Chapter 0.23 The Demon Master is Incapacitated
Inside the Grand Hall.
Qin Gou, clad in a purple robe, sat regally upon a throne carved from strange stones. Yi Chengying stood gracefully beside him, her gaze filled with adoration as she looked at Qin Gou, much like a maiden in love.
“My Lord Cult Master, your cultivation is not apparent. I fear you have not yet successfully passed through the Mortal Transformation stage. What urgent matters do you have for your return?” Right Guardian Xu Changhan asked with a solemn expression.
Left Guardian Ren Tianxing nodded in agreement.
Within the Purple Extreme Demonic Sect, Zhao Xinting held absolute authority, making all major decisions alone, and no one dared to disobey a single command.
“What urgent matters could there be? I’m simply bringing my little darling to see my Senluo Mountain properly,” Qin Gou said, playing the part of a deeply possessive lover who had just fallen in love, looking dotingly at Yi Chengying.
Little Chair pursed her red lips, revealing a perfectly shy and charming smile. Daringly, in front of both of them, she sat directly on Qin Gou’s lap, her bouncy, perky buttocks pressing firmly, their affection for each other evident, showing a great deal of intimacy.
A fragrant scent wafted through the air. With soft warmth in his embrace, Qin Gou’s expression faltered. This scene hadn’t been rehearsed when they discussed their lines earlier. Why did this damned chair always improvise?
However, on the surface, Qin Gou maintained a tender smile, gently stroking Yi Chengying’s small head as if doting on a lazy, cute, little gluttonous cat.
“How can this be?”
Ren Tianxing and Xu Changhan were both greatly alarmed.
“My Lord Cult Master, have you forgotten? The reason you were so anxious to enter the Mortal Transformation stage was because the Demon Master had emerged from seclusion and was likely to come to the Purple Extreme Demonic Sect to seek retribution! In order to contend with the immensely powerful Demon Master, you were in such a hurry to transcend the Dharma Aspect Realm in one go.”
“We understand your love for your Dao Companion, but at such a critical juncture, how can you waste time? Furthermore, the restrictions of the Mortal Transformation stage are complex and arduous. Your current return and excessive contact with us could lead to failure in your Mortal Transformation if you are not careful! If you wish to enter the Mortal Transformation stage again, it will require several years of preparation!”
Listening to their earnest advice, Qin Gou’s lips curved into a disdainful smile, and he said coldly, “Demon Master? Isn’t that Qin Gou himself? Little Chair, let the two Guardians see what a pathetic state my so-called esteemed master is in now?”
Yi Chengying understood tacitly, let out a light laugh, and her small hands made a show of forming a hand seal.
Qin Gou cooperated with a single thought and, in front of the two guardians, summoned the “Celestial Master’s Soul.”
The Celestial Master’s Soul, dressed in snow-white robes, instantly appeared out of thin air. The entire being floated in mid-air, its eyes dull and listless, devoid of any life.
“This is?”
“Demon Master Qin Gou? No, this state is… a spiritual body?!”
Ren Tianxing and Xu Changhan were first shocked and instinctively retreated, for the name of Demon Master Qin Gou was truly terrifying! It took them a moment to realize that the Demon Master’s current state seemed peculiar.
Under Qin Gou’s activation, the Celestial Master’s Soul had already entered a phantasmal state, capable of freely traversing barriers.
Qin Gou patted Little Chair’s head, letting her get up from his embrace. He then slowly walked up to the Celestial Master’s Soul. He raised his hand and passed it directly through the Demon Master’s face, a wicked grin spreading across his lips. “Esteemed Master, you truly are pitiful in your current state. Xinting feels heartbroken. Guardians, feel free to try as well.”
Ren Tianxing and Xu Changhan exchanged glances. Finally, gathering their courage, they stepped forward and, to their shock, easily passed through the Celestial Master’s Soul’s body.
“It’s definitely a spiritual body, no doubt about it,” Ren Tianxing asserted confidently.
Xu Changhan asked with uncertainty, “My Lord Cult Master, why has the Demon Master fallen into such a state?”
Qin Gou stood with his hands behind his back, perfectly mimicking the demeanor of his eldest disciple, Zhao Xinting. Her beautiful, charming smile revealed a hint of perverse ruthlessness. “This is the consequence of opposing me, Zhao Xinting. My Master has been out of touch with the world for too long. He has grown old, and what use is immense cultivation alone? He should have retired long ago!”
“I merely colluded with Junior Sister Ye Qishuang, employed a little trick, staged a prodigal son’s return, and then, catching him off guard, easily captured this remnant soul of his three souls and seven spirits! You can send someone to Mystic Maiden Raksha Palace to inquire with Ye Qishuang about the specific process. I will not elaborate further.”
“But you should know, with this remnant soul as a trump card, even if my old esteemed master Qin Gou had ten times the courage, he would not dare oppose me again. With his celestial soul incomplete, his cultivation will continuously decline. To think that a generation’s Master of Arc-Moon Mountain has fallen to such a fate is truly lamentable and pitiful.”
For a moment, Qin Gou sighed, a hint of complacency mixed with a trace of regret in his eyes.
However, Ren Tianxing and Xu Changhan’s eyes were filled with joy.
“Does this mean… My Lord Cult Master will no longer have to worry about Demon Master Qin Gou’s revenge from now on?”
“Congratulations, Cult Master! Congratulations! From now on, you can soar freely through the heavens and roam limitlessly across the seas, completely escaping the shadow of the Master of Arc-Moon Mountain.”
Their voices betrayed their uncontrollable ecstasy. For a long time, Demon Master Qin Gou had not only made Zhao Xinting tremble with fear but had also been a colossal mountain weighing down the Purple Extreme Demonic Sect. Simply mentioning his name would instantly cause all disciples of the Purple Extreme Demonic Sect to tremble uncontrollably. After all, the legends surrounding him were too horrifying, almost like an ancient sage from myth. If he were to seek revenge, the Purple Extreme Demonic Sect would inevitably face an unimaginable catastrophe.
In response to the guardians’ flattery, Qin Gou laughed heartily, clasping his arms. “Now you understand why this seat returned ahead of schedule. With such joyous news, what does the Mortal Transformation stage matter?”
Ren Tianxing’s face lit up with joy, grinning from ear to ear. “The Cult Master is wise!”
Xu Changhan looked at Qin Gou with admiration. “As expected of My Lord Cult Master. I actually doubted your decisions just now. It is truly a capital offense.”
Qin Gou nodded slightly, seemingly pleased.
Just then, seeing that the time was ripe, Yi Chengying finally began the mission assigned to her by Lord Qin.
Yi Chengying delicately moved her lotus-like steps, her pace elegant. She walked to Qin Gou’s side, intimately entwined her arm with his, her pliant, boneless, exquisitely delicate body almost entirely pressed against Qin Gou’s as she acted coquettish. She appeared like an extremely frivolous seductress, though her movements were somewhat stiff, after all, this was the Lone Shadow Saintess’s first time acting so alluringly.
This scene did not surprise the two guardians much. Although they had not interacted with the Lone Shadow Saintess, to the world, the women of Mystic Maiden Raksha Palace were generally expected to be this seductive, and it was considered normal. The Saintess named ‘Gu Caihe,’ whom they had met a few times, had displayed excessive reserve, which was highly abnormal.
Yi Chengying lightly licked her red lips like a little gluttonous cat and leaned close to Qin Gou’s ear. However, she spoke in a voice that everyone could clearly hear, her tone sweet and enchanting. “My Demon Lord, didn’t you just promise me that as soon as we returned to the Purple Extreme Demonic Sect, you would take me to see your treasury? And that I could take anything Little Chair fancied? You’re not trying to trick Little Chair, are you?”
