Become a true immortal by emulating all demons.

Chapter 241 Your King, You're Shameless

"The prince's personal guards numbered over 1,200, divided into six branches, each with one general and two assistant generals."

"To join this sailor squad, one must be a member of a respectable aquatic family, possess exceptional talent, and have solid training."

In the darkness, Lao He walked briskly, quickly introducing the destination of their trip to everyone.

Whether it was the demon kings like Lin Shuyuan who came from Yongzhou, or the Cangli who roamed Dashun year-round, or even the noble-born Ning Qingzhi, they all listened with great interest.

Seeing this, Lao He did not feel proud of his extensive knowledge; instead, he sighed inwardly, feeling that his future was becoming increasingly bleak.

Because these things are common sense.

He shook his head and continued, "The prince's real name is Tantai Ming, hence this personal guard is also called the Cangming Guard."

Upon hearing this, Ning Qingzhi suddenly said, "Since the previous clues were all specially prepared by Luo Fengming, this one must be no exception. Tell me, who is behind them?"

Luo Fengming did not merely want the Ning family to confront Wang Sun himself.

Even if Prince Hengshui is famous, he is still a junior and not qualified to decide the fate of the Dragon Palace and the Heavenly Demons.

Matters between the government offices.

But he was surrounded by various families of the aquatic tribes.

If all these immortal sects are offended, and with their support, the prince will have the ability to truly threaten the Ning family.

"Mrs. Deng".

Old He's expression froze slightly, and he said somewhat awkwardly, "Deng Yao, the commander of the Cangming Guard, is the prince's brother-in-law and Lady Deng's younger brother."

"hiss!"

Dongling gasped and said bitterly, "It's no wonder your young master got into trouble."

Everyone knows that the Deng family wields immense power in the Dragon Palace. Even if Prince Tantai Ming is a womanizer, he only has one wife, Madam Deng, and doesn't even dare to take a concubine.

Moreover, this princess's heart is as small as a pinhead.

This can be seen from the story of the Dragon Girl presenting the treasure map.

If Ning Qingzhi dies at the hands of the Cangming Guards, the Ning family will naturally not let it go. Conversely, if the young lady were to die by chance...

Fortunately, Deng Yao's life was taken, and that lady will surely be enraged.

Even if the prince intends to swallow this insult, he probably won't be able to argue with the empress in his household.

Ning Qingzhi didn't react much.

Once things are discussed openly, they're not so infuriating after all.

After all, when a person dies, their debts are wiped out.

She couldn't very well go to the underworld and drag Luo Fengming's soul out to settle scores again.

Moreover, given the power of the Hengshui Dragon Palace, it's uncertain whether this young master of the Luo family will have a chance to enter the underworld after his death.

It's not impossible that they could be imprisoned and whipped until their souls are scattered.

Thinking of this, Ning Qingzhi felt a chill run down her spine. She remembered how terrified she felt when the Ghost King had targeted her and told her she had to stay by his side as a ghost maid.

Death is not the end, but the beginning of torment, and this torment may very well have no end.

Given Luo Fengming's cunning, he must have already foreseen the fate that would befall him if something happened to him. Yet, on his deathbed, he still made the most level-headed decision to send Lao He out.

This would be more beneficial to his plan.

What a rational madman.

Thinking about it this way, if Luo Fengge hadn't suddenly messed up, there was a very high probability that the Heavenly Demon Palace and Hengshui Dragon Palace would have gone to war.

"However, the Cangming Guard did not gain much."

Old He couldn't stand anyone speaking ill of the young master, but knowing he was in the wrong and unable to refute, he could only change the subject: "Because most of the demons in the area where the incident occurred left a long time ago."

"Where could they go?" Ning Qingzhi asked curiously.

Is there a place in Hengshui that the Dragon Palace cannot find?

"Liang State, Yongzhou."

Old He looked at the demon kings beside him with a complicated expression.

He hadn't thought much about it at first.

But it wasn't until he saw their recent performance that he suddenly realized that the idle demon kings, led by Lin Shu, might lack vision and strength, but when it came to their methods, they were truly first-rate.

Long before Su Xin and the others made their move against Ban Shi Xian, they had already considered the future.

I don't know how they managed to lure that group of Da Shun demons away ahead of time.

Such a strategic approach, considering three steps ahead for every step taken, is truly admirable.

If Young Master Fengming had encountered these people earlier, and the two sides had cooperated—Lin Shu compensating for the young master's lack of experience, and the young master providing them with support from the Heavenly Demon Palace—things wouldn't have come to this.

"What a pity."

He looked at the young demon king and sighed.

"What's a pity?" Before the person in question could respond, Cangli had already looked over curiously.

"The demons of Da Shun gathered in Yongzhou. If it weren't for the immortal's inspection, which gave him time to properly organize them, they would have had a chance to rise to prominence even without entering the Heavenly Demon Palace."

Old He let out a long sigh.

There are differences between demon kings.

Those of the lower ranks, like the Azure Fox, are only fit to be used by the Demon Palace. However, they are not without powerful figures who form their own systems. Even if they cannot compare with a certain family in the outer palace, they are still worth befriending.

During holidays and festivals, you never know which prefecture you might receive an invitation from.

Reaching this level is considered the pinnacle of a carefree demon king, something to be proud of.

The Ning family originally thought that Yuan Yuan was qualified to be such a person, so they did not bother with the matter of the body tempering method. Who would have thought that this brute would turn around and fight with the Qi family's Night Wanderer.

From then on, in the eyes of the Heavenly Demon Palace, the fate of the demons in Yongzhou was sealed, and they would hardly amount to anything anymore.

"It's hard to say."

The civet cat chuckled noncommittally.

Based on what he saw when he went to Dragon Ridge, and now that the two of them have returned with Yuan Yuan, they must have solved the immediate crisis.

I'm afraid that Master Lin has already achieved what Old He mentioned, but he's just low-key by nature and too lazy to flaunt it.

"The Tao family, the thousand-legged earth dragon; the Zhang family, the underworld's Zhang Wuchang; the Deng family, the dragon palace's aquatic creatures; the Song family, the spirit-devouring insects—plus the Wang family behind the two brothers from Tongzhou?"

Lin Shu was reluctant to talk about Longji Prefecture.

The fact that he was granted the title of king over the territory of nine prefectures and one pass is certainly commendable, and even in the eyes of the Heavenly Demon Palace, he is definitely a dazzling newcomer.

But he did these things to help the demons hide and conceal themselves, so that they could have a chance to survive the great disaster. It was their last resort, not something to show off.

With life hanging in the balance, what good is empty fame?

He listened quietly to Lao He's introduction, and gradually gained a general understanding of the power of the Prince of Hengshui.

These five major immortal sects are spread across Hengshui and the land, spanning the mortal realm and the underworld, together forming a vast organization.

This gave Prince Hengshui the power to rival an outer prefecture.

If we take a certain outlying government as the benchmark and threshold for joining the ranks of first-class powers.

Compared to this, even with the Night Wanderer and the Mountain God in charge, plus himself and Yuan Yuan, the foundation of Dragon Ridge Prefecture...

We're still quite a distance from that threshold.

However, even with the combined might of these twenty-seven terrifying forces, along with the unfathomable hermits of the inner court, the Dragon Palace still held a firm grip on their dominance.

"call."

Lin Shu suddenly felt a lot of pressure.

But the unknown is the most terrifying.

Compared to before, he finally got a glimpse of the true face of the Dragon Palace, even if it was just the tip of the iceberg, it was still much better than being completely shrouded in mystery before.

The most urgent thing right now is to hold the Heavenly Demon Palace back and prevent them from escaping unscathed and becoming a high-and-mighty bystander.

Only by stirring up the water can one have room to maneuver.

Lin Shu narrowed her eyes slightly.

He needs more merits and demerits to transform into various carefree means to protect himself, and even domineering immortal techniques that surpass the carefree methods!

More karmic fire and the essence of releasing calamities are needed to further enhance the quality of the rare treasures of the mountains and seas, as well as the status of the two illusory immortal descendants, so that they may obtain higher immortal ranks.

In short, I will take advantage of this murky water to step into the Nascent Soul stage!

"Can I take a look at that pendant?"

Lin Shu exhaled a hot breath, composed herself, and turned to look at Ning Qingzhi's fair collarbone.

He had sensed something was wrong a long time ago.

"Give."

Ning Qingzhi readily agreed and pulled him down without saying a word.

This is the boldness of a young lady from a prominent family.

What others consider a treasure more important than life itself is, in his heart, merely a rather precious magical artifact.

Why does it feel like there's such a big difference?

Lin Shu took the Qingxuan Lingxi Pendant, held it in her hand, and felt its warmth.

Two palm-sized objects quickly floated out.

The Mountain God's Carriage, the Heavenly Wolf's Banner of Ten Thousand Souls.

When the three kinds of rare treasures from the mountains and seas were placed together, their auras intertwined and quickly revealed their relative strengths and weaknesses.

The Qingxuan Lingxi Pendant undoubtedly occupies the main position.

Ning Qingzhi's treasure was clearly superior, but everyone present except Yuan Yuan and Su Xin stared at the young man's face with disbelief.

Old He swallowed hard, feeling his mouth dry.

Being overshadowed is indeed embarrassing—but you have to be qualified to be placed together first.

It's not surprising that Ning Qingzhi could produce such rare treasures; after all, she is the most beloved only daughter of the Ning family patriarch.

Who is Lin Shu to possess two extraordinary treasures?!

"Goodness."

Ning Qingzhi pursed her lips, and it took her a long time to come back to her senses before she looked Lin Shu over again.

No wonder he's someone who could make even the Ghost King stop in his tracks.

This person's identity is probably far more complex than I imagined.

She shook her head and explained earnestly, "Treasures from the mountains and seas are divided into three grades according to their different creations: rare objects, spiritual objects, and protective objects. This blood-red chariot has only just entered the rare object category."

"This Soul Banner is much better." Ning Qingzhi pointed to the Heavenly Wolf Myriad Soul Banner, which had just had a hearty meal.

"It has ample potential; it only lacks a bit of opportunity to be upgraded to a spiritual object of the same level as my pendant."

As she spoke, she took out a plum blossom hairpin made of colored jade: "However, for rare treasures from the mountains and seas, such a fortune is something that can only be encountered by chance. My family has been searching for it for me for many years, but they have not been able to help my Liuying hairpin grow. It is still a rare object to this day."

In terms of understanding the Hengshui lineage, Ning Qingzhi was even inferior to these demon kings of Yongzhou.

But when it comes to magical artifacts, she is clearly extremely skilled.

"However, I lack experience in combat and am not very good at using it —"

Ning Qingzhi felt somewhat embarrassed. Holding two powerful treasures, she had almost died in the underworld; it was truly shameful if word got out.

She casually added politely, "If Brother Lin needs anything, just ask, and you can borrow it without hesitation."

"It's indeed used in a very basic way."

Lin Shu nodded in deep agreement.

He had witnessed the power of the Flowing Jade Hairpin firsthand. If it had struck the Cold Mountain Ghost King directly, he would have been severely injured, if not killed.

Before the other party could even reveal their true form, this young lady from a noble family was already eager to exhaust all her demonic power.

What a waste of good stuff.

After saying that, he casually hung the Qingxuan Lingxi Pendant on his waist.

Even if the other party doesn't know how to use it, it's still their property. Taking both items would be incredibly shameless. If only one item is to be taken, then of course the better one should be chosen.

"Thanks."

Ning Qingzhi was first mocked, and then she saw her pendant hanging on someone else.

Her lips twitched twice, and she hesitantly put away the remaining jade hairpin: "No, you're welcome."

As the eldest daughter of the Ning family, there was no reason for her to go back on her word; she simply couldn't save face.

This scene left everyone completely stunned.

Is it really that easy to acquire a rare treasure from the mountains and seas?

You don't even need to write an IOU.

Moreover, Lin Shu didn't seem to have said when she would repay it.

Cang Li rubbed his hands together and looked at Ning Qingzhi with an awkward smile, but as soon as he looked over, he met the woman's cold eyes.

Startled, he quickly swallowed back the words he was about to say.

At the same time, a hint of grievance appeared on her colorfully painted face.

This differential treatment is far too obvious.

Pingzhou, Wangjiang Prefecture.

This place was one of the prefectures closest to Hengshui during the Great Shun Dynasty.

Even the air was filled with a moist, damp atmosphere.

Inside the imposing government office.

Two squads of "elite soldiers" clad in purplish-black scale armor were firmly guarding the rear office.

Although they are bipedal humanoids, they all look very different, especially their faces, which are almost entirely devoid of human features, with the characteristics of aquatic creatures.

Clearly, these are all descendants of immortals.

The fact that a noble aquatic fairy descendant could be dressed in standard armor and act as a lowly soldier guarding his gate, with such an arrogant look in his eyes, speaks volumes about the noble status of his master.

A young man, also clad in scale armor but now sporting dragon-head shoulder armor and a black cloak, sat in the hall, writing a letter with a serious expression.

At their level, communication jade slips were no longer a rare commodity.

But Deng Yao still chose the most traditional method.

Because this letter was addressed to my older sister.

He needed to use the most sincere and heartfelt words to express his concern for his sister in order to solidify his position.

Indeed, to secure the position of Commander of Cangming Guard, one's strength and methods need not be outstanding.

All you need to do is maintain this blood relationship.

Because Lady Deng is half the sky in the Prince's Palace!

Deng Yao carefully stamped the envelope. After doing so, the solemnity on his face vanished instantly, replaced by a flippant expression. He then leaned back lazily in his chair.

Inside the hall, a figure, no longer resembling a human, lay sprawled on the ground like a dead dog.

This is a local demon lord that Cangming Guard finally managed to capture.

Unfortunately, he's too stubborn.

Even though everyone had already dismembered the demon lord's wife, children, and even his trusted followers in front of him with the most exquisite skills, they still couldn't get any useful information out of him.

This caused Deng Yao some distress.

Even though He has a noble bloodline, He cannot be too indulgent. When it comes to serious matters, He needs to provide some serious feedback from time to time.

Thinking of this, He looked at the "petition" in front of Him.

There are quite a few names listed above.

The one ranked first is called Su Xin.

"Does this really mean we have to embark on a long and arduous journey to those remote and desolate places to find these little demons?"

Deng Yao frowned, but ultimately dismissed the idea.

Compared to doing it himself, it's obviously easier to sit here and interrogate them. He only needs to act like he's doing something, and whether these monsters are truly unaware is not within his consideration.

"Let him continue to send messages requesting help."

"yes!"

A middle-aged man dressed as a general stepped forward and raised his palm.

Countless maggot outlines suddenly swelled up from beneath the demon lord's skin, forcibly propping it up.

"Immortal! I don't know, I really don't know!"

"My brother and I parted ways long ago. He left Da Shun and won't come to save me. I beg you, I beg you to grant this lowly beast death—"

The demon lord struggled like a madman, but under the control of the spirit-devouring insects, he couldn't even mobilize his own demonic power to commit suicide.

He truly regretted not trusting his brother and following him to Liang, instead trying to be clever and thinking that since everyone else had left, he would be all alone and powerful.

"stop."

Deng Yao suddenly sat up slightly.

He wasn't softening at the cacophony of wailing and intending to give the other party a quick death; he was simply looking towards the door with amusement.

They were escorted by two Cangming Guards.

A tall, powerful demon, whose spine had been swiftly and decisively broken, was being carried into the back office by two men.

They then forcibly forced him to kneel on the ground.

"Reporting back to Commander Deng, this scoundrel has been secretly lurking outside Wangjiang Prefecture for many days."

"Judging from his face, it matches the one on the Demon List; he is indeed this beast's elder brother."

"Wangjiang Prefecture, the Demon Lord of the Golden Hall."

As the words echoed, the man also weakly raised his head and silently stared at his brother who was suffering inhuman torture beside him.

His expression was extremely complex.

There was no anger, blame, or complaint.

The Demon Lord of the Golden Hall simply sighed softly.

It was as if he was regretting the bright future he had finally found, giving up the position of the head of Shuangyun Prefecture, unable to control his legs, and insisting on coming back to take a look.

Knowing that there was a 99% chance his brother was going to die, he still thought about gambling on that last sliver of hope.

Having followed Lord Devouring Moon for a while, I've come to think that I can do it too.

This is an immortal!

It's fine now.

It's all over.