Chapter 243: I Have a Life-saving Treasure?

“Junior Brother Meng,” Lü Yuewang instructed with a smile, “it will be faster if you take us along.”

“Understood,” Meng Chuan nodded.

Using his Dark Star Domain, he enveloped their group of four. They immediately shot off like a beam of light, heading straight for Luotang Pass.

Lü Yuewang and Black Rock Great Demon King were somewhat surprised. To carry three people and still achieve such incredible speed was truly astonishing.

“Even with us, you’re still significantly faster than I am,” Lü Yuewang remarked emotionally. “No wonder it’s said that Marquis Godfiends who cultivate the ‘Thunderous World Annihilation Divine Body’ possess the fastest speed in the world. In this era, only speed allows for the protection of more territories. It would be wonderful if our human race had more powerful Godfiends cultivating the ‘Thunderous World Annihilation Divine Body’, but unfortunately, it is incredibly difficult to master.”

“Indeed, it is difficult,” Meng Chuan nodded.

Figures like Xue Feng, Yan Jin, Senior Sister Xiao Yunyue, and Yan Chitong all cultivate one of the five less challenging types among the twelve Transcendent Godfiend Bodies.

The five most difficult ones—the Samsara Divine Body, Herculean Demonic Body, Primordial Divine Body, Thunderous World Annihilation Divine Body, and Thirteen Sword Fiend Demonic Body—have been successfully cultivated by very few disciples. Among all the Marquis and King Godfiends across the world, those who cultivate any of these five types can be counted on one hand. For instance, Meng Chuan is currently the only Marquis Godfiend in the world to have cultivated the Thunderous World Annihilation Divine Body.

“Luotang Pass,” Meng Chuan and his group of four saw Luotang Pass in the distance. It was an exceptionally prosperous and beautiful city.

Especially in recent years, the large-scale invasion by the demon race has led to a surge in population relocating to Luotang Pass. Numerous settlements have even sprung up outside the city walls of Luotang Pass.

“Luotang Pass now has a population exceeding twenty million,” Lü Yuewang remarked, looking down. “So many people have flocked here over the past few years.”

“Many other prefecture cities, such as Jiangzhou City and Wuzhou City, have also seen significant population increases in recent years,” Meng Chuan added. “Jiangzhou City and Wuzhou City now also boast populations over ten million, but providing daily necessities for tens of millions of people is no easy feat. The biggest challenge is grain! We need enough people to farm.”

“Indeed, grain,” Lü Yuewang nodded. “I hear several Grotto-Heaven worlds within Yuanchu Mountain are now cultivating grain. Unfortunately, Grotto-Heaven worlds are significantly smaller, with limited foundations, so the amount of grain they can produce pales in comparison to the outside world. There’s plenty of land in the outside world, but it’s plagued by the demon race.”

Meng Chuan nodded.

Luotang Pass and several prefecture and capital cities have indeed seen a substantial increase in population and prosperity. However, this is a distorted prosperity. The overall human population is actually declining, and living conditions in other areas are far more severe.

“The City Lord’s Mansion,” Lü Yuewang said, pointing to the most conspicuous building complex. “The Venerables are there as well. I’ll take you.”

The group of four flew to the City Lord’s Mansion and landed inside a pavilion.

“The Demon King and I will wait here,” Lü Yuewang said with a smile, pointing to the bluestone path ahead. “Follow this path into the garden ahead, and you’ll find the two Venerables. They wish to see you both first.”

“Senior Brother Gu, we’ll head over now,” Meng Chuan said, and accompanied by his wife Liu Qiyue, walked directly towards it.

After walking past the bluestone path, they entered the garden.

Inside the garden, they saw the illusory figure of Venerable Qin Wu and Venerable Luotang seated opposite each other, playing chess.

“Come on, your move,” Venerable Luotang said, growing more confident after making a move.

Venerable Qin Wu’s illusory figure frowned in deep thought. Every time he manifested, Venerable Luotang would compel him to play chess, which gave him quite a headache.

“Meng Chuan and Liu Qiyue are here,” Venerable Qin Wu said, immediately setting aside the chess pieces and smiling at the approaching couple. “Luotang, let’s attend to the real business first.”

Venerable Luotang could only turn his head and look at Meng Chuan and Liu Qiyue.

“Greetings, Master, Venerable,” Meng Chuan said, bowing respectfully.

“Greetings, Master, Martial Uncle,” Liu Qiyue said, equally respectful.

“Tell us, what exactly happened?” Venerable Qin Wu’s illusory figure asked with a smile. “You both seem to have changed quite a lot.”

Meng Chuan and his wife exchanged glances. Meng Chuan then began, “Qiyue and I received a distress call from Zhenyou County in Dongning Prefecture, so we immediately rushed there. To our surprise, a Fourth-tier Great Demon King with the power of a peak Marquis Godfiend was hiding there, who trapped us both with its domain, intending to kill us. That’s why Qiyue was forced to activate her Phoenix Nirvana…”

He recounted the entire process in detail.

“I pursued and harried that Great Demon King all the way,” Meng Chuan concluded, “until Senior Brother Lü Yuewang finally arrived.”

“You broke through at such a critical moment?” Venerable Qin Wu and Venerable Luotang exchanged glances, both with a sense of lingering apprehension.

That was quite audacious.

“I had no choice; I had to save Qiyue,” Meng Chuan explained. Beside him, Liu Qiyue, while acknowledging her husband’s recklessness, couldn’t help but feel a warmth in her heart.

“Fortunately, you had already reached the third level of Soul, which is far stronger than the first level required to become a Marquis Godfiend; that’s why you succeeded,” Venerable Qin Wu said, shaking his head. “Don’t take such risks again in the future. Your life doesn’t just concern you; it affects many others.”

“I understand, Master,” Meng Chuan replied. “Oh, right, I used the God-Slaying Spike against that Great Demon King, so it must know my Soul realm.”

“You must keep your Soul realm level a strict secret,” Venerable Qin Wu said, looking at Liu Qiyue. “Liu Qiyue, if this secret is revealed, it will bring great trouble to your husband.”

“I will certainly keep it confidential,” Liu Qiyue nodded.

“Though you experienced some danger, the fact that both of you have become Marquis Godfiends is a joyous occasion for our human race,” Venerable Qin Wu said with a smile.

“Both of us are Marquis Godfiends?” Meng Chuan was startled.

Venerable Luotang, however, smiled. “You didn’t know your wife has already condensed her Soul?”

Meng Chuan looked at Liu Qiyue.

“Yes,” Liu Qiyue said, smiling and nodding. “When I activated Phoenix Nirvana, my soul continuously strengthened, and it has indeed condensed into a Soul.”

With sufficient realm and a condensed Soul, Liu Qiyue only needed to enter secluded cultivation to break through and become a Marquis Godfiend.

“Her rapid condensation of her Soul is due to the extended duration of her Phoenix Nirvana activation,” Venerable Luotang explained. “This single activation consumed eighteen years of her lifespan. Typically, Phoenix Nirvana is not sustained for such a long period. After its power boost, one usually stops after firing three to five arrows to kill the enemy. It usually costs only about a year of lifespan.”

“Eighteen years of her lifespan?” Meng Chuan looked at his wife, Qiyue.

Qiyue was a year younger than him, currently thirty-seven. Yet, Phoenix Nirvana had consumed eighteen years of her life?

Liu Qiyue merely smiled. “Marquis Godfiends have a lifespan of three hundred years, after all.”

“Two Marquis Godfiends will be of greater use, and Yuanchu Mountain’s arrangements for you will change accordingly,” Venerable Qin Wu’s illusory figure said with a smile. “For now, return to the mountain mansion and wait. Your assignments will be decided soon.”

“Understood,” Meng Chuan and Liu Qiyue both nodded. They would play a greater role, a fact they both felt proud of.

“Meng Chuan, hand me your identity token,” Venerable Luotang suddenly said.

Meng Chuan felt a slight bewilderment, but still took out his identity token and placed it on the chess table.

Every Yuanchu Mountain disciple possessed an identity token, which served for requesting aid and allowed Yuanchu Mountain to track their status, whether alive or dead.

With a soft whoosh, Venerable Luotang flipped his hand, and an illusory golden sword emerged from Meng Chuan’s identity token.

“What is this?” Meng Chuan was astonished. He had never realized that the identity token he always carried on his person contained an illusory golden sword.

Just by looking at the illusory golden sword, Meng Chuan felt a suffocating dread.

It exuded a terrifying power.

“Your Master values you highly,” Venerable Luotang said, glancing at Venerable Qin Wu’s illusory figure. “Before you descended the mountain, he bestowed this treasure upon you as a safeguard against unforeseen circumstances.”

Only then did Meng Chuan understand.

He actually possessed a life-saving artifact? He had been completely unaware.

“If you had known, how could you have been tempered?” Venerable Qin Wu’s illusory figure said with a smile. “To be honest, I hoped you would never need to use it, thus preserving it. Now that you’ve become a Marquis Godfiend, with your strength and life-saving abilities, this treasure will be of little use to you. It can only kill ordinary Fifth-tier Demon Kings, after all.”