Chapter 83: Demonification
"Our Azure Sun Daoist Temple is investigating the Immortal Dao corpse reanimation case, and we were the ones who captured him, so what right do you have to interrogate him?" Daoist Master Law Origin countered.
"This case has far-reaching implications and involves many local officials and prominent clans, so it must be handled by the Demon Vanquishing Department!" Li Changqing declared. "Take him away!"
There was a great deal of overlap between the duties of the Demon Vanquishing Department and the Heavenly Master Religion, so the two sides were constantly at odds.
When the Demon Vanquishing Department was first founded, the Heavenly Master Religion provided them with significant support in the form of martial arts, Dao arts, and pill refinement techniques.
However, the Demon Vanquishing Department was later used by the imperial clan to oppose the Heavenly Master Religion, giving rise to a bitter rivalry between the two.
"How dare you, Li Changqing!" Daoist Master Law Origin snapped. "Since when has the Demon Vanquishing Department had the jurisdiction to seize someone from our Heavenly Master Religion?"
"What're you gonna do about it?" Li Changqing asked in a provocative and menacing voice, aiming a kick at Daoist Master Law Origin, and sending him flying back like a cannonball.
Daoist Master Law Origin was furious as he glared at Li Changqing, but he could only fume in silence.
"The Demon Vanquishing Department has jurisdiction over all cases in which imperial court officials and their clansmen are suspected of involvement with fiends, demons, and cults," Li Changqing said coldly. "If you have a problem with that, then get the Spirit Province Daoist Registrar to come and speak to me."
The Spirit Province Daoist Registrar was the Heavenly Master Religion organization that oversaw all Daoist temples in Spirit Province.
Daoist Master Law Origin was furious, but the fact remained that he was no match for Li Changqing in a fight, so there was nothing he could do.
In the face of the Demon Vanquishing Department's domineering authority, none of the other officials present were willing to stand up for Daoist Master Law Origin. However, it seemed that Li Changqing also didn't want to draw too much ire from everyone, and he ultimately agreed to interrogate Master Heavenly Secrets in a cell in the county office.
***
Outside the cell, Hao Yongtai was seated in a chair with a concerned expression.
"It's fine, Young Master," his personal servant reassured him. "This is the county office. No matter how brazen the Demon Vanquishing Department is, Li Changqing wouldn't dare to do anything to a prisoner here."
However, less than fifteen minutes had passed when a horrific, otherworldly roar rang out from deep within the cell. All of the soldiers and bailiffs present began trembling uncontrollably, rooted to the spot.
Immediately afterward, the outer wall of the cell was blown wide open. The moon had been concealed behind a suffocating blanket of dark clouds, leaving no light to illuminate the unfolding scene.
A burst of demonic cackling rang out from within the inky darkness of the cell, and an enormous creature slowly squeezed its way out.
All of a sudden, the clouds shifted, and the moonlight filtered through, revealing the terrifying creature’s true form.
Alarmed cries and horrified screams instantly rang out, and some of the bailiffs were so terrified by the sight that they fainted.
It was a giant, swollen, writhing ball of flesh riddled with dozens of deathly pale arms of varying lengths. Every arm was covered in flower-bud-like tumors that secreted dark green slime, which gave off a fleshy aroma.
However, what was most terrifying of all was the twisted human face on top of the ball of flesh. Its mouth was slightly agape, and countless identical faces could be seen through the gap in its upper jaw.
Chu Qiguang was struck by an intense wave of nausea at the grotesque sight, and he was barely able to identify it as Master Heavenly Secrets' face.
This otherworldly creature burst out of the cell, and its presence alone was enough to paralyze everyone present with fear.
Right as Chu Qiguang was staring at the horrific creature, a figure wielding a fiend-slaying saber tore through the night sky like a bolt of black lightning.
The gleaming saber flashed through the air, leaving behind a strong smell of iron rust.
The figure darted back and forth around the creature faster than Chu Qiguang's eyes could follow, and his saber raced through the air at such incredible speed that it produced a sharp ringing sound.
A string of bloodcurdling howls rang out as the creature was rapidly dismembered, sliced into pieces before falling dead to the ground.
The black figure also stopped in his tracks, and it was none other than Li Changqing.
At that moment, his skin was bright red like a cooked lobster, and his entire body was radiating waves of intense heat. His eyes had turned completely white, without any visible pupils. Prominent veins bulged all over his face, as if he were resisting some unknown force.
He hurriedly pulled out a vial, tipped out a pill, and swallowed it. Only then was he able to regain some of his composure.
Only after around fifteen minutes had passed did Li Changqing return to his normal appearance. He turned to Chu Qiguang and the surrounding bystanders and he yelled, "What're you all staring at? Hurry up and get people from the Daoist temple to dispose of this demonic body!"
Hao Yongtai immediately sent a bailiff to the Daoist temple, then turned back to Li Changqing with a hostile gaze and asked, "What did you do?"
"What did I do? I killed him! Didn't you see that he had undergone demonification?" Li Changqing snapped in a cold voice.
"He was fine when we handed him over to you. How did he suddenly undergo demonification?" Hao Yongtai pressed.
"Cult followers don't believe in the Profound Origin Dao Lord, so it's no surprise when they stray onto demonic paths," Li Changqing said indifferently before turning to leave.
Hao Yongtai instinctively reached out to stop him, but the moment he extended his arm, Li Changqing struck it with the scabbard of his saber, breaking it instantly.
Hao Yongtai groaned in pain and stumbled back. Chu Qiguang quickly stepped in to support him.
"If you keep getting in my way, I won't let you off so easily next time," Li Changqing warned coldly before departing with his men, leaving everyone else behind to clean up the mess he had created.
Meanwhile, Chu Qiguang was still thinking about the creature that Li Changqing had just killed. He only snapped out of it when Hao Yongtai asked, "What do we do now, Brother Chu?"
Instead of answering, Chu Qiguang asked his own question. "Was that thing just now a demon?"
"Yeah, what about it?" Hao Yongtai replied.
What about it?! Why are you being so casual about this? Did you not see that thing?
From Ergou's memories, Chu Qiguang already knew that the people in this world were susceptible to demonification, and that the only way to avoid such a fate was to believe in the Profound Origin Dao Lord.
As a matter of fact, Ergou had grown up hearing stories about people undergoing demonification simply from reading too many books, learning too many skills, or being too intelligent. Apparently, the only way to ward off demonic influences was through daily devout prayer to the Profound Origin Dao Lord.
He had always assumed that the so-called demonified individuals who were drowned, burned, and stoned to death were victims of blind superstition, much like the witches who were burned at the stake during the Middle Ages on Earth.
Thinking back to the stories of the scholars falling prey to demonification from reading too many books, it suddenly made sense to Chu Qiguang why the Hao Clan's private library was always deserted, and why Hao Xiangtong was forbidden from going to the private library to read.
This must also be why the academic segment of the martial examination is so simple. The less studying one has to do, the less likely they'll undergo demonification. No wonder this world is filled with uneducated people. But how exactly does demonification work? And why does believing in the Profound Origin Dao Lord allow one to avoid demonification?
Could it be that the Profound Origin Dao Lord actually exists? No wonder the Heavenly Master Religion is so powerful and influential in this world. For some reason, the people of this world need to follow their religious doctrines in order to avoid turning into demons.
With that in mind, Chu Qiguang couldn't help but feel a little concerned for himself. He had read many books and didn't believe in the Profound Origin Dao Lord, didn't that make him highly susceptible to demonification?
Chu Qiguang immediately raised this concern with Qiao Zhi who assured him that his concerns weren't necessary, explaining, Cultivation is a long and arduous journey, and the further one goes and the more they learn, the more susceptible they become to demonification. However, you were once a heavenly immortal, so you possess the aptitude to attain immortality. This means that you didn't fall prey to demonification even after learning the knowledge of immortals, so you don't have to worry about bearing the burden of mortal knowledge.
Qiao Zhi then went on to explain that fiends were far less likely than humans to undergo demonification, so they were generally safe even if they didn't believe in the Heavenly Master Religion.
"We have to go to the Wu Manor and inform my father and the others about what happened here," Hao Yongtai urged.
Chu Qiguang promptly left the county office with Hao Yongtai, and shortly afterward, Daoist priests from the Daoist temple arrived at the scene to dispose of the demonic body.
