Chapter 265- The Black-Bellied Demon Cultivator’s Senior Brother VS The Righteous Young Junior Brother (30)
Initially, the Demon Lord summoned Ning Yizhou with the intention of testing him. However, when Ning Yizhou so blatantly disregarded his authority, it only solidified the Demon Lord’s resolve to eliminate him.
Since Ning Yizhou had made it clear that he was willing to oppose him, there was no need to give the White Tiger any more chances.
So what if he had reached the Nascent Soul stage? At most, it was just the early stage, and with so many cultivators under his command, the Demon Lord refused to believe he couldn’t handle Ning Yizhou himself.
That day, after Ning Yizhou and Mu Jin finished their sightseeing in the main city, they didn’t return to Lin Yuan’s place as usual but instead chose a highly conspicuous inn to stay in.
The next day, they continued to tour the city and visit some of Ning Yizhou’s old friends. However, he didn’t have many close friends, and most of them seemed as carefree as he was.
Mu Jin noticed that ever since Ning Yizhou had returned to the demon cultivator faction, his smiles had noticeably lessened compared to when they were at Qingliu Sect. However, even when he wasn’t smiling, Mu Jin could sense that his lover was genuinely happy when interacting with his friends.
This made Mu Jin realize that perhaps his partner hadn’t truly enjoyed being the supportive and considerate senior who helped others all the time. In reality, Ning Yizhou seemed to prefer being an observer, quietly enjoying his time with friends from a comfortable distance.
During these social gatherings, Ning Yizhou would occasionally hint that the old Demon Lord had left him some things, though he never revealed what they were, making his vague statements even more intriguing.
Fortunately, most of the others were tactful and refrained from probing further, understanding that such matters were related to the secrets left behind by the old Demon Lord.
Only a certain plump-looking demon cultivator with buck teeth immediately laughed and asked, “Senior, what exactly did the old demon lord leave behind? Since you’ve already hinted at it, why not tell me? Isn’t it pointless to leave me hanging?”
However, Ning Yizhou merely smiled and shook his head in response to the question, not revealing any details. Mu Jin, on the other hand, did not miss the flash of cunning that appeared in the plump cultivator’s eyes.
The lives of demon cultivators and human cultivators are naturally different. The scenery in the main district was quite beautiful, and in the evening, the entertainment activities on the demon side were far more abundant than those Mu Jin had seen in the towns near Qingliu Sect.
Most demon cultivators dislike arduous cultivation and are complete hedonists. After all, unlike human cultivators, they can slowly improve their cultivation just by absorbing the essence of the sun and moon.
Their natural advantages are far superior, so it’s no surprise that they face more difficulty during tribulation lightning and ascension than humans. However, this also means that, at the same level, demon cultivators are often more powerful than human cultivators.
After living this way for a few days, Ning Yizhou suddenly told Mu Jin one day that he needed to go outside the city with a friend to take care of some matters and wanted to leave Mu Jin to look after things at Lin Yuan.
Having spent these days never leaving his side, Mu Jin immediately sensed something was amiss when Ning Yizhou suddenly wanted to send him away. Remembering the lesson from their previous retreat, Mu Jin refused to let him take such risks alone, insisting on staying by his side, even using soft persuasion to get his way.
Ning Yizhou had already expected Mu Jin to insist and was merely testing the waters. As expected, upon hearing Mu Jin’s desire to follow, he felt even more fortunate that he had made preparations in advance.
More importantly, no one else was as strong as him, so if they encountered any trouble, he’d rather protect Mu Jin himself than worry about Mu Jin’s safety when he wasn’t around. Besides, Mu Jin’s cultivation had already reached the Nascent Soul stage, and ordinary people were no match for him.
Thus, Mu Jin got his wish and left the inn with Ning Yizhou. He quickly noticed that the route they were taking was completely different from what Ning Yizhou had said earlier, confirming his suspicions that something was up.
Not long after they left the inn, Mu Jin and Ning Yizhou encountered the plump demon cultivator they had once traveled with. The cultivator warmly invited Mu Jin and Ning Yizhou to tour the main city’s sights with him.
However, Ning Yizhou declined, saying they had important matters to attend to. Hearing this, Mu Jin became even more certain that his lover had something important to do that day.
Afterward, Ning Yizhou took Mu Jin to a remote, deserted area outside the main city. Though it was called desolate, it wasn’t truly barren—just sparsely populated, with lush green grass everywhere. In the distance were numerous graves, and their destination was among them.
Ning Yizhou stopped in front of a tombstone, which had no name inscribed on it. Although only faint traces of energy remained, it was enough to make one feel that the remains of a highly skilled demon cultivator were buried here.
Ning Yizhou set up a circle of formations around the area and then slowly lifted the tombstone. The stone appeared very heavy, yet Ning Yizhou moved it effortlessly.
Once the grave was opened, it revealed only a shallow pit. There was no coffin or remains, just a small box, which had been sealed with a formation.
Mu Jin guessed that this must be the item the Old Demon Lord had left for Ning Yizhou, as mentioned earlier. Curious, he looked at the box. But just as Ning Yizhou broke the formation on the box, a noise came from a distance, and the barrier around them was violently broken by someone outside.
Dozens of demon cultivators in black surrounded them, and Mu Jin quickly recognized the identities of the two leaders. One of them was the plump demon cultivator they had encountered when leaving the inn.
The other was a demon cultivator with a feminine appearance and an aura that felt eerie and refined. His powerful presence clearly indicated that he had cultivation above the Nascent Soul stage, making it easy for Mu Jin to identify him as the Demon Lord.
It was clear that Ning Yizhou’s so-called friend had betrayed him, revealing their whereabouts to the Demon Lord. It seemed that today’s ambush had been premeditated.
No matter what, Mu Jin was firmly on his lover’s side, but it was equally clear that Ning Yizhou didn’t want him to take any risks. As the black-clad cultivators charged toward them, Ning Yizhou swiftly scooped Mu Jin up before he could react and placed him into the shallow pit that had just been excavated.
The pit’s surroundings immediately lit up with a highly refined defensive array, showing that Ning Yizhou had prepared for this in advance.
Several of the black-clad demon cultivators rushed forward and began casting various spells at Ning Yizhou. However, before their magic could even touch him, it was quickly destroyed.
Suddenly, dozens more demon cultivators emerged from the surrounding forest, and leading them was Lin Yuan, whom they hadn’t seen for days. Mu Jin recognized some of the others as well—people they had once met during their playful outings.
It was now obvious that this was a blatant counterintelligence scheme. The Demon Lord quickly realized that his cunning had backfired, but there was no way he would simply surrender without a fight.
All the cultivators present had reached at least the Nascent Soul stage, and their combat power was formidable. Spells and magical weapons flew in every direction, smashing deep craters into the ground. Thick smoke filled the air as chaos engulfed the battlefield.
This caught the group of demon cultivators, who had planned to attack Ning Yizhou together, completely off guard. They had no choice but to defend themselves against the cultivators charging at them, while Ning Yizhou and the Demon Lord became locked in a fierce battle.
That left Mu Jin all alone, comfortably positioned in a prime location, becoming the only bystander in the entire fight.
He casually set the box down and sat on it. Not only that, he pulled out the snacks that Ning Yizhou had previously prepared for him from his storage pouch and began eating them with great enjoyment while watching the ongoing battle.
Although his cultivation level wasn’t low, Mu Jin figured that if he left the pit, it might distract and worry Ning Yizhou. So, he decided to obediently remain as a “lucky charm.”
However, it seemed that someone couldn’t stand seeing Mu Jin so relaxed. The plump demon cultivator, who had a considerable cultivation level, had just killed a charging opponent and was now eyeing Mu Jin, who was protected by the defensive array, with malicious intent.
After spending time with Ning Yizhou and Mu Jin during their leisure activities, he was well aware of just how important Mu Jin was to Ning Yizhou. If he could capture Mu Jin, it would be much easier to coerce Ning Yizhou.
Eager to act, the demon cultivator immediately cast an attack spell on the defensive array. But this formation had been meticulously prepared by Ning Yizhou well in advance to protect Mu Jin in a critical moment, so breaking through it wasn’t going to be easy.
Seeing his attempts fail, the cultivator grew impatient. He pulled out an array of magical weapons and hurled them at the array, as if he had an endless supply. It turned out he really did have considerable wealth, as many of the magical items he threw were top-quality and extremely valuable.
As the barrage continued, Mu Jin couldn’t help but click his tongue in admiration, thinking that this demon cultivator truly was rich. After a while, the constant attacks on the defensive array actually started to show signs of weakening.
Noticing this, the plump demon cultivator felt encouraged and doubled down, tossing even more magical items at the array. However, he failed to notice that throughout the entire process, Mu Jin, protected inside the array, remained calm, leisurely eating his snacks. There was no trace of panic or fear in his gaze—only a hint of amusement.