Stone Saber, Demon Hunting

Qiming Residential District. Building 6. Beneath the staircase on the first floor of Building 6 was a crude doghouse. It was none too clean and smelled faintly pungent. This was Black Panther's home. As for Li Hao's home, that belonged to Li Hao. In the past, when he went to work during the day, he never let Black Panther inside. Besides, cooped up indoors, the dog might not have even felt at ease. Who had time to walk a dog? Black Panther had always walked himself. Only over the past couple of days had Li Hao kept Black Panther inside, hoping to see if the hound could detect the Red Shadow. The makeshift doghouse had been thrown together from some ragged old clothes and straw dragged from heaven knew where. Li Hao had also lent a hand, stuffing in an old sofa cushion he no longer used to serve as a bed for Black Panther. Ordinarily, no one bothered with Black Panther, let alone cleaned out his den. After parking his bicycle, Li Hao glanced at the doghouse, didn't linger, and quickly headed upstairs. In his hands, he carried some leftover food. He had been so busy these past two days that he hadn't managed to cook, and the expired dog food had likely run out, which meant Black Panther would go hungry today. Fortunately, he had packed up some leftovers just now. Wang Ming was a wealthy young man who had ordered delicious dishes, so Black Panther was in for a treat. He went upstairs. On the second floor, a neighbor's door stood wide open. Nowadays, only one household lived on the second floor. Previously, both units were occupied, but one family had moved away. Catching sight of Li Hao, the neighbor woman hurried to greet him. "Xiao Hao, you're back!" "Yes, Auntie Zhang. Just finished work." Li Hao nodded. Just as he was about to continue up the stairs, the neighbor looked conflicted, yet spoke up anyway. "Xiao Hao, I don't mean to pry, but you really shouldn't keep that stray dog. When your parents passed, all they left you was this apartment, and it's filled with memories. You're away during the day and lock the dog inside—the noise upstairs didn't stop all day today! I suspect that hound is tearing the place apart!" Noise all day? Li Hao paused slightly. Black Panther was usually very well-behaved. Tearing the place apart? Hardly likely! Besides, Black Panther understood human speech now. Li Hao had explicitly warned him not to make a mess in the house. "Go see for yourself, and you'll know." The elderly neighbor shook her head with a look of helpless resignation, then added, "And another thing, Xiao Hao... have you been under a lot of stress lately?" "..." Li Hao was speechless. Where had that come from? "Auntie, I'm fine. If something's on your mind, just say it." "Ahem. Well, isn't it because of the commotion upstairs lately after you get back from work? Xiao Hao, in the past when you exercised, it was only for a few minutes. But now... honestly speaking, did you... did you get a girlfriend?" The neighbor leaned into the gossip, her eyes lighting up slightly. "If you're seeing someone, bring her out for us to meet. Just don't... don't go picking up disreputable women!" "Never seeing a soul during the day, yet tossing and turning all through the night... That's not what a decent household does!" A look of profound anguish came over the old woman's face. By now, she had likely concocted an entire drama in her head. As for the racket Li Hao made at night, she could easily imagine it—he had definitely brought back some disreputable woman from outside. Well, that made sense. Young people! In the prime of their youth, full of vigor and without a girlfriend, they were bound to have such impulses. "..." Li Hao opened his mouth, but for a long moment, all he could say in his embarrassment was, "Auntie, you've misunderstood. I'm just exercising! I'll be more mindful next time. I forgot our old building doesn't have good soundproofing." "I understand!" The old woman wore a deeply knowing look. *I get it.* *Young man, don't worry, I won't spread it around.* Li Hao felt utterly helpless. He read the meaning clear as day on her face. That was that—tomorrow, while he was away, word would probably spread across the entire complex that Li Hao brought disreputable women home every night to carry on until dawn. There was no explaining it; even if he did, she wouldn't believe him! Li Hao gave up trying to explain and took another step up the stairs. The next instant, he nearly stumbled and fell down the steps. "Xiao Hao, if you really found a woman... well, that's fine. Just don't... don't go getting ideas about that dog!" "..." Li Hao nearly wiped out. A martial master of the Ten-Slayer realm had just been thoroughly defeated! The old woman sounded heartbroken. "In the past, when that black dog stayed downstairs, your place was quiet. You brought it up for two days, and there's been noise late into the night... Don't think Auntie's imagining things, don't misunderstand, but really, you have to be careful. That kind of thing is truly improper!" She couldn't help but let her mind wander. Look at that: when Black Panther was outside, your apartment was dead quiet. Now that Black Panther lives with you, there's a ruckus every night. Don't you know what that looks like? "..." Li Hao practically fled upstairs in disarray, calling down quickly, "I'll take Black Panther downstairs right away! Auntie Zhang, you've really misunderstood this!" Wrongly accusing him of bringing women home was one thing, but accusing him of messing with a dog was crossing the line! "Yes, yes, that's for the best!" Auntie Zhang didn't care about anything else so long as he took the dog back down. This young lad couldn't be allowed to go astray. *** He unlocked the door. Stepped inside. Shut the door! Li Hao let out a long breath. Seeing Black Panther staring right at him, Li Hao was entirely speechless. "Did you hear that?" An elderly neighbor's combat prowess was truly formidable; even he had been scared witless. "Woof, woof, woof!" "Cut the chatter. Downstairs, back to your doghouse." "Woof, woof!" Black Panther seemed reluctant. His den had a smell to it; did it suit his current coat of fur? Just look at it: sleek and glossy. If he went down there, wouldn't the stench of that doghouse tarnish his fine coat? "Down!" Li Hao raised an eyebrow and made a gesture like smashing a stone. Black Panther understood in an instant. *The stone!* *The precious stone. Got it.* *If you're going down to get the stone, this dog is coming along.* Without waiting for Li Hao to say another word, Black Panther swiftly pushed open the door... Yes, this fellow had already learned to open doors on his own. The moment the door opened, one person and one dog hurried downstairs. The door on the second floor was already shut. Hearing the sound of Li Hao leading the dog downstairs, Auntie Zhang nodded slightly from behind her door. *Thank goodness, the boy has finally seen the error of his ways!* *** Downstairs. It wasn't too late yet, and there were still residents walking about the complex. Li Hao didn't mind. A crowd was precisely what he wanted; the Red Shadow generally didn't appear when there were many people around. "Black Panther, eat something. Where's your bowl?" Li Hao reached into the doghouse, rummaged around, and under the cover of his long sleeves, smoothly slid a piece of stone into his cuff. Having retrieved the hidden stone saber, Li Hao casually tossed the leftover food to Black Panther and murmured, "Keep watch for me. If ordinary people come by, it's fine, but if that thing shows up, remember to bark!" "Woof, woof!" Black Panther nodded, a hint of fear showing in his canine eyes. He was terrified of that thing too. Still, barking a few times was well within his abilities. Li Hao said no more and turned to head upstairs. Now that the stone saber was in hand—he had left it untouched for the past two days to avoid drawing suspicion. At present, no one could say for certain that he had taken it. That included Liu Long. Liu Long might have spotted a distinct patch in the kitchen, but he couldn't be sure Li Hao had taken anything either. Carrying the stone saber, Li Hao went upstairs and locked the door behind him. *** The stone saber had sat in the doghouse for a while, and before that, it had rested in a kitchen for many years. Li Hao felt somewhat disgusted by the grime, so he scrubbed and rinsed it several times. On the sofa. Li Hao scrutinized the stone saber, contemplating whether to soak it in water or simply absorb its energy directly. Absorbing it with the Five Animals Breathing Art ought to work, shouldn't it? If it worked for the jade sword, why wouldn't it work for the stone saber? As for the bloodline weapon his teacher had mentioned, that was only required to break the seal. What Li Hao needed wasn't to unseal the stone saber, but merely to draw out the starlight energy within it. "Absorbing that shouldn't require any specific bloodline... otherwise, Black Panther and Teacher wouldn't have been able to absorb the starlight energy from the jade sword either." That was Li Hao's judgment, though he couldn't be entirely sure if he was right. There was another point causing him hesitation. Would the energy in the stone saber be the same as that in the jade sword? Or would it be like the mysterious energy Liu Long had given him? The jade sword was exceedingly special; Yuan Shuo had made that very clear. It was extraordinarily precious. "Only one way to find out!" Empty speculation served no purpose. Li Hao's only worry was that the Red Shadow might appear while he was absorbing it. If that happened, he would be in deep trouble! "Xiao Yuan, I'll be borrowing your family's saber first. I'm using it to avenge you, so don't you mind!" Li Hao let out a soft laugh. It had been a whole year. Once the anniversary of his friend's death arrived, he would slay the Red Shadow as an offering to him! He promptly initiated the Five Animals Breathing Art, adjusting his breath with five centers facing heaven. Li Hao laid the stone saber directly against his chest. Whether it held starlight energy would become clear with a try. The next instant, a distinct surge of energy welled out from the stone saber. The Five Animals Breathing Art was undeniably the premier energy-channeling technique in the entire supernatural realm. The Energy Channeling Method Liu Long had provided seemed completely useless on both the jade sword and the stone saber. Fortunately, his teacher had imparted this technique to him. Otherwise, Li Hao would have had to do as before, soaking it in water and diluting it bit by bit to absorb it. Without the Five Animals Breathing Art, an ordinary supernatural would probably find it exceedingly difficult to draw out the special energy within these weapons, unless they stumbled upon the method of soaking them in water, in which case they might manage to use a fraction of it. Starlight shimmered! It appeared nearly identical in form to the starlight energy from the jade sword. Li Hao opened his eyes and could clearly see the energy. "It's just like the jade sword..." The moment that thought flashed through his mind, Li Hao suddenly coughed up a mouthful of fresh blood! A potent and fiercely aggressive surge of energy ran wild through his body! Li Hao's expression instantly changed! Mysterious energy! This wasn't starlight energy—it was mysterious energy! No, this was far more aggressive than ordinary mysterious energy. At that moment, Li Hao felt excruciating agony, an intense pain like knives slicing through his flesh. The energy within the stone saber was far too hostile! It was as though it had transformed into a swarm of broadswords rampaging through his flesh and meridians. This time, Li Hao experienced the very scenario Liu Long had described: when absorbing mysterious energy, many people suffered ruptured blood vessels because the impact was too violent. Yet the ferocity Li Hao was experiencing right now was at least three times stronger than the mysterious energy from earlier today! "Ah!" With a low cry, Li Hao's veins bulged outward, and several blood vessels even burst open. He hastily shifted his posture, abandoning the breathing art's absorption in an instant. In the blink of an eye, a vast amount of saber energy had entered his body, battering him relentlessly. Pain! Agonizing, unbearable pain. Li Hao had actually considered whether the energies might differ, and he had even wondered if it might be mysterious energy. But he had absorbed two units earlier that day without major trouble, and having now stepped into the Ten-Slayer realm, he was stronger than before. So he had assumed he could take it. Yet at this moment, Li Hao realized he was gravely mistaken. "Ah!" Another low roar escaped him as waves of energy continued to hammer his body. The overwhelming aggression caused his very skin to tear. Li Hao discovered that he was utterly incapable of controlling this energy, let alone assimilating it. "I'm done for..." Li Hao felt as though he was on the brink of death. The next second, an idea struck him. Struggling frantically, he grabbed the jade sword resting nearby, gripped it tightly, and rapidly channeled the Five Animals Breathing Art. He didn't know whether the starlight energy could mend the damage and neutralize this destructive force. If it couldn't, Li Hao felt he was going to die right here! It was simply too overwhelming! *Pfft!* Another blood vessel ruptured, sending a splatter of blood outward. Compared to earlier today, this was on an entirely different level. *I was too reckless!* Li Hao snapped awake inwardly. He didn't lose his head over the bursting vessels; instead, he felt a sharp wave of self-reproach and clarity. Everything had gone smoothly over the past two days. Though the Red Shadow appeared from time to time, his teacher's breakthrough to Thousand-Battler had made him careless and overly relaxed. He had jumped straight into absorbing the stone saber's energy! Even knowing that different weapons might hold different energies, he had thought he could endure it. In truth, he couldn't! *I am just an ordinary person who barely advanced to the Ten-Slayer realm thanks to Teacher. On my own... without absorbing the jade sword's energy, I might not have reached Ten-Slayer even three years from now!* *Li Hao, have you forgotten you're just an ordinary person? You need to be cautious, and then cautious again! Have you forgotten the horror of the Red Shadow? Have you forgotten that the supernatural realm is far more terrifying than you ever imagined?* He engaged in fierce self-reflection! Right now, he rapidly drew in the jade sword's energy, praying it could heal his injuries and suppress the saber energy. He had truly been too careless this time. "Draw!" With a low growl, Li Hao gritted his teeth and drove the breathing art to its utmost. A gentle current of jade sword energy swiftly flowed into his body. This warm stream washed through his entire frame. Inside him, the rampaging saber energy suddenly grew tranquil, like a subordinate bowing before a big boss, ceasing its assault on Li Hao's flesh. The next instant, the jade sword energy began repairing his blood vessels. The ruptured vessels gradually started to knit back together. His internal organs, jostled into disarray by the violent saber energy, rapidly returned to their proper places, and his injuries began to mend. Li Hao breathed a sigh of relief. He had nearly played himself to death. A slip-up amidst careful plans—at the end of the day, he had thought too highly of himself. After a moment, Li Hao resumed practicing the Five Animals Art. This time, he no longer focused on the Ape Art, but on the Bear Combat Art. The Bear Combat Art placed greater emphasis on bolstering strength and physique. It was not centered around lightness or agility. The violent impact of the saber energy signaled that this mysterious energy possessed greater offensive potency. The Tiger Combat Art was arguably more suitable, but it caused far too much commotion; the old woman downstairs would end up spreading rumors about him again. The Bear Combat Art used combat as a complement, with stability at its core. It looked clumsy, but a single palm strike could flatten even a tiger! As he performed the Bear Combat Art, Li Hao's movements were not fast, yet every step and every palm strike seemed to carry the full weight of his body. The neutralized blend of saber energy and sword energy began melding into his entire frame. Especially his limbs! At that moment, Li Hao vaguely seemed to perceive a lock once more... No, not just one lock, but chains binding him throughout his entire body! The supernatural lock! Break open the supernatural lock, and one could step into the supernatural realm. The previous time he had sensed it was when absorbing the jade sword's energy. Now, he felt it once more. These chains bound him, preventing the mysterious energy from entering certain core regions. Neither his brain nor his heart allowed these energies to surge into their depths. This meant that Li Hao could not advance to the supernatural realm for the time being; without unlocking the chains, he could only temper his physical flesh. *Boom!* Li Hao stomped lightly. He thought the movement was subtle, but the next second, the floor let out a heavy boom! His strength had grown! And it had grown by a massive margin, instantly proving too much for Li Hao to handle, slipping slightly out of his control. He had progressed far too quickly today. First, he had absorbed mysterious energy to advance. Then Yuan Shuo had broken through and forcibly dragged him through another boost. Now, he had absorbed the neutralized power of the saber and sword energies, sending his strength soaring once more. In the span of a single day, his power had likely multiplied several times over compared to yesterday. How could he not lose control! Downstairs, the old woman's shrill voice rang out: "Xiao Hao, what are you doing now? You took the dog out, so why are you at it again?" Li Hao was speechless. This had nothing to do with the dog! "Auntie, the refrigerator tipped over! I'll fix it right away!" Li Hao hollered back at the top of his lungs. Only then did quiet return downstairs. Li Hao wiped the sweat from his forehead, only to find his hand smeared with blood; his ruptured blood vessels had spilled quite a bit of blood just now. Li Hao paid it no heed and dialed back the force of his movements slightly. He used to think living here was fine. An old house held sentimental value. Yet at this moment, in the middle of his martial practice, Li Hao found his mind wandering. *If I manage to survive this... I need to get some money and upgrade to a bigger place. Ideally a standalone house. Otherwise, there's no room to practice martial arts properly. Teacher's place is so much better—a private courtyard where you can make as much racket as you want.* Of course, that was all for later. If he died at the hands of the Red Shadow, all of it would come to nothing! *Hum!* *Smack, smack, smack!* Punches and palm strikes flew. Li Hao stopped stomping. While there was still some noise, it was far quieter than before. His bones hummed, and every strike carried a muffled pop. Sinews and bones chiming in unison! Naturally, this could be suppressed. Otherwise, if a martial master made noise with every strike, an opponent could easily read their moves and counter them. It was just that right now, Li Hao struggled slightly to rein in his surging power. The sudden explosion of strength left him unable to wield it smoothly, like a child swinging a massive sledgehammer, slightly off balance. This time, Li Hao executed a full ten rounds of the Bear Combat Art. It lasted half an hour before he finally settled down. "Absorbing just a fraction took me half an hour to digest, and it felt stronger than the two units of mysterious energy from this morning..." Li Hao looked at the stone saber and the jade sword beside him, his gaze shifting subtly. "This... also seems to be an offensive type of mysterious energy! Though it differs slightly from what I absorbed this morning, it feels higher in quality." He did not continue absorbing it. Even if he absorbed it relentlessly, the conversion process took time. A few days wouldn't be enough to bring about a fundamental transformation; advancing a step forward in the Ten-Slayer realm was already plenty good. Moreover, if his strength spiked too drastically, he worried others might notice the anomaly. He needed time to digest it slowly! "I can't take more right now... but Teacher—didn't he say that advancing to the supernatural realm requires a massive amount of mysterious energy? He specifically meant the offensive kind. What about the energy in this stone saber?" Li Hao fell deep into thought. His teacher already knew about the jade sword. As for the stone saber, Li Hao hadn't brought it up, but his teacher had likely guessed. Exhaling, Li Hao decided he had to tell his teacher. He was worried that the force behind the Red Shadow was formidable beyond imagination. After all, they might have already taken the weapons of the other families. If they discovered the secret within them—even if not all held this specific mysterious energy—once harnessed, they might become even more powerful than a Solar Radiance expert! "If Teacher breaks through, he might surpass the Solar Radiance realm and truly enter the ranks of the three to five strongest people he talked about!" Li Hao took another deep breath. Under normal circumstances, he might have kept it to absorb slowly for himself. People were inherently selfish to some degree, and steadily growing stronger on one's own was a pleasure in its own right. Yet current circumstances left him no room to take his time. "I hope the energy in this can help Teacher break through... Only if he succeeds will I have a chance at a future!" At that thought, a smile broke across Li Hao's face. Just now, he had conquered the greed in his heart. Everyone had desires; no one was born a saint. But being able to see oneself clearly, peer through the fog, and resist being blinded by immediate gains—that was true success. His teacher had admitted that he too had desires. Li Hao had even sensed it earlier: when his teacher absorbed the energy from the jade sword, greed had flickered within him, yet his teacher had conquered it. Li Hao felt he had to measure up to his teacher's example! "If Teacher grows powerful, it's the same as me growing powerful. At the very least, my safety will be guaranteed for now!" With that in mind, Li Hao stopped absorbing the saber energy. He felt that continuing to absorb it now would be a waste. He might as well call Black Panther back up, absorb just a tiny bit more, and let the excess saber energy disperse so Black Panther could enjoy a taste too. Nourished by the starlight energy, Black Panther had grown plump and sturdy, living as comfortably as could be. Time to let him experience some joy! Besides, this might grant Black Panther formidable combat capabilities, which would count as another trump card for himself. Thinking of this, Li Hao grinned, a purely innocent smile! *Hound, haven't you been staring at my jade sword all day long?* *I'll let you have a good time. Let's see if you still crave the jade sword after this!* *** After washing up and cleansing the blood away, Li Hao went downstairs. He dragged the well-fed Black Panther back upstairs, keeping his movements virtually silent so the old woman wouldn't spot them and suspect what he was doing with the dog again. Black Panther was very cooperative, resigning himself to being hauled along. They entered the apartment. Li Hao wore a warm smile as he whispered, "Black Panther, I'm going to let you absorb a different kind of energy. It'll hurt a little, but once you take it in, you'll be a real black panther. At the very least, you'll be able to beat an actual panther!" Black Panther's canine eyes filled with anticipation! "Do you want to absorb it?" After a moment's thought, Li Hao gave a warning anyway. "It's somewhat painful. I absorbed a little just now, and it hurt quite a bit!" Black Panther gave him a dismissive look! *If you can take it, so can I.* *Pain?* *What is pain?* *Never heard of it!* *This dog is stout and strong now. Downstairs just a moment ago, one swipe of my paw sent a big dog yelping away. I've got what it takes!* "Are you sure you want to?" Black Panther was already growing impatient, thinking Li Hao was far too talkative tonight. "All right then!" Li Hao said no more. *I warned you in advance. Dog, enjoy yourself!* The next moment, Li Hao prepared himself. He channeled the Five Animals Breathing Art slightly, drawing in just a tiny fraction—roughly equivalent to one or two units of mysterious energy. This stuff could be sold for real money; he was treating the dog exceptionally well! Enduring the searing agony, he absorbed a sliver of jade sword energy to neutralize it, then allowed about half of the saber energy to vent outward. As for Black Panther, he lay with all four paws pointing at the ceiling—this fellow had picked up the Five Animals Breathing Art as well. In an instant, a massive rush of energy surged into Black Panther's body. "Awooo!" A bloodcurdling wail rang out in all directions! It sounded just like a wolf's howl! Downstairs, the old woman let out a heavy sigh. She glanced up at the ceiling, then over at the old man across the room, and murmured lamentingly, "That boy is beyond saving. He's messing with the dog again! If his parents were still alive, they'd have died of anger!" She was filled with sorrow, disappointed that he hadn't lived up to expectations. He had fallen! He used to be such a good student, but the moment he dropped out, he had gone bad. Was everyone at the Inspectorate like that? How terrifying! *My grandson must never join the Inspectorate in the future!* *** Li Hao had no time to worry about the old woman's thoughts. He clamped down on the dog's muzzle and hissed, "What are you howling for? If you draw that thing here, watch it eat you alive! I warned you over and over that it hurt, but you insisted on absorbing it!" "Whimper, whimper..." Tears welled up in Black Panther's eyes from the sheer agony. *Li Hao is truly no human!* *He's more of a dog than an actual dog!* *If you'd said it hurt this bad earlier, this dog wouldn't have touched it for the life of me.* "Digestion is key. What do you know? This stuff is worth a fortune! Once you absorb it, you'll be formidable. The next time you run into that thing, bite it to death in one go!" After instructing the dog, Li Hao resumed his own training. Ape Art! He had absorbed some energy as well and couldn't let it go to waste. Black Panther was in terrible pain and filled with sorrow, but there was nothing to be done now. Seeing Li Hao begin leaping about, Black Panther flailed his four limbs clumsily, wagging his tail as he practiced his own canine boxing. The Ape Art wasn't suited for him. Black Panther had tried to copy it, only to find he couldn't leap with such agility, leaving him no choice but to paddle along with his instinctual strikes—commonly known as the doggy paddle! One person and one dog set to work digesting the saber energy. The room fell silent once more. *** Outside, in the building across the street. Liu Long silently watched the tightly drawn curtains across the way. He wasn't alone; the other members of the Demon Hunting Squad were present as well. Liu Yan smiled brightly and teased, "Boss, why don't we just head over and sleep in the same bed with Li Hao..." Liu Long cast an icy glare in her direction, and Liu Yan immediately hushed. Her smile gradually faded. Liu Long said coldly, "We might suffer a defeat this time! But if we win, the gains will be immense. Among the few of us, someone is very likely to die this time. If you don't die, those who survive will have a very real chance of truly stepping into the supernatural realm!" The group fell silent. Liu Long exhaled softly. "I vaguely sense a faint fluctuation of mysterious energy around us. It isn't very strong, quite faint... but knowing we might be here, they still followed, which means they are determined to get what they want! Right now, they're waiting for the right moment!" The mastermind behind the self-immolation cases had likely realized their existence, perhaps even knowing they were watching. Yet the enemy still shadowed Li Hao, lingering not far from him. Liu Long knew that this time, they had run into a tough opponent! Beside him, the gaunt Wu Chao gave a cold, sinister chuckle. "Boss, all five times were gambles between life and death! After five missions, only the few of us are left alive! I don't want to die; I still want to advance to the supernatural realm! But if I really do die... that's fate! Boss, just give the word—how are we doing this?" The others remained silent. Liu Long took a deep breath and said in a heavy voice, "The moment the rainy season arrives, have Li Hao go to the outskirts. There's a large warehouse out there; that's where the final battle will take place! The other party thinks that being a supernatural makes them above all consequences, fearless of everything... Then let's show them that the Demon Hunting Squad is not to be trifled with!" With that, he looked at the others, suddenly clenching his fist, his voice deep and solemn: "We act in the name of justice, slaying demons to uphold the Dao!" It was an utterly dramatic oath! Yet in the next moment, even Yun Yao clenched and raised her fist alongside the rest, chiming in with a low chant: "We act in the name of justice, slaying demons to uphold the Dao!" At that moment, a sacred radiance seemed to shine upon the faces of the five! Demon hunters, slaying demons to uphold the Dao!