Chapter 473: Demon Tribe Priest

Jiang Fan's pupils constricted slightly, and he whispered, "Moving corpses?"

The Evil Spirit looked towards the distant demon territory and said, "Yes, that moving death energy cannot be mistaken." As an Evil Spirit, its perception of dark energy far surpassed that of humans. The two elders were unaware, but it sensed it clearly.

Jiang Fan's expression grew serious. "Could it be a spell like puppet magic?" He recalled the disciple from the Heavenly Secret Pavilion named Wu at Duan Tian Gorge. Yet, he immediately felt it didn't quite fit. The Beast King leader Wu Manyue controlled was a living creature, not a corpse.

"It's a demon priest," the Evil Spirit provided the answer. "It seems the demon race is preparing to get serious."

A priest? Jiang Fan had never heard of such an existence among the demon race before.

The Evil Spirit explained, "Back in ancient times, the Ancient Giants wreaked havoc across the continent, causing a great extinction of living beings. The number of living armies drastically decreased. To replenish the forces, a brilliant sage with extraordinary talent created a powerful divine art. It could reanimate the corpses of deceased beings. Although their strength was less than a tenth of what they had in life, theoretically, if there were enough corpses, the army of the dead could be infinite."

Jiang Fan was slightly astonished. In those days, the various races truly exhausted every means to resist the Ancient Giants. The Hundred-Zhang Great Wall, armies of the dead — each was unprecedented.

"Later, with the defeat of the Ancient Giants, that sage also succumbed to excessive soul depletion, dying ten years after the war ended. Before his death, he intended to pass down the divine art. The other sages intervened, fearing that if it fell into the hands of evil cultivators, the catastrophe it would unleash would be no less than that caused by the Ancient Giants. The sage agreed to be buried with the divine art forever."

Hearing this, Jiang Fan was puzzled. "Then where did the demon priests get this art?"

The Evil Spirit smiled meaningfully. "The demon priests are the bloodline descendants of that sage." Having said this, it ceased speaking, as the answer was obvious. That sage had not truly erased the divine art entirely; he had harbored selfish intentions, leaving the technique to his descendants.

Jiang Fan was momentarily at a loss for words. To call him selfish felt wrong, given his sacrifice for all living beings, which was great and admirable. But to call him noble felt equally off, as he left behind such a massive hidden danger for his own descendants. Now, ages after his demise, this hidden danger was about to erupt on the battlefield between humans and demons. After a long pause, he sighed softly, "This is human nature, I suppose."

The Evil Spirit chuckled, "You don't need to worry too much. How could a divine art created by a sage be so easy to master? If his descendants truly had the ability to unleash the full power of the divine art, they wouldn't be content to serve as mere demon priests. They would have long since unified the demon race and become the supreme rulers."

That was true. Compared to other races, the Demon Emperor should be more wary of the powerful priestly lineage. A mountain cannot hold two tigers. The demon race could only have one king. If the priests were truly that powerful, the one ruling the demon race would not be the Demon Emperor, but the priest.

"Of course, they shouldn't be underestimated," the Evil Spirit looked into the distance. "Since the priests dare to lead an army of the dead, they must be confident in taking this place. It's best for you to stay away until their true strength is understood."

Jiang Fan's mind raced. An army of the dead was clearly beyond what the disciples could handle. It was no longer his concern. He had to inform the elders and let them decide.

However, how could he tell them about the army of the dead? Li Qingfeng and Lu Xiunian, two powerful cultivators at the late Core Formation Stage, hadn't noticed. How could a mere junior disciple know in advance? Whether they would believe him was secondary; they might even become suspicious of Jiang Fan.

"If only I could catch a living dead corpse," Jiang Fan muttered. Nothing would be more convincing than a live example of the living dead. However, he didn't want to risk contact with those corpses, nor did he want to put Xia Chaoge and the others in danger. What should he do?

"Oh? So you Nine Sects disciples do have some tricks up your sleeves, don't you? You've slain so many Beast Kings?" A slightly alluring voice, without warning, drifted over.

Immediately after, three robust, shirtless middle-aged men with blank stares suddenly burst out from under the snow. They swiftly cut open the abdomens of three Beast King spiders and extracted their demon cores.

Xia Chaoge and the others were collecting the beast corpses and their expressions changed at the sight. They all attacked the sudden intruders who were seizing the demon cores. However, once they attacked, the three shirtless men immediately retaliated. They unleashed power at the Core Formation Stage Level 5!

Besides Xia Chaoge, who managed to block an attack, Liang Feiyan was sent flying, a metallic taste filling her throat. Fu Chaojun and the other two groaned repeatedly, clearly injured.

"Who are you?" Liang Feiyan wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth, startled. Could they also be disciples of the Heavenly Secret Pavilion? But their advanced age made it seem unlikely. Wait! Liang Feiyan then noticed the blank stares of the three men. It seemed as if they had no consciousness of their own. Her expression immediately turned cold. "Is that you?"

"Hehehe!" A string of bell-like giggles echoed. Wu Manyue, clad in a wine-red robe, leaped onto a small snowdrift, looking down at them. She had long, black hair, and her figure was fiery and voluptuous, unable to be concealed even by her loose robe. The cold wind made the robe cling to her body, clearly outlining her slender legs, her impossibly small waist, and the full curve of her chest.

Unlike last time, Wu Manyue was not wearing a mask. She revealed her true face: a complexion so fair it was dazzling, an oval face, peach blossom eyes, a high nose bridge, and red lips like freshly opened rose petals, delicate and thin.

Xie Liushu couldn't help but stare. "What a stunning beauty." She had encountered countless beautiful women. While this face didn't quite match the top beauties like Xia Chaoge and Liu Qingxian, it was certainly enough to rank in the top ten.

"This senior sister, I am Xie Liushu, the chief disciple of the Joyous Union Sect. Is there a misunderstanding between us? Though I am unworthy, I wish to mediate."

Liang Feiyan scoffed. "Junior Brother Xie, be careful. She's a venomous beauty. Senior Sister Xia, Senior Brother Jin, and I were almost killed by her. Your small frame won't be able to handle her."

What? Even Xia Chaoge, Jin Zhongming, and Liang Feiyan were almost killed? Xie Liushu shivered and quickly retreated.

Wu Manyue held three small black flags, her peach blossom eyes sweeping over them. She said bitterly, "Every wrong has its perpetrator. I won't cause trouble for you. The prerequisite is, where is that boy named Jiang? This granny is here to demand an explanation from him!"

In the past few days, she had returned to the Heavenly Secret Pavilion. Firstly, to heal her injuries. Secondly, to bring over the three Core Formation Stage Level 5 puppets she controlled! She wanted to exact revenge for that day! The more she thought about taking a step back, the angrier she became; the more she thought about retreating, the more she felt she had lost out!

All the Beast Kings she had painstakingly gathered, worth nearly two thousand merit points—enough to exchange for two Soul Transformation Stage strike talismans—had been entirely seized by a junior disciple of the Nine Sects. Even a reincarnated Bodhisattva couldn't tolerate that! Moreover, she was known for her ruthless disposition. This time, she had brought three Core Formation Stage Level 5 puppets. Coupled with her own restored spiritual energy, also at Core Formation Stage Level 5, that made four Core Formation Stage Level 5 combatants. That boy named Jiang, even if he had three heads and six arms, couldn't stand against her.

"Speak quickly! Or don't blame me for being ruthless!" She had shown her true face today, which meant she was here to cause trouble openly. Even if the elders of the Nine Sects came, she wouldn't back down. Today, she absolutely had to teach that scoundrel a harsh lesson.

Just then, she suddenly felt a hand embrace her slender waist from behind. She looked down, but there was nothing there. Invisibility? She was startled and instinctively elbowed backwards without thinking. But then, a cold sensation grazed her neck. A cold, long sword rested against it.

Wu Manyue's body instantly stiffened. She dared not make any rash moves, her voice filled with shame and anger. "Who are you?"

A playful voice gently breathed into her ear. "You came specifically looking for me, and you still ask who I am?"