Chapter 189
The Demon-Subduing Prison Lord’s cheeks bulged as he chewed.
With the person who had been buzzing in his ear now eaten, the world finally became quiet.
The Demon-Subduing Prison Lord nodded in satisfaction.
Everyone: Dumbfounded.jpg
Jian Yunlan, who had witnessed the entire scene, was in shock. A wave of immense sadness surged in his heart:
He ate… a person!
And the older guard died to plead on his behalf. It was all because of him that the older guard…
Jian Yunlan had expected the worst outcome to be his own death at the hands of the warden, but he never imagined it would lead to an innocent person’s death. A bitter sensation filled his nose, and his eyes began to well with tears:
“How could this happen? This is so unfair, it’s too sudden…”
Then a louder cry sounded in his ears:
“Waaahhh!! I died so horribly!!!”
The older guard, floating near the Demon-Subduing Prison Lord, sobbed, wiping the tears from his eyes with his sleeve.
Jian Yunlan: “?”
‘Died so horribly’? How is such an abstract statement possible?
Jian Yunlan’s tears stopped in an instant.
Wait, something doesn’t add up.
Jian Yunlan looked at the Demon-Subduing Prison Lord. Just moments ago, he had clearly seen the Demon-Subduing Prison Lord toss the older guard into his mouth! Now, the giant was still chewing contentedly, obviously eating something.
But beside the Demon-Subduing Prison Lord, the old guard, who looked exactly the same as before—same appearance, voice, and clothes—was clearly floating in midair, crying loudly?
The old guard continued to shed tears, saying, “Wuwuwu, Warden, how could you do this to me… I spent thousands of years accumulating merits just to buy this body, and you ate it right away! Now I have to start over and gather merits again! All my hard work was for nothing!”
The new guard sighed helplessly and remarked, “Old man, you overestimated yourself, trying to argue with the warden. If your body got eaten, you have no one to blame but yourself.”
Jian Yunlan only felt confused and nearly froze, “No, no! Someone, please explain what’s going on! Didn’t he just die? How is he suddenly alive again?”
The old guard smiled playfully, “I watched a 30-second commercial and got a resurrection coupon.”
Jian Yunlan: “…”
The new guard: “…”
Finally, a few of the ghostly figures standing nearby kindly explained to Jian Yunlan: “‘Death’? In this upper realm, there’s no concept of death.”
In the entire upper realm of the Mountain and Sea plane, apart from the fierce beasts and various deities that were born here, most beings, like the Immortal Elders of the Spirit Realm, ascended to the upper realm through cultivation as Golden Immortals. In the upper realm, the concept of ‘life and death’ does not exist; all living beings are, literally, immortal, living as long as the heavens and the earth.
Even someone like the old guard, whose physical body was eaten, could still exchange it for a new one with merits, though it would cost him some cultivation.
“So, in the upper realm, all beings can’t die?” Jian Yunlan asked curiously.
He had been worried about the safety of the gluttonous beast, but now he felt that there was no need to worry.
“Not exactly,” the new guard replied, continuing, “There is a way to die here, the only way that can make a living being truly vanish and be erased.”
Jian Yunlan: “What kind of death?”
The two guards and the ghostly figures exchanged a look. In that moment, it was as though they were covered by the shadow of death, and everyone shuddered.
They remained silent for a while.
After a long pause, the old guard sighed deeply and said, “Being erased by the Heavenly Dao is the only true death in this upper realm.”
Hearing this, Jian Yunlan’s heart skipped a beat.
“Can you explain in detail?”
“…”
While Jian Yunlan and the guards were engaged in a lively conversation, the Demon-Subduing Prison Lord, who had just earlier gotten annoyed and eaten the old guard, remained silent.
Not only did he remain silent, but he didn’t even scold anyone or make a single grumbling sound. In fact, his expression wasn’t as angry as before. Even when the new guards and ghostly figures chattered around him, he didn’t stop them or show any sign of impatience.
…The Demon-Subduing Prison Lord was just chewing.
He chewed with focused attention, his cheeks puffing up, his expression mixed with confusion and a hint of contemplation.
—For some reason, he felt something wasn’t quite right.
He couldn’t stop.
Why did the old guard… smell like marinated food?
“…”
The conversation between Jian Yunlan and the guards continued.
The guards and ghostly figures looked serious, as if they were afraid of something. The old guard’s voice deepened as he continued:
“Being erased by the Heavenly Dao means…”
But before he could finish his sentence, a loud, earth-shattering crash interrupted them.
Boom!!!
The Demon-Subduing Prison Lord, who had been silently chewing, finally moved.
His colossal body, like a mountain, stood up, taking two large steps forward. He grabbed the old guard by the collar and hoisted him up.
“…” The old guard immediately began to wail, struggling desperately. “Noooo, what did I do wrong? Warden, please, don’t eat me again! I don’t have money to exchange for a new body!!! If you eat this body too, I’ll… I’ll be done for…”
“Shut up!”
The Demon-Subduing Prison Lord interrupted him.
“If you answer my question, I won’t eat you for now,” the Demon-Subduing Prison Lord sniffed the old guard. But the old guard had already swapped bodies, and this new body had never been eaten, so there was no fragrance at all.
The Demon-Subduing Prison Lord, slightly disappointed, licked his lips and lowered his voice, asking him quietly: “Didn’t you eat some marinated food not long ago? Your body smelled so good earlier… Where did you get that marinated food?”
Yes.
Jian Yunlan’s marinated food was so fragrant that even the old guard, after eating it, became fully infused with the smell. When the Demon-Subduing Prison Lord ate the old guard, it tasted better and better, but still, it wasn’t the same as the marinated food—it didn’t have that extra punch.
The Demon-Subduing Prison Lord felt a bit annoyed. He was angry that these guards had kept such delicious food to themselves without sharing it with him.
On the other hand, there was a bit of envy.
After tasting the marinated food, it was so delicious that the marinated food itself must be incredibly tasty! He couldn’t resist the urge to try it!
The old guard: “…”
So that’s what happened.
Hearing that the Demon-Subduing Prison Lord wasn’t going to eat him, the old guard calmed down a lot. He stretched out a trembling hand and pointed toward Jian Yunlan not far away. “It… it’s from his marinated food stall.”
The Demon-Subduing Prison Lord’s huge, bell-like eyes turned, and he looked at Jian Yunlan.
…Jian Yunlan had already set up his stall and was ready to sell marinated food at any moment.
The small tricycle stove was heating up, and the lid of the old marinade pot was opened, releasing a burst of steam and fragrance. Behind the glass window, there were neatly arranged compartments filled with various marinated delicacies, like marinated pig’s feet, marinated beef, marinated eggs—all richly seasoned and visually tempting.
“Simple marinated food, freshly made, guaranteed to be delicious, if it’s not tasty, it’s free!” Jian Yunlan called out.
The Demon-Subduing Prison Lord: “…”
The ghostly figures, facing the Demon-Subduing Prison Lord’s gaze, shivered, unsure whether they should grab Jian Yunlan and take him away. They were afraid of being scolded but were also drawn in by the delicious smell, unwilling to make a move.
The Demon-Subduing Prison Lord looked at Jian Yunlan, his gaze fixed on the marinated food stall on the tricycle, and couldn’t help but swallow.
Then, he turned his attention to the ghostly figures who were hesitating.
“Don’t drag him away just yet!” The Demon-Subduing Prison Lord waved his hand.
The ghostly figures finally relaxed and began wandering around the little tricycle stall.
Meanwhile, the Demon-Subduing Prison Lord stepped forward and approached the stall.
For normal customers, Jian Yunlan’s tricycle stall was sufficiently large, but for a giant like the Demon-Subduing Prison Lord…
To him, Jian Yunlan and the tricycle together were about the size of a rabbit.
The Demon-Subduing Prison Lord’s left eye alone was bigger than both Jian Yunlan and the tricycle combined!
A true professional vendor would remain calm even in the face of such a huge customer and maintain 120% enthusiasm for the business!
Jian Yunlan smiled brightly. “Welcome!”
The Demon-Subduing Prison Lord curiously observed the stall and twitched his nose.
…As the Demon-Subduing Prison Lord took a deep breath, Jian Yunlan felt a gust of wind rush at him, like a tornado passing through, blowing all his hair upward and exposing his smooth forehead.
The tricycle’s roof was also sucked away.
Jian Yunlan: “…”
And with each deep breath, the Demon-Subduing Prison Lord finally caught the intoxicating smell of the marinated food.
His massive eyeballs gleamed, and he happily picked up Jian Yunlan and the tricycle together, placing them in the palm of his hand.
“Yes! This is the smell I’ve been searching for! Haha! Let me taste this marinated food and see if it’s the right flavor!”
Jian Yunlan blinked.
Something didn’t feel right…
The next second, his bad premonition came true.
The Demon-Subduing Prison Lord brought his hand, holding Jian Yunlan and the tricycle, toward his mouth, opened it wide, and said, “I eat, eat, eat!”
It looked like he was about to swallow Jian Yunlan, the marinated food, and the tricycle all at once.
Everyone: “!!!”
Jian Yunlan collapsed. “There’s no way you’re going to eat everything like that!!!”
The other ghostly figures and guards rushed forward, trying to pry the Demon-Subduing Prison Lord’s mouth open. “No, don’t eat him, don’t eat him! The boss is a mortal who can’t come back to life once he dies! If you eat him, we’ll all be without marinated food!!!”
The scene turned chaotic in an instant.
“…”
After a while.
With everyone’s joint efforts in persuasion, the Demon-Subduing Prison Lord reluctantly gave up on his plan to eat Jian Yunlan and the tricycle.
“But…” The Demon-Subduing Prison Lord looked very frustrated, his crimson skin dark as a pan’s bottom, and asked pitifully, “The marinated food is so small, and I’m so big. How is it even enough to fill my teeth? How am I supposed to eat it?”
The marinated food was so small, and the Demon-Subduing Prison Lord was so big…
Jian Yunlan suddenly had a flash of inspiration.
Hey, he might just know what to do!
But…
Jian Yunlan’s eyes shifted, and he began to bargain with the Demon-Subduing Prison Lord. “Warden, I have a plan that will let you eat the marinated food, and I guarantee you’ll enjoy it and be satisfied.”
The Demon-Subduing Prison Lord’s eyes sparkled. “Such a good thing exists?!”
“But—” Jian Yunlan’s tone shifted, “After you finish eating, you have to answer one question.”
Upon hearing this, the Demon-Subduing Prison Lord furrowed his brow.
As a prominent figure in the upper realm of the Mountain and Sea plane, the Demon-Subduing Prison Lord knew many secrets of the Heavenly Dao, and any leak of these secrets could cause a huge uproar.
Therefore, he shouldn’t agree to such an impolite request, and even if he did, he should have thought about it carefully for a long time before answering.
So…
Sniffing the marinated food’s scent, after thinking deeply for ten seconds, the Demon-Subduing Prison Lord solemnly said:
“Deal!”
So will the Demon Subduing Prison Lord be surprised that Jian Yunlan knows about Taotie and wether Jian Yunlan can accurately control Taotie?