“Is this… the Four Totems of the Demon Clan?”
Purple light filled the pagoda as Yin Ya’s ninth tail materialized. The monks watched in awe as the tattered Wanna flag renewed itself, revealing a fox eye totem that commanded the spirits with regal authority.
Like the transformation of a phoenix, the shaking of Mount Sumeru, or the birth of nine-colored brilliance, once a demon royal bloodline reaches its final form, it can ascend to the pinnacle of cultivation in an instant, given sufficient resources.
Each demon clan can have only one king. With Yin Ya’s ninth tail awakening his Nightmare form, the Celestial Fox clan and related beast demons must now submit to him, placing him on equal footing with the ancient Sumeru Turtle in the demon-sealing formation.
The Heart Demon Woman, originally a formless magical being, grew wary upon seeing the evil spirits of Bitter Spring Creek becoming food for the Nightmare Fox.
“Demons and monsters are kindred spirits,” she proposed. “I can swear a binding oath. If you don’t hinder me, I’ll break the seal on the demon-sealing formation, allowing you to rebuild the Demon Kingdom and share this realm. What do you say?”
As the ninth tail formed, Yin Ya’s perception of the world suddenly shifted. He saw everything around him bound by invisible rules, which he could now seemingly control.
“Who’s your kindred spirit?” Yin Ya retorted coldly. With a stomp of his claw, space cracked around them, trapping the Heart Demon Woman and preventing her escape through spatial rifts.
Eyes flashing with malice, she shook her sleeves and declared, “You’re courting death! Don’t say I didn’t warn you! Heart Demon, Release!”
Behind her materialized an eight-faced evil visage, each face corresponding to the Eight Sufferings: birth, aging, illness, death, separation from loved ones, encountering the hated, unfulfilled desires, and the five aggregates. As the Heart Demon Woman acted, the faces slowly opened their eyes.
Upon opening, the faces rapidly expanded, scattering in all directions to seek out living beings and penetrate their primordial spirits, bypassing magical defenses.
In an instant, two Yuan Ying stage guardian monks went berserk.
“Kill… kill them all!”
“The great founder of Daosheng Tian Sect, whose nemesis is the Heart Demon, yet acts entirely by our Buddhist teachings,” Precious Qi Tathagata sighed, restraining the frenzied monks. “This formless Heart Demon specializes in confusing people’s souls. Brothers, join me in forming an array to ward off these demons!”
The Heart Demon Woman regained some confidence. While directing her strongest evil visage to attack Precious Qi Tathagata and the other Buddhist monks, she taunted Yin Ya, even changing her form of address.
“Little Nightmare demon, I’ve spared you out of pity for your talent, not wanting your soul to be lost. I’ll give you one last chance. If you don’t want to be the first demon to go mad, learn to compromise.”
Immersed in his newfound power, Yin Ya snarled, “Get out of my mother’s body, and we can talk about anything.”
“Tsk, that’s impossible. She’s the key to whether I can devour that person,” the Heart Demon Woman replied, seemingly satisfied as she stroked her jade-like cheek. With false pity in her eyes, she commanded, “What a pity. Heart Demon Evil Visage, devour him.”
Six evil visages rushed towards Yin Ya, impervious to all spells, and merged into his consciousness.
“Bearing the deep grudge of the fallen Demon Kingdom, you must harbor much pain…” the Heart Demon Woman exerted her full power, licking her lips. “Once your mind falters, your Nightmare Fox soul that has devoured countless ghosts will be a rare delicacy… Hm?”
She froze, gradually sensing the information relayed by the evil visages. Her face contorted as she finally screamed, “Are these your only mental weaknesses? Do you only care about your looks?!”
Where was the blood feud of the fallen kingdom? The tragic memories of being ostracized by humans?
Unable to find any flaw in Yin Ya’s psyche, the evil visages retreated from his soul. Yin Ya, frightened, jumped back with his fur standing on end.
“That was terrifying…” he gasped.
Precious Qi Tathagata hurriedly asked, “Zhen Fang, are you alright?”
Yin Ya, drenched in cold sweat, replied, “So that’s why Nan Yan ran off with Third Brother. In human aesthetics, he’s more handsome than me!”
Precious Qi Tathagata was speechless.
Yin Ya, heartbroken, swished his long tail, conjuring a full moon apparition behind him.
The moon is the demon clan’s faith.
Moonlight instantly flooded the hall, dissolving the Buddhist lamps and cushions. As if plunged into an illusion, the Heart Demon Woman felt a sharp pain throughout her body, seemingly losing control over Nan Ruo’s physical form.
Having just taken control of Nan Ruo’s body without fully integrating her innate spiritual power, the Heart Demon Woman could only manipulate heart demons to disturb others’ minds. But Yin Ya was impervious to her mental disturbances. She could only retreat, cloaking herself in layers of demonic energy for protection. Yet, after colliding with several beams of demon light, she faltered, her demonic energy reduced by a third.
Precious Qi Tathagata, having regained his composure, exuded overwhelming Buddhist might. “This demon is born from Ying Ze Wei’s heart. Destroying her once will weaken Ying Ze Wei by a third. Everyone, seize this opportunity.”
Looking up, the Heart Demon Woman saw the Wanna flag, Nightmare Kill, and Buddhist Law Suppression all bearing down on her. Fearing another dispersal of her demonic form, she screamed, “Ying Ze Wei, help me! Do you want me to be destroyed?!”
As her cry faded, Yin Ya’s eyes widened. Behind the Heart Demon Woman appeared a massive, jellyfish-like demonic shadow.
A dark red veil, reminiscent of a bride in a tomb, gently twirled, shattering all Buddhist and demonic powers.
The Heart Demon Woman flickered to the top of the ghostly shadow. Behind her, a spatial rift opened. As she darted towards it, she snarled an order: “River Styx Ghost Mirage, free Bitter Spring Creek and kill them all!”
As she fled swiftly, the River Styx Ghost Mirage expanded, its tentacles cascading down like countless threads. Though seemingly delicate, they pierced the hard spirit stone floor on contact. The sealed mouth of Bitter Spring Creek was liberated, and beneath the main canopy, a vast, ethereal maw slowly opened.
“What is this thing?” Yin Ya winced as a sharp pain shot through areas brushed by the tentacles. Without hesitation, he shifted from his ten-foot fox form to a human shape. Darting about, he pointed towards Bitter Spring Creek, fighting nausea.
Instantly, a tug-of-war formed between Yin Ya and the River Styx Ghost Mirage. Emerging souls wavered between them, neither side gaining the upper hand.
“Zhen Fang, watch out!” A Buddhist cultivator warned from afar. Yet the Ghost Mirage’s tentacles still managed to ensnare Yin Ya. Despite shattering many, they regenerated faster, soon wracking his body with excruciating pain.
The Ghost Mirage’s tentacles seemed venomous, inflicting severe damage to spirit, flesh, and soul alike. The pagoda’s confined space left Yin Ya struggling. After a quarter-hour, he fell to one knee in agony.
“What the hell? Third Brother, where are you?!”
As his words faded, the Ghost Mirage suddenly became agitated. Its long tentacles thrashed wildly before converging into a giant hammer, striking at a specific point in space.
Moments later, the void fractured, revealing a passage. A blinding blood-red light burst forth, followed by Buddhist mantra chains that tightly bound the Ghost Mirage. Wherever the light touched, the mirage’s tentacles dissipated like mist in scorching sunlight.
Precious Qi Tathagata’s eyes widened in shock: “This is… this is…”
Nan Yan’s voice echoed from the spatial rift: “I am the Buddha of Slaughter and Karma. I rise again to slay… a hundred thousand demons!”
The only Buddhist path that terrified Daosheng Tian, the only one that slaughtered ghosts and demons like livestock, had finally manifested in full.
Precious Qi Tathagata exclaimed excitedly: “The Seven Buddha’s Karmic Scripture… has returned! The Master of Buddhist Penitence is free!”
Nan Yan stepped out of the rift, bodhi leaves floating around him. With each leaf absorbed, his cultivation surged.
All the Ghost Mirage’s tentacles were severed by the Buddhist chains. Though supposedly unfeeling, it let out a piercing shriek. Abandoning Bitter Spring Creek, it opened its maw to swallow Nan Yan whole.
“Nan Yan!” Yin Ya cried out anxiously as Nan Yan was engulfed. Just as he was about to act, the Ghost Mirage’s massive form began to contract. A stern female voice resonated from within:
“My karma strikes down evil. Demonic fiends shall be eradicated!”
A thunderous explosion followed, blowing off the pagoda’s millennia-old, imperishable roof. The Ghost Mirage’s body dissipated into nothingness.
Nan Yan hovered in midair, fingers forming the Demon-Subduing Mudra, pointing skyward.
“Open.”
The gloomy seas and sorrowful mountains instantly cleared, showcasing the power of a Nascent Soul cultivator.
Amidst the commotion, Yin Ya finally collapsed, exhausted.
“Reinforcements from Chen State have arrived! The Dragon Lord and Sword Hero are intercepting the Six Imperial Elders!”
“We’ve held Sorrow Mountain! Disciples, expel the remaining evil spirits!”
“Quickly, form an array to seal Bitter Spring Creek!”
In the chaos, Nan Yan rushed through the crowd to help Yin Ya up, his expression grave.
“Third Brother didn’t come, but Fourth Brother did. Don’t pass out, brother. Master praised your wisdom, remember?”
Yin Ya, barely conscious, glanced at Nan Yan’s radiant face, figuring he must have had some fortuitous encounter. He mumbled weakly, “Did Third Brother trick me? He said he could easily defeat that Heart Demon Woman. He didn’t mention she’d call for a master. Ugh, it’s infuriating. I quit.”
Seeing Yin Ya close his eyes peacefully, Nan Yan urged, “Brother, don’t sleep! Where does it hurt? Look, there are fierce ghosts all around – men, women, old, young. Why not absorb some to recover?”
Yin Ya refused outright: “I won’t eat them!”
Nan Yan glanced back at the little nine-colored deer that had accompanied him, already devouring souls everywhere. He said, “But aren’t beast-type royal bloodline demons fond of consuming souls? It’s good for you.”
Yin Ya replied resentfully, “Celery is good for you too. Why don’t you like eating celery?”
The celery-averse True Round Dharma Master was speechless. Seeing Yin Ya about to collapse again, he quickly tried another approach.
“Brother, there’s still a battle below. Shao Cang has already gone ahead.”
Yin Ya threw up his paws and flopped down: “I’m exhausted. My hair is singed. Don’t touch me, let me sleep!”
With no other choice, Nan Yan temporarily left him with Precious Qi Tathagata. He had only taken a few steps when Yin Ya called him back.
“Wait, I have something to say.”
Nan Yan returned: “What is it?”
“I…” Yin Ya’s eyes showed determination as he mustered his last strength, “Between Third Brother and me, who’s more handsome?”
Nan Yan: “…”
Nan Yan slapped Yin Ya unconscious: “You are. You’re drop-dead gorgeous.”