“You may not know, but this Demon Suppression Division was established during the reign of Empress Shenlong. It was specifically tasked with overseeing matters of cultivation in the mortal realm. Any demon or evil cultivator who committed atrocities would be imprisoned within the Demon Suppression Tower.
“However, as spiritual energy eventually withered and the gods went into seclusion, it coincided with the barbarian invasion of the Central Plains. The Demon Suppression Division gradually fell into decline—even this Lord could not escape death, ultimately forced to seal my own soul and leave only my legacy behind for the world.
“I remember, in the year I fell, I was fortunate enough to catch a glimpse of that Demon Suppression Commissioner.
“She was skilled at brewing wine and even better at controlling Gu. Her mount was a large black tiger-headed scorpion that spat out clouds of insects. Those insects were incredibly sharp, capable of severing refined gold. Beneath that insect tide, the bones of a mountain’s worth of demons would vanish, leaving them without the slightest power to fight back. Even sinful immortals from the heavens have been defeated by her insect tide...”
Nan Zhi became more and more immersed in her acting. She simply projected the personas of Huaguzi and Wanniang onto this fictitious “Demon Suppression Commissioner,” but she didn't notice the look of terror growing in the yellow fox’s eyes.
Commanding a tide of insects to devour the flesh and blood of demons?
She had even killed sinful immortals from the Heavenly Court?
How could such a powerful figure have died?
One could only imagine how terrifying the Great Calamity of the past must have been.
It was no wonder the white tiger woman had exploded in rage upon hearing news of Ma Guniang; it turned out she feared the Demon Suppression Commissioner behind Ma Guniang.
Although he had never heard of a Demon Suppression Commissioner, the world was vast. Perhaps they were remnants of the Demon Suppression Division who had used some dharma treasure to erase their traces to avoid the Great Calamity, remaining hidden until now.
Hu Ban'er tremulously voiced his speculation. After waiting for a long time without a response, he looked up only to find the white tiger woman expressionless, her eyes slightly lowered as if she were deep in thought.
“You are correct. There were many treasures within the Demon Suppression Division. In the past, demon suppressors could exchange their merits for cultivation pills and dharma treasures. There were even Golden Core Masters overseeing the organization. It is quite possible that the division’s total disappearance was a method they devised to evade the calamity.
“I once heard of a ‘Turtle Breath Art.’ When practiced to the Great Circle, one can hide their existence from heaven and earth, stealing years from fate to live as long as the heavens themselves. The Demon Suppression Division likely used a similar method.
“Since you have found traces of Ma Jiu, it means the time for the Demon Suppression Division to reappear is not far off—”
At this point, the white tiger woman stood up with some excitement, her gaze piercing through the layers of white mist as if looking toward a very distant place.
“The Demon Suppression Division has decayed by now, but since Ma Jiu is still alive, it means there must be many good things left in the hidden Demon Suppression Monastery. This Lord cannot wait any longer; I must find the ruins of the Demon Suppression Monastery before anyone else—”
Before her voice could fade, the vines on the stone walls of the cave suddenly moved without any wind. Hu Ban'er watched as a whirlwind formed beneath the Mountain Lord’s feet. The massive white tiger leaped out of the cave like the wind. Before he could react, a long tail reached out, tightly coiling around the old fox and carrying him high into the sky.
“This Lord must break through as soon as possible. You shall lead the way to the addresses of the demons on this list!”
The air seemed to explode in his ears as the sharp wind scraped against his face like knives. Before Hu Ban'er even realized what was happening, he was already high in the air!
The numbing sensation of terror twisted together with the difficulty of breathing caused by the lack of oxygen. The poor old fox nearly fainted.
“Aaaaaah—Cuiling! Cuixian! Go down the mountain and tell the Lanhua girl that the Mountain Lord has agreed! Aaaaah!”
Even then, he didn't forget to scream out instructions to his two granddaughters waiting outside the bear cave.
“If I don't make it back, tell your grandma that there’s really nothing between me and Huang Fufeng from the neighboring village! Your grandma will always be the most beautiful and most precious old lady in the world! Aaaaaah!”
His final words were scattered by the wind, leaving only a tiny black speck in the sky that vanished a second later.
Hu Cuiling and Hu Cuixian, the two yellow foxes, crouched outside the cave, watching blankly as their grandfather took to the skies. They were so envious they were practically drooling.
After the envy passed, they looked at each other in confusion.
Hu Cuiling said, “Why is Grandpa like that? Going out to play with the Mountain Lord and not taking us along.”
Hu Cuixian added, “Exactly. I wanted to go up to the sky and see, too. I’m telling you, a demon should live like the Mountain Lord. Roasting sweet potatoes and raising cubs in the village all day is so boring.”
Hu Cuiling asked, “By the way, did you hear what Grandpa just said?”
Hu Cuixian replied, “...It sounded like he said he fancies Huang Fufeng from the neighboring village and that our grandma isn't a good woman.”
Hu Cuiling frowned. “I thought I heard something else too?”
Hu Cuixian said, “He probably said to look after the house and wait for him to come back and roast sweet potatoes.”
With that, the two yellow foxes stared longingly at the sky, remaining motionless.
...
...
Nan Zhi intended to go down the official list and call them out one by one.
When the Mountain Lord calls roll, whoever is named is in for a bad time.
The government people were actually quite helpful, marking all the locations based on geography. In truth, she had memorized the list with a single glance. If it weren't for the fact that she couldn't explain how a tiger knew how to read, she wouldn't have needed to forcibly abduct Hu Ban'er to serve as her “guide.”
The closest target to Qingmeng Mountain was a giant salamander causing trouble in a well in Yangshubazi Village.
“Mountain Lord, that giant salamander was originally raised by the village to guard the well water. Starting last year, cattle and sheep began to go missing near the village. Whether it was chickens, ducks, geese, or even guard dogs, they were all eaten clean. When the authorities investigated, they found the culprit was a giant salamander living in the well!”
The wind speed was incredibly fast, and Hu Ban'er could only cling desperately to the tiger's tail to keep from falling—he didn't want to become the first fox spirit in history to fall to his death.
The wind in the sky was too strong, slapping his face painfully like a blunt knife scraping flesh. The old fox didn't dare complain, shouting at the top of his lungs to give Nan Zhi directions.
“That thing is also called a baby fish because its cry sounds just like a human infant whimpering. At first, many villagers thought there was a child in the well and went down to look, only to be eaten until not even their bones remained.
“This thing is also incredibly cunning. It dug many tunnels in the well water. If it sees people trying to catch it, it dives underground. If it can't stay in one village, it moves to another—the people in this whole area have been tormented by it.”
Before his voice fell, a tiger and a fox, shrouded in white mist, landed in the middle of the deserted village.
Nan Zhi dropped the old fox and squinted, using her divine sense to probe underground. When she opened her eyes again, a smile suddenly appeared on her face.
Hu Ban'er only felt a series of ghostly winds, wondering if the Mountain Lord had gotten hungry during the flight and was planning to swallow him.
In the next second, he saw Nan Zhi leap several dozen feet into the air, then suddenly gather her strength for a downward strike!!
BOOM!!!
The massive impact echoed through the surrounding valley, and even the ground trembled for a moment. As the dust settled, a deep crater fifty meters in diameter had been smashed into the earth.
“Guji... guji...”
Nan Zhi’s paw was stepped on a patch of slimy remains. At the bottom of the crater, a shattered giant salamander had been turned into meat mud, spread evenly across the ground.
The red and white fish mud mixed with the soil, emitting a nauseating stench—the giant salamander hadn't even sensed her arrival before it lost its life.
【Cultivator killed level 15 red-named monster “Infant-Cry Giant Catfish.” Rewards: 100 XP, Spiritual Energy Cluster (Small) ×1, Rejuvenation Pill ×1, Qi-Augmenting Pill ×2】
The smile on her face grew more genuine, and the way she looked at the old fox was as if she were looking at a gold mine.
“Next.”
The Mountain Lord crushed that thing with a single stomp?
Didn't the records say this thing was very good at running away...
One stomp. Just one stomp.
With this kind of power and speed, what was the difference between her and a human-shaped missile?
The old fox trembled violently.
It had eaten many people and taken countless lives; that should fit the “evil demon” criteria the Mountain Lord was looking for, right?
The worst thing he had ever done in his life was some petty thievery, or at most, swindling a bit of extra money when performing spiritual consultations.
“Let me see, let me see...”
The old fox closed his eyes and frantically searched his memory for every bad thing he had ever done, fearing that Nan Zhi would get so caught up in the killing that she would finish him off as a minor mob.
“Next, the next one is the man-eating yaksha of Songhe Cemetery in Nanyun...”
He had been a bit uncertain before, but now he was absolutely sure.
When the Mountain Lord calls roll, whoever is named should just wait for death.
Rate on N.U.
