A Demon!

“Brother Zhou!” Fang Huo yelled, preparing to charge toward the ancient bell phantom.

“You want to die?” Gao He, his eyes red with anger, launched an attack on Fang Huo from dozens of meters away.

The golden ancient bell crashed down, emitting a buzzing sound. The sound was poisonous, weakening Fang Huo and making his face even paler. As the majestic ancient bell enveloped him, Gao He shouted, “Die!”

“How dare you!”

Suddenly, a figure appeared in front of Fang Huo. With golden eyebrows and hair and a robust figure, he held back the ancient bell with one hand and shattered it with a punch.

Bang!

Golden fragments rained from the sky, sending a chill across the battlefield.

“Lion Spirit Mountain Sect Master!” The sight of the newcomer made the Qingzhou guards retreat even further.

Dozens of important figures had hurried over from the Qingzhou guards’ ranks, including many elders and sect masters from various Qingzhou sects. Their presence and imposing aura disrupted the Qingzhou Guards’ formation.

“Gentlemen, these individuals might be connected to the Demon of Qingzhou. For safety, I hope everyone understands!” Gao He addressed the crowd coldly, showing no intention of backing down. “Gao He, the fate of my Wuji Mountain disciples is not yours to decide,” Kong Binghuang interjected, pulling Xiang Mingfeng, She Wanshan, and other Wuji Mountain prodigies behind him.

From the five great sects, Lion Spirit Mountain, Blue Sea Pavilion, and Wuji Mountain readily shielded their disciples. However, the next sect master, Little Cattle King Le Ji’an, was overlooked by the elder of the Ghost Ox sect, who showed an ambiguous attitude. Interestingly, the Thousand Divination Tower didn’t send anyone over at all.

“Do none of you intend to cooperate?” Gao He squinted his eyes.

“What? Are you planning to use these hundred thousand Qingzhou guards to detain us all here?” Kong Binghuang mocked. The words of Wuji Mountain’s sect master immediately heightened the tension, seeming to freeze the air.

“Master, we must save Brother Zhou first!” An injured Fang Huo, struggling to stand, pleaded. “Brother Zhou is still under Gao He’s power.”

“There’s no need to save him. The person you mentioned is not among us anymore.” The Lion Spirit Mountain Chief responded coldly.

“That Zhou fellow is undoubtedly the successor of the Demon of Qingzhou, or even the original body of the demon, possessed through some secret technique,” Gao He asserted. “Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been able to kill the young master. They were on the same level.”

The influential figures from Qingzhou City’s sects fell silent. Although they hadn’t witnessed the battle, they were still taken aback. Understanding that the individual was in the same realm as Tang Xinglong, they inferred that he was likely connected to the Demon of Qingzhou.

“At the very least, we can confirm Zhou’s identity. There’s no doubt he’s related to the true perpetrator behind the abnormalities of the past ten thousand years,” Kong Binghuang redirected the conversation. “As for the rest, we’ll investigate them thoroughly.”

Kong Binghuang wanted to take Xiang Mingfeng and She Wanshan away, but a surprised cry from the crowd interrupted him.

“Look at the corpse of the prefecture overseer!” Everyone turned their gaze to the body of Tang Xinglong. The headless corpse twitched on the ground as if being lifted from behind. His back started to rise, blood pouring out like a stream, and a pair of gray wings sprouted from it.

“What’s going on?” Even the elders and sect masters of the Qingzhou sects exchanged concerned looks.

“Gao He, explain what’s happening!” Kong Binghuang demanded.

Gao He, the chief honored guest of the prefecture overseer, was just as stunned. “How is this possible? The young master is the grandson of the prefecture overseer! How did he become a demon?”

Gao He and many sect leaders gathered around the still twitching body of Tang Xinglong, bewildered. Fortunately, the corpse only sprouted wings and underwent no further transformation.

“Elder He, please bring over the ghost piercing mirror from the Ghost Ox sect. Let’s examine the situation with this prefecture overseer,” the robust master of Lion Spirit Mountain requested.

“I brought it with me.” Elder He, clad in a gray robe, pulled out a bronze mirror with a gray frame from his sleeve, a serious look on his face.

Everyone watched intently as the mirror was trained on Tang Xinglong’s body.

Whoosh…

A beam of light from the ghost piercing mirror hit Tang Xinglong.

“As long as you are illuminated by my Ghost Ox sect’s ghost piercing mirror, it will reveal your true form,” Elder He nervously informed the surrounding martial artists.

He was worried that he might expose Tang Xinglong’s true identity, which could become a massive scandal. If the respected grandson of a state leader was a demon, what did that imply about the leader himself? The Tang family of Qingzhou had a legacy spanning thousands of years, believed to be linked to one of the legendary eight virtuous kings.

“Elder He, steady your hands,” the burly man from Lion Spirit Mountain joked, patting Elder He’s shoulder to reassure him.

Elder He regained his composure. Soon, an image appeared in the bronze mirror. Tang Xinglong still looked like himself, except for the pair of gray wings on his back.

There was nothing unusual about his headless corpse.