The Demon’s Gate - Chapter 287

Located right at the edge of Lost God Galaxy was a rather large planet covered in a single massive city called Maze’s Gateway, a name it was given due to the labyrinth-like nature of the galaxy that it bordered. Lost God Galaxy was where all the items lost when an interspatial item broke would end up, it contained a nearly endless mix of treasures and trash, tens of thousands heading in there to retrieve something they had lost while hundreds of thousands went in there to test their luck.

The galaxy supposedly looked like a miniature replicate of the entire universe when it was first born but had since changed, twisted and distorted by the large number of items and cultivators ending up there. Now there were entire planets made up of items compressed together floating around the galaxy, their gravity field grabbing onto other planets and pulling them along. One could see this sight even before entering the galaxy, which was shrouded by a faint green-blue haze that marked its borders.

The architecture of the massive city reflected the state of Lost God Galaxy, it was a mess of different styles gathered together by the hundreds of different races that lived here. One building could be made out of polished jade or delicately carved stone while the house right next to it was made out of the skull of a large Demonic beast, there were even some buildings that were made out of little more than some hardened mud brought together into a haphazard shape.

Yao Jun and Guo Luo were currently walking through the wide and winding streets of the city, each of them holding onto one of Yao Xuelian’s hands and swinging her lightly while they walked and curiously looked at their surroundings. They hadn’t changed much compared to two years ago, the most notable difference was that Yao Xuelian now looked like an adorable five-year-old girl, happily holding onto her parents’ hands while getting swung around.

Two years had passed in the real world, but they had spent a total of 11 years inside the Time-Altering spire so Yao Xuelian should by all accounts be entering her teens by now. But whether or not it was due to the Soul Beast living inside her or the powerful blood she was born with thanks to Yao Jun and Guo Luo’s God Gates, her growth rate seemed drastically slower than a normal person’s, it was closer to a Divine Beast’s growth rate.

Yao Jun’s aura had also changed somewhat due to the passage of time, retracting so far into his body that it could barely be felt. But those that could notice it would see that his aura was as deep as the ocean and as heavy as a mountain, it was quite different compared to the ferocious and rampaging aura that he used to have.

He hadn’t wasted the time spent in the Time-Altering Spire, his Qi cultivation hadn’t increased but his body and soul cultivation had both been brought up to the early stage of the Earthly Deity realm. As for why his Qi cultivation didn’t increase, the answer was that it was Yao Jun himself who repressed it. Most of his cultivation increase came from absorbing Demonic beasts and absorbing the one Supreme Law fragment, such a method could quickly increase his cultivation but it would leave him with a weak foundation full of holes and weaknesses.

So he spent his time delving into his different laws while also compressing his cultivation to toughen up his foundation, something that would be necessary when he left for another universe where he couldn’t absorb new Demonic beasts. Now his foundation was as solid as it could be and his strength had reached a new stage thanks to his deeper understanding of the laws as well as his soul and body cultivation.

There was one more reason that his aura retracted into his body and that was simply the time he spent with Guo Luo and their daughter. For the first time in years, Yao Jun was at peace and ease, he could drop everything and calm down while being surrounded by them. But his edge never vanished, it only grew sharper the more time he spent with them. He would protect them, no matter what the universe threw at them, no matter who tried to do anything, he would protect them from everything. Like a sword that was sheathed to preserve the sharpness, Yao Jun’s edge grew sharper every day, quietly waiting for the day the blade would have to be drawn again.

They didn’t arrive in this city just to sightsee and spend some leisure time, they had also come here to meet someone that would help them cut down the time they needed to spend in the Lost God Galaxy. But since they had already arrived here, they had to, of course, take their time checking out the sights and shops. While they were walking, they would occasionally check out some of the countless small stands that dotted the side of the road, people selling whatever they found while scouring Lost God Galaxy. Yao Xuelian was the most excited one among them, eagerly shouting out whenever she spotted something she liked.

“Papa, Papa, look at that one!”

Yao Xuelian tugged on Yao Jun’s hand, nodding like a chicken towards a stand that was little more than a green blanket laid out on the ground and covered in wares. A small multicolored orb of light appeared in front of Yao Xuelian and then flew over to the stall, dancing like a happy fairy above a small ribbon made with yellow silk.

Yao Jun’s gaze landed on the ribbon, the orb of light dissipating when Yao Xuelian was sure that Yao Jun noticed the ribbon. Yao Jun raised his gaze after a few seconds, locking eyes with the man sitting with crossed legs behind the blanket. The man didn’t bother speaking, quietly raising three fingers to indicate the price. Yao Jun clicked his tongue at the steep price but still took out three Earth Grade Spirit Stones and tossed them to the shopkeeper, walking over and picking up the ribbon.

Most of the people coming to this planet had quite a few funds available to them, so none of the shopkeepers even bothered accepting Spiritual Grade Spirit Stones and went straight for Earth Grade Spirit Stones. Paying three Earth Grade Spirit Stones for a simple ribbon like this, which only contained a small array to slightly increase the speed at which you could absorb Qi, was rather ridiculous. But Yao Xuelian was his only daughter so Yao Jun couldn’t help but spoil her, a sentiment Guo Luo also shared.

Yao Jun tied the ribbon to the left side of Yao Xuelian’s hair, a soft smile appearing on his face when he saw her playing with it. A faint light moved through Yao Xuelian’s hair, the rainbow-colored sparrow Xun Xue appearing atop the ribbon, having shrunk to a size where she could fit comfortably on top of the ribbon and look like a decoration. Xun Xue was Yao Xuelian’s Soul Beast so she was always around, occasionally changing her size or appearance to hang around on Yao Xuelian’s body like a decoration or a pet, not willing to spend all her time hiding away inside Yao Xuelian’s body.

The group continued to follow the roads at a leisure pace, checking out stands or restaurants that caught their interests. They only reached their destination two days later, a rather large three-story star-shaped house that was made from polished white granite. The outside of the house was completely barren save for the dark brown wooden doors that were engraved with an image of two eyes that had intertwined stars for pupils.

This was the home of Egong Pangli, a man who cultivated the highly rare and elusive laws of karma and destiny. He could use his laws to track down the ties of karma and destiny that connected you to the items within Lost God Galaxy. He could then create a map for you that would lead you directly to them, allowing you to save a lot of time if you were coming here to retrieve something that you had lost.

Yao Jun was carrying Yao Xuelian on his shoulders, allowing her to freely twist her head and see the surroundings from a higher vantage point. She also liked to pat Yao Jun on the head to guide his movements, pretending that she was controlling him like a puppet. The three walked up to the door and were just about to open it when someone hurriedly called out from behind them.

“I’m sorry, but we really need to go in first!”

The one calling out from behind them didn’t even bother waiting for a response, rushing up as quickly as they could. Yao Jun took half a step to the side so that the group that came rushing past them didn’t bump into him and Yao Xuelian, his eyebrows furrowing slightly.

The group that rushed past them and placed their hands on the handle of the door consisted of six people clad in blue-green robes embroidered with a large number of leaves. They were the same height as a normal human, but Yao Jun could clearly see that they had the traits of the World Tree Clan, elongated features and pale skin. The one leading the group, a young man whose World Tree Clan traits were a bit more pronounced, pulled open the door while giving a short nod to Yao Jun.

“We’re from the Skytouching Tree sect and have to head in first for some business, you don’t mind right?”

The man didn’t even bother waiting for Yao Jun’s answer, walking in through the now open door and bringing the other people with him. He acted rather arrogantly, but the name of his sect allowed Yao Jun to understand why he could act so arrogantly. If the World Tree Clan was considered the king, then the Skytouching Tree sect would be considered one of its five generals, it was one of the sects that had the closest ties to it.

And due to the events on God Piercer planet, the status of the World Tree clan had elevated quite a bit, meaning that the subordinate sects of course also raised in status. Yao Xuelian pat Yao Jun’s head several times, pointing at the back of the group that was already a few steps ahead of them.

“Papa, he’s a bad man right? He is, isn’t he? Should you go beat him up?”

Guo Luo couldn’t help but cover her mouth with the back of her hand, a clear giggle escaping her lips, Yao Xuelian was indeed Yao Jun’s daughter. Yao Jun shook his head with a small smile, giving Yao Xuelian’s thighs a few pats.

“Now now, no need to resort to violence right away. They’re arrogant, but that doesn’t mean we should just beat them up.”

Yao Jun calmly walked into the open door after the group, Guo Luo wrapping her arms around his right arm and walking right at his side. Yao Jun was a father now, he had to at least act like a decent example for Yao Xuelian, it would be for the best if she didn’t end up growing up into a violent person from watching too many of his actions.

The room they entered after stepping through the door was a quiet reception hall, a single round table surrounded by four chairs placed at the center of the room. Other than this table there were only two more doors as well as a few common and normal potted plants present in the room.

Shortly after they entered the room, one of the two other doors opened and a young brown-haired woman clad in a clean and neat black suit entered the room. She looked a bit surprised that there were two different groups that had entered the room, but as she didn’t recognize what sort of sect or clan that Yao Jun and Guo Luo came from, she first focused on the group clad in robes that she recognized.

“Welcome, Young Masters of the Skytouching Tree, have you come so that my Master can locate a few items for you?”

The woman couldn’t be blamed for not recognizing Yao Jun, for while his name and title were very famous his appearance was only known to people with a bit more status and strength. His Demon’s Gate sect had also kept a very low profile since his return so it wasn’t very well known outside of its area of operation. The group from the Skytouching Tree sect nodded their heads, the brown-haired woman politely gesturing towards the table before glancing at Yao Jun.

“In that case, please hand over the required payment and items and take a seat, I will bring you some tea while you wait. If the three of you would like to request my Master to find you an item then I can notify him of your arrival, but he rarely does more than one search per week so you might have to wait a bit.”

The people from the Skytouching Tree sect handed over an interspatial ring and the leading young man pricked his finger, extracting a drop of blood and storing it in a vial. This blood would make it easier for Egong Pangli to detect the ties of karma and destiny, it was something you had to hand over to hire his services. Guo Luo gave her name to the brown-haired woman, Yao Jun playing with Yao Xuelian to keep her occupied.

The woman then took the ring and drop of blood, heading through the door she had come from and returning with some tea and small cakes that she gave to the group from the Skytouching Tree sect. She then entered the last of the three doors in the room, closing it behind her so that no one could see what went down behind it.

Egong Pangli was famous for being eccentric, he was practically a shut-in. He would leave everything to his assistants, only doing the searching and tracking process himself. It had reached such a state that he hadn’t actually shown himself once in the last 200 years, but exactly what he was doing while locking himself up, no one really knew.

The group from the Skytouching Tree sect quietly chatted amongst themselves while drinking the tea and eating the cakes, Yao Jun and Guo Luo playing with Yao Xuelian while they waited. The soft silence that descended over the room didn’t last for long, a thunderous shout coming from behind the locked door.

“WHAT?!”

Everyone in the room was caught off guard by the sudden disturbance, the sound of hurried steps quickly coming from behind the locked door. The door was flung open, an old man with a ragged gray beard but a head full of chestnut brown hair staggering into the room. His face was wrinkly and his eyes had sunk into their sockets, but his back was as straight as a spear and he radiated an aura of life.

Not only Yao Jun, but even the group from the Skytouching Tree were shocked when this old man stepped into this room. This was the elusive Egong Pangli, the famous shut-in that basically never left his room. But right now his green eyes were somewhat panicked as they swept through the room, his face blanching when they landed on Yao Jun and Guo Luo. He immediatly turned to the brown-haired woman, shouting so loudly that saliva sputtered out from his mouth.

“WHY HAVEN’T YOU GIVEN THEM A SEAT YET?! Tea, bring them the Silver Cloud… No, bring them the God-Touched Peach Tea, quickly!”

The woman was utterly shocked by the actions of Egong Pangli but still quickly acted, walking over to the door she had first come from with quick steps. Egong PAngli himself hurriedly walked over to Yao Jun, putting on an apologetic smile while speaking.

“Forgive her, Senior Yao Jun, she had no idea who she was dealing with. Why didn’t you send word ahead of time that you were coming, I would have personally greeted you and guided you around the planet.”

Egong Pangli’s words caused all sound within the room to vanish, the brown-haired woman’s steps stopping. A cold shiver ran down the spines of everyone else in the room, especially the young leader of the Skytouched Tree group, his lips were quivering as he looked at Yao Jun. He didn’t recognize his appearance, but that was a name that practically no one in the universe didn’t know. Yao Jun, the dreaded King of Demonic Deities, the decimator of God Piercer planet, a man who countless people were already discussing whether or not he should get the Horrid moniker attached to his title. And he had… pushed his way past him and tried to use the name of his sect to show his arrogance?