Chapter 1232: Slaying Demons with Vital Blood

Right now, this place was nothing but a grand dream.

It was still false, not yet real.

But ultimately, the essence of the Dream Method lay in turning the false into the real. Where did the world come from? From heaven? From nature? From the Great Dao?

It was profoundly mysterious, impossible to explain, and even harder to define.

Constructing a world within this dream did not seem exceedingly difficult, but it remained incredibly draining. Everything born here had to stem from one's own imagination.

So many people, so many objects, a world of such vast scale—the mental toll was unimaginable.

Chen Changsheng continued reciting, line by line. His face grew increasingly pale, his thoughts fracturing and his words slowing to a crawl.

Zhao Yuqing saw his struggle but did not step forward to help.

This was a dream, and more importantly, it was not his dream. Some things were simply beyond his control, especially at a time like this.

If anything went wrong and the flow of thoughts snapped, this place would crumble in an instant. The grand dream would shatter, and Chen Changsheng would suffer a devastating backlash. The consequences would be severe.

Zhao Yuqing could only wonder what exactly the Classic of Mountains and Seas was.

He had initially thought a hundred or so entries would be a lot. Yet as it went on, the numbers grew beyond counting, beyond comprehension. Furthermore, the world taking shape before his eyes—the Divine Mountains of the Nine Provinces, the Kunlun Divine Void—none of it felt fictional.

It was as if such an era had truly existed.

It felt as if Chen Changsheng had lived through it personally.

Zhao Yuqing could not help but think of the mysteries surrounding Chen Changsheng.

Could this be one of his past lives?

Zhao Yuqing's mind reeled. The landscape unfolding before him overlapped heavily with the present world. The great rivers, the sweeping mountains, the barren stretches of ocean—they all bore a striking resemblance.

"Could this be the ancient era!"

A shudder ran through Zhao Yuqing. If this was truly the ancient era, then why had the world devolved into its current state?

Where did the gods go? Where did these strange beasts of the mountains and seas vanish to? When had those stretches of ocean and towering mountain ranges disappeared?

Zhao Yuqing could not make sense of it no matter how hard he thought, staring blankly at the scenes playing out before him.

Chen Changsheng continued to recite the passages from the Classic of Mountains and Seas.

Zhao Yuqing stood guard in the distance, watching the dreamscape transform piece by piece.

Divine mountains tore free from the earth and pierced the sky. The Human Race gradually prospered. Demons were born into the world, and all living spirits strove toward the Great Dao...

Struck by a sudden epiphany, Zhao Yuqing sat cross-legged and sank into enlightenment.

This, after all, was not a process that could be completed in a short time.

The mortal world was vast, and the years flowed by.

With the human dao qi fortune gathered into the Imperial Jade Seal, the mortal world lost its qi destiny and the protection of the Heavenly Dao.

The dark practice of consuming humans to advance one's cultivation resurfaced in the world.

An increasing number of demons turned to man-eating. The nourishment gained from a human eclipsed months, if not years, of bitter cultivation. Virgins and young children provided the most potent nourishment of all.

The demon plague ran rampant, and the demons of the mortal world grew increasingly formidable.

At first, it was contained to the deep mountains and wilderness, but now, brazen demons wrought havoc within the cities.

Market towns and cities had their City Gods standing watch, but even they could not entirely stem the tide. The sheer cunning of these demons left the underworld deputies and the City Gods with endless headaches.

As a result, a wave of righteous individuals emerged across the land.

They chased the shadows of the demon plague, slaying demons and eradicating evil to return peace to the world.

Notably, some of these individuals were not even cultivators. Relying solely on their surging vital blood, they struck down demons beneath mortal iron swords.

The most famous among them was the prized disciple of Nanbeilou, the Fish Maiden Sword, Yu Youyu.

That year, while wandering the world, she passed through the Douqing District along the banks of the Tongtian River. Countless jianghu martial artists witnessed her draw her blade and slay a demon, leaving them entirely dumbfounded.

In truth, however, it all came from the sword in Yu Youyu's hand.

The Listening Rain Sword was never a mortal weapon.

Even though Yu Youyu vehemently denied that it was her own skill, she could not stop the spreading jianghu rumors. Soon enough, word went around: a martial artist's abundant vital blood could ward off evil, and their swords could butcher demons.

Yu Youyu panicked, terrified that the jianghu martial artists would unknowingly throw themselves into the jaws of demons.

But the rumors that soon followed put her worries to rest.

Because demons really were dying at the hands of martial artists.

The rumors about vital blood were actually true!

When a martial artist tempered their vital blood to a profound depth, they truly could slay demons!

With the theory proven, heroes and righteous warriors across the jianghu surged into action. Slaying a single evil demon was enough to make a name for oneself across the world. Local government officials would treat them with the utmost respect, and some would even offer tens of thousands of gold to retain their services. Faced with such incredible benefits, who wouldn't be willing to risk their lives?

Yet, how many could actually accomplish such a feat?

Over the years, countless jianghu warriors had been swallowed by demons, while those who successfully slew them were tragically few.

Yu Youyu felt a deep sense of melancholy over this. Sometimes, she couldn't shake the feeling that these people had died because of her.

However, her initial display had also spread martial arts across the realm. More and more people took up training to temper their bodies, giving mortals the strength to fight back. Slowly, those with courage ceased to fear the demons. When confronted, they drew their blades instead of sitting idly waiting for death.

Looked at from that perspective, was it not a good thing?

Fleeing only guaranteed death. Resisting offered a sliver of hope. Even if that chance was infinitesimally small, if humanity united and unleashed their combined vital blood, what was there to fear from the demons?

With that thought, she finally made her peace with it.

Her fame echoed throughout the entire jianghu—and beyond that, across the entire world.

The jianghu revered her as a Sword Immortal, calling her the Demon-Slaying Sword Immortal.

It was all because she was the first person in the world to strike down a demon with martial arts.

As a result, everywhere Yu Youyu went, crowds recognized her and begged for a spar. It gave her an endless headache. From then on, whenever she walked through densely populated areas, she traveled in disguise to avoid drawing attention.

"Listening Rain, oh, Listening Rain... I'm terrified," she whispered. "I don't have a lick of real skill, yet they're running around calling me a Sword Immortal."

The Listening Rain Sword strapped to her back trembled, eager to come out.

"You can't come out. There are too many people around."

Yu Youyu scolded it softly. It wasn't that she wanted to keep Listening Rain locked away in its sword box. The main problem was that the people of the jianghu didn't just recognize faces—more often than not, they recognized famous swords.

She had no choice but to hide it away.

"We're almost at the Commandery Princess Manor. We'll be seeing that wicked woman any minute now."

"Speaking of which, how many years has it been...?"

Yu Youyu honestly wondered if that wicked woman was even still alive.

Before long, she arrived at the Commandery Princess Manor.

She pulled out the Visiting Card her Master, Wang Ping'an, had given her.

The manor's steward paled in shock when he read it.

The steward hastily shouted, "Master! Master! The Second Master's disciple has arrived!"

He practically crashed headlong into Dong Chiyu.

The steward bowed. "Greetings, Madam! Madam, the Second Master's disciple is here..."

Dong Chiyu sighed helplessly. "Steward Chen, Ruyi was just spouting nonsense. You don't actually have to call me 'Madam.' It completely messes up the hierarchy."

"But Madam," the steward stammered, "I—"

"Never mind." Dong Chiyu waved a hand dismissively before asking, "By Second Master, do you mean Big Brother Ping'an? His disciple...?"

Suddenly, it clicked in Dong Chiyu's mind.

Could it be that little girl?

"Where is she?"

"She's at the gate," the steward replied.

"Why didn't you invite her in?!"

The steward gasped. "Oh, what a pig-headed fool I am! I was in such a rush that I completely forgot! Wait right here, Madam, I will go invite her in at once."

"I'll go," Dong Chiyu said.