Chapter 292: Chapter 15: Lawless Freedom
The so-called Heavenly Son Demon is actually a Heavenly Demon, one of the four demons of the Buddhist order, or perhaps the chief among them.
The most notorious and famous among the Heavenly Son Demons is none other than the one who blocked Buddha’s path to enlightenment, the Heavenly Master of Transformation – the Great Freedom Son of Heaven, Buxun.
This individual’s reputation is tied to being Buddha’s enemy, and the demons under his command are particularly adept at beguiling others, indeed capable of subtlety arousing anger in others, leading them down the path to demonhood.
However, nowadays, the Heavenly Son Demon is specific to the Fire House Buddha Hell, seldom appearing in the Central Plains, thus the probability is small.
Then there’s the Nine-tailed Fox.
Those who know about the Nine-tailed Fox understand it as a creature that quite values beauty; if one were to be influenced by a Nine-tailed Fox, they would tend more towards temptation rather than anger.
Therefore, theoretically, the last answer is the most likely.
The Jiang Family of Divine Capital Yun County, the Three Corpse Gods.
As part of the Divine Capital’s circle, the Yun County Jiang Family naturally has a background, with one or two Fifth Grade Dao Fruits in the family, otherwise, they would not have been able to establish themselves near Divine Capital.
However, after the mysterious death of the Jiang Family Master, the branch families within the Divine Capital’s circle were the first to be hit, and various fifth-rank individuals fell in succession. The Yun County Jiang Family also lost their fifth-rank after being requested by the main family, sending out Jiang Luo and choosing to leave Yun County after the main family’s relocation.
Then, they were annihilated on their way.
To this day, the killer remains unknown, and even if Jiang Luo wanted revenge, there’s no way for him to do so.
Everything about the Yun County Jiang Family disappeared after the annihilation, including the always sealed Dao Fruit – the Three Corpse Gods.
Humans have Three Corpses, residing in the upper, middle, and lower Dantians, also known as the three insects, three Pengs, or the three poisons.
Among the Three Corpses, the upper corpse enjoys finery, the middle corpse enjoys flavors, and the lower corpse enjoys lust; there are also theories that say they are the sources of the three poisons of greed, anger, and delusion.
"Three Corpse Gods, Divine Capital Yun County..." Jiang Li murmured softly, "Is the hostility coming from there?"
Jiang Li had made a vow to avenge the branch families, and as the first to pledge his allegiance, Jiang Luo’s vendetta was naturally of the utmost priority. It’s just that the murderer remained unknown, deduced to be a Devil Cultivator from the lingering traces, and coupled with Jiang Li being in a period of strength enhancement, there had not been any action until now.
Now it seems that the enemy or enemies are not weak; sensing Jiang Li’s continually advancing power, they had already begun to respond.
Had they waited until Jiang Li reached fifth-rank or fourth-rank to consider a response, it would have been too late.
Indeed, Jiang Li was almost certain that the person behind the scenes targeting him was the one who destroyed the Yun County Jiang Family.
"Yun County Jiang Family, I didn’t expect it would be such karma that led you to me."
Tianxuan shared the same conclusion, and then she said, "The Three Corpse Gods is a Fifth Grade Dao Fruit, Feng Yunjie is obviously not the true mastermind; he’s just employing means on others’ behalf, inciting your anger. Next, you’ll intercept Feng Yunjie and his disciple, won’t you?"
"Master, you have eyes like torches." Jiang Li offered some flattery.
The area around Iron Pillar Temple had long been under Jiang Li’s surveillance, and Feng Yunjie’s actions couldn’t escape his notice.
At the moment Feng Yunjie wanted to directly approach Jiang Li, Jiang Li had already formulated a plan, hence the seemingly miraculous performance afterward was to make Feng Yunjie unable to withstand the pressure and leave immediately.
Because taking action inside Iron Pillar Temple would draw the attention of others.
"Master, may I ask you to look away for a moment?"
Jiang Li earnestly requested, "Next, your disciple has some secrets that aren’t suitable for display."
Tianxuan said nothing further, severing the connection, as the faint glow on the jade hairpin began to dim.
Then...
Inside an elegant retreat room in Divine Capital, Tianxuan waved her hand gently, casting a Round Light, using the jade hairpin as a base to illuminate the surroundings of Jiang Li.
"Silly disciple, your secrets have long been in your master’s sight."
Tianxuan, with a smile, said to herself, "Since you’ve been candid, not resorting to any ridiculous excuses, I’ll let you off this once."
Tianxuan had been secretly watching Jiang Li day and night, so naturally, she couldn’t miss certain secrets. To an extent, she knew Jiang Li better than Gongsun Qingyue did, making her the second most intimately knowledgeable about him after Jiang Li himself.
Had she been Gongsun Qingyue, she would have succeeded long ago, and none of these troubles would be necessary.
"My disciple, I will teach you a lesson – you cannot trust others lightly," Tianxuan said with a light chuckle.
Though she spoke as such, her tone betrayed a genuine satisfaction with Jiang Li’s honesty.
[[Jiang Li, sensing Tianxuan’s satisfaction before she severed the connection, felt quite pleased in his heart.]]
[[Being secretly observed by Tianxuan every night, Jiang Li might not have known at first, but as time went on, he inevitably became aware, especially after his promotion. He figured that except for the Karma Collection and his unspoken heart of dependency, his other secrets must have been exposed.]]
[[Thus, Jiang Li’s candidness today, though not expressly stated, nevertheless conveyed he had secrets, earning Tianxuan’s favor.]]
[[With sufficient favor accrued, honesty becomes the greatest weapon.]]
[[Especially for a woman as slippery as Tianxuan.]]
Gazing at the lines of text that emerged before him, Jiang Li’s lips twitched in a slight smile.
’Master, oh master, you too have a day when you are calculated by me. Hehehe.’
He walked out of Baopu Hall at an unhurried pace, his silhouette gradually blurring and becoming ethereal until suddenly, it vanished from existence.
The rising sun illuminated Dragon Abyss Lake, mixing the autumn sunlight with the climate of spring, which bestowed a unique beauty upon Dragon Abyss Lake, causing many boaters on the lake to stop and gaze in awe.
But Feng Yunjie had no leisure for such distractions.
He continually stimulated his True Qi, turning the small boat into an arrow speeding through the water, slicing through the waves as it progressed.
Whether it was some action taken by Jiang Li or the abilities he had displayed, Feng Yunjie felt the need to report back as quickly as possible.
If Jiang Li’s mastery of Yi Dao was indeed as miraculous as it seemed, then after exposing Chu Jiang, it was highly possible that Jiang Li would find him by following the clues. This was something that others needed to be informed of.
However, as the small boat raced across the lake like lightning, a faint mist quietly began to appear on the water’s surface.
The mist was a greyish-white color, unlike the lightness of normal mist, instead giving off a sense of thickness. As the fog thickened, the greyish-white color gradually darkened and emitted an unsettling aura.
"Whoosh—"
Suddenly, the small boat lost its propulsion, gliding several yards on the water and setting off a series of splashing sounds.
Feng Yunjie silently drew out a Straight Blade, its cold edge hinting at the swirls of cloud-like Qi Mechanism. He fixed his gaze on a fuzzy figure emerging amidst the dense fog ahead.
The figure approached walking on the water, voice clear yet carrying a peculiar echo, as if two people were speaking at the same time.
"For a hundred years donned as fishermen and woodcutters, old and new affairs, the bottom of the case is clear; a melody spun from silk, picking up the withered, those who come and go, ’Lawless Freedom’."
He stepped out from the dense fog, dragging along a considerable amount of mist, which twirled around him, barely revealing a figure in a white robe with formless Sword Qi shuttling back and forth within the mist, visible one moment and hidden the next.
Upon his appearance, Feng Yunjie felt as if an invisible giant hand seized his heart and lungs, suddenly bringing on a suffocating sense of oppression.
"Clang—"
The blade vibrated fiercely, stirring up chilling Sword Light, and a violent Qi Mechanism radiated outward. Suppressing his fear, Feng Yunjie shouted, "Who is so bold as to obstruct a member of the Southern Heavenly Department!"
"The machinations of your mind are futile here, your Qi Mechanism can’t escape," replied the other in a tone laced with a light chuckle, yet carrying a heavy force, "I’ve come to inquire about an ancient case, three and a half years ago, the Jiang Family of Yun County was attacked by a Devil Cultivator, leading to the massacre of the entire household, do you know of this?"
Feng Yunjie’s heart skipped a beat, and his True Qi fluctuated.
"It appears you are aware," the other confirmed.
Without even needing to answer, that chilling feeling of having your thoughts read...
"You are Jiang Li!" Feng Yunjie bellowed.
"Don’t spout nonsense, I haven’t changed my name, nor my surname," the man said with a laugh, "Devil God Sect, ’Lawless Freedom’ is my designation."
Lawless Freedom, an air of a lawless madman, certainly a person from the Devil God Sect.
Whether or not Feng Yunjie believed it, Lawless Freedom himself certainly did.
As these words were spoken, the greyish-white fog became thoroughly imbued with darkness; black mists swirling menacingly, suffused with horrific pollution, completely enveloping and isolating the inside from the outside.
Five Vile Qi!
Jiang Li himself had come here, conjuring the Five Vile Qi that severed any transmission of Qi Mechanism. Even the temple master of Iron Pillar Temple, the fifth-rank Tong Yuanzi, would not sense the Qi Mechanism here at this moment.
As for the Five Vile Qi, it was common everywhere in this world; everyone was accustomed to it already.
The only concern was that the concentration of evil Qi here was so intense that it could be seen with the naked eye, and maybe even now fishermen on the lake might detect the abnormalities.
So...
Jiang Li extended his right hand, from which the Great Circle Sword appeared to grow forth, Demon Cleansing True Qi surged, drawing in the surrounding black mists like rivers flowing into the sea. The inky black radiance surged toward the Great Circle Sword in streams.
Initially as clear as a stream, the sword blade became coated in an inky brilliance. Yet because of the Demon Cleansing True Qi contained within the sword, the Five Vile Qi could do nothing more than linger on its surface, unable to penetrate further.
The rolling surges of the evil Qi made Little Gao, who sat behind Feng Yunjie, feel as if he was suffocating in deep water, collapsing onto the boat, and even Feng Yunjie himself was tensed up, feeling as if countless demons, ghosts, and monsters from all around were watching him, ready to pounce into his body and gnaw on his flesh and blood.
Extreme malice! Extreme domination!
Upon this newly created persona, Jiang Li fully exhibited his mastery of the Sword Dao.
"You refuse to speak, so I will find out for myself."
The sword in his palm fell from the sky, the mournful Sword Light like pitch-black lightning, slashing down with the force to split heaven and earth. The surrounding Five Vile Qi torrents surged towards the point of impact like a tidal wave.
The small boat was instantly submerged, Little Gao consumed by the evil Qi, his figure devoured, while Feng Yunjie, driven by unbounded ferocity, leaped into the air, the surging cloud Qi carrying him straight towards the heavens.
"Cloud Breaking Sky."
Beneath, the tumultuous waves of evil Qi clashed, black Qi roiling, and the Sword Gang soared upwards. Feng Yunjie’s blade cut towards the sky with a determination that rejected any return, unveiling clouds billowing and Sword Gang crossing the firmament, and then...
Was crushed by the Sword Light.