Chapter Eight: The Death of the City God

As night slowly descended, the world grew dim. A monstrous ghost had just emerged halfway from the well when a streak of white light flashed past.

“The twelfth one!” Xu Zhong gasped for breath.

On his shoulder, You Sujue hung her head, her tail drooping limply. After traveling all day, she had reached her limit.

The white light returned, finally settling into the sword sheath upon Xu Zhong’s back.

He thumbed open a porcelain bottle, took out a pill, and swallowed it whole. The medicine dissolved into spiritual energy, replenishing his depleted reserves.

“Night has fallen!” Darkness now enveloped everything.

They had spent the entire day rushing about, and only with the guidance of the City God had they managed to slay twelve ghosts. Without the City God’s help, they could never have accomplished such a feat.

“Caw, caw, caw…”

Black feathers fell overhead. Several crows flew by, but were repelled by Xu Zhong’s sword aura. They could only circle above, drawn to the heaps of corpses below.

The entire village, with over a hundred households, had been used as a furnace for the monsters to absorb essence; every inhabitant was drained of flesh and vitality, leaving only skin stretched over bone, arranged neatly around the well.

Scenes like this had occurred throughout the day.

Some monsters, after devouring a village, would stay to refine the essence; others would flee immediately to the next settlement for more killing.

You Sujue dug the earth, and together with Xu Zhong, buried the bodies. He then used water talismans to suppress the lingering death energy, which otherwise would congeal into pestilence.

After burying the dead, Xu Zhong and You Sujue rested briefly. Once their energy was restored, they set off again.

Cold winds swirled, deathly energy rising up.

Within Yangshuo, the various City Gods were gradually awakening. They summoned their underworld emissaries, who, under the pretext of night patrols, swept through the mortal realm to subdue monsters and demons.

Xu Zhong, sword in hand, encountered many underworld emissaries. They were no different from earthly officials, pausing to greet him as he passed.

“Young hero, the ghost ahead has been suppressed and captured by the City God of Fu County…”

“Young hero, the ghost ahead has been suppressed and captured by the City God of You County…”

With the sun gone, the City Gods now acted by night to suppress the evil.

“Please proceed west…”

In Haoyang County, a City God’s golden body was damaged. Under the mighty cudgel, the monster was beaten into a cloud of smoke.

This City God looked up at Xu Zhong: “I cannot reach the City God of Chang County to the west. Something grave must have happened there.”

For a City God to leave their territory, they needed a writ from the underworld.

Xu Zhong nodded.

He hurried west, with You Sujue in tow.

Chang County lay at Yangshuo’s border, abutting Heping Prefecture. Some monsters sought to escape Yangshuo.

They pressed forward, hoping the City God of Chang County was unharmed.

When they arrived, they found only a City God who had died in battle.

His golden body was torn apart, all the essence gathered from incense consumed entirely. He stood beside the moat like a mountain, unmoving, his stone spear petrified, its red tassels withered.

Inside the golden body, several little ghosts crawled from the wood chamber to the water chamber, searching for essence.

“Dong!”

You Sujue grabbed her rattle drum and shook it lightly. Instantly, the little ghosts were immobilized. She then unleashed a demonic wind from her mouth, shredding their bodies.

She and Xu Zhong had agreed to take turns using their powers, conserving their strength.

“The City God here has fallen!” Xu Zhong carefully surveyed the surroundings. “So, is the monster that slew him still here?”

He dared not be careless. He removed the sword case from his back and drew the Xuang Guang Sword.

Under the starlight, sword energy gathered—a serpent’s flickering tongue, coiling and uncoiling.

This was the sword first practiced by Situ Nan, imbued with his swordsmanship. For three centuries it had absorbed starlight, brewing a terrifying sword aura.

A touch of spiritual energy would unleash its fearsome power.

Throughout the day, no ghost had escaped Xu Zhong’s sword.

“The townsfolk are safe!” After slaying the little ghosts, You Sujue entered the city for inspection, then brought back news.

“Could it have escaped Yangshuo?” You Sujue gazed westward.

A spell seed had been planted on them; if they left Yangshuo, it would snatch away their souls.

“It shouldn't be possible!” Xu Zhong mused. “The City God likely wounded it severely before dying. Our quick arrival forced it to hide, otherwise it would never have spared the ten thousand souls of Chang County as food.”

You Sujue considered this and agreed.

“Where could it be hiding now?” She racked her brain. “We arrived swiftly, and this place is so open—where could it possibly hide?”

A flash of insight struck Xu Zhong.

“Give me the rattle drum!” He reached out.

You Sujue handed it over and took Xu Zhong’s sword.

“Dong!” The rattle drum sounded, calm and unruffled.

“Dong!” Xu Zhong struck it again.

Bang!

There was a response.

The sound came from the earth chamber within the City God’s body.

Xu Zhong would have shaken the drum again.

But in that instant, a shadow sped out from the earth chamber, like lightning, appearing suddenly before Xu Zhong.

It reached out!

The palm unfurled, five fingers transforming into five ghosts—each limb and the head became one. The five ghosts bit down hungrily.

Xu Zhong felt pain.

His body lost control.

Then the palm reappeared. The monster clenched its fist.

Xu Zhong felt his soul pulled by immense force, his essence dissipating.

Meanwhile, the monster seized the unprepared You Sujue.

She hurriedly spat out her demon core.

The core grew in the wind, shining like the moon, radiating colored light, and struck the monster.

The distance was too close to dodge.

Boom!

The monster’s body bore the impact. Already wounded, its injuries flared; suppressed spear energy exploded, and its left arm, painstakingly reformed, was blasted apart.

You Sujue broke free, swallowing her demon core.

A sharp sound—Xu Zhong’s sword cut through the air, severing the monster’s right arm.

You Sujue, lacking swordsmanship, could not unleash sword energy, and could only wield the massive sword clumsily.

Xu Zhong regained composure, spat forth true fire, which transformed into a fiery serpent that wrapped around the monster.

The monster shattered the fire with a burst of strength.

But by then, the pair had exchanged their magical tools.

You Sujue grabbed the rattle drum, her eyes wild.

Fortunately, she still had a hidden spell; otherwise, she would have fallen.

Xu Zhong took back the Xuang Guang Sword and infused it with spiritual power.

White light burst from the blade, starlight raining down and merging with its glow.

Then, with a single stroke, the monster was decapitated, its soul destroyed.

“Whew…” Both Xu Zhong and You Sujue breathed in relief.

“He actually hid within the City God’s five chambers.” After reviewing the events, You Sujue found it incredible.

“How did you figure it out?”

“This place is open, the city’s people are unharmed, and we arrived so quickly. If it wasn’t dead, in haste, where else but the City God’s five chambers could it hide?”

“Of course, besides these reasons, the main clue was the little ghosts you killed at first.”

“You see, a normal monster, when attacked by cultivators and lacking the strength to resist, would seek a safe hiding place.”

“What place is safest?” Xu Zhong looked at You Sujue.

“A strong monster chooses a safe place.” She was not dull; she understood immediately.

“Truly clever!”

You Sujue enjoyed the praise, stowing away the rattle drum and leaping onto Xu Zhong’s shoulder.

“This City God has died—should we collect his remains?” Xu Zhong gazed at the towering body, hesitating.

“No need,” You Sujue replied. “A City God’s golden body, formed by incense, is but a phantom. Once the incense disperses, so too will the body.”

With the City God dead, the incense was gradually dissipating; by morning, nothing would remain.

“We don’t even need to clean up—the underworld will send someone. Let’s hurry elsewhere…”

The pair were about to leave.

“Dong!”

A familiar vibration.

“Dong!”

A familiar reply.

The entire city was sinking.

Xu Zhong and You Sujue, hearts pounding, tried to escape.

But their speed could not outpace Fengdu swallowing Chang County.

Once more, they fell into Fengdu, landing beside the River of Forgetfulness.

You Sujue hid behind Xu Zhong, clutching her tail.

Xu Zhong feigned calm.

A Night Wanderer stood before them.

“Yu Kingdom, Yangshuo Prefecture, Chang County City God Wang Ping’an has perished!”

The Night Wanderer’s gaze shone with divine light.

“How bold!”

Xu Zhong’s heart trembled, ready to unleash the Xuang Guang Sword.

But the Night Wanderer was not targeting them.

For, just as he spoke, another ghost was shaken out from the City God’s mud chamber, seized and devoured by the Night Wanderer.

Xu Zhong stared, dumbfounded; You Sujue was equally astonished.

Another ghost had been hiding in the City God’s mud chamber.

It seemed two monsters had joined forces to slay the City God, both wounded and hiding separately.

The one Xu Zhong killed was unlucky, its hiding place discovered, and so it died.

The other was fortunate, escaping death.

Had Fengdu not swallowed Chang County, and had they left, the tens of thousands of residents would have become food for this lone ghost.

The thought brought a chill of terror.

“Appoint Soul Warden Yang Xuan as the new City God of Chang County!” The Night Wanderer intoned, holding a heavenly decree.

On the Bridge of Helplessness, a Soul Warden floated toward them, then was stuffed by the Night Wanderer into the City God’s golden body.

The Night Wanderer exhaled, helping Yang Xuan to stabilize the incense and merge with the golden body.

Xu Zhong and You Sujue were completely ignored.

With the new City God installed, Chang County returned to the mortal realm.

The newly awakened City God said, “You two, please proceed to Chen County. The City God there is in trouble…”

Xu Zhong and You Sujue nodded numbly and departed.

Yang Xuan, meanwhile, slowly made his way toward the City God’s temple.

As he stepped into the clay idol, suddenly a hand reached out from within, yanking Yang Xuan’s soul out and seating itself in the City God’s golden body.

Yang Xuan struggled desperately, eyes wide.

In the next moment, Yang Xuan was transformed into a red carp and placed in a large, secluded vat within the temple.

“At last, I have escaped!” The City God settled into the clay idol.

Incense gathered around him, repairing the golden body’s wounds.

His gaze grew distant, fixed upon unknown horizons.