Chapter 194: The Spokesperson of Outside Qingzhou

Killing the minor demon king would naturally lift Qingzhou's troubles.

It might even become more stable than before.

After all, even the Howling Moon Demon King would have to consider whether it could survive a joint ambush by a Wu Xian and a Slain Hunyuan Sect Shen Zongshi once Jiang Qiulan broke through.

Leaving the Qingzhou region and seeking another territory might be the better choice.

The situation seemed to be going extremely well.

Yet Aunt Aqian's unease grew ever stronger.

Having followed that old wolf for so many years, she did not believe the demon knew nothing about this.

If there were some urgent matter, that would be one thing.

But after finding the minor demon king, it truly only exchanged a few idle words... This was equivalent to Jiang Qiulan being in seclusion to break through, while she, knowing there was likely a demon following, suddenly went to chat about life with her, and even took away the guards who were protecting her door.

Unless the Howling Moon Demon King was a spy arranged by Qingzhou, only two possibilities remained.

It wanted to lure and kill Jiang Qiulan.

Or the minor demon king was about to break through, exciting it to the point of confusion.

Clearly, the probability of the former far exceeded the latter.

"If they did not say it intentionally for me to hear, the minor demon king could break through at any time once its injuries heal."

Aunt Aqian transmitted a message to everyone via the silver bell: "Qiulan, what about you?"

Except for General Shen, who was silently pondering something unknown, everyone else turned their gaze toward that Miss.

"I don't know."

Jiang Qiulan shook her head. Although her talent was slightly better than ordinary people, she was not that freak who could break through a realm as easily as drinking water.

Now the Swallowing Heaven Dao Infant had fully accumulated, but to shatter the Golden Core and achieve the status of a Slain Hunyuan Sect Shen Zongshi might take only an instant, or it might consume many more years.

"Then it seems we have no choice."

Wu Feng sighed. Even if this were a trap, or if the minor demon king was merely bluffing, who would dare gamble with the entire Qingzhou region?

Aunt Aqian said nothing, still quietly watching Jiang Qiulan.

This was why she had blocked Jiang Yuanhua at the door.

If Jiang Qiulan was unwilling.

Then nothing would have happened today; the people outside would not know what occurred, nor would they know what opportunity they had abandoned.

This young girl had already grown to a point where she could make decisions in place of the Regional Commander.

Whether in the eyes of the Zhen Mo Si or the demon hunters, her performance was convincing enough.

"Perhaps... Junior Jiang Shimei is not suited for assassination?"

Shen Dao You suddenly shifted his gaze, landing on that young and handsome face.

"..."

Aunt Aqian never expected General Shen Dao You to suddenly offer an opinion; she had invited him because, aside from Jiang Qiulan, he was the only cultivator among the Zhen Mo Si's great generals who had broken through the three stages of Embracing the Core.

Among a group of great generals nurturing their Yin Spirits, only Shen Dao You could still exert considerable combat power even if he left the Qingzhou region.

Moreover, his ceiling was foreseeable; he could become the next Wu Xian, but he could not become a second Wu Xian.

Not only could he fight, but Qingzhou could also bear the consequences of his death; he was simply the most suitable candidate.

Given Shen Dao You's personality, at a time like this, he should not have made any move affecting Jiang Qiulan.

Aunt Aqian followed his gaze.

Then helplessness swept across her face.

What was the use of looking at Shen Yi at a time like this? She admitted the other party's growth speed was more terrifying than the demons, having earned the merit of killing Bai Lu at such a young age.

However, even if that merit contained no water.

Bai Lu and the minor demon king were not demons of the same level.

The gap between the two was even greater than that between Chen Qiankun and Jiang Qiulan.

"The minor demon king bears heavy injuries. If General Shen intends to go, I, Shen Dao You, am willing to lend a hand. If we fall into an ambush, even if the Howling Moon Demon King arrives in person, I will fight to block it for a few breaths for you."

Shen Dao You slowly rose, transmitting sound via the silver bell while clasping his fist toward the opposite side.

If the minor demon king broke through, even with Junior Jiang Shimei present, she could not play any role; if it did not break through... then based on General Shen's strength, the role he played would certainly not be weaker than Junior Jiang Shimei's.

Seeing this, the two Golden Bell demon hunters simultaneously fell into brief astonishment. Was this real?

"..." Shen Yi came to his senses and said tactfully: "General Shen Dao You speaks too highly. Please sit down first."

He had once seen the minor demon king; its surging demonic energy far exceeded any demon he had ever seen. Even General Shen Dao You, who struggled against two Green-Faced Lions, combined with leaving the Qingzhou region, was truly of no use.

The reason Shen Yi had remained silent was that he was not accustomed to offering suggestions on matters he did not understand.

What Qingzhou intended to do, and how to do it, he did not understand the intricacies.

But if asked about matters related to killing demons, he actually had quite a bit of experience.

"Uh."

Shen Dao You hesitated for a moment, then sat back down.

Aunt Aqian propped her cheek with her small hand, finding that she understood this situation even less and less.

Just then, Jiang Qiulan also turned her gaze toward Shen Yi and said softly: "You promised earlier to let me follow; does that still hold?"

Aunt Aqian's hand suddenly slipped, nearly knocking her forehead against the table: "..."

So she had been silent for so long, waiting for Shen Yi's opinion.

"Anything works."

Shen Yi knew what she was hesitating about.

After the incident in the capital, he had long discovered Jiang Qiulan's "imbalance"; the other party was simply worried about ruining things, yet really wanted to kill the minor demon king.

Actually, there was nothing to struggle over.

It's not like I haven't learned the displacement technique before.

I've even casually hauled off a hundred-zhang-long dragon corpse; how could I not be able to carry one woman?

"Wait—you've already decided the whole thing just like that?"

Aunt Aqian stood up; she had still been planning to wait for Jiang Qiulan to state her position before giving a summary.

"I've just never seen a case where, with news of a demon, General Shen could still sit steady and not move… Even if you lot don't go, he'll definitely go on his own." You Longtao looked toward Aunt Aqian and gave a helpless smile.

From the very moment the other party had invited Shen Yi into this pavilion, the answer to that question had already been settled.

"…"

Shen Yi furrowed his brow slightly—were his own thoughts really that obvious?

He had never intended to get involved in this matter.

Based on what Jiang Qiulan had said earlier, the demons withdrawing in full was almost a clear sign that this was a trap.

Shen Yi had no intention of dragging a bunch of people off to die.

But he did want to sneak over and take a look himself…

"Sigh."

Aunt Aqian let out a sigh, realizing that no one seemed to care about her opinion.

She simply couldn't figure out why these senior and junior fellow disciples would place such great trust in Shen Yi.

She carefully drew out a wisp of dense aura from the golden bell.

"Since that's the case, let's lay out a proper plan."

The little demon king could provoke Jiang Qiulan again and again, then successfully escape each time; even now, bearing serious injuries, killing it wouldn't be that easy.

"I know it has a Red Cloud treasure, so I've prepared a silk net, but I'm not sure whether it has other tricks."

"I've never seen it."

Jiang Qiulan closed her eyes and carefully recalled: "It always uses a greatsword, and then there's the Red Cloud—its speed is even faster than Shen Yi's displacement technique—beyond that, nothing else."

(End of chapter)