Chapter 184: Chapter 73: Characteristics of the Outer Realm Demon

Wang Ping’s words carried an air of intimidation.

But neither Fire Box nor Batu showed the slightest change in expression. Fire Box still held his teacup with a cheerful smile, as if still savoring the clear tea’s fragrance. Batu was as impassive as ever, as though nothing in the world could move him.

"Daoist, if you’ve looked into what happened, you should know that if we had decided to take it by force on Yunque Mountain, Lv Wen and his wife could only have complied."

Fire Box took a small object wrapped in a gray rag from the tattered pouch at his waist. "We never said this trip was to take back that Outer Realm Demon..."

As he finished speaking, he unwrapped the gray rag to reveal loose-leaf tobacco.

"Care for some?" Fire Box asked Wang Ping with a smile.

Wang Ping shook his head.

Fire Box asked again, "Would you mind if I had a smoke?"

"Be my guest..."

Wang Ping made a welcoming gesture, then picked up the teapot and topped off the cups in front of Fire Box and Batu.

Yu Lian, meanwhile, tapped the table lightly with her tail and glanced pointedly at the teacup in front of her.

As Wang Ping poured tea for Yu Lian, Fire Box skillfully rolled a cigarette and said, "That Outer Realm Demon was attracted by the Fire Spirit on our Holy Mountain. It fell from the true outer realm."

As he finished his sentence, he pointed a finger toward the sky.

The Outer Realm meant beyond this world, and beyond this world lay the silent, profound Cosmos.

"Objects from the Outer Realm... Surely you know why they’re branded with the name ’Demon’."

Fire Box lit his cigarette and offered the remaining tobacco to Batu.

Wang Ping already understood what Fire Box was getting at. He drained his teacup and looked over at Yu Lian.

Yu Lian blinked her eyes and said in their Spirit Sea, ’I haven’t noticed any negative side effects from that Outer Realm Demon you acquired. But he’s probably right—things from the Outer Realm operate under different rules than our world. When they enter our world, they’re bound to be warped to some extent.’

’This was something Wang Ping had actually been worried about all along, though he’d been hoping for the best.’

"This tea, paired with this tobacco... it’s simply intoxicating. Add to that the beautiful scenery of Lin Garden, and I almost don’t want to leave." 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

With narrowed eyes, Fire Box took a long drag, consuming half the hand-rolled cigarette in an instant. Then, he slowly exhaled.

Thick white smoke coiled around his body, yet it didn’t drift toward the others. A moment later, it dissipated on its own.

Wang Ping patiently refilled his cup again, not rushing to ask for specifics.

Fire Box looked at his freshly filled cup, his cheerful face meeting Wang Ping’s gaze as he chuckled. "The Fire Spirit of our Holy Mountain has a peculiar trait. Any Cultivator who uses its energy to achieve a breakthrough becomes paranoid. As for the object from the Outer Realm... its consciousness is highly sensitive, and the flames make it irritable. Let me put it this way: the Demon Soldiers created by fusing with it will go berserk at the slightest provocation, yet they remain completely conscious."

"A fully conscious berserker, who also wields the power of that breakthrough... And you, it seems, want to create them in batches."

Wang Ping raised his teacup and met Fire Box’s gaze directly. He smiled. "Are you accusing me?"

"No. A warning, offered out of a sense of duty."

"It’s the first I’m hearing of someone doing something out of pure obligation."

"Haha, in our First Sect, many of us do things out of obligation. We help one another and achieve things together."

Wang Ping smiled. "Can we skip this self-deceiving conversation?"

"Forgive me. As an old man, when I see a young person going astray, I can’t help but offer a word or two of counsel."

Wang Ping remained seated, steady as a rock. He heard Fire Box’s words and was about to reply when Yu Lian set down her teacup. She coiled herself around Wang Ping’s left arm and fixed her almond-yellow, slitted pupils on Fire Box. She said,

"You old man. I think *you’re* the one who has gone astray. Your very soul has laid your entire life bare for me to see."

Fire Box met Yu Lian’s gaze and replied, "You are a natural-born Spiritual Object, while we are but worldly mortals. From your perspective, every one of us is lost."

"Twisted logic!" Yu Lian spat out the two words, then scrambled up onto Wang Ping’s shoulder, her posture clearly telling Fire Box she was done talking.

Wang Ping, for his part, picked up the teapot and filled Fire Box’s empty cup. He then turned to look at Batu. Batu had only drunk the first cup of tea; he hadn’t even touched the second.

"State your purpose, guest from afar. If you’ve come in the name of friendship, I will fulfill your request."

Wang Ping gestured toward the freshly filled teacup, directly asking the pair their purpose.

"I am indeed here for friendship..."

Fire Box stood up and bowed in salute. Batu, however, simply rose and stepped aside, watching coldly.

After completing his bow, Fire Box produced a greenish bamboo slip from the tattered pouch at his waist.

"This is the ’Aether-Void Technique.’ It can suppress the frenzy induced by the Fire Spirit. As for the creature’s innate sensitive consciousness, that can only be controlled by fixating on a single human characteristic."

Fire Box turned and gestured to Batu at his side. "My junior brother here, on one hand, suppresses his emotions, while on the other, he directly confronts the spiritual sensitivity that arises from fusing with a Demon Soldier. Now his heart is as still as water, and his mind holds nothing but worship for the great Sun God."

"Are you saying you possess another Outer Realm Demon of the same kind?" Wang Ping didn’t care about Batu’s condition; he was focused on the other implication in Fire Box’s statement.

"Outer Realm Demons attract others of their kind... We spend a vast amount of resources every year clearing out the extra ones that appear. The one you possess exists due to the greed of certain people. By the time we discovered it, it had already been taken out of the Eastern Continent."

Wang Ping’s face was calm, but his mind was racing. ’There’s very little information about Outer Realm Demons in the Daoist Scripture Hall,’ he thought. ’Based on the intelligence I’ve managed to gather, that’s because their true value has only been discovered through recent research.’

’What sacrifices were made in the process, only those who researched it would know.’

As his thoughts drifted, Wang Ping’s gaze landed on the greenish bamboo slip offered by Fire Box. He asked, "What do you want?"

"My request is simple. For a Fellow Daoist such as yourself, it would be a trivial matter."

Fire Box always liked to speak in circles. When Wang Ping showed a suitable hint of impatience, he quickly continued, "I heard the White Water Sect had an Outer Realm Demon, but after being destroyed by a Power Pill, it left not a single trace..."

"I’m not clear on the White Water Sect’s business," Wang Ping cut in.

"..."

Silence fell over the tea table.

"Fellow Daoist, do you perhaps have a way..."

"No. There’s nothing more to discuss on this matter!" Wang Ping’s tone was resolute. ’Using human bombs too often would violate the Dao I cultivate,’ he thought, ’It would be detrimental to my progress.’

Fire Box was cut off again. Another silence fell between them.

Wang Ping felt no awkwardness. He stared at Fire Box and said, "You can move on to your next request now."

Fire Box looked momentarily dazed, but quickly recovered his confident smile. "My junior brother has long admired you, Daoist," he said, "and would like to spar a round or two."