hundreds of pairs of golden eyes, flowing with Samadhi True Fire, floated silently in the mist.
Those were the eyes of Qiong Qi, ferocious and terrifying, and behind those eyes were countless descendants of ancient divine beasts. Some had human faces and snake bodies, some had green faces and fangs, all of them were great demons at the five-stage Domain Lord realm.
Yao Huo floated in the air, his eyes slightly narrowed.
That Qiong Qi, right in front of him, had said it wanted to protect Xu Mu and threatened that no one was allowed to make a move?
"If I kill him now, you can't do anything to me."
"You should know that at our level, it's difficult to be held back unless you're intent on dying."
Yao Huo's expression was calm, his tone extremely confident.
On the continent of Eastern Europe, there were billions of humans, and he was the forty-third strongest among these billions, a being who could be said to be peerless. How could he be easily killed? Let alone hundreds of great demons at the Domain Lord realm here, even if there were thousands or tens of thousands, he could still control his Dharma Idol and break through, escaping to safety!
Yes, although he couldn't win, he could escape. Ordinary people couldn't stop him easily because he had a Dharma Idol, which was derived from the Great Dao and could not be destroyed by ordinary means. Unless it was a carefully planned encirclement by powerful individuals of the same level, he would not die. This was Yao Huo's confidence!
The Qiong Qi heard Yao Huo's words and immediately became enraged. Flames drifted from its massive eyes, and the surrounding mist automatically dispersed.
It looked up at Yao Huo in the sky and spoke in a human tongue:
"Indeed, there is nothing we can do to you."
"But if you don't care, if all the great demons in my West Mountain were to swarm out and flatten your human towns, you are welcome to try."
Yao Huo's expression instantly turned cold upon hearing this, as if covered in frost.
Could it be that the Qiong Qi was willing to incite such a terrifying war for Xu Mu!
"That kind of battle already happened not long ago. Although no human powerhouses intervened, they still achieved victory."
The Qiong Qi naturally knew he was referring to the appearance of a pollution source in the West Mountain, and thus it spoke disdainfully,
"It wasn't just that your human race didn't send out any powerhouses; our great demons didn't participate either."
"And even if your human race won, what's the point? When night falls, the corpses killed during the day will revive, endlessly, ceaselessly. Don't you know this in your heart!"
The Qiong Qi's words sent shivers down everyone's spines.
No matter where they appeared, the undead were the nemesis of humanity. Even if their own families suffered no losses, there was always someone among their friends and relatives who died because of them, so they all hated them profoundly.
Even Xu Mu's gaze towards the great Qiong Qi slowly changed. To threaten humanity with such a matter in front of him? httpδ:/m.kuAisugg.nět
Noticing Xu Mu's unease, the young Qiong Qi quickly transmitted,
"Don't worry, our Qiong Qi clan is different from the mutated great demons you killed. Although we are all demons, the strength of our Qiong Qi clan doesn't rely on those dark mutations!"
Upon hearing this, Xu Mu's expression slightly improved.
He had killed countless beasts and undead over the years. Now, if he were to be protected by them in return, he would indeed feel ashamed and unable to accept it. Fortunately, there was a difference.
Yao Huo also snorted coldly.
What the other party said was true. Because of the eerie night, those undead could revive endlessly, and killing them was useless.
"Are you so confident that you can command all the demons in the West Mountain to attack human towns?" Yao Huo asked unwillingly.
The Qiong Qi was very confident:
"You can try."
"The premise is, you can bear the cost."
Yao Huo fell silent. If all the monsters in the West Mountain were to break loose, the entire eerie night domain would fall.
At that time, if that fisherman investigated and found out that all of this was caused by his internal conflict, then even if he obtained the Heavenly Book and became the Human King, he would end up with a dead body and scattered soul!
Moreover, even setting these aside, Yao Huo was still an esper from the Demon Eradication Division, having saved countless civilians in the past. If he were to indirectly harm so many people for the Heavenly Book now, he wouldn't be able to live with himself.
"Hmph, then I'll believe you for now." Yao Huo recognized the situation, waved his hand, and stopped pestering, "Disperse, the demon god did not pass the Heavenly Book to Xu Mu."
"Sir, this..."
The elderly Domain Lord from the Demon Eradication Division was flustered by Yao Huo's sudden change in attitude.
They, the followers, were hoping for a situation where one person attained the Dao and all their associates benefited. If Yao Huo obtained the Heavenly Book, they, his subordinates, would naturally gain from it. Then, by chance, they might advance to the Half-step Human King realm, awaken their Dharma Idols, and instantly leave 99.9% of Domain Lords behind, their status soaring!
The old man's face was filled with unwillingness. They were only one step away from obtaining the Heavenly Book, and giving up just like that, he was not willing!
"Sir, shall we try again? The Qiong Qi tribe might not be able to incite the undead in the West Mountain. We can't just let Xu Mu escape like this!"
Just as Yao Huo was about to leave, the old man grabbed his sleeve. Yao Huo's expression immediately darkened, and he said impatiently,
"If you're not escaping, go kill him yourself."
The old man's face stiffened. He wanted to continue to pester, but Yao Huo was annoyed by him. He flicked his sleeve, and his internal aura surged out, throwing the old man ten meters away. He roared,
"I said, Xu Mu does not have the Heavenly Book!"
"He is still a member of our Demon Eradication Division and has merit for killing the demon god!"
"From now on, no one is allowed to mention this matter again. All of you, go back!"
Yao Huo said sternly, declaring the end of the matter.
Xu Mu was clearly untouchable now. If he couldn't be killed, then making an enemy of such a peerless genius was undoubtedly an incredibly foolish thing to do.
Although not all geniuses could cultivate peacefully to the end, Ji Chang was an example, as was Yan Yu who had fainted. But if they couldn't eliminate the threat, who would want a potential enemy to constantly worry about their own life?
"The past is now forgotten."
Yao Huo transmitted to Xu Mu. Xu Mu fell silent for a moment after hearing this, then nodded.
This was how the cultivation world was; there were no eternal enemies.
His conflict with Yao Huo was purely a matter of interest, unlike his grievances with the Old Ancestor of the Wang family, which could be smoothed over. Moreover, he did not want to have long-term grievances with a Half-step Human King realm expert; it was too dangerous for him, who had yet to grow.
Seeing Xu Mu nod, Yao Huo lingered no longer and turned to leave.
The unwilling old man from the Demon Eradication Division could only glance at Xu Mu with a pale face, then gritted his teeth imperceptibly, and followed Yao Huo's footsteps.
"You're really lucky."
The Old Ancestor of the Wang family and others retreated vigilantly. Faced with the encirclement of so many great demons at the Domain Lord realm, they dared not act rashly.
The crisis was thus resolved.
...
The young Qiong Qi watched all of this silently and sneered,
"Before they were all about fighting and killing, and in the blink of an eye, it's all negotiations and retreats. They're truly shameless."
"Shut up, who do you think you are to speak!"
The young Qiong Qi's mother sternly stepped forward and shouted. The young Qiong Qi was so startled that it immediately cowered behind Xu Mu, looking pitifully,
"I didn't do anything wrong, but you told me to follow Xu Mu."
"He walked into the dark palace, and it's not a problem for me to follow him. Besides, without me, he wouldn't have been able to kill the demon god."
The young Qiong Qi's mother was furious and roared,
"Still trying to argue!"
"Do you know how dangerous it was there? If our clan were truly meant to kill the demon god, why would we send a child like you!"
"Alright, alright. Since the outcome is good, let's not dwell on these things. Let's entertain our guests first."
The elder chieftain of the Qiong Qi clan spoke, and then he added,
"Since you've come here, don't rush back."
"Little friend, you are called Xu Mu, right? And you, my companion by your side, since our common enemy is the demon god, and little Qiong Qi gets along well with you, then we are all friends. If you don't mind, don't rush back. Stay in the core region of the West Mountain for some time, and let my Qiong Qi clan host you properly."
Xu Mu and the Wine Immortal Daoist exchanged glances and both felt it was feasible, so Xu Mu smiled and nodded,
"Then it's better to obey than to decline."
...
...
"I was worried about not having a place to go, and returning to Fengqing Village immediately would be too dangerous. Unexpectedly, we were hosted by the Qiong Qi tribe for seven days. The commotion outside should have subsided by now."
Xu Mu and the Wine Immortal Daoist were walking through the exclusive paradise of the Qiong Qi tribe. Here, green mountains and clear waters were picturesque, the air was fresh, and the sun was bright. It was hard to imagine that this was a place in the depths of the West Mountain.
They had been here for a full seven days. After bidding farewell to the Qiong Qi tribe this morning, they began to walk out of the West Mountain along a small stream.
"Yes, it's best to take refuge here with the Qiong Qi tribe. However, my boy, don't think about not returning to my temple because life here is too comfortable. If you do, I won't let you off!"
The Wine Immortal Daoist said jokingly. Although Xu Mu hadn't explicitly stated he would return to his temple when they were in the Heavenly Tree Tomb, he could sense Xu Mu's trust through their conversations.
Therefore, his senior brother's matter of accepting a disciple could be considered settled.
And today, it was the seventh day of their stay with the Qiong Qi tribe. The turmoil in the outside world should have calmed down somewhat, and it was time for them to leave the West Mountain.
Hearing the Wine Immortal Daoist's words, Xu Mu's mind was filled with many thoughts.
In fact, he was not ready to leave the eerie night domain, or rather, he did not want to leave.
But if he had to elaborate on why he didn't want to leave or the reasons, he really couldn't think of any, because he had no attachments.
After Wu Kui died, he was alone and had no close friends. He should have been able to leave at any time, but at the last moment, he felt a strange reluctance.
Seeing that Xu Mu's state was not right, the Wine Immortal Daoist's walking body immediately stiffened. He cautiously asked,
"You really don't want to come with me anymore?"
Xu Mu shook his head:
"I don't know."
"To be honest, it feels like two little people are fighting in my head. The one on the left tells me I should go back to your temple to cultivate, but the one on the right keeps pulling me, preventing me from leaving."
Xu Mu frowned, his eyes narrowed:
"The two little people have conflicting arguments, but strangely, although the little person on the right has not given any reason that can convince me to stay, I always inexplicably lean towards him."
The Wine Immortal Daoist raised an eyebrow and asked,
"Why?"
Xu Mu's voice was calm:
"I don't know."
"From a very young age, I understood that attachments are the most fatal things, so I rarely made friends, only acquaintances."
He lowered his head, looking at the green grass beneath his feet, his eyes moved:
"I thought I had seen enough of the scenery here."
"Nameless Mountain, Tomb Mountain, West Mountain, Blackwater River, Undying City, Burial Mound... I've been to almost every place in the eerie night domain. The places I haven't been to, this body of mine has been to."
"I originally thought I was already tired of this kind of life, but it seems that in the dark, I have already developed a connection with this land."
"Perhaps it is unavoidable for people to have attachments in this world. If one is too far from home, they will forget their hometown. My heart, perhaps, fears that after leaving, I will lose the memories of these twenty years."
The Wine Immortal Daoist was silent for a moment after listening to Xu Mu's long感慨, then sighed and said gently,
"Although this is not what I should say, I still want to tell you that cultivation in Baiyun Temple emphasizes following one's heart."
"Following one's heart means acting according to one's desires. If you can comprehend the deep meaning within, you will have received the true teachings. So, if you don't want to go, then don't go. I believe my senior brother would not force you."
Xu Mu was slightly startled by these words. He had expected the Wine Immortal Daoist to try his best to dissuade him.
"It was my petty mind."
But then, the Wine Immortal Daoist's tone shifted:
"However, on the other hand, in this world, no one can stay in one place for long. Although I don't know what opportunities you've encountered, or where you learned Dao Source and Bagua, it's certain that you are a peerless genius, a genius with destiny!"
"A genius like you cannot possibly stay hidden in a small place like the eerie night domain for your entire life. Of course, I'm not saying the eerie night domain is bad, I mean, you are a hidden dragon, a dragon in the abyss, but one day you will soar into the nine heavens."
"At that time, if your own strength is not strong enough, you will be struck down from the clouds. Even if you don't die, you will surely be in hardship, sent to another place, become a displaced person, and lose your home, just like Ji Chang!"
Xu Mu was stunned for a moment after hearing this, and cautiously asked,
"What exactly happened to Ji Chang back then...?"
The Wine Immortal Daoist shook his head upon hearing this,
"This is not something you should ask now. You will know it in the future."
"I hope you will take my words to heart. I will not harm you, and going to Baiyun Temple does not mean you will never return. When you reach the Domain Lord realm, or even the Half-step Human King realm, returning will be effortless, won't it?"
Xu Mu felt that his words made sense, so he stopped asking questions, only feeling that it was suddenly troublesome.
"Then let's go."
"However, you need to give me half a day to thoroughly resolve these matters in the eerie night domain. Once I have no worries, I can leave."
Xu Mu said, continuing to walk down the mountain.
His mind was made up; he would go to Baiyun Temple.
The Wine Immortal Daoist was stunned for a moment, then looked at Xu Mu's gradually receding back, his face suddenly filled with joy, his white beard twitching,
"All right!"
...