Young Noble Be Monster Slaying

Chapter 758: There's Another Xue Lingxue?

Ominous crimson-black currents were flowing throughout a pitch-black, rugged island. Just one glance would make a person's soul tremble.

This was Soul Flame Island, located in the West Sea.

Originally, it was a place that the West Sea Diabolical Forces used solely to refine souls. It had always been under the control of Immortal Yuan Lu, and he had forbidden outsiders from setting foot on its grounds. Nevertheless, his rule was no longer of any consequence.

The Imperial Supervisory Bureau had subdued Immortal Yuan Lu but officially declared him dead. The allied forces of the immortal sects set out to purge the West Sea of the diabolical cultivators, but the diabolical forces there stood no chance without their combat powerhouse. Their collapse was immediate, and they scattered like monkeys from a falling tree.

The orthodox diabolical disciples of the West Sea Diabolical Forces lost the land that their sects had occupied for thousands of years. Many fled or were killed. Those who survived were forced into hiding, becoming no different from the members of the infamous Dark King Sect that had to constantly live in hiding.

As a result, Soul Flame Island had become eerily quiet.

There was a woman on the island. She had smooth, glowing skin and was dressed in a flowing sky-blue muslin dress. She appeared to be walking, but a closer look would reveal that her feet never touched the ground. The woman hovered a few inches above it, drifting gracefully like a spirit born from nature itself. Her fairy-like presence was very distinct against the eerie backdrop of the pitch-black island.

The woman called out, “Over here! This way, Esteemed Senior Moth. Be careful not to step on the soul-burning lava. Even with your high cultivation level, it will still cause some discomfort."

She directed her words at a short, tired-looking man wrapped in a thick white robe. He appeared to be in his forties or fifties, with shriveled skin and a face lined with deep wrinkles.

Despite what he said, he continued to hover over the ground, avoiding the flowing lava.

The woman responded politely, "Apologies for troubling you, Esteemed Senior."

"I missed that great battle, so doing this now isn't much trouble at all," the man replied, rubbing his eyes. He asked, "But I'm curious. Demon King of the Verdant Foxhills, why do you insist on having me accompany you?"

The woman answered nonchalantly, "Because no one else was willing to go with me."

She was Caiyi, the Demon King of the Verdant Foxhills in the Far West.

As for the man who looked tired and old, he was the Demon King of the Emerald Forest—Moth.

Long ago, when the land demons were forced into exile and fled to the Far West, the seven surviving demon kings divided the scarce livable land among themselves under the guidance of the Demon God's high priests. The territories were the Great Marshlands, the Verdant Foxhills, the Frostveil Domain, the Desolate Plains, Mount Thunder, the Abyss of Wrath, and the Emerald Forest.

It was clear at a glance that the Emerald Forest and Verdant Foxhills had the best terrain. At the very least, they had plants and vegetation, making them far more habitable than the other territories. That meant the two demon kings that had managed to claim those two territories were clearly very powerful.

Yet, when Venerable Wen Yuan led his forces to attack their lands, all the demon kings rose to the fight except for the Demon King of the Emerald Forest… because he had been asleep.

Unlike the Nightmare Demon King, who could only fight in his dreams, the Demon King of the Emerald Forest simply slept—a deep, uninterrupted slumber that nothing short of a life-threatening crisis could disturb. Of the past three thousand years, he had likely spent two thousand five hundred of them asleep.

Yet, no one dared to provoke him… because he always woke up stronger.

His sleep wasn't some cultivation technique. It was more like… digestion.

And even though his last nap had lasted for centuries… he was still tired.

Moth smiled and asked, "Why's that? Demon King of the Verdant Foxhills, you are young and incredibly intelligent. Why are you so unwelcome?"

"It's nothing, really," Caiyi replied, shaking her head. "It's just that my previous travel companion was Changfeng."

"Eh?"

Moth blinked, suddenly looking much more awake.

In the past three thousand years, Changfeng was the only one of the Far West's demon kings that had died in battle.

Is this fox… unlucky to be around?

Seeing that Moth was now fully alert, Caiyi simply smiled. Without another word, she turned and flew deeper into the island.

They ventured into the depths of the island's volcanic crater, where soul flames flowed like a river. As they pressed on, it got so dark that it became impossible for them to see anything.

Suddenly, Caiyi called out, "Nightmare Demon King!"

A long silence followed. Then, without warning, the vast soul flames ahead flared up violently, rumbling like a liquid reaching boiling point. The noise continued until, at last, the sound of rushing water echoed through the depths of the crater.

A pair of crimson eyes flickered to life, lighting up the pitch-black depths. That was the moment that calm finally returned.

Caiyi spoke to the glowing eyes. "The Demon King of the Great Marshlands fell in battle, and Immortal Yuan Lu was slain by the righteous sects. The Great High Priest ordered me and the Demon King of the Emerald Forest to come here to bring you back to the Far West. Esteemed Senior, the demon race needs your power."

"Oh…" The crimson eyes shifted slightly, followed by a low, rumbling voice.

"I was wondering who it was… Turns out it's Momothling."

"Nightmare Demon King," the Demon King of the Emerald Forest said with a bitter smile. "I've told you countless times that you can call me by my name, but can you stop calling me Momothling?"[1]

…

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

There was a series of explosions in the sky, releasing bursts of colorful qi.

A dazzling beam of swordlight streaked across the long path of clouds in an almost transcendent display of elegance.

Barriers of various colors emerged at intervals from within the sea of white clouds. To clear the barriers, the cultivator riding on that flying sword activated some talismans. Each one glowed brilliantly as it effortlessly removed a barrier.

In the blink of an eye, the cultivator completed the flight route along the cloud track, making a full circle around the peak before returning to the summit of Red Cotton Peak.

"WHOOOOOA!!!"

Thunderous cheers erupted from the crowd of cultivators on the peak. Their voices were so loud that they even shook the mountain winds.

Standing tall on the flying sword was, of course, the peak master of Red Cotton Peak—Chu Liang.

He was still very skilled at sword-flying. Moreover, with his ever-growing cultivation power, his speed had become even more blindingly fast.

In fact, he had actually deliberately slowed down for the demonstration. Otherwise, most of the cultivators present wouldn't have even been able to see him. And if they couldn't see him, then the demonstration would be pointless.

It had only taken Red Cotton Peak a few days to complete all the preparations for the event that was to be held during the shopping festival. Then Chu Liang casually chose a date, and they launched the shopping festival, once again bringing bustling crowds to the peak.

Most cultivators spent their days immersed in ascetic cultivation, so such festivities were rare sights for them. Consequently, Red Cotton Peak's excessive promotions of the shopping festival immediately drew them over.

As Chu Liang hovered midair upon his flying sword, two people appeared on the platform below—Lackey A and Lin Bei. They took turns to eagerly promote the event with loud, enthusiastic voices.

"Anyone who, like Young Hero Chu, makes it through the whole cloud track flawlessly will receive Red Cotton Peak's ultimate treasure—the legendary White Dragon Scale Armor!" Lin Bei announced in a booming voice. "Of course, even if you don't make it to the end, reaching specific points along the cloud track will still earn you corresponding treasures! And if you don't want them, you can exchange them for spirit-stone coins at market value!"

Lackey A explained, "Our event is completely free to participate in! Just bring your own talismans! Anyone who spends at least five hundred spirit-stone coins at any Red Cotton Peak store within the next month will qualify to participate. This is purely our way of giving back to you, our dear friends and family!"

"Don't miss this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!"

"Male and Female Cultivators, Charge Forward!"

"Play the music!"

At that command, the resounding notes of guqin, flutes, and string instruments filled the air, rousing the spirits of those in the crowd. Among the musical instruments, the notes of one particular guqin rang out with passionate intensity, its sound piercing the heavens.

Hearing that, the cheers across the peak grew even louder.

That was because the one playing the guqin on stage was none other than the South Melody Conservatory's Xue Lingxue, who had not made a public appearance in years.

As the saying went, "the new replaces the old." Six years had passed, and the South Melody Conservatory had ushered in a new generation of outstandingly talented disciples, gaining countless admirers across the nine provinces.

Shen Qingyan, the head disciple of the previous batch of disciples, now served under the master of the South Melody Conservatory. As for the rest of the batch, most of them had faded from the public eye.

Many had likely left the South Melody Conservatory to pursue careers elsewhere. A select few, like Xue Lingxue and Yu Xiang'er, devoted themselves entirely to the Great Dao of Music, preparing for future breakthroughs.

If it weren't for Chu Liang, Xue Lingxue would never have agreed to do a commercial performance.

As soon as her song ended, another musician took over. After all, someone of Xue Lingxue's status couldn't be expected to play all day like a hired performer, and this wasn't her concert either.

Nevertheless, just that one song was more than enough.

With the festivities in full swing, spirit beasts pulled extravagant flower carriages through the streets. There were even several beautiful men and women dancing gracefully on the carriages. This parade had been arranged with the help of Xue Lingxue, who had called upon retired South Melody Conservatory disciples for the festival.

Working at Red Cotton Peak was far more lucrative than being an ordinary dancer elsewhere, so these former disciples were more than happy to take part.

Originally, the flower carriages were occupied by the Koi Sisters, with the immensely popular Liu Xiaoyu'er leading the way. However, they needed to cultivate, so they couldn't be there for the festival.

Consequently, Chu Liang decided to gradually retire his people from roles like these.

That included the Golden-Furred Hou, who pulled the carriage, the Baize youngling, who acted as a traveling companion, and of course, the Koi Sisters, who served as mascots of good luck.

However, he would let his esteemed teacher continue with her debt-collecting duties. After all, she genuinely loved it with a passion.

Chu Liang stepped forward to greet Xue Lingxue. "Thank you for your hard work, Miss Xue."

Xue Lingxue stood alongside Yun Chaoxian, Tie Chui, and the other people from the South Melody Conservatory.

With a small smile, Xue Lingxue replied, "It was nothing, just a small favor."

It had been six years since Chu Liang last saw her, but Xue Lingxue's appearance had not changed much. Her fair, beautiful, and glowing jade-like skin remained as radiant as ever. She was dressed in an elegant sea-blue dress, highlighting her slender and graceful figure.

Under the countless gazes of the crowd, every expression Xue Lingxue made was impeccably beautiful. It was a testament to her status as a top disciple of the South Melody Conservatory, one on par with the head disciple. She had likely spent so much time controlling her facial muscles that she formed perfect expressions through muscle memory.

"Just a little token of appreciation," Chu Liang said, handing Xue Lingxue a storage jade slip.

With his current wealth, there was no way he would let a friend help for free. In fact, he would pay them more than if he had hired a stranger.

"What's this?" Xue Lingxue gently pushed the jade slip back. "I helped you because we're friends. There's no need for this."

"Don't worry about it." Chu Liang grinned. "You were helping me make money. Naturally, when the money comes in, we'll share the profits."

"That's right. Chu Liang is rich now," Yun Chaoxian chimed in. "Miss Xue, you don't have to be so courteous with him."

"Hahahah!" Tie Chui let out a booming laugh. "Lingxue doesn't need this. But Young Hero Chu, if you really wish to pay back the favor, there is something you could help her with."

"Tie Chui..." Xue Lingxue shot her a look. "Chu Liang is already very busy. There's no need to trouble him."

Tie Chui countered, "He has a very high cultivation level, and more importantly, he's got an incredibly sharp mind. Isn't he perfect for this?"

"What's the matter?" Chu Liang asked. "You don't need to be courteous with me. Even if I'm busy, I have a clone that can go down the mountain."

Tie Chui, being as loud and blunt as ever, immediately answered on Xue Lingxue's behalf. "Well, it's honestly quite strange… For the past few years, Lingxue has been completely focused on studying music at the South Melody Conservatory. She never once stepped outside.

"And yet, in the martial world... another Xue Lingxue has appeared."

"A fake Xue Lingxue?" Chu Liang asked.

"Well, that's the weird thing..." Tie Chui furrowed her brows. "That Xue Lingxue... seems to be real!"

1. The joke here is Nightmare Demon King is basically calling Moth “Moth-son”. “Moth” and “son” sound very similar in Chinese. Moth = 蛾子 e zi, son = 儿子 er zi. Nightmare Demon King calls Moth 蛾儿子 e er zi. However, the joke doesn't work in English since moth and son sound nothing alike. ☜

GLTD Alternate Universe's Thoughts

Translator: LD

I relate to Momothling.