Shushan Earthly Immortal

Chapter 417 A Battle of Wits from Afar, Each Displaying Their Unique Abilities (Part 2) (5.7K words, please support with monthly votes~)

Just as the evil devil finished casting his third spell—the decapitation spell—the flying demon on the skull altar bit the hairy man's head. At that moment, a sound was suddenly heard…
"Crack!"

Like a bolt of lightning striking from a clear sky, a crack suddenly appeared in the sky above Penghu Island, and a bolt of silver-purple lightning burst forth, like a giant axe of a god, striking straight down onto the top of the evil altar.

Feeling the immense power of the thunder, the evil devil turned pale with fright.

The lightning's energy was so fierce and violent, and its speed was so swift, that it caught him completely off guard. To be honest, if he hadn't recently witnessed the Taoist's profound lightning magic, he wouldn't have guessed that this lightning bolt was aimed at Cheng Xinzhan.

Right now, I'm the one setting up the altar and casting the spell; how could his methods possibly come back to attack?

The evil demon hadn't anticipated being attacked while setting up an altar in his cave lair, so he hadn't prepared any protective measures. Most importantly, his only weapon against lightning magic, the banner, had been taken away. Seeing the lightning strike, he didn't have time to think. With only a jar of extremely yin and foul blood beside him, he grabbed the jar and poured it onto the lightning, emptying the remaining foul blood.

But how could the filthy blood stop the thunder? With a single strike, it was scorched into nothingness, and the drowned ghosts and vengeful spirits in the blood were also scattered. The thunder's power remained undiminished, and it continued to strike.

The evil demon's eyes were bloodshot with rage. The ritual was underway, and if the altar were destroyed, he would be severely injured, if not killed. Desperate, he used the black clay jar filled with foul blood to prop it up.

The black jar blocked the lightning's impact point, emitting a dark light that absorbed the lightning.

"Click——"

Almost instantly, cracks appeared in the black jar, and silver lightning shone through the cracks, illuminating the hideous face of the evil devil.

The evil devil looked at the green-robed man; at this moment, he could only place his hopes on the green-robed man.

At this moment, the Green-Robed Ancestor made his move without hesitation. With a wave of his hand, he unleashed a golden light.

Seeing this, the evil devil secretly breathed a sigh of relief. But then, his expression changed again, and he stopped before he could finish exhaling, as if someone had choked him. A feeling of despair surged into his heart—the green-robed man had made his move, but not to block the lightning and protect the altar. The golden light he unleashed flew directly into the void rift before the void closed and the lightning struck!

He's going to kill, not save!

"boom!"

In the blink of an eye, the black clay pot shattered.

"what!"

The evil demon roared, whether to bolster his courage or to vent his anger, it was unclear. At this moment, the black-haired water ghosts in his Nascent Soul Dao Domain leaped over and lay prostrate on the evil altar, choosing to use their bodies as shields to drape the altar with a layer of thick black blanket. This blanket blended with the black sea in the Dao Domain, emitting a dark, eerie light together.

He intended to use his Nascent Soul Dao Domain to withstand the lightning and protect the altar.

"Zizzi-"

Thunder struck, and lightning bolts danced across the carpet, obliterating the black-haired water monkeys one by one.

However, the devil, driven to the brink of despair, actually managed to block the lightning, and the altar remained unharmed.

The devil collapsed to the ground, panting heavily.

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.

Lingdingyang, an unnamed island.

Cheng Xinzhan performed sword dances and chanted incantations on the altar, summoning a vast bolt of silver-purple lightning. The lightning appeared only for a fleeting moment before cleaving through the void and disappearing.

As the lightning followed the mysterious energy, Cheng Xinzhan remained cautious. He wasn't sure if this single bolt of lightning could completely destroy the evil altar, or if any new curses might descend upon it before it was destroyed.

So he remained fully focused and vigilant, on guard.

His prediction was correct.

He had just sent out a bolt of lightning when another anomaly occurred, but this one was even more bizarre and silent than the previous two. He didn't notice it and therefore didn't take any precautions.

Just as the Taoist priest finished casting his thunder spell, he felt a cold wind brush against his neck, as if a ghost had breathed on it. Immediately afterward, he found his body floating upward without warning or involuntary.

What is this about? Is it trying to steal my body?
"town!"

The Taoist priest recited a spell.

To counter this kind of manipulation, the best method is to use the "Suppress" mantra to summon the power of the mountains and imbue it upon oneself. With one's feet connected to the earth, it becomes much harder to be captured. At this moment, one's physical body is connected to the mantra, which is rooted in the seabed. If the opponent is capable, they can capture both the mantra and a portion of the seabed.

After reciting the mantra, Cheng Xinzhan could feel a mountain-like magical intent descending upon him, and his feet were tightly connected with the mountain-like magical seal beneath his feet.

Huh? !

He was somewhat surprised. Why was it that even though he clearly felt that his body had become one with the Mountain Seal, his body was still involuntarily flying upwards, judging from the scenery he saw?
"Roar!"

Cheng Xinzhan heard the lion roar at him, and strangely enough, this stubborn guy, who was fearless, actually had a rare hint of panic in his roar this time.

He turned his head to look.

This turn of the head finally made Cheng Xinzhan realize that something was wrong. With just a thought, his head turned around quickly, more than half a circle from front to back, as if there were no longer any constraints on his neck and shoulders.

He looked down again and finally understood:
My body was still standing perfectly fine on the altar without moving at all; it was my head that flew off my body!

Even Mr. Guangfa, who was used to seeing all kinds of storms, was so shocked when he saw his body standing still with nothing on his neck except for a smooth, mirror-like cut that shone with a mysterious light that he broke out in a cold sweat.

What kind of magic is this?
Cheng Xinzhan tried to control his head to fly back, but the head wouldn't obey, as if controlled by some force, and continued to fly high. So, he tried to use his physical body to chase after the head, but the body didn't react at all.

Yes!

Cheng Xinzhan immediately realized that the physical body is controlled by the seven souls, but now all seven souls are in the Purple Palace and in the head, and have left the physical body, so naturally they cannot be controlled.

The Taoist frowned. This evil spell was indeed dangerous. The head was separated from the body, and the head was out of control, as was the body. For an ordinary person, there was really no way to deal with it.
"Roar!"

The lion roared again, this time with even greater terror. It pounced and bit Cheng Xinzhan's head, refusing to let it go.

This blockhead reacted quite quickly this time.

Cheng Xinzhan thought to himself, "Furthermore, I'm glad that the lion is a Taoist who attained enlightenment in the snow mountain, and its mouth is cool and clean. Otherwise, I would have suffered a lot."

Since the lion had kept its head, Cheng Xinzhan did not use the Fire Lotus Incarnation he had prepared in advance. He was worried that the person in the shadows had a backup plan and did not want to expose all his trump cards at once.

It's true what they say, misfortunes never come singly. Just as this thought crossed Cheng Xinzhan's mind, he saw something unusual in the sky again. The lightning bolt had just pierced through the void, leaving a crack. Such cracks usually heal instantly, but just before they closed, a golden light flew out from within.

Cheng Xinzhan narrowed his eyes. Wasn't the other party's reaction a little too fast?
He had just sent the lightning through the unseen connection between the other party's altar and himself, and this person immediately used the lightning to create a channel through the void to launch a counterattack, which was truly unbelievable. Such lightning channels are very unstable and exist for a very short time; it is impossible for anyone who is not highly proficient in void magic and lightning magic to do so.

From this perspective, the person in the shadows is not just an ordinary fourth-realm cultivator; in fact, they may be more than just a fourth-realm cultivator.

As for the golden light, it flew out just before the void rift closed, then rolled in the air and transformed into an insect.

This insect was about the size of a jujube, entirely golden, covered in extremely fine golden hairs, as if it had rolled in gold dust, shimmering and sparkling. It had a bizarre appearance, with thin wings like a cicada, a stinging proboscis like a mosquito, a stinging tail like a bee, and dense legs like a centipede; it was extremely ferocious.

"Golden Silkworm Gu?"

Cheng Xinzhan was surprised.

Years ago, he ambushed the Three Corpses Sect, using a scheme to break through Red Cloud Island and kill the demon crocodile, employing the Golden Silkworm Gu, so he was naturally familiar with it. However, the Golden Silkworm Gu before him was different from the batch the Three Corpses Sect had previously purchased from Mount Jiuyi; it clearly looked much more ferocious. Moreover, the Golden Silkworm Gu he had seen before only had golden stripes on their backs; none were as pure gold as this.

However, even the Golden Silkworm Gu, which seemed far inferior before, was extremely expensive, and the thick-skinned crocodile demons were like paper in front of them. Now, this one looked formidable, and its combat power should not be underestimated.

To Cheng Xinzhan's surprise, the three consecutive curses—the first a chilling black mist, the second a tidal wave summoning souls, and the third a decapitation—almost certainly identified him as the evil demon. This demon used a cloaked ape as its form and human heads as its magical artifacts, so it must be skilled in these sinister curses. However, the appearance of Gu worms from Mount Jiuyi made him doubt his initial guess. Could they be Gu masters from Mount Jiuyi? Those people were also adept at casting curses. However, while he had eliminated many demons and evil spirits, he hadn't actually made enemies with the Miao Gu masters or Mount Jiuyi. Why would they be so deliberately targeting him?
Cheng Xinzhan couldn't figure it out for a moment, and at this critical juncture, he didn't have time to think too much. He decided to strike first, even though his body was below, he also had a magical artifact inside his head.

A golden light flashed in his left eye, and a sword light burst forth, "Taodu" shooting straight towards the Gu worm.

On the other hand, the Gu worm, a tiny insect, displayed the demeanor of a grandmaster. After piercing through the void to arrive here, it did not immediately launch an attack, but instead looked around, examining the isolated island, the altar, Cheng Xinzhan's head and body, as well as the lion and the clouds.

At that moment, seeing the flying sword coming, the Gu worm flapped its wings and disappeared from the spot. Then, almost simultaneously, it reappeared in another place, causing the flying sword to miss its target.

Cheng Xinzhan was shocked. The Gu worm was too fast, so fast that even he could not tell whether it had secretly crossed the void or simply moved sideways.

The flying sword seemed to possess a spirit. "Taodu" missed its target and, feeling humiliated, let out a whistling sound before turning to give chase.

This time, just as the flying sword was about to pierce the Gu worm, a dazzling golden light suddenly burst forth from the Golden Silkworm Gu. The flying sword passed through the light, but missed its target again!

"Taodu" was furious. Looking back, he wanted to continue the charge, but when he looked back, he was dazzled by what he saw:

The golden light condensed into countless tiny stars, twinkling brightly in the white clouds, and also resembled tens of thousands of wasps and locusts, covering the sky and making a squeaking sound, like silkworms eating leaves.

Each of those golden stars is a golden silkworm gu.

"Clouds lock a thousand peaks!"

Cheng Xinzhan chanted, realizing that he was facing the greatest crisis since forming his Golden Core. These countless Gu worms were far more powerful than the three curses he had just endured.

With his command, "Peach Capital" transformed into thousands of crimson-gold sword threads, striking the countless golden silkworm gu. Not only "Peach Capital," but "Nether Capital," which had been summoned earlier, also disintegrated at this moment, transforming into a storm of crimson and purple winds and rain, which struck the golden silkworm gu.

"Om-"

Tens of thousands of golden silkworm gu flapped their wings simultaneously, emitting a huge explosion, and swarmed towards the lion, the human head, and the flesh, not even sparing the altar and the clouds.

In that instant, Cheng Xinzhan even heard the sound of the Golden Silkworm Gu gnawing at the clouds and mist. He could also sense that these Gu worms were quite formidable. With just one move, the "Eight Treasures Cloud Light Cloth" was already damaged, and one after another, tiny holes began to appear.

At that moment, Cheng Xinzhan's first reaction was relief. He was grateful that after sensing the danger in advance, he immediately found such a secluded place to face the impending peril alone. If he had stayed on Mount Luofu or returned to Mount Yunti, his situation might have been better, but the innocent casualties caused by the rampage of these tens of thousands of Golden Silkworm Gu would have been far greater.

He didn't release the "Eight Treasures Cloud Light Cloth" and used the "Peach Capital" sword threads to relieve the pressure on the cloth. Although he was currently in the inner bay of the Lingdingyang, which seemed relatively safe, the Lingdingyang was still very large and connected to the South China Sea. If these Gu worms broke through the clouds, their owner might be able to sense where he was, and then he would have to face more than just Gu worms.

In addition, the person in the shadows underestimated himself. Who said that once the body is separated from the corpse, the body cannot be controlled?

He cultivated a method that used his primordial spirit as the controller, spiritual energy as the thread, and the acupoints throughout his body as the nodes, viewing his physical body as his partner. Even if his primordial spirit left his body, he could still control it. As for whether his body had a head or not, that was of course irrelevant.

The method of creating silk puppets.

With a thought, the spiritual energy between heaven and earth condensed into threads, connecting his head and body.

Then, in the next moment, the Dharma umbrella, the earth book, the Dharma fan, the fire gourd, the Dharma robe of the scripture master, and many other Dharma treasures flew out from the acupoints of the physical body.

The Dharma umbrella opened, merging into the clouds and mist, together with the Dharma cloth, to prevent the Gu worms from leaking out. The Earth Book opened, casting a beam of apricot-yellow light, protecting the jade seal altar.

The magic fan and the fire gourd, one fanning the wind and the other igniting the fire, quickly spread like wildfire, burning towards the golden silkworm gu that filled the sky.

The lion protected Cheng Xinzhan's head well. It bristled its mane, unleashing countless green and blue needles to block the oncoming Golden Silkworm Gu. Furthermore, it summoned a magical artifact—a golden bell that even Cheng Xinzhan was unaware of. It placed the bell atop its head and shook it rapidly. The void rippled and swayed like water, significantly slowing the Golden Silkworm Gu's escape.

As for the physical body, it was naturally targeted by the Golden Silkworm Gu, but at this moment, the Master's robe was draped over his body on its own, so the Golden Silkworm Gu couldn't break it for a while. Moreover, under Cheng Xinzhan's control, this headless body began to move.

At the same time, Cheng Xinzhan manipulated the "Eight Treasures Cloud Light Cloth". The restrictions made by "Yangming Cloud Hall Gang" and "Xiyue Illusion Wave Sha" in the cloth were activated at the same time. One emitted a dazzling white light, and the other emitted a huge tidal sound, making the Golden Silkworm Gu unable to see or hear clearly.

However, this Golden Silkworm Gu is no ordinary creature. It doesn't just rely on light and sound to locate itself. It seems to be able to smell the scent of living people and sense the flow of spiritual energy in the world, so it can still launch an attack, only its reaction is a little slow.

However, this alone is enough to achieve the effect Cheng Xinzhan wanted.

Under the cover of clouds and the sound of the tide, his physical body, wielding the thunder sword, once again performed the ritual steps and continued to unleash thunder magic.

At this moment, although Cheng Xinzhan could still control his physical body, separating the head from the body for his ritual was inconvenient, and having to consider both sides also limited the lion's combat power. He absolutely had to retrieve the head. And the only way to retrieve the head was to destroy the evil altar over there. By this time, some time had passed since the first bolt of lightning struck, and Cheng Xinzhan had sensed it; after being blocked several times, the lightning had now dissipated.

However, with the first bolt of lightning as a marker, Cheng Xinzhan was confident that the second bolt of lightning would land closer to the evil altar and strike even faster!
He deliberately used the light of clouds and the sound of the tide as cover, fearing that the spellcaster on the other side was connected to the Golden Silkworm Gu here. If the Golden Silkworm Gu saw this, the other side would definitely take precautions in advance.

At this moment, Cheng Xinzhan performed the physical ritual of walking on a magic sword, but the incantations were actually coming from the human head inside the lion's mouth.

"The fiery clouds in the sky shake the heavens and earth."

It can subdue demonic energy above and slay evil influences below.

Lightning flashes and the wind blows without ceasing.

He understood the true nature of transformations and paid homage to the Emperor.

"Hurry, hurry, as the law commands! Execute!"

Then, another bolt of lightning appeared, splitting the void and disappearing into the sky.

"combine!"

As soon as he saw off the thunder, he recited another incantation, and the void that the thunder had cleaved open instantly closed.

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.

South China Sea, Penghu Island.

Exhausted, the evil devil slumped to the ground, his face contorted in pain. He had already put away his golden core and nascent soul. However, he saw that the flying barbarian on the altar had finally bitten off the hairy man's head, which meant that the thieving Taoist priest on the other side was indeed decapitated. He couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. At this moment, only he himself knew the enormous price he had paid for these three curses.

That's all I can do. I can't control the rest anymore. I'll leave it to the golden light in the green robe!
That's what the evil devil thought.

At this moment, the Green-Robed Ancestor frowned. The Taoist's methods were surprisingly numerous. That sword was no ordinary sword, that fire was no ordinary fire, and that wind, cloud, umbrella, book, and clothes were all extraordinary. They all seemed to surpass the level of ordinary embryonic beings. In particular, the golden sword and the white fire seemed to have the level of a celestial realm. But he had not yet entered the fourth level. What would happen if he waited until later?

But after several breaths, his Hundred Poison Golden Silkworm Gu was still unable to break through the cloud umbrella barrier due to the influence of the many magical treasures over there, and he still couldn't figure out where the Taoist was, which was really frustrating.

"Crack!"

Just then, as the two looked worried, the void opened up again just three feet above the evil altar, and lightning bolts shot out and struck down swiftly.

The lightning struck too suddenly and too swiftly, and it was too close to the altar. Neither the Green-Robed Ancestor nor the Evil Demon could react in time. The Evil Demon couldn't fathom how the person could still cast spells with their body dismembered. And the Green-Robed Ancestor was equally surprised that the Taoist priest had performed the Five Thunder Altar Spell right under his Gu worms' noses.

Ah, it's that white light and the sound of the tide!
The Green-Robed Ancestor realized that the Taoist's real purpose was not to suppress the Golden Silkworm Gu, but to cover up the altar's operation!

However, by the time they realized it, it was too late.

With a single flash of lightning, the thunder struck the altar, instantly shattering the flying barbarian and the black-haired man atop it into dust. Then, chaotic bolts of lightning enveloped the entire altar, and skull after skull exploded.

"what--"

The evil devil screamed in agony as the double backlash of "things don't happen more than three times" and the collapse of the altar struck him simultaneously. His acupoints, like the skull of the altar, exploded one by one, causing him to writhe on the ground in excruciating pain, screaming in agony.

The green-robed patriarch had a gloomy face and wanted to make another move, but this time, as soon as the lightning struck, the void rift closed immediately, leaving him no chance at all.

He's quite a character!

The man in the green robe looked extremely unpleasant, but inwardly he couldn't help but let out a sigh of admiration.

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(End of this chapter)