White Bone Demon Trail

Chapter 93 Court and Jianghu
A sudden realization allowed Grand Tutor Qi to instantly see through the layers of illusion. He closed his eyes and concentrated, golden light shining from them. Then he suddenly opened them, the golden light like a veil that unveiled the surrounding scene.

Grand Tutor Qi opened his eyes and found himself still standing in the pitch-black night. The ghost messengers beneath him were still in the illusion and had not yet woken up.

"What a terrifying illusion!"

Even if the ghost messengers and yin followers he brought were not yet at the Yuanzhen realm, they might unknowingly drag him and all these ghosts into an illusion. Only a great demon at the Yuanzhen realm could probably do such a thing.

Grand Tutor Qi's cold expression vanished, and he said in a gentle voice, "You are actually a great demon of the Yuanzhen Realm. In that case, I will not bother you any longer."

"I only hope that you will withdraw your magic and release us, these ghostly messengers. After all, it has not been easy for them to cultivate to this point."

A strange laugh echoed from the surrounding darkness. The laugh was like the innocent babbling of a baby, yet it also carried the seductive chuckle of a woman, sounding both demonic and ghostly, sending chills down one's spine.
"Grand Tutor, why the rush? Wuxiang cordially invites you all to visit Mount Wanxiang, what do you say?"

As soon as he finished speaking, the layers of snow piled up on the ground fluttered up and flew up, the snowflakes drifting in the air like a curtain obscuring people's vision.

When Grand Tutor Qi opened his eyes, he found himself standing in a dark and gloomy mountain.

Beneath his feet lay skeletons, shattered skulls, and severed hand bones, scattered haphazardly across the hillside.

Just as Grand Tutor Qi was about to speak, countless wails and roars filled his ears and his heart.

The wailing of the vengeful ghosts filled his ears, and a trace of blood gradually appeared in the pupils of Grand Tutor Qi's eyes.

He was utterly shocked. This place actually contained such terrifying resentment and yin energy, with corpses, white bones, and fierce ghosts that had transformed into this Myriad Forms Mountain.

At this moment, Grand Tutor Qi could no longer care about his subordinates. He could only use his Yuanzhen power to break free from the binding force of this place, transforming into a vast golden light and ascending into the sky to leave.

After he fled in panic, Wanxiang Mountain returned to peace once more.

"Whoo~"

The cold wind and falling snow landed on the bodies of the group of underworld officials.

They all stood there, as if they had lost their souls, their eyes wide open.

The white fox leaped out, curiously gazing at the group of ghost messengers, and tugged at their sleeves.

"Cave Master, what's going on with them?"

Bai Wuxiang's voice echoed, "I have planted the Wuxiang Demon Seed in these ghost messengers. From now on, they will be the guardian ghost messengers of Wanxiang Mountain."

Upon hearing this, the white fox let out an "oh," and leaped up on all fours, landing on a rock half a zhang high.

At this moment, all the ghost messengers slowly turned their heads and looked at her.

Being stared at by such a group of ghost messengers made her tremble with fear.

"From now on, when you go into the mountains, you must carry this jade with you to protect yourself. Otherwise, they might skin you alive and steal your soul."

A hand, as thin as a shadow, stretched out from the ground, with a bone jade in its palm.

The shadowy palm spontaneously climbed up the white fox's neck and tied the jade to her chest.

After the white fox put on the jade, she noticed that the ghost messengers all turned their heads and wandered away into the gloomy mist of Wanxiang Mountain.

She scratched the bone jade around her neck with a sense of novelty and said with a smile, "Thank you, Cave Master."

"Since the City God has come today, there may be someone to subdue demons and monsters tomorrow. You must cultivate diligently and not provoke anyone from the foot of the mountain," Bai Wuxiang added a word of caution to the playful fox.

Bai Wuxiang, who was meditating in the cave, sensed the seed of inner demon that he had planted. More than a hundred ghosts and underworld messengers on the mountain were also planted with this technique, which controlled their minds and turned them into puppets.

This technique is a demonic art born from the Vengeful Spirit Pearl after absorbing countless vengeful forces.

It can no longer be called sorcery; it would be more accurate to call it demonic arts.

Those who have been planted with the formless demonic seed by him will not feel pain, and may even find it difficult to detect, because the demonic seed is planted in the mind and memory, and even the primordial spirit cannot perceive it.

The effect of this demonic seed is to reverse memories and alter one's true self.

These ghostly messengers are merely ghosts who have not yet reached the Yuanzhen realm. Under Bai Wuxiang's activation of the demonic seed, their memories will be rapidly altered and reversed. In just a few breaths, they will become puppets like walking corpses.

The City God Qi naturally did not escape his clutches either, and was planted with the Formless Demon Seed. However, since the other party was a god at the Yuanzhen realm, his primordial spirit had already left the mortal world, so he could only subtly change the other party's mind little by little.

This process may take a century, or it may be just a moment.

A hundred years is because the other party has cultivated incense for a hundred years, and a moment is because perhaps in any instant, the seven emotions and six desires in his heart, love, hate, greed and anger will cause him to fall into demonic possession!
Inside the Cave of Bones, blurry shadows shifted and swirled on the uneven stone walls, accompanied by mournful wails and maniacal laughter... all fading into darkness.

……

Sanqing Mountain is a sacred site of Taoism.

Xiao Qianli knelt outside the mountain gate, with the tall jade archway hanging above her head.

The surrounding area was still covered in snow, and white cranes circled the sky, creating a serene and peaceful place.

She said respectfully, "This disciple has failed my master and grandmaster! I beg you to punish me."

A clear voice echoed through the mountains. On the Purple Thunder Platform, Xiao Jingzhi frowned and remained silent.

Wei Zhengshan, standing beside her, looked distressed and said, "Master, Senior Sister did her best. This is not her fault..."

"I have my own judgment. Go and cultivate your thunder magic," Xiao Jingzhi interrupted him, his face expressionless.

Seeing his master's expression, Wei Zhengshan had no choice but to bow and agree.

Xiao Jingzhi remained silent for a moment before saying, "We returned without capturing the demons and also lost the treasure mirror."

Qianli, you are burdened with demonic thoughts and have already reached the Yuanzhen realm. How come you cannot defeat Wuxiang?

Are you deliberately indulging, or have you been bewitched by it?

Xiao Qianli, standing outside the mountain gate, hurriedly replied, "Master, it's not that I didn't do my best, but that Wuxiang is too strange, and I really couldn't find its trace."

"Boom~"

A thunderous sound suddenly rang out amidst the white snow, and three precious talismans glowing with purple light appeared.

"I bestow upon you three Upper Cave Purple Gold True Thunder Treasure Scrolls. Take them back with you and capture Wuxiang."

Xiao Jingzhi's voice came with a gust of cold wind. Xiao Qianli's face lit up with joy, and he cupped his hands and said, "Disciple will obey Master's orders!"

As soon as she finished speaking, she turned and left, departing without even entering the mountain gate.

Within the grotto, Xiao Jingzhi arrived riding on purple clouds. "Senior Brother Xuanming, will what I'm doing cause Qianli to awaken the Demon God's will prematurely?"

In the vast void, a Daoist with an indifferent expression sat atop a celestial cloud, calmly stating, "The ultimate form of the Demon God is the one who annihilates all living beings. Having undergone countless reincarnations, His essence has been greatly diminished. Even if we suppress this new formless Demon God, I fear He will find it difficult to kill."

It would be better to wake up sooner rather than later, so that I can contend with this formless being for the killing intent of heaven and earth and strengthen myself.

"But my senior brother asked me to bestow three precious talismans. What if they make it difficult for Wuxiang to reassemble his demonic body? Wouldn't that prolong this evil world?" Xiao Jingzhi asked hesitantly.

"Junior brother, you underestimate this formless demon god. This demon god is different from the demon gods formed from death, resentment, and killing thousands of years ago. Instead, it was born from the seven emotions and six desires of all living beings, and took the form of a skeleton demon body to cultivate the Dao realm by absorbing the resentment of life and death."

Even your Purple Sun True Thunder couldn't extinguish its formless will, let alone the mere Purple Gold True Thunder? At most, it will only injure it slightly, lest its cultivation progress too quickly and affect our comprehension of the Heavenly Dao and the Divine Dao.” Xuanming's eyebrows twitched. “Junior Brother, there's some unusual activity at the Blood Demon Cave again. I'll trouble you to go to the mortal realm.”

"Is this demon so restless?" Xiao Jingzhi asked with surprise. "Very well, I'll go and suppress him again."

……

Shenzhou, within the city of Shen, in front of the City God Temple.

When Prefect Shi Xingjing heard from his servants that the City God Temple was on fire, he immediately led his men to the scene.

He stared at the City God Temple engulfed in flames, his brow furrowed, and said, "The snow on the City God Temple hasn't melted yet, how could the fire have started?"

The officials around him sensed the anger in his words and felt uneasy. One of them spoke up: "Your Excellency, the fire started inside the temple. The temple keeper didn't escape and died inside."

"What?" Shi Xingjing froze. He stared at the towering flames and felt dizzy. He almost fell over.

The attendants beside him quickly supported him. Shi Xingjing was pale and murmured, "Even a City God like Grand Tutor Qi, who has received incense offerings for a hundred years, could not save him. Just what kind of demon is this Wuxiang?"

"My lord! My lord, something terrible has happened!"

Just then, an anxious voice rang out, and a military commander rushed over, saying, "Sir, the rebel army outside the city has launched a major attack!"

outside the city.

Banners embroidered with black crows stood outside the city, arrows were stuck in the frozen moat, and the booming sound of drums echoed in all directions.

On the high city walls of Shanghai, the soldiers guarding the city all looked exhausted. It had been two months since the siege began, and the soldiers were exhausted and worried. Food supplies in the city were also running low, and panic had been spreading within the city for many days.

Shi Xingjing hurriedly arrived at the top of the wall. Looking at the imposing array of the other side, he became worried. The fire at the City God Temple must be due to the methods of that Wuxiang Demon.

Before he could even try to boost morale, he saw the enemy army slowly retreating, and an altar being carried out by hundreds of people.

Standing atop the altar was still the cult leader, Li Xiangzhi, now dressed in a white robe, burning incense and bowing three times toward a painting.

Because it was nearly a hundred feet away, Shi Xingjing couldn't see what it was. He just felt that there was something he couldn't remember.

"Whoo~"

A sudden gust of cold wind arose atop the city wall, and dark clouds gathered in the sky, visibly darkening the night.

Many of the soldiers defending the city exclaimed in surprise.

On the altar, Li Xiangzhi chanted to the Formless Diagram, "I respectfully request the Formless God to bestow his power! Destroy this great city!"

"Wow~"

"Hahahaha~"

A series of eerie laughs rang out, and white skeletal ghost heads flew out of the painting, sweeping across the sky and rushing towards the defenders of Shencheng.

Such a horrifying scene caused the city's defenders to lose their composure. Terrified by the flying ghost heads, they scattered and fled, their screams and wails echoing throughout the city.

Shi Xingjing collapsed to the ground, his face deathly pale. He knew it was all over, all over!
This city can't take it anymore!
As the deep horn sounded, tens of thousands of troops outside the city surged unstoppably toward Shencheng. The ten thousand defending soldiers, who had lost all will to fight, were terrified by the skeletal ghost heads in the sky and scattered in all directions.

The Black Bird Flag was planted on the city wall just an hour later, and panic spread throughout the city as people scattered and fled.

Fortunately, Li Xiangzhi was strict with military discipline, so no major chaos occurred. He smoothly took over Shanghai and stationed troops inside and outside the city to control the overall situation.

The civilians and soldiers who fled the city went to the neighboring Pingzhou and Yunzhou, and for a time there were countless refugees and displaced people.

The fame of the Wuxiang Diagram spread far and wide once again, and many people recognized that the treasure that could summon countless skeletons was the Wuxiang Diagram that had once caused turmoil in Qingzhou.

The entire territory of Shenzhou was occupied by the Wuxiang Shangjiao sect, which established various officials within its borders and began to govern the people.

When spring arrived, news of the fall of Shenzhou spread throughout the thirteen prefectures of Nanzhao, shocking the court and the public.

However, the imperial court had just launched a military campaign against Dayuan and was temporarily exhausted. Many other prefectures were also in turmoil, and for a time, it could not spare any troops to suppress the unrest.

Left with no other option, the imperial court sent someone to offer Li Xiangzhi amnesty, promising him the title of Prince of Shen if he obeyed the court.

However, Li Xiangzhi sternly refused, instead issuing a proclamation throughout the land, stating that as long as Empress Dowager Wen and her relatives returned power to the Emperor, he would naturally comply with the court's laws and regulations, and was even willing to withdraw his troops and disband the religious sects. As long as Empress Dowager Wen and her relatives did not step down from the court, his army would continue its northward march until it entered the capital and forced the Emperor to abdicate.

Once this news spread, officials and common people from all sides harbored resentment towards the Wen family and many called for the return of power to the emperor.

……

In the Black Stone Village of Wanxiang Mountain, Sanwen was talking non-stop to the Second Leader about the civil and political affairs he had heard down the mountain.

After listening, Zhao Lengxiang, the third leader, frowned and said, "In recent years, the imperial army has been too weak."

"This Li Xiangzhi is just a man with some tricks up his sleeve, how could he possibly capture Shenzhou?"

You Junzi chuckled and said, "Third Sister, do you really think Li Xiangzhi has such great abilities?"

"What do you mean by that?" the leader, Li Yiguang, asked, puzzled.

You Junzi looked at the distant mountains outside the house and said calmly, "This person only borrowed the name of Lord Wuxiang, but did not receive the Lord's help."

There's only the legendary Wuxiang Diagram, said to be able to summon thousands of troops. Do you really think he can conquer this vast territory of Shenzhou?

“They’ve already settled in Shencheng and are about to be granted the title of king by the imperial court. How could they not have taken over Shenzhou?” Li Yiguang asked in surprise.

"Hehe, there are hundreds of large and small aristocratic families in Shenzhou, and countless people privately raise troops and cultivate land. Now, these people have all infiltrated Li Xiangzhi's army, leading hundreds or even thousands of soldiers."

"They...wouldn't actually obey a mere sorcerer, but rather the person behind him," Yu Junzi explained.

Zhao Lengxiang realized, "You mean, Li Xiangzhi's success is just a smokescreen? A smokescreen used by the court to force the Wen family to step down?"

You Junzi nodded and said, "That's right. Although it seems that Shenzhou has been lost, it is actually still firmly in the hands of the imperial court, only controlled by a few court officials."

The soldiers under Li Xiangzhi were all from Shenzhou, and most of them had close ties with Right Chancellor Li Qingyu.

Left Chancellor Wen Zheng only had the support of the Wen family members in the capital and Empress Dowager Wen. The young emperor had grown up, and having spent so much time in the palace, he too desired to truly seize control of the Huangfu family's empire.

(End of this chapter)