Young Noble Be Monster Slaying-Chapter 744: Scolding (I)

When Chu Liang and his companions saw this imposing figure shrouded in surging flames of demonic qi, the figure's face was obscured by darkness. So, they shouldn't have been able to figure out his identity. However, the words that the figure blurted out gave his identity away.

A sharp glint flashed in Chu Liang's eyes.

Hmm?

The only ones who knew about Chu Liang's disguise as the Violet Gold Marquess were those demons and evildoers from that time they went to the Sea Master's pavilion. However, he was later captured by the land demons of the Far West. He then returned to Moun Shu and even killed a Dark King Sect hall master. That meant the only ones who might still believe that Chu Liang was the Violet Gold Marquess could only be the isolated sea demons.

The identity of the eighth-realm Eminent One standing before him… was now clear as day. It was unlikely that this person could be anyone other than the Sea Master, the leader of the Ruins of Return Cult.

Living in the vast South Sea and the hidden realm the Ruins of Return kept the sea demons isolated from the rest of the world. They had very few channels of communication to acquire information about events that occurred outside. Recently, the merfolk had been in close contact with the Mount Shu Sect, but this was limited to Princess Liange alone. The rest of the sea demon clans rarely left the Ruins of Return.

The Sea Master had previously maintained frequent contact with the Celestial Charm Sect. It was through that connection that he had formed an alliance between the sea demons of the South Sea with the land demons of the Far West.

The Celestial Charm Sect and the Far West should have served as his sources of outside information, but the Far West had been too preoccupied with their own problems to care about the sea demons. Additionally, the recent upheaval in the South Sea had caused many of the sea demons to grow suspicious of the Sea Master's collusion with outsiders, believing he harbored ulterior motives. As a result, the Celestial Charm Sect stopped sending people into the Ruins of Return.

During this period, the Sea Master had not received any updates on the affairs of the world. The Ruins of Return had returned to being isolated from the mortal realm, just as it had been for many years before.

The Sea Master was truly at a disadvantage because of his lack of knowledge.

After deducing the figure's identity, Chu Liang's mind raced as he assessed the situation. Madam Hongyu's qi had vanished; he couldn't tell if she was alive or dead.

As for Sea Master's intervention, it was probably because of Grand Ancestor Fuyou, who was at the center of Misty Island. The two mysterious black-robed figures from earlier were most likely members of the Ruins of Return cult. It was no wonder they had concealed their identities.

Faced with such a powerful foe, if Chu Liang and his companions were to reveal their identities as righteous cultivators, the three of them would meet their end here.

In a flash, Chu Liang came up with a plan. He would play the role of a diabolical Eminent One pretending to be a righteous cultivator.

It was a role that sounded quite layered and complex, but for Chu Liang, it was no challenge at all. After all, pretending to be demons and evildoers was his forte. For an old hand like him, the harder the role, the more chances there were for him to show off his acting skills.

Chu Liang lowered his voice, speaking in a muted tone. "Which fellow Daoist is this, who knows my secret name?"

"This is no place for conversation. Come with me!" the Sea Master said, flinging out his sleeve.

There was a deafening rumble, and a mass of black clouds enveloped Chu Liang's group, carrying them away at lightning speed.

"Eh…?" Lin Bei uttered in shock, about to take action.

He wasn't the only one. Like Chu Liang, Xu Ziyang had just made a breakthrough in his comprehension of his main Great Dao, so he was in his peak state. When the Sea Master suddenly abducted them, Xu Ziyang's first instinct was to draw his sword.

However, Chu Liang swiftly stopped them and spoke with a deeper meaning concealed in his words. "No need to fear. This master of the Heavenly Origin is likely one of our own."

Of course, what Chu Liang really meant was that this black-cloaked figure was not one of their own and that they should be afraid.

Lin Bei and Xu Ziyang weren't fools. They immediately understood what Chu Liang meant.

They were faced with yet another evil eighth-realm Eminent One. They had just escaped a tiger's lair only to walk into a wolf's den. It was truly overwhelming.

Nevertheless, seeing that Chu Liang remained calm, Lin Bei and Xu Ziyang assumed he had a plan.

Thus, they remained silent.

Of course, the whistling wind accompanied them the whole way.

…

The Sea Master took Chu Liang's group to his pavilion and set them down safely. Then he took a seat at his table, no longer concealing his identity.

Now that his identity was known, the first thing the Sea Master did was scrutinize Lin Bei and Xu Ziyang.

"And these two are…?"

"As expected, it is you, Sea Master." Chu Liang put on a small smile. "These two are my subordinates that I recently recruited from the Mount Shu Sect."

"Violet Gold Marquess, you are pretty amazing. Not only did you infiltrate the Mount Shu Sect but you even managed to recruit righteous cultivators!" Sea Master remarked.

"With the promise of benefits, is there anyone who cannot be persuaded?" Chu Liang said, straightening his posture. He held his head up high and stated, "I have money."

He spoke sonorously with resounding conviction, leaving no trace of falsehood.

"Haha, impressive." Sea Master nodded before changing the topic. "May I ask what business has brought you to Misty Island, Violet Gold Marquess?"

Smiling mysteriously, Chu Liang locked eyes with the Sea Master and asked in response, "May I ask what brought you to Misty Island, Sea Master?"

"It seems you're quite well-informed about the affairs of the Ruins of Return—even the matter regarding Grand Ancestor Fuyou?" Sea Master said, his voice carrying a hint of suspicion.

It had taken him a long time to verify the information about Grand Ancestor Fuyou's location, yet the Violet Gold Marquess seemed to have gotten the information very quickly. It should have been difficult for those outside the Ruins of Return to get that information, so the Sea Master couldn't help but grow wary.

"Then tell me, Sea Master, why do you think Mount Shu has recently been strengthening its ties with the sea clans?" Chu Liang patted Xu Ziyang's shoulder. "Do you believe my subordinate has been making frequent trips to the Ruins of Return merely to court the Merfolk Princess?"

Xu Ziyang's gaze wavered slightly. He nearly lost his poker face, but in the end, he held firm.

The Sea Master suddenly connected the dots. "So that's it. The recent relations between Mount Shu and the sea clans were all orchestrated by you!"

"The one truly driving all of this is Lord Xuan Yinzi," Chu Liang said, cupping his hands to the side as if Xuan Yinzi were there. "I am merely a humble pawn in the grand scheme."

At that moment, the sound of heavy footsteps rang out as Squid King and Tiger Whale, the Sea Master's two most capable subordinates, approached.

The moment the two sea demons saw Chu Liang and his companions, they became wary.

"Sea Master!" Squid King shouted. "They are the ones who worked with Madam Hongyu and injured us!"

"Hmm?" The Sea Master furrowed his brows and looked at Chu Liang. "Violet Gold Marquess, was it you who injured my subordinates?"

Lin Bei and Xu Ziyang tensed up. Their battle to help Madam Hongyu defend Misty Island had been real, and they had no idea how Chu Liang planned to talk his way out of this one.

Chu Liang glanced at the Squid King and Tiger Whale, but his expression remained calm and unshaken. He even let out a little sneer before replying loudly, "That's right!"

What's this? Are we about to start fighting? Lin Bei thought.

His eye twitched twice, and his knees nearly gave out. However, he trusted Chu Liang unconditionally, so he forced himself to stay calm and avoid revealing any clues that would expose the truth.

The Sea Master remained silent and just observed Chu Liang, curious as to how he would explain himself.

"Why do you think I was able to infiltrate Bloodmist Manor?" Chu Liang asked. He said frankly with conviction, "Because I fabricated an excuse about collecting Thundercloud Seeds. That was why Madam Hongyu willingly took us into Misty Island.

"Initially, we could have entered the underground cavern unscathed and successfully rescued Grand Ancestor Fuyou. But these two subordinates of yours suddenly attacked us and even targeted my brothers."

Chu Liang spread open his hands in a shrug. "In such a situation, when friend and foe were unclear, how could I have gained Madam Hongyu's trust without taking action? Sea Master, let's look at the results—who ultimately made it into the underground cavern? Your people or mine?"

His argument was undeniably compelling. After all, the outcome spoke for itself.

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This Violet Gold Marquess' plan was clearly the more intelligent one, making the Sea Master's ambush seem utterly crude in comparison. Naturally, the Sea Master wouldn't admit that his plan had been flawed, so he turned his furious glare toward his subordinates.

"What an utter disgrace!" the Sea Master scolded them. "You nearly ruined the Violet Gold Marquess' plan!"

"Esteemed Sea Master…" Squid King hurriedly tried to protest. "I—"

However, the Violet Gold Marquess standing before him exuded a powerful malevolent qi. This Violet Gold Marquess was completely different from when they fought on Misty Island. The attack that injured him had been a pure sword strike containing the Great Dao of Severing the Void!

Earlier, the coral barrier had blocked the Sea Master's vision, so he had only witnessed the coral shattering, not the Severing the Void and Cloud of Determination sword skills that Chu Liang and Xu Ziyang had used.

Nevertheless, Squid King and Tiger Whale had experienced firsthand how formidable Chu Liang's Severing the Void was. They had also seen that the sword he wielded was none other than the Demon-Slaying Sword!

He might as well have had the word "righteousness" carved onto his face!

However, just as Squid King was about to speak, an imperceptible light suddenly descended upon him.

Whoosh.

Chu Liang had stealthily raised one finger and cast the Evil Heart Curse!

As the light entered Squid King, his expression instantly turned malicious, and he looked like he was about to go berserk. There even seemed to be a pair of crimson horns sprouting from his head.

"I'm a disgrace?! Your momma's the fucking disgrace!"

GLTD Alternate Universe's Thoughts

Translator: LD

Term change:

Honorable Ancestor -> Grand Ancestor