Hi, Dear readers, very sad to tell you that this novel will be removed soon due to the publisher's request. 
Follow-up plan:
- Advanced Chapters: Will be translated up to Vol.4 - Chapter 90 in one go.
- Free Chapters: Will be stopped releasing free chapters.
- Deletion time: Will be deleted on May 1st

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Jiang Yuebai had discovered the name Yan Renjie, and after searching through the Shu Mountain disciple registry, she found no other records of him, only a son and a daughter remained. His family lineage, up to the previous generation, was connected to a name known as Yan Zi.

The master of Biluo Peak, Taoist Yan.

Jiang Yuebai was somewhat worried. This investigation had led to her master, and it wasn't just that her family's ancestors might have damaged the divine artifact of Shu Mountain, but also that her master was very likely a descendant of a half-demon!

Even if the demonic blood had been diluted over thousands of generations, it was still demonic blood, and there was always the possibility of reverting to a demonic form.

She didn't think any less of her master because of this, but she feared that if this matter was exposed because of her, it could bring criticism upon her master.

Even if she kept silent, the higher-ups of Shu Mountain were surely advancing their investigation faster than her. Keeping the secret seemed pointless.

Now, she was engulfed in a sense of self-reproach.

"So that's how it is..."

Chu Liang listened to her concerns and suddenly understood. No wonder Taoist Yan had been able to defeat two monsters of her generation, one with a celestial spirit body and the other with a divine fire fate. It was only missing the Xuan Yuan pupil to complete the trio of the three great families.

If Taoist Yan was also of half-demon blood, that would explain it – they were all monsters.

It also explained why she was so talented yet kept such a low profile.

If this matter were discovered, she might be subjected to the same strange looks as her great ancestor.

After pondering for a moment, Chu Liang asked, "Have you spoken to Yan Zi about this?"

"Ah?" Jiang Yuebai looked up, "How could I possibly bring this up to her..."

"Do you think this matter will bring her criticism, and that's why you feel guilty? But does she feel the same?" Chu Liang slowly said, "The impact of this matter should be determined by Yan Zi's own feelings. You might as well go back and have an honest conversation with her."

"You're right." Jiang Yuebai suddenly stood up, "I'll go and talk to her right now."

She hurriedly tried to leave the cave, but as she reached the entrance, she turned back and said, "Chu Liang, thank you."

Chu Liang smiled gently.

***

After returning to Silver Sword Peak, Chu Liang was about to visit the orchard when he suddenly felt a tremor in his chest.

He pulled out the jade pendant given to him by the leader of Ghost Face Hall. This pendant didn't have the ability to send messages; it could only set a predetermined meeting place, and one would come to the gathering upon being summoned.

"Is this guy still not dead?" Chu Liang was surprised, "He's got quite the luck."

After the recent battle between Shu Mountain and the Ming King Sect, he deeply realized the importance of intelligence warfare. Seeing an opportunity now, he naturally set out to attend.

At night, he flew to the familiar rendezvous point and saw the leader of Ghost Face Hall waiting there with a few small cats. Compared to the previous gathering of a large group of demonic cultivators, the scene was quite poignant.

"Heh..." Upon seeing Chu Liang, the leader of Ghost Face Hall said, "You're still alive."

Because of Chu Liang's enthusiastic performance on Shu Mountain, the leader had a deep impression of him.

"Thanks to the leader's blessing," Chu Liang said with a fist salute, "I killed two Shu Mountain disciples that day and was injured and fell into the sea of clouds. After regaining consciousness, I struggled to crawl out."

As soon as he finished speaking, he saw the leader's expression change.

"Isn't this a coincidence..." Pǔ Shàn's voice immediately rang out, "I just reported to the leader that I killed three Shu Mountain disciples and fell into the sea of clouds that day, then struggled to crawl out..."

"Indeed, quite the coincidence," Luo Yao added, "Before you two reported, I had just reported the same thing."

Chu Liang felt a moment of embarrassment.

This was quite the story...

And it was getting repetitive.

It seemed that day the sea of clouds had rained.

Fortunately, the leader of Ghost Face Hall didn't dwell on this.

Apart from the three of them, there was only one other member of Ghost Face Hall present, meaning the leader had a total of four subordinates left.

"We've waited long enough; it's unlikely anyone else will come. It seems that Ghost Face Hall is now down to just the four of you," the leader said.

"Alas!" The three sighed in unison.

The other Ghost Face Hall disciple suddenly felt strange, wondering why the other three's actions were so synchronized. Was he the one who didn't fit in?

Although Chu Liang, Luo Yao, and Pǔ Shàn had arrived together, they didn't pay much attention to each other within the demonic sect, and the disciple hadn't paid much attention to the origins of his fellow exchange pavilion brothers.

"However, this might not be entirely bad news," the leader continued, "After this great battle, the Ming King Sect has suffered heavy losses! It's a time of scarcity for manpower and an opportunity for advancement!"

"The lord of White Bone Hall is recruiting guards, and I was fortunate enough to be selected. From now on, I will become a personal guard to the lord!" he said with some excitement.

"Congratulations to the leader on your promotion!" the three said in unison.

"Ha ha!" The leader of Ghost Face Hall laughed twice, "Once I become a guard, the position of leader of Ghost Face Hall will be vacant. I don't want the brothers of Ghost Face Hall to disperse."

In reality, there was little sentimentality within the demonic sect; the most loyal General of Black Feathers of White Bone Hall was now long buried under grass.

Although the leader of Ghost Face Hall had become a guard of White Bone Hall, he didn't want to give up his own power, hence his statement. Other guards of White Bone Hall did the same; besides being personal guards to the lord, they each had their own exchange pavilion forces. This way, they had support from behind when competing with others among the guards of White Bone Hall.

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"So, I plan to choose one of you to be the new leader and preserve the structure of Ghost Face Hall. With this leader's token, you can also recruit and strengthen Ghost Face Hall for the future!" the leader of Ghost Face Hall continued.

Choosing a leader?

Chu Liang blinked, was there such a good opportunity?

The leader of Ghost Face Hall smiled and said, "Anyone who wants to be the leader can come forward and talk about their ambitions. Afterwards, the four of you will vote to choose a leader. I think it's best for you to choose a leader who will win everyone's heart."

Chu Liang, Luo Yao, and Pǔ Shàn looked at each other, surprised but also nodding in agreement.

Voting, huh... Fair.

"Me!" The lone Ghost Face Hall disciple suddenly stood up, "Leader, I'd like to compete!"

And so...

After a fair and democratic process of campaigning and voting, Chu Liang was elected as the new leader of Ghost Face Hall by a margin of two votes.

The lone Ghost Face Hall disciple stood aside, reflecting on where he might have gone wrong in his speech.

As Chu Liang took over the leader's token, his smile carried a hint of bewilderment.

This was truly unexpected.

How did I, a good Shu Mountain disciple, end up becoming the leader of White Bone Hall?

The martial world is indeed full of surprises.

***

In the far west.

In the legends of the people of the Nine Provinces, this place was a desolate and terrifying land of evil, with fire falling from the sky, ice forming on the ground, and ceaseless earthquakes and tsunamis, where not even a blade of grass could survive.

After the Demon God was suppressed, the majority of the demon race fled to such a place.

But what Xunyang Gongzi saw was not like that at all.

Crossing over a high mountain range, he actually saw a city!

Calling it a city might be an exaggeration; it was more like a large fortress, without tall buildings or bustling streets and markets. However, it covered a vast plain, stretching as far as the eye could see.

Everything indeed resembled a human village, with dwellings, clothing, writing... and even agriculture. The demons had also started to care about food and vegetables.

Looking around, those wearing rags and carrying hoes were the large and bulky demon race, some fully humanoid, some half-humanoid. Except for a few who needed to carry heavy objects, they all lived in forms close to humans as much as possible.

Even the children, who looked like young white foxes and black bears, were learning the human language, creating an eerily strange scene.

It was hard to imagine that this was the legendary demon domain!

"Shocking, isn't it? I felt the same when I first came here."

Ahead of him was a man dressed in a high-crowned scholar's robe, with a somewhat effeminate appearance and a calm smile on his face.

"Indeed, quite surprising," Xunyang Gongzi nodded.

"Not every demon king is like this. Among the seven demon kings of the demon domain, only the Qingqiu King is friendly towards humans and is committed to building a civilization in the far west," the high-crowned man said, "She has been in power for just over two hundred years, which is relatively short in the demon race, so her influence is not yet strong. If she had a few hundred more years, perhaps this place could develop into a nation like the Yu Dynasty."

"That would be terrifying," Xunyang Gongzi said.

The individual strength of the demon race far exceeds that of humans, and the base numbers of the various races combined are not less than that of humans. The reason they have been suppressed by humans is mainly due to the gap in civilization.

In an era without Ninth Realm powerhouses on either side, the demon race has never been a match for humans.

If the demon race also began to develop civilization, focusing on the collective rather than the individual, it would indeed be hard to imagine how powerful they could become in the future.

"This is good for us. In the Yu Dynasty, we are criminals not tolerated by humans, but here we can become honored guests of the Qingqiu King," the high-crowned man continued as they walked, "She welcomes everyone from the Yu Dynasty, whether criminals or prisoners, as long as they can bring culture from there and change the ecology here, she does not refuse anyone."

"That's excellent," Xunyang Gongzi smiled and nodded.

His face was still a bit pale.

He had narrowly escaped with his life during a night raid by the Xuan Yi guards the other day. Now that his identity was exposed, with the full-force manhunt by the court and the Heavenly Strength Sect, it was difficult to find a place to survive in the short term.

After some arrangements, he fled to the far west, planning to lay low for a while.

He had thought this place would be full of bloodthirsty demons, but upon arrival, he found a hidden paradise.

"Look, that is the Qingqiu Demon King." Over the hill, the high-crowned man pointed to a slender figure in a green dress ahead and lowered his voice, "She prefers to meet people alone, so I won't accompany you further. Remember to be polite when you approach. Although the Qingqiu Demon King likes to appear as a young girl, she is still a demon king after all."

"I understand," Xunyang Gongzi nodded.

"And, the demon king likes to be called by her human name," the high-crowned man added one last piece of advice, "Her human name is..."

"Cai Yi."

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