Chapter 119: Nurturing the Yin Demon with Flesh and Blood (Part 1)

Whether it be Dharma Artifacts, formations, or talismans, they are essentially a cultivator's application of the "Law," though their focus differs slightly.

Take the White Bone Heart-Lock Hammer, for instance; its core essence is not the "tool" itself, but that Bone Great Strength Restriction. Only when the two are combined does it become a Dharma Artifact.

Furthermore, do not look down on this hammer just because its restriction is not very high—only four layers—adding merely over four hundred catties of weight. The profound aspect of the Bone Great Strength Restriction is that this weight does not affect Chen Ci's attack speed. One must know that he is a martial arts expert who has polished his tendons and bones to Zhoutian Consummation and achieved self-generating True Qi. After his True Qi infused his body, his shoulders possess several thousand catties of strength. The power of this hammer strike is not merely the result of a simple addition of force.

It has weight, and it has speed; those who understand, understand.

It is just that the person on the ground might not quite understand. Relying on the fact that his own Three Corpse White Bone Fork had a high number of restriction layers, and seeing that the Dharma Artifact Chen Ci pulled out was one he had never seen before and did not look particularly impressive, he prepared to fight it out.

The Three Corpse White Bone Fork follows a similar path to the Five Poisons White Bone Sword and the Hundred Spirits Poison Dragon Sword, and its ranking in the He Mountain Scripture is not far off, yet it has a set of accompanying flying fork techniques, making it closer to the style of a flying sword compared to the latter two.

Unfortunately, with just that one strike, this person went to sleep, and one would need to prepare a few more quilts to divide him up.

"In terms of lethality alone, A Chui is enough. After all, Qi Refining cultivators are also of flesh and blood. Even with True Qi protecting the body, if a hammer lands solidly, they should die if they are meant to die."

Chen Ci's expression was indifferent, but inwardly he felt some regret. The White Bone Heart-Lock Hammer leans toward offensive power but lacks defensive capability. Others are of flesh and blood, and he is too. If an opponent were to use a spell similar to the Five Yin Seizing Hand to seize him from a distance, the risk of fighting with only the Heart-Lock Hammer would be doubled.

Theoretically, it would be reasonable for such a Dharma Artifact to have accompanying defensive and movement techniques, but he does not have them. He does not know if Hutou Daoren kept them secret or if he simply did not have them, having only obtained this Dharma Artifact inheritance by chance.

While Chen Ci thought about how to handle the next bout, he took out a Health-Preserving Pill and swallowed it. Although it could not replenish True Qi, it provided at least a two-part benefit.

Yao Daosheng's complexion had already turned somewhat leaden, gloomy as water.

How had he not noticed before that his own subordinates were so incompetent, to the point of having three of them killed in succession by an Outer Sect Disciple whose cultivation was inferior to theirs?

Iron trash.

Losing three subordinates was secondary; having his face shamed in front of Lin Qinhu, a man he had previously defeated, was what truly made his heart boil with rage.

"Senior Brother Yao, I will go and behead this brat."

The speaker was the middle-aged Daoist who had ridden in the same carriage as him earlier, surnamed He, given name Kun. He was also one of the three Hundred Acupoint Cultivators under Yao Daosheng, and his profound Skull Demon Method had some reputation even within the He Mountain Sect.

Yao Daosheng glanced at him sideways and said coldly: "You didn't act earlier, so what use is it for you to act now? Are you not embarrassed enough?"

He Kun gave a sheepish smile and dared not respond.

Speaking of this, Yao Daosheng paused and scanned the circle: "Who will go next?"

Right now, that man surnamed Chen had lost his Dharma Artifact and exhausted his True Qi; if they could not defeat him now, it would truly be inexcusable.

"Junior Brother is willing to go."

A tall, thin cultivator stood out and cupped his hands. Yao Daosheng took a look and nodded in approval.

As he entered the arena, Yao Daosheng narrowed his eyes and suddenly spoke: "Junior Brother He, if this round is won, then so be it. If he loses, you go up and kill that fellow. Remember to bring back that White Bone Magic Tool."

If they lost again, there would be no need to care about face. There was no real point in arguing with a bunch of dead men.

On the contrary, that White Bone Magic Tool was somewhat interesting. It was not far from the path of the He Mountain Sect's spells. Bringing it back to study and modify it might allow him to add another technique to the "He Mountain Scripture" in the future, and others would not be able to tell that anything was amiss.

The world's spells are all copied from one another; otherwise, where do you think the He Mountain Sect's reputation for "One Thousand Mountains, One Thousand Methods" came from?

"Yes."

He Kun nodded and agreed.

"Heh, get ready."

Lin Qinhu watched the situation in the arena for a moment and suddenly said: "If Junior Brother Chen loses this round, this formation battle can still go on for two more rounds. If Junior Brother Chen wins, I expect we will have to group up and fight to the death."

The three were stunned for a moment, then realized and nodded, their expressions tightening as they prepared themselves.

It is just like a gambling table; one must have wins and losses to continue. If one side only loses, they will surely become desperate.

"This old Daoist can kill one."

Guo Laodao's lips moved slightly as he looked at the Hundred Acupoint Cultivator opposite, his expression somewhat grave.

"Very well."

Lin Qinhu nodded slightly.

"Leave the remaining two to me."

Geng Laodao stroked his long beard, his expression calm.

"Good!"

A sharp glint flashed in Lin Qinhu's eyes: "Senior Brother Geng, please rest assured."

Guo Laodao's expression changed slightly upon hearing this. The two had known each other for many years; while they did not know all of each other's methods, they were not far off. If he said he could kill one, the chances of victory were actually fifty-fifty. If Geng Laodao were to face two, that was already courting death.

Dong Xiong's expression was somewhat ugly. Although the Yin Yang Soul-Bewitching Banner he cultivated was powerful, its ranking in the He Mountain Scripture was only around tenth, not even as good as the Skull Demon Method. At this moment, the opponent still had four people with cultivation similar to his own.

If Chen Ci were defeated and killed, he would have to face four alone, which would likely be ominous.

Even if Chen Ci won, he would likely not have much True Qi left. However, facing three with two would still offer some chance.

"I only dare to say I can entangle the remaining few, but I dare not speak of victory."

Dong Xiong gripped his Soul-Bewitching Banner and replied in a low voice.

"That is enough."

Lin Qinhu nodded and said nothing more.

In the arena, Chen Ci looked at the newcomer, raised the White Bone Heart-Lock Hammer, and said: "Senior Brother, please."

"Qi Mang of Ten Thousand Snakes Mountain, please."

This man was tall and thin with long limbs, carrying a Dharma sword that was pale in color and peculiar in shape; the blade was somewhat coiled, and the tip actually had two prongs, looking rather like a strange weapon.

Chen Ci looked at it twice. This person was not using a driving-object spell to manipulate the sword to fight, but rather seemed to want to decide the outcome through sword fighting, which made him feel slightly relieved.

Your Dharma sword tip has two prongs, and my Dharma sword tip has five heads; both are very reasonable, aren't they?

But suddenly, his own Five Ghosts jumped out, chattering about something, and then hid into the void. Afterward, they began to fight in the back left against a slightly grayish-white, snake-like Dharma Artifact. Gray mist rippled, and foul, filthy odors spread out. Chen Ci only twitched his nose and felt a tightness in his chest, wanting to vomit. He hurriedly jumped back a few steps, his expression sinking.

"Six Paths Black Cable?"

Chen Ci frowned, while the man surnamed Qi felt a bit regretful.

His Six Paths Black Cable was not sufficiently refined; he had only managed to refine one strand, so it was somewhat weak in a head-on confrontation.

One must know that this technique ranked third in the He Mountain Scripture, being the most filthy and poisonous. It was refined from various kinds of filthy Qi. Once perfected, it would be as fine as to be undetectable, colorless and odorless, like spider silk. Once it struck a person, even if they did not die, they would instantly have the Yin evil poison enter their bones, their True Qi would collapse, and they would be left at the mercy of others.

Moreover, it was extremely difficult to refine. He had practiced for a long time and had only managed to refine a mass of filthy Qi into something resembling a thin snake, still some distance from the realm of being like spider silk.

Damn it, he really is a He Mountain "Old Six" (sneaky bastard). Chen Ci gritted his teeth. With the endless bag of tricks He Mountain Sect Apprentices have, it's no wonder they are so notoriously fierce among the side sects. Ordinary sect disciples are unwilling to clash with He Mountain members during the Qi Refining Stage; if it were a rogue cultivator, they would be destroyed in a single exchange, dying without even knowing how.

"Die!"

Chen Ci was furious; he raised his hammer to fight, charging straight at this man.

This man surnamed Qi held his Hundred Spirits Poison Dragon Sword, formed a sword gesture, and responded cautiously, though he felt smug inside.

His trump card was neither the Six Paths Black Cable nor the Hundred Spirits Poison Dragon Sword, but a Five Ghosts Possession Method improved by Ten Thousand Snakes Mountain. It fused five poisonous dragon ghosts into his own True Qi. Once in battle, five poisonous dragon ghosts would circle his body to protect him and kill enemies. If they caught an opening to take a bite, a cultivator would turn into a puddle of black water within moments—it was incredibly venomous.

He only needed one exchange, and this man surnamed Chen would surely die.

"Bang—"

Qi Mang knew Chen Ci's Dharma Artifact had great force and used a clever technique to deflect it, but the Hundred Spirits Poison Dragon Sword in his hand still trembled, and his arm went somewhat numb. He cursed inwardly and was just about to urge the poisonous dragon ghosts forward when he happened to see the five hammer heads on the hammer-shaped Dharma Artifact staring fixedly at him, which was very chilling.

The next second, all five orifices of these five grim bone heads suddenly spewed out a mass of ghastly green flames, drenching him from head to toe.

"Ah!"

With a miserable shriek that sounded like demonic noise, Chen Ci shook his hammer head, smashing the man's skull to pieces, and the screaming was cut short.

No wonder this bastard was so insidious; his bones weren't even hard. The previous three didn't make a sound, yet you were the only one here yapping and yapping.

Chen Ci couldn't help but spit. As the He Mountain Light, he hated sneaky bastards who acted in such a base manner the most!

Another one defeated.

But this White Bone Magic Tool is indeed quite interesting.

Yao Daosheng swept a cold glance over the few people behind him, thoroughly disappointed, shook his head, and made a gesture.

The cultivator surnamed He understood immediately, nodded, and without even a greeting, summoned twelve Skull Demons to kill Chen Ci.

"Please instruct me," go on, keep "instructing" me, huh?

Chen Ci had just raised his head, about to ask for instruction, when he saw twelve grim, pale, wheel-sized Skull Demons killing their way through the air, cackling miserably as they pounced toward him. His heart skipped a beat, and he secretly groaned, "I'm dead, I'm dead."

How the hell am I supposed to fight this? If you can't afford to lose, don't play!

Chen Ci was originally seeking life in the midst of death, using words to goad Yao Daosheng. Although the few people sent earlier had cultivation slightly higher than his, it was just a case of both sides pitting their inferior pieces against each other, and it was still a fightable battle. But now that the other side wasn't playing by the rules and had discarded all pretense of face, he truly had no way out.

With twelve Skull Demons, no matter how hard his bones were, he would likely be chewed into dregs.

"Yao Daosheng, you have truly disgraced the name of Ancestor Yao Kaishan."

Lin Qinhu laughed coldly. Geng Laodao also exhaled a breath of turbid air, pointed a finger, and five Skull Demons flew out from behind him to meet those in mid-air.

"Hmph, this is a battle of formations, yet you intervene; you are truly a disloyal and unrighteous person."

Yao Daosheng sneered twice: "All your techniques were bestowed by the sect. It's enough that you aren't grateful, but now that the sect elders merely feel that the Quanshan Earth Sha is more suitable for the True Inheritors in the sect to condense their Golden Core, you dare to harbor resentment? If something doesn't go your way in the future, wouldn't you dare to betray the sect? You truly deserve to die."

"Small-minded person, there is no point in saying more."

Lin Qinhu's expression turned cold. That Quanshan Earth Sha was something negotiated between Master Jiao and Longhu Mountain. The He Mountain Sect had neither contributed effort nor personnel, merely tossing over some Outer Transmissions who weren't favored in the sect to act as hands; they had no right to point fingers.

"Go, kill them!"

Yao Daosheng gave a disdainful laugh: "Lin, whatever tricks you have, bring them out. Don't say I didn't give you a chance."

The few people behind him also breathed a sigh of relief, bowed to Senior Brother Yao, and then all attacked at once, pulling out Dharma Artifacts to strike at Chen Ci.

Those in high positions need poise and face because, within the sect system, relying solely on cultivation only makes apprentices obey out of fear; without political maneuvering, how could the sect continue to operate?

Therefore, even if the Yao Clan wanted to seize the usage rights to this Quanshan Earth Sha, they only needed to make Lin Qinhu unable to stabilize the situation in Xishan Prefecture. If too many commoners in the various counties died and the Hongchen Zhuqi could not stabilize the Earth Sha Yin Vein of Quanshan, even Longhu Shan Jiuzhuan Guan would make trouble, and if he couldn't do the job, naturally, someone capable would be replaced.

But the people below don't need these things. A battle of formations? Isn't it better to bully the few with the many?

They wished they could have ten people against one; it was only because Yao Daosheng wanted to prove himself earlier that he threw away four heads for nothing.

Seeing someone come to his rescue, Chen Ci also breathed a sigh of relief, but his side only had five Skull Demons, while twelve had come—this wasn't enough! He turned and ran, not forgetting to have the Five Ghosts give him a push.

Although the perfected Five Ghosts Transportation Method couldn't let him fly, when activated, it provided a sense of thrust, and he ran incredibly fast.

"Hmph!"

The cultivator surnamed He narrowed his eyes and was about to split off some Skull Demons to chase down Chen Ci, but was blocked by Geng Laodao, who had come up to meet him: "Two Daoists, this old Daoist will come and play with you."

Guo Laodao also leisurely intercepted the person with the highest cultivation on the opposite side, pursed his lips, and unleashed the Six Paths Black Cable. Although it was still a distance away from being as thin as spider silk, it resembled six zither strings, with faint sounds of tearing through the air.

"Seeking death!"

The three Hundred Acupoint Cultivators were blocked by Guo and Geng and sneered repeatedly. The three of them had hopes for the Dao Foundation, while these two were old and frail, with cultivation only around ninety acupoints. They weren't afraid one-on-one, and three against two, they could kill them within ten moves.

"Junior Brother Chen, don't panic, I am here to assist you!"

Dong Xiong shouted loudly, shaking open his Yin Yang Soul-Bewitching Banner. On the pitch-black banner surface, countless fierce beasts and human figures churned, and then five strands of black Qi hung down, whipping and entangling toward the Dharma Artifacts and spells behind Chen Ci.

Unfortunately, just as he finished shouting, Chen Ci had already retreated dozens of zhang, passing him like the wind, leaving only Dong Xiong and his banner to face the three pursuers.

Dong Xiong: "..."

Only a muffled grunt was heard. Fortunately, the Yin Yang Soul-Bewitching Banner was ranked quite high in the He Mountain Scripture, and he had spent many years of bitter practice on this technique, having refined hundreds of pairs of male and female fierce beasts into it. The eight-zhang-long banner could attack and defend, and the Yin Yang Soul-Bewitching Qi that hung down barely managed to block the three of them.

"My apologies, Senior Brother Dong, my apologies, I just couldn't hit the brakes."

It was all the fault of the five little ones for pushing too hard. Chen Ci had wanted to stay and face the enemy together, but his feet—he just couldn't hit the brakes; it really couldn't be blamed on him.

Five Ghosts:?

Chen Ci made a small detour and hurriedly rushed back.

At this moment, the situation was: King against King, General against General, Soldier against Soldier.

Yao Daosheng was strong, Lin Qinhu was weak.

The three Hundred Acupoint Cultivators were strong, the two old Daoists Guo and Geng were weak.

The three sixty-acupoint cultivators were strong, Chen Ci and Dong Xiong were weak.

At least, that was how it appeared on the surface.

Yao Daosheng gave a dark laugh: "Lin, I don't know if you ate tiger gall to come here and throw your life away. With this behavior of yours, even if I let you go, you won't escape death once you reach Xishan Prefecture."

For an Outer Transmission to intercept a True Inheritor—in any sect, it was a dead end.

"What you should be curious about is how I will behead you."

Lin Qinhu had a burly build, and his face faintly showed a bloody aura; he seemed to have victory in his grasp.

Yao Daosheng's eyes narrowed slightly, then he wore a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes: "Then why don't you bring out your methods? Right, I heard in the sect that you're a bastard born of heaven and earth, is that true or false?"

After speaking, Yao Daosheng revealed a look of curiosity and pressed on: "Calling you a bastard isn't quite right, it should be that you were raised by a beast. It is said that you were suckled by a tigress in your childhood, and after entering the Dao, you killed the tigress and refined your five tiger siblings into Yin spirits, which is why you were able to cultivate the Five Ghosts Possession Method and the Five Skandhas Yin Demon Art. Why don't you summon those brothers of yours to let me see? I truly have never seen what a perfected Five Ghosts Possession Method looks like. Would you allow me to broaden my horizons?"

A fierce light suddenly erupted in Lin Qinhu's eyes, his killing intent monstrous, and he could not even control the True Qi on his body; wisps of blood-red baleful aura seeped out from his body, circling and writhing.

"Getting angry, if anger were useful, what would be the point of cultivation?"

Yao Daosheng smiled at the corners of his mouth: "Come, let me see your methods."

"It's about time."

Lin Qinhu bared his grim white teeth: "Just about all dead."

"Hm?"

Yao Daosheng subconsciously glanced to the side, and the situation on the field had indeed changed once again.

(End of this chapter)