Chapter 026: The Two Ethereal Saints

Duan Ling pointed toward the front of the tea stall and asked Guan Zijie, “Elder, is that red-haired man who crawled out of the giant toad’s belly the Bone Demon Lord?”
Chen Huaiyin replied, “I’ve read of the title Bone Demon Lord in the ‘Chronicles of Demon Lords,’”
“I heard he can refine bones into puppets and is adept at commanding them in battle. That three-eyed giant toad is likely one of his puppets!”
Duan Ling and Chen Huaiyin regarded the Bone Demon Lord’s appearance with curiosity, as young calves unafraid of tigers. Neither noticed that Guan Zijie’s face was now etched with terror.
This Bone Demon Lord could transform people into bone, his magic profound.
Though his cultivation was far inferior to Qin Xuanxi’s, his brutality was every bit as fierce.
Song Ye, naturally curious about the red-haired Bone Demon Lord’s strength, probed his cultivation.
A scan revealed:
[Nangong Lengyu: Third Tier of the Supreme Heavenly Demon Realm]
Though both held the title of Demon Lord, Qin Xuanxi’s cultivation was at the Ninth Tier of the Imperial Demon Realm, a whole realm above Nangong Lengyu.
In short, Nangong Lengyu and Qin Xuanxi weren’t in the same league.
So, in Qin Xuanxi’s eyes, this Bone Demon Lord who had frightened Guan Zijie into trembling was merely a minor figure.
At that moment, Guan Zijie suddenly said to Duan Ling and the others, “I must hasten to Xuanqing Palace, so… I bid you farewell!”
With that, he summoned his true energy, flew north, glancing back as if afraid someone might pursue him.
But the Bone Demon Lord had no interest in chasing him. Instead, he stretched lazily, rolling his neck, as if he had spent a long time inside the toad’s belly and needed to loosen his joints.
Chen Huaiyin wondered aloud, “Why did the elder leave in such a hurry?”
Next to her, Duan Ling seemed to understand, his brows furrowing, “Because… he sensed danger.”
After Guan Zijie fled, the taciturn Qin Xuanxi looked upward and burst into hearty laughter, “Hahahahahaha!”

Just moments before, Guan Zijie had boldly claimed that even if the Abyssal Demon Lord herself stood before him, he would curse her and spit on her.
Yet now, faced with the Bone Demon Lord, he was utterly terrified, abandoning the young disciples of Moonlit Sect and fleeing alone.
But Qin Xuanxi’s strength was far above the Bone Demon Lord’s. That Guan Zijie was so shaken by Nangong Lengyu’s appearance, yet had previously boasted of hunting Qin Xuanxi, was the greatest joke under heaven.
Even Qin Xuanxi couldn’t help but laugh, though hers was a laughter of ridicule.
Clearly, people like Guan Zijie only sought fame; he never truly intended to challenge Qin Xuanxi, nor did he have the courage. He merely seized the opportunity to show off before the sects, hoping for recognition and reputation.
Qin Xuanxi’s hearty laughter soon caught Nangong Lengyu’s attention.
He strode a few steps toward the tea stall, but stopped ten paces short, not entering.
Yet at that distance, the aura of his cultivation pressed down on the three young Moonlit Sect disciples like a mountain, rendering them immobile.
It was only then that they truly felt the terror of a Demon Lord’s might, and understood why Guan Zijie had fled in panic.
“Well, what a beautiful woman!” Nangong Lengyu’s gaze burned as he stared at Qin Xuanxi. “If I could extract your bones and make you my puppet, you’d be the most exquisite of all my creations!”
Nangong Lengyu had never seen the true face of the Abyssal Demon Lord before; otherwise, he’d never dare utter such wild words in her presence.
Qin Xuanxi only laughed at his words.
Chen Huaiyin wondered inwardly, ‘Is this woman mad? Earlier she ignored everyone, saying not a word, and now she’s laughing wildly.’
‘Does she believe her beauty will keep the Bone Demon Lord from harming her? How naive!’
Chen Huaiyin felt deeply jealous of Qin Xuanxi. She herself was not lacking in beauty, and was admired as a sect fairy in Moonlit Sect.
But since entering the tea stall, she paled beside Qin Xuanxi.
Her senior brothers, Guan Zijie who had fled, and even the Bone Demon Lord, all praised Qin Xuanxi’s beauty, utterly ignoring her. Naturally, this stirred her jealousy.

At that moment, the Bone Demon Lord joined Qin Xuanxi’s laughter and said,
“To hear that I’ll extract your bones and see you not afraid, but laughing aloud—indeed, beauties like you are proud to the bone. Your proud bones shall become my finest masterpiece!”
Just then, Song Ye stepped forward, shielding Qin Xuanxi behind him, and shouted at the Bone Demon Lord,
“Where did you come from, red-haired brat? Daring to threaten my little wife—do you dare? I’ll skin you alive first!”
Duan Ling was impressed that Song Ye dared to stand up to the Bone Demon Lord. As a sect disciple, Duan Ling himself was so frightened that he barely dared breathe.
He thought, perhaps Song Ye, being a rustic villager, lacked the knowledge to fear, or perhaps his urge to protect his wife lent him courage.
Whatever the reason, Song Ye must be terrified inside.
Yet in truth, Song Ye was not in the least afraid. He knew that the fiercest one here was not the red-haired Bone Demon Lord, but the woman he shielded—Qin Xuanxi.
This was the perfect opportunity to earn points for bravado; Song Ye wouldn’t let it pass, knowing that if things turned violent, he wouldn’t need to act.
He was no match for the Bone Demon Lord, but could play the role of a simple country lad, and his little wife would handle the threat herself.
But Qin Xuanxi had no intention of acting. She had already noticed fresh wounds on the Bone Demon Lord—signs that he had just escaped a brutal battle.
Thus, his hiding inside the three-eyed toad was not for comfort, but a means of escape.
Moreover, Qin Xuanxi had sensed the Bone Demon Lord’s pursuers were nearby, formidable ones—none other than the twin Immortal Lords known as the Misty Saints.