Chapter 78: The Fight (Part 1 of 2)

Back in Zuoheqi, we talked about the big rat, the Grey Immortal. That rat smoked and flipped around just to get me to grant him human status. It's clear he aimed to become an immortal and, after transforming, would guard the Sanqing Temple as a Taoist exorcist.

The Huangtian (Yellow Immortal) listened to Buddhist sutras and was close to transforming, but his attachment to worldly emotions kept him from fully shedding his beastly form. He had to rely on illusions to appear human and hadn't truly discarded his demon body. Ordinary people call these evolved beasts "monsters" if they harm others, or "immortals" if they help.

But the big black one in the yard is a typical demon spirit. It still has its beast form and can't transform fully. It has some intelligence but not much. The moon is the source of power for all evil spirits, so the weasel worshipping the moon is naturally praying for protection.

At that moment, Yicheng the monk roared like a bell, "Stubborn fool! A demon is still a demon!" Holding his prayer beads, he chanted Sanskrit mantras. I watched closely; under my third eye's vision, a halo of Buddha light spread over his head, and the dogs around seemed pumped up, barking loudly.

Dogs barked like thunder, and every house was brightly lit. But following Yicheng's previous instructions, no curious onlookers came. Cui Hai and his grandfather were scared out of their wits, each holding a Buddha statue and chanting "Amitabha Buddha."

I took a deep breath. Yicheng was a bit extreme. Even though it was a do-or-die situation, the big black one wasn't very smart. If treated with Buddha's compassion, maybe it could let go of its hatred. I even thought about talking to that black-yellow weasel. But with this setup, it was bound to turn into a bloody massacre.

Yicheng reminded me of young Fa Hai—his hatred for evil was fierce. In a flash, the pack of dogs acted like wolves, and every household's dog seemed reckless, lunging at the weasels. Moonlight bathed the yard, and the quiet village became chaotic.

Hundreds of weasels fought hundreds of dogs, viciously tearing at each other. Yicheng, holding his beads, stood in the center, overseeing the battle like a commander. There were screams and howls all night. The black big one showed great courage, killing five or six hunting dogs. Jiang Shiyu turned pale watching and hid inside, quietly chanting sutras.

I never left the scene from start to finish. Hundreds of dogs in the village were killed or injured; the yard was littered with weasel corpses. The big black one was buried beneath them. When I pushed the door open to leave, the black-yellow weasel suddenly leapt from the bodies, crazily biting nearby dogs before trying to flee.

Yicheng formed a Buddha hand seal with one hand, chanting the Six Syllable Mantra: "Om Ma Ni Pad Me Hum." I watched helplessly as the weasel climbed the wall and collapsed. Two big black dogs immediately pounced on it.

I felt pity and guilt—this wiping out felt cruel and unjust.

In a burst of impulse, I grabbed the Seven Star Sword and shouted, rushing to drive off the dogs with sword swings. But the dogs were relentless, not letting go of the weasel, which cried out in fresh blood.

Dogs have spiritual senses hundreds of times stronger than humans and react strongly to talismans. I didn't hold back—kicking one dog's neck hard, I drew a "Frighten Soul" talisman in the air with a cinnabar brush. When the talisman was complete, the two dogs holding the weasel suddenly got scared and ran away with tails between their legs.

The big black one was bleeding heavily, whimpering as if crying, his breath shallow and rapid. His shiny black fur was stained red with blood.

My actions caught the attention of some of the dogs cleaning the battlefield. They bared teeth and slowly approached me. Honestly, I was scared—after yesterday's fierce fight, the dogs had won, but about a dozen strong ones remained inside the yard. If they charged me, I could be torn apart alive.

I took a deep breath and patted the weasel: "Can you still walk?"

It seemed to understand and forced itself to stand. Looking into its humanlike eyes, I continued, "Your Huangtian's death is partly my fault, but cause and effect decide good and evil. I hope you will turn to goodness and soon ascend to immortalhood."