Chapter 224
Chapter 224
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 224
Chapter Title: Got Kidnapped Away
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Behind them, experts from the Mound-Moving Sect and Hundred Forging Hall gave chase, hurling curses nonstop, yet the distance between them and Chen Shi along with Blackie Pot only grew farther. They had no hope of catching up.
Baili Mu had the highest cultivation among them and pursued with all his might, but the gap between him and that man and dog widened all the same.
He urged on his soul, but this was the underworld—biting yin winds assailed him, chilling to the bone and highly unfavorable to his soul.
Moreover, at the speed of that massive hound, even if he unleashed his soul for a full-speed chase, he likely still couldn't catch them.
In the direction that massive hound was fleeing, a demonic beast even larger than a mountain range appeared: dragon head, long neck, dragon tail, straddling heaven and earth. It opened its massive blood-filled maw and gazed in their direction.
Atop that demonic beast's head burned a massive fiery sun.
Seeing this, Baili Mu dared not pursue further and hurriedly halted.
The crowd from the Mound-Moving Sect and Hundred Forging Hall witnessed the scene and were gripped by fear, not daring to give chase either.
They watched wide-eyed as that giant hound carrying the treasure thief leaped into the air, vaulting over the dragon-headed demonic beast's skull before vanishing without a trace.
Baili Mu clenched his teeth fiercely. Suddenly, an indigo hand appeared from nowhere and seized the dragon-headed demonic beast.
The dragon-headed demonic beast vanished from the underworld.
The sight sent chills down Baili Mu's spine. He whirled around at once. "The passage won't hold for long. We must return quickly, lest we draw the underworld's ghost gods!"
The crowd hurried after him, still reeling from the scene they'd just witnessed.
That dragon-headed demonic beast was so enormous, with a blazing sun atop its head—yet that sudden giant hand was even larger!
The underworld truly was mysterious and perilously unpredictable!
Baili Mu's expression flickered uncertainly. They had come to claim the treasure. The Mound-Moving Sect and Hundred Forging Hall had mobilized over 1,300 people, planned for more than three months, expended 40,000 taels of silver from their treasuries, and procured all sorts of talismans and talisman soldiers.
This trip had been a sure thing—they would absolutely secure the Nether Spring Soaring Dragon Sword, present it to the Young Master, earn his favor, and allow Saintess Ying to win the Young Master's regard as well. A perfect outcome for all, no?
But out of nowhere, a man and a dog had appeared, snatching the Nether Spring Soaring Dragon Sword right when it was within their grasp!
They arrived at the ring's location. Baili Mu looked over to see more than ten people wounded, all pierced through the body by Chen Shi's Non-Delusion Spear.
Fortunately, Chen Shi had no intent to kill; he'd merely gravely injured them without delivering the killing blow.
Baili Mu let out a muffled grunt, his body trembling faintly.
In his life, he'd suffered plenty of setbacks.
Back in his youth, after passing the scholar exam, he'd fancied himself a genius of vast learning—only for his juren slot to be stolen during the provincial exam.
He'd gone to the yamen to make a fuss, accusing the one who'd taken his slot, but the officials beat him with forty strokes of the bastinado and threw him in prison for three years.
After his release, branded a criminal, re-taking the juren exam became impossible.
Later, once he'd mastered his arts, he killed the usurper along with the county magistrate who'd sentenced him.
That was a big loss.
But he'd avenged it.
This time's loss, though—this was even bigger!
How was he to avenge this grudge?
Saintess Ying approached. "Sect Leader Baili, though I didn't see it clearly just now, I believe that dragon-headed beast is called a Chaofeng."
This thing was surely an incense burner.
Baili Mu froze. "An incense burner?"
Saintess Xuan replied, "It should be an incense burner."
"The Chaofeng is a divine beast, offspring of the true dragon—how could it appear in the underworld? I've heard my master speak of a certain recluse who cultivates a bizarre spell, allowing objects from the yang world to become immensely huge and terrifying in the underworld to scare off ghost gods."
"That recluse must have cast the spell, making the incense burner appear gigantic."
"In truth, the Chaofeng serves as the gateway back to the yang world—that's why the giant hound could leap out from atop its head."
She hesitated, then added, "That hand grabbing the Chaofeng was likely the recluse's own palm."
Baili Mu's mouth twitched. He flicked his sleeve violently. "No matter who it is, whoever stole the Young Master's treasure won't leave Great South Lake alive! Let's go!"
Murderous intent surged from him as he led the crowd out of the underworld.
Saintess Ying followed back to the yang world, took out a Thousand-Li Sound Transmission Talisman, and said, "I'll contact my master at once to ask who this recluse cultivating strange arts might be. Sect Leader, stay calm."
On the central island of Great South Lake, some three to five hundred li from Arch Province, a man and a dog suddenly burst from the altar. They tumbled across the altar once before leaping up.
Chen Shi swung the long spear in his hand excitedly. "Dragon Whisker Brush—got it, Granny! We can head back!"
Granny Sha was astonished. "So fast?"
Chen Shi displayed the spear in his hand and flicked the new "spearhead."
He laughed. "I had just entered the underworld when I spotted this treasure amid a fight with some treasure hunters. I charged in during the chaos and snatched it."
Granny Sha examined the "spearhead."
Puzzled, she asked, "Isn't this a sword? Why call it the Dragon Whisker Brush?"
Chen Shi guessed, "It's a magical treasure used by underworld judges—likely broken in half by someone, taking on the form of a sword."
Granny Sha had heard of similar cases and thought no more of it. She stepped forward to collect the incense burner, snuff out the incense, and had her three great ghost kings dismantle the altar.
The Boat Woman eyed the new "spearhead."
Dubiously, she said, "Is this the judge's brush? I've never seen such a strange brush tip. This looks like a sword, doesn't it? Look, there's even a sword hilt!"
Granny Sha sneered. "Girl, what was your post in the underworld?"
The Boat Woman answered honestly. "Underworld messenger."
Granny Sha asked, "How far are you from becoming a judge?"
The Boat Woman replied, "Above messenger comes underworld general, then marshal—and only after that, judge."
Granny Sha laughed. "You're so far from judge, no wonder you're ignorant."
The Boat Woman's face flushed red; she dared say no more.
Though her status among messengers wasn't low, she'd only ever glimpsed a judge's brush from afar in the past, never examined it closely.
The three boarded the boat. The Boat Woman untied the mooring rope, activated a wind talisman, and the painted boat set off along their incoming path.
Chen Shi toyed with the "judge's brush,"
swinging it into a flashy spear form, silver light shimmering all over like a bouquet of silvery blossoms.
It was just that the "brush tip" hadn't been properly sacrificed to yet, so its power lay dormant.
Recalling what Lord Non-Delusion had said about "refining with sacrifice,"
he fetched incense from the cart, lit it, and offered it to the pilfered "brush tip."
Wisp after wisp of incense smoke rose, splitting in two—one stream drifting to the shaft, the other to the "brush tip."
Seeing this, Granny Sha chuckled. "Those two are splitting it quite clearly. Looks like the little couple's been separated too long and is throwing a tantrum!"
The Boat Woman watched, clicking her tongue in wonder.
Once the incense stick burned out, the Boat Woman stepped forward and whispered, "Young Master Chen, prisoner—may this servant touch the judge's brush?"
Chen Shi handed it over casually, laughing. "Why not? Go ahead and examine it."
The Boat Woman hurriedly caught it with both hands, scrutinizing the shaft and "tip,"
stroking it gently as if it were a priceless treasure, unable to put it down.
Granny Sha quietly gripped the handle of her Ram-Horn Celestial Spirit Lamp, eyeing her warily in case the woman turned hostile upon getting the judge's brush.
After all, the judge's brush was renowned, a magical treasure of the underworld judges—its power dwarfed the Ram-Horn Celestial Spirit Lamp by multiples.
As an underworld messenger, if the Boat Woman refined this treasure, even Granny Sha likely wouldn't be her match.
The Boat Woman trembled with excitement, gently caressing the Nether Spring Soaring Dragon Sword that formed the brush tip, her heart surging:
"Now, I can touch a judge's brush too. I wonder when I'll be able to wield one? If I could obtain a Book of Life and Death as well, I could note births and deaths for others."
At that moment, a deep, resonant dragon roar echoed. A massive dragon glided slowly past the painted boat through the fog.
Everyone on the boat—the three people and the dog—froze in place.
The Boat Woman glanced at the judge's brush in her hands, then dazedly at the dragon body swimming outside the boat, utterly failing to react.
Suddenly, the Non-Delusion Spear vibrated violently, shaking loose the Nether Spring Soaring Dragon Sword. With a whoosh, it pierced the air and flew off.
The Boat Woman's hands were left empty. She lunged to grab it but clutched at nothing.
The Non-Delusion Spear shot forth at extreme speed, vanishing into the fog straight toward that giant dragon.
The Boat Woman leaped overboard in pursuit, plunging into the fog.
"My judge's brush!"
Her cry echoed from the mist.
Granny Sha snapped to her senses, grabbing her Ram-Horn Celestial Spirit Lamp and leaping from the painted boat after her. "When did it become your judge's brush? Wretched ghost girl, return the judge's brush to me!"
The painted boat drifted idly on the lake surface. Chen Shi stood stunned aboard as the dragon roar faded into the distance. The judge's brush, Boat Woman, and Granny Sha had all vanished without trace.
That Nether Spring Soaring Dragon Sword lay quietly embedded in the deck, its blade quivering faintly, sword light rippling like water and illuminating the surroundings.
Chen Shi came to his senses and reached out to grasp the hilt, drawing the treasure sword at last. Now he could examine it properly.
The sword was translucent as water, as if it lacked a fixed form—yet when he touched the blade,
a juvenile dragon seemed to hide within, swimming through the watery sword glow.
It was the first time Chen Shi had examined the sword this closely. He raised a sword finger and lightly touched the blade. The young dragon halted inside, curiously eyeing his fingertip and swimming along as it moved.
Chen Shi slid his sword finger slowly from the guard to the tip. The young dragon twisted its body, paddled its limbs, and followed to the tip.
But when Chen Shi's sword finger left the tip,
it couldn't follow out, flailing its limbs frantically and swishing its tail.
This juvenile dragon in the sword was extremely affectionate toward him.
Chen Shi continued inspecting. The sword had almost no guard; the hilt's end bore no ornamentation. It wasn't made for gripping, but for sacrificial rites.
"You're really not the tip of a judge's brush?" Chen Shi murmured.
The young dragon coiled up, nibbling its claws, and shook its head. It sneakily raised another claw, pointing at the incense in the wooden cart.
Chen Shi examined it over and over, a bizarre feeling rising in him.
He had come seeking the tip of the judge's brush, which had transformed into a dragon and repeatedly roared in Great South Lake—leading him to mistake the Nether Spring Soaring Dragon Sword for the tip in the underworld.
Who would have thought—it wasn't!
"Then, haven't I stolen someone else's hard-won treasure?"
A twinge of guilt stirred in his heart.
Especially thinking of how he'd injured so many people—the guilt deepened.
If he encountered the rightful owner, he'd return the treasure.
Fine as this one was, the world brimmed with treasures. He could simply find another unclaimed one.
Chen Shi stood on the painted boat, fog thickening around him, directions indistinguishable.
Unsure of the way, he extinguished the boat's wind talisman to prevent it from wandering off course.
The painted boat was the Boat Woman's treasure; surely she wouldn't abandon it and would return.
Chen Shi waited a while. Blackie Pot woofed twice. As dusk fell and still no sign of Boat Woman or Granny Sha, he grew anxious.
The Non-Delusion Spear was Lord Non-Delusion's magical treasure, given to him to retrieve the judge's brush tip. Now with no tip retrieved and even the spear abducted—how was he to account to the lord?
Returning to Non-Delusion City empty-handed would likely cost him his tongue.
Chen Shi could sit still no longer. He stood. "Blackie Pot, stay on the boat and guard the cart. I'll go find the Non-Delusion Spear and that brush tip!"
He had just risen when Blackie Pot's paw pressed his shoulder.
Chen Shi turned to see Blackie Pot slowly shaking its head, pointing at the incense in the cart.
Chen Shi realized. Laughing, "I got flustered and overlooked it. Feed this little guy first."
He enshrined the Nether Spring Soaring Dragon Sword, took out three bundles of incense, lit them all, and stuck them before it.
The young dragon in the sword absorbed the incense smoke. At first it was fine, utterly entranced—but gradually it grew woozy, staggering drunkenly within the sword like someone deep in their cups.
Seeing this, Chen Shi hurriedly extinguished two bundles.
Even with just one left, the young dragon couldn't handle it, reeling as if from heavy drinking.
In the end, Chen Shi left only three sticks burning, and it finally settled.
While Chen Shi offered incense, Blackie Pot had fished up several large catches, cooked them in the pot, and gestured for him not to rush—eat first, then go.
Chen Shi had no choice but to stay on the boat for dinner. Unwittingly, the sun closed its eyes and the moon opened hers.
But the fog lingered undispersed, the lake a vast white expanse, dragon roars drifting soul-seizingly now and then.
The roars persisted, meaning the Non-Delusion Spear hadn't subdued the brush tip—instead, the tip had lured it away, ditching spearhood for dragonhood! Chen Shi frowned slightly.
Now, he could only hope the incense he'd offered earlier had some effect.
Otherwise, with his current cultivation and strength, he absolutely couldn't subdue a complete judge's brush!
After dinner, the Nether Spring Soaring Dragon Sword, sated on incense smoke, lay with a round belly, comfortably rubbing it in the sword.
Chen Shi formed a sword art with his hands, mind stirring faintly. At once, he felt a spiritual link with the young dragon in the sword.
His sword finger moved lightly, and the Nether Spring Soaring Dragon Sword slowly rose, hovering in midair and following his finger.
Chen Shi's sword finger thrust, flicked, swept clouds, slashed, chopped, and swept—and the sword swam like a dragon, matching thrust, flick, cloud sweep, slash, chop, and sweep. Sword light flowed like quicksilver, darting unpredictably, incomparably swift—even several times faster than the sword qi of Chen Shi's Subduing Evil Sword at Noon and Midnight!
Chen Shi was both shocked and delighted. "This sword suits me perfectly!"
He recalled it was someone else's stolen sword. Fine as it was, it wasn't one he'd found himself.
Once he located the true owner, he'd return it.
"Blackie Pot, you and the wooden cart stay here!"
Chen Shi leaped from the painted boat into the fog, the Nether Spring Soaring Dragon Sword following, floating at the temple gate behind his head, exactly half a chi from him.
No matter which way Chen Shi moved, it held steady at half a chi—neither more nor less, unchanging.
Suddenly, a lake breeze blew, parting the fog slightly. Moonlight poured down from above, shining on the Soaring Dragon Sword.
The treasure sword reflected the moonlight, its glow streaming like a nether spring. Wherever it illuminated,
the underworld's scenes appeared in exquisite detail, as if the spring water had opened a channel into the underworld!