Chapter 673: Shen Xue
Even though the Northern Demon King was heavily injured, intuition told him that he was still unable to defeat him.
Erya shrugged, then said, “Okay.”
With that, she turned to look at the Northern Demon King in the distance. Just as she was about to make a move, the Demon King suddenly disappeared into the horizon.
He escaped?
Ye Guan was momentarily stunned.
Erya frowned. She did not expect him to escape.
Meanwhile, the expression on the Northern Sealing Demon General was grim. A mighty Demon King actually fled?
Ye Guan gave the Demon General a strange look, which made the Demon General frown even more. However, the Demon General could understand why the Demon King did that. If he did not escape, he would really have met his end here.The strength of this Evil Beast far exceeded their expectations.
As if thinking of something, the Northern Sealing Demon General turned to look at Ye Guan and cupped his fists, saying, “Young Lord Ye, until we meet again.”
Then, he turned around and ran. If Ye Guan had any intentions of killing him, he would truly be in trouble.
Instead of giving chase, Ye Guan looked in the direction of where the Demon King had fled, his brows furrowing tightly. The Northern Demon King’s strength had also exceeded his expectations. Although he had advanced his cultivation realm, he was well aware that there was still a considerable gap between him and powerful individuals like this Demon King.
Of course, if he went all out and fought together with Ao Qianqian and the Qingxuan Sword, he might stand a chance.
Erya said, “You need to reveal your true strength.”
Ye Guan nodded slightly.
She continued, “Come, I’ll take you somewhere.”
“Where?”
“Just come with me.”
Then, she disappeared together with him.
On the other side…
The Northern Demon King stopped in his tracks. He closed his eyes slightly to examine his body and found that it was healing slowly. The expression on his face was extremely bitter. He never would have thought that he would lose to an Evil Beast with no reputation at all.
He realized that even towards the end of their battle, that Evil Beast had not reverted to her true form. After all, demonic beasts were the strongest when they were in their true form. This also meant that the Evil Beast had not gone all out.
As he thought of this, he frowned even more.
At this moment, the Northern Sealing Demon General appeared beside him and said, “My King, I’ve just received news that a Grand Elder of the God Clan, Shen Gu, has also brought the clan’s eldest daughter to meet with Ye Guan.”
“Shen Gu?” the Northern Demon King asked.
“Yes,” the Northern Sealing Demon General replied.
“Where are they?”
“An unnamed mountain range thousands of meters to the east.”
“Let’s go.”
The both of them were about to leave when the Northern Demon King suddenly thought of something and said, “They probably don’t know about my fight with the Evil Beast, right?”
The Northern Sealing Demon General said, “I don’t think so. They’ve only just arrived at this place.”
The Northern Demon King nodded. “Let’s go.”
Then, both of them disappeared.
…
At a particular mountain range, Shen Gu was preparing to bring Shen Xue to meet with Ye Guan. However, right at this moment, the spacetime in front of them was ripped open and soon after, the Northern Demon King and the Northern Sealing Demon General stepped out of the rift.
Shen Gu frowned the moment he saw the Northern Demon King.
Calmly, the Demon King greeted him, “Shen Gu, long time no see.”
“Why are you here?” Shen Gu replied blandly.
The Northern Demon King did not beat around the bush. He said straightforwardly, “Are you trying to kill Ye Guan to get your hands on First God’s notebook?”
Shen Gu’s brows furrowed even more.
The Northern Demon King chuckled, “Shen Gu, tell me, what is the God Clan up to? Back then, your clan drove First God out, and now, you want his notebook. How could you guys be this shameless?”
Shen Gu’s gaze immediately turned cold. “What has this got to do with the Ancient Wilderness?”
“It’s got everything to do with us, because Ye Guan is our sworn enemy, so naturally, whatever he possesses belongs to us.”
“Northern Demon King, have you lost your mind? Just because Ye Guan is your enemy, his possessions belong to you?”
“Shen Gu, the conflict between the God Clan and the Ancient Wilderness will only benefit Ye Guan and the Zhen Clan in the end.”
Shen Gu fell silent. The Northern Demon King was indeed right. He did not really care much about Ye Guan. He was just a young and talented individual, unable to cause much trouble. However, they knew they could not underestimate the Zhen Clan.
The Northern Demon King then said, “Shen Gu, let’s have a chat, shall we?”
“What do you want to chat about?”
“The Ancient Wilderness can do without this diary.”
Shen Gu was momentarily stunned. The Northern Sealing Demon General, who was listening in to the conversation, was also surprised. Though he kept a calm composure, he was feeling puzzled inside. What exactly is the Demon King trying to do?
Shen Gu looked expectantly at the Northern Demon King.
He continued, “We can do without that notebook, but Ye Guan must die. I think we both agree on this, right?”
Shen Gu nodded. Taking someone else’s possessions naturally meant leaving no survivors behind. Even though the God Clan was not afraid of someone taking revenge on them, they also did not want trouble in the future.
The Northern Demon King said, “If my Ancient Wilderness is willing to give up on this diary, how will the God Clan compensate us?”
Shen Gu frowned and asked, “Compensate?”
“Yes,” the Northern Demon King said with a nod.
“Why is the Ancient Wilderness giving up on the notebook?”
“As far as I know, First God’s notebook does contain the cultivation method to achieve a hundred-percent divinity, but they are only suitable for humans, not for the demon race. Hence, even if we took the notebook, it would be of no use to us. In that case, why should my Ancient Wilderness engage in a futile struggle against the God Clan? It only causes harm to both sides.”
Even though the Demon King’s argument was logical and reasonable, Shen Gu still felt something was amiss.
The Demon King continued, “I assume the God Clan also wouldn’t want the Ancient Wilderness to interfere in snatching that notebook, right?”
Shen Gu looked at him and asked, “What does the Ancient Wilderness want out of this?”
The Demon King raised a finger. “Ten pieces of Pure Grade Ancestral Veins.”
Of course Ancestral Veins were also categorized by grades, and Pure Grade ones were the highest tier.
Upon hearing his demand, Shen Gu’s face immediately turned dark and he coldly replied, “You’re asking for too much.”
The Demon King said, “Shen Gu, there’s no need to get so upset. You and I both know the true value of that notebook. Its worth far exceeds ten Ancestral Veins.”
Shen Gu fell silent, pondering his words.
Shen Xue, who was standing beside him, said, “Senior, you are right. The value of the notebook far exceeds ten Ancestral Veins. However, it seems that you forgot that the notebook is currently not in your possession... If you were to obtain that notebook, our God Clan would be willing to offer not just ten, but twenty Pure Grade Ancestral Veins.”
Hearing Shen Xue’s words, Shen Gu suddenly realized the truth. He had felt something was off, and now he understood why. As Shen Xue had pointed out, First God’s notebook was not in the Demon King’s hands. The Demon King was trying to get something from them when he had nothing.
Thinking of this, he shot a cold glare at the Demon King.
The Northern King chuckled and said, “Well, that’s simple. Let’s compete and see who ends up with the notebook. If it falls into the hands of the Ancient Wilderness, twenty Ancestral Veins won’t be enough to buy it.”
Shen Xue said calmly, “We’ll see when the time comes.”
The Northern Demon King smiled slightly and left without saying anything further. However, as he turned, a cold glint flashed in his eyes.
After the Northern Demon King and the Northern Sealing Demon General left, Shen Gu said, “What do you think he’s planning?”
Shen Xue said, “If I guess this correctly, he has probably already gone to see Ye Guan.”
“What?!” Shen Gu exclaimed in shock. “Already gone to see Ye Guan?”
Shen Xue nodded. “Yes, and he likely failed. His visit here serves two purposes: first, to see if he can get some Ancestral Veins from us without actually having the notebook; second, to push us to confront Ye Guan, so we can exhaust each other while he reaps the benefits.”
Shen Gu’s expression turned fierce. “This demonic beast is truly cunning.”
It was a fact that the three major clans did not get along well with each other. They were in constant competition, but it had not reached the point where they were fighting each other with their lives on the line.
Seemingly thinking of something, Shen Gu added, “Wait a moment, the Northern Demon King has seventy-percent divinity. If he personally took action, Ye Guan would have no chance of survival. How could he have failed?”
Shen Xue said, “If he failed, what do you think that implies?”
Shen Gu was stunned. If the Northern Demon King had failed to kill Ye Guan, what did this mean? It could only mean that there was a powerful person by Ye Guan’s side.
Shen Gu’s expression darkened and a trace of seriousness appeared on his face.
Shen Xue said solemnly, “Ye Guan is no ordinary person. Grand Elder, we can’t make any rash decisions. We need to investigate thoroughly before doing anything.”
Shen Gu was still hesitant. He was eager to obtain that notebook. If he got it now, even if he had to hand it over to his superiors eventually, he could still have a chance to read it. However, if it fell into someone else’s hands, he’d have no chance.
Sensing Shen Gu’s thoughts, Shen Xue reminded him, “We have to think of the bigger picture.”
‘Think of the bigger picture’! Shen Gu sighed and nodded slightly.
If the Northern Demon King had truly failed, then Ye Guan was certainly not a simple person. It was better to make a thorough investigation, like Shen Xue had suggested.
She looked into the far horizon, becoming increasingly curious about Ye Guan. She knew that an extraordinary figure like First God would not choose any ordinary person to be his successor. He must have been aware of the challenges his successor would face, and if Ye Guan were not capable of securing his inheritance, it would only lead to Ye Guan’s demise. Hence, since First God chose Ye Guan, it must mean that Ye Guan had the ability to protect himself.
This was why she had been preventing Shen Gu from doing anything rash. She knew there was more to Ye Guan than met the eye.
Seeming to come to a decision, she said, “I will investigate him personally.”
With that, she transformed into a flurry of snow and disappeared into the horizon.