Chapter 13: The Divine Diagram of the Nine Demons (Third Update)

There were seventeen of them in all, led by a burly man whose broad robes barely concealed a chest crisscrossed with scars from old burns.

The burly man pulled his horse to a stop before Yang Dai, fixing him with an intense, leopard-like stare. “Boy, have you seen a woman in red pass by?” he demanded, his voice booming.

What a thunderous voice!

Yang Dai was inwardly disappointed—he had thought these might be bandits. Pointing ahead, he said, “She left not long ago; you might still catch up.”

The burly man tossed him two strings of coins from his robe before spurring his followers onward in pursuit.

Yang Dai weighed the coins in his hand and chuckled wryly. He stored them in a pouch hidden within his trouser pocket—a pouch large enough to fit the special storage bag given to him by Huli, crafted by the Intelligence Bureau. Outwardly, the bag matched his period costume, but its construction was thoroughly modern.

Since reaching the first level of Qi Gathering, he had learned to use the storage bags he’d seized at Ghost Wailing Ridge. Both trouser pockets held such bags; he preferred not to keep all his valuables together.

Yang Dai continued on his way.

The sun set, the moon rose, and night descended.

Yang Dai stopped in a grove beside the official road, summoning the spirits to encircle him.

They began their cultivation practice. According to Hungry Ghost Cheng, they would reach the town by noon the next day. Yang Dai was in no hurry; town gates closed at night, and he had no wish to scale the walls—Daxia’s city walls stood three zhang high, nearly nine meters, and were guarded by city watchmen through the night.

Stone Dragon, Hungry Ghost Cheng, and Bai Wei continued patrolling the surrounding woods. Tian Buchong and Liu Junjie took up sentry duty. The other spirits cultivated in silence.

Night was tranquil.

Yang Dai was absorbed in cultivation until all three patrols returned.

The last to arrive, Bai Wei, approached Yang Dai quietly. “Master, I found a group of corpses—dead less than half a day. Shall we collect their souls?”

Yang Dai’s eyes snapped open. “Are there any powerful cultivators nearby?”

“None. They appear to be martial artists—the same group you met earlier. All dead, slain by weapons, no sign of sorcery.”

“Lead the way!”

Yang Dai rose at once.

So, after all their wandering, those people still perished.

But as long as they hadn’t died by his hand, he felt no guilt. He had merely pointed them down the road in honesty.

Led by Bai Wei, the group moved swiftly through the woods.

In the dim forest beneath the night sky, they flitted by like shadows with green-glowing eyes—a frightening sight, though fortunately no one else was about.

After more than twenty minutes, they reached their destination.

On the official road, bodies lay strewn about; even their horses had been slaughtered.

Yang Dai sent Hungry Ghost Cheng to check for danger. Only when assured it was safe did he begin to harvest the souls one by one.

Seventeen souls in all, still lingering.

Though all were souls of ordinary mortals, the sheer number made Yang Dai’s head ache.

His spirit retinue instantly swelled to thirty-one!

They retreated into the woods, putting distance between themselves and the scene, coming to rest deep among the trees.

Yang Dai summoned his new spirits.

The burly man at their head looked momentarily startled to see Yang Dai, but quickly accepted his new existence as a spirit.

“Introduce yourself,” Yang Dai instructed.

He only needed to remember the leader’s name—otherwise, as the number of spirits grew, he couldn’t possibly recall them all.

The burly man introduced himself honestly: his name was Iron Ox, a guard from an estate several hundred miles away. The others were guards too, not cultivators but skilled martial artists. A few days prior, a woman in red had stolen a fragment of an old map from their estate. The master, enraged, had ordered them to pursue her. After days of pursuit, they finally caught up, only to be slaughtered—she had allies.

“All that for a fragment of a map?” Liu Junjie couldn’t help but scoff, unable to understand.

Iron Ox gave a bitter smile. “We were puzzled too, but servants can only obey. The master ordered us to retrieve it or not show our faces again.”

Hungry Ghost Cheng suddenly asked, “What was the fragment called?”

Iron Ox glanced at him. “We were only guards—how could we know? But I did see it. It was a strange map, depicting a monster wielding a sword. The upper body was human, but the lower body was that of a serpent.”

Hungry Ghost Cheng’s face changed dramatically.

Tian Buchong and the others were visibly shaken as well.

Stone Dragon urged, “Hungry Ghost, do you know what that is? Speak!”

The other spirits looked to Hungry Ghost Cheng in curiosity, as did Yang Dai.

Hungry Ghost Cheng took a deep breath. “It must be the Nine Demon God Scroll. Legend says that in ancient times, this land was wild and untamed. Humans were weak, preyed upon by monsters. Then a divine beast appeared, saving humanity and subduing the nine demon kings. The divine beast bestowed cultivation arts upon mankind, and the ancestors, in gratitude, painted the Nine Demon God Scroll. It’s said that when the divine beast left, it left behind a treasure, hidden by humans. The map to that treasure is contained within the Scroll. I’d heard rumors it resurfaced in the cultivation world in recent years—never thought a piece would fall into mortal hands.”

Liu Junjie’s eyes lit up. He turned to Yang Dai. “Master, this is an opportunity we can’t miss! That woman in red can’t have gone far. If we chase at full speed tomorrow, we might catch her. The Nine Demon God Scroll—it sounds incredible!”

Yang Dai shot him a look. “It’s only one of nine fragments. Do you think this is some main quest?”

“Isn’t it? It must be a great opportunity!”

Liu Junjie grew more excited, sticking close to Yang Dai. After a month of nothing but training, he was dying for action—and now, here was an adventure.

Yang Dai did not agree.

It was just too much trouble.

Honestly, if he were of average talent, he’d go for it. But with an S-rank gift and the Intelligence Bureau supporting his cultivation, why take such risks?

Suddenly, Tian Buchong spoke up. “The Nine Demon God Scroll is a priceless treasure. One of the Pillars of the Nation once obtained a fragment and derived the True Heart of Divine Thunder from it.”

Pillar of the Nation? Who’s that?

The other spirits were puzzled, but accustomed to some among them using odd terminology.

Yang Dai was intrigued. He hadn’t realized the True Heart of Divine Thunder originated from the Nine Demon God Scroll—it was, after all, the most advanced technique known to the Summer Nation’s secret web.

Ying Ji suddenly added, “I heard my royal brothers mention that only three fragments remain lost. Whoever obtains one can command the elements; if all are gathered, one could ascend to immortality. It truly is a fortune beyond compare.”

Hungry Ghost Cheng, Tian Buchong, and the others nodded enthusiastically.

Liu Junjie was nearly trembling with excitement, clenching his fists. “How often does life offer such luck? That woman in red is only a mortal—Tian and the others sensed no spiritual energy from her. At most, she’s a martial artist. We’re cultivators; to martial artists, we’re an overwhelming force. We should go for it—would you want to regret this later?”

“Now, with thirty-one spirits to aid you, we have the strength to seize it!”

Yang Dai stared at him speechlessly. Damn it, you’re already dead—what do you need opportunities for? Have you forgotten how you died?