Above the continuous mountain ranges, a vast expanse of demon clouds enveloped the land, creating an imposing scene of black clouds pressing down.
A terrifying aura emanated from the demon clouds, causing countless birds and beasts on the ground to flee in all directions.
This was a suppression rooted in bloodline, something these wild animals could not resist.
This place was the border where the Demon Spirit Mountain Range met the Southern Frontier!
At this moment, atop the demon clouds, a group of great demons wore unfriendly expressions.
Just earlier, they had flown to a city not far from the Southern Frontier and obtained a great deal of information from the demon king who governed that area.
The so-called monk from the Western Desert had never appeared!
At first, some of the demon kings were puzzled. A few even wondered whether the monk coming from the Western Desert had taken a different route, or if his cultivation was so profound that the local demon king could not detect him.
However, soon after, their Ink Blade Ancestor furrowed his brow. He then immediately led the group of demons back towards Black Wind Mountain.
“Ancestor, do you think we have been deceived?” one demon king asked in confusion.
“It is possible. Have you not noticed that all those great demons who came from Giant Spirit Mountain have vanished without a trace?”
The Ink Blade Demon Ancestor, whose face bore a long knife scar, had a gloomy expression. Seeing that the other demons did not quite understand, he gave a cold snort and continued, “Those fellows had the same goal as us. At first I thought they simply wanted to get ahead of us and kill that bald donkey from the Western Desert. But not long ago, this ancestor suddenly lost all sense of their aura. I also asked that demon king earlier, and he had not detected any trace or aura of other great demons either.
This means those fellows deliberately avoided us!”
“The only reason they would do that is to shake us off!”
“Since the bald donkey from the Western Desert never appeared here, their disappearance becomes very suspicious. The most likely possibility is that they have already returned to that demon mountain from before!”
“Ancestor, your analysis makes sense. But if they intended to return to the demon mountain, why did they rush out ahead of us in the first place?
If they never even entered the Southern Frontier, how could they know that the bald donkey from the Western Desert had not entered the Demon Spirit Mountain Range?
This does not quite add up!”
After Ink Blade’s analysis, the group of demon kings became even more confused.
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“At first this ancestor did not understand either, but now I think I do!”
The Ink Blade Demon Ancestor sneered, then said in a deep voice, “That old black ox is playing mind games with this ancestor. He very likely knew from the beginning that the demon king of that mountain was lying. The reason he left early was to lure us away. That way, they could quietly return, take control of the entire mountain of demons in one fell swoop, and monopolise the secret!”
“Hiss…”
Upon hearing this, all the demon kings could not help but draw in a sharp breath. They also felt that it made perfect sense.
“Ancestor is wise!”
“That group of ox demons racked their brains to trick us away, yet you saw through their scheme with a single glance!”
“Exactly! Right now those ox demons are probably fighting fiercely with the great demons of that mountain, heads broken and bleeding. As the saying goes, the mantis stalks the cicada while the oriole waits behind. This time, if we suddenly turn back and strike them, we might achieve two goals at once!”
The demon kings all showed delighted expressions and began showering their ancestor with flattery.
The Ink Blade Demon Ancestor’s face twitched when he heard this. He scolded, “You bunch of fools have not a drop of ink in your chests. Stop trying to spout literary phrases in front of this ancestor. It makes my heart annoyed!”
“What do you mean by ‘the mantis stalks the cicada while the oriole waits behind’?
It is clearly ‘the oriole stalks the mantis while the cicada waits behind’!”
“Ancestor is wise!!”
“Only the ancestor has true culture!”
The group of demon kings immediately looked enlightened. So that was how the saying went. But could a mantis really catch an oriole?
Although they had doubts in their hearts, they did not dare ask further, for fear of angering their ancestor.
In any case, whatever the ancestor said was correct. No mistake!
After being bombarded with flattery by the group of great demons, the Ink Blade Demon Ancestor felt secretly pleased. He then spoke earnestly, “This ancestor is after all a great demon of Moon Gazing Valley. Since you are demon kings under my command, you should not disgrace me!
So you bunch of fools should catch more human scholars in the future and learn some human knowledge. Stop always grabbing the demon consorts of the lesser demons below and taking them to your caves for pounding. Doing that too much is bad for your health!”
“Uh…”
The demon kings looked embarrassed, but soon they reacted and said in unison, “We obey the ancestor’s decree!”
“Enough. All of you, brace yourselves. There might be a fierce battle soon. That old ox is not easy to deal with!”
As the demon clouds gradually drifted deeper into the Demon Spirit Mountain Range, a middle-aged monk also arrived outside a city.
The monk wore a simple monastic robe, his bare feet touching the ground yet remaining completely free of dust. With every step he took, faint golden ripples like water spread out from the ground, gently blowing away insects and dust ahead of him.
Behind this monk walked a gaunt, emaciated old lion.
“Monk, how long has it been since we last ate meat? Look at me, I am already thin as a bag of bones. If you do not let me eat meat soon, be careful, I might swallow you in one bite!”
The old lion looked at the middle-aged monk who had paused in front of the dilapidated city gate. It suddenly spoke in human language, a fierce glint flashing in its eyes.
As it spoke, saliva dripped from between its sharp fangs, as if the monk in its eyes was not a person at all, but a lump of meat that made it drool.
“Lion Dharma Protector, the precept against killing is the foremost of the eight precepts in our Buddhist school. It is the one most forbidden. How is it that you still harbour such heavy murderous intent even now?
You must remember that as a Dharma Protector of our Buddhist school, you should be strict with yourself!
Do not always think about committing acts of slaughter. It is never good!”
The monk spoke earnestly, but he did not turn his head.
“Pah!”
“Have you not committed enough killing yourself, monk?
Back then I merely ate one demon king who tried to scheme against me, and you came running to slaughter my entire mountain of demons!
I was also forcibly converted by you. If my cultivation had not been fairly deep, I would have long become just another dog at your feet!”
The Lion Dharma Protector grumbled and cursed, clearly harbouring deep resentment towards the monk.
“Lion Dharma Protector, that is not right. Even now, are you not still under the seat of our Buddhist school?”
“…”
“As a disciple of Buddhism, you must learn to look forward. If you do not learn to let go of worldly affairs, you will only be trapped in endless cycles of karma. In the end, countless karmic obstacles will pile upon you, which is of no benefit to your cultivation!
Moreover, have I not explained this to you long ago?
The demon you killed was someone this poor monk had already identified as a destined person. You say you killed him. How could this poor monk not seek revenge?”
The monk frowned slightly, still not turning around.
“That was a person? That was clearly a bloody demon!”
The Lion Dharma Protector roared in anger, his eyes turning red.
“Amitabha. The Buddha is merciful. In the eyes of our Buddha, all sentient beings are equal. If I say he is a person, then he is a person!”
The monk pressed his palms together, then continued chattering, “Besides, this place has now become extremely dangerous, surrounded by great demons. If I let you go around killing, sooner or later you will stir up great trouble!
This poor monk believes the Lion Dharma Protector does not want to be turned into braised lion head, does he?”
“…”
The Lion Dharma Protector was speechless. While inwardly cursing, he said angrily, “I do not care! I want to eat meat!”
“If you will not let me eat meat, then I can only eat you!”
“Very well. There are quite a few evil demons in the city ahead. Go and deliver them.”
“Remember, do not make them suffer too much!
If they suffer too greatly before death, their obsessions will be deep. Deep obsessions easily turn into vengeful ghosts, and those are very hard to deliver…”
“Ah! This poor monk has not even finished speaking, and you have already run off!!”
