The entrance was heavily guarded by demon soldiers. When they saw the Demon King coming, they all knelt down and saluted: "Your Majesty."
Whether in the previous life or this life, this was not the first time that Zong Ci came here, so there was not much emotion on his face, which made the demon servant look at him a few more times.
Because the clan land was closed, almost half of the demon clan followed the demon king to the foot of Taiyanzong Mountain. Now the main gate is full of demon cultivators. Normally, Rong Lian rarely goes to the main gate, but since he brought a little guest this time, he rarely went through the gate.
There are three palace gates in the entire Chixiao Palace. The left one is for ordinary people to pass through, the right one is for noble families to pass through, and the central one is only for the royal family to pass through.
Zong Ci enjoyed top-level treatment and attracted a lot of attention.
Many demon cultivators focused their eyes on the Qi Condensation cultivator who was personally brought by the Demon King, and whispered to each other.
"Who is this person? His appearance is not inferior to your Majesty in any way..."
"He is only at the Qi Refining Stage... Perhaps he is a nobleman from the mortal world who has just entered the world of cultivation? Such a demeanor is rare."
"Is it like the one from the Lin family before? This is the opening of the central city gate... Maybe things are going to change in the clan, alas."
"Isn't it rumored that His Majesty dislikes humans the most? Why would he make such an exception for a human monk today?"
These sounds were so far away that Zong Ci couldn't hear them clearly.
Of course, he wasn't interested in hearing the details.
The red door slowly opened, making a heavy muffled sound, blocking out all other sounds.
The Chixiao Palace was originally the palace of the demon clan, but few people knew that there was a barrier set up outside this palace complex, so it is not an exaggeration to call it a secret realm.
After passing through the barrier at the entrance, there is a wide road paved with white jade leading to the main hall. There is a moat underneath, which is very majestic.
"You must have joined Taiyan Sect not long ago, right?"
In order to take Zongci's speed into consideration, Rong Lian did not rush but walked slowly.
He hasn't walked in this way for a long time since his cultivation level improved, and now it feels quite different.
"To answer your question, it's been more than a year."
Zong Ci looked straight ahead with his eyebrows lowered, not looking at him, but walking at his own pace.
Rong Lian is much taller than the black-clothed boy. By slightly lowering his head, he can see the top of the latter's head, the beautifully shaped high nose bridge, the long eyelashes like crow feathers, and even the white neck that can be seen from the loose collar below.
Those people were not wrong, she was indeed extremely beautiful.
The Demon King does not like human cultivators. This is the consensus of many people in the cultivation world.
But for some reason, Rong Lian couldn't feel any disgust towards the young man in black in front of him.
He thought casually and spoke again, "That day I saw you wielding the sword, it was like a painting with a pen, without any stagnation. I was amazed by your talent and began to cherish your talent."
Zongci paused, "Thank you for your love, Your Majesty."
While they were talking, Rong Lian had already taken him through the main hall of Chixiao Palace and went to the back of the hall.
Behind the main hall is a side palace that has a more lively atmosphere than the front hall. It is brightly lit and filled with fragrant incense.
Zong Ci had been here before. Back then, he took a sword and attacked the demon tribe while Rong Lian was away, forcing all the elders of the demon tribe to join forces to resist the enemy. But this was the first time he had paid a formal visit.
He himself did not notice it, but the demon servant following him was slightly shocked.
Rong Liang has always been reckless and does not play by the rules.
The demon servant had been his close attendant for so many years, but he had never seen him be so friendly to anyone, suppressing his temper and walking through the center of the Chixiao Palace gate.
Not to mention that the other party is just a human cultivator whose cultivation level is so low that it can be ignored.
Although the Demon King did not value the traditions left over by the demon race for many years and even locked up those old-fashioned old guys, the middle city gate... was only for the royal family to pass through.
The demon servant quietly raised his eyes to take another look at the distinguished guest's appearance, and suddenly an idea flashed in his mind, like a raging storm.
He had not observed carefully before, but now that he looked carefully, he felt that the appearance of this young man in black was just what His Majesty liked.
The nine-tailed fox demon has always been famous for its charm, and the clan's secret techniques that they practice include dual cultivation. After Rong Lian became the Demon King, he had no shortage of concubines around him. Countless people have been trying their best to climb into the Demon King's bed, but the current emperor only likes a specific type of concubine.
He wields a sword, has the demeanor of a banished immortal, is as graceful as a startled swan, has beautiful brows, and is a young man of extraordinary demeanor.
If the black-robed young man in front of me could lose some of his lazy and sickly temperament, become a little colder, and change his plain black robe into a white robe that is brighter than snow...
He is even more charming than the one who is the most favored one now. No, Master Lin is just mud in the sky before this young man in black clothes. He was compared to the ground.
Could it be... ... the rear seat that has been vacant all this time
The demon servant broke out in a cold sweat at the thoughts in his mind.
At this moment, Rong Lian suddenly said, "Serve tea to the guests."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
The demon servant bowed quickly and walked hurriedly out of the hall.
He had received a lot of favors from Master Lin in the past, and now he had to find a way to deliver the message quickly.
"sit."
Zong Ci didn't say anything polite. He lifted his robe and sat down, but his eyes still followed the back of his hand, with his brows lowered.
This look made Rong Lian more interested.
If he remembered correctly, the young man in black had never looked at him seriously since they first met.
Rong Lian has successfully cultivated nine tails. His every move is graceful and elegant. He is also in a high position of power. His appearance is one of the best even in the world of cultivation where there are many handsome men and beautiful women. Countless people try to curry favor with him as the Demon King.
Not to mention those in the Qi Refining Stage with low cultivation, it is common for them to be unable to walk and show their ugly appearance after just one look.
Wherever he appears, he will be the focus of attention, without exception.
Perhaps he was used to being treated high and mighty by everyone, so when he suddenly met someone who was calm and composed, Rong Lian couldn't help but become interested.
"Why don't you look up? Am I some kind of monster?"
Hearing this, the young man in black raised his head.
Under the light of the palace candles, the meticulously crafted beauty became even more apparent. The jumping warm colors gave the corners of his eyes a thrilling color, and for some reason, it also made the inexplicable throbbing in Rong Lian's heart even stronger.
Zong Ci glanced at him indifferently, then quickly looked away, as if he was avoiding him out of courtesy, like a ferocious beast, "Your Majesty, you are joking."
This doesn't seem like a joke.
The man in red narrowed his eyes and was about to speak when he suddenly put two fingers together and pointed into the air.
This is the gesture for receiving or using a sound transmission note.
Zong Ci glanced at him out of the corner of his eye and continued to observe his nose with his eyes and his heart with his nose.
He is only in the Qi Refining Stage now, so everything he does must be consistent with the identity of a Qi Refining Stage.
Since he knew that Rong Lian was an expert at seduction, a person in the Qi Refining Stage certainly wouldn't be so arrogant and rude as to stare at someone's face.
Besides, Zong Ci didn't want to see that face that could bring back endless memories of his past at a glance.
"There is an emergency in the clan, so I may have to excuse myself for a while."
After a moment, Rong Lian withdrew his fingers and stood up from the main seat. His expression changed from the previous leisurely and lazy one to one with a hint of a storm brewing.
Before leaving, he suddenly turned around to look at the black-robed disciple sitting there, chuckled, and handed over a sign, "Excuse me, if you feel that this place is too boring, you can go to the library of Scarlet Sky Palace. There are many ancient books of martial arts there."
"You are a distinguished guest brought back by me personally. No one will stop you."
When Rong Lian said this, Zong Ci chose to look him straight in the face for the sake of politeness.
Under the candlelight, the brows of the man in red implied a condescending and calm demeanor. His flawless face, like a crown of jade, was enough to drive anyone crazy, and it also carried with it a sense of contempt and coldness that came from being in a high position for a long time.
Zong Ci looked at him deeply and took the wooden sign.
"good."
The young man in black nodded and said calmly, "Thank you for your kindness, Your Majesty."
It was only after the fiery red edge of the clothes disappeared in the air for a long time that Zong Ci came back to his senses.
It had been a long time since he had looked at Rong Lian so carefully.
Although they had shared seven years of time together when they were young and had traveled together to nearly half of the world of cultivation.
But after all, seven years is a negligible time for those who practice Taoism and meditate in seclusion for decades, as short as the snap of a finger.
In the hundreds of years after they separated, Zong Ci became Lingyun Sword Master, and Rong Lian joined the demon clan's ever-changing court.
They have all changed so much.
In Zong Ci's heart, Rong Lian has always been the ragged, arrogant and domineering boy he was in his youth.
Just like he had never thought that the final informer would be Rong Lian, because he had already formed an image of the other party in his mind.
After that deep look just now, Zong Ci was shocked to realize—
I haven't looked at this person carefully for a long time.
He had to admit that this demon king was very different from the high-spirited and charming fox boy he remembered.
So many that they hardly seem like the same person.
Man is not made of earth or stone, so how can he remain unchanged? Even earth and stone will turn into dust.
In the end, I was just dwelling too much on the past and worrying about nothing.
Zong Ci stood up from his seat, patted his clothes gently, exhaled, and walked out of the hall.
He didn't want to have too much contact with Rong Lian anymore, so it would be better for him to leave first.
The spiritual sense of a cultivator is like another sense organ. It is extremely impolite to use spiritual sense to detect others rashly. It is okay for elders to do this to younger people. After all, the class gap is too big and the younger people will not know. But if the same generation or younger people do this to the elders, they must draw their swords and fight no matter what.
Especially since Zong Ci was a real immortal. If he still had his strength, he would have killed the opponent with just one finger.
I can't tolerate this tone no matter what, but I have to wait until he comes up with a way to kill two birds with one stone before I go and tell on him.
After making up his mind, Zong Ci prepared to set off to the demon tribe on the third day.
The leader of the Tianji Sect will give a sermon tomorrow. Ever since this matter was announced, it has caused a huge uproar in the entire cultivation world, and the powerful people from other sects have come to join in the fun.
That was the only preaching by the two great masters who had reached the Tribulation Crossing Stage in the world of cultivation! He was also the leader of the Tianji Sect, who was closest to the Heavenly Dao. His understanding of the Dao was definitely superior to that of everyone in the world of cultivation, even better than that of the Qingxu Patriarch.
For millions of years, the world of cultivation has never seen such a great man giving a sermon. Perhaps just listening to it can save you a large part of the time you would otherwise spend on detours in your cultivation. Who wouldn't want to listen
Not to mention the righteous, even those evil masters who usually don't get along well with the righteous came over with a shameless face, and very politely brought a lot of gifts for visiting. All the inns at the foot of the mountain range of Tai Yan Sect were full, and the shopkeepers all made a lot of money.
The rest of the disciples and independent cultivators came to join in the fun, or followed their sects. It just so happened that the righteous and the demon tribe had formed an alliance, and in addition to the Taiyan Sect, there were many other allied forces. They had been dragging their feet and wanted to sit back and watch the fight, but now that the news of the Tianji Sect Master's sermon came out, they came faster than anyone else, fearing that the Taiyan Sect would have no place for them to listen.
Zong Ci had just come out of the barrier of the Taiyan Sect, and when he looked up, he saw countless cultivators coming and going in the sky. The streets were densely packed with young men and women of Langhuan Zhupei, an unprecedented grand occasion. Among them were many independent cultivators with high cultivation levels, almost rare in the world.
The entire continent is vast and rich in resources. The cultivation world is usually not connected to the mortal world. The cultivators will also set up barriers and prefer to practice in seclusion. Such a crowded scene is rare. Even when Zong Ci was still Lingyun Sword Master, an ancient secret realm opened, which may not attract these hidden dragons and crouching tigers.
Originally, he wanted to delay the matter of going to the demon tribe, but after the sermon tomorrow, if most people were in seclusion, it would be difficult for Zong Ci to take advantage of the situation.
Thinking of this, Zong Ci coughed twice, turned around and walked into the herbal medicine shop in the town next door.
"Oh, please come in, sir. Our store sells medicinal herbs. We offer large quantities at a discounted price. The products are of good quality and low price. Would you like to..."
The waiter on duty was using an abacus behind the counter. When he heard the sound of wind chimes at the door, he looked up in haste.
With just this one glance, the waiter was so frightened that he almost jumped up from the ground, "You you you you you you you—"
He could never forget this face. It was extremely beautiful, pale yet eerie, and just one glance at it brought him back to the terrifying moment during last year's Cold Clothes Festival.
"What about me?" Zong Ci looked at him in confusion, and suddenly felt that this waiter looked familiar.
This is the only herbal medicine store under the Taiyan Sect that has a relatively reasonable price and has been open the longest. Zong Ci opened it in his previous life, but he didn't expect to open it here in this life. So when he was refining his body, he also dragged his weak body out from under the Dragon Bone Abyss and found this store. He also met the waiter of this store when he got medicine last time.
It’s just... ... the last time we met, Zong Ci’s body hadn’t completely settled down yet. He looked unstable, like a half-soul. In short, he didn’t look like a living person.
"Don't worry, I'm not a ghost, I'm just a little weak."
The waiter's exaggerated reaction had attracted most of the customers in the store. Seeing this, Zong Ci felt a little headache and hurried to explain.
"...Really?"
The waiter was holding onto the counter, then he leaned his head out tremblingly, and only breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the sun shining on the young man in black clothes outside and his shadow falling on the door threshold.
Ghosts don't have shadows. If there is a shadow, it means it is a human.
This behavior made Zong Ci take a second look.
People who practice Taoism go against the will of heaven, and rarely fear ghosts and gods. However, he thought that the disciples who gave up cultivation and opened a shop at the foot of the sect's mountain were not qualified enough to go far on the road of cultivation. They were not much different from ordinary people, but their lifespan was longer, so they had more patience.