Heavenly Python

West of Demon-Subduing City, near the Evil-Sealing Platform

An elderly cultivator carefully slipped past two Evil-Slaying Armored Warriors, then activated the Law Artifact Rising Clouds and Mist, enveloping the entire Evil-Sealing Platform in clouds and mist.

He slapped two Armored Horse Talismans onto his calves and darted into the mist, rushing toward the Evil-Sealing Platform. Relying on his guise as a "good person," he bypassed several demon-subduing mechanisms and obtained the treasures he wanted-

Three Evil-Sealing Divine Lightning

"Punish evil and promote good, and goodness rises by one grade. I used the art of physiognomy to alter my bone structure, elevating myself from a 'good person for one lifetime' to a 'good person for nine lifetimes.' Sure enough, the Evil-Sealing Platform didn't suppress me. I was able to take this Evil-Sealing Divine Lightning, and with it in hand, even those old demons will have to be wary of me."

"Since I can go to the Evil-Sealing Platform, I can naturally visit the nearby Cat Garden too. Demon-Subduing City has been sealed for a thousand years, so the Ding Fire Cats are probably extinct, but perhaps some cat demon essences might still remain."

The more the old cultivator thought about it, the more plausible it seemed.

"The Compilation of Wonders of the Nature of Things says: 'Of beasts, the cat's nature belongs to fire. Thus it excels at climbing and delights in play, fears rain and hates dampness, and is easily startled, all traits of fire. Like the tiger, it belongs to Yin. Some say the cat belongs to Ding Fire, and is therefore especially alert at night.'"

"That was why the divine dynasty's Devil-Purifying Bureau raised large numbers of Ding Fire Cats to detect and capture devils. If there really are any cat demon essences, I must get one for my little granddaughter."

With that thought, the old cultivator hurried toward the Cat Garden.

Since "good and evil" changed every three days, he naturally had to seize this opportunity.

Before long, however, he heard a cry for help.

"... Fellow Daoists, is there anyone nearby who can save me? I, Min Yao, will surely reward you generously."

Hearing the cry for help ahead, the old cultivator immediately changed direction.

The old man was crafty and exceptionally wary.

For the old cultivator to have survived in Demon-Subduing City until now, he naturally had his own abilities and discernment.

But the old cultivator heard that the female voice was somewhat childish and sounded young, which immediately reminded him of his little granddaughter.

His compassion stirred, and he cautiously took a peek.

Sure enough, he spotted a round-faced female cultivator not yet twenty, sitting by the roadside and wailing as she clutched her right foot. The foot was covered in blood and stained with numerous black spots.

Was she corrupted by Demonic Qi after wandering into the Devil Suppression Tower?

Little girls are so ignorant. Is that a place you can go? It's either old heretical demons refining their arts or a bunch of brainwashed lunatics hacking and slashing away in there.

Even though I know there are treasures in the Sword-Nurturing Sha-Cleansing Pool, I wouldn't dare go there, yet you dared go over there. You're far too bold, much too bold!

The old cultivator shook his head and prepared to leave.

But seeing that the girl was only a few years older than his granddaughter, he could hardly suppress his compassion.

So he first used Rising Clouds and Mist to scramble the sense of direction in the surrounding area, then applied two more Armored Horse Talismans to himself before cautiously approaching, though he did not get very close.

He merely came within range of the Object-Throwing Instruction and guided his Method Formula, sending two Sha-Dissolving Talismans drifting over.

"Place these talismans on the wound, then find a place in this city where yang Qi is abundant and expose yourself to the sun for six hours. That will dispel the Yin Sha and Demonic Qi."

The old cultivator disguised his voice so that it sounded as though it had been rasped out with a wood file, and its precise direction could not be discerned.

The young, round-faced cultivator started in surprise, then brightened and looked around.

"Thank you, Senior! May I ask where you are? This junior is moved to tears with gratitude!"

"It's fine if you don't wish to show yourself, Senior, but please allow me to bow to you!"

The round-faced cultivator caught the Sha-Dissolving Talismans as if they were precious treasures. Her little face was pale, but filled with delight, and she limped to her feet and bowed deeply in every direction.

The old cultivator could not bear to watch and spoke up:

"Little girl, you don't have to-"

Damn it, a Word Spirit Technique!

The moment the words left his mouth, the old cultivator sensed trouble. A faint fluctuation of Law Power had followed his response and pinpointed his location.

As an old hand, he knew full well that his boat had capsized in a gutter this time.

Without another word, he merged with his armored horse and, instead of retreating, charged straight at the round-faced cultivator.

But four dark figures shot out from four directions and lunged at him. Dimly, it seemed they had also laid out a small formation.

One incense stick's time later

A bushy-bearded male cultivator tossed the battered and bruised old cultivator onto the ground like a dead dog.

Three other cultivators emerged from the mist, one of them playing with something that resembled a clump of cloud.

"That old ghost was a real nuisance. He nearly managed to turn the tables on us."

The young, round-faced cultivator smiled as she touched up her face.

The half of her face that had lost its makeup showed distinct wrinkles and a shriveled appearance.

The old cultivator stared fixedly at her. After a long while, he said hoarsely, "Ghost Makeup."

"You old thing, you know quite a bit. Too bad your cleverness backfired on you. By using a Law Artifact to conceal your position, you ended up concealing the Yin Qi hidden on me as well."

As soon as she finished speaking, "Min Yao" viciously kicked the old cultivator in the stomach. He screamed, his face turning paper-white as he curled up like a lobster.

"You old bastard, you really wanted to blow me to death!"

"Min Yao" spoke viciously as she played with the pieces of Evil-Sealing Divine Lightning.

"I took a loss this time, so I'm taking two extra pieces of this treasure!"

"Fine, but you can't kill this old bastard. I have a feeling he knows quite a lot. We need to keep him as bait and give him a thorough interrogation."

The bushy-bearded cultivator spoke.

"Zhang Ping, you got a taste of the marrow with that copper-coin sword and now you want to get your hands on a few more evil-suppressing swords, don't you?"

"Min Yao" spoke disdainfully.

"Incense burner, compass, wine gourd, a string of bells, sewing-needle case, gambling dice, oil lamp, bone cleaver, scissors, bronze mirror, clay pot, red string, bamboo hat, pig's teeth, wooden fish..."

Xu Gu shook out the old man's Storage Bag, spilling out a pile of things, but even the highest-grade items were only low-grade Law Artifacts.

Quite a few did not even have Spiritual Qi.

"What did this old bastard do? Why did he have so much junk?"

"Forget it, put it away for now. 'Min Yao,' have you fixed your Ghost Makeup? Chen Yu just told me someone else is coming," said the bushy-bearded cultivator, Zhang Ping.

"No problem. The old bastard was shrewd, but he seemed to have been injured when he was young, and his cultivation was very low. If it had been a little higher and he'd been able to activate the Evil-Sealing Divine Lightning, we'd have really been in trouble."

"Min Yao" touched up her Ghost Makeup and nodded.

Soon, at another spot near the Evil-Sealing Platform, "Min Yao" continued playing the part of a gravely injured female cultivator. When footsteps sounded, she glanced over from the corner of her eye.

Was their bait this time a monk?

"... Fellow Daoists, is there anyone nearby who can save me? I, Min Yao, will surely reward you generously."

"Master, could you lend me a hand? I know Buddhist methods are best suited to purging Demonic Qi."

"It's not as though I can't."

The "monk" opposite her smiled, but his steps grew faster and faster.

Then his eyes rolled upward, revealing a pair of murky yellow demon eyes that seemed able to pierce the Ghost Makeup and see "Min Yao's" true face.

"He's seen through it. Attack!!"

"Min Yao" let out a shriek as ghostly Qi poured from her body.

But the "master" opposite her was faster.

Hu Mang flicked his wrist, and Shattering Thunder, as thick as a goose egg, darted out through the grip of his hand. As the grips of both hands clamped and pressed down on the spear shaft, an Innate Thunder Pattern lit up, and a thunderous crack seemed to explode beside "Ming Yao's" ear.

The ghostly creature that had been crawling out of her skin was blasted to ashes by the explosive report.

"Min Yao" reached into her Storage Bag, but another explosive crack rang out, jolting her muscles and bones numb.

Along with the thunderous sound came a dragon's cry produced by the shuddering collision of heaven and earth.

At the third explosive crack, Hu Mang had already closed in. Transforming dragon into phoenix, he struck with Shattering Thunder's Phoenix Nods Its Head, and her head instantly burst apart.

"How am I still seeing female cultivators with beauty filters on after transmigrating?"

Hu Mang muttered and flicked his wrist again. Another thunderous crack erupted.

In an instant, her corpse was torn to pieces. Never mind a cultivator-even a real ghost could not have put it back together.

Hu Mang had been too fast. His spear had crossed more than ten zhang, transforming dragon into phoenix and killing "Min Yao" before the four remaining cultivators in her gang rushed over.

Zhang Ping's eyes bulged. He guided the Demon-Subduing Sword Instruction, and the copper-coin sword behind him shot forth. Each copper coin visibly grew larger, while the demon-suppressing runes above them lit up one by one.

Hu Mang instinctively felt the suppression, and the demon blood throughout his body surged.

Yet he burst out laughing. Blood vessels stood out all over him, and the murkiness in his eyes grew thicker, making him look like a demon emerging from the mountains.

"Suppress me? Let's see how you manage that!!"

The next moment, Hu Mang counterattacked instead of retreating, attacking rather than defending. He thrust his spear forward and charged in before the copper-coin sword had fully spread out.

The spear pointed at a head, and so did the sword.

Every hair in Zhang Ping's bushy beard seemed ready to stand on end.

He had never seen such a vicious cultivator. This was staking one life against another!

Even the demonic path wasn't this extreme!

But Zhang Ping was ruthless himself. Killing intent flashed in his eyes, and he actually guided his Sword Instruction forward, confident that the copper-coin sword's killing reach far exceeded that of the lightning spear in his opponent's hand.

For a moment, with graying temples and billowing sleeves, he guided his sword as waves of Qi burst forth. Subduing demons and vanquishing devils, he made a fine picture of Zhong Kui conquering a demon!

Only, the demon was a real demon, but Zhong Kui was not necessarily the real Zhong Kui.

After all, the real Zhong Kui most likely would not commit fraud, because he didn't look like a swindler—he looked like a murderer.

But the next moment, Hu Mang gave a savage grin. He lifted his heel and stamped down, planting a Dragon-Suppressing Stake hard into the ground and driving a great pit into it.

The pit was not what mattered. That Dragon-Suppressing Stake had severed the circulation of Spiritual Qi in the surrounding area, causing the other man's spellcasting movements to twist slightly.

The next moment, Hu Mang abruptly lowered his body. The joints, sinews, and muscles throughout his body shifted wildly, as though a giant python had coiled itself around the spear shaft.

He cultivated the Dragon-Subduing Pile Method and practiced the Meridian-Severing Dragon-Cutting Technique, but his nickname in Suluma Yi's underground world was Heavenly Python.

"The Borneo Heavenly Blood Python"!

The sword tip missed Hu Mang's flesh, but his spear tip turned, and an arm flew into the air.