Chapter 1#
Chapter 1#
Clouds surged and winds rose, accompanied by torrential rain and thunder.
The sound of vibrations echoed between heaven and earth. Crimson-purple lightning pierced through the sky, as if it were about to tear the entire world apart.
Rain battered the mountain forests, mingling with crackling sounds. Animals fled in panic, and the cry of an eagle pierced the sky, flying off to parts unknown.
Thunder rolled in waves, and the dark, heavy clouds seemed ready to collapse and swallow the earth.
Yet at the peak of the mountain, a Daoist in white stood with a sword, facing the thunderstorm.
Xue Jingci was undergoing his lightning tribulation.
His eyes were tightly shut, his entire body soaked through, and his face was as pale as snow.
The cold rain battered him, making his long eyelashes tremble. His hands, exposed outside his Daoist robes, were turned red by the freezing wind. Only his fingertips gripping the sword turned a bluish-white from the sheer force of his hold.
At this moment, his dantian was vibrating; he had clearly reached the critical point of a breakthrough.
However, the lightning tribulation from the Heavenly Dao was delayed, leaving him with no choice but to let the spiritual energy churn within his heart and lungs.
“Host, let’s try again another day.”
The System whispered its advice, “You are currently in the mortal realm; it is very difficult to sense the Heavenly Dao here.”
Hearing this, Xue Jingci wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and looked up at the sky.
That was not the true sky, but an array laid down by an ancient powerhouse.
A thousand years ago, during the chaotic war between the human and demon races, the mortal world turned into a living hell. Five great masters joined forces to set up an array, sacrificing their souls as the array’s core to establish the ‘Heaven’s Gate Array,’ which was large enough to cover the entire mortal realm.
The array absorbed the turbid air of the mortal world. Carrying too much filth, it grew thicker year by year until it eventually obscured the true light of heaven.
Only during the few hours each day when the celestial light was at its strongest would a faint glimmer penetrate the array to bestow itself upon the mortal world.
Xue Jingci sheathed his sword and replied, “Alright.”
The System stared at him quietly.
Xue Jingci’s appearance was exceptionally outstanding, but what one noticed first was his temperament.
Cold and otherworldly, steady and profound like a mountain or a deep pool, he was like snow atop a lonely crag—both cold and pure.
It tried to discern a trace of emotion on its host’s face.
After failing the tribulation, shouldn’t the host be somewhat sad? Resentful? Angry?
Looking left and right, there was none.
The System sighed. The host was perfect in every way, except that his emotions were too faint.
But perhaps only thus could he better complete the missions.
As a veteran employee of the Crematorium Plane in the Transmigration Bureau, the System could be said to have personally witnessed the plane go from its peak of popularity to being deserted.
Its previous host was once the top dog of the plane, proficient in various skills such as kidney removal, heart gouging, eye donation, jumping off city towers, and serving prison time in someone else’s stead.
But perhaps because too much negative emotion had accumulated, he suddenly rebelled during a certain mission, using the scumbag gong’s life to force the main system to allow a job transfer.
The System still remembered how the former top dog, biting a cigarette butt, had said mockingly: “Was I too harsh? He only lost a life, but I lost my smile.”
Then he used the cigarette to light a haystack, preparing to burn the scumbag gong.
The main system had no choice but to compromise.
From then on, more and more hosts transferred to other planes—things like ‘Group Favorite,’ ‘Salted Fish,’ ‘Slapping Faces,’ and the like.
Eventually, almost no host was willing to come to the Crematorium Plane.
Until Xue Jingci appeared.
This man ranked first in thirteen subjects, yet he failed every emotional interaction test, which forced him to transfer from the protagonist group to the supporting character group.
Coming across such a treasure, the System almost wept with joy.
He was simply the perfect candidate for the Crematorium Plane.
It was just that their mission target had already ascended above the sky. If they wanted to continue the mission, they had to undergo the tribulation and chase after him first.
Xue Jingci stabilized the breath within his body. Today he had indeed reached his limit and should not attempt the tribulation again.
It mattered not; there was plenty of time ahead.
“Let’s head back first…” Xue Jingci had intended to return to his secluded Green Bamboo Forest, but a faint sound suddenly echoed in his ears.
The voice was intermittent, sounding like someone crying out.
“The river… the river demon is eating people…”
“Please, immortal… save us…”
Xue Jingci immediately changed direction and flew his sword toward the village in the southeast.
Ever since the various sects moved to the Upper Realm, the demon race and demonic cultivators had become increasingly unrestrained, often wantonly plundering the lives of mortals.
Thus, the sects of the Upper Realm would send disciples to eliminate demons and slay devils.
But since the distance was vast, by the time they arrived on several occasions, the entire village was already soaked in blood, with no sign of life left.
He had personally set up sound-transmitting arrays in several Daoist temples. This way, as long as someone came to worship, he could hear them.
The request for help this time came from Donglai Village.
Some villages in the mortal realm were formed by gathered refugees. Wandering far from home, these people always wanted to remember their roots. Therefore, village names like ‘Xilai’ (Coming from the West) or ‘Shanlai’ (Coming from the Mountains) were common…
But the name ‘Donglai’ (Coming from the East) caused Xue Jingci to pause for a rare moment.
However, he quickly withdrew his thoughts, and not a single ripple could be seen in his eyes.
“Host, what’s wrong?” The System always paid attention to Xue Jingci’s emotions and acutely sensed something at this moment.
Xue Jingci did not respond, nor did he approach the village; he simply released his divine sense to envelop the settlement.
Ding-ling—
A spirit medium dressed in peculiar attire was ringing a bell.
The river surged, crashing against the reefs. On the shore, several children’s bodies were covered with white cloth. Men wearing Dameng robes surrounded the bodies, their eyes closed in prayer.
This was a sacrificial ceremony.
“Heaven is dark, Earth is yellow; the universe is vast and chaotic.”
“The sun and moon wax and wane; the stars and constellations are spread out.”
The medium sang hymns and recited the ‘Thousand Character Classic’ passed down by word of mouth among the children. It was the most precious thing in that impoverished village, something the powerless adults tried hard to instill into the children’s minds.
Now, it was being used as sacrificial verses for summoning and sending off souls.
The men lifted the children’s bodies and processed around the village. The houses, made of thatch and mud, were extremely simple and dilapidated.
Spirit banners hung at the entrances of many homes, the piercing sound of the suona and weeping mingling with the medium’s chanting.
“Lord River Demon, please spare our children. We are willing to offer you all our cattle and sheep.”
The sky was dark and heavy, with only a sliver of light peeking through the eastern horizon. The men brought tied-up cattle and sheep, letting the animals’ wails echo through the sky.
Upon hearing the words ‘River Demon,’ Xue Jingci indeed sensed a demonic aura.
Strangely, the souls attracted by the spirit banners in the medium’s hands were complete, and they were not tainted by turbid energy. It didn’t seem like they had been killed by spirits or demons.
He flew on his sword, slowly searching along the river course.
As he neared a town, the demonic aura grew stronger. Xue Jingci immediately restrained his aura and landed slowly.
This great river flowed from east to west and was named Chuanqiong.
Silt accumulated at the bottom of the river, and yin energy overflowed. Over time, some spirits were born.
Spirits lacked intelligence; their souls were imprisoned in the silt, and they cultivated by devouring the essence of those who fell into the water.
Demons, however, were the powerful among the powerful. They had gained intelligence and could use spells just like human cultivators.
The one standing not far from Xue Jingci now was a river demon, whose cultivation was on par with his own.
He appeared to be a man in his early twenties with a gloomy expression and deathly pale skin, rotten waterweeds wrapped around his arms.
At that moment, he was bending over to fish something out of the river, but when he tried to stand up, he found he couldn’t—
A thin sword was held across his neck.
“I have something to ask you.”
Xue Jingci pressed the sword down: “Many people have died in Donglai Village. Does it have anything to do with you?”
As soon as he spoke, Xue Jingci felt the weight under his sword lighten.
The river demon’s body rippled and vanished in an instant.
The demon race liked to take human form, but their true bodies were not human.
Clearly, this river demon’s soul had merged with the surging river water.
A vast white mist spread out, and towering waves accompanied by terrifying winds blocked Xue Jingci’s retreat from all four directions in an instant.
Xue Jingci’s hand on the sword hilt suddenly loosened.
The sword, originally three feet long and two inches wide, exploded with a lustrous white sword light. Its form expanded to twenty zhang, its aura steady as a deep pool, majestic and powerful.
Xue Jingci pressed down with his fingers, and the massive sword intent sliced right through the river surface.
“I really didn’t kill those children. They went into the river to pick up spirit stones and accidentally drowned.”
The river demon was completely intimidated by this strike, thinking he came from some prestigious sect.
“If you don’t believe me, I can swear to heaven. Since becoming a demon, I haven’t eaten a single mortal, nor will I ever. If I lie, let me be struck by heavenly lightning.”
If he were to eat anyone, it would be cultivators. Mortal flesh was tough and lacked spiritual energy; only mindless spirits would eat them.
A faint movement came from above the Heaven’s Gate Array, but it quickly returned to tranquility.
All cultivators, whether human, demon, or devil, had a connection with the Heavenly Dao and naturally could not make oaths lightly.
Xue Jingci looked at the river demon: “Without those cattle and sheep, they will find it hard to survive the winter. Come with me and explain everything clearly.”
“Explain to them?”
The river demon’s face was full of disbelief.
He could swear an oath to Xue Jingci to beg for mercy, but what right did those mortals have?
Xue Jingci wiped his sword.
Meanwhile, the sacrifice nearby had reached its final stage.
The turbid river water beat against the cold reefs along the shore, and the pitch-black sky weighed on everyone’s hearts.
With everyone kneeling, one child appeared particularly conspicuous.
The young child pulled at his mother’s hem. He didn’t understand what a sacrifice was; he only knew that the cattle and sheep his parents valued more than their own lives were being pushed step by step into the river.
He was so anxious he was almost crying, and he asked sadly, “Why are the little sheep being pushed into the river?”
The woman, with a weathered face and dark skin, wiped away her falling tears and reached out to cover the child’s eyes, not letting him see the miserable sight of living creatures struggling in the river.
“A-Su, don’t be afraid. Everything will be fine.”
By driving the cattle and sheep into the river and feeding the river demon until he was full, he naturally wouldn’t eat the children anymore.
The villagers prayed from the bottom of their hearts, letting the cattle and sheep sink into the river.
The sky grew darker and darker.
It was as if an invisible mountain weighed on everyone’s hearts.
Until the river swallowed the cattle and sheep, and the darkness was about to swallow the last bit of light.
However, in the next moment, the hand covering A-Su’s eyes instinctively loosened a little. The woman gasped, seemingly witnessing something extremely unusual.
Through the gaps between her fingers, A-Su saw a beam of dazzling light.
An enormous sword appeared out of thin air and descended slowly, actually hovering above the surging river water.
Following that, a white figure descended from the dark clouds, his Daoist robes fluttering in the wind and waves. With a light tap of his toes, he stood very gracefully atop the sword hilt.
The man’s black hair hung down, his plain clothes were as white as snow, and a soft glow radiated from his entire body.
A-Su’s eyes widened. He saw the man gently flip his palm, and the cattle and sheep that had fallen into the river were sent back to the shore, completely unharmed.
Like a deity redeeming the world.