Subduing a Mahayana Demon King

The Mahayana Demon King was already a tyrant ruling over his own domain.

If his underlings—the shrimp soldiers and crab generals—saw this scene, their eyes would probably pop right out of their heads.

But the Demon King, who had taken on the appearance of an old man, couldn't spare a thought for any of that.

He understood that he had truly provoked someone he shouldn't have.

It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say he had committed a grievous offense.

How could he dare offend an existence who was very likely stronger and more terrifying than a True Immortal?

That was why he had been kowtowing like a pestle pounding garlic.

He only hoped to atone for his crime.

At the same time, he felt immensely fortunate.

Luckily, he had left himself some room to maneuver. He hadn't foolishly charged in headfirst. If he had ignored all caution and come straight over to tear down the other party's temple,

then when the other party struck, it wouldn't have been a minor punishment.

He would have brought down heavenly thunder or found some other way to make the Demon King's soul scatter into oblivion.

At the thought, cold sweat drenched his back.

He kowtowed even more desperately.

All he wanted was the other party's forgiveness.

Naturally, his behavior left the pilgrims who had come to offer incense, along with the temple keeper, staring in utter bewilderment.

The Locust Wood Immortal Sword had once slain a tiger demon here and saved the lives of everyone in the city. The temple had been built very early on, nearly two years ago.

And pilgrims had been coming in an endless stream ever since.

Though many came to offer incense, they had never seen anyone retreat in public while spewing blood from his mouth. 🐯☹  🎁♣

Everyone was dumbstruck, exchanging bewildered looks.

Then they saw the man kowtowing like a pestle pounding garlic, his face filled with terror and alarm.

Immediately, voices rose all around them.

"Did this man offend the Immortal Lord?"

"That must be it. I saw him offering incense just now, and he had a smile at the corner of his mouth. His manner was frivolous, without the slightest trace of reverence."

"So the Immortal Lord has punished him! The Immortal Lord has manifested!"

At that, everyone inside and outside the temple fell to their knees and kowtowed.

But they weren't afraid. They were delighted.

There had always been rumors that the Immortal Lord was very effective, but they were only rumors. How many people had actually seen a true immortal manifest?

Now they could proudly say it themselves:

I saw it!

What could excite the pilgrims who had come to offer incense more than that?

And so, the scene before them unfolded.

Lin Xiaoyao was dumbfounded too.

He had only been displeased by the other party's probing, so he had given the Mahayana Demon King a little lesson.

He had used less than one ten-thousandth of a Sage's might.

He had thought the other party would know better and back off.

But he had never imagined that this dignified Mahayana Demon King would be so shameless. He'd suffered only a little punishment and spat out a few mouthfuls of blood, yet he immediately kowtowed to beg forgiveness?

Did he really not care about his dignity at all...

Lin Xiaoyao was completely floored. ♝☝  🐒🍟

He hadn't realized that although he had used less than one ten-thousandth of a Sage's might,

it still carried the properties of a Sage's realm.

That was why the other party had witnessed several things beyond comprehension.

The sun, moon, and stars.

A single grain of sand containing a world.

Flowers blooming and wilting, which in truth represented the laws of time.

The little demon at the Mahayana stage might not have understood any of it.

But by seeing a small part, one could infer the whole. He had lived for tens of thousands of years and weathered more than his share of storms. From those tiny clues, he had realized that he had provoked someone he shouldn't have.

That was why he had been so frightened and chilled to the bone, and why he had kowtowed to admit his mistake.

As for the pilgrims thinking the Immortal Lord had manifested and rushing to bow down, that was another matter entirely.

Lin Xiaoyao shook his head, though a smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.

Things had gone a little differently than he'd expected.

But being worshipped as an immortal... Well, he had to admit, it felt pretty good.

As for that little demon at the Mahayana stage?

Forget it.

There was no need to kill him. He might prove useful later.

So, through his connection with the statue, Lin Xiaoyao sent something over again.

Meanwhile, the Mahayana Demon King had stopped kowtowing.

Yet he still knelt before the statue, unable to bring himself to rise.

His heart was full of fear and unease, and he regretted his actions beyond measure. He had truly been too reckless today.

How would this lord punish him?

Though he was terrified, he couldn't summon even the slightest desire to resist.

He was certain that this powerful figure behind the scenes was no True Immortal, but something far stronger and more terrifying.

Resist?

Make an enemy of him?

What a joke. He wasn't some fool who thought life was too long and wanted to hang himself from Old Longevity's neck.

To put it bluntly, even if that lord wanted to kill him, after seeing what he had seen in the illusion, all he could do was bare his neck and accept his death. He wouldn't dare resist in the slightest.

And so he waited, trembling with fear.

Every day felt like a year!

Like a condemned prisoner awaiting his sentence.

Just then, the corner of his eye twitched. He sensed something that astonished him.

His chest no longer hurt.

The wounds he had just suffered had healed.

He had presumed to test the might of heaven and brought about his own downfall, suffering the consequences.

His injuries hadn't been severe, but they certainly weren't light either.

And he could sense that a strange oppressive power remained in his meridians. There was very little of it, but it represented an exceedingly high realm.

In short, it would be very difficult to dispel.

In other words, even if this lord forgave him for his disrespect, his injuries would still be hard to heal.

That was a problem.

But for now, he couldn't afford to worry about it.

His first priority was to win the other party's forgiveness and save his own life.

He had been terribly uneasy.

He never expected that the powerful figure would not only forgive him, but also heal his injuries in passing.

The demon was both shocked and overjoyed, filled with boundless gratitude.

He respectfully kowtowed three times before the statue, then prayed silently in his heart: "Thank you for your forgiveness, senior. Your kindness has given me a new lease on life. This little demon is eternally grateful. For the rest of my life, I am willing to serve as your servant and do your bidding, even at the cost of a thousand deaths."

After saying this,

the demon opened his mouth, and a wisp of spiritual light invisible to ordinary mortals drifted slowly toward the statue before him.

It was a wisp of his divine soul!

"He's actually willing to hand over a wisp of his soul. He really does want to become my servant and do my bidding!"

In the small courtyard, Lin Xiaoyao sat up from his recliner, his face full of surprise.

He hadn't expected things to turn out this way.

Had he really subdued a Mahayana Demon King just like that, out of nowhere?

Could it be that he truly had the bearing of a king, and that was why the other party had bowed down before him?

Bah!

Lin Xiaoyao spat.

What good was the bearing of a king?

He was a Sage.

A lowly Mahayana Demon King was willing to serve him as a servant and do his bidding. That only proved the demon was smart and had good judgment.

Since the other party insisted on becoming his underling, Lin Xiaoyao couldn't disappoint him by refusing, could he?

Mahayana cultivation meant nothing in his eyes. It wasn't anything special.

But in the cultivation world, it was already a realm countless cultivators and demons could only look up to.

After all, the Feathering Sect's sect master was only in the middle stage of the Mysterious Mastery Realm. The gap between that and the Mahayana stage wasn't just a little distance—it was as vast as the sky and the earth.