Chapter 1003: Shang Song's Disciple

The silver fox had been tossed straight toward the Demon Fox Clan Chief. How could the black Demon Fox man fail to catch her? He hurriedly reached out with both arms and took her into his embrace.

Niu Youdao watched the silver fox's reaction carefully. Seeing that she still had not awakened, he relaxed slightly, though his puzzlement only deepened. He could not understand what had happened to her. With strength that formidable, she should not be suffering from some illness. He had already examined her and found no injuries.

The Demon Foxes surrounding him were somewhat surprised. None had expected Niu Youdao to simply give up his hostage.

The black Demon Fox man was equally surprised. He glanced left and right at the others' reactions before handing the silver fox to an Elder beside him and ordering the Elder to take her away and settle her somewhere safe.

The Elder acknowledged the order and departed swiftly.

With that immediate concern removed, the black Demon Fox man finally asked, "Who exactly are you?"

Niu Youdao pointed at the old man with the ghost-head saber. "He recognized the Qiankun Palm, and your former Clan Chief also named it. Haven't you already guessed?"

The black Demon Fox man looked doubtful. "What is your relationship with Shang Song?"

Niu Youdao answered without missing a beat, "He is my master."

He had plenty of masters anyway, and every one of them had more or less fallen into his lap.

Dong Guo Haoran had died after meeting him only once, without teaching him anything, yet had become his master.

Another had hidden himself away in Tortoise-Slumber Pavilion and, because of the sect's interests, had likewise taught him nothing, yet had also become his master.

Now Shang Song had appeared as well. Niu Youdao had never even met the man, but here he was voluntarily acknowledging him as his master. He could not be absolutely certain that the cultivation art he had learned was Shang Song's, but every sign suggested it was. The Demon Foxes' reactions today only made him more certain.

Since that was the case, perhaps one could say he was thick-skinned, but he was a man who knew how to adapt. He had never been one to bind himself to trifling formalities.

As far as he was concerned, if he had learned another man's abilities and inherited what that man had left behind, then calling him Master was only proper.

Of course, some people might view such behavior as unscrupulous opportunism in pursuit of his goals. Niu Youdao did not care.

"Shang Song's disciple?" The Demon Foxes erupted in astonishment.

Yet now that Niu Youdao had admitted it himself, the black Demon Fox man found it harder to believe. "Impossible. As far as I know, Shang Song left this world long ago. He has been missing for several hundred years. How could he have a disciple as young as you?"

Niu Youdao unhurriedly took out a medicinal pill and swallowed it. Everyone sent here for tempering had been issued a small quantity of healing medicine. Only then did he answer, "He did not teach me in person. Someone else passed it down on his behalf. I have never met my master. It was one of his people who transmitted his teachings to me."

The black Demon Fox man did not believe him. "Nonsense! When Shang Song was alive, he kept the cultivators of the mortal world under control and did not allow them to compete with the common people for worldly gain, so cultivators were few. After Shang Song left, how could any of his people have survived until today? If such a person existed, how could those nine damned dogs have been allowed to run rampant?"

Niu Youdao said calmly, "Butterfly Dream Illusory Realm. Holy Rakshasa."

He deliberately said nothing about the cultivation art hidden within the Shang Mirror. He wanted to connect himself to Shang Song through a legitimate line of inheritance.

That choice was based on a certain judgment. The silver fox had stopped her attack the moment she realized he had some connection to Shang Song. That was clearly not hostility. It was goodwill born of Shang Song. If that was how things stood, then Niu Youdao was perfectly willing to make use of it.

Everyone looked shocked. The black Demon Fox man blurted, "Yin Die'er? Yin Die'er is still here? She didn't leave with Li Ge?"

Niu Youdao's heart stirred. Could Yin'er's original name actually be Yin Die'er? If so, that was quite a coincidence. The name he had casually given Yin'er differed by only a single character.

But Niu Youdao was naturally suspicious. He would not simply follow another person's lead on something he had not confirmed, lest the other side be testing him. He shook his head. "I don't know who Yin Die'er is. I only know the Holy Rakshasa of Butterfly Dream Illusory Realm."

The black Demon Fox man said, "If you mean the Holy Rakshasa of Butterfly Dream Illusory Realm, then it can only be Yin Die'er."

Niu Youdao asked curiously, "What, you know the Holy Rakshasa too?"

"I don't. Most of those who knew her are gone. Only our former Clan Chief still knows her. Back when Shang Song used to come and go from this place, Yin Die'er came with him. She and our former Clan Chief knew each other." The black Demon Fox man stared at him. "Are you saying Yin Die'er accepted you as Shang Song's successor on his behalf?"

Niu Youdao nodded. "My master's palace in Butterfly Dream Illusory Realm is protected by a great formation he left behind. Outsiders are essentially unable to enter. I happened to get inside. Following Shang Song's final instructions, Yin Die'er was to accept whoever entered the palace as his disciple on his behalf and pass down his inheritance. You could call it fate."

The Demon Foxes exchanged looks. The black Demon Fox man hesitated. "If Yin Die'er is still around, how could she sit by while those nine old dogs do whatever they please?"

"I can't say much about her condition. I can only tell you that she has no ability to stop them." Niu Youdao's tone turned firm. "And don't ask too much about her. I won't tell you. Too many mouths mean too many chances for word to leak out, and if news of her reaches the wrong ears, it could put her in danger."

The black Demon Fox man asked, "Did you come here specifically to find us?"

Niu Youdao had been about to say yes, but immediately suppressed the impulse. From the Clan Chief's earlier words, it seemed he had already heard of someone named Niu Youdao. Niu Youdao therefore replied calmly, "At first, I truly had no such intention. I never wanted to enter Sacred Realm. Sacred Realm is far too dangerous for me. But some things can't be helped. Sacred Realm insisted on dragging me in, and I happened to be sent here for tempering. On top of that, I had heard a little about my master's connection to your clan, so I thought I might try making contact and see whether that old relationship could be reestablished. Who knew it would cause so many misunderstandings?"

His gaze shifted. The old man with the ghost-head saber and the old man with the sickle were trembling more violently by the moment. Niu Youdao abruptly changed the subject and pointed at them. "You were struck by my Qiankun Palm. Perhaps you can slowly dissolve its effects yourselves, but I can remove them quickly. If you're not afraid, I can end your suffering right now."

The thought of letting Niu Youdao lay hands on the two Elders again naturally made the others somewhat wary.

Niu Youdao saw it and reminded them, "Clan Chief, ever since I came here, I've borne in mind the friendship between your clan and my master. I haven't killed a single member of the Demon Fox race. When you formed that formation outside and surrounded me, I was fully capable of controlling the force of the backlash and inflicting massive casualties on you, but I didn't. I also had every opportunity to kill these two, and I restrained myself then as well. Isn't that enough to show my sincerity?"

The black Demon Fox man's cheeks tightened. If the explosive force from their formation had truly been directed against them, the consequences would have been disastrous. The thought still left him uneasy. Even so, he stubbornly retorted, "You chased me all the way here!"

"You were the one running. I had no choice but to chase you." Niu Youdao was exasperated. "I told you along the way that I came to make friends, and you fucking tried to kill me without even bothering to talk. That's what I can't understand. Was saying two proper sentences really so difficult? You just had to force me to fight!"

Every pair of eyes immediately turned toward the Clan Chief, apparently wanting to know exactly what had happened. Up to now, he had not had a chance to explain the sequence of events.

The black Demon Fox man looked somewhat embarrassed. "Human cultivators are cunning. You people came here precisely to hunt and kill us. How could I believe you so easily?"

Niu Youdao spread his hands, sword in one and the other empty. "Then what now? Are we going to keep fighting? Do we really need to battle until one side is dead?"

The Demon Foxes exchanged looks again. Refusing to show weakness, the black Demon Fox man said forcefully, "Unless you bring Yin Die'er here. Bring Yin Die'er before me and I'll believe what you've said."

"Has water gotten into your head?" Niu Youdao snapped. "The entrance to Sacred Realm is guarded tightly by the Nine Saints' people. How is she supposed to get in? The moment she entered, the Nine Saints would hunt her down, and she might never be able to leave this place again. Are you that eager to send her to her death? Even putting that aside, I can't easily leave Sacred Realm myself. How am I supposed to send her a message?"

He waved the suggestion away. "Enough with that nonsense. Even your former Clan Chief saw the connection between me and my master. What, you don't believe your own former Clan Chief either?" He pointed at the two trembling old men. "You two, are you afraid of dying? If not, come here and I'll dissolve my palm force. I'd rather not have some accident happen and have you truly die from my attack, only to leave me unable to explain myself afterward."

The two trembling Elders looked toward the Clan Chief. The former Clan Chief had confirmed it? They had arrived late and had not witnessed what happened earlier.

But the former Clan Chief had known Shang Song personally. If even she had confirmed it, then there should not be much of a problem.

The black Demon Fox man turned his head aside. At first he said nothing. Then he slowly snorted. "Human cultivators are treacherous. None of you are any good. Be careful yourselves."

The two trembling old men looked at each other. In the end, the sickle-wielding Elder slowly stepped forward to try first. They did not both present themselves at once.

Once the old man reached him, Niu Youdao wasted no words. He pressed a palm directly against the man's chest and used the Qiankun Art to dissolve the lingering force.

Before long, the sickle-wielding old man stopped trembling. When Niu Youdao withdrew his hand, the old man let out a long breath, gave him a couple of extra looks, then retreated.

The old man with the ghost-head saber came forward next. Niu Youdao likewise relieved him of the torment before allowing him to return.

After confirming that both Elders were fine, the black Demon Fox man sneered, "Back then, Shang Song's divine martial might shook the world. Who would have thought his disciple would end up becoming a lackey of the nine dogs? What an enormous joke."

The fact that he could say such a thing meant he had essentially accepted Niu Youdao's connection to Shang Song.

Niu Youdao ignored the barb. He had not come here to trade insults. He asked directly, "You seemed to know my name before I introduced myself."

"Who the hell knew your name?" the black Demon Fox man replied. "A whole group of people suddenly came in here targeting us. Of course we captured someone to find out what was happening. That's how we learned that the nine dogs had no good intentions and were using the lives of our Demon Fox race for some kind of tempering exercise. When we asked for details, the captive mentioned a man called Niu Youdao who had been sent out of Sacred Realm and later returned. Who knew that man was you?"

At once, Niu Youdao judged that the person they had captured was not from Misty Pavilion, but probably from one of the various sects. Misty Pavilion's people had entered the Desolate Marsh Deadlands before he returned and therefore would not have known that he had come back. Worried the captive might be one of his own people, he immediately asked, "Where is the person you captured?"

The black Demon Fox man wiped his mouth and chuckled coldly. "What would we keep her for after we finished questioning her? We already divided her up and ate her. Living humans taste pretty good."

Ate her? Niu Youdao was speechless. He frowned. "You at least know which sect she came from, right?"

"A woman from Tiannü Sect."

Not one of his own. Niu Youdao no longer cared. "You should have eyes and ears all over the Desolate Marsh Deadlands, shouldn't you?"

"You think we'd simply let you people run wild here?"

"You saw that there are two people with me. Send some of your people to keep watch on them immediately. If they make any unusual moves, report to me at once."

The black Demon Fox man looked him up and down. "Who do you think you are? Before I lose my temper and decide I no longer feel like sparing you, get the hell out of here."

"What temper?" Niu Youdao replied. "Without your former Clan Chief, what can you do to me?"

The black Demon Fox man flew into a rage. "Try me!"

"Enough nonsense. I killed people from Misty Pavilion, and those two witnessed it. While I'm there, I can keep them under control. If I disappear for too long and don't return, who knows what choice they'll make? Keep an eye on them. If anything changes, I need to know in time so I can respond."

"Why should I listen to you?"

Niu Youdao ignored him and continued assigning tasks. "I pried some useful information out of those two Misty Pavilion men. According to them, there's a man named Ao Feng in Misty Pavilion. He's Du Wuxu's grand-disciple and used to guard Wuliang Garden. He's here this time as well. Tall and thin, pale-faced and beardless, with large eyes. Have your people find him and keep track of where he goes. If we want to make a move against Wuliang Garden, a frontal assault is impossible. It can only be done through cunning. I need this man as an inside collaborator."

Make a move against Wuliang Garden? Everyone was stunned.

The black Demon Fox man stared at him in astonishment. "You killed those two because you're after Wuliang Garden?"

"Of course!" Niu Youdao shot back. "I really have to wonder how you became Clan Chief. Without the Wuliang Fruit, how are we supposed to bring down the nine dogs? Is your Demon Fox race going to do it, or am I supposed to run over there and get myself killed? Without the strength, how can we possibly contend with the nine dogs?"

[End of Chapter 1003]