Chapter 958: When Do You Think I'm Stupid?

On a secluded island somewhere in the vast ocean, pavilions and terraces were hidden. A despondent Beimu was drinking alone in one of these pavilions. He had learned from Old Niu to actively embrace the alcoholic fumes, rather than letting them dissipate as soon as they entered his body, and found that this method indeed brought back the feeling of drinking.

To say he was truly alone would not be accurate. At least there were attendants on the island, appearing as handsome men and beautiful women. Each was alluring and exuded a faint demonic aura, and they were utterly obedient to Beimu. At that moment, a performance was underway in the center of the hall, solely to entertain Beimu.

Unfortunately, these loyal attendants and subordinates meant nothing to Beimu; they couldn't stir his emotions. Perhaps a drama depicting an ordinary human family torn apart by domestic strife would have been more to a demon's liking.

Just then, a woman in a black cloak descended from the sky onto the island. She then quickly entered the hall, bypassing the performance in the center to approach Beimu's table.

"Master, Old Niu and Old Lu are no longer in the residence you arranged for them," she reported, "so your subordinate was unable to invite them to drink with you."

"Not here? Where did they go?"

Beimu raised a hand, his handsome, almost sinister face flushed with drink. This sight slightly excited the subordinate standing opposite him.

"According to the servants there," the subordinate explained, "Old Niu also found it very boring and was very angry that Lian Ping'er had tricked them, so he left. He also said that as a bull, staying submerged in the sea for too long was tiresome. Old Lu, on the other hand, didn't say much, but he left a message for you, saying to use this if you need to find them."

As she spoke, the subordinate extended her hand, presenting a strand of yellow and black hair. Beimu took it, weighed it in his hand, and was surprised by its substantial feel.

"Heh, heh heh heh, ha ha ha..." Beimu laughed. "True, the Heavenly Revelation Alliance has long disbanded, so there are no restrictions. Given their temperaments, it's already impressive that they stayed with me out at sea for so long... Lian Ping'er, that foul woman, has no integrity. So, the Ancient Demon's blood was beneath the Mirror-Profound Sea Pavilion all along. If I had known this information earlier, I would have seized it myself. With Lu Wu and Niu Batian assisting me, what could a mere Mirror-Profound Sea Pavilion possibly do to stop me?"

The copper cup in Beimu's hand creaked as he squeezed it. When he realized what he was doing and released his grip, the cup had already been crushed into a lump of copper.

"Master..."

"I'm fine, it's just a pity," Beimu said. "Legend has it that some ancient demons possess characteristics close to the opposite of the Heavenly Dao, earning them the title 'Heavenly Demon'. Nowadays, the highest demonic techniques are often prefixed with 'Heavenly Demon', but in truth, it's merely an exaggeration. Ah, but then again, since that ancient demon could be killed and its true spirit's blood sealed away, it probably wasn't a true Heavenly Demon after all."

Although Beimu's last few remarks had some truth to them, he was clearly exhibiting a "sour grapes" attitude. However, everyone in the hall regarded him as their everything; no one would contradict him, nor would anyone find his words ironic.

Seemingly realizing that as a true demon, he shouldn't show his emotions so openly, Beimu reined in his feelings and asked with a smile.

"I prepared a good number of beautiful maidens for that brutish bull on the island," he said. "I'm surprised he was willing to leave them. He must have sampled every single one of them, right?"

The subordinate licked her lips and reported truthfully.

"Most of them, Old Niu found too dirty," she said. "Of course, some he did favor are still savoring the memory. However, Old Niu particularly liked those few mortal women and took them with him when he left..."

"Heh, that old bull still has a soft spot for mortals," Beimu chuckled. "Hmm, you did well this time. Come here!"

Beimu patted his leg. The subordinate in front of him immediately went weak in the knees. She quickly walked over to Beimu and sat in his lap. The other demonic cultivators in the hall all showed signs of jealousy but dared not say anything.

Zhong Pingxiu once told Ji Yuan that it was rumored the blood of an ancient monstrous beast flowed beneath the heavy waters of the Mirror Sea within the Mirror-Profound Sea Pavilion. The intense murderous aura and powerful demonic energy from this blood had once almost caused the Mirror-Profound Sea Pavilion's patriarch to fall into the demonic path.

But even Ji Yuan hadn't expected that what was sealed beneath the thousand layers of heavy water in the Mirror-Profound Sea Pavilion wasn't an ancient monstrous beast, but the blood of an ancient demon. No wonder it could only be sealed and never completely destroyed.

Even Lu Shan Jun and Niu Batian were kept in the dark about this. However, one thing they were very clear about was that getting familiar with Beimu was merely a means to an end, not the goal itself. And if they kept associating with Beimu, it would be inconvenient for others to find them.

At this moment, Old Niu and Lu Shan Jun were walking through a prosperous human city in Hengzhou, Northern Province. Although it wasn't a fairy port and was far from Yunzhou, the Wei clan, due to the publication of "Yellow Springs," had chosen this city and established several shops here. Old Niu brought the few mortal women he had taken from Beimu to this place. As for why they came here, it was because of its proximity. For women like these, who had lost their homes and families and had been isolated from the outside world for years, if they were simply left anywhere in the human world, even with a sum of money, they might not fare well in the end. Therefore, entrusting them to the Wei clan was the best option, as they certainly wouldn't dare to mishandle them.

"Old Lu, didn't you see those girls? They were so reluctant to leave me," Old Niu boasted. "When it comes to attracting women, you still have a lot to learn from me. Stop dwelling on that little fox mistakenly choosing the wrong master. It's not easy to become a disciple of Sir Ji. Old Niu here hasn't even dared to dream of it; I just hope he gives me more pointers."

Old Niu cheerfully said this, while Lu Shan Jun merely snorted coldly beside him. Old Niu had already found his own path of cultivation, so naturally, their master couldn't take him as a disciple.

If a disciple were to be taken, it would be someone like Lu Shan Jun himself in the past, like Hu Yun, or like Lady Bai, who transformed her demonic cultivation into a method of immortal spirituality.

Old Niu suddenly let out a chuckle.

"That slap from Lady Ying was really fierce," Old Niu chuckled. "That Lian Ping'er dog must hold a grudge for life, right?"

"Hmph, a good slap indeed!"

Lu Shan Jun also smiled. Lian Ping'er dared to claim herself as their master's Dao companion, utterly oblivious to her own demise. However, Old Niu beside him chuckled again and said.

"But only Lady Ying would dare to do that," Old Niu added. "This Lian Ping'er is also a cunning one. If Old Niu were to move against her, it would surely be a death trap for her, otherwise I wouldn't bother causing trouble."

Lu Shan Jun paused, turning to look at Niu Batian.

"When it comes to cunning, who can compare to you, Ox Demon King?"

"Ha ha ha ha ha ha..." Niu Batian roared with laughter. "Those rotten zombies just praise me in private. It's an overestimation, an overestimation. But this title suits me perfectly; it's as mighty and domineering as my own name!"

Niu Batian suddenly spoke again.

"Old Lu, where do you think the demon blood is? Is that Lu Min, who is wanted by the Mirror-Profound Sea Pavilion, dead or alive? Could it truly be in his hands?"

"I don't know if he's dead or alive," Lu Shan Jun replied, "but that demon blood has definitely been taken by Lian Ping'er and others. Beimu didn't gain any benefit and even lost an underwater cave."

"Heh, if I were Lu Min, wrongly accused in my own Sea Pavilion, I definitely wouldn't accept it," Niu Batian mused. "I'd find every possible way to clear my name. Besides possibly seeking out powerful experts I know, the most likely place would be the Pavilion of Heavenly Secrets. They might be able to help clear his name, but then again..."

Lu Shan Jun was about to say something when he suddenly sniffed the air and looked up towards a certain direction in the sky.

"Old Niu, your mouth is blessed!"

Old Niu also looked up in the direction of Lu Shan Jun's gaze. In the distant sky, a faint sword light streaked across. Behind it, two streaks of immortal light were in pursuit.

"It might not necessarily be Lu Min, right?"

"We'll know if we go take a look."

The one pursuing and the one fleeing moved with extreme speed across the sky; if they reacted slowly, they would miss them. Old Niu and Lu Shan Jun wasted no time; they leaped up from within the city and flew away, merely concealing themselves with a simple illusion.

Since the other party's escape speed was very fast, Old Niu and Lu Shan Jun did not directly pursue them. Instead, they moved ahead and gradually spread a demonic cloud in all directions.

Lu Min's condition was already very poor. After a long period of fleeing without being able to rest and recover, not only was his magic power severely depleted, but his injuries were also nearing their breaking point.

Just then, he saw a vast expanse of sinister demonic clouds before him. It was too late to change direction, and despair slowly crept into his heart. Meanwhile, the two individuals chasing Lu Min squinted, looking ahead, uncertain which demon dared to block their path.

"We are cultivators from the Mirror-Profound Sea Pavilion, currently apprehending a traitor from our sect. Outsiders, retreat quickly."

The people behind Lu Min sent their voices echoing in all directions, which infuriated Lu Min.

"Ha ha ha ha ha..." came Old Niu's wild laughter from within the clouds. "You immortals, who claim to be upright cultivators, aren't you still slaughtering each other just like today? Ha ha ha ha ha..."

Old Niu's wild laughter came from within the clouds. Two terrifying red lights shone from above the demonic cloud, like two colossal demon eyes. The demonic energy instantly surged, making the cloud appear like raging fire.

"It's been a long time since I've eaten immortals," a calm but cold voice — Lu Shan Jun's — also rose from the cloud. "Today's my lucky day; these few have good cultivation, so they should be quite tasty!"

Lu Shan Jun's calm but cold voice also rose from the cloud. As his voice resonated, the demonic cloud expanded at an exaggerated speed, quickly becoming boundless and encompassing all directions.

"Ha ha ha, Old Lu," Old Niu laughed, "so the one in front is the so-called traitor? Heh heh, let's not eat this one yet. Don't mortals have a saying, 'the enemy of my enemy is my friend'?"

The demonic energy ahead was terrifyingly exaggerated, reaching a scalp-numbing level. Coupled with the words, the two pursuers immediately realized they had probably encountered the Brutish Bull and the Tiger. One of them quickly spoke with surprise and eagerness.

"Fellow Daoist Niu, Fellow Daoist Lu, quickly help us capture Lu Min! We are friends, not enemies; we'll explain later!"

"Ha ha ha ha ha... Do you take Old Niu for a fool?!"

Niu Batian scoffed, and before his words even finished, he directly made his move. His demonic body wasn't ahead as expected; instead, it suddenly emerged from the clouds above. His colossal hands clasped into fists, mercilessly smashing down towards the two pursuers.

Although streaks of magical light immediately appeared on their bodies, the moment Old Niu struck them, continuous shattering sounds erupted, as if the very sky was exploding.

"Bang..."

The two, like meteors, were sent crashing down from the sky by a single blow.

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

Two large craters erupted on the ground.

On a side note, let me recommend a new work by a new author: "I Transmigrated and Became a Sect Leader," which was released this past Friday.