I Studied Abroad in the Modern Times

Vol 2 Chapter 128: The Importance of Maintaining One’s Image

Watching Xiao Yuying leave, Senior Sister Zhang finally turned to Zheng Fa and asked, “Junior Brother, are you planning to capture some of the demon race?”

Zheng Fa nodded. “Right now, we only know that the Great Freedom Demonic Sect has joined forces with the demon race, but we have no idea how many enemies we’re dealing with… Even if we wanted to help the Sect Master, we wouldn’t know where to start.”

“The Great Freedom Demonic Sect likely can’t make a move themselves and seems to be relying on the demon race. At the very least, we need to figure out how many demons are involved with them.”

Their gazes once again fell on the Golden Crow.

The Golden Crow shrank its neck and muttered hesitantly, “I… already told you everything I know!”

“I still don’t understand—just how strong is the demon race?”

The Golden Crow paused for a moment before sighing in frustration. “It’s not just you—even the demon race itself doesn’t have a clear answer. We’re not divided by species but by territory.”

“……”

“Great Sage?”

Zheng Fa glanced at Senior Sister Zhang. She explained, “It seems ‘Great Sage’ is the demon race’s title for those above the Soul Formation stage.”

The Golden Crow nodded and continued, “Under the Great Sage, there are ten Nascent Soul-level demon kings. I belong to the faction of the Heartless Demon King.”

Zheng Fa nodded.

It wasn’t surprising that a Great Sage commanded such a force.

According to Senior Sister Zhang’s previous assessment, the Hundred Immortals Alliance only had a single known Soul Formation cultivator.

The realization weighed heavily on him.

Even without a Soul Formation cultivator making a move, just those ten Nascent Soul demon kings alone would be too much for Jiushan Sect to handle.

“And? How many will be heading to Jiushan Sect?”

Zheng Fa asked the Golden Crow again.

“I… I don’t know.” The Golden Crow mumbled in frustration. “With my bloodline, I’m not particularly valued among the demon race. The Heartless Demon King doesn’t really care about me either.”

At this, the Golden Crow even seemed a bit aggrieved.

“The demon race has few resources. The highest bloodlines can’t properly develop, and the slightly weaker ones refuse to submit to each other. No one can unite all the different factions, and internal strife is brutal. If I didn’t have a few tricks up my sleeve, I wouldn’t have survived until now.”

“If you want real answers, you’ll need to capture at least a Golden Core-level demon.”

Zheng Fa now understood why the Golden Crow had been so quick to sell out the demon race—this whole thing was just a bunch of disorganized rabble.

Aside from not being human, they had no real sense of unity.

They were no match for the Immortal Sects, let alone the Demonic Sect.

“Junior Brother, we need to be cautious with this…”

Senior Sister Zhang said.

Zheng Fa nodded and asked, “Among the demons that came, who holds the highest status?”

“There’s one with a Qiongqi bloodline—he’s a direct descendant of the Heartless Demon King…”

Zheng Fa frowned. “His status is too special. We can’t capture him outright, or we’ll alert the Heartless Demon King. That would just be asking for trouble.”

Senior Sister Zhang nodded lightly and pondered, “We need to make it look like he disappeared on his own.”

Hearing this, Zheng Fa turned his gaze to the Golden Crow.

The Golden Crow seemed to realize something.

“I… I have a conscience, you know!”

Zheng Fa reached out and stroked the Golden Crow. The bird’s eyes glazed over for a moment, but it still muttered,

“…If I go after him and the Heartless Demon King finds out, I’m dead!”

“I’ll take care of you.”

“…Deal!”

Taiyang Prefecture, Fengcheng County.

A group of burly men walked down the street. They had imposing physiques and fierce expressions, but their eyes were pale and hollow, making them look somewhat frail.

The leader among them was a young man with a square face, taller than his companions by half a head.

As they moved through the streets, they kept a low profile—so much so that no one around them could even hear what they were saying.

Clearly, they were using some technique to obscure their conversation.

“Why are those demonic sect women letting us roam free these past few days?”

One of them suddenly asked.

The square-faced youth shot him a glare, as if scolding him for speaking out loud in a crowded area. He glanced around before saying, “I heard that little Golden Crow escaped. They’re planning to relocate.”

“Escaped? So what? Why do they need to move?”

The one who had asked the question sounded confused.

“Better to be cautious.” The square-faced youth shook his head and said in a low voice, “The Immortal Sects are too powerful right now—we can’t afford to be exposed.”

“It’s been hundreds of thousands of years… When will we stop having to hide like this?”

The others nodded in agreement, looking frustrated.

“When Jiushan Sect is dealt with and the Great Freedom Demonic Sect’s mighty figures escape the secret realm, our good days will finally come. The nearby spiritual stone mines will all be ours.”

The square-faced youth seemed to hold significant authority—his words immediately silenced the group.

Suddenly, someone laughed and said, “Big Brother, you have Qiongqi bloodline and are a royal descendant. Once our demon race succeeds, maybe you’ll become a demon king!”

“A demon king? Please.” Another one flattered, “He could be a Great Sage!”

The square-faced youth shook his head lightly and said, “We joined forces with the Demonic Sect because we had no choice… In the future, we’ll likely have to follow the Great Freedom Demon Ancestor’s orders.”

The group fell silent.

They had been sent to work with the Great Freedom Demonic Sect, and judging from how the demonic sect women treated them, it was clear—the demon race was the weaker side in this alliance.

For all the talk of prestigious bloodlines…

To those demonic sect women, they were little more than breeding stock.

“The demon race is simply too weak. Even if the Great Freedom Demonic Sect gains power, we’ll still just be their subordinates.” The square-faced youth sighed. “We’re only at the Golden Core stage, just waiting to be used and discarded.”

The group exchanged glances, their faces filled with despair—the excitement from earlier had vanished completely.

Suddenly, a commotion erupted at the end of the street.

The silent group turned toward the source of the disturbance.

A long-legged female cultivator walked slowly through the crowd, seemingly unfazed by the gazes directed at her.

“Who is that?”

The square-faced youth asked.

One of his men rushed ahead to ask around before coming back to report, “Big Brother, have you heard of Fairy Lingye?”

“The treasure-seeking fairy?”

The square-faced youth’s expression changed slightly in surprise.

“The very one! They say that wherever she goes, secret realms appear—her luck is incredible!”

The name “Fairy Lingye” was well known among the demon race. The group couldn’t help but speak in tones of admiration.

However, the square-faced youth’s face darkened. He said gravely,

“If she has come to Fengcheng County, then trouble is sure to follow! We must leave at once!”

Everyone was momentarily stunned, glancing at each other. Though they all seemed reluctant to leave, they still obediently followed his lead.

The group headed toward the other end of the street.

Suddenly, the murmuring discussions from the crowd behind them grew louder.

It seemed like they had heard something extraordinary.

Even the square-faced youth couldn’t help but feel curious and gestured for his subordinate to go and inquire again.

After a while, the man rushed back, his face flushed with excitement, his breathing rapid as he reported, “They said that Xiao Yuying seems to have run into an old acquaintance at the tavern. During their conversation, she accidentally let slip a major piece of news!”

“What news?”

“Xiao Yuying said that she discovered another secret realm near the Thunder Pool!”

“A secret realm?” The square-faced youth’s steps quickened as he made his way out. “Things just got interesting. Let’s get out of here—”

“Big Brother! She said there’s Emperor’s Nectar inside that secret realm!”

That one hushed sentence made the square-faced youth stop dead in his tracks.

“Emperor’s Nectar?”

He turned back and asked.

“Yes!”

“The real Emperor’s Nectar?”

“They heard it with their own ears!”

The square-faced youth stood there, deep in thought, hesitating for a long time.

“Big Brother, what’s there to hesitate about?”

The square-faced youth slowly shook his head and said, “Something still doesn’t feel right. If there really was Emperor’s Nectar in that secret realm, why would Fairy Lingye reveal it? This has to be a trap.”

“…Actually, I heard a theory about this.”

Another man spoke up.

“What theory?”

“This Fairy Lingye… she’s naturally arrogant.” The man recalled what he had heard. “Whenever she finds a secret realm, she never hides it. She just says whatever’s on her mind, not caring how others react.”

“…”

“If it were anyone else saying this, I’d think it was a setup too.” The man continued, “But if it’s Xiao Yuying…”

“That’s just how she is!”

“…”

The square-faced youth fell silent.

His eyes swept over the group around him, clearly still weighing his decision.

“Big Brother, didn’t we just talk about how our cultivation is too low? That even if the Demonic Sect gains power, we’d still be nothing more than their dogs?”

“…”

“Emperor’s Nectar is a supreme treasure for our demon race. If you obtain it, you might even advance to the Nascent Soul stage! Then you wouldn’t have to put on a fake smile for those demonic women anymore!”

The square-faced youth’s expression darkened.

“This matter… requires caution.”

“Come on! We’re already daring enough to work with the Demonic Sect—what’s there to be afraid of now?”

That statement left the square-faced youth speechless for a moment. It actually made quite a bit of sense.

He looked at the brothers around him, knowing full well that the allure of Emperor’s Nectar was too great for the demon race.

If he continued to hold them back, they would surely resent him for it.

More importantly—he himself couldn’t help but feel tempted.

“We’re going!” He finally declared. “But I still have a bad feeling about this. None of you can act rashly—watch for any signs of danger!”

—

In a mountain hollow near the Thunder Pool.

Martial Uncle Pang’s eyes gleamed silver as he gazed into the distance.

“A lot of people are showing up…” He clicked his tongue. “Fairy Xiao, your words really carry weight.”

Zheng Fa also glanced at Xiao Yuying.

This was the power of reputation.

Xiao Yuying looked around curiously, as if trying to figure out what Zheng Fa and the others were planning.

“Senior Sister, set up the talisman formation.”

Zheng Fa turned to Senior Sister Zhang.

Senior Sister Zhang took out the Flying Immortal Brush, and from her sleeve, several gold-leaf-like talisman papers floated out.

With a serious expression, she inscribed a few talismans onto them. The moment the talismans flew into place around the hollow, an illusion formation rose from the ground.

“This is that thing you guys call… what was it…” Xiao Yuying seemed to have heard of this before. “Some kind of theatrical performance?”

Zheng Fa nodded.

More precisely, it was the Sect Master’s Grand Illusory Formation.

However, Senior Sister Zhang had spared no expense this time, using Heaven-grade talismans. She was also a prodigy in the Way of Talismans and was already at the Nascent Soul stage.

With all these factors combined, this illusion formation was actually even stronger than if the Sect Master himself had set it up.

Sure enough, Xiao Yuying marveled from the side,

“This illusion… I can’t even see through it right away…”