Chapter 654: Twin Ponytails, Demon Maid!

Back in the Thunder Department, Yun Xiao emerged from the Nine Thunders Origin Palace and made his way towards the wooden cabin where Cao Shuo resided.

As expected, he was followed. Likely, they suspected that Cao Shuo was not truly dead, and sought to drag him out into the open.

The Thunder Department was critically short on manpower, and the skills of the pursuer were lacking. With an effortless flick of his sword, Yun Xiao sent his blade sailing a thousand meters, severing the follower's head without a sound before moving on.

Before long, Yun Xiao returned to the secluded wooden cabin nestled in the mountain's lush ravine.

Cao Shuo, who was monitoring the surroundings with her spirit, knew instantly of his return.

Before he even reached the cabin, the wooden door creaked open, revealing two figures—one tall, one short, like a mother and daughter poised in the doorway.

There stood Thunder Emissary Cao, her curls falling to her chest, a violet dress clinging to her like a serpent, with tiny snakes coiled around her ears, lending her an allure laced with venom.

Her charm as the seductress of the Thunder Department was familiar to Yun Xiao, who found no surprise in it.

What did surprise him was Pale Revenant.

His gaze drifted downward to see Pale Revenant, no longer in tattered clothes but dressed in a black and white dress, her legs sheathed in white stockings, her hair tied in twin ponytails. She looked up at Yun Xiao with bashful eyes.

“Twin ponytails, white stockings, a maid's attire?” Yun Xiao paused, bewildered.

“It was Auntie Cao’s doing…” Pale Revenant murmured, somewhat embarrassed.

Thunder Emissary Cao flashed a knowing smile and said, “Don’t play coy; I know what men like.”

"..." Yun Xiao found himself at a loss for words.

It was clear that Thunder Emissary Cao held some affection for Pale Revenant, a sign of her cleverness and broad-mindedness, marking her as someone worth befriending.

She seemed quite pleased with her handiwork, squatting down to adjust a large bow on Pale Revenant’s back and pinching her cheek. “Truly a top-grade little demon pet.”

She too had her own little demon pets, those serpent earrings on her ears.

In the Celestial Court, it was fashionable among the nobility to keep such demon pets, valued not for strength but for the rarity of their lineage.

This was precisely why Yun Xiao had chosen to keep Pale Revenant close at hand, even parading her through the streets openly.

Every notable figure had a demon pet; as the Immortal Champion, why shouldn’t he keep a corpse demon as a pet?

With a pat on Pale Revenant’s hips, Thunder Emissary Cao teased, “Go on, little darling, attend to your master.”

“Mhm.” With her head bowed and fingers nervously intertwined, Pale Revenant moved to Yun Xiao’s side.

Indeed, Yun Xiao had come to take her away.

Thunder Emissary Cao Shuo played with a curl of her long, violet hair by her ear and blinked her eyes at Yun Xiao, asking, "How long do you expect me to hide?"

"Perhaps you could do me a favor," Yun Xiao suggested.

"That sort of talk feels rather formal." Cao Shuo pouted.

"Go to my homeland, keep an eye on it for me," Yun Xiao said.

"Where's that?" she inquired.

"The very world that birthed the Immortal Asylum, one of the mortal realms in the sky," Yun Xiao explained.

"Oh..." Her curiosity about his origins was piqued, and everything seemed to fall into place.

She crossed her arms and smiled, "Alright, but you have to promise me one thing."

"Go ahead."

"Don't leave me hanging there. I haven't had my fill of comfort yet. You'll need to come by every few days," Cao Shuo hummed.

"You truly are unrestrained." Yun Xiao couldn't help but admire her candidness; she didn't hide her longing for his youthful vigor in the slightest.

"Can't help it, I'm getting older; might as well enjoy the pleasures timely," she replied.

"Whatever you need, just let me know," Yun Xiao said.

Cao Shuo chuckled softly, assuring him, "When your big sis handles things, you can rest easy."

"Big sis? Weren't you my

aunt

before?" Yun Xiao joked.

"Visit me a few more times, and you can call me grandma if you'd like," she teased with a flirtatious blink.

Yun Xiao was left speechless. Was she really living her life to the fullest in such a way? As a man, he could not truly understand.

And so, Cao Shuo quietly departed the Thunder Department, heading in the direction Yun Xiao had shown her. Meanwhile, Yun Xiao himself paraded through the streets with Pale Revenant by his side.

He needed the public to see him with a demon pet. So, Pale Revenant's activities wouldn't draw unwanted attention.

The Thunder Department had suffered greatly, and Immortals were scarce on the streets.

Seeing Yun Xiao, the hopeful future of the Thunder Department, brought a bit of sunshine to their grim hearts.

Along the way, many Immortals of the Thunder Department greeted him. Most of them were Rank 7 or lower, the true grassroots of the department, who had no part in the perks of higher ranks but had not shied from hard work, much like Lu An.

Without powerful family connections or extraordinary combat skills, advancing to Rank 6 was difficult!

Of course, there were also many Immortals who were merely relatives of Heavenly Officers, without any official position themselves.

Previously, when Yun Xiao had called down the Thunder Immortal Formation, he had done his best to spare these individuals; his main targets had been the 100 high officials of the Thunder Department and their progeny.

"Good day, Champion!"

"Thunder Emissary Lu!"

As Yun Xiao walked the streets of the Thunder Department, the Immortals greeted him warmly.

After all, the people who had spoken ill of Yun Xiao at the celebration feast had been silenced by Yun Xiao himself.

In any world, the vast majority were those simple souls without fault or accolade.

They were the very people Yun Xiao sought to win over, the future of the Celestial Court.

"Hello, everyone!" Yun Xiao led the way, with Pale Revenant dutifully following behind, as they walked through the bustling streets and narrow alleys of the Thunder Department.

"Thunder Emissary Lu, who is this young one?" someone dared to ask as Yun Xiao's warmth emboldened the crowd.

"This is my demon pet," Yun Xiao replied.

"A demon pet? She's a demon?"

"Her demon aura is so faint, I thought she was human!"

"Nonsense," another chimed in, "Thunder Emissary Lu is the top genius of the Celestial Court, how could his demon pet be anything ordinary?"

And so, Pale Revenant's identity within the Celestial Court was settled without need for further introductions from Yun Xiao; word of her spread on its own.

"The Champion sure has a taste, even dressing his demon pet in a maid's outfit."

"She's adorable!"

"Nonsense, a demon pet is a demon servant, suited to be a little maid—that's how she should dress."

"Those twin ponytails are so spirited!"

It proved true that in any world, at any level, the hearts of people were never free from gossip. They were already speculating whether Yun Xiao and his demon pet might be involved in some peculiar escapades.

Amidst these murmurs, Yun Xiao continued through various markets, approaching the Cao Immortal Manor.

The estate was located within the core territory of the Thunder Department. Most lower ranked Immortals lacked the clearance to enter, making the area much quieter.

"I sense another demon's aura," Pale Revenant whispered nervously, tugging at Yun Xiao's sleeve.

Being a unique demon, she was even more sensitive to the presence of other demons than Yun Xiao.

"Oh?" A demon boldly making its presence known in the Thunder Department, and hostile towards him?

No sooner had they spoken than their surroundings seemed to cleave away, isolating them into a separate world.

Thick black mists began to swirl around, forming a dark veil that enveloped them both.

Then, a sinister laugh echoed ominously from all directions.

Yun Xiao spoke calmly, "No need to set the mood, just show yourself."

Any demon daring to strike outside the Cao Immortal Manor within the Thunder Department was certainly no ordinary foe.

"Hehe."

From the depths of the mist ahead, a tall, thin man appeared.

Yun Xiao focused his eyes and saw that the man had a sharp chin, wore a long robe that dragged on the ground, and his skin was deathly pale.

Most horrifying of all, he had three heads.

The additional two heads were smaller, sprouting from his shoulders, all three shaking as they coldly regarded Yun Xiao.

"What's your story?" Yun Xiao raised an eyebrow.

"From the Celestial Demon Abyss, I am the Tri Dark Lord," the man in the black robe sneered.

"Never heard of you," Yun Xiao replied.

"No matter, you'll remember once you're in the underworld," the man in the black robe said.

"Confident, aren't you?" Yun Xiao's lips tightened, his gaze growing colder, "You snuck into the Thunder Department to kill me, there must be a reason."

"The reason isn’t complicated. To thwart the rise of a human genius is a duty of demons," the man in the black robe taunted.

"Oh." Yun Xiao scoffed, "So, Lu Fan sent you to test how many times my coffin can still be used?"

The man in the black robe, who had been sneering until then, suddenly dropped his smile at Yun Xiao's words, and a murderous intent filled his six eyes!

?ι══????????══ι?

Inside the Cao Immortal Manor…

"There’s a demon aura!" the Moon Sword Goddess, who had been meditating, suddenly opened her eyes, her sword ready.

Gu Suwan was not far from her side. Hearing this, the two quickly moved outside.

At the door, they saw a distant black mist swirling, a sinister force reaching towards the heavens.

"The Tri Dark Lord from the Celestial Demon Abyss, a Golden Immortal in the Establishment stage!" The Moon Sword Goddess's face was as cold as frost. "This is too arrogant. Do they think the Thunder Department is undefended?"

"Looks like Lu Yao is in there?" Gu Suwan said.

"It seems so." The Moon Sword Goddess was ready to rush over.

But Gu Suwan suddenly held her back.

"What's the matter? Lu Yao can handle a Mid Golden Immortal just fine. But facing the Tri Dark Lord, he might be in mortal danger," the Moon Sword Goddess said sharply.

"He has more tricks up his sleeve, why not watch a bit longer?" Gu Suwan suggested.

The Moon Sword Goddess frowned. "What’s there to see? Our mission is to protect him."

"Are you sure?" Gu Suwan's gaze was deep as she watched her.

"Gu Suwan, are you keeping something from me?" the Moon Sword Goddess asked.

"It’s nothing that serious. Our Thunder Department and your Immortal Sword Court are brotherly organizations," Gu Suwan said.

"Brotherly my foot!" the Moon Sword Goddess, usually as cold as frost, suddenly burst out with vulgarity. She spoke earnestly, "You know well he's no match for the Tri Dark Lord, yet you stop me from intervening. This tells me the Thunder Department not only lacks support for him but sees him as a considerable threat."

"So, does the Immortal Sword Court want to take him in now?" Gu Suwan asked with a smile.

The Moon Sword Goddess fell silent.

Gu Suwan then gazed back at the black mist, saying deeply, "Don't worry. The boy might suffer a bit, but he won't die."

"It’s none of my concern," the Moon Sword Goddess declared, her elegant brows furrowed.

She had already discerned that the Thunder Department was hiding something, harboring hostility towards the Immortal Sword Court, perhaps hoping to achieve some great feat on their own.

But what could this hidden matter be?

The Moon Sword Goddess felt it might involve the Thunder Immortal Formation!

Of course, she couldn't be certain.

"Is there a need for the Emperor to push Lu Yao back to Sovereign Lu?" The Moon Sword Goddess couldn't understand.

"No, wait!" Her eyes suddenly widened as she looked towards the black mist, a slight shock passing through her, "This Tri Dark Lord might well be a demon directed by Sovereign Lu!"

Her thoughts cleared in an instant!

"Watching the tigers fight from the mountain?"

These words perfectly suited their current scenario.

"I just fear this young tiger is too weak, no match for the old tiger even for half a move."

The outcome would be clear from this battle!

The Moon Sword Goddess was no longer anxious.

She wanted to see how Yun Xiao would handle such an overpowering senior-level opponent.

How many times could his coffin save him?

Just as she thought this, the fight in the black mist had already begun!

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