Chapter 222
The black-clad person didn't want to drag out the fight; after disposing of a bodyguard, he took off running. How could I and Pangzi possibly let this chance slip? So we, too, doggedly pursued them from behind.
The two figures gradually faded from view; I leaned against a large rock, panting, drew a few breaths, then steadied myself and pursued in the direction they had vanished.
When I caught up to them, Pangzi was grappling with the black-clad person, exchanging blows back and forth; in the blink of an eye they had exchanged several rounds, and finally Pangzi was sent flying by a single punch from the black-clad person.
"Pangzi!" I cried out, quickly tracing the Yin Thunder Point Strike sigil in my hand and charging forward; upon reaching behind the black-clad person, I unleashed a sudden burst of force, slamming hard into his back.
What surprised me even more was that the black-clad person, who ought to have been agile, stood rigid and absorbed my blow outright; at that moment Pangzi seized the opening, performed a carp-flip, traced the Splendid Light Point Strike sigil in his hand, and struck toward the black-clad person's chest.
With a boom, Pangzi's palm struck as if hitting an iron plate, sending out a violent roar, while the black-clad person's body remained unmoving, not even uttering a grunt.
Jieyang Chaozhou -> Jieyang Chaozhou (or we could keep pinyin; I'll use pinyin)
Imperial Enfeoffment of Sun Taizu's Dharma Teaching
"How can this be? How can the point-strike technique be ineffective?" I was so shocked I could hardly believe it was real, yet the facts lay plain before me. The point-strike martial art I had always relied on—smooth and powerful—had suddenly lost its effect, which I simply couldn't fathom; for a moment I lost my bearings, not knowing what to do.
Pangzi's foundation is far tougher than mine; even after being bounced back, he quickly caught his breath, traced sigils with both hands, blended martial arts, and pressed forward to continue fighting the black-clad person.
Seeing Pangzi move, though shocked, I reacted instantly. I picked up the Bagua mirror, slit my wrist, dipped my finger in blood, and began drawing the Immobilization Spell sigil on the mirror.
In terms of martial technique, my foundation is weak—going up would only add chaos. As for martial arts, I'm not necessarily stronger than they are, and going up wouldn't help much. Therefore, I could only assist Pangzi from the side using written methods.
After completing the Immobilization Spell, I held the protruding side of the Bagua mirror with both hands, catching a sliver of the rising morning sun. The Bagua mirror immobilizes objects; it requires sunlight, moonlight, essence, or the spiritual light of all things. Once that light is absorbed, it instantly reflects outward, thereby binding the enemy.
"Order… stabilize," I said, and as soon as I caught a thread of sunlight I pointed my sword-finger at the black-clad person; the mirror's surface refracted a circle that shone with perfect clarity onto his clothing.
But what followed left me so stunned I nearly popped my eyeballs out. I saw the circle of light refracted by the Bagua mirror flying straight back toward me in a line; fortunately I reacted quickly and flung the mirror away, otherwise I would have been the one immobilized.
Seventy-Two Earthly Fiends
I couldn't make sense of it, but I didn't give up. After a few seconds of stunned thought, I decisively pulled several sticks of yellow incense made from mulberry-leaf powder from my waist pouch, lit them, and, pinching the Five Ghosts Finger, continued chanting the spell.
Lost Soul Child, Lost Soul Lover, bewitching people's souls makes them restless; now I hold a breath in my mouth, bewitching people's souls to overturn, sun and moon grow dim…… Command the thunderbolt, heavenly thunder's force splits and hides gods and demons; my eyes turn into Nine Abyssal Waters, my breath turns into bewitching incense…… exhale
I took a deep breath, drew the smoke from three lit incense sticks into my mouth and held it, then I quickly ran to the black‑clad person's front, stared into his eyes, and with a whoosh sprayed a mouthful of smoke at him.
This is an upgraded version of the Soul‑Bewitching Art, called the Great Soul‑Snatching Technique. Yellow incense had already been ritually refined; used together with the incantation it becomes even more efficacious, a method for bewitching others' souls. Because this black‑clad person's physique is too strong, I can only choose to attack his soul.
But after I exhaled that breath, something even more shocking happened. The black‑clad person's eyes suddenly burst with a gleam of light. As I stared straight at him, I shuddered and felt an urge to kneel down and lick the soles of his shoes.
What kind of eyes are these? They're terrifying, feeling like a thousand‑jin boulder pressing down so I can't move at all. Just then, a huge palm lunged toward my face.
"Watch out…" Pangzi shouted, grabbed my collar and flung me backward, making me dodge the black‑clad person's palm, barely saving my life.
Having fallen to the ground, I barely came to my senses, breaking out in a cold sweat.
Having survived the ordeal, I still feel incredulous. I can't understand why this is so; even if martial arts immunity is expected, why does even the art of bewitching souls have no effect on him?
No matter how I thought, I couldn't figure it out. After taking a few breaths, I forced myself to calm down and searched my mind for any information on this matter.
By common sense, no one of the Daoist or magical traditions can be immune to both martial and magical arts, no matter how high their magical power. Moreover, the black‑clad person is definitely not strong enough to crush us; otherwise a single move would have killed us both, and there would be no need for such effort.
But… damn it, I can't recall any similar situation, nor have I heard of such a technique that grants complete immunity to both martial and magical arts!
"Damn, this guy is truly a pervert, practically a god." Gazing at the black‑clad person who had beaten Pangzi nearly into a pig's head, I involuntarily drew a sharp breath and cursed.
"Wait… god!" After cursing, a shudder went through my heart, my mind churned, and the two characters "Child Body" appeared in my thoughts, reminding me of a sect in folk magical traditions.
The folk magical tradition long prevalent in Jieyang, Chaoshan, and surrounding areas, with the Jade Emperor's edict ennobling the Sun Taizu Sect, abbreviated as the Great Sage Sect, venerating the Great Sage Equal to Heaven Sun Wukong as the chief deity and Tianpeng Marshal as the deputy deity. Indeed, among the folk, such a sect does exist.
It is worth mentioning that although the Great Sage Sect takes Sun Wukong as its chief deity, it is unknown whether its tradition is truly a manifestation of Sun Wukong. However, one thing is certain: the sect's history is no less illustrious than that of other magical traditions, and its techniques are genuine magic, with offensive power surpassing that of ordinary sects. As for who founded the Great Sage Sect, opinions vary widely; even its disciples hold diverse views.
In the Great Sage Sect, techniques are divided into minor, middle, and major categories, interspersed with practical arts such as Snow Mountain Law, Calming Shock Law, and Evil‑Suppressing Illumination, making a total of 108 techniques corresponding to the thirty‑six heavenly gangs and seventy‑two earthly sha.
The sect excels at Child‑Body Technique, which is the method of inviting a child spirit to possess the body. Speaking of Child‑Body Technique, the Great Sage Sect claims second place, with no other magical tradition daring to claim first. Unlike other sects' Child‑Body Technique, the Great Sage Sect's version has a distinctive feature: while possessed, one can retain one's own lucidity and not be controlled by the invoked spirit's divine form.
"It must be the Great Sage Sect's Child‑Body Technique, which gives such fierce offensiveness—not only can it rebound spells, but it is also unaffected by soul‑bewitching arts," I mused, recalling carefully.
It is said that when the Great Sage Sect's Child‑Body Technique is cultivated to the utmost, the practitioner is as if armed with a technique of reversing secret strikes, able to reflect spells back, and the possessed body bears an attached divine form, making the soul powerful; soul‑bewitching arts cannot affect it at all.
I carefully examined the black‑clad person's martial routine, finding his fist technique chaotic and disorderly; usually he only launches a counterpunch after Pangzi tires from striking, and although his feet appear firmly planted, there is a sensation that they have no solid footing.
The saying "seems yes, seems no, seems to be in the heavens" describes the state after Child‑Body possession. Still, I am not entirely certain. To further confirm, I casually picked up a branch from a mountain tree roughly equal to my height and threw it at the black‑clad person's hand.
In the Great Sage Sect's Child‑Body Technique, the invoked divine form is usually a partial manifestation of Sun Taizu; the Fighting Holy Buddha's art is essentially a staff, and monkeys love trees. If this black‑clad person truly uses the Great Sage Sect's Child‑Body Technique, he should unhesitatingly catch the branch I threw.
As expected, when I threw the branch, the black‑clad person immediately turned and caught it, fondly turning it over in his hand; then his aura suddenly shifted, giving the impression of an extraordinarily towering figure. Holding the branch, he charged straight at Pangzi without hesitation.
The branch in the black‑clad person's hand seemed to become an invincible iron rod, exuding an aura that could stir heaven and earth, beating Pangzi until he cried for his mother, repeatedly shielding his vital spots with his hands; but the black‑clad person's force was great, and each time Pangzi blocked, he gritted his teeth and drew a deep breath, the pain making him hop about like a monkey.
I have truly opened my eyes for the first time; a person weighing 150 jin can be this agile. Ah Ma, look at that leaping posture—it is in no way inferior to the monkey taken away by the cave‑heaven senior… Hou Lei.
"Chen Hai Sheng, you bastard, I couldn't beat him anyway, yet you threw him a weapon—whose side are you on, helping me or harming me?" In the fight came Pangzi's heart‑rending wail, utterly miserable.
Sweat… it seems that, in order to verify my idea, I inadvertently trapped Pangzi again.
End of Chapter
