Don't farm, cultivate immortality!

"Then I will speak."

Zhuang Xing then explained in detail about the strange bird delivering the message and his arrival in this place.

The old man remained silent, listening to him speak while sipping his tea.

"Such a strange thing has happened in the world!" the old man exclaimed.

"Please help me, sir," Zhuang Xing said, bowing respectfully.

"How can I help you? I'm just a dying old man. If you ask me how many demonic beasts there are in the world, I can answer a few questions. But if you ask me how to send you back, I'm afraid I can't help you." The old man shook his head.

Zhuang Xing gritted his teeth and took out his diary from his pocket: "I found this book in that old house and learned that the old gentleman had been on the treasure ship. There are few people in the world who are more knowledgeable than the old gentleman."

The old man shook his head again: "What happened to you is too bizarre; I've never heard of it before. How can I help you?"

"However, you have still solved my problem. There is no one else around here except for my place. If you are tired, there is a side room in my house where you can rest for a few nights and I will provide you with a few meals."

"..." Zhuang Xing fell silent.

In the end, it seems that all efforts were in vain.

But he didn't leave immediately. After all, the old man had seen the Bifang bird and had some connection to it. If he went elsewhere, he would probably be even more confused.

He stayed, helping the old man gather firewood and fetch water at night, and making inquiries as much as possible.

"I heard that the man disappeared more than ten years ago. When did you see him, sir?"

"It will be within a few months, just a little earlier than the day Bifang flew in."

"Does the old man know where he went?"

"I don't know. That person only stayed here for half a day. He heard me say that I had been on that treasure ship, and we drank tea together for half a day."

...

Three days have passed.

Zhuang Xing asked the old man about everything he could, and he kept it all in mind.

For three days, he did not fall asleep. It was not that he could not sleep, but he felt that his meridians were gradually becoming clearer. Those hazy, elusive, and confusing things seemed to be slowly becoming clear.

Strange birds, murals, grand dreams...

A hypothesis formed in his mind, and based on this hypothesis, it seemed that the source of all the strange events could be explained.

On the morning of the fourth day, Zhuang Xing, who had been meditating on his bed all night, opened his eyes.

If that's really the case...

He sighed, picked up the sword beside him, and went to say goodbye to the old man.

"Are you leaving already?"

"Thank you for taking care of me, sir. I will take my leave now. I probably won't be able to come back to see you again."

"Is that so?" The old man nodded and took something out of his pocket. "I am an oddball. I have never liked to associate with people since I was a child. I have lived alone for many years, only occasionally accompanied by birds and beasts. In your world, the mountain goblin still has a lifespan. If you can go back, give this to it. In this world, it is probably the only thing that has waited for me for so many years."

"I understand."

Zhuang Xing accepted the object; it was nothing special, just a stone.

The stone is carved with a man in a robe. The man's features are very similar to the old man's. If he were decades younger, he would probably look like this.

It seems to have something in common with that mandrill stone tablet.

Zhuang Xing placed the stone in the pouch at his waist, made a final offering, and left the place.

His figure disappeared into the desolate forest. The old man felt that compared to the panic when he came, his steps were much more powerful when he left.

The Finale (Part 1)

The golden sunrise rose from the edge of the horizon, the clouds shone brightly like fire, and the world slowly became clear.

Zhuang Xing followed beside a farmer, who pointed into the distance and said, "Daoist Master, the Lake God's territory is just ahead..."

Having said that, the farmer stopped and stammered, "Taoist priest... perhaps... perhaps we should just forget about it. The lake god is incredibly powerful. If we anger the lake god and he unleashes a great flood, everyone within a ten-mile radius will suffer..."

Zhuang Xing turned around and looked at the middle-aged man in front of him, whose face was sallow and hungry.

The man avoided eye contact with Zhuang Xing.

Zhuang Xing said, "Uncle, don't be afraid. That lake god is a self-proclaimed deity, just a demon who can speak human language. What deity would ask others to offer him young boys and girls?"

"Once I get rid of that evil spirit, your children will also be spared. I hope you will wait here for a moment. In the future, there will be no more evil spirits in this place."

Zhuang Xing bowed, drew his sword, and turned to leave.

The farmer watched his figure disappear into the morning light, gritted his teeth, and followed him.

But the farmer still dared not make a sound, only hiding at a distance and watching quietly.

As you walk along this road, the lake is bathed in golden light from the sunrise.

Rippling water, shimmering with golden light.

The farmer suddenly widened his eyes and opened his mouth wide.

Beside this beautiful lake lies a gigantic headless corpse, a strange black fish, as large as a ship, even larger than an ordinary sand barge. Standing beneath it, one must look up to see its entirety.

Such a huge creature died on the shore of the lake. Its head had been cut open by something sharp, with a very smooth cut, and it lay beside its body.

Zhuang Xing reached out to touch the fish's scales; they were cold and hard.

He sheathed his sword and looked at the words carved on the blue stone by the lake.

The evil spirit has been vanquished.

The farmer slowly emerged from behind the tree and stared blankly at the corpse.

Zhuang Xing stepped forward and asked, "Uncle, is this the Lake God?"

“It’s the lake god…” the farmer said.

Zhuang Xing said, "The demonic energy here has dissipated, and a sword aura has been carved on that blue stone. Surely no evil spirits will dare to cause trouble again."

The farmer was stunned for a moment: "But Taoist priest... who... who is it that exorcised this monster from the lake?"

He habitually addressed the lake god, but hesitated for a few moments before changing his address, as if he had finally accepted that the wicked lake god who demanded sacrifices of children and livestock from the villagers had died before his eyes.

Zhuang Xing said, "As I traveled, I heard some rumors that if a monster committed evil in a certain place and its name spread, it would one day be found with its head on the ground, dying a gruesome death. Moreover, there would always be an inscription at the place where the monster's corpse was found, saying 'The evil has been eliminated.'"

"It is said that the holy ruler in heaven could not bear to see the suffering of the people, so he descended to earth to slay the evil spirits and restore peace to the world."

"The holy ruler in the heavens..." The farmer looked up at the sky.

He knelt down, trembling, and kowtowed to the blue stone with the words carved on it.

"The Holy Ruler's kindness and virtue are boundless, the Holy Ruler's kindness and virtue are boundless..."

"When Uncle goes back, just say that the Holy Emperor has rid us of the evil spirits," Zhuang Xing said.

"Yes, yes, yes..." the farmer replied repeatedly, his words trembling slightly.

Zhuang Xing helped the farmer up and gave him some instructions.

It is said that this fish demon was transformed from a catfish, but it was merely a catfish spirit that had an accidental encounter, and was by no means a deity.

It is also said that true gods would never ask people to sacrifice living people; as long as the intention is conveyed and there is reverence, that is enough.

The villagers were ignorant and sometimes didn't know right from wrong. They would mistake wild demons for gods and Buddhas and dared not disobey them in anything. But with the title of "Holy Ruler" as a foundation, they no longer dared to do any sacrificial rites.

"Uncle, you can bring others here to see for yourself, so they can know whether it's true or not. Remember, you must never perform any more human sacrifices in the future," Zhuang Xing instructed.

"The Taoist priest's teachings are correct," the farmer nodded.

"Now that the evil spirit has been eliminated, I will not stay here any longer," Zhuang Xing said. "Please go home, Uncle, and tell your wife and daughters this good news so that they can rest assured."

"Go back...yes, I want to go home!" The farmer's eyes lit up.

He had just lifted his foot to leave when he looked at Zhuang Xing again, turned around and said, "Daoist Master, you only arrived at our village early this morning. Did you travel through the night? It will take several days to reach another village. Daoist Master...would you like to rest for a while before continuing your journey?"

"No need," Zhuang Xing shook his head. "Uncle, go home. I'm going home too."

The farmer suddenly understood, and without lingering any longer, he said, "Take care, Taoist priest," and hurriedly left.

Zhuang Xing turned to look at the fish demon's corpse and touched the blue stone.

He raised his head, looked at a path overgrown with cattails, slung his sword over his shoulder, and headed forward.

The fish demon's corpse was still quite fresh. Judging from the cuts and the degree of blood congealing, it was probably killed last night and died on the shore.

Apart from the fish head, there were no other wounds on the fish demon's body; everything was intact.

This shows that the demon slayer's strength far surpassed that of the fish demon who had been committing evil for years, killing it with a single sword strike.

Moreover, he did not covet anything else on the fish demon.

A demon that has achieved mastery of cultivation has value in every part of its body. Its flesh can be eaten to increase one's strength, while its bones, teeth, skin, claws, heart, eyes, lungs, and liver can be used to refine weapons and pills. The demon core condensed in its head is an even greater treasure, with wonderful uses in writing talismans and cultivating one's inner energy.

But the fish demon was completely intact, as if the demon hunter was truly only concerned with eliminating the demon and didn't take anything of value with him after slaying it.

Do such demon-slaying heroes really exist in the world?

No one has ever seen the true face and name of the demon slayer. He doesn't care about fame or fortune; it seems he descended to earth for the sake of the Holy Emperor and to rid the world of demons.

That's probably why rumors of a "sage ruler descending to earth" have emerged.

The legend of this Demon-Subduing Saint Lord is not a recent phenomenon; it has been circulating for decades.

Zhuang Xing first heard this story from an old woman. About twenty or thirty years ago, the rumors of the "sage ruler" began to circulate in various places.

Various theories have emerged, but without exception, the demons that were exorcised all had this appearance.

No one knows who the "Holy Ruler" really is, but many people believe that he is the real Holy Ruler, a god from heaven. In some places, there are even temples built for the Holy Ruler, where stones inscribed with "The evil has been eliminated" are enshrined.

Usually, it's just a small, remote temple, the tallest being about a person's height and the shortest not even knee-high. These temples were built spontaneously by the villagers, and people often burn incense and kneel in front of the stones to pray for blessings.

However, you can only see these temples after leaving the area around Yidu.

That's normal. In a land free of demons, there's no need for a "holy ruler" to exorcise them.

"This sword intent is truly unparalleled in the world..." Zhuang Xing couldn't help but admire in his heart.

Although he had seen it many times, he still couldn't help but admire it.

The sword intent appeared to be only a shallow layer on the surface, but in reality it was integrated with the stone. Even after decades, it had not weakened much, truly having the effect of exorcising evil spirits and demons.