Chapter 676: Close the Door

Outside the door stood two divine envoys from the land demons.

The leader, a seventh-realm greater demon, stood tall and imposing, his eyes sharp and piercing like those of a leopard. He was among the more powerful beings in the temple of the demons. This time, escorting the Azure Wave Lamp was a task of the highest priority.

Since the two demon kings were preoccupied with launching an attack on the Buddhist Cloud Monastery, he had been assigned to handle this task.

The other one was the divine envoy who had arrived earlier. This divine envoy's cultivation level seemed to be in the sixth realm.

When he saw Chu Liang and Xu Ziyang, he frowned.

“Why didn’t I see you two earlier?” he asked in a low voice.

"Honorable divine envoy, you have no idea what happened," Chu Liang replied smoothly as he welcomed the two envoys inside. "When those two were guarding the pavilion, some outsider snuck in and stole a valuable item. The Sea Master was furious! In his anger, he cooked both of them..."

“A valuable item was stolen?” the seventh-realm greater demon asked. “It’s not the Sea-Devouring Demonic Urn, is it?”

"Uhhhhhh..." Chu Liang hesitated, watching their expressions change. He then laughed and replied, "Of course not. Our Sea Master naturally keeps that treasure with him at all times. How could anyone steal it?"

"That's good," the seventh-realm greater demon nodded before continuing, "We have brought the Azure Wave Lamp and can proceed with the trade with the Sea Master."

“Azure Wave Lamp...” Chu Liang muttered to himself before saying, “The two of you, please follow me upstairs.”

“Wait a moment,” the greater demon suddenly interjected.

“Hm?” Chu Liang turned to look at him.

The greater demon frowned and asked, “If you are sea demons, why don't you exude any demonic qi?”

As he spoke, his demon qi surged forth, and the flow of qi instantly reached its peak.

He had been extremely careful during his journey here. But after he arrived at the Sea Master's pavilion, he relaxed slightly. After all, what foolhardy thief would be able to rob the Sea Master’s home within the Ruins of Return?

Upon noticing this oddity, he activated his cultivation power. It was clear that he would unleash a strike of lightning without hesitation if Chu Liang didn’t offer a reasonable explanation.

"Erm..." Chu Liang chuckled. "Oops. You still saw through my cover in the end. I was just disguising myself as a sea demon. Actually, I have another identity."

𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

Both divine envoys became instantly alert. “Hm?”

They watched as Chu Liang took out a bronze mask and skillfully placed it on his face. In an instant, he transformed into a divine envoy who looked exactly like them.

What does this mean?

The Divine Envoys wondered.

So he's one of us now? An urgent switch of teams?

The two divine envoys were baffled as they watched a new team member appear out of nowhere. If their faces weren’t hidden, their expressions would have clearly said, “Are you kidding me?”

However, their bond with the temple allowed them to sense that the mask was real.

This person was not a fake divine envoy.

“What is going on here?” the greater demon asked urgently.

"It's a long story," Chu Liang replied calmly. "Why don't you start by telling me where the Azure Wave Lamp is?"

"It's right here..." the sixth-realm divine envoy answered, instinctively reaching for it.

However, the greater demon snapped at him. "Did I tell you to take it out?"

Realizing his mistake, the sixth-realm divine envoy quickly withdrew his hand.

Chu Liang nodded with a smile. “I can’t explain it clearly. Someone else will have to explain. Senior Uncle Wang...”

At first, the plan was simply to lure the two divine envoys inside and eliminate them to avoid any future complications. However, upon noticing they seemed to be carrying something valuable, Chu Liang decided to exchange a few more words. Now that he had confirmed the item was in their possession, there was no need for further discussion.

Close the door! Release Old Wang!

[1]

Boom!

At Chu Liang’s call, a torrent of sword qi surged from the upper floor, entwined with swirling crimson flames. The sudden pressure made the two demonic creatures' hairs stand on end instantly!

Not only did the two demonic creatures feel it, but even Princess Liange, standing beside Wang Xuanling, nearly collapsed as she weakened under the immense pressure.

This was the overwhelming power of the Demon-Slaying Sword, which naturally suppressed demonic creatures.

The reason it was ranked twenty-ninth in the Catalog of the Mortal World’s Ten Thousand Treasures, despite being ranked forty when used against humans, was because of its unmatched effectiveness against demons. If used specifically against demons, it would rank in the top twenty, which was why its final ranking was adjusted to twenty-ninth.

Now, as the sword was used against the two divine envoys, it unleashed its greatest divine might, like the descent of heavenly punishment!

“

Raaaar!

”

In face of such a powerful attack, the two demons obviously wouldn't just sit idly and wait for death to hit them.

The seventh-realm greater demon coiled its body, its black robe tearing apart to reveal a torso covered in brilliant yellow patterns. Each black marking shifted into a wisp of black qi, spinning rapidly before solidifying into a shadowy black leopard. The leopard charged straight for Wang Xuanling.

Meanwhile, its true form leaped to another location in an instant, moving at near-teleportation speed.

The sixth-realm divine envoy was not the target of Wang Xuanling's attack.

He had already leaped to the doorway and made a strange cry, "Meow~"

It seemed he was a nimble cat demon.

Chu Liang and Xu Ziyang didn't bother to give the seventh-realm greater demon a glance as that demon was not their concern. They had their attention on the sixth-realm cat demon.

Swordlight flashed as Xu Ziyang gripped the sword in his hands. His gaze was sharp, almost terrifying, and the intensity of his sword qi made even Chu Liang flinch in surprise.

Shiiing.

Hundreds of threads of sword qi lashed out in chaotic patterns, but ultimately, they converged on one point—the cat demon.

The cat demon reacted with a swift sidestep, narrowly evading the barrage of strikes. Yet, as the echoes of the attack faded and it tried to reach the door, it realized it was too late.

The figure who had worn a divine envoy's mask earlier stood at the doorway. Nevertheless, he didn't have a very powerful aura; he was at most at the fifth realm.

With a cruel smile, the cat demon thought to itself,

You’re asking for death. Don’t blame me for what happens next.

Shing, shing, shing, shing—

As the cat demon’s claw descended, Chu Liang swiftly raised his right hand, forming a dragon claw to intercept the blow. In that instant, a golden dragon coiled around the cat demon, crackling with purple lightning.

And within the blink of an eye, the cat demon was transformed into yet another golden imprint in Chu Liang’s collection of rewards.

The divine envoy was strong, but the number of cultivators at the sixth realm who could resist the combined attack of Xu Ziyang and Chu Liang would probably be fewer than the hairs on Pushan's head.

On the other side, Wang Xuanling's confidence had soared ever since he got his hands on the Demon-Slaying Sword. He had always been ruthless when dealing with demons and evildoers, and with a legendary sword in hand, his strikes became even fiercer.

Beams of sword light crisscrossed, and in the span of a breath, countless strikes drove the leopard demon into a corner.

Realizing it was outmatched, the leopard demon tried to crash through the wall and escape, but a flash of black light sent it tumbling back. The wall, engraved with enchanted formations and reinforced by the Sea Master’s restrictions, wasn’t so easily broken.

Shiiing.

A brief moment of distraction cost the leopard demon dearly, as Wang Xuanling’s sword cleaved through it at the waist.

Blood splattered everywhere on the ground.

"

Raaaar!

"

The leopard demon, now left with only its upper body, threw itself toward the doorway, leaving a trail of blood behind.

It glared at the two standing in its way, stirring up a howling wind of demonic qi that felt incredibly ferocious!

The two young men remained fearless, starlight flashing in their eyes as their foundational qi surged with a powerful intensity.

Boom!

Chu Liang led the way, partially assuming a dragon form and extending a pair of dragon wings. He moved forward with both palms, blocking the charge for a brief moment. Behind him, Xu Ziyang struck with his sword, sending a cascade of sword light down.

Boom!

The desperate strike of the seventh-realm greater demon was forcibly halted by the two of them for a split second.

In the next instant, Chu Liang and Xu Ziyang were hurled through the air, crashing into the wall on the opposite side. Thankfully, the building was strong enough to withstand it; otherwise, a fight of this scale would have leveled it in an instant.

Although they only managed to block it for a brief moment, it was enough.

Wang Xuanling, who was behind them, had already sent his swordlight descending toward the leopard demon. The gravely wounded leopard demon could no longer fight back, and it was cleaved in half once more.

The scalding blood of the leopard demon splattered onto the ground, releasing a sharp hiss as it sizzled.

Princess Liange watched in horror as she thought,

These people are ruthless... They are so cruel to the demonic monsters...

“We’ve made too much noise. We need to leave quickly," Chu Liang said as he swiftly sprang into action.

He carefully packed the corpses of the two demonic creatures into an enchanted storage tool, making sure not to leave behind any shattered fragments. While the remains could be reused, his primary focus was on any enchanted tools they might have possessed. With little time to search, he simply took everything.

Chu Liang glanced around, took a deep breath, and exhaled a fierce burst of blazing dragon breath.

Puff!

For a brief moment, the dragon breath hung in the air, dissolving the lingering qi that had remained.

Chu Liang explained, “This way, the sword qi will be masked and diluted by the dragon breath. Even if they sense the sword qi, they shouldn’t be able to know that it was the Demon-Slaying Sword.”

He then created several clones, giving each of them a cloth and having them carefully wipe away their footprints and palm prints.

Chu Liang added, “This way, they won’t be able to determine our numbers or race. Princess Liange, you don’t have to worry.”

It took only around fifteen minutes for Chu Liang to tidy up the entire three-story building. Once that was done, he pushed open the door, and the group hurriedly left the scene of the crime.

Princess Liange followed behind the group, feeling dazed and stunned. Fear gripped her heart.

She had initially thought they were cultivators of the righteous factions, but after seeing how efficiently they disposed of the corpse and cleaned the crime scene, she couldn't help but question everything.

She couldn't help but wonder,

Is it really safe for me to leave with them?

Feeling afraid, she instinctively grabbed Xu Ziyang’s sleeve. Of all the people in the group, he was the only one who radiated righteousness and looked the most like a good person.

In truth, Chu Liang hadn’t always been adept at disposing of corpses and cleaning up the crime scene.

However, when he and Di Nufeng killed Xuan Yinzi, she had taken it upon herself to teach him the fine art of cleaning up after such deeds.

It was rare for her to teach any actual skills, so Chu Liang humbly made sure to learn everything she had to teach.

As for Wang Xuanling and Xu Ziyang, they weren't surprised at all.

After all, a disciple would inevitably take after their teacher.

1. This is referencing a meme in which people would say "Close the door and release the dogs!" Refer to

Link

. ☜