Chapter 176: The Demon Emperor City

In the extreme cold, the area inside and outside Hailongcheng was a vast expanse of white.

The moisture from the south had settled, forming a layer of frost over the frozen earth.

At this moment, three graceful figures approached, walking toward the burning charcoal fire.

Jiang Yan had once said on the journey that when seeking a cultivation partner, it was necessary to be particular about appearance, otherwise, there would be no interest during dual cultivation.

But sometimes, interest does not come from appearance, but from a robust physique and surging Qi.

Yan Yan Qiubai thought so, and Jiang Yue-rou thought so too...

However, Ji You could not show any of that right now, as he was lying on a wooden board dismantled from the carriage, his face pale, having fallen into a death-like coma.

The Barbarian race is born with peerless divine strength, and the fist force of a Soldier King realm is terrifyingly powerful.

Although that punch did not land on the envoy's carriage, but was instead slashed away by the 【Forty-Nine Heavy Mountains】, force is always reciprocal.

Combat is like this: the strength of one's offensive means determines whether the opponent dies, while the strength of one's physical body determines whether one survives.

Jiang Jiang Chenfeng was not wrong; no matter how strong he is, he is ultimately just in the Qi Refining realm.

Whether it is refining the body or controlling multiple swords, in the face of a true gap in strength, these are just flashy tricks—tricks born from insufficient strength.

Therefore, while the Barbarian Soldier King was caught off guard and slashed away without major injury, Ji You, who was surging with sword Qi, was struck by the rebounding force and fell into a coma.

The three women looked at Ji You, their lips pursed.

His current state was exactly like the opening scene described in folk plays.

A scholar traveling to the capital to take the imperial examinations gets caught in a heavy rain on the road, then develops a high fever, lying on a pile of straw pulled from a dilapidated temple, unable to rise, weak and pitiful, lacking the strength to truss a chicken, moaning for water, water, water—completely unrecognizable as the immortal-like figure who had lifted the 【Forty-Nine Heavy Mountains】 with sword Qi soaring to the heavens.

"Is Young Master Ji alright?"

"His spiritual energy is severely depleted, and he has suffered deep internal injuries from the fist force. He was already delirious when we entered the city. We fed him some elixirs; now we just have to see if he can wake up..."

Brother Gongshu Chou sat by the charcoal fire, leaning on his sword, speaking indifferently.

Jiang Yan pondered for a moment and said that the Pill Sect had a type of Jade Spirit Pill that could heal injuries extremely quickly, though it was worth a thousand gold.

Jiang Yue-rou also mentioned a type of Heavenly Harmony Pill, which also possessed powerful healing capabilities and was equally expensive.

It is said that elixirs of this grade, if in some small aristocratic families, would be worthy of being placed in a treasure vault under strict guard.

Since the trade between the human and demon races began, the demon race has always been very interested in human elixirs, and even the Demon Emperor's son once went to the Pill Sect to seek medicine in person.

Although that attempt yielded no results, the demon race later recovered a large quantity of spiritual elixirs through aristocratic families and the Great Xia court, transporting them back to the Snow Region.

Therefore, they thought that once everyone entered the Demon Emperor's capital, they might be able to find these elixirs.

Brother Gongshu Chou looked at them and picked up two medicine bottles from a medicine box on the ground: "Are these the medicines you are talking about?"

Jiang Yan and Jiang Yue-rou took them and looked, their expressions slightly startled: "They are indeed these elixirs, but they seem a bit larger?"

"Elixirs like these are plentiful in his storage gourd, and all of them have had their dosages increased."

"?"

Whether it is the Jade Spirit Pill or the Heavenly Harmony Pill, elixirs that can affect cultivators in the Upper Five Realms can only come from the Pill Sect, and the dosages have basically been standard for a thousand years, never having been changed.

Because the dosages used by the Pill Sect have always been the most suitable for human use.

But the difference is that Ji You's physical body is too strong, so the dosage he requires is larger than others.

In other words, all the elixirs in this medicine box had been individually re-allocated for him alone, custom-made.

Besides the elixirs they mentioned, there were also elixirs that could rapidly recover spiritual sense, forcibly protect spiritual essence, boost combat power to its peak, or keep the Dao heart absolutely clear for two hours.

Elixirs like these had never even been seen by arrogant talents of the immortal sects like them, yet they were all neatly arranged in that medicine box.

And in the bottom layer of the medicine box, they also saw some poisonous elixirs, which could dissolve in water, were colorless and odorless, and could not be resisted even by those in the Boundless Realm, making the several elders present feel heart-palpitations.

But the most silent part was that the Pill Sect never sold poison to outsiders.

Because the alchemists of the Pill Sect have no combat power; if they sold poison, they might end up forming grudges with people in the world.

Moreover, the art of poisonous elixirs is one of the means they use to save their own lives, and they do not let others know about it easily.

Yet these spiritual elixirs all appeared in Ji You's medicine box, and they were of top quality, naturally formed.

Ji You was not without protection.

And those protections never came from any so-called background or family.

Brother Gongshu Chou turned to look at the carriage carriage that had been dismantled halfway, slashed the carriage shaft with his sword, and threw it into the bonfire. The paint on the shaft curled up, emitting a crackling sound.

The smoke drifted toward the white sky, gradually fading into nothingness.

Elder Yan Chuan, with his graying hair, sat by the charcoal fire, looking at the "living ancestor" who was tightly closing his eyes, his expression somewhat gloomy.

Escorting a Qi Refining realm cultivator, ensuring he doesn't get hurt, ensuring he doesn't die, and ensuring he isn't discovered by others—this was the task the Master of the Mirror personally entrusted to him before departure.

In Elder Yan's view, he is a cultivator in the Boundless Realm; protecting a Qi Refining realm cultivator should be as easy as turning over his hand.

But he guarded him left and right, yet he never expected that he would take the initiative to rush toward death.

He had seen countless people seeking death in his life, but those were basically commoners who couldn't go on living, driven mad by taxes, unable to feed themselves or their families, and thus wanting to end it all.

But he had heard of Ji You's deeds; it is said that he had entered the Inner Court through his own efforts, and although he had not been accepted by the Heavenly Tian Shuyuan's Immortal Hall, he had established an aristocratic family in Fengzhou.

Plus, even the Master of the Mirror took such good care of him; his future path could be said to be bright.

Such a life, he really just didn't want it anymore?

You don't want it, but I do...

After a long rest, the group set off, and Ji You was lifted onto a carriage.

This was only the border area between the Barbarian and Demon races. Although those Barbarians did not pursue them because of the subtle relationship with the Demon race, it did not mean this place was necessarily safe, so everyone intended to set off as early as possible.

During this time, Ji You had opened his eyes once.

Looking at the broken swords in the carriage, he remained silent, then fell into a deep sleep again.

Continuing north from Hailongcheng, the temperature dropped lower and lower. The massive and towering snow-capped mountains were already close at hand, but they did not intend to cross these mountains, instead planning to detour to the west.

After all, the snow mountains were barren, making it difficult to discern direction, while detouring to the west would lead to many Demon race cities where they could rest temporarily.

At the same time, a message from the Cold Iron Pass was sent out by fast horse, arriving in Shengjing from the Northern Border.

The human race had won a small victory in the Eastern Theater, killing thousands of enemies.

Prince Chong and Wei Li were in the Listening Fragrance Water Pavilion in the back garden of the Prince's Mansion, watching the yellow leaves wither and listening to the servant in the mansion read the battle report, their eyes narrowing slightly.

If it were a normal season, news of victory from outside the Cold Iron Pass would indeed be a good thing, but at this moment, it was not.

Because according to the battle report, thirteen Soldier King realm Barbarians and countless Upper General realm Barbarians had suddenly left the battlefield a few days ago, galloping toward the north.

Without the fierce generals, the human race could naturally win a small victory.

But who were those generals who suddenly left attacking? The answer was self-evident.

At the same time, Cao Cao Jingsong's eyelids twitched all night, tossing and turning like a pancake until dawn, and he went out as soon as he opened his eyes.

Wen Zhengxin and Ban Ban Yangshu also hadn't slept well all night, and they met by the Bishui Lake.

"The war outside the Cold Iron Pass is tense now; the Barbarian generals would not leave the battlefield for no reason. The only explanation is that they discovered the traces of the envoy group and went in pursuit."

Wen Zhengxin clenched her fists: "What realm is a Soldier King?"

Ban Ban Yangshu looked at her: "I went to the Division of Immortal Supervision to inquire; it is said that their strength is between the Responding to Heaven and Boundless realms."

Cao Cao Jingsong looked at his surroundings with a heavy expression: "They must have already encountered pursuers; my eyelid twitching has never been without a reason..."

"Is it accurate?"

"Every time Ji You's bandit heart suddenly clears and he wants to return to his professional work, it twitches wildly, as if urging me to run fast. You tell me if it's accurate?"

Wen Zhengxin was silent for a long time before speaking: "Junior brother's Dao heart is clear, and he is meticulous; even if he encounters danger, he should be able to turn bad luck into good."

Cao Cao Jingsong shook his head: "You don't understand. Based on my understanding of him, if he really reaches a critical moment, he will always make the most dangerous choice, just like when he was in Yuyang County, he overnight... broke through two realms."

"?!"

Wen Zhengxin and Ban Ban Yangshu were instantly stunned, then turned to look at Cao Cao Jingsong.

Everyone in the academy knew the reason for Ji You's admission; it was said that he was extremely lucky, completing his cultivation at the critical moment to enter the Heavenly Tian Shuyuan, but no one ever knew that Ji You was only in the Middle Realm of Condensation and Transformation the night before, not even reaching the Upper Realm.

The reason Cao Cao Jingsong didn't say anything was that this matter was truly too shocking.

A wild private cultivator entering an immortal sect was already a matter that easily attracted attention, and in his view, being a bit low-key was a good thing.

However, after getting along for a long time, Wang Jiaoxi Cao also understood the temperaments of Wen Zhengxin and Ban Ban Yangshu, and since Ji You had already entered the Inner Court and established an aristocratic family, hiding it was no longer that important.

"Junior brother once broke through two realms overnight?"

"If it weren't for that, how would I dare to bet one hundred spirit stones with Wang Jiaoxi Ma and Wang Jiaoxi Ding."

Cao Cao Jingsong felt worried, very afraid that Ji You would really take risks regardless of his own safety.

Keeping good thoughts and being willing to establish a life for the people is a good thing, but there is no need to put oneself in a dead end.

At this moment, ten miles west of the Fengzhou government office, the former site of the Luoxia Mountain Villa, Ji Village.

The young girl in cotton clothes was sitting cross-legged on a cushion, with weak air currents slowly gathering toward her.

However, before those air currents could touch her skin, she suddenly opened her eyes. Seeing that there was no one around, she secretly intended to go out.

This villa was too big; she hadn't figured it out yet, but she remembered the location of the kitchen better than anyone else.

However, before she could rush into the kitchen, she was grabbed by Pei Pei Ruyi, who dragged her back to the room by her collar, scaring her until tears flowed from her mouth.

"Master..."

"Cultivate well. Fengzhou is so big; in the end, we cannot rely on Ji You alone to guard it."

Pei Pei Ruyi carried Qiu Ru to the bed, then walked out of Ji Village alone, walking along the road toward the outside of the city.

It was late autumn, and the winter chill was gradually becoming obvious. The agricultural officials of Fengzhou had been dividing the land to be reclaimed next year with Qiu Zhong for the past few days, occasionally rushing to the site.

And in their team, there were many commoners. They no longer had to worry about having no food for the winter, so they spontaneously joined the planning of the reclaimed land.

Another group of women was comparing the grain seeds left over after this year's harvest.

Before, after paying taxes, the remaining food wasn't even enough to feed people, so naturally, no one cared what seeds could grow better crops; they planted whatever they had.

Those who didn't have enough to sow even had to borrow from the granary in a "borrow one, return ten" manner.

But now, with plenty of surplus, naturally, people began to study which family's crops grew better and had higher yields.

To sum it up in one sentence, the people of Fengzhou were now eagerly looking forward to the coming year, instead of living year by year as before, feeling that they could just survive one year at a time.

All these changes stemmed from Ji You establishing an aristocratic family here and taking back the tax quota.

But these commoners who had just breathed a sigh of relief might not know that in the Northern Border not far from here, there was an even greater crisis waiting to strike.

At the same time, on the border of the Snow Region, the carriage, after galloping for three days, slowly stopped.

Shi Shi Junhao jumped off the carriage with a pale face. His shoulder had suffered a tearing injury, and although it was now bandaged, blood still seeped out whenever he moved his arm.

And the others were also more or less covered in wounds, looking somewhat exhausted from the journey.

The Snow Region is vast. Apart from the Demon race cities, everywhere else is uninhabited snowfields, which became a hotbed for murderous intent as the envoy group passed through.

Because the Barbarians were unwilling to give up, they set up ambushes in places where there were no Demon race members, even though they didn't dare to act in the Demon race cities.

They had encountered a surprise attack by Barbarian beasts while bypassing the snow mountains, which almost caused an avalanche, and were also ambushed by Barbarians who suddenly appeared on the snow mountain ridge, keeping their hearts hanging throughout the journey.

However, fortunately, this battle was not as tragic as when their tracks were exposed.

After all, this was Demon race territory. Even if they had sneaked in without permission, they still didn't dare to act blatantly, and since the ambush failed, they could only leave to avoid suffering a loss.

At this moment, everyone looked into the distance through the biting wind and snow, seeing two towering snow peaks rising from the ground, like sharp swords piercing the sky, with majestic momentum.

Between these two snow peaks, a vast city sat quietly.

The smallest of the Nine Provinces is Zhongzhou, and this city in front of them was already as large as Zhongzhou, as if it were embedded in the snow-white land.

"Demon Emperor City..."

"Finally arrived."

Everyone looked at the magnificent city from afar, unable to help but be attracted by its vastness.

Unlike the human race, which is divided into the Nine Provinces and each has its own camp, this Demon Emperor City is the power core of the Snow Region Demon race.

Even from ten miles away, they could already feel some powerful auras in the city.

And for the thousand years since the ancient times, they were the first group of humans to arrive here.

"The Demon Emperor City is ahead, but we still cannot let our guard down, because the attitudes of the Demon race toward our human race are also different. After all, our human race has occupied the fertile Nine Provinces for many years. Although the Demon race does not live as hard as the Barbarians, they also have expectations for the Nine Provinces."

Peng Peng Dongyang lowered his voice: "Some Demon race tribes are willing to trade with our human race, but others are strongly in favor of allying with the Barbarians. We cannot even be sure if some have already colluded with the Barbarians, so we must be vigilant at all times."

The words of this Deputy Supervisor of the Division of Immortal Supervision were indeed the true situation of the Demon race today.

Some thoughts might not move, but once they do, various different choices will emerge.

Some think war is bad, but others think war is the fastest way to see results.

However, the good thing is that the Demon Emperor is different from the human Emperor; he is the true leader of the Snow Region Demon race and one of the strongest in the Blue Cloud World. The envoy group only needs to convince him not to start a war, and the purpose of this trip will be considered a success.

Jiang Jiang Chenfeng couldn't help but speak: "How strong is the Demon Emperor?"

The elder of the Asking Dao Sect stroked his long beard: "No one has seen the Demon Emperor take action, so no one knows how strong he is."

"Upper Five Realms perfection?"

"In terms of combat power alone, I think it should be above the perfection of the Upper Five Realms."

The elder of the Mountain and Sea Pavilion also couldn't help but narrow his eyes in the cold wind: "Unlike the Barbarian race, which grew up in hunger and cold, this Demon race is a race that has been competing with our human race for the world since ancient times. The Demon Emperor lineage also once had the opportunity to rule the world."

Hearing this, the arrogant talents of the immortal sects couldn't help but look at each other.

The Demon race has no Dao lineage, so the Demon Emperor naturally cannot prove the Dao and approach immortality like the human race.

His strength should come from his own bloodline, like the Barbarian race, refining the body itself, seeking inward, and achieving realm improvement.

It's just a pity that even if he is strong to this extent, without a Dao lineage, he still cannot become an immortal and can only lead his people to live in this Snow Region, sitting alone here.

Peng Peng Dongyang watched them discussing the strength of the Demon Emperor and couldn't help but speak again: "There are Demon race members everywhere here, so please be sure to avoid conflicts with them. After all, we are outsiders."

Jiang Jiang Chenfeng looked at him: "Official Peng is overthinking; we naturally won't."

"That would be good."

"However, if the Demon race provokes us first, that would be another matter."

Hearing this, Peng Peng Dongyang clenched his hands. After a long while, he swallowed his words and couldn't help but sigh, thinking that some people dare to slash Barbarian Soldier Kings with swords, while others only dare to be fierce with their mouths.

Then the carriage team drove along a wide road toward the Demon Emperor City, facing the wind and snow, and arrived before the city.

At this moment, on the outer city wall of the Demon Emperor City, there were already people standing, looking at them sideways.

Like the first time the human race saw the Demon race on the streets of Shengjing, the Demon race here was also seeing the human race for the first time.

"They look weak and fragile, as if they could be snapped with a single hand, but their aura is quite strong..."

"That is the favor of the Heavenly Dao; the immortal path in the mouths of the human race is like this."

"Compared to the human race, I prefer the Barbarian race."

On the city wall, there were black-eyed Demon generals, five big and three rough, with two large ears standing high and thick nostrils exhaling a burst of white smoke.

There was much discussion on the city wall. Just as Peng Peng Dongyang had said earlier, there were all kinds of attitudes, but no one really blocked the envoy group from entering.

The Demon Emperor City is divided into two parts: the outer city and the inner city. The outer city is huge, and most of the buildings have pointed roofs to deal with the constant heavy snow. Each house has a towering chimney, constantly emitting thick smoke, blending into the snow-white land.

There are many evergreen plants in the city area, still full of life in the extreme cold.

At this moment, some Demon race members had already come from the inner city, their dark blue demon pupils flickering, greeting them in a friendly manner.

In the forefront were three people. In the middle was a handsome Demon race young master, and on his left was a woman with an immortal dress trailing on the ground. Both had horns on their heads and fine scales on their necks, looking noble and imposing.

When the Demon race first appeared in the Nine Provinces, there was one who once called himself the son of the Demon Emperor; it was the one in front, named Hanye.

And the other was his sister, the Demon race princess Princess Fengyang.

"Everyone has come from afar; you have worked hard."

Peng Peng Dongyang bowed: "I wish for our human race and the Demon race to be friendly forever."

Hanye reached out to help him up: "Although our two races have not interacted for thousands of years, we are actually close in our bones."

"Your Highness is absolutely right."

Hanye then looked at the two middle-aged Demon race members behind him: "Let me introduce to everyone; these two are the Claw tribe leader Merong and the Fur tribe leader Huang Long, who are also two important ministers by my father's side."

Peng Peng Dongyang still held a bowing posture, while the other immortal sect elders and arrogant talents bowed slightly.

Then several people looked at another person following Hanye. He was dressed in white, already elderly, with both hands hidden in his sleeves. His aura was not as strong as theirs, but his vertical pupils looked very deep.

Hanye raised the corners of his mouth: "This is the Imperial Palace's Saint Physician Master Bai Li, whom I specially invited from my father's side to diagnose Young Master Ji."

"?"

Jiang Yan and the others were slightly startled.

The human envoy group's journey in the Barbarian wilderness was actually known to the Demon race, including the great battle in front of Hailongcheng, which had been under their observation all along.

So it was not just them that night; the Demon race also knew about the 【Forty-Nine Heavy Mountains】 seen by the Barbarian Soldier King.

"I have already smelled the scent of blood."

Saint Physician Master Bai Li did not wait for an answer, but walked straight toward the middle carriage. Hanye followed, and the Demon race princess Princess Fengyang also followed with curiosity.

Brother Gongshu Chou wanted to draw his sword to stop them, but was stopped by Yan Chuan: "If the Demon race had murderous intent, they wouldn't need to use such means to cover it up. Let them take a look."

"That... alright."

Jiang Jiang Chenfeng frowned: "How would the Demon race know the name of a Qi Refining realm cultivator?"

Brother Gongshu Chou glanced at him: "When the Demon race first visited Shengjing, the personal guard by the Demon Emperor's son's side was injured, and that sword strike was given by Ji You."

As the words fell, the human arrogant talents were slightly startled.

However, before they could react, they found that the Demon race Saint Physician had suddenly walked out of the carriage, his speed so fast it left people tongue-tied.

Brother Gongshu Chou frowned: "So fast?"

Saint Physician Master Bai Li spoke indifferently: "No saving him."

"?!"

Elder Yan Chuan's face changed drastically, his eyes widening as if he wanted to bite someone: "How can there be no saving him? You quack, stop talking nonsense!"

Saint Physician Master Bai Li glanced at him: "Internal injuries are easy to handle, but his heart is cowardly. To put it plainly, he doesn't really want to live."

Brother Gongshu Chou's mouth twisted: "Heart is cowardly? Do you know what you are talking about?"

Hanye and the princess Princess Fengyang also couldn't help but show a strange look, thinking that Ji You dared to slash a Soldier King with a sword; how could he be called cowardly?

(End of chapter)