Headless Immortal

Chapter 153 Dream Demon Luo, Reorganizing the Demon Soldiers
Wine can intoxicate people, and it can also intoxicate demons.

The aged fruit wine in Shoushan City is a fine product, and even those powerful demons with magical abilities crawled under the table.

They ate and drank to their hearts' content that night, leaving behind only laughter and joy.

The Living Buddha Lu Xun had no resemblance to a Buddha at all. He only ate meat. His huge hand, bigger than a winnowing basket, grabbed a roasted golden-brown wild boar. His mouth opened wide, and his sharp, cone-like teeth tore at the golden-brown meat. He didn't even leave the bones behind, chewing them up and swallowing them into his round belly.

He accepted every toast offered by anyone, and at first, Lu Xun could still make out which monster it was.

Xiongshan-jun smiled with his furry body hunched over like a cat, but then he gradually became blurry. The monster appeared as a double image, and its face became blurred as well. It looked like an old mountain demon, or a large rat that was four feet short.

Later, the number of monster shadows that slowly passed by decreased.

The thousand layers of eyelids felt incredibly heavy, and the cool stone chair he sat on became even more comfortable. As he leaned back against the tortoise shell, he began to snore softly and fell asleep.

Despite the imposing size of the Living Buddha Lu Xun, his snoring was not loud due to his tapir-like nose. Furthermore, eight or nine out of ten of the forty-eight demons inside the hall had collapsed.

Toothless stood beside the Living Buddha Lu Xun with his eagle eyes narrowed. The black-armored, white-skinned man was about to make a fuss when Shu Er stopped him, saying, "Let the King rest."

Having not slept a wink for days, even an iron-willed monster couldn't take it. If he were alone, he could just find a place to hide for a while, but he had a family with him—old, young, strong, and weak. The black-armored, white-skinned creature swayed as it got up to go on guard duty, but before it could take two steps, it collapsed to the ground, both snoring loudly.

The only one who remained relatively sober was Gao Qingzhi. As a human, he was not offered a toast by any demons. Although he drank, he did not overindulge. Moreover, since this place was a demon's lair, he had to be extra vigilant. As a result, a strange scene was created: a large number of demons were drunk, but the captain remained seated.

The captain poured himself a cup, looked at his reflection in the fruit wine, and suddenly felt that his beard was a bit long. Instead of putting the wine on the table, he picked up the box, took out a handkerchief from his pocket, wiped the razor, and began to trim it.

……

"King of Zhangzhou, His Majesty summons you to an audience!"

A loud shout burst through the gates of the mountain city palace. A tall, thin, strange figure appeared there at some unknown time. As he spoke, he took out a black rhinoceros horn with gold plating from his scaly arm, flicked it with his palm, and sent it flying past the monsters lying haphazardly on the ground, straight at the towering Eighth King, who was sitting on the high seat with his eyes closed and slumped in his chair.

despair.

A giant hand lifted up and caught it. The Living Buddha of Peach Blossom Spring, seated on the throne, slowly opened his multiple eyelids. Suddenly, a pair of golden pupils appeared in his black white eyes. He looked outwards, then focused his gaze inwards. He flicked his nose and looked down. The brocade in his hand shone with a faint light. He tore open the black rhinoceros horn shaft, revealing incomprehensible writing inside.

The Living Buddha Lu Xunsheng's voice boomed like thunder: "Which Your Majesty?"

The scaly demon raised its head, its pale red eyes fixed on Lu Xun seated above, and said loudly, "Naturally, I am His Majesty the King of the Evil Rakshasa Demon Kingdom. Your Shoushan is nothing but a tree fortress. If you had not unified Zhangzhou and all the demons, big and small, had not obeyed you, you would not have been qualified to meet His Majesty."

Lu Xun said calmly, "What do you want to see me about?"

"Be bold!"

The scaled monster roared in fury, but unexpectedly, the Eighth King, seated above, suddenly raised his head, and a dazzling golden light shot out from his forehead, piercing through the scaled monster. Lu Xun sneered, crushing the imperial edict with the black rhinoceros horn shaft in his hand with his giant palm, and said as usual, "If you want to see me, why bother in a dream?"

Lu Xun opened his multiple eyelids slightly.

As expected, the captain was still awake, standing guard beside him like a toothless statue. He frowned slightly. Since he came to this strange ancient world and obtained the head of the great monster, he had indeed become bolder. He dared to get drunk at the monster's banquet. If it were before, he probably would have to sleep with one eye open.

She let out a big yawn, and then closed her demonic eyes, which had been opening and closing a crack, in a hazy state.

……

"King of Zhangzhou, do you know your crime?!"

Thunderous sounds descended from the ninth heaven, and the White Serpent Master, dressed in indigo-purple ghost robes, roared.

Living Buddha Lu Xun then came to his senses, realizing that he was in a hazy, dreamlike hall.

Twenty-four dragon-carved pillars support the palace high, with civil and military officials arranged in four rows on both sides. The long procession extends into the mist behind, while a tall staircase leads in front.

At the end stood a jade screen, five zhang high and shaped like a city wall. In front of it was a wide stone chair entwined with dragons. Seated on it was a three-zhang-tall Luo King with a blue iron face and a crimson beard. His face was square and broad, with a hint of dragon. He wore a crown and a robe with python dragons. His lowered eyelids concealed his sharpness. He looked into the distance as if the vast earth was at his feet.

Living Buddha Lu Xun frowned, his black-gold demonic eyes gazing at the demons and monsters lined up like subjects on both sides, then at the starry sea adorned with jewels above the palace. Anyone capable of such illusions was no minor demon; who could it be? Could it truly be the legendary ruler of the Evil Rakshasa Demon City?

It seems too shabby.

According to the captain, the legendary evil Rakshasa demon city was once extremely prosperous, and most of its civil and military officials were dull-witted.

Lu Xun frowned and remained silent for a long time.

The White Snake's eyes darted around, seemingly at a loss.

"What crime have you committed!"

The sound of the urn was like the resounding of bells and drums.

The White Serpent Si Li said, "You have gathered more than a thousand demons and presumptuously declared yourself king, which is a grave crime."

Lu Xun stared at Bai She Si with his black and gold demonic eyes. For a moment just now, he felt that Bai She Si had breathed a sigh of relief. Was it just his imagination?
He fell silent again.

White Serpent Si did breathe a sigh of relief, but now he tensed up again, muttering to himself, 'Speak up! Respond! How am I supposed to continue if you don't reply?'

While inwardly grumbling, he glanced at the seated King Luo and thought to himself, "Oh my God, you sit so comfortably, but I dare not be careless at all."

An eerie silence fell over the hall.

The tried-and-true method of asking about life and death in dreams, which had always worked in the past, was completely ineffective. This man was simply too ferocious; normally, they would summon a person's soul and take them to the City God Temple for a proper explanation. But this man was far too powerful; ordinary ghosts wouldn't even dare approach him, they would be terrified at a glance, and so their plan failed.

Bai She Si gritted his teeth and stirred up a great deal of noise. Demons and monsters shouted in unison, seemingly trying to overwhelm the Living Buddha Lu Xun with their imposing presence.

Lu Xun remained calm.

The Iron-Faced King, towering three zhang tall, opened his eyes and asked, "You have usurped the title of king; are you plotting to seize the world?"

Seeing that the main character had spoken, the rest of the underlings fell silent.

Lu Xun said, "I have no interest in the world." Firstly, he truly had no ambition to contend for supremacy. Secondly, he was going to leave, and that departure might last for more than half a year, making it impossible for him to remain in power for long. The forces he had gathered were nothing more than a sandcastle; once the main pillar was removed, it would collapse into a pile of loose sand.

Iron-Faced King Luo continued, "Or do you still want to start a war and empty the city?"

Lu Xun gradually came to his senses.

He was a master of reading between the lines. Iron-Faced King Luo seemed to be asking him what he was doing with the demon soldiers, whether it was to attack cities and seize strongholds or to plot something bigger. In any case, he was worried about the people of Zhangzhou. He couldn't help but chuckle and said, "If you really have the ability, why don't you take action to destroy the Corpse King, and I will return to Jiangzhou to be my water monster."

Iron-Faced King Luo sighed and waved his hand, turning the palace into dust. He then said, "I have a military treatise that can assist the King of Zhangzhou."

……

Lu Xun suddenly opened his eyes, and a scroll of bamboo slips appeared in his hand without him noticing.

"Your Majesty, what's wrong?" asked the guard on duty, sensing something amiss.

“I had a dream,” Lu Xun said without hiding anything, “I dreamt of the Evil Rakshasa Demon City…” He then opened his palm, revealing a scroll of military strategy lying quietly there. The captain leaned over and, sure enough, saw the book written on bamboo slips. He asked in surprise, “Is this really a divine book bestowed upon you in a dream by the ruler of the Evil Rakshasa Demon City?”

Lu Xun shook his head slightly and said, "It doesn't seem like it. He cares a lot about Zhangzhou."

"Open it and take a look."

Lu Xun opened it and saw the words: 'Beacon Fire Mountain Technique'

Gao Qingzhi exclaimed in surprise, "A military treatise!"

Lu Xun chuckled and said, "Even if I study military books, I can't possibly become a commander and fight a battle so quickly."

Which famous general can fight a war just by reading a military book? Even the military genius Han Xin accumulated knowledge and experience before he could use it freely in the second half of his life. Besides, what military books could these thousand-odd monsters possibly have?

“It’s not that military treatise, it’s a spell for generals.” Gao Qingzhi took the military treatise from Lu Xun’s hand, read it carefully, and said with certainty, “This is the military manual. It can forge a large army into one, or it can be understood as a kind of formation, but a mobile army formation.”

Shu Er exclaimed in surprise, "Could this be a tactic employed by the imperial army?"

Lu Xun suddenly recalled watching the General of the Valiant Cavalry attack the city in Meng County. At that time, he did see the soldiers covered by a streak of light on the battlefield. He couldn't help but ask, "The captain should also know about military books, right?"

"I don't understand. The things the Earthly Bureau learns are completely different from those of the generals. Calling them warriors is more like calling them monsters." Gao Qingzhi wasn't pretending to know what he didn't. He and the court generals were not in the same system, and their cultivation techniques were completely different. If Lu Xun asked him how to train soldiers or if he had any military manuals, he really didn't know or had no idea.

"What is Your Majesty looking at?"

Xin Hongyu peeked out with a grin, her white fox-like face both dashing and charming.

She showed no embarrassment or awkwardness whatsoever, and said familiarly, "My father knows about this. My family comes from Laogangshan, where there are many foxes. Our ancestors liked human culture and even hired a tutor for us."

"Oh, your dad...."

Lu Xun looked in the direction Xin Hongyu was pointing and saw a huge fox head lying on the ground, mouth open, drool dripping from the corner of its mouth, followed by half a tongue. Well, it was drunk too. Looking around the hall, besides Shu Er, Xiaowei, Wuya, and Xin Hongyu, the only ones who weren't drunk were Bai Suihou and Qingshan Niangniang.

The centenarian marquis went out to patrol the mountains during the grand banquet and has not returned yet.

Lady Green Mountain tapped her feet contentedly, her tail carrying a wine pot. She held a cup in her jade hand, unwilling to join in the fun. Only after seeing Lu Xun's gaze did she nod and raise her cup, but that was all. She was different from the old tree spirit. Although snakes liked dampness, they didn't particularly like those that crawled out of the water completely. If anyone was more pleasing to the eye, it would definitely be the white ape demon.

Later in the night.

A mountain breeze blows, and I'm sober tonight.

Xin Junjie held the military treatise woven from bamboo slips in both hands, examining it carefully inside and out several times before confirming, "Your Majesty, this is indeed a profound military treatise, but..."

"what?"

Xin Junjie did not hide anything and said frankly, "This thing is tainted with yin energy and does not seem to be an object from the mortal world."

Lu Xun had some guesses in mind, and changed the subject, asking, "Can this kind of spell be learned?"

Xin Junjie nodded and then shook his head: "It's possible, but if you're not a general and specialize in military strategy, you can only utilize 20 or 30% of it at most."

Then he looked at the captain: "The captain is a Xuanwei of the Earthly Department, so he is not suitable for this kind of magic. Your Majesty... Your Majesty, none of your skills are suitable for military formations..."

"It doesn't matter."

Lu Xun waved his hand. Even if he wanted to learn, he couldn't learn it so quickly. Moreover, although he had the skill after learning the Ape Form Fist last time, he couldn't apply it to his head. So he didn't value these self-taught spells that he could learn on his own.

Xin Junjie clasped his hands in a salute: "In my opinion, Your Excellency is a master in this field."

Lu Xun asked, "How many monsters are there in Shoushan City?"

The Hundred-Year-Old Marquis said, "Your Majesty, there are over nine hundred monsters. If we include the forty-eight cave masters and the many lesser demons who have gathered here, the total number should be around two thousand."

"I would like to trouble Lord Shoushan to select one hundred demons to accompany me to Juying Mountain."

The quality of an army is more important than its quantity. If he weren't worried about not being able to effectively utilize his military tactics, he might have selected a dozen or twenty powerful demons to accompany him. After all, the main force this time was still the imperial court's Jiangbei camp. His main purpose in selecting demons was to protect Gongli and keep out the harassment from the White Sect and other groups.

The Hundred-Year-Old Marquis said, "Your Majesty, isn't it a bit too little?"

"That's quite a lot. If you include the horses, there are at least two hundred."

Marquis Bai Sui nodded. If they were all elite cavalry, a hundred monsters would be enough to change the course of the battle.

He immediately sent the lynx official with the books to compile the statistics.

The group of monsters, who were used to being carefree, lined up under the urging of the leopard spirit.

The burrowing rat also helped out as a scribe, while the old mountain demon maintained order by registering the forty-eight monsters before heading towards the banquet outside.

The old mandrill picked up a hedgehog spirit with one hand: "Hey, why are you charging around like that? Line up!"

He threw the hedgehog spirit into the long dragon and then reached out to grab the monkey spirit.

"Why did you cut in line? Go back to your original position."

"Those with higher cultivation levels go first, those with lower cultivation levels stand in the back. Oxen, horses, deer, roe deer... those with long hooves who can run long distances, line up on the right. What? You don't know what left and right are. Come this way, the rats will register you. Same old rule, cultivation level is the standard."

"Are you a donkey or a horse, why are you heading in that direction?"

"Your Majesty, I am a mule, I..."

With a snap, the old mountain demon gave the mule demon a warning, vowing, "There is only one king in Zhangzhou." He was currently trying to make amends, so he dared not agree casually.

The mule spirit pouted, feeling wronged. That's what he always called it. In the past, all the great demons were happy about it. How could they turn on him so easily now?

……

Zuoping Road is the narrowest pass from Shoushan to Haoxian, and it is also the most convenient shortcut and main road. Other routes, whether by water or mountain, require a long detour.

In the deep of night, in the dark forest, a bright moon floats above the clouds.

A magnificent horse stood beneath the moonlight, upon which sat a general in full armor. He glanced sideways and asked, "Military Advisor Xu, when will the reinforcements from the three religions arrive?"

Standing side by side was a Taoist priest dressed in a gray-blue robe.

The Taoist priest had a thin, long face, and was accompanied by two martial arts guards. He was groping for the bronze mirror with his hand.

If Lu Xun were here, he would definitely recognize the other party as Xu Hong, who had tipped off Jin Er in Meilan County and was the one who orchestrated the bandits' robbery of government silver on the Xunyang River.

Xu Hong looked into the distance and saw fireworks blooming in the sky, displaying red flowers, green leaves, and white lotus roots. He smiled and said, "They're here."

(End of this chapter)