White Bone Demon Trail

Chapter 31 Mayfly
"Boom~"

A thunderclap streaked across the night sky, marking the end of midsummer's life, transforming into the final rain of summer.

The thunder was deafening, and the rain poured down. Water cascaded down the rocks in front of the White Bone Cave, as if draping a curtain of rain over the cave entrance.

In the pool inside the cave, the water from the underground river gradually rose, replenishing the already dry and cold pool once again.

Bai Wuxiang, standing on the stone platform, cultivated in the cave for over a month before finally refining and stabilizing the demonic power within his body.

He was jolted awake by the thunder. Not wearing human skin, he walked to the cave entrance, looked out through the rain, and muttered to himself, "This summer is finally coming to an end."

The rain in the mountains falls on the white bones, washing away the remains as it flows to the earth, nourishing the fields.

Even within the deathly aura of Skull Mountain lies the vitality of life; the farmland outside Skull Mountain will yield increasingly better harvests.

As dawn broke over the eastern sky, the thunderstorm subsided, and the soil in the mountains was still damp with last night's rainwater.

Bai Wuxiang donned human skin and stepped out of the cave into the light for the first time.

Golden rays of sunlight bathed the green mountains, and the chirping of birds rose and fell, filling everything with vitality.

Bai Wuxiang let the sunlight fall on his body, but the light could not penetrate the human skin and could not shine through the white bones that were already filled with demonic power.

He can finally walk in the sunlight!

Even though the bones within him still harbored instinctive fears, as the master of his body, Bai Wuxiang was no longer afraid of them.

Passing through lush green grass and across fields that had turned golden, Bai Wuxiang arrived at a swamp.

He sensed the approach of death.

As the sun rises in the east, countless ripples appear on the surface of the river. It is not rain falling, nor fish swimming, but the birth of a small insect.

They are...

ephemera.

Sending mayflies to heaven and earth is like a drop in the ocean.

Bai Wuxiang watched silently as countless mayflies, which had been dormant underwater for thousands of days and nights, finally awoke today.

They are born in the morning and die in the evening.

Thousands upon thousands of mayflies fluttered their wings in the sunlight, swimming out of the water and appearing like specks of dust from afar. As they rose from the water, their tiny eyes took in the vast expanse of sky and earth for the first time, fluttering their wings in the air and moving with the wind.

Countless mayflies surrounded Bai Wuxiang. They had no intelligence, but they possessed a keen sense of life and death.

Bai Wuxiang sensed their life and death, and they also smelled death.

Countless shimmering white light and shadows surrounded him, and the sunlight shone with golden light, like the radiance of a god.

Bai Wuxiang chuckled and waved his hand, sweeping away the swarm of mayflies.

“You’ve just been born, how can you die? Even a mayfly should have its own life.”

He concealed his presence, preventing the insects from being disturbed by the deathly aura emanating from him.

So, countless mayflies fluttered their wings and rushed off on their journey.

Countless mayflies took flight, forming a spectacular swarm of insects that flew towards the marshland several miles away.

Along the way, birds hunted and preyed on mayflies.

Countless mayflies are eaten by birds and predators in the grass, and newborn mayflies die as a result, entering the next cycle of life.

Bai Wuxiang followed them to another marshland, where countless mayflies also roamed. By this time, the sun was high in the sky, and thousands of mayflies were mating in this marshland.

They seek out mates, mating head to tail, not for lust, not for selfishness, but simply because their mission is to reproduce.

The funeral of a billion of their kind is their grandest wedding.

Bai Wuxiang watched quietly from the side until, under the setting sun, these mayflies once again rose from the water, thus embarking on their journey to death.

As the sun sets, the sky is ablaze with the glow of the sunset over the mountains. These mayflies, having once again endured the pursuit of predators, return to the swamp where they were born.

As we embark on our journey home, the setting sun scorches the approach of death between our wings.

Their short lives will end in death, returning them to their original origin.

As if taking flight at dawn, mayflies fall onto the surface of the swamp, creating countless ripples, before sinking into the water to lay their eggs.

The lives of these mayflies end when their tiny eggs fall into the water.

The faint traces of death energy, almost imperceptible, gathered into a magnificent black aura, transforming into a hundred-foot-long mayfly that swept across the starry night sky and entered Bai Wuxiang's body.

"Born in the morning and dying at dusk, though brief, it can still be a breathtaking sight."

Bai Wuxiang extended his finger, and the moment his index finger touched the giant mayfly formed from death energy, it burst forth with the light of life, more dazzling than the stars in the sky.

This is the offering made by the mayflies in the swamp to him, praying that he, the "god" in the eyes of the mayflies, would protect the place where their offspring can reproduce.

The death aura at the end of a complete life is different from the death aura produced during slaughter. It does not carry any malevolence, resentment, or bitterness. It is the purest death, a death that contains the essence of heaven and earth.

Looking at the calm water under the night sky, Bai Wuxiang felt as if something was about to burst forth from his heart.

He turned around, left the swamp, and returned to the cave.

By accepting the death energy of the mayflies, one forms a contract with them. Bai Wuxiang will abide by the contract and allow them to reproduce year after year, perpetuating life and death.

I am a spirit that abides by contracts. There are many spirits in the mountains, and in time, my name will spread throughout Yunze Mountain.

Back in the cave, Bai Wuxiang began refining the death energy again. However, this time the death energy was different from before. It did not transform into the demonic power within Bai Gu's body, but instead fused into Bai Gu.

Although it did not increase demonic power, it made Bai Wu more sensitive to death energy.

He could sense the deathly aura within a hundred miles by simply closing his eyes.

This change surprised him, much like the innate demonic arts that a demon would acquire when they became a demon.

His innate technique, as it stands, is to sense death energy.

Although it may seem rather useless, it is still unknown how things will change in the future.

He has always been an extremely patient demon.

As autumn colors deepen in the mountains, the green of the fields in Heishizhai fades, turning into a golden expanse of rice paddies.

Men, women, and children all rushed to the fields, their faces beaming with joy as they harvested the rice. Even the head of the household went shirtless to the fields, tirelessly cutting rice under the scorching sun.

This rice paddy is the soil on which they depend for survival. Without this rice, Black Stone Village would not be able to survive in these mountains.

For them, and for Yunze Mountain, making a living by hunting was impossible.

The scent of prey's blood will attract spirits and monsters from the deep mountains, turning the hunter into prey.

Moreover, cunning wild animals are hard to find, and without a fixed hunting ground and careful preparation, it is impossible to obtain prey in the long term.

Baskets of rice were transported to the village and placed on cleaned blue bricks. The village's only ox pulled a stone mill back and forth, and grains of rice fell to the ground.

Only farmers truly understand the hardships of farming; a hundred acres of land were harvested in just three days.

The subsequent threshing, drying, and, most anticipated of all, the distribution of grain, immersed the entire village in a bittersweet joy.

Unless they were truly destitute, most of them would not have come to the mountains to become bandits.

Xuan Ya silently observed everything amidst the autumn colors, letting Bai Wuxiang know that it was an extreme luxury for these people to be able to survive.

These people, in their struggle for survival and reproduction, toil day after day, year after year, no different from mayflies that live only a day.

A mayfly's day and a mortal's life are essentially the same.

As Bai Wuxiang contemplated the world and pondered philosophy, he couldn't help but wonder what kind of existence he was in relation to the universe.
It is nothing more than this: I observe the mayfly as the heavens and earth observe me.

The demon in the cave was contemplating the world and the heavens, building his own demonic heart day after day.

As autumn approaches, Yunze Mountain, this great mountain, also welcomes many uninvited guests.

One after another, martial arts heroes dressed in tight-fitting clothes and strangely dressed outsiders arrived at the Yunze Mountains, which stretch for eight hundred miles.

And these people each have different desires.

But most people were there because of that earth-shattering dragon roar from months ago.

Hunters hunting in the mountains, woodcutters chopping wood, and villagers in the mountains all said with absolute certainty that they had heard the roar of a dragon on that day.

Whether out of vanity or to have more to talk about, they exaggerated what they saw and heard.

Legends about dragon gods undergoing tribulations in the mountains, true dragons appearing in the world, and many other mountain spirits and monsters spread like wildfire.

But none of this could captivate people as much as the dragon's roar.

On that day, not only the mountain dwellers heard it, but many farmers at the foot of the mountain also heard it. As time went by, the story spread wider and wider, and all sorts of strange tales emerged.

For example, one might receive the help of a divine dragon, which could bring peace to the world, even leading to a high-ranking official position, wealth, or even becoming a general, minister, or king!
As a result, many self-confident martial artists or wealthy people wanted to enter Yunze Mountain to seek dragons and gods.

But in reality, where in these eight hundred miles of Yunze Mountain is there a single god?

There are only countless demons and monsters, and demons disguised as gods!

Not only that, but many demon hunters and demon exorcists also followed the group of mortals into this deep mountain.

……

In Xiaoqu Village, a dilapidated village overgrown with weeds, more than ten people dressed in armor appeared. Among them, one person wore only a wide cloud robe, held a staff, had long hair, and a solemn face.

Behind him, a burly man asked, "Sir, is there something wrong with this place?"

"When we came here, we heard from people down the mountain that there had been a major epidemic here six months ago, and the whole village had died of rabies. Could it be the work of demons?"

Another woman with a voluptuous figure pondered for a moment and then asked.

“That’s right. How could a common plague only occur in one village or one place? This is most likely the work of demons.” The man holding the staff nodded and continued, “Moreover, Dobnar and the other two died in this vicinity.”

The other two spies were one thing, but Dobnar had once studied under me; ordinary demons couldn't kill him at all.

"These three spies from our Great Yuan Kingdom were trained with great care, but who knew that the prince would send them out to find this so-called Corpse-Nourishing Pearl, and they died here in vain," the burly man said with some dissatisfaction.

"Death is death, but at least we know that the demons and monsters in Yunze Mountain are not to be underestimated." The man with the staff looked at the distant mountain, his gaze slightly narrowed. "I have been stuck in the Great Transformation Realm for many years. If there are really any demons and monsters in these mountains, I can capture their demon cores and blood essence to help me break through to the Yuanzhen Realm!"

The alluring woman said with some worry, "But there are no Daoist sects here on Yunze Mountain. Who knows what kind of great demon king might be there? Isn't the risk too great?"

"It's alright. As one of the nine great sorcerers, I specifically asked the Imperial Preceptor for a divine spell before we left. Even if there really is a great demon king, our lives will be safe."

In the western part of Yunze Mountain, a group of men dressed in gray-black clothes entered the Yunze Mountain Range. Each of them carried many strange and unusual items in their backpacks and waist bags.

A handsome man with a mole between his eyebrows followed behind an elderly man with a long beard, who was advising him: "Master, the mountain road to Yunze Mountain is difficult to travel. You are already so old, it is better not to go up the mountain."

With me and my fellow disciples, we can handle most ordinary demons.

Upon hearing this, the long-bearded old man snorted in dissatisfaction, "What do you young people know?"
Yunze Mountain is not like other mountains. No Taoist practitioners have established their teachings here. Many of the spirits in the mountain have cultivated for hundreds of years and their Taoist skills are so profound that even demon hunters may fail to catch them, let alone you young demon hunters.
"At my age, I've never encountered a truly powerful demon. I've spent my whole life catching lesser demons; surely I should catch at least one powerful one? Otherwise, even in the afterlife, I'll have no face to face my ancestors."

……

On the mountain path, a young Taoist priest sat on a rock to rest, while a monkey leaped and climbed back and forth in the forest, startling many birds into flying away.

Upon seeing this, the Taoist priest immediately shouted, "Big Black, come back! Stop causing trouble and making a scene!"

Upon hearing the sound, the black-haired monkey leaped back to his side and let out two strange cries.

……

To the east, a group of four people were walking on the mountain path. The one in the lead was a woman wearing a long, slender, light blue dress with a black scabbard on her back. Her hair was tied up, and she had a beautiful face with delicate features, bright eyes, and a refreshing appearance. She walked with a light and graceful air.

Following behind was a young man with delicate features and a resolute gaze. He wore a crescent-shaped jade pendant at his waist and walked silently behind them.

The third was a man with a smile on his lips. He looked around the mountains with curiosity, occasionally hopping left and right to pick mountain grass and put it into the basket on his back.

The last one was a tall, composed man with a serious expression, watching his surroundings warily.

The man carrying the basket chuckled and said, "Senior Sister Xiao, we haven't seen a single monster along the way. Do you think they were all swallowed up by that Dragon Lord?"

The woman at the front frowned and said, "What Dragon Lord are you talking about? Before we left, Master told us to find out the truth behind this dragon roar. Where did this Dragon Lord come from? Don't talk nonsense, or you'll get yourself into trouble!"

"Oh, I see, Senior Sister." The man said with a smile, "But no matter how powerful the monsters in these mountains are, I'm afraid they are no match for our Senior Sister of Sanqing Mountain!"

Upon hearing this, Xiao Qianli replied, "That's not necessarily true. Yunze Mountain is not like other mountains; it's full of ancient demons. When things get serious, I won't be able to take care of you."

　I saw the mayfly on Douyin (TikTok). The blogger's name is Conan Zoo. The videos are very informative and you can check them out if you're interested.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)