Netherworld Painted Skin Scroll

Chapter 347 What are you doing?

When Xu Zhen reached the lakeside, the lake was already shrouded in a gray-black mist. He knew from this that Xu Pianpian had invited the Great Emperor Gouchen down.

It's more difficult for demons to summon supernatural powers than for humans because Emperor Li Ye of the human race created a sacred mountain. This allows spirits to separate their true essence and remain within the sacred mountain, making things much simpler.

However, the Demon Emperor Gouchen, like the human emperors, is not in the mortal realm, making it very difficult to invoke his supernatural powers. He has been teaching Xiu Pianpian for over thirty years, but she has yet to master the method.

Xu Zhen reflected on his actions and realized that he had spoiled her too much, making her feel that she still had someone to rely on, thus preventing her from exerting her full strength. Tong Xu said that Li Wuxiang was difficult to deal with, so he asked Xu Pianpian to handle him. Looking at it now, he realized that he had made the right decision—he didn't know what kind of suffering Pianpian had endured on Dapan Mountain these past few days, but she had actually managed to get things done.

Looking at it this way, perhaps I don't need to take action myself.

Now that he had already invoked supernatural powers, Xu Zhen was no longer in a hurry. He walked to the reclining ox rock by the lake and examined it carefully.

Tong Xu said that the little girl named Xue Baoping who was with Li Wuxiang was here who healed her injuries. Xu Zhen raised her hand and touched the stone, unable to help but smile slightly, feeling that everything was truly predestined.

When he first arrived in the Central Plains, he didn't find it particularly interesting. He had come because he couldn't disobey the emperor's orders. He had been quite bored and listless for the past few days, but it wasn't until Tong Xu returned defeated from Dapan Mountain that he learned a minor deity named Li Wuxiang had come to the mountain. After she told him about what had happened by the lake, Xu Zhen suddenly felt that things had become interesting.

He brought Xu Pianpian with him, and Li Wuxiang brought Xue Baoping. He himself was a Nascent Soul cultivator from the demon race, and Li Wuxiang was a Nascent Soul cultivator from the human race. The most intriguing thing was that Li Wuxiang didn't seem to be a fool—long, long ago, when the ruler was still in the Central Continent, he was also a Nascent Soul cultivator. At that time, the ruler, also a Nascent Soul cultivator, encountered a human with the same cultivation level.

That person later became Li Ye. And the emperor became one of his generals.

Unfortunately, the story didn't end happily; instead, it ended in discord. Over the years, whenever the emperor reminisced about the past, he was filled with resentment and bitterness, lamenting that Li Ye had died too soon. Xu Zhen also felt sorry for the emperor.

Therefore, after hearing about Li Wuxiang, he felt that the feng shui of this world had turned around.

Initially, Xu Zhen wanted to eliminate this person to avoid causing trouble. However, after hearing Tong Xu talk about him several times, a thought arose in Xu Zhen's mind—three thousand years ago, Li Ye swept across the Central Continent, and three thousand years later, the demon race is about to sweep across the Central Continent again. This time, could he turn the tables and make Li Wuxiang one of his generals?
He saw a black mist churning and surging on the lake in the distance, and knew that the two had already started fighting.

When he walked to the lakeside earlier, he thought that if Li Wuxiang came out now, it would mean that this person's cultivation was deeper than he had originally expected, and he should be more careful.

After a while, as he touched the blue stone in front of him, he thought that if Li Wuxiang came out now, it would mean that this person's cultivation was about as expected, and everything was still under control.

However, by this point, he still hadn't managed to force Pianpian to retreat, and Xu Zhen's heart was completely at ease—if Pianpian could hold him captive for so long, then it could only mean that His Majesty had previously overestimated the human race of the Central Continent.

He stood by the lake, looking at the lake, and waited patiently for a while. After another dozen or so breaths, he slowly frowned.

Li Wuxiang hasn't come out yet. That means he's still being pestered by Pianpian—is his Nascent Soul stage really that weak? Isn't it said that the Nascent Soul cultivators of the Taiyi Sect are much stronger than those of the Thirty-Six Sects?
Just then, Tong Xu's voice came from behind: "Xu Zhen, the person you asked for has been brought over."

Xu Zhen turned his head slightly and saw a girl, and then his heart stirred slightly.

It wasn't because of her outstanding appearance, but rather her demeanor—she walked over wearing the soft armor of a disciple of the Shangchi Sect, her hands hanging at her sides.

Someone dressed like this, especially being escorted here by Tong Xu, the Nascent Soul Sect Master, would always appear restrained and awkward. But this young girl's expression was surprisingly composed; she even slightly raised her chin to glance at herself before looking away, instead focusing on the worried-looking Xie Qi beside her—

"...Elder Xie, you don't need to say anything more. I know you're doing this to protect me. I'll talk to Li Wuxiang about this later, so you really don't need to worry."

This little girl must be Xue Baoping. It's really interesting; Tong Xu asked Xie Qi to bring her here, and Xie Qi actually did, yet she's still comforting Xie Qi?

There are many things in the Central Plains that Pianpian doesn't understand, but he does. But understanding and empathizing are two different things. After listening to Xue Baoping say these few words, he suddenly found this little girl extremely interesting—at least extremely interesting than Pianpian.

He turned around, squinting and smiling: "Little girl, are you going to tell Li Wuxiang later? But have you considered that after this, you might never see Li Wuxiang again?"

Xue Baoping and Xie Qi stopped. Xie Qi kept his head down, seemingly still feeling guilty. Xue Baoping, however, looked at him calmly and said, "Are you Xu Zhen?"

"Yes, I am."

She stared at Xu Zhen's face carefully for a moment, then shook her head: "You shouldn't have come to the Central Continent, and you shouldn't have gotten involved with Li Wuxiang. You can't go back to the Eastern Continent."

Tong Xu immediately glanced at Xu Zhen. Xu Zhen, however, was still smiling: "Sect Leader Tong, are all swordsmen in the Central Plains this arrogant and conceited?"

Tong Xu opened his mouth to speak, but Xue Baoping had already said, "It's not that I'm arrogant, but no one knows Li Wuxiang better than me. If you had seen him go mad, you'd probably leave right now. Tong Xu, you're the same—"

Tong Xu sighed: "Junior Sister Xue—"

Xue Baoping sneered: "Junior Sister? The other day I called you Senior Sister Tong here because Li Wuxiang and I both thought you could still be saved. What, do you think I did that to get closer to you? Now, do you even deserve me to call you Junior Sister? Tong Xu, from now on you will not only be unable to be the sect leader of Qingpu Mountain, you won't even be able to be a human anymore—since you like associating with demons so much, I can ask Li Wuxiang to let you be reborn as an animal after you die. If you have the opportunity, maybe you can really cultivate into a demon."

"Hahahaha!" Xu Zhen laughed loudly. "Sect Leader Tong, you asked me to spare her life before, but now you've been given a good scolding by her—how about that? If you're still angry and want to take action, I won't stop you."

But Tong Xu shook his head: "The little girl just wants to die. With Elder Xie and me by her side the whole way, she can't do anything on her own. Xu Zhen, don't fall for it now."

Xue Baoping sneered, "Fooled? It's too late now—you were fooled the moment you stepped onto the Dapan Mountain territory." As soon as she said this, Xu Zhen continued to smile at her with narrowed eyes, but remained silent.

Tong Xu frowned slightly, looked around, and after a while said, "You're quite clever, little girl. You even know how to bluff. It's a pity that I talked about the principle of momentum and strength when I was on the mountain a few days ago—if you want to create momentum, you may have enough courage, but if you don't have enough ability, it won't work."

"Tong Xu, do you think I'm lying to you?" Xue Baoping turned to look at her, smiling slightly. "Or do you think the me you see right now is the real me?"

Xu Zhen glanced quickly at the lake, her smile gradually fading as she looked at Tong Xu.

Tong Xu knew that he also had some doubts because of her words.

The reason was simple—this young girl, despite only being at the Qi Refining stage, possessed an overwhelming amount of courage and confidence, seemingly having some real backing. However, he was the Demon King of the Eastern Continent, and it was inappropriate to ask her directly, so he sent him to inquire.

She wasn't one to hold back, so she actually asked, "What do you mean?"

Xue Baoping snorted and glanced at her sideways: "You are the sect leader of the Thirty-Six Sects, haven't you heard of the Ranshan Sect? Li Wuxiang was already the sect leader of Ranshan before he became a swordsman. Have you ever heard of Ranshan's talismanic magic?"

Tong Xu frowned. It wasn't that she hadn't heard of the Ranshan Sect, but rather that she knew Ranshan all too well—one of the Thirty-Six Sects, a sect on the verge of decline. Its sect leader, Zhao Kui, was merely a Qi Refining cultivator, and his disciples were all utterly useless, making it almost like a rogue sect in the martial world. No, that wasn't quite right. Because if you removed the title of "Thirty-Six Sects," there were indeed quite a few rogue sects stronger than Ranshan.

Seeing her expression, Xue Baoping said, "What, are you thinking about the contemporary Ranshan? Tong Xu, why don't you think further back—the founder of Ranshan is the Kitchen God and the True Lord of Fate, one of the spirits worshipped by the Blood God Sect today. You are the Qingpu Sect Master, haven't you heard how Ranshan came to be?"

“However, Ancestor Li Jiaotu of Ranshan cannot be considered Li Ye’s disciple. His master is the Ninth Prince of the Demon King—Xu Zhen. You are a great demon of the Eastern Continent. Have you ever heard of the Ninth Prince?”

Upon hearing the name Ninth Young Master, Xu Zhen's expression changed slightly.

Xue Baoping noticed and saw it.

But she didn't know why Xu Zhen, the Demon King, had changed color. Was he a disciple of the Ninth Prince? A bloodline? A successor? Or an enemy?
She still wore a cold smile, but her mind raced—what would Li Wuxiang say at this moment? How could she afford to delay any longer and wait for her calls to be answered?

She quickly repeated "Master, it's done" to herself twice, and then said, "Li Jiaotu's skills were learned from the Ninth Prince of the Demon King, and Li Jiaotu's temperament was also learned from the Ninth Prince of the Demon King. Ranshan's talisman magic is not human magic, but demon magic."

"Tong Xu, when you saw Li Wuxiang on this mountain a few days ago, didn't you notice anything different about his aura?"

Even Tong Xu's expression changed. She paused, then turned to look at Xu Zhen. Xu Zhen frowned, as if genuinely panicked: "What, is something really different?"

“He…he really is—” Tong Xu thought seriously for a moment, “Now that you mention it, his aura is indeed different, not like a human's. I thought it was because of the Sword Sect's techniques…”

Tong Xu, Tong Xu, what a clever person! Hmph, haha!
Xue Baoping immediately spoke up: "Li Wuxiang was never human to begin with. Or rather, he was human before, but he wasn't anymore after becoming the sect leader of Ranshan—Tong Xu, today I'm telling you, all the sect leaders of Ranshan throughout history have been demons, inheriting the bloodline of the Ninth Prince of the Demon King. I knew Xu Pianpian wasn't human from the very first day she arrived on the mountain, and I also knew that you were coming to Dapan Mountain today. Ranshan's talismanic arts are infinitely versatile. You think you're on Dapan Mountain now, but you're actually inside the talismans of Ranshan—you can't escape!"

Tong Xu was taken aback and went to look at Xu Zhen.

Xu Zhen was also taken aback and looked at Tong Xu. The human and the demon stared at each other in bewilderment—

Xu Zhen then burst into laughter: "Hahahaha! Sect Leader Tong, you were right to advise me to spare this little girl's life! This is so interesting; it's the first time I've seen such a fascinating little thing since I came to the Central Continent—"

"Little girl, you—hahahaha—do you know who the Ninth Prince of the Demon King is?" Xu Zhen laughed so hard he almost fell over. "Ah, no, I should say, do you know who our Eastern Continent demon race worships besides the Western Emperor Gouchen? It's this Ninth Prince you mentioned—the True Lord of the Wei River! What, this True Lord's lineage in your Central Continent hasn't been severed yet? He even taught you skills and tricked me into this illusion?" Xu Zhen laughed until his whole body trembled, raising his hand to point at Xue Baoping. "Why didn't the Lord tell me before I came to the Central Continent? Why don't you go find the Lord and ask him what's going on?"

He laughed a few more times before suddenly stopping, as if the person who had been laughing so hard was someone else.

He stared intently at Xue Baoping for a while, then shook his head: "So interesting, I like her so much. Such an interesting little girl, Pianpian will definitely like her too—come, let me tell you, at the level of Li Wuxiang and me, you can't just say things carelessly, because if you're not careful, they might come true."

"Your cultivation level isn't high enough today, but it's fortunate you've met me. Since you mentioned the lineage and inheritance of Lord Weishui, it's clear we are truly destined to meet! Alright, young lady, take out your sword and touch here—"

As Xu Zhen spoke, he stroked the top of his head: "Pierce the sword into your Baihui acupoint. That will suppress your soul and keep it intact. Didn't you just say that Li Wuxiang had a way to make Sect Leader Tong reincarnate as an animal? Let me tell you, my abilities are greater than his. I don't need to reincarnate; I can become a demon in this life!"

Xue Baoping heard his words. She wanted to give a slight, cold laugh, but found herself unable to.

Because it was only when the thought of laughing arose in her mind that she realized she had actually taken the small sword out of her sleeve. And just as she realized she had taken out the sword, she discovered the blade was already touching her head, cutting her scalp.

Then she felt a sharp pain in her Baihui acupoint and heard a sound—

The sound made a thought pop into her mind: so piercing her skull didn't produce a dull thud, but a sharp crack...

Then she heard another voice—

"Hey, hey, hey, what are you doing?!"

(End of this chapter)