Chapter 429 Fighting Against Evil Cultivators
Although the attackers' attacks haven't caused any trouble for the group so far, it's only because they are strong enough.
Gao Sheng's face was gloomy. After glancing at how Zhong Wu and his wife were able to handle those petty tricks, he slipped away and went into the sandstorm to search for the culprit!
Zhong Cai lay on Wu Shaogan's back, her brows furrowed, but she wasn't too nervous.
Although both the blood talisman and the blood poison originated from evil paths, the evil cultivators who manipulated them behind the scenes were likely only at the Spirit Transformation level.
At this level, their defenses cannot be broken.
Even unorthodox methods won't work.
However, caution is also necessary; one should not underestimate the opponent tactically.
·
Wu Shaogan manipulated the Yin-Yang millstone, releasing the crushing power of Yin and Yang within it, which continuously spread towards the sandy land.
The vast sandstorm was indeed terrifying, but whenever the gray mist spewed out by the millstone advanced a few feet, the sandstorm would retreat a few feet.
And so, the Yin-Yang millstone continued to devour the other's territory.
The speed at which it devours others is also quite fast.
The couple also learned that Gao Sheng had gone to search for the evil cultivator who had attacked them.
They didn't know exactly how many evil cultivators there were, but these rats in the gutter were always masters of concealment. Even if Gao Sheng's cultivation level was at least one major level higher than theirs, he might not be able to find their traces quickly.
Let's just hold on like this.
When it comes to expending resources, Wu Shaogan has never been afraid of anyone.
·
Zhong Cai squinted, observing the overflowing blood poison, and took out an open box, pointing it at the sand and dust.
The box released a large amount of devouring power. When some stubborn sand and dust broke through the gaps in the Yin-Yang millstone, they were quickly sucked into the box.
·
Whether it was the previous Qi-gathering bottle or this box now... or any other strange and mysterious artifacts, they were all custom-made by Zhong Cai after he specifically asked a master craftsman to describe them to him.
Each of the mysterious artifacts has a special function, serving to assist Zhong Cai in his research.
The box is called the "Devouring Box" and has a wide range of uses. Because its level is high enough, it can also withstand a considerable number of external attacks.
Therefore, when the sand and dust enter the box, even if they are extremely powerful and initially bounce around repeatedly, the box itself can quickly dissipate their power, keeping them still inside.
The only drawback is that only one type of material can be placed in a single box.
In addition, the box itself is quite valuable. Unless one is a highly skilled alchemist like Zhong Cai, even other alchemists who are already quite wealthy compared to martial arts cultivators simply cannot afford or use it.
·
Zhong Cai raised an eyebrow as she watched the fine, dense sand gradually filling the box.
It is said that the blood poison of evil cultivators is composed of different components, which is why it is difficult for righteous alchemists to find the right medicine. Even if they can refine a medicine that can neutralize the blood poison, it can often only weaken it to a certain extent.
Zhong Cai didn't think he could develop a 100% effective antidote, but he was confident that he could create a drug with even better efficacy.
He hadn't paid much attention to evil cultivators in the past, but now that they'd practically delivered themselves to his doorstep, he figured he had to get his hands on some research materials...
He didn't put the box away, but kept the lid open.
The box kept absorbing, yet it never seemed to fill up, precisely because it possessed spatial properties and could hold objects several feet in diameter. Although the sandstorms here were overwhelming, very little escaped, so there was no need to replace the box.
·
Wu Shaogan's Yin-Yang Millstone had already swallowed up a large part of the sky, and the expressions of the several evil cultivators who were hiding very deep were all very ugly.
Damn it! They really know who they're talking about!
Their purpose in coming here was for the corrupted Yin-Yang Pearl, which was intended to corrupt Wu Shaogan.
They made that plan one minute, and the next they discovered their things had been taken. They were just thinking of using the stolen goods to block the road, but it turned out the very person their ancestor had planned to ambush was right there!
This is absolutely outrageous!
The evil cultivators fell silent upon realizing this.
commit a sin.
Hmm... how could it not be?
What kind of evil cultivator wouldn't commit evil deeds?
At this time, the evil cultivators used secret methods to hide deep in the sandstorms, and also took advantage of the terrain to hide in the rocks and stone ground.
At that moment, a heretical practitioner angrily transmitted his voice.
【What do we do now? That's Wu Shaogan! How are we supposed to deal with a Battle King like him? No talismans can hit him! The blood poison in the sandstorm can't withstand his millstone attack! And even if we could, Zhong Cai is inseparable from Wu Shaogan. Are we really going to poison Wu Shaogan under his watchful eye? At only a seventh-level cultivator, is there any poison Zhong Cai can't cure?】
The other two heretical cultivators sighed imperceptibly.
Indeed, it's quite a coincidence.
Why did it have to be Wu Shaogan and Zhong Cai?
If it weren't for them, the evil cultivators would have had a better chance of success, but it was precisely them who made the evil cultivators lose their morale.
·
It's no wonder they act this way.
Over the past few decades, Zhong Cai and Wu Shaogan have been making breakthroughs and improvements at an astonishingly rapid pace.
If it were just a matter of improving one's cultivation level, that would be fine. There are plenty of geniuses with terrifying talent in the world who can break through quickly. In fact, powerful forces will even suppress the cultivation levels of geniuses in order to allow them to solidify their foundation and cultivate their combat skills.
However, Zhong Cai and Wu Shaogan, this couple, not only broke through their cultivation levels quickly, but their strength also far exceeded that of ordinary people.
Wu Shaogan was always at the top of the martial arts rankings. No matter who challenged him to a duel, it seemed that no one could figure out his true strength. There was once a guy named Chao Hanxiao who could almost fight him to a draw, but later even Chao Hanxiao could no longer see through him.
However, Wu Shaogan had no other obsessions and only wanted to accompany his Daoist partner. Therefore, he rarely left his house and would never deliberately seek out evil cultivators to slaughter them or enhance his reputation. As a result, he posed little threat to evil cultivators.
As a master alchemist, Zhong Cai needs to accumulate experience and reach the top of the rankings more slowly, but during this time he can handle a large number of patients, and he cures almost all of them after he has done his own research.
Among these patients, besides those suffering from particularly difficult-to-treat poisons, a significant portion are the work of evil cultivators—because the methods of evil cultivators are unpredictable, the injuries they inflict are often very complex, requiring alchemists to prescribe the right medicine.
Zhong Cai primarily handles complex and difficult cases.
then……
Originally, many evil cultivators would carefully plot and harm people, and then gleefully watch them suffer. Even after the person died, they could be turned into materials for their evil cultivation. Even if the person escaped briefly, it didn't matter, because there were plenty of ways to bring them back into their hands.
As a result, after the other party escaped, they went directly to Zhong Cai.
Zhong Cai then resolved each of the abnormal situations for this person.
The evil cultivators' control methods were thus broken. As long as this person is careful in the future, he may not be ambushed again. In fact, some of them have very powerful backing, and after recovering, they can free up their hands to cause trouble for those evil cultivators!
This shows just how threatening Zhong Cai is among the heretical cultivators—he even first became famous for defeating a rare genius with the ability to "prove the Dao" in their heretical path!
That genius evil alchemist, after being defeated by Zhong Cai, caused many follow-ups, and in the end, he died at the hands of his cousin whom he was extremely jealous of.
so……
This couple is the face of the righteous path, always shining brightly and bringing great honor to the War God Temple and the Spirit Immortal Sect... To the evil path, they have grown into a thorn in their side.
·
Upon learning of the ruins, the first thing that evil patriarch thought of was how to use the corrupted Yin-Yang Pearl to bring down Wu Shaogan.
The ancestor has many methods. As long as the Yin-Yang Pearl is processed, its abnormal aura can be concealed, and then through normal means, the filthy Yin-Yang Pearl can be put into Wu Shaogan's hands.
As long as Wu Shaogan refines the Yin-Yang Pearl, it will be corrupted by it.
At that time, several heretical practitioners under the patriarch's command had differing opinions.
Some people were drawn to Wu Shaogan's unparalleled speed of breakthrough and thought that as long as they added some other restraints to the Yin-Yang Pearl and released a large number of evil spies to sow discord and create misunderstandings, they could lead Wu Shaogan astray.
By then, Wu Shaogan will be able to become a rising star in their unorthodox path.
Wu Shaogan's cultivation speed on the righteous path is already very fast. If he were to be aided by a large number of evil methods, he might soon become a master of evil! In addition, with his unparalleled combat power, he could take on many evil cultivators by himself. At that time, wouldn't he be able to spread evil winds, quickly conquer territory, and turn the entire continent into their food?
Furthermore, everyone knows that his Daoist partner Zhong Cai loves him deeply. Once Wu Shaogan is gone, Zhong Cai will also be useless. And if Wu Shaogan falls into evil ways, there is a great possibility that Zhong Cai will also become an evil alchemist.
This is a win-win situation and greatly benefits the evil path!
Another group of heretics, however, felt that they could not leave any hidden dangers.
In their view, Wu Shaogan was so powerful that he must also have an indestructible will. Even though his body and cultivation techniques were corrupted by the Yin-Yang Pearl, he would not be so easily swayed into their evil path.
Even more so, because Wu Shaogan is extremely intelligent, he can easily discern their various evil methods—at that time, he will probably not only not become a prodigy of the evil path, but will also become an executioner who slaughters a large number of evil people—and he will have ample reason to do so.
The War God Temple is very protective of its own, so it's unlikely they'll abandon Wu Shaogan just because his cultivation technique has problems. Plus, with Zhong Cai around, it might not be long before Wu Shaogan is cured by Zhong Cai before he even has a chance to fall into evil!
Therefore, they felt that they should stop being obsessed with Wu Shaogan's comprehension and rapid growth, as it might just be Wu Shaogan's talent.
Such a talented genius should not remain in the hands of the righteous path. After the assassination attempt succeeds, it would be better to refine him directly and turn him into a human puppet with great potential for cultivation!
—The puppet Wu Shaogan, that is the true Wu Douwang of their evil path.
·
Those who were more optimistic about Wu Shaogan's fall into evil still had a great desire for a top-level expert to emerge from the evil path, and they did not think that they were just fantasizing - because their spies had been observing Wu Shaogan for a long time and found that he was not righteous at all.
In other words, as long as the methods can satisfy Wu Shaogan, Wu Shaogan might not even feel that there is anything wrong with falling into evil.
Wu Shaogan may have acted uprightly simply because Zhong Cai belonged to the righteous path, but if Zhong Cai had belonged to the evil path, Wu Shaogan probably wouldn't have cared and would have followed him.
A closer look at Zhong Cai reveals that he actually had no taboos about many materials... perhaps he was a promising candidate for unorthodox methods.
Anyway, those of them who follow the evil path are experts at using tricks. Since they have the possibility of transforming two top geniuses from the righteous path, why not do it?
If it succeeds, wouldn't that be a huge slap in the face to the righteous path?
That's so satisfying!
Those evil cultivators who wanted to create human puppets later countered that the chances of transformation were too small. They couldn't assume that just because Zhong and Wu were eccentric, they could be persuaded to abandon the light and join the darkness. After all, the evil path was a minority, while the two of them were so prominent in the righteous path and had relatives and friends with them. How could they possibly fall into evil because of some means?
It's best not to take such a big risk.
Such geniuses are uncontrollable; to think too much about them is to be delusional.
Human puppets are really great!
·
After repeated arguments, neither side could convince the other for the time being.
Finally, the two sides reached an agreement.
First, obtain the corrupted Yin-Yang Pearl, then deliver it to Wu Shaogan for him to refine.
We can decide which direction to take next at that time.
Let's see how Wu Shaogan changes before we talk about it.
However……
Both sides thought they had thought things through very thoroughly, but all their ideas were stuck at the first step.
They never got the Yin-Yang Beads.
In fact, the Yin-Yang Pearl had fallen into Wu Shaogan's hands even earlier—when he encountered it, there was no external means to conceal its appearance, so Wu Shaogan must have already known that it had been contaminated.
Next, Zhong Cai will probably focus on studying this item so that his beloved Daoist partner can use it as soon as possible.
This method is now completely obsolete.
But if it were to be said that some other contaminated resources were sent to Wu Shaogan... If it weren't for the fact that this ancient Yin-Yang Pearl is extremely easy to conceal its aura, any other resource, no matter what methods were used to place them, would be difficult to hide from Wu Shaogan's detection.
Otherwise, they wouldn't have waited until now to plot against Wu Shaogan.
·
The evil cultivators were extremely frustrated. The thought that they would most likely die after returning home fueled their anger and resentment.
They could see what was happening outside, and at that moment they instantly discovered that not only were the strange phenomena created by Wu Shaogan constantly encroaching on their territory, but Zhong Cai was also using that thing to devour their blood poison sand!
Research, research, damn research!
That damned Zhong Cai, he's probably trying to research blood poison again!
That's really creepy.
Finally, one of the heretical practitioners sent a silent message.
[Use the Ten Thousand Souls Banner. 】
The other two heretical cultivators were all given a beating.
Using the Banner of Ten Thousand Souls...
The heretical cultivators couldn't help but show expressions of heartache.
Using this on the Zhong and Wu couple would likely result in significant losses...
·
Zhong Cai and Wu Shaogan were still busy with their own things.
Suddenly, amidst the countless sandstorms, a vast expanse of black mist appeared!
The fog spread at an extremely fast speed, almost instantly turning the sky black—even if gray fog tried to penetrate and push it away, it would be difficult for it to take over the territory occupied by the fog.
At the same time, continuous sobbing sounds came from within the fog.
It was subtle, carrying an endless sense of melancholy.
And some cries were filled with unbearable pain, with a piercing intensity...
It's the same old trick of shaking one's soul.
The cries were similar to those heard before, but these were clearly much more powerful.
It didn't seem to be a sound that could be blocked by any defensive object—it seemed to be a method to make the cultivators who heard the crying feel emotionally resonant, thus relaxing their minds and allowing the sound to slip through their defenses, rendering any defensive objects ineffective.
A little while later, the sound grew closer.
In the boundless darkness, a faint, eerie green light shone through.
Countless claws attacked from all directions!
Accompanied by a mournful, ghostly wail—
The Yin-Yang Millstone was also completely obscured by the black mist.
Although it was still constantly spewing out gray mist, the black color blocked out the gray.
This also obstructs the view.
The ghostly wailing faintly masked the cultivator's five senses.
·
The attacks of the evil path are naturally extremely evil. They seem to be incredibly terrifying killing moves when they are launched, but when dodged, they are light and seemingly nonexistent.
Wu Shaogan threw punches rapidly, relentlessly striking the evil spirits that were attacking him from all directions.
Where the fist passed, the evil spirit instantly exploded and dissipated into air currents.
However, even if these evil spirits are shattered, they will soon re-emerge from the black mist—or rather, they are not truly shattered. Because they exist between reality and illusion, physical attacks may only shatter their shadows.
·
Zhong Cai also swung his fist and smashed several evil spirits that had come closer.
At the same time, he frowned and said, "The Banner of Ten Thousand Souls?"
At that moment, he quickly recalled the matter of the Ten Thousand Souls Banner, feeling nauseous, but even more furious.
·
The Myriad Souls Banner, as its name suggests, is a mystical artifact that requires the absorption of a large number of primordial souls to function.
The more primordial souls it devours, the higher the level of the Myriad Soul Banner and the stronger its power.
Once the evil cultivator creates this treasure, he must continuously slaughter cultivators who have reached at least the fourth level of enlightenment and have condensed their primordial souls, and then extract their primordial souls and send them to the Myriad Soul Banner to continue refining it.
A cultivator with a primordial spirit can reshape their physical body by using a large amount of high-value resources and the protection of powerful individuals.
Some souls with deep-seated obsessions will go to the underworld after death, but there is still a certain chance that they can return to the human world and start cultivating again in the future. In any case, the passage of time in the underworld is very strange. Even if the soul wanders there in a daze, it cannot feel much of the outside world and cannot be said to suffer.
However, once the primordial spirit is refined by the Myriad Soul Banner, it can only live and die with the Myriad Soul Banner.
If the Myriad Souls Banner is damaged, unless it is devoured by another Myriad Souls Banner and the primordial soul can enter another banner, the primordial soul contained within it will dissipate as long as the banner surface is torn!
And why do those ghostly wails evoke such empathy?
This is because the primordial souls of cultivators who are collected into the Myriad Souls Banner have already suffered greatly in life, and after death they are subjected to various forms of torment at all times.
Every cry is a testament to their genuine suffering.
The Myriad Souls Banner is such a disgusting and evil magical artifact.
What's even more disgusting is that, within the heretical sects, the method for crafting the Myriad Soul Banner is actually a public secret.
In other words, if these heretical sects want to refine it, they can do so by hunting down a few cultivators who have reached that level.
In this fantasy world, the strong prey on the weak, and there are many cultivators who slaughter others. If evil cultivators only use vile methods and make human puppets from the corpses of many dead cultivators, they would not be driven out by righteous cultivators and forced to open up another "race".
The reason why the heretical path is called the heretical path is largely due to the Ten Thousand Soul Banner.
Aside from their relatives and friends, cultivators on the mainland don't care much about the corpses and flesh of the dead. Some powerful alchemists even spend money to buy many corpses for research.
What cultivators truly care about is undoubtedly their primordial soul.
Only with a primordial spirit can there be an infinite future.
The reason they were truly banished was that the Ten Thousand Souls Banner would cause countless primordial souls to perish, leaving them with no future.
·
Zhong Cai's face turned cold.
Wu Shaogan keenly sensed Zhong Cai's emotions and couldn't help but lift him up.
Zhong Cai leaned close to Wu Shaogan's ear and gently rubbed his earlobe with her teeth.
Judging from this situation, there's probably more than one Thousand Soul Banner. We have to kill them all!
[Any banner of ten thousand souls should not exist.]
That's disgusting.
When Wu Shaogan was chatting with Zhong Cai before, they mentioned the heretical path, and they couldn't avoid mentioning the Ten Thousand Soul Banner.
At that time, Zhong Cai had an extreme aversion to the Ten Thousand Souls Banner.
Now, Wu Shaogan heard Zhong Cai's telepathic message and nodded slightly.
Since A-Cai believes it shouldn't exist, then it shouldn't exist.
After saying this briefly, Wu Shaogan patted Zhong Cai's leg.
Zhong Cai understood and wrapped Wu Shaogan's waist even tighter to make sure she wouldn't fall off.
At the same time, Wu Shaogan changed his methods.
Since the evil spirits trapped in the Banner of Ten Thousand Souls have lost their minds and cannot be restored, it is better to destroy them quickly and suffer less than to be driven by evil forces.
A large bow appeared silently on Wu Shaogan's arm.
The bow originally looked understated yet luxurious, but now its surface was coated with a dazzling sheen.
The radiance is flowing.
In an instant, it illuminated the entire surrounding area.
The black mist could not taint the light; instead, it was slowly dissipated.
The evil spirits that had been frantically howling and attacking from a great distance seemed unable to withstand the light and retreated rapidly in fear.
Wu Shaogan drew his bow and shot an arrow!
In an instant, countless points of light appeared on the bowstring, transforming into countless arrows that shot straight into the sky!
In the next instant, countless arrows rained down from the sky, each carrying a dazzling light and trailing long, luminous tails, swirling and wandering in the black mist.
Wherever it passed, countless evil spirits turned into clusters of black light, which were scattered by Hua Guang's attack!
·
As Zhong Cai watched this scene, her pupils seemed to reflect the rain of light.
It was truly... incredibly dazzling.
All the evil spirits vanished in the rain of light.
The gray fog high in the sky gained the upper hand, constantly driving away the black fog that had become very faint.
In the distance, in a dark place, several banner shadows seemed to appear.
Wu Shaogan calmly drew his bow again—
"Whoosh!"
A sound like tearing silk shot through the air at high speed.
It was like a shooting star.
No, the moment the arrow shot out, it turned into several streaks of light, as many as seven or eight "shooting stars"!
They all rushed towards those flagpoles.
The endless light engulfed the figures in that area.
A thick black aura struggled to rise from the light and shadow, seemingly from an evil spirit with even greater power.
However, none of the evil spirits were able to break free of the golden light.
Like ice and snow, it melted into the ball of light.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
