Li Yuanjiao hurried to the outskirts of Mount Dali and gave a detailed briefing on the pig demon. Yuan Chengdun listened as they talked, then frowned.
"Does Daoist Li have a way to trap this pig demon? Although my immortal foundation excels at slaying monsters, it is poor for pursuit. Relying solely on the two of us, I fear we might not succeed."
Li Yuanjiao drew Kong Tingyun's emerald formation disc from his storage bag and replied, "I have a Foundation Establishment formation disc. Trapping the creature will be no problem. The only challenge is how to lure it out of the mountains."
Yuan Chengdun's eyes brightened, and he smiled. "Set your mind at ease, Daoist brother. Leave it to me."
He led Li Yuanjiao on a brief circle around the surrounding area, finally descending into a secluded little valley. Landing, he asked, "Does this monster eat mortals?"
"It eats mortals," Li Yuanjiao answered.
Yuan Chengdun smiled. "Easy, then! Quite easy."
He produced a jade vial from his storage bag and murmured softly, "The flavor of mortals is rich and sweet. Taste it even once, and one can never forget it."
Yuan Chengdun tipped the jade vial upside down, pouring out a cloud of dust that rustled onto the ground as a mound of red soil. Then he produced a jade box and opened it gently.
Inside lay a small white flower, white on top and blue-green below, scarcely the size of a palm. It was just budding and looked unremarkable.
Yuan Chengdun planted it into the red soil and cast a spell. The flower blossomed in an instant, its petals dripping crimson blood, bearing atop it a skull the size of a fist.
Watching what he had done, Li Yuanjiao frowned. "Daoist brother, is this method feasible? If the scent is too potent and stirs the Embryonic Breathing and Qi Refinement monsters across the mountain, raising a great clamor, that would hardly be ideal."
Yuan Chengdun replied with steady composure, "How could an Ancient Head Flower have such power? It can only draw a handful of lesser monsters. Daoist brother, just wait."
As Li Yuanjiao watched him work his magic, Yuan Chengdun remarked with a genial chuckle, "The monsters of Mount Dali are not like those of Nanjiang. Most of them are quite foolish. Having lived in comfort for so long, they know nothing of vigilance."
"The monster cave doesn't interfere?" Li Yuanjiao asked.
Yuan Chengdun shook his head. "Though the monster generals outside the cave strut about boldly, the truth is that everything along the outer rim has a clear price tag. Whichever peak master from the Three Sects and Seven Gates wishes to temper themselves, or whoever takes a whim to capture monsters, can come take, kill, and collect as they please."
Li Yuanjiao nodded, many of his previous doubts now resolved. Yuan Chengdun continued, "To those Purple Mansion foxes, how could pigs, dogs, snakes, and wolves ever count as their kin? They were originally raised to be eaten, just like the cattle and sheep kept by mortals."
As the two spoke, two Embryonic Breathing monsters were already drawing near. Yuan Chengdun struck them dead with a single palm strike, then continued, "The monster cave slaughters no fewer beasts than those outside. Aside from a few select bloodlines, life within the monster cave is even more ruthless. Monsters have no moral restraints; wolves eating deer and foxes eating rabbits are natural laws."
"The rumors across the land claiming that our Jiangnan's immortals and monsters dwell in harmony stem from precisely this."
Yuan Chengdun let out a cold laugh. "Only an immortal of the Purple Mansion is an immortal; only a beast of the Purple Mansion is a monster. As for how those below the Purple Mansion devour one another, who cares?"
Before the words had fully faded, a gust of demonic mist came riding the wind from the distance. A cloven hoof stuck out from the black vapor, followed by a hearty laugh:
"Haha... Today a treasure falls into this monster's hooves!"
A figure revealed itself—a bristling, black-furred deer demon. It gulped down the Ancient Head Flower in a single bite and immediately began circulating its cultivation.
Yuan Chengdun and Li Yuanjiao hid nearby, waiting in silence for a brief moment until they were sure the creature had thoroughly digested the Ancient Head Flower. Only then did they make their move.
*Thud.*
Yuan Chengdun struck with another palm. The monster had been hovering foolishly in the air, deep in cultivation, and perished in an instant. With a wet smack, a black deer tumbled down, slumping limply against the ground. Yuan Chengdun pointed to the carcass and said, "Having eaten the Ancient Head Flower, this deer demon's flesh will be extraordinarily delicious. Once its body is dragged back, the pig demon will be the next to come."
Li Yuanjiao understood. Yuan Chengdun's trap was crude to the extreme, yet it was undeniably sufficient for ordinary beasts. But Li Yuanjiao knew something of the cowardly pig demon lurking in the mountain, and things would not be quite so simple.
Foolish though the pig might be, it was still a pig that had feared Li Tongya and lurked in the mountains for decades. Relying solely on this bait would hardly tempt such a cautious creature into risking its neck.
He cupped his hands and said in a low voice, "This pig demon has a speck of wits. I fear this alone will not lure him into danger."
Though Yuan Chengdun found Li Yuanjiao overly cautious, he asked, "What do you propose, Daoist brother?"
Li Yuanjiao answered, "I will step away briefly and return shortly."
With that, he rode the wind, flying deep into the mountains to find the White Banyan Fox.
***
Dazhu Cave.
The monster cave was pitch-black and eerie, with several blood pools carved into the stone floor. A burly brute sat cross-legged in one of them, silently cultivating.
Such a pool required the blood of a thousand mortals to fill once—no easy feat. Even as a Foundation Establishment monster general, he had not enjoyed such luxury in a long time.
In years past, the Li family kept watch below the mountain; whenever he wanted to cultivate properly, he had to fly to neighboring commanderies to abduct mortals, an exceedingly dangerous endeavor. Fortunately, the demonic disaster had raged in recent years, driving the price of blood qi down drastically and making his days far more comfortable.
"Which beast died?"
He frowned from within the blood pool. A lesser pig demon below reported, "Great King! This small one went out to scout, and the black deer at the foot of the mountain has died! The others did not dare approach, but having heard of it, I rushed up to report!"
The burly man straightened up from the blood pool and barked, "Where is the carcass? Could someone have dared to steal a bite?!"
The lesser pig demon quickly dragged the carcass forward, drool practically dripping from its snout as it cried, "Great King! Did this black deer eat some kind of treasure? Its corpse smells delightfully fragrant!"
Lesser monsters dragged the carcass of the black deer up. Two of its hooves had already been bitten off, but the Foundation Establishment pig demon could not be bothered to hold them accountable. He snatched it up, tossed it into his maw, and crunched down, sending blood splattering in all directions.
"It is indeed delicious. Who knows what it consumed? We might as well send someone to investigate."
The burly man let out a grunt of satisfaction. Just then, another monster hurried up to report, "Great King! A message has arrived from Lord White Banyan Fox in the south. He says he heard word from the cave that a cultivator passed away in meditation within the mountains, and he wishes for the Great King to help search for the remains!"
Upon hearing this news, the monster general froze in surprise. Ever since that fox had moved into his territory, it had remained aloof and proud. Not knowing whether it possessed backing from higher up in the cave, he had always accepted its symbolic tribute and dared not pry.
Now, the fox had finally come asking for a favor, even dropping hints that it was directly aligned with a great beast of the cave. How could this fail to delight him? So long as he latched onto this connection, he would never have to worry about someone barging in one day to slay him with a sword.
His joy sent demonic power surging through him. The face he had struggled to keep humanoid reverted back to a pig's visage, stretching into a wide grin. He shouted, "No wonder it tasted so marvelous! It must have feasted on the scraps of a Foundation Establishment cultivator! Where was this black deer found? Lead this general there at once!"
With that, he rose excitedly on the wind, whipping up a cloud of demonic mist that swept up his subordinates as they rushed toward the outer bounds of Mount Dali.
Chapter 385