Gu Zhao had met quite a few female experts. Setting aside Ye Ruyan and Miaoyun Princess who had joined Daluo Palace, the leaders of various major factions alone included Bi Jingjing of the Green Water Pool, Bai Fei of the White Spirit Mountain, Xue Feishuang of the Snow God Mountain, and Bai Qianzhu of Cyan Hill Mountain.
Compared to Bi Jingjing’s charm, Bai Fei’s stunning beauty, Xue Feishuang’s aloofness, and Bai Qianzhu’s vivacity, the Celestial Fox Ancestor standing before him possessed the highest strength, yet surprisingly gave Gu Zhao the impression of having the weakest offensive presence.
She wore a plain white, cloud-patterned thousand-water dress and a carved ebony hairpin inlaid with kingfisher feathers. With a gentle smile at the corners of her mouth and soft eyes, she exuded the tenderness of an older sister while retaining the amiability of an elder.
The beautiful woman wasn’t drop-dead gorgeous, but her aura was exceptionally mild and peaceful. She even carried a trace of delicate frailty that evoked sympathy, giving off an incredibly comfortable vibe that made others naturally want to draw close to her.
Gu Zhao respectfully cupped his hands. "You are too polite, Ancestor. I just happened to be there; it was mere coincidence."
"Those with immense karmic luck naturally have heaven’s help," the beautiful woman said, shaking her head. "Ordinary people wouldn’t have the Palace Master’s fortune of receiving techniques taught in dreams by the Spirit Realm Upper Gods, nor would they have your ability to preach and Cultivate.
"To obtain the Six-Headed Divine Monarch’s Inner Pill, you first had to defeat his eldest disciple, the Mo He Divine Monarch. You also had to know the location of his cave dwelling, the Poison Dragon Swamp, and happen to arrive just as the Black-faced God came looking for trouble.
"Taking all these steps one by one, how could anyone besides you, Palace Master, have pulled it off?" she said with a laugh.
Gu Zhao thought about it for a moment. Indeed, it hadn’t exactly been easy.
At that moment, the Celestial Fox Ancestor extended her hand, and the Six-Color Treasure Pearl appeared in her palm, which she then offered back to Gu Zhao.
"The Six-Headed Divine Monarch was truly an expert in using poison. That toxin entered my Dantian, corroded my marrow, and devoured my Divine Soul, practically fusing with me," the Celestial Fox Ancestor explained. "Yet even such an intractable poison couldn’t withstand a single absorption from the Six-Headed Divine Monarch’s Inner Alchemy Treasure Pearl. Now that the poison is cured, all I need is to rest and recover.
"Keep this Treasure Pearl safe. With it in your possession, you should be immune to all poisons," she said with a smile. "From now on, any poison-using Demon who encounters you will have met their nemesis."
Since he had started helping, he might as well see it through to the very end. Gu Zhao retrieved the Treasure Pearl and took out a porcelain bottle. "This is a Red Centipede Ganoderma Pill refined by my sect. It is excellent for calming the mind, restoring energy, and healing injuries."
The Celestial Fox Ancestor’s nose twitched slightly. She chuckled and shook her head, gently pushing the porcelain bottle back. "Thank you for your kind intentions, Palace Master, but this Elixir wouldn’t be of much use to me. It would only save me two or three days of recovery time. There’s no need to waste it."
Another white blur flashed past, and Bai Qianzhu appeared at the scene.
The Celestial Fox Ancestor looked at Bai Qianzhu. "Prepare a table. I am hosting a banquet for Palace Master Gu."
"Got it!" Bai Qianzhu agreed, vanishing with a SWISH.
The Celestial Fox Ancestor had emerged from seclusion and was personally hosting a banquet for Gu Zhao!
This banquet was a bit more formal than the last one, though not by much, considering Cyan Hill Mountain didn’t really have any grand palaces or sophisticated cave dwellings. The feast was set up right at the mountain’s peak.
The canopy of an ancient tree provided shade, surrounded by refreshing, mood-lifting blossoms. A cool breeze carried waves of sweet fragrance. Paired with a well-balanced spread of meat and vegetable dishes seasoned perfectly to taste, the atmosphere was immensely comfortable.
Gu Zhao brought up the matter concerning the Demon Ancestor.
"The Celestial Demon didn’t die back then; he has resurfaced after ten thousand years," Gu Zhao explained.
"Moreover, he has grown smarter. Perhaps because he hasn’t fully recovered, he hasn’t shown himself directly. Instead, he manipulates pawns to continuously construct Demon Realms within the earth veins.
"If he succeeds, this world will likely be overturned in an instant.
"Even the Dragon King of Ten Thousand Spirits fell victim to his schemes.
"I wonder if the Six-Headed Divine Monarch’s death involved the Demon Ancestor plotting through the Mo He Divine Monarch?"
The older and more established the great factions and experts were, the more they feared this Celestial Demon who had descended ten thousand years ago.
"The titles of many experts from ten thousand years ago have long vanished into the river of history," the Celestial Fox Ancestor noted. "Whether they achieved Ascension or reached the end of their lifespans, aside from their own sect’s records, their names are no longer circulated.
"However, even after ten thousand years, the legacy of this Celestial Demon who descended to the mortal realm has spread across all corners of the world. Whether in the Central Plains, the East Sea, or the Southern Border, legends of him exist everywhere.
"Not only that, but after slumbering for ten thousand years, this Demon Ancestor neither returned to the world beyond nor died of old age. Instead, he has survived until now and can even influence experts with thousands of years of Dao Practice, turning them into his pawns to construct Demon Realms.
"This is a deity comparable to the Spirit Realm Upper Gods!" the Celestial Fox Ancestor concluded. "Unless all the experts in the world unite once again like they did ten thousand years ago, it will be extremely difficult to survive this demonic calamity."
She then turned to Bai Qianzhu. "I will personally step forward to receive the friends you’ve invited this time."
"Understood!" Bai Qianzhu promptly agreed.
Over the next few days, nothing out of the ordinary happened in the Southern Border. Taoist Yan Ling and his group stayed in Poison Dragon Swamp to clear out the Demon Realm, and they no longer encountered anyone coming to pick a fight.
However, incidents were brewing in several other regions.
Taoist Jing Feng discovered demonic traces in Lezhou. After some investigation, he found an expert practicing a Demon Technique. Although this person was a lone operator similar to the Mo Lake Ink Flood Dragon, they had been roaming between Lezhou and the Western Divine Country, slaughtering people, destroying souls, and constructing a Demon Realm.
Several old Daoists who had headed to Jiangbei joined forces, and without even needing the local factions of Lezhou or the Court’s forces to intervene, they successfully executed this Ghost God who possessed three thousand years of Dao Practice. Not only did they each reap significant rewards, but Gu Zhao himself also gained two Thunder Seeds from the ordeal.
While the campaign to hunt down demonic traces in Wanling Jiangbei was in full swing, Shanzhou down in Jiangnan wasn’t peaceful either.
This particular incident had nothing to do with Demon Cultivators. Instead, an expert from the Western Divine Country came to Shanzhou looking for his lover, the Lady of Illusion Flower, only to discover that his lover had already been eradicated by Daluo Palace.
Taoist Gao Yue and his companions exchanged blows with the man a few times. They secured a minor victory but failed to make him stay permanently. To vent his anger, the interloper killed two disciples of Daluo Temple from Cloud Heaven Cliff before temporarily withdrawing from Shanzhou, leaving behind a threat that he would return. Since Shanzhou’s situation was still somewhat unstable and lacked a sufficient number of experts at the moment, Taoist Gao Yue and the others chose not to pursue him.
Aside from Jiangbei and Shanzhou, peace prevailed in Jiangzhou where Daluo Palace was located, Yongzhou where Chaoyang Island sat, and Yazhou which housed the Snow God Mountain.
Many of the highly capable old Daoists had stopped playing around in these three states. Setting aside those who went north or south, a significant number headed to the last state border in Wanling Jiangnan that Daluo Palace had not yet set foot in: Yuezhou.
Yuezhou was located south of Shanzhou and west of Yazhou. It bordered the Western Divine Country to the west and the Southern Border Mountains to the south. Its location was even more remote than Yazhou’s. Rumor had it that there were no notable experts there, giving it an extremely low presence in Wanling Jiangnan.
However, a place like this was practically paradise for anyone cultivating a Demon Technique. Because of this, Taoist Ming Chong, Taoist Jing Chun, Taoist Yan Qi, and several others had already set off for Yuezhou to investigate for demonic traces.
Five days later, figures arrived from all directions.
A man and a woman arrived from the east, riding on a ray of red light, smiling and holding hands.
An Immortal Crane pulled a White Jade Carriage through the air, surrounded by a flock of birds. Inside sat a middle-aged man in brocade robes, wearing a silk headdress and waving a feather fan while leisurely sipping tea along the way.
An old woman holding a dragon-headed walking stick flew over slowly through the air, treading gracefully on a White Cloud. A child wearing a bellyband and carrying golden rings on his arms followed behind her at an unhurried pace.
Most of the Cyan Hill Mountain Fox Race were Spirit Monarchs, and their friends were equally extraordinary. Almost none of them carried any Evil Qi. However, beyond this arriving group, Gu Zhao could sense a few auras lingering in the distance. Though they didn’t approach, they clearly weren’t the friendly sort.