Chapter 36: The Fall of the Living
The lights flickered.
Li Zhen, standing before the Demonic Statue, seed to have turned into a motionless sculpture himself.
Only the Red-Eyed Bat occasionally let out faint “squeak-squeak” sounds within the room.
The expression on the Six-Ard Demonic Statue’s face appeared even more grotesque.
……
When daylight broke outside, the Red-Eyed Bat struggled to rise from the congealed black blood. Its two blood-colored eyes opened wide, and its body’s faint crimson fur flared out, emanating an overbearing and savage aura.
The ferocious face on its back looked lifelike, as though a real face was embedded in its skin, making it appear even more nacing.
Like yawning, it opened its mouth wide, revealing two sharp fangs.
“Squeak!”
With that shrill cry, all the ceramic vessels holding offerings in the room shattered one after another.
A sinister gleam flashed in the eyes of the Six-Ard Demonic Statue as it began to shake violently. From within ca indistinct, eerie murmurs.
With a flap of its wings, the Red-Eyed Bat vanished.
When it reappeared, it was perched atop the head of the Six-Ard Demonic Statue, its massive wings completely covering the statue’s head.
Its pair of blood-glowing red eyes scanned the surroundings, as though surveying its domain.
The Six-Ard Demonic Statue ceased trembling.
Then, the bat’s gaze settled on Li Zhen, and the blood-colored glow in its eyes surged once more.
At that mont, Li Zhen slowly opened his eyes.
Within his pupils, one could clearly see the bat-faced visage of the Six-Ard Demonic Statue.
Not the form obscured by the Red-Eyed Bat’s wings—but the complete, unhidden face of the bat.
At this mont, the aura emanating from Li Zhen was astonishingly similar to that radiating from the statue of the Six-Ard, Bat-Faced Demon God.
Even a glance at Li Zhen was enough to sense pure wickedness and malevolence from him.
It was as if he himself was the embodint of “evil,” constantly emanating his unmasked malice in every direction.
Any human being would instinctively feel disgust and fear toward such an aura.
But not the Red-Eyed Bat. Instead, it felt even closer to Li Zhen.
Silently flapping its wings, it flew onto Li Zhen’s outstretched right hand.
Its fierce, blood-red eyes t Li Zhen’s malicious gaze.
Their sights intertwined—and Li Zhen could clearly sense the creature’s will submitting to him.
This ti, Li Zhen did not feel even a trace of oppression from the Red-Eyed Bat.
He reached out with his other hand and gently stroked its head.
The Red-Eyed Bat shook its head slightly but did not resist.
“We are both unaccepted by the world… perhaps, fellow sufferers?” Li Zhen rasped as he looked into the bat’s eyes.
The Red-Eyed Bat’s eyes had changed greatly from before. Within them, endless streaks of bloodlight flickered, and anyone who looked too long would have their mind drawn into the depths.
The “Devourer of Ghosts” record only ntioned that the bat would transform upon devouring Evil Spirits—the more malevolent the spirit, the higher the chance of transformation. But it never stated that after transforming, the Red-Eyed Bat would gain new abilities.
Perhaps that was because Ma Gusu’s faction had never allowed the creature to consu truly terrifying spirits… or perhaps because the inheritance Li Zhen obtained was incomplete…
As long as it devoured more powerful Evil Spirits, it would surely undergo even greater changes…
The Red-Eyed Bat brushed itself against Li Zhen’s arm affectionately.
Its eyes had no effect on Li Zhen.
After visualizing the Demonic God, sothing within Li Zhen’s mind and consciousness had subtly changed.
It was said that bats symbolized the Hour of the Rat—an hour belonging to the elent of Water—thus, bats were linked with the nature of water.
According to the thod of Spirit Preservation written by Master Danyang, Li Zhen visualized the Six-Ard, Bat-Faced Demonic God—corresponding to the Kidneys, which belonged to Water and Yin—transforming his kidneys into the Six-Ard Demon, settling it within his Dantian.
He already had so mysterious and profound connection with the Demonic Statue, so his practice of visualization encountered no barriers. It was effortless for him to draw the image of the Six-Ard Demon within his consciousness.
Human imagination was not enduring—once attention shifted, the conceived image would naturally fade.
But Li Zhen was different.
Even when he was not deliberately visualizing the Six-Ard Demon, its vague image persisted in his mind, unable to be erased.
This feeling made Li Zhen uneasy…
Yet, his consciousness was undeniably ascending in so inexplicable way.
It seed to be an essential elevation beyond words.
As the visualization deepened, this change would surely beco more evident.
The link between Li Zhen and the Red-Eyed Bat, once interrupted, had now reford—stronger than ever.
With but a single thought, Li Zhen could perceive the bat’s sensations.
This change made him subconsciously look down upon the creature—as if, no matter what he commanded, the Red-Eyed Bat would never refuse.
Immortals and gods…
Recalling the earlier events, Li Zhen let out a low laugh.
To alter one’s fate, one must pay an unimaginable price.
Li Zhen had already been ntally prepared for that.
But only now did he realize—that preparation had not been enough.
The price he would have to pay was far beyond his imagination.
Yet, as long as he could live, what did it matter how great the price was?
It can finally begin…
Setting the Red-Eyed Bat aside, Li Zhen picked up the small piece of banyan wood from the altar and began carving with a knife.
Half an hour later, a small figurine gradually took shape.
After wiping his sweat, Li Zhen swallowed a few painkillers and continued carving.
Another half hour passed, and the rough figurine already resembled Li Zhen by nearly half.
For Li Zhen’s skill level, being able to carve to such a degree was already beyond his limits.
His hands had never been this steady before.
Wherever he wished the blade to move, it obeyed precisely, not deviating even a hair’s breadth.
This unprecedented sensation fascinated him deeply.
Was this the result of his altered consciousness?
After finishing the little figurine, Li Zhen did not feel much fatigue.
He wrote his birth date and ti on a piece of paper and pasted it onto the figurine’s back.
Then, he cut off so of his own hair, burned it to ashes, and placed it in a small cup.
Grasping the Red-Eyed Bat, he pierced its heart with a needle and drew several drops of its heart’s blood.
The Red-Eyed Bat shrieked in pain but did not resist—it didn’t even dare bare its fangs.
Li Zhen mixed the bat’s heart blood and the corpse fluid from the altar into the cup, then used tweezers to pick several maggots from the beef offering and tossed them in.
“……Blood congeals, soul hollowed. By black hair as guide, by heart’s blood as vow……”
As his low, sinister incantation echoed, Li Zhen brushed the liquid from the cup onto the banyan-wood figurine.
“The living fall to earth, rotting flesh unending. Evil bat cries, the moon’s shadow fades…… By this curse, perish yet not die……”
The entire process of the Corpse Descent would last for seven cycles of seven days—forty-nine days in total.
If the Head-Descending Master so desired, the process could be extended, allowing the Corpse Descent to unfold step by step.
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