Monster Chronicles: My Daoist Skill Comes from Mythology
Chapter 127 - 123: The Ninth Ghost meets their end, ultimately becoming the temple master! (2/3)

Chapter 127: Chapter 123: The Ninth Ghost meets their end, ultimately becoming the temple master! (2/3)

Crash!

Song Lin took out the jade ring, which ascended into the sky and emitted a radiant golden light. Within the light appeared a humanoid figure.

A colossal dharma image, a hundred zhang tall, formed in the heavens.

Its hair, like emerald flames; its body, carved ebony; its eyes, twin torches—it resembled the dignified deity worshipped in ancient temples.

This was the Chi Hai Scripture Master, and beside him stood a white-haired youth.

Jiuyou’s heart shattered upon witnessing the scene before him.

"Jiuyou, I never expected you to fall into demonic ways." The Green Flame Candle Fire Dharma Form spoke with a voice like resonant bells and drums.

"No!!" Jiuyou denied it, shouting, "I have merely practiced demonic techniques, but I have not truly transformed into an evil demon!"

The rules of the Heaven and Earth Xuanmen Alliance dictate that there is no inherent distinction between righteousness and evil.

As long as you remain human and your soul is still human, it doesn’t matter what demonic techniques you cultivate—even if you transform yourself into something neither human nor ghost.

"It’s futile; you are already a demon, merely masquerading in human form." Song Lin laughed.

"Jiuyou, I misjudged you. Not only have you willingly degenerated, but you’ve also joined the Demon Sect."

As Chi Hai spoke, the candle flame atop his head split into a hundred-zhang Azure Dragon.

The dragon roared as it charged toward Jiuyou.

"Impossible!"

On the brink of death, Jiuyou still remained defiant. He commanded eleven ghosts and gods to ascend into the air as shields, while he accelerated toward Song Lin.

Jiuyou could not defeat Chi Hai; after all, his Golden Core was incomplete.

Chi Hai, on the other hand, was a true Core Formation expert, boasting a high-quality, flawless Golden Core.

But Jiuyou could still deal with Song Lin.

In an instant, Jiuyou darted to Song Lin’s side.

With his mana excessively depleted, Jiuyou could no longer suppress his inner demon nature. His head sprouted ram horns, and his hands transformed into claws.

Giving up his role as temple master was a small price to pay.

As long as he could seize Song Lin’s body and take it over, he could surely rise again in the future.

"Song Lin, fellow Taoist!!" Hua Qing exclaimed in alarm, rushing for aid, but it was already too late.

Song Lin faced the advancing Jiuyou without the slightest trace of panic; everything had proceeded as he anticipated.

Jiuyou wasn’t wrong—Song Lin truly had no True Qi at the moment.

But that didn’t mean he couldn’t recover.

Within his Dantian, a sprawling network of roots twisted together to form a tumor-like structure.

Boom!

At that moment, the tumor burst open, releasing a surge of True Qi.

Demon Seed Sky Filling Technique!

The previously stored True Qi instantly restored him to his peak state.

Crack!

Jiuyou’s demonic claws struck the glowing golden light, triggering five bolts of thunder to descend from the Five Thunders Heavenly Master Order.

Boom!

The thunder exploded, allowing Song Lin to propel himself a hundred zhang away using the impact.

Jiuyou was charred black by the lightning.

Simultaneously, the Green Flame Dragon devoured the ghosts and gods before diving into Jiuyou’s Dantian. A loud crack resounded as the Green Flame Candle Fire—one of the deadliest poisons—reduced Jiuyou’s Dantian to ashes.

"Ahhh!!"

Jiuyou bled from every orifice, letting out an anguished cry to the heavens.

He was filled with hatred!

Hatred for the unfair heavens, hatred for Song Lin’s despicable tricks, hatred for Chi Hai’s meddling.

With the last sliver of his strength, Jiuyou transformed into a green tunneling light and fled.

If he escaped this time, he vowed to dismember everyone present into pieces one day.

Song Lin pursued him relentlessly.

Boom!

Lightning struck Jiuyou’s back.

The figure wobbled and fell before rising again to continue fleeing.

Boom!

Boom!

This happened three, five times over, until Chi Hai and Hua Qing ceased their pursuit, observing that Jiuyou was barely holding on.

Soon, Song Lin intercepted Jiuyou above Hidden Sword Manor.

Below, tens of thousands of people, including the disciples of Xuanke Temple, clearly witnessed everything unfolding in the sky.

Song Lin, impeccably dressed, radiated righteousness and integrity.

Jiuyou, however, had transformed into a demonic creature—only his head retained its human appearance.

Seeing the crowd below, Jiuyou understood. His rage faded, leaving only profound sorrow as he said, "To kill the body is one thing, but to destroy the soul is far worse."

Song Lin intended to use his head to cement his reputation.

"Master, this is the last time I will call you master. Long ago, you aligned yourself with demons, tried to seize your disciples’ bodies. When Ziyuan realized your true, vile face, he rebelled. Then you targeted Shi Yinhua, and once you saw my cultivation advancing rapidly, you chose me as your next prey."

"I revered you, took you as my role model. If not for Chi Hai Taoist’s timely intervention, I would’ve been a victim of your demonic claws. Such a heartless, unjust person—I sever the bond between master and disciple with you today!!"

Song Lin stood upright and resolute, his voice booming for all to hear.

Killing Jiuyou was fine, but he had to sever their master-disciple ties publicly and frame Jiuyou as a demon who took him as a pupil, instead of being his original human mentor—this was a deliberate ploy.

"Haha!" Jiuyou laughed bitterly.

Song Lin stepped forward, gripping the fire sword. The treasured blade descended slowly.

He murmured, "Jiuyou, your character is vile. You allowed disciples to fight amongst themselves for your own power, creating a tragic cycle of master killing disciple. You corrupted the Taoist Temple with demonic influence, turning it into a cesspool."

"From now on, I shall take the position of temple master and rejuvenate Xuanke Temple."

"Haha, such ambition. Once, I too thought like that, but I was ultimately consumed by the environment. Do you dare risk universal condemnation?"

Jiuyou laughed recklessly, tears streaming down his face.

After all, who wasn’t once a hopeful youth?

It’s easy to utter grand declarations—true character is revealed through action.

When Song Lin becomes temple master and faces endless nauseating dilemmas and partisan intrigues devoid of morality, he will understand the reality of this world.

"Of course."

The sword fell, decapitating Jiuyou.

Song Lin remained steadfast in his beliefs. In some ways, he and Wang Qii shared similarities.

"We shall see." Jiuyou’s severed head uttered this final phrase before closing its eyes forever.

Moments later, Hua Qing and the restored human form of Chi Hai Scripture Master arrived.

"Song Lin, fellow Taoist, it turns out you were telling the truth." Hua Qing still struggled to believe.

A traitor hiding within was plausible, but he hadn’t expected it to be the temple master.

Thus, he had hurriedly notified Chi Hai Taoist, and the two had raced here via the Jue Demon.

"Well done," Chi Hai praised him. "This is a time of crisis; the Taoist cannot conduct a liturgy. I herewith appoint you as acting temple master of Xuanke Temple, responsible for purging demons in the Shanyin region."

"Thank you, Scripture Master."

Song Lin bowed in gratitude.

"From now on, you may wear the purple robe adorned with a hundred beasts as the emblem of temple master status."

Due to this incident, Song Lin had fully earned his promotion to temple master.

Moreover, among the disciples at Xuanke Temple, Song Lin was the strongest. Chi Hai Taoist gladly extended this gesture of goodwill.

"Stay here to manage affairs and save the people. If the calamity ends and everyone in Shanyin County is dead, your role as temple master will be revoked and the region absorbed into neighboring jurisdictions. Make no mistake about this."

These blunt words served as a warning; every Taoist Temple must oversee a specific population. If the population fell below the criteria, the position would have to be eliminated.

"Understood."

The two departed, leaving Song Lin alone.

Song Lin slowly descended to the ground, surrounded by individuals with complex expressions—the news was too shocking to process immediately.

Jiuyou had transformed into a demon, followed by Song Lin inheriting the temple master position.

All this had transpired so quickly—within half a day, their colleague had become their superior, and their superior had turned into their enemy. No one could adapt to this so suddenly.

Yet there were always clever people in the world.

Li Hu stepped forward with Lu Qian and others, cupping hands and bowing. "Greetings, temple master!"

Li Hu’s initiative set the tone, prompting everyone else to follow and bow to their new leader.

"Senior Brother... Temple Master, is what you said really true?"

Shi Yinhua was still incredulous; the kind and approachable master had turned into such a monstrous figure—a heinous demon beyond redemption.

"Of course. Chi Hai Scripture Master can attest to this."

This was the brilliance of Song Lin’s plan.

With Chi Hai as his witness, his claim was justified and unassailable.

Song Lin no longer needed to worry about being accused of killing his master.

Such accusations carried significant stigma; no matter the master’s faults, it was improper for a disciple to take action against them. But things were different if the master was a demon.

"Let’s convene another meeting."

Now holding the title of temple master, Song Lin’s tone had shifted noticeably.

The position he had dreamed of was finally his—he couldn’t conceal his excitement.

Yet, the temple master role of a small county wasn’t his ultimate goal. It was merely the first step in a long journey.

The master of Xuanke Temple was but one of countless minor authorities—its influence only extended several hundred li at most.

Still, this wasn’t a reason for complacency.

To build a solid foundation, this was the crucial first step.

In his mind, Song Lin had countless plans concerning the limitations on liturgies, entry requirements for Taoists, behavioral norms, rituals, moral codes, sect regulations... much work awaited him.

Observing the crowd’s gazes, Song Lin smiled faintly. Ultimately, he chose not to implement sweeping changes or issue numerous commands right away.

He would proceed step by step; the pressing matter for now was resolving the conflict between humans and demons.

"As before, descend the mountain and search for disaster victims. If you encounter demons, handle them independently if possible; if not, signal for support and don’t act recklessly."

"Also, head to the western mountain and retrieve Jiuyou’s belongings."

Jiuyou still possessed the temple master seal, the Taoist Temple registry, and the temple master’s Dharma Seal... these items were essential for approving liturgies and issuing talismanic certificates to Taoists.

Without these, Song Lin would only hold an empty title as temple master.