A desolate, eerie ruin.
"Benefactor, the Sea of Suffering is boundless; turn back and reach the shore. Can you lay down your butcher's blade?"
Old Hui Xian wore a kindly, benevolent expression as he patiently tried to persuade the Ghostly Entity struggling desperately while pinned to the ground. The Hellish Evil Ghost was hideous beyond measure, with grayish-red skin and an ugly face. It crawled hunched over, its limbs thin and long, claws sharp, half its brain exposed.
It had no eyes, ears, nose, or anything else—only a foul, protruding mouth full of teeth, flinging saliva everywhere.
"Roar! Eat... eat!"
Its teeth clattered wildly as it snapped them together. Old Hui Xian shook his head.
"Kindness."
He waved a hand and turned to continue onward. Behind him, the Snake Demon Boy, who had been stepping on the Hellish Evil Ghost, neatly swung his blade, sheathed it, then turned and caught up with the group to resume clearing the way at the front.
The beheaded evil ghost burned all over like glowing charcoal and turned to ash in the blink of an eye.
The Long-faced Heavenly King traveled barefoot in coarse hemp clothes, carrying the luggage at the very back of the group. His large feet stepped through the ashes, scattering the last trace of the evil ghost into heaven and earth. In that barren, deathly still, shadowy world, black earth stretched across the horizon to meet the sky. Withered grass grew thickly, and four figures advanced step by step while the little bald head ran about chattering endlessly.
The murmured chanting carried farther and farther...
Half-Dragon People territory.
Bai Yujun lay dozing in a lotus pond pavilion, her dragon tail hanging into the water and gently swaying, drawing several koi toward it. Outside the pavilion, the monkey hung from