In the days that followed, Lu Yu purchased the items he needed and left Wan City. On the outskirts in a cave of West Mountain, he built a hut to dwell in, practicing the techniques he acquired from books and simultaneously waiting for the arrival of the escapee Demon Soul.
On this morning, the sun was already high in the sky. Lu Yu held a talisman he had drawn himself, bit open his middle finger, and gently wiped it across the talisman.
"Swift!" As soon as the word left his mouth, the talisman ignited without flame, and instantaneously, a bolt of lightning struck the ground seven steps in front of Lu Yu, leaving behind a shallow pit.
"Phew! I finally succeeded. If it didn't work this time, my purse would have been completely empty!" Lu Yu looked at the pit before him and heaved a deep sigh.
He had spent nearly all of his time these past few days on inscribing talismans, utilizing countless materials, but finally, he grasped the key points of talisman inscription and made a truly functional talisman.
The warnings of the Flying Sword became more frequent in recent days. Lu Yu knew that the day the Demon would come knocking was drawing near. Thus, he had to enhance his abilities by any means possible and couldn't place all his hopes on the Flying Sword alone.
It was also because the Swordsmanship he'd cultivated wasn't orthodox; at present, he could barely execute the Flying Sword Technique twice, and any more would harm his foundation, a loss outweighing any gain.
As Lu Yu had anticipated, that night was enveloped by heavy clouds and the ferocious wind swept across the forest sea, making waves of sound. Seeing that a torrential rain was about to fall, it seemed to confirm the old saying: "A storm is brewing, and the wind is building strength!"
Lu Yu sat upright in his cave, having done all he could to prepare for everything. If he still wasn't a match for the Demon, then he would have to resign to fate.
Before long, the voice that he had heard in the dilapidated temple echoed in his ears once more—he knew that the long-awaited Demon had arrived!
There was no nervousness or fear as imagined, but rather a sense of relief as if a heavy stone had finally been lifted from his heart.
Approaching the entrance of the cave, he caught sight of the Demon. Its body was as dark as ink, practically invisible in the night, but the demonic glow in its red eyes and red beak drew attention. Upon closer inspection, black feathers covered its body! Lu Yu surmised that the Demon's current form was most likely related to its Remnant Soul possessing a Red-Beaked Crow.
To his relief, it seemed that the Demon, having been severely damaged previously, had lost most of its sanity and now bore no resemblance to its former sly and cunning visage!
With this in mind, Lu Yu felt steadier; a demon that had lost its sanity wasn't as difficult to deal with as he had imagined.
When the Demon caught sight of Lu Yu, hatred immediately filled its spirit, and its form radiated a dangerous red light. It let out a cackling laugh and rushed at Lu Yu with incredible speed.
However, before it could reach the mouth of the cave, a bolt of thunder descended from the sky, striking it squarely on the head. The presence of the Demon weakened in an instant. Heavenly Thunder was the bane of evil beings, and had the thunder not been summoned by Lu Yu using a talisman with limited power, that single bolt would have been enough to claim the Demon's life.
Seeing that the Demon wasn't killed by the thunderbolt, Lu Yu gave a silent sigh of relief. It was fortunate he hadn't been complacent and had prepared thoroughly; otherwise, considering the Demon's condition, it might've found some way to boost its power.
What Lu Yu didn't know was that, after the Demon Remnant Soul fled from Yan Dan and possessed a Red-Beaked Crow, it had escaped westward until it landed at a farmer's household, where it killed all eight family members. Using their vengeful energy, it reconstituted its Ghostly Body. Although this technique allowed it to regain some strength, the overwhelming vengeful energy robbed it of what little sanity remained, turning it into a bloodthirsty monster.
The only thought remaining deep in its mind was the deep-seated hatred for Lu Yu and Yan Dan. Yan Dan had already returned to his sect, and with the Demon's ability, it couldn't find him; therefore, Lu Yu, being closest, became the target of its vengeance.
The Demon, struck by Heavenly Thunder and now even more savage and terrifying, had hateful blood-red eyes and seemed heedless of its own wounded body, charging mindlessly toward Lu Yu's location.
As it approached Lu Yu's cave abode, a basin of black dog's blood was poured down upon it from above.
The moment the black dog's blood touched the Demon's body, it was as if a basin of water had been thrown onto a fierce blaze. Copious amounts of white smoke rose instantly, mixed with the Demon's piercing screams.
Although Lu Yu had always heard that black dog's blood was extremely effective against ghostly entities, he had not expected it to be this powerful.
Seeing the Demon in excruciating pain, Lu Yu naturally wouldn't miss such a golden opportunity. He waited for the right moment, and his Flying Sword instantly shot out.
The bright sword light flashed and vanished in an instant, and in a split second, it had already arrived in front of the Demon. There was no doubt that this strike would hit its mark.
A mournful scream caused Lu Yu to feel dizzy and his head to throb. He could feel that his Flying Sword seemed to have stabbed into a morass, engulfed by mud, unable to move in the slightest.
The only thing that comforted him was that even though the Flying Sword did not kill the Demon, after these several assaults the Demon was already at the end of its strength. Lu Yu thus took out his final technique.
He pulled out an Ebony Plaque from his bosom, bit open his own middle finger, and smeared his fresh blood onto the plaque. He silently chanted a spell and shouted, "Quickly!"
The Ebony Plaque flew to midair, and suddenly a strong suction force emerged from it. The Demon seemed to sense that the situation was dire. In a moment of crisis, it actually regained its senses and immediately attempted to flee.
However, it was already far too weak to resist the power of the technique to confine and command spirits, and could only be slowly pulled into the Ebony Plaque amidst its unwillingness.
Lu Yu watched as the last bit of the Demon's body was pulled into the plaque, and he finally breathed a sigh of relief, his legs gave way, and he involuntarily sat down on the ground.
What followed was a surge of joy, "Hahaha!" Lu Yu couldn't help but laugh out loud.
Ever since he had arrived in this world, the Demon had always been a sword hanging over his head. Lu Yu did not know when it would strike at him, and over time it seemed to become his Heart Demon, sometimes appearing in his dreams to devour him bite by bite.
Now that the Demon had been subdued, Lu Yu felt a sense of peace and joy wash over him, as if a huge weight had been lifted from his shoulders.
"I can finally take a good look at this beautiful landscape!" Lu Yu said to himself happily.
After a while, Lu Yu finally calmed his excited emotions and had the chance to assess his gains from this battle.
What used to be an entirely black Ebony Plaque had now turned a dark red color, resembling the finest redwood, and gradually a human figure emerged on the surface that was once smooth, though it was still too blurry to distinguish whether it was a man or a woman.
Lu Yu knew that the first step of commanding his Dharma Protector Spirit had been achieved. Since this ghostly entity was transformed from a Demon Remnant Soul, it should be stronger than a protector formed from ordinary souls and spirits.
The reason it was still blurred and genderless was that he had not yet nourished it with the energy of incense. The Dharma Protector Spirit was still unborn, and his heart held a bit of anticipation; he did not know what his protector would look like or what kind of Divine Skills it would possess.
Touching his empty pockets, Lu Yu sighed involuntarily. This Dharma Protector Spirit was also going to be quite the expense.