Chapter 234: Snowy Night Murder

The old man looked it over, then nodded. "I've seen them," he said. "They came here to ask for directions."

A surge of fear arose in the hearts of the other Taoists in the village. The old man stood directly in front of them, yet they couldn't see his face. From such a close distance, the old man's features appeared extremely blurry. Even when they used various divine eyes, they couldn't make him out clearly; it was as if he wasn't a living person. The Doutian Demon King was also struck silent with fear, not daring to utter a sound.

The old man was a Netherworld Emissary from Youdu, a deity under Earth Count. Such emissaries could be found in almost every world, and their responsibilities varied. Some were tasked with guiding wandering souls from the living world, others with ferrying the deceased, and still others with capturing powerful practitioners who attempted to evade death. They were the ones who maintained order in Youdu and among the deceased in the living world.

The Doutian World had once experienced an apocalypse-level battle that almost completely destroyed it. At that time, corpses littered the fields, and bodies were everywhere. The sun in the Doutian World had gone out, and almost everywhere was dim and gloomy. But amidst the endless darkness, countless specks of light appeared, and beneath each light stood an old man, there to guide wandering souls.

At that time, the Doutian Demon King had survived the great battle and become the Lord of Doutian. Still young and full of passion, he immediately charged forward upon seeing these emissaries come to guide the souls of Doutian's citizens. However, he ended up severely wounded, and his soul was almost taken. Even now, when the Doutian Demon King saw these emissaries, he still felt a tremor of fear and dared not speak much.

Qin Mu, with utmost respect, asked, "May I ask where they went?"

The old man raised his hand and pointed into the darkness. "Carefree Village," he said. "But they won't find it; they'll only be trapped. There are emissaries preparing to collect their souls."

From the riverbank came the sound of lapping water. One by one, drenched men and women emerged from the surging river, their heads appearing above the surface. Their faces ashen, they walked slowly towards the village without uttering a word. A paper boat flew out from the village. The men and women boarded it, and the boat drifted slowly, sailing into the darkness.

The other Taoists in the village were greatly alarmed and quickly moved farther away from the old man. At that moment, they noticed two of their companions hadn't moved; they were frozen in place. And faintly, the figures of the two companions could be seen on the paper boat that had already sailed into the darkness. The remaining three Taoists were terrified. Long Jiaonan, also dressed as a Taoist, trembled, wanting to flee but daring not, for outside the village was only darkness.

"Lower your heads! Don't look at the old man!" One of the older Taoists realized what was happening and quickly said, "He's a Netherworld Emissary! If your gaze meets his, your soul will be taken!"

Long Jiaonan and the other young Taoist immediately lowered their heads, not daring to meet the old man's gaze.

Qin Mu's tone grew even more respectful: "May I respectfully ask for your guidance, where exactly is Carefree Village?"

The old man continued to point into the darkness, but said nothing more. Qin Mu frowned. The direction the old man pointed was the realm of the living dead within the darkness, which was another underworld, the location of Fengdu. That one time, he and the village chief had ventured into the realm of the living dead and almost didn't make it back alive!

"That is not Carefree Village. May I ask, Daoist brother, where is the true Carefree Village?"

The old man shook his head, still pointing into the darkness. Qin Mu asked again, but the old man no longer spoke.

Qin Mu frowned deeply. He simply didn't have the power to cross the darkness. Moreover, aside from the village chief, it would probably be difficult for anyone else in the village to cross the darkness, unless they could carry the stone statue. He quieted down. There were no other sounds in the village, only the sound of Dragon Qilin's snores; he had fallen asleep.

After a long while, no more bodies emerged from the river. The old man rose and disappeared into the darkness on a small boat. Everything in the village returned to normal, and it was no longer as cold as before. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Only three Taoists remained in the village, and on Qin Mu's side were the Doutian Demon King and Dragon Qilin.

The dilapidated stone statue emitted a faint light, pushing back the surrounding darkness. Qin Mu felt a premonition, looked at the female Taoist, and smiled slightly. He then turned to the other two Taoists and asked, "You two Daoist priests look unfamiliar. Where is your immortal abode?"

One of the slightly older Taoists replied, "Since the Heavenly Devil Cult Master inquires, I dare not conceal it. My disciple and I are from the Star Dipper Heavenly Net Gate. I am Daoist Master Chiyun, and this is my unworthy disciple, Shao Yuan. The two who just left were also my disciples, but unfortunately, their luck was poor; their souls were taken when they met the gaze of the Netherworld Emissary."

Qin Mu showed solemn respect and said, "So you are distinguished figures from the Star Dipper Heavenly Net Gate. Is the sect master of your gate named Sect Master Luo Xinghe?"

"Sect Master Luo was my master, but he has passed away," replied Daoist Master Chiyun. He said sadly, "That day, when the Heavenly Devil Cult transmitted the Spirit Mountain in Daxian City, my master died at the hands of the Imperial Preceptor of Eternal Peace."

"I see," Qin Mu nodded.

Outside the village, the cold wind howled and whistled in the darkness. The few people in the village fell silent again, not uttering a word. The two Taoists took off their sword cases from their backs and carefully wiped them, while Long Jiaonan smiled, gently touching the earring dangling from her earlobe. Qin Mu reached into his Taotie pouch, but didn't pull his hand out. A smile still lingered on his face.

A few crystalline snowflakes drifted from the sky, landing among the group. This night was somewhat restless. Unbeknownst to them, it had begun to snow. The Doutian Demon King sensed that the atmosphere was off. He quietly nudged Dragon Qilin, who woke up, looked around, found nothing unusual, and buried his head back into sleep. The Doutian Demon King was furious. "This lazy brute, why do I even bother keeping him?" he fumed.

The snow grew heavier, and soon, white snow accumulated on everyone. Just then, a Buddhist chant suddenly echoed. Everyone's hearts tightened, for the chant came from the darkness. Qin Mu's hand withdrew from his Taotie pouch, Long Jiaonan also lowered the hand that had been stroking her earring, and the two Taoists put down their sword cases.

Light emanated from the darkness. A fat-headed, big-eared monk walked out from the darkness. He looked around, then pressed his palms together and said, "Greetings, benefactors. I apologize for the disturbance."

Qin Mu dared not be negligent and quickly rose, saying, "We are also travelers; it's no disturbance at all."

Behind the big monk walked out a powerfully built man, covered in black fur, with muscular lumps all over his body, and standing a towering sixteen feet tall. He exuded a strong demonic aura, like a human-shaped giant ape. In his hand was a monk's staff, and he exclaimed in surprise, "Little fellow!"

Qin Mu was also inexplicably surprised. He looked at the monk's staff, recognized it as Jixiluo, which he had given to the Demonic Ape, and blurted out, "Big fellow! How are you here? Have you transformed?"

The demonic-looking strong ape was both surprised and delighted, and stepped forward to acknowledge Qin Mu. He pointed at the big, fat monk and said, "Baldy, small!" The Demonic Ape then pointed to himself and rumbled, "Big, bald, teach. Bald, small, small!"

Qin Mu was confused and tentatively asked, "Are you saying this big monk is from Little Thunderclap Monastery? That the monk from Great Thunderclap Monastery found you and taught you skills, and then this monk from Little Thunderclap Monastery found you, told you he was from Little Thunderclap Monastery, and brought you back there?"

The Demonic Ape nodded repeatedly. Everyone in the village was bewildered. The Doutian Demon King murmured, "How did you manage to understand what he said...?"

Qin Mu's heart grew solemn. To be able to walk with the Demonic Ape through the darkness, this fat-headed, big-eared monk was likely an existence on the level of Old Buddha or the old village chief! A god-like being.

Long Jiaonan, Daoist Master Chiyun, and Daoist Shao Yuan felt fear in their hearts. They secretly retreated, but retreating further would lead them into the darkness outside the village. The three secretly lamented their plight. The Netherworld Emissary from earlier and now the Little Buddha from Little Thunderclap Monastery were all people Qin Mu knew. They feared that a single word from Qin Mu could spell their demise! Little did they know, Qin Mu was also extremely nervous. The Little Buddha from Little Thunderclap Monastery was a demon cultivator, a powerful demon king who had defected from Great Thunderclap Monastery! His understanding of Buddhism had gone to extremes. He had once used a bronze Buddha to suppress the Centipede Immortal Qing'er on a sandbar in the Surging River, but Qin Mu had used the power of the ice tide to topple the bronze Buddha, freeing Immortal Qing'er!

The fat-headed, big-eared Little Buddha had a very Buddhist appearance, like a living Buddha, solemn and dignified. He glanced at Qin Mu and said, "So it's the young benefactor. Young benefactor, do you remember ruining my merits?"

Long Jiaonan and Daoist Master Chiyun's eyes lit up, and a sliver of hope arose in their hearts.

Qin Mu replied, "I remember."

The Demonic Ape positioned himself in front of Qin Mu, blocking him, and loudly said, "Baldy, brother!"

Little Buddha looked at him, shook his head, and said, "Don't worry, I have an enemy coming; I won't lay a hand on him. My enemy has arrived. You stay here; I'll go meet him."

As soon as his words fell, a laugh came from the darkness. "Little Buddha, it's quite interesting that you choose to duel in the dead of night."

In the snowy night, an old man wearing a bamboo hat, covered in snow, walked out of the darkness and entered the dilapidated village. Qin Mu was slightly stunned and blurted out, "Daoist Aying!"

The old man with the bamboo hat lifted his hat, his gaze falling upon Qin Mu, and a smile appeared. "So it's the disciple of the Old Sword God," he said. "You even borrowed two Fengdu coins from me. Do you have money to pay them back now?"

Qin Mu felt awkward and honestly replied, "Those two Fengdu coins have already been spent."

Long Jiaonan, Daoist Master Chiyun, and Daoist Shao Yuan's expressions froze. Another supreme expert who could walk through the darkness had arrived, but he was yet another acquaintance of Qin Mu, the Heavenly Devil Cult Master! Just how many god-like beings did this Heavenly Devil Cult Master actually know?

"It won't be too late to pay me back when you have money later." Daoist Aying took off his bamboo hat and propped it against the wall. He looked at Little Buddha and calmly said, "Under the heavy snow and dark sky, it's a good time to kill. Little Buddha, let us go fight far away."

"Alright."

The two supreme experts, one after another, walked into the darkness. The village became quiet once more. Qin Mu looked at Long Jiaonan and the others opposite him, and they were also looking at him. None of them moved. Seeing this, the Demonic Ape was puzzled. From a distance, waves of terrifying pulsations emanated. Then the snow from the sky turned into a light drizzle, falling softly. It was Daoist Aying and Little Buddha's divine abilities melting the heavy snow in the dark night, transforming it into rain.

Sometimes snowflakes fell from the sky, and sometimes it turned into a light drizzle. After an unknown period, a rooster suddenly crowed from the darkness, and the darkness rapidly receded to the west. At that very moment, Qin Mu, Long Jiaonan, the Doutian Demon King, and the others suddenly erupted, almost simultaneously attacking each other with lethal intent!

Dragon Qilin roared, shook his body, and revealed his true form, enveloped in raging flames. He raised a foreclaw, pressed down on the head of the lunging red snake, and slammed the great snake's head into the ground. Qin Mu instantly rushed to Daoist Master Chiyun's side, where Daoist Master Chiyun's countless flying swords were all blocked by the Doutian Demon King, who stood behind Qin Mu. The Demonic Ape leaped from behind the Doutian Demon King and slammed Jixiluo violently onto Daoist Master Chiyun's forehead.

*Swoosh—*

A sword beam pierced through Daoist Master Chiyun's chest. With a flick of Qin Mu's finger, the sword beam cleanly sliced across the neck of Daoist Shao Yuan, who hadn't yet recovered his wits. Long Jiaonan grabbed the great snake's tail, and the red snake shrank. The woman soared into the air and vanished in a flash.