Chapter 342
Chapter 342
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 45
Chapter Title: The Demon Escapes
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"Can't make a move in the living world!"
Granny Sha hurriedly stopped Azure Sheep.
"We must act in the underworld! Making a move in the living world would cause a huge mess. Besides, we have to find Blackie Pot first."
The five of them immediately headed toward Huangpo Village.
Du Yiran said, "Should we call on Chen Tang? I hear he's also quite skilled."
Granny Sha shook her head.
"No need. Little Tang does everything by the book. If we bring him along, he'll insist on a foolproof plan. There'd be no fun in that!"
Azure Sheep, Azuo, and the other two nodded repeatedly upon hearing this. In unison, they said, "He's too boring!"
Du Yiran said, "Old Chen's such a wild personality—how did he end up with such a stodgy son? Who did he have him with?"
Granny Sha shook her head.
"No idea. Old Chen's had so many women... Judging by the timing of Little Tang's birth, he was pretty close to that woman from the Gao family back then. The two were often together. Later, she became the sect leader of the Gao family, and that's when they parted ways."
Hu Xiaoliang hesitated for a moment before saying, "Around that time, he also went to the Water Moon Paradise. I hear plenty of female bodhisattvas there were smitten with him."
Azure Sheep said, "I heard it was some itinerant cultivator woman, and there were even rumors it was you, Sha Qiutong, who gave birth to him..." Granny Sha flew into a rage and tried to fight him to the death.
Azuo and Hu Xiaoliang quickly held her back, saying repeatedly, "Calm down, calm down!"
Du Yiran coughed.
"I've also heard a rumor that he had Little Tang with some woman from Despair Slope."
Everyone fell silent.
Granny Sha no longer felt like fighting Azure Sheep to the death. She quickly changed the subject.
When they arrived at Huangpo Village, Chen Shi wasn't home. His mother said, "Little Ten should be cultivating up on Yellow Earth Slope."
The five headed to Yellow Earth Slope. From afar, they saw the former top scholar sitting under a willow tree, with a woman in white lying on his lap. The top scholar was leaning down, digging wax out of her ear.
The woman in white curled up, giggling as if tickled. She covered her ear.
Chen Shi said, "Put your hand down. Let me clean it out for you!" The woman in white jumped up at once, covering her ear and dodging away.
Chen Shi chased after her, laughing.
"Good sister, you cleaned mine, so it's only fair I clean yours!"
The two ran circles around the old willow tree, play-fighting happily. Du Yiran coughed. The woman in white got startled and fled like smoke, darting into Chen Shi's little shrine.
Chen Shi looked at the five and exclaimed in surprise, "Auntie Qiutong, Uncle Du, how come you're here? Uncle Azuo, you're here too!" He was overjoyed.
The beekeeper Ah Wei frowned slightly in confusion at Granny Sha, Du Yiran, and the others. He thought, "Little Ten calling me uncle is fine, but shouldn't he call them granny and grandpa?"
His mind was pure and didn't grasp the others' desire to act young.
Granny Sha made a shushing gesture.
"We're here to borrow Blackie Pot." Chen Shi called out loudly, "Blackie Pot! Blackie Pot! Qiutong's looking for you!"
Blackie Pot, who had been dragging a bone, ran up the dirt slope and looked over in puzzlement.
Granny Sha, Du Yiran, and the other four immediately surrounded Blackie Pot.
"We have important business to discuss." The five people and the dog huddled together, whispering. They occasionally glanced at Chen Shi.
Nuan Nuan squeezed into their midst. Her face grew serious as she listened, nodding or shaking her head now and then. She glanced at Chen Shi, then continued nodding or shaking her head. It was unclear if she even understood.
Chen Shi's heart raced.
"Could Granny Sha and the others have discovered that I'm about to turn into an evil demon?"
His cultivation had stalled recently. He'd been pondering how to resolve the issue of the evil qi. He'd discussed it with Chen Tang, Li Tianqing, and others, but their paths differed from his, so they couldn't find a solution.
He could only grope for answers alone.
But he'd keenly realized that if he continued cultivating this way, once he reached the Body Fusion Realm—where soul and flesh merge as one—the evil qi would surge wildly due to the connection between his soul-flesh unity and the external world!
Every subsequent realm would only worsen the evil qi within him—whether Severing the Three Corpses, Refining the Spirit, or opening the Great Void Realm to achieve Return to Void, or even refining the Great Void Realm into his body for the Great Vehicle Realm!
Continuing down this path, turning into an evil demon was almost inevitable! He even speculated that in the True King era, there must have been others like him. Those who reached the highest realms would demonize, with their flesh and soul undergoing mutation!
But those who took a new path could avoid this.
He was lost in wild thoughts when Granny Sha and the other five finished consulting with Blackie Pot. They walked over with smiles. Granny Sha signaled him not to speak. Blackie Pot barked, "Woof woof woof!"
Chen Shi understood. His heart pounded.
"Granny Sha and the others are going after the demons inside me! They're worried the demons might be eavesdropping. If they hear we're targeting them, they could cause chaos early!"
Granny Sha eyed Blackie Pot. Blackie Pot immediately treaded yin winds, whipping them up with a howl. In the next moment, Chen Shi, Granny Sha, and the other five, along with Blackie Pot, descended into the underworld together!
It was Chen Shi's first time entering the underworld from Yellow Earth Slope. He saw it was a high ridge littered with tiles and rubble—clearly ancient ruins. He could even spot collapsed palace halls.
The sky was a pallid expanse of gloomy clouds. In the distant air, incomparably thick roots stretched in all directions, descending from the heavens and burrowing deep into the earth.
That must be the roots of some enormous tree.
"Could these roots belong to the crooked-neck old willow tree?"
Chen Shi's heart jolted. He looked closely and saw countless massive roots intertwined, wrapping around a huge stone stele. The stele's other end was anchored in the high ridge!
Those collapsed palace halls seemed to span both ends—one in the underworld, one in the living world! A grand structure bridging the two realms.
The sight was breathtakingly majestic, deeply震撼ing him!
"What exactly is hidden beneath Huangwang Slope? What is Shi Niang's true identity?"
Chen Shi gazed at the ancient tree's dragon-like coiled roots and thought, "If I look up from under the tree, could I see Scholar Zhu? How did Scholar Zhu even climb Huangwang Slope and hang himself there?"
Only after arriving in the underworld did he suddenly realize how unfamiliar his own hometown truly was.
"Little Ten, no need to look. This is what's buried under Yellow Earth Slope. Ghosts and gods dare not approach here!"
Granny Sha took out search-god pouches and distributed them to everyone.
"I've refined a bunch lately. They're perfect for capturing these things. Stock up on a few." The search-god pouch was a treasure created by the Cold Migration Elders. It could seal demons and store them inside.
These pouches were hard to refine and cost a fortune. Without Red Mountain Hall and Gathering Immortals Pavilion as backing, Granny Sha couldn't have made so many.
Chen Shi looked around. Far off, about a hundred li away, altars stood every few li—likely Granny Sha's setup, though he didn't know their purpose.
Everyone hung a search-god pouch at their waist for ready use. Preparations complete.
Chen Shi mustered his courage to speak when suddenly his chest itched. He looked down and saw a greenish claw—somehow piercing through his back—reach into his chest and grip his heart.
He felt no pain because it was Azure Sheep's soul making the move.
A cultivator's soul stood in the void. It could seize an enemy's heart without damaging clothes, skin, or muscle—leaving no external wound.
It could even remove the brain without a mark! Azure Sheep didn't remove Chen Shi's heart but slowly tightened his grip.
Once Chen Shi's heart stopped beating, Azure Sheep waited a bit longer before releasing and withdrawing his hand.
Chen Shi gasped violently, but his heart no longer beat. His vision blackened quickly. His body swayed and thudded to the ground.
Chen Shi's soul flew out of his body. Granny Sha signaled him to flee far away. Chen Shi's soul shot upward and outward.
Just then, a sinister voice came from behind.
"...So the host is dead? Finally, it's my turn this time?"
Chen Shi turned to look. His fallen "flesh body" slowly stood up, looking around in confusion.
"This is... the underworld?"
Granny Sha shouted, "Little Ten, get away from here now!"
Chen Shi sped away like lightning, alongside Blackie Pot. The voice behind grew more puzzled.
"Why am I back in the underworld? Something must have gone wrong... But in the underworld, I grow even faster!"
Chen Shi streaked away, arriving dozens of li out in an instant. Looking back, he saw his "flesh body"'s head suddenly split open like a blooming flower. Its neck twisted as a massive demon flower sprouted from the head!
"Good body! What a fine fleshly form! Now I can unleash my full power!"
His "flesh body" let out a shrill, piercing laugh. The body swelled rapidly, growing enormous—in moments reaching several zhang tall. Boom!
Demonic light shot skyward from the flower-petal head. A brilliant curtain of light spread across the sky in all directions. "The demon transformation's domain is larger than expected!"
Granny Sha suddenly cried out, "This demon is stronger than any we've seen before! Attack! Blackie Pot, stay and help!"
Blackie Pot, beside Chen Shi, immediately turned and charged back.
At the same time, Chen Shi rocketed forward like lightning. But overhead, the light curtain of demonic light was gradually catching up!
His heart skipped. Looking down, he saw Granny Sha's altars flash past beneath him.
"Were these altars Granny Sha painstakingly set up outside the demon domain, or inside it?" He sensed something wrong.
If inside, fine. But if outside, the demon domain's range had now surpassed them!
Meaning Granny Sha's hard work was for nothing!
"Granny must realize this too, which is why she had Blackie Pot stay to help."
Chen Shi thought, "With Blackie Pot's aid, there won't be any major issues. Besides, Granny can summon my soul back and stuff it into the body to suppress those demon heads!"
He relaxed. Thunderous light erupted from his feet, boosting his speed and shaking off the light curtain!
Behind him, the demon transformation's domain had expanded past a hundred li, reaching over two hundred li! This demon was indeed stronger than those limited to a hundred li.
It was evolving toward a calamity demon—already two-tenths transformed!
A massive boom echoed from behind. The great curtain of demonic light plummeted from the sky, slamming shut and trapping Granny Sha, Azuo, and the others below!
Whoosh!
Evil winds suddenly howled across the high ridge. Rolling demonic qi turned to black smoke, surging into the demonic light curtain. That demon was drawing in the world's demonic qi to bolster itself! Boom!
Intense tremors came from within the demon domain. Azure Sheep struck first, transforming into a peerless giant sheep and ramming the demonized "Chen Shi." Its body was colossal; a mere headbutt could topple a mountain!
"Chen Shi" was only two or three zhang tall yet raised both hands, blocking the charge without budging.
From the blooming flower on "Chen Shi"'s head, petal-like tendrils writhed and grew, latching onto Azure Sheep's horns. It swung him around and smashed him down, shaking the ground!
The high ridge—made of unknown material—erupted in golden light when struck by the mountain-sized Azure Sheep. Not a shred of damage.
"Chen Shi" leaped into the air, dodging Hu Xiaoliang's assault. He took Granny Sha's raised Sheep Horn Heavenly Spirit Lamp head-on, merely swaying—no demonic soul blasted out.
Du Yiran wielded an axe in one hand, a chisel in the other. With different treasures and techniques, axe shadows and chisel strikes filled the air around "Chen Shi."
His spatial arts were unmatched. Strikes launched from afar appeared at the foe's side, catching them off guard.
But before the axe lights and chisel blows landed, countless stamens burst from "Chen Shi"'s head, blocking every assault from Du Yiran!
At the same time, Azuo fused his Great Void Realm with his flesh body, housing vast mana within to clash head-on with "Chen Shi." Azure Sheep and Hu Xiaoliang regrouped and charged from left and right.
Du Yiran accelerated his offense as much as possible, pinning down the stamens from "Chen Shi"'s head to protect the others.
Granny Sha chanted. She revealed her Imperial Daughter true form, activating the Supreme Eight Trigrams Body Protection Art. She unfurled her comprehended water-fire domain to temper "Chen Shi"'s demonic soul with water and fire, while slapping the Sheep Horn Heavenly Spirit Lamp. The lampflame surged hundreds of times brighter, blasting "Chen Shi."
Finally, "Chen Shi"'s demonic soul wavered.
Everyone's spirits lifted. They pressed the attack.
Granny Sha chanted nonstop. The Imperial Daughter hefted the great Sheep Horn Spirit Lamp. Flames blazed hundreds of times brighter, slamming out and blasting "Chen Shi"'s demonic soul from the body! Blackie Pot pounced, biting the demonic soul and yanking it out with force, dragging it free from Chen Shi's flesh body.
Du Yiran rushed forward, raising a search-god pouch to bag the demonic soul. He tied it shut. Chen Shi's flesh body fell flat on its back.
The demon domain cloaking the two-hundred-li radius gradually faded and dispersed.
Granny Sha immediately said, "My setup was off. Those altars should have been farther out! I'll go move them..."
"Hahahaha!"
The prone Chen Shi suddenly laughed, then stood rigidly. Shaking his head, he said, "I've waited years for this day."
Hands behind his back, body still, his head swiveled a full circle, taking in everyone and Blackie Pot. Granny Sha said distressedly, "Be gentler with Little Ten's body. Don't snap his neck!"
"Chen Shi" paid no mind. Like a boneless thing, he spun his head another half turn. His neck stretched, head whirling one and a half times back to position. He praised, "This flesh body is refined superbly. You call us demons, born of the underworld's demonic nature—we are the true spirits of the underworld. Pity, unlike ghosts and monsters—who have flesh bodies—we lack them. They enter the living world more easily thanks to that. Without flesh, we're confined to the underworld. But now..."
He flashed a eerie grin.
"I finally have a flesh body!" Whoosh!
Ecstatic, dozens of thick, sturdy arms sprouted from his back, thrusting into the barrier between underworld and living world.
With a roar, he tore it open forcefully and fled from the underworld.
Granny Sha stood stunned. She yelled, "Blackie Pot, chase him!"
Blackie Pot whipped up yin winds with a whoosh, carrying everyone back to the living world.
Du Yiran shouted, "We can't let him bloom the demon domain and unleash demon transformation, or countless people will die!"
Azure Sheep fumed, "Sha Qiutong, your setup was useless!"
"Hahaha!"
In the distance came "Chen Shi"'s laughter—like a giant monkey with dozens of arms, bounding from peak to peak, fleeing afar.
"I'm free!" "Chen Shi" cried.
Chen Shi had arrived under the old willow's tangled roots. He tilted his head at the colossal thing, scrutinizing the stele. He thought, "No wonder I couldn't dig this stele out. It's anchored in the underworld, wrapped in tree roots—immovable."
Looking up through the living world's reflection, he faintly saw the vast tree's situation. His heart stirred.
"This willow truly connects straight to the living world!"
He even spotted Scholar Zhu hanging from it—like a thousand-zhang hanged giant. Chen Shi was marveling when, unwittingly looking back, he saw his own flesh body flee to the living world.
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