Executing Ma Yuan and Encountering Kui Niu

"Oh? Your treasure?" Chen Song feigned surprise, weighing the Treasure-Dropping Golden Coin in his hand. "It flew over and hit you just now. I felt it had a connection with me, so I picked it up. You're not planning on snatching it back, are you?"

Ma Yuan's face stiffened, then he smiled even more "kindly." "Fellow Daoist, you jest. This treasure was indeed discovered by this humble one, and I pursued it all the way here. Please return it, and this humble one will surely reward you handsomely."

As he spoke, he casually took two more steps closer, striking up a conversation with Chen Song, inquiring about his origins and sect. His tone was warm, as if they were old friends.

Chen Song casually spun a tale while remaining secretly vigilant. Knowing the plot, he was well aware that Ma Yuan's greatest skill was backstabbing!

As expected, the moment Ma Yuan seemingly raised his hand to point at the distant scenery, a sudden change occurred!

A dark, ferocious ghost hand with sharp claws emerged silently from the back of Ma Yuan's head, striking like lightning towards Chen Song's heart! The ghost hand was entwined with vengeful spirits and malevolent energy, emitting a foul stench, clearly having claimed countless lives!

"I've been guarding against you for a long time!" Chen Song snorted coldly, unfazed.

Suddenly, five-colored divine light erupted from Chen Song's body. The Five Elements Illusory Spirit Fan appeared, and the Innate Five Elements Divine Light instantly swept out, arriving just in time to precisely brush against the ghost hand!

"Screeeech--!"

Like a red-hot iron plunged into ice water, the vengeful spirits and malevolent energy on the ghost hand met the five-colored divine light, which specialized in subduing malevolent spirits and contained supreme, righteous, innate Daoist charm. It let out a piercing shriek, emitting wisps of black smoke, and dissolved at a visible rate!

"Ah--!" Ma Yuan's true form was struck with a heavy blow. He cried out, staggering back while clutching his head. The ghost hand retracted as if electrocuted, becoming much more ethereal, clearly having suffered a severe injury.

He looked at the brilliant divine light flowing around Chen Song with utter shock, exclaiming, "What... what kind of divine ability is this?! How can it harm my divine hand!"

"A divine ability specifically for dealing with the stubborn and the treacherous!" Chen Song, too lazy to waste words, took a step forward, no longer deliberately suppressing his aura!

Boom!

The five-colored divine light, carrying the majestic pressure of a peak Grand Unity Golden Immortal, descended with a roar!

"Thump!"

How could Ma Yuan, with only Golden Immortal cultivation, withstand such pressure? He couldn't even muster the thought of resistance, collapsing face-down onto the ground. His bones crackled, and blood seeped from his seven orifices. His face was filled with nothing but boundless fear and despair!

"Grand... Grand Unity Golden Immortal?!! Senior, spare me! Senior, spare me!" Ma Yuan's soul was scattered, and he was terrified into incoherence. Only now did he realize what a terrifying iron plate he had kicked! Not only was the opponent's cultivation far superior to his, but he had never even seen something like the five-colored divine light! What was this person's origin?

Chen Song walked up to him, looking down at this ant with icy eyes. "Ma Yuan, you cultivate evil arts, harm living beings, and your sins are monstrous. Heaven and Earth cannot tolerate you. Today, you've fallen into my hands, and it is your fate to have your body and soul annihilated!"

Upon hearing this, Ma Yuan thought, How does he know? He kowtowed like pounding garlic. "Immortal Superior, spare me! This lowly one knows his mistake! This lowly one will never dare again! I beg the Immortal Superior, for the sake of... for the sake of this lowly one's difficult cultivation, spare my dog's life! I am willing to offer all my treasures and serve as your slave..."

"Spare you?" Chen Song scoffed. "If I spare you, will you go on to harm living beings? Will you continue to tarnish the reputation of... the Xuanmen?" He thought about how this guy might later bring shame to his Uncle-Master Tongtian's Intercepting Sect, and how he was eventually taken in by those two from the West. What kind of logic was that?

It would be best to get rid of him and settle the score!

His killing intent decided, he wasted no more words. Chen Song summoned the Five Elements Illusory Spirit Fan, condensed the Innate Five Elements Qi within his body, and transformed it into an incredibly condensed, sharp, and peerless five-colored sword light. Although it lacked the power of the Grand Unity Laws, with his peak Grand Unity cultivation and the quality of the Innate Five Elements origin, it was more than enough to kill a severely wounded Golden Immortal rogue cultivator!

The sword light flashed and vanished, precisely striking Ma Yuan's glabella.

"No--!"

Ma Yuan let out only a short, desperate wail. His Primordial Spirit, along with his evil origin, was completely shredded by the purifying five-element sword intent, turning into ashes. His body also dissipated, leaving behind only a wisp of relatively pure vital energy and a few magic treasures emitting an evil aura.

Chen Song casually flicked a bit of true fire, burning the evil treasures to nothingness, and only collected the wisp of vital energy in a jade bottle.

"Hmph, consider it acting on behalf of Heaven, and clearing out the trash of the Great Wilderness in advance." Chen Song clapped his hands, as if he had merely swatted a fly.

He gleefully put away the Treasure-Dropping Golden Coin, feeling its profound Daoist charm.

"Found money just by going out, and took down a pervert along the way. This Great Wilderness journey experience is really... not bad!"

Chen Song hummed a tuneless little song and leisurely ambled across the Great Wilderness, holding a handful of pine nuts emitting a faint spiritual energy, cracking one occasionally with a "crunch."

Yes, Chen Song found eating them plain boring, so he'd stir-fried them. Hmm, he'd try other flavors another day.

"Tsk, stir-frying myself, this feeling is really... quite addictive." He mused while admiring the wild, primitive scenery along the way.

Unconsciously, he arrived at the edge of a vast, boundless marsh. The marsh water was deep and misty, and faint sounds of wind and thunder could be heard from its depths, making it quite mysterious.

Just as Chen Song was wondering if this place hid any treasures, or if another "fated" fellow Daoist would jump out—

"Rumble!"

A muffled, thunderous roar erupted from the marsh, and waves ten thousand feet high exploded on the water's surface! A colossal creature suddenly leaped out of the marsh. It resembled a bull, with a dark body and no horns, only a single leg! It was surrounded by dense wind and thunder energy. With each breath, light flickered like the sun and moon, its presence extremely terrifying!

It was the Great Wilderness exotic beast—the Kui Niu!

The Kui Niu's pair of bell-sized eyes stared intently at the pine nuts in Chen Song's hand. Its huge nostrils twitched, emitting a snort like thunder, and it spoke in a human tongue: "Halt! Boy! What food is that in your hand? Quickly offer it to this king! It smells truly delicious!"

Chen Song was stunned at first. He looked at the ordinary pine nuts in his hand, then at the Kui Niu before him, which exuded the aura of a peak Golden Immortal and was so large it could fit ten of him. He was a bit bewildered.

"No... Big Brother, you're this huge, and you're robbing me of a few snacks? Is that appropriate?"

Chen Song was amused and exasperated, instinctively hiding the hand holding the pine nuts behind his back. These pine nuts were seeds from his own true form's branches, containing a trace of Innate Five Elements vital energy. They were a small supplement for cultivators. He hadn't expected to attract this behemoth.

"Less nonsense!" The Kui Niu impatiently swung its single leg, causing the void to rumble with interweaving wind and thunder. "This king smells it, so it must be good! Hand it over quickly, or I'll stomp you flat with one hoof!"

Its temper seemed quite impatient. Seeing Chen Song hesitate, it let out a low growl, and its massive body, enveloped in wind and thunder power, charged towards Chen Song like a small mountain! Its single leg stomped through the air, its sound like a clap of thunder, its momentum fierce!

"Oh my! It's actually going to fight!" Chen Song hadn't expected the Kui Niu to be so reckless, attacking the moment it decided to rob him. Although startled, he remained calm, instantly activating his peak Grand Unity Golden Immortal cultivation.

"It's time to stretch my muscles!"