Chapter 1420: Ahead of the Six Sacred Venerables

After sending the reports, Myriad Beasts Sect dispatched more people in the direction the Holy Rakshasa had gone, trying to track her movements. Part of the reason was simply to protect the sect itself. They needed to know where she was so she could not suddenly turn around and attack them without warning.

There was another reason as well. They knew Niu Youdao would certainly be watching the Holy Rakshasa’s movements, so Xi Haitang needed to keep abreast of the situation.

Before the trackers could locate her, however, an urgent message arrived from a nearby city reporting the Holy Rakshasa’s whereabouts.

Myriad Beasts Sect had eyes and ears not only in Myriad Forms City at the foot of the mountain, but throughout the nearby cities and towns. For a sect of its size, monitoring the surrounding region was only natural.

According to the report, the Holy Rakshasa had suddenly entered a walled city like a demon descended from beyond the heavens and begun slaughtering people. She killed almost anyone she saw.

The cultivators stationed there by the State of Song did not understand what was happening. They did not even know the intruder was the Holy Rakshasa. They joined forces to attack her, only to prove completely incapable of resistance and suffer a massacre at her hands.

The entire city fell into panic. Some hid. Others fled.

The report specifically mentioned one detail: whenever the Holy Rakshasa caught someone, she asked the same question.

“Where are the people who broke into my city?”

She made absolutely no attempt to hide herself and appeared openly wherever she went.

Reading the urgent report, Xi Haitang immediately realized how serious the situation was. This was certain to alarm the Six Sacred Venerables and bring them personally into action.

Outside the Butterfly Dream Illusory Realm, the Holy Rakshasa was courting death!

Xi Haitang immediately sent another confidential message to Niu Youdao.

...

Inside the secret chamber at Maolu Annex, Niu Youdao could no longer sit still after receiving Xi Haitang’s message. He paced back and forth. “She came out? Why would she suddenly come out when everything was fine? Not earlier, not later—why choose exactly this moment?”

He was already making arrangements for matters inside the Sacred Realm. Having the Holy Rakshasa emerge at precisely this time made him feel as though yet another complication had been dropped into his lap.

If he ignored whether the Holy Rakshasa lived or died, there would be no problem.

But asking him to stand by and watch her die was a decision he found difficult to make.

Yuan Gang, who had delivered the message, watched him pace and understood the dilemma. He reminded him, “Xi Haitang sent word to both us and Misty Pavilion at the same time. We should receive the news first. Misty Pavilion probably hasn’t received it yet. By the time Misty Pavilion gets the message, relays it into the Sacred Realm, alerts the Six Sacred Venerables, and they arrive, it should take at least three days. We still have three days. There should be enough time.”

Niu Youdao glanced back at him, then strode quickly to the map and stared at the position of the Butterfly Dream Illusory Realm, his gaze moving across the surrounding region. “The problem is that we don’t know why she came out in the first place. We don’t even know where she went. Whether we can find her within three days is another matter.”

He abruptly turned. “Call Yun Ji and Hongniang here.”

Yuan Gang immediately strode out.

Yun Ji arrived first not long afterward. “What happened?”

Niu Youdao handed her the report he had just received and let her read it herself.

She had barely finished when Yuan Gang and Guan Fangyi arrived as well.

Guan Fangyi asked, “What is so urgent that you called us here in such a rush?”

Yun Ji’s expression had turned grave. She handed the report directly to Guan Fangyi.

After reading it, Guan Fangyi looked up in astonishment. “Yin’er came out? What did she come out for?”

Standing before the map, Niu Youdao said heavily, “That is exactly what worries me most. I don’t know whether it has something to do with her last fight against those Sacred Venerables. If she came out because of that and heads for the Sacred Realm... Judging by how the last battle went inside the illusory realm, once she leaves that realm, she is no match for the Six Sacred Venerables at all. And she doesn’t have much guile. With the methods those six possess, she has virtually no chance of surviving. Even if they can’t defeat her directly, they have plenty of ways to kill her.”

The other three understood what he meant. If the Holy Rakshasa openly charged into the Sacred Realm, then even if they wanted to help, they would not dare intervene.

Guan Fangyi said, “You can’t be certain. Maybe she came out for some completely different reason.”

“I’ve gone into the illusory realm several times,” Niu Youdao replied. “I found that she always stayed at Shang Song’s Traveling Palace and apparently would not leave it lightly. Why suddenly come out now? Thinking it over, the only reason I can come up with is what happened before. Those people from the Sacred Realm wounded her badly. Other than that, I can’t think of anything else that would have stirred her into action. I’m worried she came out this time for revenge.”

Yun Ji nodded slightly. “The Holy Rakshasa is very proud. She is the sovereign of the Butterfly Dream Illusory Realm. From the way she fought those Sacred Venerables, she was plainly willing to fight them to the death. She was badly injured before. With the pride she has as a ruler, I doubt she would simply accept being beaten and let the matter end there. Revenge really is possible.”

Guan Fangyi was growing anxious. “Then what do we do?”

“If she has already gone to the Sacred Realm, there’s nothing we can do to stop her now,” Niu Youdao said. “But if she hasn’t, where would she go? We have only three days. The world is enormous. Finding her within three days will not be easy. And if she is easy for us to find, that means Misty Pavilion can find her too. Trying to take her away while avoiding all those eyes and ears would be difficult.”

The other three all understood.

Only Master Dao could bring the Holy Rakshasa under control, but in her current state she recognized no one. Subduing her without creating any disturbance would probably be impossible.

Guan Fangyi suddenly said, “Could Yin’er go to Maolu Villa in Qingshan Commandery? She lived there for so long, after all.”

Niu Youdao waved the idea away. “No. When she isn’t in human form, she has no memory of her life as a human. I can confirm that. Even if she did transform into human form, with that glutton’s brain of hers, remembering the road would be asking too much. If she really has gone to the Sacred Realm, there’s nothing we can do. What happens to her will depend on her own fortune.”

“For now, we can only proceed on the assumption that she did not go to the Sacred Realm. If she didn’t, then we have to race against the people there and find her before the Six Sacred Venerables arrive. It isn’t appropriate to mobilize Wuliang Mountain to watch for her right now, so we can only wait passively for information. The Nanzhou agents the Prince planted throughout the various states should also report to him if they discover the Holy Rakshasa.”

He turned to Guan Fangyi. “Hongniang, you stay here and hold the fort. Keep watch for news from Wuliang Mountain and stay in contact with the Prince’s side. If anyone finds the Holy Rakshasa, have the Prince inform you immediately. The moment you learn her whereabouts, send word to me.”

Guan Fangyi understood immediately that he intended to go out again. “We don’t even know where Yin’er is yet. Where are you going?”

“We can’t sit here and wait passively. I’ll head in that direction first and meet Xi Haitang. If something happens, I’ll be in a better position to react quickly. Monkey and Yun Ji will come with me. You stay here and watch the house. The moment there’s news, report it to me.”

Guan Fangyi glanced at Yuan Gang in surprise. Hadn’t Niu Youdao forbidden this man from showing himself outside? Why was he deliberately taking this yellow-faced Monkey with him now?

But she also knew the situation was urgent and that this was no time for pique. She nodded. “All right.”

Niu Youdao turned to Yuan Gang and Yun Ji. “There’s no time to lose. Prepare yourselves. We leave immediately!”

The three dispersed to prepare for the journey.

Niu Youdao remained in the secret chamber, pacing. This unexpected development had forced him to consider whether it might affect everything he had arranged before and after it.

Not long afterward, Yun Ji returned carrying a bundle and waited nearby for Yuan Gang so they could depart together.

But when Yuan Gang hurried in, he had another letter in his hand. “Master Dao, another message from Xi Haitang. They’ve found the Holy Rakshasa.”

Found her?

Niu Youdao snatched the letter from his hand and opened it. Yun Ji quickly moved beside him and leaned over to read as well.

“Where are the people who broke into my city?” Niu Youdao murmured as he read the report.

Yun Ji said, “That settles it. She really did come out because she refused to let the matter go. She really is looking for those Sacred Venerables to settle the score. From this, it seems she has no idea who the people she fought actually were, and she isn’t good at communicating with people either. Since she’s showing herself so openly, finding her will be easy now.”

“Easy?” Niu Youdao glanced at her. His voice sank. “I’d call it troublesome. Misty Pavilion has people everywhere. Wherever she goes like this, someone will be watching her. We can’t communicate with her normally either. How are we supposed to take her away under countless eyes?”

Yun Ji frowned. “Then what do we do?”

Niu Youdao frowned as well. He held a fist near his mouth and thought for a moment before suddenly deciding, “Prepare two flying mounts. We leave with Lü Wushuang as well. If the circumstances really make it inconvenient for us to act, we can use her identity to order Misty Pavilion’s eyes and ears away. Worst comes to worst, we make it look as though she was the one who did it.”

Yun Ji said, “In her present condition, she hasn’t fully recovered. It would be inconvenient for her to show herself.”

“That’s simple. Have Hongniang put makeup on her, alter her complexion, and give her a wig.”

“All right!” Yun Ji put down her bundle and quickly left.

Yuan Gang moved closer to Niu Youdao. “Master Dao, Lü Wushuang is no ordinary woman. She knows how to seize an opportunity. She won’t be easy to use. I’m afraid she may take the chance to demand conditions.”

Niu Youdao looked back at him, then could not help laughing. “What conditions? Worried she’ll use the opportunity to threaten you into marrying her?”

Yuan Gang remained expressionless and said nothing, which was as good as admitting it.

Niu Youdao chuckled. “Relax. I’m not going to barter away your marriage. We’re only bringing her as insurance against the unexpected. If we really run into a situation with too many people watching, all we need to do is drag her out and let them see her face. Whether we borrow her authority to frighten them or issue false orders in her name, she doesn’t actually need to do or say anything. We can handle whatever needs saying and doing for her.”

So that was it.

Yuan Gang nodded slightly to show he understood, and visibly relaxed.

Once everything was ready, the four of them departed through the secret passage, with Yun Ji gripping Lü Wushuang by the arm and dragging her along.

“Where are we going?” Lü Wushuang asked several times.

No one answered.

When they emerged from the secret passage, they were already outside the city. Two finger bells rang. Before long, two flying mounts descended from the sky.

The four leapt aboard, and the mounts rose into the air and sped away.

...

At Ice and Snow Sacred Land, inside an ice palace, Granny Xue leaned on her cane with one hand while holding a letter in the other. She stared at it from one side and then the other for a long time before finally muttering aloud, “Yin Ji? Yin Ji! Wasn’t this woman dead? How did she suddenly appear and ask to meet me?”

Bai Wuya said, “It was Luo Qiu who said she died back then. Everything came from Daluo Sacred Land. Whether she really died, no one actually knows.”

Granny Xue turned her head toward him. “You mean this woman may still be alive, and the person who sent this letter may truly be her?”

Bai Wuya shook his head. “Not necessarily.”

[End of Chapter 1420]