Chapter 176
Chapter 176
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 176
Chapter Title: There Are Still a Hundred More This Powerful
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Outside Gongzhou City, a golden needle whistled past Feng Feihua's cheek.
The golden needle pierced through a city wall several zhang thick, through house after house, wall after wall, streaking dozens of li across before thudding into a petrified tree outside the city on the other side.
Feng Feihua tried to summon the golden needle back, but Chen Shi was already upon her. His palm pressed against her face as he kicked off with his feet, sliding several li sideways and smashing the woman into the city wall!
Feng Feihua's aura scattered chaotically, leaving her with no strength left to fight.
Her eyes twitched at the corners as she arduously rolled her eyeballs. In that short moment, she saw Tianyang Child, the Blue-Clothed Musician, Dao Qianqiu, Luan Haozhi, Duke Changping, Yuan Shan Sanren, and over twenty other experts all lying on the ground!
Tianyang Child propped himself up with one hand, kicking his two legs behind him, trying to crawl out of this fiend's line of sight.
Duke Changping's headless corpse thudded to the ground, his head rolling into a gutter, face-down in the filthy water with strands of green algae draped over it.
His headless body was still groping around with both hands, trying to find its own head.
The Blue-Clothed Musician's qin was shattered, his ten fingers broken—it was Chen Shi who had grabbed his hands and snapped each finger one by one, asking as he did: "Still playing?"
And Cao Daoist's nascent soul was still like before, hands bracing Chen Shi's nostrils, feet pushing against his chin, waist wrapped in a long and flexible tongue, trying to pull him into its belly.
Cao Daoist struggled desperately, but his arms and legs were trembling—he clearly couldn't hold out much longer.
No one had any fighting strength left.
Despair filled Feng Feihua's heart.
These scattered cultivators had given their all, yet this fiend had routed them completely, sending them fleeing in defeat.
Chen Shi grabbed Cao Daoist's nascent soul and yanked him up.
Cao Daoist's face was one of utter despair as he struggled fiercely, trying to break free from his grasp, but it was all in vain.
"You don't need to worry. I don't eat flesh and blood."
Chen Shi glanced around, seeing everyone laid low, and felt greatly satisfied. He opened his mouth, ready to enjoy his feast.
Suddenly, a voice laughed: "A petty little fiend dares to stir up trouble?"
The voice had started from beyond the demonic domain a hundred li away, but by the time the words were finished, it was already behind Chen Shi—blindingly fast. It was a red-robed, wide-sleeved elder who swept his sleeve toward Chen Shi.
Without thinking, Chen Shi raised his hand to block. At that moment, another voice, that of an old crone, rang out with a laugh: "This fiend picked the wrong place—right near our gathering of scattered cultivators. Isn't that just asking to die?"
A gray-robed old woman appeared, her withered finger jabbing toward Chen Shi's forehead.
Feng Feihua's heart leaped with joy: "It's the Cold Migration Elders!"
The Cold Migration Elders were senior figures among the scattered cultivators, two existences who had cultivated to the Mahayana Realm, on par with Master Kuzhu.
The elder of the pair was named Qianshan, the crone Qianke. They were also the senior experts who, ten years ago at a gathering of scattered cultivators, had warned Chen Yindu not to stir up trouble.
Feng Feihua remembered that scene vividly because she had witnessed it.
They even dared to warn Chen Yindu—proof of their overwhelming strength.
The instant the three clashed, Chen Shi's body suddenly swelled massively, instantly transforming into a giant thousands of zhang tall—green-faced with fangs, his features hideous and utterly unlike a youth's. Every gesture destroyed heaven and earth!
Qianshan laughed: "Just the Heaven-Earth Dharma Body, a technique usable at the Body Fusion Realm!"
With that, his body fused with his nascent soul, manifesting a form thousands of zhang tall—muscles bulging ferociously, divine light swirling around him, his appearance also growing much younger.
Qianke, the old crone, transformed upon fusing her nascent soul with her body into the guise of a woman in her thirties, her attire shifting to something gorgeous and alluring.
This was the divine ability unleashed when nascent soul and body merged. At their level of cultivation, nascent souls were vast, often spanning thousands of zhang. When merging soul and body, either the body grew or the soul shrank.
Most people shrank their nascent soul to fit the body, but some did the opposite—enlarging the body to accommodate the soul—thus creating the Heaven-Earth Dharma Body.
Enlarging the body also massively amplified its power; ordinary spells could no longer match their physical might.
The three godlike giants clashed, every move lethal.
Feng Feihua and the others watched in a daze, their ears filled with rumbling thunder—the sound of thunder stirred by the trio's movements!
Soon, blood appeared on all three giants. Chen Shi was the youngest, but two fists couldn't beat four hands. After all, his body was just Chen Shi's body; even with its own formidable power added, it was still that of a child.
The Cold Migration Elders had deeper cultivation, but they were advanced in years, their bodies aged. They dominated at first, but after a few exchanges, they were panting and struggling to keep up.
Especially since Chen Shi traded wounds for wounds, leaving the two secretly alarmed.
Qianshan swung Chen Shi up and smashed him down. The massive body severed the Min River, crushing a mountain peak in the Kun River.
Qianke immediately flew in, hands forming seals, and slapped a palm onto Chen Shi's forehead.
Chen Shi crashed to the ground, but instead of his head smashing into the earth, his body whistled upward.
As he flew up, his body shrank, and by the time he reached the high sky, he had returned to his normal size.
Yet on the ground, there was still a Chen Shi!
"He forced it out!"
Qianke was wild with joy, but she suddenly coughed up a mouthful of blood, her vitality waning.
Advanced in years, the seal she had just used consumed tremendous vitality. Called the Demon-Shaking Heavenly Seal, its backlash was immense; while expelling the demon from Chen Shi's body, it had also wounded her.
The Chen Shi on the ground was the demon possessing Chen Shi's body. Seeing itself expelled, it immediately howled upward, chasing after Chen Shi's body!
Unexpectedly, Qianshan abruptly sacrificed a golden silk bag. The bag flew into the air, unleashing boundless golden light that locked onto its form and dragged it toward the bag.
Chen Shi's expression turned to terror. His body dissolved into streams of pitch-black demonic qi amid the golden light, sucked into the bag as his form grew smaller and smaller, soon shrinking to normal human size.
With a whoosh, it was completely pulled inside.
Qianshan Sanren hurriedly stepped forward, rolled up the golden silk bag, tightened the drawstring, sealing it tight. He laughed: "Got you at last!"
This golden silk bag was called the Soul-Searching Bag, a demon-refining treasure refined by the Cold Migration Elders, specialized in capturing demons.
Demons inherently lacked true physical bodies. To wreak havoc in the mortal world, they first needed to seize a body; only then could they stir up trouble.
Without a body, their power was greatly diminished.
This was also why demon seeds were planted first, awaiting the hundred-day demonic transformation.
Only by demonizing everything within a hundred li radius, turning all life into its nourishment to strengthen the seed, could it forge a demonic body and become a true demon.
In this Gongzhou demonic outbreak, Lady Fang Demon had borrowed Master Kuzhu's golden body to evolve her demonic form—because she originally had no body.
And because it had emerged prematurely, it was still an immature demon.
Qianke Sanren coughed violently again. Qianshan Sanren's heart tightened as he rushed over, asking with concern: "Fellow Daoist, how bad are your injuries?"
"Not fatal."
Qianke Sanren dispelled her Heaven-Earth Dharma Body, returning to normal. She panted: "Took a bit of damage, but at least we've sealed this demon.
This one's no ordinary demon—it's a mature great demon. If it had gained momentum, subduing it would have been tough."
Qianshan Sanren laughed: "Just one measly demon. Even if two more came, with our skills, wouldn't it be a sim—"
Before "simple" left his mouth, he sensed a dangerous aura.
The Chen Shi plummeting from the sky was about to splatter into meat paste when he suddenly halted midair. Head bowed, he slowly spread his arms, floating there.
An immense suppressive aura spread in all directions.
Qianshan Sanren's eye twitched violently as he looked up at the floating Chen Shi, feeling a pressure even more terrifying than the previous demon!
"Inside this child scholar's body... there's a second demon?"
He cried out in shock.
"Qianshan, you jinx!"
Qianke Sanren's face was ashen as she cursed twice, looking up at Chen Shi in the sky and murmuring: "This is the end for us old bones.
With our strength, we can seal one more at most."
Before she finished, Chen Shi laughed heartily: "Finally my turn! Turns out this world has no true experts left—only you two old wrecks are barely worth noticing.
If I'd known, why hide inside the host?"
His eyes gleamed with savagery as he glared at the Cold Migration Elders.
Qianshan and Qianke each surged their vitality, preparing for another fight.
At that moment, another voice came from within Chen Shi's body: "Mosheng, this time it's me—not you! Give up the host's flesh!"
"Wrong—it's me! I'm the weakest; I go first!"
"Bullshit! I'm the weakest demon!"
It was as if something inside Chen Shi's head was brawling. Streams of demonic qi burst from his skull, shooting outward, instantly dyeing the surroundings pitch black.
Suddenly, Chen Shi's brow split open. One by one, demons clambered like they were scaling a massive fleshy red chasm, struggling to crawl out!
Skull-like claws dug into the cliff walls, crawling madly, followed by twisted, grotesque bodies trailing suffocating demonic qi as they tried to escape that abyss!
Qianshan and Qianke gaped, their hearts filled with utter despair. Those crawling demons were the ones hidden in Chen Shi's sea of consciousness!
With Chen Shi "dead," his sea of consciousness had been breached by these demons.
The one they'd just subdued was probably the weakest among those in Chen Shi's sea of consciousness!
The weakest could crawl out easiest and seize this body!
The Cold Migration Elders trembled, while the others despaired utterly. This battle was unwinnable—impossible to win!
Even if the two recovered their prime vigor and peak vitality, they couldn't win!
Because there were simply too many demons in Chen Shi's sea of consciousness!
And even stronger ones waited to crawl out and claim the body!
Even if the Cold Migration Elders were made of iron, how many blows could they withstand?
Calamity—this was a demonic calamity! Disaster-class evil!
Tianyang Child stared blankly at the scene, all hope extinguished, murmuring: Is this the end of the human world? True God—yes, the True God! Has the True God seen? Hurry and obliterate this disaster!
His mind was muddled, teetering on madness.
Though the True God monitored all the world, It could only see Chen Shi and wouldn't detect the anomaly, so no divine punishment would descend to destroy him.
Even if True God struck, they'd die too—but Feng Feihua and the others were pale-faced yet willing.
They couldn't let this disaster escape!
If it did, the destruction would dwarf even the collapse of the Great National Temple's Demon-Suppressing Tower!
"Qianshan, let's fight him to the death!"
Qianke Sanren gritted her teeth, trembling as she said: "With these broken bodies, we'll trade for the world's peace!"
"Good!"
Qianshan Sanren said resolutely: "Let's do it!"
The two were resolved to die. They exchanged a glance, minds in sync, and were about to soar into the air to slay Chen Shi!
Suddenly, a little old woman sped out from the city, carrying a brazier as she rushed toward them. Flames danced in the basin, with talismans bearing glittering golden script radiating light.
"Useless lot, get out of Granny's way!"
The little old woman raced over, the flames in her basin suddenly shooting up high.
Even the Cold Migration Elders, with death in their hearts, felt a spark of anger at the words: "We're the useless ones?"
It was Granny Sha—this little lady had no filter on her mouth. Hadn't she seen them?
Granny Sha ignored them completely and hurled the fire basin at the back of Chen Shi's head.
At that moment, over a hundred demons in Chen Shi's mind were vying for the body. One seized control and whipped around—only to see the brazier right before him.
Suddenly, a big black dog leaped from the flames, a ghost riding on its back. It pounced straight into Chen Shi!
"Ah—!"
The demon possessing Chen Shi's body let out a shrill scream of agony. Chen Shi's consciousness forced its demonic qi to surge outward wildly.
The other demons crawling out looked up sharply to see the great rift rumbling shut. They cried in alarm: "The host's back!"
Chen Shi's head instantly filled with over a hundred clamoring voices, demonic qi chilling and terrifying beyond measure.
The demon possessing Chen Shi's body desperately tried to control the demonic qi, drilling back toward his brow to return to the sea of consciousness. Suddenly, Granny Sha charged up, pinching a strand of demonic qi and yanking it outward with force.
"Soul-Searching Bag!"
Granny Sha bellowed: "Where's the damn Soul-Searching Bag! Open it! Hurry up and open it for Granny!"
Qianshan Sanren stared in a daze before hurriedly opening the Soul-Searching Bag. Granny Sha pulled with all her might, dragging that demon out. Meanwhile, Chen Shi's consciousness repelled it fiercely, finally expelling it completely.
Qianshan Sanren activated the Soul-Searching Bag, sucking the demon inside, his heart pounding wildly.
"Granny Sha, this little lady—is fierce!"
He thought to himself.
At that moment, Qingyang and Hu Xiaoliang came flying over. Qingyang held a glittering golden bag in hand—the Soul-Searching Bag.
Qianshan Sanren froze, thinking: "So she wasn't yelling at me.
Her Soul-Searching Bag is an imitation of mine!"
Granny Sha had joined the scattered cultivators years ago and learned soul-related dao arts from him. Envious of his Soul-Searching Bag, she had forged a copy.
Her earlier roar had actually been at Qingyang—Qianshan had mistakenly thought it was at him and been quite startled.
Of course—with our mentor-disciple bond, she wouldn't yell at me.
Though Qianshan Sanren understood now, he still felt a twinge of hurt deep down.