The Monkey Mind and Mind Horse Illuminate the Broken Army

South of Central Province.

Near the Southern Border, the land was no longer flat when viewed from afar. Layer upon layer of rising mountains resembled the glaring wrinkles along the edge of a sheet of white paper.

To the "aberrant cultivators" of the Demon Refining Mystic Sect, however, these wrinkles between the mountain ranges were the entrance to their escape south, to a place where their hope of survival could temporarily be preserved.

But at this moment.

An immense despair shrouded a group of people at this very threshold.

Atop a high mountain.

Two demon monks, clad in bright yellow monk's robes and draped in crimson kasayas, each held a string of prayer beads as they silently chanted sutras.

One of them was Monkey Mind, the demon monk who had previously visited Glazed Mountain Temple.

Beside Monkey Mind stood a demon monk with a human body and a horse's face. The sinister aura about him was even stronger than Monkey Mind's by several degrees.

At first glance, they seemed like Buddha and demon alike. One had to wrestle with those contradictory impressions for a while before realizing the true nature concealed beneath them: a demonic, sinister baleful qi.

At this moment.

Hearing movement approaching from afar, Monkey Mind was the first to open his eyes.

Only the horse-faced demon monk remained with his eyes shut, his thick, conspicuous horse's mouth constantly twitching as though he were still chanting scripture.

Yet the pair of ears on his head had shot high upright the instant Monkey Mind opened his eyes.

On the other side.

Monkey Mind looked down at the winding mountain path and saw an excessively lean golden-haired monkey demon, covered in fine fur and wearing a purple-gold Daoist robe patterned with clouds, ambling loosely along at the front.

Behind this "monkey demon Daoist" came a vast crowd—half monkey demons, half ape demons, half monks, half Daoists—escorting seven terrified people, one old and six young, toward the mountaintop.

From afar, upon catching sight of Monkey Mind's gaze, the monkey demon Daoist first bared his teeth, then spoke in human tongue.

"Cousin! After standing watch all these days, I've finally caught them for you!

"They aren't the sort of mongrels who happened upon evil arts through some chance encounter!

"I questioned them thoroughly. They're proper evil spawn, passed down through an orderly master-disciple lineage! And in his earlier years, this man used his fairly impressive illusion arts to conceal and escort quite a few evil spawn south.

"Ask him! You can't go wrong asking him!"

As he spoke, the demons had already escorted the seven to the mountaintop. With a few rough shoves, all seven were forced to their knees.

Monkey Mind nodded toward the monkey demon Daoist, then turned with a smiling face toward the elderly man at the front.

"Benefactor, you heard what my cousin said. Now that we know your origins, it will not be difficult for us to uncover more information.

"But this humble monk has chosen to ask you because I am giving you an opportunity—an opportunity to avoid the torment of pain.

"Because this matter is of utmost importance to this humble monk, I will give you six chances to answer.

"This is the first—

"To your knowledge, is the Ghost Vine Lineage inheritance of the Demon Refining Mystic Sect now in Central Province, or in the Southern Border?"

Where he knelt, the old man squeezed his eyes shut in agony. Each breath came harsher and raspier than the last, as if he had not heard the demon ape's question at all.

And so.

Monkey Mind shook his head and even revealed a compassionate expression as he uttered a Buddhist invocation.

"Amitabha—"

The instant that invocation rang out, several demons stepped forth from the crowd. A furry giant palm seized one young cultivator by the nape and lifted him like a chick, then carried him toward the forest behind the mountain.

Amid the young cultivator's utterly shrill screams and wails, the demons spoke in human voices, arguing over whether to steam him, boil him, deep-fry him in oil, or eat him raw.

The clamor swiftly faded into the distance.

The old man's face twisted in even greater pain, his entire body shaking like chaff in a sieve.

Monkey Mind's unhurried voice continued.

"This humble monk shall ask a second time. The question remains the same—"

This time, before Monkey Mind even needed to recite a Buddhist invocation, a second group of demons had already stepped out impatiently.

At last, the old man could no longer maintain his silence.

He glared furiously at Monkey Mind, then his expression shifted into a kind of mocking sneer.

"They say those who leave the secular world cherish compassion, but beasts are beasts after all. Even draped in kasayas, they cannot comprehend the Buddha Dharma."

Monkey Mind answered him with calm laughter.

"Correct. Benefactor, everything you said is correct.

"If this humble monk understood the Buddha Dharma, then you master and disciples, all seven of you, would not have suffered this calamity.

"Since you have called us beasts, if we do not do some beastly things, would we not have suffered that insult for nothing?

"There will be no more chances. This humble monk will ask you one last time—"

As his words fell.

Before the old Daoist could react, the remaining young cultivators beside him had already broken into desperate sobs, one after another.

"Master... Master..."

At last.

The pained expression on the old Daoist's face drowned out everything else.

He spoke in a trembling voice.

"I'll answer you! I'll answer you! The Ghost Vine Lineage's inheritance should now be in the Southern Border. More than ten years ago, this old man secretly escorted fellow disciples of the Ghost Vine Lineage as they fled from here into the Southern Border."

Hearing this, Monkey Mind turned his head toward the horse-faced demon monk beside him, who was still sitting with his eyes closed and chanting sutras.

"Senior Brother Mind Horse?"

The demon monk Mind Horse slowly opened his eyes.

"Listening to the sound of his heart, what he says should be true."

Only then did Monkey Mind's brows ease. He then waved a hand toward the demons.

Just as blade after blade swung toward those people's necks.

On the spot.

The two demon monks and demon Daoist had already turned away. As though unable to bear the sight, they slowly walked toward the other side of the mountaintop and began gazing into the distance, toward the Southern Border.

The demon monk Mind Horse spoke.

"Junior Brother, the inheritance being in the Southern Border does make things troublesome!

If it were any other region, you and I could link up the various tribes and dare to storm the gates of any holy land or great sect.

But the Southern Border is a place where demonic cults breed unchecked, filled with poisonous miasma. Many tribes suffered grievously there long ago. The Golden Crow clan nearly met its extinction in the Southern Border back then. Only after secretly seizing the mountain gate and inheritance of the Pure Yang Sword Sect in the Eastern Lands over these past years did they finally recover and regain their strength.

No one is willing to go to such a place and court disaster again."

Hearing this, the demon monk Monkey Mind nodded.

"How could Junior Brother not know how difficult it is for our Holy Race to enter the Southern Border? But ever since learning that we must seek the Ghost Vine Lineage's inheritance, I had already prepared myself to enter the Southern Border.

Thus, I had long since given the matter thought.

That is also why, the moment we arrived in Central Province, I came to find my cousin. Their clan, much like the Golden Crow clan now, has already secretly encroached upon more than half of Purple Spirit Manor's foundation and inheritance.

This is what I'm thinking—

Looking across ancient history and counting the eras of contention among the Dao, those dominated by conflict between two races were actually few and far between. In the ancient years, the prevailing theme of more eras of Dao contention was still the struggle between righteousness and evil.

Since that is so, why not have Purple Spirit Manor, as a holy land and great sect, take the lead? Let them hold an ancient Daoist ceremonial rite, rally the orthodox mystic sects, march south into the Ten Thousand Mountains, and ignite another struggle between righteousness and evil!

Let those humans bite each other like dogs!

Even if the righteous human cultivators of Central Province alone cannot create the battle situation you and I desire, serving as vanguards for us, they will surely be able to wear down some of the Southern Border demonic sects' foundation.

When that time comes, the great tide of conflict between righteousness and evil will also sweep more of the Holy Race's tribes into the Southern Border battlefield!

By then, it will no longer be a matter of whether they wish to enter the Southern Border or not—unless the various tribes are willing to abandon the Dharma lineages and inheritances of Central Province's holy lands and great sects..."

At this point, Monkey Mind turned to look at Mind Horse beside him.

"Senior Brother, this is also our chance to let the Buddhist sect flourish along with the tide!"

Hearing this, the demon monk Mind Horse pressed his palms together.

"Amitabha—

Junior Brother helped me raise the Sin-Suppressing Tower to a higher level. For this karmic cause and effect, I ought to help you as well.

If there is also a destined opportunity to greatly prosper the Buddhist sect, then this course of action accords even more with Heaven's will.

Excellent... excellent...

Once the great tide of struggle between righteousness and evil takes shape, eight divisions of Heavenly Horses shall accompany Junior Brother into the Southern Border!"