The Hundred Thousand Mountains

The alluring woman on the right replied:

"Elder Ye Ji went to Nanfa Temple last night to gather intelligence and make final confirmations, but she returned severely injured and never woke up after falling into a coma."

The glamorous woman on the left added:

"Elder Ye Ji's injuries are very strange. A force within her body is continuously eroding her life force and cannot be removed. We don't know if she can hold on until tomorrow; we can only wait for Protector Qingmu to arrive."

The bird demon called "Red Tassel" frowned. Suddenly, a high-pitched ape cry shook the surrounding area. Looking in the direction of the sound, a white ape stood on the southern mountain peak, looking up and howling at the moon.

"Why is that annoying monkey here too?"

Hongying spat in disgust, then quickly smiled as she watched the monkey leap among the treetops before crashing into the valley with a loud thud.

"Protector Yuan, we've been waiting for you!"

Hongying smiled warmly. As one of the three protectors under Elder Yeji, he always valued harmony among his colleagues.

After landing, the white ape quickly transformed into a tall, thin man with a high forehead and thick lips. At first glance, his appearance was somewhere between a human and a monkey.

Compared to its ugly appearance, the white ape has a pair of azure eyes, so clear they seem to reflect everything in the world.

The white ape glanced at the smiling Hongying, its azure eyes seeming to see right through her, and spoke in a calm tone:

Your heart tells you: What bad luck, how come that annoying, damn monkey is still alive?

Hongying's expression froze, and she awkwardly laughed twice, unsure how to respond, when suddenly the trees in the valley began to shake violently.

The dense forest swayed, like giants that had come back to life, baring their fangs and brandishing their claws.

As the trees swayed, streaks of emerald light scattered across the sky, coalescing like a galaxy of fireflies.

Finally, it coalesced into the phantom of a towering tree.

The branches and leaves of this large tree extend outwards, layer upon layer, like a cloud canopy.

The entire valley was covered by its branches and leaves.

A beam of green light emanated from the phantom of the giant tree, condensing into an old man with green hair, a green beard, and green eyebrows, leaning on a cane made of vines.

"Guardian Aoki!"

The monkey, the red bird, and two alluring women bowed simultaneously.

The old man, bathed in green light, nodded slightly, his voice deep and gentle:

"Is Elder Ye Ji inside?"

Hongying hurriedly said:

"We've been waiting for you. Elder Ye Ji encountered some unexpected trouble while investigating Nanfa Temple, and the situation is critical."

He immediately relayed what the two female demons had said.

An unyielding force. Aoki Protector's heart sank. He said:

"Take this protector inside and have a look."

The female demon on the left gracefully bowed and said, "Guardians, please come in!"

The three guardians followed her into the cave. The passageway was spacious, with torches stuck in the stone walls, and every twenty steps there was a beautiful woman standing by.

As expected of the fox clan, each and every one of them is a top-tier beauty. Hongying admires the female demons' stunning appearances.

"As expected of the fox clan, every single one of them is a top-tier beauty," the white ape protector said in a deep voice.

Hongying's face stiffened, and she smiled:

"Protector Yuan is indeed a man of strong character."

The white ape glanced at him. "I was referring to your true feelings."

"."

After passing through a passageway several dozen feet deep, ahead lies a huge grotto. The floor is covered with animal hides, and there are round tables and stools, screens, potted plants, and other items, resembling a human woman's boudoir.

The most striking feature is a large bed with hanging curtains, exquisitely crafted and carved with lifelike foxes.

The female demon standing by the bed immediately lifted the bed curtains and said anxiously:

"Guardian Aoki, please take a look!"

Protector Qingmu is a renowned physician in the Kingdom of Ten Thousand Demons, skilled in alchemy and herbal cultivation. When he devoted himself to the study of medicine, the Warlock System had not yet emerged.

A woman with a graceful figure lay on the bed, fast asleep.

Her face was sharp and delicate, her eyebrows long and straight, and her features exquisite and alluring. At this moment, her charming and seductive face was pale from blood loss, and she was slightly frowning in her unconscious state, as if she was enduring great pain.

Protector Aoki walked to the bedside, pulled the woman's snow-white wrist from his light fur coat, held it, and transferred emerald green energy to it.

Smack

A golden light shot out from Ye Ji's body, blasting the Green Wood Guardian away. His body quickly disintegrated, turning into green light spots.

A moment later, the green light spots reformed into the old man.

"Slay the traitors and take your place!"

Protector Aoki's expression was solemn.

"What?"

The bird demon Hongying's expression changed drastically, and he exclaimed in surprise. He finally understood the reason why it was "impossible to remove" and "continuously extinguishing life."

As a new generation protector of the Kingdom of Ten Thousand Demons, he did not experience the great war between Buddha and demons back then, but he did participate in the Battle of Shanhai Pass twenty years ago.

The Arhatship of Killing Thieves is the most offensive of the three Arhatships, and is known as the most powerful killing method in Buddhist School below the Bodhisattva level.

The most distinctive characteristic of the "Kill the Thieves" rank is: a fight to the death!

"Even this Dharma Protector is powerless to help."

Protector Aoki shook his head. "We can only ask the King to intervene."

The power of the thief-slaying level cannot be cured by medicine; it requires the power of an equal level to counter it.

"But the king has gone to sea and is not on the Nine Provinces continent. In Buddhist School, there is only one Arhat who has achieved the rank of 'killing traitors'. How did he come to the Southern Frontier? Has the dispute between the Mahayana and Hinayana schools of Buddhist School ended?"

Hongying's face turned grim. "If the King can't return in time, what will Elder Yeji do?"

No one responded for a moment; the White Ape Guardian and the Green Wood Guardian both looked grave.

Protector Aoki whispered:

"She only has two days left. After that, the power of the 'Slaying Thieves' title will destroy her physical body and Primordial Spirit."

Just then, a murmur arose, and the beauty on the bed was awakened by the noise, slowly opening her eyes.

A pair of alluring, foxy eyes.

"Elder Night Princess."

Hongying and the others surrounded them.

Night Princess's gaze swept over the crowd, her voice flat yet tinged with weakness:

"You've arrived."

Elder Qingmu nodded and said in a deep voice, "Elder Ye Ji, was the person who injured you the Arhat Du'e?"

Princess Yoru gently shook her head. "It's Asura."

Asura, the White Ape, and Red Tassel, the two new generation of protectors, exchanged a glance, seeing doubt in each other's eyes.

I've never heard of this name before.

Elder Qingmu, who had lived for countless years, suddenly changed his expression:

"Asura, the youngest son of the Asura King? Didn't he perish long ago?"

Night Princess was also confused and bewildered, unable to answer.

Hongying asked, "Guardian Qingmu, who is Asura?"

Elder Qingmu's expression shifted, and after a long pause, he slowly said:

"Asura is another name for Asura. It is a title that only the most powerful warriors of the Asura race can possess."

"The previous Asura was the Asura King. After the Asura King was imprisoned at the bottom of Mount Aranda by the Buddha with the Demon-Sealing Nail and died, the youngest son of the Asura King became the new Asura."

He witnessed the tragic deaths of his father and elder brother, and for the sake of the continuation of his clan, he took the lead in converting to Buddhist School and eventually attained the Arhatship.

"He was extremely powerful and was hailed as the number one fighter in Buddhist School, second only to the Bodhisattva."

"Asura was an extremely powerful warrior. After converting to Buddhist School, he diligently practiced the Vajra Divine Skill and refined his Vajra Body. Later, after failing to cultivate the Vajra Dharma Form, he focused on the Zen Master system and attained the status of a bandit-slayer."

The Arhatship combined with the Vajra Body—just from the description, the Red-Tasseled Protector could imagine how powerful and terrifying that Asura was.

The white ape protector asked, "He later perished?"

Elder Aoki nodded:

"He was personally killed by our king during the war between Buddha and demon."

At this point, the old man, who was entirely green, looked at Ye Ji and said:

"Unexpectedly, he didn't die. This is far more troublesome than the Arhat Du'e. The king's plans may be difficult to continue."

The former ruler refers to the former ruler of the Kingdom of Ten Thousand Demons.

The latter ruler refers to the current ruler, who was the princess in the past.

Ye Ji looked at Hong Ying and asked, "Guardian Hong Ying, have you seen the Bear King? Did you ask him to come out of the mountains?"

Seeing everyone looking at her, Hongying shook her head with a wry smile:

"The Bear King wanted to sleep and didn't want to trek through mountains and rivers. I couldn't persuade him; no, I didn't even dare to approach him."

Further bad news.

Protector Aoki sighed, "The best course of action now is to find a way to remove the power from Elder Ye Ji's body; preserving her life is of utmost importance."

Ye Ji propped herself up and said, "You all go out first, I need to contact the Empress."

Hongying, the Dharma Protector, and the others breathed a sigh of relief and left the cave.

Ye Ji lifted her light fur coat, pulled out a wooden box from under the bed, and took out a palm-sized bronze incense burner with a fox head and a black incense stick.

She rubbed the black incense sticks until they shone, then inserted them into the incense burner.

A wisp of smoke curled up, and Ye Ji took a deep breath, inhaling the smoke into her nostrils.

A moment later, a powerful will awakened within her, a clear light emanated from her left eye, while her right eye remained normal.

"The position of slayer of thieves."

A charming and sensual voice floated from her red lips. "Who did you meet?"

Night Princess whispered:

"Your Majesty, I encountered Asura at Nanfa Temple, and he did not perish."

"Last night I sneaked into Nanfa Temple to investigate the location of the formation and make a final confirmation. I saw Asura guarding outside the formation."

"I was quite a distance from him at the time, and he injured me with just a cold snort. Non-Self superb escape skills, I probably wouldn't have made it back."

The nine-tailed celestial fox remained silent for a moment, then clicked its tongue:

"My mother didn't kill him back then? I understand now. It was the Bodhisattva Guangxian, who controls the 'Great Reincarnation Dharma Form,' who protected him and sent him to be reborn to cultivate again. Only in this way did he have a sliver of hope at that time."

"Returning to its rightful place after five hundred years."

Night Princess frowned.

"Please, Your Majesty, save me."

"The plan to unseal the divine seal is probably difficult to execute unless Her Majesty returns."

The Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox laughed:

"I can't save you. My will can suppress the thief-killing fruit, but you can't withstand my will's influence forever. You will surely die in two days."

"As for our plan, well, the rebels in Yunzhou have already declared themselves emperors, and the struggle for legitimacy in the Central Plains is about to erupt. The Bodhisattva of the Gara Tree will surely emerge from the mountains, and the Buddhist School will lose Du Nan and Du Fan, as well as the Arhat who guides love."

"With the Lapis Lazuli Bodhisattva injured by the Supervisor, and Guangxian and Duqing stationed in Alanda, the Buddhist Kingdom of Southern Frontier is currently vulnerable. If we don't break the seal now, when will we?"

Ye Ji said bitterly, "This servant is not worth dying for, but... but the Bear King did not come as promised. With our meager skills, even if we are shattered to pieces, we cannot complete the task Your Majesty entrusted to us."

The nine-tailed celestial fox smiled and said:

"You don't want to die; you're afraid to live right now."

Ye Ji's expression changed slightly.

The Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox continued, "If that lazy bear doesn't come, then so be it. I've found you a helper who will arrive soon. Be patient and wait. If you serve him well, he might be able to save your life."

Night Princess asked warily, "Who?"

The Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox chuckled mischievously, "You'll see then. Tsk tsk, with such a beautiful face, I've long been prepared to sell myself for a high price. Just wait patiently."

The clear light in Ye Ji's left eye faded, and the black incense went out.

She sat cross-legged at the table, remained silent for a long time, and then carefully put away the incense burner and incense with a slightly somber expression.

He then instructed the demoness standing outside the cave to invite the three guardians.

When Hongying and the others returned, Ye Ji sat cross-legged on the bed, her tone indifferent:

"Her Majesty says that someone will come to help soon; please wait patiently."

The three guardians were delighted, and Hongying pressed for an answer:

Who is this person?

Ye Ji's expression grew even colder, and she said indifferently, "I don't know."

Hmm, Elder Ye Ji seems quite unhappy. Hong Ying keenly noticed the change in her attitude.

The white ape glanced at him and said:

"Elder Ye Ji, Hong Ying asks you, why do you seem unhappy?"

Ye Ji frowned, looked at Hong Ying, and said unhappily, "Meddlesome!"

"."

The bird demon opened its mouth, but was speechless.

Inside the pagoda.

Bai Ji was clinging to the window on the third floor, her two little paws gripping the window frame tightly, half of her body hanging down.

It excitedly turned its head. "This is the edge of the Hundred Thousand Mountains!"

As it spoke, it scraped its hind legs against the wall a few times, pleading:

"Xu Qi'an, hug me, I'm so tired."

Xu Qi'an was a kind and understanding person. He grabbed the scruff of its neck and lifted it into the air.

"No, no, it's not like that, it's very uncomfortable."

Bai Ji flailed her limbs wildly.

Xu Qi'an ignored the little fox's protest and looked down at the landscape below.

He wondered if he had stumbled into a primeval forest, with mountains stretching below and dense forests almost completely obscuring the ground.

The well-developed water system, like meridians, spreads throughout the mountains and forests.

"This should be considered mountainous, but the area is too large, with mountains and primeval forests everywhere."

"The climate is very comfortable, neither too hot nor too cold. If the people of Great Feng could escape here, they would be spared the suffering of the cold disaster. Unfortunately, the Hundred Thousand Mountains in the Southern Frontier are too far from the territory of Great Feng. In this era, transportation is not well developed, and it is impossible for any disaster victims to walk here."

Xu Qi'an was filled with emotion and exclaimed, "Is this the Hundred Thousand Mountains where you Southern Demons have lived throughout the ages?"

What a treasure trove! The resources are unimaginably abundant.

If the Great Feng could conquer this territory, the timber resources alone would be inexhaustible.

"Float"

Xu Qi'an glanced back at Mu Nanzhi, who was asking the old monk Taling about Buddhist teachings, and lowered his voice:

"Tell me quickly, where is your sister Ye Ji?"