Chapter 469: Afraid

Just as the assembled Western Desert righteous martial world experts were preparing to eliminate the scattering demonic figures, within Li Musheng's residence, the red-robed woman knelt halfway to the ground and bowed respectfully, saying, "This humble woman comes at the command of the Holy Maiden of our sect, and has come specifically to seek an audience with the Demon Lord."

At those words, Li Musheng glanced at the woman before him and raised an eyebrow, "Don't just make up nicknames for me. Tell me instead, why did Han Meiyan send you to see me?"

The red-robed woman raised her head slightly, stealing a glance at Li Musheng, her heart undeniably filled with excitement.

None of the demonic figures who had just fled outside failed to want a glimpse of this legendary demon lord who had appeared from nowhere, and she herself had long heard of Li Musheng's tremendous renown. Now, finally getting to see him in person, she naturally couldn't keep her heart entirely calm.

Even so, the red-robed woman managed to suppress her emotions and quickly replied, "Reporting to the Demon Lord, ever since the Holy Maiden parted from you in the Great Xuan imperial capital, she guessed that Your Highness might come to White Emperor City on this trip."

"And so, not long ago, she sent word to this humble woman, instructing me to be absolutely certain to deliver this sealed letter into Your Highness's hands."

With that, the red-robed woman took out a wax-sealed letter from within her robes and presented it with both hands to Li Musheng.

At the sight, Li Musheng casually reached out and took the letter from a distance, opening it.

After quickly reading through the letter's contents, a flicker of light appeared in Li Musheng's eyes.

Within Han Meiyan's letter, there was indeed some good news.

According to Han Meiyan, recently, while the Six Desires Demonic Sect had been hunting down a traitorous sect elder, the man had fled into a stretch of deep, ancient mountain forest within Great Chu's territory.

The Six Desires Demonic Sect's experts had naturally pursued him closely, and within that deep mountain forest, they had engaged in a fierce battle with the traitorous elder.

During their exchange, both sides had inadvertently stumbled into an ancient village, and within that village, the Six Desires Demonic Sect's experts had discovered traces of the Qilin Sacred Cult.

In fact, within a hidden altar chamber in the village, they had found a small vial containing the blood of the fire Qilin, the divine beast.

Upon obtaining the Qilin Blood, the pursuing Six Desires Demonic Sect experts had immediately abandoned their pursuit of the traitorous elder, intending to return to their sect with the Qilin Blood right away.

However, on their way back, for reasons unknown, the sect's experts had begun dying off one by one in mysterious circumstances, and the Qilin Blood they had obtained was lost as a result. Only a single, severely wounded, near-death Six Desires Demonic Sect expert had managed to relay this news back to the sect with the last of his strength.

Upon learning of this, the Six Desires Demonic Sect had naturally erupted in fury. The Sect Master had ordered word sent to all Six Desires Demonic Sect disciples to return to the sect immediately, demanding that they find the true culprit behind the deaths of the sect's experts and recover the lost Qilin Blood without fail.

Han Meiyan, upon receiving this news from the Six Desires Demonic Sect, had immediately sent word to Li Musheng at the first opportunity.

Li Musheng gave a casual wave of his hand, and the letter in his hand crumbled into fine ash.

"So the Qilin Blood has surfaced within Great Chu's territory."

Li Musheng's expression turned thoughtful. With news of the Qilin Blood available, he naturally needed to make the journey there.

Besides, he had already received word from the Tianji Pavilion earlier that his sworn sister, because of Great Chu's proactive alliance with Great Li, had agreed to the marriage alliance Great Chu had used as leverage.

Though traveling from White Emperor City back to Great Li and then on to Great Chu would undoubtedly require a considerable detour, he had in fact already been planning to make the trip to Great Chu regardless.

And now, with this news from Han Meiyan arriving at just the right moment, not to mention his sworn sister's situation, the Qilin Blood alone made this a trip he absolutely could not skip.

With that thought, Li Musheng turned his gaze to the red-robed woman before him and said, "Go back and tell Han Meiyan I've received the letter. Tell her to wait for me in Great Chu."

At those words, the red-robed woman quickly voiced her assent, without ever asking anything further about the contents of the sealed letter.

Even so, she did not leave immediately, instead studying Li Musheng quietly for a moment before hesitantly speaking up, "Demon Lord, why didn't you accept those demonic followers earlier?"

"Because I don't need them."

Li Musheng gave a casual wave of his hand, and the red-robed woman silently withdrew from the residence.

As the residence's door slowly closed once more, the red-robed woman stared at the now-shut gate for a moment, her expression shifting with unspoken thoughts.

But she didn't linger there any longer, and quickly concealed her form and departed.

After the red-robed woman had left, the area before Li Musheng's residence fell quiet once more, with only the seven White Tiger Divine Hall members still kneeling motionless on the street.

And so, nearly half a day passed.

Under the watchful, hidden eyes of many martial world figures nearby, absolutely nothing further happened at Li Musheng's residence. Aside from the seven still kneeling before the gate, not a single passerby crossed the street.

"What's going on? Why has there been no further movement from the White Tiger Divine Hall?"

At this point, not only Lianxing and the other Hidden Kill Pavilion assassins concealed nearby, but the martial world experts from every faction throughout the Western Desert were now genuinely puzzled and uneasy.

By all reasoning, this demon lord Li Musheng had not only subdued the White Tiger Divine Hall's visitors, but had forced seven people, including five Divine Hall elders, to kneel publicly on the street before the residence.

Such a humiliation directed at the White Tiger Divine Hall, which ruled over White Emperor City, should surely never be allowed to stand, no matter how one looked at it.

But what surprised everyone was that, half a day after Li Musheng had subdued the five Divine Hall elders, the White Tiger Divine Hall had shown not so much as a single sign of activity.

"This doesn't make sense. Could even the White Tiger Divine Hall be afraid of this great demon lord?"

Someone among the assembled martial world figures spoke up, but no one around offered an answer.

Throughout the entire Western Desert, the White Tiger Divine Hall was, like the Mirage Tower, extraordinarily mysterious, with almost no one able to truly understand its inner workings.

But there was no dispute that the White Tiger Divine Hall, ruling as it did over White Emperor City, one of the six great powers of the Western Desert, possessed formidable strength beyond question.

And yet even the Yellow Spring Tribe, with only three Holy Lords standing guard, had dared move against this demon lord Li Musheng, while the White Tiger Divine Hall had apparently backed down entirely. This clearly went far beyond anyone's expectations.

At the same time, the former Pavilion Master of the Hidden Kill Pavilion and the Assassination Saint, accompanied by the large black cat, had been searching throughout White Emperor City for the location of the Tomb of the White Emperor, and now both came to a stop.

"What do you make of this?"

The former Pavilion Master suddenly asked. The Assassination Saint shook his head, "To be honest, I don't believe the White Tiger Divine Hall will simply let this go."

At those words, the former Pavilion Master looked into the distance toward Li Musheng's residence and said, "You're right. The White Tiger Divine Hall has always treated the Hidden Kill Pavilion as its own property, and would never allow something like the loss of the Hidden Kill Pavilion to happen, let alone with a demon lord like this one now commanding it."

The Assassination Saint narrowed his eyes slightly, turning to the former Pavilion Master and asking, "Do you think the White Tiger Divine Hall is scheming something?"

"What they're scheming, I have no idea. But since they sent five elders who were subsequently defeated and have not made another move, I can venture a guess. Beyond the White Tiger Divine Hall's characteristic caution, they've genuinely developed a certain wariness toward this new Pavilion Master of the Hidden Kill Pavilion."

The former Pavilion Master gave a cold laugh, then withdrew his gaze and glanced at the large black cat beside him, saying, "Your master may well be in genuine danger this time. That the White Tiger Divine Hall, which has always held itself above everyone else, could endure this humiliation without immediate retaliation likely means they're planning something significant."

"Based on my many years of understanding the White Tiger Divine Hall, this move of theirs is almost certainly aimed at completely eliminating this new Pavilion Master of the Hidden Kill Pavilion."

As he said this, the former Pavilion Master studied the large black cat closely, as though trying to discern something from this creature harboring a person of divine nature within it.

Even so, what genuinely surprised him was that the large black cat, upon hearing that Li Musheng might be in grave danger, showed absolutely no reaction whatsoever.

It remained entirely focused on searching for the location of the Tomb of the White Emperor, appearing to have not the slightest concern for Li Musheng's current predicament.

In fact, when the large black cat noticed the former Pavilion Master and the Assassination Saint standing idle and chatting instead of working, it immediately extended a paw and gestured pointedly at both of them, clearly scolding them for slacking off.

"How interesting."

The Assassination Saint, his features still indistinct, watched the large black cat with a flicker of movement in his expression.

It was clear that the large black cat had not failed to hear their conversation, but rather held a level of trust in Li Musheng far beyond what any ordinary creature would show, showing not the slightest concern that anything might happen to him.

At this point, the former Pavilion Master gave a quiet cough, as though covering his own awkwardness, and said to the large black cat, "The reason I said all of this just now was actually to let you know that no matter what happens, both of us will absolutely stand with the Pavilion Master."

Seeing how fiercely loyal this large black cat was to Li Musheng, even the former Pavilion Master had grown somewhat worried that it might go back and report on them.

What neither of them realized was that the large black cat's entire mind was currently occupied with finding the Tomb of the White Emperor, and it had no attention to spare for either of them at all.

Because this task was not only something Li Musheng had personally entrusted to it, but more importantly, Li Musheng had promised it a substantial reward once the task was completed.

...

With the White Tiger Divine Hall showing no further signs of moving against Li Musheng within the residence, the many puzzled martial world experts of the Western Desert gradually stopped their secret surveillance and began to withdraw.

Even so, word of what had happened here naturally spread quickly among the various factions throughout White Emperor City.

Before long, news that the White Tiger Divine Hall had not dared to move against the new Pavilion Master of the Hidden Kill Pavilion, this great demon lord, had spread throughout nearly every corner of the martial world in White Emperor City.

At the same time, Ah Xiu and the Fifth Elder's group, under the cover of the Hidden Kill Pavilion assassins, had already silently withdrawn from Li Musheng's residence some time earlier.

After that, Ah Xiu's group circled through the streets and alleys of White Emperor City several times before finally making their way, of their own accord, to the location where they were to rendezvous with their clan.

Upon seeing Ah Xiu and the Fifth Elder's group return, the Third Elder and the others naturally asked immediately about the situation with Li Musheng, the new Pavilion Master of the Hidden Kill Pavilion.

Even so, Ah Xiu did not elaborate much on the matter, only giving a brief account of her interactions with Li Musheng before turning to the Third Elder and saying, "I have an urgent matter I need to discuss with the clan elders. Would Third Uncle be able to take me to see them?"

At those words, the Third Elder frowned and looked Ah Xiu over, then shook his head, "The clan elders cannot be seen by just anyone. If you have something urgent, you can tell me first, and I will relay it to them on your behalf."

Ah Xiu hesitated briefly, but ultimately transmitted quietly to the Third Elder, "This concerns the Tomb of the White Emperor. That Eighth Prince of Great Li also wants to enter the Tomb of the White Emperor, and what's more, he has the White Tiger Fang, the key that opens it, in his possession."

"On top of that, he seems to have a method for locating the Tomb of the White Emperor's whereabouts..."

At those words, the Third Elder's expression changed sharply at once. He fixed Ah Xiu with an intensely serious stare and asked, "Are you certain this is true?"

Ah Xiu gave a nod. Seeing this, the Third Elder's expression grew visibly urgent, and he murmured to himself, "The whole city is already talking about how even the White Tiger Divine Hall fears that demon lord commanding the Hidden Kill Pavilion. And now he's set his sights on the Tomb of the White Emperor as well. This is not good news at all."

With that, the Third Elder rose to his feet at once and said to Ah Xiu, "This is not something I can decide on my own. I will take you to see the clan elders personally. Whatever the situation is, you should tell them yourself."

At those words, Ah Xiu had no objection. Moreover, as far as she was concerned, having spent this time with Li Musheng, she felt she had gained at least some understanding of him.

The Tomb of the White Emperor involved a direct conflict of interest between Li Musheng and her clan, and to avoid any misjudgment on the elders' part, it would naturally be best for her to meet them in person.

Before long, led by the Third Elder, Ah Xiu arrived at the same large mansion the Third Elder had visited before.

The two of them then made their way to the ancestral shrine at the back of the residence to request an audience.

"You're saying that this new Pavilion Master of the Hidden Kill Pavilion can also find the Tomb of the White Emperor?"

The Sixth Ancestor, who looked like a candle flickering in the wind near the end of his life, appeared within the main hall of the ancestral shrine after listening to Ah Xiu's account.

"Yes. If I'm not mistaken, he should locate the Tomb of the White Emperor's whereabouts very soon."

Ah Xiu stood outside the ancestral shrine courtyard and replied with her head lowered. At those words, the Sixth Ancestor within the shrine's main hall fell silent for a moment, then spoke slowly, "It seems, then, that the Hidden Kill Pavilion may well have had its eye on the Tomb of the White Emperor for some time already."

As he said this, the Sixth Ancestor's gaze seemed to pass through the courtyard wall, settling on Ah Xiu standing outside, and he said, "You mentioned earlier that this new Pavilion Master of the Hidden Kill Pavilion made a bold claim to you, that once he enters the Tomb of the White Emperor, everything within will be entirely his to decide?"

At those words, Ah Xiu raised her head slightly and looked into the ancestral shrine courtyard, saying, "His Highness did indeed say that. Even so, based on my understanding of him, what he wants is very likely different from what our clan seeks."

"Different? Then tell me, what exactly does this great demon lord, whose name now shakes all of White Emperor City, actually want?"

The Sixth Ancestor's voice came again from within the shrine, and Ah Xiu shook her head, "I'm not certain what he wants."

Then, shifting her tone, she continued, "Even so, from what I've observed, very few things seem capable of interesting His Highness. In fact, I'm not even certain his trip to White Emperor City was primarily for the sake of the Hidden Kill Pavilion at all."

"When I spoke with His Highness before, I found that he seemed to have little interest in either the Hidden Kill Pavilion or the White Tiger Divine Hall. He seems concerned only with matters related to the legendary ancient savage beast White Tiger."

"If the Sixth Ancestor absolutely must know what this man wants, the only answer I can give is likely the ancient savage beast White Tiger itself."