Chapter 182

Facing Zhou Qing's worry, Cao Zhengyang said, "Rest assured, the Nine Nether Demon Lotus is now exposed. He has no choice but to bind us together completely; everyone guarding this secret together is the best strategy."

"Otherwise, once this news leaks and the Emperor or other Soul Severance Realm powerhouses come, no one will be able to get a single one."

"Even if he flees to the ends of the earth by then, there will be countless Divine Transformation Great Perfection powerhouses scrambling to catch him. Therefore, to keep this Nine Nether Demon Lotus, he can only choose to cooperate with us."

After hearing this, Zhou Qing nodded.

Although he had little contact with Sikong Yan, he always felt that this person was deep and scheming, moody and unpredictable; you could never guess what he was really thinking.

However, since such a conflict of interest exists, perhaps this cooperation is still feasible.

"Look, these are the materials for setting up the 【Demon-Sealing Strangling Array】. His Cangyan Dao Palace and Tianji Sect cannot produce these things. Only by being with us will they have the chance to use the essence blood of millions of demon beasts to force the maturation of that Nine Nether Demon Lotus!"

Cao Zhengyang said, handing over the list.

Zhou Qing looked at the dense list of rare materials on it, his face full of shock; among them, the supreme-grade spirit stones alone numbered ten thousand.

Does the Taiqingmen treasury have so many things?

Cao Zhengyang looked at Zhou Qing's shocked expression and said, "This move is 'succeed or die.' At the very least, we are about to go bankrupt, but it's understandable. After all, the scope covered is too large; it must cover at least seventy percent of the Canglan Mountain area."

Zhou Qing immediately looked at the inheritance left to him by Xuan Qingzi.

Fortunately, according to the introduction, once this 【Demon-Sealing Strangling Array】 is activated, it can only kill the demon race containing demon power within it; the human race, on the contrary, won't be affected much.

As for the refining techniques and the required spiritual seals, he is still a hundred and eight thousand miles away, but to cover such a large area, the required materials are indeed quite numerous.

I hope I am just overthinking it.

After returning to the station, Cao Zhengyang continued to send people to search diligently; at the very least, they must not be detected by the Demon Kings. As for going back to get materials, the Supreme Elders would handle it.

And just after Zhou Qing returned, Lu Yaoyao and Yan Xiaohu came over.

"So mysterious, where did the Shibo take you?" Yan Xiaohu asked curiously.

Zhou Qing shook his head; he really couldn't talk about this matter, as several Supreme Elders had specifically warned him.

Seeing Zhou Qing not speaking, Yan Xiaohu tactfully didn't ask any further.

But he didn't expect that the next day, five Demon Kings, including Hou Shan, would appear at the Taiqingmen station.

"Brother Cao, how is it going? Have you been doing your best?" Hou Shan shouted loudly after entering, appearing very impatient.

Cao Zhengyang hurried out, his face piled with smiles, trying to appease Hou Shan's mood: "Brother Hou, you should have seen these past few months; almost all the disciples of my Taiqingmen have been searching day and night. How could we not be doing our best?"

"Since you are doing your best, why is there not even a bit of news about my Fusang Lingkui until now?" Hou Shan looked extremely displeased, questioning with a murderous look.

Cao Zhengyang sighed and smiled bitterly: "I'm not afraid of you laughing at me, but you should know Zhou Qing; I even sent them to Lingyun Prefecture, trying every possible way to buy one for you. They just returned yesterday, but alas..."

Cao Zhengyang stopped mid-sentence, looking as if he had tried his best but gained nothing, hoping to make Hou Shan understand their difficulties a little.

"Rest assured, even if I have to risk this old life of mine, I will definitely help you catch that thief and recover the spirit medicine," Cao Zhengyang added.

Hou Shan clearly had already stopped believing Cao Zhengyang. Before he could speak, the bald Demon King transformed from a vulture beside him laughed sinisterly: "Sect Master Cao, your words are too serious. How would we dare to take your life?"

Cao Zhengyang said, "Haha, I was just using a metaphor."

"The metaphor is my brother; why do you want to hit him?" another bear-like Demon King asked in a muffled voice.

Cao Zhengyang: "..."

Hou Shan looked around and said, "Brother Cao, you should be very clear about the importance of that Fusang Lingkui to me. And on the day it was lost, besides that Soul Severance Realm powerhouse, only..."

"Only people from my Taiqingmen and the Cangyan Dao Palace were present!" Cao Zhengyang was already able to preempt the answer.

This sentence had been repeated over and over how many times.

Hou Shan frowned slightly and said in a deep voice, "Hmm, Brother Cao, you also know that there isn't much time left before the deadline to find the Fusang Lingkui. I am truly worried that you are not putting your heart into helping search."

"Therefore, coming here this time is a last resort. I want to take a few hostages back from your Taiqingmen, for example, that one called Zhou Qing, so that I can feel more at ease."

Hearing this, Cao Zhengyang's eyes narrowed instantly, a cold glint flashing through them. The apologetic smile that had been on his face vanished without a trace, replaced by a cold expression.

He said with displeasure, "Brother Hou, isn't this a bit too much? My Taiqingmen is helping you and returning a favor from the past, but we don't owe you anything. Acting like this now, could it be that you want to fall out with my Taiqingmen?"

"Who knows if you didn't harbor evil intentions after seeing me appear back then..."

"Yes, that medicine of yours was stolen by people sent by my Taiqingmen. What do you want? When to start a war, just draw the line."

Before Hou Shan could finish speaking, Cao Zhengyang suddenly released a majestic pressure, his powerful aura soaring into the sky.

All the disciples who had returned to the station to rest looked on in terror, and Zhou Qing and the others hurried out, full of confusion.

Seeing that Cao Zhengyang was truly enraged, the five Demon Kings also changed their expressions slightly.

Hou Shan's eyes flickered, and he suddenly burst into laughter: "Brother Cao, wasn't I just joking with you? Why did you take it seriously? You don't know how to take a joke at all."

Seeing this, Cao Zhengyang slowly withdrew his aura and said coldly, "My Taiqingmen has been doing our best for over five months; our nerves have been stretched tight, and sometimes it's really hard to tell what's a joke and what's the truth."

Hou Shan looked embarrassed and quickly said, "Thank you for your hard work. Alright, I'll trouble you to continue. We won't disturb you anymore; we'll go check the Cangyan Dao Palace side."

After speaking, the several Demon Kings left.

Cao Zhengyang snorted coldly and said, "A beast is a beast after all; they don't know when to stop even when they want to tear off the mask. You really have been given too much face!"

Just then, several Elders and Zhou Qing and the others flew over quickly.

Cao Zhengyang waved his hand and said, "It's nothing, you all go back to your business!"

The crowd had to leave, but Cao Zhengyang called Zhou Qing to stay.

"What's wrong, Shibo?" Zhou Qing asked, bowing.

Cao Zhengyang said, "Do you know what they came for?"

Zhou Qing shook his head.

Cao Zhengyang said, "They wanted to take a few hostages back to coerce us into helping find that holy medicine, and you were among them."

Zhou Qing was stunned, immediately remembering the five-sect disciples locked in iron cages in the image stone, and his face couldn't help but turn cold.

It seems this battle is unavoidable!

"It's still what I said before: once suspicion arises, the crime is already established. If the holy medicine isn't found, in his subconscious, it was done by our two families."

Cao Zhengyang shook his head and added, "Come with me again tonight!"

Zhou Qing nodded immediately.

That night, the two of them left quietly.

In the darkness, a sneaky shadow full of curiosity hurriedly flew to follow them.

But soon, the Peak Master of Baizhan Peak landed slowly with his arm around Yan Xiaohu's shoulder.

Yan Xiaohu smiled awkwardly and quickly straightened his expression: "The moonlight tonight is truly beautiful. Eh, Elder Lin, you've come to enjoy the moon too?"

Ling Yuexiao looked at Yan Xiaohu, helpless, and said, "Go back to your own tent to enjoy it."

"Alright, Shishu, you rest early!" After Yan Xiaohu said this, as if he had received a decree, he ran back to his residence in a flash.

At the same time, Cao Zhengyang took Zhou Qing and met the Supreme Elders halfway. After the few met, they didn't speak much and headed together toward the designated location.

After meeting with the people from the Jin Leizong and Qingyu Qingshu Xian Zong, they didn't delay at all and headed straight for Canglan Mountain.

Two hours later, at the edge of Canglan Mountain, they met the group from the Cangyan Dao Palace and the Tianji Sect.

Seeing that Cao Zhengyang was still bringing Zhou Qing, Sikong Yan and Master Xuanji didn't say anything more, though a trace of imperceptible strangeness flashed in their eyes, which quickly returned to normal.

Afterward, Sikong Yan took out three maps and three jade slips, waving the items in his hand, and said, "These are the array disks that your three families need to set up at various positions in Canglan Mountain. At that time, the seniors from the Tianji Sect will be responsible for the main guidance!"

Immediately, three Divine Transformation Great Perfection Supreme Elders from the Tianji Sect stepped out.

Cao Zhengyang and the others looked and didn't feel anything was wrong.

After all, it had already been agreed yesterday that the Tianji Sect would be fully responsible for the array setup, and as a reward, they would get twenty percent of the Nine Nether Lotus seeds after they matured. This could be considered each getting what they needed.

"Where are the things? We need to distribute them evenly!" Master Xuanji stepped out, his gaze sweeping over the crowd as he spoke.

Hearing this, the three families took out bulging storage bags and handed them over.

Master Xuanji took the storage bags, checked them carefully, and a satisfied expression appeared on his face.

Thus, the great cause can be accomplished!

"The matter of the array eye will be set up by me and several Shishu. If you are worried that the Nine Nether Demon Lotus hasn't been put in, or if you have other thoughts, you can follow along to supervise!"

Sikong Yan naturally understood that the three families had doubts, so he simply took the initiative to propose it to show his sincerity.

Hearing this, Elder Duanmu Shu took a step forward and said, "I will protect you!"

The Jin Leizong and Qingyu Qingshu Xian Zong also had a Supreme Elder willing to go along.

After everything was distributed, Sikong Yan suddenly bowed to the crowd, his expression serious as he said, "This matter is of great importance and must not be exposed in the slightest. If it succeeds, our five families might have Soul Severance Realm powerhouses born, and from then on, we will soar into the sky. If it fails..."

He didn't finish his sentence, but everyone understood the stakes and nodded one after another.

"This setup will take at least five days. Everyone, thank you for your hard work!" Sikong Yan bowed again, his attitude unprecedentedly sincere.

Everyone was moved, as if they had cleared up their past grievances, and they returned the bow one after another.

If this great battle hadn't broken out, their five sects would be like their predecessors, the overlords of the Eastern Region of Lingyun Prefecture, and even more so, they would be watching out for and helping each other.

Although competition still existed in secret, at least on the surface they were harmonious, and at critical moments, they could act in unison against outsiders.

"Set off!" Following the order, the crowd immediately headed toward different directions, each rushing to their own mission locations.

Zhou Qing didn't say a word, following closely behind Cao Zhengyang, and looked at the Supreme Elder of the Tianji Sect leading the team in front.

Not long after, the other party took out a map of Canglan Mountain, looked at it, compared it carefully, found a location, and took out an array disk.

Seeing his skillful movements, he immediately filled in a large amount of rare materials. After finishing this, he said, "This is the activation mantra and operation method. Everyone, memorize it!"

Saying this, another jade slip was produced. After looking at it, everyone nodded.

Afterward, they sat cross-legged and began to inject spiritual power into it, bit by bit activating the array disk and hiding it underground.

And Zhou Qing followed two of the Supreme Elders to stand guard in the distance, preventing them from being discovered by demon beasts.

About an hour later, after the array disk here was perfectly set up, the crowd headed to the next location together.

On the way, looking at the excited crowd, Zhou Qing couldn't help but transmit his voice to Cao Zhengyang: "Shibo, once this Demon-Sealing Strangling Array is activated, it will cause extremely terrifying killing karma. Can we really afford to bear this karma?"

By then, the entire Canglan Mountain will likely turn into an Asura hell.

Cao Zhengyang, who was walking in front, paused slightly after hearing Zhou Qing's question, a complex expression flashing in his eyes.

But it quickly turned cold, his lips parted slightly, and he transmitted back: "If you don't kill him, he will kill you. It's just the law of the jungle."

Zhou Qing was silent. He naturally understood the logic, and he didn't even oppose killing for survival and protection when necessary.

His main worry was that once the array was activated, it would be an unprecedented bloody slaughter, and the lives of countless demon beasts would vanish.

Such great killing karma would definitely produce ripples of cause and effect.

And these heavy chains of karma might follow the sect like a shadow.

Unless—

Zhou Qing frowned slightly, constantly considering, always feeling that he needed to do something.

He even couldn't help but think of the Ghost City in Qingmu City in his mind.

Not long after, the crowd finally arrived at the next scheduled location.

But before they could take action, several Supreme Elders simultaneously made gestures to be quiet, their eyes full of vigilance and solemnity.

Cao Zhengyang reacted extremely quickly, grabbing Zhou Qing's arm and instantly flashing onto an ancient tree, hiding his aura as much as possible.

Not long after, Zhou Qing saw a black tide surging on the horizon in the distance.

Looking closely, it was countless demon beasts, sweeping toward this side at an astonishing speed.

They moved silently, without the slightest noise or disturbance.

In the sky, avian demon beasts blotted out the sun, their feathers of different colors flashing with a cold metallic luster, their sharp claws bared, and they were arranged in dense formations; one look and it was clear they were well-trained.

Soon, the leading demon beasts below came rustling, their eyes flashing with bloodthirsty light, full of the desire to kill.

Various auras intertwined, forming a thick, fishy stench that permeated the air, making one feel like vomiting.

Zhou Qing couldn't help but swallow a mouthful of saliva; looking at the direction, it seemed they were gathering toward the depths of Canglan Mountain.

At this time, watching the various birds whistling overhead, bringing strong air currents, the corners of Zhou Qing's mouth suddenly lifted, revealing a meaningful smile.

In an instant, his heart suddenly cleared; there was no such thing as karmic retribution, it was purely him overthinking.

Shibo was right: if you don't kill others, others will naturally kill you; it's just that they are taking the initiative to attack.

The situation today was purely caused by the Demon Kings taking the initiative to stir up trouble.

Just like that, they waited until dawn was about to break before this group of demon beast armies decreased significantly, leaving behind a mess.

"This group of demon beasts should come from Qing'ai Mountain and are subordinates of that bear-like Demon King. However, according to my estimation, they should have come in batches; it's not even one-tenth of the usual amount!"

Cao Zhengyang transmitted to Zhou Qing.

Zhou Qing was shocked; this number was truly not ordinary. If all eighteen Demon Kings called their subordinates, the scale formed would truly be called a terrifying beast tide.

Time was tight, and the crowd hurriedly proceeded with the setup.

Just like that, eight days passed in a flash. Because a large number of demon beasts came every night, their progress was delayed by a full three days from the original plan.

Finally, after placing all the array disks, the crowd headed quietly toward the center location.

Here, Sikong Yan and the others were actually still setting up the array eye, and the people from the Qingyu Qingshu Xian Zong hadn't returned.

It seems they weren't the only family that had been disturbed.

Elder Duanmu Shu, who had been responsible for monitoring from the side, also breathed a sigh of relief after seeing that the people from her own sect had returned safely.

"Why haven't the people from the Qingyu Qingshu Xian Zong returned yet? How much longer will it take?" Sikong Yan asked the Supreme Elder of the Qingyu Qingshu Xian Zong, his face full of displeasure.

Only when everything is set up everywhere can the array eye be completely put down, activated, and echo from afar.

The Supreme Elder of the Qingyu Qingshu Xian Zong was also a bit anxious. Just as he took out his identity token to inquire, several figures landed.

It was exactly Immortal Xuanyou and the others.

"There were too many demon beasts, which delayed us for a few days. Sorry!" Immortal Xuanyou apologized first.

Sikong Yan, who had just had a cold face, immediately looked concerned and said, "Immortal, you've worked hard. Rest quickly; leave the rest to us."

Seeing this scene, Zhou Qing felt more and more that Sikong Yan was moody and unpredictable; such people are actually the most terrifying.

Now that everything was ready, Sikong Yan, Master Xuanji, and the others began the final step of the setup.

Seeing that in the center of this valley, countless mysterious and difficult-to-understand runes began to flicker, the Nine Nether Demon Lotus at the array eye position continuously emitted purple-black light, and the budding flower bud trembled slightly.

Watching the array eye slowly bury into the ground, the light of various runes shone more and more intensely, and intertwined with the deathly stillness power emitted by the Nine Nether Demon Lotus, forming strange rays of light and shadow.

The corners of Sikong Yan's mouth quietly lifted into a strange arc, but it disappeared in a flash.

At this moment, everyone present was attracted by the Nine Nether Demon Lotus, their gazes hot and greedy, so no one noticed this subtle action, except for Zhou Qing.

Standing on the edge of the crowd, Zhou Qing caught the movement of Sikong Yan's mouth from the corner of his eye, his heart suddenly tightened, and he narrowed his eyes slightly without changing his expression.

Afterward, he immediately aimed his gaze at the array eye that was about to disappear and performed an appraisal.

【Incomplete Demon-Sealing Strangling Array: This is an array disk with a five-color barrier, worth a fortune, but unfortunately it is incomplete and can only exert four-color power, mainly used for killing the demon race trapped within it.】

【But what no one knows is that the incomplete corner was set up by someone with another four-color killing array; once activated, it will attack indiscriminately.】

Seeing the feedback information, Zhou Qing's pupils shrank suddenly.

Sure enough, he knew Sikong Yan wouldn't so easily split such a peerless treasure as the Nine Nether Demon Lotus equally with their three sects.

A four-color killing array barrier—where did he get so many good things?

Perhaps activating the 【Demon-Sealing Strangling Array】 didn't need so many rare materials at all; what was truly needed was the hidden four-color killing array.

Thinking of this, and then looking at the calm-faced Sikong Yan, Zhou Qing felt a chill in his heart.

At this moment, he seemed to have returned to the time when he was still in Qi Condensation, looking at Elder Gao Xuan.

Mysterious, terrifying, and unfathomable!

Time passed bit by bit, and finally, under the excited gaze of everyone, the array eye was perfectly hidden, and no trace could be seen from the outside.

"Alright!" After Master Xuanji and Sikong Yan looked at each other, their eyes were full of excitement.

The people of the Three-Sect Alliance were equally excited.

Elder Duanmu Shu couldn't wait to ask, "What do we do next?"

Others also looked over one after another, their eyes full of anticipation.

Sikong Yan scanned the crowd, the corners of his mouth lifted slightly, revealing a confident smile as he said, "Wait!"

Master Xuanji also followed up and said, "If the Nine Nether Demon Lotus wants to mature, it needs a large amount of demon beast essence blood. Since the pocket is already made, now we are just missing a certain number of demon beasts."

"About how many are enough?" Cao Zhengyang couldn't help but ask.

Sikong Yan said, "Of course, the more the better, and we must have a justifiable reason; at the very least, our sect cannot take the blame."

Lei Wuji said, "You mean to let the Demon Kings start the war first?"

Sikong Yan said, "That is natural. After all, Hou Shan's holy medicine was lost, our five sects helped search, but afterward we were bitten back by him and united with other Demon Kings to backstab us; we had no choice but to counterattack."

"Are you all really not afraid of that karmic killing karma in the dark? Even if there is a glimmer of possibility, I don't want to take the risk," Sikong Yan asked, looking at Elder Duanmu Shu and the others.

The crowd was silent, then looked at each other, nodding slightly.

"Alright, since that's the case, let's formulate a plan. After all, according to the agreed time with the Demon King Hou Shan, there are only ten days left. Of course, they might not be able to wait!" Sikong Yan laughed.

The crowd immediately discussed the next plan. Zhou Qing just stood on the side listening quietly and didn't participate at all.

Discussing until the end, the general plan was for the main personnel to return first, occasionally showing their faces, pretending to continue searching; at the very least, they couldn't let the Demon Kings become suspicious.

And the more fully prepared they were, and the more demon race they brought, the more helpful it would be for the maturation of the Nine Nether Demon Lotus.

Of course, the Supreme Elders who had never appeared could hide here, and while they were at it, they could monitor the Nine Nether Demon Lotus, which would also be more reassuring.

After a brief contemplation, Zhou Qing said to Cao Zhengyang, "Shibo, can you stay with me here for another day? Then we can go back together?"

Cao Zhengyang was puzzled, but seeing Zhou Qing's solemn expression, he didn't ask much and nodded, saying "Alright."

He believed that Zhou Qing must have his own reasons for doing this, and he was also willing to give Zhou Qing enough space to handle things.

(End of chapter)