Yu Mi laughed in exasperation and said, “Do you think the sect won’t deal with you just because you possess a precious treasure or because the Duobao Spirit Monkey is with you? You’re delusional! Although the Duobao Spirit Monkey follows you, it’s only because you are a disciple of Xuantian Sect, personally chosen by the Ancestral Master. Once you are expelled from Xuantian Sect and the Xuantian Sword is removed from your body, you will be nothing! Bao Gu, although the whereabouts of the Xuantian Sword are unknown, there are plenty of treasures in the cultivation world that can extract the Xuantian Sword from your body.”
Bao Gu asked, “And then what? Create another forbidden life zone? Wait for another perfectly matched Five Elements Root to appear?”
Yu Mi replied, “The Bamboo Sea Forbidden Zone has existed for so many years because it was unknown that the perfectly matched Five Elements Root could resolve it. Now that we know, with so many people in the world, can’t we find a second Five Elements Root? What are you really thinking? Establishing a demon cultivation faction on Lingyun Peak of Xuantian Sect… You… Humans and demons, different species, have caused countless disasters since ancient times.”
Bao Gu said, “Little Martial Aunt is also a demon cultivator.”
Yu Mi exclaimed, “But her soul is human! She only cultivates using a demon body!”
She took a deep breath and continued, “You’ve given so many spiritual treasures to various peaks, you’re unwilling and reluctant, you want to cultivate your own loyal followers to protect you! Bao Gu, although the other peaks are not directly related to Lingyun Peak, they are all human, not demons! Who is closer and who is farther, don’t you understand? You’d rather trust demons than humans?”
Zi Yunshu landed in the courtyard and asked, “What’s all the noise about? I could hear Yu Mi scolding from afar. Bao Gu, have you upset your senior sister again?”
Yu Mi glanced at Zi Yunshu, sighed deeply, glared at Bao Gu with resentment, but did not dare to tell Zi Yunshu about Bao Gu’s plan to cultivate a faction of demon cultivators.
After thinking for a moment, Bao Gu said, “I gave some spiritual treasures to the mountain guardian granny. There are many demon beasts and spirits on Lingyun Peak, right? I thought about letting the mountain guardian granny take a few disciples under her wing to strengthen our Lingyun Peak, but my senior sister said I was violating the sect rules.”
Zi Yunshu laughed and said, “What’s the big deal? Just taking a few demon servants, Yu Mi, how is that against the sect rules?”
Yu Mi looked deeply at Bao Gu and said, “She wants to cultivate the low-level demon beasts and spirits of Lingyun Peak into disciples!”
Zi Yunshu’s smile froze on her face, she turned to Bao Gu and exclaimed, “Turning demons into disciples of Lingyun Peak?”
Bao Gu had never seen Little Martial Aunt look so displeased; she shivered involuntarily.
Zi Yunshu stepped closer to Bao Gu, stared at her, and said, “Wow, you’ve got some nerve, taking such a big and muddled step on your own. Are you even qualified to take disciples now? Even if you are, dare to take a demon into the sect and see if anyone in the sect will let you off! Bao Gu, do you think Xuantian Sect isn’t chaotic enough and you want to add more trouble?”
She snorted coldly and continued, “In the cultivation world, demons are often kept for harvesting materials for elixirs and pills. Once they cultivate an inner core, they either swear a blood oath to become a demon servant or are exterminated. The enmity between humans and demons has been long-standing. By taking demons under your wing, you are planting seeds of disaster! Bao Gu, if you want to take demon servants, I have no objections, you just need to be responsible for their actions. But if you want to take demons into the sect, I will not spare you!”
Tears welled up in Bao Gu’s eyes as she looked at Zi Yunshu, her vision blurring.
She said nothing, stood up, and walked out of the courtyard.
As she reached the outside, she turned back to look at the two inside the house and shouted, “Cultivating an inner core only to be killed for materials or taken as a demon servant. Is a demon’s life not a life? You protect me because the Duobao Spirit Monkey is with me, and I can get things from the Duobao Spirit Monkey for you. If I didn’t have the Duobao Spirit Monkey, would you still protect me like this?”
Yu Mi stared coldly at Bao Gu and said coldly, “When you were training in the wilderness, the Duobao Spirit Monkey was still sealed. Who protected you all the way? When you entered the sect with a useless root for cultivation, who gave you all these spiritual medicines? Bao Gu, back then I didn’t expect much from you, I even thought about making you a servant, but you say we protect you because we want treasures from the Duobao Spirit Monkey, ask your own conscience! The Duobao Spirit Monkey is left by the Ancestral Master of Xuantian, it follows you, does that make everything it has yours? What about the other disciples of Xuantian Sect? Isn’t the heritage they learn also passed down by the Ancestral Master? Aren’t they also descendants of the Ancestral Master?”
The Duobao Spirit Monkey clung to Bao Gu’s neck and chattered at Yu Mi, arguing its position.
Zi Yunshu stood silently in the house, watching the scene in the courtyard, and sighed quietly before sitting down on a chair.
She softened her tone and said, “Bao Gu, come inside!”
Bao Gu stood still in the courtyard.
Zi Yunshu said, “I understand your anxiety and frustration, and why you urgently want to strengthen yourself. In cultivation, it’s important to progress step by step, and the same goes for strengthening your power. Raising demons, how is that different from taking a deviant path in cultivation? If your own strength is insufficient, no amount of external help will be of use; it will only become a restraint to you, and you might be harmed by the uncontrollable external forces. I know you are kind-hearted, perhaps you sympathize with demons, feeling that demons and humans are the same, but Bao Gu, you must understand that human nature and demon nature are different. Like me, I have a human soul and a demon body, and although I have a deep foundation in cultivation and determination, sometimes I still exhibit some demon traits. I used to eat fully cooked food, but after becoming a white snake, I found raw food delicious, preferring food cooked medium rare. On nights of the full moon, bathed in moonlight, I inexplicably get excited, thinking more about transforming into a giant white snake to traverse mountains and absorb more moonlight, rather than sitting in meditation in human form. There are good demons, many animals have no malice towards humans and remain unmalicious even after becoming demons. The cultivation world does not exterminate these demon cultivators; there is no harm done, just contracts made, and both parties adhere to the contract and coexist peacefully. Demon servants only submit to cultivators stronger than themselves, only making blood oath contracts with cultivators stronger than themselves, this is the submission of the weak to the strong, following the laws of demons. Demons are not humans, demon nature is different from human nature, taking demon cultivators into the sect, treating demons the same as humans, will lead to great chaos. The cultivation world has existed for so many years, if demon cultivators could coexist peacefully with cultivators, why would the current relationship be as it is? Even if everyone has the same goals, living habits differ. Not to mention, take me as an example, even though I was once human, now I prefer living in a damp, watery cave under a deep pool. If you were to live with me, one day while I’m asleep or accidentally transform during cultivation, with your current level of cultivation, you might be crushed to death before you even realize what’s happening. Or during an exciting full moon night, seeing your tender skin, I might not hold back and eat you, where would you go to cry?”
Yu Mi looked at Zi Yunshu, who was sitting down and slowly, endlessly reasoning with Bao Gu, and was extremely surprised.
When had her Little Martial Aunt become so good-natured?
After a long silence, Bao Gu asked, “So if the mountain guardian granny’s demon cultivators recognize me as their master and make a blood oath contract with me, there won’t be any trouble and it won’t violate the sect rules?”
Zi Yunshu nodded and said, “Yes, as long as a blood oath contract is made, the demon cultivators are under your control, and it won’t be considered a violation of the sect rules, no matter if you take one thousand or ten thousand, people will only think you are capable, able to have so many demons willingly follow you.”
Bao Gu then asked, “So the few terms I agreed upon with the mountain guardian granny, just limiting those few terms is also okay?”
Zi Yunshu, not having heard the previous conversation between Bao Gu and the mountain guardian granny, asked, “Which terms?”
Yu Mi told Zi Yunshu the terms Bao Gu and the mountain guardian granny had agreed upon.
After listening, Zi Yunshu nodded and said, “That’s fine! But remember one thing, if your demon servants cause trouble, the responsibility is entirely on you, you must be responsible for all their actions.”
Bao Gu felt reassured and said, “I’ll go find the mountain guardian granny!”
After saying this, she turned and ran across the stream to the forest on the other side, calling out, “Mountain guardian granny, mountain guardian granny, I need to talk to you.”
Zi Yunshu watched Bao Gu run into the forest and sighed quietly.
She smiled wryly at Yu Mi and said, “Your little junior sister has more ideas than you. She’s afraid that the other peaks will keep demanding things from her, she doesn’t want to rely on our protection forever, she wants to establish her own power.”
Yu Mi replied, “Little Martial Aunt, seeing the treasures she gave out makes me ache! But for her to set up a faction of demon cultivators, she’s… that’s too bold!”
Zi Yunshu smiled lightly and said, “The mountain guardian granny isn’t someone who can be easily persuaded to serve others. If she’s unwilling, even you and I would have a hard time persuading her, let alone our Lingyun Peak’s weakest and lowest-ranked Bao Gu.”
She rubbed her forehead and said, “Later, see which part of Lingyun Peak is suitable, allocate it to Bao Gu’s demon cultivators, and help keep an eye on them, don’t let them cause trouble on Lingyun Peak.”
Yu Mi exclaimed, “Really… really letting Bao Gu…”
Zi Yunshu laughed and said, “She’s just taking demon servants, what are you nervous about? She’s taking demon servants, making blood oath contracts, asking the mountain guardian granny to train them, who can criticize anything?”
Yu Mi slapped her forehead and exclaimed, “My heavens! So many spiritual treasures used to raise demons? Or should they be killed for materials instead? If she really creates a large group of demon cultivators, if one day they clash with humans, calling on a group of demon cultivators… how will others view our Lingyun Peak?”
Zi Yunshu glanced at Yu Mi and said, “Have you forgotten about the Valley of a Thousand Demons? As long as there are blood oath contracts, there’s nothing to worry about.”
Bao Gu met the mountain guardian granny in the forest, and as soon as she saw her, she apologized, saying, “Granny, I’m sorry, I…”
The mountain guardian granny said, “I’ve heard it all.”
Bao Gu hung her head in shame and said softly, “But I still want to take demon cultivators, just with a blood oath contract…”
Her head hung even lower.
The mountain guardian granny said, “Demon cultivators who have made a blood oath contract have a master, and in the future, when walking in the cultivation world, others cannot harm them at will. If someone kills your demon servant, your blood oath contract will show it, just like the soul lamps you condense when you enter the sect.”
