Volume One: The Cataclysm of the Lich Chapter 114: The Expansion of the Demon Clan, Origins of Qingqiu

After finishing all this, Wu Yun activated the restrictions over the area and departed.

That day, Wu Yun suddenly arrived at a land of stunning mountains and rivers, brimming with spiritual energy.

“Old man, get your clan chief out here at once, or don’t blame us if we flatten this place to the ground!”

While Wu Yun was admiring the beauty of the landscape, countless noisy voices reached his ears.

At first, Wu Yun paid no heed to such disturbances. But then, one of the troublemakers shouted directly at him.

“Stop right there! Who are you? Can’t you see we’re conducting business here?”

Wu Yun couldn’t help but laugh at this, thinking to himself that he had no intention of causing these people trouble, yet they’d come to provoke him first.

He flicked his horsetail whisk with his right hand, letting it rest across his left arm, and fixed a displeased gaze on the speaker—a wolf demon cultivator.

“Oh? I, too, would like to know who you are, to think you’d dare interfere even with me in this place.”

No sooner had Wu Yun finished speaking than an old woman hurriedly interjected.

“Taoist master, to avoid unnecessary trouble, you’d best not get involved with them—just leave quickly!”

The old woman saw that Wu Yun was traveling alone and must be merely passing through. If he got entangled in their disputes, it would bode ill.

Hearing her warning, the wolf demon laughed arrogantly at Wu Yun.

“Did you hear that? Even this old woman, your host, is telling you to hurry along and not invite disaster!”

He brandished his magical weapon threateningly at Wu Yun.

“Old woman, judging by your aura, you must be of the fox clan. I wonder which branch you belong to?”

Wu Yun seemed unconcerned with either side’s words, instead turning to question the old woman.

“I am Su Qingge of the You Su branch of the fox clan. Taoist master, do you know someone from our clan?”

Su Qingge replied politely to Wu Yun’s inquiry. As the only Celestial Fox of the Taiyi realm in her lineage, she could not sense Wu Yun’s depth, realizing he was no ordinary figure.

“So it’s the You Su branch. I don’t know anyone from the fox clan; I’ve only heard there are three major branches. I was merely curious.

I’ve heard the Tushan branch is said to be unfathomably powerful—how is it you’ve found yourselves in such dire straits?”

The wolf demon of the Taiyi realm, upon hearing this, immediately scowled.

“So, you dare ruin our plans! It seems you didn’t just happen to show up here by chance. Seize this Taoist and bring him back for the elders to judge!”

“Nothing more than a pack of ignorant beasts, and yet they dare to make a ruckus before me,” Wu Yun sneered.

At the wolf demon’s command, a group of his underlings rushed at Wu Yun. With a cold snort, Wu Yun flicked his whisk, sending the wolf cubs flying far away; those with weaker cultivation perished instantly.

Seeing this, the wolf demon leader trembled as chaos erupted among his followers.

“Who are you? I’ll have you know, we were sent here by Lord Ji Meng!”

Only then did Wu Yun understand their intent.

“So much time has passed since my last seclusion! Judging by this, the demon clan must have established themselves as a proper force.”

“Begone!” Wu Yun couldn’t be bothered with these wolves—they were merely following orders.

If others had heard this, who knows what they’d think. The demon clan had only just been founded; even Golden Immortals were rare, and Taiyi was considered high-ranking. If the fox clan hadn’t been so deep-rooted, they wouldn’t have sent her out, and yet Wu Yun had come and disrupted everything.

“Su Qingge of the You Su branch thanks the elder for your aid!”

Wu Yun lifted her up with a wave of his whisk.

“Tell me, the You Su branch is a renowned surname among the foxes, how did you end up in such a predicament?”

“Senior, you may not know: in recent years, our clan’s elders have all gone into seclusion, especially after the last saint’s sermon, which brought insights to several of them—they are all cultivating in isolation. The wolves must have planned this, trying to force us to join the demon clan.

As for the Tushan ancestor you mentioned, after the last great calamity, there’s been no word. I fear…”

Wu Yun realized Su Qingge was implying that the Tushan ancestor might have been gravely injured during the Dao-Demon conflict, or suffered some other fate.

“So that’s how it is,” Wu Yun replied mildly.

“Senior, if you have the time, please come as a guest to our clan, so we may properly thank you for your help.”

“No need,” Wu Yun declined, then added, “Well, meeting me today may be your fortune. To the southwest of your clan, there is an unclaimed blessed cavern—a bit small, perhaps, but it should suffice for your people to thrive.”

With those words, Wu Yun vanished before Su Qingge and the others.

“Elder!”

After Wu Yun disappeared, many of the fox clan hurried over to greet Su Qingge.

“What a mighty elder. I wonder which reclusive immortal he is. We were truly fortunate today—had we clashed with the wolf clan, our losses would have been great.”

“Elder, what about the blessed cavern?”

“No need to doubt—would an elder of his stature deceive us? Quickly, have the clan search for it. This may be our turning point.”

Little did Wu Yun know that this casual gesture would one day give rise to the future kingdom of Qingqiu.

Of course, all that was far in the future; for now, they had yet to overcome the difficulties before them.

Whether it was fate or Wu Yun’s influence, one of the Heavenly Foxes sent by Su Qingge—a young Celestial Fox—chanced upon the hidden blessed land.

So the entire clan relocated to the cavern, and when Ji Meng returned with the wolf clan’s Taiyi to find them, they saw only an empty fox city.

“Describe the appearance of the man you encountered. If I ever cross paths with him, he will pay dearly for this.”

Ji Meng’s face was grim as he gave orders to the Taiyi of the wolf clan, staring at the vacant fox territory.

With his current strength as a Grand Luo Golden Immortal, there were few in the wilderness who could rival him, but the wolf demon’s description didn’t match any he knew.

Wu Yun, for his part, never imagined that someone would come to hate him so deeply; but even if he knew, he would only laugh it off.

“Emperor Xi, many of our recent expeditions to expand territory have reported mysterious disappearances.”

In the demon court, at Fuxi’s residence—

As Fuxi was contemplating the River Diagram and the Luo Book, several figures appeared before him.

“Did you not go to seek the Emperor and the other demon saints?”

At this critical moment, Fuxi was interrupted, his face expressionless as he looked at the group of demons.

“All the demon saints are occupied, and the Demon Emperor is in seclusion. With no one else to turn to, we had no choice but to disturb you, Emperor Xi.”

Fuxi thought to himself, so when you can’t find anyone else, you come to bother me?