Chapter 87
Zhou Xuanzhi waited for several days, but neither Chonghua nor Shi Yunzhou came. However, the prison guards still arranged several elaborate dramas for him. The cell opposite his had been converted into an interrogation room, and people were brought there every day, with almost none leaving unharmed.
They usually interrogate monsters, but today it was just an ordinary mortal.
The middle-aged man was tied to the torture rack, and the jailer picked up the various instruments of torture that Zhou Xuanzhi couldn't even name and introduced them to the man one by one.
However, Zhou Xuanzhi was quite surprised by the man's attitude towards the jailers. He showed no fear and instead mocked, "If you demons are going to make a move, then hurry up. What kind of behavior is this, being so indecisive?"
No sooner had he finished speaking than the jailer lashed him with his whip, leaving a bloody welt. The man gritted his teeth, enduring the pain without uttering a sound.
Zhou Xuanzhi stood up, wanting to go forward and save the man, but was stopped by the railing. He looked at the scene on the other side and was about to speak to stop it when he was struck by the whip again.
“You mortal’s bones are pretty tough, but don’t worry, we have plenty of tricks up our sleeves, even cultivators can’t withstand them.” The jailer said, cracking his whip again.
The demon's whip is different from those of mortals. After three lashes, the man's body would be a gruesome sight. Deep, bone-revealing wounds were filled with black energy, which slithered through his body like worms. The demon was eroding the man's flesh.
Zhou Xuanzhi lowered his head again, telling himself that he couldn't step forward now. He didn't know why the demons were seizing the divine artifacts, nor did he know when they had begun their invasion of the human world.
The man over there finally couldn't hold back any longer. "Ah! If you're so capable, then kill me!" His screams of pain made Zhou Xuanzhi look up again. He asked, "What exactly is your purpose?"
Without turning his head, the jailer replied, "Can't you see for yourself? Haven't we been doing the same thing these past few days?"
Of course he knew that. The things the demons had been asking these past few days were all very confidential. For example, they asked about the ley lines of a blessed land; they also asked a demon about a cultivation technique passed down through generations in his family; and they asked another demon where his friend was.
He truly couldn't understand what the demons wanted, especially since these were all things Chonghua desired. Even the demons themselves probably didn't understand why their lord needed them. However, despite their confusion, they still acted according to Chonghua's orders.
"The ones from a few days ago were all monsters, but today you're attacking an ordinary mortal!" Zhou Xuanzhi was furious. He was so angry that they were using such a heavy hand on a mortal. He thought that if they whipped him again, he wouldn't be able to survive the day.
The jailers turned to look at Zhou Xuanzhi this time. "Hahaha, you're quite funny too. We're too busy eating people to care about whipping him a few times." After he finished speaking, he turned around and whipped the man again.
Seeing that the demonic energy had now seeped into the man's very bones, Zhou Xuanzhi slammed his fist against the railing. What they said was true; they were demons who cared nothing for the lives of mortals. And he couldn't even see Shi Yunzhou now, yet they talked about investigating the inner workings of the demon race—it was utterly laughable!
"What is it about him that makes you go to such lengths to bring him here?" Zhou Xuanzhi asked, unwilling to give up.
The demon guards ignored Zhou Xuanzhi; the man, corrupted by demonic energy, had finally lost his mind. One of the guards asked him, "Tell me! Where is the map?"
The middle-aged man had lost his mind, but now he answered all the demons' questions, saying, "In the government office, under the desk."
Having gotten their answer, the jailer finally took the man down from the torture rack. One group went out, while the other group took the man away.
This man is no longer alive.
A map, a secret cultivation technique, a ley line, and a demon. There weren't many clues, and he couldn't think of anything, but taking advantage of the fact that no one was around, he secretly took out a fingertip-length incense stick from his pocket and lit it. Then he whispered, "The demons tortured some demons in prison and obtained clues about a ley line and a demon from them; then they investigated the recently missing officials, and they captured a mortal, presumably a court official, from whom they obtained a map."
He took out the message incense he had obtained from Lin Jichen from his spatial storage. This incense could only transmit messages and would not be detected by anyone, not even by the Ten Directions Barrier.
Lin Jichen had been recuperating from her injuries for the past few days, and just when she was starting to feel a bit better, she learned that a group of demons had invaded Cuiwei Mountain. She originally wanted to go to Cuiwei Mountain with them, but Mingmo stopped her, saying, "You should stay here and recover properly! In a few days, you can come back to Tianyu Mountain with me."
So Lin Jichen is currently a resident staff member, as is Xiao Mu, who is feeling unwell all over today.
While eating and reading, Xiao Mu still managed to find time to talk to Lin Jichen: "Senior Sister Lin, don't worry, I, Xiao Mu, have decided to be loyal and won't leave you here alone."
Although I don't know Xiao Mu very well, Cuiwei Mountain is currently capturing demons, so it's a place where we can get firsthand intelligence. The fact that he's staying here instead of going to Cuiwei Mountain suggests there's something fishy going on.
"Tell me the truth, what do you want to do?" Lin Jichen asked.
As expected, she saw through him. Xiao Mu looked around and, after confirming that no one was around, came to Lin Jichen's side and said softly, "Weren't I with Su Liyue? I discovered a secret of their Exorcism Division."
"A sales pitch?" Lin Jichen shook her head and said, "I'm not interested in them. Ask other people!" But then she felt it wasn't good to cut off someone's source of income, so she added, "You can ask other people; they should be interested."
"You really have no interest?"
“I’m quite interested in the demon race. Why don’t you inquire about them?” Lin Jichen suggested.
Xiao Mu was not discouraged. He said seriously, "This is about Su Liyue. Aren't you curious whether the disciples of the Exorcism Division dare to treat her like this?"
To be honest, I was really curious at first, but now, so much has happened, and the Exorcism Division's affairs no longer affect me, so I'm about to refuse. Then, a message came from somewhere.
"The demons tortured some monsters in the prison and obtained a clue about a ley line and a monster from them; then they investigated the recently missing officials and captured a mortal who should be a court official, from whom they obtained a map."
It's Zhou Xuanzhi! He's sent a message back. Lin Jichen immediately stood up. Her senior master should still be there. She ran towards the courtyard where the sect leader was.
Xiao Mu saw Lin Jichen's initial expression of joy quickly turn to shock, and then he runs away anxiously. What news did he get? Is it that complicated? He chased after him and asked, "What news did you get?"
"Zhou Xuanzhi, news from the Demon Clan!" Although the clues were few, he was not only unharmed, but had actually uncovered some information.
Han Wenqing was finally relieved to hear that Zhou Xuanzhi was alright. This was Shi Wanqing's disciple; he could die, but Shi Wanqing's two precious disciples couldn't be harmed. When he first learned that Shi Yunzhou had fallen into demonic possession and that Zhou Xuanzhi had ventured alone into the demon realm for his junior brother, he was terrified.
"The demons tortured some monsters in the prison and obtained clues about a ley line and a monster from them; then they investigated the recently missing officials and captured a mortal who should be a court official, from whom they obtained a map," Lin Jichen recounted the news sent back by Zhou Xuanzhi.
Actually, everything here needs to be investigated. Perhaps the clues everyone is looking for are here. It might also help to figure out what the demons are really up to. Invading the human world and living among them is definitely not their primary objective, at least not for Chonghua!
Earth veins? A map of the human world? A demon's cultivation technique and a demon? No matter how you look at it, it doesn't make any sense. Han Wenqing thought for a moment and then ordered someone to investigate the missing official. It's difficult for cultivators to investigate demons, but investigating mortals is much simpler.
Han Wenqing asked, "Is this all? Are there any others?"
Lin Jichen shook her head. She knew that the sect leader probably still wanted to ask about Shi Yunzhou. She replied, "Shi Yunzhou should be fine now. Senior Brother Zhou should still be investigating." If something really had happened, Zhou Xuanzhi would have gone mad and wouldn't have sent her any more messages.
Then the matter of the monsters was handed over to Suifu.
He was also full of questions about Chonghua's actions. He originally thought that Chonghua only wanted to revive Shi Wanqing, but now it seems that his intentions were not as simple as he thought.
“Okay, leave this to me!” Sui Fu said.
The matter at Cuiwei Mountain is almost resolved, and the leaders of each sect are about to head home. After all, it has been confirmed that the Demon Clan will invade. Although preparations have been made beforehand, they still need to go back to put their minds at ease.
Moreover, there are many civilians involved, and relocating and dispersing all of them would be a huge undertaking.
The demons actually attacked the monsters; weren't they always supposed to keep to themselves? Speaking of Chonghua, everyone says he's a remarkable person, but they also feel it's a pity. If he were a cultivator, he would be a great asset to the immortal sects.
The demon race, Zhou Xuanzhi finally saw Chonghua.
If it weren't for Li Sheng and Shi Yunzhou following behind him, he wouldn't have believed that this scholar-looking young man was the Demon Lord Chonghua.
“We’ve finally met, Zhou Xuanzhi.” Chonghua greeted Zhou Xuanzhi from outside the prison.
He was just a nobody in the immortal sects, and there were many people more outstanding than him. For the Demon Lord to remember his name was highly suspicious. Could it be Shi Yunzhou? That seemed unlikely. Even if his junior brother was now the young master of the demonic cultivators, he shouldn't remember him.
Zhou Xuanzhi stood ramrod straight, showing no fear whatsoever. "So how do you know me?"
Chonghua smiled and said, "I have an inexplicable connection with your Tianyu Mountain. I know every peak master and elder, and I have learned about their disciples."
"You are the Demon Lord, yet you still bother to remember our names. You must be very busy."
Chonghua wasn't angry. He remained silent, and the people behind him didn't dare to move either. He waved his hand, "There's very little I can do. My vanguard handles matters in the mortal realm, and my high priest manages internal affairs. I'm just a nobody."
Who would believe that Chonghua is idle? He found a traitor in the immortal sect, obtained the method to open the city gate, stole the divine artifact, and made Shi Yunzhou look like this, and he still says he's idle?
"Actually, I'm very curious. What kind of magic do we brothers possess that makes you so unable to forget us?" Zhou Xuanzhi was genuinely curious.
Chonghua looked at Zhou Xuanzhi, and there was even a hint of envy in his expression? Zhou Xuanzhi was certain he wasn't mistaken; he had seen that fleeting envy. What surprised him most was that Chonghua didn't hide anything, "Because I envy you, I want to destroy you."
What is there about us that you should envy?
Chonghua didn't answer, but carefully examined Zhou Xuanzhi before saying, "Why don't you guess for yourself?" After saying that, he left with his men.
What is this person doing? They glanced at themselves but didn't explain anything?
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