Chapter 13: Clash of Demonic Artisans, Narrowly Escaping Death by a Strike
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A commotion erupted among the demons. A group of them pushed through the crowd and came to the front.
Mo Fan instinctively looked over, only to find that the leader was a thin, dark-skinned old man dressed in black robes.
“Is that… a human?”
The instant he saw the old man, Mo Fan was badly startled. The man was utterly out of place among the surrounding demons. From head to toe, he scarcely possessed a demonic feature and looked, in every respect, exactly like a human.
No… he was a demon!
Mo Fan soon sensed something amiss.
He suddenly noticed that the old man had more than two arms beneath his sleeves—he had four in total.
Though the gaunt old man had assumed human form, he was bald, just like Mo Fan, and his bare scalp was dark enough to look almost black. The sight was exceedingly strange.
As soon as the old man appeared, the demons around him lowered their voices considerably. Clearly, they held him in some awe.
Mo Fan also noticed three demons following behind him. Like Blueface and the Wolf Demon, they had transformed only partially into human shape.
Judging from their appearances alone, Mo Fan could identify only one of them as a spider demon.
As for the other two, he could not determine their true forms. He did notice, however, that both were bald, just like the gaunt old man, which made them rather distinctive.
Seeing that the old man seemed to possess some standing among the demons, Mo Fan immediately cried out for help.
“Brother Demon, save us! We only came to seek refuge with the Demon King of Black Wind Mountain. We meant no disrespect—we aren’t unruly wild demons!”
“How dare you!”
The spider demon behind the black-robed old man immediately shouted at him.
“Silence, you ugly freak! You haven’t even fully manifested your spiritual form, yet you dare address my master as your brother? Have you no manners?”
The spider demon’s rebuke left Mo Fan rather perplexed.
That’s your master, not mine. How exactly am I being discourteous?
And why were these demons so obsessed with calling people ugly freaks?
Your whole family is ugly!
Mo Fan knew that his true form was indeed somewhat unsightly, but what the hell did that have to do with them? Had he eaten their rice or something?
Of course, he did not dare say any of that aloud.
“A demon born from a toad?”
The black-robed old man gave the bound pair and tiger a brief inspection before returning his gaze to Mo Fan.
Seeing that he had finally caught the old man’s attention, Mo Fan said respectfully, “Reporting to Lord Demon Official, my true form is indeed that of a toad!”
From the demons’ earlier remarks, he had gathered that this black-robed old man was a Demon Official, apparently of higher standing than ordinary little demons like Blueface. Thus, he went along with the title.
“Hmm. No wonder you’re so ugly.”
The black-robed Demon Official nodded, but his words made Mo Fan’s cheek twitch violently.
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Was being ugly a crime?
Why did every demon feel compelled to mention it?
“Blueface, what is the meaning of this?” The black-robed Demon Official turned toward the Wolf Demon, Blueface.
The moment the black-robed Demon Official had appeared, Blueface and the others had been blocked by the surrounding demons.
Blueface furrowed his brows slightly. Though he disliked the way these fellows conducted themselves, he still repeated the explanation he had given earlier.
“Wild demons?”
A flash of light passed through the black-robed Demon Official’s eyes. He then gave a cold snort.
“According to the rules established by Grandfather King of Black Wind Mountain, any demon naturally born within Black Wind Mountain’s territory cannot be considered a wild demon. Did you make certain of their origins?”
“This…”
Blueface was stunned by the question and did not know how to respond.
“By the rules established by Grandfather King, if they are not wild demons, they cannot be killed at will. They must be recruited into Black Wind Mountain whenever possible. At the very least, they must be handed over to His Majesty for judgment.
“Blueface, you lot have some nerve! Or has your one-eyed master grown bold enough to seize little demons from Black Wind Mountain’s territory and serve them at his private banquet?”
The black-robed Demon Official’s words brought cold sweat to Blueface’s brow. He hurriedly insisted that he would never dare.
“Blueface, what has you so agitated?”
At that moment, a booming voice came from nearby.
The demons parted, and a burly, one-eyed man in gray robes strode over, surrounded by several demons.
“Master!”
Blueface’s face lit up at the sight of him.
The one-eyed man first swept his gaze over the bound Mo Fan and the others, then looked toward the black-robed Demon Official.
“Brother Black, why are you giving my little demons trouble for no reason today?”
“You jest, Brother. I’m merely discussing the matter at hand. I was worried that these little demons under your command might violate the rules established by Grandfather King. If that happened, you might have difficulty explaining yourself to His Majesty.”
The black-robed Demon Official smiled pleasantly.
“Oh?”
The one-eyed man’s brows drew together. His expression hardened, and he strode over to kick Blueface.
“You worthless cur! What trouble have you gotten your master into this time?”
“Master, I’m innocent! It happened like this…”
Though Blueface had taken the kick, he did not dare delay. He immediately recounted everything that had happened.
“You ugly wretch! What gives you the nerve to attack one of the little demons under my command? You clearly hold neither Black Wind Mountain nor our Demon King Grandfather in your eyes! You deserve to die!”
Enraged by what he heard, One-Eye raised his hand and struck toward Mo Fan’s head.
Before the palm had even fully descended, Mo Fan’s heart lurched. A terrifying sense of danger instantly flooded his mind, leaving him trembling with fear.
He had never expected this one-eyed demon to be so ruthless. Without even a word of warning, he intended to take Mo Fan’s life!
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He was giving Mo Fan no time whatsoever to maneuver or plead his case.
Was he, Mo Fan, really going to die here today?
He had not even tasted swan meat yet. Damn it, he was unwilling to go!
In an instant, countless thoughts flashed through Mo Fan’s mind. He felt certain that he was about to die beneath the one-eyed demon’s palm.
Clang!
Yet at that very moment, One-Eye’s descending palm was blocked.
“Why act in anger, Brother? We still don’t know whether this ugly wretch is truly a wild demon.”
“What if he transformed within Black Wind Mountain’s territory? If you strike him down, you’ll violate the rule established by Grandfather King forbidding the wanton slaughter of local little demons. When the time comes, I’m afraid you’ll suffer the punishment of having your tendons torn out and your skin flayed.”
It was the black-robed Demon Official who had intervened, stopping the one-eyed demon’s vicious blow.
Mo Fan let out a breath of relief. His small heart, utterly betraying his composure, continued to thump wildly.
“Brother Black is right. I was being impulsive and failed to think things through. Failed to think things through indeed!”
One-Eye chuckled and withdrew his hand. He then turned to Mo Fan.
“You ugly wretch, where did you transform into a demon? Tell us your origins, and perhaps we’ll spare your life.”
“All the land within a hundred miles belongs to Black Wind Mountain. Don’t you dare spout nonsense, little demon, or no one will be able to save you!” the black-robed Demon Official added with repeated cold laughter.
Was he reminding me?
Mo Fan understood at once. Though he had no idea why the black-robed Demon Official was trying to save him, he hurriedly nodded.
“Reporting to both Lord Demon Officials, I transformed into a demon within this very hundred-mile region. That should make me a local demon. After hearing of the great reputation of the Demon King of Black Wind Mountain, I hurried here to seek refuge, hoping to become an honorable demon of Black Wind Mountain!”
“You…!”
One-Eye ground his teeth in fury. He glared hatefully at the black-robed Demon Official beside him, then gave a cold snort.
“Blueface, you and the others will escort these creatures to Black Wind Cave. Let Grandfather King decide their fate!”
“Yes!”
Blueface and the other little demons accepted the order at once.
This time, the black-robed Demon Official did not stop them. Instead, he smiled.
“I have nothing better to do, so I’ll accompany you, Brother. I may as well see what all the excitement is about.”
With that, the black-robed Demon Official led his three subordinates along behind them.
Thus, the great gathering of demons proceeded noisily up toward the higher reaches of the mountain.
Mo Fan understood that the moment destined to decide his fate had finally arrived.
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