We bear people have power

Last night, the rain was sparse and the wind was strong. I slept soundly, but the lingering effects of the wine did not dissipate.

I asked the person rolling up the curtain, and they replied, "The crabapple blossoms are still there."

Do you know, do you know?

It should be a scene of lush greenery and faded red blossoms!

Upon seeing the two captured monsters, Guan Bo couldn't help but recall this exquisite poem from later generations.

It wasn't that Guan Bo was suddenly inspired to write poetry, nor that these two monsters had a particularly artistic appearance; rather, these two guys perfectly embodied the last line of the poem—"green leaves grow fat while red flowers wither."

The green monster on the left had short limbs and was as fat as a ball, bound tightly with its hooves pinned to the ground. But its body was so round that it looked like a large balloon hanging on a bamboo pole.

The red monster on the right was as thin as a bamboo pole. When it was tied up there, it looked like a stick insect clinging to a bamboo stalk. If it weren't for its bright red skin, one would think it was two bamboo stalks tied together.

Guan Bo recognized both demons; they were minor demons who served on Black Wind Mountain. He never imagined that the Black Bear Spirit and Guan Bo, who had only recently left, would be captured by mortals.

Both of these creatures are mandrills who have become spirits, but their strength is mediocre. Apart from their ugly appearance which can frighten people, their actual fighting ability may not be comparable to that of ordinary people who have practiced martial arts, and they might even fall victim to experienced hunters.

Therefore, Guan Bo was not too surprised that these two guys were captured by mortals.

Guan Bo thought to himself, "I don't know if these two guys have done anything heinous. If not, I should at least try to save them."

This small token of kinship must be taken into consideration. I only hope that these two will remember my usual teachings and not harm any mortal lives.

Guan Bo didn't know any magic to hide, so he could only follow the group of black-robed men from a distance.

Although the mountain path was rugged, these men in black robes were clearly skilled in martial arts, and thus moved with incredible speed. Before long, they had all reached the foot of Black Wind Mountain.

One of the men in black robes raised his hand to stop the group, saying, "You've all been traveling for most of the night, so let's rest for a bit. Tonight we've unexpectedly received such excellent offerings, which is a wonderful surprise. After the human sacrifice, the Venerable One will surely bestow blessings upon us."

The other men in black responded with a roar of agreement, their voices filled with fervor.

Guan Bo frowned, feeling that something was amiss. He thought to himself, "These men in black robes don't seem to be ordinary mortals; they look like some kind of cult members."

At this point, Guan Bo decided not to wait any longer and figured it would be better to rescue the two monsters first and then get to the bottom of things.

Dealing with mortals who don't understand magic is quite simple. Guan Bo blew a breath at the black-robed figures. Demonic power surged, instantly creating flying sand and stones, blinding the mortals.

Guan Bo took the opportunity to fly over and scooped out the two fairies, one red and one green, one in each hand.

Once they had walked a distance, Guan Bo threw the two monsters to the ground.

The two cowardly men, having just gained their freedom, embraced each other and wept bitterly, shouting to Guan Bo, "Second King, you've finally returned! If we had been any later, we would have been burned to ashes!"

Guan Bo asked with a smile, "What exactly happened? You two were actually captured by mortals. You've really disgraced Black Wind Mountain."

"Second King, you may not know this, but those mortals are incredibly cunning. Moreover, there are cultivators among them, and my strength is too weak to be a match for them," the green fat man said aggrievedly.

"It's getting more and more complicated now that cultivators are involved," Guan Bo continued, "explain in detail what's going on with these mortals."

The two demons, red and green, began to recount the painful experiences they had during Guan Bo's absence.

Black Wind Mountain was originally considered a blessed land, and even without the Black Bear Spirit and his group of lesser demons, they were reluctant to leave. Since no one was in charge, they were happy to be free.

They thought life would continue peacefully like this, but before long, some strange mortals appeared at the foot of Black Wind Mountain.

Most of these people were dressed in black robes, their entire bodies completely covered except for their eyes.

As soon as the man in black appeared, he set up a small settlement at the foot of the mountain.

Most of them were skilled in martial arts and agile, so building some thatched huts or wooden houses was not a problem for them.

At first, the lesser demons were reluctant to cause trouble, after all, both the Black Bear Spirit and Guan Bo had repeatedly mentioned trying not to harm mortals. Moreover, Black Wind Mountain was rich in resources, so it didn't have to come to the point of cannibalism.

It's just that demons have no intention of harming people, but people have the desire to kill demons.

Several monsters that had come down from the mountain to hunt for food were killed by the man in black robes, and their corpses were burned to ashes by the man in black robes in the name of sacrifice.

The monsters then discovered that these black-robed people worshipped an evil god called Mingzun, and burning monsters was their favorite form of sacrifice.

The more powerful the monster that is sacrificed, the more miracles this evil god will bestow, making these black-robed men strong and healthy, and even enabling them to step into the realm of cultivators.

More and more lesser demons were captured and sacrificed by the black-robed men, causing widespread panic among the demons on Black Wind Mountain. Several reckless lesser demons attempted to storm the black-robed men's stronghold to avenge their companions, but not only did they perish, they also provoked the black-robed men to launch a massive attack on the mountain.

The lesser demons, lacking much strength, were easily overtaken by the man in black robes who claimed Black Wind Mountain.

The two demons, one red and one green, narrowly escaped death, but had nowhere to go and could only live a clandestine life nearby.

After some time, the man in black robes had captured most of the escaped monsters and then turned his attention to mortals.

There are not many people around Black Wind Mountain; the most densely populated area is probably Guanyin Temple.

However, the place was burned to the ground, and most of the monks dispersed.

In the end, only a dozen or so monks remained, reluctant to leave their old haunts, and they too were captured and taken up the mountain by the men in black robes.

Hearing this, Guan Bo asked angrily, "Could it be that they still dare to use living people for sacrifice?"

"I don't know, we don't dare go near Black Wind Mountain anymore. Who knows if those monks were captured and eaten or burned? Anyway, we haven't seen them being taken down," the thin red demon replied while crying.

Guan Bo never expected that this group of strange black-robed men would not even spare the monks, and had even occupied Black Wind Mountain. It seemed that this matter was bound to end badly.

Guan Bo did not intend to attack Black Wind Mountain immediately, but instead led the Red and Green Demons back to the ruins of Guanyin Temple.

After briefly explaining the situation to Gongsun Jing, the female swordswoman frowned.

"What, you've heard of these men in black robes? Do they really have some amazing abilities?" Guan Bo asked curiously.

Gongsun Jing's swordsmanship is profound; ordinary monsters cannot withstand a single strike from her. These black-robed men should not be a threat to her.

“If I’m not mistaken, these black-robed men should be the legendary Zoroastrians,” Gongsun Jing explained to Guan Bo.

"Zoroastrianism? That sounds like a cult." Guan Bo stroked his chin thoughtfully.

"It is indeed a cult. They worship an indescribable deity called Mingzun. They believe that anyone who does not believe in Mingzun should be sent to hell. They kill people at will, even at the cost of mutual destruction. It is a very troublesome cult."

"During their suicide attacks, do they also like to shout something like 'Hu something'?" Guan Bo asked.

Gongsun Jing replied, "I haven't heard of that. Why do you ask?"

"It's nothing, please don't worry about these details," Guan Bo chuckled.

Gongsun Jing wasn't stupid either, and asked with a puzzled look, "I feel that this detail is the problem."

"Alright, the key now is to take back Black Wind Mountain. This is my home, and Xiong Da even left me some treasures."

Guan Bo quickly changed the subject and discussed with Gongsun Jing how to drive away these men in black robes.

Meanwhile, the black-robed men, who had been completely bewildered by Guan Bo's words, had arrived at the mountain and reported that the monster had been rescued.

The leader of the black-robed men cast a spell, and a huge ball of flame rose up on Black Wind Mountain, transforming into a fiery humanoid figure.

The black-robed man shouted a prayer, and the fiery humanoid flew into the air, heading towards the Guanyin Temple.