Chapter 73: Little Bear’s Gift

“Mo Mo Mo Mo Mo Mo Mo Lin?!”

While the Bear Demon was chanting sutras in the side hall, Mo Lin, who was coiled on a pillar in the main hall, quietly slithered down from the column:

“My name is not Mo Mo Mo Mo Mo Mo Mo Lin, isn’t that far too rude?”

Realizing that the one speaking with him was actually Mo Lin, the Bear Demon, who had been fooled, instantly grew furious:

“Mo Lin! You actually dare to make a fool of me!”

Mo Lin chuckled:

“Bear Demon, what are you talking about? I am the Bodhisattva.”

The Bear Demon’s nose almost went crooked from anger:

“Snake Demon, how dare you deceive me!”

Mo Lin flicked out his tongue:

“Looks like that Lustful Monk really tormented you badly. The once sharp and clever Bear Demon actually believed in this nonsense about the Bodhisattva manifesting?”

The Bear Demon instantly felt extremely embarrassed.

And wasn’t that true?

Half a year ago, after the Black Wind Stronghold incident, the Bear Demon slipped back to his Mountain God Temple.

But not long after, that Lustful Monk arrived at his temple and discovered his little tricks of pretending to be a god.

With a Golden Circlet and illusions, he toyed with him completely, even forcing him to become his subordinate Bear Demon.

After that, the monk seized the Mountain God Temple, changed it into a Child-Giving Temple, and began practicing his lustful arts.

Many times, the Bear Demon tried to escape, but whenever the Lustful Monk recited the tightening curse, his head split with unbearable pain, leaving him dazed and stumbling back to the Mountain God—no, the Child-Giving Temple.

On top of that, the Lustful Monk’s illusions were frighteningly realistic.

The Bear Demon lived in them day after day, until he could barely tell reality from illusion.

So today, when Mo Lin tricked him, he really did mistake it for the Bodhisattva’s manifestation.

For a demon, losing face wasn’t scary.

What was scary was losing face in front of another demon who knew him.

Murderous intent flickered in the Bear Demon’s eyes—he wanted to kill the snake to silence him.

Mo Lin noticed his thoughts but didn’t care in the least.

Back then, he hadn’t feared the Bear Demon, and now that he had reached the Earth Rank, among all the demonic beasts within a thousand miles, only the Mountain Lord could match him.

Naturally, he had no reason to fear a black bear shackled with a Golden Circlet.

“Mo Lin, die for the Buddha!”

Without warning, the Bear Demon suddenly leapt forward, his sharp claws slashing viciously at Mo Lin’s body—Black Bear Heart Gouge!

When Mo Lin showed no reaction, the Bear Demon was overjoyed.

The power of his bear claws was not something easily endured.

Pythons were never known for their defenses, yet Mo Lin actually dared to take the blow head-on with his body.

Hmph!

In that case, die for the Buddha! Anyone who knew the Buddha’s humiliations could not be allowed to live!

“Clang!”

The Bear Demon’s claws struck Mo Lin’s scales, producing a metallic sound. Then, the scales forcibly redirected the claws, scraping past Mo Lin’s body.

“Huh?”

The Bear Demon froze.

What was going on? Why hadn’t his claws pierced Mo Lin’s scales?

Were pythons’ defenses really that strong?

Half of Mo Lin’s body was still coiled around the pillar.

Now that the Bear Demon had come closer, he suddenly noticed something else strange.

Wasn’t this python’s body far too big? Half a year ago, was he this large?

Now, Mo Lin was already big enough to be called an Anaconda Demon, wasn’t he?

Wait—Anaconda Demon?

No!

The Bear Demon suddenly realized something—the unyielding scale defenses, plus a body over twice the size from before—

But having already unleashed his full power in an attempt to kill Mo Lin, it was far too late to retreat.

Mo Lin’s tail slid from the pillar and lashed lightly against the Bear Demon’s belly.

Though the strike seemed gentle, the Bear Demon felt a surging force tear through his stomach.

That strength nearly churned his guts to pieces!

“Urgh!”

The Bear Demon collapsed before Mo Lin, clutching his belly, eyes vacant, saliva dribbling from his mouth.

With a single tail strike, Mo Lin had completely crushed his resistance.

And this was only because Mo Lin had deliberately restrained his strength, wary of damaging the Child-Giving Temple and alerting the Lustful Monk.

Otherwise, he could have whipped the Bear Demon from one side of the mountain to the other.

“An… Earth Demon?”

The Bear Demon trembled, lifting his head to look at the python whose size had doubled since half a year ago.

Mo Lin stared at him silently, confirming his suspicion.

Drool dripped from the Bear Demon’s mouth in disbelief.

Even though he had not trained properly in the last half year due to the Lustful Monk, he had still grown somewhat stronger.

Originally, he had thought Mo Lin’s strength might surpass his slightly, but not by much.

That was why he attacked—after all, if he couldn’t beat Mo Lin, wasn’t there still the Lustful Monk?

Though his hatred for the monk was greater, the Golden Circlet kept them from being enemies for now.

As long as the monk returned, the two of them together could surely defeat one Black Python, right?

But in just half a year, how had Mo Lin transformed from a Profound Demon into an Earth Demon?

In front of Mo Lin now, he had absolutely no power to fight back.

Recovering slightly from the stomach pain, the Bear Demon shuddered violently.

He had planned to join the Lustful Monk in subduing Mo Lin later. But now?

Forget about joining forces—he probably wouldn’t even live long enough to see the monk return!

Seeing the dangerous gleam in Mo Lin’s vertical pupils, alarm bells rang wildly in the Bear Demon’s heart.

No—he had to think of a way to survive!

Mo Lin, now an Earth Demon, truly had the power to kill him!

Grinding his teeth, the Bear Demon resolved to reveal his deepest secret—since by his guess, the Lustful Monk would soon find it anyway.

If he had to hand it over, better to offer it to Mo Lin, and perhaps save his life.

Thus, the Bear Demon immediately dropped to his knees:

“Snake Bodhisattva, spare me! Little Bear yields! Little Bear yields! Snake Bodhisattva, spare me!”

Mo Lin, who had been about to finish him off, was taken aback. Was this bear really so spineless? Begging already?

But he didn’t know—the Bear Demon had once personally witnessed the Mountain Lord’s wrath.

The power of an Earth Demon was something a Profound Demon like him could never fathom. To live, he needed to be smart, not stubborn.

The Bear Demon pleaded repeatedly:

“Back then, Little Bear was blind and failed to recognize the Bodhisattva, rashly offending you. Recently, I was deceived by that Lustful Monk’s illusions and even mistook you for him. My sins are truly grave.”

Mo Lin actually laughed:

“When you just shouted ‘Mo Lin, die for the Buddha!’ you didn’t sound like this, did you?”

Damn it, why bring that up! Already an Anaconda Demon, yet still so petty!

But the situation left him no choice. Forcing a smile, the Bear Demon pretended not to hear Mo Lin’s mockery and flattered:

“Offending Snake Bodhisattva was deeply my fault.”

“To atone for my disrespect, Little Bear is willing to offer a Purple Crystal Dragon Ore to Snake Bodhisattva, in hopes of receiving your forgiveness.”

Mo Lin narrowed his vertical pupils, his attention caught:

“Purple Crystal Dragon Ore?”