Chapter 283 - 237: Seeking Revenge

"What do you think of the matters in the Lower realm?" the Jade Emperor asked the Divine Exorcist Great Sage beside him.

"The Buddhist Sect has become an unshakeable force; if we do not intervene now, we might never have another chance." The Divine Exorcist Great Sage spoke seriously; having personally visited Xiniu Continent and the vicinity of Mount Ling, he naturally understood the formidability of the Buddhist Sect.

Hearing this, the Jade Emperor also sighed lightly and said, "It’s just a pity that that monkey escaped this calamity."

"If Six-Eared had succeeded, we would have successfully secured a foothold in the Buddhist Sect. It’s unfortunate that the Buddha even interfered with the Buddhist Sect," the Jade Emperor said with regret.

The Divine Exorcist Great Sage also showed a look of regret.

This matter originated from Fengxian County and, after initial probing, the Jade Emperor keenly realized the changes in The Three Pure Ones and the Buddha, being aware that they were at a crucial step towards a breakthrough.

Seizing this opportunity, the Divine Exorcist Great Sage used a secret technique to stir the anger in Sun Wukong’s heart, successfully creating the Six-Eared Macaque in hopes to replace the original."

Unexpectedly, the Buddha was still able to intervene in reality and uncovered the identity of Six-Eared, causing the Jade Emperor’s plan to fail.

For a moment, both were silent, but they were very aware that the peaceful days had passed, and soon, turbulent times would come rolling in. This time, it was uncertain whether they could maintain their throne as the Supreme of the Three Realms.

Since the end of Journey to the West, the Three Realms had fallen into an eerie calm. The Three Pure Ones Tathagata remained withdrawn, Buddhist Law spread east, and the Heavenly Court was quiet—all was so peaceful.

However, for Black Robe, this day was the darkest day.

Since the fall of the Demon Emperor, he no longer had to live a life of hiding. After the burden in his heart was lifted, Black Robe regained the dignity of a strong being.

He soon came to prominence in Luzhou in the North, leading a king-like good life.

Because of his extraordinary strength and knowing figures like the Green Flood Dragon, his days as a Demon King were very lush, and in a very short time, he had gathered many followers.

This allowed Black Robe, who had always lived cautiously, to experience the dignity of the strong for the first time; he finally did not have to live incognito anymore.

"Great King, what do you think of these? If you are not satisfied, I will catch another batch for you," a Rat Spirit said in a highly flattering tone to Black Robe.

Following his pointing finger, one could see several Female Demons trembling in the cave mansion.

Black Robe looked them up and down before nodding in satisfaction, "Not bad, not bad, they are indeed pleasing to the eye, you have earned yourself a merit this time."

Hearing Black Robe’s words, a brilliant smile appeared on the Rat Demon’s face, its black fur clustering together.

"It’s an honor to serve the Great King."

Seeing its sycophantic expression and humble gestures, Black Robe couldn’t help but laugh heartily; this Little Demon was truly a delight and it was not wrong of him to value him so highly.

"Very well, get the boys trained up, otherwise it will spoil my reputation," Black Robe said in a good mood, waving his big hand and granting Rat Demon the authority to manage the other Little Demons of the cave mansion.

This command directly made the Rat Demon so happy he almost lost his sense of direction; this really put him just below one person and above thousands. Some Little Demons in the cave mansion had always looked down on him, thinking him too ingratiating.

Now with great power in his hands, Rat Demon was already plotting how to deal with those who had looked down on him in the past.

"You need to practice diligently and quickly show some progress. I do not wish to be mocked by that Old Qing Jiao next time," the authoritative voice of Black Robe echoed in Rat Demon’s ears, snapping him back to reality.

Just thinking about the chaotic state of his subordinates during Qing Jiao’s visit made Black Robe’s brow twitch. It was undoubtedly the most humiliating moment of his life.

The disorganized Little demons lacked any discipline, as if a gigantic slap had struck his face, leaving him utterly disgraced.

Fortunately, Qing Jiao didn’t care about such things, considering he had only just recruited them. It was understandable.

But if the same chaos remained in the future, he would certainly be ridiculed.

Rat Demon, adept at reading the room, realized from Black Robe’s tone that this task must be accomplished, or else the master wasn’t known for his benevolence.

Thus, he replied very respectfully, "Rest assured, Great King. If I fail, I shall present my head to you!"

This declaration of military-like resolve instantly won Black Robe’s favor, who smilingly said, "Good, do well. If anything goes wrong, I’ve got your back."

A gleam flashed in Rat Demon’s eyes. That was the statement he needed. With those words, he could rightfully deal with those who dared to bully and ridicule him daily.

He was already plotting how to take down these fellows and establish his authority.

Watching his retreating figure, a slight smile appeared on Black Robe’s lips. He saw through the Rat Demon’s scheming, yet had no intention of stopping him.

It was just a skirmish among the Little demons, insignificant to him. After all, he could easily replace one should it die, as long as they made his life more comfortable.

Now it was his time to relish life, to reclaim everything he had lost, and to leave behind the bitter years of hiding.

A lecherous smile crossed his face as he embraced a few Female demons, and the Cave Mansion was soon filled with an aura of lust.

Midway to the mansion, Rat Demon heard the commotion and envy flashed in his eyes, wondering when he too might lead such a life.

Stepping out of the Cave Mansion, he saw the mess of Little demons frolicking wildly and immediately felt a headache coming on. Despite his bravado and the military-like pledge at his king’s side, he felt clueless about how to handle these wild Little demons.

While Rat Demon was troubled about how to impose discipline, at the base of the mountain, two figures were watching the peak from within the dense woods.

"Is that old thing there?" Xing Wu lifted his head and said.

Beside him was a young man with a crescent on his forehead, who revealed a sly smile and said, "Yes, that guy now calls himself the Black Mountain Demon King and is quite famous around here. He’s been recruiting troops and expanding his territory, quickly becoming one of the powerful Demon Kings in the area."

"Black Mountain Demon King, that’s quite the audacious claim," Xing Wu disdainfully remarked, his eyes filled with hatred.

Ever since he learned of the suffering his father endured and the cause of his mother’s death, the seeds of vengeance had taken root in his heart. If not for the Demon Master’s intervention, he would have sought out Black Robe to settle their scores immediately.

In the time since, he had trained tirelessly, disregarding all pain, all to gain the strength needed to personally avenge his enemies and bring peace to his parent’s spirits.

Having finally received his master’s approval, he could hardly wait to rush forward and seek his revenge.