Villains: Starting with the Landlady

"The consequences of this matter are too great. If we are not careful, it could cause demons from the Western Demon Realm to flood into the human world and cause a great disaster."

Although the ancient gods had the ability to deal with demons, these demons posed no threat to them and therefore did not offer assistance. Cultivators, on the other hand, value harmony with nature and the law of cause and effect, and do not wish to easily become entangled in karma, especially in matters of life and death concerning the entire human realm.

"According to what Immortal Ranweng said, it seems that my subordinates have found the Fuxi Qin... As for the matter of invading the Demon Realm, there is no need for the two immortals to take action. As long as you maintain control of the Lost Array composed of the Five Divine Artifacts, Bing'er and I will enter the Demon Realm. If we do not return in time, you can directly activate the array to seal the Heavenly Scar."

Both immortals fell silent. After a long while, He Ran, unable to contain his impatience, nudged Gu Yue Sheng.

"Old fox, even an outsider like us is thinking of helping us. As a native fox spirit, are you just going to stand by and watch?"

Gu Yuesheng pondered for a long time, then looked at Ling Yun and said, "I've heard that you are quite skilled at chess. How about we play a game? If you win, we'll follow you out of the mountains. If you lose, please return. After all, sealing the Heavenly Rift doesn't require entering the Demon Realm, and you can already do that."

"it is good."

Ling Yun lifted his white robe and sat down opposite Gu Yuesheng under the tense gazes of the three women.

Facing the thousand-year-old white fox, Ling Yun dared not be careless. He immediately instructed Xiao Na to maximize the computing power and begin playing against it using an AI algorithm that surpassed the entire era.

Gu Yuesheng's thousand-year life was not in vain; his chess skills were divine, and he did not fall behind in the first 30 moves.

However, as time passed, Lingyun descended faster and faster, while Guyuesheng descended slower and slower.

The two played from day to night until the three women were hungry. They asked Lingyun to take out a lot of food from the Demon Refining Pot and waited idly for the result of their game of chess.

"I lost."

Gu Yuesheng shook his head. He was quite carefree and could take things in stride.

"In the end, I did benefit a little."

"The victor is king, the loser is villain; I won't make any excuses." Gu Yuesheng moved lightly to the outside of the pavilion. "It's too late today; let's set off again tomorrow."

"Senior Gu Yue, please wait a moment. May I ask how to get to the Jianmu tree in the sea?"

"You want to take the Pangu Axe?"

"Exactly."

After thinking it over, Gu Yue realized that Ling Yun's incursion into the Demon Realm would be fraught with danger, and having multiple divine artifacts by his side wouldn't be a bad thing. So he told him the location.

The three women were all a bit tired. The two immortals went back to rest and prepare to set off the next day. Ling Yun put the three women into the Demon Refining Pot and rode the giant whale to Jianmu.

He gazed at the enormous Jianmu tree, which stretched as far as the eye could see, and flew to the mountaintop on his sword, where he saw a huge, sleeping human face—the great god Pangu.

As a top ancient god who created the world, Pangu's strength could easily wipe out the demon realm, but the prosperity of the human realm was irrelevant to him, and he was too lazy to care about such trivial matters. Now he was peacefully lying here sleeping, spending his endless years.

After a moment's thought, Ling Yun called out to Pangu in a voice imbued with powerful spiritual energy, "Brother Pangu, wake up!"

Pangu's enormous body trembled, and in that instant, it felt as if the world had been turned upside down!

Pangu opened his eyes wide and stared at Ling Yun standing on him. He was just beginning to show excitement, but quickly pretended not to recognize him and asked, "Who are you?"

"My name is Lingyun, Brother Pangu. I would like to borrow the Pangu Axe!"

Ling Yun dared to speak to Pangu like that because the Pangu of this world had an exceptionally good temper and would never turn against him over this matter.

"Haha, so that's what you wanted... Well, I don't know how many years I haven't woken up, my bones are almost limp. You fight with my clone and make me feel better, then I'll lend you the Pangu Axe."

Ling Yun could not refuse, so he shrugged and instead of taking out the Xuanyuan Sword, he drew the Mo Bai sword.

A clone of Pangu appeared before Ling Yun. Upon seeing his strength, Ling Yun was somewhat ashamed, because this clone replicated his combat power. Clearly, Pangu could easily see through Ling Yun's strength.

Watching Lingyun fight back and forth with his clone, Pangu couldn't help but reminisce about the past.

Ling Yun really knows how to have fun; I can't even come up with these ideas myself. I spend every day wandering through the void in my dreams...

As the stars faded and fell, the battle naturally came to an end.

"Lingyun, I'm going to give you this axe anyway, so take it and use it for now!"

A massive axe, almost as tall as a person, appeared in Ling Yun's hand. The young man took it, thanked him, and flew back to Immortal Mountain Island on his sword.

Ling Yun has now collected eight divine artifacts: the zither, the cauldron, the seal, the mirror, the stone, the sword, the axe, and the pot. Only the Heavenly Realm's treasure, the Haotian Tower, and the Eastern Emperor Bell, the foremost of the ten divine artifacts, have not yet been found.

These two artifacts are incredibly powerful, and the only way to obtain them now is by completing side quests.

Chapter 375 Dugu Ningke

The following day, Ling Yun, carrying the three women on his sword, and He Ran, carrying Gu Yue on his sword, flew to the capital, Luoyang.

Ling Yun inquired about the whereabouts of his returning subordinate, Fuxi Qin, only to learn that it had been taken by Princess Dugu Ningke. Furthermore, Dugu Ningke was furious upon learning of his cancellation of the Myriad Spirit Blood Pearl condensation project and instructed Han Teng to convey to Ling Yun that he absolutely had to come and discuss the matter in person.

"If this princess is truly a general of the demon realm as you claim, then shall I accompany you?"

He Ran looked at Ling Yun, but the latter shook his head: "No need, I have a way to deal with her."

Tuoba Yu'er pouted slightly, as if she had thought of Ling Yun's solution, but the man didn't have time to use his mind-reading ability on her, otherwise he would definitely cry out that he was wronged, because he really didn't like the ruthless Dugu Ningke.

Upon arriving at the Princess's residence, several maids beamed with joy upon seeing Ling Yun. One of them stepped forward and took his hand, allowing him to take liberties without any hesitation, while the others hurried off to call Dugu Ningke.

Ling Yun sat in the main hall of the mansion, seeing through their demonic nature. He smiled coldly, calmly accepted the tea, and drank it all in one gulp.

"Alas, Grand Tutor Lingyun!"

Before she could be seen, her voice was heard. Dugu Ningke's sweet voice drifted over, and she fell into Ling Yun's arms with a fragrant breeze.

"Princess, men and women should not touch each other. Please step aside."

Ling Yun held a cup of tea in one hand and had his other arm around her waist, while uttering righteous and awe-inspiring words.

You jerk, why do you have to play hard to get with me?

Dugu Ningke muttered to herself, but her affection for Ling Yun was genuine. She happily snuggled into his arms, playfully punching him with her little fists: "Grand Tutor, you lied to me so hard!"

Ling Yun looked at her demonic true form hidden beneath a human skin, gazing at her familiar blonde hair, and sneered, "Liar? How did I lie?"

"Hmph, the Myriad Spirits Blood Pearl is a necessary item for sealing and suppressing the Heavenly Scar. How can you just say you won't refine it!"

"Ha, why would I refine something that is so heinous and only useful to the demon realm?"

The atmosphere froze instantly, and Princess Dugu's face showed astonishment.

"Nicole, do you remember what I told you before?" Ling Yun shook off the maid beside him and held the princess tightly, his body radiating a fierce aura of sword and saber intent. "I said I liked you when you were innocent and naive, and that's not just an adjective."

Dugu Ningke's pupils trembled. Before she could react, the soaring sword intent tore her body apart and even killed all the demon palace maids in the entire princess's mansion!

Her human body was severely injured. Lying in the corner, Nicole looked at Ling Yun, who had the Xuanyuan Sword pressed against her neck, and smiled sadly: "When did you see through it?"

"I saw through it a long time ago. I was just putting on an act to keep you calm."

"You won't kill me..." Tears streamed down Nicole's face. "Ling Yun, we've grown up together..."

The sharp blade pierced her fair neck, stopping Nicole from saying anything more.

"I will preserve your soul and purify your demonic spirit within the Fuxi Qin for 99 years, until you are reincarnated..."

Nicole stared blankly at Ling Yun, seemingly pondering the truthfulness of his words.

"Nicole, the Western Demon Realm is destined to fail. Hand over the Fuxi Harp."

“No… Ling Yun, although I… I believe you, but Lord Lucifer…”

"In your room, right?"

Ling Yun saw through her heart and, before Nicole could argue again, raised the Xuanyuan Sword high.

Nicole closed her eyes in despair. Ling Yun glanced at her, sighed, and leaned down to capture her red lips, leaving Nicole stunned on the spot...

When they left the princess's mansion, all the servants and maids inside had disappeared, and even Dugu Ningke had been reduced to ashes by the lingering power of the Xuanyuan Sword.

Ling Yun returned to his residence and handed over the Fuxi Qin, Shennong Ding, and Kongtong Seal needed for the sealing to Gu Yuesheng, because he knew how to set up the formation.

"Inside this Fuxi Qin..."

"Kotori is Nico's soul. I hope the immortal will show mercy and not destroy her."

Upon hearing his words, Tuoba Yu'er and Xiaoxue both looked at Ling Yun with incredulous eyes. Yu'er even ran over and looked at the large zither.

"Ling Yun, you...you really killed the princess?"

"Hmm." Ling Yun's face was unreadable. "Let's go to the Tower of Babel. It's very high up and spacious enough to set up a large formation."

Gu Yuesheng and He Ran were both immortals who had lived for thousands of years and had long seen through the joys and sorrows of the human world. So they naturally packed their things and followed him to the Tower of Babel.

This place is teeming with demons, all of whom were planted by Dugu Ningke in advance. However, according to Ling Yun's previous instructions, his four generals had already come to wipe them out.

The group arrived at the spacious, open-air top of the tower to discuss the details of their formation.

Gu Yuesheng stood at the position of Fuxi Qin, He Ran at the position of Kongtong Seal, Tuoba Yuer was in charge of Shennong Cauldron, and Xiao Xue and Ling Yun were the incarnations of the divine artifacts, which only required the consumption of their own power.

Gu Bingbing held the Demon-Suppressing Sword and watched over everyone to protect the integrity of the formation.

"This is the Lost Array. Once activated, although its power is immense, it will cause those within the array to lose their most precious memories." Gu Yue Sheng glanced at Tuoba Yu'er. "He Ran and I have already become immortals and are unaffected. Xiao Xue and Ling Yun are reincarnations of divine artifacts, so they will not lose their memories either... Only you, Miss Tuoba, if you insist on doing this, have you considered the price?"

Tuoba Yu'er bit her lip, glanced at Gu Bingbing who wanted to replace her, and shook her head: "Immortal Gu Yue, the Shennong Cauldron is a sacred artifact of our clan. I swear I will definitely bring it back safely."

Besides, Bingbing is the woman closest to Lingyun. It's better for me to lose my memories of Lingyun than for her to lose them...

【Master, the Taotie's energy can be used to replace Yu'er's energy consumption!】

Hearing Xiao Na's voice, Ling Yun breathed a sigh of relief and said with a hint of helplessness, "Nana, did you expect this all along?"

Hehe, then why don't you praise me, Master?

"Xiao Na is the best, let's get started!"

【okay! 】

A rich aura emanated from Ling Yun's hand, enveloping Tuoba Yu'er and making her feel an indescribable, powerful energy filling her body!

“This is…” Gu Yuesheng noticed something amiss.

"This is the pure energy of the Taotie, which was originally refined by my Demon Refining Pot. I never expected it could be used here."

Gu Yuesheng nodded: "That's very good."

After everyone had settled down, they did not immediately set up the Lost Array, but instead set up a "Void Array".

To repair the Scar of Heaven, we must use the Void Array with the Xuanyuan Sword as its core power to travel through the void to the Crimson Comet.

The Void Array requires a bell, a sword, an axe, a pot, and a tower. The Eastern Emperor Bell and the Haotian Tower are currently unavailable, but Ling Yun uses the Tongtian Tower as a substitute, replacing the Haotian Tower with a six-pointed star array already engraved on the tower. Originally, Dugu Ningke had him refine the Myriad Spirit Blood Pearl to replace the Demon Refining Pot, but Ling Yun had already found it on Chen Jingchou.

Moreover, if the Princess were to use the Myriad Spirits Blood Array as she suggested, it would open the Babel Road. Although it would allow them to reach the Upper Realm, it would also pierce the Divine Continent Barrier and hasten the arrival of the Western Demon Realm.

The Void Array was activated, and the group traversed the void, arriving at the Crimson Comet.

Upon arriving at Crimson Comet, countless demons swarmed towards them. Ling Yun planted the Xuanyuan Sword in the center of the void array, drew Mo Bai, and swung it at the demons.

Chapter 376 Demon Realm

Because there were so many demons, even though the group was very powerful, it still took them a while to eliminate them.

Once everything quieted down, they passed the pillars of the Red Comet and arrived at its core, where they saw the broken barrier.

“We will set up the Lost Array here.” Immortal Gu Yue glanced at everyone. “It will take about half a day to repair the array. Ling Yun, after the array is activated, if you want to enter the Demon Realm through the rift, you can only bring one more Miss Gu, and you will also need to leave enough energy from the Kunlun Mirror to maintain the array’s operation.”

"I know."

"Right now, only Miss Gu is suitable to accompany you in, but please remember that you only have half a day. Whether or not you can defeat Lucifer, you must leave before the Heavenly Rift is fully repaired, and you must not lure Lucifer here."

The reason Lucifer didn't arrive so early is because the rift in the Sky Rift wasn't big enough. If he were to descend, he would only land on the Crimson Comet and wouldn't be able to reach the human world directly.

Gu Yuesheng was worried that if Ling Yun provoked him, the other party might go to any lengths to cross the barrier, which would be very dangerous for them.

After the Lost Array was set up, Ling Yun left about one-third of the energy to keep it running, and he and Gu Bingbing walked hand in hand to the front of the barrier.

"Ling Yun!"

Tuoba Yu'er finally stood up, her voice trembling slightly, and said, "You must come back!"

Xiaoxue bit her lip and said, "Brother Lingyun, as long as the barrier is sealed, the Western Demon Realm cannot descend to the human world, even if you don't go..."

"I will be back, and very soon." Ling Yun turned to look at the two women and smiled freely. "If you don't do some things in your life, no matter how carefree your life is, you will still have deep regrets."

"Young man, you're right," He Ran stroked his beard and said with a smile, "Then I wish you a victorious return, young friend!"

Once the formation was activated, the two immortals were unable to move, unlike Lingyun, who was reincarnated from a divine artifact, and could not leave with ease.

Although Yu Xiaoxue is also a reincarnation of a divine artifact, firstly, her strength is too weak to help Ling Yun, and secondly, because the Lost Array needs to be rebuilt with Nuwa Stone as the core, she, like the Xuanyuan Sword of the Void Array, must remain in the array.

The two figures disappeared within the barrier. Gu Yue Sheng glanced at the remaining three, nodded, and activated the great formation...

On the other side of the barrier lies the Western Demon Realm.

At this moment, in this eerie world dominated by dark red tones, a man and a woman descended upon it.