Chapter 234
Chapter 234
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 234
Chapter Title: Tongue-Pulling Hell
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The Patrol Governor of the Chariot Capital, Gao Changyuan, watched the Nightmare Tree from afar.
The Nightmare Tree's branches and leaves swayed wildly, its canopy covering more than ten acres. Over a thousand corpses hung from its branches—some dancing in the air, others shuffling along the ground. Even he felt his scalp tingle at the sight.
He had never seen such a clean array break.
From the moment Chen Shi was ambushed by the Candle-Lighter and dragged into the Heaven-Spanning Earth-Net Great Array, to when he killed the Candle-Lighter, charged through the array, slaughtered his enemies, shattered the formation, unleashed the tree, and sealed the array—it had all happened in one seamless flow!
He had also never witnessed such ruthless slaughter.
Over a thousand elites from the Moving Mountain Sect and Hundred Refinements Hall had been nearly wiped out, with only five survivors!
Among those thousand-plus, six or seven hundred were the finest tomb raiders handpicked from across the Western Ox New Continent. By day, they were fortune-tellers in the wilds, wandering feng shui masters in the streets, peddlers hawking wares in the countryside, coffin shop owners, or knife sharpeners.
By night, they wielded Luoyang shovels, entering the homes of the dead to rob graves like gentlemen thieves.
They trafficked in jewels from tombs, nurtured blood jade in their bosoms, and even raised yin souls.
They were masters of coming and going like shadows.
But in the battle outside the Chariot Capital, the tomb-raiding experts of the Western Ox New Continent had been all but annihilated!
The remaining four or five hundred were master artisans of artifact forging and treasure refinement, meticulously selected by Hundred Refinements Hall—nearly all of them lost!
Even the capital's garrison troops would have paid a heavy price to encircle and kill over a thousand such fighters.
"Chen Shi took them all down single-handedly."
Patrol Governor Gao Changyuan murmured lowly.
"Who says Chen Shi relies on Chen Yindu's lingering prestige? Who says he depends on the demons sealed within him? Those who think that way have gravely underestimated him."
The real danger wasn't the demons inside him—it was Chen Shi himself.
He wondered if the Western Capital had noticed this...
The intelligence he received often came from the Western Capital. Rumors about Chen Shi all warned against provoking him, claiming he harbored demons that would be unleashed if he died, and so on.
Now, the array-breaking battle outside the Chariot Capital had made Gao Changyuan realize just how dangerous Chen Shi truly was.
Baili Mu's face was ashen, his limbs ice-cold.
Since becoming sect master, the Moving Mountain Sect had flourished under him. They had unearthed numerous grand tombs, severed several dragon veins, and seized various treasures.
The sect's disciples had multiplied, showing signs of a grand revival.
In recent years, the sect's experts had grown in number, disciples blooming everywhere—even Golden Core Realm disciples numbered in the hundreds!
Had he not chosen to follow the Young Master, the Moving Mountain Sect could never have achieved such heights.
Yet today, it had suffered a near-apocalyptic blow.
Chen Shi had struck too viciously.
By plugging the Heaven-Spanning Earth-Net Great Array with the Profound Mechanism Myriad-Changes Furnace and inserting a wooden talisman, he had turned the formation that trapped him into a nightmare for the Moving Mountain Sect and Hundred Refinements Hall.
Before him, the demonic tree bore 1,143 corpses of Golden Core and Nascent Soul experts, along with the bodies of three Soul Transformation Realm powerhouses, dangling from its branches and flailing as they swayed.
Had he not arrived in time, the remaining five Soul Transformation Realm experts would likely have been devoured by this tree as well.
The monstrous tree had grown enormous, its canopy blanketing ten acres. With over a thousand corpses hanging from its branches, the sight was both majestic and utterly eerie!
"Dem... Chen Shi, you are a demon!"
Baili Mu roared in fury. His soul left his body, standing tall in the void as he raised the Tathagata Treasure Seal.
He flipped his hand sharply, and the treasure seal descended with his palm, as if the Tathagata Buddha's hand itself was slamming down from the heavens.
The Nightmare Tree under Chen Shi's control was immensely powerful—strong enough to besiege five Soul Transformation Realm experts—but against such a treasure, it had no chance even to flee.
Under the seal's pressure, the Nightmare Tree couldn't budge. Before the seal even touched it, the tree began exploding and splintering apart!
The Tathagata Treasure Seal crushed the Nightmare Tree like dry weeds and rotten wood, slamming into the ground and leaving a massive palm print—a hundred zhang long and sixty-seven zhang wide!
Baili Mu withdrew the seal, his gaze icy cold. He stepped down from the deer chariot and headed straight for Great Southern Lake.
The five exhausted Soul Transformation Realm experts moved to follow, but by the time they reached the lake's edge, Baili Mu's figure had vanished.
The lake waters surged, washing away all traces.
The five halted.
One hailed from Hundred Refinements Hall; the other four were from the Moving Mountain Sect.
"What do we do now?"
One asked urgently.
Another replied,
"The sect master is a Divine Descent Realm powerhouse, carrying the Tathagata Treasure Seal no less. He will surely slay the old demon Chen without issue!"
"But if something happens to the sect master, our Moving Mountain Sect may be finished..."
Silence fell by the lake.
In the past, no one would have dared utter such words.
Baili Mu was the Moving Mountain Sect's great reviver, with strength surpassing most past sect masters.
Chen Shi was just a twelve- or thirteen-year-old brat. Even if he'd cultivated from the womb, he'd only have a dozen years of practice—what could he use to challenge a powerhouse like Baili Mu?
Yet now, not only was someone saying it—others were believing it.
Because Chen Shi had killed too ruthlessly.
Over a thousand Golden Core and Nascent Soul experts, plus four Soul Transformation Realm powerhouses, had fallen to him and the Nightmare Tree!
At that moment, the clatter of hooves echoed as Xuan Saintess drove her deer chariot up.
The woman cradled Hundred Refinements Hall's treasure, the Profound Mechanism Myriad-Changes Furnace, and sped past them into Great Southern Lake.
The two plum blossom deer trod on clouds, galloping across the lake surface. The chariot's four wheels raced over the water at blinding speed, leaving the five far behind.
The five frowned. Xuan Saintess was injured; even with the furnace, she couldn't help much.
"Should we notify the Auxiliary Upright Pavilion?"
Someone suggested.
The Auxiliary Upright Pavilion differed from the Young Master's other forces.
Under the Young Master were all sorts of factions: Peaceful Gate harvested soul-return lotuses, Rouge Alley plied the trade of smiles, Phoenix Cry Pavilion performed operas, Merry Forest ran gambling dens, Matchmaker Society arranged marriages, Hundred Refinements Hall forged treasures.
Their businesses and sects varied.
But the Auxiliary Upright Pavilion stood apart.
It was a cadre of able advisors under the Young Master, structured like the Tang Dynasty's Tian Ce Mansion—a miniature court offering strategies, commanding troops, or coordinating factions.
Its members came from noble families, righteous sects, or reclusive experts of all stripes.
But without exception, they all possessed supreme cultivation achievements!
After a moment's hesitation, the five steeled their resolve.
Contact the Auxiliary Upright Pavilion!
On the deer chariot, Xuan Saintess remained somewhat dazed.
She had followed Baili Mu out of the city to besiege Chen Shi, confident that with Moving Mountain Sect and Hundred Refinements Hall's prowess, victory would be effortless. She never imagined so many would die!
She had never seen so many corpses!
Over a thousand bodies hanging from the tree, swaying like leaves in the wind—the scene was grand yet grotesque!
Lost in thought, she realized the chariot was already on the lake. Gazing out, she saw no sign of Baili Mu; looking back, she couldn't even spot the shore.
The two plum blossom deer pulled the treasure chariot at full speed. As exotic beasts able to tread auspicious clouds, they had run far and long, now panting heavily with exhaustion.
"Baili Sect Master!"
Xuan Saintess called out.
Her voice echoed far across the lake, where mist had begun to rise. An echo replied from the fog.
"Baili Sect Master!"
"Baili Sect Master!"
It was as if another her called from the mist—or something hiding there mimicked her voice.
Xuan Saintess grew wary. The Five Great Lakes were vast as seas, rife with strangeness.
She had heard tales: merchant ships spotting dragon-like creatures swimming in the depths, sightings of netherworld ghosts, even sea monsters swimming upstream to lurk in the fog and devour people.
"Baili Sect Master!"
The calls drew nearer, still imitating her voice.
Xuan Saintess shouted,
"Who are you?"
The voice from the mist replied,
"I am Ji Yingxuan, disciple of Venerable Miaoyin from Bodhi Dojo. And who might you be?"
The mist parted, revealing another deer chariot. Seated primly within was another Xuan Saintess, her bearing solemn and sacred.
The woman gazed at Xuan Saintess with divine fury.
"What manner of妖 are you? How dare you impersonate a disciple of our Buddhist holy ground?"
Xuan Saintess sneered, forming the Lion Seal with her hands.
"If you're a Buddhist disciple, then dare you recite a sutra with me?"
The other Xuan Saintess sneered back.
"Why not?"
Xuan Saintess intoned,
"Om, nu, nu, mo, lin, ge, lin, si-di, suo, er, he, lin, he, lin!"
The impostor recited along until the character "di"—then spewed fresh blood, her body twisting. The main chariot and its two plum blossom deer exploded with a boom!
Xuan Saintess peered into the water: several fish demons, now slain by the Buddhist incantation, floated belly-up.
"Demonic creature meddling where it shouldn't. How dare you recite the True Mantra of Kali Devi Mother with me. You deserved death!"
She had just spoken when the sky darkened abruptly.
Xuan Saintess looked up: the two suns had somehow closed their eyes, leaving only the moon hanging in the firmament.
One moon in the sky.
One moon in the lake.
The moon followed the chariot.
A gentle breeze carried a chill.
Xuan Saintess grew anxious. The lake was too vast; she hadn't found Baili Mu or Chen Shi, nor even the way back!
Then, she spotted lights on the lake and joyfully urged the deer toward them.
Drawing near, the deer refused to approach. Beneath the lanterns were several merchant ships crewed by skeletal figures in tattered clothes—some steering, others adjusting sails.
Wrecked souls adrift on the lake!
Xuan Saintess halted, intending to perform rites for these wronged ghosts reliving their final day endlessly. But as the chariot stopped, the two plum blossom deer foamed at the mouth and sank into the water.
Exhausted after a day and night without rest, the deer had finally perished.
Xuan Saintess chanted sutras, ferrying the skeletal crews and the deer across, then set off alone.
Splash—
A massive roar echoed, followed by a tremendous quake in the lake, unleashing towering waves that hurled Xuan Saintess flying into the water!
Panicking, she surfaced and looked toward the disturbance: a colossal landmass burst from the lake. Its far end emerged, immense beyond measure. Mountains loomed indistinctly on it, stretching endlessly into the horizon!
"This landmass... larger than Great Southern Lake itself?"
Xuan Saintess stared in horror and approached the sudden island. Glancing down, she saw her reflection in the water—not herself, but a skeleton mirroring her steps below.
The skeletal Xuan Saintess cradled a massive furnace—the Profound Mechanism Myriad-Changes Furnace—but hers was rusted and decayed, its power long eroded by endless ages.
Realizing the wonder of formless form, Xuan Saintess gazed at the skeleton, feeling her cultivation advance.
She walked toward the flying landmass, vast as far as the eye could see.
As she traversed it, shadowy corners teemed with peeping little things. When she looked, they hid; when she looked away, they peeked out again.
About to inspect one closely, she heard Baili Mu's voice from afar:
"Chen Shi, you've lured me here but won't show yourself—what do you intend?"
He was dozens of li away; his soul's glow was faint and unclear.
"Chen Shi is here too?"
Xuan Saintess was startled, then spotted the sneaky Chen Shi!
As Xuan Saintess saw Chen Shi, he saw her and charged instantly, knee striking forward!
Xuan Saintess leaped back, swinging the Profound Mechanism Myriad-Changes Furnace at him, thinking:
*I was ambushed up close before—he's so fast!*
Before she could activate the furnace, Chen Shi's knee slammed into her abdomen!
Xuan Saintess grunted, tumbling backward. Enduring the agony, she regretted trying to use the furnace.
Activating a treasure was inherently slow—especially one not her own.
As she moved to summon her Divine Shrine, Chen Shi closed in, spinning to smash a fist into the back of her head, sealing her Jade Pillow acupoint.
Xuan Saintess tried to send her Nascent Soul out, but Chen Shi's other palm clapped onto her crown.
She crashed to the ground with a thud, rolling and tumbling over ten zhang before stopping.
Rage and shame surged through her:
"Do my techniques have flaws at the lower abdomen, back of the head, and crown?"
Chen Shi caught the falling furnace and set it gently on the ground.
Seeing this, Xuan Saintess coughed blood while observing him, then blurted,
"You're afraid of Baili Mu! You're dodging him! You fear a direct clash! Chen Shi, am I right?"
Chen Shi glanced at her, not denying it.
"I am indeed afraid of him."
"One strike from his seal killed the Nightmare Tree. I know even my full power couldn't match him."
"I've been on the lake, trying every trick to evade him, but he's still tracked me here."
Xuan Saintess's eyes flashed with surprise—this man was so honest!
"Then why provoke Baili Mu?"
She asked.
"A true man never loses face even in defeat."
Chen Shi grinned.
"He's Divine Descent Realm; I'm Nascent Soul Realm. I can't beat him with strength, but my mouth will win."
Xuan Saintess stifled her pain.
"I never expected you to be such an honest man."
Chen Shi's expression turned solemn:
"Because this is Tongue-Pulling Hell. Lying here gets your tongue ripped out."
"Do you believe me?"
"I..."
Xuan Saintess opened her mouth, then grew alert.
Chen Shi looked puzzled.
"Saintess, what's troubling you?"