The dozens of Mouse Family Demonic Beasts were all beaming with excitement, cheering in unison: “Congratulations, Eldest Brother, on surviving the Lightning Tribulation and successfully advancing!”
Shu Er was especially energetic, his eyebrows dancing, waving his arms and stomping his feet, so excited that he nearly flung his cane away.
With Shu Da ascending to Grand Demon and becoming the First Lord of Xixia Mountain, Shu Er naturally became the Erlord.
From now on, he, Shu Er, could swagger about Luoyun Cave just like Young Master Huzi.
He could almost see himself sitting atop the highest seat, surrounded by crowds of female demons.
In the grand hall, all the Cat Demon spirits wore ashen faces.
Hong Lao San had attained enlightenment in a cat’s body, so those of the same cat lineage had been favored, receiving more cultivation resources from the mountain than the other monsters.
Now that Shu Da had made a comeback and become a Grand Demon, he would surely favor the Mouse Tribe.
Those Cat Demons feared they would soon fall to the same status the Mouse Tribe once suffered.
The several hundred Mouse Family Demonic Beasts, though surprised that Shu Da had hidden his strength so deeply and caused such a stir today, still felt a sense of honor in having produced a Grand Demon.
With Shu Da as Master of the Cave, it was surely better for the Mouse Tribe than being ruled by that old cat, Hong Lao San.
The Mouse Tribe was finally about to rise.
The other several hundred monsters of various tribes had mixed expressions.
Shu Da fixed his gaze on Hong Lao San and Hong Yanzhi on the platform, walking forward slowly, his steps heavy and steady.
He climbed the steps one by one, first stopping before Hong Yanzhi, lowering his head to look down at her.
Hong Yanzhi’s face was pale, but she forced herself to stay calm, gritting her teeth and cursing, “You dog servant! Using such despicable tricks, what kind of man are you? If you’re a real man, let me go and fight me fair and square—let’s settle this openly with real swords and real spears!”
Shu Da bent down, bracing his hands on the arms of her chair, his sturdy, broad frame looming over her like Mount Tai, staring into her face as he sneered, “You’ll soon find out whether I’m a man or not.”
Hong Yanzhi turned even paler.
Shu Da released her and turned to approach Hong Lao San on the throne.
Hong Lao San glared at Shu Da, cursing, “You ungrateful wretch! I’ve always treated you well as Master of the Cave, and this is how you repay me?”
“Don’t think you can take my place just by using such shameless means, drugging me and killing me while I’m powerless to resist. Among our Demonic Beast tribes, only the strong rule! Your underhanded tricks are a disgrace to our rules!”
“All the Cave Guests from the various mountains are watching. If you kill me with these base means today, word will spread to over a dozen neighboring peaks, and reach the ears of Hei Pi Yao Wang. Hei Pi Yao Wang won’t spare a rule-breaking disgrace like you!”
“If you have guts, undo my anesthesia and fight me in an open duel!”
“I promise, in front of all the Cave Guests, that if you win, I’ll give up my position to you. If you lose, just admit your mistake and I’ll spare your life for being talented, and even marry my daughter Hong Yanzhi to you.”
“Shu Da, do you dare accept?”
Hong Lao San used Hei Pi Yao Wang as a threat and his daughter as bait, balancing kindness and menace, trying his utmost to convince Shu Da to remove the anesthesia from his body.
As long as he could persuade Shu Da to fight fairly, he was certain he could defeat him.
After all, Shu Da had only just survived the Lightning Tribulation and was still injured and exhausted—how could he possibly be a match for a veteran Grand Demon?
If he struck fatally in battle and claimed to have killed Shu Da by accident, who could say otherwise?
When Lang Buping heard Hong Lao San promising to marry Hong Yanzhi to Shu Da, he panicked, lying on the ground and crying out, “Uncle Hong, you already promised my father to marry Sister Yanzhi to me! You can’t go back on your word!”
Hong Lao San nearly coughed up blood in anger, his face stiff as he said coldly, “Lang Xianzhi, your father and I have only discussed the matter and both sides were interested, but nothing was ever finalized. The match isn’t set in stone—my daughter Yanzhi is still unmarried. Don’t speak nonsense.”
Shu Da chuckled and said, “Master Hong speaks true. If I just killed you and took your place, it would seem improper, not justified, and the brothers from the other mountains would surely look down on me.”
“So I’ll remove your anesthesia, then defeat you in a fair fight for all to see, winning everyone’s conviction!”
Hong Lao San’s eyes lit up and a hint of satisfaction flashed across his face as he praised repeatedly, “Good! You are indeed the talent I’ve chosen—so straightforward.”
Hong Yanzhi, seeing Shu Da agree to a fair duel with her father, recovered some hope, and some color returned to her cheeks.
Shu Er, hearing that Shu Da wanted to fight Hong Lao San, became anxious and cried, “Big brother, you can’t fall for that old cat’s trick! You just survived the Tribulation and you’re still wounded—how can you beat him?”
The Mouse Family juniors all looked anxious as well.
The other monsters from the surrounding mountains simply watched the show with interest, making no comment.
Only Lang Buping looked miserable and resentful.
Shu Da snorted coldly, saying, “It’s fine.”
He commanded the mouse demon below holding the Storage Pouch, “Bring the Antidote.”
That mouse demon took a Pill from the Storage Pouch and tossed it over.
Shu Da caught it and was about to hand it to Hong Lao San when the latter shouted, “Wait! How do I know you haven’t tampered with this Antidote? What if it doesn’t fully cure me?”
Shu Da sneered, “If Master Hong is so worried, I’ll take the poison with you and then use this Antidote to cure myself in front of you.”
He called out to Shu Er, “Second, come up.”
Shu Er reluctantly hobbled over with his cane and accepted the Antidote from Shu Da.
Shu Da picked up the Wine Pot in front of Hong Lao San and downed it in one gulp, soon collapsing limply to the ground.
Shu Er held the Antidote up to Shu Da’s nose. Shu Da sniffed, leapt up, and instantly regained his vigor.
He looked at Hong Lao San and asked, “Any other objections, Master Hong?”
Hong Lao San watched his every move carefully, seeing that there was no trickery, and replied, “No more.”
Shu Er handed the Antidote to Hong Lao San.
Hong Lao San caught a whiff of an intensely pungent odor, sharp enough to penetrate straight through to his skull.
He immediately sobered, regaining control of his body.
Hong Lao San checked himself and found his strength fully restored.
He shook his head, his neck cracking, and clenched his fists with popping knuckles, sneering at Shu Da, “Let’s begin, then.”
As soon as the words left his mouth, he lunged at Shu Da, hands transforming into sharp claws, aiming straight for Shu Da’s heart.
He was lightning fast.
Cats were always known for their agility, and after ascending to Grand Demon, Hong Lao San’s speed was unmatched—his shadow blurred like lightning, and in the blink of an eye, his claws reached Shu Da’s chest.
In the next instant, those claws should have pierced Shu Da’s chest, grabbing his beating heart and crushing it.
A cruel grin appeared on Hong Lao San’s face.
You little rat, you’re still too young.
The old ginger is always spicier!
But suddenly, the demon energy around Shu Da surged dramatically, instantly shifting from early Jindan to mid-Jindan.
Hong Lao San was dumbstruck, his smile freezing on his face.
This damn mouse demon knew the Qike Technique and had been hiding his cultivation.
He had actually jumped straight from Body Tempering peak to mid-Jindan.
Hong Lao San himself was only early Jindan.
His face instantly went pale.
After Jindan, every minor realm made a huge difference. A lower stage could barely defeat a higher one.
Hong Lao San glanced about, planning to retreat, escape, and fly away on a cloud.
But Shu Da had no intention of letting him go.
Shu Da reached out his left hand and seized the cat paw that Hong Lao San had thrust at his heart, gripping it tightly.
Then, with an over-the-shoulder throw, he slammed Hong Lao San’s withered, hunched body hard into the ground.
Immediately, he raised a massive fist and smashed it down onto Hong Lao San’s head.
“Pfft!”
Hong Lao San’s head exploded like a watermelon.
His body convulsed once, then lay still, transforming into a withered, headless black cat.
Hong Yanzhi, seeing her father’s head smashed apart, rolled her eyes and fainted on the spot.
All the monsters on and off the stage were dumbfounded.
They could hardly believe that Hong Lao San had been instantly killed by a mouse demon who had only just survived the Lightning Tribulation.
Nor could they accept that Shu Da had advanced directly from late Body Tempering to mid-Jindan in one leap.
Only Shu Er and the Mouse Family juniors erupted in jubilant cheers.
Shu Da flicked the blood off his hand, then turned to the representatives of the various mountains on the platform, asking, “Does anyone have objections to me, Shu Da, becoming Master of Luoyun Cave at Xixia Mountain?”
The monsters from each mountain exchanged glances, then all shook their heads and praised, “Master Shu is young and capable, with great strength—truly suited to be the Master.”
“Master Shu competed fairly with Hong Lao San—the winner is king. There’s no dispute.”
“We have no objections.”
Shu Da nodded and ordered the Mouse Family juniors below, “Detoxify our honored guests and escort them out of the mountain.”
He cupped his hands in a circle to the various mountain representatives, saying, “I’ve just taken charge here and have many matters to attend to, so I can’t see you off. Please pass on my regards to your Mountain Lords—once I finish up, I will prepare gifts and personally pay my respects to each of your peaks.”
The juniors stepped up and gave Antidote to each monster, who, once cured, cupped their hands to Shu Da and hurriedly left Luoyun Cave for their own mountains.
Only Lang Buping lingered as he left, glancing repeatedly at the unconscious Hong Yanzhi.
When all the Cave Guests had gone, Shu Da commanded, “Detoxify all our brothers below.”
The Mouse Family juniors took out more Antidotes from their Storage Pouches, each one assigned to several tables, moving around to let the little demons sniff the medicine.
Soon, everyone had recovered.
None dared to leave; each sat where they were, watching the new Master of the Cave, waiting for his instructions.
Shu Da picked up a Jiu Tanzi, broke the seal, and poured it over Hong Yanzhi’s unconscious face as she lay slumped in a chair.
“Cough, cough, cough!” Hong Yanzhi choked awake, soaked in wine.
Staring at Shu Da, her eyes instantly reddened, and she cursed through tears, “You damn bastard! You killed my father! Even if I become a ghost, I’ll never forgive you!”
Shu Da grabbed her collar and hauled her up from the chair.
He towered over her, nearly twice her height and almost three times as wide. In his hand, she looked like a delicate doll.
He sneered, “Miss, weren’t you just now wondering if I, Shu Da, am a man or not? Right now, in front of a thousand brothers in the mountain, I’ll show you the answer.”
He swept the dishes off the table with one arm, set Hong Yanzhi on the tabletop, and with a tug, ripped her clothes apart with a tearing sound.
Hong Yanzhi’s voluptuous, delicate body was laid bare before all the little demons in the cave.
“Hiss!”
The cave was filled with the sound of people drawing breath.
All the little demons stared dumbfounded, their jaws slack.
The Miss they had only dared fantasize about in their dreams was now stripped naked before them all.
The ones in the back only hated that they were too far away to see clearly.
Shu Er’s eyeballs almost popped out.
He stared fixedly at Hong Yanzhi’s body, mouth agape, drooling without even noticing.
Hong Yanzhi was overwhelmed with shame and rage—never in her life had she suffered such humiliation.
The intense shame nearly caused her to faint again.
Shu Da had already stripped off his own lightning-charred rags, pinned her arms, pressed his body against hers, and began to ravage her without restraint.
“Ah—! You dog servant! You bastard! How dare you treat me like this… Ah—ah—I’ll kill you! Kill you! Ah—ah—!”
Hong Yanzhi’s anguished cries echoed throughout the hall.
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