At Mo Fan’s suggestion, the entire Black Wind Mountain sprang into action, making a series of arrangements to counter the impending “omen”, determined to deliver a fatal blow.
To ensure no mistakes, Mo Fan sought out You Er the next day, asking him to divine the fortunes of Black Wind Mountain once more.
This time, the divination results indeed showed a change.
The original mixed omens of good and bad fortune had transformed into a single auspicious sign.
However, within the glowing mist of this auspicious sign, two visions emerged, still those of water and fire hexagrams.
“Eh?”
“What did you do to change the divination?”
You Er couldn’t help but exclaim in surprise upon seeing the result.
“The divination has indeed changed!”
Mo Fan’s eyes grew brighter as he gazed at the hexagram in the glowing mist, then turned to You Er with a smile, saying, “It seems your divination skills are truly impressive!”
“Is that even a question?”
“My Taoist skills are an ancestral secret!”
Proud of Mo Fan’s recognition, You Er beamed with arrogance.
“Hmm?!”
Mo Fan’s tone suddenly grew stern, startling You Er, who quickly fawned, “I misspoke, I misspoke, great Demon King, please don’t take offence!!”
“Since you’re quick-witted, you can leave this dungeon from now on!” Mo Fan nodded with satisfaction.
“What? You’re letting me go?”
You Er’s face lit up with joy.
“Go? Where do you think you’re going?”
Mo Fan winked at him, then grinned, “From now on, you’re one of Black Wind Mountain’s demons. Stick with me, enjoy the finest food and drink, isn’t that grand?”
“Can I… refuse?” You Er’s face fell, bitterness evident.
“What do you think?”
Mo Fan looked at him, patted his shoulder, and said earnestly, “Rest assured, for a talent like you, I won’t let you down!”
“Besides, you and I are both demons. If you leave Black Wind Mountain, those righteous cultivators out there will likely kill you on sight. How dangerous would that be?
Better to stay obediently here at Black Wind Mountain!”
“…”
Speechless, You Er watched Mo Fan leave with a hearty laugh, lamenting tearfully, “Why is my life so miserable, Taoist master!”
“That damned Black Wind Demon, yesterday he said we weren’t kin, and today he changes his tune!”
“No way!”
“That Black Wind Demon never speaks a word of truth. Staying here will only get more dangerous for me. I must find a way to slip away!”
Worried, You Er stepped out of the dungeon, only to be greeted by several monkey demons sitting cross-legged on stone seats.
You Er froze, then casually released his spiritual energy to sense them, and was immediately shocked.
The auras of these monkey demons were far stronger than his, almost comparable to Foundation Establishment cultivators!
Good heavens, they were all demon generals!
Swallowing hard, You Er cautiously passed by them, thinking to himself, “Lucky I didn’t try to escape yesterday, or I wouldn’t have made it out of this hall before becoming these demons’ meal!”
Outside the hall, You Er finally saw sunlight again. Looking back, he realised the so-called hall was a stone-built pavilion, with the dungeon clearly beneath it.
Above the pavilion hung a plaque with two flamboyant human characters: General Hall!
“No wonder it’s full of demon generals…”
“It seems Black Wind Mountain’s depths are far greater than I imagined!”
You Er muttered softly. Seeing that the demons around were busy with their tasks and paying him no mind, his thoughts stirred, and he began wandering around Black Wind Mountain.
This wandering lasted until midnight.
By then, You Er noticed that the lesser demons had all returned to their caves to sleep. Seizing the opportunity, he made a dash for the mountain’s base.
But just as he prepared to descend, a chill ran down his spine. Turning around, he saw nothing.
“Strange, have I been locked up so long I’m losing my mind?”
Muttering to himself, You Er continued downward, but after a few steps, the chilling sensation returned, even stronger.
“Who’s there?!”
This time, You Er was on guard, knowing something was following him.
“Where are you off to, friend?”
Suddenly, a cold voice sounded behind him, startling You Er into jumping away. Turning, he saw a ghastly pale face.
That face alone, without a body, made You Er cry out, “A ghost!!”
In terror, You Er bolted, but soon found a black mist swirling ahead, with a headless figure faintly visible within.
“Friend, where’s the ghost?”
The headless figure emerged from the mist, its voice echoing everywhere, causing You Er to roll his eyes and collapse.
“Scared so easily?”
Lang Lang approached You Er, retrieved his head, and reattached it to his neck, looking speechlessly at the fainted Taoist.
When You Er awoke, daylight had returned, and a demon stood beside him.
A demon with a wolf’s head.
“You’re awake, friend?”
Lang Lang smiled at You Er, then said, “Let me introduce myself. I’m Lang Lang, a ghost servant under my master!”
“Ghost servant?”
You Er froze, last night’s memories flooding back, and he gasped, “You’re the ghost from last night?”
“You could say that.”
Lang Lang nodded, saying, “My master said, for your safety, I’ll be protecting you closely from today onward.
He also said there are many demon hunters at the mountain’s base lately, so you’re not to go down.”
You Er was on the verge of tears, realising the Black Wind Demon had no intention of letting him leave!
As he opened his mouth to curse, a piercing bird cry suddenly cut through the sky.
“They’re here!”
Lang Lang’s eyes narrowed at the sound, looking to the horizon.
“Here? Who’s here??”
Confused, You Er followed his gaze, seeing two figures approaching from the sky at astonishing speed!
“Who are they?” You Er asked.
“Probably demon kings!” Lang Lang replied, then urged You Er, “Let’s move, or we’ll get killed if we’re too slow!”
With that, Lang Lang turned into a cloud of black mist and floated toward the mountain’s peak.
“I…”
“Wait for me!”
“Damn it, didn’t you say you’d protect me? Why are you running faster than me?!”
You Er shouted, chasing after the black mist toward the peak.
At the same time, eight drumbeats echoed across Black Wind Mountain.
All the lesser demons who heard them immediately hid.
“Trouble! Demons are attacking!!”
In the sky, a bird demon screeched, attempting to fly into the mountain, only to be caught by a giant hand.
“Spare me, Demon King!!”
The bird demon cried out.
“Want to live? Then behave!”
“Tell me, where is that toad named Lai Bao in Black Wind Mountain?!”
A black-faced demon bellowed, his voice booming across the entire mountain.
