Chapter 252 Mountains and Rivers Interrupted (Part Six)
Jiang Gu landed him on the ground. All he could see was a blur of blackness. The pain spread slowly through his limbs and bones. For the first time in his life, he was struck by lightning without any warning. His mind was a mess. Time seemed to stretch out infinitely around him. Raindrops froze in the air. The smell of blood mixed with the smell of earth felt strangely familiar to him.
In the chaos and darkness, he raised his hand and touched Wei Feng's face.
"Master..." Wei Feng's voice trembled, weak and feeble, clearly indicating that he was seriously injured.
"Don't be afraid." He pulled the person into his arms, his breath hot and dry.
“Master, I can’t get into the Void Seal at all. I just tried to enter the Void Seal and I was entangled by this thing. It drained all my spiritual power and I can’t support the Nirvana Technique. Those tribulation lightning bolts are real…” Wei Feng touched the charred wound on his back that had been struck by the lightning tribulation, and his heart felt like it had been twisted hard.
Leaving aside the tribulation lightning that Wei Feng experienced when he ascended two thousand years ago, Wei Feng has now lost the support of the Nirvana Technique. Whenever he uses his spiritual power, he will attract tribulation lightning. Jiang Gu is about to break through, and his tribulation lightning is not to be underestimated either. With the three tribulation lightning mixed together, the blow that Jiang Gu just suffered was comparable to three Dao Ancestor Realm cultivators undergoing tribulation.
"Master, you should enter the Void Seal first." The illusory space that Wei Feng had forcibly constructed wouldn't last long, so he desperately tried to find a way. "I left a passage in your sea of consciousness. I can enter your sea of consciousness directly, Master?"
Jiang Gu didn't respond, but held him tightly in his arms. Wei Feng was rarely held so tightly, and he was stunned for a moment: "...Master."
Jiang Gu finally saw a blurry image before his eyes, which should be a pool of blood and flesh and ghost patterns. He held Wei Feng by the back of the neck and clearly felt the heartbeat in Wei Feng's chest. He slowly suppressed the surging and even too turbulent unfamiliar emotions that had just surged back.
He paused for a moment before understanding Wei Feng's meaning and said in a low voice, "You can't use your spiritual power and can't withstand so much lightning tribulation."
Wei Feng was about to retort when Jiang Gu continued, "However, it's not necessarily impossible."
At this stage, Wei Feng can only rely on the Nirvana Technique to conceal his aura and avoid the lightning tribulation. Although he can use spiritual power, judging from his actions in the past few times, he is still subject to many restrictions. Most importantly, it is extremely difficult to cultivate for a long time under these circumstances. Hiding in Jiang Gu's sea of consciousness is not a long-term solution. He needs a more convenient cover than the Nirvana Technique.
"Master, you mean—" Wei Feng, unusually, followed his plan, "You want me to subdue this vine umbrella?"
No wonder Jiang Gu insisted on bringing him in even though he knew there was a trap here. Even when he clung to Jiang Gu for tenderness and intimacy, it didn't take long. It's likely that Jiang Gu had a plan the moment he saw the umbrella in the illusionary maze leading into the city.
“But this belongs to Yao Yan.” Wei Feng was both full of admiration and somewhat uncomfortable. “I don’t want to use it.”
"Divine artifacts have no owner; whoever snatches them keeps them. You still use the Mirror Flower Scroll and the Golden Spirit Mace quite well, don't you?" Jiang Gu scoffed, smearing the sticky blood on his hand onto Wei Feng's fair neck, his eyes slightly cold. "Unless you have a guilty conscience."
"I didn't!" Wei Feng immediately denied, only realizing he was being teased when he met Jiang Gu's cold gaze. He lowered his head sullenly. "I only like you."
Jiang Gu neither confirmed nor denied this, but pinched his slightly reddened ear and said, "Retract the ghost mark and put on a show with me."
Transparent ghost patterns had somehow crept all over Jiang Gu's back, desperately healing him, completely ignoring the increasing amount of tribulation lightning outside the void space—a foolish act of recklessness.
Wei Feng looked up: "Acting?"
——
Outside the vine umbrella, Wen Xiuji looked at the increasing number of lightning tribulations around them, took a half step back with Wen Hanjiu, and pondered, "Jiang Gu is also going to undergo tribulation, this is a bit difficult to handle."
"Should we help him?" Wen Hanjiu asked.
"Let's see." Wen Xiuji narrowed his eyes. "If he comes out alone, it's not too late to help him."
Within the vortex of memories of the rattan umbrella.
The void space shattered, and lightning struck down relentlessly, leaving only a vast expanse of white in the world. It was unknown how much time had passed before the smell of charred flesh began to linger in the air.
Two thousand years ago, Wei Feng lay on the ground, barely alive, like a pile of black, rotten flesh. His white eyes stared blankly at the sky, unwilling to close.
He struggled to move his body, shouting hoarsely, knowing that his ascension had failed, and two lines of bloody tears flowed from his eyes.
Jiang Gu quietly watched from the side, a wisp of his divine sense separated from the Void Seal. Wei Feng was curled up in his sea of consciousness, avoiding the lightning tribulation, and naturally saw the miserable scene outside.
“It’s just a memory,” Jiang Gu said.
"Hmm." Wei Feng pursed his lips, tugged at the pale golden spiritual energy beside him, and Jiang Gu's aura instantly enveloped him, making him feel extremely at ease.
The image of Wei Feng in his memory barely coalesced into a black humanoid figure. He helplessly tore at the rotten ghostly markings on his body and hoarsely cried out, "...Don't become human...I want to ascend...I want to ascend..."
“You have failed your tribulation.” Wen Xiuji appeared before him. “You are now a half-immortal, and there is no possibility of you ascending to immortality.”
The black, humanoid figure shook its head in anguish, tears of blood streaming down its face: "No...this can't be...I must ascend...I must ascend...I must find him..."
“Which cultivator in the world doesn’t want to ascend?” Wen Xiuji said in a deep voice. “But the Heavenly Dao does not allow us to ascend. The path to immortality in the cultivation world has been cut off. Although you failed to ascend, you eventually managed to cultivate into human form by some twist of fate. You could say that you turned misfortune into blessing.”
"I want to ascend..." The humanoid figure ignored his words, stumbling forward, its head tilted back, staring intently at the sky. Blood mingled with the ghostly markings on its body, and its outstretched arms seemed to be chasing something, wailing and weeping, "I want to ascend..."
Wen Xiuji followed behind him with his hands behind his back, unhurriedly saying, "You'll never be able to ascend again, so give up on that idea."
The humanoid form formed from the rotten flesh and ghostly markings disgusted him, and he frowned in disgust: "I can help you transform into a cleaner form, as long as you agree to be my spirit pet."
The humanoid figure seemed not to hear him. Wen Xiuji finally ran out of patience and made his move.
The cultivator who had just failed his tribulation was at his most vulnerable. He was almost powerless against Wen Xiuji and was kicked to the ground. The spiritual energy slammed into him, shattering the ghost patterns he had painstakingly gathered and breaking his bones again. He was probably in extreme pain and choked up as he cried, but he still stubbornly crawled forward. However, Wen Xiuji's vines pierced his limbs and pinned him firmly to the soil.
"Don't waste your time. If it weren't for your high cultivation level and the fact that you've eaten so many of my clansmen, I would have killed you long ago." Wen Xiuji looked down at him.
The humanoid figure pulled out in pain, its fingernails digging deep into the mud, and growled, "I want to ascend!"
He forcibly pulled himself out of the vines, his body convulsing uncontrollably. He rushed into the sky like a madman, only to be slammed to the ground by the barrier that had been set up beforehand.
Yu Sanlang emerged from the shadows and walked to Wen Xiuji's side, saying, "Master, although this thing has intelligence, it's not very smart. It seems to have gone mad. Why don't we let it go?"
"Let him out to harm others?" Wen Xiuji sneered, forming a master-servant contract in his hand and flying towards the monster on the ground. "When we go to Shenyaobo, we need to prepare a few scapegoats."
The master-servant contract wove a fine net, trapping the humanoid monster within. He roared in resistance, but his strength waned, and he bled more and more, watching helplessly as he drifted further and further away from the sky. In despair, he grabbed at the withered branches around him, but it was all in vain. In the end, he was bound by the contract and thrown into the spirit pet pouch.
All that remained on the ground was a large, tragic pool of blood.
Jiang Gu directly severed Wei Feng's spiritual sense that was peering outwards. Wei Feng looked up in confusion and heard Jiang Gu say, "Prepare the tribulation-crossing formation first, and protect me later."
“Okay.” Wei Feng naturally put him first and had no objection to Jiang Gu’s arrangement.
Jiang Gu looked out again and saw the bloodied humanoid monster rushing towards the Vine Demon City.
"Oh no! Master, he's escaped!" Yu Sanlang panicked and chased after him.
Wen Xiuji stopped him, his eyes unreadable. Yu Sanlang turned around in astonishment and saw the murderous intent in his eyes clearly.
“I originally thought my father valued me, but all he valued was my talent, and so did those vine demons.” Wen Xiuji twitched his lips. “Now that I am a half-immortal and have no chance of ascending, they couldn’t wait to choose a new young master… A father and clansmen like that are better off without.”
Yu Sanlang felt a chill run through his body. He turned around and looked at the distant Vine Demon City, which had become a blurry, blood-red blur in the rain. He murmured, "But you haven't broken your master-servant contract with him yet, so you can't stop him."
"How do you know it wasn't at my behest?" Wen Xiuji laughed.
Yu Sanlang froze.
"Fine, considering how much he's helped me, let's dissolve the master-servant contract. Otherwise, it'll be hard to explain if the Half-Immortal Clan investigates." Wen Xiuji's gaze fell on him. "Anyway, I already have you, right?"
Amidst the deafening thunder and blood, Yu Sanlang staggered back half a step.
Her memory ended there. In reality, the enormous vine umbrella began to tremble incessantly, and bolts of lightning struck down one after another, turning Wen Hanjiu's face pale.
"What are you worried about? I have already severed your connection with your original body. Even if this vine umbrella is chopped into dust, it won't hurt you in the slightest." Wen Xiuji, with Yu Sanlang's face on his head, pressed down on Wen Hanjiu's shoulder.
Wen Hanjiu suddenly widened her eyes: "Someone's coming out!"
Wen Xiuji followed his gaze and saw a person and a sword burst forth from the lightning, the lightning tearing through the sky, the white figure shining brightly in the night and rain.
A smile slowly appeared on his face. He clapped his hands and said, "I had long heard that Fellow Daoist Jiang is exceptionally intelligent and has reached the pinnacle of the Path of Ruthlessness. He has indeed not disappointed us."
He looked at the vine umbrella behind Jiang Gu, which was already covered with purplish-black tribulation lightning, indicating that Wei Feng had been left inside.
"Your Half-Immortal Clan's tests are nothing more than this," Jiang Gu said coldly.
“We want to help you ascend, but we need to see if you are qualified. Please don’t take offense, Fellow Daoist Jiang.” Wen Xiuji said, tucking his sleeves. “After all, Wei Feng has already failed to ascend. Back then, I spared his life because of a momentary lapse of judgment. Later, he wandered around and ended up in Pingze, where he disappeared without a trace. When he reappeared, he had already been used by Xiao Dan and transformed into a ‘Jie Jade’ specifically to hinder your ascension… I’m sure Fellow Daoist Jiang knows this much better than I do.”
"You want to help me ascend to immortality?" Jiang Gu looked at him.
“Of course, this is a divine decree, and no one dares to disobey it.” Wen Xiuji smiled, a barely perceptible hint of envy flashing in his eyes. “You are a born immortal, destined not to be burdened by such things. To be honest, he is neither human nor immortal nor ghost nor demon, and no one knows what he is. Even the Heavenly Dao refuses to give him a way out. Fellow Daoist Jiang is willing to sever his emotional ties, so his path to ascension will naturally be unobstructed.”
“That’s right.” Jiang Gu looked at him coldly. “I’m about to break through to the mid-stage of the Dao Ancestor Realm, but I was seriously injured just now while trying to trap him.”
Wen Xiuji smiled and said, "It's alright, we will do our best to protect you."
"Thank you." Jiang Gu nodded, his voice laced with ruthlessness, "But I cannot rest easy until Wei Feng is eliminated."
“This is easy.” Wen Xiuji snapped his fingers, and all the hidden half-immortals around him appeared. Wen Hanjiu understood and opened the inside of the vine umbrella. She saw that Wei Feng’s limbs were firmly nailed to the vines by ice spikes. He stared intently at Jiang Gu outside the vine umbrella, his eyes bloodshot and filled with undisguised hatred.
Seeing this, Wen Xiuji felt a little relieved and said, "Fellow Daoist Jiang is truly ruthless. Just now, the lovers were whispering sweet nothings to each other, and now..."
He seemed reluctant to continue.
Jiang Gu said coldly, "I originally wanted to kill my wife to prove my Dao, but unfortunately I can't feel any love for her, so I have to give up."
Even Wen Xiuji showed him admiration.
Upon hearing this, Wei Feng, who was inside the vine umbrella, struggled for a moment in astonishment, moved his lips as if he wanted to speak, but could not utter a sound.
Although he knew Jiang Gu was acting, he still couldn't help but feel panic and unease. He was so familiar with Jiang Gu's expression that he felt Jiang Gu was telling the truth. His bloodshot eyes filled with tears, and he wanted to break free regardless. The ice pick that was just for show was instantly soaked with blood.
He didn't want to act anymore, and he didn't want this tattered rattan umbrella anymore!
My master would never kill his wife to prove his enlightenment, and it's impossible for him to have no love for me at all—even if it's a lie!
Jiang Gu was not allowed to even think about it!
Seeing that he was struggling more and more violently, Wen Xiuji put aside even the last trace of doubt and said to the people next to him, "You few go in and deal with this thing, the rest of you come with me to protect Fellow Daoist Jiang."
The group left as instructed. Wen Hanjiu looked at Jiang Gu blankly, then steeled herself and followed him into the vine-covered umbrella.
Jiang Gu frowned almost imperceptibly when he saw that Wei Feng was indeed injured. He nodded to Wen Xiuji and said, "Then I'll have to trouble you all."
He no longer deliberately suppressed his cultivation. The thunderclouds of his tribulation exploded above the Vine Demon City. Wen Xiuji directed the people of the Half-Immortal Clan to disperse and protect him.
Inside the city lord's mansion, Feng Wuyou suddenly slapped Chanlin on the shoulder: "They're here!"
Chan Lin jolted awake and, following Jiang Gu's instructions, activated the substitution array beneath his feet. The array outside the main array, which was covered by Feng Wuyou's concealment array, silently spread throughout the entire Vine Demon City, connecting the array under Wei Feng inside the Vine Umbrella with the array outside the Vine Umbrella where Jiang Gu was undergoing his tribulation. In an instant, the inside and outside were reversed, and reality and illusion were reversed, and Jiang Gu and Wei Feng's positions were instantly swapped.
Meanwhile, Wen Xiuji and the others were busy protecting what they saw as "Jiang Gu" and were completely unaware of what was happening.
The lightning tribulation suddenly became fierce, heading straight for "Jiang Gu" in the great formation. "Jiang Gu" didn't react in time and didn't even dodge. Wen Xiuji didn't have time to be surprised and shouted, "Form the Substitute Formation!"
He led his men into battle and single-handedly helped "Jiang Gu" withstand nearly a hundred lightning strikes.
Blood slowly flowed from his seven orifices. Wen Xiuji's body swayed slightly. Two half-immortal disciples had already succumbed and turned into dust. The tribulation lightning in the sky not only did not stop, but intensified. The divine artifacts they sacrificed in the protective formation were being consumed as if they were free.
"Fellow Daoist Jiang, how could this be?!" Wen Xiuji asked sternly.
The substitute formation is complete, and they are now trapped in the tribulation lightning with nowhere to retreat. Even if they leave now, they will be targeted by the tribulation lightning unless they help Jiang Gu successfully overcome the tribulation.
The "Jiang Gu" within the formation raised its head and revealed a ferocious smile to him.
Wen Xiuji's expression changed, and he finally realized something was wrong: "You're not Jiang Gu!"
The vines and canopies beside them burst open, and the half-immortals who were originally sent to kill Wei Feng were somehow also drawn into the substitute formation. They were now helping Wei Feng resist the tribulation lightning together with them, and were not in control of their own destiny.
Jiang Gu, who had already survived his tribulation with the help of the vine umbrella, walked out slowly on the vine leaves. He watched as the group of half-immortals were suffering terribly from being struck by lightning, and then coldly put away his Crimson Snow Sword.
"What on earth is going on?!" Wen Xiuji gritted his teeth. "Jiang Gu, how dare you lie to us!"
No matter how angry he was, he couldn't leave the substitute formation. As long as the lightning tribulation was still striking Wei Feng, they had to help bear it, which was a bitter pill to swallow.
Jiang Gu glanced at him coldly, walked up to Wei Feng, crushed the ice spikes that were already embedded in his flesh, and frowned, saying, "Why are you struggling?"
He had already told Wei Feng that this was just for show, and that Wei Feng wouldn't get hurt as long as he didn't struggle.
Wei Feng looked at him with red eyes, ignoring his bloody wounds, and hugged him tightly, crying out, "I don't want this broken umbrella anymore!"
"The second half isn't true." Jiang Gu sighed and reached out to hug the person.
Although this bastard is not very bright, his intuition is surprisingly sharp. His statement that he wanted to kill his wife to prove his Dao was not a lie... Wei Feng knew that he was not lying.
Wei Feng almost strangled him in his arms, but his body was trembling violently, clearly terrified. He had to push the man away a little and meet Wei Feng's panicked and desperate eyes.
Amidst lightning and thunder, and torrential rain, beneath their feet lay a massive array of alternating reality and illusion, surrounded by endless vines and branches, and above them, Wen Xiuji and a group of semi-immortal disciples gritted their teeth and blocked the lightning within the array.
Jiang Gu looked calmly at Wei Feng, lifted his chin, and placed a gentle, comforting kiss on his lips.
"I only like you."
Wei Feng slowly opened his eyes, and Jiang Gu's indifferent voice drifted into his ears.
"How could I bear to kill you?"
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