Chapter 416 - 415: Deep Despair
The red-bearded man stared at Taoist Yuan He. "Another one?"
It took him only a moment to understand. He immediately looked toward Changyi, his eyes brimming with killing intent.
’They have some method of communication I can’t detect!’
’The moment I appeared, they must have called for reinforcements from their sect. Then this kid not only handed over the Heart Chakra immediately but also kept talking just to stall for time.’
’Then they stalled until that old crone arrived. She continued to stall, and now they’ve brought in an expert with a golden Flying Sword!’
From their brief exchange, the red-bearded man could tell that although this old man’s Dao Practice Magical Power was inferior to his own, his True Qi was incredibly vigorous and full of pure yang energy—the natural bane of all things sinister and evil.
’I am one of those sinister and evil beings. I’m confident I can beat him, but it won’t be as easy as it was with the old crone. Fighting both of them at once would be even more troublesome.’
And so, the red-bearded man no longer wanted to fight.
However, as a renowned master from the Southern Border, he wouldn’t just wimp out and retreat. He still had to deliver his threats. Revenge would come later, of course, but for now, he would make them live in constant, unending fear.
"Good, good, good!" The red-bearded man pointed at Changyi. "Kid, I’ll remember you."
"And Daluo Palace?" the red-bearded man sneered. "You’d better pray your disciples never travel alone. If I happen upon one, I will perform Soul Extraction and Essence Refinement and torture them for a century!"
The moment he finished speaking, the red-bearded man shot forward, transforming into a streak of red light to flee south.
"Who can halt my steps on this endless road? In silent focus, my spirit becomes one with the cosmos. My sword flashes in the dead of night, seeking its rest. Beneath the stars and moon, I could slay a Qilin."
Taoist Yuan He recited the verse, then aimed his sword finger. The Pure Yang Flying Sword erupted into a hundred-foot-long beam of Sword Light. It coiled and slashed, twisting through the air at his command to block the red-bearded man’s path, then chopped down at his head.
"How dare you!"
The red-bearded man flew into a rage. "You should be celebrating that I chose not to kill you! And yet you dare to block my path? Do you really think I *can’t* kill you?"
’In my opinion, even if Taoist Xu Ning and Taoist Yuan He teamed up, they’d be no match for me. At best, they could protect a few of the younger ones while they escaped.’
’So why, when I’m choosing to leave, would they try to stop me? They should be breathing a sigh of relief and saving this fight for another day. Why would the weaker party attack the stronger one?’
’Are they insane?’
Taoist Yuan He just smiled serenely and aimed his sword finger once more. The Pure Yang Flying Sword executed Sword Light Division, its single beam multiplying into dozens. The beams of light merged and separated unpredictably, twisting through the air at his will. Soon, the sky was filled with Sword Qi, trapping the red-bearded man.
"Go on, then. Come and kill me," Taoist Yuan He laughed. "If you can’t manage to kill me today, I’ll lose all respect for you."
Taoist Xu Ning chuckled in surprise. She stowed the Purple Sandalwood handle she was holding in her gourd and took out a mirror. She aimed the mirror at the red-bearded man, channeling her body’s Magical Power into it.
The next moment, a beam of Pure True Light shot out from the mirror, enveloping the red-bearded man.
Even with his Protective Demon Qi, the red-bearded man felt his entire body constricted. It was as if an invisible, intangible, yet very real layer of energy was suppressing his Dantian Sea of Consciousness, cutting his power by a full thirty percent.
"Break for Oldzi!"
The red-bearded man roared, his body flickering as he broke free from the mirror’s light. However, the Pure Yang Flying Sword still broke through his Protective Demon Qi and struck his body.
CLANG!
With a soft clang, the red-bearded man froze for a moment. He was unharmed. Instead, he reached out to grab the Pure Yang Sword.
Taoist Yuan He formed a Seal Technique. The Pure Yang Flying Sword erupted with Sword Light and shot free from the red-bearded man’s grasp. It then slashed him with Sword Qi over a dozen times before flying away.
"An exoskeleton?" Taoist Yuan He raised an eyebrow. "Is your true form some kind of insect?"
"You’re the insect! Now die!" The red-bearded man leaped, transforming into a streak of red light. But instead of charging Taoist Yuan He, he abruptly changed direction and shot straight for Taoist Xu Ning.
A phantasmal, hideous, skeletal insect head materialized in front of the red light. It opened its massive jaws, about to devour Taoist Xu Ning.
The red-bearded man was determined. He would kill Taoist Xu Ning first, even if it meant taking a few hits from the Pure Yang Flying Sword.
But before he could get close, his vision suddenly went dark. The sky had been abruptly blotted out by dark clouds. Five-colored light flickered within them, coalescing into a brilliant bolt of Purple Gold Thunder Light that came crashing down.
BOOM!
The bolt of Purple Gold Thunder Light struck the phantasmal insect head squarely, shattering it instantly before landing dead-center on the streak of red light.
The red-bearded man howled as his physical form reappeared. He gritted his teeth and stared up at the sky.
Taoist Ming Chong hovered in the sky opposite Taoist Yuan He, a broad smile on his face. "A mere insect, and so arrogant. Judging by that head you manifested, you must be a centipede, right?"
The red-bearded man’s eyes went wide. Panic began to bubble up in his heart, unbidden.
’Who in the world are these people from Daluo Palace? Not only do they have a communication method I can’t detect, but their experts keep showing up one after another, each with completely different techniques. This newest arrival is already my equal in strength.’
’I have a bad feeling about this. If I’m delayed any longer, I might never get away.’
Meanwhile, Xue Bingbing, who was being sheltered behind Taoist Xu Ning, stood with her mouth slightly agape.
"No wonder you said he couldn’t touch us. Your sect’s reinforcements are unbelievably fast."
Xue Bingbing was stunned. While the Dao Practice of Taoist Xu Ning and the others wasn’t necessarily higher than the masters of Snow God Mountain, their reinforcement speed was truly on another level.
She glanced at Taoist Xu Ning’s back—that was Jingyi’s master. Then she looked at Taoist Yuan He. His Flying Sword techniques were identical to Yangshuo’s.
"This senior who controls the Thunderbolt... is he an elder of Changyi’s, or yours?" Xue Bingbing asked Zhan Qing.
Changyi pointed to himself. "He’s one of my elders."
Xue Bingbing turned to Zhan Qing and asked curiously, "Did you call for anyone?"
Zhan Qing nodded. "I did. But my Grandmaster is quite far away, so he hasn’t arrived yet."
The red-bearded man overheard Zhan Qing. He froze for a split second, then shot into the air, turned, and fled without another word—not even a final threat.
But Taoist Ming Chong had no intention of letting him go.
Although his primary duty was to oversee Daluo Palace’s Alchemy Hall, and he wasn’t as diligent in his daily cultivation as Taoist Ming Yu, that didn’t mean Taoist Ming Chong was weak.
It was absurd to think otherwise. How could a proper Celestial Master from the Dragon Tiger Heavenly Mountain Heavenly Master’s Mansion, one who had cultivated Taoist True Qi, possibly lack the ability to perform Exorcising Demons and Evil Spirits?
Taoist Ming Chong scattered a handful of golden beans. They transformed into twelve gleaming Celestial Warriors who surrounded the red-bearded man. Then, with his left hand forming a mudra and his right a seal, the Five-Colored Thunderclouds in the sky rumbled, and bolts of five-colored lightning crashed down.
With Taoist Ming Chong leading the charge, Taoist Yuan He controlled his Flying Sword and Taoist Xu Ning provided support with her Treasure Mirror. They had the red-bearded man completely surrounded, determined not to let him escape.
The red-bearded man shrieked, and countless red threads shot out from his body as he charged left and right. Although his thick Protective Demon Qi allowed him to temporarily withstand the three old Daoists’ attacks, breaking through their encirclement was out of the question.
However, it was also proving difficult for the three old Daoists to take him down quickly.
Just then, a flash of gold appeared on the horizon. A radiance like a miniature sun came hurtling toward them, bringing with it a raging inferno and the faint, barely audible sound of a bell as it descended from the sky.
The red-bearded man looked up at the approaching sun, which grew larger and larger until it filled his entire field of vision. The flames it radiated were so intense they were evaporating his Protective Demon Qi from a distance, making his exoskeleton sizzle and creak. His heart filled with utter despair.
Then, an ancient voice boomed in his ears, "Vile demon, taste my Flowing Gold Fire Bell!"