“The Demon Ancestor! Fairy, you must be joking. If the Iron Sand Ridge is guarded by a Demon Ancestor, then Han would rather forgo this true blood,” Han Li said with a dark expression.
“Brother Han is overthinking it. If a Demon Ancestor’s true form were personally stationed at Iron Sand Ridge, the Long Family and Spirit Tribe would never have chosen the Illusory Roar Desert route—they would have fled as far as possible. From what I know, there is only an avatar of a Demon Ancestor named Lingyuan stationed there. It seems his true form once owed a great debt to the Azure Wing Tribe, which is why he left an avatar there permanently. Brother Han once slew an avatar of a Demon Ancestor during the battle at Tianyuan City, so dealing with this one shouldn’t be a problem. Moreover, if we act carefully, we might not even alert this Lingyuan Ancestor’s avatar,” the feathered-robed maiden said, blinking her beautiful eyes.
“Just an avatar? Still, it won’t be easy. As far as I know, the connection between a Demon Ancestor’s avatar and its true form is extremely strong. Unlike in the Spirit Realm, if Lingyuan’s true form resides somewhere near Iron Sand Ridge, the moment we disturb the avatar, his true form could arrive in an instant. The risk is still too great!” Han Li’s expression shifted several times before he shook his head.
“Brother Han, rest assured. Since I’ve made this plan, I naturally gathered intelligence beforehand. According to my sources, Lingyuan’s true form resides extremely far away and has been in secluded cultivation for ten thousand years. Moreover, this Demon Ancestor has had other avatars perish before, yet his true form never emerged. Some even speculate that his true form has already perished, leaving only a few avatars active. Of course, no one dares verify this, as no one would dare disturb a Demon Ancestor’s seclusion. But this means Brother Han need not worry about Lingyuan’s true form intervening—we only need to deal with the avatar at Iron Sand Ridge,” the maiden said with a smile.
“If that’s the case, then it might be worth considering. However, when I slew that Demon Ancestor’s avatar in the Spirit Realm, it was only because other fellow cultivators were there to assist and distract it. Alone, I wouldn’t have been able to manage,” Han Li said, his expression easing slightly.
“I’m well aware of that. Before leaving the Spirit Realm, I visited a close friend and borrowed a unique treasure—the ‘Chaos Pearl.’ This one-time-use treasure has no other function, but once activated, it can create a self-contained space. If Brother Han can hold off the avatar for a short time, I can use this treasure to activate a secret technique from the Ye Family, trapping it for half a day. With that much time, we can easily escape. As long as we don’t reveal our human identities, I doubt this Lingyuan avatar would chase us relentlessly over some true blood,” the maiden said confidently.
“Hmm, it seems Fairy Ye has planned this for a long time. If all I need to do is delay it briefly, then Han has no objections. I believe I can manage that,” Han Li exhaled deeply and nodded in satisfaction.
Seeing Han Li finally free of concerns, the maiden relaxed, her delicate face blooming like a flower.
Though she had been scheming for this since her time in the Spirit Realm, if Han Li had truly refused, she would never have been able to obtain the Azure Phoenix True Blood alone. That was why she had offered such a high price to secure his help from the start.
The two then began discussing their plans in detail aboard the flying vessel.
Soon, as the vessel sped through the air, a yellow line appeared on the distant horizon, gradually revealing a vast loess plateau.
The land appeared exceptionally flat, stretching endlessly beyond sight.
The vessel flashed past a small mound, and Han Li, who had been conversing with the maiden, suddenly frowned and glanced out the window.
“What is it, Brother Han? Did you notice something?” the maiden asked, immediately releasing her spiritual sense to scan the surroundings.
“Nothing serious. Just a low-level demon beast hiding below, blending its aura with the surroundings so well that even I nearly missed it,” Han Li replied calmly, withdrawing his gaze.
“Oh? That’s unusual, but not surprising. The Demon Realm’s environment is far harsher than the Spirit Realm’s, so many low-level demon beasts possess innate survival skills. Otherwise, they’d have been wiped out by higher-level ones long ago,” the maiden chuckled.
Han Li nodded and said no more.
The vessel swiftly left the mound behind.
A short while later, the seemingly empty mound suddenly split open, and a hedgehog-like demon beast about a foot long crawled out. Its gray-white spines bristled, and several unusually long tendrils sprouted from its head. Its bulging eyes, glowing with eerie red light, stared fixedly in the direction the vessel had vanished, as if possessing its own intelligence.
A month later, at the edge of the loess plateau bordering a mountain range, a small town about ten li in size stood in a depression.
The town had no walls, only rows of symbolic yellow wooden fences surrounding it.
Above the town, multicolored streaks of light darted back and forth—some soaring into the distance, others descending slowly onto a small square at the town’s center.
At the town’s corners stood several towering platforms, each bearing a massive black banner emitting faint dark mist, shrouding the air above them.
On these platforms stood four or five expressionless demon guards.
Centered around the square, the town had a few winding streets lined with shops, taverns, and other establishments run by demons. Thousands of demons bustled in and out, giving the place a lively atmosphere.
In an inconspicuous tavern near the square’s edge, two demons sat at a table by the window, meditating.
On the table lay only an emerald-green wine jug and two pristine white jade cups.
The rich aroma of wine wafted from the cups, their contents a deep amber-red—clearly a rare and exquisite vintage.
The entire floor was empty except for these two, as if they had reserved the whole place.
“They should be arriving soon,” one of them—a thick-browed man with several small braids and large golden earrings—said impatiently, glancing toward the square.
“According to the Eyed Demon’s intel, the suspected targets emerged from the Illusory Roar Desert a month ago. But they split into several groups immediately after. The two we’re after are just one pair—others in the sect are handling the rest. Given the distance, they should arrive within the next two days. This town, Earth Dragon Town, is the only resting spot in the area. If they’re coming from this direction, they’ll definitely stop here,” replied the other demon, a refined middle-aged man in Taoist robes.
“Hmph, that’s not certain. What if they bypass the town entirely? Then we’ve wasted our time,” the braided man snorted.
“Brother Luo, rest assured. This is the closest town to the Illusory Roar Desert. If they’ve been trapped in the desert for decades, they’ll need to replenish their supplies—medicine, spirit stones, and the like. Even if they don’t, they’ll want news of recent events. They’ll come,” the Taoist said confidently.
“You sound so sure, but I’m not convinced,” the braided man retorted, rolling his eyes.
“Oh? Then how about a wager, Brother Luo?” the Taoist teased.
“What kind of wager?” the man asked warily.
“How about betting our rewards for this mission? The payment is generous—otherwise, we wouldn’t be here,” the Taoist chuckled.
“Nice try. I won’t take that bet. But if you propose something else, I might be interested,” the braided man said, shaking his head vigorously.
“What did you have in mind?” the Taoist asked, smirking.
“How about betting on who defeats their target first?” the man suggested slyly.
“Haha, I know my abilities fall short of yours, Brother Luo. I’ll pass,” the Taoist laughed.
“Don’t dismiss it so quickly! Maybe my opponent will be much stronger than yours,” the man grinned.
“I trust my own judgment, not luck,” the Taoist replied lightly.
“After all these years in the sect, you’re still as dull as ever—always playing it safe, never taking risks,” the braided man sighed, bored.
The Taoist smiled but before he could respond, his eyes suddenly brightened as he fixed his gaze on a black flying vessel descending onto the square.
“Perfect. That’s the exact same flying artifact from the intel!” the braided man exclaimed, standing up and cracking his knuckles eagerly.
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage