Become a true immortal by emulating all demons.

Chapter 106 Settling in Qingming Mountain (Thanks to the great Wang Ziyu for the double alliance)

"What...what should we do?"

Gu Nanzhi looked at Lord Lin.

The other person seems to be a natural pillar of support.

Not only is he incredibly strong, but he also has an extremely meticulous mind.

Even she, as the aunt, hadn't considered that Chang Yi's parents still needed to live in the secular world.

"Tsk."

Lin Shu lowered her eyes slightly, looking at the dark face that had fallen into a coma.

Brother Baodao is growing quite fast.

He has no shortage of courage to think and act, and he is much more composed than before.

At only fifteen years old, and having been pampered and protected by her family since childhood, her performance is already quite remarkable.

His current predicament is not due to a single mistake.

It's simply because their strength is too low that they were targeted by Da Xiu.

However, it must be said that, regardless of other factors, the Demon Slayer Division is truly generous in its resources.

If one can accumulate enough merits, one's cultivation level will not be slow to improve.

"Hang him back up."

Lin Shu withdrew his gaze, casually flicked his sleeve, and a demon-binding rope swept up, binding the boy again.

"Well."

The monkey paused for a moment, but didn't ask any questions. It quickly hugged the monkey back into its arms.

Anyone with eyes can see how ruthless the Demon Slayer Division is to its new subordinates.

If Chang Yi goes back, there might be other dangers.

Even Gu Nanzhi did not rush to raise questions, but quietly waited for Lord Lin's arrangements.

Lin Shu turned and looked into the distance.

Under the sweep of spiritual energy, a delicate jade gourd suddenly flew out from the body of one of the captains. It was only two inches tall.

He had just noticed that the captain was secretly using this thing to collect something.

"This is the Qi-Gathering Gourd, a special magical artifact used by the Demon Slayer Division to track down demons," Xie Yutang explained, clearly having seen it before.

"..."

Lin Shu pondered for a moment, then secretly summoned the golden lion statue.

This item is derived from that mottled bronze ring.

He only gleaned one foundation-building and body-tempering technique from it, which was almost entirely devoid of any trace of energy.

With the combined blessing of the Azure Phoenix's essence and the Bloodstone's spiritual energy, the Mad Lion's Blood Burning Technique had long since lost much of its original flavor.

In addition, there is the breath-concealing effect of the "Celestial Root".

There's no need to worry; no one will connect this aura with Manager Lin of the inn.

He extracted a wisp of energy from the golden lion statue and poured it into the Qi-guiding gourd.

call out!

The next moment, Lin Shu flicked her finger slightly, and the gourd disappeared into Chang Yi's arms.

He believed that after all that the other party had been through, they should know how to take out the gourd without arousing suspicion and to make the most of it.

So the Demon Slayers like fishing, huh?

As for this matter, Lin himself had some understanding of it.

"Alright, let's go back."

Lin Shu patted her sleeves and glanced at Gu Nanzhi: "I'll have someone keep an eye on him inside Yongzhou Pass."

Upon hearing this...

Gu Nanzhi immediately breathed a sigh of relief; of course she knew who the person Lord Lin was referring to was.

Given Yu Sheng's current status, even if she doesn't act with impunity in Yongzhou Pass, at least in the area near Shihu, even Yu Duchuan wouldn't dare to do anything to her.

If Chang Yizhen were to encounter danger, with this little mountain god intervening, there would be no problem in sparing his life.

Thinking of this, Gu Nanzhi suddenly glanced at her nephew's chest.

The more she looked at Lord Lin's act of placing the Qi-inducing gourd on his nephew, the more familiar it seemed.

For some reason, I remembered that ledger from Blackwater City.

"And outside Yongzhou Pass, he's an official of the Demon-Slaying Division, so he'll inevitably have to deal with demons..."

Just then, an untimely voice suddenly rang out.

Lu Yun scratched his scalp in confusion.

He was immediately stared at by several strange gazes.

The monkey smirked and said irritably, "The area outside Yongzhou Pass is our territory! Our demon general is in charge, understand?!"

He now seems to blindly idolize Lin Shu.

Even with the Moon Devouring Demon General's current reputation, he would only be the lowest-ranking among the thirty-odd demon generals of Demon Mountain, even if he were to take up the banner.

But this statement is indeed correct.

With a demon general secretly protecting him, Chang Yi was naturally much safer traveling among the demon mountains than the other constables.

All the little demons quickly got to work.

Those who pick up corpses do so, while those who hang people up do so.

At Lin Shu's instruction, the monkey also left a letter for the Demon Slayer Division.

"call."

Gu Nanzhi looked at the figure hanging from the big tree.

A skilled demon with healing magic had already stabilized his life, but to avoid arousing suspicion, he did not treat his injuries.

"Let's go. It's not a good time to meet now. We'll leave someone nearby to keep watch." Xie Yutang gently patted her shoulder.

"I see."

Gu Nanzhi finally looked away and turned to follow the demons into the deep mountains.

She just felt that the world was too absurd.

They had clearly done nothing wrong and had been working hard to maintain the stability of Blackwater City.

I thought everything would get better after the city reopened.

Unexpectedly, stepping out of that black river led to the loss of loved ones and the inability to even protect one's own life.

"I feel like I'm dreaming."

The little demons stared at the tall, slender figure walking slowly ahead.

The little demon called Bald suddenly reached out and pinched Lu Yun's wound hard: "Does it hurt?"

"Aww!!"

Hearing the man's screams, the bald man finally relaxed, his breath trembling with excitement: "It's true."

Incredibly, a demon general descended from the sky and took up the banner for them.

"Red-faced, we have a demon general now! We're no longer scattered demons!"

"Let go of me... I'm not called 'Red Face'!"

Amid the argument, the two quickly began to wrestle.

The monkey, carrying its demon-slaying sword, looked disdainfully at the group of childish creatures.

He then quickly moved closer to Lin Shu and began to describe his grand plan incessantly.

Seek out the Demon Mountain, raise the Demon Flag!

Just like the Azure Nether Demon Generals, they each possess a territory that belongs to them.

Unfortunately, Lord Lin doesn't seem to be very interested in these things.

"..."

Lin Shu walked through the quiet mountain forest and exhaled a long breath.

He finally understood the reason for his previous displeasure.

Due to insufficient strength and status, there are many things I want to do but cannot do.

Especially after witnessing the various behaviors of these monsters.

That feeling of being unable to understand things became much stronger.

Actually, things aren't as complicated as you think.

With Yu Sheng covering for them in Shihu City, no one will know where Manager Lin has gone.

Before leaving Yongzhou Pass, he could have used this time to briefly play the role of a demon general.

After changing my identity.

That money I'd been longing for—money earned through good deeds and bad deeds—didn't seem so hard to earn anymore.

"Monster Mountain..."

He didn't care much about the demon mountain the monkey mentioned.

All I need is a place to stay for two months.

Anyway, when the time comes, I will definitely return to Yongzhou, and these little demons will be taken to a safer place by Elder Xu.

As my thoughts drifted, I suddenly heard a series of hurried footsteps ahead.

Then, countless torches emerged from the forest.

About thirty or forty well-dressed demons, each with a sharp blade at their waist, split into two groups and searched the mountains and fields.

They exuded a strong demonic aura, and their cultivation levels were all quite high.

This display was almost comparable to the team of demon-slaying officers led by Xu Zhonglin.

"Found it!"

The leading demon stopped in its tracks and crushed the stone.

Soon, a dark figure surged forth, and the beautiful woman silently slipped out of the night.

She saw Lin Shu's figure, her eyes showing slight surprise, then looked at the many lesser demons behind the young man, her gaze falling on the pile of demon-binding ropes and demon-slaying knives.

"I just realized something was wrong and was looking for it when you saved me again."

The Azure Nether Demon General immediately guessed what was going on, and smiled, "Thank you for your trouble, young friend. Otherwise, I wouldn't know how to explain myself when I see Elder Xu."

After saying that, she looked at Xie Yutang again, her tone not exactly reprimanding, but softly saying, "After all, Old Master Xu entrusted you to me. If you need to go out in the future, you should inform me first."

"Hey, didn't we ask them to give these to you when we left...?"

The monkey looked up in surprise, but before it could speak, Xie Yutang secretly kicked it.

Sure enough, among the group of fully armed demons from Qingming Mountain, several figures silently shifted their gaze.

The beautiful woman's expression turned slightly cold as she glanced back indifferently.

"Please don't be offended, Demon General. I just love to talk nonsense." The monkey chuckled, slapped himself twice, and quickly tried to smooth things over.

They could actually understand what those little demons were thinking.

After all, the safety of the Azure Nether Demon General not only involves the lives of these demons, but also concerns the tens of thousands of refugees in her territory.

"Do you need me to help you cover it up?"

The Azure Nether Demon General turned around and looked at Lin Shu again.

Now that the Demon Slayer Division has mobilized so many people, they've suffered such a huge loss as soon as they entered the mountains.

This matter is not like the last time with those two immortal descendants, who could be fooled with just a fabricated demon name.

"It's alright, I plan to stay here for a while."

Lin Shu shook her head, her attitude polite.

Although the two were not familiar with each other, this demon general had helped him once before.

Moreover, although the beautiful woman said she was only searching, judging from her demeanor, she was clearly prepared to confront the Demon Slayer Division head-on.

"Stay for now?"

The Azure Nether Demon General was stunned for a moment, then looked at the group of lesser demons with barely concealed excitement.

A look of surprise crossed her pretty face: "You really carried that demon flag?"

These words were spoken.

The remaining little demons immediately looked over.

The demon general carrying the flag is a major event in the mountains, requiring the message to be relayed throughout the entire mountain range and even reported to the demon lord.

With one more demon general added to the existing thirty-six, the burden on Lord Qingming will be significantly reduced.

"You..."

The Azure Nether Demon General suddenly felt a slight headache and rubbed his temples.

Didn't the man surnamed Xu warn this young man that something big was about to happen at Yongzhou Pass?

These demon generals, who belonged to the Cloud Dragon Demon Lord, were reluctant to participate, but after all, they had been protected by the Demon Lord for so many years, and now they couldn't bring themselves to leave directly.

Why are people still rushing to squeeze in?

"Never mind," she shook her head.

I'm not familiar with this young man, so I'll wait until Elder Xu returns before we talk about it.

I wonder what kind of expression that old demon will have when he returns and finds things have turned out this way.

"Let's talk as we walk."

Thinking of this, the Azure Nether Demon General smiled helplessly and said, "The location of the Demon Mountain is quite particular, and it also involves setting up formations and building a mansion. It cannot be resolved in a short time. You should come back to Azure Nether Mountain with me first... Don't be polite, just consider it a small token of my congratulations on your carrying the flag."

Upon hearing this, Lin Shu turned around and glanced at the many lesser demons.

Everyone, including Xie Yutang, looked at each other.

Clearly, even though the monkeys shouted about carrying the flag every day, Old Xu had never taught them anything about demons.

"..."

They're all just half-baked charlatans.

Lin Shu silently withdrew her gaze, cupped her hands, and said, "Then thank you, senior."

"I'm not a senior."

The Azure Nether Demon General shook his head and corrected him, "Now that you have become a demon general here, your status has nothing to do with age or seniority. It only depends on where you rank under the Demon Lord."

"Now that you have just taken up the banner, you are only thirty-sixth, ahead of Duan Yue."

"The path of demons is inherently difficult, so we do not attack each other. When problems arise, we use this ranking to determine the outcome. If there is a dispute, the lower-ranking members will voluntarily back down."

"I see." Lin Shu listened attentively.

Even if it's just temporarily playing the role of a demon general, it's always good to learn more about it.

Later, when we go to Yongzhou, we can also rely on these things to distinguish between demons.

"Where are you ranked?" He looked over with some curiosity.

This beautiful woman possessed immense magical power, far surpassing that of the current Lord of the Filthy Moon Wolf.

Even with Lin Shu's current eyesight, she couldn't quite gauge the other party's true strength.

"I'm only good at finding Qi and concealing my breath. It's not as profound as you think. I'm just at the late stage of Core Formation."

The Azure Demon General said gently, "Besides, like Elder Xu, I don't like to argue with people, so I can only deal with ironware, hence my ranking of twenty-seventh."

During their casual conversation, the group had already reached the depths of the Demon Mountain.

Dozens of villages, dotted with firelight, are scattered among the tranquil mountains and rivers.

Even as night deepened, refugees still huddled around the campfire, holding their grandchildren and playing with their yellow dogs.

I saw a pedestrian crossing.

The old man stood up, bowed respectfully to the beautiful woman, then grabbed a handful of roasted peanuts and secretly slipped them into a little demon's pocket.

"Ugh! I don't like eating this stuff."

The little demon and the old man argued for a long time before the demon reluctantly accepted the gift, muttering, "Next time, try dried sweet potatoes."

"Okay!" The old man smiled and sat back down.

"..."

Lin Shu slowed her pace, her expression somewhat strange.

From the moment he opened his eyes in Blackwater City, he sensed a "human presence" for the first time, and it was actually in the territory of a demon general.

For some reason, Yu Sheng's childish words suddenly popped into his mind.

The little chick asked if it would have a big territory in the future.

He shook his head, trying to dispel his distracting thoughts.

It summons good deeds and evil money.

Twenty-three pieces of bad silver, each weighing ten taels, were equivalent to two hundred and thirty strings of bad coins.

There was also a considerable amount of silver donated.

These little demons were all quite powerful, with Xie Yutang even surpassing the Foundation Establishment stage and reaching the level of eighteen strings of cash.

Together, they managed to gather eight silver coins.

"I'll arrange for them to lead you to the left peak. My demons won't go there until you've found a suitable territory, so you can stay there in peace."

The Azure Nether Demon General stopped in his tracks: "Let's talk about the rest tomorrow. You've just finished your magical duel, go and recuperate first."

"Thank you for your trouble, Demon General."

Lin Shu nodded slightly and turned back to look towards the direction outside the mountain.

He did almost everything he could for Chang Yi.

As for the outcome, we can only rely on the other party's performance.

The Demon Slayer Division possesses the ability to prevent the splitting of souls.

It's virtually impossible to find out anything about it.

If you have someone trustworthy enough to stay and establish themselves within the organization, even if their position isn't too high—just a regular captain—they can play a significant role.

As for myself.

With the presence of his essence blood, he could stay informed about the situation within Yongzhou Pass at any time.

And with the support of the Wind-Riding and Mountain-Patrolling Divine Power.

If Yu Sheng could delay for even a little while, he could get back to Shihu City immediately.

……

The sun was high in the sky.

The new recruits of the Demon Slayer Division, scattered throughout the mountains and rivers, quickly returned to the valley at the appointed time.

"Nothing was gained."

"These demons are incredibly good at hiding. Could it be that they were frightened by the reputation of the Demon Slayer Bureau and scattered in a panic?"

The group approached, complaining.

But Wang Hong, who usually loves to complain, remained silent at this moment.

He wandered around all night and had no interest in investigating in detail.

When they were in Anren Prefecture, he and Chang Yi lived in the same dormitory, so they must have had some friendship.

As he was thinking, he suddenly glanced in the direction outside the mountain.

This place is not far from Blackwater City. If I were to send a letter to the Chang family...

Perhaps that county magistrate has the ability to get his son out of the Demon Slayer Division.

But wouldn't that offend Commander Gong?

Damn it, maybe I should run away too. Staying in this godforsaken place might lead me to the same fate as Chang Yi someday.

They say there are no taboos, but all I see is that captain using new recruits to lure demons.

Why not cripple General Xu and hang him on a tree? That would surely attract even more demons.

Wang Hong secretly grumbled to himself.

Just then, he suddenly heard a cry of alarm from ahead.

His expression changed slightly, and he quickly quickened his pace to hurry forward. Could it be that the charcoal-faced man had already died from the heat before he could even deliver the message?

That shouldn't be the case. He's a cultivator who's close to Foundation Establishment; he should be able to hold on for ten days or half a month.

Upon seeing the scene before him, Wang Hong's face turned deathly pale.

A tall demon flag stood in the valley.

The ground was covered with dried, dark red marks.

Under that big tree, two new recruits on guard lay sprawled on the ground, their bodies covered by two filthy, white skeletons with exposed flesh and a foul odor!

"They're not dead yet!"

A new recruit mustered up his courage and approached, forcefully waking the two men up.

They wanted to ask what was going on, but as soon as they opened their eyes, they were so frightened by the skeleton on their bodies that they almost fainted again.

"Cough cough."

Up in the tree, Chang Yi struggled to open his eyes, his voice hoarse: "Water..."

Wang Hong quickly used the Radiant Moon Claw technique to cleave the treetops in mid-air. He first caught Chang Yi, and then took water and food from the two men and fed them to him.

"Did you see what happened?"

"Stop torturing him, he won't see anything anyway."

Seeing Chang Yi's weak appearance after just waking up, the others all looked away.

They were already inexperienced, and seeing this horrifying scene, they had long wanted to retreat and slip away as quickly as possible.

"Never mind, at least I'm alive."

Wang Hong offered a few words of comfort.

Clearly, the group of captains had been attacked by a demon, and the demon was arrogant.

All the captains were killed.

But they deliberately spared these three lives, covering their bodies with their bones, clearly a provocation against the Demon Slayer Division, letting them go back to deliver the message.

But for some reason, although Wang Hong was terrified, he was not particularly angry.

He even felt that Gong Yue and the others deserved to die.

"This is a demon carrying a flag... killing to establish its authority..." Chang Yi drank the spring water and finally regained some strength, looking around.

Clearly, he had studied diligently within the Demon Slayer Division, and he immediately recognized the situation before him.

"What does this have to do with you? You're still showing off at a time like this."

Without the captain in control of the demon-binding rope, Wang Hong tried to control it by performing the incantation four or five times before finally untying the black charcoal head.

"Quickly, take me back to Blackwater City. Let's go to the city and be playboys. Who wants to risk their life here?"

"Ha!"

Chang Yi was also grateful that he was still alive.

Fortunately, Gong Yue's kick wasn't meant to kill him; even more fortunately, the other party actually died at the hands of the demon.

He stumbled to his feet and leaned against a large tree to catch his breath.

Just then, he suddenly felt a gourd-shaped hard object in his arms.

He glanced at it out of the corner of his eye, and then his mind instantly tensed up.

A gas-drawing gourd?

Chang Yi swallowed hard, trying to calm himself down. Even Wang Hong, who was nearby, didn't notice anything amiss.

Something's not right! It's not just good luck!

The monster killed the captain, but deliberately left this item on its own body.

He glanced around quietly, his heart pounding faster and faster.

Auntie, it must be that Auntie is still alive.

She really is in this demonic mountain!

But with my aunt's cultivation level, she was absolutely no match for these captains.

Chang Yi felt the gourd in his arms again.

This familiar act of "taking advantage" suddenly brought to mind a fair and handsome face.

It's Brother Lin.

No wonder the other party completely ignored me at the inn yesterday; it turns out they were trying to avoid suspicion.

My aunt has already contacted Brother Lin.

Chang Yi's mind raced, piecing together the scattered pieces of information.

So, Brother Lin wants me to take this Qi-guiding bottle back to the Demon-Slaying Division?

"Look, there's a letter left by a monster here!"

Suddenly someone walked up to the tree and took down the bloodstained envelope.

The new recruits finally found an excuse to slip away, shouting, "Quickly retreat, take this letter back with you!"

"We can't leave!"

Chang Yi suddenly stretched out his arm and stood up unsteadily: "That demon is so arrogant, it must not be too careful. It might leave some traces."

His words made sense, but all he got in return were stares from the crowd as if he were a fool.

Gong Yue is about to use you to lure demons, and even at this point, you're still thinking about helping the Demon Slayer Division.

You're obsessed with achieving something!

"Are you crazy? You're not from a poor background, why are you so fixated on this one person?" Wang Hong couldn't help but want to kick him.

"call."

Chang Yi ignored those gazes and even deliberately gave everyone the impression that he was willing to risk his life for merit.

He manipulated the Qi-finding technique taught by the Demon Slayer Division, carefully following every detail instructed by his predecessor, and slowly headed towards the vicinity of the hill.

"Go quickly, ignore this madman."

Both recruits, who had narrowly escaped death, had wet their pants.

Despite having no injuries whatsoever, his legs went limp, and he begged others to carry him away for his life.

Gritting their teeth, the group began to retreat out of the demon mountain.

Just then, they suddenly saw Chang Yi rummage through the grass for a moment, then stand up, his face full of joy, and raise his arms to them.

"I'm going to be promoted to captain!" he roared excitedly.

In the palm of that charcoal-faced man, a jade gourd gleamed brightly.

The surface has flowing gold patterns, which clearly indicates that it contains demonic energy!