Before Shen Luo could steady himself, he suddenly heard a voice from above. He immediately activated the Yellow Brocade Handkerchief again, drew himself in, and slipped beneath the stone steps.
At the same time, with a thought, he activated the Sea-Calming Pearl to conceal every trace of his aura, then pricked up his ears and listened carefully.
Before long, heavy, uneven footsteps sounded overhead, and two members of the Demon Race came down from above, one behind the other.
"Have you heard? They say Black Bone King didn't get a single scrap of benefit from this outing, and Bull Demon King even smashed half his bones. Tsk, tsk. He really lost his wife and his troops to boot," one demon said, sounding rather pleased by his misfortune.
"You really have a death wish, badmouthing Black Bone King behind his back. Aren't you afraid he'll tear your bones apart?" The other demon was much more cautious and warned him.
"What's there to be afraid of... you won't report me. Besides, Black Bone King isn't on Black Wolf Mountain right now. He might even be getting a scolding from the Venerable as we speak!" the first demon continued, with something of a death-defying air.
"That's true. They all moved away, but left just the two of us behind. Not only do we have to suffer here, we have to put up with Black Grotto's abuse too. Ah..." The other demon sighed.
Moved away? Doubt stirred in Shen Luo's mind.
"Black Bone King has always been harsh on our Demon Race, and that subordinate of his, Black Grotto, takes it even further. Apart from the few of us with higher cultivation who can earn a friendly look, little lackeys like you and me are nothing but ants at their feet."
"Ah, you're right.