Chapter 886: Upon the Mountain Range of the Seven Kings (II)

Caiyi smiled faintly and turned away in a graceful swirl of motion.

Moments earlier, she had invoked the power of the Great Dao of the Myriad Forms and secretly exchanged her fate with Xiao Wuyin's. And so, Xiao Wuyin took her place and became the one to bear the Celestial Master's strike.

Seeing Xiao Wuyin collapse while "Chu Liang" escaped, the Celestial Master rushed forward to dispel the curse. Xiao Wuyin slowly regained consciousness, though her body remained weak and unsteady.

"He's matured far beyond what I expected... I didn't think he would be this difficult to deal with," she murmured weakly.

"That couldn't have been the real Chu Liang," the Celestial Master replied. "It was likely the Demon King of the Verdant Foxhills in disguise."

"The Demon King of the Verdant Foxhills?" Xiao Wuyin asked. "She disguised herself as Chu Liang too?"

"Exactly," the Celestial Master answered. "It looks like the demon race also plans to kill Chu Liang. Things have gotten messy on the Mountain Range of the Seven Kings today. Retreat! Send word to Wuyan. Abort the mission and leave the mountain immediately."

He had suspected the demons might make a move, but he hadn't expected their tactics to mirror his own.

Their plans had overlapped, throwing the entire situation into chaos.

Frankly speaking, the situation was rather awkward.

"Understood," Xiao Wuyin replied. She opened a small green pouch and released a crystal-shelled beetle.

Whispering a message to it, she watched the insect take off into the sky. After years spent in prison, she and her sister had missed out on the innovative Circle of Immortal Friends Token, so they still relied on old-fashioned messenger insects.

Some time passed by, and yet there was still no reply.

Xiao Wuyin frowned. "Wuyan must be in trouble."

...

Rumbleeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

Xiao Wuyan was not just in trouble. She was in serious trouble.

She had known that stirring up trouble on the Mountain Range of the Seven Kings might provoke a response from the demon race, but she never expected it to come this quickly or this fiercely.

All she had done was slap a guard at the base of the mountain. She had not even encountered any other demons as she ascended. Then a pair of massive black wings suddenly blotted out the sky. The Black Golden Crow had arrived.

Since Moth's death, the Black Golden Crow had become the strongest of the demon kings. And he was summoned just because she slapped the guard...?

Xiao Wuyan knew that was impossible.

It had to be that damned Chu Liang stirring up trouble again. The demons were clearly out to get him, and she was the one who ended up taking the hit.

BOOM!

With wings of iron spread wide, the Black Golden Crow charged forward like a living catastrophe, shattering part of the mountain range in his path.

There was, in fact, a reason for his sudden appearance here.

Among the higher ranks of the demons in the Far West, Caiyi's push for peace had faced strong opposition. The loudest voice came from the Black Golden Crow, who led the group of demon kings calling for war.

The Snow Maiden was the only one who supported Caiyi. The other demon kings believed that with the Demon God revived, they should simply crush the humans head-on. Why bother playing mind games with them?

They didn't really understand Caiyi's plan.

The only reason they had kept quiet was because Caiyi had earned immense merit by bringing Daoist Cangsheng to rescue the Demon God. Her authority had risen so high that it even surpassed that of the Great High Priest. They could not oppose any plan set forth by the Demon King of the Verdant Foxhills.

Chu Liang had thwarted the demons' plans time and again, and the demon kings had long grown tired of him. However, Caiyi had informed them that she had her own arrangements and forbade them from interfering.

Ever since the human envoy group arrived, the demon kings who advocated for war had been seething with frustration.

This peace talk was destined to leave both sides dissatisfied. Only after blood had been spilled would either side truly be willing to make concessions.

Then, just moments ago, his subordinates reported that Chu Liang from the group of human envoys had forced his way into the Mountain Range of the Seven Kings, smashing through multiple guard posts and injuring several guards.

Among the demons guarding the range, there was a tiger demon who had been slapped not once but three times. It was more than just assault. It was complete humiliation, leaving the poor tiger demon visibly shaken.

The Black Golden Crow could no longer tolerate it. It was one thing for Caiyi to keep appeasing the humans, but now they were storming the mountain and nearly reaching the Demon God herself. He had to act!

That Chu Liang must die!

With fury burning in his chest, the Black Golden Crow spread his wings and soared toward Seven Kings, vowing to turn the human into ash. He swept his gaze across the mountain, and there he saw "Chu Liang."

BOOM!

Black flames erupted, and razor-sharp wings tore through the sky.

His colossal form surged forward in pursuit. With a single strike, Xiao Wuyan was nearly cut in two.

She wanted to scream,

I'm not Chu Liang!

But it wouldn't matter. A human intruding on the Mountain Range of the Seven Kings would die regardless. And with a demon king this furious, hearing the truth might only push him further into madness.

She had only one option left—run. But where could she run?

She had seen her share of close calls and had more than enough experience staying alive. Faced with deadly pursuit, she turned into a streak of light and darted into the stone forest along the mountain. There, she shifted her body into the shape of a natural-looking stone.

It might not fool the Black Golden Crow for long, but it could buy her a few precious moments. Maybe, just maybe, her sister or the Celestial Master would arrive in time. If she tried to run, she would be cut down in a heartbeat.

Just as she expected, even the Black Golden Crow hesitated for a brief moment under the influence of her masterful illusory technique.

𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

But the hesitation lasted only a moment. He did not need to recognize her. He could simply destroy the entire stone forest.

His black flames and razor-edged wings held the power to tear down mountains. A simple stone forest meant nothing to him.

Just as the Black Golden Crow was about to unleash his fury, a figure suddenly rushed in from the side. He looked up, spotted the enraged crow demon, and froze.

That figure was none other than the very "Chu Liang" the Black Golden Crow had been hunting.

Of course, this "Chu Liang" was actually the White King Xiao in disguise.

Several greater demons from the Fox Clan had disguised themselves as disciples of the Penglai Supreme Sect and hunted him down just now. He had only been able to escape wit his life because of his stealth technique and cunning mind.

Just as he thought he had gotten away, he ran straight into the Black Golden Crow, who was in the middle of torching a pile of rocks.

"Well, now!" the Black Golden Crow roared, voice crackling with rage.

He could hardly believe what he was seeing. Chu Liang should have already fled far from the mountain. But here he was. But he came back? Just to mock him?

How could the Black Golden Crow possibly tolerate that?

Throughout his life, he had faced many powerful foes, but never had anyone dared to humiliate him so openly. And now, that insult came from a young human cultivator.

His killing intent surged to its peak.

The White King Xiao had only just escaped death and was still scrambling to figure out how to offer a friendly smile. Before he could utter a single word, black flames burst into the air around the Black Golden Crow.

Swish!

A blazing wing sliced through the sky like a flaming guillotine. Before the White King Xiao could even process what was happening, it had already slammed into him.

BOOM!

A storm of black fire erupted, swallowing everything in an instant.

As his thoughts scattered in the chaos, one cry echoed in his mind.

Why is it always me getting hurt?

Chu Liang, you walking calamity!

...

"

Achoo!

"

Chu Liang suddenly felt a chill. Before he realized it, he had already reached the summit of the Mountain Range of the Seven Kings, now standing before the Demon God Temple.

Tuntun was inside that very temple.

Looks like everything's peaceful,

Chu Liang thought, letting out a quiet sigh of relief.

With relaxed steps, he strolled into the temple.

A grand throne rose atop the altar where a divine statue had once stood. Curled up on the throne was a pale girl in a black dress, sleeping soundly with soft, steady breaths.

Chu Liang was just about to call out when a thunderous shout rang out behind him.

"Intruder! How dare a human set foot in the Demon God Temple!"

Chu Liang turned and saw the Great High Priest descending swiftly from a distance.

This temple had once been under the Great High Priest's care, but he had vacated it to make room for the Demon God and now served at a nearby post. He spotted Chu Liang at once, and his guard rose instantly.

The Great High Priest was an old and experienced eighth-realm powerhouse. Chu Liang had no chance of fighting someone of that level. The way he charged forward, fierce and unyielding, made his intent to kill painfully clear.

In his hand, the Great High Priest held a divine staff over one zhang long, adorned with feathers from all races. It shimmered with radiant colors and pulsed with demonic power that had accumulated over countless years. Its power seemed boundless!

Chu Liang's response was swift. He flipped his hand and pulled something out, raising it with full confidence.

A chicken drumstick rested in his hand, four cun long, its golden skin crackling slightly. It had been fried to perfection in hot oil.

The Great High Priest didn't even slow down. But on the throne, Tuntun's nose twitched.

Her eyes snapped open at once!