A Dao Artifact?! Behind Yaoguang, Qi Sha could not help but feel his heart shake when he heard Leng Qingqiu’s words.[1]
For Dao Lords, refining a Dao Artifact was not difficult. But to any living being below the Dao Lord Realm, a Dao Artifact was a supreme treasure they might not be able to gather enough wealth to purchase even if they exhausted their entire lives.
Nonetheless, Yaoguang did not seem to lack Dao Artifacts. After being shaken for a moment, Qi Sha quickly calmed down. This surprised Leng Qingqiu somewhat.
A Dao Artifact! This is a Dao Artifact! A supreme treasure that even many Void-Refining experts might not possess. And this is your reaction?
Qi Sha seemed to guess her thoughts from the slight astonishment in her eyes, and he sighed inwardly.
Ever since he had started following Hall Master Yaoguang, he seemed to have stopped caring about Dao Artifacts, objects he would not have even dared to think about in ordinary times.
After hearing about one, he had merely been slightly surprised, then had no further reaction. His horizons had clearly widened.
Compared to the various thoughts running through Qi Sha and Leng Qingqiu’s minds, Yaoguang paid more attention to another issue.
"You want me to act as bait because the demon race has placed a bounty on me? How much is the bounty?" He was rather curious.
Leng Qingqiu thought for a moment. Considering that this was information Yaoguang could find out with just a little inquiry, she did not hide it. "At present, you're ranked ninth on the demon race’s Void-Piercing Realm Bounty Ranking. The bounty is forty thousand Void Dao Pills."
"Forty thousand Void Dao Pills... That is 480,000,000 Pure Yang Grand Pills? Close to half a Dao Artifact," Yaoguang said.
"Yes." Leng Qingqiu nodded and said, "That is why our sect is willing to offer one Dao Artifact to request your help. We are already showing great sincerity—"
"Using one Dao Artifact to buy the life of a Void-Piercing Realm cultivator sounds quite good, but that is only your understanding. In my view, I only need to enter seclusion for a period of time before I can reach the Void-Refining Realm. My life is not that cheap," Yaoguang said.
Leng Qingqiu frowned. After a while, she said, "We did not mean to use one Dao Artifact to buy your life. We are only requesting your help... The team led by the Heaven-Swallowing Demon King bullies the weak and fears the strong. They have demon kings skilled in concealment to obscure our senses, as well as demon kings skilled in scouting who can specifically perceive Dao Seeds and avoid all cultivators who have planted them. That is why we are asking you for help."
She looked at Yaoguang and said in a confident tone, "The Heaven-Swallowing Demon King and its team are not really that powerful. The real issue is how elusive and unpredictable they are. In other words, once you can lure them out, with my strength, I can easily slaughter this group of demon kings. You will not face any real danger at all."
"You will be following behind me, not traveling alongside me. From the moment I suddenly encounter the Heaven-Swallowing Demon King and its group’s attack to the moment you arrive in time, at least several breaths will pass. If you are slower, it might even take more than ten breaths. During that time, I will be facing so many demon kings alone. You call that no real danger?" Yaoguang said.
Leng Qingqiu fell silent. After a while, she said, "That is why we are willing to pay one Dao Artifact as compensation."
"You're paying me one Dao Artifact to suffer an ambush from six to eight demon kings skilled in sneak attacks. How is that not trying to buy my life?" Yaoguang said with a smile.
"For an ordinary Void-Piercing expert, suddenly being attacked by so many demon kings, especially since they're skilled in ambushes, would indeed be extremely dangerous. But you are someone who can slay three Void-Piercing demon kings alone. With your strength, you can probably be considered to have reached the pinnacle of the Void-Piercing Realm. Even against the Heaven-Swallowing Demon King’s battle team, you should be able to hold your ground for at least a few breaths, right?" Leng Qingqiu said.
A faint smile also appeared on Leng Qingqiu’s face. "Of course, if there are other circumstances behind your feat of slaying three demon kings alone... and you do not actually have such strength, then consider it presumptuous of me. After all, if you really don't have this strength, then this mission would indeed be life-threatening for you."
"You don't need to provoke me. Killing three demon kings and acting as bait to withstand six to eight demon kings are two different things," Yaoguang said.
The former was a frontal confrontation. The latter was using himself as bait, which was almost the same as placing his life in the enemy’s hands.
Could he guarantee that the intelligence Leng Qingqiu had given him was true? Were there really only between six and eight demon kings in the team led by the Heaven-Swallowing Demon King?
Even if Leng Qingqiu’s information was accurate, what if this was information the demon race had deliberately allowed her to obtain? What if, in reality, there was also a Void-Refining demon emperor hidden among those demon kings?
Furthermore, Leng Qingqiu’s information had probably been obtained some time ago. It was at least several months old, if not older.
During that time, the Heaven-Swallowing Demon King’s lineup might have been expanded, and they wouldn't know anything about it.
There were too many variables. Naturally, he would not put himself in danger.
"Deputy Sect Master Leng, please invite someone more capable." Yaoguang directly refused.
"Perfected Lord Yaoguang, it seems like you really have no confidence in yourself at all... How disappointing," Leng Qingqiu said indifferently.
"Disappointing?" Yaoguang frowned.
Leng Qingqiu’s words were rather rude.
He gave a faint smile and said, "Deputy Sect Master Leng, that word is not something you should say lightly."
"Oh? Am I wrong?" Leng Qingqiu said.
"The fact that you chose me to carry out this mission proves that in the entire Penglai Immortal Sect, from true disciples to Void-Piercing elders and young sect masters, no one is more outstanding or more suitable than me, does it not? Yet now, you say you are disappointed in me... Does that not mean that in the entire Penglai Immortal Sect, not a single true disciple, Void-Piercing elder, or young sect master can enter your eyes, and all of them are even more disappointing to you, Deputy Sect Master Leng?" Yaoguang did not indulge her and spoke bluntly.
He even deliberately emphasized the words "Deputy Sect Master."
"You—"
Leng Qingqiu was clearly displeased, and she was about to say something, but Lu Li hurriedly stepped forward to smooth things over. "Since Young Sect Master Yaoguang is unwilling to go and lure out the Heaven-Swallowing Demon King, then let it be. We will think of another way."
"Indeed. I believe the Penglai Immortal Sect is full of talents. There will always be someone who can replace me and carry out this mission." Yaoguang also nodded. "Besides, Deputy Sect Master Leng is a Void-Refining expert. Under your pursuit, the Heaven-Swallowing Demon King’s team may be able to hide for a while, but can they hide forever? As long as you put in a little more effort, you will eventually be able to catch these demon kings."
"Hmph!" Leng Qingqiu waved her sleeve sharply. "My affairs are none of your concern!"
After saying this, she vanished directly from the lounge. This left Lu Li feeling somewhat awkward.
"Perfected Lord Yaoguang, Deputy Sect Master Leng has been unable to draw out the Heaven-Swallowing Demon King during this period, yet the team led by this demon king has continued to ambush and kill elites of our immortal sect again and again. Deputy Sect Master Leng has been under immense pressure, so her words were offensive for a moment. Please forgive her, Perfected Lord Yaoguang." As Lu Li spoke, he bowed on Leng Qingqiu’s behalf.
"It’s fine. Perfected Lord Lu, you just need to gather the things I need as soon as possible," Yaoguang said.
"I’ll send a message to the sect right away and urge them again," Lu Li hurriedly replied.
Yaoguang nodded in response, and Lu Li took his leave.
After he left, Qi Sha, who had come with him, finally said, "Young Sect Master, it seems like the outer sea is not peaceful, and the Penglai Immortal Sect is unable to fully control the situation. Should we..."
"It's not surprising that they're unable to control the situation," Yaoguang said.
The Deep-Blue Sea had originally been the territory of Jade Scale Demon Paragon from the Nine Demon Race Lineages.
Back then, the Penglai Dao Lord had defeated the Jade Scale Demon Paragon, which allowed her to seize the Deep-Blue Sea, establish a sect, and expand the territory under the human race's control.
However, just as every region in the human living areas was occupied by the Ten Great Immortal Dao Sects, the Four Great Immortal Dynasties, the Three Immortal Martial Sects, and the Six Buddhist Temples, the demon race’s territory was the same.
After losing the Deep-Blue Sea, the living space of the demon paragon's faction had greatly shrunk. It had no choice but to think of every possible way to seize the Deep-Blue Sea back. Thus, over the past century, the battles in the outer sea had never stopped.
The demon paragon could not afford to provoke the Penglai Dao Lord, so it simply avoided meeting her. Once the Penglai Dao Lord appeared to kill a demon emperor or demon sovereign, it would run in another direction and ambush the elders, palace masters, and deputy sect masters of the Penglai Immortal Sect.
If the Penglai Dao Lord pursued it, it would flee deeper into the demon race’s interior.
The other demon paragons among the Nine Demon Race Lineages could not possibly watch the Penglai Dao Lord run into their base camp and flaunt her power, so naturally, they had to step forward and force her back.
Their main strategy was to avoid a direct confrontation and wear her down.
The problem was that the Penglai Immortal Sect had not been established for long. It had a limited number of experts, yet it had already occupied nearly the entire Deep-Blue Sea. Its sect territory was already larger than that of the Heavenly Dao Sect and Taiyi Immortal Sect. With the Penglai Dao Lord alone, it was naturally somewhat difficult to keep it all under control.
Of course, overall, the Penglai Immortal Sect still held the upper hand.
"Every time the Penglai Dao Lord acts, she exposes her position. As long as she is not too close to the Jade Scale Demon Paragon, that hidden demon paragon will inevitably act as well. But Dao Lords are far too fast. The concept of being relatively close is enough to cover half of the Deep-Blue Sea. Many times, the Penglai Dao Lord can act three times before the demon paragon has a chance to act once. And yet, it is only because the Penglai Immortal Sect’s foundation is shallow and cannot afford such exchanges that the Jade Scale lineage hasn't already been wiped out."
Yaoguang smiled as he spoke. "A three-for-one loss ratio... Those demon kings are still somewhat manageable and may not be worth the Penglai Dao Lord personally taking action, but as for the demon emperors and demon sovereigns, every single one of them must be living in constant fear in the outer sea. To avoid being targeted by the Penglai Dao Lord, they will definitely drag their feet. In other words, the outer sea has quite a few demon kings, and it might be safer than we thought."
"Young Sect Master, you mean..."
"Of course we’ll go and take a look." As Yaoguang spoke, he roughly estimated the time and smiled. "But there is no hurry. We’ll rest for a while first. It won’t be too late to go after the Penglai Immortal Sect’s bounty for the Heaven-Swallowing Demon King is announced and after the battle hall members have absorbed their gains from this period."
1. Before anyone comes after me, yes. Qi Sha shouldn't even be there. But the author just decided he's inside the array that Yaoguang used to isolate the conversation... ☜
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