On the Path to the Great Dao

Evil—Hundred Infants.

Li Kefa and his group were horrified. Such malevolent entities were rare in the city, though they had heard of them appearing in rural areas. None had ever encountered a creature as sinister as this.

A few seasoned constables, familiar with rural folklore, whispered about the Hundred Infants. It was said to haunt villages at night, mimicking human voices and luring people into the moonlit woods with the sound of crying babies.

Anyone who went to investigate would be captured and devoured, leaving behind only their empty skin, still clad in clothes. The Hundred Infants would then use these skins to mimic the voices and movements of its victims, tricking more villagers into the forest to meet the same fate.

There had been a case in Xinxiang County, in a place called Jianyang Village, where a Hundred Infants deceived and devoured 60% of the villagers, leaving only the elderly, the sick, and the weak.

But the Hundred Infants was exceptionally rare—a formidable creature even among the ranks of malevolent entities. Li Kefa and his group had never imagined that on their first night traveling in the countryside, they would encounter such a monstrosity.

"Kill it!"

Someone shouted, and the remaining constables and Li family experts unleashed their spells. The air shimmered with energy as the Ziwu Evil-Slaying Sword struck the creature, shattering its scales and sending sparks flying.

The Ziwu Evil-Slaying Sword was an invisible force formed by concentrated true qi and divine power, impossible to defend against.

Several strikes missed the creature, slicing through the trees instead. Massive trunks, as thick as water barrels, crashed to the ground, severed cleanly by the sword energy’s immense power. Despite this, the spell only managed to break a few scales on the Hundred Infants, failing to cause significant injury.

Ding! Ding! Ding!

A barrage of spells followed, the creature’s massive body becoming a beacon for attack after attack. Sword energy carved into its flesh, sending sprays of green blood across the forest.

Some of its snake-like necks were severed, and infant heads tumbled to the ground. These heads, grotesquely animated, crawled toward the group on tiny hands and feet, screaming shrilly. But as they crawled, they gradually slowed, finally collapsing into putrid piles of rotting flesh that reeked horribly.

The surrounding trees suffered heavily, many crashing to the ground in the chaos.

Defeated, the Hundred Infants dropped to its four legs and bolted, its massive frame leaving a trail of overturned trees and green blood as it vanished into the depths of the forest.

The group was shaken. Out of the fifty who had started the journey, over ten were already missing.

Qu Ji whispered cautiously, "My lord, perhaps we should set up camp…"

Li Kefa shot him a cold glare, silencing him immediately.

"We press on. We must reach Huangpo Village tonight!" he barked.

The group huddled around Li Kefa, marching forward.

At the rear, several constables glanced nervously at the forest, feeling an inexplicable unease. They looked around warily, as if expecting something to leap out at any moment.

"Old He, stop looking around like that," one constable said to his companion with a forced laugh. "You’re making me nervous too."

Before the words were out, Old He turned his head, and a crack echoed through the air.

His head flopped backward, as if his neck had no bones, and his skull rested against his back.

The other constable screamed in terror, but before he could react, he felt an iron grip close around his own neck.

Crack!

His neck snapped, and his head tilted back grotesquely, just like Old He’s.

Panic erupted among the remaining constables. They activated their Divine Shrines and summoned their Divine Embryos, preparing spells as they turned to look behind them.

But anyone who turned their head met the same fate—necks snapping, heads lolling lifelessly against their backs.

"Evil—Neck-Snapping Ghost," someone whispered hoarsely.

"Don’t turn around!" Qu Ji shouted, drenched in cold sweat. "This is a different malevolent entity. As long as you don’t turn your head, it can’t harm you!"

The group clung together, trembling, and shuffled forward without looking back. No one else fell victim.

One man sighed in relief. "Sheriff Qu really knows his st—"

Before he could finish, an invisible force yanked him into the air. His screams echoed as he was dragged skyward at incredible speed.

"Evil—String Puppeteer."

"A third malevolent entity!"

The group was drenched in sweat. Even Li Kefa, a Spirit Transformation-stage expert, began to regret his decisions.

"What kind of cursed land is this countryside in Xinxiang? Why are there so many malevolent entities?"

At that moment, a festive tune of trumpets and suonas echoed from ahead. The group turned toward the sound and saw humanoid foxes standing upright, playing instruments and dancing. They marched toward the group in an eerie procession.

Behind them floated a blood-red palanquin, swaying to the music.

The wind lifted the palanquin’s curtain, revealing a bride in a phoenix crown and red veil sitting inside. Beside her was a terrified scholar, seemingly a poor soul caught outside after nightfall.

The curtain fluttered again, and this time, the scholar was gone, leaving behind only a white skeleton. The bride looked even more radiant, and the palanquin an even deeper shade of crimson.

"It’s a Spirit!" someone screamed.

Panic ensued. Spells and sword energies flew toward the foxes and the palanquin, but an icy wind dispersed the attacks effortlessly.

The curtain lifted once more, revealing Qu Ji now seated beside the ghostly bride, his face a mask of terror.

Li Kefa snorted angrily, summoning his Divine Shrine. His Divine Embryo expanded into a towering form that reached toward the palanquin, ready to grab it.

But the music grew louder, and the foxes played with renewed vigor. Li Kefa’s body trembled as his energy faltered, scattering his divine power and halting his attack.

The group fled in disarray, but no matter which direction they ran, the sound of trumpets and suonas always seemed to come from ahead.

Each time the curtain of the palanquin lifted, another person vanished, reappearing beside the bride as her captive.

By the time they stumbled onto a yellow clay ridge, the haunting music abruptly stopped. The fox troupe and red palanquin were gone, as if repelled by the village ahead.

Li Kefa counted the survivors. Only three others remained by his side.

Of the fifty who had started the journey, only four survived to approach Huangpo Village.

"People in the countryside have become wicked, birthing such evil creatures," Li Kefa muttered darkly.

From a short distance away, a deep voice echoed through the night:

"Malevolent entities emerge with the moon’s light. What do they have to do with the hearts of country folk? Lord Li, do not place blame where it doesn’t belong."

"Who’s there?"

The three remaining constables quickly activated their Divine Shrines, sending beams of divine light toward the source of the voice.

On the yellow clay ridge stood a tall old man with a beard streaked with greenish-white. His hair fluttered in the wind, and his eyes glowed red under the moonlight, like those of a ravenous wolf.

Li Kefa snorted arrogantly. "Who are you? And how do you know these entities are connected to the moon?"

The tall old man’s gaze was peculiar, as if he were speaking to them yet also muttering to himself.

"Because I sense a strange power in the moonlight that stirs an uncontrollable hunger within me…" He paused, then bowed slightly. "Chen Yindu, talisman maker of Huangpo Village, pays his respects to Lord Li."

"The talisman maker Chen Yindu? So, you’re Chen Yindu?"

A sharp light flashed in Li Kefa’s eyes as he stepped forward. "Did you kill my son, Li Xiaoding?"

The tall old man shook his head. "No, I didn’t."

Li Kefa hesitated slightly.

"My grandson killed him," the old man said calmly. "I merely observed from outside the camp, in case a master appeared whom he couldn’t handle. Watching him fight gave me comfort—he finally has the strength to protect himself."

Li Kefa’s eyes burned with rage.

To him, hearing his son’s killer described as learning self-defense was an insult of the highest order.

The tall old man continued unhurriedly, "Lord Li, you come with such ferocity. Are you here to kill my grandson to avenge your son? Murder demands retribution, and debts must be repaid—that is the way of the world. It is your right to seek my grandson’s life. And it is my right to kill you to protect him."

Li Kefa roared in anger, stepping forward. The Divine Shrine behind him flared to life, its light illuminating the night like a towering temple. His Divine Embryo sat within, radiating divine power as vast as an ocean.

But before he could activate his spell, a small ember of fire flew toward him.

Li Kefa raised his qi barrier to block it while simultaneously activating the Li family’s secret technique, Six Yin Jade Wheels. Six invisible wheels of yin energy spun in the air, hurtling toward the old man. The Divine Embryo within his shrine manipulated them with intricate movements, his fingers weaving through the air like a master puppeteer.

But the ember struck Li Kefa’s barrier and erupted with a deafening explosion. A fireball engulfed an area several mu wide, leaving a crater three to four feet deep and melting the earth into molten slag.

The three constables didn’t even have time to scream. They were blown apart, their flesh and blood evaporating in the intense flames.

Li Kefa’s Taishang Eight Trigrams Protective Talisman, Taishang River Map Life-Saving Talisman, and Taishang Longevity Talisman activated simultaneously. These talismans, crafted by Nascent Soul elders of the Li family, were invaluable treasures, each capable of withstanding a full-strength blow from a Nascent Soul cultivator.

Yet, in the face of the explosion, the talismans held for only a moment before shattering.

Amidst the roaring flames, Li Kefa let out one final scream before his body was reduced to ash. His Divine Shrine and Divine Embryo melted away, leaving no trace.

The Six Yin Jade Wheels, now without a master, dissipated into nothingness.

The tall old man glanced up at the moon, his expression wary. "I’m so hungry. I must destroy these bodies before my hunger for human flesh overwhelms me!"

He vanished in a blur, leaving no sign of his presence.

"The moon… it’s growing stranger by the day…"

At the desolate temple on the mountain, Chen Shi stood in the courtyard. His knees bent slightly, his posture low and grounded. Shoulders relaxed, elbows dropped, his body was upright yet supple. He inhaled and exhaled slowly, his breath steady and deep.

Around him, motes of starlight, sunlight, and moonlight danced like fireflies, swirling closer until they seemed to melt into his body, strengthening him from within.

After the Moon Sacrifice Festival, Chen Shi spent all his spare time training at the desolate temple. The place seemed to enhance his Three Lights Righteous Energy Technique, allowing him to absorb both sunlight and moonlight, which greatly accelerated his progress.

Suddenly, it felt as if he had crossed some unseen threshold. The flow of energy around him intensified.

The streams of starlight, sunlight, and moonlight coalesced, forming seven luminous stars that arranged themselves in the shape of a ladle.

"Is this the Big Dipper mentioned in the Three Lights Righteous Energy Technique?"

Chen Shi was stunned, staring at the seven stars.

He had never seen the Big Dipper before—or any stars, for that matter. Since he could remember, the night sky had only ever held the moon, without a single star in sight.

He had read lines like "Drunk, I know not the sky in the water, dreaming of a starry river pressing on the boat" and wondered what this "starry river" truly was.

Or "These are not the same stars as last night; for whom do I stand in the dew and wind till midnight?" Such words left him gazing at the empty heavens in confusion.

Now, the Big Dipper had appeared clearly around him, not as celestial bodies but as manifestations of star power. Even so, it filled Chen Shi with wonder.

"So the books didn’t lie. There really are stars beyond the sky, and there really is a Big Dipper!"

Suppressing his excitement, Chen Shi shifted his stance. To his amazement, the Big Dipper’s position changed with his movements.

As the stars shifted, alternating flows of warm and cool, hot and cold energies swept through his body, refining every fiber of his being.

Whoosh!

Chen Shi exhaled heavily, the sound like the bellows of a forge. The gust scattered dead leaves in the courtyard.

When he inhaled, it was as though he were drawing in air through a wind tunnel, creating a tiny vortex around him.

The process expelled impurities from his flesh, bones, and blood, filling the air with a faint metallic stench.

"Hmm? What’s this?"

Chen Shi realized his body had entered a new realm. With each breath, he felt a mass of qi and blood coursing through him, obedient to his will.

Focusing his thoughts, he directed the qi and blood to his right arm. Before his eyes, the arm swelled with muscle, veins hidden beneath thickened skin that grew dense and tough like iron.

He swung his arm down onto the heavy stone slab that barred the temple gate. With a loud crack, the stone fractured, a large chunk breaking away.

Startled, Chen Shi muttered, "I just… shattered stone with a single blow!"