All of the protagonist's Daoist partners are mine!

"Stop yelling! Captain Horse-Face is already burnt to a crisp! Aaaaah!"

"Damn it! That person is a master, retreat quickly!"

There was no way to escape. The fiery tentacles dragged the monsters one by one into the sea of ​​fire, as if they were being devoured by an indescribable monster that controlled fire, creating a terrifying hellish scene.

Nie Renqing's eyes widened, and he covered his mouth, finally realizing that he seemed to have recognized a very powerful master.

"Hmm, the 'Manten Sutra' that Cheap Master gave me is quite useful."

Currently, this body only has a wood spirit root, so while using the Devouring Heaven Demon Art as little as possible, it can only use some techniques that control flowers, plants, and trees.

Seeing the little ghost standing there in shock, Xing Moxie was about to reach out and touch her.

Suddenly, a massive explosion occurred in the Black Mountain region, and a humanoid monster with a rocky body and old vines leaped out of the sea of ​​fire.

"This aura, this cultivation level... Oh, is this the true form of the Black Mountain Demon?"

There are also experts ×

Golden Cicada Shedding Its Shell √

The Black Mountain Demon let out a strange laugh: "Hehehe, you've actually driven your grandmother to this point, you've got guts—Pfft!"

Before he could finish speaking, Xing Moxie flashed by and smashed half of his face with a punch.

"Byd, you stole my laughter, didn't you?"

The Black Mountain Demon spun around in the air dozens of times before finally managing to steady herself: "How dare you ruin my peerless beauty? You deserve to die!"

Hmmmm, so even with the power of a Nascent Soul level cultivator, it's not enough to kill a thousand-year-old demon who is also a Nascent Soul cultivator with one punch?

At this moment, the Black Mountain Demon revealed a dark black pill.

Nie Renqing had seen that before: "Master, be careful, that's probably Grandma's trump card. Grandma used to be careful when instigating her demons to harm people, but ever since she got that pill, she's become reckless."

"What is this!?" Xing Moxie rarely exclaimed in surprise, even opening his squinty eyes halfway.

"Does the master know the origin of that pill?"

“This unique aura, there’s no mistake… it is indeed the thing I know. Why is it here?” Xing Moxie said sternly, “This is undoubtedly something that can cause me real harm.”

Nie Renqing: "What!?"

Hearing this, the Black Mountain Demon became even more confident in the medicine: "Hehehe! It's too late to be afraid. This medicine is the supreme demon pill personally refined by the legendary Demon Lord Xing Moxie, the Supreme Demon Lord who once rivaled the five great immortal sects and plunged the Eternal Continent into fear and darkness. As long as I take it, I will gain invincible power!"

Deep feelings, a dull mouth.

Nie Renqing cried out in despair, "She swallowed it! She swallowed it! We're doomed!"

After swallowing the Supreme Demon Pill, the Black Mountain Demon indeed underwent a change.

"Ooooooo!" The Black Mountain Demon's physical body solidified, her demonic energy surged, and her cultivation suddenly broke through to the Great Perfection of the Nascent Soul stage: "This, this is it. Awooo~ Immortal and invincible! Eek—! With such invincible power, I, your grandmother, can easily crush you all..."

"That's enough, you've tasted enough, take it away." Xing Moxie snapped his fingers at her.

The next second, the Black Mountain Demon, who had gained invincible power, suddenly changed his expression: "No, why, why!?"

Boom!

The surging demonic energy suddenly spiraled out of control, causing the Black Mountain Demon to explode and transform into a dirty firework before sunrise.

Before his body fragments and last vestiges of consciousness faded, the Black Mountain Demon stared at Xing Moxie in disbelief: "You are... no, you could be..."

"Huh?" Nie Renqing was completely confused: "Huh? Huh—?"

Why did Grandma explode? It looks like the owner tampered with it. But wasn't it supposed to be a drug that could harm the owner?

"Wow~ I never expected to see such a dark history in a place like this, one that would cause me such emotional damage. It almost brought back my childhood nightmares," Xing Moxie exclaimed.

He did indeed make that demon pill.

Long ago, he refined this elixir that could enhance demonic cultivation. He confidently gave it to his subordinates, guaranteeing it would increase their strength and that they should use it as a trump card in their battles against righteous cultivators. He even gave it the awesome name "Supreme Demonic Pill."

It didn't work at all.

Strength can indeed increase, but not by much, and it only works for those with low cultivation levels.

Many of his subordinates used this to fight against prestigious and upright families, only to be beaten black and blue and forced to flee.

Then they jointly lodged a protest, strongly demanding that the Demon Lord stop getting involved in alchemy.

Xing Moxie almost lost his reputation in the demonic cultivation world because of this.

This elixir thus became one of his few dark histories, something that could cause real harm to his young mind.

"Damn it, I should have destroyed all of this junk a hundred years ago. How did it end up in a place like this?" Xing Moxie turned to Nie Renqing: "Do you know where the Black Mountain Demon obtained this pill?"

"I don't know, it was brought back by my grandmother one day when she went out."

"Tch. Did we kill him too early?" Even Xing Moxie can make mistakes.

In my haste to erase my past, I killed the demon without asking any questions. Now, even if I wanted to search its soul, I can't.

"Oh well, it was probably left over from when it was destroyed back then."

Anyway, it wasn't a very potent medicine, so Xing Moxie didn't bother to investigate further.

He revealed the ash ring: "Alright, you can stay here from now on. I've always wanted a ring grandpa. Although it's not a grandpa, little ring girl can make do."

"Huh? You want me to live in a nest made of my own bones? What kind of hellish game is this?" Nie Renqing trembled all over; this was too perverted.

"This is called 'using the original broth to digest the original food.' Enough talk, come in!"

Chapter 90: 7 The Demon Lord's study session was truly mind-numbing.

As the first rays of sunlight shone into Jinhua Temple in the early morning, Ding Muchen, who lived on the south side, put down the book he had been reading all night but had barely turned a few pages of.

Looking out the window at the first light of dawn, a sense of unease welled up inside him.

"I wonder how Miss Nie and Mr. Xing are doing. No, no, is this something I should be worried about? If even an extraordinary person like Mr. Xing can't solve this, what can I, a mere scholar, do?"

Recalling Mr. Xing's exhortation to study, Ding Muchen felt cheerful once again.

"That's right, I should seize the time to review and memorize my lessons, pass the imperial examinations, and repay my fellow villagers."

Just as Ding Shusheng decided to slap himself twice to bring his mind back to the desk, a familiar female voice came from outside the room, accompanied by a knock on the door.

"Young Master Ding, are you still awake?"

"Oh?! Miss Nie?" Ding Muchen hurriedly ran to open the door and saw the female ghost standing in the shadow of the eaves, looking exactly the same as when he saw her last night. He was relieved: "Miss Nie, are you alright? Did you encounter Mr. Xing?"

"Yes. My matter has been completely resolved, so please don't worry about it, Young Master Ding. I've come here to discuss what I said last night with you—"

Before Nie Renqing could utter the word "apology," Ding Muchen breathed a sigh of relief and exclaimed, "Mr. Xing is truly a remarkable person. Since Miss Nie is alright, then please don't disturb my studies any longer."

"Huh?"

"What do you mean by 'don't disturb my studies'?" Nie Renqing was taken aback.

"I've realized that women only hinder my speed of memorizing knowledge. If I want to pass the imperial examinations and stand out from the crowd, I must abandon all worldly troubles and immerse myself wholeheartedly in the sea of ​​books." Ding Muchen clenched his fist and looked up at the sky, his eyes radiating endless longing for the future.

To be precise, Xing Moxie told him all of this. After listening to him, he felt that it made a lot of sense.

"Then that's settled. After I pass the imperial examination with flying colors, I'll come back to your grave and offer a couple more sticks of incense."

The door slammed shut, and the resulting gust of wind nearly knocked Nie Renqing over.

Holy crap, what a heartless scholar... no, what a damn bookworm!

What was supposed to be a heart-wrenching farewell turned into a relief for Nie Renqing.

She returned to the next room, where Xing Moxie was already waiting at the table.

"How are your thoughts on seeing Ding Muchen again after escaping this sea of ​​suffering?"

“Ha…” Nie Renqing sighed in frustration: “It’s completely no good. Although Young Master Ding is of good character, he has no courage or ability at all. I really don’t know why I was so impulsive as to ask him for help in the first place.”

It's understandable that you'd act impulsively towards him, since you two were originally destined to be together.

If Xing Moxie hadn't intervened, perhaps that weak scholar could have taken her away by chance.

There will even be a melodramatic interlude where Nie Renqing's bones are precisely found among the remains of more than ten people.

However, none of that will happen now.

"Alright, little ghost girl, come here." Xing Moxie beckoned with a wicked smile: "Now it's time for serious business, you know what I mean, right? Hehehe."

Nie Renqing blushed, loosening her clothes as she walked towards him: "You're not taking off your socks, are you? I understand. If you're such a strong and gentle person as Master, this humble woman is willing... Eh?"

Nie Renqing, who was thinking of throwing himself into Xing Moxie's arms, came to his senses and found himself being pressed down to sit at the table. What position was he supposed to be in?

Xing Moxie exuded the oppressive aura of a final boss, standing behind her: "Are you mistaken about something? My purpose in coming here from the very beginning has only been one thing, and that is to make you, this female ghost who makes people forget their knowledge points, realize how hard it is for graduating students to study!"

"Huh?"

With a whoosh, a massive amount of mortal books poured out of the storage ring, piling up on the table and in front of Nie Renqing, forming a small mountain that reached the ceiling.

"Huh—!?"

Before Nie Renqing could even see the book title clearly, he was already drenched in sweat. Was this damned sense of oppression the weight of knowledge?

Xing Moxie pressed her shoulder and rested his chin on her shoulder as well: "Then let's begin, the pleasant journey of reading."

"Um, Master, instead of reading, let's do something more enjoyable."

“Nothing makes me happier than watching others study.” Xing Moxie’s low-frequency demonic whisper breathed cold air into her ear as he picked up a copy of the Great Learning: “Moreover, you should read the Great Learning and use it in elementary school as well, only then can you be considered well-rounded. I will randomly quiz you, and for every wrong answer, I will reward you with a slap.”

"What should I remember?"

"Of course, it's the intelligence gene!"

"How could this happen?! Grandma, I miss you so much—!"

……

Coincidentally, Ding Muchen next door was also reciting "The Great Learning," and seemed to be getting stuck.

“Uh… The Great Learning teaches us to manifest our bright virtue, to love the people, and to attain the highest good… Uh, and then, and then what?” Ding Shusheng rubbed his temples, racking his brains.

What's the next line again?

Just then, a ghostly wail came from the other side of the courtyard.

"Ah~ Knowing when to stop leads to stability, ah ah~ Stability leads to tranquility, ah ah ah!"

Ding Shusheng had a clear mind: "That's right! It's about knowing when to stop, then having determination, and having determination, then being able to be calm... Eh?"

What was with that shameless voice? He belatedly looked at the wall and swallowed hard.

Is something like that happening on the other side of the wall? Is Miss Nie plotting against Mr. Xing?

Ding Shusheng suddenly stood up, but immediately sat back down.

"What am I thinking? Mr. Xing is such an extraordinary person, he must be using the power of the sages to purify Miss Nie's impurity."

next door

"Keep reciting! Keep reading! Don't let the recitation stop!" Xing Moxie had already begun to celebrate wildly, and with one blow, he sent Nie Renqing flying into the sky.

"Ugh! No, no, Master, I really can't remember what happened next."

"Can't remember? If you can't remember, you'll be punished!"

"I really can't take it anymore, please let me go, Master." Nie Renqing lay on the table, his hair disheveled, his hands gripping the corner of the table tightly, his fingernails scratching several white marks on the side of the table: "This book is too difficult, I can't memorize it, I really can't memorize it!"

It's actually a recitation game, how sophisticated!

Having already replicated the glory of the Dragon Knight, Xing Moxie showed no mercy when it came to being a Ghost Knight: "Now you can understand how difficult it is for those scholars to study hard for the exams, right? They are shouldering the heavy burden of society and life, studying desperately!"

"Ahhhh... I understand, I understand!"

"And you actually used your shallow female charms to make them forget the knowledge they had worked so hard to memorize! This crime deserves death! Apologize to all the scholars in the world! Bump!"

"Ah! I apologize! I underestimated the scholars' awareness and trampled on the knowledge they had accumulated by risking everything. I apologize to all the candidates in the world! Ah!"

“Very good. Seeing how sincere you are, let’s put this book aside for now.” Xing Moxie then brought out another book: “Next, let’s study poetry and prose.”

"How could this happen..."

The study session continued until noon and was still not over.

At first, Nie Renqing still had the strength to beg for mercy, but later on, she even became unable to speak clearly when reciting from the book.

Ding Shusheng packed up his bamboo basket, shouldered his luggage, and continued on his way to take the imperial examination.

He originally planned to say goodbye to Mr. Xing and Ms. Nie before leaving, but the incessant applause made him lose the courage to knock on the door, and in the end he could only leave silently alone.

Xing Moxie sensed Ding Muchen's departure. He rode his ghostly body out the window and offered his blessings to Ding Shusheng, who was about to cross the single-plank bridge with thousands of troops.