White Bone Demon Trail

Chapter 65 The Formless Demon God
Inside the cave, Bai Wuxiang recited Buddhist scriptures over and over again. Originally, he only intended to read them once and gain a basic understanding.

But unexpectedly, there is indeed a concept of non-form in this Buddhist scripture. In Buddhist scriptures, non-form is divided into non-self, non-person, non-sentient being, and non-life-span. Only by breaking through these four attachments can one attain enlightenment.

Even Bai Wuxiang couldn't fathom the profound mysteries within it; this Buddhist scripture is more about cultivating the mind.

If an ordinary person were to comprehend it, they would only experience a change in their state of mind. However, when it falls into the hands of a spirit or demon like Bai Wuxiang, who possesses power beyond nature, the possibilities for its manifestation are far greater.

Bai Wuxiang retrieved an ancient bronze lamp base from the old artifacts on Skull Mountain. He flicked his finger, and the phosphorescent powder from the white bones on the mountain flew into the lamp, igniting a ghostly blue flame.

The candlelight cast his shadow onto the stone wall, revealing a skeleton without flesh holding Buddhist scriptures and reciting them.

He spent several months reading it, and the time flew by.

The snow on the mountain melts into clear streams that flow down, the ice and snow melt, and all things come back to life.

After harvesting winter wheat, the villagers of Heishizhai are now busy with spring plowing in the rice paddies.

Located at the junction of north and south, the Yunze Mountains are planted with rice in spring and wheat in winter, two crops a year. The mountain people, who are self-sufficient in rice and wheat flour, have taken root in the mountains in just over ten years thanks to their diligence and wisdom. Their lives are better than those of old villages that have existed in the mountains for decades or even hundreds of years.

If it weren't for the existence of spirits and monsters, Black Stone Village would probably have started expanding into other villages in Yunze Mountain and encroaching on the forest and mountain land.

When the thunder of early summer suddenly ripped through the sky in the dead of night, the white fox in the White Bone Cave was frightened by the thunder and hid deep in the cave, and the black crow dared not stay in the tree nest.

Rolling thunder gradually gathered on Skull Mountain, startling the wild beasts that slept soundly in the forest at night.

The thunder roared and lightning illuminated the houses, startling You Junzi awake.

He put on his clothes, opened the window, and frowned as he looked in the direction of the rolling thunderclouds. "That's Skull Mountain..."

Wuxiang is a spirit or demon that fears the most extreme yang things like thunder and heavenly might.

Could it be that some master has set a trap to ambush and kill him? But the Hidden Dragon Formation I set up covers Skull Mountain, which has already helped to conceal part of its aura. Logically speaking, it shouldn't be noticed by a master in a wilderness like Yunze Mountain!

Unless... it was Wuxiang himself who brought it upon himself..."

In Baihua Village, the closest village to Black Stone Village, lightning illuminated the dark and empty temple. On the statue of the goddess, the Flower Goddess looked at the thunderclouds to the south with suspicion, "What has Wuxiang done now?"

The village gods in the Yunze Mountains were all watching the thunderclouds in the sky. This thunder was no ordinary thunderstorm, but carried the might of heaven!

The old turtle in Blackwater Village popped its huge head out of the lake bottom, causing ripples to spread across the lake. A look of doubt appeared in its wrinkled eye sockets.

"This lightning isn't the tribulation of a demon's transformation, but rather some kind of tribulation. It has offended the will of Heaven and must be punished by Heaven's might. What trouble has that little demon from Black Stone Village caused?"

In Tiger King Village, a thunderous roar interrupted the mountain lord who was meditating cross-legged. He glanced south, his eyes showing surprise, and couldn't help but say, "This Wuxiang, what audacity!"

In the north, atop a snow-capped mountain plateau, a snow maiden in white gazed at the rolling lightning and whispered, "A restless demon has come to Yunze Mountain. Mountain Lord, can you still maintain this peace?"

"Rumble..."

The muffled thunder rumbled lower and lower, as if the thunder was receding into the distance, yet one could still feel the vibrations of the thunder covering the entire sky.

At this very moment, within Bai Wuxiang's mind in the cave sat a skeleton, which was his true form.

Various human faces and bodies kept changing on the skull, thousands of faces appeared on the skull, but none of them stayed.

Bai Wuxiang's memories were filled with too many images, people, ancient and modern, humans and demons, ghosts and spirits, all of which appeared in his mind.

He used the concept of formlessness in this Buddhist scripture to transform the evil methods of the White Bone Demon, thus converting the orthodox Buddhist teachings into the path of the Corpse Demon. As a result, the Heavenly Dao noticed the birth of the evil path and thus manifested thunder to punish it.

"boom…"

Finally, at the third quarter of midnight, the thunder erupted, unable to hold back any longer. A bolt of lightning split from the clouds, splitting into hundreds of strands of lightning that fell like thousands of withered tree branches.

At that very moment, Bai Wuxiang, who had been chanting Buddhist scriptures and comprehending the Dharma for a full 108 days and nights, suddenly opened his eyes. The flame of the bronze lamp in front of him turned from blue to gold, as if the light of Buddha was illuminating Bai Wuxiang's skeletal body.

The shadow of the skull was projected onto the stone wall, but it was no longer a human skeleton; instead, it was the shadow of a Buddha statue with countless outstretched arms.

Golden lamps illuminate skulls, Buddha images are reflected in the wall.

When the Buddha's image appeared, lightning illuminated the clouds in the sky, and all living beings saw a majestic Buddha statue suddenly appear in the clouds. The upper body of the Buddha statue was revealed, with hands clasped together in front of the body, and countless arms extending from behind, holding the lightning in the thousands of hands as if it were a real object.

The shadow of this Buddha statue has no eyes, nose, mouth, or tongue; it only has the outline of a Buddha statue. Yet, it appears when the thunder illuminates the night sky, holding lightning in its hands, capturing electric pythons, and taking all the thunder in the sky into the shadow of the Buddha statue.

The world fell into a deathly silence in an instant; darkness enveloped everything, and all things were rendered speechless.

"Tick..."

Then rain began to fall heavily, pouring down on rivers, lakes, mountains, and forests.

But not a single ray of thunder could be seen illuminating the sky again.

"Demon... Demon God..."

In Black Stone Village, You Junzi suddenly collapsed to the ground. Only then did he realize what kind of being he had encountered.

The ancestors of the You family were disciples of the Kunlun Dao lineage, and ancient books recorded the most terrifying demons in the world, not spirits or monsters.

Even the most powerful demons and spirits are still living beings. In the natural world, all things are interconnected and mutually restraining, and there is always something that can restrain them.

But legend has it that in ancient times there was a demon god who dared to separate heaven and earth, not to be part of yin and yang or the five elements, and not to be associated with any living beings in heaven and earth. He was a calamity that destroyed the world!
In Tiger King's Stronghold, Mountain Lord suddenly stood up, frowning as he said, "How could it be this thing!"

Neither demon nor monster nor god, it is not among the yin and yang beings, neither dead nor alive, and cannot be reborn.

Moreover, it is an intangible and formless thing that arises from Buddhism; no wonder it is called formless. This thing must not be touched.

The raccoon dog, startled awake on the ground, exclaimed in surprise, "Mountain Lord, is this thing really that strange?"

"This kind of being is no longer a living being. Even we demon kings and immortals are still fundamentally living beings. This thing is formless and shapeless, neither alive nor dead. You can't kill it, and you can only suppress it if it has a physical form."

The mountain king frowned deeply, his brows furrowed in a knot.

Upon hearing this, the raccoon demon exclaimed in surprise, "Does that mean he's invincible?"

"That's not entirely true. In the end, his strength isn't that great. Even if he becomes a demon god, there are countless powerful beings in the world."

But it is neither dead nor alive, it does not enter the cycle of reincarnation, and it does not return to heaven and earth. Even the oldest Taoist priests of Sanqing Mountain have no way to deal with it. The reason I am troubled is that it was born in my Yunze Mountain.

If this were somewhere else, near a mystical or Buddhist mountain, I would be secretly delighted right now.

"My Yunze Mountain is to be closed off. Judging from its demonic appearance, it seems to be connected with Buddhism. We must not allow ourselves to be bewitched."

After he finished speaking, light patterns appeared on the mountain lord's spirit, forming the pattern of "king", which manifested the peaks of the mountains and ridges in the seven hundred miles of the Yunze Mountain Range.

The mountains trembled, forests and grasses grew backward, valleys were broken and split, and peaks and ridges became marshes. When the sun rose the next day, the area within a hundred miles of Black Stone Village was separated from Yunze Mountain by a prominent abyss valley.

This mountain lord who guards the Yunze Mountains has heartlessly divided the Yunze Mountains into two parts, preferring to give up a hundred miles of land rather than return the Black Stone Village territory to the Yunze Mountains.

The next morning, as the people of Heishizhai prepared to go into the mountains and fields as usual, they noticed that the mountains and peaks on the horizon seemed to have shrunk, and the sun was higher than usual.

They always felt that something was wrong, but they couldn't quite put their finger on it.

In the mountain village, You Junzi's residence was in complete disarray, a far cry from its former cleanliness and tranquility.

There was a group of five or six people standing in front of the door. The youngest of them was only seventeen or eighteen years old, while the others were all elderly people from the mountain village.

You Junzi's face was pale, and her eyes were slightly dark, as if she hadn't slept all night.

He kept giving instructions to the boy and the old man beside him.

"Qi'er, have you remembered everything I said?"

"Yes, Master, I've remembered everything." The young man nodded solemnly.

"Alright, you've always been the fastest at memorizing things, so I'm a little relieved." You Junzi nodded slightly, then turned to Old Ding and said, "After Qi'er goes down the mountain, I'll have to entrust him to you all."

Raising him to adulthood, watching him marry and have children, and ensuring the continuation of my You family line—that would be a great relief to me.

"Don't worry, Second Boss! We're all old men, we've seen it all in our lives, we'll definitely take good care of You Qizhao," Old Ding assured him, patting his chest.

"Remember to send a letter up the mountain every month to let us know you are safe! Go now, and come down the mountain soon."

"Yes, Second Master!" Old Ding replied. "You should also take good care of yourself. With the passing of us brothers, you will have one less old friend from back then."

"Master! When will I be able to return after I go down the mountain?" You Qi asked, looking up at him.

You Junzi's fingers trembled slightly as he reassured them, "I will come down the mountain to see you when I have time. You must cultivate diligently every day, read more history and literature, and remember to be patient and avoid conflicts with others."

"Yes! Master, don't worry, I understand." You Qi nodded with a smile.

After personally seeing the group off, You Junzi looked at the rather messy house, sighed, and began to tidy it up himself.

After witnessing the image of the formless being born from the thunder last night, wielding the thunder, he knew that even if it was unintentional, the birth of this demon god was of great importance to him.

You Junzi himself could die; he was just a worthless life. But the You family's legacy, which had lasted for hundreds of years, could not be broken. He spent the whole night tidying up all the things that had been passed down in the You family, and then handed them all over to You Qi early the next morning, asking Old Ding to escort You Qi down the mountain.

We can no longer stay on the mountain. If the You family wants to continue its legacy, we must leave this place.

He casually picked up the scattered wooden boxes on the ground, arranged some books, and suddenly remembered that in the secret box he had given to You Qi, there was a book about Wuxiang's origins that he had once written.

"Oh no, how could I have forgotten about this in my busy schedule!" You Junzi couldn't help but tug at his hair, a few strands of long, silvery hair falling from his hand. He stared at the silver strands in his hand, his eyes dimming.

He's old, over forty, no longer young, and his mind isn't what it used to be; he can easily forget things like this in the midst of his busy schedule.

Skull Mountain, in the Cave of Bones.

A gust of wind blew into the cave, filling it with mist, and various eerie laughs echoed within.

The sounds of men's rough laughter, women's low, seductive laughter, children's giggles, and old people's hoarse laughter, accompanied by faint sobs, echoed and blended into a kind of demonic sound.

The white fox cowered in the corner in fear. After an unknown amount of time, she finally mustered the courage to stick her head out and look into the misty pool.

But then they saw the image of a person reflected in front of the golden lamp. The person sat upright in front of the lamp, with his hands clasped together, like a monk reciting Buddhist scriptures.

"Fox, why are you still hiding and not coming out?"

Bai Wuxiang asked with a light laugh.

The little white fox, which had been hiding, shuddered, but still came out and slowly walked to the edge of the pool.

From the hole above the stone cave, a black crow flew down with a strange cry, glanced at Bai Wuxiang sitting cross-legged on the stone platform, and then happily flapped its wings and perched on his shoulder.

Bai Wuxiang remarked with considerable emotion, "Reading Buddhist scriptures and comprehending the profound mysteries of Taoism is truly extraordinary."

During these 108 days, he contemplated and comprehended the profound mystery of the ancient Buddhist path of formlessness. Standing on the memories of his two lifetimes, he reflected the many insights he had gained onto the formlessness.

He integrated the profound meaning of the four attachments and non-attachments mentioned in Buddhist scriptures into the instinctive illusion of the white bone demon body, and realized the absence of self, others, and sentient beings.

Buddhist and Taoist cultivation focuses on the primordial spirit, and Bai Wuxiang's primordial spirit is extraordinary. It is a skeletal spirit condensed from the souls of two lifetimes and the power of demons. Last night's tribulation was the tribulation of his primordial spirit.

Bai Wuxiang's current primordial spirit realm has far surpassed the realm of physical demonic power. He has never seen the primordial spirit strength of the Yuanzhen realm, but Bai Wuxiang feels that even if he faces the Mountain Lord directly, although the other party may suppress him, or even shatter his white bone demonic body to pieces.

However, his primordial spirit could wander outside his physical body and hide in the formless and shapeless illusion, reaching a state similar to the indestructible Nirvana described in Buddhism.

Yet, unlike Buddhist and Taoist practices, his existence—neither demon, ghost, corpse, nor human—was something even he himself didn't know what to call him.

He can now not only sense death energy, but also the thoughts of some mortals. He can even hear some of the echoes in You Junzi's mind.

The other person said that they were like a demon god from ancient legends, no longer belonging to the realm of living beings.

Now that you mention it, he does look quite like it.

Bai Wuxiang smiled slightly and said, "No matter what people call me, whether they call me a demon god or a monster, I am Wuxiang."

"The formless god, the formless demon god, the formless monster—they are all, in essence, me, Bai Wuxiang."

As he spoke, he reached out and touched the golden lamp in front of him. Instantly, the dark stone cave was filled with light, and the Buddha's image on the stone wall was like a painting, the human figure was like a ghost, and all kinds of demons, gods, Buddhas, humans and monsters appeared on it.

(End of this chapter)