“You… know?”
“Yes. But the Demon Emperor didn’t explain many things clearly.” Lu Li looked at the guards behind the Wolf Commander.
“You all go outside. You, follow me inside.”
“Yes…” The Wolf Commander lowered his head and obediently followed behind Lu Li into the main hall.
“Speak. We still have the Ten Thousand Demons Conference to attend. Don’t waste too much time.” Lu Li gazed at the pink polish on her fingertips. Liu Qingxi sat behind her, slowly combing her hair.
“According to the orders I received… first, I was to check if any humans had infiltrated Blackstone City. If so, expel them.” The Wolf Commander kept his head down.
“Second, I must verify that all the Saint Sons and Saintesses are genuine and not replaced by humans.”
“Holy Blood, is it?” Lu Li turned her bare hand over.
“Xiu Popo, I’ll trouble you.”
“This is my duty.” Xiu Popo also stepped in front of Lu Li.
“Celestial Fox Saintess… please forgive my impertinence. According to the Demon Emperor’s instructions, I must witness this process with my own eyes.” The Wolf Commander bowed his head.
“Because…”
“I know. Humans are cunning. They might use special techniques to pass off prepared Holy Blood as the real thing.” Lu Li looked at the Wolf Commander.
“I also understand that you are carrying out your superior’s orders. However…”
“The Celestial Fox Saintess’s body is not something your eyes may see.” Xiu Popo’s face showed anger.
“I understand that too, but…” The Wolf Commander opened his mouth anxiously, and faint sweat seeped from where his feet stamped the ground.
“The Saintess likes Flower and Grass Dew.” Liu Qingxi spoke up.
“Saintess, what do you think…”
“Bring me more, or else your eyes will stay here.” Lu Li extended her hand. “Xiu Popo, I’ll trouble you.”
“Yes…” Xiu Popo reached out her finger.
The Wolf Commander raised his head and stared at Lu Li’s arm, as white and smooth as jade.
Her fingertip drew a line, and a bloodstain appeared on her wrist. Then a faint trace of blood began to flow.
“Test it.” Lu Li raised her wrist, her tone calm.
“I let you see this drop of blood today only because the Demon Emperor commanded it. If it were normal times…”
“I understand!” The Wolf Commander did not dare to be careless.
He took a blood-colored crystal from his Storage Ring and carefully touched it to the blood on Lu Li’s wrist.
The moment the blood touched the crystal, the originally blood-red crystal instantly turned a cherry-pink, with a trace of white within it.
But the lazy, stretched-out Nine-tailed Fox phantom inside it was unmistakably real.
“Saintess, the blood has been tested. There is no problem. You are indeed qualified to attend this Ten Thousand Demons Conference.” The Wolf Commander immediately lowered his head.
“As for the things you mentioned just now…”
“I am weary. Give them to Xiu Popo, or to Xiaoxi. You can also speak with my two guards.” Lu Li yawned, casually casting a Sound-proof Barrier.
“Xiaoxi.”
“Here.” Liu Qingxi immediately supported Lu Li, pointed her finger, and cast a Mysterious Light to heal the wound on her hand.
Under Xiu Popo’s guidance, they headed to the Inner Hall.
“Hurry up.” Liu Qingyun raised his head, and Yuan He also glared at the Wolf Commander.
After everyone entered the Inner Hall, Lu Li cast another restriction to ensure no sound could escape. Only then did the group relax.
“Thanks to you, Lu Li.” Yuan He, just to be safe, cast a Buddhist Light again.
“How did you know this was a strange thing the Demon Emperor did?”
“I guessed because he kicked open the door.” Liu Qingyun analyzed calmly.
“I could sense something was off at that moment, but I’m not as quick-witted as Daoist Lu.”
“It was a spur-of-the-moment idea. I’m also grateful that everyone was willing to play along in this act.” Lu Li watched as Liu Qingxi inspected the Storage Bag.
“And my biggest worry is—if the Yao take the blood, can they use it to plant a Gu or curse?”
“In theory, it’s very difficult. Daoist Lu, your affinity with the Celestial Fox Sacred Blood is extremely high, almost indistinguishable from a true Celestial Fox clan member.” Xiu Popo’s face was full of worry.
“But if the Demon Emperor himself were to do such a thing…”
“That’s a headache.” Thinking about this, Lu Li couldn’t help but feel troubled.
“Liu Qingxi, you can’t divine my fate. Can you divine the Demon Emperor’s?”
“Although our Heavenly Deduction Sect can calculate many things, there are limits.” Liu Qingxi spread her hands.
“For example, I’m at the Foundation Establishment Stage now. If you ask me to calculate a Golden Core True Person’s plan, I’d have maybe a vague three to five out of ten. Calculating a Nascent Soul Great True Man? Only one or two out of ten.”
“That low?” Hearing those odds, Lu Li could only start considering other plans.
“No, no, no. That’s actually a high probability!” Yuan He joined the conversation.
“The Sea of Fate is vast and chaotic. Just being able to see anything at all is remarkable.”
“Is that so? Liu Qingxi says she has never been wrong with her fortune-telling.”
“For the same cultivation level, about nine out of ten. For Qi Refining Stage and mortals, I’ve never missed.” Liu Qingxi finished speaking and placed the Storage Bag on the table.
“Let’s leave the personal magic tools and herbs untouched for now. How about we just take some Spirit Stones?”
“Pretend to take everything. Use them normally.” Lu Li pondered for a moment.
“If it were normal times, it would be fine. But I don’t know why the Demon Emperor himself is paying attention to this Ten Thousand Demons Conference of the Southern Demon Nation. If we act too politely, it would only make us look less like Yao.”
“So you also extorted a fee to compensate for the door later, right?” Liu Qingyun smiled rarely.
“Because after we return to the Human Race, we can’t really keep their Storage Bags.”
“Yes. Considering that when we go back, we can return these things to them and do them a favor.” As Lu Li spoke, she looked at Xiu Popo, who was tidying up the bedroom.
“Xiu Popo, can you tell me the next steps for the Ten Thousand Demons Conference?”
“The previous process was simple. There would be common martial competitions to test the cultivation of each clan’s Saint Sons and Saintesses.
Of course, it was modeled after the Human Race’s tournaments.” Xiu Popo brushed the dust off the shelves.
“But this year, it has changed. Each clan’s Saint Son or Saintess will operate freely in Blackstone City.”
“Operate freely?” Yuan He rubbed his bald head, but this time he grabbed a handful of hair.
“Doesn’t that make it easy to turn into mutual attacks?” Liu Qingxi spoke up.
“Yes.” Xiu Popo nodded. “But I don’t know the specific rules. That’s also one reason we came to the Northern Human Domain to seek help.”
“In any case, at least after the Wolf Commander arrives, we should be able to learn the relevant information.” Lu Li nodded.
“Xiu Popo, tell us more about the Yao knowledge so we can continue our disguise.”
While she was speaking, the Wolf Commander in the courtyard delivered a new gate, along with many transplanted Wondrous Flowers and Herbs as compensation.
When everyone came back to the Outer Courtyard, the Wolf Commander also delivered the new rules for this Ten Thousand Demons Conference’s competition.
On the Jade Slip, the most conspicuous thing was twelve Yao script characters:
“Build ramparts, chase the cauldron, suppress the flood?!”