Start practicing from Mr. Fox

Chapter 132 The Grinding Mill Demon
"There are monsters!"

The girl screamed in fright when she saw the millstone demon on the other side.

A scream pierced the night sky, eliciting laughter from the sorceress.

"See? This is the girl you wanted to save. She's just as scared of you."

"Shameless, they don't even spare the soul."

The stone mill demon roared.

"Don't you know that a child's soul is the most nourishing?"

The sorceress chuckled strangely.

"The souls of the elderly are dry, smelly, and rotten; the souls of adults are too mixed with other flavors; only the souls of children are the most delicious. One bite, and even a god wouldn't trade it."

"The king loves to eat the souls of children, and also blood-based foods."

"It is their good fortune to be able to help the King cultivate!"

The sorceress licked her lips as she spoke.

"Also, it wasn't me who ruined you, it was them! It was the villagers you've always protected."

"What do you mean?"

The sorceress smiled slightly at the stone mill demon and pointed at the girl's soul.

"You revealed yourself that day, weren't you trying to save her?"

"But what did she do? She wanted to live, so she deliberately stained your golden light of merit with her blood, and even sacrificed her life to let the villagers destroy your demonic body."

"You are a demon, so you can never become a god through human offerings in this lifetime. Even if you do become a god, they will still find a way to destroy you!"

"Just like what you did, a demon risking its life for a mortal, how utterly stupid! You deserve to end up like this!"

The sorceress's tone was strange, yet it captivated everyone's attention, and even the tense atmosphere from before vanished.

"Look how stupid you are! If you had listened to the king and eaten the blood offering, you would not be able to deal with either a great demon or an ordinary Taoist. Why did you let a few mortals injure you?"

"But it's not too late to realize this now. I have a plan that can change your life!"

The stone mill demon's gaze seemed chaotic, and it remained silent, dazed.

After a long while, he looked at the sorceress and asked slowly.

How can I change this?

The fortune teller's expression brightened, and she continued speaking.

"The king allowed you to eat blood and cultivate together because you were a demon, but you didn't appreciate it and even killed a little ghost."

"But as long as you follow the King, those brats will die."

"Now that your demon body is shattered and your soul is injured, it is natural that you must repair your soul. Go forward and devour this girl, then come with me to see the Great King. At that time, you will be demon generals together!"

"Eating souls?"

The stone mill demon hesitated for a few moments, then nodded.

"it is good."

Then he walked toward the sorceress, his gaze falling on the girl. The millstone split open, like a large mouth, grinding away with a creaking sound.

"Eat her! Eat her!"

"Don't eat me!"

The girl screamed and struggled to crawl backward, but bumped into the ghost's feet.

Turning his head, he saw a hideous ghost face and fainted on the spot.

"give him."

The sorceress brandished her cleaver, commanding the vengeful spirits.

The vengeful ghost then grabbed the girl's soul and threw it at the stone mill demon as if it were a rag.

The stone mill demon opened its mouth, took the soul, and swallowed it whole without chewing, making the sorceress shake her head in disbelief.

"Eat slowly, eat slowly. If you eat so fast, you won't even be able to taste the flavor."

"I can taste it."

"How is it? What does it taste like?"

The sorceress stared at the stone mill demon, wanting to hear it clearly.

The stone mill demon suddenly opened its eyes, its body swelled, and it roared as it charged straight at the sorceress and the vengeful ghost.

"I can taste that you all deserve to die!"

"You still want to bewitch my mind? Don't you know that we stone demons have no hearts?"

"If I hadn't known you had this ability, I really wouldn't have been able to fool you."

Chen Ji, watching from the side, suddenly realized what was going on.

He had sensed something was amiss earlier; the stone mill demon's transformation was too rapid.

Upon hearing the sorceress use mind-controlling magic, they knew what had just happened.

He hadn't expected that the stone mill demon would be so indifferent, that even such a spell wouldn't work; it certainly had good acting skills.

They were nothing like the heartless person he claimed to be.

The sorceress stared at the stone mill demon, her face turning ashen.

A nameless rage surged within him, and he roared fiercely.

"I felt a little sympathy for you because I saw that you were a demon and had been harmed by someone, and I wanted you to serve the king again."

"Since you don't know what's good for you, then go die!"

As he spoke, he pulled out a dagger, a lawyer's knife, from his bosom. The blade gleamed with a cold light, the hilt was wrapped in red cloth, and six bone pieces were threaded through an iron ring at the back, emanating a dense aura of death and resentment.

It's obvious at a glance that it was made by consecrating a magical artifact with the spirit of a living being.

The two fierce ghosts, who had originally looked menacing, immediately became terrified when they saw the master's knife drawn.

Seeing this, Chen Ji knew that the two ghosts were not following the sorceress's orders, but rather Master Dao's.

"Come on, kill him!"

The sorceress raised her voice and shook her cleaver.

The two vengeful ghosts, their eyes red, stared intently at the millstone demon, exhaling a breath of ghostly energy.

The dense ghostly energy transformed into weapons.

One wielded a steel fork, the other dragged an iron chain, and they smashed it fiercely at the stone mill demon.

When metal clashed, two clear white marks were left on the stone mill demon's body, but the two ghosts were sent flying several feet away by the stone mill demon.

"Die!"

The stone mill demon was less than ten feet away from the sorceress. At this moment, it charged fiercely, even pressing down on the ground. If it really ran over the sorceress, she would be either turned into mincemeat or die.

But the fortune teller didn't dodge or flinch at all.

He simply shook the sword.

The bone fragments collided, seemingly shaking with joy, and emitted a chilling chuckle, while two more streams of black energy surged out.

The bronze puppet frowned, its gaze unfriendly.

This sword contains a trapped soul.
Chen Ji, who is a wandering god of the day and also has the abilities of the underworld, recognizes that the sorceress is using souls to transform into vengeful ghosts. With the stimulation of blood offerings, they will become even more violent.

really.

The two vengeful ghosts that had just flown out reappeared in front of them instantly. After merging with the black energy, their bodies swelled up, and their sinister aura almost burst forth.

This time, the steel fork demon blocked the stone mill demon with its own steel fork, and the iron chain it threw out bound the stone mill demon so tightly that it could not move.

"what did you do to me?"

The stone mill demon wanted to grow even larger.

Even when it struggled to break off pieces of stone, it didn't grow any bigger, and it couldn't even maintain its current shape.

The sorceress then approached the stone mill demon with a cold smile, drew her cleaver, and stabbed it fiercely.

"Hey!"

A flash of cold light appeared from the blade, but there was no sound of metal clashing; it was as if a sharp blade had pierced a leather bag, and a stone fell off the stone mill demon.

The sorceress then slowly began to speak.

Do you think I didn't anticipate what you might do?

"The king said you are not one to easily bow your head, and he has long arranged for his men to keep an eye on you. They even know the stones you placed on the mountaintop."

"I thought I'd have to go over there to catch you today, but you chose to do it here instead."

"That makes it convenient for me to get started."

"you!"

The stone mill demon's eyes flickered, then its expression changed.

"The soul that was just now was..."

"Only now are you realizing the problem? It's too late!"

The sorceress smiled and brandished her cleaver, and a little ghost appeared on each bone fragment, gnawing on something in its hand.

Upon closer inspection, it becomes clear that they are eating human limbs and internal organs.

Judging by its size, it's roughly the shape of a girl, except for the head.

"Your head? Wasn't it already inside your stomach?"

The sorceress drew her sword again.

"The King was right after all. A monster like you is useless to take in. It would be better to refine you into a Master Blade Ghost General."

"Don't even think about it! I'd rather die than let you..."

Before the stone mill demon could finish speaking, the scene before him suddenly changed.

It wasn't in the village anymore; instead, it had become a chaotic graveyard.

The surroundings were filled with a chilling, eerie atmosphere.

A head popped out of his stomach and turned into a talisman that stuck to his body.

The sorceress gave a cold laugh.

"Stop thinking about it. The King of Ghosts has figured out all your tricks. This Yin Ghost Seal was prepared for you. Just obediently wait to become a Ghost General, and you'll suffer less."

"Once the king has enjoyed enough blood offerings and becomes the demon king, perhaps you can be of some help."

"Your Majesty... what a great king!"

The stone mill demon's eyes hardened, and as he turned his head, he spotted the bronze puppet's figure.

His eyes widened in horror as he seemed about to say something, but ultimately remained silent.

He simply shook his head and looked at the sorceress.

"You bastards, I'll haunt you even as a ghost! Even if I become a ghost general, I'll still see how you die!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a loud laugh was heard.

"Fellow Daoist's words are somewhat different from before. Why bother watching how they die? We should send them to their deaths with our own hands."

"Who?"

"Supreme Immortal!"

Two voices sounded at the same time.

But when they saw Chen Ji's figure, they were utterly horrified.

"Why is there a Taoist priest here as well?"

The sorceress stared at Chen Ji, then looked at the millstone demon.

“You haven’t sought out this Taoist priest before.”

The stone mill demon was also stunned and didn't understand what had happened.

Just now, Chen Ji was still a bronze puppet. He didn't want to involve Chen Ji, so he didn't reveal Chen Ji's identity. How could he have entered in human form in the blink of an eye?

Chen Ji simply chuckled.

“I appreciate your kindness, fellow Daoist, but it is my duty to capture them and take them back.”

"You Taoist priest, what a boastful tone!" The sorceress looked over with a sneer.

"You were able to sneak into the formation, so you must have some skill. If I were to encounter you outside, I'm afraid I really wouldn't be able to defeat you."

"But now that the king is inside the formation, even if the Taoist priests from Qingliang Mountain come, I am not afraid."

“This little girl’s soul has already been fed to Master Dao, but we still need a living soul to return to her life. Yours is perfect to fill that gap.”

As the sorceress spoke, the surrounding graves became filled with ghostly energy, and countless vengeful spirits emerged.

"Previously, this millstone seized power and could not summon the vengeful spirits. Now that you are a living person, let's see how you escape!"

"escape?"

Chen Ji shook his head and took out a token from his person.

"Coincidentally, you can command vengeful spirits, and so can I."

"I'd like to see whether your master's sword is more powerful or my seal is more powerful."

"The Yin Commander's Card?"

The fortune teller's expression changed as soon as she saw it, and she shook her head repeatedly.

"Impossible! How could a living person like you possess such a thing?"

"It's fake, it must be fake."

"Grab him! Go and grab him!"

The sorceress brandished her cleaver, unleashing countless streams of ghostly energy.

But the surrounding vengeful ghosts and spirits remained completely still.

Chen Ji slowly tossed up the Sun-Wandering God Seal.

"Chen Ji, the Day-Roaming God of the Underworld, is here to command all ghosts to obey his orders without fail!"

As soon as he finished speaking, gray mist appeared from the seal, as if a gate to the underworld had opened out of thin air.

The eerie atmosphere reveals the figures of soul-reapers and underworld officials.

The ghosts trembled at the sight and instinctively headed towards the Ghost Gate. Even the two ghosts controlled by the Master's Blade wavered somewhat, and it was only through the efforts of the sorceress to use the Master's Blade that they were barely brought under control.

However, it couldn't stop the other ghosts at all.

In less than the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, not a single wandering soul remained in the entire mass grave; even the ghostly aura had vanished.

Chen Ji then withdrew the Day Traveling God Token, marveling at how useful it was.

The sorceress's eyes turned cold as she stared at Chen Ji.

"You Taoist priest, how dare you ruin my king's important affairs! You're courting death!"

Chen Ji wanted to laugh as he listened.

I've only ever heard the story of the fox borrowing the tiger's power, but I never imagined that this sorceress would now have to pretend to be a demon.

I wonder about the Blood Demon King's cultivation level.

But this sorceress's surgical methods were unacceptable; she relied on her master's knife to control vengeful spirits and wreak havoc.

In his own eyes, they were not even as good as the plague demons he had encountered before.

I just find it ridiculous.

He had only been watching because the millstone demon forbade him to interfere.

Now that we've already made our move, there's no need to hold back and fight protractedly.

"With your appearance of being three parts human and seven parts demon, what abilities do you have?"

"Not to mention you, even your king will be captured later."

As he spoke, he raised his hand to capture the soul.

They pulled the soul directly from the sorceress's body and held it in their hands.

"Dangdang!"

With a crisp sound, the master's knife fell to the ground, and the eyes of the two fierce ghosts instantly cleared.

Even the vengeful ghost inside the millstone demon trembled and revealed its true form.

The three vengeful ghosts exchanged a glance, their steel forks and iron chains vanished, and they obediently knelt down.

"We'll talk about your business later. Go back first."

Chen Ji casually drove them into the Master's Blade, then found a bottle to release the sorceress's soul before looking at the millstone demon.

"How are you, fellow Daoist?"

"Fortunately, I won't die for now."

The millstone demon returned to its original size, but it was very different from before.

If he had some semblance of cultivation before entering, he now looks utterly pathetic.

His soul was almost transparent, and his body was missing pieces.

Stone Mill Demon gave an awkward smile and thanked Chen Ji.

"I didn't want to involve you, fellow Daoist, but I didn't expect I'd still be so incapable, getting injured like this by this sorceress..."

"Do not blame you."

Chen Ji shook his head.

“The blood demon behind this sorceress foresaw what you were going to do and made arrangements in advance. It was the same on the mountain. Here, I can actually help you out.”

"Pity."

The stone mill demon slowly shook its head.

"I originally planned to kill this sorceress, recuperate for a hundred years, and if I had the ability, I could go and seek revenge on the Blood Demon."

"Now it seems that even survival is difficult, and with this body, I can only live for a few decades."

Chen Ji remained silent for a moment before slowly speaking.

“I do have a way to save your life, but… I need to make things clear to you first. This is not to force you.”

"What method? Please speak frankly, fellow Daoist."

The millstone demon laughed loudly, its voice booming.

"I'm just trying to survive in this state; I don't dare to think too much."

"Besides, even if it is difficult for me to save my life, it is no problem."

Chen Ji was taken aback for a moment upon hearing this before cupping his hands in greeting and speaking.

"Fellow Daoist already knows that I have some status in the Underworld. You can find a ghost messenger to help you if you need to travel to the Underworld."

"This spot has been vacant for a long time, and we haven't found a suitable candidate yet."

"I saw that you were free and unrestrained before, so I wanted to ask you about it."

"But at that time, you were still thinking about revenge, and your health was much better than it is now, so you didn't dare to speak."

"Now that I see you are determined to die, ordinary methods will be difficult to save you. If you are unwilling to do so, that's alright. I do have some treasures on me that can restore you..."

"No need!"

Before Chen Ji could finish speaking, the Stone Mill Demon interrupted him.

"Fellow Daoist, I have already done you a favor. Restoring such a soul would surely require rare and precious materials, it's not worth it."

“I like your way of doing things, fellow Daoist. It’s just that you’re missing a ghost messenger. I have no objection to that, but there are two points I need to make.”

"Speaking!"

"Fellow Daoist knows my character. I am serving as your ghost messenger because I see that you are kind-hearted and virtuous. You must not force me to do anything immoral in the future, otherwise I will not agree."

"nature."

"Furthermore, although my becoming a ghost messenger with you was due to circumstances, I hope that you will be able to find another one if you achieve success in your cultivation in the future."

"As it should be."

Seeing that Chen Ji agreed without hesitation, the Stone Mill Demon nodded.

“Then I can agree to your request, but there is still one thing I need to confirm.”

"What's the matter?"

"I've heard other demons and ghosts talk about this. Ghost messengers aren't ordinary subordinates; they receive monthly stipends and incense offerings. I wonder how much you could offer me?"

Chen Ji was stunned.

I never expected that the stone mill demon would care about this.

"How can I not care? I am a stone mill demon, I may be careless, but I'm not stupid."

"Previously, I was a demon cultivator and didn't need incense offerings, so I just kept what I received. Now that I'm becoming a ghost cultivator, I naturally need to start offering incense offerings again."

Chen Ji laughed and nodded upon hearing this.

"Indeed."

As he spoke, he took out the ten incense sticks he had obtained earlier and handed them to the millstone demon.

"I don't know how much to give you, fellow Daoist. I cultivate magic and don't need incense offerings. If I get any incense offerings through legitimate means in the future, I'll give them all to you, fellow Daoist. What do you say?"

“Excellent!”

The stone mill demon listened to the incense offerings and nodded repeatedly.

“Fellow Daoist, your incense is indeed of high purity. If all incense is like this in the future, then of course it will be fine.”

Then, as if remembering something, he looked at Chen Ji.

"Fellow Daoist, my demonic body has not completely perished. I can still reside in it to preserve my strength. I would like to ask you to find a larger piece and carve it into my likeness so that my soul can be nourished."

"No need."

Chen Ji shook his head slightly.

“I have something that is better than your demonic body.”

After saying that, he took out a piece of Peach Fairy Ghost Body.

The moment it was taken out, before it was even introduced, the Stone Mill Demon's eyes lit up.

"Fellow Daoist actually possesses such a fine item?"

"you know?"

Chen Ji was surprised. This was something even Daoist Xi Yun didn't know. How could a wild demon from a village like the Stone Mill Demon know it?

"do not know."

The stone mill demon shook its head.

"I just feel an innate affinity for it, even more so than for my demonic form, so I naturally know it's a good thing."

"..."

Chen Ji was speechless.

This was indeed an idea he hadn't considered.

So he explained the function of the Peach Fairy Ghost Body to the Stone Mill Demon.

Upon hearing this, the stone mill demon opened its eyes wide, first exclaiming that it was a good thing, then hesitated somewhat.

"Fellow Daoist, you should keep this. We have only just met, and it would be unworthy for you to use it."

"Besides, if I don't become your ghost messenger in the future, I won't be able to repay this kindness."

Upon hearing this, Chen Ji admired the Stone Mill Demon's character even more.

He stood up and clasped his hands in greeting.

"It is enough that you have said that, fellow Daoist. If you find this item to be valuable, you can compensate me when you leave."

“Very well, this item is indeed beneficial to my cultivation, so I will not refuse it. If I find any good items in the future, I will definitely give them to you, fellow Daoist.”

The stone mill demon remained silent for a long time before nodding in agreement.

Only then did Chen Ji use his magic to establish his identity as a ghost messenger. He was indeed able to sense something, even when the stone mill demon entered the peach fairy's ghost body.

Just as I was about to understand the connection between the ghost messengers, I discovered that there was a new chapter in the Chronicles of Strange Tales, so I quickly took a look.

(End of this chapter)