Chapter 272: The Determined Chiyanzi Sacrifices Himself for the Dao

The moment Bai Wuchang disappeared, Lingxiang sensed something was wrong and hurriedly pinched her fingers to form seals, casting "Calm as Still Water." Just as Bai Wuchang's fist wind was upon her, she barely managed to open her Spirit Shield.

However, Bai Wuchang was, after all, someone highly valued by the Demon Lord; though he rarely took action in his daily life, he was a man of hidden depths—how could Lingxiang's mere Foundation Establishment cultivation compare to him?

With a flick of his hand, Lingxiang's Witchcraft was broken, and before she could react, a fierce force struck her, sending her tumbling down the mountain.

Lingxiang had already taken that move from Bai Wuchang; by rights, it should have given Chiyanzi enough time to dodge, yet he had taken it head-on.

Lingxiang understood why Chiyanzi did not dodge. If he had dodged at that critical moment, even if Bai Wuchang's cultivation were profound, that punch would likely have been impossible to retract, and in that case, she, standing behind him, would have suffered.

Bai Wuchang must have also anticipated that Chiyanzi would not dodge, which was why he had thrown the punch without hesitation.

Chiyanzi was doing this to protect her!

At the moment of impact, Chiyanzi even gave Lingxiang a push, his purpose being to shove her away from danger.

Lingxiang went airborne, then rolled and landed on the mountain rocks. But she could not care about the pain in her body; she struggled to prop herself up and looked toward the direction where Chiyanzi had been sent flying, only to see a collapse of mountain rocks, and she immediately became anxious.

Could it be that Brother Chiyanzi...

Lingxiang was anxious at heart, but she was in such pain all over that just propping herself up was already extremely difficult, let alone rushing to where Chiyanzi was.

With no other options, Lingxiang hesitated for a moment, then, as if having made up her mind, wiped the wound on her forehead, formed finger seals, and began chanting the incantation.

The moment Chiyanzi saw Lingxiang's Witchcraft broken, he knew Bai Wuchang must still have follow-up moves. Knowing he could not dodge, he hurriedly protected his chest to avoid injury to his vital points.

He remembered his master once teaching that one must learn to accept defeat; if one knows they will inevitably be injured, or must endure harm, they must find a way to avoid the fatal blow.

As long as the green hills remain, there will be firewood to burn. Only by living is there meaning.

But Bai Wuchang's punch had landed solidly on his chest. Even though Chiyanzi had used his palm to protect his heart, the pain was still unbearable. To prevent Lingxiang from being harmed later, the moment he was sent flying, Chiyanzi had no choice but to harden his heart and strike her with a palm.

This way, he would have no worries behind him.

After pushing Lingxiang away, Chiyanzi tumbled and landed halfway up the mountain. After crashing into and cracking a boulder, he finally spat out a mouthful of blood.

Yet before Chiyanzi could catch his breath, Bai Wuchang stepped onto his chest, his expression indifferent: "Your lip service is quite impressive. I thought you could play with this Lord for a while longer, but I didn't expect you to be such a 'silver-plated pewter spearhead'—good to look at, but useless."

Chiyanzi spat out another mouthful of blood, gave a miserable smile, and looking at Bai Wuchang with a face of determination, said with difficulty: "I am old, so naturally, my strength is not equal to my will. However, I truly cannot agree with the 'useless' that the Envoy speaks of."

As soon as the words fell, the finger seals in Chiyanzi's hands changed. Bai Wuchang immediately felt like a magnet, as surrounding rubble continuously stuck to his body.

Bai Wuchang hurriedly tried to pull away, but those stones seemed to have eyes; no matter where he dodged, they chased him relentlessly.

Finally, piece after piece of rubble wrapped him up like a stone ball. Only a pair of feet could be seen standing on the ground; from afar, it looked like a giant stone ball that had rolled down the mountain.

Yet even while being wrapped and squeezed like this, Bai Wuchang's feet stood firmly. Only the stone ball kept expanding and contracting, as if he could break free at any moment.

Chiyanzi used all his strength to maintain the finger seals, struggling to suppress Bai Wuchang, yet with his severe injuries, he was simply unable to keep up.

Seeing that the stone ball could no longer suppress him and was beginning to expand rapidly, Chiyanzi steeled his heart, wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, and his finger seals changed rapidly.

Having finished the Earth-Character Hand Seal, Chiyanzi smiled at the corner of his mouth, then softly shouted: "Explode!"

The stone ball wrapping Bai Wuchang suddenly burst open. In an instant, there was another bout of mountain rocks collapsing, the echoes resounding endlessly in the valley. As the rubble flew, trees were split, and dust filled the air.

This Daoist Technique had already exhausted Chiyanzi's remaining strength. Yet a moment later, as the dust settled, Bai Wuchang was still standing in the same spot, not even having moved his feet. Only the skin on half of his face was torn, revealing a green complexion, yellow eyes, and horizontal white eyebrows.

A stream of black blood flowed down from Bai Wuchang's forehead, dripping onto his white hem, instantly staining it. He stretched out a finger to wipe the bloodstain on his face, looked at it before his eyes, and then a ferocious grin appeared on his face, looking extremely eerie.

"In ten years, no one has ever been able to hurt this Lord."

Bai Wuchang pinched the blood between his fingers, examining it for a long while as if thinking of something, then suddenly gave a wicked laugh, turned his palm into a claw, and walked toward Chiyanzi step by step.

Chiyanzi no longer had the strength to dodge, nor could he even move. Looking at Bai Wuchang walking toward him step by step, he felt not a shred of fear, but instead leaned against the rock, squinting his eyes as he watched him, as if welcoming death.

Master, oh Master, does this count as me sacrificing myself for the Dao?

The setting sun lay horizontal, the stream gurgled, and the forest birds chirped—a scene of peace. But just then, the sound of a wooden board suddenly rang out, startling the birds catching insects on the trees.

"A practitioner of the Dao should not speak of life and death so easily; it is very unlucky!" A woman wore hemp clothes, yet they could not hide her elegance in the slightest.

"Then will a practitioner of the Dao not die?" A very ugly-looking child scratched the red mark on his arm. Although he had been struck, his stance remained firmly in a horse stance, just like his stubborn temper.

"Death is inevitable. A practitioner of the Dao, no matter how much they practice, is still a person, is that not so? But since one has taken up the path, one must not die easily." The woman held a ruler in one hand and pinched her chin with the other, pacing around the stubborn child as if deliberating what to say next.

"Death is death regardless, what is the difference!" The ugly child looked displeased, frowning and pouting, his appearance becoming even uglier.

"Smack!"

Another strike of the ruler landed, hitting exactly the same spot as before. This blow was even more painful than the last, making the ugly child grimace, yet his horse stance remained unmoved.

"Naturally, there is a difference. Since ancient times, there have been many who died—some for wealth, some for food. Those who are calm are few, those who die for a great cause are even fewer, and those who leave a lasting reputation are rare. But regardless of the manner, it is all for the sake of living—whether it be miserable, plain, or magnificent. Yet these are merely the ways of ordinary people seeking survival." The woman shook her head, seemingly very satisfied with her own words.

"And what about practitioners of the Dao?"

"All living beings suffer. A practitioner of the Dao must escape the sea of suffering and verify the Dao with their own body. If it truly comes to a point of no return, one must not die easily. Death should only be for the sake of the Dao!"

"What is meant by 'sacrificing for the Dao'?"

"To die in a worthy place is to sacrifice for the Dao!"

The pain in his arm eased significantly. The ugly child relaxed his brows and eyes, looking at the serious woman in a daze. After a long while, he nodded as if he understood, yet also as if he did not.

Seeing the ugly child like this, the woman smiled brightly, her radiance such that even the sunset paled in comparison.

"From this day on, you are my disciple. Since you are my disciple, you must have a Daoist name. From now on, you shall be called Chiyanzi."

"Sincere and upright, like jade carved in the heart!"