The Demon’s Gate - Chapter 303

Yao Jun raised an eyebrow in surprise at Pan Huisu’s rejoicing and pleading words. It seemed like the herb that the people from the Pan clan were looking for was intended to be used to treat whatever wounds their patriarch had. Pan Huisu seemed to treat Yao Jun’s silence and the raising of his eyebrow as a sign that he was thinking about how to reject him, swiftly speaking up again.

“My great-grandson has suffered the same injuries as me, his are just a bit more widespread and in more delicate areas. I am begging you to help us, we’ll do anything if you can help, our clan needs him to regain his Heavenly Deity cultivation, otherwise, we’ll be like fish on a chopping block once the other clans learn the truth!”

Pan Huisu didn’t even conceal the cultivation of their patriarch in his desperate pleas, easing some of Yao Jun’s worries. If the Pan clan patriarch was only at the Heavenly Deity realm then it would make things quite a bit easier for Yao Jun’s group in case the Pan clan decided to act foolishly. Yao Jun exchanged a quick glance with Yun Yantian and the others, eventually nodding his head with a calming smile.

“No problem, I’ll take a look at your patriarch. But I make no promises, the wounds might be too great for me to repair. But if I do manage to heal him, I would like you to give me any books you have on medicine and the doctor profession, the archives of our tribe were woefully small in that regard.”

With them mistaking him for a doctor, Yao Jun’s mind started to move. It wasn’t a terrible idea for him to learn more about being a doctor, he had the skills for it so it might end up being a nice addition to his skill set. There was also the fact that being knowledgable about doctoring would prove useful should Guo Luo or one of the others ended up wounded or sick. Pan Huisu’s expression lit up with a bright smile as he took out a finger-sized rod of yellow jade and spoke into it, sending a mental message to Pan Lim and Pan Liuxian right after.

“Thank you, Benefactor! Headsman, turn the caravan around, we’re returning to the clan at full speed. Also, send over Pan Baiying with the finest wines we have in store!”

“See? This is why I said we shouldn’t neglect him. They may just be from a minor universe, but our clan might be able to rise to rule over the entire Snow’s Muse Province if we can tie them all to our clan.”

Pan Huisu and the others hadn’t believed for even a single second in Yun Yantian’s tale that they were from a small tribe. The reason behind this was simple, anyone who ascended to a major universe from a minor one would exhibit certain symptoms. They might not notice it, but their energy would fluctuate and surge as it got accustomed to the denser Qi, noticing this common symptom would make it easy to see when someone had just ascended.

This was also one of the reasons they so easily trusted Yao Jun and the others. They might have the strength to fight an Earthly Deity, but the Pan clan still has several Heavenly Deities. And they weren’t just normal Heavenly Deities, they were born and raised in a major universe, they would easily be able to deal with these people should they turn out to be miscreants.

The caravan started turning the moment Pan Huisu gave the order, abandon their previous path and returning to their clan. A minute after they turned the caravan around, another young girl from the Pan clan entered the caravan while carrying a tray of earthenware jugs. The girl was young and delicate, excluding the enticing charm of an innocent girl just about to enter her twenties. She placed the wines on the table and sat down close to Yao Jun, smiling sweetly while bowing her head in an introduction.

“This little one is Pan Baiying, Benefactor may call me Ying’er or Little Bai if he pleases.”

Yao Jun gave a perfunctory nod of his head before proceeding to ignore Pan Baiying and placing his focus back on his daughter. The group continued their journey without incident, the respective Pan clan members cheerfully or bashfully chatting with the ones they were assigned to. Two hours after they turned around and started to return to the clan, Yao Jun’s eyes narrowed ever so slightly, a nearly silent mutter escaping his lips without the others hearing it.

“I dislike getting followed by snakes. Ba-Shei.”

Yao Jun’s shadow flickered for a short instance as Ba-Shei set out to complete his order, no one noticing his departure. The only one who felt something was Pan Huisu, a terrible chill washing over his body as a feeling of death crept up on him. But he failed to detect anything as he surveyed the surrounding area, a bead of cold sweat seeping out from his forehead as he raised his vigilance to the utmost limit.

But even with his vigilance raised to the limit, he was unable to notice anything as Ba-Shei came back from having dealt with the ambushers that had decided to stalk the caravan in hopes of finding an opportunity. Since Pan Huisu failed to notice anything, he could only continue to keep his vigilance up, the days passing without him being able to relax for even a second.

The days almost passed without incident, but on the eve of the fifth day, when they were just a short distance away from the Pan clan, Pan Lim decided to put one of his plans into motion. He excused himself from the carriage by saying that he was going to get some more food and see if he couldn’t get them some more alcohol. But just as he was standing up and had started walking, the carriage driver made the entire wagon shake rather heavily, Pan Lim using this pre-planned chance to pretend that he was unable to remain on his feet.

His body twisted and started to fall in a natural manner, falling directly towards Guo Luo. If he continued on this trajectory, he would either fall into her bosom or she would have to catch him, but both endings were favorable to him. He was confident that one of the first steps in creating the buds of a relationship was closeness, and having her catch him would give him the chance to act thankful and use it as an excuse to get even closer. And if he did end up falling into her bosom, he could use his guilt as an excuse to do the exact same thing, he would win no matter the outcome.

Of course, now that five days had already passed Pan Lim was well aware that Guo Luo was Yao Jun’s lover, they even had a child together. But in this world of cultivators where people could live for millions of years, it was exceedingly common for men to have more than one wife and for women to have more than one husband. Some would get remarried after losing their previous spouse, some would grow tired of each other, and others would just start a polygamous relationship.

Guo Luo was certainly strong and proud, but Pan Lim was confident that she would be more than just a little receptive to his future pursuing once she saw the splendor of his Pan clan. After all, she came from a minor universe while he came from a clan that was able to exist somewhat stably in a major universe, the difference was like night and day.

But then, all of a sudden, Pan Lim’s body froze in an awkward position, the veins in his legs and torso bulging and writhing like worms. He could feel it, bone-piercing dread and terror, he felt as if his head was clamped down within the jaws of a Divine Beast, a single inch away from perishing. His body didn’t freeze up because someone else stopped him, it froze up because every single cell in his body tensed up in fear, an overwhelming fear that completely shut down his fight or flight instinct.

He couldn’t even start thinking about anything, all thoughts simply vanished from his mind and left behind a single sliver of reason, ‘get away’. He quickly straightened up his body, somewhat awkwardly patting his robe and excusing himself.

“Forgive me, I almost fell onto you due to the shaking… please forgive me.”

He then quickly left the carriage as if fleeing, the intense feeling of dread sticking to him like maggots. He ran to another one of the wagons and splashed his entire body with freezing water, only returning to the carriage with more food and drinks after nearly an hour had passed. He didn’t dare try anything else for the rest of the trip, the last thing he wanted was for that all-encompassing dread to return.

He conveyed his experience to Pan Liuxian and Pan Huisu, but neither of them had noticed anything so they couldn’t tell him what happened, the mystery hanging heavy on their heads as they each made their own guesses. And like that, the caravan finished the last day of traveling and finally reached the Pan clan.

The location of the Pan clan actually reminded Yao Jun of the city where he was first born, Great Rock City. Spreading out in front of them was a vast city filled with houses that were built from either wood or slightly yellow stone, large banners containing the coiled fox insignia of the Pan clan hanging down from the buildings constructed using yellow stone. The roads running through the city seemed to be placed randomly but Yao Jun’s law of space allowed him to see that the roads all actually gathered together to form the image of the Pan clan emblem.

The center of the city, as well as the center of the massive Pan clan emblem, was a grandiose lime-green and somewhat rounded mansion that was at least a few dozen kilometers wide and long, it was even surrounded by a large forest that Yao Jun guessed also extended out for another ten or so kilometers. It was an exaggeratingly large mansion, one so large that Yao Jun saw no other need for it other than to serve as a display of power.

The caravan swiftly entered the city, people and those who resembled the Demon Race from Yao Jun’s home planet gathering all along the roads that the caravan traveled. Yao Jun heard several loud shouts congratulating the caravan on a successful returning, some even loudly prayed for the good health of the clan patriarch.

Pan Huisu didn’t let the caravan make a single stop and had it head directly for the massive mansion at the center of the city, occasionally almost bubbling with excitement. The caravan entered the maple forest, Yao Jun detecting quite a few Demonic beasts, mostly bird-types or horse-types, moving around within it. The density of Qi within the air also increased by quite a bit once they entered the forest so Yao Jun guessed that the entire forest was either filled with rather good herbs or supported by a large array.

Pan Huisu once again didn’t bother wasting any time, parking the caravan in front of the massive mansion and directly bringing Yao Jun and the others into it, not bothering to wait until the caravan properly unloaded. The inside of the mansion was filled with silk carpets and statues that were each at least five meters tall, pure white marble pillars interspersed between the various statues.

Pan Huisu guided the group through the myriad of corridors and large rooms, Pan Lim and the two other youngsters quietly explaining everything they saw to Yao Jun and his group. One of the rooms they passed through almost made Yao Jun question what sort of purpose it could possibly serve. It was a throne room that was nearly five-kilometers wide and long, the only piece of furniture within it being a single golden throne situated on an elevated circular platform surrounded by stairs.

To begin with, this was a clan, not a kingdom, so having a throne like that made little sense to him, But he resisted the short urge to ask, continuing to follow Pan Huisu. Before long, the group arrived in front of a nearly ten-meter tall mahogany door engraved with nine foxes coiling around each other, becoming one at the very center of the door.

Pan Huisu pushed open the door and revealed a surprisingly simple room behind it, the room only contained a single large bed, five bookshelves, two dressers, and a small round table surrounded by four chairs. Yao Jun’s gaze drifted towards the bed, as well as the person laying on it.

The man laying on the bed seemed to be in his early thirties and had the same auburn hair and green eyes as Pan Lim and Pan Liuxian, but this man’s skin was far paler than theirs, it was almost as white as snow. His eyes were somewhat hollow, as if the light within them was on the verge of being snuffed out. The man turned his head slightly, his nearly empty eyes landing on Pan Huisu and the others as an exceedingly hoarse voice escaped his lips.

“Great-grandfather… You’ve brought others…?”

Pan Huisu swiftly rushed over to the side of the man, Pan Long, sitting down on the edge of the bed and placing a hand on Pan Long’s forehead. He wiped away the sweat that had gathered there, pointing at Yao Jun while speaking softly.

“Yes, yes, I’ve brought others. These friends are Yun Yantian, Guo Luo, Yao Jun, and Yao Xuelian, they helped us when we were ambushed. Yao Jun is an excellent doctor, he even managed to heal some of my wounds so I’ve brought him here to look at you.”

Pan Long’s gaze drifted towards Yao Jun and the others after he received a quick report of what happened. He exerted what little force he could to sit up, lowering his head slightly in gratitude.

“I see… You’ve saved my children… You have my eternal gratitude.”

Yao Jun simply gave a perfunctory nod of his head, his sharp eyes sweeping over Pan Long’s body, observing every inch of him. Pan Huisu hadn’t been joking when he said that Pan Long’s injuries were more widespread than his, it looked as if the entire inside of Pan Long’s body had been ruptured and shattered, there was barely a single intact place remaining. The damage had even encroached on his heart and other organs, he would have died countless times over if it wasn’t for the fact that he was a Heavenly Deity, who from the looks of it was about to, or had just entered the middle stage of the Heavenly Deity realm.

Pan Huisu opened his mouth to speak, but Yao Jun had already started walking forward before the first word was spoken. He reached Pan Long and calmly placed his palm on his chest, his eyes flashing with a sharp light as the energy radiating from Pan Long almost immediately started to rise. In less than five seconds, his sickly skin had taken on a more healthy hue and he had even regained most of his cultivation, shooting directly to the middle stage of the Earthly Deity realm. Yao Jun pulled back his hand once this was accomplished, giving his hand a light wave in front of the shocked gazes of Pan Long and Pan Huisu.

“I took care of the worst just now, but all of it can’t be removed in a single go, it would exhaust too much energy. If you don’t mind, I would like for you to arrange some rooms for us. Oh, and also the other things you promised.”

Pan Long hurriedly regained his senses and did exactly as Yao Jun said, he had Pan Lim and the others guide Yao Jun’s group to the finest guest rooms and then brought over the best food and wine that their clan had to offer. Once the guests were properly welcomed, he called over Pan Lim and the others to the throne room and had them give him a full report on everything that they had learned. Once he heard about everything that happened, the revitalized Pan Long rubbed his chin, which was already starting to grow a bit of stubble after just a few hours.

“I see, your thoughts were indeed correct. If we can bring them over to our side and tie them to our clan, we might just be able to dominate this Snow’s Muse Province. An excellent fighter, an excellent doctor, and one who seems to focus on support, they’d make a great team for us. Alright, continue with your plan, I’ll supply whate…!”

Pan Long’s words got caught in his throat before he managed to finish them, his eyes opening wide as his gaze shot towards the end of the room. Pan Huisu and the others immediately followed his eyes, their gazes landing on Yao Jun, who had at some point in time appeared right inside the door of the room. Pan Huisu looked like he wanted to quickly say something, but before he managed to get out his words, Yao Jun stepped forward.

He walked along the red silk carpet that went from the door to the large throne, each step of his causing waves of darkness to spread out. In just a short second, the entire golden throne room had been dyed completely black, even the ceiling and walls covered up with no trace of their former color remaining. The darkness covering the entire room flickered slightly, various elements dancing within it and unleashing rampant energy that forced everyone but Pan Long to their knees.

Calm and composed, his expression so indifferent that it was practically chilly. Like this, Yao Jun walked step by step over to the throne, ascending the stairs until he stood right in front of the sitting Pan Long, who could only raise his head with a slight tremble to look at Yao Jun, who was looking down at him. Yao Jun had already unleashed all his energy and pressure without reserve, Pan Lim finally understanding where his earlier all-encompassing feeling of dread came from.

Facing this Yao Jun, Pan Long and the others finally understood exactly what it was they had come into contact with. This wasn’t some newly ascended youth they could move as they pleased, this was a terrible tyrant that they should have avoided at all cost. Yao Jun ignored the terrified expressions of the others, raising his right arm and placing his finger on Pan Long’s forehead.

“I don’t care what your plans or ambitions are, but let me give you a warning. No one, and I repeat, NO ONE, makes a move on my Guo Luo or Yun Yantian. One move, make one single move, and I will wipe you from the face of his earth, I’ll bury you and your entire clan if I have to. And don’t even bother thinking that you can deal with me after regaining your full cultivation, you placed your fate in my hands the moment you let me touch you and insert my energy into you. We’ll finish gathering information here and then we’ll leave, all you have to do is act as if nothing happened, we’re just normal guests passing by.”

Yao Jun had heard every word the people from the Pan clan shared with each other on the journey, they had communicated by connecting their souls using the special energy born from soul cultivation. But Yao Jun’s soul cultivation had already reached the Earthly Deity realm, so spying on them was more than easy for him.

Yao Jun didn’t even bother waiting for a reply from Pan Long before he turned around and descended the stairs again, once again following the silk carpet as he returned to the entrance of the room. But looking at the departing figure, Pan Long could swear that he saw multiple pairs of beastly eyes glare at him from the figure’s shadow.