Heaven-Subduing Scripture

Through the bronze ancient mirror, Li Daoxuan saw what had happened that night.

A demon had meant to enter the Dacheng Temple to harm him, yet was sucked away amid Master Sanle’s snores and swallowed into his belly.

Seeing this, Li Daoxuan marveled within — Master Sanle was indeed a hidden master of unfathomable depth!

But on second thought — as Xuanzang’s master, how could he be an ordinary man?

”Lady, I have finished looking; I am sorry, but I still do not wish to be the Blue Netherworld Envoy…”

The Lady in Green glanced at him. ”So certain?”

Li Daoxuan gritted his teeth. ”Certain — this poor Daoist’s mind is made; even if I die outside, it shall not change!”

The Lady in Green said flatly, ”Look further down.”

Just as Li Daoxuan thought the demon dead, the mirror’s scene shifted, moving outside Yuzhang City.

In the mountain forest the old man appeared again; he spat a mouthful of blood, his gaze venomous…

”H-he… was he not swallowed by Master Sanle…”

Li Daoxuan found it inconceivable — how could there be an identical demon again?

The Lady in Green said flatly, ”This demon is named Huang Sanlang; he gained a great one’s inheritance and has cultivated over eight hundred years, with deep mana. What Master Sanle swallowed just now was but one hair-clone of his.”

Hearing this, Li Daoxuan could not but feel a thread of worry — a demon who had cultivated eight hundred years, whose mere hair-clone was so fearsome; such a demon, why would it single him out?

As if reading his doubt, the Lady in Green went on. ”You bear a faint demon-qi — have you not killed a weasel that had become a spirit?”

Li Daoxuan suddenly understood.

”That weasel was his only bloodline; weasels are most vengeful of creatures — he dares not enter Yuzhang City now, yet will not spare you, and waits outside the city for you to come out.”

Li Daoxuan looked to the Lady in Green’s calm face; under the faint clear-light her world-toppling beauty faintly showed.

He smiled bitterly within — so even a pure and holy female immortal like the Lady in Green would play such scheming?

She had perceived his danger, yet when his master was present said nothing of it; only after Zhang Qianyang left did she speak at leisure.

Now his master’s yin-soul had flown off, and in this breath’s time had likely already left Yuzhang; Li Daoxuan had no means to contact him.

All he could rely on now was the Lady in Green or Master Sanle…

The Lady in Green smiled faintly and blocked his other path.

”Master Sanle dwells in this city, and will in some measure sell this seat a bit of face; he will not strike again.”

So saying she looked at Li Daoxuan’s hesitant face and said, ”To become the Blue Netherworld Envoy does not require you to throw your life away; if you find the matter thorny, you may refuse — between you and me there is no bond of subordination.”

A provenance detail: this text was copied from without consent, and the author’s chapter there supports their work.

Hearing this, Li Daoxuan relaxed at last; if that were so, it was still acceptable.

He laughed. ”Lady — in truth I took to you at first sight, and find our Blue Netherworld most dear; I have decided to devote my finite youth to the infinite great cause of reviving the Blue Netherworld — that I might not regret the passing years, nor be ashamed of an idle life!”

The Lady in Green: ”…”

Fairy Que: ”…”

The old woman: ”…”

Under those three ghostly gazes, even Li Daoxuan’s thick skin could not but flush a little.

Especially Fairy Que — this simple-hearted little demoness was struck a ten-thousand-point critical hit; her pupils dilated in shock, for she could never have imagined such a shameless man existed in the world.

She asked puzzled, ”But you just now said otherwise — you said you would not change your heart even if you died outside…”

Li Daoxuan coughed, not knowing how to explain.

Very well — he was simply afraid of death; outside lurked a great demon eyeing him like prey; the master was gone, Master Sanle would not act — alone he was far too dangerous.

Love is precious, freedom dearer; but for the sake of his little life, both may be cast aside.

A flicker of imperceptible amusement showed in the Lady in Green’s eyes; she took from her waist the phoenix jade pendant and handed it to Li Daoxuan.

Li Daoxuan took the pendant; it felt warm and smooth, with a strange fragrance about it, like orchid, like musk.

”This pendant is this seat’s own close thing; today I bestow it on you as the Envoy’s token. With this pendant you may freely come and go in my Blue Netherworld; moreover, the pendant may be opened — within is a bronze mirror.”

Li Daoxuan heard and examined closely; sure enough there was a seam in the pendant’s middle; pried open, within was a small mirror-surface.

”Lady, what use is this mirror?”

”You are my Blue Netherworld’s walker in the mortal world, and cannot dwell here long; this mirror lets you reach me. If you meet difficulty, at night take a ladle of well-water, pour it on this mirror, and call my divine name — and we may meet.”

Li Daoxuan was overjoyed within and hastily put it carefully in his bosom.

This was a treasure indeed — though it sounded rather like a video-call…

Having put away the phoenix pendant, Li Daoxuan looked to the Lady and smiled. ”Lady — that… the three treasures?”

The Lady in Green shook her head and laughed. ”You — truly, no profit, no early rising.”

She waved her jade hand; that spirit-treasure-rank Five-Wild Battle-Troop Talisman appeared in Li Daoxuan’s hand, every talisman-line alive with spirit-light — plainly a rare treasure of the world.

The talisman was masterless; Li Daoxuan needed only drip blood to refine it.

A moment later the talisman blazed with dazzling spirit-light and with a whoosh sank into Li Daoxuan’s palm, becoming a pocket-sized talisman-pattern.

Li Daoxuan gazed at his palm; in a daze he seemed to see a host of troops and horses — clad in dark-yin treasured armor, riding ghost-steeds, with hollow skull-eyes burning green ghost-fire…

It was a wondrous feeling, as if his palm bore a world, gripping a million soldiers.

”This talisman may summon yin soldiers, but it consumes your own mana; at your present cultivation you should only summon common ghost-soldiers, the equal of early-Bigu cultivators.”

The Lady in Green explained.

To this Li Daoxuan nodded; if this talisman alone could summon armies without limit and command mighty ghost-gods like the Five-Wild Gods, then it would be no spirit-treasure but a mighty immortal artifact.

Even summoning only ghost-soldiers was already strong; and chiefly, as Li Daoxuan’s cultivation rose, the yin soldiers he could summon would grow stronger — infinite in potential.

Perhaps one day he could summon the mightiest Five-Wild God, to stand toe-to-toe with a Yang-Spirit great one!

”As for the second treasure — an upper-grade attack-treasure, this seat’s own before attaining ghost-immortality, named the Jade Escape-Heavens Hairpin.”

A luminous green-jade hairpin appeared before Li Daoxuan — slim and graceful, its jade clear and translucent, carved with fine cloud-patterns.

Holding the hairpin, his expression turned odd. ”Lady, this hairpin… is of a woman’s style, is it not?”

The Lady in Green glanced at the oil-paper umbrella on Li Daoxuan’s back. ”The beauty you hide in your umbrella is near to waking; this hairpin suits her well.”

Li Daoxuan started, then put the hairpin away with gravity and bowed to the Lady in Green. ”Many thanks, Lady!”

Sister Yu, being a Red-Robe fierce ghost, was an important fighting strength Li Daoxuan could rely on; when Sister Yu woke she would surely grow stronger, and with this hairpin added, she would be like a tiger with wings!

And Li Daoxuan felt that such a pretty hairpin — perhaps Sister Yu would like it too.

”As for which divine art and wondrous method to teach you…”

The Lady in Green looked at Li Daoxuan, seeming to weigh something.