White Bone Demon Trail

Chapter 68 Wandering the World
Bi Qing collapsed to the ground, black blood flowing out and staining the floor red.

Bai Wuxiang beckoned with his hand and said, "Come here."

Before long, two skeleton figures carrying a painting came running up to him and presented it to him.

At this moment, the evil cultivator's body had turned into black mist that gradually spread out. Bai Wuxiang glanced at it a few times, but didn't find anything good, so he didn't bother to pick up the corpse, lest the items on the other party's body have tracking features and be found by the other party's master.

Bai Wuxiang slowly stood up and placed the pipa in the arms of the unconscious pipa player.

Then he picked up the scroll, and the two skeleton figures vanished in a gust of wind. He walked slowly out of the courtyard with his hands behind his back.

Standing outside the pavilion and waterside terrace, gazing at the worldly riches in the garden, he softly said: "Year after year, like swallows returning to their nests, they drift across the vast sea, coming to rest on the eaves of this humble abode. Let us not think of worldly matters, but stay close to the wine cup. This weary traveler from Jiangnan, worn out by the music, cannot bear to hear the hurried pipes and intricate strings. Beside the banquet, first lay out a mat and pillow, so that I may sleep when I am drunk."

As soon as the words fell, the pipa player on the stage suddenly awoke, her hands still unconsciously plucking the pipa to produce elegant sounds. The servants in the garden were momentarily bewildered, but their still bodies began to move again.

In the entire garden, only the body of its owner, Zhou Zhenlei, lay prostrate on the ground, unable to rise.

It is neither good nor evil, yet it is both good and evil. It does not belong to the category of sentient beings in the world, so it is naturally impossible to determine its righteousness, evil, goodness, or wickedness.

Therefore, he did not distinguish between good and evil, but only followed his own heart. He killed those who deserved to die and did not kill those he did not want to kill. He let others say what they would say, for he was without form but only form.

He entered the dungeon, and the martial arts masters guarding the cell fell asleep as soon as he blew on them.

The dark and narrow prison passage was only three feet wide and a little over ten feet high.

People walked back and forth, and it was so crowded that even turning around felt cramped. Moreover, the passageway was extremely damp and dark, so dark that you couldn't see your hand in front of your face. This dungeon, though called a dungeon, was more like a coffin.

He walked through the prison corridor and arrived at the bottom of the prison, which was finally a bit more spacious. The people living in each cell were all disheveled, their clothes were tattered, and some even had their hands and feet bound by chains.

Even if left unattended, they wouldn't survive long in such a dark dungeon.

Bai Wuxiang's gaze passed through the cells and finally landed on a body.

It was Yao Zhengze's body, buried in a pile of rotting, withered grass.

He walked through the wooden pillars of the cell, squatted down and turned Yao Zhengze over. Mosquitoes flew up, but then panicked and scattered because of the aura emanating from Bai Wuxiang.

Bai Wuxiang silently looked at the corpse beside him. He reached out and smoothed his disheveled hair. The boy he first met in the mountains and rain years ago had now become a pale, rotting corpse.

His once bright eyes could never be opened again.

Bai Wuxiang was silent for a moment, then murmured softly, "It's my fault that you were hurt."

After Zhou Zhenlei seized the painting, he worried that killing Yao Zhengze would attract the attention of the spirit behind the painting. So he imprisoned him in this dungeon for several years, never visiting him and assuming he was still alive.

However, a little over a month ago, Yao Zhengze died in this dark, damp, and cramped dungeon, unable to bear the torment any longer, and no one has discovered it until now.

Bai Wuxiang closed his eyes, reached out and stroked the corpse on the ground, and a deep, eerie flame ignited. Soon, a white skeleton appeared on the ground.

He unfolded the Wuxiang Painting and whispered, "I thought that having this masterpiece would guarantee you a lifetime of wealth and honor, but I never expected it would cause you such torment."

"Artist, Wuxiang has come to deliver you from this sea of ​​suffering."

Having said that, the Formless Diagram slowly unfolded, its mysterious light flashing, and it took away the skeleton.

One of the skeletons in the painting comes to life, as if it could move, occasionally twisting its head.

Bai Wuxiang gathered the ashes from the ground, put them into a small box, and turned to leave.

But after glancing at the dozen or so skeletons in the dungeon, as well as the seven or eight half-dead people, he unfurled the Mystic Light of the Formless Diagram and absorbed all the skeletons into the painting.

As for the few survivors with barely perceptible breaths, Bai Wuxiang simply pointed, and a ghostly blue flame illuminated the dark dungeon, causing them to instinctively look away.

Yet they all yearned for the light, enduring the discomfort to see what lay outside the prison.

A tall, slender man stood in the dim light, but he cast no shadow on the ground.

His chilling voice rang in everyone's ears: "Recite the name of Wuxiang, and you may gain a life."

Having said that, he transformed into a cloud of yin energy and disappeared.

Instead of being afraid of the ghostly scene before them, the seven or eight people bowed down and begged for help, chanting the name of Wuxiang.

In the dark dungeon, the thought of being tortured to death in despair was far more terrifying than demons and ghosts!
The eerie blue flames shattered into pieces, burning through the dungeon's wooden stakes, and the people rushed out of the dungeon like hungry wolves.

In a chaotic burial forest, under a dark and windy night, Bai Wuxiang sat cross-legged. The Wuxiang Diagram floated silently in front of him, and he refined wisps of yin energy into the painting, making it even more mystical.

On the Skull Mountain behind the temple in the Wuxiang painting, there are more than ten skeletons writhing, but they are so faint that they cannot be seen clearly unless you look closely into the painting.

Bai Wuxiang constructed the world within the painting with the thoughts of a demon god. The yin energy of the chaotic burial forest surged in and was swallowed into the painting. Then, under the control of the thoughts of the formless demon god, the entire painting was refined.

His physical body, due to the characteristics of the formless demon god, was able to devour all kinds of spiritual energy in the world and remove the energy of water and fire.

Moreover, one can borrow various spiritual energies from all directions. As long as one consumes enough spiritual energy, one's cultivation level will be comparable to the Great Transformation Realm without needing to cultivate.

It is much stronger than the mid-stage Spirit Building Realm that the original body painstakingly cultivated.

However, his true strength, enhanced by the Vengeful Spirit Pearl, is naturally far superior to this physical form.

Moreover, no matter how much spiritual energy a Dharma Body absorbs, it cannot possess the Yuanzhen realm power of a half-immortal.

The advantage, however, is that he doesn't have to fear death or cherish his body. He can have as many bodies as he wants below the Yuanzhen realm.

One dies, another is born, and after absorbing a few breaths of spiritual energy from heaven and earth, it becomes another formless being walking the world.

After Yao Zhengze died, no one else could pass on his painting to the world; he had to pass it on himself.

The world is too vast, and Skull Mountain is too small. If its fame does not spread far and wide, those greedy people will not go to Skull Mountain, and their true forms will not be able to obtain death energy, resentment, or even the seven emotions and six desires.

After absorbing all the Yin energy in the area, Bai Wuxiang put away the scroll. To refine the Wuxiang Diagram into a true world within the painting, he needed a massive amount of Yin energy, blood energy, and spiritual energy from heaven and earth to construct a stable cave world.

Staying in one place for too long makes it difficult to accomplish this feat. Holding the scroll, he turned and left the desolate, overgrown burial ground, heading elsewhere.

...The palace is high in the clouds, shrouded in mist, where white cranes cry out.

Dressed in a long blue robe, Xiao Qianli ascended the jade steps and bowed respectfully to the Taoist priest on the far right of the four shrines: "Disciple Xiao Qianli greets Grandmaster Uncle!"

The young Taoist priest, who was sitting on the altar, opened his eyes from meditation and chuckled, "Qian Li, you've arrived. Has your master finally decided to let you out?"

Xiao Qianli felt helpless in the face of this person. Don't be fooled by his appearance as a young playboy. This man is actually the Supreme Elder of the Mysterious Law, one of the Four Mysteries of Sanqing Mountain.

She was much older than her master, Xiao Jingzhi, both in terms of cultivation level and age.

Grandmaster Uncle is joking. If you give the order, who in the entire mountain would dare to disobey?

"Look at what you're saying, it makes me sound like a domineering person." Xuanfa's figure blurred and appeared in front of her, handing her a small mirror the size of a palm.

"This item is the Nine Netherworld Spirit-Fixing Mirror, which can determine the traces of all spirits in the world. Consider this ancient treasure a gift from your elder."

"Grandmaster Uncle..." Xiao Qianli took the treasure mirror and looked at the black dot slowly moving in the reflection. She understood her grandmaster uncle's thoughts and asked, "Is Grandmaster Uncle asking me to track down some spiritual creature?"

“That’s right, now I’m entrusting you with a matter of great importance concerning the fate of all people! You must not let me down!” Xuanfa said to her with a feigned solemn expression.

"Grandmaster Uncle is too kind to me. With you and the other elders around, what important matter could possibly fall on my shoulders?" Xiao Qianli said with a look of disbelief.

"Ahem, you have to have some style to seem important, right?" Xuanfa's serious expression instantly turned into a playful smile. "Alright, I'm not teasing you anymore."

This matter can be considered a big deal or a small one. However, since several of your senior uncles have reached the Yuanzhen realm, and with the calamity now rising in the mortal world, their presence would inevitably cause chaos.

Therefore, after much consideration, I believe you are the most suitable candidate. I have specifically instructed Qianyuan Mountain, Emei Mountain, and Kongtong Mountain to send disciples, led by you, to the mortal realm to find the person described in the treasure mirror, capture them, and bring them back to Sanqing Mountain.”

"Is this the person in the treasure mirror? But I'm about to undergo the Yuanzhen Cultivation, how can I have time to go? There are so many fellow disciples on Sanqing Mountain, why don't you just assign a few at will?" Xiao Qianli asked in surprise.

"Hehe, this matter really can only be handled by you. This person is not human, but a demon god from ancient times, who is beyond the realm of living beings and is immortal. If we send a disciple at the Yuanzhen realm, I'm afraid it will disturb it and flee long ago."

Only your dual cultivation of Dao and Demonic arts can not only attract its spirit but also prevent it from being frightened away. Once you subdue it with this treasure mirror, your mission will be accomplished.” Xuanfa said with a smile, “As long as you accomplish this, I will personally use the profound and mysterious methods to find your reincarnated relative.”

Even in the underworld, I will plead with King Yama to show you mercy, how about it?

"Is Grandmaster Uncle's statement true?"

"Of course it's true. When have I ever gone back on my word?"

“Alright! This disciple will now descend the mountain!” Xiao Qianli said solemnly.

"Don't rush. When I was traveling in my mind, I secretly observed this demon god for a period of time. The things recorded in this jade slip may be useful to you."

Xuanfa handed her a jade slip and said with a smile, "This demon god is quite different from the demon gods of ancient times. It is half human and half demon, and has profound wisdom. Not only can it restrain its demonic thoughts and cultivate in a way that is patient, but it is also not as lawless as the demon gods in the records."

Be especially careful, this demon god who calls himself the God of No Form is most adept at bewitching people's hearts; you must remember not to believe his words!

"Yes! This disciple will keep it in mind!"

Watching Xiao Qianli turn and leave, Xuanfa crossed his arms and rested his chin on his hand in deep thought. After a moment, he turned to the empty seat behind him and asked, "Senior Brother, do you think Qianli is really a match for this Demon God?"

Amidst the empty altar, an aged voice suddenly rang out. "Even if Junior Nephew Xiao wholeheartedly teaches this child, Qianli is still young and no match for this demon god."

But Qianli is also a seed of a demon god. Since ancient times, the way to prevent the calamity of demon gods has been to make them devour each other, with the losers perishing and the victors exiled beyond the realm.

"You mean, even if Qianli succeeds, he will still be exiled to the outer realm?" Xuanfa frowned and said, "Senior Brother, you are too heartless."

"Hehe, you and I have long since ascended to immortality. How can we disregard the world and all living beings because of our seven emotions and six desires? Besides, being exiled to the outer realms is much more carefree than being trapped in this world."

"Senior Brother, with your cultivation level, why don't you ascend to the God Realm and question those nine Star Lords about why they sealed the Path to Heaven?" Xuanfa asked with a frown. "We have been trapped in this world for thousands of years, and these Star Lords have shown us no regard whatsoever. Why do they still allow them to rule the God Realm?"

“Junior brother, even though we have broken through the shackles of gods and humans and become celestial immortals in Luoshang, there are nine star lords and a million heavenly soldiers. The Xuan, Buddha, demon, and monster factions are all scheming against each other and cannot join forces.”

"With just the four of us, we'll only increase casualties and cost the lives of all the disciples on the mountain. We'll also be ashamed of our ancestor's teachings and guidance," the aged voice advised again.

"Enough, enough. Even if you cultivate to become a celestial being, there are many things you can't do."

I stayed in the mountains, my spirit wandering to the heavens.

Xuanfa shook his head and sighed, then turned and disappeared from the celestial palace.

……

Qingzhou, outside Fuyun City.

Bai Wuxiang strolled leisurely along the abandoned field ridge. He looked at this wasteland that should have been full of farmland, where skeletons were exposed in the weeds and ignored by everyone. A few stray dogs with drooling eyes stared at him from a distance, but their eyes were full of doubt as to why they could not smell the meat.

He took out the scroll from his sleeve and was about to use his mind to draw upon it when he vaguely sensed something thousands of miles away pulling at his aura with an extremely weak force, much like some kind of tracking and positioning magic.

"Oh, this is far too fast. It must be the work of those immortal cultivators."

It seems we still can't return to Skull Mountain and reveal our true form. We must be cautious about the methods of the immortal disciples.

As Bai Wuxiang spoke, he gestured, and the skeletons in the wasteland, like drunkards, stumbled and swayed as they got up and walked to the Wuxiang Diagram.

Then one after another they climbed in, reaching the skull mountain in the painting.

The stray dogs that had been watching Bai Wuxiang from a distance were terrified when they saw this and ran away.

Just as the last skeleton was about to crawl into the painting, a emaciated child crawled out of the weeds, crying and hugging the skeleton, "Father! Don't go!"

Bai Wuxiang frowned, but looking at the thin, bony little boy, he still said, "Your father is dead. I'm here to take him to the underworld."

"Puff~"

The seven- or eight-year-old child knelt down and pleaded, "Please, Great Immortal, take me with you. I want to go to the underworld with my father."

"Oh? There are no living people underground." Bai Wuxiang asked with a light laugh, "Child, aren't you afraid of death?"

(End of this chapter)