Chapter 1 The Poisoning

The centipede demon's poisoning was clearly an organized and planned operation.

As for whether the planner was the demon leader or someone else, Chen Xiao wasn't sure.

But no matter what, he had to find the mastermind behind it.

And Chen Xiao's chosen method was simple: follow the vine to find the melon.

He used the Thunderous Divine Crown to conceal his body and aura before waking up the two-meter-long centipede.

After waking up, the centipede looked around for a while, as if confirming something.

Chen Xiao was right next to it, but it couldn't sense Chen Xiao's existence at all.

After using the Thunderous Divine Crown to become invisible, even Chen Xiao couldn't feel his own aura, let alone this mere centipede demon!

Seeming to determine that there was no need to stay here, the centipede left the Lanxing Steel Factory's cafeteria through the ventilation duct.

Outside, the centipede transformed into a middle-aged man with long arms and legs, a gaunt face, and sinister eyes.

This was a demon cultivator, Chen Xiao already knew, and a Jindan (Golden Core) stage one at that, the highest-level demon cultivator Chen Xiao had ever seen on Earth.

The centipede didn't know where he got a set of steel factory worker's uniform, but after putting it on, he left the steel factory without hindrance.

Then he hailed a taxi and came to the gate of a residential area.

Along the way, his behavior was no different from a normal person's. No one would have thought that this middle-aged man was transformed from a large centipede.

Of course, the centipede didn't know that someone had been following him all the way.

Even when he entered a residential building, that person followed.

This centipede was indeed not alone. When he entered the house, there were three other people in the room.

One was an old Daoist priest with a bun, wearing a Daoist robe, dirty all over, and unkempt.

The most distinctive feature was his nose, which was like a huge hook, and his eyes were extremely sharp.

Ordinary people would probably not dare to look him in the eye.

There was also a burly middle-aged man with thick eyebrows, big eyes, a broad back, and a round waist, with muscles all over his body.

However, this burly man was wearing a rigid suit, and the muscles on his body were about to burst the suit open.

The last one was a young man, quite handsome, with deep and three-dimensional features, but gave people a gloomy feeling.

Come to think of it, these three were all demon cultivators, with demonic energy soaring to the sky. It would be strange if they weren't gloomy!

Moreover, the strength of these three was above that of the centipede, all of them having Yuanying (Nascent Soul) stage strength.

A demon cultivator's Yuanying stage was much more powerful than a human cultivator's Yuanying stage.

Also, Chen Xiao didn't know why, but he felt a sense of familiarity from the young man.

But Chen Xiao was very sure that this was definitely the first time the two had met.

"You're back, Qianzu."

After the centipede came back, the old Daoist priest looked up and glanced at him, asking casually, "How did things go?"

Although the old Daoist priest's question was casual, after he asked, the other two's gazes immediately locked onto the centipede.

The centipede looked embarrassed, knelt down on one knee, and said with his head lowered, "Three adults, I messed things up..."

"What? Messed things up?"

The old Daoist priest immediately slammed the table and stood up, his sharp eyes shooting towards the centipede, "What's going on? Explain it to me!"

"Lord Hongguan, I...I encountered a master..."

The centipede roughly explained what had happened, and the other three all looked grim, not knowing what they were thinking.

The old Daoist priest stroked his chin, "I didn't expect that the Evil Exorcism Division in Jiangcheng would hide such a powerful master."

At this time, the young man suddenly asked, "Qianzu, were you followed when you came back?"

"In response to Lord Heipi, I have observed, and no one was following."

The centipede said.

"Are you sure no one was following?"

The young man frowned and asked again.

"I'm sure, Lord Heipi..."

The centipede said cautiously.

The muscular man in the suit squinted his big eyes and looked at the young man, "What's wrong, Heipi? Listening to your words, it seems like you really wanted someone to follow you?"

"Brother Juejiao, how could I want someone to follow me? I just think things are a bit wrong. Qianzu fainted for no reason, but when he woke up, he wasn't caught by that master. Don't you think this is strange?"

The young man said confidently.

From the three's addresses to each other, Chen Xiao had initially determined what these three were.

Hongguan was easy to guess. From the name and his hooked nose, this should be a rooster.

Juejiao was not difficult to figure out either. He was strong, muscular, and should be a buffalo or something similar.

As for that Heipi, it was not easy to tell, because the fur of many animals was black.

Black dog? Skunk? Both were possible...

Moreover, these few demon cultivators didn't seem to be very harmonious internally.

"Heipi, it was you who insisted on coming to Jiangcheng, and it was also you who scouted the Lanxing Steel Factory. Now there's a problem... So it's normal for Juejiao to suspect you, so don't blame him."

The old Daoist priest Hongguan seemed to be trying to persuade, but his words revealed a strange tone.

"Hehe, it was indeed me who insisted on coming to Jiangcheng, and it was also me who was responsible for scouting. So what? Don't forget, we are now on the same boat, sharing honor and disgrace. You suspecting me means you don't regard me as one of your own!"

Heipi said angrily, with a look of indignation.

"Hmph!"

Juejiao snorted coldly.

"Who is on the same boat with you? Boy, don't forget, you grew up with humans. You are different from us. Want us to treat you as one of our own? I tell you, don't even think about it in this lifetime! If it weren't for the Demon Lord's order, I wouldn't have come out with a kid like you to carry out a mission!"

"Juejiao, stop talking!"

After Juejiao finished speaking, Hongguan spoke up to reprimand, "Look at the Buddha's face if not the monk's. I know you have opinions about this little guy, but no matter how many opinions you have, you have to wait until we finish this mission!"

"The Demon Lord has ordered us to come to the mainland to stir up trouble, so as to reduce the pressure on the brothers in the northern border. Whether publicly or privately, now is not the time to start internal strife!"

Hongguan's prestige was very high. After he finished speaking, Juejiao no longer troubled Heipi, but asked, "Old Hong, what do you say we should do now? We had a bad start. Should we report it to the Demon Lord?"

"No!"

Hongguan directly denied Juejiao's suggestion, "The Demon Lord is busy with everything, we can't add any more trouble to him. In my opinion, since we've encountered a master here, there's no need to stay here any longer."

"Humans have a saying, strike in one place and move to another. Let's do that. We'll evacuate Jiangcheng today and go somewhere else to make trouble!"