A commotion erupted among the demon crowd as they parted, allowing a group to step forward.
Mo Fan instinctively looked over, spotting a gaunt, dark-skinned old man in a black robe leading the group.
“Is this… a human?”
The sight of the old man startled Mo Fan. Unlike the surrounding demons, this figure had no demonic traits, looking entirely human!
“No… it’s a demon!”
Soon, Mo Fan’s heart tightened as he noticed something off.
He suddenly realised the old man’s sleeves concealed not two, but four hands!
Though in human form, like Mo Fan, the old man was bald, his head gleaming with a dark sheen, giving him an eerie appearance.
As soon as the old man appeared, the demons’ chatter quieted, clearly showing some reverence for him.
Mo Fan noticed three demons trailing behind the old man, similar to Qingmian the wolf demon, partially transformed into human-like forms.
From their appearance, Mo Fan could only identify one as a spider demon.
As for the other two, he couldn’t guess their true forms, but he noted they were also bald like the old man, which was peculiar.
Seeing the old man seemed to hold sway among the demons, Mo Fan immediately called out for help, “Demon brother, save me! We’re here to join Black Wind Mountain’s demon king, not some rude lesser demons!!”
“Bold!”
Before Mo Fan could finish, the spider demon behind the black-robed old man scolded him.
“You ugly freak, how dare you call our lord ‘brother’ when you haven’t even fully transformed?!”
The spider demon’s rebuke puzzled Mo Fan. He thought, *That’s your lord, not mine. How am I being rude?*
And why did these demons keep insulting him, calling him an ugly freak?
Your whole family’s the ugly freak!
Mo Fan knew his true form wasn’t exactly handsome, but did that give them the right to mock him?
Of course, he didn’t dare voice these thoughts.
“A toad-turned-demon?”
The black-robed old man’s gaze swept over the bound duo and tiger before settling back on Mo Fan.
Seeing he’d caught the old man’s attention, Mo Fan politely said, “To Lord Demon Soldier, my true form is indeed a toad!”
From the demons’ earlier words, he gathered this black-robed old man was a “Demon Soldier,” seemingly higher in status than Qingmian and the other lesser demons, so he addressed him accordingly.
“Hm, no wonder you’re so ugly.”
The black-robed Demon Soldier nodded, his words making Mo Fan’s face twitch.
Was being ugly a crime now?
Did every demon have to comment on it?
“Qingmian, what’s going on?” the Demon Soldier asked the wolf demon.
When the black-robed Demon Soldier appeared, Qingmian and his group had been blocked by other demons.
Qingmian frowned, displeased with their attitude but still recounted the earlier events.
“Wild demon?”
The Demon Soldier’s eyes flickered, then he snorted, “Per the rules set by our Great King Grandpa of Black Wind Mountain, any demon born naturally within our territory isn’t a wild demon. Have you even asked about their origins?”
“Well…”
Qingmian was stumped, unsure how to respond.
“According to Great King Grandpa’s rules, if they’re not wild demons, they can’t be killed carelessly. We should recruit them to Black Wind Mountain, or at the very least, bring them to him for judgment.
You lot have some nerve, Qingmian!
Or does your One-Eye Lord dare to secretly feast on demons from our territory?” The Demon Soldier’s words made Qingmian sweat, stammering, “No, no!”
“Qingmian, what’s the panic about?”
At that moment, a loud voice rang out nearby.
The demons parted, and a burly, one-eyed man in a grey robe strode over, flanked by several demons.
“Lord!”
Qingmian’s face lit up at the sight.
The one-eyed man glanced at the bound Mo Fan and his group, then turned to the black-robed Demon Soldier, saying calmly, “Brother Black, why are you troubling my lesser demons today?”
“Brother, you jest. I’m just discussing the matter, worried your underlings might break Great King Grandpa’s rules. If that happens, even you might struggle to explain to him,” the Demon Soldier said with a sly smile.
“Oh?”
One-Eye frowned, his face hardening. He kicked Qingmian and snorted, “You dog, what trouble have you caused me now?”
“Lord, it’s a misunderstanding!” Qingmian, enduring the kick, hurriedly explained the situation.
“You ugly thing, you’ve got some guts, attacking my lesser demons under One-Eye’s command! You don’t take Black Wind Mountain or our Great King Grandpa seriously! You deserve death!”
Furious, One-Eye raised his hand to slap Mo Fan’s head!
Before the blow landed, Mo Fan’s heart raced with dread, a terrifying sense of crisis overwhelming him.
He hadn’t expected this one-eyed demon to be so ruthless, aiming to kill without a word!
There was no time to negotiate.
“Am I, Mo Fan, doomed to die here?!”
“I haven’t even tasted swan meat—damn, I’m not ready to go!”
In that instant, countless thoughts flashed through Mo Fan’s mind, certain he’d die under this demon’s palm.
“Clang!”
But just then, One-Eye’s falling hand was blocked.
“Why so rash, brother? We don’t even know if this ugly thing is truly a wild demon.”
“If he’s a demon born in our Black Wind Mountain territory, your slap would break Great King Grandpa’s rule against killing local demons. You might end up flayed for it!”
It was the black-robed Demon Soldier who intervened, stopping One-Eye’s deadly strike.
Mo Fan exhaled in relief, his heart pounding.
“Brother Black’s right. I was too hasty, not thinking it through!”
One-Eye chuckled, retracting his hand, and turned to Mo Fan. “You ugly thing, where did you transform? Speak your origins, and you might be spared!”
“Everything within a hundred li is Black Wind Mountain’s territory. Don’t lie, or no one can save you!” the Demon Soldier added with a cold smirk.
Is he hinting at me?
Mo Fan caught on instantly. Though unsure why the Demon Soldier saved him, he nodded quickly. “To the two Demon Soldier Lords, I transformed within this hundred li, so I should count as a local demon. Hearing of Great King Grandpa’s fame, I came to join Black Wind Mountain, to become an honourable demon of this mountain!”
“You…!”
One-Eye’s teeth itched with anger, glaring at the Demon Soldier before snorting, “Qingmian, take these guys to Black Wind Cave with me for Great King Grandpa to judge!”
“Yes!”
Qingmian and the other lesser demons obeyed.
This time, the black-robed Demon Soldier didn’t intervene, smiling instead. “With nothing else to do, I’ll join you, brother, to see the excitement.”
With that, he led his three lesser demons along.
The group of demons marched noisily up the mountain.
Mo Fan knew the moment that would decide his fate was near!
