Chapter 543: Establishing the Sect
Translator: StackThatCoin Editor: Hitesh_
The moon was shining brightly in the sky. Tu Xiaobai was standing atop a boulder on a hillside where the grass had grown to be as tall as a man's waist. Being in a transport of joy, she was showing off a set of three flying swords which she had just been given. Three beams of purple light gently wheeled and danced around her. They glinted dazzlingly, and were sending forth a gust of cold breeze that attracted shocking cries whenever they took another spin around the hillside.
Every now and then, the rabbit demon would make the flying swords fly as close to the ground as possible. The sharp sword beams would then cut through the blades of grasses and send them flying in all directions. After that, she would giggle and control the sword beams to brush past the heads of over three hundred little demons who stood sparsely on the hillside.
Among the three hundred little demons, there was a hedgehog, raccoon, weasel, and some other four-footed demons. There were also sparrows, magpies, cuckoos, canaries, and some other bird demons. And, there were carps, grass carps, mudfishes, eels, and some other aquatic demons. Besides them, there were many other demons who Wu Qi could not identify.
The most eye-catching demon was an ape demon. He was plump and sturdy, with fat all over his body, who must have weighed one thousand five hundred kilograms at the very least. Usually, an ape would give the impression of nimbleness and agility, quick in action. However, this absurdly fat ape did not even have the strength to stand straight on his feet. Instead, he was squatting on the ground and puffing heavily with his eyes opened wide and staring at the three purple beams that flew over his head. Slobber filled his mouth.
After making the three sword beams dance and wheel about for some time, Tu Xiaobai shook her body. Immediately, an exquisite armor crafted perfectly according to her stature appeared on her body. It was pure white in color, with a soft luster on its surface that made it look like it was crafted from crystals. The half-translucent armor was interwoven with countless thumb-sized scales, which covered every part of her body. Even her two long ears were protected by two specially made jackets.
While giggling, she controlled one of the sword beams and stabbed it in her chest.
Amidst the terrifying cries of several hundred little demons, a strong white light erupted from the armor she was clad in. In the next moment, the sword beam ran into the white light with a crisp 'crack'. The armor was intact, but the sword beam was knocked tumbling back for hundreds of feet.
Laughing complacently and wagging her head, Tu Xiaobai said, "My brothers and sisters, do not be afraid! I, Tu Xiaobai, oh right, this is the name my Ancestral Master has given me. It is a good name, as my true form is a rabbit with fur white as snow, Xiaobai (little white) matched perfectly with me! Haha!"
After uttering some nonsense, under the envious glances of several hundred little demons, Tu Xiaobai roared with laughter and said, "Do not be afraid! I, Tu Xiaobai, will never kill myself! Haha, this armor is an upper-grade magical treasure which my Master has specially crafted for me. Yes, you heard it right, it is an upper-grade magical treasure!"
"Wow!" An uproar erupted as the eyes of all little demons turned green. An upper-grade magical treasure? They had heard of such name before, but none of them had owned even one single lower-grade magical item, let alone an upper-grade magical treasure. They only knew that it was an incredible treasure, but they had never seen it with their own eyes.
In their knowledge, this Tu Xiaobai had been a timid rabbit demon who lived in a condition poorer than any of them here. But, how did she managed to suddenly obtain such a strong armor, which was an upper-grade magical treasure? Also, it seemed that her three flying swords were not some ordinary treasures. No matter whether it was their luster, their brightness, and the cold breeze they sent forth when piercing through the air, those were the signs that the three flying swords were some powerful magical treasures as well!
As if to prove them right, Tu Xiaobai pointed one finger at the three purple sword beams and said with a smile, "The three flying swords you are seeing here are the weapons which my Sect's Ancestral Master has crafted for me! Aye, they too are upper-grade magical treasures. Haha!"
An uproar of cries rang out again, and the eyes of all the little demons had turned even more green. Two sets of upper-grade magical treasures! They could not help but wonder how did this rabbit demon suddenly strike a fortune like this?
"Bunny, which tall branch have you climbed up to? Who is that Ancestral Master you keep mentioning?" Asked the fat ape who was squatting among the demons.
Tu Xiaobai chuckled and beamed. As she was about to speak, Wu Qi had already shot up to the sky from a mountain off in a far distance, and traversed hundreds of miles with just a single step, arriving right next to her. He was clad in a long black robe, his hair hanging loosely with their ends touching his shoulder, and his hands clasped behind his back. With a stern look in his eyes, he slowly glanced across the many little demons who stood around the boulder. Everything about these little demons was made clear through his Chaotic Divine Eyes.
'Good, they are all good!' Wu Qi glanced through them with satisfaction. The true forms of these little demons were frail creatures who existed at the bottom of the food chain. Since they were able to cultivate and become demons, it meant that all of them had pretty decent latent potential. Also, as they were able to survive in the cruel world of cultivators, able to escape from the hunting and suppression from the Mi Province's officials, it proved that they were tough and quick-witted.
By taking little demons such as these as apprentices and gaining their loyalty with kindness when they were still weak, in the future, the Underhand Sect would have a batch of capable apprentices who could be trusted. Those cultivators who Wu Qi had subdued in the Dark Abyss were seasoned enough to develop their own mindset, and as he had subdued them with violence and threats, he would certainly have to abandon them in the future.
In the end, those who he could really depend on and trust would be these little demons, who were naive and still kept the heart of an animal. As long as they were properly guided, he would gain himself a group of useful apprentices.
As he reached out one of his hands to pat Tu Xiaobai's big head, Wu Qi stared at the group of little demons and said, "I am the Sect Leader of the Underhand Sect. Whatever Tu Xiaobai was given has all been personally crafted by me. If you join my sect, you will be treated the same as her."
All the little demons were stunned. Would they be treated the same as Tu Xiaobai? Wouldn't that mean each one of them would be given two sets of magical treasures? Those were magical treasures… Not magical items, but the legendary magical treasures! At the moment, their green eyes were turning red. Demons as weak as them had rarely seen a magical item in their entire life, let alone owning a magical treasure. Yet, Wu Qi had promised that as long as they joined the Underhand Sect, he would give each of them two sets of magical treasures!
But, that was not the only shock Wu Qi brought to them. As his glance darted from one demon to another, he said in a deep voice, "As long as you put your whole heart to serve the Underhand Sect, to cultivate with all your efforts, anyone who has his or her cultivation base improved, or who has contributed to the Underhand Sect, will be rewarded! Spirit pills, spirit talismans, spirit items, the bigger your contribution is, the better you will be rewarded!"
The commotion grew louder among the little demons. They did not know how powerful the spirit pills or spirit talismans were, but spirit items? Had this man just mentioned spirit items? Did they hear him right? He had just promised them that as long as they had enough contributions, he would reward them with spirit items? It was a spirit item and not the magical treasures! The legendary spirit item which had its own intelligence and would automatically protect its master and attack the enemy!
The ground vibrated slightly as the fat ape leaped hundreds of feet into the sky and landed before Wu Qi with a loud thud. The big, fat fellow stared blankly at Wu Qi for a while, then suddenly dropped to his knees and kowtowed. "Bunny is a demon of excellent character. Although she is timid, she has never lied. Greetings, Ancestral Master!"
Wu Qi gave the ape an approving look. He considered for a moment, then produced a glistening staff and a mighty-looking lion armor, and gave them both to the ape. "I know you apes like to play with staffs, make a good use of it. Also, refine this armor. Mm, you do have a solid foundation!"
Through his Chaotic Divine Eyes, Wu Qi saw that there was a ball of powerful energy boiling inside the ape's body. It seemed that the ape had accidentally eaten some kind of rare spirit herb, but he was unable to completely digest it. The powerful medicinal strength had bloated his body and made him look so fat. Once Wu Qi taught him a profound cultivation technique and he improved his cultivation base, he would be able to digest the medicinal strength. At that point in time, the progress of this ape would definitely be the fastest among all the little demons!
The guilty pleasure which came from Le Xiaobai emerged once again. Wu Qi said in a deep voice, "I have a disciple whose name is Bajie. Since you are an ape, perchance..." The name 'Wukong' was at the end of his tongue, but he suddenly Wu Qi thought of a very frightening consequence, and it made him quickly swallow back the name. Should he have himself a disciple named Bajie, then Wukong, then later a little white dragon, and a catfish demon, wouldn't that make him Tang Sanzang? [1]
No, he could never do that!
He sunk into a silence while pondering. At last, he patted the ape's head and said with a sigh, "I do have a good name, but I dare not to let you have it. As your true form is an ape, and your fur is green in color, your name will be Yuan Qing! One must not forget its origin. With this name, you will be able to remember that you were once an ape, even after you have become a Primordial Immortal in the future!"
Reverently, Yuan Qing dropped to his knees and offered Wu Qi a few kowtows.
Seeing that Wu Qi did give Yuan Qing the magical treasures, the rest of the little demons scrambled up around him immediately, dropping to their knees to offer him kowtows. With pleasure, Wu Qi produced the magical treasures which he had crafted during the past few days and gave them to each of the little demons. He had to thank the snakehead demon for this. As the demon had operated the Blackfish Immortal Market for a long time, he had accumulated a vast amount of lower-grade resources and ingredients which Wu Qi could use. Otherwise, how could he manage to find so many magical treasures in such a short time?
After temporarily bringing these little demons under control with the magical treasures, Wu Qi flicked his sleeve and rolled up all of the several hundred demons as he flew back to the dale where the Luo Clan had built a base.
The people of the Luo Clan had constructed dozens of wooden houses in the dale. Wu Qi threw all the little demons on the ground, then ordered them to find a suitable wooden house themselves and stay with their friends. Some old stewards of the Luo Clan had already hurried up and led these little demons, who had been given new magical treasures and joined the Underhand Sect, into different wooden houses.
They were given magical treasures, and had found a seemingly formidable Senior as their backing. The little demons were dancing happily, filling the entire dale with their excited howls. It had brought some life to the once dull and lifeless dale.
Wu Qi clasped his hands behind his back as he gazed at the little demons who were running about in the dale, and a smile emerged on his face.
His business in the Mi Province had come to a conclusion, and he needed to rush back to Zhong Province soon. There were things he had to handle now.
Perhaps, it was time for him to get a position in Great Yu's Imperial Court, eh?
**********
[1] If you are familiar with the Journey to the West, you will know these names. Shun Wukong is the Monkey King, Zhu Bajie is the Pigsy, the little white dragon is the horse, and Tang Sanzang is the monk who led them to the west.