Chapter 358: Scripture of Demonic Subjugation

In a clear patch of ground deep within the valley, two colossal beasts were locked in combat.

A golden serpent, four to five zhang long, and a blue tiger, as large as a house.

The golden serpent tightly coiled its body, covered in glittering golden scales, around the tiger's lower half, while its jaws clamped down on the tiger's neck; its golden scales flickered dimly and bright intermittently, as if not truly real.

From within the blue tiger, a roaring thunderous sound echoed; despite being bound by the serpent's coils, it tore at the serpent's body with its front paws, while its gaping maw bit down on a long section of the serpent's tail, swallowing desperately.

The blue tiger's body gleamed with oily luster, its surface marked with clear bamboo patterns—clearly a mechanical puppet crafted from sheets of blue bamboo.

As the golden serpent and the blue tiger puppet remained locked in stalemate,

a white jade boat flew to stand before the two colossal beasts.

A Buddhist chant rang out: "Amitabha."

From the cliffside of the valley, a young monk with red lips and white teeth flew forth, holding an open golden scripture in his hands, and waved it toward the battling beasts.

With a soft "puff."

The golden serpent instantly exploded into countless golden Sanskrit characters, which spiraled back and vanished in a flash, all absorbed into the scripture.

"The Diamond Temple's famed Scripture of Demonic Subjugation is nothing special."

No sooner had the words left his mouth than two men and one woman flew out from the opposite cliffside; the white-robed palace-dressed woman, coldly addressing the monk across from her, pointed a single finger at the blue tiger on the ground.

A series of "click-clack" sounds echoed.

The blue tiger rapidly shrank and transformed, turning in moments into a blue pearl the size of an egg, which flew back into the woman's slender hand.

"Yuantong."

Wang Yu, upon seeing the young monk's face from the jade boat, blurted out.

The monk was none other than the Diamond Temple disciple who had once encountered Gong Yue with him in the Jialan Secret Realm.

But almost simultaneously, the white-robed palace-dressed woman on the other cliffside cried out joyfully to Wang Yu:

"Wang Daoist, it's you!"

Wang Yu's gaze instinctively swept toward the white-robed woman; after a flicker of surprise on his face, he called out, "Tianhe Daoist."

The white-robed palace-dressed woman was none other than the Tianhe Princess he had once met in the Guangyuan Marketplace.

She was the daughter of the Tianhe Prince of the Wu Kingdom; she had once intended to join the Thousand Bamboo Sect, and never expected to meet her again here.

Judging by her aura and the bamboo leaf emblem on the hem of her robe, she had not only joined the Thousand Bamboo Sect but also reached Foundation Establishment.

"Tianhe Shimei, do you know this Daoist?" The two other men in blue martial robes, each carrying something on their backs, also flew out from the cliffside; they glanced at Wang Yu and the others on the jade boat, and the middle-aged man, around fifty, asked the Tianhe Princess.

"Zhuo Shixiong, this Wang Daoist once saved my life." The Tianhe Princess's joyful expression faded, and she replied with a touch of her former coldness.

"I never expected to meet an old acquaintance. Wang Yu of the Four Symbols Sect greets you both." Wang Yu first smiled at the white-robed woman, then bowed to the other two.

Among the three Thousand Bamboo Sect Foundation Establishment cultivators, the fifty-year-old man radiated astonishing spiritual pressure—he was at mid-Foundation Establishment; the Tianhe Princess and the other blue-robed man had similar auras, likely only early-Foundation Establishment.

"Thousand Bamboo Sect, Zhuo Fan."

"Thousand Bamboo Sect, Luo Yiming."

The two Thousand Bamboo Sect men returned the bow; the fifty-year-old man remained expressionless, but the handsome young man, around twenty-seven or twenty-eight, gave Wang Yu several unusual glances.

"Zhuo Brother, I didn't expect your sect would send you on this mission—your sect must place great importance on this task," said Yun Caishang on the jade boat, ignoring the others as she smiled lightly at the eldest, Zhuo Fan.

She seemed to know this mid-Foundation Establishment disciple of the Thousand Bamboo Sect.

"Aren't you here too, Yun Xianzi? And this Daoist?" Zhuo Fan, carrying the blue wooden case, nodded to the red-dressed woman, then glanced at the last person on the jade boat, asking calmly.

"Four Symbols Sect, Xuan Tianwu, greetings to you all," said Senior Xuan, bowing to the three.

"Heh, so you're the Xuan Daoist famed for your Thick Earth Art? My apologies, my apologies. I've long heard of Wang Yu Daoist's name—even within the Thousand Bamboo Sect," Zhuo Fan chuckled, addressing all three.

"In terms of strength, you've been mid-Foundation Establishment for thirty years—now you're surely close to late-Foundation Establishment."

But what happened just now?

Why did this Shimei clash with the Diamond Temple master?" Yun Caishang's eyes flickered with curiosity.

"Not a clash—just a slight exchange of puppet techniques between this humble monk and this Thousand Bamboo Sect immortal.

Rather, Wang Shizhu, I never expected to meet you again." From the opposite cliffside, Yuan Tong floated over lightly, bowed slightly, and spoke calmly, though his gaze settled again on Wang Yu.

"Yuan Tong, I never thought we'd be assigned to the same mission again. The Diamond Temple didn't send only you, did it?" Wang Yu replied slowly, his eyes subtly narrowing.

This Diamond Temple monk—possibly the reincarnation of Jialan Shiren—had also advanced to Foundation Establishment; yet his appearance had not changed in years, and he now looked even more delicate and smooth-skinned.

"Exchanging puppet techniques?"

"Was that golden serpent just now a puppet summoned from your scripture—the Scripture of Demonic Subjugation?"

"I've long heard of your temple's Scripture of Demonic Subjugation, but this is my first time seeing the real thing. The Thousand Bamboo Sect, however, is famed for puppetry, claiming to craft seventy-one types of spirit-bamboo puppets; that blue tiger puppet just now was truly extraordinary." Yun Caishang smiled sweetly.

"Amitabha. Besides this humble monk, my brother Yuan Hui and my uncle Zhi Ming have also come; they are resting in a cave behind.

As for this Scripture of Demonic Subjugation in my hands, it is merely a duplicate volume—the summoned puppet possesses only one or two tenths of the power of the original.

The earlier exchange was merely because this Thousand Bamboo Sect Tianhe Immortal insisted on witnessing the scripture's demonic-subjugating power. Since the Four Symbols Sect Daoists have now arrived, I shall return to my meditation." Yuan Tong chanted another Amitabha, calmly informed Wang Yu and the others, then turned and flew toward a cave in the cliff behind him.

"The Demonic Subjugation Puppet is indeed remarkable. That puppet projection just now had at least early-Foundation Establishment power. This young monk holding the Scripture of Demonic Subjugation—even a duplicate—must hold a very high status within the Diamond Temple," Yun Caishang murmured, watching Yuan Tong's retreating back.

Wang Yu also wore a thoughtful expression.

For some reason, he felt this Yuan Tong was vastly different from before—as if some fundamental change had occurred, utterly unlike the man he once knew.

Suddenly, his gaze shifted and met a pair of eyes watching him from another direction—it was the Tianhe Princess, glancing at him secretly.

Seeing Wang Yu look her way, a flush of red spread across her cold face, and she lowered her head.

The Thousand Bamboo Sect youth named Luo Yiming, witnessing this, his expression darkened.

"Zhuo Brother, besides your sect and the Diamond Temple masters, have the Sunset Sect Daoists arrived?" Senior Xuan asked Zhuo Fan, gesturing toward the opposite direction.