Qin Chu was a little puzzled. Didn't they say that the Demon Castle rarely actively summoned Demon Hunters? He hadn't been with the Demon Castle for long, so why was he being actively summoned?
Although he couldn't figure it out, Qin Chu still left the Alchemist Guild. This time, however, he climbed over the wall to exit.
After leaving the Alchemist Guild for a distance, Qin Chu put on his Demon Cloak in a secluded spot. Sky Sword City was quite chaotic now, and he didn't want to be seen entering or exiting the Demon Castle. He wanted to avoid any trouble he could.
Upon reaching the Demon Castle, Qin Chu saw the lanterns swaying in the night and entered.
Not long after Qin Chu entered, a Demon Castle member wearing a silver cloak appeared.
“Is that Enforcement Officer Guan?” Qin Chu asked. There were many staff members in the Demon Castle, and he had always dealt with Enforcement Officer Guan. If it were someone else, he wouldn't need to show his face.
“It is this Enforcement Officer!” Enforcement Officer Guan nodded. He had received Elder Lu's order to summon Qin Chu, so he was naturally waiting here.
Once he confirmed it was Enforcement Officer Guan, Qin Chu pulled back his cloak.
Enforcement Officer Guan looked at Qin Chu and led him to the third floor of the Demon Castle. This was the first time Qin Chu had gone upstairs in the Demon Castle; in previous visits, he had always entered the underground palace.
In an antique-style room, Qin Chu saw a figure wearing a golden cloak with his back to him and Enforcement Officer Guan. The cloak did not cover the head.
The Demon Castle's cloaks were different from ordinary cloaks; they were actually long, one-piece garments with a hood. The hood was long enough to cover the face, but at this moment, the golden-cloaked person had his hood thrown back over the nape of his neck.
“Sir, Qin Chu has arrived,” Enforcement Officer Guan said, bowing.
“Alright, you may go down first!” the golden-cloaked person instructed.
Enforcement Officer Guan exited the room and closed the door. At this point, the golden-cloaked person turned around to reveal a rather thin face, belonging to someone around sixty years old.
“You are Qin Chu, correct! I had someone summon you here to confirm a few things with you. Please, have a seat and we can talk!” The old man looked at Qin Chu and gestured to a chair nearby.
Qin Chu cupped his fists at the old man, “Qin Chu greets Senior.”
“My surname is Lu, you may call me Elder Lu,” Elder Lu introduced himself and then sat down.
Qin Chu didn't speak. He was here to see what the Demon Castle wanted with him, and he believed Elder Lu would explain.
“You have a conflict with the White Tiger Holy Clan and the Blazing Thunder Holy Clan, and it's an irreconcilable one. Why is that?” Elder Lu asked.
“There's a grudge, an irreconcilable grudge,” Qin Chu said after a moment of hesitation.
“A grudge, that makes sense. However, with your current strength, going against the two great Holy Clans is unwise! Also, can you tell me what power that inn belongs to? I can promise that no third person will know about our conversation today.” Elder Lu said.
Qin Chu shook his head. He would not speak about the Vermilion Bird Holy Clan.
“Alright! I am eager to recruit talent and worried that someone might be plotting against you. If you don't want to say, I won't force you! Now, I will tell you the purpose of summoning you. In two days, it will be the Sword Intent eruption period of Sky Sword Mountain. At that time, there will undoubtedly be a bloody storm, and you might not be able to withstand it. I think you can either not participate, or become a true internal member of the Demon Castle, which would allow you to avoid the crisis. After all, our Demon Castle treats external members and internal members differently.” Elder Lu explained the true purpose of summoning Qin Chu.
“Thank you, Elder Sir. Qin Chu has thought about some things. Qin Chu has many matters on him and it is inconvenient to join any power. I also told the Alchemist Guild the same thing. If it becomes convenient, I will definitely consider it.” Qin Chu said.
“Alright! When I summoned you, I didn't actually expect you to agree. What I want to remind you is, if you encounter a crisis, if you want to find a backer, then the Demon Castle is your first choice. Our Demon Castle has stood for countless years, and in addition to having strong foundations, it also has a humane system. After all, winning people's hearts is the most important thing. We in the Demon Castle don't care what outsiders think, but we care very much about the inner thoughts of our internal members.” Elder Lu said.
“Elder Sir, Qin Chu understands!” Qin Chu nodded.
“Then you may go!” Elder Lu said to Qin Chu. His goal was to remind Qin Chu not to casually join other powers and to consider the Demon Castle as his first choice.
Qin Chu left the Demon Castle, circled the street, took off his cloak in a corner where no one was watching, and then returned to the Alchemist Guild. He also gained an understanding of the Demon Castle's strength; the Vermilion Bird Holy Clan's people were very cautious, but they were still discovered by the Demon Castle's people.
However, Qin Chu was not too worried because the Demon Castle had its own code of conduct and would not attack powers with whom it had no grievances. No such incidents had occurred in countless years.
Inside the Demon Castle, after seeing Qin Chu off, Enforcement Officer Guan returned to Elder Lu's room.
“Sir, Qin Chu didn't agree?” Enforcement Officer Guan asked.
“No, that was within my expectations. If he were easily recruited, he would have been recruited by the Alchemist Guild long ago. Also, we must find out which power the people in that inn belong to, but we must adhere to our principles. Do not provoke them; we want information, not to incur resentment and rejection.” Elder Lu instructed.
Enforcement Officer Guan nodded and left. He knew that this was a critical period and that they must be aware of the situation in Sky Sword City.
As the Sword Intent eruption period of Sky Sword Mountain drew closer, an oppressive atmosphere hung over Sky Sword City. Some Cultivators had to consider two points: first, how to survive in Sky Sword Mountain; second, how to leave Sky Sword City after surviving, because Spirit Intent Grass was a treasure needed by all Cultivators.
Under these circumstances, some Fourth-Stage Loose Cultivators planning to enter Sky Sword Mountain sought backing so that they could take the Spirit Intent Grass they obtained with them.
After Cultivating for two days in the Alchemist Guild and confirming that tomorrow was the day the Sword Intent eruption period would arrive, Qin Chu went to the inn where Qin Lingxi and the others were staying.
“Qin Chu, you must be careful and don't push yourself too hard. The people from the White Tiger Holy Clan and the Blazing Thunder Holy Clan are going in, right? If they get the Spirit Intent Grass, we'll just take it from them.” Qin Lingxi said to Qin Chu.
Qin Chu nodded, “Aunt, don't worry, Qin Chu will be careful. Aunt, you all must also be careful, as many people from the two great Holy Clans have arrived.”
“Just take care of yourself. Tomorrow, we will also go to Sky Sword Mountain and accompany you from the outside.” Qin Lingxi said to Qin Chu. The Vermilion Bird Holy Clan's actions were set to take place after the Sword Intent eruption period of Sky Sword Mountain ended. Before it ended, Qin Lingxi and Qin Longxuan would also go to the outskirts of Sky Sword Mountain to watch the Dragon and Tiger battle.
