Chapter 54: Demon Vibe

A squad leader commanded fifty soldiers in the army. Back in Juyong City, Chu Fei was just a lowly soldier, but now he had become a squad leader. In less than a year, his achievement was quite impressive.

The place Chu Fei lived in now was a modest-sized yard. Though it couldn’t compare to many wealthy households, it was much better than that of ordinary soldiers and commoners. The yard was filled with various martial arts and fitness equipment, appearing somewhat messy. As he led the four inside, even Chu Fei felt a bit embarrassed!

Mu Yuan smiled and said, “Little Fei, haven’t you taken a wife yet to manage your household chores?”

Chu Fei curled his lips, feeling uneasy about bringing three cultivators into his untidy home. After thinking for a moment, he said, “Actually, there’s something I’d like to ask for your help with.”

Mu Yuan patted his shoulder and said with a laugh, “Speak freely. If I can do it, I won’t hesitate to help!”

Chu Fei said seriously, “Recently, a wicked beast appeared outside Fenghua City. It specializes in eating people. The city’s governor is currently recruiting brave men to eliminate it in one go. But from what I’ve seen, the beast seems to have some cultivation. Wherever it goes, clouds and mist follow. I told the governor my thoughts, and he also had his doubts. He put up a notice offering a reward, inviting any cultivators with some cultivation to get rid of the demon. Lately, a few monks and Taoists have come to the governor’s residence. Why don’t you and your two friends join as well?”

Upon hearing about the demon beast, Mu Yuan turned to Jin Yun and Hua Xin and asked, “What do you two fellow Daoists think?”

Hua Xin said loudly, “It’s our duty to rid the people of this scourge. Of course, we’ll go!”

Jin Yun smiled without speaking but nodded gently.

Chu Fei was overjoyed and quickly led the three to the governor’s residence. Along the way, he asked Mu Yuan many questions, and Mu Yuan also asked about what had happened since they parted. He learned that Chu Fei’s martial arts were excellent, and he had achieved many military merits at the border, which led to his promotion to the position of squad leader. Recently, border conflicts had eased, so he was transferred back to the country and stationed in Fenghua City.

When the demon beast was occasionally mentioned, Chu Fei couldn’t help but show a trace of fear on his face. He said in a grave tone, “To be honest, we still don’t know what this demon beast actually looks like. It hides during the day and comes out at night but doesn’t enter the city. It only preys on passing travelers and is extremely cruel. At first, the governor informed the army, and the garrison commander sent several hundred soldiers to ambush it. I was among them at the time. We saw clouds and mist envelop the area, with flying sand and stones, and a chilling cold that penetrated our skin. The monster captured over two hundred of our brothers in one breath. The rest of us escaped back to the city to avoid being taken. Since then, no one dared to travel after sunset.”

Hearing this, Hua Xin scoffed, “Over the years, I’ve encountered countless demon beasts that harm the people. They were all insignificant creatures, easily eliminated by me with a wave of my hand. They weren’t powerful at all. I doubt this beast is any formidable species. Why bother mobilizing so many people?”

Jin Yun frowned slightly and chided softly, “Senior Brother, don’t be careless. Master often said that the world is full of hidden dragons and crouching tigers. The ones you’ve met are merely monsters who have just awakened their spiritual awareness and have weak demonic power!”

When Mu Yuan heard Jin Yun’s words, he felt a sense of empathy. Inside his gourd, he still had an incredibly powerful mountain elf trapped. If he hadn’t had Feng Luan and the Longevity Sword back then, it would have been hard to say who would have won. Mu Yuan was quite wary of these natural spirit demons.

Thinking of this, Mu Yuan suddenly asked, “I wonder which experts are currently at the governor’s residence?”

Chu Fei thought for a moment and said, “I’m not too clear about that. However, a few of them have quite miraculous spells. Their every movement is accompanied by swirling air currents, and their bodies are enveloped in an immortal aura, with their feet barely touching the ground. Two monks even have several layers of halos behind their heads, truly resembling the Bodhisattvas and Buddhas in paintings!”

Mu Yuan and the other two smiled slightly, not paying it much mind. However, the divine ability of displaying halos behind one’s head was indeed rare, and they wondered how it was done. Though they could also release light by externalizing their zhenqi, even primordial spirit experts wouldn’t do such a thing, as it consumed primordial qi and wasn’t worth the effort. It was likely some secret technique, which made them a bit curious!

“Oh yes, among them there is also a young man, not much older than us, wearing bright yellow clothes. He claimed to be a disciple of True Lord Guangyuan. He seemed very arrogant and didn’t get along well with the others.”

“True Lord Guangyuan?!”

Mu Yuan felt a surge of joy in his heart. When he had explained his idea of the Five Elements Elixir Formation to True Lord Tiemu and his own master, the two had described the situations of the various Five Elements Paths. Among them, the Fire Path was quite prosperous, with two primordial spirit experts: Daoist Tianhuo and Huang Hua. The Metal Path had only one, named Liuguang. The Earth Path also had one, and that was True Lord Guangyuan!

Hearing Chu Fei mention a disciple of True Lord Guangyuan, Mu Yuan was first delighted, then began to ponder how to obtain the Forge Furnace Art. With the Forge Furnace Art, the other three paths could be substituted, making things much simpler!

“This trip wasn’t in vain! But I’m not sure how to proceed. I don’t know how powerful this young man’s magical power is, or how skilled he is. If he’s not skilled, I could just capture him and slowly force him to reveal the art. However, if his magical power is too low, he probably doesn’t have the complete method of the Forge Furnace Art. If his magical power is high, I might not be able to handle him. It’s really a dilemma!”

“I’ll have to change my identity first. If I really cause trouble and am pursued later, they won’t be able to trace it back to me!”

As the thought arose, the technique “Heaven-Stealing Sun-Replacing” activated with a mere intention. A strange wave of light surged around Mu Yuan’s body. His figure grew taller, and his originally slender body expanded into that of a mighty, strong man. His face transformed into one with sharp, rigid lines, as if carved by a knife and axe. Previously resembling an elegant scholar, he now looked like a general who had fought in many battles!

“This is…”

Jin Yun and Hua Xin were merely curious and not too surprised, but Chu Fei was utterly shocked. He stammered, “Little Mu, what are you doing?”

Mu Yuan laughed and said, “Just changing my body to avoid conflicts and prevent others from tracking me down later!”

There was nothing to hide about this matter. Mu Yuan now somewhat hoped that the demon beast truly had some skills. In the chaos of battle, he could take advantage of the situation to gain benefits!

Thinking these thoughts, the four slowly arrived at the governor’s office. The servant at the door clearly knew Chu Fei and came forward with a smile to greet him. Chu Fei shouted, “Quickly report to the governor! Tell him I’ve brought a few masters to help eliminate the demon!”

Watching Chu Fei shout from behind, the scene reminded Mu Yuan of when he and Mo Xue went to the governor’s residence in Fengming Prefecture to exorcise evil spirits and met Chu Yunfei. It felt as if everything was happening all over again right before his eyes, and he couldn’t help but miss Mo Xue and Chu Yunfei.

“I wonder how Sister Mo is doing back at the Moon Palace. When I have some free time, it might be nice to visit the Moon Palace. But as for Chu Yunfei, forget it. I’d probably be skinned before even setting foot inside!”

Chu Fei didn’t wait at all and directly led the three inside. Not far past the entrance, the governor indeed came out to greet them, accompanied by a group. Following closely beside him was a soldier in armor. Chu Fei hurried forward to greet them, addressing them as “Governor” and “Garrison Commander.”

The two waved their hands slightly and instead clasped their hands in salute to Mu Yuan and the other two. The three didn’t act arrogantly and returned the courtesy. Mu Yuan glanced around and indeed saw seven or eight people behind the two—monks, laymen, and Taoists, all present. Among them were two monks with halos forming circles behind their heads, shimmering with colorful light, truly resembling accomplished monks!

Seeing these two monks, Mu Yuan’s heart stirred again. He recalled the several talismanic seals he had obtained from the passage in the Dragon’s Tomb. He hadn’t practiced them much, and his sea of consciousness still stored many mysterious incantations. However, the six-syllable true mantra Sanskrit incantation was quite easy to grasp. Back when he entered the tomb, he had relied entirely on those Sanskrit incantations.

“May I ask where the three esteemed guests are from? Please enlighten us,” asked the governor, who wore scholarly robes and had a beautiful beard.

Mu Yuan cleared his throat lightly and said, “I am a disciple of the Ice Soul Sect, Bing Chengzi. These two fellow Daoists I met on the road, but I don’t know their origins.”

Though Hua Xin and Jin Yun didn’t understand his intention, they played along. Hua Xin said in a rough voice, “We are from the Flying Dragon Valley. Hearing that demonic forces run rampant here, we came specifically to vanquish them!”

Before the governor and garrison commander could speak, one of the halo-headed monks behind them said in a strange tone, “The governor’s notice invited experts with exceptional skills, not incompetent individuals who come to freeload and eat for free!”

Mu Yuan smiled without speaking, thinking that this monk’s behavior suggested he wasn’t much of an expert. However, his technique of creating halos above his head was quite effective for deceiving people. With a sweep of his eyes, Mu Yuan indeed spotted a young man in a bright yellow long gown among the group. He kept his head down and didn’t speak. His appearance was ordinary, and his magical power didn’t seem very high, which slightly reassured Mu Yuan.

“Esteemed master, your words are mistaken. One cannot judge a person by their appearance. Why are you so aggressive upon first meeting?” The speaker was a handsome man standing beside the yellow-gowned youth. He looked about thirty years old, with a long sword on his back, wearing a high hat and scholarly attire, and a light beard on his chin. He somewhat resembled the governor but was full of vigor, with bright, shining eyes, indicating he had some cultivation.

Hua Xin grinned and flicked his finger, sending a spark flying. Seemingly casual, he said to the speaking monk with a laugh, “If you’re not convinced, master, you can come forward and test your skills!”