Suddenly hearing Chen Long's voice caught me by surprise.
The twelve demon souls were my guardian spirits.
One would be on duty by my side every day, in a semi-awakened state.
Should any anomaly occur, they would awaken.
In times of crisis, they would save me or await my direct summons.
Chen Long saying he could bear witness meant he was on duty that day.
However, doubt lingered. Chen Long was my subordinate; having my subordinate testify.
Even if it were true, the other party would adamantly deny it.
It felt pointless.
Just as I was about to reply, Chen Long's voice echoed in my ear again:
"Have no fear, Young Master Qin. When Chen Long was alive, he was also a demon king in this Bashan region.
He held some sway within the Hu family.
Furthermore, as a demon soul, I possess a special ability.
I can project what I've seen in the past six months in a mirrored fashion.
Hearing this, my heart stirred.
Chen Long possessed such a skill.
Across from us, Hu Jiu remained arrogant, demanding our lives even in front of Granny Hu.
Now, we awaited Granny Hu's judgment.
Granny Hu San was about to speak, intending to resolve this matter for me:
"Little Jiu, I know this Young Qin well. It was he who guided my Taoist ascension.
He's a human Daoist I've watched grow.
Little Mei's foray into the mortal world was also with him. I trust his character..."
Hu Jiu and the surrounding fox demons were slightly stunned.
A Taoist ascension wasn't something one could simply achieve.
It required celestial timing, favorable terrain, and various serendipitous encounters guided by fate.
Granny Hu San, a great demon of her generation, being guided to seek ascension with me spoke volumes of my extraordinary nature.
But Hu Jiu, having lost his son, wasn't thinking of such matters at that moment.
He continued speaking:
"Third Aunt, it's possible you've misjudged. My son is dead, and I only seek his life in return."
Granny Hu San, seeing Hu Jiu's persistent insistence, her expression subtly darkened as she prepared to suppress the matter.
But at that very moment, I spoke:
"Granny Hu, he wants proof. I shall provide it."
Hu Jiu looked at me, saying:
"Very well! If you can prove my son was an evil demon who engaged in soul-snatching, this matter will be dropped.
I, myself, will cripple a hundred years of my cultivation as an apology."
Hu Jiu spoke with such conviction, his words firm.
Hearing this, I smiled faintly.
My martial uncle beside me frowned, looking at me.
How could such a thing be proven?
Old Mo quietly asked:
"Old Qin, it was just the two of us, plus Li Da Niu's soul. No one else was there. What proof do you have?"
I didn't reply. Instead, I raised my hand and called out:
"Brother Long!"
As soon as the words left my mouth, an imprint of the Azure Dragon on the purple bone vine flashed.
A surge of Yin demon energy suddenly rippled outwards.
The demons present immediately grew vigilant, their gazes fixed on my wrist.
The next second, black mist coalesced and appeared.
"Yin demon!"
"Dragon Qi?"
"..."
Many demons sensed the anomaly and spoke out.
As the black mist condensed, Chen Long manifested, standing before me with his hands clasped behind his back.
And the moment Chen Long appeared.
All eyes focused on him.
Several ancient demons from Fox Mountain, upon seeing Chen Long's appearance, exclaimed in surprise:
"Chang Long!"
"Is, is that Brother Chang Long?"
"Brother Chang Long, you, you haven't reincarnated?"
"..."
Even Granny Hu San showed a look of surprise:
"Little Brother Chang Long!"
Chen Long, seeing the crowd, smiled slightly and cupped his fists, saying:
"Sister Hu San, friends of the Fox clan, we meet again."
As he spoke, the ancient demons of the Bashan Fox clan were greatly astonished.
They began to murmur amongst themselves.
Some of the younger generation even asked:
"Grandfather, who is he?"
"Fourth Aunt, why does he possess dragon qi?"
"..."
"Two hundred years ago, he was the most powerful Immortal in Bashan, with close ties to our Hu family.
He failed his tribulation later. I never thought he would still be alive..."
A few ancient demons who knew Chen Long explained to the younger ones.
This also reached our ears.
Although Chen Long was called "Long," he was not a true dragon.
He was merely a snake with horns on its head.
At best, he was a flood dragon, and even then, only a "half-flood dragon."
It was only because he failed his tribulation to become a flood dragon in life that he became a demon soul, eventually falling under Qing Dai's command and becoming the most powerful among the twelve demon souls.
"Little Brother Chang Long, I thought you had either vanished or reincarnated. I never expected to see you again!"
Granny Hu San spoke with emotion.
Chen Long smiled:
"Sister Hu San, it's a long story.
But now, I must bear witness for Young Master Qin.
Outside Mount Wudang back then, he did indeed kill an evil fox.
Now, please, everyone, witness the scene from back then!"
With that, Chen Long wasted no more words. His eyes opened and closed.
A rolling Yin demon energy erupted.
The demonic energy gathered above Chen Long's head, refusing to dissipate.
Following this, a somewhat blurry image appeared.
The image began with a scene of an old woman crying while holding her son.
Then my voice could be heard:
"His soul is lost, but there's still a sliver of hope..."
After a few frames,
The image shifted again.
Before us appeared that demon fox.
It was us interrogating it.
"What demon are you? Why do you harm people?"
"R-reply to the Daoist, this humble, humble demon committed a first offense.
It was just for fun, for fun that I snatched souls. I'll return them shortly.
R-really..."
"This humble, humble demon is a fox from the Moon-Chasing Cave in the Lianghu Mountains.
P-please, Daoist, spare this humble demon this once, spare this humble demon this once..."
Finally, it showed the scene of me piercing it with a sword and my foot crushing its soul.
Upon seeing this, Chen Long opened his eyes.
The condensed image vanished.
Chen Long then spoke:
"I have been by Young Master Qin's side, and these are memory mirrors of what I saw.
Young Master Qin did not lie. It was that evil demon who snatched souls and harmed innocent people, which is why Young Master Qin killed it.
He brought it upon himself; there's no one else to blame."
After speaking, Chen Long turned and bowed to me, then retreated behind me.
At this moment, the entire venue fell silent.
The truth was revealed.
The demon fox from Moon-Chasing Cave, at this moment, retracted its claws and fangs, looking helplessly at Hu Jiu, awaiting his decision.
Granny Hu San also spoke at this time:
"Little Jiu, you've seen it too.
This is Chang Long's memory; it cannot be faked.
It was your son who strayed onto the wrong path.
Being killed by Little Qin was his just deserts..."
Hu Jiu, holding back his anger, looked at me with fury.
But his tone shifted:
"You, you, why, why did you kill his soul too?
He already admitted his mistake and said he was from our Moon-Chasing Cave.
Do you not respect our Moon-Chasing Cave?"
Hearing this, I found it amusing.
Just moments ago, he had said that if the evidence proved his son was an evil demon, he would cripple a hundred years of his cultivation.
Now, he was questioning why I didn't respect their Moon-Chasing Cave? Why I didn't spare his son.
I looked at him as if he were an imbecile.
Which of the enemies or rivals I had offended was easy to deal with?
If I had spared enemies every time because of their background, the grass on my grave would be ten meters high.
Before I could speak, my martial uncle retorted:
"What's this? Does your Moon-Chasing Cave consider itself superior?
Do you need to report everything to you?
If one commits evil, all things can be killed.
If a demon commits evil, my Dao can certainly execute it.
I killed him, so what? What more do you want?
If you're not satisfied because he was your son.
This old Daoist will fight you.
Stop babbling at me like a fool. When will it end?"