Chapter 34#

The Peerlessly Beautiful Great Demon, Ba Snake#

【Done!】Little Assistant’s voice sounded in Lu Heng’s mind.

【How so?】Lu Heng forced all those myriad thoughts deep into his heart and got into work mode.

【When you traveled to the past, to prevent two of the same person appearing at once and causing plane instability, the plane laws automatically patched things up. They trapped the Demon King Ba Snake in a certain secret realm; he can only come out after you leave.】

【Then what about Bai Li?】Lu Heng was rather worried. Last mission he’d only gotten a “pending.” If anything else went wrong this time, he feared he really would be in for a one-day tour of the negative eighteenth level.

【With Little Assistant on the case, no need to worry! I contacted colleagues in the Plane Maintenance Department. They’ll be responsible for placing the memories concerning Bai and Bai Li into Zheng’s mind. It’s just…】Little Assistant hemmed and hawed.

【Say it.】

【Calling in the Plane Maintenance Department will deduct assessment points.】After saying this, Little Assistant hid deep inside and played dead.

As an ambitious newcomer who hadn’t even earned any assessment points yet and was already in the negative, Lu Heng felt a bit like collapsing. Still, better than causing plane instability, Lu Heng comforted himself.

This holy artifact Suixin—its power was too bizarre, and it easily caused trouble. Lu Heng decided to shelf it high. Unless absolutely necessary, he would definitely not use it again. But for now, he still had to first get a sense of what exactly was going on outside.

Lu Youyou had lived quite smugly these past hundred years, because he was the only lesser demon among the new generation of the demon race who had seen the King. Because of this encounter, he was a figure surrounded by stars in the clan school. When he was in a good mood, he didn’t mind sharing the story of that meeting with the King with his little friends.

Today Lu Youyou was in a good mood, because early in the morning he felt something good would happen. So after clan school let out, he very generously told the little friends who gathered around him about that past meeting with the King.

“Youyou, is the King really as unfathomably powerful as the legends say? I heard a clan elder say he saw the King long ago, but the King’s aura was so overwhelming that he couldn’t even see what the King looked like?”

“Of course. When I first saw the King, I didn’t even dare breathe, until he smiled at me…”

“Liar! Why would the King smile at a little demon like you? You hadn’t even been in human form for long back then, right?” A grating voice rang out. With youthful spirits, there would always be demons who couldn’t stand Lu Youyou.

Before Lu Youyou could speak, his supporters jumped out first: “The King isn’t the kind of demon who only values strength. Didn’t you see how the King treated that snow rabbit back then—so weak one finger could crush her…”

“Watch your words.” Someone beside him pulled the little demon who had spoken.

Only then did the little demon realize that the snow rabbit was no longer the weak little demon from back then.

The atmosphere suddenly turned a bit stiff. A paper sparrow with a black base and gold patterns broke the frozen scene. It circled once, then landed before Lu Youyou.

The King’s paper sparrow! The surrounding lesser demons all grew excited, and some even took out recording pearls to capture it.

“Lu Youyou, come to Zhaoyao Mountain. I have questions to ask.” The voice the paper sparrow uttered was low and slightly hoarse, making one unable to resist imagining just how magnificent the owner of this voice must be.

Leaving aside how those lesser demons in clan school boasted to their friends after returning, here Lu Youyou climbed Zhaoyao Mountain with a heart full of unease and delight.

Lu Heng looked at the youth whose features were a few degrees more mature than last time: “Your cultivation has improved.”

Praise from the King made Lu Youyou very happy: “Reporting to the King, this lesser demon has not dared slack off for the past hundred years, and has cultivated properly every day.”

So a hundred years had actually passed. Though somewhat astonished inwardly, Lu Heng’s expression did not change: “These hundred years, I was trapped in a secret realm and only recently escaped. Tell me all the major events among the demon race.”

The Lushu clan could flourish in descendants, and thus had deep ties with every clan; they were considered the clan with the best information among the demon race. And this Lu Youyou was the Lushu King’s great-grandson, so seeking him out for information was quite suitable.

Hearing the King’s command, Lu Youyou did not dare be perfunctory. He honestly told all the major events of the past hundred years. Lu Youyou had always been clever. He knew the King had previously attached considerable importance to that snow rabbit named Bai Li, and there were rumors in the clan that she was the future Demon Queen. So he focused on matters concerning Bai Li.

Bai Li was no longer the weak lesser demon she once was. She had obtained an ancient divine artifact and a mysterious inheritance in a secret realm, and had passed her tribulation to become a great demon. And during these hundred years, the King’s whereabouts had been unknown. According to Bai Li, he had been harmed by a human cultivator sect.

Bai Li had wanted to rally the demon kings of every clan to force their way into that cultivator sect to seek the King’s whereabouts, but no one in the clans believed her. The King’s tyrannical strength was deeply rooted in the hearts of the demon race; no demon believed the King could be harmed by a mere cultivator sect. As for the King’s unknown whereabouts, the kings of the various clans also thought it quite normal. After all, for tens of millions of years, the King had always been unpredictable in his movements. Never mind a hundred years—even a thousand years without a word was normal.

Bai Li was half-dead with rage at those demon kings, and left the demon race in a fit of pique, saying she would go rescue the King herself. Once she left, she never returned to demon clan territory.

“However…” Lu Youyou hemmed and hawed. He didn’t know whether he should tell the King what came next. After all, Bai Li was rumored to be the future Demon Queen.

“Speak freely.”

“Some time ago, I heard from a friend who was traveling in the mortal world that he saw Bai Li together with a human man, and he seemed to be a monk.” After saying this, Lu Youyou secretly glanced at the King and found his expression as usual, so he relaxed. The rumors in the clan truly could not be fully trusted; the King did not seem to regard Bai Li as a future partner. That Bai Li, even if she had become a great demon, wasn’t worthy of even a strand of the King’s hair, Lu Youyou thought secretly.

After Lu Youyou withdrew, Lu Heng sorted through the information he had obtained. It had now been a hundred years since he was schemed against by the Qingquan Sect. Bai Li and the Holy Monk had already made contact; it should not be long before his heroic death.

The basic development of this worldline was about the same as Lu Heng had expected. Back then, when he went to fetch the holy artifact Suixin, Lu Heng had done so to preserve his strength. Although there had been an accident along the way and the route had taken a big detour, he had finally returned to the right track.

Next, he only needed to wait for Bai Li to stir up the Fanyin Temple incident. As for whether Bai Li had the strength to destroy half of Fanyin Temple, Lu Heng was not worried. As a Child of Destiny, even if the demon race’s holy artifact had not fallen into her hands, fortune would compensate her with a better artifact.

Lu Heng decided to enter seclusion until trouble came knocking. This mission was going quite smoothly; he and the other Child of Destiny hadn’t even met face-to-face, so nothing should go wrong. Lu Heng happily sat waiting for the S+ rating after the mission ended and he returned.

During this long period of quiet seclusion, Lu Heng tried to sort out his memories of going back several hundred years. Yet no matter how hard he tried to recall, there were only some unclear fragments—such as Bai, such as Min, such as the Nine-Tailed Fox King Xi. These fragments seemed to be missing an important thread that connected them.

The visit of the Nine-Tailed Fox King interrupted Lu Heng’s seclusion.

This fox king in red was still of a brisk and fiery temperament. When she saw Lu Heng, she gave a hurried salute, and her opening words left Lu Heng dizzy: “King, what is going on between you and the Queen?”

Queen? Lu Heng felt towering waves in his heart, but his expression did not change: “What do you mean?”

“I had just come out of seclusion when I heard that the Queen had gotten mixed up with some little rabbit demon named Bai Li.” Back when the matter with Min had occurred, Xi suddenly gained an insight and entered death seclusion for several hundred years.

Now that this great matter had happened, the demon kings of all clans gathered together to exchange information and discuss countermeasures. In the end, they could not agree on who should report the matter to the King. Bai Li’s status was truly somewhat special. Thus, the Nine-Tailed Fox King, who had been in seclusion for several hundred years, was pushed out. When Xi entered seclusion, the King had not yet taken in Bai Li, so she knew nothing about Bai Li. Even if she said something wrong, the King would not hold it against someone ignorant of the situation.

Lu Heng did catch on. The Queen in this fox king’s mouth should refer to that Holy Monk of Fanyin Temple. He calmly continued to fish for information from the fox king.

Bai Li had caused a monstrous disaster in human territory. Using an ancient divine artifact as a sacrifice, she destroyed half of Fanyin Temple.

“She may be naive, but how could she do something so brainless?” Lu Heng asked.

“Not just brainless—downright stupid!” Xi was outspoken. “That day, a small branch of the Silk Sparrow Clan happened to be gathering near Fanyin Temple. Now the whole demon race knows about it.”

Xi was furious, too angry to even speak, and directly tossed out a recording pearl for Lu Heng to see for himself.

What the recording pearl recorded was precisely the incident of Bai Li wreaking havoc at Fanyin Temple.

Bai Li, now a great demon, was no longer the innocent young girl she had once been. She held a white bone flute, standing against the wind, layered white gauze skirts making her look like an immortal.

Lu Heng’s attention, however, was focused on the bone flute in her hand.

The Zhulong Bone Flute. When heaven and earth were first formed, Zhulong ran amok, and an ancient god slew it with an axe. From its bone a flute was made, sealing the dragon soul within. When this flute is played, it produces the sound of a dragon’s roar, with the power to overturn heaven and earth and shake the world.

One had to say, was this not worthy of a Child of Destiny? Having lost the demon race’s holy artifact, she instead obtained an ancient divine artifact with even greater powers.

Bai Li spoke, her voice delicate and soft, but reinforced by demonic power, it resounded through the entire Fanyin Temple: “This little woman, Bai Li of the Snow Rabbit Clan, has a matter to seek an audience with Master Yuanzhen of Fanyin Temple.”

A moment later, a group flew out from the mountain-protecting grand formation. The leader was not polite at all, shouting: “What demon dares spout nonsense before Fanyin Temple!”

Judging by that leader’s attire, he should be the chief disciple of Fanyin Temple’s Disciplinary Hall. Fanyin Temple’s Disciplinary Hall had always been hostile to the demon race, so this attitude was normal.

But Bai Li did not quite understand, and her pretty face flushed red with anger: “How can you be so rude!”

That Disciplinary Hall disciple sneered and did not waste words with Bai Li: “Form the formation. Take this demon and send her to the Demon-Sealing Pagoda!”

Bai Li’s strength had improved considerably. In a few exchanges, she knocked those disciples to the ground. Seeing the visitor’s strength was extraordinary, the chief disciple flipped his hand and sent a paper sparrow into the mountain. Before long, Master Yuanjie, head of the Disciplinary Hall, appeared before the mountain gate.

Bai Li repeated her purpose. Although Yuanjie was violent by nature, he had a bit more shrewdness than that chief disciple. He saw that the visitor’s strength was profound. Especially the artifact in her hand—though he could not recognize what artifact it was, he could still sense its world-destroying power.

“The abbot has important matters to attend to. Temple affairs are temporarily overseen by this old monk. What business does the benefactor have?”

Seeing the visitor’s tone soften, Bai Li put away her artifact and bowed: “I have a friend. Not long ago, he said he was returning to his sect, and afterward lost contact. I am very worried, so I wished to ask. May I ask, Master, is Master Shikong in this Fanyin Temple?”

Though Yuanjie barely suppressed his anger, upon hearing that it involved Shikong, his tone grew heavier again: “Shikong is indeed in the temple, but this involves internal sect affairs. Benefactor, it is best you not interfere too much.”

The two went back and forth, and after several rounds of negotiation, they ultimately failed to reach an agreement. Bai Li insisted on seeing Shikong. The hot-tempered head of the Disciplinary Hall finally could not suppress his fury, and the two sides came to blows again. But the head of the Disciplinary Hall was not comparable to ordinary disciples. Although Bai Li was already a great demon, she had only recently passed her tribulation, so before long she was at a disadvantage and looked about to be captured.

At the desperate moment, Bai Li struck viciously. She actually tossed the Zhulong Bone Flute into the air and formed hand seals. The ancient divine artifact released a radiance that blotted out the sun and sky, and then a giant human-faced dragon phantom appeared in the air. This Zhulong soul had been sealed in the bone flute for countless thousands of years, its eyes full of violence, its entire body filled with world-destroying aura.

In her impulse, Bai Li destroyed the artifact, and she had not expected that the artifact spirit, already acknowledging a master, would escape her control and madly destroy everything in sight. Fanyin Temple’s mountain-protecting grand formation, inherited from ancient times, should originally have been able to hold off this Zhulong soul for a while. But who knew what had happened that day? The grand formation was actually lacking in spiritual energy, and after blocking several waves of attacks, it was completely destroyed by the Zhulong soul.

Half of Fanyin Temple, and several thousand ordinary disciples, were reduced to ashes. After wreaking havoc for a while, the Zhulong soul suddenly plunged beneath Fanyin Temple’s main peak and disappeared without a trace.