White Bone Demon Trail

Chapter 12 The Cave of White Bones

Behind the temple was a narrow, dark stone path. In the hazy moonlight, a figure appeared on the dimly lit stone path. The shadow seemed to be twisting and turning, making it appear eerie.

Bai Wuxiang was in a rare good mood; he was finally going to have his own mountain gate and cave dwelling. The black raven landed quietly on his left shoulder, its skeletal form rising and falling with its emotions, even the human skin it wore seemed somewhat languid.

The temple is the dwelling place of the gods, but Bai Wuxiang does not wish to be a true god; his dwelling place is in the mountains behind the temple.

There were three or five graves on both sides of the road. One of them was the grave of Granny Zhao, who had passed away not long ago. The others were also newly moved graves, and there was almost no sign of death.

This stone path is only a hundred feet long. It starts at the hidden door behind the temple and ends at a black rock at the foot of the mountain.

Bai Wuxiang walked to the black stone, raised his fingertip, and an eerie black light flashed, landing on the stone and transforming into three large, white jade-like characters:

Skull Mountain

Entering the mountains, one is greeted by a desolate landscape; apart from some weeds and rocks on the hillside, there is nothing else to be found.

On this hundred-foot-high stone mountain, one can occasionally hear the chirping of insects or the small movements of nocturnal animals from the weeds. The moonlight shines on the mountain, turning it into a grayish-white color, which inevitably makes it seem very desolate.

Bai Wuxiang showed no dissatisfaction with this, and continued walking into the mountains with his head down. Along the mountain path, piles of white bones of all sizes began to appear, including the bones of wild animals, and of course, the bones of humans as well.

Ten somewhat withered locust trees stood quietly at the end of the road, subtly conforming to the feng shui principle of gathering yin energy from all directions. In the daytime, the shadows of these ten locust trees would perfectly cover the end of the road, and no matter how the sun rose or set, it would not illuminate the cave at the end of the road.

Bai Wuxiang looked at the dark cave, about ten feet wide, in front of him. This would be his training ground from now on.

He slightly opened his mouth and exhaled a breath, and demonic power rose from his mouth, turning into a light gray-white mist that covered the white bones scattered in front of the cave entrance. The demonic energy clung to each piece of bone and condensed without dissipating. The mist drifted through the locust grove and flowed with the wind. If any mortal were to enter, they would be disoriented by this mist and wander around in circles like being trapped in a maze.

Bai Wuxiang raised his hand again and pointed directly above the cave. His demonic power surged forth, transforming into three large white jade characters that were carved at the cave entrance.

"White Bone Cave"

He looked up at his cave dwelling. Although the hundred-zhang mountain was very small in this land of towering peaks and steep ridges, it belonged to him alone.

The air on the mountain was empty, devoid of both spiritual and deathly energy.

But one day, he will make this mountain live up to its name, covered with skeletons and bones.

After doing all this, Bai Wuxiang slowly walked into the cave. On both sides of the wall, eerie blue flames rose without wind, illuminating the silent cave.

This cave is naturally formed. At the deepest part of the cave, there is a pool of water that is only about two zhang in diameter. The stalactites formed by the water falling from the stone peaks gleam in the dark blue firelight.

The yin energy of the underground water and earth made Bai Wuxiang feel refreshed and relaxed. However, if an ordinary person were here, they would feel uneasy and have a chilling feeling.

Bai Wuxiang sat cross-legged on a five-foot stone platform in the center of the pool, reaching out to release the black crow on his shoulder, letting it go to the locust grove near the cave entrance to build its nest.

He was just about to calm himself down and regulate his breathing when he caught a glimpse of a shimmering pool of water out of the corner of his eye.

A black water snake, about the size of an infant's fist, was flicking its tongue under the rock and slowly crawled to his feet.

Bai Wuxiang frowned. This black snake seemed to have developed a very weak sense of sentience, attracted by the demonic energy on his body and the blood and qi in his human skin, and wanted to absorb the demonic energy.

The black snake twisted its body and climbed onto the black stone platform, flicking its tongue as if trying to discern something, before arching its body to pounce.

Bai Wuxiang originally didn't want to pay attention to the little snake, but since it dared to try to absorb his demonic energy, he couldn't blame himself.

He gently extended his right index finger and pointed it in the air. The black water snake paused instantly, and its flesh and blood began to dissipate from its head. Without any resistance, it turned into a pale white six-foot-long snake skeleton, which fell into Bai Wuxiang's hand.

"These snake bones are different from human bones, so I'll just use them as a handy tool."

Bai Wuxiang sensed his surroundings again. Apart from some fish in the depths of the pool, there were no other living beings in the cave.

He then calmed his mind and drew the surrounding Yin energy into his body, circulating it throughout his body and bones.

Unlike humans, demons and spirits cannot rely on generations of transmission of Taoist teachings through written language, allowing them to cultivate directly without having to figure things out on their own.

The demon race could only explore the mysteries of the spiritual energy of heaven and earth and the physical body and bones in a daze over a long period of time, and only after many years could they gradually develop a cultivation method that suited them.

Bai Wuxiang's true form is composed of 206 human bones, making him a skeleton, so naturally he has no concept of dantian or qi sea.

His limited demonic power was concentrated in his bones, which could also temper his own bones.

In fact, Bai Wuxiang was a white bone demon with only three years of cultivation, and the only demonic power in his body was a very shallow layer hidden in the bone of his forehead.

Therefore, he was extremely frugal with his use of demonic power each time.

The illusion used to massacre Xiaoqu Village was cast by Bai Wuxiang using the resentment of hundreds of skeletons in the deep well of the ancestral hall. His demonic power was just a trigger. If he had killed fewer people in Xiaoqu Village, he would not have been able to leave a single one alive.

This can be considered a clear manifestation of justice; they reaped what they sowed.

As a spirit of the dead, Bai Wuxiang found cultivation extremely difficult in the world. Unlike humans who could freely absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, and ordinary wild beasts and spirits who could absorb the essence of the moon, he could only absorb one type of spiritual energy: death energy!
Death energy can only be born when living beings die, and it will quickly dissipate, sinking into the ground and merging with yin energy, which is the yin energy of the earth.

Of course, this is Bai Wuxiang's own way of calling himself. He has no teacher, no path, no companion, and no method; he can only understand and experience the entire world on his own.

The yin energy or death energy is absorbed into his body and, after circulating through his body via the microcosmic and macrocosmic orbits, transforms into demonic power.

The demonic power within the body is called "force," but if it leaves the body to perform demonic arts, it will transform into demonic energy.

What demon hunters can sense from ordinary demons is the demonic aura emanating from them.

If Bai Wuxiang were to encounter a demon hunter at this moment, then in the demon hunter's eyes, he would be a demon exuding demonic energy!
Besides death energy, Bai Wuxiang can also utilize resentment and hatred, but he can only use it and cannot absorb it into his body to cultivate into demonic power.

But he has a strange spiritual pearl inside him that can absorb the resentment and evil energy of the world and store it inside, so that he can use it to perform demonic arts!

In fact, it is said that the divine power of faith in incense and deities can be stored within it, allowing one to perform divine arts.

Speaking of incense worship, this formless god of Black Stone Village is actually a wicked god who practiced evil rituals and was not officially recognized by the human court.

Bai Wuxiang never truly wanted to be a deity; he merely wanted to use the name of the Black Stone Village deity to have a place to stay, so that he wouldn't always face being hunted down by demon hunters.

A night of cultivation takes no more than three to five hours, which is nothing more than the blink of an eye for Bai Wuxiang.

When the sun rose outside the mountain, Bai Wuxiang also stopped his cultivation.

Although the yin energy inside the cave was beginning to dissipate, the surrounding auspicious feng shui location allowed for a barely sustainable cultivation method.

However, when Bai Wuxiang stood up and looked at his reflection in the water, he had no choice but to stop cultivating.

In the dark cave pool, a tall young man dressed in white robes, who should have had a handsome face, found that his face had sunken down!

His face, which should have been fair and tender, now appeared wrinkled and limp in the reflection of the pool, like a deflated balloon.

Bai Wuxiang sighed, twisted his body, and the skin of the young master of the Bai family slowly floated up, revealing a pure white skeleton in the spot.

Human skin needs flesh and blood to nourish and moisten it, but where would a skeleton get flesh and blood?
Having shed his human skin, his movements were naturally greatly affected. Not only could he not walk under the scorching sun, but even things with strong yang energy would have to avoid him.

Even the speed of cultivation can be affected.

As for the human form that materialized, it was ultimately an illusion, capable only of deceiving the eyes of mortals, but unable to deceive the various energies of heaven and earth. Bai Wuxiang gazed at the human skin and clothes in the air, lost in thought. He needed flesh and blood imbued with the vitality of life to nourish his own human skin.

or...

Find another human skin!
After all, his skeleton is a human body, so human skin would be more appropriate.

You can't just strip a wild animal's pelt and force it on, can you? That would be too incongruous.

Or, how about we have Black Stone Village sacrifice one person?
But as soon as he became the guardian deity of Black Stone Village, he was required to sacrifice living people. In the hearts of the people of Black Stone Village, this formless god became a demon.

However, if Bai Wuxiang were to search for mortals in the wild himself, it would consume a lot of his demonic power. After much thought, he decided to have Black Stone Village offer a sacrifice.

He raised his hand, and a wisp of black smoke flew towards the black crow outside the cave. The black crow let out a strange cry and flew into the mountain stronghold, landing in front of a window.

"Gah~"

The noisy cawing of crows outside the door startled You Junzi, who was already up inside.

He was taken aback, but still opened the door.

The black crow flapped its wings, and a lifelike illusion of Bai Wuxiang appeared before it.

“You Junzi, I need a living human body to sacrifice.”

"You...didn't you say before that you didn't need human sacrifices?" You Junzi replied with an ugly expression.

"Hehe, just find the offerings for me, why ask so many questions?" Bai Wuxiang continued, "If you can't bear to part with the villagers in your village, then go and capture the ones from other villages."

The people in Wulong Village are quite suitable.

Upon hearing "Wulongzhai," You Junzi hesitated, "But..."

“If you are unwilling, then I will personally go out of the cave to find the offerings, but at that time there will be no distinction between friend and foe.”

Remember to deliver it within three days.

As soon as he finished speaking, the black crow transformed into a wisp of black smoke and flew away.

You Junzi clenched his fists, thinking to himself, "A demon is a demon. It wants to eat people now, but who knows how many more people it will harm in the future!"

However, those beasts from Wulong Village truly deserved to die, so I'll help this Wuxiang Demon this time.

……

About 30 to 40 miles outside Black Stone Village lies a swampy valley, where various kinds of animals thrive and multiply, making it the hunting and breeding ground of Black Dragon Village.

Today, groups of villagers from Black Stone Village have wandered into this valley.

The chief, Li Yiguang, looked at the flocks of waterbirds in the swamp and the wild animals drinking on the shore, and said with great joy: "There are so many prey here! Those beasts from Wulong Village are guarding such a good hunting ground and won't let us catch any. We must catch more wild game to take back to the village today!"
"Quick, let's finish catching them and get back while no one's around. Don't be stingy with your arrows, catch as many as you can!"

"Yes! Boss!"

The fifty or sixty men behind him stared intently at the water birds in the swamp and the wild game on the shore, their eyes gleaming.

Everyone took out their hunting bows and shot at their prey. Others grabbed machetes and charged forward, chasing after rabbits, foxes, wild dogs, and other animals on the bank.

Suddenly, the once quiet swamp was filled with the cries of birds, the scurrying of rabbits and the frantic flight of foxes, a scene of utter chaos.

Li Yiguang boldly chased after a wild boar, displaying incredible agility, and smashed it to death with an iron hammer.

Just as everyone was focused on hunting, a startled and angry shout came from afar.

"Which village are you from? How dare you trespass on my Wulong Village's hunting grounds!"

Then a group of more than ten sturdy men came from a distance. The leader was an old man who was rather short. Although his face was full of wrinkles and he had a long beard, he was full of energy.

Upon hearing the commotion, Li Yishan quickly gathered his men, while the third leader, Zhao Lengxiang, secretly gripped the throwing knife in his hand, ready to strike at any moment.

"Who do we have here? It's Li Yiguang from Black Stone Village. You still dare to trespass on my Black Dragon Village's hunting grounds? The villagers who were captured last month are all turned into a pile of bones. Why are you rushing to deliver human sheep to us again?"

Li Yiguang said coldly, "What are you so arrogant about, old man? If it weren't for that old witch last time, she would have captured and buried the people of your village alive!"

That old witch isn't here this time. I'll see if your old bones can withstand a smash from my hammer!
superior! "

As they spoke, the group from Black Stone Village, led by Li Yiguang, charged forward, each wielding a machete and spear. Li Yiguang, in particular, charged ahead fiercely, wielding two hammers, his imposing presence inspiring awe.

The dozen or so men from Wulongzhai had all witnessed this guy's bravery, and for a moment they were all intimidated.

Seeing this, the short old man took a green flute from his waist and said coldly, "My Wulong Village is protected by the Serpent God, how could we be afraid of a scoundrel like you!"

As he spoke, he took a deep breath and suddenly blew the flute in his hand. The strange flute sound echoed in the swamp, and strange sounds came from all directions.

Li Yiguang, who was charging at the forefront, had only been about twenty feet away from the group of people when he suddenly discovered that long worms were crawling out of the ground in front of him.

He didn't flinch, still wielding his double hammers, and with one swing smashed several long snakes into a bloody mess, but this inevitably slowed his pace.

And around the villagers behind him, long worms crawled out one after another, dozens, hundreds of them!

A dense swarm of snakes swam out of the swamp, each flicking its tongue and staring at the uninvited guests.

"How come there are so many snakes?"

Even though Zhao Lengxiang was quite brave, she still couldn't help but feel a chill run down her spine when she saw so many long snakes, let alone the other villagers.

Even though everyone was brandishing knives and spears, these long worms still slowly surrounded them. If there were only a few, the villagers would not be afraid; they would just see food as food.

But the hundreds or thousands of them before them were far beyond their comprehension.

"Wow~"

Suddenly, a wave rose from the water's surface, and a thick, black python emerged, its body over five or six zhang long and as thick as an adult's waist. It lunged at Li Yiguang, who was charging at the forefront.

Everyone was terrified, but Zhao Lengxiang cried out in alarm, "Big brother! Come back quickly!"

But Li Yiguang remained undeterred, charging forward with a fierce look in his eyes.

Just as the giant python lunged at him, intending to entangle the man before it, a bone jade pendant worn on Li Yiguang's chest suddenly emitted a dazzling white light, piercing right through the python.

Its surging, menacing body came to an abrupt halt, its limp form falling to the ground.

Li Yiguang suddenly threw out an iron hammer. The giant hammer, made of iron and stone, reflected silver light in the air and crashed down, smashing into the head of the short old man. His head was smashed like a watermelon, with blood splattering everywhere and flesh flying everywhere.

Li Yiguang picked up the iron hammer covered in blood and flesh fragments from the ground, stared at the stunned crowd from Wulong Village, and said viciously, like a madman driven mad by bloodlust on the battlefield:
"Let's see if you dare to act wildly in front of me again, relying on your evil magic!"

　Sorry for the late update today, I had some things to do. Don't worry, I'll definitely update every day!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)