Chapter 83: The Ancestor of Demons Makes a Move, Returning Laden with Spoils

A little more than half an hour ago.

The battlefield in the valley.

High above in the layer of fierce winds.

Five demon kings from Windcloud Ridge stood in a straight line, facing three demon kings from Wild Mountain, who held their heads high. Their aura not only matched but even surpassed their opponents.

For a moment, eight demon kings confronted each other in the sky, thick demonic energy saturating the heavens.

“Old Yuan, so you’ve quietly advanced to the late stage. No wonder you’re so fearless!” The great demon king of Windcloud Ridge, Swallowing Tiger, stared darkly at his longtime adversary, Yuan Zhang, the demon king of Wild Mountain, whose spirit had transformed into a monkey.

“Heh…” Yuan Zhang remained calm and unhurried, airily replying, “I wondered why you Windcloud Ridge fellows suddenly grew so tough. Thought the last beating wasn’t enough…”

As his words fell, three demon kings from Windcloud Ridge erupted in furious roars, eager to attack. Yet, none dared act without their leader’s command.

Yuan Zhang paid no mind to their anger and continued leisurely, “Turns out, two of your little demons advanced to the mid-stage. With you, that makes three. No wonder you’ve grown louder in my presence.”

“Looks like you’ve forgotten how I thrashed you a century ago.”

“But never mind. Today, Old Yuan will spend some time to help you refresh your memory…”

As he spoke, the previously elder-like Yuan Zhang—high crown, long robe, ancient and dignified—vanished. In his place appeared a three-meter-tall, black-armored, lean, black-furred, fierce-faced, tusked ape king. Staring at Swallowing Tiger across from him, Yuan Zhang pronounced, “If you gamble, accept defeat. Acknowledge the terms we agreed upon and hand over the Spirit Treasure Breaking Gold Spear. Then today’s matter ends.”

“Otherwise, none of you will leave…”

As the words settled, a demonic aura more massive than all five Windcloud Ridge demon kings combined surged like mountains and seas, instantly enveloping all demon kings.

“Big brother, let’s fight him!”

“Big brother, he hasn’t been in the late stage long. We five brothers need not fear him!”

“Big brother, you, me, and the fifth brother can take on Old Yuan. I’d like to see how strong the late stage really is!”

“…”

The demon kings of Windcloud Ridge, enraged by Yuan Zhang’s arrogance, shouted at their leader, but the Swallowing Tiger King remained silent.

“Big brother…” At that moment, the usually taciturn Fifth Demon King, Hou Qi, spoke quietly to his hesitant leader, “We can give up that mountain range, but you mustn’t hand over your Breaking Gold Spear.”

“Besides, our commotion has alerted Eagle Cliff, Lishui Palace, and Fiery Cavern.”

“We were at fault from the start. If we retreat without a fight, our reputation will suffer.”

“And now, with Second Brother and me advancing to mid-stage, Windcloud Ridge counts three mid-stage demon kings…”

“If we still don’t dare face Yuan Zhang, who just advanced to late stage, how will we deal with Wild Mountain henceforth?”

“Big brother, we must try!”

“Moreover, during Third Brother’s fight with Whiteface, I learned Old Ancestor has returned home. Just now, I had our people inform him of our conflict with Wild Mountain…”

“I’m sure Old Ancestor knows by now. However strong Yuan Zhang is, with Old Ancestor around, he can’t do much to us…”

“This is a good chance to test Yuan Zhang’s current strength…”

Hou Qi quickly laid out all pros and cons to his brother.

Swallowing Tiger King’s heart eased; he replied, “You’re still the clever one, not like Second Brother, always loud and rash. Don’t blame me for being cautious—late stage is too hard. I’ve been stuck here eight hundred years; I know its power better than anyone. But you’re right, we should give it a try!”

He secretly sent a swift message to his fifth brother, then straightened his back. With a platinum spear crackling with electric arcs appearing in his hand, his aura surged skyward, matching Yuan Zhang’s oppressive demonic energy.

His expression now confident and spirited, he declared, “Old Yuan, don’t get ahead of yourself. Today, the five of us are here to weigh your strength—let’s see if it matches your words…”

“Swallowing Tiger, you know what I hate most about you?” Interrupted the fiery-haired, red-robed Second Demon King of Wild Mountain, Golden Eye. “I hate your cowardice!”

“Just like your origins—always dithering. Why not simply fight?”

As his words ended, Golden Eye transformed into a streak of golden light, shooting toward Swallowing Tiger at lightning speed, abruptly initiating battle.

At that moment, a sudden change occurred.

Golden Eye’s streak froze mid-air, progressing forward at an agonizingly slow pace.

The other demon kings were much the same.

Seeing Golden Eye strike first, the five Windcloud Ridge demon kings grew even angrier, preparing to attack—but their faces and postures seemed to be frozen, their movements strangely slow.

The two other Wild Mountain demon kings were similarly affected. Only Yuan Zhang, the great demon king, sensed the shift in the world, a hint of surprise on his face.

“Ah, Whiteboy’s come to meddle again…”

“I knew we wouldn’t see a real fight. That rat’s as nagging as a woman…”

“If only he acted like the crow—just fought directly…”

“How disappointing. Anyone up for chess?”

“No chess? Let’s go fishing…”

Voices echoed from deep within the clouds, then swiftly faded.

Meanwhile.

A figure, not tall, clad in white robes, with white hair and beard yet a youthful face, appeared above the eight demon kings.

With a mere wave of his hand, the eight demon kings—whose stomp could cause earthquakes among lesser demons below—were swept far away, stumbling before quickly returning, each bowing respectfully to the white-haired youth, “Greetings, Old Ancestor…”

“Peace to the Old Ancestor…”

The eight demons greeted him with reverence, but the youth scolded, “Peace, nothing!”

“I just stepped out for a trip, and you brats couldn’t wait to make trouble…”

Demon Ancestor Bai Haozi’s gaze swept across them, then landed on Yuan Zhang, surprised, “Oh, you’ve reached the late stage?”

Yuan Zhang, now restored to his elder’s attire, bowed immediately, “Yes, Old Ancestor, not long ago.”

Bai Haozi nodded approvingly, “Good. Hone yourself well at this stage. You still have hope to go further…”

Yuan Zhang bowed deeply, “Thank you for your guidance, Old Ancestor.”

Bai Haozi turned to the Windcloud Ridge demon kings, his gaze settling on the second and fifth, “So you two have progressed as well. No wonder you dared stir trouble…”

He leaned back, sitting in midair, “Let’s have it. What’s the reason this time?”

Swallowing Tiger King stepped forward and respectfully explained.

The matter was simple.

When he finished, Bai Haozi looked at him and asked, “In the end, you lost the wager, correct?”

Swallowing Tiger King: “Yes, but…”

Bai Haozi cut him off coldly, “Just answer: did you lose?”

Sensing the ancestor’s mood, Swallowing Tiger King dared not protest, replying respectfully, “Yes, Old Ancestor.”

Bai Haozi: “That settles it. That northern mountain range belongs to Yuan Zhang’s group from now on. And your Breaking Gold Spear…”

As his words ended, Swallowing Tiger King, though reluctant, dared not refuse. He obediently produced a platinum spear and tossed it to Yuan Zhang.

Yuan Zhang, delighted by the weighty treasure, bowed to Bai Haozi, “Thank you, Old Ancestor…”

He then turned to the grief-stricken Swallowing Tiger King, laughing, “Thank you, Brother Swallowing Tiger. The spear is excellent; I gratefully accept it.”

“And…”

Bai Haozi continued, turning to Windcloud Ridge. Third Demon King Hou Jun quickly bowed and declared, “Old Ancestor, I, Hou Jun, will never violate the terms again. I’ll abide by the wager.”

“That’s good…” Bai Haozi nodded, then addressed the eight demon kings with icy authority, “If there’s a problem, tell me. Fight and kill as you wish—but don’t let me see this happen again.”

“And remember: accept defeat when you gamble…”

With a wave of his sleeve, Bai Haozi vanished.

The eight demon kings remained standing in the void.

“Let’s go!” Swallowing Tiger King, having lost both wager and pride, glared at the three Wild Mountain demon kings and transformed into a streak of light, departing.

The other four demon kings followed, disappearing in turn.

As for the lucky survivors among lesser demons below…

They were all abandoned by Third Demon King Hou Jun.

The commander-level demon officers could still escape.

For the rest, after such heavy losses, their fate was of little concern.

“Fifth brother, what now?” As soon as they left the high skies, Swallowing Tiger King asked.

Hou Qi, Windcloud Ridge’s strategist, sighed, “We never expected Whiteface to borrow that treasure fan from Eagle King…”

“And Yuan Zhang’s breakthrough to late stage…”

“Otherwise, I wouldn’t have contacted Old Ancestor…”

“And who would have thought Old Ancestor would arrive so quickly? We assumed he’d wait till the fight ended, as last time.”

“Otherwise, even if we lost, Yuan Zhang wouldn’t dare claim the wager from us.”

“Most importantly, Old Ancestor seems less partial to you now. Otherwise, Wild Mountain wouldn’t have gotten their prize.”

“Hey, big brother’s a rat demon, so is Old Ancestor—why no favor this time…”

…

Watching the five demon kings of Windcloud Ridge retreat in defeat.

Wild Mountain’s Second Demon King, Golden Eye, turned excitedly to his brother, “Big brother, this time Old Ancestor finally sided with us…”

“Caution!” Yuan Zhang cut him off, glancing around warily and scolding, “No nonsense.”

Awakened by his brother’s rebuke, Golden Eye shrank back, silent.

Yuan Zhang then turned to Third Demon King Whiteface, “Time to go home. Third brother, bring your demons along…”

“Yes, big brother…” Whiteface nodded and flew toward the battlefield below.

He hovered above the valley, gazing at the giant footprints and heaps of demon corpses.

Though he felt a pang for the fallen, the gains from today far outweighed the losses.

Without hesitating further, Whiteface called out to the mountains below, “Children, come home…”

“We’ve won. Time to return…”

“Children, come home…”

“We’ve won. Time to return…”

As his voice spread in all directions, the valleys and forests echoed with sounds—cries and howls of countless demons.

Soon, one by one, demons emerged from the surrounding hills.

“Hurry up, Wandashan…” In a mountain, Lu Fei, carrying an iron rod and riding a cloud of black mist, hurried through dense woods. Behind him, a large tiger followed, panting and exhausted.

“If you don’t hurry, the other demons will snatch all the corpses…”

Lu Fei scanned ahead, quickly spotting two bodies—one a snake demon, the other a toad demon.

Both had died strangely: the giant toad, as big as a bathtub, was half devoured by a snake.

Lu Fei wasn’t interested in how they died; he collected the snake’s corpse, but hesitated over the toad.

The toad’s body was riddled with toxins; even after skinning, its meat was still poisonous, risky to eat.

With his robust constitution, Lu Fei could handle it, but lesser demons couldn’t.

After a brief thought, knowing such an opportunity wouldn’t come again, Lu Fei decided to collect it anyway.

He stowed the toad’s corpse, then continued searching the woods for more bodies.

At last, Wandashan, the tiger, caught up, collapsing at Lu Fei’s feet, gasping.

“Can you still run?” Lu Fei asked.

“Woof…” Wandashan weakly lifted his head, then staggered to his feet.

“Forget it…” Seeing Wandashan’s state, Lu Fei grabbed him by the scruff, hoisted him onto the black mist, and flew onward with his burden.

From then on, Lu Fei’s luck faltered; he found only two more bodies, one slain himself—a lone Windcloud Ridge demon.

Still, his strengthened storage ability held over ten demon corpses—a bountiful haul.

Recognizing that further searching would yield little, Lu Fei headed back toward the battlefield.

Soon enough, upon entering the valley, Lu Fei was surprised by the number of demons gathered.

Clearly, many had hidden in the surrounding forests.

Now it was time to go home.

Lu Fei began searching for his demon brothers among the crowd.

“Big brother…” A familiar cry came from behind.

Lu Fei turned to see his three junior brothers—the crow, Redskin, Yellow Gui—and his six subordinate demons, all unharmed and present.

He breathed a sigh of relief: “Excellent…”

Dreams of the Cat in the Deep Sea