âI heard that you are very vigilant, Junior Brother Jiang. Could you scout the area?â asked Len Fang.
âSure.â Jiang Hao nodded.
âThank you, Junior Brother Jiang. If you find anything, retreat immediately,â said Ye Ji.
Jiang Hao nodded. He then moved forward. He found a tree branch to keep watch from. From there, he could see the temporary camp they had set up.
Some people were scattered around the area. They were probably keeping watch too.
It was soon midnight. Jiang Hao surveyed the surroundings but didnât find anything. He glanced at the people who had come with him. They were discussing something.
Jiang Hao hid behind a tree. He climbed up to a branch and opened the book on charms and bewitchments.
He couldnât study the nameless manual or the Seven Forms of Heavenly Technique here. So, he read the books on charms to pass the time. As he read more and more, he found the content fascinating.
Enchantments were much more powerful than he had expected. If it werenât for the Heaven Extinction Gu Poison, he might have been affected by many things already.
The aura, movement, words, a glance, a smileâall contained hidden killing intent. It was to captivate the mind and the heart to break defensive barriers.
âTerrifying,â he muttered softly.
âIt is quite unexpected to see you learning such techniques,â said a voice near his ear.
Jiang Hao was startled. He almost fell off the branch. Hong Yuye had appeared right beside him on the branch.
âSenior, how long have you been here?â Jiang Hao quickly put away the book.
âFrom when you reached the sixth page,â she said.
Jiang Hao was a bit embarrassed. He had just opened the book. It wasnât like he was trying to learn to use them.
The woman beside him was incredibly powerful. She had released little to no aura. He hadnât been able to sense her at all.
âWhy are you learning that?â she asked.
âPlease donât misunderstand, Senior,â said Jiang Hao. âI think that some people are using such techniques to manipulate me. So, I wanted to learn more about them to detect it.â
Hong Yuye frowned. She was really not used to Jiang Hao being truthful. He always lied to her. It felt strange when he was being honest.
She jumped down from the branch and landed softly on the ground. Jiang Hao followed.
âHow is my flower? Have you been paying attention to it?â she asked.
âI worry about it day and night, but Iâm powerless when it comes to certain things,â said Jiang Hao.
Hong Yuye nodded. She looked in the distance where the starlight fell. âWhy are you here?â
âIâm on a sect mission. I had no choice.â
âDo you know whatâs inside the core?â Hong Yuye took a step forward. Her gaze was fixed on the light that illuminated the core.
âDemons?â
âDo you remember what I told you in the mine?â asked Hong Yuye.
Jiang Hao nodded. âI remember. It used to be a battlefield before. People believe there is a precious treasure hidden inside. Is that related to this place?â
It made sense to Jiang Hao. The changes in the mine had caused such changes in the Devilâs Den, after all.
âThis is said to be the place where the stars and planets fall and converge. It is also believed to be the place of inheritance.â
âInheritance?â Jiang Hao looked at the light in the distance. âThen⌠why doesnât the Heavenly Note Sect try to enter and conquer it?â Hong Yuye glanced at Jiang Hao. âWhy donât you ask them?â
Jiang Hao didnât dare to do so. âWhat about you, Senior?â
If there was an inheritance there, why didnât Hong Yuye take it for herself?
Hong Yuye didnât speak. She looked at Jiang Hao. This time, he didnât see any disdain or mockery in her eyes. There was only calmness.
âDoes that mean sheâs not interested in it?â
Jiang Hao sighed inwardly. He was curious how long it would take him to reach her level. Even if he mined for a hundred years and collected bubbles, he couldnât compete with her.
âAre you interested in inheritance?â Hong Yuye asked.
âNo.â Jiang Hao shook his head. âItâs too dangerous for me. I would rather continue tending to your flower. Having an inheritance would make me an easy target.â
Hong Yuye smiled.
Jiang Hao felt that Hong Yuye didnât care if others found out about this information.
I have something I need to ask you, Senior,â said Jiang Hao and hesitated. âThe flower in my courtyard⌠your flower⌠is it very difficult to plant it?â The question caught her attention. She looked at him.
Jiang Hao felt flustered in front of her gaze. He lowered his head.
The stars shone brighter. Jiang Hao looked up and realized that the pillar of light at the core was brighter than before.
âIt seems that there is no peace here either,â said Hong Yuye.
Her gaze shifted back to Jiang Hao. âAny progress with the stone tablet?â
âI attended a gathering, hosted by a man named Dan Yuan,â Jiang Hao said. He told her briefly about the things that had happened. He also told her that Dan Yuan sought information about the Heavenly Fragrance Dao Flower.
Hong Yuye smiled. She seemed to have no intention of getting involved.
Jiang Hao felt that Hong Yuye couldnât care less about the group in the stone tablet, but he did. For now, he wouldnât give them any information.
âHow long do you plan to stay here?â Hong Yuye asked.
âIâm not sure.â
Bang!
Jiang Hao collided with a tree.
âAs soon as possible! Iâll return as soon as possible!â he said hurriedly. âIt should be clear by now that your priority is the flower,â said Hong Yuye.
She turned into a red shadow and disappeared on the spot.
Jiang Hao heaved a sigh of relief. He had said he would return as soon as possible, but he didnât know how long that would be.
Early the next morning, there was a rumble. Jiang Hao stood on a branch and stared at the distance.
Demons appeared and disappeared. There were thousands of them.
They were led by two huge demons at the front. They were in the Golden Core Realm.
Many demons dragged giant rocks behind them. The ground rumbled because of that.
âIt seems like theyâre planning a massive attack. We have a defensive line with only a little over five hundred people. There are around a thousand demons. This is not a good situation,â thought Jiang Hao.
âBut there are many formations and traps in place at the defense line. They should work and delay the demons.â
âThe most important thing is whether Senior Brother Jin Long can fight the two Golden Core demons by himself.â
Jiang Hao suddenly discovered a hidden group of demons approaching their location. âDemons are coming this way.â
Although there was no immediate danger, they still needed to be careful. âIâll alert the group first. If I find an opening, Iâll leave the team..â