Subduing Demons (Part 2)

It was like a street thug joining a gang—he would definitely weigh the gang's strength carefully before deciding how to conduct himself afterward. For instance, if he joined Cangfeng Fortress, he could strut sideways down the streets; but if he joined the Golden Dragon Gang where Li Feng was, then he could only honestly tuck his tail and play the grandson... This mentality was perfectly normal for someone like Li Feng.

Cultivators moved quickly once they had made up their minds. After bringing all their magical treasures with them, there was no need to leave anyone behind to guard the gate or lock the doors. They directly cast several incantations, sealing all of Qingyun Flat in dense mist. The Five Elders of Yiyuan, together with nine disciples, Zhao Yue'er, and Li Feng, rose into the air and flew toward Kongtong Mountain, the lair of the demons and devils Liu Xingzi had mentioned.

The moment they took flight, the differences between them became clear. The Five Elders of Yiyuan were five streams of golden light with astonishing, even utterly overbearing momentum. Their sword lights were each over a hundred zhang long and more than ten zhang wide, with ten thousand bolts of lightning faintly following around them. Their deafening roar could be heard from over a hundred li away. The five golden streams joined together, becoming a vast golden haze that blanketed heaven and earth as it swept forward.

The sword lights of Liu Xingzi and the other nine disciples were around thirty zhang long, each a different color. Among them were six golden lights and four azure lights, and their display was equally terrifying. Zhao Yue'er was somewhat inferior. After all, she had only just formed her Golden Core through medicinal power and her mother's assistance, and her circulation of True Essence was far weaker. Her sword light was only seven or eight zhang long. As for Li Feng, he was even more pitiful—a mere one zhang and five chi of sword light, entirely radiated by the Vermilion Bird Crescent itself, with nothing whatsoever to do with his True Essence. If the Vermilion Bird Crescent had not been so powerful, dragging his body forward in a furious dash, he would have been left more than a hundred li behind long ago.

With the Yiyuan Sect nearly deploying in full force, Li Feng picked up on a few clues. His red light hid within Xie Yuezi's golden light, borrowing Xie Yuezi's strength to fly forward instead of desperately urging his own True Essence. That gave him plenty of leisure to observe his surroundings; this was his first true long-distance sword flight. Far ahead amid the clouds, more than a dozen sword lights had originally been flying straight toward them. But upon seeing the Five Elders of Yiyuan's domineering, grand golden haze, they immediately halted more than ten li away. Revealing their true forms, they bowed deeply in salute. Only after True Man Qingquan nodded at them did they hastily fly off at an angle.

Li Feng's eyes immediately lit up. He could tell that those dozen or so sword lights were powerful—extremely powerful—yet they only dared stop more than ten li away. And after others had offered such solemn courtesies, True Man Qingquan merely needed to nod in acknowledgment. It seemed the Yiyuan Sect truly was quite something in the Cultivation World... Heh heh. Li Feng had already begun imagining the wonderful days to come, and he could not help grinning. Zhao Yue'er's sword light turned, bringing her to Li Feng's side. She gave him a hard slap on the head and snapped, "Why are you smiling so sinisterly? What fun thing did you think of now?... You went down the mountain to set fires a few days ago and didn't even call me." Her face was full of laughter.

Li Feng was greatly alarmed and hurriedly waved his hands at Zhao Yue'er. He had had a reason for going down the mountain to set fires, but it would have been humiliating to explain, so he had not told anyone.

Zhao Yue'er laughed at the sight. With one hand, she pulled him over, and the two flew side by side far behind the others. Zhao Yue'er pointed down at the mountains and rivers below, constantly letting out delicate laughter. They were flying extremely high. From here, the mountains looked like steamed buns, the rivers like earthworms, and each city was no bigger than a rice bowl. Only by straining one's eyes could one see tiny black specks wriggling about inside and outside the cities.

Li Feng gazed into the distance. Following the great river beneath them eastward, he saw more than a dozen great cities arranged in a line along its banks. On the river, vast fleets sailed downstream; they appeared to be naval warships. Li Feng could not help sighing inwardly. No wonder every one of those people wants to be emperor. With a single command from the old emperor, countless valiant soldiers would rush from those cities, while those warships would transport great numbers of armored cavalry and elite troops to wage war in every direction. In the blink of an eye, thousands upon thousands of heads would fall, and blood would flow until it could float pestles.

Li Feng sighed, "Now this has flavor. That old emperor really has it easy... Damn it, if I can't become an immortal, then I'll do my best to get close to being an emperor instead. I don't even know where my ancestral graves are, but I suppose I don't have the fortune to become emperor. Still, being a great general would be pretty damn good too."

Zhao Yue'er mocked him, "Ha, you want to be a general looking like that? Hee hee, in the whole world, I'm probably the only one who'd believe even the tiniest bit of it. Look at yourself—your eyes never stop darting around all day long. Does any general look like you?"

Li Feng thrust out his chest and said, "Why not? Hmph, hmph, as long as I work hard, with the skills I have now, that old emperor will definitely kneel and beg me to be his general. Hmph, hmph, Old Tou'er from Suzhou Prefecture bragged that two leaders of some Heavenly Dipper Star group in their Cangfeng Fortress were generals at court. But Gu Cangyue and his little three-legged-cat skills? I knocked him flat with one punch. Am I not qualified to be a general?"

Zhao Yue'er blinked, then viciously twisted Li Feng's ear. "You becoming a general? Definitely not. We cultivators have a rule: we are not allowed to use our Daoist Magic to run wild in the mortal world. If you used your current Daoist Magic to become a commander, then once war began, with your temper, wouldn't you be throwing around Five Elements Heavenly Lightning all over the place? You'd better watch out for experts from other sects setting their sights on you. They might drag you back to the mountain to punish you."

Li Feng carelessly knocked Zhao Yue'er's hand away, taking the opportunity to catch it in his own palm and squeeze it hard. With a sly grin, he said, "Master, with my current magical power, I count as an expert too, right? My Martial Grandfather even taught me his Void Breaking Art."

Zhao Yue'er began mocking Li Feng without mercy. She did not pull back her little hand caught in his, instead using her other hand to lightly scrape his nose as she laughed. "Aren't you ashamed? When Martial Uncle Songzi uses thirty percent of his power to perform the Void Breaking Art, he can make a great river flow backward for one li. Can your Void Breaking Art make the little stream at Qingyun Flat flow backward? The difference in power is far too great... If you don't believe it, have Mother stand guard later, and you can spar with those demons. See whether you can even compare to one of their little demons."

Li Feng was furious and nodded hard. "Damn it, no matter what, I can't let you look down on me, Master. Later I'll go fight their demon king one-on-one. Just wait and see."

While the two were flirting and bickering away happily, True Man Qingquan and the others ahead had already halted their sword lights and flown diagonally downward toward a great mountain shrouded in gloomy clouds and miserable mist. What gave Li Feng a fright was that True Person Lingwei, who usually seemed so refined, gentle, elegant, and leisurely, had such a fiery temper. With a flick of her hand, she sent out a small golden archway, three stories high and nine bays wide. As soon as it left her hand, the archway expanded in the wind, instantly growing over a hundred zhang tall. Countless heavenly flames and lightning bolts coiled around it, while the four great primal forces of earth, water, fire, and wind poured from the gates of its nine bays as if they cost nothing, blasting down at the mountain below.

With a rolling BOOM, Li Feng gaped below, tongue hanging out as he watched the strange sight. The mountain had originally stood nearly a thousand zhang high, but beneath that single strike from the golden archway, its peak exploded completely apart and its height was immediately cut in half. Amid the earth-shaking tremors, a black mushroom-shaped cloud rose into the sky. True Person Lingwei then moved both hands, casting the Gold Control Art Li Feng knew so well. A milky-white hurricane descended vertically from the heavens, forcibly crushing that mushroom cloud, blazing with ten thousand zhang of fire within, downward. With another BOOM, it smashed brutally into the ground.

All the mountain ridges within ten li shook. That mountain had been entirely pounded into the earth, leaving behind a smooth, glossy plain. With a single move from True Person Lingwei, a mountain more than three li in diameter and roughly a thousand zhang tall vanished into thin air. And judging by her expression, it had merely been a small test of her blade, not even worth any real effort.

Li Feng's neck turned inch by inch, fraction by fraction, toward Zhao Yue'er, strange "Ah, ah" sounds coming from his mouth. Zhao Yue'er looked at him in bewilderment, watching him stand there with his mouth wide open and drool dripping down. Li Feng gestured wildly for a long while before Zhao Yue'er finally understood. Clutching her stomach, she spun through the sky as she roared with laughter. "Mother, you—you hit too hard! Fengzi got scared stiff by you—his jaw's dislocated..."

Chi Chengzi and the others burst into wild laughter. With a whirring sound, Chi Chengzi clutched his stomach with both hands and laughed so hard that, in his carelessness, the Golden Sarira Pagoda balanced on his shoulder went whooshing down through the air. A stream of black qi happened to rise up beneath it. With a tremendous CLANG, a little demon screamed as a great hole was smashed into its head, and it fell plummeting down. Cang Langzi muttered, "Mother of me, that pagoda of yours weighs a full fourteen thousand nine hundred and fifty-eight jin. Don't throw it around. What if you crush the flowers and grass?"

Xie Yuezi shook his head repeatedly as he flew over. He struck Li Feng's jaw with one palm, setting the bones and joint back into place. Li Feng opened and closed his still-aching jaw a few times, then shot Zhao Yue'er—who was still beside him clutching her stomach and laughing—a vicious glare. He then drifted forward in one large stride and promptly hid behind Gu Lingzi.

Black qi rolled toward them head-on. Within it, a bull-headed burly man jumped about furiously and cursed, "What flock of bird-haired bastards are you? Your grandpa here didn't fuck your old mothers, so why did you destroy my cave abode? Damn it, you cultivators are all a pack of assholes. You deserve to be chopped into eighteen pieces by your grandpa here and washed down with wine."

Green clouds rolled within the black qi, and an old man in green robes appeared beside the burly man. He said sinisterly, "Big Brother, it looks like it's that brat we injured last time. His sect has come to avenge him. Heh heh, I recognize those three old Daoists. Last time, one of my Three Corpse Primordial Spirits was destroyed by them. If it weren't for the ten-thousand-year teasel root in our cave abode, my two hundred years of painstaking cultivation would almost have been ruined. I will definitely avenge this grudge."

Li Feng's shrill voice rang out. "Old demon, what grudge are you avenging? Look at you in those green clothes—you're only missing a green hat. Did one of my martial uncles, being too handsome, seduce someone of yours? Even if that happened, there's no need to get this angry. If a wife isn't taught, the husband is at fault. Looks like you're the useless one, huh? Otherwise, why would your wife sneak around behind your back to sleep with another man?"

The torrent of viciously sharp abuse left not only the Yiyuan Sect disciples but even the two old demons unable to react for quite some time. After a while, the black qi rolled again. A tiger-headed burly man and a white shadow drifting all over appeared as well. The white shadow seemed to have the sharper mind. He hurried close to the green-robed old monster and said quietly, "Second Brother, that fellow said... said your wife slept with another man... And he said the reason your wife slept with another man was, first, because you're too ugly, and second, because that thing of yours doesn't work anymore."

The green-robed old monster trembled violently with rage. His throat made "Gek gek gek gek" sounds for quite a while before he suddenly began cursing. "You little brat, you—you call yourselves righteous sects? Damn it, you can actually say such things? I..."

Li Feng cut him off and cursed back, "Damn it, what's with all this father-and-son crap? It's true that I belong to a righteous sect, but my manners depend on whom I'm facing. Toward my elders and righteous people, naturally I'm respectful and polite. But toward a son of a bitch like you, something that isn't even human, why the hell should I be polite?"

The Five Elders of Yiyuan looked at one another, their foreheads slick with cold sweat. True Person Lingwei said under her breath, "Fortunately, none of our fellow cultivators are here today."

True Man Miaomiao muttered to himself, "Now I finally understand how Martial Nephew Xiao Longzi was so unlucky. He never even fought anyone, yet his breath was thrown into complete disorder."

True Man Qingquan murmured, "Good, good. Our Yiyuan Sect always suffers losses when dealing with other sects, precisely because we lack someone a little more vicious. Three Pure Ones above, Heaven has finally opened its eyes. With this crafty little brat, whenever there are joint operations to subdue demons and eliminate devils in the future, it will save our Yiyuan Sect from always fighting desperately while the other sects stand behind us shouting their approval... Infinite Life Buddha, this old Daoist has selfish thoughts. Shameful, shameful."

While the Five Elders of Yiyuan each turned their own thoughts over in their minds, all seven old demons had revealed themselves on the other side. More than thirty little demons also stood behind them, baring their teeth and brandishing their claws atop clouds and mist. The bull-headed burly man waved a hand and said solemnly, "All right, Second Brother. Stop arguing with this brat, or it'll make our Kongtong Mountain Seven Gentlemen look like we don't know a damn thing about reason. Hey, plainly put, you came to demand an explanation because we injured that brat, right? Fine. Damn it, we beat him. If you're not convinced, come fight us one-on-one. If you win, everything is negotiable. If you lose, all the men die, and the women stay to be our wives."

Li Feng was speechless. You were just a pack of demons—why did you like women too? You ought to be looking for cows and tigresses instead.

True Man Qingquan laughed softly and raised a hand to stop Li Feng from cursing again. He nodded and said, "The Yiyuan Sect did not come here today because Liu Xingzi was injured by you. Rather, we heard that you have been wantonly consuming the primal yang of mortals, causing turmoil in the human world. We follow Heaven's will above, and thus must slay demons and eliminate devils, sweep away this demonic miasma, and contribute our share to peace under heaven."

Li Feng nodded repeatedly, secretly giving True Man Qingquan a thumbs-up as he whispered into Zhao Yue'er's ear, "Your father really is a hypocrite. Damn it, we obviously came to demand an explanation and kill people, yet he can still come out with such a grand speech. Heh heh, I need to learn this. Whatever I do in the future, I need to put a righteous and honorable excuse over my head, so no one can say anything against it... For example, if I steal gold or silver later, I can say it's to promote the development of commerce in the human world."

Zhao Yue'er's face twitched as she listened. She viciously dug a fingernail into the tender flesh of his waist, pinched hard, and twisted it one hundred and eighty degrees. Golden stars burst before Li Feng's eyes from the pain. When he finally steadied himself, Liu Xingzi had already flown out on his sword and become entangled in battle with the green-robed old monster.

The Gold Control Art, Fire Control Art, Water Control Art, Earth Control Art, and Wood Control Art were unleashed simultaneously. Four beams of brilliant light shot in from the distant horizon, while one beam cleaved straight down from directly overhead. Ten thousand sharp blades, towering flames, floodwaters mixed with enormous chunks of ice, and countless thick logs crackling with lightning collided together, a tremendous force engulfing the green-robed old monster. From the sky, a hundred-zhang-tall little mountain blazing with fierce fire crashed down headfirst, smashing viciously toward him.

The Five Elements primal forces mixed together, temporarily producing an effect resembling chaos. An enormous force of tearing and fusion erupted outward. How could the green-robed old monster have known that Liu Xingzi would strike so ruthlessly the instant they met? Before he could even deploy the transformations of his mysterious art, he had already been ground to powder. Liu Xingzi stood suspended in the air and sneered. "That day, this Daoist was careless and suffered a sneak attack from behind by all of you. Today, I have repaid your great kindness... You consumed the primal yang of mortals in order to cultivate the Three Corpses of this thousand-year zombie, didn't you? Today, I have destroyed even his primordial spirit. Let's see how you can still stir up wind and waves."

Seeing the green-robed old monster die so miserably, without even a trace of his primordial spirit remaining, the demons roared one after another and charged forward in a chaotic mass. Of the remaining six old monsters, three spat out their inner cores, which rushed forward reeking of fishy stench. The other three sent out sword lights that were neither gray nor black, slashing down in a disorderly barrage.

True Man Qingquan laughed softly. "Disciples, there is no need for you to act. Let us see how our cultivation has progressed." These demons each possessed at least roughly a thousand years of cultivation. Seeing worthy prey, True Man Qingquan's heart stirred with delight, and he prepared to act personally to test the depth of cultivation attained by himself and his four fellow martial brothers and sister.

True Person Lingwei raised her hand. The golden archway already floating in the sky released ten thousand zhang of golden radiance, enveloping the entire battlefield in layer upon layer. True Man Miaomiao pointed a finger, and the Golden Sarira Pagoda that Chi Chengzi had dropped to the ground burst with a BOOM of brilliant light, transforming into countless enormous demon-subduing golden vajras. Like meteors, they roared upward from below and struck wildly at the demons.

Chen Songzi unhurriedly brought forth a jade-colored longsword. With a gesture, the sword expanded more than ten thousandfold, and an incomparably gigantic blade came smashing down headfirst. Li Feng cursed quietly, "That stingy old bastard. Why didn't he teach me a move like this? Damn it, how much more has he been holding back from me?"

True Man Huoyun casually tossed out a golden bowl around which nine golden dragons coiled. He clapped his hands, and the bowl grew to a hundred zhang wide. Wave after wave of searing thunderfire crashed down from the sky, smashing the demons until their heads split and bled and their fur was scorched black.

Seeing that his fellow martial brothers and sister had all acted, True Man Qingquan smiled. Without using any magical treasure at all, he simply threw a bare-handed punch. Supremely refined and pure True Essence condensed into a radiant golden fist light, and a fist fully a hundred zhang large blasted forward with a BOOM. Zhao Yue'er clamped down hard on Li Feng's waist, gritting her teeth as she said, "Do you see that? That is the power one possesses after cultivating to profound heights. What does your tiny bit of True Essence amount to? You're still a cultivator who has only just entered the gate. Stop swaggering around all day thinking you're so impressive."

Li Feng also trembled as he gritted his teeth. "Mar-Martial Aunt... I-I'm in a lot of pain. Could you be gentler? You've already formed a Golden Core, you're a whole realm above me. It really hurts."

At the point where the five immense powers of the Five Elders of Yiyuan met, a speck of brilliant light appeared. Then that speck exploded soundlessly. Every demon and devil had their souls scattered and spirits dispersed, not even a single hair left behind. Li Feng froze. Those demons had each possessed more than a thousand years of cultivation, according to what had just been said. Yet before these five old fellows, they had been so utterly helpless? Their inner cores and flying swords were like scraps of paper, all blasted to pieces at once?

True Man Qingquan smiled. "Everyone, this Daoist used thirty percent of his true power. What about you?"

True Person Lingwei shook her head. "Around forty percent. Relying on the power of my magical treasure has made me a laughingstock."

Miaomiao and the others nodded lightly. They too had used roughly forty percent of their True Essence, though they had not fully activated the spells within their magical treasures. In other words, they had each used less than thirty percent of their actual strength. Li Feng was already dumbfounded. What kind of monsters were these? They had only used a small fraction of their power, yet instantly exterminated six thousand-year old monsters and so many little demons? Liu Xingzi's battle against the green-robed demon could still be explained as catching the other side off guard, but the remaining six demons had already struck with all their strength.

Li Feng's heart burned, and light shone directly from his eyes. Wonderful, wonderful! So long as I keep cultivating, I'll be this formidable sooner or later too... The Yiyuan Sect really wasn't bragging. Usually they all look like mangy chickens, but when they truly act, they're powerful enough to scare one to death.

True Person Qingquan exchanged a few words with several old Daoists of his generation, then waved a hand. "All right, disciples. These fiends have been thoroughly wiped out; it is time for us to return to the mountain. Your daily cultivation must not be delayed under any circumstances."

Seeing the old Daoists and younger Daoists preparing to leave, Li Feng hurriedly shouted, "Sect Leader, why aren't you going to take a look at their cave dwelling? There might be some treasures... ahem, some wicked magical artifacts. If they fall into the hands of other wicked people, wouldn't that bring disaster? This disciple is untalented, but I volunteer to go down and investigate. I'm only afraid there may still be some minor demons left in their nest—I wouldn't be able to fight them."

True Person Qingquan blinked, then nodded. "Very well. Fengzi has a point. These fiends have occupied this place for so long; perhaps they refined some strange magical artifacts. It would be best to seize them and destroy them completely, lest evil demons obtain them and bring calamity upon the world. Xie Yuezi, Liu Xingzi, Gu Lingzi—you three go down with Fengzi. We shall wait here for you."

Xie Yuezi and the others respectfully accepted the order, while Li Feng gave a cheer and leaped down. Zhao Yue'er yawned. Seeing that her mother was not paying attention to her, she immediately streaked down after Li Feng in a flash of golden light, tossing back a sentence as she went: "I'm going to look around and see if there are any fun treasures."

The lower half of that mountain peak had been pressed straight into the ground by True Person Lingwei's single strike. Li Feng therefore cast an Earth Control Art, splitting open a passage, and successfully found the fiends' cave dwelling, which had not suffered much damage. Li Feng muttered, "Damn it, the whole cave was sealed shut. How did those fiends get in and out?"

But he quickly stopped wracking his brains over things he could not figure out. He had already spotted heaps of gold, silver, jewels, and treasures piled haphazardly around the cave dwelling, evidently plundered by the fiends from who knew where. Li Feng cried out joyfully, "I'm rich, I'm rich! Damn, these monsters really deserve to be called thousand-year-old demons! The Prefect of Xi'an Prefecture scraped the land clean for three years, and still didn't amass as much gold as this! I'm rich, I'm rich!"

Xie Yuezi and the other three, who came in after him, nearly stumbled and fell. At last, they understood the role they were playing. Li Feng had come to ransack someone else's home and loot their family fortune, while the three of them were his bodyguards—the kind who had been saddled by Li Feng with such a grand excuse that they could not possibly slack off. Liu Xingzi gave Xie Yuezi a bitter smile and silently shook his head. Toward this martial nephew he had only just met, he was utterly convinced.

Li Feng frantically stuffed jewels into his pockets, sleeves, and the front of his robes, but there were still huge heaps of gold and silver left—more than ten thousand catties' worth, impossible to fit away. Zhao Yue'er squatted beside him and carefully reminded him, "Shouldn't you go back to Qingyun Flat and bring a large sack? Your clothes are about to burst."

Xie Yuezi and the other three snickered behind him. They had ways to take away all that gold and silver, but they wanted to watch Li Feng make a fool of himself. Thus, they stood far away and said nothing. Their divine senses swept over the place, finding no trace of demonic aura. It seemed there was nothing else worth paying attention to here, so they were happy to enjoy the spectacle.

Li Feng froze for a moment, then said, "That won't do. What if someone takes even a single piece of gold? That would still be a loss."

After looking around with his big head for quite a while, Li Feng's eyes suddenly lit up. He rushed over to the seven enormous stone chairs in one corner of the cave, jumped up, and tore down a huge strip of dark-red cloth with one hand. Proudly, he said, "These monsters hung this cloth up as a wall tapestry. Good thing this young master has sharp eyes, or I wouldn't even have noticed it." He tugged hard at the cloth and said with satisfaction, "Mm, it's damn sturdy. I can snap an iron bar with one hand, yet this cloth hasn't budged in the slightest."

Xie Yuezi frowned, sensing that something was amiss. He knew Li Feng's current level of cultivation very well. That tug just now should have snapped an iron bar as thick as an inch into two pieces, yet this seemingly transparent cloth had not suffered the slightest damage? Xie Yuezi gently nudged Liu Xingzi and Gu Lingzi. The two understood, and without drawing attention to themselves, each shifted a step. The three of them happened to surround Li Feng and Zhao Yue'er, while their gazes remained fixed tightly upon the cloth in Li Feng's hand.

Li Feng chuckled and began sweeping up the gold and silver in the cave. That cloth truly was incredibly sturdy, and it was large enough as well. More than ten thousand catties of gold and silver, along with a great pile of real shells, pearls, and other such things, could all be wrapped inside it. And when Li Feng carried the bundle upward through the air, there was not the slightest sign that it would tear.

Grinning, Li Feng slowly flew toward True Person Qingquan and reported loudly, "Sect Leader Uncle-Master, it's spotless down there. I guarantee there isn't a single coin... ah, I mean, not a single monster left. Nor were there any strange magical artifacts or anything. Hehe..."

True Person Qingquan and the others looked at the enormous bundle behind Li Feng and wanted to laugh. True Person Huoyun glanced at Chen Songzi with undisguised delight at his misfortune and gave a few chuckles. Chen Songzi, meanwhile, was incomparably embarrassed. How had he ended up taking in such a greedy grand-disciple? Had he truly failed to accumulate virtue in his previous life?

Li Feng flew into the midst of the sect members with the bundle on his back. Xie Yuezi and the others flew over as well. Without changing expression, Xie Yuezi gave True Person Qingquan a meaningful look, signaling him to pay attention to the bundle behind Li Feng. True Person Qingquan smiled and swept his gaze over Li Feng's bundle once—then immediately looked again. At last, his expression changed, and he cried out in alarm, "How is this possible? The Chiyou Banner?" Without realizing it, he infused a trace of true qi into his voice, which rolled outward for more than three li.

The expressions of the Five Elders of Yiyuan and the nine senior disciples all changed. True Person Qingquan snatched the bundle from Li Feng's back with one hand. With a sweep of his wide sleeve, the entire bundle vanished into it. Then he flung out his sleeve and shouted, "Go, return to the mountain." A streak of golden light stretched for a thousand zhang, illuminating heaven and earth. Sword light howled as though it would tear apart the void, and in an instant, it had vanished.

Li Feng was dumbstruck. At last, he had seen True Person Qingquan's true strength. He blankly asked Xie Yuezi, "Uncle-Master, what is the Chiyou Banner?" Xie Yuezi said nothing. He grabbed Li Feng and Zhao Yue'er, and the Yiyuan Sect members shot away like lightning.

Amid the underground wreckage, the minor demon whose head had nearly been smashed off by Chi Chengzi's pagoda slowly crawled out of a deep fissure in the earth. Touching the huge hole in his head, he could not help baring his teeth in a bitter smile. "Good thing I'm a cat who became a demon... Don't you know cats have nine lives? They didn't even come search for me. I must have accumulated virtue in my past life—my life is big, my fortune is big." Trembling all over, he climbed to his feet and searched around, only to let out a grief-stricken howl. "Boss, Second Boss, Third Boss, where are you all? And brothers, why have all of you disappeared?"

He wailed, "Boss, I told you, didn't I? Don't clash with Daoist cultivators. My previous boss was hacked to death by some old Daoist from Western Kunlun... But I was the most useless one, and none of you listened to me. Look at us now—the whole family's dead, and you didn't even leave behind the last scrap of silver for me... Sob, sob. You died cleanly enough, but I still have to go find a new boss to rely on. Sob, sob, sob. I don't dare rob people, and without silver, how am I supposed to live? Don't demons need to eat?"

He jumped up and cursed furiously, "Damn it, what kind of cultivators are you? You're a pack of outright thieves! When us demons rob people, we at least leave them a little traveling money. You bastards are darker than demons—nothing, not even the tiniest bit, was left behind! You bunch of turtle bastards, may you die without a good end!"

Muttering curses all the way, he hobbled westward. "I heard there are several very powerful kings in the Hengduan Mountains. I'll go seek refuge with them. All demons under heaven are one family; surely there'll be a mouthful of food for me. Why am I so damn timid? I have more than two hundred years of cultivation—why don't I dare steal and rob? Otherwise, I'd surely have countless gold and silver now, with beauties gathered around me in droves... Mm, I've muddled through more than three hundred years and am still only a minor demon. But that's fine too. Minor demons live longer... Mm, what exactly was that Chiyou Banner? Never heard of it."

As the setting sun sank in the west, that timid Cat Demon walked farther and farther away, blaming himself, pitying himself, and grieving for himself...