Chapter 396 - 216: The Six Scions of Primal Turbidity, The Celestial Demon Child (Part 2)

Chapter 396: Chapter 216: The Six Scions of Primal Turbidity, The Celestial Demon Child (Part 2)

Julu Form said humbly, "I certainly went to great lengths to gather these assistants."

"Indeed," Faceless nodded. "They’re all a bunch of trash."

Julu Form’s expression didn’t change as he replied with a smile, "You’re absolutely right."

Faceless let out a dry chuckle and said no more. After a moment of silence, Elder Feng stepped forward to report again. "Nearby, a fellow Daoist from the Innate Demon Sect seems to have lit the Turbid Incense to gather members of the Demon Sects. Should we go and join them?"

"Oh?" Bei Lan mused. "If a fellow Daoist from the Innate Demon Sect is willing to rally our peers, that’s a good thing."

He said it as if asking for their opinion, but his tone left no room for debate. He looked at the other two and said, "Let’s go join them."

Faceless remained silent, as was his custom. Julu Form, however, smiled faintly. "Very well."

He pointed to the thick cloud beneath his feet. "My cloud art is not only swift for Flying Escape, but it can also conceal our auras. Why don’t you two Senior Brothers and the elders all join me on it?"

"There’s no need." Bei Lan gave a casual flick of his sleeve and barked, "Let’s go!"

A streak of escape light enveloped him and the elders under his command, and they shot through the sky. Seeing this, Faceless sneered, turned, and simply vanished from sight.

’Heh.’ Seeing this, the corner of Julu Form’s mouth curled, but his smile slowly faded. Just as he was about to activate his cloud art, he happened to glance toward the array gate, and his expression suddenly froze.

Beneath the wide sleeves of his robe, Julu Form’s hand suddenly clenched into a fist. A horrifying smile spread across his face as a sound, almost a groan, escaped from deep in his throat. "Xuzhuang—!"

It was impossible to tell if it was out of fear or excitement—perhaps the two were intertwined—but his body began to tremble slightly. After a long moment, the shaking abruptly stopped.

’Zhong Shenxiu! Xuzhuang!’ A look of neurotic sorrow crossed Julu Form’s face. ’How can I ever hope to seize such perfect vessels for the Dao?’

He spoke to the figures beside him. "If I could capture all of the Yuanzhuo Six Sons in one fell swoop, would that be enough to make a play for Xuzhuang and Zhong Shenxiu? Would it? Or would it not?"

The figures beside him were all his own avatars. It wasn’t that they couldn’t speak, but it would have been no different from answering himself. He didn’t reply to his own question, but instead burst into loud laughter as the thick cloud beneath his feet shot upward.

He hadn’t been boasting. As soon as the thick cloud rose into the air, its aura vanished. It sped off, covering two thousand li in a mere moment. Ahead, a pagoda stood amidst the clouds, its body seemingly carved from black jade. A vicious, poisonous dragon was coiled around the tower. It sniffed the air and suddenly looked in their direction.

After a moment’s thought, Julu Form revealed himself. Bowing with his hands clasped, he said, "He Fei of the Manifestation Sect. Greetings, fellow Daoist. Might I ask if you are the one who lit the Turbid Incense to summon our peers?"

"He Fei of the Manifestation Sect?" A thoughtful look flickered in the poisonous dragon’s eyes. It gave a slight nod of its vicious head and its voice rumbled, "Please enter, fellow Daoist."

He Fei smiled faintly and led his people into the pagoda. The tower’s interior was not divided into floors; it was a single, open space from bottom to top. The walls were lined with niches, and upon closer inspection, each one contained a different kind of demon, lending the space a strange sense of majesty.

"Ah, so it’s Junior Brother He. Someone, bring him a seat."

Julu Form had no time for further observation. He looked deeper inside and saw that there were already over a hundred people in the tower. Most stood with their hands respectfully at their sides; only a dozen or so had been given seats. Upon closer look, if they weren’t familiar faces, they were at least recognizable figures—all were Saint Children from the various sects who had reached at least the Nascent Soul realm. Bei Lan and Faceless were already among them.

As Julu Form entered, all eyes in the tower turned to him. Julu Form knew that any true disciple of the four great Demon Sects was aware of his background. He ignored the myriad gazes and looked straight toward the head of the hall.

There, a Demon Dragon Throne was set up, upon which sat a man with an exceptionally uncanny aura. He sat with an imposing air, and it was he who had ordered the seat to be brought.

’The Celestial Demon Child.’ Julu Form’s eyes narrowed slightly.

Although no one from the four great Demon Sects had cultivated a Primordial Spirit in the last thousand years, with the surging fortune of the Demon Dao, powerful figures had been emerging one after another. Six of them were the most famous, prophesied by True Man Yan Tian to have been born to carry the destiny of the great Demon Sects.

Someone with a flair for names had dubbed these six the "Yuanzhuo Six Sons." And though some refused to acknowledge it, the title had gradually spread throughout the Demon Sects.

One member of these six came from each of the Demon Intent Sect, Manifestation Sect, and Bone Sect, while the Innate Demon Sect claimed three spots alone. The Celestial Demon Child was one of them.

Legend had it that his mother was an elder of the Innate Demon Sect. While he was still in the womb, she had drawn a Celestial Demon down from the heavens, only to be corrupted by it and transform into a demon herself. After a master from the Innate Demon Sect subdued her, they discovered that the child had miraculously not transformed into a demon embryo, so they cut him out.

And just as one might expect, the child was born with the innate ability to command Celestial Demons—a natural prodigy of the Demon Dao. He quickly distinguished himself and became one of the most outstanding disciples in the Innate Demon Sect.

And here, too, he was implicitly the leader, with the Saint Children of the four sects all seated peacefully in the lower seats.

As the Celestial Demon Child spoke, an attendant brought over a Ghost Vine Throne and placed it among the seats. A broad smile bloomed on Julu Form’s face as he said with utmost respect, "Thank you for the seat, Brother."

After Julu Form was seated, he waited for a moment. When no one else arrived, an elder stepped forward and said, "Reporting to the Saint Child, the incense has burned out."

The Celestial Demon Child dismissed him with a casual wave of his hand and spoke. "I presume all of you investigated the situation in Nanzhan before coming here. What are your thoughts?"

"The Tai Su Sect’s actions are quite open and aboveboard," someone in the assembly replied. "They’ve simply laid out their formation, making it clear they want a fight."

"That’s right," Bei Lan nodded. "However, the specific arrangements within the array are still unclear. Should we probe it further?"

"Probe it how? By sending more people to their deaths?"

Bei Lan’s eyebrow twitched. He looked toward the source of the voice and saw a familiar face: Shao Ying, the Saint Child of the Demon Intent Sect.

His expression was cold as he said, "The gate of that array is guarded by Xuzhuang. Are we supposed to challenge him to a duel?"

"Xuzhuang..." The Celestial Demon Child lightly tapped his fingertip on the dragon-head armrest of his throne. An inscrutable smile appeared on his uncanny face as he murmured to himself, "Tai Su’s Xuzhuang... he hasn’t even been cultivating for three hundred years."

"I hear that within the four great Demon Sects, some are already mentioning him in the same breath as myself and a few of my fellow brothers. Is this true?"

The "fellow brothers" he was referring to were, of course, the Yuanzhuo Six Sons. In fact, ever since Xuzhuang’s victory over Yang Huai Venerable, such talk had indeed been gradually spreading throughout the Demon Sects.

However, the title of the Yuanzhuo Six Sons had been around for three hundred years. Even the youngest among them had already perfected their Nascent Soul long before then. To suddenly be compared to a junior seemed almost laughable.

Shao Ying said calmly, "I wouldn’t presume to say whether he can be compared to you, Brother, but the man is indeed extraordinary. In my opinion, he should not be underestimated."

He had barely finished speaking when a sneer came from the side. All eyes turned to a mask without any holes or orifices for features. No expression could be seen, but an indifferent voice drifted out. "It seems that losing to Xuzhuang once has shattered your courage completely, fellow Daoist."

Shao Ying showed no anger, the corner of his lip merely curling in what seemed to be a faint look of disdain.

Faceless offered no further taunts. He cupped his hands toward the Celestial Demon Child. "I can act as the Array Vanguard and challenge Xuzhuang. May I ask you, Brother, and all our fellow Daoists here to provide backup for me?"

Although he had no fear of Xuzhuang’s formidable reputation, he knew without a doubt that the Tai Su Array would contain other defenses.

The Celestial Demon Child smiled faintly but didn’t answer. Instead, he said in a measured tone, "The opening of the Nanzhan Treasure Continent is a part of fate’s design—a sign that the demonic is to rise and the profound is to wane."

"The Tai Su Sect has taken it upon themselves to alter the timing of Nanzhan’s opening in a vain attempt to bring the Treasure Continent under the control of the Profound Sects. This is a defiance of fate."

As he said this, perhaps influenced by his chilling tone, the countless demons in the wall’s niches suddenly let out a collective shriek, making the tower sound like a living hell.

"I have gathered all of you here today so that we may work as one to seize the Tai Su Sect’s Magic Altar, break their grand array, and restore the fated opportunity of the Nanzhan Treasure Continent to the world."

The Celestial Demon Child’s tone softened as he smiled at Faceless. "Since you are so inclined, fellow Daoist, I guarantee you will have your fight with Xuzhuang."

"Are you willing to follow my arrangements?"

Faceless fell silent for a moment, as if trying to guess the intentions of this particular member of the Yuanzhuo Six Sons. After a long pause, he replied, "Very well. Just give the order, Brother."

The Celestial Demon Child smiled and nodded, then ordered a man standing behind him, "Proceed to Nanzhan."

The man was clearly taken aback. ’This seems to contradict the Eldest Senior Brother’s decree...’

The thought flashed through his mind, but he didn’t dare speak a word of it aloud. He suddenly caught the piercing, ice-pick-like chill deep within the Celestial Demon Child’s gaze, took a half-step back, and lowered his head. "Yes," he replied respectfully.