The Might of a Sage, Invincible Under Heaven

This Demon King was a clever one.

He had chosen a subtle method of probing; even if he were outmatched, he would not have burned his bridges, leaving himself room to maneuver.

He was no reckless fool who would come charging in to tear down a temple without a second thought.

Lin Xiaoyao felt a flicker of admiration; the Demon King was, after all, a Mahayana-stage entity who had lived for countless millennia.

He could not be underestimated; one had to parry each move as it came.

Yet, despite this, Lin Xiaoyao did nothing.

He was a Saint, after all. Not to mention the gains from over a decade of signing in, his cultivation base had recovered to the Mahayana stage just two days ago.

Even if his mana had remained at the Qi Refining stage, his status was set in stone. A Mahayana Demon King offering a single stick of incense and a bow? If even a Great Luo Golden Immortal were to kneel and kowtow before him, begging for mercy, would that not be expected?

It was only right!

He was certainly worthy of it.

In fact, it was not enough!

The other party had merely offered a bow, which felt far too disrespectful.

Although ignorance was no crime, since the Demon King had come to test him, Lin Xiaoyao did not intend to let him off so easily.

A Saint stood before him; how could such insolence be tolerated?

Thus, Lin Xiaoyao channeled a sliver of his might through the statue.

Just a sliver, of course.

Not even one ten-thousandth of a Saint's true power.

He had no choice; he could not use more, or this mere Mahayana-level demon would not be able to withstand it.

Although the other party had been somewhat rude and bold enough to test him, Lin Xiaoyao considered himself a magnanimous person. Since no lines had been crossed, a small lesson would suffice.

After all, the demon's cultivation had not come easily. If Lin Xiaoyao had released even a fraction more—perhaps two or three ten-thousandths—the fellow might have had his soul scattered and been obliterated into nothingness.

Why bother?

As the saying went, Heaven possessed the virtue of cherishing life... well, Lin Xiaoyao admitted that as a Saint, even the Will of Heaven had to listen to him.

So, the true meaning of that phrase was that he was broad-minded, kind, and generous.

Look, a mere Mahayana demon had offended him, yet he had only given him a small lesson instead of taking his life. Should the fellow not be moved to tears of gratitude?

Of course, this was also because it was the demon's first offense and his method had been relatively gentle—testing him through incense and ritual. Ignorance was no crime, so he would grant him a chance to turn over a new leaf.

Otherwise, had he encountered one of those truly ignorant fools, Lin Xiaoyao would have long since scattered his soul to the winds.

Different enemies required different methods.

Those who were clever and knew their place might be spared for now.

As for those who were crude and stupid enough to offend him?

Sorry, but you might as well go back and be reincarnated.

Lin Xiaoyao had his own code of conduct.

Back to the Mahayana Demon King: as the stick of incense fell, the demonic energy surrounding him became, in some mysterious way, linked to the aura of the entire temple.

He had made his move.

Now, it remained to be seen how the other party would respond!

Was he truly as miraculous as the legends claimed, even rumored to be a True Immortal descended to the mortal realm?

Or was he merely a fame-seeking charlatan, propped up by ignorant juniors and mortals?

A faint smile played on the old man's lips.

He was a figure of great background.

He was the River God of the nearby Mu Tang River.

Not only did he enjoy the incense and offerings of the people living along the river, but he was also a true practitioner with profound magical powers!

However, for a long time, this River God had been in seclusion.

Thus, he had known nothing of the incident two years ago sparked by the Locust Wood Immortal Sword.

It was only after emerging from seclusion recently and hearing his subordinates' reports that he had learned of it, and he could not help but be greatly astonished.

When he heard that many of his own shrimp soldiers and crab generals in his water palace had been caught in the crossfire of that catastrophe and slain by the immortal sword, he had been filled with righteous fury.

Now, two years later, the immortal sword had vanished without a trace, leaving him with no way to track it down.

Let alone find the master behind the blade.

But he could not swallow this insult.

Fortunately, Heaven never closed every door; he soon heard that those mortals who had benefited from this person had actually built a temple for him, molding a golden body to receive incense and offerings.

This had allowed him to catch a tail.

Regardless of whether the other party accepted and enjoyed the incense of the common people like a mountain spirit, water monster, local deity, or city god, he could use this to test them.

Although he was angry, he was not a reckless man.

According to the reports from his subordinates, although that immortal sword did not look like much, its power was truly extraordinary; during the days it rampaged, the demons were helpless, and not a single one could withstand a single blow from it.

Although he was a righteous god of the river and a Great Vehicle demon king, he asked himself if he could do the same.

But do not forget, the person behind it had not even made a move; from beginning to end, the thing that made the demons terrified and helpless was merely a magic treasure of his.

This was somewhat frightening.

That was why he chose this gentle method of probing.

Without tearing off the mask, even if he were not a match, there would still be room for maneuver.

After all, as a Great Vehicle demon king, he had lived for tens of thousands of years; he was not a brute, but a demon with great wisdom.

At this moment, his demonic energy and the aura of the temple had merged into one; if the other party was merely fishing for fame, they would suffer for it next.

To receive a bow from him—at the very least, it would cost them years of lifespan, and at worst, it could even cause their soul to scatter.

And all he had to do was wait.

Wait for the feedback.

The next moment...

Hum!

As if a great bell had tolled, the Great Vehicle demon king, who had just been smiling confidently, was suddenly struck as if by lightning.

He stood frozen on the spot, completely stunned.

He felt the world spinning, and endless illusions appeared before his eyes.

He seemed to see flowers blooming and withering.

He seemed to see grains of sand and stars.

He seemed to see the destruction and rebirth of world after world...

This time was very long, as if a thousand years had passed.

This time was also very short, as if it were merely a fleeting instant.

Thump, thump, thump...

The old man suddenly retreated three steps.

Then, a mouthful of blood sprayed from his mouth.

His eyes turned pale as paper, and his expression was filled with terror.

It was as if he had returned to his childhood, when he was just an insignificant little demon, trembling with fear whenever a heavenly thunder struck.

No, it was ten thousand times more terrifying than that.

Next, he did something astonishing.

With a thud, he knelt down, kowtowed repeatedly to the statue in the temple, and silently prayed in his heart: "This little demon was bold and reckless to offend a True Immortal; I hope the Immortal will forgive my sins."

Although he said this with his mouth.

In his heart, however, he thought differently.

He was, after all, a Great Vehicle ancestor; even if the other party were a True Immortal descended to the mortal world, a small probe through a statue should not have left him in such a wretched state.

Therefore, he had an even bolder, and more horrifying, guess in his heart... Could it be that the person behind the scenes was not an ordinary True Immortal, but an even more powerful and terrifying existence?

Of course, this was just a guess.

Although he was ten-tenths certain in his heart that the other party was stronger than a True Immortal, he dared not voice this speculation.

After all, the fact that the other party remained hidden behind the scenes indicated that they did not want their identity to be discovered. In such a situation, even if he had caught a glimpse of the truth, how could he dare to expose it? He could only play dumb while kowtowing like a pestle hitting a mortar.