Chapter 148 — Civil Strife

Upon Mingli's demon staff, besides the Blood-Devouring Bead, that most inauspicious of objects, the shaft itself was the Soul-Stealer—the very ancestor and natural bane of such ghostly sorcery. Years ago, when the old Blood-Devouring Demon had ambushed him—then still Zhang Qingyue—with a skeleton formation, it had suffered greatly on this account.

Chuwu had plainly not expected these people to break its sorcery so easily, and was momentarily stunned. And at that very moment, Mr. Ghost's casting was complete. His arms suddenly shook, and a red light descended from the sky—it was the Crouching Dragon Cauldron, which he had summoned. In an instant the sky was a sheet of crimson, and within the red light came faint cries of birds and the lowing of oxen, mournful and shrill, its power seeming even greater than before.

The red light fell like a curtain, enveloping Chuwu at once. Chuwu felt as if a great mountain had in a twinkling pressed down upon it, so that it could scarcely breathe. But the beast demons of the southern border were ever fierce by nature; trapped in adversity, Chuwu only grew more furious, roaring and struggling desperately.

At that moment a figure flashed above the Crouching Dragon Cauldron. The King of Hell descended from the sky, plummeting down through the red light like lightning.

Chuwu seemed to sense it and looked up in fury, but the King of Hell was already above its head. He gave a long cry, and the red light quivered and dazzled the eye, so that those outside could not clearly see what passed within. Vaguely they glimpsed the King of Hell's figure flickering, and suddenly an object appeared in his hand, trailing auspicious qi as it smote straight down, striking Chuwu on the crown of its head.

Chuwu's body convulsed violently, trembling from head to toe. After a moment the red light gradually quieted, and the mysterious object in the King of Hell's hand vanished. But Chuwu's fur, once lustrous, suddenly dimmed, and blood flowed from all seven orifices of its tiger head. The King of Hell gave a long laugh, and his right hand plunged down, thrusting savagely into Chuwu's hard skull.

Chuwu let out an earth-shaking roar, swayed a few times, and at last collapsed, unable to hold itself up.

Note 1: From the Classic of Mountains and Seas, "Within the Seas, North": In the land of Lin there is a rare beast, large as a tiger, of five colors complete, its tail longer than its body. It is called Chuwu; riding it, one may travel a thousand li in a day.

Another note: From the "Beast Demons" chapter of the Records of Gods and Demons: In the southern border of the Divine Land there is a strange beast, shaped like a tiger, its fur of five colors and its tail long, which commands the hundred beasts and is called the King of a Hundred Beasts.