Nine Ranks to Immortality

Demons had their path, and humans had theirs.

Great Qian Law did not allow wanton persecution of the Demon Race, but it also forbade humans and demons from living together.

Not all demons were evil, yet demonic aura corroded mortals.

Prolonged contact with demons caused physical and psychological mutations, much like the nuclear radiation Zhou Yi remembered.

Not just demonic aura-ghostly, devilish, and evil auras, as well as killing intent, posed similar dangers. Only immortal masters could dispel them.

One devil Zhou Yi had slain had originally been nothing more than a scholar who fell in love with a thousand-year-old female ghost.

After living with her for a long time, he grew averse to sunlight, became taciturn and dark-minded, and eventually joined the Yin Demon Sect.

The Demon-Slaying Bureau's prison was saturated with devilish aura, killing intent, and demonic aura. If an executioner lived long enough, he too would undergo mutations.

"It was a contract selling my life from the very beginning..."

Zhou Yi looked up at the yellow ox demon and noticed that he was different from the other imprisoned demons. He was too calm.

Demons were beasts that had gained intelligence, but their beastly nature still outweighed their humanity. Most were irritable, quick to anger, and cruel by nature.

Faced with the terror of death and infected by the prison's killing intent, ninety-nine out of a hundred went mad.

The yellow ox demon not only remained sane, but had a tranquil gaze, as though he were waiting for death to arrive.

Only when he saw the monk Fahai did his bovine eyes widen, filling with hope.

"Amitabha! I must apologize to you, Benefactor Ox. The Ministry of Justice sentenced all five members of the Zhao Household to death..."

The moment Fahai finished speaking, the yellow ox demon let out a bellow and tried to break free of his chains.

Restrictive inscriptions appeared on the chains, which grew scorching hot, burning the ox demon's hide and charring his flesh.

The yellow ox demon was merely a demon from Heaven-Class Prison. In an instant, he was completely subdued.

"Bald ass! Monks do not lie. You made that promise before a statue of the Buddha. Does that not count as deceiving the Buddha himself?"

"I know my sins. Once I have delivered you, Layman Ox, I will return to the monastery to face the wall in repentance."

Fahai sat cross-legged nearby and chanted sutras without pause. Buddhist light swept every trace of gloomy baleful intent and evil aura from the cell.

"Master, I am going to begin."

Zhou Yi had seen too many tragedies. He himself was one.

Since the yellow ox demon had been sentenced to death, he surely was no benevolent demon either.

With practiced skill, Zhou Yi drove the execution instrument through the yellow ox demon's heart, then severed his horns, skinned him, and extracted his tendons...

The yellow ox demon must not have resisted when he was captured. His hide was perfectly intact.

The Demon and Monster Compendium appeared...

Fragments of memory...

Among them, Zhou Yi saw Fahai...

The reward was one Essence-Blood Pill.

Refined from a demon's blood essence, it could strengthen the body and replenish blood and vital energy when consumed.

"...Amitabha!"

Fahai recited the Rebirth Mantra three times in succession, then rose and bowed to the ox demon, preparing to leave.

Zhou Yi could not help asking, "Master, why must you repent for a demon? Why not talk about it? Perhaps that will help."

Fahai's heart was heavy, and he sorely needed someone to listen. "Benefactor Zhou, please hear me out. Did I do wrong...?"

Fahai recounted how he had captured the ox demon. Although Zhou Yi already knew the story, hearing it from someone involved still made him sigh.

In essence, three generations of a farming family had cared for the yellow ox demon. Then a drought struck, leaving them without a single grain to harvest, yet the family would rather starve than slaughter their ox.

To repay their kindness, the yellow ox demon secretly captured refugees and tossed them into the family's cooking pot.

While serving in the Demon-Slaying Bureau, Fahai discovered lingering demonic aura in a refugee camp. Following the vine to its melon, he tracked it to the Zhao Household, a farming family.

To save the family's lives, the ox demon willingly surrendered.

Fahai promised the ox demon that he would plead for the five family members, but the Ministry of Justice sentenced them all to death to intimidate the refugees.

"Master, I do not think you did anything wrong. Abducting and killing people was a capital crime."

Zhou Yi said, "The farmers knew there were people in their pot. Instead of reporting it to the authorities, they lived off them. Troubled times call for heavy laws. Death was a harsh sentence, but not an excessive one."

"Your words are the same as those of the Ministry of Justice officials, Benefactor Zhou. Otherwise, it would have been easy for my monastery to secure the family's release."

Fahai sighed. "The farmers were not wicked, and the ox demon was repaying their kindness, yet they all ended up dead. However I turn it over in my mind, it was all my fault."

"I subdue demons and vanquish devils to protect humanity. Yet this time, I caused an entire family's death."

At this point, Fahai sat cross-legged on the ground again and began chanting Buddhist sutras.

"Master, you were wrong, but not in slaying demons and vanquishing devils."

Zhou Yi recalled a saying from his previous life that suited Fahai's present circumstances perfectly. "Killing to Protect Life; sever karma, not people!"

"By killing the ox demon, you protected more people. The farmers were entangled in the sinful karma of eating human flesh and were beyond saving. Death instead washed away their sins."

"Killing to Protect Life; Severing Karma and Slaying People!"

Fahai murmured to himself, Buddhist light flickering around him, brightening and dimming.

A moment later, the Buddhist light blazed, sweeping away all the prison's gloom.

Fahai rose and actually bowed to Zhou Yi. "Your words contain a profound Buddhist School truth, Benefactor. You helped me overcome my Heart Demon. I cannot thank you enough."

"You flatter me, Master," Zhou Yi said. "I have simply seen too much suffering and spoke from the heart."

"Chan Master Fa Ming taught me that only by sitting amid hell could one attain enlightenment."

Fahai praised him. "You are an executioner, Benefactor, yet you possess the roots of wisdom. Why not take refuge in the Buddha?"

"Thank you for your kindness, Master, but I would rather remain in the Punishment Office. Here, I can clearly recognize demons and monsters. The world outside is treacherous, and I cannot tell who is human and who is a ghost."

Zhou Yi shook his head and declined. Without the Demon and Monster Compendium, he might have joined the Buddhist School. Vegetarianism and abstinence were still better than losing his life.

Now, however, the Demon-Slaying Bureau was a treasure trove. Until he had killed several thousand demons, devils, ghosts, and monsters, Zhou Yi would never take a single step outside it.

"Even your casual remarks hold profound meaning. If you ever change your mind and wish to enter the Buddhist School, strike the Wooden Fish to contact me."

Fahai took out a purplish-red Wooden Fish. "The Punishment Office is an important place in Great Qian, but it is no wholesome place. I have blessed this Wooden Fish with Buddhist power. It can keep you safe."

"Thank you, Master."

Zhou Yi tucked the Wooden Fish close to his body and asked, "Master, I am very interested in immortal masters. Could you tell me about them?"

"Of course. This is no secret."

With a wave of Fahai's hand, two meditation cushions appeared on the ground. "Please sit, Benefactor. What you call immortal masters is a general term for cultivators. More precisely, they fall into six categories: Daoists, Buddhists, gods, devils, demons, and the side paths."

Zhou Yi nodded slightly. It was much as he had surmised. Sure enough, Buddhism and Daoism were powerful enough in any world.

The demonic and devilish paths stood against Buddhism and Daoism. Even if they were at a disadvantage, that alone was proof of their strength.

Zhou Yi asked, "Master, does the divine path refer to earth gods, City Gods, mountain gods, and river gods?"

Fahai nodded. "They are the most common Orthodox Gods of the divine path. The divine path encompasses all cultivators whose foundation is incense and fire prayer power. They are not necessarily Orthodox Gods."

Zhou Yi asked further, "What are the side paths, then?"

"There are many side paths. Among the most famous are the Martial Dao, the gu insect path, and the corpse path."

Fahai explained, "The classification of side paths originated with Great Qian's founding emperor. He divided all cultivators under heaven into nine ranks, with the ninth being the lowest and the first the highest. Paths that cannot break beyond the limits of the first rank are called side paths."

"Cultivators have nine ranks? What lies above the first rank?"

Zhou Yi was like an endlessly curious child. He recited the Yellow Court Dao Scripture day and night, and the magical power within him grew constantly, yet he knew nothing of the specific realms.

"Originally, cultivators were not divided into ranks. Each school cultivated differently, and even those in the same realm differed in strength. Great Qian's founding emperor possessed cultivation that plumbed the mysteries of creation. He divided all cultivators under heaven into three stages: essence refining, qi refining, and spirit refining."

"He then assigned three ranks to each stage's early, middle, and late phases. From early body refining to the peak of spirit refining, that made exactly nine ranks."

"As for the realm above the first rank, I am not entirely certain myself. Those are already supreme masters: the Daoists' Earthly Immortals, the Buddhist School's Living Arhats, the divine path's Divine Sovereigns..."

Fahai explained at an unhurried pace, without the slightest impatience.

From Fahai's sympathy for the yellow ox demon and the farmers, and the Heart Demon it had caused him, Zhou Yi knew that he was a truly virtuous eminent monk.

Ordinary monks never became entangled in questions of right and wrong when slaying demons. Even killing the wrong target would not give rise to a Heart Demon.

After hearing Fahai's explanation, Zhou Yi could roughly estimate his own realm. The Yellow Court Dao Scripture's cultivation method was so profound that it had skipped body refining altogether and begun directly with qi refining.

Although his realm was high, he had never formally practiced Body Refining and knew no spells. He would inevitably be at a disadvantage in a magical battle against demons or devils.

Sure enough, remaining in the Demon-Slaying Bureau was safer.

Zhou Yi cupped his hands. "Thank you for your guidance, Master."

"There is no need for thanks, Benefactor. If you change your mind someday, the Buddha's doors will always be open."

Fahai reminded him, "You must keep the Wooden Fish with you at all times, Benefactor. It can keep you safe."

"I will remember. Rest assured, Master."

When Zhou Yi accepted the Wooden Fish, he had sensed it repelling evil and warding off baleful intent. An ordinary person wearing it could avoid most of the corrosion caused by killing intent.