Chapter 655 - 311: Invitation from the Golden Lion Race

The sea breeze blew past, causing the torch planted in the ground to flicker.

Sparks flashed and disappeared, as You Su lightly lifted his sword, a trail of fresh blood dripping from the tip to the ground.

He turned around and looked at the shadows between the trees behind him, speaking in a deep voice:

"Are you all still going to continue watching the show?"

A moment of silence followed, with only silent auras confronting each other.

Though You Su was only at the Condensed Water Lower Realm, he did not fall behind at all, standing tall and holding his sword with ease and composure.

He clearly saw three people in the shadows, two men and one woman.

He, too, was among three people, but the other two were corpses on the ground, a testament to his formidable strength that should not be underestimated.

Finally, the three people slowly walked out of the shadows, the firelight illuminating their figures.

The man in the center was burly with a resolute face, and his pupils shone like sparks in the night; the other man was slightly lesser in stature, with rather plain features, but both had long strands of orange-golden hair, unbound and flowing wildly; the woman was tall with a graceful figure, standing on her toes with elegance.

All three were dressed in luxurious robes and appeared honorable, yet You Su frowned, for they were not human, but—demons.

Before coming to Celestial Awakening Island, the Third Elder had specifically warned him to be cautious of demon cultivators from the East Japan Continent on the island.

Zhengyang, having decided to ascend, would not confine himself to the human-demon or good-evil struggles, hence he taught without discrimination, passing on knowledge regardless of whether one was human or demon. However, his non-intervention stance in the human-demon dispute also reassured the originally trembling Demon Race.

The current situation was tense. On Celestial Awakening Island, not only would factions form due to sect, family, and other ties, but also due to race. The warriors of the Human Race and Demon Race would inevitably be at odds, and while humans held the four continent slots, demons only had one, meaning there were fewer demon cultivators. But this also meant they would be more united and ruthless against human cultivators.

Since the moment they accepted the invitation, life and death on this island became unpredictable.

Although the ultimate goal for each was to compete for the Celestial Awakening Spiritual Light, some demon cultivators were willing to eliminate some of the human warriors ahead of time, and vice versa.

"No need to be nervous, young brother. I mean no harm."

The resolute-faced man opened his hands with a smile, gesturing to You Su.

You Su frowned as he looked at this demon cultivator, sensing that this demon’s strength was the greatest among the three, with an overwhelming aura, unmatched even by Huang Xi. This demon was definitely at the Realm of Perfect Water Condensation!

"Ao Yunlie of the Golden Lion Race?"

"Has the young brother heard of my name?" Ao Yunlie raised his thick eyebrows, seemingly delighted.

"There are only a few demon cultivators recognized by the Celestial Pride List, so it’s hard not to know."

You Su hadn’t expected that within a day of arriving on the island, he would encounter one of the strongest competitors.

The Golden Lion Race was among the greatest demons atop Star Shining Divine Mountain in East Japan Continent, comparable to top-tier sects like Spirit Treasure Sect among the humans. And Ao Yunlie was the unprecedented first lion demon below the Feather Transformation Realm in the history of the Golden Lion Race. It was said that he could have broken through to Feather Transformation long ago but intentionally remained at Water Condensation Perfection to perfect his secret technique.

Upon hearing this, Ao Yunlie burst into hearty laughter, his cheerful voice echoing through the forest and startling countless birds, like a lion roaring at night.

"Hey, young brother, young brother, is my name on the list?" The rather plain-looking demon cultivator asked eagerly, unwilling to be left out, "I’m Ao Yu, Yu with a gold radical."

You Su raised an eyebrow, "No."

Ao Yu was visibly disappointed by the answer, while Ao Yunlie laughed even more heartily, patting his younger cousin’s shoulder solidly several times and said:

"Little Yu, don’t be discouraged. The list is a thing created by the humans for their amusement. They only included a few of our demon kin because they didn’t want to fully break ties with us, otherwise, they wouldn’t have written any of our names. If you want to be on it, there may be a chance."

Ao Yu enthused, "Are humans really that petty? Big brother, how do I get on it?"

You Su clicked his tongue in secret, finding Ao Yunlie surprisingly insightful despite his seemingly rough and bold exterior.

Ao Yunlie restrained his smile, "By diligently pursuing the path day and night, your name will naturally appear on it."

Ao Yu looked expectantly then bitterly, not expecting his elder cousin to lecture him even at a time like this, "Big brother, you might as well say I need to return alive. If many human warriors die, I’ll naturally get on the list."

Ao Yunlie shook his head, "If you don’t strive for the path yourself but rely on others to die ahead of you, how is that different from a fool? If everyone in the world dies, does that mean the path will reach you?"

Ao Yu’s expression grew more bitter, having long been numb to his big brother’s earnest teachings, "Alright, big brother, stop talking. My ears are getting calloused. You should handle the matter with this young brother first..."

Only then did Ao Yunlie realize, and he turned back to You Su, apologizing, "Sorry for showing you a joke, young brother."

"No worries. You gathered by the fire for what purpose?" You Su’s tone was leisurely, yet his grip on his sword never relaxed, "If there’s nothing, please leave. I need to bury my friends."

"Nothing serious, just wanted to have a simple chat with you, young brother."

Ao Yunlie took a step forward and actually sat down by the torch, maintaining his open-handed, palms-up gesture, as if to prove to You Su that he had no hostility.

He was evidently the leader among the three demon cultivators, and the remaining man and woman followed his example, sitting down and opening their hands.

You Su stood gripping his sword, facing the three demons directly, somewhat taken aback, as this differed from the barbaric and backward Demon Race he had imagined.