Feng Jun returned to his room and changed into a more casual, youthful attire.
Sensing that they should not linger in the place with the gigantic snake, Song Qingshi packed his belongings and consulted with Song Jincheng. Prepared to find another route to Tianwu Gate, Song Jincheng cautiously glanced at the Haolong beside him, offered it a peeled egg as a peace offering, and gloomily said, "Let's stick to the original path. I've received word that the snake… has disappeared."
Because, it has become your son.
After a stern warning from Haolong, Song Jincheng didn't dare to flee or speak out. He didn't want to bring terror to Tianwu Gate; however, these places all fell under the influence of the Immortal Summit—where could they go that would make any difference?
Suddenly, a few dim flames surged around Song Qingshi, floating beside him in a defensive formation, signaling the presence of a malicious intent nearby.
Song Qingshi quickly shoved the inquisitive Song Jincheng aside just as corrosive fluid dripped onto the table, leaving tiny burned holes.
Looking up, he saw a dark, wriggling mass of flesh clinging to the ceiling, resembling a giant sea cucumber. Its grotesque and ugly face emerged from the darkness, with white eyes and concentric rows of sharp teeth in its mouth. Its lizard-like tongue extended, reeking of blood.
Everyone in the inn screamed and scrambled in panic. Cultivators drew their magical weapons as if facing a formidable foe.
Searching through his memory, Song Qingshi realized he had never encountered such a strange demonic creature. He turned to Song Jincheng, who was fumbling for his sword in a mustard seed pouch, and asked, "What is this?"
Song Jincheng looked at him in surprise and responded, "This is a Demon of Filth. Haven't you seen one before?"
Song Qingshi shook his head, bewildered.
In his memory of the world of cultivation, perils were everywhere but primarily arose from conflicts and human intentions, from beasts and birds in mysterious realms—seldom from demonic creatures.
These days, he found Song Jincheng incredibly naive. As a junior cultivator in the Foundation Building stage, he was good-looking but had limited combat ability. Yet he would unhesitatingly save strangers, roam towns recklessly, show off wealth, speak carelessly, trust unfamiliar faces, and was oblivious to the wickedness of human nature. Each behavior was a path to self-destruction.
Every lesson is learned through suffering.
With his wealth of experience, he had accompanied Song Jincheng everywhere, originally intending to let him witness the dark side of the cultivation world firsthand and then instruct him on how to survive. However, after waiting for quite some time, not a single life-threatening robbery had occurred. Even petty thefts were rare. Every cultivator they encountered, even the demonic cultivators, adhered to a code of conduct. It was starting to get awkward.
What exactly is a Demon of Filth?
Song Qingshi felt that this world was different from the one he remembered.
"You don't know what a Demon of Filth is?" Song Jincheng looked at his bewildered expression and shook his head in disbelief. "How have you survived this long? Can amnesia really erase basic knowledge? These are demonic beings manifested from impure energies; they lack intelligence and can take all kinds of bizarre forms. Be careful, these demons rarely appear alone."
The ethereal flames' warnings grew more frantic, revealing several grotesque creatures of varying sizes feasting on human flesh around them.
The cultivators joined forces efficiently, some setting up magic formations, others wielding magical weapons, as they cornered and attacked the creatures.
"Don't worry, Qingshi," Song Jincheng said, eyes fixed on the Demon of Filth above, feigning ease. "This one is relatively easy to handle. My seniors and I have dealt with similar ones multiple times; we have the experience." Though cultivators from the Valley of the Medicine King were not experts in combat and mostly offered support during demon extermination, he believed he could handle this.
The Demon of Filth on the ceiling opened its mouth wide, transforming its body into a large, enveloping shroud that descended upon the trio.
Haolong's eyes turned red as it looked disdainfully at the demon; it seemed unappetizing, not something it wanted to eat.
Secretly stealing glances at his surroundings, Song Jincheng realized the other cultivators were busy dealing with other Demons of Filth and wouldn't assist them. Hoping Song Qingshi would flee so he could follow suit, he was taken aback to see Qingshi rummaging through his mustard seed pouch instead. As they watched the Demon of Filth lunging at them, Song Jincheng swung his sword in desperation, shouting, "Why did I ever choose to study medicine?"
The Valley of the Medicine King, a worthless sect where learning medicine could only save others but not oneself.
"Move," Song Qingshi pushed him aside and flicked two pills into the Demon of Filth's mouth.
The demon immediately closed its maw, pausing in bewilderment before writhing painfully on the ground, letting out a hissing wail.
"Exorcising Pills and Forgetting Dust Pills—both used to eliminate demonic aura and inner demons. I thought this creature is formed from impurities, so I did a little experiment. Turns out it's effective," Song Qingshi eyed the wriggling creature on the ground, his face alight with scientific curiosity. Rolling up his sleeves and not finding gloves, he asked, "Who can hold it down? I've never seen this before, and I want to collect some samples."
Song Jincheng felt like a complete fool.
Unperturbed by filth, Haolong used its serpent-like strength to pin down the Demon of Filth and proudly dragged it before Song Qingshi: "Dad, for you."
"Good boy," Song Qingshi smiled at Haolong, then took out a few sample vials from his mustard seed pouch. He collected the acidic liquid from the demon's mouth and some of its flesh and skin tissue. Then, turning to Song Jincheng, he advised, "The most important trait in medicine is composure. You can't lose your head over minor incidents. You need to observe your enemy's weaknesses and then use poison or medicine to solve the problem."
Holding a useless sword for courage when he didn't even practice swordsmanship?
Song Jincheng sheepishly explained, "I just reached the Foundation Building stage recently; I panicked…"
Song Qingshi replied, exasperated, "I'm at the Foundation Building stage too, and combat is about using your brain, not your cultivation level."
He incinerated the remaining flesh with his ethereal flames and then observed the other Demons of Filth. Each had different traits—some corrosive, some fast, some strong. They were massacring humans; the innkeeper's wife had lost a leg in their attack and lay screaming in a pool of blood, urging her husband and children to flee. The innkeeper was a mortal; he sent his eldest daughter to hide with her younger siblings in the basement while he took up a kitchen knife to rescue his wife.
Swiftly connecting Thunder and Fire spells to his golden needles, Song Qingshi created a chain of lightning-infused needles. He aimed them at the demon's mouth and detonated them, reclaiming the severed leg it was consuming. He tossed the leg to Song Jincheng and ordered, "Staunch her bleeding and use Five Immortal Elixir to preserve the vitality of the severed limb. I'll try to reattach it later."
He was intent on slaying the man-eating monster.
Suddenly, the wounded Filth Demon burst into flames, turning into ash within moments.
A handsome young man in a red robe slowly descended the staircase. Wherever his thoughts touched, all filth was incinerated. He approached Song Qing Shi and examined him, asking, "Are you unsoiled?"
The monks found themselves inexplicably saved, suspecting that a powerful being had intervened. They promptly bowed in gratitude towards the sky, then began cleaning up the battlefield and tending to the injured. Song Qing Shi joined the healing effort, successfully reattaching the innkeeper's wife's leg. However, her injury was severe, and her meridians were damaged. Without better spiritual medicine, she would walk with a limp.
To the innkeeper and his wife, this was an unexpected blessing. They expressed their deepest gratitude and offered spirit stones as payment for the treatment.
Song Qing Shi considered it, accepted the money for the Five Immortal Elixirs, and handed it to Song Jin Cheng. Then he inquired, "Do these demonic creatures appear often?"
"Our town has been generally peaceful, with incidents occurring every two or three decades," the innkeeper said exhaustively. "Usually, they are isolated Filth Demons, easily dealt with thanks to the blessings of immortal sages. The last large-scale invasion that devoured so many people happened two hundred years ago. Monks from Tai Yi Academy arrived just in time to save the town."
Song Qing Shi pressed on, "How do these demons come into existence?"
The innkeeper lowered his voice, hesitating to speak.
"Apart from the deeds of the deity from the Unfading Summit, what else is there?" A reckless man, emboldened by two jars of strong liquor, spoke without reservation. "Everything was fine in the world of cultivation until three thousand years ago, when that deity was born at the Unfading Summit. The Filth Demons have been multiplying ever since. They say it's his accumulated evil karma, attracting the grievances of heaven and earth, that has brought this upon us."
"Watch your mouth. Words can bring calamity," cautioned another monk beside him. "Who knows who might be watching..."
Fuming, the reckless man retorted, "Let him kill me then! I'm not afraid! The deity at the Unfading Summit is no deity; he's a demon who will bring about the world's ruin!"
Song Qing Shi, recalling his system's task, curiously asked, "What does this deity look like?"
"Hiding behind masks, he must be hideously ugly," the reckless man was about to continue his tirade when suddenly, his throat and tongue stiffened. Unable to speak, he looked around in terror but found no suspicious figures—yet everything seemed suspect. Fearing the omnipresent avatars of the divine lord, he sobered up, remembered his blasphemous words, and fled.
Feng Jun paid the man no mind, walking over to Song Qing Shi and smilingly asking, "Do you need to collect more samples?"
Song Qing Shi nodded.
"I don't know the origin of the Filth Demons either, and it has nothing to do with the Unfading Summit," Feng Jun said, putting on gloves again. He commanded Hao Long to bring over the burnt remnants and began collecting samples. Speaking softly, he explained, "I've tried tirelessly to eradicate these abominations, using various methods, but they never seem to end..."
Ever since he unleashed mountains of corpses and seas of blood, these Filth Demons had been born in increasing numbers. He had thought they were the manifestations of evil souls and had turned many wicked individuals into soul lanterns to be tormented at the Unfading Summit. But the number of Filth Demons did not decrease. An Long, whose half-demon blood mutated with the appearance of the Filth Demons, frequently lost control. Despite extensive research, they found no solution. Eventually, An Long requested that Feng Jun seal him in the Endless Abyss, locked and sealed to prevent wreaking havoc upon the world.
Yet the Filth Demons continue to plague the world, making it a place of unbearable foulness.
Feng Jun incinerated wave after wave of them. For each batch he eradicated, new Filth Demons were born elsewhere.
It's as though... an insatiable malevolence that refuses to die.
Because he eradicated all filth—filthy deeds and hearts—in an attempt to alter the world's rules, even fouler creatures came into existence.
Is this his sin?
...
At Ascension Peak, beneath the lunar reflection on water, the seal of the Demon-Binding Land broke. Hundreds of Filth Demons that had been confined escaped, causing havoc everywhere.
A bitter wind cut through the air, and countless icy spears shot up from the ground, piercing the bodies of all the demons, pinning them against the rock walls before freezing and shattering them. Bai Zihao stood upon an ice-blue sword in mid-air, emanating an aura as pure as moonlight and a gentle breeze. With a smile on his lips and his robes billowing, he brought forth a blizzard wherever he went, mercilessly annihilating all the demons.
The Frostblade descended, unlocking a hidden cavern sealed by an array.
Within the cavern lay an injured Yuan Ying cultivator who exclaimed, "Thank you for your life-saving grace, Immortal Lord."
"You are Master Huang from the Water Ripple Sect, aren't you? Someone asked me to find you," Bai Zihao glanced briefly at the notes tucked into his sleeve and smiled, "Where are your wives and concubines?"
"Don't even mention it. My newly accepted seventh concubine is a wretched woman," Master Huang, both annoyed and angry, spat out. "On the night of our wedding, she broke the seal of the Demon-Binding Land, using flesh and blood as a sacrifice to lure demons into invading the Water Ripple Sect. Overwhelmed, we suffered numerous casualties... As for the rest of my wives and concubines, who knows where they've run off to. They're all flighty women; once I find them..."
Before he could finish his sentence, an icy dagger materialized and pierced through his mouth, protruding from the back of his neck.
"I didn't ask for your life story," Bai Zihao said coldly. "You killed the wandering cultivator Luo Daoren from Turtle Age Island and forcibly took his daughter as a concubine. The Divine Lord has ordered me to bring you to the Unfading Summit for punishment."
He deftly extracted the soul and placed it into a soul lantern, then had a messenger bird carry it back to the Unfading Summit.
Bai Zihao pulled out a lengthy list from his sleeve, crossed off a name, and sighed after counting the remaining ones.
"There are still so many tasks the Divine Lord has assigned; it seems they will never end..."