Villainous Junior Chapter 50
Translated by Sylver (ko-fi)
Chapter 50: Demon Venerable
Three months later, in Lanxi Town.
Lanxi Town had a pleasant-sounding name, but its local customs were thoroughly fierce. If you randomly grabbed someone on the street, out of ten people, nine would have a body full of muscle, eight would have scars on their faces, seven would be carrying spiked clubs, six would be wielding large machetes, and the only one who looked normal would be hiding poisons and concealed weapons, capable of taking your life in an instant.
This was because Lanxi Town was a town adjacent to the demon realm.
Unlike the ghost clan, which had the Netherworld as their own territory, the demon clan and righteous cultivators coexisted on the mainland of Shenzhou. However, the enmity between the two sides had lasted for thousands of years. The battles between good and evil had erupted several times in history, each time resulting in rivers of blood and corpses strewn everywhere. Although there had been no large-scale wars in recent centuries, the two sides remained irreconcilable and mutually antagonistic. Thus, they divided their territories using the Mo River as a boundary.
As a town located at the border between the two regions, with a special geographical position, the people of Lanxi Town were naturally quite unique. Half of them were vicious demon cultivators who killed without blinking an eye and ate people without adding salt; the other half, though not part of the demon path, possessed extraordinary courage and skills, able to navigate smoothly between the black and white worlds to seek benefits for themselves.
In short, these two types of people had one thing in common - they were not to be trifled with.
At this time, business was booming in a tavern in Lanxi Town.
"Innkeeper, bring two more jars of 'Ten Continents Spring'!"
A burly, scar-covered, dark-faced man drained a bowl of wine in one gulp, wiped his mouth with his bare chest in satisfaction, and turned to shout at the innkeeper. The innkeeper immediately responded, and seeing that the few waiters in the shop were all busy running around, he personally brought two jars of wine and placed them on the big man's table.
The big man said, "Your business has been thriving lately. I remember when I used to come here, there weren't this many people."
The innkeeper said with a smile, "Indeed. Before, everyone was busy fighting all day, who had time to come here for a drink? Now that people have free time, naturally it's become lively."
The big man asked in confusion, "What do you mean?"
"Brother, you're from the east, aren't you?" A man with dirty dreadlocks from the neighboring table turned and asked.
The big man replied, "Yes. I just brought back a shipment of goods from there."
The "east" referred to the area east of the Mo River, which was the territory of righteous cultivators. Although the demon clan and righteous cultivators were sworn enemies, they still coveted each other's resources. The demon clan people, who spent their days fighting and killing, were not as refined as the righteous cultivators, so they liked the magical treasures, hidden weapons, and various rare trinkets crafted by the other side. The demon realm had a unique environment with many rare plants that could be used for refining medicines or making poisons, which were also very much needed by the immortal cultivators.
The big man was in this line of business. He had been away for half a year on this trip and hadn't returned to the demon realm, so he was unaware of the recent developments here.
"No wonder you don't know," the dreadlocked man leaned in excitedly and said, "The demon realm has changed. The Xiuluo Palace now has a master!"
The Xiuluo Palace was the symbol of central power in the demon realm. Legend had it that a great demon once resided there a thousand years ago. It had always been the place that all demon lords dreamed of ruling.
The big man was startled. "Who? Is it Demon Lord Qinghao or Demon Lord Fucang!?"
Qinghao and Fucang were the two most powerful demon lords in the demon realm. Both were Mahayana Stage powerhouses who had been fighting each other for decades, each wanting to eliminate the other and take over the Xiuluo Palace to become the supreme Demon Venerable of the demon realm. Unfortunately, they were evenly matched, and their battles had always ended in a stalemate. Could it be that there was finally a result now?
"Neither," the innkeeper said from the side, still somewhat apprehensive when mentioning this matter. "The current master of the Xiuluo Palace came out of nowhere!"
"What?" The big man didn't believe it. "Are you joking with me? What background does this person have? Could they be even more powerful than the Mahayana Stage?"
Even if this person was also at the Mahayana Stage, Qinghao and Fucang would never allow an outsider to step over them like this. Surely the two demon lords together couldn't be defeated by this newcomer!
"That's exactly how it is!" The dreadlocked man slapped the table and said in a tone of reverence and amazement, "This great person is at the Tribulation Crossing Stage! Tribulation Crossing Stage!!"
The big man's eyes widened suddenly, unable to believe what he had heard for a long time.
People at nearby tables, hearing the content of their conversation, became interested and joined in:
"You don't believe it, right? We didn't believe it at first either! That's the Tribulation Crossing Stage, how many hundreds of years has it been since one appeared? Three months ago, an unfamiliar demonic aura suddenly arrived at the Xiuluo Palace and moved in without warning. Qinghao and Fucang thought it was some ignorant fool trying to steal their position, and they went to teach him a lesson in a fit of rage, but they were all beaten back!"
"That's right, I was dumbfounded when I heard the news! One person defeating two Mahayana Stage cultivators, can you imagine what that means?"
"After that, Qinghao and Fucang led their respective forces to submit to this great person, hailing him as the Demon Venerable. Now the entire demon realm has acknowledged this Demon Lord. After all, it's the Tribulation Crossing Stage, even among those immortal cultivators there's no one at this level. We all feel extremely honored to serve such a Demon Lord!"
The innkeeper also said with a smile. "Not to mention anything else, but since the end of the conflicts, my business has indeed become much more prosperous."
The big man was amazed and quickly took a big gulp of wine to calm himself.
As everyone was chatting enthusiastically, the curtain of the tavern was lifted, and another guest walked in.
With business booming, a constant stream of customers was normal. Someone casually glanced over, but their gaze suddenly froze.
"Hey," he nudged the person next to him with his elbow and raised his chin towards the entrance. "Look."
The patrons turned their heads one by one to look, and then, as if infected by some strange atmosphere, their voices gradually quieted down, until finally the entire tavern fell silent.
The one who entered was a young man in his early twenties.
He wore a white robe, immaculate and pristine, with a sword hanging at his waist. The scabbard had intricate frost-white patterns.
Among the group of men who were either bare-chested or in black robes and iron armor, the young man's attire seemed strikingly out of place. Of course, what was most striking was his face - fair and clean, exquisitely handsome, with eyes like pale colored glass, and an aura of cool snow wrapped around him.
He was like a snow-white little lamb that had accidentally wandered into a wolf pack. From the strands of his hair to his ankles, not a single part of him belonged here.
But the young man himself seemed unaware of this. Ignoring the various gazes cast upon him from all directions, he said in a calm voice to the innkeeper. "A pot of tea, thank you."
The innkeeper was also stunned for a good while before suddenly coming to his senses. He quickly agreed, wanting to offer the young man a seat to rest, but then realized there were no empty tables left in the tavern. If he let this person share a table with others, it would be like sending a lamb into a den of wolves. So he could only hurriedly say, "Please wait a moment, sir. It'll be ready soon."
The innkeeper didn't want to cause trouble, but others didn't think the same way. A man with scars flirtatiously whistled, "Beauty, did you perhaps come to the wrong place?"
This young man was clearly an immortal cultivator.
In a place like Lanxi Town, where all sorts of characters mixed, immortal cultivators rarely appeared. Occasionally, when some came to gather information or collect resources, they would come in a group, and there would always be experts at the Nascent Soul stage or above to keep things under control.
It was the first time they had seen someone enter Lanxi Town alone like this.
Not to mention, with such a face.
Contrary to everyone's expectations, the young man didn't show panic or anger upon hearing this provocation. He turned his head to look at the scarred man and walked over to ask, "Do you mind if I share your table?"
The scarred man was stunned. Meeting the young man's gaze, his tongue somehow suddenly tied itself in knots. "O-Of course not!"
He quickly moved aside, and his companions also promptly shifted their bottoms, making more than half the space available for the young man.
"Thank you," the young man sat down gracefully, naturally picking up the wine jar on the table and pouring a bowl for the scarred man and his companions. "I'd like to inquire about something."
When the young man had entered, he had been aloof and indifferent, like a handful of snow unexpectedly falling. But now his demeanor and actions had naturally blended into the current atmosphere, leaving people in a daze. The scarred man's thoughts of teasing and picking a fight mysteriously vanished, and he unconsciously straightened his back, asking, "What is it?"
"I overheard you talking about some new Demon Venerable outside just now," the young man asked gently. "Could you tell me more about it? Like his name, appearance, personality, and such?"
An immortal cultivator suddenly appearing in the demon realm and inquiring about a great demon was quite bizarre. But at the moment, few people noticed this oddity. A bald, burly man spoke before the scarred man could. "We don't know the Demon Venerable's name or appearance either. Since he arrived, he's been staying in the Xiuluo Palace. Except for the two Demon Lords Qinghao and Fucang and the servants in the Xiuluo Palace, no one else has seen what he looks like."
The scarred man was annoyed at having his words stolen, so he quickly added, "But we've heard about his personality. He seems to be quite eccentric and reclusive, doesn't like to see people or be disturbed. Many people speculate that the Demon Venerable might not be very good-looking."
The young man paused, then asked, "Then may I ask how to get to the Xiuluo Palace?"
"After entering the demon realm, follow the main road straight ahead. It's at the very end."
The young man nodded, seemingly having asked all he wanted to know. He said a word of thanks, stood up, took the pot of tea the innkeeper had prepared, left a spirit stone, and walked towards the exit of the tavern.
The scarred man belatedly realized something and hurriedly called out, "Hey! The demon realm is not a place you can enter, if you go there you'll be—"
You'll be going to your death!
The young man didn't reply and left, parting the door curtain with one hand. Only then did someone sitting near the door sense the spiritual energy emanating from him, and whispered with a hiss.
"Holy sh*t..."
"This guy is actually a God Transformation stage cultivator!"
——
Meng Chen walked out of the tavern and gazed into the distance at the road leading to the demon realm.
For three months, except for brief rests when extremely tired, he had been on the move almost constantly. After leaving Taixuan Sect, he had inquired about the traces of that demonic aura from that day, traveling to many places, and finally confirmed that Xue Lang had come to the demon realm, so he had pursued him here.
Fortunately, he now had more accurate information.
Meng Chen let out a soft breath and continued towards the entrance of the demon realm. Previously, in his haste to find someone, he had forgotten to change his appearance. Now, to avoid unnecessary trouble, he took out a black cloak and casually wrapped it around himself, then used a veil to cover his face. He put away his sword, concealed his spiritual aura, and disguised himself as an ordinary demon cultivator before entering the demon realm.
The demon realm wasn't much different from the outside, and it wasn't as barren and desolate as Meng Chen had imagined. On the contrary, it was prosperous and lively, with a strong sense of daily life. People came and went, not much different from the large towns he had passed through on his journey. The only difference was that those living here were demons and demon cultivators.
The people of the demon realm were unkempt and unrestrained, with all sorts of appearances on the streets. No one paid attention to Meng Chen with his veiled face. Meng Chen found the main road the scarred man in the tavern had mentioned and walked along it, considering how to sneak into the Xiuluo Palace.
"Wait, you over there!"
A shout came with clear purpose. Meng Chen kept walking without stopping or turning his gaze.
"Hey, I'm talking to you! The one with the covered face, stop!"
Meng Chen's brows furrowed slightly, and he had no choice but to stop and turn around.
A person wearing a uniform black armor and holding a long spear walked over. Judging by his attire, he seemed to be some kind of guard of the demon realm. He narrowed his eyes and looked Meng Chen up and down, then said coldly, "Take off your veil."
Meng Chen didn't move, but his sleeve shook slightly, and a silver needle silently fell into his palm.
The guard grew impatient and was about to shout again when another slightly fatter guard caught up from behind, panting and asking, "Why are you running so fast? What did you see?"
The thin guard said, "Of course, the target person."
Meng Chen's heart sank slightly, and he was about to stab with the silver needle when he heard the fat guard ask in confusion, "Target? Where? Where's the cold and beautiful person?"
Meng Chen's movement paused.
The thin guard wore an expression that said "Are you blind?" , "Isn't this the one right in front of you?"
The fat guard then turned to look at Meng Chen, even more confused. "His face is covered, how do you know he's a beauty?"
The thin guard puffed out his chest proudly. "Based on my experience of reading countless novels, those who deliberately cover their faces with veils are almost always exceptionally beautiful! And those who hide their figure with large black cloaks are also usually extraordinary beauties!"
Meng Chen: "..."
The fat guard suddenly understood, then looked delighted, "That's great! The Demon Venerable will be very pleased!"
Meng Chen finally spoke slowly: "The Demon Venerable?"
The young man's voice was as clear and cool as snow, very pleasant to hear. The thin guard became even more certain of his thoughts and said, "That's right. You must have received the announcement too. The Xiuluo Palace is widely recruiting cold and beautiful people. If the Demon Venerable takes a liking to you, you can serve by his side. This is a great blessing, hurry and show your true face!"
After the thin guard finished speaking, he saw the person in front of him remain silent for a moment, then reach out to remove the veil.
Both guards gasped in unison, then became overjoyed.
"We've found one!" The two were extremely excited. This person perfectly matched the criteria given by the Xiuluo Palace. If they could please the new Demon Venerable, their status would surely rise!
"Cough, now, honestly state your identity!" The thin guard took out a small notebook to record. Although the appearance and temperament of the person before him were impeccable, if their identity was suspicious or their motives were ill, they absolutely could not be sent to the Xiuluo Palace.
"I am," Meng Chen pondered for a moment, "utterly ordinary, lonely and helpless, without a home to return to, nowhere to go."
Upon hearing this, the thin guard was immediately delighted.
A cold, weak, and lonely little flower with no identity, no background, and no cultivation - could there be a more suitable novel character setup for the Demon Venerable to forcefully take and... !!
"It's you!" The thin guard waved his hand, "Take him away!"