” Holy…How the hell did you do that!”
Tuba San looked at Jun Tianyun with wide eyes when she saw Jun Tianyun manipulating the blood to kill the cultists.
” You…You couldn’t have possibly…absorbed the divine spark of Blood Demon, right?”
” Of course, That’s impossible.” Jun Tianyun smiled lightly. ” I am just using it as a catalyst to tap on his authority on blood.”
” Still, It’s an impressive feat.” Tuba San nodded. ” Well, Guess What? I shouldn’t stay idle all the time.”
Suddenly, the cat vanished as the shadows around the trees slolwy became alive. The tree gave a strange screech as they slolwy sliced into pieces.
” What’s that? Power of shadows?” Jun Tianyun raised his brows when he saw that.
” Hehe, You can say that.” Tuba San materialized before him as he stretched her body.
” If you don’t want to die, Leave!”
A thunderous voice echoed, like a cat’s scream. The people who got free from the tree’s roots hurried and rushed down the mountain path.
Jun Tianyun walked towards the old shaman and helped him to get up.
” Yo-You! Who are you?!” The old shaman trembled when he saw Jun Tianyun, and a black cat sitting on his shoulders.
” We are…From Exorcist’s Association. We heard the usual situation around here, so we came to survey.”
” Haah, I see.” The old shaman sighed. ” Damn it, To think evil bastards would come to destroy our sacred ceremony.”
” Hmph, If breaking the seal was so easy, it would have broken long ago.”
Hearing the old man’s mutters, Jun Tianyun was surprised. ” Does that mean the seal is that strong? I thought it was weakened after thousands of years.”
” That… it’s possible. I…I only go there once in a year. So, If it cracked internally…I wouldn’t know.” The old shaman realized the issue as he became silent.
” Very well, Old man. You should go back. From here, we shall see.” Jun Tianyun replied.
” Young man, You shouldn’t be rash.” The old shaman spoke in a serious voice. ” The Hungry Demon is a powerful evil deity. If it wasn’t for the Celestial Master, no one would have been able to defeat him.”
” I guess you know the story? Why don’t you tell me?” Jun Tianyun paused his steps as he turned around and looked at the old shaman.
” Let him go, I will tell you about it.” Tuba San spoke licking her paw on Jun Tianyun’s shoulder.
” Alright, Then I shall go now.”
Arching his back, Jun Tianyun vanished from his position as he streaked across the mountain, climbing with ease.
” The roots of Hungry Demon is all way back till the Heian period. Once upon a time, it was a spirit. But later, it got corrupted and sealed.”
“At the beginning of Edo Period, there was a greedy marquis, ruling the people. When a famine came, the people were dying left and right, yet the marquis was indulged in meat and wine.”
” People’s dissatisfaction grew as they launched a rebel. Unable to suppress the public rage with his force, the marquis used the sealed spirit of the Heian Era.”
” However, it wasn’t able to protect him. After his death, his spirit couldn’t leave the greed and hunger he felt during when he was alive. Both spirits merged, and a hungry ghost appeared.”
” As time passed, the ghost killed and ate more and more people, gaining strength from the flesh and blood, Its appetite was ravenous, cursed forever to be unable to sate.”
” It was till a Celestial Master appeared and stripped the demon from his power, sealing him inside the seal. The festival draws aura from offerings to strengthen the seal.”
” So this demon…It’s more like a ghost, Huh?” Jun Tianyun asked curiously.
” Indeed, You are right. Therefore, his abilities are rather bizarre and…Hard to guard.”
” How do you know so many things?”
” Didn’t I tell you? I am an information broker.” The black cat glanced at Jun Tianyun with amusement.
As they reached the old shrine, Jun Tianyun could see it was decorated for today, perhaps in the daytime. Looking at the statue of a divine beast, Jun Tianyun realized it was there to work as a lid on the seal.
Looking around the statue, he found a secret point and pressed it like a button. Suddenly, the ground rumbled and a small hole appeared behind the statue.
Soon, they reached before a gate, protected by countless talismans and seals.
” Welcome…To the gate of Paradise. Open the gate…And take the riches.”
” You are…The chosen one. Please take your rightful treasure.”
Various pleasant voices echoed in Jun Tianyun’s heart, trying to draw him towards the gate. He could see the faint cracks emitting golden light. It could encourage anyone to open it.
” Wow, this ghost is really desperate.” Jun Tianyun chuckled. ” Casting illusions and trying to make us open it.”
” What are you going to do?” Tuba San asked in surprise.
Jun Tianyun smiled as he started to draw runes on the ground, outside of the gate.
” I am preparing a trap. Although it’s not much, It might give us an unexpected surprise.” Jun Tianyun smiled as he finished making the formation and stabbed his Abyss of Star in the middle.
” Alright, Let’s greet our next target.”
The moment he placed his hand on the gate, the runes and talismans withered instantly. With a rumbling sound, the gate crumbled.
However, beyond that gate wasn’t any paradise filled with golden sunlight and green grass, but a muddy dark field, pulsing with flesh and green blood.
” KEKEKEKE! FINALLY! I AM FREE!”
Jun Tianyun felt like his ears were ringing. The screech was like thousands of people roaring out of hunger, making his stomach twist from the inside.
The flesh and blood mass inside pulsed as a rush of green smoke burst from the gate, creating faces of human faces, screaming and crying.
” What a delicious scent! Haha, Finally, I can have a feast after a long time.”
Jun Tianyun sighed as he only moved his feet, drawing the final line with it.
Suddenly, the Abyss of Star crackled with multicolored lightning as the formation drawn by Jun Tianyun erupted with blinding light.
” Da-Damn it! What the hell is this!”
” This is just a small array formation prepared for you. It’s Heavenly Thunder Eight Pillars.” Jun Tianyun smiled.
” Alright, Kiddo. Let me show you my power.” Tuba San licked her paws as she molded into darkness.
And from the darkness, a giant black cat paw rose, covered with molten obsidian flames, and slashed toward the Hungry Demon.
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Thank you all fellow daoists for the feedback. Sometime, I just become dumb enough to not ask help from other people.
Anyway, I shouldn’t try to become what I am not. I will do my best to keep this novel light hearted, comedic and power scaling as it is