Netherworld Painted Skin Scroll

Chapter 417 She actually...

After howling for a while, Zhou Xiang seemed tired and stopped shouting, walking silently with her hands hanging down. Zhao Qi felt as if she had gone on a drunken rampage and now only had endless emptiness, a throbbing headache, and a bladder about to burst.

This sight made Zhao Qi's heart itch again. How to put it... compared to ordinary people, spiritual practitioners generally don't experience particularly intense emotional fluctuations. This is because spiritual practitioners have channels for releasing their emotions—from the very beginning, they must firmly remember to understand their true nature and maintain peace of mind.

Regardless of whether the intentions are good or bad, whether you see humanity or bestiality, you still have something to rely on in your heart, and you can guide yourself. If you encounter a hurdle you really can't understand, you still have the Emperor above you, and you can talk to the Emperor and confide in him.

If someone loses their composure like Zhou Xiang, it generally means they've either encountered a life-or-death crisis or gone mad from practicing qi cultivation—that was Zhao Qi's thought.

But Zhou Xiang is in this state now because she's troubled by love. If you think about it negatively, love can be truly terrifying. If you think about it positively: this thing must be incredibly wonderful to have such a powerful effect on a person.

His heart skipped a beat, and he thought of Tu Nan. He knew it was because he had inadvertently stirred his thoughts, causing her to linger in his mind, but he just couldn't resist.

What did she mean by touching my neck just now? Was I too harsh on her? Actually, this little girl is quite pitiful...

As he was thinking this, he heard the "tap tap tap" sound again. His heart skipped a beat; he knew Tu Nan was here again. Zhao Qi felt a wave of relief, thinking that this time he might not have to be harsh with her anymore, and could actually speak to her properly…

As I turned to look behind me, a chill ran down my spine, and I almost jumped up from the spot—

First to rush towards him was a large rooster, its comb and tail feathers entirely crimson. Behind the rooster followed a python as thick as a water bucket, its skin glistening with black scales, and a third eye on its forehead. To the python's left was a gigantic centipede, as thick as a man's thigh, only slightly shorter than the python. To the python's right was a toad, about the size of a donkey's torso, its belly white, its back yellow, covered with round, translucent bumps that seemed to saturate with venom!

This area is now the source of the river, not far from Bixin Lake, the headquarters of the Blood God Cult. There should be no living creatures here!
Upon seeing these four items, two thoughts immediately popped into Zhao Qi's mind.

First, these things are demons! Li Wuxiang and the others were absolutely right; the demons of the Eastern Continent really are going to make a move against Zhou Xiang!
Second, that wasn't Tu Nan! It was the big rooster that ran over first!

His mind was buzzing—he was no match for these four demons! Because they were most likely there to deal with Zhou Xiang! Zhou Xiang was a Golden Core cultivator and a Refined Spirit cultivator, and he knew the Lesser Tribulation Sword Scripture and the Unmoving Scripture. These four demons' cultivation was definitely above Zhou Xiang's, and even more so, far above his own!

Shout! Call out for Li Wuxiang!
No! It will alert Zhou Xiang! It will ruin our clan's important affairs!
but--

But the four demons suddenly stopped about ten paces away from him. The rooster in the lead flapped its wings and transformed back into its previous form. The giant python behind it rolled on the ground and also transformed into a human-shaped snake-headed creature.

Neither side spoke. Zhao Qi just squatted on the ground, turning his head to look at them.

After a quarter of an hour of silence, Governor She's heart began to pound.

People would be afraid if they saw Zhao Qi's current appearance—a stout, deformed body and a face with ever-changing features. Even demons would be afraid.

No matter how ugly a person is, they wouldn't be feared by their kind. Because at least they still have a human appearance. The same goes for demons; although there are many kinds, they have been seen for many years and are considered commonplace. However, Zhao Qi's current appearance, with his face distorted, even Governor She found it extremely strange and bizarre.

Firstly, the Blood God Cult Corpse Immortal who had previously come to the Eastern Continent and the Great Western Kingdom was incredibly powerful. Not only was he powerful, but he could also refine these demons into his own bodies, which was truly terrifying. Secondly, they knew that the great demon king of their homeland, Xu Zhen, had also come to the Eastern Continent before, but before leaving, the king had told him that Xu Zhen should have died at the hands of cultivators from the Central Continent.

There isn't much interaction between the Eastern Continent and the Central Continent, and the limited exchanges mostly occur between the Xuan Sect and the territories of various demon kings. The Xuan Sect looks down on independent cultivators outside the sect, and this impression has spread to the Eastern Continent. Only now, knowing that even a demon king like Xu Zhen has perished here, do they realize that independent cultivators outside the sect are actually quite formidable.

Therefore, the king repeatedly instructed that once they arrived in the central lands, they should complete their business, avoid causing trouble, and return immediately.

At this moment, Governor She looked at the Corpse Immortal in the distance—squatting on the ground, his face turned. The features on that face were still slowly writhing, his two eyes were slanted to one side, his mouth was crooked to the other, and his nose was twisted to his forehead. It looked as if he was tilting his head and staring at them, his expression both sinister and terrifying.

He finally couldn't help but speak first, "Immortal, how did you know we were over there? Are you the one from your sect who came on business?"

Huh? Oh? Zhao Qi was slightly taken aback—this thing is talking to me?!
And such a respectful tone?!
Over the past year, his life has been full of ups and downs, and he has had many extraordinary encounters. However, his greatest gain was the skill of pretending to be a ghost and the ability to read people's expressions that he learned from Li Wuxiang.

Facing the chicken head and snake head, he naturally couldn't read between the lines, but listening to their words and recalling what he had said before, Zhao Qi immediately understood that tonight he was going to make a great contribution to the sect!

His eyes darted around, and he spoke in a hoarse voice: "I told you to keep an eye on Zhou Xiang, but you came looking for me instead. You're really a bunch of stubborn barbarians from the Eastern Continent!"

After saying this, he paused slightly to observe the reactions of the two demons opposite him. The chicken head of You Mingguan remained motionless, as did the snake head of She Dudu. Zhao Qi knew that even though this guy was unhappy with the title "demon barbarian," he didn't want to turn against him for the time being.

He had heard Li Wuxiang talk about Xu Zhen's past. Compared to Xu Zhen, these four were far less imposing and didn't seem like demon kings at all. His courage suddenly grew, and he said, "Didn't the demon king who summoned you instruct you on what to do?"

Governor She remained silent, but You Mingguan couldn't hold back any longer: "Our Great Western Kingdom's ruler is not some demon king! We've already said this before. Our Great Western Kingdom's ruler is the true ruler of the Eastern Continent, on equal footing with the leaders of your Blood God Sect and the Six Departments of the Mysterious Sect. You'd better stop calling him that!"

"You'd better not shout anymore"—if it weren't for the rooster-headed man's shrill voice, Zhao Qi would have thought he was being affectionate.

So the Blood God Cult actually went to the Eastern Continent and even formed an alliance with the so-called Great Western Kingdom... Zhao Qi continued, "This is something our cult remembers. I won't argue with you about the title, but I'm asking you, didn't your king instruct you on what to do after you arrived?"

The more Governor She listened to him, the more alarmed he became. According to the Xuanjiao people, the Corpse Immortals of the Blood God Sect were all madmen. The Corpse Immortal who came to the Great Western Kingdom last time was an Infant Immortal, whose abilities were not much less than those of the king, but he was also somewhat mad. He often gritted his teeth and muttered to himself, and sometimes he would inexplicably slap himself in the face, and his speech was often incoherent.

But the person in front of them spoke very logically, clearly much more sophisticated than the Corpse Immortal they had met before.

He became even more cautious and respectful, saying, "Corpse Immortal, we've come to kill Zhou Xiang. After we kill Zhou Xiang, you can take the things, and we'll return to the Great Western Kingdom." Brilliant! Li Wuxiang's guess was right! Zhao Qi couldn't help but applaud inwardly—Li Wuxiang wanted to use Zhou Xiang against the True Form Sect and turn him against them. Now these four fools had delivered themselves to his doorstep; there was no need to actually kill Zhou Xiang anymore. Just capture them all, bring them before Zhou Xiang, and that would be irrefutable evidence!

He immediately said, "Then you don't need to handle this matter for now. I will take care of it. You all wait here. I'm going to find my fellow disciples. My sect has some things to tell you later, and I need you to take them to the King of the Great Western Kingdom."

Governor She said, "No. The king ordered us to kill Zhou Xiang, and that is exactly what we are going to do."

"Didn't I say? This immortal has taken over!"

Governor She turned his face, and You Mingguan and the other two gathered around him. The four demons whispered among themselves for a while, and then Governor She said, "Immortal, you may kill him if you wish. But we must follow you and witness you kill him with our own eyes."

"Why are you barbaric demons so stubborn?!"

Governor She shrank back and said, "The king said that our brains are not as good as those of the people in the Central Plains, so remember one thing—do whatever you tell us to do. If you tell us to kill Zhou Xiang, then kill Zhou Xiang. Even if we don't kill him ourselves, we have to watch you kill him. And I also have to bring his body back with me."

Zhao Qi had initially intended to tell them to stay where they were while he went to find Li Wuxiang. But since these four were so stubborn, he could only wait for Li Wuxiang to arrive. So he sighed inwardly, "Let them see if they want. But not now. I have to wait until daytime to make my move."

You Mingguan leaned over and spoke a few words to Governor She. Governor She said, "The king ordered us to act immediately upon seeing Zhou Xiang. Because the people of the Central Plains are cunning, we fear that something might go wrong. Immortal, now that we have seen him and you have seen him, you should act now. You take what you want, and we will take his body. Then the matter will be settled."

Zhao Qi waved his hand impatiently: "I have my reasons. What's the rush?"

You Mingguan then leaned closer to the chicken head and said something, and Governor She said, "Immortal, you're making excuses, are you a fake immortal or something?"

That cunning strategist is truly despicable!

Zhao Qi didn't know what was wrong with him—these four demons had been respectful to him before, but now they had suddenly become incredibly dense, showing no mercy whatsoever, and even starting to question his identity.

He gave a cold laugh: "I'm fake? Fine? Since you're so eager to kill Zhou Xiang, then come with me—I'll show you how to kill Zhou Xiang."

He said this and started to walk away. As he walked, he felt his entire back tense up, afraid that he would feel a strong gust of wind coming from behind him at any moment. After walking a few steps with such stiffness, he heard a clattering and rustling sound behind him—four demons had caught up.

He walked towards Li Wuxiang's direction. After taking twenty or thirty steps, he heard the snake demon behind him ask, "Immortal, where are you going? Zhou Xiang has gone far away!"

Zhao Qi didn't even turn his head: "What's the rush? Aren't you worried? I'll take you to see someone first. Once you see this person, you'll naturally feel relieved."

—And their heads will fall to the ground!

After he said this, the four demons behind him fell silent. But Zhao Qi noticed that the "clattering" and "rustling" sounds had changed. Without turning around, he knew that the chicken-headed demon was starting to circle around to his left, while the snake demon was starting to circle around to his right, as if trying to encircle him.

Damn it, what's wrong? They suddenly noticed something amiss!? They're about to make their move!
Zhao Qi felt a tingling sensation on his head, and with a sudden burst of strength in his legs, he was ready to truly escape—he would shout as he ran, not caring if he alerted Zhou Xiang. Surely, he was more important to Li Wuxiang than Zhou Xiang!

But then they suddenly heard a woman's voice from not far away: "Huh? How come there are other people besides the three of us? Who are these four? Why do they look so alike?"

Zhao Qi looked toward the source of the sound—a head popped out of a grassy mound a dozen steps away; it was Tu Nan!
However, what peeked out wasn't a human head, but the head of a golden pheasant.

Zhao Qi couldn't quite describe the feeling in his heart. Anyway, a thought popped into his head inexplicably—it was Tu Nan, it was Tu Nan! This crazy woman kept saying that she was a demon princess of the Eastern Continent. He had never heard of the Great Western Kingdom before. He only thought that the Eastern Continent was ruled by demon kings like Xu Zhen. Where would there be any princesses? And where would the concept of legitimate or illegitimate children come from?
But now I've actually heard about some kind of king... Could what this crazy woman is saying be true?!

He immediately turned around and shouted, "Look who that is! Do you recognize her?!"

You Mingguan and Commander She had already flanked him from both sides. Upon hearing his words, they immediately looked in the direction he pointed, then froze, sniffed hard, and stared with their five round eyes, unable to utter a single word.

The centipede and toad moved from behind him to the sides, looking in Tu Nan's direction. They also sniffed loudly and became equally dumbfounded.

Zhao Qi felt a buzzing sound in his head—

Is what Tu Nan said true?

Is she really some legitimate princess from the Eastern Continent?!
She really is the princess of the Great Western Kingdom!?
But then they saw another figure emerge from behind Tu Nan—it was Li Wuxiang. They weren't looking at Tu Nan, but at Li Wuxiang!
The four demons trembled, and Zhao Qi heard them say in unison, "Shhhhhh—"

After shushing him several times, he finally managed to utter the words: "...Demon King Xu!"

……

I can't update too many words these days, maybe only around 4,000 a day. I need to gather material for this month's book signing event. I'll update more after that.

(End of this chapter)