Chapter 123: Meeting Old Acquaintances
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The search for disciples at the foot of the mountain was nearly complete. Regrettably, quite a few disciples had still encountered danger and could never return. When Dongfang Changao returned after escorting another batch of disciples up the mountain, Ma Jiugu asked in a deep voice: “Have most of the disciples from various sects returned?”
“All the living people shown on the Divine Sense Compasses from various sects have been found.” After Dongfang Changao finished his report, he took out a miniaturized Divine Sense Compass and frowned: “On the contrary, our Floating Immortal Island still has six people who haven’t been found. Strange – how did they run so far away?”
“Who else is there?” Ma Jiugu’s eyebrows twitched inadvertently. She had personally followed several elders from Floating Immortal Island in the search and hadn’t seen Yue Qianchou. She feared he had already met with misfortune, but still hoped he was among the remaining six.
Dongfang Changao stared at the light points on the Divine Sense Compass and identified them: “One disciple each from Cultivation Pavilion, Alchemy Pavilion, and Tranquil Pavilion, plus three disciples from Ten Thousand Fragrance Garden.”
Elder Quan and Elder Sun nearby glanced at the Divine Sense Compass and both sighed inwardly. ‘This kid really isn’t peaceful – how did he run so far away?’
At this moment, several figures flashed over, all calling: “Ninth Aunt!” They were four consecrated elders from Floating Immortal Island, with one remaining on the mountain peak to stand guard. Ma Jiugu looked at them and said: “Our Floating Immortal Island still has six living disciples who haven’t returned. We can’t abandon them.”
“As it should be!” one consecrated elder replied, while the other three nodded in agreement.
“Haha…” A hearty laugh came from the distance: “Last night I heard that Brother Meng came here to receive guests. Today there are more guests, so how could I, Ao Li, dare to be negligent? I’ve come specially to welcome the distinguished guests.”
Who was Ao Li? Everyone was slightly shocked. From the voice, the newcomer’s cultivation was no weaker than theirs. They saw Ma Jiugu’s expression become obviously excited, her drooping eyelids suddenly opening wide, staring with flashing eyes toward where the voice came from.
Before long, they saw a green vine soft sedan chair with light gauze on all four sides, carried by four sedan bearers walking through the air. It looked slow, but quickly arrived before everyone and descended.
‘These four sedan bearers have such high cultivation – they can actually walk in the air. What kind of person could make such people carry a sedan chair?’ Everyone from Floating Immortal Island stared at the figure behind the light gauze, wondering what kind of divine being this was. The four sedan bearers lowered the sedan from their shoulders and placed it steadily on the ground. The person in front turned back to lift the light gauze at the front of the sedan, revealing the true face of the person inside.
A middle-aged man in a blue scholarly robe that seemed slightly faded from washing, gently waving a folding fan, lazily reclining in the soft sedan. As the light gauze was lifted, the person gradually sat up. His black hair was tied at the top, his sword-like eyebrows slightly raised, and his dark eyes sparkled like starlight as they swept over everyone. What an elegantly refined man. But his appearance here seemed somewhat strange.
When that person’s gaze fell on Ma Jiugu, he suddenly paused, gently waving the folding fan in his hand. He stood up from the sedan with a smile: “I wondered what distinguished guests had come – turns out to be old acquaintances.”
Everyone from Floating Immortal Island looked toward Ma Jiugu and all breathed a sigh of relief. It was good that he was an acquaintance – otherwise, fighting with someone of such profound cultivation in the Demon Ghost Domain would not be a good thing, especially since his four sedan bearers clearly weren’t to be trifled with. One consecrated elder even asked: “Aunt, do you know him?”
The one asking was Guan Dinghai, the previous sect master of Floating Immortal Island and also Ma Jiugu’s nephew.
Who knew Ma Jiugu would grit her teeth and say: “More than just knowing him – this face of mine was ruined by his hand.”
“Ah!” Guan Dinghai cried out in shock, and the others were even more surprised. Wasn’t that an enemy then? Everyone immediately became alert. They all knew that Ma Jiugu’s cultivation had already reached late Tribulation Crossing stage three hundred years ago. She had also been a beautiful woman back then. After returning from an external cultivation trip, everyone discovered she had been disfigured. Despite using many spirit pills and medicines, she never recovered, leaving her face covered with pockmarks, hence the nickname “Pockmarked Ninth Aunt.”
The man waved his folding fan leisurely: “Guan Jiufeng, you can’t blame me for what happened back then. Think about it – you didn’t know your limits and dared to venture alone into this place with your late Tribulation Crossing cultivation, going on a killing spree in the Demon Ghost Domain. If this king hadn’t taught you a lesson, you would have really thought there was no one in my Demon Ghost Domain. You should know that this king not taking your life back then was already giving tremendous face. Don’t be ungrateful anymore.”
Ma Jiugu was old, but which woman didn’t cherish her appearance? Moreover, she had been a beautiful woman back then. For a beauty to be disfigured was almost more painful than killing her. Thinking of the past and seeing her enemy again, Ma Jiugu couldn’t help but tremble slightly with anger.
“Aunt, who is this person?” Seeing him dare to call himself “this king” with every word, Guan Dinghai couldn’t help but inquire about his background.
Hearing her nephew’s question, Ma Jiugu steadied her mind, revealed a trace of mocking expression and sneered: “Dinghai, don’t be fooled by this person’s human appearance. He’s actually a fox spirit. Clearly a demon, yet he insists on imitating humans and pretending to be refined. This demon is the local Demon King named Ao Li.”
Demon King Ao Li? Everyone was shocked again. They hadn’t expected this elegantly scholarly-looking man to actually be one of the famous Ten Great Demon Kings of the Demon Ghost Domain. They hadn’t seen a Ghost King but had encountered a Demon King – it seemed today would be difficult to end peacefully.
No matter how good a woman’s cultivation might appear, once she truly hated someone, speaking with sharp sarcasm was inevitable. Ao Li, who had originally been graceful and refined, immediately changed color upon hearing these words. Ma Jiugu’s words had indeed hit his sore spot. Though he was a demon, he extremely envied the romantic scholars of the human world and imitated their lifestyle in every way.
“Snap!” Ao Li closed the folding fan in his hand and sneered: “Guan Jiufeng, seeing you’re an acquaintance, I originally wanted to spare you all a way out. Unfortunately, you don’t appreciate old friendship. Since that’s the case, then you’ll all stay here for this king!”
“Changao, you ten retreat far away.” Ma Jiugu shouted. With the strength of Dongfang Changao and the ten elders, they weren’t qualified to participate in this battle.
As soon as she finished speaking, Ma Jiugu seemed to instantly become younger. The Demon-Slaying Staff in her hand turned into a stream of light heading straight for Ao Li’s face. The latter snorted coldly and gently deflected with the folding fan in his hand, immediately sending the Demon-Slaying Staff flying.
Once the main characters made their move, the others on both sides immediately spread out and released their auras. With so many people’s auras condensed together and released, they immediately formed a strong pressure pushing toward the surroundings. The surrounding vegetation and rubble were destroyed and sent flying like dead leaves, and those birds and beasts that couldn’t fly away in time all turned into blood mist and scattered. An area of nearly a thousand meters was immediately cleared.
Dongfang Changao and the others standing far away were greatly shocked. Worthy of all being late Tribulation Crossing stage experts – they hadn’t even made a move yet, but their auras alone were surging and alarming.
Suddenly, Ma Jiugu from Floating Immortal Island, Ao Li and the others all spat out a mouthful of blood. After Dongfang Changao and the ten elders spat out blood, they directly collapsed to the ground. An incomparable divine sense as resounding as a vajra subduing demons fiercely struck everyone’s minds. No one could withstand this attack, and everyone was instantly injured.
“Who?” Ma Jiugu shouted with a mouth full of fresh blood, staggering backward with Guan Dinghai and the others, her face full of shock and uncertainty. It was too terrifying – with their cultivation, they actually couldn’t block a single strike of divine sense. Ao Li and the others also staggered back, their earlier arrogance instantly vanishing without a trace, their faces full of panic and unease.
