Chapter 51: Three Divine Beings and Demons

As dawn was breaking, a grey-robed figure walked down an alley. He turned to look at a private residence, and with a gentle push, the locked gate silently crumbled into dust.

"Hmm?" An old man sweeping the courtyard looked up in confusion. He saw that his gate was gone, dust was swirling, and a grey-robed figure had walked in.

"Answer me," the grey-robed figure said in a hoarse voice, his eyes glowing green as he stared at the old man. "What country, what province, what city is this?"

A strong demonic aura also enveloped the old man.

The old man's eyes lost their light, and he answered blankly, "This is the Great Zhou Dynasty, Wuzhou Province, Dongning Prefecture City."

The grey-robed figure then continued into the residence, while the old man slumped to the ground, lifeless.

"Creak." A door opened, and a tall, middle-aged man walked out, stretching and calling out, "Dad, Dad..."

Suddenly, he saw the approaching grey-robed figure and his fallen father in the courtyard. The middle-aged man's eyes also became dull and blank.

"Tell me, what country, what province, what city is this?" the grey-robed figure asked again.

"This is the Great Zhou Dynasty, Wuzhou Province, Dongning Prefecture City," the tall, middle-aged man replied blankly.

The grey-robed figure then turned and left.

All seven occupants of the residence died silently.

***

Yuanyang Palace.

The Palace Lord of Yuanyang was meditating cross-legged, his body enveloped in a white glow. Suddenly, he felt a jade pendant at his waist grow intensely hot, causing his heart to jolt. The white light immediately receded from his body, and he took out the black jade pendant hidden at his waist.

The black jade pendant was now faintly glowing red.

"East," the Palace Lord muttered, clutching the black jade pendant with a grim expression. "A demon monarch?"

This 'Demon Seeker Token' was bestowed by Yuanchu Mountain and was meant to be carried at all times. It could instantly detect any escaping demonic aura from a demon monarch within fifty li.

Yuanyang Palace was in the center of the prefecture city. A fifty-li range was enough to cover the entire city. Among the many prefecture cities in the Great Zhou Dynasty, smaller ones were only twenty to thirty li in length and width, while larger ones were seventy to eighty li.

Of course, if a demon monarch continuously suppressed their demonic aura and didn't use any demonic arts, it couldn't be detected. But if a demon monarch intended to do anything, they would eventually have to use their arts.

"A demon monarch in Dongning Prefecture?" The Palace Lord was alarmed. His figure flickered, and he instantly appeared on the roof of a palace.

"In that direction."

The Palace Lord of Yuanyang quickly rushed towards the detected location, following the jade pendant's guidance.

The grey-robed figure consecutively chose three households, asking them the same question.

"Time to go," the grey-robed figure said. He arrived at a nearby river, only two zhang wide, stepped into the water, then sank beneath the surface and vanished.

The Palace Lord of Yuanyang landed on the rooftop of a five-story restaurant, gazing eastward with a solemn expression. "The demonic aura has completely disappeared."

He swiftly followed. Yet, the Palace Lord of Yuanyang continued to follow the residual sensation, arriving at the original spot where the demonic aura had appeared moments later.

"Three households in the vicinity have been killed," the Palace Lord stated from the rooftop, easily confirming everything. "The bodies are completely unharmed. This demon monarch acted very cautiously, making no sound."

"A demon monarch, suddenly appearing in my Dongning Prefecture? Could there be a world portal here in Dongning?" The Palace Lord frowned.

Demon monarchs were extremely cautious.

It was very rare for them to enter human cities alone. For a demon monarch to appear without warning in an obscure prefecture city like Dongning, there was a seventy to eighty percent chance it was due to a newly opened world portal within Dongning Prefecture.

"If it truly is a new world portal, then a demon invasion of Dongning Prefecture could erupt at any moment," the Palace Lord felt a tightening in his chest.

Just a moment later.

Aunt Meng, leaning on her crutch, and Patriarch Yun, 'Yun Wanhai,' both arrived at Yuanyang Palace.

"Palace Lord," Aunt Meng and Yun Wanhai bowed slightly.

"Please be seated, both of you," the Palace Lord said, sitting with a serious expression. "I have some bad news to share."

Aunt Meng and Yun Wanhai's expressions subtly changed.

"Just moments ago, the Demon Seeker Token detected a demon monarch in Dongning City," the Palace Lord stated. "That demon monarch silently used demonic arts to kill three households, then vanished. I summoned you both here as quickly as possible."

"A demon monarch?"

"How could a demon monarch appear in Dongning Prefecture? Is there a world portal?" Aunt Meng and Yun Wanhai's faces changed.

The Palace Lord nodded. "That's my guess too; it's the most likely possibility. Currently, there are only three Divine Demon-level cultivators in Dongning Prefecture: us. If the demon race truly invades, we must unite and swiftly eliminate the leading 'demon monarch' among them."

"Since a demon monarch has secretly infiltrated," Aunt Meng said, leaning on her crutch, "it's highly probable it was a scout trying to confirm which city this is. Once they know it's Dongning Prefecture, the demon race, which has general intelligence on every human city, will understand Dongning City's approximate strength. They'll only invade when they're confident. Our response will be difficult."

"We also don't know how many demon monarchs will enter," Yun Wanhai said, feeling immense pressure.

At this moment, they had to fight.

Only if there was absolutely no hope, or if the Palace Lord of Yuanyang commanded it, could they choose to flee.

To flee without authorization... for a Divine Demon to fear battle and flee was a grave offense. Yuanchu Mountain's punishments were severe; execution was common.

"I haven't truly acted in three years," the Palace Lord of Yuanyang said coldly. "No one but myself knows how much my strength has increased during this time. This time, you two only need to assist me, and we'll swiftly kill their most powerful demon monarch in one fell swoop. These demons are highly motivated when they have the upper hand. But once their leader is killed, the lesser demons will be terrified and quickly flee for their lives."

"At the mortal level, our human race is at a disadvantage," Aunt Meng nodded. "Our only chance of survival is to slay the demon monarch."

"Aunt Meng, I'll need your detection abilities," the Palace Lord of Yuanyang said solemnly. "Brother Yun, I'll also need your help to restrain other demon monarchs."

"We will do our utmost," Aunt Meng and Yun Wanhai both replied.

Soon after, Aunt Meng and Yun Wanhai both went outside the main gate of Yuanyang Palace to give instructions to their family members.

"You return to the ancestral home and inform the Patriarch that Dongning City might be facing a demon invasion. Tell him to prepare according to the family's established plan," Aunt Meng instructed one family member. Then she instructed another, "You must quickly go to Mirror Lake and find Meng Chuan. Tell Meng Chuan that Dongning Prefecture might be facing a demon invasion. Tell him..."

After giving detailed instructions, the two family members set off towards the ancestral home and Mirror Lake, respectively.

"Aunt Meng, I never thought we two would be fighting side-by-side," Yun Wanhai said with a smile as he approached after giving instructions to his family members.

"One could call it fate," Aunt Meng replied with a faint smile.

Regardless of any past conflicts between their two families, in the face of a demon invasion, those matters now seemed utterly trivial.

Immediately, Yun Wanhai and Aunt Meng returned to Yuanyang Palace. From this moment on, the three Divine Demon-level cultivators—the Palace Lord of Yuanyang, Aunt Meng, and Yun Wanhai—had to unite. They were Dongning Prefecture's only hope; they absolutely could not separate! If they separated, they could easily be defeated one by one.

***

Early morning.

Meng Chuan, Liu Qiyue, Meng Dajiang, and Liu Yebai were all sitting together, eating breakfast.

"Your Uncle Liu and I have some business to attend to," Meng Dajiang said as he and Liu Yebai both stood up. "We won't be back for lunch today."

"Oh," Meng Chuan and Liu Qiyue simply acknowledged.

Liu Qiyue also quickly finished her meal, then stood up, slinging her quiver over her back. She smiled and said, "A'Chuan, I'm done too. I'm going to the Dao Academy to practice archery."

"Will you be back for lunch?" Meng Chuan asked.

"Not necessarily."

Liu Qiyue waved goodbye with a smile and ran out.

She was now at the late stage of the Mortal Transformation Realm and had comprehended a secret technique, making her archery skills exceptional. The practice grounds of Mirror Lake Meng Manor were too small for such a divine archer. Liu Qiyue went to the Dao Academy every day to practice archery, where the longest shooting range allowed her to shoot targets across a lake, a distance of three hundred zhang.

Of course, even though Liu Qiyue was the top archer among the Eight Great Dao Academies, she typically practiced at a distance of about one hundred zhang, as this was the range where she could exert her greatest threat.

"At the Demon Slaying Grand Meet in a few days, Qiyue is still holding her breath, eager to truly showcase her strength," Meng Chuan thought, smiling faintly as he finished his meal and went to the training ground to cultivate.