Chapter 90: The Southwestern Mountain

In the far southwest of the central realm lies a vast and remote mountain range, barren of human habitation. Wherever one looks, ancient trees rise to the heavens, making it a true primeval forest.

It is said that in the last century, a group of explorers from the Eastern Isles came to this mountain range to investigate, only to vanish without a trace. The incident alarmed the local authorities, and the Eastern Isles even dispatched an elite rescue team, but they too searched in vain and likewise never returned.

For that reason, the mountain became a forbidden zone. To this day, no one dares approach it, fearing they will be devoured by the monsters hidden within the forest.

Yet at that moment, a streak of light suddenly appeared above the sea of trees. Swift as lightning, it shot deep into the forest.

Deep within the woods stood a mountain peak towering into the clouds. This mountain was called Southwest Mountain. It was said that a thousand years ago, there had once been a Taoist temple upon it, known as the Purple Cloud Temple. But one night, every Taoist in the temple was slaughtered by demons.

Their deaths were gruesome beyond measure, and at the time this had put all the major sects of the central realm on alert. Experts were even dispatched to exterminate the demons, but all efforts came to nothing.

The streak of light flew to the mountainside and then came to a stop. The radiance dispersed, revealing two figures.

It was Jiang Xiaofei and Lan Lianshuang.

Looking at the scene before him, Jiang Xiaofei could not help but marvel at the power of nature. What a magnificent primeval forest this truly was.

Lan Lianshuang felt the same. She said, "Beautiful though it is, it also makes an excellent hiding place for demons."

Jiang Xiaofei nodded and looked toward the horizon, murmuring, "They should be arriving soon, shouldn't they?"

"You mean Lin Ying and the others?" Lan Lianshuang had barely finished speaking when a hearty laugh suddenly came from the eastern sky.

"Sorry to keep Brother Xiaofei waiting."

As the voice rang out, Jiang Xiaofei and Lan Lianshuang immediately looked over.

There they saw Lin Ying and Ouyang Xiaofeng flying through the wind, with two young men following behind them.

Jiang Xiaofei stepped forward with a smile. "Not late. We only just arrived ourselves."

Then, glancing at the two unfamiliar men, he asked with a slight frown, "And these two are?"

Lin Ying laughed. "Allow me to introduce them. This is Zhuge Liyun, chairman of the Eastern Alliance, and this is Fang Tianxiang, chairman of the Southern Soaring Alliance."

"Don't underestimate them just because they are young. Both of them are at the Heaven-Transcending Realm."

Jiang Xiaofei was shocked. "Heaven-Transcending Realm?" He looked again at Zhuge Liyun and Fang Tianxiang, his gaze filling with respect.

To reach the Heaven-Transcending Realm at such an age showed they had real ability; they were by no means ordinary. If he could befriend such people, that would be ideal. With experts like these at their side, dealing with the Demon Emperor would naturally become much easier.

Seeing Jiang Xiaofei's gaze, the two smiled and said, "We have long heard Brother Xiaofei's name. Seeing you today, we find that your reputation truly does you no injustice. You are a dragon among men."

Jiang Xiaofei accepted the praise humbly. "You flatter me. In a moment, I will have to trouble the two of you to lend your strength in dealing with the Demon Emperor."

The two laughed. "That goes without saying. Exterminating demons is our duty. If Brother Xiaofei needs anything, just say the word. We will go through fire and water without hesitation."

"You are too kind," Jiang Xiaofei said with a smile.

At that moment, Lan Lianshuang spoke up. "Enough with the mutual flattery. The urgent matter is to enter the demon realm and destroy the Demon Emperor."

Lin Ying said, "Miss Lan is right. Time is pressing. Let us set out at once."

...

At this moment inside the demon realm, atop a mountain of piled white skulls, stood a scarlet tent.

Inside the tent sat a black-robed figure on a black lotus throne. His entire body was shrouded in darkness, making his true face impossible to discern.

At that moment, he looked down at an incomparably beautiful woman dressed in crimson and said, "Qu Hongyan, I can already sense that human experts have broken in. Take a few demon kings and hold them off for a while. Under no circumstances can you let them ruin the Demon Emperor's great undertaking."

Qu Hongyan said unhappily, "Why is it me again? Why don't you go yourself?"

The Dark Mountain Demon said, "This lord naturally remains to guard the final barrier. Who told you that you are the Second Protector?"

"You darn Dark Mountain Demon, how dare you look down on me? For the sake of the Demon Emperor, I will not argue with you for now. When I return, I will settle accounts with you." With that, Qu Hongyan snorted in anger and transformed into a streak of red light, vanishing from where she stood.

At the place where the demons had gathered, three thousand meters away, Jiang Xiaofei and the others were cutting through their enemies in all directions. In short order, the monsters that had rushed in from every side were slaughtered without leaving a single one alive.

After destroying the last demon general, Jiang Xiaofei let out a breath and said, "At least none of them were terribly powerful. Otherwise, this would have been troublesome."

Lin Ying laughed. "With so many experts here, the powerhouses at the demon-king level must have hidden themselves far away. How could they dare meet us in battle?"

"But I am curious. We have killed so many demon soldiers and commanders, yet they are still able to sit tight."

At that, Ouyang Xiaofeng frowned. "Something is odd. This does not seem like the Demon Emperor's style. Could they be plotting something, hoping to wipe us all out at once?"

Lin Ying said, "That shouldn't be the case. I know the Demon Emperor's manner of doing things best. If he knew we had killed so many demon soldiers and commanders, he would surely explode in fury and come to kill us all. Since he has not appeared, it must be that something very important is keeping him occupied."

"What could it be?" Everyone was puzzled.

At that moment, hearing Lin Ying's words, Jiang Xiaofei suddenly thought of something. Alarmed, he cried, "Quick, we have to push deeper at once, or it will be too late!"

"What is it?" Lin Ying asked, frowning slightly.

Jiang Xiaofei said urgently, "Don't ask. Just get inside now!"

"Very well." Everyone nodded and was about to charge in.

But just then, a laugh rang out.

"And where do you think you're going? Wherever it is, you can stop right here. This is the end of your lives, hahaha!"

The voice was brazen beyond measure, causing Jiang Xiaofei and the others to turn and look with furrowed brows.

There, five figures had appeared, all of them at the demon-king level. In particular, the woman in red at their head had a cultivation base too profound to discern, which made Jiang Xiaofei's brow furrow slightly.

At this moment, Lin Ying laughed and said, "With merely four demon kings and one demon immortal, you dare dream of killing us? How naive."

"Who are you?" Qu Hongyan asked with a frown. "No matter who you are, this is the demon realm. If you leave at once, we can forget this ever happened. Otherwise, you die."

"Hahaha." Lin Ying laughed. "I am Lin Ying, the Grand Chairman of the Magister Association. With just the lot of you, you are no match for me. Go and summon your Demon Emperor. I do not wish to bully the weak, for that would be terribly dull. But if you insist on obstructing us, I do not mind killing this delicate beauty of yours."

"Absurd! You dare to insult me with such filthy thoughts, you bastard, you're courting death!" Qu Hongyan flew into a rage, though despite her words, her body involuntarily retreated a step.

The same was true of the four demon kings, who also stepped back, their eyes filled with wariness.

Lin Ying, Grand Chairman of the Magister Association, was a powerhouse at the Dao Extremity Realm. How could they possibly match him? They likely could not even withstand a single move.

"Grand Chairman, why waste words with them? Just kill them directly. If you do not wish to bully the weak, then let me do it," Fang Tianxiang said.

As soon as he finished speaking, his eyes turned sharp. With a swing of his palm, a blue palm seal immediately shot toward Qu Hongyan.