Become a true immortal by emulating all demons.

Chapter 127 The Great Demon Confers a Monarchship, the Fool and the Cripple

Towering palaces and pavilions stand tall, with long streets paved with bluestone bricks leading in all directions.

The city was bustling with activity, and traffic flowed like a never-ending river.

Merchants flocked to the ancient city, showcasing its prosperity.

Yongzhou has nine prefectures. The Yu family is in charge of literature, and the Qi family is in charge of military affairs.

Anren Prefecture was governed by the Mountain God, so in this prefecture, compared to the solemn and awe-inspiring Demon Slaying Division, the Qiankun Academy with its red walls and green tiles and vast area in the city center was more respected by the cultivators who came and went.

Qian and Kun represent Yin and Yang.

The academy is divided into two parts. The "Qian" part belongs to the Yang element and is also known as the Martial Academy. It gathers many powerful individuals as lecturers, and disciples from all families can enter the academy for further study.

The Kun Academy, also known as the Literary Academy, is a place that all the immortal descendants must visit before taking up their posts in the court.

They were to learn how to govern and be officials in this place.

While you don't need to know how to handle those miscellaneous tasks, you should at least understand the art of managing people so that you are not deceived by your subordinates.

There is not much interaction between the two colleges, and the students' statuses are quite different.

But today, whether they were immortal descendants or cultivator disciples, they all had strange expressions. Clutching several government reports, they gathered in groups of three or five under the ancient cypress tree. The noise even crossed the red walls and green tiles and reached the long street outside.

Over a period of more than ten days, seven or eight local gazettes gradually revealed the truth behind the unusually tense atmosphere in Anren Prefecture recently.

"What those fleeing cultivators said is true; Yongzhou Pass has already fallen."

"Those traitors of the Great Shun Dynasty dared to collude with evil spirits and invade the territory of my Liang Kingdom!"

One of the immortal students, his face contorted with rage, nearly crushed the newspaper in his hand.

The classmate next to him frowned deeply: "They not only cruelly murdered that Qiheng Immortal, but also renamed Yongzhou Pass to Dragon Spine Ridge? Utterly arrogant!"

"The Yu family's Mountain God Mirror has also been lost."

"Those constables have posted the new demon-slaying list; a great demon has been promoted to ruler at the border! His title is Moon Devourer!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the group of students from the cadre training institute were immediately thrown into uproar.

The fact that a great demon has been granted the title of king indicates that he has attained the power of a golden core demon and will soon wreak havoc on the human world!

Fear flickered across their faces as they stepped forward toward the screen wall at the entrance of the academy, then looked up at the newly posted list.

This is the Demon-Slaying Ranking, which records over a hundred names. Not to mention those scattered demons, even ordinary demon generals would find it difficult to make it onto the list.

Even the last position at the very end is held by a top general under a certain demon lord.

For this reason, the Demon Slayer Ranking rarely changes; the last update was several years ago.

At the very top are still the two glaring scarlet names, Yuan Yuan and Su Xin.

However, below these two demon kings, three unfamiliar names suddenly appeared, suppressing the original group of demon lords.

"..."

Upon seeing this, many of the immortal descendants held their breath in unison, their expressions filled with apprehension.

Every demon lord has committed heinous crimes.

However, compared to the three men's audacious attempt to seize the pass, these were all minor incidents.

This marks the first time that the demons of Yongzhou have truly invaded the territory of the immortals, and even managed to defeat them!

"Yunlong Demon Lord, is that the one who was severely injured by Immortal Qiheng many years ago and fled Liang Kingdom in a sorry state?"

"I heard that this Crimson Silk Demon Lord is a demon from the Shun Dynasty. Why are those two suddenly back in Yongzhou!"

Everyone's eyes were fixed on the last name: "I know this one. It is the local great demon of Yongzhou. A few days ago, the Demon Slaying Division sent troops to the border to kill this fiend. In the end, they suffered a great defeat. I heard that six of the lieutenant generals were buried at the border, and their bodies were never found."

"It's most likely that it is. They were worried about incurring the wrath of the Demon Slayer Division, so they invited help from Da Shun."

"The Moon-Devouring Demon Lord is the ringleader!"

The border region is too far from the nine prefectures and is too barren.

For these immortal descendants, although they had gone to the trial, it was only a few insignificant years in their long lives, and the memory of it had long been blurred.

The crowd's anger stemmed largely from the feeling that the dignity of the immortals had been challenged.

"If you ask me, we should have killed all those trial disciples who escaped. It was their disarray in fleeing that demoralized the army and led to the fall of the border!"

"Shh, watch your words, don't let that new Vice Minister Yu from the Martial Arts Academy hear you."

"The new deputy headmaster, whose surname is Yu... You mean Yu Sheng?!" The immortal descendant looked astonished as he spoke.

Qiankun Academy has a headmaster, who is a fourth-rank official, with a status equivalent to that of the local prefect.

He had eight deputy heads under him, four each in the civil and military academies, and received a fifth-rank salary. He was a powerful figure who could control everything in Anren Prefecture.

Moving to Yongzhou Pass is equivalent to becoming the city lord there.

But the border region was such a poor and desolate place; even if the two places were of equal status, how could they compare to the prosperous Anren Prefecture?

"The Demon Slaying Division sent people over to interrogate her, and all two hundred disciples praised her as if she were a god descended from heaven. The Yu family took the opportunity to create momentum and spread the word throughout the city. They obviously wanted to elevate her to the position of Yu family's prodigy, which is why she became the vice headmaster of the Martial Academy."

"However, in my opinion, if you don't have real skills to rely on, the higher you rise now, the harder you will fall later."

The descendants of the immortals whispered among themselves.

It should be noted that most of the students in the Academy are descendants of immortals, so it is more like a study, where students simply attend classes. The deputy headmaster is usually a civil official from the imperial court.

But the Martial Academy is different; it is a gathering place for disciples from various schools.

This place was specially set up by the Yu family to rival the Qi family's Demon-Slaying Division.

In addition to learning from their seniors, students are also responsible for assisting the Demon Slaying Division in its operations, and their performance is judged accordingly.

Anren Prefecture administers sixteen large counties and more than forty small counties.

On average, each deputy head of the mountain was responsible for overseeing at least ten counties. If any mistakes were made, they would be held accountable by the imperial court.

"I almost forgot."

Suddenly, someone remembered something and asked in surprise, "Since Yu Sheng... Vice Minister Yu is back, does that mean Lin Shu is back too?"

No one expected that this once highly sought-after top disciple of the trials would encounter something like the fall of Yongzhou Pass.

As a disciple of the immortals, he failed to guard the pass well, and it's uncertain whether he can still get a good job.

"Lin Shu?" The man's expression suddenly turned strange. "He's become the head of the Yu family."

As soon as he finished speaking, the expressions of everyone present changed slightly.

Sometimes, praising someone too highly can backfire.

These immortal descendants were originally quite interested in Lin Shu, but after hearing these words, they remained silent for a long time.

Then, someone finally burst out laughing: "Pfft."

The Yu family actually produced a sect leader who built his foundation using the Azure Bird Qi-Inducing Technique.

A sect leader disciple who has never mastered the Azure Phoenix Sword Essence!

No wonder they lost Yongzhou Pass; the Mountain God's family has truly fallen on hard times.

……

Deep inside the cadre compound.

There are elegant courtyards nestled among them, separated by arched high walls.

The area was filled with fallen leaves, and even the square stone table in the courtyard was made of warm and heavy white jade, with lifelike blue phoenix patterns carved on it.

"Master Lin, is your injury any better?"

A tall, thin old man strolled over, followed by dozens of students, both boys and girls, the youngest only ten years old and the oldest looking to be in their early forties.

This old man was named Fan Li, a disciple of the Yu family, with a late-stage Core Formation cultivation level, and was a lecturer at the Martial Academy.

"These students have been waiting for you for a long time." He sat down at the square table and smiled. "If you are feeling much better, then give them a definite date."

The group stood outside the courtyard. Although they had secretly come over to look several times, they still couldn't help but peek inside.

The young man had a handsome face, bright eyes and white teeth. He wore a spotless flowing robe with flowing clouds and leaned back in a bamboo chair with a slightly lazy air.

He slowly flipped through several government reports in his hand.

The five fingers, with their distinct joints, fair skin, and slender shape, are quite beautiful, as if they were born to hold a sword.

His eyes and brows held a hint of weariness from his lingering injuries, yet he seemed like a celestial being descended to earth, making one unable to resist taking a second look.

"It will take some time to recover."

The young man put down his newspaper and casually said, "Besides, I don't know how to preach."

"this……"

Fan Li paused for a moment, then smiled helplessly and said, "Master Lin is joking. Your great reputation in Yongzhou Pass has already spread throughout the Martial Academy. When you were in the Foundation Establishment stage, you were able to kill eight cultivators of the same realm. After you formed your core, you single-handedly repelled several demon generals. How could you not understand the Dharma?"

"I'm not joking, I'm serious."

Lin Shu raised her eyelids slightly and said calmly.

His understanding of immortal techniques is currently limited to the level that lightning spells cannot be cast close to others, otherwise they will cause his own hand to become numb.

"Go back to class first." Fan Li turned around and waved his sleeve to shoo away the many disappointed students.

He turned around, hesitated for a moment, and whispered a reminder: "These mountain-guarding attire cannot be worn separately; it's against etiquette, and the mountain gods will reprimand us if they see it."

"I didn't want to wear it in the first place, you forced me to."

Under the old man's stubborn gaze, Lin Shu reluctantly took out the gold-embroidered hair ornament and the magnificent sword, and put them on one by one.

"Master Lin, Anren Prefecture is not like the border region. We disciples cannot rest on our laurels and live off our past achievements."

Fan Li glanced at the government gazette on the table. Perhaps because he had spent many years at the cadre academy and interacted with students all day, he couldn't help but nag a few words whenever he saw young people.

There were no immortals nearby, so he decided to speak his mind: "The border has fallen, and the Yu family has lost face. Fortunately, there is still Martial Aunt Yu Sheng who has salvaged some of the situation. Now, the elders of the clan are obviously planning to promote her and make her the vice headmaster of this martial academy. Master Lin should know what this means?"

"I know."

Lin Shu gently tapped her chin.

As descendants of the immortals of the Yu family, if they wish to become prodigies, they must first possess the qualities of prodigies.

Yu Sheng made great contributions and his reputation spread far and wide in Anren Prefecture.

But in the eyes of the Yu family now, she has a dark past that needs to be erased as soon as possible.

Whenever Yu Sheng is mentioned, Lin Shu is inevitably brought up.

The two are almost inseparable.

This is clearly not how the pride of the Yu family should behave.

Therefore, after clarifying the situation, the Yu family immediately promoted her to the position of deputy mountain chief.

The advantage of this is that she can come into contact with all the talented disciples in Anren Prefecture, including many Core Formation cultivators. She can even use this identity to forcibly transfer them away from their original masters and use them for her own purposes.

Although it can't compare to the team he personally trained, he still has a group of "disciples" he can command.

To put it bluntly, let her broaden her horizons and stop thinking that being the first disciple in a trial is so important.

Afterwards, Yu Sheng was arranged to audit classes at the College of Arts to learn the so-called art of managing people, regain her sense of superiority, and clarify her own position.

In this way, when others mention her in the future, she will be the high-ranking and powerful deputy head of the academy, rather than an ignorant child raised by a disciple.

"Since Master Lin is aware of this, I won't say anything more."

Fan Li sighed, "It is a great taboo for someone to have merits that overshadow their master."

The other party's past efforts have already paid off, for example, this mountain-manager's attire, and the status of a sixth-rank lecturer, which, although lacking real power, is still half a rank higher than the county magistrate of a large county.

Lin Shu could rely on these empty titles to live a life of leisure and idleness in the academy, untouchable by anyone.

But he could no longer interfere with Yu Sheng's future.

This is the Yu family's attitude.

"Master Lin, you still can't forget Yongzhou Pass?" Fan Li picked up the government report and changed the subject, advising, "What's past is past. Such a major event as the conferment of a great demon king is beyond your or my ability to change. You have already saved two hundred disciples, and they have all been incorporated into the Martial Academy. That is a meritorious deed."

"..."

Lin Shu looked into the distance and was indeed a little surprised.

He had clearly already left the border, yet the final position of Demon Lord still fell to him.

There is no demon lord in the world who has reached the Core Formation stage, and he would never be able to win the hearts of the people.

However, he didn't really care about these things.

The most important thing now is to find out how to access inside information and uncover the secrets of the Qi family without joining the Demon Slayer Division.

"However, Lin Shida can rest assured that this matter has already enraged the Yu and Qi families."

"Renaming Yongzhou Pass as Dragon Spine Peak implies that the dragon's spine came first, and then flesh and limbs were attached. Judging from this name, those demons want to use the border as a base to recruit demons to join them and forcibly transform into dragons in that barren shallows."

Fan Li smiled and said slowly, "Unfortunately, they have no such hope."

"Why?" Lin Shu glanced sideways, somewhat curious.

"The Yu family lost Yongzhou Pass, and they must regain their honor. Even if they were at odds with the Qi family in the past, they must now join forces to reclaim their lost territory."

Fan Li glanced around before leaning closer: "The real disciples of the Yu family are about to enter the mortal world... I didn't mean to say you're a fake sect leader!"

"You've already said that." Lin Shu raised an eyebrow slightly.

"Hehe, it was unintentional, unintentional." Fan Li chuckled twice and quickly shook his head.

Although both of them were instructors at the martial arts academy, the other was the head of his clan, and even the headmaster of Qiankun Academy had to give him some face.

"What I mean is that group of Golden Core seniors are going down the mountain. I heard that five of them have come out, and two of them will be coming to our Anren Prefecture soon."

Fan Li took a deep breath: "The other sect leaders all go down the mountain to exorcise demons, but Qian Yiru also shoulders the responsibility of avenging his master, Immortal Qiheng."

"If the goal is revenge, why come to Anren Prefecture instead of going directly to Yongzhou Pass?"

A hint of confusion flashed across Lin Shu's eyes. Surely he didn't have a dog's nose and sniff out that the Moon Devouring Demon Lord had infiltrated the Qiankun Martial Academy?

"I know you're eager for revenge, but we must first pacify the internal situation before we can fight external threats."

"Don't be fooled by the fact that there are only three demon lords at Yongzhou Pass now. That was half a month ago. There must be other demon lords who have moved in now, and there is a demon king manipulating things behind the scenes."

"We absolutely cannot afford to lose this battle; we need to mobilize a large number of powerful warriors to suppress it."

Fan Li explained, "But not to mention other places, in our Anren Prefecture alone, there are two great demon lords eyeing us covetously. Although they are not as cruel and reckless as Yunlong and Shiyue, if they know that the Demon Slayer General is going to the border, they will definitely take action."

"What if we haven't even recovered Yongzhou Pass yet, and we lose Anren Prefecture as well?" the old man joked with a laugh.

That's of course impossible.

The border defenses were not strict enough, partly because the disciples of the immortal Qiheng failed their tribulation, which allowed the demons to find an opening.

Secondly, the place was simply too poor. Apart from a few rare spiritual creatures, the rest were all dilapidated mountains and earthen cities, and no immortals were willing to go there.

Although it is called a border pass, in reality, the Liang Kingdom and the Da Shun Kingdom had already ceased hostilities for many years. It was merely a bloody slaughterhouse that both sides had agreed upon to use to hone their disciples.

Why would Da Shun risk everything to seize that vast wasteland? Only demons would covet it.

But Anren Prefecture is different. It is a prosperous and wealthy place, with a branch of the Demon Slaying Bureau and the Qiankun Academy located there.

Which blind monster dares to barge in? Is it courting death?

"The Demon Slaying Division has begun to join forces with the Yu family to eliminate the surrounding demons. Even if they cannot kill them, they must severely injure them first."

"etc……"

Fan Li was talking animatedly when she suddenly noticed something and shouted at the figure outside the courtyard holding a broom, "Idiot, what's wrong with you? You swept all the other courtyards clean, but you just ignored Master Lin's residence. Look how high the fallen leaves are piled up."

Outside the courtyard, a thin, middle-aged man covered in old scars, with not a single unscathed spot on his face, slowly stopped in his tracks.

He glanced at the young man silently and said in a muffled voice, "I don't like him."

"..."

Lin Shu rubbed her temples.

Before entering Anren Prefecture, he had already considered in his mind that he might encounter various so-called prodigies or the provocations of the chief disciple.

They even mentally prepared how to handle it in advance.

However, none of these things happened.

Golden Core cultivators aren't exactly commonplace. He'd been here for so many days and hadn't seen a single one, nor had anyone come to the courtyard to cause trouble.

Only this man sweeping the floor.

Every time I pass by, I have to give myself a disdainful look.

There was no reason whatsoever; it was like someone had a mental illness.

"Nonsense! Sweep the floor now!"

Fan Li looked embarrassed and turned around, saying, "Ignore him. This guy has been sweeping the floor at the academy for decades. We don't know who arranged for him to come in. He's a bit crazy, but we're all used to it."

It's rather strange that in a place like Qiankun Academy, some people's origins are unclear.

Either the person behind the other party has too much influence to be understood, or their background is too small. For example, a servant might secretly slip some silver to introduce another person, or even the original group might be gone, making it impossible to investigate.

But if it's just a sweeping job, and you do it for decades, then it's most likely the latter.

"Alright, Master Lin, take good care of your injuries. Are you tired of the food in the dining hall? I've ordered some food for you from outside, and someone will bring it over shortly."

Fan Li stood up, bowed, and turned to walk out of the courtyard.

"Thank you, Master Fan."

After he left, Lin Shu withdrew her gaze, a strange look appearing in her eyes.

From the very beginning, he felt that Yunlong Yaojun and the others' plan was not very reliable.

Immortals value their reputation above all else; how could they possibly allow the border to fall?

It's unclear whether those demons can withstand the counterattack from the immortal sects.

Judging from the preparations made by these immortals, it seems quite difficult.

Should we send Old Xu back to deliver a message, telling Xie Yutang to take the supplies and run away with those little demons as soon as possible?

Just as he was pondering, conversations suddenly broke out outside the courtyard.

"Hey! You idiot!"

"Hey! Cripple!"

Hearing that familiar voice, Lin Shu raised an eyebrow slightly, got up, and walked out of the courtyard.

The two of them chuckled.

Old Yang took a large bowl of food from the food box and whispered, "I brought you food today, and my wife made it especially for you. Take it and eat."

"Our wife is so good." The skinny man chuckled as he took the large bowl, barely knowing how to use chopsticks, and haphazardly shoveled food into his mouth.

"That's my fucking wife, you idiot!"

Old Yang glared at him sullenly, and as soon as he raised his head, he froze, his body trembling slightly.

The thin man didn't turn around, but noticed his friend's strange behavior. He slowly stopped eating, and a cold glint appeared in his murky eyes on his ugly, scarred face.

"Master Lin!"

The food box in Old Yang's hand fell to the ground with a thud, and he shouted excitedly, "What are you doing here!"

"That's what I wanted to ask you too."

Lin Shu walked over.

Just then, the skinny man suddenly jumped out, holding his rice bowl in one hand and covering his nose with the other.

"Idiot, what's wrong with you?" Old Yang looked at him in astonishment.

"Crippled man, let's ignore him, okay? I hate dogs, he smells like a dog." The skinny man said in a muffled voice, sounding both aggrieved and fearful.

"Ouch! You're actually swearing now." Old Yang smacked him on the back of the head decisively and snapped, "Call me Master Lin!"

The skinny man, after being slapped, turned to the young man and said reluctantly, "Master Lin."

"Master Lin, he's just a fool. He probably got bitten by a dog when he was a kid, so he likes to talk nonsense." Old Yang withdrew his hand with satisfaction.

"..."

Lin Shu stood there expressionless, seemingly calm, but her fingers, hidden beneath her sleeves, were already clenched tightly.

The relaxation and comfort I had accumulated over the past ten days were suddenly extinguished by that one sentence.

Since obtaining the "Celestial Root" spiritual root.

It's been a long time since anyone has said what smells like on them.

What does "dog smell" mean?

"I don't think I've ever owned a dog."

Lin Shu observed carefully for a while, but no matter what she did, she could not find any trace of cultivation on this person.

At most, he's someone who's learned some spiritual techniques, similar to a border laborer.

He calmed himself down.

I had previously guessed that, given the profound nature of the Soul Splitting Thousand Threads technique, I was probably not the only one possessed by a wolf spirit. Could it be that the person in front of me was in a similar situation?

Is it because of the attraction of souls that the other party can sense the presence of the Filthy Moon Wolf Lord without relying on aura?

"Um?"

Upon hearing this, the fool frowned and sniffed hard: "Okay, maybe I smelled it wrong."

He scratched his head, sniffed Old Yang again, and grinned, "Hey! You smell like a fox. I'm going to tell our wives."

"You're talking nonsense! I went to the brothel to deliver food and just got back. Besides, that's my wife!"

Old Yang was so angry he laughed. He could hold back when he was in charge of the magpie's nest, let alone now.

"call."

Lin Shu felt inexplicably powerless.

I was actually getting caught up in the words of a fool.

They even analyze the deeper meaning behind each of the other person's words.

But no matter what, it's always better to be careful.

He flicked his finger slightly, and a wisp of his soul quietly landed on the ugly, thin middle-aged man.

After doing all this, Lin Shu checked the remaining eight hundred taels of silver.

We can't afford to hold back any more resources. Today, we must use this money to break through that critical hurdle that's been threatening to burst open.

Without strength comparable to that of a Golden Core cultivator, he felt utterly insecure in this unfamiliar Anren Prefecture, like a frightened bird.