Chapter 750: Ambitious Apocalypse Alliance

Despite being a demon and a fiend who disliked each other, Bei Mu and Lu Wu walked through the bustling market street like close friends.

Bei Mu watched Lu Wu holding the calligraphy and painting, a sneer forming in his mind. As a demon, he could tell that despite Lu Wu's outwardly careful handling, there was no genuine affection for the artwork whatsoever.

"Tell me, Lu Wu, what good are these books and paintings to you? Do you genuinely like them?"

Lu Wu patted the artwork in his hand, then cast a sidelong glance at Bei Mu as they continued walking, his smile devoid of warmth.

"Yes."

Bei Mu snorted. He knew Lu Wu was merely putting on a show. Lu Wu typically adopted the appearance of a scholar, and to maintain that facade, he would undertake countless useless and tedious tasks with utmost seriousness. Such individuals were often intensely dedicated, exceptionally troublesome, and notoriously vengeful, resorting to any means necessary in a fight—a fact well illustrated by the incident with the tiger demon.

The two casually made their way to a quieter part of the city. Only then did Bei Mu continue, a cold smile playing on his lips.

"Lu Wu, your brother, the tiger, is dead, I hear. He was consumed by that Sir's Samadhi True Fire, utterly destroyed, body and soul."

With no one else around, Lu Wu opened his mouth and, in a manner that seemed to pierce his own throat, shoved the calligraphy and painting directly inside. Bei Mu's mouth twitched slightly at the sight. Once the item was concealed, Lu Wu turned to him and shook his head.

"Ah, Brother Tiger died a terrible death. Regrettably, I, your younger brother, am unable to avenge him. But you, who fled the fastest, actually had the audacity to go back and gather this information?"

"Hmph, as a demon, I naturally have my own methods of acquiring information. It's you, his supposed brother, who shows no sign of grief over the demon king's demise."

"You shouldn't speak so carelessly. I am truly saddened by Brother Tiger's fate. And with his death, much of our work has been for naught, though truthfully, I, Lu, never saw the point in those efforts anyway."

Their conversation was laced with sarcasm, but they were still companions and refrained from outright confrontation.

"Lu Wu, I believe working together isn't entirely suitable for us. Next time, let's go our separate ways. I simply can't manage someone like you."

"Oh? So you truly dislike me that much? To be honest, among demons, I quite favor you. Your words genuinely wound my heart. But what we do and how we do it is irrelevant. I, Lu, am solely concerned with how to break free from the shackles of cultivation, and... achieve immortality!"

Lu Wu looked earnestly at Bei Mu. The promise of unshackling cultivation and granting immortality was what the Heavenly Enlightenment Alliance had offered when recruiting him and Niu Batian. He had to admit, it was incredibly tempting.

Bei Mu narrowed his eyes slightly. It seemed to him that Lu Wu was growing distrustful of these two promises from the Heavenly Enlightenment Alliance, which was understandable, as they were indeed quite extravagant.

"Your talent, Lu Wu, is exceptional, I must admit. However, your past actions were too reckless and extreme. You weren't supposed to know this yet."

"Oh, well, then don't say anything. As for these so-called cultivation shackles, I, Lu, can break through them myself anyway."

Lu Wu's arrogant self-assurance secretly infuriated Bei Mu, yet he also had an inexplicable feeling that it might be true. To some extent, Lu Wu might truly be the type of fiend who lives by the principle: "My cultivation is my path; good, evil, life, and death do not contradict my Dao heart."

In other words, Lu Wu is a fiend who doesn't need to seek or pursue the Dao because his own path resides within his heart. While it might diverge from the conventional understanding of righteous or evil paths, he consistently adheres to it. Fundamentally devoid of notions of good or evil, he is a remarkably pure cultivator. Furthermore, he may not resent those who wrong him, but he will certainly exact revenge for even the slightest offense; he may not express gratitude for kindness, but he will always repay a favor.

Lu Wu's demonstrated purity meant his potential was acknowledged as remarkably high, even among the Heavenly Enlightenment Alliance's leadership. His true form remained mysterious; though he once manifested a tiger form, it seemed to conceal something deeper. Such fiends are often among those in the fiend race who can truly cultivate to the pinnacle of their abilities.

Thoughts flickered through his mind, and after a brief hesitation, Bei Mu spoke again.

"That being said, I actually think it wouldn't hurt to tell you. With your talent, Lu Wu, you'll undoubtedly be one of the Heavenly Enlightenment Alliance's high-ranking members in the near future, perhaps even holding a key position after the Heavenly Enlightenment. As mortals wisely say, 'More friends, more opportunities.'"

"After the Heavenly Enlightenment?" Lu Shan Jun keenly caught the crucial phrase in Bei Mu's words. His heart stirred imperceptibly, but his face remained impassive as he gazed coldly at Bei Mu.

"'More friends, more opportunities?' Heh heh, no matter what you do, Bei Mu, I, Lu Wu, will never consider you a friend. However, if you show me some kindness, I, Lu, will not forget it."

"Hahahaha... Lu Wu, while I generally detest you, I must confess, I do rather like this particular aspect of your personality. Come on, let's find a suitable place. I'll explain everything properly. Just try not to die of fright!"

In the Southern Wild Continent, the presence of fiends in the Great Southern Wild Mountains, among other factors, meant that even in mortal kingdoms, the density of demons, fiends, ghosts, and monsters was significantly higher than elsewhere.

Bei Mu and Lu Wu were currently in a small, mud-walled tea shack situated far from the city on a main road. Surprisingly, inside, there were still noticeable traces of fiendish energy and signs of a struggle. Perhaps cultivators and fiends had recently clashed there, or perhaps fiends had fought amongst themselves. What was truly remarkable was that the tea house itself seemed completely unharmed.

Business was extremely quiet in the tea house. The drowsy waiter, after serving their tea and snacks, promptly fell asleep leaning on the mud counter. Apart from Bei Mu and Lu Wu, who were seated near the entrance, there was no other customer in the entire thatched tea house.

As Bei Mu recounted details about the Heavenly Enlightenment Alliance, even Lu Shan Jun was utterly astonished, unable to maintain his usual stoic composure. He appeared genuinely taken aback.

Bei Mu was highly satisfied with Lu Wu's reaction. Opportunities to see such an expression on him were rare.

Lu Shan Jun took a subtle breath, composed himself, and then narrowed his eyes once more.

"What you say is utterly preposterous, and coming from you, a demon, I, Lu, honestly didn't believe it at first. Yet, you have no discernible reason to deceive me..."

Lu Shan Jun remained silent for a long moment before meeting Bei Mu's gaze and speaking.

"The Heavenly Enlightenment Alliance's claim to 'break the old and establish a new order' is far more audacious than I ever imagined. To establish a Celestial Palace with the fiend race at its head and demons as its support, seizing the very creation of heaven and earth, and presiding over the life and death of all beings? A Celestial Palace... Isn't that utterly... utterly naive?"

Bei Mu's eyes gleamed with intensity, and a hint of fanaticism appeared on his face—an unusual expression for a great demon—as he looked at Lu Wu.

"Lu Wu, do you know that in the distant past, there truly were Celestial Palaces, and they were primarily dominated by the fiend race? Humans now proclaim themselves the spirits of heaven and earth, but what were they to the fiends of ancient times?"

Though surprised by the notion of a Celestial Palace, Lu Shan Jun suddenly found Bei Mu's demeanor rather comical.

"Even if the fiend race once ruled the Celestial Palaces, what are you, a mere demon, in the grand scheme of things?"

"Ha, Brother Lu, as the saying goes, fiends and demons are inseparable. What's labeled as evil cults and deviant paths are merely classifications imposed by the current righteous order. When the order of heaven and earth shifts, whoever wields the most power dictates the rules. The path of demonization might well become the righteous path."

Lu Shan Jun remained silent. The manipulative, deceptive, and insidious ways of the demonic path were disdained by the current righteous factions, and many among the fiend race also found them unappealing. Essentially, the demonic path was, to a considerable degree, the antithesis of order.

Seeing Lu Wu remain silent for a long time, Bei Mu poured them both a cup of tea, took a sip, and spoke.

"What, still incredulous? Heh, you'll believe it eventually. By suppressing and disrupting the human Dao, further stifling the collective will of all beings—through natural disasters, man-made calamities, plagues, and resentments—humanity will be torn asunder. The human-dominated order will naturally falter, even shatter. The demons and fiends in the Two Wilds and across the world simply need to bide their time and wait for their chance. Our Heavenly Enlightenment Alliance is the power orchestrating these grand strategies, slowly propelling the changes across heaven and earth!"

"Of course, Brother Lu, your future is promising; you are destined to hold a high position as a celestial official."

Bei Mu looked at Lu Wu, smiled as he spoke, and added silently to himself: 'Of course, you'll have to survive until then.'

"I, Lu, admit I am truly astonished to hear this. But is the current so-called righteous path merely for show? Even with just that one Mr. Ji, who in the Heavenly Enlightenment Alliance can possibly contend with him?"

Bei Mu's eyes narrowed slightly, and he lowered his head to pick up his teacup.

"The grand tide of heaven and earth is irresistible. Even if his cultivation is exceptionally profound, he cannot possess power that defies fate. If one person cannot defeat him, then ten will; if ten fail, then a hundred or a thousand will. Furthermore, if he is a True Immortal, are there no formidable Fiend Kings, or even Celestial Fiends? Are there no True Demons?"

However, Bei Mu noticed Lu Wu's gaze suddenly shift to the side. He instinctively turned his head and saw that the tea shack waiter, who had been asleep, was now propping his head with one hand, watching them.

"You two fiends, what you're spouting sounds quite impressive!"

Bei Mu's heart skipped a beat. He hadn't realized the waiter wasn't mortal, and it appeared Lu Wu hadn't either. This was indeed a rather terrifying realization.

"Lu Wu, this person is not simple. If things become impossible, we should prioritize leaving!"

"Do I need you to tell me that?"

After exchanging their whispered messages, both were prepared for an all-out confrontation. Even Lu Shan Jun wouldn't casually linger in such a situation. He knew perfectly well that, outside the presence of his master, encountering a righteous cultivator in his current state would most likely result in him being summarily executed as a fiend.