Chapter 340

Killing Su Zhi with a single palm strike is something even an ordinary King Realm expert couldn't do.

Only a Saint Realm expert could probably do that!

If placed among the younger generation, even the most outstanding prodigy in the entire Six Paths, the Holy Maiden of Joyful Union Saintess Mo Xiaoxian, could not achieve this!

She had seen the Joyful Union Saintess before; this was not the woman before her.

The two people have absolutely no resemblance, from their appearance to their temperament and level of cultivation.

So.

Who exactly is this mysterious woman before us?

After dealing with Su Zhi, Xiao Minghuang gently waved her hand, grabbed Su Zhi's true spirit that was about to fall into the river of time, pulled out the fragments of memory from it, and then released the trembling true spirit.

The woman in red was secretly astonished by this scene, and her fear of Xiao Minghuang grew even stronger, lest she harm her.

After collecting Su Zhi's memory fragments, Xiao Minghuang glanced through them and discovered that Su Zhi had died too quickly, and most of his memories had been lost. Only fragments of his experiences in the Southern Wilderness remained, making them difficult to decipher.

After a moment's hesitation, Xiao Minghuang turned her gaze to the woman in red, walked slowly towards her, a gentle smile on her exquisite face, "What's your name?"

Upon hearing this, the woman in red trembled. For some reason, looking at Xiao Minghuang's exquisite face, she felt a surge of inexplicable fear, and even had an urge to kneel down.

453. Fellow Daoist, do you know that this Epochal Annihilation?

This is a fear that originates from the depths of one's soul!

Even though the woman before her did not display any intimidation, and even seemed to be deliberately restraining herself, she was still filled with awe, her emotions surging and unable to calm down for a long time.

A little while.

Under Xiao Minghuang's gaze, the woman in red finally mustered her courage and bowed respectfully.

Recalling how Su Zhi had addressed her as "Princess," she repeated, "I... I am Shi Hongyu, a true disciple of the Blood Demon Path..."

Xiao Minghuang nodded and continued, "You just said that you came here to find Su Zhi to return to Blood Demon City and officially become a candidate for Holy Son. What's going on?"

Upon hearing this, Shi Hongyu bit her lip, her face full of disappointment. She had originally admired Su Zhi, which was why she had taken on this arduous task of delivering a message to the outer desert.

She thought this incident would lead to a romance between her and Su Zhi, but instead, she was met with only harsh words and swords drawn!

With this in mind, her last vestige of affection for Su Zhi vanished completely.

"Here's what happened..."

As Shi Hongyu recounted her story, Xiao Minghuang finally gained a true understanding of Su Zhi's experiences in the Southern Wilderness.

It turns out that Su Zhi came to the Southern Wilderness not because he was captured, as he claimed, but because he came voluntarily.

When Su Zhi first came to the Southern Wilderness with the Holy Son of the Netherworld Path, he initially cultivated in the Netherworld Path. Later, it was discovered that he had the talent to cultivate the Blood Demon Path, so he switched to the Blood Demon Path.

He gradually began to show his talent, but because of his background in the Eastern Pole, he was unable to become a disciple of the Demon Lord, that is, a candidate for Holy Son.

Therefore, in order to prove his sincerity, he volunteered to go to the outer desert and endure three years of desolation and loneliness in order to gain the Demon Lord's trust.

"Not a single word Su Zhi uttered was true."

Xiao Minghuang head slightly and sighed softly.

However, Su Zhi probably wanted to return to Dongji with her, otherwise he wouldn't have silenced Shi Hongyu.

Now that Su Zhi is dead, everything about him is in the past, and she has no intention of investigating further.

Immediately, Xiao Minghuang raised his right hand, and a surge of white magic power flowed out, flowing into Shi Hongyu's body and instantly healing her injuries.

"Thank you, Your Princess Your Highness." Shi Hongyu bowed respectfully.

"No need for such formalities."

Xiao Minghuang waved her hand lightly and said calmly, "I am heading to the Central Demon City. If you can guide me, I will reward you afterward. If you are unwilling, then we shall part ways."

Although many fragments of Su Zhi's memory are missing, the general geographical location of the Southern Wilderness still exists, so she won't lose her way.

"Is the princess going to the Central Demon City?"

Upon hearing Xiao Minghuang's words, Shi Hongyu was taken aback at first, then exclaimed with delight, "My Lineage is in the Central Demon City. I would be more than happy to guide the princess!"

"Very well, then I'll trouble you to lead the way, young lady." Xiao Minghuang smiled radiantly, dazzling all who beheld her.

Seeing such a beautiful face and such a charming smile, even though she was a woman herself, Shi Hongyu couldn't help but blush slightly.

After a moment of stunned silence, Shi Hongyu led Xiao Minghuang and flew towards the Central Demon City.

During the journey, Xiao Minghuang began to inquire about the basic situation in the Southern Wilderness.

Shi Hongyu dared not be negligent and explained it in detail.

Regarding the geography of the Southern Wilderness, Shi Hongyu's account was almost identical to Su Zhi's, indicating that Ancestor Su had not lied to her on this point.

However, Su Zhi knew very little about the more detailed and specific aspects.

After all, Su Zhi was not a native of the Southern Wilderness.

Shi Hongyu, on the other hand, was originally from the Central Demon City, and her knowledge and experience far surpassed that of Su Zhi.

For example, although Su Zhi stayed in Blood Demon City for three years, he always cultivated behind closed doors and was completely unaware of the power distribution within the Blood Demon Path.

Shi Hongyu, however, knew the distribution of power in the entire Six Paths of Demonic Ways like the back of her hand.

"... The six paths, including the Joyful Union Dao and the Red Dust Path Blood Demon Path, are headed by the Mortal Path, simply because the Devil Master himself cultivates the Red Dust Path. However, the Red Dust Path has very few disciples and does not engage in worldly affairs, hence the name 'Six Paths,' but in reality, it is five."

"Among the five paths, the Netherworld Path is led by the Netherworld Demon Venerable, who enjoys the greatest trust from the Devil Master and is entrusted with important responsibilities, managing the entire Southern Wilderness on his behalf!"

"Secondly, there are the Blood Demon Path, the Asura Path, the Joyful Union Dao, and the Burial King Path."

At this point, Shi Hongyu suddenly sighed and said, "Speaking of which, the Burial King Path was originally ranked above the Joyful Union Dao among the Five Paths. However, after the Burial King Supreme Being's fall not long ago, the Burial King Path quickly declined. Most of its disciples joined other demonic paths. Now, the Burial King Path is just an empty shell. Its cultivation techniques, supernatural abilities, spirit stones, pills, and even the array in its medicine garden have all been stolen, openly or secretly. Truly, the world is unpredictable..."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Minghuang couldn't help but smile slightly, a strange smile appearing in her eyes.

"Indeed, life is unpredictable..."

Having said that, Shi Hongyu asked seemingly casually, "Having met the princess for so long, I have yet to ask which sect you belong to as a senior?"

"I belong to no sect or school, and through a fortuitous opportunity, I became self-taught. Fellow Daoist Shi, please don't call me 'senior,' it makes me sound old..."

Xiao Minghuang shook her head slightly and made up a lie.

"Um... Princess, you misunderstand. I didn't mean that..."

Shi Hongyu said somewhat awkwardly that after spending some time together, she had also discovered that the princess was a gentle and quiet woman, and her affection for her was constantly growing.

"Hehe."

Xiao Minghuang chuckled softly and said nothing more.

Shi Hongyu felt quite regretful about the fact that Xiao Minghuang was Rogue Cultivator.

If she could find out the princess's background, she might be able to ask her clansmen to find out her origins, but it seems that's out of the question now.

In the vast Southern Wilderness, there are countless living beings. It is impossible for all cultivators to join the Six Paths of Demonic Ways. In fact, those unaffiliated Rogue Cultivator make up 90% of all cultivators in the Southern Wilderness.

After some casual conversation, Xiao Minghuang gained a much better understanding of the situation in the Southern Wilderness. Then, she brought up the purpose of her trip.

"I've heard that the war between the Southern Wilderness and the Eastern Pole has ended, Peace Negotiation Envoy Group from the Eastern Pole has arrived at the Central Devil Palace. Does Fellow Daoist Shi know of this?"

I've heard about that too.

Shi Hongyu nodded, then shook her head. "I've been in Blood Demon City for a while now and don't know anything about what happened in the Central Devil Palace. I'll ask my clansmen to find out when I get there."

"What? Is the princess interested in peace talks?"

Shi Hongyu asked with slight doubt.

"Hehe, I wouldn't say I'm particularly interested, I just find it a bit strange," Xiao Minghuang said with a slight smile.

"The war between the two worlds has lasted for so many years, how come it's suddenly going to be peaceful?"

I heard...

Shi Hongyu laughed and said, "It seems that the Epochal Annihilation is coming, so the important figures have lost interest in continuing to fight."

"Does Fellow Daoist Shi know that this Epochal Annihilation?"

454. The City of Fear in the World

Xiao Minghuang's mind immediately stirred. She was also very curious about what ordinary cultivators thought about the Epochal Annihilation, aside from great figures like the Emperor who stood at the top of the pyramid.

"My people told me."

Shi Hongyu frowned and said, "It seems to be saying that a very powerful genius has emerged in the Eastern Pole. If she is after the Eastern Pole Emperor... what was it again?"

"Harmony and Unity as the Source"

Xiao Minghuang reminded him.

"That's right!" Shi Hongyu continued, "If she were to merge with the Origin of the Realm after the Eastern Pole Emperor, then the Eastern Emperor of the Central Heaven would only have a lifespan of a few, at most no more than a hundred epochs."

"Our Southern Wilderness, together with the Eastern Pole of the Central Heaven, the Western Lands, and the Northern Sea, forms the Five Realms of Heavenly Dao. If the Heavenly Dao of the Eastern Pole of the Central Heaven decays and perishes, then the Heavenly Dao of the Southern Wilderness will also perish."

"Does the Devil Master have any countermeasures in mind?"

Xiao Minghuang pressed for an answer.

Shi Hongyu shook her head and said, "I don't know anything about those important figures."

Xiao Minghuang frowned slightly and remained silent.

"... Well, Princess, don't overthink it. The Epochal Annihilation is still many years away, so what does it have to do with us?"

Seeing Xiao Minghuang lost in thought, Shi Hongyu couldn't help but offer some words of comfort.

Perhaps.

Xiao Minghuang nodded slightly, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.

As Su Zhi said, teleportation arrays, which require a large amount of spirit stones to activate, do not exist in ordinary towns in the Southern Wilderness.

Therefore, it took Xiao Minghuang and Shi Hongyu a full half month to travel from the outer desert to Blood Demon City.

"Princess, there is a formation within Blood Demon City that leads to the Central Demon City, but..."

"Just what?"

Shi Hongyu lowered her head slightly, looking rather embarrassed, and said, "It's just that I'm short of money. Using the teleportation array once costs at least one hundred Top-grade Spirit Stones..."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Minghuang didn't say anything more, but directly took out a storage bag from her sleeve and pushed it in front of her.

"This should be enough."

"Ah..."

Looking at the storage bag overflowing with top-grade Top-grade Spirit Stones, probably numbering in the thousands, Shi Hongyu stood there stunned. In all her life, she had never seen so many Top-grade Spirit Stones!

After a moment, she suddenly came to her senses and hurriedly shook her head, refusing, "These... these are too valuable, I can't accept them."

"Keep it."

Xiao Minghuang smiled faintly.

"This..."

Shi Hongyu remained hesitant.

"Take it. Don't betray my trust in you, and don't disappoint me." Xiao Minghuang looked at Shi Hongyu earnestly and said.

"Yes."

After hesitating for a long time, Shi Hongyu gritted her teeth and agreed.

"Thank you, Princess."

"Let's go into town."

The two then entered Blood Demon City and headed towards the teleportation hall.

Teleportation arrays are too expensive, so usually no cultivators come here. As a result, the main hall is empty and so quiet that you could hear a pin drop.

Xiao Minghuang stepped into the hall and looked around. He saw a small stone table standing on the high platform of the formation. Upon closer inspection, he discovered a groove on the stone table.

"Princess, place the spirit stones into the slots, and the formation will activate... Select your destination here; the farther the distance, the more spirit stones it will consume."

"It's great, very convenient."