The Legend of the Dragon King

Tang Wulin was thoroughly confused when he said, “I didn’t do anything! I was only meditating. I don’t know what happened either.” He was genuinely unaware of the events. He did not even plan to inform them about what he had seen earlier either.

“Tell us about the process,” Old Demon Blight spoke.

Tang Wulin’s lips cracked into a cold smile. “Release me and my companions, and then maybe I’ll consider telling you a little.”

The old demons were stunned for a moment. The fat elder spoke in a rage, “Brat, have you lost your mind?! Do you not know how to respect your seniors?”

Tang Wulin chuckled. “Respect my seniors? Correct me if I’m wrong, but you must be Old Demon Sloth, right?”

The group of old demons wwastaken aback by his words. The looks on their faces as they stared at Tang Wulin changed as well.

Old Demon Sloth spoke incredulously, “How did you know?”

Tang Wulin smiled triumphantly. “I made a guess. It seems like my guess is correct, huh?”

Tang Wulin spoke, “How can I not figure things out after I was under your influence for so many days? Please allow me to explain it for all of you. Ever since I was tormented in the beginning, especially by Old Demon Lust, I should have already passed the worst hardships. You told me before that all of you had once been the Shrek Seven Monsters. I didn’t completely believe it, but I did take note of the number. Seven Monsters so, of course, there must be seven people. Five had already turned into Old Demons, so the other two should be no exception.”

Tang Wulin continued to speak as he stared at the fat old man, “Five Old Demons tormented us, while you’re the sixth to appear. There’s no doubt that you’re an Old Demon too, yet you refused to reveal your title. Naturally, I had some suspicions. On the other hand, your story was logical, so I judged that the whole thing must have been true. You were all genuinely testing us while cultivating us at the same time. My guess was confirmed in the following months when all of you began to teach me so many new things, and I genuinely learned a lot. However, I never let my guard down.

“The first five Old Demons were joyously testing us with torture. Could it be that the sixth Demon would go easy on us? I couldn’t confirm everything before I meditated. After all, you were each so good to me during those few months that I no longer felt hostile anymore. It wasn’t until just now when I opened my eyes and saw all seven of you, seven Old Demons, that I abandoned all doubts that my guess was correct. There are genuinely seven of you. Given that, there had to be a reason for everything that Old Demon Sloth was doing before.

“The reason was that all of you were trying to numb me. The knowledge passed down to me was real, the story was real, so the only question was your identity. You’re Old Demon Sloth, and everything that all of you were doing before was to make me complacent. In the end, when I finished learning and had gotten used to being lethargic, I would be completely at ease and, naturally, I’d be less vigilant. With that in mind, all of you provided me with the most comfortable living environment, the best food and an excuse to wait for my companions. All of this were meant to make me lazy. Perhaps all of you are hoping to see if I can still maintain my focus and continue to cultivate persistently under such circumstances. Am I right, Senior Old Demon Sloth?”

The group of old demons’ expressions were rather peculiar as they listened to Tang Wulin’s detailed analysis. Of course, Old Demon Sloth’s expression was the most unpleasant of all.

“That’s impossible. I had already sensed that your spirit was completely relaxed at the time, so was your entire person. Even the most diligent person can’t stay focused after a year of torment and learning,” Old Demon Sloth said in exasperation.

Tang Wulin shrugged. “You’re right. I was genuinely relaxed at the time, because, I’m afraid, my spirit couldn’t handle much more if I didn’t let off some steam. However, I wasn’t worried about becoming lazy no matter how easy I was taking it. That’s because in my heart, there’s always something guiding me so that I dare not slacken.”

Old Demon Sloth was stunned. “What’s that?”

Tang Wulin looked toward Old Demon Lust. “Senior Lust should know that. There’s love in my heart! I must grow more powerful for the one I love, so I’ll be able to protect her. Thus, I can rest but only because I want to cultivate even better. As a result, I began to meditate. It seems like my guess was pretty accurate judging by the situation now. Many thanks for all the cultivation you’ve given me throughout this time. I wonder how I am going to be tested by the final senior Old Demon?”

His gaze fell upon the old demon standing before him which he had never met before with a faint smile on his face.

The old man smiled as he clapped his hands gently for Tang Wulin. “Very good. The academy made the right choice. A hero is nothing but a product of his time. Our Shrek produces great talents, as expected, right when the continent is about to go through some difficult moments. I’m highly gratified. I’m Greed. You can call me Old Demon Greed.”

Old Demon Greed! There were seven Old Demons as predicted. Moreover, these seven demons were more or less related to the seven deadly sins.

“So what are you going to test me on?” Tang Wulin asked.

Old Demon Greed smiled. “There’s no need for that anymore. You’ve passed. You have a positive attitude, vigilance and an intelligent mind. Everything else that follows is already meaningless to you. Your Demon Island’s special training has ended. Congratulations, your results put you at the top of the list. In the past five centuries, you’re the most outstanding.”

Tang Wulin did not bother to ask about the person more outstanding than him five centuries ago. He became less tense after that.

Old Demon Greed spoke in all apparent seriousness, “However, we need you to tell us about the change in your body earlier that triggered the life and destruction tides simultaneously. We were baffled enough when the life tide began earlier, but it was utterly astonishing when the destruction tide appeared at the same time. The change can very possibly affect all the islands on Demon Archipelago. Thus, we need to know the truth.”

Tang Wulin sighed. “I’m sorry, seniors. Thanks to all your ‘positive’ training, I’ve learned not to trust anyone too soon. Because of this, I’m not sure if you’re speaking the truth right now, so I can’t tell you anything.”

Old Demon Greed was rendered speechless, along with the entire group of old demons. They felt like they had lifted a rock only to drop it on their feet.

Old Demon Blight spoke, “So how can we convince you to tell us?”

Tang Wulin spoke, “I’ll tell you the moment my companions and I leave this place safely. Frankly, I don’t know if I’m in a dream or reality now, because there have been too many experiences here that felt unreal.”

Old Demon Nightmare raised his brows. “Not bad. You’re actually capable of observing that. So, alright, you’ll be awakened from your dream first.”

He waved his hand at Tang Wulin as he spoke. All of a sudden, dizziness overwhelmed Tang Wulin, and he watched as his surroundings changed rapidly. The house had vanished, and the comfortable environment disappeared. After recovering from the nausea, he discovered that he was on firm ground. He was standing right at the same place in the mountain valley where he had arrived at the beginning. He saw his companions nearby.

Ye Xinglan, Yuanen Yehui, Xu Lizhi, Yue Zhengu, Xu Xiaoyan and Xie Xie were all there, but they were each doing different actions. Some of them were leaping about while some of them were sitting cross legged with different expressions on their faces.

“Are they immersed in an illusion?” Tang Wulin asked in surprise.

Old Demon Nightmare spoke, “It can be real and it can be an illusion. What is reality and what isn’t?”