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After spending a day refining the black Dragon Soul into the Five Elements Shuttle, Li Hong immediately set off with Chuxiong and Black Abyss, along with a fellow named Heavenly Torch.
Upon exiting the Great Lake Temple Ruins, Li Hong quickly summoned the Eight Formation Flag, enveloping himself, Chuxiong, Heavenly Torch, and Black Abyss within it to conceal their presence as they sped northwest.
Several powerful Divine Consciousnesses were continuously scanning the skies above the Southern Wilderness. This group of Demon Sect Monsters had followed them here, seemingly preparing to stay and monitor the movements of the New Nine Li Gate.
Upon hearing this, Chuxiong raised an eyebrow and wanted to jump out to confront them, but Li Hong stopped him.
It was not the right time to alert the enemy; there were more important matters at hand. Moreover, this group of Demons was quite formidable, all being Late-Stage Nascent Soul Old Monsters. It would be wise to draw them away and exhaust their strength here, thereby weakening the Demon Sect.
Continuing to drive the Eight Formation Flag northwest, they soon turned due north and quickly spotted the Sichuan Region.
It was early winter now, and the land appeared desolate, except for Shuzhong which still retained some greenery. Familiar with the area, Li Hong made his way directly to Fengdu, stopping in mid-air. He and Chuxiong along with Black Abyss Celestial Torch exited the space of the Eight Formation Flag and looked down.
Years later, Fengdu City had been rebuilt on the ground below. Numerous Taoist temples and shrines were scattered across the hills. In the evening breeze, the sounds of bells and drums floated lightly in the air, devoid of any ghostly presence. Facing the surging river, the scenery was quite beautiful.
Chuxiong had not participated in the rescue of Yun Jiuzi and was surprised to see so many mortals below. "No way, is the Fengdu Hidden Palace right here?"
"Yes," Li Hong confirmed, pointing at the mighty Yangtze River. "We entered back then through a tunnel we dug from beneath the river. That tunnel has surely been sealed by them now; we need to find another way in. The Underground is where the true Fengdu Ghost City lies; it is where the Purgatory Ten Kings reside."
The purpose of quietly coming to Fengdu was to meet with the Purgatory Ten Kings. Seven years ago, he had spared them, planting a seed of goodwill in their hearts. Perhaps he could persuade them not to participate in this decisive battle between immortals and demons. Their absence would be a significant blow to the Demon Cult while greatly benefiting the Immortal Sect. This was what Li Hong intended as a grand gift for Xuan Xuzi.
However, Li Hong did not have much confidence in this plan.
Although the Purgatory Ten Kings were dissatisfied with Yandao Demon Lord and had conflicts with him, that did not mean they would remain idle during a critical moment for the survival of the Demon Sect.
In any case, he would act according to circumstances; as long as there was an opportunity, Li Hong would not let it slip by.
"What exactly do you plan to do to get in?" Heavenly Torch asked upon seeing Li Hong deep in thought.
Li Hong thought for a moment, scratched his brow, and smiled, "Wait!"
"Wait right here?" Chuxiong replied, scratching his bald head in confusion.
Li Hong nodded.
The Purgatory Ten Kings would soon discover the four of them; at that time, they could either fight or negotiate. If it came to fighting, there would be no need for words, but if they were inclined to talk, that would be easier.
Li Hong leisurely sat cross-legged on the cloud, even flipping his hand to take out a bottle of Immortal's Drunkenness, smiling at Chuxiong, "Come on, have a drink to moisten your throat."
"Oh," Chuxiong mimicked him, also sitting cross-legged in mid-air beside Li Hong, accepting the cup of wine handed over.
As the sky gradually darkened, the moonlight cast a silver glow over the world.
The two of them held a small white jade wine cup, taking turns sipping while leisurely admiring the beautiful scenery of the Nation below and chatting idly.
Beneath them was a cloud as soft as white cotton. However, this cloud was strange; while other clouds drifted slowly with the wind, the white cloud beneath them had not moved an inch for an entire hour. It was like a large white cotton couch, softly "supporting" the two of them at Cloud's Edge.
In reality, their spiritual energy was anchoring this white cloud in place; as for sitting cross-legged, it was merely for show. The two were still employing the Skyward Technique.
Anyone with discerning eyes would know that beneath their relaxed exterior lay an extremely pure level of power.
Heavenly Torch Black Abyss had two dragons shrunk down in size, one perched on each of Li Hong's shoulders. Heavenly Torch occasionally stretched its neck to covet the wine cups held by Li Hong and Chuxiong, but unfortunately, Li Hong would never let it drink. It was a joke; a Divine Dragon wouldn't even have enough wine from a cup of Immortal's Drunkenness to wash its teeth, not to mention it was an energy entity with a deep throat that couldn't truly savor the taste of alcohol.
Heavenly Torch thus expressed its grievance: "You are deliberately tempting me."
Li Hong rolled his eyes at it in unison.
The two men and two dragons chatted and laughed as if they were on an outing, showing no signs of impending battle.
Below, the Purgatory Ten Kings could no longer contain themselves.
Yama said anxiously, "What does he mean? Is he here to show off?"
The eldest, Qin Guang, shook his head. "I think he is here to collect a debt."
"Collect a debt?" Chu Jiang, Bian Cheng, Wheel, Du Huang, Plain Land, Tai Dong, Official Name, and Song Yu all exclaimed in surprise. Only Yama furrowed his brow, a glimmer of understanding flashing in his eyes, but it was quickly replaced by shame and anger. A spark ignited from the depths of his heart, growing stronger and stronger. Yama suddenly dashed outside, shouting, "I'm going to meet him!"
"Fifth brother, don’t go! If you go like this, you’ll fall into his trap!" Qin Guang shouted.
Yama, who had already reached the door, had to stop. He turned around and dashed back to his brothers, scratching his head in confusion. "Then what should we do? What should we do?"
Everyone laughed and said, "Fifth brother is just too impatient!"
After the laughter subsided, Qin Guang pondered deeply. "I heard that Chu Hongzi has just become the leader of the Nine Li Sect. What is his purpose in coming here? It doesn’t seem like he wants to engage us in a hard fight; it seems he wants to reminisce with us. However, this old memory isn’t easy to talk about. Do you remember that strange place? We owe him a life and even said things we shouldn’t have said. This situation today might not be easy to resolve."
Everyone fell silent as they recalled the six months trapped in the Wandering Path of the Stars.
That place was dark and strange, filled with traps at every turn. If it weren't for Chu Hongzi showing mercy, they would have surely perished there. Just thinking about it sent shivers down their spines. Li Hong had let them go at that time; even Yama, who had the worst temper among them, didn’t voice it but secretly felt grateful.
However, gratitude did not mean betrayal or turning their weapons against Li Hong.
Being a fence-sitter was not the style of the Purgatory Ten Kings.
After a while, Yama said, "Since we came out of that place, Yandao hasn’t given us any orders. Do you think he has grown suspicious?"
Chu Jiang nodded. "Fifth brother is right! Even if we ten brothers don’t say anything, we can’t guarantee our subordinates won’t talk. Who knows if there are spies from Yandao among them? We can’t just go on a witch hunt either. The rumors from back then must have leaked more than a little; Yandao must have grown suspicious of us by now. In these seven years, he hasn’t summoned us to Azure Sky Palace even once; even Li Xiaolou treats us as if we don’t exist—nothing ever involves us. This situation is completely abnormal and speaks volumes."
Everyone nodded in agreement.
"Could it be that Chu Hongzi is here to persuade us to join the Nine Li Sect?" Yama stroked his black beard, finally bringing the conversation to this topic.
However, after saying that, he felt it was quite absurd. He and his nine brothers were the pillars of the Demon Sect; what was Chu Hongzi? When the ten of them achieved enlightenment back then, he didn't even know where Chu Hongzi was. How could he expect them to join him? Even if they had let him go back then, it was too presumptuous!
Unexpectedly, Qin Guang glanced at Yama thoughtfully and did not refute him. Looking at Chu Jiang and the others, their expressions were the same.
Yama exclaimed, "No way! That kid actually dares to be so bold?!"
Qin Guang replied slowly, "It's not far from the truth. I think we must invite him in for a meeting. If I'm not mistaken, the Immortal Sect is about to declare war on our Dao Sect. Chu Hongzi is here to win us over."
Yama was so surprised that he nearly pulled out his beard. Ignoring the pain, he asked anxiously, "Then why should we even meet him? We should go straight to Azure Sky Palace and inform them of this important news..."
At this point, Yama suddenly closed his mouth awkwardly.
His ten brothers were well aware of how Yandao Demon Lord had suffered in that strange place and had escaped first. This incident would surely embarrass Yandao; needless to say, they had now become thorns in his side. Even if Yandao believed that the Immortal Sect was truly going to deal with them, they would still end up being used as pawns in battle and face the fate of being on the front lines, likely suffering from hidden attacks as well.
Although Yama was a bit impulsive compared to his older brothers, five thousand years of cultivation was not in vain. With this thought, he began to understand his brother's meaning; no wonder his brother said "invite."
"Since everyone agrees, let's invite him in and see what he has to say. Brothers, I remind you all not to agree immediately," Qin Guang said meaningfully as he looked at Yama.
Yama understood that his brother was worried he might lose his composure and nodded seriously, "Don't worry, brother."
Soon after, Li Hong smiled from the clouds and said, "He's here." He finished drinking the Immortal's Drunkenness in one gulp, put away the jade cup, and stood up.
Sure enough, a figure soared from a hundred miles away but took a long detour before arriving in front of Li Hong. Without waiting for either of them to speak, the person bowed deeply and said humbly, "Master Chu Hongzi, our lord requests your presence; however, he hopes you can quietly follow Old Servant into Fengdu."
"Sure, no problem," Li Hong replied with a smile and agreed immediately. He concealed his presence and followed Old Servant as they took a long detour before heading toward a small hill a hundred miles away.
In the mountains lay a narrow gorge where a flowing spring maintained a significant water flow even in winter, splashing down like pearls and jade.
The old servant with a hunched back walked straight through the waterfall and disappeared.
Li Hong and Chuxiong exchanged glances, simultaneously calling out to Heavenly Torch and Black Abyss, and leaped into the waterfall.
Inside was a long, narrow cave that felt empty. The ground was very clean, clearly maintained by someone. The old servant moved nimbly toward the cave's depths, turned around, and quietly said, "Please follow me."
Before entering, they had seen a very elegant pavilion in the bamboo grove at the mountain's peak. Near the cave entrance by the waterfall, there was a rustic stone table with traces of a Golden Cup silver goblet on its surface, suggesting that people often came here to enjoy the scenery.
This must be the place.
The two approached the old servant, who was feeling along the cave wall. With a soft sound, a deep downward opening appeared at the cave's bottom, revealing steps leading down.
"Please!" The old servant greeted them with a bow and a smile.
The hidden door closed behind them, and they descended the clean, cool stone steps that seemed to continue endlessly downward into the underground.
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