Chapter 75 — The Third Chapter
劍問蒼天 · Page 4 of 6
The Poison God shook his head at once and laughed. "Brother King of the Underworld, did we not agree long ago? In this great matter, it is Brother Yuyang Zi of the Longevity Hall who directs affairs. We are all merely foot soldiers."
With that he turned to the man on the other side. "Isn't that so, Brother Yuyang Zi? Ha ha."
Yuyang Zi, master of the Longevity Hall, one of the four great branches of the Demonic Cult, had brows that swept to his temples and was exceedingly handsome, looking like a man just past thirty, though he was in truth a cultivator of the Demonic Cult who had trained for several hundred years.
Among the Demonic Cult, the Longevity Hall was a most peculiar faction, for it had always been this branch that guarded the cult's most sacred ground in the wild wastes—the Holy Hall—and this lineage's particular purpose, as its name suggested, was the pursuit of longevity alone. Yet though they ranked among the four great branches of the Demonic Cult, they were often unscrupulous in their methods, utterly opposite to the way of seeking longevity as taught among the Orthodox path. But that is a matter for later.
On this occasion the Demonic Cult had come in secret and in great force to the Canglan Mountains. Yuyang Zi, having arrived here and after several secret councils, had been put forward by the others as the director of this great cult undertaking, and could not help feeling somewhat pleased with himself. He laughed and said, "The Canglan Sect has bullied our Holy Cult in every way for a hundred years. Today we shall surely settle accounts with them."
The King of the Underworld smiled. "Well said."
With that he turned to the woman who had stood beside them all along—the only female master among the four great branches, the Three Wonders Fairy of the Enchantment Sect—and said with a smile, "In a little while, we shall also be counting on your wondrous arts, Fairy."
The Three Wonders Fairy came from the Enchantment Sect, one of the most notorious branches of the Demonic Cult. Her beauty was naturally exceptional, yet she showed no trace of wantonness; her face was cool and pale, untouched by powder, and she possessed instead a kind of frosty, otherworldly beauty—rather resembling, in fact, Xue Qi of Xiaozhu Peak in the Canglan Mountains.
Hearing the King of the Underworld's words, the Three Wonders Fairy smiled faintly. "The three of you, Senior Brothers, are great figures who have seen the world, far above a little woman like me. It is only that we have all sworn a solemn oath before the Holy Mother and the Radiant King that this time we must work with one heart and one strength to wash away the shame of the Holy Hall's humiliation in those years. I only hope the three of you will set aside former grievances together, and not fail to honor our pledge."
The King of the Underworld and the other two exchanged glances, and all said, "Rest assured, Fairy. We have no divided loyalties."
The Three Wonders Fairy smiled slightly, then turned to the King of the Underworld and said, "Brother King of the Underworld, I have been here several days now—why have I not seen your niece?"
The King of the Underworld started. "You mean that girl Bi Li? The child is fond of play and has run off somewhere—I don't know where. Is there some matter you wished to see her about, Fairy?"
Fairy Sanmiao said coolly, "Nothing much, only that I have lately heard that your daughter has come into a treasure—the Hehuan Bell, a wondrous relic handed down from Lady Jinling. Is this so?"
Both the Poison God and Yuyangzi shifted slightly; plainly the name of Lady Jinling was one that even grandees of the demonic path such as they could not treat lightly.
The King of Hell's expression changed, a faint gleam stirring in his eyes. "I wonder where the fairy came by this news?"