Chapter 530: The Aspiration of the Immortal Master

Chapter 530: Chapter 530: The Aspiration of the Immortal Master

"Immortal Master Lord, the items you requested have been delivered." At this moment, a maid’s voice sounded from outside the door.

"Hold on a moment." Liu Shuyue rose and returned to the entrance hall, opening the door.

The maid placed the package she held at the entrance and then retrieved a letter from her long sleeve, "This is what the County Magistrate asked me to deliver to you."

A red envelope, sealed with black — it indicated another demon suppression letter containing demon information.

"I see." Liu Shuyue accepted it without showing any emotion.

After the other party took their leave, she approached the table and cut open the seal with a small knife.

If there’s anything that surprised her the most after descending the mountain, aside from that peculiar shop, it would be these demon-hunting letters.

Liu Shuyue initially thought that demon disasters across the land were managed by the Great Qi government — akin to disaster relief, with officials dedicated to recording and reporting problems, followed by directives from the Court for handling. But this was not the case at all.

The ones responsible for relaying demon intelligence... turned out to be local organizations.

Moreover, the local government seemed accustomed to this process.

They didn’t even know the organization’s name or how it possessed such keen information-gathering abilities.

Liu Shuyue had raised this question to a Governor before, and the response was quite straightforward.

"Whether or not there’s an Immortal Master in the world, demons always exist. The government can’t openly recruit Loose Cultivators, so they’ve decided to take this compromise."

In other words, demons require cultivators to handle.

Yet, the Lotus Cloud Sect explicitly prohibited the formation of loose cultivator organizations in various kingdoms, especially openly. Over time, a strange mechanism developed in the secular world.

If demons were discovered somewhere, someone would send a demon-hunting letter to places capable of eliminating the creatures... Most of the time, the loose cultivators would take on commissions, but occasionally local government offices or armies would join in the elimination efforts with loose cultivators.

Six months ago, shortly after Liu Shuyue had an audience with the King of Qi, she received such a red-bottom-black-sealed letter.

She went to Gushan County to slay a snake demon, based on the information provided by the letter.

Now that the snake demon was dead, she received a new demon-hunting letter.

What does this mean?

Someone had quietly recorded where she went and what she did. The letters moved with her, ensuring she received the news of demon sightings quickly.

Of course, Liu Shuyue didn’t dislike such a situation. On the contrary, the couriers inadvertently helped her resolve a significant problem—the fact that she chose to remain distant from the Court to avoid power struggles inevitably aroused suspicion from the rulers. If demon disasters were controlled by the government, obtaining intelligence could lead to difficulties and intentional concealment.

Now, she just needed the local officials to provide basic accommodation and sustenance, and towns troubled by demon plagues would certainly hope for the Immortal Master’s visit.

What she really minded was why this local organization never contacted her directly or showed their faces. Each time the letters went through several hands before reaching her, and prior to that, the recipient could be the local official, passing merchant convoys, or gang leaders...

They even preferred gang transfers rather than handing it directly to her. What nonsense was this!

Liu Shuyue grumbled with a slight disgruntled feeling.

Are Immortal Masters some terrifying monster or something?!

Furthermore, she wasn’t the only one receiving such letters. During her previous demon-slaying missions, she encountered loose cultivators sharing her goals. Thankfully, those loose cultivators also knew nothing about the organization, which gave her some peace of mind.

Liu Shuyue took out the letter and opened it.

The contents were as concise as ever. 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

"In Luo Kingdom’s Pei State, demons have emerged."

"Currently causing hundreds of deaths, its threat level cannot be underestimated."

"Demon characteristics unknown, possessing unknown abilities."

"Suspected to be: Catastrophe-grade Great Demon."

Liu Shuyue stared at the message, momentarily stunned.

This letter... How strange it is? Strange enough not to resemble the demon-hunting letters previously received.

Firstly, why would a demon disaster in Luo Kingdom reach Qi Kingdom? Although she didn’t know who the Immortal Master of Luo Kingdom was, surely a disciple of the Lotus Cloud Sect should be stationed there.

Alright, considering the same demon disaster might be relayed to various cultivators, this barely makes sense. But why does it only mention Pei State’s interior without pinpointing specific towns? A state covers a radius of five hundred li; just finding the demon’s whereabouts would consume huge amounts of time. Such vague intelligence was unlike anything Liu Shuyue had encountered before.

Secondly, hundreds of casualties... this number was indeed shocking, fitting the level of destruction caused by a Great Demon. But why hadn’t she heard any whispers about such a severe demon disaster happening in a neighboring country?

The exchange of news between the two nations should not be so obstructed!

Finally, the definition of catastrophe-grade...

In literal terms, the enemy would be a demon like a drought demon or earth dragon, the latter affecting the cycle of nature, causing droughts and earthquakes, and destabilizing a kingdom’s foundations, indirectly killing tens of thousands isn’t unusual. However, such Great Demons, albeit terrifying, rarely directly attack human settlements; their destruction usually has a delay.

The letter mentioned hundreds of deaths, which doesn’t match this notion, leaving one puzzled.

After some contemplation, Liu Shuyue dismissed the idea of going to Luo Kingdom.

Cross-border demon disaster resolution is sensitive itself; she didn’t want to provoke her fellow sect members’ reservations. Besides, more cultivators must have received this message, so even if she ignored it, others would accept the commission.

However, in the following month, events deviated from Liu Shuyue’s expectations.

She received demon-hunting letters every four to five days.

Yet, besides the rising death toll, the letter’s content hardly changed.

On the contrary, demons in Qi Kingdom seemed to have suddenly disappeared, so she didn’t know where to go next.

During this time, Liu Shuyue personally inquired about news from Luo Kingdom, but whether it’s seasoned travelers or well-informed merchant convoys, none had heard about such a severe demon disaster exploding in the neighboring country.

Liu Shuyue felt as though she was trapped in Gushan County.

Of course, she could leave at any time, but without the intelligence channel, should she rely solely on her own efforts to gather news about demons?

Simultaneously, the Immortal Master sensed an inexplicable unease.

The letters had been sent for over a month, yet why hadn’t the Lotus Cloud Sect disciple of Luo Kingdom acted? Or perhaps they did act but died in the demon-slaughter failure?

If it’s truly the latter, the situation becomes critical. A Great Demon’s threat won’t be confined to one kingdom—should Luo Kingdom collapse, refugees fleeing all over, Qi Kingdom would bear the brunt.

Realizing this, Liu Shuyue decided not to delay anymore.

At her pace, if traveling at full speed, it would only take three to four days to reach Luo Kingdom. Moreover, if she takes care in disguising her identity, no one could easily perceive her border-crossing infiltration.

If nothing is happening in Pei State, that would be ideal; she would simply return along her original path, without alarming her sect members.

However, if there truly is a Great Demon wreaking havoc in Pei State, as a disciple of the Lotus Cloud Sect, she absolutely cannot stand by—ultimately, demons as hostile aliens are the common enemy of all humanity!