators from Penglai, well-known to Master Wen Yuan.

They both looked serious and watched Master Wen Yuan closely, with Cang Qiu speaking, "You, Shu Mountain, have a young disciple who is a source of trouble."

"Chu Liang?" Master Wen Yuan glanced in the direction of Red Cotton Peak, seemingly noticing something, but still smilingly said, "Daoist Master Cang Sheng, a figure of great power, seems to have a grudge with a junior, doesn’t that seem rather beneath you?"

As the voice arrived, so did the person.

The sullen-faced Daoist Master Cang Sheng appeared within Unbounded Palace the very next instant. Such was the way of Tianyuan cultivators—unless it was some heavily restricted Secret Realm, they could come and go with ease. Other than their peers in strength, there wasn’t much that could restrain them.

However, Tianyuan cultivators from a Sect typically do not directly invade another’s Sect doorstep, because if one Sect has a doorstep, so does the other, allowing for a tit-for-tat response. Today if Daoist Master Cang Sheng freely harms the disciples at Shu Mountain, then tomorrow, Master Wen Yuan can equally breeze through Penglai.

Unless it’s a determination for all-out war, such occurrences are rare.

However, today Penglai has sent no less than five Tianyuan to Shu Mountain!

Among them, two were hidden strong practitioners unknown to the world, and Penglai also has one famous Zhenshan Guardian Divine Azure Dragon, which means they possess at least six Tianyuan cultivators.

They were truly befitting of the name of the First Immortal Sect of the Mortal Realm.

Daoist Master Cang Sheng arrived at Unbounded Palace and looking at Master Wen Yuan, said, "We came here today just for Chu Liang. You hand over Chu Liang directly, and hereafter our two sects will coexist peacefully. Otherwise..."

He left the rest unsaid, but Master Wen Yuan saw the determination in his eyes. It was hard to imagine that the leader of the First Immortal Sect would be so resolute about killing a young disciple that he would even risk war!

Even harder to imagine was that he would still fail.

It wasn’t his fault; no one would have expected that the Chu Liang active on Shu Mountain was actually a doppelganger, while the real body was the one moving outside. Daoist Master Cang Sheng, who thought he could achieve success by directly attacking the main body, capsized yet again in his dealings with Chu Liang.

As one of the preeminent cultivators in the world, to fail twice in his attempts against a junior, he was already showing signs of frustration and anger.

In response, Master Wen Yuan maintained a light smile.

The opposite party’s determination to kill Chu Liang surprised him, but likewise, his determination to protect Chu Liang also shocked the other party.

Wen Yuan hadn’t even stood up, but simply lifted his hand slightly, "Then you might as well all come at once."