Shushan Earthly Immortal

Chapter 374 A Miraculous Treasure Achieves Great Success, Reinforcements from All Sides

The entire sea, whether it was the wandering souls floating on the sea or the corpses sinking and floating in the waves, all came to life at this moment and looked at the thin Taoist.

This includes the dozen or so Third Realm Crocodile Demons that were just killed.

The thin Taoist waved his banner, pointing it towards Red Cloud Island. Immediately, a thick, heavy gray fog, like dark clouds before a summer downpour, rolled towards Red Cloud Island.

All the wandering souls, corpses, and cultivators from the Star-Picking Palace formed a massive army, hidden within the dark clouds. Their auras merged with the clouds, and they surged towards Red Cloud Island along with the clouds.

Meanwhile, as the dark cloud surged forward, it continued to absorb the abundant blood energy from the battlefield, growing ever larger and spreading ever more. By the time it approached Red Glow Island, the dark cloud was even more intense than the red glow itself.

Aunt Hong, also trapped in the dark clouds, paled drastically. With thousands of crocodile demons dead and used by the thin Taoist, the situation had become overwhelmingly one-sided. Even her own Dharma form chasing after the Sea God's Dharma form was useless. Moreover, at this very moment, that damned thin reed was still leading a dozen or so Golden Core Yin Clan members towards her.

The most annoying thing about fighting the Three Corpses Cult is that their numbers keep growing the more you fight them!
Today, the complete annihilation of the Golden Crocodile was something I never expected. What exactly were those crimson blood vines and golden Gu worms?
"Return to the island and hold it!"

Aunt Hong Er shouted loudly, and at the same time rode the Chiwen Dharma Image back to the island. It flew in front of the dark clouds, shining brightly, burning the dark clouds, and protecting her subordinates as they returned to the island.

Seeing that most people had returned to the island, Aunt Hong Er raised her giant fan, turned around and swung it powerfully, creating a hurricane of fire and clouds that forced the thin Taoist back, and then she also returned to the island.

At this moment, the Sunset Glow Formation has been fully activated, especially with the Chiwen Dharma Image circling and swimming in the glow. The two complement each other, and the glow shines brightly. In terms of momentum, it is no less impressive than the approaching dark clouds.

At this moment, Cheng Xinzhan also killed the enemy and came to the side of the thin Taoist.

The skinny Taoist was in high spirits at this moment. Although he had summoned the corpses that filled the sky and the fields to fight as Yin spirits, he had also extracted a lot of essence and blood. This not only made up for the injury of biting his tongue, but also gave him some benefits. His face was glowing.

"Is the strategist alright?"

The thin Taoist priest laughed.

Cheng Xinzhan looked at the Yin corpses in the black mist. They were all emaciated and withered, clearly having had their life essence drained by the Thin Taoist. As a result, they all looked no different from the Thin Taoist, just skin and bones. In other words, this army of Yin spirits, apart from the incorporeal wandering souls, consisted entirely of thin men, from the commander to the soldiers.

However, Cheng Xinzhan found it strange that these yin spirits were thin because their essence and blood had been extracted, but why was the thin Taoist who drank essence and blood and liked to eat people still so thin?
He set aside his doubts and replied.

"Thank you for your concern, Your Highness. I am well."

The thin Taoist priest then noticed the blue-faced ghost crab at Cheng Xinzhan's feet and said,
"I've collected all these dead spirits. You ghost crab also love to eat spirits. You didn't get any benefits this time, did you? Don't worry, when we conquer Red Cloud Island, we'll reward you according to your merits. I'll compensate you afterwards."

"Thank you, Your Highness."

Cheng Xinzhan thought to himself that this thin Taoist was really meticulous. He must have extraordinary abilities to have so many people working for him, in addition to his strength and status as a disciple of the Yin King.

"Strategist, the next step is to see if those two types of magical artifacts will work."

The thin Taoist's expression turned serious.

"Exactly."

Cheng Xinzhan replied that he truly did not know either.

At this moment, dark clouds approached the red glow. The thin Taoist waved his banner, and his dozen or so trusted subordinates flew at the forefront of the dark clouds. They saw the signal sent by the thin Taoist and then unleashed their magical treasures and flew out.

Thirty dark golden clouds flew out from the dozen or so people, then merged into a wide wall of clouds, interspersed with countless ghostly figures, flying before the dark clouds and skimming the sea. Instantly, the waves crashed and surged, and ghostly wails echoed like a tide.

This is the secret treasure of the Longxi Xuanyin Sect, the "Seven Fiends Xuanyin Heavenly Net," which is specifically used to extinguish all kinds of divine light.

This black cloud wall, formed by the fusion of thirty pieces of "Seven Fiends Profound Yin Heavenly Net," is like a faint golden edge inlaid on the front of the gaunt Taoist's dark clouds, which is not noticeable unless you look closely.

Just as the golden border was taking shape, dark clouds crashed into the Sunset Array.

In an instant, as if the sky were collapsing, dark clouds shrouded the rosy glow of the sunset.

Within the formation, Aunt Hong watched the dark clouds approach, calm and confident. She believed that the skinny Taoist would soon realize that his attack on the island was a joke, and that once his army of Yin spirits touched her Sunset Array, they would be like dumplings falling into the sea.

However, the next moment, the golden edge of the dark clouds gradually eroded the glow of the sunset, and the Yin Spirit Array squeezed into Red Cloud Island.

"How can this be!"

Aunt Hong Er screamed in disbelief.

"Boys, charge!"

The skinny Taoist priest burst into laughter.

With nowhere left to retreat, Aunt Hong waved her giant fan, fanning the wind and setting the fire ablaze. At the same time, the image of the Chiwen (a mythical beast) was also spewing fire and burning clouds.

Meanwhile, the thin Taoist priest was already waving banners, spreading the dark clouds to both sides, intending to encircle Red Cloud Island. At the same time, he shouted...

"Release the treasure!"

So, the dozen or so thin Taoist priests' third-realm confidants, who were under the cover of dark clouds, once again brought out their treasures, facing the surging rosy clouds and fire.

This magical artifact is about ten feet long, shaped like a small boat, and covered with dense green scales, resembling a green python. It is the secret treasure of the Ghost Kingdom of Beiman Mountain, called "Azure Phosphorous Strike".

The thin Taoist priest bought twenty of them and lined them up in a row, driven by the dozen or so Third Realm cultivators using their magical power. At the front of each magical artifact was a seven-bladed windmill, which was now activated by the magical power. The windmill spun rapidly, and the dense scales on the hull of the vessel moved together, emitting a dark green flame and a cold, phosphorescent wind that blew directly towards the oncoming rosy clouds.

"call--"

On one side was the blazing hurricane and the fiery glow of the sunset, and on the other side was the dark, cold phosphorescent flames. The two surged against each other, the wind howling and the fire roaring, emitting sharp whistling sounds, as if ghosts were crying and wolves were howling.

Aunt Hong's magic power and Dharma form were naturally more powerful, but unfortunately, the skinny Taoist's side had a large number of people. A group of people worked together to activate their magic weapons to restrain Aunt Hong, while another group of dead corpses and wandering souls had already begun to plunder and kill on the island.

Dark clouds eroded the crimson glow, and the demons of Diyin Island unleashed their magic to their hearts' content. Not knowing where the foundation of the Sunset Grand Array was, they recklessly bombarded and destroyed everything visible on the island, eventually managing to stumble upon the foundation.

In particular, the dozen or so crocodile demon corpses, each over thirty feet long, went berserk after landing on the island, rolling and whipping their tails, instantly destroying the cave dwellings and spiritual fields that had been painstakingly cultivated on the island.

This was certainly useful. As some of the array bases were damaged, the Red Glow Array was eroded by the "Seven Fiends Profound Yin Heavenly Net" at an even faster rate, the gaps were getting bigger and bigger, and more dark clouds began to pour in.

At this moment, there were still many low-level demons on the island. Some were servants, some were livestock for human consumption, and some were the kin of Aunt Hong Er, the Cloud Bats, who enjoyed all of this. But now, they were all the same. Swirled by the dark clouds and ghostly mist, they were all transformed into blood and energy, merging into the dark clouds.

"The strategist's brilliant plan has indeed worked!"

The skinny Taoist laughed loudly and patted Cheng Xinzhan's shoulder forcefully.

Cheng Xinzhan watched as the aura emanating from the thin Taoist priest surged rapidly. He had no intention of turning those insignificant demons on the island into spirits; they were all drained of their life force by him.

Aunt Hong watched all this with a bleeding heart. She couldn't understand why all the magical treasures that Diyin Island had used today were suppressing her own people and their own formations. Could it be that Heaven was truly going to destroy Hongxia Island?
Where is the Crocodile King? Why won't he show himself? Doesn't he even have the guts to fight the Yin King? Is he really going to just watch Red Cloud Island become someone else's territory? Yellow Sulfur Island has already fallen to Fire Dragon Island; if Red Cloud Island is gone too, then the Great Belly Sea will have lost half its territory!

"Second Madam, do not worry! I'm here!"

Just then, a shout suddenly came from the south. Cheng Xinzhan looked up and saw a dark cloud flying in from the south, its demonic aura soaring into the sky. The cloud was densely packed with monsters, and the leader was a burly giant who stood nine feet tall.

This giant man had a black face and clothes, a square face, leopard-like eyes and a broad forehead, a crew cut, a swallow-like chin and a tiger-like beard, each hair and whiskers distinct and as hard as steel needles; he was a rough and powerful warrior. The giant man rode on a black cloud, leading his men, and landed directly on Red Cloud Island, which was now riddled with flaws.

The giant's weapon was a heavy iron mace over ten feet long, its spiked fangs gleaming with a chilling light that inspired fear. With a flick of his wrist, the weapon transformed into a streak of black light, descending from the sky and crashing into the dense array of Yin spirits on the island, instantly pulverizing dozens of Yin corpses and wandering souls.

"The gang leader is here."

Cheng Xinzhan whispered a reminder in the thin Taoist's ear.

"Yuan Fachen, if you can't get Red Cloud Island, then retreat!"

The giant sheathed his weapon, leaped to Aunt Hong's side, and stood shoulder to shoulder with her, looking at the thin Taoist. His men, who had come with him, had flown off the island to drive out the Yin Clan.

The skinny Taoist priest ignored him, seemingly unconcerned about the arrival of the gang leader, and still ordered his men to continue the attack on Red Cloud Island.

This action puzzled Cheng Xinzhan. The gang leader's strength was even greater than that of Aunt Hong. The reason they had defeated Aunt Hong so easily today was because of the extensive preparations made beforehand, but they hadn't done so against the gang leader. What gave the skinny Taoist such confidence?
But then he saw a slight smile appear on the thin Taoist's lips.

"act recklessly!"

When the gang leader saw that he had come in person but the other side ignored him, he was naturally furious. He leaped into the air, raised his clubs above his head, and attacked with the force of splitting a mountain, directly smashing them at the dozen or so people in front of the dark cloud who were controlling "Seven Fiends Profound Yin Heavenly Net" and "Azure Phosphorous Rush".

"No need to hide!"

From within the dark clouds, the thin Taoist shouted loudly, and then summoned another magical artifact.

When this magical artifact first left its body, it was only the size of a palm. After being released, it grew longer in the wind, accompanied by booming thunder, and changed rapidly. When it arrived above the heads of the dozen or so people holding the artifact, it had transformed into a huge archway that was twenty or thirty feet wide and more than ten feet high.

The entire archway was pitch black, with five gate towers. The bases of the pillars were completely obscured by a cloud of blackness. On the plaque in the center of each gate tower were four large characters:

"No one should be wrongly convicted of a crime."

Cheng Xinzhan was somewhat curious. Archway-type magical artifacts belonged to the category of solemn and imposing objects, ranking alongside bells and tripods. They were mostly seen in thunder rituals and fasting ceremonies, and rarely in daily combat. The last time he saw an archway-type magical artifact was when the headmaster of Siming Mountain used it to prevent Gu Chen from escaping south, but it was shattered into pieces by the Xuan Yin Gathering Beast Banner. Unexpectedly, he saw another one today with Gu Chen's disciple.

Moreover, the archway that the thin Taoist priest worshipped looked dark and gloomy, but it did not have any demonic aura. Instead, it had a majestic and upright feel.

"clang--"

The spiked club struck the archway with a deafening roar, rippling outwards with countless waves of spiritual light. The residual energy of the waves crashed onto the sea, creating towering waves.

The archway remained unharmed, only sinking slightly. Although the thin Taoist's face turned red from the force of the impact, he had indeed taken the full force of the gang leader's attack head-on.

Upon seeing this, the demons protected by the archway immediately cheered and applauded.

The gang leader wasn't faring much better; the archway was indeed a valuable treasure, as most of the force was rebounded. His spiked club was sent flying high, his arms went slightly numb, and he was forced back by the shockwave.

He stood still in mid-air, examining the archway.

Aunt Hong wanted to help, so she made a hand seal and was about to use her supernatural powers to drop the treasure.

But at that moment, a whooshing sound came from the east, drawing everyone's attention.

Cheng Xinzhan turned his head and saw a great burst of Buddhist light in the east. As the light approached, he could see a dozen nuns flying towards Red Cloud Island.

Looking in the direction from which the Buddha's light came, he was somewhat surprised. He turned to look at the thin Taoist. He had only mentioned it casually in the hall, but he hadn't expected the thin Taoist to actually summon the people from Hidden Dragon Mountain.

The demonic forces are fighting and attacking each other, and they actually brought in the righteous path to help them. They can do such a thing. They really are worthy of the demonic path!
The thin Taoist priest, seeing Cheng Xinzhan's surprised look, felt no shame but rather pride, and said smugly,

"How could I possibly ignore the strategist's opinion? Ever since the strategist said that the Black and Red families were of the same faction, I thought that the Black Boss might come to our aid when we attacked Red Cloud Island. So I revealed the information to Hidden Dragon Mountain before we set off."

"Hidden Dragon Mountain only wants to retrieve the Buddhist treasure stolen by Aunt Hong Er. They can't stay at sea for long, and all I want is Red Glow Island. We'll break the formation, they'll fight, we'll help each other out, and neither of us will get in the way. Hahaha—"

The skinny Taoist laughed loudly, and Cheng Xinzhan laughed along with him.

This is interesting. Now that the skinny Taoist has done such a disgraceful thing, I wonder if the sea demon kings will still lend a helping hand when something happens to Diyin Island in the future.

Regardless of what happens in the future, at least the skinny Taoist's plan has worked for now. Seeing the people from Hidden Dragon Mountain approaching, Aunt Hong's expression changed instantly, and she instinctively retreated, intending to flee.

At this moment, the gang leader grabbed her arm and shook his head.

In Daduhai, abandoning an island and losing land is a serious crime. Aunt Hong Er could escape from Yinlong Mountain, but could she escape from the Crocodile King?

Aunt Hong Er clearly understood this as well, and after regaining her senses, she stopped walking.

Soon, the people from Hidden Dragon Mountain approached and immediately spotted Aunt Hong Er, who was dressed in striking red. They then surrounded her.

Twelve people arrived at Hidden Dragon Mountain, all of them at the Golden Core stage. The leader possessed a profound aura, even surpassing that of Aunt Hong, and was likely already at the Upper Three Tribulations stage. This Master Taiyi appeared to be around forty or fifty years old, with a compassionate face. He wore a gold and red kasaya, with lotus patterns on a red background and dragons embroidered in gold thread, making him extremely imposing.

"You wicked creature, return the Buddhist treasure at once!"

The nun raised her eyebrows, her tongue spitting out thunderous fury as she roared.

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.

at the same time.

Half Moon Island lies in the middle of the Big Belly Sea.

The alligator king on the throne opened his eyes, his dark green eyes and golden vertical pupils radiating murderous intent.

"King Alligator, let's not interfere in the affairs of the juniors. As you know, I have never made a move since I entered the sea, out of respect for the Great Sage. But now that King Li and King Qing are gone, I am the only elder left on the island. If you want to make a move, I'll have to play with you."

The moment the Alligator King opened his eyes, a voice suddenly rang out on Half Moon Island.

The voice was calm and even, yet it caused the Alligator King's pupils to shrink sharply, and his scales to flutter even without wind. The Alligator King didn't open his mouth; only a thunderous roar echoed from his abdomen.

"King Yin, it is not that I am disrespectful, but now it is your disciple who has brought the land-based Zen sect to the sea!"

The voice remained calm and even, without any fluctuations.

"Nonsense! Your subordinates stole things from the land-based Zen sect, which is why they attracted people to the sea. How can you blame my disciple?"
"Furthermore, don't mention anything about the mainland to me. I've killed more righteous people on the mainland than all of you combined. Since the opening of my Earth Yin Island, I've never stopped fighting on the mainland. So the accusation of colluding with mainland forces can't be pinned on me."

"I'll just say one thing: things at sea should be done according to the rules of the sea. If you want to fight, I don't mind stretching my muscles."

Upon hearing this, the alligator king's golden vertical pupils shrank to the size of a pinhead, and the killing intent emanating from his body caused the water vapor in the surrounding void to condense into ice beads, which then fell down.

But after a long time, the alligator king slowly loosened his clenched fist and closed his eyes.

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(End of this chapter)