Breaking the Precept

Li Jianzhao, with his fierce expression and face covered in blood, looked terrifying to the extreme.

"Waaah waaah..." The little demons huddled together, sobbing again. This guy was clearly not a good person either; he was just here to take what was theirs. "Waaah waaah..."

Chu Fengchen sheathed his sword and flew up. "Humanoid demons are truly formidable."

Jian Xiaolou nodded. Compared to the beast-shaped demons she had encountered in the Asura Inferno Prison, the humanoid ones were far more powerful.

Zhan Tianxiang pulled out the Immortal-Binding Rope and tied Li Jianzhao up. Remembering how he had escaped before, Zhan added another rope, binding him tightly like a dumpling, sealed his mouth, and prepared to drag him away.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

Just as Zhan Tianxiang was dragging Li Jianzhao into mid-air, thousands of silver needles suddenly shot out from the direction where the evil cultivators had retreated. The needle tips sparkled with a faint, cold light—they had been enchanted with a spell-breaking technique.

The needles were aimed directly at the little demons.

The intention was clear: if they couldn't have them, they would destroy them.

The silver needles moved with incredible speed, and being cast by a Golden Core-level evil cultivator, they were far beyond Zhan Tianxiang's Foundation Establishment level to intercept.

Chu Fengchen had already flown into the sky, and the only one capable of stopping this was the Nascent Soul-level monk Wisdom, but he stood there with his hands clasped, showing no intention of intervening.

Instead, it was Jian Xiaolou who shouted, "Release the hound!"

Zhan Tianxiang was momentarily stunned but quickly understood. He immediately untied Li Jianzhao from the Immortal-Binding Rope.

"You Zhan family dog! If you tie me up again, I swear I'll—" Li Jianzhao hadn't even finished his sentence when he shot off like a gust of wind.

He flew in front of the little demons, turning his back to the incoming needles, and spread his arms wide.

The air around him swirled violently, forming a protective barrier.

His long hair danced wildly in the fierce wind, and his robes flapped noisily, leaving the little demons completely dumbfounded.

Thud, thud, thud, thud!

The silver needles, imbued with the spell-breaking technique, were all swept up by the swirling wind and embedded in his back without a single one missing its mark.

Master Wisdom exclaimed in surprise, "Such an abundance of righteous energy at such a young age! Truly a blessing for the Confucian sect and the world at large!"

Hidden several hundred meters away, the Golden Core evil cultivator squinted, acknowledging the righteousness in Li Jianzhao's aura. A figure like this from the Confucian sect was going to be troublesome to deal with.

Chu Fengchen gave him a thumbs-up. "Impressive!"

Meanwhile, the little demons burst into tears, overwhelmed with emotion. "Waaah waaah, our savior! We must marry you to repay your kindness!"

Damn it...

To hell with this...

Li Jianzhao's body convulsed as he tried to curse, but he couldn't get the words out. His entire back, buttocks, thighs, calves, and even down to his ankles were densely pierced with needles, leaving him lying there like a porcupine!

Because of his righteous energy, the spell-breaking needles had only penetrated his protective barrier and lodged into his muscles instead of going deeper.

But it still hurt like hell...

Why?

What had he done to deserve this? Why was heaven treating him this way?!

Large beads of sweat rolled down his forehead. His eyes grew moist, and he couldn't move. The little cat demon who had spoken to him earlier gently wiped his tears with her furry paw. "Savior, don't be sad. We know you've done your best. Our deceased sisters wouldn't blame you."

That was like a dagger to the heart. Li Jianzhao spat out a mouthful of blood and collapsed unconscious on top of the little cat demon.

"Savior!"

"Savior, what's wrong? Waaah waaah!"

The little demons couldn't see the needles sticking out of his back. From above, Jian Xiaolou covered her eyes. This righteous energy was terrifying. At this rate, would Li Jianzhao even survive long enough for Mei Ruoyu to arrive?

Even Zhan Tianxiang began to feel sorry for him. He flew down, hoisted Li Jianzhao over his shoulder, and prepared to leave. The little cat demon tugged at his robe, her tearful eyes full of concern. "Senior, will our savior be okay?"

Zhan Tianxiang nodded. "He's tough; he won't die."

"Senior, can you help us? We're maidservants from Moonlit Valley. We came out with our steward to purchase supplies but were ambushed by members of the Wuji Sect, who killed our steward..." A little fox demon tugged at his robe.

Zhan Tianxiang hesitated. Carrying Li Jianzhao, he flew into the air. "What should we do with these little demons?"

Jian Xiaolou was puzzled. "What do you mean?"

"Once we leave, the Wuji Sect might come back to capture them. Should we escort them back to safety first?"

"They're demons," Chu Fengchen remarked indifferently. "Aren't we supposed to eliminate demons and eradicate evil?"

He hadn't acted earlier; he'd simply chased after Li Jianzhao and been surrounded. In his mind, there wasn't much difference between demon beasts and demons.

"They're low-level demons," Zhan Tianxiang explained, growing up in the Demon Kingdom and understanding them well. "Their cultivation is weak, and they lack potential for growth. They're quite pitiful."

Master Wisdom clasped his hands together and declared, "Demons are demons. The only reason they don't harm others is because they lack the ability."

Zhan Tianxiang's face grew serious. "But not all powerful demons harm humans. Isn't it biased to think otherwise, Master?"

Master Wisdom sighed. "If you feel so strongly, you should discuss this with the Heavenly Dao Sect in the Northern Immortal Region. They frequently engage with the Demon Kingdom."

Chu Fengchen stepped aside, carrying his sword, as if to say, "Not my problem."

Jian Xiaolou listened to Zhan Tianxiang and Master Wisdom debate, feeling a bit dizzy.

On the Crimson Sky Continent, racial discrimination ran deep. In short, demons looked down on humans, as did monsters and ghosts, while humans looked down on anything that wasn't human.

Jian Xiaolou didn't feel strongly about it either way. However, Master Wisdom's words, though somewhat harsh, held a grain of truth.

In the cultivation world, these little demons were weak and pitiful. But in the mortal world, they could easily wreak havoc.

Still, if you followed Night Wanderer's logic, demons eating humans wasn't nearly as common as humans eating demons.

"What do you think, Xiaolou?" Zhan Tianxiang asked.

Jian Xiaolou hesitated. She wasn't sure what to say. Zhan Tianxiang seemed to be debating with Master Wisdom out of principle rather than sympathy, his belief in racial equality shaken.

Could it be that the demonic energy contaminating him had shifted his views?

Jian Xiaolou asked Master Wisdom, "Where is Moonlit Valley? Is it on our way? If it is, why not escort them back?"

"Junior Martial Aunt," Master Wisdom replied after a moment of thought, "Moonlit Valley lies to the southwest, while Kasyapa Monastery is in the south. It's not on our way. However, we can take them to Silverlight City ahead. There's a trade guild with airships heading southwest. For a fee, they will guarantee safe passage."

"Then let's do that."

With the matter settled, they brought the dozen or so little demons aboard the flying ship.

...

The chapter continues with the group's journey and Jian Xiaolou's reflections. Let me know if you'd like the rest of the chapter translated!