Chapter 10: The Righteous Path’s Siege

Clearly, Illusion Colored Clothes and the others were overthinking it.

Watching Xu Gu’s operations, the shock and admiration in the hearts of the Demon Cavern elders and Senior Brother Han Changsheng were no less than theirs.

At first, the demon heads also felt Xu Gu’s behavior was far too righteous. He only moved his mouth and not his hands? Not demonic at all!

They had already planned to eliminate Xu Gu.

If not for Senior Brother Han Changsheng’s insistence, they would never have kept watching.

But when they saw Xu Gu successfully smooth out the debt crisis, earn an extra three hundred million spirit stones, and even take out the three surrounding competing factions, they all fell into a daze, breathing heavily, hearts pounding wildly.

They were completely dumbfounded.

Their faces were full of question marks as they kept asking themselves in their hearts—
So it could be done like this?
Was this what a real demonic cultivator looked like?

They felt as if their worldview had been turned upside down.

The mental impact was too great.

Only when Xu Gu perfectly cleared the trial did they finally snap back to their senses. At this point, the way they looked at Xu Gu had completely changed, growing burning hot.

They were all breathing fast, hearts hammering, and in their eyes, there was even a faint trace of worship.

What did it mean to turn decay into magic?
What did it mean to transform the impossible into the possible?
This was it!

They even all turned to look at Han Changsheng.

The meaning couldn’t have been clearer.

Look at that Demon Lord—
That was the dream Demon Lord in their hearts!

Then look at you, the acting Demon Lord—
You were basically useless!

The difference was obvious at a glance.

“How is this possible? Am I not dreaming? He really paid it back? Not just the interest, but the whole debt? And even freeloaded three hundred million spirit stones?” Han Changsheng muttered, unable to believe it.

If anyone’s mood was the most agitated and excited at this moment, it was definitely his. He had simulated this sky-high debt crisis countless times and never found a solution. Every path led to a dead end, completely hopeless.

Yet who would have thought Xu Gu simply resolved it—

Not only paying off the debt, but even freeloading several hundred million spirit stones.

This was practically divine!

But when he saw the looks in the elders’ eyes, Han Changsheng’s expression changed slightly and he hurriedly said:

“This kid’s methods are far too righteous. He must not be allowed to stay!”

Too terrifying.

This brat was demonic to the point of righteousness!

If he stayed in the Demon Cavern, wouldn’t Han Changsheng’s position as senior brother be challenged?

Better to silence him directly!

After all, he had already figured out the exact steps for paying the debt.

“Absolutely not!” the elders cried out in shock.

“We demonic cultivators—do we value methods?

“We value results!

“Looking at the results: the spirit stone mine in hand, the sky-high debt completely erased, the three surrounding competing factions wiped out, and the Demon Cavern’s treasury swollen by three hundred million spirit stones, all without losing a single soldier—this is demonic might in full glory!

“How can you say he’s too righteous? This is simply a demonic god descended to earth! If anything, he is demonic to the point of righteousness!”

After finally encountering such a good seed for demonic cultivation, how could they let him go?

At this moment, in their eyes, Xu Gu’s value already surpassed that of the five heavenly spiritual roots!

In this day and age—
Can fight? So what if you can fight!

You had to know how to make money!

“What do you think?” Han Changsheng’s expression did not change as he looked coldly at Ping Wuqi, asking his opinion.

Ping Wuqi’s back went cold. Ever since his avatar came back from Little Cool Mountain, he could always sense a hint of killing intent in Senior Brother’s gaze.

“There are still two trials left. Let’s see how he performs later,” Ping Wuqi said after hesitating for a long time, forced to give this answer under pressure from both sides.

“In that case, we’ll do it that way.” Han Changsheng also wanted to see what other surprises Xu Gu could bring him.

“Whew—”

All the righteous spies on the field quietly let out a sigh of relief.

Sure enough, Xu Gu had aroused suspicion by being too righteous, but fortunately he was competent enough to earn the recognition of most demonic cultivators.

At this moment—

“What are you all standing here for?”

Xu Gu had also passed the trial and stepped out of the illusion back into reality. His demeanor was calm, as if the things he had done in the illusion were completely ordinary.

“Senior brother, you’re incredible!”

“That task was completely impossible, and you actually did it!”

“Truly amazing!”

Illusion Colored Clothes and the other righteous spies all sighed in admiration.

Xu Gu’s lips twitched.

Although he hadn’t fully exerted himself in the illusion, the things he did probably weren’t exactly “good deeds,” right?

Yet these righteous spies had that kind of reaction?

Were they trying to lull me?
Corrupt me?
Make me abandon darkness and turn to light?

Impossible!

“Ahem. You all successfully cleared the first trial. You performed well,” Han Changsheng said, quickly speaking up when he saw several elders already about to rush out to cozy up to Xu Gu. “Next is the second trial!

“From now on, you are still the Demon Lord of the Cavern. In a few months, the righteous path will lead an army to attack. Please organize a defense.”

Xu Gu and the others saw black before their eyes again.

When they came to, they had once more entered the illusion. Their previous memories were gone. They only knew they were the Demon Lord of the Cavern, with early-stage Combined Body cultivation.

“In just a few months, the righteous army will come?”

“This is really too wom—”

Illusion Colored Clothes snapped out of her joy, breaking out in a cold sweat. She had almost slipped!

This was inside the illusion!

She had to behave more like a demon!

“This is really too dangerous,” she quickly changed her words, circulating the Heart Demon Art so that demonic energy surged from her body. Looking at the Demon Cavern’s garrison map, her face turned gloomy.

“With just these few shrimp soldiers and crab generals, how are we supposed to resist the righteous army?”

As a righteous spy, she knew how terrifying the righteous army was. Just her martial uncle alone—if he casually took a leak, he could probably wash the entire Demon Cavern away.

What could the Demon Cavern use to resist?

She frowned tightly, struggling with the problem. Using all the information she had, she tried every formation and trap layout she could imagine. After running the scenarios, all of them ended the same way.

Total annihilation.

Just as she was in despair, she suddenly saw a nest of earthworms burrowing beside her.

Her gaze flickered.

“The best resistance… is not to resist!”

“If we can’t win, then we run!”

“The Demon Cavern was never a fixed location. Wherever we gather—is the Demon Cavern!”

Illusion Colored Clothes reached full understanding. She planned to summon her trusted subordinates to dig a network of tunnels beneath the Cavern, set up teleportation formations, and establish hidden bases as exit points.

That way, when danger came, all members could be instantly transferred to a safe base tens of thousands of li away!

“Demon Lord, the plan is perfect, but implementing it will be extremely difficult. It’s a massive project,” her trusted subordinate said hesitantly. “We don’t have enough manpower or spirit stones.”

“If we’re short, we can just rob more,” Illusion Colored Clothes said calmly. She had long anticipated this.

Next—

She once again invited the leaders of the three nearby demonic factions to play Pai Gow, using her peerless illusions to gamble them into complete ruin, burdened with enormous debts.

In the end, they had no choice but to become mine slaves, paying out of their own pockets to dig tunnels and build teleportation arrays and bases beneath the Demon Cavern.

A few months later, the righteous army marched in like a tidal wave. But, as expected, the demonic cultivators of the Demon Cavern calmly entered the tunnels and teleported to the safe bases.

“As expected of the Dream Immortal Body,” Senior Brother Han Changsheng sighed in admiration.

“Senior brother, how do we judge this?” Ping Wuqi asked fawningly.

“There’s nothing much to judge. It’s infinitely close to the best answer I deduced,” Han Changsheng said coldly and proudly. “Perfect pass.”

The correct approach was indeed not to resist, but to flee the moment the righteous army attacked.

And constructing tunnels required massive manpower and resources, which inevitably meant dragging the three surrounding demonic factions in.

Noticing those two points was not difficult.
Actually pulling it off, however, was as hard as ascending to heaven!

“Senior brother, you truly predict everything,” Ping Wuqi said flatteringly.

Just as he finished speaking, trouble struck Illusion Colored Clothes inside the illusion.

The demonic cultivators she led out of the Demon Cavern had barely fled for any time at all before the righteous army found and wiped them out.

(End of this chapter)