196: A demon girl! A member of the Ghost Moon royal family!

The Demon Venerable only felt the originally violent Devilish Qi in his body, like a flood that had burst its banks, madly surging toward the top of his head.

Finally, it was sucked completely dry by that human.

In just three breaths of time.

The originally powerful Demon Venerable turned into a shriveled corpse, the light in his eyes completely dissipating.

Chen Xu retracted his foot, feeling the spiritual power in his body grow by another section.

He nodded with satisfaction.

"It would be great if there were a few more of these great tonic medicines."

With a casual wave of his hand, he stored the Demon Venerable's corpse into his storage ring. This was a demon body at the Body Integration Stage; every part of it was a treasure and could not be wasted.

"Clear the battlefield, search the fortress."

Chen Xu's voice spread throughout the area: "Even if you have to dig three feet into the ground, turn this place upside down for me."

...The battle ended even faster than expected.

The Demon Race, having lost their leader, were like a swarm of headless flies under the advancement of the Chen Family Army's tight Formation.

They were soon completely wiped out.

The entire fortress was filled with a thick smell of blood, but for the Chen family Cultivators who were already accustomed to killing.

It smelled more like a bountiful harvest.

Ba Dao was leading his men in happily cleaning up the battlefield. The armor and weapons stripped from the demon corpses, and even some strange ornaments, were all piled up into a small mountain.

"Family Head, this place is a bit poor, but these Demon Generals have quite a lot of stuff on them."

Ba Dao grinned, playing with a fist-sized top-grade demon core in his hand.

He smiled so wide his teeth were visible but his eyes were not.

Chen Xu ignored his money-grubbing appearance and walked straight toward the deepest part of the fortress.

That was where the Demon Venerable's Aura had been most concentrated before, and it was also the central area of the entire fortress.

Passing through several broken stone doors, Chen Xu arrived at an underground hall.

The decor here was completely different from the crudeness outside; the floor was paved with a type of black jade.

The surrounding walls were covered with complex runes.

In the center of the hall, there was no throne or altar.

Instead, there was a black cage wrapped in layers of Restrictions.

The Restriction was extremely sophisticated, even using some kind of ancient spatial blockade method.

If not for Chen Xu's deep understanding of the Spatial Law.

Even his Divine Sense might not have been able to penetrate it.

"This is..."

Lan Shuyao followed behind Chen Xu, looking at the cage floating in mid-air, her brows furrowing slightly: "The Demon Race actually set up a prison cell in their own headquarters?"

"And looking at the strength of this Restriction, it's even higher than the defensive Formation outside."

A hint of amusement flashed in Chen Xu's eyes: "This is interesting."

He stepped forward and placed his palm against the black light screen.

In his palm, the Spatial Law circulated, and the Restriction that was enough to trap a Peak Void Refining expert.

Melted away layer by layer in Chen Xu's hand, like snow meeting a fierce sun.

Snap.

With a final soft sound, the light screen shattered.

The true face of the cage was revealed before the two of them.

It was a transparent crystal coffin only three feet square. Inside the coffin, there was no peerless beast.

Nor was there any world-shaking Devil Head.

Curled up inside was actually a young girl.

Most striking were the pair of exquisite and small purple curved horns on her forehead.

They were not hideous beast horns, but rather like a fine ornament, engraved with natural Dao patterns.

Faint light flowed across them.

"This Aura..."

Standing behind Chen Xu, Lan Shuyao's brows were tightly knit, and she subconsciously tightened her grip on her longsword: "Though weak, that sense of nobility etched into her bones is definitely not something an ordinary member of the Demon Race could possess."

Chen Xu didn't speak. His gaze fell upon the girl's face, which appeared exceptionally exotic and beautiful even in sleep.

This was an aggressive kind of beauty.

Even though her eyes were closed and her face was pale at this moment.

She still exuded a heart-stopping charm.

"Quite interesting."

Chen Xu withdrew his hand, the Spatial Law in his palm vibrating slightly to erase the final Restriction on the crystal coffin: "It seems that Demon Venerable set up his base here not just to evade pursuit, but also to hide a beauty in a golden house."

With a soft "click," the lid of the crystal coffin slowly slid open.

At that moment, the sinister energy that had been stagnant in the hall seemed to find an outlet, madly surging into the coffin.

The girl, who had been completely lifeless, had her eyelashes tremble slightly.

"Be careful!"

Lan Shuyao's figure flashed, blocking the way in front of Chen Xu.

Chen Xu gently pushed her aside and shook his head: "It's fine. A little tiger with its teeth pulled can't cause any waves."

As soon as he finished speaking, the girl snapped her eyes open.

"Get lost!"

A delicate shout rang out. Though her voice was weak, it still carried an unquestionable authority.

The girl lunged from the coffin, her slender palms now turning into claws, carrying a clump of cold purple fire.

She aimed straight for Chen Xu's throat.

This strike was fast, accurate, and ruthless. If it connected.

His throat would likely be torn open on the spot.

But Chen Xu just stood there quietly.

Just as the claws were less than three inches from his throat.

A pressure as vast as the sea suddenly erupted from within him.

Boom!

Without actually making a move, it was merely a collision of Auras.

The girl's seemingly fierce attack instantly collapsed, and she let out a muffled groan.

Her entire body seemed to be pressed down by an invisible giant hand.

She fell heavily back into the crystal coffin.

"You..."

The girl's face turned deathly pale, and a trace of purple blood seeped from the corner of her mouth.

She stared at Chen Xu, the killing intent in her eyes gradually turning into terror: "Who are you? Where is that bastard Mo Sha? Why is there such a... disgusting Aura of Righteous Path here?"

"Mo Sha?"

Chen Xu raised an eyebrow and casually tossed a broken heart-protecting mirror from his storage ring, which he had stripped from the Demon Venerable's corpse earlier: "Are you talking about this guy?"

The heart-protecting mirror rolled on the floor, making a crisp sound.

The moment the girl saw the heart-protecting mirror, her pupils constricted violently.

That was Mo Sha's personal Magical Artifact, which he never left behind.

Now that this item had fallen into the hands of this human, Mo Sha's fate was self-evident.

"Dead?"

The girl murmured to herself, then unexpectedly threw her head back and laughed loudly: "Hahaha! Good riddance! That damned lowlife actually died!"

As she laughed, two streaks of bloody tears flowed from the corners of her eyes.

That kind of bone-deep hatred and relief.

Made her originally exotic face look somewhat distorted.

Chen Xu watched her vent quietly until her laughter gradually subsided, eventually turning into weak panting.

Only then did he speak calmly.

"Laughed enough?"

"If you've laughed enough, let's talk business. I don't care what grievances you have with that Demon Venerable; I am the master here now. Give me a reason not to kill you."

The girl stopped panting. She struggled to sit upright and smoothed her messy long hair.

Despite her disheveled clothes, her cultivation being sealed, and being in a desperate situation.

She still strived to maintain a demeanor that was almost arrogant.

"My name is Ye Youluo."

She lifted her chin, her purple eyes looking directly at Chen Xu: "The sole survivor of the Youyue Royal Clan of the Ancient Demon Realm, and the last Lunar King Bloodline in this world."

"Youyue Royal Clan?"

Lan Shuyao's eyebrows shot up: "That royal branch lineage that was supposedly exterminated by the Demon God Palace ten thousand years ago?"

"Correct."

Ye Youluo said coldly: "Since you know my identity, you should understand that killing me is useless."

"The foundation of the Youyue clan has long since vanished into the flames of war. That Mo Sha didn't capture me for any treasure."

Chen Xu's eyes flickered as he looked Ye Youluo up and down: "If not for wealth, then for beauty?"

"Shallow."

A flash of disgust appeared in Ye Youluo's eyes: "If that bastard just wanted a woman, there are plenty of succubi in the Ancient Demon Realm willing to crawl into his bed. What he wanted was my Taiyin Demonic Physique!"

"Taiyin Demonic Physique..."

Chen Xu's heart stirred as records of various special Physiques quickly flashed through his mind.

"He wanted to refine you into a Cauldron."

Chen Xu pointed out the truth incisively.

Ye Youluo's body trembled slightly; it was an instinctive reaction of anger and humiliation.

She gritted her teeth, her voice squeezed from between them: "Yes. That trash was stuck in the Early Stage of the Demon Venerable Rank for centuries without progress, and he plotted to forcibly break through the Bottleneck by plucking my Lunar Origin."

"If you hadn't arrived in time, in a few more days, once the Formation here was fully operational, I..."

She didn't continue, but the consequences were obvious.

Once refined, she would have her Soul Flying Away and Spirit Scattering.

Completely reduced to a tool for increasing cultivation.

Chen Xu's eyebrows rose slightly.

If he had looked at Ye Youluo with a bit of curiosity before, now.

That gaze was like a shrewd merchant examining a rare treasure.

Taiyin Demonic Physique!

This was a legendary top-tier Physique of extreme Yin and cold, and he had only recently awakened.

It was a perfect match for his extremely Yang and masculine Primordial Chaos Dao Body.

If he could subdue her, he could not only harmonize the Yin and Yang Qi in his body through the method of Dual Cultivation.

Allowing his cultivation to advance by leaps and bounds.

More importantly, if he could unite with her, the offspring they would produce... Chen Xu thought of his daughter at home who was born with the Wood Spirit Physique. If he added a child who inherited both the Lunar and Primordial Bloodlines.

Then the future of the Chen family would be truly limitless.

Thinking of this, the corners of Chen Xu's mouth curled up slightly.

"Do you want to live?"

Ye Youluo was stunned, then sneered: "Nonsense. Who wants to die if they can live?"

"I can give you a way to live, and I can even give you the power for revenge."

Chen Xu took a step forward, looking down at her: "But there's no such thing as a free lunch. I saved you, so you must pay a price."

"What do you want?"

Ye Youluo shrank back warily, "Though I am in a wretched state, I will never do anything lowly..."

"Don't be so quick to refuse."

Chen Xu interrupted her, reaching out a finger to gently tilt her chin up: "Become my woman, or rather, become a part of the Chen family."

"I will not only help you recover your cultivation but also assist you in re-cultivating the Lunar Great Dao."

"When the time is ripe, even if you want to fight your way back to the Ancient Demon Realm, I can lend you a hand!"

Ye Youluo's gaze froze.

This condition was too tempting, and also too arrogant.

Fight back to the Ancient Demon Realm?

Just with this minor human Cultivator?

But when her gaze met Chen Xu's eyes.

The mocking words she wanted to say somehow couldn't be spoken.

Inside this man's body.

There seemed to be a primordial beast lying in wait that made even a member of the royal family like her tremble.

"Do I... have a choice?"

Ye Youluo gave a bitter smile.

"You can choose to die here."

Chen Xu withdrew his hand, his tone indifferent. "Or be captured by those Righteous Path practitioners outside. I imagine their interest in a Demon Race princess would certainly be no less than Mo Sha's."

Ye Youluo fell silent.

She looked at the pitch-black walls around her, then at the forceful and domineering man before her.

After a long time, she slowly lowered her noble head.

"Ye Youluo... is willing to surrender."

As those words left her mouth, a purple crescent moon mark emerged at the center of her brow.

That was the Life Soul Seal of the Youyue Clan.

She forced it out of her body, and it slowly floated toward Chen Xu.

This was total submission, placing the power of life and death into the other's hands.

Chen Xu didn't stand on ceremony either; with a wave of his hand, that Soul Seal merged into his Sea of Consciousness.

Instantly, a feeling of Bloodline connection arose spontaneously.

With just a single thought, this Demon Race princess—who had been high and mighty just a moment ago—

Would suffer Soul Flying Away and Spirit Scattering in an instant.

"Very good."

Chen Xu nodded with satisfaction. "From now on, you are a member of my Chen family. As for your name..."

He paused. "Let's keep it as Ye Youluo. It sounds quite nice."

Having said that, a surge of pure Primordial Violet Qi erupted from his palm, which he struck directly into Ye Youluo's body.

"First, change out of those rags, then recover from your injuries. My Chen family doesn't support useless people."

Chen Xu tossed down a spare set of robes and turned to leave.

"Wait!"

Just as Chen Xu was about to step out of the hall, Ye Youluo suddenly called out to him from behind.

Chen Xu stopped and turned his head. "What? Regretting it?"

"No..."

Ye Youluo's complexion had already reddened considerably.

The Primordial Violet Qi entering her body gave her an unprecedented sense of comfort; even the Bottleneck that had been sealed for many years showed signs of loosening.

She bit her lip and hesitated for a moment, as if having made a decision.

"Since I have already submitted, there is a secret... I feel I should tell you."

Chen Xu turned around and looked at her with interest. "A secret?"

"That's right."

Ye Youluo took a deep breath, her gaze becoming incredibly solemn. "Although that fool Mo Sha wanted my Physique, the reason that demon army risked going deep into Dragon Burial Valley was not just to capture me, but for a more important mission."

"They are looking for a map."

"A map?"

Chen Xu's brow furrowed slightly.

"A secret map pointing to the burial place of the Netherworld Demon Emperor!"

Ye Youluo's words were shocking. "Legend has it that the Demon Emperor fell in the Spirit Realm ten thousand years ago. He carried with him not only supreme Cultivation Techniques but also a Demonic Imperial Weapon—the 'purgatory tower'!"

"Imperial Weapon?"

When these two words were uttered, even the usually steady Chen Xu—

Could not help but have his eyelids twitch twice.

In the Cultivation World, the Ranks of weapons and magical treasures were strictly defined. Magical Artifacts, Spiritual Artifacts, Magic Treasures, Ancient Treasures, Spirit Treasures... each level was worlds apart.

And the so-called Imperial Weapons were supreme divine weapons forged by peerless emperors of the Mahayana or even Undergoing Tribulation stages, using their lifelong efforts.

They were refined using the rules of heaven and earth.

Even a damaged Imperial Weapon possessed enough power to suppress the Luck of an entire region.

They could even allow a Body Integration Stage Cultivator to slay a Mahayana expert across Ranks!

In the entire Northern Region, or even the whole Human Race of the Spirit Realm, the number of factions possessing a complete Imperial Weapon could be counted on one hand.

If this news got out, never mind this small Dragon Burial Valley—

The entire Northern Region would likely be turned upside down by those crazed old monsters.

"Are you sure?"

Chen Xu's voice lowered slightly, and the air in the hall instantly became heavy.

"I am sure."

Ye Youluo nodded. Since she had already handed over her Soul Seal, she and Chen Xu now shared the same fate, prospering or suffering together.

There was no need to hide anything. "The ancient records of the Youyue Royal Clan state that the Netherworld Demon Emperor was forced to tear through space and flee into the Spirit Realm to escape his enemies."

"The place where he finally disappeared was near this Dragon Burial Valley."

She pointed to the ruins beneath them. "The reason Mo Sha built his fortress here was also because he sensed a faint fluctuation of Imperial Might during the excavation process."

"Where is the item?"

Chen Xu asked directly.

"It should be on Mo Sha's person, or hidden by him in some extremely secret place."

Ye Youluo recalled, "That map is made from the skin of a Void Beast. Unless a special Demon Race secret technique is used to reveal it, it just looks like an ordinary scrap of cloth."

Hearing this, Chen Xu immediately took out the belongings of Mo Sha he had scavenged earlier from his storage ring.

A large pile of miscellaneous demonic artifacts, Medicinal Pills, and Spirit Stones were dumped onto the ground.

He scanned them one by one with his Divine Sense.

Finally, his gaze locked onto a grey scrap of cloth that looked as if it were used to wipe weapons.

This cloth was stuffed haphazardly into a corner, covered in oil stains, with not the slightest fluctuation of spiritual energy.

Normally, it would likely be thrown away as trash.

"Is it this?"

Chen Xu pinched the scrap of cloth between two fingers.

Ye Youluo stepped forward and identified it carefully, a flash of excitement in her eyes. "That's it! It's this! I didn't expect that fool to actually use it as a rag!"

She extended her finger, forcing a drop of purple essence blood from the tip to fall onto the scrap of cloth.

Buzz—!

As the essence blood merged, the originally dull grey cloth suddenly erupted with a dazzling black light.

The oil stains evaporated instantly.

They were replaced by countless complex star-lines and a topographical map.

And in the very center of the map, a red symbol was clearly marked—it was the center of Dragon Burial Valley.

It was also the most dangerous area: the 'Dragonfall Abyss'.

Chen Xu looked at the gradually clearing map, his gaze becoming deeper.

"No wonder."

He murmured to himself, "No wonder that old fox Xu Sen wanted to hold some Demon Suppression Convention and even dragged Tianyu Holy Land into it."

"It seems it wasn't just to use me as cannon fodder; they likely caught wind of this long ago."

Although Xu Sen didn't know the exact location, he must have known there was a great treasure here.

Otherwise, given the nature of the Ascending Immortal Gate, they would never have intervened so 'enthusiastically' in Northern Region affairs after the Flowing Cloud Sect was destroyed.

"Family Head, what should we do now?"

Lan Shuyao looked at the map with some concern. "If there really is an Imperial Weapon, Tianyu Holy Land and the Ascending Immortal Gate will definitely go crazy."

Chen Xu put away the map, a cold smile appearing at the corner of his mouth. "Now that we know, we definitely can't let them have it."

The smoke over the ruins had not yet dissipated when a suffocating sense of pressure descended from the sky.

Chen Xu had just put away the secret map made of Void Beast skin when his eyelid twitched slightly.

He looked up at the torn black mist overhead.

Two streaks of light, one red and one green, fell like meteors on either side of the fortress wreckage.

They flanked Chen Xu in a pincer Formation.

The person on the left was dressed in blood-red robes, his withered face like tree bark filled with gloom. The animal-bone staff in his hand was still dripping with an unknown liquid; he was the Grand Elder of Tianyu Holy Land, Mo Yuan.

The person on the right had an immortal air, with that signature hypocritical smile hanging on his face.

Who else could it be but Xu Sen of the Ascending Immortal Gate?

"City Lord Chen, what fine methods you have."

Xu Sen spoke first, his gaze sweeping over the Demon Race corpses scattered all around.

His eyes lingered for a moment on the lingering scent of blood in the air, and he said with a fake smile, "In just this short amount of time, you've managed to crack the toughest nut in Dragon Burial Valley."

"It seems I underestimated the Chen family's appetite before."

Chen Xu's expression remained normal. "Elder Xu overpraises me. I just had good Luck and picked up a bargain."

"Luck?"

Mo Yuan snorted coldly, his staff thumping heavily on the ground and kicking up a cloud of dust. "This is a fortress guarded by a Demon Venerable; even our two factions combined would have to think twice."

"Your Chen family leveled this place without a scratch; that's not something Luck can explain."

Mo Yuan's old eyes stared intently at Chen Xu, his greed unconcealed. "Chen, let's not beat around the bush."

"For this demon nest to be built in such a hidden place, it must contain some world-shaking treasure."

Chen Xu looked over and said faintly, "And?"

"And so, those who see it get a share."

Xu Sen took up the conversation, his tone gentle, but the underlying threat was as sharp as a steel needle. "This Demon Suppression Convention was co-initiated by our three factions."

"Since City Lord Chen has taken the lead, for the sake of fairness, shouldn't the spoils of war be brought out for everyone to see?"

"Exactly!"

Mo Yuan took a step forward, the blood-colored baleful Aura on his body surging like a tide. "Hand over your storage ring and let us search it."

"If there's nothing prohibited inside, you can naturally take your people and leave. Otherwise..."

"Otherwise what?"

The cold smile on Chen Xu's face vanished instantly.

"Otherwise, this Dragon Burial Valley will be your burial place, Chen Xu!"

Mo Yuan shouted harshly, and the pressure of a Late Stage Body Integration Cultivator was released without reservation.

Although Xu Sen didn't speak, he gave his Magical Artifact a light wave.

An invisible barrier rose quietly, sealing off all of Chen Xu's paths of retreat.

This was blatant robbery.

In this Cultivation World where the strong prey on the weak, so-called morality and rules—

Were worth less than waste paper in the face of immense profit.

Standing behind Chen Xu, Lan Shuyao gripped her longsword, her pretty face turning cold.

Meanwhile, the newly surrendered Ye Youluo was somewhat nervous.

Although she looked down on these two old fellows, her cultivation was currently sealed.

Once a fight broke out, she would be a burden.

"Shuyao."

Chen Xu suddenly spoke.

"Your subordinate is here."

"Take her and the people outside, and retreat to the flying vessel. Leave this basin and wait for me at the perimeter."

Chen Xu pointed at Ye Youluo.

"Family Head!"

Lan Shuyao was startled. "There are two Late Stage Body Integration experts; you alone..."

"Execute the order."

Chen Xu's voice brooked no argument.

Ye Youluo gave Chen Xu a deep look; she read an absolute confidence from this man's back.

She pulled at the still-hesitating Lan Shuyao and said in a low voice, "Let's go. Staying here will only distract him."

Lan Shuyao bit her teeth and glared fiercely at Xu Sen and Mo Yuan, then took Ye Youluo and turned into a streak of light.

Charging out of the fortress.