Chapter 677: Moving Fast to Kill
Jie Walie was not a stranger to the "cultivator" term. He did not experience it himself, however, since he could see examples from many TV series and soap operas containing episodes about cultivators. Only, finding out that cultivators also existed in reality shocked him nonetheless.
"Can I cultivate and step into the Dao, Brother Tang?"
He had seen the powers of Daoist Qiankun, Old Blind, and the others, and was particularly interested in the scenes of flying into the sky, sword lights, and sword images. Every man had their own dreams of martial arts chivalry, more so that stepping into the Dao and becoming cultivators was something more abstruse and inclined more to fantasy than martial arts—something he couldn't help but be moved.
"You're too old and no longer suited to cultivate." Tang Xiu shook his head. "Even if you consume a lot of resources and time, I'm afraid that you can only barely step into the threshold of the cultivation path in the latter half of your life. Hence, it won't have much difference if you cultivate or not."
A regretful expression could be seen on Jie Walie's face as he slowly nodded and said, "Let's just forget it, then. Then, what are we gonna do? Continue staying here or…"
"Let's go to Longquan Village!" Tang Xiu pondered for a while. "This place is not far from that place. We'll stay there for now, then I'll contact that Old Blind lady. Brother Jie, it's best for you not to stay for long in Longquan Bay since the matter I'm going to face is very dangerous."
"I know. I have my own discretion," replied Jie Walie with a bitter smile. "But you must not recklessly throw yourself into danger either, and quickly retreat whenever it's dangerous. Like an old adage says, you won't have to worry about running out of firewood in the mountains, for you still have much more time in the future! You can develop and grow yourself first before dealing with the enemies."
"You can rest your worry on that!" Tang Xiu nodded with a smile.
Now that he learned that his men had been rescued, he could finally feel the knot in his heart ease. Nevertheless, he must find Old Blind and Jin Shi's group of four as quickly as possible, because Jin Sanchi and Jin Sijie were powerful and strong, more so that that mysterious old Daoist was not a friend either.
As night came, Tang Xiu and the others rushed to Longquan Bay. After Jie Walie and his men left, Tang Xiu stayed in the local's farmhouses he used before and gave its owner a sum of money to let their families stay in some other places for a few days.
"Boss, everything's here." Mo Awu walked in through the door with a handful of incenses.
Tang Xiu took three of them, used a lighter to burn them, then looked around and shouted, "Old Blind, Old Blind, Old Blind."
In the mountain range dozens of kilometers away, Old Blind was sitting cross-legged on a creek with a face pale like a sheet of paper. The running water rushed past her and yet she did not pay attention to it. Her eyebrows were tight, and a pained expression could be seen hanging on her face as traces of a bloodstain were still on the corners of her mouth.
Around her, Jin Shi's group of four watched the surroundings with vigilance and they had set up many traps. Although these traps did not pose any threats to cultivators, they could still avoid the attacks from ordinary wild animals. They had taken a Holy Healing medicine each and were no longer burdened by their injuries.
Puff…
Suddenly, Old Blind spurted a mouthful of blood and her face looked a lot better as the stench of fumes rapidly dissipated. She then slowly raised her hand and waved at Jin Shi several meters away from her.
"You called me, Senior?" Asked Jin Shi respectfully.
"I never expected that the Holy Healing medicine you gave me had such a good effect," sighed Old Blind. "That old fogy Qiankun gave me quite a heavy injury. I thought I would be plagued by that injury for a year and a half, but most of my internal injuries have convalesced in just nearly a day. If anything, you must tell me something. I need to figure out when that Tang Xiu kid will come."
"What do you need to know, Senior?" Asked Jin Shi, looking puzzled.
Old Blind let out a faint smile and was about to speak when her expression slightly moved. When she looked up at the sky that was gradually darkening, her body languidly stood up as she shook her head and said, "There's no need anymore, I already know where he is. Let's go and rush over there! It won't take much time to get there if we leave now."
The dimly illuminated night was over the Earth when Old Blind's group of five arrived at Longquan Village. A crescent moon was hanging high over the horizon and the cold breeze brought along the mixed fragrance of a meal. In the most remote courtyard, an eight-person table was set with delicious dishes and two bottles of Gods Nectar, taken out from the box that had already been served on it.
"To think that I, Old Blind, would be so lucky to get something nice to eat here."
A blurred figure floated into the courtyard along with a satisfied laughter and tone.
After Tang Xiu saw Old Blind, his eyes swept Jin Shi's group of four behind her and chuckled with a smile. He then took out three wine glasses and opened a bottle of Gods Nectar, and then poured it into three glasses. Following that, he took the three wine glasses and offered them to Old Blind, saying, "I may not say thanks for this favor, but I'll let the wine speak my gratitude. You've rescued these four brothers, men of mine, and Tang Xiu will always remember this friendship in his heart. I also repeat the promise I gave you—the Nine Dragons Island's door will always be open wide to you, forever."
Old Blind nodded with satisfaction. Even though she was old, she drank all three glasses of wine in one breath and in high spirits. Following which, she sighed and praised, "What a unique and excellent wine this Gods Nectar is. For I, this Old Blind, it would really be worthwhile if I were to leave Earth after being able to taste such an excellent wine in this life."
"I'll always prepare it for you if you like it, Senior," said Tang Xiu with a smile.
"Forget it!" Old Blind waved her hand. "Wine is akin to poison for intestines and I still want to live a few years longer, so don't mention about it, kiddo. Also, I'm not used to people calling Senior this and Senior that. Just directly call me Old Blind later."
"This…" Tang Xiu looked a bit hesitating.
"Just leave out that over-courteous formality, and so shall it be," said Old Blind. "Anyways, let's eat something, and then we'll speak about the matter with that old fogy Daoist Qiankun after being full, shall we?"
Old Daoist Qiankun?
Tang Xiu's expression moved. Then, he invited Old Blind to take a seat and accompanied her to finish the meal. As the meal was cleaned and the eight-person table was also moved into the house, Tang Xiu then spoke, "Previously… you spoke about an old Daoist Qiankun, right? What is his relationship with Jin Sanchi and Jin Sijie?"
While rubbing her stomach, Old Blind replied with a cheerful expression, "They are Master and disciples. Jin Sanchi and Jin Sijie are the disciples of this Daoist Qiankun old fogy."
Tang Xiu's complexion changed and asked again, "I've been here before and met Jin Sanchi and Jin Sijie. I spared their lives due to a momentary benevolence. But, that old Daoist Qiankun wasn't there."
"He just broke the seal I cast on him, so how could he possibly appear before?" Old Blind sneered. "If anything, this Old Blind will be open to you about this fact. He and I have long time enmity. It was he who cast his eyes on my family heritage at first. He killed my father and all my family members for that. Later on, I studied the divination art heritage of my family and, after spending quite the effort both in mind and energy, I finally succeeded in arranging a Starlight Array in the Abstruse Yin Grounds and trapped him there. I thought it was impossible to escape that place with his Golden Core Stage cultivation, but he did indeed escape."
Tang Xiu was taciturn as he quietly thought about their revelationship. After noticing some issues, he then asked, "According to what you said, Daoist Qiankun was not your match in the past, so why didn't you defeat him last night?"
"I used all the cards I have up my sleeves at that time, and he got suppressed because he looked down on me before. He did not even unleash his ultimate trump card, else it could have been me who died," sighed Old Blind. "Tang Xiu, do you know how many years that old Daoist has been living?"
"Isn't he from the same era as you?" Asked Tang Xiu, astounded.
"He is at least twice older than me." Old Blind shook her head.
Twice her age?
Tang Xiu's countenance slightly changed. He still clearly remembered Old Blind's age. She should be about 120 years of age. With that said, shouldn't Daoist Qiankun's age be at least 240 years old?
"No wonder his strength was so formidable. Old Blind, you're not his match at all, so what is his present level of cultivation now?"
"His cultivation in the past was Peak Golden Core Stage, and it was highly likely that he would break through to the Nascent Soul Stage in the future. However, I had him suppressed in the Abstruse Yin Ground for so many years and this time that I met him again, I found that his strength is much weaker than it was previously. The level of power he can unleash is just at the Early Golden Core Stage, else I could have lost my life in his hands last night."
Early Golden Core Stage?
A cold glint flashed in Tang Xiu's eyes. In the case that Daoist Qiankun's strength was at the Peak Golden Core Stage, he would be unable to contend with him despite his present strength. But if he was at the Early Golden Core Stage… he would be able to kill him, albeit with some difficulty…
"Old Blind, I want to know where Daoist Qiankun is now."
Old Blind slightly furrowed her brows. Although her eyes could not see Tang Xiu, her special ability allowed her to see his expression clearly. She then shook her head and sighed, "Exterminating him while relying on these few people you brought will be very difficult. Just wait until my injury has fully recovered. We'll join forces and kill him at that time."
"There's no need to wait," said Tang Xiu with confidence. "If I have the guts to look for him, it means that I have the ability to kill him. Just tell me!"
Old Blind hesitated for a moment, and then replied helplessly, "Since you've already decided it so, then I'll tell you. That place is full with evil qi aura and is located in the Southwest direction. It isn't far from here, should about fifty kilometers."
Southwest direction within fifty kilometers? Is it the hunting grounds?
Tang Xiu's expression moved, as he immediately got up and said, "Old Blind, just stay here to take care your injuries and heal well. I'll be back bringing Daoist Qiankun and his two disciples' heads."
"I'm going with you!" Old Blind got up, and her tone was exceptionally firm.
"But your injury…" Tang Xiu hesitated.
"Your men gave me a Holy Healing medicine, thus it's better already now." Old Blind interrupted him. "In contrast with that Qiankun old fogy, I'm sure he's feeling unwell now since he doesn't have a Holy Healing medicine."
"Let's go together, then!"
Seeing Old Blind's firmness, Tang Xiu no longer refuted. Jie Walie had left with his men and left them a Wrangler SUV. Added with the van, the two cars quickly rushed toward the hunting grounds.
Late at night.
A cold wind was howling and whistling outside the window, but the darkroom was warm as in spring. The old Daoist Qiankun was sitting cross-legged on the bed treating himself, while Jin Sanchi's eyes were full of killing intent in the next room, watching as Jin Sijie was in the process of healing himself. The hatred he had for Old Blind, Tang Xiu, and even his men had been carved deep into his bones.
The plan they had worked for so many years had ultimately fallen through.
His Master appeared and yet was burdened with severe injuries upon his return. This hatred drove him to make up his mind to find an opportunity to torture and kill Tang Xiu. Torture and slaughter those stupid bastards that prevented him from becoming an immortal.
Chapter 678: Great Exhibition of Martial Prowess
Inside another two-story small building, Gesangjor, who was donned in a jersey, stood by the window with arms folded in the back. His eyes were unfocused and were evidently in deep thought about something. Behind him, sulky old men looked down with eyes on their noses and their noses in their hearts just like they were statues.
"I need an answer," said Gesangjor in a solemn tone after suddenly turning around and casting his sight on the two old men.
One of the old men slowly raised his head, flipped his eyelids and said, "This is nothing but a risky gamble. Win and our Venom Sect will have endless advantages. Lose and we'll be beyond redemption. You're the Sect Master of our Venom Sect, and we shall follow every decision you make."
"Fifth Uncle, Sixth Uncle, your ranks among everyone in our Venom Sect are the highest; the only ones from the eighth generation of disciples who have lived to the present. How can I arbitrarily take responsibility for such an important matter?" Gesangjor was so annoyed that he angrily rebuked. "We have yet to be clear about the investigation on Tang Xiu, whether or not he has a dreadful force behind him. Those old codgers may pat their butts and leave, but we have a Sect, family, and businesses to be concerned about. We have no path of retreat at all."
"Then just wait and see what will happen," said the old man indifferently. "I have a hunch that the game between those cultivators has just started, and it's hard to say who will win or lose. That Jade Beauty told me something the other day, and what she said makes sense to me."
"What did she tell you?" Asked Gesangjor quickly with a slightly changed expression.
"One who is true to his heart will prepare himself for both eventualities," said the old man.
"You mean…" said Gesangjor, staring with amazement.
"Yeah, our Venom Sect is said to have no qualifications to mix our feet in the matter, so why not pull us out of the predicament and benefit from both sides? Those eight families in the Strange Doors put all their eggs in one basket and staked everything to unleash all their power to help Jin Sanchi and Jin Sijie. Those eight fogies all ultimately died in the fight along with many of their elites. And the result? I never believed that Jin Sanchi and Jin Sijie would easily impart cultivation techniques to those eight families. I feel that you should secretly send someone to search for Tang Xiu and pass on the news that these Master and disciples are here to him. With his intelligence, wisdom, and abilities, Tang Xiu should be able to understand that we are showing him goodwill. From the bout between these cultivators, we can obtain friendship from Tang Xiu if we win and may get unexpected benefits by spending little. We won't have anything to affect us if he is to lose either."
Gesangjor's eyes turned extraordinarily bright as he praised while raising his thumb, "You really are experienced and astute, Fifth Uncle. You intentionally kept me guessing all the while in this matter. There can't be any idea better than this one. I'll send someone to contact Tang…"
He had yet to finish what he wanted to speak as a car's headlights from the front gate of the hunting grounds shone on the small building's windows where they were in. The trio quickly moved to look outside the window.
"Who could be this late?" Gesangjor knitted his brows and spoke in a whisper.
The old man who just spoke raised his brows and thoughtfully said, "We must never step out of this room regardless of how big the incident is! Just like what we just discussed, we'll wait and see."
"Fifth Uncle, you mean… It's Tang Xiu who's coming?" commented Gesangjor, amazed.
"Just look down there. You'll know," said the old man.
BANG…
The hunting grounds' front gate was hit by the Wrangler SUV as it roared and rushed into the hunting grounds. Four security guards in the security room who had just rushed out from the post were silently knocked down and dragged back into the security room, whereas the car continued and stopped in front of the guest building. Tang Xiu and Old Blind then got off together.
"Daoist Qiankun old fogy, Jin Sanchi, and you Jin Sijie. You, Master and disciples, are tortoises, get the fuck out and see this father! Else I'll destroy this small building and make you eat some ashes!" Tang Xiu grabbed the spirit spear and instantly released his spiritual sense to lock on the Master and disciples' trio inside the house.
"SHITTY BASTARD!!!"
Daoist Qiankun, who was currently healing himself, was a bit angry as he instantly opened his eyes and smashed the window. His figure instantly appeared in front of Tang Xiu and the others. Even the elites of the eight families and forces of Strange Doors also came out from the building and stood behind Daoist Qiankun and his disciples.
Tang Xiu sized up Daoist Qiankun a few times and sneered, "Old fart as you are, you should've died rather than stayed alive. Living for more than 200 years and yet unexpectedly so shameless to scheme against my men. Are you really that tired of living your crooked life?"
Daoist Qiankun squinted his eyes and carefully examined Tang Xiu, and then immediately replied unhurriedly, "Are you Tang Xiu?"
"Yes," said Tang Xiu bluntly.
As if looking at a dead man, Daoist Qiankun shook his head and immediately shifted his sight toward Old Blind and sighed, "Seems like you really have become a running dog for this little punk, Old Blind. If it wasn't that I had to treat my disciple's injury, how would I allow you to escape last night? And yet, to my surprise, you actually acted recklessly and blindly delivered yourself to me. Don't blame me for resorting to cruel and malicious means."
Old Blind fell silent for a short while and then slowly replied, "This Tang Xiu kid did not heed to this Old Blind's advice and was adamant on coming here to exact his revenge. Since I'll need his help in the future, I naturally can't leave him by himself. I will just lose my life here at the worst, but I'll be sure to drag you with me."
Tang Xiu slightly pressed his brows and lightly said, "Old Blind, you're not allowed to act unless I can't hold on."
"But Tang Xiu, you…" Old Blind shouted in a low voice.
"Keep your mouth shut if you want me to provide a place for you to spend your old age in the future." Tang Xiu waved his hand to interrupt her and said in a deep voice. "I have my own reasons in doing this."
With that said, he crazily fed the black spirit long spear with his Primal Chaos Force. He had refined this long spear for many days and to his surprise, this long spear was definitely an excellent weapon as he was able to erupt 50% of this spear's might with his current cultivation, which was very good in and of itself.
"Evanescent Chart, Infinite Spear Array!"
Tang Xiu's body soared upward and a raging flame suddenly burst out from the spirit spear, as he used the long spear to inscribe the patterns of an array in the air. After throwing the long spear into the air, the array instantly formed and was also activated at once.
Layers of illusionary spear images formed an array within a 100 meters radius, and the surging airwaves forced Old Blind, Mo Awu and the others back for dozens of steps, directly separating them from the spear range.
"Spear as Array and I as the Source!"
Tang Xiu instantly appeared in the core position and his Primal Chaos Force constantly rushed out crazily, instantly turning the area of a hundred meters around into a surging sea of flames.
"Offensive Array Art?"
Daoist Qiankun's complexion greatly changed, while Jin Sanchi and Jin Sijie's faces were that of horror and dread. The array was a field the Master and disciples' trio had no knowledge of and only knew a minute bit. Never in their wildest dreams did they think there would actually be someone in this world who was able to arrange an array with such method.
In a flash, the sky, earth, and the very world changed in the eyes of these Master and disciples' eyes. Even the dozens of elites of the Strange Doors who were also enveloped in the spear array suddenly found that the world before them was as though had turned into the Ashura Hell.
Fire Serpent, Fire Bird, Fire Drake, Fire Phoenix…
Countless lifelike species were as coming to life, as magma from beneath the Earth surged upward, plunging towards them with whooshing sounds. Layers of shadows were like streams of light that constantly moved around them. The whole world was shrouded by the looming destructive aura descending from the firmament as an enormous invisible pressure also enveloped them in an instant.
AAAARGH…
A miserable scream came from the mouth of a Strange Door's elite as a thin fire serpent suddenly drilled out of the boiling rock and plunged towards him, piercing his foot and drilling into his body straight to his heart. The sharp pain consumed his bracing soul as the miserable screams he let out made various kinds of flame creatures storm toward him.
They dismembered his body and divided his flesh.
In just a few breaths, that Strange Doors' elite was fully consumed, and not even a trace of his bones was left. The remaining Strange Door's people did not fare much better as the number of flame creatures was too many to count and quickly killed them.
Outside the array, though Old Blind was unable to see anything with her eyes, these particularly unusual parallel images were reflected in her mind. Experienced and knowledgeable she may be, yet never did she dream that she would one day see living humans struggling so desperately while whining and screaming so miserably as their muscles suddenly vanished, bones disappeared, and blood evaporated…. Ultimately, their whole being was completely erased from existence.
Mo Awu and the experts of the Everlasting Feast Hall, as well as Gesangjor and the two old men who were watching through the windows in the distance with military binoculars, all of them witnessed these uncanny scenes with dread and fear. The feet went missing, legs gone, head vanished, and arms disappeared… until the whole being of a person ultimately evanesced.
Tang Xiu sneered inwardly. These people from the Strange Doors had decided to stand behind Daoist Qiankun and his disciples, and thus keeping them alive would only leave a disaster to him in the future. He might as well take this opportunity to directly erase all of them so as to avoid future troubles.
"Daoist Qiankun old fart, Jin Sanchi, and you, Jin Sijie. Your dogs all are dead now, leaving only the three of you, Master and disciples. Enjoy this treat very well. If you three can break this array, don't you worry about that, for I will make you taste the goodness of more savage means."
Inside the array, Daoist Qiankun did not utter anything and neither did he act rashly. He quietly observed the world inside the array despite being extremely shocked inwardly, because this array was something he had never seen before despite his Master once telling him in his childhood that such a formation indeed existed in this world.
The two brothers, Jin Sanchi and Jin Sijie, also did not act rashly. The two fogeys were all over 100 years old and were also old freak cultivators.
"WHO THE HELL ARE YOU, TANG XIU?"
Finally, Jin Sanchi could not bear and shouted. He was able to hear Tang Xiu's voice clearly, and was sure that it worked the other way around as well.
However, just as his voice sounded, countless illusionary flame creatures around him howled and stormed toward him. Even the magma surging out from beneath at this moment jettisoned out to the sky to sweep over him.
A queer expression could be seen in Tang Xiu's eyes as he laughed loudly and shouted, "Who am I? I'm someone you find difficult to deal with and nearly impossible for you to imagine. Your death is imminent so just go to the infernal hell and be a muddled ghost there!"