Ex-Wife is a Big Villainess
Chapter 72 - 68 Water Moon Dream Mirror!

Chapter 72: Chapter 68 Water Moon Dream Mirror!

Inside the inn, Qu Hongling hurried to Shen Shengyuan’s room with a sense of urgency, having sensed the powerful demon energy fluctuations. Seeing that the other party was still in the room, the girl’s tightly wound nerves finally relaxed.

"Mr. Shen, there seems to be very strong demon energy coming from the royal palace,"

Qu Hongling said with a grave expression, "Could it be that other experts from the Demon Clan have arrived?"

At this moment, Shen Shengyuan still hadn’t managed to calm his emotions, his gaze fixated intently on the location of the royal palace, his heart roiling like a turbulent sea.

Possibly overwhelmed with excitement, even Shen Shengyuan’s voice was trembling slightly as he spoke, "It’s the Demon Venerable!"

"What?"

"It’s the Demon Venerable! It’s that Demon Venerable!"

"The Demon Venerable?"

Qu Hongling first looked confused, then, bit by bit, shock climbed into her crystal clear eyes, and her face became a picture of incredulity.

How many Demon Venerables were there in this world?

Only one!

That was the first Sect Master of the Sky Demon Sect, the ruthless character who had united the Demon Clan.

Back in the day, he slaughtered six Ascended Immortals by himself at Missing Moon Peak, dominated the three great Heavenly Humans, was illustrious across the eight deserts, and had command over the universe.

He then renamed Missing Moon Peak to Luxian Peak.

He left behind the domineering phrase, "I am a demon, henceforth there shall be no immortals in heaven."

Unfortunately, even such a formidable figure, revered as a deity by all of the Demon Clan, ultimately fell and failed to achieve the grand feat of swallowing the Central Plains and making demons the rightful rulers of the world.

After the fall of the Demon Venerable, the Demon Clan declined from its zenith, beset by internal strife and external calamities.

As the demon energy gradually thinned over the years, no longer were there demons in the mortal realm until the demon energy was revived.

Qu Hongling said blankly, "But... didn’t the Demon Venerable die?"

"Indeed, she did die,"

Looking at the clueless girl, Shen Shengyuan, who knew some of the inside story, slowly said, "Did Ms. Qiu ever tell you how the Demon Venerable died?"

Qu Hongling shook her little head.

Shen Shengyuan said, "The Demon Venerable died because of the Water Moon Dream Mirror."

"The Zhuge Family’s Water Moon Dream Mirror!?"

Qu Hongling’s eyes widened.

She knew something about the Zhuge Family.

It was said that the ancestors of the Zhuge Family were proficient in astrology and possessed the divine power to see through the secrets of heaven.

They had unparalleled vision and unmatched divination skills, able to foresee everything, holding the universe in their hands, and could control and predict the course of events at will.

The Zhuge Family had been famous for their divination skills generation after generation.

Now, the renowned Zhuge Xuanji was the ninth-generation descendant of the Zhuge Family.

It was rumored that the Zhuge Family possessed two Divine Artifacts: the Divine Ghost Eight Array Diagram and the Water Moon Dream Mirror.

Among them, the Water Moon Dream Mirror was the most mystical.

It was heard that with this object, one could foresee the future in dreams and see images of the future.

"Everyone knows that the possessor of the Dream Mirror can view the future, but they do not know that this object is a great calamity. All who have obtained it have met with dire consequences."

Shen Shengyuan spoke in a heavy tone, "The fourth leader of Zhenxuan Mountain died because of the Water Moon Dream Mirror, the renowned Elder Qianshi of Huoyun Mountain went mad because of it, and so did the fifth Sect Master of the Xuanji Sword Sect, including Li Guanshi’s ancestor from back in the day. Even our Demon Venerable was no exception."

Qu Hongling listened, dumbfounded.

She asked in confusion, "Then why has the Demon Venerable come back to life?"

Shen Shengyuan’s eyebrows were tightly knit as he shook his head,

"I don’t know either, perhaps the Demon Venerable left something behind before her death. But one thing is certain; someone unfortunate has gotten hold of the Water Moon Dream Mirror and is probably ensnared by the relentless nightmares it brings."

——

Outside the royal palace gates of the Capital.

The ghostly demon aura surged endlessly, as if gathering into a black sea, suffocating those who sensed it.

"Jiang Shouzhong," with his white hair, floated mid-air.

In the moonlight, his silver-gleaming white hair danced wildly in the wind, like tangled strands of ice.

And at the moment when the white-haired "Jiang Shouzhong" appeared, several beams of golden light shot up into the sky from the high platform of the Astronomical Observatory, followed by the emergence of golden talismanic walls in all four corners and eight directions of the royal palace.

Many of the royal guards, as if facing a formidable enemy, rushed out of the palace.

Even the numerous hidden experts within the Capital sensed the presence and hurried over, including Li Guanshi and Yan Changqing.

"Wei’er!!"

Consort Lan, who had scrambled out of the carriage in a panic, saw Crown Prince Zhou Wei thrown onto the city wall. Her eyes nearly split with rage, and she screamed in agony.

Guard Ma Wu snapped out of his shock, drew his sword, and was about to rush forward when suddenly a shadow cloaked in an imposing aura charged towards the white-haired "Jiang Shouzhong."

There was a thunderous explosion, and the air seemed to part like clouds and waves, retreating on either side.

Both men were pushed back more than twenty yards.

The Demon Venerable, possessing Jiang Shouzhong, flung his sleeves to dispel the remaining force and squinted at the plain-looking man in black standing before the palace gates, saying in surprise, "Heavenly Human Realm? Interesting. What is your name?"

"Zhao Wuxiu, at your service, Demon Venerable."

The man in black’s clothes fluttered in the wind, blending into the night.

He was not particularly tall or imposing, but standing there, he was like a deep abyss or an immovable peak, radiating the unstoppable aura of someone who could protect an entire city single-handedly.

The number one under the heavens, Zhao Wuxiu!

The Demon Venerable’s eyes swept over the palace, now protected by a grand array of talismans. Her face, shrouded in swirling red mist, was unreadable, and she said with a hint of mockery:

"Just one from the Heavenly Human Realm? How pathetic. The Li Dynasty of old had three at your level. You’ve really gone downhill. Give it a few hundred years, and won’t all you watchdogs be out of even grandmasters?"

"The Demon Venerable jests. Times have changed, things aren’t as they once were."

Just then, an old man in a blue gown, radiating the vast aura of Confucianism, appeared not far away.

He protected the recovered Crown Prince behind him and looked at the Demon Venerable with a smiling face,

"There’s only so much rice in the pot; those who come later can only scramble for the leftovers. Isn’t it the same with demon energy, having been interrupted for over two hundred years before it recovered?"

"Oh, a Confucian Saint, too."

The Demon Venerable assessed the old man and then his gaze fell on the middle-aged man behind the Confucian Saint, holding a silver spear, "A Martial Saint as well, not bad, not bad. Finally, some semblance of a challenge. Are there any other experts? Come all at once. I don’t have the time for dawdling with you."

The Demon Venerable glanced dismissively at the other palace guards outside the gate, "No need to bother with these rotten shrimps."

Martial Saint Yuwen Lie laughed heartily, "I never imagined I’d get the chance to fight the illustrious Demon Venerable in my lifetime. What a thrill! To deal with you, Demon Venerable, I, Yuwen Lie, am more than enough alone!"

Yuwen Lie’s feet pressed upon the ground, stirring ripples in the air like a stone skimming over water, and then with a leap, circles of killing intent spiraled outwards from him.

The silver spear moved like a giant serpent, its killing intent piercing the heavens!

The Confucian Saint stood his ground, his sleeves billowing calmly, his demeanor tranquil.

...

At this moment, atop the high platform of the Imperial Observatory, Emperor Zhou Chang of Dazhou, clad in casual wear, looked out at the battleground beyond the palace and said with a smile, "Who would have thought a Demon Venerable would appear? Is this an unexpected delight or an unexpected fright?"

Behind him, the observatory head grimaced and said, "Your servant didn’t expect her to still be alive."

"That’s just it, there’s so much we don’t expect," Zhou Chang said helplessly. "Who knows what great figure will turn up tomorrow? Shallow waters are filled with swaggering bullies, while the deep sea harbors dragons. But perhaps this is for the best. Living in peace can dull the senses, and one can wear away without even knowing it. Facing adversity keeps one alert and far from a comfortable death."

The head of the observatory nodded gently, "Your Majesty speaks the truth."

Zhou Chang’s eyes flashed sharply as he stared at the Observatory head, "That brings us to the question then, can we withstand this Demon Venerable?"

The Observatory head opened his mouth but dared not make any rash predictions.

Eventually, he suggested softly, "It might be necessary to activate the grand array."

Zhou Chang frowned, "Could it be that..."

"Your Majesty, rest assured," the Observatory head said with a smile. "The emergence of the Demon Venerable is unexpected, but it may also be a blessing in disguise."

Zhou Chang was taken aback for a moment, but then his brow smoothed, and he sighed, "But we must be able to withstand her. Look at our Martial Saint, already laid low."

...

Yuwen Lie was sent crashing backward, his towering figure smashing through the palace gate and knocking down several elite palace guards with him.

"Is that it?"

The Demon Venerable scoffed, "Daring to call yourself a Saint? Go back to your mother’s womb and train again!"

She turned to look at Crown Prince Zhou Wei, who the guards were quietly preparing to escort into the palace, and stomped heavily on the ground, the killing energy swirling around her built up to its peak.

"Handing such trash the Mantle of Heaven is a disgrace!"

With a single stride, the Demon Venerable crossed dozens of yards and threw a punch.

The air undulated in fine layers, like the booming thunder of winter.

The Confucian Saint could finally stand no longer.

He positioned himself in front of Zhou Wei and withdrew a crystal-clear ruler, with the vast energy of righteousness surging through it.

Bang!

Zhou Wei slammed heavily against the wall and spat out blood.

Looking at the shattered ruler in his hand, the Confucian Saint, who until just moments ago was the picture of calm elegance, was now furiously enraged, "Demon Venerable, your insolence knows no bounds!"