Chapter 87: Demon Sacrifice

“Little Mother?” Wen Qiwu failed to call out to Qing Tuan as she flew away. In this completely ruined alley, only she and her senior sister were left staring at each other and at a small Parasol Tree complete with roots and leaves.

Oh right, there was also a dragon who had no idea what was going on.

“Little Qiwu, did you just call her Little Mom? Is that some special term in your clan, or is it what I’m thinking… are you mother and daughter?”

“The City Lord is right. We are indeed mother and daughter.” Wen Qiwu flapped her wings, gesturing for Bai Jiao to see how much they resembled each other.

“They really do look alike. You truly are mother and daughter.” Bai Jiao glanced away guiltily. After all, not long ago, she had considered capturing someone’s mother to keep as a pet.

“…That one’s temperament is different from my junior sister’s. Don’t provoke that senior.” Yun Heng couldn’t help furrowing her brows slightly at Bai Jiao’s demeanor.

Bai Jiao guiltily covered her hand. Yun Heng’s reminder came too late—she had been dazzled by the fluffiness and tried to pet it, only to get swatted.

After seeing Bai Jiao’s little gesture, Yun Heng understood. She sighed, bent down, and stored the Parasol Tree in her Mustard Seed Space.

This tree could be planted on Cloud Mist Mountain. Later, she could find some spiritual liquid to nourish it, and it wouldn’t take long for the tree to grow big. Then, she could trim the extra branches to make plenty of things for her junior sister.

Yun Heng was about to ask her junior sister’s opinion when she noticed the little dumpling on her shoulder looking wilted and listless.

Yun Heng gently stroked her feathers and asked softly, “Don’t you like this Parasol Tree?”

Wen Qiwu shook her head. “I like it, but… this Parasol Tree is different from that branch earlier.”

That special parasol tree branch had given her a familiar, reassuring feeling. She hadn’t wanted to leave once she stood on it. Although this tree was much larger than that branch, it lacked that sensation.

So, it wasn’t the parasol tree itself that was special—it was that branch.

Yun Heng thought it over. She couldn’t bear to see her junior sister unhappy, so she finally said as if making up her mind, “Next time we encounter her, I’ll ask if we can have it back?”

Wen Qiwu seemed stunned for a moment, then burst out laughing with a “pfft.”

“Little Mom will definitely peck you!” Wen Qiwu rubbed against her senior sister’s hand.

“It’s fine. The Phoenix Lord knows her limits—she won’t go for the kill.” That was probably Yun Heng’s only confidence. As for getting pecked, that was inevitable.

“No need. Little Mom wouldn’t snatch things from me. That parasol tree branch must have some purpose.” By now, Wen Qiwu had figured out Little Mom’s temperament. She had a fiery temper, but she would never stoop to robbing her daughter of a toy. She had probably taken the branch and left because of some urgent matter.

“Let’s investigate those demon cultivator secret bases first. We can’t let the culprits behind the scenes slip away.” Compared to the parasol tree branch, this was far more important.

“Don’t worry. I’ve already brought all those bases here.” Yun Heng reassured Wen Qiwu. After reading the demon cultivator’s memories, she had immediately sealed off those locations and, in the meantime, dug them all up and stored them in her space under seal.

“When did you do that?!” Bai Jiao opened a projection of Merfolk Moon City in shock. Though it was still shrouded in mist, several spots were vaguely empty.

She hadn’t expected Yun Heng to bypass her and dig up her territory directly even with the “key” in hand. Bai Jiao’s elation from her dragon transformation deflated again.

The gap between people was truly vast. Even after becoming a True Dragon, she couldn’t relax.

“Just now. I dug them up on the way to prevent anyone from returning to destroy the evidence.” When Yun Heng excavated those places, she had seen piles of corpses that had been silenced. They were demon cultivators lurking in Merfolk Moon City. That Wise Master was not only cautious but ruthless, executing everyone the moment things went south.

It was precisely because of his ruthlessness that he had kept the secrets hidden this long.

“That’s good too. Those places were filthy anyway. Digging them up and destroying them is the only way to clean them thoroughly. Let’s check those secret rooms. Hopefully, there are some clues.” Bai Jiao cleared out one of her groves specifically, allowing Yun Heng to place the secret rooms there.

The moment the secret rooms were brought out, a thick stench of demonic qi and blood assaulted them.

Wen Qiwu shifted back to human form and covered her nose. Bai Jiao did the same. Immortal beasts’ senses were keener than humans’, so the impact hit them harder.

Yun Heng shielded Wen Qiwu by her side and erected a barrier to block the overpowering odor for her.

Bai Jiao glanced at the two cuddling nearby, then at herself standing alone. For some reason, she suddenly regretted tagging along.

She could only erect her own barrier against the nauseating smell.

Yun Heng stepped into one of the secret rooms first. Books and useless artifacts were scattered everywhere, as if bandits had ransacked the place.

This room had clearly been cleaned out. They searched around but found no important clues.

“The ones in the city probably have nothing left. Let’s check the one from the sea directly. He might not have had time to handle that one.” Yun Heng was betting that he hadn’t dared make big moves when the Phoenix Lord was chasing the demon cultivator.

They went straight to the secret room from beneath the Vast Sea. Yun Heng pushed the door open first, casually disarming several traps before entering.

The traps here were still intact, unlike the others that had been cleared. Yun Heng scanned the room—the items were neatly arranged, and the bookshelves were still full.

Yun Heng casually pulled out a tome on a secret technique lost in the Demon Domain for over ten thousand years. If such a thing circulated, it would stir up endless bloodshed. These had to be destroyed.

Wen Qiwu spotted a jar sealed with talisman paper. She wanted to take it down but didn’t know how to approach it.

The jar was filthy—not with dirt or dust, but layers of congealed brownish bloodstains thick with resentment. She didn’t dare touch it with spiritual energy, fearing her immortal power might get tainted by the resentment outside or whatever was inside.

“I knew it smelled so bad! It’s this thing!” Bai Jiao had been tracking the foul odor. She leaned in for a sniff and immediately retreated several steps, face turning green.

“Senior sister, be careful too.” Wen Qiwu cautioned worriedly as her senior sister reached for the jar.

Yun Heng nodded and extracted the jar. Just as she was about to open it, her movements paused.

“A Que, wait outside for a bit.” She told Wen Qiwu.

Wen Qiwu looked puzzled. Yun Heng gently ruffled her hair and coaxed, “Be good. I’ll be out soon.”

If she wasn’t wrong, the room would soon be unbearable.

Coaxed by her senior sister, Wen Qiwu left the secret room. Moments later, Bai Jiao’s retching and complaints echoed from inside.

“You remembered to send your junior sister out! Why didn’t you remind me?!”

“I already told junior sister, and you were right there listening. I figured you understood.” Yun Heng’s voice remained calm.

“…” Bai Jiao seemed to want to say more but was too revolted to speak.

What had her senior sister and the others seen?

A while later, the door opened. A white shadow flashed, and Bai Jiao appeared by a distant tree, gulping fresh air.

Wen Qiwu hurried to her senior sister’s side, confirming she was unharmed before relaxing. She asked, “What was in there? How did the City Lord Bai end up… like that?”

“I skimmed the forbidden techniques left by the demon cultivator. If I’m not mistaken, that was sacrificial fodder for summoning the Dragon Gate.” Yun Heng sighed.

The jar looked small, but its inner space rivaled all of Merfolk Moon City. The Wise Master’s methods were inhuman—he had captured countless yao with even a trace of Dragon Clan bloodline and refined them into corpse-paste offerings.

The instant the lid came off, the stench of a city’s worth of corpses erupted. But it wasn’t just the smell; centuries of accumulated resentment rushed out too. Weaker souls might even suffer injury. Though Bai Jiao was used to grand scenes, the odor and horrors inside still made her body revolt involuntarily.

The gruesome sight was too much to dwell on. Yun Heng glossed over it without detailing for her junior sister.

“How could the Heavenly Dao not strike him down with lightning?” Wen Qiwu sighed heavily too.

She called to Bai Jiao, who stood motionless nearby as if lost in thought. “City Lord Bai, are you alright? Do you need a Clarity Pill?”

“Thanks, but no need.” Bai Jiao gritted her teeth, her eyes brimming with murderous intent. “A long time ago, several children from my family went missing.”

After they vanished, no trace was ever found. Though her family had declined by then, there were still cultivators among the elders, yet they searched in vain for clues. The children had vanished into thin air right under their noses!

Only today, centuries later, did she spot those children in the corner of the jar.

“I’ll take the jar to Tranquil Buddha Temple and ask the masters there to help ferry their souls. That demon preserved all the offerings’ souls—they might still have a chance to reincarnate.” Yun Heng comforted her.

“Thank you.” Bai Jiao thanked her. Her complexion was even worse than Yun Heng the invalid’s. “We can’t let that scourge live. I think he’s more troublesome than all the Demon Lords combined!”

“But do we have leads now?” Wen Qiwu asked worriedly. Letting such a person lurk in the shadows was like being stalked by a venomous snake—and this one was exceptionally cautious.

“Perhaps.” Yun Heng pondered before saying softly.

“What did you find?” Bai Jiao pressed immediately.

“There were relatively fresh marks around the jar, matching its base in size and shape. I suspect there are two such offerings. Now that you’ve claimed the Dragon Gate inheritance, logic says the demon should flee to avoid encirclement, but he hasn’t left Merfolk Moon City yet. There must be another purpose.” Yun Heng shared her speculation.

Well, she and Merfolk Moon City must have been cursed for eight lifetimes to be targeted by that thing!