The man in black didn’t respond. Instead, he looked up at the shimmering blue lights and chuckled softly, “Look at these little creatures. They’re more exquisite than any insect outside! Pity though—if they venture outside, they become just like ordinary bugs, no longer able to emit this magnificent blue glow.”
“They can only live their entire lives in damp, sunless caves, relying on this blue light to catch flying insects. But food is scarce—if they don’t leave, they’ll starve; if they do leave, they lose their blue light and their ability to hunt, which also means death. Tell me, is the Creator fair?”
“If I could survive otherwise, why would I resort to this? You’re all cultivators who pity all living beings—why can’t you pity me?”
Lin Yao spoke with grave concern, “If you’re sick, you should seek treatment. Why must you take others’ lives?”
The man in black looked at her with a mocking smile, “Using one’s body to prove the Dao—isn’t that also the tenet of your Daoist sect?”
“Using one’s body to prove the Dao means proving the righteous Heavenly Dao. Are you worthy? There are three thousand paths to the Dao, each can be proven. Killing you can also rectify the Dao!” Yan Wuyou finished speaking, crossed four fingers to form a hand seal, and activated the Wind Piercing Sword. The sword flipped and transformed into numerous Qi Swords, all attacking him simultaneously—
Lin Yao closely followed, crossing her hands and changing hand seals. The Purple Fire in her palms turned into a sky-full of purple rain, carrying scorching power as it struck toward the man in black!
Suddenly, the man in black rose into the air, summoning an icy, bone-chilling gale that spun like a hurricane. Then, a massive golden palm emerged from the hurricane, blocking in front and deflecting both their attacks.
As the hurricane and giant palm vanished, a young monk in gray-white monastic robes abruptly appeared before them. He pressed his palms together, murmuring incantations, and the string of Bodhi Beads in his hand gradually emitted a golden light. Then he shouted, “Go—”
A Golden Star Magic Array suddenly appeared beneath Yan Wuyou and Lin Yao’s feet, trapping them within. Yan Wuyou’s gaze turned ice-cold: “It’s you—”
The monk’s face showed neither sorrow nor joy, but his voice was deep and resonant: “Benefactor, long time no see.”
The man in black still hovered mid-air: “This cave is cramped and devoid of Qi—your Wind Piercing Sword can’t be fully utilized here. I have no intention of making an enemy of you. Leave her behind, and you may go.”
“Was it you who gave Shao Yan the painting?”
“Indeed.”
“One thing I still can’t understand—what exactly did Wuxin possess that made you collude with this demon monk to take his heart and kill him?”
The man in black laughed heartily, coughing a few times from the intensity, yet his voice remained calm: “Wuxin, Wuxin—naturally, he had no heart. I merely took back what was mine. Well, now you know what you wanted to know.” The man in black looked at the monk, “Kongming, let him go.”
“My comings and goings aren’t for a murderer to decide. A mere Formless Mara Array dares to think it can trap me—” Yan Wuyou said, then pressed his palms together like the monk, murmuring incantations. A gigantic golden Luohan appeared behind him.
The Luohan’s massive foot stomped on the ground, and the previously radiant magic array instantly dimmed. Simultaneously, the cave rumbled loudly, accompanied by falling rocks—
“Have you gone mad? The cave will collapse—” A flicker of disbelief passed through the man in black’s eyes.
Yan Wuyou curled his lips in a resolute expression: “If we cannot live, then let us die together!”
“Kongming, kill her quickly and end this!” The black-clad man commanded, summoning a cold gust to strike at Yan Wuyou—
The monk obeyed, unleashing the Five Poison Sand-Chasing Palm against Lin Yao. Though agile in her movements, Lin Yao was no match for this intensely masculine and rigid external martial art.
While fending off the black-clad man, Yan Wuyou had to split his focus to protect Lin Yao. Moreover, controlling the Luohan consumed immense magical power. After several exchanges, his stamina waned, and the Luohan’s power gradually faded—
Seeing this, Monk Kongming seized the opportunity to employ the Serpentine Movement Technique, bypassing Yan Wuyou to charge directly at Lin Yao—
At the critical moment, Lin Yao drew her Ice Flute, channeling half her cultivation into her palm to activate the Ice Soul Power within the flute. A flash of cold light instantly froze Kongming solid. Seizing the respite, Yan Wuyou flung out his Wind Piercing Sword, materializing a row of Qi Swords that shot straight toward the black-clad man. The man dodged repeatedly but still suffered several gashes from the sword energy. Pressing his advantage, Yan Wuyou forced the black-clad man into retreat.
Due to the immense exertion, Lin Yao’s chest seized with violent pain. Clutching her heart, she collapsed to the ground. The Ice Sealing Technique dissipated, and Kongming, eyes blazing with malice, gathered his True Qi Wind to strike back—
Tao Wu sensed the overwhelming killing intent and rushed out to protect Lin Yao. This Tao Tao was vastly different from before—its size had multiplied severalfold, resembling a divine beast, radiating a powerful aura! It floated upward above the river surface, the bells on its ears ringing rapidly. As the rhythm intensified, the entire underground river began swirling violently, and countless brown vines like ghostly hands emerged from the water, entangling Kongming—
“Ancient Spirit Vine—retreat!” Kongming cried in terror. With that, he vanished into the black-clad man’s body, and both disappeared instantly.
Yan Wuyou retrieved his Wind Piercing Sword, wiping blood from his mouth as he panted: “Interesting. Can little creatures evolve too?”
Tao Tao looked disdainful: “How ignorant. I am the Great Flame Tree King, Tao Wu! I was small before because my Essence Crystal was only half-formed. Now that the crystal has grown, I’ve naturally enlarged!”
Yan Wuyou pointed at the ghostly hands: “Dear King, are these Ancient Spirit Vines your soldiers?” Unexpectedly, the Ancient Spirit Vine transformed into a purple-robed maiden, gliding gracefully across the river: “Little Tao Tao, we meet again. Hand it over!”
Tao Tao drooped its long ears, visibly reluctant: “Ah, I barely managed to repair a bit, and now I have to break it off again…” Gritting its teeth with a pained groan, it handed a small fragment of Essence Crystal to the purple-robed maiden. It added: “Just as humans have good and evil, so do demons. She is a good demon.”
The maiden accepted the crystal, telling Lin Yao: “Little Tao Tao cares for you deeply! It traded its Essence Crystal for me to save you. Do you know this crystal can not only refine Bone Exchange Pills but also cleanse heart meridians? Countless covet it! However, it remains in Great Flame Mountain, the Demon King’s territory, where none dare venture.”
Lin Yao rubbed Tao Tao’s face, deeply moved! Yan Wuyou looked at her: “So these demons are targeting you because of Tao Tao?” Lin Yao nodded.
Yan Wuyou massaged his forehead: “Though I understand you two must have reasons for staying together, is there any way to conceal its aura? Otherwise, who knows how many treasure hunters we’ll encounter on this journey!”
Lin Yao shook her head. “Master said only the Goddess Tear can suppress demonic energy, but the Goddess Tear appears only once in a hundred years.”
The Goddess Tear? Yan Wuyou felt as if struck by lightning. He instinctively rubbed his chest and turned away, feigning nonchalance. “Forget I asked. Let’s go find the exit.”
“It’s in the river. I’ll send you out,” said the young girl, transforming back into a vine. Tao Tao immediately retreated into Lin Yao’s body. The vines wrapped around them, plunging them into darkness. Soon, they emerged from the cave. The exit was still in the mountains, but not the cave they had entered from. Judging by the direction, they were deeper within Maoling.
Yan Wuyou shielded his eyes with his hand and gazed at the lush forest ahead, posing a soul-searching question: “Tao Tao, your friend isn’t reliable. Coming out from an underground river should have led us to farmland or a riverbank. How did we end up deeper in the mountains?”
Lin Yao placed her hands on her hips. “If you’re so capable, you lead the way.”
No choice!
Looking east, they saw interconnected mountain ranges with peaks rising haphazardly—this was undoubtedly a vast, primordial mountain range.
Staring at the dense forest beneath her feet, Lin Yao also grew worried. “Senior Brother, which way should we go?”
Leaning against a tree trunk, Yan Wuyou analyzed: “It’s not difficult. The east is a primordial mountain range, so going east is impossible. We entered the mountain from the west while chasing the great white snake, so heading west or south would likely lead us back to the cave. Therefore, we just need to keep going north!”
“Though you’re right, there’s no path to the north.”
“Paths are made by people, Junior Sister. Today, we shall become pioneers!” With that, Yan Wuyou hoisted his Wind Piercing Sword over his shoulder and strode confidently northward. Lin Yao lifted her skirt and hurried after him.
At first, the journey was rough, but as they walked, a path gradually formed. Eventually, the two sliced through tangled trees and pushed aside obstructive branches with their energy, moving through the vast wilderness as effortlessly as fish in water, forcibly carving out a clear trail!
In the latter half of the day, any wild beast foolish enough to attack them would soon become their delicious meal—roasted or stewed, filling the air with tantalizing aromas and merry laughter… This terrified the mountain creatures. Upon hearing Lin Yao’s “silver-bell-like” laughter, they would scatter in panic, fleeing as far as possible.
“Why haven’t that wretched couple left yet? They’re delaying my trip down the mountain to steal dried persimmons!” grumbled the Black Bear Spirit.
“Brother Bear, why don’t we capture the girl and take her Bone Exchange Pill to become human?” urged the Mountain Chicken Spirit.
“Can you defeat the man?” the Black Bear Spirit sneered. “What’s so great about being human? We live freely in these mountains! If we want to eat something, we just go down and steal it—it’s all readily available!”
The Mountain Chicken Spirit wanted to say more, but the Black Bear Spirit slapped its head and declared firmly, “Don’t cause trouble. If we attract attention, our good days will be over!”
The Mountain Chicken nodded repeatedly.
As dusk descended, Lin Yao and Yan Wuyou found a small cave, gathered dry grass to make bedding, and placed branches in the middle to divide two sleeping areas. What if it gets cold? What if demon beasts attack? No need to worry! Didn’t Jing Yang teach them the Spirit Control Tune? Though their master repeatedly warned that blowing it too fiercely would shorten their lifespan! Surely it’d be fine to just gently summon a couple of low-level mountain spirits and stop there! In such untouched wilderness, unchanged for millennia, it’s common for plants absorbing the essence of sun and moon to chance upon cultivation and become mountain spirits.
So Lin Yao spiritedly played the Spirit Control Tune. The eerie melody echoed through the mountains—
The Black Bear Spirit watched the Mountain Chicken Spirit stumbling as if drunk, pressed a paw on its head: “What’re you doing?” The Mountain Chicken Spirit’s eyes glazed over: “Brother Bear, I don’t wanna move either, but my soul feels tugged away, I’m chasing it…”
“See how dangerous that woman is! She’s summoning spirits over there!”
“What do we do?”
The Black Bear Spirit plucked two small wild chrysanthemums, gently crushed them, and stuffed them into the Mountain Chicken Spirit’s ears, proudly declaring: “Problem solved!”
“Hey, it actually works!” The Mountain Chicken Spirit chuckled ingratiatingly, “Brother Bear is so wise!”