Lao Tzu is Ji Gong

You must understand that Su Su and her daughter, along with Sister Zhen, are the closest people to them in this world, and naturally they would not allow anyone to harm them. But Li Xiuyuan's use of them to coerce them is simply a violation of their deepest taboos.

Seeing the people around them, including the Evil King, the Empress, and Wanwan, all of whom were no weaker than the two of them, and even an unfathomable Demon Lord, they dared not make any rash moves!

Seeing the two men glaring at him, Li Xiuyuan said calmly, "I think you know that people from the Demonic Sect don't hesitate to use any means to do things."

"Of course, once I get my hands on the Evil Emperor's Relic, I will have Su Su and her daughter released, and I will also inform you of Sister Zhen's arrival."

As he spoke, he gently waved his hand, indicating that they could leave.

Xu Ziling replied, "Yes, Demon Lord, rest assured. I will deliver the relic to you. I hope you will keep your word and release Su Su and her daughter when the time comes."

With that, he took Kou Zhong's hand and quickly left.

Although Kou Zhong was unwilling, he was by no means a reckless person. He followed Xu Ziling away and they would discuss and make plans later.

Li Xiuyuan said calmly, "Don't blame me! If you have to blame someone, blame yourself for not being strong enough."

In the end, the strong rule this world. What's wrong with using any means necessary to achieve one's goals?

After the two people left, Zhu Yuyan asked doubtfully, "Can they really obtain the Evil Emperor's Relic for you, Demon Lord?"

Many people were somewhat skeptical, since although the two were outstanding, they were still somewhat inferior to Wanwan and Shi Feixuan.

Upon hearing this, Li Xiuyuan's lips curled up, and he smiled, "Don't worry, I trust them. Just prepare for tomorrow's great battle."

He was still very confident that the two dragons could retrieve the Evil Emperor's Relic.

The battle between Buddha and demon will officially begin tomorrow. In the past few days, he has tried his best to avoid conflict with the Buddhist sect, not because he is afraid of them.

Everyone nodded upon hearing this. Since it was the Demon Lord's decision, they dared not object.

In no time, everyone left, leaving only Wanwan.

Li Xiuyuan's eyes shone brightly as he gazed at Wanwan's flawless, snow-white skin, which seemed as delicate as a touch.

Li Xiuyuan pondered for a moment and said, "Wanwan, your Heavenly Demon Technique seems to be just one step away from mastery. If you can achieve it, you will surpass the sect leaders of all generations and rival the ancestor who passed down the Heavenly Demon Technique!"

"You flatter me, Demon Lord!"

When Li Xiuyuan looked at her, Wanwan felt as if every path of her internal energy had been seen through, and she felt a deep sense of shame, as if she had no clue what was going on in her body.

Just then, her spiritual senses detected a change in the true energy emanating from Li Xiuyuan opposite her; it became pure, gentle, and full of vitality.

Li Xiuyuan said calmly, "Tonight, I will help Wanwan reach the perfect level of the Heavenly Demon Art, so that our Demonic Sect's combat strength can increase. What do you say?"

Chapter 40 Wanwan

As he spoke, a mysterious aura emanated from his eyes, and an eerie light flashed within them.

Upon hearing this, Wanwan replied, "I am willing!"

She had no choice in this situation.

Li Xiuyuan lifted Wanwan's chin, and her exquisitely beautiful face came into view. He leaned in, smelled the fragrance of her powder, and buried himself in her broad embrace.

Soon, the room was filled with the vibrant colors of spring!

…………

That night, Li Xiuyuan helped Wanwan reach the pinnacle of bliss, and with the infusion of supreme demonic energy, her demonic arts advanced to perfection.

Li Xiuyuan even passed down the magic technique, thinking that after he left, Wanwan could become the next Demon Lord. He even passed down the Deadly Sword Technique, just so that she could suppress the demons.

Li Xiuyuan was living a carefree life, but Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling suffered!

…………

Kou Zhong said dejectedly, "Who is that Demon Lord? He actually made the Evil King and the Empress Yin his henchmen, and even asked us to find the Evil Emperor's Relic. Isn't this going to kill us, Young Master Ling?"

Only in front of Xu Ziling could he act without restraint.

A heart-to-heart talk.

Xu Ziling's expression was grave as he said, "Most importantly, they used Su Su and her daughter to threaten us, and they know everything about us, including Zhen Jie's relationship with them."

As he spoke, he sighed inwardly. When facing the Demon Lord, the two of them seemed to have no secrets between them.

Kou Zhong sighed and said, "Now that things have come to this, we have no choice but to take out the Evil Emperor's Relic so that he won't make things difficult for Su Su and the others!"

The people of the Demonic Sect are known for their ruthlessness. If we don't hand over the Evil Emperor's Relic to them, who knows what they might do?

Xu Ziling said calmly, "Young Master Zhong, do you remember clearly the mechanism in the secret passage of Yang Gong's treasure vault?"

On that day, Lu Miaozi personally handed over the art of mechanical engineering to Kou Zhong, because Kou Zhong wanted to dominate the world and needed the wealth in the treasury.

Kou Zhong laughed and said, "Young Master Ling, don't worry. This concerns our lives and property. Even Su Su and the others are involved. I naturally remember it clearly."

He was filled with anguish. Had he known that coming to retrieve Yang Gong's treasure would involve such a crisis, he would have preferred not to come at all.

Xu Ziling nodded and said, "That's good!"

Suddenly Kou Zhong asked, "Ziling, you have a good relationship with the people of Cihang Jingzhai. Could you ask them to lend a hand?"

He had no confidence whatsoever. Facing the experts of the Demonic Sect, even if he was ignorant of his own limitations, he knew that the two of them were no match for them.

Upon hearing this, Xu Ziling shook his head and said, "Absolutely not. If the people of Cihang Jingzhai could really hold off the experts of the Demonic Sect, they probably wouldn't have been fighting for hundreds of years. Moreover, if you want to dominate the world, you will need the Yang Gong Treasure Vault. If you form an alliance with them, how will you transport the treasure away?"

If any word of this matter were to leak out, it would be something they couldn't afford to do. Unless they disregarded the lives of Su Su and the others, the power of the Demonic Sect would make it very easy for them to take their lives.

Kou Zhong replied, "In that case, we can only be led by the nose by the Demonic Sect!"

Xu Ziling said, "I only hope they keep their promise."

…………

The entrance to Yang Gong's treasure vault is located above a well in Chang'an City, deep in the river. It is no easy feat for Yang Su to establish such a massive secret treasure vault in Chang'an City.

There are two treasure vaults. The Rakshasa woman of yesteryear only entered the false vault. The true inner vault contains hidden mechanisms that are absolutely difficult to open unless one is familiar with it.

Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling were able to enter the true treasure trove after obtaining Lu Miaozi's mechanical skills. They saw the glowing gold and silver jewels, armor, and weapons all around them. The two of them did not lose their minds. Most importantly, they managed to get out of there, along with the Evil Emperor's Relic.

After searching for half an hour, the two finally found the Evil Emperor's Relic, which was contained in a copper jar. As long as the Evil Emperor's Relic appears, the members of the Demonic Sect will sense it; otherwise, why would all the masters of the Demonic Sect in the original story have fought over it?

…………

Meanwhile, Buddhist masters gathered at Yuhe Temple. Their faces were solemn. If anyone were there, they would recognize the Four Great Monks, Zen Master Liaokong, Ning Daoqi, Fen Qinghui, Shi Feixuan, and others, all gathered in the hall.

These people would all be prominent figures in the Tang Dynasty. Zen Master Liaokong asked, "Feixuan, has the Venerable Subduing Dragon not yet emerged from seclusion?"

It had only been a few days since Li Xiuyuan mentioned going into seclusion, so it was normal that he hadn't emerged yet. As the saying goes, "In cultivation, time flies; sixty years pass in the blink of an eye!"

A hint of helplessness appeared on Shi Feixuan's beautiful face as she said, "Master, the Venerable One has not yet emerged from seclusion. I'm afraid he cannot come to this demon-slaying expedition!"

As she spoke, she became suspicious. Although she realized that Li Xiuyuan was not in the room, she was practicing the True Sutra of the Tathagata and would naturally keep it a secret for the Buddha.

Upon hearing this, everyone's expressions turned grave. Zhihui said, "In that case, we have no choice but to go ourselves. During the Venerable One's seclusion, we must not disturb him under any circumstances, otherwise no one can bear his wrath."

Everyone was extremely wary of Li Xiuyuan, after all, he was the reincarnation of the Dragon Subduer. Even if he had only one-tenth of his magical power, he was still far beyond what they could compare to.

Fen Qinghui said in a clear voice, "According to intelligence, the Demonic Sect is almost unified. They had Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling retrieve the Evil Emperor's Relic. We know the location of the Demonic Sect's transaction, so we can take them all down in one fell swoop."

As she spoke, a chilling murderous aura emanated from her face.

Everyone nodded in agreement. The Demonic Sect and the Righteous Alliance had been fighting for hundreds of years. If they could take advantage of this opportunity to kill these people, their strength would be severely damaged within a hundred years.

As for whether they could rival the masters of the Demonic Sect, everyone was confident. With four Grandmaster-level masters and Li Shimin's help, even if the Demonic Sect were to unify the country, they would have a sure chance of victory.

It's worth mentioning that both the Righteous Alliance and the Demonic Sect favored the Tang Dynasty. Li Shimin was chosen as the Son of Heaven by the Righteous Alliance, while Li Jiancheng was chosen as the Son of Heaven by the Demonic Sect.

Little did they know that Li Xiuyuan, the Demon Lord, was a master comparable to several Grandmasters, and they were destined to suffer heavy losses.

…………

Chapter 41 The Sun and Moon Shining Brightly

Li Xiuyuan looked at the people below. Apart from the experts of the Demonic Sect, there was a cute little girl of about six or seven years old. He said, "Mingkong, your master has to go out for a while. You should stay here and settle down."

Indeed, this woman is Wu Mingkong, the future Empress of the Tang Dynasty. At this moment, she is just a delicate and beautiful young girl, looking like a porcelain doll.

After he subdued Shi Zhixuan, he sent people to find the future empress, intending to take her as his disciple. Only today has news arrived that Wu Mingkong has formally become his disciple.

Li Xiuyuan's plans in the Tang Dynasty were already far-sighted. In his mind, he intended to play the role of the mastermind behind both the Buddhist and demonic paths, thus weakening their strength.

Ten years later, Bodhidharma will rise to power, and thirty years later, the Empress will rise to power. The competition between the righteous and demonic paths will remain fierce for the next hundred years, but for Li Xiuyuan, it will only increase his merit points and sin points.

Whether the demonic sect or the Buddhist sect gains the upper hand, it's because both sides' forces are part of a scheme orchestrated by Li Xiuyuan.

Wu Mingkong replied, "Yes, Master!"

She was just an ordinary young girl from a wealthy and well-off family that dealt in timber. But the Demon Lord wanted to take her as his disciple, and even the family head dared not disobey.

No one knew why Li Xiuyuan thought so highly of Wu Mingkong, but they were clear that Wu Mingkong's future status in the Demonic Sect would be unmatched by anyone.

The group headed towards the agreed-upon location. This was bound to be a fierce battle, and it would be against Cihang Jingzhai and Jingnian Chan Temple. They were told to prepare in advance.

…………

Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling carried the bronze jar containing the Evil Emperor's relic. They glanced coldly at the members of the Demonic Sect in front of them. Xu Ziling said, "I have brought the Evil Emperor's relic. I hope the Demon Lord will keep his promise."

As he spoke, Kou Zhong lifted the bronze pot with one hand.

Upon hearing this, Li Xiuyuan remained calm and said, "I keep my word. Quickly give me the Evil Emperor's Relic."

At this moment, his mind was fully focused, and everything within a hundred meters was clearly imprinted in his mind. He knew that there were people hiding in the shadows around him, but he didn't care about these people who were hiding their heads and tails.

Kou Zhong was startled upon hearing this. He waved his right hand, and the bronze pot flew out. Everyone's eyes were fixed on it. Suddenly, a whistling sound came, and a figure swept across the sky.

hum!