Why is the Demon Venerable Like That? - Chapter 2

The System’s head throbbed; it was on the verge of a breakdown. 【Is that the point? The point is that he is a villain who has committed countless evils, and you are there to settle accounts with him, not to focus on his love life!】

It stated once more that it was a “Dragon Among Men” system, a “Power Fantasy” system, and was entirely different from those systems that only knew how to talk about romance.

Lu Yuan frowned. “There must be some misunderstanding in this.”

The System tried to appeal to both emotion and reason: 【Besides, if you do not complete the missions, your cultivation will remain stagnant. You will not even be able to lift the blade from your past life.】

His blade?

Lu Yuan made a grasping motion in the empty air. The surrounding atmosphere instantly froze, followed by a violent resonance. The windows danced in their frames, letting out a series of rhythmic clatters like a lonely carnival.

One second passed, two seconds, then several more. Nothing happened.

System: 【…】

【Chief Lu, with your current Foundation Establishment cultivation, your blade probably, or most likely, cannot be summoned.】

Lu Yuan’s blade was a hengdao that was jet-black, narrow, and slender.

This blade could sever the connection between heaven and earth; it was subtle enough to evade gods and ghosts. It could cut through anything, undetected by the Heavenly Dao.

Thus, its name was “Unaware.”

Lu Yuan’s expression remained unchanged. He could feel the power of his bloodline, along with his soul, anchored to this body. Logically, since his bloodline power was bound to “Unaware,” the blade should have answered his call. He looked somewhat puzzled. “No, someone has sealed my blade.”

He could feel his scabbard trembling in grief, unable to break free from its confinement.

Lu Yuan set this issue aside for the moment. He had a more pressing question. “How do you know my junior brother will die because of that person?”

The System raised its head proudly. 【This was derived through our deductions. Every world has tens of millions of possibilities, and this is the most probable one.】

Lu Yuan silently withdrew his hand and clenched his fist. He could feel that his meager Foundation Establishment cultivation had been completely drained by that single attempted summons.

The System watched his movements curiously: 【What do you want your blade for?】

The corners of Lu Yuan’s mouth lifted into a slight, almost mocking smile. “To kill that Xiao Jingchun you mentioned.”

What a joke. He did not believe a single word the System said.

His junior brother was not the type of person to lose his sense of direction over mere romance.

The System went numb. It had not expected Lu Yuan to be in the mood for jokes; it nearly shut down from the shock. Where is my righteous and magnificent Son of Destiny? Has he been possessed by something strange?

It felt like its core was about to burn out. 【I did not tell you to kill him! Aaaaaah! Do not, under any circumstances, improvise!!】

The Hundred Domains of the Demon Realm

At the same time, a group of so-called demonic cultivators was holding a meeting.

Elder Ye, who had chased Lu Yuan during the first half of the night, was actually named Ye Tongtian. Despite the arrogant name, he ranked at the bottom among the Four Judges and Eight Elders of the Hundred Domains.

Though he had worked himself to the bone for the Demon Realm for a long time, his cultivation was mediocre. His main trait was stability, as he was neither rising nor falling.

By the time he was recalled by the Command of Ten Thousand Demons, many demonic cultivators had already gathered in the meeting hall. Usually, they would be standing, lying down, or leaning crookedly against pillars, fully embodying the stereotypes of demonic cultivators.

Today, however, they were trembling like frightened quails, hiding in the corners.

Seeing such a solemn atmosphere, Ye Tongtian began to contemplate how to tactfully report to his superiors that he had failed to capture his target.

A majestic surge of demonic energy, accompanied by wind blades, burst into the hall. The surrounding demonic cultivators groaned under the impact of this overbearing and forceful aura.

Alarm bells rang in Ye Tongtian’s head. Lingchuan Du, who rarely showed his face, had actually come to the main hall today.

The demonic energy had materialized into a physical black mist, swirling gently and affectionately around Lingchuan Du. A thick scent of blood, like a silken thread, slowly climbed into everyone’s nostrils; it was the scent of one who had waded through mountains of corpses and seas of blood.

The crowd cowered below the steps, heads bowed in silence.

From high above the dais, Lingchuan Du’s voice drifted down, calm and devoid of emotion.

“The Divine Blade, Unaware, has awakened.”

What!

Every person in the main hall was a powerhouse of the cultivation world, with the lowest cultivation being at the Deity Transformation stage. Yet, they were all visibly shaken by Lingchuan Du’s words.

Everyone knew who the master of “Unaware” was. However, the only person in the world capable of summoning it had died more than a hundred years ago, and he was dead as dead could be.

As if to prove his words true, the Hundred Domains suddenly shook violently, as if an earthquake had struck. The beams and pillars groaned and creaked, as if crying out that they could no longer hold on.

The people below dared not make a sound now.

But internally, they were all screaming: What the hell! Who on earth summoned “Unaware”?!

Aside from Lu Yuan, who else in this world was worthy of wielding “Unaware”? Yet, “Lu Yuan” was a forbidden name in the Hundred Domains. Everyone hesitated, glancing at one another, determined not to be the first one to step forward and court death.

While they were busy using their eyes to urge others to sacrifice themselves, a surge of energy capable of splitting mountains and seas swept across the land.

That soul-stirring power radiated outward from the direction of Lin’an Town, causing countless living beings to prostrate in awe under its absolute strength.

Before the crowd could react, the Demon Sovereign’s black robes swept past as he vanished.

Back in Lin’an Town

Shortly before.

Lu Yuan was staring intently at the window in his guest room.

A knocking sound came from the wooden frame, sounding exceptionally clear in the dead of night.

Lu Yuan’s brow furrowed. He was on the third floor!

The knocking, accompanied by the rustling sound of paper friction, tore through the silence of the night.

Whatever was outside seemed to have grown tired of waiting; it struck the window with a sudden, forceful blow.

First, the window paper tore under the pressure, followed by the shattering of the wooden frame. Splinters flew everywhere.

By the moonlight, Lu Yuan saw a human head roll inside.

At the thought that this thing had just been knocking on his window, Lu Yuan’s pupils constricted, and his palms felt cold.

Lu Yuan lightly touched the extinguished candle wick. The flame flickered back to life, the light dispelling the darkness in the room.

With the help of the light, he saw the head clearly.

It was the waiter from this inn.

The window creaked. Lu Yuan followed the sound.

The body belonging to that neck was struggling to squeeze through the hole its head had just made.

Wisps of black demonic energy rose from the severed neck like baring-clawed tentacles.

This was ghoulish.

Lu Yuan looked away from the squirming torso.

The candle flame flickered because a gust of wind from behind caused a shadow to sway slightly on the wall.

The door to his room had opened at some unknown point.

Lu Yuan turned around and came face-to-face with the smiling Shopkeeper.

If only the man’s mouth had not been split all the way to his ears, Lu Yuan might have been able to return a polite, composed smile.

Suddenly, Lu Yuan lunged. With a reverse palm strike, he shattered the marble table into fine fragments.

With a flick of his wrist, the stones lifted off the ground, suspended in mid-air, before hurtling toward the Shopkeeper at a terrifying speed, piercing through the wall beside him.

The Shopkeeper did not dodge. He allowed the stones to riddle his body with holes. Demonic energy seeped out of him, emitting a foul stench of decay.

The window gave one final groan as the waiter successfully crawled inside.

The Shopkeeper’s eyeballs had been knocked out of their sockets, yet he continued to look at Lu Yuan with that same grin.

The waiter continued to crawl on the floor, fumbling for his head. Upon finding it, he joyfully reattached it, albeit backward.

The two individuals, possessing mediocre lethality but a high level of grotesqueness, slowly shuffled toward Lu Yuan.

Lu Yuan slowly closed his eyes, as if revolted by the sight.

Seeing Lu Yuan give up resistance, the two quickened their pace in delight.

But then, Lu Yuan’s closed eyes slowly opened.

They were a pair of burning, golden vertical pupils, like a serpent coiling its head, but even more like a dragon, waiting to use thunderous means to execute evil.

He was tall, looking down at the two with neither sorrow nor joy.

A pale golden halo enveloped him. Divinity and calamity descended upon him simultaneously in a paradoxical display.

“Begone.”

Instantly, all became still. Then, a violent gale erupted. The lanterns outside the inn swayed wildly before their flames were snuffed out. A sound like crushing stones pelted the roof.

A torrential rain arrived with a vengeance. The inn, unable to withstand the overbearing force, collapsed into ruins.

A rich light, like molten gold, flowed over the sky of Lin’an Town.

More than a hundred years after Lu Yuan’s death, the blood of the Ancient God had reappeared in the world. For a moment, celestial music chimed in celebration, and divine light shimmered to bestow its blessing.

The Shopkeeper’s head was ripped from his neck by the immense force. His head spun around with difficulty, only to find that the doors to the main hall had vanished; only the threshold lay lonely on the ground.

Well, at least I will not have to oil the hinges anymore, he thought.

He slowly closed his eyes, his body turning into dust and silently merging into the night.

“Senior Brother Lu! Are you alright? There is something wrong with this town!” After dealing with the evil spirits that had crawled into his room, Shen Xun’an remembered his “pitifully weak” Senior Brother.

He prayed the other had not been eaten. Just as he was about to rush into Lu Yuan’s room, the entire inn collapsed completely.

He coughed with difficulty, waving away the thick dust. Not far away, he saw Lu Yuan still standing.

A speck of blood was splattered on Lu Yuan’s face, and his complexion was deathly pale.

“Are you okay?” Shen Xun’an assumed he was just shaken and asked again. He pointed to the sky. “Not only is the town strange, but did you notice? A terrifying power just summoned celestial music and divine light.”

Lu Yuan thought to himself: How could I not notice? The God’s Blood was currently roaring and boiling in his meridians. The uncontrollable power was rampaging through his body.

Without his original shell, using his own power in this frail body was far too taxing.

With the scent of blood on his breath, he said, “Someone is coming.”

“What?” Behind Shen Xun’an, the sound of whistling air erupted. Several talismans shot through the air, piercing through the ruins with a sharp hiss.

They landed precisely over the hearts of the various evil spirits. The corpses jerked as if struck by lightning and then stood perfectly still.

There were no incantations on the talismans, only the three words “White Jade Capital” written in the bottom-left corner.

White Jade Capital was a sect that had risen rapidly after the decline of Nine Clouds City, second only to the Fengchi Sect. Now that the leader of the Fengchi Sect had withdrawn from worldly affairs, White Jade Capital had become the dominant force in the cultivation world.

A dozen or so people arrived in a bustle. At the front was a well-dressed young master. On his right thumb, he wore a thumb ring made of fine spiritual jade. His white fox-fur cloak made him look exceptionally noble.

This noble young master, surrounded by his entourage and possessing a face that looked thoroughly pampered, squinted at the members of the Fengchi Sect.

Though his beautiful, feminine face showed no overt mockery, his words were far from kind.

He seemed to be addressing the whole group, but his gaze was fixed solely on Shen Xun’an. “The disciples of the Fengchi Sect look a bit disheveled, do they not?”

Shen Xun’an ignored him, focusing instead on searching the ruins for his other sect members.

“You!” The exquisite young master’s face remained beautiful even in anger. He gritted his teeth and said, “I saved you, after all!”

Shen Xun’an did not even give him a glance. “Then my thanks to you, Young Master Xiao Jingchun.”

The System remembered Lu Yuan’s violent declaration. Even though Lu Yuan’s current body was only at the Foundation Establishment stage, if he truly wanted to act, it was not impossible for him to kill Xiao Jingchun right under everyone’s noses.

It tried its best to expand its form, attempting to block Lu Yuan’s line of sight, wishing it had hands to cover his ears.

Lu Yuan’s attention was not on Xiao Jingchun at all. He was staring at both sides of the street.

The night grew deeper, and the temperature dropped eerily. The rain had come fast and left just as quickly.

The inn had collapsed violently, and even the nearby houses had been affected by the aftershocks.

Yet, not a single resident in the town had been woken up.

A chill crawled up from the soles of his feet, like a numbing electric current surging up his spine.

Lu Yuan exhaled, his breath turning into a visible white mist.

The entirety of Lin’an Town was a dead zone.

It was likely that everyone in the town was already dead.