The Oriole at Last

Seeing Feng Buyao's terrified state, Sect Leader Kang Da Feng Buyao adopt a condescending attitude. Instead, he spoke calmly and seriously, "Fellow Daoist, please don't make any moves. After all, if you frighten me, it might cost you your precious life, which wouldn't be good."

This Feng Buyao was quite clever; as soon as it realized that it had been placed under a restriction, it immediately abandoned its plan to escape.

However, Kang Dabao did not expect that after she obediently bowed and kowtowed, she would immediately begin to undress. She moved very quickly, showing that she was a master at this, so skilled that even the nearby Sect Leader Kang Da could not stop her.

As her nail-painted fingers brushed against her waist, gently untying the red thread, her silver-chained ankles kicked aside the piled-up silk skirt. After a few rustling sounds, the gold-embroidered hem fell to the ground.

The arch of her neck as she tilted back resembled a bowstring stretched to its limit, so long and slender that it evoked the image of "a long neck furrowed like snow, a graceful cloud unfurled." Beneath the half-faded pale yellow shawl, a drop of fragrant sweat, about to fall, clung to the hollow of her collarbone, more alluring than the snow-white expanse of her chest.

"I am but a woman of meager means, and I hope Your Excellency will show me some mercy."

A fragrant breeze carrying soft words wafted over, causing Sect Leader Kang Da to furrow his brow, momentarily at a loss for words.

"This is the consequence of those wicked people ruining my reputation."

Kang Dabao sighed inwardly, muttered a curse to himself, and stopped worrying about his reputation for "bullying women." He simply straightened his clothes, composed himself, and made his expression as dignified as a virtuous True Cultivator before speaking:

"Fellow Daoist, please show some self-respect."

Upon hearing the sound, Feng Buyao sign of relief; instead, he appeared somewhat ashamed and angry.

It's just that she's currently in a position of power; otherwise, this woman might have used her charming and adorable teeth to bite off a few pieces of tender flesh from Sect Leader Kang Da.

After calming herself down, Feng Buyao put her clothes back on one by one.

She didn't feel ashamed of serving others with her body. In her view, her beautiful body was no different from high-grade Spirit Stone or rare spiritual treasures; it was still an asset that could be used on the path of cultivation.

The Sect Leader Kang Da, had no time to consider what the alluring female cultivator was thinking. He simply said, "The outcome of the battle outside is still undecided. Please wait a moment, fellow Daoist."

Unexpectedly, after this female cultivator calmed down, she became quite bold. As expected of someone who could break through the encirclement of such a strange place as the Cloud Marsh Shaman Venerable Hall and form Golden Core, she cannot be judged by ordinary standards.

But her lips parted slightly, her cherry-red mouth parted gently. "Does Your Excellency intend to be the fisherman?"

Such foolish words were merely a means for female Daoists to get close to people, but Kang Dabao paid no attention to them and continued to probe out with his Divine Sense.

His current Full Moon Visualization Method is already perfected. Although he is only at the initial stage of cultivation, in terms of the strength of his Divine Sense, he has already surpassed most of the mid-stage upper cultivators who have not cultivated Divine Sense techniques. He is not much worse than newly promoted late-stage Golden Core cultivators like You Song.

The battle outside was raging, and no one had the time to come out and discover that Sect Leader Kang Da was secretly spying on them.

However, after only a short while, most of the vengeful spirits that Hou Mingfa had summoned with his bone flute had already vanished. He and the Third Palace You Song, You Songshangxiu, had no idea what the source of the bloody light was.

All they knew was that his blood technique was incredibly powerful, the most powerful they had ever seen in their lives. They figured that if it weren't for the fact that his cultivation was weak, they might both be dead by now.

You Song's lightning magic was fierce, but he couldn't find any trace of the blood shadow. After fighting like this, ninety-nine percent of the spiritual power he used was wasted.

When Hou Mingfa's own Gang Qi was shattered by a blood-stained blade, a horrific wound pierced through his body from top to bottom. If it weren't for the jade pendant at his waist that saved his life, he might have been sliced in two.

This Sixth Palace Master had experienced many fierce battles and walked the line between life and death since he began his cultivation, yet he was still so shocked by the blood-red blade that he almost lost his hand seals.

"Third Brother!! Let's retreat!!"

"Boom!"

Upon You Song Songshangxiu didn't stop moving. Seeing streaks of brilliant lightning grazing the edges of the bloody light ahead and landing one after another in empty space, he became even more furious. Seeing that Hou Mingfa had lost his composure in fear, he couldn't help but curse loudly:

"Seventh Brother has just been captured, and Eleventh Lady came with us, their fate unknown. Are you going back like this? What kind of explanation are you going to give the Grand Master, you dog-brain?"

The former's words made Hou Mingfa instantly understand.

After all, if Preceptor Huang Mi were to truly become angry, even You Song, would not be able to bear it, let alone him, a mere Golden Core Early Stage cultivator.

You should know that, as a fellow temple master, Hou Mingfa might have the confidence to argue with any other temple master, but he would never say "no" to Preceptor Huang Mi.

The latter truly wields the power of life and death within the Cloud Marsh Shaman Venerable Hall. If it were truly to punish You and Hou for dereliction of duty, it would be impossible to find even a single person to plead for leniency.

However, it was absolutely impossible for him to give up his identity as the Sixth Palace Master and become a poor, Rogue Cultivator.

If that's the case, then the only way is to work together with You Song to capture this cowardly fellow.

When You Song saw that Hou Mingfa had calmed down, he felt relieved.

With the former's insight, it was not difficult to discern that the person covering their face was seriously injured. It was also possible to roughly deduce that if the person were at their peak, the former would certainly not be a match for them.

However, this might explain why even someone like Kang Xiangyi was able to escape unscathed from the cave abode. This Evil Cultivator the bloodshed must have been short-lived, which is why he didn't clean up the mess properly, allowing the news to leak out.

If that's the case, then if we just hold on a little longer, and wait for the nearby Golden Core cultivators to receive the distress signal I just sent out and come to our aid, it's not impossible to capture them alive or kill them in battle.

The Daoist Peng opposite him had no idea what You Song was thinking. He was just thinking to himself, "That's it. It must be this group of people who broke into my cave abode. Even if this Daoist's spiritual power is mixed and his foundation is weak, his Thunder Method is still passable."

The bronze corpse I'm keeping here was initially refined using improper techniques, and it's been difficult to correct afterwards. As a result, it has become extremely afraid of lightning and fire, which are precisely what it counters. If it were to fall victim to its poison, it would be quite understandable."

However, just like with You Song, he was now finding it difficult to sustain a prolonged battle. Moreover, after injuring two early-stage cultivators on the other side with his superior Daoist skills, Daoist Peng breathed a sigh of relief.

Daoist Peng was cautious and, after dealing with You and Hou for a while, he believed he had figured out most of their methods. He then channeled his spiritual power into his fingertips, intending to settle the score in one battle.

But once Daoist Peng's figure came to a stop, You and Hou finally managed to make out his form. However, before they could even feel joy, a large cloud of blood mist gushed out from the tear in Daoist Peng's tattered robe.

With a "glug-glug" sound, the blood pool in the cave abode suddenly began to boil.

"Pop pop pop," as the blood bubbles burst in the pool of blood, a large amount of foul odor was released, clearly indicating that this was no ordinary place.

You Song's expression grew increasingly solemn, while Hou Mingfa's face was filled with astonishment.

While the two were still trembling in shock, the evil energy had already entangled with the blood mist scattered by Daoist Peng and formed a crimson cocoon as tall as a person.

You Song reacted quickly, wielding a black spear wrapped in lightning and thrusting it out. A large expanse of brilliant light almost dyed the entire cave abode white, but it was steadily blocked by the blood wind surrounding the Crimson Cocoon, unable to get any closer.

Hou Mingfa did not sit idly by and wait for his death. Endless ghostly energy emanated from every pore of his body, and he summoned dozens of fierce ghosts to cover his entire body.

These vengeful ghosts were his trump cards. Even the weakest of them were refined from the souls of Foundation Establishment Late Stage True Cultivator. Each one was extremely fierce, with eyes filled with phosphorescent green flames, mouths emitting the shrieks of living beings, and hands full of bone and flesh Spirit Artifact. They pounced fiercely on the red cocoon.

However, these vengeful ghosts encountered the same fate as the lightning bolts from before. The blood-red winds, though seemingly harmless, were able to protect the area around the Crimson Cocoon from all harm.

The two exchanged a glance, both immediately thinking of causing trouble for Daoist Peng. However, the latter did not grant their wish, quickly moving to Chi Jian's side and sitting cross-legged to regulate his breathing.

Even though the blood cultivator was clearly so weak that he was pale as death, You and Hou were still unable to break through the blood wind. They could only watch helplessly as a blood dragon broke through the red cocoon and roared into the sky.

Hou Mingfa made a fatal mistake; his meticulously crafted ghost generals were instantly scattered by the overwhelming Blood Qi, causing him to lose all six senses and bleed from all seven orifices.

Immediately afterwards, all his internal organs were shattered by the onrushing blood vapor. If it weren't for the fact that the Golden Core cultivator had already achieved a flawless body, he would have been killed in this attack.

You Song was extremely vigilant. He knew that Hou Mingfa would have difficulty protecting himself after this incident. He casually made a grasping motion with his left hand, summoning heavenly lightning. A large patch of spiritual light appeared at the tip of the black spear, and a lifelike lightning dragon leaped out from it.

The instant the Blood Dragon and the Thunder Dragon collided head-on, the burst of blazing white lightning illuminated the entire cave abode as if it were daytime.

Hou Mingfa lost his footing and was swept away by the shockwave along with the Law Treasure in his hand; his fate is unknown.

Anyone with discerning eyes could see that although Lei Long's aura was strong, it was merely a facade; how could it possibly compare to the solid and superior Blood Dragon technique of Daoist Peng?

After a rumbling sound, Daoist Peng was bleeding from the corner of his mouth, You Song Songshangxiu looked terrified. When he looked up again, the thunder dragon on the top of the cave abode had long since vanished into countless spiritual rays falling down, while the blood dragon was still vivid, ferocious and savage.

You Song knew that he could not retreat even a little at this time. After he landed, he vomited several liters of blood, which soaked the black spear in his hand and turned it into a different color.

Just as the blood dragon was about to swoop down, You Song had already made up his mind. The lightning pattern on his right arm suddenly burst out with dazzling golden light, blasting Movement Method into pieces. Then, it condensed into a vajra pestle wrapped with Sanskrit on the top of the cave and crashed down.

"Why did you have to learn that damn Buddhist practice? It's utterly detestable!"

Daoist Peng cursed inwardly, his anger deepening. He urged the Blood Dragon to entangle the Sanskrit Demon-Subduing Pestle, and his hand seals changed instantly, causing another strange phenomenon to occur in the already boiling blood pool.

Thick pillars of blood shot into the sky, and soon after, armored soldiers, each wielding a weapon, stepped out from within.

This was clearly the method of eliminating the dross and retaining the essence prepared by Daoist Peng. After the twenty-four armored blood soldiers were generated, the originally viscous blood pool in the cave abode immediately became clear as blue, and it was difficult to find even a trace of red residue in the corners and ravines.

As these blood-soaked soldiers marched with their weapons, streaks of crimson light fell to the ground, tearing it apart. Pieces of rock emitted agonizing screams, as if a living being were being dismembered—a truly irritating sound.

You Song was so disturbed that he almost made a mistake in his lightning incantation. In other words, whether it was the demon-subduing pestle or his orthodox Thunder Method, it was the only way to restrain Daoist Peng, which gave him time to think.

With Feng Buyao's whereabouts unknown and Hou Mingfa's fate uncertain, the choice of whether to stay or leave is not difficult for You Song.

However, what is worrying now is that it seems unlikely that they can escape unscathed.

The blood dragon only had a slight advantage over the demon-subduing pestle. As the Buddha's light gradually faded, the dragon's spiritual light flickered continuously. It would take quite some time before a winner was determined.

However, the blood soldiers summoned and assembled by Daoist Peng were indeed troublesome.

At a glance, one can see that these Blood Soldiers are all as rich in spiritual energy as those who have achieved the rank of False Core Formation. They are arranged in the formation of the Twenty-Four Constellations You Song heavily. Even when You Song was at his peak, he would have to be wary of them, let alone now that his spiritual energy is less than 30%.

"Damn it!" You Song cursed, then abandoned Hou Mingfa on the ground and was about to turn and walk away.

Just as he was about to begin his footwork, it was interrupted by Daoist Peng's magic. One by one, blood soldiers locked up the cave, sealing it off completely, leaving no way for You Song to escape.

The latter continued to strike the blood soldiers with lightning, releasing an unknown amount of Blood Qi. However, these blood soldiers scattered and condensed repeatedly, and although You Song's spiritual power was exhausted, the formation of the blood soldiers did not become any less dense.

Daoist Peng's expression was indifferent. In fact, even at this moment, he was still unsure whether You Song and his group were the culprits who destroyed his cave abode. However, the losses in his cave needed to be repaired, and the resentment he felt from being humiliated by Fei Tianqin and Xiang Tianxing needed to be vented on someone else!

"It's all that old bird's fault! He caused most of my prized Law Treasure to disappear, and even my spare items fell into the water along with my Storage Bag. Otherwise, if I had seriously dealt with these insignificant people, why would I have gone to such lengths?!"

As this wicked cultivator gloated, he noticed that You Song, having failed to break through several times, was also showing a fierce expression on his face.

"If we're all going to die, then we're all dead. Don't even think about living!"

The Golden Core elixir in his Niwan Palace began to burn, and the black spear that had been struggling suddenly froze a foot above his head.

"What is this?!" Daoist Peng's expression turned solemn. He knew that You Song had been forced into a life-or-death situation, so he did not hesitate to aggravate his injuries in order to forcefully exert his spiritual power, making the Blood Dragon and Blood Soldiers work harder and press down even more heavily.

"Break!"

The black spear above You Song Songshangxiu's head was suddenly covered in purple lightning. After blasting a huge hole in the blood soldier formation, its momentum did not diminish. It stabbed hard into the head of the blood dragon that was pressing down on the demon-subduing pestle and making it unable to breathe.

"Bang!"

The Blood Dragon couldn't dodge in time and had most of its body blasted to pieces.

You Song seized the opportunity and used the Vajra Pestle to break free, landing directly among the blood soldiers who had already formed a broken formation. After only a few breaths, the pure white Buddhist light spread out like ripples, and these hideous creatures turned into blood one after another, slowly flowing back to their original place.

Just as the green pool was dyed bright red again, the lightning spear on the top of the cave abode had already subdued the blood dragon and returned, its target naturally being Daoist Peng's physical body.

You Song was naturally pleased with himself, after all, in his eyes, Daoist Peng had already used all his methods and was now at his limit. How could he withstand Peng Daoren's tough methods, which were willing to sacrifice his Golden Core essence and suffer a drop in cultivation level?

However, to his surprise, the latter merely let out a long breath, her face showing pity, and as she formed a magic seal, she gritted her teeth and chanted, "You ruined my grand plan, but I won't let you, you fool, die a quick and painless death!!"

But after Daoist Peng spoke, his already pale face lost its last trace of color, and the Ten Thousand Souls Banner, which had been nurtured in his Dantian and had not appeared since his defeat at the hands of Fei Tianqin, suddenly trembled and was held horizontally in front of his chest.

The once menacing Thunder Spear was instantly extinguished. With a flick of the banner, this superior magic Law Treasure, which had been infused with the essence of You Song, was pulverized into scrap metal. The smug look on his face vanished instantly, and blood of rebellion gushed out.

"Who... who are you?!"

When You Song spoke, he was still filled with resentment. He knew that he not only had no chance of winning, but also no chance of survival. His hundreds of years of cultivation had been lost here in such an inexplicable way, which was truly regrettable.

"Peng Min from Mountain South greets fellow Daoist!" Daoist Peng's tone was unusual, as if he had thought for a long time before remembering his name.

"Daoist Peng from Shannan Circuit?!" You Song uttered the name casually, unaware that this Daoist was the very person the head of the Star-Picking Pavilion had recently come to borrow treasures from and rescued.

Daoist Peng had already forged an iron heart hundreds of years ago. Not to mention that he didn't know that You Song was related to his escape, even if the latter was really his dear savior, the strength he used would not be any less.

But then, a mysterious incantation condensed in his hand, and wisps of blood fell from his wrist, winding their way up the howling rocks and climbing all over You Song's body.

Before long, You Song's Essence Blood was completely drained, and the color in Daoist Peng's face slowly returned. The former died in the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, and Hou Mingfa, who fell to the ground, followed in his footsteps.

Daoist Peng felt completely relaxed, but he didn't forget to wave the banner in his hand, collecting the two souls into the banner and their remains into his bag.

After all, when it comes to "making the most of everything," even Sect Leader Kang Da would have to admit defeat when facing these Evil Cultivators.

For someone like Daoist Peng, the remains of cultivators are no different from the corpses of Demon Beast, and they remain a highly sought-after commodity in the Evil Cultivator circle.

He removed his robes and slowly stepped into the blood pool, which had become much lighter in color.

This was his training ground, which he had prepared for nearly a hundred years. If everything remained as he wished, his injuries would be mostly healed in just one or two years. Although he would still be no match for an anomaly like Fei Tianqin, he would at least be able to face most of the surrounding area without fear.

Unexpectedly, the blood pool was ruined by these outsiders. Not only were all the Blood Amber and Blood Coral gone, but most of the blood pool was also consumed during the battle.

Even though the Ten Thousand Souls Banner gained two more Golden Core souls to serve as generals, it still couldn't make up for the lack of nourishment and was still unable to recover its vitality.

Summoning him to fight the enemy severely damaged Daoist Peng's own essence. Although he consumed two doses of Golden Core Essence Blood, he could not recover quickly and would need many years to fully recover.

With a wave of his hand, the evil cultivator summoned two freshly laid Storage Bag that appeared on the ground.

After examining the bag closely for a while, Daoist Peng's expression changed. "Something's not right. They really don't have even half a single spiritual treasure from the cave in their bags!! The Six Harmonies Kan-Li Cauldron is also nowhere to be found!!"

The evil cultivator immediately realized what was happening and, without thinking, shot out of the water, but it was too late. Before he could even put on his robes, he was struck solidly by two beams of Golden Light, and his Golden Core body almost shattered.

His injuries were completely out of control, but he was decisive. Disregarding his own strength, he used the Blood Escape Technique and fled in a panic, not even taking the two Storage Bag he had just been holding.

Meanwhile, in the Soul Guardian Pavilion, a key location within the Cloud Marsh Shaman Venerable Hall, four Golden Core Soul Lamps placed at the highest point went out one after another, startling the disciples within into a near-mad frenzy, who rushed out recklessly.