Chapter 24

The three were, after all, Jie Sect direct disciples. Though Tai Cang wished he could kill them, he had no choice but to consider reality. The Saints were watching the movements within the Beast Realm, and Sect Master Tongtian would never stand by and watch him slaughter direct disciples. Killing registered or inner disciples might still be acceptable, but if he killed these three, Tongtian would certainly not remain uninvolved.

"This..."

The three froze for a moment, then were overjoyed. Tai Cang was actually willing to spare them rather than wipe them out completely. It was truly a stroke of heaven-sent luck.

They ignored everything else and hurriedly crushed their jade talismans, shouting toward Tai Cang, "Thank you, Junior Brother Tai Cang!"

"Thank you for your mercy, Junior Brother!"

"Rest assured, Junior Brother. From now on, we will draw a clear line between ourselves and Duobao."

"Junior Brother, all the schemes against you came from Duobao. We were merely misled by him..."

At this moment, the three did not hesitate to sell Duobao out. If not for Duobao, how could they have ended up in such a desperate situation?

More importantly, another thought had already arisen in their hearts: if Duobao was brought down for repeatedly framing Tai Cang, would not the position of senior brother among the Jie Sect direct disciples become vacant?

"You—"

Duobao flew into a rage. Even with Tai Cang eyeing him like a tiger watching its prey, he still turned to glare furiously at the three, wishing he could tear them to pieces.

How could he fail to hear their attempt to divert the disaster onto him? They wanted to point every spearhead at him!

Even if he had orchestrated all of this, their betrayal still felt like a knife through his heart, and rage burned in his chest.

Interesting!

They actually dared to betray Duobao!

Tai Cang watched coldly, a sneer curling across his lips. How could he fail to see their intention of borrowing another's hand to kill?

It was nearly impossible to kill Duobao now. Even if he possessed the strength to do so, even if he could use the power of the strange beasts to put him to death, Duobao was destined not to fall beneath the Saints' watchful eyes.

Though I cannot take your life!

I will not let you get off easily either!

A cold gleam flashed in his eyes as Tai Cang took a step forward, instantly closing in before Duobao.

What are you trying to do?!

Sensing the approaching danger, Duobao sharply detected the killing intent radiating from Tai Cang. Without hesitation, he crushed the jade talisman in his robes and shouted, "Tai Cang, I am a Jie Sect direct disciple! How dare you touch me?!"

At this point, Duobao no longer dared to linger.

Although leaving meant failure, his life was more important.

In that instant, white light bloomed from within his robes as the power of the spatial jade talisman began to manifest.

Trying to run?

Tai Cang's gaze turned icy as he slashed out fiercely with the Yinghuo Sword. "Do you take me for thin air?"

"Duobao, leave your arm behind!"

The sword light flashed, and Duobao's right arm was severed at once.

Tai Cang was about to strike again when the jade talisman's light had already completely enveloped Duobao.

Clang—

Sparks flew as the Yinghuo Sword was blocked outside, unable to harm Duobao any further.

Is this where it ends?

Tai Cang frowned, sheathed his sword, and retreated several steps, staring coldly at Duobao.

"Ah—"

Only then did Duobao react. Looking at his severed arm, he let out a shrill scream and glared at Tai Cang with bloodshot eyes. "Tai Cang, I will never rest until one of us is dead!"

"Tai Cang, you dared to harm a direct disciple. Master will never forgive you!"

"Today's grudge, I will repay a thousandfold!"

As he spoke, he reached for his severed arm.

Wishful thinking!

Di Yi snorted coldly, sending sword qi across the air to block Duobao's path.

Then, with a wave of his left hand, Primordial Clarity Divine Thunder descended from the sky and blasted the severed arm into dust, leaving only a single ring intact.

A storage ring?

Tai Cang's eyes lit up, and he waved his hand to draw the ring into his palm.

"No—"

Duobao's eyes nearly split apart in fury, but he could only watch helplessly as he was teleported out of the Beast Realm.

Interesting.

What exactly was hidden inside this ring?

Tai Cang examined the ring with interest and unhesitatingly erased the divine sense within it.

Once the divine sense was destroyed, the items inside the ring were laid bare. Aside from some ordinary heavenly treasures and flying swords, one jade talisman stood out in particular.

Come out!

Tai Cang took out the jade talisman, swept all the remaining items into his own possession, casually discarded the empty ring, and stared at the talisman. "It seems this is the treasure Duobao cared about."

"I'd like to see what sort of opportunity lies within."

As Tai Cang spoke, he sent his divine sense into the jade talisman.

In an instant, the jade talisman shone brilliantly, and a message surged into Tai Cang's sea of consciousness: Heaven and Earth Dharma Idol.

[Heaven and Earth Dharma Idol: Superior Divine Ability]

[After activation, it can condense a gigantic body with the power to move mountains and overturn seas.]

It was actually the Heaven and Earth Dharma Idol!

A flicker of surprise passed through Tai Cang's eyes.

This divine ability had been created by Sect Master Tongtian after studying the true bodies of the Witch Clan's Great Witches. Though its defense could not compare to a Great Witch's true body, its destructive power was its equal. As one's cultivation advanced, the Dharma Idol's might could even rival the true body of an Ancestral Witch.

Worthy of a direct disciple.

He was certainly generous with his gifts.

Tai Cang muttered to himself. After memorizing the incantation, he crushed the jade talisman without hesitation.

Suddenly, the sound of something tearing through the air came from behind him.

Turning around, he saw Taiyi and Yuding rushing toward him in a sorry state. The instant they saw Tai Cang, they shouted, "Junior Brother Tai Cang, retreat quickly!"

"Junior Brother Tai Cang, run!"

What was going on?

Tai Cang was about to ask when his pupils suddenly contracted.

Behind the two, the strange beast at the Grand Unity Golden Immortal level was relentlessly pursuing them. It was even larger than before, with black cloud patterns appearing all over its body.

How had these two provoked this calamity?

Without another word, Tai Cang turned and fled.

This ferocious beast was no joke. If it caught up with them, the consequences would be unbearable.

Outside, Duobao stumbled onto the platform.

Looking at the stump of his arm, his hatred for Tai Cang deepened further.

He suddenly turned to Sect Master Tongtian and cried mournfully, "Master, please judge fairly! Tai Cang disregarded the bonds of fellowship and launched a sneak attack, severing one of my arms. Please punish him severely!"

The hall instantly fell silent.

The great powers all wore mocking expressions, their gazes toward Duobao filled with contempt.

So young, yet so twisted of heart.

When his scheme failed, he turned around and made a false accusation. How ridiculous.

What a villainous disciple!

Di Yi abruptly rose to his feet and shouted, "Duobao of the Jie Sect, with conduct like yours, Fellow Daoist Tai Cang should never have saved you back then!"

"You colluded with outsiders to plot against a fellow disciple. After suffering the consequences of your own actions, not only do you refuse to repent, but you even accuse the victim first. Do you take us all for blind fools?"

Duobao's entire body trembled violently at those words.

He opened his mouth, still trying to defend himself. "Master, I..."

"Silence!"

Sect Master Tongtian slammed his palm against the table in fury and pointed at the mirror on the platform. "Duobao, everything that happened within the Beast Realm has been seen by all of us!"

"What?!"

Duobao abruptly turned around. When he saw the scene in the mirror—especially Tai Cang and the other two fleeing for their lives—his blood rushed backward, and he spat out a mouthful of blood.

In that instant, he felt as though heaven and earth had overturned. His body crashed heavily to the ground, and only one thought remained in his mind: It is all over!

It was completely over!

The surrounding great powers shook their heads and sighed at the sight.

Di Yi and the other Golden Crow princes mocked him without mercy. "You brought this upon yourself!"

"You reap what you sow."

"Tsk, tsk. You cannot bear it already? Where did that imposing air go when you were falsely accusing someone?"

"This is the Jie Sect's foremost disciple? What a laughingstock."

The Jie Sect disciples listened until their faces turned red, but they had nothing to say in response. They could only glare resentfully at Duobao on the ground and curse inwardly: It is all your fault!

If you had not been jealous of Tai Cang, how could things have ended like this?!

"Enough!"

Sect Master Tongtian sternly ordered, "Someone, take Duobao to Siguo Cliff. He is not to be released without permission!"

Several Jie Sect disciples immediately stepped forward, supported the unconscious Duobao, and quickly departed.

The Golden Crow princes exchanged smiles, their faces showing victory.

"This is bad! Tai Cang and the others are about to be caught!" one great power suddenly cried out. "Why is he not using an escape art?"

Hearing this, everyone turned their eyes toward the mirror displaying Tai Cang.

Amid the sounds of air being torn apart, Taiyi and Yuding quickly caught up to Tai Cang. Both were adept at escape arts, and their speed far surpassed his.

"Fellow Daoist Tai Cang, use an escape art quickly!" Seeing Tai Cang still moving neither too fast nor too slowly, the two cried out anxiously.

The beast pursuing them was a ferocious creature at the Grand Unity Golden Immortal level. If it caught them, the consequences would be unimaginable.

"I... do not know any escape arts." Tai Cang gave a bitter smile.

Had he known this earlier, he would certainly have asked Laozi to teach him an escape technique.

"What?!"

Taiyi and Yuding's bodies swayed, and they nearly fell from the air as they stared at Tai Cang in disbelief.

He had not even learned an escape art for preserving his life? His heart was far too big!

After a moment of silence, the two said resolutely, "Junior Brother Tai Cang, let us join forces and fight this beast!"

"At worst, we can crush our jade talismans and withdraw from the trial!"

Tai Cang felt warmth rise in his heart. The two could have escaped alone, yet they were willing to share the danger with him.

"There is no need for that, you two." Tai Cang turned toward their pursuer. "This little fellow loves eating Primordial Clarity Divine Thunder. I have a way to stall it."

With that, he abruptly mobilized seventy percent of his magical power and summoned thunder that filled the sky.

In an instant, thunder roared and dark clouds churned overhead. Countless bolts of lightning flashed within the clouds as violent, destructive divine thunder rained down upon the little fellow.

Roar—

Sure enough, when it saw the formidable Primordial Clarity Divine Thunder, the little fellow became so excited that it forgot all about pursuing Tai Cang and the others. It began greedily devouring the thunderbolts.

It worked!

It actually worked!

Yuding and Taiyi stared in astonishment. They had never imagined that a strange beast at the Grand Unity Golden Immortal level would have such a preference, much less that Tai Cang had encountered it more than once.

"Go!"

Tai Cang's body swayed slightly. He had consumed too much magical power and did not dare delay any longer, immediately flying toward the distance.

At his words, Yuding and Taiyi were invigorated. After exchanging a glance, they immediately followed Tai Cang and fled the area.

The three flew tens of thousands of li in one breath before finally shaking off the troublesome little fellow and landing in a secluded valley. Without a word, they set up a barrier around the valley. Only after finishing did they let out long breaths and collapse to the ground, laughing at one another. "Hahaha..."

After a long while, their laughter gradually faded. Tai Cang looked toward his two companions. "Fellow Daoists, how did you end up provoking that little fellow?"

He was truly curious. Given their strength, there was no reason they should not have sensed the other party's aura at the Grand Unity Golden Immortal level.

"Do not mention it!"

"We had the worst luck imaginable!"

Yuding and Taiyi explained with bitter expressions, "Originally, Cihang, Samantabhadra, Manjushri, Qingxu, and the two of us had joined forces. With six people working together, we could kill strange beasts at the Grand Unity Golden Immortal level. Who would have thought that after taking down a few strange beasts, we would run into this little ancestor? Worse still, that reckless fool Samantabhadra raised his hand and blasted it with a bolt of Primordial Clarity Divine Thunder..."

"As you can see, aside from the two of us who ran quickly enough, the other four were forced to crush their jade talismans and withdraw from the trial."

So that was it!

Tai Cang suddenly understood. It seemed that after the strange beast had eaten his Primordial Clarity Divine Thunder, it had wandered nearby and happened to encounter Yuding and the others. More ironically, it had likely chased them merely to demand more Primordial Clarity Divine Thunder.

"By the way, Fellow Daoist Tai Cang, how did you end up there?" Yuding suddenly asked. "I noticed signs of battle at the scene, and also..."

Tai Cang pondered briefly before recounting his clash with Duobao and the others.

"Despicable!"

"What villains!"

After hearing the story, Yuding and Taiyi were furious. Although Tai Cang had ultimately turned defeat into victory and used another's hand to deal with quite a few Jie Sect disciples, in their eyes, it had all been legitimate self-defense.

Tai Cang had gone through great trouble to escape from the claws of a strange beast at the Grand Unity Golden Immortal level. Yet Duobao and the others had not only refused to lend a hand, but had even tried to take advantage of the crisis to kill him. Such conduct was no ordinary grudge—it was a blood feud that would not end until one side died.

Yuding said indignantly, "Brother Tai Cang, you were far too merciful. How could the punishment of merely losing an arm repay such a crime? In my opinion, that Duobao should have been destroyed in both body and soul!"