Chapter 540: There is no better way to control people than getting into trouble together

World’s End: My Keyword is One More Than Others

When it comes to dealing with demons, the efficiency of the celestial realm is exceptionally high.

Before long, a disciple on duty outside the mountain gate came to report, "Sect Leader, the Day Touring Ghost under the Southern Emperor has come to visit."

Xu Jin Kui looked at Du Ge.

Du Ge said, "Just two minor deities, you handle it."

Xu Jin Kui nodded and instructed, "Let them in."

The Five Sacred Emperors are gods of the land appointed by the Celestial Emperor, nominally mountain gods, but with the title of Emperor, their authority is vast.

Each of the Emperors governs different aspects of the mortal world, including rewards and punishments, wealth and status, the underworld, mountains, rivers, beasts, and birds.

They fall under the jurisdiction of the Eastern Emperor.

Under the Five Sacred Emperors are the Day and Night Touring Ghosts, the Four Duty Gods, the Dingjia Gods, and various local mountain and earth gods. Although their rank may not match that of Master Xu, who holds an official position in the celestial realm, they are true deities with real power.

The Day and Night Touring Ghosts are yin deities, appointed by mortal emperors, just like the City and Earth Gods.

Even the emperor of a small country like New Moon has the right to appoint yin deities.

The reason why cultivation sects in the mortal world seek to curry favor with mortal emperors is precisely for these divine positions.

Because cultivators at the Elemental Infant stage with poor aptitude and nearing the end of their lifespan, and Integration stage beings with no hope of crossing tribulations, unwilling to enter reincarnation, will ask the emperor for an appointment.

With a divine position, these individuals can survive as yin deities, retaining most of their strength from life, but once they become yin deities, they are forever bound, unable to advance their cultivation, remaining at the lowest tier of the celestial realm's power hierarchy, with little chance of achieving anything greater.

Most ambitious cultivators do not wish to become yin deities.

Dragon and Tiger Mountain was once just one of these ordinary sects, but ever since Xu Wen'an ascended to become a Celestial Master in the celestial realm, Dragon and Tiger Mountain has received abundant resources from the upper realm, and it's rare for an Elemental Infant cultivator not to reach the Integration stage.

Those at the Integration stage must take their chances with tribulation to ascend and become true immortals, after all, Dragon and Tiger Mountain's foundation lies in the celestial realm, not the mortal world.

And crossing tribulations means either ascension or death, with little chance of becoming a yin deity, as surviving the lightning tribulation is extremely unlikely.

So, later on, Dragon and Tiger Mountain rarely competed with these small sects for yin deity positions.

...

Two Day Touring Ghosts came to visit Dragon and Tiger Mountain, revealing themselves and being led to the Celestial Master's Hall by the disciples of Dragon and Tiger Mountain.

The two wore blue robes, with badges of day patrol hanging at their waists, and greeted Xu Jin Kui with cupped fists, "Day Touring Ghost Geng Zhong (Liu Tong) greets Sect Leader Xu."

"Please have a seat, Messengers of God," Xu Jin Kui said with a warm smile. "Someone, serve tea to the Messengers."

"Sect Leader Xu, there's no need for tea," Geng Zhong said with a smile. "We came here to find your sect's disciple, Liao Jiulong, to ask him some questions."

"It's about the assassin of Prince Duan, isn't it?" Xu Jin Kui asked directly.

"Sect Leader Xu, your information is indeed well-informed," Geng Zhong cupped his fists again and said, "Many people have pointed out that Liao Jiulong and his two disciples were with the demons that ravaged Longliu Manor. They were present during the assassination of Prince Duan, and after his death, they disappeared as well."

"No need to look for him," Xu Jin Kui sighed and said, "To be honest with you two Messengers, we are also looking for Liao Jiulong and his disciples. Yesterday, Liao Jiulong was supposed to return to Dragon and Tiger Mountain to report, but he has not returned.

The senior disciple of Tianlan Peak, Han Jiuyun, returned just before you and reported the demon incident to me. I have already sent more disciples to search for them.

Please, Messengers, return first. If Dragon and Tiger Mountain finds that Liao Jiulong colluded with demons, I will not cover for them and will personally escort them to the Emperor to plead guilty."

Geng Zhong and Liu Tong exchanged a glance, agreeing with this explanation.

After all, Dragon and Tiger Mountain is the lineage of Master Xu, and Liao Jiulong and his disciples are merely Qi Refiners. Xu Jin Kui would not risk opposing the celestial realm's decree to protect three ordinary disciples.

Liao Jiulong and his disciples colluding with demons and committing such a serious crime, not daring to return to Dragon and Tiger Mountain, is understandable, and they are merely Day Touring Ghosts, not willing to risk offending Master Xu by forcibly searching Dragon and Tiger Mountain.

They came here just as a formality.

Geng Zhong stood up, smiling, "Thank you, Sect Leader Xu. The matter of demons is of great importance. If Dragon and Tiger Mountain has any news of Liao Jiulong, please be sure to inform the Emperor promptly."

"I understand the importance," Xu Jin Kui nodded with a smile, standing up, "If the Messengers have any information on the whereabouts of the three traitors from Dragon and Tiger Mountain, please inform me as well..."

...

A disciple led the Day Touring Ghosts away.

Xu Jin Kui looked at Du Ge, who had revealed himself nearby, and cautiously asked, "Ancestor, is it alright to handle those two Day Touring Ghosts this way?"

"No problem. Dragon and Tiger Mountain should focus on recuperation. Delay as long as you can," Du Ge gave him a meaningful look and smiled, "Jin Kui, focus on your cultivation. I'll follow those two Day Touring Ghosts to see if there are any loopholes."

"Yes, Ancestor."

Xu Jin Kui nodded respectfully.

He wanted to ask the Ancestor to help him reshape his Dao foundation, but he didn't have the courage to speak up, as he didn't have any significant achievements to show yet.

...

Leaving the Celestial Master's Hall, Du Ge glanced at the location of last night's battle, shook his head with a smile, and flashed out of Dragon and Tiger Mountain, following the two Day Touring Ghosts.

Outside Dragon and Tiger Mountain.

After bidding farewell to the disciples who saw them off, Geng Zhong and Liu Tong concealed their forms and fled into the distance.

Du Ge followed them from afar.

It wasn't until hundreds of miles away that they stopped.

"Old Geng, why did you stop?" Liu Tong asked curiously.

"Liu Tong, something's not right with Dragon and Tiger Mountain," Geng Zhong looked back at the direction of Dragon and Tiger Mountain, seeing no one following, he breathed a sigh of relief and said seriously.

"What's not right?" Liu Tong asked.

"The trees on Celestial Master Peak are toppled, broken branches are still fresh, clearly indicating a battle, at least involving an Integration stage being..." Geng Zhong said, "But Sect Leader Xu acted as if nothing happened, which is abnormal."

"Old Geng, are you suggesting that the demons are hiding in Dragon and Tiger Mountain?" Liu Tong asked incredulously.

"Most likely," Geng Zhong nodded, "Celestial Master Peak is the face of Dragon and Tiger Mountain. Besides demons, who else would dare fight on Celestial Master Peak given Dragon and Tiger Mountain's status?"

"Dragon and Tiger Mountain colluding with demons?" Liu Tong was shocked.

"It's not collusion. If it were, you and I wouldn't have walked out of Dragon and Tiger Mountain," Geng Zhong shook his head, "Dragon and Tiger Mountain is Master Xu's lineage, there's no need to ruin their future for a demon. It seems more like Sect Leader Xu is being coerced by demons. He's using this cover-up method to ask us to seek help from the Emperor."

Seek help?

Du Ge was amused, knowing that Xu Jin Kui had slipped up, but he hadn't expected the two Night Touring Ghosts to draw such a conclusion.

But this wasn't bad.

He originally planned to follow the two Day Touring Ghosts into the Southern Emperor's lair to see if he could stir up some trouble and profit from it.

Now, with the two Day Touring Ghosts mistakenly thinking it was a call for help, he was spared from venturing into danger.

After all.

Dragon and Tiger Mountain had a ready-made Mountain Protection Array, rumored to be capable of dealing with True Immortals...

Causing trouble on his own turf was safer than going out on a limb. What if the Southern Emperor's domain also had a similar Mountain Protection Array?

As for whether the Southern Emperor would ask the Eastern Emperor to intervene, it seemed unlikely.

Du Ge believed his level wasn't high enough to warrant the attention of the Emperor.

The Southern Emperor wouldn't mobilize an army to besiege Dragon and Tiger Mountain based on the speculation of two Night Touring Ghosts.

Under normal circumstances, at most, they would probe...

"Seek help, Old Geng, this is no joking matter," Liu Tong said, "You know the strength of Dragon and Tiger Mountain, there are countless Integration stage beings, that demon's strength is at most Elemental Infant, how could it possibly control Dragon and Tiger Mountain alone?"

Geng Zhong glanced at him and smiled, "Old Liu, why think so much? We just need to report the situation to the Emperor and let the Emperor decide.

If our guess is correct and we truly save Dragon and Tiger Mountain, Sect Leader Xu will owe us a favor, and capturing a demon capable of causing chaos in Dragon and Tiger Mountain will be a great achievement with the Emperor;

If we're wrong, we're just thinking of Dragon and Tiger Mountain's best interests, and Sect Leader Xu won't blame us two Day Touring Ghosts, and the Emperor will think we're cautious. If we let a great demon slip through due to negligence, that would be a grave crime."

"That makes sense," Liu Tong realized, chuckling, "We have nothing to lose, so why wait? Let's go report to the Emperor."

...

The two clever ones made their decision, and Du Ge, not wanting to continue following them, returned to Dragon and Tiger Mountain to wait for an opportunity.

In the next two days.

Apart from fulfilling his daily duty of demonstrating Dao resonance, Du Ge spent most of his time studying magic to enhance his power.

The spiritual energy at Dragon and Tiger Mountain was sufficiently abundant, but Du Ge's Elemental Infant was different from others, requiring an enormous amount of spiritual energy to grow. Once he began cultivating, others wouldn't be able to absorb any spiritual energy.

Du Ge wasn't so selfish as to compete with others for resources just to increase his strength a little.

However, this terrifying spiritual energy consumption solidified his identity as the Heavenly Demon Ancestor, giving Xu Jin Kui and others peace of mind.

What further convinced Xu Jin Kui and others to wholeheartedly follow Du Ge was the cultivation speed of Liao Jiulong and his two disciples.

With their Dao foundations reshaped by Du Ge, Liao Jiulong advanced from a Qi Refiner to a Golden Elixir in just one day, while Du Ziming and Liu Ziyun reached the peak of Qi Refining in two days, with a breakthrough imminent.

Moreover.

The three, whose Dao foundations were improved by Du Ge, were even granted special supernatural powers.

When Liao Jiulong released his spiritual power, it naturally carried a holy aura, which was the nemesis of evil.

Additionally, he could conjure light swords out of thin air, allowing him to fly on light, several times faster than sword flight. Liao Jiulong's spiritual power could even be used to heal others' injuries...

Du Ziming mastered stealth in the dark, with his spiritual power having corrosive and violent characteristics, and his cultivation speed was especially rapid at night;

Liu Ziyun gained the ability to control water...

These various wonders almost made Xu Jin Kui and others cry with envy.

Such aptitude, combined with Dao resonance, almost guaranteed they would become Golden Immortals.

Legend has it that the Marshal who commands the celestial river gained his water-controlling power after consuming a Water Spirit Pearl, and after ascending, he gradually became the Water Marshal of the celestial realm...

If Liu Ziyun were to ascend one day, he might secure a legitimate position in the celestial water department.

Elder Daoming, before going into seclusion to recover his depleted spiritual energy, also experienced the wonders of a water-based Dao foundation. In the past two days, he left the Scripture Repository and cultivated at the Ice Pond at the foot of Celestial Master Peak, absorbing spiritual energy at a terrifying rate, though not as fast as the Heavenly Demon Ancestor.

Xu Jin Kui even had a feeling that when Elder Daoming replenished his spiritual energy, it would be the moment he crossed tribulations and ascended.

...

Of course.

Du Ge's time was precious, and he didn't just wait idly at Dragon and Tiger Mountain.

After becoming an Elemental Infant, distance was no longer an issue for him, and he needed more information from the outside world.

In the past two days, the news of the Wu You Sect's destruction spread, but it didn't bring him much attribute increase.

Apparently.

After learning of the Wu You Sect's actions, people didn't think their destruction was particularly cruel, and some even began to question Du Ge's identity as a demon.

Their reasoning was simple, believing that demons act on whims and shouldn't be fixated on a single matter, and a demon's growth rate shouldn't be this fast.

Du Ge's actions seemed more like those of a villain acting under the guise of a demon, or rather, a righteous cultivator pretending to be a demon...

Hearing this news, Du Ge was helpless. Not committing evil deeds made it difficult to accumulate cruelty, and he was fortunate to have already developed a skill.

Otherwise, at this rate, he might end up being seen as a living Buddha.

However, now, Du Ge wasn't concerned about the second skill of cruelty. He planned to let things take their course, as the current situation was actually quite favorable to him.

Forcing cruelty could potentially disrupt the stable situation he had established.

What frustrated Du Ge was that the second skill of persuasion hadn't manifested either. By rights, he had persuaded an entire sect of cultivators to rebel.

Such a significant event should have resulted in a second skill!

He couldn't figure it out!

Since he couldn't figure it out, Du Ge decided not to dwell on it. He visited various celestial domains around Dragon and Tiger Mountain, as marked on the geographical map left by Master Xu, even going to the Southern Emperor's lair to take a look...

The Southern Emperor's domain was within the Kingdom of Chu, known as Xuan Mountain, over two thousand meters high, with thriving incense offerings and a palace dedicated to the Southern Emperor, where worshippers came in an endless stream.

Above Xuan Mountain, in a misty area unseen by worshippers, Day and Night Touring Ghosts came and went, clearly indicating the true location of the Southern Emperor's domain.

Du Ge couldn't see through the formation outside the Southern Emperor's domain and didn't dare to enter recklessly. He circled Xuan Mountain from a distance before leaving.

The two Day Touring Ghosts had returned for two days, and the Southern Emperor hadn't made any moves, clearly not intending to intervene in Dragon and Tiger Mountain's affairs.

With the Southern Emperor not intervening, it would be up to the Celestial Master's Mansion to handle it.

...

As Du Ge expected.

On the third day.

Du Ge was demonstrating Dao resonance to the disciples of Dragon and Tiger Mountain.

Suddenly.

A white light flashed.

Two people in blue robes appeared in the Celestial Master's Hall.

Everyone present was stunned, including the two who suddenly appeared.

"Dao resonance?"

One of them stared at Du Ge, blurting out.

"Grandmaster?" Xu Jin Kui recognized the newcomers and stood up abruptly, his face pale, instinctively gripping the Heavenly Assistant Sword.

"Who are you?"

The person Xu Jin Kui called Grandmaster didn't take his eyes off Du Ge, asking seriously.

He had come down to investigate the demon, completely unprepared to witness such a scene, with the entire Dragon and Tiger Mountain observing a child surrounded by Dao resonance.

Just a few glances at that Dao resonance had given him insights. If demons were all about Dao resonance, he wished Dragon and Tiger Mountain had a few more of such demons!

"I'm the newly acknowledged ancestor of Dragon and Tiger Mountain," Du Ge winked at him, saying, "Junior, since you've seen the Dao resonance on your ancestor, shouldn't you come and pay respects?"

"Ancestor?" Xu Jin Kui's Grandmaster raised an eyebrow, looking at Xu Jin Kui, "Xu Jin Kui, what's going on?"

"..." Xu Jin Kui trembled, turning to Du Ge, "Ancestor, can I speak?"

"Speak about what? Aren't you thinking about establishing your own sect? Activate the Mountain Protection Array and deal with them."

Du Ge shouted, unleashing Dark God power towards the two bewildered celestial beings, simultaneously summoning the Xuan Gui Pearl to suppress them.

He had spent three days at Dragon and Tiger Mountain waiting for these two.

An alliance built purely on persuasion and shared interests could collapse at any moment, and Du Ge currently had no real means to restrain them.

Faced with stronger individuals, Xu Jin Kui and others could turn against him at any time, rendering all his efforts in vain.

Only by having Xu Jin Kui and others truly get into trouble, dragging the entire Dragon and Tiger Mountain down with him, would they be on the same page.

At that point, after improving their aptitude and transforming everyone into divine messengers, Du Ge would truly have a group of followers of his own.

With only twelve days left until the end of the month, he couldn't wait any longer.

Moreover, it was a perfect opportunity to test the level and quality of celestial beings...

...

Bang!

The Dark God power had just enveloped the two celestial beings when they easily broke free.

Xu Jin Kui's Grandmaster looked at Du Ge angrily, a long sword appearing in his hand, "Such a sinister aura, truly a demon, today I must destroy you..."

"Junior, I am full of Dao resonance, can you bear to kill me?" Du Ge didn't restrain his Dao resonance, chuckling, "Take me back to the celestial realm, contemplate and comprehend daily, and your cultivation will improve rapidly."

The Grandmaster hesitated.

"Even offering me to Master Xu would be a great achievement. Junior, think carefully, if you kill me, you'll have nothing." Du Ge continued to use his persuasive skills, holding the other in place, ensuring he was in an invincible position.

"Do you think you can escape?" The Grandmaster looked at Du Ge, laughing, "Xu Jin Kui, activate the Mountain Protection Array, trap this demon, and I'll go to the Celestial Master's Mansion to seek rewards for you."

Du Ge also looked at Xu Jin Kui, smiling as if watching his decision.

Xu Jin Kui took a deep breath, resolutely raising the Heavenly Assistant Sword, "Yes, Grandmaster."

The Mountain Protection Array activated.

Streams of light enveloped the five peaks of Dragon and Tiger Mountain.

Xu Jin Kui and the other five peak masters were covered in multicolored light.

"Good, let's see where you can run," the Grandmaster didn't believe that in just a few days, Xu Jin Kui would betray the Celestial Master's Mansion. He laughed arrogantly, "Junior, if I were you, I'd surrender and earn a chance for survival."

"Is that so?" Du Ge smiled, suddenly shouting, "Xu Jin Kui."

Before he finished speaking.

Countless sword lights descended from the sky, shooting straight at the two celestial beings.