NOVPUB782: Chapter 782: Lion Camel Kingdom
782 -782: Lion Camel Kingdom
Pfft!
Although there was no skill involved, merely a simple application of brute force, the attack struck the horse demon directly on its head.
Given the enormous disparity in strength, it naturally couldn’t withstand the blow, and its head was instantly penetrated, leaving its facial expression frozen in place.
Immediately thereafter, it collapsed onto the ground, its body convulsing unconsciously a few times before becoming still.
A wisp of a lost soul leisurely departed for the Underworld!
“Ah!”
As Jiang Liu struck down the horse demon in an instant, the humans pulling the cart started screaming in terror, their faces deathly pale.
Without any haste to soothe these humans, Jiang Liu patted the White Dragon Horse’s back.
The White Dragon Horse moved to the side of the cart.
Gazing at the corpse of the old man on the cart, Jiang Liu raised his hand and pointed at the body, while simultaneously activating the Soul-Returning Spell.
A misty light flowed over the corpse and, in just a moment, Jiang Liu saw the health bar above the old man’s head quickly recover by a fraction.
At the same time, he reflexively raised his hand to rub his neck as the old man’s eyes snapped open, revealing a bewildered look as he glanced around, clearly confused about what had happened to him.
“Ah!” When the old man caught sight of the horse demon’s corpse beside him, he too shouted in shock.
“Old man, don’t be afraid!
I have killed this demon creature!” Hearing the old man’s cry, Jiang Liu spoke up.
“Ah!
Little Monk?
You killed it?
Then you must run!
Run as fast as you can!
The farther, the better!” The old man hastily responded upon hearing Jiang Liu’s words.
“Old man, there’s no need for haste in my departure.
Where is this place?
What’s going on here?
How come you are all pulling the cart here?
Isn’t there anyone to manage this?” Upon hearing the old man’s words, Jiang Liu naturally had no intention of leaving but instead began to inquire.
Firstly, he was truly curious and wanted to understand exactly what was happening here.
Secondly, understanding the situation here would be necessary to trigger a mission, right?
“Old Man Li, we can’t let him go…”
But before the old man could answer, one of the young cart pullers stood up, saying urgently, “If he leaves, all of us will be killed by demons as sacrificial burials!”
“That’s right, we can’t let him escape!” Following the young man’s outcry, several other cart pullers also seemed to realize the gravity of the situation, hastily chiming in one after another.
“Gentlemen, you…” Seeing the state of the crowd, the resurrected old man grew anxious.
But how could he, just one person, convince so many others?
“All of you, shut up!
Otherwise, I will not be courteous!” Facing the crowd, Jiang Liu understood that pleasant words were futile, so he adopted a ferocious attitude as he spoke.
As he talked, Jiang Liu lifted his hand and struck the ground beside him with force.
With a bang, the very earth nearby exploded into a large hole following Jiang Liu’s action.
Having witnessed him killing a demon creature with a single move, and seeing the fierce demeanor he displayed, along with the power he demonstrated, the humans were startled, and instantly fell silent, no longer daring to utter another word.
They had originally thought that since Jiang Liu was a human, he would be easier to talk to.
But now it seemed that this monk was far more fearsome than the evil demons!
“Old man, now can we talk properly?
What is this place?
And what’s happening here?” After intimidating the humans, Jiang Liu turned back, adopting a more friendly and pleasant demeanor, as he addressed the old man.
“This, this place…” The actions of Jiang Liu had not only scared the people around him but apparently, the resurrected old man had also been frightened.
“Don’t be afraid, as long as you answer my questions, I won’t harm you!” Seeing the old man’s reaction, Jiang Liu spoke again to reassure him.
Perhaps it was Jiang Liu’s amiable expression that partly reassured him, and after a short moment, the old man’s look of terror gradually subsided.
“Master, you have no idea…”
After some time, the old man began to speak, his address for Jiang Liu having shifted from Little Monk to Master, “Our place here used to be well ordered and peaceful, the country prosperous and the people safe.
However, two years ago, suddenly three extremely powerful demon creatures arrived…”
“These three demon creatures are a lion, a white elephant, and a roc bird.
Their mana is so powerful that even Immortals and Buddhas can’t handle them.
They have occupied a mountain over three hundred miles away and renamed it Lion Camel Mountain.
In just a short moment, they gathered an army of a hundred thousand demon creatures!”
“During that time, our king sent troops to subdue them and even posted an Imperial List seeking gifted individuals to subjugate these three demons.
However, it was all in vain, and in the end, it only enraged the demons.
The people in our capital, including His Majesty and the ministers, were all eaten by those three demons!”
“After that, the name of our country was changed to the Lion Camel Kingdom, and it became a realm of demons.
And what of us humans?
We have become the demons’ rations.
Normally, we are treated like livestock, subject to beatings and burdensome tasks.
When they are displeased, being eaten by them is the norm…”
The elder spoke these words, relaying the situation of this place to Jiang Liu in a sporadic manner.
By the end, the elder was overcome with tears streaming down his face.
The other humans nearby also lowered their heads, many quietly sobbing.
“Old man, do you still have family?” At this point, Sha Wujing stepped forward and asked.
“No!
They’re all gone!
Just a few days ago, my little grandson, who was fair and tender, was eaten by those demons!” Hearing Sha Wujing’s question, the elder shook his head, an expression of immense pain on his face.
Silence!
As the old man’s words faded, Jiang Liu remained wordless, silently waiting.
“So, it seems I’ve come to the Lion Camel Kingdom?”
Hearing this, how could Jiang Liu not understand what had happened?
Yet the anger in his heart erupted like a volcanic explosion.
Although Jiang Liu had a rough understanding of the situation in the Lion Camel Kingdom from the original “Journey to the West,”
it was, simply put, no different from what the old man had described.
In the Lion Camel Kingdom, there were originally three great evil demons: the Green Lion King, the White Elephant King, and the Great Roc King, who indeed possessed extensive divine skills.
It’s true that along the Journey to the West, there have been many mounts and boys with great powers descending from the heavens, causing troubles for the scripture-seeking team.
But whether it was Gold-Horn and Silver Horn or Ancestor Huangmei, they were all relatively restrained.
But what about these three demons of the Lion Camel Ridge?
They have turned the place into a complete realm of demons and have almost consumed the entire nation’s population.
How was this not beyond cruel and ruthless?
It’s one thing to know about it from the original text, but none of the versions of the “Journey to the West” ever described these bloody scenes in detail, so it didn’t resonate as much.
But now?
As Tang Monk, Jiang Liu had arrived in the Lion Camel Kingdom and witnessed the demons everywhere.
He saw humans being treated like livestock, pulling carts, and even at risk of being eaten by demons.
Although he had only witnessed one incident, it was enough to reveal a glimpse of the entire situation.
From this one incident, Jiang Liu could understand the current state of the Lion Camel Kingdom.
And hearing the elder’s words, Jiang Liu felt a surge of murderous intent.
He remembered in his previous life, there was a saying about the world of the “Journey to the West”: all demons with a background were taken away by the big shots, while all those without a background were killed by Sun Wukong’s cudgel!
“If that’s the case, these evil demons…
they will not live any longer.
Moreover…” Jiang Liu’s murderous intent rose, and at the same time, his attention turned to Manjushri Bodhisattva and Samantabhadra Bodhisattva.
Since the Green Lion Demon and the White Elephant Demon were in fact the mounts of Manjushri and Samantabhadra Bodhisattvas, this matter could not exclude their involvement, could it?
This was not just about a few evil demons; these two Bodhisattvas should not be let off easily either!
Although they only held the position of a Bodhisattva, they were originally disciples of Yuanshi Heavenly Venerable, known as Manjushri of Wide Law Heavenly Venerable and Samantabhadra True Man, both truly Daluo Golden Immortals.
Even their cultivation levels were enough to be bestowed with the title of Buddha within the Buddhist Sect.
“Old man…” As Jiang Liu muttered to himself inwardly, he prepared himself to deal with the three demons of the Lion Camel Kingdom and even the two Bodhisattvas.
His gaze fell on the elder.
“Master, if there’s anything you wish, please command me!” Although much of his fear had dissipated, the elder still spoke with a respectful restraint in the face of Jiang Liu.
As Jiang Liu spoke, the elder bowed his head slightly and responded.
“Regarding the situation in this country, is there anything you would like my help with?” The rewards for actively seeking tasks were incomparable to the more generous rewards of passive tasks, so Jiang Liu, at this moment, was trying to lead the elder into voicing his own request.
“Ah?
Help?
I, an old man, wouldn’t dare to trouble the master!” Hearing that Jiang Liu was actually offering to help, the elder was taken aback, then shook his head.
Noticing the elder’s reaction, Jiang Liu’s brows furrowed slightly as he said, “Old man, I am actually the second disciple of the Tathagata Buddha of the Western Heaven.
Seeing the suffering of the mortal world, how can I stand by idly?”
With these words, Jiang Liu paused slightly, giving the elder a sense of trust in his identity.
He continued, “If you are willing, old man, you may ask me for help, and I will surely answer your call!”
“Even if you desire to eliminate the three demons and restore the country to its former state, that’s possible!”
