Chapter 9

Our Discord Server: https://discord.gg/PazjBDkTmW

Gray clouds drifted softly, revealing a half-moon amidst the starry sky. The dense stars twinkled, scattered across the night sky. The mountainside at night had grown quiet, with only the occasional lone wolf’s distant howl breaking the silence.

In the still mountain village, the people in this courtyard had already gone to sleep. The small figure with webbed feet stood on the window sill, gazing at the silver-gray starry sky, a beauty that was difficult to describe.

It had no name and had never had one. Many, many years ago, it was just a small toad in a little pond at the foot of a big mountain. If not for a moon like tonight and a chance encounter with a young girl, it might have lived only a few months like other toads and then met its end.

It didn’t know when it had started to develop self-awareness, but it had come to fall in love with the girl who frequently visited the pond and spoke to herself. Over time, her visits became less frequent.

It could only diligently cultivate by the pond while waiting for her appearance.

As it grew larger and larger, surpassing many of its kind, it eventually hid at the bottom of the pond to continue its practice and wait.

After a long time, maybe it wasn’t able to keep track of the days, it only remembered the passing of seasons, from spring to winter. For the first time in many years, it emerged from the pond, sensing the girl’s scent passing by the road outside.

Unfortunately, by that time, its body had already grown very large. It could topple even the tallest trees by crashing into them. The only thing it could do was hide far away in the mountains and watch the long procession on the road, as they played music and carried the sedan chair.

That day, the girl was very beautiful.

Unfortunately, it was not meant to be.

Soon after, the place where it was hiding was discovered by humans. Several young cultivators came, though perhaps not very skilled. It was able to drive them away and even killed one of them.

Within three days, more cultivators arrived. Knowing it couldn’t win, and that staying would only lead to its death, it left the pool and became a wandering toad.

In the world of demon cultivators, mutual devouring and absorption were common, just to fulfill their food needs. Through several desperate battles, it understood the truths of this world. In order to avoid being killed or eaten, it had to elevate itself to a more terrifying level. After consuming several demon cores from other demon cultivators and enduring an unknown number of years, it gradually acquired the ability to transform into human form.

The first thing it did upon becoming human was to return to the pool it once inhabited. It had now become a clear pond, with a pavilion built over it and a luxurious temple standing nearby. Those who had once hunted and chased it were now revered here.

One night, the toad expelled purple poisonous smoke, killing everyone in the temple in their sleep, and set the temple ablaze, reducing it to ashes.

Its infamy spread far and wide, people referred to it as the Purple Smoke Demon. However, it preferred to call itself the Purple Star Daoist, as it desired to be human.

It wanted to see how the girl from the past had fared, but by the time it saw her, it was no longer at the best of times.

The girl had become a woman, with two children, and was beaten by her husband. When the toad saw her, she had already been drowned in the river, rumored to have been involved with another man.

However, after her death, the man immediately arranged for a new marriage.

The truths of the world never change.

The toad retrieved the woman’s body from the bamboo cage, dressed her in the bright red garments it had seen her wear in the mountains, and held a wedding ceremony in the mountains. They were married.

Then, it built a tomb for her, inscribed with the words “Beloved Wife.”

Some say that the suona is a remarkable instrument because it is the only one that can be played at weddings and funerals.

Soon, he arrived at the town where the woman’s former husband lived. On the day of the man’s joyful remarriage, the entire town was shrouded in a sea of purple smoke. Countless people screamed and wailed in the toxic smoke, turning into pools of thick liquid that flowed over his feet.

After that, cultivators who heard the news began to pursue and attack him. Wave after wave came, attacking him repeatedly, from the massive mountains in the west to the rivers in the east. After losing his inner support, he started devouring cultivators and demons alike. He didn’t spare anyone who dared to come, and his cultivation grew stronger and stronger. Given another ten years, he might even approach the level of a Great Demon King.

However, after several years, the power gained from devouring others began to backfire. During a period of weakness, he encountered a terrifying enemy, an old monk. It was unclear whether it was a chance encounter that day or if the other party knew its location.

In that battle, it was only the old monk alone, with a thin and emaciated figure and pale beard, but he was like the Angry-Eyed Vajra of Buddhist teachings. With one hand wielding the Great Demon Suppression Seal and a golden, radiant purple-gold bowl, he struck with such force that he had no power to retaliate. However, despite the dire situation, after receiving a blow from the opponent’s purple-gold bowl, he managed to escape.

He fled on a cloud of poisonous smoke to this realm, hiding in a remote mountain forest with no demonic energy or cultivators, to recuperate from his injuries.

Later, he met a promising young man, whose talent and potential were remarkable. Although inexperienced, if the young man were given the demon cultivation techniques coupled with the elixirs he carried, it would be a great tonic. Though it wouldn’t heal him completely, it would at least restore some of his strength, which was the best outcome he could hope for.

The young man, named Lu Liangsheng, indeed did not disappoint him. In just a few days, he was able to gather demonic qi. Unfortunately, humans couldn’t cultivate like that. Fortunately, when backlash occurred, he was able to intervene in time and save him.

Everything was in place, and it was time to enjoy the fruits of his labor.

However, things went a bit beyond his expectations. The originally perfect plan was ruined by an inscription that the boy had somehow copied from somewhere. It had the blessings of incense offerings, so it exacerbated his injuries, causing him to revert to his original form, and his previously maintained cultivation dwindled significantly.

Fortunately, during this time, he was able to cover up the lies and deceive the naive young man, avoiding death. Of course, he wasn’t worried that a mere young man could threaten his life.

“After all, I am nearing the level of a Great Demon King…Ribbit”

The Purple Star Daoist, with his hands behind his back, looked up at the night sky, where the dense stars formed a silver belt, and thought to himself.

He also recalled many past events.

His inability to defeat the old monk was his own shortcoming, but ending up in such a dire situation was…

In the room, a faint snoring sound could be heard. The toad standing at the window frame slightly turned its face. In its large eyes, the crimson dots slowly grew, turning increasingly fierce.

Then, it leaped down, its webbed feet making soft thudding noises as it approached the sleeping figure on the wooden bed, step by step.

“You ignorant junior, I have been grievously harmed. How can I just let you go…”

It climbed onto the wooden bed, observing the young man lying on his side. The densely packed warts on its back quivered slightly as if they were about to burst open, with dark purple spots emerging under its intense focus.

However, in the blink of an eye.

In the toad’s fierce eyes, the figure lying on its side murmured in its sleep, turning slightly. The back, which was the same height as the toad, grew larger in its view, causing the Purple Star Daoist’s pupils to contract in fear. It immediately turned and fled.

Bang!

The heavy back pressed down, creating immense pressure that forced the toad’s mouth wide open. Its tongue shot out and dangled on the bed.

“Your mother… ribbit…”

On the bed, Lu Liangsheng mumbled in his sleep: “Master, stop messing around.”

And continued to sleep soundly.

Recruitment of Editors: https://gravitytales.com/recruitment-of-editors/