White Bone Demon Trail

Chapter 33 The Spirits of the Mountains
The autumn wind sweeps across the mountains, the trees rustle, the grasses wither, and the frost and fog are thick.

As autumn deepens, the scorching heat of August has arrived before we know it.

The white figure in the cave was quite unusual. The people here didn't celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival; the fifteenth of August passed by uneventfully.

As time passed, the fog in the cave gradually thickened, and the white mist had spread up to the calves, making the White Bone Cave truly resemble a celestial paradise.

The little white fox, who had gradually become familiar with the cave, frolicked and played in the mist, which would occasionally transform into the shapes of various wild animals, much to the little white fox's amazement.

On the stone platform in the cold pool, Bai Wuxiang quietly watched the white fox. The changing mist was all influenced by his thoughts, which was used to forge the white fox's fearless heart.

A fox's heart has nine apertures, and it should be fearless above all else. Otherwise, no matter how exquisite the illusion, it will easily reveal its true colors.

The little white fox is no longer as fearful as it was when it first arrived; it no longer screams even when it sheds its human skin.

He stared at the little white fox for a while, then withdrew his attention and turned to the black crow.

At this moment, the Black Crow was neither on Skull Mountain nor in Black Stone Village, but was perched on the branch of an ancient tree, silently watching a group of elves chattering and clamoring below.

Under the tree, there was a fat, wolf-like wild rabbit, holding a handful of green grass in its hand. As it stuffed it into its mouth, it muttered, "Have you all heard? A group of ruthless people came from the north side of the mountain and captured a lot of little demons and monsters. I heard they're not locals."

A toad, as big as an ordinary wild rabbit, lay on the ground and croaked, saying, "I've heard about it too. Those people are really no good. I think I'd better make a nest and get some rest this year."

"Hehe, you bunch of cowards." A little boy with pigtails and wearing a red bib sat on a crooked tree and said with a grin, "I think these people are after us. Why don't we go and meet them?"

"Come on," the fat rabbit stuffed another handful of wild grass into its mouth, its lips agape. "Who knows how many people have come into the mountains now. There are a bunch of mortals wandering around aimlessly, but there might also be some experts who have come to take us away."

I heard that three or five village gods in the northern village have been captured! The village gods in the dozen or so small villages were so frightened that they all ran into the deep mountains to hide.

"With our little tricks, aren't we just handing them over to someone else?"

"Hmph, that's because you lazybones!" the little boy said discontentedly. "All you do is eat and sleep all day. I've cultivated several demonic arts, and in another thirty or fifty years, I might become the village god!"

"Croak! Lingzhi Baby, now that you've become the village god, don't forget about us! We'll come to your village and enjoy some good fortune too," the big toad said with a smile, flattering him.

"Enjoy life! We want to enjoy life too!" Several wild insect spirits in the haystack echoed.

"Hehe, Lingzhi baby, how many years of cultivation do you have, and you dare to dream of becoming a village god?"

A sarcastic voice rang out, and a large, spotted python, over two zhang long, twisted its body and crawled out of the haystack.

The moment the python appeared, fear appeared on the faces of all the little spirits. Pythons are among the most powerful of all spirits and monsters; these little demons and spirits were no match for it.

The Lingzhi Doll retorted, dissatisfied with these words, "No matter what, I've been a demon spirit for sixty years. Just because you're bigger doesn't mean you're stronger than me!"

"Hmph, you little demon who's turned into a plant spirit, even if you cultivate for a hundred years, you're still no match for an ordinary village god." The flower python said contemptuously, "If I cultivate for another twenty or thirty years, I'll be able to easily surpass you. At that time, you'd better hide your body well, lest I accidentally swallow you whole."

"Tch, you python demon, you've only been cultivating for a little over twenty years, and you dare to plot against me! Be careful, one day you might get targeted by those old birds in Cang Shen Village and have your gall bladder torn out." Lingzhi Doll retorted defiantly.

"This area is a no-man's-land. Cang Shen's stronghold has no jurisdiction here." Hua Mang said nonchalantly, "You'd better be careful. I heard that Black Stone Stronghold reopened recently. In a few decades, they might find you."

"Speaking of which, why doesn't the village god of Black Stone Village eat people?" The fat rabbit spirit leaned back against the tree and asked in a low voice, "The village gods of other villages all offer human sacrifices, but this Wuxiang God looks rather scary, yet he doesn't seem to kill much."

"Who knows? Maybe they want to feed too many people and eat them all at once?" The toad spirit moved closer to the fat rabbit, subconsciously moving away from the flower python.

"Who cares what's going on? As long as we have enough forest and land to live on, that's fine," a mountain sparrow chirped.

"I've heard that the Wuxiang Village God grants all requests. Do you think we'll get any benefits if we go and worship him?" Fat Rabbit asked, his eyes darting around.

"Then what will you use to beg? Your rabbit skin?" The python spirit glanced at it disdainfully. "Even the wild boar spirits in the mountains don't have as much fat as your rabbit. I'd find it too greasy to swallow."

"Goo~"

The fat rabbit spirit swallowed hard, not daring to utter a word in response.

"You guys are wondering, how come this Wuxiang God suddenly appeared? We've all lived in this area for decades, how come we've never seen this village god before?" Lingzhi Doll asked in confusion.

The python shook its head and said, "Perhaps it came from some demon cave outside? But why is such a powerful demon hiding in the mountains instead of taking advantage of the chaos to go down the mountain and cause trouble?"
If I possessed such powerful sorcery, I would definitely go down the mountain and show it off!

"Ah~"

The black crow in the tree cawed softly, then flapped its wings and flew away.

Bai Wuxiang, inside the Skull Cave, also calmed down. He had thought that these mountain spirits, having lived in the mountains for decades, were well-informed and could hear about the humans who entered the mountains. However, he did not expect that these spirits were uneducated and, even after living for decades, their wisdom was still inferior to that of a educated young boy.

Bai Wuxiang never let his guard down; he absolutely could not underestimate cultivators among humans.

That night, he specifically sent a dream to A-Liu, asking him to inform You Junzi that no outsiders should be welcomed into the village recently.

Ah Liu, who had received a dream, woke up early the next morning and recalled the events of the dream. Not daring to be careless in the slightest, he immediately got up and went to the village to find You Junzi.

When Ah Liu saw him early in the morning, You Junzi was dressed in a dark long robe, his hands behind his back, standing on the rooftop looking at the mountain shadows in the distance through the mist, and reciting with great interest:
"The white clouds have faded into dusk, the dark clouds are just beginning to form. The crickets' chirping grows mournful, then the wild geese cry urgently. The pond stretches wide, the peaks rise steeply. The evening clouds gather, casting shadows over the sky, and I ride in the carriage into the twilight..."

Its melodious and elegant sound echoed among the clouds and mist, truly giving it the air of a famous scholar, which made Ah Liu feel envious.

You Junzi noticed someone's arrival, turned around, and smiled, "So it's the High Priest. Is there something important?"

Ah Liu was dressed in ordinary clothes today and did not put on any airs. He cupped his hands and said, "Second Master, you are truly elegant. I came here today because Lord Wuxiang told me not to let anyone from outside the mountain enter the stronghold in the near future."

As for the reason, Lord Wuxiang said you should know it in your heart.

Upon hearing this, You Junzi's expression hardened slightly, and he nodded, saying, "I understand. Please rest assured, Lord Wuxiang."

After exchanging a few pleasantries and seeing Ah Liu off, You Junzi slowly sat down to ponder. Most of the people who came from the mountains were there because of that dragon's roar from before. Many of them were from the martial arts world, but there must also be true masters, such as demon hunters or demon catchers.

As for the demon Wuxiang, he was hiding in the village, naturally worried about being discovered.

Informing him was also a way to prevent myself from doing something foolish in a moment of impulse.

You Junzi knew very well that the village still couldn't do without Bai Wuxiang, this demon disguised as a god.

Demon hunters may offer temporary protection, but they will never protect Black Stone Village forever. Once these people leave, Yunze Mountain will once again be a haven for demons and monsters.

Days passed by, and before they knew it, it was the end of August. Waves of martial arts practitioners and demon hunters came to Black Stone Village, but You Junzi turned them all away.

But these people did not give up. After repeated inquiries, they found that many of them were wandering around Wulongzhai and Heishizhai.

After all, the dragon's roar came from Wulong Village back then. Even though Wulong Village no longer exists, Heishi Village, which is closest to it, must know some of the truth about what happened back then.

Some of the top martial arts masters came to ask him questions, and even Li Yiguang and Zhao Lengxiang were no match for him. You Junzi had no choice but to ask Wuxiang if he should tell him something.

However, there was no indication from the Wuxiang Temple. Only the High Priest himself came out of the village to fight against the top twenty martial arts masters on the list.

But even if martial artists in the martial arts world are highly skilled, how can they be a match for demons and evil magic?
In just a few breaths, the martial arts master was paralyzed, suffered multiple fractures, and returned home in a crushing defeat.

This deterred the people outside Black Stone Village from easily offending them, and they all retreated or simply quieted down.

Bai Wuxiang, inside the cave, watched the scene unfold before the stronghold, pondering when this rabble would finally leave.

If you don't want to fight these humans, then don't let them gain anything. Otherwise, throwing away their flesh and blood will only drive them even more insane.

Regarding the legend of the dragon's roar in Wulong Village, everyone in Heishi Village claims to know nothing about it, only explaining it as a mistake by the mountain people, without mentioning the events of that day at all.

In the blink of an eye, a month had passed since those people entered the mountain. The dragon-seeking frenzy in the mountains gradually subsided, and many martial arts practitioners and ordinary people alike began preparing to descend the mountain.

After all, autumn was deepening and it was getting colder and colder on the mountain. If they continued searching, the heavy snow would likely close the mountain and they would die.

But those who are truly capable have not yet left.

The spirits and monsters in the mountains attracted them even more.

On this day, in the White Bone Cave, Bai Wuxiang, who was cultivating in seclusion, suddenly opened his eyes. He put on human skin, took several magical artifacts without hesitation, and turned to leave the cave.

A sharp and high-pitched eagle cry came from the horizon, shaking the mountains and fields and startling many demons and monsters.

This is……

The village god of Cangyun Village!
Recently, many villages in the mountains have been deserted, but those are all small villages, and the so-called village gods are nothing more than minor demons and monsters who have cultivated for about 60 years.

Even today, an angry eagle's cry echoes through Cangyun Village, terrifying all living beings within a radius of nearly a hundred miles.

The demons and monsters were all terrified; the humans were about to attack a large stronghold like Cangyun Village!
Yunze Mountain stretches for over 800 li, containing 36 strongholds of varying sizes, among which the nine largest strongholds are the most powerful.

Apart from Wulongzhai, which disappeared a few months ago, there are still Cangyunzhai, Gusongzhai, Shangmiaozhai, Heishuizhai, Baishuizhai, Jiantoulingzhai, Huwangzhai, and Heishizhai.

Even though Black Stone Village didn't have a village god before, it still had two or three hundred people, making it a large village.

In fact, You Junzi once said that when the village was first established eight years ago, Heishi Village had more than 500 people. Unfortunately, over the years, many people have died at the hands of mountain spirits and monsters, leaving less than 300 people.

In the other smaller villages, both newly built and dilapidated structures are common, but these large villages, apart from Black Stone Village which is a new village, are all ancient villages.

The Wuxiang Village God of Black Stone Village, after joining forces with the Azure God to destroy Black Dragon Village, intimidated all the mountain spirits.

Now, someone has targeted the village god of Dazhai!
Moreover, they targeted Cangyun Village, which is located to the north of Black Stone Village.

Without the natural barrier of Cangyun Village, Tiger King Village would likely move south, and Bai Wuxiang would have to face the legendary Mountain Lord's majesty.

Cang's sharp eagle cry was a plea for help from the mountain spirits and wild monsters in all directions!
To be able to force a demon to seek help from within its cave, its strength must far surpass that of the Azure God.

Bai Wuxiang stopped outside Cangyun Village; even if he were to offer assistance, he would not easily take any risks.

A black crow flew up from above his head and entered the chaotic village.

But then they saw a giant ape, several meters tall, ignoring the villagers' attempts to stop it, swinging its fists and easily crushing the surrounding mountain demons into clumps of bloody mud.

Even though every villager in Cangyun Village cursed and shouted, no one dared to approach the monster, and they could only curse from a distance.

"You sorcerer! How dare you destroy our village's temple!"

"You fiend, we of Cangyun Village cannot keep you here! Get out of here!"

"That's right! How could our Lord Cang Shen be a demon? Cang Shen is the guardian deity of our village!"

Even more cacophony and foul curses reached Ning Jue's ears. He frowned. These ignorant people were truly incomprehensible. He had to kill demons and eliminate evil for them, yet he still had to bear the infamy.

They are truly ignorant and uneducated people!
Ning Jue, holding a three-foot-long magic pillar, stood atop the mountain, his eyes devoid of emotion as he stared at the giant eagle below, suppressed by the twenty-four demon-sealing pillars. He spoke, offering his advice:
"Eagle Demon, this is the signature magic weapon of the demon hunters of my Kongtong Cave lineage. It is the Great Demon Sealing Formation of Zhou Tianzheng, which even old demons in the Great Transformation Realm cannot break free from."

"I advise you to surrender obediently, and I might spare your life!"

The Azure God, suppressed beneath the pillars of magic, sneered, "Like that demon monkey, have your intelligence erased and your soul sealed with forbidden magic, driven by you like a servant?"

　Wow, my toothache flared up again today, it really hurts so much, but thankfully I managed to finish writing this.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)