The Great Demon

Su Tingtong naturally understood what Su Qing meant...

She simply wanted to confirm it with her mother.

Su Qing nodded. "It’s exactly as you think... You’ve likely killed these demons once already. As for why they’re back, the reason is easy to guess—they’ve simply come back to life."

"I was wondering why there were so many demons here and why we couldn't finish them off. Now I realize it's not that they're endless, but that they weren't truly dying."

Hearing this, Su Tingtong froze for a moment, staring blankly at Su Qing...

After a while, she rubbed her head. "Dying and coming back? How do they do that?! That feels like cheating no matter how you look at it!"

Su Tingtong felt a bit overwhelmed...

If these demons couldn't be killed, wouldn't they be fighting forever?

How would they ever finish the job?

They couldn't just keep killing them indefinitely, could they?

Su Qing smiled, watching the black smoke swirling around the demons, and explained calmly: "How can they do it? My guess is... these demons are nothing more than marionettes controlled by that black smoke! In other words, as long as the black smoke isn't removed, even if their bodies are hacked to pieces, they'll recover before long. It's a form of immortality..."

"However, it's not that exaggerated. If you really want to kill them, they can be killed."

"As long as the body is completely destroyed, these demons naturally won't be able to come back."

"Even that black smoke has to follow some basic laws."

"To resolve this matter completely... we'll likely have to strike at the black smoke itself."

As Su Qing explained and analyzed the situation for Su Tingtong, she was also silently thinking of a countermeasure...

Although the current situation was still troublesome, she couldn't just give up because of it. Since she had taken on the task, she had to do her best.

"But... didn't Mother already suppress the black smoke? Why..." Su Tingtong asked, curious like a child. She wanted to understand more so she could help Su Qing better.

Su Qing didn't mind answering. "I did suppress the black smoke here, but don't forget the City God said that black smoke had been pouring out for a long time at the very beginning. That smoke... is likely the source of these demons. What we need to deal with next is that source... As for how to handle it, well, I don't have a detailed plan yet. We'll have to take it one step at a time."

Su Qing hadn't made a detailed plan before setting out today...

She didn't know enough about the situation on the ground. Even if she had made a plan, she probably would have scrapped and rewritten it by now.

Things were always changing. Plans were just plans, but they could never keep up with reality...

Especially when she lacked information, there were too many variables. Even a rough plan would often be forced to change.

So... it was better to adapt as things happened!

As long as she was sufficiently prepared, it would be enough.

Su Tingtong nodded. She didn't care if Su Qing had a plan...

For her, being able to help was enough.

"You know Samadhi True Fire, right? If you find it too troublesome, you can use it to burn them," Su Qing reminded her.

Su Tingtong nodded again. "Understood... So, Mother, how do we find the great demon and the source?"

Su Qing rubbed her chin. "Yesterday, the great demon's aura only appeared after you killed a lot of demons, right?"

Su Qing answered with a question, but Su Tingtong nodded truthfully. "That's right... So Mother's plan is..."

"Let's kill some demons first to liven things up..." Su Qing chuckled. "Let's see how many of these puppets we need to kill before the great demon shows itself!"

Su Qing wasn't afraid of the great demon; she was only afraid it wouldn't show up...

Hearing this, Su Tingtong grinned. "Great! I'm an old hand at fighting! I haven't had a chance to use many of the techniques Mother taught me yet! I'll have to use them well today! I'll show Mother exactly what level her daughter has reached!"

Su Tingtong had no objections to fighting; in fact, she was quite excited...

As for Yudie, there was even less to say.

"A fight! I'm the best at that. Mother, why don't you let me go fight with my sister!" Yudie couldn't sit still. Being born as a weapon, she had combat in her genes... she was quite excited.

Su Qing gave a helpless smile. "Fine, fine, do as you wish. However, when the great demon's aura appears, you both must obediently return to my side... You don't need to deal with the great demon. Leave it to me. I'll handle it..."

Su Qing wasn't sure how strong the great demon was, so she didn't dare let the two girls act recklessly...

She chose the safest approach.

The two girls grinned. "Got it!"

With that, they both set off.

As for Su Qing, she had no intention of acting for now. If she did, the two little ones probably wouldn't get a chance to do anything. Since there were no major problems or difficult opponents yet, it was good to let them get some exercise. This way, she could satisfy their wishes while also getting the job done.

Standing in mid-air, Su Qing stretched her muscles...

Although she didn't plan to act, she didn't relax too much.

She had to stay alert for the great demon. While she knew it likely posed no threat to her, the same might not be true for her daughters. Her focus was for their sake, and to finish the task quickly.

While she was thinking, Su Tingtong and Yudie had already begun fighting the puppet demons. The commotion was quite large. It wasn't a world-shattering battle, but it sounded like someone was tossing grenades and shells all over the mountains.

Su Qing nodded slightly, muttering to herself, "They aren't even using large-scale spells... It seems these two girls know the rules."

This forest was right next to a mortal town... Although few people came here, it was still close to human habitation. If they used large-scale spells, they would inevitably cause collateral damage. In such situations, one had to hold back or take the fight into the sky.

"But why do I feel like these two are competing? Are they seeing who can kill more puppets?" Su Qing watched the pace of their battle quicken and wondered curiously, "Being young is so nice."

Su Qing didn't mind the sisters competing; it was good for their growth... As long as it didn't affect their relationship, any form of competition was fine.

"I wonder who will win?" Su Qing grew curious about the outcome. "In terms of absolute strength, Tingtong is much stronger, but in terms of combat experience, Yudie has quite a bit more than the little girl. I'm really curious to see who wins this match."

Su Qing didn't favor one over the other; they were both her own, after all. She was just curious about the result.

Time passed quickly. Their speed in hunting the demon beasts increased. Gradually, the demons in the immediate area were almost cleared out. Their battle range expanded.

The two were competing enthusiastically, while Su Qing felt a bit strange.

'Why hasn't that fellow appeared yet?'

The children had killed hundreds of demons, but even after all that, there was no sign of the great demon. Had something happened to it?

Su Qing rubbed her chin, feeling both curious and a bit anxious... If they couldn't lure the great demon out this way, they would have to find another method. But she didn't have any other ideas yet.

'Really...'

Su Qing wanted to complain but didn't know where to start.

However... perhaps they had killed enough demons, or perhaps Su Qing's thoughts had an effect. The great demon's aura could finally be felt... It wasn't very strong and seemed to be quite far away.

Su Qing's brow furrowed. 'Forget it, I won't wait for it to come here. Since it's appeared, I'll go find it.'

With that thought, Su Qing immediately sent a Sound Transmission to the two girls, telling them to pause their competition. It was time for the real business...

A moment after receiving the transmission, the two girls appeared before Su Qing.

Su Qing didn't explain much. She performed a hand seal and sped toward the direction of the great demon's aura.

In just a few moments, Su Qing arrived above the source of the aura.

This was the deepest part of the forest. Below was a thick fog. This wasn't the black smoke, just ordinary mist, so Su Qing hadn't paid much attention to it before... However, the great demon's aura was within that mist.

A sharp light flashed in Su Qing's eyes. She cast a spell, intending to blow the mist away...

However, the mist felt like something very heavy. The wind couldn't disperse it...

Su Qing's brow furrowed. "It seems this mist isn't simple..."

Yudie asked, "What now? Are we going down?"

"Of course we're going down. The enemy is down there... If we don't go down, how will we deal with it?" Su Tingtong said, crossing her arms.

Su Qing chuckled and shook her head. "No rush... There are still some things I haven't figured out."

This left Su Tingtong and Yudie confused... They looked at Su Qing strangely. "What hasn't Mother figured out?"

"Why did the great demon's aura only appear after so many demons died? And why hasn't it personally appeared to deal with the City God and the others? Although the City God often loses subordinates, their deaths are always very strange, with no traces of a great demon acting personally. They only think it's a great demon because the 'people' they encountered were too powerful and used bizarre methods! So... this question remains a question."

Su Qing spoke calmly, rubbing her chin.

After hearing Su Qing's long explanation, the two girls looked at each other, both feeling like they didn't quite understand.

"Mother, don't worry about all that. Why not just keep it simple? Let's just deal with the source of that aura in the mist, or just catch it and interrogate it. That would be much simpler and faster, wouldn't it?"

Yudie scratched her head. She never liked thinking. Hearing Su Qing's words made her head ache. She simply suggested a brute-force approach.

Su Qing gave a helpless smile. "That is indeed a way, but it carries a certain amount of risk. If I were alone, I'd do whatever was simplest and wouldn't bother thinking about this. But since you're here, as your mother, I have to be responsible for you. We can't act recklessly!"

Su Tingtong smiled and shook her head. "Mother, we aren't weak... You saw it just now. Yudie and I are more than capable of protecting ourselves. So Mother doesn't need to worry... let's just brute-force it together!"

Su Tingtong was Su Qing's child, after all; her way of speaking was exactly like her mother's.

Su Qing thought for a moment, then sighed. "Fine, fine. Since you want to brute-force it, then let's brute-force it... However, Yudie, you stay in my hand, and Tingtong, you stay by my side. Got it?"

"Got it!" the two replied simultaneously.