Chapter 8 The Demon Lord is also a junior brother who has to attend classes, you know if there is...
What else could make the entire Tianyan Sect so vigilant? Of course, it must be something related to the Demon Realm.
The Tai Xuan Mountains are not adjacent to the Demon Realm. According to the map, the Tianyan Sect, located in the southeast of Tai Xuan Mountain, is closer to the Demon Abyss. However, in such a remote and quiet place, mutated spirit beasts tainted by demonic energy often appear.
In recent years, the beast tides of Mount Tai Xuan have become increasingly fierce, likely due to the demonic energy carried by the spirit beasts. As for the origin of this demonic energy, no one knows. Therefore, the elders have decreed that disciples below the Golden Core stage are not allowed to enter the Mount Tai Xuan area without authorization.
As Fu Ming, who had been brought in for ideological education, listened, his eyes glazed over.
"Junior Brother Ming, why are you daydreaming again?"
Lin Han broke off a bamboo twig and tapped it on the table, startling Fu Ming, who was in a daze, awake. The man's hair was sticking up, and there was a red mark on one side of his cheek, indicating that he had just been dozing off with his chin resting on his hand. It was unclear how much of what he had heard was actually said.
If Fu Ming could hear what others were saying, he would definitely cry out that he was wronged:
Although he never liked listening to lectures before and always skipped morning classes in the lecture hall, this time he took notes meticulously and even had the convicted system record his conversations. He wasn't even this diligent when preparing for the civil service exam!
However, his soul is indeed unstable now, to the point that he cannot maintain basic clarity of mind—something has happened to his main body.
The Demon Realm is a vast, desolate wilderness where one can often travel for months without seeing a single sign of human habitation. After the old Demon Lord fell from power, the number of forces that could be considered significant could be counted on one hand. These factions sent spies to each other, and they were well aware of any disturbances or developments.
Apart from Fu Ming's Changliu Mountain.
Thanks to the tireless efforts of his subordinates, the construction of Changliu Mountain has reached a considerable scale. The low-key and majestic Demon Lord's palace stands atop the Wanlou Tower, complete with training grounds, cultivation pools, and treasure vaults, all arranged in perfect order.
Meanwhile, the construction of Changliu Palace creatively adopted a strategy of developing resources at multiple locations and transplanting and protecting rare plants and animals, minimizing damage to the ecological environment and ultimately earning Fu Ming 5 points of character value.
Under the blood-red sky, the new Demon Lord's magnificent palace rose from the ground in just a few days, and thousands of assassins obeyed his orders.
Seeing this scene, the other leaders could only have one thought:
This child is terrifying beyond measure; he must not be allowed to live!
So the various demonic forces quickly gathered and joined forces, shouting slogans such as "Charge into Changliu Mountain, capture Fu Ming alive, and establish a new Demon Lord," and surrounded Changliu Mountain in a grand manner, just waiting for Fu Ming to show up so they could catch him like a turtle in a jar.
When Fu Ming opened his eyes from his meditative state, the incessant noise around him was making him feel uneasy. He flipped his wrist to pick up the Tang sword, then circulated his condensed demonic energy through his meridians, experiencing an indescribable sense of exhilaration.
"Perfect timing, I still need a few laborers," he thought.
Without the Demon Lord's orders, the underlings, successfully tamed by the evil merit system, dared not act rashly and could only continuously channel demonic energy to maintain the mountain-protecting array, putting them in a rather passive position. Fang Zhengxing, with a long face, directed the patching up of gaps, only to find that a crack about four feet long had already been corroded in front of the array.
He didn't know if Fu Ming could survive this ordeal. If not, he would have to find another way out as soon as possible.
Suddenly, a figure in black robes sped past like lightning through the crack. Fu Ming pushed his movement technique to its limit, the tip of his blade bursting into crimson flames as he charged straight at the leader!
The blade's momentum crashed down like a tsunami or a landslide, but in the blink of an eye, the balance of power shifted dramatically.
The leader standing at the front of the formation was called Lady Wolf Spider. Her battle tactics were the most unpredictable. She immediately raised her limbs and instantly wove dozens of layers of spider webs, which spread out and merged, using softness to overcome hardness, and wrapped Fu Ming's entire body inside.
Several others seized the opportunity to come to the rescue. They had already learned that Fu Ming was skilled in fire magic, so they devised a strategy of using water to counteract fire, combined with poison to suppress it. The poisonous water seeped into the gaps in the spider web, and when stimulated by the fire, it evaporated into scattered mist. The space was cramped, forcing Fu Ming to close his eyes and hold his breath to avoid inhaling the poisonous mist. The cage tightened more and more, seemingly endless, and the Tang sword, which was usually as sharp as a knife, could hardly cut through the spider silk, while the burning power of the flames was suppressed by the water vapor.
Seeing this battle situation, the morale of the allied forces that came to besiege Fu Ming was even higher. They used whatever rockets and grenades they had to bombard the spider silk cage.
The spider silk was partially transparent, so Fu Ming's every move and expression was exposed to everyone's eyes. His black hair was disheveled, and he gripped the Tang sword tightly, swinging it in a perfect circle to block the hidden arrow, his brows furrowed while the corners of his lips turned up.
Everyone was puzzled. How could this person still laugh when things had come to this?
At this moment, Fu Ming was thinking to himself, "Not bad, you used the poison mist much better than that Chen Chong guy at the recruitment fair. Luckily, I don't need to hold back when dealing with you guys."
A cluster of golden-red flames suddenly climbed up the blade, spreading wildly from a single point to the surface, engulfing every strand of spider silk. The flames bounced incessantly among the various objects embedded in the spider silk, crackling and popping as if patiently chewing on the bait offered by others.
This fire, this fire! Lady Wolf Spider, pouring out her spider silk at full power, had sweaty palms. All of them were at the early Nascent Soul stage; ordinary fire was naturally no match for her spider silk. Even a Nascent Soul stage cultivator with a fire spirit root would be easily killed, especially with the added benefit of the Netherworld Abyss Water from their other leader, Lord Ming He. Something's not right... this fire is suspicious…
"Bring more water, I can't hold on any longer!" she secretly transmitted to the other demonic cultivators.
The thick, black, poisonous rain, emanating an acidic odor, fell in response. Since ancient times, water and fire have been incompatible, and the two forces, red and black, swirled and entangled in a struggle, making it impossible to tell who would win or lose.
When all things fell silent, Fu Ming suddenly spoke coldly.
"I say, you dare to challenge me with this level of skill? You're all far too arrogant."
Fu Ming raised his eyes, his pupils glowing bright red, and golden flames surged around him, reaching a height of over a hundred feet. Spider silk and other miscellaneous debris were rapidly burned, melted, and refined, leaving not even a trace within a few breaths.
Lady Wolf Spider's guess was undoubtedly correct. The fire used by Fu Ming was no ordinary fire, but a natal spiritual fire fused with the essence of devouring. The attacks, infused with countless true essences, were all transformed into nourishment for him in the fire. He stood in the air, and from afar, he looked like a divine bird reborn from the ashes.
Fu Ming was indeed testing the cards of these reserve underlings, but he was very busy and had to deal with the people from the Tianyan Sect. He didn't have time to play with them for so long.
Then, with a gentle swing of the crimson Tang sword, a narrow rift stretching for hundreds of miles was cleaved through the earth. Numerous vengeful spirits, appearing from nowhere, swarmed forward, packing up the allied forces who were stunned by the sword's aura and throwing them into the pit.
About half an hour ago, Fu Ming took a break from his busy schedule to explain the tactical arrangements to Fang Zhengzhi.
"Your Excellency, do you mean... you will personally defeat them all, and then we will be responsible for escorting the prisoners back to Changliu Mountain?"
Fang Xingzheng repeated his words, only adding a question mark at the end.
"Hmm, that's right, is there a problem?"
"...This subordinate dares not."
"Then let's proceed according to plan." Fu Ming snapped his fingers playfully.
Following this battle, the ranks of Changliu Mountain have been strengthened once again, with the introduction of several high-level combat and management talents. Next, Fu Ming will entrust Fang Administration to carry out labor reform on new members such as Lady Wolf Spider and Lord Minghe, incorporating them into the vast and ruthless merit system so that they can contribute to the great cause of building Changliu Mountain.
What, you're asking me what labor reform is?
You'll know if you just touch the hoe in your hand.
While diligently recording the lessons in the Supervision Department, the system also broadcast a warning message: Attention, attention, the host's behavior has damaged the ecological environment of the Demon Realm, conduct value -3.
"Your character points are sufficient, but you can deduct them."
Fu Ming has now figured out the system's tricks: merit points are hard to accumulate but won't be deducted, while conduct points are always deducted but easy to accumulate.
At worst, we can just have our subordinates plant more flowers and plants up there.
At the Tianyan Sect's outpost near the market, senior brothers and sisters took turns explaining the sect rules to Fu Ming. It wasn't that they had any issues with Fu Ming, this genius junior brother and the sect leader's first disciple; it was simply that he was too mischievous.
"Do you know how many times you've broken the rules these past few days? Five times!"
"Using your sword within the sect, damaging spiritual herbs, skipping morning classes, inciting fights, and engaging in unauthorized combat—thankfully you're a new disciple, otherwise you'd be locked up on the Punishment Peak for a whole year to reflect on your actions."
The burly senior brother Li counted off one by one on his fingers, his words full of disappointment and frustration.
No matter what he heard, Fu Ming nodded as if he understood, displaying his illiteracy.
"Now even the status of a newly recruited disciple is useless. You just instigated infighting and gambling among the disciples, so your monthly allowance will be halved." Lin Han crossed his arms and added insult to injury.
How strange! It's quite a peculiar thing that a powerful Demon Lord, who reigns supreme in the Demon Realm, had his monthly allowance deducted by a mere disciple.
Having just snapped out of his daze, Fu Ming had no choice but to surrender. He listened attentively for a while, but as expected, he still felt sleepy. His eyes darted around, and he began to examine the furnishings in the room.
Unlike the Prison Peak, the Surveillance Bureau does not have an independent peak. Instead, it has offices on each peak. It is said that when Xiao Huaiyuan first established the Surveillance Bureau, he specially selected disciples of upright character from each peak. They usually continue to cultivate with their sects and are only called upon to perform duties when there are important matters.
The layout of this office reflects the painstaking efforts of the sect leader, Senior Brother Xiao Huaiyuan: simple, low-key, dignified, and serious.
The room was no more than ten feet square, simply decorated with a square table and four chairs, and a map of the celestial realm hanging on the wall. The more Fu Ming thought about it, the more something felt off. The layout looked strangely familiar, and there was also an inexplicable sense of a modern classroom.
etc.
...Isn't this the room he used to have at the Headmaster Peak? Why did Xiao Huaiyuan bring it up exactly as it was?
His master used to go into seclusion every few days, allowing Fu Ming, as the eldest disciple, to grow freely. But this didn't last long. After taking Xiao Huaiyuan as his second disciple, that scoundrel of an old man dumped his second disciple on him!
Forced to shoulder the heavy responsibility of educating his junior brother, Fu Ming transformed an empty guest room into a study for teaching and nurturing. He brought in a second-hand spirit table he had found at the market, hung up a map of the immortal realm that he had personally copied from the collection of scriptures, and began to teach Xiao Huaiyuan his unorthodox methods.
Fu Ming began with a classic question: "If someone questions you, do you know how to respond?"
"Explain the reasons to them and make them realize their own mistakes?"
The little Xiao Huaiyuan put on a serious face and tried to act mature, which made Fu Ming playful, so he reached out and pinched his cheek.
"Wrong. Why waste time arguing with people like that? Just beat them up! Junior brother, a genius like you is wasting time debating with idiots, you know that?"
...
Memories have faded with decades of weathering, and the rationality of reality is gradually returning. Fu Ming heard Lin Han ask in a serious tone.
"Junior Brother Ming, do you know how you should act from now on?"
"I see."
He wanted to obtain the sect leader's decree from Xiao Huaiyuan and enter the Xuanluo Sect.
A note from the author:
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