The Second Riddle: Talismans of the Demonic Path

Before Mo Chen could do anything, the middle-aged man called out again, "I am Shi Tian. Have you come to trade for spirit-nurturing herbs and three-lights flowers, fellow Daoist?"

"Yes, but now I've changed my mind!" Mo Chen flicked his sleeve, then picked up the utterly bewildered Wei Xiu like a chick.

"Don't you dare leave!" Shi Tian roared, pointing at the shop door.

The wooden boards slid across in an instant, sealing the only exit tight with a bang.

Almost simultaneously, Shi Tian cast a sword seal with his other hand. With a single thrust, he killed the attendant guarding the door. The Flying Sword pierced the man's temple and pinned him dead to the wall.

He silenced the witness swiftly and cleanly.

At the sight, Mo Chen stamped down hard and sprang into the air. A gentle breeze swirled around him and Wei Xiu.

The mass of wind burst with azure light. Wherever that spiritual light erupted, wood chips flew, and the entire shop door shattered into pieces, scattering broken timber across the ground.

Once outside the inn, Mo Chen set Wei Xiu down, pulled a Divine-Stride Talisman from his Storage Bag, and slapped it onto her back. "Run. Don't look back."

The rapid succession of events had frightened Wei Xiu deathly pale, but she obediently turned and fled along the mountain path. Empowered by the Divine-Stride Talisman, she covered ten feet with every step.

Mo Chen shot into the night sky and fled toward the opposite bank.

Mo Chen did not consider himself particularly noble. Saving her had been a passing gesture; giving her the Divine-Stride Talisman had already exhausted his benevolence.

Wei Xiu was merely a mortal, and Mo Chen had already snatched her life back for her.

Now he had done everything he could: saved her, given her a talisman, and shown her the way.

How she took the path down the mountain was her own business. Whether she escaped depended on her fortune.

If Shi Tian truly went after her, she would have taken a calamity in his stead. He would count that as repayment for saving her life.

If Shi Tian did not pursue her, then Wei Xiu had gained a life for nothing.

Mo Chen had already attained agelessness before he ever began cultivating. He absolutely could not allow someone to kill him along the way. He would never let such a humiliating fate befall him.

Mo Chen spread his divine sense and sensed Shi Tian's aura following close behind.

Qi refining seventh layer. His flight speed isn't bad.

"Fellow Daoist! Now that you've come to Shuinan Village, did you really think you could escape our grasp? No matter what, I won't let an outsider rogue cultivator who has stumbled upon our secret get away."

The sound of rushing air drew closer behind him as Shi Tian pursued at full speed.

But another sudden change arose!

Two figures soared up from the tiled houses beside Shuinan Village's riverbank and hovered in the air.

One was a tall, thin man at the qi refining third layer, carrying a rusty short saber.

The other was a short, fat man at the qi refining second layer.

Their cultivation was low, but they certainly had the courage to block his path. They were presumably hidden sentries Shi Tian had stationed in the village beforehand.

It seemed Shuinan Village was no longer an ordinary tourist destination. This village beneath one of the Maozhou Eight Scenic Views had long since been secretly occupied by these evil cultivators who trafficked in cultivators.

"Stop!" The tall, thin cultivator held his saber across his chest, while the short, fat one had already attacked, forming hand seals and launching two Fireball Techniques at the fleeing Mo Chen.

Seriously, fellow Daoist? Did you bring your brain?

Still riding the wind, Mo Chen's face filled with anger. When I was at the qi refining third layer, I didn't even dare cause trouble for Jiang Jiuyao. I only dared kneel and curry favor with her.

"You actually attacked me outright? With the most basic Fireball Technique, no less?"

Are you trying to humiliate me with your qi refining second layer cultivation?

Mo Chen merely snorted. He could not even be bothered to dodge, and the Flame-Drinking Art naturally began circulating within him.

The two men blocking his path saw the approaching man part his lips slightly. Then both fireballs shrank into long, slender threads of flame, which he sucked straight into his mouth.

What the—?

Before the two cultivators could understand what was happening, they saw Mo Chen bring his hands together before his chest. When he pulled them apart again, a writhing Flame Serpent had appeared between his palms.

This Flame Serpent was more than ten times larger than those two fireballs. Its head had begun to take on a dragon's shape, and it opened its great maw as it hurtled toward them.

Flames churned around the Flame Serpent, illuminating the entire lane at the village entrance as brightly as day.

Without giving them time to react, Mo Chen sent another stream of spiritual power into the Flame Serpent, making it fly even faster.

The tall, thin cultivator reacted slightly sooner. His expression changed drastically as he dodged aside, but the short, fat cultivator was not so lucky. A mere half-beat slower, he was caught and swallowed whole by the Flame Serpent.

After an extremely brief scream, a few wisps of smoke curled upward into the night sky, while the man himself had become ashes that drifted down.

Naturally, neither man knew that Mo Chen's cultivation of the Flame-Drinking Art had taught him the Fire-Sitting Technique, leaving him unafraid of intense heat. Those two fireballs did not even qualify as appetizers.

The thin cultivator at the qi refining third layer had narrowly salvaged his life. He landed on the eaves and trembled, his crotch soaked through.

But Mo Chen did not finish him off. Having cleared the rabble blocking his path, he accelerated, skimmed over the river, and headed straight for the East Terrace Pavilion atop Dragonwall Cliff.

Seeing Mo Chen kill a man with a mere motion of his hand, Shi Tian's expression grew even more vicious. He spurred the spell beneath his feet, and his flight speed abruptly increased.

The thin cultivator quickly followed, joining the pursuit of Mo Chen.

"You certainly run fast, fellow Daoist."

Shi Tian flew out over the river after him, calling loudly from behind.

"But don't you think you're meddling too much? I spent spirit stones to buy that woman for a Ghost Marriage, and you rescued her without a word. How do you intend to settle that debt?"

Without stopping his Wind-Riding Technique, Mo Chen looked back and smiled. "Then how do you intend to settle your debt for trafficking in cultivators?"

Shi Tian's smile vanished. "How long have you been in the cultivation world, fellow Daoist? The cultivation world doesn't follow mortal laws. Only fists matter here. The bigger fist has the final say, and the smaller fist keeps its mouth shut. You're only at the qi refining eighth layer, yet you dare stand up for someone else?"

"Hmph. Catch me first, then we'll talk!"

Shi Tian wasted no more words. With a flick of his hand, a black Flying Sword turned into a streak of dark light and stabbed toward him.

Mo Chen had been ready. The Red-Tailed Sword flew from his Storage Bag to intercept it head-on. The two swords clashed in midair, knocking the black Flying Sword away.

"Not a bad level of mastery. Unfortunately, it's still not enough."

Shi Tian formed seals with both hands. In an instant, over a dozen pitch-black vines as thick as bowl rims broke through the rock face of Dragon Whisker Cliff and swept toward Mo Chen, seeking to capture him alive.

It all happened in the blink of an eye!

A sharp gleam flashed from Mo Chen's eyes. With a cold snort, he formed seals as well, condensing several Fireball Techniques without releasing them, merging them one by one into a massive fireball.

The enormous fireball exploded directly in front of Mo Chen. Its flames instantly swallowed the dozen hideous vines, burning them into black ash that filled the sky.

Shi Tian's face darkened. "Today, I'll kill you, you meddling brat!"

"You think you can still keep me here today?"

Mo Chen's voice dripped with disdain as flames flowed over his Flying Sword.

"Heh. You think I came unprepared?"

Shi Tian suddenly sneered. "I left a contingency long ago. Did you truly think a mere handful of us would dare abduct cultivators and mortals for corpse refining?"

With that, Shi Tian formed seals with both hands. More vines sprouted from Dragonwall Cliff and the mountaintop, reaching out to coil around Mo Chen.

Nor was that all. After completing his seals, Shi Tian lightly bit the tip of his tongue and spat out a mouthful of black blood. The blood boiled and churned in midair, then transformed into a Ghost Face that charged at Mo Chen!

In such a situation, there was no room for hesitation.

With a thought from Mo Chen, the crimson Flying Sword turned into a streak of light and stabbed straight toward Shi Tian's heart!

"Attacking instead of defending?"

Though startled, Shi Tian had no choice but to defend himself. He could only redirect the Ghost Face to meet the Flying Sword coming from the side.

Trailing flames, the Flying Sword smashed the Ghost Face apart, spreading a foul, bloody stench through the air.

But just then, Mo Chen noticed that the tall, thin cultivator had activated a Voice Transmission Talisman.

"A Voice Transmission Talisman?"

Mo Chen's heart sank. If Shi Tian and the other man summoned their accomplices, he would probably have trouble escaping!

I'll deal with you first!

With a stir of his divine sense, Mo Chen continued directing the Flying Sword toward Shi Tian.

Shi Tian rapidly retreated, raising his hand to fling out a jade talisman.

The jade talisman burned on its own and transformed into a beam of golden light. That light instantly stretched into a slender golden thread, which looped several times around the Flying Sword. At the same time, pain stabbed through Mo Chen's mind.

He had actually lost control of his Flying Sword!

What is that golden thread?

Mo Chen's expression turned utterly grim, and he cursed inwardly, Damn it!