Chapter 2497: Caught

“Celestial Court?” The Monster Lord’s face beamed with joy. “Congratulations, master! You have finally found the legendary Celestial Court!”

The Lord of Slaughter laughed heartily. “You don’t need to hold back with me. I wish to share this joy with you. I have heard about the prowess of the elusive Celestial Court, so I will need your help too.”

“Thank you, master. I’ll make some arrangements before rushing over,” the Monster Lord said with a beaming face.

“Yes, you should. The Fiend races and the Ocean races still have one last breath in them, so we mustn’t give them the chance to make a comeback. Quickly make arrangements and come within the next few days,” the Lord of Slaughter instructed.

“Yes, master!” The Monster Lord bowed respectfully.

As soon as the recording mirror was switched off, Manager Pi stepped forward with a fawning smile and exclaimed, “Congratulations, master.”

“Why are you congratulating me?” The Monster Lord’s smile disappeared.

Manager Pi was shocked by the Monster Lord’s sudden change in attitude. “It’s naturally because the Lord of Slaughter trusts you so much that he’s willing to share the secret he has deciphered with you.”

The Monster Lord sneered, “You’re wrong. He is planning to kill me.”

Both Manager Pi and the War Priest were stunned.

The Monster Lord explained, “That old thing spent years in the Fiend races’ Imperial Tomb, but to no avail. What a huge coincidence it is for him to find the Celestial Court the moment something has happened to Mojard!”

“Master, is that person sounding you out?” The War Priest was taken aback.

“Isn’t it obvious?” the Monster Lord replied grimly. “He wouldn’t have neglected to mention Mojard otherwise. His ties with Mojard might have become strained in recent years, but he wouldn’t leave that fellow out for something this important. He must have learned about Mojard’s defeat and the power shifts in the army. He’s fearful of me, which is why he is summoning me. It’d be easier for him to take me down once I’m isolated from my troops and aides.”

The War Priest was shocked. “That old thing is a sly one! The slightest carelessness would have resulted in us falling for his trap!”

Manager Pi took this chance to fawn over the Monster Lord. “No matter how sly that old thing is, our master still saw through him right away. Try as he may, but he will never be able to pull one over us!”

The group burst into laughter.

The Monster Lord’s eyes gleamed. “I shall prepare a huge surprise for him then.”

...

Zu An spent some time wandering around the barracks and subduing almost a hundred monsters of different ranks, but none of them had news about Pei Mianman. Pei Mianman’s traits were so conspicuous that the monsters would have remembered her if they had seen her.

Did she avoid the monster barracks to head straight for the Fiend races’ Imperial Tomb? Or could there be another possibility?

Unfortunately, Zu An was lacking in intel, so his best bet was to pay a visit to the Fiend races’ Imperial Tomb.

He traveled day and night without rest and eventually arrived in the Imperial Tomb’s vicinity. It felt nostalgic to return to the same place. The last time he was here, he'd been accompanied by Yan Xuehen, Yun Jianyue, and Yu Yanluo, but this time, he was here alone to look for Pei Mianman.

The Fiend races’ Imperial Tomb looked vastly different from how it was in the future. The buildings outside were much more majestic and densely packed. Many of the buildings had likely eroded and disappeared over time.

Zu An quietly stared at the many monsters stationed around the Imperial Tomb.

What would Big Manman do upon arriving here?

She’s not a reckless person. Knowing that the Lord of Slaughter is here, she wouldn’t risk her life to obtain the Brilliant Pinflower. She would instead find a way to inform me, so we could come here together to obtain it.

Could she be on her way to the Ocean races, but we missed each other? If she meets the Mermaid Queen, she should be able to find out what happened.

That quelled some of Zu An’s worries. To be safe, he still decided to infiltrate the monster army. He spent some time walking around before entering a monster commander’s room. He suppressed the latter and asked, “Did you capture a woman...”

He briefly shared Pei Mianman’s traits, though there was no need for too many details, as those who met her would remember her easily.

“N-No, I haven’t met her.” Fearing that Zu An wouldn’t believe him, the monster commander anxiously added, “Who would infiltrate this place when our master is here...” His words suddenly trailed off as he realized the man before him was one such intruder.

Zu An thought those words made sense.

The monster commander continued, “I advise you to free me. Our master is invincible. You won’t be able to survive his wrath even if you have nine lives. If you leave on your own accord, I’ll pretend this never happened.”

In truth, the monster commander was scared out of his wits. He'd been caught off guard, but the intruder was strong enough to subdue him before he could react. That meant the intruder was at least on par with the War Priest.

As soon as I scare this fellow off, I’ll alert my comrades and have him captured. Who knows? I might even be rewarded for this!

Zu An could tell what the monster commander was planning from his gaze, but he didn’t expose the latter. Instead, he asked, “Where’s the Lord of Slaughter?”

“How dare you call our master’s name?!” The monster commander paled in horror.

“Answer my question.” Zu An grabbed the monster commander’s shoulder and exerted a powerful suction force.

The monster commander was horrified. He sensed that the intruder had the power to reduce him into a withered corpse at will. Left with no choice, he replied, “Our master is in the Imperial Tomb.”

“What is he looking for?"

“I don’t know. I only know he recently found a treasure and was extremely happy. He hasn’t been this happy for a few years now. I suspect that the treasure contributes greatly to what he’s looking for.”

Zu An was surprised.

Did the Lord of Slaughter find a way to enter the Unknown Region?

Just then, he raised his head.

Footsteps echoed outside, and someone shouted, “Lord Aku, our master has summoned everyone who is of commander rank and above to the Imperial Tomb!”

The monster commander was overjoyed. He tried to call for help, only to be horrified to learn that he couldn’t speak at all. On top of that, his surroundings suddenly distorted, isolating the space around him from light and sound. Then, he felt his ki gushing out, causing his body to quickly weaken.

“Pl... ease...” He tried to speak, but hardly a sound came out before his consciousness faded.

Zu An lay his carcass down before replying in his voice, “Give me a moment. I’ll be right there.”

This monster commander named Aku carries a strong stench of blood. He must have many lives on his hands. He deserved to die.

To Zu An’s dismay, the monster camp was in an uproar over something. If he barged into the Imperial Tomb at this juncture, the odds were that he would be discovered quickly. So, he had no choice but to take on Aku’s appearance, wear his clothes, and enter the Imperial Tomb first to observe the situation.

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