thefictionvixens Chapter 875 Cooperation
Chapter 875 Cooperation
Over the next few days, the monkey demon led the tiger demon to search for other demon strongholds one by one. Deep within the Misty Forest lurked many demon kings: crocodile spirits living in the poisonous swamp, flower fairies perched on ancient trees, and stone monsters hiding in caves—each ruling their own territory like a local tyrant. At first, the demon kings scoffed at the monkey demon's "cooperation" proposal. Some flower fairies even mocked in a coquettish voice, "Oh, isn't this the peach-stealing stable boy? What, you want to be our 'Demon King'? Don't you even take a good look at yourself?"
But when the monkey demon pulled the tiger demon behind him, the tiger demon's fierce aura pressed down like a boulder, scaring all the demons into shrinking back—who didn't know how powerful the tiger demon was? In a one-on-one fight, none of them were a match for him. Last time, the crocodile demon was not convinced and wanted to fight the tiger demon, but he had his tail broken off with a slap and was bedridden for half a month before he could move.
Adding to the monkey demon's eloquence, he clearly articulated the logic that "those who don't cooperate will be abandoned by the dragons and annihilated by the humans." He discussed the recent movements of human cultivators, the time needed for the dragons to heal, and the fate of the demons fighting individually. The demons, already harboring doubts, now saw even the tiger demon siding with the monkey demon, and they all relented, nodding in agreement to cooperate and patting their chests to guarantee they would obey the monkey king's commands.
In just a few days, the demons who had been scattered throughout the Misty Forest were actually united by the monkey demon. Looking at the various demons gathered in the clearing—the crocodile demon with its shrimp soldiers and crab generals, the flower demon with its vine monsters, and the stone monster followed by a group of groundhog demons, a dark mass, their demonic aura soaring to the sky—the monkey demon raised an eyebrow at the tiger demon with a sly glint in its eyes. Now, it finally had the leverage to bargain with the dragon clan. Whether it went to the holy land or became king in this forest was no longer up to anyone else to decide.
Afterwards, the monkey demon and tiger demon led the group of lesser demons towards Long Tian's cave where he was recuperating. The lesser demons rustled as they stepped on the withered branches and leaves, casting an unsettling signal in the silent forest. These past few days, Long Tian's injuries had been healing exceptionally slowly; the wound on his chest, cleaved open by a magical artifact, bled every night, delaying his recovery considerably. Now that the second team of human cultivators had ventured deep into the forest, no one could say for sure whether they would send reinforcements. If a Foundation Establishment cultivator capable of summoning heavenly lightning did arrive, the entire demon settlement would likely be engulfed in flames, and even the thousand-year-old spiritual vein within the cave would be lost.
Long Jiao stood guard beside the boulder outside the cave, her bluish-green scales gleaming coldly in the dim light. She gazed at her brother, Long Tian, sleeping soundly inside the cave. His brows were furrowed, his pain evident even in his unconscious state, his expression filled with worry. Seeing the monkey demon and tiger demon approaching with a group of lesser demons, some clutching broken bone clubs, she immediately frowned, her tone wary: "What are you doing? This is a crucial time. The border defenses cannot be relaxed. Shouldn't you be keeping watch on the human cultivators? What are you doing here with so many people?"
Long Jiao was actually a little scared. In the past, when she transformed into her true form, she could create a hundred-meter-high wave, and these demons wouldn't even dare to raise their heads in her presence. But now, her brother was seriously injured, and she had expended a great deal of spiritual energy to protect his heart meridian with her dragon essence. Her own strength was now less than one-tenth, and her scales had lost their former luster. Facing this group of menacing demons, she really didn't have much confidence, and her hand gripping the hilt of her sword trembled slightly.
But then she thought again, her brother was still inside recovering from his injuries, and the survival of the entire demon race rested on her shoulders for the time being. She couldn't back down now. So she straightened her back, her dragon horns flashing faintly in the shadows, and her sharp eyes swept over the demons before her, displaying the majesty befitting a dragon: "What kind of order is this, all of you huddled here? Scatter!"
Seeing the lingering dragon's might in Long Jiao's eyes, the tiger demon instinctively shrank back. The memory of being slapped away by Long Tian was still fresh, and a sense of fear remained. Its thick paws rubbed against the ground, hesitant to approach. The monkey demon beside it, however, was much more astute. Its eyes darted around, and it immediately understood the key—Long Jiao's aura was weak, her voice feeble, and she was protecting the heavily injured Long Tian; she dared not easily provoke them. After all, to escape the encirclement of human cultivators, they needed these familiar demons to guide them through the mountain paths.
The monkey demon hopped forward two steps, its fluffy tail sweeping behind it. It shook its pointed, monkey-faced head and asked bluntly, "Lady Long Jiao, let's not beat around the bush. I just want to know, when exactly can we go with your dragon clan? Where are we going? And how many demons will you take with you? You can't just take your own dragons and leave us here to feed the humans, can you?"
Upon hearing this, Long Jiao smiled faintly, trying to make her tone sound calm and strong: "Don't worry, as long as my brother wakes up and his injuries stabilize, we will set off for the far north ice plains. We will take with us any demons who are capable of keeping up, and we will never abandon any of our combat-capable companions."
The monkey demon, however, was unconvinced. It grinned, revealing sharp teeth, and its voice was as high-pitched as scraping glass: "Alright, we've heard that at least ten times! In the past few days, to resist the human cultivators, our fox clan has lost three cubs, and the wolf clan's leader was burned to a crisp by a talisman. If this continues, when will it end? We can't let our people die in vain, and in the end, we won't even see a shadow of your dragon clan, can we?"
Long Jiao clenched her fists, her nails almost digging into her palms, blood seeping from between her fingers. Deep down, she wanted nothing more than to lash out at the slippery monkey with her tail, but reason told her she couldn't—the human cultivators outside were still setting up defenses, and it was said they had already established a demon-locking array at the valley entrance, ready to attack at any moment. To fall out with these demons now would be tantamount to cutting off her own escape route; she wouldn't even have a chance to break out.
She took a deep breath, suppressing her anger, and turned to walk deeper into the cave. From a hidden compartment in the stone wall, she retrieved a white jade box. Upon opening it, a faint spiritual light emanated from within. Inside were three thousand-year-old snow lotuses, five pieces of obsidian imbued with pure demonic power, and a small bottle of dragon blood ointment capable of rapidly healing wounds. She handed the jade box to the monkey demon: "These are treasures beneficial for recovering from injuries and enhancing demonic power. Consider them compensation for your fallen kin. Take these, guard the border well, and don't disappoint me again."