White Bone Demon Trail

Chapter 30 High Priest

However, the demonic resentment within this Soul-Sealing Pearl is extremely powerful. If Bai Wuxiang hadn't taken precautions and didn't have the Resentment Pearl, he might have actually been transformed into a bloodthirsty and insane demon by the evil ghost king's distracting thoughts.

I'm not afraid of demons being crazy or mad; I'm afraid of demons having a mind more terrifying than a human's.

Whether You Junzi gave him this pearl intentionally or unintentionally, Bai Wuxiang didn't care. He just wanted You Junzi to see with his own eyes how the demon he welcomed into the village gradually grew into a great demon, and how it gradually donned the skin of a "god" worshipped by the people!

Bai Wuxiang knew best not to push someone wielding a sword into a corner, otherwise, in a fit of rage, blood would be spilled.

Moreover, for someone like You Junzi who harbors secrets, icy water can easily bring him to his senses, but warm water can easily kill him in boiling water.

……

Summer cicadas fade into autumn, rainbows and clouds dissipate the summer heat. Time flows through the mountains, only transforming the distant green hills into golden robes.

On either side of a stone bridge, lotus flowers are fading, and lotus leaves have sunk into the pond. In the late summer morning, dewdrops reflect on the flowers, mist tinges the grass with green, and the waters of the sacred pool are warm.

The joyful red adorned the solemn black of Black Stone Village, and everyone in the village, young and old, changed into new clothes on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month.

The women in the village also got up early to prepare a big feast, gathering all sorts of ingredients. The children played and frolicked together, and their parents didn't discipline them as much as usual.

Inside the house, women in red veils applied makeup and changed their appearance, while men in bright red robes waited outside with expectant faces.

Twenty-one couples will tie the knot and start their family on the Qixi Festival.

The entire Black Stone Village was filled with a festive atmosphere, and the sounds of gongs and drums echoed through the villages deep in the mountains.

Inside the White Bone Cave, amidst the deafening sounds of gongs and drums, Bai Wuxiang gazed at the distant stronghold. The rising energy of the people there was like a ball of flame, keeping all the monsters and spirits away in this deep mountain.

These twenty-odd women were the same group of people rescued from Wulong Village a few months ago. In this chaotic world, it was a dead end for ordinary weak women to leave their families and go alone.

They could only survive by joining Black Stone Village and becoming a member of the village.

Regardless of whether the man they choose is ugly or handsome, tall or short, he will be their life's destiny.

Before the wedding ceremony, the newlyweds would personally hang the marriage ribbon on the old willow tree behind the village. This was suggested by the second-in-command, who said that the marriage willow could bless their marriage to last.

As a result, twenty-one red marriage ribbons appeared on the willow tree. The wind blew the bells, and the red ribbons fluttered, making it look extremely beautiful.

A black crow landed on a tree outside the village, its eyes fixed on the willow tree behind the village, which had an aura it disliked intensely.

But the black crow did not leave, for it had to obey its master's orders and follow the temple keeper's instructions until nightfall.

"squeak~"

The temple gates, which had been tightly locked during the day, slowly opened, and Ah Liu, dressed in a black robe and wearing a feathered crown, walked out with a calm expression.

Looking at the empty and silent temple, Ah Liu's eyes froze slightly. One day he would make the temple gates crowded with believers, and when he came out of the temple, everyone would welcome him!

There weren't many valuable or luxurious clothes in the mountain stronghold, so if you wanted to attract attention, you had to tamper with your clothes.

Therefore, he specially asked the villagers for a lot of black cloth, and sewed it himself in the daytime with needle and thread. He also used the ink left by the painter to write the names of hundreds of gods on the clothes, all of which were the four characters "Formless God".

However, because he rarely wrote, his handwriting was crooked and distorted, resembling some kind of strange pattern or symbol, but when worn, it made him appear even more solemn and mysterious.

Since he had no crown or ornaments, he found a dozen or so brightly colored pheasant and wild bird feathers in the mountains, wove them into a crown, and wore it on his head.

Having no adornments, he searched among the bones of the dead on Skull Mountain and found some silver ornaments, which he then wore around his waist and chest.

He worked hard for over a month to prepare for this day's opening of the temple, and finally achieved his goal.

Ah Liu closed the temple door and stood respectfully in front of the temple, saying, "Lord Wuxiang, thanks to your enlightenment, from now on there will be no Ah Liu in the mortal world, only the High Priest of Black Stone Village!"

Turning around, he held a cane made of white bone. At the very top of the cane was a divine jade bestowed by Wuxiang, which he had carefully inlaid, making the entire cane quite different.

Holding the divine jade staff, he walked with the speed of the wind, his feathered crown fluttering and his silver ornaments jingling, as he entered the Black Stone Village.

In the bustling Black Stone Village, everyone gathered inside and outside the Tang Dynasty House. The three heads of the household sat in the main seats, with a group of elders sitting on both sides. Twenty-one newlywed couples slowly walked into the house under the watchful eyes of the crowd, preparing to perform the wedding ceremony.

Everyone was happy on this day.

Li Yiguang watched as the newlyweds walked into the main house, his face full of joy.

And in the cloudy eyes of those old people, there was only relief. The people of Black Stone Village had a new generation, a legacy to carry on, and their lives would be remembered by future generations.

The children's eyes were filled with joy as they waited for the wedding candies to be scattered, a rare treat bought from the foot of the mountain, something they could only afford a few times a year.

Just as You Junzi saw that everyone had arrived and was about to stand up to preside over the wedding ceremony, a voice suddenly came from outside the house, which was still very clear even in the noisy house.

"By divine decree of the formless god, the high priest will now preside over the wedding ceremony!"

Everyone was stunned by these words, as they had never encountered such a situation before.

The bustling crowd spontaneously made way for Ah Liu. His strange attire was too astonishing to the villagers who only wore coarse cloth clothes, and no one dared to block his way.

When You Junzi saw Ah Liu dressed like this, his eyes twitched uncontrollably. He suppressed his surprise and asked, "So it's Ah Liu. Why aren't you guarding the temple? Why are you here to join in the fun?"

Haha, since you're here, let's all take a seat and not delay the newlyweds' auspicious time.

Ah Liu wasn't fooled by his words and ignored him completely, loudly proclaiming, "I am the High Priest personally appointed by Lord Wuxiang! I have come today with the blessing of the God Wuxiang to bestow blessings upon all the newlyweds!"

"Does it mean that none of you are willing to accept Lord Wuxiang's blessing?"

Upon hearing this, everyone heard the words "the God of No Form." No matter how close the three leaders were on ordinary days, people are always more afraid of the unknown and mysterious, and the greed in people's hearts simply cannot resist the temptation of true divine blessings.

Li Yiguang turned to You Junzi and whispered, "Why don't we see what tricks this guy has up his sleeve?"

You Junzi could only nod. The other party had used the guise of the god Wuxiang, and in order to appease people, he could not openly refute the "god".

"From now on, all weddings and funerals in the village will be blessed by the God of No Form. However, Lord No Form is too busy, so he appointed me as the High Priest of Black Stone Village to bestow blessings on his behalf. If you have any such important matters in the future, you can come to the temple to inform me."

Ah Liu wore a kind smile, looking like he was willing to work hard to bring blessings to everyone.

But You Junzi was struck by a thunderbolt. Presiding over weddings and funerals, ostensibly to bestow blessings, was actually a power grab. It might not be apparent now, but once this custom became the norm, the power to decide such important matters would shift from the heads of the household to this so-called "High Priest."

These kinds of things are the most likely to bewitch people and even control the hearts of the villagers. As time goes by, Ah Liu's past as a former prisoner will be covered up by the three mysterious titles of "High Priest". In the future, it is likely that all matters, big and small, in Black Stone Village will be subject to his inquiry.

This Ah Liu is just an uneducated mountain dweller, how could he understand such a profound and far-reaching plan?

On the surface, Wuxiang has never had any conflict with him, but the racial barriers between humans and demons make it difficult for the two to fully trust each other.

The wedding ceremony had already begun, but You Junzi remained seated in his original position. A-Liu, holding the divine jade staff, solemnly presided over the ceremony until it was completed.

He continued, “Today I bring the blessing of the formless god, so listen carefully.”

The supreme deity of the deep mountains of Yunze, the formless god, bestows blessings upon you. Today you are bound by marriage, destined to be together for life, with hearts in harmony, endless offspring, and incense offerings for a thousand years.

We respectfully request the blessings of the Venerable Wuxiang!

These words were the result of Ah Liu's great effort in coming up with them, despite his limited literacy. He was not capable of writing those profound and mysterious sacrificial texts, but these words were enough to persuade the uneducated mountain people.

But if we want them to be devout, then there must be a real miracle to bless them!
As soon as he finished speaking, Ah Liu raised the divine jade staff in his hand, silently chanted the name of the God of No Form, and activated the divine power of faith on the jade. Instantly, a pure white and soft light shone out and shone on the heads of the twenty-one newlyweds.

This pure white divine light is merely a manifestation of the power of faith and has no great use. It can only make those who are illuminated feel comfortable, as if bathed in a spring breeze.

But for the ignorant mountain people, this was enough!

Feeling physically comfortable, all fatigue and pain disappeared. Overjoyed, Sanwen quickly pulled his wife down to kneel and said, "Thank you, Lord Wuxiang, for your blessing!"

With such a leader, everyone else blindly followed suit and bowed down. In no time, more and more people were bowing down, and eventually only the three leaders remained without kneeling down.

Zhao Lengxiang felt a chill run down her spine upon seeing this scene. The villagers' faith in the gods had been divided into faith in people, and this person's status in the village would likely rise higher and higher in the future!

Yu Junzi unconsciously clenched his fingers, but he did not interrupt, and just watched the scene without changing his expression.

Seeing so many people kneeling at his feet for the first time filled Ah Liu with an overwhelming sense of superiority, and he was momentarily immersed in the thrill of power.

"Ah~"

Just then, the black crow flew into the main house, and the crow feathers it had found landed in front of the twenty-one newlyweds. Ah Liu came to his senses and said, "These divine feathers are the tokens of love bestowed by Lord Wuxiang. I hope you will keep them safe!"

"Yes! Yes! High Priest, we will definitely keep it safe."

Some people hurriedly put away the crow feathers as if they were precious treasures. Ah Liu nodded with a smile and said, "Everyone, please get up. Today is a joyous day for you all. From now on, with the protection of the God of No Form, our Black Stone Village will become more and more prosperous!"

After saying this, Ah Liu refused everyone's attempts to keep him, did not attend the banquet, and went straight back to the temple.

The Venerable Wuxiang once told me in a dream that things should not be rushed. It takes a long time to educate the people and make them believe in him wholeheartedly.

When the temple doors were closed, Ah Liu couldn't help but burst into laughter. Thinking of the scene of everyone kneeling at his feet today, he had never felt anything like this in his life.

He stared at the divine jade staff in his hand, muttering, "Is this what it feels like to wield power?"

Inside the Wuxiang Temple, a black crow landed on a locust tree, silently watching the mortals laughing wildly below, its crow eyes gleaming with a deathly white light.

……

At the northern foot of Yunze Mountain, which is also the border of Shenzhou, stands a rather solemn temple. Monks and pilgrims occasionally come and go in the temple, and the sounds of chanting and wooden fish drums can be heard constantly.

Xu Dabai, his face somewhat somber, stood outside the temple, looking at the three temple names he knew how to pronounce.

Yuanjue Temple

He went inside, came to a meditation room, knocked lightly on the door a few times, and said, "Master Changhui, Master Changhui, I, Xu Dabai, have come to see you."

After knocking a few times, the door opened, and a young monk came out, looking at him and saying, "Are you Xu Dabai?"

Hearing this, Xu Dabai, puzzled, said, "That's right, little master, I am Xu Dabai. Why isn't Master Changhui here?"

"Amitabha!" The young monk put his hands together, chanted the Buddha's name, and then sighed, "Master Changhui passed away last month and met the Buddha."

"What does this mean?" Xu Dabai asked, bewildered.

The monk explained, "In layman's terms, he has already passed away. The master's body has been cremated and buried in the pagoda behind the mountain."

"What? Master Changhui was perfectly fine just two or three months ago, how could he suddenly..." Xu Dabai asked in shock.

“Alas, who can fully explain the karmic connections of this world?” the young monk said. “Two months ago, a painter came to the temple and stayed for two days. At night, Master Changhui talked with this person. After looking at a painting, he became listless and passed away a few days later.”

Master Changhui said that the appearance of this "Formless Diagram" would mark the beginning of great chaos in the world! But such is fate; even if he intended to destroy the diagram, he would only be forcibly shortening his own life.

"The Diagram of No Form?"

Xu Dabai felt the name sounded familiar. He muttered to himself, "Painter? Wuxiang? Isn't that the painter Yao something he met a few months ago?"
"Before the master passed away, he gave instructions for his affairs, including his last words to you. I have been waiting for you here for a long time." The monk continued, "The master said that you once saved his life in the deep mountains, and he should protect you for the rest of your life."

But now that he has presumptuously altered the will of Heaven and suffered retribution, he can only pass this book on to you. I hope you will cultivate yourself diligently and not fail his dying wish.”

As he spoke, he turned around and took out a rather thick old book from the meditation room and handed it to him.

"Huh? Cultivation? But I can barely read any characters, and I have a wife and son, how can I cultivate?" Xu Dabai asked, puzzled.

“Cultivation is in the heart; one can cultivate oneself whether in the deep mountains or the bustling city.” The monk handed him the book and said, “Moreover, this book is a secret of military strategy, not a Buddhist scripture.”

The master said you are destined for greatness, possess the courage of a great man, and will achieve fame throughout the land by the age of forty!

(End of this chapter)