Chapter 105: Human-Demon Conflict

Hua Changxi gazed at the patterns on the stone wall and gained a rough understanding of the evolution of the Four Spirits Realm.

In the Four Spirits Realm, first the Demon Clan flourished, then the Human Clan rose to prominence. Although the patterns stopped after that, Hua Changxi guessed that the realm must have undergone at least one Great Extinction; otherwise, the current spiritual energy resurgence wouldn't have occurred.

After viewing the nine patterns, Hua Changxi discerned a pattern: when things develop to a certain stage, they always begin to reshuffle, somewhat like... reincarnation.

"Is this spiritual energy resurgence also a kind of reincarnation?"

The Demon Clan had existed in the Four Spirits Realm since the day the realm was created. After the appearance of the Human Clan, it could be said that the subsequent development history of the realm became a history of struggle between the Human Clan and the Demon Clan.

Nowadays, she was encountering more and more cultivators, but the Demon Clan...

Previously, when she saw demon beasts and demon plants, she never took them to heart, thinking they were just a link in the ecosystem.

But after seeing the patterns, Hua Changxi regarded the Demon Clan with a bit more wariness.

The Demon Clan was an existence that vied with the Human Clan for dominance over the realm.

The traces of cultivators' activities were now becoming more and more numerous, yet news of the Demon Clan had not appeared much.

Hua Changxi thought of the white-robed monk and somewhat regretted burning him to ashes with a single flame. She wanted to know whether he was human or demon.

In the Buddhist beads there was a "Demon Clan Cultivation Manual" that recorded in detail that when a demon cultivates to the Nascent Infant stage, it could transform its original form into a human body.

"If that white-robed monk were a Nascent Infant stage demon, he probably wouldn't have been so easily burned to death by the Fire Lotus."

Hua Changxi felt that the white-robed monk was probably not a demon.

But if he wasn't a demon and was human, that would be an even worse situation.

A human was actually helping the Demon Clan, and moreover hiding among the human populace, making it impossible to guard against.

How many such people were there?

Also, why was the white-robed monk looking for A Niu?

Demon God Protector?

Could a human be a protector of the Demon Clan?

Hua Changxi instinctively felt there was something going on here. She also thought of Xu Ling—Xu Ling had also been targeted by the monk. Could there be some connection between the two?

She would have to find time to visit the Xu Family Medicine Shop.

Hua Changxi's gaze fell on the ninth pattern again: the Demon Prison where the Human Clan imprisoned the Demon Clan, and the five continents of East, West, South, North, and Central...

The Demon Prison was located on the Central Continent. Could the Central Continent be the landmass where the Great Jin Dynasty was located?

The five continents were separated. So where exactly were the four continents of East, West, South, and North?

There was another thing that puzzled Hua Changxi: with five continents on one realm, to accommodate the activities of so many great demons, each landmass must have been enormous.

She had seen the territorial map of Great Jin and knew that there were other countries around Great Jin, but Great Jin's land area was the largest.

At her speed as a Core Formation stage cultivator, traveling from the capital to Qingzhou took only an hour round trip. Great Jin had nine prefectures; a rough estimate suggested that from the southernmost to the northernmost tip of Great Jin's territory, one day would probably be enough.

Great Jin was already this small; even adding other countries, the entire landmass wouldn't be much larger. Could such a patch of land have allowed the ancient great demons to roam freely?

Soon, Hua Changxi thought of other things. The Five Fingers Mountain was far larger than what could be seen from the outside. It took her just over half an hour to go from the capital to Qingzhou, but after entering the Five Fingers Mountain, she still hadn't explored all its areas.

Moreover, many people also indicated that many mountains and rivers were growing larger.

Had the land area been compressed along with the occurrence of the Great Extinction?

Hua Changxi felt that many things were hidden behind clouds—unclear and unfathomable. She could only explore and uncover them step by step in the future.

Pulling her thoughts back from the map of the Four Spirits Realm, Hua Changxi looked at the totem golden bowl embedded in the stone wall. With a wave of her hand, the golden bowl fell into her palm.

On the stone wall, the spot where the golden bowl had been embedded merged seamlessly, showing no sign of a missing golden bowl.

Once the golden bowl was retrieved, the golden light dissipated, and the patterns on the stone wall vanished along with it.

The Qihuang Hall was obviously a place for teaching medicine. The totem golden bowl could illuminate the bloodline totem of a person's body. Its appearance in Hall No. 7 Qihuang was absolutely not meant to narrate the evolution history of the Four Spirits Realm.

So, what medical content was Hall No. 7 Qihuang actually meant to teach?

Bloodline totem...

"Bloodline?"

The origin of the Human race was not detailed in the evolutionary diagrams, but the reason humanity was able to survive was due to receiving the protection of the worshipped 'Spirits' and learning their divine powers.

"So, No. 7 Qi Huang Hall wants to teach people to stimulate their own bloodline power, and then atavistically revert to obtain former divine powers?"

Hua Changxi went to No. 3 Qi Huang Hall, brought Zhou Qiuyu and others to No. 7 Qi Huang Hall, picked up the totem golden bowl, and shone it on them one by one.

Among the twenty people, not a single one had a clear totem image emerge like she and A Niu did when illuminated by the golden bowl.

In the end, only four people showed extremely faint totem images under the golden radiance.

The totem images of the four were all rabbits.

Obviously, the totem power in the bloodline of the other sixteen people had almost disappeared, and even the golden bowl could not shine out their totem images.

Hua Changxi made these twenty people swear a Heart Demon Oath not to speak of today's events, and then let them withdraw.

As soon as they left, Hua Changxi quickly walked towards the western stone wall. After shining out four totem images, another pattern appeared on the wall.

This pattern was a medicinal bath diagram, showing a person sitting in a medicinal barrel, soaking in medicinal decoction, thereby stimulating a totem image.

The recipe for the medicinal decoction was clearly recorded below the medicinal bath diagram.

Seeing this, Hua Changxi was extremely excited. She quickly took out paper and brush to record the medicinal bath formula.

She actually also knew how to stimulate and enhance the totem power in the bloodline—that was by taking the Atavistic Fruit.

But the Atavistic Fruit was hard to come by and almost impossible to obtain operationally.

However, this medicinal bath formula was different. She knew all the spiritual medicines listed above. Although preparing it would take some time, at least it no longer relied on luck.

After recording the formula, Hua Changxi left No. 7 Qi Huang Hall. Seeing that sword patterns had appeared on the stone pillar outside the hall, she had originally intended to go find Pharmacist Xu, but she changed direction and went to the Old Courtyard in the square.

By now, Gu Xing was already very calm when he saw Hua Changxi come to take another wooden token.

Looking at the lone wooden token left on the wall, Gu Xing wondered if the others didn't hurry up, this token would probably be taken by Hua Changxi again.

The wooden token was the key to opening the Qi Huang Hall—this he knew—but how to open it, he had no idea.

For example, the head of the Heaven Department and the director of the Medical Directorate had obtained their wooden tokens twenty or thirty years earlier than Hua Changxi. In all that time, neither of them had discovered the wooden token's usage.

Hua Changxi had been in contact with the wooden token for less than two months, and she had already unlocked its usage.

She was not wrong—the wooden token was fated to be with her!

Gu Xing looked towards First Street direction and shook his head. The Qi Huang Hall was almost half occupied by Hua Changxi, while Gu Qiming was still fighting with others.

"Ah..."

Gu Xing suddenly woke up: the Alchemy Saint Hall was a sacred place for alchemy and a sacred place for spreading medical arts, not a place for power struggles. He had been thinking in the wrong direction before.

No matter how far Hua Changxi could go, at least she was truly spreading medicine.

In this respect alone, she surpassed Wei Zhenjie and Gu Qiming.

"Uncle Xu."

Hua Changxi went to Ninth Street again to find Pharmacist Xu. Seeing his relaxed expression, she smiled and asked, "Uncle Xu, has A Ling returned?"

Pharmacist Xu smiled and said, "Thank you for thinking of A Ling. She came back the very next day."

Hua Changxi asked again, "Is A Ling okay?"

Pharmacist Xu's smile deepened: "It's fine. A Ling's problem with excessive sleepiness has been completely solved. Jiu Niang, we all misjudged Master Konghai. He genuinely wanted to help A Ling. Once A Ling recovered, Master Konghai took his leave."

Hua Changxi's eyes flickered: "Is that so? I was overthinking then. Uncle Xu, is that Master Konghai dressed in a white monk's robe?"

Pharmacist Xu looked surprised: "No, Master Konghai wears a yellow monk's robe. Why do you ask?"

Hua Changxi smiled and said, "I saw a monk in white on the street yesterday. I was thinking about A Ling, so I asked an extra question."

Pharmacist Xu nodded with a smile: "A Ling is fine now."

Hua Changxi: "Uncle Xu, I haven't seen A Ling in a long time. Shall I come to your house for lunch today?"

Pharmacist Xu looked at the sky: "I've finished my work today, I can go back. Do you have anything else to do?"

Hua Changxi quickly said, "I'm done too."

Pharmacist Xu: "Then let's go back now, just in time for lunch."

Hua Changxi followed Xu Yaoshi out of the Medical Affairs Bureau and went to Xu's Pharmacy, where she saw Xu Ling bustling about.

"Father, you're back!"

"Ninth Sister, why are you here?"

Xu Ling's face lit up when she saw Hua Changxi and happily ran towards her, but just as she was about to reach Hua Changxi, she suddenly stumbled and stopped in her tracks.

"Oh, I've been busy all day and I'm all dirty. Ninth Sister, please come in and sit down. I'll go change my clothes first."

Hua Changxi watched Xu Ling practically flee to the back courtyard and found it a bit odd, but seeing that she seemed no different from usual and was as warm as ever, and thinking it was normal for a girl to care about cleanliness, she didn't dwell on it.

By the time Xu Ling changed her clothes, Hua Changxi and Xu Yaoshi were already seated in the main room.

Xu Ling served tea to the two of them, but instead of sitting next to Hua Changxi, she sat diagonally across from her.

Hua Changxi looked at Xu Ling: "Aling, I'm a cultivator. Did Uncle Xu tell you?"

Xu Ling nodded and asked hopefully, "Ninth Sister, do you think I can become a cultivator too?"

Hua Changxi smiled: "I heard from Uncle Xu that Master Konghai has already taught you how to cultivate. You are a cultivator now. I can even sense the spiritual energy on you. What, didn't you know?"

Xu Ling was shocked: "I'm already a cultivator? I thought the breathing technique Master Konghai taught me was just to cure my narcolepsy."

As she spoke, her face showed excitement.

"Father, did you hear that? I'm a cultivator."

Then Xu Ling's face fell with disappointment: "Too bad Master Konghai is gone. I couldn't even thank him."

Hua Changxi quickly asked: "Wasn't Master Konghai living at the pharmacy just fine before? Why did he suddenly leave? Did he say where he was going?"

Xu Ling shook her head: "Master Konghai actually always wanted to leave. It was only because he saw I wasn't fully recovered that he stayed at the pharmacy. Now that my illness is cured, he left."

"Master Konghai said his lifelong wish is to deliver all beings and rescue those trapped in hardship and illness. He should be going to deliver others now."

Hua Changxi wanted to take a look at the cultivation technique that Monk Konghai had given Xu Ling, but after hesitating, she didn't voice it.

Cultivation techniques are a private matter for cultivators.

Prying into others' privacy was not her way of doing things.

Although Hua Changxi still had some doubts about that Monk Konghai, after carefully observing Xu Ling and finding nothing unusual, she didn't ask further.

After lunch, Hua Changxi left. As she was leaving, she couldn't help pulling Xu Yaoshi aside to give him a word of advice.

"Uncle Xu, you know I was kidnapped by a demonic cultivator. After that, I went and looked up some information."

"In this world, besides demonic cultivators, there are also demonic monks."

"Aling is not an ordinary person. The blood totem power within her is very strong. She might be targeted by some ill-intentioned people."

"That Master Konghai—I've never met him, but since he could teach Aling to cultivate, he should have the ability to protect himself. Why was it so coincidental that he was saved by Aling? And then he taught her cultivation for free. I just feel something is off."

"But seeing Aling today, she seems fine. Still, I hope you can keep an eye on her in the future."

Xu Yaoshi grew a bit nervous: "Ninth Sister, isn't it as serious as you say? I think Master Konghai is truly a good person."

Hua Changxi smiled: "Maybe I'm overthinking it. Well, Uncle Xu, I'll be off then."

Xu Yaoshi watched Hua Changxi leave, then turned and went back to the back courtyard. There he saw Xu Ling curled up in the main room, her face pale. His expression changed: "Aling, what's wrong?"

Xu Yaoshi steadied Xu Ling and realized she was trembling violently, as if frightened by something.

Xu Ling grabbed Xu Yaoshi's hand and held it tightly: "Father, a picture just flashed in my mind. Ninth Sister is going to kill me."

Xu Yaoshi's expression shifted: "How is that possible?!"

Xu Ling shook her head: "I don't know. I only know that I was killed by her. Father, please don't associate with Ninth Sister anymore, okay?"

Xu Yaoshi looked hesitant: "Aling, could it be that you're overthinking this?"

Xu Ling: "When Master Konghai left, he told me there are many bad people in this world, and that my blood is a great supplement for cultivators."

"Father, can you guarantee that Ninth Sister is definitely a good person? She might have been before, but now she's a cultivator. If she finds out my blood can help her cultivation, wouldn't she become greedy?"

Xu Yaoshi helped Xu Ling up and sat her down: "Aling, calm down first. As for Ninth Sister, Father will handle it."

Xu Ling stared straight at Xu Yaoshi: "Father, if you continue to associate with Hua Changxi, you will definitely get me killed."

Xu Yaoshi was stunned. Jiu Niang had told him to keep an eye on A Ling, but A Ling told him to stay away from Jiu Niang—now he didn't know what to think.

After a long silence, Xu Yaoshi held the still-shaken Xu Ling in his arms and murmured, "A Ling, don't worry. Your father won't let anyone hurt you."

Xu Ling hugged Xu Yaoshi back. "Father, I don't want to die. I want to stay with you forever."

Xu Yaoshi gently patted Xu Ling's back. "You won't. My A Ling will live a long life. You won't die. Don't be afraid—your father is here."