Not long after, a slaughter unfolded in the dense forest.
A one-sided massacre!
When it was over, a boy approached the sedan and said respectfully, “Lord Bingyi, everything has been handled. Do we need to keep following that toad demon?”
“The lady didn’t instruct us to protect him indefinitely. Resolving one issue for him is enough. Let’s return!” the figure in the black sedan spoke calmly.
“Yes, Lord Bingyi!”
The boy nodded, then turned and shouted to the other boys, “Form the Skyward Talisman Array, lift the sedan, and return to the market!”
The boys nodded in unison, each taking a talisman from their waist storage bags and affixing it to themselves. With a gesture of their hands, beams of light emerged from their bodies. With a tap of their feet, they soared into the air in an instant.
Mo Fan, of course, was unaware that his brief test of his divine ability had caused such trouble.
As dawn broke, he finally returned to Black Wind Mountain.
“Stop! What demon are you, sneaking onto our Black Wind Mountain? Looking to be served up as a feast?!”
As Mo Fan reached the mountainside, a low shout came from behind. He frowned slightly, surprised to be spotted by a patrol demon.
But he wasn’t panicked. Black Wind Mountain had no rule against Demon Dings leaving.
When Mo Fan turned around, he saw a creature with a human head and a snake’s body.
“You?!”
The other party’s pupils shrank upon seeing Mo Fan’s face, a flash of hatred passing through their eyes, though it quickly vanished.
“Blind fool, don’t you recognise this Ding Lord?”
Mo Fan snapped. This lesser demon was none other than Rattlesnake, with whom he had a grudge.
“You…!”
Rattlesnake was furious but before he could speak, Mo Fan sneered, “By the Great King’s rules, lesser demons must address a Demon Ding as Ding Lord, or it’s a grave disrespect!”
“Though I’m not your household’s Ding Lord and can’t kill you outright, beating you half to death shouldn’t prompt One-Eye to demand an apology.”
Mo Fan’s cold laughter made Rattlesnake’s face pale.
Once, he hadn’t taken this toad demon seriously, but now this Laibao was different. Rumour had it even Lord One-Eye had suffered a major setback at his hands, let alone himself.
Though deeply unwilling, Rattlesnake lowered his head and said respectfully, “Rattlesnake greets Lord Laibao!”
“Good, that’s more like it!”
“Hahaha…”
Mo Fan laughed heartily, ignoring Rattlesnake and striding away.
Watching Mo Fan’s retreating figure, Rattlesnake seethed, wishing he could grind his teeth to dust.
Back at his cave mansion, Mo Fan immediately summoned his three main lesser demon followers and had Rabbit Demon fetch the other three.
Soon, all six lesser demons gathered before the Spring Pool Cave Mansion.
Looking at the mere handful of demons, Mo Fan’s face twitched. He thought to himself, “When Heizi was a Ding Lord, he had far more followers. Now I’m even worse off than that venomous scorpion…”
“Lord, why have you summoned us?”
Bull Demon Dali spoke, looking curiously at Mo Fan.
“Oh, it’s like this. Didn’t I go out recently?”
“I bought some handy artifacts to boost your strength, so you’ll have an extra means of survival in the trials.”
Mo Fan’s words sent the lesser demons into a frenzy of joy.
“Lord, do… do we brothers get a share too?”
Spider Demon Old Eight couldn’t help but ask, looking eagerly at Mo Fan.
Not just him, Beetle Demon Old Six wore the same expression.
As former followers of the scorpion demon, killed by Mo Fan, they feared they weren’t in his good graces. Recently, Old Three was devoured by Mo Fan for betrayal, making their position even shakier.
They doubted such good fortune would come their way.
But Mo Fan’s next words thrilled them to tears.
“You’re my followers too, so of course you get a share!”
Mo Fan smiled faintly. Since Old Three’s death, he held no grudges against these two, knowing they hadn’t betrayed him.
They might not have earned merit, but they hadn’t done wrong either, which was progress in Mo Fan’s eyes, naturally easing his prejudices.
Since they called him “Lord,” he had to treat them equally.
Next, Mo Fan took out the human artifacts he’d bought and distributed one to each, all different.
Pig Master received a round black shield, resembling a large wok, which he adored.
Mo Fan had previously given him a crescent shovel, and now with the shield, he had both offence and defence, perfectly complementary.
Bull Demon Dali’s artifact was an axe, weighing five thousand jin, too heavy for most lesser demons but just right for Dali.
He loved the axe even more than his twin-horned blades, preferring its heavy, forceful nature over nimble knives.
Rabbit Demon Red Eye got a piece of cloth with a cloaking effect, perfect for hiding his great cave, making him hard to detect.
Sparrow Chirp received a fine needle, highly potent. If used unexpectedly, it could kill a Demon Ding, ideal for hiding in Sparrow Chirp’s mouth.
Spider Demon Old Eight got a blood-red spear.
Beetle Demon Old Six received armour. Already defensively strong, this artifact made him even more formidable.
Mo Fan then taught them how to refine the artifacts.
As the lesser demons revelled in their new artifacts, Dali seemed to recall something and said to Mo Fan, “Lord, we have results on the matter you asked us to watch.”
“What matter?”
Mo Fan looked at Dali, puzzled.
“Lord, you’re such a busy man, you forget! Didn’t you ask us to keep an eye on the Fourth General’s information?”
Mo Fan’s eyes lit up. “What, they found his body?”
“…”
Dali gave a wry smile, thinking only their lord would dare speak so boldly on Black Wind Mountain.
The mountain had only four generals!
Seeing Dali shake his head, Mo Fan’s smile faded, a realisation dawning. “Don’t tell me he’s back on the mountain?!”
“Lord, you’re wise. When we came to your cave earlier, we heard patrol demon soldiers mention that the Fourth General returned last night,” Dali said honestly.
“Alright, I got it. Go have fun!”
Mo Fan nodded, dismissing the demons, but a shadow loomed over his heart.
He never imagined that Venom Fang had returned alive!
