Wu Yong felt a burst of energy throw the piling cultivators off of him. As soon as the load was pushed off his chest, he gasped to let in more air. He coughed a few times and quickly recovered from being smothered. He realized that he could have died beneath so many bodies. The black orbs zipped around, attacking any cultivator in its way without an ounce of mercy. Wu Yong stared at the strange phenomenon and thought that the flying balls of black smoke looked like spirits. He could hear the awful screeches coming from the orbs.
"It is demonic cultivation! Everyone, put down your weapons and stay away from Wu Yong!" Ming Zhe Di glared at the new Demon King, regretting his decision. He should have agreed with his colleagues even if his instincts told him the suspect was innocent. He gathered the powerful cultivators, "Attack Wu Yong, keep the disciples away from him. Look, he is not the same lunatic you knew."
The most skilled cultivators nod slowly. Xue Weifeng stubbornly flared her nostrils and grit her teeth. She withdrew from the group with her whip held ready to attack. She paused to say, "You should have sent him to the courtyards! I cannot believe the Righteous Council had such a stupid leader. If you did not release him, our disciples and friends would not be harmed."
The Righteous Council watched as Wu Yong treated his opponents as twigs. Ming Zhe Di studied the swirling smoke drifting from his body, shocked beyond measure. He could see the cultivators use so much strength yet the lunatic stayed unscathed. The old master shook his head in disbelief. "He does not have to move, it is as if spirits are helping him! Xue Weifeng, tell the kids to be careful! We are dealing with the new Demon King."
The female phoenix was already using her energy to keep evil smoke away from her students. She turned her head to the leader of the council, eyes wide and forehead wrinkled in confusion. "What? You said he is the Demon King? The Demon King died by the hands of the Jian Sect during the last full moon. This weak boy could not be a powerful Demon."
Mian Biaoqing stepped beside her teacher, eyes wide. She pointed at Wu Yong who is engulfed in dark vapor from head to toe. The Demon looked excited and fearful as she spoke to the female phoenix. "Madam Xue, it is possible for him to be the new Demon King. It explains the strange happenings during the last week. His change in behavior, his resistance to pain and the cracking of the Sacred Stone. We need to find a way out of here!"
"No," Xue Liang pushed the Demon student away from his mother. His sword was already out of its sheath and pointed at Wu Yong. "I do not care if he is the Demon King or not, he must die today by this blade. Mian Biaoqing, you can save yourself or you can go the righteous way and help take down this threat! So many innocent disciples have been injured by his supernatural minions."
It is true, many unconscious disciples and cultivators lay on the carpet and floor of Zhengyi Pavilion. Half of the fallen people had their limbs twisted or pulled into unnatural positions which was the result of being flung into the air by evil spirits. The standing cultivators could barely protect their own backs. What is this sudden shift? Minutes ago, cultivators were grumbling and voicing their distaste. Wu Yong had stood like a dog with its tail between its legs.
Wu Yong savored the lovely moment full of fear and hatred. He felt as if his body absorbed the negative energy* and he loved the feeling of holding power. For once he had control of his life and the lives of others. He asked himself if this is what it feels like to be an evil king but he was not complaining. Someone had to put these arrogant cultivators in their place.
The strongest cultivators resorted to setting up formations to create barriers. The injured were moved into the force field by the cultivators still standing. Members of the Righteous Council were urging cultivators to forget Wu Yong and take shelter. A couple disciples of the Li Sect rush towards the barrier to help keep the formation steady. Even with the help of the students the Righteous Council were struggling.
Wu Yong scoffed at the frightened faces of the disciples hiding behind the council members. He sees that the evil spirits would keep the protected group under control so he takes his eyes off of them. In front of him, the braver remnants of the Xue Sect are attempting to get through the dark fog surrounding the Demon King. He could hear the phoenix couple shouting as their efforts were in vain.
After hearing insults and loud yelling, Wu Yong lost interest in the cultivators. It was strange, his mind worked on its own and it was as if he knew the methods the former Demon King used during his life. The Demon King pressed his palms together and he looked like he was currently participating in twisted prayer.
Wu Yong pulled his hands away from each other and closest attackers were thrust into different directions. The Demon King tried to hide a grin as the Xue Sect fell to the floor. The stronger disciples regrouped with the phoenix couple and discussed their next moves. Wu Yong decided for them, "I am tired of you all! I will let you righteous people save face and leave as if you forced me out."
"Wu Yong, stop right there!" Xue Xian Tou screamed as loud as he could while pointing his fingers at the young man whose body is overflowing with dark magic. The patriarch of the Xue Sect shook with rage as he stammered, "I have realized my mistake. I should not have abandoned you when you were so young, I beg you as your father to stop harming us and to return to the righteous path. I will teach you all the techniques I know, it is not too late."
"Father, what are you saying?" Xue Liang grabbed the sect leader by his arm. The son of the Xue family held onto his father as if he is hanging from a cliff. Xue Liang felt threatened by his father offering to take Wu Yong back as his son. He frowned when Xue Xian Tou pushed his arm away to approach Wu Yong. Xue Liang points at Wu Yong, "You evil lunatic!"
Wu Yong pointed at Xue Xian Tou angrily. A wisp of black smoke crashed into the powerful cultivator, throwing him back onto the floor. The black smoke continues to linger but spreads to grab hold of Xue Liang by his neck. "The righteous path? I do not believe in such a thing. Look, who was the one locked away from the world? Who barely ate yet stayed silent? Which one of us suffered because of something idiotic called cultivation?"
Wu Yong felt the blood rush to the top of his head as he poured pent up emotions into each word. The Demon King lowered his hands thinking the receiver of his finger point was not worthy enough. "What, am I no longer a lunatic because I have power? How can I be sure your offer to take me in is sincere? After all, over a decade went by and during that time I was only a subject to your mindless experiments. You are bold to think I will consider you my father."
"Wu Yong, how dare you talk to my husband in such a manner? He is a righteous man who put aside his pride to beg an evil man like you." Xue Weifeng helped Xue Xian Tou sit upright. Using both hands she checked his face for injuries, clenching her jaws at the small cuts. "If a person like you can become a righteous cultivator, I will return to spit in Zhengyi Pavilion*."
"Oh, I know you like picking on the weak. Even now you must see me as the lunatic of Forbidden House. Am I a bit more crazier than last time?" His eyes were bloodshot as he cackled with his eyes wide open. He quickly regained his composure and he looked more frightening with his serene expression. His head snaps the the side where Xue Liang is trying to pull the dark vapors off of him. "The way I see it, I should spit right here. I cannot believe the amount of hypocrisy that takes place under this roof on a daily basis."
Wu Yong gathered all the saliva he had in his mouth and formed a ball with the substance. With a ptoo, the spit splashes onto the carpet and turned light red into dark red. He turned to the rest of the cultivators standing within the barrier. "I know you will all hunt me as soon as I leave this pavilion. Fine, I will become your prey for the next year. If you do not catch me before the time is up, I think you will have to watch your wives, husbands, fathers, mothers, horses and servants. You would not want them falling into my hands. Oh, I forgot to mention your children too."
"You are all bark, no digging! Who are you to have so much confidence in yourself?" Re Ao Man shouted fiercely. The council member did not appreciate the lone man insulting his beliefs, underestimating the ability of the Righteous Council, acting as if he was a god and threatening hundreds of cultivators. Re Ao Man snarled as he put more energy into strengthening the barrier. "Do you think you can escape us? We have the whole cultivation world. What do you have?"
Wu Yong smirked, wondering how the struggling cultivator could speak so loudly whilst using up his energy. "You can use the cultivation world as a threat when the Righteous Council that leads it can grasp a strand of my hair! You focus on engraining your twisted morals in the minds of aspiring cultivators. The righteous path was made to look rosy and immortal. You think the cultivation world is so great? Fine, all I do is bark so you, come bite me."
Wu Yong felt astonished by the strange words that left his lips. He could feel the dark energy seeping into his body being released to attack the unprotected cultivators. He raises his voice for all to hear, hoping his final message would strike their nerves. "One year is the amount of sand left in the hourglass. With each grain of sand slipping through, your doom nears! I will make the righteous sects regret belittling the most useless persons."
The Demon King was not finished but he could sense the cultivators felt uneasy the more they struggled. Wu Yong quickly scanned the room and memorized each face that was present. "Remember my face well because I know each face here. My face is the face of the lost people without voices. I represent the vast amount of people you crush to stay on top. I expect to see my face hung on every door and my name shall be known even by your chickens. Keep the face of the Demon King fresh in your mind. I doubt I will stay hidden for a full year."
The cultivators took the chance to study the face of the Demon King. The face that seemed to belong to a beggar had become clean and handsome. The matted hair suddenly became silky, jet black hair. The ragged clothes became robes that resembled the darkest shadows of the Netherworld. They were in awe. How could a measly man like Wu Yong become such a fearsome figure? Disciples of the Xue Sect could not recall his former appearance which irked each one of them.
"Wu Yong! Enough of the boring talk and get out of here before you lose your mind." The female immortal appears by his side. She knew the most virtuous cultivator in the pavilion would not be able to see her celestial body. This confused the new Demon King so she explained as fast as she could. "You can only see me because you are worthy enough to see. I know the evil nature of these good people. Learn from them and become a good ruler of the Demon Sect in one year. The Demons will wait for their new king."
Wu Yong was about to protest but the immortal hissed to warn him. She grew impatient, eager to finish her mission and return to a game of chess with her brother. "Follow my orders and leave, now! I will make these mortals forget the events that occurred at Zhengyi Pavilion. They will not remember your trial and this battle but they will recall a grand feast. I believe the three parties attending today are the only ones who were aware of the trial. After you leave, no one will remember that you are the Demon King. They will only remember your new face but it will be known as the face of an immortal who visited the banquet."
Wu Yong heard the plea in her voice and thought there was no harm in obeying her. He laughed, finally realizing he would not have to follow the orders of the Xue family after he leaves the pavilion. He would not have to hear snarky remarks about his pathetic life and best of all, he does not have to worry about cultivation and righteousness. To his surprise, Wu Yong did not need to learn how to teleport. It came naturally to him which was like the first time he called for evil spirits.
The fearsome Demon King had left just as the last conscious cultivators lowered their arms. They sighed in relief when the dark shadows followed the Demon King and each cultivator vowed to hunt the man. The last person said his promises and the immortal stepped in. She cleaned the mess Wu Yong created by clearing memories and setting up a party setting.
She wondered what type of king Wu Yong would become. So far, he could intimidate so many people. The Righteous Council is a high profile organization full of powerful cultivators yet the new Demon King frightened them? The immortal shook her head. Demon Kings were known to be fearsome but the most intimidating group of people would be the Demon Sect in Youming*. The fearsome people who will soon be led by a fearsome king.
***
Body absorbs negative energy: It is believed that Demon Kings are so powerful because of their appetite for dark energy. Demon Kings feed on fear and anger in order to get stronger. This is probably the reason Demon Kings are so fearsome.
Spitting in Zhengyi Pavilion: Zhengyi Pavilion is the place where members of the Righteous Council hold trials, meetings and feasts. The goal of the council is to promote virtue and goodness throughout the cultivation world. The pavilion embodies the righteous path. Demons would spit during their trials to show disrespect and it also shows they believe the Righteous Council and their teachings are rubbish. If Xue Weifeng has the nerve to spit on the floor, she is forsaking the right way because she lost faith in the Righteous Council and the cultivation world.
Youming: Land of the Demons, a dark land where the Demons dwell. Only the bravest cultivators visit the nation but they often find themselves lost in the large kingdom. Youming is divided into different districts or neighborhoods but because the righteous sects are not familiar with the mysterious kingdom, they call the home of the Demons Youming.