Chapter 45: Chapter Forty-Five: Demon and Barbarian Alliance

Xiao Yunru’s upper and lower eyelids twitched rapidly.

A thunderclap exploded!

The warning of “great misfortune” kept flashing in his mind, making his muscles tense instantly and every hair on his body stand on end.

“Young Master Xiao, don’t you know the function of the positioning talisman?”

A lazy voice sounded.

Xiao Yunru turned his head toward the sound and, seeing Lu Fang standing before the sandpit, retreated two steps warily, saying: “You can’t kill me!”

Lu Fang dared to show up—this proved he wasn’t at his last breath.

The warning from his Yin-Yang Eyes and the overwhelming “presence” radiating from Lu Fang had already crushed any hope Xiao Yunru had of killing him; he now feared a desperate fight might break out.

“Why?”

Lu Fang slowly raised his hands as if holding nothing, and behind him, the figure of Guan Yun Chang materialized.

Xiao Yunru frantically reached out to stop him, saying: “Master Su Li swore to my Xiao family’s ancestral patriarch that as long as the Xiao family doesn’t provoke first, you won’t seek revenge against us—do you intend to break your word?”

“Master Su Li lived his entire life with unwavering integrity; what people admired most was that he never broke a promise.”

“Lord of the Literary Crown, are you certain you want to tarnish Master Su Li’s reputation?”

Lu Fang sighed deeply and nodded: “I once swore to my senior brother, and I will uphold the words I spoke that day—I still have this bottom line. Rest assured, Young Master Xiao!”

His words ended.

The Green Dragon Crescent Blade, charged with the power of seven souls, severed Xiao Yunru at the waist.

Keeping one’s word?

Of course that matters!

But how could Xiao Yunru even bring it up?

Deliberately leading the evil monk Lian Yi toward Lu Fang was already a violation of the gentlemanly agreement between both sides.

To claim Xiao Yunru didn’t do it on purpose?

How could Xiao Yunru keep finding Lu Fang again and again—was there no trick behind it?

Lu Fang isn’t a fool, not the kind who lets an enemy stand before him while bound by some damn promise.

A head-sized, ownerless aura surged upward from Xiao Yunru’s corpse.

Lu Fang absorbed the ownerless aura, then picked up the inkstone that had fallen onto the sand—the great Confucian’s inkstone had manifested just now, helping Xiao Yunru deflect part of the attack.

A great Confucian’s inkstone is a treasure beyond the full capability of a seventh-rank Confucian to wield—if it weren’t so, Xiao Yunru wouldn’t have died just now.

“Too bad it’s damaged!”

Lu Fang shook his head.

Whether it was Lian Yi’s Black Lotus Platform or the inkstone, both were extremely precious treasures.

But once damaged, their utility became negligible.

Unless one could find identical materials and have a great Confucian repair them…

Lu Fang also found a storage pouch containing over a dozen porcelain vials of elixirs, including second- and third-rank ones.

For instance, there were six third-rank Haoran Zhengqi Elixirs!

The Haoran Zhengqi Elixir is among the top-tier third-rank elixirs.

It not only enhances a Confucian’s Haoran Zhengqi but also heals injuries…

Rumor has it that on the black market, one Haoran Zhengqi Elixir can fetch a thousand taels of gold—imagine how precious it is.

Even then, it’s available only at a premium price with no stock!

“Wandao Stones?”

Lu Fang’s eyes lit up.

He’d been focused only on the elixirs until now—he only just noticed, tucked in a corner of the storage pouch, a pile of Wandao Stones.

Sixty low-grade Wandao Stones!

Three mid-grade Wandao Stones!

This is a fortune!

Probably Xiao Yunru planned to enter the seventh-rank Minor Upper Realm and dared not raise his realm, so he hoarded so many Wandao Stones.

Given the Xiao family’s resources and his Yin-Yang Eyes’ ability to avoid misfortune and attract fortune, having this many Wandao Stones makes perfect sense.

No wonder he’s a noble scion—he’s truly wealthy.

In contrast, Lian Yi, who had chased Xiao Yunru, had only a few elixirs in his storage pouch—everything else was unsettling materials.

After disposing of Xiao Yunru’s corpse, Lu Fang oriented himself, absorbing Wandao Stones as he wandered aimlessly, searching for He Zixuan and Luo Sha.

Wandao Stones can only raise one’s realm.

Use them early—it’s better than dying without using them. With Xiao Yunru as a cautionary example, Lu Fang had no intention of repeating his mistake.

…

“Help!”

A young Daoist, his robe soaked in blood, stepped on a “Bagua” formation in midair and sped rapidly toward Lu Fang’s direction.

A sharp piercing sound rang out.

Behind him, a blood-winged bat demon, towering several zhang high, was chasing him.

“Lord of the Literary Crown? We’re done for!”

The Daoist, recognizing Lu Fang as the holder of the positioning talisman, showed disappointment in his eyes—a seventh-rank, first-tier Lord of the Literary Crown couldn’t help him.

Presence—so long as you don’t unleash it.

Normally, presence remains contained, and others perceive only your current realm.

Only those who specialize in secret techniques or are born with heightened perception can sense the true strength of your presence—even if you don’t unleash it.

So this Daoist couldn’t perceive Lu Fang’s overwhelming presence!

“Lord of the Literary Crown, run west! The east is teeming with allied barbarian and demonic forces…”

The Daoist gave Lu Fang a final warning before fleeing.

The blood-winged bat demon glanced downward at Lu Fang but made no move to stop—continued chasing forward.

At that moment, petals of peach blossoms appeared around it.

The demon sniffed the air, then dropped straight down, hovering midair above Lu Fang.

The demon stood three chi tall, its blood-red wings spanning six chi.

Its mouth bristled with rows of sharp teeth, its claws like knives.

Its speed was extraordinary—even a casual strike in flight could reduce “ironwood” to splinters.

“Did you summon these peach blossoms?”

The blood-winged bat emitted a shrill voice, like claws scraping iron—making teeth ache.

But Lu Fang ignored it entirely, even turned his back to it, shouting toward the fleeing Daoist: “They’ve united? Don’t leave half your warning!”

The Daoist heard him—but chose not to turn back and answer.

Is the Lord of the Literary Crown an idiot?

Just run already!

Why are you standing there asking questions?

“I give up!” Lu Fang muttered, summoning golden armor to cling to his body—and, as the Daoist wished, sped forward even faster.

The blood-winged bat hesitated—it had just feared Lu Fang might be a human expert, given his gentlemanly demeanor, yet now he just ran?

“Damn these peach blossoms!”

The bat tried to dispel the petals surrounding it—but couldn’t. Ever since they appeared, it could clearly feel its speed being restricted.

After a brief hesitation, it finally chased after Lu Fang’s fleeing form.

On the other side, Lu Fang caught up with the Daoist and asked: “Allied barbarian and demonic forces?”

The Daoist visibly froze.

“Hey hey hey! Lord of the Literary Crown, how are you moving so fast?!”

Seeing Lu Fang overtake him, the Daoist panicked—turned back and saw the blood-winged bat chasing them both, making him nearly spit blood in rage.

“We’re done! You shouldn’t have run toward me! Now we’re both dead!” the Daoist complained.

Lu Fang glanced back, hesitating: “I only sense one bat demon chasing us—where’s this so-called alliance?”

He’d fled fearing reinforcements behind the bat—but now, something felt off.