Chapter 179: Chapter Thirty, Being Kept
“Great Power Heavenly Dragon!”
“World Honored Ksitigarbha!”
“Great Luo Dharma Incantation!”
“Prajna Buddhas!”
“Prajna Paramita!”
“Manifest!”
Fayyan chanted the powerful incantations and formed formidable hand seals. Instantly, his vast spiritual energy erupted, transforming into streaks of golden light. The old man’s face turned ashen, trembling uncontrollably as he instinctively retreated.
“Venerable monk, what are you doing!”
“Do you dare to be so presumptuous before me? Evil fiends, kill!”
Fayyan’s expression was stern, and he unleashed a punch that sent the old man flying. No one expected Fayyan, a man of religion, to possess such heavy killing intent. Even this seemingly gentle and polite old man was dealt with decisively!
The old man was sent flying by Fayyan’s punch, crashing through two trees before falling to the ground. Under Fayyan’s golden light, he convulsed and transformed from a human into a centipede. It was a demon!
“Demonic creature, are you from the Demon Heart Palace? Speak quickly, and as a devout Buddhist, I can grant you a swift end!”
“I, I… Arrgh!”
The centipede demon spat out a mouthful of blood, unable to utter a coherent word. Fayyan snorted coldly and stomped down, bisecting the demon.
“Sins, sins! I have taken another life!” Fayyan closed his eyes and chanted scriptures.
Zhong Yanhan felt uneasy seeing this, but following Ye Changsheng’s instructions, she remained silent. If her identity as a Frozen Sky Fox demon were exposed, she might not fare any better than the old man. Zhou Bujue watched with disinterest, also remaining silent.
“Brother Fayyan, you are truly impressive! You recognized it as a demon race so quickly!” Chen Zhuo exclaimed. Even Ning Ke was moved, astonished by Fayyan’s displayed strength. This demon, clearly at the late stage of Foundation Establishment Realm, on the verge of Golden Core Realm, was utterly defenseless against Fayyan, killed with a single blow. Fayyan’s strength was not to be underestimated!
“Brother Fayyan, if not for you, we might have been deceived by this demon just now!” Ning Ke added.
Fayyan finished chanting and opened his eyes. “Benefactors, we have not even entered the depths of the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains and have already encountered a demon. I fear this journey will be very perilous. Let us be cautious!”
“Understood, we shall rely on you, Brother Fayyan!”
…
The group entered the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains and followed the initial markers to the Feiwu Sect. Upon seeing the Feiwu Sect, everyone’s expressions shifted. The place appeared to have been massacred, with human corpses strewn everywhere, ruins and devastation, a gruesome sight.
“Sins, sins!” Fayyan sighed deeply. Chen Zhuo and Ning Ke frowned; it was their first time witnessing such a scene.
Zhou Bujue suddenly spoke, “Someone is still alive.”
“Where?” Chen Zhuo asked. Zhou Bujue pointed towards the well, “But he seems to have only half a life left.”
Following Zhou Bujue’s direction, they approached the well and looked down, indeed finding a motionless man floating in the water.
“Rise!” Ning Ke used his condensation of spiritual power to envelop the man, lifting him from the well onto the ground. Fayyan placed his index finger on the man’s nose and checked his meridians, sighing. “As Benefactor Zhou said, this person does have half a breath left, but his fate is sealed, and recovery is impossible.”
“But we need information,” Ning Ke said, “There’s no one else alive in the Feiwu Sect who can provide it!” Fayyan fell silent. If there were cultivators from Yanchen Valley here, perhaps with their pills, they could extend the man’s life for a while. “If only Yanchen Valley were here…”
Chen Zhuo chuckled, “While Yanchen Valley isn’t here, esteemed friends, don’t forget that my Jade Dao Palace is!” Everyone looked at Chen Zhuo.
Pills and talismans were similar in function under certain circumstances. Thus, Yanchen Valley and Jade Dao Sect had always been at odds, rivals. Which was superior, pills or talismans, was a frequent topic of debate in the cultivation world. Talisman cultivators looked down on Pill Cultivators, and Pill Cultivators likewise looked down on Talisman Cultivators.
“Leave this to me!” Chen Zhuo immediately performed a live talisman-making demonstration for everyone. He sat down, gathered his focus, and channeled his innate spiritual power, inscribing cinnabar onto a paper talisman. In a short time, he produced a Refined Grade talisman. Its speed of creation and quality of the talisman earned everyone’s admiration.
“This talisman is called the ‘Glimmer of Life Talisman,’ it can stimulate the body’s life energy, causing a temporary resurgence,” Chen Zhuo explained.
“Brother Chen, do you mean to have this person…” Ning Ke trailed off, implying that it would indeed extract more from the man’s life for information but hasten his death.
Fayyan said, “However, there is no other way now. As this person is destined to die anyway, let us proceed as Benefactor Chen suggests. It will also allow him to enter reincarnation sooner and escape suffering!” Zhong Yanhan and Zhou Bujue were mere spectators, offering no opinions, essentially letting others decide. Ning Ke also agreed.
Chen Zhuo then affixed the Glimmer of Life Talisman onto the man. A surge of spiritual power caused the man to awaken. He saw the cultivators from righteous sects, his eyes reddened, and tears of blood flowed as he grasped Fayyan tightly.
“The Demon Heart Palace, everything here was done by the Demon Heart Palace!! I can no longer personally avenge the destruction of my sect. I entrust this revenge to you, fellow Daoists!!” The man pointed in a direction, revealing the Demon Heart Palace’s escape route, and then breathed his last in indignant anger.
Fayyan began chanting the Rebirth Mantra. “Amitabha, rest assured, benefactor. Humans and demons are irreconcilable. We will certainly avenge this grudge.”
…
The group briefly performed rites for the Feiwu Sect, appeasing the souls of the deceased, and then set off. Continuing into the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains, they encountered miasma and quickly employed body-guarding techniques to resist it. The deeper they ventured, the denser the miasma became.
“Benefactor Chen, this is where we will need your help,” Fayyan said.
“Ah… me.” Chen Zhuo’s face twitched. Fayyan clearly meant for Chen Zhuo to draw Evil Warding Talismans. However, the materials for Evil Warding Talismans were not cheap. Drawing four Splendid Grade talismans at once would exhaust him.
“If Benefactor Chen is worried about the subsequent battles, rest assured, leave them all to this humble monk!”
“Very well, since Brother Fayyan insists… then I shall obey.” Chen Zhuo began drawing talismans, creating four Evil Warding Talismans and distributing them to everyone. At the same time, he felt a pang of regret; before even encountering the Demon Heart Palace, they had already spent a considerable amount of Spiritual Stones on this trip. He truly felt like a tool for these people!
“There is such potent miasma in the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains! If not for Brother Chen’s talismans, we would have already suffered,” Ning Ke, indebted, began to praise him, “As expected of Brother Chen, a renowned Talisman Cultivator genius in Qixia Isle!”
“Not at all, Fellow Daoist Ning is also very promising. I am far inferior…” Chen Zhuo and Ning Ke engaged in polite flattery.
When Chen Zhuo handed a talisman to Zhong Yanhan, he intentionally gave her the best quality one, hoping to impress the icy beauty. The reason was simple: Zhong Yanhan was far more attractive than Ning Ke! Moreover, Zhong Yanhan had only recently joined the White Emperor Sword Sect and hadn’t been out for long; Chen Zhuo wanted to build a good relationship with her. Who wouldn’t desire a beautiful maiden!
“Junior Sister Zhong, I know this is your first time on such a mission, and you must be very worried and scared. Don’t panic, I’m here. Take this talisman, it will ensure your safety…” To his surprise, Zhong Yanhan shook her head. “Thank you for your kindness, Brother Chen, but I don’t need it.”
Chen Zhuo was puzzled, “Junior Sister Zhong, don’t joke. The miasma in the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains is so rampant, it would be bad if you were affected. This is not a time to be reckless!”
Who the hell is your Junior Sister? Zhou Bujue thought unhappily, wondering how Chen Zhuo could shamelessly try to get close. “Chen Zhuo, watch your words,” Zhou Bujue said.
“Brother Zhou, perhaps you should watch yours. Although we are on a joint mission, mark my words: if I don’t wish to give you talismans, you cannot take them by force. So, understand?” Chen Zhuo was emboldened. Even Zhou Bujue wouldn’t be able to withstand this miasma. Going in without a talisman would be suicide! Zhou Bujue was displeased, but being a practitioner of formations and swordsmanship, not talismans, he didn’t know how to retort.
“Junior Sister Zhong, you don’t need to thank me too much. Just remember my name…”
“No need, Brother Chen. I already have one.” Zhong Yanhan produced a talisman. It was a Disease Dispelling Talisman. Yes, Zhong Yanhan’s talisman was given to her by Ye Changsheng.
Chen Zhuo froze. The brushstrokes, the force, the spiritual energy infusion—the mastery of talisman arts far surpassed Chen Zhuo’s “best” Disease Dispelling Talisman. “Here, Senior Brother Zhou, for you.” Zhong Yanhan handed the Disease Dispelling Talisman to Zhou Bujue, then took out another new talisman and put it on herself. That one stunned Chen Zhuo even further. It was a protective talisman, superior to the Disease Dispelling Talisman, a Rare Grade talisman. Zhong Yanhan’s casual actions left Chen Zhuo utterly humiliated.
“Hahaha!” Zhou Bujue burst into laughter. A Talisman Cultivator genius, huh? Is that all? Zhou Bujue suddenly felt refreshed. Chen Zhuo, trying to show off, had ended up embarrassed. “Oh dear, what should we do? Without Brother Chen’s talismans, Junior Sister Zhong and I will be finished, poisoned by the miasma~ I’m scared, so scared!” Chen Zhuo bit his lip, speechless. He had not expected that after becoming an alcoholic, Zhou Bujue had lost all his former gentlemanly demeanor, but his sarcastic skills had greatly improved!
“Alright, since the miasma issue is resolved, let’s all set off together! Don’t delay, let’s find the Demon Heart Palace as soon as possible!” Fayyan stepped in to mediate. The group stopped arguing and moved forward. Zhong Yanhan felt a surge of happiness; indeed, Ye Changsheng was the most formidable! Ye Changsheng had actually given her a complete set of incredibly valuable talismans, as well as pills—all sorts of them, incredibly extravagant. If she were to display them now, it would surely make these people drop their jaws! Even if she had to survive in the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains for ten years, she would have no problem. That young man was so considerate towards her, and he had explicitly stated that this thoughtfulness was only for her. Thinking of this, Zhong Yanhan’s ears turned slightly red, and her heart rate quickened. Even though she knew she was being used, she had a strange realization. It felt as if she were being kept, like a kept woman…
