White Bone Demon Trail

Chapter 41 The Great Hall of Yuanjue
That winter was difficult for many villages in the mountains.

Not only are some small villages struggling, but even Baihua Village, which was recently renamed, is not faring well.

Because those who broke into the mountains disrupted the order that had been passed down for hundreds of years in Yunze Mountain, the change of village gods was not just about the coming and going of a demon spirit, but also represented the process of the alternation of power between different castes and between the old and new in each village.

The people who kill the most are never demons or evil spirits, but rather the human race itself.

Bai Wuxiang, who was inside the cave, was very clear about this.

Therefore, he rarely interfered in the affairs of the village. He didn't need to lift a finger; he only needed to watch silently from the sidelines, and those who wanted to curry favor with him would kneel devoutly under the statue of the god.

On the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month, the mountains cleared up, and the sunlight gilded the snow-covered mountaintops, making them look like golden mountains from afar.

Old Ding, wearing a thick cotton coat, stood at the gate of the village, constantly rubbing his hands together and pacing back and forth to stretch his body.

He said to He Erzhu, who was guarding the gate with him, "This damn weather! It's never been colder than this year. It's so cold it's chilling me to the bone."

A faint mist rose from his mouth as he spoke, making his already red nose appear even redder.

"It's a bit colder than a few years ago." He Erzhu nodded, then rolled up his sleeves to reveal the sewn cuffs and said happily, "Luckily, my wife made me an undergarment. It's close-fitting and doesn't let in the wind, so it's much warmer."

"Heh, you silly boy, you're so lucky." Old Ding asked with some envy, "You married a virtuous wife, and she's pregnant so quickly. Next summer she'll give you a healthy baby boy, and you can be a father."

"Hey hey hey~"

Speaking of his wife, He Erzhu smiled wistfully, "I love her whether she's a boy or a girl."

"Look at you, so useless!" Old Ding laughed and scolded, then casually glanced outside the village and was immediately shocked.

But then, in the snow-covered landscape, a group of people could be seen slowly approaching Black Stone Village.

He was startled when he saw the horse. In those days, horses were not something that ordinary people could afford. Apart from the wealthy, only the military could afford them!
"Erzhu, your eyesight is better, quickly look over there and see who those people are!"

Upon hearing this, He Erzhu quickly looked in the direction he was pointing, squinted at it, and then said, "Luckily, they're not soldiers. They're men, women, and children with horses and mules pulling things. They seem like merchants."

"It's good that it's not the army, it's good that it's not the army." Old Ding breathed a sigh of relief. "Go to the village and find the three leaders. I'll call the rest of the brothers."

He hurriedly replied and went downstairs, saying, "Okay, I'll go right away!"

After the group traversed the snow-covered and muddy mountain path, they stopped before the towering black stone gate. You Junzi, accompanied by a group of men armed with swords and spears, opened the gate and asked:
"Where did you come from? This is Black Stone Village!"

The mountain people in front of them looked exhausted, and their hands were covered in frostbite. They avoided eye contact with the bandits who were holding swords.

The silence in the crowd was broken by a sigh.

"Amitabha! Please do not be angry, benefactor."

The crowd parted, and a bald monk in his forties, wearing a monk's robe, stepped out. He stood in front of the crowd, put his hands together, and bowed to Black Stone Village, saying, "Benefactors, I apologize for disturbing you!"
I am a monk at Yuanjue Temple, my Dharma name is Dinghe.

"So you're a Zen master. My apologies." You Junzi raised his hand, and the dozens of men behind him sheathed their swords. He continued, "..."
"I've heard of Yuanjue Temple's reputation, but I wonder what brings you here, Zen Master..."

"Well said, well said!" The monk shook his head and sighed, "I am the only one left in Yuanjue Temple."

"What? Has something happened?" You Junzi asked in surprise. He had indeed heard of the reputation of Yuanjue Buddhist Temple. It was quite famous in the Yunze Mountain area, with at least dozens or even hundreds of monks. How could he suddenly be the only one left?
"Half a month ago, I left the temple to perform a ritual for a family. It was already late that day, so I stayed at the host's house to rest for the night."

But then, the next day, I…I…”

At this point, he even forgot his Buddhist precepts, his eyes filled with fear. "I returned to the temple, knocked on the gate but no one answered, which I found strange."

The entire temple was eerily quiet. Not only were there no sounds of morning prayers or bells, but the temple was also shrouded in mist. I searched the entire temple but found not a single person!

There wasn't a single abbot or pilgrim seeking lodging!

"What?" You Junzi's heart skipped a beat. "This... could it be that something unexpected has happened, or that the temple was moved overnight, or even robbed by bandits?"

"No, everything in the temple is as usual, without a trace of panic. Even the abbot and his fellow disciples' clothes are intact; there's no indication that they rushed to pack their belongings." Dinghe quickly suppressed the fear in his eyes and continued:

"You may not know, but a similar strange thing happened a month ago in a village more than ten miles in front of our Yuanjue Temple. Everyone in the village disappeared overnight without a trace."

Now, a similar strange thing has happened at our Yuanjue Temple: there isn't a single living person left in the entire temple.

Left with no other choice, the poor monk returned to a village not far from the temple and informed the villagers. It was likely that in about a month, Xiaohui Village would also suffer the same calamity.

Therefore, I led them to escape to the mountains, hoping to seek refuge in Black Stone Village.

“This…” You Junzi hesitated. “Yuanjue Temple is on the north side of the mountain, and there are several villages along the way. Why doesn’t the Zen Master enter these villages?”

“Amitabha!” Dinghe sighed, “I was born at the foot of the mountain, so I know that most of the wild villages in the mountains are inhabited by uncivilized barbarians who even eat sheep regularly.”

"Only your village, with whom we have frequent contact with merchants, do we know that the head of the household in the mountains is a kind and virtuous man. That is why I brought them here to seek refuge and avoid disaster."

“But we have no food in our village, not enough to feed you…this hundred-odd people.” You Junzi was being stared at by pairs of eager eyes, but he had no choice but to say it.

"Master, please have mercy and save us!"

An old man suddenly rushed out, knelt down, and pleaded in a pitiful voice, "We have brought food, we have strength, we only ask for a place to shelter from the cold!"

"Yes! Please, save us!"

As soon as he knelt down, a huge crowd behind him knelt down as well, pleading and begging.

Seeing the scene before them, the people in the mountain stronghold were moved with compassion. Zhao Lengxiang couldn't help but say, "Why don't we let them in?"

You Junzi did not agree immediately. After hesitating for a long time, he said, "Go and invite the high priest to come and let the village god decide their fate."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Lengxiang was taken aback, while many villagers felt it made sense.

In their eyes, gods should be omnipotent beings.

Soon after, the high priest, dressed in his ceremonial robes, arrived.

Looking at the crowd before him, Ah Liu couldn't help but sigh, thankfully, Master Wuxiang had given him instructions.

He approached the villagers from the foot of the mountain amidst their respectful gazes.

You Junzi asked with a smile, "I wonder if Lord Wuxiang would grant permission?"

The mountain people all stared intently at Ah Liu. Ah Liu was no longer the timid man he once was; he felt a strange pleasure at being watched by so many eyes. He tapped the ground with his white jade staff and solemnly spoke:

"Lord Wuxiang is already aware of your arrival."

The gods are merciful and have granted you permission to enter the village.

But you must also worship Lord Wuxiang and not disobey the will of the village god!

Upon hearing this, all the mountain people happily kowtowed in gratitude. Although Dinghe was surprised by this formless god, he still showed a relieved smile on his face.

Even You Junzi, who was standing to the side, was puzzled. Could it be that Wuxiang had become kinder recently?

The group of mountain people happily entered the village, curiously looking around at the village deep in the mountains, while the villagers watched them with equal curiosity.

You Junzi knew that she would be busy again.

With so many people coming to the village, things will definitely be quite busy.

After everyone had entered the village, Ah Liu said to the monk from Yuanjue Temple, "Master, Master Wuxiang invites you."

Dinghe frowned slightly. "Lord Wuxiang? I wonder if the person you're referring to is a person or..."

Upon hearing this, Ah Liu immediately became displeased and said, "Our Lord Wuxiang is the village god of Black Stone Village, a deity of the mountains! How can you not show him respect?"

Dinghe had no choice but to apologize and follow him into the Wuxiang Temple.

As soon as Dinghe entered the temple, he saw a group of children playing musical instruments in the corridor, chatting and laughing. They were all dressed in plain white clothes, and occasionally they were seen playing and frolicking. The sounds of zithers, drums, flutes, and gongs, along with the snow dripping from the eaves, created a unique musical experience.

He couldn't help but exclaim, "There is such a group of musicians deep in the mountains; it has a unique Zen-like quality to it."

"They are all performing the Wuxiang Sacrifice for Lord Wuxiang. I can't hear anything. What good music can a group of blind people play?" Ah Liu explained, shaking his head.

"Blind people? They... are all blind?" Dinghe asked in surprise.

Ah Liu nodded and said, "That's right, these children are also unfortunate. Their eyes were gouged out by demons in the mountains, and they became blind."

"If it weren't for Lord Wuxiang's mercy, they would have been dead long ago."

“Amitabha! This Wuxiang is indeed a virtuous person.” Dinghe couldn’t help but sigh upon hearing this.

Then, he looked up slightly and saw countless white bones piled up on the snow-capped mountain behind the temple. He was immediately startled, his eyes twitching, and he pointed at the mountain behind, saying, "This...this mountain..."

“Lord Wuxiang resides in this mountain,” A-Liu replied.

"What?" Dinghe's heart trembled. Was a god who used the bones of the mountains as his dwelling really a god?

"Alright, Lord Wuxiang only invites you into the hall. Go in now," A-Liu said, leading him to the front of the hall.

Unable to do anything else, Dinghe could only slowly walk into the somewhat dark hall.

Unexpectedly, as soon as he stepped into the hall, the two doors closed on their own, extinguishing all the light inside.

In the darkness, the towering statue stood silently before him like a giant. Ding Hexin could not help but tremble with fear, and could only sit cross-legged and silently recite the Heart Sutra.

Bai Wuxiang sized up the monk in front of him. This was the first monk he had seen in Yunze Mountain. Even though the monk had no magical power or other energy, Bai Wuxiang felt a deep reluctance to get close to him.

This monk, who can see through the bones buried under the snow on Skull Mountain at a glance, must be no monk without ability.

Bai Wuxiang chuckled softly, the sound echoing in the dark hall. He transformed into a gust of yin wind, swirling around Ding He who was sitting cross-legged, and then transformed into a huge white skeletal demon shadow, hovering around him before suddenly burrowing into his mind.

Dinghe's recitation of the Heart Sutra was suddenly interrupted, and the scene of him returning to the temple half a month ago flashed through his mind.

Meanwhile, the images in Ding He's mind also appeared in Bai Wuxiang's mind. He was reading the other party's memories, or rather, spying on and stealing the other party's memories.

The solemn and dignified temple was shrouded in mist, making it difficult to see clearly.

Dinghe walked through Yuanjue with a look of surprise and unease on his face. He ran to the meditation room, but his lazy fellow disciples were nowhere to be seen, and there was no one in the abbot's meditation room either.

The entire temple was quiet, save for his frantic heartbeat and heavy breathing.

Bai Wuxiang also frowned. He even manifested himself in the temple scene from his memory, and there was indeed no trace of bandits in front of him.

No matter what, there are over a hundred people in the temple. Even if it were an ordinary demon, it would be impossible to kill and plunder without leaving a trace.

Bai Wuxiang walked slowly on the blue-white stone brick ground, with mist flowing slowly on both sides. He stood in front of the main hall of Yuanjue Temple.

Inside the hall, there was also a thick fog. Bai Wuxiang took a few steps and then suddenly stopped.

It seems... there's some extremely subtle sound!

Bai Wuxiang closed his eyes and reconnected with Dinghe's skull. Dinghe in the Reality Temple couldn't help but frown, as if he was enduring great pain, with fine beads of sweat appearing on his forehead.

In the illusory memory, Bai Wuxiang opened his eyes again. He turned slightly to the side and looked up. A pure white light appeared in his eyes. He looked through the thick fog at the Buddha statue in the center of the hall. With just this one look, even he couldn't help but shrink his pupils.

Inside the misty temple hall, the golden statue of Amitabha Buddha gleamed with an ancient gold hue, its kind face still gazing at all beings with a hint of sorrow.

However, on its towering golden body, which reached the top of the palace, a huge black python was coiled up!

The massive, terrifying snake's body coiled around the statues of gods and Buddhas in the main hall. A horn had even sprouted from the snake's head, and there were even two eagle-like claws under the snake's belly that was coiled around the golden body.

A dark, serpentine snake coiled around the solemn image of a deity, the compassionate Buddha's head intertwined with the snake's head, as if they were nestled together.

This... is no longer a snake or python!
It's a dragon!
It wasn't even the legendary dragon-transforming jiao, but a wicked jiao that devoured living beings and wreaked havoc on the human world!
Even if it cultivates to a high level, it cannot transform into a true dragon. However, if it commits boundless acts of killing, it may become a calamity-causing beast that heaven and earth cannot tolerate, a wicked dragon!
Bai Wuxiang only glanced at it once, and the dragon head on the Buddha statue immediately met his gaze.

"Boom~"

In an instant, the entire illusion shattered, and the true form of Bai Wuxiang in the White Bone Cave let out a ghostly wail in pain.

Inside the temple, Dinghe frantically clutched his head, rolling on the ground and even banging his head against the earth, howling incessantly.

"Evil dragon!"

Bai Wuxiang was shocked. Could this monstrous dragon be... the Xuan Python from Wulong Village?

(End of this chapter)