CHAPTER 451: CHAPTER 235: ENEMIES MEET, PASSIONS FLARE (PART 2)

How could someone as uneducated and utterly mediocre as this break into his pill room and destroy his pill furnace that even ground fire couldn’t damage?

Don’t joke around!

Baiyun Daoist doesn’t believe in such tricks. Besides, I was born a man, not a woman...

What’s that supposed to mean?

Failing to comprehend three times, Baiyun Daoist’s blood surged, his face flushed red, clearly losing his cool.

"One last time, let’s calculate one last time! The divination skills of a poor Daoist are praised highly even by the bald prisoners of Cizhao Temple; can it not decipher my own affairs?"

Baiyun Daoist fiercely began, using his lifetime of knowledge to drive the divination plate in hand, calculating once more.

"Heavenly fortune, earthly virtue, human extremity! The trinity illuminating, the spirit embryo manifesting!"

The divination plate turned counter-clockwise, crimson and blinding fetal blood seeped out. It turned out the divination plate in the Daoist’s hand was not made of chiseled wood or molded metal, but refined from an infant’s fetal body!

"Let a poor Daoist see what kind of fiend you are."

"Wait! Hold on! A poor Daoist won’t calculate anymore!"

"Boom——"

In broad daylight, on the official road, a thunderbolt exploded, and the carriage parked in the middle instantly shattered into pieces.

When the dust settled, the elegant Baiyun Daoist wearing a crane robe vanished, replaced by a ragged, trendy-haired, black-faced old man.

Judging by the attire, that charred vibe, he’d undoubtedly hold the rank of nine-bag elder in the Beggar’s Sect.

Spitting out a mouthful of reversal blood, Baiyun Daoist looked at the shattered jade talisman in his hand, feeling a heart-wrenching pain.

"Yuan Gong! It’s truly you!"

In Baiyun Daoist’s eyes, who else but Yuan Gong, the white-haired deity, would wield celestial thunder to strike people?

This today’s thunder was no different from the celestial thunder he encountered when refining the Nine Revolutions Mysterious Pill years ago.

Baiyun Daoist looked at the scorched figure lying on the ground not far ahead.

Upon closer inspection, it was a familiar face.

Wasn’t it his proud disciple? But now, this disciple of his couldn’t be any more "well-done"!

Skipping past the corpse of his disciple, Baiyun Daoist pasted a "White Cloud Talisman" and "Crane Ascend Talisman" to his legs, holding a tai chi whisk engraved with "Wind Talisman" runes. As he stomped the ground and chanted the "Return Cloud Spell," he lightly flicked the whisk, and the whole person rose in the air, swiftly heading towards the direction of Ru Yi Temple.

...

Yun Meng Mountain, Ru Yi Temple.

After clearing out all the demonic ways within the temple, the demonic aura on Xuan Yu was already at the brink of losing control. Xu Qing had experience with surviving tribulations, but that was as a zombie; the process for demonic beings was not something he knew much about.

The only slight experience he had was from what he heard at Hundred Herbs Cave, Moonlight Mountain, from White Immortal Aunt.

It was the first time both a zombie and a cat encountered such a matter; Xu Qing had managed to survive the thunder disaster, so he advised Xuan Yu to restrain the impulse to condense a demon core. Then, he poured out all usable and unusable dharma artifacts and pills.

"Don’t panic! Whatever you do, don’t panic!"

Sitting cross-legged in front of the Dao Field, Xuan Yu watched Xu Immortal Family, who was hurriedly setting up the altar rituals for it, and its restless heart inexplicably calmed down.

Once the rituals were set up, Xu Qing burned a lot of offerings to the gods responsible for heavenly punishment, guiding celestial law, with spirit incense recognized by the Ghost Marshal and Ghost King of Ancient Yin River Dao among them, followed by sacrificial offerings of three livestock.

Regardless if it worked or not, Xu Qing followed the procedure for filing reports, considering that demons, after all, were different from zombies.

Demon cultivation wasn’t easy, and the tribulations they faced were harsher than those born with natural advantages. To increase the chance of surviving tribulations, they discovered many methods.

One of the most common was associating with human cultivators or sects. Through long-term contact with humans, demons naturally absorbed some "human aura," which was essentially human race merit.

Accordingly, heavenly Dao, sensing this merit, would lower the intensity of the tribulations.

This is one reason why fox demons are fond of forming bonds with humans.

Additionally, some sentient demons, before facing tribulations, would follow their nature to seek temples, celestial halls, pray to gods and Buddhas, all to enhance their odds of surpassing tribulations.

This point is somewhat similar to candidates flocking to pray to the God of Culture and the Star of Literature before exams.

Whether effective or not is another matter, but no demon who survived a tribulation ever claimed it didn’t work.

Gradually, through long-lasting traditions, it became a cultural characteristic for demons to like gathering at temples and celestial halls before or even without facing tribulations.

As the head of Cat Immortal Hall, Xu Qing naturally had to prepare everything for Xuan Yu, who was about to participate in the grand demon tribulation exam.

After praying to all the gods relating to heavenly tribulations, Xu Qing meticulously sorted and handed various pills and talismans to Xuan Yu.

That overly cautious manner, always feeling that no preparations were entirely sufficient, seemed more concerned than when he faced a tribulation himself.

Beside him, Xuan Yu finally couldn’t resist saying: "Haven’t we already prayed to these gods once before setting out on our journeys?"

Xu Qing, with an expression of one who had been through it, remarked with feeling: "You don’t understand; this is called more courtesy, fewer grievances. Praying more times is never a bad thing."

While the two were speaking, Xu Qing suddenly turned his head toward the direction of the mountain gate.

"Xuan Yu, your chance for revenge has arrived!"

Before his voice fell, sounds of breaking through the air came from outside Ru Yi Temple; Xuan Yu similarly sensed the hateful aura approaching.

"Is it you?"

Baiyun Daoist landed before the altar, and upon seeing Xu Qing and the girl’s face, his brows furrowed immediately: "Why together... wait! Demon aura, this girl is a demon!"

"No! This aura is the Nine-Life Profound Cat!"

Baiyun Daoist was both surprised and delighted, but when he felt the sinister aura on the young man before him, he instantly sobered up.

Glancing around, Baiyun Daoist sensed no trace of living people, the entire temple seemed as if everyone evaporated into thin air, only the lingering thick smell of blood in the air hinted at all that had taken place here.

"In a poor Daoist’s temple, the disciples, it was originally you all!"

Baiyun Daoist responded quickly; if the entirety of the temple was due to Xu Qing and them, then why during his heavenly calculations did he suffer celestial thunder backlash?

Yet, evidently, Xu Qing and Xuan Yu had no plans to grant the old man the opportunity to ponder.

——————————————

Always liking to group together and go pray to the God of Culture, and the Star of Literature, it’s somewhat similar.

Whether it’s effective is another matter, as no demon who survived a tribulation ever claimed it wasn’t.

Thus, over time, it formed that before demons face tribulations, or even when not, they like gathering at temples and celestial halls to pray—a cultural feature.

As the leader of Cat Immortal Hall, Xu Qing naturally had to arrange everything for Xuan Yu, who was about to engage in the grand demon tribulation exam.

After finishing prayers to all deities related to heavenly tribulations, Xu Qing didn’t forget to classify and hand over various pills and talismans to Xuan Yu.

That overly cautious demeanor, always feeling that no preparations were entirely sufficient, seemed more earnest than during his own tribulation.

Beside him, Xuan Yu finally couldn’t resist saying: "Weren’t these deities already prayed to once before our journeys?"

Xu Qing showed the expression of a veteran, remarked feelingly: "You don’t understand; this is called more courtesy, less grievance. Praying more times is never a bad thing."

While the two spoke, Xu Qing suddenly turned his head toward the direction of the mountain gate.

"Xuan Yu, your chance for revenge has arrived!"

Before his voice fell, sounds of breaking through the air came from outside Ru Yi Temple; Xuan Yu similarly sensed the hateful aura approaching.

"Is it you?"

Baiyun Daoist landed before the altar, and upon seeing Xu Qing and the girl’s face, his brows furrowed immediately: "Why together... wait! Demon aura, this girl is a demon!"

"No! This aura is the Nine-Life Profound Cat!"

Baiyun Daoist was both surprised and delighted, but when he felt the sinister aura on the young man before him, he instantly sobered up.

Glancing around, Baiyun Daoist sensed no trace of living people, the entire temple seemed as if everyone evaporated into thin air, only the lingering thick smell of blood in the air hinted at all that had taken place here.

"In a poor Daoist’s temple, the disciples, it was originally you all!"

Baiyun Daoist responded quickly; if the entirety of the temple was due to Xu Qing and them, then why during his heavenly calculations did he suffer celestial thunder backlash?

Yet, evidently, Xu Qing and Xuan Yu had no plans to grant the old man the opportunity to ponder.