World-Ending Demon Emperor
Chapter 511 - 267: The Method to Eliminate Ashi Luo! (Important Subscription Required)

Chapter 511: 267: The Method to Eliminate Ashi Luo! (Important Subscription Required)

"Who are you taking me to see, Madam?" Suo Lun asked.

Ashi Liren said, "You’ll know when you meet them."

"But..." Suo Lun began.

"There are no buts," Ashi Liren said coldly, "If you want to defeat Ashi Luo, you must do it my way."

Then, Ashi Liren led Suo Lun out of the mansion through the back door.

They boarded a carriage in an alley, which to Suo Lun’s surprise, was headed outwards from Rouran City.

After traveling several dozen miles from the city, they reached the foot of a mountain.

Ashi Liren and Suo Lun alighted from the carriage and trekked up the mountain.

This was just an ordinary mountain with nothing notable about it; who of any significance could be living among these hills?

After walking for more than ten miles into the mountain, they arrived at a valley.

The entrance to the valley was extremely treacherous, flanked by steep and terrifying cliffs a hundred meters high, narrow enough to only allow one or two people to pass.

It was a real case of "one man holding the pass, ten thousand unable to break through."

Moreover, the whole valley appeared not to be a natural formation but instead as if it had been cleft in two by a ferocious blow from a Celestial Deity.

"Is this another one of those legends where the Dragon Emperor split it with his sword?" Suo Lun asked.

Ashi Liren ignored her and continued forward coldly.

Ever since Ashi Liren found out about Suo Lun’s identity, her attitude towards him had cooled significantly; she harbored not the slightest bit of affection for him in her heart.

They passed through the long narrow path between the cliffs and entered the valley.

The valley wasn’t large, featuring a lake with a small castle built beside it.

Ashi Liren brought Suo Lun to the outside of the castle and said to a martial artist guarding the gate, "Please go in and inform my father that I request an audience."

Suo Lun was taken aback; could it be that the one residing here was the Rouran City Lord, Ashimo?

...

Suo Lun was both familiar and unfamiliar with Ashimo.

There had been a close relationship between their families because Count Suo Long once led troops to save Rouran City, thus the two families had become in-laws, with Suo Ningbing being married off to Ashi Luo.

However, soon after, the Ashi Clan expanded their territory several times through military conquests to the south and north, and suddenly became the preeminent noble house of the Rage Wave Kingdom. Not only that, they harbored secret rebellious intentions against the royal house of Rage Wave, became the noble with the strongest independence, and barely regarded the royal family as noteworthy.

Moreover, Ashimo’s son and daughter both climbed to exceptionally high positions.

One became a disciple of the King of Dongli, the other, the direct heir of the Demon Continent.

As for Tian Shui City’s Su Family, after the entrapment of Count Suo Long, they fell into a trough and nearly lost their territory, becoming like stray dogs. Plus, with the separation between Suo Ningbing and Ashi Luo, the relationship between the two families cooled off instantly.

To speak frankly, the Tian Shui City Su Family had come to a point where they needed to look up to the Ashi Clan.

One might even say that all the nobles and aristocrats of Rage Wave Kingdom, except for the royal family, had to look up to the Ashi Clan.

Even the royal family, whether it’s Zhi Li or Zhi Yan, had reasons to seek favor from the Ashi Clan.

All this glory was founded single-handedly by Ashimo.

Decades ago, the Ashi Clan was at best just a noble governor in the Night Orchid Duchy.

So unquestionably, Ashimo was a mighty ruler, a ruler whose fame resonated throughout the Rage Wave Kingdom, and even across the Human Kingdom.

And this ruler, the world had not seen his figure for many years, with even the citizens of Rouran City hardly catching a glimpse of him.

Despite this, Rouran City remained strong, its officials diligently governing the thousand-mile territory in an orderly and thriving manner. The generals led an army of over a hundred thousand, with a reputation that resonated far and wide.

However, Ashimo certainly had vanished from public view for a long time, perhaps nearly a decade.

Unexpectedly, he chose not to reside in the lord’s manor, but rather secluded himself on this remote mountain.

...

The guard went inside to report to Ashimo.

A short while later, the warrior came out and said, "The young mistress should wait momentarily; the master is in meditation and discourse with Mr. Zuo."

A flash of concern passed through Ashi Liren’s beautiful eyes, but she stood outside waiting.

Suo Lun, on the other hand, gleaned much from that simple sentence.

Lord Ashimo in meditation and discourse with Mr. Zuo?

Could it be that Ashimo, akin to those legendary rulers of ancient China, having established a great legacy, had temporarily lost his purpose and sought immortality?

And could this Mr. Zuo be akin to a kind of sham spiritual advisor?

After waiting outside for over half an hour, a servant finally came out and reported, "The master invites the young mistress to enter."

Ashi Liren slightly furrowed her brows before entering, with Suo Lun closely following behind her.

Stepping inside the castle, Suo Lun grew increasingly convinced of her conjecture, for inside the castle, there was no luxury or solemn grandeur; instead, it exuded an aura of a hermit’s abode.

Yet in this world, there were no Taoist Schools.

In essence, everything within the castle aimed to pursue a state of naturalness.

Natural tree roots, natural tree branches, natural stone slabs, natural jade stones.

There were no silks, no wool carpets; in fact, there were hardly any processed items at all.

"Liren, you’ve come, you’ve come. See if your father’s Taoist cultivation has progressed further?" From afar, Suo Lun heard Ashimo’s voice.

However, listening to the voice, it really didn’t sound ill at all; instead, it was resonant and full of vigor.

The path through the castle was twisting and turning until they finally arrived before the main hall, where, astonishingly, there was a natural stream?

Or was it that during the castle’s construction, they had actually diverted a river to flow through the interior?

"Please remove your shoes and socks, cross the river, and wash off the dirt of the mundane world," two young boys spoke like Taoist disciples.