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Chapter 445: The Great High Priest

Many major events had occurred in the world of immortality cultivators during the past month, and Chu Liang had experienced the biggest one firsthand.

He flipped past the section on the "Catalog of the Mortal World's Ten Thousand Treasures," and it was just as he'd expected. The first article he saw in the "Chronicles of the Nine Provinces" was about the great battle at the headquarters of the Four Seas Whale Gang, as well as the cause of it and what happened after.

The article started with the Celestial Charm Sect's plot to harm Xu Bashan. Then it continued with the Mount Shu Sect's search for their disciple Chu Liang and how Di Nufeng had beaten up Chi Menshen with her fists. Even Jiang Shenting's conspiracy was revealed. The entire sequence of events was truly full of twists and turns.

What surprised Chu Liang, however, was that The Seven Stars Gazette did not criticize his teacher this time. In fact, the author of the article spared no praise when describing Di Nufeng.

She was portrayed as an Eminent One who cared deeply for her disciple and was filled with righteousness. This was very different from how she was usually depicted in the gazette.

Chu Liang guessed that when his esteemed teacher asked the Celestial Pivot Pavilion to help find him, she had probably had a little "talk" with them... Or perhaps that had been the main purpose, and finding him had been secondary.

At the end of the article, the Celestial Pivot Pavilion warned all the immortal sects in the nine provinces about the Celestial Charm Sect's resurgence. They reminded everyone to be vigilant against this powerful group of madmen who wished for the world to descend into chaos.

The second article was about how there had been another horde of beasts attacking the Western Regions.

Several thousand years had passed since the scattered survivors of the demon race had fled to the Far West, yet the human race still hadn't forgotten those terrifying beings. Moreover, with the recent uproar caused by the Demon God's return, the humans became much more vigilant toward the Far West.

The Western Regions was a buffer zone between the lands under the rule of the Yu Dynasty and the demon race, so the slightest sign of trouble in the Western Regions would send a wave of terror through the Yu Dynasty.

Beast hordes only attacked the Western Regions when major events occurred in the Far West. This time, the Celestial Pivot Pavilion used various methods to investigate, but they could not figure out what had been the triggering event. Perhaps the imperial court had intelligence reports with the answers, but those would never be made public.

Over the course of the past several thousand years, some prosperous cities had emerged along the border of the Yu Dynasty's western province. They specialized in trading with with the states of the Western Regions and had developed a thriving trade network.

However, since the news of the Demon God's return started to spread six months ago, large numbers of people left the western province and moved closer to the capital of Yu. That caused business in the borderlands to plummet.

"The Demon God..."

Chu Liang looked at the words and felt there was something very odd about what was reported in the article.

Previously, the Far West had sent out divine envoys to announce the Demon God's return to all the demons in the world. They had caused such huge waves of trouble that made everyone believe the Demon God's return was a certainty. Yet, after all this time, there had been no further news. It seemed like a thunderstorm that rained only a little despite the loud rumbling.

That made the demons' previous actions appear quite strange. If there was no confirmed news about the Demon God, they should have quietly searched for it. Why had they made such a huge commotion about it first?

It was truly perplexing.

Chu Liang then turned to the section on the "Uncommon Tales of the Martial World."

The biggest news was that the final selection for the South Melody Conservatory's next head disciple was approaching!

After the recent competition rounds of concert tours, Shen Qingyan's popularity was the highest, with Yu Xiang'er slightly behind but not far off, and Xue Lingxue close in third. With such a tight competition going into the final selection, it was impossible to predict who would become the next head disciple.

The competition would be intense. Fans from all over would rush to the South Melody Conservatory to support their favorites. It wouldn't be surprising if an someone with fewer supporters but immense talent and skill managed to turn the tide. It was sure to be a very exciting final round.

Chu Liang wasn't interested in these things, but he could imagine that it would certainly be a magnificent event. Quite a few disciples from Mount Shu would surely be rushing over to attend it... for example, a certain disciple from Jade Sword Peak with the surname Lin.

...

The Mountain Range of the Seven Kings, the Far West.

At the peak of a steep mountain range that seemed forged from black iron stood a modest temple. It appeared rather plain and small, with only the word "Temple" inscribed simply on the horizontal signboard hanging above its doors.

Yet, this small temple was the center of power for the entire demon race in the Far West. The temple's commands had to be followed, even by the Seven Great Demon Kings.

At this moment, two people were waiting outside the temple.

One of them was a woman dressed in colorful robes. She was fair-skinned and so immaculately beautiful that there was an otherworldly aura about her. It seemed as though she belonged not to the Land of Demons but to the Land of Immortals.

The other person was a young man. He had long, flowing hair, bronze skin, and the face of a stalwart person. There were three purple stripes on his left cheek.

"Caiyi?" the long-haired man said, pleasantly surprised. "You're here too?"

The woman, Caiyi, replied indifferently, "The Great High Priest summoned me."

"The Great High Priest didn't summon the others, just the two of us. Does that mean we're destined for each other?" the long-haired man asked cheerfully.

Caiyi frowned in annoyance. She couldn't be bothered talking to him.

The long-haired man was Changfeng, the current Demon King of Daze[1] and the leader of the Serpent Clan.

Changfeng had nearly two hundred concubines from various clans, yet he constantly sought Caiyi's hand in marriage, much to her exasperation. She always avoided speaking to him at whenever the demon kings met up, but the temple had unexpectedly summoned only the two of them this time.

As the atmosphere grew awkward, a divine envoy wearing a bronze mask emerged from the temple and announced loudly, "The Great High Priest invites the Demon King of Qingqiu and the Demon King of the Daze into the temple!"

Without the Great High Priest's command, even the demon kings, the pinnacle of the demon race's power, would not dare enter the temple. That was how much authority the Great High Preist held.

The two demon kings entered the temple and came face to face with the Demon God's statue on the altar in front of them.

It was the only statue of the Demon God in the mortal realm. The face on the statue was indistinct. The body seemed humanoid, with six outstretched wings on the back. Despite being just a statue, it exuded an overwhelming aura that forced even the demon kings to avert their gazes.

Below the statue stood a very tall figure, nearly one zhang tall[2], wearing a golden mask. In his right hand, he held a scepter woven from the manes and feathers of a myriad of beasts. It symbolized the unity of all demonic creatures and his authority over them.

Caiyi and Changfeng both greeted him with a bow. "Great High Priest."

"Demon King of Qingqiu, Demon King of the Daze..." The Great High Priest's voice was deep and distant as if he were speaking to them from another realm. "I have summoned you to entrust you with an important task."

"We will obey God's will," the two demon kings replied in unison.

"The last time God's aura appeared, I dispatched the divine envoys to announce it to the world, but God has yet to arrive. The other demon kings are confused," the Great High Priest said slowly, "and I believe you are too."

The two demon kings did not reply. Though they dared not question their god, they couldn't help but have doubts about the Great High Priest.

As the demons in the Far West increased in number over the past several thousands of years, the prestige of their god gradually faded within the demon race. The temple was still revered by the demon race, but the demon kings no longer obeyed as they once had. Eventually, some internal power struggles emerged.

As the demons lost faith in their god, the status of the temple and the divine envoys naturally declined. Nevertheless, when news of the Demon God's return was spread, the temple, which shared the Demon God's fate, suddenly rose in power once more, regaining its unquestionable authority.

After that, time continued to pass without further news, and their god still had yet to descend to save the people of the Far West. The demons' fervent belief in the Demon God gradually died down once. Some demons even suspected that the Great High Priest might have fabricated the story to elevate his own authority. Of course, these doubts could never be spoken aloud.

Nonetheless, in the lands of the nine provinces beyond the reach of the Demon God's temple, such rumors had long run rampant. Many humans mocked the demons, claiming that their god was a mere fabrication. It turned out that the humans had been pointlessly apprehensive all this time.

"The truth is, it has indeed appeared," the Great High Priest continued. "However, our Supreme God remains deeply asleep and oblivious inside a chaotic mass. I can sense its presence, but I cannot communicate with it through the statue. That's why I sent the divine envoys to announce the news to all the demons in the world, hoping that the collective prayers of our Supreme God's countless subjects may break through that chaotic mass.

"This method has indeed been effective. I can feel God's sleep gradually getting lighter..."

The Great High Priest's words moved the two demon kings.

So, that was the reason?

The fact that their god needed to be rescued by the demon race obviously could not be made public. It was no wonder the temple had remained tight-lipped, offering no explanation regarding their god's continued absence.

"Now, I need an advance force to infiltrate the humans living in the nine provinces and make preparations for the war that will occur once God returns," the Great High Priest said. He paused and then added, "And I wish for you to be the ones to go."

That was when the two demon kings finally understood the Great High Priest's intentions.

It was no surprise that the Great High Priest had chosen them. Among the Seven Great Demon Clans, these two young demon kings were the only ones who were part of the new generation of demon kings, so they did not have much power in the Mountain Range of the Seven Kings.

The remaining five demon kings had all existed since the era of the Demon God, so the Great High Priest couldn't order them around as he wished. In fact, they might even outright refuse to obey him.

"Sure!" Changfeng immediately agreed. "It'd be best if the two of us acted together. I may not be familiar with the humans of the nine provinces, but Caiyi knows a lot about them! After all, that great achievement she made back then was because of—"

His words came to an abrupt halt. That was because Caiyi had shot daggers at him with her eyes.

In that instant, Changfeng even felt as if she truly wanted to kill him!

His pupils dilated in fear, and he quickly changed his words. "Forget it. Let's act separately after all."

...

Silver Sword Peak, Mount Shu.

At the hilltop of Berry Wonderland, a thin and short young cultivator was crouched amid an inconspicuous patch of flowers. He was staring at the berries in his basket with a conflicted expression.

If he took these berries out of Berry Wonderland, he would have to pay for them. However, if he ate them now, he wouldn't have to.

After thinking it over, he decided to eat a few of the berries right now.

Just as he was about to do it, a sharp voice suddenly spoke from above him. "What are you doing?"

"Huh?" the cultivator uttered, stumbling backward in alarm.

Looking up, he found himself face to face with a Golden Vein Flower. It swayed back and forth, shimmering splendidly. This flower was clearly the one that had spoken to him!

"I wasn't intending to speak to you, but what you're doing is pretty shameless. It's like your face left home with its mother. I guess you don't want your face anymore.[3] If you don't want to pay, just pick fewer berries. Why did you pick so many? If you want to eat more, just pay a bit more money. Who doesn't have a few coins to spare?

"Since you hesitated earlier, I'll assume you still have a sliver of conscience left, so I won't shout for someone to come over this time. I see you came with a lady friend, right? You don't want her to think you're some morally flawed guy, do you? Now hurry up and go pay. Let's not make this a habit. Hey, what are you still standing there for? Get going."

"Ah, ah... oh."

The young man was utterly bewildered by the flower's barrage of words.

There's no demonic qi, so how's this flower able to talk?

And even scold me?

Huh?

1. This is not the English word "daze". This is pronounced dah-zuh, and it means "great pond/marsh". ☜

2. One zhang is around 3.3 metres. ☜

3. This is referring to the "face" that means something along the lines of dignity. ☜