Chapter 235
Chapter 235
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 235
Chapter Title: Bite the Sock Tightly
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Saintess Ying broke out in cold sweat on her forehead.
Chen Shi's words hid a trap. A careless lie, and if this truly was the Tongue-Pulling Hell, her tongue might really vanish into thin air!
She couldn't confirm if this was truly the Tongue-Pulling Hell, but better safe than sorry.
Still, was this really the Tongue-Pulling Hell?
"You aren't speaking. Is your stomach hurting again?"
Chen Shi asked with concern.
Saintess Ying grunted stifledly, feeling her abdomen twist in pain once more.
"It hurts..."
Her body contorted in agony, curling into a ball.
This time, Chen Shi must have tested the limit of her physical cultivation's endurance. His strikes hit just right, leaving her immobile yet clinging to a single breath—making her wish for death.
Chen Shi carried the Profound Mechanism Hundred Transformations Furnace to her side and blew a breath into it.
Even unactivated, the furnace was enormous—seven feet tall and nine feet wide. Once activated, it grew to forty or fifty feet high and fifty or sixty feet across.
The inner walls were incredibly intricate, composed of thousands of mirror-like panels slanted into the furnace lining. Each mirror bore talisman imprints inside. When powered, the mirrors refracted the bursting talisman lights from various surfaces, instantly amplifying their power to the extreme. The imprints branded into the air, transforming into mighty talisman soldiers that flew from the furnace!
Once all the mirrors spun around the furnace's center, accelerating faster and faster, talisman soldiers poured out endlessly, overwhelming any foe with no chance to defend—death swift and clean!
The furnace's embedded talismans showcased Hundred Refinements Hall's mastery in artifact forging: complex structure, ingenious design, a marvel to behold.
But it was too damn big.
Chen Shi exhaled a stream of true qi, trying to shrink the Profound Mechanism Hundred Transformations Furnace into a bird or the like to ambush Baili Mu. But after that breath, his face flushed red from effort, and it still wouldn't change as desired.
"Thud!"
Chen Shi nearly passed out from his own blowing. Finally, the furnace shifted, becoming a giant toad seven or eight feet tall and about nine feet wide.
The giant toad hopped once, facing Saintess Ying directly, and croaked, "All alone!"
Saintess Ying convulsed in pain, but her mind was exceptionally clear. This thing felt off.
"All alone!"
The giant toad hopped right up to her and croaked again.
Saintess Ying wanted to crawl away, to distance herself from this inauspicious toad, but her stomach hurt too much to move.
"Thud!"
The giant toad burst its skin and reverted to its original form as the Profound Mechanism Hundred Transformations Furnace.
Chen Shi frowned. Seeing his troubled expression, Saintess Ying felt a surge of glee, her pain easing somewhat.
"Chen Shi, are you planning to ambush Sect Master Baili?"
Her voice softened.
"Sect Master Baili is at the God Descent Realm. The gap between you is too vast; you're no match for him."
"Why struggle? If you're willing to submit to Young Master, I can act as the mediator and resolve the grudge between you and Sect Master Baili."
She had never referred to herself as "this concubine" before. As a Buddhist cultivator, her heart held nothing beyond the Buddha. Even facing Young Master, she had never humbled herself so.
But Chen Shi was truly exceptional, far surpassing the experts under Young Master. Thus, she willingly humbled herself, calling herself "concubine" to persuade him to surrender.
Chen Shi stared at the Profound Mechanism Hundred Transformations Furnace in distress.
At that moment, Baili Mu's voice echoed from afar, still calling Chen Shi out for a decisive battle. But the voice sounded farther away—he must have taken a wrong turn.
Saintess Ying continued,
"Young Master treats people with magnanimity. No matter who—be they from the three teachings, nine classes, or even riffraff—he shows them respect."
"Moving Mountains Sect digs tombs and graves, hardly respectable, yet Young Master still honors Sect Master Baili."
"Sect Master Baili's Dragon-Shaking Scripture was incomplete, so Young Master provided the full version, along with Burial Arts Inverted Staff and Suspect Dragon Scripture."
"If he treats Sect Master Baili so, how much more so for you?"
Chen Shi circled the Profound Mechanism Hundred Transformations Furnace a few times and laughed.
"Xuan Saintess, Baili Mu can submit to Young Master and live, even receiving techniques in reward—because Baili Mu is dumb enough."
"But a brilliant man like me submitting? Young Master wouldn't tolerate it."
"Because I'm stronger, smarter, more formidable than Young Master."
"Keeping me around would be like two suns in the sky. He'd fear being outshone."
Xuan Saintess stammered,
"You're... spouting nonsense! Young Master isn't the sort who can't tolerate talent!"
Chen Shi halted, smiling ambiguously.
"Think carefully about Young Master's character. Are you sure he'd spare me if I submitted? Say it again here in Tongue-Pulling Hell!"
Xuan Saintess opened her mouth but dared not speak.
Sweat beaded on her forehead. A voice in her heart warned,
"He can't say it, can't say it—Young Master really might kill him!"
At this realization, her heart chilled.
Unwittingly, she had placed Chen Shi on par with Young Master—or even above. That was why she believed Young Master couldn't tolerate him!
"How could he possibly rival Young Master?"
Xuan Saintess thought to herself.
"Be it birth, family, talent, reputation, connections—he falls far short of Young Master."
"He, he..."
Her expression changed.
"Why do I see him as comparable to Young Master?"
Chen Shi was a brash youth, ignorant of romance, ruthless and vile in methods, crude compared to Young Master's elegant poise—like heaven and earth apart. What about Chen Shi had swayed her to equate them?
She couldn't figure it out.
"You're saying Baili Mu cultivates Dragon-Shaking Scripture, Suspect Dragon Scripture, and Burial Arts Inverted Staff."
Chen Shi stood beside her, lost in thought, murmuring.
"I've seen these three arts before."
"No wonder Baili Mu's magic is so potent, his spells so powerful."
Xuan Saintess sneered.
"Chen Shi, these three arts are obscure, from the fringes. You've really seen them?"
She resolved: if he affirmed, Tongue-Pulling Hell would claim his tongue—a fitting lesson.
"I've seen them."
Chen Shi nodded, recalling the stele forest outside the Tomb of the True King.
He continued,
"These three arts derive from terrain, with spells that are crude and forceful."
"Plenty of power, lacking finesse. Breaking his techniques would be easy. Did Young Master give him the full versions, Saintess?"
Xuan Saintess waited for his tongue to fly out, but Chen Shi remained fine.
"Not the full versions."
The words had just left her mouth when she regretted them inwardly.
"Why tell him the truth? I could have just not answered! Lies are forbidden here, but silence isn't."
"Crack!"
A crisp snap interrupted her thoughts. Chen Shi was dismantling the Profound Mechanism Hundred Transformations Furnace with bare hands, peeling off the outer wall.
Xuan Saintess fumed with frustration.
"What are you doing? This treasure was perfect—why dismantle it? Do you know how much effort Hundred Refinements Hall put into forging it? Their master craftsmen engraved and redrew these talismans daily! Each mirror bears a Hundred Soldiers Talisman, requiring twelve artisans a hundred days to complete! Do you know how many mirrors are in the Hundred Transformations Furnace?"
As she spoke, Chen Shi finished removing the outer wall, examined it, then began disassembling the inner mirrors.
One had to admit, the furnace's internal structure was exquisitely crafted, leaving even him in awe.
"Lu Ban Sect's mechanism cores need coal for power."
"If we applied the Hundred Transformations Furnace's design to mechanisms, they could fly on coal!"
He started prying out the mirrors.
Xuan Saintess teared up in rage.
"How can you be so wasteful? Do you know how long Hundred Refinements Hall would take to forge another?"
"What does it have to do with me?"
Chen Shi didn't look up.
He kept disassembling until soon the entire Profound Mechanism Hundred Transformations Furnace lay in pieces—mirrors and sundries covering an acre of ground.
Xuan Saintess had no strength left to argue. She could only watch helplessly as the artistic treasure became scrap.
Then came rustling sounds. Xuan Saintess noticed odd little things peeking from the shadows, eyeing the items on the ground.
One small thing darted out from the dark, dragging a mirror toward the shadows.
Chen Shi stomped it, reclaiming the mirror.
The other little things raised their heads, hissing threats at him.
"What are those things?"
Curiosity stirred in Xuan Saintess as she asked.
Chen Shi channeled a spell.
"This is Tongue-Pulling Hell."
"What's most abundant here?"
"Ghosts and monsters!"
Chen Shi shook his head.
"Tongues."
He blew a breath, and the disassembled furnace's mirrors and parts instantly turned into toads hopping everywhere.
"All alone!"
They croaked toward Xuan Saintess.
There were too many; Chen Shi couldn't transform them all at once, blowing breath after breath.
Moments later, every piece from the furnace had become big and small toads, croaking "All alone!" everywhere, grating on Xuan Saintess's nerves.
These were the tongues of liars. The entire Tongue-Pulling Hell was full of them.
Chen Shi explained.
"Their owners spun endless lies in life, so after death, their tongues were pulled here."
"Once extracted, the tongues become these nether creatures."
"Be careful—they crave returning to a warm mouth."
"If I weren't here, they'd pry your mouth open in moments."
Xuan Saintess shivered.
"Then what?"
"Then they'd yank out your tongue and take it."
Chen Shi pinched her mouth open, grinning.
"They'd burrow in and replace it."
"Then live in your mouth, spinning lies forever."
Xuan Saintess clamped her mouth shut tight, refusing to open.
Chen Shi untied her belt. Xuan Saintess cried out in alarm,
"What are you doing?"
She recalled something and shut her mouth.
Chen Shi bound her hands behind her back, then her feet, tying them together with her hands.
He had learned this binding from the bees in Bee Manor—the way they had bound him.
Xuan Saintess flushed with shame and fury, unable to break free.
Her clothes were all refined talisman soldiers, weapons for battle. Now powerless, she couldn't snap her waist sash.
She regretted refining it into a talisman soldier—escape would have been simple otherwise.
Chen Shi removed her shoes. Xuan Saintess panicked, arching backward to crawl away, yet still cooed softly,
"Chen Shi, I know you're not like this. You've just been overtaken by inner demons and lust—wake up!"
Chen Shi grabbed her legs and dragged her back.
Xuan Saintess panicked utterly, her voice still gentle.
"Think—you're still on the run."
"Sect Master Baili is hunting you! You can't do this! Carnal pleasure isn't true joy—it's illusion, fleeting bliss! Seek the four empt—"
Chen Shi peeled off her socks, pried her mouth open, and stuffed one in.
Xuan Saintess made muffled "mmph" sounds, her tongue pushing desperately against the sock.
Her eyes bulged, aggrieved tears rolling down her cheeks.
She could already foresee her tragic fate.
This humiliating pose, plus Chen Shi's impending savagery—how could she ever face Young Master again?
"Don't be afraid."
"Don't struggle."
"Bite tight on the sock—don't let those tongues—"
Chen Shi said softly.
"If you spit out the sock,"
"Your tongue's done for."
He took out the Hua Gai, chanted, and blew a breath. It turned into a tongue, hopping and hiding among the toads.
"He plans to ambush Sect Master Baili!"
Xuan Saintess realized.
"I unwittingly told him Sect Master Baili's techniques. He figured out the weaknesses—he's going to ambush Sect Master Baili!"
Chen Shi stooped low, quietly retreating.
Xuan Saintess's eyes darted wildly, her mouth "mmphing" as she struggled to speak.
Far off, Baili Mu's voice continued searching, heading this way.
Xuan Saintess's heart leaped, then plunged into terror—the rustling grew louder, closer all around.
Even as a Buddhist disciple, her scalp prickled in fright—of course, her scalp already throbbed; the two spots Chen Shi struck were hugely swollen, like two little heads atop hers.
Her eyes rolled frantically, scanning around, but lying on her side, she couldn't see behind.
She saw only squat little figures approaching—severed tongues, thick at the root, split ahead, hopping over, probing toward her.
She tried desperately to send her nascent soul out-of-body, but the Heavenly Gate was clogged with congealed blood. The Divine Shrine wouldn't budge; Jade Pillow was sealed tight too.
"Chen Shi, Chen Shi! Come back!"
Tears streamed down her face. Then she sensed something crawling up her hair from behind her head, onto her cheek.
Xuan Saintess froze in horror, remembering Chen Shi's warning, and bit down fiercely on the sock.
Sure enough, the fleshy thing tugged at the sock in her mouth!
More tongues swarmed, clustering at her lips, all trying to yank the sock out. Xuan Saintess squeezed her eyes shut, biting for dear life.
If they succeeded, they'd rip out her tongue and nest inside!
"Chen Shi, come back! Hurry!"
Tears poured from her eyes. The sock loosened, nearly pulled free.
Just then, Baili Mu's voice rang out:
"Chen Shi, didn't you want a deathmatch? Why skulk like a rat, hiding instead of showing yourself... Eh, Saintess Ying, why are you here?"
Xuan Saintess's tears gushed. She looked pleadingly toward the voice but saw only a pair of feet in the distance.
"Saintess Cao, did Chen Shi ambush you?"
The feet approached her slowly, steadily.
"Chen Shi's hiding nearby, right? Waiting to ambush me. Saintess Ying, what a fine figure! Heh heh, one of Young Master's women..."
Xuan Saintess's eyes widened in horror, chills running down her spine.