Chapter 116

Chapter 116: The Mastermind Behind the Scenes

***

“Foundation Establishment stage? How could a Foundation Establishment stage demonic beast appear around Qinglan Sect?”

Su Wanqing’s brows furrowed tightly, her tone filled with bewilderment.

The outer perimeter of Qinglan Sect was constantly patrolled by disciples, so Foundation Establishment stage demonic beasts should have been cleared out long ago.

Other Foundation Establishment stage demonic beasts wouldn’t dare venture into Qinglan Sect’s territory unless they had a death wish.

“Well, I can’t say for sure.”

Lin Muyu shrugged her shoulders lightly, her tone carrying a hint of speculation as she slowly spoke:

“Maybe it fled here from somewhere else, hoping to hide from some trouble by using Qinglan Sect’s territory?”

“Impossible!”

Su Wanqing retorted:

“Our sect’s disciples conduct sweeps of the surrounding areas every month. Unless… this wolf demon has something special about it?”

As she reached the end of her words, she seemed to suddenly remember something and looked toward Lin Muyu with a question.

“It was very cunning, and especially wealthy. You can’t even imagine, it actually wore a golden ingot on its head that was so shiny it was blinding.”

Lin Muyu carefully recalled the scene at that time, gesturing as she spoke, her tone full of amazement at the wolf demon.

If she had been as rich as that wolf demon in her previous life, she wouldn’t have had to worry about food and drink.

“Wealthy? Golden ingot?”

Hearing these descriptions that had absolutely nothing to do with typical demonic beast behavior, Su Wanqing fell into deep thought, clearly pondering something.

“Don’t think about that now! There’s a girl who might have been captured by that wolf demon. We need to hurry and save her!”

Seeing Su Wanqing still not taking action, Lin Muyu grew increasingly anxious and couldn’t help but step forward to urge her.

“That girl you mentioned… what’s your relationship with her?”

Su Wanqing didn’t immediately set out, but instead looked up at Lin Muyu with a hint of inquiry in her eyes.

“?”

Hearing this question, Lin Muyu was stunned on the spot, completely unable to fathom Su Wanqing’s train of thought.

She was dazed for a few seconds before reacting, then explained:

“She provided me with information about the wolf demon before, so she helped me out. Why are you asking about this?”

“Oh, alright then.”

Su Wanqing responded lightly, her tone revealing no emotion.

But Lin Muyu felt that after she said this, Su Wanqing’s expression had relaxed by half.

Could she be jealous?

That couldn’t be right. She, Lin Muyu, wasn’t some succubus, how could she have a relationship with every girl she met?

“Get on.”

Su Wanqing raised her hand and summoned a flying sword.

The blade hovered steadily in mid-air. She gracefully leaped onto it first, deliberately leaving an empty space behind her, clearly prepared for Lin Muyu.

“This…”

Looking at the empty space on the flying sword, Lin Muyu hesitated.

Ever since that incident last time, she hadn’t ridden Su Wanqing’s flying sword again, and now she inevitably felt somewhat awkward.

“Don’t you want to save that girl?”

Su Wanqing’s tone remained flat, revealing no emotion.

“Fine, I’m getting on!”

Lin Muyu gritted her teeth and stopped being coy.

This time it was to save someone, it counted as a special exception.

She hesitated no more and lightly leaped onto the flying sword.

Standing on the familiar blade, her heart stirred with complex feelings.

The last time she stood here, the sword’s owner was still only at Foundation Establishment stage.

Of course, that time when she was lying down didn’t count.

Seeing Lin Muyu get on, Su Wanqing’s lips curved into an almost imperceptible shallow smile.

It seemed that coming here first this time was indeed the right choice!

…

“Master, all of my subordinates… they’re all gone.”

In the deepest branching chamber of the cave, a wolf demon with a massive frame like a small mountain was lying dejectedly on the ground, its fur having lost all luster, looking particularly dejected.

The place where it resided was extremely well-hidden. Even Lin Muyu, who had previously infiltrated the cave to investigate, hadn’t discovered that such a secret space was hidden here.

“Useless! What about those sacrificial offerings?”

On the stone platform across from the wolf demon sat a fist-sized rock that continuously emitted black qi.

This stone was pitch black throughout, its surface covered with eerie patterns.

Most peculiar of all, it could actually produce human speech, its tone full of impatience and authority.

“Master… those sacrificial offerings… they were all rescued.”

The wolf demon buried its head even lower, its face full of shame and fear, not daring to even glance at the black stone.

“…”

Upon hearing this, the black qi around the stone suddenly surged violently, and the entire cave began to shake violently. Rubble fell from the ceiling like rain, as if it might collapse at any moment.

“Master, please calm your anger! Please calm your anger!”

The wolf demon was so frightened that its whole body trembled. It rolled and crawled to kowtow twice, hastily trying to make amends:

“This subordinate still has a way! I can obtain a cultivator, and that cultivator’s vital essence will be enough to help you recover from your injuries!”

“Oh? You can obtain a cultivator?”

The cave’s trembling immediately stopped, and the black qi also receded somewhat, but the wolf demon could still clearly sense the faint killing intent emanating from the black stone.

It was an icy, bone-chilling aura that made the wolf’s fur stand on end.

It knew clearly in its heart that if it couldn’t come up with a feasible plan, it would become a sacrifice the next second, becoming nourishment for the other party’s recovery.

After all, without its subordinates, it had lost its usefulness.

“Master, look at this!”

The wolf demon hurriedly raised its head, its tail carefully curling around an unconscious girl.

The girl wore coarse cloth clothes and had a pale complexion, clearly bound by demonic power.

“Mmm… mmm mmm…”

The girl slowly awakened, and upon noticing her surroundings, her eyes instantly filled with terror.

She wanted to call for help but found her throat sealed by demonic power, only able to make muffled whimpering sounds.

“She’s a cultivator?”

The pitch-black stone fell silent for a moment, then asked in a ghostly tone, black qi slowly flowing across its surface, revealing no emotion.

“Master, she is not.”

The wolf demon’s voice lowered again, secretly breaking out in a cold sweat.

“Hmm?”

Just one word, and the air pressure around the black stone instantly dropped to freezing point, causing the entire cave to shake violently once more.

The wolf demon was scared out of its wits and hurriedly kowtowed while explaining:

“Master, please calm your anger! Although she is not a cultivator, she can lure out a peak Qi Refining cultivator!”

At this point, the wolf demon’s tone took on a hint of fawning as it carefully added:

“Moreover, this subordinate can sense that the cultivator’s aura is exceptionally sweet, she might even be a fairy~”

“Heh, then I’ll give you one more chance.”

The black stone’s tone returned to calm, but carried an undeniable threat.

“If you can’t bring back the person, you don’t need to return.”

The wolf demon understood perfectly well that “don’t need to return” didn’t mean it was being kicked out.

It meant it would completely disappear from this world, leaving not even a trace behind.

“This subordinate guarantees the mission will be completed!”

The wolf demon quickly pledged its loyalty, then shifted the conversation with a somewhat pleading tone:

“However, Master, could you grant this subordinate some more power? With your enhancement, this subordinate will surely succeed without fail!”

“What? You, a Foundation Establishment stage demonic beast, still can’t handle a Qi Refining stage cultivator?”

The pitch-black stone’s tone suddenly turned cold, black qi churning once more, clearly very displeased with the wolf demon’s request.

“It’s not that this subordinate is incompetent!”

The wolf demon quickly defended itself, its voice carrying a hint of grievance.

“That woman has something that restrains me. Despite being at Qi Refining stage, she was actually able to injure me. This subordinate fears she has other trump cards.”

The pitch-black stone fell silent for a moment, seemingly weighing the pros and cons.

After about half the time it takes to brew tea, it finally reacted.

A thick black qi surged from the stone’s body, wrapping around the wolf demon’s body like a living creature.

The wolf demon immediately let out a comfortable low growl, its aura visibly strengthening.

The golden ingot on its head also grew much larger.

Late Foundation Establishment stage!

Although temporary, it was still incredibly powerful!

“Bring back the person, or die!”

The black stone’s voice rang out again, cold without a trace of warmth, giving the wolf demon an ultimatum.

The wolf demon didn’t dare say another word, quickly grabbed the girl, and rushed out of the cave in a hurry.

However, in its current confidence, it had no idea what it was about to face…