Young Noble Be Monster Slaying-Chapter 882: Looking Westward (II)

The old warrior monk Qu Hu had been seriously injured during the battle at Celestial Northern Prison. Even after spending two days on recovery, he was still quite weak and stayed below deck, meditating and regulating his breathing.

Meanwhile, the other three chatted casually on the deck about the diplomatic mission.

"Peace can never be achieved just by talking things out. If we don't have the power to stand against the Demon God, this world can never be at peace. That's just the way it is," Li Chengfeng said firmly.

He continued, "I know you think of the Demon God as that little creature you raised and that she has feelings of attachment toward you. But if the imperial court entrusts the fate of the entire world to something as fleeting as your emotional bond, then it's only a matter of time before the world is doomed."

Chu Liang understood the logic behind Li Chengfeng's reasoning. So, he asked instead, "In that case, what mission have you and National Master Qu Hu been tasked with for this trip?"

"The purpose of this trip is to assess the Demon God's current state. The top priority is to determine what she's really like. As for the demons' attitude, we don't need to dwell on it. Everyone becomes greedy once they have overwhelming power. On that front, demons are no different from humans."

Chu Liang nodded.

That old saying, "Those of a different race harbor different desires," was untrue. In truth, all races were the same. Once they had an overwhelming advantage on the battlefield, no one would still choose peace.

That was precisely why the imperial court saw the demons' attempt at peace talks as a sign of weakness. The real reason National Master Qu Hu and Li Chengfeng joined this diplomatic mission was to ascertain that weakness.

"Ultimately, we'll still have to fight..." Lin Bei muttered, feeling a bit worried. "We're going there as envoys. Won't the demons be out to harm us?"

"Hard to say. It's said that when two kingdoms are at war, neither side will kill the envoys. But we aren't two kingdoms at war; we're two races that are as incompatible as fire and water," Li Chengfeng replied. "That's why National Master Qu Hu and I were chosen for this mission. We have something in common."

"You're... fast runners?" Chu Liang said with a chuckle. "If anything happens, you'll be the first to flee."

Among the seventh-realm Eminent Ones, Li Chengfeng was one of the fastest runners, be it for short sprints or long distances. His incredible speed was even comparable to that of some eighth-realm Eminent Ones. As long as the Demon God didn't take action, Li Chengfeng had a very high chance of being able to escape.

As for National Master Qu Hu, there was even less to worry about. With his mastery of the Great Dao of Distancelessness, he could go wherever he wished. As long as he didn't want to die, no one could catch him. Even if the Demon God went on a rampage, he would probably be one of the few survivors in the world.

"Exactly." Li Chengfeng laughed. "And given your relationship with the Demon God, I doubt any of the demon kings would dare lay a finger on you."

Chu Liang returned a confident grin.

As the two exchanged smiles, Lin Bei frowned.

Something feels very off...

Oh, great.

So, I was brought along to be the only sacrifice, huh?

You know full well that there were tigers on the mountain, but it'll be fine if you just leave me behind??

As his eyes darted anxiously back and forth between Chu Liang and Li Chengfeng, the airship flew into the Far West.

Against a backdrop of clouds tinged with sunset hues, hundreds of brilliantly feathered demonic birds circled in the air, forming a grand archway to welcome their arrival.

Below, herds of massive beasts and numerous greater demons dotted the land. Demonic creatures of all shapes and sizes gathered in the mountain range, raising their heads to watch the airship pass by overhead.

Beyond the archway, Caiyi, the Demon King of the Verdant Foxhills, soared into the sky, followed by a procession of her servant girls bearing colorful satin cloth and feathered fans. They boarded the airship and gave Chu Liang's group a formal and grand welcome.

This was Chu Liang's second time in the Far West, and the difference in reception couldn't be more stark.

"Welcome, envoys of the human race," Caiyi said with a radiant smile. "We've been expecting you for quite some time."

"Greetings, Demon King of the Verdant Foxhills," Chu Liang replied with a smile, without any hint of anger about the past events. Then he asked, "Will we be going to meet the Divine Demon God now?"

Caiyi shook her head at his words. "You can't meet her yet."

...

As they conversed on the airship, a seemingly unremarkable green-furred fox demon, dressed in ragged gray-yellow clothing, was watching them from the crowd of demons below. Like the rest of the fox demons, he had a fox head and a humanoid body—nothing out of the ordinary.

However, his gaze was a different story. He stared at the figures on the airship with deep-rooted hatred blazing in his eyes.

The airship slowly descended toward the Mountain Range of the Seven Kings, a place that ordinary demons did not dare to approach.

That was when the green fox finally turned away, crossing mountain ridges until he reached a hidden cave nestled deep among the hills.

There, he transformed, shedding his fox demon disguise for his true form. He was faceless and deathly pale, so much so that he was translucent.

It turned out this unassuming fox demon was a Human-Faced Xiao with several thousand years' worth of cultivation power. It was the very same Human-Faced Xiao that had stolen the Dragon God's Orb and later escaped from Chu Liang's grasp. He was the White King Xiao!

"Well, well... who would've thought..." the White King Xiao growled through clenched teeth. "I've spent night and day thinking of how to get my revenge, and now you've walked right into my trap!"

At Lingguan Town, Chu Liang had fought the Black and White King Xiaos. He had slain the Black King Xiao and even snatched away the Dragon God's Orb.

Left with no other choice, the White King Xiao ended up fleeing the town. Afraid that both the dragons and the humans would continue to hunt him down, the White King Xiao went into hiding in the Far West.

The Far West was normally loosely governed, and after the recent reconstructions, it was even easier for outsiders to slip in unnoticed. Disguising himself as a fox demon, the White King Xiao easily assimilated into the Verdant Foxhills. He chose the Verdant Foxhills because it was the only place in the Far West where the demons lived the way people should live.

As an old demon who had lived for thousands of years in human lands, he had no tolerance for the authentic savage lifestyle of pureblood demon folk.

Nevertheless, vengeance remained on his mind the whole time he stayed in hiding.

The Human-Faced Xiao was an exceedingly sinister and vindictive type of demonic creature—one that could never let go of a grudge. It was natural for them to take advantage of others, with no qualms about how their victims might feel. However, if they were to suffer even the slightest loss or damage, they would remember it for life and do whatever it took to get revenge, even if it meant dying.

Everything had been going so well for the Black and White King Xiaos. They had been using the Dragon God's Orb to comprehend the Great Dao of Divine Clouds from the Dragon God's Orb and devouring Human-Faced Jade Essence Flowers to comprehend the Great Dao of Reality and Illusion. The Black King Xiao and the White King Xiao had a real chance of advancing to the eighth realm, and they had not been far off.

They had a bright future ahead of them... then Chu Liang ruined it all. How could the White King Xiao not hate him?

Nevertheless... even with all his hatred, the White King Xiao knew better than to go on a reckless rampage. He was well aware from the time they fought that Chu Liang was powerful. Now that Chu Liang had the Dragon God's Orb, there was no doubt he had gotten stronger since then. On his own, the White King Xiao might not be a match for Chu Liang.

Chu Liang was there as a representative of the human race for peace talks. As a low-ranking demon creature in the Far West, the White King Xiao didn't know the finer details of the peace talks. Nonetheless, he knew that with the Demon God's resurrection, the demons held the upper hand.

"They should just march over and slaughter the Divine Nine and Terrestrial Ten, wipe them all out! What's the point of having peace talks?" the White King Xiao muttered angrily.

Still, it didn't matter. There was plenty he could do. The White King Xiao could come up with eight malicious ideas in the blink of an eye.

The White King Xiao rolled his eyes, and just like that, a vile plan surfaced in his mind.

"What if I disguise myself as Chu Liang and wreak havoc among the demons... inciting a war between the demons and humans? I imagine neither the demons nor the humans would tolerate him after that..." The White King Xiao sneered. "So tell me, Chu Liang, how will you deal with that?"