"Oh, why are you so sure?" Zuan asked curiously.
"Because the scepter was always in the Demon Emperor's hands. In that battle, the Demon Emperor died on the battlefield, detonating himself at the last moment to kill a large number of demons. At that time, he was deep within the demon army's ranks, so the scepter naturally fell into the demons' hands," the Saintess continued to explain. "Furthermore, the demon race has a unique ability to sense the scepter; if it were in the hands of any demon, we would be able to detect it. But for so long, there's been no trace of the scepter, which proves it's indeed with the demons."
"However, we don't know whether it's in the hands of the Lord of Slaughter, the Demon Lord, or some other demon."
Zuan nodded discreetly. As long as the scepter was confirmed to be with the demons, that was fine. He was going to seek out the Demon Lord anyway, and he could take the opportunity to inquire about it then. He should be able to find it.
Just then, the Saintess suddenly asked, "Brother Zu, you mentioned earlier that you came to this spatial fragment with your sisters. Where are they now?"
"I was just about to ask you about that," Zuan replied, his expression turning serious. "Haven't you seen Big Manman these past few days?"
"Sister Pei?" The Saintess paused, then shook her head directly. "No, I haven't. Why do you ask?"
Zuan's heart sank. "Because back then, we split into several groups to handle our respective tasks. Jiang Luofu and Yun Yuqing took Xiao Xi to look for the Glazed Hairpin Flower, Suo Lunshi stayed behind to guard future generations like Mogade and Sarame, and Big Manman's mission was to contact the remaining demon resistance forces. She even said it would be best if she could get in touch with you, the Saintess."
He should have realized it sooner. If the two of them had met, Xie Daoyun would have recognized her; it was impossible that this had gone unmentioned for so long.
The Saintess also looked pale with shock. She asked about the time and place of their separation. Calculating the journey, she realized Manman should have arrived here long ago.
"Could something have happened to Sister Pei?"
Zuan shook his head slightly. "Manman's cultivation level isn't low, and she has various protective artifacts on her. She should be able to protect herself without a problem. Most likely, she encountered something else along the way."
Even as he said this, he couldn't help but feel worried.
At that moment, the Saintess suddenly said, "Brother Zu, don't panic. I'll immediately send people to investigate."
Urgently, she called her subordinate in. "Immediately send out a wide search party to investigate all the outer routes. Find out if anyone has seen a human girl named Pei looking for me recently. Miss Pei is extremely beautiful, and..."
She was about to say "large," but feeling it might be impolite, she changed her words: "She's also very striking. If anyone has seen her, they definitely wouldn't forget her."
"Yes, Saintess!" The subordinate quickly accepted the order and left.
Only then did the Saintess come to Zuan's side and gently comfort him. "Brother Zu, don't worry. Good fortune smiles upon good people; Sister Pei will be fine."
Zuan nodded slightly, but his heart still felt somewhat anxious.
He had originally planned to set off to find the Demon Lord, but now he clearly wasn't in the mood.
Fortunately, that very evening, the subordinate returned with news. "Reporting, Saintess, a woman very similar to the one you described visited a small town three hundred li southwest of here. At that time, she was also inquiring about the Saintess everywhere."
"Where is she now?" Zuan quickly asked.
The subordinate shook his head slightly. "That, I don't know. The information we have so far suggests she was heading in this direction, but no one has seen her since."
Zuan immediately frowned. Three hundred li might be a long distance for an ordinary person, but for Manman, it was actually quite close. What could have happened that prevented her from reaching here?
"Brother Zu, don't rush. I'll immediately send more people to investigate. She's a living person; we'll definitely find her whereabouts," the Saintess said, rushing to Zuan's side to comfort him.
Zuan shook his head slightly. "No need. I'll go myself."
He then immediately asked for the small town's exact location, and soared into the sky, flying in that direction.
Soon, the Saintess chased after him. "Brother Zu, I'll go with you."
Zuan noticed the demon clan members who had come out upon hearing the news below. He said in a deep voice, "Your status is special. If you leave rashly, it might lead to unpredictable consequences."
"That town isn't far from here; my absence shouldn't have a major impact. However, I should inform them first. Brother Zu, could you please wait for me for a moment?" The Saintess's face was full of apology.
Zuan hummed in acknowledgment. Although he was burning with anxiety, a short wait wouldn't make much difference.
Besides, they had just had a conflict with the demon clan earlier today. If he and the Saintess were to leave together now, it might lead to misunderstandings. If the demon clan's morale were to collapse because of this, fighting the demons later would be troublesome.
The Saintess quickly flew down and spoke to the gathered crowd for a while.
Fortunately, the whole process didn't take long. Soon, she was back beside Zuan. "Brother Zu, let's go."
"Sister Ling'er, thank you very much," Zuan said, feeling a touch of emotion.
"Brother Zu, there's no need for formalities," she replied. "I'm worried about Sister Pei too, and besides, she went missing in my territory, so of course I must do my part." The moonlight illuminated the Saintess's face, making her skin seem to shimmer with a crystalline glow. Zuan thought to himself, 'No wonder so many demons worship her; there truly is a divinity about her.'
Zuan took her hand, and the two quickly flew towards the town.
At his speed, they arrived at their destination shortly.
The town wasn't particularly large, but perhaps due to its location on a main thoroughfare and its proximity to the demon clan's current stronghold, it was quite prosperous.
Even at night, many figures could be seen on the streets, from various races: merchants from all corners of the land, as well as cultivators, adventurers, and treasure hunters from different regions.
Seeing this, Zuan frowned slightly. With such a mixed bag of people, it would probably be difficult to investigate.
Next, they went to the largest inn in town. Zuan went directly to the innkeeper and inquired about Pei Mianman's whereabouts.
The innkeeper shook his head. "We have people coming and going every day. How can I remember so many?"
Zuan sensed the insincerity in his words, and his expression darkened. Just as he was about to use some leverage, the Saintess beside him removed her hood and said softly, "Sir, please try to recall carefully. That Miss Pei is very important to us."
As her hood came off, the entire dim lobby seemed to brighten by a third.
Seeing her beautiful and sacred face, the innkeeper was stunned. He pointed at her, his voice trembling slightly. "You are... you are..."
"It's the Saintess! It's the Saintess!"
Other patrons around recognized her and cried out in surprise and excitement.
The entire inn instantly erupted into commotion. Everyone eagerly gathered around, yet they maintained a respectful distance, unanimously stopping about three feet away from her, as if fearing that getting too close would be sacrilege.
Although it wasn't the first time he had seen a scene like this, Zuan couldn't help but sigh with emotion. The Saintess's status among the demon clan was indeed very high.
The Saintess nodded to those around her. "I came out this time because a friend of mine has gone missing. Has anyone here seen my friend?"
She then quickly provided a general description of Pei Mianman's features.
Zuan had originally worried there would be no clues, but to his surprise, many people instantly raised their hands. "I've seen her! I've seen her!"
[25 seconds from now] Chapter 2518: Falling
[4 minutes ago] Chapter 2005: Core Disciples of the Core
[5 minutes ago] Chapter 224: Posting on Moments
[5 minutes ago] Chapter 417: The Demise of the Sea Clan
[5 minutes ago] Chapter 2517: Crossing the Tribulation
9050 · 0 · 13
14439 · 0 · 34