Chapter 339

However, Xiao Minghuang did not recognize him.

"Fellow Daoist seems quite familiar, but..."

She hesitated, unsure whether to say, "We're complete strangers, aren't we?"

"I am Su Zhi, from Dongling, Duohu City..."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Minghuang vaguely remembered that there was indeed such a person, but she couldn't recall him at all.

After all, her trip to the Dongling Ancient Tomb was a story from several years ago, and she had no impression of Su Zhi at that time.

However, Su Zhi became increasingly excited, a hint of urgency flashing deep in his eyes, and he even couldn't resist reaching out to touch Xiao Minghuang.

He didn't have any ulterior motives; he was simply too excited to meet an old friend in a foreign land.

However, as soon as he took half a step with his right leg, it aggravated the severed limb, causing him to groan.

"Hiss..."

The intense pain made Su Zhi gasp, his face instantly turning pale, and beads of sweat forming on his forehead.

"Sorry for the intrusion, my foot hurts so much..."

He had only just raised his hand, and Xiao Minghuang didn't pay much attention. She frowned slightly, glanced at Su Zhi a few more times, and past memories gradually surfaced in her mind.

"What brings you here, fellow Daoist?"

Xiao Minghuang asked.

Years ago, when the demon infiltrated Duohu City, Ye Ruoshui fought against him, causing Duohu City to be razed to the ground. She thought that this person had died in the chaos, but she never expected to see him here again today.

"Princess Xiao..."

Seeing that Xiao Minghuang was still willing to talk to him, Su Zhi was overjoyed and quickly recounted all his experiences over the years.

"Back then, I was kidnapped by demons and brought to the Southern Wilderness. I heard from those demons that they originally intended to use me as a human tonic for the Blood Demon Path's Holy Son, but the Blood Demon Path's Holy Son never returned from the Eastern Pole. We... were some other cultivators who were captured, and we tried to escape together, but we had nowhere to go, so we fled here."

"... This is the outer desert of the Southern Wilderness, devoid of life and Spiritual Qi. Even demons are unwilling to come here. Most of those who are here are either fleeing from enemies or, like me, have nowhere else to go."

"... Although the environment here is poor, and progress in cultivation is basically hopeless in this lifetime, it is at least peaceful and leisurely... But not long ago, a group of demons suddenly appeared in the desert and slaughtered all the nearby cities. I was lucky enough to escape..."

With a face full of fear and a low voice, Su Zhi recounted his initial escape, his expression sorrowful, his fists clenched, as if he were trapped in the nightmare of that time.

"Those beasts deserve to die..."

"I see."

After listening, Xiao Minghuang felt a slight ripple in her heart, but quickly regained her composure.

If a group of demons were slaughtering innocent people in the easternmost part of the Central Heaven, the nearby cultivation forces would have already united to eliminate them; they wouldn't have let it go unchecked.

But in the Southern Wilderness, it was an extremely common occurrence.

Here, human life is both a resource and the cheapest thing.

The strong devour the weak, and the weak become food for the strong.

"Princess Xiao, what are you doing in the Southern Wilderness?"

After a brief moment of embarrassment, Su Zhi suppressed his emotions, his expression full of anticipation, and asked softly.

"I have some things to take care of, so I came."

Xiao Minghuang responded softly.

She could tell that there were many flaws in Su Zhi's words just now. For example, he was only at the Nascent Soul Realm, so how could he have escaped from the Blood Demon Path? And how could he have traveled such a long distance to come to this barren place?

However, Xiao Minghuang didn't care about any of that.

When she first arrived in the Southern Wilderness, she was unfamiliar with the area and the local customs. It would be perfect if someone who could communicate with her normally and was familiar with the local environment could guide her.

If Su Zhi can help her, it will save her some trouble.

And she would naturally reciprocate by fulfilling some of the other party's expectations.

... For example, take him back to the East Pole.

Upon hearing this, Su Zhi's face lit up with joy, and he quickly replied, "If there's anything the princess can do to help, Su Zhi will go through fire and water without hesitation!"

His voice was filled with joy, as if he had already forgotten about his injury.

Xiao Minghuang nodded slightly. She was not an affected person, nor was she used to hypocritical formalities.

"Alright, once I've taken care of my business, I'll take you back to the East Pole."

Immediately, she flicked her finger, and a stream of white magic power flowed from her fingertip, merging into Su Zhi's wound and stopping the bleeding. His other injuries also healed rapidly at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Su Zhi felt his injuries were improving and couldn't help but show a look of gratitude. "Thank you, Princess Xiao."

"Enough with the small talk, tell me, what's the situation in the Southern Wilderness?"

Xiao Minghuang said calmly.

"Yes."

Su Zhi nodded and began to speak.

"The Southern Wilderness is vast, roughly the same size as the Eastern Pole in terms of area, but almost 99% of it is covered in endless yellow sand, a desolate wasteland. Only within the Central Demon Realm, where the Central Demon Devil Palace is located, is there a relatively thin layer of Spiritual Qi."

"Radiating outwards from the Central Demon Realm are the six inner ring domains, which are the strongholds of the Six Paths of Demonic Ways; the outermost domains are the nineteen middle ring domains, which are all vassal kingdoms of the Six Paths of Demonic Ways; and the outermost domain is the outer desert where we are now, which not only lacks Spiritual Qi but also has an extremely harsh environment, making it impossible for mortals to survive. Therefore, even demons do not set foot here casually."

Su Zhi recounted in detail all the information he knew about the Southern Wilderness to Xiao Minghuang.

All he knew was general information, and he couldn't provide any more specific or detailed intelligence.

However, this was enough for Xiao Minghuang.

"How far is our current location from the Central Devil Palace? Is there a teleportation array available?"

Xiao Minghuang pondered for a moment, then pressed for more information.

"This place is an extremely desolate area in the outer desert, far from the central Devil Palace, but it's probably a ten- to fifteen-day journey from Blood Demon Path..."

Su Zhi was taken aback upon hearing this, and hesitated for a moment before replying.

He then added, "As far as I know, there are no teleportation arrays in the Southern Wilderness."

452. Murder to silence witnesses

Upon hearing this, Xiao Minghuang raised her eyebrows slightly and casually said, "Since you fled all the way from the Blood Demon Path to this place, how could you not be sure how far this place is from the Blood Demon Path?"

Xiao Minghuang looked at Su Zhi, her eyes deep and unfathomable.

Realizing this, Su Zhi trembled slightly. He knew that his performance had ultimately been exposed.

But he still forced a smile and shook his head.

"... Princess, actually..."

Just then.

"Um?"

Xiao Minghuang raised an eyebrow, sensing a dangerous aura approaching, and abruptly turned her head.

In the distance, two dark figures sped towards them at incredible speed, arriving before them in the blink of an eye.

It was a man and a woman, both dressed in blood-red robes, emanating a strong smell of blood.

Clearly, these two were also evil beings who practiced wicked arts.

The two ignored Xiao Minghuang and immediately fixed their gazes on Su Zhi.

The woman in red, her face beaming with joy, announced loudly, "Su Zhi, your three-year term is up. The Blood Demon Path Lord has ordered that Senior Brother Su return to Blood Demon City immediately to formally become a candidate for the Blood Demon Path Sect's Holy Son!"

The air around them seemed to freeze as soon as he said that.

A chilling atmosphere suddenly filled the air.

Su Zhi's expression changed upon hearing this, and he subconsciously glanced at Xiao Minghuang, only to find her expression calm and indifferent, as if she had not heard anything.

"What... what nonsense are you spouting? I have never had any connection with the Blood Demon Path. Where did you come from? This is utterly absurd! Don't talk nonsense here!"

Su Zhi shouted coldly, a look of panic flashing in his eyes, and hurriedly retorted.

Upon hearing this, the woman in red looked confused and advised, "Senior Brother Su, what are you saying? The reason you were willing to come to this desolate place to guard exiled criminals for three years was to prove your loyalty to the Demon Lord, wasn't it? Now the Demon Lord has issued an order..."

"You... you're spouting nonsense!"

Su Zhi could no longer remain indifferent. He cursed loudly and drew his sword, slashing at the woman in red.

Seeing Su Zhi suddenly make a move, the man in red showed no intention of helping his companion. Without any hesitation, he turned and ran, disappearing in the blink of an eye.

The woman in red was only at the initial Nascent Soul Realm, and her cultivation level was far inferior to Su Zhi's. Caught off guard, she was immediately sent flying hundreds of feet away, landing not far away.

She struggled to her feet, a trickle of blood escaping from the corner of her mouth. Her face was filled with terror, and her eyes were filled with confusion and grievance as she looked at Su Zhi: "Su Zhi, why? Why did you hit me! Wouldn't it have been better if we went back to Blood Demon City together?"

"Hmph, you still dare to argue even when you're about to die?"

Su Zhi gritted his teeth. If this woman hadn't suddenly appeared, Princess Xiao would probably have been fooled by him. He knew that things wouldn't end well today, so he decided to go all out.

Killing the woman in red leaves room for excuses!

After thinking it over, Su Zhi didn't delay any longer. He drew his sword and unleashed a streak of blood-red sword light, slashing straight at the target.

Upon seeing this, the woman in red's expression changed drastically, her pupils contracted sharply, and despair appeared in her eyes.

Although Su Zhi had stayed in the outer desert for three years, he was originally a prodigy of the Blood Demon Path, otherwise he would not have been qualified to become a candidate for Holy Son.

She was merely a true disciple; although both were at the Nascent Soul Realm, their strengths were incomparable.

This sword strike was enough to take her life.

"Pfft~~"

A crimson sword light flashed before her eyes in an instant, and in the next moment it would pierce her chest. The woman in red couldn't help but close her eyes, waiting for death to come.

"Whoosh--"

However, the expected death did not occur. She opened her eyes and suddenly saw a slender figure standing in front of her, as if filling her entire world.

"Su Zhi, you have disappointed me greatly."

Xiao Minghuang's calm voice came through.

Although her tone was calm, every word she uttered struck Su Zhi like a thunderclap.

"Your Princess Your Highness, you are wise!"

Su Zhi's face turned deathly pale, and he trembled with fear. He hurriedly explained, "Princess, please hear my explanation! This woman is making false accusations; not a single word of hers is true... She... she's someone from the Blood Demon Path sent to capture me. Princess, you absolutely cannot believe her!"

"Oh?"

Xiao Minghuang said calmly, "Whether it is or not, I will know after I have examined your memory fragments."

Upon hearing this, Su Zhi's mind went blank, realizing there was no turning back.

Without any hesitation, a flame ignited between his brows, instantly burning his Purple Mansion. His aura surged, and his spiritual power was pushed to its limit, allowing him to enter the Life and Death King Realm. He then turned and ran!

However, even a king in the realm of kings is nothing more than a tiny ant in front of Xiao Minghuang!

"Trying to leave?"

Xiao Minghuang frowned slightly, a glint of starlight flashed in her pupils, and then, a ripple spread through the void.

Immediately afterwards, Su Zhi felt a tremendous pull from behind, and his entire body involuntarily flew back.

The next instant, Xiao Minghuang raised her palm and slapped down.

"Bang!"

Su Zhi's physical body instantly collapsed, and even his Purple Mansion Primordial Spirit was blasted into dust by Xiao Minghuang's palm!

"Hiss..."

Gazing at the horrifying scene before her, the woman in red gasped, her beautiful eyes filled with shock.

One palm strike, and a Spirit Transformation expert is annihilated?

This is no ordinary Nascent Soul Realm, but a candidate for Holy Son of the Blood Demon Path!

It should be noted that Su Zhi is among the top ten of the younger generation in the Blood Demon Path.

The reason he has not been able to officially become a candidate for Holy Son is simply because he was born in the Eastern Pole and was not of impeccable lineage, so he had to undergo an additional test.

But Su Zhi's strength truly ranks among the top ten!