Chapter 652: Great Demon 15

Upon seeing them, the old Cultivator merely lifted his eyelids. After looking over the eight people before him, he asked a single question. "A disciple from the forbidden area reported that your soul lamps had all dimmed considerably. Did your journey not go smoothly?"

The Nine-tailed Fox replied with great respect, "Although there were some complications on our journey, it was a success overall. We apologize for worrying you, Martial Uncle. The fault is ours."

’Let Cang Long be the spokesman? With that tough-as-nails personality of his, always ready to throw a punch at the slightest disagreement, the Nine-tailed Fox truly couldn’t relax.’ Thus, the Nine-tailed Fox had taken over all social duties.

The old Cultivator nodded slightly. "It is good that you were successful. Why have only the few of you returned? Where are the other four?"

The Nine-tailed Fox said softly, "They discovered a natural Array deep within the Ten Directions Mountain. Junior Brother Tai Yan is obsessed with Arrays and wanted to stay and study it, so the other three junior brothers are accompanying him."

The old Cultivator accepted this explanation. "Very well. You may go."

The Great Demons all bowed in unison. Just as Tan You was bowing, a vibrant green leaf suddenly landed in her palm. Tan You paused for a slight moment before nonchalantly putting the leaf away.

After leaving the forbidden area, they all exchanged a look. The Nine-tailed Fox slung an arm over Tan You’s shoulder. "Going to tame some spiritual beasts in a bit? How about you let us see what you’ve got?"

Tan You knew he was saying it for any listening Cultivators, so she just grunted in affirmation. "They’re just a few little tricks. I only hope the Martial Uncles don’t find my methods too... violent."

With that, Tan You and the other Great Demons headed for Yuan Hua’s cave residence.

Inside Yuan Hua’s cave residence, the Great Demons looked at the severely injured demons lying on mats. Their eyes were filled mostly with anger, but very little pity. Tan You didn’t find this strange; the Demon Clan had always abided by the law of the jungle. Emotions like sympathy and compassion were rarely extended to demons from outside their own kind.

Cang Long sat sprawled on Yuan Hua’s cold jade bed. "What’s your plan?"

Tan You spoke as she healed the injured demons. "Pool together some top-grade Spirit Stones for me. We’ll let these Cultivators witness the power of my God Trapping Array. We’ll see whose is more powerful—their Mountain Protection Array or my God Trapping Array."

The moment spending money was mentioned, Cang Long became incredibly reluctant. He looked left, then right, and saw that all the other demons had already taken out their Spirit Stones. He was the only one left.

He winced. "I don’t have any Spirit Stones."

Tan You deliberately goaded him. "You’re really not pitching in any Spirit Stones? When we rescue Bai Ze, everyone else will have contributed both money and effort, but you’ll only have put in the work without spending a dime..."

"I heard the Dragon Clan is fabulously wealthy. How can you be so cheap?"

Nettled by her teasing, Cang Long reluctantly scraped together two hundred top-grade Spirit Stones for Tan You. "You’re the one who’s so good at shaking people down for Spirit Stones, and you have the nerve to call me cheap?"

"When you were bribing that manager at the Spirit Beast Garden, you think I didn’t see how much it pained you to part with those stones?"

Tan You was completely shameless. "You’re all famous and established seniors. I’m just a nobody. This is all I’ve managed to save up over so many years. Don’t I have to be frugal?"

Cang Long rolled his eyes. "There’s no arguing with you. You’re always right."

The grievously injured demons recognized that these were Great Demons, and members of their own clan. At this realization, some immediately began to cry. Tan You patted the head of the nearest two-tailed cat. "Don’t cry. We’re here now, aren’t we? If anyone’s going to be crying, it’ll be those bastards."

The two-tailed cat let out a sweet meow. Tan You chuckled. "There, there. Just focus on healing for the next few days. Don’t go anywhere. It won’t be long before we can all go home."

The other injured demons also gathered around Tan You, either nuzzling her or leaning against her. As for the other Great Demons, not one of them made a move to get closer.

Once the injured demons were settled, the Great Demons began their new lives in the Tianyuan Sect—ostensibly guiding disciples in their cultivation, but in reality, casing the entire area. Tan You, for example, had walked over every inch of the sect’s public grounds in less than a month.

The only place she avoided was the depths of the forbidden area. After all, it was full of old monsters. No matter how much faith Tan You had in her inherited memories, she wasn’t about to recklessly barge in there. That would just be courting death.

The Great Demons gathered once every ten days, mainly to exchange information. At this meeting, in addition to the eight Great Demons, there was also a small mouse.

The small mouse stood on the jade table in Yuan Hua’s cave residence, rising up on its hind legs. It gesticulated with its front paws, letting out a "SQUEAK SQUEAK" from time to time.

"There are a total of one thousand nine hundred eighty-one demons registered in the Spirit Beast Garden. Most have been forced into contracts. There are quite a few tough ones like Shuangshuang, and they’re all being held in solitary confinement."

"It’s awful. They’re constantly being injured, and they even have their blood drawn..."

"Some have had their scales brutally ripped out..."

Tan You’s heart ached, but her expression remained impassive. She merely nodded slightly. "You’ve done well. It’s been hard on you."

The small mouse went SQUEAK SQUEAK, then flew onto Tan You’s shoulder. "Huanhuan, when are we making our move? These demons are in a truly pitiful state. There’s a pair of white cranes, and every single egg they lay gets taken by the Cultivators."

"I don’t think they even want to live anymore."

Tan You rested her head on her hand. "Did you make contact with the demons who have masters? Have they mastered the master-servant Array?"

The mouse flopped, mentally exhausted, onto Tan You’s shoulder. "Don’t even get me started. How can they be so dumb? I’ve taught them over and over, but they still can’t learn it. There’s no way to help them even if I want to."

"It’s not their fault," Tan You said. "The reverse master-servant contract is genuinely difficult. I’ve finished scouting the area. We’ll make our move tomorrow night. I’ll incorporate the reverse master-servant contract into the God Trapping Array."

The mouse shot bolt upright. "Okay! I’ll go give the other demons the heads-up. So with the Array, as long as they remember the incantation, they can reverse-contract those Cultivators?"

"Uh-huh," Tan You confirmed with a nod. "You absolutely must get the message to them."

The small mouse nodded emphatically. "Don’t you worry. I’ll make sure every last one of them is notified."

"Oh, right, why are we doing this at night? Can’t we do it during the day?"

Tan You narrowed her eyes. "Where would we get the power of the stars during the daytime? This past month, even though I haven’t found Bai Ze, I’ve confirmed that he is here."

"Therefore, the only way to find Bai Ze is to use the guidance of the stars’ power at night."

The other Great Demons said nothing more, simply leaving one by one to make their contacts. Tan You sat on the cold jade bed and suddenly smiled. ’I just love this feeling of stirring up trouble. For the Cultivators of the Tianyuan Sect, perhaps today is their last hurrah before the apocalypse?’

The next evening, when the moon hung high in the sky, silence reigned over the Tianyuan Sect. Tan You, along with Cang Long, the Nine-tailed Fox, and the other Great Demons, suddenly appeared at the sect’s main gate. The small mouse and the two-tailed cat were perched on her left and right shoulders, respectively.

The eyes of all the Great Demons were fixed on Tan You, burning with anticipation, ready to see her make her move.