Chapter 179: Freedom Roams: Luo Shan!
Zhu Fei felt a growing sense of unease.
The young man in brocade was likely from one of the four great barbarian families, and Li Ximing and Ghost Howl were both formidable figures in the demonic sects.
And now, they were all focused on the mysterious young man beside her.
She wanted to leave, to distance herself from him and avoid any trouble.
But she was also curious… who was he?
The dishes and wine arrived.
Silence fell over the room.
Zhu Fei, looking at the young man beside her, eating and drinking heartily, worried… he seemed oblivious to the danger, to the fact that both groups were here for him.
He didn’t even remember his own name.
Neither side made a move, each wary of the other, not wanting to create an opening for their rival.
The setting sun cast long shadows across the windowsill, and lanterns were being lit in the street outside.
Soft footsteps echoed from the stairs.
Zhu Fei looked towards the staircase… Barbarian soldiers guarded the entrance below, although the young man in brocade, likely from one of the four great families, had ordered them not to obstruct anyone.
But seeing the soldiers, ordinary people wouldn’t dare enter.
Everyone in the room, except for the oblivious young man, looked towards the stairs.
A young woman, in her early twenties, ascended gracefully, her green, wide-sleeved robe and gold-embroidered skirt flowing around her slender figure, her hair styled in an elaborate bun, a delicate fan in her hand.
Her features were delicate, her eyes gentle, her movements graceful and refined.
She waved her fan, a playful smile on her face, “My, what a lively gathering.”
Everyone had been silent, the only sound the young man’s boisterous eating and drinking, making her comment seem strangely out of place.
The young man in brocade was Chi Mu Juncheng.
Having noticed Zhu Fei’s beauty when he first arrived, he was now even more captivated by this elegant woman with the fan.
He said softly, “Miss, this place has become… complicated. It’s best you leave.” A flicker of protectiveness, unusual for him, appeared in his eyes.
The woman in green smiled, “Thank you for your concern, sir, but I’m here looking for someone.” She walked towards the young man who was eating and drinking, sat down gracefully beside him, and looked at him intently.
The young man, taking a large gulp of wine, looked at her, puzzled, “Me?”
The woman in green covered her face with her sleeve, her voice soft and mournful, “Have you forgotten me already?”
The young man scratched his head, embarrassed, “I’m sorry. I don’t know what happened, but I’ve been feeling… strange lately. My body is hot, my power has increased, my swordsmanship has become… divine. I feel invincible, but I can’t remember who I am.”
Chi Mu Juncheng frowned, a flicker of annoyance in his eyes.
The woman in green sighed sadly, “You don’t remember me, you don’t even remember yourself… but do you remember the child I bore for you?”
The young man’s eyes widened, “Are you the Holy Jade Immortal?”
The woman in green shook her head, “Of course not.”
“Then are you the Enchanting Fire Witch, the Demon Empress?”
The woman in green, her fan fluttering, said in surprise, “Certainly not.”
The young man chuckled, “You’re teasing me. You’re not the Holy Jade Immortal or the Enchanting Fire Witch. How could you have borne my child?” He couldn’t remember anything else, but he vaguely recalled having two wives: the Holy Jade Immortal and the Enchanting Fire Witch.
Zhu Fei thought, This guy is definitely not right in the head.
Ghost Howl, from the other table, chuckled, his voice sarcastic, “Such arrogance.”
The woman in green stood up and gracefully walked towards Chi Mu Juncheng and Qiyan Bao.
Chi Mu Juncheng gripped his spear, his gaze fixed on her… Although she was beautiful, her aura was now powerful and imposing, a clear indication that she was no ordinary woman.
Li Ximing and Ghost Howl also watched her intently.
A loud crash echoed as Qiyan Bao suddenly attacked… He shifted his weight, his left arm swinging, channeling his energy into his right fist, which, large and powerful, slammed towards the woman.
His punch seemed to distort the air around him, his imposing figure, like a mountain, bearing down on her.
The woman in green, however, simply raised her fan and, with a flick of her wrist, deflected his attack. Another crash echoed.
Qiyan Bao crashed through the wall and flew out of the restaurant.
Li Ximing and Ghost Howl’s expressions changed. Chi Mu Juncheng, his spear gripped tightly, his face pale, stood frozen.
Having fought Qiyan Bao in the Demonic Qilin’s Lair, both Li Ximing and Ghost Howl knew his strength.
Qiyan Bao, having attacked with his full power, confident in his superior strength as an external martial arts expert, had intended to overwhelm her with brute force.
But she had effortlessly deflected his attack with her own internal energy.
Such a vast difference in power between opponents of the same rank was impossible. And her slender figure and graceful movements didn’t suggest external martial arts training. Someone like Qiyan Bao, an expert in external techniques, shouldn’t be at a disadvantage in terms of strength.
This meant she was at least fourth-rank.
Zhu Fei’s heart stirred… she had a suspicion about this woman’s identity.
The woman in green, her fan fluttering gently, looked at Chi Mu Juncheng and said softly, “Although I don’t know your purpose here, you won’t achieve it. Why humiliate yourself further?”
Chi Mu Juncheng’s face flushed red, then white. He snorted, turned, and stomped down the stairs, his spear in hand, shouting as he reached the street, “Let’s go!”
He led his men away.
The woman in green, after he left, looked around, waving her fan, and smiled, “Now that he’s gone, we’re all demonic cultivators here. We can… discuss things more openly, can’t we?”
Zhu Fei’s expression remained unchanged, but she was inwardly alarmed… She’s seen through my disguise.
Li Ximing sneered, “Congratulations, Pavilion Lord Sha, on your breakthrough.”
If it had been Xuan Feng Huanzhi or Yue Yaotai, they would have recognized them immediately.
But the Mirror Flower Water Moon Pavilion, although one of the three Evil Lotus factions, was secretive and rarely involved in the demonic sects’ affairs.
Neither Li Ximing nor Ghost Howl had met Sha Lingshan before, but they had heard of her, a young but talented demonic cultivator, her strength rivaling that of Xuan Feng Huanzhi and Yue Yaotai.
Now, seeing that she had reached the fourth rank, they were stunned.
The Evil Lotus Sect, two or three hundred years ago, had been the most powerful demonic sect, its status in the demonic path comparable to the Taisu Immortal Pavilion in the Daoist sects.
But after the sect’s division, even their most talented disciples couldn’t advance beyond the peak of the fifth rank.
Sha Lingshan’s breakthrough to the fourth rank… what did it mean?
They couldn’t help but wonder.
Sha Lingshan smiled, her fan fluttering, “You flatter me. I’m just a humble Branch Leader of the Evil Lotus Sect, rarely involved in the affairs of the jianghu. It’s an honor to meet two such renowned figures of the demonic sects.”
She was indeed much younger than them.
But it was the words “Evil Lotus Sect” that truly shocked them.
Sha Lingshan, who should be a Pavilion Lord, was now just a Branch Leader?
Did this mean the three Evil Lotus factions had reunited?
With the Ghost Extreme Sect weakened, the resurgence of the Evil Lotus Sect was a worrying development.
Even Zhu Fei thought she should report this to her sect immediately.
And there was another question, even more intriguing:
If Sha Lingshan was just a Branch Leader, who was their Sect Leader?
Xuan Feng Huanzhi, Yue Yaotai, and Sha Lingshan were of similar strength. None could have forced the others to submit. And none of the three factions were powerful enough to absorb the others.
Who had united them, bringing the Evil Lotus Sect back to the martial world?
And what impact would this reunited sect have on this era of chaos?
As they pondered these questions, Sha Lingshan smiled, her voice melodious, “The Ghost Extreme Sect has just suffered a major loss, your former leader’s body still warm, and you’re already fighting amongst yourselves for power. It would be a shame if something… unfortunate were to happen to you two here.”
Ghost Howl’s voice was sharp, “You’ve been hiding in the shadows, girl, unknown to us. Now that you’ve reached the fourth rank, you think you’re invincible? If we fight seriously, the outcome is uncertain.”
Sha Lingshan, her movements graceful, her fan fluttering, chuckled, “Is that so? I would be delighted to experience your skills firsthand.”
Li Ximing and Ghost Howl took a step back, wary… Two fifth-rank experts against a single fourth-rank wasn’t an impossible fight.
But the difference in their cultivation levels meant they needed a significant advantage in skill and technique to win. And if the Evil Lotus Sect had truly reunited, it meant the complete Night Charm Demonic scriptures had been restored.
Facing the complete scriptures, their confidence wavered.
And as Sha Lingshan had said, with the internal strife within the Ghost Extreme Sect, they couldn’t afford to be injured.
Li Ximing glanced at the young man who had been eating earlier, wondering about his connection to the Evil Lotus Sect.
Then, he said, surprised, “Where’s that kid?”
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