Ch. 553 - An Old Friend

Lan Juntian walked over step by step.

He raised his voice with a smile and said, “Thank you all for coming to our Lan Clan's Demon-Slaying Banquet. I know many of you are only here to show respect to our Lan Clan, and some of you may not even be paying much attention to the demons. But I am not exaggerating, the history of demons is even older than that of many ancient clans like ours, which have existed for tens of thousands of years. They are scheming to get the key to the Primordial Demon Cave's seal, hoping for the return of the ancient Demon Sovereign. Our Lan Clan is not powerful, so we hope that one day, we can count on your help to fight the demons together. Tomorrow, we will show everyone the captured Infernal Archon, so you can see what kind of being it really is.”

After hearing Lan Juntian’s speech, most people just responded half-heartedly. Because of the low-key nature of demons, outside of the demon-hunting clans, few forces really paid them any attention.

“What do you all think about this Demon-Slaying Banquet?” Xu Zimo asked with a smile as he sipped his wine, looking at the three instructors from Heavenly Dao Academy.

“It’s hard to say without knowing more, but it’s definitely worth keeping an eye on,” Qing Yanzi said.

“Our Heavenly Dao Academy is the guardian of humanity. If something threatens the continent, of course we have a duty to step in,” Wu Yunshan added, nodding.

Xu Zimo smiled but didn’t respond further.

The God Emperor beside him frowned slightly and whispered to Xu Zimo, “There’s something off about the Lan Clan. Lord Paimon is no ordinary being. How could they have captured him?”

“This world is full of the unexpected. Who can truly claim to be invincible?” Xu Zimo smiled and shook his head.

He already had his own suspicions. As a demon-hunting clan, the Lan Clan had likely accumulated deep knowledge about demons over several generations.

They probably had their own ways to deal with them. But since the God Emperor wasn’t a true demon, he didn’t believe the Lan Clan could truly fight against a Grand Emperor.

“So what do you plan to do, young master? Why not just force your way into the Lan Clan?” the God Emperor asked curiously.

“I want to visit an old friend,” Xu Zimo said after a moment of thought.

Since the Demon-Slaying Banquet was scheduled for the next day, the Lan Clan arranged rooms for everyone to rest after the banquet.

Xu Zimo wasn’t interested in the banquet, so while everyone was mingling and exchanging greetings, he and the God Emperor quietly left the Lan residence.

……

The two of them headed directly toward the inner courtyard of the Lan residence.

Because of all the activity today, no one noticed them.

After passing through a few smaller courtyards, Xu Zimo stopped a passing Lan Clan disciple and asked with a smile, “Where does your Miss Lan Ke'er live?”

“Who are you? Why are you looking for our young lady?” the disciple asked cautiously.

Xu Zimo smiled and grabbed the disciple by the neck, saying, “Just tell me.”

“Don’t kill me! The young lady lives in the left wing of the inner courtyard,” the disciple quickly replied in a panic.

“Just keep walking straight ahead. The inner courtyard is right in front of you.”

After getting the answer, Xu Zimo twisted the disciple’s neck with a slight effort.

Then he raised his right hand, summoned a flame, and burned the body to ashes.

“Let’s go take a look,” Xu Zimo said.

The God Emperor nodded, and the two of them walked forward for about ten more minutes.

They eventually reached a large courtyard with gray tiles and white walls. A tall gatehouse stood at the front.

Green trees lined the area, with mountains in the background. A man-made stream flowed gently among decorative rocks.

At the gatehouse, two guards stood watch.

When Xu Zimo tried to enter the courtyard, the two guards immediately drew their blades and blocked his path.

“Stop right there. This is the Lan Clan’s inner courtyard.”

“I’m here to see your young lady,” Xu Zimo said.

“Please inform her that an old friend from the True Martial Sacred Ground has come to visit. She will want to see me.”

The guard on the left sneered, “Who do you think you are? You think anyone can see our young lady?”

Xu Zimo flicked his left hand, and a spark of fire shot from his fingertip.

It pierced the guard’s forehead instantly. The small spark burst into flames and reduced the man to a pile of gray ash.

“Go inform her,” Xu Zimo said coldly to the other guard.

The remaining guard was stunned, swallowed hard, then quickly ran into the courtyard.

……

At this time, in the left wing of the inner courtyard, Lan Ke'er was cultivating inside her room.

She wore a light green sheer garment under a long, pure white dress. A soft white ribbon wrapped around her slim waist.

Her originally black hair now had faint hints of blue at the ends.

It looked freshly washed and still carried a soft, misty charm.

Her eyes were as clear as a spring, and even a simple glance felt soul-stirring.

She sat cross-legged on the edge of her bed, with pale blue crystals floating in front of her.

The crystals looked like pieces of amber, dreamlike and breathtaking.

A faint blue aura flowed around her, distorting the surrounding space.

After a long time of cultivation, she finally let out a long breath.

Just then, someone knocked on the door.

“Young lady, a guard outside says someone is here to see you.”

“Little Yun, come in,” Lan Ke'er replied softly.

The door opened and a maid in a plain green dress walked in.

“Young lady, the guard says someone wants to see you.

I told him you were cultivating and couldn’t be disturbed, but he refused to leave and insisted you give an answer,” Little Yun pouted.

“Who is it?” Lan Ke’er asked with a smile.

“Seems to be some old friend from the True Martial Sacred Ground,” Little Yun said after thinking for a bit.

“But the True Martial Sacred Ground is all the way in the Eastern Continent. How could anyone from there know you?”

As soon as she finished speaking, all the blue crystals floating around Lan Ke’er suddenly fell to the floor.

“An old friend from the True Martial Sacred Ground…” Lan Ke’er murmured in a daze.

“Young lady, what’s wrong?” Little Yun asked in confusion.

“Oh, nothing,” Lan Ke’er quickly came back to her senses and said anxiously.

“Little Yun, tell him to wait a moment. I’ll be right there.”

Little Yun gave her lady a puzzled look. For some reason, it felt like Lan Ke’er had suddenly lost her usual calm.

As Little Yun left, Lan Ke’er quickly sat at her dressing table and began fixing her makeup.

……

When Little Yun returned after speaking with the guard, she found Lan Ke’er’s room filled with clothes.

“Little Yun, quick, which outfit looks better on me?” Lan Ke’er pulled her maid over while looking into the mirror.

“Young lady, you’re naturally beautiful, you’d look like a fairy in anything,” Little Yun replied with a soft laugh.

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