I am Guhuoniao, not an umbrella demon, please do not disturb me.

As the name Suzuka Gozen automatically came to mind, Bai Qingyu withdrew her slightly offensive gaze. "Indeed, Mount Suzuka is more harmonious than the outside world. Perhaps this is the kind of life that most demons yearn for. Unfortunately, in the outside world, as long as you are a demon, you can never live such a peaceful life."

"My name is Bai Qingyu. May I ask your name?"

"My name is Suzuka Gozen."

Bai Qingyu found the name a bit strange, but she was used to it. All the monsters in the Demon Book were like that. In contrast, she was curious whether Suzuka Mountain and the Sea Kingdom were actually the same place.

The description of Suzuka Gozen in the demon register mentions the name Suzuka Mountain, but unfortunately there is no place called Suzuka Mountain in the world today. It turns out it was here.

Suzuka Gozen's aura is very strong, comparable to that of Arakawa no Nushi, but she has not yet reached the Mahayana stage.

Having made a simple assessment of Suzuka Gozen in his mind, Bai Qingyu said, "I have come uninvited, so please bear with me, young lady. I am here to find someone, a human named Liu Changsheng."

"He is my son."

·

Volume Two: Journey Through the Demon Book: Chapter Thirty - Liu Changsheng

On the city streets, Bai Qingyu and Suzuka Gozen stared at each other. Suzuka Gozen's eyes were strange; one eye was predominantly white, while the other was black. Her ears did not resemble those of a human but rather those of a merman. From these two points, it was clear that she was not human.

Bai Qingyu also noticed that Suzuka Gozen was floating in mid-air, with a tail covered in scales like a dragon's tail trailing behind her.

Suzuka Gozen didn't look very old; Bai Qingyu thought she was about the same age as herself.

"Liu Changsheng is an honored guest of our Sea Kingdom. He is doing well in the Sea Kingdom, so there is no need to worry about him."

Suzuka Gozen spoke, her tone crisp and clear, leaving no room for hesitation, just like her style of doing things.

“That’s good. I came here because I was worried about him. Chief Suzuka should know that there are many human cultivators outside searching for him. His identity is very special within the human race, making him a target for those cultivators to eliminate.”

Bai Qingyu followed Suzuka Gozen outside, intending to check on Changsheng's current condition.

“I am more or less his mother. I raised him from childhood. Now that he is away, how can I, as his mother, be at ease? But please rest assured, Chief Suzuka, I will take him away.”

With her hands behind her back, Suzuka Gozen floated slowly in the air, leading Bai Qingyu toward the depths of Suzuka Mountain. Upon hearing this, she slowly spoke, "Those humans outside came here for Suzuka Mountain. Liu Changsheng is just one of their targets. It is natural for Shenhuang to take him away, but that depends on his own wishes."

"Besides, it's not as safe outside as Suzuka Mountain."

"Chief Suzuka, you can rest assured about that." Bai Qingyu said calmly, as if he were talking about something ordinary. "Even if we get out and the news gets out, I am confident that I can protect Changsheng's safety."

Bai Qingyu was quite confident when she said this. Although she herself was not very strong, she had the luck of Xizhou and Bai Xiaoya behind her.

Of course, both of these forces are external. If she uses the faith of Xizhou too much, she will be trapped in Xizhou forever, just like Luo Tian. Bai Xiaoya's power is simply unstable. Perhaps one day the heavens will take back her luck and remove her status as the chosen one.

That's what she said, but in short, she has the power to protect immortality now, as for the future...

Given the speed at which the Demon Sword grows, it will reach the Great Ascension stage in at most a hundred years.

Suzuka Gozen remained silent and led Bai Qingyu up the mountain.

On Mount Suzuka, a grand hall stood quietly. An extremely powerful force emanated from within the hall, and a figure appeared before Bai Qingyu in the blink of an eye. It was a demon who did not appear to be very tall and looked like a young boy.

Her skin was jet black with red lines along the muscle contours of her upper body. She had a pair of red demon horns on her head, and her hair was similar to Suzuka Gozen's, also white.

She carried a strangely shaped long sword in one hand, with two huge demon masks beside her. Her overall aura was sharp and powerful, no less than Suzuka Gozen's, and even stronger than Arakawa no Nushi. She was estimated to have the strength of a beginner in the Mahayana stage, just like the Demon Subduing Sect leader she killed that day.

Their exact strength is unknown, as the standards for judging demons and humans are different. Their true strength can only be known through combat; for now, we can only get a rough idea.

Putting aside its strength and appearance, the name of this demon did catch Bai Qingyu's attention.

This demon's name is Ōtakemaru.

Ever since meeting the Lord of Arakawa, Bai Qingyu has been very interested in the name Ōtakemaru. Even without seeing the full comments about the two demons, he could sense that the relationship between them was unusual, perhaps even that of best buddies or mortal enemies.

"Are you the divine phoenix from the outside world?"

Ōtakemaru crossed his arms, looking somewhat arrogant.

"That's right, your name is Ōtakemaru?"

"How do you know my name?"

"That's not important. Do you know the Lord of Arakawa?"

As soon as Bai Qingyu finished speaking, she could sense a slight change in Ōtakemaru's aura. Just as she had thought, Ōtakemaru did indeed know Arakawa no Nushi. At first, she was worried that Ōtakemaru wouldn't recognize the name Arakawa no Nushi, because strictly speaking, Arakawa no Nushi was a title, and she didn't know his original name.

"You mean that guy who always carries a fan?"

"It's him."

"Yes, of course I know him. What, does he want you to tell me something?"

"Of course not, I just wanted to tell you that he died in battle not long ago."

"What?" Ōtakemaru instinctively tried to grab Bai Qingyu's collar, but he missed. His hand grasped at Bai Qingyu's body and found it was just a phantom.

"You know he is the Lord of Arakawa, so you must know about his Arakawa. Arakawa has been targeted by a major sect of the human race, and he chose to risk his life to protect Arakawa."

Bai Qingyu's true form appeared behind Ōtakemaru. As soon as she finished speaking, she suddenly heard a voice filled with surprise, "Auntie!"

The voice belonged to a young girl, clearly not Liu Changsheng's. Bai Qingyu turned around and saw that it was the girl named Ji Xuan.

Ji Xuan has a very high status. She is the Holy Maiden of the Heavenly Sect and the biological daughter of the sect leader, who is also the only daughter. Her appearance is impeccable, and her personality, talent, and strength are all perfect. However, she fell for Liu Changsheng, a blockhead.

"Xuan'er".

Ji Xuan threw herself into Bai Qingyu's arms, and Bai Qingyu gently patted her head.

Looking up again, I saw Changsheng standing not far away.

He was still the same, without much change, except that he was much cleaner after having a fiancée. He was no longer wearing the casual, tattered robe with dried bloodstains on it.

"Auntie, what brings you here?"

"Why did I come? It's because I was worried about you."

Bai Qingyu released Ji Xuan, then glared helplessly at Liu Changsheng. She really shouldn't have come. This kid is incredibly lucky; he's also the host of the Demon Sword. The great calamity of the future is still brewing. What will happen to the calamity if he dies?

No matter how you look at it, he won't get into trouble. Even without him, the Sea Kingdom might not die.

"You know what? I only found out about you the day before yesterday, and I came to see you today. If it weren't for you, I would have taken your sisters on a beach vacation long ago!"

Liu Changsheng didn't like to smile, but seeing Bai Qingyu's fierce yet adorable expression, he gave a wry smile and said, "I'm sorry, Auntie, this is a long story, I'll tell you slowly."

·

Volume Two: Journey Through the Demon Book - Chapter Thirty-One: Am I Going to Be a Grandma?

Carrying a long sword, Liu Changsheng approached Bai Qingyu, patted Ōtakemaru on the shoulder, and gestured with his eyes that he could leave this to him. He was mainly worried that Ōtakemaru and Bai Qingyu might have some kind of conflict. He knew Ōtakemaru's temper, and he also knew Bai Qingyu's temper. If the two of them got together, they would definitely fight.

Ōtakemaru, to his credit, exchanged a glance with Suzuka Gozen and said nothing more.

"Let's go inside and talk," Liu Changsheng said, looking at Suzuka Gozen. Suzuka Gozen nodded and flew into the interior of Suzuka Mountain with Bai Qingyu.

A moment later, in the main hall on Mount Suzuka, Suzuka Gozen and Ōtakemaru sat on either side of the main seats, while Bai Qingyu, Liu Changsheng, and Ji Xuan sat in the guest seats. It was clear from their positions that the ruler of this sea kingdom was not Suzuka Gozen, or rather, not entirely Suzuka Gozen.

It seems that Ōtakemaru was in charge of external affairs, while Suzuka Gozen was in charge of internal affairs.

A demon brought tea, and Liu Changsheng said, "Aunt, I came here to find the Merfolk and the Sea Demons to discuss cooperation. In the name of the Heavenly Sect, I think there are probably people planted by outside sects within the Heavenly Sect. Ji Xuan and I have only just set off and arrived at the seaside, and our location has already been exposed."

"Yantian Island came after me, with one Mahayana cultivator and three Nascent Soul cultivators. I had no choice but to hide in the sea, where I happened to meet the young master, and then I came to the Sea Kingdom."

The young master Liu Changsheng was referring to was Ōtakemaru, and he had a fairly good relationship with Ōtakemaru.

"The Sea Kingdom is relatively safe, but their main purpose in coming here is not to kill me, but to find the Sea Kingdom, where they have what they want."

"So I can't go out for now, otherwise it's very likely that the location of the Sea Kingdom will be exposed. I can only wait, wait for an opportunity."

"I originally intended to ask the Merfolk to help me send a message to Tongzhou, but some minor issues have delayed it until now, causing my aunt to worry. I'm very sorry."

Before Liu Changsheng could finish speaking, Ji Xuan nodded vigorously, "Yes, Aunt, Changsheng was also planning to pass on a message to you soon."

"It's just that those cultivators have sealed off the area too tightly, so my father didn't even have a chance to come and rescue people."

The Heavenly Cult's power was considerable, yet even with the Heavenly Cult leader personally intervening, it was to no avail; the blockade continued as before. Bai Qingyu wasn't particularly surprised by this; the Sea Kingdom must have some benefits that could tempt these powerful figures.

Otherwise, given the consistent way humans have acted over the years, why would they go to such lengths to cause trouble for the sea race? Not only would it be thankless work, but it would also make it easy for others to take advantage of the situation.

As for killing Changsheng, that was indeed tempting, but it wouldn't have developed to this point.

The Demon Sword must be killed, but the key question is who will do it and who will take the risk?

The Demon-Slaying Sword is something most sects can do given the chance, but no one wants to pay the price. If it were just a matter of Changsheng retaliating and killing someone, that would be fine, but the key is that Changsheng's position in the Heavenly Sect is not low. If you kill him, wouldn't the Heavenly Sect target you?

Such a huge risk, yet the corresponding benefits are almost nonexistent.

“Your father also has his own difficulties. The Heavenly Sect cannot act rashly at this time, as it could easily provoke a joint counterattack from so many sects.” Bai Qingyu said, bowing to Suzuka Gozen and Ōtakemaru.

"Thank you for your help, Haiguo. This is just a small token of my appreciation."

She tossed over a storage ring filled with rare and precious natural treasures from land. The overall quality wasn't great, but the quantity was certainly sufficient. Suzuka Gozen initially intended to return it to Bai Qingyu, but after a casual glance, she decided to accept the ring.

"The Sea Kingdom is, in a sense, also part of the sea." With her hand supporting her cheek, Suzuka Gozen's crossed-leg posture exuded a regal charm.

Bai Qingyu wanted to know if it was really comfortable for her to sit in this position with such a long tail on her back.

"Therefore, Changsheng's cooperation with the Merfolk is also a cooperation with my Sea Kingdom. He is sincere, so Suzuka Mountain will naturally not treat him unfairly. As for those humans outside, Shenhuang need not worry. They will never be able to find this place. Besides, Suzuka Mountain is not one to be slaughtered by them."

Bai Qingyu believed these words. The Sea Kingdom was indeed well hidden. Even she couldn't find it. The probability of those cultivators finding it was very low. She used Bai Xiaoya's power, which was roughly equivalent to the Mahayana stage, but she still couldn't sense anything.

"If Shenhuang doesn't mind, you can stay here for the time being. I will arrange accommodation for you."

"Alright, then I'll leave it to Chief Suzuka."

No one mentioned Liu Changsheng's cooperation with Haiguo, and Bai Qingyu didn't bother to ask. In fact, this was a matter of attitude. If Changsheng took the initiative to talk about the specific details of the cooperation, it would mean that he hoped she would participate. Conversely, if he didn't mention it, it would mean that he hoped she would be an observer.

However, if she really wanted to help, she would probably hesitate for a moment.

She doesn't just have Liu Changsheng as her only child; don't forget there's another child from Tianyang Palace.

It's a helpless situation, really. If they really fight, or if it's a future calamity, she really doesn't know what to do. Whether it's the Heavenly Sword or the Demonic Sword, they're both her children. What can she, as their mother, do when she's caught in the middle? If she helps one side, it's biased towards the other. If she doesn't help, and the two children fight, it won't be good for her no matter which side wins or loses.

After chatting for a short while, a yokai named Kyūjīra took her to a courtyard in the lower city.

Kyūjōra is a subordinate of Ōtakemaru and also a member of the Demon Scroll.

The surroundings quieted down, and Bai Qingyu sat in the courtyard, opened the Demon Book, and turned to the corresponding pages of the three demons she had just seen.

Suzuka Gozen and Ōtakemaru have extensive descriptions, taking up more than half a page compared to normal yokai. Although it's difficult to read what's written, just from the sheer amount of text, you can tell these two yokai are no ordinary beings.

The longer the introduction, the more complex it is; however, in her hands, they are all the same, and she finishes it with just a few casual strokes.

Compared to the previous Ubume, she is the most irresponsible kind.