Chapter Sixteen: Full-Scale Operation

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Faced with Long Shaoxian’s hostile glare, the little demon trembled all over, shaking his head desperately. “I… I can’t say, I can’t say, please spare me, please spare me, I won’t dare again!”

Long Shaoxian narrowed her eyes, wasting no more words. She pressed her hand to the little demon’s crown, preparing to forcibly examine his memories. But as soon as her consciousness touched his mind, she discovered an old man within. The elder’s skin was dusky, eyes gleaming blue, and as he watched Long Shaoxian’s spiritual awareness invade, a cold smile curled at the corner of his lips.

Long Shaoxian’s heart chilled instantly, and she tried to withdraw from the little demon’s mind, but it was already too late. The old man raised a hand in a mystic gesture, and the little demon’s consciousness exploded.

Luo Longyu saw that Long Shaoxian’s palm had barely touched the little demon’s crown when the demon suddenly detonated, like a high-powered explosive, blasting Long Shaoxian away and leaving her unconscious on the ground.

Alarmed, Luo Longyu rushed over. Long Shaoxian’s body bore no visible injuries, but her face was pale and tense, teeth clenched, utterly unconscious. This left Luo Longyu at a loss, repeatedly slapping her cheeks, but there was no response.

“This can’t be right, that little explosion shouldn’t have killed you… Hey, stop pretending to be dead!” Luo Longyu kept slapping and shouting.

“Divine Child, this Dragon Maiden’s mind has suffered a severe blow. There must have been a trap in the little demon’s mind, and she fell for it,” came the ghost woman’s voice from the paper umbrella behind Luo Longyu.

Luo Longyu sat down, puzzled. “Mind?”

“Yes, it’s the seat of human consciousness. If it’s severely injured, one might lose memory at best, or never wake at worst,” the ghost woman explained.

“No way…” Luo Longyu was stunned by her words.

“Hahaha, what a haul—one corpse, one dragon!” A peal of laughter erupted from the spot where the little demon exploded. Luo Longyu’s heart tightened as he looked up, seeing a gray-haired elder materialize from thin air, eyes sinister as he scrutinized Luo Longyu. “Hmm… So this is the legendary Xuan Yuan Corpse Dao? Nothing particularly impressive.”

“Who are you? Did you do this?” Luo Longyu stood up, wary. Anyone who could bring down a powerful figure like Long Shaoxian surely wasn’t easy to deal with.

The old man raised his brows at Luo Longyu. “No need for you to know. Now, you have a choice: come with me quietly, or… I’ll take you by force.”

Luo Longyu said nothing. His eyes began to glow with blood-red light, pupils spinning, gathering a silver corpse seal.

Seeing Luo Longyu opt for resistance, the elder snorted coldly, waving his long sleeve, which billowed in the wind. Instantly, Luo Longyu felt the world plunge into darkness, all power suppressed, transported to a dim realm without direction or sense of up or down.

“What’s happening!” Luo Longyu exclaimed in terror.

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“Divine Child, this is the Daoist art of ‘Universe in the Sleeve.’ This old demon is strong!” the ghost woman cried out.

At the center of Xuan Yi Pavilion, two days had passed since Luo Longyu and Long Shaoxian’s mysterious disappearance, with no trace found. Both the military and Xuan Yi Pavilion had deployed considerable resources to search, but all efforts remained fruitless.

During the war conference at Xuan Yi Pavilion, most participants voiced opposition and criticism against Elder Ge’s secret act of sending Luo Longyu out. Wu Yifeng and Elder Xuan exchanged glances but remained silent, for Elder Ge had briefed them beforehand. Elder Ge had promised to ensure Luo Longyu’s safety, yet now, not only Luo Longyu but even Xuan Yi Pavilion’s prodigy Long Shaoxian had vanished without reason.

“Ahem, let me say a few words. First, I do not support Elder Ge’s decision. The Hundred Clans Agreement is in place; we’ve set aside racial strife to jointly resist the incoming Void Clan. Elder Ge’s move, in my view, is merely an attempt to keep the Corpse Dao under human control, making the agreement worthless and harming internal unity. Second, Luo Longyu, as the Corpse Dao, belongs to all the clans. We should protect him together. Yet Elder Ge, aware of the dangers, sent Luo Longyu out with only Long Shaoxian as covert protection, directly leading to this situation. I believe Elder Ge bears primary responsibility,” Ju Feng stood and stated his opinion.

Elder Ge took a deep breath, saying, “This matter is indeed my fault. I accept responsibility and any organizational punishment. However, our urgent task now is to find Luo Longyu and Long Shaoxian. We don’t even know whose hands they’ve fallen into. With the Void Clan’s threat looming, we must not delay.”

“Elder Ge, now you get it? When you sent Luo Longyu out, did you consider all this? Who else could have taken them? Given our current situation, no one but the Void Clan has this kind of power. I’ve already requested support from the local demon clans, and the search has begun, but whether we find them remains uncertain,” Ju Feng said.

“I don’t believe Luo Longyu and Long Shaoxian were taken by the Void Clan.” As Ju Feng finished, a woman spoke up with a differing opinion. She was in her thirties, dressed in black, captain of Xuan Yi Pavilion’s second team, Kong Yuxuan, a member of the Ancient Demon Clan.

The Ancient Demon Clan is one of Earth’s oldest, descended from the Eastern Emperor. Though Ju Feng is also a demon, he’s not of the ancient line. Over history, the Ancient Demons have declined, powerful in sorcery but few in number—much like the Dragon Clan. Historically, the Ancient Demon Clan and the Imperial Dragon Clan appeared in the same era.

Ju Feng glanced at his documents, paused upon hearing Kong Yuxuan, and looked up. “Oh? Seems Captain Kong has other theories?”

Kong Yuxuan ignored him and surveyed the room. “The Void Clan most fears us reviving the Corpse Dao. After Luo Longyu left Jiulong Village, losing Xuan Yuan Qianqian’s protective blessing, the Void Clan sensed his location and kept attacking. When Luo Longyu approached the Tomb of Ten Thousand Corpses, Void Clan ‘Rippers’ even tried to stop him. If his disappearance was their doing, why is there no movement from them now? I suspect Earth’s own powers are behind this—possibly domestic, possibly even foreign. When Luo Longyu inherited the Corpse Dao, the disturbance was enormous; every nation’s satellites saw it.”

“I agree with Captain Kong’s analysis.” A man in black leather, robust and muscular, raised a hand. His face was dark, his body solid, with sharp eyes that occasionally flashed with a deadly aura—this was Zhan Wushuang, captain of Xuan Yi Pavilion’s fourth team.

Of the four captains, Zhan Wushuang’s combat prowess was the most mysterious. Ju Feng dared not provoke him, for Zhan Wushuang practiced martial arts. Thirty years ago, Ju Feng witnessed him duel a demon clan ancestor, handling it with ease. After that battle, the ancestor warned Ju Feng never to cross Zhan Wushuang. Rumor has it Zhan Wushuang is closely tied to a martial arts family from pre-Qin times, a taboo topic among the demon clans.

Back to the present, Zhan Wushuang, after voting, fell silent, as was typical. Among the captains, he rarely involved himself, preferring solitude and a somewhat carefree temperament.

“Wushuang, if you have thoughts, speak up,” Elder Xuan said with a smile.

Zhan Wushuang opened one eye to look at Elder Xuan, then saw everyone watching him and quickly set his raised leg down, muttering, “You’re making me nervous here.”

“…” Kong Yuxuan rolled her eyes in exasperation.

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“Ahem, actually it’s simple. Just ask the demon clans for help. They have countless spies on Earth and endless tracking arts—finding people is their forte. If that still fails, we’ll have to notify the Imperial Dragon Clan. Long Shaoxian’s disappearance is a major event for them, though they’re hard to reach,” Zhan Wushuang rubbed his forehead.

Wu Yifeng listened, idly tapping the table. “This matter can’t be delayed. Make it the top priority. Wushuang, you handle communication with the demon clans.”

“Huh? Why me?” Zhan Wushuang was taken aback.

“No reason,” Wu Yifeng replied, stern and concise.

“Also, Yuxuan, please coordinate with the Ancient Demon Clan. Everyone must work together to find Luo Longyu and Long Shaoxian. I hope we can set aside our differences for this. As for Ge Wangshan, he’ll be detained pending central review.” Wu Yifeng looked to Elder Xuan for his opinion.

Elder Xuan simply nodded.

“Very well, that's settled. Everyone take action—meeting adjourned.” Wu Yifeng made the final decision.

Back in his office, Ju Feng’s expression was grave. He sat cross-legged, sending his thoughts across the void to Mang Mountain. “Have you broken Luo Longyu’s skin yet?”

“Ju Feng, this boy is the Corpse Dao—it’s not so easy. All kinds of secret arts have failed. Only brute force might work, but the nasty Xuan Yuan Qianqian left a protective ward inside him. If we force it, the ward will trigger and complicate things further,” a thought replied from deep within Mang Mountain.

“Hurry, time is short. Xuan Yi Pavilion is taking this seriously—Zhan Wushuang is seeking clan support, Kong Yuxuan has gone to the Ancient Demon Clan. If this gets exposed, it won’t end well. Vulture Elder, if you give me a drop of Luo Longyu’s true blood, I’ll help you extract Long Shaoxian’s dragon essence. Then you can transform into a dragon, your Dao marks will heal, your power will surge, and you can roam beyond the stars instead of hiding on Earth.”

“Hmph, are you threatening me?” The thought from Mang Mountain sounded angry.

“It’s just the truth. Fine, three days—only three days,” Ju Feng withdrew his thoughts.

A furious roar echoed from Mang Mountain: “Such audacity! Such audacity! I am your ancestor!”

Ju Feng exhaled deeply, opened his eyes, and was startled by the scene before him. Elder Xuan stood in his room. Though small and hunched, his aura was formidable, making Ju Feng’s heart tremble. Had he been discovered?