White Bone Demon Trail

Chapter 75: Uprising
When the brand-new Wanxiang Mountain Stele was erected, Bai Wuxiang stood atop the mountain, which was over a hundred feet high. His black and white pupils gazed at the mountains stretching for thousands of miles to the north, the dense forests where beasts roamed, the deep valleys and mysterious mountains hidden in the Yunze Mountains, a place of seclusion and tranquility.

From this moment on, Black Stone Village no longer belongs to the Yunze Mountains. This small mountain, less than a hundred miles long, will enter the world under the name "Wanxiang".

Above the sky, clouds and mist rise from the mountains, creating a complex and turbulent atmosphere. The dust and grime of the world rush in, but the Yunze Mountains to the north provide some protection.

But the surging blood and black energy from the south, like a chaotic dance of demons, mixed together and became a blood-red aura, like a giant wave crashing down and swallowing up Wanxiang Mountain.

The wisps of pale white mist in the mountains are like a small boat, powerless to resist the giant waves.

Once shrouded in this mortal aura, Black Stone Village will face deadly threats from all sides; as the aura circulates, so too will the killing intent arrive.

Such dangers are naturally unseen by ordinary people. They cannot see the five elements and six colors, nor do they know the supernatural powers and destiny. Therefore, when their luck is exhausted and death and disaster strike, they can only offer their necks to be slaughtered!

Bai Wuxiang stretched out his hand, and the wisp of death energy contained in the countless skeletons on Wanxiang Mountain merged with his own resentment to form a thick, dark aura that soared into the sky, transforming into a black pillar of light that shot straight into the clouds.

Inside the Wuxiang Temple, a white beam of light shot into the sky, and the black and white beams merged into a huge Tai Chi fish eye, alternating between black and white, slowly rotating and covering Wanxiang Mountain.

The Tai Chi fish eye is a symbol of the esoteric world, but it is also a derivative of the worldly way: the Tao gives birth to one, one gives birth to two, two gives birth to three, and three gives birth to all things.

All things are myriad forms, and these myriad forms are the forms of sentient beings that Bai Wuxiang has initially come to understand.

Of the four attachments in the profound meaning of formlessness, he has only grasped half of the form of sentient beings, and he has not even scratched the surface of the ultimate form of the lifeless being.

The black and white intertwined Wanxiang Mountain is like a barrier, isolating it from the turbid atmosphere of the mortal world and preventing it from being destroyed as soon as it entered the world.

At the center of the black and white fish eyes is the location of the white formless object.

From now on, his true form will be the eye of the Myriad Forms Taiji Qi. Once he leaves Myriad Forms Mountain, this formation will be destroyed.

Bai Wuxiang looked at the villagers below the mountain and murmured, "You must prepare quickly. Ten years from now, the turbid air of the mortal world will break through the formation and enter. At that time, Black Stone Village will face countless killing intents from the world. Only when Black Stone Village becomes strong can it withstand this calamity."

Although his physical body cannot leave the mountain, the thoughts of the formless demon god are still not restricted and can roam the world to accumulate death energy and resentment for his physical body. At the same time, his physical body can still cultivate demonic power and increase his cultivation.

He pondered for a moment, then focused his mind on the Wuxiang Temple.

Inside the temple, Ah Liu, who had been quite pleased with himself these past few days, was lying on the recliner that the carpenter had hired, sleeping soundly.

In the past three to five days, more than ten people have been recruited from the foot of the mountain. They are all young people who are good at farming and can work in the fields.

Upon their arrival at Black Stone Village, they were inevitably the lowest-ranking members. Given their position, conflicts with the established power holders and those who reaped the benefits were bound to arise.

These people are all his, Ah Liu's, targets!

Just as he was having a sweet dream, a voice suddenly woke Ah Liu up.

He hurriedly wiped the drool from his mouth, jumped up from the recliner, ran to the statue, and knelt down in worship. "Yes, Your Majesty!"

Fine beads of sweat appeared on Ah Liu's forehead. Just now, Lord Wuxiang had sent a telepathic message, actually asking him to go to the White Bone Cave to meet the Lord!

He had never been to Skull Mountain behind the temple—no, it was Mount Wuxiang.

Ah Liu put on his simple old clothes, pushed open the back door, and walked towards Wanxiang Mountain, which was shrouded in thick clouds and mist all year round.

The road was overgrown with weeds, and after walking for a mile, you could see rows of earthen graves. People who died in the mountains in recent years are all buried here.

The earthen mound was covered with weeds and vines, and small animals would occasionally dart around, shaking the grass.

Ah Liu took a deep breath, stepped over the graves, and walked another hundred steps. He found that there was not a single blade of grass here, and the surroundings were eerily quiet, with only withered leaves scattered on the ground and a grove of locust trees.

In the middle of the locust grove lay the skeleton of a tiger. The skeleton showed no signs of decay from wind and sun exposure; instead, it seemed to possess an increasingly spiritual quality, just like a real tiger.

A long bird feather, grayish-brown in color, was stuck on the tiger's back, and it seemed to be surrounded by a wisp of black mist.

Ah Liu carefully took a detour, passed through this area, and stood in front of the White Bone Cave covered with withered leaves.

The cave entrance is about ten feet wide and its depth is unfathomable. When the sun rises, the forest mist closes in, and when the clouds return, the cave becomes dark. The changes of light and dark in this deep mountain cave are not very significant.

Ah Liu's heart pounded as he knelt down respectfully and said, "Ah Liu has come to pay his respects on the orders of Your Excellency!"

"come in."

A clear, cold voice pierced through the many caves and reached his ears.

Ah Liu mustered his courage and stepped into the dark cave.

Unexpectedly, just three steps into the cave, he saw clusters of crimson flames spontaneously erupting from the stone walls on both sides of the cave, illuminating the gloomy and dark cave.

He was relieved to see the cave in the darkness.

Reaching the end of the cave, one sees a cold pool emitting a white mist that flows across the cave floor, obscuring one's feet. Above the pool sits a figure.

Ah Liu hurriedly bowed down, saying, "This humble one greets Lord Wuxiang! May I ask what business you have with me?"

Bai Wuxiang on the stone platform made no move, as if floating around and turning around. He held a bone carving in his hand and used the Xuanxue Needle to slowly outline the face of the little bone carving.

He began by saying, "All mortals have desires, greed, and anger."

Do you wish to be the high priest of a small village of Black Stone Village with a few hundred followers, or do you aspire to be the high priest revered by countless mortals in the Land of Ten Thousand Images?

"This... I dare not! I dare not! I owe my success today entirely to your esteemed trust. I am willing to go through fire and water for you."

Ah Liu, pale as a ghost, hurriedly bowed down.

"Hehe, no need to explain." Bai Wuxiang's lips curled up slightly, and he raised his eyebrows to look at him. "I heard the cry of desire in your heart. The human heart is insatiable, and words cannot hide your heart."

If you want to become the latter, then first help You Junzi strengthen Black Stone Village.

"Yes! Yes! I will certainly follow your teachings, sir!"

Ah Liu could only nod hurriedly.

"Use the divine power I have bestowed upon you to do more practical things for Black Stone Village. In time, people's hearts will naturally discern the truth. You, High Priest, even if you use divine power to intimidate, it is only superficial submission."

To become a true high priest, one must influence people's hearts. How to do so is up to you. Go forth.

"Yes! I have learned my lesson! Ah Liu will certainly not let Lord Wuxiang down!"

After respectfully bowing, Ah Liu turned and left the cave.

Inside the cave, after A-Liu left, Bai Wuxiang continued to lower his head and pick up the Xuan Needle to carve the bone in his hand.

Black Stone Village is no longer a place of protection for him.

For the villagers, his faith was no longer just about incense and divine power, but about their hearts beating for him.

The faint energy of these people gathered into the energy of Black Stone Village, which merged into the energy of Wanxiang Mountain. As the energy rose and circulated, the time came. Black Stone Village and Wanxiang Mountain have now become one.

As long as Black Stone Village remains safe and sound, the fortune of Wanxiang Mountain will not dissipate; as long as the fortune remains, life will be safe.

This fate belongs to Bai Wuxiang himself! That's why Bai Wuxiang intervened to prevent the new life force of Black Stone Village from being wasted in internal strife.

……

"Whoo~"

The autumn wind caressed my face, thick smoke billowed, and wildfires engulfed the deep forest.

The birds took flight in alarm, and the beasts scattered and fled.

The scorching flames devoured the mountains and forests, turning dense forests into charred wastelands after the wildfire.

The villagers of Heishi Village picked up knives and axes, cut down tree roots, and oxen, horses, mules, and donkeys all pitched in to cultivate the newly cleared mountain forest.

In just half a month, Black Stone Village had bought slaves or taken in refugees from the foot of the mountain, and the village now had more than 500 people.

Busy figures could be seen everywhere in the village, renovating old houses and building new ones. These mountain people were busy spending this autumn.

In the village, a dark-skinned boy gazed at the mountains and stood in front of his new house, his heart filled with anticipation.

Li Dabao is fifteen years old this year. He was a slave at the foot of the mountain, but was bought and brought up the mountain. The refined middle-aged man said to him, "From now on, you will be a person of Black Stone Village, no longer a slave serving others."

I've given you a new name, Li Dabao. That's your new name, remember it?

He looked at his own little house with great joy. He thanked everyone in Black Stone Village for changing from a slave into a respectable person!
Li Dabao went back into the house, thinking to himself that he would be able to get married in a few years.

That refined-looking man was the second-in-command of Black Stone Village. He said that according to the village's rules, one must be at least eighteen years old to marry and have children.

This seemed unbelievable to him, considering he had been dealing with human traffickers for several years, and people down the mountain were getting married as young as twelve or thirteen.

Li Dabao had already decided in his heart that from now on he would only listen to the second-in-command and would not listen to anyone else.

……

Black Stone Village became much more lively. Bags of grain were transported up the mountain from the foot of the mountain, and the grain in the granary was piling up. The number of villagers in the mountains was also increasing.

After working alongside the villagers for a few days, Li Dabao gradually became familiar with everything in Black Stone Village.

According to the villagers, the reason their village is so peaceful is because of a temple behind the village called Wuxiang Temple, where a god named Wuxiang lives.

It is the village god of their Black Stone Village, who has protected them from the chaos of war and disaster, ensuring good weather and abundant harvests to this day.

When Li Dabao was carrying his hoe home and passed by the main hall of Dazhai, he noticed an extra wooden board and a group of people gathered around it, discussing it.

He walked forward out of curiosity and saw that it was covered with densely packed words.

"Hey, what is all this writing? Who can read it?"

"I can't read."

"I can't read either."

“Isn’t this Da Wu? You studied with the second-in-command, so you must be able to read. Read it to us.”

Everyone in the crowd was saying this.

Zhao Dawu then explained, "This is because there are more people in the village, and the second-in-command made this rule specifically so that everyone can have enough to eat and wear."

Anyone who breaks these rules will be punished.

It states here that all villagers must be at least 18 years old for men and 16 years old for women to be eligible for marriage.

"What? I was thinking of finding a girl for my son to marry and settle down this year, what... what should I do?"

"Why are you in such a hurry? Aren't there plenty of old bachelors in our village? They're in their twenties or thirties and still single."

"You can't say that..."

"All newly cultivated fields within the village must be clearly defined in terms of acreage and size, and the cultivated land area must be properly regulated. Unauthorized digging and expansion of fields is prohibited."

All fields within the village belong to Black Stone Village; there is no distinction between yours, mine, or anyone else's land. All villagers must work on time, each with their assigned tasks, and no one may slack off or neglect their duties…

The village has more than 500 people, whose residents come from various places and many of them are not related by blood. Only You Junzi himself knows the effort he has put into managing the village well.

You Junzi used the gold mine to buy a lot of grain from the foot of the mountain and stored it in the granary before he dared to recruit nearly a hundred people into the village.

He also planned to expand the village every three years. With the reclamation of wasteland, digging of irrigation ditches, construction of the village and houses, the number of people the village could support increased significantly.

Since we can support more people, let's recruit more. Wuxiang said that Wanxiang Mountain is no longer the Yunze Mountain Range and is no longer a secluded place. In ten years, it will be involved in human conflicts.

Even if he had no intention of amassing troops to rebel, Black Stone Village still needed to have the ability to protect itself.

Zhao Lengxiang selected fifty or sixty people from the village and led them in training in battle formations and martial arts moves every day.

Li Yiguang, on the other hand, led experienced hunters into the mountains to hunt.

The rest of the villagers are mostly busy farming, and the whole village is in a state of constant activity.

Except for the first and fifteenth of each month, when opera troupes from the foot of the mountain come up to perform, every night on these days, the whole village gathers under the stage to watch the opera and listen to the music.

When the first winter snow of the forty-first year of the Nanzhao era arrived, Wanxiang Mountain was already surrounded by fields of farmland.

Bai Wuxiang stepped out of his cave, stood atop the mountain, and gazed at the surrounding farmland and irrigation ditches, marveling at the wonders of humankind.

He reached out and caught a snowflake; the snow melted in his palm, turning into red blood.

Bai Wuxiang looked north towards the mountain. At the northern foot of Yunze Mountain, in Xiaohui Village, the Wuxiang Sect had grown to nearly two thousand members after half a year of development.

When the first snow arrived, Li Xiangzhi, the self-proclaimed leader of the Wuxiang Shangjiao sect, launched an attack on the city.

As snowflakes fell from the sky, a group of soldiers hurriedly climbed up the ancient walls of Zhangyang City and took their positions on the walls, drawing their bows and raising their arrows. A captain shouted from the top of the wall: "What kind of tribes are outside the city? How dare they invade my Nanzhao?"

If you do not retreat quickly, I fear you will all die in exile, and your entire clan will be exterminated!

Before the army of the Formless Supreme Sect was a rather large wooden platform.

Li Xiangzhi stood on it, wearing a bright white robe and holding a magic sword. He shouted loudly: "Today, there are treacherous officials causing trouble in the court, and Empress Dowager Wen is holding the young emperor hostage. We, the Wuxiang Sect, are acting on behalf of Heaven. We invite you to come to our side, in accordance with the will of Heaven and the hearts of the people."

"All you officials and soldiers, upon seeing my divine army, why don't you immediately open the city gates and welcome them!"

"How dare you! Where did these traitors come from? Don't you want your heads? You bunch of rabble?" The captain on the city wall sneered, "My city has eight hundred soldiers and tens of thousands of civilians. How could your troops possibly take it?"

"With the assistance of the Supreme God Wuxiang, how could we fear you?" Li Xiangzhi shouted loudly, bowing and saying, "We respectfully request the Supreme God Wuxiang to help us punish the rebel!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than seven or eight large, fiery orbs, each several meters long, rose from behind the army of followers and suddenly flew into the sky, landing on the walls of Zhangyang City with a deafening roar, destroying several sections of the city wall.

This scene terrified the soldiers guarding the city. As Li Xiangzhi pointed his sword, two thousand followers swarmed forward, their banners fluttering and shouts of battle filling the sky. In just half a day, they breached the city of Zhangyang!
(End of this chapter)