Chapter 267: Slaying the Enchantress with the Sword, Striking Fear into the Wicked Monk

The Tang sisters stepped forward in tandem, blocking Cheng Xinzhan's path both front and back, yet keeping a considerable distance.

Cheng Xinzhan did not know what scheme they were plotting.

Soon, he saw both of them manifest a plum-blossom vase; the eldest sister, Tang Caizhen, had a pomegranate branch stuck in hers, while the younger sister, Tang Caixing, had an apricot branch in hers.

The two tossed the vases, and the flower branches fell out, taking root in the void and forming a circle that trapped Cheng Xinzhan in the center.

Seeing this formation, Cheng Xinzhan knew they intended to set up a trap. Naturally, he would not sit idly by waiting for it to be completed, so he transformed into a streak of light once more, heading upward to fly away from this place.

However, this formation seemed not so simple. Ever since those flower branches were manifested, they had automatically locked onto Cheng Xinzhan's Qi. No matter where he flew, the branches followed, and no matter how fast he flew, the branches always kept him locked in the center.

They certainly had some tricks up their sleeves.

Cheng Xinzhan ceased his futile efforts and carefully observed the branches around him, searching for a flaw.

Seeing this, Tang Caizhen sneered.

"You thief, this great formation of mine can spy on your mud-pill palace and bind your primordial spirit; where else can you go? Just wait until I extract your primordial spirit to offer as a sacrifice to my sister!"

As she spoke, the flower branches, having taken root in the void, rapidly sprouted and grew. Moreover, each turned into ten, and ten into a hundred; in the blink of an eye, they had grown into a brilliant forest of flowers. Above, the branches and leaves connected into a floral net, and below, the roots knotted into a wooden fence, locking Cheng Xinzhan in like a cage.

Seeing this, Cheng Xinzhan unleashed fire to burn them, scattering a sheet of purple flames.

Eh?

The next moment, he was somewhat surprised; the baleful fire had actually passed through the flower forest and flown out, as if the flowers and trees were merely an illusion. Yet, when he tried to run out, those flowers and trees blocked him truly and solidly.

Tang Caizhen laughed again upon seeing this.

"Do not waste your efforts. This great formation of mine can avoid all harm from the Five Elements; how could you possibly injure it?"

Tang Caizhen's tongue was unforgiving, and her movements in setting the formation were swift. After the flower forest grew, the two sisters removed their own shawls and outer gauze robes, tossing them into the formation.

These shawls and gauze robes grew upon meeting the wind, then divided into a hundred more, hanging from the branches of the flowers and trees in the forest, layer upon layer, blocking Cheng Xinzhan's line of sight so that he could not see the edge, nor could he ever glimpse the full extent of the flower forest.

At the same time, the pomegranate and apricot flowers in the forest bloomed fully, emitting a rich, fragrant scent.

Cheng Xinzhan had only just smelled the floral scent when he heard a series of women's laughter ringing out from the forest.

Immediately, he saw a group of women emerging from all directions. These women had only thin gauze draped over their bare bodies, while the hair ornaments on their heads were clusters of flowers, intertwined with the flowers on the trees.

He blinked, and the women walking toward him suddenly turned back into trees rooted in place, while the trees that had originally been motionless turned into women walking toward him.

Truth and falsehood, reality and illusion, stillness and motion—it seemed the entire flower forest was crowding toward Cheng Xinzhan in the center, intending to devour him.

With the formation complete, the two women breathed a slight sigh of relief, but immediately, hateful expressions appeared in their eyes.

The younger sister, Tang Caixing, said,

"If the second sister were still here, and we combined her peach blossoms, the power of our 'Enchantress-Ghost Man-Devouring Great Formation' would double again!"

Tang Caizhen was overcome with grief at these words. She nodded and replied,

"But with the strength of the two of us, it is enough to take his life and offer it as a sacrifice to our second sister."

The two sisters were confident, looking into the formation. They wanted to watch carefully how this murderer would be eaten step by step by the flower forest; his flesh and blood would turn into flower fertilizer, his bones would turn into flower branches, and his primordial spirit would be refined into an Enchantress-Man Flower Charm!

At this moment, inside the formation, Cheng Xinzhan also realized the floral scent was poisonous. He immediately manifested the "Purple Zi Zi Huo Lan Tao Baleful Qi" within his body, transforming it into a purple gauze magic robe to drape over himself. Thus, he could see the colorless and formless floral scent in the forest turn into purple flames the moment it touched the gauze robe, burning silently.

He took out a "Heavenly Yellow Detoxification Pill" and swallowed it. The medicinal power transformed into a stream of cooling energy, allowing his primordial spirit to recover its clarity. At the same time, the "Non-Poison" and "Stinking Lung" of his seven souls left the Purple Palace, entering his meridians to expel the remaining floral poison from his body through breathing.

He operated his Dharma eyes, his pupils glowing with Dharma light—left cinnabar, right emerald—scanning the flower forest. At this moment, there were neither enchanting women nor flower trees in his eyes, only skeletons closing in on him!

Cheng Xinzhan's mind was clear, and he recalled the two sentences that enchantress Tang Caizhen had said just now:

"The great formation can avoid all harm from the Five Elements."

"The great formation binds the primordial spirit."

But if that were truly the case, had the method to break the formation not already been spoken by her own mouth?

Cheng Xinzhan wanted to try. He manifested his flying sword, "Youdu."

He truly did not lack things outside the Five Elements; he had cultivated wind, thunder, yin, and yang. However, thunder is akin to wood, and wind is stilled by the forest, while the Blood God Sect's spells and magic treasures were resistant to thunder and fire. Therefore, using "Youdu" should be the most appropriate way to break this forest formation.

He had forged this flying sword using the yin dregs from his own bones and blood; it was an Yin-Instrument flying sword, positioned outside the Five Elements.

At the same time, it was fortunate that "Youdu" had already been refined by him into an invisible sword Qi. Coupled with the tempering of the Daoist orthodox Heavenly Gang and Earthly Sha, although it still contained some of the supernatural qualities of the Blood God Sect's white bone flying sword, it was completely unrecognizable from its appearance, and he did not fear being identified by the Blood God Sect.

This flying sword was initially a white sword with red light, the color of bone and blood. Later, after he refined the "Purple Zi Zi Huo Lan Tao Baleful Qi" into it, the baleful light and blood light merged, staining the flying sword a striking purple-cinnabar color, which had once caused a sensation overseas.

The so-called cinnabar is the orthodox color, and there is also the saying that "wicked purple steals the cinnabar." Both colors were extremely domineering and profound, so even though more Gang-Sha and Taiyin magic power were refined into it later, this streak of purple-cinnabar sword light had never changed.

This was the same as "Taodu." Taodu was initially a fire sword, appearing as a crimson red color. Later, after he refined solar magic power and Gang-Sha into it, it gradually evolved into a more striking crimson-gold color, and it had not changed since then.

At this moment, with a thought, the Yin sword transformed into a streak of purple-cinnabar sword light, stabbing toward the white bone puppets closing in step by step.

Standing outside the formation, the Tang sisters saw Cheng Xinzhan's movements clearly. Just as they were about to mock his overestimation of his own abilities, they heard a loud boom, and a large hole appeared in the flower forest!

The sword light flew out, striking directly at the Tang sisters.

The two were shocked, and after a scream, they fled in terror.

"Tang ladies, do not panic!"

At this moment, another man's voice intervened. Cheng Xinzhan looked out from the hole and saw a bald monk flying over from the direction of Zhou Qingyun.

It was a young monk draped in a bright red cassock, so thin he was skin and bones, with a sallow complexion. Yet, such a monk even wore powder and lipstick, looking extremely eerie.

He manifested a string of Buddhist beads and shouted arrogantly,

"If this monk cannot lock the Emei Green Cord Sword, can I not lock a mortal object like you?"

It was a string of white bone Buddhist beads; the one hundred and eight beads were one hundred and eight skulls. The Buddhist beads came extremely fast, like a rope, looping onto the sword light and winding tightly several times.

This seemed to be a treasure specifically designed to restrain flying swords. After the Buddhist beads looped onto the sword light, they flashed with light, and "Youdu's" speed immediately slowed down, struggling violently.

Seeing this, the fleeing Tang sisters stopped their movements, looked at the monk who had come to their aid, and said with a smile,

"Many thanks, Master Kongse."

The monk waved his hand, his gaze sweeping over the two sisters, smiling in a very lewd and obscene manner.

"Between you and me, why is there any need to speak of thanks?"

Both sisters were people who cultivated the Dao of Plucking and Supplementing, so they naturally did not mind the monk's gaze. Instead, they returned a charming smile. Afterward, each pinched a seal, aiming again at the flower forest magic formation. The magic formation contracted further, and that hole was also gradually becoming smaller.

Looking toward the flower forest, Tang Caizhen's expression turned gloomy again. She looked at Cheng Xinzhan through the gradually shrinking hole and said,

"Even if your flying sword is strange and not a weapon of the Five Elements, so what? You must know, you as a person cannot escape!"

As soon as she finished speaking, she saw that thieving Daoist smile at her and respond with one sentence:

"Is that so?"

Tang Caizhen did not know what other trump cards that thieving Daoist had. However, she knew that her formation's Qi was bound to the primordial spirit of the person inside; wherever the person was, the formation was there, and it was absolutely impossible to escape unless the entire formation was completely destroyed.

Although Tang Caizhen believed that thieving Daoist should not have this ability, she still thought it best to be cautious and exerted her full magic power.

However, just as that hole was about to be filled again by flower branches, she suddenly saw that thieving Daoist turn from one into two!

Was her vision blurred?

She could not distinguish clearly.

But the next instant, before the sword hole completely closed, a streak of green light flew out from that hole. After exiting the formation, the green light transformed into a human figure.

It was exactly Cheng Xinzhan.

The Tang sisters widened their eyes, somewhat incredulous. How did he run out?

But when they looked into the formation again, there was clearly still a person inside, who was currently performing thunder magic, resisting the encroachment of the flower forest.

Two thieving Daoists?!

They were shocked and lost their focus. Cheng Xinzhan, who had driven his bamboo body out of the formation with a split spirit, would not miss this opportunity. He held "Qiushui" in his hand, stepped on the wind, and arrived in an instant.

A single flash of sword light illuminates the great river.

Tang Caizhen's head flew into the sky, her eyes wide open, her face still wearing shock.

"Ah—"

Tang Caixing screamed and immediately performed magic to flee.

After Cheng Xinzhan beheaded one person, he shifted his feet, turned around, and pointed his right hand in a seal toward the fleeing Tang Caixing, chanting a spell:

"Taiyin Lower Quarter, Lock!"

This was exactly one of the three Taiyin magic spells he had comprehended.

Tonight was the twenty-second, the moon phase was the lower quarter, which perfectly matched the 【Lock】 spell.

At this time, Tang Caixing was fleeing for her life. Hearing the sound of a spell coming from behind, she subconsciously looked back.

She saw the moon hanging in the western sky, its phase in the lower quarter, shaped like a curved bow, its color like frost and snow. Before the quarter moon, there was a Daoist chasing with a sword; his sword was like water, reflecting the frosty moon, looking just as cold.

That person pointed his right hand toward her, like a command, commanding the quarter moon behind him. However, at this moment, the quarter moon really looked like a silver lock.

At this time, she suddenly felt her whole body go cold, and she was unable to move anymore, unable even to turn her head.

Thus, Tang Caixing watched helplessly as Cheng Xinzhan stepped on the moon and arrived. Hand raised, sword fell, and then, she saw her own body—a headless body.

Even though she no longer had a body, she still felt herself shiver. She woke up with a start, wanting to have her primordial spirit leave her body and flee.

But the next moment, she discovered with terror that that spell had not only locked her physical body so it could not move, but even her primordial spirit was locked in her mud-pill palace, unable to move at all.

Who exactly was he?

Cheng Xinzhan did not know what this enchantress was thinking. He raised his hand and sent two baleful winds, blowing away the primordial spirits of the two sisters and sending them off to be reincarnated.

Now that he was killing more and more demons, Cheng Xinzhan began to distinguish between light and heavy in his actions; he would not just burn the primordial spirit and incinerate the true spirit at every turn.

As for the Tang Caiwei from just now, that was entirely because the Five Thunders were domineering, and her body was full of miasma and evil Qi. Cheng Xinzhan had not deliberately held back, and accidentally, he had also shattered her primordial spirit and true spirit.

However, Heaven has the virtue of cherishing life, and in all things, one should leave a glimmer of hope; it is better to do fewer acts of extermination. These demons were not immortals; after reincarnation, they would have no memories. If they wanted to awaken the memories of their past lives, it would be difficult even if they cultivated to the Immortal Realm.

Moreover, throughout history, no one who cultivated to the Immortal Realm ever thought of finding the memories of their past lives. Worldly affairs are impermanent; if this life was from the Daoist sect, and the past life was a demon, and a demon who had a blood feud with the current friends and family, how would that person conduct themselves?

Although Cheng Xinzhan thought his actions were merciful, others would not think so. For example, the monk Kongse not far away, seeing that Cheng Xinzhan did not even leave a chance for borrowing a corpse to return to life, directly sending them to reincarnation, with a lifetime of cultivation vanishing into smoke, was already extremely horrified.

At this moment, seeing Cheng Xinzhan look over, his heart shook.

"Boom—"

At this time, there was another loud noise. Without the formation master to control it, Cheng Xinzhan's true self easily used thunder magic to forcibly break the flower forest formation.

The flower forest had now turned into a pile of skeletal withered branches, falling into the great river. The true self flew out of the flower forest, bathed in thunder light, and together with the bamboo body, one in front and one behind, they pincered the monk Kongse.

This positioning was familiar, but the situation had changed drastically.

A second primordial spirit? An external incarnation?

Who exactly was this person?

The monk Kongse looked front and back, his soul fleeing in terror.

The true self pointed at "Youdu" and chanted,

"Swift!"

Thus, the flying sword shone with a great white light, enveloping the white bone skull Buddhist beads as well. This was the White Blight Bai Wuchang Baleful Light; where it shone, bones withered.

In addition, the white bone flying sword had the ability to plunder people's bone marrow and blood essence to nourish the sword body. Although Cheng Xinzhan had never used it, it did not mean he did not have this ability. Following his order at this time, the white bone flying sword began to conversely plunder the true essence of the white bone Buddhist beads.

The monk Kongse was terrified. He could feel the true essence in his magic treasure rapidly flowing away, but he had only seen this method of plundering the true essence of bone treasures in his own Bai Gu Zen Temple and the Western Sea Blood God Sect. Where did this Daoist learn it from?

With a thought, he wanted to retract his magic treasure, but it was easy to bind the sword, and it was not so simple to get away now. "Youdu" was originally an invisible sword Qi, and at this moment, it conversely wrapped the Buddhist beads inside, not letting them escape.

The monk Kongse wanted to pinch a seal and chant a spell, operating his magic power to summon back his treasure. But at this time, Cheng Xinzhan's bamboo body had already come to attack with a sword.

The monk Kongse had no choice but to separate his palms that had just been pressed together, to block the slashing sword.

"Clang, clang, clang—"

Cheng Xinzhan was surprised to find that this monk's physical body was so hard that he could block Qiushui with just his palms.

"Are you from the Bai Gu Zen Temple?"

Cheng Xinzhan asked.

The monk Kongse replied,

"Exactly. And who are you?"

Cheng Xinzhan smiled and answered,

"Just a mere wandering practitioner!"

Hearing the words "wandering practitioner," the monk Kongse suddenly remembered the green wood sword light and the Li Fire escape technique that Cheng Xinzhan had just displayed, as well as the baleful light that withered human bone treasures, and he exclaimed in shock,

"Recently, I heard that there is a wandering practitioner in the Xichuan Sword Pavilion with the name Yunlai, who has successively destroyed two Zen temples, Hanwei and Xiushou, and plundered people's inheritance. Could it be you!"

Cheng Xinzhan slashed over with a sword,

"It is indeed this poor Daoist!"

The monk Kongse no longer had any will to fight and turned to flee. He knew his own abilities; he was a bit stronger than the monk Hanwei and a bit weaker than the monk Kufeng. How could he possibly defeat this fierce wandering practitioner?

"Monk, do you not want your treasure anymore?"

At this time, Cheng Xinzhan's true self shouted again. Only a series of cracking sounds were heard; "Youdu" crushed all the Buddhist beads, and the flying sword's own brilliance became even greater, chasing and stabbing toward the monk Kongse.

The monk Kongse spat out a mouthful of blood with a "wah." However, listening to Cheng Xinzhan's words and the sound of his treasure shattering, he did not even look back, fleeing for his life.

Perhaps he was afraid that Cheng Xinzhan would perform the locking magic spell again, or perhaps he was afraid of being caught up by the flying sword. Cheng Xinzhan had not even made a move yet, and the monk had already severed one of his own arms, shouting loudly,

"Do not chase me anymore! This monk is going to release the 'Bai Gu Baleful Thunder'!"

Cheng Xinzhan had never heard the name "Bai Gu Baleful Thunder" and felt that this monk was bluffing. However, seeing the determination of that wicked monk to sever his own arm, he was still somewhat vigilant, and his speed slowed down a little.

Immediately, only a loud boom was heard, and he saw that severed arm suddenly explode. It was a gray-white thunder light that Cheng Xinzhan had never seen before, causing ripples in the void like water waves. The gray-white thunder light spread in all directions along the ripples like a water snake. When it touched the river water, it pressed a large hole into the river surface, stirring up hundred-foot waves that went straight up to the clouds.

What powerful might!

Cheng Xinzhan immediately stopped and gave up the chase.

At this time, his physical true self and bamboo body merged together, and in an instant, a brilliant light flashed, and the two bodies became one.

After the remaining power of the baleful thunder dissipated, Cheng Xinzhan saw that the monk Kongse had already gone far away, having run to the other side of the great river in just a short while.

He secretly sighed "what a pity" and went to support Zhou Qingyun. But as soon as he flew close, among the circle of people surrounding Zhou Qingyun, the few near him quickly dodged, leaving a gap.

It was exactly:

Thunder and fire fight water, blood rainbows fly,

Wicked monk hears the name, flees and loses his armor.

Split spirit and incarnation slay the enchantress,

Who dares to step forward and urge their life to end?

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 268 =====