Old Daoist Wu Shen (Part 2)

Inside the valley where Little Cat had led the way, Li Feng was scrambling forward on his hands and knees, his rear end sticking up awkwardly as he squeezed through a narrow rock crevice. His clothes were torn to shreds, his head was covered in several large lumps, and his face was caked with dirt, making him look like a mole rat. He couldn't help but curse, "Master, you're joking, right? Little Cat found this place? He could squeeze in here? If he could, I'd carry Little Cat around Mount Hua once."

As soon as he finished speaking, Zhao Yue'er burst into laughter. Li Feng felt something furry suddenly rush from behind him and appear in front of his face. He looked closely and saw a miniature version of Little Cat, only about a foot long. However, he could still discern a mischievous grin on Little Cat's face. Li Feng cried out in horror, "Heavens, he, he, he, how did he shrink?"

Zhao Yue'er sighed, "You foolish disciple, you'll have to carry Little Cat around Mount Hua once. After all, he's a tiger spirit; he knows a few basic Xuan Gong transformations. As for you, you lost a match for no reason. Do you believe me if I say I'm walking upright right now?"

Li Feng struggled to turn his head, his jaw dislocating again from the sheer strain. Fortunately, this time he was prepared. Before his jaw could fully pop out, he caught it with his hand, saving himself from Zhao Yue'er's mockery. Three feet behind him, Zhao Yue'er, clad in a white Daoist Robe, stood perfectly upright, smiling at Li Feng. Li Feng froze for a moment, then tried to stand up. With a thump, his head collided with the rock above, and he let out a pained yelp, stunned.

The rock crevice was only about a foot high. Although Zhao Yue'er was a bit shorter than Li Feng, she absolutely couldn't stand up here. Li Feng rubbed his eyes. Zhao Yue'er was still as tall as before, and the crevice still looked only a foot high. Yet, Zhao Yue'er was standing perfectly fine behind him. This bizarre sight was even more astonishing to Li Feng than Little Cat shrinking in front of him.

Zhao Yue'er ungracefully kicked Li Feng in the backside. "What are you looking at? Crawl! Hurry up. This is an escape technique, a very simple method, perfect for places like this. You don't need to get your clothes dirty like you did. Hurry up and go in. Your current magic power isn't enough to use it. Hurry, crawl!"

Li Feng crawled forward inch by inch, his face a mask of misery. Little Cat's tail, whether intentionally or not, kept brushing against his face, making his nose itch. Li Feng was so annoyed he wanted to bite it. Zhao Yue'er walked behind him, giggling and occasionally kicking his backside, looking completely at ease. Li Feng wailed inwardly, "If only I had known, I would have cultivated ten times harder. Immortal techniques are truly marvelous... Tsk, tsk, when I tried to steal from Songjiang Silk Shop at nine, I almost got caught. Wasn't it because the hole in the wall was too big? Damn it, if I had known this technique back then, I could have squeezed through a mouse hole."

Suddenly, a blinding golden light flashed before Li Feng's eyes. He roared in his mind, "I must learn this technique! Heavens, if I master this escape technique, I can enter and leave the imperial palace at will. Perhaps I can even steal the emperor's crown! I heard that emperor's crown uses hundreds of egg-sized gems, thousands of pearls, and tens of pounds of purple gold... Hey, damn it, who dared to trick me? Such a heavy crown would break the emperor's neck. I'll fuck his mother, who dared to lie to me?"

Muttering to himself, he crawled forward with all his might. Little Cat ahead let out a joyful roar, having returned to its original size. Li Feng rushed forward a few feet, poked his head out of the crevice, and was immediately stunned by the sight before him. He mumbled, "Damn it, there must be treasure here. I swear, there must be treasure, otherwise why would it be so bright?... Heavens, so many gems... What's going on here? It's like a treasure vault, damn it. I have to pry it all out, all of it! Leaving it here would be a complete waste."

On Qingyun Flat, Old Daoist Wu Shen gritted his teeth and said hatefully, "My little disciple, three years ago, I ordered him to go down the mountain to collect various spirit herbs so I could refine a batch of Spirit Pills... um, to help the world... Who knew that two days ago, I suddenly received an urgent fire message from him, saying he encountered a powerful enemy. As soon as the Daoist brought people to the scene, he found that Ling Guangzi's sword light had shredded my little disciple into pieces, and finally unleashed a Palm Thunder, shattering his Nascent Soul."

Old Daoist Wu Shen said indignantly, "Daoist Brother Ling Guangzi, we are both of the Daoist lineage. Why did you strike so ferociously? You destroyed his physical body, and considering the relationship between our two sects, this Daoist will not pursue it further. But you didn't even spare my little disciple's Nascent Soul. Isn't that too cruel?"

Several junior disciples from Emei shouted, "Yes, yes, we also received a fire message from our junior martial uncle, that's why we rushed here. We were closer, so although our speed wasn't as fast as our Martial Grandfather's sword light, we also saw this old Daoist kill our junior martial uncle. Hmph, over a hundred of us are witnesses, you have nothing to say now, right?"

Two rays of sharp light shot from Liu Xingzi's eyes, and an extremely powerful aura enveloped the entire Qingyun Flat, silencing all the Emei disciples. No, it wasn't just that they couldn't speak; they even had difficulty breathing. At this moment, to them, Liu Xingzi seemed connected to the entire world, his aura vast and majestic, like a giant spirit god, utterly unassailable. Those with weaker cultivation, their vision blurred, saw waves of white Qi emanating from Liu Xingzi, their bodies almost crushed by these waves.

Old Daoist Wu Shen's expression changed. Ten thousand sword Qi suddenly erupted from his body, perfectly blocking Liu Xingzi's aura. He shouted, "Daoist Brother Liu, what are you doing? Suddenly attacking my disciples? ... Ya... Tai... Kai." He formed a sword seal with both hands and fiercely pointed towards the sky. Countless faint sword Qi condensed into a giant sword shadow, piercing the sky as fast as lightning. With a swish, the sword shadow formed by Old Daoist Wu Shen's sword Qi tore through the aura Liu Xingzi had cast over Qingyun Flat, and the air instantly felt lighter.

Liu Xingzi smiled calmly, "Daoist Wu Shen, your skill is impressive... Liu Xingzi has no intention of attacking, merely asking a few children to quiet down." He suddenly let out a heavy snort. "Hmph, when elders speak, what right do you have to interrupt? Does the Emei Sect not teach such basic etiquette?" His snort was like thunder, shaking the entire mountain. With a crack, all the junior disciples of the Emei Sect fell to the ground. Even those with slightly deeper cultivation felt dizzy and swayed involuntarily.

Old Daoist Wu Shen's face turned purple with anger. He nodded repeatedly, "Good, good, good. This is my fault this time. Disciples, manage your own students properly and don't bring shame upon yourselves. When elders speak, what are you children interrupting for? Go back and recite a thousand volumes of Daoist Scriptures, and all of you will face the wall for three months."

Liu Xingzi put on a smiling face again. "Daoist Wu Shen is indeed strict in rewarding and punishing, with rigorous sect rules and complete discipline. Hehehe, I imagine under Daoist Wu Shen's leadership, the disciples of the 'Heart Sect' will surely carry forward the 'Heart Sword' ultimate technique of the 'Heart Sect' and advance towards the supreme Dao of Heaven... Hahahaha." He let out a few inexplicable laughs.

Old Daoist Wu Shen's expression improved slightly. "Naturally. Our Emei 'Heart Sect's' Qi Refining methods may not be as good as those of the Yiyuan Sect disciples, but when it comes to sect rules and discipline, I, Old Daoist Wu Shen, never slacken. A cultivator without rules, how can they achieve anything?" As soon as Old Daoist Wu Shen finished speaking, his eyes snapped open. He realized he had fallen into a trap.

Indeed, Liu Xingzi clapped his hands and laughed heartily, exclaiming, "Fellow disciples, you see? Only with strict discipline can disciples be taught well. In the future, when we accept disciples, we must be careful... Good, good, good. Senior Disciple Brother, please tell us how you and Old Daoist Wu Shen's little disciple got into conflict... Brother, you're not eloquent, so you don't need to say too much. Just state the facts of that day, and we can all judge fairly."

Ling Guangzi stepped forward dazedly, swallowed a few times, opened his mouth, and suddenly asked, "Ah, where should I start?"

Liu Xingzi and the others showed wry smiles and shook their heads repeatedly. Xie Yuezi said helplessly, "Senior Disciple Brother, just tell us how you met that Daoist that day."

Ling Guangzi blinked, tugged at his eyebrows a few times, and then said, "Oh, that day. That day, I was camping in a mountain stream and saw several wild rabbits fighting. I was so amused that I followed them to watch the fun, running for more than ten miles. In the end, I even joined in the fight... Hey, don't tell me, those rabbits are quite strong. One of them kicked me in the face and almost took a piece of flesh off... Hey, look, look, it's here, by the corner of my mouth." He turned his face and pointed to his cheek.

Old Daoist Wu Shen's expression was very unpleasant, and he was very angry.

Liu Xingzi quickly said, "Brother, stop talking about the rabbits fighting. Tell us, how did you fight with that Daoist?"

Ling Guangzi froze, frowned, and said dazedly, "Ah, that little Daoist. I was having a great time fighting the rabbits. Six rabbits against one old Daoist, how shameless. " Old Daoist Wu Shen's face changed. He thought Ling Guangzi was mocking him for bringing so many people to chase him. Ling Guangzi continued, "Then a seven-colored elk ran over and headbutted me in the stomach... Hey, the old Daoist was knocked down by him, and those rabbits jumped on top of me and stomped on me fiercely. The old Daoist even said that the elk was helping the rabbits fight, so he wanted to fight back. Then a sword light came down and killed all the rabbits."

"I saw a little Daoist, hey, Junior Brother Xie, he was even prettier than you, a little Daoist who looked like a little girl, with a flower tucked in his hair. He killed those rabbits with his sword. The old Daoist was having fun, and killing is also a bad thing, so I advised that little Daoist, saying: 'Daoist friend, killing life goes against the natural order. Heaven's heart is most compassionate. Heaven does not kill. That so-called 'Heaven and Earth are not benevolent, treating all things as straw dogs' does not mean we should kill indiscriminately.'"

"But before I could finish speaking, that little Daoist kicked the old Daoist away and wildly slashed at the elk with his flying sword. Fortunately, the old Daoist's body is still quite sturdy, and he was fine after that kick. If it were an ordinary person, they would have died. That kick was aimed at the old Daoist's lower abdomen."

Liu Xingzi and the others looked displeased. A cultivator, without saying a word, would kick someone they didn't know in the lower abdomen like that. If it were an ordinary person, wouldn't they die? Old Daoist Wu Shen, on the other hand, waved his hand in annoyance, not knowing what he was thinking.

"The old Daoist was fine, but the old Daoist also got a little angry. That kick was not like that of a cultivator at all. The old Daoist is ashamed. I've traveled in the world for a few years and fought a few times, but when I kick someone, I always kick them in the fleshy part behind them, at most making them fall down, but I don't dare to kill people. That little Daoist's methods are quite vicious... What makes the old Daoist even stranger is that the elk actually spoke human words and flew out an inner core to compete with the little Daoist's flying sword."

Ling Guangzi appeared to be reminiscing and thinking deeply. After a long pause, he nodded and said, "That elk is a demon, but demons are also born from their mothers, and it's not easy to cultivate to that level. Although the demon spoke rudely, saying things like: 'Little Daoist, your ancestors never had children with an anus; your entire family will be anally violated sooner or later; your master is definitely a eunuch...' "

Old Daoist Wu Shen was so angry that his "three spirits and seven souls" were jumping. He suddenly leaped up, "Shut up, Ling Guangzi, are you deliberately insulting this Daoist?"

Ling Guangzi froze and repeatedly clasped his hands in salutation, "Boundless life Buddha, Boundless life Buddha, this Daoist didn't mean to curse you. Those were the words of the elk demon, and they have nothing to do with this Daoist... Oh, so you don't like hearing these things? Then this Daoist won't say them. Hey, what that elk said was really too unpleasant, especially some profound words, like saying that little Daoist is a rabbit, and his master is definitely a dragon-lover or something. This Daoist doesn't know what that means."

Liu Xingzi secretly thought, "This is not good," and swiftly struck out with his palm, perfectly blocking the sword light that Old Daoist Wu Shen had sent out. Liu Xingzi shouted, "Daoist friend, why don't you listen to my senior brother first? Everyone in the world of cultivation knows what my senior disciple brother is like. He has always been inarticulate and ignorant of worldly affairs. Did he say these words intentionally?"

Old Daoist Wu Shen felt a tremendous force transmit through the sword light, making his entire body tremble slightly. He couldn't help but be astonished by Liu Xingzi's strength. He nodded and said, "Good, I'll listen to him finish. Daoist, Daoist, I'm not that stingy."

Xie Yuezi and Xiao Longzi exchanged glances, inwardly exclaiming their luck. "Fortunately, that kid Fengzi ran off somewhere with our junior sister. If that kid were here, heavens, the consequences would be unimaginable. If Senior Disciple Brother and he got together, Old Daoist Wu Shen would immediately turn hostile, and the two sects would immediately be at each other's throats." Xiao Longzi secretly wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and let out a soft sigh of relief.

Ling Guangzi ignored the conflict between Old Daoist Wu Shen and Liu Xingzi and continued on his own, "The old Daoist thought, although that elk is a demon, its inner core's radiance appears pure and unmixed, clearly indicating it hasn't harmed any living beings. If a demon has killed many people, then we should naturally slay it to uphold justice. But this demon hasn't killed anyone, and the little Daoist wants to kill it, isn't that a bit excessive?"

"The old Daoist also felt a bit angry, so he sent out a sword to block the little Daoist's sword light. The little Daoist shouted, 'I am Qing He from the Emei Sect, acting under the orders of my master, True Lord Wu Shen, to kill this elk and refine its inner core into elixirs. May I ask who you are?' The old Daoist thought, we know Daoist Wu Shen, but killing a demon and taking its inner core to make elixirs, isn't that a bit excessive?"

Old Daoist Wu Shen trembled all over with anger and roared, "Nonsense! I sent Qing He to collect heavenly spirit herbs, not to..."

An Emei junior disciple, lacking tact, said, "Martial Grandfather, I heard our junior martial uncle and third martial uncle discussing that refining elixirs with Nascent Souls and inner cores is particularly effective, and can even produce top-grade heavenly pills..."

A burly man with a face covered in blood behind Old Daoist Wu Shen raised his eyebrows and struck out with his palm, sending the disciple flying over thirty feet. He roared, "Nonsense! When did I ever discuss this with my junior martial brother?" The Emei junior disciple spat out blood, unable to move as he fell to the ground.

Liu Xingzi and the others frowned. Old Daoist Wu Shen also had some realization. He glared fiercely at the burly man and roared, "All of you shut up! Listen to Daoist Ling Guangzi speak."

Ling Guangzi looked at the Emei disciple who was spitting blood and frowned, "Hey, why did you hit him so hard? Such a small little fellow, you have no sense of reason, hitting him with such force? It's true that if it's not your own disciple, you don't feel the pain... Junior Brother, I have a Nine Revolutions Returning Pill here. Go and give it to that little fellow." After speaking, Ling Guangzi rummaged through his body for a long time, finally pulling out a dark, black pill and handing it to Lei Zhenzi.

Lei Zhenzi laughed heartily, took the pill, and flew like lightning to the little Daoist's side. He casually threw the pill into the little Daoist's mouth. Old Daoist Wu Shen's face changed drastically, and he thought to himself, "Mistake, mistake, damn third brother. I'll settle this with you later. You, you, you, you've made our Emei Sect lose all face... Damn it, why did you hit Fourth Brother's disciple? What will Fourth Brother think? Now we owe a favor to the Yiyuan Sect. How can you guys be so clueless?"

Especially when Old Daoist Wu Shen saw his fourth disciple looking at the third brother with a face full of anger, his heart sank again. He could see the roots of discord within his sect being sown like this.

Ling Guangzi sighed, "Then the old Daoist will continue. In fact, the most important thing in a sect is harmony. Why should fellow disciples fight each other's disciples? Alas, the old Daoist has strayed from the topic again. Let's talk about that little Daoist. He insisted on killing the elk, and the old Daoist refused to let him. Especially since the elk, despite its foul mouth, was grateful. Seeing that the old Daoist had blocked the flying sword for him, it knelt behind the old Daoist, motionless. The ancient sages said, 'Even livestock, as long as they are grateful, can comprehend the Dao of Heaven.' Naturally, we cannot kill them indiscriminately, so the old Daoist must save him."

"But the little Daoist wouldn't agree. Since his flying sword couldn't defeat me, he brought out all sorts of magic treasures." Ling Guangzi's left sleeve rustled, and with a clatter, a pile of small knives, small swords, small flags, small tokens, small beads, small shields, and other magic treasures fell to the ground. "Shame, shame, the old Daoist's own cultivation is not deep, but that little Daoist's cultivation seems even lower. He had these good magic treasures, but he just couldn't unleash their power. The old Daoist let him hit me a few times, which hurt the old Daoist greatly, so I put them all away, planning to return them to him later."

As he spoke, Ling Guangzi's expression changed slightly. "But the old Daoist didn't expect that after a while, seeing that the magic treasures were ineffective, that little Daoist actually... Daoist Wu Shen, when did your Emei Sect learn the art of refining cultivator's Nascent Souls to forge magic treasures? This is a demonic art, you..."

Wu Shen was shocked and shouted, "Impossible! Qing He disciple, after cultivating on the mountain for a hundred years, how could he possibly learn such things?"

Ling Guangzi's expression became hesitant. "But what he finally unleashed was indeed the 'Hundred Ghosts Exterminating Spirit Pearl'. Although it only contained a mere dozen or so cultivator's Nascent Souls, and the heat was not enough, nor was it refined with spirit blood, it was still the 'Hundred Ghosts Exterminating Spirit Pearl'. The old Daoist carefully circled that pearl more than ten times, seeing it clearly from every angle, it was the 'Hundred Ghosts Exterminating Spirit Pearl'. Hey, the secret scripture of our sect, 'Demon Subduing Scroll', says that if one is hit by this pearl, their Nascent Soul will feel like it's floating away, and their skin will turn purplish-blue. The old Daoist dared not be sure of his judgment, so he stood still and took more than ten hits, and indeed, it was exactly as described in the book."

As he spoke, Old Daoist Ling Guangzi vibrated his True Essence, shattering all his clothes. He pointed to the dozen or so purplish-blue marks on his chest, abdomen, thighs, and buttocks, saying, "The ghostly energy is still lingering on the old Daoist, and I haven't had time to expel it yet. You chased too quickly... This should count as evidence, right? The old Daoists of the Yiyuan Sect can't play with such sinister and dark things."

The female disciples of the Emei Sect let out earth-shattering screams. One after another, they hastily turned away, closed their eyes, their faces flushed crimson. Old Daoist Wu Shen and the others were stunned, frozen like bewildered geese. As for Li Feng and his companions, even with their advanced cultivation, they felt as if they were about to faint. The largest of them, Lei Zhenzi, rushed forward, took off his Daoist Robe, and draped it over Ling Guangzi. He whispered, "Senior Brother, we know you were hit by the 'Hundred Ghosts Exterminating Spirit Pearl,' we know. But please, don't just openly expose your wounds like this."

Ling Guangzi looked at his muscular body with its smooth, tightly-knit skin and asked in surprise, "Is Senior Brother's body very ugly?"

Li Feng pursed his lips, secretly glancing at the female disciples of Emei. He gave a wry smile inwardly and shook his head, saying, "Senior Brother, please continue. Why did you later kill Qing He? Junior Brother Xiao Longzi, go get Senior Disciple Brother some clothes, quickly... quickly."

Ling Guangzi blinked a few times, still looking at his body, which was quite exposed. Only then did he continue, "Oh, where was I? Ah, yes, I was talking about that young Daoist unleashing that wicked magical artifact. This old Daoist took many hits. Although I didn't counterattack, my True Essence still protected my vital meridians. As a result, my True Essence rebounded, and that brat was backlashed by the spirits he refined. His Nascent Soul was about to be devoured."

The disciples of Old Daoist Wu Shen erupted in an uproar, while Ling Guangzi said, word by word, "When this old Daoist saw the situation was bad, I originally intended to help him. Who knew that that little friend would actually, actually activate the 'Heart Demon Blood Oath' and fight desperately. Junior Brother, you know what the 'Heart Demon Blood Oath' is. If I hadn't killed him and allowed him to kill this old Daoist, once he lost control of the heart demon, he would definitely have transformed into a demon. Therefore, this Senior Brother had to strike hard, killing him with a sword first, and then destroying his demonically corrupted Nascent Soul... Yes, that's how it happened. As soon as I unleashed my Palm Thunder, Daoist Wu Shen arrived. His speed is quite fast... Hmm, hmm, actually, the degree of his demonic possession wasn't deep. This old Daoist didn't necessarily have to destroy his Nascent Soul, but that young Daoist actually had two thousand-year-old python demon cores on him. The primal energy of the cores, attracted by the 'Blood Oath,' had already begun to invade his Nascent Soul. If this old Daoist hadn't acted, he would have become a demon. This..."

The Emei disciples' faces were all blank. Ling Guangzi continued to praise to himself, "It's truly miraculous, the life-saving signal fire of the Emei Sect is so convenient. As long as the wearer suffers internal injuries, it immediately sends out a plea for help to all disciples. This is truly a good item for saving lives. Alas, I suppose when this old Daoist's True Essence rebounded, the signal fire was directly sent out. If Daoist Wu Shen had been a bit faster and arrived before the young Daoist activated the 'Heart Demon Blood Oath,' then there wouldn't be so many problems today."