Martial Cultivator

”The Prince Yu entered the High Priest’s residence, stayed for less than half an hour, and then left.”

”After he left, no one else entered the High Priest’s residence, and the High Priest never left either.”

”Her Highness the Princess’s whereabouts are unknown, but according to previous intelligence, she has already stepped into the Nepenthe Realm. Among His Majesty’s many children, only this princess stands out. If His Majesty truly passes away, we must kill her first.”

Voices echoed in a secluded area of the royal city. In this remote place, several figures were gathered, their faces unclear, but their auras were powerful. There was no doubt they were existences of the same level as those in the Nepenthe Realm.

Especially the powerful existence sitting in the main seat, whose aura was even more intense. Demon qi constantly spilled from their body, indicating they had likely reached the end of Nepenthe.

”The death or life of His Majesty is hard to say. At least for now, we cannot act rashly. If His Majesty returns, we won’t have a good ending.”

The powerhouse at the end of Nepenthe said calmly, ”His Majesty is skilled in schemes, and is deeply shrewd, and his political cunning is even more outstanding. Whether or not he has returned to the demon territory, or is still hiding in the shadows, it’s hard to say. If any of you act rashly, you’ll die.”

One of the great demons frowned and said, ”The situation in the desolate north is so overwhelming, it’s clear that the Great Liang Emperor is not the same as before. Otherwise, His Majesty would not have been treated like this. From my perspective, His Majesty is likely severely injured right now, and it may be a long time before he recovers. Now is our best opportunity.”

”Yes, even if His Majesty wins against a powerful existence like this, it will undoubtedly be a pyrrhic victory too. In my opinion, His Majesty must be at his weakest right now, and this is our greatest chance.”

Another great demon agreed, ”His Majesty has ruled the demon territory for long enough. We can’t let him continue like this.”

“I understand everyone’s feelings, but this is a matter of life and death. Remember the lessons of the past, if His Majesty were truly that easy to kill, the demon territory would have long since changed hands.”

The one at the end of Nepenthe glanced at the other great demons present, saying softly: “At this point, what we should be doing is not guessing whether His Majesty is dead or alive, but confirming that he’s already dead.”

“If I were His Majesty, after being severely wounded, I would certainly not leave the desolate north. There is nowhere safer than that place now.”

“But the desolate north has become a forbidden zone. Even ordinary great demons cannot step into it. What should we do?”

One of the great demons spoke up, and the rest of the great demons all turned to look at the one at the end of Nepenthe.

With a smile, the one at the end of Nepenthe said, “I’ve already invited a senior. They are likely already on their way into the desolate north.”

”Who?”

”Demon Lord Shenhua”

The one at the end of Nepenthe looked at the many great demons present and said calmly, “I imagine everyone has heard of this demon lord’s name.”

“So it’s this senior.”

A great demon sighed with vicissitudes of emotion.

The name of Demon Lord Shenhua was probably known by everyone in the entire demon territory. This demon lord hailed from the Golden Crow race, one of the ancient, prestigious races. Over the years, the Golden Crow race had steadfastly avoided intermarrying with other races to preserve the purity of their bloodline. However, several hundred years ago, an exception occurred when a female demon from the Golden Crow race fell in love with an outsider demon cultivator and bore a child with him. As a result, the female demon was cast out of the Golden Crow race, and her child, who was Demon Lord Shenhua, was born.

The Golden Crow race’s bloodline was domineering and extremely difficult to produce offspring.

Hence, their numbers had always been low. Even the hatching process took more than ten years.

Demon Lord Shenhua’s bloodline was impure, and it took nearly a hundred years for him to be born. During the hatching process, he absorbed all of his mother’s life force, leaving her with nothing. Therefore, from the moment he was born, he was despised by his father and cast into the wilderness. 𝘙ΆꞐȱＢΕṡ

It could be said that Demon Lord Shenhua’s growth was incredibly difficult. Despite that, he rose to become a demon lord, and after achieving this status, he slaughtered his father’s entire clan.

Afterward, this demon lord roamed freely throughout the demon territory, with few enemies capable of challenging him. However, due to his irritable and eccentric temperament, he had no friends.

“How did you manage to get this demon lord to take action?”

A great demon asked curiously. Demon Lord Shenhua’s fearsome reputation made him difficult to approach, and no one expected him to actually take action.

That existence at the end of Nepenthe was actually a demon lord too.

It was a title comparable to the one used by human cultivators.

That demon lord laughed and said, ”Though Demon Lord Shenhua’s temperament is strange, he once had a close friend. That person was both a teacher and a friend to Demon Lord Shenhua. If it weren’t for him, Demon Lord Shenhua would have likely died in the demon territory long ago. Therefore, Demon Lord Shenhua naturally shares a deep bond with this person. Coincidentally, this person was later killed by His Majesty. Now, tell me, do you think Demon Lord Shenhua might hate His Majesty, or even want to kill him?”

”Since that’s the case, it seems Demon Lord Shenhua won’t miss such an opportunity. He will definitely want to kill His Majesty when he finds him.”

The demon lord nodded. ”Once Demon Lord Shenhua kills His Majesty, the demon territory’s ruler is destined to change, and our goal will soon be within reach.”

”However, even though Demon Lord Shenhua’s power is immense, facing the current situation in the desolate north, he may find it difficult too, right?”

One of the great demons still had concerns about the feasibility of this plan.

”No worries. I have given Demon Lord Shenhua a precious treasure that should allow him to enter and exit the desolate north. Just wait for the news.”

The demon lord took a deep breath, and a glimmer of anticipation appeared in his eyes.

……

……

Onan River

This place was not far from the desolate north.

A tall man appeared on the riverbank. Just by standing there, the space around him twisted, and boundless heat waves emanated from his body, causing the sparse vegetation nearby to lose its vitality.

This was Demon Lord Shenhua.

He took a step forward and crossed to the opposite bank, then headed toward the desolate north.

It did not take long before he neared the desolate north, where the terrifying aura of the desolate north was already palpable. The constantly intertwining auras flowed here without end, forming a forbidden zone for life itself.

Demon Lord Shenhua’s expression remained calm as he reached out and touched the space ahead, feeling the terrifying aura. Only then did he frown slightly.

He prided himself as a genius of his generation; otherwise, he would not have survived alone in such a dangerous demon territory. Yet, even so, he knew that the Demon Emperor, who had suffered a similar fate, had always been stronger than him.

Had he not been aware of this fact, he would have long since stormed the royal city to avenge his only friend.

Over the years, he had remained in hiding, waiting for the perfect opportunity. Now, at last, he saw a glimmer of hope.

Convinced that the Demon Emperor should be gravely injured and hiding somewhere in the desolate north at this moment, he finally made up his mind to come here.

Standing before the desolate north, Demon Lord Shenhua whispered, “Shan Song, I will avenge you.”

After saying this, Demon Lord Shenhua no longer hesitated, stepping forward without a second thought.

Soon, he entered the desolate north.

Feeling the terrifying aura surrounding his body at all times, Demon Lord Shenhua furrowed his brows. Looking down, he noticed that many rips had appeared on the hem of his clothes at some point in time.

At this moment, although the terrifying aura had not yet landed on his body, it would not take long before it did. Even though his body was incredibly tough, he feared he would not be able to stay here for too long.

However, since he dared to enter, he was naturally fully prepared.

He clenched his hand in the void, and a pitch-black long staff appeared in his grip. As the staff emerged, it grew like a withered tree sprouting branches, and then a set of umbrella ribs formed, followed by a dark umbrella surface.

The umbrella surface did not look like oil paper or something similar, but more like the skin of some demon beast. In fact, it was indeed a piece of skin. Furthermore, it was not ordinary skin, but the skin from the true body of a demon lord.

Combined with numerous other rare materials, this umbrella was not a common item. It was likely among the top-tier treasures even in the demon territory, a place where magic artifacts were not often used.

This umbrella was also the greatest reliance that allowed that demon lord to invite him to take action.

Once the umbrella was unfurled, it successfully blocked the surrounding terrifying aura. Demon Lord Shenhua felt a sense of relief, looking at the desolate northern plains before him, exhaled a breath of demonic qi, and then waved his hand, sending out several beams of light. These light particles quickly transformed into small three-legged golden crows, darting off into the distance to search for the whereabouts of the Demon Emperor.

”You’d better still be alive, or what’s the point of me coming all the way here?”

……

……

The scattered golden crows flew across the desolate north, but in reality, many of them barely flew a few dozen feet before being torn apart by the terrifying aura that had always existed in the desolate north.

Demon Lord Shenhua could roam freely through the desolate north with his precious treasure and cultivation realm, but these golden crows did not possess such abilities.

Demon Lord Shenhua’s expression turned a bit ugly as he had never expected this.

It would be difficult for Demon Lord Shenhua to find the Demon Emperor who was hiding without the golden crows scouting the way.

After some thought, he forced a drop of golden blood from his fingertip and watched as it condensed into a small golden crow. Seeing it take flight, he nodded in satisfaction.

……

……

The golden crow flew through the desolate north, not aimlessly like a headless fly, but searching for traces of the Demon Emperor’s aura in the air. Sensing those lingering auras, it roamed far and wide, covering many places in a short time.

However, as the golden crow flew over one of the last remaining tall mountains, a massive hand suddenly shot out from the peak, crushing the golden crow in an instant.

The golden crow had no chance to resist, it simply vanished.

That hand was wreathed in overwhelming demonic qi, terrifying beyond measure.

Once the golden crow perished, the large hand faded away.

The Demon Emperor’s figure appeared atop the mountain, looking calmly at the sky ahead.

From the moment he saw that golden crow, he knew who had come.

”Shenhua, do you really think We will die at the hands of a coward like you?”

Though his complexion was pale, the Demon Emperor’s aura remained undiminished despite his severe injuries. Standing with his hands clasped behind his back, he said calmly, ”Since you came, don’t think about leaving.”