Huangxiu

Chapter 999 Food Soul
Leng Tieya could also sense a strange aura circulating outside his body.

This aura blends with the void, making it extremely difficult to detect; it seems like the wind, yet also like the clouds.

Being within this aura is like being in a lake, completely isolated from the outside world.

One's own aura will not leak out.

The Cloud-Hidden Robe is a famous treasure robe in both the Phoenix Dynasty and the Jade Scenery Dynasty.

I didn't expect the Great Demon Palace to have it too.

Its origins are obvious without even guessing.

He suppressed his inner turmoil, smiled, and clasped his hands in thanks.

Just then, a loud laugh suddenly rang out from outside.

Zheng Shanggong was taken aback, then overjoyed and exclaimed, "Steward, Yuanfeng is back!"

Zhou Jiongming nodded.

Upon hearing the name, Leng Tieya immediately guessed that the visitor was Zhao Yuanfeng.

Two Great Demons who had been traveling abroad were preparing to return to participate in the siege of the Nether Bone Sect.

"Finally back!" Zheng Shanggong breathed a sigh of relief.

Leng Tieya pondered to himself.

It seems that Zhao Yuanfeng is very important to Zheng Shanggong and Zhou Jiongming, and is highly valued.

He must be a formidable figure.

Although I know the names of these two people, I don't know anything about them.

The inner palace was quiet and deserted. I only encountered Huang Daochu, and he only talked about his enlightenment in cultivation, without mentioning these things.

Judging from Huang Daochu's expression, he knew that asking would be pointless; Huang Daochu simply didn't care about or want to talk about these things.

"Haha... I've met the steward and the elders."

A loud laugh suddenly rang out in the main hall.

As the curtain moved, sunlight streamed in, and a tall figure entered the hall, bathed in the sunlight.

Looking over from Leng Tieya.

He was a handsome and upright young man with striking eyebrows, bright eyes, and a straight nose.

However, his pupils are slightly small, making them look exceptionally sharp and displaying his domineering nature.

He smiled and clasped his hands in greeting to Zhou Jiongming and Zheng Shanggong, his gaze falling on Leng Tieya.

Zheng Shanggong smiled and said, "Yuanfeng, this is Leng Tieya, a newly promoted disciple of the inner palace."

"Junior Brother Leng, it's a pleasure to meet you," Zhao Yuanfeng said with a smile.

Leng Tieya clasped his hands in greeting and said, "Greetings, Senior Brother Zhao."

He sensed that Zhao Yuanfeng's cultivation level was similar to his own, also at the eighth rank.

It is unknown how long Zhao Yuanfeng has been in the inner palace, or his age.

It's hard to tell how old the Great Demon is.

Just like Zhou Jiongming and Zheng Shanggong.

He could tell that Zheng Shanggong was older than Zhou Jiongming, but through his extrasensory perception and intuition, he determined that Zhou Jiongming was older.

Zhou Jiongming asked, "So, did your wish come true?"

“Sigh…” Zhao Yuanfeng shook his head: “It was just a little bit short, but it got away.”

“Spirit beasts cannot be tamed,” Zhou Jiongming said. “It has always been so, so why force it?”

Zhao Yuanfeng laughed and said, "I wanted to see if I could surpass my predecessors. More importantly, this spirit beast's power is comparable to that of a demonic weapon, which is a real pity!"

"What kind of spirit beast is it?"

"Soul-eating beast!"

"Um--?"

Zhou Jiongming and Zheng Shanggong were taken aback, their expressions changing slightly.

Zhao Yuanfeng sighed: "Three years of hard work, all ruined in an instant!"

“Soul-eating beasts… such rare and precious spirit beasts, it’s truly a pity,” Zhou Jiongming and Zheng Shanggong sighed.

Soul-eating beasts are legendary spirit beasts that feed on souls, but they do not devour the souls of demons; they only consume the souls of plants, spirit stones, and animals.

It is said that if one can recognize a master, one can continuously strengthen the master's soul.

Zheng Shanggong then laughed and said, "The Soul-Eating Beast is the most divine of all spirit beasts, and no predecessor has ever been able to tame it."

"Yes, now I realize how arrogant I was." Zhao Yuanfeng nodded: "Are you really going to take action against the Yougu Sect?"

Zhou Jiongming said, "Yes, if we don't deal with it soon, it will become too big to handle."

"Is it that serious?" Zhao Yuanfeng said, "We almost wiped them out, how could they have risen from the ashes so quickly?"

“Don’t underestimate the Yougu Sect. We’ve actually been underestimating them all along!” Zhou Jiongming shook his head and looked at Leng Tieya: “If Tieya hadn’t been cautious this time, we might have been caught off guard and lost our lives.”

"Oh—?" Zhao Yuanfeng looked at Leng Tieya.

Leng Tieya remained silent and indifferent throughout.

I felt that Zhao Yuanfeng treated Zhou Jiongming and Zheng Shanggong with equality.

It was like communicating with peers; the tone and demeanor were equal.

Comparing his experiences since entering the palace, he vaguely understood the Great Demon's position in the Great Demon Palace.

The so-called inner palace disciples indeed held a superior status, completely different from the outer palace disciples. Leng Tieya smiled and said, "I made an unexpected discovery, so I need to investigate their strengths and weaknesses beforehand."

"Haven't you explored the outer palace? There are quite a few people practicing extraordinary techniques there," Zhao Yuanfeng said.

Many of the outer palace disciples are at the first rank of Heavenly Demon, but they are stuck at this level and cannot advance to the Great Heavenly Demon realm.

At this time, people often practice some unusual techniques to broaden their horizons and develop new ways of perceiving the world.

These extraordinary techniques are extremely powerful and each has its own unique advantages, making it a piece of cake to detect the true strength of the Nether Bone Sect.

"The outer palace has failed this time." Zhou Jiongming shook his head. "Tieya wants to go and investigate personally. Yuanfeng, would you like to come along?"

"Steward, ... I've finally made it back, I need to rest first, so I'll have to trouble Junior Brother Leng with this matter."

"Okay." Leng Tieya breathed a sigh of relief.

If he were really around, I would be restricted and unable to use many of my methods.

"You go to Tieya then," Zhou Jiongming said. "Be careful."

"Yes."

Leng Tieya clasped his hands in farewell, then turned and left.

After the curtain fell and Leng Tieya disappeared, Zhao Yuanfeng looked at Zhou Jiongming and Zheng Shanggong: "This Junior Brother Leng is an eighth-rank cultivator, right?"

Zheng Shanggong exclaimed, "Indeed, he's at the eighth rank! In just a few months, he has progressed from the first rank of Heavenly Demon to the ninth rank of Great Heavenly Demon, and then to the eighth rank. His progress is unprecedented, and his talent and comprehension are unparalleled in the world."

"That good?" Zhao Yuanfeng laughed. "Better than me."

“Yuanfeng, you’re right. This junior disciple Leng is stronger than all of you!” Zheng Shanggong exclaimed.

"Is it really that amazing?" Zhao Yuanfeng didn't show any jealousy, only curiosity.

His goal was not to be the best in the world, but to become the supreme demon.

Therefore, who or when one enters the Great Heavenly Demon realm, and when one enters the eighth, seventh, or sixth rank, is none of one's business.

The path to becoming the supreme demon is destined to be arduous, winding, and lonely.

Those who can become Great Heavenly Demons are all geniuses among geniuses, but almost none of them can become Supreme Heavenly Demons.

No matter how talented Leng Tieya is, or how fast he progresses, he can hardly become an unparalleled demon.

In the entire Demon Realm, not a single supreme demon has appeared for ten thousand years.

The Great Heavenly Demon Palace is the strongest sect within a radius of five thousand miles, but in the entire Demon Realm, it is only one of the nine sects, not the strongest.

The Demon Realm spans ten thousand miles, teeming with geniuses, yet in tens of thousands of years, not a single supreme demon has emerged.

Zheng Shanggong exclaimed, "He is not only exceptionally talented, but also meticulous and cautious. In short, he has a bright future ahead of him."

"Then congratulations to the steward and elders! The strength of our Great Heavenly Demon Palace has increased once again."

"Haha..." Zheng Shanggong laughed: "Indeed, this is cause for celebration. In the next Nine Sects Competition, we have a good chance of climbing another rank."

Zhou Jiongming nodded: "Yes, it will start in two years. This time, we hope to improve our ranking."

Over the past decade, the strength of the Great Demon Palace has indeed increased considerably.

Of course, while the Great Demon Palace was growing, the other eight sects weren't idle either.

……

Cold Iron Cliff appears halfway up a mountain.

At the foot of a mountain separated by a peak, there is a dense forest, and deep within the forest lies a valley, with almost no trace of the surrounding area.

That was the headquarters of the Nether Bone Sect.

The super-sensory cave showed no hidden stakes or sentries in its surroundings.

If it weren't for his supernatural senses, even his own Great Demonic powers wouldn't have been able to detect anything unusual in the valley below.

Under the super-sensory light, this valley resembles a giant beast.

The mountain wall is covered with patterns, just like the patterns carved inside the original mountain peak.

When the patterns come together, they form the auspicious beast.

He pushed his extrasensory perception to its limit.

The already superior Extrasensory Perception has indeed made some discoveries.

A mythical beast could be vaguely seen in the sky above the valley.

This auspicious beast was 100 meters long and 10 meters tall, and it sat steadily in the void, like a dark cloud covering the valley.

Leng Tieya's expression was solemn.

He had a vague sense of danger.

His extrasensory perception once again illuminated the valley, searching for anything that made his heart pound.

Besides the nine small black jars, there was this auspicious beast.

If you want to destroy the auspicious beast, can you first break this pattern?

He acted on his idea immediately. A throwing knife flew from his sleeve, gliding lightly through the leaves, and quickly landed on the peak opposite the valley, embedding itself in a crevice in the rock.

From here, you can overlook this valley.

He turned and left, arriving at the cave entrance half a day later.

There was nothing unusual or suspicious inside the cave; the Ghost Bone Flower was still swaying.

Even from a great distance, he could sense the enticing fragrance through his extrasensory perception.

The flowers of the *Gynostemma pentaphyllum* should be ready for picking.

(End of this chapter)