Western Great Jin, in the mountains behind the Heavenly Demon Sect.
A sinister wind carried the pungent stench of sulfur and scorched debris, fouling this already eerie region still further. Wisps of smoke continued to rise from the ruined storehouse outside the Myriad Demon Cave. The blasted vault doors resembled a mocking mouth, silently sneering at the Heavenly Demon Sect's decline.
The old demon Hu Qinglei hovered in midair, his normally sinister face now twisted by fury into something resembling a vengeful ghost. Demonic qi churned around him, and his blood-red eyes fixed on the two Nascent Soul cultivators below, both dressed in Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion robes. Behind him, seven or eight Heavenly Demon Sect elders stood with feeble auras, all wounded, their faces filled with lingering terror and venomous resentment.
"Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion... Shi Jian..." Hu Qinglei's voice rasped like two rusty iron plates scraping together, every word seemingly forced through his clenched teeth. "Good. Very good indeed! Our Heavenly Demon Sect has never had any quarrel with your Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion, yet you dared rob us while the fire burned and destroy our storehouse!"
The two Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion cultivators remained perfectly composed. One was the Nascent Soul middle stage cultivator who had accompanied Shi Jian to Kunwu Mountain and later been rescued by Han Li. He lightly stroked the Storage Bag at his waist, a faint, mocking smile on his lips. "Hu Qinglei, you'd best watch your tone. What do you mean, robbing you while the fire burned? We merely borrowed the Spirit Stones in this storehouse for a few days to tide us over. As for your Heavenly Demon Sect, you held this grand concubine-taking ceremony today, yet couldn't even guard your own storehouse. If word gets out, won't the whole world laugh at you?"
**"Laugh