Chapter 1678: Demon Den (II)

Unison Sea, Yinzhou.

Yinzhou was vast, its mountain ranges rising and falling beneath a grim haze of blood qi. White bones littered the valleys, and demonic creatures roamed everywhere. Though isolated from the outside world, streaks of divine ability and Buddhist light often traversed the great void and descended upon the island.

The sea reflected shades of blue and white as it rippled along the coast. Lotus blossoms bloomed one after another within the great void as a golden-robed monk emerged, the gleam of the seawater shimmering across his bald head.

His expression was as still as calm water, and his bearing was extraordinary. He shifted back into a black-haired, long-bearded Daoist as he landed among the mountains.

A green-scaled beast came bounding over the ridge, planted the spear in its hand into the ground, and asked, "Are you Great Master Minghui?"

Maha Minghui remained composed and replied evenly, "I came at Master Pingyan's invitation. Please lead the way, demon general."

The green-scaled beast led him onward and said, "Great Master, hurry. Do not keep the king waiting too long."

Had Maha Minghui encountered such a demonic creature anywhere else, he would certainly have subdued it as a mount. He would never have allowed it to speak to him in such a manner. This time, however, he did not grow angry. Instead, he quickened his pace.

That old devil Pingyan really is unreasonable! He did not even warn me in time... Does he not realize that traveling here from the mainland takes time?

A pavilion stood at the summit, where two figures sat within, one old and one young. The elder had a sallow complexion, drooping brows, and a flowing white beard. He was stroking his beard as he spoke, while the young man, dressed in a long robe with golden patterns embroidered along the sleeves, listened with occasional nods.

The moment Minghui stepped onto the summit and saw the young man, his eyes began to burn. Looking more closely, he saw blazing radiance surging around the man, whose destiny had reached an extraordinary height. Scales shimmered faintly along his neck, marked with pale white patterns.

Minghui's heart tightened as he thought, So this is the great lord himself.

He spoke, "Minghui of the Lotus Temple greets the two of you, fellow Daoists!"

Li Zhouwei raised his brows at the greeting. He saw only a Daoist standing before him, but with a flicker of his golden eyes, he immediately saw through Minghui's true form.

Beside him, Master Pingyan smiled and said, "Please, take a seat!"

The monk took his seat, lifted his sleeves, and offered his congratulations. "Fellow Daoist, news of your attainment of the Purple Mansion Realm reached even the north. My congratulations to Moongaze!"

Li Zhouwei truly had little fondness for Buddhist cultivators. Were it not for the Lotus Temple's longstanding closeness with immortal cultivators, and the fact that Minghui was the only one capable of handling the items in his possession, he would never have been inclined to sit down and speak with a Buddhist cultivator.

He merely replied, "You are too kind."

As Li Zhouwei traveled through Yinzhou, he found the place deeply perplexing.

Yinzhou was spoken of by outsiders as an immortal mountain and a sacred island, yet in truth, demonic creatures ran rampant across it, leaving white bones littering the land. Rice and meat were piled high for feasts, while crimson blood gathered in pools.

Human offerings from the Unison Sea were also shipped to the island without end, allowing the creatures in the mountains to eat their fill. They bared their teeth, laughed uproariously, and once they had drunk and eaten to satisfaction, departed the island to serve the Sea Patroller, still reluctant to leave.

These scenes were hidden within forests and concealed inside palaces, yet Li Zhouwei saw them all with perfect clarity.

Whether it was Huiyao, the other demonic creatures, or even the great figures among the dragons, they must all have sat among them, eating flesh and drinking blood.

The dragons were not called the herders of the seas for nothing. Even the Cui Family had to obediently offer up spirit items. Their status was merely high enough that they did not need to surrender their own clansmen for the demons to devour, but the dragons showed no such restraint toward the cultivators of the Eastern Sea!

Over the years... the bones of Yinzhou could have been piled into mountains and spread across the sea to form reefs.

Demonic creatures came and went freely throughout this entire Daoist gate, while its disciples all rode upon devil winds. Pingyan appeared refined and otherworldly, but when Li Zhouwei looked more closely, he saw nothing but stark white bones hanging beneath the man's skin. The man had already refined himself into a dharma skeleton devoid of blood and flesh. Were his robes lifted, there would be nothing but roiling demonic qi and a hazy blood-red glow revealed beneath them!

The Daoist before him was no Daoist either, but a plump monk. The radiance of the Virtuous Dao around him was alluring, yet the Virtuous Dao was hardly anything good. It would not be the slightest exaggeration to call Pingyan's mountain and this island of the dragons a den of demons!

So this is what the descendants of the Hornless Dragon are truly like.

Li Zhouwei's expression did not change, remaining cold and indifferent. Minghui, meanwhile, showed no embarrassment at all. He smiled and sat upright at the side. Only then did Pingyan speak, his voice deep and resonant, like that of an accomplished cultivator who had attained the Dao.

"My apologies for keeping the great king waiting!"

Yet reflected in Li Zhouwei's golden eyes was nothing more than a skull opening and closing its jaws. But Li Zhouwei said nothing further. With a clatter, he emptied a collection of golden artifacts from his sleeve. There were rings, kasayas, cups, and lotus thrones, all piled up on the ground and radiating a brilliant glow.

Minghui rose in surprise, sweeping his gaze across the artifacts and examining them one by one. Pingyan, however, turned his attention toward Li Zhouwei. "The great king's arrival from so far away was beyond our expectations. My humble mountain is rather crude, and I fear we have not received you properly."

Li Zhouwei shook his head. "It is no matter."

Pingyan's gaze flickered as the qi of Bright Yang washed over him, causing some discomfort to his Devil Dao cultivation technique. A dense darkness surfaced within his pupils.

"Great king... I heard that you possess a treasure known as [Dry Yang], a gift from the White Dragon Prince. Is that true?"

"Oh?" Li Zhouwei raised an eyebrow, his gaze turning razor-sharp as he looked at the man. "That's right... What business do you have with it, Fellow Daoist Pingyan?"

"Oh?" Pingyan lifted an eyebrow and smiled. The expression looked rather stiff upon his sallow face as he said softly, "Not long ago, during the grand banquet beneath the sea, one of the demons brought up this matter and used it to challenge the Crown Prince, provoking the Dragon King of the Bei Sea into a towering rage. Although I was not present at the banquet, I later received quite a few instructions... A certain lord of the Black Dragon Succession also wishes to meet you, the great king!"

Li Zhouwei studied Pingyan carefully, his eyes sweeping across the man's face as he tried to determine which Dragon King he served. Before he could respond, however, he faintly heard the sound of approaching footsteps.

Instead of growing tense, Li Zhouwei relaxed even further. Leaning casually against the table, he said, "Then let him come."

Before the words had fully left his mouth, a cold wind swept through the pavilion. A man clad in black had already appeared outside. He was tall and powerfully built, with sharply sculpted features that exuded fierce authority. Two locks of black hair hung from his smooth forehead, swaying gently in the wind. A long saber hung at his waist, its scabbard adorned with white bone and precious jewels, while dense demonic qi rolled continuously from it.

The man’s expression was cold and intimidating, until he bared his teeth in a smile, though his eyes remained icy. A tuft of mane protruded from the back of his neck, allowing demonic qi to surge and gather around his body as swirling black baleful winds.

"The Black Dragon Succession, Guang Fou"

Li Zhouwei raised his eyes to meet the newcomer. Those dragon eyes brimmed with surging demonic qi and naked killing intent.

He could not help but sneer inwardly, Good... He genuinely wants to kill me.

Pingyan had already risen from his seat and bowed with utmost respect. Minghui, meanwhile, was caught in an awkward position, torn between both sides. Sweat beaded on his brow.

Only the golden-eyed youth remained standing calmly in the pavilion as he said in a cold voice, "Minghuang, Li Zhouwei."

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