Chapter 267 - 262: Call Wind and Rain, Heaven and Earth Tremble

Song Ciwan followed the crowd that had gathered, slowly approaching the water’s edge.

Between the hundreds of stone pillars, the orbs of light containing countless living beings continued to rise into the sky.

As the atmosphere at the water’s edge grew tense, a sudden CRACK echoed out. The orbs of light between the stone pillars had violently exploded!

The shattered light carried the myriad creatures within, launching them toward the outskirts of the water region with a series of THUDS.

As they were launched, the creatures within the orbs of light all awoke.

The air instantly filled with the crowing of roosters, the barking of dogs, the calls of birds and beasts, the howls of Demons, and the screams of people.

"Help! Mom! *Sob sob sob*, save me!"

"Where is this? Wasn’t I just at home? What’s happening? Where is my house?"

"How is it night already? There are so many stars... wasn’t it just dusk a moment ago? Why did I fall asleep?"

"Why is this happening? *Sob sob*, I’m so scared... Help me... Oof!"

Amidst the cacophony, a series of THUDS rang out as the orbs of light launched toward the shore finally landed.

The creatures inside the orbs fell to the ground. One of them, an auntie, was still clutching a spatula. She had been screaming her lungs out mid-air, certain she was about to be dashed to death.

But unexpectedly, the orb of light cushioned her fall. Aside from the frightening face-plant, she was completely unharmed.

The spatula-wielding auntie scrambled up, overjoyed, and immediately turned to shout, "Husband! My baby, where are you? Oh, my little one, you fell too! Get up and come to Mama!"

...

In an instant, the people who had landed began shouting and running to find one another. They crowded among the Cultivators, turning the lakeside into a chaotic scene as noisy as a marketplace.

The Cultivators standing guard by the water were caught completely off guard by the scene. While Immortals and mortals coexisted in the Great Zhou Immortal Dynasty, a situation like this—Cultivators being swarmed by a crowd of ordinary people—was still a rare sight.

Amidst the chaos, the howl of a Demon Beast could occasionally be heard. It was a Wolf Demon. Right before it was forced into slumber, it had been in the middle of capturing a Human for a meal. It was holding the Human’s body, just about to tear it apart, when a mysterious force appeared.

The Wolf Demon was thus forced into a deep sleep, along with the prey in its claws.

Now, jolted awake, the Wolf Demon’s simple mind hadn’t yet processed its new surroundings. It subconsciously moved to continue what it had been doing before—tear apart the prey in its claws and devour it!

Though it takes time to describe, all of this happened simultaneously.

In a single instant, the creatures from the orbs of light landed. Myriad beings, a myriad of scenes. Humans searching for their kin was one such scene. Demons eating Humans was another.

The Wolf Demon had its claws on the Human. They were so close that the nearby Cultivators hadn’t even had time to react. Just as the Human was about to be killed on the spot, a streak of lightning shot out from the side like a thunderclap, arriving in a flash.

The Wolf Demon let out a wretched scream. Before it could even exert force with its claws, half of its body was vaporized into nothingness by the streak of lightning.

THUD!

The Wolf Demon’s remaining half-corpse fell to the ground, instantly going silent.

The next moment, Song Ciwan’s figure flashed, appearing as if carried by the wind. She picked up the Wolf Demon’s mangled corpse and tucked it into her Storage Pouch.

Simultaneously, the Heaven and Earth Scale appeared: [Death Qi, from the death of a Wolf Demon with eighty years of Cultivation. Eleven taels. Exchangeable.]

[Human Desires, from the surprise, gratitude, and awe of mortals. Twenty-three taels. Exchangeable.]

Additionally, there was [Demon Fiend Malice, two taels and one mace]!

That was right. For Song Ciwan, as long as she made physical contact with the corpse of a Demon Fiend, she could almost always absorb Malice from it.

Therefore, Washing Demons in the Washing Room wasn’t the only way to obtain Demon Fiend Malice. It was simply the most convenient and efficient method.

Currently, there were still numerous Demon Beasts by the water.

Most of these were Low Level Demon Beasts from the mountains, with relatively docile temperaments—creatures like demonic rabbits and goats. These herbivorous Demon Beasts would flee at the first sight of a Human.

Some of the closer Cultivators would casually capture them, while others paid no mind to such Little Demons, letting them escape as they pleased.

As for carnivorous Demon Beasts like the Wolf Demon, especially those caught in the act of tearing a Human apart, not only would Song Ciwan intervene to kill them, but most nearby Cultivators would do the same.

Of course, not every Cultivator had Song Ciwan’s level of Cultivation, able to slay a ferocious Wolf Demon as effortlessly as snapping a dry twig.

Song Ciwan’s strike was like flipping a strange switch. In an instant, the tense peace between Humans and Demons shattered, and a chaotic battle erupted.

A Cultivator shouted, "Fellow Daoists! This is a Secret Realm of our Human Race! How can we allow these other creatures to covet it? Any Demon who does not leave this place will die!"

The Human Race Cultivators roared in agreement. When a Secret Realm appeared, even Humans would inevitably fight and kill each other over it, to say nothing of Humans and Demons.

Before, since no one had made the first move, a strange and delicate balance had been maintained between the Humans and Demons. Everyone was waiting to see what would happen, so they had allowed this equilibrium to persist.

Now that the balance was shattered, the battle between Humans and Demons instantly descended into fierce chaos.

Demons are savage by nature. They had previously hidden, fearing the might of the Human Race. But now that the fighting had begun, the Demons were naturally quicker to lose themselves to bloodlust than the Humans.

In an instant, the air was filled with demonic roars and shrieks.

Both Humans and Demons were lost in a killing frenzy.

No one noticed—no, Song Ciwan did. In her left eye, the transparent Cyan Wood Eye pulsed faintly, granting her a unique field of vision.

She could see that along the shore, whenever someone killed a Demon, a cyan light would shoot out from between the giant stone pillars in the water. The light would land on the Demon-slayer, causing a streak of cyan light to appear behind their head.

One streak for killing one Demon, two streaks for killing two, and so on.

If a Cultivator both killed Demons and saved Humans, a white streak of light would also appear behind their head for each person they saved. One streak for one person, two for two, and so on.

In a short time, Song Ciwan had already accumulated eleven cyan streaks and five white streaks.

As for Demon Fiend Malice and Death Qi, she had collected a great deal more, needless to say.

Her Storage Pouch had limited space and couldn’t hold too many Demon Corpses, so she stored the excess in her Vast Sea Grotto Heaven.

Amidst the fierce battle, the hundreds of stone pillars in the churning waves continued to grow taller. No one knew how high they would rise before stopping. But as long as the pillars kept growing and the portal to the Secret Realm had not yet truly appeared, everyone subconsciously assumed that the Secret Realm was still in the process of activating.

Only Song Ciwan, with her unique vision, sensed something more. ’On the surface, the Secret Realm seems to be in the process of activating,’ she thought, ’but in reality, the contest for it might have already begun!’

Song Ciwan stepped into the air, raised her hand to form a seal, and unleashed a technique from the Thirty-Six Celestial Spirit Techniques: Call Wind and Rain.

By the water’s edge, a hurricane materialized out of thin air.