Chapter 869: Capturing the Holy Maiden of Beast God Mountain, An Old Friend Returns!

Silence.

Utter silence.

In a split second, the world fell deadly quiet.

Every cultivator, war beast, and spirit pet in Red Peak Immortal City was frozen in place.

All eyes were locked on the corpse of the Fourth-Rank Beast King, now split in half and crashing to the ground.

“How is this possible?”

“There’s no way!”

“The Beast King… it’s dead! It was killed with a single sword strike!”

Shocked murmurs and cries broke through the hush.

Everyone stood stunned, jaws dropped and faces drained of color. They stared in disbelief at the mutilated body of the Fourth-Rank Beast King.

Scalding blood poured like a waterfall, pooling into a red lake and filling the air with a sickening metallic stench.

Those standing close were drenched in beast blood, feeling the searing steam radiate from the freshly killed king.

Blood of a Fourth-Rank Beast King held unimaginable value.

Normally, that blood would spark a scramble—crowds fighting to scoop up every drop for alchemy or tempering magical artifacts.

But no one moved. They were rooted in place, bodies cold and trembling with uncontrollable terror.

After all, this was a Fourth-Rank Beast King.

And yet someone had sliced it in two as if cutting tofu.

Most spent decades or centuries cultivating without ever witnessing such horrid might.

It wasn’t just them.

Even the Holy Maiden of Beast God Mountain, herself newly advanced to Nascent Soul, was shaken speechless.

One sword had killed a Fourth-Rank Beast King.

What kind of sick joke was that?

Granted, these beast kings couldn’t compare to true shapeshifting demon kings.

But they were still genuine Fourth-Rank Beast Kings.

Creatures with flesh and bone as tough as peak demon kings and body cultivators.

The war between Liang and Yue had swung in Liang’s favor for years because of these kings, specially bred by secret arts.

And now, one of those same beast kings had fallen to a single stroke from the Lord of Dameng City.

The Holy Maiden’s heart raced. Her divine sense raced over the scene, half afraid it was a trick.

But the bisected body, flowing blood, and dead spirit couldn’t be faked.

It was all real: that Fourth-Rank Beast King had died, slain by the Lord of Dameng City before her eyes.

“Just a pretend Fourth-Rank Beast King dares bare its fangs at me?”

Lu Changsheng stood in dark robes, Nine Calamity Sword in hand, his expression calm and unbothered.

Killing the beast king felt as inconsequential as flicking off dust.

And truthfully, to him, it was.

Though its body rivaled real demon kings and body cultivators, that was the extent of its power.

True demon kings or body cultivators had another layer—a protective glow like a barrier, supported by demon power and blood energy.

This shield could deflect skills and magical attacks.

These imitation king beasts had no such protection.

What chance did they have against Lu Ancestor’s blade?

“Y-you—who are you really?!”

The Holy Maiden scrambled backwards, instinctively widening the gap between herself and Lu Changsheng, terrified he’d cut her down just as easily.

After all, if one slash killed a beast king, would she last two?

She’d only just broken through to Nascent Soul and had no wish to end up destroyed.

But even as the words left her mouth, she realized her tone was all wrong. She quickly changed it: “Lord of Dameng City, what did Jiang and Yue promise you? Whatever it is, Beast God Mountain will double it for you!”

“Just don’t meddle in our war. Name your price. I’ll report to our ancestor, to True Lord Nine Spirits himself!”

Normally, she was wild and aggressive—proud, untamed, always looking down on others.

Now she was nothing like her usual self, more like a spooked little cat than a ferocious leopard.

After all, anyone who could one-shot a beast king was terrifying.

This strength was at least on par with the likes of True Lord Xuanjian or even her own elder, True Lord Nine Spirits.

That easy sword seemed effortless.

No hint of exhaustion, no sign of depleted strength.

Then what would he be like if he really went all out?

She couldn’t understand it at all. Rumor had it the Lord of Dameng City was sickly and never left his city—so how could he possess such maddening power?

With this power, why not go out and rule the land, spread his fame through the Southern Desolation and the North, instead of hiding in a minor city of Jiang Kingdom?

Lu Changsheng gave a cold, dismissive laugh.

“What I want, your Beast God Mountain can’t afford.”

“Besides, I’ll take it myself.”

As soon as he finished, the Nine Calamity Sword rang with power.

Blade lights as sharp as legend cut through the sky, slashing straight for the Holy Maiden and lighting up the heavens.

“Run!”

Chills shot down her spine. The Holy Maiden’s nerves screamed.

She saw he had no intention whatsoever of negotiating.

Her Nascent Soul power roared, and her tall, graceful body flared with a purplish light—like violet lightning crackling over her skin. She burst skyward instantly.

As she ascended, purple markings surged across her body, interwoven like runes. Her cloak-like hair spread behind her, wild and impossibly long, while from her tailbone grew a massive purple wolf’s tail.

“Howl!”

Behind her, a spectral celestial wolf dozens of meters high appeared, raising its head to the sky.

Her spirit pet, the “Lunar Celestial Wolf,” also raised its head in a cry, merging with the phantom behind her and sending her aura soaring.

Her elegant body stretched and grew. Her ears split into lupine tips, her pupils narrowed into icy purple vertical slits.

“Celestial Wolf Battle Body! Lunar Wolfslash!”

She howled, her voice now layered with a wolf’s cry. Waves of tangible purple sound energy crashed toward Lu Changsheng, trying to disrupt his own spellcasting.

At the same moment, she crossed her clawed hands. Bands of purple lightning and darkness coiled into a jagged light dozens of meters long, cutting through the void and rushing for the sword lights.

But—

“Shhhk!”

The Lunar Wolfslash was easily shattered by the nine-petaled sword lights, which then came bearing down straight at her.

She gasped, horrified, as her Nascent Soul’s protective shield was cut through like glass, filling with cracks.

In just a breath’s time, her shield splintered, breaking entirely, and she spewed blood, sent flying through the air like a broken kite.

“Th-this…”

“The Holy Maiden!”

“True Lord!”

The demonic cultivators of Red Peak Immortal City stared in terror, scalp prickling all over.

Where had this monster come from?

First, a single sword killed the beast king.

Now, the next sword sent the Holy Maiden flying.

Fine, she was a newly-advanced Nascent Soul cultivator, but in earlier battles, she’d trampled over Core Formation masters from both Jiang and Yue.

Just like she was now being trampled by this Lord of Dameng City.

Yet the gulf from Core Formation to Nascent Soul was massive—how could there be such distance even among Nascent Souls?

“Run! Run now!”

Some senior cultivators saw disaster coming and scrambled to flee.

But at the city’s edge, they were frozen by the sight of Qian Zhuyan, the puppet battle formation, and the massive Golden-Winged Roc. Not a soul dared move.

“Celestial Wolf Battle Body!”

The Holy Maiden, battered and desperate, relied on the city’s formation and kept her battle body active to steady herself.

She spat out a treasured orb that glowed with purple and blue light, enveloping her fully, intending to use the power of the Great Void to escape.

But over Red Peak Immortal City appeared a giant hand, woven in yin-yang patterns, covering the sky.

The five immense fingers curled, a colossal force raining down across heaven and earth.

The Holy Maiden felt herself crushed, space sealed tight all around—every exit frozen.

“Yin-Yang Hand! You’re Yangming True Lord!”

She screamed, recognizing the divine art—the Great Yin-Yang Qi Capture—belonging to Yangming True Lord.

It hit her then—the Lord of Dameng City was none other than the legend who, as a Core cultivator, had defied Nascent Soul masters in the Mirage Domain of Vast Sands.

Shock washed through her. She’d never guessed the Lord of Dameng City and Yangming True Lord were one and the same.

“So this is his true power?”

She’d heard of Yangming True Lord by name, always believed he’d relied on Qingluan True Lord, powered by forbidden life-burning moves and rare treasures.

Now she realized she was but a frog in a well, staring at the moon, blinded to the true scope of things.

A surge of regret flooded her.

If only she’d heeded her elder’s warnings and run at the first sign of danger. Now, she’d missed her prime chance.

“Yangming True Lord, whatever grudge you hold with Beast God Mountain, it’s all a misunderstanding! I can apologize and make amends for True Lord Tiancang!”

She pleaded, hoping that, for the sake of Beast God Mountain, he’d let her go.

But Lu Changsheng ignored her.

He cast out his soul-bound treasure, the Yin-Yang Diagram, weaving it with the Great Yin-Yang Qi Capture and sealing off the world, intent on taking her alive.

At the same time, the Sun-Moon Yin-Yang Mirror trembled, firing a ray of lunar light that instantly froze the Holy Maiden—not just her body but the Nascent Soul energy inside, all grinding to a halt.

“No!”

Panic spread across her face. She knew she was completely outmatched.

Only one escape remained: abandon her body and flee as a Nascent Soul.

She didn’t want to do it, didn’t want to leave everything behind, but there was simply no other choice.

“Swish!”

A wolf-shadowed Nascent Soul burst from her crown, wrenching itself free of the restraints and shooting for the Great Void, desperate to escape Red Peak Immortal City.

Lu Changsheng snorted.

If he’d only just reached Nascent Soul and had no spirit treasures, catching her soul would be tricky.

But now—

He threw out the Danghun Bell. Its chimes rang out, casting a ghostly light that made the Holy Maiden’s Nascent Soul falter, paralyzed.

Then, the Starrealm Compass merged with the sky, forming a magic domain filled with starlight, further binding her down.

She tried to break free, burning away her core essence, but it was useless.

Lu Changsheng appeared at her side, holding a net woven of deep blue threads.

With a quick flick, it landed over her Nascent Soul, binding it up tight like a dumpling.

This net, like the one used by True Lord Xuanjian—the Binding Divine Net—was a consumable treasure meant to restrain Nascent Souls. Lu Changsheng had picked it up in the Zhenhai Sect’s treasury.

“Yangming True Lord, this war isn’t just about Beast God Mountain. It revolves around major players—mess with their plans, and consequences will follow!”

She tried to use these shadowy figures to scare him, but knew she was hardly in a position to threaten anyone.

“If you spare me, Beast God Mountain will let bygones be bygones. We’ll settle your grudge with True Lord Tiancang and even pay compensation!”

Now, her tone shifted again from “True Lord” to “Senior,” speaking from pure fear and desperation.

After all, he’d just used four treasures simply to take her alive. Even as the Saintess of Beast God Mountain and the heir of True Lord Nine Spirits, she couldn’t afford such extravagance.

“I said, what I want, I’ll take myself. What I want to know, I’ll ask myself.”

Lu Changsheng’s voice was cool and distant.

He hadn’t gone through all this trouble just to kill her. He wanted answers about Beast God Mountain and the shadowy masterminds, hoping to lure both True Lord Tiancang and the Flood Dragon Holy Son into one place to wipe them out at once.

At his words, Lu Changsheng sealed the Holy Maiden’s soul with several restraints, slapped a talisman on her, and tossed her into the Divine Maiden’s Furnace.

That furnace not only disturbed minds and emotions but could double as a pocket dimension, caging powerful cultivators or treasures. It was perfect for holding a Nascent Soul.

“True Lord, spare me!”

“Please, give us another chance!”

“We submit! Just, please, have mercy!”

The demonic cultivators of Red Peak Immortal City, already terrified by the death of the beast king, now broke completely after seeing their True Lord lose and be captured in mere moments. They threw themselves to the ground, groveling for their lives.

“Who among you can speak for the rest?”

Lu Changsheng put away his spirit treasures and called out flatly.

He looked at the body of the Holy Maiden, still gripped in his Yin-Yang hand.

With a thought, the hand rolled around her wolfish form, shrouding it in swirling mists and forming a small Yin-Yang sphere.

Even the Nascent Soul bodies had value—for trade, as vessels for others, or research for making puppets.

So, of course, he safely stored it, tossing it into his Spirit Pet Bag rather than destroying it.

Turning to a group of nervous Core cultivators who approached, he asked, “Why was only the Holy Maiden here? Where is True Lord Ziguang? Where are the cultivators from Jiang and Yue who were here before?”

“Reporting, True Lord: True Lord Ziguang fled. True Lords Tiancang, Huangquan, and Incinerating Wither gave chase. The Jiang and Yue cultivators are all in the prison camp.”

They dared not hesitate in answering.

“So he really did flee.”

Lu Changsheng narrowed his eyes. He’d suspected as much.

He glanced at the beast king’s corpse not far away, let out a breath, and patted his storage pouch. With a twitch, the Ten Thousand Ghost Blood Pool appeared.

He used it to collect the blood pooling beneath the corpse, feeding it into the treasure to refine the blood of ten thousand spirits.

“Is—that the Ten Thousand Ghost Blood Pool?”

Some of the Core cultivators recognized the name, chills running down their spines.

How had this legendary treasure of the Yin Ghost Sect fallen into the Lord of Dameng City’s hands?

Legend had it that it was cultivated using the blood of countless beings.

Did that mean he would massacre the city for blood to empower the pool?

Terror made them shiver as they watched the Ten Thousand Ghost Blood Pool.

“Golden Roc.”

Lu Changsheng had no idea what they thought.

Though these were demonic cultivators, he’d never resort to slaughtering cities just for power.

The Golden-Winged Roc strode into the city, exuding a terrifying force that made it hard for cultivators to breathe.

Every war beast and spirit pet in its path cringed and quivered in submission.

The massive roc eyed the dead beast king and took a bite.

But after tasting a mouthful, it frowned.

“Master, this meat isn’t any good.”

After devouring several true fourth-rank demon kings, the Golden-Winged Roc had grown picky.

It sniffed disdainfully, “This beast king’s meat is worse than some top-level third-rank demon kings. Dry, old, with barely any essence.”

“Just make do.”

Lu Changsheng knew that the beast kings were bred using secret methods, their potential wrung dry until only husks remained.

“Keep an eye on things here with Xiao Yan.”

He then had the Core cultivators lead him to the prison camp.

Realizing his current identity as Lord of Dameng City, Lu Changsheng summoned the Heavenly Yuan Lotus and called for his son.

“Father?”

Lu Lingxiao stepped out, frowning at the sight.

Red Peak Immortal City? Why was his father here?

And the huge corpse ahead—was that a beast king from Beast God Mountain? And being gnawed on by the Golden-Winged Roc?

What on earth had happened?

Lu Lingxiao stared at his father, bewildered.

“Red Peak’s business is settled. You’re in charge now,” Lu Changsheng said simply.

“What?”

Lu Lingxiao stared, completely baffled.

He’d only been inside the Heavenly Yuan Lotus briefly—how had his father cleaned up everything this quickly?

Weren’t there supposed to be multiple Nascent Soul demonic cultivators stationed here?

“There was only the Holy Maiden and a beast king, so it didn’t take long,” Lu Changsheng explained.

Lu Lingxiao looked around—the beast king’s carcass, the cowed Core cultivators, the cringing, kneeling prisoners.

He couldn’t imagine how his father had stormed into Red Peak, defeated the Holy Maiden and the beast king in such a short time.

But after years as Young Lord and his time honing himself at the frontlines, he was good at steadying his nerves.

He took a deep breath and asked if now was the time to rescue the prisoners.

“Yes,” Lu Changsheng nodded.

With everyone’s wary respect, father and son strode toward the prison camp.

Lu Changsheng’s Nascent Soul divine sense swept through the place.

He instantly spotted his sons, Lu Qingxian and the others.

Sons like Lu Xingyang and Lu Qingze were just sealed of their powers and thrown into ordinary cells—pale, weak, but unharmed.

Lu Qingxian, however, hung in chains, his body streaked with blood and torn with wounds, barely clinging to life.

Instantly, rage surged in Lu Changsheng’s heart.

At that moment, he also noticed a stern, bloodthirsty-looking man in dark red armor who looked about forty.

Despite the years, Lu Changsheng recognized him: his old friend, Li Feiyu.

He’d had Lu Miaoyun keep an eye out for Li Feiyu but never managed to uncover his whereabouts.

Later he’d used divination and Li family bloodlines to search for news. But Li Feiyu’s children never awakened their Spirit Roots and had long since died. The third generation’s blood was far too thin, only letting him glimpse that Li Feiyu still lived, but was not in Jiang Kingdom.

Never in his wildest dreams did he expect Li Feiyu to join the demonic path and become a cultivator of Liang.

Lu Changsheng bore no grudges against demonic cultivators, but seeing Li Feiyu’s aura steeped in blood, condensed into a False Core, left him quietly sighing.

“With a seventh-grade Spirit Root, breaking into Core Formation without a stroke of luck is nearly impossible. Turning to the demonic path is hardly a bad choice.”

He understood his friend’s choice. Li Feiyu had a False Core; insignificant by Lu Changsheng’s standards, but with no background or resources, it was a real feat.

Who would’ve guessed two outcasts from Qingzhu Mountain could stand here a century later?

He didn’t approach Li Feiyu, planning to have his son talk to him later.

Right now, Li Feiyu was stunned too.

Who would’ve guessed this Nascent Soul master would race to the prison camp after defeating both the beast king and the Holy Maiden?

He’d wanted to rescue Lu Qingxian in the chaos, but clearly this new arrival was on the side of Jiang and Yue.

Now, his greatest concern was his own survival.

Li Feiyu quietly lamented the unpredictable twists of fate on this battlefield.

But who was this Nascent Soul master backing Yue and Jiang?

He kept his head low, trying to avoid notice.

“Release everyone,” Lu Changsheng commanded coldly, vanishing into the depths of the prison to find Lu Qingxian.

He shattered the chains, stopped the bleeding, and began healing him.

“Father…”

Not long ago, after breaking through to Core Formation, Lu Qingxian had visited Dameng City to study the Nine Thunder and Fire Techniques from Hong Lian. He’d learned that the current Lord and Lady were his father and Peach Deity herself. So, half-conscious, when he glimpsed the shadow in black robes, he wondered if he was hallucinating.

“Don’t talk, just rest,” Lu Changsheng said softly.

He helped his son swallow a pill, channelled its energy inside, and stabilized his condition.

Feeling revived, Lu Qingxian sensed life had returned to his body. Gazing at the man, he couldn’t help but question—was this really his father?

“Is it really you?” he managed to say.

“It’s me,” came Lu Changsheng’s gentle reply.

Tension melted from Lu Qingxian’s heart. Relief and joy welled up inside him.

“Father, how did you get here?” he asked.

He was stunned that his father had come so quickly after the city fell.

“I came too late,” Lu Changsheng sighed, voice turning sharp. “Who did this to you?”

“It was True Lord Youyue. She found the Fusang Lightning-Wood you gave me hidden in my storage ring…”

Lu Qingxian, drained and weak, explained his ordeal—how she’d interrogated him, attempted soul-search, but a mysterious energy in his mind helped him feign ignorance and kept him alive.

“The Holy Maiden!”

A cold dread flickered in Lu Changsheng’s eyes. “Rest easy. I’ll settle this myself.”

“Father!”

Just then, Lu Lingxiao hurried over to check on Lu Qingxian.

“You and Lingxiao will take charge of the city. To outsiders, you can claim to be disciples of the Lord’s wife in Dameng City.”

Once he saw his sons were safe, Lu Changsheng held back from healing further, getting ready to deal with what came next.

The other True Lords—Tiancang, Huangquan, and Incinerating Wither—were off chasing True Lord Ziguang. As soon as Beast God Mountain learned what happened, they’d come running.

Not to mention, their Supreme Elder, True Lord Nine Spirits, and the shadowy demonic mastermind behind this whole war could show up too.

Since he’d rushed all the way here using the Misty Dust Banner, he’d spent much of his power. He had to recover quickly.

“Take charge?” Lu Qingxian blinked in confusion.

He thought maybe his father had used a trick to lure the Holy Maiden away and sneak into the city to rescue him.

Otherwise, how had everything ended so quickly?

“She’s already been taken care of. We need to seize control before trouble hits,” Lu Lingxiao explained.

“Wait, what?”

Even though Lu Qingxian had weathered many storms, he was thunderstruck.

Still, he quickly regained his composure and warned, “True Lord Tiancang, the Flood Dragon Holy Son, and True Lord Incinerating Wither will rush back when they hear. The city’s main formation was taken by True Lord Ziguang. We won’t be able to stop a force of Nascent Soul masters now. If the formation falls into their hands, we’re in trouble.”

Having been here a while, Lu Qingxian grasped the local situation.

“Don’t worry. If they come, not one will leave,” Lu Changsheng said, voice icy and full of unshakable confidence.

With Nine Calamity Sword in hand, he could duel any mid-stage Nascent Soul heavy-hitter.

If he used the Sun-Moon Yin-Yang Mirror at full power, he might even slay one.

Red Peak’s formation was damaged, true, but as a top-tier formation master, he could run it far better than the Holy Maiden ever did.

Merged with the formation and wielding the Sun-Moon Yin-Yang Mirror, only late-stage Nascent Soul cultivators or ancient monsters with pureblood defenses would threaten him.

Otherwise, he was confident no one could survive his onslaught.

Not to mention, Qian Zhuyan thrived in siege warfare—holding a city made his strength shine.

He couldn’t help but regret not bringing the Turtle Immortal Patriarch for total safety.

“Unless the demonic mastermind is late-stage Nascent Soul, having or not having the Turtle won’t matter,” Lu Changsheng mused. He disliked showing all his cards, preferring to keep the world guessing.

He especially didn’t want his role as Lord of Dameng City to be too famous—it might bring unwanted trouble to the Lu Family of Bihu Mountain.

“Yes, Father,” Lu Qingxian and Lu Lingxiao nodded, exchanging glances. Their father’s unshakable confidence left them eager to see him face True Lord Tiancang and the Flood Dragon Holy Son.

Without further delay, they rushed off to get the city under control.

“That man is my old friend, Li Feiyu. You should remember him; try reaching out.”

Lu Changsheng messaged his son, passing on everything about Li Feiyu.

“Huh?”

Lu Qingxian stopped short as details appeared in his mind.

After being tortured, he only vaguely noticed the man who’d given him a healing pill.

He’d assumed it was just a Liang cultivator not wanting him to die, nothing more.

He never expected that man to be his father’s friend.

He remembered, distantly, that Uncle Li had visited Bihu Mountain in his youth, helping his father rescue Lu Ruyi.

Suddenly, he realized the man had likely recognized him.

“That was Uncle Li?”

He quickly told his father about being given a pill by Li Feiyu.

“Oh?”

Lu Changsheng felt a rush of happiness. Seeing his old friend steeped in blood using forbidden arts for a False Core, he’d worried the years had changed everything.

But learning Li Feiyu still remembered and cared for his son lifted a weight from his heart.

“Yes, that’s Uncle Li. When you have time, introduce yourself and see what he’s been through.”

Lu Changsheng readied the Divine Maiden’s Furnace, preparing to question the captured Holy Maiden.