NOVEL WEB chapter 472
Since he had been abandoned, the willow-whiskers resolved to confess everything once captured, claiming he had merely followed orders, hoping to barter for a sliver of mercy.
Alas, fate had other plans. A beam of extraordinary power, emanating from an unknown artifact, descended from the sky, striking the willow-whiskers. He barely had time to scream before he was reduced to ash, the surrounding guards injured by the shockwave.
Battle-hardened, Shen Ao reacted swiftly, soaring into the air, but he found no suspicious figures, not even a hint of where the attack had originated.
“Damn it! Playing dirty, are we?” Shen Ao cursed, ready to pursue the assailant, only to discover that accomplices had silenced the target at a critical moment.
“Everyone in the vicinity must undergo a search for the spirit-hunting artifact! Anyone who resists will be killed without mercy!” Shen Ao immediately sealed off the area, organizing his men.
——
On the top floor of the tavern, Young Master Peng sat calmly, sipping tea as if nothing had happened. If anyone could eliminate the willow-whiskers in an instant and evade detection, it could only be him, the spirit king at the tenth level.
The spirit kings who had been called away earlier had now returned to their rooms, each one appearing exceedingly tense.
They understood well the temperament of Young Master Peng. When it came to generosity, he was indeed very generous, but when it came to ruthlessness, he was equally cold-hearted and merciless.
With Liu Xu captured, he would undoubtedly become a burden; only by eliminating the burden could they avoid dragging him down.
“Master Peng, the human race intends to use magical artifacts to search for us extensively…”
“Take this, and you can evade detection.” With a wave of his hand, each demon king received a delicate orb.
The demon kings’ emotions calmed considerably; if they could avoid being tracked, there was still hope. They truly feared that Young Master Peng would abandon them just as he had discarded Liu Xu. After all, with Peng’s status and identity, a follower could be replaced at any moment.
As for Liu Xu’s death, they cared not at all. Liu Xu was a wood spirit of humble origins, while they were born as demon beasts, naturally looking down upon him.
“Master Peng, what should we do now?”
“Wait. Wait until they cannot find the murderer, and the formation will naturally be lifted. During this time, do not stir up trouble, or do not blame me for being merciless.”
“Yes.” The demon kings were not foolish; in this sensitive period, who would dare to act recklessly?
The palace guards moved swiftly, and within the hour, someone came to conduct an inspection.
The demon kings remained unafraid; the magical artifacts showed no response. After the guards left, they sought a place to sit and cultivate, passing the time, when Young Master Peng assigned them a task.
“I told you not to cause trouble, but that doesn’t mean you can all stay here. Quickly, go out and gather information for me. Where did the humans get their magical artifacts, and how did they discover Liu Xu’s whereabouts?”
At these words, the demon kings hurriedly left the room, eager for the chance to earn merit.
“Don’t let me find out who did it!” Young Master Peng slammed his hand on the table, and the sturdy, special stone table shattered into fragments.
Liu Xu’s abilities were quite unique; compared to the other demon kings, Peng had higher hopes for him. Being cold-hearted and decisive did not mean he was unwilling to nurture talent. With this incident occurring, how could he possibly feel pleased?
—In the Imperial Palace;
Summoned by Zhou Suren to the imperial garden for evening tea, Ye Yong suddenly felt an inexplicable chill.
“What’s wrong?” Qin Shidong, sitting beside him, naturally noticed Ye Yong’s momentary shiver.
“Nothing.” Ye Yong found it rather strange; why would there be a chill out of nowhere? But it was winter, so he thought little of it.
Zhou Suren and Ye Wen were chatting idly when, clad in golden armor, Shen Ao approached, bowing deeply to Zhou Suren and kneeling on one knee.
“Your Majesty, please punish me! I have failed to capture the criminal!”
“Oh?” By now, the sky had begun to lighten, and from the midnight hour to this moment, at least two full hours had passed. Zhou Suren had always believed in Shen Ao’s abilities, clearly not anticipating this outcome: “Elaborate.”
Shen Ao recounted the process of capturing the wood demon, its subsequent death, and the extensive search for its accomplices in detail.
“So, there is a more powerful demon hiding within the imperial city?” Zhou Suren pondered aloud. “What connection does Mei Renxing have with the demons? Why would he risk coming to the human city to assassinate him?”
Ye Yong was similarly lost in thought; the novel had not included such a plot twist. Had he triggered some butterfly effect once more?
—
70 Demon Capture
“This matter is not your fault; rise.” Zhou Suren discerned right from wrong. Since even the National Guardian General, at the sixth level of transformation, could not detect the demon lurking behind, it indicated that their opponent was indeed more formidable. Punishing Shen Ao would be futile.
Yet, the fact that a demon had infiltrated the imperial city he managed pricked at Zhou Suren’s mind like a thorn, leaving him deeply unsettled.
The demon detection artifact had not reacted; clearly, the enemy had come prepared… and the dead wood demon had left no trace behind, making it impossible to use the argument powder on it. Never mind, it was better to avoid further complications. He would check for any civilian casualties; if none were found, he would deactivate the formation and allow the demon to leave freely.
Just as Zhou Suren was about to voice this decision, he caught a glance at Ye Yong and an involuntary thought sprang to mind. With Ye Yong’s great fortune, did he perhaps possess some special artifact that could reveal the enemy’s whereabouts?
Quickly, Zhou Suren dismissed this notion. Ye Yong’s fortune was his own; capturing the demonic cultivator and finding the murderer had already drawn upon his luck twice. It was unlikely a third time would come.
Ye Yong, who had caught Zhou Suren’s glance, assumed the Emperor needed assistance. He too wished to uncover which demon was scheming behind the scenes and what their motives were. After much contemplation, he reluctantly purchased a heavenly-grade artifact, the Nine Directions Sun and Moon Demon Seeking Disk, for a staggering 110,000 reversal points.
As a heavenly-grade artifact, this seeking disk was vastly different from the Qi-sensing compass. It did not require the argument powder for activation; once initiated, it would harness the power of the sun and moon to mark demons within a five-kilometer radius. As for how it would handle any items that could shield demonic energy? The shop’s description stated that unless the shielding object reached the saint level or the wielder possessed the cultivation of a demon emperor (great completion), all demons would be laid bare.
Ye Yong did not believe their opponent possessed the cultivation of a demon emperor. After all, if they were truly that powerful, there would be no need to assassinate a mere demonic cultivator at the third level of transformation; they could simply negotiate with the dynasty and demand Zhou Suren hand over the demonic cultivator. As for a saint-level shielding object, Ye Yong was willing to bet that none existed.
Ye Yong had never been short-sighted. If this 110,000 reversal points could reveal the enemy’s whereabouts and bring them to light, it would be the second time he had helped Zhou Suren out of a significant predicament, bringing him one step closer to entering the treasury to claim the ancient token.
Moreover, the seeking disk would surely have its uses in the future. Yet, Ye Yong was uncertain whether the demons that appeared mid-way could be considered mutated forms of demons. In any case, the future held promise.