"..."
Lin Shu looked up with a strange expression.
’As expected. Someone who can call himself a monarch under the very noses of the Immortal Families is no simple character.’
In their first meeting, the Demon Monarch had already shown many faces.
His casual warmth toward his subordinates, completely without airs. His assertiveness toward outsiders. And before the other Demons’ thoughts could truly be stirred, his unhesitating use of overwhelming force to suppress them.
As for the leniency he showed Lin Shu, it stemmed not just from trust, but more from his absolute, self-assured control over the situation.
"However, there is one thing I must remind you of, young friend."
The Cloud Dragon Demon Monarch said softly, "Whatever you choose, decide quickly. There isn’t much time left."
’I can choose either path, but I can’t hesitate. Otherwise, I could easily get stuck in the mire and bring disaster upon myself.’
This was a lesson the Demon Monarch himself had learned from experience.
"Thank you for the reminder, Senior."
Lin Shu gave a slight nod.
In the end, the two of them maintained the titles of "young friend" and "senior."
It was just as the Demon Monarch had said before.
’I still have too much to deal with. I simply can’t be in two places at once.’
’It’s impossible for me to truly become his Personal Demon General, at his beck and call at all times.’
What Lin Shu sought was not a high position among the Group of Demons, nor was it a large reward.
He just wanted the Demon Mountain to be a viable escape route for the future.
In this situation, not joining a specific faction but instead acting as a freelance "enforcer"—or to put it more nicely, a "Tributor"—was a role that suited him better.
"Your subordinate’s injuries are healed. I will take my leave now."
The Cloud Dragon Demon Monarch smiled, not minding it too much.
He greatly admired young men with such Heroic Qi, but for now, it was not yet time for Lin Shu to truly come into his own.
Fortunately, the old-timers could still handle the Magical Combat, so there was no need for the younger generation to shoulder such heavy responsibilities.
"We respectfully see off the Demon Monarch."
Everyone rose in unison, watching as a streak of white light shot up, followed by dozens of other streams of light.
"You two aren’t going?" Lin Shu asked the two Demon Generals, Qingming and Golden Bear.
"I can’t be bothered to listen to their nonsense. Attacking Yongzhou Pass is a damn dangerous business. You could lose your head as soon as you go in. Before I get to work, I need to get my fill of Spirit Wine."
Golden Bear slapped his bulging belly.
The Qingming Demon General said coolly, "I have to keep an eye on my wine cellar... and I also have to forge some crude trinkets for these little ones."
"What things?" Lin Shu turned to look at Monkey and the others.
"Heh heh."
Monkey sheepishly pulled an Iron Umbrella from his Storage Bag.
The woman explained, "This is similar to an Immortal Talisman. It can only be used once and doesn’t require any Spiritual Power to be infused. Once opened, it forms a large curtain of Spiritual Power, but it’s only as strong as a strike from a Foundation Establishment Cultivator and lasts for a single night."
"After the Demon Monarch makes his move, they plan to head over and distribute some to the Laborers at the mines and herb fields. It won’t stop much, but it should be enough to block landslides and falling rocks."
Forget Golden Core Cultivators—even Magical Combat at the Core Formation Stage could make mountains tremble.
This item was useless in Magical Combat, but it could save many innocent lives.
"..."
Lin Shu suddenly recalled the first time he’d met them, remembering how these Little Demons had fought ferociously in the White Teeth Mine.
Now, their Cultivation had all improved. They had far more Magical Artifacts and Immortal Talismans than before and were no longer the bullied Scattered Demons they once were.
But their character, it seemed, had remained the same.
"We just want to take a look on our way there, we promise it won’t affect the main mission!" Monkey put away the Iron Umbrella and, fearing a scolding, hastily added another sentence.
With a flick of his finger, Lin Shu sent a streak of light into Monkey’s hand. He said casually, "A Rotating Jade Scroll. It has a map of the area around Yongzhou Pass. Be careful."
He hadn’t planned on letting this group of Little Demons participate in the assault on Yongzhou Pass anyway.
The Group of Demons’ main targets were the one hundred and seven Earth Cities.
The mines and herb fields hidden in the mountains would actually be in less danger.
’I can also earn some Merit Coins on the side.’
Just thinking about the Nine-Turns Purple Sky Golden Core gave Lin Shu a headache.
He had no idea where he was supposed to earn such a massive amount of Merit Coins.
’Or maybe... I should just stay here for real?’
’The great calamity is certainly dangerous, but if I participate, the benefits should be immense as well.’
Ever since he guessed that the Filthy Moon Wolf Lord might be the creation of a Nascent Soul Stage Immortal Descendant, Lin Shu’s mindset had been gradually changing.
’If I’m afraid to take any risks and just hide whenever trouble arises, I’ll miss too many opportunities. In the end, I might face a situation that’s impossible to escape.’
’My time seems more limited than I thought.’
’No one knows what that Young Master Qi is really planning, or when he’ll decide to spring his trap.’
This sense of the unknown felt even more dangerous to him than the tribulation clouds in the sky.
"Come with me."
After a moment of contemplation, Lin Shu turned to Old Xu and Xie Yutang.
The former was a Mid-stage Core Formation Cultivator with powerful Body Tempering. The latter, although she had only just broken through to Core Formation, possessed Sword Essence and Immortal Techniques that only the Yu Family’s Mountain Master could cultivate—something no ordinary cultivator could compare to.
For a Mountain Master Disciple, fighting those at a higher cultivation level was as common as eating and drinking.
If properly coordinated, the three of them working together were actually qualified to participate in this calamity.
Of course, that was assuming they didn’t provoke any Golden Core Cultivators.
「Time passed quickly.」
For the Group of Demons, these were a little over ten days that they had to seize to prepare.
But from the perspective of Yongzhou Pass, it was just another uneventful period in its long history.
The news of the Demon-slaying Bureau’s complete annihilation was, of course, somewhat shocking.
It indicated that the Demons in the mountains had secretly grown into a formidable power.
But it didn’t seem to have anything to do with them. After all, it wasn’t up to them, the young Immortal Descendants, to venture into the mountains to exterminate Demon Fiends.

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