Chapter 129: Chapter 129: The Origin of the Demon-locking Tower, The Night of the Full Moon
“The Demon-locking Tower has existed for three hundred years; our Ding Family has always been the guardians of the Tower, growing and flourishing here. Over time, we’ve drawn waves of refugees, eventually developing into the Ancient Town of Quicksand.”
Baixue Ding provided the explanation.
“The Demon-locking Tower has really been around for three hundred years?”
Huo Yunjie raised his eyebrows slightly, a hint of surprise in his heart, “That means the High-rank Demon Soldier Level Demon Beast has lived for over three hundred years. It must be an old demon, with considerable strength.”
Baixue Ding quickly waved her hand: “Brother, you are mistaken. The Demon-locking Tower has indeed been around for three hundred years, but the demonic beasts imprisoned within do not last more than ten years before falling. The one we have now is the twenty-fifth.”
“Our Ding Family has always been responsible for guarding the Demon-locking Tower. There have been records of demonic beasts breaking out in the past, but in the end, they were all eliminated.”
“As such, people around have grown accustomed to the presence of the Demon-locking Tower, and even upon hearing that a demon might break its seal, they are not too worried, let alone consider fleeing.”
Upon hearing this, Huo Yunjie started to understand.
It seemed the Demon-locking Tower was akin to a prison for demonic beasts, and Baixue Ding’s family acted like the tower’s jailers.
Then, who created the Demon-locking Tower?
Huo Yunjie was puzzled and casually asked this question.
Baixue Ding explained: “Our ancestors of the Ding Family were inner sect disciples of the Divine Wind Sword Sect. Later, they were appointed to manage the Demon-locking Tower here and gradually evolved into an affiliate force of the Divine Wind Sword Sect.”
“So it was the renowned Divine Wind Sword Sect!”
Huo Yunjie’s gaze flickered.
On this journey to practice his swordsmanship, what he most hoped for was to witness the talented swordsmen of the Divine Wind Sword Sect.
Now, upon hearing this name, Huo Yunjie suddenly felt an inexplicable sense of anticipation.
“It’s strange to say, but the demonic beasts in the Demon-locking Tower are all sent here by the outer sect disciples of the Divine Wind Sword Sect. Clearly they could kill them with one stroke of the sword, so why lock them up?” Baixue Ding mumbled to herself, unable to understand it either.
All she knew was that the beasts were sent here by the Divine Wind Sword Sect on their own initiative, and usually, after being suppressed for about ten years, the demonic beasts would perish.
Then, after some time passed, new demonic beasts would be delivered for continued suppression, the cycle repeating itself, and now it had been three hundred years already.
Of course, Baixue Ding was well aware that this was a command from the Divine Wind Sword Sect, and as a mere cultivator at the Seventh Layer of Qi Refinement, all she needed to do was follow orders.
Before long, the two of them arrived at the base of the Demon-locking Tower.
Huo Yunjie looked around.
He saw that the Demon-locking Tower had five levels, a total height of thirty meters, and within a hundred meters radius, there was an empty space, with five ten-meter-high stone pillars erected. Each pillar extended an iron chain reaching into the tower, seemingly binding some terrifying creature.
“Oh, a newcomer?”
“Eighth Layer of Qi Refinement, looks pretty good!”
Three people jumped down from the top of the tower—two men and a woman. The woman was at the Seventh Layer of Qi Refinement, and the men were both at the Eighth Layer.
Huo Yunjie noticed that the woman and one of the men were standing very close to each other, both dressed in white with gentle demeanors, appearing to be a couple.
The last man had the look of a middle-aged person, not very tall, only about five feet, his face covered with a thick beard, muscles bulging all over his body, resembling a strongman.
“These two are the Zhou Couple from the high-ranked Chengshuang Sect, and the other is Daoist Wang from the high-ranked Giant Spirit Sect.”
“Fellow Daoists, this is Brother Huo Yunjie, a new arrival from the newly high-ranked Misty Sect,” introduced Baixue Ding.
On the way to the Demon-locking Tower, she had inquired about Huo Yunjie’s origins and knew he came from the area around Whitefloat City.
“Turns out you’re a fellow disciple from a high-ranked sect, my apologies!” The Zhou Couple were kind, full of smiles.
Daoist Wang, on the other hand, just nodded slightly, rather aloof.
“So it’s the Chengshuang Sect. I heard that your sect was founded by a couple at the Element Gathering Realm and only accepts paired disciples. If someone is single, once they join the Chengshuang Sect, they will be matched with a fellow Daoist within half a month,” Huo Yunjie said, looking at the Zhou Couple with a surprised expression.
“Brother Huo speaks the truth.” The Zhou Couple smiled at each other, eyes filled with love, “We became a couple after joining the Chengshuang Sect, thanks to our sect leaders’ matchmaking. It’s already been twenty years.”
Daoist Wang from the Giant Spirit Sect just smiled, remaining silent.
“There are still several hours until midnight, do you all need to eat something?” Baixue Ding asked with concern.
“I’m not hungry,” Daoist Wang shook his head, leaped onto a stone pillar, and stood there quietly with his arms folded.
“We don’t need to either,” the Zhou Couple took out their own fasting pills and each took one, allowing them to go without hunger for three days. They also returned to their stone pillars to wait.
Huo Yunjie felt a bit hungry, so he went with Baixue Ding to a nearby restaurant for a meal, then returned to the Demon-locking Tower. Each of the five people occupied a stone pillar, silently waiting for the night of the full moon.
Rustle, rustle, rustle!
As night fell, the wind grew stronger.
The people of Ancient Town of Quicksand lay at their windows, staring at the Demon-locking Tower in the distance, wondering what kind of terrible monster was locked inside.
Baixue Ding looked up at the sky.
A full moon hung high, with no clouds in sight; the howling wind created a sense of danger.
“Roar…”
A low sound came from the Demon-locking Tower, as if some terrifying thing was awakening, and the five iron chains suddenly became taut.
The people standing on the five stone pillars immediately levitated.
Clang!
Suddenly, the iron chains were pulled by an even greater force, making a grating “clack, clack, clack” sound—as if they couldn’t support the strain and were about to snap.
“On the night of the full moon, the monster is at its strongest. If it can’t break the Demon Binding Chains, we won’t have to take action. But once the chains break, we will have to intervene, no matter what,” Baixue Ding said as she held a stack of lower-grade talismans at her waist.
Clang!
The monster beast kept tearing at the Demon Binding Chains, producing a continuous, piercing noise.
Huo Yunjie noticed that each of the Demon Binding Chains was emitting red, yellow, gold, blue, and green glows, corresponding to the five elements.
“Roar!”
The elongated roar kept sounding, spreading over a dozen or so miles, making every living soul in Ancient Town of Quicksand feel a sense of alarm and dread.
“This monster seems stronger than those we’ve captured in the past; looks like the Demon Binding Chains won’t hold. Fellow Daoists, please prepare to take action,” Baixue Ding said with a solemn expression, tightly gripping the talismans in her hands.
The next moment, the wind stopped!
The moon above became even more dazzling, illuminating the land almost as if it were daylight—a rare sight.
“I suddenly feel a sense of danger!”
Daoist Wang swallowed hard and clenched his fists.
Crack!
The five Demon Binding Chains shattered without warning, turning into a cloud of ash.
The next moment, with a thunderous boom, the top of the Demon-locking Tower was burst open, revealing the true form of the monster.
It was a three-meter-tall Giant Earth Ape!
It exuded the aura of a High-rank Demon Soldier at its peak, swinging its sturdy arms to tear apart the chains that bound it. Then its aura grew stronger, entering the level of a Demi-transformed Demon Beast.
“This guy is almost comparable to the Black Patterned Serpent Demon!” Huo Yunjie gripped the hilt of his sword, and his brows seemed covered with frost.
“It’s the Giant Earth Ape!” the Zhou Couple said, their expressions darkening.
“This monster is no easy opponent, tough-skinned and extremely strong. If I had known, I wouldn’t have come,” Daoist Wang began to consider retreat.
“Everyone, please be careful. If it really comes down to it, lead it out of Ancient Town of Quicksand to minimize destruction,” Baixue Ding quickly implored.
Daoist Wang sneered, “A bunch of mortal commoners, why should I care about their life or death? If the five of us cannot win, I’ll be the first to run.”