Chapter 288: Why Are All My Allies Jokers?
Let's rewind time a bit.
The process of unsealing the Demon Sect disciples went exceedingly smoothly—so much so that it felt almost too easy.
Under Luo Wusheng's Nascent Soul-level spiritual energy, the seal was as fragile as thin paper. A mere light touch was enough to break it, leaving Luo Wusheng with a faint sense that all his cautious preparations had been a joke.
Feeling the curious gaze of Miss Yanyao, who had kept her Dao Vision technique active to guard against unexpected events, Luo Wusheng felt a slight twinge of embarrassment.
But by that point, the Demon Sect disciples were already tumbling out of the sack one by one.
They opened their eyes in confusion.
"Where… is this? Ugh, my head hurts…"
"What happened? Feels like I had a really long dream, stuck in some horribly cramped place…"
"I dreamed about the time I nearly lost my life being squeezed between the senior sisters of the Joyful Lotus Domain— Wait, didn't I argue with someone in that dream too?"
"Even I— huh? Hold on! Over there—Holy Saint! Is that really the Holy Saint?!"
The last voice roused the still-dazed disciples.
Suddenly, cries of astonishment rippled through the group. The chaotic uncertainty diminished, and their fear seemed to ease somewhat.
Though they weren't particularly familiar with their Holy Saint, Luo Wusheng was a legendary figure in the Demon Sect. Even with his reclusive nature, his status and reputation were enough to calm these disciples.
Luo Wusheng quickly recovered from his own surprise at how effortlessly the seal had been undone.
This was fine. Having nothing happen during the unsealing was within his expectations.
As for what to do with this group of Demon Sect disciples—
"Quiet."
With just one word, Luo Wusheng exuded an aura of authority.
Unfamiliar with this group of disciples—who had already caused trouble as soon as they arrived in the royal city—he needed to suppress their arrogance right from the start.
If any of them dared to act out, he wouldn't hesitate to make an example of them to remind everyone of the perils of the martial world.
However, the moment his word echoed out, the once-noisy disciples immediately fell silent, shrinking back like frightened chicks and not daring to breathe loudly.
Luo Wusheng blinked in surprise, then quickly understood the reason.
Ah, unlike Hu Dingtian and the other fringe disciples sent to the royal city after being ostracized, this group clearly recognized who he was.
In other words, they had all likely witnessed him thrashing other Holy Saint candidates in the past—or, perhaps, some of them had even been on the receiving end of those thrashings.
Glancing at a few trembling individuals in the group, Luo Wusheng shifted his gaze to one particular figure.
It was the first person to recognize him—a gray-haired man who stood out as the strongest among the group, with cultivation at the early Golden Core stage. His age suggested he wasn't young.
"You look somewhat familiar," Luo Wusheng remarked.
The man immediately stood and bowed deeply upon hearing his Holy Saint speak.
"This one is Wang Laowu. I had the honor of meeting you, Holy Saint, about a month ago in the Spiritual Domain…"
Luo Wusheng suddenly remembered.
Ah, it was the NPC who had helped him register for the Demon Artifact Pavilion Lord's mission. Since the man wasn't particularly important, Luo Wusheng had completely forgotten about him.
But then his eyes flickered with subtle intent.
"So it's Elder Wang… But among the Demon Sect disciples sent to the royal city this time, there were supposed to be no Golden Core cultivators, let alone elders, correct?"
If there had been a Golden Core cultivator present, the conflict between the Demon Sect disciples and the Martial Alliance disciples that day wouldn't have escalated at all.
"And as an elder of the Spiritual Domain, why would you leave the Demon Domain and come to the royal city?"
The young man's voice instantly turned cold.
At that moment, Wang Laowu felt his entire body stiffen, a cold sweat soaking through his clothes.
'This... why does the Holy Saint's aura feel even more terrifying than it did a month ago?! And now he's suspicious of me? Why? No, wait… I… Ah, right, my reason for being here…'
His mind raced, and the elder bent his waist even lower.
"Holy Saint, please allow me to explain! I came to the royal city with urgent matters to seek you out. I did not travel with the others and was merely hiding among these disciples. But midway through… something must have happened? When I woke up, I was already here with them, though I have no idea why."
Luo Wusheng raised an eyebrow, glancing at the other Demon Sect disciples. They all appeared equally confused.
'Not part of the same group… brought here earlier, stuffed into the sack? And with fragmented or missing memories?'
While these thoughts swirled in his mind, his expression remained impassive.
"…Urgent matters?"
The moment Luo Wusheng spoke, Elder Wang's face lit up with a mixture of excitement and relief.
"Holy Saint! Now that I have met you! I have fulfilled my mission! I can finally give you this—"
With trembling hands, the elder produced a red scroll and respectfully presented it to him.
<+>
And so, we return to the present moment.
Holding the scroll in his hands, Luo Wusheng was plunged into deep contemplation.
Around him, everyone—whether it was his companions or the disciples on the ground—stood dumbfounded.
This bombshell of news had struck too suddenly.
Almost reflexively, Luo Wusheng unrolled the scroll to confirm its contents.
Golden characters emerged from the red parchment, floating into the air to form lines of text:
"With the stars as witnesses, the bright moon as betrothal, and good lucks accompanying—"
The less significant parts were swiftly skimmed through by everyone.
"—In the year 510 of the Immortal Calendar, a marriage alliance is decreed between the Holy Saint of the Demon Sect and the princess of the Immortal Nation."
Immediately afterward, two opposing energies surged from the scroll.
One side emanated an inky blackness—chaotic, murky, and unfathomable, like an abyssal chasm that seemed to pull everything into its depths.
On the other side, a golden radiance glowed, accompanied by a faint dragon's roar. The energy bore the weight of mountains and rivers, exuding an imperial majesty that commanded the heavens.
These two pure and powerful auras could only be associated with two individuals in the current world—two figures at the pinnacle of power.
The Demon Sect's Sect Master and the Immortal Nation's former emperor.
"…Is this… real?"
One of the disciples finally couldn't help but murmur.
"If it's the Immortal Nation's princess… isn't the only one left the current empress? The Holy Saint is going to marry the empress…"
The sheer weight of this revelation stunned the disciples, making them momentarily forget their current predicament.
Luo Wusheng made the most logical decision in response to the situation.
His left eye began to faintly burn, and in the next moment, the group of disciples vanished entirely, leaving only Elder Wang behind.
The scroll in Luo Wusheng's hand was quickly stored in his storage pouch.
However, just as he was about to move on, he paused.
With a wave of his hand, the sack—which had somehow resealed itself—flew into his grasp.
Extending his spiritual awareness, Luo Wusheng detected lingering remnants within the sack.
It was a wisp of orange-red smoke.
'Ah… So that's what happened. No wonder they clashed with the Martial Alliance disciples…'
'But if this is the case, does it mean… that person might actually be an ally of mine?'
Sensing the increasingly uncertain aura to his right and the growing hostility to his left, Luo Wusheng fell silent once more.
Just what was his mysterious, opportunistic master planning?
Could it be that all of his supposed allies were just here for their own amusement?
<+>
Note: Link to the character Illustration:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1lkIcPnCxeyuyZA4Kkb621dPC05UvWjhD
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