Second Talisman Refining

Second Talisman Refining

Several days later, Wangyue Prefecture, Manfeng Mountain.

Rank upon rank of armored troops stood guard there, divided into squads. Shield-bearers held the front, spearmen the middle, and crossbowmen the rear. Each squad numbered at least a hundred men.

All around the soldiers, strange ink had been spread across the ground. It lay in a thin, even layer, like smooth black tiles. Anyone who had to touch the ground to walk would inevitably leave tracks in it.

Each squad worked in shifts: half the men rested while the other half took their place.

They couldn't withdraw. Their mission had only just begun.

They had already been here for four full days and nights.

How much longer they would have to wait, they didn't know.

But unless the general gave an order, they would have to keep waiting.

Soon, night fell.

The bright moon overhead cast a dense pattern of fallen leaves across the ground.

Torch after torch and brazier after brazier lit up, their blazing flames tinting the sky red.

Suddenly, groups of martial artists in snug outfits arrived from afar. Once there, they joined the armored troops with practiced ease, taking up positions around the perimeter in dimly lit places and forming a complementary defensive line.

The general in command of the troops also emerged from the distant ranks, clad in armor.

Among the martial artists, a Yellow Robe Daoist approached him with two Daoist Boys.

"General Zhang."

"True Person Han."

After exchanging brief greetings, the two stood together without another word. The atmosphere felt oppressive.

Before long, more people arrived from afar. Every one of them was a renowned expert from Wangyue County or the neighboring counties, and each carried a weapon unique to them.

A moment later, two more Yellow Robe Daoists appeared. Including the first one, there were now three.

Only when the three of them gathered with General Zhang did the conversation pick up a little.

"Is the Celestial Master really coming?"

"The troops here were summoned by the Celestial Master, so of course he'll come. Not only that, he'll personally lead the attack on Manfeng Mountain."

"We've already lost too many people here. There are at least three kinds of demons on this mountain."

"Fortunately, the bear demon on Star River County's Old Mountain was destroyed by you, True Person Han."

As soon as he heard this, the Yellow Robe Daoist who had used the Golden Snake Entwining the Bear technique on Old Mountain waved his hands repeatedly, then shook his head gravely.

He had not revealed the true state of affairs on Old Mountain to the outside world, because the Celestial Master did not want to spread even more panic.

In Wangyue Prefecture, General Zhang was the leader of the soldiers, while the Celestial Master was the leader of them all.

Seeing his reaction, the other two Daoists both looked thoughtful.

One of them asked, "In any case, it was destroyed, right?"

This time, the Yellow Robe Daoist didn't deny it. "Right."

The Daoist nodded slightly. "Thank goodness it was destroyed. Otherwise, there would be at least four kinds of demons here."

Another Daoist sighed. "The Celestial Master had left Manfeng Mountain alone until now, merely sealing off the surrounding area and declaring it forbidden territory. Today, he's brought in troops and sent us here to wipe them out. It seems we're taking things a step further. But who knows how many of us will survive this campaign?"

Everyone fell silent.

A mood of solemn sacrifice rose around them.

They were all prepared to die.

Here in the prefectural city, they had been the first to encounter the truth—and the first to face despair.

Just then, great swaths of golden light suddenly welled up across the red-lit, pitch-black ground. Two figures emerged from within it. The red glow of the braziers washed over them, pressing their long shadows darkly against the earth.

Both wore bronze ghost masks. One was dressed in a purple Daoist robe, aloof from the world; the other wore a Daoist Boy's robe and carried an absurdly long Beast Slaying Saber on his back.

The Daoists looked at the Daoist Boy in surprise. As far as they knew, the Celestial Master dealt with powerful demons, so he always borrowed Daoist Boys. They wondered which prefecture he had borrowed this one from today.

And since the boy wore a mask, he clearly didn't want to reveal his identity. That lent him an air of mystery.

Ugly Slave glanced around, then turned to Ning Xuan. "Qingfeng, I've already told you most of what's going on here on the way. We'll rest tonight. Tomorrow morning, we'll climb the mountain."

Ning Xuan nodded.

Then Ugly Slave was ushered into a makeshift tent.

The Celestial Master was in poor health. If he was going to act the next day, he needed a good night's rest beforehand.

As for Ning Xuan, the Daoist Boy, he sat cross-legged beside the bonfire outside the tent, closing his eyes to rest while also keeping watch over the tent behind him.

The Celestial Master slept. The Daoist Boy stood watch.

That was a Daoist Boy's lot in life.

If it were anyone else, Ning Xuan certainly wouldn't have agreed.

But when he thought of how miserable his big brother's life had been—his face ruined, his name buried, too afraid to acknowledge his family—and how Ning Xuan had taken his place and enjoyed everything meant for him, he didn't mind so much.

Besides, with his current constitution, staying on watch all night was nothing.

Ning Xuan sat cross-legged by the brazier in front of the tent. A few people tried to strike up a conversation with him, but he ignored them all and didn't answer. Gradually, no one came near him anymore.

He drew in a breath of night air, thick with the scents of grass sap and blood, and gazed at the distant mountains, dark as a mass of ink.

Big brother had said there were three kinds of demons on this mountain.

A monkey,

a bull,

and a sheep.

For now, those were the three.

But they were still trying to invite more demons here.

For what?

Most people guessed the demons wanted to form an alliance.

But big brother had told him, "Not necessarily."

Across all of Wangyue Prefecture, including its nine counties and twenty-eight townships, as well as among travelers passing through, the number of people who had disappeared was actually quite high. And they hadn't vanished from any one fixed location.

In the Daoists' eyes, to disappear meant to die.

Those people had all ended up in the demons' bellies, turned into food.

But big brother had told him, "No."

Because once, by chance, big brother had heard people calling out from deep within Manfeng Mountain. Their voices had drifted in on the wind from every direction, and the most common cry was "Help!"

From this, big brother had reached a simple conclusion: the missing people had most likely not been eaten, but locked away.

Why would demons lock people up?

And why invite other demons?

Big brother had reached a terrifying conclusion: a banquet.

The demons wanted to hold a banquet. So they had captured people, resisting the urge to devour them and keeping them locked up until the banquet began.

But a banquet had to have guests.

And what kind of guests could make demons hold back from eating?

Big brother didn't dare imagine.

In recent days, more and more people had gone missing. Big brother had finally been unable to hold back from taking action. His cultivation had advanced another step, and now he also had an exceptional Daoist Boy like Ning Xuan.

So they had set the date for tomorrow.

Tomorrow, big brother would take him to investigate.

Once they had learned as much as possible, they would launch a full-scale attack.

His task was to protect big brother and buy him some time to "cast spells."

The bonfire crackled and blazed.

Its flames danced in Ning Xuan's eyes.

He casually tossed on a few dry branches, then closed his eyes to rest as well.

He didn't want to be married off to Hanzhou Ranch, so he had to complete this mission.

Night deepened.

As time passed, Ning Xuan began to feel that dawn should be near.

His senses were keen, and he had his own way of judging the passage of time.

Then he became certain that dawn had arrived.

He opened his eyes.

The sky was still dark.

The sky.

It was still dark.

Why?

There wasn't the slightest hint of light.

Only the black moon hung high above him.

Its light formed a strange halo, bathing the bright moon around it in a deathly pallor, while the black moon itself looked like a huge black pupil staring straight down at him.

Ning Xuan was certain he hadn't used the "Ghost Macaque" essence blood to refine a talisman. That left only one possibility.

A Heavenly Demon was about to arrive.