Zhang Xiu said excitedly, âAs long as I hold a high position wielding great power and have the masses prostrate before me, so what if I become a demon? That only rejoices me.â
âThereâs nothing wrong with people wielding power, but they canât be blinded by it.â Xu Jingming stared at him.
âBlinded? No, Iâm fine! It feels good to be a demon,â Zhang Xiu said.
Xu Jingming shook his head. âBut the first person you went to after becoming a demon was your third brother!â
âYes, so what if he has achievements in martial arts? He still trembled in front of me. I ate him in one bite.â Zhang Xiuâs eyes were filled with madness.
âYouâre envious and jealous of himâdonât deny it,â Xu Jingming said. âI saw your memories. When your parents stopped caring about you and focused on grooming your third brother, you were down and envious of him.â
Zhang Xiu was stunned.
âAlthough you suffered when you joined the gang, your father still secretly took care of you,â Xu Jingming continued. âYou later came to realize this too! After your father died, you truly fell into the gangâs abyss.â
Zhang Xiu fell silent.
âTherefore, the first thing you did after you made a name for yourself was to visit your fatherâs grave, drunk. In fact, you really want your father to be alive and see your success,â Xu Jingming said. âYou wanted to prove yourself to your father.â
Zhang Xiu nodded gently. âI admit it. I want him to see me make a name for myself and see that Iâm much better than Third Brother! I like the feeling of making a name for myself! I like the feeling of being high and mighty!â
âDonât be blinded by the allures of the world. Think carefullyâwhat do you really want?â Xu Jingming asked.
âIf I were to exchange a carefree life in which you have your fatherâs approval and your motherâs love for your high and mighty life as a demon, which would you choose?â Xu Jingming asked. âAsk yourself. Are you willing to make the exchange?â
Zhang Xiu was stunned.
His fatherâs approval, his motherâs love, and a carefree life? What a distant memory.
Those were the best days; his father shielded him from the storms and cared for him with his mother.
âYou should understand what you truly desire,â Xu Jingming said.
Zhang Xiuâs obsession trembled. He understood that what he yearned for the most wasnât power but his fatherâs approval and motherâs loveâa happy and carefree life. Once he denied his obsession, it began to collapse.
Zhang Xiu murmured in a low voice, âSince when did I only want to make a name for myself? To trample on others?â
âIâI even ate my third brother. Yes, I was controlled by my obsession and became a demon.â Zhang Xiu suddenly jolted awake. He felt as if he had woken up from a dream.
âStay true to yourself.â Xu Jingming looked at him. âDonât be controlled by your desires and become its puppet.â
âThank you,â Zhang Xiu said softly, âbut I canât go back to the past.â
His obsession dissipated.
âŠ
Xu Jingming opened his eyes on the bed with mixed emotions.
Desire is the motivation for people to work hard and the driving force for all of humanity. But if one isnât in control of their desires, only to be controlled by it⊠Things can only go south, Xu Jingming thought to himself.
Those who controlled their desires were humans.
Those controlled by desire were demons.
Xu Jingming gained a clearer understanding of desires and had it deeply imprinted in his consciousness, naturally strengthening his mind and consciousness.
Creak.
Xu Jingming got up and opened the door. It was beginning to brighten, and there was a hint of red in the eastern sky.
******
On a towering mountain more than 800 kilometers east of the prefecture capital.
âMaster, Master.â An old woman flew into a pavilion as a cloud of mist.
In the pavilion, a woman in red was leisurely painting.
âMaster.â The old woman bowed respectfully after landing.
âWhy are you panicking?â The red-shirted woman glanced at the old woman.
âCity Envoy Zhang Xiu is dead,â the old woman stated. As she spoke, she respectfully handed a piece of paper to the red-shirted woman.
âHuh?â The red-shirted womanâs expression changed slightly.
She took the rolled-up piece of paper and slowly unfolded it. After reading it, she frowned slightly. âDemon Vanquisher Wu Ming? Where did this newcomer come from to be so ruthless?â
âMaster, what should we do?â the old woman asked.
âZhang Xiu had been quite diligent.â The red-shirted woman shook her head. âBut Demon Vanquisher Wu Ming seems to have an extraordinary relationship with the Qi familyâs patriarch, Qi Chen. Zhang Xiu was killed after Qi Chen arrived.â
âYeah.â The old woman nodded. âThey address each other as brothers. They must have an extraordinary relationship.â
âThe prefecture capital belongs to the Demon Vanquishers,â the red-shirted woman said leisurely. âItâs not worth the risk for a dead Zhang Xiu.â
âAre we just going to let it go?â the old woman asked.
3
âDoesnât Zhang Xiu have many friends? Send the news to the other Demon Gods and all the envoys,â the red-shirted woman replied.
The old woman asked, âShould we report it to the Mountain Lord?â
âMountain Lord canât be bothered to manage trivial matters to begin with. He left plenty of matters to me,â the red-shirted woman said. âWhy would he care about the life and death of a city envoy?â
The old woman nodded slightly. âI understand.â
Her master was the Blood-Robed Demon God of the five Demon Gods, and she was also the true administrator of Dongming Mountain!
âŠ
The news quickly spread to many Earth Demons, but Demon Vanquisher Wu Ming was able to crush Zhang Xiu. He also had an extraordinary relationship with the Qi familyâs patriarch and was still living in the prefecture capital. These Earth Demons werenât willing to take the risk.
After fighting for so many years, demons only occupied half the world!
In the prefecture capital where Demon Vanquishers gathered, Earth Demons had to be careful.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
In Chengâan Prefecture, the lake water rippled.
Green Lake was more than 50 kilometers wide, and hundreds of thousands of citizens lived in it. In this area, the most famous person wasnât the officials or the Demon Vanquishers but the owner of Green Lake, Demon God Green Lake!
Brother Zhang Xiu is dead? Demon God Green Lakeâs eyes were cold as he looked at the letter in his hand angrily. He had a birthmark on his face.
âLord Demon God?â The subordinate who delivered the letter was a little puzzled.
âYou are dismissed.â Demon God Green Lake waved his hand. He then sat alone in the hall and stared at the letter.
Brother Zhang Xiu is my best friend. To kill him is akin to crossing me. Demon God Green Lakeâs eyes were filled with killing intent. This Demon Vanquisher Wu Ming deserves death!
Demon God Green Lake burned with killing intent but remained calm. These Demon Vanquishers are very cunning. Perhaps they will set up a trap for me to fall into.
Over the years, the battle with Demon Vanquishers made Demon God Green Lake much more cautious.
Moreover, his relationship with the Qi familyâs patriarch isnât ordinary. Itâs entirely possible for him to mobilize experts to set up an ambush, Demon God Green Lake thought to himself. However⊠I wonât be happy if I donât kill Demon Vanquisher Wu Ming!
Demon God Green Lake was filled with killing intent.
If they ambush me, they will be very patient in the beginning, but as time passes, those experts wonât be able to keep up their guard. Demon God Green Lake thought inwardly, Yes, Iâll wait for another three months before taking action.
I donât believe that the Demon Vanquishers will still be lying in ambush three months later!
The more Demon God Green Lake thought about it, the more pleased he was with his acumen. I canât enter Wu Mingâs residence either; I have to wait for him to come out! Iâll then choose the location and time to attack.
Once I make a move, Iâll eliminate Demon Vanquisher Wu Ming in 30 seconds. Then, Iâll use the water element spell to leave the prefecture capital quietly. Demon God Green Lake was very satisfied. My plan is excellent; there shouldnât be any flaws.
Itâs decided!
Demon God Green Lake made a decision.
âŠ
Days passed.
City Envoy Zhang Xiu said that he has many friends, and Demon God Green Lake is his best friend. Unfortunately, these Earth Demons donât seem willing to avenge him. Qi Chenâwho had been waiting for an opportunityâwas sitting on a recliner and reading in boredom. It looks like Iâve waited in vain.
Qi Chen felt exasperated, but he couldnât force the Earth Demons to attack if they didnât choose to.
âŠ
In Xu Jingmingâs residence.
Chi! Chi! Chi!
Rays of sunlight gathered from all directions, causing the roof tiles to glow with golden light. The power of the sun seeped into the house and landed on Xu Jingming, who was sitting cross-legged on the bed.
He constantly absorbed the endless stream of solar power, causing the Demon Vanquishing Dharmic powers in his body to transform constantly.
Wu Qi stood guard outside the house silently, not letting anyone approach and disturb his young master.
More than an hour later.
Creak.
Xu Jingming pushed open the door and walked out.
âYoung Master,â Wu Qi said happily, âyour Demon Vanquishing technique seems to have improved?â
âYeah, it improved a little.â Xu Jingming nodded.