Chapter 104: The Celestial Hound Appears?

Legend has it that the Tiangou, or Heavenly Dog, is a terrifying and malevolent beast that specializes in devouring human infants. It was eventually suppressed in the depths of hell, unable to escape for a thousand years.

Following an accidental escape from its confinement, the Tiangou, harboring deep resentment toward heaven and earth, began to chase the sun and the moon, hoping to devour them and plunge the world into eternal darkness. Although this remains merely a tale passed down through generations—and lunar or solar eclipses are logically unrelated to the beast—many in the Yangzhou region still believe in it. Every year on the eighth day of the fourth lunar month, some areas observe the "Dog-Driving Festival" to ward off the creature.

In the dead of night, a nearly full moon hung high in the sky. Surrounded by scattered stars, the scene appeared tranquil, yet beneath the surface, undercurrents stirred.

At a horse farm on the outskirts of Hangzhou City, a few abrupt barks echoed, only to be quickly stifled. Zhou Bai, who had been resting cross-legged in a nearby pavilion, opened his eyes the moment he heard the dogs. He immediately set off at a brisk pace toward the farm. By the time he arrived, the place was engulfed in silence, with only a few fireflies dancing in the air.

The farm consisted of inner and outer sections. The outer area, which should have been crowded with dogs of all sizes, was now deserted. Thousands of animals had vanished, leaving behind nothing but piles of excrement and tufts of fur. Zhou Bai narrowed his eyes; regardless of whether the Tiangou had truly appeared, something abnormal had clearly occurred. This was the outcome he least wanted to see, for it suggested that the contents of the ancient scrolls and paintings might be manifesting in reality.

He scanned his surroundings. The fenced-in area revealed nothing; although the ground was covered in tracks, the trails simply disappeared into thin air. Because the farm was used for training, there was a large stable connected by a half-height wooden gate. Taking precautions, Zhou Bai first used a token to contact Daoist Hou, then drew his butcher's blade and approached the stable with both hands gripping the hilt.

As he neared, he heard waves of whimpering from within—the kind of sound only made by dogs in a state of extreme terror. The spiritual barrier meant to protect the farm was still active, but it appeared to have become ineffective. Zhou Bai stepped steadily into the stable. It was pitch black inside, but with his keen vision, he could see clearly.

Only about a hundred dogs remained, scattered throughout the stable. Judging by their appearance, they were mostly agile stray dogs; the others had vanished without a trace. Based on the tracks at the entrance, the dogs had disappeared before even reaching the stable. Whether by coincidence or not, the stray dogs were terrified the moment Zhou Bai entered.

They huddled tightly in the corners, tails tucked between their legs and heads bowed to the ground, not daring to make a sound. When the gate was closed, their agitation subsided slightly. Zhou Bai carefully searched the vicinity but found no useful clues, nor any trace of spectral entities.

Where there is an anomaly, there is a demon.

His pupils contracted. If the Tiangou possessed human-like intelligence, it could hide in the shadows and remain unseen, making it impossible to destroy. After waiting a while, Daoist Hou arrived late. As soon as he opened the wooden gate and stepped inside, the stray dogs were seized with panic again, scrambling frantically into the corners.

"Zhou Bai..." Daoist Hou began, but Zhou Bai signaled for him to remain silent. The Daoist seemed to realize something and walked straight toward the gate. When Zhou Bai closed it, the dogs quieted down, but as soon as he opened it again, they became restless, as if a monster were lurking behind the threshold.

"Is the entity formless and shadowless?" Daoist Hou whispered.

Zhou Bai already had a measure of certainty. He shook his head and replied, "Formless, perhaps, but not necessarily shadowless. Old Hou, prepare yourself. We may be about to face the so-called Tiangou head-on."

Hearing this, Daoist Hou felt a chill. He quickly tucked his horsetail whisk into his belt, rolled up his sleeves, and revealed forearms with bulging veins and claws that had suddenly elongated. A true combat-oriented Daoist.

Ignoring the Daoist, Zhou Bai focused on his theory. He had found the flaw in the Tiangou’s manifestation. Controlling the yin energy, he stirred up a gust of wind to pull a stray dog toward him. The dog was terrified of the wooden gate and struggled violently, but once it was outside, it suddenly went quiet, standing still as a statue.

Within seconds, the transformation began. The dog underwent a grotesque metamorphosis; with the sound of grinding bones, its head rotated a full circle on its neck. Then, its skin began to split, revealing rows of canine teeth within the gashes. A tongue shot out, dripping with blood, which the creature then licked clean—a truly horrific sight.

In mere moments, the dog’s body swelled proportionally until it reached about two meters in height. As it grew, more fissures appeared across its body, giving Zhou Bai the impression that its form was on the verge of total collapse. This was different from standard demonic possession, where yin energy causes a creature to evolve into a more powerful form. Here, it felt as if some external force was violently and blindly driving the body to change, leading to an increasingly deformed result.

What troubled Zhou Bai most was that this monster bore little resemblance to the Tiangou in the scrolls, suggesting this was not its true form.

"Good heavens, you’re really putting me in a spot, kid," Daoist Hou muttered, his scalp tingling. He looked at Zhou Bai, hesitating to act because dog blood was, in some traditions, a bane to the undead.

Zhou Bai signaled him to wait. He stepped toward the wooden gate and blocked the moonlight streaming into the stable; the transformation of the dog abruptly halted.

"Attack," Zhou Bai said coldly.

Daoist Hou immediately sprang into action, his body shrouded in a layer of yin energy to protect himself from the dog's blood. He lunged forward, his palms clawing at the beast, his fingernails emitting a ghostly glow—clearly laced with corpse poison.

The creature reacted slowly, struggling to adapt to the power suddenly surging through its body, gasping for breath. But just as Daoist Hou was about to strike, a figure appeared between them. A butcher’s blade parried the blow, blocking him.

"Zhou Bai, have you gone mad?"

"Old Hou, you can't even tell who the real target is. Your intuition needs work."

Zhou Bai kicked the dog, sending it flying out of the stable, and then charged out with his blade raised. Inside the stable, Daoist Hou stood stunned for a moment, scratching his head in confusion before hurrying to follow.