Chapter 28: Bai Ze

"Bai Ze?!" Yani and Wu Chi exclaimed in unison, both looking astonished.

"Exactly, Bai Ze. The monarch of the Lanyuan Kingdom has sacrificed ninety-nine demon queens, successfully nurturing the ancient Bai Ze bloodline with his own blood. It will soon be born."

Yani and Wu Chi were both shocked to hear this.

The Lanyuan Kingdom was the only kingdom ruled by demons among the five great empires.

Although the majority of the population was still human commoners, the demon race held a higher status than humans. Consequently, the Lanyuan Kingdom had always been in a closed state, avoiding interaction with the other four empires to prevent the emigration of its citizens.

Demons have a lifespan far longer than that of humans, and the current monarch of the Lanyuan Kingdom had been in power for a millennium. The outside world had long been aware that this demon king was somewhat extreme and crazy, devoted to restoring the glory of the demon race by recreating the ancient auspicious beast bloodline.

To achieve this, he had even crazily taken in numerous consorts and has conducted biological experiments with various demon bloodlines in an attempt to purify them.

Hardly anyone believed he could succeed, as the rift between humans and demons had always been deep, and thus few paid attention to his mad experiments. But now, he had actually done it! The legendary ancient auspicious beast Bai Ze was about to descend into the world?! This was not just a trivial matter; it was an event that could shake the entire Central Continent!

"Master, this opportunity… I'm afraid it will be too much for me to handle."

Just thinking about the scene of numerous heroes fighting for it and the gods clashing made Wu Chi tremble with fear.

Wu Yuan shot Wu Chi a sharp glance and said, "What are you afraid of? Don't you have your senior sister? Just rely on her."

"Thank you, Master!"

In reality, Wu Chi intended to have Wu Yuan approve of Yani accompanying him, but upon hearing this, he completely missed the sarcasm in the words and quickly expressed his gratitude.

"..." Wu Yuan was momentarily speechless, losing interest in what he originally wanted to say.

Yani immediately caught onto Wu Yuan's intention and hurriedly asked,

"Master, the fact that an auspicious beast from the demon race is descending should not have been deduced by us alone, right? When the time comes, all the major forces will come to fight over it. Will it not be too much for my junior brother and me to handle?"

"No need to worry." Wu Yuan waved his hand.

"After all, Lanyuan also belongs to the five great empires. If that old demon king goes mad, no one will want to bear the brunt of his wrath."

"The five great empires balance each other; pulling one strand can move the whole body. The complete detonation of Lanyuan's powder keg is something both the Confucians and the Justice Alliance wouldn't want to see happen."

"Therefore, the matter of seizing Bai Ze can only be carried out by self-cultivators! And there won't be any immortal-level masters involved, or else the Hermit's Valley would also be dragged into this."

"When the time comes, those old monsters will surely come out and keep a close watch on us."

Upon hearing this, Yani and Wu Chi nodded in realization, with Wu Chi already sporting a victorious smile.

No immortal-level cultivators above the ninth realm would step in? Doesn't that mean victory was virtually assured?

Yani just happened to be at the peak of the fifth realm of humanity, the Toadying Realm; was there anyone stronger than her outside of the immortal level?

As Wu Chi's smile curled into a grin, he suddenly heard Wu Yuan dousing him with cold water:

"Don't celebrate too early!"

"Yani, your reputation is well-known. Everyone knows you are my disciple, and your strength is already at the quasi-Yuan Ying level; it's not easy for you to act."

"This time, you must accompany Wu Chi, be sure to conceal your face, and don't act unless it's absolutely necessary. Your main role is to protect him; do not let him die!"

Wu Yuan's expression was serious, exuding an intimidating presence without raising his voice.

"Yes!" Not daring to hesitate, Yani bowed in acknowledgment.

Although her heart ached for the younger brother she had brought out of the Dawan Palace, she was still even more respectful of her master, Wu Yuan.

Meanwhile, hearing this, Wu Chi went pale; didn't this mean he could only rely on himself…

"As for that Leo, after several inquiries, I confirmed that the kid really has no backing and has not apprenticed to any major sect of the current era."

"The loss of your true essence may indeed be related to him, but the likelihood is small, and you should reflect more on your own issues!"

Wu Chi lowered his head deeply, his face accumulating resentment and hatred, becoming somewhat twisted.

Wu Yuan sighed and continued, "For a Golden Core practitioner to be defeated by a Qi Refining practitioner… I don't want to say much, but if you want to kill him, there will be plenty of opportunities. Get it over with quickly; this kid has some unusual abilities."

"Yani, this time you must not help him; otherwise, this inner demon will trap him for life; he must confront it himself."

Wu Chi clenched his teeth, the corners of his mouth curling into a cruel smile:

"Master, Senior Sister, this time, I will personally capture that kid, force him to confess how he stole my true essence, and then refine him into a corpse puppet to serve Master for all eternity!"

Wu Yuan nodded, noncommittal to his words.

---

At No. 66, District 3 of the Hermit's Valley, the morning sunlight streamed in, casting a warm glow over the room.

Leo and Reina sat at the dining table, sipping white porridge and eating pancakes. The simple little house had a very harmonious and cordial atmosphere.

Reina looked up at Leo and flashed a cute, satisfied smile. Leo, breaking away from his habitual aloof smile, surprisingly gazed at Reina and returned her smile with warmth and affection.

Reina's small face immediately flushed; she stared blankly at Leo's handsome face.

Not knowing if it was her imagination, she felt that her brother seemed particularly gentle today. This clearly made her happier. The little girl, growing bolder, daringly thought about climbing onto Leo's lap to eat.

"But, brother said I'm still a little kid."

Reina leaned on the table, blinking her big, watery eyes, and wiggled her shoulders in a cute, spoiled manner.

Her extraordinarily beautiful face combined with her delicate voice softened Leo's heart, but he still finished his porridge in one go, stood up, and said,

"No, I still have things to take care of."

"Where are you going again? You're already going out this afternoon; I won't see you all day."

"I've been a bit busy lately. Once the contests are over, I'll have free time."

Leo ruffled Reina's hair and instructed her to stay at home, then left the small courtyard, heading towards the Lingji Pavilion.

Just as he stepped through the gate of the Lingji Pavilion courtyard, Elder Xuanji suddenly appeared out of nowhere.

"Leo, what brings you to my Lingji Pavilion today?"

"Of course, I'm here for something, looking to ask the elder for a favor." Leo plastered a cheeky grin on his face, unembarrassed.

"Feel free to speak!" Elder Xuanji waved his hand grandly, then squinted his eyes, revealing a thoughtful smile.

"What formation do you want this time? The 'Peach Blossom Formation'? The 'Drunken Fragrance Formation'? I can just give these to you directly."

Leo fell silent; it appeared even Elder Xuanji had appreciated his "work."

This old man really had no shame. He looked kindly and amiable but secretly admired the recording balls!

Truly, one should not judge a person by their appearance!

Do I, Leo, seem like that kind of person?

"In that case, I will humbly accept your generosity. Next time I have new works, I will bring them to you first."

Leo wore a beaming smile, and his meaning was clear.

Elder Xuanji was taken aback, seemingly uncomprehending.

Did he just admit it? Could it be that the recording ball was indeed his creation?!

People truly should not be judged by their appearance!

But now that the conversation had come to this point, Elder Xuanji could only shake his head with a smile while reaching into his storage ring to pull out two futons—these were formations that aided in matters between men and women, of very low quality.

Leo obviously had no use for them; he only wanted to give them to Qin Jiuyao to do a personal favor.

"Hurry up and tell me, what's the matter?"

Leo resumed his serious demeanor:

"Elder, I actually came here to exchange for that 'Tianxin Sword Formation' in your possession."