Chapter 128: Xu Xuan, the Scorpion Spirit!

"Helper?" Fashan really wanted to vomit blood, but he didn't dare to, because vomiting at this time would certainly not be blood, but his life.

After saying so much just now, could the monk in front of him not have heard?

This group of people behind him are not good people!

Back then, Fashan was deceived, and the lessons of the past were right before his eyes—why repeat the same mistake?

Fashan still wanted to persuade, but Tang Luo wouldn't listen to his nagging.

Tang Luo indeed admired Fashan's indomitable, righteous, self-sacrificing spirit, but that didn't mean he would act according to Fashan's wishes.

"Just stand there obediently, Master." Tang Luo reached out and grabbed the vines on Fashan's body.

"Impossible!"

Fashan was utterly desperate—after so many years, someone finally came, but why did it have to be such a lawless person?

As a monk, keeping his hair, acting freely and spontaneously—after all this trouble, what he got was a monk who broke his vows?

"Fine. You, whoever you are, come lend a hand." Tang Luo said, beginning to pull the vines off Fashan.

Fashan wanted to cry but had no tears—it felt as if Tang Luo was stripping him of his clothes—well, actually, there wasn't much difference.

For so many years, these vines had been Fashan's "clothes"; his real clothes had long been torn to shreds, leaving him barely covered.

If it weren't for these vines, Tang Luo and the others would see nothing but an emaciated old beggar.

Zhao Gailun and Jin Gang walked over and joined Tang Luo in tearing at the vines.

"Master, please." After pulling open the vines, Tang Luo grabbed Fashan's hands, which were suitably positioned in front of him.

Fashan glared like a wrathful vajra, exerting all his strength to resist, absolutely refusing to move, lest the White Snake vengeful spirit be unleashed!

Even if the poor monk dies...

Half a second later, he was stuffed by Tang Luo into Jin Gang's broad chest.

At the same time, a mysterious yin wind blew from nowhere, and the surrounding temperature plummeted instantly.

"Pfft!"

Fashan spat out a large mouthful of dark blood, his eyes widened, then closed, startling Jin Gang.

Fortunately, he only fainted; a golden halo appeared on his body, clearly protected by merit power, enough to preserve his life—no need to worry about mission failure due to "grandfather's death."

Normally speaking, rescuing Fashan, this "grandfather," would complete the mission as long as they ran fast enough.

But now, they faced a completely different "solution."

At the moment Jin Gang embraced the monk Fashan, all five of them simultaneously recalled relevant information in their minds:

Having rescued the grandfather, taking him away from danger completes the mission and allows return.

It's somewhat like Tang Luo's first mission—requiring a journey to a certain place. This mission is to escape a certain range; merely rescuing the person and running a few meters outward won't suffice.

Jin Gang and the others merely retreated with Fashan, without leaving.

They might not be able to help Xuanzang much, but at least they could become salted fish shouting "666," and later brag—could even help advertise for Xuanzang.

Moreover, they've already taken the benefits; if they just turn and run now, how would Xuanzang deal with them for deserting?

Their integrity isn't so high that even if Tang Luo loses later and everyone gangs up, they still couldn't win, nor so low that they'd turn and run immediately.

Most importantly, even if they wanted to run, could they actually get away?

Jin Gang had no doubt that, before they could escape with Fashan, Xuanzang could simply slap them all to death with one palm.

"Still not out?"

In the true yin wind, everyone felt the temperature dropping noticeably, their exhaled breath turning into a "white silk."

The originally blood-red setting sun quickly dimmed, swiftly advancing toward night—unknown whether this was caused by the White Snake vengeful spirit.

Even before fully manifesting, the White Snake vengeful spirit already possessed such awe-inspiring power, making hearts tremble.

It also made Jin Gang and the others truly realize they could only shout "666."

Tang Luo stood before the grave mound, his expression calm, hands naturally hanging at his sides, appearing to have finished breath regulation and prepared for a great battle.

As for the actual situation, no one knew.

Before them, the grave mound began to "move," rising and falling, giving the illusion of fetal movement.

After a moment, the grave mound split open, and a figure emerged, standing before Tang Luo.

This person was not tall, rather frail in build, with a gentle demeanor, crawling out from the grave mound, yet wearing spotless blue-white robes, head adorned with a square flat cloth, looking like an ancient scholar.

Not the White Snake.

Judging by appearance, he more closely resembled the Xu Xuan that Fashan had mentioned!

The vengeful spirit here was actually not the White Snake, but Xu Xuan?!

Qin Menglan and the others widened their eyes, while Li Qing and Yunxiao Huan's expressions were even more astonished, tinged with confusion and contemplation absent in others.

It seemed they had thought of some questions that Qin Menglan and the others had not.

"Xu Xuan?" Tang Luo asked, not rushing to act.

Xu Xuan's eyes gradually shifted from confused and turbid to clear: "Correct, I am Xu Xuan."

As he spoke, his right hand turned into a blur, thrusting toward Tang Luo's chest like a flash of lightning.

"Where is the White Snake?" Tang Luo asked.

His five fingers clenched, with the middle finger as the tip, resembling a sword or spear, tearing open Tang Luo's clothes.

It struck hard against his chest.

Yet all it earned was a single question from Tang Luo.

"I can somewhat sense her presence. Why hide, forcing me to kill the young before the old?" Tang Luo continued, reaching out to grab Xu Xuan's unrespulled right hand and casually pulling it aside.

Xu Xuan staggered a few steps, like a true frail scholar, collapsing to the ground—utterly consistent in appearance and nature.

This made Jin Gang and Zhao Gailun feel they too could do it—if they ignored that earlier "thrust."

Xu Xuan propped himself up with his hands, about to rise, but Tang Luo had already stepped on his back, pressing him down again.

The white mark on his chest quickly faded as he turned.

That step looked light and breezy, but with Xu Xuan as the center, a shallow depression appeared directly around him.

Cracks spread outward in all directions.

Xu Xuan's hands, which had been supporting the ground, strangely bent backward, completely defying normal human physiology as he grabbed Tang Luo's feet.

Without a sound, he began to exert force, trying to lift the mountain on his back.

Then, the depression deepened another layer; Xu Xuan sank half his body into the ground, his face completely buried in the dirt.

"Won't this be a bit too much of a bullying?" Zhao Gelun couldn't help but say.

It's too tragic, really too tragic.

Originally, I didn't expect it to be evenly matched; at least it should have been a back-and-forth great battle.

I didn't expect that the vengeful spirit of Xu Xuan, who crawled out, would be like "a scholar meeting a martial monk," being completely and unilaterally beaten.

"I think he's also angry," Qin Menglan said softly. Such a heartless, unjust, cold-blooded beast—no matter how he strikes, it's not excessive.

"That's right." Zhao Gelun nodded. He said it that way, but if it were him up there, he'd probably also deliver a merciless beating, beating him to death.

Tang Luo bent over, grabbed one of Xu Xuan's arms, and stood up straight.

Xu Xuan's arm instantly straightened, taut, and was still being stretched bit by bit...

Just as Tang Luo was about to tear off Xu Xuan's arm, Xu Xuan, whose face had been completely buried in the ground, suddenly let out a roar: "I am not... Xu Xuan!"

A golden light burst forth from the center of his right palm.

Tang Luo's head and body jerked sideways; the golden light grazed past his cheek, lifting a few strands of hair, flying diagonally upward, and neatly embedding into the cliff behind him.

It was embedded quite deeply, and I don't even know what it actually was.

"This is..."

Tang Luo furrowed his brow, his gaze withdrawing from the point where the golden light landed, and looked toward Xu Xuan not far away.

Just as he sidestepped, Xu Xuan seized the opportunity to break free, escaping the suppression, one arm hanging at his side.

The other arm was casually tossed aside by Tang Luo, turning into a wisp of black smoke.

Xu Xuan stared at Tang Luo, his eyes bursting with dazzling light: "I am not..."

But before he could say anything, the brilliance quickly faded, and madness, brutality, and vengeful malice rapidly spread out.

The previous vitality was like a brief flare before death.

Tang Luo's gaze returned to Xu Xuan.

Like a signal, Xu Xuan moved— a foul wind swept over, and a fierce tiger burst from its cage!

Taking on a beast's form while retaining a human shape, he lunged at Tang Luo.

Tang Luo's body tilted slightly to the left, his right foot lifted, and he delivered a whip kick that struck first, landing on Xu Xuan's abdomen.

The sound of exploding air rang out; at the moment of contact, a visible white air current flashed past.

Xu Xuan's body split into two segments in midair and fell to the ground.

The lower half quickly turned into a mass of black vapor and vanished without a trace.

The upper half began to swell, and at the break of his right arm, a huge black scorpion pincer protruded.

The other intact arm also began to twist, transforming into a black scorpion pincer.

The two pincers opened and closed, covered with steel-needle-like "hairs"; their ferocity surpassed even the "curved blade" of the black centipede.

At the break of his waist, a scorpion tail drilled out, followed by the legs.

After a moment, a huge, ferocious half-human, half-scorpion monster appeared before everyone.

The brutal, vengeful aura was so intense it seemed like a tangible heavy object pressing down on Qin Menglan and the others' shoulders.

Scorpion demon!

At this moment, Xu Xuan had become a twisted scorpion demon, just like the villagers in the village.

"Hah." Tang Luo chuckled lightly. "These past ten or so years, it seems you've suffered greatly. I almost don't want to kill you now, but if I don't kill you, the snake demon won't come out either."

The scorpion Xu Xuan had lost his earlier "reason"; his two pincers opened, one up and one down, accompanied by a whistling sound of breaking air, each striking toward Tang Luo's head and waist.

Tang Luo raised both hands, and a myriad of palm shadows appeared, falling like rain upon the scorpion demon.

"Pa!"

The crisp slapping sound—Tang Luo brought his hands together in front of his chest, and the scorpion demon's movements froze in midair.

Starting from the pincers, it turned into black breath and completely dissipated between heaven and earth.