Chapter 127

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Protagonist:

Shaowei

Liu Qi

Zhu Zhi's abnormality was not triggered by chance.

After Shaowei hurried back to Changling, she not only returned to her quarters to change her clothing, but also brought along the secret medicine she had hidden away.

It was precisely made from medicinal herbs and such purchased in batches by household slaves over multiple times and places, with the formula taught by Jiang Fu; as long as the dosage was sufficient, thrown into the fire and burned, before long it would attract nearby birds, causing them to become excited and refuse to leave.

The scent of this medicine was extremely faint; for ordinary people it posed no hindrance, at most refreshing the spirit and having an invigorating effect.

But for those whose minds and emotions were already on the verge of disorder, it was a potent medicine with destructive power.

Just as the Heaven-and-Earth Incense Zhu Zhi burned day after day was originally something that clears the spirit platform, but combined with the Spider Woman's frequent needling, it would forcibly keep his meridians and brain marrow active and swollen, even growing increasingly excited day by day.

Zhu Zhi, who had developed a heart demon from his severed arm, took this feeling of excitement as a sensing of ghosts and spirits; in truth, he was only one step away from complete madness.

His meridians and consciousness had long since disintegrated, no better than birds.

When Shaowei first subdued the little Wu Nu, as her wide sleeves swept past the bronze brazier, she had already thrown the medicine into the fire; this altar had already become a huge incense burner, exhaling mist that summoned evil spirits to appear.

Zhu Zhi crawled forward on his knees, looking up at the divine platform all the while.

Amidst the raging wind, rain, and mist, birds followed the Wu Nu as they spun and danced, and the braziers and torches leaped along; the great Wu Nu in dark clothes and red robe had a fierce and even violent aura, as if possessing the power to slay all evil spirits.

She swayed her body in the fire; the human breath faded away, and the outlines of ghosts and spirits grew clear.

Zhu Zhi's eyes stared blankly, filled with fanaticism.

Every drumbeat and thunderclap struck deep in his mind, shaking his whole body with tremors.

He wanted to restrain his loss of composure, striving to make himself appear sufficiently devout and reverent; he wished to gain the pity of this great witch-god and walk through the door to new life!

Look at him soon! He is so devout, willing to become her faithful believer!

Bestow upon him soon! He is so powerful, deserving of this extraordinary power!

As Shaowei danced, through the firelight she gazed at that figure crawling toward her.

Those who wanted to kill her in broad daylight now knelt below, begging for her alms.

What an ironic scene, what a vile ghost-demon.

The only alms she could give was to trample this evil beast's bones beneath her feet and pile up her own Heaven-Reaching Ladder.

She was willing to grant him the power of new life, therefore she permitted him to die today.

She had once said that if he witnessed the power of ghosts and spirits, then in return he needed to help her kill someone; right now, it was time to fulfill the vow.

Beneath the Divine-Demonic Mask, the girl's gaze was icy, the corner of her mouth dripping with blood curled slightly, looking down at that ghost-demon still approaching.

"Boom—rumble—rumble—"

Thunder rumbled, the atmosphere grew increasingly boiling, as if returning to the most ancient sacrifice of a thousand years ago; heaven and earth, ghosts and spirits, Yao, Shun, Yu Di, humans, beasts, and birds all together felt grateful and worshipped the most primal fire of life upon this land of mountains and rivers.

The Emperor's heart also stirred with silent emotion; was not this majestic power of life exactly what he had longed for and pursued all these years?

At this moment no one knew from where the Wu Nu Huali above the altar had returned, and precisely because of this unknown, an additional layer of mysterious and eerie color was added to her.

Even if one could withdraw from the tremor, one could not deny that the summoning she brought tonight was so sensational; the qi mechanism of heaven and earth was originally flowing naturally, yet tonight she was the one who controlled this side's qi mechanism, manipulating everyone's emotions—just this point alone made it absolutely impossible for her to be an ordinary person; there must be something extraordinary about her.

A faint glint appeared in the Emperor's eyes.

Beside him, Empress Rui's expression had changed from initial shock to a dazed infatuation; she felt the connection between this heaven and earth and the living beings of the mountain forests, staring blankly at the dancing birds, and tears actually appeared in her eye sockets without her noticing.

To the extent that when someone came to report to the Emperor and request instructions, she could no longer hear at all.

After hearing the report, the Emperor, whose mind and spirit were shaken, was stunned for a moment; after a while, he nodded and said in a hoarse voice, "Let him come over."

"As you command."

As that Imperial Guard slowly retreated, he could not help but cast his gaze toward the altar.

And Zhu Zhi could no longer tell where he was; in his eyes he could only see that shadow of ghosts and spirits, yet the road to meet her was so long...

Not only long, but many black shadows blocking the road gradually appeared; he saw Ling Ke with his severed arm, Liu Gu with blood tears flowing from his eyes, that woman whose flesh he had carved, and many others whose names he could not remember at all; no, not people, they were ghosts, all ghosts!

Were these ghosts trying to block him? Wanting to drag him into Purgatory together... Absurd!

In a daze, seeing Ling Ke wield his blade to chop down, Zhu Zhi suddenly scrambled to his feet, swaying and dodging.

Everyone was worshipping, and the Emperor also remained kneeling; thus this figure suddenly standing up was especially conspicuous.

Only fearing that this sacred sacrifice would be disrupted, two Brocade-Clad Guards stepped forward, trying to take him away.

Zhu Zhi also regarded them as ghost shadows; he shoved the two people away with one hand, his expression disordered, laughing wildly as he lunged toward the altar.

He knelt at the edge below the altar, raising his head fanatically, murmuring prayers in his mouth: "Witch-god... Witch-god! Help me! Help me!"

The two Brocade-Clad Guards had received orders and were already preparing to drag him away by force, but above, a red shadow flashed; as the witch-god danced step by step, she raised her hand and took a torch, holding the fire and flashing to the edge of the altar, looking down from above.

Dark and red witch robes, golden eyes and divine mask; fire and wind rose together, lifting her clothes and her hair; when she leaned down to look, the mountains and rivers behind her seemed to press down as well; the two Brocade-Clad Guards no longer dared to stand upright and look directly, kneeling in awe and fear.

The Wu Nu danced behind her, birds never leaving her left and right; she lowered the torch in her hand, tilted her head slightly to peer, innocent and mischievous yet mysterious and dangerous, just like ghosts, spirits, and monsters in the mountains, distinguishing the human scent before them.

Beneath the mask, her eyes carried the cruel and vicious killing intent of a wild beast.

This was the last dose of medicine she bestowed; this dose of medicine was herself.

On Zhu Zhi's face, raised high, the look of reverence slowly froze.

The firelight flickered; that torch was not to see him clearly, but to let him see her clearly...

Those eyes, so close...

But... how could it be?

How could it be her?

No, no... shouldn't she be in an iron cage?!

Zhu Zhi suddenly turned his head, trying to look toward his villa, but could no longer tell direction; immense shock, confusion, anger, and humiliation devoured his last shred of reason.

He could no longer think how all this had happened; only one thought remained: Kill her! Kill her!

The girl held the torch, her robe sleeves swirling, the colored feathers and stones at her waist swaying as she turned and danced away.

Zhu Zhi burst out a trembling shriek, suddenly snatching the blade at the waist of an embroidered-cloth guard.

His movement was too sudden; previously he had indeed been frenzied and undignified, but clearly to draw near and worship the shaman god, now suddenly without warning he unleashed ferocity, drew his blade and rose, hacking toward the altar.

The nearby royal clan princesses and young masters were startled and rose in a clamor; someone screamed, someone said: "The evil spirit has indeed appeared... appeared!"

Fear and chaos spread in an instant; the shadow of the blade-wielder below the altar resembled a ferocious, terrifying evil thing!

The embroidered-cloth guard who had lost his blade sat down and retreated; another had just drawn his blade when Zhu Zhi kicked him heavily away, slamming him onto the offering table.

Liu Cheng's face was snow-white; retreating together with his frightened mother, he shouted: "... Protect the carriage! Protect Imperial Uncle!"

He Pingchun had already shielded the Emperor's front side, urgently ordering: "Quickly seize this madman!"

Amid the alarm, the Emperor's face was somber, staring at Zhu Zhi who had suddenly lost control.

Behind him an official spoke in a trembling voice: "... Yesterday entering the tomb drove out the evil spirit, only fear it has all attached itself to this person who loves killing!"

"It has manifested under the Mountain God's gaze! Manifested!"

"Quickly stop him!"

The crowd feared Zhu Zhi, not only because his methods were vicious, but also because his martial skill was formidable; even with one arm severed, his instinct to fight to the death was ingrained in his bones, and madness had stirred hatred and fighting spirit, leaving him without any scruples, only towering killing intent.

Several embroidered-cloth guards were injured beneath his madly swinging blade.

The crowd feared him, and feared the evil spirit even more; seeing blood actually drawn, more and more royal clan officials fled in panic, and the Emperor was also forced to rise from his original position and retreat.

The alarm spread to the altar; some shamans' movements began to err; the drumming shaman saw Zhu Zhi looking like a fierce god and evil spirit about to pounce onto the altar, his whole body went limp, and he sat down on the ground.

Hearing his companion's drumming stop, the drummer at the other end of the altar also lost his rhythm.

The girl dancing with the torch suddenly spun and leaped; she threw the torch in her hand, and her body was thrown into the air by some unknown force; her vermilion great robe flew in midair, her golden-threaded shoes kicked toward that ball of fire; the torch, struck, howled like a fierce wind, striking a drumhead that no one was beating, booming like thunder.

Under the impact, firelight scattered in all directions; sparks fell scalding onto the Vermilion Bird drum frame; accompanied by bird cries, the golden-copper Vermilion Bird seemed confusedly burned into a living creature.

The torch struck and bounced away, slicing across the space above the altar, then was re-grasped by the vermilion-robed girl's outstretched hand.

The drumming shaman was startled awake, trembling as he tried to stand again, but the drumstick was first picked up by a determined figure; the shaman stared blankly, raising his head, only to see it was Yu Si Wu.

Yu Si Wu had not personally participated in the ceremony for many years.

The Ritual Shaman is an attendant of the Great Shaman God, willing only to assist in sacrifice for the Great Shaman God.

The Ritual Shaman, his hair bun white with age, held the drumstick with both hands and struck the huge drumhead with all his might; each blow shook tears in his eyes, his eyeballs shining astonishingly.

No matter how chaotic it was below the altar, it could not affect the Vermilion Robe Great Shaman continuing her dance.

Gazing from afar, heaven, earth, and man danced as one.

It was the dance of the mountain ghost, the dance of killing, the dance of victory, the dance of power.

With wolves ahead and tigers behind, kill the wolves first, then slaughter the tigers.

Someone need not show themselves, merely wave a sleeve, and could easily control her life and death, but from this moment on, it would become different!

"—Boom!"

Flying birds scattered one after another; the final drum fell, the shaman god stood still, the torch in his hand drooping; he turned his head to look at the huge ritual bow hanging before the Vermilion Bird drum frame.

In the wind, Yu Si Wu threw down the drumstick, tiptoed to take the bow, held the bow with both hands and hurried forward, kneeling before the girl, and raised the bow high to present it.

The torch was thrown into the bronze brazier; the vermilion-robed masked girl drew the great bow; the bowstring opened like a full moon; the voice was high and bright like a ghost and spirit summons: "—Execute the evil!"

Archers and crossbowmen had already been summoned all around, but because the crowd was chaotic, they did not dare to rashly loose arrows for a moment.

Zhu Zhi had already been surrounded by long spears, injured on his body, yet as if unable to feel pain, he still swung his blade to cleave a path, and still wanted to rush toward the divine platform.

With the girl's high-pitched cry to execute the evil, his face grew even more ferocious as he lunged forward.

Countless gazes were fixed on the bow-drawing figure on the divine platform; this scene was extremely awe-inspiring, as if ghost and spirit were about to exterminate the evil spirit.

But... though the divine bow was large, it was merely a ritual bow, with no arrows; without arrows, how could it kill?!

The bowstring stained with fresh blood suddenly slackened between the fingers of the girl on the divine platform.

"—Whoosh!"

The sound of an arrow piercing the air rang out, powerfully penetrating the chest of the blade-wielder!

—How could this be?!

The surroundings fell silent in an instant; everyone's faces were shocked.

But soon someone discerned that the direction the arrow came from was behind!

The crowd looked back; in the exact center of the road that had been cleared behind them stood a figure of blue-gold, holding a long bow in his hand.

Two great bows faced each other from afar; this suddenly appearing youth was clad entirely in blue-gold, like a naturally formed vessel for sacrificing to heaven.

He lowered his bow and gazed from afar at the person on the altar; penetrating that mask, he saw her true form, sharper than the face of ghost and spirit.

He did not believe in ghosts and gods, but at this moment he thought, if this ghost-and-spirit mask were removed, one could see the true ghost and god.

And the evil spirit was pierced through the heart by this precise arrow from the air; the long spears surrounding him finally pierced his body without obstruction.

A large amount of fresh blood spilled from his mouth; two long spears remained embedded in his body, but Zhu Zhi still struggled, slowly turning his head to look at the tall figure holding the long bow walking toward him.

It was that evil ghost of Wuling Commandery...

It was the ghostly remnant left in this world by Ling Ke, Liu Gu, and the Ling Empress.

The rain threads seemed to congeal into snowflakes; the flames all turned into blood-red; the altar became a tightly closed palace gate; severe winter occurred in their eye contact, reflected in the youth's hateful eyes.

Being looked at by such eyes, while on the altar behind him another pair of ghost-and-spirit eyes was also watching... at this moment of impending death, Zhu Zhi finally felt a trace of extreme fear.

He feared that in the next instant he would fall into an unforgivable purgatory; he eagerly wanted to explain himself, wanted to repent; he raised his head and emitted a voice that seemed not his own, roaring in a revealing manner:

"I am the evil spirit, willing to die to atone for my sins... but the true calamity-bringers of the nation are ghosts of great evil... there is another!"

This roar echoed between heaven and earth, like a confession under divine punishment.

The long spears were withdrawn; the body that considered itself the evil spirit thudded as it fell backward to the ground, eyes wide with terror, not daring to close.

The evil spirit was slain, the mountain ghost departed her body, and the girl who had completed the "Sending Off the Deity" finally exhausted her strength, powerless to kneel upon the bloodstained altar.

The deity had already departed, yet a single bird still lingered, alighting on her shoulder and nuzzling her cheek.

Liu Qi subconsciously walked toward the altar, but soon she was surrounded and shielded by countless wu practitioners who revered and cared for her.

At the same time, countless gazes gathered upon himself; Liu Qi returned the long bow to the Imperial Guard at his side, stepped forward with a slight limp, came before that person, knelt down, bowed his head, and said: "Unworthy son Liu Qi, awaits punishment before the Son of Heaven's carriage!"

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