White Bone Demon Trail

Chapter 40 White Bone Play

Then, a divine general with a painted face, dressed in the robes of a priest and wearing a jade and gold crown, appeared from the white light. He held a double-winged hammer and drill, which he struck down from the air, causing lightning and thunder to flash and crash down.

Bai Wuxiang's eyes twitched slightly as he looked at the divine general before him. This divine general's aura was quite extraordinary. It seemed that these demon-catching families really did have some tricks up their sleeves.

However, the divine general before them was merely a phantom image, yet its divine might was far greater than its actual power.

The lightning was dazzling, but when it struck him, it was concealed by the pure white divine power of faith, and could not harm Bai Wuxiang in the slightest.

Instead, Bai Wuxiang pointed a finger, and several white silk ribbons flew out from his plain-colored robes, completely binding the divine general.

A billowing black aura shot into the sky, instantly shattering the divine general's shadow in the air. The shadow transformed into a precious talisman that slowly fell from the sky and spontaneously combusted without wind.

"What a monster! Who would have thought that the devil is one step ahead of the saint! Retreat at once!" Wei Xu's eyes twitched at the sight, and he immediately shouted.

Upon hearing this, the other disciples hurriedly retreated, but Wei Zhengshan hesitated for a moment with an ugly expression before asking, "Master, why don't you take that thing out?"

"You fool! Even the gods are unwilling to intervene and subdue this demon, which means this demon has an extraordinary background. Either it has powerful connections above or below!" Wei Xu cursed in a low voice, and hurriedly pulled him around to escape.

But Bai Wuxiang had no intention of letting those who dared to ambush him at his doorstep get away with it.

He pointed into the locust grove, and a cloud of yin energy surged forth like mist. A howling eagle's cry immediately rang out, and a tiger's shadow darted across the ground while the eagle's cry echoed in the sky. Two enormous skeletal corpses, a tiger and an eagle, each several meters tall, blocked the group's retreat.

A breeze came from the forest, ruffling Bai Wuxiang's loose hair. He gently gathered his sleeves, his eyes smiling. "You have all come from afar to present a performance of the White Bone Opera. Such a fine show is rare; why not stay and watch?"

No one dared to answer him, but suddenly the surrounding fog rose up, enveloping everyone in the center of the fog.

Tigers leap through the mist, eagles soar through the sky; Bai Wuxiang, without moving his feet, floated across the ground and appeared before the Wei family.

He gently stretched out his fingers and stroked the skin on his face, saying regretfully, "This human skin of mine is a bit old and needs to be repaired with fresh skin."

"You all came to see my skeleton performance, but I can't let you watch for free. I'll only charge you three inches of skin."

After saying that, Bai Wuxiang chuckled eerily in a low voice. The Corpse Tiger was coiled behind him, and the Corpse Eagle hovered above his head. The evil aura was so strong that it seemed to permeate people's hearts.

He stretched out his left hand and, with a flick of his wrist, countless eerie skeletal hands emerged from the mist, pressing against the faces of the Wei family disciples and tearing off a three-inch-long piece of skin dripping with blood.

Screams rose and fell incessantly as many disciples writhed on the ground, clutching their faces in agony from torn skin. Only Wei Xu glared at him and demanded, "Monster! What are you trying to do?"

Bai Wuxiang slowly stretched out his hand, and pieces of human skin fell into his hand. Then he blew on them, and these three-inch pieces of skin fell onto various parts of his body. Many of the damaged skins gradually became tender and white again.

He smiled and comforted the old man before him, "You can rest assured that Yunze Mountain will not be killing anyone this year."

Just leaving a mark, so I won't be unable to find you when I come to Yunze Mountain again.

Alright, time to watch the show.

Having said that, he clapped his hands lightly, and immediately the corpse tiger and corpse eagle behind him roared in unison. The bone tiger transformed into a fierce tiger, and the bone eagle transformed into a hawk. The eagle soared in the sky and the tiger roamed the earth, with their roars and shrieks filling the air, just like real eagles and tigers fighting each other.

The Wei family disciples on the ground, however, were not so interested in watching the show; they cried and begged for mercy.

Wei Zhengshen's eyes were filled with anger, but Wei Xu pulled him back, staring blankly at the skeleton performance in front of him.

After a stick of incense had burned for a while, Bai Wuxiang finally finished watching the show with great interest. The bone tiger and bone eagle returned to the locust grove and became lifeless.

He said with a smile, "This is the first time you've all come to see a play, so the payment is a little less."

If you want to come back again, you'll need a whole skin.

The play is over, and it's time for everyone to leave.

After saying that, his figure disappeared into the night, and the howling wind and snow descended once again.

Snowflakes turned Wei Xu's beard white. He numbly raised his hand and said, "Let's go! We'll leave the mountain tonight!"

……

In Black Stone Village, the wind and snow bent this willow tree, and a figure stood in the snow beneath it.

The cold wind ruffled the stray hairs on his forehead, and his somewhat pale face remained blank as he stood quietly in the heavy snow, in the deep, silent night.

The wind blew the snow off the bare willow branches, and the crisp, melodious sound of the bells was especially pleasant in the snowy night.

This also startled You Junzi, who was lost in thought under the willow tree. He stiffly raised his head, and the wind chimes on the tree were swaying.

He didn't turn around, but quietly said, "Lord Wuxiang has arrived."

Behind him, a figure in plain, elegant clothes appeared out of nowhere.

"Brother You, aren't you afraid of getting sick from standing here in this cold, desolate night?"

Bai Wuxiang smiled and walked to his left. The man in white and the man in black stood side by side, and the swirling snow fell on their shoulders.

"Lord Wuxiang, you've come here because you're worried about my health, haven't you?" You Junzi seemed extremely calm, his usual cunning gone.

"Hehe, if I said yes, then yes." Bai Wuxiang tilted his head slightly, looking at him with a smile in his eyes.

You Junzi also turned his head to look, their clear black and white eyes meeting across the wind and snow. He asked in surprise, "Lord Wuxiang can also feel sympathy?"

"I didn't know how before. But you taught me."

Bai Wuxiang said softly, "Brother You, you bear a great responsibility, so please take good care of yourself."

"I will always remember Lord Wuxiang's kindness." You Junzi casually cupped his hands in greeting, but without looking away, he stared at him and asked, "I am curious, what kind of person were you in your previous life?"

"Hehe, just an ordinary, unfortunate person." Bai Wuxiang chuckled. "It's late, Brother You should go back and rest."

He finished speaking, turned around, and disappeared back into the wind and snow.

Only You Junzi, who remained in place, slowly turned around, looked at the distant mountain skeleton in the snow, and said with a pale face, "Yes, Lord Wuxiang."

Bai Wuxiang was in a rare good mood and strolled leisurely in the snow, leaving a trail of shallow footprints on the deep snow.

The ancients were truly wise; he stood before this willow tree to bear Wuxiang's wrath and prevent it from being directed at the villagers.

But he never expected that the wicked Wuxiang would personally let the Wei family's demon hunters go, and that he wouldn't even suffer any serious injuries.

Even though the Wei family members were greedy and wanted to take action against Wuxiang on their own, You Junzi did not intervene.

However, the Wei family came to the village because of him, discovered Wuxiang's cave, and thus attacked Wuxiang.

To everyone's surprise, the Wei family was too weak to harm the demons. But what surprised You Junzi even more was that the Wei family members were all alive.

Then the Wei family will forever remember You Junzi, the traitorous demon hunter successor, and all the demon hunter families in the world will despise the You family because of this.

There was nothing left for Yu Junzi to persist in, except for that matter.

You Junzi understood that the other party's friendliness did not come out of thin air, but because he had not joined forces with the Wei family and had not used the Jade Void Golden Bell that had been taken away by them.

He finally acknowledged in his heart that Wuxiang was not evil, but a wise human being.

The other party treated him with utmost sincerity, which was already a human virtue; he could no longer regard the other party as a demon.

Since welcoming Wuxiang into the village, things haven't gone in the direction he expected, but life in the village seems to be getting better.

You Junzi let everything turn into a sigh in his heart; he had finally compromised with Wu Xiang.

Inside the White Bone Cave, Bai Wuxiang slowly sat back down on the stone platform. Now, there was finally no one in Black Stone Village who would dare to attack him again.

When external force fails to subdue a person, perhaps one can use the seven emotions to attack their spirit.

He is the most skilled demon at bewitching people's hearts.

No matter how exceptionally intelligent You Junzi was, he was ultimately just a mortal. Every sentient being has a weakness in its mind!

Having lived two lives, he understands people better than any fox spirit who can bewitch them.

Having had his reputation tarnished by the demon-hunting families of the world, You Junzi had no human power left to rely on.

But for the sake of the people of Black Stone Village, he could not possibly attack the village god who protected Black Stone Village.

As for whether they will be smeared, the scars on the faces of those Wei family disciples, resembling slave marks, will only fuel their growing hatred for You Junzi, leading them to hurl the most vicious insults at him.

On one side are his comrades who speak ill of him and offer no help; on the other is the village god who protects the villagers he cares about for the rest of his life, allows them to live in peace and prosperity, and treats him with sincerity. How to choose is up to the hearts of the people.

As for formlessness…

Whether it was a demon or evil, no one will remember anymore.

From now on, Black Stone Village will be the most devout followers of the God of No Form!
Bai Wuxiang chuckled softly in the cave. The bewitching demon and the compassionate god who saves the world might very well be the same person.

The next morning, when the villagers in the mountains opened their doors, the first thing they saw was a world of pure white.

The vast expanse of snow had accumulated to a depth of over two feet.

After putting on thick clothes, the children happily rolled around in the snow, their breath dissipating in the wind.

Every household was sweeping the snow in front of their doors, and icicles as sharp as swords hung from the eaves. The women of Black Stone Village hung out strips of cured meat, which, in the morning sun shining on the snow, reddened the faces of the villagers.

In the deserted fields, the winter wheat on the old fields is covered with a layer of snow, while the newly reclaimed fields in the distance are also covered with a thick layer of snow. When the snow melts in the spring of next year, these fields will be ready for cultivation.

Beneath the snow-covered, withered trees, a large blue fox led three cubs through the snow, searching for food they could find.

The vast mountains became snow-capped peaks stretching to the horizon, the forests were all white, the mountains were covered in white, and all things were still.

Winter descended upon the mountains.

The icy spring in the White Bone Cave had turned into a hot spring, with billowing mist rising and dispersing. The little white fox rolled and frolicked in the mist, curiously watching the person sitting in the center of the pool.

He could remain unconscious with his eyes closed for days on end, as if he were dead.

Sometimes, the crows would fly into the cave, shake off the snow, and take a nap in a small hole beside the pool. Other times, they would hoarsely caw from the bare locust tree.

The ancient pine tree in Gusong Village is still asleep.

The mountain lord in Tiger King Village also yawned and lay down on the black-haired chair, falling asleep peacefully.

The creatures in the mountains are pitifully few in winter.

Down the mountain, in the Wei family mansion in Guangling.

One morning, when Wei Zhengshan greeted his master, he found the room completely silent.

He shouted several times, then, sensing something was wrong, he pushed open the door. His master was hanging from the beam, his neck purplish-red from being tied with a white silk ribbon, his eyes bulging, and his hands hanging down.

Wei Zhengshan exclaimed in surprise, "Master!"

This veteran demon hunter, who had been catching demons for many years, did not die on the road to exorcising demons, but died on the beam of his own house.

Unable to bear the ridicule of his fellow practitioners and with no face to face the ancestors of the Wei family of Guangling, he chose to die a violent death rather than enter the underworld.

Wei Zhengshan looked at his master's last words, his eyes reddening, his fists clenched, and he suddenly tore the letter to shreds.

His master also told him not to seek revenge!

The Wei family disciples failed to capture the demon and were instead tricked by the evil spirit, leaving a mark on their faces that resembled a slave's mark. Wei Xu was truly ashamed to face everyone, and the title of one of the eight great demon-capturing families would be revoked.

Wei Zhengshan roared in a low voice, "You formless evil demon, no matter what, I, Wei Zhengshan, will capture you in this lifetime and kill you before all the demon hunters in the world!"

But he knew that most demon hunters couldn't deal with such a half-demon, half-god spirit; the only way was... to cultivate the Tao!
Seven days after Wei Xu's burial, he packed his bags, gave up his position as head of the Wei family, and traveled thousands of miles to a celestial mountain cave to become a disciple and learn martial arts!

Since he couldn't be a demon hunter, he would become a demon slayer! He would become a cultivator!
……

At the foot of Yunze Mountain, a village mysteriously disappeared one winter.

The entire village of over a hundred people vanished without a trace overnight, shocking the prefectural government. Several searches were launched, but to no avail.

Finally, having no other choice, they posted an official notice stating that the villagers had become outlaws and bandits in the mountains.

But the mountain dwellers who actually live near the mountains know that even if they really wanted to become bandits, it could only be in the spring and summer. How could they possibly enter the mountains in the winter when the mountains are blocked by heavy snow? That would only lead to their death!
Meanwhile, outside the bustling capital of Nanzhao, a young man in tattered clothes arrived. Gazing at the tall and majestic city walls and the endless stream of carriages and horses, his eyes were filled with joy as he murmured, "Finally here!"
Luoyang, the capital of the world!

He gripped a scroll wrapped in oiled leather tightly in his hand, excitedly exclaiming that his Wuxiang Divine Painting would surely stand out in this most powerful city of Nanzhao, showcasing the painting skills of the Yao family!

Of course, Bai Wuxiang was unaware of all of this.

He was in deep meditation during this cold winter day. Unlike his usual practice, Bai Wuxiang could cultivate day and night during the winter season, and his speed was not affected by the sun at all.

Therefore, Bai Wuxiang devoted himself to cultivation. Every slight tremor of his bones resonated with the howling wind in the mountains, and every breath he took from his human skin mouth was in sync with the sunrise and sunset in the snowy mountains.

(End of this chapter)