Chapter 18: The Devil’s Dilemma and the Valley of Treachery

The Senior Disciple Brother of Moon Mist Mountain, vying for a magical artifact, found himself in a vulgar shouting match with Su Qin at the black market, their coarse language shocking everyone present.

It was truly a scene where the word ‘f*ck’ (TL Note: ‘Cao’ is a common Chinese expletive, similar to ‘f*ck’ or ‘shit’, often used as an intensifier or a general curse.) flew like confetti, employed as liberally as punctuation marks.

Only after a subordinate whispered a few words into his ear did the Senior Disciple Brother break out in a cold sweat.

“Hold on, brother, I was just running my mouth, but you’re actually serious?”

“I don’t want this item anymore; I’ve never even set foot here!”

The Hall Master of the Hundred Herbs Hall watched Su Qin, the True Person, engaging in pleasant conversation with his granddaughter, while Su Qin subtly cast a lingering gaze in his direction, leaving the granddaughter with eyes full of adoring affection.

The old True Person’s heart tightened, and through gritted teeth, he surrendered the fortuitous opportunity he had diligently pursued for decades without ever grasping its essence.

“Excellent, excellent,” Su Qin murmured, a satisfied smile playing on his lips as he gazed at his increasingly robust personal treasury.

“Listen closely,” Su Qin declared, “every single one of your wives, daughters, granddaughters, and even great-granddaughters falls within my purview! The Lustful Devil is not picky!”

“You wouldn’t want your wives and daughters to harbor any unpleasant memories, would you?”

Su Qin had successfully cultivated the reputation of a universally despised Lustful Devil; no matter the magical artifact, if his gaze fell upon it, the competition would immediately dwindle by more than half.

‘No, why would you provoke him for such a trivial item? It’s simply not worth it.’

Lacking inherent talent, Su Qin could only survive by these means, and it was precisely this desperation that allowed him to surpass even a prodigy like Bai Zhenye in cultivation speed.

Yet, every debt incurred in the martial world eventually comes due.

Should he ever find himself at a disadvantage, those he had threatened, those who resented him, and those who simply couldn’t stand him would undoubtedly seize the opportunity to kick him while he was down.

Thus, he had to grow stronger before his enemies could exact their revenge.

The path to greater power lay in plundering more, and threatening more people!

To never lose, and never stop—this was the essence of a demon.

It was precisely because of his reputation as the Lustful Devil that no one bothered to investigate his depraved past, unwittingly concealing his true origins.

If his history were truly scrutinized, the old enemies he had inadvertently offended would undoubtedly come knocking.

Without exaggeration, the formidable reputation of the Lustful Devil was, in fact, Su Qin’s greatest vulnerability.

Yet now, two individuals had already discovered this Achilles’ heel, and were even threatening him in the exact same manner.

‘It’s genuinely hard to even comment on this.’

A celestial maiden defying all norms to threaten the Lustful Devil, even persistently clinging to him—wasn’t this utterly absurd?

‘They’re nothing but shallow weeds.’

‘If he truly were the Lustful Devil, he would pin them all to the ground and ‘grass’ them thoroughly, then see if they still dared to threaten him.’

‘They would have long since either fled in terror at the mere sight of him, or, finding escape impossible, would have bared their tender flesh, lifted their hips, and tearfully begged for mercy.’

This sensation of having his lifeline grasped was utterly dreadful, not to mention that coercion itself was a profound insult to a devil.

“Damn it all!”

They had all keenly uncovered his secret and were aware of his current nascent cultivation realm, which was why they dared to ride roughshod over him so arrogantly.

To escape their threats, he would have to become a true vanguard in the realm of debauchery, yet Su Qin understood that such a path would prevent him from achieving true greatness.

Yet, despite possessing great compassion and being a good person at heart, he was paradoxically subjected to such treatment.

‘Isn’t this just a case of good people being taken advantage of? It’s just that the ones trying to ‘ride’ him are all these contradictory celestial maidens.’

The more Su Qin pondered, the more vexed he became, his normally pale face flushing warm under the moonlight as a chaotic wind rustled past his ears.

“Perhaps I should just become a true Lustful Devil,” he mused, “and drive them all to their wits’ end, making them automatically present themselves to me at first sight, never daring to offend again.”

An intensely irrational thought surfaced in Su Qin’s mind, and he instantly realized that he could not proceed to Immortal Slaughter Valley in his current state.

Su Qin reverted to his true form, channeling his spiritual energy until his entire body blazed with light, and in a single surge, he slammed into the jade-pillar-like cliff face.

Bloody fragments of flesh rained down, rapidly crystallizing into vibrant, gem-like structures that stained the entire area crimson.

A moment later, the crimson glow dissipated, and a bat with indifferent eyes reappeared, slowly but steadily flying towards Immortal Slaughter Valley.

***

Xiao Chen glanced at the time once more.

It was already the final moment of the Zi (TL Note: ‘Zi shi’ refers to the period between 11 PM and 1 AM in traditional Chinese timekeeping.) hour, and according to Gu Yuhe’s intelligence, the devil had already set out.

But why had he not yet arrived?

At the speed of a Golden Core cultivator, even if burdened by a massive stone, he should have already reached his destination.

Unease—for the first time since his birth, Xiao Chen felt truly unsettled.

Everything had been proceeding smoothly; Su Qin’s disciple’s hatred for him was easily exploited, and rogue cultivators were simple to deceive.

The situation was unfolding precisely as he had planned.

Yet, why did he feel such a profound sense of unease?

Xiao Chen cast a worried glance at Han Zhiyun, who offered a polite, albeit tense, smile.

It was the tension that preceded the realization of a significant goal; at least in Xiao Chen’s estimation, she genuinely desired to eliminate the devil.

What exactly was it that made him feel so unsettled?

The several Golden Core grandmasters in the valley also vaguely sensed that something was amiss; someone was orchestrating a trap, intentionally luring so many cultivators here.

They caught sight of a tuft of white fur in the distance, realizing that even the Southern Border’s notorious thief, Bai Jiaojiao, had arrived.

This individual was exceptionally skilled at seizing magical artifacts; no matter who the owner, once an artifact entered her grasp, it would utterly lose control, as if forcibly bound to a new mistress.

Each of them clutched their own magical artifacts tighter, their vigilance sharpening by a considerable degree.

Elder Gao could no longer sit still; only half a kezong (TL Note: A traditional Chinese unit of time, equivalent to approximately 7.5 minutes.) remained before the killing array would activate, and at that point, this powder keg would undoubtedly explode.

What drove him to further despair was the arrival of two more Golden Core cultivators of unknown identity.

Now, everyone was wary of each other, their nerves stretched taut.

As he silently took a step back, the killing intent from several deadly techniques simultaneously locked onto him, creating a formation poised for a group assault.

Elder Gao immediately broke out in a cold sweat, subtly retracting his foot.

“Damn it all!” he cursed under his breath. “Who in the world is leaking information everywhere? I distinctly only told my core disciples!”

“That good-for-nothing Azure Profound Sect, infiltrated into a sieve and none the wiser! Where did all these Golden Core True Persons (TL Note: ‘Zhenren’ is a title for a powerful cultivator, often implying a higher realm or enlightened status.) suddenly come from?”

Qi He frowned, his cultivation being the highest present, a half-step Nascent Soul, which meant the killing intent from the remaining Golden Core cultivators had never wavered from him.

He subtly reached into his robes, intending to summon reinforcements.

Almost immediately, countless killing intents locked onto him, one of which distinctly surpassed that of a Golden Core cultivator—it was Elder Gao’s deadly killing array.

“Fools of the Demonic Sword Sect! You couldn’t even guard this paltry intelligence, allowing so many idle busybodies to learn of it!”

“Don’t move! Nobody move! Whoever dares to make a move, I’ll beat them senseless!”

This was virtually everyone’s unspoken thought; their eyes weren’t enough to take everything in, wishing they could split themselves to observe more.

A single bat slowly drifted into the valley, unnoticed by anyone.

Thanks to the Breath Concealment Art taught by Qi Shuyue, no one detected Su Qin’s arrival.

In a secluded corner at the valley’s edge, several blood bats stood sentinel around Gu Yuhe, expertly shielding her aura as well.

However, due to the intense standoff, seven or eight Golden Core cultivators within the valley were wantonly unleashing their auras, effectively partitioning the valley into seven distinct zones of varying sizes.

While the Golden Core cultivators had no spare energy to concern themselves with the Foundation Establishment and Qi Condensation realm practitioners, the sheer clash of killing intents between them was enough to blanch the faces of many lesser cultivators.

This unfolding scenario surpassed the scale of the recent skirmish between the Demonic Sword Sect and the Azure Profound Sect, and even many grand righteous-demonic wars were no more intense.

Gu Yuhe had never witnessed such a formidable display; she nervously clenched her fists, finding herself utterly unable to move even half a step.

This very situation was intended to make her recognize the reality of her predicament, to understand just how vulnerable she truly was.

Only then would Su Qin’s protection appear truly invaluable.

“Don’t worry,” Su Qin murmured. “Your master is here.”

Su Qin gently stroked the little girl’s forehead.

Gu Yuhe first trembled, then noticeably relaxed, a faint blush creeping onto her cheeks.

“Wear this mask,” he instructed. “Say nothing, and hear nothing.”

Su Qin handed her a green fox mask.

Gu Yuhe hesitated for a moment before placing it on her face.

The moment it touched her cheek, the green fox mask suddenly softened like dough, molding itself snugly to her features.

Simultaneously, the mask sealed off her sight and hearing, rendering her small mouth incapable of speech.

A subtle sense of unease prompted her to instinctively grasp Su Qin’s pinky and ring finger.

‘Chu Lingge’s creations are truly never simple.’

Su Qin’s lips twitched.

He retrieved another white fox mask and quietly placed it over his own face.

Hand in hand, the two then made their entrance, Su Qin simultaneously dispelling his Breath Concealment Art.

The cultivators who had been barely holding their ground found their legs suddenly go weak, nearly causing them to stumble.

‘No way, buddies, another Golden Core cultivator?!!’

Qi He’s expression turned grim.

This Golden Core cultivator possessed dual Fire and Wood spirit roots, yet lacked any demonic aura.

There was no record of a Fire-Wood Golden Core cultivator in the Southern Border registry, and no new Golden Core cultivators had emerged recently.

How could this be?

‘No, I just wanted to sneak in and snatch something, but why have so many Golden Core cultivators flocked here at the scent of trouble?’

Su Qin calmly observed the scene, allowing the impertinent killing intent to probe him.

‘How wonderful, what a perfect powder keg for war.’