All the evil beasts in the world, I feed on demons and monsters

Chapter 416 A Young Man's Journey (Part 1)
The ashes of the paper filled the air, resembling soft cotton yarn.

Ji Ran lifted Xia Yannian and soared into the sky. As they approached the black scale, the faint purple spiritual energy became increasingly obstructive.

This purple spiritual energy was tainted with a strange aura, carrying the power of fusion and distortion.

Star spirit!

Ji Ran's eyes flickered slightly as he looked at the red necklace formed by the blood scales on his arm, which had actually fused with the flesh and blood of the Turbid Immortal Body! Threads of imperceptible purple spiritual energy, like bones, connected the new flesh and blood.

Without any hesitation, Ji Ran unleashed a burst of Yang Flame, burning the piece of flesh to ashes.

His spiritual energy surged, sending Xia Yannian into the scales!

When Xia Yannian touched the scales, they rippled like water on a mirror, completely engulfing him. The surface of the scales was covered with a dense, distorted pattern, the images as indistinct as dye spread out, but Ji Ran understood that it represented Xia Yannian's entire life.

At this moment, he is walking face to face with his demonic self, traversing the joys, wastages, pains, and despairs of this life.

Looking at the star energy before him, Ji Ran knew he could no longer move forward.

The spiritual energy near the scales was extremely pure; getting too close would cause one's physical body to mutate—this was the spiritual power of the Ghost Golden Sheep. Xia Yannian was unaffected because he was not a physical body but a soul.

But the [Lock of All Beings] has already taken effect, and I have already experienced another perspective—the perspective of Xia Yannian's incense offerings!
Bang!
Ji Ran landed, while Li Hanzhang was still standing to the side.

"Wait a moment."

"Yes."

Ji Ran glanced at Li Hanzhang. He had said before that he wanted to let him see the world outside the cage.

Fox Yao was right. The reason Ji Ran gave him the Qingcheng Sword Intent and took him on his journey through the Southern Kingdom was because of his identity and will. As a member of the Tang Dynasty royal family, Li Hanzhang was capable of ascending to the highest position and influencing the world. As for whether it would be his turn, it was not difficult if he wanted to.

Of course, Ji Ran didn't have the ability to get him into the Scales. But his purpose was to let him witness the lives of ordinary people and see his character.

Once he has traveled with Xia Yannian and handed over his memories to Li Hanzhang through the Lock of All Beings, he will feel as if he has lived through Xia Yannian's life.

now.

Ji Ran sat cross-legged and closed his eyes. The incense mark projected behind Xia Yannian was not his own primordial spirit, so if he wanted to perceive it, he needed to channel his spirit into it along the cause and effect.

Li Hanzhang stood quietly to one side, while Ji Ran looked majestic and imposing, like a deity in a temple.

Such a sight made Li Hanzhang realize that the Dragon Lord before him might truly be a deity of incense offerings.

The only way for demons to avoid the lightning tribulation is to start a new line of worship as a deity. When there is enough merit and incense offerings, the lightning tribulation will be difficult to strike.

However, this also means that a fifth-rank demon dares not show itself and can only start from scratch, accumulating merit and doing good deeds for the people, rank by rank. Moreover, it will be exposed to the surveillance of the Taoist sect.

Of course, the Taoist sect generally wouldn't make things difficult for such a powerful deity, after all, no one wants to offend a hidden great demon. Before the spring thunder dissipated, the relationship between the great demon, the human world, and the Taoist sect was in such a delicate balance.

However, the heavenly tribulations have not descended for a hundred years, and great demons have begun to roam the mortal realm. Perhaps, the Dragon Lord is one of them.

……

When Ji Ran opened her eyes again, she saw a bustling market.

The market was located in the center of an open space with low earthen houses. Many merchants occupied the open space in front of the houses to set up stalls, while the houses were piled with goods.

The weather was clear and sunny, with a gentle breeze and light clouds. Although the people walking in the market were poor, they were still relatively clean-cut, much better off than during the Guangtian era of the Southern Han Dynasty, when ghostly soldiers roamed and Buddhist heresies were practiced.

Based on Xia Yannian's age, this timeframe is at least fifty years before Xia Yannian entered the Southern Han Dynasty.

Ji Ran himself is a perspective from the incense burner, suspended above Xia Yannian, and can see him from all directions.

Ji Ran sensed something and realized that he could use immortal techniques in this world! But the prerequisite was that Xia Yannian's emotions could resonate with his own, and that his anger could burn to the point that he could consume karma points to cast a spell!
It felt like my first time entering a dream on a cruise ship!
now.

Standing in the market, Xia Yannian paused for a moment, clearly aware of the change in his surroundings.

He immediately turned and headed towards his home outside the market. His steps were light, his back straight, as upright as a taut bow.

With a flick of his arm, the still-dripping leopard skin landed on his broad shoulder, and he walked swiftly away down the mountain path like a nimble ape.

As he walked, the scenery changed rapidly—this was ultimately an illusion of the earth's veins composed of fragments of memory, not a real chance for him to start over.

As the market disappeared behind him, a field appeared in front of him.

Beyond the fields lay a village with wisps of smoke rising from its chimneys.

"Father!"

Xia Yannian crossed the stone path and pushed open the wooden door of an earthen house at the village entrance. In the courtyard, a hunched man sat on the door frame. He was thin and had a dark complexion. He was rolling a pipe with leaves and staring at the boy.

"You little rascal, nobody's farming the fields anymore, where have you been!"

The man looked up and saw the boy, then glared at him and said, "You're carrying that bow again!"

"Hunting, hunting! The taxes for hunting are 20% higher than those for farming!"

"This winter, Wang Kuaidao from the neighboring village, the hunter who used to hunt big insects when he was young, went into the mountains in the dead of winter because he couldn't pay his taxes, and hasn't returned for half a month."

"When he was found, only half a rib was left!"

"you--"

The man was about to continue his rebuke when Xia Yannian blocked his words with the leopard skin he had raised.

After a long pause, the man finally managed to stammer out, "You hunted it?"

"Of course!"

Xia Yannian plopped down next to the man, placed the leopard skin in his hand, and said, "This skin can fetch at least three qian of silver!"

Three qian!

The man trembled slightly; this sum of money was at least 30% of his annual income from farming.

"No, that won't work."

The man touched it for a moment, then sighed and said, "When hunting, can you always get this kind of haul?"

"Fighting these wild beasts is a life-or-death gamble."

"You should farm for two years first, and then find a wife..."

"father!"

Xia Yannian, head held high, said, "I can do it!"

"When you make a name for yourself hunting, you can join a security escort agency or a mansion. Which one of these won't bring glory to your family?"

"Why would anyone bother with farming?"

"Sigh, farming is so peaceful."

The man let out a long breath, stroked his leather bag, and said, "At the beginning of the year, the county magistrate stayed on as a concubine and took Liu's daughter from our village as his mistress."

"Everyone in the village gave a gift of money."

“We didn’t give any to our family. These days, the village head told me that it would be best to give us more and send it over. We’re the only family in the village that didn’t give any. The county magistrate may not remember who gave, but he can remember who didn’t.”

"I think this leather is just right."

"father!"

Xia Yannian immediately objected, saying, "This hide costs three coins! The county magistrate sent people to arrest Liu's daughter's father, falsely imprisoned him, and tricked Liu's mother and daughter into going to the county."

"That man from the Liu family died mysteriously in prison, and the county magistrate seized his family's land and daughter, even though he was talking about taking a concubine?"

"Does this skin even belong to a beast who abducts women and murders people to steal their property?"

Xia Yannian raised his head and said something that made the man's face turn pale. He growled, "Shut up! Do you want your whole family to die with you?!"

Xia Yannian paused, remained silent for a moment, and then said, "I'll sell them in a few days. At least enough for our family to have a good New Year!"

As he spoke, the boy grabbed the leather and immediately went into the room.

The man sighed, staring blankly at the edge of the field, somewhat at a loss.

The sun sets in the west, and a gentle breeze blows at dusk.

Ji Ran quietly looked at this tranquil village and the small courtyard sitting alone at the village entrance.

The point at which Xia Yannian's memory splits, causing his personality to change drastically and making him clearly distinguish between good and evil, is now.

Tonight, a dramatic change is inevitable!
(End of this chapter)