Inner Demons

Li Yunxin's expression lingered on his face for a while. In other words, it was a "daze."

However... this was not a disguise.

In the eyes of the Second Brother, this expression meant: "This Little Silver Dragon did not expect me to actually dare to say it." But only Li Yunxin himself knew what was the real reason behind it.

After a moment of daze, he gently exhaled, and the expression on his face softened.

"It really is so..." he muttered to himself in an extremely low voice.

When he saw "Old Seven" at the cave entrance, he felt a sense of familiarity. After talking with him for a while, he had already reached a conclusion. And everything said now was just to prove it—

Damn it. These are truly the seven brothers of the gourd.

In this world, only one person would have such a bizarre sense of humor. And only one person would have so many overlaps with his own knowledge—the Painting Saint.

How many things had that guy... set up in this world?

And these seven god-sons—they were clearly the Gourd Brothers.

He had just forced out another key figure—Old Devil Fulu.

He truly did not know how to comment on the bizarre sense of humor of that person from two thousand years ago; that was clearly the Gourd Grandpa.

Li Yunxin almost certainly concluded that these individuals were "created" by the Painting Saint—just like he created the dragon girl possessed by San Hua. But the question was... why did that person do it?

It was normal for the Painting Saint to leave behind some bizarre words or paintings whenever the mood struck him. However, even the Painting Saint would have to expend a lot of effort to create so many great demons, right? The day Li Yunxin created the dragon girl body for Lady Sanhua, he almost dropped an entire realm—and that was just creating an Illusory Realm body.

What kind of price did the Painting Saint have to pay to pull off such a grand scheme?

But there was actually another explanation.

Li Yunxin often said some absurd things. When he was imparting life wisdom to a group of wild Taoist priests at Qionghua Tower in Weicheng, he spoke of "Guna La the Black Demon Fairy." Later, he called himself Tang Sanzang, and even later, he called himself the Debonair Jade-Faced Little Silver Dragon. He also often spoke unreservedly of things that people in this world did not understand... Aside from the reason that "his psychological defense mechanism did not want him to completely expose his inner self to this world," it was also because he was releasing information.

This was like a beast in heat releasing a scent that could be smelled by the opposite sex from tens of kilometers away, leading to a massive gathering—he was doing the same.

He knew there were others like him in this world.

If there truly were others like him in this world, hearing any of these "bizarre words" he said would make them aware of his existence.

He wanted to find them.

Perhaps some people, finding themselves in the same predicament as him, would hide themselves securely. Both he and the enemy would be in the dark, waiting for the opportunity to slowly expose the other or themselves, and then make a decision.

But the problem was that not everyone in this world liked that kind of arrangement. For Li Yunxin, he preferred to see both sides expose their fangs and claws—and then engage in a thrilling war. He did not want to wait; he wanted to find friends or enemies, he wanted to attack!

And judging by the situation now...

The Painting Saint seemed to share the same perspective and attitude as him.

That saint left clues everywhere in this world that only specific people would understand. To the natives of this world, they seemed unremarkable. However, once seen by a person like Li Yunxin, they were like a torch in the dark, incredibly clear and dazzling.

The question was... who did the Painting Saint want to show them to back then?

And why did he set up this group of demons in this place?

But these were not questions he could figure out right now. He composed his expression in front of the "Second Brother," let out another breath, and said calmly with a tone of relief and satisfaction: "Good. You still remember him."

Li Yunxin was very good at reading people.

This reading included but was not limited to understanding a person's personality, psychology, behavior, and habits, as well as many small details and major trends. He had been worried about one thing before—Old Seven seemed shy and awkward, but what if this "shyness and awkwardness"... was only relative to other demons.

For example, a child is innocent and lovely. If he is innocently and lovely catching butterflies in the shade of a tree—then his innocence and loveliness are not shared with the butterflies at all.

Li Yunxin's worry was that this shy and awkward Old Seven would awkwardly walk up to a person, and while smiling awkwardly, awkwardly crush that person's head—that would not be lovely at all.

Therefore, when he passed through the main hall with him just now, he was paying attention to Old Seven's every glance and movement.

Then he realized that Old Seven was very reluctant to see the current scene. Not because of reasons like "too noisy" or "bad smell," but because of... "a reluctance to harm."

This meant that this "demon" might be... even kinder than Li Yunxin himself.

It was with this conclusion in mind that he made the move he just did in front of the Second Brother. Because he had to take a risk now.

He had to persuade the demons. Even if he couldn't persuade the demons, he had to persuade the Evil King. Even if he couldn't persuade the Evil King, he had to make him agree with his point of view because of some other matters. Before coming here, he already had a set of plans to execute gradually. However, the appearance of the White Yama King forced him to adjust his plan; he had to achieve his objective in the shortest possible time.

Therefore, he decided to take a gamble based on his bold assumption and deduction.

However, once he fell into this predicament, he actually... felt his blood boil with excitement.

The anxiety, powerlessness, and restlessness he had felt while being trapped in Dongting instantly disappeared; his heart began to pound with joy. He felt like he was back on an exciting battlefield—he absolutely loved the feeling of understanding a person and then manipulating them in the palm of his hand...

This made him feel like he was the King of the World.

This abnormal excitement cheered Li Yunxin up and even allowed him to fully immerse himself in the role, becoming... the person he had set up for himself.

He had tested the Second Brother earlier by asking about "Old Devil Fulu" to see the seven brothers' attitude toward that person.

This was the first risky move. If the seven brothers had sincerely defected to the Evil King, asking this would have brought trouble upon himself. Perhaps if he fought with the seven sons, he wouldn't be able to achieve anything today. But Old Seven's reaction made him affirm his judgment, and the Second Brother's words also made him understand that the seven brothers were not truly following the Evil King—they still remembered that "Old Devil Fulu"!

Yes or no. Taking a gamble based on a few clues led to the current result.

Now...

He began his second risky move.

The Evil King would likely appear soon, and he had to temporarily settle these seven people before the Evil King arrived.

Whether this risky move would succeed depended on whether the eccentric Painting Saint from long, long ago was professional and meticulous enough... and boring enough.

Just as he had anticipated, after hearing him say, "You still remember him," the suspicion on the faces of the seven brothers deepened. They looked at each other again, and the Second Brother frowned and asked: "Who exactly are you?!"

Li Yunxin smiled slightly: "I know that the seven of you are not truly demons. You are different from all these creatures."

He pointed to the Demon Kings gorging themselves in the distance: "You are not the same kind of people as them. You are... brothers on a vine. And as for your godfather, hmph... I'm afraid you only came into this world because of your godfather. I've said all this, so you seven children guess, who am I?"

Then he realized that this move had also been correct. A barely noticeable look of astonishment appeared on the faces of the Second Brother and the others. But Li Yunxin saw deeper—he noticed a trace of doubt within the astonishment. Because of this slight doubt, the Second Brother frowned and asked: "You... could you be—the Mountain God Grandpa's?"

In Li Yunxin's view, this was the simple and straightforward cunning of side characters. The Second Brother thought he had done well enough, but the subtle expression on his face still betrayed him—this was a trap. They did not know any Mountain God Grandpa; they just wanted to test whether Li Yunxin truly knew something.

If he had said yes, it would definitely be false.

However, such a trap could still reveal something.

These seven Demon Kings were said to have been the Evil King's god-sons for hundreds of years. During such a long time, they wouldn't have remained simple-minded children. They must have done many things they were supposed to do. So... would a man in his fifties or sixties like to be called "Grandpa" or "Uncle"?

Yet, this Second Brother, with a subtle attitude, said "Mountain God Grandpa"—this was a child's perspective. When testing Li Yunxin, this Demon King subconsciously adopted a child's perspective, which meant that there was a certain reference object or optional subject in his mind. Because of the existence of this subject, he subconsciously replaced it with an approximate character to test him—

Li Yunxin knew he had gambled right again.

The Painting Saint was indeed bored enough; he really did create the person Li Yunxin had anticipated.

And the person in the Second Brother's mind right now... must be that person.

So, he smiled tolerantly: "You are the Second Brother, yet you are always the one talking to me. Because you, child, are smart and clever."

Then he turned to look at the Big Brother, who had been trying to speak but was holding back: "You are the Big Brother. You are incredibly strong, but unfortunately, you have a reckless nature."

He looked at the Third Brother and smiled: "You, child, are afraid of being spanked. And the Fourth Brother, he's afraid of the cold."

As he spoke, the astonishment on the faces of the others grew. Some might know their strengths, but to be able to mention their weaknesses one by one...

Li Yunxin then sighed: "If my old partner were here, he would also smile to see the way you look now."

By this point, the Second Brother could no longer hide his thoughts. Everything in his mind was written on his face; he only stared with wide eyes and said: "You are that... Pangolin?! Everything Grandpa said was true?!"

Li Yunxin breathed a sigh of relief inwardly.

He smiled: "That's right. Your Grandpa must have told you... how did this Evil King come to be?"

"...You drilled through the mountain and released him!" Without Li Yunxin needing to prompt him, the Second Brother revealed everything, "Grandpa said that you accidentally released the Evil King, and then you found Grandpa and together you took the gourd seeds... and that's how we came to be! But I have never seen you before, I only heard Grandpa talk about you—you are actually... really here?!"

Li Yunxin sighed inwardly.

Just how bored was that Painting Saint... to what extent?

He put on a complete act, even creating the entire backstory!

Yet, the Painting Saint did such a thing, and Li Yunxin also guessed he had done such a thing. Now, his conjecture was exactly the same as the Painting Saint's thoughts from one or two thousand years ago. This made Li Yunxin want to understand what kind of person he was even more—he often saw the scattered traces he left behind in the current world, as if that person was an invisible presence, always lingering by his side.

He even felt that if that person were still alive, he was very likely to become his friend—a truly interesting and crazy friend whom Li Yunxin would acknowledge from the bottom of his heart.

Thus, he became even more excited.

Not only because he had managed to get these seven foolish children under his control in such a short amount of time. But also because... he always felt that the things the Painting Saint left here had a deeper meaning. This was like a waypoint—pointing to something.

He really hoped that he could use these things to break the deadlock.

Therefore, he sighed again: "Of course I'm here. It's just that I have been living under an assumed name all these years—alas."

After saying this, he looked around—the demon blood feast was still ongoing, with screams echoing endlessly. But the Demon Kings' laughter, shouts, and curses were even louder. The minor demons of Trapped Sky Mountain were still busy. At first, some were watching their situation, but after watching for a while and seeing no eating, drinking, or fighting, they quickly lost interest.

About two or three hundred Demon Kings were expected to attend the gathering. Now, there were already more than a hundred, and the hall was becoming increasingly crowded.

Li Yunxin realized that he probably didn't have much time left; the Evil King was likely about to make his appearance. Therefore, he reached out his hand and waved it in front of the seven brothers: "Look closely."

The next moment, hard, slate-gray scales appeared on his arm—this was the true form of a demon.

He used this method to once again "prove" his identity—after all, the seven brothers would have difficulty distinguishing the scales of a dragon from those of a pangolin—then he leaned in closer, and his smile vanished.

"Old Devil Fulu is my old friend. Before, I was not free and could only watch as he suffered a calamity," Li Yunxin said in a deep voice, staring them down, "Now that I am free, I am here to avenge him. I know the reasons and difficulties you children face. But today, you must help me do one thing—"

As he spoke, three horn blasts suddenly sounded throughout the hollow mountain.

No one knew what the horns were made of, but they were deep and resonant. As they swirled and echoed through the mountain, they shook everyone slightly.

Then, a minor demon with a voice like a great bell called out majestically: "The Evil King has arrived—!"

As Li Yunxin spoke, he looked up and saw a mighty demon in purple armor, with a green face and sharp fangs, and a pair of large, moon-white horns with deep brown spots by his ears, slowly descending from the darkness above.

...The Evil King had arrived.

As soon as the Evil King entered, the demons in the hall immediately fell silent. Although some confused minor demons who had drunk too much were still making noise, the armored demons of Trapped Sky Mountain had already descended into the crowd. Upon seeing a drunken person who would not listen to their warnings, they didn't ask whose subordinate they were, and just swung their mace down, crushing the head into a pulp, making them instantly silent.

Because of this thunderous method of clearing the hall, the hall finally truly quieted down.

And just before this, Li Yunxin had seized the last moments, glaring at the Second Brother: "—Help me persuade the Evil King to go to Dongting to fight against the Daoist Orthodoxy Sword Sect. If this is accomplished, then Old Devil Fulu in the netherworld—"

He cut himself off.

Because the last noisy minor demon had also been killed by the demon of Trapped Sky Mountain.

The Evil King finally landed. He first ignored the great Demon Kings and separated the crowd to come to the north side, where he saw his seven god-sons and Li Yunxin.

The great demon of the Profound Realm laughed heartily three times, his pair of pale white fangs opening and closing: "Hahaha, my good children—who is this?"

As he spoke, his small eyes beneath his thick eyebrows stared intently at Li Yunxin: "I saw you talking for a long time just now. And now that I look again—hmm, why does this guest have a human smell on him?"

When the Evil King said this, the demons surrounding him immediately glared fiercely—Li Yunxin instantly became the focus of all attention.

The subscription drop is too frightening.

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