Chapter 144: The Four-Headed General

"Oh? I won't kill them, they are still useful to me."

"As for you, I'm more curious about how you came to Hao Mountain."

Back then, when the old cultivator was frightened away by Yuan Wuji, Yuan Wuji did not pursue him. Driven by terror, the old cultivator chose to flee, leaving the sovereign of a nation to die at Yuan Wuji's hands. Although the direct cause did not lie with the old cultivator, had he stayed to fight Yuan Wuji back then, he might have stood a chance.

At that time, Yuan Wuji was merely at the peak of the Celestial Immortal realm, while the old cultivator was a Loose Immortal of the Taiyi realm. In terms of cultivation realm, the old cultivator possessed the strength to defeat Yuan Wuji, yet he failed to do so. This was precisely the terrifying nature of the Myriad Demons Golden Core, which coaxes out the seven emotions and six desires deep within a living creature's heart. The old cultivator's fear was magnified tenfold by the golden core, stripping him of the courage to face Yuan Wuji in battle and compelling him to choose flight instead.

"After fleeing that day, I hid deep in the mountains, intending to spend the rest of my life there. But every day and night was a torment to me. Later, unable to bear it any longer, I left the mountains, planning to find a densely populated place. That was when I encountered the villagers of Hao Mountain suffering from a severe drought, and I stepped in to help them."

"They thanked me, treating me with the last remaining food in their village. It was then that I discovered the torment in my heart was no longer so agonizing, so I chose to stay on Hao Mountain."

"That being the case, you intend to continue protecting these villages on Hao Mountain?"

"Great King, what do you mean by this?"

Believing that Yuan Wuji would not question him without reason and that there must be an ulterior motive, the old cultivator grew a few degrees more vigilant.

"Then I won't beat around the bush with you. Cloud-and-Fire Cave is currently short of manpower. Come become my subordinate and work for me; it just so happens that you can also protect the villages."

No matter what, the old cultivator was at the Taiyi Loose Immortal realm, and his strength was beyond doubt. Rather than killing him, it was far better to fully utilize his value, especially since Cloud-and-Fire Cave currently needed rebuilding.

When Yuan Wuji was away from Cloud-and-Fire Cave, the old cultivator would also serve as a decent combat force. If the old cultivator truly cared about the common folk in the villages, he had no reason to refuse Yuan Wuji.

"This..."

Yuan Wuji's words struck the old cultivator's soft spot, but the old cultivator harbored his own concerns and was left speechless, unable to give an immediate consent.

After all, the chief culprit behind the destruction of his kingdom was Yuan Wuji. At this thought, the old cultivator clenched his fists involuntarily. Yet Yuan Wuji's current cultivation far surpassed his own, leaving him with no opportunity to seek revenge.

From the old cultivator's subtle movements, Yuan Wuji understood the doubts lingering in his heart.

"Your current strength is simply insufficient to pose any threat to me. You might as well focus on protecting what you can still protect; otherwise, if you lose everything, I imagine that is not what you want."

"Furthermore, I can tell you this: the Demon King Bull has already set his sights on Hao Mountain and may take major actions against it. Whether those villages will be implicated when the time comes is anyone's guess. You must have sensed the demonic aura from before."

The old cultivator had all along assumed that the demonic aura came from the remnants of Cloud-and-Fire Cave, but now it appeared otherwise. The moment he stepped inside, he had noticed the emptiness of Cloud-and-Fire Cave, but hearing Yuan Wuji's reply shocked him even more.

What kind of entity the Demon King Bull was, the old cultivator knew all too well. He had no confidence in his ability to protect the villages against the Demon King Bull. The only viable path was to surrender to Yuan Wuji. With Yuan Wuji as his backing, there was still hope of preserving the villages.

Although in the old cultivator's eyes, neither Yuan Wuji nor the Demon King Bull was a good person, Yuan Wuji had at least made a commitment, whereas the Demon King Bull was an unknown variable. Under such circumstances, the old cultivator was more willing to follow Yuan Wuji.

"Since that is the case, I can agree to the Great King's terms, but I hope the Great King will honor his promise."

"Rest assured, as long as you retain sufficient value, my promise will never change."

Yuan Wuji's phrasing was rather peculiar, causing a deep sense of unease in the old cultivator.

Value? If the old cultivator were to lose his value, the promise given by Yuan Wuji would likewise cease to exist.

"Understood."

"Then follow Fox San now; he will tell you what to do next."

"My name is Duoyuan."

Before leaving, the old cultivator turned his head and said to Yuan Wuji.

With the departure party augmented by yet another Taiyi Loose Immortal, Fox San felt considerably more confident. Previously, he had harbored lingering worries about the Demon King Bull, fearing he might not have left Hao Mountain yet. Now, having two Taiyi Loose Immortals by his side, he finally possessed some leverage.

"Old man, with your presence this time, it should be a simple matter to have those villagers build a temple for the Great King, right?"

"Building a temple alone is naturally not a problem."

Along the way, Duoyuan and Fox San exchanged desultory remarks. Although Fox San did not know how Duoyuan had come to know Yuan Wuji, he could tell that their relationship was far from harmonious, which thoroughly stoked the fires of gossip in Fox San's heart.

"Old man, what did you used to do?"

"Your cultivation is quite high; have you ever crossed swords with the Great King?"

"..."

Fox San kept peppering Duoyuan with questions, but Duoyuan did not reply to a single one, automatically tuning Fox San out.

"Wait."

Duoyuan suddenly said, causing Fox San and Puppet One to tense up instantly.

"There is demonic aura over there," Duoyuan said, pointing toward the direction of the mountain pass.

Duoyuan's expression turned grave, and both Fox San and Puppet One sensed that something was amiss.

"Could it be the Demon King Bull's people?" Fox San asked uneasily.

"It cannot be the Demon King Bull; his aura is several times stronger than this. It must be his subordinates," replied Puppet One. Having crossed swords with the Demon King Bull before, he was thoroughly familiar with his aura and could accurately tell whether it belonged to him or not.

"What should we do?"

Duoyuan asked Fox San. Before leaving, Yuan Wuji had instructed them to defer to Fox San's judgment. Now that a situation had arisen, Duoyuan cast his gaze upon Fox San.

"Naturally, we kill them."

Before Fox San could even speak, Puppet One had already given his answer. Leaving neither Fox San nor Duoyuan any time to stop him, Puppet One charged straight toward the mountain pass.

Left with no choice, Fox San and Duoyuan could only follow Puppet One into battle.

Meanwhile, the faction stationed behind the stone ridge was still entirely unaware that they had been exposed. Among them was an old acquaintance of Fox San—the Ruyi True Immortal.

"Ruyi True Immortal, the Great King ordered us to leave Hao Mountain. You called me back here behind his back; if something goes wrong, I won't be able to bear the responsibility."

"General Four-Headed, rest assured, I will shoulder all responsibility should anything go wrong."

"Ruyi True Immortal, did you summon me here just for Fox San? I am no match for the Divine Ape King who stands behind him."

"Naturally, it's about Fox San. We can wait until Fox San is isolated and seize the right opportunity to capture him. Fox San is still useful to my eldest brother; otherwise, I wouldn't have troubled you to come. When the time comes, we will split the credit equally. What do you think?"

The Ruyi True Immortal spoke with absolute confidence. Having learned of the events at Thunder Gathering Mountain, he too wished to distinguish himself before the Demon King Bull, and thus he had defied the Demon King Bull's orders to act on his own.