26.Nathan Battle
The Golden Toad returned to the Golden Maze in disgrace, vowing never to meddle in other people's business again.
Where exactly is Junxingzi?
What does it have to do with it!
It wasn't any of the little demons from its labyrinth mountain that went missing.
Besides, Junxingzi is so famous, how could something suddenly happen to her? You're worrying unnecessarily!
As if venting his frustration, the Golden Toad dug caves everywhere, and the already rugged and winding caverns quickly became accessible.
The excitement of cultivating a demon core, the thrill of fantasizing about obtaining a certificate, and the hope of cultivating human form were all ultimately dampened and extinguished. This intense frustration fueled the Golden Toad's full power, and the endless hills were quickly dug into secret passages by the Golden Toad and his underlings.
The younger toads were overjoyed to have a larger dwelling. With the help of the Golden Toad's Midas touch, the cave was completely transformed. The toads croaked with delight, as if the Golden Toad was truly a very capable ruler.
However, faced with the flattery of his underlings, Jin Chan Lao felt inexplicably lost. Moreover, for some reason, after carefully considering the details of his trip to Junxing Mountain, Jin Chan Lao felt more and more uneasy.
The immortal chief of the Demon Management Bureau seemed very nervous about Junxing Mountain.
Otherwise, why would the Bureau of Demon Management arrive at such a perfect time when the Lords of the Underworld were gathering?
My mind is unsettled, but life goes on as usual.
Not long after, they encountered a group of immortals who had come to the Maze Mountain for a trial.
This was the first time the Golden Toad had encountered human cultivators conducting trials in such a remote place. It didn't know what to do and racked its brains for a long time before finally asking the immortals to help clean the cave. The reward was that it could take any gold and jade from the cave—it dared not try anything funny again, lest it be taken away by the demon management bureau and punished for several days.
The immortals were incredulous upon hearing this, but they were full of enthusiasm and positivity. They worked hard to clean the maze until it was spotless, and then left with a generous reward.
As the saying goes, "what you fear most is what happens," and after the Golden Toad Elder nervously saw off this group of trial immortals, the people from the Demon Management Bureau immediately arrived, carrying a scroll of documents and issuing a set of strict and cold regulations for the "Talent Acquisition Task."
The Nadan Yi is a system whereby, before the end of each year, a local lord must pay at least one demon core; otherwise, the oldest demon within that lord's territory will be selected and forced to pay a demon core.
The Bureau of Demon Management left without issuing a notice, leaving behind a bunch of toads crying and wailing, while the Golden Toad was completely dumbfounded.
It was a toad that couldn't even use poison. It couldn't conduct trials that would cause chaos for the immortals, nor could it pay a demon core every year. One misfortune after another hit the Golden Toad, leaving it dizzy and disoriented.
Looking across the entire labyrinthine mountain range, apart from himself, everyone else was a weak little demon who had been driven here by the great demons. Let alone cultivation, many of the little demons didn't even have basic knowledge.
Isn't this making things difficult for the demon?
Moreover, after the trip to Junxing Mountain, the announcement of the Nadan mission came down so quickly that Jin Chan Lao couldn't help but think about the connection between them, and became increasingly disheartened.
Perhaps Junxingzi isn't missing at all, but is in the Demon Management Bureau? Or maybe she's being detained for refusing to hand over her demon core?
...If that's the case, then the barrier around Junxing Mountain makes sense!
No, we can't make things up without evidence. The most important thing right now is the demon core.
Anyway, there are so many monsters in the blessed lands, they're not worth much anymore. The Immortal Alliance only needs excellent monsters that can form demon cores.
The more Jin Chan Lao thought about it, the more he felt that he had stumbled upon the right thing. After secretly contacting the other prefects, he learned that they had jointly protested against the Nadan service and were trying to report it to the Secret Realm Comprehensive Management Bureau.
Unfortunately, the protest was thwarted midway. The demon lords who had signed the petition were arrested and locked in a dark room by the Demon Management Bureau as soon as they gathered, on the grounds that they were "suspected of causing a dispute".
Only then did the Golden Toad realize that these monsters were nothing in the eyes of the Demon Management Bureau.
Whether it's the panic caused by the disappearance of Junxingzi, the inexplicable accusations of "damaging facilities" or "suspected of causing disputes," or the forced collection of demon cores... the Demon Management Bureau is ignoring the despair of the demons.
—The demon core must be handed over at the end of the year during the "Demon Recruitment Campaign".
During this period of despair, wave after wave of immortals arrived at the Golden Labyrinth.
The immortals who came to Maze Mountain this time seemed to be old acquaintances of the immortals who came for the first time. They often shouted "sheep fleece" and rudely rushed into the maze. They would swagger into the maze caves without saying a word, take whatever they could, and then leave in a hurry.
The Golden Toad's eyes darted around, and a plan formed in his mind.
wool?
The wool comes from the sheep.
In that case, why not use the spiritual power of the immortals to create a 'demon core'?
Once the idea was formed, the Golden Toad Elder acted immediately, sending his subordinates to contact other prefects to inquire if they had any powerful magical artifacts, preferably those that could directly convert spiritual power into demonic power.
Where there's an idea, there's a way. After being enlightened by the Golden Toad Elder, Lin Luozhi, the ruler of the Snow Silkworm Clan, suddenly had a flash of inspiration and immediately began to make "spinning wheels" to sell secretly.
The idea came from Jin Chan Lao, who was also the first to receive Lin Luo Zhi's "spinning wheel". He dug and hid in the maze, and with a little manipulation, the "spinning wheel" began to weave a "wishing cocoon".
...
The old man, Jin Chanlao, spoke with deep emotion and great enthusiasm, bringing tears to the eyes of the naked toads behind him and leaving Tangxi and the group speechless.
After a long silence, Gui Fang Wu Di spoke first, "Does the Demon Management Bureau have that much power? You must be mistaken."
Bei Chen's entourage also asked, "Did they show any official documents when they issued the notice for the Na Dan service?"
For a moment, Jin Chan Lao's face went blank. "Can I ask them to show their identification documents?"
Pipi looked at Tang Xihe with her big, teary eyes, like fried egg shapes: "How tragic! So this is what it's like to be a monster born in a blessed land! I'll go back with you once you find a way to extract my soul! Tang Xihe, quickly form a contract with me!"
The Golden Toad's eyes widened: "You're not a contracted demon beast? Then how dare you cling to the immortal's arms! Shameless!"
Unexpectedly, the Golden Toad, who was being so polite to the little bird just a moment ago, started speaking harshly to it the next. Pipi's crying stopped abruptly, and its beady eyes widened as it exclaimed, "So what! I like it!"
Tang Xihe pinched Pipi shut with two fingers, and asked, "You seem very afraid of the Demon Management Bureau? But you should belong to the Secret Realm Comprehensive Management Bureau, right? Can the Demon Management Bureau interfere in the affairs of blessed lands and grotto-heavens?"
"I'm scared! The people from the Demon Management Bureau are very domineering! The Comprehensive Management Bureau is located in a remote area, near the Immortal Alliance, almost bordering the Immortal World, so they can't control us."
Jin Chan Lao said with a wry smile, "How dare we ask them to show us the documents from the Demon Management Bureau? We're already being inexplicably dragged into a dark room just by gathering at the foot of Junxing Mountain. If we ask them to show us the documents, wouldn't we be going to be 'chatted' again!"
"Of course! Be assertive!"
Gui Fang slowly instructed, "If all the prefects were as spineless as you, would you still be smiling and accepting the Demon Management Bureau shitting on your head?"
Golden Toad: "..."
Can't you speak more politely?
Bei Chen muttered angrily to Gui Fang, then turned to Jin Chan Lao and said, "Your words may be rough, but they make sense. With your soft-hearted nature, you'll probably just get locked up in a dark room at most, but they won't do anything to you."
The Golden Toad Elder instantly recalled some unpleasant memories and said with difficulty, "You'd better not try to comfort people."
"So you use the Wishing Cocoon to absorb the spiritual energy of cultivators to replenish your own cultivation?"
Tang Xi seemed thoughtful. "You haven't handed over your demon core yet, have you?"
"Yes... Although I haven't handed over any demon cores, it's already the end of March, and there are still more than half a year left. How could I possibly cultivate another demon core? Five hundred years of hard work, my demon core is no less than forcing you humans to hand over your heart, liver, and lungs!"
After talking for a while, the Golden Toad was overcome with grief, his voice choked with sobs, and he wiped the tears from his face.
"We monsters in our cave are law-abiding, and I, the Golden Toad, have never dared to be the first to stick my neck out. Why is it that good things never come my way, but all the bad things come my way?"
"Don't cry, everyone's the same, we cultivators have to pay taxes too."
Tang Xi counted on her fingers for the Golden Toad, "First-year students need to complete 60 tasks to continue their studies, second-year students 120, third-year students 180..."
“But you have nearly nine hundred missions,” Bei Chen muttered quietly from the side.
"..."
Tangxi and Momo lowered their hands.
Gui Fang said, "Shouldn't all matters concerning blessed lands and grotto-heavens fall under the jurisdiction of the Secret Realm Comprehensive Management Bureau? What right does the Demon Management Bureau have to arrest you? Didn't any of the lords of the realm resist?"
Bei Chen chimed in, "That's right. The Demon Management Bureau has been a mere formality for so many years. If it weren't for the Spirit Source Research Institute backing it up, it would have been shut down long ago."
Tangxi pondered for a moment.
Tang Xi had heard of the "Spirit Source Research Institute" before, but not from the original book; she learned about it during her internship last year.
People from the Lingyuan Research Institute came to the Earth Immortal Department, ostensibly to recruit people, but Tang Xihe saw them sitting under the recruitment table yawning and chatting, and they didn't seem to genuinely want to recruit anyone, so Tang Xihe didn't go.
The Demon Management Bureau is backed by the Spirit Source Research Institute, something Tang Xihe genuinely didn't know. It wasn't mentioned at all in the original novel, or perhaps he read it too quickly and missed this detail. Moreover, it had been a long time since his previous life, and Tang Xihe actually couldn't remember many details from the original novel.
When asked by the two immortals, the Golden Toad was a little stumped. "Uh... Demon Management Bureau... what research institute? We don't know anything about them. After all, they are immortals, and we are demons. We dare not offend them."
Upon hearing this, Gui Fang Wu Di couldn't help but frown and retort, "Ridiculous! Right is right, and wrong is wrong. They're arbitrarily arresting people, so that's their fault! Your blind concessions will only embolden them. Do they think they're superior just because they're wearing human skin?"
Unexpectedly, the sage immortal, who was also known for his sharp tongue and love of threatening toads, would utter such generous words. The golden toad replied blankly, "Uh, yes, the immortal is right."
After remaining silent for a long time, Tang Xi finally spoke up, "Old Man Jin Chan, there must be some mistake in this. Describe what they look like."
"What else could it be? Dressed all in black, like..."
Jin Chan Lao cautiously pointed to Gui Fang Wu Di, "It's similar to this immortal's robe, but the color is darker."
Gui Fang shook his collar and angrily said, "This is my department robe! The only deep purple one in the whole school! It's not black!"
The Golden Toad Elder repeatedly apologized, bowing and scraping: "Ah, yes, yes, yes! I'm sorry! I was blind!"
A mysterious figure in a black robe, and the pale black barrier surrounding Junxing Mountain.
The three exchanged glances, each understanding the meaning in the other's eyes.
Is it 'them'?
Those men in black who attacked the school.
Tang Xihe then asked, "Do they usually patrol the blessed land?"
“I don’t know, but I’ve noticed that their appearances follow a pattern,” said the Golden Toad. “They usually appear and disappear mysteriously, but whenever the local deities get together, the Demon Management Bureau will definitely step in.”
Does the original novel mention any scene where the "Demon Management Bureau forcibly confiscated demon cores"?
Tang Xi thought about it carefully, and the more she thought about it, the more frightened she became, and cold sweat broke out on her brow.
...What's going on? My memory is so confused.
Where did I see the "original work" from?
"Why are you so distracted?" Gui Fang suddenly asked. "Are you thinking about Tang Xi and something?"
Tang Xi was taken aback. "Ah, no, I'm just... I'm a little tired."
Suddenly asked a question by Gui Fang, Tang Xi inexplicably recalled some fragmented memories.
Yes, in the middle of the original novel, starting from the secret realm journey accompanied by Beichen, the "Demon Management Bureau" suddenly had a lot of screen time. Due to complaints from many readers, in the following chapters, apart from the necessary interactions between the protagonist Beichen and the Bureau, the term "Demon Management Bureau" rarely appeared.
"You're tired even though you haven't done anything?" Pipi lifted her head from the crook of his arm.
Tang Xi tossed Pipi aside in annoyance, "Yeah, I'm the laziest, I love slacking off the most, long live slacking off!"
"Golden Toad, how many lords have been arrested by the Demon Management Bureau?"
"There are so many!"
The Golden Toad counted on his fingers, "The Rin-rope Weaving, the Spider Silk, the Centipede-footed Knife, the Scorpion-hooked Kiss, the Serpent-like Black Dragon... If you don't believe me, the immortals can go and ask!"
The Golden Toad Elder lifted his foot and cleared a blank space on the ground. He then lay down and drew a pattern on the sand. The circular icon looked like two leaves extending upwards, or like two hands clasped together forming a lotus flower shape.
"Look, this is the logo of the Demon Management Bureau. If you immortals encounter them, you must put in a good word for us! What we demons say is useless, but you are all human, so maybe they will listen to our advice and treat us a little more politely? How could we possibly cultivate a demon core in a year!"
Four heads surround the icon.
"Firecrackers?"
"lotus?"
"wing!"
Tang Xi immediately noticed the problem with the icon. She looked around and saw that Gui Fang and Bei Chen were both staring intently at the pattern drawn by the Golden Toad Master, and no one noticed anything unusual. She couldn't help but clap her hands.
"Neither!"
The slap startled everyone, and they all looked over.
“Golden Toad, this isn’t the signature of the Demon Management Bureau.” Tang Xi squatted down and drew a new pattern next to the original one, adding a final finger.
"The logo of the Demon Management Bureau is this: three leaves, with an eye on the middle leaf. What are these lines you drew?"
The Golden Toad's face went blank, and after a long while, he uttered an "ah."
"That's the logo of the Demon Management Bureau! Didn't they change to a new logo?"
"How could we not know? The Monster Management Bureau is about to be shut down and stripped of its designation, where would a new logo come from!"
Gui Fang stepped on the pattern drawn by Jin Chan Lao, saying, "You've encountered a fraudster."
"Is someone impersonating the Demon Management Bureau?"
Bei Chen's usually sunny but somewhat dull face turned unusually stern. "Unforgivable! Who are these villains? They destroyed the school and now they're trying to pull some dirty tricks at Dongtianfudi?"
"We can't let them continue their rampage," Gui Fang warned. "Bei Chen, Listening Wind Ruler."
Bei Chen's companion didn't understand, "...What?"
Gui Fang rolled his eyes in suppressed anger. "Contact your teachers and friends at school, you pig-brain."
"Are you trying to start a fight again? Can't you just explain yourself clearly?!"
"I've made myself perfectly clear! Listen! to the wind! The ruler!"
Tangxi, feeling a headache coming on, bypassed the arguing couple. "Golden Toad," she said, "since we've run into this, we'll do our best to investigate, but we'll need your help. Do you have a living map?"
The Golden Toad's eyes lit up. "Are you going to Junxing Mountain to rescue Junxingzi?"
"more than."
Tang Xihe lifted Pipi in his arms, "First, we'll find its hometown, then we'll go to Junxing Mountain. Along the way, we'll also help my two friends find Bingjie. The journey is long, so having a living map will be more convenient."
Golden Toad rubbed his hands together and tentatively asked, "That, that 'imposter' thing..."
"We'll do our best." Tang Xi glanced back at the two who were rubbing their hands together, eager to get started.
"We are still too weak."
The old toad gave a hesitant "oh," looking slightly disappointed, before adding, "Immortal Master, we have a 'know-it-all' in our Maze Mountain! Perhaps he knows where the evil crow's territory is."
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