The Ancestor of All Demons

The villagers saw the Dragon King manifest and their minds filled with various thoughts:

Some admired Yao Suxiu's true abilities, believing the marriage of the Dragon King was real, and that his favoritism towards Yao was genuine. They thought if Yao could serve the Dragon King, his future would be limitless; they better ingratiate themselves with him soon.

Others felt fear, especially the parents and families of the four girls. Seeing their daughters alive initially brought joy, but then they feared that the Dragon King had rejected their daughters and had come to return them, their heads trembling with fear.

A huge dragon's head emerged from the mists, and from its mouth came a dragon's roar that shook the hills and rivers, "Which one of you is Yao Suxiu?"

Villagers were puzzled and looked unanimously at Yao Suxiu, who sat at the highest seat, thinking weren't you familiar with the Dragon King?

Seeing the Dragon King himself, Yao Suxiu was anxious, but he had anticipated this situation and had already prepared what to say. With his face utterly composed, he stepped away from his seat and bowed deeply, "I am the humble Yao Suxiu, kneeling before the Dragon King! May our King live forever!"

Shi Feiyang accused him, "You used my name to extort wealth from the villagers and fabricated the lie that I was to marry, which endangered people's lives. Are you not afraid that I would find out and tear you into a thousand pieces?"

Yao Suxiu's face was full of sincerity, "Great Dragon King, if I may report, I truly dreamt of being summoned by Your Majesty and taken to the Underwater Dragon Palace. You spoke to me about building a temple and marrying. By heaven and earth, if I have lied even in the slightest, may I be struck down by heavenly punishment!"

"Nonsense! When have I ever appeared in your dreams? And taken you to the Dragon Palace? My abode is within Dinghu Peak, not beneath these waters; you fabricated it all!"

"So the King really didn't appear in my dreams?" Yao Suxiu, with a face full of surprise and pausing for a few seconds, then slapped his thigh, "I know now! It must be because I deeply remembered the King's life-saving grace and felt in my heart that the King should have a temple to receive the worship of all, as is said 'One's day thoughts become the dreams of night.' Having dreamt it, I took it as a decree from the King and acted accordingly…"

This response was truly brilliant; he insisted it was his own dream, regardless of whether the Dragon King had really appeared in his dreams or not… Shi Feiyang didn't expect this guy to be able to twist the narrative so well when faced with adversaries on all sides, but he didn't plan to waste his energy arguing with him. He decided to simply kill him and return to his incense refining.

"You scoundrel, still daring to offer excuses!" From the clouds, he extended a dragon claw, remotely grasping with an invisible energy and seizing Yao Suxiu from midair, intent on throwing him into the stream to let him taste the pain of drowning.

Yao Suxiu's body was immobilized as he flew off the ground, horror in his heart but still maintaining composure on his face, "This humble man has many faults, but everything was done out of deep gratitude for the King's mercy. I've been restless these days, eager to finish building the temple quickly to let the King enjoy the incense offerings…"

Shi Feiyang didn't want to hear his rubbish and was about to toss him into the water when the feasting villagers all spoke up, pleading for Yao Suxiu, "Yao Suxiu indeed has not committed great evil; building a temple for the King was willingly done by our village without coercion, please spare him, Your Majesty."

Shi Feiyang saw the girls' parents also begging and couldn't understand. He asked one of them why.

The man replied, "We originally thought the King's marriage was highly improbable, and throwing our children into the river meant certain death, an eternal separation from flesh and blood, naturally leaving us utterly heartbroken. But now that the King has manifested and even brought back our daughters, it seems that what the temple caretaker said was not entirely false. Even if there were misunderstandings, in the end, it was all for the King. There's no need to be overly harsh."

Shi Feiyang, after hearing everything, was rendered speechless. When he spoke again, his voice carried a low rumble, slightly roaring, making the earth tremble, "He has been extorting and killing people under my name. For this alone, he deserves death. Yet, you plead for him, and I shall let it be. Since the accusers drop the charges, I shall not forcefully play the villain. If retribution befalls you in the future, it's upon your own heads. If I were to kill him now, you would blame me instead. Hence, I'll give him a sliver of a chance. You four, quickly fetch some ropes!"

He ordered the fathers of the four girls to bind Yao Suxiu's arms and legs and gagged him before tossing him into Alchemy Creek.

The creek was mighty, and Yao Suxiu bobbed up and down on the surface, unable to struggle, and was quickly swept away. Shi Feiyang told him, "Go and meet the Dragon King you dreamt of! If he is sentient, he may save you."

Then, he addressed the villagers, "I never permitted anyone to speak or act on my behalf amongst you, whether in constructing temples or arranging marriages. I knew nothing of it; all were schemes devised under the guise of my name to accumulate wealth. As for my abode, it lies atop Dinghu Peak, where I concern myself only with the harmony of wind and rain and require no offerings from you. Should there be any issues, I shall appear personally. My only subordinates are the Red Snake and Xuan Turtle, no others speak for me. Keep your eyes peeled and do not be deceived again!"

Having said that, he spat out a fireball from his mouth, striking the Dragon King Temple, which was a small structure without even a surrounding wall. Constructed from blue bricks and black tiles, it exploded upon impact, rupturing the bricks, snapping the beams, and flattening the building in an instant.

Shi Feiyang, unwilling to waste time with these "foolish people," obliterated the temple, stirred up the clouds, and returned to Dinghu Peak with Red Snake.

Atop the peak, he contemplated and decided that Red Snake deserved praise for not consuming humans and even saving one, bringing them here. Otherwise, he would have remained unaware of the corruption below. Reward follows merit as punishment follows wrongdoing.

He commended Red Snake greatly and granted him a Yellow Cloud Nail previously belonging to Wei Fengniang, emphasizing, "This Magical Treasure was seized when I killed Wei Fengniang, a Divine Hand Monk from the Western Demon Cult, during my tribulation. Although she is dead, her accomplice, a monk from the Western Demon Cult named Brooyinca, remains. Be cautious and refrain from using this nail in his presence, or it could bring fatal consequences. Remember this well."

Red Snake, elated with the Magical Treasure, swallowed the nail and repeatedly kowtowed to express his gratitude to Shi Feiyang.

Shi Feiyang sent him away and continued refining the Harmonizing Incense, enabling it to absorb the essence of heaven and earth in the "Sun Essence and Moonlight," making the Water and Fire Inner Cores attract and combine more readily after forty-nine days.

Ecstatic, Red Snake left Dinghu Peak and plunged into Alchemy Creek, swiftly swimming downstream.

Already acquainted with the terrain and currents residing downstream, it took him about half an hour to locate his target, Yao Suxiu, at a bend in the creek.

Having grown up in Immortal City, Yao Suxiu, adept in navigating rivers and streams, managed to swim by undulating his body despite his bound hands and feet. However, the powerful current of Alchemy Creek disoriented him, and he drifted far before finally washing ashore on the outer bank of a sharp river bend.

The poorly tied ropes on his body came undone easily.

"Ptui! Ptui!" Staggering ashore, he spat out the water he had choked on. Exhausted, he stood slowly, surveying his surroundings and glancing at the faintly visible Dinghu Peak. He couldn't help but gnash his teeth in anger and curse, "I kindly built you a temple, merely using it as a pretext to earn some petty cash, and not only do you lack gratitude, but you also seek to execute me! Hmph, what are you but a demon? I've heard long ago that Sword Immortals exist in this world, and there's one in Wuxie Mountain of Zhuji. I'm going there now to invite a Sword Immortal to subdue you. Let's see how you die then! When that time comes, I'll flay you and taste the legendary dragon liver to see whether it's delicious!"

After cursing, he huffily got up, identified the direction, and prepared to travel to Zhuji to seek a Sword Immortal to subdue the demon. But just as he turned his head, he saw a solitary-horned, crimson-scaled snakehead floating towards him in the river!