Chapter 195

That white silhouette was suddenly a girl in a white long robe, black hair flowing, bewitching features, she floated out of the coffin, landed on the ground, and raised a puff of gray vapor.

No matter how you look at it, this scene is frightening.

Heng Xian showed a hint of surprise; having avoided probing the coffin out of taboo against the dead, he hadn't expected such a thing inside, so he averted his gaze and gave Gou Dan a look, pretending not to have seen.

Gou Dan was very clever, calmly leaning against him, eyes closed, cultivating.

The woman floated over, glanced at Heng Xian, pressed against his back, and gave a soft smile: 'Little brother… ah!'

Before she finished speaking, Heng Xian grabbed her hair, threw her over his shoulder, and dumped her on the ground.

Then,

Heng Xian and Gou Dan, one on the left, one on the right, frantically kicked.

The woman screamed repeatedly, unable to rise, her alluring face filled with pain and bewilderment.

She… had been beaten by a human youth and a monkey?

"Pa—pa—"

Heng Xian and Gou Dan kicked to their heart's content before stopping, each stretching their limbs.

The woman finally got a chance to speak, brushed aside her disheveled hair, revealing a swollen face: 'You vulgar mortal and stinking monkey dare to hit me, aren't you afraid I'll cast a spell…'

Before she finished, the person and the monkey kicked again.

Dense and forceful.

"Pa—pa—"

The woman finally yielded, hands over her head: 'I was wrong, I was wrong, stop hitting.'

Only then did Heng Xian, with Gou Dan, stop and ask: 'What was wrong?'

The woman lifted her head, mouth askew, eyes askance, pitiful: 'I shouldn't have appeared suddenly, frightening the young master and your… spirit beast!'

Heng Xian shook his head: 'That's not right!'

The woman's eyes darted, she suddenly retreated and flew up to the beam, her white robes fluttering, eyes blood-red, face dark as iron, baring a mouth full of fangs: 'I'll make you die!'

As her words fell, Heng Xian's aura suddenly turned fearsome; he pressed his right index and middle fingers together and slashed through the air.

"Pfft——"

A deep gash reaching the bone appeared on the woman's chest; she slammed into the wall behind, groaned, and fell to the ground, her complexion completely changed, she scrambled up: 'Little demon, I have eyes but fail to recognize the immortal's grandeur; I beg the immortal, considering my humble cultivation, to spare my life!'

Heng Xian glanced out the rear window, where lights shone bright and music drifted, and said: 'Show your true form!'

The woman shifted shape, turning into a yellow-furred fox, blood from the wound on her chest dripping down, speaking in human voice: 'I am the little demon Cui'er!'

"Cough——" Gou Dan leapt high, casually picking up a wooden stick, apparently annoyed by the sprite.

Heng Xian asked: 'Who are you cultivating with here?'

This little demon's cultivation equals the peak of Qi Condensation; without a great demon's guidance, she can't even take human form.

The fox hesitated: 'I cultivate with… my grandmother, who is a thousand-year-old tree demon!'

A thousand-year tree demon, grandmother?

Damn! It's like Liaozhai!

Heng Xian went around the coffin to the rear window and looked out.

He saw that behind the temple, where towering trees encircled, a building had appeared; inside, music shook the heavens, a sea of laughter and chatter, white drapes fluttering, adding an eerie touch.

Heng Xian formed a seal with his right hand, silently recited the minor spell to dispel illusions, traced it over his eyes, and looked again.

The building was gone, leaving only twisted, winding branches and the ground littered with animal and human skeletons.

Wu Sheng and his companions sat upon the skeletons, chatting and laughing, surrounded by vine spirits and wild boars as companions, while pheasants and foxes beat drums and flutes, leaping and dancing.

The scene was indescribably strange!

Above the crowd, a thick demonic qi lingered; judging by the aura, the hidden old demon possessed cultivation around the Yuan Dan Initial Realm.

A demon of the Primordial Dan Realm?

"Immortal, Immortal Master!" At that moment, the fox Cui'er was brought over by Gou Dan, trembling: "My grandmother is yin-yang united, her cultivation exalted; she usually leads us little demons to roam a radius of eighty or a hundred li, none dare provoke her, you had better… reconsider!"

Heng Xian waved his hand: 'Attack!'

"Ji—ji—" Gou Dan raised the wooden stick and struck at the fox's butt.

Fox Cui'er whined and cried, yet dared not retaliate.

"Ah——"

Just then, among Wu Sheng's group, someone suddenly had his brain marrow sucked out by a porcupine demon, his scream sending tingles down the scalp.

Wu Sheng's group instantly sobered, faces draining of color, they turned to flee.

However, before they reached the door, a swarm of little demons caught up, and in the blink of an eye two more died horribly.

The corpses fell, their vital essence flying toward a large tree, absorbed by its trunk.

Heng Xian gripped his sword, about to act.

From outside the temple behind him came the sound of a wooden fish, a deep voice intoning: 'Amitabha! Demons that harm people must be exterminated!'

While still outside the temple, as the voice faded, three figures had already arrived before the tree demon's phantom house.

He saw a rotund, plump monk and two handsome little nuns.

Heng Xian blinked, sheathed his sword, wearing a strange expression.

At that moment the fat monk roared: 'Prepare the treasure!'

"Yes!" The two little nuns immediately took positions left and right.

One struck the wooden fish, chanting the 'Thirty-Six Ways to Exterminate Demons Sutra'.

One shook the bodhi bell, reciting the 'Great Might Heavenly Dragon Mantra'.

"Ah——"

A group of little demons screamed on the spot, clapping their hands over their ears and rolling on the ground.

Wu Sheng and that old official's family took the opportunity to run over, hiding behind the three monks, having escaped death, they sat down on the ground, their souls still unsettled.

At that moment, the big fat monk's body burst with dazzling Buddhist light; he leapt into midair, holding a golden bowl: "Bold demon, I can tell at a glance you're not human! Om! Ma! Ni! Pad! Mi! Hum, seize!"

Whoosh...

A group of little demons were instantly sucked into the bowl.

Wu Sheng, the old official, and their group let out a sigh of relief.

However, at this critical moment, a hoarse, sharp voice came from the ancient trees: "Where did you stinking monk come from, daring to ruin my plans?"

Speaking, the twisting, winding branches surged forth like giant pythons.

Holy shit! There's a huge guy!

The fat monk jumped in fright, quickly gave up sucking the little demons, grabbed the two nuns, lifted the old official and Wu Sheng and the others: "Run!"

"Okay..." Wu Sheng and the others were a bit dazed, half‑dragged, half‑following as they ran.

However, the old official's daughter, who was at the rear, was tightly bound by a vine and, with a swish, was pulled back.

Miss!

Lan'er!

The old official and the maidservant turned back in terror and shouted.

"Never mind that, if we're slow we won't survive!" the fat monk roared, hoisting several people and continuing to sprint wildly.

But it was already too late!

Countless branches surged forth, wrapping everyone, monks and nuns included.

Immediately, they were violently yanked backward.

From within that ancient thicket, an aged face emerged, gender indeterminate, eyes blood‑red, letting out a grating laugh: "All treasures, you've walked right into my net, hahaha..."

The voice shifted between male and female, it opened a bloody maw, shot out a long tongue, and in an instant pierced a steward!

"Ah..." Wu Sheng and the others turned pale, screaming desperately.

The fat monk also panicked: "Done! Done! What the hell is this training? Step outside and you die, we haven't had a single good day—if I'd known this would happen, I wouldn't have bothered pretending!"

The two nuns blinked: "Junior brother, what are you saying?"

"Uh..." the fat monk finally realized, then declared solemnly: "Let's fight!"

Saying that, he desperately chanted a mantra, Buddhist light blazing on his body.

The two nuns likewise chanted.

However, the Buddhist light was too weak, the tree demon's branches too many; it was useless, scorching one branch only to be bound by another.

Just then, a voice sounded in surprise: "You're playing this intensely?"

The voice wasn't loud, but it seemed to have a soul‑shaking effect, audible throughout the temple grounds.

Whoosh—

The tree demon looked over, and the fat monk, Wu Sheng and the others also looked over.

(End of chapter)