Chapter 15 The Scheme Begins

In the Jade Dragon Taoist Temple, Chen Taichu's mind stirred, and the Shifang evil spirits were instantly alarmed.

"Hmm, demonic Qi?"

The traces of Zhui Ti’s demonic Qi had vanished, and it was impossible to discern how it had been eliminated. It was as if all evidence of its existence had been erased. He used immortal-level spells to trace its origins, but all he found was a vast azure sky.

This boundless firmament blocked anyone who sought to further pry into what lay beyond.

"Who can block my prying?"

Chen Taichu was slightly surprised. No one in the mortal realm should be able to resist the power of an immortal like him, unless they were also in the Ascension Realm.

But that was unlikely. According to information obtained from the Song court, there were only about three Ascended beings in the mortal world, and for various reasons, their strength was not particularly high.

"An immortal who ascended in broad daylight less than two months ago is merely a Ranked Immortal."

"An immortal who awoke from the Han Dynasty is a Corpse 解 Immortal (corpse liberation immortal)."

"And then there's one who reincarnated for a second cultivation. Although he possesses the divine power of ascension, he is the weakest of the three immortals, perhaps only comparable to those in the Refining Spirit or Pure Yang stages. This is a Crippled Immortal."

"Whether newly ascended or resurrected through corpse liberation, their cultivation levels are inferior. The newly ascended have yet to stabilize their realm. Although they possess immortal power, they are far from grasping the true might of the Ascension Realm."

"As for Corpse 解 Immortals, they are among the lowest forms of immortal attainment. Such immortals achieve this state by separating the soul from the body. The body absorbs the essence of heaven and earth, while the soul ascends to Da Fu Li Tu, using the form and spirit as a beacon for their return. The foundation of such Corpse 解 Immortals is insufficient."

"As for the last one... ha, it certainly won't be him, he's just a Crippled Immortal."

"Ranked Immortals, Corpse 解 Immortals, Crippled Immortals."

"None are worth fearing."

"Half of the blood in my body has already transformed into azure Qi. I am only half a step away from reaching the peak of Ascension. After the Ascension Realm comes Celestial Immortal, and the peak of Ascension is Flying Immortal."

"But among Celestial Immortals, these Ranked Immortals, Corpse 解 Immortals, and Crippled Immortals are all inferior. Even in the ancient Han and Wei dynasties, these three were considered the lowest of the Celestial Immortals."

"I, on the other hand, performed thirteen hundred great acts of kindness, and then deliberately regressed in cultivation three times in the Pure Yang realm before ascending again, granting me the power of three daytime ascensions. Only then did I attain the Taiyi scattered numbers, so that when heaven and earth decay, I shall not."

"Therefore, to eliminate my demonic Qi and prevent my tracing, there is probably a fourth being at the immortal level in the mortal realm besides myself and those three, and their strength may be comparable to mine."

"Half a step away from the peak of Ascension, while not truly reaching the 'Flying Immortal' level, is still worthy of such a title."

Chen Taichu estimated the opponent's strength and accurately suspected the Silver Bottle Maiden.

"The Yue family girl has found a backer. This is truly heavenly fortune. The moment when the great changes in heaven and earth occur has not yet arrived. There are only a few Ascended beings in the mortal realm, and she actually encountered one..."

"Having obtained the other party's magic, this Yue family girl will surely go to Phoenix Mountain to show off her skills. Fortunately, the arrangements have been made. The moment she enters the territory of Phoenix Mountain, the outcome is already determined."

"At Phoenix Mountain, the demons test the Dao. Even Ascended Immortals who enter will face the trials of demons, something they haven't experienced in a long time. The demons inside may not be as powerful as immortals, but they are all considered half-trials demons. Wanton killing is an act against heaven. The accumulated demonic tribulation will befall even those in the Ascension Realm."

"If that immortal enters Phoenix Mountain, then the medicinal power I obtain from my Unwarranted Medicine will be even stronger. When the immortals of the Myriad Longevity Palace transform into true trials demons, opening the door to immortality for the Dao-Heart Demon-Seeded cultivators here, dozens of Semi-Immortals will be born immediately."

"Semi-Immortals are not strong in front of Celestial Immortals, but dozens of Semi-Immortals dealing with a Celestial Immortal entangled in demonic tribulation, plus my own intervention, gives us a nine-point chance of victory. The remaining point accounts for his possible escape techniques."

"For me, this is a great thing."

Chen Taichu relaxed. He was waiting for Sima Shen and his group of merchants to deliver the crucial treasure, the fully formed Unwarranted Medicine. There was still one day left.

Just one day.

If Sima Shen's master, the Qin dynasty alchemist Xu Fu, that old thing, dared to break his promise, then his days in this mortal realm would be numbered.

"Go, Silver Bottle Maiden, slaughter freely. The more you kill, the heavier the demonic tribulation. The Divine Fire Formation has already been laid for you and that immortal. You can refine a green liver and azure blood. I wonder what that immortal will refine."

.......

Within the Phoenix Mountain territory, a wisp of fire arose from the void, appearing suddenly.

The Silver Bottle Maiden manifested with the aid of Fire Evasion.

Although the Fire Virtue Star Lord was not the strongest among the fire gods, he was one of the Five Star Lords of Heaven, and the ability to generate flames from afar was within his capabilities. In this way, among the Thirteen Great Escapes, Fire Evasion, which was criticized as a "death-seeking technique," only one level higher than Metal Evasion, was instantly transformed into a superior escape technique comparable to Heaven, Man, Water, and Earth!

Among the folk fire cultivators, there was a Fire Evasion technique that transformed all kinds of fire to travel between two locations. This required both sides to ignite a flame. If one side suddenly extinguished, the cultivator would be trapped in the fire. When their magic power was exhausted, they would be swallowed by the raging fire, their form and spirit burned, and their life would turn to charcoal.

She opened her eyes and saw a magnificent temple surrounded by incense.

"Where is this!"

The Silver Bottle Maiden was greatly surprised. She had only used the Fire Evasion technique to manifest in the Phoenix Mountain territory, not to directly reach the place where the demons gathered. But she did not expect that the scenery now appearing was vastly different from her original location!

Golden and resplendent, lavishly decorated, with fifty statues of gods on either side. The foremost among the gods was a huge, kind-faced Bodhisattva.

But the moment the Silver Bottle Maiden entered the temple, the fifty statues around her suddenly revealed ferocious expressions. They jumped down from their altars one after another. The kind-faced Bodhisattva also opened its small mouth, which split into a fierce, gaping maw filled with dense teeth, emitting foul air.

"Phoenix Mountain is sealed. All who enter the mountain enter the Holy Mother Temple."

"We knew you were coming."

"Everything is prepared."

The Silver Bottle Maiden's pupils contracted!

"Ji Zhituo Demon Mother!"

There was a Demon Mother in Phoenix Mountain. The demons used her demonic Qi to generate. Her divine position was of unknown origin, and she was hidden extremely deep. When the demons ate people, they would bring her flesh and blood as tribute.

Now it seemed that someone was indeed instructing her here, creating these demons.

Ji Zhituo Demon Mother smiled grotesquely, her mouth gaping wide. When she moved her jaw, it seemed as if she wanted to devour human flesh. She put her hands together and spoke in a falsely compassionate voice: "That's right, I am the Holy Mother Ji Zhituo, the mother of Hua Guang the Great."

The Silver Bottle Maiden: "I know your divine position. You are a Demon Mother who was struck into hell by the Buddha for eating people alive, but you were rescued by Hua Guang the Great who wreaked havoc in hell. This divine position is Cang Shen (god of granaries)."

"Because you are the mother of Hua Guang, and Hua Guang has the power to set fires, you are enshrined in the granary to avoid fire disasters."

Ji Zhituo Demon Mother cracked a smile: "I know you have the art of absorbing fire, so I specially waited for you to come here."

The Silver Bottle Maiden also smiled: "I know you have the art of warding off fire, so I found the God of Fire to deal with you."

"Fire?"

Ji Zhituo Demon Mother gave a strange laugh: "I heard from the demons under my command that you are using the True Martial Dharma Curse to subdue me? Now, instead of using a water curse, you are using fire to counter the art of warding off fire. Isn't that like hitting a stone with an egg?"

"That's not necessarily so!"

The Silver Bottle Maiden looked around, casually stroking the golden ornaments on her body.

Then she raised one hand in a gesture of support!

"Heavenly Fire Tribulation!"

The flames before the Buddha of Hua Guang the Great did not dare to burn you, but the Heavenly Fire Tribulation of the Fire Virtue Star Lord would not be so lenient!

Among the Five Star Lords of Heaven, in terms of legitimacy and antiquity, their divine positions were much higher than that of "Hua Guang the Great!"

Ji Zhituo Demon Mother suddenly spewed out blue-green ghost fire from all seven orifices!

She screamed in pain, and the fifty demons around her pressed forward, but they were all repelled by a golden spear in the Silver Bottle Maiden's hand!

Ji Zhituo Demon Mother retreated several steps, covered the flames in her mouth, and shouted incoherently:

"Heavenly Department Thirteen, Fire Virtue Star Lord!"

"How could you possibly bypass the court's blockade!"

But the only response she received was the Silver Bottle Maiden's golden spear piercing through the fire:

"This Heavenly Fire Tribulation burns from the Yongquan acupoint (sole of the foot) straight up to the Niwan Palace (brain), turning your five organs to ash and your limbs to decay, burning all your millennia of hard cultivation into illusion!"

Buzz—!

The golden spear pierced through the air like a rainbow, emitting a piercing buzzing sound. Its power penetrated refined gold and divine iron, and its power was unmatched! But Ji Zhituo Demon Mother did not avoid it. Instead, she actively welcomed this fierce spear. Only when the golden spear pierced into her chest did she laugh loudly at Yue Yinping:

"You have become reckless by connecting to too strong a divine position. I am the mother of the Fire God, but you are attacking me with gold. Isn't that extremely ridiculous! Fire overcomes metal. You have committed the great taboo of the Five Elements!"

As the blue-green ghost fire flickered, the Silver Bottle Maiden also laughed!

"I return your words to you!"

"Metal generates water. You have committed the even greater taboo of the Five Elements generating one another!"

With that, a divine sound suddenly arose from her mouth!

True Martial Demon Subduing Mantra!

Ji Zhituo Demon Mother was impacted by the Demon Subduing Mantra. After the blue-green ghost fire was the Demon Subduing Water Curse. Her fire energy was decreasing, and her demonic Qi was about to be shattered, but she immediately adjusted her state and began to devour this True Martial Dharma Curse!

"Foolish! Having fought with so many demons around me, don't you know that we feed on the righteous Dharma!"

"You are simply courting death!"

However, the Silver Bottle Maiden did not panic but laughed when she saw Ji Zhituo Demon Mother beginning to devour the True Martial Dharma Curse.

"You are already dead."

"?"

In Ji Zhituo Demon Mother's eyebrows and eyes, an expression of doubt appeared.

In her heart, the Silver Bottle Maiden remembered the "True Martial Great Emperor's" order!

She came here, of course, to slay demons and eliminate evil.

But since the Great Emperor had specifically mentioned the golden ornaments, coupled with the various strange events at Lingyin Temple and Jade Dragon Taoist Temple, and combining it with the fact that Ji Zhituo Demon Mother was now waiting here for her arrival, it was clear that someone was secretly preparing to deal with her.

And the Silver Bottle Maiden guessed what the Great Emperor's words meant... perhaps the Great Emperor wanted to use her as bait. When the mastermind behind the scenes truly appeared, he would strike across the ages with divine power, completely shattering that mastermind!

Truly a profound and far-reaching plan.

Then she only needed to bravely slay demons until Phoenix Mountain was empty. Then the demon leader would naturally be unable to hold back and would have to show himself!

This was her duty!

.......

The fight had broken out!

Ji Xiang sensed the activation of the True Martial Demon Subduing Mantra. However, although the demon that the Demon Subduing Mantra was facing was powerful, its strength was limited. If it were the Silver Bottle Maiden who had not obtained the divine position of the Fire Virtue Star Lord, she would certainly not be able to defeat it. It could even be said that she had little chance of winning.

But after the blessing of the Fire Virtue Star Lord's divine position, the other party could only split the odds four to six with her.

"Heavenly Department Thirteen corresponds to the Innate Realm. The Silver Bottle Maiden's original strength allows her to connect with the Primordial Spirit level. Although she cannot directly obtain the strength of the Innate Realm, it is still no problem for her to have the strength of the peak of the Yellow Court Realm."

"Of course, if she wants to fully obtain the Innate strength, she must still undergo twelve years of fortune. No one can avoid this. She can only shorten this process with treasures like the Seven Treasures Yellow Lotus."

"Moreover, she herself is a military general. Among the folk gods, the strength of a military general god is the highest, often more capable of fighting than other folk gods. She has been slaying demons and eliminating evil for more than a decade, if not a century. Her rich combat experience is enough to turn the tide of battle when the difference in strength is not significant."

"The demon fighting her should be at the early stage of the Innate Realm."

"It seems he's not a big character. He can only be considered a gatekeeper."

Ji Xiang used the True Martial Demon Subduing Mantra to sense. As expected, some of the previous situations appeared again.

The first time he was summoned by Yue Yinping's True Martial Dharma Curse, the demon on the opposite side seemed to have the power to devour righteous Dharma.

And before, Ji Xiang had also seen similar abilities on the Three Demon Buddhas.

It seemed that not only Zhui Ti Demon had this power. These demons also possessed similar attributes, but this was irrelevant to Ji Xiang.

Righteous Dharma could be devoured, but only the Dharma Curse was eaten.

"Universal Cave Scripture, Three Capitals Seal!"

Ji Xiang struck across the ages!

.......

Bang!

"The Yue family girl entered the Granary God Temple and slaughtered to her heart's content."

Chen Taichu sensed the death of Ji Zhituo Demon Mother. As the first line of defense he had placed in Phoenix Mountain, Ji Zhituo Demon Mother's strength was not the strongest, but she was at least a demon in the Innate Realm. It was impossible for her to be killed so easily by the Silver Bottle Maiden.

"I didn't expect her to die like this. One of the surprises obtained from the Dao-Heart Demon-Seeding was this female cultivator. She could be in sync with the divine position of Ji Zhituo Demon Mother and could constantly replicate various demonic Qi. It could be said that she was the mother of all demons. Without her, it would take me a while to corrupt the cultivators here."

"It's a pity she didn't live to the moment when she became a Trials Demon. At that time, she would become the mother of all demons. When the cultivators of the world were promoted, they would see her beauty and gradually be infected by her heart."

"This was the original beautiful ending."

Chen Taichu tried again to trace the details of Ji Zhituo's death, but he only saw a vast azure sky.

This completely cut off his immortal tracing.

"Not good, but it's still manageable."

"Killing the Demon Mother, a demonic tribulation should have descended."

"I'll see how many mountains you can break through and how many temples you can destroy."

"The more you kill, the heavier the demonic tribulation."

.......

The Silver Bottle Maiden saw Ji Zhituo Demon Mother being annihilated by the Three Capitals Seal and laughed heartily. But the next moment, a demonic tribulation descended out of thin air, about to transform into a curse and entangle her body, invade the depths of her Primordial Spirit, and bind to her life, never to be separated until death.

But this demonic tribulation had just descended when it immediately melted away like ice and snow, as if it had been guided away by something even more attractive to it, never to be seen again!

"What was that feeling, a calamity?"

"Ineffective against me?"

"Great Emperor! It must be the Great Emperor protecting me! Sure enough, the Great Emperor was prepared!"

A flash of inspiration struck the Silver Bottle Maiden's mind.

She understood everything.

Everything was the Great Emperor's arrangement!

........

Ji Xiang's heart stirred, and he grabbed into the ethereal void!

Jade Clarity Hidden Book, Lesson Four, Demonic Back Yin!

Capture the formless demonic tribulation, the tangible demonic Qi, and the shapeless demonic forms!

A demonic tribulation was captured and held in Ji Xiang's hand, but it emitted a joyful will.

"This is...."

"A Trials Demonic Tribulation???"