Chapter 470: Two Cultivators Join Forces, Intending to Eliminate the Demons

"Hahaha! I knew that I couldn't hide this from Fellow Daoist Jiuyun, but isn't it that this old ghost Geng Luo here is feeling quite unconvinced?"

"Oh my, Old Monster Xuanxu, you are actually shifting the blame onto me! I have never looked down on Fellow Daoist Jiuyun; it was you who wanted to make a bet with me just now!"

The two people who appeared in response were, one, the founding ancestor of the Geng Luo Sect to the north of Jiuyun City—the very sect pointed to by the clues earlier—the early-stage Nascent Soul Ancestor Geng Luo. He was dressed in white, and although his brows revealed a touch of aging, they carried a sense of sharp gold. With eyes like a hawk and a wolf, he looked as if he were unconvinced by anyone and wanted to spar with them.

The other was the behind-the-scenes controller of Xuanxu City, another large city located in the east of the Xuwei Continent. He was Old Monster Xuanxu, who usually did not walk the world and preferred to live in seclusion to cultivate. His cultivation was the highest among the three great cultivators of Xuwei, and he had faintly touched the edge of the mid-stage Nascent Soul.

His appearance looked somewhat slovenly, with gray, plain robes, disheveled hair, and a hairpin still stained with oil. A black gourd hung from his waist; from the memories of Master Jiuyun, one knew it contained top-quality fine wine. If Sheng Zhaoshui were here acting as Master Jiuyun, he would definitely be able to chat with him for a long while, perhaps even becoming a "wine-drinking fellow daoist."

However, the Master Jiuyun here now was Du En, and he naturally went straight to the point: "Why must you two be so evasive? Since you chose to sneak into my Jiuyun City and even went to the trouble of using profound techniques to enter this great hall, you must have some purpose, so you might as well speak plainly."

The two great cultivators could not help but exchange a glance, both showing a hint of surprise.

Although the previous Master Jiuyun had a domineering style, he was actually quite restrained when facing these two senior figures. He would not have such a swift and direct manner; even if he were dissatisfied, he would at least exchange a few polite pleasantries first.

Thinking back to how easily he had discovered their infiltration just now... Heh, it seems his cultivation has improved, and his confidence has grown! The two did not think too much, because Du En was acting quite convincingly, and they had come in a hurried and stealthy manner, having no time to scout inside or outside the city, so they did not know about the changes in Jiuyun City during this period.

"Haha! Fellow Daoist Jiuyun, no need to be nervous; we will naturally inform you of our intentions!"

"That's right, that's right, it's a good thing, a very good thing!"

"Oh? Then I shall wash my ears and listen respectfully."

The two great cultivators visiting so suddenly and stealthily clearly had their own urgent goals, so they naturally did not drag things out and quickly told Du En their intentions.

Simply put, on this Xuwei Continent beneath their feet, outside the regions where the three great Nascent Soul cultivators resided, there were three key external trade thoroughfares, all occupied and entrenched by three fifth-tier great demons.

The lifespan of demon beasts is naturally higher than that of human cultivators, so this pattern had actually persisted for many years; at the very least, it was already the situation when the oldest, Old Monster Xuanxu, cultivated his primordial spirit.

It was precisely because these three great demons were blocking the way that the cultivation world of the Xuwei Continent had never been able to open up external trade routes or strengthen various connections with the cultivation worlds of other regions. At the same time, the three great cultivators had to guard their respective areas year-round to prevent the three great demons from entering the human world to wreak havoc.

This was also the reason why, although the three great cultivators each had their own misdeeds, they were still widely renowned and revered the further away one was from them.

And the reason why Geng Luo and Xuanxu had suddenly come together this time was precisely because of those great demons.

"That eight-legged old demon is simply bullying people too much! Recently, it has frequently and wantonly harassed the territory of my sect, and just a few days ago, it boldly stepped over the boundary line, slaughtering and preying upon countless innocent people in the mortal realm. And it is still not satisfied, claiming that if I do not give it a sufficient amount of living cultivator flesh, it will not go back!"

Ancestor Geng Luo spoke with a very gloomy expression, his eyes cold and terrifying, filled with thick murderous intent.

Oh? Although Du En felt disgusted just hearing about that eight-legged old demon, the incident happened on the side of the Geng Luo Sect, which made him think of the clues he had obtained earlier, feeling that it might be related to the so-called treasure appearing over there.

He remained calm on the surface, only adding that it truly deserved to be killed.

Ancestor Geng Luo's expression softened, and he continued: "Those three beasts have become accustomed to being lawless. Perhaps they have lived too long and their lifespans are coming to an end, so they are starting to try to break through their realms, or perhaps they are trying to extend their lives—who can say? In any case, since the three of us are on the stage in this era, why not end it once and for all and join forces to completely eradicate these three tumors of Xuwei!"

When it came down to it, it was still because he could not kill the opponent on his own, and even defeating them was difficult.

This was because although the three great demons were also at the early fifth tier, equivalent to early-stage Nascent Soul cultivation, due to their long lives, their accumulations were not bad. According to what Du En knew from Master Jiuyun's memories, they could barely be considered to have the level of ordinary geniuses.

Therefore, among the three great cultivators, only the most deep-rooted Old Monster Xuanxu could barely hold his own in a one-on-one confrontation, while the other two usually just guarded their own territories, relying on various arrangements to successfully contain the opponent.

As a result, at most, they could maintain a state of "you don't come to hit me, and I don't go to disturb you." The actual initiative lay with the three great demons.

If it were not for the fact that outside of Xuwei, human cultivators were still more prosperous, forcing them to have some considerations, perhaps there would not be this current three-on-three stalemate.

When all is said and done, although the cultivation world in various places is fragmented and transportation and communication are inconvenient, that is only for ordinary cultivators. As long as the great cultivators are slightly prepared, they can cross and avoid many dangerous lands and evil soils to travel the whole world.

So as long as the situation changes and the three great cultivators of Xuwei are willing to give up benefits to invite great cultivators from other places to enter, it can be easily achieved.

Of course, this might be even more uncomfortable than killing them, so the situation has remained like a stagnant pool.

Until today.

"I understand Fellow Daoist Geng Luo's intention. These three villains are indeed a great danger. If we join forces, catch them off guard, and use our numbers, perhaps we can really solve this thousand-year-old chronic illness in one go..."

Du En appeared to be on board, making the two great cultivators look at each other with joy.

Old Monster Xuanxu immediately clapped his hands in response: "Fellow Daoist Jiuyun is truly deep in righteousness!"

"However..."

Du En changed the subject at an opportune moment, making people's hearts skip a beat. Especially Ancestor Geng Luo, who secretly frowned slightly.

His Geng Luo Sect was relatively close to Jiuyun City, and they had frequent communication in daily life. In addition, Master Jiuyun was not like Old Monster Xuanxu, who lived in seclusion year-round, so if there were any rumors or movements, it was very possible he would hear them.

Du En glanced at his reaction and immediately understood and confirmed that this Ancestor Geng Luo really had a problem. It was likely because of that so-called treasure that he had a conflict with the great demon, which triggered the situation over there. And because he couldn't handle the opponent himself, he came up with this scheme of secretly joining forces to launch a surprise attack.

It was just that he didn't know what was going on with Old Monster Xuanxu and how he had been persuaded. After all, if it were really that easy to unite, the status quo would not have been maintained until now.

Also, whether there was some controlling hand behind these two was actually the most important thing for Du En! What was clearly obvious now was the matter of the treasure involving the Geng Luo Sect, while what was hidden behind it was the possibility of a black hand in the Supreme's layout...

Thinking this, Du En continued to speak: "Although this matter is a merit for the present and a benefit for the future, we three know our own affairs. In the past, it was clearly difficult to join forces, so why are you two suddenly standing together in solidarity and advancing and retreating as one this time? If this point is not explained, I cannot be at ease. Please forgive my short-sightedness for being unable to join you in eliminating the demons."

He put on a posture of "I am profit-driven, I don't get up early without profit, and I won't be at ease without knowing the root cause."

Ancestor Geng Luo's heart suddenly relaxed.

Because this was a normal reaction. If the positions were reversed, he would also suspect that there was something fishy, and even if there were really no problems, he would still try to find a way to get greater benefits for himself! So he responded: "I was being pushed too hard and feared the great demon would go further, so I had no choice but to form an alliance. As for Old Monster Xuanxu..."

Hearing this, Old Monster Xuanxu laughed and nodded repeatedly: "Fellow Daoist Jiuyun's deep consideration is naturally a matter of course. To tell the truth, when Old Ghost Geng Luo suddenly came to me to join forces this time, this old fellow was also somewhat stunned. After all, in the past..."

"Heh, let's not talk about those old matters. The key is that now, this old fellow feels that there is a glimmer of a breakthrough, but once I start, those beasts will definitely intervene to stop me. And if I go outside of Xuwei, it is not my own territory, making it even harder to be at ease."

"After thinking it over, besides making preparations in advance, the only option is to take the initiative. And Old Ghost Geng Luo has agreed with me and already taken a great oath that after this joint effort to eliminate the demons, he will definitely not interfere or block my path, so I naturally accepted it with joy!"

Old Monster Xuanxu seemed to be explaining his own experience, but he also hinted at some intentions. In short, Master Jiuyun was actually an unstable factor he was wary of, who might also run over to obstruct and disturb him when he was breaking through.

Because the spiritual energy reserves of the Qingxuan Star Realm were too poor, a great cultivator's breakthrough—even a small realm breakthrough—required absorbing the spiritual energy of half the continent at once, causing extremely conspicuous movements, so it was impossible to avoid attracting attention.

Du En would inevitably have to take some kind of great oath to join them now, otherwise Old Monster Xuanxu really wouldn't be at ease! It looked reasonable, too reasonable. How did he just happen to find the opportunity for a breakthrough, how did he... Forget it, anyway, let's just blend in first.

Du En thought this, while nodding and saying: "Fellow Daoist Xuanxu's worries are naturally perfectly normal. Hmm, how about this: as long as you two agree that this demon-elimination matter starts with the demon infestation on my side, then taking an oath to go together is no problem."

Ancestor Geng Luo was overjoyed to hear this, and Old Monster Xuanxu also felt his heart relax.

However, both of them immediately frowned secretly and exchanged glances again.

Because Du En's conditions were too light and loose? In their prior consultations, they could even have offered to give up some benefits to this side.

Simply put, after eliminating the demons, they would let the other party choose parts of the great demon's corpse and a portion of the treasures accumulated over many years! Here in Qingxuan, because the upper limit was restricted and resources were scarce, these great cultivators also lived quite miserably and were actually very strapped for cash. Encountering such a thing and having the chance to obtain various materials and treasures of the same rank, normally no one would yield to anyone.

In fact, it was precisely because this issue of dividing the spoils could never be settled that the three had never been able to unite to kill the demons. Otherwise, with the human cultivators being strong overall and having three great cultivators, how could they allow those three demons to continue to wreak havoc? That's right, wreak havoc! It wasn't because of any difference in the human-demon stance that they were deemed to be wreaking havoc, but because the three of them were truly the kind of existence that would treat all living beings except themselves as food, and from time to time would reach out to all directions, which could be called the slaughter and harm of living beings in the true sense.

Therefore, whether it was human cultivators or demon beasts, they all hated these three great demons to the bone, but were powerless, and could only try their best to avoid them, resulting in the formation of three not-so-small forbidden zones for living beings, with three great cultivators keeping them in check from afar so they would not step out at will.

Even so, their fierce reputation was known to the whole world... To be honest, if it weren't for the emergence of the Zhu siblings and Bai Ji at this moment, these three great demons would have already been treated as the next target by Du En and the others.

First, try to crush the Sea of Resentful Spirits in the back; if that doesn't work or if breaking it doesn't lead to the key, then go find those three great demons to see if their actions are just extreme measures due to lack of resources, or if there is some other strange reason.

At that time, I will stop by the Gengluo Sect to investigate the matter of the treasure's emergence... I didn't expect that, with the situation changing, this place would directly become the next step.

Du En thought this to himself; facing the shock and suspicion of the two Great Cultivators, he had no intention of explaining anything, appearing completely composed.

Whether Gengluo Old Ancestor had ulterior motives or other sources of confidence, although he felt this place was strange, he still nodded in agreement first: "Since Fellow Daoist Jiuyun's conditions are so simple, I can naturally agree to them, but as for you, Old Monster Xuanxu..."

"Haha, it makes no difference to me; starting from whichever one is fine. Since you, Old Ghost Gengluo, are the one with your eyebrows singed by fire and have no objections, naturally I will have no dissent!"

"Old Monster, there is no need for suspicion. With our speed, if we truly want to accomplish this, we could traverse the entire continent in a mere few days. With the three of us joining forces, we can catch them off guard and complete the slaughter in a short amount of time!"

"Since neither of you has any objections, then there is no time to lose. I shall make an oath, and then we shall set off immediately!"

After saying this, Du En made a so-called great oath in a convincing manner.

In reality, it was a Heart Demon Oath; the focus was on oneself, and it was not something one could evade just by being heartless, because it used one's Dao heart as the price—no matter how unrestrained or heartless one was, one would always have that Dao heart.

In other words, only those without a Dao heart could remain unaffected.

Du En did know that in the ancient Demonic Path, there was a Heartless Dao, which was once quite famous; its main feature was being heartless and unrestrained, such that even the Heart Demon Oath could not bind it.

Of course, it has already been wiped out by the Immortal Sects.

(End of this chapter)