Settlement

As the gates of the Cave Mansion slammed shut, silence returned to the Cave Mansion.

Man Xiongmu looked at Wu Tian with a beaming smile. "Do you still remember that senior once said he would pass down an edict?"

That senior's words suddenly echoed through Wu Tian's mind.

"Because you and my disciple share an unbreakable bond, I can allow you to cultivate on Skull Mountain. I will pass down an edict, but whether you can become a Spiritual Beast will depend on your own destiny and fortune."

At the time, he had thought that the so-called edict merely meant that Man Xiongmu would take him up Skull Mountain. He had never expected that the senior had actually left a means within his body.

Wu Tian was instantly overjoyed. With this edict protecting him, he could run rampant throughout Skull Mountain.

"I didn't tell you before because I didn't want it to make you arrogant. I also hoped you could remain true to your original heart and not fear the hardships of cultivation." Man Xiongmu's smile faded, and he said solemnly, "In the end, the path of cultivation must still rely on yourself."

"Back then, outside the mountain gate, if you hadn't dared to step inside, I would have sent you back down the mountain all the same."

"Do you understand?"

All sorts of experiences since entering the sect flashed through Wu Tian's mind. Man Xiongmu had deliberately been telling him how dangerous Skull Mountain was, urging him to remain cautious and avoid inviting trouble.

He had even never mentioned that senior's edict, allowing Wu Tian to retain a sense of awe and urgency at all times.

Even when Tong Guan had come knocking today, Man Xiongmu had not mentioned the edict at first. He had merely stood in Wu Tian's defense.

Only when Tong Guan had finally developed murderous intent toward him did Man Xiongmu reveal the edict within Wu Tian, forcing Tong Guan to retreat in the face of difficulty.

Once he had thought everything through, a warm current rose in Wu Tian's heart.

A teacher was one who transmitted the Dao, imparted knowledge, and dispelled doubts!

Man Xiongmu had not only taught him all kinds of techniques and answered his questions, but had also tempered his disposition, preventing him from becoming arrogant and conceited because the edict protected him. If he had not truly wanted the best for Wu Tian, he would never have gone to such lengths.

Wu Tian felt his chest burning hot. He immediately prostrated himself on the ground and kowtowed. "This disciple thanks Master."

Seeing him like this, Man Xiongmu nodded. "As long as you understand my intentions, that is enough."

"Skull Mountain is merely one of the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains in the Southern Border. The villages below the mountains even have a saying about 'a hundred thousand demons in the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains.' Deep in the mountains, Demon Kings run rampant, and even Demon Saints lie sleeping."

"Even so, the Southern Border is only a remote corner, a tiny place of refuge. Beyond it lies the Central Plains, where great Buddhist and Daoist sects are established, prosperity flourishes, and True Immortals descend to the mortal realm. It can be called the center of the world."

"Beyond the Central Plains lies the boundless Eastern Sea. Countless islands dot the Eastern Sea, along with wandering immortals beyond the mortal world, the East Sea Dragon Palace, and aquatic demons. Since ancient times, it has been a place where mortals sought immortality and asked the Dao."

"As for the Western Great Marsh, that is where the Demonic Sect has sunk its roots. Countless desolate mountains and vicious waters lie there, Killing Intent permeating the air. It can be called a forbidden zone for living beings."

"How vast is the world? Only after cultivating the Primordial Spirit will you have the qualifications to travel throughout the four directions. Only a wandering immortal can become a local hegemon."

"Obtaining that senior's edict means you possess considerable fortune and destiny. I do not want you to keep your eyes fixed only on this corner of Skull Mountain, sealing yourself away and narrowing your horizons."

"Like chickens and dogs fighting over food in a coop—wouldn't that be a betrayal of your immortal opportunity?"

Only then did Wu Tian understand Man Xiongmu's expectations and painstaking concern for him. A sentence suddenly flashed through his mind: "When parents love their child, they make far-reaching plans for him."

Although Man Xiongmu was not his biological parent, the kindness and care he had shown Wu Tian were no less than those of a parent.

He lowered his head and bowed again, firmly engraving everything Man Xiongmu had said into his heart.

"All right, get up quickly!" Seeing his posture, Man Xiongmu knew Wu Tian had truly taken his words to heart, and he was filled with satisfaction.

"With that senior's edict protecting you, Tong Guan absolutely won't dare attack you again."

"However, don't think that having the edict means you can act without restraint. You must understand that sometimes, killing someone doesn't require doing it yourself."

"If it were me, I could borrow a knife to kill, or choose a sacrificial pawn to act while secretly fanning the flames. After you died, I could then kill the culprit."

"Or I could find a way to lure you directly down the mountain and have you die to the mouth of a demon. There are far too many methods and schemes available."

"That senior's edict merely makes certain people wary. But if they truly fall out with you, there are plenty of people who don't fear death."

"If a person no longer fears death, then no protective talisman you possess will have any effect. Do you understand?"

Wu Tian naturally understood. Throughout history, even in eras ruled by imperial authority, there had been no shortage of people bold enough to scheme against the Crown Prince or even the emperor.

Even an ordinary commoner would dare spill blood within five paces.

If he truly treated this edict as an undying golden body, sooner or later he would smash his head bloody.

His originally excited and restless heart immediately quieted.

At this moment, Man Xiongmu asked again, "Before Tong Guan came, you asked whether the sect could kill people."

"What did you mean by that? Could it be that you know who informed Tong Guan of your whereabouts?"

Wu Tian looked up at the sky above them. A wisp of black cloud still had not dispersed. He had already sensed it earlier: the evil intent of Tong Jin, the son of the Master of Wild Dog Cave, toward him had yet to fade.

"Master, I previously sensed evil intent from Huang Ren in the Dining Hall."

Man Xiongmu's brows furrowed at once. "Him? That isn't surprising. Though this man has a mild temperament, he has always been greedy for small advantages."

"Reporting your whereabouts to Wild Dog Cave in exchange for some benefits is only natural for him."

At this, he sighed softly. "When it comes down to it, the strange creatures raised within the sect will all be watched by others and treated as cultivation resources."

"Without Huang Ren, there would be someone else."

"However, since he happened to stick his head into the gun, this grudge cannot go unanswered."

"Rest assured. I will certainly make him give you an explanation."

What Man Xiongmu said did not surprise Wu Tian.

He had not told Man Xiongmu earlier because he knew that even if he did, nothing would come of it.

Before anything had happened, Man Xiongmu could at most have warned and punished Huang Ren. It was impossible for him to seek out Fatty Huang and kill him over something that had not yet happened.

This was a sect, and it had its own rules.

More importantly, Wu Tian was not a human. He was a dog!

If someone killed a fellow sect steward for the sake of a dog, that would truly be madness.

Yet when Tong Guan killed a dog for the sake of his son, everyone instead found it perfectly ordinary.

How could beings outside one's race possibly be treated equally?

Wu Tian had long since realized deeply that he was a strange creature, a demon—not a human.

Even though many people treated him kindly and bestowed opportunities upon him, they could not possibly change everyone's views and positions.

A demon was a demon, an existence countless humans slaughtered and regarded as cultivation sustenance.

That was why he had endured bitterly and remained in the Cave Mansion. Only after watching the calamity descend had he informed Man Xiongmu, resolving the disaster in one stroke.

Once the disaster had passed, he could then call them to account with reason and evidence on his side.

Retreat first, then advance; accomplish everything in a single stroke.

Disasters had to be solved from the root. Hiding from them would never do.

The fundamental reason disaster had descended upon him was this body of a strange creature.

Even without Fatty Huang, there would have been someone else. With so many people on the mountain cultivating the Hundred Beasts Yin Soul Path, once he became a strange creature, someone would inevitably spy on him. This sort of trouble could not be avoided.

Only by striking back forcefully after something happened, making everyone who coveted him tremble with fear, could he "open the way with a single punch and prevent a hundred punches from following."

Of course, Wu Tian had made the worst-case preparations for all these schemes. If even Man Xiongmu could not withstand the pressure, he would run straight to the hot spring halfway up the mountain and cry out his grievances. Once that senior was provoked, all the demons and ghosts would vanish into smoke.

However, he had truly never expected that senior to have left an edict within him. Everything had turned out even better than he had anticipated.

With the edict protecting him, as long as he did not court death himself, no fool would come looking for trouble again.

"So next comes the time to settle accounts."

"Especially with Wild Dog Cave. Slip away the moment things look unfavorable—what kind of wonderful deal is that?"

"If I don't strip a layer of skin from them and tear out a swath of flesh and blood, wouldn't that be wasting this edict?"

Wu Tian's eyes turned icy. He gently licked his paw.