The biting cold wind, carrying ice and snow, rushed towards him, and the real Luo Xiao stood motionless, his face full of confusion.
Where is this place...?
He had not yet recovered from the sudden change when he sharply noticed a figure lurking in the distance, spying on him.
"Who dares to spy on me?!" Luo Xiao roared, his fingers clawing the air as he reached out.
A tremendous force instantly pulled the hidden figure out, revealing a frail-looking woman.
"Who are you? Where is this place?" Luo Xiao grabbed her and demanded loudly.
Seeing the fierce, intimidating look on Luo Xiao's face, the woman, despite having her throat gripped, remained unfazed. She sighed indifferently, "Looks like another unlucky soul sent here by the Emperor of the Summer Kingdom."
Having witnessed the overwhelming power of Fang Yuan, the woman felt no fear from Luo Xiao's threat, even though he was a Martial Saint.
The woman was Zhu Nuo, who, after Fang Yuan's victory over the Western Continent's allied forces, had been captured and thrown into this world, and since then, had followed Fang Yuan from the Lower World to the Upper World.
Fortunately, time flowed much faster in this world, and Zhu Nuo, with her deep martial foundation, still retained strong vitality.
"What are you talking about? Who is the Emperor of the Summer Kingdom?" Luo Xiao's anger flared, and he tightened his grip on Zhu Nuo's throat.
At that moment, a figure appeared like a shadow, dressed in black, standing beside Luo Xiao without him noticing.
"You... stay away!" Luo Xiao's pupils shrank, and his hair stood on end. He quickly moved Zhu Nuo in front of him, his voice changing tone, "One more step, and I'll kill her!"
In this life-or-death moment, even a Martial Saint couldn't care about their dignity, using the woman as a human shield!
This trick worked, and Fang Yuan truly stopped. Luo Xiao secretly let out a sigh of relief, but then heard Fang Yuan frown and ask, "Who is this woman?"
Zhu Nuo gave a bitter smile. Sure enough, someone like her, a small role, had already been completely forgotten by Fang Yuan.
Seeing that Fang Yuan's expression wasn't pretending, Luo Xiao suddenly realized how ridiculous his actions were. He had tried to use a woman's life to threaten a demon to spare him? How foolish!
Thinking of this, he threw Zhu Nuo aside and quickly knelt, kowtowing repeatedly, "Please, Demon Lord, spare my life!"
"Why call me Demon Lord?" Fang Yuan asked, curious about the title.
"Huh?" Luo Xiao froze for a moment, hurriedly replying, "The Sect Leader of the Sun and Moon Sect said... said you are the Poisonous Demon Lord of the Hundred Poison Cave..."
"..."
So there was such a misunderstanding...
He had wondered why this had nothing to do with him; it turned out they had mistaken him for a Scorpion Demon?
This misunderstanding turned out to be quite fortunate.
Fang Yuan didn't dwell on it and continued, "Very well, I'll ask you a few questions. Answer honestly, and I will spare your life..."
"Yes, yes..."
This Luo Xiao was much less resilient than the saints under the Pope's command. Before Fang Yuan even applied any pressure, he spilled everything like a bamboo tube pouring beans.
The human army's attack on the Hundred Poison Cave was scheduled for three days later. As for the Sword Treasure Pavilion, among the three powerful experts of the Celestial and Earth Realm, the previous and current Pavilion Masters would personally head to the battlefield, leaving only the Elder to guard the city.
"How strong is the Elder of your Sword Treasure Pavilion?" Fang Yuan's gaze flickered.
"The Elder, though not as extraordinarily talented as Zhang Xuanting of the Sun and Moon Sect, has reached the eighth level of the Celestial and Earth Realm through years of hard cultivation..." Luo Xiao answered tremulously.
"The eighth level of the Celestial and Earth Realm, quite a gap from me..." Fang Yuan thought to himself, but with the special abilities of the [Fourth Calamity], many invincible summoning skills, and a body tempered by heavenly lightning, his odds of winning in a direct confrontation weren't bad.
However... if he could outwit them, why bother fighting head-on?
Fang Yuan never considered himself a righteous man; to him, the winner is the king, and any means to win are fair game—such as launching a surprise attack when the enemy least expects it.
Luo Xiao's eyes flashed with hope, and he trembled as he asked, "This... Mister, I have told you everything I know. Please spare my life!"
"It's not the time yet." Fang Yuan's tone was calm but firm, "For my plan, you'll have to stay here for a while longer."
Before he finished speaking, his figure vanished like smoke in the air, leaving only Luo Xiao sitting on the ground and Zhu Nuo, once again forgotten in the corner.
...
Three days later, more than ten flying ships blocked the sky, forming a formation and hovering several dozen miles outside of Baiyu City.
These were just the vanguard of the human coalition; the main force was still gathering at the Sun and Moon Sect.
The scale of this expedition to the Hundred Poison Cave was unprecedented in a thousand years!
Inside one of the flying ships, the former Pavilion Master of the Sword Treasure Pavilion, Luo Tao, was discussing matters remotely through a "Mysterious Light Mirror" with Zhang Xuanting, the Sect Leader of the Sun and Moon Sect.
"Pavilion Master Luo, everything is ready on my side. How about yours?" Zhang Xuanting's calm voice came from the mirror.
"Everything is prepared," Luo Tao replied but hesitated for a moment, "However..."
"What is it?"
"My son Luo Xiao has gone missing recently, and we can't find him anywhere." Luo Tao's brows furrowed.
According to investigations, Luo Xiao had disappeared after leaving Baiyu City, and no trace could be found.
Logically speaking, Baiyu City was under the control of the Sword Treasure Pavilion, and even the area several hundred miles outside the city should be safe.
Moreover, given Luo Xiao's cowardly nature, he would only dare to bully people within Baiyu City, and he would never travel too far...
"Your useless eldest son?" Zhang Xuanting snorted coldly, "Maybe he's out fooling around, or perhaps he's too afraid of the war and ran away!"
"Forget about him; the matter of exterminating demons is more important!"
Luo Tao's face darkened when Zhang Xuanting insulted his son, but he didn't defend him. The Sun and Moon Sect's power was indeed immense, but more importantly, he couldn't argue because this son of his was truly hopeless.
His younger son, the current Pavilion Master, Luo Tianyi, was already at the Celestial Realm, a true genius.
But his eldest son, Luo Xiao, remained stuck at the Martial Saint level, only indulging in pleasures all day.
At this moment, Luo Tao couldn't help but admit that Zhang Xuanting was mostly right—his good-for-nothing son must have run away because he was afraid of the war.
Well, Luo Tao shook his head secretly. Let him hide like a turtle. With his cowardly nature, he would probably cause trouble if he went to the battlefield anyway.