"Hu..."
Shen Xingzhu exhaled deeply, gradually calming herself. She stretched out her hand and gently lifted an invisible wave of Spiritual Energy.
Like an enormous unseen hand, it rose up to support the mountain that had just been split in two and was about to collapse.
All the scattered rocks and dust coalesced and returned to place, the mountain rejoined as one. Only now, from top to bottom, a single, deep fissure remained, an unhealable scar.
Atop that mountain had originally been a spring-fed pool, which, due to the rupture, now leaked from the side, transforming into a narrow and straight silver-white waterfall cascading down the cliffside.
One couldn't help but wonder whether, in the years to come, local residents who witnessed this spectacle might one day name this place "Feixian Falls", "Immortal's Leap Waterfall"...
Shen Xingzhu narrowed her eyes and gazed into the distance.
From her vantage point, she could clearly see the wide expanse of the Jade Wave River.
Its shores were scorched earth, not a tree left standing. Amidst a sea of once-lush green forest, there now suddenly appeared a charred-black wasteland, striking and impossible to miss.
That was the battlefield between the Firebrand Sect and Chen Kuang.
Shen Xingzhu could now clearly sense the location of Shen Meinan, in other words, she could almost immediately arrive before that reckless, faithless man.
But this time, she hadn't come for Chen Kuang.
Because, after today, Chen Kuang would no longer be her inner demon.
And she too would have to pay a price, a price that, to most people, would be unbearable.
Then again... perhaps it couldn't even be called a price.
Shen Xingzhu let out another long breath, cast a deep look toward the Jade Wave River's shore, and murmured to herself:
"Originally, I could've delayed until you left Liang Kingdom, but you were the one who broke the pact first."
"Heh... You are indeed extraordinarily clever, but ultimately limited by your cultivation. You overlooked one thing."
"This decision should've been made long ago. If not for Meinan running away from home, I would've already lost patience. Today, today is the time to end everything."
In the next instant, she once again turned into a streak of flowing light.
Not long after, she arrived at the eastern border of Liang Kingdom.
This was a chain of rolling, winding mountains, rising and falling, called the Qishan Range, forming the border between Liang Kingdom and Yang Kingdom.
The waters of the Jade Wave River flowed out from a gorge within this mountain range; once in the Yang Kingdom, this same river was renamed Daping River.
Due to the treacherous terrain here, it was rarely visited. Yet there remained a border outpost that was, in theory, supposed to be guarded by some soldiers of Liang.
However, following Liang's military defeat, the garrison troops had long since fled upon hearing the news, terrified of becoming cannon fodder. All that remained was a messy, abandoned post.
Originally, Zhou had not yet sent it's troops to occupy the area. But now, within this derelict camp, several campfires glowed faintly in the darkness.
Someone was here.
As Shen Xingzhu drew near, several thick and boundless auras burst forth from the camp, each filled with alert and hostile intent.
All of these auras, were from Profound Realm cultivators!
But soon after, as if realizing who had arrived, the auras mellowed and withdrew slightly.
In the night, three figures flew out from the camp and, while still midair, offered a salute to Shen Xingzhu from afar.
These three, the one in the lead wore a loose azure robe with flowing sleeves, a broad-foreheaded elder with calm bearing.
To his right was a young man with a folding fan tucked into his sash, his face pale, as if plagued by chronic illness.
To his left was a graceful and mature woman in a dignified white court robe, holding a heavy bundle of rice stalks in her hands.
"We've long awaited your arrival, Daoist Friend Shen."
Shen Xingzhu hovered midair, her cold, ethereal figure was purer than even the moonlight.
She returned the courtesy and said plainly:
"Seniors, no need for such formality."
Though she said this, the three before her did not dare to take it lightly. They merely smiled as the robed elder in the center said:
"With Daoist Friend Shen assisting, and your master personally presiding, this operation is surely guaranteed to succeed. We can at last re-seal that great demon."
Shen Xingzhu replied:
"We still depend on the aid of all you from the Department of Shennong."
The pale-faced youth with the fan smiled and said:
"You flatter us. It is the duty of our Shennong Division to herd demons and restore order to the world. This mission aligns perfectly with our purpose."
It turned out these three were all emissaries of the Shennong Division of the Zhou Kingdom.
They were titled respectively: Rain Master, Wind Master, and Grain Master, each were an expert in the Dao of Rain, Wind, and Growth respectively.
Though the Shennong Division was based in Zhou, its relationship with the imperial court wasn't especially close. Unlike the Three Calamities Sect, which had nearly become Zhou's national religion, the Shennong Division was not so tightly bound.
The Shennong Division had originally been created by the imperial court of Zhou as a specialized organization solely dedicated to subduing demons and monsters. It was not a sect in origin.
But later, Zhou experienced a massive demon rebellion that nearly saw its royal line overthrown. It was only thanks to the Shennong Division that the plot was uncovered, and the demon faction eliminated.
Following that crisis, Zhou rose to true national power, conquering surrounding states. As small kingdoms disappeared, the formerly chaotic calendars were unified, and most nations began adopting the "Cangyuan Calendar".
That was only about one thousand years ago.
However, the internal political turmoil surrounding that period was evidently quite complex. As a result, the Zhou royal family grew deeply suspicious of the Shennong Division, and the trust between them was broken.
From then on, the Shennong Division began operating independently of the imperial court, and gradually gained independent strength.
Today, they had become a powerful sect in their own right, dedicated to hunting down demons and monsters, and their headquarters were no longer even in Zhou, but rather in the Yang Kingdom.
In the Liang Kingdom, one could still find places like the Jiangning Merchant Guild, where tame monsters could be freely bought and sold, and even some demon cultivators who walked about openly.
But once you crossed into Zhou or Yang Kingdom, such behavior became suicidal.
Demonkind did not dare expose their identities.
If discovered by the Shennong Division, death on the spot was already considered a mercy.
Their motto, "to herd demons and rectify order", sounded refined, but in truth, it meant enslaving all demonkind, and enforcing a world order where only humankind reigned supreme.
To the Shennong Division, it was simple: If you're not of our kind, your heart must be different.
They didn't care whether a demon was "good" or "bad", so long as you were a demon, you were livestock. And if exterminating an entire demon settlement served the cause, they would not hesitate.
Yet, among human cultivators, the Shennong Division enjoyed some of the highest esteem of all.
Because, stripping away their hatred of demons, the people of the Shennong Division were considered exemplars of morality and integrity. If they claimed humankind to be supreme, then they themselves held fast to the noblest standards.
In most cases, when a demon's intelligence had just awakened, they would indeed have difficulty controlling their emotions and desires, and often treated humans as food.
Thus, from a certain perspective... the Shennong Division was perhaps not truly wrong.
Or perhaps, in their ignorance, they had already been hunted by the Department of Shennong, thus harboring deep hatred for the human race.
Indeed, the Department of Shennong often stood on the side of justice.
If one wanted to hunt demons, the very first organization that came to mind would undoubtedly be the Department of Shennong.
"At the break of dawn today, when Yang energy is at its peak, it will be the best time to suppress a demon's strength. I ask all of you to prepare early, and join me in sealing this ancient great demon."
Shen Xingzhu nodded slightly, her voice calm and detached.
The old man in the blue robe, the Rain Master, asked with a sharp intake of breath,
"Daoist Friend Shen, forgive me for speaking frankly, but are you truly certain that the being sealed beneath the imperial capital of Liang is... the Hengwo Moon Demon?"
"It's not that I doubt Lord Qingpingzi, but that this ancient demon has not been heard from for nearly ten thousand years. It has never once revealed its whereabouts, and now you claim it lies buried here beneath our feet, one can't help but find it... difficult to believe."
"Could it not be a different demon disguised as such, or one with a similar aura?"
Shen Xingzhu's eyes grew increasingly heavy and solemn.
"Senior need not be hasty."
She descended onto a nearby mountaintop, narrowing her eyes to gaze toward the riverbank.
"Once dawn arrives, the truth will be revealed. Let us wait a little longer."
The Grain Master, the dignified middle-aged woman holding a bundle of rice stalks, suddenly looked toward the river with surprise in her eyes. Her pupils shrank abruptly.
"That is...?!"
The Rain Master and Wind Master also turned to look.
Upon the surface of the river, a dusky, honest-looking young man was walking step by step across the water.
His aura was like an abyss, like a towering mountain, so imposing that the river's waves instantly stilled.
In that moment, it was as if the entire world had ceased to exist, save for this lone dark-skinned youth.
Or more precisely, what stood behind him...
A Martial Saint.
...
Shen Meinan walked dizzily to the side of the Shen family brothers, Shen Liangcai and Shen Liangce. Her gaze was vacant, and for a long while she couldn't come back to her senses.
"Many thanks to the two of you."
Chen Kuang cupped his hands toward the two members of the Jiangning branch of the Shen family.
They immediately returned the courtesy.
Just as they did, Shen Meinan suddenly snapped back to awareness. Her eyes widened, and she covered her mouth in disbelief. Her cheeks flushed a fierce, boiling red and she looked as if she might burst into steam at any moment.
He... he... he actually...
Shen Meinan covered her mouth tightly and cautiously stuck out her tongue to lightly lick her lips, letting out a few muffled, incoherent noises.
Thankfully, she still retained some sense of self-control and kept the volume low enough not to attract anyone's attention.
On the other side, Shen Liangcai produced a delicate little box from within his sleeve and said solemnly:
"This is to thank Mister Chen for escorting our young lady all this way."
"This item, a Mermaid's Tear, is something I recently acquired from a beast trader. It is of the highest grade. Whether used to refine a divine-grade Spiritual Treasure, to perform some obscure spellcraft, or even to grind into powder and make into a medicinal pill, it is an extremely rare auxiliary material, something truly beyond price."
Chen Kuang did not take it immediately. Instead, he looked at Shen Liangcai, his expression faintly amused:
"Is this gift from your Shen family, or from you personally?"
Shen Liangcai smiled:
"Naturally, both. The Mermaid's Tear is from the main family. Only the main family would be willing, or able, to make such a lavish gift."
"As for us humble offshoots, well... all we could afford was the box to hold it in. We hope Mister Chen doesn't find it too paltry."
The box?
The way Shen Liangcai spoke clearly implied there was more to it.
Chen Kuang narrowed his eyes and looked at the delicate little box.
Just then, his long-dormant "Piercing Insight" passive suddenly activated.
Chen Kuang raised an eyebrow.
There was a concealment technique on the box?
Indeed, his spiritual vision revealed that the box was far from ordinary.
Inside the box's false bottom, there was a hidden compartment, lined from top to bottom with dense rows of tiny, insect-sized writing.
Chen Kuang silently read the first line:
"The Method of Demon Shedding..."
His gaze drifted further down, and at once, his pupils contracted sharply. He immediately realized just how extraordinary this item was.
Taking a deep breath, he looked toward Shen Liangcai:
"This box is far too valuable. Aren't you worried I'll just take it and run?"
Shen Liangcai said calmly:
"What's valuable or not is subjective. In truth, this box is something few can use, and even fewer would dare to. Giving it to you, Mister Chen, is perhaps the first time it's truly found its purpose."
"Back in the day, when I was trading in the frontier wildlands, I often dealt with all kinds of beast traders, whether near the Northern Wastelands or in the Deep South. These traders were frequently in contact with various demon clans."
Beast-type creatures were essentially proto-demons, beings whose intelligence had only just awakened.
To many demonfolk, such beasts were akin to kin. Yet some demonfolk, proud by nature, regarded these creatures the way humans viewed monkeys or apes.
Most beast traders dealt with demons, rarely in a friendly manner. Conversely, because both demonfolk and spiritual beasts shared a common enemy, they often grew quite close.
The demons and beasts, to distinguish kin from foe, had their own unique methods of identification.
Thus, some unscrupulous beast traders devised a sinister secret technique.
Using demon remains and the cursed sorcery of the Southern Barbarian Blood Affliction Sect, they would bind human souls into flesh, creating doppelgänger-like puppets.
These puppets looked, smelled, and radiated the aura of a demon, but inside, they were still human. They couldn't use any of a demon's innate powers.
They were simply humans dressed in demon skin.
This technique was known as the "Method of Demon Shedding".
The beast traders used these false demon puppets to infiltrate and lure beasts into traps, then capture them all at once.
Over time, some traders grew even bolder.
They devised a way to turn humans... into demons.
However, the contents of this particular box were limited to the earliest, simplest version of the method.
The demon-shedding puppet's flesh and soul were connected to its master, and could even serve as a backup body.
If the master's real body died, their consciousness could resurrect within the puppet.
Effectively, they could attain a form of rebirth.
It sounded promising, but its major flaw was right there in the name:
Once reborn, one was effectively no longer human.
And worse, if the forged body's innate talents were too poor, the user might be trapped inside it forever.
Because of this, most traders only allowed expendable underlings to undergo demon shedding.
Shen Liangcai said:
"You could call this box rare, exceedingly so."
"Very few in the world even know of such a technique. And paired with this Mermaid's Tear, Mister Chen, you are, without doubt, the best person to receive it."
He handed the box forward again, his voice slow and deliberate as if emphasizing each word:
"Mister Chen, this Mermaid's Tear is an exceptional auxiliary material."
Chen Kuang accepted it at last, sighing:
"You two are truly thoughtful."
The Shen brothers exchanged glances.
"You flatter us. We only hope you make good use of it."
Chen Kuang nodded:
"Of course."
Shen Liangcai added:
"Additionally, we offer one more message."
Chen Kuang:
"What message?"
Shen Liangcai's expression turned solemn:
"The Martial Saint Pavilion recently had someone ascend Mount Tai's Dao-Steele. Strangely, that person did not receive the Dao, but was instead summoned to meet the Martial Saint in person."
"After departing the Pavilion, they headed south, and have now entered the territory of the Yang Kingdom. As of now, they should be on the border with Liang."
So it comes after all...
No wonder these two brothers handed him the Method of Demon Shedding.
Chen Kuang took a deep breath:
"Understood."
He stored the box away, then bid farewell to the Shen brothers and the clearly reluctant Shen Meinan before returning to the boat.
Looking to Wen Si, he asked:
"Senior Brother, what is a 'Dao Domain'?"