The affairs unfolding inside and outside the county because of Ge Xian's Evil Dragon Aspect could not affect him for the time being.
At this very moment, in a tiny, shabby room in his little courtyard beneath the pagoda tree, an uncanny dragon loomed, mighty and imposing, mysterious and dangerous.
That's right—it was Ge Huolang's Evil Dragon Body.
If the Ape Ghosts and the five evil cultivators of the Mountain Monk sect, who were making a great fuss about moving house on Jade Emperor Mountain outside the county city, could see this scene, they would understand in an instant why this Evil Dragon struck such terror into the many lowly demons and evil cultivators within a hundred li of the county city.
There was no other reason. It was simply too savage.
First was a half-human, half-dragon head, still bearing a human face, but with a pair of forked, savage dragon horns growing from its forehead. Its pair of altered Dragon Eyes were half-lidded, filled with a godlike indifference.
Below it, a long, powerful body coiled, with dragon claws capable of crushing rocks with ease, and scales glimmering with the cold luster of jade and metal, as if wrought by the hands of divine artisans.
He did not move, and could not move.
Though he now revealed his Evil Dragon Demon Body, as long as he stayed still and the dragon qi within him remained calm, no one would know there was a dragon coiled in here, even with only a wooden door between them.
If he moved, that would be another matter.
As the saying went, when a true dragon rose, wind, rain, thunder, and lightning followed.
Ge Xian now had that kind of might, too. Besides this terrifying "Evil Dragon Aspect," he had acquired a full six demonic arts.
They were: Invisibility, Centipede Venom, Thunder Fiend, Flight, Cloud and Mist, and Mountain Split.
They were the fruits of three days of diligent hunting.
As Ge Xian looked himself over, he also went through what he had gained:
"The last three demonic arts came from a Cloud Dragon, a Flying Snake, and a flood dragon monster."
"The flood dragon monster had the densest dragon qi of them all. She was female, and back when the world was peaceful, she'd been afraid to make a move, so she'd stayed in a mountain cavern and diligently cultivated. Recently, she'd come out to recruit bandits, making them call her Grandma, and snatching passersby to offer up as food... Devouring her greatly advanced my cultivation, and she gave me the [Mountain Split] demonic art, too."
"It sounds ordinary, but its might is no small thing. Smaller mountains probably couldn't withstand a single charge from my Evil Dragon Manifestation."
"I can't yet be considered a [Foundation Establishment Realm] cultivator, but I should be able to fight an ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivator. There probably aren't many Dao Entry Realm beings who could match me in battle."
"Of course, even if I can fight, I won't do it properly. By combining my six demonic arts, I can unleash destructive power almost on the level of divine abilities, like Five Poisons Yin Thunder, Mysterious Yin Poison Fiend, and Centipede Poison Cloud Miasma. If that doesn't work, I can fly above them, seize the high ground, and release poisonous clouds to block their vision and senses. Then I'll spit Thunder Fiend at them, and suddenly dive down to split a mountain..."
As Ge Xian muttered to himself, he suddenly realized that his fighting style was a little too shameless.
The lowly human cultivators and demons of this world, after embarking on the Path of Cultivation, usually developed habits that leaned toward the Dao Qi they cultivated, and their fighting styles gradually converged. Only great demons and monsters above the Mortal Transformation Realm could break free of those constraints and become more cunning.
Lowly demons like Ge Xian were exceedingly rare: skilled at ambushes, able to combine all sorts of abilities, and sometimes willing to play the fool to trick their opponents. No wonder he'd achieved such frightening results in just three days.
He had killed so many that the whole area around Qiantang County trembled at the mention of dragons.
The reason was simple enough.
Cultivation was, in essence, a process of becoming altered—or, of course, one could call it [Dao Transformation].
But Ge Xian's cultivation path was fundamentally different.
He could subdue demonic Dao Qi and draw it into his body, so he did not need to cultivate just one kind.
He had only one Evil Dragon Aspect for now because he hadn't yet found a second kind of powerful Dao Qi that suited him.
Of course, he also needed to meet certain conditions.
But powerful as he was, Ge Xian had yet to see a true dragon, and he had not fought a single Foundation Establishment Realm demon or cultivator.
So he could only estimate where he stood in the pecking order.
"Setting aside the Evil God Dao Lineages like the Eternal Life Cult and Pure Land Cult, as well as the Rebel Army that might erupt at any moment, there are still plenty of forces in the surrounding area I absolutely mustn't provoke."
"The Perverted Couple in the county are untouchable. I can't beat the Gu-Eating Spirit Monster or the Heart Devouring Fox, either."
"The unknown number of dragons at the bottom of the Qiantang River are even more untouchable. When I hunt, I don't dare go near them, lest they mistake me for a 'wild dragon' and haul me in."
"There's a [Yin Gui Mountain] over a hundred li away, with the Ghost Clan hidden in its depths. From White Jade Old Daoist's diary and the rumors I've heard these past few days, the Ghost Clan usually have nearly unsolvable abilities, especially those who came from the Holy Land of [Yin Mountain]. I can't beat them, either."
"Over in neighboring Renhe County, the Darughachi Zhao Yuanjing is a Demon Cultivator even more savage than Lu Hualong. He follows the [Greedy Spirit God], and it's said that both his cultivation and his Daoist attainment surpass Lu Hualong's. His backing is rock-solid, too, and he governs Renhe County even better than Qiantang County. I just don't know if he's also planning to sell people. Either way, I can't beat him."
"Oh, there's one more place. White Jade Old Daoist considered it exceptionally dangerous: Sunset Mountain, already shrouded in Demonic Mist. They say there's a relic of a Song dynasty Dao lineage inside, the [Leifeng Pagoda]..."
Ge Xian counted on his dragon claws, tallying the forces he couldn't afford to provoke.
Suddenly, something changed inside him.
A helpless look appeared on his godlike, indifferent face.
He returned to human form and put his clothes back on.
He unconsciously paced back and forth in the room a few times, then looked toward a wooden chest in the corner. It appeared unremarkable, but in truth held several dangerous things.
A [Jade Pig Dragon] that could be used to nurture and refine corpses.
A manual called Melon Cultivation Art that was, in truth, a compendium of all sorts of bizarre and horrifying alchemical recipes.
A Flood Dragon Skin Drum that could bewitch people and hypnotize their minds.
The first two went without saying. The third strange item had come from the female flood dragon who'd lived for two hundred years. With a light tap, she could make every living creature within a hundred zhang obey her will, leaving their lives and deaths in her hands. It was thoroughly evil.
Now, all three had become part of Ge Xian's collection.
His original plan had been to study Melon Cultivation Art through the night after taking stock of his cultivation progress. He wanted to see those horrifying alchemical recipes, as well as read the notes left by its previous owners. They were fascinating.
But now he knew that wouldn't happen.
His peculiar habit... was acting up.
After three days of hunting, Ge Xian had officially confirmed that he'd acquired a peculiar habit of his own: collecting and hoarding treasures.
The good news was that it did not count as a "vicious habit," and it wasn't very serious.
In fact, it might even be a good thing.
Ge Xian had discovered that this hoarding habit seemed to have some mysterious connection with his other talent, [Supernatural Perception]. Whenever the urge struck, his supernatural senses would grow much stronger, giving him an inspiration that was almost like a guiding hand.
Take that treasure called the [Soul Drum]. It hadn't originally been on Grandmother Flood Dragon. After Ge Xian killed her, his peculiar habit had flared up and guided him to her cave, where he took the strange item.
And now, that connection had appeared once more.
"Hm?"
"This time it's actually inside Qiantang County? Is some strange item causing trouble, or is a demon running amok?"
"Zhang Buzu and Zhao Wuyou, those two Ghost Officers, did say earlier that Qiantang County wasn't all that safe, and that quite a few evil spirits and monsters had been slipping in... So it's come true?"
Ge Xian didn't suppress his peculiar habit. Still guessing at what might be going on, he casually slung a peddler's pack over his back to disguise himself and headed out.
Fortunately, night had just fallen. Though it was a little strange, it wasn't too strange. Besides, he had a Ghost Shadow waist token on him, so as long as he didn't give himself away, he didn't need to worry about the county residents or constables making trouble for him.
Before setting out, he turned to look seriously at a broom beside the wooden chest.
After solemnly calling out, "Sister Bai," he immediately instructed her:
"Sister Bai, keep a good eye on the house. If anything happens, open the chest and beat that little drum. It might be able to resolve the trouble."
"If whoever comes is too vicious, Sister Bai, don't move. Just pretend you're an ordinary broom. They shouldn't give you any trouble."
With that, Ge Xian turned and left, following the sensation in his heart toward a spot in the county city.
A moment later, amidst rising mist, a pretty young wife appeared. Watching the back of her young master as he went away, she recalled his instructions and couldn't help clenching her fists, staring nervously at the wooden chest holding the three treasures.
She began sweeping without thinking, but as she worked, she kept glancing over at the chest, as if burglars or bandits might really break in at any moment to steal the treasures.
She didn't know what sort of story she was weaving in her head, but soon her face flushed red. She fanned herself repeatedly with both hands and lamented:
"Why would this young master entrust me with such an important task? I'm just a broom!"
"B-but following this master is much more exciting than following Grandpa Bai."
"Sigh, only now do I understand why Grandpa Bai has failed to pass the provincial exam all these years. It isn't that he lacks learning; it's that he never joined the [Myriad Laws Sect] and never set foot on the Path of Cultivation."
"How pitiful. A lifetime of hard study, all for nothing."
Ge Xian couldn't hear his own Broom Spirit sighing.
Now he was carrying his peddler's pack, striding into the depths of an old alley called Yuanbao Alley. From within came bursts of mad laughter that made one's hair stand on end.
As he entered, he saw the neighbors being roused from sleep. They ran toward the sound, but whatever they saw made them scream in terror.
The scene descended into chaos at once.
Ge Xian mingled with the crowd, pushing his way forward as he pricked up his ears to listen.
"Ah! Quick, go report this to the authorities. There's been a murder!"
"Ugh... That's the man from the Peng Family. He... he's gone mad."
"Quick, report it! The head of the Peng Family at the end of the alley killed his wife and child. There's blood all over the house, and their guts... their guts are spilling out."
"How could this happen? The county magistrate expressly forbade all fighting and murder. Anyone who breaks the law will be refined into a Corpse Nurturing servant and tortured for all eternity. Wasn't that man from the Peng Family afraid?"
"He's completely mad. Killing his wife and child wasn't enough. He's mixing their blood with mud inside the house, making gold ingots. He says they're real, that he's struck it rich and become a wealthy man, and that he'll marry dozens of wives."
"My heavens, now that you mention it, this isn't the first time."
"There was a similar murder in neighboring Niuyangsi Alley two days ago. It was the Hu Family, I think. The young wife had always been sweet and obedient, but for some reason she went mad, drugged the food, and poisoned all seven members of her family... She didn't run away after killing them, either. She cut open their bellies, smeared their blood on her face, and babbled like a lunatic about how she was going to become beautiful, more beautiful than the imperial consort."
"Hiss!"
"Could... could it be evil spirits?"
"Make way! The Ghost Officers are here!"
At those last words,
The crowd hurriedly parted, revealing two Corpse Nurturing constables whom Ge Xian had never seen before, rushing toward them.
They weren't as powerful as Zhang Buzu and Zhao Wuyou, but they had some Ghost Techniques and supernatural powers all the same.
Their Ghost Shadows flickered, and the two entered the crime scene.
The crowd surged forward again, closing around the gate to the Peng Family's courtyard. Ge Xian was among them.
All the neighbors dared to watch the commotion, watching the murder while retching, but none dared take that final step inside.
Ge Xian didn't step forward just yet, either. Instead, he looked from a distance into the room, which was too gruesome to bear and looked like something straight out of hell.
Just as the neighbors had said, two corpses lay on the floor, one large and one small, one woman and one child. The woman's belly had been cut open, and her intestines and organs lay scattered across the floor. Their murderer was a middle-aged man with a crazed expression and bloodshot eyes. He had already tossed the cleaver aside.
Crouching there like a vengeful ghost, he kept scraping up blood and mud with both hands. With clumsy fingers, he molded one "gold ingot" after another and set them to one side.
As he molded them, he laughed madly:
"One hundred taels, two hundred taels, three hundred taels, four hundred taels... Hahaha, I'm rich!"
"I'll mold ten thousand taels, a hundred thousand taels! I'll become the richest man in Qiantang and marry lots of wives!"
Ge Xian had killed Dragon Earthworms and devoured a flood dragon monster outside the county. He had seen his share of savage scenes.
But this one still counted as a first.
The two Corpse Nurturing constables were cursing as they got to work.
Yet they weren't going to arrest the murderous man. Instead, each opened a pair of Ghost Eyes and began scanning back and forth through the room, the courtyard, and even the crowd.
"What the hell is this ghost thing? We have to catch it this time. If there's a third murder, the magistrate won't spare us. We might not even get to remain ghosts."
"We didn't find it last time. That woman who killed her whole family didn't survive the night, either. She suddenly died at midnight, and her soul was so thin it was more miserable than if we'd sucked it dry."
"That damn ghost wants to steal our food."
"If it comes to it, let's call on Brother Zhang and Brother Ma. Our Ghost Techniques are mediocre at best. We can deal with some useless evil spirits, but creatures this strange will be hard to find."
The two ghosts cursed in voices that were not remotely quiet.
But when Ge Xian looked around, everyone was pretending not to hear. No one seemed to mind being described as "blood food."
He sighed inwardly, then opened his senses to their fullest. His gaze immediately fell on an inconspicuous Gray Pottery Jar in the corner of the room.
It looked incomplete, most of its glaze worn away, mottled with age, and strangely shaped. It was nothing like an ordinary household item. It looked more like a funerary object meant to be buried with the dead, such as a Soul Bottle Spirit Jar.
When Ge Xian looked toward it, the jar seemed to "wake up" at being watched. Its mottled glaze shifted into the shape of an eye, which looked right back at him.
His mind roared.
An epiphany, much like an "empowerment from above," welled up in his heart.
Though he hadn't touched it at all, he had actually received a message from the void:
"Sacrifice!"
"Sacrifice your beloved, and I will grant all your wishes."
"The more you sacrifice, the greater your wish can be."
Before you continue