Chapter 121: The Great Sage – One Grain of Dust, Three Thousand Worlds

As a massive splash appeared on the calm sea surface, a huge green monster appeared before Liu Yi’s eyes. Liu Yi had to admit that this was the ugliest monster he had ever seen. Just a glance at this green creature would make one unable to eat for three days, and even if one forced themselves to eat, they would surely vomit it up.

The green monster indeed resembled what the dark-skinned man had described: it had a human face but a snake-like body as thick as two people wrapped around it. It had two hands—no, rather, two claws—thin and hook-like, clearly undernourished. Its face was pale but half rotten, with only one tooth visible; the other seemed to have been knocked out. Its ears on either side of its head were like giant fans, thin and transparent. A foul smell emanated from it.

The green monster flew straight toward the shore with the splash and swiftly rushed at Liu Yi. Liu Yi hadn’t expected the monster to be so fast—it had attacked him as soon as it reached the shore, seemingly trying to test his strength.

Liu Yi remained calm. Under the “Lanerfina Qing” meditation technique, his mental power instantly rose to its highest level. He quickly used the “Illusion” and “Swiftness” techniques from “Hidden Spin Nine Shadows.” A gentle breeze stirred up some dust, and there was a distance between the nine shadows. The green monster closed its hands and rushed at the first shadow. By then, the last shadow was already ten zhang away and had stopped—because this shadow was Liu Yi’s true form. As the shadow in front of Liu Yi disappeared, the green monster suddenly cried out, “Which path do you belong to? What race are you?”

Liu Yi looked at the green monster and said, “I belong to my own path. As for my race, I can tell you—I am of the new demon race, the true demons.”

The green monster seemed to hear something terrifying and turned to retreat back into the sea…

Liu Yi had already seen through it. He said word by word, “Do you think you have a chance to escape my sword? Even if you’re already in the water, as long as I get a chance to grab you, I’ll sever your head.” His voice was cold, merciless, and full of arrogance.

Why was this monster so panicked upon hearing the words “true demons”? Weren’t true demons already extinct? Perhaps their extinction only applied to the three realms. Some wild beasts had left the demon race precisely because, without the rule of true demons, they had grown bolder.

Thousands of years ago, all demons, ghosts, and beings within the six realms of the mortal world were under the rule of the true demons—Niren, the demon who challenged the gods. But with Niren’s cycle, some of these wild beasts returned under the rule of the Heavenly Dragons, while others, believing they were strong enough, declared independence.

To any demon who has survived for thousands of years, the name “Nie” is a terrifying one, a symbol of evil. Yet they are relieved that the Nie have fallen into the mortal world to suffer the cycle of rebirth. Though the reason is unknown, these demons can now act as they please. This green dragon should be one of those monstrous beasts that have established their own domains.

He was quite familiar with the scent on the true demon’s body. After listening to Liu Yi introduce himself, he identified that scent and was certain that the man before him was indeed a demon—a true demon who had disappeared for seven thousand years.

Hearing Liu Yi’s cold and confident voice, the green dragon gradually stopped moving and slowly turned around. It said, “Lord Demon, I’m just a small dragon. I haven’t done anything evil. Please spare me. In a few days, I’ll be able to transform into a human. I also have a wife, children, and a home.”

Listening to the green dragon’s words, Liu Yi seemed to recall the fox spirit from ten years ago. Back then, due to the recklessness of the Ten Great Heroes, a pair of lovers were hurt. Although they were demons, Liu Yi had always blamed himself deeply.

Liu Yi gripped his long sword with his left hand, a red glow flashing in his eyes. He said, “Then tell me, where have all the people in this village gone?” He pointed at the village.

At that moment, Xiao Lan, with her big eyes, looked at Liu Yi and asked, “Dad, who is he? Why does that monster seem so afraid of him?”

The dark-skinned man, Xiao Lan’s father, seemed puzzled by this question too. There was nothing special about this man; he wasn’t even as strong as himself. Why did that monster seem so afraid of him?

Just then, Liu Yi waved at Xiao Lan and said, “Xiao Lan, come here for a moment.”

Before the dark-skinned man could react, the little girl named Xiao Lan quickly ran over, hid behind Liu Yi, and kept peeking at the green monster from time to time.

Liu Yi gently turned around, picked up Xiao Lan, and continued, “Xiao Lan, I don’t know if you know this… Tell your big brother where your sister is.”

Xiao Lan stared at the monster before her, seemingly furious. She widened her eyes and pointed at the disgusting green creature with her trembling finger, saying, “It’s this monster who took my sister away. I don’t know where she is now.”

Hearing this, Liu Yi’s eyes flashed red with anger. He demanded, “Speak! Where is her sister?”

The green dragon, feeling utterly helpless, said, “Last month, my wife and I gave birth to two little dragons. Fearing my sons would get bored, I went ashore and caught some people for them to play with. But some of them were scared to death. I swear, that wasn’t my intention. I just wanted them to keep my children company.”

Liu Yi seemed even angrier. He asked, “Then where is Xiao Lan’s sister? How is she now?”

The green dragon replied honestly, “She’s fine. After taking my ‘Closed Water Pill,’ she’s been playing with my children down there.”

Upon hearing this, Liu Yi seemed to calm down somewhat and said, “Although those people weren’t killed by you, they died because of you. I should have killed you to avenge them, but… I don’t want your wife and children to lose their support.” After a pause, Liu Yi seemed to sigh and continued, “You now have two choices. First, send that child here and swear that you will never harass the fishermen here again, and also send them ten thousand pounds of fresh fish every month as compensation for your mistake.” “The second choice is to let my sword send your whole family to another world as compensation for your fault.” As he spoke, red light flashed continuously in Liu Yi’s eyes, as if filled with a desire to kill. Green Jiao quickly said, “I choose the first option. I swear, I, Green Jiao, swear that from today onward, I will never harass any humans again, and will send them ten thousand pounds of fresh fish every month as compensation. If I break this vow, I shall be struck by lightning.” It seemed as though Green Jiao had received a pardon. Liu Yi nodded, glanced at the fishermen behind him, and said, “Everyone has heard his vow. I originally wanted to kill him, but like you, he has a family and children. If everyone agrees, let him send you ten thousand pounds of fresh fish every month as compensation.” The dark-skinned man stepped forward, looked at the green monster, nodded, and said, “Since this issue can be resolved this way, we have nothing more to say. Besides, those brothers were just weak and scared themselves to death. Even my little daughter is braver. If we were any harsher, we’d be no better than demons.” Liu Yi nodded, gently set Xiao Lan down, looked at Green Jiao, and without threatening it, simply said, “I too wish I had a family, but… I don’t. I hope you can hold onto this happiness, do good deeds for your children and wife. If I could be with the ones I love, even if the whole world were given to me, I wouldn’t need it. I’m willing to give up everything I have for that sliver of happiness.” Green Jiao seemed moved by Liu Yi’s words, and an ugly smile appeared on its twisted face. Liu Yi watched as Xiao Lan returned to her father’s arms, then looked at Green Jiao and sighed… Perhaps some things in the world aren’t as real as someone describes them. Even what one sees may not necessarily mean it really happened. And even if there are grudges, they don’t necessarily have to be resolved through killing. Or… they all have families, or they’re all fathers. Only those who consider the bigger picture are truly wise. His hardships have made him grow; his sorrow has made him stand above others, the greatest among demons…