"Lin Fan, you think of everything."
Old Zhang not only enjoyed Lin Fan's praise, but he also liked praising Lin Fan. Together, they were a mutual admiration society, praising each other and keeping everyone in good spirits.
Lin Fan said, "It's because of you. You constantly remind me to think more, and by thinking more, I can come up with these ideas."
"Me? Really?" Old Zhang pointed at himself, somewhat disbelieving.
Lin Fan smiled, "Of course. Because you mentioned the children, I remembered what he said earlier. It's just like that."
"I didn't expect I could be so thoughtful." Old Zhang sighed, surprised by this realization. His mood instantly brightened.
At this moment,
Let's just say the evil rooster didn't want to say much.
Even the ginseng was looking at them strangely.
Was this really necessary?
Afterwards,
They searched the empty cave.
Before long,
Lin Fan spotted an oval-shaped stone embedded in the wall. The stone looked out of place compared to the surrounding walls. Its white surface was streaked with blood-red veins.
The stone's surface was covered in writing.
Lin Fan and Old Zhang couldn't understand the characters. They weren't any they had seen before; they didn't recognize a single one.
The ginseng examined it carefully and exclaimed, "I can't believe this kind of writing has spread here."
"You recognize it?" Lin Fan asked.
The ginseng nodded. "Yes, I've seen this script. My previous master told me about it. These are celestial writings, possessing great power. They should be a seal formed from the righteous energy of heaven and earth, used to suppress an immortal, malevolent being. It seems there's also the blood of a Buddha, one of those powerful beings who achieved Buddhahood, used as part of the suppression."
"Wow, Ginseng, you're amazing! I didn't know you were so learned." Lin Fan praised.
Even Old Zhang gave the ginseng a thumbs-up.
Finally experiencing the feeling of being praised, the ginseng felt incredibly pleased and a bit lightheaded.
It gently patted the evil rooster's head.
"Chicken bro, I have to say, being praised feels really good. You've never been praised, have you?"
The evil rooster hung its head, almost exploding with anger.
Damn it.
My dignity has been trampled on again.
Lin Fan touched the seal. Upon contact, it emitted a dazzling light and an imposing aura that would awe any powerful being.
What a terrifying aura.
It seemed as though it wasn't something a being of this world could emanate.
"Let's step back. I'll break it in a moment, just in case it hurts us." Lin Fan said.
They went back to where the children were.
Lin Fan threw a punch at the seal from a distance.
Crack!
The seal, seemingly impervious to external force, shattered. The surrounding atmosphere was silent as Lin Fan waited quietly.
A moment later,
A sinister, terrifying voice echoed.
"Hahaha, a thousand years, ten thousand years, the seal is finally broken! Freedom! I, the Lord of Fierce Demons, am finally free!"
The scene resembled a horror movie from the 80s or 90s.
Red light and mist emanated from where the seal had broken, creating an eerie atmosphere. Anyone with working eyes could tell that whatever emerged wouldn't be anything good.
"What an evil aura," the ginseng said.
Old Zhang fearfully hid behind Lin Fan, only daring to peek out half his head. Though scared, he still wanted to watch. He enjoyed these kinds of things.
"Not very exciting," Lin Fan muttered to himself.
Soon, a figure appeared before them.
The one called the Lord of Fierce Demons by the black-robed figures was a middle-aged man with long, flowing hair. His appearance wasn't handsome, but he had a dignified air. He wore a suit of armor, and a strange black mist swirled around him.
"Did you release me?" the Lord of Fierce Demons asked.
"Yes, we did," Lin Fan nodded.
"Very good, very good indeed. You released me, so you must know what a magnificent being I am, how unapproachable. I once suppressed the heavens, unstoppable. I can grant you any of your meager wishes. But let me give you a piece of advice: becoming my servants would be the greatest benefit to you."
The Lord of Fierce Demons, whose original name was Yin Hong, had cultivated for thousands upon thousands of years to reach this level. In the era of the heavens, he was one of the peak powerhouses.
He obtained the inheritance of the Demon Ape from a corpse floating in the forbidden zone of the starry sky:
The Great Fierce Body Refining Method.
This ultimately led him to become such a powerful being.
By fusing the bloodlines of others and constantly refining his own, he cultivated a supreme tyrannical body, his fierce might unparalleled throughout the ages. Who could rival him?
At this moment,
Yin Hong saw the children imprisoned in the cages and nodded with satisfaction. "Good, you knew to bring some children. The human bloodlines here are decent. Though thin, the bloodlines of children are the purest. Offer them to me, let me absorb their blood."
"No," Lin Fan shook his head. He felt something was off about this guy, like he hadn't grasped the situation.
"Hmm?" Yin Hong's voice suddenly rose, his expression darkening. "Are you defying my command?"
Lin Fan looked at him and shook his head. "Honestly, I feel like you're not very bright. I released you, but here's the situation: those black-robed guys unkindly stole these children from their parents, saying they needed their blood to break your seal. I strongly disagreed with that approach."
"So I eliminated them. That black-robed guy said you were here and that you would avenge them when you got out. I don't care whether you seek revenge on me or not because you're weak. You're not the opponent I'm looking for."
"But my good friend Old Zhang reminded me. I figured that if you ever got out, you'd definitely harm innocent children. So, before you could do any harm, I released you to kill you."
"Do you understand what I'm saying?"
He felt he had explained himself clearly and straightforwardly.
He had laid out his starting point, the process, and the conclusion simply and clearly. Anyone listening attentively would understand.
For some reason,
Yin Hong stood there dumbfounded, unable to recover for a long time. His gaze seemed fixed. Then, he threw his head back and laughed.
"Hahaha… Ridiculous, absolutely ridiculous! Just you?"
Lin Fan said, "Yes, just me. I've noticed you seem to be missing the point. I broke the seal and released you. Didn't you think about the seal itself? You couldn't break the seal, but I broke it easily. Why do you think I can't kill you with my own power?"
Sure enough, when someone pointed out the key issue,
The atmosphere became particularly oppressive and silent.
Yin Hong, sealed for so long, had maintained his former arrogance.
His view of things was very simplistic.
Now, after Lin Fan's explanation, his mind, dulled by the long imprisonment, finally grasped the situation.
Right.
I couldn't break the seal, so why could he break it without using the children's blood?
Suddenly,
His gaze towards Lin Fan was no longer fixed but rather strange.
Old Zhang looked at Lin Fan with admiration. "Lin Fan, you're so smart."
Lin Fan turned and smiled. Out of habit, he raised his hand as if to adjust his glasses, but he wasn't wearing any. He patted the air.
In his previous dream, he had watched some anime, including detective shows. He found those detectives so cool and intelligent, able to figure out things others couldn't.
So, every time he watched, Lin Fan would try to guess who the culprit was, but he always guessed wrong, much to his regret.
The evil rooster abruptly looked up at Lin Fan,
Its eyes wide.
I knew he wasn't stupid. His previous displays of stupidity were all a ruse.
But who was he trying to fool?
The thought sent a chill down the evil rooster's spine, making its feathers ruffle. Could it be… No, what was his purpose in revealing this now?
It must be a warning.
Was he trying to warn me to just lay eggs obediently from now on, that he had seen through all my plans?
The ginseng looked at the rooster in confusion.
What was wrong with it again?
I hadn't even bullied it. Why was it acting so scared?
After a long while,
Yin Hong chuckled darkly. "Do you think I was raised to be scared?"
Just as Lin Fan was about to say something,
Old Zhang tugged at him. "The children are awake, crying for their mothers. We need to hurry."
Several of the children in the cages had woken up. Seeing the unfamiliar surroundings, they were scared and crying, calling for their mothers, grandmothers…
"Yes, I know." Lin Fan nodded, realizing they had indeed lingered. He then looked at Yin Hong. "Although you're a bad guy, I have martial virtue. Please prepare yourself. I'm going to kill you."
Yin Hong roared furiously, "Who the hell are you trying to scare?"
But his angry roar was useless.
Lin Fan clenched his fist. With a bang, he appeared before Yin Hong, punching through his chest before the demon lord could react.
Pfft!
Yin Hong vomited blood, his eyes wide. "I… I just broke the seal, I'm a bit weak. Give me ti…"
"Primordial Divine Body, Annihilation." Lin Fan whispered. Ripples emanated from his fist, distorting even the surrounding space. An immeasurable force erupted.
The space before Lin Fan twisted and warped, then rapidly contracted, shrinking to a single point before vanishing entirely.
"Too easy, boring. If it weren't for the children wanting their mothers, I would have had time to wait for you."
If Yin Hong had known this would be the outcome,
He definitely wouldn't have come out.
He even felt that this wasn't following the script at all. Before being sealed, he had indeed committed many evil deeds. But after being released, he hadn't had time to do anything bad yet.
And… those black robes.
Damn your ancestors.
"Lin Fan, come help me! I can't handle these kids!" Old Zhang shouted.
A group of children were clinging to Old Zhang.
"Grandpa, I want Grandma."
"Grandpa, I want Mommy…"
Even the ginseng and the evil rooster weren't spared, covered by children, their expressions filled with despair.
What a mess!
"Coming, coming!"
Lin Fan hurried over.