Chapter 219: Kill

Chapter 219: Kill

This place was the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion, where all the rare treasures and superior cultivation techniques of the Demon Realm were stored. Only inner disciples who had received permission could enter and view them. Lu Yan was able to come in under the pretext of treating Ying Wujiu's injuries. However, he wondered what the black-clothed man behind him wanted.

The man whispered harshly, "Tell me honestly, where does Ying Wujiu live?!"

Oh~ So he's from outside the Demon Realm.

Lu Yan understood and pointed in the direction of Xuanzhu Hall.

The man asked again, "How do you get to the seventh floor of the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion?"

The Heavenly Treasure Pavilion had seven floors. The first and second floors housed low-grade elixirs and jade slips; the third and fourth floors contained medium-grade treasures; the fifth and sixth floors held high-grade cultivation techniques; and no one had ever been to the seventh floor, which was rumored to contain divine artifacts.

Could this person be here to steal something?

Stealing wasn't a concern, but Lu Yan feared that the man might silence him after getting the information.

Standing by the window, bathed in the moonlight, Lu Yan's side profile looked like a jade sculpture, exuding an indescribable elegance. He pondered for a moment and then spoke sincerely, "Sir, I'm just a servant who sweeps the floors. My badge only allows access to the first and second floors. The restrictions on the upper floors can't be bypassed. I have no idea how to get to the seventh floor of the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion. Please spare me; I promise not to say a word."

The black-clothed man coldly said, "I'll ask you one last question. Answer it, and I'll let you go. Is the Heart Essence in Floating Moon City?!"

Heart Essence?!

Lu Yan's heart stirred at these words. He frowned inwardly, wondering why everyone seemed to be looking for the Heart Essence when he hadn't even found any clues yet.

Lu Yan pretended to be confused, "Heart Essence? What is that? I've never heard of it."

The black-clothed man sneered, "Since you know nothing, don't blame me for not letting you go. Watch your step on the road to hell, and next time, don't reincarnate into the path of evil!"

As he spoke, he prepared to kill Lu Yan with his blade. Unexpectedly, he felt a sudden pain in his abdomen, discovering a dagger made of moonlight energy piercing him. A chill spread through his body, freezing his organs as if they would shatter. His eyes widened in shock, and the blade fell from his hand with a clang.

Lu Yan quickly retreated out of the attacker's range. He had only managed to surprise the man with the help of the moonlight. In a real fight, he doubted he could win.

"You go to hell first; I'm not done living yet!"

With that, Lu Yan leaped onto the windowsill and broke through the window, landing outside. Just then, General Corpse Puppet, leading a patrol team, heard the commotion and rushed over, shouting, "Who are you?!"

Lu Yan rolled to dissipate the impact and pointed inside, yelling loudly, "General Corpse Puppet, there's an unknown black-clothed intruder inside! Catch him!"

The black-clothed man realized it was bad; disturbing the Corpse Puppet would make escape difficult. He immediately took out a high-grade teleportation jade slip and crushed it to flee, but the teleportation array barely activated before the doors of the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion shattered. A golden spear struck him with lightning speed, breaking his protective barrier and disrupting the teleportation array.

"Anyone who dares to intrude on the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion will die!"

A stern voice echoed from outside, revealing General Corpse Puppet. He recalled his golden spear, his spiritual energy surging as he engaged in a fierce battle with the intruder. Each move aimed to kill. The black-clothed man, a cultivator in the Great Completion stage, fought back fiercely, making the battle evenly matched.

Their fight moved from inside the pavilion to the outside, causing sand and stones to fly, and bricks and trees to break. No one else could intervene. Lu Yan found a safe spot to watch the spectacle. The commotion drew many servants, including Feng Sha, who arrived with his men.

"Who dares to trespass in the Demon Realm?!"

Feng Sha, transformed from a fox beast, lunged forward, turning into a majestic white-furred creature, neither tiger nor cat, towering over two people tall, roaring deafeningly.

General Corpse Puppet and Feng Sha worked together, quickly forcing the Great Completion cultivator to the ground with a loud crash, creating a massive crater, showing the force of their attack.

General Corpse Puppet pointed his golden spear at the cultivator's throat, his voice icy, "Speak! Who sent you?!"

The cultivator spat out a mouthful of blood, then was dragged up by the demon cultivators and bound tightly with a binding net. He surveyed the surroundings and sneered, "Where's Ying Wujiu?! Is there no one in charge in the Demon Realm? Why are two juniors questioning me?!"

General Corpse Puppet, devoid of human emotions, didn't engage in verbal sparring. Feng Sha, an ancient spirit beast, scratched the ground with his sharp claws, eager to devour the intruder.

Amidst the confusion, a playful voice rang out, "You can't even defeat two juniors and want the Lord to personally question you? You're shameless and suicidal!"

Looking towards the source, they saw a man in green robes leaning against a tree, arms crossed, a mocking expression on his face. It was none other than Lu Yan.

The Great Completion cultivator suddenly became agitated, cursing, "Despicable scoundrel! If you hadn't ambushed me, I wouldn't have lost to them!"

The moonlight dagger had vanished, but the wound remained, bleeding profusely and refusing to heal, even with spiritual energy.

Lu Yan's words could infuriate anyone. Smiling, he mimicked the cultivator, "Despicable scoundrel, if you hadn't come to steal from our Demon Realm at night, you wouldn't have been ambushed!"

The cultivator was momentarily stunned but then sneered, "After all this talk, why hasn't Ying Wujiu shown up? Is he too afraid to face us?"

Lu Yan plucked a blade of grass and put it in his mouth, thinking that the cultivator's insistence on seeing Ying Wujiu must be part of some nefarious plan. He was about to throw a clod of dirt at the cultivator's mouth when the man suddenly shouted to the sky:

"Ying Wujiu, rumors say you went mad during seclusion, crippled your legs, and are half-dead. I dismissed it, but now I believe it! When you die, what will happen when the Immortal Sects attack? Hahaha! The Demon Realm's fate is sealed!"

Lu Yan raised an eyebrow, realizing this was a tactic to demoralize the troops. If Ying Wujiu didn't appear, the rumors would be confirmed. But if he did...

What if he really was paralyzed? What could they do?

Since the previous Lord, Fuguang, was suppressed by the Immortal Sects, the Demon Realm had been in chaos. The demon cultivators below vied for the position of Lord, until Ying Wujiu stepped in and restored order. If news of his paralysis spread, the realm would plunge into turmoil again.

This old man was truly vicious!

Even the usually emotionless General Corpse Puppet sensed the sinister intent behind the words. His gaze turned cold, and he prepared to strike the man down with his golden spear. Suddenly, the air around them trembled, and a deep, mocking voice echoed from above—

"The Demon Realm's fate is uncertain, but yours ends here today."

Lu Yan instinctively looked up and saw a red figure emerge from the darkness, bathed in radiant light. The man had long, raven-black hair flowing freely, a half-mask of glass with golden lotus patterns on his right cheek, and held a peculiar white bone sword. His presence was overwhelming, suffocating.

"Rumble—"

Everyone around him knelt, "Greetings, Lord!"

Hesitating for a moment, Lu Yan also knelt down.

The previously shouting cultivator paled, stumbling backward, staring at Ying Wujiu's legs in disbelief. This scene contradicted the information he had received. Stuttering, he exclaimed, "You... you!"

"Bang—"

A streak of sword light flashed without warning, slicing his body in two. A massive cloud of blood exploded, and brains and intestines flew everywhere, the intense stench of blood almost making people vomit.

Even though Lu Qian dodged quickly, the hem of his robe still got stained with some blood. The servants screamed in terror, huddling together, their eyes wide with fear as they looked at the red-clothed man in front of them.

Ying Wujiu, however, slowly descended the steps and then sheathed the bone sword behind his back. His dark gaze swept over the crowd with varying expressions, his voice icy and devoid of emotion, sending chills down everyone's spine:

"This person managed to break through the barrier and enter the hall, which means there must be a spy from the Immortal Sects among us. I will give you an opportunity: hand this person over before dawn tomorrow, or else no one will be spared, and all the servants in the hall will be executed!"

Execute all of them? That’s six hundred people?!

The leaders like Feng Sha would never betray, and the demon cultivators were carefully selected for their loyalty. The only suspicious ones were the less important servants and cauldrons.

Lu Qian inwardly marveled at how ruthless Ying Wujiu was. With these words, the servants would undoubtedly be terrified and suspicious of each other. With over six hundred people reporting on each other, it was unlikely that the "spy" could hide for long—truly a psychological attack.

Although everyone was shocked and frightened, they had no choice but to agree, hurriedly removing the corpse and cleaning up the mess left by the fight. The corpse puppets and Feng Sha also led their subordinates to search elsewhere.

Before long, the people in Tian Bao Pavilion had dispersed completely. The red figure in the courtyard suddenly stabbed the ground with his sword, swaying slightly. At this moment, Ying Wujiu’s red robes were soaked with cold sweat, his face deathly pale, clearly at the end of his strength.

His legs suffered daily from the burning agony of the Red Lotus Hellfire, wishing for his bones to melt and his blood to dry up. He could barely stand, and if not for Lu Qian’s treatment during those days to alleviate the fire poison, he wouldn’t have been able to maintain this facade today. If the dead cultivator really was a spy sent by the Immortal Sects, more would surely follow.

Immortal Sects!! Immortal Sects!! They will be torn to pieces sooner or later!!

As the veins on Ying Wujiu’s forehead bulged and murderous thoughts surged, a hand suddenly supported his arm. A faint blue light enveloped his body, like a cool stream extinguishing a scorching iron, instantly relieving the pain.

Seeing the man’s pale face from the pain, Lu Qian felt a twinge of sympathy and hesitated for a moment before saying:

"Lord, shall I help you back to the hall?"