White Bone Demon Trail

Chapter 73 Skeleton Demon

A man dressed in a red official robe walked out of the government office, followed by a group of advisors and guards. He frowned when he saw the rather chaotic scene and said, "Master Liu, didn't you say that the Wuxiang Demon has been destroyed?"
How could any demons dare to cause trouble in broad daylight, right in front of the government office?

"This..." Liu Fangyun was flustered and overwhelmed by the prefect's long-standing aura of authority. He replied in a panic, "The Wuxiang Demon was indeed destroyed by this humble Taoist!"

As for this… the demon before us… it must have been the work of its own kind! There's probably more than one formless demon in the world!

Fortunately, he was quick-witted and, in a moment of inspiration, offered an explanation. Having found a solution, he continued, "These formless demons may be a race that loves to devour human souls and spirits. They are most adept at disguising themselves as humans and bewitching people; they are impossible to guard against!"

"My lord, you mustn't let this formless demon bewitch your mind!"

Upon being asked this question, Prefect Xu Zhengchen frowned. "I am an official appointed by the imperial court. How could I be bewitched by this demon?"
"Since Master Liu has worked so hard for so many days, he should rest. From now on, you will no longer need to trouble yourself with demon-catching matters in the city."

"What?" Liu Fangyun immediately understood. The prefect no longer trusted him and had taken back his power. But having just tasted power, how could he be willing to become a despised rogue sorcerer again?

"My lord, although I made a mistake, the city is rife with demons. If I hadn't been able to suppress them, I'm afraid the safety of the people in the city would have been in jeopardy!"

"That won't require Master Liu's concern," the prefect smiled. "The Imperial Demon Suppression Division has already invited the Fang family of Qishan. They will arrive in the city soon. I believe the Fang family of Qishan, one of the eight great demon-slaying families appointed by the Imperial Court, should be able to protect the people of this city!"

"The Fang family of Qishan?" No matter how unwilling Liu Fangyun was, the eight great demon-catching families were officially appointed by the imperial court to be in charge of catching demons and ghosts. Compared to them, these Jianghu sorcerers who just drifted through life, they enjoyed the imperial court's support.

He clenched his fists inwardly, his heart burning with jealousy. Why were these powerful families allowed to use the guise of demons and ghosts to amass wealth and greed?
And these people became, in the eyes of the world, low-class charlatans who swindled and deceived others.
Suppressing his resentment, Liu Fangyun silently left the crowd, his expression inevitably dejected as he walked back to his newly purchased mansion.

Seeing the awe in the eyes of the servants in the mansion, his depressed mood improved somewhat.

Back indoors, he took off his robes, and a servant brought tea and respectfully said, "Master, lunch is ready. Would you like to eat?"

Liu Fangyun nodded, and soon after, several servants brought up various dishes.

He enjoyed the delicious food, but in his heart he was thinking, so what if he was a prefect? ​​He possessed power that ordinary people could not have, so those people should submit to him like his servants!

……

Outside Fuyun City, in the mass grave.

Holding a charred skeleton, Cui Laoqi stared blankly, lost in a daze. Even though his hands and half of the body were mangled and burned, he felt no pain.

Until a crow's caw rang out from the woods, followed by the sound of flapping wings.

A black crow landed in front of Cui Laoqi. The surrounding yin energy rose into mist, which then gathered on the crow. The black shadow swayed, as if a monster was tearing at the mist barrier. The mist gradually dissipated.

In the White Bone Cave of Skull Mountain, far away beside the Yunze Mountains, Bai Wuxiang's mind was stirred, and the Wuxiang Demon God once again appeared.

Attracted by the commotion in front of him, Cui Laoqi looked up and saw a black-haired man in a feathered robe standing in front of him. His horizontal eyebrows slanted into his temples like the claws of a demon. He slowly opened his eyes, examined himself for a moment, and then said, "This time, I am using the form of a crow to transform."

"Are you... a demon?"

Old Cui was taken aback for a moment, then asked.

“I am neither a demon, nor a human, nor a god; I have only one name: Wuxiang.”

Bai Wuxiang looked at the charred corpse in his arms and sighed, "Cui Yongqi was born with a deficiency in his life. You asked me to cure his leg ailment, and I cured it with Yin energy, but it caused his life and body to become incompatible, resulting in his death and this misfortune."

"Please! Lord Wuxiang! Immortal Wuxiang, please save my son! I..." Old Cui hurriedly turned over and knelt on the ground, pressing his forehead against the ground covered with withered leaves, sinking into the soil.

Bai Wuxiang heard his painful gasps and felt a deep sense of self-reproach and intense hatred.

He slowly squatted down, leaned close to Cui Laoqi's ear, and said with a soft laugh, "I am not tolerated by heaven and earth because of my lack of form, so my good deeds will only end in sorrow."

But it is permissible for me to do evil.

Your son is dead, but if he becomes a demon skeleton, he can be reborn.

Are you willing to become a demon together with your son?

The forest was silent, with leaves falling in abundance. Kneeling on the ground, Cui Laoqi listened to the demon's whispers. He hesitated for a moment, "Then, are we no longer human?"

Bai Wuxiang laughed and grabbed his bloodied and mangled hand. "Do you think a mortal can survive unscathed after having his hands and body burned?"

"What does this mean?" Old Cui asked in astonishment.

“When I saved you, your heart meridian was already protected by the evil energy; otherwise, you would have died long ago.” Bai Wuxiang lowered his hand and said softly, “What do you think?”

He was like a bewitching demon, subtly seducing people and stirring up their deepest desires.

"I……"

Cui Laoqi harbored an instinctive fear of demons, but this fear was only momentary in the face of his fatherly affection.

"I'm willing! As long as my son can live! Whether he's a demon or a human!"

"Hahaha, okay."

Bai Wuxiang suddenly stood up, raised his head and laughed loudly, the sound echoing through the forest.

Yin energy emanated from the tombs, surging towards Cui Laoqi and the corpses on the ground like black clouds.

"Click~"

As dusk settles, light filters through the layers of forest, and countless dust particles drift in the sunlight filtering through the trees.

A charred corpse lying on the withered leaves suddenly came to life.

A slight cracking sound came from the joints of the charred corpse. As the joints moved, the skeleton slowly propped itself up on its arms and stood up again in Cui Laoqi's shocked gaze!

"father!"

The skeleton cried out in alarm, "Father! What happened to you? Why are you like this?"

Upon hearing this, Cui Laoqi looked down and discovered that his bones were clearly visible in his flesh, like a skeleton wearing human skin!
"Hahaha, the soul is the spirit, the bones are the body, serve me without form, and be born from the Yin."

"From now on, you will be skeleton monsters!"

Bai Wuxiang clapped his hands and laughed, looking at the father and son with satisfaction in his eyes.

"We... became demons?" Cui Yongqi looked at his fleshless body and couldn't help but ask, "Then are we all dead?"

"When a person dies, a demon is born."

Bai Wuxiang's figure transformed into a wisp of black mist and suddenly floated in front of Cui Yongqi, asking with a smile, "Do you still remember who killed you?"

"Yes! I was murdered! It was that evil Taoist priest surnamed Liu!" Cui Yongqi said hatefully.

"That Liu fellow deserves to die!" Old Cui also shouted sternly.

Bai Wuxiang nodded and said, "Every wrong has its perpetrator, and every debt its debtor. It's only right that you seek revenge! However, your demonic power is too weak to take revenge!"

"Then what should we do? Please give me some guidance, Lord Wuxiang!" Cui Yongqi asked, his voice filled with murderous intent and resentment.

"Tonight, I will use magic to send you into the city. Go and take revenge yourself," Bai Wuxiang said with a smile. "As for your father, he still has a use for you."

"Won't it be too dangerous for my son to go alone? That sorcerer has magic..." Old Cui asked in a low voice.

"Hehe, don't worry."

"With my unconditional protection, as long as you do not indiscriminately slaughter living beings and incur karma, I can naturally protect you from harm."

Bai Wuxiang said to Cui Laoqi, "You are actually half-human and half-demon. You are not afraid of yang energy. People with low cultivation levels cannot see your origins."

I need you to do something for me.

"Lord Wuxiang, please give your orders!" Old Seven Cui replied, clasping his hands in a fist salute.

"Tomorrow you will go outside the city, wander through villages and countryside, and persuade ordinary people to establish the Wuxiang Sect."

A religion should not be too large; a hundred people are enough. You worship the Spirit of No Form as your religious deity and regard the "Character of No Form Crossing the Myriad Bones" as the most precious treasure of your sect.

After establishing the religion, all that is needed is to proclaim that anyone with grievances can offer them to Wuxiang to help them achieve their desires.

Furthermore, it can be proclaimed everywhere that the Formless Diagram possesses supreme magical power; whoever obtains it can summon an army of skeleton demons, possess supreme magical power, defy fate, and become the supreme ruler of the world.

"This...this humble one...I'm afraid I can't do it," Cui Laoqi said hesitantly.

"Hehe, you were able to rise from a beggar to become an elder of the Beggars' Sect and command hundreds of beggars, so you are definitely not an ordinary person."

I bestow upon you the Black Feather for protection. If you encounter any difficulties, call my name three times, and I will come to your aid.

As Bai Wuxiang spoke, he pointed, and a raven feather landed in his hand. It was jet black and shiny, like black jade.

"Well... I'm willing to give it my best!" Old Cui said, cupping his hands in a fist salute. "However, it's too risky for Yongqi to go alone."

Seeing his worried expression, Bai Wuxiang explained, "That Wuxiang Diagram is my magic weapon. Yongqi's demon body is still in its early stages, and it's too dangerous for him to be out there. He might not be able to take revenge, but I will secretly send him into the Wuxiang Diagram to cultivate in seclusion. When his demon power is high enough in the future, he will naturally emerge from the diagram to help you!"

"Thank you, Lord Wuxiang!"

Upon hearing this, the father and son were no longer worried and simply bowed their heads in reverence.

When night fell, Bai Wuxiang used his magic to lift Cui Yongqi into the city and land him in Liu Fangyun's mansion.

As night deepened and the dew grew heavy, Liu Fangyun had already turned off the lights and gone to sleep.

A black raven feather drifted in through the gap in the window screen outside, landing and transforming into a humanoid skeleton.

The skeleton was charred black. When it saw Liu Fangyun sleeping unconscious on the bed, it immediately felt a surge of murderous intent and pounced on him.

Unexpectedly, a talisman was pasted on the headboard of his bed. A flash of yellow light stung the skeleton demon, causing it to let out a painful growl.

Awakened by the noise, Liu Fangyun quickly picked up the Wuxiang Diagram beside him, unrolled it, and activated his mind, chanting, "Collect!"

Immediately, a brilliant light shone on the imageless diagram, drawing the skeleton into it without any resistance.

He wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, lit the candle, opened the scroll, and found that there was a lifelike skeleton struggling in the mountains in the picture.

Liu Fangyun sneered, "So it turns out there are demons trying to kill me!"

"Unfortunately, I am protected by a supreme treasure; how could you possibly harm me?"

In the forest outside the city, Bai Wuxiang sat cross-legged on an old tree, drawing the surrounding Yin energy into his body. The unrestrained influx of Yin energy into his body would rapidly increase his cultivation, but it would also shorten the lifespan of his physical form.

So even if no one kills him, Bai Wuxiang's body will decay to death within a few months and he will need to be replaced with a new one.

Under his deliberate manipulation, the Formless Diagram became like an unclaimed treasure, freely usable by anyone. This allowed Liu Fangyun's desires to swell, making him increasingly blindly arrogant.

Once the Wuxiang Sect is established, Wuxiang Tu's reputation will quickly spread throughout the world. His name as a god who sacrifices resentment will also be known throughout the world, and at that time, he will have a massive amount of resentment.

As for why Cui Laoqi was sent to preach in the countryside, firstly, the local government's jurisdiction was weak, and secondly, most of the people there were poor and oppressed not only by high-ranking officials but also by powerful local clans.

Where there is conflict, oppression, plunder, or exploitation, resentment will inevitably arise.

Where resentment arises, there is also formlessness.

Bai Wuxiang only needs to wait for the right opportunity to arrive.

The Cui father and son were skeleton demons created by him, and were not of the same species as Bai Wuxiang's original body, the white bone demon.

Skeleton demons are essentially human souls that have not yet completely dissipated, clinging to the bones of corpses; they can be considered a type of ghost.

The White Bone Demon, on the other hand, is a spirit formed from white bones, not a human soul; it is a spirit formed from an inanimate object that has no soul.

Skeleton demons are formed from human obsessions and are closer to vengeful spirits and malevolent ghosts. Bone demons, on the other hand, are more inclined towards the category of demons.

However, compared to the bone demon, the skeleton demon has a more powerful physical body, and its soul is hidden within its bones, making it unafraid of sunlight and righteous energy.

However, in terms of sorcery and magic, it is weaker than the White Bone Demon, which is a natural white bone creature transformed into a demon.

……

Yunzhou, beside a small pavilion.

Xiao Qianli sat in the pavilion, silently regulating his own magical power.

Outside the pavilion, by the river, a young Taoist priest was fishing.

The young Taoist priest stared at the bait listlessly, but didn't catch a single fish for a long time.

He turned back helplessly and asked, "Fellow Daoist Xiao, how much longer until they arrive?"

Xiao Qianli opened his eyes, pondered for a moment, and then replied, "It should take another half a day or so. The message from the cranes of Mount Emei said that a master of alchemy is coming, whose Daoist name is Qinghe."

Qianyuan Mountain sent a disciple who was already training in the mortal realm; he should arrive soon.

As the two were talking, a commotion came from the mountain road. It was a Taoist priest riding a black horse. When he saw the two, he dismounted and greeted them with a smile and a cupped hand: "Hua Yi, the Taoist priest of Qianyuan Mountain, greets you two fellow Taoists."

"So it's Fellow Daoist Hua Yi! I've been waiting for you for a long time!" The young Daoist who was fishing stood up, smiled and cupped his hands, saying, "I am Ning Jue from Mount Kongtong. I greet you, Fellow Daoist."

Xiao Qianli also stood up and bowed, saying, "This humble Daoist is Xiao Qianli, a disciple of Sanqing Mountain, and greets fellow Daoist."

(End of this chapter)