SWDnovel Chapter 85 Better to Die for Your Fellow Daoist Than for Yourself
Chapter 85 Better to Die for Your Fellow Daoist Than for Yourself
Xu Changqing felt a chill run down his spine, and his hair stood on end.
Any one of these seven individuals possesses an aura no weaker than that of a late-stage Qi Refining cultivator, and the leader's aura is even comparable to that of a Foundation Establishment cultivator.
The seven of them woke up together and formed a battle formation... This was no surprise; it was clearly stirring up a hornet's nest.
"That Heavenly Venerable Wuliang... I can't afford to offend him, I'm outta here."
He let out a strange cry, and without the slightest hesitation, and without even bothering to examine the treasure he had just acquired, he stuffed the Yin-Yang Banana Leaf Fan into his treasure bag. Blood lotuses suddenly appeared beneath his feet, and his figure shot backward toward the palace gate like an arrow released from a bow.
"Hmm..."
Behind him came a low, hoarse roar, like a broken bellows being pulled.
The seven purple figures moved almost simultaneously, as fast as ghosts, bringing with them gusts of cold wind as they rushed straight towards them.
The leader flicked his whisk, and thousands of whisk threads instantly straightened, hissing through the air like steel needles, striking Xu Changqing directly in the back of the heart.
Without turning his head, Xu Changqing flicked his wrist, unleashing several streaks of crimson-gold sword light. Some of these streaks slashed fiercely at the whisk, while others precisely struck several swaying pillars within the hall.
But after the exchange, he felt relieved because he found that although the aura of these old Taoists was terrifying, their strength was not as great as he had imagined. He guessed that these old Taoists must have fallen to the lower realm and were much weaker than before.
"Boom, crash..."
The already dilapidated palace could hardly withstand such destruction; broken stones and wood poured down, temporarily halting the pursuers for a moment.
It has to be said that Xu Changqing is a really wicked person. Not only did he steal someone's treasure, but when the owner tried to persuade him to stay, he not only refused but also demolished the house.
If those seven old Taoist priests were still alive, they would definitely drag him back and give him a good beating.
Taking advantage of the moment, Xu Changqing darted out of the hall and plunged into the eerie forest shrouded in thick fog.
"Fellow Daoist, please wait..."
A faint, eerie call came from behind, the voices overlapping and possessing a bewitching power.
"I'm not familiar with you guys, so I won't stay for dinner. Maybe next time, maybe next time we'll meet again." Xu Changqing said as he ran, while urging the white bone jade hairpin to transform into a fine net of white bone water behind him to block the enemy.
Just as he passed a patch of strange rocks, a billowing mist suddenly appeared from the side, and a beam of green light shot out, almost colliding with him.
Upon closer inspection, Xu Changqing realized it was the snake demon that Mei Liangxing had previously suppressed with gold ingots and then escaped by shedding its shell.
The blue-faced man looked even more disheveled, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth, his breath weak, clearly having suffered a loss elsewhere. However, his left hand was tightly clutched to his chest, his eyes darting around, his face full of guilt, suggesting he had likely received some benefit.
Upon seeing Xu Changqing, the snake demon's narrow, vertical pupils immediately filled with vigilance and wariness, and its demonic aura subtly gathered.
"Better to die than for me..." Xu Changqing's eyes darted around, his feet never stopping, but he said loudly, "Fellow Daoist, don't panic. I am a good person, how could I steal someone else's opportunity? I will leave now."
The snake demon was taken aback, thinking to himself that this fat Taoist priest might really be a good person, not stealing other people's opportunities.
The next moment, he sensed seven terrifying auras rapidly approaching.
"Fuck...you beast, you damn beast..."
The snake demon instantly realized that this scoundrel was trying to shift the blame onto him. He was so angry that he almost vomited blood. He dared not linger, and disregarding his injuries, he unleashed his demonic energy and transformed into a streak of green light, fleeing desperately in another direction.
But those seven purple-robed old Taoists had been dead for who knows how many years, yet their movements were strangely fast. The leader's whisk suddenly stretched out as if it were alive, each strand of whisk shimmering with a ghostly light, like a venomous snake emerging from its hole, binding the snake demon tightly around the waist.
"Let me go, I'm not the person you're looking for..."
The snake demon was filled with shock and rage. It roared and revealed part of its true form. Its arms, covered in green scales, struggled fiercely, its demonic energy surging as it tried to break the dust threads.
But these are not living people, so why would they listen to the snake demon's explanation?
These purple-robed old Taoists even surrounded us shoulder to shoulder, some making hand seals to generate dark thunder, others chanting sinister incantations to corrupt people's souls, and still others extending their withered claws, their nails black and sharp, aiming straight for the heart.
In an instant, demonic energy and death energy collided violently, and roars and muffled sounds of impact echoed through the misty forest, mixed with the crisp sound of bones breaking and the dull thud of flesh being torn apart.
"Oh, this is terrible. These old Taoist priests are inhuman."
Hearing the snake demon's mournful screams from afar, Xu Changqing chuckled and quickened his pace, concealing his accomplishment.
"Tan Chan, I curse you to a terrible death!"
Soon, the snake demon let out a miserable scream and then fell silent.
"May the Heavenly Venerable grant you boundless blessings. Fellow Daoist, you are so righteous. Before you died, you wished me immortality and shielded me from this calamity. If we are destined to meet again in the future, I will surely recite the 'Scripture of Salvation' for you to help you transcend this calamity."
Xu Changqing completely disregarded the snake demon's curse, instead wearing a smile.
He flashed several times in the forest, then quietly erased his own scent, finally shaking off the persistent, lingering feeling of being locked on.
Xu Changqing hid behind a giant, eerie banana tree, its thick leaves completely concealing him. He caught his breath briefly before carefully taking out the Yin-Yang Banana Leaf Fan. The fan was now still, dusty and unremarkable.
But when he saw the information provided by the old ghost in his mind, an uncontrollable joy gradually appeared on his face.
"The Yin-Yang Banana Leaf Fan was originally a spiritual seed that the Ziyang Temple obtained by chance. It was then cultivated for many years using the Five Elements to generate Yin and Yang method. Its quality is naturally perfect, secretly conforming to the wonders of Yin and Yang circulation, and containing a trace of innate Yin-Yang Daoist charm. However, due to the severe damage suffered by the Ziyang Temple from the demonic calamity, its spirituality was greatly diminished, and the spiritual object became obscured, but it is still a top-grade treasure."
"Hehe," Xu Changqing stroked the cool fan ribs, his eyes narrowing into slits, "I've searched high and low without finding it, but it came to me effortlessly. This object embodies the principles of Yin and Yang, perfectly suited to forge my [Primordial Yin-Yang Body] among my three bodies. It seems I, this Daoist, am truly blessed and destined by Heaven! This trip was worthwhile!"
He carefully put the fan away and looked up to check the direction.
"Once I obtain that item, my journey will be complete..."
After killing the snake demon, the seven old Taoist priests circled around the spot where Xu Changqing had disappeared for a while. Ultimately, having lost their target and seemingly hesitant to leave the area around the main hall, they slowly retreated.
"Was that commotion just now... a viper demon?" The flat-headed man's rough voice was filled with surprise and doubt.
"Sounds like it. The screams were so mournful. They must have been killed." Another person chimed in, their voice high-pitched. "This Ghost Forest is incredibly eerie. The treacherous paths are troublesome enough, but that aura just now... it must have alerted something even more powerful."
"Forget about it, let's go!" the third voice urged.
......
On the other side, in a wrecked open space, there were traces of charred remains and scattered pieces of flesh and blood.
"Good riddance, all demons deserve to die."
With a sharp shout, the woman dressed in tight-fitting clothes and wielding twin whips of lightning casually flicked away the bits of charred flesh and blood that clung to the whips.
He then glanced back at the charred flesh and blood on the ground, where a few sharp wolf fangs could still be vaguely discerned, his brows furrowed with ferocity and glee.
This was the wolf demon who had abused the man surnamed Chen. She had just caught up with him, and after a fierce battle, he finally died under the thunder whip.
"After entering this place, it seems a special force separated us all," the woman murmured to herself, her brows furrowing slightly, a hint of worry showing on her handsome face. "I wonder how they are doing now, and where is Lord Tuoba?"
Calming herself, she gripped the twin whips, which shimmered with lightning, and, after determining a direction, strode deeper into the eerie forest.
In the eerie forest, the mist churned, and danger lurked everywhere.
Several demons and some nearby human cultivators all heard the snake demon Viper's brief but shrill scream. But without a doubt, apart from the black-clad wanderers who were drawn by the blood and commotion and were silently lurking in the mist, no one turned to head towards the place where the scream had come from.
In this Ziyang Temple, it's difficult enough to protect oneself, so who would care about the life or death of a demon?