Chapter 144 Suppressing the Tower
The palm strike was fierce and sudden, and Zhen Su couldn't dodge it for a moment, so he could only raise his hand to defend.
His right arm, which had been struck head-on, was numb from the shock, and the pain was excruciating. Blood gushed from his entire arm, staining the ground crimson.
Shinju's golden eyes widened instantly, and he gasped. The moment he received the palm strike, he sensed something was wrong; this palm strike was not only incredibly powerful but also carried a strong sense of familiarity.
Isn't that the ultimate martial art?!
But as he looked around, he could not see the attacker. In front of him was only a thick red wooden tower gate, standing quietly on the steps.
Could he be one of his disciples?
...No. It's not difficult for martial arts practitioners to imitate the form of each move, but the path of power transmission varies from person to person and will basically carry a strong personal touch, making it impossible for them to be exactly the same.
That one move just now was exactly the same as his!
"That palm strike was entirely my doing." Zhen Su suddenly looked up, staring straight at the unmoving door. Although he couldn't activate his divine sense in the underworld, his keen senses told him that the flow of energy above that door was abnormal. Zhen Su guessed that there might be a defensive formation there.
Since it's a magic array, let's seek "internal support".
The golden color in Shinjuku's round, chubby eyes instantly faded, replaced by a calm and gentle brown.
"Hmm... it's the Mirror Water Formation." After a short while, Lou Lan concluded, "This formation can counterattack according to the attacker's intentions."
“No wonder. So I wasn’t mistaken; the palm strike it used against me was indeed my own technique.” Zhen Su pondered for a moment, then asked, “Then, Daoist Yi Lou, how do you think I should break through?”
Lou Lan said, "Just restrain your attack intentions."
This is easier said than done, and the more battle-hardened a cultivator is, the harder it is to achieve. This is because letting down one's guard goes against a cultivator's instinct.
Besides, no one knows what awaits him behind the tower gate.
Fortunately, Zhen Su excelled at focusing on one's own essence and concentrating on a single thought. So Zhen Su used his internal energy to stop the bleeding, relaxed all his muscles, persuaded Ci Zifu to let go of his hostility, and tried to empty his mind before pushing open the door again.
"Hey, place your bet now!! Hey you, take your stinky hands off me or I'll chop them off!"
"Hahaha, sorry, this immortal has won again."
"Ah Bao, stop gambling. Both your families have lost everything..."
"Get out if you're not going to place a bet!"
"Yes! Yes, yes!! This guy's family are all Golden Core cultivators, so we can use them as a gamble, please, don't throw me out! I'll win it back next time..."
Behind the door, a cacophony of noise, completely opposite to that outside, rushed towards him. The anticipated attack did not occur, and Masakatsu was able to enter smoothly.
As one of the towers responsible for guarding the four directions of Fengdu, Zhen Su had assumed that this place would be strictly orderly, preventing intrusion and leaving no room for error. However, he was surprised to find that the interior resembled an underground bank or a brothel for eating, drinking, and entertainment. It was somewhat similar to the Earthly Fiends' Courtyard in Fengdu, but upon comparison, the Earthly Fiends' Courtyard was more about lighthearted, recreational fighting, while this place was filled with murderous intent, everyone with ferocious faces, as if they had mortgaged their entire fortunes here, facing certain death if they didn't win, with no chance of return.
Shinjuku looked around calmly.
From the outside, one cannot tell how spacious the interior is. Looking around, there are only a few scattered demonic soldiers and ghosts; most of them are strangely dressed, exuding demonic energy, and arrogant and domineering.
Those must be members of the demonic path, Zhen Su Xin Dao. Back when he was renowned as the Daoist Master Ji Qing Zhen Jun, he had dealt with countless powerful figures of the demonic path. Therefore, he could tell at a glance how many demonic figures were "hidden" among them, and judging from their auras, there were quite a few with high cultivation levels.
He hadn't expected this place to have fallen into the hands of the demonic forces, with demonic cultivators even swaggering around without any pretense. The demonic forces' infiltration of the underworld was far more serious than he had imagined.
Meanwhile, Shinju pondered the likelihood of being recognized, but regardless, it wasn't worth the risk. So, Shinju decisively shrank his bones and transformed himself into a young boy. He then planned to discreetly go upstairs and, following the instructions given by the Poison King, find the magic array that the Poison King and the Phoenix Feather Demon Lord had used to teleport him.
However, access to the second floor is not permitted.
Shinjuku was blocked in his way by two tall men who shooed him away like a child, insisting that he leave.
Even after catching a glimpse of the brightly lit ghost soldier plaque on Shinju's waist, the two men didn't even blink, still blocking Shinju two steps away from the stairs with displeasure on their faces.
This made Shinjuku almost think this wasn't the realm of the underworld anymore. They didn't even respect the underworld soldiers? They weren't afraid at all?
Shinju gave each of them some earth crystals, but their eyes grew even more contemptuous, even suspicious, as they rebuked him, "Don't you know the rules? Huh? Giving us nothing but useless stuff, do you think this stuff is of any use to us?! Don't you know who we are... wait! How did you even get in here! Who introduced you?!"
"..." Oh no. Shinju didn't immediately understand, because he had given all his magic stones to Oni-giri, storing them in a corner of his storage bag. Besides, he subconsciously thought that what circulated in the underworld was always good for replenishing yin energy, like earth crystals, so he just gave them away like that.
He forgot that the first floor of this tower was full of demonic cultivators who didn't need earth crystals; they should be given magic-replenishing crystals instead.
But things had come to this point, and he had been exposed. Zhen Su sighed almost inaudibly, realizing he had no choice but to force his way through. Although a fierce battle was inevitable, this was, after all, the realm of the underworld, and he figured these demonic cultivators wouldn't dare to cause too much trouble. He wasn't without a chance of victory.
The two men blocking the way drew their weapons: a pair of Emei daggers and a raging storm talisman. Meanwhile, Zhen Su silently assumed a fist-pumping stance.
At the nearby gambling tables, many customers noticed the commotion and immediately placed their bets, shouting that they were there to watch the show.
However, just as a fight was about to break out, a man with large, fluffy ears, an elegant figure, and a large gray tail behind him stopped at the top of the stairs, looked down at the crowd below, and announced, "That is my guest. How can you stop him like this? Please invite him up."
As soon as Shinju raised his head, he saw the courtesan Qianmo smiling and nodding slightly at him. The peony hairpin on his head swayed back and forth, which was quite beautiful.
Upon hearing Qianmo's words, the two men and the rest of the demonic cultivators dispersed as if their battle had ended, no longer even glancing at each other.
Shinju felt strangely that Qianmo recognized his current appearance, and he didn't know why he had come out to help him out of his predicament, but he had indeed helped him.
Therefore, although Shinju was wary, he was mostly just confused and followed Qianmo's figure upstairs.
The second floor, the third floor, and all the way to the fourth floor, Qianmo finally stopped.
Mayuki's heart began to race. How did he know he was coming to the fourth floor? Was it a coincidence? ...
Qianmo suddenly turned around, her dark lips curving upwards, and placed her hand on Zhensu's beast ears.
Mayuki avoided him, looking at him warily, and asked, "Do you know who I am?"
Qianmo smiled, leaned closer to Zhensu's face, and sniffed, "The scent of Qinan wood, so fragrant, and your eyes, this nine-segmented patterned tail... If I can't guess, it's no different from being blind."
"..." Masakatsu was speechless for a long time before finally saying, "Thank you for getting me out of that predicament."
However, before he could finish speaking, Shinju's hand blade, wrapped in wind, arrived at the back of Qianmo's neck.
Unexpectedly, Qianmo caught it.
"Why did you ambush me?" Qianmo wasn't angry, but just smiled at Zhensu, her smile a little stiff, her eyes tinged with sadness.
Masakatsu hesitated for a moment, unable to bear it, and then honestly told him, "I have to do something very important. If you stay awake, it will implicate you."
Qianmo smiled and shook her head, tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear, and said, "If the consequences are bad, even if I'm knocked unconscious, the trouble can fall on my head."
The problem is that Shinjuku can't let this opportunity slip by. He has already attracted some attention this time, and no matter what he does in the end, it's hard to guarantee that he won't arouse the other party's suspicion.
Most of the time, the best opportunity is extremely short-lived. If you miss it, you may not see a brighter future, but you may very well miss the chance altogether.
Modifying the magic array meant he could completely shut out the demon lord and the Phoenix Feather Demon Lord, thus greatly delaying their arrival. The rest of the people inside the tower were no threat.
Qianmo seemed to see through Zhensu's predicament, sighed softly, and said silently, "If you weren't so innocent, things would be much easier for me."
Then Qianmo closed her eyes briefly, as if she had made up her mind, before opening them again and narrowing them into crescent moons. She said to Zhensu, "Tell me about it, and I'll see if I can help you."
.
In the world of cultivation, there is the Execution Platform.
The seven-day, seven-night battle between the righteous and demonic factions has finally come to an end.
As the war progressed, the number of righteous and demonic sects joining the battle far exceeded the original three; large and small sects, alliances, families, and Dao palaces all came. The battlefield, once a vast expanse of lush green meadows and majestic mountains, was now a scene of utter devastation, with rivers of blood and countless corpses scattered everywhere.
Now the demonic path is showing signs of decline. The leading Phoenix Feather Demon Lord has no more usable evil spirits at hand, and the last puppet sect faceless man has also fallen to the ground, his spiritual power completely drained, and soon turned into ashes, seeping into the mud.
"Useless! All of you are useless! This Demon Lord is fighting two against one, and you don't even know how to gather more souls? And this is all you've sent!" The Phoenix Feather Demon Lord's already furious red hair flew even more wildly. After cursing the strange Taoist for his incompetence, he turned to curse Duan Wenyang and Song Wei opposite him, "Don't think that you two can corner this Demon Lord. How can the Demonic Path be defeated by hypocritical bastards like you? What a joke!"
Song Wei chuckled, then wielded her massive blade as easily as slicing melons, severing the heads of two demonic cultivators. She said, "How dare you utter such low-level threats? Heh, Lin Jue, you don't seem as confident as before~"
Duan Wenyang gave Song Wei a warning look, while the sword energy around him, which was completely integrated with his body, danced in the air, killing wave after wave of demonic cultivators without even lifting an eyelid.
The other party responded to Feng Ling Demon Lord's harsh words with actions, causing Feng Ling's face to contort in embarrassment.
Seeing that he was about to be driven into a dead end, the strange Taoist sacrificed himself to block Duan Wenyang's sword for Feng Ling. In an instant, half of his body was frozen solid. The ice pillar, taller than a person and thicker than an arm, pierced through the strange Taoist's throat.
"My lord, put away this magic artifact, escape, escape to the underworld quickly..." The strange Taoist threw something at Feng Ling with his only movable right hand, but as soon as it was thrown, his whole body was completely frozen, his eyes rolled back, and his breath dissipated into the world.
"Ah Bo! -- Damn it!!" Phoenix Feather Demon Lord took the magic weapon, and dozens of sharp sword beams instantly stabbed towards him. However, the next moment, the magic weapon in his hand lit up with a red light, and a huge teleportation array pattern suddenly bloomed on the ground.
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