Free Web NovelChapter 183: Chapter 176: The Woman: That Fairy... Is She a Demonic Cultivator?
Qingxu Temple.
Then, on the main mirror, more lights went out with a series of "CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!"
Xuanyuan Daoist’s face, already etched with worry, now grew so dark it seemed ready to drip water.
’Failure... another failure...’
’And to lose ten disciples in a row, in such a short amount of time?!’
’No, that’s not right.’
He looked again toward the life tablets of his undercover disciples. Their tablets were still intact.
’Does this mean it was just their sub-mirrors that failed one after another?’
’A bunch of useless trash!’
He slowly closed his eyes. The bone-deep chill in his heart was even colder than the gloom of the secret chamber deep in the mountains.
’This Guixi Sect... just what kind of lion’s den is it?’
’Is their intelligence truly so impenetrable?’
First, Su Ling’er vanished without a trace. Then, Wang Xiedi’s Heart-Connected Fruit sent back a pile of nonsense.
And now, the third group of disciples, in whom he had placed such high hopes, had been almost completely wiped out so quickly?!
’Is it possible? Is there truly no opening to exploit in this Guixi Sect?’
The resentment and anxiety in Xuanyuan Daoist’s heart gnawed at his sanity.
The day the superior Celestial Furnace Sect would next come to collect their Tithing was drawing ever closer.
And he still couldn’t even determine what sort of value this upstart sect was hiding.
’If... if this time, I still come away with nothing...’
He snapped his eyes open, a flicker of grim resolve in their depths.
’Then I’ll have no choice but to cut my losses. I can’t keep obsessing over the Guixi Sect. While there’s still time, I’ll have to find another way.’
Xuanyuan Daoist stared intently at the single point of light that had yet to be extinguished.
’Dong Changsheng... you must not disappoint your master...’
...
On the stage, the play of light and shadow came to a close.
The tragedy, steeped in blood and tears, had finally concluded its silent performance.
However, the true horror was only just beginning.
"HRRGH... HRRGH..."
With the sound of grinding bones, the black shadow representing Shen Gang slowly began to climb to its feet.
Its empty eye sockets turned toward the "corpse" of Shen Jieye beside it, and it raised the sharp axe in its hand.
"SQUELCH!"
The axe rose and fell, and a flash of blood-red light appeared.
The "Shen Jieye" figure was instantly chopped into several pieces.
But bizarrely, the shattered pieces of shadow did not dissipate. Instead, as if they had a life of their own, they wriggled and merged, reforming into a complete human figure within a few breaths’ time.
Then, "Shen Gang" raised its axe again.
"SQUELCH!"
Chopped to pieces.
Wriggling.
Merging.
Chopped to pieces again.
This small stage had become a seemingly endless Reincarnation Hell.
Along with this bizarre scene, the army of Cursed Spirits below the stage began to move.
Hundreds of Cursed Spirits swarmed from all directions, shrieking, roaring, and charging forward!
"HRRGH... HRRGH... HRRGH..."
"MEOW—!"
"~Greet good fortune and prosper across the four seas~"
Su Ling’er was too exasperated to even complain. ’What the fuck is this goddamn accompaniment?!’
’Eldest Brother, what in the world are you guys doing! This is completely ruining the atmosphere!!!’
Then again, it wasn’t all bad. The absurdly festive feeling actually suppressed the fear in her heart, allowing her to become a little calmer.
"Form the array!"
Su Ling’er made a split-second decision and gave a clear shout.
The low-grade talismans she had laid out earlier were instantly activated. Streaks of spiritual light flared up, forming a crude Defense Array around her, Wang Xiedi, and the mother and son.
"BANG! BANG! BANG!"
The first few Cursed Spirit black cats to charge slammed headfirst into the barrier of light. They were instantly sent flying back, trails of black smoke rising from their bodies.
The array was effective!
However, Wang Xiedi was horrified to discover that while a few ghost children were also blocked outside the array, the more humanoid, common Cursed Spirits could forcibly pass through the light barrier, despite suffering heavy injuries and emitting hissing green smoke!
He didn’t have time to think. He shielded the mother and son behind him and charged forward, Wooden Sword in hand.
Su Ling’er, meanwhile, was facing even greater pressure.
She was facing several female ghost Cursed Spirits that were a cut above the common ones. The residual Spiritual Power fluctuating from them suggested they had been converted from people who were Qi Refiners in their past lives!
"You’re courting death!"
Su Ling’er’s eyes turned cold as the full power of her Foundation Establishment Stage cultivation erupted.
The layer of gray-black aura around the novice Wooden Sword in her hand flared violently!
The sword light, carrying a grim, ghostly energy, tore through the scene before her.
With a few shrill shrieks, the female ghost Cursed Spirits were instantly obliterated, their souls scattered by her fierce sword strikes!
’There are so many of them. It’s tough, but for now... I can still hold on!’
Just then, a terrifying pressure far surpassing any of the previous Cursed Spirits radiated from the direction of the stage!
A chanting sound, as if rising from the depths of the Nine Netherworld, echoed in everyone’s ears.
The black shadows on the stage—the ones that had been performing the shadow play of the high monks—began to slowly walk down from it!
Leading them was an old monk Cursed Spirit wearing a tattered kasaya. His face was withered, his eye sockets were sunken, and in his hand, he held a string of Buddhist Beads made from ghastly white finger bones.
’This pressure!’
’It’s the Foundation Establishment Stage!’
’And Mid-stage Foundation Establishment at that!’
Su Ling’er’s heart instantly sank to the depths.
The old monk Cursed Spirit ignored the others. Its hollow gaze locked onto Su Ling’er, seemingly drawn to the evil aura emanating from her.
"Evil... spirit..."
Two hoarse words escaped its lips. It raised a hand, and a black "卍" swastika seal, condensed from resentful energy, abruptly took form. Wielding a bizarre Buddhist power, it pressed down on Su Ling’er.
"CLANG—!"
The sword and the Buddhist seal collided, erupting in a deafening clang!
Su Ling’er felt an immense force travel up the sword, making the web of her thumb go numb. She was sent stumbling back several steps, unable to control her momentum.
Having landed a successful blow, the old monk Cursed Spirit didn’t pause for a moment, sending out one Buddhist seal after another.
The other, weaker monk Cursed Spirits also attacked, while countless common Cursed Spirits seized the opportunity to rush her.
"Senior Sister!"
Seeing this, Wang Xiedi immediately started to rush over to share the pressure.
"Stay back!" Su Ling’er shouted sharply, stopping him. "Don’t come here just to die!"
Seeing so many Cursed Spirits taking advantage of the opening, Su Ling’er gritted her teeth and hastily circulated the Sword Refining Skill.
In an instant, the gray-black aura whipped back and enveloped her entire body!
Pain washed over every inch of her flesh and blood, but the Supreme Heart-Clearing Soul-Stabilizing Skill firmly guarded the last sliver of clarity in her mind.
Meanwhile, the True Understanding of Ten Thousand Transformations Returning to the Origin circulated wildly within her, alleviating the pain of her physical body being forged, tempered, and enchanted by the ghostly, deathly, and corpse energies.
"Bring it on!"
Su Ling’er’s eyes were bloodshot. With a sweep of her arm, the aura carrying black, ghostly energy decapitated all the common Cursed Spirits that had rushed forward!
Then, she actually grabbed the head of one of the monk Cursed Spirits, and her five fingers tightened abruptly!
"POP—!"
She crushed the head with her bare hand, sending black blood splattering everywhere!
The sight of her—wreathed in black energy, her eyes bloodshot, crushing a head with her bare hands—was reflected in the pupils of the mother and son, and of Wang Xiedi, behind her.
Behind her, the mother and son were scared stiff. The child let out a "WAAAH!" and burst into tears.
The woman turned her head and asked Wang Xiedi:
"Immortal Master... that... that Immortal Maiden... is she a demonic cultivator?!"
