Chapter 152 - 137: Intention to Leave

"If that is the case, I shall take my leave first!" the Nine-headed Insect slowly retreated, leaving only the Old Dragon King of Ten Thousand Saints standing alone in the vast palace.

After a long while, he slumped to the ground, his eyes lifelessly gazing at the sky.

"Ah!" A sigh echoed throughout the Crystal Palace.

As the Nine-headed Insect walked out, the sound of the sigh reached his ears, and a strange smile appeared on his face.

When Lu Yu heard about the actions of the Nine-headed Insect, he was extremely surprised. He hadn’t expected this creature to be so audaciously bold, and what was even more eerie was the complete silence from the Buddhist Sect, as if this matter had never happened.

"It seems this creature is quite mysterious," Lin Fang muttered to himself.

"Boss, who are you talking about?" the Tiger King asked with a smile as he emerged from the woods. He had changed from his former decadence, now exuding a vibrant and stable aura.

"An interesting monster. Have you finished your tasks?"

The Tiger King nodded, "It’s done. I’ve accounted for my belongings in the cave mansion, and I’ve notified those who wish to follow me. As soon as you’re ready to leave, I will bring them over."

Lu Yu nodded, "That’s good. Let’s not delay; we will leave in two days."

"Didn’t we win? Why the hurry?" the Tiger King asked, puzzled.

"Win? You think this is a victory?" Lin Fang asked, curious.

"Isn’t repelling the Buddhist Sect a victory?"

Lin Fang shook his head, his tone bleak, "The Buddhist Sect can lose ten times and still remain that formidable power, but if we fail even once, it would mean absolute destruction for us."

"Besides, if it hadn’t been for the Heavenly Court Daoist Sect’s intervention this time, do you think we could have won?"

The Tiger King stood frozen on the spot, stunned. Being a mere monster from the wilderness, he was unaware of the complexities of the Three Realms.

"The Buddhist Sect’s retaliation will come soon, and we won’t stand a chance of winning. If we don’t leave during this period, are we supposed to just sit here and wait for death?"

"Remember, this is a strategic relocation, not a retreat," Lin Fang said as he patted the Tiger King on the shoulder and then walked away composedly.

Watching his departing figure, the Tiger King admired, "He really is the boss, making a retreat sound so dignified."

He also shook his head with a smile, turned, and left to properly prepare his followers for this strategic maneuver.

No sooner had Lin Fang walked a few steps than he saw a beautiful Fox Woman kneeling by the side, who said with great respect, "Lord Lin Fang, the Great King requests your presence."

"Lead the way." Although unaware of King Niumo’s intentions at the moment, Lin Fang followed her towards Zhilei Mountain, curious about King Niumo’s plans.

Entering Zhilei Mountain, Lin Fang saw many familiar faces, all prominent demons from the battle, and the foundation of King Niumo’s strength.

As they saw Lin Fang walking slowly towards them, each of them showed a look of respect. Strong individuals always won recognition from others.

When Lin Fang stepped into Moyun Cave, he saw King Niumo lying on a seat, looking utterly defeated.

"Lin Fang, you’ve arrived?" King Niumo, his face flushed from drinking, greeted with a bitter smile.

"Hmm, what brings you to me?" Lin Fang slowly walked to the side of the table, poured a cup of fine wine, and drank it down, finding the taste quite superb.

"Excellent wine!" he exclaimed involuntarily.

"Of course, it’s excellent. This is the legendary Jadescent Nectar, the good stuff that only the Jade Emperor can enjoy. Without the connections in the Long-Live Fox Kingdom, it would have been impossible to acquire this," King Niumo said with a touch of pride.

Lin Fang smacked his lips and a smile appeared on his face, yet he said nothing.

The taste of the wine was indeed good, but it was still a bit short of the real Jadescent Nectar. After all, Lin Fang had tasted the real Jadescent Nectar and knew what it was truly like.

Thus, he could assert that King Niumo had been duped. However, the wine was indeed pleasing, with a unique flavor of its own.

"Are you leaving?" King Niumo asked somberly.

"Yes," Lin Fang replied, setting down his wine cup without any attempt to hide the fact.

King Niumo sighed lightly, "It’s probably for the best. This place is becoming a land of unavoidable trouble. Staying any longer would only cost you your life."

"Since you see it too, why don’t you leave? Isn’t it a good opportunity to leave while the Buddhist Sect is licking its wounds?" Lin Fang asked curiously.

He did not understand why King Niumo was so rigid, stubbornly sticking to Zhilei Mountain and refusing to leave. Now that the dispute between Buddhism and Taoism was laid out openly, and the Buddhist Sect would inevitably need to address these conflicts before they could move against them, if not now, when would be a better time to leave?

"Where do you plan to go?" King Niumo asked, deflecting the question.

"Where else but Luzhou in the North?" Lin Fang responded.

"That place is no sanctuary either," King Niumo said with a sigh.

"Tell me about it," Lin Fang said, his interest piqued. After all, his impression of Luzhou in the North was based on hearsay, which was surely biased.

"One word describes it: chaos," King Niumo explained.

"Each mountain has a Demon King, and every patch of forest is teeming with the Demon Clan. Thus, strife and competition dominate the landscape."

"And the Heavenly Court dispatches the Milky Way Navy periodically to sweep through, clearing out some monsters. This only makes the Demon Clan there even more belligerent. Establishing a foothold there won’t be easy for you," he said.

Lin Fang simply smiled nonchalantly, "That’s no problem; it’s all about who has the bigger fist."

After all, among the Demon Clan, the mightiest ruled supreme. As long as one demonstrated sufficient strength, gaining a corresponding status was only natural.

Hearing this, King Niumo also smiled, "That’s indeed no issue for someone like you."

Having fought alongside him, he knew Lin Fang’s strength was far greater than it appeared, but he then changed the subject, "The only worry is the legendary Demon Court."

"The Demon Court?" Upon hearing this term, Lin Fang immediately became intrigued. This was something he did not know about, and it must be an extraordinary entity for King Niumo to bring it up so seriously.

"Yes, can you imagine? During the Ancient Times, there existed a Demon Court that contended with the Heavenly Court. The legendary Demon Emperor was extraordinarily powerful," King Niumo recalled with a hint of longing—it surely must have been the glorious zenith of the Demon Clan.

"What happened after that?" Lin Fang asked curiously, since such a powerful force was surprisingly obscure in the Three Realms. This clearly defied common sense.

"I don’t know the details. All I heard was that the Demon Court was destroyed, and its Great Demons fled in all directions. Since then, the Heavenly Court has dominated the Three Realms, becoming the true sovereign, and our Demon Clan has fallen far from grace to become what we are today."