novelThe Face-off
| ← Ch.114 | Ch.116 → |
The dwarf Taoist priest had been riding on the giant pangolin when he had collided with the ground forcefully. Though his cultivation base was profound, he was still a human after all. The force exerted by the pangolin as it leaped and burrowed into the soil was quite vigorous. While the dwarf Taoist priest had not needed to exert his life vitality to protect himself, he had hit the ground rather hard. It was fortunate that he was still alive but his disproportionately big head had almost exploded from the pain. It was so disorientating that it took him a while to recover his senses and observe his surroundings.
Therefore, it was only when the Thunder Heart Sand had erupted into thousands of thunderous sparks that he realized that his enemies were approaching him. By the time he regained his vision, he saw the 'Yang's Mistake' which appeared only to disappear almost immediately, followed by the raging Metal Poison Stream which was being absorbed by Wen Leyang. The dwarf Taoist priest was a knowledgeable man and as 'Yang's Mistake' flashed past and disappeared, it had startled him greatly and he assumed that this was the enemy's attempt to intentionally hide this incisive treasured weapon.
Wen Leyang's current situation was even more frightening to him. The dwarf Taoist priest had spent over two hundred years cultivating in the Gold-Consuming Lair. He was well aware of the incisiveness of the Metal Poison Stream more than anyone. He could not tell if there were one or two persons who were locked in a stalemate with the strong poison.
Faced with the divine thunder that was rippling with sparkling intimidation, the black-colored treasured weapon which had flashed by, and the ordinary-looking person who was evenly matched with the Metal Poison Stream, the dwarf Taoist priest did not need to think twice as he directed his disciples to show no mercy to the enemy.
Wen Leyang was rooted on the same spot in a daze. His body was in the posture of one who had turned around but had not managed to run away. If it were not for his savage and forceful expression, it would have looked like a drawing of a Beauty who was looking back. The dark, brass-colored Metal Poison Stream surrounded him in layers and spun around swiftly. Every once in a while it would make a scraping noise which made one's gums feel sore.
The Qilian Immortal Sect's disciples chanted incantations to raise their numerous red-colored flying swords. The swords poured from the sky like a red waterfall and surged towards the direction of Wen Leyang! Very soon, loud bangs and the metallic scraping noise merged into a cacophony of noise and the bizarre sound echoed through the sky and ground. The scorching red-colored glow was like a raging flame which was burning through the heavens as it bloomed heartily around Wen Leyang. In the blink of an eye, it almost looked as if the Gold-Consuming Lair was becoming molten!
Wen Leyang resembled a humongous burning torch, he appeared very sacred from afar.
The Metal Poison Stream had spun around rapidly before it squeezed itself into a ball in front of Wen Leyang, forming a natural shield. As the flying swords which had converged into a red blaze arrived, they were immediately mixed into the ball of Metal Poison Stream.
Bushuo, Buzuo and the rest of Wen Leyang's companions roared in unison as they leaped up and dashed ahead to risk their lives to save him. Wen Xiaoyi's eyes were cracking with rage as she gritted her teeth. She did her best to control her trembling hands so she could reload the Thunder Heart Sand into the big-muzzled blunderbuss.
When the big-muzzled blunderbuss had been reloaded, she then yelled loudly as she prepared to follow Wen Buzuo and the others in their attack against the Taoist priest. Suddenly, just as she was about to stand, a stiff voice sounded in her ears, "Stop fighting if you want to enter the stone forest!"
Wen Leyang's companions' faces were joyous since that voice meant that the jade knife Guo Huan was unharmed. This also meant that Wen Leyang would naturally still be alive. It was rather incredible that he was still alive even though he had turned into a burning torch.
The dwarf Taoist priest was also stunned while the rest of the Qilian Immortal Sect's priests had no reactions at all.
Wen Buzuo had the swiftest response. He blinked once as he understood that Guo Huan's words were actually meant for the dwarf Taoist priest. However, before he could manage to explain the situation to the people on his side, Guo Huan had straightforwardly transmitted its voice to everyone. Wen Buzuo praised in his heart joyously, "That old demon is not that foolish after all!"
Now that the Qilian Immortal Sect disciples have already put up a desperate fight, it was unsure whether Guo Huan was using his words to instill surprise or because no one would acknowledge anything else. Nevertheless, to the Taoist priest, those four words 'enter the stone forest' were truly exceptionally important.
As expected, the dwarf Taoist priest did not hesitate for a moment as he immediately waved his hand and instructed his disciples, "Stop!"
Soon after that, Guo Huan's voice became extremely weak in a flash. His voice was softer than a mosquito's buzz as he transmitted his message to Wen Buzuo, "The rest is up to your..."
The flare which had been surging skywards vanished and Wen Leyang's figure appeared in everyone's sights once again. The Metal Poison Stream in front of his body continued to spin around but its surface area had been greatly reduced. The red-colored sword formation of the Qilian Immortal Sect had frittered it away.
The flying swords which covered the sky stopped their vicious attacks upon the dwarf Taoist priest's instruction. They remained converged in a blazing red formation and spun around gracefully like an arrogant red-colored dragon above Wen Leyang's head, fully prepared to attack again at any notice. However, many of the flying swords' light had dimmed and they were following the sword formation with great difficulty. The Qilian Immortal Sect had cultivated in the Fire element so when the flying swords had engaged the Metal Poison Stream, they had entangled one another desperately from the inter-restriction of the Metal and Fire element within the huge fire torch. Most of the Metal Poison Stream was destroyed while most of the fire disposition of the flying swords too had frittered away.
The dwarf Taoist priest's gaze swept past Wen Bushuo, Wen Buzuo and the rest of them as he spoke, "Which one was the erudite cultivator who had transmitted his voice, please..."
Before his voice had died away, a thunderous bang blasted upon them all of a sudden. A thousand rays of purple arcs twisted in an unruly and unrestrained manner and converged into a furious billow that one could not even look straight into. This thunderous force slammed ferociously onto the red-colored sword formation which had been hanging in midair! The Qilian Immortal Sect's sword formation was shaved off by the Thunder Heart Sand by almost one quarter. Countless swords dropped out of the sky like dead fishes which had endured the blast of a cannon. At the same time, the rest of the red-colored flying swords scattered like birds and returned to their masters' sides in a panic.
Many of the Qilian Immortal Sect disciples had been knocked unconscious. Those whose flying sword had been destroyed by the Thunder Heart Sand had suffered a strong quake through their primordial spirit, resulting in severe injuries to their body. As for those who were uninjured, they immediately shouted and prepared to fight once again.
The dwarf Taoist priest turned green with rage and he shouted loudly at his disciples, "Retreat!" One of his trusted subordinates refused to give in as he walked over in quick strides with his expression filled with an unwillingness to accept the defeat. He was preparing to speak when he was interrupted by the dwarf Taoist priest in a low tone, "Idiot, the supernatural power of Heaven's Thunder earlier was meant to hit between the group of disciples, nothing would happen to us anyway!"
That disciple's face turned ashen in a short while. If Wen Xiaoyi's Thunder Heart Sand had been fired into the crowd, the Qilian Immortal Sect disciples would have been caught off guard and would certainly be gravely injured. But if that were to happen, the Qilian Immortal Sect would certainly break out into a riot to put up a desperate fight.
Wen Xiaoyi had not considered it very much then but the moment she saw that Wen Leyang was still alive, her heart, which had been full of sorrow, immediately turned into elation. Following that, she shifted her gaze up at the sword formation which was still eyeing them with hostility in the sky. She had then raised her big-muzzled weapon and fired a shot towards them. She had fired from behind Bushuo, Buzuo and the others so the opposing party had utterly no idea where the shot had been fired from.
Wen Buzuo crossed his arms behind his back and stood upright with his chest sticking out. His tone of speaking was simultaneously filled with arrogance and dignity yet his gaze was calm and dull. Even the corners of his mouth were still smiling, "The Qilian Immortal Sect? This is rather interesting!"
Those eight words, which were separated into two phrases, sounded like it was a praise but had a hidden meaning.
The dwarf Taoist priest looked at the well-behaved child Luo Wanggen without a reason, "Who was the one who had transmitted his voice earlier? Please reveal yourself and let us meet in person."
Wen Buzuo suddenly laughed like he was insane. He laughed so abruptly and in such a self-enchanting manner, "It doesn't matter who had said that. The situation remains the same, only you can decide if you still want to enter the stone forest."
Wen Xiaoyi walked over and stood next to the group with her bright, smiling eyes. She gave Wen Buzuo a dirty look. Judging from his mannerism, expression, and tone of voice, Wen Buzuo was imitating their Grand Master Chang Li again.
Chang Li was a demon cat and was one of the strongest demon cultivators in the world. However, other than her obsession with Tuo Xie, there was only that slight penchant of hers to have fun. She would forever have the mannerism of 'as long as all was fun and happy for herself'. Whether it was the Emperor or the Kings of Hell standing before her, she would never deny herself from having fun.
This mannerism, in the eyes of others, seems more like the arrogance which was penetrating out of one's bones. Even though Wen Buzuo could not fully imitate her, he has already possessed her approximate mannerism by now. The only flaw in this apparently perfect situation was that the same smile, which looks exceptionally amazing on Chang Li's face, looked exceptionally awful on Wen Buzuo's face.
Wen Xiaoyi stood next to them as she reloaded the big-muzzled weapon with agile movements.
No matter how Wen Buzuo was changing his expressions, the dwarf Taoist priest did not even look at him from the start. The priest's gaze was still firmly pressed on Luo Wanggen, "Without all of you, the Qilian Immortal Sect's disciples may not even enter the stone forest even if we were able to break the spell with our swords."
Wen Buzuo raised his eyebrows and he made an indifferent expression, "So, it turns out you really don't know anything." It was the right moment for him to start mocking yet his smile had vanished, leaving only a vague trace on the corner of his lips.
The well-behaved child Luo Wanggen suddenly spoke in continuity, "It's not a magic spell that is protecting the stone forest but the long lost 'Greater Celandine'. For seven thousand years, there was seven hundred and sixty-four sects' worth of witchcraft spells in the world; this spell here ranks at the seventh!" As he said that, he laughed confidently and pointed towards the bodies of those who had died outside the stone forest. Those corpses had turned into a pile of soft flesh by now."Those corpses had been liquefied and have become as clear and bitter as the greater celandine! If the head priest doesn't believe me, go ahead and touch the corpses. Your palm will be covered in clear liquid, which, upon tasting, will be bitter!"
Little Chi Maojiu was supposed to convey these words but Luo Wanggen was afraid that Chi Maojiu was still young. If he could not answer cautiously it might draw in the calamity of complete annihilation. To prevent this, Luo Wanggen had directly chimed in and continued the topic of discussion. Wen Buzuo, who remained standing on the same spot unmoved, highly praised Luo Wanggen in his heart - this well-behaved child knows how to bluff!
No one knew anything about the witchcraft spell so he had simply spouted a bunch of gibberish as he pleased; the seventh-place sounded more realistic than the first place after all.
The moment Luo Wanggen spoke, the dwarf Taoist priest's bright eyes turned around as fast as lightning and stared at the three-inch nail Wen Bushuo as he said, "Really?"
Luo Wanggen was feeling rather puzzled in his heart. Even though his speech sounded plausible and was well-reasoned, somehow it had caused the other party to shift his gaze.
Wen Buzuo roughly understood the situation; the dwarf Taoist priest was cross-eyed.
Luo Wanggen disregarded the dwarf Taoist priest's question and continued without consulting anyone, "By its power, the Greater Celandine ranks third out of the ten heavenly stems. But because it is not easily released and dispersed, in the end within the witchcraft of the world ranked by the Luo Deity, it ranks as the seventh. It's true that the Qilian Sword formation could break the prohibition spell but in the end, it will only result in the destruction of both sides."
Wen Buzuo felt helpless in his heart so he pouted. Luo Wanggen had lied rather impressively in the beginning but his description in the second part sounded questionable to someone who was more experienced.
The dwarf Taoist priest did not ask about the 'Luo Deity', he was still looking at the three-inch nail Wen Bushuo but his tone of speaking sounded a little contemptuous now, "The destruction of both sides? What do you mean?"
Fortunately, Luo Wanggen was smart. He shrugged and his expression turned impatient, "I've never seen it before, how can I know? I was only reporting about what was written in the books."
Other than not looking towards the speaker that he was talking to, the dwarf Taoist priest's mannerism remained steady and determined from the start. He no longer tried to investigate more about the destruction of both sides but asked directly, "So, can you break the stone forest's prohibition spell?"
A Qilian Immortal Sect's disciple who had been probing around the corpses walked in front of the dwarf Taoist priest. He held a tree branch in his hand which had a few drops of crystal clear droplets on it. He had used this branch to poke at the corpses earlier.
This Qilian Immortal Sect disciple's expression was a little peculiar, he was afraid that his esteemed Master would instruct him to place the branch into his mouth and have a taste to check if it was bitter or not.
Suddenly, Luo Wanggen walked with great strides to the front of the dwarf Taoist priest. He stretched out a hand and dipped his finger on the tree branch. He gathered a drop of clear liquid and placed his finger into his mouth. Following that, he said to the Taoist priest, "Bitter!"
The dwarf Taoist priest's expression changed immediately. He squinted as he stared at that Qilian Immortal Sect's disciple holding the tree branch who was standing next to Luo Wanggen, "If all of you can break the prohibition spell, this Taoist priest will make sure that all of you leave the Gold-Consuming Lair safely and peacefully!"
That Qilian Immortal Sect's disciple's expression was at ease, he knew his Master was not speaking to him.
Surprisingly, Luo Wanggen laughed and carelessly replied, "There was no need to tell me that and what I had said didn't count as well!" He turned around and walked back to Wen Buzuo's side.
Wen Buzuo considered for a moment before he shook his head as if it was not worthwhile, "All of you ought to get busy and continue to use that thing to smash onto the stone forest. We are not in a hurry, we can have this discussion again when all of you fail to smash it apart." As he said that he raised his hand and pointed at the sky before remembering that Wen Xiaoyi had blasted the sword formation out of it. He then cracked a smile and did not appear to be embarrassed, he seemed truly happy on behalf of himself.
Wen Buzuo was afraid that the Qilian Immortal Sect's priests would launch their supernatural power. His little group would be immediately wiped out. The dwarf Taoist priest was afraid of the divine thunder which had appeared out of nowhere and the master cultivator who could transmit his voice. He had exchanged words with them hoping to find out the person who had transmitted his voice and to investigate whether these people really knew how to break the stone forest's prohibition spell. He also wanted to find out whether this prohibition spell was as described by the well-behaved Luo Wanggen that the destruction of both sides was imminent. Wen Buzuo still expressed his indifferent and dull mannerism as he spoke flawlessly without missing a single circumstance.
Wen Buzuo was aware in his heart that there was something in the stone forest that the Qilian Immortal Sect had their eyes locked onto. In the eyes of the Taoist priests, his group of people was surely also here for the stone forest. There was no way he would tell the opposing party that they were actually here to capture their Mountain-guarding Divine Beast and that they needed to capture the Divine Beast to look for their grand master Chang Li, who had shattered the Sect's precious Exquisite Ice back in the past. There was no point to use other excuses for the people here were no fools, explaining more would only cause more complications to the situation.
Both parties had their own fears and were suspicious of each other. They were all frozen rigid on the same spot for a short while.
In front of the crystal-clear stone forest, the Metal Mountain Demons had been almost annihilated. The few survivors ran away swiftly. Both of the copper Mo Ya ants had been severely injured. They squeezed their bodies desperately but they had lost the strength to act intimately. They could only watch helplessly as their Poison Metal Stream was absorbed by Wen Leyang gradually.
Wen Leyang could not move at all right now. Bushuo, Buzuo, and the rest of his companions could only use the big-muzzled weapon in Wen Xiaoyi's hands as a bargaining chip.
The big-muzzled weapon was not a protective talisman but more of a suicide grenade.
The dwarf Taoist priest did not seem to be impatient at all as he continued to speak and humor Wen Buzuo. However, his gaze was staring straight at little Chi Maojiu; no one could be certain who he was looking at.
Wen Buzuo imitated Chang Li and he changed his attitude accordingly every once in a while. He switched his thinking faster than the spinning Metal Poison Stream in front of Wen Leyang. After a while, he had already come up with many new ideas but none of them were feasible. Whether they decide to fight or retreat, the biggest nuisance was that Wen Leyang could not move. Wen Leyang had been trapped in the toad's stomach for ten months during the last incident. Judging by the current situation, this could take some time as well and was not something which could be settled by delaying things through small talk. He could hold them off for another ten minutes but he could not hold them off for two hours, let alone ten months. Whether little Chi Maojiu could go forward and break the stone forest's prohibition spell or not, the Taoist priests would still be able to launch their supernatural powers.
Just as Wen Buzuo was having a headache from all that thinking, his side suddenly quieted down!
The Gold-Consuming Lair had turned completely silent all of a sudden.
Even for someone as smart as Wen Buzuo, he needed a moment to react to the situation before he was suddenly enlightened. The silence had come out of nowhere because the metal-scraping sound from the madly spinning Metal Poison Stream had disappeared!
The rest of Wen Leyang's companions immediately turned around. Wen Bushuo and Wen Buzuo were men of long experience, they understood that turning around at this particular moment made them easy targets for a sneak attack but since the big-muzzled weapon was the first one who had ran off, even if the rest of them were attacked they would not even have the opportunity to scream out in agony before they were wiped out. So it was more worthwhile for them to turn around and look at Wen Leyang.
The dwarf Taoist priest was stunned; when he saw that the opposing party had utterly disregarded him, it strengthened his idea that there was a master cultivator hidden within the opposing party.
Wen Xiaoyi cheered in surprise and her voice sounded like a crystal clear little river that flowed with a soothing sound and moisturized the Gold-Consuming Lair's silence. To everyone's surprise, Wen Leyang appeared healthy and vibrant as he smiled at them.
Previously, he had needed ten months to absorb all the Earth element strong poison. This time, he had spent only a little more than ten minutes to absorb the Poison Metal Stream. The vortex which had been formed by the Poison Metal Stream, on the other hand, was not completely absorbed into his body. The amount appeared almost not reduced at all and it dropped back onto the ground soundlessly before turning back into the undercurrent that corroded everything once again.
Wen Leyang stood in the center of the Poison Stream, it was where the two copper ants were at recently.
Within Wen Xiaoyi's huge eyes, all she saw was Wen Leyang's smile. She paid utterly no attention to the strong poison on the ground as she ran towards Wen Leyang.
Wen Buzuo screamed out in surprise as Wen Bushuo sprang forward like a tiger; these were all their instinctive reactions.
Wen Leyang was extremely calm while the dark brass-colored Poison Stream on the ground seemed almost alive. The poisonous stream beneath Wen Xiaoyi's feet parted into two and opened up a safe passage for her in the middle. Once she had passed, the gap closed off soundlessly.
Wen Xiaoyi ran for a while before she realized the situation beneath her feet. She said a 'huh' in surprise, she was both astounded and happy as she looked at Wen Leyang. Soon after that, she cheered loudly once again and started running all over the place as she played with the Poison Stream.
Wen Bushuo too tumbled into the poisonous stream. Similarly, the dark, brass-colored poisonous tide immediately made room on the ground for him.
Wen Buzuo sniggered, "The little girl is happy because Wen Leyang is alive!"
Not only had Wen Leyang regained his ability to move a lot sooner this time, he had even gained control over the Poison Stream. Even he had not expected the situation to turn out this way and was startled.
The uninjured Qilian Immortal Sect's disciples' gazes soon turned from being surprised to being vigilant. They were well aware of the incisiveness of the Poison Stream more so than anyone else.
The two Mo Ya ants had cohabited with the Qilian Immortal Sect in the Gold-Consuming Lair. They considered each other as neighbors and both parties did not offend or violate one another. They had even joined hands this time for the stone forest incident but now that the Mo Ya's tyrannical poison had been snatched away by Wen Leyang, it seems that this could be a great trouble for all of them.
Wen Xiaoyi played around for a while before she leaped in front of Wen Leyang. She looked at him attentively with her head cocked to the side, "How can it be that fast?"
'You've Got Me' crawled out of Wen Leyang's chest strenuously and cocked its head to the side as well as it looked up at its master. Following that, it exerted its strength and threw itself onto the ground. It wanted to feel the happiness whereby it advanced and the poisonous stream retreated; it retreated then the poisonous stream advanced. It then crawled towards the two dejected and severely injured Mo Ya nearby.
These three bugs were of the spiritual and intelligent species. Previously, these two Mo Ya had let 'You've Got Me' go, after that 'You've Got Me' stood in front of the blunderbuss' muzzle to save them. Even though they were only acquainted for a short while, they could be considered closely connected.
Wen Leyang knew that those two Mo Ya were severely injured and their poison power was depleted so they could not harm 'You've Got Me'. He did not interrupt the bugs topic of conversation but held Wen Xiaoyi's hand as he chuckled and spoke, "We will discuss this next time, look!" As he said that he used his other hand to point towards the ground; the dark, brass-colored poisonous stream on the ground had started to circulate suddenly. In the blink of an eye, the poisonous stream had formed into the shape of a giant carrot.
Wen Xiaoyi burst out in laughter and strenuously tossed the big-muzzled weapon at Wen Buzuo. She then stretched out her hand and procured a stick of carrot from the bag before stuffing the carrot into Wen Leyang's hand.
Ever since Wen Leyang had started moving once again, the dwarf Taoist priest who had remained silent suddenly spoke. He said to Wen Leyang, "Your gracious' supernatural power is truly an eye-opening experience for this Taoist priest!"
Wen Leyang nodded at the dwarf Taoist priest but before he could reply he exclaimed in astonishment, "Are you talking to me?" The Taoist priest's gaze had been firmly directed on little Chi Maojiu instead.
The dwarf Taoist priest's voice was not considered loud nor did it possess any murderous intent. It was filled with clear determination, "Earlier, when you were exercising your power, the Qilian Immortal Sect had fulfilled our humanitarian value by recalling our sword formation. No matter who are all of you are, you must immediately retreat out of the Gold-Consuming Lair. Otherwise, you will become Qilian Immortal Sect's mortal enemy!"
Streaks upon streaks of flaming red-colored swords, following the dwarf Taoist priest's words, were released soundlessly into the air by the Qilian Immortal Sect's disciples.
Wen Leyang did not possess any primordial spirit so he could not gauge a cultivator's cultivation base. However, because of the red-colored sword formation launched by the Qilian Immortal Sect's disciples earlier, he could at least estimate that this was not that different from the Thousand Swords Greeting launched by the Kunlun Taoist priests towards the Weeping Buddha back on Nine Peaks Mountain.
Wen Leyang and the Poison Stream had been locked in a stalemate earlier. Even though it appeared unimaginable for the Taoist priest, but he was actually happy deep in his heart. He had assumed that Wen Leyang had his own set of cultivation method which could resist the strong poison from the Mo Ya. When both parties had refused to budge, even if he could destroy the Poison Metal Stream, he would have severely injured his primordial vitality as well.
Unexpectedly, not only had Wen Leyang escaped uninjured, he has even taken over the Mo Ya's Poison Stream. That divine thunder which had come out of nowhere was already tough enough to deal with and there was also a master cultivator with an incisive treasured weapon lurking in the darkness. Now, there was another great enemy capable of commanding the Poison Stream.
The dwarf Taoist priest regretted his choice so badly that he wished he could get back onto the giant pangolin and hit the ground once again. After he was done declaring his standpoint, he stared closely at little Chi Maojiu in preparation for the next fight.
Little Chi Maojiu turned around and look at Wen Leyang, his expression was rather helpless.
Wen Buzuo was calmer now. As long as Wen Leyang could move, they could retreat if the fight turned unfavorable for them. He was chuckling in preparation to speak on behalf of Wen Leyang when the ground beneath his feet suddenly shook vigorously!
Wen Leyang took a step forward and the huge stretch of dark, brass-colored poisonous stream immediately spread all over the place, surrounding and protecting everyone next to Wen Leyang's side in the middle.
The expressions of the Taoist priests were beyond alarmed, their flying swords circulated around to protect their masters, thinking that the opposing party had suddenly launched their attack.
The ground pulsated vigorously as a ridged furrow of dirt, resembling a little hill, passed along the edge of the stone forest.
The dwarf Taoist priest was relieved and he instructed loudly, "Form a protective circle over the Divine Beast!" Every flying sword once again combined into the thick, red-colored sword formation. It resembled a river of lava which could never be crossed as it spanned across between the two parties.
The giant pangolin stuck its head out from the mound. Without waiting for the dwarf Taoist priest to heave a sigh of relief, the giant pangolin's thick and strong front paws clawed and scratched the ground desperately. On its long and pointy face, every piece of its scale was glimmering with fear and panic. It opened its mouth and screamed madly, "Pull me out..." Before its voice could die away, there was a whooshing sound as if an irresistible force on the other side was dragging him back once again.
Within the Qilian Immortal Sect, the dwarf Taoist priest had the fastest reaction. The moment the giant pangolin was dragged back below the ground, he had shot forward like an arrow. His movement was so swift that his figure became a blur as he held on to the Mountain-guarding Divine Beast of his sect.
Soon after that, an agonized scream which shook the heavens and earth was heard!
The pangolin had used a spell to burrow out of the ground rather than digging out a big hole. Now that it was being dragged back below the ground by an unknown something, the ground had returned to its former flatness in a moment. The dwarf Taoist priest had suffered the same incident twice on the same night as he collided forcefully onto the ground which had solidified back into hard rock by the sharp force of the Metal element.
| ← Ch. 114 | Ch. 116 → |