Urban Martial Saint

After passing the illusion, there wasn’t much danger ahead. Ye Qing, leading Huangfu Ziyu, walked through the last checkpoint and came to the entrance of the last five caves.

The last time he was here, Ye Qing had already entered these five caves and was familiar with the situation inside. Therefore, this time around, he did not waste any time and went directly into the cave where the Corpse Ghost Dragon was hiding. Last time, Ding Lianshun and Yin Xianzi were swallowed by the Devouring Demon Flower in this cave.

Even though he knew exactly what the situation inside the cave was, Ye Qing still felt a little uneasy upon entering again. The last time, the sight of all the Devouring Demon Flowers moving together in the cave was still a vivid memory for Ye Qing. So many Devouring Demon Flowers surrounding a person can indeed cause despair.

While leading Huangfu Ziyu through the cave, Ye Qing softly reminded, ”Be careful, don’t get close to the walls!”

Huangfu Ziyu had already noticed the Devouring Demon Flowers on the stone walls. It was her first time seeing these things, and she was quite shocked. Although there were Devouring Demon Flowers during the final checkpoint, she was in an illusion at the time and did not clearly see the flowers. Now, she was truly seeing them up close.

”Are these the legendary Devouring Demon Flowers?” Huangfu Ziyu carefully observed them and said in a low voice, ”It’s said that the Devouring Demon Flowers are extremely tough, even famed instruments cannot damage them!”

”Yes!” Ye Qing nodded. Last time he came in, he had the Wu Hong Dagger with him. He attempted to cut the Devouring Demon Flower with it but couldn’t leave even the slightest mark, which shows just how tough these flowers are.

Huangfu Ziyu couldn’t help but marvel and whispered, ”The Demon Gate Secret Techniques are indeed bizarre. Thankfully, the Buddhist and Taoist sects united to extinguish the Demon Sect early on. Otherwise, if they had developed until now, the entire world might have fallen under their control!”

Looking at the Devouring Demon Flowers around him, Ye Qing pondered where Ding Lianshun and Yin Xianzi could be trapped inside. The last time, the scene was chaotic with so many Devouring Demon Flowers moving together; he couldn’t distinguish them at all. Now, finding them within the Devouring Demon Flowers was not an easy task.

After walking for a while, as they reached the middle, the number of Devouring Demon Flowers around them gradually increased. Ye Qing cautiously approached some of the flowers, trying to peer through the petal crevices to see inside, hoping to find Ding Lianshun and Yin Xianzi trapped within. However, he was ultimately disappointed, as the petals of these Devouring Demon Flowers were completely sealed together, with no gaps allowing him to see inside at all.

Ye Qing was surprised. Last time he was here, the situation with the Devouring Demon Flowers was different. Back then, you could see inside from the outside. But what’s happening now? Why are these Devouring Demon Flowers completely closed? This makes searching for Ding Lianshun and Yin Xianzi even more difficult.

A rough estimate suggested there were at least a thousand Devouring Demon Flowers in this cave. If he couldn’t identify which flower specifically held them, searching blindly from one to another, even with all the famed instruments Ye Qing brought, might not be enough to rescue Ding Lianshun and Yin Xianzi.

Ye Qing wasn’t a fool; he had a limited number of famed instruments. He left the defensive and special-purpose ones outside. Only over a hundred offensive ones were brought in, and only these famed instruments could be used. Over a hundred famed instruments, with stronger ones possibly cutting through several Devouring Demon Flowers with one strike. However, most were ordinary famed instruments, which would likely be ruined after cleaving one Devouring Demon Flower, due to the flowers’ resilience, making it a mutual destruction strategy.

Accompanied by Huangfu Ziyu, Ye Qing continued to the cave’s end, without attempting anything along the way. With limited instruments brought, he needed to be sure before making any attempts, rather than blindly cutting through these Devouring Demon Flowers.

”The Devouring Demon Flower on the stone bed at the cave’s end, do not touch it at all,” Ye Qing warned Huangfu Ziyu as they walked. ”That flower can control all the Devouring Demon Flowers here. As long as we don’t touch it, the other flowers won’t move. But if we even slightly disturb it, all the other Devouring Demon Flowers will rush out and surround us!”

”Okay, I’ll be careful,” Huangfu Ziyu nodded, and as she spoke, they reached the cave’s end. Seeing the stone bed at the end, Huangfu Ziyu froze in place.

”Which Devouring Demon Flower are you talking about?” Huangfu Ziyu asked in amazement, looking at Ye Qing.

Ye Qing also saw the stone bed at the cave’s end and was stunned. Because the stone bed didn’t have just one Devouring Demon Flower but three. The three flowers were placed side by side on the stone bed. Looking from the outside, they were completely identical, with no identifiable differences.

”What’s going on?” Ye Qing scratched his head. Last time he was here, he saw clearly there was only one Devouring Demon Flower on the stone bed, and inside it was the Corpse Ghost Dragon, sealed here. But what’s happening now? Three Devouring Demon Flowers are placed together on the stone bed. Which one is really controlling the others? And what’s happening with the other two?

Ye Qing glanced at Huangfu Ziyu, who was also looking at him with confusion.

”There must be a reason all three Devouring Demon Flowers are placed on the stone bed,” said Huangfu Ziyu. ”Do you think Ding Lianshun and Yin Xianzi might be sealed inside these three flowers?”

Hearing this, Ye Qing’s heart skipped a beat. It was certainly possible. After all, these three Devouring Demon Flowers were special, left in this place, suggesting there might be people inside.

Yet, the situation was more complicated now. If there were people inside all three flowers, one of them would surely contain the Corpse Ghost Dragon. How should they choose among the three? If they accidentally release the Corpse Ghost Dragon, what would they do?

Moreover, the Devouring Demon Flower sealing the Corpse Ghost Dragon could control all the other flowers here. Touching it would mean not just releasing the Corpse Ghost Dragon, but also activating all the flowers in the cave. At that time, with over a thousand Devouring Demon Flowers rushing over, even if Ye Qing and Huangfu Ziyu survived, the Corpse Ghost Dragon would be trapped again!

Therefore, figuring out how to rescue people became a very tricky issue.

Ye Qing and Huangfu Ziyu exchanged glances, both currently at a loss.

At this moment, a few people entered from the outer checkpoint, precisely members of the South Ridge Sect. The final checkpoint didn’t seem to affect them much, possibly because they were part of the Demon Sect.

However, entering past the last checkpoint, their expressions grew tense, especially the Third Sect Master, glancing around while whispering, ”Who knows where our Demon Pet went, let’s hope it doesn’t find us. This is indeed a forbidden zone for us!”

”No need to worry, this should be around the time our pet is resting,” the Second Sect Leader whispered. ”Those two should have entered the five Boundary Gates by now; we just need to determine which one they entered.”

”No need to guess, I heard they’re here to rescue Ding Lianshun and Yin Xianzi. Since those two are trapped inside the Boundary Gate housing the Corpse Ghost Dragon, they must have entered that gate!” The Grand Sect Master looked at the five caves ahead and said coldly, ”Hmph, entering the final Boundary Gate means everything is under the Demon Sect’s control. We just need to enter, control all the Devouring Demon Flowers, and we’ll trap them completely. Even if they’re strong or possess the Sun Shooting Bow, they won’t leave this Boundary Gate!”

”Indeed!” The other sect leaders nodded. Being practitioners of Demon Sect martial arts, they were very familiar with the Demon Hideout Cave. Thus, they were confident that, using their understanding of the terrain, they could definitely doom Ye Qing and Huangfu Ziyu!

”The Demon Pet’s resting time isn’t long; we should be quick!” The Second Sect Leader glanced at the time and whispered, ”Don’t forget, the Demon Pet truly controls this Demon Hideout Cave!”

Upon hearing this, everyone became alert. Without delay, they followed the Grand Sect Master and entered the cave where the Corpse Ghost Dragon was hiding.

Not long after the South Ridge Sect members entered, a split of the Corpse Ghost Dragon stepped out from the rear checkpoint. Watching their direction, it frowned slightly and muttered, ”I can’t let them control those two first. Otherwise, I can’t get my true self out. The best outcome is to let those two release my true self, then trap everyone else in here!”

After a brief murmur, the shadow looked around cautiously, seemingly on guard for something.

”Demon Pet! Demon Pet!” it softly called out, murmuring, ”If I can control the Demon Pet, I’ll control the entire Demon Hideout Cave. Dealing with these people would be a breeze. But how can I control this Demon Pet? The Great Demon King’s pet, a creature alive for thousands of years, it’s the Demon Sect’s greatest secret! The secrets to the Great Demon King’s revival and immortality, it possesses them all!”