Yun Manor had far-reaching connections, and kept registers at every major Immortal Mountain. If this person truly was the Azure Phoenix Palaceâs Senior Brother, tracking him down shouldnât be difficult.
Senior Brother of Azure Phoenix Palace, Yin Mingcheng.
âThis person does existâŠâ
The outer mountain steward looked at Yun Li and asked curiously, âHas this man offended you, Young Master?â
Yun Li shook his head. âNot at all.â
He offered no further explanation, simply saying his thanks before leaving.
As for returning to report his mission, he was in no hurry. Since Mr. Chen had already seen through it, going back served little purpose.
He reckoned Mr. Chen hadnât exposed him just for the amusement of it, so he shouldnât disturb him further.
That said, had the Evil Hand truly been vanquished?
Yun Li was rather curious. Earlier, heâd been locked in combat with the Wraiths dwelling in the forest and hadnât witnessed the moment Mr. Chen subdued the Evil Hand. He wasnât sure if it had been destroyed or captured.
But that likely wasnât something he should pry about.
Yun Li was never one to gossip.
â
The Tabby Cat squatted in front of the Black Dog, constantly staring at it.
It tilted its head one moment, blinked the next, but refused to make a sound.
The Black Dog stared back at Lihua, unsure what mischief the cat was brewing.
Lihua stretched out a paw and tapped the Black Dogâs nose.
The Black Dog shifted its gaze towards Lihua as if asking, âWhat are you doing?â
Lihua said, âMo Yu, you look like a dead dog.â
ââŠâ
Mo Yu had even less desire to acknowledge it now.
Lihua licked its fur, perplexed by Mo Yuâs silence.
It just kept staring at Mo Yu.
Mo Yu stared back.
Mo Yu didnât understand why the Tabby Cat was watching it.
But the Tabby Cat thought this was a game.
A game to see who would crack first.
They locked eyes like that until deep into the night.
Mo Yu suddenly realized the Spell had lifted. It opened its mouth and asked, âHow much longer are you going to stare?â
âYou lost!â declared the Tabby Cat.
It sniffed twice triumphantly. âMo Yu isnât as good as Lihua.â
Mo Yu was utterly defeated by the Tabby Catâs antics.
âFine, yes, Lihua is the best.â
âHehe.â
Lihua let out a happy giggle and began prowling around the courtyard.
It hopped and skipped everywhere, overflowing with excitement.
Mo Yu sighed, then turned its gaze towards the house.
Candlelight flickered from within; Chen Changsheng probably hadnât slept yet.
Mo Yu got up and padded towards the house, stopping by the door.
âCome in.â
Mo Yu pushed the door open and walked over to Chen Changsheng, who sat before the table. It leapt up onto the tabletop.
âAh!â Chen Changsheng exclaimed, âMind that inkstone! Donât knock it over.â
âI know,â Mo Yu assured him.
Chen Changsheng looked at it and asked, âIs something the matter?â
Mo Yu replied, âI wasnât going to bring this up, but thinking it over, I donât want anything bad to happen to you. I had to warn you.â
âWarn me?â
âThat arm⊠itâs no ordinary Evil Spirit. Itâs different from anything else that escaped. You need to be careful.â
âHow is it different?â
Mo Yuâs eyes suddenly turned serious. âItâs the remains of the Demon Sovereign!â
Chen Changsheng was visibly surprised. He paused, frowning. âHow do you know that?â
Heâd asked Manyue and Jian Shenghua earlier, and neither had recognized the arm.
Hearing this, Jian Shenghua emerged.
âQilin, is this true?â Jian Shenghua looked at Mo Yu, his eyes filled with shock.
Mo Yu explained, âAfter the Demon Sovereign was slain, the Devil Qi within his corpse couldnât be wiped away. That woman decided to seal it. She severed the Demon Sovereignâs limbs and head, sealing each part in different locations around the Spirit Cage. I saw her cast the spells with my own eyes.â
Jian Shenghua raised an eyebrow. âBut that severed arm bore none of the Demon Sovereignâs Devil Qi.â
âIt was within the Black Pagoda,â Mo Yu explained. âI suspect that when that woman used the Black Pagoda to absorb our essences, it wasnât merely as a precaution against us escaping. Even without the Black Pagoda, escaping the suppression of the Spirit Cageâs Heaven and Earth would have been nearly impossible. The Pagodaâs true purpose was likely intended for the Demon Sovereignâs remains.â
âImpossible!â
Jian Shenghua murmured, troubled, âI distinctly sensed I hadnât regained true freedom. He absolutely isnât dead yet!â
Mo Yu looked confused at Jian Shenghua. âWhat freedom? What are you talking about?â
Jian Shenghua paused. Mo Yu didnât know about the matter of the External Incarnation.
Chen Changsheng intervened. âWhy donât we take this one step at a time?â
Jian Shenghua and Mo Yu both fell silent and looked at him.
Chen Changsheng addressed Mo Yu, âEarlier, you mentioned âthat womanâ â you meant Yu Xuan, correct?â
Mo Yu hesitated. âI donât know her name.â
âIt can only be her, no one else.â
Chen Changsheng continued, âYouâre saying the Demon Sovereign should have been slain back then, and his corpse sealed. Is that right?â
âExactly,â Mo Yu confirmed.
Chen Changsheng then turned to Jian Shenghua. âAnd you, Brother Jian, believe the Demon Sovereign is still alive?â
Jian Shenghua nodded. âExactly. Thatâs why I sought your help so urgently, Sir.â
âHmmâŠâ
Chen Changsheng thought for a moment. âIs there a possibility that the Demon Sovereign is indeed not dead, and what was sealed was merely a Mortal Body saturated with Devil Qi?â
Both Mo Yu and Jian Shenghua paused.
That seemed plausible.
Yet Mo Yu frowned. âBut why? If that woman was powerful enough to defeat the Demon Sovereign and even sever his Mortal Body, why would she let him escape?â
Chen Changsheng offered, âPerhaps the Demon Sovereign had contingencies prepared.â
Mo Yu froze upon hearing this, a flicker of worry in his eyes.
âThat is not good news,â Mo Yu sighed.
âWhy?â Chen Changsheng inquired.
Mo Yu finally opened its mouth. âI fear that one day he might return. I have no wish to relive those events.â
That period had been one of its deepest sufferings.
That man had used threats against Lihua, forcing Mo Yu to do things against its nature. Remembering it now still brought the events vividly back.
Moreover, spending so long near the Demon Sovereign had inevitably tainted it with Evil Qi â hence why it had ended up sealed within the Spirit Cage.
Chen Changsheng stroked his chin thoughtfully. âWhat are the odds⊠that I could match the Demon Sovereign?â
Mo Yu asked, âIs your confidence based on that vast Divine Sense of yours?â
âYou could say that,â Chen Changsheng acknowledged.
Mo Yu shook its head. âIf thatâs all, youâre still far from ready.â
âIs that soâŠâ Chen Changsheng looked to Jian Shenghua again. âBrother Jian, what do you think?â
Jian Shenghua answered, âSir, your chance of victory would be⊠at best fourfold.â
Though he phrased it this way, he was mostly trying to save face for Chen Changsheng.
âI see. This Demon Sovereign truly possesses heaven-defying abilitiesâŠâ
Chen Changsheng murmured softly, lost in thought.
Summoning Demon Divine Monarch. The name certainly sounded quite intimidating.