“So we’ll just keep hiding?” Guhuo was very reluctant. The three siblings, Guji, Guhuo, and Yegen, were just ordinary devils with average cultivation aptitudes. They managed to survive by sticking together and avoiding the gazes of stronger devils, growing up through hardships and struggles. As tensions between the three realms escalated and barriers were erected, they happened to be outside the Devil Realm and found themselves stranded, unable to return. For years, they hid in the crevices of the Three Realms, waiting until the Devil Realm’s gate finally opened. When they finally returned to their old haunt, they found it occupied by stronger devils and had to flee in disgrace.
Just as the Cultivation Realm’s barrier was lifted, they chose to run there, only to overhear a few mortals speaking ill of the devil race. In a rage, they slaughtered the mortals, unwittingly drawing the attention of cultivators, particularly the chief disciple of the Guiyuan Sect. Devils had to conceal their identities whenever they stepped outside their realm, but any slip-up could lead to relentless pursuits, especially in the Cultivation Realm. Guji and her brothers had intended to wait for the upcoming Jitian Secret Realm to seek opportunities, but their accidental exposure led to this troublesome opponent.
“Skulking around is not our devil race’s style. We may not be able to handle that chief disciple for now, but the rest of the brats are much simpler targets,” Guji declared.
Guhuo immediately became excited, “Right, those few would be easy for us to handle.”
Yegen pondered, “We’ll lure them away individually and then eliminate them one by one.”
“Great!” The three siblings excitedly discussed and refined their plan, preparing to use the terrain of Tiangu Valley to set their trap. Suddenly, Guji sensed something unusual.
“Who’s there!” Guji shouted sharply. The three devils quickly gathered back-to-back, warily scanning their surroundings.
Cold sweat formed on Guji’s forehead as she realized the intruder was already too close. If the other party took action, their lives could easily end before they could even react.
The next moment, a black figure materialized before Guji and her brothers, revealing a powerful devil aura. Without hesitation, the siblings quickly prostrated themselves, assuming a very humble posture. “We didn’t know a great one was coming. Please forgive us for our late greetings!”
Yaqing stood before the three devils, expressionless as usual. “Did you kill the mortals in the town?”
Guji didn’t understand why this person asked such a question. Before she could surmise the other party’s intention, Yegen eagerly replied, “Yes, my lord, it was us three. We were passing by the small town near Tiangu when we overheard those mortals speaking disrespectfully, even blaspheming our Venerable. In our anger, we disciplined them.”
Guhuo added, “My brother is right. My lord, what they said was too much. His Venerable is the lord of the Devil Realm, yet those mere mortals dared to utter such vile words. They are simply courting death.”
Guji, though unsure why this powerful devil was here, assumed they were kin and shared the same disdain for humans. She hoped to please him by offering the elimination of a few more cultivators, so she said, “My lord, a few cultivators have been meddlesomely pursuing us. We were planning to teach them a lesson. Among those brats is a disciple of that old man from the Guiyuan Sect. If we could capture him and offer him to His Venerable, His Venerable would surely appreciate this gift!”
Guji’s mind raced with thoughts. This mysterious person’s aura was so formidable; with his help, dealing with that little brat would be effortless. Among so many human factions, the Devil Venerable particularly loathed the Guiyuan Sect, so this gift would undoubtedly please him.
Guji daringly looked up. Their status never allowed her or her siblings to interact with the upper echelons of the devil race, so she failed to recognize Yaqing’s identity. The presence before them, however, was so terrifying, so she was sure that this person held a high status in their race. This was an opportunity to curry favor with His Venerable!
Yaqing saw through their scheming. Without responding, once he confirmed they were the culprits, he ordered, “Take them all away.”
As soon as Yaqing’s words fell, three helmeted devil soldiers appeared before Guji and her siblings, holding chains emitting a dark aura. The chains, seemingly sentient, swiftly bound them, leaving the three devils powerless to resist.
“My lord? Why are we being captured?” Guji’s complexion paled as she found herself unable to exert any aura due to the binding chains.
“My lord, spare us!”
Guhuo and Yegen also became frightened. They didn’t understand what they did wrong or why they were being captured. They begged for mercy, asking their lives to be spared.
Yaqing stayed impassive and ignored their pleas. “Take them back to the palace and lock them in the Punishment Hall,” he ordered coldly.
The faces of Guji and her two siblings paled instantly. As members of the devil race, they knew all too well the horrors of the Punishment Hall. “My lord, please spare us!” They cried out in agony.
Their cries echoed for a while, but soon returned to silence as the devil soldiers took them away and disappeared from Yaqing’s sight.
Guji and her siblings never imagined that their long-cherished wish to enter the Devil Palace would materialize in such a manner, and they still didn’t understand what they had done wrong.
Yaqing remained there for a while longer, erasing any trace of the devils in the cave, then disappeared into thin air, leaving a palm-sized green leaf falling gently onto the stone.
The next moment, a group of disciples in white uniforms appeared at the entrance of the cave. The leading disciple looked down at a compass-like instrument in his palm, its pointer spinning aimlessly.
“Eldest Senior Brother, are the culprits inside?” Gan Zilan and the others gripped their swords, scanning their surroundings with utmost vigilance.
Lu Junyang’s gaze was heavy, “This is where they last disappeared.” But now, there was not a single trace of their presence, as if they had never been there.
Lu Junyang stepped into the cave.
“Eldest Senior Brother, please be careful,” his fellow disciples followed cautiously.
There were no traces inside the cave. Lu Junyang carefully scanned the area, his brow furrowed—apparently, they were one step too late.
Gan Zilan and a few other disciples dispersed to check inside and outside the cave.
Zixin’s sharp eyes soon noticed a leaf on the stone. She picked it up and saw, “Eldest Senior Brother, there’s writing here!”
Lu Junyang walked over and took the leaf. There were a few simple strokes on it as if carved—
“The guilty have been punished.”
The others gathered around and saw the message. Who had found the culprits? Who executed them without leaving a trace? The disciples were filled with questions, but before they could speak, the leaf seemed to have completed its mission, turning into specks of light and disappearing into thin air.
After a moment of silence, a disciple voiced his doubt, “Eldest Senior Brother, can we trust this?”
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It sucks that those devils will suffer horrible torture in the Punishment Hall without even knowing the reason, but at least it might serve as a deterrent for other devils who have plans to kill humans, but learn of the consequences of such actions. I especially like that Yanqing even left a note for the Guiyuan Sect disciples; maybe they’ll encounter such notes in the future and figure out the truth one day.
Thanks for the chapter! 😀