Inner Demons

Li Shan’s mind let out a buzzing sound—it was actually a fake person?!

Then... where did the real Li Yunxin go?!

He carefully and slowly retreated from the cliff, lest he startle Old Daoist Liu. Once on the ground, he immediately flew away and plunged straight into the water. He first avoided the demon-monsters guarding the periphery of Jun Mountain and rushed without delay to the Three Rivers' Mouth on the edge of Dongting.

The Three Rivers' Mouth originally had Egret Town nearby, with flat roads and convenient transportation. Therefore, his Senior Brother Fu Liangzi, who was impersonating Kun Wuzi, had sent men to guard this place, awaiting any news he might bring. Now, they were finally put to use.

Waiting there was an Illusory Realm cultivator, who was extremely serious about his work.

Li Shan spotted him by the lake and immediately shouted, "Go back and send word! Li Yunxin is gone!"

The cultivator was inwardly confused that the Sect Master had ordered him to wait for a demon-monster to bring a message. However, Kun Wuzi's consistent authority suppressed this doubt in his heart. Seeing Li Shan now, he showed no sign of contempt; instead, he listened very carefully. After hearing the news, he asked, "Is that the only message?"

Li Shan finally calmed himself, carefully looked him over, and said, "Who else knows about your coming here?"

The cultivator answered calmly, "My coming here is a confidential matter of the Sect Master, known to no one else."

The cultivator frowned slightly upon hearing this, raising a hand to interrupt him: "Friend, please wait."

He then took out a Talisman from his sleeve and cast it with a finger sign. The Talisman quickly turned to ash. Then he looked at Li Shan: "The matter seems very serious. I will have the Sect Master come personally."

Li Shan couldn't help but look at him a few more times—this Taoist priest indeed had an extraordinary bearing. Therefore, he asked one more question: "May I ask your name, sir?"

The Taoist priest bowed: "Cong Yuezi."

He then said nothing more.

Li Shan also fell silent. But the silence did not last long—a streak of light appeared in the sky, and Kun Wuzi descended from the heavens, bringing a fierce wind that billowed Cong Yuezi's robes. Seeing that his Sect Master had arrived, the Taoist priest bowed again and silently departed into the distance.

Li Shan had no time for pleasantries, getting straight to the point: "Li Yunxin has been missing for eighteen hours now. He used a fake body on Jun Mountain. I don't know if he sensed that something was amiss."

Kun Wuzi was slightly taken aback, then asked, "Spirit Soul Manifesting True Body?"

But he quickly realized what Li Shan was thinking and negated his own idea: "No. He is a True Realm, and a clone cannot travel very far or accomplish much."

"Yes. I think his main body must have left Dongting. Didn't you find anything on your side?"

"The exits are guarded by Taoist priests; nothing was discovered. Let's not discuss that for now." Kun Wuzi frowned, paced twice, and his expression was quite grim.

After all, he was not the former Kun Wuzi. He might look identical, but his state of mind and experience were vastly different; he was not a truly composed and calm Profound Realm high-level cultivator. He paced two more steps, turned around, and said, "Could it be that he went to... Stone Forest Mountain?"

"That is my speculation as well," Li Shan said. "He spoke to me before, suggesting that he would summon great demon-monsters to besiege Weicheng so that you could slay the great demons. Now it seems he is indeed heading there. But I do not know if he had already become suspicious of me before, or if those words were a lie to deceive me. The critical thing now... is for you to make a decision."

Kun Wuzi was stunned: "What decision?"

Li Shan looked at him and sighed, "Li Yunxin is full of schemes, and we don't know what he's up to. He gave us a surprise attack, so let us give him a surprise attack, too. Only by disrupting the situation can we plan anew. In my opinion, regardless of what he is doing at Stone Forest Mountain, we must ensure he fails. You previously mentioned that Kun Wuzi seemed to have an old grudge with Dragon TwoYazi?"

Kun Wuzi thought for a moment, and his eyes lit up: "That's right. Tell that Yazi that Li Yunxin is at Stone Forest Mountain. Whatever their grudge, a Profound Realm great demon going there will certainly cause trouble. That's easy—we previously set up a great array to search for Kun Wuzi's remnant soul. Though we didn't find him, we did find traces of Yazi. I'll have someone send him a message shortly."

"There is a second point," Li Shan said to Kun Wuzi, separated by Dongting's Restriction. "The people in Dongting must also be captured in one fell swoop. We previously thought Li Yunxin was a ruthless demon-monster who could use or discard anyone. But based on my observations over the past few days, he is, in fact, sentimental. Leaving others aside, just look at the old man by his side, Old Daoist Liu Hunyuanzi—he holds that elder in high regard, treating him as both a friend and a servant. Also, the few demon-monsters under him are all devotedly loyal to him. I think he won't abandon them."

"Capture them all in one net and hold them as hostages. If the situation changes again, we will still have room to maneuver."

Kun Wuzi listened to Li Shan speaking all this in one breath, his face slightly blank. After a while, he sighed, "What exactly have you been through all these years? You are completely unlike your former self. You've become... so decisive and ruthless."

Li Shan pursed his lips, wanting to speak but stopping himself. He quickly forced a smile: "Now is not the time to be sentimental. We must act quickly. I am now at the peak of the Manifestation Realm, and I have been commanding the demon-monsters in the lake these days, having established a Traveling Palace. Though it is unstable, it is barely usable. When Li Yunxin brought me out of Dongting, I set the exit outside. You can enter Dongting from the outside through my Traveling Palace—now, the only great demon-monster in the lake is Bai Yunxin. You should come as well. This will ensure absolute safety."

Kun Wuzi was startled, then frowned: "Are you crazy? Although I am a True Realm, my body is even more formidable than a Profound Realm's. With my cultivation, borrowing your Traveling Palace to enter Dongting, my Spiritual Power will inevitably shock your inner organs—how can your body's Spiritual Power tolerate mine? It will severely injure you... perhaps you will die!"

Li Shan stared at Kun Wuzi for a while, then suddenly let out a cold laugh: "Senior Brother, have you... lived too comfortably all these years?!"

Kun Wuzi froze, uttering a blank 'Ah.'

Then he heard Li Shan’s voice turn cold and sharp: "Do you know what the current situation is?!"

"You are in the Daoist Orthodoxy, with every genius treasure available, living without strife, but do you know how demon-monsters live?! This is Dongting, not Cloud Mountain! That Li Yunxin is a cunning and insidious demon-monster, not a Xuanmen high-level cultivator! When you were on Cloud Mountain, you felt everything was under control and could be planned slowly, but now... the more time I spend with Li Yunxin these days, the more I feel alarmed! We underestimated him before!"

"If he truly went to Stone Forest Mountain, he could very likely bring back one-third of this Qing Kingdom's demon-monsters to besiege Weicheng!"

"You only see that he has quietly laid low in Dongting for so long, but how do you know he hasn't already made his arrangements and plans, just waiting for the final kill? The situation is now completely out of control—we must begin the decisive battle! The decisive battle! It's either you die or I die!"

"Have you forgotten how Lingkongzi and Yue Yunzi died? Didn't they feel completely confident and in control of the situation until the very last moment before their deaths?!"

Kun Wuzi was left speechless by the storm of urgent questions. After a long while, he sighed softly, "Fine. Junior Brother, you... are right."

He was silent for a bit longer, then whispered, "But... don't hurt her..."

Li Shan was slightly taken aback, then smiled. His tone suddenly returned to calm, and he stared intently at Kun Wuzi: "Good. I know. Her, that Lingkongzi."

He looked at Kun Wuzi for a moment, then slowly said, "If we truly find her, I will spare her life for you. Now, gather your men, the men of the Daoist Orthodoxy, and all the hidden contacts of our Mutual Aid Society near here. Get them moving! Get them all moving!!"

"...Okay." Kun Wuzi whispered, "I will first return to Weicheng to arrange a few things. Once that is done... I will borrow your Traveling Palace to enter Dongting."

Li Shan looked at him: "Hurry!"

Thus, two hours later, an Illusory Realm cultivator found Yazi.

At this moment, Yazi was still Yazi. He had no intention of causing trouble. He carried the Divine Dragon's instructions, as well as some personal intentions. For a considerable time, he had been hovering near Dongting and Weicheng, observing the situation with a cold eye. Therefore, the arrival of the Daoist Orthodoxy cultivator quite surprised him.

The Daoist Orthodoxy messenger informed him that "Li Yunxin is currently at Trapped Sky Mountain"—by this time, the news was no longer just a speculation.

An inside contact, similar to Tan Liangzi, who was currently among the demon-monsters in Trapped Sky Mountain, had been activated and quickly sent back a message confirming Li Shan's deduction.

But strangely... Yazi seemed uninterested.

At that time, he was lying on a large Bluestone in the forest, basking in the sun. He lazily stared at the Taoist priest who called himself "Cong Yuezi" and yawned: "And, what does that have to do with me?"

Cong Yuezi was slightly stunned.

According to the Sect Master, this Yazi should immediately rush to Trapped Sky Mountain upon hearing this news. He might even direct his anger towards Cong Yuezi himself—because Kun Wuzi had previously ambushed him, which was a deep-seated hatred. Thus, this mission was extremely risky, and he could have been killed in a fit of rage by the moody demon-monster.

But now, looking at Yazi... he was definitely not reacting as expected.

Cong Yunzi suspected he had missed some piece of information. Therefore, he stood beneath the large Bluestone, pondered in silence for a while, and then said, "That Li Yunxin... is rumored to have had a conflict with Lord Tongtian near Dongting. Now we have received word—"

Yazi rose slightly and stared down at him with a strange look: "Conflict? Li Yunxin? Are you referring to my ninth brother who calls himself Li Yunxin? Since he is my ninth brother and a Dragon Clan member, where could a conflict come from? Heh. You, Taoist priest..."

The great demon-monster dangerously narrowed his eyes: "Could it be that you've come to play a joke on me? No wonder you showed no fear upon seeing me. Were you harboring ill intentions?"

Cong Yuezi was increasingly confused, feeling the situation was completely out of his control. He looked up toward the west—the sun was about to set. (To be continued.)

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