Wielding the Thunders Across Two Worlds

"Is that Demonic Qi?"

"It is! It’s hidden within the deathly aura. If you weren’t paying close attention, it would be extremely difficult to detect."

"A Ghost God?"

"It’s very likely."

"Not necessarily. This deathly aura is rather impure. It seems more like someone deliberately collected it to use as a cover here."

"Could it be several Ghosts working together?"

"That’s not impossible either."

Taoist Huai Yi, Taoist Tai Xian, and Taoist Xuan Yong were still together.

If they were still traveling through Jiangzhou, Yongzhou, or Yazhou, they might have gone their separate ways. But Shanzhou was relatively unfamiliar to them all, so it was safer to travel in a group.

As the saying goes, safety first when you’re out in the world!

And sure enough, hadn’t they just run into trouble?

The three had entered Shanzhou, righting wrongs along the way, and soon arrived in the territory of Yunhai Prefecture. They heard that a village had been massacred by mountain bandits, who had also used poison, leaving not a single chicken or dog alive and scorching the earth so that not even a blade of grass would grow. They followed the trail and found the place.

"This is a true Demon." Taoist Huai Yi’s eyes glinted. "This kind of fellow will have the most Evil Qi!"

Taoist Tai Xian stroked his beard and smiled. "This job will be quite the score."

"Lots of Evil Qi, but that also means they won’t be easy to deal with." Taoist Xuan Yong cut short their enthusiastic thoughts. "Of the two Demons we encountered at Daluo Palace, one was the Netherfire Sect Leader and the other was the Mo Lake Ink Flood Dragon. Which of them could you handle?"

Taoist Huai Yi shook his head decisively. "I couldn’t handle either of them."

Even the weaker Netherfire Sect Leader had over two thousand years of Dao Practice, and with the boost from Demonic Qi, his combat prowess was on another level. The Ink Flood Dragon was even more formidable; it took the combined top-tier strength of the entire Daluo Palace to finally slay it.

Even if this Demon they’d found was a notch weaker than the Netherfire Sect Leader, it still wouldn’t be an existence the three of them could face.

"But we can’t just call for backup the moment we sense Demonic Qi, can we?" Taoist Tai Xian spread his hands. "We don’t know anything yet."

"We don’t know if our target is cultivating a Demon Technique or has just been tainted by Demonic Qi."

"We don’t know their whereabouts, nor do we know if they’ll strike again."

"We don’t know if they’re human, ghost, or demon, or whether they were just passing through or are hiding locally."

"Let’s investigate first. Once we’ve found the target, then we’ll call for backup," Taoist Huai Yi decided. "But we should report this to the Sect Leader first, just to give him a heads-up."

...

Gu Zhao received Taoist Huai Yi’s voice transmission and sat up. ’So there really is a Demon!’

He had heard about the situation in Shanzhou from Bai Fei and Li Qingshuang. There was a rather powerful Great Mountain Dharma King, a demon born from a Spirit Stone, but he didn’t take disciples or build a faction. He usually just stayed in deep seclusion in the mountains, sleeping and ignoring worldly affairs.

Besides him, there were also two Great Demons and three Ghost Gods, all with several thousand years of Dao Practice. It was truly a land of crouching tigers and hidden dragons—a State Mansion with no single dominant power, but still teeming with experts.

"The Western Divine Country reveres Ghost Gods. Why haven’t those three Ghost Gods left the Central Plains for the West?" Gu Zhao had asked at the time.

"Because those three Ghost Gods specialize in Cultivating the Divine Soul and are unwilling to devour humans for sustenance. They offended a major figure in the Western Divine Country, so they went into seclusion in the Central Plains," Bai Fei had replied.

Thinking about it now, in a place with so many experts and such a complex web of intersecting powers, there was indeed room for a demon to lie hidden.

"Be careful. It’s possible this demon is one of those two Great Demons or three Ghost Gods," Gu Zhao sent back via voice transmission.

"We understand," Taoist Huai Yi replied.

Gu Zhao nodded. These three old Daoists had far more life experience than he did, and their attention to detail was much better than his. Aside from reminding them to be careful, the only thing left for him to do was provide support with force if needed.

So, Gu Zhao prepared to lie back down.

But before he could, a streak of cyan light flew across the sky.

"Speak of the devil." Gu Zhao rose and waved his hand, casting a rainbow bridge to welcome Li Qingshuang.

"Brother Gu!" Li Qingshuang landed in the small courtyard. She first nodded to Zhuo Qingyan and the Silk Embroideress, then said to Gu Zhao, "Feihong Ancestor of Yuanzhou’s Rainbow Mountain is celebrating his eight-hundredth birthday. The Mountain Master has sent me to invite you to attend with us."

Gu Zhao finally settled back onto his reclining chair. "So, you only show up when you have official business, huh?"

Zhuo Qingyan couldn’t help but laugh. She walked over and took Li Qingshuang’s hand. "Sit down and talk."

The Silk Embroideress offered a fruit platter. "Sister Qingshuang, have some fruit."

"Thank you." Li Qingshuang thanked the Silk Embroideress, then sat down next to Zhuo Qingyan and continued speaking to Gu Zhao. "Feihong Ancestor is a swan goose who became a demon. His seniority is venerable, and his benevolence is known throughout the land. For his eight-hundredth birthday, experts from many of the surrounding State Mansions will be in attendance. If you go, Brother Gu, it will be the perfect opportunity to make your formal debut in Jiangbei."

Gu Zhao raised an eyebrow and sat up straight. "Sister Fei is very thoughtful."

’Although the old Daoists of Daluo Palace haven’t gone to Jiangbei yet, they’ll have to eventually. Making an appearance before the various powers of Jiangbei now, with Bai Fei’s endorsement, is a perfect opportunity.’

’In the future, when the old Daoists do arrive in Jiangbei, they won’t be complete unknowns. When they announce they’re from Daluo Palace, others will have to say, "I’ve long heard of your great name."’

Li Qingshuang rolled her eyes at Gu Zhao. "So, are you going or not?"

"I’m going, of course I’m going," Gu Zhao said with a smile. "With such a gracious invitation from Sister Fei, and with you coming to ask me in person, Qingshuang, how could I refuse? That would be so disrespectful."

A smile touched the corners of Li Qingshuang’s lips; she was clearly very pleased.

In truth, Bai Fei had been worried that Gu Zhao would disdain the event. After all, Daluo Palace’s background was heaven-shaking. When Gu Zhao held the New Year’s Grand Rite at Black Rock Mountain, even Celestial True Monarch of Chaoyang Island and Ancestor Mie Yang of Silent God Mountain had attended in person.

Although Feihong Ancestor was of high seniority and great fame, he was only on par with Ancestor Mie Yang, perhaps even slightly inferior. Gu Zhao might not think much of him.

Bai Fei had stayed at Daluo Palace for a short time and had personally seen the many old Daoists who came from the Daluo homeland. She knew that while they appeared peaceful on the surface, they were proud at heart and had extremely high standards.

That was why Bai Fei had sent Li Qingshuang to invite him personally.

However, Gu Zhao wasn’t thinking as deeply as Bai Fei was. To people like Bai Fei, Celestial True Monarch, and Ancestor Mie Yang, it was as if looking at him was like seeing auspicious clouds shrouding the sky behind him, with layers of Celestial Palaces and beams of golden light revealing revered deities. But he knew the truth: they hadn’t actually reconnected with all those great figures yet.

Therefore, he was still willing to value harmony and maintain peaceful relations with the experts of this world.

’Of course, that’s on the condition that they don’t carry too much Evil Qi. Otherwise, the scent would just become more and more fragrant to me.’

"When is it?" Gu Zhao asked.

"Ten days from now," Li Qingshuang said.

"Should I go to White Spirit Mountain first?" Gu Zhao asked.

"If you could, that would be for the best," Li Qingshuang nodded.

"Alright then." Gu Zhao smiled. "Let me go grab some gifts from the warehouse. Then I’ll head to White Spirit Mountain for a visit. I’ve never been to Jiangbei before."

At this, Gu Zhao turned to Zhuo Qingyan and the Silk Embroideress. "Are you two coming?"

Zhuo Qingyan shook her head. "The occasion isn’t suitable for me. I’ll stay here."

Li Qingshuang interrupted her. "But you can come visit White Spirit Mountain! The scenery on the mountain is beautiful, and there are many sisters there. I’m sure Qingyan and the Silk Embroideress will love it."