Chapter 295: Chapter 295: The Barren Desert, Manor Master Luo Cheng’s Intentions
Over the vast Barren Desert.

Hu Feifei held a white short stick, her pink hair fluttering in the wind.

“Sect Master, who am I supposed to fight?”

She looked around; the south was a boundless desert with no end in sight, only the howling wind raising clouds of dust, making it appear desolate and bleak.

But where was the target of the fight?

In a dimensional space.

Ye Feng was holding a map.

After laying the map out properly, with north at the top and south at the bottom, west to the left and east to the right,

He found the Mystique Kingdom, saw the Southern River Basin, and also located the Barren Desert only a mountain range away from the Southern River Basin.

“It’s said that the Barren Desert often has Sand Demons causing trouble, invading the Southern River Basin, but most have been subdued by the Divine Wind Sword Sect. Therefore, the Divine Wind Sword Sect could be considered the southern barrier of the Southern River Basin and even the entire Mystique Kingdom.”

“Without the Divine Wind Sword Sect, regions like Whitefloat City, Sanyuan City, Nanwu City, and Longwu City would definitely be subject to sneak attacks by Sand Demons.”

Ye Feng muttered to himself as he continued to study the map.

“Sect Master, I’m almost turning into a sand sculpture here, and I still haven’t seen a single Sand Demon,” Hu Feifei’s voice came through.

Ye Feng looked through the Heaven-Asking Mirror and saw Hu Feifei covered in sand dust, indeed resembling a sand sculpture, and he couldn’t help but chuckle.

“Fly towards the center of the Barren Desert and search slowly.”

“Alright, Sect Master.”

Hu Feifei, carrying the white short stick, flew off leisurely.

An hour later.

Hu Feifei penetrated thousands of miles into the Barren Desert.

“Yikes, there’s an oasis down there, and Crescent Lake, I’ll go down for a look!” Hu Feifei crossed over a sand dune and, seeing the scene ahead, was immediately delighted and sped towards it.

“That’s a powerful demonic beast,” Ye Feng warned.

“Watch as I slay it with a single blow,” Hu Feifei exclaimed as she leaped into the air, performed a somersault, and hung suspended over Crescent Lake.

“Splash!”

Water from within Crescent Lake suddenly swirled downward, revealing two rows of sharp teeth along the shoreline, and then the entire lake transformed into a vast mouth a hundred meters in diameter with jagged fangs, poised to devour Hu Feifei.

“Princess, this is the middle-rank Demon General ‘Megalodon Phantom Shark’, which can live on land, disguise itself as a lake, and consume any creature that enters its mouth. It’s been causing much harm; you may slay it,” Ye Feng said, obtaining the information about the demonic beast through the scouting function of the Spirit Beast Pavilion.

Bang!

Hu Feifei swung her stick horizontally.

A terrifying afterimage burst forth, exploding the Megalodon Phantom Shark into a shower like heavy rain, lashing the desert.

“Damn it, did you even leave behind the demon core? At least leave the corpse intact, so I can take it back to Xie Jiaren to make spirit beast feed!”

Ye Feng cried out, half in tears, hurriedly reminding her.

“Got it, Princess understands!”

Hu Feifei nodded, continuing to carry the white stick, resembling a lively little rabbit as she hopped along and hummed a tune.

…

Biyue Villa.

Below the Nine-Layered Demon-Sealing Tower.

Within a hundred yards of the tower, laid with lapis stone, there were no weeds; everything was neat and orderly, clean and tidy.

Beneath the tower, an Element Gathering Realm elder sat cross-legged on a stone bench.

“Who are you, and what brings you here?”

Even with his eyes closed, the elder’s spiritual sense had already detected Shi Lei and his companions, and he asked in a rough, elderly voice.

“We are disciples of the Misty Sect, just passing by to take a look. If we have caused any disturbance, please forgive us,” Shi Lei said bowing, with proper etiquette.

The elder opened his eyes.

Even though he was always guarding the Demon-locking Tower, he would still hear news of the outside world and was aware of the might of the Misty Sect, showing a hint of surprise in his eyes.

“So you’re the guests attending the New Year’s Festival. The tower isn’t open to the public right now, but once tomorrow comes, you’ll be able to go inside,” the elder explained.

“Why tomorrow?” Shi Lei asked earnestly.

“Tomorrow is the New Year’s Festival, which will be held here at the base of the tower. At that time, you’ll naturally be allowed in,” the elder explained without concealment.

This was no secret anymore, so it didn’t matter to reveal it.

“Thank you, elder. We will return now and come again tomorrow,” Shi Lei bid farewell to the elder and took the others back to Biyue Villa.

As the sun set in the west,

The elder still sat cross-legged on the stone bench.

His shadow, along with that of the Nine-Layered Demon-Sealing Tower, stretched long on the ground, casting a somewhat desolate figure.

“For over a thousand years, the mission of the Demon-locking Tower is nearly at its end…”

After a long while, the elder gazed towards the setting sun and let out a sigh of emotion.

…

The evening banquet at the villa had arrived.

Manor Master Luo Cheng’s wife, Gao Lan, personally came over and led Gong Qingqiu and the disciples of the Misty Sect into a vast banqueting hall.

Here, Gong Qingqiu saw a group of strangers.

They were dressed in ancient garments, clearly out of step with the modern cultivation world by over a hundred years, with many different details in their attire.

As for their cultivation levels, the highest among them were at the fourth and fifth layers of the Element Gathering Realm, equivalent to Sect Leaders of One-star Sects.

“Elder Gong, what a coincidence!”

A familiar voice called out.

Gong Qingqiu followed the voice and saw that it was Jiang Feihua, the Treasure Pavilion Master from Longwu City; by his side was Jiang Xinyu, the Wuxuan Pavilion Master.

Further away, there were also Yunhua Zhenren and Fourth Elder Liu Yuzhi.

Even Lin Yuyan was present.

But aside from them, there were no other acquaintances in the banquet hall.

“You were also invited?” Gong Qingqiu looked at Jiang Feihua, Yunhua Zhenren, and Liu Yuzhi, and asked curiously.

At that moment, Manor Master Luo Cheng came over and explained, “The Treasure Pavilion has a rich output, making it an essential place for our Biyue Villa to purchase Spirit Materials; thus, I am an old acquaintance of Pavilion Master Jiang.”

He turned towards Yunhua Zhenren and added, “As for Yunhua Zhenren, he is the elder brother of my wife, Gao Lan.”

“So Yunhua Zhenren’s surname is ‘Gao’.”

Gong Qingqiu and the disciples from the Misty Sect all showed surprised expressions.

“Ladies and gentlemen, as we are all friends, please take your seats!” Gao Lan added with a smile as refreshing as a spring breeze, exuding an elegant and dignified air, like the mother of a nation.

At the banquet.

Shi Lei and his companions chatted while they ate.

Through introductions, they learned that those cultivators in ancient clothing were from powers similar to the hidden Biyue Villa.

These powers occupied various Miniature Spirit Veins and stayed out of external disputes, but each was on par with the scale of Biyue Villa and Yunhua Sect.

“I thank you all for gracing us with your presence at our villa’s New Year gathering. Tomorrow marks the start of a new year, as well as the thousandth anniversary of the construction of the Nine-Layered Demon-Sealing Tower. We especially invite you all to enter the Demon-locking Tower together and share in the treasure that lies within.”

Manor Master Luo Cheng suddenly stood up and announced loudly.

Upon hearing this, everyone stopped their activities.

Enter the Demon-locking Tower?

Share in the treasure?

Everyone was filled with puzzlement.

Seeing the confusion among the guests, Luo Cheng explained:

“You all should know of the Nine-Layered Demon-Sealing Tower that stands on the back hill of our Biyue Villa, with a history spanning a thousand years.”

“However, you might not know what lies hidden within the tower.”

“Even I, as the Manor Master, know only some of it.”

“According to legends, the ninth floor of the Demon-locking Tower suppresses a powerful Demon General with a staggering legacy.”

“However, the historical records of our Biyue Villa state that this legacy can only truly manifest after the Demon General has been suppressed for a thousand years.”

“And tomorrow, the period of a thousand years will be complete.”

“Our opportunity to obtain the treasure has arrived!”

“But the old Sect Master had a decree: the ninth floor of the Demon-locking Tower contains potent Evil Qi, and we must find sufficiently high-level cultivators to join forces and activate this Treasure Bead together in order to enter the ninth floor.”

“And this is the reason I have invited all of you here.”

Luo Cheng explained the reasoning behind the event all at once.

He stretched out his hand, revealing a half-transparent bead the size of a lychee lying in his palm, containing a rich purifying force, having a similar effect to the Purifying Green Lotus.

“Then, how will the treasure be divided?” asked an elder at the fifth layer of the Element Gathering Realm.

“There are three items in the legacy: a Fifth Grade Magic, an Auxiliary Cultivation Method, and a Formation chart. Each power will get a share. However, the original items must remain with our Biyue Villa,” Luo Cheng shared his terms.

The crowd fell into contemplation.

A Fifth Grade Magic, an Auxiliary Cultivation Method, and an unknown Grade Formation chart were all of considerable value.

Even though there were some risks in entering the Demon-locking Tower, it seemed worth a try.

“I am willing to lend my strength,” declared the elder at the fifth layer of the Element Gathering Realm, the first to agree.