An old man carrying a Sword Box, expressionless, with only the whites of his eyes showing.
A big man, burly in stature, with sharp fingertips and bloodshot eyes.
And an old crone, antiquated and babbling.
They stood on a desolate hilltop, gazing distantly at South Yue City and the surrounding mines.
The Sword Box Elder spoke in a hoarse voice,
"Such a great gesture, what a pity!"
The pale youth sneered, "Nothing more than raising a first-grade Taoist Demon, and not even successfully at that..."
The big man with fangs bared a savage smile, his face resembling that of a fierce wolf, "Your father has always wanted to do it, yet he hasn't raised even one in half his lifetime."
The pale youth arrogantly said,
"Either raise something above third or fourth grade, a real Big Demon, Big Undead or Big Sin. Raising first or second-grade Taoist Demons is meaningless."
The hoarse and indifferent voice of the Sword Box Elder sounded like slowly flowing sand,
"With such words, you truly don't understand what a Taoist Demon is... A Taoist Demon is an anomaly, not measured by grade."
The pale youth scoffed, clearly dismissive.
The fanged big man looked around once more, sniffed the stench in the air, and said with emotion,
"Too bad we're late, otherwise we could have feasted."
He stuck out his tongue and licked his lips, which unsettlingly had barbs on them.
The Sword Box Elder nodded, "Yes, it's a pity, had this Taoist Demon not met an early demise, the entire state boundary could have become a breeding ground for the Demon Path."
"Whose doing was it?" the fanged big man asked.
"Who else could it be?" the Sword Box Elder retorted.
A hint of wariness flashed in the eyes of the fanged big man.
Clearly, even they were reluctant to mention that Taoist's name.
The pale youth laughed sardonically, "I wonder who it was that spoiled Gui Tao's people's good fortune..."
Disdain flickered across his bloodless face.
The Sword Box Elder said sternly,
"You best show some respect. Don't think that just because you have your father backing you, that Taoist won't dare to touch you."
The pale youth's gaze sharpened, "My father's cultivation is higher than his."
The Sword Box Elder shook his head, "You still don't understand what the title 'Taoist' implies..."
The pale youth remained somewhat unconvinced.
The Sword Box Elder's eyes, filled only with whites, coldly gazed at the youth, his voice chill,
"If that Taoist wanted you dead, not even your father could save you."
"Whether you live or die is trivial, but don't drag us down with you. If you do, we won't let you off either..."
The pale youth was indignant but did not speak out in rebuttal.