Chapter Thirteen: Courting Death

"Let's see you surrender, and bring you back to the dungeon for a proper interrogation. Let's see if you'll still dare to be so brazen," the leading general said, seeing that Yuan Wuji was alone. This was a merit delivered straight to his hands, so he hurried to seize him.

"Seize him!" At the general's command, several soldiers rushed to attack Yuan Wuji.

"Hmph!" For a group of mere mortals to act so boldly, Yuan Wuji saw no need for courtesy.

Channeling his power, he conjured a giant hand out of thin air and struck it down. The soldiers and general were crushed into pulp. Since they wanted to show no mercy, they ought to be prepared for death.

Had they spoken reasonably and politely, he would not have insisted on wearing the yellow robe. But as they'd chosen armed confrontation, he had no reason to be gentle.

"Ah! A demon! He’s killed people!"

"A demon is here, run for your lives!"

"Hurry, summon the Imperial Preceptor to subdue the demon!"

Witnessing the scene, where living men were slain in an instant, the townspeople were terrified. Some patrolling soldiers, upon seeing the carnage, raced back to summon their so-called Imperial Preceptor.

Yuan Wuji did not depart. He knew that in any nation, someone with authority would eventually come to speak with him, so he waited there.

In the palace—

"Your Majesty, terrible news, terrible news!" a soldier burst in, panic-stricken.

"The king and the Imperial Preceptor are both here, what could possibly go wrong?" The middle-aged man seated atop the dragon throne patted his chest, then gestured towards the Daoist sitting beside him and barked at the soldier. There was no doubt: this was the king of Wujiguo.

"Speak slowly," the Daoist said, encouraging the soldier to clarify his report. This Daoist was evidently the Imperial Preceptor of Wujiguo.

"Here’s what happened: Today, General Ma found a scholar at the city gate dressed in a yellow robe, mistaking him for the prince out on an excursion. Upon verifying at the palace that this was not the case, he led soldiers to apprehend the yellow-robed scholar. They found him at an inn. General Ma moved to seize him, but unexpectedly, the scholar was a demon in disguise. With a single palm, he crushed both General Ma and the soldiers to pulp," the soldier quickly recounted.

"With the Imperial Preceptor here, subduing a mere demon should be no trouble," the king of Wujiguo remarked, assuming Yuan Wuji to be a minor demon. Otherwise, why would a demon be eating in an inn?

"What distinguishing features did the demon have?" The Imperial Preceptor, well-versed in cultivation, knew that among demons, some powerful ones liked to play in populous places. He wanted to discern what sort of demon this was, lest he run into a formidable foe.

"He looked scholarly and wore a yellow robe."

"No other demonic features?"

"None, it seems."

"Why so many questions, Imperial Preceptor? Go at once! Don’t let the demon escape!" The king, recalling the Imperial Preceptor’s previous displays of power, was itching to capture this demon to assert the nation’s might, to declare to all that even demons could not wear yellow robes here. The right to wear yellow was a rare honor among nations.

"Since Your Majesty commands it, I shall go and see," the Imperial Preceptor replied. He knew this soldier could offer no more useful details, and with the king’s urging, he had no choice but to set out. Yet he dared not guarantee victory and so chose his words carefully.

Lost in his daydreams of capturing Yuan Wuji, the king did not notice the ambiguity.

Thus, the king of Wujiguo, high-spirited, led a grand procession to seize Yuan Wuji.

Yuan Wuji, floating in mid-air, felt the surge of spiritual power and looked towards the approaching king.

"The one in charge has arrived." In an instant, Yuan Wuji appeared before the king.

"Who are you?" The king was unnerved by the sight of a man flying before him.

"That’s the demon!" the soldier from before shouted to the king.

"Demon is not a title for the likes of you to utter." Yuan Wuji, having already given them a warning and expecting them to come and make amends, saw that they had instead brought a whole army. He showed no mercy—pinching the air, he crushed the soldier to pulp before the horror-stricken eyes of the king.

"Protect His Majesty! Imperial Preceptor, quickly subdue this demon!" the king shouted in panic.

"Rest assured, Your Majesty, this old Daoist will defend you with all my strength." The Imperial Preceptor could not gauge Yuan Wuji’s cultivation, but from that casual pinch just now, he knew he himself could not match it.

"Oh? Just you, an old Daoist with a bit of cultivation?" Yuan Wuji saw through him at a glance—the old Daoist was only at the Nascent Soul stage, weaker even than the Rat King before.

"Let me tell you, old Daoist, anger me and I shall turn the whole of Wujiguo into a wasteland."

"Sire, might you tell me who in this land has offended you? They will be severely punished," the Imperial Preceptor said, growing ever more alarmed. This was a man who killed without blinking. But it seemed he was after something in Wujiguo, so the Imperial Preceptor tried to probe further.

"Who offended me? That would be him." Yuan Wuji pointed at the king.

"What? You dare punish your king? Imperial Preceptor, seize this demon at once!" The king, incensed by Yuan Wuji’s gesture, demanded action.

Clearly, words were useless. Without a show of force, they would never know fear.

With a thunderous crash, Yuan Wuji unleashed the Celestial Five Thunders. A bolt of lightning from his arm blasted a gaping hole in the city wall.

"Spare us, great one! Spare us! But we must know, how has the king offended you?" The Imperial Preceptor immediately knelt with the king before Yuan Wuji. Seeing their monarch kneeling, all the soldiers followed suit.

"I entered the city wearing a yellow robe. What business is it of his? Yet he dared send men to seize me!"

"I, your humble king, had no idea the great one had arrived. I would never have sent men to seize you," the king replied, all arrogance vanished.

"What now? Isn’t the law of Wujiguo set by you? Trying to argue with me?"

"No, I dare not. Once you depart, the law will be abolished at once. But it’s difficult to punish the king himself. If you have any requests, we will see them done, only spare His Majesty," said the Imperial Preceptor, forcing himself to speak.

"In fact, I do have one matter," Yuan Wuji replied.

"Pray tell, great one," said the king, relieved that there was something to be negotiated.

"I require that Wujiguo ceases to worship all other deities. The entire nation shall worship only me. All other temples must be demolished and replaced with temples devoted to me. In each temple, incense must burn daily without fail. Should you violate this, I will return to Wujiguo, and you can imagine the consequences yourselves. But if you please me, I will ensure your nation has good harvests and peace throughout the land." Yuan Wuji spoke deliberately to the Imperial Preceptor. He had meant to leave after a brief stay, but now that trouble had found him, he would show no mercy.

"This… this…" The Imperial Preceptor knew this meant a great upheaval for the nation and looked to the king.

"What, is it impossible?" Yuan Wuji turned his gaze to the king.

"It can be done! It can be done!" The king saw no reason to go against his own interests. The usual Bodhisattvas had failed to save him today; he could only save himself.

"Might we ask your name, great one?"

"I am the Celestial Divine Monkey General of the Heavenly Court," Yuan Wuji declared, using the title he had claimed at White Bone Ridge.

"What? The Heavenly Court? Then you are an immortal!"

"An immortal graces us! I did not know and have offended you—please forgive me," the king exclaimed, realizing that his national law had offended an immortal. He would have to rewrite the law and investigate who had promoted that wretched General Ma, who had dared offend a deity.

The Imperial Preceptor breathed a sigh of relief. Thank goodness it was not a demon; had the nation worshipped a demon, it would have been overthrown by righteous cultivators before long.