Read Novel Full Chapter 548: His Female Confidantes Are Quite Numerous (2 in 1)
Chapter 548: His Female Confidantes Are Quite Numerous (2 in 1)
Reality, the demon-race world, Suan Yu Kingdom.
Suan Yu Kingdom bordered the Buddhist lands of the Western Region.
Though it was called a kingdom in name, Suan Yu Kingdom’s territory was not truly large. At most, it was roughly four times the size of an ordinary dynasty’s imperial capital in the Ten Thousand Arts world.
One city was an entire kingdom.
However, within a hundred-mile radius of Suan Yu Kingdom, aside from dense venomous creatures and boundless swamps, there was no trace of any other demon race to be seen, much less any humans.
Withered vines coiled everywhere, poisonous miasma filled the air, and barren earth stretched on without end.
All of it seemed to form a natural barrier around Suan Yu Kingdom.
And yet today, this one-city kingdom isolated from the world was very likely about to vanish from existence.
Above Suan Yu Kingdom, strange birds wheeled and tore at one another throughout the sky.
The Classic of Northern Mountains said: “There is a bird there. Its shape is like a snake, with four wings, six eyes, and three feet. It is called Suan Yu. Its cry calls its own name. When it appears, terror will come to that city.”
Those Suan Yu birds spat foul-smelling venom from their mouths without end.
The venom poured down like rain. Anything the venom touched—even stone—would be swiftly corroded in the blink of an eye and reduced to nothing.
Thick poisonous miasma gathered and piled up continuously above Suan Yu Kingdom, layer upon layer, until it formed bank after bank of heavy, oppressive poison clouds.
But soon, streaks of foxfire cut across the sky and ignited patch after patch of dense poison cloud.
Immediately afterward, chariots drawn by Maoma horses came treading through the air, their rumbling shaking the heavens.
Human cultivators and demon cultivators leaped down from the chariots one after another, gripping blades, swords, and long spears as they pierced through the backs of Suan Yu birds one after another without mercy.
The Suan Yu birds’ shrill screams sounded as if they were calling out their own names. Then they plummeted heavily from the sky ten thousand zhang above.
“Black Fox Army, charge with me!”
A woman named Tushan Doudou, clad in battle armor and holding a long spear, was the first to charge into the enemy formation.
The long spear in her hand turned into a black meteor and ruthlessly pierced through a Suan Yu bird.
And just as the spear shot toward the ground at terrifying speed, she caught up to it in an instant, seized the butt of the spear, borrowed that momentum, and violently drove it through the back of another Suan Yu bird.
The black-fox woman stomped down hard, used the force to launch herself into the air, and led the hundred-thousand-strong Black Fox Army behind her like a black flood as they once again killed deep into Suan Yu Kingdom’s military formation.
Suan Yu Kingdom’s army clearly numbered six hundred thousand, yet under the assault of this hundred-thousand-strong Black Fox Army, they were scattered into utter disorder and routed beyond recovery.
And just as the soldiers of Suan Yu Kingdom prepared to risk their lives and break out, foxfire rained down from every direction like a torrential downpour.
A woman named Tushan Yiyi looked coldly down over all of it, her eyes without the slightest ripple.
She did not care at all about the howls and screams of Suan Yu Kingdom’s demon cultivators.
“Nine-Tails Kingdom! Do you truly intend to exterminate us to the last?” the ruler of Suan Yu Kingdom stood within the army formation and roared up at the sky, his voice filled with rage he could no longer suppress.
“What else?” Tushan Doudou stood with her spear in hand, her eyes full of contempt, a disdainful curve lifting the corner of her mouth. “Did my Nine-Tails Kingdom come all the way to this stinking place of yours to enjoy the scenery?”
“Good! Very good! Nine-Tails Kingdom, I will remember this!”
After flinging out that threat, the ruler of Suan Yu Kingdom turned and tried to flee.
But before his four wings could carry him far, several spell formations bloomed one after another like lotuses in a summer pond.
“Suppress.”
The woman named Tushan Kankan called out softly. With her at the head, the army of ten thousand formation masters simultaneously ended their chanting, and approximately two hundred spell formations activated at the same instant.
Within the spell formations, countless Suan Yu Kingdom demon cultivators did not even have time to scream before they were reduced under the formations to mashed flesh and blood mist.
After the rain of fire that filled the sky, a scarlet rain of blood followed, dyeing the entire scorched earth red.
This great battle lasted three full double-hours from beginning to end.
Three double-hours later, Tushan Doudou personally cut off the ruler of Suan Yu Kingdom’s head.
All of Suan Yu Kingdom’s demon cultivators lost every last shred of will to resist and lowered their heads in surrender.
“It’s over.”
Tushan Doudou let out a long breath. Carrying the ruler of Suan Yu Kingdom’s head in her hand, she landed on a hilltop and strode over to her two sisters.
“Clean things up, then let’s return and report.”
“No rush.” Tushan Yiyi shook her head. “I heard Her Majesty has come.”
“Her Majesty?” Tushan Doudou froze for a moment, her face full of confusion. “For a tiny Suan Yu Kingdom like this, the three of us sisters were enough. Why would there be any need to trouble Her Majesty to come in person?”
“Perhaps... Her Majesty also wanted to come out and walk around to clear her mind?” Tushan Yiyi thought for a moment and guessed softly.
“Then where is Her Majesty now?” Tushan Doudou’s eyes shone with worship for Her Majesty. “I’ll hurry and bring the ruler of Suan Yu Kingdom’s head to Her Majesty!”
“No need.” Tushan Kankan hastily took a step back, putting distance between herself and that bloody head. She covered her nose with her sleeve in disgust, afraid it might soil her dress. “That head is hideous. Don’t take it and dirty Her Majesty’s eyes.”
She paused, then continued, “Her Majesty said we should handle Suan Yu Kingdom according to the original plan. As for Her Majesty... she is going to an old place.”
“An old place?”
Tushan Doudou was slightly startled at first, and a trace of confusion surfaced in her eyes.
But very soon, she seemed to understand something all at once. The light in her eyes gradually dimmed, and she could not help sighing softly in her heart.
...
Mount Sikong.
This mountain lay quietly across the western side of Suan Yu Kingdom.
A woman in a long dress walked alone through a village that had been abandoned for who knew how many years.
Beneath eaves wrapped in withered vines, not the slightest human voice could be heard. Only the sound of wind passed through broken walls and ruined courtyards, whimpering as it went.
The woman walked step by step toward the mountain peak. The embroidered shoes beneath her feet stepped over gravel and withered leaves, yet they were not stained by the slightest dust.
Though the venomous creatures around her had not a trace of intelligence, the terrifying, suffocating pressure on the woman’s body still allowed them to clearly sense fear from the depths of their bloodlines.
All the venomous creatures fled in panic, circling far around the woman, not daring to offend her in the slightest.
When she reached the foot of a mountain peak covered in decay, the woman stopped and raised her head, quietly looking at that bare mountain. Then she lifted the long leg beneath her skirt and slowly stepped onto the cracked stone stairs.
When the woman reached the summit, a dilapidated temple appeared before her.
She stood silently before the temple gate, and in her picturesque eyes, a trace of remembrance seemed to pass quietly by.
After a while, she stepped into the temple.
The vermilion lacquer on the doors had long since peeled away completely, exposing pale, mottled wooden grain beneath.
Whenever the wind blew, the crooked wooden door creaked as if it were a gravely ill bird giving a low, dying cry.
Within the temple, withered yellow grass filled the gaps between the blue bricks. The taller blades had already risen past the ankle, while the shorter ones crawled low across the ground.
At the base of the walls, moss had gathered in thick layers, so dark green it was nearly black.
The woman passed through the ruined front courtyard and slowly entered the main hall.
Several sparse shafts of sunlight leaked down through the broken roof, slanting in through gaps between shattered tiles and illuminating the dust drifting in the air.
On the offering table, the accumulated dust was an inch thick. The woman extended a finger and lightly traced it across the dust, leaving behind a clean, clear mark, as if cut there by a blade.
She raised her head.
The gold leaf on the Buddha statue had long since broken and fallen away, exposing the rough, gray-black clay body beneath. The Buddha’s body was covered in fine cracks like a dried-up riverbed.
Yet the Buddha statue still smiled with a flower between its fingers, head lowered, eyes downcast, gazing mercifully upon all living beings in the world.
However, as the woman looked at the Buddha, her eyes were filled with unconcealed mockery.
“Amitabha...”
Before the Buddha statue, an old monk kneeling on the ground softly recited a Buddhist invocation, then slowly opened his eyes.
“Benefactor Tushan, it has been a long time.” The monk’s voice was peaceful and composed.
“It has been several thousand years.”
Tushan Jingci looked faintly at the monk, her tone revealing no ripple.
“When I emerged from seclusion back then, I heard that your Western Region had been beaten straight through by a demonic sect cultivator. Forget the other Buddhist temples—even your Kongnian Temple nearly had its lineage extinguished, didn’t it?”
“That... did indeed happen.”
Xujing scratched his head, his expression carrying a bit of embarrassment.
Even after so many years had passed, when Xujing thought of the vast Buddhist sects of the Western Region nearly having their inheritance cut off by one person, he still felt somewhat ashamed.
“If my information is correct, the person who nearly destroyed your Kongnian Temple was named Xiao Mo?” Tushan Jingci pressed, her voice turning colder without her noticing.
“That is correct...” Xujing fell silent for a moment, but in the end, he still nodded.
“It was him?” Tushan Jingci spoke coldly, the chill in her eyes intensifying.
The old monk knew whom the “him” in Tushan Jingci’s mouth referred to.
The old monk seated on the meditation cushion fell into a long silence.
After a very long time, he still slowly nodded, his voice low and calm. “This humble monk is not certain... only that the sect master of the Myriad Demons Sect looked exactly the same as Senior Brother.”
“Actually, if that sect master of the Myriad Demons Sect truly was Senior Brother, then as his junior brother, it would only be proper for me to be bullied by Senior Brother once or twice.”
“Only...”
Xujing’s voice lowered, almost into a sigh.
“Even if he is Senior Brother, in the end, he is no longer Senior Brother.”
“He used to be Xiao Mo, sect master of the Myriad Demons Sect. Now... he is Xiao Mo, ruler of Zhou.”
And the instant Xujing’s words landed, an extremely terrifying pressure filled the entire temple.
“I do not care how many times he reincarnates. If his soul is Xiao Mo, then he will forever be Xiao Mo!” Tushan Jingci’s voice was like shattering ice. Killing intent, utterly unconcealed, pressed heavily through the ruined temple like a collapsing mountain. “Every debt, one by one, I will make him repay... No matter how long it has been! It is useless!”
Listening to Tushan Jingci’s words, Xujing slowly closed his eyes and remained silent. He only turned the Buddhist beads in his hand, as if silently chanting scripture in his heart.
“I also heard that your little granddaughter is called Wangxin? She had quite a bit of contact with him. The two of them even developed feelings for each other?” Tushan Jingci asked at last.
Cold sweat appeared on Xujing’s forehead, but he quickly shook his head. “This humble monk does not know the specifics. It is only that back then, Xiao Mo of the Myriad Demons Sect once saved Wangxin’s life. He even personally sent Wangxin to Kongnian Temple. It would be normal if that disciple of mine developed admiration for Senior Brother. But Senior— But Xiao Mo of the Myriad Demons Sect... seemed only to regard Wangxin as a younger sister.”
“Younger sister? Heh. His female confidantes are quite numerous.” Tushan Jingci let out two cold laughs.
When the words fell, her skirt fluttered lightly. She turned and left. When she reached the threshold, she stopped again and said coldly, “Suan Yu Kingdom has been taken by my Nine-Tails Kingdom. Next, your Western Region will also belong to my demon-race world!”
“I summoned you here today, bald donkey, to give the Buddhist sects of your Western Region two choices.”
“First, submit to my demon-race world.”
“Second...”
Tushan Jingci paused slightly, turned her head, and cast Xujing a sidelong glance. Then she continued walking forward, but her voice came coldly from behind her, echoing through the entire ruined main hall.
“Die.”
...
After Tushan Jingci left, the ruined temple fell into dead silence. Spiders crawled quietly across their webs, as if even the sound of a falling leaf could be heard clearly.
The old monk Xujing slowly raised his head and looked at the broken Buddha statue before him.
In the old monk’s eyes, there seemed to be a trace of dazedness, and also a low sigh that scattered into the wind.
In that daze, the ruined Buddhist temple before the old monk’s eyes seemed to become once again the temple of those days, rich with Buddhist resonance, with an endless stream of pilgrims, blue bricks, green tiles, clean and solemn.
And in this Buddhist temple, which could not be considered especially famous yet was deeply trusted by the common people, there had once been a young monk.
This young monk was handsome, kindhearted, and widely performed good deeds. His attainment in Buddhist teachings was even more outstanding.
The common people in the villages and towns below the mountain liked him.
The master and martial uncles in the temple also liked him.
And as his little junior brother, Xujing had always regarded Senior Brother as a model, admiring and learning from his every word and deed.
At that time, the little junior brother often thought to himself:
If one day Senior Brother became the abbot of Sikong Temple, he would definitely do everything in his power to assist Senior Brother, help Senior Brother properly manage this temple, and let its incense offerings continue forever, bringing blessings to the land around it.
But one day...
Senior Brother took off his monk’s robes, changed into Daoist robes, and shouldered a pack.
“Senior Brother... In the future... are you not going to be a monk anymore?”
The little junior brother, only eight years old, raised his head and asked with wide eyes, his voice full of innocence and unease.
“Mm... I probably won’t be.” Senior Brother rubbed his junior brother’s smooth, bald head and smiled faintly, his tone still gentle. “Xujing, in the future, you must chant scripture and cultivate properly. Take good care of Master. This Sikong Temple will be entrusted to you from now on.”
“Why? Why won’t Senior Brother be a monk anymore? Senior Brother is clearly so amazing. Senior Brother could clearly become a Buddha in the future...”
The little junior brother’s eyes reddened with urgency, and his voice carried a sob, as if tears might fall at any moment.
“Why...”
The man who was no longer a monk only smiled faintly.
He did not answer.
He stood up.
Step by step.
He walked farther and farther away.