Ye Ling's words fell, and silence returned to the room and its surroundings.
After a moment, a middle-aged man in a suit, with a smiling face, walked in from outside the private room.
This middle-aged man had his hair slicked back. Although his aura was restrained, Ye Ling could still tell that he possessed the cultivation of an eighth-rank expert.
"Who are you?" Ye Ling asked, sizing up the middle-aged man.
Now that the Hongchen Pavilion was destroyed, he theoretically had no enemies left on Earth. However, Ye Ling felt a faint hostility from this middle-aged man.
Ye Ling didn't even know him.
The middle-aged man smiled and bowed to Ye Ling, saying, "I apologize for disturbing you. My name is Mo Jun, a member of the Shadow Hall. I'm here on orders from my superiors to deliver a message to you both."
"Shadow Hall?"
Upon hearing Mo Jun's words, Ye Ling's eyes narrowed, and a cold glint flashed in them.
Earlier, in the hidden space of the ancient ruins, he had killed Luo Fengxi, who claimed to be one of the Twelve Pillars of the Shadow Hall. This clearly indicated that the Shadow Hall was manipulating all of the Hongchen Pavilion's actions on Earth.
Furthermore, Ye Ling had also learned from Yang Jian that the leader of the Shadow Hall was Xuan Xiao.
Ye Ling had initially thought that after absorbing the inner demon and dealing with the Hongchen Pavilion, the Shadow Hall would lie low for a while.
Yet, after only a few days of peace, the Shadow Hall couldn't hold back and had come to him...
It was likely that the extraterrestrial forces were becoming restless.
"You really know how to stir up trouble," Ye Ling sighed slightly, then said, "You'd better deliver your message clearly before I kill you."
"Otherwise, if you die before finishing your message, your superiors will have to send someone else."
Mo Jun smiled and said, "Please don't worry, Your Majesty. I came here today with the resolve to die. After I deliver my message, even if Your Majesty doesn't kill me, I will end my own life."
"End your own life?"
Hearing Mo Jun's words, Ye Ling frowned, thinking he had misheard.
He had only spoken casually to intimidate the man and hadn't actually intended to deal with this minor subordinate.
He hadn't expected that instead of him acting, Mo Jun would choose to end his own life.
Is this how members of the Shadow Hall operate now?
An eighth-rank异士 (yìshì - unusual person/expert) is used as a disposable messenger...
Such extravagant methods would likely incite extreme envy and jealousy from major powers around the world.
Mo Jun didn't give Ye Ling much time to ponder this matter. He stated directly, "We have captured Su Ruoxue. If Your Majesty wants her alive, hand over your ultimate power."
Boom!
As Mo Jun was speaking, a powerful aura erupted from Ye Ling's body, pressing down heavily on Mo Jun, forcing him to his knees!
Mo Jun's bones shattered all over his body!
Ye Ling's face turned as cold as frost. "Say what you just said again?"
Mo Jun coughed up a mouthful of blood, then said with great difficulty, "The superiors have given you three days. If Your Majesty has made up your mind, then go to Buzhou Mountain with your sister. Someone will be waiting there."
After speaking, Mo Jun swallowed the poison he had hidden in a tooth, causing himself to die instantly.
"You want to die before finishing your words?"
Seeing Mo Jun commit suicide by poison, Ye Ling's eyes blazed with cold light. He directly tore open the space connecting the mortal realm and the underworld to seize Mo Jun's soul as it plunged into hell!
However, the moment Ye Ling grabbed Mo Jun's soul, it completely disintegrated!
A restriction was triggered, and Mo Jun was reduced to ashes, never to be reincarnated.
"Brother..."
Ye You's expression turned grim as she saw Mo Jun's soul vanish. She looked at Ye Ling.
The Shadow Hall's demand for ultimate power right from the start clearly indicated that the extraterrestrial enemies were making their next move.
Moreover, judging by their aggressive tactics, if they failed to achieve their goal this time, not only Su Ruoxue but others would suffer next.
To those extraterrestrial forces, Earth was merely an insignificant speck of dust. They wouldn't bat an eye even if it were destroyed.
If they could threaten Ye Ling with one or two hostages and make him obediently hand over his ultimate power, they would do so without hesitation, and their actions would become increasingly reckless.
Ye Ling's expression was icy. He tore open space again and walked into Su Ruoxue's room. He could still see the gift Su Ruoxue had meticulously prepared for Ye You lying in the room. On the floor in front of the dressing table, a lipstick was broken.
It was clear that the group from the Shadow Hall had directly abducted Su Ruoxue while Mo Jun was distracting them.
Looking at the empty room, Ye Ling's face was as cold as frost, and killing intent blazed in his eyes.
However, he also knew that now was not the time to be anxious or express his anger. Others needed to be protected to prevent them from falling victim to the Shadow Hall's schemes!
Ye Ling immediately teleported to Qingye Town to protect his aunt and Su Xiaoyu. He then set up protective barriers for his other close associates before returning to Qingzhu Pavilion.
Ye You had already spread out a sheepskin map on the table and was marking it.
Seeing Ye Ling return, she immediately said, "Brother, Buzhou Mountain is a spiritual mountain located between the underworld and the mortal realm. With the decline of spiritual energy between heaven and earth, there are very few entrances to the semi-spiritual realm where Buzhou Mountain is located. Currently, in China, there is only an entrance in the area of Mount Shu."
"I only recently contacted Sister Ruoxue by phone. If they just abducted Sister Ruoxue, and we pursue them now, we might be able to intercept them here!"
Ye You placed her index finger on a幽谷 (yōugǔ - secluded valley) in front of Mount Shu on the sheepskin map.
That place...
It was a necessary path to Mount Shu, and it was also one of the few ancient towns of demons in China today!
Seeing the place Ye You pointed to, Ye Ling nodded. He took Ye You's hand and tore open space, saying, "Let's go now!"
Ye Ling and Ye You, carrying the map, disappeared from the room, leaving behind only a pool of slowly drying blood.
...
On the southwestern edge of Xichuan, Emei, the Ancient Town of Demons!
Currently, the human race is powerful, and technology has developed explosively. The surge in technology continuously compensates for the weakness of the human body, placing humans at the top of the food chain in the mortal world.
Humans are venturing into more and more areas, and the habitats of demons are becoming increasingly scarce.
Furthermore, the immortal realm itself tends to favor the protection of humans, and demons dare not openly attack humans. Consequently, they can only retreat to isolated places, avoiding contact with humans.
Qingqiu is one such place.
And the Ancient Town of Demons in Emei is another.
The Ancient Town of Demons is located beneath Mount Emei. On the surface, it is a tourist ancient town, receiving tens of millions of tourists annually, making it incredibly popular.
However, no one knows that this tourist ancient town is the entrance to the Ancient Town of Demons in the semi-spiritual realm.
By entering the tourist ancient town and using specific methods, one can enter the semi-spiritual realm and step into the Ancient Town of Demons.
And beyond the Ancient Town of Demons lies Mount Shu.
Beyond Mount Shu is Buzhou Mountain!