Actually Crafted by the Master

Li Yingling's gaze remained fixed on the eastern horizon.

Cui Hao, too, shed his earlier languid demeanor, his expression turning grave as he tugged Lin Luoyu beside him, pulling her behind their senior sister for cover.

The owl, observing their movements, instantly understood that something momentous was afoot.

It glanced at the Foundation Establishment-level bull demon still gripping its steel trident, its eyes fierce yet involuntarily following Li Yingling's line of sight eastward.

After a moment's hesitation, the owl shuffled its claws and quietly positioned itself behind Cui Hao.

Sometimes, making the right choice was what mattered most.

One only needed to recall the Great Wu Demon King and compare him to this bull demon.

Demons might lack formal education, but they weren’t blind to the shifting tides of power.

Cui Hao cast a sidelong glance at the owl, now hunched submissively, its eyes gleaming with ingratiating deference.

After brief consideration, he allowed it to remain.

Several breaths later, the bull demon squinted eastward but detected no movement.

With a sneer, it growled, "You wretched snake—dare to toy with this Bull King?"

Li Yingling paid no further mind to the insignificant creature. The approaching aura was already palpable to a Golden Core cultivator like her.

Cui Hao merely watched as the bull demon blustered.

He could afford patience for a soon-to-be corpse.

The bull demon's temper frayed. Gripping its trident, it stomped forward:

"This Bull King will—"

Its words died as a demonic gust swept in from the east, slowing as it neared.

The bull demon's eyes widened in recognition—Kunshan Demon King, Hu Qi.

Panic flickered across its face.

Li Yingling's spiritual energy coiled tight within her, ready to strike. She’d expected some lesser demon king, not the very leader of the demon nation. This was an unexpected boon.

Killing him preemptively would ignite their sect’s fame across the Xuanwu Kingdom.

She waited, poised to summon her spiritual treasure the moment the tiger demon drew close enough to register confusion—securing her sect’s first glory.

Yet Hu Qi called out from a distance:

"Fellow demons, united in persecution—this is no time for infighting! Let brotherhood prevail."

The words gave Li Yingling pause. Her sharp eyes noted the tiger demon’s broadsword strapped to his back, one arm cradling a fox at his waist as his massive frame touched down.

Strangely, his gaze held no suspicion toward them.

To him, they might as well have been minor demons.

A realization struck Li Yingling.

That so-called "treasure pearl" was never crafted by her junior sister—it bore their master’s handiwork.

This was his lesson, orchestrated for this very moment: a contingency to humble her.

She could almost see his faint smirk, the unspoken taunt—"Yingling, is this all you’ve got?"

Damn it.

Another masterclass from her teacher.

Hu Qi studied the snake demon before him. Odd—it showed no excitement at his presence.

Most lesser demons would be ecstatic, clamoring to worship him.

Not just the snake, either; even the bull and weasel demons seemed wary, almost guarded.

Only the owl behind them reacted appropriately—its gaze fervent, brimming with hope, as if beholding salvation.

Perhaps his recent seclusion had dulled his recognition among newer demons.

Thanks to the old fox’s relentless tutoring, Hu Qi had learned one truth well:

Actions might falter, but words must soar.

He set the fox down gently, then addressed the tense assembly with practiced diplomacy:

"Brothers in blood, facing calamity—must we turn on each other? Let grievances rest. In my name, stand together."

Li Yingling appraised him anew.

No wonder he’d forged a demon kingdom here. That silver tongue was formidable.

The fox, now upright, adjusted its robes, inwardly pleased. Countless drills had honed Hu Qi’s eloquence to this polish.

Before Li Yingling could respond, another presence erupted onto the scene—one they’d awaited in vain earlier.

"Brother Kunshan! You’ve finally come to witness their tyranny against me!"

Cui Hao and Lin Luoyu turned.

A towering bull demon clad in gilded armor, standing four meters tall, lumbered forth, its coarse face alight with emotion.

Ignoring Li Yingling’s group entirely, it charged past them and threw its arms around Hu Qi.

Hu Qi felt a bit uncomfortable but still embraced the Great Wu Demon King, speaking earnestly:

"What's wrong, Brother Ox?"

Ignoring the confused looks from the surrounding lesser demons, the Great Wu Demon King whined pitifully:

"Recently, wasn’t there a human Golden Core cultivator with terrifyingly high cultivation? They wiped out one of my outposts. You know how weak my cultivation is."

"A few days ago, I just wanted to go back and ask one or two other demon kings to help me hold this front line. But what happened? Those bastards all looked down on me for my low cultivation. Not only did no one come, but within just two days, they forced me to return, telling me to stay on this mountain and wait for death."

"They promised we’d work together to build the demon kingdom, but now they’re just throwing me, a lone ox, to die."

"Big Brother, tell me, is this fair?"

Hearing this, Hu Qi patted the Great Wu Demon King’s back with his tiger paw.

This time, he had to admit—the old fox’s choice of ally was spot on.

Someone this shameless and cowardly was indeed perfect for plotting an escape.

Still, even if they were going to discuss running away, they shouldn’t do it so openly in front of so many demons.

Such matters couldn’t be spoken of outright.

Instinctively, Hu Qi slipped into smooth, diplomatic tones: "You’ve suffered, Brother Ox. I’ll make sure you get justice for this. But today, I came to discuss something even more urgent with you."

The Great Wu Demon King froze, suddenly feeling the warmth drain from Hu Qi’s embrace.

He pulled away, his expression turning hesitant. "What... what is it?"

Seeing the situation, the old fox knew it was his turn to step in. He cleared his throat and said:

"Our king deeply sympathizes with the Great Wu Demon King’s hardships and fully understands his well-known dedication to building the demon kingdom. That’s why we’re here—to make his dream come true."

The Great Wu Demon King blinked. Well-known dedication to building the demon kingdom?

Weren’t they the ones who forced him to the front lines because they thought he’d run away first?

If anything, it should be well-known that he wanted to flee...

But when he saw the old fox’s expression—that knowing look, as if to say, Yes, exactly what you’re thinking—

A surge of joy flooded his mind. Life’s surprises really came fast.

Everyone in the demon kingdom knew that the old fox’s words were as good as Hu Qi’s.

This was practically an open hint—if they were discussing that kind of matter,

Then the Great Wu Demon King would gladly serve the demon kingdom without hesitation.

"Big Brother, please, come inside and talk!" he hurriedly said.