Chapter 751: Invitation to the Protector

"This place is too close to human settlements. Using our full power would harm many mortals."

"Understood."

Of course, Beimu didn't say this because he, despite being a demon, still possessed humanity. Rather, demons of their caliber were different from ordinary, ignorant ones. They knew that harming a large number of mortals was not only taboo, but also that the backlash from humanity's collective power was not to be underestimated, potentially even triggering a calamity in severe cases.

After a private discussion, the two decided to retreat for now, but maintained their composure. Beimu looked at the tea stall owner and smiled.

"I wondered why, after sitting down, I noticed faint traces of demonic energy here. So, it turns out there's a master presiding. I suppose you're the one who caused those others to suffer greatly here before, aren't you?"

Although Lu Shan Jun remained silent, his face was expressionless, and his gaze showed no ripple of emotion, devoid of both murderous intent and divine light, like the calm before a storm.

Lu Shan Jun and Beimu were internally tense and prepared for a confrontation, yet outwardly they seemed unconcerned. The seemingly simple young man standing by the tea stall's stove, however, was truly calm both inside and out.

"I've never caused anyone great misfortune. As the saying goes, 'Blessings and misfortunes have no gate; they are invited by people themselves.' This bad luck is all self-inflicted."

As he spoke, the owner stepped out from behind the stove, dusting off his clothes with a dirty rag draped over his shoulder.

"So, what'll it be? Will you follow me willingly, or shall I 'invite' you to leave?"

The owner emphasized the word 'invite' and wore a half-smile. Lu Shan Jun narrowed his eyes, picked up a teacup, took a small sip, and then asked,

"Where to?"

Seeing Lu Shan Jun's action, Beimu secretly prepared himself. Despite their disagreements, he and Lu Shan Jun had cooperated several times, so there was still some unspoken understanding between them.

The owner, still speaking cordially, slowly draped the rag back over his shoulder and replied,

"To meet the God of Mount Heng. You can tell him what you just said, again..."

Before the owner had even finished speaking, Lu Shan Jun abruptly flung the tea from his cup towards him. In an instant, the tea transformed into a scalding, bubbling wave, surging towards the owner less than ten feet away. Meanwhile, Beimu stomped his foot, and the next moment, the entire area shook violently as a wave of earth rose into the sky.

"Go!"

"Splash!" "Rumble!"

The entire tea stall was instantly crushed by the surging waves of water and earth from both sides. These waves didn't dissipate but grew larger, rushing with tremendous force towards the back of the road. As for Lu Shan Jun and Beimu, they had already transformed into two almost imperceptible streaks of light, rapidly flying away.

"You two brutes! My tea stall is ruined again!"

The owner thrust one hand forward, and the scalding water wave and rolling earth wave seemed to be sliced open by his hand, parting around him and receding behind him. With a hint of anger, the owner stamped his feet, "Thump-thump!"

"Boom..."

The ground where the owner stood, and for at least several miles behind him, instantly collapsed, forming a long, dark, bottomless chasm. The scalding water wave and earth wave simultaneously plunged into the abyss.

"Thump."

With another stomp, amid a rumbling sound, the earth healed itself. Even the official road behind it reappeared on the surface, though slightly damaged.

From Lu Shan Jun's tea-throwing to the ground's collapse and recovery, all of this happened within a mere breath. The owner looked at the shattered wooden planks and thatch of his tea stall behind him, let out a cold snort, then exhaled a grey mist from his nostrils. It transformed into a gentle breeze that swept behind him, while he himself suddenly shot forward, pursuing Lu Shan Jun and Beimu.

After the owner left, a small teahouse, built of earth walls and a thatched roof, stood reconstructed exactly where he had been. It was hardly different from the previous one.

High in the distant sky, Lu Shan Jun and Beimu fled at immense speed. One rode the wind, stepping on gales to fly faster than the wind itself, while the other, invisible and shadowless, seemed to accompany Lu Shan Jun's flight.

"Beimu, how about we split up and run?"

"No, that person's concealment technique is indeed powerful, but his cultivation might not be so high that he's unbeatable. If we can't get away, it's better for us to work together. I'll create diversions, and you carry me for a while!"

Compared to Lu Shan Jun's demonic aura, Beimu knew his own demonic energy was more conspicuous and drew more hatred. However, he disagreed with splitting up primarily because of his agreement with Ji Yuan. As a true demon's outer manifestation, he vaguely sensed that even without a formal oath, something terrible might happen if he failed. Therefore, he had to ensure Lu Shan Jun was captured by Ji Yuan.

Lu Shan Jun wasted no words. After saying 'Alright,' he cast a spell to pull Beimu along, while the latter began releasing streams of demonic energy into the surroundings.

These demonic energies transformed into seemingly solid illusions in the air, flying off in multiple directions towards the distance. While this escape method was old-fashioned, it had to be said that sometimes the simplest tricks were the most effective, especially when a quantitative change could lead to a qualitative one.

At this moment, hundreds of demonic energies shot into the distance; some turned into illusions, while others were pure demonic energy.

The streak of light pursuing them paused slightly upon seeing so many deceptive auras dispersing in all directions. He secretly thought that the demon and the monster were more formidable than he had imagined, mainly because it was difficult to distinguish between the true and false auras for a moment.

However, the owner wasn't flustered. With a wave of his hand, a gentle breeze swept towards the mountains and fields below.

"Mountains, forests, and plants, help me perceive the truth!"

As he chanted, threads of feedback converged upon the owner. He vaguely perceived the demon separating its demonic energy and saw the direction in which the monster was fleeing.

"Heh, still a bit green!"

The man, still in his rough worker's clothes, immediately pursued in the determined direction. At the same time, he unleashed over a dozen beams of spiritual light in various directions, striking the denser demonic energies. This was primarily to dissipate the demonic energy and prevent it from attaching to anyone.

After chasing for more than fifteen minutes, he eventually caught up to a mass of black cloud. Upon seeing it, the man immediately realized something was wrong.

"Damn it, I fell for their trick!"

Two quarters of an hour later, Beimu and Lu Shan Jun were still flying swiftly across the distant sky. By now, they had relaxed considerably, and Beimu even chuckled.

"I knew this owner must be a practitioner from the Southern Wilderness Continent who specializes in borrowing spiritual and divine power. For convenience, he'd definitely use mountain spirits and plants to 'see the way.' Lu Shan Jun, how was my 'Shifting Shape and Changing Shadow' technique?"

"Hmph, not bad. Let's land on this mountain, and then you can tell me about what just happened."

Lu Shan Jun rarely praised Beimu, and the latter's face showed a faint smile.

"Of course. Today, I'll speak openly with you. In the future, when we work together, we'll have better understanding."

"Hmph, we'll see."

Lu Shan Jun replied, forcing a smile for Beimu. The two slowly descended onto a nearby small hilltop, as if merely changing their conversation spot from the tea stall. However, their brief happiness was cut short as a bolt of lightning struck down from the sky.

"Crackle! Boom..."

The lightning struck without warning, heading straight for Lu Shan Jun and Beimu, but the former merely raised his hand to block it.

"Rumble..."

A sizzling sound of electricity filled the air as the lightning crackled in Lu Shan Jun's hand. The next moment, he actually flung it away, sending it striking a distant mountain, where it unleashed a destructive electrical arc.

"You two brutes, you're quite capable, making this old man run around in circles!"

The voice of the owner from the tea stall approached from a distance, cursing and flying at an incredible speed. In his hand, he held a delicate monster, not much larger than his palm, somewhat resembling a human, somewhat a monkey, but with claws, no tail, and a thick nose.

"Hmph hmph, running, are we? Keep running, why don't you?"

The man hovered in mid-air. The small monster in his hand now transformed into a wisp of smoke and vanished from his palm, leaving the man to stand with hands on hips, gazing at the demon and the monster on the mountaintop.

Lu Shan Jun and Beimu exchanged glances.

"It seems this person has other means of tracking us. This fight is inevitable."

"Yes, he heard what he shouldn't have. He definitely needs to be dealt with."

Beimu and Lu Shan Jun spoke calmly, without any of the usual arrogance of evil spirits, which made the cultivator frown. A subtle warning suddenly flashed in his spiritual mind.

'It seems they are not simple!'

As that thought crossed his mind, the demon standing on the hilltop had vanished, as if evaporating into thin air from a momentary blur. The scholar-like monster, meanwhile, had rolled up its sleeves, its eyes glinting with a sinister light that, for an instant, inexplicably made the cultivator's heart tremble, a profound sense of fear rising within him.

As this fear arose, the cultivator inwardly cursed, knowing it was bad. He unleashed his magical power, and intense spiritual light flashed around him like a storm. At the same moment, four hulking figures radiating white light appeared.

"I summon my Guardian Deities to appear!"

"Bang..."

One of the white-light guardians threw a punch, striking a wisp of demonic energy that had appeared beside it without warning, revealing Beimu's form. But with a mere somersault, Beimu vanished again, a mocking smile on his face.

Two of the guardians glowed brightly, moving like lightning, fiercely chasing the demonic energy.

"Boom..." "Boom..." "Boom..."

Lightning, raging fire, bladed weapons—various attacks were unleashed in quick succession, like two gods of war, making the battle intensely powerful.

While the cultivator's attention was focused on the elusive demon, there was a sudden violent tremor in the air beside him.

"Rumble..."

The shockwave sent the cultivator flying backward. Two guardians followed closely behind him, while the other two turned to block the charging monster.

Lu Shan Jun grabbed one guardian with each hand, slowly pushing them backward. Both guardians attacked with their arms, one with a punch and one with a sword, but Lu Shan Jun caught both attacks, and their white light flickered continuously.

"Grinding..."

A teeth-grinding creak sounded. Lu Shan Jun's eyes flashed with demonic light, and one of the guardians actually trembled slightly. Then, Lu Shan Jun manipulated it, making its magical sword strike its companion, as if its attack trajectory had been altered by a martial art's yielding force.

"Thump..." "Boom..."

The next instant, the two guardians collided. Furthermore, a phantom image of a colossal tail swept over both guardians, sending them flying into the distance. Lu Shan Jun had already rapidly closed in on the cultivator. This move was a complete triumph of skill, making it seem as if the two guardians had been effortlessly dispelled.

However, the two guardians quickly returned to defend and engaged the monster again. Yet, despite their attacks unleashing heavenly lightning and earthly fire, the guardians were often sent flying after just a few exchanges, seemingly unable to exert their full power, while the monster drew steadily closer to the cultivator.

"Lightning Strike!"

The cultivator formed a hand seal and unleashed the most potent Heavenly Stellar Lightning from his own techniques.

"Rumble..."

The lightning struck the monster, erupting in a rolling burst of light. Its demonic energy surged explosively, and a terrifying phantom image of a monster appeared behind it. Yet, the lightning seemed to merely tickle it; the monster only tilted its head, showing no sign of pain.

"Hmph, it's far inferior to heavenly tribulation lightning!"

The cultivator's heart pounded, and a sense of panic lingered. He knew he had been far too overconfident; this monster was much stronger than he had imagined, and the demon lurking invisibly nearby was also a grave danger.

"Heaven and Earth, naturally, all things of spiritual beauty, I summon spirits and gods to aid me in slaying evil..."

The cultivator quickly formed a hand seal, pouring magical power into it as if it were limitless. He was preparing to summon any righteous cultivator or spiritual being within a considerable range who could serve as a protector, usually gods. This hand seal was a rather miraculous art, somewhat similar in function to summoning deities, but with significant differences, such as not being compulsory.

The cultivator hoped to summon the City God of the nearby large city, along with the various deities of the underworld.

"So, it turns out he's just for show. And here we were, taking him so seriously, ha ha ha ha..."

Beimu's laughter became grating. The cultivator's ears twitched; he knew the demon was trying to disturb his mind. Protected by a layer of spiritual light, he rapidly retreated, continuously chanting his incantations.

"Summon guardians, summon guardians!"

In that tense moment, a golden light suddenly flashed in the cultivator's mind. He didn't perceive the City God, but he seemed to vaguely see several towering giants clad in golden armor.