Chapter 245 - 241: Prince

Dawn had not yet broken.

The bright moon had vanished behind dark clouds, plunging the world into a darkness so thick you couldn't see your hand in front of your face. A sinister wind blew, carrying strange sounds from all directions.

Chen Qingyang flew through the air using Wind Control. From his vantage point above the city, he could see one or two plumes of flame shooting into the sky in the distance. Fires had broken out.

At least half the city's population had descended into madness. Corpses lay strewn about, and of the few who were still alive, they either hid inside their homes, refusing to come out, or were burning candles to read through the night.

He remembered that before nightfall, the city had been a picture of bustling prosperity.

This just went to show that the harm caused by the Immortal Dao was more devastating than any flood or beast.

Upon closer inspection, the air felt heavier, and there were many more inexplicable Qi Mechanisms. He didn't know where they originated, only that they now permeated the city.

From Chen Qingyang's perspective, if Venerable Meng was the one who had acted, using these books for Array Building, then where was the Array Profound, and how had the array been laid?

Despite such a huge disturbance, Senior Brother Li had implied that the few Masters and the remaining disciples would not intervene. They were just waiting for the Demon Sect to reveal itself.

Perhaps in their eyes, the common people of this paltry city were already beyond saving.

Chen Qingyang sent his Conscious Fish outside the city again. 'Surely I can find one or two Demon Sect Disciples out there,' he thought.

But after searching a fifty-li radius around the city, he still found no sign of activity. He suddenly had a thought. 'If I were a Demon Sect Disciple, where would I be hiding right now?'

'...In the city.'

'All they have to do is conceal their aura and disguise themselves as commoners, and they won't be easily detected. Then, they just have to wait for the array to be completed before attacking in unison under the Master's command.'

With that, Chen Qingyang turned back from outside the city and returned.

After all that trouble, the sky was finally beginning to lighten.

The world around him turned a hazy gray as the outlines of things began to appear, gradually taking on solid forms. By the time the sun climbed high into the sky, the warmth began to return.

Looking out now, the city was still desolate.

Using his Conscious Fish, Chen Qingyang noticed that among all the chaotic courtyards, one was particularly quiet, its doors and windows shut tight.

He stopped to observe. The courtyard was swept clean; it didn't look like it had been uninhabited for long.

He immediately sent his Conscious Fish to investigate. Inside, he saw four people sitting. Judging by their attire, they weren't local commoners. A closer inspection of their Qi Mechanisms confirmed it: they were Demon Sect Disciples.

One at the Essence Condensation Fifth Realm was leading three at the Essence Condensation Third Realm. At that moment, they had withdrawn their auras and were meditating with all their might. 'More Immortal Seedlings,' Chen Qingyang thought. 'But how to defeat them? That's the problem!'

Who knew if the Foundation Establishment Masters were watching from the shadows? He couldn't afford to cause a major disturbance. If he became the spark that ignited a conflict between the two sides, things would get very ugly.

After observing for a moment, he saw that the group remained motionless. Unwilling to wait any longer, Chen Qingyang decided to test the waters.

The Conscious Fish's Cultivation was equivalent to the Essence Condensation Third Realm, which was certainly not enough to take on the Fifth Realm practitioner. But if the target was also at the Third Realm, a single sneak attack could take ninety percent of his life.

The four were all sitting inside the house, completely oblivious to the outside world. Chen Qingyang targeted one of the Third Realm men and attacked without hesitation.

"Not good!" The first to react was the Fifth Realm elder. By the time he opened his eyes, he saw a brilliant burst of flame. It was too late to intervene. His junior brother let out a muffled grunt and spat blood, on the verge of death.

"Those are Daoist Sect methods!"

He immediately formed his hand into a claw, gathering a chilling Profound Qi, and lunged for the Conscious Fish. Yu'Er reacted with incredible speed, fleeing in Chen Qingyang's direction. But the elder was not slow either; he quickly left his two junior brothers behind.

Even in Daoist Sect Territory, he showed no restraint, crossing four or five streets in an instant. Just as he was about to snatch the Conscious Fish, a flash of sword light appeared from a corner in his peripheral vision.

It burst forth like a flash of Danxia, parting the air, and exploded like a rainbow of colors, its power concentrated. The elder had no defense; he was instantly stabbed through the chest, and Sword Qi began to ravage his insides.

The elder was skilled, however. He instantly unleashed his Xuanji Gang Qi to resist. But then his mind was struck by the Conscious Fish, and his defenses momentarily faltered.

Chen Qingyang twisted his Sword Qi within him, and the man died on the spot.

After killing him, Chen Qingyang grabbed the corpse, instantly changed his position, found one of the fires, and threw the body in to be burned to ash.

One dead, one injured. He had gained over seven thousand Immortal Seedlings. 'Not bad, not bad at all!'

It was all over in the blink of an eye. The remaining two were no cause for concern. He executed the Ten Thousand Miles in One Breath Technique and, with a single stride, was back in the courtyard.

"It's you!" he shouted.

The Demon Sect Disciple who had been lying on the ground had been reduced to a desiccated corpse. The other two were standing, their bodies contorted, hissing gutturally from their mouths as if in extreme agony.

A thick, black, viscous fluid was flowing from their seven orifices, draining all of their Essence Qi.

Whose work could this be, if not that of the Demon Sect's Zhang Jiu!

Chen Qingyang watched as two more corpses fell to the ground. The black substance coalesced, transforming into the figure of a young man dressed in white.

Today, he appeared even more refined and courteous. He wore a square scarf on his head, like a young scholar, exuding an air of frail, handsome intellectualism.

He bowed deeply to Chen Qingyang with great respect. "Greetings, Senior Brother. Zhang Jiu pays his respects!"

Chen Qingyang clenched his fists, extremely wary of him. He could sense that the other's Cultivation was not the least bit inferior to his own.

To have reached this level in just a few short years... he was another one who had taken a shortcut. The first was Lin Qingxuan.

'So fast!'

"Are you a lingering Yin Soul, always haunting me?"

The last time they met, Zhang Jiu had used the Earth Escape Skill to escape from Chen Qingyang. This time, he showed no fear at all, strolling around the courtyard as he spoke. "Wrong. I'm not the one haunting you; you're the one haunting me. I had my eye on these people and was just waiting for the right moment, but then you showed up..."

He trailed off, then shook his head as if talking to himself. "No, no, no, that's not right either. I've always enjoyed fishing in troubled waters. This way, after my Cultivation increases, the blame can only be thrown on your Daoist Sect. If I did this in the Demon Sect, heheh... I would've been killed long ago. So you're not a lingering ghost to me. You're my greatest ally!"

Chen Qingyang moved his hands behind his back, positioning himself to deliver a fatal blow. He had let him escape last time; it wouldn't happen again.

But Zhang Jiu was extremely perceptive and noticed the movement instantly. "Senior Brother's Sword Dao is so strong, but I'm not the same person I was back then. Your sword can't kill me. There's no need to waste your energy. Why don't we have a nice chat instead? It has been... a few years since we've seen each other, hasn't it?"

Having been seen through, Chen Qingyang saw no reason to hide it any longer and let his hands fall to his sides. "The Nine Abyss Demon Devouring Skill. You cultivate such a Dharma Gate to raise your Cultivation, so your internal True Qi must be hopelessly impure. I refuse to believe you don't have a weakness."

"Haha!" Zhang Jiu's laughter was hearty, a stark contrast to his cultivation technique. His demeanor was not even as cold as Chen Qingyang's, yet his actions were utterly venomous.

"I do have a weakness, but I've always been very good at hiding it. In all the world, you're the only one who's ever seen through me, Senior Brother. Tell me, isn't this fate?"

Chen Qingyang returned a cold smile. "It just means I'm your nemesis. No matter how much you struggle, you're destined to die by my hand. If not today, then someday. Can't you feel it?"

"You..." Zhang Jiu's composure finally broke. He pointed a finger, fuming. "Hmph! You foul-mouthed Senior Brother... What I meant to say was, how about we cooperate? We can eliminate all the Demon Sect Disciples here. We'll each take what we need. How does that sound?"

One gets the Immortal Seedlings, the other gets the True Essence. It sounded wonderful, but it didn't hold up to scrutiny. Cooperating with a Demon Fiend like Zhang Jiu was like waiting for a tiger to grow its fangs—sooner or later, you'd be devoured.

"As the saying goes, a gentleman does not stand beneath a crumbling wall. How could I associate with you? You keep talking about the Demon Sect this, the Demon Sect that, yet you've slaughtered plenty of your own sect-mates. You are truly ruthless to the extreme!"

Chen Qingyang did the same, of course, but he always had his reasons.

Zhang Jiu acted as if he had been wrongly accused, waving his hands dismissively. "Oh, my dear Senior Brother, you truly misunderstand me! I was forced to join the Demon Sect. They used their tricks to kill my parents, and now they want to kill another one of my relatives. How could I not strike back ruthlessly? Besides..."

His tone turned gloomy, and he rolled his eyes at Chen Qingyang. "...Besides, I've said it before. You and I are the same kind of person, Senior Brother—just as ruthless. The only difference is that you're hiding behind a veneer of morality!"

The man was not only skilled at hiding himself but also at attacking a person's psyche. But Chen Qingyang paid no mind to his words. He only thought that this person could become a great enemy in the future and decided he wanted to understand him better.

"When I first arrived in the Yong Kingdom, I heard a story. Forty years ago, a Profound Robe Daoist took a lost, wandering Prince as his disciple. Not long after, the Emperor and Empress of the Yong Kingdom both died violently. It was said that this Prince had joined the Demon Sect and returned for revenge."

"I could never figure out your origins, but today, hearing you mention your parents, I suddenly remembered that your surname is Zhang. The Royal Family here is also named Zhang. Could that person be you?"

"Haha..." Zhang Jiu burst into wild laughter. When he stopped, he reverted to his persona of a frail young man. "I'm starting to believe you really are my nemesis. To have guessed my identity from just a few scraps of information."

"Think about it carefully, Senior Brother. Was what I did wrong? They left me to wander, to suffer endless humiliation. The Demon Sect took me in, where the women treated me as a Furnace Cauldron and the men as a medicine pot. The suffering I endured... Do you know why I'm called Zhang Jiu? Because the Nine Abyss Demon Devouring Technique gave me a new life..."

He was like a man who had been repressed for a long time, suddenly exploding.

But Zhang Jiu had chosen the wrong audience for his outburst. Chen Qingyang shook his head. "I'm not in the mood to hear about your past. I've only confirmed one thing. If the other relative you mentioned is the Princess soon to be born to the Imperial Consort, then everything the Yu Xiao Demon Sect is doing today is likely centered on the Imperial Palace."

Zhang Jiu pointed at him again. "You... you... You're infuriating! It's rare for me to speak the truth to anyone, and this is how you treat me... Hmph! Even if that's the case, what can you do? Even the Daoist Sect's Foundation Establishment Masters can't handle this. I advise you to save yourself the trouble, Senior Brother."

"It's inevitable that the Demon Sect will one day stand above the Daoist Sect, and I will stand above the Demon Sect. If you cooperate with me now, I might still spare you. Otherwise, I will torture you for lifetime after lifetime, making you beg for a death you'll never receive..."

This was the first time Chen Qingyang had ever been hated so intensely.

"You're truly insane. You, standing above the Demon Sect... Heh, you won't get the chance!"

Having learned what he needed to, Chen Qingyang didn't want to ask any more questions. The Five Elements Sword appeared in his palm, and with Danxia swirling around him, he instantly lunged at Zhang Jiu.

Perhaps wanting to test Chen Qingyang's edge, Zhang Jiu didn't dodge or evade, choosing to meet the attack head-on with his own technique.

Unfortunately for him, he was still defeated!

"You... you deserve to die..." Defeated by Chen Qingyang for the second time in a row, he spat a few curses and vanished from the spot.

As if he knew Zhang Jiu would flee, Chen Qingyang didn't give chase. He too left the courtyard, heading elsewhere to avoid drawing unwanted attention from the earlier commotion.