Chapter 157: Preemptive Hidden Hands Force an Alliance, Taiyi Guards Arrive Late

Hmph! Sensing Fang Longye's burning gaze, the youngest daughter of the Zizaitian Bo Xun Demon King immediately furrowed her brows and glared coldly at him.

She shook the Banana Fan in her hand, stirring up ripples of dizziness, and shouted coquettishly: "What? Scared, are you!"

"If you voluntarily submit to this Princess and become a mount, this lady will show mercy and not hold your previous actions against you."

Heh—Fang Longye chuckled, pointed at the Blood River beneath her feet, and said: "Look there, then think carefully about how you want to speak to me."

Hearing Fang Longye's words, this Asura Princess immediately looked through the palace toward the Blood River below.

She saw a gourd cast from red jade revealing its traces. Its body was coiled with coiled-dragon patterns, and upon it was a Yin-Yang Fish design; the textures were ancient and grand, radiating seven-colored light.

Most crucially, at the mouth of the gourd, Yin and Yang Two Qis surged, evolving into a vortex that emitted an endless devouring demonic power, brewing and ready to strike.

She was no ordinary Asura, but an Asura woman born in response to fate when her father-god Pojun once clashed with Shakyamuni, naturally possessing a fusion of the three lineages of the Brahma Demon Dao.

Naturally, she was not only proficient in the Asura Demonic Path; she also had her own insights into matters of the other two paths.

Relying on her discernment, she could clearly feel the terror of the Two Instruments Weichen Array inside the gourd.

Combined with the deep, demonic devouring power at the gourd's mouth, the two joined together to exert an effect where one plus one is greater than two.

This made the gourd, despite not being fully perfected at the level of a Superior Spiritual Treasure, a heavy treasure indeed.

Of course, she also understood that, in many cases, the power and grade of a treasure are not entirely consistent.

It was just that this, all of a sudden, put her in a difficult spot.

Her expression immediately turned gloomy, she tightened her grip on the fan handle, and said viciously: "When did you bury this 'nail'?"

Fang Longye shook his head and smiled: "What is the point of saying all that? What about you, fellow Daoist? Do you want to bet with me on who can strike faster?"

He had long since discovered that this little demoness before him did not have a very high level of cultivation, barely comparable to that previous Asura commander.

It was only that her wealth of treasures gave her superior combat power, which was why she far surpassed that Asura commander who had died at his hands.

Such situations often have weaknesses and loopholes that can be targeted.

Her eyes turned fierce as she calculated various possibilities in her heart, only to find them all somewhat strained.

The one with the strongest offensive capability on her was not the Banana Fan in her hand, but the Double-Stranded Sword that had just displayed its demonic might.

However, because she had not fully mastered it, if she were to pay the price to activate it, there would inevitably be a lag; with the devouring power of the Red Gourd below, it would not give her that time.

She could not help but feel ashamed, lamenting that she, an Asura, naturally skilled in fighting, had been cornered by a True Immortal.

At the same time, she wished she could travel through time and slap her past self twice.

From the very beginning, she should have struck with lethal intent.

She had to be arrogant, thinking everything was foolproof, and left the opponent time to counterattack.

"Alright, no need to try that fan in your hand. An Innate Spiritual Treasure is peerless in its mystery, but when it comes to raw power, a Post-Heaven Spiritual Treasure is no worse."

Seeing the Banana Fan in her hand move slightly, as if looking for a certain angle, Fang Longye knew she was deducing the possibility of using the fan to break the enemy, so he immediately waved his hand.

The most critical point.

Don't look at the Banana Fan as a Superior Innate Spiritual Treasure; it is not a purely offensive spiritual treasure, and its more marvelous uses are reflected in other aspects.

This Asura Princess, hearing this, stared at Fang Longye and cursed coldly: "A petty person drunk on success!"

One palm was behind her back, constantly pinching seals and forming gestures, casting a messaging technique to summon help.

Unfortunately, the surrounding void had long been locked down by Fang Longye, who had even secretly mobilized the power of his Golden Finger to conceal everything.

Following her attempts, she discovered that her messaging technique was completely useless, and her heart was filled with mixed feelings.

A thick sense of regret welled up in her heart, and she cursed herself for being headstrong and competitive, insisting on leaving her guards behind to act alone—now look at this.

Reduced to such an awkward situation.

Seeing that she still refused to give up, Fang Longye immediately activated the Red Gourd within the Blood River; black and white Qis sprouted, and countless Dao Patterns spread like feathers.

With flying light and moving shadows, hanging lines forming patterns, in an instant, an array was projected from the treasure gourd.

It rose from bottom to top, like a vast scroll, slowly unfolding.

Countless specks of dust, like a Star Sea, permeated the area, carrying the implication of Yin and Yang opening and the universe being born and destroyed, surrounding her and the Blood River heavily.

The Two Instruments Weichen Array! Although it could not compare to the slowly rotating array engraved inside the red jade gourd, it was only a projection.

But with the help of the treasure gourd, a Superior Spiritual Treasure, acting as the anchor, it could still exert seventy percent of the power it had inside the gourd.

"Hmph! What do you want? If you really push this Princess to the edge, believe it or not, I will risk the total destruction of my foundation to activate the killing sword and fight you to the death!"

Sensing the murderous intent permeating the surroundings, this Rakshasa Woman immediately glared back, putting on a posture of wanting to perish together.

Fang Longye smiled inwardly at this; she truly had little experience in the world, being so fierce in appearance but weak in reality—she was afraid others wouldn't notice!

Fang Longye shook his head and said: "Fang does not intend to ask for too much. As the saying goes, we don't get to know each other without a fight; I only seek to turn hostility into friendship."

This Rakshasa Woman's eyes lit up; she put away her suicidal momentum and said urgently: "That works! No problem at all. This Princess also feels that there is no great enmity between us, so why must we fight to the death?"

"How about this: you withdraw the array and the spiritual treasure. I will leave immediately without a word. If we meet again in the future, we can still be old friends."

For a moment, the atmosphere eased and became cheerful.

Fang Longye looked at her as she chattered on, unable to go three sentences without asking him to withdraw the array and spiritual treasure, and chuckled coldly.

She was brainless, thinking others were fools too? Empty words, and she wanted someone to withdraw all their means for nothing.

Is it you who is stupid, or am I?

If not for the fact that he had thrown out the treasure gourd the moment he saw the space collapse, and had secretly engraved various array patterns and used various means as a hidden hand.

In the end, "planting flowers intentionally didn't bloom, but planting a willow unintentionally provided shade"—it didn't come in handy for slaughtering the Asura crowd, but instead allowed him to wait for this fierce big white rabbit.

Just based on the treasures this little rich girl had, who knows who would have won or lost! "I think, Princess, it would be best to first swear various oaths," Fang Longye said with a fake smile.

"..."

"That is not necessary, is it?" the Rakshasa Woman said bitterly.

"I think it is very necessary," Fang Longye said, looking at her with a smile.

The Rakshasa Woman met his gaze and saw his eyes were clear and bright, seemingly seeing through her thoughts.

A wave of panic suddenly rose in her heart.

He thought for a moment; it was better to escape first. The tides turn every thirty years; he would find an opportunity to settle the score later!

He immediately agreed: "Fine! Just as you say."

"Follow my instructions!"

"……Fine!"

……

"What kind of bullshit oath content is this?"

"It seems quite normal, doesn't it? There are just a few more clauses."

"This clause is too restrictive; change it."

"Dealing with an Asura Demoness like you, I think it is better to have more restrictions."

"What do you mean?"

"……"

After some bargaining, the Rakshasa Woman immediately followed the oath drafted by both sides, reciting the Heavenly Dao Oath and the Heart Demon Great Oath in one breath, …… a dense collection of over a dozen types of oaths.

"Are you satisfied now!" the Rakshasa Woman said, rolling her eyes.

Fang Longye calculated in his heart, a satisfied smile appearing on his face, and said: "I have neglected you, Princess!" He then immediately activated the Red Gourd, dispersing the attack and confinement that had been brewing for a long time and were on the verge of being unleashed.

Feeling the Aura around her become active again, the Rakshasa Woman breathed a sigh of relief.

Just at this moment.

A loud boom.

The spatial rift, which had already been gradually dissipating, was cleaved open by force from the other side of space-time.

Following that, a point of blood-red light suddenly appeared; at first, it was only a faint speck, but a moment later, it expanded rapidly, covering all directions, shining brilliantly and illuminating the surroundings.

A Blood River appeared, surging forth, then quickly shrank to the size of half an acre, rising upward, hanging down like curtains, and falling to form a canopy, knitting together into the image of a lotus flower.

As the lotus image rose, blood patterns flowed, and the constantly rising shadows seemed both illusory and real.

An Asura Demoness stood steadily upon the blood lotus.

She was nearly nine feet tall, and her pale purple hair was not styled into a bun on top of her head, but was left to hang loose, blowing backward like a large unfurled banner.

Unlike the "conservative" attire worn by the Rakshasa Woman, it was closer to the cool, revealing style of dress common among Asura women.

She wore a simple dark red warrior's tunic on her upper body that merely wrapped around her chest, revealing her delicate collarbones above and her fair, tender waist below.

The skirt on her lower body unfolded like a fan; one leg was completely covered, while the other was exposed, smooth as jade and gleaming, with long boots on her feet reaching up to her calves.

"Pishamo?"

Seeing the newcomer, the Rakshasa Woman's eyes lit up, and she shouted in surprise.

This Asura woman named Pishamo held a black blade resembling a scythe, a full zhang and six feet in length, with crimson, blood-like tassels fluttering in the wind, and dense, intricate patterns on it that looked like half-open, half-closed eyes.

Her cold expression, slender figure, unique attire, and large black scythe, when combined, were highly impactful and refreshing to behold.

Pishamo swung her long legs, dragging the scythe through the void, emitting a sharp, intense sound.

She looked toward Fang Longye, her chin sharp and her beautiful eyes piercing, lacking the gentleness of an ordinary woman and giving off a sense of sharpness, as she said, "You actually dare to bully Princess Rakshasa? You truly deserve to die!"

Although her voice was crisp, her words contained a chill and a murderous aura.

The sharpness of her gaze alone, just by falling upon Fang Longye, caused his entire body to feel an unbearable stinging pain.

Her momentum was so overwhelming that it was peerless.

Merely sensing it was enough to ravage one's spirit.

This Pishamo was clearly an Asura of the Taiyi Realm.

However, Fang Longye felt no fear at all. Because he had long anticipated this situation, he just hadn't expected it to come so quickly.

"I was almost about to enter escape mode," Fang Longye secretly rejoiced.

"Pishamo! Stop!"

Seeing that Pishamo had already swung the scythe in her hand, with blood energy already bursting forth for a zhang, the Rakshasa Woman's heart skipped a beat, and she hurriedly shouted to stop her.

Hearing her Princess's words, Pishamo immediately retracted her attack, tapped her foot, and the blood lotus swayed as she arrived instantly before the Rakshasa Woman.

"Princess, I encountered a few Human Race scoundrels blocking the road on the way, your subordinate is late!" Pishamo said, bowing respectfully.

"Not late, not late, it was my own willfulness, I cannot blame you~" the Rakshasa Woman pulled at the corners of her mouth, forcing a smile.

She felt regret in her heart, hating herself for not holding out a little longer, or at the very least, haggling a bit more when negotiating the oath content with Fang Longye! How hateful, now everything was too late.

That oath with its complex content had already been sworn, and it explicitly mentioned restrictions regarding this kind of situation.

Now, even though her guard Pishamo had arrived, it was of no use against this detestable fellow before her.

The Rakshasa Woman glanced at Fang Longye to the side, thinking to herself: "Because of the oath's restrictions, I cannot use Pishamo to behead this scoundrel."

"But it seems, it didn't say I couldn't let Pishamo carry out insulting retaliation against him!"

Fang Longye's heart skipped a beat as he saw the Rakshasa Woman's lips curl into a mischievous smile.

He understood that she was brewing something malicious in her heart.

He immediately reminded her lazily: "Princess, do not forget the thirty-seventh clause of the oath just now."

Hearing this, the Rakshasa Woman recalled the content of the oath, and was instantly so angry she laughed, saying: "You really are good at calculating!"

The thirty-seventh clause of the oath stated that if Fang Longye were forced to commit suicide by her or those associated with her, she promised to form an eternal romantic bond with him and guide him out of reincarnation as compensation.

If this detestable fellow were to develop an obsession with her and commit suicide after being humiliated, she would truly be at a massive loss.

Thinking this way, in an instant, she lost the desire to stay and retaliate against him.

"Hmph! The green hills remain, the clear waters flow. We shall see!" she shouted coquettishly at Fang Longye.

Immediately, the Blood River surged beneath her feet, merging with the Blood River left behind by the previous group of Asuras, becoming one.

With a thought, she prepared to depart, riding the Blood River under Pishamo's protection.

"Princess, wait!" Seeing this, Fang Longye immediately shouted: "Princess, are you not interested in this magic treasure?"

The Rakshasa Woman stopped her departure, turned her head to look at Fang Longye, and asked with a face full of suspicion, "You would have such good intentions?"

"Princess thinks too poorly of Fang. At the very least, we can be considered to have become acquainted through a fight."

Fang Longye added earnestly, "Furthermore, Fang's actions just now were merely for the sake of self-preservation."

Seeing him speak this way, the Rakshasa Woman, though noncommittal, did indeed cast aside the thought of leaving right then.

Hmph! "Such a treasure, and you wouldn't be tempted?"

She gazed at the stone tablet not far away that exuded a profound Demon intent, turned her head to look at Fang Longye, and gave a delicate huff, her eyes still revealing a look of distrust.

Would a guy this cunning, who even made the oath she had to swear sound like a legal statute, really be this kind-hearted?

Fang Longye shook his head and smiled, "My cultivation does not involve the Demon path. What's more, there is not only this stone tablet as a treasure here."

"Since a conflict has arisen with your Asura clan, I might as well give this Demon treasure to you."

Nine out, thirteen in.

Today, I gift you a Demon path treasure.

In the future, you, along with the treasure, will have to return it to me twofold.

Fang Longye was brewing ill intentions in his heart.

However, there was one point he truly did not lie about.

In this Black Water Abyssal Sea, there was indeed not only this stone tablet as a Demon path treasure, but also another treasure more suitable for him gestating within.

This was also what he had perceived after a flash of inspiration when he had just employed a divine ability related to Heavenly Secrets.

As for scanning with his primordial spirit, restricted by the evil nature of this realm's space, it was truly difficult to investigate clearly.

Seeing that she still revealed a look of suspicion, Fang Longye spoke up, "Just take it that I fear your ancestor and dare not offend your Asura clan, alright?"

Hearing Fang Longye speak this way, this princess of the Asura clan finally revealed an "as I thought" expression and proudly raised her head.

Pishamo, standing to the side, secretly shook his head, thinking the Princess was still too young to actually believe this scoundrel's story.

Although she did not know the specific background of this exceptionally powerful True Immortal before her, with her discernment, she could still see the indifference he held when speaking of her ancestor.

Seeing that this Iron Fan Princess was already tempted, Fang Longye immediately invited her to go together to the stone tablet to investigate.

The Rakshasa Woman agreed in a haughty manner.

Thus, along with Qingli and Ao Ying, who had originally been at daggers drawn, the group of five, some riding the Blood River and others riding clouds and mist, landed upon the stone tablet nurtured by this Black Water Abyssal Sea.

As for the group of Asuras who had previously perished in the "mouths" of Fang Longye and Qingli, no one mentioned them again.

(End of this chapter)