The Han Shan Cavern was remote; though one of the Thirty-Six Caverns, it rarely engaged in outside dealings, and perhaps they hadn't even heard of the border skirmishes yet.
That was indeed the case.
The leader, a white-haired elder resembling a chieftain, wore a thin cloth vest that **exposed his lean, withered chest, revealing the outline of several ribs. With a fawning expression, he kowtowed before Feng Zikang. “We failed to welcome the Great Immortal upon your arrival, please forgive our transgression! Forgive us!”
His Mandarin was oddly accented, yet understandable enough. Miss Wu, sharp as ever, inquired about the path to Xiao Han Mountain before Feng Zikang could even speak. “Is the Great Immortal going to visit that Great Immortal?”
The chieftain saw where her finger pointed—towards Xiao Han Mountain—and was instantly terrified, scrambling backward and falling to the ground. “That Great Immortal?”
A flicker of doubt crossed Feng Zikang’s mind. He looked up. Xiao Han Mountain was entirely shrouded in white mist, vague and indistinct. Even with his sharp vision, he couldn't see clearly. Indeed, a being of great magic must have cast a spell to conceal the mountain gate.
Anyone capable of making a wager with Elder Yun was certainly powerful, that much was obvious. But judging by the reaction of these savages from Han Shan Cavern, they seemed utterly terrified of this presence. Could it possibly be a ferocious great fiend?
Feng Zikang felt no excitement about meeting a peer. He would have much preferred the other party to be a respectful, upright master of the Orthodox Way, allowing him to deliver his message and return to the mountain without any complications arising. But if it were a fiend… who knew what treacherous thoughts it might harbor?
“You need not fear!”
He instructed Miss Wu to help the chieftain up and asked gently, “We are merely travelers passing through. We only noticed the dense demonic energy emanating from the mountain. Who is this Great Immortal you speak of, and why are you so frightened?”
The chieftain, still shaken, observed Feng Zikang’s calm expression and Miss Wu’s beautiful appearance; they didn't seem like malicious individuals. Only then did he cautiously let out a breath of relief. “The two Great Immortals truly are not traveling with her?”
He confirmed this several times before reluctantly believing it, his face etched with worry, old tears streaming down. There really was a terrifying demon residing in Xiao Han Mountain!
In the beginning, she hadn't committed any truly evil deeds. At worst, when displeased, she would toss entire mountain ranges around like refuse, messing up the local topography. Within a few years, only Da Han Mountain remained untouched; all the other ridges had been thrown God knows where. Since she didn't discard Da Han Mountain, the savages of Han Shan Cavern weren't afraid and simply worshipped this demon as their mountain deity.
But at some point, this demon acquired a terrible habit. Eating people!
“Eating people?” Miss Wu’s face turned pale, her voice trembling slightly, clearly frightened. The little fox, though only three days old, possessed some spiritual awareness. It chirped twice, hopped onto her shoulder, and nudged her cheek with its nose to offer comfort.
“Eating people…” Feng Zikang pondered softly.
Demons cultivating their arts are far inferior to the pure Yang essence of humans. Often, many profound demonic techniques require blood sacrifice to replenish Yang energy. Thus, for demons, eating humans is a necessity, much like humans eating cattle and sheep. Of course, there are also things that can replenish pure Yang essence with just one bite, such as the Flat Peach, Ginseng Fruit, or the Nine-Turn Golden Elixir—but these things are too ethereal; one doesn't know if they actually exist.
Or, for instance, the body of pure Yang through ten reincarnations. It is rumored that a single bite offers such miraculous effect. This is why Master Xuanzang faced so many tribulations on his journey west to seek the Mahayana scriptures: the legend held that he was the reincarnation of the Golden Cicada, and a mouthful of his flesh was enough to restore pure Yang.
“On festivals and important dates, she… she demands a pair of young boys and girls, saying they are for seasoning…”
This demon’s cannibalism was peculiar! Most demons, if possessing some compassion and not harming lives wantonly, only consume a piece of a living person on the first and fifteenth of the lunar month (new and full moons) to maintain the spark of Yang energy in their hearts. This demon, however, consumed people starting from New Year’s Eve, then on Qingming, Dragon Boat Festival, Mid-Autumn, Double Ninth, and Winter Solstice—six times a year. Viewed this way, her human consumption truly seemed to be merely a change of flavor, not a fundamental necessity!
“Seasoning…” Miss Wu’s face was ashen, feeling sick to her stomach. She dug her nails deeply into her palm, striving to maintain a neutral expression. “…eaten mixed in, it preserves one’s complexion…”
The chieftain gritted his teeth and finally revealed the purpose behind the demon’s man-eating.
“What? She’s a female demon?”
Miss Wu shuddered violently, unable to believe it. Eating two young boys and girls during festivals, merely for the sake of beauty maintenance? What an atrocious thing!
“Great Immortal! You possess mighty divine powers! We only beg you to show mercy and slay this demon for our Cavern!”
The chieftain wept profusely, clutching Feng Zikang’s knee, crying and begging. Han Shan Cavern was remote; no powerful cultivators had visited in centuries. The surrounding mountains had all been violently displaced by the demon. The people of the Cavern, with no recourse for help, could only endure the demon’s tyranny. When they saw Feng Zikang and Miss Wu arrive flying on their carriage, they suddenly grasped at the last straw, kneeling and pleading incessantly.
Many savages with young children kowtowed furiously, blood streaming from their foreheads, yet they did not stop. Even Miss Wu looked towards Feng Zikang with hopeful eyes. Although they had spent a few days together, she knew his nature was detached, yet a young girl always yearned for a hero to appear!
Seeing that he gave no immediate response, the chieftain anxiously clenched his jaw, pulled out a wooden box from his embrace, and thrust it into Feng Zikang’s hand. “Great Immortal! This is our Cavern’s treasured possession. If you slay the demon for us, we offer it to you immediately!”
Feng Zikang closed his hand gently, a look of delight on his face, and announced loudly, “Everyone rest assured. I came here precisely because I was ordered by my master to eradicate demons. This is what we of the Orthodox Way must do as a matter of course!”
His words were firm and soaringly heroic, disregarding the differing pretext for his arrival earlier. The simple-minded savages cheered wildly, immediately treating him as their great benefactor, and brought out the finest things they owned to treat their esteemed guest.
Feng Zikang responded mildly, but his mind was occupied with the demon’s relationship with Elder Yun. How could such a vicious, man-eating demon be connected to an Elder in charge of the Merit Hall within the Dragon-Tiger Mountain’s orthodox military lineage?
He certainly couldn’t defeat this demon. A being that even Elder Yun, who was in the late stage of Core Formation, admitted defeat against—how could he, a mere disciple in the Qi Induction stage, possibly contend with her?
As for why he immediately agreed to exterminate the demon, it was naturally connected to the item the chieftain presented. If he hadn’t agreed then, he would have had to resort to seizing it by force, which would have been more troublesome. Regardless, Feng Zikang had only agreed verbally. Claiming later that he couldn't fight such a thousand-year-old demon was commonplace; he felt no internal pressure whatsoever.
The moment his hand touched the wooden box, Feng Zikang felt a familiar aura. It was the exact aura of the residual fragments of god and demon he had recently refined from the two banners!