Chapter 403: Engage in Fun Activities

A magical treasure that threatens the balance of heaven and earth?

Deep within a peach blossom-filled valley, Daoist Lu Ya repeatedly scrutinized the message on the jade talisman he held. His brows furrowed deeper and deeper, and he rose to pace back and forth.

At this moment, Lu Ya did not appear as an old Daoist; instead, he was a handsome, spirited young demon king.

This was actually Daoist Lu Ya's second identity, which he frequently used when hiding and disguising himself: a minor demon king from a neutral faction within the demon race.

Today, upon suddenly receiving a message from a demon master informing him that the Heavenly Court had issued a proclamation for his arrest, Lu Ya was not surprised.

It was no secret that the Heavenly Court intended to assert its authority by making an example of the demon race. For some unknown reason, his true origins were already known to the Jade Emperor of the Heavenly Court.

Otherwise, he wouldn't be hiding here, enduring immense psychological torment daily by mingling with demonesses and feigning a dissolute lifestyle.

Such a decadent, monotonous, and unrestrained life was truly… too painful for a prince brimming with ambition!

However, the Heavenly Court's reason for pursuing Lu Ya this time — that he possessed a magical treasure threatening the balance of heaven and earth — left him somewhat bewildered.

Could his secret treasure, the Book of Seven Arrows with Nail Heads, affect the balance of heaven and earth? Clearly not.

Not only did the Book of Seven Arrows with Nail Heads have many limitations, diminishing one's merit and fortune upon use, but in ancient times, this spell was also used by the Demon Court as a secret means of punishing sinful demons, and the balance of heaven and earth was never seen to be affected.

Although his Immortal-Slaying Flying Dagger was nearing completion recently, it was merely a weapon of slaughter; how could it affect the balance of heaven and earth?

Moreover, the phrase "balance of heaven and earth" truly left the demons baffled.

With humanity now the protagonists of the world and the Heavenly Court the nominal ruler of the Three Realms, and with no opposition between heaven and earth, what was this talk of "balance of heaven and earth"?

The phrase "balance of heaven and earth" appeared mostly during the ancient war between the Lich and Demon races, particularly during their truce periods.

"Could it be a ploy to lure me out?"

Lu Ya's sword-like brows furrowed slightly, two streaks of golden light flashed in his star-like eyes, and his expression grew somewhat grim.

Just then, a bronze mirror in the corner vibrated gently.

Lu Ya looked at the two peach blossom demons kneeling on either side of a screen, impatiently waved his hand, and the two maidservants rose and withdrew, their graceful figures carrying a faint scent.

Soon, Lu Ya activated the various arrays throughout the warm chamber.

Lu Ya walked to the bronze mirror, tapped a wisp of immortal light into it, and slowly, the figure of an old Daoist appeared within.

This old Daoist wore a gray robe, had deer ears and antlers. Upon seeing Lu Ya, he performed a Daoist salute, and his gentle voice emerged from the bronze mirror:

"Your Highness, more than a dozen old marshals have come to me with inquiries, and I truly don't know how to respond. If Your Highness... if you truly possess a magical treasure to contend with the Heavenly Court... it would be best to be candid with all the demon kings who have supported you. Only then will you not dampen the spirits of your old retainers."

Lu Ya frowned and said, "If I possessed such a treasure, how could Sir Lu not know?"

The old deer demon Daoist frowned in thought, then said, "Your Highness, if that is the case, then things might be troublesome. The Heavenly Court is currently presided over by Duke Dongmu and the Heavenly Court's Water God, while the Jade Emperor and Empress Dowager are undergoing trials in the mortal realm... *Hiss!* Could it be that the Heavenly Court's Water God is using a scheme to force His Majesty to reveal himself? We must not be careless in this matter."

Duke Dongmu felt offended.

"Hmph! This matter is already clear! This Water God killed my kin, bullied my demon race while it's in decline, and now he's plotting such schemes!"

Lu Ya gritted his teeth and cursed a few times, then with a flick of his sleeve, he transformed directly into the appearance of the old Daoist he usually used when traveling outside.

The old deer demon in the bronze mirror hastily said:

"Your Highness, please be patient for now. Don't fall for the Water God's cunning scheme! We should observe the situation first and then see what tricks he's playing!"

"Observe the situation? Can we still observe the situation at this point?"

Lu Ya suppressed his anger and replied somewhat helplessly:

"If I continue to hide, the morale of our entire race will inevitably dwindle; if I reveal myself proactively, the Heavenly Court will find a pretext to officially declare war on us. This Water God has already placed me on a pyre! Moreover, through this matter, he has revealed my true origins to the public, making it impossible for me to continue plotting in the shadows. This proclamation, while seemingly bolstering our race's prestige, is in reality a bloodless scheme to eliminate me! Sir Lu, please explain the true situation to the elders and esteemed figures of our race. I must do something now to resolve this disaster!"

"Your Highness... you are brilliant!"

Sir Lu exclaimed, then suddenly grew somewhat sentimental, lifting his sleeve to wipe the corner of his eye, sighing:

"If the late Emperor could see Your Highness's current composure and resourcefulness, he would surely be immensely pleased. I am ashamed that I cannot alleviate Your Highness's worries and burdens, and instead, Your Highness must face such a predicament!"

"Enough, Sir Lu."

Lu Ya once again suppressed his anger, swallowed the rebuke that had almost escaped his lips, and tried hard to maintain a pleasant demeanor.

After encouraging the Deer Demon King a few more times, he smoothed away the Daoist aura on the bronze mirror.

"Hmph!"

These old retainers, when the Demon Court fell, fled faster than anyone, and when trouble arose, they cried more joyfully than anyone!

He had never seen them come up with any strategy or decision that would impress him!

In the past, their demon race gathered myriad spirits, their power immense; in the later stages of the Lich-Demon War, due to internal damage among the Ancestor Witches and the mutual strife between water and fire, they even gained an absolute advantage!

Yet, it was these mediocre officials, holding high positions but providing no assistance to the Demon Court, who dragged down the entire operation of the Demon Court, allowing humanity to seize the opportunity!

The most ironic part was that those who survived the Lich-Demon War were precisely these old cunning fellows...

Lu Ya cursed in his heart for a while, then swept away these grievances.

He naturally knew that for the Demon Court to rise again, he had to rely on these old retainers for now.

He slung the Immortal-Slaying Flying Dagger onto his back, took out the cloth-wrapped bundle from his bosom, examined it for a moment, then carefully put it away.

Lu Ya took a soft breath, and his figure transformed into a wisp of green smoke, disappearing within the peach blossom valley.

Finally, he could temporarily leave this place of torment.

He had been severely wounded by the Water God's great spirit explosion on Yaosheng Mountain previously, and had been recuperating in this very place.

It was also thanks to a lotus seed given by the Western Sect that he replenished his depleted vital energy and broke through a new realm.

'Water God, do not push this Daoist any further.'

Meanwhile, on Golden Ao Island.

Ao Yi, who hadn't returned to the island for cultivation in a long time, was currently soaking in his cave dwelling on Golden Ao Island—a precious pond.

Ao Yi, transformed into a dragon body over ten zhang long, leisurely stretched himself in the pond water.

Incidentally, as instructed by his sect leader brother, he observed the lively immortal and divine "gathering" in the distance, taking note of the situation to report back to his sect leader brother later.

Golden Ao Island was quite lively today, all because a black-skinned leopard demon of modest cultivation had arrived.

When the black leopard first attempted to land on the island, he was stopped by patrolling immortals and nearly cut down with a sword.

But the moment the black leopard spoke, he called out the Daoist titles of dozens of Heavenly Immortals and Golden Immortals on the island, and excitedly announced his former life's name, 'Yuan Ze,' which collectively stunned the immortals on the island, causing them to quickly gather around.

Up until now, the Jie School had flourished due to the formidable reputation of the Sect Leader Tongtian and the widespread infamy of the Four Immortal Slaying Swords. Practitioners who could cultivate in Daoist sanctuaries like Golden Ao Island and Penglai Island were rarely killed by outsiders.

Even if most couldn't cultivate into a Golden Immortal of Longevity, they could still live out their natural lifespan in peace.

Old Daoist Yuan Ze was considered a rather rare exception during the Jie School's "Myriad Immortals Come to Court" era.

In those days, Old Daoist Yuan Ze had his mind controlled by an unknown demon, leading a large horde of demons to besiege the Human Sect's Immortal Sect, Duxian Gate, intending to disrupt the Three Sects' Origin Convention. As a result, he was killed on the spot by a cold snort from the tight-lipped True Person Du'e.

Afterwards, Yuan Ze's primordial spirit was sent to the Underworld by a Jie School immortal. Using the Jie School's influence, they pulled some strings, arranging an excellent destiny for him when he reincarnated.

Unfortunately, just before his reincarnation, Old Daoist Yuan Ze confidently remarked, "Don't worry, what could go wrong when walking from the Bridge of Helplessness to the Wheel of Reincarnation?" This hard-earned good destiny was jinxed away, leading him to mistakenly reincarnate into the animal realm as a black panther, and he hasn't achieved much in his cultivation since.

Today, the black panther came to Golden Ao Island to visit old friends. Most of the Jie School immortals on the island were alarmed and rushed to observe—*ahem*, to express their concern.

After observing for half an hour "in the open," Ao Yi's dragon head, resting on the edge of the pond, slowly retracted, and his dragon body sank to the bottom of the pond.

He then projected his divine sense through his idol, sending an invitation to communicate to Li Changshou's main idol.

Soon, the man and the dragon met in a dream.

Ao Yi meticulously recounted the lively situation on Golden Ao Island, and Li Changshou listened carefully, soon feeling a sense of emotion.

The Jie School truly was united!

Although the Jie School immortals immediately sealed the black panther's mouth with Daoist magic upon his arrival, they piled all sorts of precious materials, elixirs, spirit stones, and spells into his arms.

Those qi refiners who had been close friends with the black panther in the past even dragged the speechless black panther to various banquets.

They watched as his mouth was sealed, as he received benefits, and as his eyes welled up with tears.

"Sect Leader Brother," Ao Yi wondered, "Why are we watching this black panther?"

"Don't underestimate him," Li Changshou said, standing with his hands behind his back and smiling. "This fellow is now a demon and has ties to the Jie School. In the future, he might very well become someone remarkable. You continue to keep an eye on him on Golden Ao Island. Once he leaves the island, arrange for a dragon elder..."

He gave detailed instructions. Ao Yi nodded continuously.

Soon, this dragon prince, whose cultivation had advanced rapidly recently, left the dream realm and secretly dispatched a dragon master to wait near Golden Ao Island. A small play was soon to unfold.

Golden Ao Island was lively for several hours. Then, a white cloud approached from the north; it was Hanzhi, who, having received the news, had rushed over from Three Immortal Island.

Upon seeing the black panther demon, Hanzhi's eyes reddened, and she hastily called out, "Master!"

But the black panther immediately dodged, turning sideways to Immortal Hanzhi, and sighed:

"My reincarnation is not the former person; this Daoist dares not presume. Now that I see the immortal maiden is well, my heart is at ease, and I shall return to cultivate."

Hanzhi couldn't help but sigh softly, pressing her lips together. The Jie School immortals also immediately urged the black panther to stay and cultivate on the island, and to rejoin the Jie School.

But the black panther, concerned about his wife and feeling that his cultivation was too weak to have the face to stay and cultivate on the island, stubbornly bid farewell and left, firmly refusing the immortals' kind offer to escort him back to his cave dwelling.

The black panther's reactions were all within Li Changshou's predictions.

Hanzhi was extremely reluctant to part, following the black panther out of Golden Ao Island and escorting him for dozens of li. Only after being sternly told three times by the black panther not to follow did she stop.

"Master... Daoist friend, if you encounter any difficulties, come to the island or seek me on Three Immortal Island..."

"Go back, go back! This Daoist now also has noble benefactors, and my cultivation will be unhindered!"

The black panther waved his paws repeatedly, lowered his head, and dove into the seawater, employing a decent escape technique to flee northward.

The divine senses of the Jie School immortals followed the black panther for a while, watching him depart. Many immortals sighed with emotion; but for Golden Ao Island, this was merely a minor curiosity.

Once the black panther had fled beyond Golden Ao Island's range, Ao Yi also left the precious pond and flew towards the East Sea Dragon Palace, where he "coincidentally" met a dragon master directly above the black panther.

That dragon master shouted:

"Second Prince! Second Prince! We've finally met you! The Heavenly Court just sent an order to the Dragon Palace, instructing you to immediately dispatch troops to track down the remnants of the Demon Court, Daoist Lu Ya!"

The black panther, hidden in the seawater, immediately shuddered, his thoughts becoming somewhat jumbled:

Daoist Lu Ya! Benefactor!?

"Is that so?" Ao Yi said calmly, "I just returned to Golden Ao Island to visit my master, and I was planning to go back and reunite with Sisi for a couple of days, but I didn't expect this matter to arise. Serving in the Heavenly Court is not easy... Who exactly is this Lu Ya anyway?"

The dragon master replied loudly, "He is the Golden Crow of the Sun, the Crown Prince of the demon race, regarded by the current demons as their lord of revival. Previously, the demon race intended to refine the Human-Slaying Sword using the souls of the Wu race, and it was prepared specifically for him."

"Hmph! This Lu Ya! He doesn't know the ways of heaven! I'll return to the Heavenly Court to lead the troops. You, however, send a message back to the Crystal Palace for me..."

The voices of the two dragons conversing gradually faded into the distance. The black panther in the seawater was now utterly shocked. He surfaced briefly, wanting to give chase, but dared not move.

Benefactor Lu Ya is in trouble!

"Alas, I hope Benefactor can safely navigate this perilous situation and be blessed with good fortune..."

The black panther raised a paw and slapped himself hard, then frowned as he looked at his reflection in the seawater.

What, what is to be done!?

Outside the formidable eastern pass of Fengdu City, in the Underworld.

A faint buzzing sound accompanied a cool breeze. Daoist Wen Jing, hidden in the shadows, observed the intricate layers of restrictions from a distance.

She was merely passing by; today she was "on a business trip" to the Sea of Blood.

Having heard that a few days prior, that man and Lord Water God, along with seven other Daoist masters who were just making up the numbers, helped the Great Virtue Houtu overcome a crisis, Daoist Wen Jing decided to come and see... or perhaps catch a faint scent of that man.

Unfortunately, she dared not set foot in Fengdu City and could only glance from afar.

Just as she turned to leave, Daoist Wen Jing let out a soft exclamation, drawn by the sight at the end of the narrow pass of this formidable stronghold.

What... what were they doing?

Didn't the Underworld only retrieve souls? Why were they even preparing coffins?

At the end of the narrow pass, a group of pure-blooded Wu tribesmen with decent combat strength were drumming and clanging gongs, seemingly rehearsing some performance.

A rough stone coffin lay on the ground, effortlessly lifted onto the shoulders of six strong Wu tribesmen; the six Wu constantly swayed and walked forward, following the two masked battle-Wu in front.

After walking just over ten zhang, Ox-Head loudly called for a halt.

"Be joyful! Be happy! With your grim faces, as if your actual relatives had died, it's difficult for this marshal to bring you to serve Lord Water God, moo!"

"Everyone needs to follow the rhythm of the drums," Horse-Face said, crossing his arms and gently giving some pointers. "We are delivering a coffin to the demon race, specifically to provoke them, so we can achieve the effect of going to war with them..."

And so, the group of Wu began another round of rehearsal.

"Cheer up! Keep practicing! We must ensure everything is foolproof, without any mistakes, so we can go to the battlefield in a few days and cheer for Lord Water God!"

Having said that, Ox-Head suddenly chuckled:

"Horse, what do you say, should we put a memorial tablet for Daoist Lu Ya on top of the stone coffin?"

Horse-Face pondered for a few moments, then rejected the idea. After all, if they set up a memorial tablet and offered incense, wouldn't that be letting the Demon Prince gain an advantage?

In the distance, Daoist Wen Jing couldn't help but raise a hand to her forehead.

This...

For some reason, serving Lord Water God alongside them felt a little bit embarrassing...

Shaking her head, Daoist Wen Jing quickly turned and left the area.

The buzzing resumed, and she went to a hidden place deep within the Sea of Blood, familiar with the route, and found a stretch of ruins.

Daoist Wen Jing transformed into her usual enchanting form, clad in blood-colored gauze, and with a few soft laughs, walked towards the ruins of the palace ahead.

Her steps swayed lightly, her smile was alluring, and her beauty radiated, yet the fierce aura emanating from her caused many beings in the hall to tremble slightly.

Walking directly to a stone pillar, Daoist Wen Jing leaned against it in a languid pose and let out two captivating, soft laughs:

"Oh, did you not expect that I would be the one sent to help you?"

A voice came from a corner of the main hall:

"Wen Jing, you are also a creature of the Sea of Blood. You once received guidance from the old ancestor; I hope you remember this favor."

"Heh," Daoist Wen Jing squinted and chuckled softly, then said gently, "I certainly won't forget this favor. After all, back then, the old ancestor killed ninety percent of my children."

The sound of chains being dragged came from the corner of the hall, and streaks of aura surged forth, locking onto Daoist Wen Jing.

Daoist Wen Jing, however, remained completely unperturbed, gazing at her slender fingers, and said calmly:

"Times are different now. The old ancestor is dead, and I now have powerful backing. You don't truly believe that I don't kill you because I fear your boundless divine power and vast supernatural abilities, do you? Never mind, there's nothing much to say to you. Where is the Rakshasa maiden you chose?"

A weary, aged voice came from the corner:

"We hope Mount Meru will honor its promise and return the Yuan Tu sword to our clan, to be wielded by our princess."

As this voice fell silent, a slender figure emerged from the corner, draped in a silver cloak, emanating a faint aura of peace that seemed somewhat out of place with the atmosphere of the area.

Wen Jing chuckled lightly at the sight, then spoke sarcastically:

"You certainly went to great lengths, even sending out the few remaining bloodlines of your own old ancestor."

The cloaked girl took off her hood, revealing a beautiful face and long, silver-white hair.

She bowed her head to Wen Jing and said softly, "Tie Shan greets Senior."