Chapter 224: A Major Figure of the Demon Sect

Chapter 224: A Major Figure of the Demon Sect

Camel Elder’s head rolled to the ground, his blood, brimming with immense energy, splattered across the earth, still boiling fiercely.

A Martial Artist nearing the Martial Venerable realm had fallen. A single drop of his blood, if dripped into a lake, could bring the entire body of water to a boil.

During the Age of Deification, when a Sub-God perished, their blood could stain the sky crimson, unleashing a rain of blood that would send countless beings into mourning. Such was the influence of a powerful Martial Artist’s blood.

The stronger one’s cultivation, the more potent their blood.

A single drop from a Sub-God could manifest an entire world, teeming with thousands of living beings.

Of course, the Age of Deification had long passed, and Sub-God-level figures were nearly extinct. Only in the ancient families and hidden paradises deep within the continent might a Sub-God ancestor still linger.

In the Yulan Empire, a single Earthly Venerable could dominate a region, standing as its unchallenged ruler.

Boom!

A surge of overwhelming power erupted from the Demon Sect Saintess’s arm, shattering the Serpentine Battle Sword into fragments that clattered to the ground.

A sixth-grade Profound Qi artifact had been reduced to scrap metal by sheer force alone.

The Demon Sect’s Martial Artists trembled in fear, their hearts pounding as they dropped to their knees in reverence. "We pay our respects to the Saintess!"

Camel Elder had been a prominent figure of the Lifeless Dao, a powerhouse on the cusp of the Martial Venerable realm. Yet even he had fallen to the Demon Sect Saintess’s hands. This alone spoke volumes of her terrifying prowess.

If these lowly underlings dared not kneel, their fate would be far worse than Camel Elder’s.

The Demon Sect Saintess was making an example—killing to establish dominance, striking fear into all who witnessed it.

The battle between the Demon Sect Saintess and Camel Elder had unleashed such overwhelming auras that it finally drew the attention of the Demon Sect’s major figures.

The Lifeless Dao Leader, the Fox Immortal Dao Leader, Duanmu Linye, and five other Martial Venerables of the Demon Sect arrived simultaneously, their bodies wreathed in Earth Martial Essence, their brilliance blinding. Their Martial Soul Avatars towered behind them, majestic as true deities.

All except the Demon Sect Saintess fell to their knees, not daring to lift their heads.

These were the Demon Sect’s supreme figures, each as mighty as a divine being.

The battle between Ning Xiaochuan and Lin Zhirong also came to a halt.

Lin Zhirong, cradling Duanmu Jishuang’s corpse, knelt before the Lifeless Dao Leader and Duanmu Linye, weeping bitterly. "Father, Father-in-law, it is my fault! I failed to protect Jishuang, allowing her to die at the hands of the imperial dogs!"

Lin Zhirong, the villain, struck first with his accusations, passionately denouncing Ning Xiaochuan’s crimes and branding him as a spy sent by the imperial court to infiltrate the Demon Sect Headquarters.

The Lifeless Dao Leader, Lin Zhirong’s father, stood imposingly, his towering Martial Soul Avatar manifesting behind him—a beast-headed figure resembling a hellhound.

Martial Soul Avatars were not always humanoid. They could take the form of ghosts, beasts, dragons, or even weapons, depending on the cultivator’s path.

Of course, the most common form was still human. Only those who practiced unique techniques possessed Avatars that diverged from the norm.

The Lifeless Dao Leader’s presence loomed like a towering mountain as he coldly surveyed the crowd below. "Zhirong, do not speak carelessly. This is Nine Death Cliff. How could imperial forces possibly reach this place?"

When the Lifeless Dao Leader spoke, the clouds and mists over Xiaoyao Peak trembled and roiled, and the Mystic Beasts lurking among the mountains and valleys were all intimidated by the aura emanating from him, cowering in the grass.

"I absolutely dare not lie, Father," Lin Zhirong said, pointing at Ning Xiaochuan. "He is a lackey of the imperial court, brought to Nine Death Cliff by Sister Linger. And... and..."

"Humph! How old are you, yet you still stammer like a child? What is it you’re too afraid to say?" the Lifeless Dao Leader said coldly.

"Father’s reprimand is justified." Lin Zhirong bowed deeply before continuing, "That imperial lackey shares an unusual relationship with Sister Linger. They... even have an illegitimate child together. That’s why I believe Sister Linger, being inexperienced in the ways of the world, was deceived and misled by this imperial dog, leading her to commit the grave mistake of bringing him to Nine Death Cliff."

Duanmu Linye, though deeply grieved by the death of his second daughter, raised an eyebrow at Lin Zhirong’s words and fixed him with a cold stare. "They have an illegitimate child?"

Duanmu Linye had personally brought Ning Xiaochuan to Nine Death Cliff. He knew better than anyone that there was absolutely no such relationship between Ning Xiaochuan and Duanmu Linger.

Unaware of this, Lin Zhirong declared righteously, "Indeed! That little girl is standing right beside Sister Linger."

Earlier, during the battle between Ning Xiaochuan and Lin Zhirong, the entire Ling Qi Pavilion had been shattered. Fearing Xiao Ling'er might be harmed, Duanmu Linger had brought her outside.

Now, Duanmu Linger knelt on one knee, her voice icy. "Lin Zhirong, if you dare spout such nonsense again, I swear I will never rest until one of us is dead."

"Mommy, Xiao Ling'er is hungry," Xiao Ling'er said in a childish voice, clinging to Duanmu Linger’s neck.

The entire scene fell into silence.

All eyes turned to Duanmu Linger.

A cold smirk flickered in Lin Zhirong’s eyes. A child cannot lie. Duanmu Linger, now you’ll find it impossible to defend yourself. Conspiring with an imperial lackey to murder your own sister—such a crime is enough to condemn you to the Hundred Snakes Devourment.

Duanmu Linye frowned slightly, feeling utterly defeated. Why must every one of my daughters cause me such trouble?

He had always believed Duanmu Linger was the most obedient, principled, and talented among his three daughters, the one who held the greatest promise. Yet now, this had happened.

"Linger, why have you never mentioned this to me before?" Duanmu Linye asked, his voice laced with humiliation as he struggled to suppress his fury.

Hearing someone call her name, Xiao Ling'er turned her adorable little face toward Duanmu Linye and toddled toward him.

Duanmu Linger quickly pulled her back and said respectfully, "Father, this isn’t what you think. Actually, she is... she is... Ning Xiaochuan’s daughter."

She shot Ning Xiaochuan a fierce glare, intending to shift the burden onto him.

"Mommy, I’m your daughter," Xiao Ling'er whimpered, tugging lightly at Duanmu Linger’s skirt. Thinking Duanmu Linger was abandoning her, she stared up with teary, glistening eyes, on the verge of crying.

Duanmu Linger felt a splitting headache. How did I end up saddled with such a troublesome little thing? Now, even if I try to explain, no one will believe me.

Lin Zhirong sneered inwardly, "It's quite clear now. This little girl is the illegitimate child of Duanmu Linger and Ning Xiaochuan. Duanmu Linger conspired with someone from the imperial court to kill her own sister."

When Lin Zhirong uttered the name "Ning Xiaochuan," it struck him as somewhat familiar, as if he had heard it somewhere before. Yet, he couldn’t recall where at the moment.

Ning Xiaochuan did not kneel. Even in the face of a Demon Sect Martial Venerable, he stood proudly and declared, "I did not kill Duanmu Jishuang."

Lin Zhirong let out a cold laugh. "So, she killed herself?"

Ning Xiaochuan fixed him with a cold stare. "Who killed her? You should know better than anyone."

Lin Zhirong retorted, "Of course, it was you. I saw it with my own eyes. There were also hundreds of witnesses present—they can all testify."

"It was indeed Ning Xiaochuan who killed Lady Duanmu. He should be boiled in oil!"

"We all saw it with our own eyes. There’s no room for his excuses."

The Demon Sect Martial Artists kneeling on the ground chimed in one after another.

The incident had already caused an uproar. With the Demon Sect Conference about to commence, such a scandal made Duanmu Linye’s expression turn extremely grim.

He believed that Ning Xiaochuan and Duanmu Linger could not possibly have an illegitimate child, and he was even more certain that Ning Xiaochuan would not kill Duanmu Jishuang without reason. However, outsiders would not share his conviction.

Thus, he had no choice but to order the imprisonment of both Ning Xiaochuan and Duanmu Linger, prioritizing damage control and quelling the scandal as the top priority.

As the leader of the Blood Devouring Demon Sect, he had his reputation to uphold.

Ning Xiaochuan and Duanmu Linger were locked away in the Demon Sect Iron Prison, surrounded by darkness and cold, guarded by armored Death Warriors.

This was a place where the Demon Sect’s most dangerous criminals were held. No matter how high one’s cultivation, escape was impossible.

Duanmu Linger sat in a corner, clenching her fists tightly and gritting her teeth. "You’ve doomed us this time. What was the point of dragging an innocent little girl into this? And even if Duanmu Jishuang was a vile woman, you shouldn’t have killed her. Now we’re both going to suffer the Demon Sect’s punishments."

Ning Xiaochuan remained calm, his hands bound in iron chains, yet he sat in meditation. Profound Qi in the shapes of dragons and tigers shimmered across his skin, emitting faint resistance sounds. He replied placidly, "Duanmu Jishuang was killed by Lin Zhirong."

"What?" Duanmu Linger jolted in shock. "Why would he kill his own wife?"

Ning Xiaochuan opened his eyes and gave her a look as if she were an idiot. "Any man with a wife like Duanmu Jishuang would want to kill her. But since she was the Demon Emperor’s granddaughter, Lin Zhirong couldn’t do it openly. So, he framed me instead."

"Then why didn’t you say so earlier?" Duanmu Linger’s eyes widened in anger.

She thought Ning Xiaochuan was insane—why hadn’t he explained such a crucial matter to the Demon Sect’s higher-ups directly? Now they were stuck here, waiting to die.

"Who would believe me? To them, I’m just an outsider from the imperial court. Anything I say would only sound like excuses." Ning Xiaochuan closed his eyes again and resumed his cultivation.

Duanmu Linger, for some reason, chose to believe Ning Xiaochuan and said angrily, "This Lin Zhirong is truly despicable. I’m going to tell my father about this."

Ning Xiaochuan replied, "Do you think your father is a senile fool? As one of the Six Great Dao Masters of the Demon Sect, he’s a hundred, no, a thousand times smarter than you. He knows better than anyone who killed Duanmu Jishuang."

"Then why did he imprison us here?" Duanmu Linger asked, confused.

"If he truly believed we killed Duanmu Jishuang, we’d already be dead," Ning Xiaochuan said.

Duanmu Linger suddenly understood. "You’re right. Given my father’s temper, if we really had killed Duanmu Jishuang, he would’ve executed us on the spot without hesitation. But what should we do now?"

Ning Xiaochuan said, "We wait."

"Wait for whom?" Duanmu Linger asked.

Ning Xiaochuan finally realized why Duanmu Linger could never become the Demon Sect Saintess. She was far too naive, so much so that he questioned her intelligence. Compared to the current Demon Sect Saintess, she was leagues behind.

The fact that Duanmu Linger hadn’t been chosen as the Demon Sect Saintess proved that the Demon Emperor’s judgment was indeed accurate. That was the thought that crossed Ning Xiaochuan’s mind.