Chapter 63: The Little Demon

Is this the renowned Youming Qi and Youming Zhu of the Howling Moon Wolf Tribe?

The eyes of the two elders narrowed slightly, surprise flickering across their faces, but they quickly composed themselves.

“The one who was slain a few days ago was Youming Huan of the Howling Moon Wolves, wasn’t it? The five of them were born in the same litter, each one a top expert among the wolves. They’re known as the Five Elders within the tribe—a position of high honor. Now that their own brother has died, isn’t it reasonable for two of them to come investigate?”

“Just keep watching,” Mirror Seven said, reading the expressions on the two elders and deciding not to elaborate further. “And I’ll advise you both: for now, hold off on investigating the person who killed Youming Huan.”

At these words, the two elders’ brows knotted tighter, their foreheads furrowing into deep creases.

But Mirror Seven had no wish to be entangled further with these two demons. His figure gradually faded, melting into the surface of a mirror.

“Our clan already knows who he is: the man who recently came to this establishment to purchase information about both the Howling Moon Wolf Tribe and the Surging Moon Sect. Affairs between these two factions—surely you know more than I do.”

So the situation involved those two powers—no wonder it was a matter of life and death.

One of the elders stroked his beard as the realization dawned. The implications were significant. Even in Wind Transmission Hall, now presided over by a demon king, the ones in charge would rather not meddle, for fear of inciting further trouble.

Then suddenly, something else occurred to him. He froze, his fingers still gripping his beard so hard he tore out several hairs, yet he paid it no mind.

Something was wrong here. The Surging Moon Sect was the great sect guarding Sun and Moon Gorge for the human race—what were its disciples doing in the very heart of demon territory?

He was about to ponder this in depth when his companion interrupted.

“For now, we should heed Mirror Seven’s advice and let the matter rest.”

He stared hard at the mirror, watching the two departing wolf demons in the image, and drew a deep breath.

“The Howling Moon Wolf Tribe must be plotting again—something big, no doubt.”

...

Deep in the mountain range outside Mirror City, within the cave-dwelling cultivated by Hong Yun.

He drew the last wisp of baleful energy from his demonic core into himself, felt the weighty depth of his own cultivation, and smiled faintly.

“All my progress today is the fruit of my own hard work these past days.”

With a chuckle, he stood, shrugged off the last remnants of his old skin, and stretched at leisure.

For cultivators of the Surging Moon Sect, the Howling Moon Wolves truly were a treasure trove of potent elixirs.

Seeing the results for himself, his resolve to hunt the wolf clan only grew stronger.

But for now, he would have to be patient, at least until he delivered Chai Xiaoyue to the Half-Demon Kingdom.

The thought left him troubled once again. Among the half-demons, ordinary Nirvana-level monsters would hardly be able to protect Chai Xiaoyue. At the very least, she would need to be apprenticed to a half-step Metamorphosis or full Metamorphosis demon king.

But if she displayed too much talent, others might covet her. If she seemed too ordinary, no one would take her under their wing.

As a human, the only identity he could claim for protection was that of a sect outcast. But to admit this outright was shameful.

It was no small dilemma.

Hong Yun stroked his chin, pondering for a while but coming up with nothing. Rather than overthink it, he decided to return to Mirror City and see how things unfolded.

But how much time had he spent here, anyway? He counted on his fingers, estimating the days, and raised his brows in surprise. He had thought it would take no more than seven days, but consolidating his cultivation and refining the demon core had taken seventeen!

Upon reflection, he realized it was not his fault, but rather the irresistible allure of the baleful core.

This thought cheered him. Dissolving the array, he strode out of the cave—only to halt in surprise.

He hadn’t noticed before, but now a crowd of demon cultivators had gathered around the cave—hundreds, at least.

As he stepped out, the lesser demons nearby all fell to their knees, not daring to look up.

Could it be that his breakthrough had increased the baleful energy here and attracted these demons?

If so, it made sense.

He looked around, noting that most of these small demons were at the innate baleful condensation stage, and couldn’t help but feel a trace of disappointment. Such low-level demons were of no use to him.

He was about to depart when his gaze caught on something, and his expression grew intrigued.

He reached out, forming a massive hand of baleful energy, and hauled a wolf demon from the crowd.

This demon, in appearance, greatly resembled the Howling Moon Wolf Tribe, and he could sense a faint lunar power within him.

The only thing lacking was the arrogance and ferocity he’d seen in the true wolf clan.

Yet this demon had already reached the Precious Body stage, and the patience and deference he’d shown before being caught piqued Hong Yun’s interest.

With a gesture, Hong Yun drew the wolf demon close, his figure beginning to fade.

“Your fortunes do not lie with me. Go your separate ways,” he said to the others.

...

Once Hong Yun had gone, after a long while, a timid little demon poked his head into the cave he’d vacated.

As one entered, the rest surged after, and chaos erupted among them.

This, then, was their chance.

...

Yet none of this concerned Hong Yun.

At this moment, he was studying the Precious Body demon sprawled across his own cloud of baleful energy, curiosity in his gaze.

“Howling Moon Wolf Tribe?”

At his words, the wolf demon trembled, not daring to look up, his breath growing labored.

“Senior, I am not,” the wolf demon whispered.

“Not?” Hong Yun narrowed his eyes, and a surge of baleful lunar energy unique to the Surging Moon Sect began to seep from his body.

As the aura brushed against the demon’s form, a faint crescent moon appeared on the wolf’s brow.

Seeing this, Hong Yun’s Moonwheel Blade had already slid halfway from its sheath, his voice cold beneath the blade’s edge.

“If not, then why do you bear the blood of the Howling Moon Wolves?”

Feeling the stir of wolfish blood upon his own forehead, the wolf demon whimpered twice.

“Such blood... thank you, senior, for awakening it. But I beg you—please, help me cut it out. I would rather sever all ties.”

“Cut it out?” Hong Yun’s interest grew. From his storage, he produced a vial containing several drops of essence blood he’d collected after slaying Youming Huan.

As he uncorked the jade bottle, a faint metallic scent and the power of the bloodline filled the air, making his own breath quicken.

“If this is some ruse to sow discord, you’ve certainly piqued my curiosity,” he said.

Settling onto his baleful cloud, he crouched down and waved the bottle in front of the wolf demon.

“Do you want this? I can give it to you.”