Netherworld Painted Skin Scroll

Chapter 345 Fellow Disciples and Clan
Li Yin was still hesitating, but Xie Qi became decisive and shouted, "Li Yin, if you don't dare to make a move, then step aside and let me handle this!"

Fearing that he would lose the magic weapon, Li Yin immediately said, "Why wouldn't I dare?!"

He made a hand seal and chanted incantations. Suddenly, the crab trap shrank inward, followed by a series of crackling sounds, like metal breaking apart.

Li Yin shouted, "What a monster! It has been forged into a body of copper and iron!"

But the next moment, the explosions became sharper and more frequent. Only then did he realize that the cracking wasn't coming from Xu Pianpian's bones, but from his magical artifact! The fine iron mesh, as if frozen solid, began to break like dried noodles. From the wounds on Xu Pianpian's body, hairs like steel needles grew out, some black, some white, some yellow, each hair the size of a horseshoe needle.

First came the sound of metal breaking, followed by a groaning sound—the crab cage stopped shrinking inward, and as Xu Pianpian's body swelled up, the speed was not fast, but extremely firm, looking unstoppable!

Then even the sky began to change color—a few wisps of thin clouds first appeared on the ridge, then dispersed and grew into a thick, dark cloud, showing patches of scale-like patterns, like a huge pot lid pressing down on the peak of Dapan Mountain.

A wind has risen! Circling around the Heavenly Lake, gusts of cold wind swirled faster and faster, gradually producing sounds like the roars of dragons and tigers. The red and yellow leaves covering the mountains were swept up and danced wildly in the wind, splattering Li Yin and Xie Qi from head to toe. Only Li Wuxiang, with his true energy released, remained completely still in the wind.

Xu Pianpian was about to reveal her true form. Her body expanded as she let out a deep roar. It was like the deep roar of a tiger amplified hundreds of times, shaking the surface of Tianchi Lake and causing Li Yin and Xie Qi to feel numb and their hearts to tremble. If Li Wuxiang hadn't been standing by, Li Yin would probably have already fled in panic!
"Li Wuxiang! You—"

When Xu Pianpian spoke, her voice no longer sounded like that of a girl, or even a person, but rather like the lingering echo of a giant drum being struck, reverberating endlessly above Tianchi Lake.

But before she could finish speaking, Li Wuxiang raised his hand.

A burst of golden light erupted, and the flying sword shot off at lightning speed!

Li Yin and Xie Qi only saw countless sword lights bursting out like fireworks around the magic weapon that was about to be torn apart. The tiger demon's figure was completely obscured by the golden light, and only an outline could be seen inside—pierced by his flying sword, its flesh was almost ripped apart, leaving only a bright red mass.

Li Yin shouted, "Well done! What a magnificent 'Ten Thousand Swords Return to One' technique! Divine Lord's divine skill is unparalleled!"

However, his flattery backfired—half of the beautiful sword light was reflected from Li Wuxiang's flying sword piercing and thrusting at Xu Pianpian, while the other half was from the sword tip hitting the tiger demon's bone and being deflected!
This tiger demon's bones and muscles are extremely tough, far exceeding expectations!
Li Wuxiang hadn't originally intended to subdue Li Yin with her magical artifact; he only wanted to temporarily imprison her and ask her a few questions before she went berserk. However, he hadn't expected that, due to the tribulation of lust, the tiger demon's affection for him would be even greater than anticipated—

Why be born a demon and live in the Eastern Continent!
He could feel Xu Pianpian's figure still growing rapidly, her demonic aura becoming increasingly intense, and the magical artifact was about to crack. So he turned and shouted, "You two, get out of the way!"

Before the two could speak, several muffled thunderclaps suddenly erupted from the heavy, oppressive clouds above Tianchi Lake, followed by a tiger's roar—the entire lake exploded, blasting apart into a thick fog. The water on the ground and the clouds in the sky merged together at that moment, instantly plunging the summit of Dapan Mountain into darkness. Li Wuxiang felt as if he were reliving the scene of being enveloped in deathly aura beneath the Nine Abyss!
Xu Pianpian's figure suddenly vanished. The flying sword could no longer sense her demonic aura, and the golden sword light seemed to be swallowed by the darkness, no longer radiating its brilliance.

Li Wuxiang took a step towards the lake and recalled his flying sword back into his sleeve.

In the blink of an eye, the area around the Heavenly Pool atop Dapan Mountain seemed to have been dragged from the real world into another dark and void space. He could no longer see Li Yin and Xie Qi, nor could he sense their presence.

Then, right in front of him, where the Heavenly Pool should have been in the very center, the dark mist parted like a curtain to reveal a throne behind it.

The throne was situated atop a mountain piled high with white bones, a colossal structure formed from the interlocking skulls of humans and animals. When Li Wuxiang looked up, he felt as if he were standing at the foot of a great mountain, with the throne atop a magnificent palace, just like the former Ye Dynasty.

But this isn't the biggest... it shouldn't be the biggest.

Because Li Wuxiang could sense that behind this mountain of corpses, behind this throne, behind the undrawn curtain of darkness, something remained unrevealed. Something far deeper, far greater!
And now, the already enormous Mao is looking down at him from his throne.

This thing looks like a tiger, but its body is covered with scales that look like blood scabs, and steel-like hairs grow out of the gaps.

She also had wings on her back. Anything that grows wings wouldn't look particularly ugly. But the tiger demon's wings seemed to be pieced together from thick membranes and feathers—the membranes were covered with feathers of varying sizes and colors, while the feathers were interspersed with the riddled membranes. When these wings were folded and gathered behind her, they resembled a bizarre and tattered cloak.

Xu Pianpian tilted her head slightly, her gaze, cast from her red-rimmed eyes, landing on Li Wuxiang. She spoke again, "Li Wuxiang, do you know you're wrong?!"

The voice was neither Xu Pianpian's nor the tiger's roar from before. It was extremely deep and hoarse, causing the surrounding void to tremble, and even making Li Wuxiang feel a strange illusion—this voice could command magic!
He looked up at the tiger demon that seemed to be standing in the sky, and frowned slightly: "Who are you? You shouldn't be Xu Pianpian."

The tone of the sentence, “Do you know you’re wrong?” sounded like it was spoken by Xu Pianpian, but it felt more like something was being said through her without her even realizing it.

The tiger demon at the Nascent Soul stage is powerful, but not to this extent. The one on the throne appears to be a tiger demon, but the feeling of "words becoming law" should be attributed to something far deeper and greater, yet to be revealed, in the darkness behind the tiger demon.

He wasn't wrong—as soon as he finished speaking, the tiger demon on the throne lowered its head and stared at him: "I am Gou Chen!"

Li Wuxiang was slightly taken aback, but then said, "You are Xu Pianpian."

"Yes! I am Xu Pianpian! Li Wuxiang, do you know you're wrong?!"

The tiger demon sounded like it had gone mad, but Li Wuxiang understood.

Just as the cultivators of the Six Mysterious Sects invoked the true spirit of the Great Emperor, Xu Pianpian has now also invoked something—something lurking in the darkness behind her—called Gouchen! Xu Pianpian borrowed its supernatural powers, and it manifested itself through Xu Pianpian; this must be the ability of the demon race of the Eastern Continent. Therefore, the thing before us now is both Xu Pianpian and a manifestation of Gouchen that she could invoke with her cultivation!
He gave a cold laugh: "The fault lies not with me, but with you. Xu Pianpian, I gave you several chances before you came up the mountain today. I've taught you so many lessons these past few days, now it's my turn to ask you—do you know you're wrong?"

The tiger demon's demeanor had completely changed. She stopped speaking and instead raised her head slightly.

Then something else appeared in the darkness—on either side of her throne, two rows of enormous human figures emerged from the mist like civil and military officials. Their expressions varied: some were joyful and happy, some were angry and ferocious, and some were sad and dejected. These things resembled dark statues, stone figures along the mausoleum path, their hands resting on swords thrust upside down in front of them, clad in armor.

The first thing Li Wuxiang felt when he saw them was that they looked familiar!
The next moment, he remembered. Li Ye had taken him back to the past, to the old capital of the Ye Dynasty. Back then, in the magnificent hall on the mountaintop, he had seen civil and military officials lined up on both sides. The armor worn by these people appearing before the tiger demon now was exactly the same as what he had seen back then!
As soon as this thought arose, Li Wuxiang sensed something else again—the existence in the darkness behind Xu Pianpian, that thing called "Gou Chen"... It also had a familiar aura, which was very similar to the power of Donghuang Taiyi that he had experienced before!
……

The disciples of the Shangchi Sect were informed last night that they must not cross the inner mountain gate's precept stele or enter the mountaintop area for the next few days. This is because Master Li will be performing rituals there in preparation for the sect's grand ceremony soon.

However, the disciples of the Shangchi Sect were used to being undisciplined, so they became even more curious after hearing the order. The order was issued in the middle of the night—what was that Master Li planning to do on the mountaintop?
Once curiosity arose, the desire to see for oneself naturally arose. Li Jianbai led a dozen or so fellow disciples from Xie Qi's lineage to guard the four paths leading to the mountaintop. However, which disciple in the sect didn't know the shortcuts and easy paths? Therefore, Li Jianbai's guards were practically useless. By morning, the forests surrounding Tianchi were filled with disciples from the sect who wanted to come and see the excitement.

Li Jianbai and his fellow disciples removed the guards at the checkpoints and followed him up the mountain. Li Wuxiang had told him that there might be a fierce battle on the mountain later that morning, and that no one was allowed to go up to avoid harming innocent people. But cultivators aren't children; if a true master insists on going to see, there are ways to deal with it, so there was no need to forcibly stop them.

Some people, upon witnessing an impending battle, gain insights—this is an opportunity. Others may be caught in the crossfire of the battle, suffering injury or death—this is their own destiny.

Li Jianbai didn't want to be robbed, but Xie Qi told him that he could come to him after he got up the mountain. He would protect Li Jianbai and let him see the battle, which might be of great benefit to him in the future.

After withdrawing from the sentry post, Li Jianbai left his fellow disciples and found a small path in the mountains to head towards the maple forest.

Heavenly Lake is vast, and the surrounding mountains and forests are even larger. Many people have dispersed elsewhere, and the path he's taking is quite peaceful. After walking for a while, he suddenly hears the sound of wind beside him, followed by the sound of footsteps.

The sound of wind? It sounded like someone falling from the sky or mid-air! Li Jianbai's heart skipped a beat, a sense of alarm rising within him. But this alarm was like a spark that had just appeared and was quickly extinguished.

Because two people, a man and a woman, had emerged from behind the bushes nearby.

The man was dressed in a moon-white robe with cloud patterns; he was handsome but unfamiliar, as if he had never seen him on the mountain before. The woman was also stunningly beautiful, and for a moment, Li Jianbai felt he had seen her before—among the hundreds of people on the mountain, it was normal to have some you didn't know or had only glimpsed. As for why these two weren't wearing Chi Sect attire?
The thought had barely surfaced when, like the warning signs he had sensed earlier, it vanished.

"Junior brother, where are you going? Do you know where the fighting is taking place on the mountain?" The handsome man asked him with a smile when he saw him.

“Oh, I know, it’s next to the Crouching Ox Stone,” Li Jianbai replied immediately, without feeling anything was wrong. “Do you want to go? I’ll take you with me.”

The man smiled and nodded: "Thank you. May I ask, who's fighting whom?"

The man had a kind smile, and Li Jianbai was completely at ease with him. He immediately replied, "It's the Divine Lord Li Wuxiang and a demon—they ate our sect's disciple Hu Wei a few days ago and sneaked up the mountain."

"Should I not have said it?" he asked himself. But the thought quickly vanished.

Then he saw the woman next to the man and gave him a wink.

The man laughed: "You don't believe me? Just say what you want to say. This junior brother thinks we're fellow disciples from the mountain."

Something's not right, something's not right! Li Jianbai thought to himself. But at this moment, his mind felt like it was in a dream—occasionally realizing something was wrong, only to immediately forget it, yet everything seemed perfectly logical.

Just like he is now, he feels that these two are from the same lineage as the Shangchi School—why did that man say that he "feels" they are fellow disciples on the mountain?
The woman glanced at him cautiously and said, "I told you Xu Pianpian would have a hard time hiding things from Li Wuxiang. That man has a very sharp eye."

The man laughed again: "Yes, I believe you. I'll know when I call her over."

The woman frowned: "Then you—"

"It would be best if we could keep it from him. But if we can't, things are fine as they are now. Since you think Li Wuxiang is very capable, Sect Leader Tong, you should see how he deals with Pianpian. She's become too arrogant since coming to the Central Continent. It's good that she's been hurt; she'll learn her lesson. As for me, I can also see through the enemy's strengths and weaknesses."

"You...I'm only afraid of Xu Pianpian..."

The man smiled and shook his head: "So there's a third thing—to let you, Sect Master, witness my methods. Mei Qiulu is hard to say, but Li Wuxiang is just a plaything in my hands."

He turned to Li Jianbai and said, “Senior brother, please lead us up. But don’t take us too close. When we get to the area near the reclining ox stone you mentioned, just point it out to us, and then you can cut off your own head.”

Li Jianbai seemed to understand what they were saying, yet also seemed to have forgotten it all after hearing it. Seeing his smile, a warm and comforting feeling welled up inside him; he found the man's appearance, voice, and tone all very pleasing. He smiled and nodded in return: "Alright. Please follow me, gentlemen."

(End of this chapter)