High School of Demon Hunting

Chapter 1376: Chapter 123 Old Yao

”Sir, the four academies of the First University and the several methods you just mentioned...”

Taking advantage of the brief pause after Sir’s admonition, Zheng Qing immediately spoke up, asking about the confusion that had been pressing on his mind.

”I’m glad you picked up on that. Just as you thought, our establishment of the four academies is partly a historical choice, and partly a reality-based one. Strengthening the distinct attributes possessed by the students of each academy is the practical choice in the face of Demons.”

”Truth, Honor, Victory, Faith... These concepts not only label your identity but also reinforce the barriers within you, making you more resolute when facing the erosion of Demon essence.”

”Of course, besides the ’belief’ path which is a hard route, there is also a relatively simple way to resist the erosion by Demons.”

”There is a type of tree in this world, its roots delving deep into the earth and its leaves and branches absorbing the Spiritual Machine, named Xuanhuang Wood. It bears fruits called Xuanhuang Fruit, which can purify the bloodline of Demons and also strengthen a Wizard’s ability to resist the erosion of Demon essence... This latter point is known by few. Most Wizards and even Demons know only that Xuanhuang Wood feeds on Demon Flesh, and can cleanly and swiftly ’clear’ the environmental pollution caused by Demons.”

”Xuanhuang Wood is extremely rare, very, very rare. The Alliance knows of only one that remains, which grows within Black Prison. If I remember correctly, it should be twenty-four thousand years old this year... and its fruits are almost ripe.”

Zheng Qing’s mouth slowly widened.

Long ago, when discussing Professor’s whereabouts with Xiao Xiao, they had set their sights on Black Prison. At that time, including Zheng Qing, the worst speculation was merely that Demons intended to raid the prison to save their companions locked up by the Wizards.

But now, Sir inadvertently revealed this piece of information, pushing that worst speculation several steps further down the worst possible path.

Professors are stationed in Black Prison not just to prevent Demons from raiding the prison but also to prevent them from stealing the Xuanhuang Wood’s fruits!

With just a little imagination, one can foresee what would happen if a Great Demon or Demon King got their hands on a Xuanhuang Fruit and purified their bloodline. That would not only mean the birth of an even more ferocious Demon but also a threat to the safety of a large number of Wizards.

Mr. Wu seemed to have no intention of letting Zheng Qing close his mouth.

After telling him about the Xuanhuang Fruit, Sir shifted his tone and casually dropped another ’truth bomb’:

”...As we mentioned before, this is a world of cannibalism. Demons eat Wizards, Wizards eat Demons. We are essentially no different from Demons. So when you find that someone familiar around you is a Demon, do not panic. Perhaps they are carrying a permit.”

Zheng Qing felt his jaw might dislocate.

He raised his hand to support his jaw and muttered, ”Permit?”

”Indeed, like your Dean Yao from Jiuyou Academy, who is originally a Great Demon. For various reasons, he obtained a permit from the Mage Alliance... then came to the First University, seeking a ’Dao’.” Sir’s tone was even and his expression calm, but his words struck like shocking thunder, exploding next to the young Wizard’s ears.

Zheng Qing’s wrist went limp, and his recently shut jaw ’clicked’ and dropped again.

”Dean... Professor Yao?” the young, cost student screamed: ”Old Yao? Yao XiaoMi? The Dean of Jiuyou Academy? It’s a Great Demon?!!”

A hazy halo of light spread from the gentleman’s fingertips the moment the boy screamed, instantly enveloping the two on the lawn. Some witches playfully passed by behind the nearby bushes, but they didn’t hear the slightest unusual sound.

”Old Yao, the old demon... It’s not hard to connect the dots, right?” Mr. Wu spread his hands: ”Pretty interesting, isn’t it?”

Zheng Qing’s face was fixed with a stiff smile.

”Hehe, interesting,” the young, cost student chuckled dryly, thinking of the ’Order’ seed deep within his soul. Thinking how he had been multiple times in the same office with that old demon, his back couldn’t help but break out in a cold sweat: ”Indeed interesting... How could it resist eating us? Especially me!”

Saying this, he pointed at his own head, meaning that he carried a forbidden curse!

Both the Moon Council and the Dark Council were coveting this seed. Besides, Zheng Qing had more than once seen the look in those wild demons’ eyes while on the school aircraft, in the Hunting Ground, or while patrolling.

It was a gaze filled with craving mixed with madness.

Even though he had never met Master Xuangzang, Zheng Qing would bet that those demons looked at him the way the demons gazed at Tang Sanzang on the journey to the west.

”You bear my mark; it wouldn’t dare to touch you,” Mr. Wu seemed to enjoy Zheng Qing’s current expression a lot, his smiling face remained:

”Just like a tamed lion in a circus, when a visitor puts his head in its mouth, it drools from craving yet doesn’t dare bite down... As for why it has not attacked ordinary students, I think another more important reason is that Old Yao is too old, his desire for delicacies is not as intense as that of younger demons. Moreover, his bloodline has already reached the limit it can sustain. Ordinary blood food has a minimal effect on him.”

”But that’s the Dean of Jiuyou Academy,” Zheng Qing moaned.

”You still haven’t shifted your mindset. To an ordinary wizard, demons are demons. But to a high-level wizard, wizards, demons, Outer Gods, perhaps even the old ancestors of the Moon Council, aren’t much different. Your fear of demons, for the most part, comes from the demonization by the Mage Alliance.”

Mr. Wu paused here and then thought of an appropriate example: ”Imagine, to ordinary people, a vampire is a very terrifying being. Its bite can turn ordinary people into blood slaves, it sustains on human blood, it lives in the darkness. But have you sensed ordinary people’s fear of vampires?”

Zheng Qing thought of the handsome men and beautiful women in anime, TV series or movies, as well as the large number of vampire fans online and couldn’t help shaking his head.

Far from being afraid, a bunch of idiots even pray every day, hoping a vampire would grace them with their first embrace.

Mr. Wu smiled contentedly:

”This is the effect of propaganda... It always manages to give you illusions unwittingly. Ordinary wizards are just like ordinary people, not your classmates from First University, they don’t like to think, they are slow to react to deeper meanings beneath appearances. We only need to throw out a simple notion, then repeat it, and they will blindly believe... Many whispers of the Outer Gods to their followers follow this principle.”

”Compared to profound thinking, the masses are more responsive to emotional sensations. Responses to emotions can escape the bindings of logic and truth... They don’t need the truth; they just need some form of emotional outlet.”

Zheng Qing pushed his jaw back into place.