Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
Given that he had advanced three stages, Yi Qing only completed the Heavenly Tribulation ten days later. He was now a Stygian Immortal instead of an Earth Immortal, second only to Bao Yi of the Bao Family. However, he was a sword immortal. Sword immortals were naturally stronger than the other immortals of the same cultivation. Strictly speaking, Yi Qing was likely even stronger than Bao Yi.
All he was concerned about, however, was whether his master had enough food to eat. He hurriedly regulated his meridians and flew back toward the sect. Along the way, he met two other people who were just on their way out.
“You’re finally done. Let’s go, we’re going to Qu Shuang City!” Lonemoon waved his hand, dragging Shen Ying along behind him.
“Master, this…” Yi Qing paused. Did they not just return from there?
“Let’s leave first. We’ll explain to you on the way,” Lonemoon said anxiously. He started to mount his flying sword.
Yi Qing did not ask anymore questions. He summoned his flying sword and reached out to pull Shen Ying up behind him on the sword. Then, they flew off together toward Qu Shuang City.
“What happened in Qu Shuang City?” Shen Ying asked while they flew.
“Do you remember the demon which invaded the city earlier?” Lonemoon asked. “Do you know how it escaped?”
Yi Qing frowned and pondered. Ning Zi’an’s Primordial Soul Sword Qi had distracted Bao Yi. The demon took the chance to escape, and then…
“It vanished into thin air, along with all the demonic Qi.” The formidable demonic Qi had disappeared in an instant. “City Lord Bao later searched all around, but could not find even a trace of the demon.”
“How did it do that?” Even if it knew how to vanish, it could not have covered its tracks so thoroughly.
“It went through the gates of the demonic realm,” Lonemoon answered. “The gates lie inside Qu Shuang City!”
“The demonic realm!” Yi Qing exclaimed.
“We already informed City Lord Bao ten days ago, but despite their efforts to search the entire city, they have not found the gates,” Lonemoon updated Yi Qing. “Just to be safe, we decided to go down the moment you completed the Heavenly Tribulation.”
“How did you come to know of this?” Yi Qing asked. He knew that the demonic realm existed, but he did not know anyone who had actually been there. Why were the gates of the demonic realm situated in such a deserted place like Qu Shuang City? “This is such a huge matter. Are you sure those gates lead to the demonic realm?”
“I’m not sure.” Lonemoon gestured toward Shen Ying. “She saw it.”
Yi Qing’s expression changed immediately. With a sombre expression, he said, “Then it must be the gates of the demonic realm! That’s right!”
Lonemoon: “…” Son of a b*tch!
——————
The three of them flew nervously, passing through several transportation arrays along the way. FInally, they arrived at Qu Shuang City. Once again, they found themselves in the immortal city, but this time the atmosphere was very different. The city did not feel as crowded and warm as it did before. Instead, there was a cold silence about it. They only saw a few immortals walking about in the city.
When they arrived at the City Lord’s Abode, Bao Feiping was already seated at the entrance waiting for them.
“Fellow Immortals, you are finally here,” he exclaimed excitedly. He walked forward and greeted them, cupping his fists. HIs gaze rested on Yi Qing. He was evidently shocked. “Immortal Yi Qing, your cultivation level…” Ten days ago, he was a mere Earth Immortal. How did he become a Stygian Immortal?
Yi Qing nodded and answered courteously, “This is all thanks to the treasure that you lent to me a few days back.”
Bao Feiping looked at him in disbelief. The Nine Firmanents Distortion Mirror contained immortal Qi from half an immortal’s meridian and could indeed help people advance swiftly in terms of their cultivation, but… This is way too much, right?
He remained perplexed for several moments. Then, he recalled the matter at hand and regained his composure immediately. He led the three guests into his house and said in a low voice, “When I received Brother Lonemoon’s letter that day, we sent several men out to search the city. We haven’t found the so-called gates of the demonic realm, but we did find out about unusual events in the area.”
He pulled a map of the city out from thin air and pointed to a point on the map. Then, he began to explain. When the demons first set their sights on Little An, they carried out a similar investigation but did not manage to find anything unusual. This time, the same thing happened. They did not find anything unusual happening in the city, neither did they find any trace of the demons that had invaded the city, much less any remnants of demonic Qi.
But whether the gates to the demonic realm were hidden in the city was a huge matter which would concern not only Qu Shuang City, but the entire immortal realm. Bao Yi was unsatisfied when the men came back and reported that they had not found anything unusual. Therefore, he went out to search the city for himself. Indeed, he returned having found something small.
“There are many places in the city where the immortal QI is thinner and scarcer than average.” Bao Feiping pointed out several points in the map. Initially, there were many immortals living in the city, most of whom trained regularly. Naturally, different places varied in terms of the volume of immortal Qi. But after the invasion by the demons, many immortals left the city. Given that the city was built atop an immortal meridian, and that fewer immortals were now absorbing the immortal Qi, the immortal QI should have begun to thicken all around. But the immortal Qi in the city seemed to remain scarce in specific areas.
“We also found out that there were many places like that in the outskirts of the city. There was at least one such place every ten feet, but we don’t know the reason for this. Could it be related to what Brother Lonemoon said about the gates of the demonic realm?”
Lonemoon frowned. It was true that only demonic entities could repel immortal Qi.
“Shen Ying!” He shouted, turning toward Shen Ying. “Where in the city did you see the gates of the demonic realm?”
“In that… whatever tower…” Didn’t I already say so before?
“Weighty Tower?” Bao Feiping clarified.
“Yes, just before you entered.” She pondered over this for a moment, then added, “It disappeared in a flash.”
Just before they arrived… That means it appeared just when the demons escaped? The demon escaped into the demonic realm. That was why it did not leave a trace?
But they already checked the Weighty Tower several times. Contrary to the other weird places they identified, the Weighty Tower had the thickest immortal Qi in all of the Bao Family’s property.
“City Lord, can you bring us there?” Lonemoon suggested. There were some things that they could not see, but that Shen Ying – the cheat – could.
Bao Feiping nodded and led the few of them into the courtyard. Lonemoon checked the Tower where Shen Ying said she had seen the gates of the demonic realm several times. Yet, just as Bao Feiping had said, he found nothing out of the ordinary.
They subsequently checked the odd places that Bao Feiping had pointed out earlier. Similarly, they found nothing else out of the ordinary.
“Father has already gone to the capital to report this matter,” Bao Feiping informed them. If their city indeed contained the gates of the demonic realm, they did not have the power to make any decisions.
Lonemoon nodded and surveyed his surroundings once again. He still could not find anything odd. He was beginning to doubt if Shen Ying really had seen the gates of the demonic realm earlier. She could very well have been seeing things. He could not help but turn to Shen Ying beside him and ask, “Hey, have you found anything?”
“Yes,” Shen Ying answered.
“Oh… what?” Lonemoon asked in surprise. Even Bao Feiping turned around immediately, staring at her in shock. “What do you see?”
“A gate.”
“Holy shit, you see the gates of the demonic realm? Where?”
Shen Ying pointed to the ground. “Here!”
Everyone looked down at the space on the ground that Shen Ying was pointing at.
“…” There was nothing there.
“There… and there!” Shen Ying pointed in seemingly random directions. “They’re all around.”
The corners of Lonemoon’s mouth twitched. “What does that mean?” Were the gates of the demonic realm rat holes? Why were they located all over the ground? “Where exactly is it? Speak clearly!”
“…”
Shen Ying sighed, turned around to face Yi Qing and said, “Chef, help me to fly up there.”
Without any hesitation, Yi Qing drew his flying sword and flew Shen Ying up into the air. They flew higher and higher, until they were about a thousand metres in the air. Then, she pointed downward and turned to address Lonemoon and Bao Feiping, who flew up together with her.
“Here!”
The two of them looked down and suddenly understood. The colour drained from their faces.
Damn!
