White Bone Demon Trail

Chapter 47 Divine Guidance
"I've met a master." Bai Wuxiang thought to himself. It was quite a coincidence. He just didn't know if this senior was a demon or a human.

He stood there in thought for a moment, then looked up at the sun in the sky. At noon, the continuous clouds obscured the sunlight, making the ground feel very dull.

After walking a few miles, we came to a village where emaciated farmers were working in the fields. Regardless of age or gender, anyone with a bit of strength was planting rice seedlings and cultivating the fields.

Bai Wuxiang passed through the village and continued northward.

As dusk fell, he stood before a somewhat ancient city.

The city wall, several meters high, is built of interlocking yellow and black bricks and stones, stretching for miles. The setting sun in the west shines on the ancient city, giving it a sense of decay and vicissitude.

The city was a melting pot of people, and in Bai Wuxiang's eyes, it was a monster that devoured people.

He patiently waited outside the city until nightfall, then transformed into a gust of cold wind, scaled the city walls, and entered the human city for the first time.

Even through the human skin, one could feel a scorching heat; if Bai Wuxiang weren't wearing the outer skin, it would probably be even hotter here.

The road surface, paved with bluestone bricks, was uneven and pitted, clearly indicating that it had been there for many years and had been worn smooth by horses' hooves.

The city was a mix of markets and wards, clearly indicating that due to the weakness of the imperial court, the separation of markets and wards was no longer strictly enforced in the local area.

There was no curfew at night, and homeless beggars lay drowsily asleep in secluded corners along the roadside.

The rats scurried across the rooftops, occasionally letting out strange squeaking noises.

Bai Wuxiang stood under the moonlight, somewhat lost.

The overwhelming presence of people around him caused him to lose his ability to sense the flow of energy, and even his sense of direction became somewhat off.

When one is outside the human world, one can naturally purify one's mind and spirit. But when one enters the mortal world, the chaotic phenomena are no longer so easy to understand.

Bai Wuxiang shook his head. This was his first time entering a city of the human world. The city seemed to have some kind of feng shui layout. Although it was not as good as the Black Stone Village built by You Junzi, it was still able to suppress demons and monsters due to the popularity of the city.

"Meow~"

Just as he was thinking about asking someone for directions, a meow suddenly came from a nearby hut.

He flashed onto the rooftop, startling the skinny black cat, whose fur stood on end and it leaped away, arching its back.

Bai Wuxiang reached out and grabbed the cat, pulling it close to his face. The black cat's pupils contracted as it stared at him in terror, its claws flailing as it struggled in mid-air.

"Hehe, little cat, I'll borrow your body for a bit."

"Meow~"

"Meow~"

"Meow~"

The black cat struggled even more fiercely, shaking its head frantically and meowing incessantly.

But Bai Wuxiang couldn't understand cat language, so since the kitten hadn't said it didn't want to, he used it anyway.

A flash of black energy appeared in Bai Wuxiang's eyes, and he transformed into a wisp of black energy that merged into the black cat's body.

The black cat landed on the rooftop, stumbled to its feet, shook its head, and then a strange smile appeared on its face.

Then, the black cat leaped into the air and nimbly ran across the houses under the moonlight, its extraordinary sense of smell driving it towards the place in the city with the strongest smell of fish and meat.

In front of the vermilion gate of the government office, two yamen runners stood at the door, yawning and leaning against a pillar, half asleep.

On the empty and clean street, a strange black cat suddenly fell from the roof.

The black cat silently walked towards the door, its paws and hind legs moving in a straight line, its eyes fixed on the two people in front of the door.

It was about to walk to the door when it suddenly stopped and looked up at the Bagua mirror hanging on the main door.

The black cat left silently, circled around to the side wall, then leaped up and scaled the wall into the yard.

The courtyard was filled with flowers and plants, and candles were lit on both sides of the road. Unlike the poverty and desolation in the city, this place was like a fairyland. Servants and maids walked back and forth from time to time, and various fragrances filled the black cat's nose.

The cat unconsciously drooled, quickly wiped its mouth, and then darted swiftly past the feet of the servants to a magnificent pavilion.

Three men sat in the pavilion, dressed in fine silks and satins, adorned with pearls at their waists and jade rings on their hands; each of them was an extraordinary person.

Beside the pond below the pavilion, a group of beautiful women dressed in light gauze danced gracefully to the sound of string and bamboo instruments.

"Brother Wang, I really didn't expect you to come all the way to my Zhangyang. Come, let me offer you another cup!" Qiao Yunsheng raised his cup in a toast with a smile.

The person he was toasting was a handsome young man who looked to be no more than twenty years old. He declined the county magistrate's toast and said with a forced smile, "Brother Qiao, I'm only informing you because of the marriage alliance between our two families."

The capital city is no place for insignificant people like you and me to enter now. Empress Dowager Wen is ruling from behind the curtain, and her family's influence is rampant. Even the highest officials and ministers avoid her. I advise you to stay put and enjoy your wealth and status here; wouldn't that be more pleasant?

"This... Brother Wang, you may not know this." Qiao Yunsheng, though embarrassed, remained calm and sighed, "Last year, a demonic python appeared in the mountains and devoured hundreds of people."

I thought the serpent would be gone by the beginning of spring, but yesterday another village was eaten!
I've already spent a considerable amount of money bribing officials to get things to this point. If this snake demon causes further trouble, with so many lives lost, not only will my official position be in jeopardy, but my own life will be in danger.”

"A snake demon?" The man surnamed Wang was surprised for a moment, then glanced at the middle-aged man with a long beard beside him. "Sir, do you think this snake demon is real?"

The third person in the pavilion, the man with long sideburns, then spoke up: "Evil spirits harm people, but few evil creatures are as ferocious as this one."

The fact that he harmed hundreds of people is horrifying.

"Yes, this matter has already caused a great uproar in Zhangyang, and the people outside the city are all terrified." Qiao Yunsheng sighed, "I ordered the yamen runners to post official notices and recruit extraordinary people to subdue the demon, but none of them have been of any use."

"Hehe, what a coincidence. Mr. Hua is quite an extraordinary person, proficient in the art of exorcising demons!" The man surnamed Wang introduced with a smile: "Mr. Hua is a disciple of the immortal of Jinguang Cave on Qianyuan Mountain, and his demon-slaying skills are extremely powerful."

"Young Master Wang is too kind. I only know a little bit about this," Mr. Hua said modestly, waving his hand.

"Excellent! Excellent!" Qiao Yunsheng exclaimed happily. "Then please, Mr. Hua, lend a helping hand to the people of Zhangyang. I will repay you handsomely!"

"Well... I can only try my best. Whether it will work or not is still uncertain." After a moment's thought, Mr. Hua agreed.

From the grass outside the pavilion, Bai Wuxiang coldly observed the three people inside. That Mr. Hua was indeed a Taoist with some cultivation, but compared to the disciples of Sanqing Mountain, he was inferior. He even dared to dream of catching demons, which was simply ignorant of his own limitations.

Bai Wuxiang stared at Mr. Hua, his eyes darting around. If this person's strength is lacking, then what about his seniors from the sect?
Qianyuan Mountain sounds like a powerful immortal sect. Surely it has more than just cultivators at the Transformation Realm?
Bai Wuxiang now has some understanding of the cultivation realms of the Xuanmen. Most cultivators below the Yuanzhen realm are at the Huayuan realm, which is a major realm with several sub-realms.

A master of the Yuanzhen Realm is already considered a demigod, a rare existence in the world. Of course, after witnessing the Mountain Lord, Bai Wuxiang also knew that all those in the Yuanzhen Realm were different, but he still didn't know the specific classifications.

All of this was because he lacked the strength to come into contact with those masters.

However, he had not forgotten the purpose of his visit today. The black dragon hiding near Yunze Mountain had always made Bai Wuxiang uneasy. Even if he could not kill it, he could feel much more at ease as long as he drove it away and dared not stay near the Yunze Mountain range.

Bai Wuxiang raised his cat paw and gently blew towards the vicinity of the pavilion. A cold wind swept by, and everyone's eyelids drooped, and they all fell into a deep sleep.

Only Mr. Hua was not asleep. He was shocked by the scene before him and quickly took out the sword from his waist. The crimson-gold sword light flashed, making Bai Wuxiang's eyes light up. This sword was definitely a rare and fine sword!
"What kind of monster is this?" Hua Yi felt a surge of tension and carefully observed everything around him.

Bai Wuxiang opened his mouth and exhaled a stream of incense-like divine power, which transformed into a kind-faced deity statue that appeared outside the pavilion. His ethereal voice spoke, "I am a deity from Yunze Mountain. I cannot bear to see the people below the mountain suffer from the snake demon any longer. I have come to enlighten you to slay the snake and eliminate the demon, thus saving all living beings. This would be a great act of merit!"

Upon hearing this, Hua Yi felt relieved and politely bowed, saying with a smile, "I see. I was disrespectful. Please enlighten me, Mountain God."

He carefully sensed the aura emanating from the statue before him, and it was indeed the power of incense and faith, and quite pure at that, something that evil spirits could not imitate.

"This snake demon is hiding in the northeast of the mountain, living by the river. Follow the river and when you see a place where the water is dark and murky, that is probably where the snake demon is!"

"Since the mountain god knows where the snake demon is, why doesn't he personally take action to rid the people of this scourge?"

Hua Yi wasn't a fool; he asked curiously.

"If an ordinary snake demon were to commit such an evil crime, I would naturally take action to eliminate it."

But this demon is guided by a powerful figure, and its fate is intertwined with that of the human dynasty, so I cannot intervene.

Bai Wuxiang answered his question without hesitation, and also reminded him: "This demon has devoured the lifeblood of hundreds of people and has already entered the demonic path. Daoist, you still need to be careful. You might as well ask your elders to come and keep watch."

"Thank you for your guidance, Mountain God. May I ask your divine name and where you cultivate?" Hua Yi asked with a smile.

“My name is Wuxiang. I live south of Yunze. I have been worshipped by the mountain people for generations and have inherited divine authority.”

As soon as he finished speaking, the divine light dissipated, and the black cat took the opportunity to leave the government office.

Bai Wuxiang's words were half true and half false, yet they were still perfectly able to deceive this cultivator with shallow cultivation.

In some ways, he was indeed doing good deeds.

But his initial motivation was to eliminate a major threat to his life. On this point, his interests aligned with those of the villagers at the foot of the mountain.

Bai Wuxiang left the cat's body, then stole a braised crucian carp from the government office and fed it to the kitten.

The black cat immediately pounced on the fish and happily ate the fish, which was bigger than itself.

Bai Wuxiang smiled and gently stroked his fur. "Thank you for your hard work."

After saying that, he transformed into a gust of cold wind and left the city.

Zhangyang County is an ancient city with a history of hundreds of years. It has a rather oppressive atmosphere, and Bai Wuxiang doesn't particularly like staying in this city.

He did not return to Black Stone Village immediately; he wanted to see with his own eyes what would become of the black dragon.

Not only to settle karmic debts, but he also wanted to see what kind of power the evil dragon that had devoured so much blood and energy possessed, and what kind of retribution it would suffer for doing such an unforgivable method.

The path of spiritual practice also requires verification.

His current cultivation level at the Spirit Foundation Realm is actually about the same as that of this young cultivator surnamed Hua.

If the two were to fight to the death, it's truly uncertain who would survive and who would perish.

Even though Bai Wuxiang is exceptionally intelligent and possesses bizarre demonic magic, he still possesses his sect's treasures: a magic sword in his hand, a magic robe on his body, a jade pendant at his waist, and a precious talisman on his chest—all things that a demon could not possibly have.

However, if he were to use his resentment, this minor cultivator would surely die. Unless, of course, he had a senior disciple like the demon hunter Ning Jue who could descend from afar.

Bai Wuxiang flew to a desolate spot at the foot of the mountain. He glanced around to make sure there were no rivers or pools before sitting down with peace of mind and entering a meditative state.

The black dragon is a semi-mythical creature. Legend has it that dragons can control water like gods. Bai Wuxiang is only extremely cautious and ruthless when dealing with enemies.

His mind wandered in all directions, and in the silent night, a few faint lights flickered, and countless emerald green lights gathered around Bai Wuxiang, like a dreamlike green ocean.

Bai Wuxiang's mind was momentarily distracted, and he shouted, "Go!"

In an instant, these fireflies flew to the northeast of the mountain, some hiding among the weeds, others wandering by the river and stream.

He is most skilled at possessing and concealing his aura. He can use his mind to conjure up all things and then completely merge his own aura with the possessed object. This is the reason why he can enter and leave the city. Otherwise, ordinary demons would have been sensed by the various strange people in the city and hunted down long ago.

These fireflies are harmless, but they can sense demonic energy. If the black dragon makes any unusual moves, Bai Wuxiang can detect it early and have more opportunities to deal with it.

After doing all this, he took out the long black needle. He had combined the whiskers of three dragons into a single black needle. Since this needle originated from a dragon, it naturally needed to be sharpened with dragon blood!
Now, Bai Wuxiang has done everything he needs to do; all he has to do is wait and watch the show.

He will only strike when the time is right. If the time is not right, he can endure and continue to hide.

Bai Wuxiang is an extremely patient demon. His heart is no longer the same as that of a human, nor is it the heart of an ordinary demon.

No one knew that when he first arrived in this world, all he saw when he opened his eyes was darkness.

It's that coffin deep underground!
The coffin was completely dark, without a single ray of light. He was a corpse, yet he possessed consciousness.

It can only lie quietly in the darkness, without wind, without light, without sun or moon.

Only…

The cold, damp water seeped in and dripped onto his body.

Unidentified insects crawled into the coffin, burrowed into his clothes, and he could clearly feel their antennae and tentacles moving and gnawing at his skin.

He can't see anything, but his sense of touch allows him to perceive everything.

No one knows how he endured the darkness underground for three whole years, which felt like an eternity to Bai Wuxiang, who had no concept of time.

Therefore, few in this world can match his patience.

(End of this chapter)