Chapter 37

Chapter Thirty-Seven: Messenger of the Heavenly Demon Sect

Inside Tian Tian's palace.

If Shi Yun were here, he would probably be so shocked by Tian Tian's order that his eyes would pop out.

Xu Daoyan did not know that Tian Tian was a woman, so he thought it was nothing for two men to stay in the same palace, even if they were in separate rooms.

Tian Tian went back to her room to rest, while Xu Daoyan sat cross-legged on the floor of the hall. There was an array formation here that connected to the surrounding natural energy. As soon as he started to cultivate, countless streams of natural energy converged, cleansing Xu Daoyan's body.

The array formation here was even more powerful than where Shi Yun cultivated, greatly accelerating Xu Daoyan's cultivation speed.

"Amazing..." Xu Daoyan sighed.

Tian Tian, in the next room, watched Xu Daoyan cultivate and rolled her eyes at him, muttering, "What a stubborn donkey, not knowing a good thing when he sees it!"

She took out her flute and began to play softly. The flute music was gentle, like the sun rising from the icy and snowy landscape, bringing a hint of vitality, the warmth of spring, and the flourishing of all living things.

The flute music seeped through her room, carrying mysterious power that merged into Xu Daoyan's body, making him feel refreshed and warm, and invigorating him with unprecedented vitality. All the hidden internal injuries were healed and dissolved without a trace.

Xu Daoyan had a sudden enlightenment, as if the flute music resonated with something deep within him, integrating into his body-strengthening technique. His spleen began to change autonomously, rapidly absorbing the power of the high-quality earth spirit stone, accelerating the process of refining his muscles. With the help of "Spring Sun," his muscles began to transform, turning sand into earth, and earth into stone. In just one night, he completely broke through to the Earth Stone Body stage!

"How could I break through to the Earth Stone Body stage so quickly? It's been less than a day. What's going on?" Xu Daoyan was shocked, finding it hard to believe himself.

He clenched his fists and could feel that his muscles were as solid as earth and stone. Now, ordinary weapons would hardly be able to harm his body.

Seeing his breakthrough, Tian Tian stopped playing, thinking to herself, "Without my 'Spring Sun,' how could you have broken through so quickly? You ungrateful fool."

"Spring Sun" and "White Snow" were two ancient melodies with profound meanings. "Spring Sun" was for healing, while "White Snow" was for combat. Tian Tian had only comprehended a tiny fraction of these melodies, showing their immense power.

These two ancient melodies were taught to her by Gao Ziqi, the great musician of the Nine Provinces Divine Dynasty. Ordinary people could not learn the true melodies.

Xu Daoyan glanced at Tian Tian's room, knowing she had helped him, but said nothing and continued to meditate.

Dawn broke, and Tian Tian got up early. She gave Xu Daoyan a new set of black brocade clothes and asked him to change.

The two of them walked out of the palace together.

Shi Yun happened to meet them, feeling very strange. What was going on?

"Master Shi, please tell your father that I will be using Xu Daoyan for a while. You don't need to worry about him," Tian Tian said.

"I can make that decision. There's no problem at all," Shi Yun smiled and had someone lead Tian Tian to the dining hall.

He pulled Xu Daoyan aside and asked, "What happened last night?"

Xu Daoyan recounted everything, and Shi Yun was taken aback. "Really?"

"Why would I lie? What could two men possibly do?" Xu Daoyan didn't understand what Shi Yun was thinking.

Shi Yun laughed, with a deep meaning, and didn't say more.

In the war zone between the Nine Provinces Divine Dynasty and the Xiong people, there was a mountain range that stretched for hundreds of miles.

In early spring, it was still cold, and some snow had not yet melted.

The trees were withered, and there was no greenery. The mountains were desolate and filled with a heavy yin energy, making people feel very uncomfortable. If ordinary people came here and the yin energy entered their bodies, they would fall seriously ill, and those with weaker constitutions would die.

Occasionally, ghostly howls could be heard from the mountains, and the rocks were covered in moss, making them extremely slippery and difficult to climb.

Deep in the mountains was a palace called the Mountain Demon Hall.

The master of the Mountain Demon Hall was having a pleasant conversation with a young man.

"Hehe, the Mountain Demon Hall has had a good harvest in recent years. My senior brother sent me here to represent the Heavenly Demon Sect and commend the Mountain Demon Hall's achievements. We hope you will continue to work hard for the Heavenly Demon Sect," the young man, about twenty years old, said with a cold expression. Despite his young age, his eyes were filled with cunning.

"Our Mountain Demon Hall, as one of the outer sects of the Heavenly Demon Sect, will do our best. It is our duty. Please rest assured, Messenger," the master of the Mountain Demon Hall said politely. He was quite old, having cultivated for several hundred years and reached the Human Immortal realm.

At that moment, a howl came from outside the Mountain Demon Hall: "Bad news! Several of our outer sect disciples have been killed by someone."

The master of the Mountain Demon Hall recognized the person as an enforcer of the Mountain Demon Hall, Zhang Feng.

"Rubbish! Can't you see the Heavenly Demon Sect's messenger is here? What's the rush? Get out!" The master of the Mountain Demon Hall was about to tell the messenger about the Mountain Demon Hall's hard work over the years and ask for some rewards, such as some magical techniques. The enforcer's timing was perfect, but he still had to maintain appearances.

"Hold on, Master of the Mountain Demon Hall. If our outer sect disciples are being killed, we cannot ignore it. Someone, tell me what happened!" The messenger of the Heavenly Demon Sect was a core disciple with high status. He had come to inspect the outer sects to reassure the people, and he needed to seize this opportunity to win their hearts.

"I am the enforcer of the Mountain Demon Hall, Zhang Feng. A few days ago, my son heard that someone was killing our outer sect disciples and robbing them. He went to investigate, but he was also killed..." Zhang Feng embellished the story, saying that Xu Daoyan had deliberately caused trouble and specifically targeted the Heavenly Demon Sect's outer sect disciples, which greatly angered the messenger.

"How dare a thirteen-year-old brat think that just because he joined the Stone Dragon Camp, the Heavenly Demon Sect can't do anything to him?"

"He also said that the Heavenly Demon Sect is nothing compared to the Nine Provinces Divine Dynasty, which could crush us in an instant," Zhang Feng said angrily.

"The Nine Provinces Divine Dynasty is indeed powerful, and the Heavenly Demon Sect cannot match it. But to crush a mere child who hasn't even reached the first rank is too easy," the messenger of the Heavenly Demon Sect said. This visit was to reassure the people, and if the outer sect disciples were being killed without retaliation, it would demoralize them and damage the Heavenly Demon Sect's reputation.

"Zhang Feng, lead the way. I will personally deal with this matter!"

"No need for that. I can handle it!" The master of the Mountain Demon Hall, though not as powerful as the messenger, was more than capable of killing Xu Daoyan.

"No, if you act in the Stone Dragon City, it might implicate the entire Mountain Demon Hall. If I act personally, the blame will be on me, and it will be harder for the Stone Dragon City to find the Heavenly Demon Sect," the messenger said, standing up and gesturing for Zhang Feng to lead the way.

Zhang Feng immediately bowed and led the way, his face twisted with malice, thinking, "Xu Daoyan, you little brat, I'll see how you die this time!"

In the Stone Dragon City.

Night slowly fell. During the day, Xu Daoyan had accompanied Tian Tian shopping, and although he had been cultivating, his mind was not focused, so the effect was not good.

In the evening, Xu Daoyan released Zhang Chao, Qin Han, and Bai Shi from the Ghost Binding Bag.

After taking the Ghost Immortal Pill, their strength had greatly increased. Qin Han and Bai Shi had reached the Human Superior realm, just one step away from becoming Ghost Immortals, while Zhang Chao had just entered the Human Superior realm.

The power of the Ghost Immortal Pill amazed Xu Daoyan, and he felt that the money spent was worth it.

"Thank you, Master!" At that moment, they all regarded Xu Daoyan as their master, willing to die for him.

"You're welcome. We are brothers. Qin Han, you mentioned that the person who killed your comrades was Li Chaofeng. What's the story behind this?" Li Chaofeng was a seasoned veteran in the military with considerable influence. Xu Daoyan had a grudge against him but wanted to understand the situation clearly.

"I think it's best to let this matter go. The dead are gone," Qin Han lowered his head, clearly unwilling to say more.

"Every wrong has a cause, and every debt has a source. Speak!" Xu Daoyan said firmly. "I must seek justice for the dead. They died protecting the people and should not die in vain."

"In the past, I was weak and didn't think much about it. Now, I realize that if Li Chaofeng had no one backing him, he wouldn't have had the courage to do such a thing. If we investigate this matter, it might cause a stir in the entire Stone Dragon City, leading to the deaths of many high-ranking officials, even those at the Human Immortal realm!" Qin Han, on the verge of becoming a Ghost Immortal, had a broader perspective and felt that pursuing the matter might endanger Xu Daoyan.

"Even so, we must investigate this matter to the end. Qin Han, speak!" Xu Daoyan's eyes flashed with determination.

"Yes! In the past, Li Chaofeng commanded our troops and ordered us to set up camp on the road to prevent the Xiong people from crossing the mountains. The Xiong people were strong, and we couldn't resist them. As the commander, Li Chaofeng said he would seek reinforcements, but he never returned, delaying the battle and leading to the deaths of all our comrades. If Li Chaofeng had brought reinforcements, the Xiong people would never have been able to reach Shi Yun Town," Qin Han said, his teeth clenched in hatred. On that day, countless comrades had fought to the death, using their bodies to block the Xiong people's horses, waiting for reinforcements. But their hope turned to despair when their commander fled, leaving behind only blood, tears, regret, and resentment.

"Hmph, how dare Li Chaofeng be so bold?" Tian Tian, hearing Qin Han's words, couldn't help but come out of her room.

"Master Tian." Qin Han, Bai Shi, and Zhang Chao quickly bowed to Tian Tian.

"Master Tian, you don't need to get involved in this. Even though you are from Youzhou, interfering in local military and political affairs is not good for you," Xu Daoyan said, having understood many things over the past few days.

Tian Tian was about to argue but remembered that the military order she had was stolen from her seventh brother, so she lacked the confidence to argue.

"Hmph, ungrateful." Tian Tian turned and went back to her room.

Xu Daoyan was silent for a moment and said, "Cultivate well and strive to reach the Ghost Immortal realm. Then you will have a chance to be reborn."

"Yes." The three of them said nothing more, knowing that Xu Daoyan had his own plans.