Chapter Nine: The Arrival of the Demon King

The black clouds approached in an instant.

Su Bailu’s expression shifted from confusion to utter despair.

A dense, overwhelming demonic aura swept forth, blotting out the sky like a dark shroud, swallowing all daylight. Cries of anguish echoed from the endless mountains.

Two ferocious heads slowly emerged from the clouds, glaring down at the earth in fury.

With every breath, fiery black flames spewed from their nostrils, a violent and oppressive force radiating outward, fierce and unrestrained.

“A Golden Core demon has left the mountains.”

Su Bailu muttered to herself, staring at Lin Ze’s thin back before her, suddenly recalling his earlier warning.

So, Master had already known about this and wanted to keep her behind for that reason.

She glanced at the pitiful little demon in the Daoist’s arms, her face bitter. Was this the opportunity Senior Sister spoke of?

Not to mention herself and the others—even the elders of the sect would never provoke a demon king without thorough preparation. At the very least, a detailed plan was necessary to deal with the inevitable rage and retaliation.

How foolish!

As for Zhao Ling, she was already on the verge of collapse from terror.

Just last night, out of boredom, she had wandered the outskirts of the Demon Mountain, only to spot that little dog frolicking in the woods. Looking closer, her heart burned with greed.

A young demon with noble blood—if tamed, it would become a powerful ally, reaching at least the peak of Foundation Establishment in a hundred years. Most elders of Dongyue Sect were only at that level.

Suppressing her excitement, she had drawn her sword and charged forward.

…

Lin Ze drew a deep breath. The demon above had clearly noticed him.

Hiding any longer would only appear cowardly.

Steadying his nerves, he strode out of the village.

“Master!” Su Bailu hurried to follow, wanting to stop him, but could not utter a word.

To a demon king, even burrowing into the ground would offer no escape.

All she could do was silently follow behind Lin Ze, her hand trembling on her sword hilt, knuckles white.

Bitterness flooded her heart.

Could she truly draw her sword against a demon king?

Within the clouds, the four eyes of the two-headed demon dog fixed ruthlessly on the two figures below.

Were it not for the small form in the Daoist’s arms, it would have already unleashed a blast of black fire.

A mere Foundation Establishment cultivator dared lay hands on its offspring.

Courting death!

“Did you think to threaten me?” As the figures approached, the demon’s lips curled into a savage grin, its voice booming in human speech.

Su Bailu could hardly breathe, standing half a step behind Lin Ze, staring blankly at his profile.

Her master’s figure seemed frail and thin, yet his expression was remarkably calm, as if even this Golden Core demon king could not disturb his composure.

“You think too much, Demon King.”

Lin Ze gave a light laugh, setting the little demon down.

He stood tall, gazing at the sky, his hands empty—nothing up his sleeves but the wind.

He had thought he would be terrified.

He was indeed shaken, but not to the point of panic.

If begging for mercy would spare him, he would not mind kowtowing twice. Unfortunately, that would not help, so what was there to fear?

As for the overwhelming demonic aura, Lin Ze had experienced it countless times in the simulator.

“Hmm?”

The demon king grunted coldly, puzzled.

It had assumed the Daoist meant to use its cub as leverage for mercy. The thought amused it—what right did a mere Foundation Establishment cultivator have to bargain with it?

Yet, the Daoist so easily relinquished his only bargaining chip.

And the calm, unyielding look on his face—he did not seem cowed by its power. That was unusual. Even other demons would cower under its oppressive aura, let alone a human cultivator.

No ordinary rogue cultivator had such bearing—was he perhaps the descendant of some old monster from Dongyue Sect?

As it pondered, the demon king lowered its heads, voice icy. “You think this will save your life?”

“To live,”

Lin Ze’s lips curled into a slight smile. “Is this how the demon king treats a benefactor?”

At these words, the demon dog’s four eyes narrowed. “How is it that I owe you a debt?”

Just then, the little demon cub whimpered up at the sky, opening its mouth to reveal a half-melted pill on its tongue. Then it pointed its little paw at Zhao Ling lying in the distance.

Imitating Lin Ze, it kicked its hind legs. Then, copying Zhao Ling, it rolled in the dirt, yelping in pain.

Seeing its comical antics, the demon king’s eyes softened slightly. It said coldly,

“If you run off again, I’ll break your legs.”

The puppy whined in protest, clambered up, and leapt into Lin Ze’s arms, burying its head in his elbow with a humph.

The demon king shot Lin Ze a glare, stretched out a paw, and a blast of black wind appeared from nowhere, whisking the little dog up to the clouds. With a mocking tone, it said, “Demons don’t need such crude pills. But since your cultivation is weak and your knowledge limited, I’ll overlook it this time.”

“Don’t mention any favor again. Sparing your life is mercy enough.”

The sight of the pill only confirmed its earlier suspicions.

It called it crude, but for a Golden Core demon, that was true; for an ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivator, being able to produce a Foundation Establishment Pill so casually was proof of extraordinary background.

It did not fear Dongyue Sect, but the Daoist’s attitude was impeccable, and he had punished the insolent little cultivator for it—clearly a youth of exceptional character and likely deep connections. There was no need to stir further trouble.

With that, the crimson demon king pointed a paw at the Daoist, then turned and rode the clouds away, vanishing into the depths of the Demon Mountain.

In an instant, the black clouds melted away, and the sky returned to peace.

Lin Ze raised his arm, noticing a new flame-shaped mark on his wrist. He could not tell what the demon king had done to him, but judging from its words, it likely was not a bad thing.

Only when the lingering demonic aura faded did Su Bailu realize the terrifying demon king was gone.

She had been tense to the extreme the entire time, her mind dull. She had not even noticed her sword falling to the ground, let alone thought of drawing it.

If her master had not stood before her, she would probably have fared no better than Senior Sister Zhao.

For an ordinary cultivator to remain standing under such oppressive demonic power was a feat in itself. Yet her master had calmly conversed with the demon king.

Such composure was unfathomable—how could this be the bearing of one who had only just broken through to Foundation Establishment?

[Character Card Trust increased]

[Character Card Level Rating raised to 46]

Lin Ze saw the prompt flash on his panel, a trace of surprise in his eyes.

An unexpected boon.

Su Bailu’s trust had jumped from six points to fifteen.

This was already the upper limit for high trust; to raise it further would be extremely difficult.

A pity there were no more simulation attempts today, or he would have tried to copy the sword intent.

“Let’s go back.”

The two of them walked toward the village.

A crowd of villagers, long since paralyzed with fear, gazed at Lin Ze with complex expressions.

To so easily send away a demon whose presence changed the color of the heavens—if that was not the mark of an immortal, what else could be called immortal?

Su Bailu helped Senior Sister Zhao inside, sighing softly. Moments ago, she had thought her master’s punishment was too harsh; now, she felt it had been far too lenient.

Before the demon king’s arrival, that kick had clearly saved Senior Sister’s life.

It looked heavy, but had left her breathing.

Had the demon king struck instead, not even her bones would have remained.

Moreover, Zhao Ling had repeatedly shown Lin Ze disrespect, yet her master bore it all without complaint, treating her with magnanimity and mercy, offering a small punishment to preserve her life. Perhaps this was the bearing of a true master of cultivation.

…

Lin Ze had no idea his female disciple was on the verge of putting him on a pedestal.

He did not bother with Zhao Ling; he simply did not wish to become the heartless, bloodthirsty person he had seen in the simulator. There was nothing more to it.