Shushan Earthly Immortal

Chapter 327 A Few Cries of Anguish, A Few Sobs (Part 2) (5K words, please vote)
"It hurts so much! It hurts so much!"

The collapse of the Dharma body caused the distant Demon King's nascent soul to sway precariously, emitting a mournful wail.

Lu Linqing's attention was immediately drawn to the Demon King, and his chaotic thoughts returned to clarity at this moment. He decided to put everything else aside and focus on slaying the demon at this crucial moment.

He flew on his sword, taking the opportunity to strike the Nascent Soul again.

The Demon King cried out in pain, then quickly realized what was happening and forcibly suppressed his discomfort. Looking at the rain of light filling the sky, he made a thought, and the vegetation in his Nascent Soul Dao Domain began to grow wildly, with insects swarming everywhere to catch the rain of light.

This is all pure spiritual energy!
Cheng Xinzhan would naturally not allow these spiritual energies to be absorbed by the Dao Domain, nor would he let go of the opportunity to severely injure the Demon King.

“Oh—oh—oh——”

The Pleiades raised its head and cried out once more.

As Pleiades cried out, a vast and abundant radiant divine intent rippled through the gloomy and damp Insect Valley Dao Domain. Under the influence of this divine intent, "Yangming Yuntang Gang", "Crimson Cloud Purple Qi Gang", "Sun Control Light Rain Gang", and even Yang Fire and Peach Capital all shone brightly.

At the same time, the Lesser Bright Realm suddenly grew larger and expanded rapidly, instantly occupying half of the cave's territory, rivaling the Demon King's Nascent Soul Dao Domain and vying for magical power.

Moreover, as the light shone through, the golden core that was hidden in the Dao Domain and secretly approaching the Demon King's Nascent Soul was also revealed.

"Golden threads and shimmering light!"

Cheng Xinzhan made a sword incantation, and "Taodu," which had just shattered the magic image of the Hundred-Eyed Insect, further dispersed from a hundred golden rays into thousands of sword threads, chasing after the golden pill from all directions.

The golden core, now exposed to the light, could no longer hide itself. It spun in the air and flew straight toward the demon's nascent soul.

Meanwhile, the demon's nascent soul also rushed over to provide support.

Although the demonic nascent soul moved quickly, it had still suffered severe injuries from the collapse of its Dharma form. Lu Linqing, controlling his sword with his primordial spirit, was also extremely swift. He disappeared into the void on his sword and reappeared blocking the nascent soul's path. The flying sword drew a horizontal line in front of the nascent soul, tearing a long gap in the void. Sword light shot out from the gap, like a great river blocking the nascent soul's way.

Cheng Xinzhan rode the sword light to chase after the Golden Core cultivator, all the while taunting him.

"What 'Hundred-Eyed Demon Lord'? He's just a bizarre monster. The Hundred-Eyed Golden-Eyed Ghost clan is divided into three branches: Yellow-bellied Ghost, Purple-backed Ghost, and Red-headed Ghost. However, only one member from each of the first two branches has been ranked among the immortals. One is a disciple of the Plague Emperor, who is ranked as the Heavenly Lord of the Plague Department, and the other is a general under the Great God of the Three Altars and Seas, who is ranked as the Righteous God of the Mountains."

"I see you wanted to create the Dharma form of the Plague God Yellow Heavenly Lord, but your cultivation is too poor. You cultivate poison but do not understand poison, and you cannot comprehend the true meaning of plague poison. So you only obtained the appearance of the Yellow Heavenly Lord and imagined a Taoist robe. When you were condensing the true form, you did not understand the Dharma rhythm enough and went astray and became the appearance of a red-headed ghost. So you created such a nonsensical Dharma form! So it was easily broken in this fight!"

Cheng Xinzhan spoke extremely quickly, enunciating each word in rapid succession, like sharp knives stabbing straight into the heart of the Five Poison King.

"Nonsense! Nonsense! Shut up! Huh! Shut up!"

Upon hearing this, the Five Poisons King was enraged. His face contorted with rage, and he disregarded Lu Linqing's attack, determined to strike Cheng Xinzhan instead.

Lu Linqing glanced at Cheng Xinzhan, thinking that this man was not only skilled in combat, but also had a knack for psychological warfare. However, he would not let this opportunity pass. He rode forward on his sword, and several beams of divine light flew out from the sword, all of which struck the Demon King's nascent soul.

At this moment, the pure Yang sword light also struck the demon's golden core, causing the golden core to tremble wildly in the air and emit a mournful cry.

In a fit of rage, the Five Poison King, who had been injured again, regained his senses after the pain. He regained his composure, but the madness in his eyes intensified.

Suddenly, the golden pill changed direction and flew straight upwards towards the top of everyone's heads. This sudden turn of events stunned Cheng Xinzhan and Lu Linqing. They had considered that the Demon King might either take a roundabout way to retrieve the golden pill or sacrifice it by having it crash into them and explode, but they had never imagined that the golden pill would fly upwards to escape.

There was no path above the cave, only a dense array of stone bells. What was the old demon up to? Was he hiding the golden elixir?

"boom--"

A deafening roar shook the entire Dragon Cave.

The golden core still self-destructed, on the top of the cave.

A tremendous shockwave swept down from above everyone's heads.

The Five Poisons King immediately withdrew his Dao Domain and fled downwards.

Cheng Xinzhan immediately summoned the "Bijia Xuan Tie Shield" that he had prepared beforehand, protecting his and Lu Linqing's physical bodies.

The lion immediately shrank and hid under the shield.

Lu Linqing immediately tore open the void and flew down as well. He was still thinking about the Five Poison Heavenly King's nascent soul and continued to pursue him, fearing that the Demon King might take the opportunity to escape and hide.

That's all we can do.

Then, Cheng Xinzhan's tall inner divine image, which was the first to be hit by the huge impact, transformed into a ray of light and escaped into the "Supreme Heavenly Capital Register".

The three flying swords, "Peach Capital," "Nether Capital," and "Moon Soul," were all knocked back to their original forms from their formless sword energy and fell from the sky.

Then there was the luminous Dharma Realm supported by Cheng Xinzhan. Under the power of the self-destruction of the four realms' golden cores, all the red clouds and golden sun, white clouds and light rain were scattered and retreated into wisps of qi.

Then, the impact struck the "Bijia Xuan Tie Shield" that Cheng Xinzhan had summoned. The shield lived up to its name, and surprisingly, it did not break under such power, managing to withstand it. But after the impact, the magical light on the shield dimmed, and it shrank to the size of a tortoise shell before falling from the sky.

The impact quickly reached the cavern. At that moment, Lu Linqing was still entangled with the Five Poisons Heavenly King's nascent soul. The sword and the nascent soul were chasing each other through the void. So, they were both blasted out of the void, then thrown into the air, and then slammed hard to the ground.

Finally, the insects in the caves were all pulverized.

Only the loud noise echoed repeatedly in the cave.

Cheng Xinzhan coughed up a mouthful of blood. Although he had a protective shield to shield his body, the force of the blows to the Inner Realm God, the Heavenly Capital Talisman, the Realm of Light, and the three flying swords was still reflected back into his body, causing him to sway precariously.

Upon seeing this, the unharmed lion immediately grew larger and flew to Cheng Xinzhan's side, carrying him steadily. Meanwhile, Lu Linqing's physical body, no longer supported by the Little Bright Realm, also fell down, only to be caught by the lion's tail. It would never carry anyone other than Cheng Xinzhan.

Somewhat confused, Cheng Xinzhan shook his head vigorously. After calming down, he conjured a medicine pot, poured out three "Heart Strengthening and Blood Activating Pills," and swallowed them in one gulp, which slightly calmed the surging blood and qi in his body.

Immediately, he waved his hand and retrieved all the scattered flying swords, talismans, qi, and treasure shields.

Then he looked down.

Smoke and dust filled the cave, so he had to use his divine eye to see what was happening. What he saw filled him with shock and anger.

Lu Linqing's physical body was safe, but his protective shield was placed on his body, so his primordial spirit, hiding inside the flying sword, took the full force of the attack. His "Lieque Hook" was quite formidable, and although it didn't appear broken or cracked, it was still a flying sword, not a protective magic weapon, so his primordial spirit was shaken out of the sword.

The Five Poisons Heavenly King's nascent soul also appeared injured, his spiritual body thinned, yet this did not impair his movements. At this moment, he was gripping Lu Linqing's nascent soul by the neck, burning it with malevolent fire!

Lu Linqing's primordial spirit was truly extraordinary; it must have cultivated some secret technique. At this moment, it shone with a jade-like radiance, desperately resisting the evil fire and protecting his true spirit. However, the jade radiance was rapidly being consumed, while the evil fire blazed fiercely, distorting Lu Linqing's primordial spirit's face and causing it to scream in agony.

"Flood!"

Cheng Xinzhan roared angrily, and his curse transformed into a torrential rain, pouring down.

However, when it falls on the nascent soul of the Five Poisons Heavenly King, it becomes "filthy earth and corrupting water" water; when it falls on the primordial spirit of Lu Linqing, it becomes "abundant rain and plentiful dew" water.

The evil fire on Lu Linqing's primordial spirit was quickly extinguished, but the nascent soul of the Five Poison Heavenly King was scalded by the putrid water and cried out in pain.

Helpless, the Five Poisons King could only bitterly abandon Lu Linqing's primordial spirit and soar upwards. If it weren't for this brat's entanglement, he could have easily escaped with only minor injuries by flying in the opposite direction and entering the void at the right moment. It was this beast's relentless pursuit that led to his severe injury; how could he not hate him? Moreover, he hated even more how annoying the disciples of major sects were, with countless offensive techniques, making even death so difficult!
Cheng Xinzhan watched as the Five Poison Heavenly King's nascent soul fled. He wanted to give chase, but he was worried that Lu Linqing's primordial spirit was damaged and needed treatment, so he hesitated for a moment.

"I am unharmed, I will slay the demon!"

Lu Linqing's primordial spirit shouted and once again flew after him on his sword, but the flying sword swayed violently, as if it were drunk, and fell down again as soon as it got up.

"You focus on healing, I'll take care of the rest!"

Cheng Xinzhan shouted, then rode the lion to chase after the Demon King, and had the lion throw Lu Linqing's body in the direction where "Lieque Hook" fell. Also thrown down was a bottle of pills that he had taken out from the Void Realm.

At this moment, dust was still falling from above, and while Cheng Xinzhan hesitated for a moment, the Five Poisons King had already overtaken him and flown into the dust cloud.

Cheng Xinzhan followed closely behind and used his divine eye to see.

Upon seeing this, his pupils shrank dramatically.

A hole was blown out there!

Wasn't it said that the inner walls of the Dragon Cave would never be opened by the power of the four realms?

What was going on? Upon seeing the cave entrance, the Five Poisons King burst into maniacal laughter.

"Hahahaha—I knew it! Six hundred years of cultivation gone to waste! I knew it could be blown up! There's always a way out! Did you think that after being trapped in the Dragon Cave for hundreds of years, I only found one weak point?!"

The Five Poisons King laughed loudly, but he was also filled with great hatred. Since escaping his predicament, he had been thinking of leaving a way out that no one would know about. If he had another ten years, he could have silently dismantled this weak point. Why did he have to use the Golden Elixir to pave the way today?
Time is also fate!
So be it. As long as the Nascent Soul is still there, there is always a chance for a comeback!

"burn!"

At this moment, the Five Poisons Heavenly King had reached the cave entrance and could see the daylight outside. He heard the Taoist priest chanting incantations again. However, he didn't intend to care anymore; escaping this place was the most important thing. With a thought, his nascent soul spirit body was enveloped in a layer of eerie light. This appeared to be just a thin layer of eerie light, but it was actually the smallest manifestation of the nascent soul's Dao domain, only an inch away from the body, and was also known as the "placenta," capable of protecting the nascent soul to the greatest extent.

The Five Poisons King was confident that even though the Yang Fire was repulsive, the caster was ultimately a whole realm lower than him and wouldn't be able to ignite his placenta in a short time, let alone burn it through.

The next moment, the Five Poison King rushed out of the cave, but at the same time, white flames ignited on his body. Before the relief of surviving the ordeal could bloom on his face, it turned into boundless terror.

His placenta, which he was so proud of, was ignited in an instant.

"what--"

The Five Poison Kings let out a terrified and desperate wail.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

On the ground, far to the south of this gap, Miechenzi and Mulongzhang were engaged in a magical duel. Mulongzhang had rushed over upon hearing the news, while Miechenzi, lying in wait above the Dragon Cave, intercepted him as he arrived to help.

However, neither of them used their full strength. Miechenzi wanted to conserve his power to deal with the Five Poison Heavenly King, who might escape, while Mulongzhang intended to provide support for him if he managed to escape. If the Five Poison Heavenly King was unable to escape and died in the Dragon Cave, then there would be even less need for the two of them to fight to the death in this place today.

At that moment, a loud bang came from the central area of ​​the Dragon Cave, shaking the earth and kicking up dust, drawing the attention of the two. They then exchanged a glance, before simultaneously transforming into streaks of light and flying towards the opening. They also clashed again, interfering with each other and preventing the other from getting closer.

Immediately, while they were still flying, the two saw the Five Poisons Heavenly King's nascent soul emerge from the blasted opening.

Mu Longzhang's face lit up with joy, while Mie Chenzi's expression turned gloomy.

However, just as the Five Poisons Heavenly King's nascent soul peeked out, the two saw a white flame fly out from the cave and cling to Lie Xingye's nascent soul.

Flames raged, and the amniotic sac on the nascent soul's body rapidly thinned.

Immediately afterwards, a magnificent snow lion carrying a Taoist priest flew out to chase after the Nascent Soul.

"Brother!"

Mu Longzhang shouted.

Upon hearing this, the Five Poisons King looked at the Dragon Staff in terror and screamed.
"Brother, save me!"

The speed of the Dragon-Washing Staff increased again, and it transformed into a blue wooden dragon to meet the Five Poisons Heavenly King.

This time, it was Mie Chenzi's turn to smile. He summoned his flying sword, "Jade Hook," to slay the wooden dragon, and at the same time shouted to Cheng Xinzhan,

"Fellow Daoist, just focus on slaying the demons!"

Cheng Xinzhan indeed ignored the contest between Miechenzi and Mulongzhang. What he was worried about now was that the Five Poisons Heavenly King might really go all out and use his last trump card before his Nascent Soul was ignited. The self-destruction of a Golden Core at the Fourth Realm had such great power; he didn't even want to think about the self-destruction of a Nascent Soul.

We must kill him before he makes his decision!
The lion knew this was the final moment, so it naturally exerted all its strength, its running paws creating ripples in the air.

But that wasn't enough; there was still a gap. The Five Poison Kings in front were truly flying away desperately.

Cheng Xinzhan's face was like ice, but his eyes were like torches. The Five Poisons King had been terrified by the Samadhi True Fire. Now was the best opportunity to slay the demon, and he could not be allowed to escape again.

Now that things have come to this, and her identity has already been exposed to Lu Linqing, there's no point in hiding it anymore. Cheng Xinzhan raised her hand, simultaneously summoning "Peach Capital" and "Moon Soul".

These two flying swords, the Yang and Yin masters of the Seven Swords of Cultivation, transformed into a golden rooster and a jade rabbit respectively, swirling, entwining, and chasing each other. With a flash of sword light, the golden rooster became the blazing sun, and the jade rabbit the bright moon.

Chickens fly and rabbits run, the sun and moon revolve, and yin and yang give rise to light.

The two flying swords merged at this moment, like the rising sun and setting moon, transforming into a yin-yang mystical light that generated extreme speed and tore through the void.

This is a flying sword combined attack technique created by Cheng Xinzhan based on the principles of Yin and Yang and the way of flying swords. It is called "Sun and Moon Destroy Longevity". He originally prepared it for the combined attack of "Peach Capital" and "Nether Capital", but he just thought about it and decided that since he had already borrowed "Moon Soul", he would use "Moon Soul" as the Yin Sword. After all, this may be the only chance for the two swords to combine.

Moreover, no one expected that the Yang and Yin swords among the Seven Swords had never fought together since the day they were created, and it was unlikely that they would ever do so in the future. As if they knew this, the two highly intelligent flying swords were giving it their all, cherishing this one and only opportunity.

Thus, the Yin-Yang sword light appeared to be faster than Cheng Xinzhan had anticipated.

Both Miechenzi and Mulongzhang, who were in the distance, widened their eyes. Even those at the fourth level would not dare to directly confront such a spell!

"How dare you, you scoundrel! Do you know the formidable reputation of the Southern School!"

Mu Longzhang's eyes were bloodshot as he shouted.

Cheng Xinzhan ignored him.

The Five Poisons King, preoccupied with escaping for his life, was unaware of what was happening behind him, but he sensed a terrifying aura approaching.

The next instant, without a sound, the Five Poisons Heavenly King's nascent soul was pierced through the chest by the Yin-Yang Sword light, leaving a large hole.

The Samadhi True Fire quickly burned into the Nascent Soul's spirit body along the sword hole, and ignited the Five Poison Heavenly King's primordial spirit hidden within the Nascent Soul's spirit body, causing the Five Poison Heavenly King's shrill screams to come to an abrupt end.

Seeing this, Mu Longzhang turned and left, leaving behind only a harsh remark that echoed through the valley.

"You scoundrel, the Southern Faction will fight you to the death!"

At this moment, the Yin-Yang Twin Swords flew back to Cheng Xinzhan's side on their own, and Mie Chenzi's gaze followed them, landing on the Yang Sword.

Cheng Xinzhan also looked at Mie Chenzi and tossed the "Moon Soul" and the "Bijia Xuan Tie Shield" over to him.
"Xuanzai, please pass these two magical treasures on to Fellow Daoist Zhou. I am fine in Linqing and will recuperate in the cave. My wish to slay the demon has been fulfilled, and I must now depart."

Upon hearing this, Miechenzi shifted his gaze from Taodu and looked at Cheng Xinzhan.

Cheng Xinzhan faced the situation calmly.

Miechenzi then nodded and bowed.
"Please go ahead, fellow Daoist. Thank you for ridding the southwest of this great demon. I hope we will meet again someday."

Cheng Xinzhan returned the greeting.
"See you soon."

The Taoist patted the lion, and the lion took flight and headed east.

Miechenzi watched the lion leave and heard the Taoist on the lion laughing and reciting a poem, seemingly in response to Mulongzhang's last words before leaving.

曰：
"In this magnificent world, there are a few flies that bump into the wall."

A buzzing sound, a few shrill cries, a few sobs.

Ants climbing a locust tree boast of a great nation; how easy is it for a mayfly to shake a tree?

A west wind blows, and fallen leaves drift into the mountains, accompanied by the whistling of arrows.

So many things are urgent; the world turns, and time presses on.

ten thousand years is too long, fight for now.

The seas are churning with furious clouds and waters; the five continents are shaking with thunder and lightning.

We must eradicate all harmful insects; we will be invincible.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

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