Chapter 95 : I, the Most Wanted!
Chapter 95 : I, the Most Wanted!
The current situation in the Demon Realm is tense and complex. The group decided to first find a town to gather some information.
To be safe, Chu Sang solemnly put on a human skin mask, transforming into an unremarkable young man. She even deliberately lowered her voice to a slightly neutral, deep young male tone.
She stepped forward and suddenly slapped the sword-wielding youth. "Seventh Senior Brother!"
Tantai Ming was startled. He looked around before fixing his surprised gaze on the youth half a head shorter than him. "Little Junior Sister?!"
If not for that sweet and innocent smile that was so memorable, he almost wouldn't have recognized her.
Tantai Ming grinned and tugged at Little Junior Sister's face. "No one in the Demon Realm knows us anyway, is this necessary?"
Her gender, build, and voice had all changed.
It's not like she had committed any unforgivable crimes, why was she so afraid of being recognized?
Chu Sang expressionlessly swatted away his mischievous hand and rubbed her face. "I advise you all to put on a Thousand Faces mask as well."
Otherwise, if she causes trouble later and implicates them in being hunted down, she won't be held responsible.
Following Little Junior Sister, if nothing else, they excelled at making enemies with ease.
Tantai Ming and Mu Chihuai, seemingly recalling some horrifying scenes, shuddered and silently put on human skin masks, disguising their appearances.
Tang Yanling's outstanding beauty attracted too much attention, so she had already concealed her aura and appearance upon entering the city.
Tantai Ming adapted to the environment quickly. When first entering the Demon Realm, he was still shy and hesitant. But not even half an hour later, he had already become so familiar that he could chat with roadside stall owners about all sorts of gossip, collecting quite a bit of useless secondhand information.
"What's going on up ahead? There are so many people. Let's go take a look!"
He noticed a notice board in the city that had attracted many demon cultivators who were gathering around it, whispering and discussing.
"Make way, make way!" Tantai Ming, lacking any manners, rudely pushed his way to the front, earning a collective eye-roll from the onlookers.
He loved watching excitement and didn't mind causing trouble. He scanned the board from bottom to top. It displayed a row of wanted criminals that the demon race was currently pursuing, with clear portraits and bounties for each person...
Wait, why does the portrait of the most wanted person look so familiar?
Looking at that likeable little face, and that mischievous smile... Damn, isn't that his Little Junior Sister?!
Chu Sang also peeked over, stroking her chin and clicking her tongue. "A full 20 million demon stones..."
Compared to the second-ranked, it was a whole tier higher, utterly crushing them in terms of bounty. Now that's what you call prestige.
She didn't realize she was worth so much.
Chu Sang almost wanted to turn herself in.
The two exchanged a glance and quietly retreated from the crowd. Tantai Ming suddenly understood why Little Junior Sister had them wear human skin masks. He licked his lips and said, "What heinous crime did you commit to make even the demon race launch such a large-scale hunt for you?"
"I didn't do anything," Chu Sang waved her hand dismissively. "I just blew up a demon palace, that's all. Why are they so bent on killing me? Demon cultivators are really petty."
"That demon palace... was blown up by you?" Mu Chihuai tugged at his lip, feeling he had underestimated Little Junior Sister's ability to cause trouble. "They haven't even come to the cultivation world to hunt you down. That Demon Lord must truly love you."
The four casually found a tavern. They had barely sat down when commotion and fighting sounds came from outside.
"You lot over there, come here. Do you have identification and life tokens?"
Looking down from the private room window, they saw a group of demon soldiers searching everywhere on the street below, smashing shops and doors, arresting and interrogating people everywhere.
Along the way, these demon soldiers had caught several beast and ghost cultivators who had infiltrated the Demon Realm, all of whom were thrown into dungeons awaiting judgment.
Those who dared to escape or resist were killed on the spot, with extremely cruel methods.
The sight made the skin of the four upstairs tighten.
"The Demon Lord has issued an order. At this critical moment, no foreign spies are allowed to infiltrate the city!"
"Come on, search thoroughly. Search every household, don't miss a single corner!"
The voice of the lead demon cultivator was extremely penetrating, audible for several miles around, chillingly cold. "The Demon Lord also said to pay special attention to those cunning human cultivators. They can create talismans and magical treasures to conceal their auras. Be extra careful and search strictly!"
"Anyone suspicious without demonic energy, regardless of who they are, is to be arrested!"
The four upstairs sat up straight, their hearts pounding as they watched the group of demon soldiers getting closer and closer.
Tantai Ming swallowed and gripped the hilt of his sword, ready for action. Chu Sang placed her hand on his, shaking her head.
"What should we do now? We don't have any demonic energy. We'll definitely be discovered soon," Tang Yanling said, a bit scared.
Although concealment talismans could hide their spiritual energy fluctuations, they couldn't make them appear like true demon cultivators.
These demon cultivators had become smarter.
Mu Chihuai pondered, "If it really comes down to a real fight, they have the advantage of numbers, and our cultivation will be suppressed in the Demon Realm. We simply can't win."
Chu Sang said, "If we can't beat them, join them."
Tang Yanling's beautiful eyes widened, thinking she had misheard. "J-join them?"
How exactly would they join?
Under the puzzled gazes of the three, Chu Sang silently took out several manuals.
Tantai Ming curiously leaned over and flipped through a couple of pages. "What's this?" He couldn't recognize most of the text.
Chu Sang said, "Demon cultivation manuals."
Her words silenced the three.
"Demon... cultivation manuals?" Tang Yanling's beautiful voice trembled slightly.
They recognized each of the six characters separately, but why did they sound so strange when put together?
"Let's put aside where you got demon race cultivation manuals for now. You're not suggesting we cultivate demon techniques, are you?" Mu Chihuai was shocked by his own heretical guess and stood up.
"This place is filled with demonic energy. We can draw a bit into our bodies to disguise ourselves," Chu Sang said, her words shocking as usual, emphasizing the sensational. "Hiding and sneaking around isn't a long-term solution. Why don't we directly infiltrate the enemy's ranks!"
"Senior Brothers and Sister, don't be afraid. These two cultivation manuals are the most basic for demon cultivators. It's fine to draw in a bit of demonic energy. We can expel it later after the matter is settled."
The others were terrified by her outrageous idea.
Tantai Ming had never done anything this wild before. He was a bit scared, but also a bit excited. "Will this really work?"
"Are you sure it's reliable? Demon cultivators and the cultivation world aren't that different. Even the most basic cultivation manuals are never shared outside. Where did you get these demon cultivation manuals? You didn't just buy some random 'divine technique' from an old man at a street stall, did you?" Mu Chihuai expressed his doubts.
Chu Sang said, "An old acquaintance gave them to me."
"Little Junior Sister, you have acquaintances in the Demon Realm?" Tantai Ming's eyes widened. "When did you meet them? How close are you?"
Weren't demon cultivators and orthodox cultivators always at odds, looking down on each other?
"I met them about a year ago. As for how close we are..." Chu Sang stroked her chin, pondering for a moment before slowly saying, "Close enough that they would die for me and give me half their wealth without expecting repayment?"
Tang Yanling clasped her hands together. "Little Junior Sister is amazing to have acquaintances even in the Demon Realm!"
"Also, change into these clothes," Chu Sang tossed each of them a set of black, form-fitting clothes with narrow sleeves. The decorative patterns on them were unique to the demon race.
These were also looted from Yan Wangxing's blown-up demon palace. To be honest, demon cultivators had terrible aesthetic taste. Their clothing styles and colors were limited, looking like ninja outfits.
Before long, the group of demon soldiers arrived at the tavern to conduct their search.
With a sword at his throat, the tavern keeper said tremblingly, "This humble one hasn't encountered any suspicious individuals. There are absolutely no spies hidden in my tavern... If, if I must say, there were a few cultivators who came by for a meal today. They looked unfamiliar, and their attire didn't seem to be from around here."
The lead demon cultivator shoved him aside and waved his hand, shouting, "Go search!"
Just as he finished speaking, four people casually walked out of the tavern. It was, of course, Chu Sang and the others. Though they appeared calm on the surface, Tantai Ming and the other two were so nervous that their palms were sweating.
While others were afraid of being discovered and quickly ran away, these three did the opposite. Not only did they not run, but they also sauntered out to make themselves known.
If they were discovered now, they would truly be finished.
The three were internally panicking like mad dogs.
Chu Sang was carefree and not worried at all. She even whistled and greeted the group of demon soldiers, walking up and putting her arm around their shoulders like old friends. "How many have you guys caught today?"
"Heh, we caught six stupid beast cultivators who thought they could run from us," the demon cultivator said, rattling the iron chains in his hand and kicking a nearby beast cultivator. "There was another one who tried to escape and was killed on the spot. It was a fox demon."
"I heard the current Beast King is a nine-tailed fox. I suppose it was sent by him?" Chu Sang said.
"Those foxes and beast races are cunning, but no matter how cunning they are, once they fall into our hands, they only have one path—death!" the demon cultivator said.
Chu Sang agreed, "Yes, yes, everyone is so capable. You've all worked hard today, catching so many foreigners. You should be able to complete your task now."
The demon cultivator raised his chin. "This is an order personally given to us by the Demon Lord. How can we speak of hardship?"
He continued, "I heard there are some suspicious individuals in the tavern. We're going in to search again!"
"Then you'd better hurry, don't let them escape. We'll be on our way now!" Chu Sang waved enthusiastically at them.
The demon cultivator... the demon cultivator instinctively waved back at her.
The three who had been timidly silent throughout, not daring to say a word: We must say, we admire Little Junior Sister's social skills. She can strike up a conversation with anyone, anywhere.
The lead demon cultivator was about to lead his subordinates into the tavern to search when he suddenly remembered something and stopped... Wait a minute, did he know that person just now? How were they chatting so familiarly?
"Wait, you lot, stop right there," the demon cultivator returned and looked the four up and down carefully before saying in a deep voice, "You four, I don't seem to recognize you. Are you new to our ranks?"
The demonic energy on the four seemed genuine, but something felt off.
The demon cultivator hesitated for a moment. "Do you have identification tokens? Let me see them."
The three who had just breathed a sigh of relief suddenly tensed up again, not daring to make a sound.
Where would they, as illegal intruders, get identification tokens?
It's over, it's really over this time.
Tantai Ming was already prepared to draw his sword.
Chu Sang stepped forward, rummaged through her Qiankun bag, and took out a palm-sized black iron token, handing it over.
The lead demon cultivator took the token and looked at it. His expression changed, and he looked at the group with surprise and uncertainty. His voice became much more respectful, "So you're the shadow guards of Demon Lord Chiwu. This lowly one has failed to recognize Mount Tai. My apologies!"
"Your Excellency, did you happen to see any suspicious individuals in the tavern earlier? They might be dressed slightly differently from our demon race and could very well be spies sent by the ghost, beast, or human cultivators!"
Chu Sang thought seriously for a moment, then pointed to the left. "Now that you mention it, I do seem to have seen a few individuals behaving strangely. I think they went that way."
"Thank you, Your Excellency!"
Only after the demon cultivator hurriedly led his subordinates away did Tantai Ming, Tang Yanling, and Mu Chihuai finally relax their tense hearts.
Tang Yanling said, "That was thrilling!"
Tantai Ming asked in disbelief, keeping his voice low, "Little Junior Sister, where did you get this token from?"
Little Junior Sister's magical bag of tricks was truly worth having. She could pull out all sorts of strange and wonderful things.
Mu Chihuai sometimes really wanted to rummage through her Qiankun bag to see exactly how many things were stored inside.
To be honest, obtaining a few demon cultivation manuals wasn't that difficult, but where did the demon cultivator's token come from?
Moreover, judging by the demon cultivator's respectful attitude just now, the owner of the token must be of considerable status.
Could the token be fake?
But surely the demon race wouldn't be so stupid as to not recognize a fake?
"Of course it's a real token," Chu Sang said, indicating that she never dealt in fakes. She shrugged, "Genuine article. I personally knocked out that demon cultivator and found it while searching his clothes."
Tantai Ming said, "You pervert, you actually searched someone's clothes!"
Chu Sang glanced at him. "Today, this pervert saved your life."
Tantai Ming quickly changed his tune, "Little Junior Sister, you're awesome!"
"The Demon Lord Chiwu that the demon cultivator mentioned earlier seems to be actually named Yan Wangxing. These demon soldiers appear to be his subordinates."
Mu Chihuai stroked his chin and analyzed logically, "I've heard that this person is extremely arrogant, conceited, and cruel. He usually doesn't give any thought to outsiders at all, but this time he's being particularly cautious, especially targeting cultivators. Could it be that he suffered a setback at the hands of a cultivator?"
Chu Sang said, "Oh, I forgot to mention earlier. The demon palace I blew up half a year ago was his."
"......"
Little Junior Sister had a special skill called group silence.
"Alright, we've gathered enough information. We should get going now."
Chu Sang took out the scroll map and looked at it, roughly determining their direction.
Now that their appearances were no different from ordinary demon cultivators, there was no need to be secretive anymore. They directly found a trading house and used a teleportation formation to transport them to their destination.
The random teleportation talismans she usually used were too unpredictable. They were quite useful for escaping, but not so much for other situations.
She could also draw small teleportation formations, but they had a distance limit of ten miles.
To go further, people generally chose to fly on swords, ride flying spiritual tools like the Water Cloud Boat, or use large-scale teleportation formations.
The former required consuming a large amount of spiritual energy, and they would be exposed if they used spiritual energy now. The Water Cloud Boat was too expensive, and it could carry hundreds, thousands, or even tens of thousands of people at once, which made it easy for problems to occur when there were too many people.
In comparison, large-scale teleportation formations were convenient and quick.
Major cities all had teleportation formation points that could directly transport people to related locations. They could then continue their journey from there, significantly shortening their travel time.
"Little Junior Sister, this isn't the way to the Twelve Demon Caves, is it?" Mu Chihuai, who had a good sense of direction, felt like they had deviated from their route.
"The Twelve Demon Caves are fraught with danger. It would be risky to go there rashly. We need to get something first."
Chu Sang put away the map, stretched lazily, and walked in front to lead the way. "Follow me. We'll first go to another interesting place for a visit."
"And incidentally, pay a visit to that old acquaintance of mine."
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