Chapter 165 – Slaying Demons and Banishing Fiends!

The upheaval within the Zhongzhou Prefecture City, more than two hundred li away, was something Qi Wuhuo could not possibly know of in detail. All he perceived was that the Human Qi within that city suddenly collapsed; then endless demonic miasma and foul vapors surged forth, while in the art of gazing at qi, he saw blood-colored air filling the heavens—clear proof of even fiercer slaughter breaking out.

Qi Wuhuo instantly realized that something had gone wrong in the Zhongzhou Prefecture City.

He held his sword, intending to rush there, yet just as he lifted his steps, he halted. Though his heart still harbored worry and countless other emotions, reason remained uppermost. His blade pressed against the earth, its wailing cry of slaughter faintly subdued. Ao Liu, having assumed the form of an old man, asked: “Will you go to the Prefecture City?”

“…No. Their target is not the Prefecture City.”

The young Daoist replied.

With a sweep of his sleeve, the jade scroll bestowed by Tao Taigong unfurled. Upon it, the location of the Zhongzhou Prefecture City lit up, then spread outward. The number of cities illuminated was vast. Lord Lingmiao and Ao Liu both grew solemn, while the young Daoist spoke:

“Within the Zhongzhou Prefecture, aside from the Prefecture City, there are over a hundred county-level cities. As for the towns and villages stretching outward from these cities, they are beyond counting.

“The Zhongzhou Prefecture is a greater domain than Jinzhou, its populace numbering in the tens of millions.

“The Prefecture City is only the beginning…”

The young Daoist’s finger pointed at the scroll. From the Zhongzhou Prefecture City at the heart, rings of great cities radiated outward like layers of defense. Each one lit up, spreading farther and farther until the whole of the Zhongzhou Prefecture blazed, as if engulfed in flames, collapsing bit by bit.

Lifting his head, the youth’s voice grew hoarse:

“Thus… our goal now is not to rush back and aid the Zhongzhou Prefecture City.”

“That city already has the finest generals of the entire Prefecture. If everyone rushes to its aid, the cities elsewhere will immediately fall into peril. Then we will be led by the nose, unable to act, forced only to watch as the Zhongzhou Prefecture is utterly consumed and collapses… just like Jinzhou in those years past.”

Qi Wuhuo drew in a slight breath and said: “To sever their arrangements in advance…”

“And then rally the strength of the various cities to return in aid of the Zhongzhou Prefecture City.”

“Only then is there a chance to resolve this matter in the shortest possible time.”

“Lord Lingmiao, I must trouble you to command the local Earth Deities to pass word. Elder Ao, I also ask the deities of the Water Mansions to bear the messages… their speed in conveying tidings is far swifter than ours, and they share bonds of trust with the local folk. In addition, there must be some who go forth to guard the villages and hamlets, at the very least to keep watch…”

The youth gripped his sword. Lord Lingmiao noticed the faint tremor in his hand and sighed:

“To wield such fierce flames as you just did, your body is already injured, is it not?

“The starlight blessing of the Northern Pole Exorcism Court has also been exhausted. Do not force yourself any further.”

“What remains should be left to us.”

“The immortals, gods, and cultivators of the Zhongzhou Prefecture are not yet all dead. It is not yet the turn of a mere child to shoulder this burden…”

Qi Wuhuo clenched his hand. Just earlier, when he had pierced directly through the calamity of tribulation fire, the searing heat had shattered the protection of astral power. He could feel parts of his body nearly necrotic. Only the Innate One Qi sustained his consciousness, preventing him from perishing outright. Yet the torment of blazing fire was no illusion.

His wounds shed no blood—because it had already been vaporized and dispersed.

The young Daoist answered: “In this matter, I beg you to allow me to take part.”

Lord Lingmiao frowned slightly. “Oh?

“For what reason?”

The youth replied: “Seven years ago, there was once such a group of people who saved me. Now, I wish to do as they did in those days.”

Lord Lingmiao gazed at the young Daoist before him for a long while, and at last sighed: 

“Do not act recklessly. You, too, have already reached your limits.”

“…Yes.”

The Zhongzhou Prefecture was vast, the very heartland of the mortal realm. Qi Wuhuo had already made his judgment, and the Earth Deities spread word with the utmost swiftness, so that the cultivators of every city realized—the problem did not lie solely with the hordes of savage fiends sweeping across heaven and earth, but far more within the cities themselves, within that Human Qi and Destiny which all had instinctively believed could never be broken.

At this time, Qi Wuhuo also chose to join with the Earth Deities to resolve the few remaining cities.

He knew that only in this way could the calamity be cut off at its root.

The young Daoist swept his long sword. That Lianyang Sword—which had pierced through the colossal three-headed demon god of foul miasma—seemed now to have undergone a profound transformation. In battle, a mere light swing was enough to split the foe before him cleanly in twain. Almost no strength of his own was required, and this greatly eased Qi Wuhuo’s consumption.

The fiends before him were slain and shattered; under the slaughter of this sword, not even a drop of blood remained.

From the street ahead, more demons, having sensed the qi here, turned as one and rushed toward the young Daoist. Qi Wuhuo slowly exhaled a breath. Borrowing upon the faint lingering divine might within the Five Thunders Judge’s Talisman, a fierce brilliance flashed in his gaze. His right hand held the sword crosswise before him, while his left formed a Daoist seal to press upon the blade.

Thunder—

Descend!

From above, one would see that in the blink of an eye, the streets of this city flared with a blazing white light. In but an instant, it pierced through an entire thoroughfare. The long sword carried the young Daoist as he flashed past; in the space of a heartbeat, dozens of demons were reduced to blackened cinders.

The fierce qi recoiled, and the youth stumbled a step, barely managing to steady himself with the sword braced against the ground.

He spat a mouthful of blood; his face had turned utterly pale, drained of all color.

The breaths of fire and thunder surged chaotically within his body, forcibly suppressed only by the Innate One Qi. The young Daoist wiped the blood from the corner of his lips, his gaze cold and deep. Lifting his head toward the City Lord’s mansion, he moved to advance—but before he could, the great formation of human destiny that safeguarded this city had already reawakened once more.

Before him, others had already fought their way through the demons on this street, carrying out the Earth Deities’ work of passing the message along. He saw broken swords scattered about and fallen men lying across the ground.

An old Daoist emerged, leaning upon his sword, supporting a monk whose arm had been severed.

“Dao-friend, the Human Fortune of this place has been reawakened.”

The old Daoist’s expression was dim as he replied:

“The original City Lord, upon discovering he had been parasitized by a demon…

“Set himself aflame.”

“He said that having studied books all his life, he knew well how the four words ‘sacrifice oneself for righteousness’ are written.”

On Qi Wuhuo’s jade scroll, the point of light representing this city’s destiny flared anew. Almost at the same instant, three more cities lit up as well. While he had been locked in bloody battle, in the other great cities, second only to the Zhongzhou Prefecture City, the power of human destiny was restored one after another.

Thus, the chain formation that would have incinerated the whole of the Zhongzhou Prefecture was severed outright, the calamity contained within a certain boundary.

The spread of demonic miasma was cut off.

Yet there was no time for respite—something even more vital remained.

Next was to cut down every demon within this boundary.

Qi Wuhuo lifted his sword, his fingers stiff and unresponsive.

After a moment’s thought, he tore a strip of cloth from a nearby wine banner and bound the sword to his palm, lest his body’s weakness cause the weapon to slip from his grasp.

The Innate One Qi coursed and shifted within him, barely propping up his failing body as he leapt into motion. In truth, the vast majority of people in the Zhongzhou Prefecture did not live within the great cities, but in the countryside, in villages beyond the walls. In such places, there was no human destiny to shield them—only the Earth Deities still fought with all their might, and the remaining cultivators too had begun to act.

All of it was like a reversal of the calamity of Jinzhou seven years past.

Meanwhile, within the Zhongzhou Prefecture City, the destiny formations of the other cities now shared its burden. The Xuan-Armored Army was at last able to catch a breath, though they still held firm at the foremost line, where the pressure was greatest. Comrades continued to fall, to die. Yet at least this time, they did not need to turn their blades upon their own kin.

The defending general gritted his teeth and roared: “Men of the Zhongzhou Prefecture—hold the line!

“Have we soldiers ever been taught to stand by and watch as our comrades fight to the death while we remain unmoved?!

“For the soldier’s way is to die in battle—never to flee for life!”

The White Radiance Army of the Zhongzhou Prefecture pressed forward into the front ranks. The iron-cavalry captain of the Xuan-Armored Army cast him a glance and said: “You are no match—why still come forward?”

The general’s expression twisted with ferocity: “If one cannot withstand, then two shall. If two cannot withstand, then three. If three cannot withstand, then five.”

“This is the Zhongzhou Prefecture. Having been a soldier here all these years, there is no reason to flee.

“Xuan-Armored Army—do not look down upon us!”

He fought with all his strength until at last he was struck down by a wolf demon’s pounce, his ankle torn away, his body cast into the heap of corpses. Even so, in his final roar, he locked his arms around a demon and crushed it to death before perishing, eyes wide and unyielding. Around him lay the corpses of the White Radiance soldiers, and those of the Xuan-Armored men who had once returned to a peaceful life.

Immediately, another White Radiance soldier, waist marked by his white insignia, rushed forward to take his place.

With a furious roar, he charged into the fray.

This was the breach where the horde of demons pressed their assault.

The space was narrow, within the city walls, leaving little room to evade.

In the army’s formation, unlike the ways of the martial world, there was only trust in one’s comrades—advance straightforwardly, without weaving or dodging. To break the rhythm was to throw the whole formation into chaos. Here was a grinder where lives were traded for lives. There could be no fear, no retreat.

The wind swept across the place, across what was once a broad avenue, as block by block, the qi of human destiny was rekindled anew.

The Old Daoist exhaled, his body already utterly weary.

All the way from Lianyang Temple, he had come here, slaying demons and saving the common folk. Yet now, at last, he could go no farther. With a sigh, the old Daoist slowly raised the sword in his hand. Ahead, on the path, a figure in Daoist robes stood waiting.

The man’s robes were stained with blood, his hair-knot disheveled. One arm was gone, and in the other hand, the coin-sword hung shattered and askew. He was already dead; what remained was nothing more than a corpse corrupted by baleful miasma.

“Fellow Daoist Li of Chunsheng Monastery…”

The elder Daoist’s gaze was filled with sorrow. In the end, he lifted his sword and intoned softly:

“Supreme Heavenly Venerable…”

That dead thing let out a hoarse roar and charged with its broken sword. The weighty coin-sword came crashing down, colliding with the Daoist’s Dharma Sword, sparks flying from the impact. Its eyes were murky, the whites gone, leaving only black pupils, and from its mouth spilled a mindless rasp: “Slay demons… banish fiends…”

The elder Daoist’s heart ached with grief. He replied:

“Yes. Slay demons, banish fiends.”

The two Dharma Swords clashed, crossing again and again, and a fierce battle ensued.

And at the root of all this—the seat of it all—within the very core of Zhongzhou’s prefectural city, the City Lord’s residence had been utterly transformed into a grotesque creation of blood and flesh, of vines, massive leaves, and flowers. The roots pulsed with a crimson hue, as though intent on devouring all. Faces emerged upon the branches and leaves, wailing in unison, while the former City Lord had long since been reduced to a shriveled husk of skin, his flesh and essence drained away.

The branches and tendrils stretched outward, seeking to bore through the entirety of Zhongzhou City, to become an incomparably vast and dreadful demon. Yet here a gentle, radiant light flowed, suppressing by sheer force the overwhelming malice that should have driven all to despair. A monk, clad in grey robes, stood calmly with palms joined.

His own Buddha-light collided with the immense baleful qi of the City Lord’s mansion, each wearing the other down.

“Monk…”

“You are a man who has left the household—why torment yourself so?” [TL_Note: In the Buddhist context, it refers to someone who has renounced ordinary family life to join the monastic order—essentially, a monk or nun.]

“Hmph, the miasma of evil is endless. Your Buddha-light, however, is conditioned, finite. Why stain yourself with this karma?”

The monk in grey robes replied: “All beings dwell within the red dust. Who can claim to be untouched by karma?”

“To say one is untouched by karma is no more than turning one’s back on the multitude, never attaining awakening.”

His eyes remained tranquil as he murmured to himself:

“So that fortune-teller—why was he so ostentatiously waiting for me here in the prefectural city of Zhongzhou, not fleeing, not hiding?”

“So it was because of you.”

“He foresaw this calamity, yet knew that if he spoke of it, what he divined would lose its accuracy. Thus, he dared not utter a word, but feigned madness and foolishness to lure this humble monk here, that I might restrain you… As for divinations of fate and destiny, this poor monk does not understand.”

“But with his timid and death-fearing nature, unskilled in battle, that he could achieve even this much is already astonishing.”

The baleful qi within the City Lord’s residence surged, vast enough to engulf the entire city. At this moment, the monk pressed his palms together.

His eyes closed. His very body became light, straining to resist.

It seemed as though the wails of countless souls rose and fell at his ears, hoarse voices urging him:

“You cannot endure this.”

“You cannot endure it!”

“Give it up, monk. Leave this place.”

The monk kept his eyes shut, speaking not a word.

The Dharma is here.

The mortal world is here.

All beings are here.

What need is there for further speech?

With palms joined, his voice was calm: “Cibei.”

[TL_Note: “慈” (cí) – Mettā in Pali, maitrī in Sanskrit. It means loving-kindness — the wish to bring happiness to all beings.

“悲” (bēi) – Karuṇā in Sanskrit. It means compassion — the wish to relieve all beings from suffering.

Together, 慈悲 expresses the great compassionate vow of a bodhisattva or enlightened monk: to save all beings, without discrimination.]