Blood Stains the River and Mountains

Lu Bai saw the eagerness in the young man's eyes quite clearly.

He also appeared to have no power to resist, watching as the young man approached.

Naturally, most of his attention remained on Flower Face.

"Hey, youngster, don't go," a bystander who had been watching the spectacle sighed and called out.

"Don't meddle in other people's business!" Someone nearby pulled at the man, and after a brief struggle, he stopped speaking.

Even if he had continued, the young man would not have listened.

Veterans of the Jianghu were different from these naive youths; they knew what could be done and what should not be done.

They would constantly restrain their own greed and hatred, or perhaps they would not indulge their sense of chivalry.

Otherwise, that would be the moment they lost their lives.

They dared to attack Lianwu Mountain because that matter already occupied the moral high ground, so they could indulge their chivalry.

But now, although they could not bear to see this young man become a free scout, they had to endure it.

People from Hundred Flower Grave were watching; that previous remark had already caused enough trouble.

The young man ignored all of this, charging straight at Lu Bai with his blade raised.

He had made up his mind to be careful and not be frightened by Lu Bai's little tricks as he had been before.

Then, he saw Lu Bai move, hooking his foot onto a nearby plaque and flipping it up.

Lu Bai caught the plaque with both hands and began to swing it.

A gale swept through; the young man wanted to flee, but the plaque was so large that there was nowhere to hide.

Before he could even react, the plaque smashed into him. He couldn't even spit out a word before he collapsed to the side, a hole smashed into his forehead, fresh blood gushing out and splattering onto the plaque.

"Clap, clap, clap, clap!" Flower Face clapped his hands, stepping closer with every beat.

Lu Bai propped the plaque upright on the ground, his eyes fixed on Flower Face, his expression devoid of any panic.

"And they call you Blood Monk? I think 'Blood-Stained Heshan' suits you better. You truly live up to the name of an Outer Realm Demon!" Flower Face looked at the plaque.

On the characters for Heshan Pavilion, the young man's blood flowed, staining the words red.

Lu Bai's nickname, Blood Monk, had been pinned on him by Hundred Flower Grave. Now, they had added a character, cleverly replacing the word 'Monk' with the homophonous 'Heshan' to effectively redefine Lu Bai's moniker.

Blood-Stained Heshan!

Once this title was uttered, it felt as if thick, fresh blood were overflowing.

Naturally, it also set the tone for Lu Bai's identity as an Outer Realm Demon.

The surrounding crowd had previously maintained a neutral attitude toward Lu Bai, and some even held a vague sense of admiration.

But now, these people instantly drew their weapons, aiming them at Lu Bai, ready to engage in a great battle at any moment.

Within the Martial Forest, every family and every household held a grudge against the Outer Realm Demons.

Previously, the Holy Land was powerful, so these grudges could only be kept in their hearts, but now...

"Is this true!" Someone immediately looked at Lu Bai with hatred and spoke.

"Naturally, it is true," Flower Face said. "The methods he used to defeat Senior Lin Haixian were the methods of an Outer Realm Demon."

"Then why don't you mention that your Hundred Flower Grave is also supported by us Outer Realm Demons?" Lu Bai said with a smile, unbothered by the hostility of the others.

He did not bother to explain that he and the people from Tianwu Holy Land did not come from the same source.

As the saying goes, displaced anger is the most common emotional behavior.

Because of one individual, people grow to hate the attributes that individual possesses.

For example, being hurt by a scumbag leads to hating the entire male population, being hurt by a toxic woman leads to hating the entire female population, or being hurt by people from a certain place leads to regional discrimination.

Once someone with an agenda stirs the pot, amidst the conflict and opposition, hatred cannot be explained away by mere words.

"You Outer Realm Demon, you still dare to bite back recklessly even now."

"Who doesn't know that the members of Hundred Flower Grave are the main force in resisting the Outer Realm Demons? How could such heroes and champions have anything to do with an Outer Realm Demon!"

Before Hundred Flower Grave could even speak for themselves, many others rose to counter Lu Bai.

Some of these people were connected to Hundred Flower Grave, while others simply did not believe Lu Bai's words.

This was the difference between having the momentum of the masses and not. Hundred Flower Grave was a powerful faction that was growing ever larger, while Lu Bai was a lone wolf, currently suffering from severe injuries.

When a powerful faction speaks, people believe it; when a lone wolf speaks, it is dismissed as reckless slander.

The fact that anyone even asked Flower Face if his words were true was only thanks to the reputation Lu Bai had already built and his cooperation in eradicating Lianwu Mountain.

"Good! I never expected to catch a living Outer Realm Demon today. Let me see if this Outer Realm Demon's heart is truly black."

At this moment, a large monk nearby gripped his crescent spade, roared, and charged toward Lu Bai.

Lu Bai gripped the plaque, thinking that if he activated Blood Burn: Volcano again, he would likely collapse the moment he escaped until the duration ended.

Furthermore, whether he could actually escape was far from certain.

"Stop!" However, just at that moment, the rescue had arrived.

Lin Haixian, who had sustained several wounds, did not know when he had been helped over, and it was he who had shouted to stop the big monk.

It had to be said that Lin Haixian still carried some weight; his appearance stabilized the situation.

"Old senior, this person is an Outer Realm Demon! He—he—he used despicable methods to defeat you!" The big monk scratched his head in agitation.

"That was not a despicable method; I was defeated and I accept it wholeheartedly." Lin Haixian shook his head, yet he did not deny the fact that Lu Bai came from the Outer Realm.

When it came down to it, Lu Bai was not one of them.

"We do not know the situation in the Outer Realm, nor do we know if everyone who comes from there is a demon."

"In such circumstances, killing him rashly could invite disaster."

"Right?" When Lin Haixian said this, he looked toward Flower Face.

Flower Face smiled, understanding the situation in his heart.

Clearly, the matters behind Hundred Flower Grave could not be hidden from these people, and these people had calculated their plans well.

Previously, the Tianwu Holy Land, a force supported by the Outer Realm, had been the sole dominant power, and thus they were arrogant, tyrannical, and committed all sorts of evils.

But now that the Tianwu Holy Land was having problems, Hundred Flower Grave was being propped up by another Outer Realm force.

If things went poorly, Hundred Flower Grave might become the next sole dominant power, and no matter how good their slogans sounded now, there was no guarantee they would act any better than the Tianwu Holy Land in the end.

Therefore, they had to find a way to maintain a balance; as long as there were restrictions, the people below would at least have a chance to breathe.

As for Lu Bai, this person from the Outer Realm, they would protect him if they could; regardless of anything else, the situation could not get any worse than it already was.

This was Lin Haixian's line of thinking, and it was also the thinking of those standing behind him.

And now, these people were subtly issuing a threat.

If Lu Bai, this person from the Outer Realm, was a demon, then they would also have to debate whether or not there was a demon behind Hundred Flower Grave.