Chapter 1086 - 447: Small Temple, Big Demonic Winds

Chapter 1086: Chapter 447: Small Temple, Big Demonic Winds

An Rong sighed and began to recall the poisoning incident that day.

The attack on the Demon Realm was imminent. As one of the three Earth Immortals of the Human Alliance, he couldn’t, like the drunkard and the scholar, stay immersed on the fourth level of the Immortal Mansion.

Like the other elders of the Human Alliance, once the test ended, he had to leave and handle the alliance’s affairs.

Two days ago, the last of the three Earth Immortals — Peach Fairy Gu Zihan, led the cultivators who went to probe the Earth Demon King back to Zhenyue City.

Speaking of the three Earth Immortals leading the exploration of the Demon Realm, An Rong’s face showed a trace of guilt.

The exploration of the Demon Realm by the Human Alliance was not without preparation; they didn’t just rush in by merely gathering some people.

In the early stages of exploring the Demon Realm, the Human Alliance’s preparations could be described as adequate, with careful consideration given to selection and grouping.

Although the four Demon Kings are divided by earth, wind, water, and fire, their attributes are also influenced by the five elements.

The Alliance Hierarch, Sword Master Lü Changgeng, excels in swordsmanship and is the most powerful combat force in the Human Alliance; due to metal overcoming water in the five elements, he was chosen to probe the strongest of the four Demon Kings, the Water Demon King.

Lü Changgeng’s swordsmanship is both offensive and defensive. Being cautious by nature, he avoided falling into the trap of the Water Demon King.

Upon encountering the Water Demon King, he led four elders of the Divine Sword Sect to form a sword array, and in the fight and retreat process, only three Grandmasters perished at the hands of the Water Demon King.

The Fire Demon King, Candle Yin Remains, whose innate demon spell is to control the Heart Flame, is proficient in illusion techniques and spiritual attacks, so An Rong, who excels in thunder techniques and has the power to intimidate Heart Demons, was tasked to deal with it.

However, the tricky and cunning nature of Candle Yin Remains exceeded the Human Alliance’s previous expectations. Before setting out, the alliance unanimously believed that Candle Yin Remains, who left the most information in Da Xuan, was the weakest link among the four Demon Kings. Unexpectedly, Candle Yin Remains had been concealing its strength.

At first, it feigned weakness to its enemy, gradually causing An Rong and the other cultivators to lower their guards. Lacking combat experience, An Rong determined through the Mountain Guardian Beast that there were no ambushing demon forces, thus pursuing Candle Yin Remains.

As a result, upon reaching the deeper parts of the Demon Realm, Candle Yin Remains suddenly activated the prearranged Ghost Gate, killing two Great Grandmasters on the spot.

An Rong realized something was wrong and tried to lead his team to withdraw, but it was too late. The cultivators in the team were severely injured by Candle Yin Remains, who revealed its true strength.

If not for the timely support from Lü Changgeng, who had broken free from the Water Demon King, An Rong’s team might have only seen him and the Great Grandmaster in the team escape.

Even with Lü Changgeng’s support, the final tally showed that two Great Grandmasters, five Grandmasters, and more than ten near-Grandmaster-level top experts died at the hands of Candle Yin Remains.

The failure to explore the Demon Realm had a significant impact on An Rong.

Though Lü Changgeng did not blame him, many cultivators in the Demon-breaking Army held suspicions about him, putting immense pressure on An Rong.

The third team of cultivators probing the Demon Kings was led by Peach Fairy Gu Zihan. Gu Zihan, the leader of the Benevolence Pavilion, excelled in medical and wood-based spells and was assigned to probe the Earth Demon King.

The cultivators led by Gu Zihan not only suffered no fatalities but also collected a substantial amount of intelligence on the region where the Earth Demon King resided, returning in triumph.

The entire Human Alliance was elated and held a celebration feast for Gu Zihan and the others.

The safe return of the cultivators probing the Earth Demon King was a good thing, but compared to the other two, An Rong felt deeply ashamed, leading him to drink a few more cups at the celebration feast.

It was at this point that he was plotted against. By the time the celebration feast ended and he wanted to return to Huai Valley Village to pay respects and take the opportunity to adjust his mindset, the candle worm within his body acted up, attracting Candle Yin Remains’ pursuit.

After hearing the entire story, Wu Chang furrowed his brows. At the Human Alliance’s organized celebration feast, one of the three Earth Immortals was poisoned — there were so many points of criticism that Wu Chang didn’t even know where to start.

With such a level of vigilance, one wouldn’t be surprised if one day they woke up to find Emperor Zhaoning had his throat slit in his palace.

If it weren’t for the arrival of the Celestial Beings from the World Dungeon, the Human Alliance might as well surrender instead of fighting the Demon Race.

After finishing his grievances over the Human Alliance’s poor defense, he shifted his focus back to the event itself.

At Peach Fairy’s celebration feast, nearly all the Human Alliance’s cultivators were present, and even many jianghu figures who admired the alliance mingled in for the excitement.

In such a mixed situation, it was impossible to directly pinpoint who poisoned him.

No wonder when he previously asked about the poisoner, An Rong said not to be in a hurry to find the culprit. From the current situation, there was no use being hasty.

In the tone of the Tang Sect leader, he spoke with displeasure: "No one in the Human Alliance noticed anything before and after you were poisoned?"

An Rong shook his head slightly and said:

"I didn’t even notice myself, let alone others. The perpetrator acted covertly and was well-prepared, so it’s not others’ fault."

Wu Chang pressed further: "What did you do to cause the other party to use such a method against you? Do you have anyone in mind who could be the poisoner?"

An Rong replied:

"There are three possibilities for the poisoner, the most likely being that it is a demon who infiltrated Zhenyue City."

"Many high-level demons can take human form. Since the preparation of the Ziwei Exorcism Grand Array began, there have been a few mysterious deaths in the city. Judging from how they died, it seems the victims were killed by demons. However, the Human Alliance has been investigating for a long time without any results."

"I suspect the perpetrator has at least the power of a Demon General and has disguised themselves as a high-ranking member of the Human Alliance."

Wu Chang noted down what An Rong said. If it were truly a demon, the matter would be much simpler.

Demons managed to infiltrate Zhenyue City but might not be able to escape his eyes. After entering the city, if he looked around more, he might find some clues.

An Rong’s expression was somewhat evasive, as if unwilling to mention this speculation. He said:

"The second possibility is that the poisoner might be a human cultivator."