novelThe Sea of Fire
| ← Ch.240 | Ch.242 → |
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Chang Li's cute reply caused Wen Leyang to choke. Guo Huan suddenly asked from within the jade knife as Wen Leyang went ide and coughed, "From your reckoning, what kind of demon is it?"
Chang Li pointed rudely at the jade knife, "Thank goodness I've taken your Yin's Error and Yang's Mistake, I'm even more grateful that Mi Xu had wanted to take your demonic primordial energy. You're too evil even for a mountain demon! You always ask questions that nobody knows the answers for!"
Guo Huan was so annoyed that he became amused, "I had asked because I don't know anything about it!"
Chang Li's expression turned angry, "We'll know in a minute! It's useless right now even if you had asked a thousand times..."
Wen Leyang did not have the time to cough as he hastily interrupted the quarrel between the two old demons, "What's the real matter here?"
Nobody else had the chance to answer before Xiaowu opened her mouth and spoke in a sweet childish voice. She sprawled beside Wen Leyang and said softly, "That demon fetus's squall sounded like a cry for help. If that's the case, this demon must've been raised by someone."
Xiaowu's voice was sweet and gooey with a touch of childishness. Her tone of speaking made one want to pinch her face. However, Wen Leyang was so astounded by what she had said that all thirty-six thousand pores on his body contracted as he asked in shock, "What kind of person..."
His voice has barely faded away when Guo Huan suddenly laughed loudly. He then spoke in an extremely loud voice, "See! The Wen young lad is also asking about the same thing!"
Chang Li was amused and rolled her jet-black eyes at Wen Leyang with all her might, "I only know that it's not me. We'll naturally know who that person is when he or she comes." As soon as she said this, an angry wrinkle suddenly appeared at the edge of her lips as she pressed them together. She then reminded Wen Leyang softly, "Here it comes!"
Shortly after that, a voice filled with terror sounded from far above them, "Do you guys have a death wish!? Come up, quickly!"
The moment the voice sounded, a face which was filled with the same amount of terror entered Wen Leyang's telegnosis ability.
Chang Li nodded lightly. She carried Xiaowu and Wen Shulin as she and Wen Leyang leaped up and returned to the surface.
The person on the surface was a skinny old man with amiable eyes. However, he has an expression of fright and anger mixed with some worry on his face. He was pacing anxiously and when he saw that they had come up, he immediately sighed. He then stammered and rambled, "Who are you people? How could you be so brave as to dig here?" He was so angry that he stomped his feet as he spoke.
Xiaowu had an outraged expression on her face as she said to the old man, "Our friends have been swallowed by this monster, we had been digging to rescue them!"
When the old man saw the Xiaowu, the anger on his face immediately turned into affection. He looked as if he was worried that he would scare the little girl so he tried hard to turn his stern lessons into a muffled grunt. He then sprawled beside the pit carelessly as he looked at the strange rock tower with eyes full of heartbreak. He said without turning around, "Your friends have been swallowed by it? It would never harm anyone unless it had been provoked! You guys are extremely lucky to still be alive right now!" After he said this, he stood up and brushed the dirt from his body, "Quick, let your life vitality flow and see if there's any harm in your body. It's no ordinary demon so you guys might not even notice if it had planted seeds within your bodies!"
The old man sighed incessantly and looked as if he wanted to cover the pit up. However, he only reacted after he had turned two circles and squalled at them with exasperation, "Where's the dirt? Damn it, don't you guys pile the dirt beside the pit when you dig a hole?" When Wen Leyang and the others had reached the deeper parts of the pit, they had been too lazy to carry the dirt out of the huge pit. They had compressed the soil directly into the sides of the pit by the energy of their magical powers.
Wen Leyang had just opened his mouth to say something when the ground suddenly shook with a boom. Suddenly, a fat middle-aged man entered the boundaries of his telegnosis ability. Every step this fat man took made the earth shake violently! Before the middle-aged fat man could arrive, his curses have already rolled over from afar, "Where had these demons come from!? I'll tear you apart if you've harmed the spirit fetus!"
The fat man cursed as he ran wildly with all his heart and he arrived at the side of the huge pit in no time. When he saw the exposed rock tower, he immediately let out an extremely angry howl. He raised his fist and wanted to hit someone but the one nearest to him was Chang Li followed by Xiaowu. Wen Shulin had passed out from shock when he heard the demon fetus's squall and was lying on the ground limply. After a moment's hesitation, the fat man walked around Chang Li and Xiaowu, leaped, and threw an extremely ferocious punch which crashed towards Wen Leyang like a meteor.
The fat man's mannerism was extremely fierce but after he leaped up, he held his own attack back as he flipped and dropped down to the side. The fatty rolls on his body jiggled with anger as he scolded, "You're a f*cking mortal! I can't hit you, I can't hit them! Heh!" He needed an outlet for his anger so he yelled and ran towards the 'Standing Softshell Turtle' rock. A series of loud thuds were heard as he landed a round of punches on the massive rock. Chips of rock flew about and he panted heavily before he returned to the side of the pit. He then glared at Wen Leyang, "Who are you? Why were you trying to dig out my spirit fetus!?"
Chang Li had kept quiet at the side from the start. Wen Leyang then repeated Xiaowu's words.
It was only until now that fat man suddenly realized that a mere mortal could not possibly move the demon fetus's rock tower. He then raised his guard obviously, "Who amongst you... Are cultivators?" He scanned Wen Leyang and the others repeatedly as he asked this. His gaze then stopped on Chang Li. When Chang Li met his eyes, the fat man's face flushed red as he laughed foolishly.
The old man seems to be the fat man's elder. He scolded with a regret that his junior had not lived up to his expectations, "You have poor judgment! The little girl has a demon's body, she's much stronger than me! With her protection, the others beside her could naturally proceed unhindered!"
The fat man's eyes were full of incredulity as he sized Xiaowu up. After a brief moment, he lowered his voice and asked the old man, "This little girl is stronger than you? Then..." He then gulped noisily, "We shouldn't cause them any trouble."
Wen Leyang's suspended heart relaxed somewhat. He has a good impression of the both of them. The old man had reminded them to be careful and not get themselves hurt while the fat man would rather hit rocks than hit women, children or mortals. When he looked at the fat man's strength and movements, he should be around the little demon rabbit Shan Duan's level. As for that frowning old man, judging from the speed at which he had flown into Wen Leyang's telegnosis ability, he should be a little less powerful than the old demon rabbit Bu Le. The old man could see that Xiaowu was a powerful demon so he had thought that it was Xiaowu who protected the others.
The old man looked pitiable, "If your friends have been swallowed up by the magical fetus, then there's no hope in saving them now. They can only accept the fact that they had been unlucky..."
It was indiscernible whether the fat man had wanted to back him up or to incite anger as he chimed in with a loud voice, "Let's not say about you guys, even if it was the father of the Great Luo Deity who had encountered the spirit fetus's plot, he would have been completely scared out of his mind!"
The old man nodded with a frown, "Even if you had continued to dig, you wouldn't find your friends, you wouldn't even be able to find their remains."
Wen Leyang shook his head and diverted the topic, "Who are you guys? What is this demon fetus?"
"What demon fetus! It's clearly a spirit fetus! A million years ago, this place was connected to the netherworld so it had been a common occurrence for ghouls to escape to the mortal realm. Thus, the ancient gods had planted a spirit seed and sealed this place. If you had continued to dig, you would have ended up in the netherworld!" Anxiousness was wedged between the old man's brows. He was worried that Wen Leyang and the others would not listen to him and would insist on continuing to dig, "The ancestors of my family have been cultivating here obscurely for many generations as they guarded the spirit fetus at the same time. Please, leave quickly..."
The old man has calmed down. He looked at Xiaowu with a guarded and fearful expression. As for Chang Li, it seems that her demonic powers were too strong. These two cultivators did not realize that she was the real king of the mountain.
Wen Leyang did not know whether to laugh or to cry as he exchanged a glance with Chang Li. The old man had spoken as if there really was something like this but his words were too unreliable.
Xiaowu was amused and she laughed. She then shook her little head and said, "I don't believe you! It's obviously a demon fetus! If I can't rescue my friends, then I'll kill it to have my revenge!"
The fat man has an extremely short fuse. When he heard Xiaowu's words, the flames of anger which he had suppressed earlier flared up again. He immediately howled angrily without hesitation, "You ungrateful doll, how can I let you bring disaster to the world!?" As he said this, he opened his hand which was like a large fan of cattail leaves and reached out to grab Xiaowu.
It was obvious that the fat man had held himself back. Even under these circumstances, he had not balled his fist. Instead, he had only reached forward with an opened hand to catch a hold of Xiaowu.
Xiaowu imitated Chang Li's moves earlier as she folded her hands behind her back and lifted her chin. She then made a half sneer with a certain childishness before she suddenly released a surge of demonic power! The old man was flustered as he squalled, "Don't be rash!" His body swayed as he leaped forward in haste. He had wanted to intercept the fat man from the side.
Just as the old man was about to stop the fat man, the two of them abruptly let out a ringing roar, "Borrow Art, Red Lotus, Heaven-Reaching Flames!"
Clanking howls erupted loudly within the vast mountain range. The spot where Chang Li had been standing had turned into an enchanting sea of fire in the blink of an eye! Flames taller and more imposing than a mountain's peak burned enchantingly like an evil dragon which had broken out of hell as it licked greedily at the sky!
At the same time, the demon fetus's rock tower let out a cheerful chuckle!
Wen Leyang and Xiaowu had no time to react when they were hit by the great force of the magic power those two men had summoned and were thrown to the side.
The old man's howl was like thunder. He chanted an incantation loudly as he made a Dharmachakra Mudra the size of a human's head. He then urged the fires of the blazing inferno incessantly. The fat man's body, which had initially looked slow and slightly clumsy to Wen Leyang, flipped dexterously in mid-air like a fat hawk. A fiery chain suddenly materialized in his hand as he flew towards Wen Leyang and Xiaowu!
Xiaowu has long occupied a place in the world but in the face of sheer power, any form of trickery would pale and weaken in comparison. She had now truly experienced what it means that the hearts of men were vicious. She could never hope to see through the powers of these two cultivators with her current cultivation base! The old man and the fat man had echoed each other. They were still loyal just a few moments ago but they had now turned Chang Li's fate uncertain whereas Xiaowu and Wen Leyang's lives were hanging by a thread!
Xiaowu was enraged to the point of yelling. Her little figure flew through the air as her hands clapped in a strange rhythm and made a series of crisp sounds. She then exhaled and shouted in her childish voice, "Mourn!"
The ground beneath her seemed to boil as it suddenly rolled. Monsters which were so rotten that they have become unidentifiable growled and struggled as they pounced swiftly towards the fat man.
The fat man snorted disdainfully. Fierce flames the color of blood rose continuously around him, blocking the wild attacks of the undead monsters. The long fiery chain in his hands pulled tautly and whipped towards Xiaowu's head like a long spear which was spewing molten iron.
The blazing temperature superheated the surrounding air, causing everything before Xiaowu's flustered gaze to shimmer like a mirage.
Suddenly, the Snake Knife appeared with an angry howl! Wen Leyang was covered in the Ning Jiao's armor as he waved the Ning Jiao's sting and struck from Xiaowu's side, fiercely parrying the soul-locking and body-snatching fiery chain.
As the Ning Jiao's sting came into contact with the fiery chain, Wen Leyang immediately felt as if a stream of lava which was so hot that it made him think of dying had struck into the blood vessels along his sword hand. It felt like his flesh and blood were about to be incinerated into ashes in an instant. The Ning Jiao's armor on his body even gave off a charred stench. Although Ning Jiao's sting had managed to parry the opponent's magic weapon, Wen Leyang still yelled as he fell heavily to the ground!
At the same time, the greyish-colored Yin and Yang Poison was like a skin as it enveloped the Bone Snake. It then leaped out in the form of the Ning Jiao and pounced viciously towards the fat man!
The fat man reacted quickly. Once his magic weapon's attack had been parried, his body had instantly retreated like the wind as he evaded Ning Jiao's fatal attack. He then laughed foolishly and scolded, "This little b*stard has some skills, it's a shame that he has to die young!" The fat man then somersaulted in midair. Just as he had adjusted his pose and was about to pounce at Wen Leyang a second time, a slender, fair, and delicate arm suddenly materialized out of the air beside him. The arm then grabbed the fat man's neck firmly and twisted it lightly.
Although the cracking sound was relatively soft, it was extremely clear and it projected straight into everyone's ears!
Chang Li tossed the fat man aside and stepped out from thin air.
The entire conflict from the moment those two cultivators had begun their sneak attack to Chang Li's abrupt reappearance and the killing of the fat man had happened unimaginably quickly, everything was over in the flick of a finger!
Wen Leyang and Xiaowu cheered loudly before they quickly ran to meet their goddess-like Grand Master.
The old man was dumbstruck and his body swayed as he hung in midair. The heaven-reaching blazing flames contrasted strongly behind him and were burning with a boundless malevolence!
Chang Li patted Xiaowu's head and Wen Leyang's shoulder as she chuckled, "You've been tricked by them, haven't you!?"
Guo Huan laughed harshly and yelled at the old man, "You had the upper hand at first but you then became overconfident!"
Wen Leyang frowned, he did not understand what Guo Huan had meant by 'the upper hand'. Chang Li had her usual nonchalant look on her face. She then giggled and pointed at the old man who was in midair and said to Wen Leyang, "This old monkey should be around my level but that fat monkey was much stronger than Xiaowu and you!"
Wen Leyang's heart skipped a beat. He had not seen through the old man's cultivation base but he could never have imagined that the old man was a peerless cultivator who was almost on par with Chang Li!
The blazing flame behind the old man was malicious and wild but his elderly face was as cold as ice. He did not even glance at the fat man's body which was lying on the ground, "What had given it away?"
Chang Li smiled with slight confusion, "What had given it away? There was nothing which had given you away! You had used your magic weapons to mask your life vitalities until I really thought that you two were what you had said you were, honest obscure cultivators."
The old man grunted, "You haven't won and I haven't lost. Before we fight an all-out battle, can you free this old man from his confusion?"
Chang Li nodded obediently and replied straightforwardly, "Sure! If you had attacked me directly and let the fat man deal with those two dolls, I would have retreated. However, you had thought that you were smart and tried to eliminate me first but I didn't fall for your tricks. When you guys had lit the Red Lotus Fire, I had already silently retreated to safety. I didn't think that I would be able to sneak an attack on you so I had ambushed the fat man instead."
The old man took a deep breath, "I'm asking you, how had you seen through..."
He had not finished speaking when Chang Li suddenly laughed, "I'm not telling you!" Her body swayed as countless long, black spikes appeared in midair and flew towards the enemy as fast as lightning!
Xiaowu finally brandished her own magic weapon, it was a mourning staff which would let out a ghostly cry and a wolf's howl when she waved it about! Xiaowu was quite helpless and the mourning staff was also quite helpless...
Chang Li and the old man have disappeared. The sharp black spikes and the demon flames which resembled a venomous dragon resembled normal magical arts. As they danced and collided, the huge force they generated was enough to tear any slightly lesser cultivators into pieces!
Wen Leyang and Xiaowu each wielded their magic weapons. They wanted to help but dared not move forward. Just as they were feeling anxious, Chang Li's sneering voice suddenly sounded from the sky, "There're more enemies. You two dolls, you're on your own!"
Her voice has barely faded away when dozens of figures leaped like the wind and flew swiftly into the range of Wen Leyang's telegnosis ability. Before those figures could arrive in his field of vision, a dense mass of magical powers and magic weapons blanketed the sky as they crashed towards Wen Leyang and Xiaowu!
These cultivators were the subordinates of the old man and the fat man. Initially, the two chieftains had planned to use trickery and had no intentions of letting their subordinates show themselves. When the fat man had been killed, the subordinates were shocked into action and they had then hastily rushed over to give aid. Xiaowu and Wen Leyang did not hesitate as they yelled and rushed towards their opponents. Luckily, although these cultivators were in great numbers, their cultivation bases were much weaker than the fat man's so Wen Leyang and Xiaowu were able to deal with them on their own. They battled into a mess for some time under the 'Standing Softshell Turtle'.
Chang Li looks to be slightly stronger than the old man. She would occasionally withdraw from their battle and kill a cultivator or two but the old man could not take the time to ambush Wen Leyang and Xiaowu.
In the heat of the battle, the loudest was Guo Huan as he yelled, "Where had these b*stards come from!? If they had tossed cultivation bases such as these into the cultivation world, there would have been chaos in the world long ago!"
Although the cultivators in the flurry were not as strong as the fat man, each of them was not inferior to the demon rabbit Shan Duan. There were a few older ones amongst them who were even tougher than the old demon rabbit Bu Le! If their abilities had been poorer, how could they have put up such a fight that has caused Wen Leyang and Xiaowu to pour out their grievances incessantly?
Guo Huan was also anxious, "Try to ask that worm of yours to release the flying sword."
'You've Got Me' squeaked as it rushed up Wen Leyang's shoulder. The sharp barbs on its body stood up but after it had tried summoning for half a day, it then crawled back in shame...
Chang Li has the upper hand on the old man but the difference between winning and losing was only six to four; Wen Leyang and Xiaowu were extremely strained as they fought off a dozen cultivators and their odds of winning was only twenty percent, maybe even less... If it had not been for Ning Jiao's sting and armor, Wen Leyang and Xiaowu would have been sent running long ago.
This group of people who were all easily at the same level as any of the Five Blessing's supreme leaders Five Blessings fought hard from morning until noon. The giant 'Standing Softshell Turtle' has long since been reduced into unevenly sized rubble scattered on the ground. Just as Wen Leyang was panting heavily and has dedicated most of his energy to protect Xiaowu, an extremely happy cheer suddenly sounded from a distance away.
Wen Leyang immediately reacted like an excited piglet which had just heard its feeder's call as he leaped suddenly and howled, "I'm almost at my limit, come and help, quick!"
"Go and rest. Leave it to me, leave it to me!" The pleasant voice replied in an extremely joyful tone. She clearly sounded like she has agreed to Wen Leyang's request for help but at the same time, one could sense a hint of reluctance in her tone as if fulfilling Wen Leyang's request was a blessing from her.
Wen Leyang sighed. He then carried Xiaowu who was still baring her teeth and waving her mourning staff as he said with a smile, "There's no more need for us to fight!" As expected, his voice has barely faded away when crackling sounds suddenly arose from the surrounding air. The fierce-looking rogue cultivators whose hands were contorted into various gestures as they controlled their magic spells and wielded their magic weapons were all suddenly frozen within tall, graceful and sharp icicles!
Zhui Zi appeared before Wen Leyang with a face full of smiles. She quickly cheered again as she hugged Xiaowu, "Is this your daughter? She's beautiful!"
Wen Leyang quickly snatched Xiaowu back and told her the truth, "It's Fifth Brother Hanba's daughter, her name is Xiaowu!" Zhui Zi and Hanba had fought fiercely before so Wen Leyang was worried that if she knows about Xiaowu's identity, she would strangle the little girl to death.
As expected, Zhui Zi pouted, "She doesn't look so beautiful now." Although she had said this, she could not refrain from pinching Xiaowu's cheek.
Xiaowu was ignorant of the grudge between Zhui Zi and Hanba, all she could tell was that the goddess in front of her eyes was immensely skilled. Xiaowu beamed as she fished out some gum from her pocket. She gave a piece to Zhui Zi and kept one for herself. Lastly, she hesitated briefly before she passed a piece to Wen Leyang as well.
Zhui Zi chewed jubilantly on the gum as she lifted her head and looked at the blisteringly fierce fight in the sky. There was a hint of timidity in her face as she said with fear, "So powerful!" The current Zhui Zi still had her usual pitiable expression, it was only when she faced Wen Leyang that she looks the happiest.
Wen Leyang did not even ask why Zhui Zi had come. He pointed at the sky and said to her, "Can you help with this mess too..."
Zhui Zi looked at Wen Leyang with silent sadness in her eyes. She was full of resentment as she nodded and looked up towards the sky, "If you admit your wrong, I'll help you..."
"If you call me big sister, I won't hit you once I'm done with this old man!" Chang Li's voice was crisp and light.
"Old god, hit her face!" Zhui Zi yelled and looked at Wen Leyang as she chuckled. She then shrugged with eyes full of helplessness, "She doesn't want my help..."
Wen Leyang was feeling slightly troubled and he looked at Xiaowu with a bitter smile. Xiaowu lifted her head, swallowed the gum and took another one out...
The old god was even more troubled than Wen Leyang. Chang Li had killed the fat man and Zhui Zi had frozen his other subordinates into ice columns with a wave of her hand. The cultivation bases of these two women must be stronger than his. The old man knows very well that though Zhui Zi had not joined Chang Li's fight against him, she would naturally attack him after he had defeated Chang Li.
He was in the middle of a fierce battle and he has no extra energy to deal with this great enemy. In fact, he could hardly keep up with Chang Li. Just as the old man was contemplating about running away, a giant shadow suddenly blotted out the sky without warning. A strong wind blew as the fire around him was scattered and a stench rushed toward him!
That thing had a vicious dog's head which was bigger than a hill and a wingspan which could blot out the sky; it was the dog-headed eagle!
The old man's mind had been completely occupied on preparing in case Zhui Zi attacked him. At the same time, he defended against Chang Li's endless barrage of attacks with all his might. He even managed to set aside some primordial spirit as he prepared to activate his Art of Escape to run for his life. As a result, he did not have any energy to withstand the thunderous attack of the dog-headed eagle and was mercilessly swatted by the dog-headed eagle's wing. Chang Li then laughed crisply in a cold tone as she ran in a circle around the old man as swiftly as lightning.
The sky turned the color of blood. The old man wailed as his arms separated from his body. Like a dying fish, his blood boiled out of him as he flipped all the way and fell heavily to the ground, almost hitting Wen Shulin who was still out cold.
Just as Wen Leyang sighed in relief, he exclaimed in utter surprise. He wondered what special day it was that all the elites under the heavens would have gathered here? As he mulled this over, he could not help but look at Xiaowu who was still in his arms.
Xiaowu knew what he was thinking about and she shook her head and smiled, "Daddy is tending to his wounds, there's no way he could come!"
Zhui Zi immediately yelled when she saw the dog-headed eagle, "Don't you run away! Give me back my stuff!" Her body then swayed once as countless icicles formed in the air and shot mercilessly towards the dog-headed eagle!
| ← Ch. 240 | Ch. 242 → |