"Oh? Your treasure?" Chen Song feigned surprise and weighed the Treasure-Dropping Golden Coin in his hand. "It flew over and struck you on its own just now. I saw that it was fated with me, so I casually took it. Don't tell me you intend to snatch it by force?"
Ma Yuan's expression stiffened, but he immediately smiled even more "amiably." "You jest, Fellow Daoist. I was indeed the first to discover this treasure and pursued it all the way here. Please return it to me, and I will richly repay you."
As he spoke, he seemingly casually stepped two paces closer and began chatting with Chen Song, asking about his origins and master. His tone was warm and familiar, as though they had been old friends for years.
Chen Song made up answers while remaining secretly vigilant. Knowing the plot, he knew that Ma Yuan excelled most at stabbing people in the back!
Sure enough, just as Ma Yuan seemed to raise his hand to point at the distant scenery, a sudden change occurred!
A pitch-black, hideous ghost hand with razor-sharp nails silently emerged from the back of Ma Yuan's head and shot toward Chen Song's heart like lightning! Grievous souls and baleful energy coiled around the hand, and a foul wind assaulted the nose. It had clearly claimed countless lives!
"I've been on guard against you all along!" Chen Song snorted, utterly unruffled.
Five-Colored Divine Light abruptly erupted around Chen Song. The Five Elements Illusory Spirit Fan manifested, and Innate Five Elements Divine Light instantly swept forth, striking later yet arriving first as it precisely brushed over the ghost hand!
"Chi—!"
Like red-hot iron plunged into icy water, the grievous souls and baleful energy on the ghost hand met the Five-Colored Divine Light—which specifically countered evil and contained supreme, righteous innate Dao intent—and immediately let out shrill screams. Black smoke billowed out as they melted away at a visible rate!
"Ah—!" Ma Yuan's true body suffered a heavy blow as well. He screamed, clutching his head as he staggered backward. The ghost hand recoiled as if electrocuted, becoming far more illusory. It had clearly been gravely wounded.
He stared in horror at the brilliant divine light flowing around Chen Song and blurted out, "You... what kind of divine ability is this?! How can it injure my divine hand?!"
"A divine ability specially made to deal with the defiant and backstabbing scum!" Chen Song could not be bothered to waste words on him. He took a step forward and no longer deliberately concealed his aura!
Boom!
Five-Colored Divine Light descended with the vast pressure of a peak Grand Unity Golden Immortal!
Thud!
How could Ma Yuan, who possessed only Golden Immortal cultivation, withstand such pressure? He could not even summon the thought of resisting. He was directly crushed flat onto the ground, his limbs splayed out as his bones crackled. Blood poured from all seven of his orifices, and nothing remained on his face but boundless terror and despair!
"G-Grand Unity Golden Immortal?!! Spare me, Senior! Spare me!" Ma Yuan was scared out of his wits and began babbling incoherently. Only now did he understand what a terrifying iron wall he had kicked! Not only did his opponent's cultivation vastly exceed his own, but he had never even seen something like Five-Colored Divine Light! What was this man's background?
Chen Song walked before him and looked coldly down at the ant. "Ma Yuan, you cultivate wicked arts and slaughter living beings. Your sins are monstrous, intolerable to Heaven and Earth. Since you have fallen into my hands today, your body and soul are destined to perish!"
How did he know? Ma Yuan kowtowed frantically. "Spare me, Esteemed Immortal! I know I was wrong! I'll never dare again! Please, Esteemed Immortal, consider... consider how difficult cultivation is for me and spare this worthless life of mine! I am willing to offer up all my treasures and serve as your slave..."
"Spare you?" Chen Song scoffed. "Spare you so you can go on harming living beings? So you can go on tarnishing Tong... the orthodox sects' good name?" He thought of how this bastard might one day disgrace Martial Uncle Tongtian's Interception Sect, only to end up being taken into the Western faction by those two figures. What kind of logic was that?
He might as well get rid of him and settle the matter!
His intent to kill was set, and he wasted no more words. Chen Song raised the Five Elements Illusory Spirit Fan, condensing the Innate Five Elements Qi within his body into an incomparably concentrated, peerlessly sharp five-colored sword gleam. Though it lacked the power of Grand Unity Laws, his peak Grand Unity Golden Immortal cultivation and the quality of the Innate Five Elements' origin made killing a heavily wounded Golden Immortal evil cultivator more than easy enough!
The sword gleam flashed and precisely struck Ma Yuan between the brows.
"No—!"
Ma Yuan released only a brief, despairing cry before his primordial spirit and wicked origin were completely shredded by the purifying Five Elements sword intent, turning into flying ash. His body dissipated as well, leaving behind only a wisp of relatively pure vital energy and several dharmic treasures radiating evil aura.
Chen Song casually flicked out a spark of true fire and burned those evil treasures into nothingness, keeping only that wisp of vital energy in a jade bottle.
"Hmph. That counts as upholding justice for Heaven, while also clearing some trash out of the primordial world ahead of time." Chen Song patted his hands as though he had merely swatted a fly to death.
He happily put away the Treasure-Dropping Golden Coin and sensed the profound Dao intent upon it.
"Walking out and picking up money, then casually chopping up a pervert too—this primordial-world adventure is seriously awesome!"
Humming an off-key little tune, Chen Song leisurely wandered across the primordial land with a handful of pine nuts faintly radiating spiritual energy in his hand, occasionally cracking one open with a crunch.
That was right. Chen Song had found eating them raw boring, so he had gotten a pan and toasted them. Well, he could try some other flavors another day.
"Tsk, frying myself up... this feeling is really... kind of addictive." He grumbled while admiring the savage, primeval scenery along the way.
Before he knew it, he arrived at the edge of a vast, boundless marsh. The water was dark and deep, mist curled over its surface, and faint sounds of wind and thunder came from its depths, making the place seem quite mysterious.
Chen Song was just wondering whether some treasure might be hidden here, or whether another "fated" fellow Daoist would leap out when—
Rumble!
A thunderous boom erupted from the marsh, blasting the water into towering waves! A gigantic creature suddenly leaped from the water. It resembled an ox, with a blue-gray body and no horns, but only one leg! Dense wind and thunder energy surrounded it, and every breath it took flashed with sun-and-moon-like radiance. Its presence was utterly terrifying!
It was none other than the primordial beast—the Kui Ox!
The Kui Ox fixed its enormous, bell-sized eyes on Chen Song... or rather, on the handful of pine nuts in Chen Song's hand. Its huge nostrils flared as it sniffed hard, letting out a thunderous snort before speaking in human words. "Hey! Boy! What food are you holding? Quickly present it to this king! It smells delicious!"
Chen Song first froze, then looked at the ordinary pine nuts in his hand before looking at the Kui Ox before him. It radiated the aura of a peak Golden Immortal and was large enough to fit ten of him inside it. He was a little dumbfounded.
"Wait... Elder Brother, you're this huge, and you're robbing me for this little bit of snack food? Is that really appropriate?"
Chen Song did not know whether to laugh or cry. Instinctively, he hid the hand holding the pine nuts behind his back. These pine nuts had grown from the branches of his own true body and contained a trace of Innate Five Elements essence. They were a minor supplement to cultivators, but he had never expected them to lure out this big fellow.
"Cut the nonsense!" The Kui Ox impatiently swung its sole leg, stomping until the void boomed and wind and thunder intertwined. "If this king thinks it smells good, then it's good stuff! Hand it over now, or I'll flatten you with one stomp!"
It seemed to have an exceedingly impatient temperament. Seeing Chen Song hesitate, it gave a low roar. Its enormous body, wrapped in the power of wind and thunder, charged at Chen Song like a small mountain! Its single leg trod through the air with a sound like crashing thunder, its momentum fierce and menacing!
"Oh, come on! You're really attacking?" Chen Song had not expected the Kui Ox to be so reckless, robbing him the moment it said it would. Though surprised, he did not panic. His peak Grand Unity Golden Immortal cultivation instantly began circulating.
"Perfect time to stretch my limbs!"
Before you continue