Chapter 892: The End of Cangsheng (I)

Daoist Cangsheng left the world peacefully.

...

The negotiations in the Demon God Temple proceeded smoothly. The demons did not have much room to negotiate. Whatever Chu Liang said, Tuntun obeyed. If the Divine Demon God agreed, the others could not say anything.

In their hearts, the demons only felt that their original plan to kill the Heaven-Devouring Bug and find a replacement had never been more justified.

In all honesty, the three islands of Penglai were more than enough for the current population of demons in the Far West to inhabit. They could relocate there without any problem.

To the disciples of the Penglai Supreme Sect, their beloved land had been ruined. However, this "destroyed" land would still be a paradise to the demons who had grown up eating sand in the Far West.

Relocating there would limit the size and influence of the demon race. Once they moved, it would be hard for them to grow beyond that.

But with no other option, the demons could only agree. During the negotiation, the Yu Dynasty offered some resources to support the rebuilding of the demons. That, in essence, was just a gesture of goodwill from the human side.

And if it truly secured long-lasting peace, then it wasn’t a bad deal.

Of course, the key to this peace was the ninth-realm Tuntun.

The one demand the demons fiercely rejected was Chu Liang’s insistence on taking Tuntun away, instead of leaving her among them.

"Alas!" the Great High Priest wailed, pounding his head against the ground. "Our Divine Demon God returns, only to be taken away again? How is that any different from the fall of our entire race? This is absolutely unacceptable!"

"Wherever the Divine Demon God is, there lies the demon race," Caiyi said firmly. "If you insist on taking her back to Mount Shu, then you may as well take all the demons of the Far West with you too."

But Chu Liang also spoke with calm reason and firm confidence. He said, "Although Tuntun has regained her ninth-realm power and some degree of divine intelligence, she is still a child at heart. She needs proper guidance. We humans have the teachings of the Three Schools of Thought. I will invite the most virtuous scholars to Mount Shu to help nurture her into a kind and benevolent demon god."

"In your dreams!" Black Golden Crow snapped. "You humans are all bad! What if you teach her the wrong thing?"

He seemed unusually wary of Chu Liang.

As the two sides continued to argue, Chu Liang waved his hand and said, "Alright then, let’s stop arguing. Let the Divine Demon God decide for herself who she wants to go with."

With those words, everyone was reminded that the one with the most authority here was the Demon God herself, not the underlings.

However, the Demon God was still clutching Chu Liang’s sleeve, looking at him with pleading eyes...

Smack.

A loud smack echoed as all the demon kings facepalmed, expressions of utter despair spreading across their faces.

They finally understood just how important early companionship was for a child.

"Fine!" Caiyi suddenly said with a nod. "If the Divine Demon God truly wishes it, then we will do what you say. But if you want to take her away, it will have to be tomorrow. Tonight, we will hold a pilgrimage ceremony on the Mountain Range of the Seven Kings. All demons will gather and kneel before the Divine Demon God so that she may be aware of the devotion we demons have for her."

She added, "And wherever you take her, I will accompany her at all times. I will not allow you to fill her head with thoughts that could harm us demons."

"Reasonable," Chu Liang replied, raising no objections to her conditions.

Considering Tuntun’s character, Chu Liang believed that as long as she received proper guidance, she could grow into a benevolent god. With Caiyi and the humans watching over each other, neither side would be able to interfere with her upbringing. In his view, that could only be a good thing.

With the discussion settled, Chu Liang and the others immediately descended the mountain and returned to their envoy quarters to await the next day. Meanwhile, the demons began preparing for the pilgrimage ceremony on the Mountain Range of the Seven Kings.

Since Tuntun went to the Far West, the demons had not yet gathered to behold her divine presence. This final gathering before her departure would finally fulfill that long-held wish.

As Chu Liang made his way down to mid-mountain, he suddenly felt a tremor in his sleeve. It came from the most unexpected source.

He opened his Circle of Immortal Friends and found a message from someone unexpected.

Within the entire Penglai Supreme Sect, only Yang Yuhu possessed a token. He did not have permission to send messages directly, but fortunately, Chu Liang did. Because of this, a private message was able to come through. It was brief but urgent.

[Yang Yuhu]: "Chu Liang, this is Yang Shenlong. The sect leader intends to kill you. Hide immediately."

...

The moment Chu Liang received the message, he chose to believe it. This was just a message telling Chu Liang to hide. A simple warning like this couldn’t have led him to a trap.

He immediately turned around and headed back up the mountain. No matter how bold Daoist Cangsheng was, he would not dare make a move on the Mountain Range of the Seven Kings with Tuntun present. Even if he was a cultivator at the eighth-and-a-half realm, he would die if he tried to attack while Tuntun was there.

Chu Liang would have to hide in the temple for now. Once he returned to Mount Shu, Cangsheng wouldn’t be able to touch him anyway.

As for tracking down Daoist Cangsheng, that remained a difficult task. With the East Sea Chrono Wheel shielding him, his whereabouts were naturally hidden from the heavens. It would be hard to make him show himself. Chu Liang would have to lure him out by risking his own life, and that was far too great a risk to take.

All of that could wait. For now, Chu Liang needed to secure his own safety.

When he returned to the temple, the demon kings were still gathered around Tuntun. She held a bowl of fried meatballs and listened absentmindedly to their words.

Chu Liang was not worried about them brainwashing her.

If they had been able to sway her, they would have done it long ago. One more night would not make any difference.

As soon as Tuntun saw Chu Liang approach, she grinned.

Caiyi’s eyes narrowed slightly. "Why are you back again?"

"I was worried you might change your mind," Chu Liang said with a smile. "So I am hoping to stay by Tuntun’s side tonight. Don’t worry. I will watch from afar. I won’t interfere with your worship."

Although the demon kings were displeased, they could not come up with a reason to refuse Chu Liang’s request.

Black Golden Crow simply waved his wing and muttered, "Don’t waste your breath arguing with him. I’ve tried, and it did not do anything."

Only Caiyi’s gaze flickered with uncertainty. Whatever she was thinking remained hidden.

But before Chu Liang could step onto the divine platform, Tuntun suddenly furrowed her brows. Her small face tightened as she stared off into the distance.

Crackling thunder tore across the sky as the shimmering light of the East Sea Chrono Wheel swept over the heavens.

Chu Liang’s heart tightened as a thought flashed through his mind.

Has Daoist Cangsheng already lost his nerve out of exasperation? I haven’t even returned to the envoy quarters, yet he had already made a reckless move? Is he trying to put himself in a state of danger? Are Qu Hu, Li Chengfeng, and Lin Bei safe?

By the time he extended his divine sense, it was already too late to witness what had happened. Fortunately, the envoy group had come to no harm. It was Xiao Wuyan who had taken the full force of the attack.

Seeing that everyone was unharmed, Chu Liang let out a breath of relief. He then raised his hand and pointed at Daoist Cangsheng. "That bad guy has been trying to kill me. Tuntun, can you take his wheel away?"

He chose to say take the wheel rather than kill him because he did not want Tuntun to be tainted by bloodshed. If she became used to killing, what would happen when her true power fully awakened?

"Mm..." Tuntun stared into the distance before saying timidly, "I’ll try."

Just a little try would be more than enough

, Chu Liang thought with a soft chuckle.

This little one still had no idea how powerful she truly was.

...

Daoist Cangsheng was still laughing madly in midair when he suddenly sensed that something was wrong.

Why do none of the people in the human envoy below look grief-stricken? Chu Liang is dead. Shouldn’t they be sad?

Just as suspicion began to creep into his mind, a streak of golden light shot over from the Mountain Range of the Seven Kings with a sharp whoosh.

In an attempt to dodge, Daoist Cangsheng only managed to activate the East Sea Chrono Wheel and slow the flow of time in front of him. However, the golden light remained completely unaffected. It tore through the slowed space and crashed into the Chrono Wheel with a thunderous roar.

Boom!

With that single strike, the Chrono Wheel shuddered violently. Daoist Cangsheng’s qi and blood surged to his chest.

A thought flashed through his mind.

The Demon God!

Other than the Demon God, there was no one in all of heaven and earth who could possess such strength through sheer physical might alone.

𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

Sure enough, as the golden light faded, it revealed Tuntun’s timid young face. Although she looked a little nervous, her grip on the East Sea Chrono Wheel was firm and steady.

Floating in midair, Tuntun gritted her teeth and tried to yank the Chrono Wheel straight out of the sky.

"

Huff...

"

Chu Liang had only asked for the Chrono Wheel, so Tuntun really tried to take the wheel and nothing else.

However, Daoist Cangsheng had come prepared to die. His own life meant nothing, but the Chrono Wheel did. It had become the Penglai Supreme Sect’s greatest source of reliance. How could he allow anyone to take it away?

And in that moment, he made the bravest decision of his life.