Shushan Earthly Immortal

Chapter 354: Drought Demon Dharma Appearance, Duobaoshan People (please vote for support at the beginning of the month~)

A fiery umbrella blotted out the sky, enveloping Hulu Island.

Looking up, the umbrella's surface was a dark red, with many twinkling sparks on it, like red stars scattered across the deep night sky.

Sparks flickered, trembled, detached from the umbrella, and then drifted down like ashes scattered by the wind. However, after leaving the umbrella, these ashes grew rapidly in the wind, and in the blink of an eye, they turned into huge, fiery boulders that fell with a whooshing sound.

It wasn't falling Mars, it was clearly a meteor shower!
"Boom-boom-boom-"

The blazing meteorites fell like rain, striking the giant dragon's head and turtle, stirring up countless magical flames and divine light, shimmering with dazzling colors.

Under the illumination of the fiery rain, the handle of the giant umbrella gradually became visible. At the same time, a giant's image also appeared.

The Buddha's appearance was seventy-two zhang tall, bare-chested and barefoot, emaciated, with his ribs clearly visible. His face was as red as cinnabar, with jagged fangs, red hair and vermilion eyes like fire bells, his earlobes adorned with fire snake rings, and his nose exhaled waves of heat and fiery clouds.

It was an ancient, wondrous corpse, the Dharma form of the drought demon.

A heatwave swept across the land, making it feel as if everyone's blood was burning, and everyone unconsciously licked their lips.

This image shows a person holding an umbrella handle as if it were a long spear. By shaking the handle, the red clouds sway, and the falling meteorites become even more concentrated.

The dragon's head and giant tortoise, which had remained motionless, began to tremble.

The giant, however, seemed impatient and unwilling to wait any longer. He raised the umbrella with both hands, holding the handle as if it were a spear, and plunged it fiercely into the head of the giant dragon-headed tortoise.

"Rumble--"

Another earthquake shook the earth, the sea surged, and giant waves spread outwards from Huludao as the center.

"Click——"

With a crisp crack, a gash appeared on the dragon's head and giant tortoise.

The arrogant laughter in Huludao suddenly stopped, as if a flock of noisy ducks had all been choked.

At that moment, golden light shone brightly on the northeastern horizon, illuminating the sea northeast of Huludao. Immediately afterward, a fierce wind arose, waves surged, and the seawater condensed into a giant golden dragon claw, covered with golden scales.

This single dragon claw was thirty feet long, and it reached out to grab the image of the drought demon.

“King Ao, we agreed not to fight, but to let the juniors fight for it.”

At this moment, a red glow suddenly rose in the southwestern sky of Huludao, condensing into a red dragon. The red dragon soared in the air, then turned and whipped its tail, striking the golden dragon claw.

Another loud bang was heard, followed by a burst of dazzling light, like fireworks in broad daylight.

"Your Highness is truly fortunate! Where did you recruit such a formidable general? I was simply itching to try my hand at it, and I hope Your Highness will forgive me."

A slow, drawn-out voice came from the northeast.

All that could be heard was the red corpse laughing as it replied.
"We've all died once, we're just sticking together for warmth. The East Sea is vast, and the Holy King can accommodate us, so we've come."

"Okay, okay, you've come at the right time."

On the other side, the King of Ao uttered a few words as if sighing, and then said,
"A land of virtue should be occupied by a virtuous person. Since such a valiant general has come to my East Sea, that is a good thing. We should give him this precious island. I wonder if Your Majesty could allow my incompetent subordinates to withdraw, so that this place can be vacated?"

A brief silence fell over the southwest, and the sea also quieted down. A moment later, the Crimson Corpse laughed heartily again.

"Of course, then please have the generals of the Ao King release the magic array and leave the island on your own. Oh, and don't forget to take your belongings with you, don't forget a single item."

"Did you hear me? Get your ass home right now!"

Immediately, the Ao King roared, making everyone's head ache. Then, the giant dragon head Ao on Hulu Island dissipated on its own, and the people inside fled quickly. They knew they had escaped with their lives, and dared not take anything, fleeing desperately into the depths of the Golden Soup Sea.

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.

"Boss Lai, who is that?"

The image of the drought demon on Hulu Island gradually disappeared, and the huge Heavenly Fire Umbrella also shrank rapidly before being held in the hand of a bare-chested strong man.

Liu Jushui looked at the burly man and asked.

Cheng Xinzhan was looking at the magic umbrella and couldn't help but think that the umbrella and Qingbo were so well-matched. It seemed that his craftsmanship was not bad. Master Jiang would be very pleased to see it. By the way, he had recently acquired the "Earth Fire Heavenly Star Evil," and its evil intent seemed to match this magic umbrella quite well. He should find some time to have Qingbo refine it into it.

At this moment, he heard Liu Jushui speak first, which surprised him somewhat, as this was the first time he had heard this person take the initiative to speak. However, he knew he couldn't answer Liu Jushui's question, so he shook his head and said,

"I don't know either, but I don't think I've heard of the Drought Demon's Dharma Form before. It must have come from the mainland."

Liu Jushui nodded, then fell silent.

Let's clean up the battlefield.

Cheng Xinzhan warned that since the man had been beheaded with a single sword strike, if this wasn't dealt with, the people from the Faqiu Hall would definitely notice something when they arrived.

After saying this, he went to search the body himself to avoid making Liu Jushui think too much.

Upon hearing this, Liu Jushui glanced at Cheng Xinzhan and, without giving it much thought, went to destroy the body and cover up the crime.

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.

Three days later.

Fire Dragon Island, Funiu Hill.

General's Mansion.

—Although it's a bit strange for such a name to appear on the Demonic Sect's island, Tang Yusheng just likes to call him that. And the largely ineffective system of etiquette and the lenient treatment of those at higher levels are precisely one of the reasons why many people yearn for the Demonic Sect.

At that moment, Cheng Xinzhan was being received by Tang Yusheng at the General's Mansion.

"...And most importantly, of course, are Brother Liu Jushui, as well as Fu Miao and Bai Zhenzhen. Brother Liu is incredibly powerful, fighting two demons single-handedly and killing them. Fu Miao and Bai Zhenzhen also made great contributions by stirring up waves to attack the island and breaking through the array barrier."

Cheng Xinzhan said sincerely.

Tang Yusheng smiled broadly and asked,

"You, your escort team was the first to complete the assigned task and suffered the fewest casualties. You should have been given priority for commendation and rewards. You praised everyone, but why didn't you mention yourself?"

Cheng Xinzhan was a little embarrassed and said shyly,
“General, you know that I have only entered the third realm and have formed a mediocre mixed core. My combat strength is far inferior to Brother Liu’s. Moreover, I lost an old corpse and was too proud to choose a third-realm Yin corpse. I haven’t developed any intelligence yet, and the magic weapon I’m using is one I made when I was in the second realm. It’s not very useful and I dare not take credit for it.”

Tang Yusheng nodded and pointed at Cheng Xinzhan.
"I understand. You want the elixir of immortality, the materials for raising corpses, and a suitable magic weapon, is that what you mean?"

Cheng Xinzhan's expression changed, and he waved his hands repeatedly, saying urgently,

"I had absolutely no such intention!"

Tang Yusheng laughed upon hearing this.

"Come on, you're just being petty. Don't worry, I don't care about other places, and I didn't know the rules of Huangliu Island, but in my Funiu Guard, merit is always rewarded."

"Before I called you, I asked everyone in your team that day, and they all spoke highly of you. You did an excellent job this time. You were able to proceed step by step and think things through carefully. You are indeed a talented general. We have plenty of brave and cunning people on our island, but we lack people like you."

"How about this!"

Tang Yusheng paused for a moment, then said,
"Xiuyuan is indeed getting old. I'm promoting you to deputy hall master. You'll be in charge of training any new recruits. Xiuyuan will stay home and manage miscellaneous affairs. However, Xiuyuan is an old comrade I brought from the mainland, so you must not neglect him!"

Cheng Xinzhan immediately stood up, patted his chest, and pledged his loyalty.

"Sit down. What did you use to form your elixir?"

Tang Yusheng asked.

"The sulfurous fire miasma that Steward Huang bestowed upon us, and the abyssal corrosive spirit water that we seized from the Black Abyss Sea Serpent Demon."

Cheng Xinzhan replied. Tang Yusheng frowned; what were all these unfamiliar things?

Then, after thinking for a moment, he took a lead bottle out of the cave.
"This is the 'Yangshi Steamed Soil Sha' of Wuzhu. This sha may be created when fiery metals and earth's heat are born in the same place. For example, the sulfur mine under Huangliu Island, if it were not born in the sea, but in the underground fire veins of southern Xinjiang, might have generated this sha."

"This should belong to the same category as your sulfurous miasma, but its origin is countless times higher. Although the quantity is small, you can try it and see if you can integrate it into the Golden Elixir to improve its quality."

Cheng Xinzhan was somewhat surprised and delighted. He stood up to thank her and accepted the gift.

"This is one pound of Corpse Yin Mushroom and three pounds of Thousand-Year Cold Iron from the Bottom of the East Sea. The former is a great tonic for corpse cultivators; feeding it to a Yin Corpse should have some effect. The latter is for you to use for refining weapons; aren't you good at flying needles? This should be suitable."

Tang Yusheng then took out two more items and handed them to Cheng Xinzhan.

Seeing that Cheng Xinzhan had packed everything away, Tang Yusheng smiled and said...

"And you say that's not what you meant."

Cheng Xinzhan smiled upon hearing this, and seeing that Tang Yusheng was in a good mood, he seized the opportunity to strike while the iron was hot.

"General, I wish to pay my respects to Steward Huang. I have now reached the Third Realm and rendered meritorious service. Also, the wealthy man who accompanied me to the Imperial Guard Hall has unfortunately passed away, and I wish to go find him..."

"Alright, alright, get out of here. Why are you telling me all this? Are you worried I'll suspect you're still loyal to your old master? You picked up a lot of bad habits on Huangliu Island, speaking in riddles and being petty. Get lost."

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.

Cheng Xinzhan left Funiu Hill and flew directly to Liulong Mountain.

This is the territory of the Fire Dragon Island's administration office. It's called Six Dragon Mountain simply because there are six springs on the mountain, forming six small rivers, hence the name Six Dragons. Because the Crimson Corpse is fond of dragons, Fire Dragon Island and many other newly conquered large islands all have the word "dragon" in their names. For example, Yellow Sulfur Island is now called Yellow Dragon Island, and Calabash Island is called Coiled Dragon Island.

Cheng Xinzhan inquired as he walked and eventually found Cai Liuwei.

As its name suggests, this is a newly established garrison specifically for sulfur mining, and Huang Laosan is in charge. Most of his subordinates are old-timers from Huangliu Island, with some unfamiliar faces, but they all have one thing in common—they are all old, weak, sick, and disabled. It's obvious to anyone with eyes that this is a place for retirement.

The guards at the gate were old acquaintances of Huangliu Island, so they naturally recognized Cheng Xinzhan. They had also heard of the recent great achievements of this envoy representing Huangliu Island on the mission to Huolong Island, and they hurriedly bowed and scraped as they approached.

"Uncle Lai!"

Cheng Xinzhan nodded and asked,

"Is the old immortal here?"

"Yes, yes."

"Go and ask the old immortal for instructions, and tell him that Youde requests an audience."

"Yes, yes, Mr. Lai, please wait a moment."

The person on duty quickly went to relay the message and returned shortly after, saying...
"Master Lai, the old immortal invites you in."

Cheng Xinzhan was led to Huang Laosan's residence.

After the guide closed the door and left, Cheng Xinzhan took out the "Eight Treasures Cloud Light Handkerchief," and with a flick of his wrist, the handkerchief merged into the void.

"Old Immortal looks quite well lately."

he laughed.

Although this place is a retirement home, Huang Laosan obviously doesn't care about that. His complexion has improved a lot, he has lost a lot of weight, even more so than when Cheng Xinzhan first met him, and his spirits are much better.

Huang Laosan hurriedly jumped up from his chair, bowing repeatedly.
"This is all thanks to the guidance and blessings of the immortals."

Cheng Xinzhan smiled and asked,

"Did my liver-spelling life force work?"

Huang Laosan nodded vigorously.
"Divine magic of a celestial being!"

Cheng Xinzhan nodded, then asked,
"Are you getting used to life on Fire Dragon Island?"

"Habit, habit, much better than Huangliu Island."

Cheng Xinzhan hummed in agreement, and then said,
“I think you’ve recovered enough. Don’t be too idle. Do you really think you’re just going to retire? It’s time to get moving. Don’t forget, my liver mantra contains more than just vitality.”

Old Master Huang was startled, his breathing slowed for a beat, and then he whispered,

"I wonder what instructions the Immortal has?"

"For now, it's not a big deal. Just cultivate more trusted confidants and develop your own people so you can command them when I need to. You're a seasoned veteran, so you should be adept at these things. You don't need me to teach you, right?"

"Also, make sure the people you recruit are clean-cut. Send those who deserve to die to their deaths. I don't want you to raise a bunch of wicked devils, which would waste my time cleaning them up."

Huang Laosan quickly agreed.

Then, Cheng Xinzhan asked again,

"Do you recognize Che Liangcai, the steward of Duobao Guard?"

Cheng Xinzhan's topic jumped around too quickly, and Huang Laosan didn't react for a moment. He was stunned for a while before replying.
“I recognize it, I recognize it. I found a seven-colored crystal while mining a few days ago, and I even gave it to Manager Che as a gift.”

The Treasure Guard that Cheng Xinzhan mentioned is the second largest guard in the Management Office, in charge of the Fire Dragon Island Treasury. Anyone who has left the Sea of ​​Fire can buy, sell, and exchange treasures there. Cheng Xinzhan had been there; it was always crowded with people, a place overflowing with wealth. The head of the Treasure Guard, Che Liangcai, is a Yin Corpse at the middle three tribulations level, second only to the Grand Manager in the Management Office.

"Whatever excuse you use, invite him here."

Cheng Xinzhan said.

Huang Laosan was a little confused. Why did he suddenly need to ask the car steward for help? Although he didn't understand, he could only bite the bullet and agree.

He thought for a while, then took out a conch shell, put it to his ear, and whispered something.

Not long after, Huang Laosan put away the conch shell and said to Cheng Xinzhan,

"Immortal, Steward Che will be here soon. I need him to appraise a treasure for me."

Cheng Xinzhan nodded, then slowly disappeared in front of Huang Laosan, vanishing into the void.

After waiting for about fifteen minutes, a loud and hearty laugh rang out.
"Hahaha, Brother Huang, what treasure have you found this time?"

Immediately afterward, a short, stout man in a golden robe, with a large belly and a gourd-like figure, walked in with his hands behind his back and a swaying, pigeon-toed gait.

Huang Laosan greeted him with a smile, but at the same time, he was somewhat worried that Cheng Xinzhan might be discovered by Che Zhishi. After all, this man called himself Duobaoshanren and had countless rare treasures on him.

However, to Huang Laosan's near-eye-popping surprise, before he could even utter his prepared words, he saw Cheng Xinzhan appear out of thin air.

Che Liangcai narrowed his eyes instantly, a precious light emanating from his palm, and he grasped a silver ball shaped like a thunderbolt in his hand. At the same time, he said,

"Brother Huang, you didn't tell me there were other guests here."

Huang Laosan stared at Che Liangcai, at a loss for words. He opened his mouth but didn't know what to say.

But at that moment, he noticed that the person next to him suddenly changed his aura, as if he were a different person.

So he turned his head and stared even more wide-eyed. It was neither Lai Youde nor Feng Bielu, but a person he had never seen before, a Taoist priest in a purple robe.

At the same time, he noticed that Che Liangcai's expression was also changing rapidly. His eyes, which had been narrowed to a slit, slowly widened, filled with disbelief. The thunderbolt in his palm was also slowly disappearing.

This puzzled Huang Laosan again. How could this Taoist priest of unknown origin know the steward on the island?
However, the next moment, something even more unexpected happened to Huang Laosan. He raised his hands and tightly covered his mouth to prevent himself from screaming out loud. He watched helplessly as this scene unfolded:
Che Liangcai's eyes widened to their maximum, and his mouth slowly opened, seemingly in surprise. However, his mouth opened wider and wider, until Huang Laosan thought he could fit the teapot on his table inside it, until the man's mouth took up half of his face!

Then, a glossy black herringbone slowly crawled out of the steward's mouth and landed on his protruding tongue, staring blankly at the Taoist priest beside him, as if repeatedly confirming something.

　I went to look at whole-house customization today, which took quite a while, so my update is late and still under 5,000 words. Please forgive me. However, I'm shamelessly asking for monthly votes; the competition at the beginning of the month is fierce. Thank you!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)