“There aren’t any,” Sikong Xing said sternly, “The current Demon Monarch is also from the White Tiger clan.”
“So what?” Chu Tianfeng was puzzled, not understanding.
“The celestial demon white tiger clan has produced generations of monarchs, yet none of them ever had other consorts, only one spouse.” Sikong Xing explained. She snorted lightly and couldn’t help adding, “Don’t think I am ignorant. Even though you human cultivators can only bond with one Dao companion, many cultivators still have concubines. And sometimes their Dao companions aren’t even their primary spouses, just partners for cultivation.”
Sikong Xing paused and continued, “For us demon cultivators, a Dao companion is a spouse. The Demon Monarch’s Dao companion would certainly be the Demon Queen. Tsk…” She waved her hand in annoyance, “Why did you interrupt me earlier?! What I wanted to say is, if Meng Qiqi really became His Majesty’s Dao companion, then our Demon Realm should have a queen by now. Even if I’m in the Three Thousand Worlds, I couldn’t possibly be completely unaware of such a significant event, second only to the new monarch ascending the throne. Even if I didn’t know, Su Junmo would definitely know and would have told me.”
“That makes sense,” Chu Tianfeng nodded thoughtfully, “So you think it’s not him?”
“Probably not…” Sikong Xing speculated.
“So could it really be that bastard Ji Wujiong?!” Chu Tianfeng was on the verge of exploding again, “I absolutely cannot accept it! That guy is no good at all, his actions are too sinister. Meng Qiqi being with him is worse than being with that hypocritical Xue Chengxuan!”
Sikong Xing: “…”
“Sikong Xing’s reasoning makes sense, and moreover, the Demon Monarch should be in the Demon Realm. Meng Qiqi probably hasn’t seen him for a long time,” Qin Xiumo’s tone remained calm. As he spoke, he turned his head, thoughtfully glancing at Pei Mufeng.
Following his gaze, Chu Tianfeng looked at Pei Mufeng in surprise, “Is it you?!”
“No,” Pei Mufeng responded flatly.
Chu Tianfeng then turned to Xu Zijun, who was standing next to Pei Mufeng.
“It’s not me either,” Xu Zijun quickly shook his head. “How could it be me?!”
Chu Tianfeng’s glare then shifted to Li Che…
“It’s not me, not me,” Li Che rapidly stated, shaking his head vigorously.
“Then who could it be?” Chu Tianfeng frowned, eventually turning his attention to Yan Xuan, the least familiar among them. This young master of Jingyuetian had been mostly quiet, especially after Meng Qi’s departure, standing silently on the periphery of the group. But Meng Qi’s relationship with him was obviously not bad.
“Could it be you?” Chu Tianfeng asked Yan Xuan. His tone wasn’t rude, as they all knew Yan Xuan’s current condition was due to his efforts to stop an invasion from the Devil Realm, which left him gravely injured.
“It’s not me,” Yan Xuan replied coldly. “But do you know about Duankong Sect?”
“Duankong Sect?” Chu Tianfeng was momentarily stunned. “Of course we know about it.” He said, exchanging a glance with Qin Xiumo.
But what did Duankong Sect have to do with Meng Qi?
“Before we left for the Ten Absolutes Mountain, Duankong Sect selected a new sect leader, Ling Ji,” Yan Xuan informed. “He personally came to see Meng Qi.”
“!!!” Chu Tianfeng was speechless: “But Ling Ji is over twenty years older than Meng Qiqi.”
“He’s the Duankong Sect Leader, a powerful cultivator in the Comprehending Perfection stage, and also recognized as the number one swordsman of his generation,” Yan Xuan continued. “If you had met him, you’d know that a twenty-year age gap means nothing to him.”
“I remember now!” Chu Tianfeng suddenly exclaimed. “Duankong Sect was looking for Meng Qiqi…” His words trailed off, “No way! Could it really be him?!”
“Who knows?” Yan Xuan said, walking towards the edge of the grassland. “Instead of guessing here, why not wait for Meng Qi to come out and ask her directly? We should head to the next challenge; she might be out by now.” Leaving those words behind, he stepped forward and vanished at the edge of the grassland.
“He really is… quite wild,” Chu Tianfeng muttered, watching where Yan Xuan had disappeared.
“He was always a genius and has the right to be,” Pei Mufeng said indifferently. “Let’s go as well.” He followed suit and disappeared.
“I’m going too!” Sikong Xing declared. “Meng Qiqi seems to value this journey to Ten Absolutes Mountain highly. I should do my best to help her.” Then, the red fox girl also dashed forward and vanished from the grassland.
“Meng Qiqi has helped me a lot, and she saved me this time. I should do my best to help her too,” Li Che hurriedly followed.
Soon, the other disciples from Canglang Academy and Xingluo Pavilion also left, and only Chu Tianfeng and Qin Xiumo remained.
“What do you think?” Chu Tianfeng asked, ruffling his hair in frustration.
“If it’s really Ji Wujiong, can you beat him right now?” Qin Xiumo’s tone was somewhat cold. “Your protest doesn’t matter. What can you do about it?”
“That’s why after this journey to Ten Absolutes Mountain, we both should aim to increase our cultivation,” he continued. “Only then will we have the right to have an opinion.”
“Go, go, let’s go!” Chu Tianfeng stopped hesitating and strode towards the edge of the grassland.
Qin Xiumo watched Chu Tianfeng leave but remained standing in place. After a moment, two men wearing black robes similar to his came approaching. “Junior Brother Qin.” The one on the left greeted him with a slight smile, “You suddenly disappeared earlier; I thought you…ahhhh!”
Before the man could finish, he suddenly retreated several steps back, his face flashing with anger: “Junior Brother Qin, what are you doing?” He gasped, his gaze flickering, and a flash of panic crossed his face.
“Junior Brother Qin,” The other man was Wei Yuanzhong, whom Meng Qi had met in Jingyue City. “What is this? Junior Brother Zhao is just concerned about you.” He frowned.
“Concerned?” Qin Xiumo’s right index and middle fingers joined together, flicking lightly. At the same time, his natal sword hung silently in the air, its tip gleaming coldly, pointing directly at Zhao Jianian, who had first spoken to him. Their sect, Anyun Summit, was known for its rare combination of sword and spell cultivation, though they primarily focused on swordsmanship that used spells as supplements.
“Speaking of which, I should be thankful to Senior Brother Zhao,” Qin Xiumo said, his lips curling slightly. His gaze was icy cold, devoid of any emotion, just like his sharp sword, flickering with specks of cold light. Staring at Zhao Jianian, he spoke coldly, “Otherwise, I wouldn’t have had such an….”
Qin Xiumo’s last words were muffled, his voice low, prompting Wei Yuanzhong to ask instinctively, “What?”
“…experience,” Qin Xiumo spoke slowly, but his hand movements were quick and decisive. His natal sword, brimming with sharp energy, swiftly struck like lightning, aiming straight towards Zhao Jianian.
Zhao Jianian’s face paled with shock. The sword was so fast that even before he could fully process Qin Xiumo’s words, the icy blade was already upon him. He couldn’t fathom it. He knew he was less talented than Qin Xiumo and that their Master truly valued the latter, seeing Qin Xiumo as the future leader of the sect despite his young seniority. But why?! Even though he joined the sect before Qin Xiumo and was once the most favored and outstanding among the younger disciples, Qin Xiumo surpassed him. And screw with him not trying hard enough! He was just slightly less talented and had worked very hard, so why did he have to be relegated to second place every time?!
Zhao Jianian’s expression darkened. Even if his talent was a bit lower in comparison, the gap between them wasn’t that big. Even so, their Master was biased, blinded by a preconceived belief that Qin Xiumo’s future was limitless, and kept saying that he would eventually far surpass his fellow disciples.
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