Chapter 836: The Third Young Master's Sword and the Demon Sect

The setting sun was half-faded, not yet gone; the remaining glow spilled over the cliff, bestowing upon it a kind of gorgeous yet cruel aesthetic.

Yu Liancheng stood on the cliff, hands behind his back, gazing into the distance. His gaze pierced through layers of clouds and mist, catching sight of a deep, secluded valley.

The deep valley led to a secluded place, as if a palace built of white jade were vaguely visible; pavilions and towers, exquisite and natural, appeared like a celestial palace amidst the clouds and mist.

"The Demon Sect, they certainly chose a good place..."

Yu Liancheng muttered to himself. With a shift of his thoughts, he vanished from the mountaintop without a sound, his figure weaving between the void and reality, arriving at the location of the deep valley in an instant.

The deep valley appeared to be an otherworldly fairyland, but in reality, it was a true dragon's pool and tiger's den, filled with experts; even the Third Young Master Xie Xiaofeng would likely lose his life if he were to break into it.

This place was the main altar of the Demon Sect.

The Demon Sect originated from the West, founded by the first-generation ancestor, the Asura Venerable. Their slogan was: "Heavenly Demon without form, ten thousand wonders without bounds; above heaven or below earth, I alone am supreme!"

The Demon Sect had always been the most mysterious and terrifying organization in the martial arts world. Every few decades, the Demon Sect would stir up bloody storms in the Edo. They not only dominated beyond the passes but also sought to extend their influence into the Central Plains.

Because the Demon Sect was a foreign organization, and given their tenets and methods of operation, they stood in opposition to the traditional morality of the Central Plains. Thus, every time they marched east, they were resisted by the experts of the Central Plains, and the two sides fought, resulting in countless casualties.

It had been several decades since the last time the Demon Sect marched east. In recent years, the Demon Sect had been biding its time, expanding its influence, constantly planting spies among the various sects of the Central Plains, and assassinating experts. Those with lofty ideals in the Edo could already feel the tense atmosphere of a storm about to break.

Of course, none of this had much to do with Yu Liancheng.

The reason he came to the Demon Sect was merely because he felt interested in the so-called Ten Great Demon Arts of the Demon Sect.

In this world of "The Third Young Master's Sword," he did not have deep ties; those who could barely be counted as old acquaintances were only Xie Xiaofeng, Li Zhenzhen, and Murong Qiudi, and his friendship with them was still shallow, so there was no need to pay a deliberate visit. On the contrary, these Ten Great Demon Arts of the Demon Sect had made him quite itchy with curiosity when he roamed the Edo in the past. For the current Yu Liancheng, although they could not even be considered chicken ribs, they could barely satisfy his curiosity.

In the vast main altar of the Demon Sect, Yu Liancheng walked as if strolling through a leisurely courtyard, entering and exiting among the palaces and pavilions. He did not need to search for the Ten Great Demon Arts; whenever he saw any interesting person or object, he would pause for a moment, and after satisfying his curiosity, he would drift away. As for the experts in the Demon Sect's main altar, not one of them could detect his presence. After half an hour, he arrived at a pavilion inscribed with "Library Pavilion."

Entering the library, Yu Liancheng scanned with his eyes, finally discovering the Ten Great Divine Arts of the Demon Sect, and began to flip through them page by page.

In reality, if he were willing, a sweep of his mind would allow not only these Ten Great Demon Arts but all the books in the Library Pavilion to be reflected in his heart, instantly reading all the books and even mastering all the martial arts recorded within them, but there was no need.

This journey of return was still meant to be a bit more leisurely.

At the same time, in an exquisite small building.

Bai Xiaolou finished a pot of wine, and with three parts drunkenness, he picked up the brush on the table. As he wrote, he penned the seven characters "Small building, one night listening to spring rain." He wrote these seven characters with extreme proficiency, without the slightest hesitation, as if he had written them a thousand times before.

After finishing, Bai Xiaolou stared at them infatuatedly.

Those seven characters appeared handsome and upright, even possessing a heroic spirit capable of overturning rivers and seas and destroying everything. But if one tasted them carefully, one could also discern an unspeakable sorrow.

It was unknown how long he stared, but Bai Xiaolou suddenly let out a long sigh and abruptly tore the calligraphy to shreds; the fragments fluttered like butterflies.

Then, he stood there infatuatedly, as if what he had just torn to shreds was himself, and his life had no meaning at all.

"Sect Leader, the hour is late. I have asked the servants to bring up dinner. Great events are about to take place; the Sect Leader must take good care of his health." Behind Bai Xiaolou stood the Golden Lion, the head of the four great protectors of the Demon Sect.

This Golden Lion protector was exceptionally burly, like an iron tower. He wore a head of golden hair, and the beard under his chin also glittered in the setting sun. Tucked at his waist was a staff, the top of which was a lion head carved from gold.

"I am the Sect Leader of the Demon Sect, yet I am heartbroken over a woman, hehe..." Bai Xiaolou shook his head. His figure was upright, his appearance handsome yet dignified, and the corners of his mouth occasionally curled up with an evil flavor, which could easily fascinate women. However, few people knew that this Demon Sect Leader, who was about to lead the Demon Sect to march east into the Central Plains and stir up bloody storms, was currently wounded by love.

That year, in order to hunt down a traitor, Bai Xiaolou passed through a village in Jiangnan. The scenery was picturesque, and by a small stream, there was a thatched cottage. Inside, a voice was chanting "Small building, one night listening to spring rain." The voice was so beautiful, like celestial music, and the Sect Leader was immediately attracted. He followed the sound to investigate and saw Sun Chunyu, who was later called "Lady Weak Willow."

At that time, Sun Chunyu was just the daughter of a schoolteacher, a village girl in simple cloth, yet she was already born with peerless beauty. Later, many people said she was the number one beauty in the Edo, and no man could fail to fall at her feet. And she seemed to be attracted by the Sect Leader's elegant demeanor; after just that one moment of conversation, she followed the Sect Leader away, abandoning her old father to become the Sect Leader's favorite concubine.

Although Bai Xiaolou already had a wife, he still fell into a passionate love with Sun Chunyu, who was born with a seductive charm, thus creating the beautiful legend of "Small building, one night listening to spring rain."

However, it was not only men who were promiscuous; that "Lady Weak Willow" later had a change of heart, even causing the entire Demon Sect to become foul and chaotic.

Upon learning this, Bai Xiaolou was heartbroken and became decadent and irritable, killing many people during that period.

After a period of time, accompanied by his wife, he finally pulled himself together. To remember this lesson and to remind himself not to vent his anger on others again, Bai Xiaolou carved that poem onto his Demon Blade. Several times, after drawing his blade and catching a glimpse of the poem on it, he extinguished his anger.

Unfortunately, some things cannot be forgotten just by saying so. To this day, Bai Xiaolou would still be moved by the scenery and feel sad, falling into decadence when alone.

"People are not plants or trees; who can be without emotion? Although we are the Demon Sect, if the Sect Leader were truly a heartless, cruel, and murderous person, then the disciples in the sect would only feel fear and terror toward the Sect Leader, not reverence and loyalty." The Golden Lion protector lowered his head, his voice filled with loyalty, like a hunting dog facing its master.

"Haha, well said. If a person has no emotions, then they are a stone." Bai Xiaolou laughed heartily, his smile filled with the heroic spirit of despising all heroes: "However, with the eastern march imminent, I cannot be decadent. Let's forget about dinner for now. I had an epiphany earlier; come, go with me to the Library Pavilion. I want to find the 'Divine Blade Slash' to verify it."