The Immortals Poison

by Stayrr

This is the story of the youth Wen Leyang, born into the family with an expertise in the cultivation of the Art of Poison. The enemy may not always be evil, and neither does someone evil necessarily be the enemy. However, one thing is certain. Wen Leyang is a frank and honest young man, a delightful hero who posseses a kind disposition towards any living creature.

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Chapter 220: The Small Bowl

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Wen Leyang was both anxious and furious. An idea flashed through his mind and he scolded himself loudly, "Silly me!" He turned around and ran back to comb through the living dead's corpses.

If the living dead entered the cave to retrieve the heavenly water spirit, they would naturally carry along a container capable of holding the precious water on their bodies. He was engrossed in saving Cone Nail's life earlier that when he saw that the Poison of Water killed the living dead, he only felt delighted. It never crossed his mind that they could already be carrying along the heavenly water spirit.

Somewhere on one of the living dead's bodies was a golden box. A drop of heavenly water spirit was contained in the box. He took out the box and fed the drop of water to Cone Nail… Wen Leyang's imagination was similar. The only difference between his current imagination and his earlier imagination was that the table that was displaying the golden box turned into the living dead.

It was unknown how long had passed. The sound of a raging hiss echoed through the ore cave. Under the heavy compression pressure of the Poison of Water, Wen Leyang had exhausted his laborious efforts to search through every single corpse of the living dead. However, he did not manage to discover anything. Let alone the golden box, there was not even a golden tooth.

Except for the person who dug the ore cave, there was not a single person in between the heaven or earth who knew what the heavenly water spirit was. Even the evil deity Xiang Liu who originated from the primitive ages did not know as well. Everyone had their hearts set on the same thing. There was some golden box with a drop of water…

The living dead also just dashed to the edge of the ore cave earlier, they were just the same as Wen Leyang. They stretched out their hands to catch the water and splashed their faces and bodies with water…

Wen Leyang ran back towards the edge of the ore cave again. He stared in bewilderment as the heavenly water spirit slowly condensed then gently dropped down and transformed into the surging and turbulence torrent. He suddenly gave out a raging cry from his chest! Cone Nail was on the verge of death, the heavenly water spirit was close within his reach, yet there was no way he could bring along the precious water capable of saving her life. Wen Leyang felt so oppressed he wished that he could exert all the strength of his body to kick and crush that ice stalactite!

Wen Leyang's eyes were bloodshot. He shot the ice stalactite with a gaze that was even more furious than when he was glaring at Tian Yin recently. Nevertheless, he was still an honest and virtuous person, unlike his Grand Master Chang Li who acted recklessly. After all, all the descendant of the Yan and Huang emperors loved the Yangtze river. He was not willing to destroy the source of the river that nurtured the spiritual water of Huaxia no matter how furious he was.

Just as he was squalling continuously out of exceeding helplessness and oppression, a drop of heavenly water spirit flowed along the ice stalactite with ease and grace. Just as it was stagnating on the tip of the broken chunk, it slowly rolled around in a ghastly manner before it finally trembled and dropped down. Wen Leyang suddenly quieted down. His bloodshot eyes glared around. He raised his head absent-mindedly as he looked towards the stalactite's tip that was only a few meters away from the top of his head. He squalled as he turned around and ran once again…

At this moment, Wen Leyang suddenly understood his African brother. When one's emotion reached its ultimate point, the use of any language became pale and weak. Only the hoarse squall from exhaustion could soothe the oppressed chest ever so slightly.

One after another living dead's corpse were being dragged by Wen Leyang to the edge of the ore cave until they formed a pile of corpses that was neither high or low. Wen Leyang raised his head again and looked up to the ice stalactite that was hanging a few meters away. He finally exhaled a breath. His body went limp and at the sound of a thud, he fell to the ground.

After exerting his strength to run for a few rounds, under the surging of the tremendous force, he could obviously felt fine fissures appearing on his limbs and bones. Even the coldness of the Poison of Life and Death could not suppress the agonizing pain. The sensation was akin to the agony that he felt just after digging through the Mount Emei's mountainside. However, this was even stronger and even more vigorous, so strong that he almost thought that he would faint on a few occasions and considered everything solved!

Wen Leyang panted heavily, he was feeling quite fortunate in his heart as cold air in the land of the utmost water element could at least help him to retain a sober and calm mind. As long as his spiritual intelligence still existed, he could continue to work or should he say continue to crawl… after he crawled up onto the corpse pile, the ice stalactite was still hanging inversely in silence. Its tip was well within Wen Leyang's grasp. Wen Leyang inhaled a few deep breaths and stretched out his hand slowly. Grasping onto the ice stalactite's tip abruptly, he clenched his teeth and widened his eyes so much that his eyes almost popped out of the sockets. He roared loudly in rage! At the sound of a 'pop', the ice stalactite's tip was broken off by him into an ice chunk the size of a thumb!

The heavenly water spirit was of a pure element and disposition. It would immediately erupt into layers of mighty waves no matter which surface it came in contact and transforming into normal water, which was futile at saving Cone Nail's life. It was as if there was nothing else under the heaven that was capable of containing it for it to retain its true form. However, the heavenly water spirit flowed down along the ice stalactite in a winding manner.

The disciples of Wen Bucao had been associating with poisonous vermin ever since they were young. They understood the same principle. All the living creatures under the heaven inter-promoted and inter-restricted one another. Any vermin with incisive and strong poison would certainly have some detoxifying antidote within seven steps from its lair.

The heavenly water spirit before Wen Leyang's eyes was the same. If there was an item capable of containing its true form in between the heaven and the earth, it would only be this ice stalactite. Wen Leyang was not the first person, who discovered the heavenly water spirit. The ice stalactite's tip was initially chipped off, which was supposedly caused by that 'old fellow' who dug out the ore cave and left behind the prohibition spells in the beginning. He had the exact same thinking as Wen Leyang, which was to use the ice stalactite to bear the true form of heavenly water.

Wen Leyang broke a tiny chunk of ice stalactite then he cautiously formed a depression mark into it. His expression was anxious as he raised the ice high up and connected it under the ice stalactite. After a long while, one more drop of heavenly water spirit finally dragged along its crystal clear mark and gently dropped down.

In that flash, Wen Leyang's heart almost jumped out of his throat. He felt as if he was not catching a drop of water but Sister Lin Daiyu whose body was covered in precious pieces of jewelry…

The loud howling of the heavenly water covered the entire place, yet it could not conceal the crisp sound of that gentle drop.

A drop of heavenly water spirit enshrouded with the essence of the sun and moon rolled faintly into the small indented bowl made from the ice stalactite. It rippled mischievously for a moment then became quiet.

Wen Leyang's cheer that was so joyous and gratifying echoed in between the thundering sounds of water…

Wen Leyang almost stopped with each step he took. He dragged the heavy firecracker's Poison of Water and returned with the small bowl of ice stalactite. Guo Huan suddenly gave out a series of laughter. 'You've Got Me' realized that its master finally returned, it jumped up from the jade knife in a crooked manner and hastily ran and dodged the Poison of Water. It turned around its head strenuously and ululated in cheers towards Wen Leyang.

On the other hand, Cone Nail was lying sideways on the crystal unmoved. The fair skin on her arms and cheeks had unknowingly darkened. Wen Leyang anxiously used his unoccupied hand to help her up and helped her to lean her head on his chest.

Cone Nail. Her body was soft yet icy cold. From the moment Wen Leyang appeared until she was supported by him, she did show any responses. Only a glimmer radiated from the seams of her eyes that were almost closing. She was utterly not looking at the precious in Wen Leyang's other hand but she was only staring at his eyes. Her gaze that could be extinguished at any moment appeared earnest and joyous.

When Wen Leyang realized that she was still alive, he felt relieved in his heart, yet he hesitated when he raised the 'wine cup' again. He looked towards the jade knife slightly undecided and asked strenuously, "So I am just supposed to pour… pour it down?"

"Pour!" Guo Hand's answer sounded sonorous and forceful, "Pour…pour I guess?"

That drop of heavenly water spirit glided soundlessly from the ice stalactite cup into Cone Nail's mouth. Cone Nail's body trembled slightly. Her cinnabar red-colored lips parted gently. Her breath smelled like the orchid as she gave out an extremely gentle moan. Wen Leyang gazed at her in anxiety. A moment later, a smile that was as beautiful and bright as the glowing full moon bloomed all of a sudden!

Just as mentioned by Cone Nail in the past, the heavenly water produced an immediate result. After she swallowed the precious of the water element, Cone Nail's expression and the color of her skin became flushed and smooth immediately. Cone Nail's laughter sounded unsurpassable but her voice sounded a little fatigue, "I am fine, but…I would like to sleep for a while." As she was saying that, she did not acknowledge Wen Leyang's response. Her body was akin to a kitten as she curled with great efforts and squeezed into Wen Leyang's cradle joyously. She closed her eyes and within a few seconds, her uniformed breathing could be heard. She had truly fallen asleep.

Even Guo Huan could not help but lower its voice, "Her primordial spirit is almost completely scattered. She will need to sleep for a while before she can properly induce the divine power of the utmost precious of water element. It is best that you do not move so she can sleep properly…do not move…do not…oh no!"

On the outside of the body, the shimmering silver-colored cold Poison of Water continued to surge majestically as before. It wrapped Wen Leyang in layers. The Poison of Life and Death in his body continuously circulated and absorbed the Poison of Water into his body to assimilate but Wen Leyang was already unaware of these matters. He could not hear what Guo Huan was saying. After his body was completely relaxed, the muscles, bones, blood and flesh of his entire body felt sore and fatigue as if all his bodily parts were continuously peeling away and fusing together. His body felt limp as he fell to the ground. He was knocked into deep unconsciousness.

During that period, Guo Huan spoke in its rigid voice occasionally. 'You've Got Me' ululated loudly from afar. Occasionally, Cone Nail who was lying on his body trembled strongly… he could not tell if everything that was taking place was a reality or a dream, he did not know how long had past when his entire body rippled with a gush of joyous agility. Wen Leyang suddenly opened his eyes. He realized that 'You've Got Me' was behaving like a small train that drove past his face in a rumble. The bug was turning in circles.

Wen Leyang stretched out his hand and grabbed onto 'You've Got Me'. 'You've Got Me' stretched itself strenuously in his palm as if it was trying to glue every inch of its body onto his skin. The ululation sound from its mouth sounded so friendly it was out of the world for Wen Leyang.

Not a drop of the Poison of Water waves that had gathered around him before he was knocked unconscious was left. It had vanished completely.

Another two more cheers were heard. The first cheer sounded agile and pleasant, akin to a bird that was chirping gently in the distant hills, while the other cheer sounded dry and rigid, akin to a blind bear that was chewing on dried branches before his eyes… Cone Nail and Guo Huan laughed simultaneously and asked, "Are you awake?"

Similar to every time after he was done absorbing strong poison, Wen Leyang felt that his entire body was comfortable, just like he had just taken a cold shower in the hot summer. His body felt cool yet his muscles and bones felt warm. There was an unspeakable energy in him, there was an unspeakable easiness in him.

Cone Nail and Guo Huan spoke simultaneously again, they asked in unison, "How do you feel?"

Wen Leyang did not care about himself. He stuffed 'You've Got Me' into his chest pocket. His hand picked up the jade knife while his other hand pulled Cone Nail, "Are all of you alright?"

Guo Huan burst out laughing, "What else can happen to the old father?"

Cone Nail also laughed simultaneously, "As good as before! I can fight with Chang Li again!"

Wen Leyang was startled. After he was certain that Cone Nail was only joking, he sniggered. Yet, there was a slight unwillingness in his laugh, "Only as good as before? I thought you said that you would achieve vast improvement in your cultivation power? Do you want me to get you more of the heavenly water spirit?" As he was saying that he was touching and feeling the ground, "Where is that small bowl of ours?"

"There is no need for you to do so, that drop that you gave me had yet to be fully digested, any more would be a waste." Cone Nail shook her head, "The heavenly water spirit's power of utmost water element is vast and boundless. It is originated from the same source as my embodiment of heavenly water, even a drop is enough to allow me to make a vast improvement in my cultivation power, however…" As she was saying that, her expression turned peculiar.

Cone Nail was halfway through her speech when she suddenly diverted the topic conversation out of nowhere, "There are procedures and sequences for the process of deriving power from the five elements. One must first restore one's health then establish a firm foundation of primordial spirit, and finally strengthen the body. In simpler words, the first step is to heal the injuries, the second step is to refine the spirit and the third step is to cultivate the body."

Wen Leyang nodded absent-mindedly, he did not understand what Cone Nail was trying to tell him.

There was a sense of uncertainty in Cone Nail's expression, "But this time, after the heavenly water spirit helped me to recuperate my injuries, the remaining energy surged into my primordial soul entirely. Not that my primordial spirit became bigger and stronger but there was another gush of energy that was entangling and colliding with the heavenly water spirit…"

The more she explained to Wen Leyang the more he was confused. Guo Huan could not help but interrupt from the side. If it was looking for a new job, the most suitable position for it would be to become an emcee, "There is an incisive seal in her primordial spirit. The power of heavenly water spirit is currently gathered around the seal. The power of water element that is attempting to refine her primordial soul must first surge past the seal!"

There was another gush of energy in her primordial spirit. Not even Cone Nail was aware of that in the past. It was only after the power of heavenly water spirit entered her body and after she was done recuperating her injuries and was in the process of refining her soul, she noticed its existence indistinctively.

As she had suddenly recalled the remnant memories of Geladaindong Peak, the bugs and the heavenly water spirit, she discovered that perhaps someone had sealed away her memories. After experiencing the peculiar operation mode of the 'power of heavenly water', she had deduced that it was the case after the discussion with Guo Huan. One was a demon-suppressing heaven's cone nail with a belly full of schemes, while the other was a great demon immortal with extensive knowledge. If this was the results based on the two persons' deduction, it would not be too different from the truth.

Wen Leyang let out a 'heh'. His tone of speaking was filled with his feeling of injustice for Cone Nail, "The person who condensed the heaven's cone nail, did he really tamper with your primordial spirit and sealed your memories?"

Cone Nail nodded with an indifferent expression.

Wen Leyang started searching for the small bowl again. Cone Nail shook her head and gave a forced laugh, "The heavenly water spirit's power of water element is resisting the seal in my primordial spirit. It will take a long period of time and laborious efforts as it is akin to dripping water that wears through a stone. It is useless even if you can conjure a deluge. Moreover, my primordial spirit cannot contain so much power of true water, even if I were to absorb any more of the heavenly water spirit now, I will need to wait until this drop of spiritual power is exhausted before I can discuss any further. If the seal is not broken, my primordial spirit will be broken by it first."

When Cone Nail was talking about this, she suddenly reacted to the situation. Her tone was slightly ghastly, "The heavenly water spirit… are there many of them in there?" Even her eyes were sparkling as she was speaking.

Wen Leyang smiled as he nodded. He explained about the sequence of events that took place after he passed through the prohibition spells. As he was not a good speaker, the exceedingly complex procedure was described by him in a dull manner. Yet, Cone Nail laughed.

She laughed for a while before she used her previous piteous expression to wash away her emotions. Cone Nail's tone was filled with pleading that made Wen Leyang terrified in the past, yet it made him at a loss of whether to be annoyed or amused right now, "By the time this drop of heavenly water spirit is used up, please help me to fill up with a new drop."

As she was saying that, Cone Nail procured the ice stalactite small bowl the size of a thumb and waved about. When she was first awakened and Wen Leyang was still unconscious, she stored up this small bowl cautiously, "If you can promise me that, I will run if I ever see Chang Li in the future! I will never seek revenge on her and I will not fight her …"

Even Cone Nail was unconvinced by her own words. She frowned as she pondered laboriously for a moment, then her huge eyes suddenly brightened. She smiled as she pulled Wen Leyang, "Why don't we profess each other as relatives? In the future, if I were to meet your Grand Master Chang Li, since we are a family, naturally I will not fight her!"

Guo Huan burst out laughing. It spoke in an all-rounded manner, "Just marry him, just marry him! Then you will naturally be a family with him."

Wen Leyang was startled, yet Cone Nail laughed aloud as she shook her head, "I will not marry him. He is a good man but he is not good enough for me to marry him…or else, why don't I just call myself Wen Cone Nail hereafter?"

She was halfway through her speech when Cone Nail suddenly shook her head ferociously, "I cannot become relatives with you otherwise I will become Chang Li's disciple and disciple's disciples. I will never enjoy even if I become all-invincible in this world. Rather than becoming your relative, I might as well become Tuo Xie's relative!"

Cone Nail finally nodded. She was rather satisfied with her arrangement. Wen Leyang was at a loss whether to laugh or to cry but he was feeling delightful in his heart. There was no one on the Black and White Island capable of launching the magic incantation spell. The only conflict that existed between Wen Bucao's lineage and Cone Nail suddenly vanished into nothingness. Grand Master Chang Li acted recklessly and crushed the heaven's cone nail, yet she also managed to draw out Cone Nail's remnant memories miraculously. In the eyes of Cone Nail, Chang Li's action had actually helped her.

The enmity vanished like ash and smoke. After the snow peak was engaged in a series of dangerous events, Cone Nail and Wen Leyang stuck together in life or death during the journey. Perhaps it was not considered soul-stirring but to the both of them, whether it was the current moment or when they recalled about this event in the future, this would be a great and beyond joyous event! The distance between the both of them also vanished with the wind. This form of relationship was perhaps unrelated to the love between a man and a woman but it was a wonderful time knitted with the life and death situation!

Wen Leyang was filled with joy as he watched Cone Nail. Cone Nail was filled with joy as she watched Wen Leyang.

However, in between Wen Leyang and Cone Nail, there was still a knot that could not be loosened no matter how. It was Leyang Shoujin. The moment he thought of the Leyang family's lineage, Wen Leyang's face turned dull.

Cone Nail seemed to understand what he was thinking. A sense of dimness penetrated from her smile. She spoke gently, "About this matter, we will discuss further after we settle Xiang Liu!" Following that, she fisted her hands and arched her back, she exhaled a breath strenuously as if this helplessness that was already beyond salvageable could be blown away. She laughed happily once again.

Wen Leyang also did not speak again. He hung the jade knife back onto his neck and asked in hesitation, "Within Cone Nail's primordial spirit, the power of heavenly water spirit is charging at the seal, will that make her…" As he was saying that, Wen Leyang pointed to his head, his understanding of the primordial spirit was that it was a brain cell, an enormous brain cell.

Guo Huan was stunned for a moment before it understood Wen Leyang's question, "So you are afraid that she might turn crazy? That is utterly two different matters. The power of utmost precious that is entangling with the seal and the seal itself are two gushes of powers that are unrelated to Cone Nail. Cone Nail's movements and routines and the launching of her supernatural power will not be affected. We can only see if the seal is tougher in the end or the utmost precious is more incisive…"

Wen Leyang finally felt relieved. Judging by Guo Huan and Cone Nail's statement, sooner or later that seal would be broken and in the final analysis, there would come a day when the seal's power was exhausted. After all, the heavenly spirit was still condensing underneath the ice stalactite drop by drop continuously and they also had the small bowl.

As Cone Nail declared herself as the relative of Chang Li's husband, she was pleased with herself for a moment. Then she returned to Wen Leyang's side, pestered and urged him continuously, "Show us quick. Since you have already absorbed so much Poison of Water, you must have some new abilities now."

Wen Leyang stretched out his hand and gestured for a few times. He laughed in embarrassment, "I do not feel anything different, maybe my power is slightly stronger than before, my bones and muscles are slightly tougher, my telegnosis ability is clearer and spreads further."

On the other hand, Cone Nail frowned in puzzlement. She stretched out her hands and gestured in exaggeration, "So much Poison of Water is absorbed by you but you…do not feel anything special?"

Wen Leyang smiled arrogantly, he could not conceal the mannerism of a small man intoxicated by success of his, "Currently…I think that I am not any less stronger than the giant pangolin!"

Cone Nail was not courteous at all. She directly exercised her position as Tuo Xie's elder sister as she scolded, "What a good-for-nothing young lad! Such vast and thick Poison of Water, even Tian Yin could not endure that. Yet, after you had completely absorbed it, you are only of an equal match to Po Tu?"

Wen Leyang was stunned. He knew very well in his heart how strong his power was. It was true that his power was vastly enhanced but he was absolutely not as powerful until he could evenly rival the top master cultivators such as Cone Nail and Chang Li.

The 'Grand Master Cone Nail' pondered for a moment before speaking to Wen Leyang, "Explain your cultivation method in detail to me!"

Wen Leyang nodded. He immediately explained, "The Poison of Life and Death can assimilate the strong poison of five elements. Every time it assimilates an element, it will be added with a new element of attribution…" From the moment his meridians and muscles were shattered in the beginning until he cultivated into the domineering cultivation method of his ancestor Wen Lazi, a few years had already passed. He absorbed the strong poison on multiple occasions, so he had figured out some form of pattern.

Every element of the utmost poison of five elements would add a little attribution to Wen Leyang's Poison of Life and Death. While the poison power in his body was vastly enhanced, the Poison of Life and Death would rise to a certain level before he could achieve the breakthrough to a new level.

Wen Leyang was afraid that Cone Nail could not understand his explanation, he concluded, "Let me just put it this way, the poison of five elements is just the Poison of Life and Death's meals and nourishment. After the Poison of Life and Death is fully fed, only then it will allow me to thoroughly remold myself, turn my human body into a saint. The poison that truly allows me to 'upgrade' myself is not the utmost poison of five elements but the Poison of Life and Death!"

In the Red Leaves Forest, the Poison of Life and Death remolded Wen Leyang's poisonous meridians. It did not refine his soul but directly caused the body to complete the process of a cultivator's so-called foundation establishment and marrow washing. Wen Leyang's actual power had already exceeded an ordinary level cultivator's power.

When he absorbed the Poison of Earth in the Miao stockade village and dug through the mountain on Mount Emei, the Poison of Earth completely combined with the Poison of Life and Death. The Poison of Life and Death also turned from stagnant into a poison tide that flowed with his intent. From then on, his cultivation power was vastly enhanced. He had already possessed the power to fight against the first-rate master cultivators of the Five Blessings like the enlightened person Qing Niao.

Following that he refined the two bronze ants Mo Ya's strong poison of metal element in the Gold-Consuming Lair. Then, he was countercharged by the drought spirits that was summoned by Hanba the drought deity in the City God Temple of Shanghai, such that his poison power of metal element was increased by many folds. However, whether it was the Poison of Earth or the Poison of Metal, it made Wen Leyang's actual power grew but never to the degree of being thoroughly remolded.

It was only when he arrived in the Painting Town of Shanghai, the power of Yin and Yang fused with the Poison of Life and Death and the strong poison prohibition spells that were bred on the Nine Peaks Mountain for two thousand years. The Poison of Life and Death grew and flourished and it used the strong poison to remold Wen Leyang's body, such that he was strong enough to rival with the demon monk Bu Le from the Great Mercy Temple that had cultivated for almost two thousand years.

This time after he had absorbed the Poison of Water, it was true that his cultivation power was vastly enhanced. Wen Leyang could feel that he should be able to race against the giant pangolin Po Tu. However, even though his power and body became stronger, it was unlike the transformation of an ordinary person to a not-bad cultivator's actual power but more like the leap of a cultivator's actual power to a thousand-year-old demon's level.

The old demon rabbit Bu Le's cultivation base was albeit weaker than Po Tu, strictly speaking, the two demons were still of the same grade. They were both of the same fine standards of sixty to eighty marks but the demon rabbit scored sixty-one, while the pangolin scored over seventy marks… the two persons were still a full grade away from the excellent level of eighty to one hundred marks.

This form of distance was perhaps differed by the score of one but the difference was like the distance between the heaven and the earth. Even if the old demon rabbit were to risk its life, he could surely fight against Po Tu for at least half a day. However, even if Po Tu were to sacrificed its body full of scales, in the eyes of the good hands like Chang Li and Cone Nail who were stronger than it by a level, it was nothing but a dung beetle and could be crushed to death at the raise of their hands.

Cone Nail listened patiently until Wen Leyang was done speaking. She muttered to herself for a moment before she shifted her gaze to the jade knife hanging on his neck, "What does Guo Huan think about this?"

Guo Huan let out a 'heh'. It spoke in a resolute and decisive manner, "This is related to the corpse! The Poison of Life and Death, the Poison of Life and Death. The power that is gathered from the five elements is all the Poison of Life that is assimilated by the poison power within his body. Even if it were to expand any bigger, the power that is displayed is still limited. However, after it had fused with the Poison of Death, it was capable of thoroughly remolding his body! When he first condensed and refined his poisonous meridians, he had Yin Chi's Poison of Corpse. Afterwards, when he remolded his body, he had the ghost energy of the countless soldiers of the nether lands!"

The jade knife Guo Huan's statement enlightened Wen Leyang suddenly.

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Chapter 221: Two Months

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Wen Leyang's body has been upgraded twice now. It was only after the Yin and Yang forces have been fused completely that his actual power received a qualitative leap. The Poison of Life and Death in his body has absorbed the utmost poisons of the Five Elements but this had only enhanced the Yang's disposition in him. In order to really upgrade himself, he still needs an equal amount of malevolent Yin forces from the Corpse Poison as a supplement.

This matter was directly related to his cultivation method and actual power. Wen Leyang's heart wavered from unease as he listened to the explanation. It took him a moment before he reacted to the situation and asked Guo Huan, "Why had you not told me that earlier?" Guo Huan had pretended to be comatose all along yet he seems to be able to speak impressively with sound reasoning right now. It was certain that he had spent some time pondering on this matter in the past.

Guo Huan's answer was completely uncourteous, "I've never treated you as family in the past!"

Wen Leyang burst out laughing, "So, we're family now?"

Guo Hua ignored him. Wen Leyang pondered by himself for a while longer before he heaved a long sigh, "So, where can I find such a swift and forceful Corpse Poison…" The utmost poisons of the Five Elements were already difficult to find; things like the Yin Chi or the Yin Army were, by contrast, easier to chance upon than to plead for. It was already a situation stranger than fiction for him to have discovered that twice.

Zhui Zi gathered herself forward mysteriously. Her intentionally lowered voice carried a sense of apparent encouragement, "There's Fifth Brother Hanba, I can help you!"

"No way!" Wen Leyang was startled, this was an absolutely rotten idea to him.

Zhui Zi pouted her lips and her expression showed boundless injustice. Her agile eyes rolled around before she finally gave up on the idea of encouraging Wen Leyang to kill Hanba. She then refocused the topic of discussion once again, "Other than expanding the Poison of Life and Death, there should be one more useful feature of the utmost poisons of the Five Elements." Zhui Zi frowned as she said that and pondered as she spoke, "The thick earth and sharp metal are mainly involved in establishing one's foundations and providing support. That was why it had remolded your poisonous bones! If you had first absorbed strong poison from the other three elements, the body parts which would be remade might not necessarily be your bones."

The jade knife huffed in agreement as it praised, "You have a point there!"

Wen Leyang hummed in a slightly peculiar tone before he chuckled and asked Guo Huan, "Do you need her help for something?" Judging from Guo Huan's cranky temper, it was rare for him to compliment others in the past.

Therefore, Wen Leyang was surprised when Guo Hua had laughed in tacit agreement with Zhui Zi.

The Water Poison's poison tide which was transformed from thousands of ice bugs had even overwhelmed Tian Yin but the power it produced after being assimilated by the Poison of Life and Death was very limited. Wen Leyang had felt rather joyous when he awakened but after he had pondered about it for a while, he began to feel reluctant. He inhaled deeply and exerted his strength to urge the Poison of Life and Death in his body to circulate continuously. After a long while, he suddenly exclaimed in surprise. He turned his palm upwards with his thumb raised and a drop of dark grey-colored liquid appeared soundlessly on the tip of his thumb. The lustrous and dazzling colors of the crystal ore in the cave reflected in the grey-colored droplet before turning into the grey color of death that suffocated them.

Zhui Zi did not notice his small movement as she stretched her body lazily from the side.

Guo Huan reacted as expected as he laughed in an earnest manner, "You've spent these days taking care of that Wen boy of yours, you never even slept at all. You must be tired…"

Wen Leyang raised his head in astonishment. He contemplated for a moment before he suddenly squalled, "How many days has it been?" Even though Zhui Zi's action was suspicious with the intent of showing-off, it would certainly take more than ten days or a half a month's time for this great demon to feel slightly tired. Wen Leyang felt cold sweat cover his skin as he pondered about this fact; it had taken him a year to absorb the Earth Poison at the Miao stockade village and there was so much Water Poison this time… Putting the three-month agreement from the monkey Qian Ren aside, perhaps if he was to return home now, he would just be in time to bear witness to Wen Bushuo marrying his son off…

Guo Huan may be friendly to Zhui Zi but he did not provide such good service to Wen Leyang as he scoffed rigidly, "How would I know? I'm not wearing a watch!" After this outburst, he paused for a moment before he added, "Also, I don't own a cell phone!"

Wen Leyang looked at Zhui Zi once again who shook her head innocently, "I don't have those as well!"

Wen Leyang gulped and fused the grey-colored droplet on his fingertip back into his body with a wave of his hand. Zhui Zi had not paid attention when Wen Leyang had formed the liquid and only noticed it now. She asked curiously, "What's that?"

"It's the Poison of Life and Death! We can discuss more as we walk!" As Wen Leyang was speaking, he pulled Zhui Zi up and began to dash rapidly towards the outside of the ore cave!

Wen Leyang had only run forward two steps when he suddenly stopped moving as if he had recalled something. He frowned as he hesitated for a while before he stretched out his hand and plucked the jade knife up. He then asked for the small ice stalactite bowl from Zhui Zi and ran back into the cave swiftly. It did not take long before he returned with a small drop of 'heavenly water spirit' in his hand. He chuckled as he spoke to Zhui Zi, "We've destroyed their bugs so we must at least show some respects to them, right?"

Zhui Zi helped him to seal the 'heavenly water spirit' with a magic spell. The both of them then departed once again and rushed to the outside world.

The poison tide in Wen Leyang's body was surging with splendid and tremendous force as he dashed out with Zhui Zi. Guo Huan, who was in the jade knife, was praising Zhui Zi, "After the Heaven's Cone Nail had been awakened, she had refused to move an inch away and guarded you. She even refused to go out to get some fresh air! Naturally, she would not know how long it has been. Young lad, you must always remember her loyalty!"

Zhui Zi giggled but her attention was still concentrated on that drop of Poison of Life and Death which had condensed out of Wen Leyang, "So, that droplet earlier was the liquid form of the Poison of Life and Death? It does not seem any peculiar to me."

Wen Leyang, on the other hand, shook his head, "The peculiarity is not in the poisonous liquid but in the cultivation method. After the Water Element had been dissolved away, the Poison of Life and Death could follow my heart's intent when it was circulating until it could flow out of my body. In the past, it had only been able to circulate within my body. When I was fighting desperately, I still needed to use the Faulty Punch to force the poison's power out of my body… However, I can directly convert the strong poison into liquid now and let it flow out of my body… Do you understand what I'm saying?"

Wen Leyang was a clumsy speaker. It was even more difficult for him to express his intention with words when it comes to explaining about his cultivation method.

In the past, there was no way the Poison of Life and Death could flow out of his body by itself. He could only depend on the Faulty Punch's strength to display it and push it into the enemy's body. The Metal Poison Stream beneath his feet was formed from veins woven from the utmost metal poison. In the final analysis, it was still the Metal Elemental Poison Stream and not the Poison of Life and Death which was circulating outside his body.

However, right now, Wen Leyang was capable of directly forcing the Poison of Life and Death out of his body like a venom.

Zhui Zi stopped walking abruptly. Within her stern gaze, there was a glimpse of surprise which could not be suppressed. She stretched out her fair-skinned palm and spoke in a manner which does not tolerate rejection, "Give me a drop now!"

Wen Leyang does not understand her purpose but he nodded absent-mindedly. With the gentle flick of a finger, a drop of grey-colored venom rolled about before it dropped onto Zhui Zi's palm with a plop. The grey-colored venom disappeared in a flash. Soon after, a dim layer of greenish grey color suddenly spread across Zhui Zi's palm. It crept all the way to her elbow quickly before it gradually slowed down.

The jade knife Guo Huan gasped softly in astonishment as Zhui Zi's gaze was also filled with shock. After a moment, she exhaled a long breath and muttered to herself, "What an incisive poison!" Soon after that, she circulated her life vitality to disperse the poison. The hideous-looking greenish grey color on her forearm gradually dissipated as she spoke, "I was not intentionally resisting the strong poison earlier but only used my self-defense life vitality to dissolve the Poison of Life and Death. That arm of mine is considered crippled before I can disperse the poison."

Ever since the early times, poison was an unorthodox material to a cultivator because they can use their life vitality to defend their body. Once the presence of toxicity has invaded their body, it would immediately be dissolved by the cultivator's life vitality. This makes it seem as if cultivators were immune to all poisons. However, once the toxicity's damage was stronger than the cultivator's life vitality, the cultivator could be killed by the poison. Even a top master cultivator like Tian Yin had only barely managed to escape at a rush under the endless Water Poison.

The poison was a force and the life vitality was a force as well. In the final analysis, it was still a match of which force was the stronger one. Wen Leyang understood the principle and he pondered Zhui Zi's words for a while. Suddenly, he felt the ore cave before his eyes brighten abruptly. The strong poison in his body could flow outside now. He probably could not bring out a huge amount but he could still splash out a basin full of venom and survive. Since one drop of his venom was capable of crippling one of Zhui Zi's arms, if he was to scatter a stretch of Life and Death Venom, perhaps even Tian Yin would have to admit defeat if he was to attack Wen Leyang again.

Zhui Zi observed Wen Leyang as he scratched his ears and cheeks in excitement. She burst out laughing as she shook her head, "Don't get too happy yet. If I had been fully prepared, even if you were to splash out the blood and essence in your entire body, don't think that you could even touch a single strand of my hair. Your body and your powers are not strong enough. You won't survive if you only depended on this drop of venom to fight me!" Zhui Zi's smile suddenly vanished as she spoke and her tone of speaking was earnest yet solemn, "I will never harm you. Chang Li and Hanba will not harm you as well naturally. Based on your current level of cultivation, there's only one person who is a direct threat and is capable of killing you right now!"

Wen Leyang nodded, he knew who she was talking about.

Zhui Zi continued to speak sternly, "That's why you can never tell anyone else about your self-defense method! If Tian Yin was to come fully-prepared, if you were to fight against him hereafter, you would definitely be killed by him!"

Wen Leyang's current ability was no different from someone spitting saliva. His ability paid particular attention to strike where the enemy was unprepared and appeared when the enemy least expects it.

After he has absorbed a good amount of Water Poison, his power had not increased to a corresponding level but he now possesses the ability to splash out his venom. This could, in a way, be considered as a consolation prize. Wen Leyang felt elated and the vision before his eyes brightened as he dashed out of the ore cave with Zhui Zi before immediately crashing head-first into the thick ice sheet. Zhui Zi laughed as she asked him, "Do you want me to bring you along with the escape spell or do you want to run together? The speed is almost the same."

The ice escape was albeit energy-conserving but they could not talk. Wen Leyang and Zhui Zi pounded their way out of the ice sheet together. There was a raging snowstorm outside and it was incomparably cold. It seems that it was winter already.

The Jianggendiru Glacier was located on the Geladaindong Peak's southeast slope. After they had clearly identified the direction they started dashing wildly towards the snowy peak.

The act of running to one's pleasure in the boundless snowstorm was an intense experience but Wen Leyang was not foolish enough to take off his shirt. On the contrary, he pulled his clothes tightly around his body and asked, "Guo Huan, how long will this jade knife last?"

After casting the Demon Body Breaking Spell several times on the snowy peak, the jade knife was covered in fissures. It looks as if it would shatter at any moment.

Guo Huan replied, "Heh, this young lad still has some conscience in him! This jade knife, in its current condition, can last one year at most and six months at least. It can't hold on beyond that. F*ck, this old father can even hear the sound of it crumbling little by a little every day."

Wen Leyang nodded, "I will beg Grand Master Chang Li after we get home and find out the location of your immortal's cave!"

Guo Huan's tone of speaking, on the other hand, does not sound impatient. He then laughed out loud, "It'll be best if you can locate this old father's split body but in case you can't locate me, then I'll need to trouble the Heaven's Cone Nail fairy maiden."

Wen Leyang was a little confused and he peered at Zhui Zi strangely, "You know where his split body and his immortal's cave is?"

Zhui Zi was dashing wildly like the swift wind. She shook her head as her mouth cracked into a charming smile. This time, the few of them have managed to unite their efforts to deal with Tian Yin. Zhui Zi and Guo Huan's enmity in the past had disappeared like ash and smoke. Although Zhui Zi does not know the location of Guo Huan's immortal's cave, she had a backup plan.

If they truly could not find Guo Huan's split body, Zhui Zi would help Guo Huan to capture a cultivator and tossed them into the ore cave's 'Thirteen Shall Not Pass' prohibition spells. The plan was to use the prohibition spells to wipe away the other party's primordial soul and then cast a spell to help Guo Hua possess the body.

A cultivator's human body was supposed to be a great soul vessel to bear a primordial spirit but in most cases, no matter how strong the travelling primordial spirit was, it would never be able to defeat the body's original master unless that primordial spirit was some primitive monster like Xiang Liu's evil soul or the true soul. Amongst the two, the true soul was much stronger than the evil soul. The true soul had been capable of seizing Tian Yin's dharma body which was good enough to declare himself the sword immortal while the evil soul could only possess the body of an ordinary cultivator, that of the Taoist priest San Wei. In the cultivation world, San Wei was no one but a small character with some reputation back then.

Zhui Zi's idea actually uses the same principle as Xiang Liu's evil soul in the jade knife. That evil soul had attached itself to the Taoist priest San Wei's true body a thousand years ago.

The actual power of Guo Huan's split body would be around twenty to thirty percent of the God level. There were not many cultivators in the world who could measure up to him but if Guo Huan's split body truly could not be found, then it was still better for him to have a body than to leave his primordial soul to be scattered in the air after the jade knife shatters. However, the many factors of looking for and capturing that person, or the quality of that person's body, would depend largely on Zhui Zi's mood. Therefore, how could Guo Huan not flatter Zhui Zi as much as he could now?

Wen Leyang finally understands now that whether it was Chang Li, Hanba, Zhui Zi, or Tuo Xie, though they may be top master cultivators, none of them could be considered as good people. He would never have thought of such a malicious solution to that problem.

Once Zhui Zi had finished explaining the matter, she looked at Wen Leyang and smiled, "I'll be looking for a someone who had committed the most wicked sins to toss into the 'Thirteen Shall Not Pass' prohibition spells, I won't put you in a difficult position."

Guo Hua hastily chimed in, "Uh… It's still best if you can find me a human body with good qualities and still damned to be punished. However, if you can't find someone like that, then it will be more important for you to judge based on the body's quality…"

Wen Leyang was at a loss of whether to cry or to laugh, "I think you are better off looking for that split body of yours! However…" He frowned and asked Zhui Zi in a slightly puzzled tone, "Even if you could find a cultivator who deserves to be damned and toss them into the prohibition spells to wash away their primordial soul, how will you remove them later?" Wen Leyang had already puffed up his chest proudly as he spoke for not many people could bore through the ice sheet as well as enter and exit the 'Thirteen Shall Not Pass' prohibition spell unhindered. In fact, he might be the only person who could do that!

"I'll tie a rope around that person's leg and all would be settled." Zhui Zi burst out laughing as she took away the prideful expression on Wen Leyang's face in one moment.

Wen Leyang laughed too, "As long as Grand Master Chang Li is willing to help, Guo Huan can return to his dharma body once again and there would be no need to be too concerned over this matter. Still, on the contrary, that method of yours could be an effective way of saving another person's life.Wen Leyang and knocked lightly onto the jade knife as he spoke, "Tell me this first, the primordial soul who had dealt with Tian Yin earlier, what was that about?"

San Wei's primordial soul which had been hidden in the jade knife had immediately woken up after Tian Yin's appearance. It had been waiting for the opportunity to launch an ambush but after that, it then conversed with Guo Huan for a short period of time before it fell into a deep sleep that it has still not awoken from.

Guo Huan explained the rough idea of events which had taken place back then, huffing at the end, "This primordial soul had been a monk in the beginning! When it lost its dharma body's shackles, it recuperated for a period of time but the ability to launch its supernatural power was still the cultivation base which had been branded into his bones since the beginning."

The ability to summon the Arhats and use the golden dharma body and godly appearance to restrain the evil devil was supposed to be the Buddhist Sect's supernatural power. Even if Wen Leyang was unaware of the cultivator's abilities, just by looking at the bald Arhats which had dropped down from the sky, he could tell that the person who was casting the spell was no Taoist priest.

If it had not been for the Great Mercy's power of mindful training contained in this primordial soul, its cultivation would not be suffering from the possessed evil soul's torments. The primordial soul had spent over a thousand years deliberately scheming day and night to oppose Hanba. In the final analysis, it was still trying to execute Xiang Liu's evil soul in order to cleanse the malevolent energy from its dharma body.

Now that its cultivation has been destroyed, the primordial soul was albeit weak and fragile but it could free itself from the agony that entangled good and evil akin to purgatory in a thousand years. This primordial soul's key reason to kill Guo Huan also no longer exists. In addition, its primordial spirit had originally contained a righteous cultivator. It had launched its supernatural power to save them so Wen Leyang felt that he was ready to help the soul right now.

Due to the enhancement of his cultivation power, Wen Leyang's eyes were shining blacker and brighter than before. He laughed as he asked Guo Huan, "So will he… Regain his memories?"

Guo Huan shook its head in the jade knife, "How will I know about that! I will let you know when he has awakened!"

Wen Leyang nodded and no longer wasted time to speak nonsense. The Poison of Life and Death surged as he exerted his strength to dash wildly but he ended up being dragged by Zhui Zi like a human kite which flew close to the ground…

Soon, Wen Leyang and Zhui Zi were hiking up the snowy slope on Geladaindong Peak. As he dashed through the landscape, the sound of crying suddenly echoed and a bald, fat boy staggered as he ran towards them. It was the Hua family youth who had recently lost the bug tide, Hua Xiaoba.

Hua Xiaoba still looked the same and Wen Leyang was secretly relieved. He had been afraid that Hua Xiaoba would turn into an old man.

Hua Xiaoba ran towards them with snot and tears on his face. He pulled a long face as he stuttered and asked, "Where did all of you go? Where's the bug tide?"

Before he could finish his sentence, a whistle echoed once and again, a large batch of white-robed youths appeared from beneath the ice sheet. The person leading them was Wen Leyang's acquaintance, Hua Xiaoyao.

Hua Xiaoyao realized that Wen Leyang and Zhui Zi had returned safe and sound. There was a sense of joy in his face but before he could speak, Zhui Zi pursed her lips first, "The bug tide is gone. Not even a firecracker is left, they are all dead!"

The smile on Hua Xiaoyao's face immediately froze as he stood on the same spot in astonishment. He did not know whether he should feel angry or heartache and he clenched his fists so tightly until his knuckles popped. His entire body trembled slightly.

Wen Leyang hastily took out the small bowl from his chest pocket which had been sealed by Zhui Zi's magic spell. He then presented it to Hua Xiaoyao, "This is compensation for the Hua family, it's the 'heavenly water spirit'!"

The Hua family had been cultivating in the Water Elemental cultivation method for generations. Hua Xiaoyao was the best amongst the white-robed youths and he could sense that the drop of clear water in the small bowl was enshrouded with tremendous force despite being separated by Zhui Zi's seal. H squalled once as he sat on the ground with a thud. His expression was a combination of fear and panic with a deep sense of surprise. He stared in bewilderment at Wen Leyang as his lips quivered but he could not even say one word.

Zhui Zi urged him impatiently, "Foolish boy, this is an enormous creation. Why aren't you taking it? There's only this drop here, don't blame us if you accidentally destroy it!" Upon saying that, she suddenly recalled something and added, "Remember to return that small bowl to me!"

Hua Xiaoyao seems to have just had a rude awakening as he gulped strenuously. He accidentally bit the tip of his tongue and, judging by the grimace on his face, he was feeling rather pained as he stretched out his hand and received the 'heavenly water spirit'. Soon after, he stood on the same spot once again. His entire person was like an ice sculpture as he stood there absent-mindedly at a complete loss for words.

It was only until Zhui Zi had raised her hand with a smile and slapped him soundly on the head did Hua Xiaoyao regain his senses. He then roared at the people behind him loudly, "Hua Xiaoduo, Hua Xiaoduo, get over here! Accompany… Accompany the sword immortal's honored guests! The rest of you, escort me back to the house to visit the family's leader!" A young maiden jumped forward as she answered in a cheerful voice and walked to the front of Wen Leyang. She then bowed and saluted him.

After Hua Xiaoyao finished giving out his instructions, he felt that he had been discourteous and looked at Wen Leyang with a piteous expression. Wen Leyang burst out laughing as he waved his hand, "Off you go, off you go…"

Hua Xiaoba was still standing at the front. He raised his bald little head as he continued to cry and pester as before, "Will all of you please return my firecrackers? Return my bug tide…" Before he could finish his sentence, Hua Xiaoyao had covered his mouth and pulled him away. The large group of Hua family disciples then disappeared into the ice sheet in the blink of an eye, leaving behind a white-robed young maiden named Hua Xiaoduo.

Wen Leyang finally remembered something as he asked Hua Xiaoduo with a slightly impatient tone, "How long has it been since I've left?"

Hua Xiaoduo blinked her huge eyes. Her expression was at first perplexed before it turned hesitant. Finally, she made up her mind in the end as she said, "Two months!"

Wen Leyang was surprised at her reaction, he had only asked about the time but Hua Xiaoduo had nodded her head strenuously like she was risking her life as she repeated her answer, "It has been two months!" Wen Leyang exhaled a long breath. He calculated the time and reckoned that he could still rush back to the small town of Tuer to help the dog-headed eagle to exterminate the bugs.

Hua Xiaoduo realized that Wen Leyang looked satisfied and immediately felt relieved. She chuckled, "Those friends of yours are still frozen in the ice spikes. We've been taking care of them carefully all this time…"

It was only then that Wen Leyang suddenly recalled that the Little Supreme Leader Liu Zheng, the Kunlun Sect's seventy-two esteemed sword seniors, Old Gu, Fei Fei and Xiao Sha were still frozen in the ice spikes. He quickly looked at Zhui Zi, "They won't be frozen to death, right?!"

It may have been alright for cultivators like Liu Zheng and the Kunlun Sect's disciples but the trio of Old Gu were just common people. Even if they had been placed in a freezer, not to say being frozen in the ice spikes, they would have been frozen to death by now.

Zhui Zi laughed with complete confidence, "Don't worry, they won't die!" She pulled Wen Leyang along as she spoke. Her sleeves floated in the air and her feet almost do not seem to touch the ground as she rushed towards the location where the frozen Kunlun Sect's disciples were. That stretch of ice spikes was still as lustrous and dazzling as before, there were not even any signs of them melting in these two months. Whether it was Liu Zheng with the most profound cultivation base or the common person Gu Xiaojun with a human's body, all were sound asleep in the ice spikes. Near the bottom, Rangjung and Po Tu were leaning against the base of the spikes, dozing off from boredom…

After Zhui Zi had removed the magic spell, a group of people immediately dropped to the ground like living koi fishes. In the midst of the pressing affairs, Wen Leyang managed to catch only Fei Fei.

By the time Liu Zheng and the rest were awakened, not only were they not dull, they were brimming with health and vitality. Back when Zhui Zi had cast her freezing spell, her purpose had been to retain their lives. The magic spell was a supernatural power which focused on using the Water Element as moisture; not only was it not harmful to them, it also helped to take care of their primordial spirit.

Wen Leyang did not waste any time talking nonsense as he explained the sequence of events in its entirety to the crowd. Everyone, including Liu Zheng and Rangjung, stared in bewilderment upon hearing his explanation. Following that, under the guidance of Hua Xiaoduo, the crowd went over to take a look at the Kunlun Sect disciples who were in the process of being recognized as the masters by the firecrackers.

The large batch of Kunlun Taoist priests still retained their prior ghastly appearances with spurious smiles. There was also the addition of Tutatunte, whose mouth was opened wide with his teeth bared. His pitch-black complexion appeared unusually striking…

The matter on the snowy peak was considered settled, the most urgent matter right now for Wen Leyang was to exterminate the bugs for the dog-headed eagle in order to exchange the lives of Qin Zhui and the dwarf Taoist priest.

Wen Leyang did not wish to procrastinate any longer. He refused to wait for the Hua family's elders to come over so he instructed Hua Xiaoduo to request for the Hua family to take care of Tutatunte and the Kunlun Sect's disciples. Following that, he joined Zhui Zi along with the three of Old Gu's men, Rangjung and Po Tu as he embarked on the journey once again. They soon left the mountain and headed towards the small town of Tuer.

The Little Supreme Leader Liu Zheng was unaware that the whereabouts of the 'Big Flat Cake, Broken Gong and Dog' had been hidden amongst the Wen Bucao's disciples. Since he had nowhere else to be at this time, he had stayed behind on the snowy peak to guard the disciples of his sect. He made an agreement with Wen Leyang that they would stay in touch if anything was to happen before the two parties then bid their farewells.

Zhui Zi had wanted to stay behind on the snowy peak temporarily. Firstly, this was due to the fact that the Water Elemental atmosphere on the snowy peak was thicker than anywhere else. This location would be beneficial for the 'heavenly water spirit' to recharge the seal. Secondly, because Zhui Zi had retained some memories of this place, she was trying hard to look for some traces to see if she could remember more about her past. However, Zhui Zi was worried that the monster beneath the small town of Tuer would harm Wen Leyang after he had exterminated the bugs so she finally decided to head to the small town with Wen Leyang first. Once they have completed this mission, she would then return to this place by herself.

Regardless, the scheme design which was adopted by Tian Yin to remold Xiang Liu's Water Elemental evil soul had failed in the end. He had been severely injured as well when he escaped so Xiang Liu's true body which was suppressed beneath the Black and White Island could not struggle free from the Heaven's Cone Nails for the moment. Wen Leyang's cultivation power has been vastly enhanced and Zhui Zi too has received the opportunity to break the seal as well as to regain her lost memories. They have even become friends from foes so this trip to the snowy mountain could be considered to have a successful conclusion.

As they left the snowy peak, 'You've Got Me' crawled onto Wen Leyang's shoulder and ululated at the Molten Metal Fire Bell which was standing upright between the heaven and earth. That giant sword responded with a joyous hum filled with indomitable spirit but its gigantic sword's blade still remained diagonally in the snow-covered land. It appeared enchantingly dazzling when seen from afar; dazzling in an arrogant and unyielding manner!

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Chapter 222: Three Months

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

The group walked with quick strides towards their destination. Wen Leyang had planned to carry Fei Fei on his back just like he did when they had first come over but Zhui Zi was reluctant to let Wen Leyang bear any more burdens. She placed the giant pangolin in front of everyone else and it was the giant pangolin who carried the Fei Fei siblings, Zhui Zi, and Wen Leyang on his back without any complains. On the contrary, the head lama Rangjung did not receive such careful treatment. Instead, he carried Old Gu as he trotted behind the giant pangolin.

At this point, Old Gu, Fei Fei, and Xiao Sha's mission had been accomplished and they were actually hitching a ride back. Since it was the rainy season on the highland, the snowstorm had sealed the mountain pass and roads. The only effective form of transportation were the cultivators…

Tian Yin had disappeared without a trace after he was severely injured but no one has the strength to look for him now. Those with great abilities like Chang Li and Zhui Zi would run the risk of being possessed if they found the true soul while those with weaker abilities would end up dead if they were to find Tian Yin.

Both Zhui Zi and Wen Leyang's heads hurt each time they thought of how they could deal with Tian Yin. According to Zhui Zi's personal opinion, even though a master cultivator at the level of Chang Li, Guo Huan or herself was not afraid Tian Yin's cultivation base, once they truly faced him in battle, they would be forced to retreat out of fear.

In the end, Zhui Zi sighed before she said to Wen Leyang, "I think we ought to figure out a way to look for that… 'Big flat cake, broken gong, and dog'. These three items are important to Tian Yin and ought to be related to Xiang Liu." She then laughed desperately, "If we're lucky, perhaps these three items may even allow us to restrain the true soul!"

No one knows what the 'big flat cake, broken gong, and dog' meant and they understood even less about the purpose of the items. However, it was possible that these three items could be similar to the 'heavenly water spirit' which was capable of freeing Xiang Liu from his shackles. It was also possible that these three items were related to the crucial point of subduing the true soul and even the nine-headed monster itself. Anyhow, they would need to search for these items more laboriously.

The speed that the group of people spent on their return journey was much faster than when they had first entered the mountain. In less than a few days, they have arrived back in the small town of Tuer. What surprised Wen Leyang the most was the moment they had entered the town, they saw that the dwarf Taoist priest was happily strolling around the town…

Other than the dwarf Taoist priest and the Qilian Immortal Sect's disciples in the town, there were a dozen Wen Bucao's disciples as well. Moreover, the leader this time was not one of the family elders or the two brothers Bushuo and Buzuo. Instead, it was the other good hand of the Death Trademark known as Wen Make.

Before they arrived, Wen Make had received the news from the disciples who had been posted outside the town. His joyful expression still showed some fatigue as he welcomed them from afar. He grabbed Wen Leyang's arm, "I thought that something had happened to you, why has it taken so long for you to come back?"

Wen Leyang chuckled as he shook his head, "I was held up for two months on the snowy mountain…"

Before he could finish his sentence, Wen Make widened his eyes, "Two months? I've been in this small town for over three months! If I were to include the time spent when the Qilian disciples had departed to Nine Peaks Mountain and the time taken for the family elders to prepare the medicinal materials, you've left the small town for at least four months!"

"What?!" Wen Leyang almost jumped as he squalled. Ever since he had left the dog-headed eagle, he circled around the lake and was delayed for a few days as he entered the mountain. Following that, he spent another few days hiking up the mountain and experienced an adventure there. Finally, he had been held up in the ore cave for two months. When he totaled everything up at this point, the sum does not exceed seventy days. Wen Leyang was halfway through his calculations when Zhui Zi suddenly laughed. She raised her small, charming face as she asked, "Do you still remember that ugly little girl named Hua Xiaoduo? You had asked her how long we were in the ore cave and she told you it was two months."

Wen Leyang shook his head despite not understanding the situation. He muttered, "That young maiden is actually quite beautiful…"

Zhui Zi pouted her lips but burst into delighted laughter soon after, "Try to think about her expression back then, she had been clenching her teeth anxiously like she was hiding something."

Wen Leyang still does not understand the situation. Guo Huan too laughed aloud in the jade knife abruptly, "I understand now, I understand now! Those obscure cultivators have not come into contact with other people in thousands of years, how could they be expected to calculate time in such a detailed manner? At most, they could probably tell that a year has passed based on observing the four seasons. Since a year is made up of fourteen or nine months, they would be unable to calculate that!"

The group finally figured out that when Hua Xiaoduo had said 'two months' back then, she had given an estimate… Wen Leyang had spent a full three months in the ore cave as he absorbed the Water Poison from the 'firecrackers'.

Wen Leyang inhaled the cold air as he turned around and peered at the giant pangolin and the head lama Rangjung. The Hua family was an obscure cultivator family, it was still excusable that they could not calculate days and dates but how was it possible that the both of them had not felt that something was amiss?

Po Tu and Rangjung looked at one another. They then rubbed their palms and laughed; during the period of time when Wen Leyang was trapped in the ore cave, the two brothers had slept and woken and slept and woken again. By the time they thought of counting the days, Wen Leyang was almost at the point of leaving the cave… After that, when they had heard that it had only been two months, they felt rather joyous as the urgent matter was not delayed.

Wen Make could not make head or tail of their conversation. He laughed grudgingly as he shook his head and continued to explain, "I was counting the days until it was almost three months from the day you had left the small town. Since you were nowhere to be found, I had acted on my own and brought the medicinal materials to exterminate the bugs for that monster!"

Wen Make was one of the top good hands of the Death Trademark and his status was almost the same as the Bushuo and Buzuo siblings. He was a capable and experienced man with profound poison cultivation. He had learned of the course of events the Immortal Sect disciple who had witnessed it. He then waited for three months but with the deadline approaching and no sign of Wen Leyang, he had taken the medicinal materials for exterminating bugs and headed down with a few other Qilian Immortal Sect's disciples.

Wen Leyang felt both ashamed and wretched as he pulled Wen Make, who was a decade older than him, along. He does not know what to say and Wen Make misunderstood his intention, Wen Make smiled gently as he procured a carrot from his bag and stuffed the carrot into Wen Leyang's hand…

The giant pangolin looked slightly incredulous as he glared suspiciously at Wen Make, "Just by depending on your effort, it had been enough to annihilate those iron-mound-like dung beetles?!"

Wen Make laughed, "Those bugs were only slightly larger than usual and the bug's temperament was exactly the same as an ordinary dung beetle. We had blended the medicinal materials according to Wen Leyang's recipe back in the mountain. As long as the dosage was adequate, any child from the Wen family could successfully complete the task as well!" Wen Make's expression was unlike the rest of the Wen Bucao's arrogance; he appeared humble yet cool but there was a gush of malevolent energy in the depth of his gaze which was as piercing than a knife.

The poison had been specially concocted to deal with those dung beetles. There was utterly no suspense in the extermination process, the biggest problem was to avoid the giant dung beetle's ambush. Inside the dog-headed eagle's body, naturally, the monkey Qian Ren was responsible for the issue of safety. It was only then that Wen Make could finally exterminate all the bugs.

The dung beetles were then completely exterminated and the monkey Qian Ren kept its promise as it elatedly released the dwarf Taoist priest.

At this point, Wen Leyang could not help but frown, "What about Qin Zhui?"

At this point, the dwarf Taoist priest had strolled over in a relaxed manner and said to Wen Leyang, "The young lad was taken by the monkey! Heh, what a great creation that was!"

The head lama Rangjung and Gu Xiaojun simultaneously laughed aloud. They then spoke in unison, "Right enough!" During the time after they had left the dog-headed eagle, they had mentioned that the monkey Qian Ren and the ugly youth Qin Zhui were unusually suited to one another. To their surprise, they never expected to hear upon their return that Qin Zhui had stayed behind in the dog-headed eagle's stomach.

"Ever since all of you have left, Qin Zhui's treasured weapon had been destroyed and he had been severely injured. He did not dare to act rashly so he had waited earnestly. However, the monkey Qian Ren constantly pointed out his faults in a petty manner. Qin Zhui was bullied until he could no longer endure it so he jumped up and fought the monkey desperately!" The dwarf Taoist priest's hostility towards Wen Leyang had already diminished without him realizing it. He had not waited for their inquiry as he took the initiative to explain the whole story, "Each time the both of them started to fight, I would offer my assistance. The ugly boy Qin Zhui was albeit not much of anything but I was even more disgusted by the monkey…"

Wen Leyang managed to a dash of admiration in his forced smile; the monkey's actual power was universally recognized. Since the dwarf Taoist priest had dared to assist Qin Zhui, of course, he spilled the courage of risking his life as well.

The Taoist priest paused for a moment at this point as he laughed shyly, "The moment I stepped forward, I was immediately sealed by the monkey… Qin Zhui was still severely injured and he was not prepared to fight the monkey at all. The monkey too did not attack mercilessly, it only kicked each time Qin Zhui stood up. This happened continuously until the beginning of the fourth day when Qin Zhui stopped moving completely. I pounced forward desperately to take a look and discovered that the muscles and bones of this young lad's entire body had been totally crushed. The monkey, on the other hand, laughed and said that though Qin Zhui's approach not too shabby, his foundation establishment was too weak. According to the monkey, it was actually helping him to remold his muscles and bones. It then continued without listening to my protests, using its own life vitality to wash Qin Zhui's marrow and rebuild his foundation establishment. Finally, it used the Ancient Wood Spell to help him remold his muscles and bones!"

Wen Leyang looked at Zhui Zi in slight surprise but Zhui Zi ignored him completely. Her face was rippling with piteous fear and she only cared about looking at the dwarf Taoist priest. Instead, it was Guo Huan who chuckled as he explained, "Break first, then build. The monkey had destroyed Zhui Zi's rotten foundation first. It then used a great magical power to help Qin Zhui remold his bones and muscles. This is supposed to be the specialty of the Wood Elemental magical arts!"

It was only at that moment that Qin Zhui and the dwarf Taoist priest realized that the monkey was not filled with the lust to kill. On the contrary, it was being kind and hospitable. Qian Ren's temperament was eccentric, it has obviously taken fancy to Qin Zhui yet it refused to profess its intentions straightforwardly. Qin Zhui was sincere, honest and clueless in his behavior and he was addicted to the cultivation of martial arts. Still, he does not lack wit and when presented with such a big meat pie which had fallen from the sky, he would definitely open his mouth wide and receive the pie. Moreover, Qin Zhui was indeed feeling injustice on behalf of the monkey Qian Ren from the bottom of his heart.

Guo Huan, Zhui Zi, the monkey Qian Ren, as well as the Taoist priest San Wei in the jade knife, were the four great demon immortals who had joined hands and forged the four great unusual injustices in the cultivation world.

The dwarf Taoist priest had no understanding of this form of profound Wood Elemental magical art. He continued, "When I was released, Qin Zhui wanted me to pass you this message. He says that soon, he would go to the Nine Peaks Mountain and fight you in a battle once again in order to seize back his Nineteen…"

Before the dwarf Taoist priest could finish his sentence, Zhui Zi suddenly trembled. Her gaze was filled with fear as she looked at him and said, "Why have you been looking at me constantly? Do you still… Bear a grudge against me?"

Zhui Zi voice was choked with sobs and Wen Leyang knew that this was how she behaved when she was prepared to fight someone.

The dwarf Taoist priest was startled, he felt injustice but he refused to submit so easily so he clenched his teeth and spoke, "I was not looking at you… I had been looking at Wen Leyang all the while… I really wasn't looking at you!" It was only when he was speaking to Zhui Zi that his gaze slowly shifted away from Zhui Zi's face…

According to the monkey Qian Ren, the dog-headed eagle was his flesh armor. In simpler words, it was the outermost layer of his body. Now that the dung beetles and eggs have been completely killed by the Wen family's marvelous poison, he has sealed the entrance on the dog-headed eagle's head and started to recuperate his body with a calm mind. He had no plans to greet Wen Leyang and the others at all. All he wanted to do was to wait for the dog-headed eagle's muscles and bones to grow back to its prior form before he would see the light of day once again.

Qin Zhui had volunteered to stay behind to cultivate with Qian Ren. To him, it was a blessed destiny as great as the heavens. Others could only envy him or feel happy for him.

As Zhui Zi saw that they no longer needed her help here, she then bade farewell to Wen Leyang to return to the snowy mountains by herself. Guo Huan cautiously reminded her from inside the jade knife, "My body…"

Zhui Zi burst into laughter. She then waved her hand and did not even turn around as she spoke, "In another two to three months, whether the seal could be broken or not or if I do manage to recall my past or not, I'll come to find you! If you still can't locate your immortal's cave by then, I will help you to capture a new split body!" She was speaking when she suddenly stopped walking and turned around, looking at the giant pangolin in excitement.

Po Tu fell to the ground but it was Guo Huan who was rather virtuous and sincere. He felt that it was difficult for him to use an acquaintance's body so he burst out laughing, "The one with a tail, I will never want it!"

Zhui Zi's gaze shifted in the midst of her gentle laugh as she peered at Wen Leyang deeply. Soon after that, her body swayed once before she completely vanished without a trace.

Po Tu was finally able to exhale a long breath of relief. He then acted courteously for a long while towards Wen Leyang and Guo Huan and even carried the dwarf Taoist priest. Finally, with a series of hissing and howling, he left the place feeling pleased and contented. Now that the Qilian Mountains have lost the Exquisite Ice, the Qilian Immortal Sect's disciples have also lost their home. They could only wander around without a purpose… Wen Leyang pondered in his heart and thought that once the Black and White Island's matter has been settled and everyone was still alive, perhaps he could ask Chang Li or Zhui Zi to help him. He still wants to figure out a way to help the Qilian Immortal Sect. This debt of theirs may never be fully compensated but at least they could still receive some compensation!

The head lama Rangjung too said his farewells and left. He had made up his mind that he would help Wen Leyang vanquish Xiang Liu but he had other matters to settle on the highland first. Anyone with good sense could tell that the lama was going to make arrangements for his funeral affairs. He was a heavenly walker on the highland so before he could leave the highland, he would need to locate his successor first.

The important matter on the highland has been concluded, those who had joined the group too began to leave on their own. The three members of Old Gu's party have a connecting flight in Lhasa before they will return to their unit. Wen Leyang suddenly felt a sense of loneliness after an exciting event had ended but he soon shook his head and laughed. He may be reuniting with some of these people really soon!

Other than Wen Leyang, the others were mostly common people. The number of passengers has suddenly increased sharply but the cultivators have each left on their own accord. Fortunately, the small town of Tuer was not too distant from Lhasa and even though it was already winter, the weather was favorable and there were no more snowstorms which could freeze through a yak's marrow.

The remaining people were all quite kind. All of them were too embarrassed to let Wen Leyang alone do the heavy lifting. The Wen Bucao's disciples and Gu Xiaojun's group wasted no time as they too embarked on their journey.

During the past few months, it was unknown how many snowstorms have swept through the highland. The area was an endless stretch of white. Occasionally, a faint line of some small animals' footprints could be seen imprinted in an askew manner into the snow. That added a sense of exuberant joy of life into the silver-colored sky and land soundlessly, bringing a sense of warmth to the people who were trudging through the snow. At least everyone could confirm that this stretch of snow-covered highland was truly alive.

Along the way, Wen Leyang wanted to catch up on their family affairs with Wen Make but Wen Make only laughed as he shook his head, "I had been guarding the workshop with the workshop leader for quite some time so I don't know much about family affairs. Instead of me telling you what I know, which is superficial, you might as well ask the family elders when you get back."

Wen Make has a high and respected status in the Death Trademark. In addition, he was more than a decade older than Wen Leyang. He refused to disclose about the situation in the family and dismissed Wen Leyang's inquiry with one sentence.

However, Wen Leyang was tenacious as he continued to ask, "How about Wen Bushuo and Wen Buzuo, are they… In some kind of trouble?" When the Wen family had sent someone to reinforce Wen Leyang, the best candidates were no doubt Wen Bushuo and Wen Buzuo. As long as these two siblings could move, the Wen elders would never have asked Wen Make to take on this mission.

Unexpectedly, when he heard the names Wen Bushuo and Wen Buzuo, Wen Make and the rest of the Wen family disciples immediately sniggered and became elated. Wen Make shook his head as he laughed forcefully, "They are both… Alright. However, this time, they really could not make it… Ahem. It's best that you don't ask any more questions. Everything is splendid at home, you will naturally find out the specifics of the situation once you've arrived at home!"

Wen Make's temperament was such that he would refuse to talk about matters which he does not have a thorough understanding of. Just as Wen Leyang was growing restless, he suddenly stopped walking. He pondered for a moment suspiciously before he waved his hand at the others. He then sprinted towards a diagonal crossroad.

Perhaps it was an enemy or perhaps it was a meat-filled steamed bun. Not one person knew what had Wen Leyang had discovered. The Wen Bucao's disciples whistled to one another and were about to spread out when Wen Make scolded softly, "Confused boys! No one is allowed to spread out, continue to follow behind Wen Leyang!"

They were aware that their powers were far more inferior to Wen Leyang's. Not only would spreading out be unhelpful to him, it could also distract Wen Leyang even more.

Wen Leyang's expression was a little puzzled but he did not seem to be too nervous. He brought the crowd along as he sprinted in the direction of the diagonal crossroad for about one to two kilometers before he suddenly came to a stop.

Fei Fei and Old Gu looked into each other's eyes out of puzzlement. All they could see was the same stretch of boundless white snow before their eyes. They could not tell if there was anything different about their surroundings yet Wen Make suddenly raised his nose and sniffed the air. Soon after, he was slightly shocked as he spoke softly, "Such a strong and vigorous Water Poison!" Wen Leyang too has discovered that familiar scent unintentionally from his telegnosis ability which had been spread out far and wide. He recognized it as the utmost purest Water Poison from the firecrackers. Only then did he rush over to investigate. Ever since he had left the ore cave, his cultivation power has become vastly enhanced and his telegnosis ability was clearer and wider by several times. Even the Hua family disciples could not hide from him now.

Wen Leyang made a 'fall back' gesture towards the others. Following that, he growled softly and his body rippled with the Faulty Punch as he dashed into the thick snow in front of him. He resembled a small but dense whirlwind which had suddenly broken through the snowy ground. The snow surged skywards with a thundering loud noise as Wen Leyang's body spun around ceaselessly.

In the blink of an eye, within the distance of dozens meters' circumference, the snow was blown away by the tremendous force erupting from Wen Leyang. The frozen ground, covered with shriveled and hideous grass, contained a dozen lama's corpses which lay about chaotically.

There were many flying swords and treasured weapons scattered around the corpses. Xiao Sha squinted her eyes in a slightly ghastly manner, "Are they all cultivators?"

Fei Fei, on the other hand, asked at the same time, "How did they die?"

Wen Leyang first eradicated the strong poison and then checked whether all the lamas were fully dead. Only then could he feel relieved to let the others examine the corpses as well.

These cultivators had died before it started snowing on the highland but before their bodies could decay, the snowstorm had covered them up and froze their corpses solid. Wen Leyang picked up a half-square remnant cinnabar red-colored dharmamudra from the ground. He was just about to examine it when there was an unexpected sound of a muffled bang. The half-square dharmamudra suddenly shook ferociously and exploded into a black-colored talisman! Wen Leyang squalled as he raised his hand and shielded himself from the supernatural power which suddenly charged towards him.

As Wen Leyang was shielding himself against the talisman, he felt as if he was being electrocuted. One side of his body felt like it was simultaneously being torn apart by two opposing strange forces. He fell onto his back on the ground while the talisman too lost its strength simultaneously and turned into a puff of smoke which dissipated into the air.

After the half-square dharmamudra in his hand has released its final burst of power, it then turned into a stone without any magical properties.

Wen Leyang felt that he had been a bit too boastful earlier as he jumped up from the ground. His actual power right now has exceeded that of the old demon rabbit Bu Le and he was now a matched rival of Po Tu. He had managed to turn his human body into a saint's body and he has a penchant for fighting at close range yet he was defeated by a half-destroyed and masterless treasured weapon!

The crowd was a little dumbstruck. To them, the most incisive cultivator on the highland should be the Head Lama Rangjung but these corpses' actual power when they were alive could be no less inferior than that of Master Rangjung's.

Xiao Sha narrowed his eyes as he inhaled a deep breath and praised emotionally from the bottom of his heart, "On the highland, there are still hidden dragons and crouching tigers — talented people who still remained in concealment!"

Fei Fei frowned. She was at a loss whether to laugh or to cry as she peered at her brother. She then shook her head and said, "Look closely, these people are not lamas! The magic art that they cultivated was not the same as the Tibetan Buddhism Sect's supernatural power which was cultivated by the lamas!"

Old Gu nodded in agreement as he continued the topic of conversation from the side, "Lamas do not use flying swords, dharmamudras or Taoist banners!"

Remnants of treasured weapons covered the ground but none of the treasured weapons looked like the Tibetan Buddhism Sect's bone instruments used by Rangjung. On the contrary, these were the treasured weapons frequently used by the cultivators of the central plains. Judging by their attire and appearance, the deceased had the features of men who had lived for a long time on the highland. They were probably not lamas but they had been living on the highland for a long while and had feigned the identity of lamas to carry out activities.

Wen Leyang and Old Gu looked at each other. They had both thought of the same thing – since when had this group of master cultivators, who were completely unfamiliar yet with such shocking powers, appeared in this world?

As they discussed the matter, Wen Make was examining a few corpses with agile movements. He was filled with uncertainty as he spoke to Wen Leyang softly, "Every single one of their bones and muscles had been broken by a tremendous force but their fatal injury was… Water Poison! The utmost purest and utmost strongest Water Poison!"

Xiao Sha pondered for a few seconds before she suddenly squalled. She glared at Wen Leyang as she stuttered, "The person capable, capable of using poison to poison these master cultivators, if it wasn't you, could it be your family's Grand… Grand Master who has reappeared in the mortal world?!"

The face of every Wen family disciple under Wen Make revealed a glow of excitement and incredulity. Still, Wen Leyang coughed. He was apparently startled by Xiao Sha's deduction as he shook his head hastily, "No, there must be someone else who was the assailant!" Upon saying that, he did not wait for the others to refute as he spat out two words in a resolute and decisive manner, "Xiang Liu!"

Xiang Liu's body had been poisoned by the firecracker's Water Elemental strong poison. He was severely injured when he had escaped from the snowy peak. Following that, he could have arrived here and had a ferocious battle with these cultivators before he finally forced all the Water Poison in his body into these cultivators' bodies. Old Gu and Fei Fei looked at each other as they nodded in agreement simultaneously. Wen Leyang's speculation was apparently more dependable based on the timing and cause of death.

Moreover, Wen Leyang was certain that the strong poison which had killed these cultivators was no different from the firecracker's Water Poison which had been absorbed into his body.

A short while after, a Wen Bucao's disciple cautiously picked up a piece of folded hide which had been frozen solid from the chest pocket of one of those corpses. That Wen family disciple did not speak but he stuffed the hide into his chest pocket and used his body heat to melt the ice. Once that was done, he carefully unfolded it and presented it to the crowd.

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Chapter 223: The Letter Talismans

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

The hide contained a very simple map which was marked with the coordinates and distance from Lhasa to the small town of Tuer.

Fei Fei rubbed the area between her brows in distress, "These fake lamas had been headed to the small town of Tuer. They were… Perhaps they were the descendants of King Gesar's other warriors. They must have sensed the destruction of the mandala seal which was used to suppress the golden monkey. They were rushing here to stop it when they unexpectedly bumped into Tian Yin and were then killed in cold blood!"

Fei Fei's hesitant tone of speaking which was filled with uncertainty slowly became more convinced. Other than her speculation, there was no better explanation.

Xiao Sha shook his head again, "They are imitation-brand lamas…"

Old Gu interrupted him before he could finish his sentence, "Who decided that the master cultivators that King Gesar had left behind were real lamas? During King Gesar's reign, Buddhism has yet to spread into Tibet! Even if King Gesar was a Buddhist, his inferiors may not necessarily have become monks and lamas. Still, on the highland, having the identity of a lama does allow one to carry out tasks more easily."

Nothing else could be found on these corpses anymore. It seems that they had brought their treasured weapons along as they rushed ahead on their journey. As a result, they were completely annihilated before they could reach the small town.

Wen Leyang peered at Wen Make and Wen Make understood Wen Leyang's intention. He laughed grimly as he shook his head, fate was indeed strange. If these people had not been killed by Xiang Liu, the Wen family disciples who were transporting the medicinal materials to the highland would certainly have been mercilessly slaughtered by the other party.

Gu Xiaojun was not a criminal police and he was even less of a community police. He was too lazy to pay attention to this type of cultivator's murder case in the desolated mountains. The group was making arrangements to bury these corpses when Wen Leyang suddenly sat on the ground.

His telegnosis ability which blanketed the surroundings had suddenly trembled ferociously without warning. It was not a person or some other thing which had triggered his telegnosis ability. Instead, it was a burst of formless and tremendous force. It felt like an enormous tide rippling with a force capable of sweeping away the snowy land. It had appeared out of nowhere and was roaring as it swept its way from the direction of Tuer Town!

Soon after that, a long, loud, and sonorous hum echoed through the sky! Wen Leyang chuckled, patting the dust from his buttocks as he stood up, "The dog-headed eagle has freed itself!"

Xiao Sha stomped his feet in frustration. He should have waited in the small town of Tuer for a few more days. He had hoped to capitalize on Wen Make's popularity after he had successfully helped the dog-headed eagle to fulfill Xiao Sha's wish for a group photo with that creature…

Wen Leyang's vast telegnosis ability shook vigorously as Qian Ren, who had been sealed away for thousands of years, surged skywards on the hurricane raised by the dog-headed eagle. Near Wen Leyang's feet, one of the frozen-solid cultivator's corpse suddenly stood up stiffly. Its movements were rigid and clumsy but also as fast as lightning as its claw-like hands slashed towards Wen Leyang's chest brutally!

It was a zombie!

Wen Leyang's reaction was unbelievably swift; just as the pair of ghost claws came into contact with his shirt, his hands were already positioned before his chest. A muffled sound was heard as Wen Leyang gripped tightly onto those two ghost claws.

Wen Make and the others have only just reacted to the situation at this point. They shouted one after another and were about to pounce forward when Guo Huan shouted uncourteously from the jade knife, "Everyone, scram! None of you here is useful to him!" Wen Leyang was green with rage as the recently enhanced Poison of Life and Death in his body circulated vigorously. His hands twisted once, twice, and three times strenuously! He exerted his strength on the third twist and the cultivator's corpse jumped away ferociously before it staggered and fell back.

Wen Leyang spread his arms out but he did not continue to attack. Instead, he fell back a couple of steps to protect his companions who were behind him as he watched that dull-looking zombie which seems immune to pain with a cold stare!

The zombie's fingers had been twisted together into a crooked mess like it had been put through a wringer. Beneath its skin and flesh, its bones were visibly throbbing with a series of small waves. These waves caused its metacarpal bones to collide with its carpal bones which then collided with the bones its forearms. The force rippled outwards through its arms, scapulae, spine… And traveled downwards all the way to its feet. The popping noise of its bones cracking sounded like exploding beans which merged together into a muffled orchestra within the zombie's body.

Ten seconds later, the two hundred and six bones within the zombie's body had been completely crushed by Wen Leyang's three strikes!

The zombie fell limply on the ground after its bones had been shattered. However, it still attempted to raise its head with great effort. Its expressionless face suddenly filled with ferocious enmity as, within the explosive sound of bones cracking, it shrieked in a manner which sounded like a curse, "The person who defies the Heavens can never atone for their sin even if they were to die a million times!" After that, its body stiffened abruptly and stopped moving completely.

Wen Leyang and the others looked at each other, not understanding the situation which has just happened…

Only Guo Huan scoffed in a rigid voice, "These cultivators had been heading here to suppress the monster and reseal the mandala. When the dog-headed eagle broke free from its shackles, the remnant power of the corpse's primordial spirit was awoken by the spiritual primordial energy released by Qian Ren. That was how it became a zombie!"

In the small town of Tuer, a series of crystal-clear and loud, rousing cries accompanied by the shaking of a humongous spiritual primordial energy was released as the monkey Qian Ren finally struggled free from the seal which had trapped it for an unknown amount of years. It could finally see the light of the day once again!

Wen Leyang nodded with lingering fear, that zombie's power earlier was not inferior to the old demon rabbit Bu Le's power. The fact that the corpse and the scattered treasured weapons could still possess such power shows how strong was their actual power was in life. It was unfortunate that they had bumped into the recently-defeated Tian Yin who had just escaped from the snowy peak.

After he had dealt with the zombie, Wen Leyang felt rather relieved in his heart. After all, Qian Ren was the only one who was filled with enmity and vengeful feelings but was not a top demon immortal who had suffered in Chang Li's hands. He was enjoying the good feeling of purely committing a good deed, it felt rather pleasant.

The piercingly cold and bold spiritual primordial energy was soon restrained by Qian Ren and the loud cries were heard further and further away from them. It seems that the direction where the dog-headed eagle was headed was different from Wen Leyang's group.

Wen Leyang was afraid that there would be more cultivator zombies so he sent the others away as he blasted a huge hole using the Faulty Punch. He then buried those corpses before the group departed and rushed towards Lhasa once again.

However, what was even more joyous and surprising to Wen Leyang was that two days later, when the highland's old city of Lhasa was visible to the eyes, Qin Zhui had screamed and shouted all the way until he had caught up to Wen Leyang's group.

Qin Zhui still looked hideous as ever. He was unlike the other cultivators who became more fair-skinned and high-spirited the longer they cultivated. Wen Leyang had no clue and he could not tell if there was even any transformation in Qin Zhui. On the contrary, it was Guo Huan who burst into laughter within the jade knife, "This young lad is a little more interesting now!"

Qin Zhui pounced over and did not say a word as he gave Wen Leyang a crushing bear hug. He finally released his grip when their bones creaked. Wen Leyang's body erupted with goosebumps as he asked Qin Zhui, "Are we even that close? Had you really missed me that much?"

Qin Zhui burst out laughing, "I'm so happy that I'm afraid I might strangle people to death if I was to hug someone else."

The ugly youth Qin Zhui has become a disciple of Qian Ren's sect. After his marrow was washed and his foundation reestablished using the Wood Elemental magical art, he continued his cultivation as the dog-headed eagle's body healed. Qin Zhui's cultivation was complete once he had completely absorbed and refined the life vitality that Qian Ren had inserted into his body. It was then that the master and disciple emerged from their closed-door cultivation and left the small town of Tuer. In the eyes of a cultivator, Qin Zhui's creation was virtually comparable to the destiny of becoming an immortal. His cultivation power has been vastly enhanced in a few short months. It was especially rare that his foundation establishment was reforged, such that there was an exceedingly huge room for improvement in his cultivation thereafter. However, Qin Ren could only help him to this extent. His future achievements in cultivation wholly depended on Qin Zhui's own power of understanding and favorable opportunities.

Wen Leyang squinted his eyes as he raised his head and looked at the sky. The blue sky appeared smooth and boundless but there was no sign of a dog or an eagle. Wen Leyang then asked Qin Zhui in slight puzzlement, "Where is your master? Is he not with you?"

Qin Zhui sniggered as he shook his head, "That grand old man had stayed in the dog-headed eagle for a long period of time but this was the first time he is guiding the dog-headed eagle to fly in the sky… Uh… His control is unstable and the eagle was flying up and down. He was afraid that he would embarrass himself so he refused to leave with me. He said that he wanted to understand this flesh armor thoroughly on the highland first and he would meet me on Nine Peaks Mountain after a while."

Wen Leyang nodded as he smiled but he was startled when he heard Qin Zhui's final sentence, "The Nine Peaks Mountain? You're meeting your master at my home?"

Wen Make has a rough idea of the dog-headed eagle's size. His eyes rolled up as he pondered for a moment on the number of lambs the Wen family has to prepare before Qian Ren arrives on the Nine PEaks Mountain…

Qin Zhui nodded in a natural and righteous manner, "Of course we will meet at Nine Peaks Mountain! I will request Nineteen to bear witness by the time I've returned, we are still going to fight each other in a battle too!" The ugly youth rubbed his palms and his face was filled with excitement, "After I have come out to the outside world this time, I'm at least not weaker than you!" He suddenly jumped up as fast as lightning and punched the ground. The ground, which was covered in a layer of thick snow, did not even shiver under his punch and not even a piece of ice shaving floated into the air.

Old Gu and the rest were filled with puzzlement yet Wen Leyang's brows throbbed. Both he and Guo Huan in the jade knife praised at the same time, "Awesome!"

Qin Zhui's brows, eyes, nose, and mouth almost struggled free from his face out of pride. He clapped and waved his hand pompously, "Let's go back to the Nine Peaks Mountain!"

After the jade knife Guo Huan was finished with his praises, it laughed at Qin Zhui, "Your ability is truly no less inferior to the old demon rabbit but you're still no match for the current Wen Leyang!"

Qin Zhui widened his small eyes strenuously as he sized Wen Leyang up and down and asked cautiously, "You… Again? What have you done again?!"

Before Wen Leyang could speak, Guo Huan exaggerated and recounted their encounters on the snowy peak from the start until the end. By the end of the story, Qin Zhui's expression has become even more hideous than the zombie earlier but he was still unyielding and persisted to return to the Nine Peaks Mountain with Wen Leyang so that they could measure their powers against each other in front of Nineteen.

Fei Fei sized Qin Zhui up and down a few times before she smiled and spoke to Wen Leyang, "He's not speaking truthfully from his heart. You ought to be careful, I can tell by his look that he still has an ace up his sleeve…"

The large group of people continued on their journey once again. Xiao Sha and Fei Fei kept looking back frequently but that piece of snowy land which had been punched heavily did not seem to show any change as before… It was only when the next spring had arrived and the snow on the highland melted away that it was possible to see a hole the size of a fist on the ground. It was so deep that one could not see the bottom of the hole. Dozens of enormous fissures emanated from the hole in all directions, with the longest at almost a thousand meters!

In Lhasa, Gu Xiaojun brought along the Fei Fei siblings as they hastily boarded the earliest flight and left. They had not even asked where the flight was heading to. Wen Leyang was truly interested to inquire whether there were any scheduled flights from Lhasa to Xigazê…

The next day, the remainder of Wen Leyang's group boarded a train headed to Sichuan. This trip to the highland was bittersweet but it can be considered as a successful one.

Many good things had happened during this trip. Wen Leyang managed to crack Tian Yin's grand scheme of forging a Water Element evil soul. Even though the 'heavenly water spirit' was never ending, there was only one qualified evil cult follower left and that was Tutatunte. Zhui Zi had cleared up her misunderstanding with Wen Bucao's disciples because of her relationship with Wen Leyang. The addition of Zhui Zi in their group brought a strong assistance when it comes to dealing with Xiang Liu. As for the three youths – Wen Leyang, Qin Zhui, and Liu Zheng, each has received a vast enhancement of in their cultivation power.

The bad things which had happened were even more severe. Xiang Liu's evil soul had gained control over Tian Yin and the Enlightened Tian Shu and the Enlightened Tian Hua had been killed. No one else was capable of chanting the formation-conjuring spell which could reform the great demon-executing formation.

On the other hand, Zhui Zi's memories from the past and the monkey Qian Ren's freedom were still an unpredictable variable. The whereabouts of the 'big flat cake, broken gong, and dog' too suddenly became an important and urgent riddle to be solved at this moment.

Wen Leyang called his family and it was First Grandfather who picked up the call personally. The old man was elated and urged Wen Leyang repeatedly to hurry back. Since it was difficult for him to talk about their family matters in the call, he would wait for Wen Leyang to return home before he explained any further.

The train ride took two whole days to reach Chengdu from Lhasa. Wen Leyang and Qin Zhui slept soundly all the way. They had both received a vast enhancement in their cultivation power and as they were always busy during the day, they had not felt tired then. However, once they fell asleep on the train, they did not wake up again until they had reached their destination. The both of them still yawned constantly and their eyes were so red even the old demon rabbit Bu Le would run away in shame.

The moment the group came out of the train station, a few ferocious–looking young lads surrounded them immediately. Qin Zhui shook off his drowsiness in an instant as he felt for the Tang Knife behind his back habitually. Wen Leyang hastily stopped him as these were Wen Bucao's disciples and Wen Leyang's fellow brother disciples.

Wen Make frowned a little as he placed himself between those disciples and Wen Leyang. In the internal management of Wen Bucao, there were two systems which were quite distinct from each other in the Wen family village and the Place of Birth, Life, Sickness, and Death. Even though Wen Make has been tasked by the Wen family to run the errands this time, all authority and responsibility were entrusted to Forth Elder Wen as the leader. In accordance with the usual routine, the Wen family would not send anyone to welcome them at the station. Even if someone were to come, they should be people from the Death Trademark instead.

Wen Bucao disciples had lived this way for the past two thousand years. Even though everyone held the surname of Wen, an established rule was still an established rule. The Wen family disciples who had come to welcome them immediately took out a letter written on cattle hide and some bamboo chips the size of a palm from his chest pocket. He then passed these items to Wen Make with a solemn face.

The moment Wen Leyang and the others saw the bamboo chips which were glowing from prolong rubbing, their expression changed drastically!

Everyone from the Nine Peaks Mountain knows about these bamboo chips without exception. These were the letter talismans which belonged to the family elders! In the past, for exceptionally important matters, it was enough for the family elders to use one person's letter talisman to assign a disciple to the task. However, there were a total of five bamboo chips this time. The letter talismans from all four grandfathers and First Uncle Wen Tunhai had all been brought here.

Wen Make examined the letter talismans before he passed them to Wen Leyang's hand. He then removed the envelope which was stamped with the four family elders and First Uncle Wen Tunhai's heirloom seals! There was only a sparse row of large and thick characters written with powerful strokes in the letter. It said: 'Wen Leyang, head to Crow Ridge on Southern Chuan immediately upon receiving this command. You are not allowed to question why'.

Under this command was a haphazard arrangement of stamps from the four Wen family elders and First Uncle Wen Tunhai's heirloom seals. Under these stamps was another row of smaller letters which said: 'The rest of the Wen family disciples should hastily return home, Wen Leyang will go by himself'.

This row of smaller words was almost obscured by the stamps; it was apparent that they had added the words later when they have thought of it.

Wen Make's face was filled with disbelief and he glared at the Wen family disciple who had delivered the letter, "What's going on?" For any Wen Bucao disciple, whether it was an heirloom seal or the letter talisman, only one was needed. There was no need for such a messy array of stamps or to deliver so many letter talismans that were equal to the token of authority.

The Wen family disciple who had delivered the letter knows that an important matter was on hand. His expression was solemn as he shook his head, "I was running errands outside the mountain and when I returned, Uncle Nine and Uncle Thirteen were waiting for me at the foothill. They had asked me to deliver this letter to all of you. Uncle Nine and Uncle Thirteen had the letter talismans of the four grandfathers and First Uncle in their hands. This was equal to the presence of our five family elders! We dared not procrastinate as we rushed all the way here."

The letter talismans and the heirloom stamps were real but there was such a huge pile of items and the use of inappropriate wordings in the command. In addition, the ones who had passed command were Wen Nine and Wen Thirteen. This matter was becoming more suspicious every minute.

Wen Leyang wasted no time as he immediately fished out his cell phone and called the family. He called each of the four grandfathers, First Uncle Wen Tunhai, and finally Wen Xiaoxin. He called every single phone number that he knew in the family yet to his surprise, none of his calls were picked up. He eventually called the landline and no one answered as well. Wen Leyang pondered for a moment and gave Luo Wangfu a call with the same results.

The gentle voice in the automated message of 'the person you are calling is unavailable right now' has gradually turned horrible to Wen Leyang after he had listened to it so many times.

Wen Leyang then called the old demon rabbit Bu Le but only received the message that the number was barred because he owed the company money…

Wen Leyang was dumbstruck as even his call to the landline had gone unanswered. Unless Nine Peaks Mountain has been taken over by the government…

Everyone was feeling rather apprehensive when Wen Leyang's cell phone suddenly rang. It was an unknown number but Wen Leyang felt like a drowning man who has suddenly grabbed hold of a lifebuoy. He immediately picked up the call and exhaled a long breath of relief soon after. He asked in a loud voice, "First Uncle, what's really going on?" He then informed his first uncle about the matter which has just taken place earlier.

Wen Tunhai's voice in the call sounded very peculiar. He said, "The heirloom seals and letter talismans belonging to me and the four grandfathers has been stolen. Also, every cell phone and landline phone in the village has been tossed into the well. We are still scooping the phones out from the well at this moment…" On the other end of the call, First Grandfather's raging roar echoed from afar. First Uncle paused for a moment before he spoke through clenched teeth, "Those two b*stards Wen Nine and Wen Thirteen, it was all their fault…"

Wen Leyang hummed in agreement and he muttered to himself, "I had talked to First Grandfather on the phone before I boarded the train…"

First Uncle's voice was filled with grievance as he said, "They had tossed the phones into the well that very night!"

Wen Leyang was at a loss whether to laugh or to cry. He did not know what else to say but he finally understood that the letter talismans, the heirloom seals, and the secret message were part of his two favorite uncles' trick. He hastily read the content of the secret message to Wen Tunhai before asking, "The two uncles… How was it possible for them to steal all these items from your hands?"

Wen Tunhai cursed ferociously, "Those two sonofab*tches have received a vast enhancement in their cultivation power, no one else in the family except for you is worthy to be their opponent."

Wen Leyang was shocked, he understood better than anyone else about the two silly uncles' abilities. Even though they had mastered the Faulty Punch, they were still much weaker than the First Uncle and they were no match for the four grandfathers. Yet, to his surprise, they have now somehow managed to steal these important authenticating objects. They even managed to steal the entire village's phones without being discovered. This was a little too unbelievable and he suddenly recalled something as he asked in astonishment, "Could it be… The cultivation method left behind by the Grand Master. My two uncles…" He was halfway through this sentence when he felt that it was impossible, even if someone in the family has managed to crack the mystery of the Grand Master's legacy cultivation method in the jade talisman, they would not have allowed someone without an intelligent mind like the Ninth and Thirteenth Uncle to cultivate first.

First Uncle sighed heavily as he acknowledged Wen Leyang's statement, "What do they want from you by asking you to meet them at Crow Ridge?" He was halfway through his speech when he was suddenly enlightened, "Those two b*stards had been constantly professing their wish to become the number one master cultivator on Nine Peaks Mountain. They were afraid that the family elders would never agree to the fight so they tried to trick you to fight them on Crow Ridge! Bring the both of them back to me, Fourth Grandfather has already been driven to madness by rage…" Before he could finish his sentence, Wen Leyang could not refrain himself anymore as he laughed out loud.

Wen Tunhai laughed as well, "Everything at home is fine, there's no need for you to worry. Chengdu is located in the middle of the Shu State, it's not that far from Crow Ridge. It is also convenient for you to return home, just remember to bring your uncles along."

Wen Leyang nodded in agreement but he was a little puzzled, "I thought all the cell phones in the village had been tossed into the well, does this mean that you've… come out of the mountain?"

Wen Tunhai immediately lowered his voice and spoke with a furtive voice, "Come out of the mountain, my *ss! I'm the head of the country, how will I… There are certain calls that I make which are not convenient for your First Aunt to hear. That was why I had hidden another cellphone somewhere else which I could use to send a text message or something occasionally…"

Wen Leyang burst out laughing, "So, I'll send the others home first. Shall I buy some cell phones before I return home?"

Wen Tunhai was startled, "Boy, are you seeking your doom? First Grandfather said that he would try to see if the cell phones can still work after drying them out…"

Wen Leyang nodded; he could imagine First Grandfather's expression as he mentioned that. He laughed grimly as he diverted the topic of conversation, "How are the abilities of Ninth Uncle and Thirteenth Uncle now?"

Wen Tunhai ground his teeth, his forced laughter carried a sense of pride, "Anyhow, I cannot tell but Ji Fei, Shui Jing, and the old man Gongye can't even catch their shadows now! However, they will never be as strong as you. The seven fat men are very close to the both of them. They refused to fight the two uncles for they are the motherf*cking Wind Rain Rainbow!"

Wen Leyang could no longer laugh about it for Ji Fei and Shui Jing were amongst the strongest of the rogue cultivators. Though they were no match for the master cultivators from the famous sects of the Five Blessings, they were skilled in everything including treasured weapons, supernatural power, and martial arts cultivation. Judging by First Uncle's words, his two silly uncles were now almost at the same level the two rogue cultivators. When he had first learned of Grand Master Tuo Xie's message in the jade talisman, he already knew that once the three magic arts of poison, corpse, and witchcraft were combined into one, the cultivator would achieve vast improvements in their cultivation power though he really had not expected that improvement to happen so soon.

Wen Tunhai laughed grimly once more and his tone of speaking turned solemn once again, "It's best that you be more careful these days. The World Sect's members have become agitated, they had attacked the Jilong Sect recently and triggered their great mountain-sealing formation spell before a fierce battle ensued. The Kunlun Sect had disappeared overnight, there was nothing but emptiness in the Yuxu Palace. Moreover, there was also the presence of a devil's trace on Mount Emei. Two divine monks had rushed back to Mount Emei two days ago to take charge of the overall situation. When you find my ninth and thirteenth brother, I want you to return home immediately."

Wen Leyang nodded. No one understood the situation in Kunlun Sect better than himself. These disputes between the righteous and evil paths were not related to them and only two complete sects were left in the righteous path of the Five Blessings. Even the One Word Palace's 'Brothers of Xia Ma Wei' had turned into 'Brothers of Xia Ma'. It would be odd if the World Sect had not seized the opportunity to counterattack.

Wen Tunhai gave him some advice and was just about to hang up when he suddenly recalled something. He laughed as he asked Wen Leyang, "The position of 'Number One master cultivator on Nine Peaks Mountain', you're not trying to compete for that, right?"

Wen Leyang huffed as he shook his head and laughed. He understood that his first uncle was albeit furious but he still loved and protected his brothers anyhow. He reassured his first uncle repeatedly before he ended the call. He then laughed as he informed the others about the course of events which had just taken place.

The corners of Wen Make's mouth were twitching as he tried to resist the urge to laugh. He resisted for a long while before he finally gave in, laughing as he waved his hand at the remaining disciples, "All of you, return to Nine Peaks Mountain first. I will accompany Wen Leyang to look for our family's Number One Master Cultivators!"

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Chapter 224: Number One

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Chengdu was located near the center of Sichuan province. There was still some distance between where they were now and the Nine Peaks Mountain which was located the west of the Chuan region. However, they were closer to the Luo family's Crow Ridge. The other disciples obeyed their orders and returned to the mountain as Wen Leyang, Qin Zhui, and Wen Make headed to Crow Ridge in search of the two foolish uncles.

Their itinerary was neatly planned out by Wen Make so Wen Leyang and Qin Zhui were not worried in the slightest. As expected, personnel from the Death Trademark were all men of long experience. Wen Make was not inferior to the Bushuo Buzuo brothers in terms of his capabilities and experience.

It was dark when they reached their destination. Crow Ridge was a vast mountain. Wen Leyang and Wen Make exchanged a helpless look as none of them knows where the two foolish uncles were. The duo was still discussing whether they should call the Luo family for help when Wen Leyang's cell phone rang. Wen Leyang was delighted when he saw Grand Elder Wen's name on the caller ID.

The two foolish uncles have rare moments of intelligence sometimes. They had not thrown every cell phone into the well, they had kept the best one for themselves.

Wen Leyang picked up the call and spoke into it for a while. Wen Nine, who intentionally lowered his voice said slowly on the other end, "Where are we?"

Wen Leyang was astonished. He pondered for a while and replied carefully, "You guys should be on Crow Ridge."

"Where are you?"

Wen Leyang tried hard to suppress his laughter, "I'm also on Crow Ridge!"

Wen Leyang was surprised when his Ninth Uncle did not complain or ask why they could not see him. Instead, his uncle replied drily, "Crow Ridge is bigger than I thought."

Wen Nine's voice had no humor in it and was solemn and serious.

Wen Leyang could restrain himself no longer as he gave the cell phone to Wen Make and hugged his stomach as he laughed.

Wen Make placed the cell phone to his ear. Wen Nine said something which made his expression change quickly. He shouted in a low voice, "Don't…" He had just said one word when a loud boom came from a faraway col. A brilliant firework shot towards the sky and tore the night sky apart in the blink of an eye. The multitude of stars instantly paled in comparison!

The silver-colored pattern hung high in the sky and did not scatter for a long while. Not only does it lack beauty, it also gave off waves of killing intent. Wen Leyang immediately lost his ability to smile. He too recognized this firework, it was the cannon signal used by the Wen Bucao to gather their disciples! Its effects could compete with 'an arrow that pierced the sky which brought thousands of troops and horses to meet'…

This type of firework cannon signal has not been used by the Wen family for a long time but it was not obsolete. Not long after the first cannon signal, another glow flickered in the faraway sky. The Wen Bucao were influential people in the Shu state. Just because they had not troubled themselves with worldly affairs for two thousand years does not mean that they do not step out of their homes. Their disciples were everywhere in the Chuan region and the Shu state. These disciples immediately passed the message on once they saw the signal.

These old objects have been passed down for generations and have not been in use for over a hundred years but the Wen family disciples have preserved them so they were as good as new and could be used. When the situation arose, they would methodically follow the protocol. To the other Wen family disciples, the family could not be reached by phone. Unless it was something important, it was logical for them to assume that it would not have been communicated via the cannon signals…

Wen Make, who was well-experienced, put down the cell phone weakly. He smiled bitterly at Wen Leyang, "Those two have even stolen the signal cannons and wanted us to go find them at the spot where the signals had been fired…" He was halfway through his sentence when another bang was heard. The foolish uncles had lit another cannon signal…

One signal for imminent danger; two signals for landslides and floods; three signals for Yama's call!

Throughout the two thousand years when the Wen Bucao had resided in the Chuan and Shu regions, it was only a few hundred years ago when countless strong enemies had come to seek revenge from ancestor Wen Lazi. Two cannon signals had been fired at once then…

Wen Leyang squalled. He pulled Wen Make and immediately ran towards the direction from which the firework had been fired. At the same time, he quickly called First Uncle to have him inform the Wen family disciples to not fluster themselves and act as if they had seen nothing. He had just ended the call when the third cannon signal exploded.

Then there was a fourth, a fifth, a sixth…

From afar, the disciple who was in charge of passing down the signal looked at the multiple layers of fireworks in the sky. His dried throat rolled as he turned and stammered to an older Wen Bucao man, "Father, we do not have that many cannon signals left…"

The old man stomped his feet and cursed, "Yama has called, hurry over and help them!" He then rushed out but barely ran two steps when his cell phone rang. The old man glanced at his phone and declined the call. He even muttered, "Unfamiliar number!" Not only was this family affected, currently, the Wen Bucao near Chengdu, whether they were from the branch family or the main family, were all in a flustered mess.

Wen Tunhai was so angry that he started cursing at home. Nobody had picked up his calls. Wen Daniang sneered and threw his a side glance…

Other than the glow of the cannon signals, an eerie dark green light also floated in the sky silently. It was a Spirit Guiding Light from Crow Ridge.

Someone else had fired signal cannons at their doorstep and the people of the Luo family were flustered. A cold voice sounded continuously with the clashing of metal, "The Wen and Luo families' marriage is at hand but this cannon signal speaks of death…"

When the shout rang out, the entire Crow Ridge was quickly wrapped up in the aura of the netherworld. Ghostly cries and wolves' howls accompanied a sickening corpse stench which filled the air wantonly!

Wen Leyang opened his mouth. He wanted to shout but he does not know what he should shout about. He turned and looked at Wen Make who was carried by him as he ran. The latter hesitated and then shouted, "Misunderstanding! Misunderstanding!"

Other than the word 'misunderstanding', Wen Make truly does not know what else he could shout about as well…

The cannon signal had risen from a col under Crow Ridge. When they got to that place, a big group of Luo family elites was already gathered there. Each of them led green-faced zombies with ferocious fangs but the expressions of the living were far worse than the zombies. The leader was someone that they know, it was his brother-in-law, Luo Wanggen.

Wen Leyang heaved a relieved sigh and he quickly hopped over.

Luo Wanggen felt a human figure flash before his eyes. He had just opened his mouth to curse when he saw that it was Wen Leyang. His ashen face then relaxed somewhat as he frowned and asked, "What's the matter?"

Wen Leyang blinked for half a day. In the end, he could only squeeze out one word, "Misunderstanding…"

Wen Make flopped down from Wen Leyang's shoulders limply. He was feeling a slight case of motion sickness. He bolstered himself as he saluted Luo Wanggen with cupped fists, "The Luo disciples did not barge in to capture the men, we Wen Bucao owe you a debt of gratitude."

Luo Wanggen grunted as his expression turned into anger and helplessness. He pointed at a huge tree at the entrance of the col, "It's not that we didn't want to enter!"

On the huge tree, a row of big words had been carved in a crooked manner. It said 'no one else may enter besides Wen Leyang!'

Qin Zhui was astonished, "You didn't enter because you weren't allowed to?"

Luo Wanggen took a deep breath as he tried hard to calm his nerves. He flashed a bamboo letter token which looked like the ones the Wen Elders had used, "This was also hanging from the tree! It's the letter token from the Luo family elders." As he said this, Luo Wanggen rolled his eyes. He then glared at Wen Leyang with burning eyes, "What's the meaning of this? How had the men inside obtained my elders' letter token?"

Wen Make did not have to say anything as Wen Leyang finally understood what had happened. He clenched his teeth and stifled his laughter before asking Luo Wanggen in a low voice, "Aren't the two Luo elders visiting as guests at the Nine Peaks Mountain now?"

If Wen Nine and Wen Thirteen could steal the Wen family's letter token, they could also steal the Luo family's letter token. He reckoned that the cell phones of the two Luo elders had also been stolen and tossed down the well too.

As expected, Luo Wanggen nodded, "The two grandfathers and my elder sister are at the Nine Peaks Mountain." He trusted Wen Leyang very much. If it had been another Wen family elite, his expression would not have been this nice.

Guo Huan could no longer hold it in within the jade knife and he laughed loudly, "Are these two uncles of yours truly fools?"

Wen Leyang's smile also had a tinge of annoyance in it. He had wandered everywhere on Nine Peaks Mountain so he was extremely familiar with them. This series of events was not something which the two of them could have conjured up on their own. Of course, Wen Leyang does not hate his silly uncles but someone else does. He could roughly guess who the perpetrator was.

Wen Make pulled Luo Wanggen aside. Wen Leyang did not know what he said but it must have been reasons which somehow served as an explanation. Luo Wanggen was a well-behaved child, he felt at ease when he saw that Wen Leyang has arrived. He nodded hesitantly and asked his family's elites to stand down. He said to Wen Leyang with a sad face, "You must give me an explanation for this! If you guys leave happily after such a ruckus, the two grandfathers would tear me apart when they return."

Wen Leyang nodded in agreement, "Deal. I'll fetch the stamp and write a commendatory letter for you signed by Grand Elder Wen himself!" He then gave the elders' letter tokens to Wen Make. He then instructed Wen Make and the other Luo family elites to go and send away the Wen family disciples who were making their way here.

After he had settled this matter, Wen Leyang made towards the col. Qin Zhui naturally wanted to see what all the ruckus was about.

The col was not very deep. A great big tree leaned on the mountain at the end of it as it grew with some gloominess and strangeness. Its branches intertwined and let off a stern aura. Huge, dried gnarls covered the tree trunk, making it look like a giant toad. The two foolish uncles were not under the tree, they were in it. It was late winter and even in the land of Shu, the temperature was below zero. The leaves of the strange tree had already fallen completely and only bald branches were left. It could not even hide the two of them.

The two uncles had covered their heads with black cloths with two holes cut out for their eyes. Two pairs of mischievous eyes were looking left and right in terror. They did not look at Wen Leyang or Qin Zhui but were staring outside the col.

Wen Leyang kept a straight face on purpose and restricted his voice into a rigid and cold tone, "Who are you two what do you want by calling me here?" After all, it would not take too much of his time and he could not bring himself to spoil his two foolish uncles' fun.

Wen Nine finally noticed him. He quickly made a silencing gesture and lowered his own voice, "Are the corpse ghosts still outside?"

Wen Leyang understood now that the two of them had hidden in the tree because they had been afraid of the corpses. He suppressed his laughter and nodded.

Wen Nine and Wen Thirteen looked at each other before they sighed in unison and jumped down from the branches. They then circled Wen Leyang and although he could not see their faces, the eyes which were visible from the holes of the black cloth had turned into crescent moons.

The last time Wen Leyang had seen the two of them running in circles like this was when he had just achieved Wen Lazi's Art of Poison and woken up from their puppet show. He felt a tingling warmth in his heart. The expression on his face was as if he was facing a great enemy but his narrowed eyes could not turn sharp no matter what.

Wen Nine made a complete circle before he stopped and asked drily, "I heard that you're the Number One elite of the Nine Peaks Mountain?"

Wen Leyang had not replied before Wen Thirteen sneered suddenly. He used the same dry tone and asked, "Are you hungry?" As he said that, he took out three carrots from his chest pocket. He tossed one to Wen Leyang and gave his big brother another. Finally, he looked at Qin Zhui who was standing to the side. He hesitated before breaking his carrot into two, passing half of it Qin Zhui.

Wen Leyang's heart was so warm that it almost made his ribs melt. He started to nibble on the carrot. The two foolish uncles gesticulated then rolled up the black cloth which covered their heads up to their noses. They exposed their mouths and started crunching loudly on the carrots. Wen Thirteen did not forget to instruct Wen Nine drily, "Next time, remember to make a hole for the mouth."

Wen Nine nodded in all apparent seriousness.

Wen Leyang took his time with the carrot so the two foolish uncles were much faster than him. They gobbled up their carrots in no time but they were shy to urge him on. They gritted their teeth and fretted in front of him. Finally, Wen Leyang placed the last bite of carrot into his mouth. Wen Thirteen was too impatient to wait as he spoke, "We had called you here to Crow Ridge for the name of the 'Nine Peaks Mountain's Number One elite'…"

He had not finished speaking when Wen Nine suddenly frowned. He gently tugged his brother's clothes and said in a low voice, "That's not right!"

Wen Thirteen nodded calmly, "What's not right?"

"Why are we fighting for the Nine Peaks Mountain's Number One elite on Crow Ridge?" As Wen Nine said this, he raised his arm and scratched the back of his head. The two holes in the black cloth mask had been pulled to the back of his head.

Wen Thirteen's gaze was confused immediately, "What's wrong with that?"

Qin Zhui laughed. He then reached out and patted Wen Thirteen's shoulder, "If you're competing on Crow Ridge, you're then fighting for the Number One elite of Crow Ridge!"

Wen Thirteen was out of ideas and he looked at Wen Nine with shock. The probing intent of his gaze needed no words, he was pondering if they should fight for the name of Crow Ridge's Number One elite first?

Wen Nine shook his head as if he was troubled, "It's not that simple, he's not Crow Ridge's first elite!" He then paused briefly. He ignored Wen Leyang and muttered in a low voice, "The first elite of Crow Ridge… is currently on the Nine Peaks Mountain."

Wen Leyang was worried that the people of the Luo family would go crazy if they took too much time. He desperately tried to suppress his urge to laugh as he imitated the tone of the two foolish uncles and gave them a hint, "Nine Peaks Mountain's Number One elite would still be Nine Peaks Mountain's Number One elite no matter where he goes. As long as someone could beat me, then wherever he… They are, they would become Nine Peaks Mountain's Number…"

He had not even finished speaking when the two foolish uncles were overjoyed. They each let out a strange laugh and pounced towards Qin Zhui from both sides!

No matter how much of a martial maniac Qin Zhui was, he was unwilling to fight the two foolish uncles. He swayed his body and fled like a breath of vapor as he pointed at Wen Leyang with anxiety and anger. He said to the two foolish uncles, "He's the Number One elite of the Nine Peaks Mountain!"

Wen Nine and Wen Thirteen immediately responded in unison, "Before you beat a dog, you must first find out who its master is!"

Wen Leyang quickly caught up. He laughed and explained to Qin Zhui, "What they meant was to shoot the rider before shooting the horse, don't…" He was halfway through his speech when Wen Leyang suddenly could not smile anymore.

Although Qin Zhui had not used his full strength, he was still able to retreat very quickly. His marrows had been cleansed and his base was reinforced by Qian Ren. His life vitality force now rivalled that of old rabbit demon Bu Le's. He was as quick as a phantom as he advanced and retreated while the two foolish uncles followed close on his tail. They were like two shadows as they followed Qin Zhui closely on his left and right. The force of the Faulty Punch rolled and surged, attacking Qin Zhui like a tempest. The force of the punch even made a dull hum in the air!

Although the two foolish uncles were not as skilled as Qin Zhui, they were easily above the elites of the Righteous cultivation path's Five Blessings. They had spent a dozen years in the great mountain and knew each other's thoughts well. When they joined forces, they could even put up a fight against the little rabbit demon Shan Duan!

Wen Leyang had not expected for his two foolish uncles' Art of Poison to improve so much after they had figured out their Grand Master's secret method of practice. Their abilities were even better than when he had just refined the Yin Chi's poison and the hundred bugs' poison.

Tuo Xie's method of practice was similar in theory with Wen Leyang's experiences but Wen Leyang had an extremely poor basic foundation back then. He had only practiced the Faulty Punch for two years while his two foolish uncles had soaked in the Faulty Punch for dozens of years and were only second to the five Wen family elders. Whether it was the foundation of the body, the use of Art of Poison, or the transfer of energy, they were far superior to Wen Leyang. This was why, after they had learned Grand Master Tuo Xie's method of practice to combine the three Arts, they have become much more accomplished than Wen Leyang was.

Qin Zhui's eyes also lit up. It was not easy to meet an opponent at the same level as the little rabbit demon Shan Duan. He laughed and wanted to stop and receive the blows when suddenly his vision blurred. Wen Leyang had wedged himself between him and the two foolish uncles. He received Wen Nine and Wen Thirteen's attacks as he desperately winked at Qin Zhui.

Qin Zhui snorted and restrained himself. He chuckled and exclaimed with wonder, "Their too strong! I can't beat them!" He then turned around and ran out.

Wen Leyang received the punches but extended his fighting style. He gave full play to the Faulty Punch incisively and fought into a ball with his two foolish uncles. For some time, the col was filled with the sound of wind roused by the flurry of punches and kicks. Occasionally, the delighted cheers of the two foolish uncles and the pained cries of Wen Leyang could be heard…

They fought for several minutes before Wen Leyang put on a show that he could not beat them and dodged around with limp limbs. Wen Nine laughed and asked loudly, "Little Tai… Uh, you, who's the Number One elite on Nine Peaks Mountain?"

Wen Thirteen had grown more and more sympathetic to Wen Leyang as they fought until he began to feel reluctant to hit him. Still, he was worried that Wen Leyang would not admit defeat and he quickly joined Wen Nine in his persuasion, "I have another carrot here…"

Wen Leyang shouted defeat in his haste. He panted heavily and jumped to one side as if he had a million misgivings and glared at the duo, "Where have elites such as you two come from to have such profound cultivation bases?"

Wen Nine and Wen Thirteen laughed loudly. They did not put up their guard against the possibility of Wen Leyang's sneak attack. They both removed the black cloth mask that covered their heads.

he jade knife Guo Huan snorted and reminded Wen Leyang in a low voice, "You've had your fun, now ask them what's this all about! They really are fools."

It was foolish of them to steal the Wen family elders' letter tokens and seal stamps to forge an order, to throw every communication tool in to the well which turned the Nine Peaks Mountain a communication vacuum, to bring the cannon signals to lead the way for fear that Wen Leyang could not find them, to even steal the Si Buliao's letter token to prevent the people of the Luo family from disturbing them. Even Wen Leyang himself could not have been so meticulous, let alone his two foolish uncles.

If there was a flaw, it was that they had used too many letter tokens at the train station and had left to many seal stamps on the secret order. However, to be honest, if it was not for the cell phone which First Uncle had kept stashed away, Wen Leyang would have still rushed towards Crow Ridge suspiciously. After all, Chengdu was close to Crow Ridge and it was not really a detour. At most, it would have only taken a day out of their schedule.

From this perspective, one could even say that the two foolish uncles' selection of Crow Ridge as the location for the 'fight for the Nine Peaks Mountain's Number One' had also been carefully planned.

Wen Leyang nodded. However, when he saw the true faces of the two 'warriors', he still sighed and moaned as he exclaimed in surprise. He willingly gave the title of Nine Peaks Mountain's Number One to them. Wen Thirteen kept his promise as he gave Wen Leyang a carrot.

Wen Leyang split the carrot into three. He asked with a smile amidst loud crunching sounds, "The two uncles have inherited Grand Master Tuo Xie's mantle? Who else in our family other than the two of you…"

He had not finished speaking when Wen Nine lifted his chin with pride, "It's only us brothers. The others won't do, they had distorted their Arts!"

Wen Thirteen was still blind in his foolishness as he added more nonsense, "Only the two of us brothers had not distorted our practice!" Wen Leyang stopped chewing in astonishment. He pondered for a while before he was hit by a sudden realization! He clearly understood that the jade talisman mentions the combination of Grand Master Tuo Xie's three Arts into one. As long as the Wen disciples were well-trained in the Faulty Punch, it was enough for them to adjust the levels of poison within their bodies to the most balanced state. However, in two thousand years, countless extraordinary persons have cropped up amongst the Wen Bucao. They poured their hearts out to research poison and finally brought their Grand Master's strange art to even greater heights. They refined poison into their bodies after the Faulty Punch. Their Art of Poison was improved but then no one could ever achieve the combination of the three arts.

It was like a multimillionaire's son who had been stranded in society and was taken in by a small-time merchant. Although he does not worry about food and clothes, at the same time, he had lost the chance to inherit a huge fortune.

There were already a small number of Inner Disciples in the Wen Bucao. Only the brothers Wen Nine and Wen Thirteen have met the conditions for the combination of the three arts and only practiced the Faulty Punch without refining the Five Elements of Poison into their bodies.

Other than the words 'god's will', Wen Leyang could not think of any other way to describe what he was thinking right now. However, he felt happy for his two foolish uncles from the bottom of his heart. He smiled and returned to the topic, "Why did the two of you ask me to come to Crow Ridge? Isn't it much easier to compete at home? You two would have become the true Nine Peaks Mountain's Number One then."

To emerge as the Nine Peaks Mountain's Number One from Crow Ridge feels like a b*stard who had ascended the throne…

Wen Nine shook the black cloth mask in his hand, "If we had battled at home, would big brother allow us to wear this? If we hadn't worn this, would you have gone all out on us?"

Wen Thirteen quickly mimicked his brother's actions and shook his black cloth mask as well.

Wen Leyang was suddenly silenced by his rhetoric question. He smiled bitterly and shook his head. He does not have Wen Yiban's interrogation abilities and could not think of how to make the two uncles talk. He pondered for a while and decided to speak directly. He still had a puzzled expression as he asked, "What happened? The letter tokens of the four grandfathers and First Uncle, the seal stamps on the secret order, and… Our cannon signals…"

A genuine satisfaction appeared on Wen Nine's and Wen Thirteen's faces. When Wen Leyang saw it, he could not help but think of that stormy night in the Red Leaves Forest some years ago. He recalled the expressions of his two foolish uncles as they gave him chocolates and played dead to fool him. He could no longer restrain his laughter.

Wen Leyang was not too concerned about how his two foolish uncles had tricked him to Crow Ridge, he already has an idea of the perpetrator behind this. This person was six feet tall with a face like a jade ornament. He has the bearings of an immortal and he was skilled in small tricks. He would not lay idle if the world was at peace. He had stayed at Wen family village for a long time and had been his first ever disciple a few years ago…

At this moment on Crow Ridge, things had just quieted down when there was suddenly an uproar. A chilly wind accompanied by ghostly wails followed a few Spirit Guiding Lights as they rose to the sky with a boom!

Almost at the same time, a thunderous voice said, "Crow Ridge manipulates corpses to exorcise demons. Heavens forbid, kill them all!" Amidst the yelling, countless glowing magical weapons fiercely shattered the stars and the moon.

Battle cries began to sound from the outside!

Wen Leyang and the two foolish uncles were dumbfounded at the same time. Guo Huan, however, sneered as he said, "This is just too coincidental!"

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Chapter 225: Variables

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Crow Ridge was suddenly thrown into chaos. Wen Leyang had no time to talk nonsense as he brought his two foolish uncles and ran out of the col. His vision blurred as Qin Zhui rushed in front of him covered in fresh blood.

Wen Leyang was startled. Qin Zhui wiped the blood from his face as he chuckled, "It's someone else's blood. It's the demons of the World Sect! However, they are no ordinary enemies and have covered the whole mountain. Their cultivation bases were uneven and they had barged into the mountain from all directions!" When the commotion had just occurred, Qin Zhui was already outside and had done one round of killing. He could be considered as a rogue cultivator and he has some knowledge about the cultivation world's matters. He was sure of his enemy's background the moment he had engaged them.

Crow Ridge was similar to the Wen family. They were ordinary sects who did not trouble themselves with the secular world. However, the elites of the World Sect had not picked a fight with the Five Blessings but have come here to cause trouble instead. Wen Leyang took a deep breath as he shook his head and decided not to ponder upon all this. He then patted Qin Zhui's shoulder, "Go and help Wen Make gather the Wen family disciples who are headed this way. If the people of the World Sect harms anyone…"

He has not finished speaking when Luo Wanggen led a bunch of 'Centipedes' and ran towards the col. He had not gone too far just now as he wanted to wait for Wen Leyang to come out and give an explanation about the letter tokens. He had not expected the mountain to be attacked and did not have the time to think too closely before he came to find Wen Leyang.

The Luo family would not be afraid even if the Jade Emperor had attacked, let alone cultivators. This wild streak has nothing to do with their abilities. The Luo family was like the Wen and the Miao, they were born fearless. However, with Wen Leyang here, Luo Wanggen naturally treated him as the mainstay. If an assault rifle was offered to someone, who would have discarded that in favor of their bow?

The two Luo family elders and Mumu had gone to the Nine Peaks Mountain earlier on. Now, Luo Wanggen was the one who called the shots on Crow Ridge. The younger ones have different personalities but they also had their own ideas. After they discussed briefly, they came up with a plan.

Qin Zhui was to find Wen Make and help him to fend off the enemy. At the same time, he would gather the Wen Bucao disciples who had been summoned here by the cannon signals. These ordinary disciples would be of no help if they were to face cultivators. They would be instructed to retreat immediately after they had gathered.

Luo Wanggen also gathered his disciples and activated their Prohibition Spells to defend the important spots on the mountain.

Wen Leyang would escort Luo Wanggen back to the village first. Then, they would go after the enemy chieftain and find out why the World Sect has come to Crow Ridge. The two foolish uncles naturally followed beside him, Wen Leyang dared not leave them in anyone else's care.

Qin Zhui was the first to rush outside to meet up with Wen Make. Luo Wanggen took a few steps before stopping. He then took out his own letter token and passed it to Wen Leyang, "After we return to the village, you'll be acting on your own. There are still some Luo family disciples on this mountain. It'll be easier if you had this…"

He was halfway through his sentence when his eyes suddenly bulged and he shut his mouth. Wen Nine also has a bamboo letter token in his hand as he swayed it before the Luo family disciples with satisfaction…

Both letter tokens belonging to the two Luo family elders had been stolen. One of them was still hanging from the big tree inside the col while the other was in Wen Nine's hand.

Wen Leyang quickly snatched the letter token from Wen Nine's hands before secretly returning it to Luo Wanggen after they had gone some distance…

Not long after, Wen Leyang had escorted Luo Wanggen back to the village. He brought his two foolish uncles and went headlong into the mountain to hunt the enemy. However, they soon realized that the World Sect who had barged into the mountain had only set fires and had not killed anyone.

From the mountaintop, magnificent glows flashed by magic weapons could be seen everywhere. Waves of booms and yells of magic chants filled the entire big mountain and raised a hubbub. It was unknown how many World Sect cultivators had threatened to annihilate the Luo family. After they had entered the mountain, they scattered like a bunch of headless flies and made a scene wherever they went. They had no direction, they did not search for the enemy nor did they look for the village. They simply ran about wildly in the big mountain and continuously released their magic weapons to clear the way. They behaved atrociously as if they were maddened but their targets were rocks and trees. Some of them even seemed to be bored as they tossed their magic weapons upwards to hit the birds.

However, whenever the members of the World Sect encountered Wen Leyang, they immediately howled and rush forward for a fight. In Wen Leyang's opinion, their cultivations bases were not worth mentioning but what was strange was that when these people saw him, they would immediately have a despaired expression as if they know that they would surely die but they did not retreat. When they were captured, they had countless ways to commit suicide. Wen Leyang labored for a whole night but he could not retain a living enemy.

When dawn came upon them, the Wen family disciples had already left Crow Ridge under Qin Zhui's escort. Qin Zhui then rushed back and met up with Wen Leyang. His experience was even weirder. If he ignored the members of the World Sect, they would just go about their own business and risked their lives with rocks and trees. When Qin Zhui appeared, they turned around and ran. They killed themselves the moment they were captured. Other than their wails, they did not leave any other clues behind.

The World Sect had not come for a battle, they looked more like they had just gotten a dose of drugs and come here to act crazy.

Wen Leyang became angrier as he fought. He had rushed around for a whole night and at least a hundred World Sect members had died before his eyes. None of them were killed by him nor could he fish any information out from them. Qin Zhui was also extremely bored. In the end, he simply sat down and shook his head with contempt, "I'm not fighting anymore! They're all f*cking lunatics!"

Wen Leyang also stopped on his two foolish uncles whose fighting spirits had soared. He calmed down and pondered carefully for a moment. His expression soured the more he thought about it. He then took out his cell phone and checked the reception. The infrastructure on Crow Ridge was much better than the Nine Peaks Mountain, his cell phone received full coverage even in the depths of the mountain.

Qin Zhui knew that Wen Leyang has thought of something and he quickly asked, "What's the matter?"

Wen Leyang shook his head. He quickly dialed First Uncle's number… But when it connected, it was First Aunt who picked up. Her tone was unfriendly from the onset but she passed the phone to First Uncle with a laugh when she heard that it was Wen Leyang.

First Uncle's voice was dazed, it seems like he was not fully awake yet. Wen Leyang's heart was much relieved.

First Uncle seemed to be aware of the Wen Leyang's situation and did not wait for him to open his mouth when he said something. Wen Leyang's expression was suddenly delighted and he ended the call with a giggle.

Qin Zhui was burning with anxiety. He immediately pulled Wen Leyang's arm and barraged him with questions.

Wen Leyang looked happy as he asked Qin Zhui strangely, "Am I too kind?"

Guo Huan, who had stayed silent until now, suddenly laughed, "Foolish young lad, you've finally learned to use that brain of yours!"

Qin Zhui was filled with impatience and he asked angrily, "Enough of your riddles! What's going on?!"

Wen Leyang pulled his two foolish uncles along and sat down on a rock he had found. He spoke as if he no longer cared about the World Sect cultivators who were making a mess around them. He chuckled and said to Qin Zhui, "These World Sect people had not killed anyone but had only chopped down trees. They're not here to besiege Crow Ridge. This was indeed puzzling at first but when I thought about my two uncles, I finally understood why." He then pointed at Wen Nine and Wen Thirteen.

Guo Huan chuckled and chimed in, "Someone wants to keep Wen Leyang here in Crow Ridge. Why would there be such a coincidence if it was otherwise? Wen Leyang had just arrived on Crow Ridge when the place was immediately attacked."

Qin Zhui was completely puzzled. He pondered for a while before he asked, "You're saying that someone… Instigated them both to lure you here to Crow Ridge? That person then arranged for these people from the World Sect to attack the mountain just to keep you here?"

Wen Leyang nodded in silence. Qin Zhui continued, "That doesn't make sense. They would be doing a much better job of keeping us here if they had attacked Luo family village directly…"

Wen Leyang was amused as he returned the topic to where it initially was. He pointed at his own nose and said, "I'm too kind! These men don't wish to begrudge me, they only wanted to stall me hence they did not want to kill anyone unnecessarily. Other than me, they would run away when they see someone else. As for the World Sect members who risked their lives when they saw me…" As he said this, a tinge of helplessness flashed across his face, "The perpetrator knows that I'm soft-hearted and he wants to use human lives as retribution. If I ever want to investigate this matter, they had already thrown a hundred lives into my hands. What more can I say?"

If the World Sect had formed a group to attack the critical areas of the Luo family's village, they would not be able to control the number of casualties. Currently, the Wen, Miao, and Luo families were of the same breath and branch. Once someone in any of the three families was killed, the grudge would be set. Wen Leyang had heard that the World Sect was a treacherous bunch but he had never thought that the other party would be willing to throw away these many lives to avoid a grudge against him. At least the Wen Bucao would never be this cruel to their own people.

Qin Zhui shook his head and suspicion was written all over his face, "Since the other party doesn't dare to harm anyone, we can just move our butts and head off. Let's leave them here in Crow Ridge!"

Wen Leyang smiled bitterly and shook his head, "Would I dare to do that? That's why I said that I'm too kind…"

Guo Huan interrupted rigidly, "As if you could! The World Sect has disregarded their lives just because they were unwilling to cross you. However, once they discover that they can't stall you, what would they do then? In the time it takes to burn a joss stick, they would form up properly and attack the Luo family! When it comes to that, you won't have a chance to choose if you want to stay or not!"

Wen Leyang narrowed his eyes and nodded, the World Sect has stabbed him with a soft knife. As long as he was held back on Crow Ridge, there would still be an opportunity to meet in the future. If he disregarded everything now and forced his way back to the Nine Peaks Mountain, they would then fight to the death.

Qin Zhui finally caught up with Wen Leyang's train of thought. He pondered as he said, "They don't want you back home because they had something else planned for Nine Peaks Mountain…" He was halfway through his speech when he leaped up, "Nineteen is still at your home!" He made as if to run outside.

Wen Leyang stopped him as he smiled and nodded, "Home will be fine, relax! They would sacrifice their own people on Crow Ridge just so they would not cross me. Regardless of what they plan to do on Nine Peaks Mountain, so long as it's not the last resort, they won't fight to the death."

Qin Zhui dared not place his wife's life as a wager. He exerted his strength and broke free of Wen Leyang's grasp. A layer of malevolence seethed out of his eyes, "Then what if it's their last f*cking resort already?!"

Wen Leyang scoffed, "At most, only the fish will die but the net will not be torn! No matter how big the fish, it's futile to wish that it can break our family's net!" He then lowered his voice, "First Uncle had told me just now that Grand Master Chang Li has arrived at the Nine Peaks Mountain two days ago. Only the four elders and First Uncle know about this!"

Qin Zhui immediately felt delighted. He chuckled and nodded continuously, "Then the net can't be torn, it won't be torn!" The fierce name of Chang Li had pierced Qin Zhui's ears like thunder.

Chang Li had made a promise to Wen Leyang back at the Miao stockade village that she would return to the Nine Peaks Mountain once she has recovered. She would then bring him to the Black and White Island and question Tian Yin about Grand Master Tuo Xie's whereabouts. When Chang Li reached Nine Peaks Mountain two days ago, she was not one to trouble herself with rules and displays of courtesies. She had not sent her greetings in advance and instead, ascended the mountain and entered the village like a puff of smoke. Naturally, the Prohibition Spells on the mountain had not detected her.

As she entered the village, she had bumped into the two shabby Nine Peaks Mountain Number One elites who were stealing phones from every room in the dark of night. Chang Li had followed the two of them around the mountain for one whole night. She witnessed them writing the letters, stamping the seal, stealing the cannon signals and tossing the cellphones into the well. In the end, she looked on with a giggle as they left the mountain. Only after that did she go to look for Grand Elder Wen.

Chang Li was a peerless demon immortal. Every strand of her hair was a scheme. Although she does not know the details of the situation, she understood that the two foolish uncles could never have planned their trick so meticulously.

The World Sect had been causing trouble everywhere. They emerged from their low-key status for the past thousand years and directly attacked the Jilong Sect, one of the Five Blessings. The two rabbit demons had returned to Mount Emei and Wen Leyang was not home To them, the Nine Peaks Mountain would be at its weakest now.

Chang Li had thought another step ahead. She felt that the World Sect has suddenly made their move to divert the two rabbit demons. Someone had then persuaded the two foolish uncles to stall Wen Leyang from returning home. They have made such a huge ruckus outside that the World Sect must have had something big planned for the Nine Peaks Mountain. No matter how one puts it, all this was most probably because of that person who knows about the 'big flat cake, broken gong, and the dog' in the Red Leaves Forest.

Everyone was weighed down with worry but Chang Li was overjoyed. She then lay in wait silently on the Nine Peaks Mountain. She counted the seconds to when World Sect's members would make their move. This was why only the elders had known about her return to the Wen family village.

The four Wen elders and Wen Tunhai made five old foxes together. When the two foolish uncles had escaped, they could instantly tell that someone had incited them and plotted against the Wen family. If their trump card Chang Li had not shown up, they would never have been this calm about the situation and would have been in a flustered mess.

Nine Peaks Mountain has deployed its big net silently, all that was left was for the enemy to show up.

Wen Leyang had initially thought that it was the Taoist monk Ji Fei who had instigated his two foolish uncles. When Crow Ridge was under attack, he realized that the enemy's scheme was behind this. After he had called his First Uncle on the phone, he could then roughly guess the process of the incident.

Guo Huan listened to Wen Leyang's analysis as he laughed and exclaimed. "Interesting, interesting. It's a shame that I'm… Heh!"

Wen Leyang understood the old demon's sadness so he quickly diverted the topic, "The one who had instigated the two uncles should be on Nine Peaks Mountain. Otherwise, they wouldn't have known about Heaven Telling Sect's Master and it seems like this person has a close relationship with the uncles…"

Qin Zhu was too lazy to guess who it was so he turned and directly asked Wen Nine and Wen Thirteen, "Who was the one who had taught you guys the plan to steal the cell phones…"

He had not finished speaking when the two foolish uncles pouted and showed their stubbornness in unison, "We had thought of it ourselves!"

Wen Leyang laughed and he shook his head at Qin Zhui, "The opponent has his ways of not letting us know his face!" As he said this, he sat in between the two foolish uncles affectionately. He made a serious face, "I'm… I was Nine Peaks Mountain's Number One elite. I had kept it a secret so how did you guys manage to find this out?"

Wen Nine did not answer the question but asked with a frown in return, "Why had you kept it a secret?"

Wen Leyang was dumbstruck. He stammered before he continued, "Number Ones always keep it a secret. It's a resort to fight their enemies."

Wen Nine and Wen Thirteen looked at each other. They nodded and said, "If that's the case!"

Wen Nine reminded his brother, "Then the both of us will also keep it a secret!"

Wen Thirteen agreed forthrightly before he quietly asked Wen Leyang's ear, "What's keeping a secret?"

Wen Leyang was very patient. He ignored the battle cries of the World Sect outside and did not look at Qin Zhui's face which was full of anxiety. He explained to his uncle Thirteen slowly then lowered his voice greatly, "How did you guys know about this?"

Wen Thirteen secretively fished out a crumpled and almost torn piece of paper, passing it to Wen Leyang.

Wen Leyang looked at it and shook his head with a bitter smile, "I said so, didn't I? We won't get anything out of my uncles!" As he said this, he passed the piece of paper to Qin Zhui.

Qin Zhui could already guess the contents without having to see it. What was written was that Wen Leyang was Nine Peaks Mountain's Number One and that the brothers could only establish themselves after they have defeated him. It also mentioned that Wen Leyang's Number One identity was a secret so they could not make the challenge a public affair and they could only fight outside the mountain. The last part was a densely written set of instructions regarding the methods to descend the mountain in secret. It was written in great detail and even specified which well they should throw the cell phones into.

However, the letter had left one thing out. It was not too detailed on the matters of the letter tokens and the seal stamps on secret orders. This was why the two foolish uncles had given it their all and used all the letter tokens and seal stamps of the Wen family.

What was worth mentioning were the rows of beautifully elegant brush strokes which filled the paper, it was prettier than embroidery.

Wen Leyang looked at Qin Zhui and asked, "Nineteens handwriting?"

Qin Zhui shook his head, "I've only ever seen her hit someone, I've never seen her write…" He then shook his head and was obviously unwilling to discuss too much on this topic. He stood up with a frown and pointed in the direction of the loud noises, "What should we do then? Should we just stay put here on Crow Ridge and be stalled by them? The great show is on Nine Peaks Mountain… Nineteen is also on Nine Peaks Mountain!"

Guo Huan was indifferent, "As long as Wen Leyang stays, the World Sect will have a tacit agreement with you guys. They'll make their mess and you guys can mind your own businesses. If you want to kill somebody, they'll die in your face. If you want to sleep, then cover your ears. As long as the people of Crow Ridge don't die, everybody will be safe until we hear from the Nine Peaks Mountain. However," Guo Huan's voice hardened, "If a Wen family or a Luo family disciple was to die on Crow Ridge, the World Sect would surely go all out and kill you guys! Everyone under the sky is the same; nobody wants a grudge but nobody wants to be the target of revenge as well!"

Wen Leyang was still smiling but his smile was not very sincere now, "I don't have any tacit agreement with them!"

Qin Zhui was also roused and he gave a rotten suggestion from the side, "Let the Luo family pull their troops out. Once someone dies, we'll fight iron with iron! With the two of us here, victory will be assured."

Wen Leyang was angered to the point of amusement. Crow Ridge was the home of his in-laws. The current person in charge was his brother-in-law. In the future, the young men here will only have two identities, that of the big brother-in-law and the little brother-in-law. He picked up a branch and drew on the ground in a flurry, "Our opponents have come prepared. Once we leave or if anyone from the Luo family dies, they will immediately change formation without needing further orders from above. Still, there should be a variable here which none of them could've predicted… And it's only if it was out of their expectations that they would go and ask for their leader's opinion about the next course of action. With this variable and the both of us, it shouldn't be too difficult to follow the messenger to find the leader."

Guo Huan seems to know what Wen Leyang was thinking about as he smiled and chimed in, "We can only break this stalemate without bloodshed if we find the World Sect's leader!" When he finished speaking, he praised loudly, "You've truly become more intelligent!"

When he saw Wen Leyang's smiling face, Qin Zhui was so anxious that he would have picked up a rock to smash his face. He balled his fists until they made cracking sounds and said angrily, "Stop keeping me guessing, you weren't like this before!"

"Wasn't I stupid before?!" A satisfaction without shrewdness that could not be concealed appeared on Wen Leyang's face. His smile had Wen Buzuo's shadow, "This variable is… My death!" He pointed a steady finger at his own nose as he said this.

"The people from the World Sect knows about my abilities. They had fallen over each other to fight all out with me because they knew that I couldn't be killed so easily. If I died now, everyone would be dumbstruck. What should they do next? They'll naturally go and ask their leader if they should seal the mountain and kill everyone or if they should furl all their banners and retreat with silenced drums." After Wen Leyang finished, he giggled and hugged his two foolish uncles.

Qin Zhui was astonished, "Who has the ability to kill you?"

Wen Leyang minded his own business and went over the details in a soft voice with his two foolish uncles. He then pointed at Qin Zhui…

A dozen World Sect cultivators brandished their magic weapons as they howled and sprinted along a small, deserted hill. Suddenly, a figure who looked like a nightingale dropped down from the sky and firmly pinned one of them down. The other cultivators were astonished at first but when they saw that the person who had appeared was Wen Leyang, they immediately cried sharply, bared their fangs and pounced. Wen Leyang ignored them as he picked up his prisoner and made to leave. He did not expect the World Sect prisoner in his custody to suddenly laugh as he leaped up. The prisoner had cast an unknown spell which then caused his body to explode loudly, spraying fresh blood into the sky!

At the same time, a lightning-like figure jumped out from the nearby forest without warning. He was enveloped in a wild force as he flew towards Wen Leyang!

Wen Leyang's face was full of shock as Qin Zhui hit him continuously in mid-air, taking advantage of Wen Leyang's unprepared state. Finally, he let out an extremely reluctant growl as his body fell to the ground limply like a torn gunny-bag. A dark, grey liquid flowed out from beneath him and spread out in the area of over a dozen meters in the blink of an eye. The two World Sect cultivators had not paid any attention to their feet. They did not even have the chance to wail when they were poisoned to death.

The World Sect had been running around the mountain for a whole night so they know that other than Wen Leyang, there was another young, ugly elite who was with him. Nobody expected that the both of them would fight each other. It was enough as long as the World Sect knows he had died.

Wen Leyang, Qin Zhui, and even the two foolish uncles' cultivation bases were much more profound than these ordinary World Sect members. A rabbit which was passing by would not be able to distinguish whether the two black bears which were hugged into a ball were hooking up or fighting with their lives.

From the World Sect's perspective, Qin Zhui's every punch was filled with his full strength. It was as if he had suddenly turned into the master of the world and channeled the strength of an entire mountain to beat Wen Leyang up wildly.

After Qin Zhui had beaten the water out of Wen Leyang, he quickly turned and stared at the World Sect. At this time, two angry howls rose towards the sky. Wen Nine and Wen Thirteen did not talk nonsense and their eyes were so bloodshot that they seemed to spurt out blood. They rushed towards Qin Zhui like phantoms from his left and his right. A handful of World Sect members who had no intention of blocking their way had no time to evade them and were knocked around until their bones were crushed!

Qin Zhui's expression was malicious and evil as he counter-attacked Wen Nine and Wen Thirteen with the same savage moves. However, unbeknown to him, a layer of greenish-grey fine hairs had started to silently grow on his face.

The World Sect's members were truly dumbfounded. Even after Qin Zhui had spat out dark-bluish blood and escaped from the two foolish uncles in retreat, they still do not understand what had just taken place.

Wen Leyang lay on the ground and did not move. The greyish-black poison liquid flowed lifelessly and left a sickening stuffiness wherever it went.

There was something which wriggled continuously in the blood which Qin Zhui had just spat out…

The remaining World Sect members did not huddle over to confirm if Wen Leyang was dead or not. However, logically thinking, when the Art of Poison was exhausted, that person would be done for. They discussed the matter together in a low voice.

Wen Leyang who was playing dead was dumbfounded. Qin Zhui, who had stealthily doubled back was also dumbstruck… Instead of using their legs to go find their leader, the World Sect cultivators took out cell phones from their pockets instead.

The World Sect was obviously more digitally adept than the Mountain Sect. Guo Huan grunted softly as he observed from within the jade knife, "This is also a f*cking variable!"

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Chapter 226: Friendly Relations

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Tu Mi was sitting quietly on a tree which was only as thick as a person's wrist.

Her plump body contrasted terrifyingly with the slender branch beneath her buttocks. From afar, it looked almost like a millstone-sized fruit had grown on a small blade of grass. What was most interesting was that she was swaying with the branches in the wind.

A dozen people who were dressed in different attires were standing around that small tree. There was a fierce-looking middle-aged strong man who looked like a butcher; a neat, solemn-looking old professor; a quiet young lady with long hair; and also a red-haired ruffian covered in tattoos.

From the nearby mountain, the howling of magic weapons could be clearly heard. These people, however, were indifferent to it. They gathered in small groups and were sitting or lying down casually as they chatted softly. They occasionally lifted their head to look at the big mountain as their sharp eyes contained an almost-undetectable anger.

The one who lost his patience first was the shrewd-looking professor. He patted his buttocks before standing up and walking to the tree. His wrinkled face was filled with impatience as he bowed to Tu Mi who was swinging with the tree, "Great Master Tu, I don't understand!"

Tu Mi lowered her head and smiled shyly, "Say it." She was so plump that her body shook in waves when she laughed. The old professor felt as if an oily wave had just crashed loudly onto him.

The old professor could not help but take a step back. He hesitated briefly before he gritted his teeth as if he had made a grand decision, "We can't hit or kill anyone, the sons who encounter the young lad dies, the sons who don't will continue to run around in the mountains. We had joined the Cloud Heavenly Sect and waited patiently for a thousand years for revenge, not to learn… learn, learn a monkey show!"

He had just finished speaking when the ruffian, who looked to be about eighteen years of age, jumped up and scolded, "Great Master Tu's plan is profound in her own ways, since when are you in charge of us!?"

The old professor ignored the ruffian. He remained bowed in front of Tu Mi but his eyes have quickly turned bloodshot. However, this malevolent mannerism vanished as quickly as it appeared from his body.

The ruffian was unwilling to show weakness as his right arm blazed into flame with a muffled bang. He glared at the old professor and said, "Old demon, you better put your bloody eyes away or I'll dig them out!"

The others quickly shouted and pulled the two away from each other. They were all tangled up with one another when Tu Mi suddenly let out a sweet greasy sigh and shook her head at them. She said softly, "I'm sorry."

The old professor and the ruffian were astonished. They hastily relaxed their forms and bowed towards the small tree, "We are unworthy to receive such an address from Great Master Tu…"

Tu Mi did not wait for them to finish as she straightened her body and leaped from the tree. Her body, which was easily two hundred kilograms, was as light as a fallen leaf as she swayed with the wind and landed gently on the ground after a long while. She then reached out and helped the two of them up. The fat flesh on her face was full of apologies as she chuckled, "I know that everyone is repressing their urge to lash out, the sons are all heroes and great men but they had been dispatched by me into the mountains to make a scene and to be killed. However, this is the difficulty of this errand. If it was easy, the Cloud Heavenly Sect would never have needed to get into this fight!" Tu Mi then shook her head, "We have to accomplish it yet we cannot plant any more grudges! When we get the word from Nine Peaks Mountain, it'll mean the success of our operation!"

The old professor was still unsatisfied, "In the cultivation world, the Five Blessings were the respected ones. We have vowed to kill these small fries and clowns, what grudge do we fear to create?"

The ruffian has no intentions to get into trouble with the old professor. He was like the professor and also has a rage within him but had only used the opportunity to express himself. He now nodded in agreement, "We're not even afraid of the heavens so why should we fear a rock that's in our way!?"

Tu Mi snorted, "Have you heard of the Cat Demon Chang Li?"

The ruffian shook his head and was slightly perplexed. The old professor, on the other hand, pondered for a while before he squalled, "The Great Master can't mean that… Two thousand years ago, the one who had provoked all the cultivators under the heavens by smashing the high lord's statue and destroying Exquisite Ice…"

A scantily-dressed and charming young married woman could not help but interrupt, "She had fought a heaven-shaking battle two thousand years ago but she disappeared after that."

Tu Mi was still smiling but her eyes were filled with cold vigilance, "She has returned a few years ago. Crow Ridge has a deep connection with that cat demon and as for a foe like this, heh." She took a deep breath and looked at her bunch of henchmen, "Do you still think that we can provoke such a foe?"

The group of World Sect elites looked at each other. Two thousand years ago, the cat demon had single-handedly turned the cultivation world upside down. In the end, even the three sword immortals of the Black and White Island and the peerless demon immortal mountain ghost Guo Huan had also been involved. They surrounded the cat demon and fought a heaven-shaking battle. This battle was the legend of legends to even cultivators of the current generation.

Tu Mi continued to mutter in her thin voice, "Not only is that Wen youth in the mountain's cultivation base astonishing, he is also especially close to the cat demon. Our sons who had died in his hands tonight will be regarded as compensation to the cat demon!"

No matter how wild and intractable the World Sect was, they also knew that they could not provoke the cat demon. Tu Mi only sighed softly when she saw that the group had remained silent. She wanted to say a few words to comfort her subordinates when a ringtone suddenly sounded from the professor's body. The professor's face quickly turned pale the moment he listened to the phone. He then looked at Tu Mi with dumbfounded eyes as he said with a shaking voice, "That… Wen, Wen young lad… Is dead!"

A muffled thud was sounded. Behind the fat lady Tu Mi, a huge pit which was a dozen meters wide and eight meters deep had suddenly appeared in the ground. Tu Mi's fat body shuddered and her reddish face turned whiter than a mothball. She stared at the professor and asked hoarsely, "Impossible! What… Happened!?"

"They had an internal conflict…" The professor then repeated his subordinate's description of Wen Leyang's death. Finally, he added, "But… He should be dead. There was poison all around him so the sons couldn't get close to him."

Tu Mi howled shrilly and fiercely. The buttery tone and aura which she gave off suddenly turned into a burning anger which made everyone as silent as cicadas in late autumn. She then said to the others, "Have the sons form up! Wait for my signal and we'll attack Crow Ridge!" She looked at the professor, "Lead the way!"

If Wen Leyang has truly died, they could not leave a single survivor on Crow Ridge.

The elites of the World Sect's Cloud Heavenly Sect received their orders and left. The professor was the only one who was leading Tu Mi towards the depths of Crow Ridge and as swiftly as the wind. The professor ran as he asked Tu Mi in a low voice, "Great Master Tu, could it be that the young lad has faked his death to lure us…"

Tu Mi was so angry that she started yelling. She gritted her teeth as she said, "Who dares to wager? We must confirm if he's dead or alive!" She paused after that and showed a slightly sorrowful smile, "If he's playing dead, worst comes to worst I'll throw my life at his feet as the sons have done. At the end of the day, we must keep him here on Crow Ridge." As she said this, she also took out her cell phone and dialed a number. She then relayed Wen Leyang's situation to someone on the other end of the phone…

Crow Ridge, which had been filled with the sounds of explosions, suddenly quieted down. The World Sect cultivators who had been blasting everything they saw had recalled their magic powers. They then aligned themselves in a prearranged direction and silently lay in wait.

Wen Leyang did not move as he lay on the ground. He had released the Poison of Life and Death to make his death seem more realistic but he forgot that it would create an impassable barrier for the World Sect members. He had wanted to jump to his feet when he saw the World Sect member make a phone call but when he saw that they had not left and were keeping guard anxiously instead as if waiting for someone, it made him feel hopeful again. This variable has changed much faster than he had anticipated.

While he was feeling uneasy, an extremely fat figure suddenly floated in like a breeze.

There was a formal-looking old man beside the fat lady. He wore a suit and leather shoes with a stern and serious expression.

When the World Sect members saw the fat lady, they immediately knelt on the ground. Tu Mi sighed and waved her hand lightly, "I don't blame you guys, get up."

The professor tossed a talisman seal into the liquid Poison of Life and Death to test its toxicity. The talisman had immediately turned into a puff of green smoke with the sound of a bang before it had even touched the liquid. The professor took a cold breath and exclaimed in a low voice, "What poison is this!?"

Tu Mi frowned. She naturally had no way to deal with a poison which even Zhui Zi could not handle. She hesitated slightly before she spoke to unmoving Wen Leyang, "If you're not dead, I'll apologize to you by giving you my life. Please don't hold it against us!" She waved her arm in preparation to cast her magic powers to blast the corpse. As expected, Wen Leyang immediately leaped up as he waved his arms frantically and smiled, "Don't hit me, don't hit me…"

He had not finished speaking when Guo Huan's sharp voice rang deep within his eardrums, "This fat little girl was prepared to die, get straight to business!"

When Tu Mi saw that he was still alive, two starkly different expressions of joy and resoluteness appeared on her fat face at the same time. She then laughed loudly, "So be it, my life is also a token for pardon. I hope that you'll look upon the hundreds of World Sect member's lives on your hands and investigate no further…"

Wen Leyang's expression suddenly changed as he yelled in a low voice, "The World Sect's scheme on Nine Peaks Mountain is related to my Grand Master's survival! What you're intending to take is the Wen family's life-giver, even the lives of everyone under the heavens would not suffice! If you want to die, nobody will stop you but you'll be dying in vain!"

The professor howled with rage, "Then what more do we have to say? You're staying on Crow Ridge no matter what!" As he said this, he quickly leaped up. His eyes turned into a blood-red color again as he prepared to pounce on Wen Leyang. Unexpectedly, his vision blurred and he did not have the chance to cast his magic powers when Wen Leyang had closed in on him. A punch which was neither light nor heavy hit him squarely on the stomach. The life vitality which he had just gathered and almost released was immediately shattered by this single punch. The professor squalled as he crashed heavily onto the ground. Although he had fallen in an awkward position, when he got back up on his feet, there was no trace of injury on him.

Tu Mi was greatly shocked. She had only now understood now why Wen Leyang must be kept here on Crow Ridge. She had only known that Wen Leyang had a profound cultivation base but she had not expected him to be as powerful as this! The professor was amongst one of the best elites of the Cloud Heavenly Sect, his cultivation base even rivaled those of the Five Blessings' first-class elites. The professor was unable to even take one of his punches and Wen Leyang had not even used his full strength.

Wen Leyang broke the professor's attack and continued to talk to Tu Mi, "I've lured you out because I'm sick of all this pretending. Call your men back and cease your struggling. It's no use."

Tu Mi shook her head, "We can't stop you but if you're willing to see the entire Luo family being annihilated, then be my guest and leave."

The secret order from Nine Peaks Mountain was to stall Wen Leyang. If they let him return home, the World Sect members would be unable to do anything against his cultivation base which even rivaled Po Tu's. To capture the elite within the Red Leaves Forest would be nothing but a joke.

Wen Leyang shook his head and he suddenly diverted the topic, "Who are you in the World Sect?" He wants to return home but he also does not want these World Sect people to trouble the Luo family with their life-and-death struggles. The reason why he had lured their leader out was to break this stalemate but ultimately, he still felt at ease knowing that Chang Li held the fort at home. He does not mind spending a little more time with talking.

"I'm the Master of Cloud Heavenly Sect, Tu Mi." Tu Mi was in no hurry either. She would rather die than let Wen Leyang leave so it was in her favor if she could stall for a while longer.

Wen Leyang frowned in surprise. The old rabbit demon had told him before that the World Sect was currently divided into the Four Heavenly Sects of Wing, Cloud, Lightning, and Thunder. Tu Mi was the leader of one of the Four Heavenly Sects so she should have a relatively high position within the World Sect.

The master was the boss. However, in order to close a deal, would boss would take her own life for this just cause?

At this time, Qin Zhui had brought the two foolish uncles and returned with a chuckle. They then stood behind Wen Leyang. Guo Huan laughed rigidly as he spoke to Qin Zhui, "Young lad, show them some skills!"

Qin Zhui did not waste any time as he let out a fierce yell and lifted his arm. He charged towards Tu Mi who was standing a distance away from him. Tu Mi felt the world spin as things as large as the surrounding mountains and as small as the pebbles and dried grass beneath her feet surged vigorously towards her with Qin Zhui's punch. The instant she was about to be submerged, it disappeared with a loud noise and turned into a gentle breeze…

As one of the four masters of the World Sect, Tu Mi's cultivation base was certainly not weak. On a one-on-one battle, she could easily triumph over the Five Blessings' elites at the level of Taoist Priest Qing Niao. Even if she was to go against the former Jilong Sect's Supreme Leader Zi Que, she could still hold her own. However, she had no way of parrying Qin Zhui's punch. She understood in her heart that she was far inferior to Wen Leyang and Qin Zhui.

Wen Leyang smiled and spoke enigmatically to Tu Mi, "Do you understand now?"

Tu Mi nodded with some difficulty. They had only wanted to stall Wen Leyang. Since he knows that something was going on at Nine Peaks Mountain, he could have let the ugly man rush to the Nine Peaks Mountain first to deal with the problem but these two young men had stayed behind instead.

Wen Leyang heaved a long sigh. For the first time in his life, he felt that it was indeed easy to converse with an intelligent person, "Whether we return home or not would not have a big impact on the outcome. Even if all the elites of the Four Heavenly Sects of Wind, Cloud, Lightning, and Thunder of the World Sect were to go to the Nine Peaks Mountain, they would not have any hope of winning." He then paused before he continued, "The elite who's guarding my home could crush us with a little finger, let alone you guys!"

Tu Mi finally understood. Wen Leyang had not been worried about the situation back home at all. If the World Sect's scheme on Nine Peaks Mountain had no chance of succeeding, then their sacrifice here on Crow Ridge held no value at all.

Wen Leyang continued, "The 'big flat cake, broken gong, and the dog' are not the shortcut for you guys to defeat the Righteous Path. Let's not talk about how you guys have no chance of success on Nine Peaks Mountain, even if you do really capture that person, do you know what the consequences will be?"

Guo Huan made some noise from within the jade knife, his voice was cold as he enunciated each word clearly, "The Cat Demon Chang Li; the Divine Beast Ice Cone Nail; the Zombie Hanba; the three families of Wen, Miao, and Luo; the Five Blessings of the Righteous Path; the highland Tibetan Buddhism Sect cultivators; and even the entire government would pour all their resources to annihilate the World Sect! You should ask yourselves which of these peerless demon immortals or the other forces could you guys defeat?"

Wen Leyang did not let Tu Mi hesitate as he immediately continued the conversation, "The World Sect had secluded themselves in the world for a thousand years because, ultimately, it was the Five Blessings who had restricted their own forces. When every force is refined into one, would there be anywhere else under the heavens for you guys to establish yourselves? The person whom you guys want to capture isn't the mascot of the World Sect but your hangman's noose! The peerless cultivator who had entrusted this task to you is a vile spawn that everyone would be happy to kill!"

Tu Mi's expression was now extremely sour. Finally, she gritted her teeth in contempt as she took out her cell phone and placed it beside her ear. She had not ended the call just now so her conversation with Wen Leyang and the others had been heard by the person on the other end of the phone in its entirety. Her entire person then relaxed as if she had just heard a special pardon. She then spoke softly to Wen Leyang, "One moment please."

In no time at all, a figure swiftly flew into Wen Leyang's telegnosis range.

Wen Leyang scoffed and muttered a curse. He then smiled bitterly as he shook his head at the nearby mountain forest, "What rank are you?"

His voice has barely faded when a fat figure emerged from the forest.

Wen Nine and Wen Thirteen smiled as they answered, "He's the eldest, he's called the Fourth Brother!"

The person who had appeared was indeed one of the seven fat Rainbow Brothers. When he heard the two foolish uncles' voices, he shot them a friendly look but he stopped several meters before Wen Leyang and moved no closer.

The two foolish uncles exchanged a puzzled look…

The only outsiders on Nine Peaks Mountain were the Rainbow Brothers, Ji Fei, Shui Jing, One Word Palace's Nineteen, and Gongye from Mount Pan who had come to help them refine the Ning Jiao. Initially, Wen Leyang had suspected that it was Ji Fei and Shui Jing who had instigated the two foolish uncles to pull this prank. However, the World Sect had then shown themselves and they found out that the matter was related to the Red Leaves Forest. If it were Ji Fei and Shui Jing, the great monk would not have told them that they had found the cultivator inside the Place of Birth, Life, Sickness, and Death.

Gongye had been invited to refine the treasures so they were not under suspicion either. No matter how he looked at it, the only possible culprits left were Nineteen and the Rainbow Brothers.

Wen Leyang was not really surprised when the leader of the Rainbow Brothers had shown up.

The Rainbow's leader's face no longer kept his usual silly look. His expression was grim and serious as he looked at Wen Leyang and said, "I have shown myself. Naturally, you can roughly guess the cause and effect of things. The ones who had instructed the Wind and Rain… Wen Nine and Wen Thirteen, was us. The ones who had plotted against the Red Leaves Forest was also us. But… Since we never harmed even a single plant of the Wen family, I only beg you to tell me one truth: who's on the Nine Peaks Mountain?"

Wen Leyang did not lie as he said two words, "Chang Li."

The Rainbow's leader's expression turned cold and he nodded at Wen Leyang, "Please give me one minute!" As he said that, he took out his cell phone. After he dialed the number, he did not hide from them as he said in a low voice, "Chang Li's on the mountain, cease and plead guilty!"

Guo Huan was surprised as he asked with a smile, "Fat man, you believe that it's Chang Li just because he had said so? Will you be begging for our mercy soon?"

Wen Leyang does not know whether to laugh or to cry. Guo Huan was extremely quick at picking up these terrible words.

The Rainbow's leader sighed, "Actually, it's not much of a difference whether Chang Li is on the mountain or not. We could not even get past the Prohibition Spells in the Red Leaves Forest!"

Something clicked for Wen Leyang. He had personally experienced the Prohibition Spell of the Red Leaves Forest so he was very familiar with its effectiveness. It was plenty enough to stop the average cultivator but it would be too weak to stop the Rainbow Brothers.

The Rainbow's leader seemed to guess what Wen Leyang had thought as he rubbed his fat face resentfully, "The elders have already refined the Ning Jiao's poison and used it in the Prohibition Spell. I made that call because I was worried that if the six of them was to have any intention of harming others out of rage, things will get messy!" He turned and waved at Tu Mi as he said this, "Have the sons retreat!"

After the subordinates have retreated, the Rainbow's leader looked at Wen Leyang again. His mouth opened with a smile, "The 'big flat cake, broken gong, and the dog', are these three things truly useless to us?"

Wen Leyang nodded, "Not only are they useless, they'll kill you all!" He then did not hide anything as he roughly told the Rainbow's leader about Xiang Liu's true soul. The Rainbow's leader's expression turned dark as he listened on. The World Sect had been ordered by Tian Yin to search for these three objects. At the end of the day, they were to find these three treasures so that Tian Yin could defeat the Five Blessings. The only thing they knew about Tian Yin was that he was a cultivator with boundless abilities but they would never have guessed that Tian Yin was Xiang Liu's true soul. As for what the 'big flat cake, broken gong, and the dog' were, they were as confused as Wen Leyang on that matter.

Currently, everyone under the heavens was looking for 'the big flat cake, broken gong, and the dog'. Even top demon immortals like Chang Li and Zhui Zi have involved themselves so it was no longer something which the World Sect could meddle in. It was just as Wen Leyang had said, it was better for the World Sect to not search for these objects because once they have found it, they would not experience a meteoric rise but complete annihilation instead.

Wen Leyang roughly laid out the situation to them. He then questioned closely, "Do you guys know who Wei Mo's Master is in the Red Leaves Forest?"

The Rainbow's leader shook his head unexpectedly, "We don't but we have a way of telling. As long as we can enter the Red Leaves Forest, this matter will be a piece of cake!"

Wen Leyang's eyes lit up as he smiled, "What way? Pray tell!" He gazed at the fat man and could not recognize that face without its usual silly look and naive look. It seems like it was only just yesterday when they had both been trapped on the side of Mount Emei and had drooled as they chewed on lichen. To Wen Leyang, this friendship brought a sweet aroma each time he thought back on it.

The Rainbow's leader smiled casually, "Damn it! We've gone through all this trouble for nothing. If you need the way to find him then we'll give it to you! However…" He was halfway through his sentence when his smile became embarrassed, "I'm not with the six of them and it's mainly because I'm worried… That the sons would lose their tempers. They can't harm you but it wouldn't do for them to harm the people from the Luo family. This was why I had come here personally."

Wen Leyang looked at him suspiciously. He had not understood his meaning.

The Rainbow's leader saw that Wen Leyang was perplexed and his expression also turned gloomy. He rubbed his hands and continued, "Although the seven of us brothers have some schemes within our hearts, we never had any intentions of crossing the Wen family. We had a splendid time on Nine Peaks Mountain. If anyone was looking for trouble with the Nine Peaks Mountain, us brothers would be the first to counter that…"

Wen Leyang was not too stupid after all as he finally understood the Fourth Brother's words. He could not help but laugh, "Be done with this foolishness. If I had truly regarded you as an opponent, I wouldn't have wasted my time to talk nonsense with you!"

The Rainbow's leader sighed in relief as he smiled. His expression then resumed its former silly look, "The method is a magic art. I'll tell you the chant later… However, you won't do. You can't learn it unless you have life vitality. We'll pass it on to whoever you name."

Wen Leyang smiled, "Why should we go through so much trouble when you can always help us find that person when we get back!" The Rainbow's leader was astonished when he heard this. Wen Leyang continued with a smile, "You now know the process of the whole event. If I had given this person to you for free, would you dare to take it?"

After he had finished, Wen Leyang knocked himself on the head, "I'm out of my mind. Maybe by the time I'm back on Nine Peaks Mountain, Grand Elder, Grand Master Chang Li and the others would have already found that obscure cultivator." All the seven Rainbow Brothers know how to distinguish the obscure cultivator's magic. They could not fight on Crow Ridge and they have also surrendered on Nine Peaks Mountain. Wen Leyang and the others do not have to rush back home and the people back home would have found the obscure cultivator already.

Wen Leyang looked at the Rainbow's leader, "Will you be coming back with me?"

The Rainbow's leader nodded. His six brothers were still on Nine Peaks Mountain so he had definitely wanted to go back.

Wen Leyang was unwilling to waste any more time. He immediately gave Luo Wanggen and Wen Make a call. Once that was done, he left Crow Ridge with his two foolish uncles, Qin Zhui, and the Rainbow's leader.

Wen Make had readied a car. The group then embarked for Nine Peaks Mountain!

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Chapter 227: Red Faced

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

After they boarded the car, Wen Leyang felt considerably more steady now so he turned to ask the Rainbow's leader behind him, "Are you and your brothers the immediate superiors of the Four Heavenly Sects?"

The Rainbow's leader nodded as he answered in a natural and righteous manner, "That is, of course, the Four Heavenly Sects are only a setup, everything is decided by us brothers."

The old demon rabbit had once said that there were no clearly distinguished boundaries between the Four Heavenly Sects. The lesser members do not even know which Heavenly Sect they belonged to. The organization of the World Sect was utterly just a heap of loose sand, a disunited mess.

Unless, above the Four Heavenly Sects, there was still a big boss. In this way, in a large-scale system was still fine if the small area's boundaries were blurred. Even though the situation might appear chaotic, they could still effectively confuse the Mountain Sect and would bring more advantage than disadvantages in comparison.

"Moreover, think about this yourself. After the Wind, Cloud, Lightning, and Thunder, wouldn't it be about to rain?" The Rainbow's leader suddenly mentioned something which sounded irrelevant.

Wen Leyang nodded. He was feeling a little confused when the Rainbow's leader laughed and said, "When the sky has turned clear after the rain, then the rainbow would appear! That's the origin of the Rainbow Brother's nickname!"

The people in the car laughed. The Rainbow's leader had not needed Wen Leyang to ask before he had confessed everything entirely.

The seven brothers were the supposed leaders of the World Sect. When they had first met Wen Leyang on Mount Emei, that green-robed and favus-headed old man who was known as 'Father' to them was their loyal valet servant. However, due to the World Sect's decline, they had picked up another job with their 'Father' under the recommendation from Painting Town. They helped Fifth Brother Hanba to capture demons and in return, they were paid with the Painting Town's exotic flowers and herbs which had been accumulated over millenniums.

Their 'Father' possessed a swift and forceful cultivation method. He had a high-order position in the organization which killed demons and extracted their primordial energy. His initial plan was in case World Sect had to fight against the organization, he could receive protection from Hanba but as a result, he had not expected that he would die tragically on Mount Emei in an accident. The seven fat men appeared honest and foolish to outsiders on most days so no one would regard them as harmful people. Wen Leyang too had been naturally tricked by them.

At this point, the Rainbow's leader suddenly switched the topic of conversation, "About ten years ago, Tian Yin had found us… Don't ask me how he had found us, I don't know that as well!"

The Rainbow's seven fat men were extremely secretive in their identity. However, based on Tian Yin's ability, if he was to put some effort into searching for them, it was really not a difficult task for him to capture them.

Tian Yin showed some of his skills and managed to completely subdue the Rainbow Brothers. After that, he went straight to the point and proposed that the World Sect must make great efforts to search for the 'big flat cake, broken gong, and dog'. However, Tian Yin had no idea at all whether these were actually three items, persons or signs.

However, Tian Yin did provide a clue for them. He informed them that was in order to crack this riddle, they would need to find the person who had first spoken of this riddle and that person was Wei Mo's Master's brother who had rebelled against the Heaven Teller Sect. This person was capable of performing a disguise spell so even a profound master cultivator could not tell who he was.

The two parties made an agreement that after the World Sect has helped Tian Yin to locate these three items, Tian Yin would help them to kill the supreme leaders of the Five Blessings and the first ten best master cultivators in those sects. Finally, Tian Yin passed down the method which could break the magic disguise spell. He also left behind a wooden bell which they could use to call him anytime and from anywhere before he floated away.

The Rainbow's leader cautiously took out the wooden bell which had been stuffed with cotton from his chest pocket. This form of communication magical instrument could be seen anywhere in the cultivation sects so it was not considered as a rare item.

Wen Leyang's expression was terrified. He widened his eyes as he asked the Rainbow's leader, "So, is Tian Yin aware that Wei Mo Martial Uncle was hiding in the Red Leaves Forest?"

The Rainbow's First Brother hastily shook his head. He laughed as he said, "We've not contacted him since then so don't worry!"

The world was a boundless place and to search for one person in the midst of billions of people, especially if that person was under a magic disguise spell, was not an easy task! The World Sect's members investigated the whereabouts of this Heaven Teller Sect's Martial Uncle as they paid close attention to the fluctuations of spiritual vitality in the world. Whenever the sign of an extraordinary treasure appeared in reality, they would immediately rush over to investigate. This resulted in the elites of the Wen and Luo families being trapped in the Great Mercy Temple, as well as the wicked witch of the Miao stockade village who had visited the Nine Peaks Mountain in secret and all sorts of other events.

It was only until a few years ago that the World Sect finally found out that the Heaven Teller Sect was cultivating obscurely on Mount Emei. The Rainbow Brothers then lingered for days and nights on Mount Emei as they simultaneously schemed against the giant pangolin Po Tu. They had forced the pangolin to escape by burrowing underground so that they could look for the Heaven Teller Sect.

Wen Leyang knows about the events which had taken place after that. The Rainbow Brothers' main work and sideline had been carried out together; they were searching for the Heaven Teller Sect while they also killed demons and extracted their primordial energy. They then spent their free time to create an even higher economic value for themselves yet somehow, they had provoked the big and small demon rabbits which had then drawn in Chang Li and Wen Leyang as well. Third Brother Wei and the favus-headed man had perished altogether and that group of people, as well as Wei Mo, were then trapped on the mountainside.

Wen Leyang frowned as he asked the Rainbow's leader, "How about the One Word Palace then?" The reason why they had met Wei Mo was because the One Word Palace's Third Brother Wei had made an appointment to meet Wei Mo on Mount Emei.

Wei Mo had also mentioned that the One Word Palace was also searching for the whereabouts of his Martial Uncle.

The Rainbow's leader shook his head, "The One Word Palace is one of the Righteous Path's Five Blessings. What they do is not related to us at all so whether they are looking for Wei Mo's Martial Uncle to do fortune-telling or for the three treasures, I do not know."

When they were on Mount Emei's mountainside, the seven fat men were already aware that Wei Mo does not have the slightest idea of the whereabouts of his Martial Uncle. However, after they had freed themselves, they still decided to follow Wei Mo to make certain. After all, the Heaven Teller Sect's divination skills and calculations were miraculous so perhaps Wei Mo could calculate the whereabouts of his Martial Uncle. At the very worst, they would only pester Wei Mo to recalculate the three treasures after he was finished with his calculations of small-numbered worldly affairs.

Thus, the seven brothers had gone from adventure mode into development mode as they lurked on the Nine Peaks Mountain along the way.

At this point, Wen Leyang interrupted and asked out of puzzlement, "But why was there a necessity for all of you to hide on the Nine Peaks Mountain? You could have just seized the opportunity to abduct Wei Mo…"

The Rainbow's leader laughed bitterly as he shook his head, "How could it be that simple? The moment we had rushed back to the mountain with you we were just in time to witness Qing Niao creating trouble on the mountain. This was then followed closely by the arrival of that old demon rabbit. Fu*k, he had stayed there all the while and had only left a few days ago! The old demon rabbit's abilities were far superior to us brothers. We dared not act rashly even when he had been exhausted and was healing from his injuries. Moreover…" The fat man paused for a moment, "Wei Mo had started to calculate the moment he had arrived at your home. When he mentioned that the Wen family village was incalculable, we had begun to feel suspicious but anyhow, as long as Wei Mo was still alive, he will be the same no matter where he is. Also, your family's meals are quite impressive…"

The seven fat men had lingered in the Wen family village because of Wei Mo. It was only a few months after Wen Leyang had remolded his poisonous bones that the Gongye family had come to the mountain to refine the Ning Jiao's corpse. At that point, the entire Wen family and Wei Mo were already aware that his Martial Uncle was hiding at the Place of Birth, Life, Sickness, and Death. The Rainbow Brothers were still acting innocent and foolish on most days and they were very familiar with Wei Mo then so they had easily tricked him to reveal the truth. However, as the old demon rabbit Bu Le was still guarding the Nine Peaks Mountain, they had not been able to take any action.

After that, Wen Leyang had visited the Miao stockade village then went on a long distance trip to the highlands, the Rainbow Brothers could not wait anymore. They decided to summon the World Sect to ambush the Five Blessings in order to draw away the Great Mercy Temple's master cultivator who was residing on the Nine Peaks Mountain. Still, they were in big trouble this time as the few of them had spent the entire year 'not paying attention to political affairs'. In addition, the situation of the Four Heavenly Sects had been chaotic since the beginning. For the purpose of launching an all-rounded plan, they would need to assemble all the manpower they could get…

Wen Leyang was dumbstruck, it took him a long while before he burst out laughing, "So what you're saying is that it has taken you more than half a year to assemble your manpower in an orderly manner?"

The Rainbow's leader gave a heavy humph in reply, "The people below me are all useless good-for-nothing…"

By the time they had assembled their manpower, Wen Nine and Wen Thirteen had turned into master cultivators. The combination of these two persons' power was no less inferior than the small demon rabbit Shan Duan's. Moreover, Wen Leyang was almost on his way home so the Rainbow Brothers had complained incessantly. They then contrived the trick which deceived the two silly uncles and also destroyed hundreds of cell phones in the Wen family village. The plan was only officially launched yesterday night.

The Rainbow Brothers were rather merciful towards the Wen family; they had some scruples towards Wen Leyang and they even more terrified of Chang Li. This was why they had left an appropriate margin for unforeseen circumstances in their plan. Their only intention was to seize Wei Mo's Martial Uncle. To a normal person's thinking, if that time bomb who was significant to the destiny of the righteous and the evil path of the cultivation world were to leave his house, not only would that not be a bad thing, they should celebrate with a meal of noodles instead.

No matter how much they thought about it, they never anticipated that 'the big flat cake, broken gong, and dog' would become the Wen family's and the world's lifeline. If they had truly seized Wei Mo's Martial Uncle, the joined efforts of many master cultivators and forces would wipe away the World Sect. There was utterly no other ending.

The Rainbow Brothers had been a little selfish when they thought of a plan to seize Wei Mo's Martial Uncle. Since these three items were imperative even to a master cultivator like Tian Yin, certainly these items would be exceptionally important to the world. If the Rainbow Brothers had found these items and it was not useful to them, the two parties would then keep to their promise. However, if they were to realize that these items were really some powerful treasures, they would then reconsider whether they would want to fulfill the exchange with Tian Yin. Therefore, before they had found those items, they would not reveal any information to Tian Yin. It was also because of this selfishness that Tian Yin does not know about the whereabouts Wei Mo's Martial Uncle in the Wen family's Red Leaves Forest.

The Rainbow's leader finally finished explaining the long sequence of events which had taken place and exhaled a long breath. He felt a cold sweat on his back as he realized that he and his brothers had been doing tasks for Xiang Liu's true soul all along and that they were unknowingly dealing with the evilest creature in the entire world.

Wen Leyang considered the entire sequence of events once again and he could finally thoroughly understand the events from the beginning to the end. He felt relieved as well and laughed, "To rein in one's horse at the brink of a precipice; you've avoided imminent disaster at the last minute."

Qin Zhui, on the other hand, inquired closely from the side, "What about your actual powers? In the past, the actual power of the seven of you combined is still not as strong as that fat subordinate of yours, Tu Mi."

The Rainbow's leader chuckled, "We have the treasured weapons which had been passed down from our ancestors for generations which are capable of shielding our life vitality. There's always a good reason why we pretend to be slightly foolish on most days!" He had not answered the question directly for that actual power was a skill which could protect one's life, especially since they were the leaders of the World Sect who were hated by everyone. It makes sense that they would be reticent to reveal that to anyone else. The fact that he was even willing to discuss this matter was because of their close friendship.

Qin Zhui sniggered but he did not inquire closely anymore. The seven brothers had tarried for a few years on the Nine Peaks Mountain and had dreaded the old demon rabbit, Bu Le, all the while so their ability was still limited after all.

At the moment, based on Wen Leyang's current level of power and his understanding of the cultivation world, other than a few top demon immortals, he has almost no other opponents who could match his abilities. His situation was similar to that of Guo Jing's in the Legend of the Condor Heroes; other than someone like Dong Xie and Xi Du, the masters of the martial art world like Sha Tong Tian and Peng Lianhu were of no match for him. As for Po Tu, his position was at most akin to Mei Chaofeng. Guo Leyang still had space for improvement while Mei Po Tu would remain stagnant over there forever.

Wen Leyang was starting to have a headache, the possibility of aliens conquering the earth was too small yet they could not even walk out of a market without turning into penniless vagrants…

It was unknown whether he was acting friendly intentionally or because he had managed to vent about his thoughts which had been oppressed in his stomach for years and got it off his chest. The Rainbow's leader was very excited as he joked with the two silly uncles during the trip. The three of them appeared very intimate.

Guo Huan suddenly spoke and asked the two silly uncles, "Since we are about to return to the Nine Peaks Mountain, are the both of you afraid?"

Wen Nine and Wen Thirteen were stunned simultaneously, "What's there to be afraid of?"

Guo Huan laughed, "The family elders will be punishing you both for the sin of stealing!"

The two silly uncles gazed into the eyes of one another in astonishment before they spoke in unison once again, "You mean the number one master cultivator would be punished as well?"

The sky has turned dark before Wen Leyang's group finally reached the Nine Peaks Mountain. First Uncle Wen Tunhai led a group of disciples with the two rogue cultivators, Ji Fei and Shui Jing, as they went down the mountain and welcomed the group personally. They chatted and laughed all the way but kept a brisk pace and soon arrived at the village. They then went straightaway to the new village chief's house to pay a formal visit to the four grandfathers.

There were a lot of people in the big house; Chang Li was imitating the First Grandfather by sipping her tea smilingly while Fourth Grandfather was sitting on the side without a smile on his face. When he noticed that Wen Leyang has returned, he only nodded his head gently and squeezed out a smile from within his wrinkles.

Second and Third Grandfather, on the other hand, were not in their seats. Their seats have been occupied by Crow Ridge's two Luo elders. The Miao family's Second Mother and little Chi Maojiu were there as well, it seems that the crowd had been waiting for Wen Leyang to return.

The Rainbow's six brothers were squeezed in a corner of the room and were signaling to one another with their eyes. When they saw that their Eldest Brother has returned, a gloating expression could be seen in their gaze.

Mumu was not in the big house. According to their ancestor's custom, a couple was not allowed to see each other after the engagement and before the wedding. The moment Mumu had heard that Wen Leyang was returning to the mountain, her little face blushed as she ran away.

Wen Leyang paid his respects to the crowd before he began to explain the entire course of events and his encounters during this highland trip. He talked about the matter of the small town of Tu'er, the Kunlun Sect, Master Ranjung, the tragedy of Black and White Island, the dog-headed eagle, Xiang Liu's true soul, the Hua family, Zhui Zi, the firecrackers and the 'heavenly water spirit'. The listeners felt uneasy but Chang Li's eyes occasionally smiled until they turned into crescents and occasionally widened while they filled with gloomy iciness…

Xiang Liu's matter has apparently exceeded everyone's expectations. After Wen Leyang had finished his explanation, the crowd did not speak for a long while. Chang Li was the first one who broke the silence, she realized that everyone was frowning and pondering so she spoke softly, "There's no use for us to think too much on this matter, we ought to find out what is the 'big flat cake, broken gong, and dog' is first." Her voice was lowered as if she was afraid that she would startle them. There was a glimmering glow in her eyes, enticing and silky soft.

Wen Leyang noticed that the rest of the six Rainbow's fat men were on the scene. He wanted to ask about the Red Leaves Forest when Guo Huan suddenly coughed once in the jade knife.

Chang Li did not wait for Guo Huan to speak as she laughed and said, "In three months' time, I will bring you to locate your immortal's cave. I will then help to return your soul to your split body! If you were to succeed in your cultivation in the future, feel free to look for me for revenge at any time!" Upon saying that, she paused for a moment, "You can count that on me as well on the enmity of Mi Xu for destroying your human body, there's no need for you to look for Hanba to vent your anger."

Guo Huan's voice was hard and rigid, it sounded lofty and in high spirits, "Forget about it, I'll thank the heavens and the earth just for not killing me!"

Wen Leyang had not expected that Chang Li would make a promise to Guo Huan so easily. He was puzzled but Guo Huan sniggered and said to him, "Young lad, Chang Li had promised to help me all because she knows that I had saved your life on multiple occasions. I'm not boasting here, I can't tell if we would be friends or foes in the future but you ought to understand Chang Li's intention in protecting her young."

Chang Li raised her chin. She looked at Wen Leyang in anticipation and her expression was just like a young maiden's who had just brewed a mug of sweet soup for an adult and was waiting for the adult to praise her.

Wen Leyang was stared in bewilderment, he was pondering whether it was appropriate for him to kneel for her but he was not well-versed in how to express gratitude. In the end, he had laughed shyly and his mannerism was extremely like the Rainbow's seven brothers.

The people in the big house suddenly laughed. Chang Li frowned as she turned to the side and asked First Elder Wen, "Why do you think that Xiaoyi and Mumu like him so much?"

First Elder Wen has a close relationship to Chang Li since the beginning, he knows that his Grand Master hates feigned flattery so he burst out laughing as he said, "Us six old men have puzzled over this matter for a few years!" He has even included the two elders of Luo family. As expected, the two Luo family elders nodded heavily in agreement.

Wen Leyang hastily diverted the topic of conversation, "Have we found Wei Mo's Martial Uncle?"

First Elder Wen and Grand Master Chang Li shook their heads in unison. Wen Leyang immediately turned around and looked at the Rainbow Brothers. One of the fat men hastily waved his hand, "No…It's not that we don't want to help but there are prohibition spells in the Red Leaves Forest!"

Wen Leyang was furious, he was about to speak when he realized that Fourth Grandfather's old face was blushing…

First Grandfather sniggered and shook his head, "When you were on the highland, many events have also taken place at home. I'll explain those to you one by one but First Uncle will first tell you about the Ning Jiao's poison!"

Wen Tunhai's face fell as he looked at First Grandfather, "The person that you do not dare to offend, I would not dare to offend even more!" He peering secretively at Fourth Grandfather through the corner of his eyes as he said that.

Wen Leyang was confused as he looked at one person next, he does not understand what was going on.

The two elders from Luo family, on the other hand, were overwhelmed with joy, "The Ning Jiao's rare poison has been broken down by these old men but they had not broken down the poison completely." The two elders and the Wen family's four elders have held grudges against each other for a long time. Since there was now an opportunity, they started to tell the story.

The Ning Jiao's rare poison was similar to the Poison of Life and Death in Wen Leyang's body. It seems that its toxicity now should not be more incisive than the Poison of Life and Death but even so, the four elders had racked their minds in order to refine Ning Jiao's poisonous blood. They had truly spent a lot of laborious effort and time to break down the strong poison at long last. When the old demon rabbit had left the Nine Peaks Mountain, Fourth Grandfather was worried that there could be some unforeseen incidents so he had changed the prohibition spells in the Red Leaves Forest to the Ning Jiao's strong poison.

Wen Leyang nodded uncertainly as he backed up Fourth Grandfather, "If he had not done so, their World Sect would have already seized that person earlier."

First Elder Luo burst out laughing, "That's right, that's right! However, after this new prohibition spell has been laid down, these elders were unable to break the spell again! They had been discussing earlier on that they would wait for your return then send you to the Place of Birth, Life, Sickness, and Death to absorb all the strong poison of the prohibition spell!"

Wen Leyang exclaimed in understanding, he was at a loss of whether to cry or to laugh as he looked at Fourth Grandfather, "You can't break the spell? W-what do you mean?"

Fourth Elder Wen gave an icy-cold humph and did not acknowledge Wen Leyang.

After the Ning Jiao's strong poison has been fused into the Red Leaves Forest's prohibition spell, there was a slight change in the poison's toxicity. The recipe which had been initially refined in order to break down the strong poison was useless. This time, even the Red Leaves Forest's prohibition spell was turned into an isolation strip. The people in the forest could not come out and the people outside the forest could not enter as well. Right now, the group had been only able to shout to each other from across the forest. Wen Xiaoyi, who has been staying in the Red Leaves Forest these days, was also now trapped in there as well. Fortunately, there was still plenty of food in the Red Leaves Forest.

Chang Li found the matter to be amusing as well, "I'm not afraid of the Ning Jiao's poison but if I had charged into the forest forcefully, I would destroy the entire Red Leaves Forest to its root. Your money-grubbing grandfather could not bear to part with the forest so he had said that he would wait for your return and see if you could absorb all the strong poison."

It was only then that Wen Leyang understood why they were still unable to locate Wei Mo's Martial Uncle. He laughed as he nodded, "It is done, I will try now!"

First Grandfather chuckled as he waved his hand, "There's no need to rush, we will discuss our family matters first and enter the mountain together next daybreak."

Wen Leyang nodded honestly and he hastily diverted the topic of conversation away from the Red Leaves Forest. He asked in slight puzzlement, "Where are Second and Third Grandfather?"

The moment he had spoken, First Grandfather has blushed as well as the Fourth Grandfather. The two elders of the Luo family were even more elated and the Second Mother too could not resist anymore as she explained the matter in her crisp voice.

Tuo Xie's cultivation method has seen the light of day again. Wen Leyang had used his cell phone to record the Grand Master's words in the jade talisman. He had then returned with the voice recording to Nine Peaks Mountain. For such an important matter, the Wen, Miao, and Luo families would naturally gather on the Nine Peaks Mountain and discuss how to crack their Grand Master's cultivation method.

The three families' descendants were all facing the same issues; during the past two thousand years, they had cultivated the foundation skill which had been passed down from Grand Master Tuo Xie into something else.

The Wen family prioritized toxicity and they used the Faulty Punch as a foundation to refine the poisons from the five elements into the body, in the process destroying the balance of toxins in the body.

The Miao clan planted an exceeding powerful fatal move in their birth year spell so that their birth year spell was tainted with malevolent energy and there was no way they could pass this spell to other people.

The Luo family grew corpses but in order to achieve tacit understanding between the human and the corpse, the master and zombie almost never left each other's side. The current Crow Ridge disciples were almost all tainted with some extent of corpse's energy. They could only control the corpse but they could never control the autonomy of their meridians like the Wen family disciples.

However, amongst the three families, there were one or two persons there who could fulfill Grand Master Tuo Xie's cultivation method with great difficulties. Naturally, the two silly brothers Wen Nine and Wen Thirteen were the representatives of the Wen family. They had only cultivated in the Faulty Punch but due to their limited intelligence, they could not cultivate a poison recipe which was suitable for themselves. In the end, they had profited from their misfortune. Little Chi Maojiu from the Miao family had inherited ten percent of Grand Master Tuo Xie's witchcraft power from the jade talisman and his birth year spell was recently abolished as well. Tuo Xie's utmost purest witchcraft power then helped him to forge his purest birth year spell once again. The representative from the Luo family was Mumu. As Ah Dan was lovable, she had been willing to sacrifice her power in order to protect the zombie baby. The toddler's corpse had then gained a sense of humanity somehow and when Ah Dan had turned into a half-dead body afterward, even though Mumu had constantly lived with Ah Dan, she was not tainted by the corpse's energy.

It was supposed to be a satisfactory conclusion for everyone but the four elders of the Wen family had been unwilling to give up. Tuo Xie had stated that 'Poison, Witchcraft, and Corpse were born of the same root. They nourish each other and grow together. When the mastery of poison cultivation was achieved, three persons should soar together'. The disciples from the other two families, one was the young Big Dragon's Root while the other was the direct heir of an inner disciple. However, the Wen family's chosen ones were two silly men. This was why the four family elders of the Wen family decided to make a risky move after they had a discussion about this.

Other than the two silly uncles, the Wen family also selected five other persons. Each of them had been selected to represent one of the poisons from five elements – Second Grandfather, Third Grandfather, Wen Bushuo, Wen Buzuo and the final addition, Wen Tunhai.

First Elder Wen was the head of the family while Fourth Elder Wen was head of the workshop so they were not part of the formation.

The result was immediately evident; after the Second and Third Grandfather as well as the brothers Bushuo and Buzuo had broken their meridians, they were immediately poisoned by their own poisons in succession. Fortunately, the old demon rabbit Bu Le was still on the Nine Peaks Mountain. Though the Art of Poison of these four elites of the Wen family was of an ordinary level, they were finally rescued in the end. First Elder Wen had witnessed four of his men collapse, he was sincerely convinced so he did not allow Wen Tunhai to seek his doom as well.

During those days, the Wen family village was very busy, buzzing in a chaotic mess…

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Chapter 228: The Weapon Refinement

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

The Second Mother spoke quickly in a crisp and clear voice. She could not help but laugh as she spoke but, in the end, it was the high-spirited Second Elder Luo who had laughed so hard that the roof shook and rustled, "The Wen family's five elements! Not only that, the moment that person broke their meridians, the element they cultivated in was immediately revealed. The person who had cultivated with Water Poison turned blue, the person who cultivated with Wood Poison turned green…"

Wen Leyang did not dare to laugh along with them. He then hastily looked at First Grandfather, "So, Second Grandfather and the other's cultivation base…" After the elites of the Wen family had broken their meridians, even though their lives were salvaged by the old demon rabbit Bu Le, their Art of Poison's cultivation base was considered useless from then on. Perhaps Wen Bushuo would be fine with that, as long as his mouth was still there everything was well. However, for the arrogant and unyielding elites like Second Grandfather and Third Grandfather, life without a cultivation base would be sadder than death.

Chang Li answered Wen Leyang's question from the side, "Bu Le had used his life vitality to help them protect their internal organs and to disperse the strong poison. I will then help them reforge their meridians after the strong poison has been completely dispersed off!" She then rubbed her palms together in anticipation and her eyes were filled excitement as if it was a fun opportunity to forge someone else's meridians once again.

Wen Leyang was initially relieved when heard that his Martial Ancestral Grandmother would use her skills to help but judging from her expression, he felt that this matter was slightly undependable as he gazed into First Uncle's eyes with concern.

The four master cultivators of Wen family had risked their lives to attempt to perform the magic art but, as a result, they had all been defeated. First Grandfather then gave the idea up as he summoned Wen Nine and Wen Thirteen. Together with the elites from the Miao and Luo families, they followed Grand Master Tuo Xie's final testament and launched the secret technique of fusing the three Arts into one, managing to accomplish with success on two occasions.

Little Chi Maojiu's birth year spell was cultivated into the poison cultivator's body to protect the cultivator's so-called heart's soul. The spell's bug itself was also tainted with exceedingly strong poison power. Under the refinement of the corpse dance, they drew in Yin power which was then returned to the bodies of the Miao clansmen so their witchcraft power would increase exponentially. Similarly, Mumu had used the corpse control spell to control the half-dead Wen Nine and Wen Thirteen. Between herself and the two silly uncles as well as Ah Dan, the Yin power and the birth year spell continuously melted and exchanged with one another. Finally, Mumu too enjoyed the great benefit.

After the three Arts have been fused into one, not only has the two silly uncles' Art of Poison improved profoundly, Little Chi Maojiu's power of witchcraft spell and Mumu's Art of Corpse too achieved vast improvement simultaneously. If they were placed in the cultivation world now, they would be considered as outstanding elites.

First Grandfather finally spoke and he declared in a manner which was filled with admiration, "Grand Master's cultivation method is to combine the three powers of Yang's poison, Yin's corpse energy, and the power of witchcraft spell until each person would have a balance of three powers in their body. We might never understand the principle behind it despite our extensive studies but, at long last, the cultivation method is now firmly in our grasp!"

As for the Wen, Miao, Luo families' disciples, they would only need to understand that one plus one was equal to two. As for why it was equal to two, it would be best if they could understand it but it would not be absolutely necessary for them to master their craft.

After the three Arts have been fused into one, the disciples who had participated in the process have made astonishing progress in their cultivation power. They would cultivate on their own in the future and their accomplishment would be unlimited, one could tell just by looking at their three Grand Masters from two thousand years ago. However, it was still the disciples of the Art of Poison who had received the greatest advantage, the process of remolding their meridians was almost equal to being reborn, the Art of Witchcraft and the Art of Corpse's disciples had turned out slightly weaker by comparison.

Even though there were only four good hands from the Wen, Miao, and the Luo families who had achieved success, there were still two silly men amongst them. Still, once they had clarified their Grand Master's divine art of cultivation, it was not difficult for them to imagine that in the next decade or decades, the three families' disciples would flourish for generations. With the combination of three and three, they could then take a look at the Five Blessings or they could ask the World Sect, no one would dare to bully them anymore.

Wen Leyang exhaled a long breath and released his worry. However, before he could speak, First Grandfather had burst into laughter and stood up. He then pulled Wen Leyang along and walked out, "There's still one more great matter; Gongye's family from Mount Pan are not just good at eating, their workmanship in refining weapons is amazing too!"

Wen Leyang felt elated. The Ning Jiao had been divided into two portions; its blood, flesh and internal organs had been passed to the Wen family to be used to refine poison while its skin and bones were given to the Gongye family from Mount Pan to be used to refine weapons. From First Grandfather's words, old man Gongye's side should have achieved some good results.

The large group in the big house followed First Elder Wen and entered the village. There was a bronze furnace around four to five stories high on the open space behind the village. Its brass-colored walls were engraved with a densely-dotted ancient script which appeared simple and unsophisticated while a red-colored fiery glow reflected from within the mouth of the furnace. There were dozens of bellows the size of tents which surrounded the bottom part of the furnace. There was also a crystal-clear water channel which encircled the furnace. Logs from an unknown type of tree with an unusual scent had been piled up into a small hill near the furnace…

Wei Mo was standing next to the furnace but he paid absolutely no regard to his surroundings. He held a little stone tablet in his hand as he drew and wrote honestly; he did not even realize that Wen Leyang was there.

Old man Gongye was pondering on something with his head lowered when he realized that a large group of people has approached him. His face was filled with impatience but after he saw Wen Leyang, his expression suddenly turned elated. The joy on his face was like a young student who had just scored a hundred marks in his exam. The old man laughed as he tugged Wen Leyang, "The only thing missing was you!" Soon after that, he roared loudly at his disciples, "Young lads, increase the furnace's fire!"

Wen Leyang was startled by Gongye's appearance; the initially healthy and vigorous old man has become withered and shriveled. His face was grey and hideous while his gaze was dimmed and murky as if he had just recovered from a big illness.

Over a hundred burly men from the Gongye family had been sitting around but the moment they heard their family elder's command, they responded in unison. They each took off their shirts, revealing their brass-colored upper body. The rock-like muscles between their shoulders, arms, chests, and abdomens rolled in a rigid yet strong manner.

In a short moment, gigantic flames a few meters high soared out from the gigantic furnace abruptly. It looked like a greedy giant snake which shook its head and wagged its tail as it soared straight up, attempting to taste the moon that had just risen to the corner of the sky.

The rest of the Gongye disciples too bustled about as they placed the unknown logs into the furnace chamber without ceasing. Wen Leyang's hearing was exceptional, he could distinctively hear those sweet-smelling logs give out the sound of joyous laughter the moment they entered the giant furnace. That sound was also accompanied by the howling of the wind. Within the crackling sound of fire, the noises made Wen Leyang feel a numbness all over his scalp.

Waves upon waves of heat roared and spread out of the furnace, making the air shimmer. It was unknown when the air had secretly condensed into a transparent yet misty weed which entangled onto the gigantic furnace. The flames were burning stronger and more vigorously now, turning from red to yellow and finally into a dazzling silvery-white. The brass-colored furnace, on the other hand, has turned completely red as if it would erupt into a river of molten bronze at any time. Countless ancient scripts were struggling in agony until all of a sudden, a blaring sound of a 'clank' echoed from within the furnace!

Each strong man who had been pumping the bellows were shaken until they spat out a mouthful of blood in unison!

Old man Gongye straightened his back as the lifelessness in his mannerism vanished. He shouted along with that blasting sound in the furnace chamber, "Forge the blade!"

The strong men immediately reacted as if they had just heard God's will. Their gaze appeared enticed yet determined as their movements at the bellows turned from coordinated and strong into wild and crazy!

Wen Leyang has never witnessed the process of iron forging in the past. He stood in front of the furnace as he stared in bewilderment. 'You've Got Me' on the other hand, was ululating profusely from his chest as its entire body stiffened in excitement.

Another blasting sound echoed from within the furnace chamber once again! Unlike the blasting sound earlier which had sounded loud and tyrannical, this one sounded a lot heavier and thicker. The men who had been pumping the bellows shouted as they spat out mouthfuls of blood which splashed onto their chests and arms ferociously.

Old man Gongye raised his head and roared into the sky once again, "Forge the armor!" Everyone's expression turned savage and terrifying. It was as if the furnace had turned into a devil which absorbed a human's spirit and soul and the Gongye disciples were a flock of wild ducks which remained unrepentant to the end!

It was until the third forceful and sonorous blasting sound that old man Gongye's voice abruptly turned sharp. He roared in a hoarse and exhausted voice, "Gain the soul!" As he said that, he gestured for Wen Leyang to move forward. Wen Leyang blinked his eyes, he was dumbstruck and he asked softly, "Go where?" Before his voice could die away, a tremendous thrust of irresistible force pushed him into the furnace in one go. Gand Master Chang Li giggled, "Scoop some good stuff out of the furnace! The young lad who knows nothing!"

Even though he knows very well that Chang Li would never harm him, Wen Leyang was still startled and frightened out of his wits. He had heard the story of the knife-forging master who used his body to nourish the knife until he had leaped into the furnace but he had never heard of tossing regular people into a furnace…

The enchanting and fiery fire snake was still swaying strenuously as if it was trying to struggle free from the furnace chamber with great efforts so it could fly into the sky. When Wen Leyang was tossed into the furnace, that fiery snake had erupted into a million sparks with a loud and vigorous bang. Following that, a voice which could not be distinguished if it was an agonizing howl or a cheerful yell was heard before it soon disappeared without a trace.

Wen Leyang could feel as his telegnosis ability, vision, and hearing were all burned into nothingness in a flash by the high temperature which could melt even the heavens and the earth. His entire body was filled to the brim with the poison power of Life and Death yet there was no way he could struggle or twist his body even once. He had dived head-first into the furnace chamber and the heavy warmth had wrapped itself around his entire body in a moment.

The piercing brightness vanished abruptly. The Wen family village which had been illuminated by a glow as bright as the sun regained its prior silence and darkness in the blink of an eye.

Everyone was feeling rather parched too, all they could hear was the thudding sound of their own heartbeats in their ears. Wen Nine and Wen Thirteen's expression were solemn and sorrowful. They raised their noses and tried to sniff strenuously but they could not smell the scent of barbecued meat at all. It was unknown whether the both of them would cry their hearts out or run to the kitchen to pick up cumin and chili instead if they had smelt barbecued meat…

The furnace was being used to refine the Ning Jiao's skin and bones. The Ning Jiao's skin was used to make armor while the Ning Jiao's bone was refined into a blade.

Because Wen Leyang does not possess any primordial spiritual power, he would not have been able to refine his own treasured weapon like the other cultivators. However, the Ning Jiao was no ordinary creature and the Gongye family's Art of Weapon Crafting was even more of a master skill. Old man Gongye had racked his brains before he finally thought of a spell known as the Magic of One Heart which connected the treasured weapon to its master. Inside the furnace, the essence of the Ning Jiao's bones which was called the 'Ning Jiao's Sting' was being nourished by Wen Leyang. It would protect its master Wen Leyang from being burned by the furnace's fire. At the same time, Wen Leyang's Art of Poison circulated in his body and was refined together with the Ning Jiao's bones and skin. As he pulled through the final fire of true reflection which refined the spirit, the task would then be accomplished with success.

First Grandfather had heard old man Gongye explain this process earlier but he still felt uneasy in his heart. First Elder Luo suddenly laughed and said to his brother, "I wonder if old man Gongye had learned this skill from reading Journey to the West?"

Chang Li giggled as she shook her head, "The magic art of refining the person together with the weapon has existed in the past. All is well as long as the smelting level is well controlled."

The strong men who were pumping the bellows now looked dull and tired. They then stopped pumping as they looked at their family's leader anxiously.

Old man Gongye, who was usually confident, now seemed slightly distracted to everyone's surprise. He peered at Chang Li hesitantly and she nodded. Her charming chin moved under the moonlight in an enchanting manner as she laughed and said, "I will protect the magic spell. I will save the young lad if he cannot endure anymore so be at ease and cast the spell!"

It was only then that old man Gongye nodded in determination. He turned around and roared loudly at his disciples, "Continue!"

A loud, muffled bang sounded and the fire within the furnace burned vigorously and enchantingly once again. Over a hundred men of the Gongye family howled as they exerted the last ounce of strength in their bones, risking their lives as they pumped the bellows!

It only took several seconds yet it felt longer than a lifetime for First Elder Wen. Finally, with a thunderous noise amidst scorching hot flames which were bursting with explosive sounds, a great fissure appeared on the furnace. When old man Geongye realized that the furnace has exploded, not only was he not surprised, he cheered with a passionate cry instead. His shout caused every single one of the Gongye disciples to act like monkeys which had been splashed with hot water as they yelled and scattered!

With a wave of Chang Li's hand, the exuberant demonic power condensed into a formless yet well-proportioned air partition which blocked everyone behind it. At the same time, the magic spell was activated. It was accompanied by the sound of a wild explosion which echoed within the furnace's chamber. Finally, the piercing molten stream splashed and splattered everywhere as Wen Leyang stamped through the exploded furnace chamber into. His face was ashen as he jumped out…

A raging fire was burning around him yet Wen Leyang's form was shaky and unsteady.

Chang Li was overjoyed as she stretched out her hand and tore Second Elder Luo's long robe off him before she tossed it to Wen Leyang, "Put on some clothes!"

Old man Gongye, who has been left with half a life, shrieked, "You're not allowed to wear clothes!" As he said that, he immediately jumped in front of Wen Leyang like an old monkey. His eyes glimmered as he sized the boy up and down continuously.

Wen Leyang attempted to put the robes on several times but it was pulled away by the old man every time. Finally, he managed to turn the long robe into a skirt somehow and wrapped it around his waist.

Everyone gathered forward and they looked at Wen Leyang before looking at the shattered furnace and the countless bonfires around it. First Uncle Wen Tunhai could not stand it anymore and he asked with a sonorous and forceful voice, "Where is the treasured weapon?" There was nothing in Wen Leyang's hands and his body was completely naked. On the contrary, 'You've Got Me', which had been curled on his chest had turned into an even more exuberantly red color after the refinement of the raging flames. Its color was so vibrant it was spellbinding.

Suddenly, old man Gongye hugged Wen Leyang as he cried out repeatedly. They could not tell whether he was crying or laughing. He looked like a madman and his entire face was covered with mucus and tears.

Wen Leyang was the proudest work of art in old man Gongye's entire lifetime!

Wen Leyang was feeling slightly calmer now. With the help of his grandfathers, he managed to free himself from old man Gongye. He was slightly bewildered as he explained to the rest of them, "The Ning Jiao's skin has been turned into armor, the Ning Jiao's bones have been turned into a blade… These weapons are all refined into my body…" As he was saying that, he inhaled a deep breath and, under the incredulous gaze of the crowd, a layer of mottled black and white-colored thin armor wrapped around his entire body suddenly, revealing only his head and face. The group of people looked at one another, it was unknown who was the first one who laughed out loud but everyone followed soon after. When Wen Leyang had revealed his skin armor, he looked very similar to a diver who was not wearing a helmet.

Wen Leyang was aware that he does not possess a remarkable image and he scratched his head as he laughed. Chang Li pursed her lips as she stretched out a finger and pressed it gently to his chest. Her gentle press appeared soft and fragile but Wen Leyang could feel a tremendous force capable of overturning a mountain and upsetting the sea rushing towards him. He could not help but retreat between the surging of the Poison of Life and Death as he looked at Chang Li in confusion.

The corners of Chang Li's eyes and the area between her brows were flashing with joy, "Young lad, that touch of mine earlier is almost equal to one of Po Tu's full force punch."

Wen Leyang exclaimed in understanding. He was then suddenly knocked out by enormous happiness… His actual power was now almost on par with Po Tu's but Chang Li's one strike earlier had been equal to striking ferociously towards the vital part of his chest when he was caught off guard. Wen Leyang speculated that without this skin armor which protected his body, he would certainly be severely injured with his bones and muscles crushed in one go.

After a few seconds, Wen Leyang finally regained his sense of self and he beamed with joy as he pleaded his Grand Master, "Please try again with a stronger force!"

Chang Li shot him a look as if she was looking at a fool. She then gave a forced laugh as she shook her head, "Since when did you turn slightly more intelligent? Your skin armor will help you to bear the force of seventy to eighty percent of Po Tu's hit now. That is its limit, no matter how strong that force is, when you get hit, the amount that your skin armor can block will never change."

Wen Leyang was suddenly enlightened, the skin armor was just a skin armor so the force that it could block was a constant value. The Rainbow's leader who had kept quiet all along suddenly sighed in deep admiration, "So, when a cultivator whose supernatural power is slightly weaker hits him, he should not feel anything at all, right?"

Chang Li was in a fine mood now and she was kinder towards them. She laughed as she nodded, "That's right! That hit would not be considered a tickle or even a scratch!" She paused for a moment before she asked Wen Leyang, "Is it comfortable for you to wear this? Can you take it off?"

"I don't feel like I'm wearing anything at all." Wen Leyang laughed joyously. Following that, his body twisted like a swimming fish and the skin armor fell limply onto the ground like a thin snake slough. It did not look like anything was special about it. After almost everyone had passed the skin around and tested it by tugging and probing at the skin, Wen Leyang shimmied back into it and the armor fused into his skin once again and faded into his body. It was very easy and free for him to hide, reveal and remove the Ning Jiao's skin armor.

Chang Li laughed and waved her hand, interrupting Wen Leyang's joy as she said, "Try out the Ning Jiao's sting now!"

Wen Leyang responded in kind as he turned his wrist over and brandished a Lethal Knife which no one had ever seen from an unknown place!

The knife's blade was long and narrow. It was of the usual length similar to Qin Zhui's Tang Knife. However, the blade was curved in a malevolent manner which made one uneasy to look at it for a prolonged period of time. Instead of a regular blade's sonorous hum, it hissed like a poisonous snake when it was waved around.

Everyone on the scene, including Chang Li, felt the pores on their bodies tighten the moment the Lethal Knife appeared. They felt only one sensation in their heart, that knife there was a snake!

Wen Tunhai was slightly surprised at the shape of this lethal weapon. He narrowed his eyes as he asked old man Gongye, "I thought that the Ning Jiao's sting was supposed to be a sting? How did it turn into this?"

Old man Gongye's face was filled with pride, "The sting had been in the form of a bone, now that it has been refined into a weapon with a soul, it was transformed into the form of a weapon and that is its appearance now!" Before the Ning Jiao's sting had taken form, even old man Gongye did not know how it would appear after the refinement. However, but based on the look of the Ning Jiao's sting right now, it was genuinely in a snake's form as its namesake.

Chang Li chuckled as she urged Wen Leyang, "Charge at me with it!"

Wen Leyang answered delightfully in response. His body swayed once as he backtracked to an area about a stone's throw away. He then inhaled a deep breath. The moment the Poison of Life and Death in his body started to circulate, the Lethal Knife in his hand also immediately echoed back and vibrated gently with an audible snake's hiss!

After receiving Chang Li's signal, the Snake Knife in Wen Leyang's hand soared up high into the air. The wicked noise of a snake's hiss suddenly vanished into thin air while everyone on the scene simultaneously yelled out in fright!

Hundreds of ghastly pale bones have appeared out of thin air. As Wen Leyang wielded his Snake Knife, the bones then shot out into the sky. It was only then that the crowd discovered that the pile of entangled white bones was actually the skeleton of a large snake, it was the Ning Jiao Bone Snake!

With a ghastly and savage roar, the Bone Snake shot towards Chang Li with lightning-fast speed!

Chang Li crossed her hands in front of her chest with a smile on her face. She remained unmoved as the Ning Jiao Bone Snake circled around her repeatedly in the cold wind. However, it was unable to surge past the formless barrier around her. It was at this point that Wen Leyang laughed gently and his body abruptly disappeared without a trace.

Chang Li's expression then changed slightly as she raised a hand and flicked rapidly before her body. A crisp, clanking sound echoed continuously and only Qin Zhui could see with great effort that Wen Leyang was reverberating between the Ning Jiao's sting and the Bone Snake as they attacked Chang Li simultaneously. Still, no matter how hard they tried, they could not break through Chang Li's fair-skinned and fine little hand.

Each of Chang Li's fingers firmly flicked on a seven-inch spot on the Ning Jiao's sting. Finally, after countless clanking sounds, Wen Leyang yelled as he somersaulted to the ground. The Bone Snake which was like a silver dragon in midair too vanished.

Wen Leyang turned over and jumped up. He then looked at Chang Li eagerly, awaiting her comments.

Chang Li's eyes were shimmering and filled with joyous radiance as she nodded at Wen Leyang with certainty, "The Ning Jiao's sting is the soul of Ning Jiao's bones. That is why when the Ning Jiao's sting is wielded, the Bone Snake could be summoned for ambush and reinforcement." She then paused for a moment as she calculated slowly, "The Ning Jiao's bones are capable of resisting Po Tu's wild attacks. If we include you and the Ning Jiao's sting, that would be equal to three Po Tu's!"

Before her voice could die away, two thuds were heard simultaneously. Wen Leyang and Qin Zhui had sat on the ground in unison. However, while Wen Leyang's face was filled with wild joy, Qin Zhui's was filled with a headful of worries.

Chang Li put on a slightly stern countenance and pulled Wen Leyang up in one go. She then pointed at old man Gongye who looked so excited that he was about to pass out as she said to Wen Leyang, "You should worship him on your knees. Salute that man with respect as the lineage of Gongye from Mount Pan is your great benefactor!"

Wen Leyang did not say a word as he immediately walked in front of old man Gongye and saluted him on his knees earnestly.

Old man Gongye, on the other hand, was acting like a child. He suddenly hugged Wen Leyang and burst into loud sobs. However, he had not even sobbed twice before his eyes rolled back. He had suppressed himself so much such that he forcefully fainted.

Chang Li was startled as well as she hastily jumped over and passed a strand of life vitality into the old man's body. She then shook her head at the crowd, "There's no need to save him, his heart fire is burning fiercely still. He will become better once he has rested for a while." After that, she turned to face Wen Leyang once again, "The Ning Jiao's body is from the primal chaos of the prehistoric times. Its toxicity is similar to yours too, this was why you could have fused with it in the Gongye family's fire of soul refinement! These two treasures here do not only serve as your armor and weapon but have also become a part of your body."

She paused halfway and made sure that Wen Leyang understood her. Only then did Chang Li continue to speak, "It's not only that, these two treasures had been grown in your body so the weapon will be moistened by the Poison of Life and Death at all times. If you were to cultivate your power diligently, their powers will be enhanced as well. From today onwards, this one knife and armor will be treasures which will remain with you for the rest of your life!"

Wen Leyang's mouth opened wide but it took him a while before he could exhale a heavy breath. He repeated her words out of disbelief, "If I was to cultivate my power diligently, the powers of the Ning Jiao's sting and the Ning Jiao's armor would be enhanced as well?"

Chang Li nodded her head in a steadfast manner, her voice was so crisp that it made one feel uneasy, "That's not bad at all!"

Old man Gongye regained consciousness at this moment. He opened his eyes and looked to the left and to the right. When he saw Wen Leyang, he suddenly recalled the earlier incident and burst into loud sobs once again…

By refined the weapon into one's soul and channeling the spirit to one's will, the Ning Jiao's attributes and Wen Leyang's Poison of Life and Death was a match made in heaven. They were the best match in the world and that fulfilled old man Gongye's masterpiece in his Art of Weapon Crafting. In the future, even if there were others like Wen Leyang who appeared in the world, they would not be able to find something as compatible as the Ning Jiao from anywhere else!

This old man has successfully managed to refine such treasured weapons once in his entire lifetime. Even if he was to die now, he would die fully satisfied.

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Chapter 229: The Sword's Resolve

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Wen Leyang had received two precious treasures at once, causing his actual power to immediately double. Other than himself, the other two Wen family elders and First Uncle were smiling so much that they could not close their mouths. In a rare occurrence, First Elder Wen ran over to express his gratitude, "I really should have given more of the Ning Jiao's skin to you back then…"

However, old man Gongye unexpectedly shook his head, "I don't have that piece of the Ning Jiao's skin anymore, I had used it to be refined into Wen Leyang's armor. I was afraid that splitting the skin would ruin this treasure's power."

In the beginning, the two families had agreed that the Ning Jiao's skin and bones would be given to the Gongye family to be refined into weapons. After the task was completed, the Gongye family would be gifted with a piece of the Ning Jiao's skin as compensation but no one expected that old man Gongye would give up his compensation in order to seek for perfection in the weapon's power. To the Mount Pan's disciples, the act of weapon refinement was the true path of cultivation. To achieve perfection, they had been willing to sacrifice that small piece of skin.

The Wen family members felt moved. Only First Grandfather was slightly hesitant as he was afraid that old man Gongye would ask for other forms of compensation. He had secretly made the decision now that if the Gongye family was to ask for other items as compensation, he would not give in to their request and stick to the statement that it was the other party who had chosen to give up their compensation in the first place…

As expected, after old man Gongye has rested for a while, he then spoke to the Wen family members, "There's no need to be concerned about whether to compensate us or not. If all of you truly wants to extend your gratitude for these boys' efforts…" He then pointed at his family's disciples who were all completely exhausted, "Then please show us the other precious treasure so that this old father can take a look."

At this statement, every single one of the Wen family's disciples was clearly confused. They did not understand what old man Gongye's intention was.

First Grandfather had immediately thought of his 'buried treasure bed'. His eyes glimmered as they rolled around and he cautiously probed, "What kind of treasure is that? There's nothing valuable in my family…"

Old man Gongye knows that First Grandfather was a moneygrubber so he replied fiercely, "I'm not hankering after your family's treasures, I only want to see that particular magical item so that I can understand and learn about the technique which refined it."

First Elder Wen drew his sparse brows together as he probed once again, "Only one look?" When old man Gongye nodded angrily, First Elder Wen stomped his feet abruptly and pulled old man Gongye along to his big house. This time, he had only allowed a few people including Fourth Grandfather, First Uncle, Wen Leyang and Chang Li to enter the house. The rest were all blocked outside the door without exception.

First Elder Wen started to take out boxes of all sizes from under his bed. These were the most valuable and rare treasures that the Wen family has accumulated over the past two thousand years. Amongst them was also the extraordinary treasures previously gifted by the One Word Palace's subordinates. The entire house was soon filled with the brilliance of pearls and jewels. Everyone's faces were glowing and Chang Li was cheerful as she took a closer look and held them in her hands. She was like a young maiden who had fallen into the candy pile, blooming with endless joy from the bottom of her heart.

First Elder Wen's heart was almost in his throat and he was deeply regretting his decision. He felt that he should not have displayed his store of treasures before Grand Master Chang Li's eyes. Fourth Grandfather, however, suddenly exclaimed as he picked up a piece of rare purple poison jade. He then gave First Grandfather an evil glare, "I've lost this for over forty years, seems like it was you who've found it, huh?"

First Grandfather's expression changed abruptly and he rubbed his palms together as he laughed shyly, "I had just… Just picked it up, yester…"

Fourth Grandfather huffed as he directly stuffed that piece of purple jade into his chest pocket. Soon after, his gaze shifted to a tiny black snake which had died for an unknown amount of years yet its body was still plump and shiny, "This… I remember when I was young, this was Third Brother's favorite…"

First Grandfather hastily closed the box and he shook his head strenuously, "No, no. Those are two different items! This is not the Third Brother's!" The glare that he shot towards old man Gongye once again was almost blazing with rage.

Old man Gongye, on the other hand, frowned as he looked at all the treasures. He showed signs of displeasure as he said, "I told you that I was only looking, right?! Why was it necessary to be such a cheapskate? I'm only looking, it won't even cost you a chunk of moneygrubber's flesh from your body!"

First Grandfather exclaimed in understanding. There was no lack of high-grade treasured weapons and divine swords hidden under his bed. These had been sent by the sects affiliated with the One Word Palace as wedding gifts. However, though each of these items was highly valuable and First Grandfather had hidden them away like they were precious antiques, these were apparently not what old man Gongye had been asking about.

Old man Gongye thought that First Elder Wen was intentionally hiding that precious item from him so he had not wasted any time and used his contemptuous look to taunt First Elder Wen.

Not only was First Grandfather not furious, on the contrary, an excited radiance started glowing on his old face. He pulled old man Gongye along as he asked softly, "So, what you were saying is that… In the Wen family village, there is still a remarkable treasure?"

Old man Gongye looked at him suspiciously. First Grandfather was beaming with joy and his tone of speaking sounded generous and hospitable, "Quickly, tell me what that is! You'll have to help me look for this item. Once we find it, I will lend it to you so that you can have a long look!"

The Gongye family's Art of Weapon Crafting was not merely the act of a blacksmith in a forge. Instead, it was a genuine magical art. Each time before they fired up the furnace, they would pray to their God first then they would pray to the precious treasures. Needless to say, the process of praying to their God was straightforward but the process of praying to the precious treasures was a very important step. The person who was refining the weapon would first need to channel his magic skill and think of a way to achieve a tacit understanding akin to a sympathetic response between the person and the precious treasure.

The precious treasures have no spiritual intelligence but they all contained some form of spiritual vitality. The person who was refining the weapon would need to feel the treasure's spiritual attribution during the process of praying to it. It was only after that could he could fire up the furnace and refine the weapon. Old man Gongye was not exempt to this in the Wen family village this time. However, as he was praying to the treasure, other than receiving the Ning Jiao's reaction, he had also managed to capture another strand of spiritual vitality which had come from another precious treasure that had already taken form. Therefore, he was under the impression that there was some other utmost precious treasure which was stored in the Wen family village.

This type of item which was capable of dispersing spiritual vitality during the process of praying to the treasure was absolutely not some common item. This was why old man Gongye had proposed the idea to take a look at this item. According to Gongye's thinking, this item was certainly some treasured weapon which had belonged to a predeceased sword immortal with exceedingly high powers. He had not been trying to hanker after the treasured weapon's effect, he had only wanted to look at the technique used to refine this treasure.

First Elder Wen frowned as he pondered for a long while. He could not think of any other precious items which still existed in the Wen family. Fourth Elder Wen was too lazy to even think as he rolled his poisonous snake-like eyes and asked Gongye, "Can you locate it yourself?"

Gongye shook his head and First Grandfather inquired closely once again, "What if I was to place this item before you?"

Old man Gongye nodded this time and he spoke proudly, "No matter which treasured weapon it is, as long as I can take a look at it, I would be able to judge the smelting level based on the traces of refinement. Following that, I can tell whether this was actually a precious weapon which had been thoroughly refined and tempered or if it was just a scrap item smelted from the fire of an earth pit!" He then brandished an ancient sword which glimmered with awe-inspiring murderous intent from a convenient box, "This one here is of pretty good quality but it can only be considered as an antique, not some top-grade item."

Wen Leyang remembered this ancient sword, it had been gifted to them when the One Word Palace's lesser subordinate sects had come to congratulate him on a joyous occasion. The sword was named 'Night Crusher' and, according to the person who had gifted the sword, it had belonged to a sword immortal from three thousand years ago. Even though he does not know if it was a real or fake sword, it was true that the sword's blade gleamed with an awe-inspiring and sharp mannerism. He never would have expected that Gongye would deem this sword worthless.

First Grandfather pondered for a while before he spoke to Wen Tunhai, "I want you to go and search through the precious items which were hidden by the kids. Don't care if it is useful or useless, search through them and find me that item! As long as it is an uncertain item, whether it is a pair of chopsticks or a urinal, bring it to the big house and get the old immortal Gongye to look at it!"

First Uncle was at a loss whether to cry or to laugh as he answered, "Perhaps it's not even an item which belongs to our family, perhaps it's an item which belongs to the Luo family, the Miao family or even Ji Fei or Shui Jing…"

First Grandfather did not hesitate as he waved his hand impatiently and spoke, "Carry out the task at once. After you've made certain that the item is not in our family, we shall then have to scheme on the others too!" The old man looked toward Chang Li smilingly as he said that.

Chang Li smiled like a little cunning fox. She lowered her voice as she spoke to First Grandfather mysteriously, "If it's from the Luo family or the Miao family, I will not interfere but if it's with the Rainbow Brothers, Ji Fei or Shui Jing, then I will certainly help you take possession of it!"

First Grandfather was immediately head-over-heels for this Grand Master's temperament who would take such good care of her juniors.

Following that, the village was in a chaotic mess as each family turned out every drawer and box. They sent many big boxes filled with messy stuff continuously into the village head's house under the confused gaze of the outside guests…

Fourth Grandfather had almost dozed off while First Grandfather's expression was becoming more and more bored as well. In the end, even old man Gongye was too lazy to go through the boxes as he used the corners of his eyes to look before huffing, "Take that away!"

They bustled about for two full hours. Along with the final Wen Bucao's disciple who was left baffled with a large cardboard box in his arms, everyone exhaled a long breath collectively. Wen Tunhai smiled grimly as he shrugged and was about to speak when First Grandfather suddenly recalled something. He suddenly glared at Wen Tunhai, "You brat, where is the precious treasure from your house? Why have you not brought it here yet!"

Wen Tunhai exclaimed before he sniggered and spoke, "I forgot, I forgot…" He then fled like a breath of vapor back to his house.

The First Uncle was once the head of the county so he has more items in his house than anybody else. There was no lack of fine items amongst them and the brilliance of pearls and jewels glowed from several large boxes filled to the brim with these items. Even though these boxes were still no match to First Grandfather's hidden treasures under his bed, it was enough for Wen Leyang to observe for a long while.

First Grandfather was beaming with joy as he grabbed a handful of precious treasures to take a look. He then peered at Wen Tunhai smilingly after a while. First Uncle, however, felt uneasy and terrified of the First Grandfather's gaze instead.

Wen Tunhai had many items. He was turning over the items one by one from the boxes into the big house's floor when 'You've Got Me' suddenly ululated cheerfully. It jumped out from Wen Leyang's chest and tunneled into one of the boxes swiftly, refusing to come out no matter how much Wen Leyang had called for it.

Wen Leyang does not know what the bug had discovered but he rolled up his sleeves and attempted to fish out the bug out from the box. However, just as he was about to do so, his First Uncle and First Grandfather both shouted anxiously, "Be careful of the porcelain!"

By the time Wen Leyang had retracted his arm, he was holding on to a dragonfly-shaped red-colored little sword with two tiny words engraved on the hilt which spelled out 'Firetail'.

'You've Got Me' was pouncing onto the sword's blade with its body. It rolled back and forth on the sword as it squeaked occasionally. Wen Leyang thought that the sword looked rather familiar. He was trying to recall where he had seen it with great effort when First Uncle Wen Tunhai reminded him as he laughed from the side, "It was that year when you had first returned from the Red Leaves Forest. The four grandfathers had brought some people along to Mount Emei's Zhanyan Peak. A group of Taoist priests from the Sun Dynasty Palace had come to the mountain to cause trouble…"

Wen Leyang was suddenly enlightened. He had just remembered that senior disciple Yu Lingzi, who had led the troop from the Sun Dynasty Palace, was the master of this little sword named 'Firetail'. Back then, after Wen Leyang had severely injured Yu Lingzi, 'You've Got Me' had once pounced on this small sword to feed on its fire elemental power. Judging by the situation, 'You've Got Me' and 'Firetail' could be considered as old flames.

"I kept this sword as it had injured me and could be considered as some sort of memorabilia…" First Uncle chuckled but before he could finish his sentence, old man Gongye, who had been standing to the side with glimmering eyes suddenly jumped up. He disregarded 'You've Got Me' as he stretched out his hand and grabbed the flying sword. He then raised the sword to his eye level as he examined it closely.

If it had not been for Wen Leyang's perfectly-timed shout, 'You've Got Me' would certainly filled old man Gongye's face with stings.

Even a foolish person could tell that Gongye has discovered the precious treasure he was looking for. Everyone in the house dared not make a sound as they held their breath meticulously, afraid that they would disturb Gongye's concentration. It was only until after a long while that the old man finally spoke with a dry voice, "This sword here… What is… What is its origin?"

Wen Leyang hastily described the events which had taken place back then. He spoke about Yu Lingzi who had come from the Sun Dynasty Palace and old man Gongye's expression became more and more amazed as he listened. At the same time, he shook his head continuously and muttered to himself, "It's impossible, it's impossible…" At this point, First Elder Wen suddenly cleared his throat before he interrupted Wen Leyang, "That is incorrect! Before being owned by Yu Lingzi, this sword had another owner. The divine monk Shan Duan had once told us about its origin!"

The Sun Dynasty Palace's Yu Lingzi had, by chance, saved the life of Wei Mo's Martial Uncle from Heaven Teller Sect in the past. To repay his debt of gratitude, that old man with miraculous foresight had instructed Yu Lingzi to search for this fire elemental sword in a volcano at the Changbai Mountains.

Wen Leyang inhaled a cool breath. During his trance, he had figured out that Wei Mo's Martial Uncle can speak about the heavenly mysteries. Any sword that he professes as a good one was certainly more than just good.

Chang Li burned with eagerness as she seized 'Firetail' from the old man Gongye's hands uncourteously. She then examined the sword attentively but after a long while, she pursed her lips and spoke in a slightly annoyed tone, "I can't see anything different about it." As she said that, she stretched out her other hand and pinched the tip of the sword continuously. She seems to be attempting to pry open the small sword to take a closer look.

The two old men Gongye and First Grandfather almost jumped up simultaneously as they squalled, "Don't do that!"

Chang Li was startled and she hastily tossed the small sword onto the ground. She then stood with her hands clasped behind her back as she protruded her tongue mischievously.

First Grandfather's expression agonized as he hastily picked 'Firetail' up from the ground. He treated it as if it was his lung instead of a small sword which Chang Li had just tossed to the ground.

The First Uncle laughed grimly as he shook his head, "I had felt a searing-hot pain when the sword injured me. However… It had not seemed to be that powerful after all."

Old man Gongye huffed as he asked the First Uncle, "Do you know about guns? For example, different types of guns such as handguns and machineguns?"

First Uncle and Wen Leyang nodded in unison though they had not understood his question. Old man Gongye then continued, "Once you fire a gun, it shoots to kill. However, if you were to throw the handgun at a person and attempt to crush them, then it will not be f*cking useful at all."

The moment Gongye finished speaking, he realized that everybody else was filled with puzzlement. He then heaved a long sigh and took 'Firetail' from First Grandfather's hands. He used his finger to feel around the sword's blade cautiously as his voice trembled like he was almost in tears, "All of you… Do you know that this sword here bears utterly no trace of being forged or refined at all?! The small sword has a whole body and other than the two ancient scripts, it had not been carved out artificially."

Wen Tunhai rolled his eyes as he laughed in slight disbelief, "So this sword here had not been refined with water and fire or forged with bronze and iron? Could it be that it had grown out by itself?"

Old man Gongye was so excited that he was almost in tears. He pursed his lips and nodded strenuously when Guo Huan suddenly spoke up from within the jade knife, "Could it be that this is…"

"The Sword's Resolve?!" Guo Huan was halfway through his sentence when Chang Li too suddenly recalled something. Both of them had then shouted in unison.

Wen Leyang laughed dryly and he wanted to inquire what it was but he was afraid that he would provoke the old man and the old demons in rage.

Guo Huan heaved a heavy sigh. He looked like he had suddenly recalled something else as he exclaimed 'no wonder' continuously. He then explained to Wen Leyang, "The Sword's Resolve is not related to weapon refinement but it is an ancient cultivation art. After a profound cultivator has cultivated into a split body, he does not transform the split body into a human form but instead turned it into his flying sword. As time passes, the split body would slowly transform into the form of a sword. The flying sword would receive its soul while the split body would receive the form. Not only would their master's sympathetic response be increased by several times, the sword is also capable of turning hostile and attack the enemy on its own. This split body which was grown in the sword's body is known as the Sword's Resolve! Not only is it not refined, it is cultivated by the cultivator's effort day after day!"

Chang Li nodded as she added from the side, "The real difference between cultivating the split body into the human form or into a Sword's Resolve is that the former will be reborn such that the split body can help the God-level cultivator in human form to resist the enemy, carry out tasks and cultivate. Cultivating the split body into a Sword's Resolve is equal to adding a set of souls into the treasured weapon until the flying sword is turned into the cultivator's own split body! This way, the split body would not be able to help the God-level cultivator to cultivate or carry out tasks but it could be used to help increase the power of his flying sword and help the God-level cultivator to kill the enemy quicker.

This time, Wen Leyang had understood the explanation much quicker. He understood that the real difference in cultivating the split body into the human form or a Sword's Resolve was that the former would be reborn so that the split body could help the cultivator in the human form. It would be capable of doing many things but it would be slightly weak at defeating the enemy. When the latter was turned into a weapon, the split body would be fused into the cultivator's own treasured weapon to improve his supernatural power, making the act of killing the enemy easier.

Chang Li made sure that Wen Leyang understood this crucial point before she nodded and continued, "If the God-level cultivator was to die, whether his split body was in the human form or as a Sword's Resolve, they would both be severely injured as well. However, the split body in human form was capable of cultivating his power to heal the injuries by himself but the Sword's Resolve was incapable of doing that. Once the sword-bearer was dead, the Sword's Resolve would seal itself off while simultaneously be stripped out of the flying sword. If one could break the seal and dissolve the soul's power in the Sword's Resolve, then one could own that flying sword which had been used by that cultivator while they were alive! Moreover, this flying sword's power was unrelated to the person who had dissolved the soul's power…" As she said that, Chang Li frowned before she rephrased her sentence, "Let me put it this way, dissolving the Sword's Resolve is equal to one requesting for that cultivator's soul to come out and guide that flying sword which had belonged to him in life! Even if it was an ordinary person who had dissolved the Sword's Resolve, they would then be capable of using that extremely powerful flying sword!"

Guo Huan was afraid that Wen Leyang was confused so he treated it like a debate and immediately spoke up once Chang Li had finished speaking, "The cultivator who had managed to cultivate the Sword's Resolve naturally had a remarkable flying sword. It would at least be no weaker than this old father's Yin's Error and Yang's Mistake. Even before my human body had been destroyed, let alone meeting that God-level cultivator who had created this Sword's Resolve, I would have just given that person a wide berth and not provoke them."

Though the sword's bearer was already dead, their flying sword still existed. The Sword's Resolve had sealed itself and stripped away from the flying sword. The person who manages to break the seal of the Sword's Resolve and dissolve its soul's power would become the flying sword's new master.

Even though the Sword's Resolve was a precious treasure which may be encountered by luck and not by searching, not everyone could wield it as the seal was of course not that easily broken. If one manages to refine the Sword's Resolve's soul power, one would gain a divine sword. However, if one failed to refine it, the Sword's Resolve would not be very useful at all. At most, it could be considered as a flying sword of average quality. Yu Lingzi had not known much about the treasured weapon in the beginning so he had refined 'Firetail' into his own flying sword, labeling him as a third-grade cultivator.

First Grandfather's eyeballs were bloodshot as he seized 'Firetail' back from old man Gongye's hands insistently.

'You've Got Me' ululated anxiously as it lay on 'Firetail'. Its body was too tiny and it had placed its entire body on the sword's blade but it could not participate in the act of seizing it. It slammed its tail in an exceedingly anxious manner and First Grandfather coughed once before he flicked elegantly at the blade. As a consequence, 'You've Got Me' was flicked away.

'You've Got Me' was a telepathic bug and its body immediately curled into a ball from being treated unjustly. It did not acknowledge the moneygrubbing old man but it somersaulted through midair and dropped into Wen Leyang's palm. It then rubbed its head against its master's hand sorrowfully. Wen Leyang chuckled as he stretched out a finger and caressed the bug's plump body, "I can't avenge this enmity for you…"

It was unknown how long this Sword's Resolve had drifted around in the world. It has lost its sharp energy and even an experienced and knowledgeable demon like Chang Li could not tell its true features. Only old man Gongye, who was an expert in refining weapons, could determine its true form through the absence of refinement traces on its body.

First Grandfather cradled 'Firetail' in his arms and beamed with joy as he asked the rest, "How does one break the seal and refine the soul's power in the Sword's Resolve?"

Chang Li looked into Gongye's and they both shook their heads in unison. They had only heard of refining the Sword's Resolve but none of them knew how to perform it specifically.

Guo Huan, on the other hand, laughed wildly from the jade knife. It almost seems like he had been waiting for First Grandfather to inquire about it earlier, "First Brother Wen, there's no need for you to think about refining this Sword's Resolve. It already has an owner! Moreover, I'm aware of where the Sword's Resolve's divine sword is!"

Wen Leyang inquired closely out of convenience, "Where is it?"

Unexpectedly, Guo Huan exclaimed before he cursed, "I've lived several thousand years just to meet such a foolish man!" Following that, he paused for a moment before he asked in a baffling manner, "Don't you agree?"

The crowd was still puzzled when another voice which sounded kind and warm echoed from the jade knife. That voice spoke with a smile, "The person who has a good soul is indomitable and fears nothing on earth. He is not foolish, not foolish, not foolish."

Chang Li, who was the first to react to the situation, giggled and cheered with a crisp voice, "The Taoist Priest San Wei is awake!"

The Taoist Priest San Wei too chuckled, "I'm awake, I'm awake! I have been in this great dream for the past millennium but I'm awake now."

First Grandfather stomped his feet impatiently on the side. He could not understand how the conversation had gone from 'Firetail' to the topic of sleep. Guo Huan, however, laughed before he refocused the topic of discussion again, "San Wei, please hold on, I need to wake this foolish child to reality first!" He then paused for a little while before he continued with a sonorous and forceful tone, "Young lad, the divine sword which is linked to this Sword's Resolve was first seen on the Qilian Mountains. It had then wandered to Shanghai and is now on the snowy tip of the Geladaindong Peak…"

Wen Leyang squalled as he jumped up, "The Molten Metal Fire Bell?!"

Guo Huan's tone of speaking was beyond all doubt, "That is correct. Otherwise, how could there be such a divine sword with a sharp fiery element and boundless power which is willing to save your life repeatedly in the world!"

The giant pangolin Po Tu had once informed Wen Leyang that the 'Molten Metal Fire Bell' was not meant to be used by a human. At most, it could only be used to threaten others but there was no remnant primordial spirit left behind by its previous master in that sword.

Wen Leyang's heart was thumping ferociously and his mind turned blank. He stuttered as he asked, "So, what you're saying is that… I'm the master of this Sword's Resolve?"

"Bullshit!" Guo Huan immediately scolded, "Use your empty head to think about this, who was the one who had summoned the giant sword each time and who was the one who echoed each other and had been unwilling to part with the giant sword?"

Wen Leyang's mouth fell open as he lifted 'You've Got Me' in his palm.

'You've Got Me' wriggled its body and probed twice. It then suddenly leaped and jumped into Wen Leyang's mouth, where it ululated proudly and spun around several times.

Chang Li's gaze roamed like water ripples as she looked at First Uncle, "Back then, when Wen Leyang had struck down 'Firetail', how had it all happened?"

Wen Tunhai did not dare to hesitate as he recalled that memory attentively. He muttered, "Wen Leyang had used the Faulty Punch to strike 'Firetail'…" As he said that, he stretched out his right hand, gesturing as all five of his fingers oscillated wildly, "Causing 'Firetail' to turn into a drunken sword. Wen Leyang then beat Yu Lingzi until he was severely injured. 'Firetail' had made a sorrowful hum then dropped to the ground. The bug had pounced forward and after that, I retrieved the flying sword. Finally…"

Chang Li coughed as she rolled her eyes mischievously at the First Uncle, "There's no need to talk about what had happened after that." Following that, she tilted her head and looked at Wen Leyang who was bustling about as he attempted to dislodge the bug from his mouth. She sized him up and down before she finally sighed, "What kind of luck is this?!" Upon saying that, she paused for a while. When she felt that she had not vented the full expression of her emotions, she added a shocking, 'F*ck!"

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Chapter 230: The Dark Sky

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Even though she does not understand the situation completely, Chang Li confirmed that Wen Leyang had severely injured Yu Lingzi back then. She could then make a wild guess on why the 'Molten Metal Fire Bell' could be summoned by 'You've Got Me'.

Chang Li's eyes were irresistibly bright as she laughed joyously, "His Faulty Punch is capable of breaking all sorts of magic spells!"

Wen Leyang had used the Faulty Punch to counterattack Yu Lingzi's flying sword back then. The Faulty Punch had wiped away the primordial spirit which possessed 'Firetail' and slightly loosened the seal on the Sword's Resolve. This caused it to reveal a bit of its fire elemental soul's power. 'You've Got Me' was the king of telepathic bugs, the moment it saw that there was a power of the same element which was beneficial to it, it had immediately pounced over to absorb that power.

After Chang Li had finished listening to the story, she realized that Wen Leyang still appeared puzzled and she suddenly recalled something. She hastily shook her head and laughed, "Don't ask how 'You've Got Me' could dissolve the soul's power of the Sword's Resolve, I don't know that as well!"

To outsiders, even after the seal was broken, they would not know how to refine the soul's power in it. To 'You've Got Me' however, absorbing a similar elemental power for its own use was an innate ability.

It worked on the same principle of how a top-ranked master cultivator could never cultivate the skill of photosynthesis.

Guo Huan had already figured out how 'You've Got Me' can control the 'Molten Metal Fire Bell' but had lagged by half a second so Chang Li had seized the opportunity to speak first. Guo Huan felt extremely annoyed for a large portion of his dialogue has been usurped by someone else. The best he could do was to add this, "The fiery color of the Sword's Resolve is still as exuberant as before so the seal should still be there. The bug had only managed to absorb a small portion of its soul's power previously for if it was completely depleted, the Sword's Resolve would then be turned into stone dust."

Wen Leyang's cultivation power was still shallow back then so his Faulty Punch was unable to break the Sword's Resolve's seal. This was why it had only leaked a bit of soul's power which was then absorbed by 'You've Got Me'.

Guo Huan sniggered and sounded like he was muttering to himself but in fact, he was speaking to them, "Now that you've finally understood the situation, we can understand why 'You've Got Me' had only been able to summon the 'Molten Metal Fire Bell' sometimes. It was because it had absorbed too little of that soul's power."

Wen Leyang nodded at first but shook his head soon after. Guo Huan's statement had sounded plausible at first but he still felt that something was not right.

First Elder Wen and First Uncle were beaming with joy at this point. They urged Wen Leyang repeatedly to immediately use the Faulty Punch to crack the seal so that 'You've Got Me' could absorb all the soul's power. This means that whoever dares to provoke Wen Leyang hereafter, they would first need to suffer 'You've Got Me's' sword!

Chang Li noticed that Wen Leyang was hesitating and she mistakenly thought that he was virtuous and sincere which was why he could not bear to destroy the Sword's Resolve. She chuckled as she consoled him, "The human form split body can think and move. Once it enters society, it would be tainted with humanity so it is straightforwardly a living human being. The Sword's Resolve, however, is different. Even though it is a split body as well, it is the soul of the giant sword and it is only innately capable of absorbing the spiritual primordial energy of the heavens and earth in order to strengthen the flying sword. It's no different from the carrot that you frequently eat. Don't think that refining a Sword's Resolve is equal to killing a person…"

Wen Leyang had not really thought of this yet but after hearing Grand Master Chang Li's words, he felt a greater resolution in his heart. He then laughed as he nodded and placed 'You've Got Me' on his shoulder. He lifted the dragonfly-shaped 'Firetail', inhaled a deep breath, and suddenly struck it with his other hand. His five fingers oscillated swiftly like wheels as the crisp clinking and clanking sounds soon merged into one. The noise made everyone feel uneasy but 'You've Got Me' understood its master's intention. It had straightened and stiffened its plump body and raised its head as it stood on Wen Leyang's shoulder. It was unknown whether the bug was excited or aroused as its tiny head quivering gently.

Chang Li, on the other hand, shook her head, "The bug is on your body and it may not necessarily be able to bear the countercharge of the seal." She then picked 'You've Got Me' up in her palm. The bug immediately lay down and rolled around like it was trying to flatter everyone's big boss.

The small sword 'Firetail' had started to tremble rapidly following Wen Leyang's Faulty Punch. Countless stripes of flame rippled on its blade. The flames were burning more and more vigorously and enchantingly while the sword's blade was so red it appeared as if it was about to spurt out blood at any time.

The Sword's Resolve, which initially felt cool in Wen Leyang's hand, began to turn hot until he felt as if he was holding a tiny sun which burned fiercely in his hand. The Poison of Life and Death was surging wildly in his body as it tried to resist the heat which was about to invade his body with all its might. Moments later, Wen Leyang's body shook once and the Ning Jiao's armor which had been hidden in his body appeared automatically without being summoned in order to protect its master. The giant Bone Snake which was formed from the Ning Jiao's bones too leaped into the air furiously and circled around the small sword continuously. It revealed a mouth full of sharp fangs as it attempted to retaliate against the Sword's Resolve.

Chang Li's expression grew stern as she raised her hand and scattered her demonic primordial energy to protect the three family elders and First Uncle Wen Tunhai. After that, under First Grandfather's request, she then purposely diverted a streak of demonic primordial energy to cover the buried treasure bed…

The temperature in the house increased suddenly and Wen Leyang's entire body burst into roaring flames with a muffled bang. The Ning Jiao's skin armor had immediately spread out and wrapped itself around Wen Leyang from his head to his toes. It tried strenuously to form a shield between the roaring flames and its master. At the same time, Wen Leyang's right hand continued to move as he used the Faulty Punch to knock madly onto the 'Firetail'.

The initially clear, clanking sound has turned into the loud noise of forceful thuds like the God-inviting Bell of Peak Palace. Under the strong knocking of the golden-armored warrior, the bell had tolled through the entire heavens! The stalemate between Wen Leyang and 'Firetail' went on for almost an hour before the loud, sonorous thuds suddenly turned hoarse. Wen Leyang immediately felt his body get lighter as the scorchingly hot flames which had almost seared into his bone marrow had vanished abruptly. The Sword's Resolve too no longer felt hot or cold to the touch. It glowed a bright red and the little sword suddenly became crushingly heavy. Wen Leyang's wrist shook strongly and even his tremendous strength was unable to lift the small sword now.

The colossal quake felt like the collapse of Mount Tai. The Sword's Resolve dropped onto the ground while almost simultaneously 'You Got Me' cheered as it shot towards the sword in a dazzling fire arc. It then lay firmly on the sword's blade and refused to loosen its grip.

Wen Leyang understood that the mission has been successfully accomplished at long last. His body was suddenly exhausted and he raised his head as he fell to the ground. Chang Li's face was filled with reluctance and she shut her eyes tightly just as the back of Wen Leyang's head was about to crash onto the tiled floor. Wen Tunhai stomped his feet, "Why won't you give him a hand?!"

Chang Li rolled her huge eyes at him, "What if he tore my sleeve again?" Upon saying that, she suddenly shrieked and stretched a jade-like palm towards the First Grandfather who was clearly confused, "Seventy-three thousand!"

Wen Leyang had only just stood up when he heard Chang Li talk about that past event. He was so shocked that he almost fell back onto the ground again.

First Grandfather has yet to find out about the sleeve incident at the Miao stockade village so the gaze which he shot Chang Li was filled with puzzlement, "What do you mean by seventy-three thousand?"

Chang Li was surprisingly patient as she tirelessly explained the relationship between Chanel, seventy-three thousand, sleeve and Wen Leyang. As she was speaking, she had continued to hold her palm against First Elder Wen's eyes persistently.

First Grandfather could hardly stand it anymore. He then looked at Chang Li for a while before he looked at Wen Leyang for another while. His expression gradually turned from astonishment to anger and after he confirmed that the unit value of seventy-three thousand was in Chinese Yuan, his furious expression turned into outrage…

After Chang Li had finished recounting that matter, she made an expression which was even more outraged than First Grandfather's by a million times as she pouted her red lips, "You'll still need to return me the money." After she said that, she forced a smile in consideration, "Just make sure that the money is prepared before I leave, you need not rush it at this moment." She was not in a hurry for the money to be returned. She has already learned that 'the monk may run away but the temple remains' after traveling in the world for the past few years.

First Grandfather pointed at Wen Leyang shakily. He did not speak for a long while and the wrinkles on his old face were pulled tightly together.

Wen Tunhai was at a loss whether to laugh or to cry for though First Elder Wen was good in everything, the older he got the more moneygrubbing he became. Wen Tunhai hastily stretched his body from the side and he made up a topic of conversation to help rescue his precious first nephew, "I've been bustling about for a day and I'm so fatigued. The sky has already… Huh?" He was halfway through his sentence when First Uncle looked out the window which was still dark in surprise.

Several things have happened since Wen Leyang's return to the Nine Peaks Mountain. He had reported to his superiors about his highland trip; he had entered the furnace to refine his treasured weapons; the entire village was mobilized to look for the unknown precious treasure; and finally, he had broken the Sword's Resolve's seal. More than ten hours have already passed without his notice. Even so, winter's daybreak usually comes later and it should be daytime by now. He checked his watch which showed that it was already past nine o'clock in the morning. However, the sky outside had remained as dark as night.

The people in the house were slightly astonished. Even Chang Li was baffled and blinked in confusion as she joined the others to head out of the house.

Those who were outside the house had noticed that the sky was unusually dark earlier but they had thought that it was some unknown astronomical phenomenon. Not one of them had dared to disturb First Grandfather and Chang Li.

Wen Leyang unsure of what to do as he raised his head and looked at the sky. There were no stars or moon in the sky nor was there a morning glow or the red sun either. The sky above Nine Peaks Mountain's looked like it was being covered by a thick and heavy black cloth. After Wen Leyang had looked at the pitch-black sky for a prolonged period, he felt dizzy as if his entire body was being sucked into the darkness, causing him to stagged.

Something was floating gently in the depths of the mountain. Wen Leyang narrowed his vision and was only managed to discern after great effort a puff of dark inky-black cloud which looked like a piece of floating cotton. It appeared soft and weak but in reality, it was slowly gaining mass and was cruising speedily from the depths of the mountain towards the Wen family village.

Wen Leyang was puzzled as Chang Li, Guo Huan, and San Wei in the jade knife all exclaimed in astonishment simultaneously. Soon after that, Guo Huan laughed grimly, "Chang Li, is this your judgment day?"

Chang Li pursed her lips as she shook her head, "How could it be that soon! It must be coming for one of you!"

Guo Huan's voice sounded even more determined, "It's certainly not one of us!"

Many people, including experienced and knowledgeable cultivators such as Ji Fei, Shui Jing, Gongye, the Rainbow Brothers and others, have gathered in the village but they could not figure out what the black-colored cloud was. They pointed at it as they discussed softly amongst themselves with an astonished expression on their faces.

Wen Leyang listened to the three top demon immortals who were acting rather courteously as they deferred to one another. Baffled, he asked Chang Li, "What is that? Is it a treasured weapon or a cultivator's supernatural power?"

Chang Li laughed gently but her fine, porcelain-like face was filled with solemnness and her voice was cold, "It's divine punishment!"

Wen Leyang exclaimed in dismay. The first thing which had come to his mind was that the nine-headed snake had escaped Black and White Island and the initiator of evil, Chang Li, was about to be struck by divine punishment! He still remembers the divine punishment which had fallen on Ah Dan in the past. It had come without warning during that occasion as the initially bright sky was suddenly condensed into a puff of burning clouds. Soon after that, the heaven's thunder then struck repeatedly. However, the sky then was bright whereas the sky now was pitch black without a sense of liveliness.

San Wei's primordial soul spoke up at this point. His voice was thick, heavy and a little hoarse with an unspeakable pleasantness, "I sense that… This is related to me!"

Guo Huan yelled all of a sudden, "You motherf*cker! How could you still incur divine punishment?" Guo Huan and San Wei were like locusts on the same rope, they have both lingered in the jade knife with their last breath. If this was really a divine punishment, the jade knife would be destroyed so Guo Huan would also have his soul scattered. It was natural for him to feel angry from embarrassment.

Chang Li frowned once again, "San Wei, if the divine punishment is meant for you then it's yours. However, what do you mean when you said it's related to you?"

The cloud was floating closer and closer now, Wen Leyang could even see it churning clearly. It looks just like a drop of ink which had been dripped into clear water! San Wei's tone of speaking, on the other hand, was unworried and it even sounded like he was smiling, "That human body was called San Wei, that is not my name. This old monk's monastic name is Jin Zhao!" Upon saying that, he did not wait for the others to feel astonished or interject as he inhaled a deep breath and suddenly chanted, "Namo Amitabha!"

He chanted the Buddhist hymn loudly and clearly until the murky sky suddenly shook once! The sounds of bells echoed indistinctively from afar, accompanying this incantation in a merciful yet wispy manner. There was no wind but the sound floated in the sky, echoing from afar with ceasing!

Wen Leyang was not a fool, he had harbored a suspicion earlier but he had not had the opportunity to ask about that. When he heard the remnant soul's stirring Buddhist hymn, he asked with a solemn expression, "Back then, has this great master ever revealed your true identity to a demon rabbit?"

Over a thousand years ago, the demon monk San Duan's master had not managed to escape the divine punishment. His dharma body was pulverized by the Nine Heavens' divine thunder while his primordial spirit was severely injured. Out of the remaining two portions, one had been nourished in the ghost's flesh mushroom in the land of evil spirits by San Duan and that portion was finally devoured by Ah Dan. The second portion of his primordial soul was nowhere to be found at all. The demon monk San Duan had sacrificed his entire lifetime's cultivation base in Buddhism magic art and knowledge to save his master's life. Wen Leyang still feels that the monk San Duan who had transformed into the Weeping Buddha was the genuine demon monk but he was actually an indomitable demon who had died without regrets!

Over a thousand years ago, the evil soul which had possessed San Wei was finally caught by Hanba and Painting Town. The evil soul had been trapped in the zombie Hanba's body while the remaining human body without a soul was then tossed into a mountain creek.

A few centuries later, the Taoist Priest San Wei had unexpectedly returned to society. An unknown primordial soul which had lost its memory had gained control of that soul-less human body but due to the constant torment of conflict between the malevolent energy accumulated in the human body by the evil soul and the righteous energy of the second soul, this caused San Wei to plan and kill Fifth Brother Hanba. As a result, he was still killed when he got caught in Chang Li and Hanba's plan. This was the remnant soul which now resided in the jade knife along with Guo Huan.

The timeline fits and the matter's development was accurate as well. The eminent monk's accumulation of karmic power for over thousands of years had turned into a merciful energy which could not be erased even after his body had been crushed. This was why Xiang Liu's evil souls' malevolent energy was not able to subdue him. If it was not for the eminent monk who had been empowered by Buddhism's wisdom, how could he had cultivated the skill of combining his spirit, energy, and soul in a short few thousand years!

As expected, Jin Zhao seems to remember something as he answered softly, "The Great Mercy Temple's Bu Le?"

Chang Li suddenly laughed loudly, "Monk, so it is you! You had saved my disciple once so I shall help you cross this divine punishment!" She then pulled the jade knife from Wen Leyang's neck.

Without waiting for Jin Zhao's response, Guo Hua also laughed strenuously, "This punishment is too immense. If I'm still in my prime, perhaps I can join hands with you to cross it!"

Chang Li shrugged and her expression was indifferent, "I will try to resist as much as I can, the rest will depend on you."

At this point, the old monk Ji Fei pulled the fat monk Shui Jing along as they gathered forward with ashen faces. They did not dare to ask Chang Li directly but they looked at Wen Leyang, "Is it truly the…divine punishment? Is someone crossing the divine punishment?"

Wen Leyang nodded with a solemn expression but before he could say anything else, Ji Fei and Shui Jing abruptly screeched in agony together as they ran away. Soon after that, a divine radiance expanded on the Nine Peaks Mountain as the crowd of rogue cultivators from the Gongye family, the Rainbow Brothers, as well as Wei Mo each launched their supernatural power and exerted the cultivation power of their entire lifetime, shouting loudly as they ran towards the foot of the Nine Peaks Mountain.

Guo Huan did not know whether he should laugh or cry as he cursed, "These useless young lads, the divine punishment is unrelated to you. As long as you don't get in the way then you would be affected."

Chang Li was more straightforward and her piercing voice echoed like countless knives which struck each other in a manner filled with murderous intent, "Other than the Wen, Miao, and Luo families, does anyone else want to take one more step to show me?"

Every cultivator reacted as if they had just been hit by an immobility spell and they all stood rigidly on the same spot. Each of them had a sorrowful expression as they thought, 'She's far too unreasonable!'

Chang Li has been acting unreasonably before that word has even existed in the world.

To regular cultivators, the divine punishment was only something they have ever heard in legends. They do not wish to see it and dared not see it. Even though Tuo Xie's disciples have declared that this was a one-to-one killing punishment, the principle was similar to knowing that there was a sniper aiming at the person next to them but they would wish that they could run away as far as possible.

Chang Li's face was still as rosy and cute as before. She stretched out a slim finger as she swept past the group of cultivators, "Witness me as I help this monk cross the divine punishment. No one is allowed to leave!" Upon saying that, she looked with a smile at her relatives including the First Grandfather, the Luo family, and the Qing Miao clansmen, "If any of you are afraid, please descend the mountain. I'll call you to come home after the divine punishment has concluded."

Though some of the members from the three families appeared stricken, they shook their heads. They would never leave while their Grand Master still remained on the mountain.

The cultivators' expression became even more furious. Those who could leave did not wish to leave, those who wish to leave could not leave. Ever since Wen Leyang, Chang Li, and the others had entered the mortal world in succession, something ghastly has always occurred in the Wen family village.

The monk Jin Zhao spoke dully at this point and his tone of speaking does not sound too courteous towards Chang Li, "Thank you to the demon cat, this punishment is related to me yet it is not mine as well!" Upon saying that, he paused for a moment before his kindly tone of speaking suddenly turned into a drunk man's shrewishness, "I've become exceedingly furious the moment I saw that divine punishment! This monk has performed pious deeds for the past millennium but, in the end, I'm rewarded with a divine punishment! You, the demon cat, on the other hand…" The monk Jin Zhao was halfway through his rant when he suddenly laughed, "Have constantly created trouble. I can't tell how many people's lives have been harmed and killed by you yet you're living a flourishing life now. Heh, a sleeve of yours can even cost seventy-three thousand!"

As Ji Zhao spoke, his tone of speaking changed three times from dull to furious and finally to wild laughter. However, those on the scene did not realize that the monk was turning crazy from exhaustion. Even as the monk laughed, the crowd also laughed along with him too.

Chang Li ignored what he said, "My temperament will remain the same whether I live for a day or ten thousand years! If you were to use your everlasting cultivation in exchange for even a second's worth of my hypocrisy, I would not agree to do that too. Monk, do you understand me now? All of you are cultivating for the heavens, for the divine, for the Buddha and the High Lord. When you achieve mastery in your cultivation, you become someone else. In my point of view, whether this form of cultivation ends up achieving mastery or is destroyed by divine punishment, the difference is as thin as a hair's width! You are furious when you saw the divine punishment because you are still unwilling to submit. You've become someone else for a thousand years but in the end, you still could not avoid ending your life as a scattered soul so naturally, you would be unwilling to submit!"

Chang Li started laughing wildly. The moment she laughed, the rest of the cultivators did not dare to laugh anymore.

It seems that the monk Jin Zhao has forgotten that the divine punishment was close at hand as he refuted Chang Li's words without showing any signs of weakness, "I cannot make any comments about being San Wei for a thousand years. As for my time before that, I had been focused on doing good in the world. I cultivate in peace and I'm at peace when all living things are peaceful, I'm in turmoil when all living things are suffering!"

Chang Li did not even need to consider as she pursed her lips and shot back, "If you truly are at peace, why was it necessary for you to feel angry the moment you saw the divine punishment? Do you think that you're only at peace because you've performed some good deeds? Haha! Foolish monk! You feel at peace because you've performed the deeds that the Buddha has tasked you to do so no matter how you've put it into words, you're still attempting to cultivate yourself into the Buddha. You are still attempting to cultivate yourself into someone else and this peace that you're feeling is false!"

As the two of them were having a good time in their debate and conversation, Wen Leyang was busy digesting the monk Jin Zhao's first sentence, 'The divine punishment is related to him but it was not his'. He finally understood something at this moment as he reached for Grand Master Chang Li's hand which was holding the jade knife and grabbed her wrist.

Chang Li's gaze abruptly turned fierce as she looked at Wen Leyang in a ghastly manner, "This sleeve here is not cheap too!"

Wen Leyang could not care about any 'seventy-three thousand' sleeves at this moment as he asked the jade knife without consulting anyone, "So, who is this divine punishment actually for? Is it…"

The divine monk Jin Zhao's voice sounded strong and vigorous as he was debating about the fundamentals of cultivation earlier. There was no longer any anger in his voice, on the contrary, he sounded rather joyous as he chuckled upon hearing Wen Leyang's question, "Naturally, it is the divine punishment for the other portion of my primordial soul. I had awakened the moment I entered this mountain and I constantly felt a sense of familiarity close by. So, when I saw that divine punishment, I understood that it was the other portion of my primordial soul which is about to cross the divine punishment to be reincarnated soon!"

Chang Li and Guo Hua were simultaneously startled as they muttered in unison, "So, it's Ah Dan who would be crossing the divine punishment instead?"

Over a thousand years ago, the monk Ji Zhao's primordial spirit had been split into two portions. One portion had become the remnant soul in the jade knife while the other portion had turned into Ah Dan's first blossoming of spiritual intelligence!

The monk Jin Zhao exclaimed in surprise, he did not know whether he should laugh or cry as he asked, "That portion of my soul… Is called Ah Dan? Isn't that name a little too… Childish?"

Wen Leyang had finally understood as well that this divine punishment was meant for Ah Dan! Ah Dan had been reincarnated from a zombie baby into a living person when he was struck by the divine punishment. During the first time, the divine punishment had been absorbed by the Thunder Heart Jade. However, the old demon rabbit Bu Le had declared back then that the second divine punishment would likely arrive within three years' time and its power would be much stronger than the first.

If that was so, the divine punishment has arrived and Ah Dan was about to be resurrected now.

Wen Leyang did not know that Ah Dan initially still had some time before he could be fully resurrected. However, due to the presence of the monk Jin Zhao's primordial soul on Nine Peaks Mountain, Ah Dan had received a great influence from it. The little zombie's mood at this time was also fluctuating intensely like the remnant soul's as it resided in the jade knife. His heart meridians were almost connected and he was about to be resurrected into a living human being but the ruthless and tyrannical divine punishment was also about to arrive at any moment!

Wen Leyang could not help but grit his teeth. He looked at the crowd from the Luo family as he asked anxiously, "Where is Ah Dan? And where is Mumu?"

Before his voice could die away, a short and plump little figure appeared on the edge of Wen Leyang's telegnosis ability. He was staggering as he ran towards the direction of the village with a terrified expression. That dark cloud was floating at a height of around two kilometers above Ah Dan's head and consistently followed him around.

The zombie baby had gone into the mountain to play since yesterday morning. After the monk Jin Zhao's other primordial soul portion had appeared in the nearby area, even though that had made Ah Dan feel agitated and uneasy, he was still a half-alive baby right now. He did not understand what was going on and it was not until the divine punishment had appeared and followed him around did he start running towards the direction of the Wen family village.

Even though the little fatty was shuffling with difficulty and looked as if he was about to fall at any time, he was moving quite swiftly. He had lost his felt cap and sunglasses somewhere along the way and his plump hands firmly covered his bald head. His face was contorted as if he was about to cry but because he was too busy running, he did not have the time to cry yet…

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Chapter 231: The Reincarnation

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Mumu was aware that the divine punishment was meant for Ah Dan and she became so anxious that her face turned ashen. She no longer cared about breaking the taboo of not seeing Wen Leyang before their marriage as she leaped out of the house agilely. She resembled a nervous sparrow as she dashed towards the depths of the mountain to locate Ah Dan. Wen Leyang could not bear to see her put herself at risk and his body swayed once as he blocked her. However, before he could speak, Chang Li moved past them in a flash and spoke in a low voice, "I'm going to save the little fatty, all of you stay back!"

Wen Leyang heaved a sigh of relief in his heart. Earlier, Guo Huan had informed him that even Chang Li would be unable to resist this divine punishment. He would never allow Mumu to take such a risk and at the same time, he could not stay behind in the village and complacently wait for news. He then patted Mumu's slightly trembling shoulders and repeated Chang Li's statement to her, "I'm going to save the little fatty, you stay back!" Soon after that, his figure flashed past as he sped towards Ah Dan.

Another lightning-fast figure dashed out diagonally and followed closely behind Wen Leyang. That figure shouted, "I'm coming with you!" Wen Leyang smiled gently as he heard this. The ugly youth Qin Zhui's expression was bold and heroic yet his voice had sounded a little shaky, "I will try to withstand as much as I can but don't count on me to risk my life!"

Qin Zhui was a martial arts fanatic, sometimes he would act so foolish that he was incisive but he was genuinely a good friend.

Mumu immediately chased after them while a few other figures also plunged ahead at the same time. Little Chi Maojiu, Wen Nine, and Wen Thirteen were attempting to follow them when First Grandfather abruptly roared, "Stop! These children who don't know their own limitations won't be helpful even if you were to tag along. Your presence will not help the situation, on the contrary, you'll only be troubling them more!" The old man's voice sounded stern and fierce but his gaze was filled with heartfelt affection.

The newer disciples of Tuo Xie stopped moving and Mumu grit her teeth as she hesitated for a moment before she finally broke out in bitter sobs. Nineteen appeared in a flash and embraced Mumu as she consoled her in a gentle voice.

Within the entire Wen family village, the Rainbow Brothers, Nineteen, Mumu, Chi Maojiu as well as the two silly uncles could all be considered as master cultivators in the cultivation world. However, only Chang Li, Wen Leyang, and Qin Zhui were able to withstand the second divine punishment for Ah Dan's sake. Truthfully speaking, even Wen Leyang and Qin Zhui were incapable of offering much help to the situation!

By the time Wen Leyang had rushed to Ah Dan's location, Chang Li was holding Ah Dan in her arms and smiling as she pinched his plump cheeks. When she noticed that Wen Leyang had arrived, she was the least surprised as she laughed, "If this divine punishment was meant for me, I will die without a doubt." She then paused for a moment before she continued and her statement was almost the same as what Qin Zhui had said, "I will try my best but the rest will still depend on this little fatty's creation. You ought to understand that I will never risk my life for him."

Ah Dan seems to understand Chang Li's words as his plump body twisted here and there. He struggled free from Chang Li's embrace and squatted on the ground as he patted Wen Leyang's feet with a sorrowful expression. The zombie baby has always greeted everyone this way without fail.

Wen Leyang did not know whether to cry or to laugh as he patted Ah Dan's bald head which only just reached past his knees. He then turned around and asked Chang Li, "Is there anything else that we should prepare?" When Bu Le had helped Ah Dan to cross the first divine punishment back then, he had conjured a Buddha's Light Great Formation.

Chang Li shook her head unexpectedly, "The only target of this divine punishment is Ah Dan, it is utterly useless to conjure a protective circle. We can only launch our supernatural powers to withstand a portion of the divine punishment's power before the lightning strikes him. The rest is up to him…" She was halfway through her explanation when the monk Jin Zhao suddenly spoke up from the jade knife, "The second portion of my primordial soul… Has been swallowed by this zombie baby here?" His voice sounded baffled but his tone of speaking was filled with rage!

The monk Jin Zhao had sensed that the other portion of his primordial soul was about to receive the divine punishment. However, before he saw Ah Dan, he thought that the other portion of his primordial soul was in a similar situation and had possessed a soul-less human body. He was astonished and had wondered how the other primordial soul portion had cultivated to a level which incurred the divine punishment so soon but he never expected a zombie baby to have swallowed that primordial soul. This had opened up Ah Dan's spiritual intelligence when he was resurrected from death which was why he had drawn in the divine punishment.

To Jin Zhao, Ah Dan could not be considered as the other part of him. In fact, Ah Dan should be considered as a great enemy who had killed the other him! How could he not feel angry? He had an exceedingly high level of cultivation during his lifetime. and had spent a thousand years accumulating good deeds yet in the end, he had been pulverized by the divine punishment into nothingness. Two portions of his soul had survived by sheer luck but he had been tormented for the past thousand years while the other portion of his soul had been wasted to help the zombie baby!

The moment Guo Huan realized that Jin Zhou was burning with rage, he immediately threatened with a cold voice, "Hey, monk! Don't you start getting the wrong ideas here! This jade knife is mine and I'm only lending it to you for you to rest here. If you attempt to launch the 'Break the Demon Body' spell, this old father will take your life!"

The monk Jin Zhou was a remnant soul. After he had launched his supernatural power in the crystal ore cave to deal with Tian Yin, his soul's power had become even weaker. Now, based on the level of power in his primordial spirit, he could not even fart much less cast any more spells. Guo Huan, however, was afraid that Jin Zhou would risk everything and use the jade knife as a weapon to attack the others. Guo Huan would be at risk of being destroyed if Jin Zhou had done that.

The monk Jin Zhou's voice shook gently and sounded like he was suppressing his rage as he asked in a low and hoarse voice, "Who amongst all of you can tell me, how had this happened!"

Wen Leyang peeked at Chang Li but she acted like this was none of her business as she stood aside with her arms crossed. She raised her charming head slightly and she looked up at the sky before she laughed, "There is still enough time to burn a joss stick. Since we are idling here and doing nothing, Wen Leyang will tell you!"

Wen Leyang nodded before he told the story that the demon monk San Duan had explained to them before he died. Wen Leyang focused on the encounters that he, Mumu, and the others in the Qing Miao's land of evil spirits had experienced and relayed the matter from beginning to the end.

The monk Jin Zhao was surprised that San Duan had used the evil spirit to grow the soul and that San Duan had turned a huge and great temple into a shady hole which was used to suppress the vitality energy in the land of evil spirits. This revelation caused Jin Zhao to exclaim in astonishment.

Wen Leyang could not bear to continue anymore and wanted to stop at that point yet the monk Jin Zhao was unexpectedly persistent as he urged Wen Leyang to continue the story. Wen Leyang then told him how the demon monk had transformed himself into the Weeping Buddha and created trouble on the Nine Peaks Mountain.

There was a deadly stillness between the heavens and the earth as the sound of sobs echoed from time to time in the jade knife. No one expected that the monk Jin Zhao would cry like a child! After a long while, it was difficult to tell if his tone of speaking was filled with hate, love, rage or heartache as he enunciated each word clearly, "This evil disciple! He was such a stubborn child!"

Chang Li too sighed as she shook her head and was about to say something but, in the end, she pointed to the sky and spat out two words dully, "It's here!"

Wen Leyang and Qin Zhui had just looked up into the sky when that puff of black-colored cloud which had been floating above Ah Dan's head suddenly moved like a jellyfish which had been stimulated. The cloud expanded several times suddenly and spread all the way to the edge of the sky in a flash. In no time at all, the lightly floating black cloud had fused entirely into the boundlessly black velvety sky.

It was then completely silent for one second. It was not the oppressed silence before the apocalypse but it was the utmost silence of emptiness after everything had been destroyed. It was a dead silence in which all sounds of breathing, blood flow, and heartbeats were absent!

Within that deadly stretch of silence, the boundless darkness in the sky abruptly erupted into a sonic boom. It sounded ruthless and tyrannical as it suddenly shrank into the size of a bowl and was rather similar to Guo Huan's treasured weapon, Yang's Mistake.

After the darkness had shrunk, the sky above showed some light but rather than illuminating everything, the light had cast a dull grey color on their surroundings instead. All these had happened in the blink of an eye, Wen Leyang did not even have the time to react to the situation when that small puff of darkness erupted into countless fragments. A streak of golden radiance, like a wicked newborn dragon which was about to destroy the world, appeared in the darkness ferociously. There was even the hoarse sound of a dragon's roar which rippled from within before this radiance it surged towards Ah Dan!

Chang Li groaned and her body swayed swiftly. Even with her cultivation base as the top demon immortal, she did not dare to directly face that golden colored divine thunder on Ah Dan's behalf. That divine thunder was not vast but it was so forceful that it made one feel nauseated, she could only launch her supernatural powers desperately from the side as she tried her best to weaken the thunder's power.

It was at this moment that Wen Leyang and Qin Zhui understood that they were not qualified enough to help Ah Dan to pass through this punishment. When the thunder's power had appeared, the terrifying pressure had firmly shackled them in place. No matter how hard they struggled, these two young master cultivators could not even budge an inch!

The cloud dispersed and wrapped itself around the rippling black-colored sky. After the golden-colored thunder had taken form, it had broken out of the cocoon with alacrity. However, once the divine thunder had appeared, everything seemed to slow down once again. As the divine thunder struck towards Ah Dan from the sky, its speed was quite average.

If it had not been for Chang Li who was rippling with terrifying supernatural powers as she blasted the divine thunder continuously as fast as lightning, forming a sharp contrast to that streak of slowly approaching divine punishment, Wen Leyang would have thought that time was being extended. Chang Li, who could cause profuse bleeding just by moving her arms and legs in the past, almost seemed like a dragonfly who was trying to shake a jade pillar as she attacked in a graceful and swift manner but was also turning ashen in the midst of her weakness!

Ah Dan too was pinned in place, his gaze was frightened as he looked at the divine thunder which was approaching closer and closer from the sky. Somehow, the zombie baby had lain on his back and positioned his body in the pose of making a snow angel to greet the divine punishment.

The divine thunder of the divine punishment finally descended onto the top of Ah Dan's head yet it did not directly crash into the little fatty's body. Instead, it was more like a snake which was enjoying its prey's breath as it lingered three feet away from Ah Dan's body. The divine thunder slowly twisted and wriggled its body and Wen Leyang could even hear this wicked creature's cooing laughter. The divine thunder was waiting for Ah Dan's heart meridians to be connected, waiting for the moment when his little heart would start to beat!

Chang Li heaved a sigh dully as she stopped her futile attacks. Her originally healthy and glowing face was now ashen. She was exhausted and the divine thunder was too close to Ah Dan now. Even if she was to grit her teeth and attack, this streak of divine thunder would lose its job then.

She had blasted countless strikes of supernatural powers at the divine thunder ever since it had appeared. Each strike was enough to crush a cultivator of Wen Leyang's level into pieces yet it had been futile in the face of the golden-colored divine thunder. Ah Dan's second divine punishment had appeared in a more incisive manner than they had expected.

Ah Dan had a grimace on his small face and his eyes were filled with fear. He struggled desperately to run towards Wen Leyang and when his repeated attempts to struggle free had failed, he then pursed his lips and wailed loudly!

Wen Leyang felt pity swell in his heart but his body remained as rigid as before. Even if he could make a sound now, he would curse the heavens!

The sound of Ah Dan's cry and his crystal-clear tears told everyone that the zombie baby had become a living being.

The divine thunder was like a startled snake as it displayed its fangs all of a sudden. It then constricted before it shot downwards immediately at lightning speed towards Ah Dan mercilessly! Wen Leyang cried out in heartfelt sorrow before he shut his eyes and could not bear to watch anymore when he suddenly heard a series of laughter in his ears which sounded cheerful, crisp yet resolute!

A pale green-colored shadow which was even swifter than the divine thunder struggled free from the jade knife and dove head-first into Ah Dan's chest. Soon after that, a pure golden-colored radiance bloomed out of Ah Dan's body with a bang. The godly appearance of a Buddha as large as a mountain had taken form in the blink of an eye within the golden light!

Nevertheless, the divine thunder was utterly unhindered as it tore apart the golden giant Buddha into pieces like a ferocious knife. Soon after that, a loud sound which could rouse the heavens was heard as the Buddha's light and the divine thunder both vanished at the same time.

The sky then brightened in a flash, the winter's sun which was warm and full hung on the edge of the sky. Wen Leyang felt his body become lighter but he has yet to realize what had happened when the divine punishment ended. However, the sound that made him wish he could rejoice with wild excitement and cry loudly was Ah Dan's childish and resentful cry which was echoing in his ears.

Ah Dan's face was covered with mucus and tears as he cried fiercely…

A pale, golden-colored Buddhist prayer bead was rolling around on Ah Dan's chest as his little tummy heaved.

Chang Li sighed and her body was swaying ever so slightly as she picked up the Buddhist prayer bead. She held it in her palm as she frowned and asked softly, "Why did you do that? He is him and you are you, the act of him crossing the divine punishment and growing into an adult hereafter are all his own matter which are unrelated to you."

Wen Leyang realized that Ah Dan was safe and sound. He then stretched out his hands and held the little fatty in his arms before he walked to Chang Li's side. Wen Leyang observed the Buddhist prayer bead in her palm attentively and he discovered in slight astonishment that there was an indistinct face reflected on the surface of the Buddhist prayer bead.

Guo Huan saw that Wen Leyang gathered over and his rigid voice too carried a slight grievance as he informed Wen Leyang softly, "That's the monk Jin Zhao!"

The monk Jin Zhao's voice remained as heavy and deep as before but he now sounded like he was very far away, so far away that he could be blown away by the wind at any time, "That time, it was me who had opened the door to let him in. How could I just stand by and watched as he leaves once again? This way, what difference was there if I had never opened the door in the beginning…"

His words were baffling but Wen Leyang felt that these words sounded unusually familiar as if he had heard them before in the past. He could not recall why they sounded familiar and he shot his gaze at Chang Li out of habit.

Chang Li pursed her lips before she softly said to him, "It's from the movie 'Léon: The Professional'!"

Even though he knows that the timing was inappropriate, Wen Leyang could not help but laugh out loud. He looked at Chang Li then at the Buddhist prayer bead, it turns out old demons enjoyed watching movies too.

The monk Jin Zhao laughed as well, "When I was the Taoist priest San Wei, I had the opportunity to watch some movies too… In any case, I had been referring to the meaning behind the dialogue." He then paused for a moment before he refocused the topic of discussion once again, "Actually… I was not only saving the boy's life, I was also saving myself. Over a thousand years ago, I had not managed to cross the divine punishment successfully. I was supposed to be reincarnated into the next world and continue my cultivation in the next life but because of failing to cross over, I had ended up possessing the evil sycophant's human body. Even though I had managed to survive for another thousand years, I had lost the opportunity to be reincarnated once again too. I could only wait for the karmic power which I had accumulated during my time as a Buddhist monk to be exhausted. Only then would my soul be scattered and dispersed, it would happen sooner or later I guess!"

He had not managed to cross the divine punishment successfully back then. He was supposed to be reincarnated into his next life and he would have brought along the karmic power and blessed deeds which he had accumulated in his past life. He would certainly have become an eminent monk in his next life. When this process was repeated many times, sooner or later, there would come a day when he could hopefully ascend to the Devaloka of the Western Pure Land but due to this strange mishap, he had ended up stranded in his current state. His power of primordial spirit was also the karmic power which had been accumulated from back then.

After he had regained his memories, the monk still had one ultimate question. He wondered why he had been left with so little karmic power. By right, he had fought the evil soul's evil energy for a thousand years so not only should his karmic power be depleted, it should have grown instead. After he had discovered the demon monk San Duan's heavens-defying actions, only then was he suddenly enlightened. His favorite disciple had tried to save him but had harmed him as a result!

The process of growing evil spirits and planting a soul for a thousand years had exhausted his karmic power rapidly. Now, he was left with almost nothing. Even if he could find a new human body, he would not be able to live for a long period of time. By then, when his soul was truly about to be scattered and dispersed, he would completely disappear from this world.

The monk Jin Zhao had lost all hopes of being reincarnated into the next life and continuing his cultivation. He had been a little furious initially but he was still an eminent monk who had achieved mastery. Just as Ah Dan was about to be blasted by the divine thunder, Jin Zhao was also enlightened to the fact that Ah Dan was alive because of him. Though he was not the one who had come back to the land of the living… was this not another form of his reincarnation?

He had used the next few years or the next decade of his feeble life to bet on this reincarnation process that belonged to him. He was willing to accept the reality whether he had won or lost that bet.

As he was risking his remnant soul to withstand the divine punishment, he already knows that he would naturally re-enter the reincarnation process while the remaining karmic power from his past life has accumulated into Ah Dan's body.

When the monk Jin Zhao finished his tale, he laughed softly, "This boy here is the reincarnation of my next life. Otherwise, just by depending on the power of my remnant soul, he could not have survived the divine punishment."

The power of Ah Dan's second divine punishment shocking, Chang Li had exhausted all her powers yet she had been barely able to shake it even a little. The divine thunder was also aimed more accurately this time, it only recognized Ah Dan so it would not strike anyone else to death before it had dispersed. The monk Jin Zhao had been capable of using his remnant soul to disperse the divine punishment due to only one reason, Ah Dan and he was of the same soul. However, while he was the person of this life, Ah Dan was his next incarnation. To the divine punishment, it had struck this person to death so it would naturally have vanished after that.

Wen Leyang exhaled gently, he was filled with questions but he did not know what to say now.

The monk Jin Zhao's voice was growing softer and softer as the radiance on the Buddhist prayer bead too became dimmer and dimmer. It seems that he would not last much longer, "I have regained all of my memories, if all of you still have any more questions, make the best use of my time!"

Wen Leyang understands that the monk does not have much time left. There was no need for him to delay so he asked directly, "How did the jade talisman which had been left behind by the Grand Master end up in your hands?"

The monk Jin Zhao understood Wen Leyang's question but there was an uncertainty in his tone of speaking, "That jade talisman had belonged to your Grand Master? Heh… After I had possessed San Wei's body, I then spent days and nights fighting the evil soul's evil energy until I was extremely familiar with Xiang Liu's breath. I can't remember the exact moment but a few centuries ago, someone had suddenly come to investigate in secret at Eyangshan Mountain. Even though he had tried very hard to suppress himself, I could still distinguish that the soul within that human body was Xiang Liu! Hehe, that very same person was Tian Yin whom we met in the ore cave. I had chased after him for a long distance back then but he still managed to escape in the end. However, I managed to seize this jade talisman from him during our fierce battle… I was aware that this item was important to Xiang Liu but I did not know its purpose and I knew even less of its origins."

Wen Leyang had found out from Liu Zheng that Tian Yin had once visited the Eyangshan Mountain in order to locate his evil soul's brother a few centuries ago. As a result, he was then hunted by San Wei. Unexpectedly, that was how San Wei had obtained the jade talisman. After that, when Painting Town had spent days and nights monitoring the Eyang Sect, Painting Town had not realized the peculiarity of this jade talisman back then. It was only when they found out that San Wei frequently studied this item that they realized this was an important item and they subsequently hired unrelated master cultivators to attack the Eyang Sect to seize this jade talisman. Finally, it then passed through many hands before it landed in Wen Leyang's grasp.

Chang Li continued to inquire closely, "If the matter of Hanba and Xiang Liu was very important to you, when you had gone to Shanghai to deal with Hanba, why did your other three split bodies not follow you?"

The Taoist priest San Wei's final cultivation base was already perfected, he was no less inferior than Chang Li and Hanba and needless to say, his three split bodies' actual power was not too shabby either. However, San Wei had chosen to handle the important matter himself and had not brought along his three powerful helpers.

"The One Word Palace!" Jin Zhao began to speak faster though his voice was still as calm as before, "The evil soul had once left a clue behind in the Eyang Sect. When it was acting as San Wei, he had started to pay careful attention to every single movement of the One Word Palace since two thousand years ago. I did not manage to find out the specific reason why but in the recent one thousand years, I had not discovered any mysterious or unusual incidents from the One Word Palace. However… The One Word Palace is closely related to Xiang Liu, I'm certain of this. Otherwise, why had that evil soul acted so cautiously?! I had sent the First to participate in the Five Blessings' gathering on Nine Peaks Mountain because the One Word Palace had decided to suddenly marry their young maiden to the Wen family in a baffling manner. I was afraid that when I was dealing with Hanba and the evil soul, the One Word Palace would ruin my important matter, that was why I had then sent the Second and the Third to each kept a close watch on First Elder Xia and Second Elder Ma…"

The monk Jin Zhao's voice was already so soft that he could almost not be heard anymore. When that final golden light on the Buddhist prayer bead was extinguished, the divine monk had left behind a voice which was unclear if it was a sigh, a laugh, or only a whithered whisper!

At this point, even Ah Dan was feeling tired of crying. He had been sitting in Wen Leyang's embrace as he sobbed and the area around his eyes and lips were blushing enchantingly. He was trying to stretch out his plump hand desperately and his mouth babbled as he tried to reach that Buddhist prayer bead which had already lost its shine in Chang Li's palm…

Chang Li laughed as she reached over to Wen Leyang and picked Ah Dan up from his embrace. She then cradled Ah Dan and stuffed the Buddhist prayer bead into his little plump hand.

Ah Dan behaved as if he was relieved by the weight on his hand. He heaved a long sigh and, following that, he wriggled his buttocks strenuously as he stretched out his hand and pointed at the direction of the Wen family village. His mouth was still babbling all the while…

Little Ah Dan, who was supposed to die without a doubt and would not even leave ashes behind, has turned into a delicate baby at this point. His tiny little body emitted a sweet-smelling warmth in Chang Li's embrace and in his widely opened eyes, his pupils were glimmering like black onyx. He was greedily looking at this world which had suddenly become colorful!

Chang Li was elated, she pouted her lips and was about to kiss the little fatty's cheek. Ah Dan, however, immediately held his palm to her lips as his body arched away with a determined expression. He utterly refused to be kissed by Chang Li…

Wen Leyang was startled and he hastily snatched Ah Dan out of Chang Li's grasp, was afraid that she would react in rage… If that happens, Ah Dan's crossing of the divine punishment earlier would have been all in vain.

Guo Huan burst out in laughter but he was still a little puzzled, "He's alive now but why isn't he talking yet?"

Of course, a newborn baby would not know how to speak, Wen Leyang was surprised at how Guo Huan could ask such a foolish question when Chang Li too chimed in, to his surprise, "That's true, he ought to be able to talk the moment he had been resurrected!"

Wen Leyang was stunned before he was finally enlightened. These old demons could speak the moment they took the form of a human so they had assumed that humans too were born knowing how to speak… It was not easy for Wen Leyang to know the answer to a question which they did not know and that was why Wen Leyang was determined not to tell them the answer.

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Chapter 232: Greyish-white

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

The monk Jin Zhao had averted the divine punishment with his remnant soul. Wen Leyang smiled as he looked at the now-living Ah Dan and the playful look on his face. The toddler could not stay still even for a minute. No matter how Wen Leyang thought about it, for the monk Jin Zhao, five words were enough to describe his sacrifice, it was a worthy death!

Qin Zhui did not look at Ah Dan. He was rooted on the spot, frowning as he looked at the ground in a daze. When Wen Leyang went over and patted his shoulder, he acted as if he had just woken up from a dream and muttered, "The One Word Palace has ties with Xiang Liu?"

He then looked at the others with a complicated gaze, "What relationship do they have? Is Nineteen's stay on the Nine Peaks Mountain also… Because of Xiang Liu?"

Chang Li smiled and shrugged, "You can put it that way. However, when Nineteen had wanted to marry Wen Leyang before this, the Wen family did not have any ties with Xiang Liu."

Wen Leyang frowned in confusion. Ah Dan exclaimed and seemed to think that the expression on Wen Leyang's face looked cool. The little toddler tried hard to furrow his brows as well and frowned along with Wen Leyang. If a random person were to walk past, they would probably think that the older one misses his wife while the little one misses his mother…

Back then, Wen Leyang had foiled the Jingpo demon lady's evil plan at the Miao stockade village. When they had returned to the Wen village, the One Word Palace was already busy making arrangements to marry Nineteen to him. When the Five Blessings had made a scene on Nine Peaks Mountain, Nineteen had broken her silver spear and was heavily wounded when she tried to save someone. She had stayed on in the Wen family village ever since.

However, the Wen family had known nothing about Xiang Liu back then. They only found out about Xiang Liu and the wicked soul after they accidentally rescued a Heaven's Cone Nail at the Gold-Consuming Lair and battled Hanba at the City God Temple. After that, Wen Leyang and a few others then journeyed to the highland's snow-covered peaks and discovered Tian Yin and the true soul. They had finally been able to piece together the entire series of events regarding Xiang Liu now.

Back then, when the One Word Palace had wanted to give their daughter in marriage, Wen Leyang did not even know how to write the words Xiang Liu, let alone defeat this monster. If the One Word Palace really has ties with Xiang Liu and they had given their daughter in marriage to plant a spy to deter Wen Leyang from fighting the nine-headed monster, they must have been fortune-tellers.

"The One Word Palace had given their daughter in marriage but they had not foreseen that you will treat the monster as an enemy." Chang Li could not stand seeing Wen Leyan frown, even more so now when he has a copycat held to his chest. She quickly analyzed the situation for him, "Maybe it's because they had known about some things beforehand, like…"

"Like 'the important person who is significant to the destiny of the righteous and evil path of the cultivation world'!" Wen Leyang's eyes lit up. He lifted his head quickly and Ah Dan lifted his head jubilantly as well.

Since the Jilong Sect knows that 'Wei Mo's Martial Uncle' was hiding on the Nine Peaks Mountain, the One Word Palace naturally had a way of finding out about this matter as well, maybe even before Jilong Sect had received this information. Back then, before the Qing Niao had ascended the mountain to cause a mess, the smaller factions attached to the One Word Palace had begun to send betrothal gifts to the Wen family.

The matter was not too complicated especially now that they know the One Word Palace had ties with Xiang Liu. Xiang Liu had wanted to look for the 'big flat cake, broken gong, and the dog' so the One Word Palace would not keep themselves out of the affair. However, they were like the Rainbow Brothers and had not had the chance to make their move yet.

Wen Leyang smiled and shook his head. He found it increasingly difficult to differentiate between the cultivation world and the world of spies.

Chang Li did not have the demeanor of an elder as she giggled and bumped Wen Leyang with her shoulder, "What do you think about that girl, Nineteen? Do you still want to marry her? If you ask me, you should grab every chance you get…"

Before Wen Leyang would interject, Qin Zhui wailed and waved his fists, "Don't you dare!"

Ah Dan sat in Wen Leyang's embrace and convulsed with laughter. He seems to like Qin Zhui's angry face very much…

Wen Leyang hastily waved at Qin Zhui, asking him to stop his assumptions. He then thought of something as the gloominess on his face was swept away, "The monk Jin Zhao had it wrong! Even if the One Word Palace had ties with Xiang Liu, it's the tie of an enemy! Otherwise, Tian Yin would've attacked the Nine Peaks Mountain long ago!"

Though the One Word Palace has ties with Xiang Liu, they might be his ally or enemy. Wen Leyang had assumed that the One Word Palace was against the Wen family but then he pondered upon whether the One Word Palace was Xiang Liu's lackey, she thinks that they would have leaked the information about Wei Mo's Martial Uncle hiding at the Nine Peaks Mountain to Tian Yin already.

Following this train of thought, the One Word Palace was seeking the 'big flat cake, broken gong, and the dog' for the same reason as them, to defeat Xiang Liu. When he thought of First Brother Xia's gallantry and Nineteen's favor of saving Mumu's life, this judgment made Wen Leyang's heart feel extremely comforted and he smiled.

Chang Li exclaimed in utter surprise, she was not used to Wen Leyang's sudden burst of intelligence.

Qin Zhui's initially gloomy expression also lightened up quickly. He laughed and said, "Let's come clean to Nineteen then, we share a hatred for a common enemy and we could fight Xiang Liu together…"

Chang Li giggled and nodded. Suddenly, she leaned forward and tapped Qin Zhui's head with her fist. Qin Zhui did not even have the chance to be puzzled as he fainted with a straightaway. Ah Dan cheered immediately and chuckled heartlessly.

Wen Leyang too exclaimed in surprise. He was about to speak when Guo Huan opened his mouth from within the jade knife, "Whether the One Word Palace is a friend or a foe, we'll only be making wild guesses no matter how well-based out inferences are. What's scary isn't how powerful the enemy is but the foolish young lad had wanted to treat the enemy as a friend. If that's the case, he'll die without a burial place!" After he finished, Guo Huan paused before he continued, "Silly boy, you regard the One Word Palace as your friend but there's a huge flaw! It's no longer a secret that you want to defeat Xiang Liu so why hasn't the One Word Palace formed an alliance with you yet? Your powers have improved so much. In force, you have Great Mercy Temple and Chang Li at your back; in abilities, you are not inferior to the demon rabbit Bu Lu even before you had gone to the highlands!"

Chang Li added from the side, "The enemy's enemy might not necessarily be a friend."

Wen Leyang knitted his brows and said nothing.

Chang Li pondered for a while before she suddenly smiled until her eyes turned into crescent moons, "I've become badly injured after helping Ah Dan pass the punishment and need to leave to recuperate. You've also exhausted your strength and can't move but the person in the Red Leaves Forest is important. The sooner we know about the secret of the 'big flat cake, broken gong, and the dog', the sooner we can defeat Xiang Liu. That's why…"

Wen Leyang understood then that Chang Li wants to test One Word Palace. He nodded with slight hesitation.

Guo Huan laughed, "There's no need to worry about them being suspicious. If it's really for these three objects, anyone would've done the same! While you're at it, you can even probe the thoughts of the Rainbow Brothers!"

Chang Li's eyes were filled with excitement, she has finally found something more fun than chasing a debt. She then stretched out a hand and pressed it to Qin Zhui's forehead. After a brief moment, Qin Zhui's colors turned greyish-white and he now looked ninety-nine percent dead. At the same time, she looked at Wen Leyang and smiled, "Don't worry, he'll wake up after three days and I guarantee that he'll be in super high spirits! However, before he awakes, Nineteen and the others' cultivation base means that no matter how much they check his condition, they will think that Qin Zhui had been hit by thunder magic and his primordial spirit has been damaged!"

As she said this, Chang Li was walking towards the depths of the jungle, "There's no need to look for me. Whether it's the village or the Red Leaves Forest, I'll appear if anything's wrong!" Her voice then faded as her gentle and graceful figure vanished at the edge of their sight…

Wen Leyang tore his clothes. The Power of Poison within his body flowed and his face flushed the color of blood. He dragged Qin Zhui behind him as he carried Ah Dan and slowly made his way, step by step, towards the village. Soon after, he was found by the disciples who had come out to fetch him. A huge group, under the orders of Grand Elder Wen, came hurriedly and escorted them back to the Wen family village.

Ah Dan seems to be dazed when he saw so many people in such a short span of time. These people looked familiar but he could not remember how they had met before. His gaze shifted as he scanned every face in the crowd but he was stunned when he saw Mumu. Bean-sized tears immediately dropped down his face and his mouth caved in as he cried out. He no longer wished to stay within Wen Leyang's embrace as he extended his arms persistently at Mumu.

Mumu's eyes were red and there were tears in her eyes. She hugged Ah Dan close and would not let him go. Everyone sighed in relief when they saw that Ah Dan was fine. Wen Leyang stuttered as he relayed everything which had happened but he left out the monk Jin Zhao's final words. He also modified the story slightly, making it sound as if they had tried to block the divine punishment as they disregarded their own lives. In the end, Chang Li had been exhausted and badly wounded so she must immediately find a place to recover her demonic primordial energy. Qin Zhui and Wen Leyang too were heavily injured.

Wen Leyang panted as he told this lie. It was indistinguishable whether it was because he was too badly wounded or he felt guilty about lying. As Mumu hugged Ah Dan and looked at Wen Leyang deeply through tear-filled eyes, his face reddened even more…

Nineteen's expression, as she looked at Qin Zhui, was extremely like Mumu's.

Wen Leyang does not know how to use telepathy so he had no way of telling the few elders the truth. He then simply decided not to tell them. After all, it would not cause too much trouble other than making them feel worried.

After Ah Dan and Mumu were done with their reunion, Ah Dan then stubbornly jumped down onto the ground. He ran to Qin Zhui's side next to the stretcher and knocked on his head before winking and grinning at everyone. They were all puzzled and Wen Leyang's heart dropped. Luckily, Mumu yelled and pulled the plump little guy away.

'You've Got Me' was still fighting the Sword's Resolve inside the village head's big house. It had no time to properly greet Wen Leyang…

After resting for half a day, Wen Leyang had recovered somewhat. He seemed unwilling to wait any longer and after persistent requests, he finally met with all the good hands of the family and headed for the Red Leaves Forest. What made him surprised and confused was that Nineteen has utterly no intention of following them to the Red Leaves Forest. The entire group entered the mountain while she had stayed behind in the village. Before they parted, she even smiled happily and she told them to take care.

Guo Huan grunted softly within the jade knife, "Maybe the men of the One Word Palace have already entered the mountain. Even if the little girl's not going, it doesn't mean anything. Just keep your act up!"

Wen Leyang was quite successful in his acting and leaned on a palanquin throughout the entire journey. Ji Fei and Shui Jing had been initially compelled to carry their master out of obligation but then Wen Nine and Wen Thirteen threw a fit and wanted to carry the palanquin no matter what…

Only one of the Rainbow Brothers was needed to break Wei Mo's Martial Uncle's magic disguise spell but all seven of them had come along. The Rainbow's Leader chuckled and explained to Wen Leyang, "Don't worry, this matter is related to Xiang Liu. Even if you truly find those three treasures, I wouldn't want them even if you were to give them to me as a gift! All seven of us have come along because we were worried in case anything were to happen. Us brothers could use this opportunity to thank the favors of all the mutton we had from the Wen family."

"And eggs!" Wen Leyang had no way of distinguishing truth and lies as he diverted the topic with a smile. He then asked strenuously, "The true soul has shown himself and you guys have also seen Tian Yin's abilities. Maybe someday, the nine-headed monster will break the Prohibitions and return to the mortal world. What would the World Sect do then?"

The Rainbow's Leader answered with a solemn expression, "The righteous and the evil paths will then unite and finish off Xiang Liu above anything else!"

The other six brothers all broke into laughter.

The Rainbow's Leader scratched the back of his head and could not help but laugh as well, "Let me be honest with you, let's not talk about Xiang Liu's true body yet, even his true soul or the wicked soul. Which one of them can we even go against? While all hell breaks loose, we would settle our debts with the Mountain Sect b*stards first before anything else! Then, even if we die, at least it's after we have got our revenge!"

Wen Leyang smiled bitterly and said no more but Guo Huan laughed, "As I thought, these World Sect b*stards are more to my liking!"

The Rainbow's Leader shook his head helplessly, "We're not stupid, we know our own limitations. The Great Mercy Temple is administered by a great demon and is also closely related to Chang Li as well as the Wen family so we won't fight them just yet. As for the Jilong Sect, Eyang Sect, Kunlun Sect, and One Word Palace, hehe! We don't even need the Rainbow Brothers, the Four Heavenly Sects are more than sufficient to defeat them now."

The Rainbow Brothers do not know that the Kunlun Sect has the ability to compete with the Enlightened Tian Shu's sword formation, nor do they know that the Supreme Leader of the Eyang Sect was San Wei's split body. Except for the Great Mercy Temple, they had assumed that the abilities of everyone else in the Five Blessings were only average. Hence, they had made these wild claims.

Wen Leyang smiled as he heard that, "The grudge between the righteous and the evil paths are no business of ours but… Be careful that you guys don't break your heads!"

Wen Leyang could not be bothered by the matters of the Jilong and the Eyang Sects. The Little Supreme Leader Liu Zheng was very friendly with him but with the World Sect's abilities, if they truly wanted to fight the Kunlun Sect which only has seventy-three remaining members, they would lose. Wen Leyang was not too worried about Liu Zheng at all. The old grudge which had accumulated for thousands of years could not be settled in any other way and he had no way of meddling in this either.

However, if the Great Mercy Temple or Liu Zheng were to fall into the hands of the World Sect, he would definitely not sit idly by as the Rainbow Brothers harmed them.

The elites of the Miao stockade village and the Luo family had also accompanied them to the Red Leaves Forest. Since Mumu has seen Wen Leyang, she decided to no longer hide from him. However, she was too shy to be too intimate with him in front of everyone else. She had followed behind the two Luo family elders as she glanced occasionally at the severely incapacitated person on the palanquin.

Each time their eyes met, a delighted gleam would erupt within Mumu's eyes and she would then lower her blushing face. Wen Leyang felt happy and tickled, miss Luo Wangfu, who has always been spicy, had a cute and shy side to her personality after all.

The entire journey was uneventful. Only Ah Dan, who was bored, had run beside the palanquin and pulled on Wen Leyang's pants. He wanted him to come down and walk… When he saw that he could not pull Wen Leyang down, he then tugged on Mumu as he looked at the palanquin with eager eyes. He gesticulated and informed his guardian that he wanted to have a ride as well.

Out of consideration to a few elders and the group of ordinary Death Trademark disciples, it took them two days of walking in the mountain before they finally arrived at the Place of Birth, Life, Sickness, and Death. The two Luo family elders looked at each other in surprise before they smiled cynically, "I've always heard that the Place of Birth, Life, Sickness, and Death was a forest of red-leaved trees which will not wither throughout the seasons. It was a beautiful scene like flames that reached the heavens. However, I didn't think that… The Wen family had needed to brag about this?"

Wen Leyang was also dumbstruck as he stared at the nearby forest. He could hardly believe his eyes, the once blazing and enchanting patch of red leaves had now turned greyish-white like the skin of a toad's belly. The scene was lifeless and extremely ugly.

The forest was covered in corpses. The corpses were not rotten but the skin exposed to the air was the same color as the leaves.

Grand Elder Wen ignored them and looked at Wen Leyang. He spoke in a low tone which was loud enough for everyone to hear, "On the tenth day of the fourth month, take the little girl Luo Wangfu as your bride here. On the eleventh day, send her back!" They had first set the date of the tenth day of the fourth month as their wedding day but Wen Leyang had been held up inside the jade talisman for two months and they had missed the lucky time. Grand Elder Wen had set the next date to the same time the following year. Now, the spring festival was upon them and their 'second wedding' was only three months away.

Grand Elder Luo burned with rage. He pointed at Grand Elder Wen and scolded, "Bullsh*t! I'm not giving her in marriage anymore!"

Grand Elder Wen sneered, "Not marrying? You've accepted the betrothal presents, she has to go through with the marriage even if you don't want to!"

"You have the face to call mushrooms, wood ears, and broken bamboo baskets as betrothal presents?" Grand Elder Luo was stamping with rage when the betrothal presents were mentioned.

Luo Wangfu's small face was flushed red with shame and anger. Wen Leyang would have loved to find a crack in the ground and bury himself in it. The others did not interrupt, especially the Second Mother and little Chi Maojiu. They almost looked on with a smile as they witnessed the two elders quarrel.

Fourth Elder Wen walked behind his older brother with his hands folded behind his back, he looked ready to strike at any time. He decided to fight with this old enemy of his before the Place of Birth, Life, Sickness, and Death over anything else.

First Uncle smiled bitterly and stood in front of Wen Leyang. He pointed at the dilapidated and ugly forest as he talked business, "When Fourth Elder Wen had planted the Ning Jiao's poison, the forest was still red in color. Back then, the antidote which we had concocted was also working. Then, Fourth Elder Wen had thought of the other two elders' wounds and returned to the village. He only found out later that the leaves had turned into their current color without warning. The poison of the Prohibition spell has also changed, our antidotes are useless now. The people outside can't get in while the people inside can't get out either!"

One of the fat Rainbow Brothers moved closer and pointed at the corpses in the forest. His expression was sorrowful, "Those were all our subordinates. They had been poisoned when they entered the forest and they died on the spot. Even those with profound cultivation bases could not withstand such a malicious poison." After he finished, he paused for a while before he continued, "At that time, some of the Brothers had lost their temper and hit the forest directly with their magic weapons. However, whether it was the blade's aura, divine glow, magic weapons or magic powers, they were all corroded immediately once those magic weapons touched the trees."

Wen Leyang listened as he spread his telegnosis ability far and wide. He could sense that around the Place of Birth, Life, Sickness, and Death, other than this group of people, not even an ant could be found. It was also silent within the forest. He was too familiar with the people from the Place of Birth, Life, Sickness, and Death who were only different from zombies because they still needed to breathe. It was as if nothing under the skies could shock them. The only ones with any signs of life were the two men brought up by wild beasts and Wen Xiaoyi.

Wen Leyang was delighted to sense Wen Xiaoyi, who was sitting at the entrance as she cleaned her blunderbuss…

The Rainbow Brothers looked at his expression and exclaimed in surprise, "Your telegnosis ability can penetrate into the Place of Birth, Life, Sickness, and Death?"

Wen Leyang nodded and asked rhetorically, "You guys can't"

The fat men nodded in unison.

To put it bluntly, the current forest was extremely similar to the Gold-Consuming Lair which Wen Leyang had been to before. They could not accommodate the telegnosis abilities of cultivators but the latter had the thick force of Metal Element whereas the forest was enshrouded in poison. However, not only was Wen Leyang's telegnosis ability work unaffected inside the forest, it was also clearer than usual.

Wen Leyang took some light steps as he tottered towards the forest. He felt the poison which enshrouded the surroundings while, at the same time, he secretly urged the Poison of Life and Death to flow swiftly in his body. In an instant, the surroundings quieted down. The two elders who were sparring with curses also shut their mouths in unison. Their eyes bulged as they looked at Wen Leyang.

After a while, Wen Leyang turned and shook his head at the two elders, "This poison can't harm me but I can't absorb it either!"

Fourth Elder Wen nodded drily, he had a hunch in his heart. If Wen Leyang could absorb the Ning Jiao's poison, they would not have needed to wait for Gu Xiaojun to dispatch vehicles to send the Ning Jiao's corpse back to the village. Wen Leyang would have absorbed the poison when he killed the Ning Jiao at Painting Town.

Though the Ning Jiao's poison was strong, after Wen Leyang's poisonous bones had been remolded, his body would only absorb the purest poison from the Five Elements or the purest Yin corpse poison. Although the Ning Jiao's poison was similar to the Poison of Life and Death, they were not entirely the same. Even the slightest difference would cause both poisons to be incompatible. Moreover, Wen Leyang's Poison of Life and Death was much more powerful than the Ning Jiao's.

Grand Elder Wen sighed, he no longer has the energy to quarrel with Grand Elder Luo, "If you can't do it, we can only ask Grand Master Chang Li to help destroy the prohibition spell." Wen Leyang was immune to poison so he could enter and leave this land of poison with ease. However, he could not bring anyone into it nor could he bring anyone out of it.

Destroying the prohibition spell means destroying the entire forest to the root. Wen Leyang was at a loss. He had first met Wen Xiaoyi here a few years ago and was acknowledged as 'You've Got Me's' master before he was hit by the Yin Chi's poison and the hundred poisons of the Wen family. He had also made his first kill here, experienced great dangers, and tasted the sweetest chocolate under the heavens… Each time he thought of this fiery red enchantment, he could not help but laugh foolishly. He naturally has deep feelings about the Red Leaves Forest.

The edge of Fourth Elder Wen's lips twitched in a barely noticeable manner. He made an extremely low and muffled grunt from the depths of his throat as he gazed at the forest in sadness.

Grand Elder Luo raised his brows with glee. He wanted to say something when he was pulled back by his brother. At this moment, if he was to provoke Fourth Elder Wen even more, both elders from the two families would really break out into a fight.

Wen Leyang smiled bitterly and raised his arm before he lightly punched the nearest grey-leafed camphor tree. The straight tree shook slightly but the leaves did not shudder. After this one punch, Wen Leyang grunted in puzzlement!

The melancholic whitish color had no luster to it. The Ning Jiao's sting, which was cultivated within Wen Leyang's body, had appeared without warning and stabbed into the tree with a thwack!

Grand Elder Wen thought that Wen Leyang had summoned the fierce, snake-shaped blade on purpose. He smiled and diverted the topic in an attempt to distract Fourth Elder Wen, "How was this sword refined It can't even penetrate a tree…"

The old man had not finished speaking when his voice was drowned out by loud bangs. A Bone Snake had suddenly leaped up and extended its body. It then plunged headlong into the forest with a high-spirited howl!

The entire grey-leafed forest shuddered. As the leaves rubbed against each other, they released loud, stifling banging noises which resounded under the heavens!

After a while, First Uncle was the first to react. He pointed at Wen Leyang and laughed bitterly, "You're a little too fast, aren't you?"

Wen Leyang was stunned. He then realized that First Uncle and Grand Elder Wen both thought that he wanted to destroy the forest. He hastily smiled bitterly and shook his head, "It wasn't me who had summoned them!" He then paused and added, "I'm badly wounded so how could I have any energy to destroy the forest!?"

The Ning Jiao's spike had turned manic when it felt the Ning Jiao's strange poison. It had appeared on its own without being summoned by Wen Leyang!

What surprised the entire Wen family most was, as the Bone Snake circled the forest and rubbed against the trees, the greyish-white color of the forest quickly faded away and a faint but flourishing red color began to sprout silently!

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Chapter 233: Little Girl

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

The moment Wen Leyang had come into contact with the prohibition spell of the Place of Birth, Life, Sickness, and Death, the Ning Jiao's sting which had been cultivated within his body had appeared of its own accord. It had then summoned the Bone Snake which had then rushed into the forest and absorbed the prohibition spell's poison its heart's content.

The people outside the forest were very shocked while the disciples inside the Place of Birth, Life, Sickness, and Death were even more shocked. Wen Xiaoyi waved her blunderbuss mightily as she quickly ran towards the edge of the forest while she was escorted by a few people from the Death Trademark. She shouted a question in a crisp voice, "Who's there?"

A dozen people on the outside shouted in unison, "Wen Leyang!"

Wen Xiaoyi exclaimed in surprise before she turned around and ran back into the house. Her face was blushing tenderly…

Wen Leyang's face flushed red as well, he never expected his own family members to be so united during this one occasion.

As they witnessed the forest's lifeless greyish-white color gradually recover to its originally flourishing fiery red, the happiest of them all was, of course, Grand Elder Wen. His wrinkled face was filled with smiles as he walked up to Wen Leyang and asked, "What's the matter?"

Wen Leyang did not say anything while Guo Huan laughed and replied, "This Ning Jiao has turned into a spirit!"

Only demons which have turned into spirits could retain their nature within their bones after their flesh and soul have dispersed. This was how the Ning Jiao had manifested itself as the Bone Snake as it pounced out to absorb its own poison within the forest. Guo Huan explained this in simple terms to the others. He then added as if he had not given his full view, "It's not a beast, it's an evil spirit which has refined its demonic primordial energy and obtained divine wisdom!"

Guo Huan laughed happily as if it was nobody's business. However, Wen Leyang and Grand Elder Wen both said in unison, "Wrong!"

Of course, Wen Leyang dared not steal Fourth Elder Wen's limelight so he immediately took a step back as he smiled and extended a hand to implore his grandfather to speak first. Fourth Elder Wen narrowed his eyes slightly, "Us old men had mixed eleven types of poison into the Ning Jiao's flesh and blood. That was through nine types of finely refined herbal formulas before we could finally break its poison down. We then planted it into the Red Leaves Forest's prohibition spell. Although it was the Ning Jiao's poison in name, its toxicity has been changed…"

Fourth Elder Wen's meaning was clear; the nature of the poison within the prohibition spell has already changed drastically and it was now a totally different thing compared to before. It was clearly not the Ning Jiao's strange poison anymore but if that was the case, why was the Bone Snake absorbing it?

Guo Huan kept quiet as Wen Leyang was hit with a sudden realization. He now understood why the Red Leaves Forest had turned into the Grey Leaves Forest, "The Poison of Life and Death can assimilate other poisons…"

Fourth Elder Wen was immediately stunned. He did not need to wait for Wen Leyang to finish what he was saying before he grunted. Fourth Elder Wen's expression was slightly depressed and helpless. He finally understood the reason why the prohibition spells' poison had silently changed.

The Ning Jiao's poison was extremely similar to Wen Leyang's Poison of Life and Death. The Poison of Life and Death could assimilate other toxins so, naturally, the Ning Jiao's poison would also have this ability though at a much slower rate.

Back then, the Wen family elders had joined forces as they used a dozen toxins and refined formulas. Eventually, they managed to crack the Ning Jiao's poison and turned it into a poison which the Wen family could use on the Place of Birth, Life, Sickness and Death's prohibition spell. However, after some time, the Ning Jiao's poison had gradually assimilated the other poisons. It then returned to its original toxicity after merging with them. That was why the prohibition spell's antidote no longer worked and their own people could not enter nor leave the Red Leaves Forest. However, the Bone Snake enjoyed this bitter situation as if it was malt sugar as it immediately speared and absorbed the poison.

Guo Huan did not understand the Art of Poison so he put on a show and laughed. He then asked Fourth Elder Wen timidly, "Have you understood the situation?"

Fourth Elder Wen nodded honestly. Wen Leyang picked this moment to speak up on something which he felt was not right, "Painting Town has been helping Hanba to kill demons and extract their demonic primordial energy. If this Ning Jiao was an evil spirit, it should've been killed by Leyang Tian ages ago!"

The Ning Jiao had been summoned by Leyang Tian using witchcraft to defeat the enemy. The relationship between those two was like Wen Leyang and 'You've Got Me', a master and his pet. However, Leyang Tian was not as close to the Ning Jiao by comparison.

Guo Hua sighed secretly, he could at least explain this, "Firstly, maybe Leyang Tian and the Ning Jiao had been on friendly terms and he couldn't bring himself to kill it. Secondly, the Ning Jiao contained the Poison of Life and Death as well as the Power of Yin and Yang within its body. A monster like this is rarely seen. Its demonic primordial energy had been covered up by the poison and could hardly be noticed. Maybe Hanba and the Leyang family didn't even know that it had already cultivated itself into a demon."

Guo Huan's voice has barely faded away when a young voice sounded from far away and replied him, "It's all blind guesses! This was a monster which had cultivated poison, its demonic primordial energy is poisonous primordial energy. Not only could it not be refined, even if you had obtained a demonic primordial energy such as this, you could even kill the wicked soul with poison."

A petite figure had accompanied the voice as it swiftly barged into Wen Leyang's telegnosis ability. As soon as they heard that voice, its owner has also appeared before them.

A little girl, who looked to be about five to six years of age was standing before them. She carried a black cloth bundle on her back while a Longevity Lock weighing half a kilogram hung from her neck, glistening gold under the sunlight. The little girl had red lips and white teeth. Her little face was so delicate that it made the others want to pinch it to see if they could pinch some water out of it. The little girl's long hair was especially striking as it fell straight down like a waterfall to her ankles. Only her garment looked slightly unsuitable for her. Her big, padded jacket was clean but the sleeves almost reached her little calves. The front and rear flaps of the padded jacket had been pulled down, barely revealing her quilted shoes. Otherwise, she would not have been able to walk at all.

When Wen Leyang was testing out the prohibition spell, Ah Dan had seized the opportunity to occupy the palanquin. Ah Dan, who was seated on the palanquin, cried out in surprise and joy as he leaped down and ran towards the little girl who had suddenly appeared. After a moment's hesitation, he plucked the silver necklace around his neck with great effort and shook it in his left hand. He then tiptoed and pointed vigorously at her Longevity Lock.

The Rainbow Brothers signaled each other and moved slightly. They formed a formation without anyone noticing and inconspicuously surrounded the girl.

The little girl was half a head taller than Ah Dan. She was stunned at first but after she understood what he had meant, she pushed him aside. Mumu's body flashed past and she held Ah Dan tightly. She then spat out a statement with some humorous anger, "You're not stupid!"

Ah Dan was still waving his necklace forcefully. He looked upset…

This little girl was even more glittering and translucent than the Hua family youths, she looked like a doll which had been sculpted from ice! Though her appearance may be strange, it had not made anyone feel nervous. Wen Leyang was uncertain whether he should ask in a sharp voice or inquire softly. He decided to keep up his sick act and asked feebly, "Who are you?"

The little girl looked to be not much older than Ah Dan but her voice was clear and she was eloquent. She was nothing like the silly young boy who could only make babbling sounds, "Daddy had sent me to ask you, did something happen on Xiang Liu's part?"

Although Wen Leyang understood a decent amount about the cultivation world and knows that he should not judge a book by its cover when it comes to cultivators, he was still extremely surprised at this little girl who had moved like the wind and knew about the Ning Jiao as well as Xiang Liu.

Guo Huan seems to have felt something as well as he asked with interest, "What's your name? Who's your dad?"

"Daddy is Hanba! Daddy is known as the Fifth Brother! I'm… Xiaowu!" The little girl's voice was not loud and her tone was young and light. Nevertheless, the words she said were like a heavenly thunder which shocked everyone to their core.

Who would have guessed that Fifth Brother Hanba had a daughter named Xiaowu! Everyone was dumbstruck and they looked at each other for a long while. The seven Rainbow Brothers, Grand Elder Wen, the two Luo family elders, Qing Miao's Second Mother, Ji Fei, Shui Jing, and First Uncle Wen Tunhai almost asked in unison, "Who's your mom then?"

The little girl had made a dexterous entrance but when she was faced with this bunch of unreliable people, her childish nature appeared instantly. Her features crumpled into a ball on her small face as she bit her lip and answered resentfully, "I don't have a mommy, only daddy…"

Ah Dan had broken free of Mumu's embrace again without anyone noticing. He then stood in front of Xiaowu, radiating unhappiness and outrage as he held the silver necklace out and looked on. He resembled Nezha right at this moment.

Xiaowu felt aggrieved for a while before she continued, "Daddy had been recuperating initially. The wicked soul which he was cultivating had suddenly started behaving restlessly recently. The old man is worried that something bad has happened on the Black and White Island so he had sent me to find you guys to see if you needed any help."

Hanba had worked together with Chang Li to trick someone else. Though they had completely eradicated their archenemy, San Wei, Hanba was also badly wounded. He had returned to the Corpse-Forming Land to heal his wounds. Before he left, he had said that he would approximately need a hundred and ten years' worth of effort before he could completely heal himself. However, recently, the wicked soul within his body has been stirred up wildly. Hanba was worried that Xiang Liu has broken free from the Black and White Island. Fifth Brother Hanba could of be of any help himself so he had sent the little girl in his stead.

The little girl Xiaowu had stated her origins clearly and the grievance on her small face was even more apparent now, "Today was daddy's birthday but I can't even be by his side!" As she said this, she removed the bundle on her back and tossed it to Wen Leyang spitefully, "This is a demon figurine, daddy's token!"

Xiaowu spoke with reason and with the demon figurine which only Guo Huan knows how to make, her identity was unquestionable. However, not one of them could wrap their minds around the idea that Hanba has a daughter. If Xiaowu was a toddler corpse like Ah Dan was before, she would definitely not be so exquisite and bright nor would she be able to talk; if she was a girl adopted from the world, even if she had started her cultivation in the womb, she would not possess such amazing techniques. She had been able to fly into Wen Leyang's telegnosis ability and stand in front of the Place of Birth, Life, Sickness, and Death in the time it took for her to complete a sentence.

As for why Fifth Brother Hanba had never mentioned his daughter Xiaowu before, it was not difficult to understand. These people from the Tuo Xie Sect had rarely come into contact with the Fifth Brother. Knowing the Fifth Brother's character, he would also be reticent to talk about such matters with them.

Guo Huan chuckled within the jade knife. When Xiaowu had appeared, he had already guessed what was happening, "Have you fellows heard that there were some strange plants growing within the major Corpse-Hiding Lands such as the Ten Thousand Corpses Tomb, the Thousand Heads Pit, and the Hundred Bones Cave?"

The Taoist monk Ji Fei nodded from the side, "Legend has it that these plants had been formed by the foulness of the dead. They're like venomous snakes, the more brilliant the colors, the more dangerous they are…"

"The foulness of the dead are things of extreme Yin, how could they bear beautiful flowers?" Mumu has returned Ah Dan into her embrace and did not allow him to make a mess anymore. She smiled and shook her head, "These flowers are called the Yang Grass. After a person dies, their primordial Yang energy will be utterly dispersed. If it was on a vast plain then naturally that would be fine but if the land was special, the primordial Yang can't disperse quickly so they would condense and bear these flowers. They're not the fruits of foulness and they won't harm people, on the contrary, they could even save people."

Wen Leyang nodded, he remembered seeing such a record inside the Birth Trademark. Sometimes, within a mass of graves and tombs, magnificent flowers which do not wither with the seasons could occasionally be found. These flowers have amazing detoxifying properties but they would wither the moment they were plucked.

Guo Huan laughed and praised, "As expected, Mumu knows more! These plants are formed by the Yang energy. Think about it, if plants could grow within a Thousand-Man Pit, why couldn't it bear a little girl?!"

The Taoist monk Ji Fei was hit with a sudden realization. Fifth Brother Hanba had been badly wounded and had returned to his old lair to recuperate. His Corpse-Forming Land would naturally be different. In other people's imaginations, it would be a land covered by white bones. If they were to compare the Thousand-Man Pit to Hanba's Corpse-Forming Land, it was like the difference between an ashtray and Emperor Qin's mausoleum. It would not be surprising even if a little girl could be formed from that place.

The Rainbow's Leader was the head of the World Sect so his knowledge was naturally better than Ji Fei and Shui Jing's. He frowned as he heard Guo Huan's words, "When a person dies, not only will they release primordial Yang energy, foulness will also be released. They would be utterly negated before they spilled out of the inner and outer coffins. I've also heard of the Yang Grass before but these objects are too rare, only one or two Yang Grass will be formed when a thousand people have died peacefully on a Yang-Gathering Land. It's already hard to ask for two drops of water, how could they gather and form a great lake?"

It was unsure whether it was Ah Dan's tireless disturbance or because a huge group of people were discussing her origins in front of her, Xiaowu's expression has turned gloomy. She pouted and asked them, "'The initiator of evil will have no descendants', have you heard of these eight words before?"

The others were puzzled and only Guo Huan laughed, "So that's how it is! I get it now. I was wondering how such a coincidence could exist under the heavens!"

A thousand years ago, the figurines used by nobility during their funerals were not clay figurines of warriors and horses but had been made out of real human beings who were then buried with the high nobles. That was why Confucius had cursed the person who had invented this wicked act to have no descendants.

Guo Huan continued to explain to Wen Leyang, "At first, making figurines out of living human beings was regarded as a magic art. The foulness released by the dead would be fully absorbed by the figurine. After some time, when the magic art has taken shape, the corpse figurine would then turn into a figurine warrior which guarded the grave. Although it has no magic powers, it has incredible strength. Their bodies were tough and they know no pain nor do they fear death. It was not difficult to handle one or two of them but when it was a number so great that they covered the heavens and earth, even the gods would avoid them!"

At this moment, the Rainbow's Leader's face lit up with sudden realization, "The foulness of the dead were sucked away by the figurine and the primordial Yang energy could also not be dispersed within the sealed figurine pit. In the end it… Had given birth to Xiaowu!?"

The other Rainbow Brothers looked at each other before they huddled together and muttered amongst themselves, "What're the vilest methods that we have in our practice?"

"Stealing Souls to Refine Streamers, With a Moon Streamer, Break the Helpless Bridge!"

"Invoke a Ghoul With a Blood Pool, Let the Blood Pool sparkle for a Hundred Years, Five Ghouls Kill Men Softly!"

"Hide the Corpse to Forge Swords, Conceive Mischief, Break Bones to Gain a Zombie… It's uncountable!"

The Rainbow's fat men all said a few sentences before keeping their mouths shut in the end. They all looked dejected. The Rainbow's Leader smiled bitterly and shook his head as he said to Wen Leyang, "These methods of ours, when compared to the ancient people who made figurines, all look like child's play!"

Guo Huan snorted, "You guys are not bad already! All of these magic arts could easily take a hundred or a thousand lives!" After he had finished speaking, he ignored the Rainbow Brothers and changed into a milder tone as he asked Xiaowu, "If you're a child born from a figurine pit, why do you call Hanba your dad? From what I can see, that old zombie has some good fortune in him to have adopted such an intelligent child!" He then added to complete his own views, "It's even his birthday today, a zombie, celebrating his birthday!"

The little girl Xiaowu giggled. She puffed her chest out and said proudly, "It's true that I was born from a figurine pit but the figurine pit had been dug by my daddy and he had made all the figurines inside. In the end, the one who had brought me back to life was also that old man. If he's not my daddy, then who is?"

During those ancient times, Tuo Xie and his brothers had very different personalities. Big Brother Lue Luo and Little Brother Tuo Xie had some semblance of being erudite persons while Second Brother Mi Xu who was steeped in the Art of Corpses had always envied the riches of this world. Fifth Brother Hanba too had inherited his master's will so it was in his nature to love gold and silver.

The three strange men had cultivated on their own after they had accomplished their own methods of practice. Second Brother Mi Xu had helped the high nobles to refine living figurines. Not only was he able to improve his cultivation base, he does not have to run around by himself to find someone to kill and he could have all the money and women he wanted. He could hit many birds with just one stone so he had been happy to do it. It was precisely because Mi Xu knew how to use his art flexibly that he eventually figured out a way of killing demons to extract their demonic primordial energy, cultivate a demon figurine within a corpse and finally sealed the wicked soul within Hanba's body and completed Grand Master Tuo Xie's request.

It was a turbulent time for the western Han dynasty two thousand years ago. To obtain longevity, the nobles had secretly continued the art of making live figurines which had been abandoned for hundreds of years. It was a golden opportunity for Grand Master Mi Xu to show his capabilities. At that time, Fifth Brother Hanba had not obtained his spiritual intelligence yet, he was only a thousand-year-old zombie king who only knew how to respond to his master's commands. Basically, his job had been to deal with all the heavy manual labor. There was an especially crucial step, a small hole must be bored between the corpse figurine's brows to let the primordial Yang energy escape. This step must be carried out by the zombie king Hanba to have an effect.

Fifth Brother Hanba had slept for a thousand years after he started to cultivate demonic primordial energy. His whereabouts was the largest figurine pit which Mi Xu had left behind. After he had woken up, he noticed with surprise that the primordial Yang energy within the figurine pit had condensed silently without anyone noticing and formed the shape of a human. Another few hundred years passed before it finally condensed into the little girl Xiaowu. However, at that moment, Xiaowu only had Yang energy. Although she was alive, she could only sleep and not wake. She was completely opposite to a zombie, the little girl had a consciousness. She had dreams but she could never wake up; while the latter could move but had no instincts or consciousness.

The corpse's energy within the demon figurine was greatly detrimental to the wicked soul but it was a golden remedy for Xiaowu to mediate her Yin and Yang energies. Hanba used a few demon figurines which had been tainted with corpse's energy. Under the nourishment of demonic primordial energy and corpse's energy, the little girl Xiaowu's Yin and Yang finally complemented each other, causing her primordial soul to condense and awaken.

Xiaowu had been born from the condensation of Yang energy so she was already alive. After she had been awakened by the corpse figurines, she would not incur a divine punishment as Ah Dan had. After she had woken up, she had naturally taken Fifth Brother Hanba as her father.

After the little girl Xiaowu had woken up, she had gone around to play. However, since her life had been condensed from primordial Yang energy, she had the playfulness of a child but not the foulness of a zombie. She made no mischief and only studied under Lei Feng thus her name was not widely known… At this point in time, Hanba had returned to the figurine pit to tend to his wounds and Xiaowu had also returned at the same time. She was then dispatched by the Fifth Brother to the Nine Peaks Mountain. After Xiaowu had finished speaking, she patted her padded jacket with utmost satisfaction, "This is also a gift from daddy!"

The Rainbow Brothers were dumbstruck as they listened. They were stunned for a moment as they all looked at Wen Leyang and the group of Tuo Xie disciples before bowing with cupped fists. They muttered endlessly as they smiled, "We're impressed, we're impressed. We had thought that we were the evil ones but we now know that compared to the ancestors of your family, we're not even little lambs…"

Guo Huan laughed, "Lambs eat grass and wolves eat lambs, that's how it always has been. It was you guys who had wanted to differentiate between good and evil no matter what. What about the wolf? Should they be categorized into good wolves and bad wolves?"

The Rainbow's Leader was not a good person himself but he could not hold himself back and retorted, "Wolves do not kill wolves. To the wolf, every wolf under the heavens are good wolves. Men are different, they kill their own kind…"

He had not finished speaking when Guo Huan cut him short rigidly, "Nonsense! Do you think that the likes of you can be considered the same as Mi Xu and Tuo Xie? It's the survival of the fittest in the world. Before Mi Xu, what difference did you have with wolves, lambs, grasses, and ants? To the ants, you're a god but isn't Mi Xu a god in your eyes as well? If a god wants to kill you, it's enough for you to complain a little, there's no need to be resentful."

The Rainbow's Leader naturally could not accept Guo Huan's demonic words. He grinned with rage and cursed, "Mm! You had also been killed by Mi Xu so it also counts that a god had wanted to kill you. Haven't you been complaining all these years?"

Guo Huan was filled with rage. He immediately started to calculate if he would be done for if he was to cast the 'Demon Body Breaking Spell' once more. Wen Leyang quickly stepped in and interrupted their quarrel.

The Bone Snake was still slithering amongst the branches and was absorbing the Ning Jiao's Poison continuously. The greyish-white leaves had turned red in layers and gave the onlookers an unspeakable comfort just looking at them. By the looks of things, in no time at all, the poison in the prohibition spell should be completely drained.

Relief was written all over Fourth Elder Wen's old face. At least the prohibition spell of the Place of Birth, Life, Sickness, and Death does not need to be destroyed while in his custody. Wen Tunhai was not as moved as the old man as he secretly pondered whether they should have broken the Ning Jiao's poison after all. In the end, Wen Leyang was the one who had reaped all the benefits.

Guo Huan uttered something about beating up the Rainbow Brothers after he finds his split body in contempt before he finally ignored them. He continued to ask the little girl Xiaowu, "Do you know about the Ning Jiao?"

Xiaowu nodded. She pouted again out of habit as if the Ning Jiao was nothing special, "This snake was originally a demon. After it was exorcised by daddy and Painting Town, they discovered that they could not refine its demonic primordial energy so they had let it go. The snake got its life back and would occasionally lend Painting Town a helping hand. Otherwise, the snake wouldn't be this obedient just because of those few toads, it even went and helped Painting Town fight!"

With the Ning Jiao's abilities, it could eat a toad of any size of its liking. Leyang Tian's Art of Witchcraft was already dwindling with his own abilities, if he had wanted to direct such a powerful demon around, it would have been slightly beyond his powers.

Wen Leyang nodded in sudden realization. He then returned the topic to when Xiaowu had first appeared, "You had said that demonic primordial energy is poisonous primordial energy? How do you explain this?"

"These poisonous beasts had refined their Power of Poison into demonic primordial energy. They had then used that to refine their primordial spirit and obtain spiritual intelligence. However, the Ning Jiao's poison has some special properties; Yin and Yang energies had intertwined to form chaos and the primordial spirit which had been refined could not be separated from it. It was one with the Poison of Yin and Yang within its body. Its poison was its demonic primordial energy while its demonic primordial energy was its poison. It could not be separated nor could it be refined!"

Wen Leyang's expression was strange and he could not help but mutter, "Why did it have to refine its Power of Poison into life vitality?" The Ning Jiao's poison was extremely potent and its characteristics were also similar to his Poison of Life and Death. If the Ning Jiao was the second most venomous being in the world, only Wen Leyang would dare to call himself the first.

With such a powerful and domineering Power of Poison, it was much more powerful than a cultivator's life vitality. It was apparent from the Red Leaves Forest's prohibition spell that the members of the World Sect had lost many lives but they had still been unable to pass through the forest. The life vitality which cultivators had gone through so much pain to refine was as fragile as a soap bubble when faced with the Ning Jiao's poison. However, the Ning Jiao had refined part of its Power of Poison into life vitality. It was like it had refined a handgun into a knife. No matter how one looked at it, it was not even a particularly good knife, more like a kitchen knife.

Guo Huan understood his thoughts and scolded Wen Leyang rigidly, "Stupid young lad, do you think that the Ning Jiao has your good fortune? It was a beast so if it wanted to obtain spiritual intelligence and transcend into a demon, there was no other way than refining its own demonic primordial energy! Otherwise, even if its Power of Poison could destroy the world, it was only still a beast in the end. It would be the same as ordinary zombies with only its instincts but not spiritual intelligence!"

Mankind was the soul of the universe. The road to Heaven's Cultivation for a human was much smoother than that of a beast's. Wen Leyang had been born with spiritual intelligence. The Power of Poison within his body was, in essence, his life vitality. The other cultivators had absorbed the spiritual primordial energy of heaven and earth before refining it into their own life vitality whereas Wen Leyang had strengthened his body and heightened his powers by absorbing poison.

However, the Ning Jiao could only refine its Power of Poison into life vitality first before it could refine it into its primordial spirit and obtain its spiritual intelligence before it could advance in its cultivation. Only then could it turn into a demon. Whether it was the peerless great demons like Chang Li or Guo Huan; or ordinary demons like Po Tu, Bu Le, and Shan Duan, on the first stage where they had cultivated their form, they had lost a great amount of strength before they could obtain their spiritual intelligence. Hence, in normal circumstances, when an evil demon turned into an evil spirit, not only would its powers not increase compared to before, it would greatly decrease instead.

Wen Leyang nodded but only comprehended half of what had been said. He at least understood that he could not compare himself to a demon's standards. After some time, amidst a long joyful howl and the fluttering of shaking leaves, the forest outside the Place of Birth, Life, Sickness, and Death was completely restored its enchanting crimson look. Every bit of the Ning Jiao's Poison has been completely absorbed by the Bone Snake. The Bone Snake was also no longer just a skeleton, it was now enshrouded in a layer of substantial grey mist. In a casual glance, it looked almost like the former Ning Jiao in life!

However, the Snake Knife, Ning Jiao's sting, had not changed much. Its only change was the mottled black and white spots which had appeared on the blade. It rang cheerfully with the Bone Snake before it returned to Wen Leyang's body.

Even a person who knows nothing about cultivation understood that Wen Leyang had gained the benefits again this time. The huge, strange demon Ning Jiao, from its blood, flesh, poison to its bones and sting, even its skin, scales, and armor had been turned into Wen Leyang's magic weapon!

The good hands of the Death Trademark who had followed them then entered the forest to test things out. The people outside the Wen family understood that this was a crucial land for the Wen family so nobody else had dared to barge in uninvited.

Grand Elder Wen was frank and he waved at the others, "Come in."

Fourth Elder Wen added coldly, "After you enter, listen to my orders. Those who wander will die for nothing!"

The little girl Xiaowu furrowed her brows. She raised her chin and asked them, "What is this place? Your ancestral grave?" She was a little demon who had been brought to life from the land of corpses so she was more sensitive towards corpses than Ah Dan ever was. After the barrier of the Ning Jiao's poison had disappeared, she immediately noticed that there were many corpses which had been dead for a long time inside the forest.

Grand Elder Wen snorted, "You can put it that way." The ancestors of the Wen family were well accomplished in the Art of Poison and their bodies do not rot or decay. If they were buried, not even a blade of grass could grow in the perimeter of a few kilometers. The corpses of these Wen family ancestors had been kept inside the Life Trademark. At normal times, they were suppressed by medicinal herbs to prevent the poison from dispersing.

The little girl exclaimed and smiled, "No wonder there are so many bodies under the ground…"

She had not finished speaking when Fourth Elder Wen suddenly squalled. He gave an order impolitely to the others, "Stop! Other than the Wen family members, no one is to enter!" His voice has barely faded away when every Wen Bucao disciple rushed into the forest. Wen Leyang no longer played his wounded act anymore as he carried the little girl Xiaowu and followed closely behind his two grandfathers.

It was true that countless corpses of their ancestors had been kept in the Place of Birth, Life, Sickness, and Death but none of them had ever been buried underground!

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Chapter 234: Fury

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Grand Elder Wen was indeed a man of great experience. When he saw that the almost-dead Wen Leyang had suddenly recovered his full strength, he was only slightly stunned before he asked, "Was it to test Nineteen? Grand Master Chang Li had not gone away to recuperate!" Wen Leyang nodded hastily to his inquiry.

The group passed through the forest and arrived at the Place of Birth, Life, Sickness, and Death in the blink of an eye. A few capable and experienced Death Trademark disciples immediately came over to welcome them. These men were the elites of the Death Trademark and had been left behind in the Red Leaves Forest by Fourth Elder Wen. They were in charge of supervising and controlling the people of the other Trademarks and to prevent Wei Mo's Martial Uncle from escaping.

The Wen family were extremely secretive in their investigation concerning the cultivator who was hiding within the Place of Birth, Life, Sickness, and Death. Other than these trusted Death Trademark good hands, nobody within the Place of Birth, Life, Sickness, and Death knew about that matter. The Death Trademark's leader, who was standing guard within the Place of Birth, Life, Sickness, and Death, nodded slightly at the group. His gesture meant that every disciple of the Place of Birth, Life, Sickness, and Death was present and no one had escaped.

Fourth Elder Wen's voice was cold and stern, "Nobody moves until I tell them to!" The old man then glanced at Wen Leyang.

Wen Leyang hastily nodded. His telegnosis ability was able to firmly cover the entire area of the Red Leaves Forest which was not that large to begin with. Unless Wei Mo's Martial Uncle who was hiding within the Place of Birth, Life, Sickness, and Death had abilities like Chang Li or the Cone Nail, he could not escape from the Red Leaves Forest without Wen Leyang noticing.

At this moment, if anyone was to make any suspicious movements, there was no need for the Rainbow Brothers to confirm it, it would definitely be from that obscure cultivator.

Wen Leyang put the little girl down and asked her in a gentle voice, "Where are the corpses? The ones buried underground…"

Before Xiaowu could reply him, the Death Trademark disciples who had been in charge of sealing the wooden houses in the Place of Birth, Life, Sickness, and Death suddenly yelled in surprise!

Fourth Elder Wen ruled with an iron hand and the Death Trademark's good hands were well-trained. Other than Wen Buzuo who loves his mouth more than his life, the other disciples would not even bat an eyelid even if they were to see their own eyeballs fall on the ground. However, those screams were now filled with terror!

At least half of the corpses inside the Life Trademark had leaped up!

There were fake corpses inside the Life Trademark!

Although the movements of the zombies were rigid, they were much faster than an ordinary person. They immediately swarmed like bees out of the wooden house. Wen Leyang's body flashed as he went forward to meet them but the moment his fist was about to land on the zombies, he suddenly squalled. He then somersaulted and returned to the group before he asked with fright and anger, "What's the meaning of this!?"

The zombies which had leaped out of the Life Trademark, whether it was their appearance, body figure, or their attire, it clearly showed the others that they were all ancestors from the Wen Family. Even if Wen Leyang had eaten the gallbladder of a leopard, he dared not attack his own ancestors.

The people of the Wen family were surprised and angered. They gritted their teeth until they made grinding noises but they dared not act rashly as they were worried about profaning their ancestors.

Only the little girl Xiaowu sneered. Her body swayed and she pounced without hesitation like an agile young leopard towards the zombies who were running towards the Wen family disciples!

Grand Elder Wen and Fourth Elder Wen turned pale with fear. They then growled in unison, "No!" Wen Leyang did not need to be ordered as he leaped again. He intercepted the little girl Xiaowu in mid-air and the duo dropped to the ground at the same time.

Wen Leyang had a shocked expression. He staggered back several steps before he managed to regain his balance. He had guessed that Xiaowu has unique skills or else Hanba would not have sent her to the Nine Peaks Mountain but he never expected this little girl to be this powerful. In that short space of time, the two of them had exchanged dozens of blows. Wen Leyang, who had not used the Ning Jiao's sting and the Ning Jiao's armor but had relied solely on the Faulty Punch, could not gain the upper hand.

Wen Leyang had landed shakily but Xiaowu also fared no better. A pretty red color like dripping blood flashed across her snow-white delicate face. She bit her lip and managed to regain her footing. Although her voice was young, it was domineering as she bellowed sharply, "You ungrateful wretch, again!" She then flipped her long hair and ignored the zombies as she gritted her teeth and pounced towards Wen Leyang.

Even if their ancestors have truly been turned into zombies, the Wen Bucao disciples could not allow anyone else to lay their hands on them. Wen Leyang was of the same thought. With a muffled grunt, he summoned the Ning Jiao's armor to protect himself. He did not show any weakness as he met the little girl Xiaowu in combat. Just as the two were about to clash, a light laughter which was pleasing to the ear suddenly rang out. Chang Li, who was covered in fragrance, had appeared in the Place of Birth, Life, Sickness, and Death from out of the blue. Her movements were as fast as lightning as she ran in a circle around the zombies and sealed all of them within it. She then pulled the two people who were about to brawl apart. Her palms were like white jade as one of them pressed the little girl's head while the other pushed Wen Leyang's chest as she laughed, "Don't fight yet, don't fight yet. Please explain everything first!"

When the group of Wen Bucao disciples saw that Grand Master Chang Li had appeared and that the zombies were temporarily under control, they could not help but sigh in relief.

Xiaowu struggled a few times but she could not get past Chang Li's palm. She then stopped resentfully and spoke spitefully to Wen Leyang, "Indiscriminate fellow! These aren't zombies at all! They aren't even dead men! I was born in a corpse pit, can they deceive me?"

Wen Leyang exclaimed in understanding but Chang Li was slightly confused. A cute question mark was pressed between her brows. She squatted down and asked Xiaowu with a smile, "What do you mean?"

Xiaowu had only wanted to help but she was then wrongly stopped by Wen Leyang. She had wanted to attack him out of rage. Now that Chang Li was willing to hear her case and that she was also as beautiful as a fairy, Xiaowu felt an indescribable friendliness and love when she looked at her. The resentment quickly surged up into her little face and a few unconcealable sobs were heard in her tone as she said, "He's done me wrong! These things aren't fake corpses, nor are they zombies!"

When she saw that Xiaowu's eyes were red, Chang Li's own eyes also reddened. She nodded strongly and glared at Wen Leyang.

Wen Leyang quickly hid behind Grand Elder Wen.

Xiaowu, upon obtaining Chang Li's support, also increased her volume, "They'll know if they had allowed me to kill one! These dirty things are under the Art of Corpse, that's why they've become what they are now!"

The expressions of the two Wen elders changed. They were afraid that Chang Li would agree to Xiaowu's request.

It was not that they did not believe Xiaowu's words but they dared not gamble with the bodies of their ancestors. The way they saw it, although the ancestors' fake corpses were frightening, it does not seem to be anything serious. They would continue to tend to the dead which were lying down on the ground while the fake corpses could run around the world and they would not mind, they just could not let anyone harm them.

As expected, Chang Li did not even look at the expressions of the Wen family elders. She nodded gracefully and said to Xiaowu with a smile, "Then you go and try but… If you're wrong, I'll have to tear you apart and offer you up as a memorial for the dead of the Wen family. Even Hanba can't protect you then!"

Chang Li's tone was mild and gentle. To the casual listener, it sounded like a big sister who was trying to persuade a little child to eat an apple.

Xiaowu was startled and jumped a little, her reaction was somewhat delayed. She now understands that Chang Li was not some goddess who had come down to earth, she was at most a demon lady or a flying immortal. Xiaowu gritted her teeth as she nodded. She then quickly flew towards the nearest zombie. Her dexterous fingers were like a chisel as they poked between the zombie's brows, sinking in until her fingers could not be seen at all. The zombie howled suddenly, its body shuddered and almost convulsed into a ball. After a brief moment, a puff of black smoke dispersed and left only a bone and the remains of a talisman which had lost its effect on the ground.

Chang Li exclaimed in surprise. With her cultivation base, ordinary magic spells could not escape from her telegnosis ability. However, a magic trick like this which turned a bone into a corpse was so dishonest that she had not been able to notice it beforehand. Also, although this kind of magic was peculiar, it has no practical use in combat. Even for the likes of Ji Fei and Shui Jing, when faced with these 'zombies', they could kill many of them with a single strike of their magic powers.

Xiaowu finally proved her good intentions. She pouted her little red lips and mumbled as she pointed at the other zombies that were trapped by Chang Li, "These zombies are all like that. They're all made from human bones, they're not their ancestors at all!"

The faces of the two Wen family elders who were present were so cold that they almost froze over. First Uncle Wen Tunhai was no better. He braced his fists until his knuckles cracked as he asked with rage, "Where are the ancestors' bodies then!!?"

The bodies which had been kept within the Life Trademark had all turned into bones. Therefore, where had the un-decayed bodies of their ancestors gone?

Xiaowu pointed at an empty patch of land at the Place of Birth, Life, Sickness, and Death's edge. Fourth Elder Wen growled as he brought some men and rushed to the site. They started to dig around carefully. After a short moment, a hysterical and sorrowful wail rose from Fourth Elder Wen's mouth! The expressions of all the Wen Bucao disciples including Wen Leyang also changed instantly. The corpses buried in the ground were rigid and ice cold but the Wen family disciples could easily recognize them as their ancestors based on their attire!

The corpse pit had been surrounded with magic talismans to seal the poison within the corpses of the Wen Bucao's ancestors.

The bodies had been switched into an Art of Devilry refined by bones while the real bodies had been buried underground ground. Needless to say, the faces of the Wen Bucao had been rubbed in the dirt this time!

Fourth Elder Wen's eyes were bloodshot as his whole body shuddered. Grand Elder Wen had been his brother for a lifetime so he immediately knew what his youngest brother wanted to do. He shouted fiercely and mercilessly hit Fourth Elder Wen on the head. "If you want to apologize to the ancestors, you should find the culprit first. After you have butchered that *sshole, Second Brother, Third Brother and I would give you your due beating, you little b*stard!"

As the master of the Place of Birth, Life, Sickness, and Death, Fourth Elder Wen was arrogant and aloof. Before this, it would not have occurred even in his wildest dreams that half of the ancestors' bodies in the Life Trademark would be switched by someone else. He felt so dejected that he was about to explode. He stared at Grand Elder Wen with bloodshot eyes as his mouth made chattering sounds, gnashing his own teeth until they shattered!

The teeth fragments broke his skin and flesh. A thin strip of magenta-colored blood trickled in a crooked pattern down the edge of Fourth Elder Wen's lips.

There was a soft noise of a swinging hinge and Wen Xiaoyi ran over quickly. She pulled on Fourth Elder Wen's hand and her big eyes were full to the brim with tears. She saw that Fourth Elder Wen was torn by grief so she had no time to bother about the rule of not being able to see Wen Leyang.

Grand Elder Wen did not reprimand her either. Instead, he smiled at the young lady. The Wen family have a lot of rules but each generation of elders understood that the biggest rule amongst the Wen Bucao was the mutual affection within the family! In the eyes of the Wen Bucao, there were no worlds, there were no other people, nor was there any right or wrong; there was only affinity to their own family!

At this moment, the door hinge creaked again. An old man poked his head out timidly as bewilderment and terror flickered within his murky eyes.

A Death Trademark's elite yelled, "Wen Shulin, return…"

He was cut short by Fourth Elder Wen's sharp voice, "Silence!" Almost at the same time, Grand Elder Wen's gaze also turned sharp. Like a malicious knife, it mercilessly stabbed into the old face beside the wooden door as he asked in a low voice, "It was you?"

Wen Leyang could not help but exchange a glance with Wen Xiaoyi. The eyes of the young couple were flickering with bewilderment. Within the Place of Birth, Life, Sickness, and Death, other than Fourth Elder Wen, Wen Xiaoyi and the two men who had been brought up by wild beasts, the only other person that Wen Leyang had some impression of was this old man.

He was the one who had given Wen Xiaoyi the blunderbuss and was the one who had fainted out of shock when he had seen the fake corpses of the 'eight ancestral generations'. It was Wen Shulin of the Life Trademark!

The fake zombies have come from the morgues of the Life Trademark but the 'eight ancestral generations' had been real…

Wen Shulin's voice does not sound like a cultivator's. Instead, his voice was very weak. It was unknown whether it was because of his advanced age or if it was out of fear, his hoarse voice shook endlessly as he said, "I… I haven't profaned the ancestors of your family… I've just… Asked them to change their place, rest… Rest in peace underground…"

Fourth Elder Wen did not wait for him to finish before he suddenly yelled, "Under your f*cking ground!" He was like an angry dried bat as he howled shrilly and pounced forward! Grand Elder Wen also leaped and followed behind his younger brother.

If it had not been for Shui Jing's Mountain-Searching Spell which had unintentionally discovered the hidden obscure cultivator or the person in the Place of Birth, Life, Sickness, and Death who had changed the setting of the Wen village thirty years ago, the elders of the Wen family would never had thought that Wen Shulin, who looked as if he would die at any moment, was the sought-after obscure cultivator from the Heaven-Telling Sect.

As the other party was an obscure cultivator, Wen Leyang was worried that Fourth Elder Wen would suffer a loss so he prepared to rush forward. However, Chang Li unexpectedly stopped him. She shook her head and said in a low voice, "Don't worry, he has no life vitality!"

Wen Leyang knitted his brows. Even Wei Mo knows how to cultivate Qi, he also had a nimble body and sturdy bones but Wen Shulin does not even have an ounce of cultivation base?

At this time, Fourth Elder Wen has pounced forth like a strong wind as he raised his fist and punched firmly on Wen Shulin's face. If it had not been for Grand Elder Wen who reminded him just in time not to kill Wen Shulin, Fourth Elder Wen would not have reduced the strength of his punch to half and would have shattered Wen Shulin's head in one hit.

Just as Chang Li had said, Wen Shulin could not evade that attack. Fourth Elder Wen's punch landed squarely on him and he squalled as he somersaulted into the house. The two Wen family elders also rushed into the house after him…

A series of thumping sounds soon mingled into a mess. At first, they could hear someone begging for mercy but after that, there was only yelling. In the end, only Grand Elder Wen's voice was heard as he said, "Poison him, poison him, just don't kill him!"

Suddenly, a great sound which was loud enough to shake the heavens came from Wen Shulin's mouth. The entire Red Leaves Forest then quieted down.

Wen Xiaoyi had hidden behind Wen Leyang all this while. She poked her head out from behind him and carefully scrutinized Wen Shulin's rickety wooden house.

After a brief moment, Grand Elder Wen's voice rang out again, "I'll give him the antidote now, we'll continue after he wakes up!"

They heard Wen Shulin sigh as he slowly woke up. Fourth Elder Wen then snorted and there were sounds of him administering the poison. Wen Shulin then squalled again before he fainted which was soon followed by the sound of Grand Elder Wen detoxifying him using the bamboo needles… These sounds were repeated in that order over and over again.

The Wen family disciples outside the house were utterly quiet, nobody dared to speak. The little girl Xiaowu had initially listened with interest but she decided to cover her ears soon after. She frowned as she sat on the side and did not dare to listen to this any longer.

The three old men had tussled for almost four hours before Grand Elder Wen and Fourth Elder Wen towed Wen Shulin out with satisfied looks on their faces. Fourth Elder Wen's expression was much better but Wen Shulin's complexion was uglier than death…

Chang Li looked at Wen Shulin with interest, "You're the Martial Uncle of Wei Mo from Heaven-Telling Sect? You can predict everything, even the world's situation?"

Wen Shulin only has half his life left. He managed a nod, "That's right! I'm from the Heaven-Telling Sect…"

Chang Li was still all smiles when she suddenly flashed beside Wen Shulin. She then reached out and mercilessly plucked Wen Shulin's nose!

Wen Shulin's body jumped suddenly and he squalled like a pig being butchered. Wen Xiaoyi also tossed her blunderbuss casually on the ground and said with contempt, "An object given by a person who has profaned the ancestors' bodies, I don't want it!" She then stomped on it twice with her foot before Wen Leyang hastily pulled her away. He had clearly seen with his telegnosis ability just now that Wen Xiaoyi's blunderbuss was filled with Thunder's Heart Sand. It was one thing to not want the blunderbuss but it was another thing if the blunderbuss had misfired.

Chang Li's expression was slightly gloomy, "I thought you've disguised yourself? Your nose is real!" She threw the nose in her hand away as she said that. She then stretched out two spring onion-like fingers and slightly furrowed her brows, as if she was thinking whether she should go for the eyes or the mouth.

Wen Shulin finally understood that a single hair from this beautiful lady in front of him was a thousand times more merciless than the fierce-looking master of the Place of Birth, Life, Sickness, and Death. He pressed a hand against his nose and his body shuddered as he tried to defend himself weakly, "I do not dare to profane the bodies of the Wen ancestors. I took a bath and burned incense for prayers each time before I moved them…"

There was a certain gloominess in Chang Li's expression as if Wen Shulin does not understand her at all, "I'm not a blind person, of course I can see that those corpses were all protected by magic." Chang Li was halfway through her sentence when she suddenly changed her tone. She summoned a sharpness which covered the heavens out of nowhere and said, word by word, in a low voice, "I'm blaming you because you clearly knew that you were a bane and there would be no tranquility wherever you are. However, before you hid within Red Leaves Forest, you had leaked the information to others! Every single life the Wen family had lost at the hands of the Sun Dynasty Palace are on your head! You're lucky, not many people know that you're hiding on the Nine Peaks Mountain. If Xiang Liu was to discover that you're on Nine Peaks Mountain, do you think that there would still be anyone left alive here?"

Wen Leyang was initially uncomfortable with Chang Li's violent methods but after he heard her words, he also narrowed his eyes slightly.

However, Wen Leyang was surprised when Grand Elder Wen lifted his arm and stopped Chang Li, "Although he was the initiator of evil, an unintended fault does not warrant his death. Besides, the Sun Dynasty Palace is done for and the grudges of those disciples have already… May you have mercy…"

Chang Li frowned as she glanced at Grand Elder Wen. She then curled her lips, "Why are all his descendant disciples like this, why is there a need to be so particular about these matters!?" She then paused for a moment before her tone regained its usual playfulness, "I was trying to see if he had disguised himself by tearing off his nose…" She looked at Wen Shulin, "Are you truly Wei Mo's Martial Uncle?"

Wen Shulin was nodding when he noticed that Chang Lis bright eyes had locked onto his ears. He was intelligent enough and he made no more silly mistakes as he hastily squalled, "This is a magic art, the nose is still my nose, only its shape has been changed. Even if you were to tear my entire face off, it wouldn't be of any use!"

Everyone present was well-versed with the cultivation world, even Wen Leyang understood that Wen Shulin was an important person to their cause. The fewer people know of him the better. Although the seven fat men were outside the forest, it would be best if they did not know too much as well. Now that Wen Shulin was in front of their eyes, there must be some other way to examine him.

It was at this moment that Wen Tunhai suddenly laughed, "The way I see it, this Wen Shulin is a fake. Wei Mo's Martial Uncle was said to be able to predict the world's situations. If that's true, how could he not foresee that such a great calamity was upon him!? Moreover, this cultivator is no better than an ordinary person!"

"That's right, he had not foreseen that misfortune would befall his nose." Chang Li was all smiles. She tilted her head as she scrutinized Wen Shulin's facial features, "Hurry, you better do a telling now. Otherwise, I wonder if your next unlucky facial feature is your left eye or your right ear?"

Wen Shulin hastily pled innocence in a loud voice, "Telling the world's situation isn't what you guys think…" He then paused without even thinking of covering his nose this time. He was so anxious that he only rubbed his palms together. He was worried that his ear would suffer if he did not explain himself clearly, "For example, if you want me to foretell what Zhang Sanjia would eat today, you must bring me to Zhang Sanjia's kitchen first. Even if I was to go to his kitchen, I might not be able to tell what's for dinner, I might only be able to tell what place this kitchen was a hundred years ago, how many people had died here or when this kitchen will collapse!"

Wen Leyang and Chang Li exchanged a strange look. Wen Leyang then asked Wen Shulin probingly, "You mean that… you can't foretell anything that you want to foretell but you can only start telling with what you have in front of you? Also, you can't say for sure beforehand what you would be able to tell from it?"

Wen Shulin saw that he had understood and heaved a relieved sigh. He wiped the abundant blood on his face as he said, "If I'm in the kitchen, the things I can tell would mostly be connected to the kitchen. However, as for the directions of the things I'll be able to foretell, I don't know that myself."

Wen Leyang shook his head, "Your Martial Nephew Wei Mo had helped me by foretelling the route to exit the mountain while we were at the mountainside! It's like setting a question first before guessing the answer!"

Guo Huan also chimed in, "They even found me while they were at it! Could it be that your cultivation base is inferior to Wei Mo's?"

Wen Shulin frowned in confusion. He first asked about the process of how Wen Leyang had dug through the mountain with Wei Mo's help. His face then showed a disdainful expression and he wanted to snort but he suddenly realized that his nose had disappeared and he could not snort, "That's him being lucky! He wanted to foretell the way out of the mountainside but he foretold the other… That… The other god It was obvious that he had made some deviations. Also, you dug your way out but how do you know that it's the shortest route!? You can go back and measure it. If that's the shortest route, I'll cut my head off to serve as your toilet bowl!" As he said this, Wen Shulin's temper as an obscure cultivator rose up again, "With Wei Mo's abilities, what can he foretell? I can tell without you telling me he must've set a clear goal first before he started his calculations on what he wants to foretell. If the world's situations could be calculated like that then something must be wrong. Nothing can deceive the Heaven-Telling Sect. If he could calculate that, then he's a living god…"

Chang Li was bored of all this listening and waved an arm in front of Wen Shulin to cut him short. Wen Shulin was so frightened that he fell to the ground. Chang Li was amused by him and chuckled, "Enough of this nonsense. First, you do a telling for me. If it's accurate, you can then keep your ear!"

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Chapter 235: Hidden Bodies

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Wen Shulin did not talk nonsense either. He got back on his feet and measured the distance between him and Chang Li's face with his hands. He then scrutinized her gaze and his face slowly filled with concentration. Finally, he scribbled some equations on the ground and muttered to himself for some time. After a long while, he heaved a sigh and confidently said, "Pickle jar!"

Unexpectedly, Chang Li glared at him, "You have to do a telling for even this!? Everyone under the heavens knows that! Foretell something that only I know!"

Wen Shulin's face was full of sorrow as he muttered softly, "I don't even know what I'll be able to foretell beforehand…" Although he had said this, he dared not stay idle as he started calculating again. This time, he got the results of the ancient cave. The third time was Qilian Mountain's Exquisite Ice. The fourth, the fifth… until when it was indiscernible whether it was the ninth or the tenth time, Wen Shulin carefully said two numbers, "A hundred and thirty thousand eighty-eight?"

Chang Li, who was covering her mouth as she yawned, was suddenly stunned. She cheered as she nodded, "Not bad! That's more like it!" She then waved her wrist in front of Wen Leyang. A beautiful golden bracelet shone brightly on her wrist under the mottled sunlight in the Red Leaves Forest, dazzling Wen Leyang's eyes.

Grand Elder Wen was astounded, "A bracelet? Just this little bit of gold is that expensive?"

Chang Li made a 'you don't know anything and I am too lazy to explain it to you' face. She then reached out and plucked the jade knife from Wen Leyang's chest. She waved it in front of Wen Shulin as she challenged, "This time, calculate about this!"

Wen Shulin did not take too much time before he said confidently, "Mount Hua!"

Guo Huan did not understand what was happening when Chang Li nodded with a smile, "That's right, this old demon's immortal's cave is on Mount Hua!"

Wen Tunhai frowned from the side as he pointed at Wen Shulin and scolded, "Stop being deliberately mystifying! If you had derived that Guo Huan's immortal's cave is on Mount Hua, then just say so. You only said two words, 'Mount Hua', do you truly take yourself as a blind teller who cherishes every word as if it was gold?"

Wen Shulin had no nose but that did not stop him from making an expression as if he had suffered the utmost outrage, "That's how I calculate! If I'm calculating about the jade knife, then the thing which I can tell will definitely be connected to the jade knife somehow. However, as for what that connection is, I don't know myself! From the jade knife's measurements and the lengths of the few cracks, I only managed to derive two words, 'Mount Hua'. I don't even know what connections there were between Mount Hua and the jade knife!"

Chang Li stretched as she ignored Guo Huan's surprised exclamations. She then pointed at the corpses which had been buried under the ground by Wen Shulin as she returned to the topic, "First, tell us what happened here!"

Wen Shulin hastily nodded but he ended up mumbling for a long while without being able to speak a full sentence. Fourth Elder Wen sneered from the side and crossed his arms with a gaze which was even more venomous than a poisonous snake's. He stared at him coldly as he said, "Say what you must, Grand Elder had said that your sin does not warrant death!"

Wen Leyang finally understood why Grand Elder Wen had acted out of character.

Grand Elder Wen knows that Wen Leyang was looking at him. He turned and gave him a smile that was too profound to be understood. The laugh lines on the edges of his lips were somewhat sinister!

Wen Shulin finally managed to calm himself down, "You guys have also witnessed just now that I can tell the world's situation but I don't know what the context of the telling will be in. After all these years in the Red Leaves Forest, I had not derived anything useful. I must have some measures for my own protection…" As he was saying this, he pointed at the magic spell which had been broken by Xiaowu, it was the piece of bone that was lying on the ground.

When he had wandered during his youth, he had derived an unnamed mountain cave on a big mountain once. It was unknown if it had been left behind by an obscure cultivator a thousand or ten thousand years ago. In the cave were some bones inscribed with an ancient script. These were all refined objects and once some life vitality was added to it, the talisman's seal scripts would activate, transforming the inscribed bones into corpses which listened to the spellcaster's commands. Wen Shulin also knows the Art of Disguise which was how he had come up with this rotten idea.

His contingency plan was, if the Wen family was to find out that he was an imposter one day, he would activate these fake zombies and put on a show of moving corpses. The Wen family disciples would naturally not dare to fight the bodies of their ancestors. When the time comes, he could escape with his life under the protection of these bone puppets.

Wen Leyang was amused and enraged. Only obscure cultivators who do not know about the world's affairs would conjure up such a stupid idea. Although the Wen family were not cultivators, their Art of Poison was unpredictable. If they wanted to kill a person with poison amongst a bunch of other people, even a random Death Trademark's disciple could do it, let alone experienced people such as the Wen elders.

Chang Li frowned, "You're a cultivator so you must have some cultivation skills, correct?"

Wen Shulin nodded, "That's true, I had self-protection life vitality before this. Otherwise, how could I have secretly switched that many dead men from the Life Trademark… All the bodies of the ancestors! At that time, I had brought those bone talismans into the Red Leaves Forest and secretly switched the bodies all for this moment! I wanted to disperse all the accumulated life vitality I had cultivated over all these years and after I have dispersed my life vitality, I'm no different from a normal person!" He smiled helplessly as he said this, "Just look at me now! If I still had my skills, I wouldn't have to carry out so many unnecessary actions. Even the elites of this world won't be able to stop me that easily."

Before Chang Li could reply, the little girl Xiaowu has also huddled close to them. Her clear eyes were filled with questions, "Why did you disperse your life vitality?"

Whether it was cultivators from the Mountain Sect, World Sect, obscure cultivators or the rogue cultivators, all were universally afraid that they had too little life vitality. They cultivated their life and still felt that time was not enough. They would never have behaved like Wen Shulin who had dissipated his life vitality for no reason. Moreover, he had also chosen to hide in such a dangerous location such as the Place of Birth, Life, Sickness, and Death.

Wen Shulin shook his head at the little girl and smiled bitterly, "I cultivate in heaven-telling, it's different from your Art of Heaven's Cultivation. For the so-called onlookers, I had wanted to calculate about the world so naturally, I would have to wander in the world. Besides those cultivation skills, what was important was also to follow heaven's path and be in harmony with nature. The stronger the force of my life vitality was, the greater it affects my calculations! I had reached that conclusion a few dozen years ago which was why I had prepared such an escape route secretly. After that, I then dissipated the life vitality I had cultivated!"

He had transformed the bones which had been cast with an Art of Devilry by someone else into zombie-like monsters. He then used his Art of Disguise to make the monsters look like the bodies of the Wen ancestors. Finally, he used Taoist magic and sealed the real ancestors' bodies before burying them in a pit he had dug.

Before Wen Shulin completely dissipated his life vitality, he had seized the opportunity when Fourth Elder Wen left the Red Leaves Forest to accomplish all those things. For dozens of years, he had deceived everyone and nobody had ever noticed the switch.

Wen Tunhai spoke again with a frown, "If you're an imposter, where's the real Wen Shulin?" As he said this, a maliciousness seeped out between his brows, "Did you kill that old man?"

The fake Wen Shulin was astonished and he hastily shook his head, "I've never killed anyone. The real Wen Shulin had died more than thirty years ago. I first met him on the Nine Peaks Mountain, he had lost his footing and fell from a cliff. When I reached him, he was barely breathing and was beyond help. Before he died, I asked his name and background. I then cast the Art of Disguise and changed into his appearance. I also took the antidote for the prohibition spell. After I had buried him, I acted like I was heavily wounded and lay on the ground."

After the fake Wen Shulin had finished speaking, he paused for a moment before he smiled with embarrassment at First Uncle, "You had entered the Red Leaves Forest to cultivate more than thirty years ago. At that time… I was already Wen Shulin."

When Fourth Elder Wen heard this, he lowered his head and thought about it deeply before he nodded slowly, "Sometimes, the men of the Life Trademark will enter the mountain to harvest some Cold Corpse Herb which can subdue Yin and block Yang energies. There was this one time when Wen Shulin had almost fallen to his death when he was outside but was later rescued by the Death Trademark."

The fake Wen Shulin quickly chimed in, "Not almost, he did die. The moment he stopped breathing, I immediately took his place. At that time, I still had some life vitality to protect myself so it was not too difficult to fool a few men from the Death Trademark."

Whether Wen Shulin's words were true or false, the scheming elders would be the judges. Wen Leyang, however, has been frowning all this while as he pondered intently about this old man's method of practice which was rumored to be able to tell everything under the heavens.

The method of practice of the Heaven-Telling Sect does have its own unique points. It would not be an overkill to describe it as unimaginable. However, this strange art was also not as mysterious as Wei Mo had made it out to be.

Firstly, one could not calculate everything nor could one set the question first before finding out the result. One could only calculate based on their surroundings and the objects that they have. If one was in Tianjin City, one could definitely not calculate how many unmarried women there were in Baiyun Mountain Airport.

Secondly, the teller doing the calculations does not know what kind of things they would be able to calculate. Even if they had gone to the actual site of Guangzhou Baiyun Mountain Airport, the results of their calculation might not necessarily be the number of unmarried women. Maybe, even after half a day's worth of calculations, they could only calculate three words – 'pot', 'roast', 'beef'.

Thirdly, nobody knows what kind of connection there was between the object calculated and the results. Even if they had managed to derive the words 'pot roast beef' at Baiyun Mountain Airport, it could have been the staff's meal for that day, or that a cow had been hit by a large truck which was transporting rocks when Baiyun Mountain Airport had been under construction and that cow was then subsequently made into pot roast beef. The point was, pot roast beef definitely has some connection to the Baiyun Mountain Airport but nobody could really tell what that actual connection was.

Wei Mo had only known how to derive big numbers back then, he completely did not understand the calculation for small matters. Naturally, he believed in what he desired and he thought that he could derive the minute matters of the world's situation as long as he could find the right way. He had even exaggerated his Martial Uncle into a living god. Wen Shulin had dabbled in this field for many years now so he knows it better than anyone else that the art in which he had cultivated was at most, a self-entertaining past time. This was why he had dispersed all his life vitality and tried hard to extract himself from the world and nature with the hopes that his accuracy could be improved. He had then made all those actions to prepare his escape.

The fake corpses would lie in the Life Trademark and not move at normal times. When the moment was ripe, they would obey Wen Shulin's commands and turn into moving corpses to cover his escape.

However, Wen Shulin himself never expected that when he was exposed, the ones who had come for him were not only the people of the Wen family but there was the addition of the little girl Xiaowu who had appeared from out of nowhere and seen through the act of the moving corpses in one glance. When he saw that the entire Wen family was torn with grief, he understood that he would be found out sooner or later. Instead of waiting for his death, he had chosen to give himself up so that he might be treated with more mercy. The only thing was, it was unknown whether the words of 'leniency to those who confess' could be found in the Wen family's interrogation room on the Nine Peaks Mountain.

Wen Shulin had been living in fear all these years. He had done his calculations within the Red Leaves Forest but the results he had obtained had been either useless or befuddling even to him. In the end, there was only one useful information which was that Wei Mo would also come to the Nine Peaks Mountain one day.

Hence, Wen Shulin had seized the opportunity when the Wen family village had undergone a huge renovation thirty years ago and secretly altered the Wen family's set-up so that Wei Mo could never be able to calculate anything here. Although Wen Shulin had hidden deep within the Red Leaves Forest, he was still an obscure cultivator who was ignorant of how the world worked. His thoughts were always on what he desired so he had secretly changed the Wen family's set-up but also revealed himself in the process.

As for the fact that the Wen family had discovered his tracks and was contemplating on how to capture him, he had no way of calculating that and had completely no idea. Half a year ago, when Wen Leyang had said that he was going to hold a wedding reception, he had salivated for a few days. When he heard that it had been canceled, the old man had even felt upset about it.

Wen Shulin no longer has a nose so it was strenuous for him to talk. However, in order to get on their good sides, he still tried hard with all his might. After he finished telling them about his method of practice and all his actions in the Wen family during the past few decades, he then sat on the ground and panted with his shriveled mouth. He smiled bitterly at the others as he said, "I had hidden in Red Leaves Forest to look for peace. I've never thought of harming anyone nor did I dare to harm the Place of Birth, Life, Sickness, and Death in any way…"

He had not finished speaking when Fourth Elder Wen's eyes reddened again. The fake corpses were still squalling and moving about inside the circle drawn by Chang Li as if they were dancing in a masquerade. The ancestors' bodies which had originally laid inside the wooden house, safe from wind and rain, had been thrown into a pit in the ground but, nevertheless, Wen Shulin still had a resentful expression on his face.

After this, the people from the Life Trademark moved the bodies of their ancestors back into the wooden house. After the fake zombies had been taken care of, Fourth Elder Wen then sent a few men to tell the people outside that all was well. He also invited the heads of the Miao and the Luo families in. Shortly after, noisy footsteps sounded as the two Luo family elders, Mumu, Ah Dan, Qing Miao's Second Mother, and little Chi Maojiu walked into the Place of Birth, Life, Sickness, and Death under the escort of the Wen family disciples.

The Wen family's golden remedy had some magical effects. Wen Shulin's nose was no longer throbbing with pain. If he was willing, he could even blow blood bubbles out of the holes…

When everyone was present, Grand Elder Wen looked at Wen Shulin again and asked in a low voice, "What do the 'big flat cake, broken gong, and the dog' mean?"

Wen Shulin was temporarily stunned as he heard this before he scratched loudly on his head. His expression was hesitant as if he does not know where he should start his story from. Chang Li reminded him with a smile, "Start from the beginning, it's okay if you're slow, just make sure that you tell it all!"

Wen Shulin nodded hastily. He recalled his memories with a pained expression and relayed the events as they had happened.

Wen Shulin was one of the Heaven-Telling Sect's disciples who had the best natural endowments. It was precisely because of his rather good natural endowments that he saw his abilities were completely useless in trying to derive the big numbers. He would have to spend a few decades to derive big events before he could even manage to get a result. If his technique was to be applied to the world, even a heaven-shocking and earth-shaking world war would have long ended before he finished his calculations. Hence, he only wanted to calculate the small numbers of the world's affairs. In the end, he had quarreled with his Martial Brother the Supreme Leader and left Mount Emei in a fit of rage. He then entered the world and dabbled in the so-called calculation of small numbers.

With his skills, if he wanted to make a living, the best career option was to become a fortune-teller. However, he had almost starved to death during the first few years. Ha only understood later on that fortune-telling and calculations were two very different things. If it was a job, then he needed some packaging as well. He also acted like a true fortune-teller where he cherished every word as if they were gold. He set a rule for himself to never say more than three words. No matter how much he was paid, he would only say three words in the end. As for the subsequent matters after the three words, it was up to the client to interpret them.

The others listened intently and waited for him to carry on. However, Chang Li interrupted him with a smile, "Three words each time? What if you had a two-word or four-word result?"

Wen Shulin chuckled, "Adding or subtracting a word or two is always easy. If my result was 'roasted chicken', I would tell my client that it was 'roasted fragrant chicken'. If my result was 'red clothes young lady', I would tell them that it was 'red clothes girl'. No matter who comes to me to do a telling, they cannot tell me what to calculate about. I'll simply measure their height or the size of their heads and say whatever I calculated before sending them on their way."

When he had tweaked his ears and scratched his cheek in embarrassment as he calculated all sorts of results for his clients, he could not even earn enough for two steamed buns. However, when he changed his marketing strategy to 'when the golden mouth opens, only three words ring', his booth soon bustled with customers. He had turned from a trickster who was wandering the streets into a living god that everyone respected. In addition to that, he does have the skills. Maybe the three-word readings had left people puzzled but when it came true, everything just clicked into place naturally and he gradually made a name for himself. Some people even gave him a nickname as the 'Three-Word Immortal'.

The Three-Word Immortal had continued to cultivate as he went into society. His cultivation base had not improved but he lived a comfortable life. Everything was fine until that fateful day around seventy or eighty years ago when a bright-looking, extremely handsome middle-aged man had suddenly approached him. He smiled peacefully as he handed him a large sum of money and his own left arm.

Wen Shulin was already an exceptional fortune-teller by then. If the person gave him their left hand he would want to touch their face, if the person moved their face closer he would ask about the time of their birth. The point was that he would reject whatever which had been offered because he could calculate anything. This middle-aged man fared the same, after he had thrown his left arm back, Wen Shulin then measured the length of his right arm. He then began to calculate. After a while, he got the result which was 'two fighting men'.

The original result was 'two tigers fighting each other'. To stay true to his nickname, the 'Three-Word Immortal', he had slightly reworded the result. He had not understood what this result had meant and he did not think much of it as he wrote it on a piece of paper before tossing it to the other person and called it a day.

The other person's eyes lit up after he saw the slip of paper. He then chuckled, "I hadn't believed you at first. If you could really calculate everything under the heavens, you would've cut and run when you found out that I was coming. However, seeing these three words, you do have some skills there!" After he said this, he paused and smiled in a leisurely manner, "You're also a cultivator, aren't you?"

Wen Shulin had not been alarmed as he had met some cultivators in the outside world. His cultivation base was slightly shallow and he could not conceal his life vitality from those with bright eyes. However, nobody would find trouble with him so he had chuckled and nodded. He then returned the money to the middle-aged man like a hoodlum, "Since we're both cultivators, I can't accept this money. I've only wanted to cultivate when I entered society. If I could help a friend in need then that's for the best!"

The middle-aged man heard the word 'friend' and his expression turned strange. He continued after a brief moment, "Please do another telling for me! Let's see what else you can tell." He waved his arm as he said that and with a muffled bang, the entire bundle of money had been ground into a fine powder within his palm. After that, he took out a Bagua Board that was of an intense purple color, so much so that it made people's eyes hurt just by looking at it, "If you do a good telling, this will be your reward!"

Wen Shulin could not take his eyes off the purple Bagua. This kind of Bagua was the utmost treasure of letter-divination formula amongst the five arts of the Tao family and would help his predictions a great deal. Without a second word, he picked up the hand of the middle-aged man. He then carefully noted the positions of the joints and measured the distance between his facial features before he started to calculate in earnest for his client.

As he said this, a strange expression appeared on Wen Shulin's face. It was a mix of fright and an awkwardness as he does not know whether to laugh or to cry. He smiled bitterly, "With this telling, I finally understood what it means when they say that it's less fortunate to help others and more fortunate to do bad."

He does not have to reword or repackage his results this time, it was three direct words, 'nine-headed snake'!

Chang Li broke into a heartless laughter from the side as a playful light flickered on her delicate face. She was so beautiful that it lifted their hearts up before mercilessly throwing them down the next second, "This person must have been Tian Yin! The result of your first telling was 'two men fighting', that was the two primordial spirits which were fighting within his body. You would not understand what it was but Tian Yin himself understood it best. Of course he would want you to do another telling!"

Poor Wen Shulin, when he had got the result of 'nine-headed snake', he still had not figured out what kind of person was in front of him. He secretly wondered if this was the cultivator's nickname or the name of a magic weapon.

Tian Yin's expression had turned even stranger. He looked at Wen Shulin who was hugging the purple Bagua and was unwilling to part with it. He was stunned for a while before he finally broke out into laughter, "You now know that I'm Xiang Liu but why aren't you running away yet?"

Wen Shulin thought that the words 'Xiang Liu' sounded somewhat familiar. When he finally figured it out and squalled, Tian Yin already had his hand around his neck as he pulled him along.

Tian Yin had not given him too much trouble, he only interrogated him about his calculations. Wen Shulin dared not keep anything from him and he explained his method of practice entirely to him. After Tian Yin listened to it, he smiled bitterly and rubbed his brows, "Although it's not much… But it's not completely useless!"

Tian Yin then brought him far away to Mingsha Mountain and Crescent Moon Spring. He only opened his mouth when they had reached their destination as he pointed at the brilliant water of the Crescent Moon Spring in the wilderness and said, "Calculate!"

Wen Shulin had not understood his meaning so he asked with a shudder, "Calculate what?"

Tian Yin always had a smile on his face. He does not have even an ounce of Xiang Liu's true soul's foulness in his appearance. He looked to have the air of an erudite person in everyone's eyes as he said, "Calculate any way you want and anything you can. I'll come back for you after a year. If you want to live happily, you will show me all the results of your calculations. If there's something that I want, naturally, you won't have to die."

Wen Shulin was utterly dumbstruck, he had never heard of a question like this before. Tian Yin did not explain further as he turned around and left.

The little girl Xiaowu did not know who Xiang Liu or Tian Yin was as she listened along from the side. Her big eyes were pitch black and would occasionally glow exuberantly. She asked curiously, "The bad guy left so why didn't you run?"

Wen Shulin dared not underestimate this little girl. He now understood that everyone around him was ancestors who could have him killed irrespective of their size. He hastily replied in a polite manner, "I did not dare to run! He said that he had set up prohibition spells in thirty-kilometer radius. I would have died without a doubt if I ever escaped out of that circle!"

Nobody knows if Tian Yin had spoken the truth. After all, with his abilities, it was not too difficult for him to set up a prohibition spell to keep Wen Shulin in a such a large area.

Wen Shulin dared not neglect this task. In the consequent year, he had even disregarded his meals and gone without sleep. He calculated about anything that he could grab from around the Crescent Moon Spring. The results he got were of a wide variety. They contained verbs, nouns, adverbs, adjectives, and onomatopoeias. He had not understood the significance of the majority of his results.

After a year, Tian Yin returned as he said he would. He looked at the results which Wen Shulin had obtained which numbered almost a thousand and knitted his brows with slight gloominess, "This many?"

Wen Shulin cursed silently within his heart. With the premise of 'calculate any way you want and anything you can', he was only worried that he had not calculated enough. If he does not obtain the result that Tian Yin wishes for, his old life would be done for. In the end, Tian Yin had thought that there were too many results.

Thankfully, Tian Yin was somewhat satisfied. He carefully collected these results and put them into his pocket but he had not let him go. Instead, he then brought him somewhere else.

This time, they had gone to the Shiwan Mountain of Guangxi.

It was the same as last time, Tian Yin wanted Wen Shulin to continue his calculations and he does not care about the what and how. This time, he had given him a time limit of five years. After all, the Shiwan Mountain was far bigger than Crescent Moon Spring. As he looked at the unending immense mountains with their sharp peaks and cold cliffs, Wen Shulin even thought of dying…

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Chapter 236: Nine Places

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

During those past five years, Wen Shulin had run around Shiwan Mountain and done nothing other than his calculations. However, due to the sheer size of the mountain, it was impossible for him to calculate every inch of it so he had randomly calculated as he pleased. He would occasionally pick up a piece of rock or he would calculate the little fishes in the mountain stream. Sometimes, he would measure the length of the mountain cave.

Five years later, Tian Yin had reappeared once again to collect the over two thousand results which had been calculated by Wen Shulin. Tian Yin's face abruptly broke into a smile, "You are quite honest! I had checked on you thirty-four times but other than that one occasion when you had scolded me, you had been engrossed in your calculations most of the time. I can see that the items which you have calculated are all included in the result you have given me. Very well done! I was afraid that you might have written something at random to trick me, but you didn't."

Wen Shulin thought that his service was finally at an end but he was afraid that Tian Yin would kill him to prevent him from divulging his secrets. He was pondering whether he should plead for mercy but Tian Yin had then brought him to the Changbai Mountains beyond the Great Wall of China…

Wen Shulin was then continuously brought by Tian Yin to all sorts of locations for three decades. He calculated diligently and continuously at each location for one to two years, with the longest being five years.

The locations where Wen Shulin conducted his calculations were either deep in great mountains, in deserted islands overseas, or even on the snowy peak of the highland. He had unintentionally calculated where the small sword Firetail was located when he was in Changbai Mountains but Tian Yin was utterly uninterested. He only laughed gently as he said, "If you like that, then you should turn around and retrieve it."

There were a few occasions when he had accidentally provoked some local cultivators as he was performing his calculations. However, each time he was threatened, Tian Yin would descend from the sky. To Wen Shulin, those cultivators had possessed profound magic arts but they could not even hold their own against Tian Yin's little finger before they were reduced to ashes. Later on, in order to ease Wen Shulin's task so that he would not become involved in any more conflicts with the other cultivators, Tian Yin had taught him a magic spell which could help Wen Shulin conceal his life vitality. At the same time, the spell also helped him to disguise his appearance.

It was at that moment that Wen Leyang understood that Wen Shu Lin's Art of Disguise had originated from Tian Yin. It makes sense now why Tian Yin possesses the magic spell which could break the Art of Disguise spell which he had then passed to the Rainbow Brothers.

Wen Shulin's disguise spell had been inherited from Xiang Liu's host, though it could not be considered profound, it was very useful. Wen Shulin had dispersed his life vitality after that so that he had become virtually undetectable even to top demon immortals like Chang Li or Zhui Zi. However, one should not underestimate the fat monk Shui Jing's cultivation method or supernatural power as his Art of Spirit-Searching was truly remarkable and was able to forcefully discover Wen Shulin's whereabouts!

Whether it was the Mountain Sect or the World Sect, rogue cultivators or obscure cultivators, whichever sect's cultivation method had been inherited for the past millenniums, these cultivation methods could produce miraculous effects in certain situations so no sect or cultivator should be underestimated.

At this moment, Chang Li frowned as she interrupted Wen Shulin, "You have dispersed your life vitality so how can you still cast the magic disguise spell?"

Wen Shulin explained respectfully, "This magic spell has a rather marvelous feature. It will exert one's life vitality when you first cast it but once it has taken form, it no longer needs one's life vitality force. After I dispersed my life vitality, my appearance after the disguise spell will never change but once I changed back to my previous appearance, there would be no way for me to change back to Wen Shulin!"

Fourth Elder Wen had kept quiet all along but he now seems to have calmed down from his rage as he suddenly spoke, "You have already revealed yourself and decided that you will no longer hide anymore so why have you not removed the magic disguise spell yet?"

Unexpectedly, Wen Shulin sighed and pleaded towards Fourth Elder Wen, "I've worn this mask for so long that I believe that I am Wen Shulin. Though I know for certain that the mask is useless now… But I still don't dare to remove it…"

Fourth Elder Wen shook his head but he no longer speculated on such a trivial matter as he waved his hand and signaled Wen Shulin to continue his story.

Wen Shulin realized that Tian Yin would frequently return to keep a close watch on him so he dared not procrastinate during the calculation process. He recorded all sort of results honestly and when the time came, he submitted all of it to Tian Yin.

What took place between Wen Shulin and Tian Yin during those three decades were essentially the same and could be simplified into one word – calculate! A slightly more complicated conclusion could be summarized in five words – to calculate everywhere and anywhere!

Chang Li lost her patience as she listened to Wen Shulin's long-winded chatter. She then waved her hand and interrupted him, "How many places had he brought you to all these years? What were all the locations?"

Wen Shulin stretched out a finger and began to count one by one, "Mingsha Mountain's Crescent Moon Spring, West Mountain's Mount Hua, Middle Mountain's Heng Mountain, Star Reef which is located 450 kilometers in the South China Sea, Lao Mountain at the East China Sea, the Snowy Plains of the Western regions, Changbai Mountains beyond the Great Wall, Shiwan Mountain at Guangxi… And, also… Qilian Mountains!"

Upon saying that, Wen Shulin verified his explanation attentively once again before he nodded strenuously, "There were nine places in total, I'm certain that I've not missed any out!"

As Wen Shulin looked at the crowd's slightly suspicious gaze, it almost seems like he was taking credit for his achievements. He hastily puffed up his chest, "I had not understood it well in the beginning but I was able to figure it out later that Xiang Liu knew that my magic art was incapable of directly predicting the things that he wished for, that was why he had brought me to all these places so that I could calculate whatever that needed to be calculated."

It was much better for Wen Shulin to have left it at that, the moment he began to explain things in detail, he only made Wen Leyang even more confused.

Wen Shulin sniggered and kept the crowd guessing for another second before he continued, "I will give you an example; millenniums later, when all of Tuo Xie's disciples have ascended into the heavens as flying immortals and other than the three families' sites, there were no other clues as to our existence in this world. If someone were to research the origins of the Tuo Xie Sect, how could they even begin the investigation?" Wen Shulin then looked at Wen Leyang with a smile. A moment later, Grand Master Chang Li soundlessly pushed her face in front of Wen Shulin's face and asked dully, "Who are you directing that question to?"

Wen Shulin was almost startled to death. He sat up straight hastily and said, "Naturally, the researcher would go to the Nine Peaks Mountain first and calculate all the chaos and darkness until they come up with the result of all the big and trivial matters. They will then go to Crow Ridge and the Miao stockade village and calculate there as well before they finally make a comparison of all the results from their calculations. They then select any similar results and weigh in… My explanation ends here… Do you understand me?"

Wen Leyang felt that his thoughts were in a mess. He could barely understand Wen Shulin's explanation through great effort on his part. He spoke as he pondered, "These nine places were connected because of some matter which was closely related to Xiang Liu. Tian Yin wished to investigate this matter but he could not figure out a good way which was why he had used the foolish method of bringing you to do your calculations in these nine places. He then sifted through the results to look for similarities and compared how these similar results relate to the matter that he was investigating?"

Everyone there exhaled a long breath after listening to Wen Leyang's convoluted explanation. However, four of them had not bothered to even listen to Wen Leyang's explanation.

Xiaowu and Ah Dan chuckled maniacally as they watched everyone's expression fill with puzzlement. Ah Dan would still occasionally wave the silver necklace in his hand persistently at Xiaowu.

Mumu and Wen Xiaoyi's eyes had remained unwaveringly on Wen Leyang during his explanation. To them, Wen Leyang's words were like the most pleasant music. As for what he was saying, none of them had paid any attention to that…

Wen Shulin had spent those three decades calculating in those nine places. It was when he had arrived at the final location – Lao Mountain at the East China Sea, that he was met by a setback. Back then, Tian Yin had arranged to meet up with him every three years. However, three years had passed but Tian Yin had not shown up as he had promised. Wen Leyang nodded when he heard this. He guessed that the true soul had been suppressing Tian Yin's primordial spirit at that time which was the reason why Tian Yin had not been able to rush over then.

At that time, Wen Shulin was very clear on Tian Yin's thoughts. During the past decades, Tian Yin had never made things difficult for him and other than asking him to calculate by force, they had gotten along pretty well with one another. Wen Shulin had started to shift his intention to flatter Tian Yin in order to live. He calculated non-stop all the time and he dared not procrastinate for even a moment. When it looks like he had some extra time on his hands this time, he arranged the results of his previous calculations and highlighted matters which were similar, identical or related from his thousands and millions of recordings.

At this point, Chang Li, Guo Huan and the Wen, Miao and Luo family elders all sneered in unison. Wen Shulin raised his head and looked at them in slight confusion.

First Uncle Wen Tunhai spoke coldly, "If you had remained unaware of the situation and calculated in a confused manner all the while, your chances of survival would have been higher instead! You wanted to act on your own imagined cleverness; if you truly discovered the pattern and found the identical result, Xiang Liu would certainly kill you to prevent his secrets from being divulged. You really are foolish…" First Uncle Wen Tunhai was halfway through his scolding when he suddenly shut his mouth. Everything he had said was true but Wen Shulin was sitting in front of him in perfect condition right now, not murdered by Tian Yin.

However, there was still a layer of cold sweat on Wen Shulin's forehead. He hastily nodded and agreed repeatedly that it had been a narrow escape. First Uncle Wen Tunhai then felt happier with Wen Shulin's current attitude.

During that time when Tian Yin had been absent longer than expected, Wen Shulin had become seriously ill in the sense of his cultivation base. He was an unorthodox obscure cultivator and though his body was stronger and healthier than an ordinary person's, he was not immune to all diseases. He had been saved by the Sun Dynasty Palace's Yu Lingzi who had coincidentally traveled to the same place. To repay his debt of gratitude, he told Yu Lingzi about the whereabouts of that small sword Firetail which he had discovered earlier.

In the beginning, Yu Lingzi had not believed him so Wen Shulin calculated a bunch of 'Three-Character Classics' based on Yu Lingzi's destiny numbers. After a few of those predictions had come true later on, Yu Lingzi immediately worshipped him like a god and had rushed back hastily. Wen Shulin had begun to verify his results back then while also continuing his calculations based on these results. He was so focused that he entered into a state of forgetting self and forgetting all until he had accidentally muttered the words 'big flat cake, broken gong, and dog' three days later.

Yu Lingzi had not understood what that could mean but he remembered it firmly in his mind. Back then, Yu Lingzi was still a handsome youth who had achieved small success in his cultivation base. He was also Wen Shulin's savior and the old man could not bear to hurt Yu Lingzi so he used the excuse of 'God's design must not be divulged to mortal ears' in order to threaten Yu Lingzi and to prevent him from revealing it to others. After that Wen Shulin could not stand Yu Lingzi's constant pestering and he had revealed his selected hideout to Yu Lingzi – the Nine Peaks Mountain.

This course of events after that had been ascertained by the small demon rabbit Bu Le a few months ago. He had reported them back to Tuo Xie's disciples.

At this point, Wen Shulin did not wait for any further inquiry as he answered in a self-conscious manner, "When I was at the Crescent Moon Spring and Shiwan Mountain, I had not understood Xiang Liu's purpose and I only figured that out later on. Naturally, I had thought of a way out for myself. When I was doing my calculations, I had added in my own mathematical theories. Though the results were also a mess, as I was calculating on the Snowy Plains of Western regions, Mount Hua and Qilian Mountains, I had successfully calculated the location and name of Nine Peaks Mountain! Heh, I could not tell if it was fated but since I had calculated the whereabouts which were related to me, I should then go there naturally whether I was dead, alive, or decapitated or… nose-less. I had accepted my fate."

Tian Yin had been delayed for more than a year. When he finally arrived on Mount Hua, Wen Shulin immediately presented the results of his work to Tian Yin like he was presenting a treasure. Tian Yin chuckled and not only did he not kill Wen Shulin, on the contrary, Wen Shulin was offered compensation instead.

Wen Shulin was a sensible person so he had wished to be able to live in seclusion on a remote mountain and nothing else back then. Surprisingly, Tian Yin had released Wen Shulin just like that and he had never bothered Wen Shulin ever since.

Chang Li nodded gently, "We shall not discuss the purpose of Tian Yin's investigation yet, the method which he had adopted was troublesome to the utmost extent, no wonder he had let Wen Shulin live…" At this point, Chang Li suddenly revealed a mischievous expression and shut her mouth, refusing to say anything else.

Ever since that incident, Wen Shulin no longer dared to walk the mortal world but lived in seclusion on the Nine Peaks Mountain according to the homeward journey he had calculated for himself. The following decade was spent watching the Red Leaves Forest until the real Wen Shulin had died, which was when he managed to infiltrate into the place.

Wen Shulin had helped Xiang Liu's true soul to calculate at nine places and had finally arrived at the three words of the 'big flat cake, broken gong, and dog'. He had not come up with the same three results from every location but these results had overlapped more than the others. Still, the most puzzling thing to him was that there were only these three items here.

Almost all the nine places had been spread all over the east while the three items in the result were incomprehensible.

Wen Shulin seems to be generally done with his story and Chang Li sighed softly out of disappointment. When they heard her gentle sigh, the others could not help but lower their heads, unable to witness her disappointment which had secretly slid to the ground from her face.

They had initially hoped that Wen Shulin could give them a clearer answer but, judging from the situation now, these three items were so vague that they still could not see what they meant. The only certainty they had were the nine places.

Before they had found Wen Shulin, Chang Li and Wen Leyang had secretly hoped to ask this living immortal from the Heaven-Telling Sect to calculate Tuo Xie's whereabouts. However, based on the situation now, that was would be a fool's mission.

Guo Huan attempted to stay energized and analyzed the situation to them, "There is still something off about the timing. Wen Shulin and Tian Yin had parted ways at least fifty years ago but Tian Yin had only instructed the World Sect to look for those items ten years ago. What had Tian Yin been up to during that forty-year gap?"

Guo Huan then pondered for a while before he continued to emphasize his question, "I can only think of one reason upon careful consideration why Tian Yin had not killed this old lad, he must have something else for Wen Shulin to calculate but he could not bring Wen Shulin with him this time. Moreover, he had left Wen Shulin alone for forty years…"

Chang Li did not wait for Guo Huan to finish talking as she interrupted impatiently, "Tian Yin only comes out occasionally and he spends most days hiding on the Black and White Island. You've been to that place before, for someone like Wen Shulin who now lacks a cultivation base, he would not be able to enter that place at all!" Chang Li then frowned and shook her head gently, "Even if he could not bring Wen Shulin along, it would not be that difficult for Tian Yin to place a prohibition spell on Wen Shulin. There was no point for him to allow Wen Shulin to hide first and then to look for him forty years later…"

Wen Shulin realized that the others were filled with puzzlement and he hastily spoke up to explain in meticulous detail the situation when he and Tian Yin had parted ways back then. Ultimately, Wen Shulin made a steadfast conclusion in the end, "Tian Yin had not seemed to be injured or in a rush back then. He had chatted and laughed like an immortal before he let me go!"

Guo Huan huffed stiffly, "Even if he had been severely injured then, could you tell just by looking at him?"

It was Chang Li who then waved her hand in a very straightforward manner and interrupted their collective contemplation, "After careful consideration, the only scenario I can think of is that Xiang Liu's true soul had bumped into an enemy back then. After battling with the enemy, it had drawn in Tian Yin's primordial spirit's countercharge…"

Wen Leyang, along with Mumu, Wen Xiaoyi, and Ah Dan, all inhaled a cold breath together. Wen Leyang was slightly astonished, "Other than the few of us, who else would be capable of pulling Tian Yin's leg?"

Chang Li shook her head impatiently, "How do I know who else could have been there! The world is an enormous place, it would not be inconceivable for a few top master cultivators to be hidden away somewhere! We won't be able to come up with a result just by making wild guesses about this matter so why bother to waste our effort!"

The rest of them nodded. Wen Shulin, however, attempted to flatter himself as he asked probingly, "Therefore, this grand old lady's intention is that…You still want me to calculate again?"

Chang Li rolled her beautiful eyes and directed her piercing gaze at Wen Shulin's ears as she asked with a smile, "Can you calculate that?"

Wen Shulin finally understood that he was inviting trouble to himself. His face was filled with fear as he retreated several steps, "It is not that easy to calculate… I will need to… Need to capture Xiang Liu first before I can start my calculations…"

If it had not been for Wen Leyang who had managed to grab onto Chang Li's wrist in time, Wen Shulin's ears would certainly be gone by now.

Chang Li raised her arm and looked at the gold bangle which glinted between Wen Leyang's fingers. She then arched her left eyebrow and made a savage expression, "You will need to compensate me if you were to ruin that!" The gaze that she directed at Wen Leyang was filled with threat but anyone could tell that not only was her mischievous and kind mannerism in this situation harmless, on the contrary, her demeanor was warmer than the sun.

Wen Leyang could still recall that fateful number of 'one hundred thirty-eight thousand and eight hundred' as he hastily let go of his hold on her wrist…

After everyone had a good laugh and was more relaxed, Wen Xiaoyi, who had stayed quiet until now, spoke up softly, "There is one other matter which still requires careful consideration… If Xiang Liu had kept Wen Shulin alive, what else would he want Wen Shulin to calculate for him? Could it be some other matter or he was to continue calculating on the 'big flat cake, broken gong, and dog'…"

Before Wen Xiaoyi's voice could fade away, Chang Li exclaimed in surprise. She then pulled Wen Xiaoyi into an embrace as she laughed, "This little girl is still the smartest one here!" Upon saying that, her other hand pulled Mumu along as well and she asked them earnestly, "So, who amongst the both of you will be the first and the second hereafter?"

Wen Xiaoyi and Mumu were both stunned at first but they soon reacted to Chang Li's irrelevant question. Both of their charming faces blushed as red as apples immediately and they stomped their feet and did not know how to answer the question. They grumbled in their heart, wondering how this Grand Master of theirs could just say whatever she pleases and besides, what kind of baseless question was that?!

The two elders of the Luo family and Fourth Elder Wen gazed at one another threateningly; no one was willing to let their own girl be at a disadvantage.

First Uncle Wen Tunhai hastily mediated the situation. He rubbed his palms together as he sniggered, "We are all relatives here so there's no separation between first and second, they are both first, first!"

Chang Li looked at Wen Xiaoyi before she looked at Mumu again and heaved a sigh of defeat, "I noticed that Wen Xiaoyi was smarter earlier and I had wanted to choose her as the first but now that I've taken another look at Mumu, she's not that bad too…" She hesitated for a moment before she finally spoke sulkily, "I shall not interfere anymore!"

Wen Leyang really wanted to put on a long face as he said to her, "Grandmother, no one had asked you to interfere on this matter, right!"

The three ladies each have their own charm. When they were gathered together, other than the Second Mother, everyone else would pale in comparison. Chang Li had her arms around the two beautiful girls as her hands counted the facts out for them with a smile on her face, "The nine Demon-Executing Heaven's Cone Nails on the Black and White Island consists of Chaos, Sun, Moon, Star, Metal, Wood, stinky Water, Fire, and Earth!"

After she had counted all the Heaven's Cone Nails, she then counted the nine places that Wen Shulin had been brought to back then, "The Gold-Consuming Nest at Qilian Mountain, the Wood Spirit of Mount Hua…" As she was talking about this, Chang Li suddenly exclaimed in surprise and turned to look at the jade knife, "Guo Huan, you are the mountain elf, how had you ended up cultivating the Wood Spirit of Mount Hua?"

Guo Huan huffed, "When I was cultivating, where else in the world would be filled with exuberant Earth elemental energy! What's more, I'm the embodiment of the rock genus so my cultivation would get almost the same effect at any place where there are earth and soil!"

Chang Li nodded and continued, "…Heavenly Water of the Snowy Peak, the vigorous fire of Changbai, the Earth Assembly of the Middle Mountain. These five places were once the locations of the utmost Five Elements! As for the rest of the other places…"

Guo Huan continued Chang Li's topic of conversation directly, "The Lao Mountain on East China Sea faces the sun and one can watch the sunrise from there; Crescent Moon Spring at Mingsha Mountain reflects the moon at night; Star Reef which is located 450 kilometers in the South China Sea was said to be a star chart! As for the Shiwan Mountain, it was a boundless stretch of wicked earth during the primitive ages. It had been punished continuously by the heavens until millions of years after the Yin and Yang energies of the world had been fixed, the divine punishment had broken its chaos in the end!"

After Tian Yin had captured Wen Shulin, based on the corresponding elements of the nine Heaven's Cone Nails, he had then traveled to the nine corresponding places one by one.

Wen Leyang laughed grimly, "So, judging by the situation, Xiang Liu's intention is to still remove the nine Heaven's Cone Nails?" If the secret of 'the big flat cake, broken gong, and dog' was meant to be the method to break the rest of the eight Heaven's Cone Nails, then it was no longer a significant issue for the lineage of Tuo Xie anymore. The matter of Xiang Liu's true body struggling free from the rest of the cone nails was bound to happen sooner or later. Even if the Wen family had managed to prevent Xiang Liu from acquiring the 'big flat cake, broken gong, and dog', they were only buying some time before the great disaster happened.

The reason why Wen Leyang had searched for the 'big flat cake, broken gong, and dog' so diligently was because he was still hoping to discover the secret technique which was capable of suppressing Xiang Liu.

Wen Xiaoyi shook her head unexpectedly, "If you were to attempt to shatter a bowl, would you still be circling around the area of the oven which was used to bake the bowl?" Upon saying that, Wen Xiaoyi felt that her words sounded rather harsh to be spoken to her lover so she hastily smiled at Wen Leyang.

Mumu may appear to resemble a little red chili pepper and was even given the nickname of 'fierce tigress' years ago. However, though she appeared fierce and unreasonable in her outlook, in reality, she was not very different from Wen Xiaoyi who was ignorant of worldly affairs. Ever since she had broken the rule of not seeing Wen Leyang before their wedding, her mind had been occupied all along. She does not know what she was thinking in her intelligent mind and she could not even catch up to the other's train of thought so she had stood next to Wen Xiaoyi piteously.

Ever since they first met in the ancient cave on Zhanyan Peak, Wen Xiaoyi was skilled in supporting and cheering for Chang Li when she was telling her stories. This was why Chang Li favors Wen Xiaoyi more but when Mumu heard Chang Li mention that Wen Xiaoyi was the smarter one and took the gold bangle from her wrist and stuffed it into Wen Xiaoyi's hand, she had almost cried enviously. Chang Li could not bear to see that so she pointed at First Grandfather, "You, prepare one hundred thirty-eight thousand and eight hundred dollars for Mumu! Pass it to her when we are back in the village later!"

First Elder Wen shivered as he shot a heavy glare at Wen Leyang…

Wen Leyang now realized that Chang Li's most incisive ability was not her cultivation method but her ability to distract others! The crowd had yet to figure out Xiang Liu's intention and each person was more anxious than the other. Finally, the cause was still determined to be this Grand Master of theirs. However, their Grand Master was not anxious, instead, she was trying to extort her grandchildren's money.

Chang Li's laugh was so pleasant that Xiaowu could not help but laugh along with her. Ah Dan's mouth too hastily cracked into a smile as he chuckled maniacally.

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Chapter 237: The Calculation

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

First Uncle Wen Tunhai massaged his forehead to relax his brows which had almost furrowed into one. He then refocused the topic of conversation once again, "What was Xiang Liu trying to calculate from those nine places?" A perturbed expression then appeared on his face, "Could it be that the old demon had been looking for a method to make the Heaven's Cone Nail so he could pin the nail on himself again?"

Wen Xiaoyi pondered as she spoke, "What I meant was… What was Xiang Liu planning when he had asked Wen Shulin to calculate for him? It's too difficult for us to make wild guesses here so what I meant was… Why don't we let Wen Shulin continue the story!"

Chang Li did not divert the topic of conversation this time but she waved her hand as a signal for everybody to stop speaking. She then she looked at Wen Xiaoyi and said, "Please continue!"

Wen Xiaoyi smiled spuriously as she peered at Chang Li, causing her to pull a long face as she complained, "Don't smile!"

Wen Xiaoyi, on the other hand, could not help but giggle out loud but she hastily recovered herself soon after. She then continued to speak in a crisp voice, "There could only be two possible reasons why Xiang Liu had allowed Wen Shulin to live. Either he needs Wen Shulin to calculate other matters or he wants him to continue his calculation on the 'big flat cake, broken gong, and dog'! We will never figure out what else he was supposed to calculate so there's no need for us to think too much about that! In my opinion, we ought to continue the calculation according to the 'big flat cake, broken gong, and dog'. By the time we get a result, we would naturally know what the nine-headed monster is up to!"

Chang Li narrowed her eyes slightly. A sense of seductive charm was unintentionally revealed in her long and narrow gaze, "Continue the calculations according to the 'big flat cake, broken gong, and dog'? But how?"

Wen Xiaoyi's eyes were glimmering too but she could never conceal that sense of mischievous cunning in her expression, "Each time they arrived at a location, Xiang Liu had made Wen Shulin run everywhere and make his calculations everywhere on the great mountain. The results from those calculations were mostly useless because Xiang Liu had not located the right place! If the Metal elemental Heaven's Cone Nail was truly related to the Qilian Mountains, then they would only need to go straight to the Gold-Consuming Lair, why was it necessary for them to run all over the entire Qilian Mountains instead!"

Wen Leyang was shocked by this revelation and he ignored Chang Li's injunction as he could not help but interrupt, "There was also the Snowy Peak, they could have just calculated in the ore cave where the Heavenly Water Spirit was at!"

Wen Shulin muttered to himself uncertainly, "There is an ore cave on the Snowy Peak?" Following that, he pulled a long face as he looked at Wen Leyang. It was unknown whether he was complaining or showing off as he said, "I had run all over on the Tanggula Mountains for four damn years back then!"

Xiang Liu had been pinned to the Black and White Island for an unknown amount of years. The land and seas have greatly transformed from when he had been wreaking havoc in the past. Therefore, he could only bring Wen Shulin to the approximate location to do his calculations. Also, Tian Yin's primordial spirit at that time frequently countercharged onto Xiang Liu's true soul. As the Enlightened Tian Shu and Tian Hua were guarding the Black and White Island then, Xiang Liu's true soul did not have sufficient power or time so there was utterly no way he could find the specific locations of the utmost disposition lands between the great mountains and the deep seas. He was even unable to locate the Gold-Consuming Lair even when he was on Qilian Mountain.

On the contrary, Wen Leyang's group has an advantage over Xiang Liu, at least they have accurately pinpointed two elementally-charged places. One was the Gold-Consuming Lair which had once been the land of Metal element, the other was the ice river ore cave which could condense the Heavenly Water Spirit!

Without a doubt, if Wen Shulin had been directly brought to the Snowy Peak's ore cave or the Gold-Consuming Lair at Qilian Mountain to do his calculations, the result would certainly be much more precise than his previous ones.

Chang Li was standing with her arms wrapped around her great-grandson's two future wives as she laughed so hard that she resembled a fox which had just stolen an old hen. Wen Xiaoyi was laughing as well and looked like the fox pup who had followed the fox and managed to acquire two eggs. Mumu was laughing too but she was laughing foolishly on her own…

Wen Leyang was feeling rather puzzled, Wen Xiaoyi was very smart but the little girl was not smart in her insights, she was smart in her thoughts. She has a near-perfect photographic memory and she could memorize a lot of poison recipes as well as the ancient record in the Birth Trademark. However, the act of finding their family's superiority from a pile of messy information and to distinguish the advantage and disadvantage of the enemy and themselves had not seemed like something that she could have handled.

Wen Xiaoyi's joyous glance rippled along with her smile. Suddenly, she turned around and pecked the slightly dejected Mumu's cheek with a smacking sound. Mumu had been startled at first but she soon looked at Wen Xiaoyi and laughed together.

Mumu could understand it from a theoretical standpoint. After all, when Wen Leyang was still a regular person back then, he had first come to the Red Leaves Forest. Wen Xiaoyi had taken care of him during that stormy night and even helped Wen Leyang to resist the enemy. Following that, she had stayed by his side and guarded him without fail for the next one hundred days. Their young love was still a bit more profound than Mumu and Wen Leyang's encounters after all. Mumu had never harbored this thought in her heart nor challenged Wen Xiaoyi on anything but when she saw the attention Wen Xiaoyi was getting while she was just like a silly girl standing here, she could not help but feel slightly depressed in her heart. Still, under the little girl's persistent kiss, Mumu suddenly felt much more optimistic.

Wen Shulin, on the other hand, was in a difficult position. He rubbed his palms together as he stood awkwardly for a long while before he finally agreed to go with them to those locations to do his calculations there once again.

Wen Leyang was at a loss whether to cry or to laugh, he shook his head but he did not speak anymore. Wen Shulin was only an obscure calculation cultivator, he was even less witty than his Martial Nephew Wei Mo. He felt unwillingness in his heart when he learned that he was about to engage in more laborious dirty work. However, he also failed to consider that if it was not for this laborious dirty work which was waiting to be carried out by him, his life would no longer be guaranteed anymore! Otherwise, whether it was Chang Li or the Wen family elders who were still incensed over the issue of Wen Shulin's desecration of their ancestors' remains, the reasons were enough for them to kill him twenty times over. He was also related to issues pertaining to the Sun Dynasty Palace, the Jilong Sect, the Rainbow Brothers' World Sect. At this stage, he had truly caused a lot of trouble to the Wen family.

Even though he has yet to understand what the 'big flat cake, broken gong, and dog' represents in real life, the new hope that came after all hope had been lost was always inspiring. Wen Leyang was pondering if he should first bring Wen Shulin to the Snowy Peak or the Qilian Mountains when Chang Li suddenly spoke, "Go to Mount Hua first! Manage Guo Huan's issue first."

Guo Huan, who was in the jade knife, suddenly laughed foolishly to everyone's surprise.

Wen Leyang frowned as if he had just recalled something and he pondered for a moment before he continued, "Mount Hua is one of the nine locations where the wood spirit can be found. The Ending Cave there… The monkey Qian Ren had once cultivated there too." The more he talked about it the happier he became until he had to refrain himself from beaming with joy, "If we can get Qin Zhui to locate Qian Ren and point us to the right direction, the certainty of our success in calculating the 'big flat cake, broken gong, and dog' will become higher! This way, out of the nine places, we would already have pinpointed three accurately!"

Chang Li's expression was a little lazy and she looked as if she was fatigued as she spoke carelessly, "It would be best if he is willing to help us."

There was finally a turning point in this event and everyone was feeling rather delighted. Fourth Elder Wen took the Death Trademark's disciples to the Red Leaves Forest to replenish the strong poison in the prohibition spells. He led the people from the Life Trademark to handle the first ancestors' remains with care. At the same time, the others brought Wen Shulin along and left the Place of Birth, Life, Sickness, and Death. After they had rejoined those who had been waiting outside the Red Leaves Forest, they then returned to the Wen family village together.

Wen Xiaoyi had left the workshop beside Chang Li and followed alongside Wen Leyang in high spirits all the way. She had brought Mumu along as well. Wen Xiaoyi chortled and gestured as she spoke, telling them the story of what she had done during this period of time to Wen Leyang. Wen Leyang chuckled as he listened and would chime in occasionally and ask about things. Finally, he patted the little girl's forehead as he laughed, "I've not seen you in a while, your knowledge has improved so much, you are much smarter than I am now!"

Wen Xiaoyi coughed before she tiptoed and whispered in Wen Leyang's ears, "Grand Master Chang Li was the one who taught me that, she made me say all that…"

Chang Li, who had been walking nearby, exclaimed and giggled, "You heartless and ungrateful little girl, how could you betray me so soon!" Upon saying that, she smiled and looked at Mumu who was clearly confused, "I'll help you next time!"

The group chatted and laughed as they walked towards the Wen family village. Chang Li's gaze, however, constantly shifted from each of the Rainbow Brothers and she stared at the seven fat men so much that they were terrified. Still, they feigned their calmness desperately as they followed the group back to the village in an honest manner. The seven brothers were so nervous that they were all soaked in the cold sweat of fear despite the cold weather.

As the Rainbow Brothers panicked in their hearts, Ji Fei and Shui Jing were feeling uneasy as well. Both of them have a better understanding of the whole situation. They had witnessed Wen Leyang as he brought the old man out of the Red Leaves Forest and concluded that there was some progress to the situation. Though they were curious about it, it took them a long while to work up the courage to ask. Finally, they could not refrain themselves anymore and they ran in front of Wen Leyang, rubbing their palms eagerly as they tried to find out more information about the situation.

Wen Leyang looked at his two precious disciples and he was at a loss whether to cry or to laugh as he emphasized, "This is a critically dangerous matter, the person who had been exerting so much laborious effort to search for the 'big flat cake, broken gong, and dog' was more than just the World Sect."

Ji Fei and Shui Jing have yet to find out the course of Wen Leyang's Snowy Peak trip so they asked in unison upon listening to Wen Leyang's response, "Who's that person?"

Wen Leyang was about to speak when Chang Li laughed and chimed in, "That person is Xiang Liu!"

Ji Fei and Shui Jing were both startled together, "The nine-headed monster has escaped?"

Wen Leyang shook his head gently. After he received Chang Li's nod as a signal of approval, he roughly explained the situation of how the three sword immortals of Black and White Island had been killed. Xiang Liu's true soul then possessed Tian Yin and extracted the three persons' cultivation powers. These two rogue cultivator monks have been wandering in the society for decades and they were not fools. They immediately understood the critical danger of this situation.

Amongst the world's top demon immortals, Chang Li and Hanba were very closely connected to the origin of Grand Master Tuo Xie so they were basically like a family.

Amongst the forces in the cultivation world, the Great Mercy Temple, the Kunlun Sect with vastly enhanced actual power and the three Wen, Miao and Luo families have also coexisted together.

The younger generation of top master cultivators was now being led by Wen Leyang, the Little Supreme Leader Liu Zheng, and Qin Zhui. The relationship between these three was perplexing and complicated. However, there was no doubt that once Wen Leyang gives out a signal, Liu Zheng and Qin Zhui would certainly help him with all they have.

The top demon immortals; the forces in the sects; the outstanding youths; these forces have become inexplicably twisted into a rope without their realization!

However, Ji Fei and Shui Jing were unaware that the Divine Beast Ice Cone Nail and the leader of the Buddhist followers in the Tibetan highland Rangjung already have a profound friendship with Wen Leyang and the others. Finally, there was the addition of the Wood Elemental God Monkey, known as Qian Ren, who had been sealed in the dog-headed eagle and was also Qin Zhui's support.

When these forces converge, who else in the world would be capable of resisting them?

However, even with such a powerful alliance, when they were faced with Tian Yin who was possessed by Xiang Liu's true soul, they could only retreat without a fight.

Both Ji Fei and Shui Jing could not help but look rather dejected, their group was filled with a large assembly of talented people, each of them could be catastrophic weapons in their own right while their mortal enemy was only a solitary man with no support. Somehow, he had still managed to gain the upper hand. Both Ji Fei and Shui Jing also picked up the smell of danger that was pinning down at the top of their heads together.

When Wen Leyang had found the Heaven-Telling Sect's obscure cultivator, this was equivalent to receiving a key to the treasure chest. However, the item within the chest was something that Xiang Liu was determined to acquire and once he had acquired it, he would start the end of the world that no one dares to imagine.

Even though they do not understand what the 'big flat cake, broken gong, and dog' was, Xiang Liu would never allow anyone else to covet the thing he was after! Especially since they were also his enemy.

After they had found the obscure cultivator from the Heaven-Telling Sect, they had then devised a plan while they were at the Red Leaves Forest earlier. From now on, Wen Leyang and the others' movements have become top-secret. Ji Fei had not expected the situation to become so critical beforehand. He drew in several cold breaths as he hastily shook his head and said, "I don't want to know anymore, I don't want to know anymore! It's safer for me not to know about this matter."

The Rainbow's First Brother could not hold himself back anymore as he stopped walking and declared to Chang Li, "This grand old lady need not worry about that matter which had taken place in the Wen family village. The Rainbow Brothers would never reveal even a half a sentence to any outsiders! Xiang Liu is the vilest monster in the world and though we are doing our best to survive, we would never want to be associated with his evil deeds."

Chang Li's expression was rather troubled, "Well, my main concern was not whether you would find Xiang Liu on your own accord. I'm more concerned about what I should do if Xiang Liu were to find all of you and whether a few persons' lives are more important than the lives of the others." Her gaze swept past each and every one of the Rainbow Brothers as she said that before finally settling on Ji Fei and Shui Jing. The two monks were so terrified until their legs became so limp that they were almost unable to stand anymore.

The old monk Ji Fei clenched his teeth as he stayed upright with great effort. He then shouted in a righteous and awe-inspiring manner, "If Xiang Liu were to find us, we will risk our lives and fight him!" The fat monk Shui Jing had initially wanted to complement the old monk but he had only nodded once before he felt disheartened. To fight Xiang Liu? One would attract the wrath of the gods just by thinking about this idea.

Chang Li still feigned indecision and Wen Leyang could not help but laugh. When they had discussed this matter in the forest earlier, he was aware that Chang Li had come up with an idea. He chuckled as he waved his hand at Ji Fei and Shui Jing, "If you would like to know, then I will tell you the course of events in this matter before inviting the Grand Master to…"

Before he could finish his sentence, the sound of agonized cries abruptly echoed around him; Ji Fei, Shui Jing, and the Rainbow Brothers were filled with sadness as they held each others' hands. Wen Nine and Wen Thirteen too have somehow joined in the lamentation. At first glance, they almost look like they were the Chinese National Football Team who were bidding their farewells to the swimming association.

Chang Li was fully satisfied at long last. She laughed so hard the flowers and branches around her shook and sobbed hysterically as she spoke, "I will erase all of your memories now if you chose not listen to the story! If all of you are willing, you can also listen to the story before I erase your memories. The result would still be the same anyhow…"

They were all sensible people and understood why it was important not to let the information of the Wen family finding the Heaven-Telling Sect's obscure cultivator be leaked to any outsiders. If that happens, Xiang Liu would be immediately drawn in and create boundless great troubles for the Wen family.

Ever since the Rainbow Brothers found out that Chang Li has assumed command in the Wen family and the matter had become related to Xiang Liu, they were aware that they have stepped into the Gates of Hell. They then placed all their hopes into Wen Leyang's virtuous and sincere heart and, as expected, Wen Leyang had not disappointed them. If they had counted on Chang Li's own temperament, she would have plucked the heads off the Rainbow Brothers directly.

The fat monk Shui Jing was still a little worried as he asked Chang Li cautiously, "Sealing our memories…" Chang Li did not wait for him to finish speaking as she shook her head impatiently, "Tian Yin cultivates the orthodox magical arts of a profound sect. He is also equipped with the three brother disciples' life vitality force. He would be able to break the seal if I only sealed your memories so I've chosen to erase your memories entirely! The demon sect is an expert in charming the soul so it is not a difficult task to erase just a portion of one's memories! If Shan Duan or Bu Le were here, there would be no need for me to do so at all."

Upon saying that, she then paused for a moment before laughing, "Don't worry, I won't erase everything and you won't turn into an idiot. I will only erase everything that you remember after you've found out that the Wei Mo's Martial Uncle was hiding in the Wen family."

The fat monk Shui Jing's face was filled with surprised joy as if he had just escaped a great danger. His face also showed some admiration for the top demon's magical art. He nodded and was about to say something when the old monk Ji Fei could not hold back anymore. He blurted out hastily as he tugged at Wen Leyang's arm, "Tell us quick from the beginning to the end, what has actually happened!" His expression was filled with the mannerism of a ghost who had died from eating too much.

Wen Leyang chuckled and he then described the entire matter of how Wen Shulin had helped Xiang Liu to calculate at all the nine places, the course of how he had hidden in the Red Leaves Forest, and how they now planned to continue pursuing the calculations in order to fulfill their wish to become ghosts that have died from eating too much.

In Chang Li's perception, it was not a difficult matter to launch the demon magic to erase their memories. The exertion of her demonic primordial energy and the time to cast the spell was related only to her cultivation base. The amount of their memories she would erase has no bearing on those factors so she allowed them to know about the situation beforehand. This could be considered as her better treatment for her captives.

It did not take long before Wen Leyang finished talking about the situation. He did not even try to hide their plan to visit Mount Hua immediately before heading to the Qilian Mountains and the ore cave on the Snowy Peak. Chang Li waited patiently until he shut his mouth before she immediately started casting the magic spell joyously.

It took almost half an hour to cast the magic spell. After the nine of them woke up, their faces appeared dull and it was apparent that they did not understand how they had ended up there. Wen Leyang coughed once and chuckled before he tried to ask them something in probing when the fat monk Shui Jing's gaze suddenly shone with immortal radiance. He then grabbed Wen Leyang as he laughed aloud in a low muffled voice, "This little alms giver possesses a clear and marvelous physique with an immortal radiance on the outside while absorbing vital essences on the inside. Quick, give me a kowtow and formally acknowledge me as your Master!" He was beaming with joy as he said that.

Chang Li exclaimed as she giggled, "Oops… I may have accidentally erased too much!"

The old monk Ji Fei, however, was still relatively normal. He could remember that Wen Leyang was his Master because he had lost a bet and his final memory was of his journey to Mount Pan of Tianjin Municipality to look for the Gongye family's assistance in forging weapons. Even though he could not recall how he has ended up in the mountain suddenly, he still grabbed onto the fat monk and asked aloud in puzzlement, "Bald monkey, could it be that you've turned crazy? Are you… Thinking of bullying the Master and betraying the ancestors?"

The fat monk Shui Jing was at first startled but he squalled loudly soon after, "Monk Ji Fei, I'm the one who had discovered this young successor first…"

The others tested the Rainbow Brothers and they could only remember things which had taken place before the fierce battle of the Five Blessings on the Nine Peaks Mountain. They all felt shocked and suspicious when they had woken up and were now giggling and pretending to be fools once again…

Wen Leyang and Chang Li discussed the matter at length and they appeared certain as they pointed out that the 'big flat cake, broken gong, and dog' seems to be related to Xiang Liu. As expected, the Rainbow Brothers stood and gazed at one another in surprise before they began to vent about how they missed their home. They subsequently enjoyed another meal of stir-fried eggs after returning to the Wen family village before they left the Nine Peaks Mountain.

Even though Wen Shulin's supernatural power was not as impressive as Wei Mo had boasted, Wen Leyang had still managed to find him at long last. The relief Wen Leyang felt was almost as if a sting had been removed from his chest. To him, this could still be considered as a satisfactory ending with great effort. Now, the only loose end was if Nineteen of One Word Palace would react unpredictably and seize the opportunity to raid the Red Leaves Forest, which would render Chang Li and Wen Leyang's efforts in vain.

Chang Li gave a forced laugh as she shook her head, "We have forgotten about another thing here! Nineteen is probably not only here for the sole purpose of locating Wen Shulin."

Wen Leyang was filled with puzzlement and he shook his head in confusion, "What have we forgotten?"

"The One Word Palace had proposed the marriage first and Third Brother Wei had died on Mount Emei later!" Upon saying that, Chang Li glared at Wen Leyang in a bold and confident manner, "I'm a senior here so my memory is naturally not that good. You, on the contrary, are still young, how could you forget such crucial matter!"

The matter related to the One Word Palace's marriage proposal felt like it had happened a long, long time ago. It almost feels like it had happened in his previous lifetime. Wen Leyang was feeling a little puzzled at first but after he pondered the matter thoroughly he was suddenly enlightened.

Third Brother Wei and Wei Mo had made an agreement to meet on Mount Emei beforehand. His purpose had been to find out the whereabouts of the Wei Mo's Martial Uncle yet he had unexpectedly bumped into the top good hands of the World Sect. They had then perished together after a violent battle.

However, before Third Brother Wei visited Mount Emei, Ma Heshui had already come over to propose the marriage. This signified that when they had proposed the marriage, the One Word Palace was still looking for the whereabouts of Wei Mo's Martial Uncle and had utterly no idea that he was hiding in the Wen family's territory. Otherwise, Third Brother Wei would not have needed to meet Wei Mo on Mount Emei.

Wen Leyang scratched the back of his head in distress and he hesitated as he spoke, "So, had the One Word Palace truly taken fancy to me?"

Chang Li exclaimed indifferently before she burst into laughter.

Ever since the Five Blessings' great battle on the Nine Peaks Mountain, Nineteen had remained at the Wen family village while the One Word Palace handled their matters in low profile manner. It was a chaotic mess in the cultivation world now with the complete loss of all outstanding cultivators from the Eyang Sect and the Jilong Sect. The Kunlun Sect have also relocated their sect's headquarters while Painting Town's Leyang Wen's whereabouts were also unknown. The World Sect had seized the opportunity to create trouble and whether it was the small sects or the rogue cultivators, everyone was in danger. The Great Mercy Temple had remained firm and unmoved with the demon rabbits holding the line but the One Word Palace had almost vanished into thin air. Noone had heard any information about them at all.

If it had not been for the reason of finding the Heaven-Telling Sect's obscure cultivator, Wen Leyang could not understand why Nineteen had persistently stayed in the Wen family and refused to leave. During the violent battle with the Weeping Buddha back then, the One Word Palace had spared no efforts in helping them. Nineteen had even almost sacrificed herself in order to save them. The Wen family acknowledged their human kindness and as long as Nineteen stays in the Wen family village in an honest manner, the Wen family would provide good food, good drink, and good treatment…

The Wen family had the old demon rabbit who had assumed personal command beforehand so even the Rainbow Brothers had not dared to act recklessly, needless to say about Nineteen as well. However, the old demon rabbit has returned to the Great Mercy Temple but there was now an addition of two more good hands in the Wen family which were Wen Nine and Wen Thirteen. They could still manage the situation with ease should Nineteen behave unusually. Moreover, little Chi Maojiu and Mumu were also residing in the Nine Peaks Mountain temporarily. Since they had just broken the secret technique of fusing the three arts into one earlier, they still had plenty of cultivation method's insights to exchange.

It had taken them four days to complete the journey from the Wen family village to the Red Leaves Forest and back. Qin Zhui had safely awoken on the third day after he had passed out but he then left the Nine Peaks Mountain in a hurry not long before Wen Leyang's return. Wen Leyang exclaimed in disappointment as Qin Zhui had left without bidding farewell. It now looks like that the prospect of locating the land of wood spirit in the Mount Hua trip was entirely hopeless.

Chang Li was not bothered at all. To her, this trip to Mount Hua was mainly to return Guo Huan's soul to his split body. If they do not succeed in locating the land of wood spirit, there was still the ore cave on the Snowy Peak and even the Gold-Consuming Lair at the Qilian Mountains for them to calculate at.

Wen Shulin's identity was special, he was the key but also the fuse that was directly connected to the gunpowder barrel called Xiang Liu. They had discussed during their journey that from now on until they have solved the riddle of the 'big flat cake, broken gong, and dog', Wen Shulin would never leave Chang Li's side even for an inch. Therefore, even if Xiang Liu truly comes for a kill, Chang Li could escape with Wen Shulin. As for Wen Leyang, he was naturally on the same path as Chang Li so he would first save Guo Huan before he would calculate the elemental lands of the world.

Mumu and Wen Xiaoyi were instructed to stay back on the Nine Peaks Mountain by their respective family elders and were not allowed to join Wen Leyang's adventure. Even though the two young girls had been unwilling, they understood that they would bring more trouble if they followed Wen Leyang so they stayed behind in the end.

Xiaowu had been sent by Fifth Brother Hanba as reinforcement so she was determined to follow Wen Leyang. In her little heart, her assistance was equal to helping them to fight… Xiaowu was inherently gifted with exuberant demonic power, her actual power was no less inferior to Wen Leyang before he had refined his treasured weapons. Even though her power was no good in the face of Xiang Liu, having such a little fighter by their side was not a burden to them.

The Rainbow Brothers, as expected, descended the mountain on the same night after dinner. Their memories have been erased and they forgot about everything else which had happened later. Now that they found out that the 'big flat cake, broken gong, and dog' was being sought after by Xiang Liu, how would they dare to be associated with those items anymore? They then hastily left the Nine Peaks Mountain and led the World Sect to rise in arms earnestly.

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