Seven Fiends Gathering in the Body? I Can't Be Bothered to Reason with You-You're Not Worthy of Hearing It

"Fu Rong, you've earned merit by cooking for your sect leader. I grant you a pair of swords.

Qiu Rang, you oversee the Self-Cultivation Furnace. Take my handwritten notes.

Jin Yong, you've worked hard and contributed much. Take good care of these hundred Ruhua and the Artifact Explosion Technique.

Uncle Bi, you... are an old hand. Claim your Demon Pill.

Xiao Long, you... are the shortest. These glasses and Locust-Flung Stones are yours.

Zhang Kun, you... are a lofty master. Take this set of Stealth Gear, and don't nearly suffocate underground next time..."

Before leaving, Ma Xianhong gathered the village's current Top Disciples for a meeting. He pulled the wondrous little gadgets he had custom-made for them from his waist and handed them out one by one, spouting whatever nonsense came to mind.

He had originally wanted to imitate the lines from the distribution of the six roots, but he couldn't squeeze out so much as a fart on short notice, so he simply made things up.

The Top Disciples before him paid no attention whatsoever to the absurdities in Ma Xianhong's words. They were used to it.

"Sect leader, wasn't that because you kept telling me to dive deeper last time...?" The corner of Earth-Walking Immortal Zhang Kun's mouth twitched as he accepted the special Stealth Gear Ma Xianhong had prepared for him, complete with an oxygen-recycling function.

Ma Xianhong rolled his eyes. This fellow could clearly burrow underground with his clothes on, yet in the original story, he hadn't even prepared an oxygen tank and had nearly suffocated holding his breath.

And Fu Rong and the others barely had any artifacts on them at all.

Since he was heading out for a stroll, he would naturally have to leave these people to guard their home. Strengthening them before he left would help ensure the village's safety.

After these upgrades, Ma Xianhong roughly judged that, aside from Fu Rong, whom he had given extra special treatment mixed with a few personal touches, and Qiu Rang, who had learned a little of his craft, Jin Yong and Zhong Xiao Long had definitely received epic-level upgrades. They were even the village's current twin top enforcers.

After all, his modified Ruhua and the Locust-Flung Stones he had equipped Zhong Xiao Long with for the Finger-Flicking Divine Skill all came with built-in artifact explosion properties. They could charge right up and unleash a massive self-detonation-who could withstand that?

Fu Rong had originally wanted to go with him, but after considering what he might encounter on this trip, Ma Xianhong decided it would be more convenient to set off alone.

After all, if he looked at it from the perspective that all Eight Extraordinary Skills had side effects, the side effect of Divine Mechanism Hundred Refinements could very well be that it entangled its user in misfortune. The Lu Ban Book was also known as the Missing-One School, and Lu Ban, the founder of this lineage, had suffered a fate full of twists and hardships.

Ma Xianhong wasn't worried about himself, but if the plot went off the rails and his home got raided while he was away, that would be a real joke.

Bringing her along wouldn't be much use anyway, so he simply left her to guard their home.

After he instructed everyone on the arrangements for his absence, they dispersed. Only Fu Rong stayed behind. She raised an eyebrow at Ma Xianhong and began tying up her hair.

The next day.

Still brimming with vigor, Ma Xianhong vanished from the spot under the watchful eyes of the Top Disciples.

He still wore his usual white clothes, the most comfortable outfit he had, with their air of flowing, carefree grace.

What stood out was the Heaven and Earth Belt at his waist. The sections inlaid with Devouring Pouches remained unchanged, but some intricate ornamentation had appeared at the front: the Transformation Device he had previously crafted to house his battle armor.

This belt was another of Ma Xianhong's proud creations. Besides functioning as a storage artifact, it retained the original Thieving Devourer Beast's ability to store qi. After his radical modifications, it could also store life energy and mental power.

Normally, he could draw it directly into his body and keep it hidden, but he thought it looked cooler on display, so he let it manifest.

Strength was temporary, but looking cool was for life.

It wasn't easy to get out for a trip, so he ought to take a proper look at these mountains and rivers. He was wandering anyway; he would follow his heart and go wherever it took him.

A short while later, the corner of Ma Xianhong's mouth twitched as he realized he was lost. He felt as though some indescribable thing had set him up, saddling him with the trait of having no sense of direction.

But...

He slapped his belt with one hand, and a Holographic Map appeared before him. After fixing on a direction, Ma Xianhong strode boldly forward.

As he walked, two pearls at his ankle, one cyan and one purple, flickered with light, faintly exuding the essence of wind and thunder. His steps looked slow, yet each seemed to carry him a thousand miles.

Guizhou lay on a plateau, its roads rugged, but that had nothing to do with Ma Xianhong.

Walking leisurely like this, he crossed a thousand miles in barely half a day, with countless mountains beneath his feet.

By evening, he reached a stretch of woodland, casually summoned four Ruhua, and slapped the Heaven and Earth Belt. A small two-story villa appeared on the spot.

He lay comfortably on the large bed, letting the four Ruhua massage him and ease his tension. Just as Ma Xianhong, having eaten his fill, began regretting not bringing Fu Rong along,

a rustling came from outside, and he sensed an extremely powerful surge of yin qi sweeping toward him.

This yin qi was completely different from the supposed properties of power described by things like the body representing yang and the mind representing yin. Merely sensing it told him it was nothing good. It was pure, chilling yin energy, thick with a ghostly presence. To be precise, this was yin-fiend qi.

Under any normal circumstances, such a thing could never appear.

Raising an eyebrow slightly, Ma Xianhong sat up in bed and looked in a certain direction, following his perception. In his artifact's senses, an utterly black point of light was there, radiating an ominous aura.

Without the slightest hesitation, Ma Xianhong put the villa away and clapped his hands. The Wind and Thunder Pearls at his ankle flew up, collided, and transformed into a Kui Ox. Then he brushed his belt, and four swords, each with a different aura, floated behind him. Seated on the Kui Ox with one leg slightly bent and the other hanging naturally, Ma Xianhong headed toward the source of the sound with the Ruhua.

In the woods nearby.

Someone hung from a tree, clearly breathing out far more than he breathed in. Even his whimpers were exceptionally faint.

As his breath weakened, wisps of black energy seeped from his body and were absorbed by the Daoist standing before him. The man had upturned eyebrows, a full beard, and sinister eyes; one glance was enough to mark him as a vicious sort.

Any extraordinary person would understand the scene at a glance: this Daoist was practicing some technique that flouted every taboo under heaven.

Yet just as the victim was about to draw his last breath, a red pearl suddenly flew over from nearby. It released a dazzling light that enveloped him, and in an instant, an immense flood of vitality poured into his body.

"Who's there! Who dares ruin this Daoist master's business!" Zhao Guizhen, who had been immersed in absorbing the fiend spirit, was instantly jolted out of it. Fury blazed within him, and a savage gleam burst from his eyes.

"Hmph. A vile practitioner of crooked arts. I can't be bothered to reason with you. You're not worthy of hearing it."

Seated on the Kui Ox, Ma Xianhong swept an indifferent glance over Zhao Guizhen and curled his lip, unwilling to waste words on him.

Seven Fiends Gathering in the Body?

Heh. Unfortunately, trash like this has no affinity with my Jiejiao.

He does have quite an affinity with the Underworld, though.