The Daoist orders received offerings from the imperial court, and their duty was to subdue demons and vanquish devils.
White Bamboo Village belonged to Siming County and fell under the jurisdiction of Hidden Dragon Temple. As its soon-to-be abbot, Wuzheng could not refuse the village head's request, whether on grounds of sentiment or reason.
The village head had also brought so many villagers to watch. If Wuzheng stood by and did nothing, his reputation really would be finished.
Wuzheng understood the stakes, of course. But killing a pig demon weighing over a thousand jin was indeed a thorny matter.
Daoist Law Techniques and Divine Abilities emphasized the insubstantial over the substantial.
Sha Ghosts such as these illusory spirits could not withstand a single blow from Daoist Law Techniques, even at the seventh rank.
Demons transformed from fierce beasts had tough bodies and brutal strength. They could only be countered with substance and subdued with force, making them the demons Daoists most detested.
Generally speaking, the best approach was to ask martial artists to deal with such demons.
Clad in armor and wielding keen weapons, martial artists could meet a pig demon head-on.
Wuzheng knew full well that, though he had brought more than a dozen Daoists, not one of them could withstand a frontal charge from a thousand-jin wild boar. That included himself.
A Seventh-Rank Register Reception Daoist excelled in Law Techniques and Divine Abilities, but fell far short in martial prowess.
To be honest, he had no experience confronting large demons head-on either. But he knew how ferocious a Demon Beast weighing over a thousand jin would be!
Though inwardly troubled, Wuzheng readily agreed on the surface.
"Rest assured, elder. I'll raise the altar at once. Once that pig demon comes, it won't be leaving!"
Hearing this, the village head trembled with excitement and was about to kneel in thanks. Wuzheng reached out to support the old man. "There's no need for such ceremony, elder. Subduing demons and vanquishing devils is our bounden duty!"
The other villagers also knelt and kowtowed repeatedly, stumbling over words of gratitude.
"You are merciful, Daoist Master."
"Thank you, Daoist Master, for saving everyone in our village..."
Once Wuzheng made up his mind, he grew composed instead. He helped the villagers up one by one, repeatedly promising to eliminate the pig demon and telling them there was no need for such ceremony.
His bearing as an accomplished master greatly impressed the villagers.
Watching from the side, Zhou Wuji nodded inwardly as well. Wuzheng truly had the composure to remain unruffled by unexpected events. He looked like someone who could get things done.
Grand talk was easy; great deeds were hard!
After making his promise publicly, Wuzheng immediately led everyone off to arrange their accommodations.
Then, without even eating, he went to inspect the situation.
North of White Stone Village lay a vast white bamboo grove. Large swathes of bamboo near the village had already been snapped, and there were quite a few bloodstains on them.
Clearly, the villagers had fought the pig demon here.
Wuzheng immediately led his people in setting up a ritual altar at the grove's entrance.
Seventh-Rank Register Reception Daoists of the Northern Pole Sect could already study Tianshu Profound Nether Yin Thunder.
Yin Thunder was a truly high-level art of slaughter. Whether dealing with sinister spirits as insubstantial as shadows or Qi, or demons possessing powerful bodies of flesh and blood, Yin Thunder could potentially slay them all.
With Wuzheng's cultivation, fully unleashing Yin Thunder's might required him to establish an altar and invoke the divine might of Marshal Tianpeng, Demon Subduer. Only then could he wield Yin Thunder.
He immediately determined the orientation and dug up earth to build the altar.
This was no easy task. First, they had to heap earth into a platform roughly a zhang across and two chi high.
Fortunately, with the many villagers helping, they finally leveled out a circular earthen platform before dark.
A square table was placed on the platform, with an image of the Heavenly Emperor set upon it, incense burning in a censer, and candles lit on either side.
Law Artifacts for the ritual were also required, including the Tianpeng Ruler, Seven Star Sword, and Tianshu Demon-Resisting Seal.
The offerings had to include fruit, fresh flowers, and the five grains...
Fortunately, it was autumn, so these offerings were not difficult to obtain.
When Zhou Wuji had followed his master to subdue demons and vanquish devils, his master had always gone straight in with his sword.
Even when he raised an altar to perform rituals, it was only a simple one, used to preach and expound the teachings to the villagers.
This was truly Zhou Wuji's first time seeing a ritual altar set up in the wilderness. Watching all the cumbersome rites, he sighed inwardly. Daoists could not beat martial artists of the same rank precisely because this whole business was too troublesome.
In the time it took to raise an altar and perform a ritual, a martial artist could have killed a Daoist dozens or hundreds of times over...
Seventh-Rank Register Reception Daoists could establish an upper altar to invoke Dao soldiers. These were different from the Yin soldiers privately maintained through a lower altar.
Put simply, upper-altar Dao soldiers belonged to the eight divisions of troops maintained by the Northern Pole Sect. They were all orthodox Dao soldiers with official appointments.
Their soldiers were strong and their horses sturdy; they were formidable fighters.
Privately maintained lower-altar Yin soldiers were mercenaries without official appointments, and could not be assembled on any great scale.
Mobilizing upper-altar troops was troublesome, while privately maintained lower-altar Yin soldiers could be deployed at will.
Upper-altar troops held official appointments and obeyed orders. Lower-altar Yin soldiers would turn on their controller if they were not properly sustained.
The Five Yin Pouch Law Technique Zhou Wuji practiced required him first to establish a lower altar, select five Yin Spirits and nurture them into Yin soldiers, then refine them through various rituals until they condensed into a pouch.
Although even a lower altar could not be established within the shrine hall, Daoists could still use the Incense and Fire Prayer Power gathered by their temples to feed their privately maintained Yin soldiers.
Upper or lower, both kinds of altar required a stable supply of Incense and Fire Prayer Power.
That was why Daoists had to establish temples: only then could they secure a stable foothold.
Zhou Wuji had mainly practiced the sword under his master. He possessed knowledge of raising altars and performing rituals, but little practical experience.
Watching Wuzheng and the others skillfully raise the altar and perform the rites, he learned quite a bit.
He was also somewhat curious about Wuzheng's Yin Thunder Method.
Only Seventh-Rank Register Reception Daoists of the Northern Pole Sect could study the Yin Thunder Method.
Their branch was the Tianshu School, and what they cultivated was Tianshu Profound Nether Yin Thunder.
Among the myriad Daoist arts, the Thunder Method reigned supreme.
Yang Thunder was fierce and domineering, while Yin Thunder was deep and inscrutable. In terms of destructive power, Yang Thunder was naturally the strongest.
Yin Thunder specifically slew vitality. Demons, devils, ghosts, monsters, humans, immortals, buddhas, and gods were all living beings, and all could be harmed by Yin Thunder.
Among seventh-rank Law Techniques, Yin Thunder was also the only one capable of directly slaying the pig demon.
"Junior Brother Wuji, Junior Sister, you two will guard me while I work."
Wuzheng swept his gaze over everyone and named Zhou Wuji and Wuming as his assistants.
Normally, seven Daoists were needed to occupy the seven star positions and complete the Seven Star Demon-Slaying Grand Formation, greatly enhancing the Law Technique's might.
But the pig demon was brutal. Anyone standing at the front without sufficient cultivation could easily be rammed to death. He simply had everyone else retreat farther away.
Wearing a star crown and a purplish-red ritual robe embroidered with gold, Wuzheng stood on the altar with the Seven Star Sword in hand, chanting under his breath.
Zhou Wuji looked toward the bamboo grove. To lure the pig demon, the villagers had placed a large pig at the grove's exit.
Its belly had been slit open, spilling blood and entrails all over the ground and giving off a heavy bloody smell. The pig was not dead yet and kept squealing miserably.
The pig looked rather pitiful, yet Zhou Wuji felt a little like laughing.
Beside him, Wuming noticed the slight upward curl of Zhou Wuji's lips. She was puzzled. What was this fellow laughing about at such a tense, dangerous moment?
Somewhat displeased, she asked quietly, "What are you laughing at?"
"Is there something wrong with Senior Brother's arrangements? Or are there errors or omissions in his altar rites?"
Hearing the questioning edge in Wuming's tone, Zhou Wuji knew she was reading too much into it.
He had wanted to tell the joke about Marshal Tianpeng becoming Bajie, but on second thought, joking about gods in this world was not very wise.
Marshal Tianpeng headed the Thunder Department. Not just the Northern Pole Sect, but every Daoist school that wielded Thunder Methods depended on him.
He truly was Daoism's foremost thunder god when it came to fighting and battle!
Zhou Wuji said, "I was just thinking that domestic pigs and wild boars share the same origins. You could call them cousins.
"As the saying goes, the wild boar storms the village and slaughters people, while the domestic pig gets dragged into it and becomes an offering."
Amused by his words, Wuming could not help smiling sweetly, but she immediately forced the smile away.
Mainly, she felt she did not know Zhou Wuji well, and joking with him like this seemed a little frivolous.
With battle imminent, it also seemed very irresponsible.
She said with a stern face, "The pig demon is very powerful. This isn't the time for jokes!"
"You're right."
Zhou Wuji nodded slightly in agreement. If Yin Thunder failed to blast the pig demon to death, things would become troublesome.
He could kill fourteen rebel soldiers single-handedly, but how things would go if he faced the pig demon head-on was hard to say.
Conversely, fourteen rebel soldiers armed with long spears and powerful crossbows could easily hunt down the pig demon.
Unfortunately, their entire group did not have a single long spear, much less bows or crossbows. Fighting the pig demon with swords really was extremely dangerous.
Zhou Wuji glanced at Wuming, who was putting on a very serious expression, and only hoped this beauty had some ability and would not drag him down when the time came...
After standing there for a while, Wuming found the atmosphere a little awkward. Holding the sword hilt at her waist, she paced back and forth a few steps before finally asking Zhou Wuji quietly, "Do you think the pig demon will come?"
Zhou Wuji did not answer Wuming. He raised an index finger to his lips, signaling for silence.
Though Wuming had never seen this gesture, she understood its meaning. She shot Zhou Wuji a displeased look, thinking, This man is so petty. I only said one thing to him earlier, and now he's upset!
Zhou Wuji had no time to explain to Wuming. He had already heard something trampling branches and leaves in the grove. It was moving quite fast, and its footsteps sounded rather heavy.
He formed a Law Seal and activated the Six Yang Dharma Eye. Having reached the refined and fully integrated level, he completed the visualization, Incantation, seal, and circulation of Qi within a few breaths.
Passing a hand over his eyes, Zhou Wuji activated the Six Yang Dharma Eye.
The dim twilight instantly brightened, and the bamboo turned white again. Through the interlacing branches and leaves, Zhou Wuji saw a thick surge of blood Sha Qi.
Still far away, Zhou Wuji could not see the wild boar's appearance, but he could see the Sha Qi around the pig demon, along with its dense Essence Blood Qi.
Zhou Wuji's heart tightened. This pig demon was rather formidable!
He called out to warn Wuzheng, "Senior Brother, the pig demon is coming. Be careful."
Watching Zhou Wuji cast the technique so deftly, rings of crimson light shining in his pupils, Wuming could not help being startled. The Six Yang Dharma Eye!
This Law Technique was not high-ranked, but it was extremely difficult to cultivate. She knew Zhou Wuji had only just completed his eighth-rank initiation, yet he had already mastered the Six Yang Dharma Eye?! And so proficiently?
This time, she really was a little shocked. This fellow truly could not be underestimated!