Yellow Court Daoist-Chapter 342 - 322: Evil Demon Protector, Cloud Platform Seating Order

The White Jade Skull showed no signs of movement, then suddenly transformed into a beam of white light and stepped onto the White Cloud Sky Stairs.

It seemed to merge into one with them.

As it walked,

the surrounding scenery changed wildly—the Immortal Court's palaces lay scattered among the mountains, immortal cranes flew in flocks, and beasts frolicked, creating the illusion of a paradisiacal realm impossible to leave without regret.

Mysterious melodies whispered in the ears,

lulling those listening into drowsiness.

Looking back, the White Jade Skull saw no one following. On the vast White Cloud Sky Stairs, it stood alone.

"A barrier?"

It's ghostly eyes flickered.

Only then did it notice the crowded path where hundreds, thousands of cultivators and non-cultivators jostled together, ceaselessly ascending the heavenly stairs. Some were lulled to sleep by the enchanting Xuan Music, tumbling down from the stairs to an unknown fate.

Higher up,

the crowds thinned.

"Interesting,"

a trace of a human-like smile surfaced on the White Jade Skull as it turned and continued climbing.

Its pace was deceptively swift.

Before long, it reached the end of the Heavenly Ladder.

Lu Qingfeng remained unmoved, seated atop a lotus platform. Next to him stood a colossal evil demon, about thirty feet tall, with a golden ring around its neck. A rope, woven from red and white light, ran from the back of the demon's head to the lotus platform beneath Lu Qingfeng's seat.

Upon seeing this evil demon, the flames in the White Jade Skull's eye sockets flickered uncertainly, but it instantly recognized it—

"Nehem!"

With a roar,

the thirty-foot-tall demon's ferocity was on full display, murder seething in its eyes as it bellowed wrathfully at the White Jade Skull. Clearly, the prestigious Eclipse Duke, who has never been tied up like a mere guard dog, nor sized up by anyone like a monkey, was utterly humiliated and enraged.

"Silence," commanded Lu Qingfeng, glancing at Nehem.

The beast's eyes still simmered with wild anger, yet it subdued its roar, daring not to bellow again. After two years of torment, it remained vicious towards others but cowered in fear of Lu Qingfeng, who was countless times more ruthless than itself.

"Ferdinand pays respects to Duke Guangyuan,"

the White Jade Skull glanced meaningfully at Nehem and performed an aristocratic courtesy towards Lu Qingfeng.

Below the Cloud Platform,

nine meditation mats were arranged, with six occupied by children around eleven or twelve years old, who gazed curiously at the White Jade Skull as he turned to walk to the seventh mat.

However, Lu Qingfeng, with a wave of his sleeve, summoned chairs to his left and right, and with a faint smile said, "An honored guest has arrived, please take a seat."

He extended a hand, indicating the chair to the left.

Ferdinand nodded subtly and took the seat on the left as ghostly fire flickered in his eye sockets.

Nehem glared at the White Jade Skull, unable to disguise the viciousness in his eyes, seething with indignant fury but nowhere to vent.

Lu Qingfeng closed his eyes,

choosing to ignore the proceedings. freeweɓnovel.cѳm

Soon after Ferdinand's arrival, a ball of fire surged towards the Cloud Platform. A three-headed creature with hooves of flame and magma-like heads, its enormous maws agape, descended.

"Brandt,"

the White Jade Skull quietly watched, recognizing the newcomer.

Not only did it recognize him, but so did Xuan Ning and the other six disciples—

"Hell Three-headed Dog—Brandt!"

The second to ascend the Cloud Platform was none other than a figure as famed as Augustine and Nehem in the Abyss First Layer, the Three-headed Duke.

Brandt landed on the platform.

The first to capture his gaze was Nehem, bound to the lotus seat, which left Brandt no less shocked than the White Jade Skull had been. Unlike the skull, he had witnessed with his own eyes as Nehem assaulted Zhenyuan Mountain, only to be utterly vanquished and suppressed beneath a pagoda.

In a mere two years,

such a mighty Duke of the Abyss was now bound and stripped of all dignity.

"Brandt pays respects to Duke Guangyuan."

All three of Brandt's mouths spoke in unison, showing respectful deference to Lu Qingfeng.

"Two years since our parting,"

"Three-headed Fellow Daoist still looks spirited. Please take your seat," Lu Qingfeng greeted the newcomer cordially, gesturing towards the chair on the right, seemingly tailored for Brandt's stony figure.

"He actually saw me that day!"

With a flicker of realization, Brandt gracefully moved to the designated chair on the right.

"Dead dog!"

"Why so docile now, burn him!"

Nehem, upon seeing Brandt, felt the utmost shame, hoping for Brandt to take action. Yet the Hound of Hell, the Three-headed Duke, who would show no mercy even to him, was now as gentle and refined as a nobleman, dashing Nehem's hopes like water downstream.

His rage intensified!

Brandt, unaware of Nehem's internal roaring, settled down and looked around with his three heads. At times he glanced at the shackled Nehem, sometimes showing a touch of schadenfreude, at others, he pondered the figure of the White Jade Skull across from him, and yet at other times he looked down from the Cloud Platform, wondering who the next arrival would be.

Xuan Ning and the other six disciples had studied many principles under their teacher, Lu Qingfeng, over two years, reciting Daoist Scriptures each morning from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. atop Zhenyuan Mountain. Even if they were only half-understood, they had acquired a touch of the Dao's rhythm.

Different from all beings of the Abyss.

Two years had passed, and there had been significant growth. However, due to my age, I still appeared young and innocent, and the naiveté in my heart had not completely faded away.

I surreptitiously glanced towards the 'Hell Three-headed Dog' that one would only hear about in legends or in the jokes and threats of parents and elders, secretly clicking my tongue in amazement.

About thirty minutes later.

A middle-aged swordsman with a pair of large swords slung over his back strode towards us like a meteor across the sky. He landed on the Cloud Platform without looking around and immediately knelt down before Lu Qingfeng, who was directly in front of him, "Adolf greets Duke Guang Yuan."

Lu Qingfeng remained silent, his head not lifted, maintaining the kneeling bow.

Having rushed back from the North Plague Swamp, ten thousand li away, he finally arrived just the day before the opening of Zhenyuan Mountain. Seeing 'Duke Guang Yuan,' his heart overflowed with excitement and gratitude.

In the earlier years.

Adolf lived in the Red Branch Wetland, over eight thousand li from Zhenyuan Mountain, happily with a family of five. Augustine dispatched his Abyss Army to attack and flattened the Red Branch Wetland, and Adolf's wife and three children all died on the spot.

Adolf, who was away from home, was lucky to survive.

For revenge, he traveled afar, wildly cultivating his Sword Dao. Even after achieving Lord Level, he never stopped his pursuit. Two years ago, while still refining his Sword Dao in the North Plague Swamp, he suddenly heard the dazzling sound of Xuan Music from the heavens and earth, learning then that Augustine had been killed and the Thorny Great Rift Valley had been conquered.

Adolf hurried back.

He didn't pursue personal revenge, knowing that with Augustine's strength, the hope for personal vengeance was slim.

He just wanted Augustine dead.

He just wanted the Thorny Great Rift Valley destroyed.

All of this, unexpectedly, was done by 'Duke Guang Yuan.' Adolf was immensely grateful and just wanted to bow in person to express his thanks.

"Rise," Lu Qingfeng said.

Though Lu Qingfeng didn't know why Adolf acted this way, he saw the swordsman's extraordinary Sword Bone and the unique temperament formed from years of refining in the Abyss.

He waved his sleeve, and a breeze carried Adolf to sit cross-legged beside the Little Black Prison Clan youngster with curved horns on his head, next to his sixth disciple Xuanxin, on the seventh meditation mat.

"Thank you, Duke Guang Yuan!"

Adolf, not understanding Lu Qingfeng's intentions, cautiously set his large swords beside him and sat respectfully. Seeing six children poking their heads out in a row to his left, he couldn't help but think of his three children, who were even younger than these, and his stiff mouth pulled into a stiff arc.

A smile emerged, uglier than crying.

Xuanxin, who was simple-minded, was startled and quickly turned his head away, sitting up straight.

Xuan Cheng and the others also dared not look further.

"..."

Adolf opened his mouth awkwardly.

Luckily, it was not long before another figure arrived beneath the Cloud Platform. It was a stocky Dwarf Warrior with a large hammer in hand and a beard-covered face.

He hopped up to the Cloud Platform in just a few strides.

Not yet settled,

a much smaller and thinner little one followed closely behind the Dwarf, timidly reaching the Cloud Platform.

It turned out to be a member of the extremely rare Little Dwarf Clan from the Abyss Land.

This little dwarf, approximately the height of a three or four-year-old child of the Human Clan and even among the Dwarf Clan, was only the size of a seven or eight-year-old child.

The Dwarf felt the movement behind him, turned to look, and gave the little dwarf such a scare that he hastily retreated, stepping into thin air and nearly falling off.

"Hey, hey, hey."

"If you fall down and die, it's not my fault!"

The Dwarf, hammer in one hand, picked up the little dwarf with the other and carefully placed him on the ground.

"Whew!"

The little dwarf patted his chest, face flushed from the scare, and quickly bowed to the towering Dwarf, "Thank you, Uncle! Thank you, Dwarf Uncle."

The Dwarf Warrior had no time to chat with the little dwarf, walked straight ahead, his gaze circling over Nehem, White Jade Skull, and Hell Three-headed Dog, his eyes widening like copper bells, momentarily dumbstruck.

He was an Arrogant Sun Level warrior.

He did not recognize the White Jade Skull.

Nehem was formidable, with an uncertain identity.

But the recognizable characteristics of the Hell Three-headed Dog—how could he not recognize them?

The little dwarf was timid.

Seeing the fierce looks of Nehem and Brandt, he was even more frightened, trembling.

He hurriedly bowed down to Lu Qingfeng sitting on the lotus platform, "Little Green of the Dwarf Clan, greets Duke Guang Yuan."

Kneeling down, head bowed, his heart pounded thunderously.

White Jade Skull Ferdinand and Hell Three-headed Dog Brandt looked at this little dwarf, puzzled.

One could understand why Adolf managed to come up here, after all, he was a Lord Level swordsman.

This silly Dwarf was also acceptable, being an Arrogant Sun Level warrior.

But this little dwarf.

Not only was his race weak, but he himself was only seven or eight years old, had not started cultivation, and had not a trace of magic power or fighting spirit – he was completely ordinary, even more so than the average dwarf.

In the eyes of the two, a being so insignificant that a mere breath could kill countless ants, managed to arrive here ahead of so many Lord Level beings below the mountain?!

Ferdinand and Brandt were perplexed.

Yet the Dwarf Warrior could not be bothered with that much; with Little Green taking the lead, he soon came to his senses, quickly stepping forward and bowing to Lu Qingfeng, loudly proclaiming, "Dwarf Luo Ke of the Dwarf Clan, greets Duke Guang Yuan."

When the Xuan Music sounded, the image of Lu Qingfeng was imprinted in their minds.

Thus, whether it was Adolf, Little Green, or Dwarf Luo Ke, none were mistaken.

Lu Qingfeng nodded slightly, and with a flick of his sleeve, Little Green settled on the eighth meditation mat, sitting next to Adolf. Luo Ke took the ninth mat, sitting at the very end.

And so.

The nine seats on the Cloud Platform were now fully occupied.