Chapter 57: The Demon-Attracting Flag

  Kong Xuan and Zi Yu also hurried forward, looking south, and indeed saw the vast army slowly approaching, led by Di Jun and Tai Yi. Although it was said to be fighting Kun Peng, Kun Peng was after all a well-known figure in the demon clan, with the title of Demon Master, and this trip was only for the purpose of subjugating Kun Peng, so Di Jun also took personal action.

  Behind Emperor Jun were five of the ten great demon generals: the powerful Ji Meng, the ferocious Ying Zhao, the cunning Bai Ze and Shang Yang, as well as a hideous-looking god with a black face, wielding an iron club - it was probably Xie Tie. Behind them was a dense army of demons, numbering in the tens of millions, with even the lowest-ranking ones having achieved the cultivation level of Heavenly Immortal, and dozens of powerful Mahayana Golden Immortals.

  Just to deal with a Kunpeng, such a large army was mobilized. Zhuang Xiong thought to himself: "This move should have been more intimidating, and it would be easier to subdue some small forces. However, I'm afraid it's useless against the Wu tribe? As for those small forces, considering they are also part of the Yaozu, with a few powerful divine methods, wouldn't it be easy to subdue them? Why did Emperor Jun want to make such a big show?"

  Zhuang Xiong's eyebrows furrowed in thought, and after a long time, a flash of inspiration struck him, and he couldn't help but smile to himself: "It seems that Emperor Jun's move must be aimed at the Dragon Clan. Although the three clans were severely damaged in the Great War, the Qilin was less than a hundred, and within the control range of the Heavenly Court, the Phoenix Clan was even fewer in number, except for suppressing the volcanic eruption, it was fleeting and unknown. Only the Dragon Clan, after the Great War, still occupied the four seas, not only numerous in population but also with countless naval forces. Since Emperor Jun wants to rule over the Primordial Chaos, the Dragon Clan must be subdued."

  But in an instant, those tens of millions of people formed a phalanx, banners fluttering, guns shining brightly, and with a momentum that seemed to shake the heavens, stirring up wind and clouds, that solemn atmosphere, as if the air itself had congealed.

  The Emperor Tian Ting had already arrived at the door, and Kun Peng was unlikely to be unaware of it. At this time, Kun Peng was also standing in front of the Demon Master Palace, with dozens of good friends by his side, including some children from the Zi Xuan Palace. Their cultivation levels were mostly at the Da Luo boundary, while many demons had emerged around the Demon Master Palace.

  This place is the North Sea, Kunpeng's territory. Countless big and small monsters have directly or indirectly received Kunpeng's kindness. The folk customs of Honghuang are still very simple, they all know the principle of repaying a drop of water with a gushing spring. At this time, hearing that Kunpeng is in trouble, hundreds of millions of monsters large and small rushed over, some of them were obviously dusty and exhausted, apparently having just arrived not long ago.

  However, although there were many demons, their quality couldn't be compared to the Heavenly Court's army. Most of them had some qualifications and those who should have come had already arrived, gathering around Kunpeng to get familiar with him. At this time, there were also hundreds of Taiyi Golden Immortals and Golden Immortals, who were currently shouting and allocating tasks to the demons. Among that group of small demons, there were indeed some hidden strong individuals, but most of them only lingered around the Heavenly Immortals, and even many had not yet transformed into their true forms.

  Kunpeng's side was in a state of chaos for nearly an hour, and it was still somewhat disorganized. The formation they were using was all over the place, with various demons having strange shapes and wearing different robes. Zhuang Xiong couldn't help but shake his head as he watched. Just by looking at their momentum, Kunpeng had already lost by a wide margin. Although Kunpeng had the reputation of being a demon master, it was mostly due to his teachings to the other demons. His ability to deploy troops and formations was truly lacking, not much better than Emperor Jun who held the Hetu Luoshu. Perhaps it was because even the most skilled housewife can't cook without rice, these demons were unable to accomplish anything in this primitive era where guerrilla warfare had yet to be invented, making it difficult for Kunpeng to do anything.

  This battle has not yet begun, but the outcome is already certain, it's just a matter of how the two sides will fight. The Emperor Juntian is now at its peak, and Zhuang Xiong didn't expect that a Kunpeng could stop his footsteps, this trip was just to let the three little guys gain some experience. So Zhuang Xiong smiled and said: "At this time, both sides have almost completed their deployment, what do you think will happen in this battle?"

  Zi Yu Bao glanced at Zhuang Xiong, her eyes seeming to say: "I'm a girl, I'm not interested in these fighting things, if it were a one-on-one fight maybe I'd be a bit interested."

  Zhuang Xiong's face turned black with anger, and he said in a low voice: "Zi Yu, speak to me with your mouth. Don't always communicate with your eyes, or else I'll never look at your eyes again, and you can just be mute from now on."

  "What's wrong? Can't I express myself clearly just like that?" She then struck a charming pose, "Besides, I think my eyes are really beautiful, you wouldn't want to look away, would you, sir?"

  Zhuang Xiong's face turned black with rage, and in a low, menacing tone, he bellowed: "I told you to speak to me with your mouth, did you hear that?"

  Zi Yu's eyes welled up with tears as he lowered his head, and Kong Xuan hastily said: "Old master, aren't you asking us about the great war? I think both sides shouldn't be able to fight, if they really want to fight, then that Kun Peng is clearly inferior in terms of quality and quantity. That Kun Peng isn't a fool either, it's estimated that he will choose one-on-one, and try to save some face. If the scene can pass like this, then so be it...

  Kong Xuan thought for half a day, then wondered: "Since Kunpeng knew this from the beginning, why did he insist on fighting? Was it really just for future treatment? If so, Kunpeng is also considered a noble demon master. If he had surrendered peacefully earlier, with so many people under his command, his position in Heaven would not have been affected, and might even be higher. After all, only Emperor Jun and Taiyi can control him in Heaven, and having the entire Xian tribe as his subordinates is better than being confined to the North Sea now. Kunpeng shouldn't be unaware of this point, right? Is there any reason why he must fight? Could it be that this Kunpeng appears intelligent on the surface but is actually stupid?"

  Zhuang Xiong suddenly thought of something, couldn't help but sigh, shook his head, and turned to ask Zhao Gongming with a smile: "Gongming, what do you think about this battle?"

  Zhao Gongming replied, "I'm not really interested in this formation, I'd rather see a battle between masters. For cultivators, the ultimate pursuit is still personal strength and freedom. Having such a large army may be impressive, but it's external power that will consume your energy and delay your cultivation. In the end, it might all be for nothing."

  Zhuang Xiong nodded silently, saying: "It's not bad that you have such a view. Then observe carefully and see what help this battle can bring to you, learn more from the experiences of your seniors, and we'll talk about it afterwards."

  Kong Xuan suddenly came over, pulled at Zhuang Xiong's sleeve and asked: "Old master, do you know why Kun Peng must have a big battle? Tell us, okay?"

  Zhuang Xiong couldn't help but shake his head and remain silent for a moment, before smiling and saying: "Why the rush? Since Kun Peng is so wary of that thing, he'll probably say something soon. Maybe a conversation will change the situation."

  Kong Xuan's eyes rolled around and he couldn't help but shout: "Old master, you really know! Is it something? What is it? Old master, just tell us!"

  Zhuang Xiong couldn't help but let out a sigh, shook his head, and didn't say anything. Instead, he took out a blue gourd and started drinking wine.

  Zi Yu was also very curious, seeing that Zhuang Xiong didn't seem to want to talk and wouldn't even turn his head around. She quickly moved in front of him, blinking her big eyes as if she wanted to say something, but who knew that Zhuang Xiong just let out a cold hum, tilted his head back to take a swig of wine, and when he lowered his head again, he jerked it to the side to look at Kun Peng's deployment.

  Zi Yu hastily moved to the north side, but Zhuang Xiong shook his head and turned back to look at the military formation of the Heavenly Court. Zi Yu couldn't help but feel anxious, so he quickly ran to Zhuang Xiong's left side again. Zhuang Xiong nodded slightly, tilted his head back and took a swig of wine, then put down the wine gourd and remained with his head thrown back, seemingly lost in thought.

  Zi Yu seemed to be getting anxious, and with a burst of auspicious clouds, he arrived at Zhuang Xiong's head. But just as he was about to look down, Zhuang Xiong let out a sigh and lowered his head. As he played with the wine gourd in his hand, he muttered to himself. The others listened carefully and heard Zhuang Xiong muttering: "I told you not to speak with your mouth, it's to ignore you, I told you not to speak at all, it's..."

  Three people looked at each other in dismay, Kong Xuan couldn't help but cover her mouth and giggle, Zhao Gongming didn't dare to offend his senior sister who was known for being highly skilled, so he pretended not to have heard anything and looked up at the sky. Only Zi Yu, couldn't help but pout with some resentment, her eyes still showing a hint of grievance. She lowered her head and didn't speak, but her small right foot kept kicking back and forth, as if venting her anger, however since she usually doesn't speak, now that she had her head down, no one could see her expression, so naturally no one knew what she was thinking.

  At this time, the Kunpeng side had finally set up its formation, and hundreds of millions of demon tribes stood upright with an unyielding attitude, which was somewhat impressive. However, compared to the solemn Heavenly Court army, it was naturally worlds apart.

  Di Jun quietly waited for Kun Peng to set up the formation, without speaking or taking action. Even Tai Yi's impatience was held back. At this time, seeing that Kun Peng's preparations were almost complete, he didn't even stir his spirit. Tai Yi was excitedly playing with the Dong Huang Bell, which was as big as a bell, and couldn't wait to rush up immediately.

  Everything in sight was satisfactory, Kunpeng and several good friends around him who were considered to have high cultivation exchanged greetings, and only then did he walk to the front of the formation and say loudly: "Emperor Jun, you and I are both demons, why did you offend me without reason? Is it because you think I, Kunpeng, am easy to bully? I know that these demons are not your opponents, but they can be killed, not humiliated. I won't swallow this so easily, even if I die, I will knock out a few of your teeth."

  Taiyi couldn't bear it anymore and shouted, "Kunpeng, don't pretend to be stupid! Last time my brother and I came to persuade you to make a contribution to our demon tribe's heavenly court, why didn't you respond? Is the name of Demon Master also an empty reputation? You should know that even if you go to the heavenly court, you are still a demon master, only under my brothers and me. Are you really willing to stay in the North Sea alone rather than return to our demon tribe's heavenly court? In vain is the demon tribe called you Demon Master! Now that the great gods of Honghuang have emerged one after another, and the witch tribe has also been oppressing our demon tribe, are you still unmoved?"

  Kunpeng's side was indeed a mix of fish and dragons, and upon hearing Taiyi's words, they couldn't help but feel a wave of unrest. Zhuangyong shook his head, thinking that it was easy to ruin morale, and this battle was truly hopeless; all they could do now was fill the ranks and put on a show.

  Kun Peng naturally knew this, and couldn't help but let out a light sigh as he continued to call out: "It's not that I'm unwilling to make an effort for the demon tribe, so why didn't you mention the Demon-Attracting Banner? To surrender to the Heavenly Court means leaving behind a strand of one's divine soul on the banner. Our bodies are completely controlled by the banner, how can we cultivate our dao with such constraints? Could it be that your brother doesn't trust me? If he doesn't trust me, then why insist on recruiting me?"

  The monsters below became even more chaotic, Zhuang Xiong couldn't help but shake his head. It was indeed the Demon Attracting Flag, and Nüwa had successfully refined it and put it to use. Kunpeng was also a carefree individual with a suspicious nature, cautious and prudent, so how could he be controlled by Emperor Jun's Taiyi so easily? It seemed that this battle was mostly about Kunpeng fighting for his freedom.

  Kong Xuan was very curious and leaned over to Zhuang Xiong's side and asked: "Master, what is a demon-attracting flag?"

  Zhuang Xiong shook his head and said, "Why bother with such calculations? You know what it's used for, that's enough. Listening to Kun Peng's words, you should know it's not a good thing. Why do you need to understand so much? Just remember, anyone who asks for your primordial spirit is not worth bothering with, most of them are up to no good." As he spoke, he raised the wine gourd and took another swig.

  The three of them nodded in agreement upon hearing this. What Zhuang Xiong said was not wrong at all. For a cultivator, how important is their primordial spirit? If it falls into someone else's hands, it would be equivalent to being controlled by others. How can one achieve enlightenment with distracting thoughts in their mind? With miscellaneous thoughts arising every day, how can one improve their cultivation? Therefore, it is essential to protect one's own primordial spirit and not let even a single thread of it escape, which is the safest approach.

  At this time, Taiyi was somewhat tongue-tied, but instead, Emperor Jun spoke up: "We brothers are indeed trusting of the demon master, but we also have our own plans for setting up the demon-attracting banner. Even if you don't trust us brothers, surely you still trust Nüwa and Fuxi? This demon-attracting banner was personally refined by Nüwa herself. As for the reason, it concerns the secrets of the demon tribe and is not suitable to be said in this kind of setting. Now I only ask you one question: are you willing or unwilling to exert yourself for our demon tribe?"

  Jiǎo Péng let out a cold snort and said, "I am indeed willing to exert myself for the sake of the demon tribe. The title of Demon Master is not one I've given myself, and even my cultivation methods can be shared with my fellow demons. What's more, it's just about seeking benefits for the demon tribe? However, if you still insist on me attaching my primordial spirit to the demonic banner, I'd rather die than agree."

  Zhuang Xiong almost choked on his words, this Kun Peng's few sentences were spoken with great righteousness and justice, and actually had a hint of "death rather than slavery" to them, indeed worthy of being the Kun Peng from The Carefree Traveler.

  Di Jun's eyebrows furrowed slightly, but he had to be careful with his words in front of the crowd of demons. Taiyi, who had been holding back his impatience, suddenly called out: "Big brother, why don't I have a match with him and let the outcome decide?"

  Di Jun nodded after a moment's thought: "Alright, you and Kun Peng are both in the Quasi-Saint middle period, and with the Dong Huang Bell in hand, you can control earth, fire, water, and wind. Although Kun Peng is fast, once you restrain him, it should be a sure win."

  Taiyi saw Emperor Jun's response and was overjoyed, hastily calling out: "Kunpeng, let's not debate right or wrong for now. You and I are both demons, working for the demon tribe is just a small matter, it's not worth arguing about this much. When the great war begins, those who will die or be injured will ultimately be my demon tribe. Why don't you and I have a battle to decide the outcome?"