Volume Three: The Unfettered Path Chapter 102

Jin Li looked at Old Man Zhang, listened to him finish, and after a moment of silence, asked, "Then, Daoist, how did you neutralize the evil entity in Peach Blossom Village?"

Old Man Zhang spoke slowly: "It is said that behind Peach Blossom Village, there is an underground temple called the Selenium Curse Temple. Many years ago, I happened to pass by and realized that the temple was actually a ghost temple, sustained by the spiritual energy of the peach blossoms. Only by burning the peach trees would that evil entity lose its source of nourishment and naturally depart."

"Your words make sense, Daoist. Do you know why Luohua Town has become the way it is now?"

"That happened a few months ago, before the incident in Peach Blossom Village. Evil demonic creatures suddenly appeared in this town. Immortal mountain disciples were invited to eradicate them. Although things were quiet for quite some time, shortly after the immortal disciples left, the evil entities launched a massive attack. The people of Luohua Town fled, and the town declined."

Geng Yuan spoke up then: "Would you be willing to accompany us to Peach Blossom Village, Daoist?"

"Heh, naturally."

With that, Old Man Zhang turned and walked slowly ahead. Jin Li and Geng Yuan exchanged a glance; her eyes held a profound depth, and Geng Yuan nodded as if he understood.

The night wind blew through the trees by the road, casting dappled, swaying shadows upon the ground.

Jin Li walked side-by-side with Old Man Zhang. From time to time, she asked, "Daoist, you possess a striking appearance and profound Daoist techniques. May I ask which sect you hail from?"

Old Man Zhang chuckled. "Heh, you are too modest, young master. Does the young master not also possess profound immortal arts?"

Jin Li showed no surprise at this, only a slight curve forming at the corner of her mouth.

Geng Yuan walked behind Jin Li, casting glances at the Daoist from time to time.

On the road, after Jin Li had played along with a few pleasantries, she began to steer toward her purpose. "I wonder, Daoist, have you ever seen an immortal?"

"Oh? Perhaps you could describe them?"

"This person comes from the Great Marsh of Qingqiu."

The Daoist’s expression faltered, then he used a smile to mask his hesitation. "No. I wander the four corners of the earth, making my home wherever I go. I have never seen the immortal you speak of."

Jin Li said nothing, merely giving him a look of deep meaning before turning her gaze elsewhere.

By the time the red sun began to rise in the east, they had reached Peach Blossom Village.

This Old Man Zhang’s methods were profound; he had managed to ruin a village and a town with nothing more than empty words, without wasting a single soldier.

This man was extremely dangerous.

Jin Li harbored constant doubts, feeling that he had done this intentionally, with the goal of luring her into a trap.

Jin Li used her fingers to break through the immortal barrier.

The three entered the village. They saw that the villagers who would normally be out working were nowhere to be found. Or rather, there was not a single person in the village.

It was silent, as if the place had been completely abandoned.

"Why is there no one here?" Jin Li asked, puzzled.

Geng Yuan’s expression was cold, his dark pupils bottomless.

Just then, the sound of a flute began to play, accompanied by the intermittent singing of a woman.

"Peach blossoms and human faces glow red... My love has left without a word... Oh, what is a woman to do... what is she to do..."

The operatic voice drifted over, mournful and sorrowful, sounding like the weeping of a woman.

It was jarring.

Geng Yuan tightened his grip on his sword, his eyes filled with caution.

Just as the singing stopped, rustling sounds emerged from all around. Looking closely, the group saw people emerging in droves from the village. They walked in a grotesque manner—some like infants who had just learned to walk, some crawling, others with their hands raised stiffly, just like living corpses.

No, it seemed they were, in fact, living corpses.

Jin Li’s eyes widened in shock. These were the villagers.

How could this be? Were they controlled by the Ghost Bride while they were away?

It appeared that today, they would absolutely have to eliminate this Ghost Bride.

Geng Yuan leaned in and whispered, "A-Jin, be careful."

"You too."

Old Man Zhang stood calmly at the front, watching the approaching corpses without moving. Just then, Jin Li heard movement behind them. She turned and looked.

More and more people were emerging behind them—from the bushes at the foot of the mountain, or crawling out of the earth. They were packed densely; it was the first time she realized there were so many people in Peach Blossom Village.

"A-Yuan."

Geng Yuan turned around, his expression slightly startled.

Could this also be the work of the Demon Clan?

At that moment, Old Man Zhang tapped his toes and soared into the air. With a wave of his horsetail whisk, a powerful blast of inner energy struck the corpses.

In an instant, the corpses stood frozen in place, no longer moving.

The Daoist descended slowly.

He spoke, "I have only temporarily suppressed them. In an hour, the spell will break on its own. The most urgent matter is to leave immediately."

Jin Li nodded. Led by Old Man Zhang, the two headed up the mountain.

Jin Li glanced at the villagers standing frozen, then traced a blue-purple talisman in the air with her fingers and pushed it toward the sky above the villagers.

The morning sun gradually rose, casting light over the mountain peak as they arrived at the summit.

Unlike when they had been here before, a temple now stood prominently atop the peak. Bathed in sunlight, it possessed a sense of solemnity and sanctity, as if it were a true place of Buddhist worship.

Yet, that was what made it so eerie—why had this temple, which had remained hidden for so long, suddenly appeared out of thin air today?

As Jin Li pondered, the operatic singing and flute music drifted from the surroundings once more.

"That sound again." Jin Li scanned the area, searching for the source.

The Daoist remained strangely quiet.

Geng Yuan asked, "Daoist? What do you think?"

"It is a Peach Demon."

Jin Li asked, "A Peach Demon? I thought it was a Ghost Bride. Why has it changed to a Peach Demon? And where is the Ghost Bride?"

Old Man Zhang turned to look at Jin Li. "This young master speaks with wisdom. Rumor says a Ghost Bride appeared in Luohua Town, specifically abducting newlywed grooms to this Selenium Curse Temple. Ever since, the sound of opera and flutes has echoed from the temple every night."

"What about the villagers of Peach Blossom Village? Why are they crazed? What did you give them to drink at the time?"

Old Man Zhang spoke slowly: "You are all disciples of immortal sects; I have known this for some time. When the villagers came to request my aid, I realized their souls had been devoured by the Peach Demon. To retrieve their souls, one must slay the demon. However, the recovered souls remain somewhat fractured, leaving them with blurred consciousness and causing them to manifest the demon's will at night. So..."

Jin Li continued, "So that is why they capture their own livestock to bring to the Selenium Curse Temple, and why they come to this mountain at night to gnaw on corpses to seek nourishment."

Old Man Zhang nodded. Jin Li asked again, "What about the Peach Demon? And the Ghost Bride—what is going on with her?"

"The Peach Demon is a subordinate of the Ghost Bride. If the Peach Demon is slain, the Ghost Bride will seek revenge."

"So, you disguised yourself during the day and told anyone coming to Luohua Town to leave immediately, only to reveal yourself when you encountered us at night?"

Old Man Zhang nodded. "Once the opera starts, the villagers from below will come up. Since the Selenium Curse Temple has emerged, it means the Ghost Bride has left."

"Left?!!"

A surge of anger rose within Jin Li, though she did not know where it stemmed from. She had not yet found the answers she sought, and the Ghost Bride had just left.

Geng Yuan noticed her anger and comforted her: "A-Jin, do not be anxious. We have defeated so many of her subordinates; she will appear again."

"And... the villagers?"

"The Peach Demon’s branches are within their bodies. As long as the flute and opera play, those branches will control their actions."

At this moment, the singing and flute music stopped.

Geng Yuan scanned the surroundings and looked up at the high tower of the temple.

Squinting, he saw someone up there!

"There is someone up there," Geng Yuan said.

Jin Li turned to look. Upon closer inspection, it was Xiao Su, the girl from Peach Blossom Village.

Hearing this, Old Man Zhang also looked up. Just as Geng Yuan was about to go up, Jin Li leaped into the air. A blue-purple radiance appeared, and in a moment, the girl stood with arms outstretched, suspended in mid-air.

Looking closely, Xiao Su was wearing a pink robe, her black hair bound with a pink ribbon and draped lazily over her shoulders. The pink eyeshadow around her eyes gave them a strange, unsettling feel.

Her delicate lips rested lightly against the flute’s hole.

The Xiao Su before them was clearly not the real Xiao Su; those eyes held a newfound craftiness.

She sat lazily on the windowsill of the pavilion, watching the hovering Jin Li.

Their eyes met.

Xiao Su’s lips curled slightly.

"Greetings, Lady. This humble one pays her respects~"

As the operatic phrase finished, the surroundings became eerily silent. Her demeanor and tone were certainly not those of a mortal.

"Peach Demon?"

The girl’s eyes were seductive. She slid slowly off the windowsill and said softly, "Come in."

Jin Li walked in, her sleeves fluttering.

She eyed the surroundings—it was undeniably a woman’s boudoir, with pink curtains and peach blossoms blooming in front of the windows. The tea on the table emitted a fragrant, warm steam.

It seemed she knew she was coming.

"Lady~ please, have some tea." Xiao Su sat at the table, looking at Jin Li with charming eyes.

Jin Li’s expression turned cold. She asked sternly, "I ask you, who exactly are you?"

The seductive voice rose again: "Lady~, don't you already know?~"

"The Peach Demon?"

"Hehe~ that is indeed me~"

Jin Li sat down, staring at the Peach Demon within arm's reach, and continued, "Why harm the innocent?"

"Hehe~ innocent~? Lady, you are quite the joker. When have I ever harmed the innocent?~"

"The hundreds of villagers have died at your hands! How do you explain that?!"

"Oh?~ Is that so?~"

The provocative tone ignited the anger in Jin Li’s heart.

Just as Jin Li was about to channel her power, the Peach Demon spoke slowly: "Does the Lady wish to kill me~?? Hehe~ do not forget, I am but a wisp of a soul right now. If you kill me, you kill this mortal girl. She will never be able to enter the cycle of reincarnation, and you will suffer the backlash, doomed to eternal ruin~ Hehehehe~"

Jin Li clenched her fists, staring coldly at the giggling Peach Demon, her mouth curling upward.

"Are you provoking me?"

"I..."

Before she could finish, her throat was gripped by Jin Li. The speed was so fast that the demon had not even realized she had been seized.

Jin Li lifted her by the throat, her eyes cold and murderous.

"Cough, cough, cough~ Hehe~ Lady... you... you would not dare."

"Oh? Is that so?"

Jin Li’s grip tightened. The Peach Demon’s face twisted in pain. The branches of the peach tree by the window began to lash out at Jin Li’s back.

Just as a ball of blue-purple flame appeared in Jin Li’s other hand, ready to incinerate the branches, she felt a sharp pain in her chest. She could feel her immortal energy rapidly draining away.

The branches immediately constricted tightly around Jin Li. She loosened her grip, and the Peach Demon slumped to the ground, clutching her throat, her expression one of relief.

She stood up and sneered, "Hehe~ what’s this? Even a noble Lady can have a slip-up? What a joke!"

Disbelief flashed in Jin Li’s eyes, but her body was tightly bound by the peach tree vines; it was difficult even to struggle.

Jin Li tried to mobilize her sea of consciousness again, but she could not summon even a shred of immortal energy.

Her mind went blank, followed by a sudden panic. Demonic energy? She had been eroded by demonic energy.

It was said that demonic energy was the most difficult to resolve; it could infiltrate the heart and seep into the marrow, leaving the victim controlled by its influence.

The Peach Demon walked over slowly and raised a hand, gently brushing across her face.

Jin Li tried to pull away, but had no strength.

"What a beautiful face~ Such a pity... the Master has ordered it to be destroyed~ Why don't you... give it to me~"

"Don't... even think about it!"

The Peach Demon ignored her, smiling slightly. She moved behind her, wrapping herself around her, pressing her face against the girl's in a display of greed.

She inhaled greedily, saying, "So fragrant~ So fragrant~"

"I advise you to let me go, otherwise, you will face an uncertain fate."

The Peach Demon stepped away, coquettishly smoothing her hair. "Oh~? Is that so?"

Suddenly, she gripped Jin Li’s throat, pretending to be afraid. "I am so scared~"

Jin Li gritted her teeth as the demon’s hand tightened. Just as her consciousness began to fade, the Peach Demon suddenly let go.

"Killing you like this would be too easy. How about~ we let the children have their fill first?"

The branches on her body tightened, piercing into Jin Li’s skin and flesh, and began to greedily drain her blood.

On the floor, *drip, drip*.

Flowers of blood bloomed, only to be quickly absorbed by the vines.

Jin Li closed her eyes in pain, feeling the vines forcing their way into her flesh.

But in an instant, Jin Li attempted to channel her immortal energy once more.

The demonic energy surged within her. Suddenly, immortal energy overflowed. Jin Li centered her mind, and the energy flooded her heart, surrounding her with spiritual power.

Jin Li slowly opened her eyes; her clear gaze now held a cold, predatory, and playful depth.

She said coldly, "Drinking my blood to nourish yourselves? Are you worthy?"

The Peach Demon saw the strange, demonic glint in the girl’s eyes. Blue flames ignited on her body, instantly incinerating the vines.

The power of a god’s primordial spirit.

The divine mark appeared on the girl’s forehead. As she landed, the Peach Demon panicked and raised her hands, sending countless vines toward Jin Li.

The girl looked up, a smile playing on her lips, her peach-blossom eyes filled with disdain. With a flick of her fingers, blue light surged like a viper toward the vines.

The vines were instantly reduced to ash.

The Peach Demon tried to flee, but Jin Li leaped, passing through the blue light with incredible speed. She opened her ten fingers and then clenched them shut.

The Peach Demon was instantly bound by numerous thorns.

Her pink robe was shredded, revealing her fair skin.

Jin Li looked at the immobile Peach Demon.

Panic filled the demon’s eyes. Only she knew that she had been a hair’s breadth away from the annihilation of her soul.

The primordial energy of the God Clan could completely erase the soul of a monster.

For the first time, such immortal power was chilling and terrifying. Or rather, this was the first time she had witnessed the oppressive power of the God Clan.

Jin Li lowered her hands. The black mist gradually vanished, and she felt an intense soreness throughout her body. Her vision blurred, and she collapsed to the ground.