Way of the Human-Demon

"Is shapeshifting... that hard?" For the Qi Yuan of the past, shapeshifting while in the midst of comprehension really would have been difficult. Yet now, having comprehended the Way of the Human-Demon, a complete cultivation system was present in his mind. In the snap of a finger, he could take form. "You know how to shapeshift?" The Canary's snowy complexion was like fine jade. She had never seen blood take human form before. According to the lore of Mount Jiupan, only spirits, beasts, and demons could assume human form. Blood... what in the world was that? "Don't go turning into another ugly fellow after you transform. This young lady looked at you for twenty-seven years before I finally got used to your ugliness. If you switch to a different ugly look, I'll have to stare at it for another twenty-seven years," the Canary said in agonizing conflict. Qi Yuan couldn't be bothered to argue with this bratty girl whose mouth rattled on like a machine gun. He immediately executed the shapeshifting technique from the Way of the Human-Demon. In an instant, a curtain of blood appeared. The spiritual energy between heaven and earth rolled toward him, coalescing into a human shape. After about a dozen breaths passed, Qi Yuan emerged in a blood-colored robe, remarkably handsome. Between his brows, slightly above the center, was a single crimson mark, lending him a deeply alluring, otherworldly air. His appearance was still his original face, only more captivatingly otherworldly and even more handsome. The Canary stared at Qi Yuan. Seeing that handsome face beneath the blood-colored robe, a rosy blush stained her fair cheeks. "Just... so-so. Barely good enough to match this young lady." Feeling his physical body, Qi Yuan remarked, "As expected, having a body is still more comfortable." With that, he sat cross-legged once more and looked toward the nearby Gate of Myriad Manifestations. Standing to the side, her golden gown unmoving in the breeze, the Canary grumbled indignantly, "Is that gate really so great to look at? Even prettier than this young lady?" Just now, seeing the Blood Bead take human form, she had even considered personally cooking to celebrate. Yet the moment he finished transforming, this fellow looked right back up at that gate. Just like a block of wood. Qi Yuan didn't reply, continuing to gaze at the Gate of Myriad Manifestations in the firmament. His mutation ability and the Way of the Human-Demon were surging wildly. A month later, a small wooden cabin appeared near Qi Yuan. With her hands planted on her slender waist, the Canary shouted at Qi Yuan, "This is a land of great feng shui! This young lady moved here, but it's definitely not because I wanted to be neighbors with you, so don't flatter yourself!" "Is it possible that I didn't even notice you moving here?" Qi Yuan glanced at the Canary. Today she had put on makeup again, her cheeks like peach blossoms, exceptionally charming. "Hmph! Having this young lady as your neighbor is a blessing you accumulated over a hundred years of cultivation!" Grumbling with discontent, the Canary retreated into her wooden cabin. Still filled with indignation, her small chest heaved up and down. Even so, she peeked outside from time to time—what if her childhood friend vanished again one day? As time flowed by, Qi Yuan remained seated on the boulder, comprehending the Gate of Myriad Manifestations. Every day, the Canary came by to chat with him about trivial, everyday things. Qi Yuan also came to understand that Mount Jiupan was home to quite a few spirits and demons like the Canary. Most of them had shapeshifted, though not necessarily completely. For instance, Qi Yuan had seen an elephant demon with a long trunk. It reminded him of scenes from television—male demons usually retained many demonic features, whereas female demons hardly retained any, almost fully transforming into human form with only minor beastly traits remaining. In the past, Qi Yuan had taken it as just TV fiction and never gave it much thought, never expecting Mount Jiupan to be the exact same way. "Blood Bead, something terrible happened! Dire emergency! This young lady needs your help!" One day, the Canary rushed over with an anxious look, grabbing his hand. "What is it?" Qi Yuan let the Canary pull him along. In any case, it didn't disrupt his comprehension. "Hurry, let's go! I'll tell you on the way!" Clutching Qi Yuan's hand, the Canary ran down the mountain. Before long, fine beads of sweat formed on her small hand as she said anxiously, "A fight broke out!" Soon, Qi Yuan arrived at the foot of the mountain. At the base of the mountain, several demons had clustered together in an argument, with quite a crowd watching the commotion nearby. The quarrelers were straightforward: a female rabbit, a male dog, and a female dog. The reason for the quarrel was equally simple. A love triangle. Simply put, the male dog and the female rabbit had originally been a couple, but the female rabbit cheated, and the heartbroken male dog got together with the female dog. Not long ago, the female rabbit gave birth to a pup. Didn't it need to build a nest? When rabbits build nests, they typically line them with their own fur, having retained their animal habits. Unwilling to pluck her own fur because it hurt, yet wanting to provide for her bunny, she came by every night to tear fur off the male dog. The three of them had gotten into a heated row right here. The male dog's eyes were bloodshot. "Back then, I loved you so much, and yet you messed around with wild men behind my back!" The female rabbit flared with rage. "When you were pursuing me back then, you said you didn't mind that about me! Now that you had me, you act like this? And as for you—while Brother Dog and I were still together, you were already making eyes at him! We hadn't even broken up, and you were already sleeping with him, you little slut!" The female dog was furious. "If you hadn't cheated first, would Brother Dog ever have done that? I've always been generous and didn't want to bring up the past. But what about you? You had a baby, and when building a nest for the child, you wouldn't use your own fur, so you stole my Brother Dog's fur instead! You sure have motherly love, but your character is trash!" The male dog accused the female rabbit of cheating. The female rabbit accused the female dog of being a homewrecker. The female dog accused the female rabbit of harassing her ex after cheating on him. The three quarreled furiously while the crowd of onlookers gathered round, occasionally interjecting to mediate. The Canary looked anxious. "What do we do?" Qi Yuan was at a loss for words. "If I'd known it was such a monumental crisis, I would have called in reinforcements. Bring in the Tathagata Buddha, the Great Sage Equal to Heaven, Thanos, Iron Man, and Logger Vick—that would definitely resolve this matter." With so many mighty beings showing up, could this argument even continue? It would probably rank among the most prestigious disputes across all the heavens. The Canary rolled her eyes at Qi Yuan. "Their situation is such a mess! Whose fault is it, anyway?" "Go up, slap each of them across the face, and then walk away. That'll probably settle it," Qi Yuan said. "Though without a mental illness certificate, you can't." To act as a vigilante arbiter, one needed a mental illness certificate; otherwise, one ended up in the police station. "The argument is almost over anyway. Let's head back," Qi Yuan said, utterly uninterested. "Let's watch a bit longer! We rarely come down the mountain," the Canary pleaded, holding tight to Qi Yuan's hand. [You have comprehended the Gate of Myriad Manifestations. Charm +5.] "Fine." Qi Yuan simply decided to keep watching. Meanwhile, the three arguing grew increasingly agitated. Some of the onlookers looked tense and shouted, "Don't get agitated, don't get agitated!" As they spoke, they backed away. Qi Yuan also sensed something amiss. "What happens if they get agitated?" Before the Canary could answer, Qi Yuan had his answer. As the female dog spoke, she grew more and more worked up, her facial expression turning grotesque and contorted. A fissure abruptly tore across the skin of her face, fresh blood streaming out. The crack widened rapidly as her entire body expanded, and a terrifying monster ripped open her hide, crawling out from inside her flesh. The grotesque beast had a ferocious visage, covered head to toe in slimy, viscous liquid, exuding a chilling aura. Seeing this, the surrounding onlookers went pale with horror, fleeing in panic. Seeing his companion turn into such a thing, fear seized the male dog's heart. In merely a single breath, he too transformed into a terrifying monster. The last remaining rabbit was also corrupted into a hideous creature. The three terrifying monsters lunged ferociously toward the crowd. "Ah! Inner demons have spawned!" "Run! It's inner demons!" "I shouldn't have come to watch the drama! We're finished!" "Keep calm, stay calm..." Her little face pale, the Canary gripped Qi Yuan's hand tightly. "Run!" Qi Yuan's expression turned cold. "Demonic monstrosities?" The three hideous beasts before him looked remarkably similar to the cute little monstrosities he had been constantly fighting. Or rather, they were demonic monstrosities. By now, the number of monstrosities Qi Yuan had slaughtered far exceeded tens of thousands. He could say without hesitation that no one in this world understood demonic monstrosities better than he did. He glanced at the Canary, offering her a reassuring look that everything was fine. Holding the Canary's hand with one hand, he formed a sword gesture with the other. "Die!" The three terrifying monstrosities seemed to sense Qi Yuan's aura and roared, lunging toward him. A foul stench washed over them. A blood-red sword beam flashed past. *Ssshhhk!* A few crimson streaks as fast as lightning flashed, and those three immensely powerful monstrosities were instantly shredded by the sword beam. In the end, they dissolved into nothingness. Seeing this, the fleeing demons halted in their tracks, gazing at Qi Yuan as if beholding a heavenly deity. *So cool!* Stars sparkled in the Canary's eyes. "Blood Bead, you're actually this amazing! Three inner demons, and you killed them all in a flash!" The Canary was thrilled. Her childhood friend was actually this powerful? "A trivial matter," Qi Yuan said. "They were perfectly fine, so how did they suddenly turn into... that?" He harbored some conjectures. The Canary explained hurriedly, "Because... they were arguing! Once people argue, they easily get agitated, and the inner demon will devour them, bursting from inside their bodies to slaughter any living creature in sight!" As she spoke, she looked toward the three tattered sets of clothes left on the ground, a faint melancholy in her eyes. "Emotional agitation causes inner demons to break free from the body?" Qi Yuan was surprised. If so, it was a bizarre miracle that living beings in this world had managed to survive until now. Yet on second thought, the creatures on Mount Jiupan seemed exceptionally friendly, with no fighting or killing; from that perspective, everything seemed quite logical. Even so, another thought struck him. Emotional agitation wasn't limited to arguments; there were many situations where emotions ran high. If... a demonic monstrosity suddenly emerged in those moments, the scene would be terrifying. "It seems this place is indeed from before the North-South Accord," Qi Yuan was practically certain. Because this world seemed even crazier than the world after the North-South Accord. Anyone could suddenly turn into a monster. The Canary's faint melancholy came and went quickly. Living in this world, she had apparently grown accustomed to regulating her emotions to avoid becoming overly agitated. "Blood Bead, since you're so strong, how about doing this young lady a favor?" The moment the Canary's eyes darted with a clever glint, Qi Yuan got a bad feeling. "Speak." "Do you think I'm pretty?" The Canary lifted her golden gown, preening narcissistically. "Pretty. Truly far too pretty, practically rare beneath the heavens!" Qi Yuan flattered. Hearing that, the Canary rolled her eyes at him. She felt the Blood Bead was being sarcastic with her. However, she didn't hold it against him; after all, she was the one asking for a favor. "In this latest selection of the top beauty of the Eighteen Mountains, that white fox Shang Yanran was named number one. On what grounds?! This young lady is the number-one beauty!" the Canary declared. "Don't get agitated," Qi Yuan said. He was also worried that the Canary he was holding might suddenly turn into a demonic monstrosity the next second. The Canary put on a sweet, serene smile. "You know how to fly, right? Take me flying across all Eighteen Mountains! This young lady wants to announce loudly to everyone that I am the number-one beauty of the Eighteen Mountains!" Qi Yuan was speechless. "Canary, your vanity is way too excessive." "This isn't vanity! This is letting the truth come to light for the whole world!" "I have to say, your skin is thicker than mine." "How so?" "Don't you think that if I flew around with you doing that, everyone here would take us for lunatics? Just thinking about it sounds completely moronic!" Qi Yuan wanted to refuse. After all, he had always kept his distance from lunatics, and he didn't want to leave people with the impression that he was unhinged just to help the Canary. The image he projected to the world was that of a proud, aloof swordsman! "Blood Bead *giegie*..." The Canary clung to Qi Yuan's arm, acting coquettishly. Qi Yuan immediately conceded defeat. "Don't, don't, don't! I'll go, okay?" After all, who could refuse a girl calling them "*giegie*"? ... By nightfall, Qi Yuan had returned to the spot where he always stayed. Today, he had carried the Canary on a flight across every one of the Eighteen Mountains. Acting as an aerial loudspeaker, he proclaimed to the Eighteen Mountains that Miss Canary was the number-one beauty of the region. Anyone who objected was beaten into submission by Qi Yuan. Now, Qi Yuan only wanted to stay put right here and never go down the mountain to face anyone again. In contrast, the Canary was smug and gloating, in exceedingly high spirits. She even felt it hadn't been enough and wanted to do another round. "Blood Bead, you saw that white fox Shang Yanran today, didn't you? Didn't she pale in comparison to this young lady?" The Canary looked expectantly at Qi Yuan. The image of the white fox Shang Yanran surfaced in Qi Yuan's mind. In terms of facial beauty, the Canary naturally had the edge. However, glancing at the flat and unremarkable Canary, Qi Yuan also understood why the white fox had been voted the number-one beauty of the Eighteen Mountains. "Do you want the truth or a lie?" Qi Yuan asked. The Canary glared at him. "...A lie." "She's prettier," Qi Yuan lied. Hearing this, the Canary pouted aggrievedly. "Both the lie and the truth are her, right?" "The truth is you." "You're lying to me, you hypocrite!" "I never tell lies." "You just told one a second ago!" ... Twenty years later. Qi Yuan sat upright on the bluestone. The Way of the Human-Demon had now surged to 999,999. Utterly terrifying. Gazing at the Gate of Myriad Manifestations in the vault of heaven, he fell into deep contemplation. "Inner demons are born of heaven and earth, nourished by intrinsic nature, clinging like shadows." "Lured by power, disturbed by emotion, ensnared by greed... all of these are sins." Moved by sudden insight, Qi Yuan spoke, his voice growing louder and louder. "If one sees me through form or seeks me through sound, that person walks a wicked path." "See no sun or moon, see no stars, seek neither immortal nor demon—humanity shall bind the demons!" His voice was vast and resonant, like spring thunder and a dragon's roar, echoing across Mount Jiupan and rolling out beyond the mountains and rivers. Wherever it passed, an otherworldly fragrance dispersed naturally, refreshing the mind and soothing the spirit. All the spirits and demons who heard Qi Yuan's voice stood dazed in place, contemplative expressions in their eyes. Some fell to their knees and prostrated themselves, as if receiving supreme, wondrous teachings. "Who is this... expounding the Dharma?" "Which exalted master is this?!" "Mount Jiupan—hurry!" "Such a wondrous doctrine is truly extraordinary; it seems related to inner demons!" All the demons were shaken, and even the humans who caught the sound were filled with unexpected joy, rushing in droves toward Mount Jiupan. A full day passed. Qi Yuan sat upright like a deity, lotus blossoms blooming with his sacred words. Across Mount Jiupan, fresh blossoms opened of their own accord, flocks of birds sang toward the dawn, and auspicious clouds bestowed blessings. Countless animals, demons, and spirits sat cross-legged at the foot of the mountain; even several powerful human cultivators had arrived. They sat quietly beneath the mountain, listening intently to the wondrous sounds. Shock and excitement shone in their eyes; at times they pondered deeply, at times sudden enlightenment struck, leaving them utterly entranced. They were thoroughly immersed in Qi Yuan's discourse. On Mount Jiupan, withered trees sprouted fresh buds, and all things bathed in peace and harmony. Every living creature gazed upon Qi Yuan with reverence. Only the Canary, tilting her head merely a few meters away from Qi Yuan, simply looked at him with an expression of immense pride.