Chapter 37

37. Prove that you are the Pillar of the Green Forest

North of Jining in Shandong Province, Liangshan County.

In a sparsely populated forest by the Yellow River, a surprisingly massive manor stands. The plaque at the main gate, written in bold and vigorous calligraphy, reads "Guangming Manor."

Deep within Guangming Manor, Xiongzaigui and a woman in her fifties sat facing each other. The two seemed to be of similar status, subtly showing consideration for each other.

Xiongzaigui placed the captured Bajou Ling on the table and shook his head.

"Phew! This time it was really tough. I lost half of the Black Shadow Corps... Tsk."

The woman, Yuexiangzi, widened her eyes.

"Even with the presence of the White-Headed Demon Lord, it was that difficult?"

The White-Headed Demon Lords of the Mingjiao are figures even the leaders of the Seven Demon Sects look up to. Although Xiongzaigui is a sorcerer, he is not someone who would easily be at a disadvantage.

"That brat's martial arts were outstanding. The leader of the Black Shadow Corps couldn't even block a single move."

"What about you, the Demon Lord?"

"That day, the mission to bring the sacred object was urgent, so I had to leave quickly... Honestly, even if I had stayed to fight to the end, I wouldn't have been confident of winning."

"Truly astonishing. If even the White-Headed Demon Lord couldn't handle it..."

"I've never seen such martial arts before. When that brat flipped his body nine times in the air, his sword qi fell like lightning... You wouldn't believe me even if I told you."

Suddenly, Yuexiangzi's eyes flashed with a murderous intent.

"I think I know. I saw a similar sword technique during the Ten-Headed Demon Soldier era. But how old is he to be called a brat?"

"Probably around twenty years old."

"Then he might be the son or disciple of that person."

"Who is that person?"

"About twenty years ago, the Sect Leader ordered the establishment of a temple in Jiangnan. That person and the young master of the Nangong family caused a commotion, forcing us to close the temple."

"Oh, I vaguely remember that..."

Xiongzaigui tried to recall the old memory.

However, he couldn't remember much of what Yuexiangzi said. At the time, there were many temples and Ten-Headed Demon Soldiers, so it didn't receive much attention within the sect.

The Mingjiao offers living monks' heads as sacrifices to the Flame Demon King. Offering ten heads makes one a Ten-Headed Demon Soldier, a hundred heads a White-Headed Demon Lord, and a thousand heads a Thousand-Headed Demon King. Through these sacrifices, the sacrificer gains supernatural abilities from the Flame Demon King. The Mingjiao calls this process "transcendence."

For transcendence, proper monks are needed, but finding such monks is not easy. There have been countless failures despite offering famous monks.

Since human sacrifices are required, maintaining secrecy is essential. However, twenty years ago, sacrifices were made indiscriminately, leading to the collapse of the temples.

Since then, the Sect Leader has instructed to proceed more secretly, even if it takes longer. Thanks to this, six White-Headed Demon Lords have been born without causing controversy.

The Sect Leader's goal is the Thousand-Headed Demon King. Though called a king, his power is close to that of a deity. To achieve this, the Mingjiao continues to operate in the shadows.

Yuexiangzi gritted her teeth and said,

"Later, that person earned the nickname 'Moonlit Swordsman.' The Sect Leader ordered to keep it hidden to prevent the sect's name from being mentioned."

"So, you're saying that brat might be related to the Moonlit Swordsman?"

"I can't be certain since I haven't seen his sword technique myself."

"Tsk! If only the Sect Leader could become the Thousand-Headed Demon King soon, we could sweep away those scoundrels..."

"Another White-Headed Demon Lord would make it possible. The Sect Leader ordered us to go out into the world after forming the Seven Demon Lords."

Currently, there are six White-Headed Demon Lords.

It's unknown how long it will take for another to be added. It could be a month or ten years. It all depends on the Sect Leader. While a White-Headed Demon Lord can create Ten-Headed Demon Soldiers, the authority to create White-Headed Demon Lords lies with the Sect Leader.

"The Sect Leader will handle the White-Headed Demon Lords, so let's focus on creating more Ten-Headed Demon Soldiers."

"To do that, we need more Bajou Ling. I think at least the elders of the temples should become Ten-Headed Demon Soldiers."

"Ugh!"

Xiongzaigui groaned.

The Bajou Ling belongs to one person at the moment of sacrifice.

Ten-Headed Demon Soldiers, White-Headed Demon Lords, and even the Sect Leader, who aims to be the Thousand-Headed Demon King, each possess one Bajou Ling. The problem is that obtaining Bajou Ling is becoming increasingly difficult.

Why?

The Bajou Ling is not a manufacturable item. It is an ancient Eastern relic with a limited number. As the number of Ten-Headed Demon Soldiers increases, it becomes rarer.

"I'd like to use the merchants, but that would only alert the Seven Demon Sects. We have to find them carefully as we have been."

Xiongzaigui looked greedily at the Bajou Ling.

Everyone desires power. Xiongzaigui is no exception. As a White-Headed Demon Lord, he wants to command more Ten-Headed Demon Soldiers. The other White-Headed Demon Lords likely feel the same.

***

Zhiluexing, the capital of Nanzhili.

The appearance of the Wufeng Ten Heroes, walking along the main road, was extremely disheveled. Anyone who has been living rough for two months would look similar.

However, despite their tattered clothes, their eyes were sharp and bright, unlike when they were on Wufeng Mountain. This was due to their daily dedication to the Hundred-Character Formula, except for the time spent walking and sleeping.

The sixth of the group, Zhang Suofeng, muttered as he glanced back.

"Wow! Those guys have some serious eyes. Are they participants in the Green Forest Assembly?"

The eighth, Li Tieshan, replied,

"It seems so. They said it's about three to four days to Mansaping, and we're starting to see them now."

"Hmm! Indeed."

"Right."

The Wufeng Ten Heroes nodded in agreement.

Indeed, since morning, they had noticed more and more people with fierce appearances. Their fierce eyes and bizarre weapons clearly marked them as bandits participating in the Green Forest Assembly.

The group size was similar to the Wufeng Ten Heroes, about ten people. There were smaller groups, but groups of about ten were the most common. They had to leave the mountain with the minimum number of people, which is why this was the case.

Fortunately, they seemed to have a vague idea of each other's identities and avoided conflicts. Some even exchanged meaningful glances and smiled.

Four days later.

The Wufeng Ten Heroes finally arrived at Mansaping.

They had thought it would be a plain, but Mansaping was a basin surrounded by mountains.

In the center was a small hill, and people had gathered in a circle around it.

The Wufeng Ten Heroes found a spot with a good view of the hill and set up camp.

Some, exhausted from the long journey, lay down with their bags as pillows.

Zhuo Goming was about to join them when Feng Yanchao called out,

"Goming, I need to go somewhere."

"Where are you going?"

"We've come this far, shouldn't we greet the brothers of Dabie Mountain?"

"Do you know where they are?"

"That's why we're going to look around."

"Oh, Brother. We'll naturally meet them when the time comes, why rush?"

"Come on. They took us in, so it's only polite to visit them first."

"Ugh! What etiquette among thieves..."

Grumbling, Zhuo Goming reluctantly got up.

The two walked away, chatting.

The Wufeng Ten Heroes found a spot and lay down.

Looking at the passing clouds, Zhuo Goming thought of his parents. Unfortunately, he couldn't remember their faces.

His mother had died giving birth to him, but why couldn't he remember his father's face?

Thinking about it, his father had never taken care of him. Seeing him once every few days, how could he remember?

'What a bad father.'

While resenting his father, he also felt a strange longing.

Thinking of his father, the face of his stern stepmother suddenly came to mind.

Surprisingly, his stepmother's face was as vivid as if he had seen her yesterday. Being pinched and beaten several times a day had etched her face into his memory.

The things he wanted to remember were blurry, while the things he wanted to forget were vivid. It made him feel terrible.

"Damn."

Hearing his muttering, Xiaoshaobai immediately spoke up.

"Brother, what's wrong?"

"A really hateful person came to mind."

"Who is it?"

"Someone like that."

He didn't want to mention the name of the Wulong Hall.

"Wow. I've never seen you with that expression before. You must really hate them."

"They tried to kill me."

"Really?"

Xiaoshaobai's eyes widened as she looked at Lianjixia.

It seemed like a story from the past, but who could have tried to kill Lianjixia?

"Is that person still alive?"

"Probably."

"Do you know where they live?"

"Yes."

"Then take revenge! With just a flick of your finger, they'd die!"

"That's not possible."

"Why not?"

"My stepmother."

"..."

At the mention of "stepmother," Xiaoshaobai couldn't say anything.

The Wufeng Ten Heroes, who had been listening to their conversation while lying down, sighed. They had suspected Lianjixia had a story, but not to this extent!

Meanwhile, Feng Yanchao and Zhuo Goming, searching for Dabie Mountain, found Duxue Xie Liang'an and Hei Mian Lang Ren Yan Shangtie on the other side of the hill and rushed over.

"Brothers, I'm Feng Yanchao from Wufeng Mountain. How have you been?"

"I'm Zhuo Goming."

Li Zheng'an and Yan Shangtie greeted them with bright smiles. Thanks to Wufeng Mountain's success, Dabie Mountain's status in the Green Forest had risen.

Especially Li Zheng'an, who had strongly pushed for Wufeng Mountain's entry into the Green Forest, patted Feng Yanchao's shoulder warmly.

"Feng, I've heard Wufeng Mountain is doing well. I've also heard about the Wufeng Ten Heroes. Thanks to you, Yan and I can walk with our heads held high."

People are better appreciated when they become famous. Despite this being their second meeting, Li Zheng'an treated Feng Yanchao like a close brother.

Even Yan Shangtie, who had kept his distance, was different.

The man who had avoided eye contact in the past now asked with a friendly face,

"Feng, I heard there's a good swordsman among the Wufeng Ten Heroes. Did you bring him this time?"

"Yes, my sworn brother. He's with the Wufeng Mountain family on the other side."

"Good. I'll introduce you to our chieftain later. He's curious about you."

"Thank you."

A short while later, Feng Yanchao and Zhuo Goming returned.

As Feng Yanchao and Zhuo Goming disappeared from view, Li Zheng'an muttered,

"Phew! They were just average last winter, but they've changed so much in a year..."

"I was also surprised. I thought the rumors about the Wufeng Ten Heroes were exaggerated... Did you see how prominent their solar plexus points were?"

Li Zheng'an nodded silently.

Last year, he could speak to them casually, but today, he couldn't. He felt proud and envious, a complex mix of emotions that left him feeling uneasy.

***

The day before the Green Forest Assembly, the Grand Chieftain of the Green Forest, Batian Majun Shi Wuhei, and his twelve disciples, the Twelve Demon Soldiers, gathered.

The Twelve Demon Soldiers reported important information they had gathered while traveling as envoys.

After the Twelve Demon Soldiers finished their report, Shi Wuhei spoke.

"I organized the Green Forest Assembly to unite the Green Forest's strength. Until now, the Green Forest has been scattered and not received proper treatment. If the Green Forest unites, even the Seven Demon Sects won't dare to ignore us."

One of the Twelve Demon Soldiers, Gui Ying Zijun, cautiously said,

"Grand Chieftain, everyone has always wanted this, but no one has succeeded, right?"

"That's because there was no strong center. I taught you the Dark Heaven Sutra to make you the center of the Green Forest. Prove that you are the pillars of the Green Forest through this assembly."

"Prove it?"

"Yes. We will hold a martial arts competition to select the Green Forest's patrol and law enforcers. There will be no one who can match you, so become the patrol and law enforcers and unite the Green Forest. It's time to awaken from a thousand years of slumber and rise to power!"

"Leave it to us!"

"We will do it!"

Inspired by Shi Wuhei's passionate speech, the Twelve Demon Soldiers clenched their fists with determination.

At that moment, Yin Feng Miaojun, who had been hesitant, spoke in a timid voice.

"Um, Master. There is a problem, though."