Shushan Earthly Immortal

Chapter 366 A Plan to Exorcise Demons, Offering a Scheme to the Demons (5.2K words, please support with monthly votes~)

As soon as the thin Taoist finished speaking, everyone in the hall turned to look at him.

Cheng Xinzhan was not intimidated. After thinking for a moment, he said,

"Your subordinate obeys. Let me first briefly explain the origins of Red Cloud Island and Aunt Hong, as this is also very important. If Your Highness or fellow Daoists have any questions while I am speaking, please feel free to interrupt. If what I say is already known to everyone, please allow me to skip it."

"Alright, Youde, please speak freely, no matter how small the matter is, we are all ears."

The thin Taoist priest laughed.

Cheng Xinzhan nodded and began to speak:
"In the beginning, when the Alligator King first occupied the Great Belly Sea, he had no generals under his command, and the entire sea area was a playground for his crocodile offspring. However, the Alligator King was fond of sleeping, and the Crocodile Demons were bloodthirsty, and soon the Great Belly Sea was stained with blood, and cries of agony filled the land."

"These crocodile demons are used to being left to their own devices in the open sea. They don't know how to manage anything and only know how to kill. After coming to the near sea, they don't know how to adapt either. They don't mine the spiritual herbs and precious mines in the sea and spend their days chasing after blood food. So every time the Crocodile King wakes up, he has to go out and find blood food and precious medicines himself."

When he said this, everyone in the hall burst into mocking laughter, and someone said,
"They are barbarians covered in scales!"

"A boorish, uncivilized brute!"

Upon hearing this, Cheng Xinzhan smiled in agreement and then continued,
"The Alligator King quickly realized that letting things continue like this was not going to work and was a complete waste of the resources of the near sea. So he followed the example of the Qiantang Sea and the Mermaid Sea and set up garrison generals to manage his sea area. But unfortunately, although his crocodile offspring were strong, none of them were smart enough to be garrison generals. So the Alligator King had no choice but to turn to recruit people from other tribes."

"The first to arrive were Boss Hei and Aunt Hong. Boss Hei came from the mainland and no one has ever seen his true form. Aunt Hong is a great demon from the East Sea. Her true form is a cloud bat, and there are rumors that she has the bloodline of the dragon's son, the Owl Tail."

"Dragon blood, this is troublesome. I wonder how much dragon blood is in this demon's body."

Someone asked.

Cheng Xinzhan replied,
"The specifics are unclear, but some people have seen Aunt Hong in her true form, driving the western sunset clouds down onto Hongxia Island, where they became part of the island's protective formation. She also once created waves forty or fifty feet high, repelling the attack of Wei Liyang, the Great Protector of our island."

The hall fell silent for a moment.

"Alright, Youde, please continue."

The thin Taoist.

Then Cheng Xinzhan continued.
"The Alligator King entrusted the nearby Black Mountain Island and Red Cloud Island to them, allowing them to manage the sea monsters, and then drove the crocodile offspring to the outer sea. With these two generals in charge, things were indeed different; every year they offered the Alligator King a massive amount of spiritual creatures and blood offerings."

"The King of Alligators had tasted success and wanted to continue recruiting town generals and make use of the distant sea side as well, but he was troubled by the lack of capable people like the Black Boss and Aunt Red."

"At this time, my former master, Huang Tianzhi—who is now the Protector Huang of my Fire Dragon Island—came from the mainland to join me. The Crocodile King believed that if Protector Huang could settle down in the Great Belly Sea, more land-based demonic cultivators might come to join him in the future, just like how Boss Hei brought many land-based demon cultivators. So he accepted Protector Huang."

"Then, Qing Laosi from the ocean came to join us. It is said that Qing Laosi is related to the Great Sage of the Submerged Continent. Although the Alligator King did not want him, he had to give him face, so he appointed him as the town general."

"Therefore, on the far side of the sea, the Alligator King gave these two people the right to bring back all the crocodile offspring to the Half Moon Island waters and strictly control them."

"However, although the Crocodile King appointed Protector Huang and Elder Qing as guards, he looked down on them from the bottom of his heart. Protector Huang was usually diligent in his surveys, mining, and hunting for blood offerings, but once he angered the Crocodile King, he was subjected to insect torture, unable to live or die, and only survived after being rescued by the Crocodile King. Elder Qing was the same; because his sea area was close to the Thunderstorm Sea, there were few living creatures, and it was adjacent to the Black Abyss Sea and the Mermaid Sea, two hostile forces, so he often could not provide enough blood offerings. The Crocodile King never showed any mercy and would beat and scold him at the slightest provocation."

"So, although Daduhai has four generals, the Crocodile King only recognizes Black Boss and Red Second Aunt, and usually treats these two as his own people. And these two are much stronger than Protector Huang and Fourth Brother Qing."

"As far as I know, because of the Alligator King's suppression, Black Boss and Red Second Aunt dare not break through the fourth realm, but their actual realm should be above the fifth level. Moreover, Red Second Aunt has dragon blood in her body, so her combat power at sea will be even higher."

"In addition, Aunt Hong also possesses a supernatural power called 'Sunset Glow.' Moreover, she has been collecting sunset glows for many years and has refined this supernatural power into her island-protecting array. Once the array is activated, it can lock down the void, preventing birds from flying over and causing clouds to fall to the ground. People in the array feel as if they are as heavy as a mountain, unable to fly, and even walking on the ground is extremely difficult, affecting their ability to perform magic and transport treasures."

"Therefore, Your Highness and all fellow practitioners must not think that attacking Red Cloud Island is as simple as subduing Yellow Sulfur Island."

Upon hearing this, the main hall fell silent for a while before the thin Taoist nodded and said,
"Youde's explanation is detailed and reasonable."

Cheng Xinzhan continued,

"There's another matter. Ever since our Sea of ​​Corpses split into three and continued to expand, and since my Yellow Sulfur Island surrendered to King Li, the Alligator King has become much more vigilant and hasn't fallen into a deep sleep for a long time. In addition, he has also mobilized the group of alligator offspring that haven't moved for many years, assigning them to the command of the three town generals to obey his orders. Although these alligator demons don't understand human affairs, they are extremely ferocious when fighting, so they should not be underestimated."

After Cheng Xinzhan finished speaking, he noticed that everyone in the hall, including the thin Taoist priest, had very unpleasant expressions.

After a long pause, the thin Taoist priest forced a smile.

"We should have invited Youde to speak to us sooner."

Upon hearing this, Cheng Xinzhan understood that this group of people had probably already suffered a loss.

"Now that we know that the Red Cloud Island formation restricts air movement, Aunt Hong's cultivation is not low, and she also has the help of the Crocodile Demon, it all sounds like a difficult situation. I wonder if Youde has any good ideas?"

The thin Taoist asked again.

Cheng Xinzhan thought for a moment and asked,

"I wonder how far Your Highness's offensive is in the waters controlled by Aunt Hong. Is it already approaching the vicinity of Hongxia Island?"

The thin Taoist priest nodded.
"It's almost time. We've been gradually recovering lost territory, and it's time to launch a counterattack. Besides, we've already encountered the crocodile demons that De Fang mentioned. They're indeed difficult to deal with; each one is fearless and ruthless."

Cheng Xinzhan thought for a moment and asked,

“Those crocodile demons have thick skin and flesh, and almost no natural enemies in the sea, so they are indeed difficult to deal with. Have you tried using poison? Crocodile demons love blood, so poison might be effective.”

After Cheng Xinzhan finished speaking, someone sitting opposite him answered.

“I have used it, but those crocodile demons are quite powerful, and their stomachs are extraordinary. Ordinary poisons can't harm them. So far, the only poison I've tried is the corpse poison of the third realm, which can only kill crocodile demons of the second realm. It's not worth it, as crocodile demons of the third realm are almost unaffected by the corpse poison.”

Cheng Xinzhan nodded slowly. The thunderous rumbling of the alligator king's stomach had indeed left a deep impression on him. It seemed that there must be some tricks to the stomach of this clan.

Everyone in the hall was looking at Cheng Xinzhan, hoping to hear some useful ideas from him.

Have you considered sending someone in to take a look?

Cheng Xinzhan made a startling statement.

"what?!"

Several surprised and doubtful sounds rang out from inside the hall, and someone immediately asked,
"Go in where?"

"Of course, it's the crocodile demon's stomach. Find some brave and careful ones, let them fake their death and be swallowed by the crocodile demon, then make your move once they're inside its stomach sac, and see if that works."

Cheng Xinzhan replied.

"How can this be allowed? The stomachs of those crocodile demons are like meat grinders and bone-melting furnaces. If someone goes inside, how can they survive, let alone fight back?"

Immediately, someone refuted this.

Cheng Xinzhan didn't seem to mind being rejected and continued speaking.
"Have you ever tried to refine some poisoned caltrops into magical artifacts that can change size? Have the boys carry some on their bodies. If someone gets bitten, activate the artifact to make it swell up and break through the crocodile demon's stomach from the inside. At that time, the poison of the caltrops will spread to the crocodile demon's internal organs. Maybe that will work."

"Furthermore, I know that the Southern Demonic Sect enjoys playing with Gu worms and likes to raise them on living people. I've heard that many Gu worms are planted in people's skin and flesh, and there should be some planted in their stomachs as well. I wonder if any of you can find connections with the Southern Sect to get some, so that someone can carry them over, or perhaps we can try throwing them into the crocodile demon's mouth during the chaos."

"Oh, and speaking of Gu worms, I also know that there is a kind of climbing vine in Miao territory that can take root in flesh and blood. If it can take root in the stomach of a crocodile demon, sprout and grow, it will definitely make those crocodile demons suffer."

"Oh, right, there's another method we can try..."

Cheng Xinzhan spoke fluently, his thoughts flowing freely, with novel ideas popping into his mind. He was completely oblivious to the increasingly strange expressions on the faces of the people in the hall, and the strange light gleaming in the eyes of the thin Taoist priest sitting high above.

Cheng Xinzhan pretended not to see it. Anyway, he was only concerned with coming up with ideas now. Whether they would be effective and what price he would have to pay was up to these devils to try.

Because among the overseas demonic sects, the crocodile demon is merely a representative; all sea demons follow the path of consuming blood. If an effective method can be discovered through this, the righteous path will have another powerful means to deal with overseas demonic sects in the future. This naturally includes the thin Taoist, who is also skilled in the art of blood consumption. Even if these ideas make him somewhat wary, if they can make him hesitate and refrain from leading his followers to cannibalism, it would still be a meritorious deed.

After Cheng Xinzhan rattled off seven or eight ideas in one breath, the main hall fell silent.

The thin Taoist priest forced an unnatural smile.
"Youde is truly knowledgeable and worldly-wise." Cheng Xinzhan replied, somewhat embarrassed.

"I wouldn't say I'm very knowledgeable, but my experiences have been quite bumpy. I was born in Wuling on land, a place where all sorts of people mingle. Later, I followed Protector Huang, who came from the Southern School, and mingled at sea. Now I work under the Prince of Li, so I've learned a lot of different things."

“Pah-pah-pah—”

The thin Taoist priest stood up, clapped his hands, and laughed.

"Good, good! It seems that inviting Youde was the right decision! You all heard what he said. Let me try all these schemes, including sending someone to eat them. Try them all, and I'm sure I'll find a good one!"

"promise!"

Everyone in the hall rose to receive the order.

The thin Taoist priest gestured for everyone to sit down, then sat down himself, looking at Cheng Xinzhan with anticipation in his eyes.
"Youde, you should be able to find a way to deal with the crocodile demon threat. But do you have any ideas on how to break the Red Cloud Island formation and Aunt Hong herself?"

Upon hearing this, Cheng Xinzhan immediately said,

"Your Highness, I have indeed thought about this. When I was on Huangliu Island, the Black and Red families always looked down on the Yellow and Green families. Since the waters of Hongxia Island are adjacent to those of Huangliu Island, they often picked fights with us. So my old friends and I often got together to discuss and explore ways to break the Hongxia Formation."

"However, at that time we were just thinking wildly, only wanting a way to restrain it, but we couldn't find those treasures that could restrain the Crimson Cloud Formation. We just made the best of a bad situation and never dared to take any real action. Even when we were bullied, we just obediently held our noses and accepted it."

The skinny Taoist laughed loudly upon hearing this.

"Now you can think freely and speak openly. As long as what you say makes sense, we will take action immediately."

Cheng Xinzhan's face lit up with joy, and he said,

"Your Highness, the protective array of Red Glow Island is said to be able to contain all things. Its power lies in the glow of the clouds. If we disperse the glow, the array will naturally break."

"Oh? Then how do we disperse the glow of the sunset?"

"I've heard that there's a celestial force in this world called the 'Northern Primordial Force,' born in the far north where the sun can't shine. It can dissolve all the rainbows and radiance of the world, and perhaps even break the Red Cloud Island's grand formation."

The thin Taoist priest twitched the corner of his mouth upon hearing this, and without hesitation replied...
"anything else?"

"I've heard that there's a kind of wind in this world called the 'Soaring Star Wind,' which can even move the stars in the sky. It should be able to blow away the crimson clouds that cling to Red Cloud Island."

The thin Taoist priest rubbed his forehead, his fingers furrowing his brow. He realized that his earlier words to the man, "Think freely, speak openly," might indeed have been problematic and caused a misunderstanding. He took a deep breath and then said...

“Youde, there’s no need to mention the matter of Tiangang anymore. But there are some practical methods, like the measures you just proposed to restrain the crocodile demon.”

Cheng Xinzhan nodded repeatedly upon hearing this, then asked cautiously,
"Your Highness, is that magical artifact acceptable?"

The thin Taoist frowned and said only,

"You tell me first."

"Legend has it that in the Ghost Kingdom of Beiman Mountain, the powerful ghost cultivators there are skilled at crafting a magical artifact called 'Azure Phosphorous Strike,' which can spew out yin fire and evil winds, specifically designed to suppress ethereal substances like clouds and mist. Perhaps it will be useful."

The thin Taoist priest's brows relaxed slightly. He thought to himself that the Underworld Saint and his master had a good relationship. If this so-called "Azure Phosphorous Strike" was just a standard magic weapon of the Ghost Kingdom and not a unique spiritual object, he could borrow it and give it a try.

"Any more?"

he asks.

Cheng Xinzhan then answered,
"There's also the Longxi Xuan Yin Sect, which possesses a famous magical artifact called the 'Seven Fiends Xuan Yin Heavenly Net,' specifically designed to extinguish all kinds of righteous divine light. I wonder if the glow on Red Cloud Island can be extinguished."

The thin Taoist nodded slightly, his brows completely relaxed. He thought to himself that this man was reliable, and a smile returned to his face. He then asked,
"But is there anything else?"

Cheng Xinzhan shook his head, a slightly awkward smile on his face, and said,
"Your Highness, what I just said was something I came up with when we were chatting and talking nonsense together back then, because there were many people from various demonic sects who had fled to Huangliu Island from the mainland."

"We are all minor cultivators, and all we can think of are these two Heavenly Arrays and two magic treasures. Perhaps there are other more powerful ones, but we have never heard of them. In addition, some of us have seen these two magic treasures, but none of us have used them, so we don't know whether they are effective against the Crimson Cloud Array."

Upon hearing this, the thin Taoist priest said,

"Don't worry about that. If it's useful, you'll be rewarded; if it's useless, you won't be punished."

"Thank you, Your Highness."

Cheng Xinzhan replied, while also speculating in his mind. The treasures he had just mentioned for dealing with the crocodile demon and the Red Cloud Formation were basically found in the demonic sects of Jiangbei, Northwest, and Southwest. He wanted to see what the relationship was between the Three Corpse Sect and these sects, and whether he could borrow a few things from them.

"What about targeting Aunt Hong herself? Does Youde have any good ideas?"

The thin Taoist asked again.

Cheng Xinzhan then answered,
"Your Highness, to be honest, Aunt Hong is a powerful demon of the Azure Sea tribe, possessing dragon blood. We people of Huangliu Island are all landlubbers, so we really don't know how to deal with Aunt Hong. But we did think of a way, but it's a bit difficult to talk about."

"If you are virtuous, you need not worry, speak freely."

"Well, alright then, I'll speak, and I hope Your Highness won't take offense. We previously learned that Aunt Hong has a grudge against Yinlong Mountain near the sea in Kuaiji, and we were planning to use someone else to do our dirty work."

"Hidden Dragon Mountain? The Hidden Dragon Mountain with the Biyun and Baiyun Temples on it?"

The thin Taoist asked.

Cheng Xinzhan nodded.
"Yes, I never imagined that Your Highness had also heard of it."

"Of course I've heard of it, and I also know that this mountain is a branch of Mount Putuo, and it's said to have been the place where the Dragon Maiden of the South Sea cultivated in seclusion, hence the name Hidden Dragon. Tell me, what grudge does Aunt Hong have with this family?"

The thin Taoist asked.

Cheng Xinzhan then answered,
"I heard that Aunt Hong stole a treasure from Hidden Dragon Mountain, and Hidden Dragon Mountain has always wanted to take it back. In the past, whenever the Alligator King was asleep, Hidden Dragon Mountain would always come to cause trouble for Red Cloud Mountain, which has always been a headache for Aunt Hong."

"However, with the three kings coming to the East Sea to establish their religion many years ago, and the Alligator King no longer sleeping, Hidden Dragon Mountain must have some concerns, and it seems that there has been no movement in recent years."

"But I suspect that Hidden Dragon Mountain has never given up. If we leak some information at the right time, I think Hidden Dragon Mountain will not stand idly by..."

The thin Taoist nodded upon hearing this, but did not delve further into the matter. Instead, he changed the subject and said,

"Youde's words today have truly benefited us greatly. Today, I hereby appoint Youde as the military advisor of my Star-Picking Hall. You don't need to rush back to Fire Dragon Island. Rest in my mountains for a while, how about that? Also, spread the word that everyone, including you, must show respect to the military advisor from now on. Do you understand?"

The thin Taoist priest addressed Cheng Xinzhan in the first half of his speech, and addressed the others in the hall in the second half.

"As ordered!"

Cheng Xinzhan and the others echoed his sentiments.

Then, the thin Taoist looked at Cheng Xinzhan and said,

"Then the strategist should go and rest first. Someone will lead the way outside the hall. Also, please think more about whether there are any other good strategies to deal with Aunt Hong and the Red Glow Formation. If you have any ideas, come to the hall to find me at any time."

"Xiao Wang still needs to discuss some details and schedules with the others, so I won't keep the strategist here. I'll have my men search for various treasures to deal with the crocodile demon and break the Red Cloud Formation, and try them out. Once we've made some progress, I'll send someone to inform the strategist, and then we'll see if the strategist wants to join the attack on the island."

"Your subordinate will obey your orders and will take his leave now."

Cheng Xinzhan rose, bowed, and then left the main hall.

He had barely stepped outside when he heard murmurs of discussion rising from inside the hall.
"This strategist does have some insight, but all he offers are vicious schemes!"

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(End of this chapter)