Forty millenniums of cul.., p.560
Forty Millenniums of Cultivation, page 560
Every new Dark Lady of the Nine Heavens would be selected from among the saintesses.
Therefore, in the political system of the demons, the saintesses who could mobilize the strength of the Pantheon of Demons and were deeply connected to many demon kingdoms enjoyed special privileges. They were the sharpest claws and teeth of the Pantheon of Demons. Even the masters of many demon cities and demon caves dared not mess around with the lowest saintesses.
Right now, a saintess of the Pantheon of Demons, and the First Princess of the Gold Crow Kingdom, had come to pursue a bunch of members of the Blade of Chaos in such a remote village in the middle of nowhere?
Were Lei Qi and his companions really carrying an item that could change the future of the Blood Demon Sector?
Seeing that his brother was still suspicious, Lei Qi raised his voice and said sincerely, "Ah Chuang, you must believe me. Do not be fooled by Jin Xinyue's appearance. The witch is more horrifying than you can possibly imagine!
"Her father, Jin Tuyi, is one of the strongest demon emperors in the Pantheon of Demons. He is known as the fastest demon emperor of the Blood Demon Sector!
"After the brutal failure of the Battle of Dawn, Jin Tuyi became the new commander-in-chief of the coalition army of demons. He is now planning a round of new attacks against the Heaven's Origin Sector!
"In the meantime, he commanded the suppression of the 'Riot of Bloody Blade'. Many brothers of the Blade of Chaos were killed miserably by the butcher!
"The man's hands both reek of the stench of blood. He is not a demon but the craziest devil!
"Jin Xinyue is as horrifying as her father, if not more. Besides, her appearance is more deceptive. You must not believe whatever she says. She is an absolutely merciless, cold-blooded demon!"
The golden streaks of brightness had gradually moved to the middle of the sky. They would arrive at the Dry Leaf Village very soon.
After saying that, Lei Qi looked at his brother with complicated feelings and crawled into the forest.
Lei Chuang did not know what to do for a moment. He hesitated for a moment and simply ran back to his village.
Li Yao returned to the woodhouse one step faster than him. He curled up in his sleep bag and concealed his scent, pretending that he was just a random chaotic-blood demon.
However, he was not confident that he could fool the newcomers at all.
Right now, he had basically come to understand the whole thing.
The residents of the Dry Leaf Village wanted him to pretend to be Lei Qi in order to fool the recruitment officers. They were scared that the recruitment officer would not allow the demons in the village from joining the army after learning that a resident had joined the Blade of Chaos. Chances were that there would be even direr consequences should it be known.
Those who came to enlist soldiers in such remote areas were most likely bottom-level officers in the demon army. Perhaps it would only be one or two bronze-blood demons. So, the odds were quite high that they would be fooled.
However, it was one thing to fool a bottom-level recruitment officer, and it was quite another thing to fool a saintess of the Pantheon of Demons, the princess of the Gold Crow Kingdom.
Li Yao felt a headache because of the dilemma.
He thought of running away, too. However, since the Feather Clan all flew in the sky and were the fastest demons, he might not necessarily get away from the hunt without his crystal suit and Black Wing.
But if he resorted to using his crystal suit and Black Wing, traces of spiritual energy would definitely be left, and it would be even more difficult for him get rid of the pursuers.
I'll observe Jin Xinyue's capability first. According to Lei Qi, she is just a demon king, which is equivalent to the Core Formation Stage of Cultivators. Even though she has a few other demon kings as her guards, they are not going to stop me.
However, it will be quite troublesome to kill all of them without leaving any traces.
Years ago, Wang Ji of the Kingdom of Lion Butchers carried a lot of bizarre weapons and magical equipment with him, which gave me quite a headache.
Since Jin Xinyue is a saintess of the Pantheon of Demons and the 'First Princess', she must be in a very high position in the Gold Crow Kingdom. Chances are that even the king of the Gold Crow Kingdom has to show her some respect.
Therefore, her gadgets will only be more impressive than Wang Ji's!
If she notices me and is determined to run away, it is possible that I will not be able to stop her.
Deep inside Li Yao's brain, his mental devil was expanding in hideous laughter. It summoned tremendous computational ability, concocting sordid, cruel, and shameless battle plans.
Right then, noises erupted outside, followed by a prolonged horn.
It was an emergency summons.
In a moment, the several hundred villagers were all gathered in the center of the village, which was used to air the petals of the Ghost Teeth Flower.
The petals of the Ghost Teeth Flower were extremely tough. After three days of drying, they could be ripped into shreds and sewn into soft, ventilating armor that was most suitable for the hunting in the forest.
The sky of the Dry Leaf Village was wreathed in magnificent golden colors. As it turned out, dozens of giant, golden eagles were hovering at a low altitude. Every eagle was dozens of meters wide when they stretched out their jade, metallic wings. Whenever their wings move slightly, a thousand invisible swirls seemed to appear in midair, which interweaved and covered the entire village like an impenetrable dragnet.
Suppressed by the daunting aura of the golden eagles, not only were all the villagers shuddering in fear, even the animals domesticated by the villagers were crouching on the ground obediently, not having the courage to utter a single sound.
Just now, one of the Moon Shadow Wolves snarled accidentally, only to turn into food for the golden eagles in the blink of an eye. It was now being chewed by one of the golden eagles in cracking noises.
Below the golden eagles, in the center of the empty ground, dozens of high-level, elegant demons in robes made of golden feathers were standing.
Within the crowd, Li Yao observed the high-level demons in secret. They were all beautiful and graceful, and their facial organs and limbs were immaculate. They seemed to be enshrouded in dazzling halos that made all the villagers struggle to keep their eyes open.
Although they were all carrying demon feathers, such as enormous wings and sharp talons, and the pupils of several demons were even two vertical lines, there was not the slight feeling of 'abnormality' or 'disguise' on them. On the contrary, they gave every impression that they were the most natural and perfect creatures in the world.
Li Yao secretly compared the high-level demons to the low-level demons that he had seen in the beast tides. He found it hard to believe that they were the same species.
No wonder the demons were classified into four different classes. Standing in their shoes, Li Yao would not admit that he was the same as the ugly, weirdly-shaped snakes, insects, rats, and ants at all if he were such a high-level demon with shining gold halos.
The dozens of demons were beautiful and eye-catching enough.
However, when Li Yao's eyes moved to the demon who was standing in the middle, he suddenly felt that the halos on all the demons nearby were eclipsed.
It was a female demon who was short and wearing soft, pure-white armor. Judging from her young face, she seemed to be a girl less than twenty years old. Her eyes were so clear that one might even catch a glimpse of her soul directly, and her facial expression was as frank and naïve as a newborn baby.
A pair of dark golden wings were growing on her back, and bright golden feathers could occasionally be found on her fair, flawless skin, too, like a perfect garment that outlined her shockingly sexy body figure.
The innocent and sacredness of her face was a huge contrast to her curvaceous body. Together, they brought about a weird enchantment that made others wanted to both worship her as a goddess and savage her on a bed.
Deep inside his brain, the mental devil whistled for the longest time possible.
Li Yao bit the tip of his tongue hard and forced him to wake up. None of the saintesses of the Pantheon of Demons were easy to deal with, as made clear by Lei Qi just now. If the demon was really Jin Xinyue, the princess of the Gold Crow Kingdom, she would be one of the trickiest opponents.
Another demon that was tall and handsome with wings on his back flew back from the garden of the Ghost Teeth Flowers and landed next to the female demon, whispering something to her.
Li Yao sensed that the watery eyes of the demon slightly blinked.
The male demon immediately held his head and asked solemnly, "Who's in charge here?"
The mayor made his way to the high-level demons, half-rolling and half-crawling on his wheelchair, with his legs shaking and his back sweating hard.
Many high-level demons took a few steps back intuitionally before they covered their mouths and noses with their handkerchiefs. They were clearly unwilling to stand so close to the lowly chaotic-blood demons, nor did they want to breathe air that had been corrupted by them.
The male demon took out a badge from his pocked and shook it slightly. Mystic rays immediately beamed out of the badge and soared into the sky. The brilliance blossomed and dispersed into a complicated pattern of a three-legged giant bird that was about to fly into the sky.
The male demon declared proudly, "We are the 'Gold Shadow Guardians'. Her Highness here is Princess Xinyue of the Gold Crow Kingdom and the saintess of the Pantheon of Demons!"
The villagers immediately exclaimed in shock. Many of them had never left the Hundred Desolation Mountain in their entire life. They had never had the chance to meet a real-life silver-blood demon, much less such an honorable noble.
The villagers did not know what to do at all. The legs of many of them were shaking hard, as if they could not hold themselves from kneeling down before the saintess of the Pantheon of Demons.
Li Yao looked at Lei Chuang. The youngster was blushing and breathing heavily, fascinated by Jin Xinyue.
Had Lei Qi not given him warning a moment ago, it was very likely that he would be kissing her toes on all fours right now.
Dark Lady of the Nine Heavens is the goddess of war, sex, and longevity in Chinese mythology.
Chapter 841: Twist and Turn |
The male demon seemed to be rather familiar with the admiration of the low-level demons. He waved his wings, triggering invisible airwaves that surrounded the high-level demons like a barrier and kept the lowly chaotic-blood demons from coming close.
He sniffed and shouted, "We are now pursuing the remnants of the Blade of Chaos. Those believers of Chaos are brutal and dangerous. In order to hide their traces, they have slaughtered all the villages that they have passed through. There was not a living soul left!
"For the sake of your village, you'd better confess honestly. Have you seen any suspicious demons over the past three days? If you keep your discovery to yourself, you will be regarded as an accomplice of the Blade of Chaos, and you shall not be pardoned!"
The mayor's face was as deathly pale, and he shook his head hard.
The male demon was not expecting a positive reply in the first place. Seeing that all the villagers were intimidated, he changed tack. "Does your village live on the Ghost Teeth Flowers?"
The mayor nodded cautiously.
"Excellent!" The male demon smiled coldly. "The remnants of the Blade of Chaos that we are chasing after have been heavily wounded. They are in desperate need of healing drugs such as the Gold Stamen Liquid. In case the Gold Stamen Liquid in your village is stolen by them, we will now confiscate all the assets in the name of the Gold Shadow Guardians!"
"What!"
At this moment, not only the mayor but also all the villagers started yelling despite the honorable identities of the high-level demons.
The village was poor and the land barren. The livelihood of the villagers all counted on the Gold Stamen Liquid, which was collected from the Ghost Teeth Flowers.
The harvest season had just passed. Although the tax rate of the chaotic-blood demons was even higher than that of the black-blood demons, and seventy percent of the Gold Stamen Liquid had to be submitted, the villagers got to keep the remaining thirty percent after all.
The thirty percent of Gold Stamen Liquid had to be traded for the useful items that the villager could not produce as well as crystals and gear for training, which was the hope for the young demons in the village.
But those 'Gold Shadow Guardians' were claiming all the Gold Stamen Liquid now. How was the village going to survive the coming year?
Many chaotic-blood demons had been reveling in the excitement of finally meeting some high-level demons. But now, they felt as if their skulls had been opened and somebody had just poured a bucket of cold water into their heads.
However, the chaotic-blood demons' reverence for the high-level demons was almost natural. Nobody dared to refuse the demand however outrageous it was.
The mayor's facial muscles twisted for a long time, and his back was even more hunched than before.
The male demon was apparently used to the reactions of chaotic-blood demons. "Other than the Gold Stamen Liquid that has been collected, there is still some left in the lumps of the Ghost Teeth Flowers. Also, if the lumps are pulverized into powder, it can be used to treat wounds, too.
"In case that the remnants of the Blade of Chaos get access to those things, we are going to destroy the garden of the Ghost Teeth Flowers!"
"What!"
It was a greater shock for everybody on the spot.
When all the Gold Stamen Liquid was claimed, it was going to be a tough year. But as long as they made it through the year, the villagers would be able collect new Gold Stamen Liquid in the harvest season next year.
But if the garden of Ghost Teeth Flowers was destroyed, they would be doomed!
The Ghost Teeth Flowers were extremely dangerous carnivore plants. Even many demon beasts were scared of them. The village had paid a high price to transplant and develop the Ghost Teeth Flowers, at the cost of the lives of more than ten villagers. After five years of sweat and blood, only a small garden had been established.
The garden of Ghost Teeth Flowers was the future and hope of the entire village.
But right now, just because some heavily wounded remnants of the Blade of Chaos were passing by the village, they had to endure such a disaster that was irrelevant to themselves!
"No. You can't destroy them!"
"The Ghost Teeth Flowers are what we live on!"
"Show some mercy, masters of the Gold Crow Kingdom!"
"Please, saintess!"
The demons in the Dry Leaf Village young and old all kneeled and kowtowed hard until their heads were all bleeding and the blood was all simmering.
The attractive high-level demons, on the other hand, did not care for such drama. The male demon in the lead shrieked, and two golden eagles that were hovering in midair took a turn and suddenly lunged at the garden of the Ghost Teeth Flowers in the east of the village.
Hiu!
The two golden eagles opened their mouths, from which, two narrow, long, red rays spurted out and darted toward the garden.
BOOM!
The two red rays pierced into the garden. The Ghost Teeth Flowers that sensed the waves of energy had only just opened their bloody mouths when two loud explosions echoed deep below the ground. Like two volcanoes had just erupted, a lot of magma spurted out from the ground, and enormous fireballs soared into the sky. Flames thousands of degrees high in temperature soon wreathed the entire garden.
"Hiss! Hiss! Hiss! Hiss!"
Countless Ghost Teeth Flowers were twisting weirdly in the flames and screaming miserably. Before long, they were only burnt into ashes without any lumps remaining.
"Ahh!"
Many villages collapsed to the ground in grief.
Dozens of healthy, strong demons were gnashing their teeth, their eyes red. Yet, they did not know where they should cast their furious eyes.
The high-level demons were still talking and laughing. They seemed to be complimenting the owner of the two gold eagles, praising that he had trained them well and built the two biochemical beasts with such magnificent appearances.
"Mayor." The male demon ignored the weird vibe among the villagers and continued demanding from them. "Ask your villagers to help us move the Gold Stamen Liquid. Also, submit the Gold Stamen Liquid that is kept in your households as well as all the other healing drugs. No medicine is to be left to the believers of Chaos!"
Crack! Crack!
Many young villagers, including Lei Chuang, were already on the verge of an outburst. They were biting their teeth so hard that noises were echoing.
Li Yao inwardly frowned. He observed the positions of the high-level demons and calculated the data, coordinates, and direction crazily.
Although he hated to expose his identity, he found it intolerable to watch the villagers be butchered should they get involved in a conflict with the high-level demons.
Besides, if the newcomers decided to wipe out the village, it was not like they would spare him.
The air could not have been tenser.
A battle was going to break out at any moment.
Looking at the golden eagles hovering in the sky and the high-level demons who were chitchatting casually, utterly unthreatened, the mayor slightly sighed and bowed deeply, while he replied obediently, "Understood, masters. We're going to check all the healing drugs right now."
The mayor then turned around and roared, "What are you waiting for? Did you not hear what the masters here said? Pack up all the Gold Stamen Liquid and healing drugs and offer them to the masters!"
The villagers looked at each other in bewilderment, not knowing what to do. They did not dare disobey the commands of high-level demons, but they were unwilling to hand over their livelihood just like that, either.
