This humble Taoist priest, Qianhe, begins his quest for immortality by slaying demons and monsters.

Chapter 206 Black Mountain Has a Ghost Emperor, Zhong Bai's Fearlessness

Zhong Bai and Zhang Zhiwei could understand Yan Chixia's words. No cultivator in the world wants to be used like a fool. Their cultivation is primarily about achieving immortality, flying and escaping, and being free from constraints. Only then do they seek peace in the world. As for personal matters, whether to help or not depends on their mood at the time.

After decades of cultivation, Yan Chixia, a Golden Core True Monarch, was not stupid enough to save a female ghost who had harmed countless people for Ning Caichen, a stubborn and unyielding scholar. It was only because Yan Chixia had a good temper that he was foolish enough to do so. If it were Zhong Bai, he would have already snapped Ning Caichen's neck and sent him to reunite with the female ghost.

"good!

This person is insatiably greedy; he's lucky to be alive, yet he still wants to use fellow Daoists to rescue the female ghost. He's truly despicable!

Zhang Zhiwei, standing to the side, was merciless in his words. He despised people who, despite lacking ability, resorted to moral blackmail.

Ning Caichen collapsed to the ground, listening to Zhang Zhiwei and Zhong Bai's comments. He felt a tightness in his heart and wanted to refute them, but... he really had no reason to use his love for Xiaoqing.

Ignoring Ning Caichen lying on the ground, Zhong Bai and Zhang Zhiwei were quickly greeted by Yan Chixia and brought to the temple.

Inside the main hall, all the statues of Buddha that were once enshrined were shattered on the ground, but the remaining prayer cushions were still relatively clean. Zhong Bai and the other two sat down there after entering.

"Fellow Daoist Zhong, Fellow Daoist Zhang, may I ask if you two have come to Lanruo Temple because of the tree demon?"

Zhong Bai nodded.

“Indeed, the tree demon in Lanruo Temple has some grudges against me, not to mention its cruelty towards living beings. Now that I have come to Guobei County, there is no reason for me to let this tree demon go.”

"I came here with Fellow Daoist Qianhe. Since Fellow Daoist Qianhe wants to kill the tree demon, I will naturally accompany you."

Zhang Zhiwei's bright smile gave Yan Chixia some confidence.

"To be honest, fellow Daoists, although the tree demon in Lanruo Temple is a peak demon king, it is not impossible to kill her. However, her true form is a banyan tree spirit, and her roots are deeply embedded in the ground, so the probability of completely eradicating her is very low..."

Unless a Nascent Soul Dao Lord intervenes, using their Nascent Soul to sweep through the entire intricate underground root system, or a cultivator who practices earth-遁 (earth-遁) techniques.

What are your thoughts, fellow Daoists?

Zhang Zhiwei looked at Zhong Bai with a deep gaze.

“Brother Yan, to be honest, I have only just entered the Golden Core realm. I may not be of any use in dealing with the tree demon, but Fellow Daoist Qianhe is a true Nascent Soul Dao Lord. I think capturing and killing this tree demon should not be a problem!”

Upon hearing the name Nascent Soul Dao Lord, Yan Chixia's expression instantly changed. He stood up and looked at Zhong Bai. The already unfathomable Zhong Bai filled Yan Chixia with a sense of awe from the depths of his heart.

"This humble Taoist was unaware of the arrival of the Dao Lord. I hope the Dao Lord will forgive my rudeness!"

Seeing Yan Chixia rise and bow, Zhong Bai shook his head with a sheepish smile.

"Fellow Daoist Yan, please sit down. There's no need to be so polite. I was away from the mountain without informing you beforehand. Is there anything impolite about this?"

Let's continue talking about this tree demon.

Killing a tree demon is not difficult, but Fellow Daoist Yan, have you ever heard of the Black Mountain Demon?

Zhong Bai guessed that the Black Mountain Demon was a being above the Nascent Soul Ghost Emperor level, but he still needed to ask Yan Chixia for details. After all, Yan Chixia couldn't possibly have been unaware of such a being. It is said that even a powerful dragon cannot suppress a local snake. Even if they were a powerful dragon, he still needed to hear the opinions of a local snake.

Upon hearing the words "Black Mountain Demon," Yan Chixia's smiling expression suddenly changed.

"Daoist Lord, you don't know the Black Mountain Demon?"

Yan Chixia was somewhat puzzled. Logically speaking, the Black Mountain Demon was a demon who was relatively active in the human world from the underworld. Most sects would tell their disciples not to provoke him easily.

"I don't know..."

Perhaps realizing it was inappropriate for his status, Zhong Bai continued, "This humble Taoist is only descending the mountain for the first time, and knows nothing about the names, strengths, or other aspects of the demons and monsters in the world."

Seeing this, Zhang Zhiwei couldn't help but tease, "Fellow Daoist Qianhe is a Daoist disciple of Maoshan, the most talented Daoist disciple of Maoshan in hundreds of years. He is just a Black Mountain Demon, so of course he has never heard of him."

"Daozi?"

Yan Chixia, who already held Zhong Bai in high esteem, immediately stood up upon hearing this.

"Five hundred years ago, I heard that a Taoist priest from Maoshan went down the mountain to travel around the world, and all evil spirits in the world were afraid of him. It is not surprising that the Taoist priest is a Taoist priest from Maoshan. Maoshan is a sect that is mysterious and unpredictable. It is indeed unnecessary for the Taoist priest to know that it is just a Black Mountain Demon."

As for the Black Mountain Demon, he is one of the top beings in the Great Qian Kingdom.

He occupied the City of the Wrongfully Dead in the Underworld and called himself the Black Mountain Ghost Emperor. However, the Black Mountain Demon was just boasting. His actual strength should be that of a peak Ghost Emperor or even a half-step Ghost Emperor!

Such an existence is enough to inspire awe...

Taking a deep breath, Yan Chixia continued, "If this tree demon is truly backed by the Black Mountain Demon, we'll have to think twice before trying to kill him, after all, the Black Mountain Demon..."

At this point, Yan Chixia sighed slightly, but quickly looked at Zhong Bai and Zhang Zhiwei and said.

"Of course, you two fellow Daoists are free from all taboos. A mere peak-level demon king is nothing more than a servant to the Black Mountain Demon. You two are of noble status, and neither Longhu Mountain nor Maoshan is a sect that the Black Mountain Demon would dare to easily provoke. As for killing the tree demon, I doubt the Black Mountain Demon would dare to make a move so easily!"

Upon hearing this, Zhong Bai and Zhang Zhiwei exchanged a silent glance, both able to discern the awkward helplessness in each other's eyes.

They are from Longhu Mountain and Maoshan Mountain, but this identity is currently useless in this world.

"Ahem, so the Black Mountain Demon behind the Tree Demon is quite powerful, and it will be quite troublesome to kill him."

Zhang Zhiwei spoke first, and Yan Chixia did not notice anything amiss.

In his mind, no one would dare to impersonate a disciple of Longhu Mountain or Maoshan. To impersonate a Daoist would be tantamount to courting death.

"Haha, Fellow Daoist Zhang, there's no need to worry. Although that Black Mountain Demon possesses a realm close to that of a Ghost Emperor, he has a huge weakness: his true body cannot easily leave the Underworld. He can only come in the form of a split soul, and the strength of the split soul is only around the mid-stage of the Nascent Soul Ghost Emperor realm. Daoist Zhong comes from Maoshan, so dealing with a split soul is absolutely no problem for him!"

Upon hearing this, Zhong Bai, who was originally analyzing the feasibility, was immediately overjoyed.

That's right. If the Black Mountain Demon doesn't leave the underworld in his true form, it's not certain that we can do anything to him.

Besides... Zhong Bai is no pushover either. It's not certain that anyone can defeat Zhong Bai unless they reach the Nascent Soul Ghost Emperor level.

"It's alright. Even if the Black Mountain Demon comes out of the underworld in his true form, I might be able to stop him."

This tree demon must be killed!

Zhong Bai's words gave Yan Chixia a huge surprise. He realized that he was only evenly matched with the tree demon, and now, because of Ning Caichen's burden, Yan Chixia could only use the Heart Sutra to suppress Lanruo Temple. Yan Chixia had long been fed up with this kind of frustration.

Just as he was thinking this, Nie Xiaoqian slowly emerged from the seal in Zhong Bai's arms.

"Sir, Xiaoqian knows where the tree spirit's heart is hidden!"

When Yan Chixia saw Nie Xiaoqian, he was slightly surprised, after all, he really had no idea that Zhong Bai was being kept by a ghost.

Yan Chixia was especially shocked by the seal that was floating in the void. He could actually sense the aura of the underworld from the seal!
"Oh? Xiaoqian knows where the tree demon's heart is?"

Zhong Bai smiled brightly. Killing the tree demon wouldn't be difficult for him; all he had to do was to search the underground area within a ten-mile radius of Lanruo Temple after his nascent soul left his body.

However, if Nie Xiaoqian knew where the tree demon's heart was hiding, it would be even simpler. She could simply use the Samadhi Fire to burn its true form, severely injuring its soul, and then dig out the heart to completely eliminate the tree demon, which would save time and effort.

"Yes, Xiaoqian understands!"

"That's very good..."

Yan Chixia just watched without interrupting. Even if Nie Xiaoqian had no karma, and even if she had actually harmed someone, Yan Chixia wouldn't be foolish enough to point it out. He was joking, after all, how could he judge the ghost raised by a Taoist priest of Maoshan?
Just then, Ning Caichen stumbled into the main hall.

Upon entering the hall, Ning Caichen had originally come to seek further help, but a casual glance at Nie Xiaoqian left him completely stunned. Her otherworldly beauty, her every move, every smile—Ning Caichen's mind raced with fantasies, and he even forgot that his purpose in coming here was to ask for help in rescuing Xiaoqing, whom he had just been professing love for.

Zhong Bai and the others hadn't really noticed Ning Caichen's arrival. However, the way he stared at Nie Xiaoqian after entering the hall made her frown instantly, and a surge of anger rose in her eyes. She could see the desire swirling in his eyes as he looked at her, and he didn't even blink.

"Humph!"

Zhong Bai let out a cold snort, and in an instant, Ning Caichen's face turned pale, and his body began to crack and shatter.

puff!
Spitting out a mouthful of blood, Ning Caichen's body flew dozens of meters backward and crashed heavily to the ground.

"He even claimed to be a scholar who had studied the classics, and said that he and the female ghost in green were in love..."

"So dissolute, so rude! If I weren't in a good mood, I would have killed you first!"

After Zhong Bai spoke, neither Yan Chixia nor Zhang Zhiwei offered any rebuttal; they also felt that Ning Caichen was too hypocritical.

"Sir, Xiaoqian is going back now..."

Nie Xiaoqian didn't want to see Ning Caichen's disgusting eyes again. After all, she had heard Ning Caichen's story. Nie Xiaoqian felt that Zhong Bai might not be a good person, but he wasn't hypocritical. Moreover, it was a win-win situation for her. Ning Caichen, on the other hand, was just pure fantasy and extremely hypocritical. He kept talking about true love, but in the end...

Lying on the ground, Ning Caichen finally regained consciousness. The pain in his body made him scream in agony, and his gaze toward Zhong Bai was filled with resentment.

"It's all that stinky Taoist priest's fault!"

Ning Caichen cursed inwardly. He was almost successful; Yan Chixia was nearly persuaded by his tireless efforts, but now…

"I originally intended to spare his life, but now it seems this person is really in a hurry to be reincarnated..."

Zhong Bai stood in the main hall, looking at Ning Caichen who was lying in the distance struggling. Beside him, Yan Chixia and Zhang Zhiwei didn't even lift their eyelids.

Ning Caichen believed that Zhong Bai and the others couldn't hear his curses, but little did he know that as long as Ning Caichen had this thought and murderous intent, Zhong Bai and the others could easily detect it.

"If you're so stubborn, then die!"

Without any anger or emotion, Zhong Bai's cold eyes were not even touched by an ant like Ning Caichen. He flicked out a burst of Samadhi Fire from his fingertip, and in an instant, Ning Caichen was engulfed by a cluster of flames, turning into ashes without even letting out a scream.

......................................................

Ning Caichen's death didn't even cause a ripple for Zhong Bai and the others.

As dusk approached, wisps of demonic energy flickered in and out of sight, and outside Lanruo Temple, vines began to coil around it.

These demonic energies naturally did not escape Zhong Bai and his companions' notice, but the three of them were not in a hurry, as the tree demon was unaware of Zhong Bai and Zhang Zhiwei's arrival.

"Fellow Daoist Yan, please take back these Heart Sutras and summon this tree demon!"

When Zhong Bai's words reached Yan Chixia's ears, Yan Chixia did not refuse.

These scriptures were treasures he had acquired, likely written in the blood of eminent Buddhist monks, and their power was unimaginable.

"Rest assured, Daoist Lord, I understand!"

After saying that, Yan Chixia waved his hand in front of him, and scriptures fluttered down like leaves and landed in his hands.

Without the intimidation of the scriptures, the vines outside Lanruo Temple pierced through like sharp swords, and the sight of countless vines made Zhang Zhiwei's scalp tingle.

"Xuanzong of Heaven and Earth, Wan Qi's roots..."

As golden light surged from Zhang Zhiwei's body, the vines that had been approaching were all scorched by the golden light and could not advance an inch.

Yan Chixia was incredibly envious of this scene. Although he claimed to be a disciple of Mount Shu, Mount Shu had been extinct for hundreds of years. He had only accidentally obtained the inheritance of a senior from Mount Shu, and he had not learned any of the truly practical supernatural abilities.

Just as Zhang Zhiwei can easily use the Golden Light Divine Spell, Yan Chixia can only use his Heaven and Earth Limitless, Qiankun Borrowing Technique, to unleash a common palm thunder, which is still borrowing technique...

"Yan Chixia, you deserve to die!"

You killed Xiaoqian, and you still won't admit it! Do you know that Xiaoqian was a gift from your grandmother to Lord Black Mountain? Even if I can't do anything to you now, you'll be dead once Lord Black Mountain leaves the underworld!

A series of roars approached from afar, and Yan Chixia looked at Zhong Bai upon hearing these familiar words.

If he remembered correctly, the ghost that Zhong Bai kept was named Xiaoqian...

Yan Chixia's gaze turned resentful. He sweared to God that he had never harmed Xiaoqian, but the tree demon believed that he had killed her.

Sigh, it's all tears when I think about it.

Hearing the roars outside Lanruo Temple, Zhong Bai smiled faintly.

"They arrived quite quickly..."

(End of this chapter)