Minglong

Chapter 344 The local fellow cultivators are truly...

Gu Xuanzun had only met this man in black robes a few days ago when he arrived in Yanbo City. He knew the man was a high-ranking member of the Underworld God Sect, but he didn't know his exact identity. He frowned and said:
Who is your identity?

"Mo Yuan, my father is Mo Hunsheng."

"ink……?"

Upon hearing this, Gu Xuanzun's eyes widened in shock, and his previous anger vanished instantly, leaving only a mixture of disbelief and doubt.

After all, few people in this era have heard of the name 'Mo Hunsheng', but his nickname in the martial arts world is enough to terrify even the most sages on the mountain peak—the Corpse Ancestor!
The Corpse Ancestor was born into the Gu Poison Sect. He was originally considered a righteous genius with talent that surpassed his generation. He entered the Super Grade before the age of twenty and compiled the "Zhu Man Si Wu Jing" at the age of twenty-two, making Chilong Cave the ancestral temple of the witch religion. At that time, Shuang Sheng Ye Ci was still a wandering street urchin who traveled around playing.

Because the teachings of the Corpse Ancestor were very persuasive, the Witchcraft Rebellion once gathered a large number of cultivators to form a demon army. In order to prevent anyone from repeating the same mistakes, the righteous path erased all traces of the Corpse Ancestor after the war. Ordinary people can only find out about the destruction caused by the Witchcraft Rebellion, but they know almost nothing about the Corpse Ancestor's deeds before his rebellion.

Ancient Xuanzun, having established himself in Dragon Bone Beach and held a prominent position, had some understanding of the matter and questioned:

"The Corpse Ancestor still has a family? How is that possible..."

Mo Yuan shook his head:

"Of course not. I was adopted as a godson, similar to Wei Wuyi. Back then, the righteous sects overlooked me during their investigation, and I narrowly escaped the chaos of the Witch Cult. Later, I joined the Underworld God Cult to plan the rescue of my father..."

He Can hadn't expected this man to have such a powerful background, and after thinking for a moment, he said:

"Since you were adopted by the Corpse Ancestor, how could the righteous path have overlooked you?"

Mo Yuan was silent for a moment, then his eyes flickered and suddenly turned into vertical pupils. Black scale patterns also faintly appeared on his face, but they returned to normal in an instant.

"Do you think the Corpse Ancestor only gives half-demons the chance to be human? The bloodline in your body was given to you by me. When my father had his accident, I was not the way I am now. The righteous sects threw me into the Ten Thousand Snake Cave as a poisonous creature to be raised, and I only managed to escape a calamity by chance."

"..."

Gu Xuanzun, He Can, and Zhang Chu looked on incredulously, but they still understood—this high-ranking member of the Underworld God Cult, who appeared no different from a human, was not one of their kind, but a transformed great demon…

Ancient Xuanzun had only heard of this thing in ancient legends, and said with some skepticism:

"The Corpse Ancestor possesses such immortal-level abilities?"

He Can, as one of the test subjects, had no doubt about this:
"Otherwise, how could he be a figure who founded a religion and became its founder? So, the methods of transformation for us half-demons were all passed down from you?"

Mo Yuan shook his head, not responding, and simply pulled his hood back up.

"I came here for Xie Jinhuan. If the sect's deduction is correct, Xie Jinhuan has something I need. Before I met this boy, if I made a move, I might expose my secrets. Therefore, I did not intend to deal with Lü Yan."

"Just now, it was because you didn't follow the pre-arranged plan and acted on your own initiative to covet the treasure that the aftermath occurred. Even my act of forcing the monk Kuya to retreat and helping you out of the predicament was a risky move. So, you'll have to figure out how to explain this to the higher-ups yourself. Don't blame it on my Underworld God Sect standing by and doing nothing."

Gu Xuanzun had indeed wanted Lü Yan's Lingguang Divine Gift and magic weapon, which was why he had started the extortion. Now that he heard this, he could no longer complain.

Mo Yuan then turned to look at He Can:
“You have the potential to become demon generals. I keep you around because I value your talents and want you to contribute ideas and help the sect. I don’t want you to make jokes and give bad advice. I’m a worm and my brain isn’t working properly, but are you two not? You said Xie Jinhuan would come. Who are these people who are coming?”

"..."

Zhang Chu, known for his brilliant ideas, remained silent in fear.

He Can shrugged slightly: "This has nothing to do with me. To be honest, Xie Jinhuan is too strange. We can't handle him. If we turn back now, we still have a chance to live. If we wait any longer, Xie Jinhuan might just pop out from behind us..."

Mo Yuan frowned, about to sternly remind the monk of the rule that "those who leave without permission will be killed," but then he sniffed the air and looked around the cave.

slam-la-

Legend has it that the Dragon Emperor Cave leads directly to the East Sea. The ancient dragon that became a spirit landed here and made it its lair. The interior is not as intricate as the Phoenix Tomb, and is even quite spacious.

However, Phoenix Tomb is filled with the element of fire, which is impossible for normal living beings to survive in. On the other hand, Dragon Emperor Cave is filled with the spiritual energy of water and wood, making it suitable for the growth of all things. As a result, the vast cave contains a large number of shade-tolerant plants and birds and beasts.

To evade pursuit from the surface, the four had ventured deep into the Dragon Emperor's Cave. The surrounding vegetation had thinned, and a vine forest resembling a spider's nest had appeared. Countless snakes, insects, and rodents could be felt moving about within it, and occasionally bats, eagles, and sparrows would let out a few cries.

"Gu~Gu..."

Gu Xuanzun looked around but found nothing amiss. He then asked in a low voice:
"They've caught up?"

Mo Yuan frowned, looked around, and then fixed his gaze on the vine forest:

"Come out."

After he finished speaking, the spacious cave was silent for a moment, then a laugh rang out from afar:

"Hehe, good eye..."

The laughter seemed to originate from an old man with one foot in the ground, a combination of bubbly sounds and a smoky voice, giving it an eerie and unsettling feel.

He Can frowned, quietly shielded the three of them in front of him, and disappeared into the dead of night.

Gu Xuanzun held a bone knife in his hand and carefully examined the distant vine forest. Before he could find his target, a large area of ​​vines suddenly rose up, revealing a torso and two feet.

After the vines took two steps forward, he was astonished to find that it was a living person who had been lying in the vine forest.

The figure was unusually tall, hunched over and leaning on a cane, looking to be over two meters tall. He was covered in a wide robe made of tattered cloth, and his messy hair hung down from the hood, blending into the tattered cloth. He walked with a swaying gait, but his footsteps made a dull 'thump-thump' sound. Putting aside his cultivation level, his appearance alone was extremely intimidating.

After staring intently for a moment, Gu Xuanzun's eyes widened in surprise:
"Old man Sha Tu?! You actually came to Dragon Bone Beach?"

"My time is almost up, there's no other way, otherwise I would rather spend my whole life in the yellow sands of the desert..." Sha Tu spoke slowly and deliberately, his withered hand gripping his cane as he stood in front of the three:

"I was taking shelter from the rain here, and I did not disturb you as you passed by. What is your purpose in pointing me out?"

Mo Yuan hadn't noticed the sixth man at first, and only spoke up because he was worried about being ambushed. Now that he realized he was just a fellow member of the heretical sects from the Western Regions, he didn't intend to attack to avoid attracting the four pursuers. He simply said:
"I am only asking for passage temporarily and have no ill intentions. You have some skill. If you are willing to serve my Underworld God Sect, I will find you a suitable opportunity in the future; if not, we can go our separate ways and not interfere with each other."

"Ha ha……"

Sha Tu, leaning on his cane, shook his head:
"I am a rogue cultivator, I will not be someone's dog."

Seeing this, Mo Yuan didn't insist. He intended to leave, but then he noticed that the old man Sha Tu was blocking the way and wouldn't move. He frowned.

"What do you mean? Are you planning to ambush us, kill us, and steal our treasure?"

"I don't have that kind of ability."

Sha Tu rubbed his cane with both hands and looked behind the three people:
"However, if I'm not mistaken, you were fighting over Bai Zhang Ze just now, and you're currently being hunted down by the righteous path. If you offer some tribute, I'll let you pass without alerting anyone."

"If you are not willing, it is fine. I have roamed the desert for decades and have long had enough. If I can make some contributions to the righteous path before I die and take a few fellow Daoists with me, then my life will not have been in vain."

"?"

Upon hearing this, the Dragon Emperor Cave fell into a deathly silence.

Ancient Xuanzun, holding the bone knife, was stunned upon hearing this!

What do you mean?
A mere rogue cultivator comes to Dragon Bone Beach to cheat and extort money from the powerful demons of the Underworld God Sect and local demonic cultivators. Isn't this utterly depraved and anti-Heavenly Gang?
crazy for money?
But upon closer reflection, it seems they really have no other choice.

That old scoundrel Sha Tu was originally an ascetic monk, but later betrayed his sect and became a demon. His ability to withstand blows is definitely not bad. He has been wanted by the North and South for many years and is still alive. He must have some hidden skills. It is almost impossible for them to kill him silently.

Once a fight breaks out, a battle at this level is no less intense than banging drums and gongs in the middle of the night. Even if Lü Yan and the others were blind, they could catch up in an instant.

If Sha Tu Lao Er deliberately delays them for even a moment by harming others without benefiting himself, they will definitely be blocked by the four of them.

Then Sha Tu Lao'er disappeared in a flash with his "Three Pure Ones Stepping Step". Should Lü Yan chase after Sha Tu Lao'er or beat up these bandits?

Is this what they mean by "barefoot people aren't afraid of those wearing shoes"?
Learned, learned...

……

Mo Yuan was enraged to discover the audacity of the old man Sha Tu, but he had only come for Xie Jinhuan and didn't want to fight any pointless battles. Under the threat of the other party 'revealing each other's coordinates and dying together,' he nodded slightly.

"What audacity! But having offended the Underworld God Cult, even if you leave Dragon Bone Beach alive, you will have nowhere to settle down in the world."

"You needn't worry about that. I've had enough. I'll live one day at a time."

"what would you like?"

Sha Tu glanced around, gesturing towards the bone knife in Gu Xuanzun's hand and He Can, who had quietly escaped:
"This knife is quite good, and that lad, he's quick-witted and has a bit of my style in him. He could be a good successor..."

"Ok?"

He Can, who had already disappeared, was flattered upon hearing this, but still spread his hands and said:
"I have no objection, but you probably can't take me with you, senior."

Gu Xuanzun, however, had strong opinions!
He struggled to survive in the cracks of Dragon Bone Beach, barely managing to accumulate some possessions. Today, he had a brain fart and went out to rob people. He failed to steal anyone and his teammate died. Then, he was double-crossed by a rogue cultivator. If he obediently offered tribute, what kind of demonic cultivator would he be? Wouldn't he be a money-giving boy?
In response, Gu Xuanzun coldly stated:
"You're short of travel money, so I'll give you a few bottles of pills. If you ask for more, be careful, or you'll regret it."

Sha Tu was clearly playing dirty, so why would he care about this threat? He leaned on his cane and moved forward, and the vines around him began to stir, like thousands of snakes baring their fangs and claws, making a rustling sound.
"If you gentlemen don't want to give it, you can simply make your move. Why waste so much time on this nonsense?"

"..."

The four of them fell silent.

Seeing this, He Can knew there was no room for negotiation. Worried that the old demon Lü Yan might attack and they wouldn't be able to escape, he waved his hand and urged them on:

“This old bastard knows you won’t dare to make a move. If we just kill him, he’ll definitely run away. If he doesn’t, we can finish this quickly and have a chance to escape.”

As a cultivator of the demonic sect, Gu Xuanzun was already short-tempered, and today he was even more furious. Upon hearing this, he couldn't bear it any longer. He turned around and glanced back, his eyes flashing with overwhelming killing intent.
"you wanna die!"

Boom——

As soon as he finished speaking, a towering wave of blood erupted from the vast cave, and countless blood claws pressed down on the figure in front of him.

Mo Yuan then transformed into a wisp of black smoke, leaving a trail of black smoke, like a dragon or python darting through a sea of ​​blood, and with one claw, he reached out to Sha Tu Lao'er.

Seeing that these fellow Daoists were refusing to listen to reason and were instead being forced to drink a penalty cup, Sha Tu Lao Er was not polite. He did not fight back, but instead used a spell to shake the entire cave, causing thunder to rumble inside the Dragon Emperor Cave, as if the earth dragon was turning over. The sound traveled dozens of miles in an instant, and then he turned and ran away!

"My mother!"

Seeing this, Gu Xuanzun was so angry that he almost ascended to demonic possession on the spot, and swept a sea of ​​blood towards the vine forest.

Knowing his location had been exposed and his pursuers were close behind, Mo Yuan charged forward at full speed.
"Stop fighting, get out of there first!"

……

(End of this chapter)