Chapter 161 – Slaying Demons and Expelling Evil, All by My Will!

Within the city walls lay the slow-turning wheel of the mortal world, a scene of bustling crowds and worldly clamor. But deep in the mountains, another kind of beauty unfolded — winter’s chill was pure and keen, the heavens lofty, the clouds light and distant. The little Medicine Spirit strained to carry a single fallen leaf it had tidied up. The leaf was large and broad, and it swayed gently in its grasp. Every vein upon it was clear and elegant, for it was one of the three thousand leaves it had sought out when autumn turned to winter this year.

It had gone to seek out that old spider, more than a hundred years in age, and with a blossom in hand, exchanged it for some crystal-clear silk threads.

They were bright and beautiful.

Threading the silk through the stem of the leaf, the Medicine Spirit hung it high above, letting it dangle. Some hung high, some low, scattered with deliberate charm.

When the wind passed through, it seemed even the air bore traces of its movement. The leaves swayed up and down in the breeze, pleasing to the eye.

The little Medicine Spirit wiped its brow with one tiny hand and let out a long breath.

Today, it has truly done many things.

How hard I have worked!

It scurried back again to fetch some nuts, arranging them neatly upon a stone that had been washed clean by the mountain stream flowing down from above. Pine nuts, melon seeds, and other morsels were all laid out in order, together with some pastries gifted to it by the young Daoist. When everything was finally ready, though the place was small — very small — it was bountiful and rich, like a grand banquet in the human world.

The little Medicine Spirit sat there, awaiting the arrival of its friends.

The first to come was the sparrow family, perched to one side and bringing well-kept osmanthus blossoms as a gift.

The Medicine Spirit plucked the osmanthus and steeped them in water, filling it with a sweet fragrance.

Next came the squirrel family, bearing even more pine nuts.

The hedgehog arrived, hugging two fruits in its prickly arms.

The place grew lively, and even birds passing by could join in. The little Medicine Spirit was delighted, for every year it met both new and old friends here. This mountaintop was an excellent vantage point, from which one could see the city of Zhongzhou Prefecture far in the distance. On New Year’s Eve each year, the city would blaze with lights as bright as day, the currents of the mortal world flowing in ten-thousand-zhang radiance — a sight the little Medicine Spirit always looked forward to.

Man gazes upon the mountain, the mountain’s colors clear, its sea of clouds light.

The mountain too gazes upon man.

The boundless red dust of the mortal world is also a beautiful view.

Yet just as the little Medicine Spirit’s joy had begun to blossom that day, a great wind suddenly rose. Layer upon layer of heavy cloud veiled the view ahead — such times were common atop the mountain; when the clouds grew too dense, all sight would be obscured, and no matter how well one knew the beauty that lay beyond, it could not be seen.

The little Medicine Spirit, however, felt no regret.

Meeting with friends was what brought the truest joy.

Suddenly, another blast of wind came, and a great bird descended from the heavens. Folding its wings, it alighted upon the mountain peak — so vast that its shadow could cover even the great stone boulders. The little Medicine Spirit had never seen such a bird before. After a moment’s thought, it fashioned a cup from peppermint leaves, filled it with osmanthus-infused spring water, pattered over on tiny feet, and held the cup up with both hands, offering it with a face full of delight.

The giant bird lowered its head; its eyes burned a blood-red.

Its wings gave a single beat.

The Medicine Spirit was sent tumbling through the air, precious osmanthus water spilling across the ground.

With a piercing, mournful cry, the monstrous bird stirred a storm about it. Its talons lashed out, and a visiting bird was torn to pieces, blood falling like rain. The scent of it only roused the beast’s ferocity further, murderous aura surging as it came to slaughter — when suddenly it was seized and swept away by a whirling current of wind.

The gale surged violently.

It did not tear the beast apart at once, but instead reversed and spiraled upward, trapping the demon-tainted giant bird in its grasp.

Unable to control itself, it was lifted high and flung away. In that spinning flight, a strand of blood-red sword qi pierced into its very soul, slaying it outright. Its body remained whole, and when the whirlwind dispersed, it crashed heavily to the ground.

As the storm burst outward, the surrounding grasses and trees all bent and fell flat.

Then it became clear that the clouds above were oppressively thick, pressing down in heavy layers. Fierce birds, origin unknown, cried wildly as they wheeled in the sky. The scent of blood here seemed to draw their notice, and one after another they wheeled and dove toward this place, their bodies shrouded in inky miasma, their eyes glowing crimson.

In an instant, their shrieks seemed enough to shatter one’s soul.

Then — a sword cleaved through the sky.

It split apart the cloudbank the vicious birds had gathered in.

The sword, straight as a pillar, thrust itself point-first into the earth. Its blade trembled faintly, and in the void above, it seemed as though endless sword qi hung suspended.

The suddenness of it all left the little Medicine Spirit staring in a daze. Radiance welled within the sword, then burst forth in a single surge — as though the weapon itself possessed spirit. In a heartbeat, countless threads of sword qi spilled and flowed, and though the fierce birds were many, they were still but flesh and blood; beneath this sword qi, they were torn apart in an instant.

Under the sweep of sword qi, blood rained in sheets.

But the little Medicine Spirit did not see that scene. A hand had already covered its eyes, making its small body curl up in fright and tremble hard — until it felt the familiar warmth of that palm, and heard the familiar voice of the little peacock. Only then did it finally relax.

“Good thing I made it in time.”

The young Daoist’s voice carried a faint trace of breathlessness, yet it remained calm and steady, easing the turmoil in the little Medicine Spirit’s heart. After such a fright, it could only tremble in silence, clutching the young Daoist’s hand with all its strength, refusing to let go.

Qi Wuhuo placed the little Medicine Spirit into the hidden pocket within his sleeve, while the small peacock alighted upon his shoulder.

Blood fell like rain, yet none touched within three zhang of the young Daoist.

He had forced his way here, riding the wind.

Once he left Zhongzhou Prefecture City, his Earth-Escape Technique began to slow — a sign that the earth veins were choked with foul, miasmic evil qi, enough to hinder the method itself. The heavens loomed high, the clouds were thick, and the wind carried a damp weight. The young Daoist’s gaze swept into the distance, then drew back. The Lianyang Sword, having at last tasted slaughter, brimmed with savage might.

Even without a wielder, it soared into the skies of its own accord, trembling and humming.

On its own, it unleashed the sword-immortal art Splitting Light and Transforming Shadows — a single sword becoming countless swords, tearing and swirling through the void, rending the many fierce, demonic-tainted birds into rainstorms of blood. When Qi Wuhuo called for it to return, it acted as though it had not heard, only growing more ferocious in its slaughter.

The young Daoist’s fingers formed the sword seal taught by the Shangqing Great Dao Sovereign.

Only then did the sword pause ever so slightly.

It swept once more through the air above, loosing a single arc of sword qi to shred into nothingness a mountain demon-ape fleeing at an extreme distance!

Only then did it return to Qi Wuhuo’s hand.

Its blade was slick with blood, yet there was no danger of corrosion — the sword drank it all away. Still ancient and simple in appearance, it now held a faint warmth, as though reviving. Sensing the sheer ferocity of its aura, Qi Wuhuo began to understand why earlier omens had warned that bearing the Kill the Thief Sword would court mortal peril, yet carrying this one would not.

The Kill the Thief Sword excelled at severing fate and cutting down kings.

But in the matter of pure slaughter, it still fell far short of this blade.

Looking upon the sudden emergence of one monster after another across the land, Qi Wuhuo could scarcely believe his eyes.

“What… exactly is happening?”

“Why have so many demons suddenly appeared?”

Steeling his mind, he drew forth the Northern Emperor Mirror hanging at his waist. Without sparing thought for anything else, he actively sent a strand of his Primordial Spirit into it, recounting all that had transpired this day.

The reply came as if it were the most natural thing in the world — accompanied by unrestrained laughter:

“Hahaha! Little fellow, you’re new, aren’t you? Since the 3,600-year-old grand formation has been broken, it is plain to see — there must be those with designs behind it.

“If we have acted, they are no fools; they will surely respond in kind.

“And remember — our opponents are the most ruthless and deranged under heaven. You didn’t think that just because we show our banner, they’ll meekly stretch out their necks for us to cut, did you?

“Do you know which place in the Three Realms has the highest death rate in internal war? It is precisely here, with us.”

“What of this? We’ve seen far greater matters.”

At once, the sounds of fierce combat rang through, as though the speaker had been engaged by enemies mid-conversation. Then a calmer voice took over: “Focus your mind on killing the foe. Who is in Zhongzhou? Just now, in slaying the enemy, I found a Daoist True Lord who had cast aside the Dao and fallen into corruption, joining their ranks. There is a problem here. Using the arts of our Northern Pole Exorcism Court to force the truth, he revealed seven critical nodes for breaking the formation.

“Zhongzhou is one of them.”

“Who is in Zhongzhou? What is your code name in the Central Heaven Northern Pole?

“Is your cultivation at the level to stand against a True Lord?

“Have you mastered top-tier divine abilities?

“Have you ever fought alone against a direct heir of the Three Pure Ones whose realm surpassed your own, or the direct bloodline of a Great Sage of the demon clans?

“Or could you, by yourself, contend with more than ten orthodox disciples of the Three Pure Ones’ lineage at once?”

The voice rapidly assessed the severity of the trouble in Zhongzhou, judged what rank of Northern Pole Exorcism Court war general would be needed, and began questioning swiftly.

The young Daoist, holding the weapon of slaughter in his hand, replied: “Five-Thunder Judge.”

“No codename as of yet.”

“Realm: Innate One Qi.”

On the other end, there was a moment’s stillness, as though the speaker had drawn in a long breath. Then came the answer: “In that case… hold your ground. Keep your seal on your person. Once we sever the necks of those before us, we will make all haste to your position. But you must remember — since the Northern Pole Exorcist Court bears the duty of pronouncing judgment upon the Three Realms, in such a situation, we must stand at the very front.”

“Only when we are all dead will it be another’s turn.

“Without such resolve, we are unworthy of the name of the Central Heaven Northern Pole.

“If any one of the Northern Pole Exorcism Court encounters an evil spirit and retreats, then cut down his soul, annihilate his true spirit, and erase his karmic ties within and beyond the Three Realms!”

The speaker seemed still to be interrogating a captured enemy, fury in his tone. His grip tightened, and the prisoner’s voice rose in agony: “Do you know who I am? I am a Star Lord of the Battle Division! I have old ties with the Grandmaster Xuandu — you cannot… I demand to see the Northern Emperor! I demand to see the Supreme Grandmaster Xuandu!”

A sharp sound rang out as the blade was drawn, followed by the tearing of flesh and the shattering of a soul.

It was clear that the True Lord had been slain.

That voice spoke coldly: “In the Heavenly Court, to leak information for selfish gain—execution without pardon.”

“…The Five Thunder Judge.”

The previously composed voice exhaled lightly, becoming far calmer as it said, “Go and find the head of the local Earth Spirits in this place. Seek out the spot where the earth veins and spiritual qi are most abundant. I have already granted you the authority of the Northern Pole Exorcism Court. Using the imprint, you can lay down a formation to temporarily draw upon a portion of the power of the Big Dipper stars. But… how long it will last is uncertain.”

“This place where you now stand may well be where the very culprit who directly caused this great formation to be broken resides.”

“The enemy you will face will be at least at the level of a True Lord, with an upper limit approaching that of an Imperial Lord or Heavenly Venerable.”

“But even if you die, you must imprint the reflection of your location into the mark, so that we may find it and avenge you thereafter.”

“And furthermore…”

“If possible—do not die.”

The connection was severed, and Qi Wuhuo could only hear the sounds of slaughter and battle coming from within the mirror. The Northern Pole Exorcism Court was made up of battle generals who fought the most dangerous and ferocious enemies within and beyond the Three Realms. The war gods of the Heavenly Realm all emerged from its ranks, and its reputation for overseeing the ghosts and deities of the Three Realms did not come from executing those immortal gods under the Heavenly Court’s jurisdiction—

—but from clashing against infamous and dreaded baleful gods, forging their renown through life-and-death combat.

Qi Wuhuo lowered his gaze, let the mirror fall to his side, and stepped forward. “Where is the Earth Deity?!”

With a shift in the flow of qi, the Earth God of this mountain was summoned forth.

He too seemed to have gone through a hard battle. Bowing respectfully, he said, “This old one greets the Judge.”

The young Daoist passed over the medicine spirit in his hands. “This is my friend. I ask that you look after it, Earth God.”

“My humble thanks.”

The Earth God looked surprised, carefully comforting the little medicine spirit before taking it, then asked: “Where does the Judge intend to go?”

The young Daoist replied:

“To expel evil.”

To expel evil for Heaven and Earth.

Looking at the young Daoist who had just slain a mountain god with a single sword strike, the Earth God’s face showed astonishment. Then, bowing solemnly, his expression full of admiration, he said, “Truly of the Northern Pole Exorcism Court—this old one thanks the Judge.” The Northern Pole Exorcism Court was entirely made up of killing stars—madmen, it seemed, feared by all—yet only they could command the most righteous thunder under Heaven.

They were war gods, not slaughter gods.

Neither of the Daoist sect, nor of the Heavenly Court—

—but Dharma Protectors of the Three Realms.

Yet Qi Wuhuo had not stepped into this place because of such a title.

The Supreme Dao cherishes deep feeling—joy in seeing all beings; to see them live, unwilling to see them die.

The Immortal Way values life.

Thus, the Supreme One answers calamity.

Pressing his hand upon the sword of slaughter in his grasp, the young Daoist followed his own instincts toward the direction where Lingmiao Gong was located. Along the way, he saw many demons and monsters; even the trees had been tainted by baleful and miasmic qi, twisted into grotesque shapes. Roots bulged from the ground like barriers, blocking the road ahead; their tendrils, like demonic serpents, had already strangled countless living beings.

Sensing the young Daoist’s arrival, the trees let out shrill, eerie laughter. Countless branches surged up, blotting out the sky and sun, sweeping toward Qi Wuhuo, as though to wrap him up entirely—piercing his body with innumerable branches and devouring his flesh and blood.

“Kill, kill, kill!”

“Flesh and blood—your flesh and blood shall nourish me…”

The young Daoist pressed upon his sword—and with a single stroke, cut them down.

The flow and transformation of Innate One Qi.

It was the sword art he had personally comprehended under the guidance of the Great Dao Sovereign—

Able to soar and change, able to slay demons and exterminate monsters; when infused with Innate One Qi, it could dispel calamity and sever water, or draw a river with a stroke upon the earth.

Thus, the demon transformed from a thousand-year-old tree was reduced to ashes beneath a single strike; tens of thousands of branches shattered in an instant, and the road ahead was thrown open. The creatures slain by this arboreal demon, touched by the sword’s qi, had their bodies dispersed and the chance of further turning into fiends erased.

The divine weapon in his grasp let out an ever-sharper cry—

As though seeking to turn and disturb the mind of its wielder.

Yet the young Daoist’s Dao heart was clear as still water; that interference fell into his heart but failed to stir the slightest ripple.

Sword in hand, he charged onward for dozens of li. His blue Daoist robe was already stained with fresh blood, and the sword in his grasp sang all the more freely and fiercely. Even those without discerning eyes could tell at a glance that this was a divine weapon rarely seen in the world. Qi Wuhuo was on his way to borrow the earth veins at Lingmiao Gong’s location to set up the formation of the Northern Pole Exorcism Court, drawing down the power of the Big Dipper stars.

But it seemed his movements had been detected.

Or perhaps even Lingmiao Gong’s own location was in peril—for on the road leading there, a mass of fiendish creatures appeared ahead.

The mountain fiend that had once driven Yue Shiruo to flee for a hundred li was now nothing more than an insignificant member among them.

There were fierce tigers of the mountains, there were monsters that had attained the Dao, and even humans who had once gone missing in these mountains—now all tainted by demonic miasma and all manner of baleful qi, their forms transformed, their appearances twisted and hideous. They had lost their original minds, leaving only the madness and lust for slaughter. Qi Wuhuo slowly exhaled a breath of turbid air. The flow of Innate One Qi within him continued to transform, yet remained calm and unshaken.

His Three Powers were simply too pure and too upright.

Even after fighting his way here he still retained more than eighty percent of his peak state.

In his right hand he held the sword; with his left he ran two joined fingers along the blade. The Five Thunder Judge’s Seal hanging at his side trembled without rest, the young Daoist’s robe sleeves billowing out. At this moment, the thunder force transmitted from the Five Thunder Judge’s Seal was even stronger than before, and the thunder arts and divine abilities of the Five Thunder Judge were now fully unleashed. Thus, upon the divine sword in his grasp, lightning descended.

Qi Wuhuo now knew the true name of this lightning.

Among the Thirty-Six Heavenly Thunder Arts, it ranked tenth—Purple Star Xuanshu Thunder.

It seemed that the high-ranking figure of the Northern Pole Exorcism Court had directly released the full limits of Qi Wuhuo’s Five Thunder Seal.

Its rank surpassed that of the Shenxiao Thunder, the Xuandu Thunder, and the Taiyi Heaven-Shattering Thunder.

Among the thunder arts wielded by the Central Heaven Northern Pole Exorcism Court, it was second only to the Northern Pole Thunder.

This was the power contained within the Five Thunder Judge’s Seal.

Lightning coursed along the length of the sword—originally a bluish-violet—but at this moment it shifted, the bluish-violet becoming turbid, transforming into a blood-red. That blood-colored lightning surged outward, emanating wave upon wave of cold, killing intent. Just as Qi Wuhuo was about to unleash a strike in one breath, a sound suddenly rang out—dragon roars, shaking heaven and earth, reverberating through the four wilds.

Raindrops began to fall. Suddenly, the rain grew heavier, the threads of rain weaving together, directly enveloping all those demons within it. One by one, they were bound fast, stripped of their former strength and madness. The young Daoist lifted his gaze slightly; the blood-colored lightning upon his sword’s edge dispersed. He raised his head and beheld the thick, layered sea of clouds—and then, a massive figure appeared.

Its head was like that of a camel, its horns like those of a deer, its eyes like those of a hare, its ears like those of an ox, its neck like that of a serpent, its belly like that of a giant clam, its scales like those of a carp, its claws like those of an eagle, its palms like those of a tiger. Upon its back were eighty-one scales, embodying the full number of nine-nines of the yang count. Its voice was like the clash of a bronze gong. Beside its mouth hung whiskers; beneath its chin was a luminous pearl; at its throat was a reverse scale; upon its head rose a Boshan crown. When it gave a long roar, the sound shook the four wilds, awe-inspiring and majestic, with thunder accompanying its presence.

It was a dragon.

Qi Wuhuo felt a sudden stir within his heart. He slightly lowered his sword, and the killing intent he had carried in his charge eased somewhat.

The colossal dragon gave several long roars, quelling the demons in the vicinity, and then transformed into an old man. His expression was stern, his face bore scars, and he appeared before Qi Wuhuo.

They had met before—in a great rain amidst calamity—and now, it seemed, in this falling rain, the meeting drew to its close. Yet it was again in the rain of disaster that they met. The old man looked upon the young Daoist before him, sword in hand, his robe sleeves marked with patterns of thunder, and sighed with emotion. Then, just as on that day, he clasped his hands together and smiled.

“Wuhuo.”

The young Daoist—

—who was also fated to one day take this old man’s life as the Central Heaven Northern Pole Five Thunder Judge—answered, “It has been a long time.”

“Elder Ao.”