Chapter 263- The Black-Bellied Demon Cultivator’s Senior Brother VS The Righteous Young Junior Brother (28)
Ning Yizhou looked at the clearing sky in astonishment. He never would have expected such a sudden change when the thunder dragon neared Mu Jin, but in the end, his lover was unharmed, and that was all that mattered.
Though Ning Yizhou had doubts in his heart, it was clear that no one could give him an answer. He hurried over to Mu Jin, cast a cleansing spell, and draped a new robe over him.
Mu Jin smiled and gently took Ning Yizhou’s hand to reassure him. He had known this would happen. The first two strikes of heavenly lightning were not very strong, and when the third one dramatically approached, Mu Jin had been briefly surprised but not at all worried.
He hadn’t sensed any real danger from the thunder dragon—it felt like an illusion, nothing more than a paper tiger.
The tribulation, which had felt almost like a game, made Mu Jin feel as though the heavens were being excessively kind to him. But when he recalled that Ying had once asked him to be his companion, Mu Jin felt no joy—only unease.
The fact that even the heavenly thunder dragon could be controlled was disturbing. Although Ying had not yet revealed himself in this world, there were still too many uncertainties.
For now, Mu Jin had successfully protected his lover from harm, but what about the future? Even if they safely made it through this world, what about the next? Would Ying grow even stronger? Would Mu Jin be able to handle it? Could he truly protect his lover?
These thoughts whirled through Mu Jin’s mind, but none of it showed on his face—he didn’t want his man to be troubled by his worries.
They had already stayed in the mountains for some time, and now that what needed to be done was complete, Mu Jin no longer wanted to linger. With demonic and beast cultivators eyeing them suspiciously, he was eager to find out what had been happening recently. He told Ning Yizhou that he wanted to return to Qingliu Sect to take a look.
However, Mu Jin was also aware of Ning Yizhou’s awkward position. If he didn’t want to return, Mu Jin was willing to gather information through other means.
Previously, Ning Yizhou had learned from Mu Jin that his master, Luo Kangde, still worried about him and had even provided Mu Jin with various artifacts and elixirs. He had also allowed Mu Jin to search for him freely, which warmed Ning Yizhou’s heart.
He wasn’t opposed to returning to Qingliu Sect, but he felt that the time wasn’t right. Although he had caused some trouble while trying to save Mu Shaoyuan, and the sect leaders were surely aware of the alliance between the beast and demon cultivators, Ning Yizhou doubted that human cultivators would be able to convince the Beast Lord so easily.
Ning Yizhou had little interest in power struggles, and he had a good relationship with the previous Beast Lord. That ruler had been peaceful and had taken care of him before passing away.
Knowing that Ning Yizhou was naturally laid-back yet exceptionally powerful, especially with his strong bloodline and bright future, the former Beast Lord had once entrusted him with the task of staying by the side of the new Beast Lord to assist him.
However, the new Beast Lord was not as mild-tempered as his predecessor. Upon taking power, he quickly revealed his greedy nature. He harbored intense jealousy and resentment toward human cultivators, even collaborating with deceitful demon cultivators for personal gain, seeking to seize more resources. Yet he failed to realize that such actions were akin to courting disaster—it was far too dangerous.
Ning Yizhou, remembering the old Beast Lord’s advice, tried to counsel the new Beast Lord a few times, but his words fell on deaf ears. The new ruler even sent Ning Yizhou to Qingliu Sect to act as a spy among the beast cultivators there.
Being someone who didn’t like to plead or persuade others, Ning Yizhou accepted his role with indifference. Since the Beast Lord wouldn’t heed his advice, Ning Yizhou decided to lay low and live a carefree life, passing along very little valuable information in return.
However, with recent events, several human sects had fallen prey to the schemes of the demon cultivators. If things continued like this, even the beast cultivators would suffer in the end.
So now, instead of focusing on Qingliu Sect, Ning Yizhou wanted to visit the beast cultivators to investigate. He shared his thoughts with Mu Jin, and Mu Jin, hearing his lover’s suggestion, naturally had no objections.
Since Mu Jin had a wood-element spiritual root, he could disguise himself as a plant-based demon, making it easy to conceal his identity. Moreover, having undergone dual cultivation with Ning Yizhou, and given the heightened senses of demon cultivators, they would be able to smell the distinct scent Ning Yizhou had left on Mu Jin.
Thus, it would be easy for them to assume that Mu Jin was Ning Yizhou’s partner, eliminating the need for much explanation. With this in mind, bringing Mu Jin back to the demon territory wouldn’t pose much danger.
Mu Jin knew his lover always thought things through carefully, and the two of them quickly reached a consensus, deciding to head to the demon’s domain. After Ning Yizhou finished helping his beloved pack, he transformed into a giant white tiger in front of Mu Jin.
It was the first time Ning Yizhou had shown his true form to Mu Jin, and he felt both anxious and excited. As expected, the moment he transformed, the little one in front of him widened his eyes and ran up to him, exclaiming in surprise, “So you’re the White Tiger Brother!”
Hearing this, Ning Yizhou’s tiger eyes gleamed with amusement as he nodded at Mu Jin. The next thing he saw was the young man gleefully pouncing toward him.
Mu Jin snuggled enthusiastically against the long fur on his neck, joyfully saying, “So we’ve actually met again since so long ago! Not only did you save me twice, but before climbing the Ladder, you even gave me spiritual fruit. Senior Brother, you’re so good to me!”
After saying that, Mu Jin hugged the tiger’s head and gave it several affectionate kisses. Ning Yizhou lowered his head, smiling as his beloved showered him with affection, unable to contain the joy swelling in his heart.
He then extended his long tiger tail to encircle Mu Jin’s waist and pulled him onto his back. The white tiger let out a deafening roar, then leaped into the air, running through the sky with his beloved partner on his back, heading towards the demon territory.
Mu Jin quietly lay on his lover’s back, and the feeling of riding on his true form was quite familiar. After all, he had once experienced the interstellar beastman world, where his lover’s true form was a winged tiger. At that time, his lover had also carried him to visit famous mountains and rivers, traveling all around.
A fleeting sense of nostalgia crossed his mind. In every world, Mu Jin had shared many precious and beautiful memories with his lover, and he had treasured all these memories deeply in his heart.
When they arrived at the demon territory, Ning Yizhou transformed back into his human form. They first stayed in an edge city for a few days, briefly investigating the local situation and gathering information.
The number of demons was relatively small, but they were clearly more united than human cultivators. Although many did not agree with the demon lord’s actions and thought it wrong to cooperate with the demon cultivators, the ordinary people were generally opposed to war.
However, if the higher-ups demanded such actions, they would follow the demon lord’s orders. In the cultivation world, strength is highly esteemed, and demons, who retain a certain degree of beastly nature, value individual power even more. In their eyes, the most powerful is naturally the demon lord.
Unlike human cultivators, demons are not divided into numerous sects. Instead, they manage their territories by cities. The cities on the outskirts are not exclusively populated by demons; there are also quite a few humans among them.
The closer they got to the central city, the more powerful demons gathered, and the demon lord lived in the main city almost like an emperor.
In the outer cities, Ning Yizhou would restrain his own aura. However, once he and Mu Jin returned to the main city, he let his aura fully expand.
When his aura of the Divine Transformation stage was released, the demons around, who had been eyeing Mu Jin with obvious interest, immediately stiffened and dared not look in Mu Jin’s direction anymore.
Although time flows differently in the cultivation world, cultivators who reach the Divine Transformation stage at Ning Yizhou’s age are extremely rare and are considered geniuses among geniuses. Not to mention Mu Jin, who is a twenty-year-old Nascent Soul, which is practically unheard of.
Even though Ning Yizhou is only at the early stage of Divine Transformation, his bloodline means he has strength comparable to late-stage Divine Transformation demons. The current demon lord is also only at the late stage of Divine Transformation.
So, the demons who had previously coveted Mu Jin’s appearance and were attracted by his wood element aura and pleasant scent now looked at Ning Yizhou as if they had seen a natural disaster. They no longer dared to look at his companion.
After all, they could clearly discern that Mu Jin was filled with the aura of this powerful figure beside him, and they were afraid of accidentally provoking such a formidable presence and facing the consequences.
Ning Yizhou bought a lot of delicious food for Mu Jin here. Although he had previously bought plenty, Mu Jin and Ning Yizhou spent a long time together, and they had already consumed all the treats in the Qiankun bag by the time they met again.
The demon realm naturally had delicacies that human cultivators did not, so Ning Yizhou prepared a lot more for Mu Jin. As Mu Jin ate a pastry whose name he didn’t know, he followed Ning Yizhou to a shop that sold magical artifacts.
Ning Yizhou approached the shopkeeper, who looked very friendly, and casually brushed his hand across a jade token on the wall. A white light flashed across the token.
The shopkeeper’s expression shifted slightly upon seeing this, and he immediately adopted a respectful demeanor, smiling at Ning Yizhou and saying, “It’s an honor to have you as a guest. Please, come to the inner hall to rest.”
Ning Yizhou nodded in response and followed the shopkeeper with Mu Jin to the innermost room. They were led into a very elegant room.
Once they were alone in the room, Mu Jin, curious, asked Ning Yizhou, “What exactly was that jade token you touched just now? I’ve never seen anything like it.”
Ning Yizhou explained, “That’s a jade token used in the shop to identify individuals. It retains the special aura of demons. Such tokens are only found in the main city, and each person’s aura is unique. The token can match my aura to my identity, allowing the shopkeeper to recognize who I am.”
“I see!” Mu Jin nodded, finding the token quite fascinating.
Just as Ning Yizhou finished explaining, a tall, handsome young man with a smiling face and a delicate appearance walked in. He was dressed in green robes and showed clear joy upon seeing Ning Yizhou.
At first, he merely smiled and nodded at Mu Jin, but as he drew closer, his expression suddenly changed. He looked Mu Jin up and down with surprise and jealousy, then gritted his teeth and said to Ning Yizhou, “You, how could someone like you find such a wonderful partner!”