Mo Tiange looked up towards the source of the voice.
Before long, a group of figures materialized out of thin air within the demonic qi-dense sky.
"Late-Nascent Soul..." Nie Wushang murmured, her gaze fixed on the cultivator at the forefront.
If they weren't certain this person possessed Late-Nascent Soul cultivation, they would never have guessed he was the city lord of Guifang City, one of the Three Great Demon Lords of the Yunzhong demonic path—Demon Lord Guifang.
This Demon Lord Guifang appeared to be in his thirties or forties, dressed in simple blue robes. He was slender, with a pale, beardless face and a refined, scholarly demeanor. There was not a trace of demonic aura about him; instead, he seemed gentle and elegant, like a worldly teacher.
Yet, the aura emanating from him was overwhelmingly powerful, not the slightest bit weaker than Venerable Wuming's. In Guifang City, aside from Demon Lord Guifang, who else could possess such presence? Moreover, Mo Tiange immediately spotted Yang Chengji standing behind him.
"So it's Fellow Daoist Guifang," Venerable Wuming said, having already retrieved the Heaven-Net the moment Demon Lord Guifang appeared. He now wore a slight smile and pressed his palms together in greeting. "This old monk is merely passing through and has urgent matters to attend to. I'm afraid it's inconvenient to meet with Fellow Daoist Guifang."
"Heh heh," Demon Lord Guifang's voice was slightly hoarse as he gazed coldly at the Buddhist cultivators below. "Venerable Wuming, with your esteemed status as the Venerable Puji, you bring so many disciples into my Guifang City without so much as a greeting. That seems rather unreasonable, doesn't it?"
Demonic path cities differed from righteous path towns. Whether in Dongtang Country or Nan Zhou Country, there were royal families and prefectural governments. Even a cultivation city like Tianxue City had officials appointed by the court to manage mortals and handle worldly affairs. Tianxue City fell under the Ling family's sphere of influence, but nominally, anyone could come and go. Demonic path cities, however, were established by their city lords and belonged solely to them, having no relation to the royal family of Beilin Country.
Thus, Guifang City was essentially Demon Lord Guifang's private territory. For Venerable Wuming to enter Guifang City without notifying Demon Lord Guifang, and without even using the city gates, was akin to sneaking over the wall into someone else's mansion. How could Demon Lord Guifang let that slide?
However, Mo Tiange was curious. Demon Lord Guifang was, after all, one of the three most powerful Demon Lords, and Guifang City was his private domain. Why had he only learned of Venerable Wuming's entry with his disciples after the fact? Did Venerable Wuming possess some secret technique that shielded them from Demon Lord Guifang's divine sense? Still, a Late-Nascent Soul cultivator was a Late-Nascent Soul cultivator. Though delayed, he had managed to arrive before Venerable Wuming could leave.
Venerable Wuming, however, continued to smile faintly, not a hint of remorse on his face. "Why must Fellow Daoist Guifang be so nitpicky? This old monk will simply take his disciples and leave, how about that?"
"Hmph!" Demon Lord Guifang's voice turned cold. "Old monk, you've got quite the scheme. Want to leave? Hand over the item first!"
"Item?" Venerable Wuming's face showed surprise. "Fellow Daoist Guifang, what item are you referring to?"
If Mo Tiange hadn't personally handed the Heaven-Net to Venerable Wuming moments before, she might have believed he really hadn't taken anything. This benevolent-looking, enlightened senior monk was actually pulling off such a brazen act of shamelessness so naturally. It was truly speechless.
Hearing this, Demon Lord Guifang's expression darkened. "Venerable Wuming, don't be ungrateful when given face. This is Guifang City, not your Baifu Mountain!"
"This old monk may be aged, but his eyes are not dim. There's no need for Fellow Daoist Guifang to remind me," Venerable Wuming replied with a beaming smile.
Watching Demon Lord Guifang's darkening face, Mo Tiange pulled Nie Wushang and cautiously retreated several steps, slipping back inside the cave abode.
Fortunately, she had already surrendered the Heaven-Net. To Demon Lord Guifang, she was an utterly insignificant minor character, not even worth a glance from the corner of his eye.
"Looks like there's an eighty percent chance they'll come to blows," Nie Wushang said with some worry, watching the scene outside in a low voice.
"Mm," Mo Tiange responded, carefully closing the stone door of the cave abode and swiftly laying down a series of restrictions around them.
"Will it help?" Nie Wushang questioned her actions doubtfully. "Late-Nascent Soul cultivators—if they start fighting, they could flatten this entire mountain."
"They won't fight here," Mo Tiange stated with certainty. "I'm just taking precautions."
"Oh, right." Nie Wushang nodded. This was Guifang City. Would Demon Lord Guifang casually start a fight on his own turf? The commotion from a battle between Late-Nascent Soul cultivators could potentially destroy an entire city.
"Bald donkey!" Demon Lord Guifang's gloomy voice carried over. "It seems if we don't have a bout, you won't obediently hand over the item!"
Venerable Wuming's voice remained as unperturbed as ever. "Fellow Daoist Guifang, this object is a sacred relic of my Buddhist faith. What use would you have for it? If you give this old monk some face today, our Huayan Temple will owe you a favor in the future. Wouldn't that be better?"
"Hmph!" Demon Lord Guifang sneered coldly. "Easy for you to say! The Heavenly Demon Tower is a sacred relic of our demonic path, yet didn't you Buddhist cultivators come to snatch it all the same?"
From his tone, Demon Lord Guifang harbored deep resentment. Could it be that his failure to seize the Heavenly Demon Tower involved factors related to Buddhist cultivators?
"Fellow Daoist Guifang..." Venerable Wuming drew out his words, as if patiently trying to persuade. "Regarding the matter of the Heavenly Demon Tower, things ultimately spiraled out of control. We were also caught in circumstances beyond our control. Now that it's over, what's the use in dwelling on it?"
"This old monk looks like an enlightened senior, yet how can he be so shameless?" Nie Wushang whispered. Now that she was considered a demonic path cultivator, she really couldn't stand Venerable Wuming's behavior.
Mo Tiange smiled. "That depends on who he's dealing with. For minor cultivators like us, he doesn't mind displaying the demeanor of a lofty senior. But facing a cultivator of the same rank, giving an inch means giving up tangible benefits."
Nie Wushang nodded and sighed. "Even with stricter monastic rules, they are ultimately still cultivators. When interests are at stake, they inevitably have to fight for them."
Mo Tiange fell silent. Compared to other paths, Buddhist teachings were clearly more moderate, but that moderation had its limits. Venerable Wuming didn't mind a junior like her negotiating terms in front of him and was willing to offer some benefits because, to him, she was still too insignificant. Why would a person bother with ants? But before a fellow cultivator like Demon Lord Guifang, he wouldn't retreat half a step. What a Late-Nascent Soul cultivator coveted, he couldn't afford to yield. Retreating would mean losses for himself and the entire Huayan Temple behind him.
"Enough nonsense! You sneaked into my Guifang City. Don't think you can leave with that item!" Demon Lord Guifang had lost patience. As he spoke, the two women felt the pressure suddenly intensify.
Fortunately, Mo Tiange had already set up restrictions earlier, which weakened the pressure considerably. Moreover, between the two of them—Mo Tiange having cultivated the Divine Refinement Art to a fairly high level, and Nie Wushang possessing potent Origin Demonic Qi—they were largely unaffected.
"Fellow Daoist Guifang, don't be so hasty. Resorting to violence at the drop of a hat—how unpleasant is that? Last time at the Guixu Sea, both sides suffered considerable losses. It's a time for recuperation. Why waste energy like this?"
"You speak so sweetly!" Demon Lord Guifang roared angrily. "You obtained a Buddhist Sacred Object yourself, so of course you're satisfied. If I let you sneak into my Guifang City and leave with a sacred relic from within its walls, what face would I have left in this world? Old bald donkey, I give you two choices. First, we have a proper fight outside the city. If you win, you and yours come and go freely. I won't say another word. If you lose, then obediently leave the item behind, and you can still take your disciples and leave safely. Second, I directly activate Guifang City's grand restriction. Even if it means destroying the city, I'll keep all of you, master and disciples, here forever. Well? Choose one."
By the end, Demon Lord Guifang's tone had turned sinister. Clearly, this matter was impossible for him to let go.
The two choices were simple: either settle it with one bout, or fight to the death.
As Mo Tiange had guessed earlier, this was Guifang City. Demon Lord Guifang couldn't be completely indifferent, hence he proposed the first solution. This way, Guifang City would remain unharmed, and Venerable Wuming wouldn't have to worry about his disciples' safety. The only catch was that whoever lost would forfeit the sacred relic, with no going back on the deal.
But choosing the second method meant a fight to the death. Demon Lord Guifang would stake Guifang City, while Venerable Wuming would pay with his life and those of his disciples. At first glance, this method seemed to incur heavier losses for Demon Lord Guifang. Yet, Guifang City was a place he had managed for a millennium. How could he allow others to come and go as they pleased? Once he activated the city's grand restriction, no matter how formidable Venerable Wuming was, there was an eighty percent chance he wouldn't escape death. Of course, with the great supernatural powers of a Late-Nascent Soul cultivator, Guifang City and all the cultivators within, great and small, would also vanish from the world. By then, even if Demon Lord Guifang survived and obtained the Buddhist Sacred Object, his millennium-old foundation would be ruined in an instant. There was also a high likelihood he would be severely injured, perhaps even suffering a significant drop in cultivation, ultimately gaining little benefit.
Reaching the Nascent Soul stage wasn't easy. Breaking through to the Late-Nascent Soul stage was even rarer, one in a hundred among Nascent Soul cultivators. The higher one's cultivation, the more one cherished life. The first method aligned with their interests.
However, it also depended on Venerable Wuming's confidence and the importance of this Buddhist Sacred Object. If Huayan Temple was willing to pursue its recovery with the full force of the temple, then Venerable Wuming might choose to fight Demon Lord Guifang to the death, even at the cost of his own life and those of his disciples.
"Ah, Fellow Daoist Guifang..." Venerable Wuming's voice sounded quite helpless. "Must you leave no room for retreat?"
"Hmph! No more nonsense. Choose directly!"
After that, there was no further dialogue. Mo Tiange and Nie Wushang, however, felt the pressure growing stronger and stronger. Eventually, it became so intense that even they felt uncomfortable. From outside came intermittent sounds of other disciples unable to withstand the pressure, vomiting blood.
"Since Fellow Daoist Guifang is determined thus, this old monk has little more to say. After you." This time, Venerable Wuming's voice turned solemn and grave.
Both Mo Tiange and Nie Wushang's hearts skipped a beat. Had Venerable Wuming chosen the second method? If so, hiding in this cave abode meant certain death for them.
Before they could even communicate, they heard Demon Lord Guifang's voice: "Old monk, you show some backbone after all. Let's go!"
As soon as the words fell, one of the powerful auras instantly vanished into the distance.
The two women let out a sigh of relief. It seemed Venerable Wuming had chosen the first method. The immediate crisis was finally unrelated to them.
Subsequently, the presences at their door departed one by one, until finally, there was no one left.
Mo Tiange and Nie Wushang exchanged a look, both letting out a long, deep breath. What an unwarranted disaster.