On the surface, the Sea of Constellations Subjugation Crusade seemed to be the same as the previous Subjugation Crusades. However, under the surface, a drastic change had already taken place.
On the surface, the Sea of Constellations Subjugation Crusade seemed fair, and the participants were trying their best to be fair. However, there was no such thing as complete fairness in this world. The fact that the Six Sages were participating in the Sea of Constellations Subjugation Crusade was a manifestation of unfairness. Furthermore, the Subjugation Crusade was to be held in the Sea of Constellations. Not even a ghost would believe that the Yao Nation forces wouldn't be able to take advantage of this location.
There were some things that could not be seen on the surface, but the Sea Race living in the vast ocean, especially those who had developed sentience but had yet to cross the threshold of cultivation, were not within the boundaries of the Subjugation Crusade. At this time, they were already running around spreading the news.
The murderer of the Brass Gong Fort in the Western Star Sea all those years ago, 'Niu Youde', had already appeared. He was also one of the participants, and his real name was Gu Sanzheng. Previously, he was fighting with Yao cultivators at a certain location and slaughtered a large number of them. His identity was exposed by Hei Langjun of Jade Stream Manor, and Hei Langjun invited all Yao cultivators in the Western Star Sea to hunt down this villain!
The news quickly spread through the various sea tribes, and most of the Yao cultivators participating in the Sea of Constellations Subjugation Crusade took action upon hearing the news.
That Niu Youde was someone who had provoked the wrath of the Western Master of the Sea of Constellations, Fu Qing. Fu Qing had already declared that anyone who could capture and kill this villain would be handsomely rewarded!
Who was Fu Qing? Fu Qing was one of the top four Demon Behemoths, and even the Six Sages did not dare to slight him. Whoever could complete Fu Qing's task and gain his recognition would have a bright future in the Demon Race!
Putting everything else aside, if anyone was able to report this achievement to the Western Constellations Palace, they would be able to escape the torment of the Sea of Constellations Subjugation Crusade with just a single word from Fu Qing. The Six Sages would at least give Fu Qing some face. After all, they had their reasons for doing so.
Most of the participating demon cultivators immediately became restless and rushed to the scene of the accident.
A man and a woman broke through the waves and landed on the shore.
The woman in the sky-blue chiffon dress had her hair tied up high. She had picturesque features, a graceful figure, and a shrewd and capable temperament. As she flew, her blue muslin fluttered like a fairy.
The black-robed man following behind her was none other than Hei Langjun, who had managed to escape death by sheer luck. At this moment, Hei Langjun was clearly trembling with fear.
The two of them stopped outside an abandoned cave abode on the island. The blue-veiled woman turned around and said, "Wait here. I'll inform the Young Master. "
Hei Langjun nodded and bowed. "This lowly one understands."
The graceful blue-clothed woman quickly walked into the cave. There were two people standing motionlessly at the entrance of the cave. There was a monster lying on the side of the entrance. It looked like a Qilin. It had the mouth of a dragon, the head of a lion, the scales of a fish, the tail of an ox, the claws of a tiger, and the horns of a deer. His entire body was red.
The moment the monster opened its eyes and glanced at Hei Langjun, Hei Langjun felt his heart tremble in fear.
Hei Langjun was utterly shocked. If he guessed correctly, this should be the appearance of the Tempest Beast. However, wasn't the Tempest Beast Demon Sage Ji Huan's mount? Why would he appear here? Could Ji Huan have given her mount to that Young Master to participate in the Sea of Constellations Subjugation Crusade?
Hei Langjun instinctively thought that this was impossible. The Tempest Beast could soar through the clouds, traverse the earth, and tread the waves of the blue sea. It was a top-notch spiritual beast in the world of cultivation. That was simply against the rules.
He only found out about this after the blue-clothed woman found him not too long ago. Even the Six Sages had sent someone to participate. Wasn't this a complete scam …?
Inside the cave, a handsome young man sat on the high seat. He wore a golden crown on his head and was dressed in a brocade robe. His handsome face exuded a gentle aura, and he had a humble demeanor. A black gourd was tied to a jade belt around his waist.
Two burly men stood on either side of him. Just like the two men at the entrance who made Hei Langjun shiver, they were both expressionless and motionless.
The blue-clothed woman walked to the seat and cupped her fists. "Greetings, Young Master!"
The young man sitting on the high seat smiled. "Lan Susu, have you found out what happened?"
This young man was none other than Ji Meimei. He was the son of Ji Meimei, who had personally come to the Western Constellations Palace to hold the fort. He was also the grandson of Yao Sage Ji Huan, and his name was Bai Ziliang.
And this woman named Lan Susu was Bai Ziliang's handmaiden.
"I have already summoned the marine tribes to bring the person in question here. He is right outside. He is waiting for the Young Master to summon him, "Lan Susu replied respectfully.
Bai Ziliang nodded and said, "Since he has been brought here, then let him in."
"Understood!" Lan Susu turned around and shouted, "Hei Langjun, the Young Master has summoned you. Hurry up and come in!"
Hei Langjun, who was waiting outside, hurriedly entered with his head lowered. He walked to the seat and didn't even dare to lift his head to take a look. The difference in status between the two of them was like the difference between heaven and earth. A single word from Bai Ziliang could send him to his grave. Without permission, he didn't dare to be rude. He lowered his head and cupped his fists. "Hei Langjun greets the Young Master!"
Bai Ziliang asked, "I heard you're from Jade Stream Manor?"
Hei Langjun replied respectfully, "Yes."
"I've met Bi Youbo a few times before as well. We can be considered acquaintances." Bai Ziliang smiled. He then asked, "I heard that Niu Youde, the one who once infuriated Lord Fu Qing in the Western Star Sea, has appeared. Did you even exchange blows with him?"
"Yes! His real name is Gu Sanzheng. "
"Gu Sanzheng? What's his background? "
"This … I'm not too sure. I didn't have the chance to ask around back then, so we exchanged blows right away."
"You don't even know his background. How can you be so sure that this Gu Sanzheng is the one who infuriated Lord Fu Qing, Niu Youde?"
"One of my subordinates was the subordinate of Lord Bi Youbo's concubine, Madame Wu Hua. When Madame Wu Hua was murdered by Niu Youde, that subordinate met Niu Youde before. He noticed that this Gu Sanzheng looks very similar to Niu Youde, so I questioned Gu Sanzheng face to face. He was incredibly arrogant, and even admitted that he was the culprit behind the headless murder of Brass Gong Fort all those years ago!"
"He admitted it himself?" Bai Ziliang furrowed his brows and said, "Does he not know the consequences of admitting to this?"
"I can swear on my life that he did admit it himself. Furthermore, he admitted it in front of everyone. I'm not the only one who heard it." Hei Langjun cupped his fists and said, "Even if I were a hundred times braver, I would never dare to lie to the Young Master! Not to mention, if I were to lie about something like this and infuriate Lord Fu Qing, I would not be able to bear the consequences! "
Bai Ziliang nodded slightly. He believed Hei Langjun's words. He then said, "Tell me the details of what happened back then."
"Yes!" Hei Langjun immediately told Lan Xuanyu everything that happened, with some additions and some omissions.
Naturally, the additions were about how brilliant he was and how he managed to uncover the true culprit behind the headless murder of Brass Gong Fort. He wanted to keep this credit firmly in his hands. Pi Junzi's insignificant words were not worth mentioning. He didn't have the ability to kill Gu Sanzheng, so he could only take this credit for himself. Naturally, the omissions were about how pathetic he was at the time. For example, he didn't mention how he pushed his two women out to be his shield.
After clarifying the situation, Lan Susu dismissed Hei Langjun.
"Young Master, there's no time to lose. We must hurry over immediately and take down that Gu Sanzheng before anyone else does," said Lan Susu with bright eyes.
Bai Ziliang muttered, "Wouldn't it be a little unsightly for us to steal this credit from them?"
Lan Susu wanted to say something, but stopped herself. She glanced at the other two beneath Bai Ziliang, then calmly waved her hand and said, "You two can leave for now."
The two turned to look at Bai Ziliang. Seeing that he didn't object, they turned around and left.
Only then did Lan Susu excitedly say, "We're not trying to steal the credit. Even if Lord Fu Qing is going to reward us, we can't accept it. Instead, we want to use this opportunity to build a good relationship with Lord Fu Qing."
Bai Ziliang waved his hand and said, "Forget it. I didn't want to participate in this Sea of Constellations Subjugation Crusade in the first place. If Mother hadn't forced me to come … I would have already done as you two told me to. In any case, I will try my best to rank high. As for this sort of relationship, forget it. I'm not interested."
As soon as he said this, Lan Susu felt as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over her head. Her expression darkened as she said, "Young Master, your interest is no different from not wanting to improve yourself. I believe that if Mistress were to find out about this, she would definitely agree with me."
Bai Ziliang abruptly looked over and said in a deep voice, "Lan Susu. Are you the one in charge, or am I?!"
Lan Susu took a deep breath and said bluntly, "You have to go even if you don't want to. You can't miss out on this opportunity! The Sea of Constellations is the Divine Master's birthplace. The Four Constellations Masters of the Sea of Constellations are bound together for good or ill. If the four of them work together, even the Divine Master has to give them face. As long as you can build a good relationship with Fu Qing, it would be the same as forming a relationship with the Four Constellations Masters. You would then have all the experts in the Sea of Constellations standing behind you. If you can gain the support of the Four Constellations Masters, even the Divine Master will look up to you. When that happens, your position in the Realm of Ten Thousand Demons will be unimaginable. You won't have to live under the watchful eyes of others anymore! Mistress sent me here to watch over you. I can't just sit back and watch as I lose this opportunity! "
Bai Ziliang slowly said, "Lan Susu, don't go overboard!"
"I'm going overboard?" Lan Susu was amused. She said, "Young Master, think about it carefully. Who is the one going overboard here? The opportunity to participate in the Sea of Constellations Subjugation Crusade is not yours. You are only the Divine Master's maternal grandson, and an unwelcome one at that. With the Divine Master's other grandsons around, the Realm of Ten Thousand Demons doesn't have a grandchild like you to represent it! Mistress was the one who fought for you. Mistress was the one who begged her brothers to give you a chance. Mistress was the one who humbled herself and went to each and every house to beg for it. Otherwise, do you really think no one would fight you for it? Otherwise, with your awkward position in the Realm of Ten Thousand Demons, who would you be able to beat? "
She then pointed outside the cave and said, "Do you know how the infant Tempest Beast came to be? The Divine Master didn't agree to lend it to you at first. It was Mistress who knelt in front of the Divine Master, crying and begging for it to increase your chances of winning in the Subjugation Crusade. "
She then pointed to the gourd on Bai Ziliang's waist and continued, "Mistress was the one who went to the Boundless Nation to beg the Sect Master of the Exquisite Refinement Sect to refine that Demon Refining Gourd of yours. The Sect Master was initially worried about the participants from the Boundless Nation, so it was Mistress who lowered herself and stayed at the Exquisite Refinement Sect for more than half a month before the Sect Master finally agreed. It was all for the sake of giving you a transcendent artifact that doesn't violate the rules of the Subjugation Crusade and is still superior to everyone else. Mistress was willing to throw away her dignity, and now you're telling me you're not interested?"
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