lǐ yào tiān guǐ yì de biǎo qíng ， ràng lín xuān yǒu xiē chà yì ， bù guò tā yě méi yǒu duō xiǎng ， jì yǐ sī pò liǎn pí ， duō shuō fèi huà yě shì wú yì ， zì jǐ yǔ yuè ér lián shǒu ， miè le duì fāng méi yǒu wèn tí 。
李耀天诡异的表情，让林轩有些诧异，不过他也没有多想，既已撕破脸皮，多说废话也是无益，自己与月儿联手，灭了对方没有问题。
Li Yaotian's strange expression left Lin Xuan somewhat surprised, but he didn't dwell on it. Since they had already broken their truce, there was no point in wasting words. With Moon's help, eliminating them wouldn’t be a problem.
lín xuān hún shēn hēi máng yī shǎn ， zhěng gè rén de qì xī biàn dé guǐ yì qǐ lái 。
林轩浑身黑芒一闪，整个人的气息变得诡异起来。
Lin Xuan’s entire body emitted a flicker of black light, and his aura became eerie as well.
yuè ér yòng shǒu lǐ le lǐ xiù ， zhāng kāi zuǐ ， cóng tán kǒu zhōng tǔ chū yí miàn xiǎo fān ， xiān zhǎng wò zhù ， qīng qīng huī dòng ， shà shí jiān ， wú shù hēi qì cóng lǐ miàn pēn yǒng chū lái ， guǐ yǐng chóng chóng ， shòu hǒu zhī shēng dà zuò 。
月儿用手理了理秀，张开嘴，从檀口中吐出一面小幡，纤掌握住，轻轻挥动，霎时间，无数黑气从里面喷涌出来，鬼影重重，兽吼之声大做。
Moon ran her fingers through her hair, opened her mouth, and spat out a small banner from between her lips. She held it lightly with one hand and waved it gently. Instantly, countless dark mists poured out of the banner, ghostly shadows filled the air, and beast roars echoed loudly.
“ wàn hún fān ， zhēn de shì mó zūn qián bèi ！”
“万魂幡，真的是魔尊前辈！”
"Ten-thousand-souls banner, really Senior Sovereign Demon!" Li Yaotian’s face changed dramatically at Moon's spell, nearly sending him into a panic. He quickly knelt to beg for mercy.
jiàn le yuè ér shī fǎ ， lǐ yào tiān liǎn sè dà biàn ， jī hū shì jīng dé hún fēi tiān wài ， lì kè qū xī qiú ráo le qǐ lái 。
见了月儿施法，李耀天脸色大变，几乎是惊得魂飞天外，立刻屈膝求饶了起来。
This action surprised Lin Xuan momentarily, but after a frown of thought, he regained his composure. It was a good idea to play along; after all, he had no reason to be lenient with such a sneaky opponent.
tā de zhè ge dòng zuò ， dào jiāng lín xuān nòng dé yī lèng yī lèng de ， bù guò shāo yī zhòu méi sī suǒ ， dào yě huí guò le shén lái ， hǎo xiào zhī yú ， xīn shēng yī jì ， jiāng cuò jiù cuò shì bù cuò de zhǔ yì 。
他的这个动作，倒将林轩弄得一愣一愣的，不过稍一皱眉思索，倒也回过了神来，好笑之余，心生一计，将错就错是不错的主意。
"Brat, you have good eyesight. How did you recognize me?" Lin Xuan spoke in an old-fashioned tone.
“ xiǎo zi yǎn guāng bù cuò ， zěn me rèn chū lǎo fū lái de ？” lín xuān lǎo qì héng qiū de kāi kǒu le 。
“小子眼光不错，怎么认出老夫来的？”林轩老气横秋的开口了。
"Senior Sovereign, please don’t be angry. I didn't mean any disrespect. My admiration for you is like the endless flow of the river…" Li Yaotian’s flattery was so convincing that Lin Xuan shivered involuntarily.
“ mó zūn xī nù ， wǎn bèi wú yí mào fàn hǔ wēi ， wǒ duì nín de jìng yǎng yǒu rú tāo tāo jiāng shuǐ ……” kàn bù chū lǐ yào tiān zhè jiā huo bù jǐn xīn sī hěn dú ， fèng chéng pāi mǎ de běn lǐng yě kān chēng yī jué ó ！
“魔尊息怒，晚辈无疑冒犯虎威，我对您的敬仰有如滔滔江水……”看不出李耀天这家伙不仅心思狠毒，奉承拍马的本领也堪称一绝哦！
But his face remained calm as he waved a hand to stop the other from speaking. Just as he opened his mouth, his expression suddenly changed as he turned around.
lín xuān dōu tīng dé qǐ le yī shēn jī pí gē da ， tā què liǎn bù hóng lái ， qì bù chuǎn 。
林轩都听得起了一身鸡皮疙瘩，他却脸不红来，气不喘。
Li Yaotian and Wang Hu were taken aback by this sudden change in Lin Xuan’s demeanor. They followed his gaze with their minds, but found nothing out of the ordinary, leaving them puzzled.
“ fèi huà shǎo shuō ， lǎo fū de wèn tí nǐ hái méi yǒu huí dá 。” lín xuān liǎn shàng shǎn guò yī sī bù nài de shén sè 。
“废话少说，老夫的问题你还没有回答。”林轩脸上闪过一丝不耐的神色。
Just then, a rumbling sound came from afar, and the ground began to tremble inexplicably. An earthquake? Li Yaotian thought, only to be interrupted by several extremely clear screams mixed in with the loud noise, quickly swallowed by the rumbling.
“ hē hē ， mó zūn xī nù ， nín lǎo rén jiā yòu hé bì míng zhī gù wèn ne ， fàng yǎn yōu zhōu de xiū zhēn jiè ， chú le qián bèi ， shuí hái yǒu rú cǐ dà de shén tōng ， yōng yǒu níng dān qī dì guǐ chǒng 。 hé kuàng nà wèi xiǎo jiě shǒu zhōng de fǎ bǎo ， bù zhèng shì nín míng zhèn tiān xià de wàn hún fān ？”
“呵呵，魔尊息怒，您老人家又何必明知故问呢，放眼幽州的修真界，除了前辈，谁还有如此大的神通，拥有凝丹期地鬼宠。何况那位小姐手中的法宝，不正是您名震天下的万魂幡？”
Could it be…
“ wàn hún fān ？”
“万魂幡？”
Li Yaotian’s face turned pale as Wang Hu’s expression mirrored his fear.
lín xuān de zuǐ jiǎo lù chū yī sī jī cháo ， bù guò zǐ xì xiǎng xiǎng ， dào yě bìng bù qí guài ， jí è mó zūn wēi zhèn tiān xià ， tā de shén tōng fǎ bǎo ， zài xiū zhēn jiè yǒu zhe gè zhǒng gè yàng de chuán yán 。
林轩的嘴角露出一丝讥嘲，不过仔细想想，倒也并不奇怪，极恶魔尊威震天下，他的神通法宝，在修真界有着各种各样的传言。
Lin Xuan watched ahead but caught their expressions out of the corner of his eye. His gaze became sharp: "Friends, what do you know? Why don’t you share your knowledge?"
suī rán yǐ é chuán é ， bù shǎo dōng xī yǐ jīng bèi miáo shù dé huāng miù bù kě xìn le 。 dàn yǒu liǎng diǎn ， zài yōu zhōu de xiū zhēn jiè què shì rén jǐn jiē zhī de 。
虽然以讹传讹，不少东西已经被描述得荒谬不可信了。但有两点，在幽州的修真界却是人尽皆知的。
"Um…" Li Yaotian's expression became complicated.
yī shì tā yǒu yī wèi níng dān qī dì guǐ chǒng ， èr zé shì mó zūn de běn mìng fǎ bǎo nǎi wàn hún fān 。
一是他有一位凝丹期地鬼宠，二则是魔尊的本命法宝乃万魂幡。
"It seems that Senior Li just now was lying. He didn't take me seriously," Lin Xuan spoke calmly but exuded an ominous aura.
gēn jù zhè liǎng diǎn ， lǐ yào tiān jiāng zì jǐ rèn cuò dào yě biàn dé hé qíng hé lǐ le 。
根据这两点，李耀天将自己认错倒也变得合情合理了。
"W-We dare not jest with a senior."
bì jìng yǐ tā de xiū wèi ， yǐ jí zài xiū zhēn jiè de dì wèi shì jué bù kě néng jiàn dào jí è mó zūn de ， zì jǐ de shòu hún fān yǔ wàn hún fān běn jiù shì tóng yī lèi xíng de fǎ bǎo ， zhǐ bù guò fēng yìn de hún pò yǒu suǒ bù tóng ， jiù suàn huàn chéng yī wèi guǐ dào xiū shì yě bù yí dìng néng gòu biàn shí ， gèng bú yào shuō lǐ yào tiān nǎi shì pǔ tōng de xiū zhēn ér yǐ 。
毕竟以他的修为，以及在修真界的地位是绝不可能见到极恶魔尊的，自己的兽魂幡与万魂幡本就是同一类型的法宝，只不过封印的魂魄有所不同，就算换成一位鬼道修士也不一定能够辨识，更不要说李耀天乃是普通的修真而已。
Li Yaotian cursed himself for his foolishness; who was this person? The first figure in the demon sect of Youzhou, playing tricks on him would be sheer suicide. If he angered this old demon, he might end up being tortured and his soul extracted.
zài jiā shàng yuè ér dì yīn shù 。 liǎng diǎn yī jié hé ， yǔ wài miàn shèng chuán de jí è mó zūn sī sī rù kòu ， duì fāng zì rán xià dé pì gǔn niào liú 。
再加上月儿地因数。两点一结合，与外面盛传的极恶魔尊丝丝入扣，对方自然吓得屁滚尿流。
Just thinking about it made his face pale.
wáng hǔ xià dé jiǎo ruǎn le ， tòng kǔ liú tì de qiú ráo ， shèn zhì hái zì jǐ dǎ zì jǐ de ěr guāng 。
王虎吓得脚软了，痛苦流涕的求饶，甚至还自己打自己的耳光。
"Senior Sovereign, please don’t get angry. I will tell you…" He started to speak but was interrupted by another piercing scream from the entrance of the hall. Several cultivators, covered in blood and staggering, rushed through: "Elder, something terrible is happening. That monster…"
cǐ shí tā yǔ lǐ yào tiān yī yàng ， jiù xiàng jiē tóu de liǎng gè liú máng ， nǎ lǐ hái yǒu sī háo níng dān qī gāo shǒu de qì shì le 。
此时他与李耀天一样，就像街头的两个流氓，哪里还有丝毫凝丹期高手的气势了。
"Ahh!"
bù néng shuō liǎng rén méi yòng ， guān jiàn shì jí è mó zūn de míng tóu dà xiǎng ， sān jù tóu de jǐ wèi zhǎng lǎo lián shǒu 。 yě bù guò yǔ tā píng fēn qiū sè ， yì bān rén nǎ lǐ xīng dé qǐ fǎn kàng de niàn tou 。
不能说两人没用，关键是极恶魔尊的名头大响，三巨头的几位长老联手。也不过与他平分秋色，一般人哪里兴得起反抗的念头。
Before they could finish their sentence, a streak of blood appeared out of nowhere, circling around them before rolling off several heads like watermelons.
dà zhàng fū néng qū néng shēn ， qí shí néng gòu rěn shòu yī shí qū rǔ ， yě bù kuì wèi xiāo xióng rén wù 。
大丈夫能屈能伸，其实能够忍受一时屈辱，也不愧为枭雄人物。
Lin Xuan’s smile vanished as he narrowed his eyes, staring ahead.
“ hǎo le ， nǐ men qǐ lái ba ！”
“好了，你们起来吧！”
A crimson cloud entered his field of vision.
lín xuān shén sè yī huǎn dì kāi kǒu le ， dāng rán ， tā bìng fēi xiǎng yǔ liǎng rén wò shǒu yán hé ， duì fāng xiǎng yào tōu xí zì jǐ de chóu hèn nǎ yǒu nà me róng yì jiē guò ， zhǐ bù guò liǎng rén bì jìng yě shì níng dān qī de xiū zhēn 。 hái yǒu qī bā míng dì zǐ zuò bāng shǒu ， zì jǐ hé yuè ér lián shǒu suī rán néng gòu wěn yíng ， dàn xiǎng yào jiāng duì fāng quán bù miè shā ， hái shì yǒu yì diǎn nán dù 。
林轩神色一缓地开口了，当然，他并非想与两人握手言和，对方想要偷袭自己的仇恨哪有那么容易揭过，只不过两人毕竟也是凝丹期的修真。还有七八名弟子做帮手，自己和月儿联手虽然能够稳赢，但想要将对方全部灭杀，还是有一点难度。
The color was so red that it seemed dyed with blood. Li Yaotian and Wang Hu's faces turned even paler.
gù ér xiān jiǎ zhuāng jì wǎng bù jiù ， chèn duì fāng shū hū dà yì zhī shí zài shī yǐ là shǒu 。 bú yào shuō lín xuān bēi bǐ 。 duì fù lǐ yào tiān zhè yàng de wěi jūn zǐ jiù bù néng gòu jiǎng rén yì 。
故而先假装既往不咎，趁对方疏忽大意之时再施以辣手。不要说林轩卑鄙。对付李耀天这样的伪君子就不能够讲仁义。
"How is this possible? The monster actually escaped from the禁制. Second Brother, you said your secret technique was foolproof?" Li Yaotian’s voice trembled as he spoke.
“ shì ， xiè xiè qián bèi 。 xiè xiè qián bèi ！”
“是，谢谢前辈。谢谢前辈！”
"I don’t know either." Wang Hu seemed dazed, his lips moving without forming words.
liǎng rén yòu kē le jǐ gè tóu zhè cái mǎn liǎn tǎo hǎo de zhàn le qǐ lái ：“ wǎn bèi jīn tiān néng gòu jiàn dào mó zūn de yí miàn ， shí zài shì shí shì xiū lái de xiān fú ……”
两人又磕了几个头这才满脸讨好的站了起来：“晚辈今天能够见到魔尊的一面，实在是十世修来的仙福……”
Sss…
lín xuān méi tóu wēi zhòu 。 tā kě bù xiǎng tīng duì fāng zhè xiē méi yǒu yíng yǎng de fèng chéng zhī yǔ ， bǎi le bǎi shǒu ， zǔ zhǐ le duì fāng de huà ， zì jǐ zhèng xiǎng kāi kǒu ， què tū rán liǎn sè yī biàn dì huí guò le tóu 。
林轩眉头微皱。他可不想听对方这些没有营养的奉承之语，摆了摆手，阻止了对方的话，自己正想开口，却突然脸色一变地回过了头。
A sound like a venomous snake's tongue entered their ears.
lǐ yào tiān hé wáng hǔ yī lèng ， yě shùn zhe lín xuān de mù guāng ， jiāng shén shí fàng chū ， rán ér què bìng méi yǒu xiàn shén me ， liǎn shàng bù yóu de xiě mǎn le yí huò 。
李耀天和王虎一愣，也顺着林轩的目光，将神识放出，然而却并没有现什么，脸上不由得写满了疑惑。
From within the crimson cloud, countless blood threads shot out.
lǐ yào tiān zhèng yù kāi kǒu ， yuǎn chù què yǐn yǐn yǒu yī zhèn hōng lōng lóng de guài shēng chuán rù ěr duǒ ， tóng shí dì biǎo yě mò míng qí miào de chàn dòng le qǐ lái 。
李耀天正欲开口，远处却隐隐有一阵轰隆隆的怪声传入耳朵，同时地表也莫名其妙的颤动了起来。
"Ah!"
dì zhèn ？ lǐ yào tiān gāng zhè yàng xiǎng ， què tū rán yòu tīng jiàn le jǐ shēng qīng xī yǐ jí de cǎn jiào ， jiā zá zài nà jù xiǎng zhī zhōng ， hěn kuài què bèi nà hōng lōng lóng dì shēng yīn tūn mò 。
地震？李耀天刚这样想，却突然又听见了几声清晰以极的惨叫，夹杂在那巨响之中，很快却被那轰隆隆地声音吞没。
The cultivators at the entrance were terrified by the sight of these threads twisting and expanding into snakes. They scattered in all directions, some using their spirit weapons to resist while others fled like birds.
nán dào shì ……
难道是……
But it was useless; these snakes were extremely cunning. When they encountered spirit weapons, they would automatically avoid them.
lǐ yào tiān dì liǎn sè yī xià zi biàn dé cāng bái wú bǐ ， ér nà wáng hǔ yě tóng yàng mǎn liǎn de jīng jù 。
李耀天地脸色一下子变得苍白无比，而那王虎也同样满脸的惊惧。
Soon, every single one of the base-level cultivators was devoured by the snakes.
lín xuān suī rán zhù shì zhe qián miàn ， dàn yǎn jiǎo dì yú guāng yě jiāng liǎng rén de biǎo qíng jìn shōu yǎn dǐ ， mù guāng chà nà jiān biàn dé líng lì ：“ liǎng wèi dào yǒu zhī dào xiē shén me ， zěn me ， bù dǎ suàn shuō shuō ？”
林轩虽然注视着前面，但眼角地余光也将两人的表情尽收眼底，目光刹那间变得凌厉：“两位道友知道些什么，怎么，不打算说说？”
Lin Xuan’s pupils constricted as he opened his nine heavens spiritual shield with a flicker of green light. The crimson cloud rolled down, dissipating into mist to reveal a blurry figure.
“ zhè ……” lǐ yào tiān dì biǎo qíng yī xià zi biàn dé fù zá qǐ lái le 。
“这……”李耀天地表情一下子变得复杂起来了。
"What is this…" Lin Xuan stared at the figure in front of him, his expression filled with astonishment.
“ kàn lái lǐ dào yǒu gāng cái de nà xiē huà bù guò shì huǎng yán ér yǐ ， qí shí bìng méi yǒu jiāng lǎo fū fàng zài yǎn lǐ 。” lín xuān yī rán shì dàn dàn de yǔ qì ， dàn shēn shàng què háo bù yǎn shì de liú lù chū kě pà de shā qì 。
“看来李道友刚才的那些话不过是谎言而已，其实并没有将老夫放在眼里。”林轩依然是淡淡的语气，但身上却毫不掩饰的流露出可怕的杀气。
Though it appeared human, it had three heads and six arms, standing two meters tall, its body massive and imposing. Its skin was red, like blood, with an odd sheen. Most strikingly, a pair of horns several inches long grew on its forehead.
“ qián bèi xǐ nù ， wǎn bèi nǎ gǎn xì nòng nǐ 。”
“前辈喜怒，晚辈哪敢戏弄你。”
A demon!
lǐ yào tiān zài xīn zhōng àn mà zì jǐ hú tú ， yǎn qián zhī rén shì shuí ， yōu zhōu mó dào de dì yī rén ， zì jǐ zài tā miàn qián shuǎ huā huā cháng zi ， nà bù chún cuì shì zhǎo sǐ 。
李耀天在心中暗骂自己糊涂，眼前之人是谁，幽州魔道的第一人，自己在他面前耍花花肠子，那不纯粹是找死。
Lin Xuan quickly recognized the creature’s identity!
yí dàn rě máo le zhè ge lǎo mó ， nòng bù hǎo jiù huì jiāng zì jǐ ná lái chōu hún liàn pò 。
一旦惹毛了这个老魔，弄不好就会将自己拿来抽魂炼魄。
He was amazed; in ancient times, demons had flourished, forming a distinct species from beasts. Unlike beasts, which required reaching the fourth level to gain human-like intelligence and transform into their true forms, demons possessed comparable intelligence regardless of their strength, making them another intelligent race.
xiǎng dào zhè lǐ ， tā de liǎn pí bù yóu chóu chú le yī xià ；“ mó zūn qiān wàn bié dòng nù ， wǎn bèi zhè jiù shuō ……”
想到这里，他的脸皮不由踌躇了一下；“魔尊千万别动怒，晚辈这就说……”
This led to fierce conflicts with humans, even vying for dominance in that era. Humans were not about to give up their status as the supreme beings.
rán ér huà yīn wèi luò ， yòu yī shēng qī lì de cǎn jiào chuán rù ěr duǒ ， zài yǎn qián dà tīng jìn tóu de lìng yī chù rù kǒu ， jǐ gè hún shēn xiān xuè ， bù lǚ pán shān de xiū shì pǎo guò lái le ：“ zhǎng lǎo ， dà shì bù hǎo ， nà guài wù ……”
然而话音未落，又一声凄厉的惨叫传入耳朵，在眼前大厅尽头的另一处入口，几个浑身鲜血，步履蹒跚的修士跑过来了：“长老，大事不好，那怪物……”
Moreover, the prosperity of the cultivation world back then far exceeded today’s by at least ten times.
“ a ！”
“啊！”
Lin Xuan had read ancient texts stating how human cultivators used cunning strategies to worsen relations between demons and beasts. They then negotiated with the transformed beasts, forming an alliance against the demons.
huà bìng wèi shuō wán ， bèi tū rú qí lái de cǎn jiào dǎ duàn ， yī lǚ xuè máng píng kōng chū xiàn 。 wéi zhe jǐ gè xiū shì zhuǎn le yī quān ， dùn shí ， jǐ kē dà hǎo tóu lú jiù yóu rú xī guā yì bān dì gǔn luò dào dì shàng lái 。
话并未说完，被突如其来的惨叫打断，一缕血芒凭空出现。围着几个修士转了一圈，顿时，几颗大好头颅就犹如西瓜一般地滚落到地上来。
The outcome was predictable; ancient cultivators were stronger than the demons, let alone with beast allies. The demons suffered a crushing defeat and were forced to surrender.
lín xuān liǎn shàng xiào róng yī liǎn ， yǎn jīng wēi wēi de mī le qǐ lái ， wàng zhe qián miàn 。
林轩脸上笑容一敛，眼睛微微的眯了起来，望着前面。
However, some of these ancient cultivators had foresight and refused the demons’ surrender, fearing that if their power dynamics shifted in the future, they would be caught off guard.
yī piàn hóng yún yìng rù yǎn lián 。
一片红云映入眼帘。
Small-mindedness is not becoming of a gentleman; one must be ruthless like a man. To eliminate this隐患, it was better to act now.
nà yún cǎi de yán sè hóng dé chì mù ， fǎng fú jiù xiàng shì yòng xiān xuè rǎn chéng de 。
那云彩的颜色红得赤目，仿佛就像是用鲜血染成的。
Thus, they continued to purge the demons despite their fierce resistance. The disparity in strength was too great for the demons to turn the tide, and they were forced to scatter into remote wildernesses and deserts.
ér lǐ yào tiān yǔ wáng hǔ liǎng rén de liǎn sè biàn dé yuè cāng bái le 。
而李耀天与王虎两人的脸色变得越苍白了。
Ancient cultivators’ determination to exterminate them was formidable as well, with major sects sending small teams to hunt them down relentlessly.
“ zěn me kě néng ， nà guài wù jū rán cóng jìn zhì zhōng táo tuō chū lái le ， èr dì 。 nǐ bú shì shuō nà mì fǎ wàn wú yī shī ？” lǐ yào tiān shēng sè jù lì ， rán ér shēn tǐ què chàn dǒu bù yǐ 。
“怎么可能，那怪物居然从禁制中逃脱出来了，二弟。你不是说那秘法万无一失？”李耀天声色俱厉，然而身体却颤抖不已。
Over millions of years, demons remained a threat, coexisting with humans, but ancient demons had been virtually eradicated, their existence only recorded in ancient scrolls. In reality, they were nowhere to be seen.
“ wǒ yě bù zhī dào 。” wáng hǔ yǒu xiē shī shén ， zuǐ chún yī kāi yī hé ， yě bù zhī dào zài nán nán de shuō xiē shén me 。
“我也不知道。”王虎有些失神，嘴唇一开一合，也不知道在喃喃的说些什么。
PS: Just one chapter today; I’ll try harder tomorrow.
Li Yaotian's strange expression left Lin Xuan somewhat surprised, but he didn't dwell on it. Since they had already broken their truce, there was no point in wasting words. With Moon's help, eliminating them wouldn’t be a problem.
Lin Xuan’s entire body emitted a flicker of black light, and his aura became eerie as well.
Moon ran her fingers through her hair, opened her mouth, and spat out a small banner from between her lips. She held it lightly with one hand and waved it gently. Instantly, countless dark mists poured out of the banner, ghostly shadows filled the air, and beast roars echoed loudly.
"Ten-thousand-souls banner, really Senior Sovereign Demon!" Li Yaotian’s face changed dramatically at Moon's spell, nearly sending him into a panic. He quickly knelt to beg for mercy.
This action surprised Lin Xuan momentarily, but after a frown of thought, he regained his composure. It was a good idea to play along; after all, he had no reason to be lenient with such a sneaky opponent.
"Brat, you have good eyesight. How did you recognize me?" Lin Xuan spoke in an old-fashioned tone.
"Senior Sovereign, please don’t be angry. I didn't mean any disrespect. My admiration for you is like the endless flow of the river…" Li Yaotian’s flattery was so convincing that Lin Xuan shivered involuntarily.
But his face remained calm as he waved a hand to stop the other from speaking. Just as he opened his mouth, his expression suddenly changed as he turned around.
Li Yaotian and Wang Hu were taken aback by this sudden change in Lin Xuan’s demeanor. They followed his gaze with their minds, but found nothing out of the ordinary, leaving them puzzled.
Just then, a rumbling sound came from afar, and the ground began to tremble inexplicably. An earthquake? Li Yaotian thought, only to be interrupted by several extremely clear screams mixed in with the loud noise, quickly swallowed by the rumbling.
Could it be…
Li Yaotian’s face turned pale as Wang Hu’s expression mirrored his fear.
Lin Xuan watched ahead but caught their expressions out of the corner of his eye. His gaze became sharp: "Friends, what do you know? Why don’t you share your knowledge?"
"Um…" Li Yaotian's expression became complicated.
"It seems that Senior Li just now was lying. He didn't take me seriously," Lin Xuan spoke calmly but exuded an ominous aura.
"W-We dare not jest with a senior."
Li Yaotian cursed himself for his foolishness; who was this person? The first figure in the demon sect of Youzhou, playing tricks on him would be sheer suicide. If he angered this old demon, he might end up being tortured and his soul extracted.
Just thinking about it made his face pale.
"Senior Sovereign, please don’t get angry. I will tell you…" He started to speak but was interrupted by another piercing scream from the entrance of the hall. Several cultivators, covered in blood and staggering, rushed through: "Elder, something terrible is happening. That monster…"
"Ahh!"
Before they could finish their sentence, a streak of blood appeared out of nowhere, circling around them before rolling off several heads like watermelons.
Lin Xuan’s smile vanished as he narrowed his eyes, staring ahead.
A crimson cloud entered his field of vision.
The color was so red that it seemed dyed with blood. Li Yaotian and Wang Hu's faces turned even paler.
"How is this possible? The monster actually escaped from the禁制. Second Brother, you said your secret technique was foolproof?" Li Yaotian’s voice trembled as he spoke.
"I don’t know either." Wang Hu seemed dazed, his lips moving without forming words.
Sss…
A sound like a venomous snake's tongue entered their ears.
From within the crimson cloud, countless blood threads shot out.
"Ah!"
The cultivators at the entrance were terrified by the sight of these threads twisting and expanding into snakes. They scattered in all directions, some using their spirit weapons to resist while others fled like birds.
But it was useless; these snakes were extremely cunning. When they encountered spirit weapons, they would automatically avoid them.
Soon, every single one of the base-level cultivators was devoured by the snakes.
Lin Xuan’s pupils constricted as he opened his nine heavens spiritual shield with a flicker of green light. The crimson cloud rolled down, dissipating into mist to reveal a blurry figure.
"What is this…" Lin Xuan stared at the figure in front of him, his expression filled with astonishment.
Though it appeared human, it had three heads and six arms, standing two meters tall, its body massive and imposing. Its skin was red, like blood, with an odd sheen. Most strikingly, a pair of horns several inches long grew on its forehead.
A demon!
Lin Xuan quickly recognized the creature’s identity!
He was amazed; in ancient times, demons had flourished, forming a distinct species from beasts. Unlike beasts, which required reaching the fourth level to gain human-like intelligence and transform into their true forms, demons possessed comparable intelligence regardless of their strength, making them another intelligent race.
This led to fierce conflicts with humans, even vying for dominance in that era. Humans were not about to give up their status as the supreme beings.
Moreover, the prosperity of the cultivation world back then far exceeded today’s by at least ten times.
Lin Xuan had read ancient texts stating how human cultivators used cunning strategies to worsen relations between demons and beasts. They then negotiated with the transformed beasts, forming an alliance against the demons.
The outcome was predictable; ancient cultivators were stronger than the demons, let alone with beast allies. The demons suffered a crushing defeat and were forced to surrender.
However, some of these ancient cultivators had foresight and refused the demons’ surrender, fearing that if their power dynamics shifted in the future, they would be caught off guard.
Small-mindedness is not becoming of a gentleman; one must be ruthless like a man. To eliminate this隐患, it was better to act now.
Thus, they continued to purge the demons despite their fierce resistance. The disparity in strength was too great for the demons to turn the tide, and they were forced to scatter into remote wildernesses and deserts.
Ancient cultivators’ determination to exterminate them was formidable as well, with major sects sending small teams to hunt them down relentlessly.
Over millions of years, demons remained a threat, coexisting with humans, but ancient demons had been virtually eradicated, their existence only recorded in ancient scrolls. In reality, they were nowhere to be seen.
PS: Just one chapter today; I’ll try harder tomorrow.