Bi Crow Moon Gang

But how could he escape this iron cage and avoid the fate of being refined into a pill?

His memories told him that during the several days the male cultivator surnamed Duan had kept them in this iron cage, he and his junior brothers and sisters had already tried: the cage was forged from black iron, indestructible, impervious to all poisons, and unharmed by water or fire.

Although he could sense some Spiritual Qi in his demon core, he was unable to take human form for the time being.

He had no hands or feet now and could not form hand seals at all. The other three demons had not begun cultivating and knew no spells either.

Tang Yuan looked at the iron lock on the cage, and an idea struck him.

"Eldest senior brother, I don't want to die.

"I haven't slept with a swan yet...

"Bah, I haven't eaten swan meat yet.

"We still haven't avenged our master..." The toad demon broke into sobbing wails, tears streaming down his face.

"Stop howling like someone died." Tang Yuan glared with his snake eyes. "Fatty, can't you breathe fire?"

"Eldest senior brother, I can breathe fire, but we've tried that. The flames I spit out are powerful, but they still couldn't melt this cage." The toad demon stopped wailing at once.

"Eldest senior brother, do you have a way out?

"Haha, I won't die today." Joy lit up the spider demon's eight large, alluring eyes.

"Quiet. Just like before, the three of us should follow eldest senior brother's arrangements in everything." The giant gecko gazed at Tang Yuan with a face full of admiration.

"As your eldest senior brother, I should indeed save you." Tang Yuan flicked his forked tongue, his vertical pupils cold. "But Master taught us that, besides caring for one another, we should also understand how to repay kindness.

"If I can save the three of you, how will you repay me?"

"Eldest senior brother really is as stingy as ever.

"But if you really can save us, eldest senior brother, couldn't we wait until we're out of the cage to thank you?" A few more bumps appeared on the toad demon's body.

"Cut the nonsense. Once those two human cultivators finish fighting, we're dead for sure.

"Quick, give me your treasures!" Tang Yuan raised his head and flicked his tongue.

The three demons shuddered. "After all, eldest senior brother spent a hundred years longer with Master. Maybe Master taught him some powerful spell."

"Eldest senior brother, I'll give you this one-piece invisibility garment of mine.

"It's made from my own natal scales. Besides making you invisible, it also provides protection and changes your appearance." The giant gecko spat a translucent garment from his mouth and handed it to Tang Yuan.

Tang Yuan swallowed the garment whole. At the same time, its uses and the method for using it entered his sea of consciousness.

"This is a web I spun. It's especially useful for catching demons and beasts." The spider demon handed over her treasure too.

The toad demon hesitated for a few breaths, then spat out a golden sphere. "Eldest senior brother, I can breathe that terrifying fire-the Samadhi True Flame-all thanks to this bead."

Looking at the saliva-covered bead, Tang Yuan's snake mouth twitched slightly, but he swallowed it at once. "Now that you've given me the bead, can you still breathe fire?"

"Hehe, I've got another one." The toad demon patted his white belly.

"Good. Second junior brother, breathe fire on this iron lock.

"Keep breathing fire until you can't anymore," Tang Yuan instructed.

"All right.

"Toad True Flame!" The toad demon planted himself firmly and opened his enormous mouth. A ball of yellow-red flame shot toward the iron lock...

"Cough, cough, cough..."

In less than half an incense stick's time, the toad demon stopped breathing fire and collapsed in the cage, gasping for breath.

"Tsk, second senior brother, you're broad and fat, and you always eat the most, but you're already done after such a short time.

"All show and no use." The spider demon curled her lips.

Without hesitation, Tang Yuan stirred his thoughts, and an Ice Talisman flashed out of the Mystic Spoon in his sea of consciousness and into his mouth.

He infused the talisman with spiritual power and spat. The Ice Talisman flew straight at the iron lock.

Hiss...

The moment the Ice Talisman struck the lock, clouds of white mist rose.

Before he had gotten a clear look at this world, Tang Yuan had felt how hot it was and had assumed that its cultivators might be particularly skilled in fire spells.

So he had made a special point of preparing three Ice Talismans that could be activated without forming hand seals.

Even if he had no use for them in a fight, the Ice Talismans could turn water into ice and help him cool off.

"Eldest senior brother, you can actually use human cultivators' talismans!

"Master really did play favorites..." The corners of the toad demon's mouth twitched.

Crack.

The iron lock split open!

Bang!

With a divine dragon's tail sweep, Tang Yuan whipped the iron door open with his snake tail.

Whoosh!

Curling his tail, Tang Yuan launched himself out of the cage and fled west. "Junior brothers and sisters, until we meet again!"

Seeing this, the three demons immediately crawled out of the cage and raced after Tang Yuan.

In less than three breaths, all three had overtaken him and were running ahead.

"Eldest senior brother, I never imagined you'd still be covering the rear for the three of us now.

"Whenever we fellow disciples raced before, you were always the fastest.

"Many thanks, many thanks. We'll meet again in Loulan City in three years!" The toad demon cupped his hands in salute to Tang Yuan.

Bang!

The toad demon made a great leap, covering two or three li.

Rustle, rustle!

The spider demon's eight long legs whirled so fast they left afterimages.

Flap, flap!

The giant gecko actually stood up and sprinted on his two hind legs.

In less than ten breaths, Tang Yuan could no longer see the three demons' taillights.

There was nothing he could do. Tang Yuan had once walked upright and was still unaccustomed to his current snake body, so he simply could not flee at the speed a two-hundred-and-fifty-year-old snake demon should have had.

He had never been proficient at taking human form to begin with, and now that he was nervous, he was even less able to transform.

Sure enough, no matter what world you're in, it's better a fellow Daoist die than this poor Daoist.

If I'd known, I should have hitched a ride just now. Tang Yuan was frantic...

"You little wench, I've traveled across a thousand mountains and ten thousand rivers for your Luo Household for over fifty years, gathering all kinds of wind-attribute Spiritual Qi.

"Even if I've earned no credit, I've still put in the effort. Why must you keep pressing me?

"Look, those four venomous creatures have all escaped.

"Especially that snake demon. Even refining it into a pill by itself would yield a fifth-grade spirit medicine.

"Why don't we stop fighting and catch that Nine-Faced Snake first?" The cultivator surnamed Duan glanced from afar at Tang Yuan wriggling along the ground.

Tang Yuan shivered and continued struggling to wriggle forward.

"Duan Zhengfeng, when all is said and done, you're nothing but a Qi-gathering spirit worker for my Luo Household.

"Any Spiritual Qi you gather must first be shown to us of the Luo Household.

"Our ancestor has already calculated that ten days ago, you killed a monkey demon and obtained a wisp of Bi Crow Moon Gang Spiritual Qi.

"Hand over that wisp of Spiritual Qi at once. In consideration of your decades of work for the Luo Household, we can spare your life!" the young female cultivator shouted angrily.

"I simply don't want to kill you out of respect for your ancestor.

"Do you think I'm really afraid of you?!

"That Nine-Faced Snake is truly rare. I'll slaughter it first, lest it escape." Duan Zhengfeng feinted with his sword, formed a hand seal, and turned into a cloud of black smoke that rushed straight at Tang Yuan.

I'm done for. There's no way I can outrun that male cultivator.

Although Tang Yuan could use the Mystic Spoon to return to his original cultivation world, to Ten Thousand Snakes Island, it was not time yet. Tang Yuan had discovered that every time he used the Mystic Spoon to enter this world, he had to wait a quarter of an hour before he could stir his thoughts and use the Mystic Spoon to return to Ten Thousand Snakes Island.

But even counting generously, it had been less than a quarter of an hour since he had crossed into this cultivation world and become a snake demon. He could not cross back yet.

Crying out inwardly at his plight, Tang Yuan swept his snake eyes over the path ahead and spotted a boulder not far away.

He bent his tail and launched himself again, leaping behind the boulder.

Less than three breaths after he landed, Duan Zhengfeng, back in human form, flew onto the boulder.

"Strange. How did I lose it?

"I clearly saw that snake demon jump behind this rock.

"Snake demons aren't good at burrowing, and the ground here is covered in gravel and hard sand. It couldn't possibly dig through it." Duan Zhengfeng frowned slightly and prepared to scan the ground with his Divine Sense.

A wave of pressure suddenly descended, leaving Tang Yuan, who wore the invisibility garment his sixth junior brother, the giant gecko, had given him, unable to move.

Duan Zhengfeng knitted his brows slightly and flew upward.

Boom!

A burst of flame flashed past, and a thunderous blast sent piercing pain through Tang Yuan's snake body.

The boulder was reduced to dust!

His snake eyes shifted slightly, and Tang Yuan saw the female cultivator flying in the air not far away. She held a curved bow that radiated a seven-colored glazed light.

"Hehe, old Luo actually lent you the Seven-Colored Setting Sun Bow for that wisp of Bi Crow Moon Gang.

"But what a pity. Your Seven-Colored Setting Sun Bow can only fire three arrows in a short period. Can you hit me?" Duan Zhengfeng looked completely at ease.

Whoosh!

An arrow flew at him, and Duan Zhengfeng dodged it with ease. "Only one arrow left. Once you've fired it, I'll have to be ruthless and crush the flower. It's been nearly fifty years since I've known what a woman tastes like."

The female cultivator's face reddened slightly. She drew the bow again, but hesitated.

Duan Zhengfeng held his sword in his right hand and pressed down gently with his left. Tang Yuan was instantly unable to move.

This is bad. Duan Zhengfeng has spotted me.

If he dodges this arrow too, he'll definitely kill me first, then go enjoy that female cultivator. Tang Yuan's brows immediately knitted tightly, and his snake heart pounded.

Whoosh!

The female cultivator had fired the arrow.

Steeling his snake heart, Tang Yuan stirred his thoughts and spat an Ice Talisman at Duan Zhengfeng.

The talisman stuck to Duan Zhengfeng's body. He frowned, and his body went rigid for half a breath.

Boom!

Fire flashed, and Duan Zhengfei was reduced to dust.

A Storage Bag fell from the sky. Tang Yuan launched himself upward, swallowed it in one gulp, and tossed it into the Mystic Spoon Space.

A quarter of an hour had passed!

He could go home!

Still in midair, Tang Yuan stirred his thoughts, and his figure vanished at once...