Chapter 134 Killing Tai Sui (Twenty-Two): The Battle of Wits Between Master and Disciple...
As she walked, Song Qiling suddenly noticed a small ink stain on the edge of her sleeping shoes, and her steps faltered.
She crouched down, reached out and touched the shore. She felt a cool, damp touch, and when she looked up, she found her hand covered in ink.
Not completely dry...
A thought suddenly popped into my head.
Since Chu Yue could trap them with his paintings, why couldn't they turn the tables and make use of the still-wet ink?
With that in mind, she simply dipped her hands in ink and tried to draw on the blank ground.
Wherever the fingertips touched, the moist ink seemed to come alive, quickly condensing and taking shape. In a short while, a rather sturdy-looking wooden board appeared out of thin air and landed on the ground with a "thud".
It actually worked!
She looked up at her junior brother on the other side of the river, her eyes shining with joy: "Once I draw a log frame across this river, we'll be able to cross."
Having said that, she didn't dare to delay and continued to reinforce the wooden board with ink. Then, she drew a thick hemp rope and two long nails.
On second thought, this ink is rare, and if it dries up soon, it might be impossible to use it again.
So, on a whim, she used the remaining ink in her hand to draw a brush and an inkstone filled with ink.
Once everything was ready, she picked up the hemp rope, tied one end to the drawn wooden board, swung the other end around in her hand a few times, and then, seizing the opportunity, threw it forcefully towards the opposite bank of the river. "Junior brother, catch!"
Gu Lianzhou caught the end of the rope and tied it tightly to the long nail as instructed, then hammered the nail firmly into the ground.
Song Qiling tested the stability of the rope before stepping onto the ink-stained wooden plank.
Although the bridge swayed, it was strong enough to support her weight. She carefully walked step by step toward the other side.
However, just as she reached the middle of the river, a strange thing happened!
The rushing river seemed to be enraged, suddenly surging with waves. In the midst of the waves, a blurry-faced water ghost stretched out its sharp claws, grabbing at her ankles, trying to drag her into the river.
At the same time, the invisible pen in the air seemed to sense this abnormality as well, and with anger, it swung again, and several chains appeared out of thin air, rushing straight towards her.
"Senior brother, be careful!" Gu Lianzhou exclaimed, his demonic aura surging forth as several tentacles met the chains in the air and the claws in the water, instantly shredding them.
The bursting ink meandered down the tentacles, then twisted and deformed, reforming into solid, long spikes that pierced deep into the tentacles' flesh.
Song Qiling broke free of his predicament and quickly crossed the river.
As soon as he stepped ashore, he picked up his brush, dipped it in ink, and began to paint.
With a flourish of her brush, a blazing flame talisman instantly took shape beneath her pen. Though drawn with ink, it truly ignited the moment it was completed, radiating a scorching aura that enveloped Gu Lianzhou.
The long spikes hissed as they touched the flames, then melted away like ice and snow in an instant.
She glanced around and her heart tightened.
No, we need to draw a hiding place, otherwise they'll be walking targets.
Song Qiling picked up her brush again, dipped it in ink, and sketched out a solid foundation and walls, followed by a sloping roof, a window letting in light, and most importantly... a locked door.
As the last stroke was completed, and the ink flowed, a small house that could accommodate two people actually appeared out of thin air and sat steadily on the riverbank.
The house was covered in ink stains, with crooked lines, crooked walls, slanted windows, and even a door with a comical curve, resembling a child's doodle.
It was a little hasty, but still quite sturdy.
"Don't just stand there, come inside!" Song Qiling pulled Gu Lianzhou along and stepped into the small house first.
The interior was minimalist and almost empty, but the walls shielded it from outside prying eyes and potential attacks, providing a rare respite.
The air was filled with the scent of ink.
"Senior brother, your painting skills are amazing." Gu Lianzhou curiously touched the wall. It was slightly cool to the touch, with the unique luster of ink, yet it had the solid feel of bricks and stones.
Song Qiling leaned against the wall, slightly out of breath, feeling uneasy. "Don't be too happy yet. Chu Yue will never sit idly by and let us set up camp here."
Sure enough, before she finished speaking, a strange noise came from outside the hut.
"Knock knock knock—"
Heavy footsteps approached rapidly, shaking the ground. Then came the sharp, piercing sound of something rough scraping against the walls, as if it were about to tear the hut apart.
Song Qiling propped herself up on her knees and looked out through the small window.
As far as the eye could see, several enormous figures lay prostrate on the outer wall.
Without facial features, only twisted and writhing dark lines, its limbs constantly dissolved and reformed in motion, like a group of haphazardly shaped puppets, frantically scratching at the hut with its shapeless arms, trying to break through this defense.
The cabin shook violently, and tiny cracks quietly spread across the walls. The grating scraping sound seemed to be hitting their scalps directly, constantly tormenting their nerves.
Gu Lianzhou suddenly stood up, his demonic aura already showing signs of becoming uncontrollable. The dodder scurried restlessly in the shadows, "This is disgusting! I'd rather go out and fight it to my heart's content!"
"Don't be impulsive!" Song Qiling grabbed his arm, her gaze sweeping over the inkstone in her hand, the ink still wet. Her mind raced, "Ink is afraid of fire. The fire talisman from earlier was indeed effective, but if it's used here, this house will definitely be the first to burn down..."
Unconsciously, his fingertips traced the cool edge of the inkstone, when suddenly a thought struck him: "Fire can destroy ink, but water can also dissolve it. Since we can't use fire, let's try water!"
With her mind made up, she immediately picked up her brush, dipped it in ink, and the tip of the brush moved swiftly in the air, producing several talismans that fell like snowflakes and scattered all over the ground.
After carefully folding the sheets one by one, Song Qiling quickly walked to the window and suddenly pushed open the small window.
Outside the window, a huge, twisting, writhing figure immediately pressed in, trying to break through the only opening.
In that instant, Song Qiling forcefully threw the talisman in his hand outwards!
As soon as the talisman left his hand, it shone brightly, transforming into a powerful, refreshing aura that swept outwards, accompanied by a sudden gust of wind and abundant rain.
With a whooshing sound, wind and rain poured down from the monster's head.
The dark body began to twist and dissolve in the damp wind, and its originally ferocious scratching movements became slow and viscous.
Within a few breaths, the enormous figures could no longer hold on and collapsed to the ground, turning into puddles of ink that flowed across the land with the flow of the gale.
As the storm subsided, the attack outside the hut came to an abrupt end.
Before the two could catch their breath, a deep laugh came from mid-air, "Qiling, my disciple, it's been a long time. Your magic has become even more refined."
Song Qiling frowned suddenly, looked up at the sky, and said coldly, "Chu Yue, when did you learn the evil art of commanding evil spirits?"
With a click of his tongue, Chu Yue seemed displeased with his disciple's disobedience. "Evil arts? All that I do is to slay demons and uphold righteousness."
He sighed softly, "My disciple, you are intelligent and quick-witted, yet how can you not see the people around you clearly? Do you know what kind of wicked creatures are protecting you with their lives?"
“No need for you to worry.” Song Qiling took half a step to the side, shielding Gu Lianzhou behind her, and said in a deep voice, “Whether my junior brother is human or demon, immortal or devil, today and in the future, I will stand by his side.”
"Stubborn to the end!"
These words seemed to instantly sting Chu Yue, and he roared angrily like a thunderclap.
In an instant, the world turned upside down!
The ground beneath my feet seemed to transform into a dome, while the pure white overhead seemed to collapse downwards, plunging the entire world into a state of chaotic weightlessness.
Countless drops of thick ink poured down from the dome like a violent downpour. As the ink waves surged, a figure gradually materialized and landed steadily not far in front of the two people.
Song Qiling looked up and her heart sank.
This person looked exactly like Chu Yue.
The facial features are still faintly discernible, but it seems as if all color has been completely removed, leaving only rich black and white, like an old and faded ink painting portrait.
At first glance, it looks extremely strange.
He interlaced his fingers, ink shimmering at his fingertips, and suddenly a giant ink brush appeared in the air, its tip like a knife, dipped in thick ink, and swung down fiercely towards the hut!
"Get out of the way!" Song Qiling grabbed Gu Lianzhou and dodged to the side. The ink brush grazed the corner of the room and with a "boom", a deep ink ditch was carved into the ground.
As the ink splattered, countless tiny ink snakes emerged from the ditch and slithered toward the two people inside the house.
Song Qiling immediately picked up a brush and drew a talisman. Several golden rays of light shot out from the tip of the brush and landed on the ink snake. Where the golden light passed, the ink snake instantly froze and turned into stiff ink marks.
Before she could catch her breath, Chu Yue's second stroke had already landed.
Wherever the brush swept across, the ink condensed into several sharp arrows, densely packed, aimed directly at the faces of the two men.
Song Qiling raised his hand and formed a hand seal, creating a barrier in front of him.
The ink arrow struck the barrier with a crisp clanging sound, but it could not penetrate it.
Seeing this, Chu Yue curled his lips into a cold smile. With a slight movement of his fingertips, the blocked ink arrows suddenly changed direction, flanking from both sides and piercing straight into the backs of the two men.
Song Qiling was prepared. With a flick of her wrist, she drew a huge shield with her pen, protecting the two of them inside.
The long arrow struck the shield and instantly shattered into countless ink-like specks.
Just then, Chu Yue's figure blurred, transforming into a phantom that passed through the wall and silently appeared behind Song Qiling. His palm, filled with thick ink, struck straight at her back!
"Senior brother!" Gu Lianzhou exclaimed, as tentacles shot out from his body and wrapped around Chu Yue's arm. Song Qiling took the opportunity to turn around, made a hand seal, and pointed directly at Chu Yue's brow, trying to shake off his black body.
But Chu Yue didn't care at all, and instead sneered: "Good disciple, I taught you all your magic myself, how could you hurt me?"
As soon as he finished speaking, his body suddenly surged with dark energy, causing Gu and Song to stagger back several steps.
Song Qiling felt a surge of emotion, and the brush in her hand almost slipped from her grasp.
Chu Yue pressed closer, the ink dots at his fingertips coalescing into a long sword. The tip of the sword sliced across the ground with a piercing sound. "Today, I will teach you what a true sorcerer is."
Having said that, he swung his longsword, and the sword energy slashed down, tearing the air apart wherever it passed.
Song Qiling's pupils contracted sharply, and she suddenly bent down, using her fingers as a brush to quickly sketch on the ground.
The ink flowed from her fingertips, instantly condensing into a small T-shaped ink magic circle. The moment the magic circle took shape, countless ink runes rose up, transforming into a barrier in front of her.
"clang--"
The sword energy collided with the barrier, unleashing a deafening sound.
The runes flickered violently, and the barrier teetered on the brink of collapse.
Song Qiling gritted her teeth and endured it, a fine layer of cold sweat seeping from her forehead.
Just as the barrier was about to shatter, a black figure suddenly rushed out from the side. It was Gu Lianzhou, whose demonic energy condensed into a whip, which fiercely lashed at the sword energy.
"Clang—"
The longsword was deflected by the impact and flew to the ground.
Chu Yue's face darkened, and he turned to look at Gu Lianzhou, his eyes filled with murderous intent: "Sui Yin, you're courting death!"
He raised his hand and waved it, and countless ink threads surged from the ground, wrapping around Gu Lianzhou's limbs, trying to drag him into the bottomless ink pit.
"Chu Yue, stop!" Song Qiling was anxious and, disregarding her churning blood and qi, bit her fingertip and drew a blood talisman in the air. The moment the talisman was completed, blood light surged and shot towards Chu Yue's heart like a sharp arrow!
Caught off guard, Chu Yue was struck, his figure swayed, and the dark light around him dimmed slightly.
The black silk binding Gu Lianzhou loosened instantly, and Gu Lianzhou took the opportunity to break free and raised his hand to attack Chu Yue's vitals.
Upon seeing this, Song Qiling immediately cooperated, drawing several fire talismans that transformed into a rain of fire that fell towards Chu Yue.
When the fire rain met the ink, it made a hissing sound. Chu Yue's ink body was scorched and sizzled, and his body finally began to twist.
Chu Yue's body was covered in swirling ink as he tried to extinguish the flames, but Song Qiling and Gu Lianzhou had already joined forces. One used magic to restrain him, while the other launched a powerful attack with demonic energy. Their offensive was relentless.
Although his ink-like body could regenerate, under the dual attacks of fire and demonic energy, his magic was increasingly depleted, making it difficult to maintain his form, and he became increasingly thin.
He looked intently at Song Qiling, his eyes devoid of any warmth, only filled with obsessive coldness: "Qiling, one day you will understand how foolish your choice today was, and by then it will be too late for regrets."
Before he finished speaking, the waves of ink gradually subsided, turning into a pool of ink that spilled onto the ground.
The scene in the painting is teetering on the brink of collapse.
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