Who Stole My Eggs?

Deep underground, beneath the Yellow Spring, laid an abyss enveloped in lingering blood mist. The continuous howls of ghosts and wolves add to the chilling atmosphere.

Legend said that the Demon King Xie Zuo was sealed here by the Great Thunder Deity. Xie Zuo not only endures the punishments of the eighteen levels of hell daily but also faces the relentless fury of thunder.

From the Emperor of Heaven to ants, none were immune to the fear of thunder. The Great Thunder Deity executed the punishment on behalf of heaven and earth. A thunder strike meant being reduced half-disabled, and if survived, it could lead to ascension, while others perished on the spot.

A century had passed since Xie Zuo’s sealing, enduring daily lightning strikes that would have wiped him out long ago.

A snow-white spirit rabbit with big watery-red eyes jumped to the abyss’s edge, staring fearlessly into the thick blood mist. Despite its cute appearance and innocent demeanor, Xie Zuo eagerly anticipated swallowing it whole.

“Crackling-bang-!” A lightning bolt flashes, and a thick thunderbolt pierces Xie Zuo’s big mouth, nailing him to the ground. The frightened spirit rabbit vanished in an instant.

Xie Zuo’s mood sank as his mouth bore the painful aftermath of the lightning strike, leaving him uncomfortably numb. Enraged, he swung his tail, toppling mountains and shattering them in his imagination as the heads of the detested Thunder Deity.

The broken stones fell upon Xie Zuo, intensifying his sense of disgrace. Despite his tantrums, he couldn’t free his mouth from the thunderbolt. Eventually, he withered, collapsing to the ground as if transforming into a lifeless snake.

The true form of Demon King Xie Zuo generally resembled a thick and long python, born from the bones of the previous demon king. Initially, he was born as a black mist then he voraciously devoured nearby demons, leading to the emergence of chaotic limbs like claws, wings, and legs due to his rapid and excessive consumption.

Descriptions of the new demon king might vary—some liken it to a mud demon with countless demon corpses wrapped in its body, while others believe it was a giant centipede spirit with one hundred legs, each representing a part of the demons, ghosts, and deities it swallowed.

Xie Zuo disregarded his identity; all he desired was to be satiated. He was genuinely hungry, and his hunger led him to ignore everything. Despite consuming numerous demons, his stomach remained empty, prompting him to venture into the human world.

Before he could harm any living creature, the Great Thunder Deity sealed him.

Xie Zuo truly didn’t want to recollect the specific process of sealing; the defeat was so overwhelming that he felt embarrassed.

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As the new demon king inheriting the legacy of previous demon kings, he refrained from destroying the world or causing a bloody storm. Instead, he was sealed before resolving the basic issues of food and clothing, leaving him with no face to meet his ancestors.

Life in the Abyss was challenging. Xie Zuo battled hunger all day long and risked being struck by lightning if not cautious. The Heavenly Deity was truly hypocritical. Since he had defeated him, why not just kill him directly? Why subject him to such torture?

Xie Zuo eventually calmed down, rolled his eyes, and pleaded with the Great Thunder Deity for mercy: “Great Thunder Deity, take away your magical powers quickly; I’m going to be killed by you!”

A faint flash of lightning appeared in the blood mist; Xie Zuo knew he was there but pretended to be deaf and dumb.

“Great Deity of Thunder? Mr. Thunder Deity!”

Despite Xie Zuo’s pleas, the Great Deity of Thunder remained resolute in not sparing him.

Then, there was movement. Xie Zuo looked down and saw the spiritual rabbit back again.

The spirit rabbit trembled but stared at Xie Zuo stubbornly.

Xie Zuo felt excited. Was this provocation?

His mouth still aching, Xie Zuo refrained from moving for a while. However, his tail, concealed in the blood mist, stealthily extended towards the spiritual rabbit.

Fresh flesh and blood, something he hadn’t tasted in a long time; he yearned to devour them!

At a crucial moment, a thin electric light enveloped the spirit rabbit, lifting it into the air and avoiding Xie Zuo’s attack.

Hastily retracting his tail, Xie Zuo defended himself, “I didn’t intend to do anything; it was that thing who tempting me!”

A dazzling golden light cleaved through the blood mist, revealing the Great Thunder Deity Huo Yao in golden armor bathed in holy light. Descending slowly, he halted at the same level as Xie Zuo’s large snake head.

As Huo Yao appeared, the thick thunderbolt piercing Xie Zuo’s mouth disappeared.

Seeing him, Xie Zuo felt a pain in his bones, turning his head away with a cold snort.

He noticed from the corner of his eye that the little rabbit in Huo Yao’s arms transformed into a fairy with skin pure white and dazzling. Oops, she was also naked!

The little rabbit fairy’s eyelashes trembled, and she finally opened her eyes. After looking around blankly, her gaze fixed on Huo Yao’s breathtakingly handsome face.

The little rabbit fairy cried out, pressing herself against Huo Yao’s hard breastplate, “Great Deity, help me—! This bastard wants to eat me.”

The next second, the little fairy’s cries turned into screams. Xie Zuo witnessed a charred black ball passing by his eyes and heard Huo Yao’s merciless words, “Get out of here; if you dare to break into the abyss again, you will be killed without mercy!”

Xie Zuo helplessly watched as he electrocuted the once good little fairy into a charcoal-roasted rabbit and bounced it away. He regretted, “Couldn’t you just let me eat it? I only kill when necessary; your actions are too rude, breaking its little heart.”

“Shut up.”

Unwilling to be silenced, Xie Zuo retorted, “You’re a pretentious, ignorant old man!”

Electric sparks emerged on Huo Yao’s body, and a lightning rod condensed into a spear in his hand.

Witnessing this, Xie Zuo hastily hid his big head in a nearby cave and chanted Heart Sutra loudly.

Huo Yao maintained dominance, subjecting Xie Zuo to daily lightning strikes and a mandated recitation of the Heart Sutra 108 times a day, as consequences for any deviation.

Xie Zuo, a demon king, had amassed evil power. The Buddhist scriptures were intended to restrain him, but asking him to recite them personally was akin to requesting him to stab himself with a knife.

However, there was no choice; without anyone to help him to defeat Huo Yao. Refusing to recite the scriptures meant enduring the even more agonizing punishment of being struck by lightning and burned.

Later, Xie Zuo stumbled upon a secret: reciting the Heart Sutra aided digestion. Despite feeling heartburn and discomfort each time, he discovered that the demons he had previously swallowed and unable to digest, were absorbed after recitation.

Over time, the proliferation of broken limbs and horns on his body diminished, transforming him into a more serpentine form.

Xie Zuo kept this secret, fearing Huo Yao’s discovery that the scriptures weren’t punishing him but making him stronger, might leading to new tortures.

Observing Xie Zuo sincerely chanting the Buddha’s name, Huo Yao sheathed his spear.

Upon finishing the sutra, Xie Zuo noticed Huo Yao hadn’t left and was standing on a large rock in a daze.

Perplexed, he approached and found Huo Yao holding a piece of yellow paper.

Xie Zuo understood; this was another divine punishment.

Periodically, heaven and earth would issue a decree to Huo Yao. Seeing the yellow paper, Xie Zuo recognized that the killer was about to claim lives once again.

He wondered which unfortunate soul had become the new target.

Considering whether to engulf Huo Yao while he was lost in thought, Xie Zuo circled loosely. However, attempting to get closer, he was thwarted by surrounding lightning, forcing him to temporarily abandon the idea.

Huo Yao, casting a cold glance at Xie Zuo, cursed, “You unrepentant evil beast!”

Before Xie Zuo could retort, Huo Yao transformed into a bolt of lightning, streaking into the sky and vanishing.

Retribution awaited the foul-mouthed killer. He encountered trouble somewhere, unable to escape, returning covered in blood with most of his gold armor shattered. His ghostly pale face hinted at imminent demise.

Excitedly watching Huo Yao plummet from the clouds, Xie Zuo swam over, eagerly awaiting the opportunity for revenge, determined to swallow him even if it meant a mouthful of pain!