Monster Chronicles: My Daoist Skill Comes from Mythology-Chapter 279 - 251: The Fall of Shenzhou, Refiner Qualifications.

Chapter 279: Chapter 251: The Fall of Shenzhou, Refiner Qualifications.

The heavens spun, the earth shifted, stars turned, and constellations moved.

[World]: Golden Demon

[Thirty-Six Heavens]: Spirit Realm

[Time Flow Speed]: One day to thirty days.

[Descent]: Soul

[Type]: Near Ancient Myths, Central Plains Myth, Witch Ghost Myth.

[System]: Monster Chronicles Divine System

[Karma Effect Cycle]: None.

Hua!

Song Lin appeared by the riverbank.

It was dusk, the sky darkened gradually, and the water surface was calm and tranquil.

Song Lin stood by the water, lost in thought. The time flow here was slower, one day equaling a month.

And then there was the Monster Chronicles Divine System.

The defining trait of the Monster Chronicles Divine System was collapse.

It lacked a system of deities to maintain order. Although gods from Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism existed, they were obscured.

This world might be even more chaotic than the ones he’d experienced before.

There were even demons ruling the Mortal World, with Ghost Kings from various factions embroiled in violent conflicts.

In summary, this was an extremely chaotic world.

As he mused, a sudden cry was heard ahead.

On the opposite riverbank, flames raged into the sky.

Ahead, panicked refugees fled desperately toward the river.

Behind them were barbarian soldiers with darkened skin, shiny foreheads, and braided hair trailing from the back of their skulls.

They drew their bows and fired. A torrent of arrows fell, leaving many civilians dead or injured.

Then they pulled out muskets from their waists.

Bang!

Amidst the smoke, more people fell dead.

Song Lin turned his head to witness this grisly scene.

The barbarian cavalry seemed to be human-shaped killing machines.

Several identically dressed guards escorted a cloaked woman to the riverbank, yet they couldn’t hold out anymore.

"Heh heh, little miss, just come with me obediently."

Twelve cavalrymen approached step by step, their leader surprisingly fluent in the Han language.

The black hood fell back, revealing a sharp, heroic yet delicate face.

The woman’s beautiful eyes brimmed with fury as she stared at the leader’s bluish scalp and coldly sneered:

"So, it’s a Han. Have you taken to imitating barbarians as well?"

The leader did not reply but instead grinned lecherously. "Still mouthing off at death’s door. If not for the General’s command to capture you alive, I’d have let my brothers have some fun today. Get her!"

The barbarian soldiers urged their horses into the water.

The woman showed no fear. She pulled out a hairpin and stabbed toward her neck.

Better to die than fall into their hands!

Whoosh!

Sword Qi whistled, leaving a pale streak in the air.

Bang! Bang!

The heads of the cavalrymen fell one after another, blood spraying a full zhang high.

The cavalry leader was lucky, falling off his horse instead of dying. He pulled a fire tube from his waist, lit the fuse, and aimed at the lake surface.

The woman instinctively looked toward the water’s surface.

The two caught a harrowing sight.

A young Taoist in a purple robe stood on the pitch-black lake.

His black hair was tied with a jade pin as he walked upon the waves.

"What kind of demon are you?! If you come any closer, I’ll shoot!"

The leader sat paralyzed on the ground, inching back with trembling legs while pointing his gun at the enigmatic figure on the lake.

"Go ahead, try it..."

Song Lin reached the riverbank, his shoes unsullied by the water.

Bang!

The musket fired, releasing a bullet.

The bullet froze mid-air as it neared Song Lin.

Swoosh!

The bullet rebounded, piercing the leader’s forehead.

His face froze in disbelief as death claimed him.

The woman cautiously stepped forward, bowing her head in gratitude.

"Thank you, Immortal, for saving me."

"A trifling act. What is this year?"

"It’s the thirty-fifth year of Dàtǒng."

The woman thought to herself: Could this Immortal have been in seclusion and remains unaware of worldly affairs?

A short exchange made Song Lin realize where he was.

This was Shenzhou, and "Dàtǒng" was the era name of the Lii Dynasty, with the Zhu clan as the imperial family.

However, Emperor Dàtǒng had hanged himself in the Capital fifteen years ago.

Most of the land was now under the rule of the Jing Country barbarians.

The Jing Man claimed to be descendants of the Jin Country. After founding their state, they renamed it Da Jing for distinction.

In the mortal world, they were scornfully referred to as the Golden Demons.

The barbarians had moved into the Central Plains, enforced hair-shaving decrees and clothing changes, and met any rebellion with massacres, turning the land into rivers of blood and heaps of carnage.

The woman’s name was Gongsun Jiuniang. Her father had been a magistrate of the previous dynasty. Refusing to serve the Jing Country and mocking them in his poetry, he had invited disaster; over a hundred members of their family were slaughtered by the barbarian blade, leaving only Gongsun Jiuniang to survive.

"Gongsun Jiuniang? Address me as Donghua Taoist."

Song Lin used the Qi Observation Technique to study the woman.

A purplish noble aura enveloped her.

This aura appeared only around royals or princess-level individuals—not just the daughter of an ordinary magistrate.

Gongsun... Jiuniang.

Song Lin began to discern her true identity.

"Where do you intend to go?"

"I plan to head to Jinguan City."

Jinguan City served as the capital of the Southern Lii Dynasty.

Da Jing ruled most of Shenzhou, leaving resistance forces scattered across Lingnan Fuzhou and Southwest Fuzhou.

Both sides had declared themselves emperors, resulting in a tri-emperor schism across Shenzhou.

Yet, discerning minds knew that Da Jing would ultimately prevail.

For twenty years since Jing Country’s establishment, its rulers had sought capable men and women, paving the way for future prosperity.

Meanwhile, the northern families had mostly adopted the hair-shaving and dressed in Jing styles, acclimating quickly to the new status quo.

"Alright, let’s go to Shu Country then."

Song Lin chuckled lightly, summoning a cloud beneath his feet.

"Step on."

Curious and hesitant, Gongsun Jiuniang tentatively stepped onto the cloud, fearing it might not bear her weight.

The cloud carried the two steadily upward.

Rumble! Rumble! Rumble!

Ahead, a series of deafening roars echoed.

No! Those were not thunderclaps!

Gongsun Jiuniang peered ahead to find thousands of barbarian soldiers charging on horseback. At least seven thousand strong, flying a blue banner.

"Oh no, that’s the Barbarian Banner Soldiers under the Blue Banner—led by a prince, at least!"

"A prince?"

Using the Qi Observation Technique, Song Lin detected a mixture of black and red-yellow aura within the army.

Dragon Qi. Indeed, a contender for supremacy.

The black-red hues arose from excessive slaughter, a miasma born of countless resentful souls.

Additionally, Song Lin sensed pervasive demon energy.

It was exactly as he suspected—men and demons cohabiting!

"Taoist, let’s flee! Soon, we might not have the chance!"

Barbarian Banner Soldiers, renowned for their lethality, could annihilate an army of 100,000 Southern soldiers with their nearly 10,000 warriors.

"Haha, no need to flee. Let them come closer."

Song Lin not only stood his ground but radiated golden light.

Eight divine swords appeared, arrayed in the four cardinal directions.

The barbarians froze, some nearly kneeling in terror upon seeing this scene.

However, seasoned soldiers of the Banner Regiment, driven by Prince Rong’s shouts, regained their composure.

Within the Central Army, a young man in blue armor lifted his gaze skyward.

He stood accompanied by ten Jialaezhen towering three zhang, clad entirely in iron armor.

"Fire the bloodletting arrows!" Prince Rong sneered.

He issued the command, and the cavalry arched their bows.

As thousands of arrows descended, a colossal skeletal head loomed in mid-air.

These were no ordinary arrows but forged from the blood of living souls, crafted to counter Taoist techniques and sorcery.

At that very moment, the divine swords erupted in dazzling light, transforming into eight colossal mountain-like blades.

Spring, summer, autumn, and winter—the seasons collided in their primal forms of life, fire, death, and frost.

Wind, flowers, snow, and moon—the elements surged as gales, toxins, snowstorms, and serene moonlight intertwined.

The eight phenomena spun and converged, shredding everything in their path.

Boom!

The rain of arrows disintegrated into ash.

The sword light swept across the army of elite soldiers.

One by one, the eight phenomena unleashed their fury.

The earth sprouted razor-sharp vines, skewering their targets. Fiery flames devoured the rest, while life-draining energy drained vitality. Frost and gales claimed the others...

By the time the assault ended, the barbarian soldiers had been annihilated.

Only Prince Rong remained, staggering in his escape.

Swoosh!

The Yin Yang Transformation Wheel hovered in midair.

Prince Rong was instantly turned to ash.

The Wheel spun a final time, carving away three chi of earth in all directions and leaving no trace of bones or corpses before halting.

Gongsun Jiuniang, witnessing this spectacle, parted her lips, stunned speechless with incredulity.

What kind of Immortal was this?!

Could he be the Heaven Slaying War God descending from the Nine Heavens?

In popular tales, Immortals would merely meander through the Mortal World, bantering and dispensing minor displays of magic to awaken mortals. Who ever heard of one unleashing mass slaughter at first sight, erasing tens of thousands at once?

He had obliterated an entire Barbarian Banner.

It was likely the most catastrophic loss for the Golden Demons in decades.

For Gongsun Jiuniang, the sight was immensely satisfying.

At long last, the barbarians had tasted the same carnage they so often wrought upon others.

Soon, Song Lin and Gongsun Jiuniang departed from the scene.

Shortly after, streaks of sword light hovered in the void.

"All wiped out? Impossible!"

An elegant cultivator dressed in a riding coat appeared amidst the sword light.

Handsome in appearance and seemingly in his twenties or thirties, his true age was indeterminable, given cultivators’ longevity.

Though pleasing to the eye, his bald head and trailing braid completely ruined his distinguished image.

The Sword Immortal gazed upon the sunken terrain spanning several li, his eyes brimming with irrepressible shock.

What divine being could obliterate tens of thousands so effortlessly?

Was it a Southern Dynasty recluse?

That seemed implausible as well.

Masters of such prowess would either have aligned with Da Jing or declared neutrality.

Moreover, this method of slaughter conflicted with what one might expect from any known master.

"Forget it. I leave this for the Sect Leader to decide."

The Sword Immortal flicked his braid before riding his sword back toward the Capital.

Song Lin crossed the war-ravaged Han Zhong region, arriving in a small county within Shu lands.

The sights along the way were grim: fields littered with white bones, livelihoods devastated, and official roads ruined beyond repair.

Border towns were ablaze with constant warfare. More often than not, it was the Han taking the beating or stubbornly defending walls.

At the current trajectory, resistance would likely hold for only two or three more years.

Once key passes were breached, the invasion of Shu would become a simple matter.

Considering the inclusion of demons or cultivators in the mix, perhaps half a year?

A nation’s destiny could crumble this swiftly.

Sitting back and defending Shu and Lingnan seemed a far-fetched dream.

In a town inn, merchants occupied corner tables in groups of twos and threes, mostly sipping tea silently with furrowed brows. Familiar traders conversed quietly, lamenting the despair of these turbulent times.

Gongsun Jiuniang, cloaked, refrained from revealing her true appearance.

At this moment, an old man entered, leading five sheep to the stable. He instructed the waiter to secure the lambs carefully, explicitly forbidding them from drinking water.

Such an odd request puzzled the waiter, but he complied without questioning.

"Let’s go. It’s about time to move out."

With a cold chuckle, Song Lin shook his head, placed a silver fragment on the table, and stood up.

"Oh, sure..."

Hurriedly setting down her teacup, Gongsun Jiuniang stood, causing her hood to slip, revealing her radiant complexion.

Within the teahouse, onlookers’ eyes brightened, feeling as though the room had been lit anew.

Such a stunning beauty!

A glint of avarice flashed across the eyes of the old shepherd.

This woman should fetch quite a fortune.

The man beside her, however, seemed inconsequential—clearly weak and defenseless.

At that moment, Song Lin approached the old man.

"Old man, you’re quite audacious, aren’t you?"

The old shepherd feigned ignorance, smiling obsequiously. "Anything I can do for you, my lord?"

"Nothing much. I just want to kill you!"

Before he finished speaking, Song Lin raised a finger.

Thud, thud!

The old man’s head fell, blood splattering the ground.

"Murder! Somebody stop him!"

"Help!"

The horrific scene left onlookers paralyzed with fear.

"Taoist, you..."

Gongsun Jiuniang was about to speak when she saw the lambs outside the door transform into tattered-clad women.

Witchcraft?

"That old man was a demon practitioner!"

No wonder the Immortal killed him.

Gongsun Jiuniang instantly understood.

By the time the crowd calmed down, the two, along with the women on the ground, had disappeared without a trace.

The old man’s corpse was later hung at the city gates as a warning to others.

The tale of Song Lin and Gongsun Jiuniang traveling the land in righteous vengeance was passed down for centuries.

Above the clouds, Gongsun Jiuniang couldn’t help but ask, "Taoist, what will we do after reaching Jinguan City?"

The world was far from peaceful, and when the Golden Demons attacked again, where would they go?

"We’ll settle here. I plan to restore order to the land!" Song Lin said.

"Are you going to aid Emperor Shu, Taoist?"

"Who said anything about helping him? Why can’t I restore it myself?"

That muddle-headed ruler was no different from those in the north.

He merely bore the name of Han.

Slay the barbarians first, then kill the Zhu!

......

Meanwhile, within the Taoist School, senior members were embroiled in heated debates.

The subject of contention was naturally Zhi Xin.

Zhi Xin’s teachings had landed like an explosive bombshell.

It overturned the established system of the Mei Hua Divination preached by Master Mei Hua.

Song Lin was also a minor focal point of contention among them.

The key issue was whether this individual qualified as a Refiner.

......

(Requesting monthly votes—nearly forty today.)

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