Tian Fangfang helped Mu Cengxiao peel off the gauze on his shoulder, revealing a palm-length tooth mark on his right shoulder. The tooth mark was deep and sharp, and there was a lot of blood.
“What happened to you when you were out?” Gu Baiying asked Meng Ying.
Meng Ying pondered for a moment before saying, “We followed Tan Tianxin’s Thousand-Mile Demon Toad into the mountains. The demonic aura disappeared in front of a cave, and all the cultivators entered the cave together. Later, we discovered the Bixi spirit in the cave.”
“Bixi?” Zanxing was surprised. “Isn’t that a divine beast?”
According to the legends, the dragon had nine sons, and the sixth son was the Bixi, which resembled a turtle and liked to carry heavy loads. It was a symbol of auspiciousness and longevity.
“It was not a divine beast, just a stone sculpture carved into the shape of the divine beast Bixi that has become a spirit.” Mu Cengxiao let Tian Fangfang apply medicine to him, presumably because the wound was too painful, he couldn’t help but frown and let out a hiss. He paused for a moment before saying, “This Bixi spirit was full of demonic aura, and there was not the slightest bit of divine aura in the beast.”
“A stone sculpture that has become a spirit?” Gu Baiying frowned. “That’s rare.”
“In the cave, we also found a lot of incense offerings,” Meng Ying began. “It seems that some passersby saw the stone carving of the Bixi and frequently made offerings. Since the cave is located in a place dense with demonic energy, the stone carving developed a demonic spirit. Although it doesn’t have the aura of the Bixi, it gained consciousness and many of the cultivators who entered the cave were injured.”
As it turned out, Tan Tianxin and his group had been following the Thousand-Mile Demon Toad to track the source of the demonic energy for the past two days, and they finally found the cave. At that point, the demonic energy vanished. The cultivators split into two groups. One group believed there must be something strange in the cave and advised against rash actions. The other group believed that, with so many cultivators present, there was no need to fear even a powerful demon. Naturally, Tan Tianxin was confident and led the latter group into the cave.
The cave was long and deep. Inside, they found many discarded stone statues. These statues were all in disrepair, and the largest one in the center resembled a giant tortoise carrying a stone tablet. Someone recognized it as a Bixi. However, there were no signs of any other demons.
While everyone was still puzzled, something unexpected happened. A cultivator was inspecting the surroundings and stood too close to the Bixi spirit. Suddenly, a horrific scream rang out. When the others turned to look, they saw that the unfortunate man had been devoured by the Bixi spirit from the waist up, leaving only his lower half, a gruesome sight.
Meng Ying frowned slightly at this point and paused before continuing, “After that, the cultivators engaged in a chaotic battle with the Bixi spirit.”
The cultivators who came to the secret realm of Li’er Country this time were newly selected young talents from various major sects. However, the quality of these sects varied greatly, and the chosen elite students were a mixed bag. Moreover, most of these cultivators were very young. Normally, in their sects, they would only spar with fellow disciples and rarely face such bloody scenes directly. Their actual combat experience was quite lacking, leading to a very chaotic situation.
In fact, some people were not even injured by the Bixi spirit but were accidentally hurt by the random attacks of other cultivators.
Mu Cengxiao’s shoulder wound was also inflicted when he was bitten by the Bixi spirit while trying to save a female disciple from the Xiang Ling Sect.
Upon hearing this, Zanxing couldn’t help but mentally applaud Mu Cengxiao. No wonder he married eight wives. Even with Meng Ying by his side, he still managed to play the hero. Truly impressive. However, Zanxing couldn’t quite remember if Mu Cengxiao had any close female friends in the Xiang Ling Sect.
“And then? Senior Sister Meng, did you capture the Bixi spirit?” Men Dong asked.
“The Bixi spirit was ultimately just a single demon and couldn’t withstand the cultivators. However,” Meng Ying frowned, “this demon took form by borrowing the stone carving of the Bixi, with its primordial spirit hidden within the statue. Tan Tianxin from the Chihua Sect split the stone carving with one sword stroke.” She looked up at Gu Baiying. “The Bixi spirit died by his sword.”
“There wasn’t even the body left?” Tian Fangfang was puzzled. “You should have at least let it say something. You went to catch the shark demon, so how did you end up killing a Bixi spirit? It was just a piece of stone that had managed to cultivate into a spirit, hiding in the cave without bothering anyone. Why go to such lengths to exterminate it?”
Tian Fangfang’s perspective differed from Men Dong’s. Men Dong, perhaps due to his sect background, naturally harbored hostility towards demons and demonic tribes, considering it only right to subdue demons and eliminate evil. But Tian Fangfang was a cultivator from the common folk, having seen all walks of life. He tended to be more tolerant, preferring to turn a blind eye to minor transgressions.
“No,” Mu Cengxiao interjected. “After killing the Bixi spirit, they found many female corpses in the cave, all drained of blood. The members of Yin Feng Sect questioned the villagers near the cave, who confirmed that several women had indeed disappeared in the past six months, with no trace afterward.”
Zanxing asked, “So they think this Bixi spirit was the demon causing trouble in Li’er Country recently?”
Meng Ying nodded.
Zanxing still felt something was amiss. If the Bixi spirit was the culprit, then what was the demon that sneaked into her room last night? Unless the Bixi spirit had a doppelganger, there would be two demons in Li’er Country.
“Do you think the Bixi is the one killing the young women in the city?” Gu Baiying asked Meng Ying.
Meng Ying shook her head. “I don’t know, but it’s not impossible.”
“I don’t think so,” Mu Cengxiao spoke up. Tian Fangfang had already treated his wound and stored the medicine bottle Men Dong gave him. He continued in a low voice, “I fought the Bixi spirit. That demon didn’t seem very intelligent, only knowing to consume human flesh and blood. The deaths of those young women in the city seemed crude at first glance but were actually meticulously planned. Otherwise, no one wouldn’t have missed them for so long. Moreover, today, the Bixi didn’t just target young women and drain only their blood. This differs from the previous methods the demon used to harm people.”
“Tan Tianxin that bastard,” Tian Fangfang exclaimed, “He’s just trying to somehow fulfill his duty, randomly catching a demon and saying it’s the murderer. That’s too irresponsible!”
“Exactly,” Zanxing pondered, “Actually, whatever Tan Tianxin does to fulfill his duty is his business. We can’t control that. What’s important is that in two days, all the cultivators will enter the secret realm. If the people of Li’er Country think the demon has been caught and let their guard down, what will happen if there are more casualties later?”
Gu Baiying frowned deeply.
No one spoke in the room. Mimi jumped to Zanxing’s side and rubbed against her fingertips. Zanxing rubbed its fluffy head, feeling somewhat worried.
Just then, a maid came in and said, “Honorable cultivators, His Majesty requests your presence in the hall.”