Demon Extermination Failed
The city lord's mansion immediately deployed a defensive formation and gathered troops to rush to the west of the city.
When the restrictions were broken, the mansion was already deserted.
Yu Zhu and Jing Xu thoroughly searched the house.
One room was decorated extremely luxuriously, but it was covered in dust, the flowers were withered, and the teapot was dry, all of which indicated that no one had set foot in the room recently.
There are also four other rooms with signs of living, and surprisingly, there are a small amount of ingredients containing spiritual energy in the kitchen.
"Besides Zheng Qi and that half-demon, are there any other spiritual cultivators here?" Yu Zhu asked in confusion.
Zheng Qi and that half-demon don't seem to need spiritual food. Today, when Mirror Moth followed Zheng Qi, she was also buying food.
“Perhaps it has something to do with Miss Zheng; she doesn’t seem to have completely submitted to the demons,” Jing Xu said.
"Tell Senior Sister and Sect Leader about what happened here, along with your suspicions about Shao Zaihuan. I'll also ask Senior Brother about Zheng Qi."
Yu Zhu sent a message to Chang You and received his reply a while later.
"When we arrived in Pingyang County, we heard that the Soul-Eating Beasts were causing chaos in the city. I was eager to exorcise the demons, so we parted ways at the city gate and lost contact ever since. I've asked someone to investigate what happened in Pingyang County back then. Ah Zhu, be careful in everything."
At this moment, someone from the city lord's mansion reported that someone had seen a flying carriage pass by the west gate, and Zheng Qi and the others had most likely already left the city.
Yu Zhu sighed.
Jingxu patted her shoulder, "We'll find them again."
"Senior Sister Jing Shu said that Shao Zaihuan might be a demon who escaped from Bi'an Gorge earlier."
"But according to Zheng Qiyan, Shao Zaihuan's status is even higher than that half-demon's, and that half-demon's cultivation level is clearly higher than mine. And Shao Zaihuan, last time in Manyie Valley, his cultivation level wasn't much higher than mine, yet he was able to suppress that half-demon?"
As Yu Zhu spoke, her expression gradually darkened. "He is a demon god."
Jing Xu was also startled. Upon careful consideration, he realized that this guess was not unreasonable. The demon god had sent his clone out of Bi'an Gorge.
While Jingxu was pondering, he suddenly sensed a message from the communication jade tablet. He took it out and looked at it for a long time, but remained silent.
"What's wrong?"
Jing Xu gripped the jade token in his hand tightly. "The sect leader suspects something happened to the Demon God and wants to send people deep into Bi'an Gorge to investigate. We will meet them outside the gorge."
Yu Zhu's eyes widened slightly. "Enter Bi'an Gorge?"
"Um."
Without delay, the two quickly headed to Bi'an Gorge.
This was Yu Zhu's first time in Bi'an Gorge. Eighteen years ago, she should have been fighting here with Qiong Fang, Jing Shu, Chang You, and the disciples of Ying Tian Sect.
Outside the gorge, even before stepping into the camp guarded by the immortal sect, Jing Xu felt a chill, let alone Yu Zhu.
Jingxu draped a cloak over Yuzhu's shoulders.
Disciples from the Yingtian Sect came out to meet them, and the two entered the camp.
"I will take you two to see Elder Mu Qiu. Elder Mu Qiu has been waiting for you since receiving the sect leader's message," the disciple said.
The disciple lifted the tent flap, and Yuzhu and Jingxu entered the tent one after the other. The flap fell back down, keeping out the chill.
"It's been a long time, A-Zhu," said the woman in yellow sitting at the head of the table.
"Long time no see, Elder."
Mu Qiu once taught disciples at Yingtian Temple, and Yu Zhu was also taught by her when she first joined the sect.
Seeing the cloak on Yu Zhu, Mu Qiu smiled and said, "Isn't it much colder here than at Ying Tian Sect? Ever since Senior Brother Qiong Fang presented the formation, there has been constant wind and snow in Bi'an Gorge, making this area much colder than before."
Yu Zhu smiled and said, "It's alright."
"Alright, let's get down to business. Eighteen years ago, when the Demon God was about to break the seal, it was Senior Brother Qiongfang who reinforced the seal at the cost of herself. Unexpectedly, the Demon God was not content to wait for the divine path to restart, but insisted on clearing the way with slaughter. Now, it has sent out its own clone."
"Tomorrow I will lead a team to explore Bi'an Gorge. You will stay at the camp."
Yu Zhu and the other two responded without hesitation, and were then taken to the resting camp.
"Senior Sister Yu, this is your tent," said the disciple who led the way. "Junior Brother Jing, please follow me."
Jingxu looked at Yuzhu, whose brows twitched slightly. She opened her hand, took out a packet of flower cakes, and handed it to Yuzhu before leaving with the disciple who had led the way.
Once inside the tent, Yu Zhu drank the last bowl of cold medicine, sat down to meditate and regulate her breathing, circulating her spiritual energy.
When Yuzhu opened the tent, torches were lit in the camp.
Yu Zhu put on her cloak and walked out, unknowingly reaching the edge of the camp, which was also the entrance to Bi'an Gorge.
Not far away, it was pitch black, with only array patterns carved on the ground. Every now and then, a white light would flow by, illuminating the entrance for a moment, and revealing icy tree branches.
The howling wind in the canyon could already be heard in my ears.
"Want to go in and take a look?" Mu Qiu's voice came from inside.
Yu Zhu pulled her cloak tighter and asked, "Elder, I heard that Master once proposed killing the Demon God. Is that true?"
A look of surprise flashed in Mu Qiu's eyes. "Where did you hear that from?"
“There are cultivators in Thousand Peaks City who say they overheard it.”
Mu Qiu lowered his eyes and recalled for a moment, "Back then, we did invite a group of cultivators from Qianzhang City to the camp. That's probably when I heard about it. It's true, but the other sects didn't agree."
Why do you disagree?
Do you know why the Demon God was initially imprisoned in Bi'an Gorge?
Yu Zhu nodded; she knew that the Yingtian Sect's Scripture Pavilion had recorded this event.
Before the Spirit Race and Demon Race ascended to immortality, and on the eve of the completion of the Divine Path, the Demon God clashed with the Spirit Race and killed eight Spirit Race members.
The Demon God was once a top figure among the demons. In order to appease the spirit race, the demons decided to reduce the Demon God's cultivation and imprison him in Bi'an Gorge for eight hundred years, during which time he could not ascend to immortality.
"Because the Demon God is a god, merely being punished by the divine race. Humans learned the path of cultivation from the divine race, and are therefore inferior to the divine race. How can we inflict murder on a god?"
Yu Zhu stared in disbelief: "That's it? But the Demon God has wreaked havoc on the world, harming countless people."
Mu Qiu scoffed, "Of course not. The main reason is that many cultivators probably support the Demon God. Isn't exchanging someone else's life for the chance to ascend a worthwhile trade?"
Yu Zhu remained silent for a moment, then said, "Can the divine path truly be restarted through slaughter?"
Mu Qiu paused for a moment, then said, "Yes, after a cultivator dies, their cultivation returns to heaven and earth, and will naturally be absorbed by the divine path."
"So, back then, Senior Brother Qiongfang wanted to end it all by killing the Demon God. Do you remember the Demon Crystal you were looking for? That thing was incredibly powerful, and Senior Brother intended to use it to kill the Demon God. Unfortunately, the Demon Clan tampered with the Demon Crystal beforehand, so not only did he fail to kill the Demon God, but he also..."
Mu Qiu's deep sorrow was self-evident.
Yu Zhu felt a sharp pain in her head for a moment, then raised her hand to press her temple and asked, "Is there a problem with the magic crystal that Master obtained?"
"Yes, the demons obtained the magic crystal first, and it was my senior brother who took it back from them. Perhaps that's when they were sabotaged."
Seeing Yu Zhu frowning, Mu Qiu quickly asked, "Yu Zhu, what's wrong?"
Yu Zhu shook her head. "Elder, who told you that there was something wrong with the magic crystals?"
"It's Chief Baili. What's wrong, Azhu? Is there something wrong with Chief Baili?"
"No, I was just asking. It's getting late, Elder, you should go and rest. I'm going back too."
Yu Zhu returned to the tent, collapsed onto the bed, and drifted off to sleep.
"Senior Sister, Elder Mu Qiu is about to depart. Should we go see him off?"
Jingxu's voice rang out from outside the tent.
Yu Zhu got up and went out, "I'll see him off."
At the entrance to Bi'an Gorge, Mu Qiu and his group were ready to set off.
"We're setting off. You all guard the camp. If anything happens that you can't handle, you can seek help from other sects nearby," Mu Qiu instructed Yu Zhu and the other disciples who stayed behind.
Everyone nodded in agreement.
"Senior sister, let's go back too."
Yu Zhu kept watching the entrance to the canyon. All the other disciples had returned to camp, leaving only her and Jing Xu.
Yu Zhu returned to the tent and saw that Jing Xu was about to come in, so she quickly opened her arms to stop him.
"Why aren't you going back to your tent?"
Jingxu took the opportunity to grab Yuzhu's hand, "I want to stay with my senior sister."
"Go back to your own tent and get back to your training."
“You can cultivate while you’re with your senior sister,” Jingxu said, shaking Yuzhu’s hand.
"There's only one bed in the tent. Are you going to sit on the floor to cultivate?"
"I can……"
Yu Zhu withdrew her hand, interrupting Jing Xu, "Go back to your own tent and cultivate properly."
Seeing Yu Zhu's resolute expression, Jing Xu pulled her into his arms and nestled his head against her neck.
"My senior sister is coming to have dinner with me today."
"I'll check the time; I need to cultivate as well."
Jingxu straightened up. "Senior Sister, you need to be careful about the intensity of your cultivation."
Yu Zhu pushed him outside, saying, "I know, stop nagging."
Jingxu walked away, and Yuzhu returned to the tent. Seeing the umbrella by the door, she thought for a moment, tied on her cloak, and headed towards Bi'an Gorge.
Seeing Yuzhu turn back, the gatekeeper hesitated and asked, "Senior Sister Yu, are you going to..."
"I'm not entirely at ease; I need to go into the gorge to take a look."
"Can……"
"Don't worry, I'm Immortal Venerable Qiongfang's disciple, I'll be careful. You keep watch and don't let any other disciples in."
Yu Zhu smiled faintly and summoned Qing Shuang.
As soon as she entered the gorge, the wind and snow covered Yu Zhu's face. She opened her umbrella and wiped the water off her face. What came into view was a vast expanse of jade bamboo.
Yu Zhu walked through the frozen forest. Apart from the sound of the wind and snow and the crunching sound of her footsteps on the snow, there was no other sound, as if everything was covered by the heavy snow.
Several butterflies made of spiritual energy flew from Yu Zhu's fingertips. She wanted to find the place where Qiong Fang had set up the array to see what had happened and why the magic crystal had not worked.
After walking for an unknown amount of time, Yu Zhu used her spiritual and magical powers alternately to warm herself up so that she wouldn't freeze. Finally, she arrived at a slightly open area, where the surrounding trees looked as if they had been cut in half.
The fairy butterfly also hovered here, which must be the place where Qiongfang fought the demon god.
Yu Zhu formed a hand seal, and spiritual energy rippled outwards from her, as she wanted to recall what had happened here.
At that time, Bi'an Gorge was not yet frozen all year round. In autumn, fallen leaves covered the ground. In the center of the gorge, two figures, one white and one black, collided and then separated. It was Qiongfang and the Demon God.
Yu Zhu saw the face of the demon god—the same face as Shao Zaihuan.
"Your strength is quite impressive. Why not join my ranks and ascend to the realm of gods with me?" the demon god said.
"Will you be my lackey? When have you gods ever cared about humans?"
"You're right. The human race has always been groveling behind us, and it's your honor to have glimpsed the cultivation techniques and pave the way for my ascension."
The demon god grinned and flew towards Qiongfang, who met him with her Wind and Snow Sword.
Yu Zhu noticed a dark crystal embedded in the hilt of the Wind and Snow Sword; that was the magic crystal.
With the help of the magic crystal, Qiongfang defeated the demon god and pinned him to the ground. "You have spent your flesh and blood and cultivation to support the demon general and create demons. Now your strength is far from what it used to be. Prepare to die."
As Qiongfang spoke, she plunged the Wind and Snow Sword into the Demon God's chest. Unexpectedly, as soon as the tip of the sword entered the flesh, the magic crystal fell off the hilt, and the magic power meandered up the sword.
Qiongfang immediately plunged her sword into the demon god's body, picked up the magic crystal, and retreated, her eyes filled with astonishment.
The demon god drew his Wind and Snow Sword. "It seems I'm not going to die. The seal is about to break, and no one can stop me from ascending."
At this moment, the immortal sect members who were fighting against the demon army arrived.
Qiongfang looked at the crowd, swung out a palm, pushing them away, and formed a hand seal, with abundant spiritual power emanating from his body.
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