Chapter 286: with translation of chapter title

286. Chapter 286: Hunting, the Strange Person

Gazing at the lifeless Shaman before them, the eleven Ancestral Witches wore grim faces. After a moment, Di Jiang finally spoke:

"Let's discuss how to settle this. Though we do not follow the Great Dao, we must still recognize the weight of fate and cannot overlook it."

Zhu Jiuyin pondered, hesitated, and then spoke:

"The solution has long been ready. The only problem now is when we will pull out that bronze pillar, and who will do it."

"How severe is the Heavenly Court's backlash of fate? How strong is it? We know nothing about it now."

"Moreover, the twelve Ancestral Witches have not yet gathered; compared to the Heavenly Court, the Wu Clan's strength is still too weak, insufficient, so how can we talk about resolving this?"

Gong Gong beside him also spoke:

"The next Shaman will likely be born soon, and the influence of the restricted fate will not show itself quickly, so we might as well wait a bit longer."

"I'm uneasy about these miraculous matters without the Shaman present."

"Furthermore, instead of worrying about fate, we should set out early for Mount Buzhou to retrieve the Father God's relic and bring back Pangu Hall."

"Then bring back Hou Tu's younger sister, gather the twelve Ancestral Witches; otherwise, any action we take will ultimately be restricted by the Heavenly Court."

"If we twelve all gather, we would not fear the Heavenly Court in the slightest. As for fighting the Heavenly Court, we need not worry; as long as the Father God's essence blood remains in the hall, we will stand with them no matter how long they fight."

Di Jiang thought it over; this is indeed the best option now. Hou Tu is in the Heavenly Court, so the senior witches beneath her will certainly have reservations.

After all, they are descended from Hou Tu's essence; although they have long been merged into various tribes, they are still ultimately of the Hou Tu tribe.

Especially figures like Da Yi and Kua Fu, who are now the backbone of the Hou Tu tribe.

Even if the Hou Tu tribe has been scattered, they still consider themselves members of the Hou Tu tribe and have gathered many who still lean toward the Hou Tu tribe.

During this time on the Xifang Dalu, Da Yi and Kua Fu have often led their people in conflicts with the Immortal Court, securing much land for the Hou Tu tribe's survival.

However, their losses have also been great; during this time on the Xifang Dalu, the Hou Tu tribe can now be considered only a medium-sized tribe apart from the few major tribes.

As for whether any of the remaining Ancestral Witches are involved, we cannot know; at least they have not received much help from the Wu Clan.

"Well, since no one has any other ideas, let's settle on this."

Di Jiang waited a moment longer, seeing that no one had further suggestions, he waved his hand to confirm the matter and then spoke to arrange:

"I and Zhu Jiuyin will go to Mount Sumeru to apologize, and see if we can get the Heavenly Court to lift the ban; though the hope is slim, we must try."

"Zhurong and Gong Gong, go to Mount Buzhou to retrieve Pangu Hall; this matter is vital to the Wu Clan's grand plan, so we must ensure absolute success and not reveal it to the outside."

"Xuan Ming and She Bishi, you two are closest to Hou Tu's younger sister; on this journey to the Heavenly Court, you must find a way to bring her back."

"The rest of you, during this time, pacify the tribespeople; don't cause any more trouble, stay orderly—if slaves run away, let them go; we can catch them later."

"Absolutely do not, at this moment, lose the big picture over a few slaves, causing trouble and drawing attention."

"Once we have Pangu Hall and the twelve Ancestral Witches gathered, with no external checks and balances, we will finally have the space to fully display our abilities."

"There's no delay; after the next Shaman is born, you will set out immediately. Until then, each of you should return to your tribes and make all preparations."

"I and Zhu Jiuyin, as well as the others, will depart right after the meeting concludes and head to Mount Sumeru; since we must remain humble and inconspicuous for now, we must not give anyone a handle to use against us."

When Di Jiang's words fell, the Ancestral Witches in the hall rose one after another, responded with assent, and then departed.

Di Jiang and Zhu Jiuyin exchanged a glance, did not linger, and immediately set off for Mount Sumeru.

On Baojie Mountain, Taiyi and Qi walked through the woods; Taiyi wore golden armor, a three-peaked hat, held a mountain-driving whip in his left hand, and had a gold bow and silver bullets slung at his right waist.

A treasure sword and gourd hung diagonally from his left waist, and he wandered the mountains with Qi.

Qi looked at Taiyi with some helplessness and said: "We are the Emperor's equals; why act like this? Even if we want to hunt, we should first have people surround the mountain on all sides to prevent escape."

"Although Baojie Mountain is small, it still has a drop of billions of feet; if we merely pace it on foot, how could we ever finish surveying it?"

Taiyi, unfazed, laughed and said:

"Qi, you look troubled; this outing of ours is merely for fun and hunting—what does it have to do with our status as the Emperor?"

"This Baojie Mountain also counts as part of the Western Spirit Verdant Land, worthy of being called scenic beauty; if we cannot find game, we might as well go out and enjoy ourselves."

"Let the heavenly soldiers and generals encircle the mountain, drive the game out, and have it run straight to us—how could that be enjoyable?"

Qi could only smile wryly at this; in the nearby pool, he glanced at his own attire, which was somewhat similar to Taiyi's, not knowing where he had procured it.

Just as he was admiring himself, Taiyi pointed far off at a mountain cliff and laughed:

"Look, the game has come of its own accord—this pleasure of actively seeking prey is nothing like that of a driven hunt."

Qi looked up and saw a person carefully hiding among the rocks.

Judging by his clothing and appearance, Qi instantly saw through his disguise and recognized him as a Golden Immortal of the Immortal Court, apparently named Feng Yuzhi.

Taiyi and Qi had concealed their auras, and being highly cultivated, Feng Yuzhi naturally noticed nothing; he now appeared quite disheveled, evidently seriously injured.

Feng Yuzhi cupped some stream water flowing down the mountain, gently washing the mud from his boots; he had already transformed his appearance and was now merely a minor cultivator on Baojie Mountain.

However, when the stream water touched Feng Yuzhi, it would occasionally show a few cracks on its surface, which then vanished instantly.

A careless observer would likely think it was just an eye trick or a glare, a mistake.

Qi and Taiyi, however, saw clearly that Feng Yuzhi was skilled, actually able to transfer his injury onto ordinary water.

Combined with his illusionary concealment technique, it's no wonder he could hide from the many heavenly soldiers and generals, even lingering on Baojie Mountain. Watching this, Qi couldn't help but laugh and say:

"This person is indeed highly skilled and bold; if it weren't for happening to meet you on your outing, he would probably have escaped after all."

"But having met us, I don't know whether to call this good fate or bad."

Taiyi estimated the distance, took down the bow at his waist, aimed at Feng Yuzhi, who was healing his wounds in the distance, and laughed: "Naturally, it's good fortune—to draw two Grand Gods of the Hunyuan Dao and the Heavenly Court Emperor himself, merely by appearing as a Great Luo Immortal—surely this makes him a child of fate?"

"If he were not a person of abundant fate, with his strength at most a single Heavenly Court divine general could handle him; how could we have such luck to meet him?"

Qi tried not to laugh, fearing the other didn't want such fortune; having barely escaped the heavenly soldiers' pursuit, he now encountered two Heavenly Court Emperors—truly good fortune! Taiyi drew his bow to a full moon, then suddenly released; the arrow, imbued with divine power, instantly pierced Feng Yuzhi's brow.

Feng Yuzhi had no time to react before his primordial spirit shattered instantly, his true spirit annihilated into nothingness.

Cracks spread from the center of his brow outward; a mountain wind blew past, and Feng Yuzhi, riding that breeze, turned into spiritual light that scattered between heaven and earth.

Taiyi smiled satisfied, turned to Qi, and said: "One."

Qi felt quite amused; a great god of the Hunyuan Dao, behaving like a child, even had to count while hunting, as if afraid others would forget.

However, facing Taiyi's gaze, Qi was of two minds, and said with a light laugh:

"It's just letting you have your way; I haven't even made a move. If I really got serious, could you still beat me? Even if you're temporarily ahead, it's only momentary."

"Don't believe me? Look at the next one, let's see who's faster to strike, but remember what was said beforehand: you must not use the Spirit-Eye technique or divine sense to probe."

Taiyi responded disdainfully: "Just stubbornness; it's only because you see me ahead, you can only take advantage with words. Even if you just made a move, how could you possibly beat me?"

In a few words, both Qi and Taiyi became somewhat serious, carefully searching the mountains, no longer measuring with their legs, but standing above the clouds, using their eyesight to seek; whoever they saw, whether a Celestial Court person or a monstrous evil, would die.

Only if their strength reaches the Great Luo Golden Immortal can they withstand a single arrow from the two of them; ordinary evil spirits can at most be hit by a stone flung from a bow pellet.

In one day, Qi killed a total of seven hundred monstrous evils and Celestial Court personnel, while Taiyi killed fewer, only six hundred eighty-eight, which made Qi laugh at him.

As night fell, Taiyi and Qi sat on the blue stone; beneath them, the bonfire blazed fiercely, and the bright moon on the horizon seemed to lean against the mountain peak.

Taiyi and Qi gazed at the bright moon on the horizon, each holding a gourd containing the brew of Pan Wang from years ago; drinking it now, the flavor is even richer.

Although the flavor was extraordinary, it was not quite the same as before; the dry firewood in the bonfire crackled when roasted, accompanying the drink, and it seemed to become celestial music, making both Qi and Taiyi feel a bit intoxicated.

They were enjoying themselves like that. But just as they were immersed in this atmosphere, a strange person walked toward Qi and the Imperial Physician.

This person had enormous eyes, bright and spirited, with barely a mouth or nose, and a head large but body small, proportions odd; Qi and Taiyi, seeing him for the first time, found him hideous yet oddly pleasing.

Seeing Taiyi and Qi leaning on the stone, the newcomer didn't feel unfamiliar; he merely used that mouth, almost invisible, to emit a thin, sharp sound, saying:

"You two Daoists are drinking and enjoying yourselves here, taking the heavenly bright moon as company; it truly brings joy to behold."

"It's just pitiful that I am alone and single; I once had a few brothers accompanying me, but later we had a falling out, went our separate ways, and now I don't even know where they gather."

"Seeing you two Daoists like this today is truly refined; it really makes one happy."

As he spoke, the strange person actually clapped his hands, as if he were truly delighted to see this scene.

But that shrill voice was genuinely unpleasant, causing Taiyi and Qi to secretly frown, finding it quite grating.

But before they could speak, the strange person seemed to sense it and continued to chuckle: "My voice may be unpleasant, making you two frown incessantly, yet it spoils this scene. Still, there remains some fun in it, bringing joy to behold."

"You two Daoists don't know that, back when I was still with my brothers and hadn't parted, my voice was actually quite pleasant. Unlike now, this shrillness isn't human speech; it's truly pitiful."

"Although my voice is unpleasant, it manages to draw your two Daoists' attention, which truly makes one happy."

Qi and Taiyi both felt something strange about him; this person seemed not ordinary, and upon closer look they discovered the stranger's appearance was truly hideous, evoking dread in those who saw him.

That strange person was just the same as before; Qi and Taiyi had only just formed a thought when he, as if anticipating it, didn't wait for their answer and continued to speak, saying:

"You two Daoists, your bearing is tall and upright, like the pine tree beside the blue stone, towering without equal; your appearance is beautiful, truly enviable."

"Being able to meet two such handsome Daoists today truly brings joy to behold."

"You two Daoists don't know that, back when I was still with my brothers and hadn't parted, my stature was also towering and extremely strong."

"Just like the gold and stone buried in the earth, it's no less than the pine trees on the mountainside; unlike now, with a stunted figure and hideous face, lacking any human likeness, it's truly pitiful."

"However, my current stunted build, with a large head and small body, a five-short physique, yet being able to meet you two Daoists who are tall and upright like this is also a fortunate thing."

"Moreover, this even drew your two Daoists' attention; the contrast between us is such a gap that it's itself a strange thing, and encountering such strangeness truly makes one happy."

Qi and Taiyi also fully realized something was off about this person; the demonic aura emanating from him was so strong it was astonishing, and to this day Qi had never seen anyone with such demonic energy.

The strange person simply stood still in place, head lowered, as if waiting for Qi and Taiyi's reaction.

But seeing no movement from the two of them, the strange person seemed to explode with anger and shouted: "You two Daoists are truly ignorant of etiquette; I have spoken three times, feeling that meeting you two Daoists is a strange and joyful event, making one happy."

"I do not hide my own shortcomings; since you two Daoists dislike them, I readily admit them, and even constantly praise you two Daoists."

"But now that I have said this much, you two Daoists still repeatedly refuse to answer, and your inner dislike has not lessened at all—is this how one treats guests?"

Qi's brows furrowed slightly, while Taiyi found it intriguing; this demonic cultivator was strange, indeed extraordinary, yet they could not discern his true form.

"You're strange too; you suddenly came over, disturbing our mood, we haven't blamed you, yet you got angry—what's the reasoning behind that?"

Taiyi tilted his head and asked.

PS: Everyone can guess who it is; there were hints earlier, long ago, if you guessed correctly you could appear as a cameo in the book (provided the name is reasonable) (End of chapter)