Chapter 427: The Scheming of Human Hearts in the Mountains
The two followed the sound and soon saw corpses scattered all over the ground in the forest, about five or six bodies, all with bloody holes in their chests, their deaths grim and tragic.
Chen Chao squatted down to inspect them and shook his head. "They were all killed by having their hearts ripped out by the demon."
South Mountain Maitreya's face darkened as he said, "The demon king is severely wounded, he needs blood essence to heal. The hearts of these cultivators are precisely the tonic he needs."
South Mountain Maitreya continued in a solemn voice, "The current situation doesn't look too good. If the demon king consumes the hearts of more cultivators, his injuries might recover, and then it will be difficult for even this destitute monk to subdue him."
Chen Chao looked up and said seriously, "Then we must find him as soon as possible and slay him."
South Mountain Maitreya nodded, but then smiled bitterly and said, "These cultivators are all fighting for themselves. Even if they discover the demon king's whereabouts, they won't inform us. Relying solely on the two of us, it will probably be too challenging to find him in this vast forest."
Chen Chao was silent.
After feigning hesitation for a moment, South Mountain Maitreya took out a string of buddhist beads from his pocket and said, "As it stands, we have no choice but to split up and search. Take this with you. If you detect the demon king's presence, infuse it with some qi, and this destitute monk will immediately rush to your aid. Likewise, if this destitute monk finds his trail, I'll inform you without delay too."
Chen Chao took the buddhist beads. Before he could say a word, South Mountain Maitreya sighed and said, "The demon king's cultivation is profound. Take care not to confront him head-on. Once you detect him, inform this destitute monk immediately."
Chen Chao nodded, turned around, and headed in one direction, while South Mountain Maitreya smiled faintly and went in another direction.
Having tricked a naive boy into acting as his pawn, South Mountain Maitreya was in a very good mood. With the demon king severely injured, now was the time when he most needed the blood essence of cultivators. Once the boy was alone, he would naturally attract the demon king's attention even more. When Chen Chao encountered the demon king, regardless of whether he infused qi into the buddhist beads or not, South Mountain Maitreya could immediately determine the demon king's location. Then, all he needed to do was rush over and kill the demon king, and the demon horn would naturally be his.
Thinking of this, South Mountain Maitreya even felt grateful for the disappearance of the scruffy daoist. Otherwise, he would have to constantly scheme against someone even more scheming than himself.
"This demon horn should be this destitute monk's."
South Mountain Maitreya narrowed his eyes, the corners of his mouth curling in a smile.
In the forest, several groups of cultivators had actually encountered the demon king by now. However, most of them believed that the demon king, being severely injured, could be dealt with on their own. Furthermore, for the sake of the demon horn, they were unwilling to let others know about the demon king's whereabouts. Therefore, even though some cultivators had discovered the demon king's traces after several encounters, they still did not inform others.
With the demon king targeting cultivators of lower cultivation realms every time, more and more people kept dying.
Xu Bai and Jiang Ying, as sword cultivators, only excelled in using the sword and were not too proficient in other daoist techniques. Therefore, despite their relatively high cultivation realms, they still could not immediately locate the demon king's whereabouts. Upon hearing the screams of cultivators in the forest, they immediately flew on their swords towards the source of the sound, but they were still a step too late, only finding a pile of corpses.
Jiang Ying furrowed her brows and made a swift decision, "Husband, let's split up and search for the demon king separately."
Xu Bai shook his head, "The demon king may be severely injured, but he has probably recovered considerably by now. I can't let you go alone."
Jiang Ying's tone was firm, "Once I find him, I won't attack. I'll inform you of his whereabouts first. When you arrive, we'll join forces. Don't worry too much. Even if I can't kill him, he won't be able to catch up to me if I decide to leave."
Sword cultivators flying on their swords was indeed one of the fastest methods among cultivators. Hearing Jiang Ying's words, Xu Bai could not help but nod. However, he still reminded her, "If you find the demon king, make sure to wait for me before taking any action. Don't act rashly."
Jiang Ying nodded, indicating Xu Bai to rest assured.
Then the two separated, each heading in a different direction.
After seeing Xu Bai leave, Jiang Ying made a firm decision. She used her sword to cut her palm, and soon, fresh blood flowed out. Demons loved the scent of blood, and although this demon king was not the average demon, at this moment, he still needed cultivators' blood essence to recover from his wounds. Now, Jiang Ying was offering herself as bait to secure the demon horn for her husband.
To seek a flying sword from Sword Qi Mountain.
Afterwards, Jiang Ying headed deep into the rarely visited forest, intending to lure the demon king into revealing himself.
Sure enough, several minutes later, a surge of demonic qi suddenly surged in the forest.
Jiang Ying did not show any hesitation, immediately chasing down the demonic qi.
After half the time it took to brew a cup of tea, Jiang Ying arrived at a stream in the mountains. At this moment, the demonic qi had dissipated, and she could no longer detect its presence.
Standing by the stream, blood continued to drip from her palm into the water, flowing downstream.
Just as she was about to turn around, something suddenly burst out from the stream, and a surge of demonic qi covered the surroundings.
Jiang Ying turned abruptly, but it was too late. Before she could unleash her flying sword, she was struck in the chest, staggering back several dozen feet before coughing up large mouthfuls of blood.
Then, the black shadow in front of her began to coalesce into a human form, taking the shape of a pale-faced middle-aged scholar.
"What's this? Offering yourself as bait, yet you have such meager ability?" The pale-faced middle-aged scholar stared at the beautiful woman before him with a hint of amusement.
Jiang Ying was about to use a secret technique to inform her husband, but the middle-aged scholar opposite her had already seen through her intentions. He said calmly, "I've constructed a barrier with demonic qi. Within half a quarter of an hour, you won't be able to transmit anything."
Jiang Ying's expression changed slightly, but she immediately commanded her flying sword to attack the middle-aged scholar in front of her.
The middle-aged scholar remained indifferent. When the exceptionally sharp flying sword approached him, he simply extended two fingers to clamp down on it. Then, the flying sword could not advance even half a step further.
"Your man seems to have some skills, but as for you, even in my current state, killing you is just a passing thought. However, the hearts of you sword cultivators are naturally much more delicious. Over the years, I haven't had the chance to taste many."
The middle-aged scholar stared at Jiang Ying, his smile not diminishing.
With Jiang Ying's lifeblood flying sword under his control, her qi in her entire body's acupoints was in disarray, and she had already sustained considerable injuries.
The demon king who had transformed into a middle-aged scholar did not waste his breath. After controlling the flying sword, he walked towards Jiang Ying and smiled, "After I've eaten your heart, and my injuries have healed somewhat, I'll send your husband to keep you company."
With many cultivators in the forest now, the middle-aged scholar-turned-demon king did not want to waste time. After devouring this sword cultivator, his injuries should improve by about 50% to 60%. By then, after eating a few more cultivators, he would probably be ready to face Xu Bai in battle.
The reason the middle-aged scholar chose to target the isolated Jiang Ying was not because he had seen through her thoughts. Instead, it was because his injuries were caused by a sword immortal with a single sword strike. This made him hold a deep hatred for so-called sword cultivators. Just as the middle-aged scholar arrived in front of Jiang Ying, intending to take out her heart, a sudden flash of saber light emerged from the distant forest and swiftly arrived before Jiang Ying.
The hand of the middle-aged scholar was struck and blood immediately flowed incessantly.
Having no choice but to retreat several dozen feet, he then focused his gaze, only to see a broken saber embedded in the ground before him.
Then, a young man in black appeared in the distance.
The middle-aged scholar was startled. He had emitted demonic qi just now, yet he had not sensed any other cultivators nearby.
Just as he was hesitating whether to kill the both of them, the middle-aged scholar suddenly sensed a dense sword qi emanating from afar. Without further hesitation, he threw out the flying sword in his hand and transformed into a mass of demonic qi, speeding towards the source of the aura.
The young man in black did not seem to have any intention to chase. He simply walked over to pick up the broken saber and sheathed it.
At this moment, Xu Bai, arriving on his flying sword, also reached the scene.
Upon seeing his wife in her current state, Xu Bai asked anxiously, "How are your injuries?"
But who would have expected that after Jiang Ying spat out a mouthful of blood, she shook her head and said, "Don't mind me, hurry and chase after him!"
Xu Bai shook his head, about to speak, when Jiang Ying suddenly held her sword horizontally at her neck and said solemnly, "Xu Bai! Quickly chase after that demon king and obtain the demon horn. Otherwise, I'll die here today!"
Xu Bai was taken aback, his face filled with confusion. "Ying'er, why is it necessary to go this far?"
Jiang Ying gritted her teeth, a thin streak of blood appearing on her neck, and remained silent.
There was a fierce struggle in Xu Bai's mind, but in the end, he chose to ride his sword and chase after the direction the demon king had left.
It was not until Xu Bai's figure disappeared from sight that Jiang Ying released the sword in her hand and spat out another mouthful of blood.
Chen Chao had been nearby watching all this unfold, but he remained silent.
Jiang Ying then turned to Chen Chao and thanked him, "Thank you for lending a hand, Fellow Daoist."
Chen Chao nodded, but could not help asking, "Is the demon horn so important to you?"
Jiang Ying smiled bitterly and said, "Wandering itinerant cultivators, what can we do?"
Chen Chao nodded thoughtfully, then did not stay and headed in a certain direction.
Seeing Chen Chao leave, Jiang Ying reached out and took out a medicinal pill, swallowing it before starting to sit cross-legged and regulate her breath.
However, not long after, another figure arrived, albeit a bit late.
It was precisely South Mountain Maitreya.
This former disciple of Buddhism glanced around, then smiled at Jiang Ying and inquired, "Fellow Daoist Jiang, did Fellow Daoist Xu go after that demon king?"
Jiang Ying remained silent, ignoring him.
South Mountain Maitreya sighed and said, "That demon king won't be easy to deal with. Fellow Daoist Jiang, please point me in the right direction, and this destitute monk will assist Fellow Daoist Xu."
Jiang Ying sneered, "Do you believe those words yourself, Fellow Daoist South Mountain?"
After glancing at the pale-faced Jiang Ying and pondering for a moment, South Mountain Maitreya shook his head and said, "It seems Fellow Daoist Xu is determined to accomplish something. In that case, this destitute monk will have to offend Fellow Daoist."
Jiang Ying's expression changed slightly as she quickly realized what this South Mountain Maitreya might be up to.
"South Mountain Maitreya if you dare to act recklessly, my husband won't let you off!"
South Mountain Maitreya chuckled, "Why would I? Of course, I'll treat Fellow Daoist kindly."
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