As Mo Fan had anticipated, saving those two children had provoked the demon cultivators in the city.
At first, it was manageable, with only a single demon general appearing, swiftly dealt with by Black Robe.
However, as the battle escalated, more demon cultivators converged on their location, and a formidable demon general even blew a secret treasure resembling a Demon King’s horn.
Soon after, a king-level aura descended from the sky.
A Demon King had arrived!
Knowing that this Demon King hailed from Moon Gazing Valley, Mo Fan dared not be careless. He immediately called Black Robe and White Robe to flee at once.
A single Demon King did not frighten Mo Fan.
But this was the Southern Border, now teeming with demons, nearly all from the Moon Gazing Valley lineage.
If he provoked the Demon Kings here, Mo Fan doubted his group’s strength would suffice to escape back to Black Wind Mountain alive.
Moon Gazing Valley was not Phoenix Cry Mountain. Mo Fan knew little about that demon clan holy land, but the fact that Moon Gazing Valley was the first to act against the Southern Border showed how formidable it was.
Though he bore the identity of the White Tiger Saint King’s inheritor, it was uncertain whether they would acknowledge it.
Moreover, this identity was only somewhat renowned in Phoenix Cry Mountain.
The great demons of Moon Gazing Valley might not know of his deeds, and if they met, a fight to the death seemed inevitable.
This was not what Mo Fan wanted, nor did he wish to needlessly offend Moon Gazing Valley.
This was why he had not struck fatally in the capital. Otherwise, even if five Demon Kings had attacked, he was confident he could have slain one or two in a full outburst.
Throughout the journey, Mo Fan appeared quite dishevelled. The great demons of Moon Gazing Valley somehow anticipated his movements, making his return path arduous.
Initially, only one or two Demon Kings pursued them.
But half a day later, seven or eight Demon Kings were in pursuit, causing Mo Fan great distress. He had no choice but to fly at full speed, even storing Black Robe and White Robe in his storage bag to avoid slowing down.
Though Mo Fan was only at the peak of the demon general level, his speed in full outburst rivalled that of a late-stage king-level Demon King!
With the aid of Black Feather, Fire Escape, and Wind-Thunder Power, Mo Fan finally evaded the pursuing Demon Kings and fled into the Demon Spirit Mountain Range.
Yet, the moment he entered the Demon Spirit Mountain Range, his hair stood on end.
A colossal mountain-like palm appeared in the sky, pressing down as if to intercept and crush him.
At the critical moment, the tiger pattern on Mo Fan’s forehead emitted a dazzling golden light, causing the giant palm to pause mid-air before retreating into the clouds.
“What terrifying power!”
“This demon is definitely an Ancestor-level great demon!”
Having escaped, Mo Fan collapsed on the ground, lying on a boulder atop a mountain, laughing heartily as he watched the Demon Kings arriving belatedly outside the Demon Spirit Mountain Range.
The Demon Kings halted at the edge of the range, standing in mid-air, not daring to advance further.
They merely gazed coldly at Mo Fan, their expressions varied, their thoughts unreadable.
Finally, the Demon Kings looked up at the sky, as if receiving some instruction, and turned to leave.
Seeing this, Mo Fan finally relaxed.
Though he did not fully understand why the Demon Kings did not pursue further, he vaguely suspected it related to the demon domain boundaries.
While the Demon Spirit Mountain Range was not part of Phoenix Cry Mountain’s demon domain, after Mo Fan’s allegiance to the Fire Phoenix Palace, it was considered part of their territory, which likely deterred the Moon Gazing Valley Demon Kings.
There might be other reasons, but Mo Fan could not discern them for now.
He touched his forehead, a trace of peculiarity in his gaze.
How could he not know about the spontaneous manifestation of the tiger pattern just now?
“Senior, I owe you again!”
“I wonder how you’re doing now…”
Mo Fan murmured, lying on the ground for half a day before standing. His black wings unfurled, and with a slight flap, he turned into a blur, soaring into the sky and vanishing in an instant.
After Mo Fan’s departure, the clouds outside the Demon Spirit Mountain Range slowly dispersed, inhaled by an old man in green robes who resembled a Taoist.
The green-robed Taoist looked in the direction Mo Fan had vanished, recalling the symbol he had seen. He grinned, saying, “Interesting. Even the Ghost Tiger Pattern of White Tiger Mountain is present. This lad has quite a background, likely the inheritor of the White Tiger Saint King that the Saint King mentioned.”
“Pity his cultivation is too weak. Among the young prodigies, he’s far from impressive!”
“Today, I’ll spare you, leaving you to spill more human cultivators’ blood for our demon clan in the future. Even if you can’t, your reputation should draw some human powerhouses, easing our burden…”
The green-robed Taoist cackled strangely before vanishing into thin air, as if he had never been there.
To avoid complications, Mo Fan flew swiftly, returning to Black Wind Mountain in half the time it took to travel outbound.
But upon arriving, he was stunned by the sight before him.
Black Wind Mountain was surrounded by countless wild beasts, all lying on the ground as if entranced.
He even saw a large rat and a wild mountain cat lying together peacefully.
But as a soul-stirring drumbeat sounded, Mo Fan understood.
The Mountain-Shaking Drum’s demon-gathering had begun early!
“The Great King has returned!”
As the patrol spotted Mo Fan’s return, a small demon immediately circled above Black Wind Mountain, shouting.
Hearing of Mo Fan’s return, the high-ranking demons of Black Wind Mountain gathered at the peak.
“We welcome the Great King’s return!”
Red Eyes, Chirp, and other high-ranking demons looked excitedly at Mo Fan descending from the sky, their gazes scanning him.
Mo Fan rolled his eyes, cursing, “What a bunch of ungrateful wolves. Are you welcoming your king back to the mountain, or are you just eager to see if I brought someone back?”
“Heh heh… Great King, don’t be angry. It’s both, both!”
Red Eyes, never shy, grinned cheekily and asked, “Great King, where’s that great scholar you mentioned?”
“Yes, Great King. This time, Lady White went to great lengths to gather all the beasts within dozens of miles around Black Wind Mountain, just waiting for you to bring back that great scholar to preach!” Chirp also approached Mo Fan, smiling.
“Exactly, Great King, stop hiding him. Bring out that great scholar and let the brothers see if he’s as impressive as you said!”
The demons clamoured, eager to see the great scholar.
Most importantly, they wanted tangible benefits, hoping the scholar Mo Fan brought could enlighten many demon soldiers.
“Don’t keep them waiting. Hurry and bring him out!”
“Rest assured, I’ve already informed them. They know you brought a great scholar from human territory, so they’ve all transformed into spiritual forms to avoid scaring him.”
White Yao Yao stepped forward, smiling.
Hearing this, Mo Fan closely inspected the demons, noticing they had indeed taken spiritual forms. Aside from some demonic traits, they mostly resembled humans.
“You’ve worked hard these past few days!”
Mo Fan smiled at White Yao Yao.
“No matter. Who made me choose a hands-off master?”
White Yao Yao winked at Mo Fan, making him turn away, avoiding her teasing gaze, fearing he’d embarrass himself.
“Since everyone wants to see our Black Wind Mountain’s great scholar, your king will show you!”
“But let’s be clear: no one scares this scholar, or I’ll throw him to the kitchen camp to be made into a feast!”
With that, Mo Fan wasted no time and released Fang Ru from his storage.
But when Fang Ru appeared, the demons froze, then exchanged glances.
No one expected the great scholar to be a woman.
“It’s gotta be the Great King. He said he’d fetch a great scholar, and he sure brought a ‘great scholar’!”
Red Eyes stared at Fang Ru’s prominent chest, swallowing hard, only to have his head smacked heavily.
“Who the hell dared hit Rabbit Lord’s head?”
“Me!”
“What, need a spar?”
Big Head, the fish demon, appeared behind Red Eyes, glaring fiercely before fixing his gaze on Fang Ru beside Mo Fan, his eyes welling up…
