Chapter 22: My Eldest Senior Brother of the Demon Race Shall Surely Come to My Aid!
“Yes, Yun Qing understands.”
Yun Qing nodded, without the slightest trace of displeasure on his face.
The middle-aged man was inwardly astonished.
Yun Qing, the Spirit Physician, held no lowly position among the cultivator clans of the Northern Ji Kingdom.
Yet now, in front of the First Prince, he was actually so obedient?
It seemed that in the Northern Ji Kingdom, the First Prince’s strength truly was not to be underestimated.
The middle-aged man clasped his hands and bowed to Ji Hangui. “On behalf of my master, I thank Your Highness the First Prince for your kindness today.”
After expressing his gratitude, the middle-aged man and Yun Qing left the First Prince’s residence that very day and set out in the direction of the Great Zhao Kingdom.
…
Meanwhile, on Azurewood Mountain, in another part of the Northern Ji Kingdom—
After waiting day and night, the Fourth Elder finally saw the Mountain Master emerge from seclusion.
The moment he received the news, the Fourth Elder hurried to the Mountain Master’s courtyard and requested an audience.
“This disciple pays respects to the Mountain Master.”
“Rise and sit.”
“Yes. Thank you, Mountain Master.”
The Mountain Master of Azurewood Mountain had only just emerged from seclusion, yet his face was filled with exhaustion. He looked nothing like someone whose cultivation had just advanced.
The Fourth Elder grew worried. Could something have gone wrong during the Mountain Master’s seclusion?
Still uneasy, he cautiously ventured another question. “Mountain Master, did your cultivation improve greatly during this period of seclusion?”
“Hmph—don’t mention it!”
The corner of the Azurewood Mountain Master’s mouth twisted, and fury immediately rose within him.
“I thought the disturbance in my cultivation some time ago meant I was about to advance.”
“But just when I was a hair’s breadth away from breaking through, my advancement stopped!”
“No matter how hard I tried, my cultivation remained stuck at the Transcendent Peak level.”
“In the end, I had no choice but to leave seclusion.”
Whenever the Azurewood Mountain Master thought of the matter, an inexplicable rage flared in his heart.
He raised his eyes and stared at the Fourth Elder, finally noticing that something was amiss.
“Why are you the only one who has returned?”
“The Sect Master and the other three elders haven’t returned to Azurewood Mountain yet?”
At those words, the Fourth Elder could barely remain seated.
“This… is rather difficult to explain!”
The Azurewood Mountain Master had a violent temper and hated people who hemmed and hawed without getting to the point.
With a thunderous slap, he struck the table and roared at the Fourth Elder, “Speak plainly! Out with it!”
“Don’t put on that scholar’s act people of the human race are so fond of in front of me!”
The Fourth Elder was startled. He hurriedly sprang away from his seat and dropped to his knees with a thud.
“Mountain Master, please forgive me! This disciple deserves to die!”
“Our Sect Master, the First Elder, and the Third Elder all died at the hands of that deposed emperor of the Great Zhao Kingdom.”
“What?!”
“Say that again!”
The Azurewood Mountain Master was utterly stunned.
He could not believe his ears. Was the news he had heard really true?
Only after the Fourth Elder repeatedly swore that it was did the Azurewood Mountain Master have no choice but to believe him.
The Sect Master of Azurewood Mountain, a cultivator at the Transcendent Peak level, along with two elders whose cultivation was also extremely formidable, had all died at the hands of that deposed emperor?
Seeing that the Mountain Master believed him, the Fourth Elder continued by recounting everything that had happened afterward.
“The new emperor of the Great Zhao Kingdom, Li Jiahoul, and our Second Prince already know about this.”
“I had intended to report everything to Your Excellency the moment I returned to Azurewood Mountain.”
“But you were in seclusion, Mountain Master, so this disciple had no choice but to wait until today to make his report.”
“…”
“…”
“…”
Trembling with fear, the Fourth Elder reported every detail of what had happened at the residence of the deposed emperor of the Great Tang Kingdom.
He included the reaction of Li Jiahoul, the new emperor of the Great Zhao Kingdom, and the orders he had given.
He also recounted the Second Prince’s reaction and the instructions he had received to return and report to the Mountain Master.
The Azurewood Mountain Master was deeply shocked when he heard that demonic beasts of the demon race had appeared beside the deposed emperor.
“How could a deposed emperor of the human race have become connected with the demon race?” the Mountain Master muttered, shaking his head with a frown.
“The Second Prince said that Your Excellency should contact your former senior fellow disciple from the demon race as soon as possible.”
“The four demonic beasts beside the deposed emperor are truly too powerful. Even our Sect Master, who had reached the Transcendent Peak level, was utterly helpless before them.”
“The Second Prince said that we must destroy the deposed emperor and those four demonic beasts as soon as possible.”
“Otherwise, once the deposed emperor fully spreads his wings, he will certainly threaten the Second Prince and the new emperor of the Great Zhao Kingdom.”
“But now our Sect Master is dead, and so are the First and Third Elders.”
“Only this disciple and the Second Elder survived.”
“The Second Elder was injured by the barrier established by the demonic beasts. He remains gravely wounded and unconscious, clinging to life each day only through medicinal pills.”
“But the Second Prince has issued an absolute command!”
“Mountain Master, what do you think… about contacting the demon race?”
The Fourth Elder was extremely tense, curling his toes until they nearly cramped from fear that the Mountain Master might refuse. If he failed to complete the Second Prince’s assignment, the consequences would be terrible.
If the Second Prince lost his temper, the Mountain Master would suffer little.
But a minor elder like him would certainly pay dearly.
Fortunately, after some consideration, the Azurewood Mountain Master decided to contact the demon race.
When he had studied magic under the same master all those years ago, he and the eldest senior disciple of the demon race had eventually quarreled over some unpleasant matter.
Even so, the bond they had shared as fellow disciples over the years remained.
Now that he was in trouble and seeking help from his eldest senior brother, surely his senior brother from the demon race would not refuse.
“I understand.”
“I will send someone to contact my eldest senior brother from our former sect.”
“In the meantime, I will do my utmost to raise my cultivation and strive to break through my current Transcendent Peak level before going to the Great Tang Kingdom.”
“You must do the same…”
The Azurewood Mountain Master’s gaze suddenly fell upon the Fourth Elder, who was still kneeling on the ground.
“Now that the Sect Master, First Elder, and Third Elder of Azurewood Mountain are dead—”
“Only you and the Second Elder remain.”
“But whether the Second Elder will recover is still uncertain.”
“The future position of Sect Master, or at the very least that of First Elder, will ultimately have to be chosen between you and the Second Elder.”
“Among the four elders, your cultivation is the weakest.”
At this, fury began to blaze in the Azurewood Mountain Master’s eyes as he looked at the Fourth Elder.
“Before word returns from the demon race, improve your cultivation properly.”
“Do not slack off or try to shirk your duties! Do you understand?”
“Yes… yes… this disciple would never dare slack off or shirk his duties!”
“Enough. You may leave.”
The Fourth Elder’s knees had gone numb from kneeling. When he rose, he nearly collapsed again.
Then he caught the Mountain Master’s fierce gaze sweeping toward him—
Somehow finding a burst of strength, the Fourth Elder turned and fled at once.
He was terrified that if he moved any slower, disaster would befall him.
…
Five days later—
Yun Qing arrived at the gates of the imperial capital of the Great Zhao Kingdom with the middle-aged man.
He raised his head and carefully examined the city gate before him, built by a purely human kingdom.
After a moment, he shook his head and sighed.
“Alas…”
“What is it, Young Master Yun Qing?”
The middle-aged man looked at Yun Qing in confusion.
“Is there something wrong with this city gate?”