Cursed Mountains and Seas

Chapter 94 is launched! The Sixteen Heavenly Demon Dance, the Nine Dragons Spitting Pearls Formation
"Follow the order!"

Sensing something amiss with the corpses on the tower, her elite troops remained unmoved, while only the "corpse retriever," Cheng Chuantou, brandished his corpse-retrieval hook.

Seven or eight bodyguards, dressed in black robes and remaining silent, stepped forward from behind the crowd.

He took off his black robe, revealing pale skin, swollen limbs, a head, and pupils rolled upwards.

There were men and women, their bodies reeking of corpses, enough to make one want to vomit; they were clearly a group of ferocious [Evil Spirits - Dead]!
Cheng Chuantou, a corpse retriever, used his unique skill, the "corpse-carrying technique," to his advantage.

"Go, scout the way for this Dharma Lord!"

The corpse, guided by the retrieval hook, moved forward, reaching out to grab the edges of the octagonal iron tower and climbing upwards. Once ashore, its movements appeared slow, yet it possessed immense strength.

This situation is completely different from when Wang Cheng and Yun Xiao climbed the tower.

The corpses hanging from the eaves like dried fish suddenly opened their eyes and stared intently at their kind at their feet.

Then, they danced around, swinging the hooks that were attached to their upper jaws, and one after another, they swung in mid-air.

As the bell rang loudly, one by one, the fish fell dead and were firmly grasped by the "dried fish," their swollen bodies rapidly shrunken, and finally they were neatly hung on the empty fishing hook.

Of course, some of the generals were incredibly brave and turned the tables, tearing apart the "dried fish" that had been hanging there for who knows how long.

However, the vast difference in scale between the two sides also brought about a qualitative gap in strength; those who only charged recklessly and died were quickly wiped out.

However, after the hooks, which were possessed by the resentment of the nine dragons, drained the corpses, they immediately discovered that there was no dragon energy in their bodies, only a stench of corpses that had seeped into their very bones.

bell! bell! bell!
The bells rang throughout the sky, urgently conveying their anger.

Wang Cheng, who was hiding in the pavilion at the top of the tower, immediately saw the blank grappling hooks around him raise their heads dangerously like snakes, assuming an attack posture.

One of them darted straight toward the corpse retriever with a "whoosh"!

Now that they had arrived at the source of the Jiulong River, the dragon energy emanating from everyone naturally materialized.

The corpse retriever was no exception; the dragon aura took the form of a large carp from a turbid river, with two golden whiskers and a golden scale on its tail.

But when that iron hook is swung, it is no longer a leisurely fishing mode using the dragon's breath as bait, but a fishing method that can violently hook away mudskippers in one-seventh of a second.

"what!!!"

A sharp scream rang out, and everyone looked in the direction of the sound to see that the upper palate of Cheng Chuantou, the corpse retriever, had been pierced by a sharp iron hook.

When the hook was pulled back, it also hoisted him onto the eaves.

The official, with his keen hearing and sharp eyesight, could even hear the "slurping" sound of drinking water. The phantom of the golden-bearded carp on his body quickly disappeared, and his body withered away.

The person twitched twice in mid-air and then stopped moving.

Everyone gasped in shock.

Wang Cheng also experienced firsthand what the anger of a seasoned angler meant, and sighed:
"Others are fishing for fresh dragon spirits. If they can't resist the temptation and the attack of 'dried fish,' they will die. If they can withstand it, they won't die. But you took the opportunity to cheat and sent a bunch of them to their deaths."

What's the difference between this and bragging to a fisherman in front of him, saying that it can catch anything except fish?
It would be strange if it didn't get angry.

A rare find landed on the cast iron fishing line beside him.

It was discovered that the nine demonic dragons had indeed left nothing behind: no consciousness, no memories, no self, only an unyielding, age-old obsession.
"I was destined to become a god, so why was I slaughtered?"

"Give me incense! I will ascend to godhood and answer your requests!"

Just by hearing the name "Stone Drums," you can tell that the story takes place in the ancient pre-Qin era, when there was no distinction between ghosts and gods, and there were countless incidents of fighting for incense and forcibly taking blood offerings.

There are far more spirits and deities that conquer people with fear than those that conquer them with protection.

It's not uncommon for a demonic dragon to seek divine favor by creating disasters and intimidating the people.

However, these nine demonic dragons were unlucky and encountered a tough opponent, so they ended up losing more than they gained.

Even now, thousands of years later, their obsession remains undiminished.

As long as they are given incense, they will instinctively respond to the prayers of the "believers".

"Looks like there's potential?"

Wang Cheng glanced at the panicked pursuers on the ground, thought for a moment, and took out a round paper money with a red ingot talisman printed on it from the treasury.

It looks slightly larger than a copper coin, and although it's paper money, it has a real weight to it.

When you touch the octagonal iron building next to you, it will make a clear, metallic sound.

This is not ordinary paper money, but a standard incense offering coin!

Ordinary yellow paper money, after being imbued with the intense power of incense and prayer, naturally acquires a touch of the divine.

A single incense offering coin can be worth about one tael of silver outside. When the market is good, it's common to exchange it for one tael and one mace, or one tael and two mace.

However, few people are willing to exchange them, since even high-ranking officials and deities have an unlimited demand for incense and religious offerings.

Both the secular officialdom and the divine official system follow the same principle: only those with money can rise through the ranks, and those without money have no chance at all.

This is because the officials of the divine way only cultivate their nature and not their destiny, and they depend on human society for survival. They have little need for resources, otherwise they would have drained the country dry.

Snapped!
Wang Cheng slapped a coin containing incense towards the hook, and the strong scent of incense appeared and then immediately disappeared, the coin turning into ashes and dissipating in the wind.

He lowered his voice and asked:

"I want to kill a fifth-rank treasure hunter. Name your price."

Paying money to hire and command a group of resentful dragons to actively lock onto enemies—this deal is a win-win situation no matter how you look at it.

Question, understand, become, and surpass the subcontractor—subcontracting is always fun!

I was immediately disappointed when I saw the price.

Lower three ranks: three thousand to ten thousand; sixth rank: more than ten thousand; fifth rank: more than fifty thousand.
"A love of money is probably a common trait among dragons in both the East and the West. Their obsession with money is really expensive, and a poor guy like me simply can't afford it."

Wang Cheng's wishful thinking was ruthlessly shattered as he failed to notice the [Craftsman's Silver] in his pocket flashing once more.

After waiting for a while, Tang Miaofu and her group below made a new move.

One of the guards practiced an external martial art that seemed to be a fusion of various styles of monkey boxing called "Great Sage Splitting Fist." He leaped up like a nimble monkey, grabbing the eaves and jumping to the second floor.

Dodge the two "dried fish" attacking from the left and right and go up another layer.

Running around the iron tower on the iron eaves, I found a defensive loophole and quickly reached the fourth floor.

Tang Miaofu and her group saw hope and were overjoyed:

"Yes, that's it. Don't fight them head-on, use a flanking maneuver." Just as he was about to climb to the fifth floor, a pill radiating a rich dragon aura fell in front of him.

Almost without hesitation, it kicked off with both legs and bit down.

On the spot, it floated and swayed, hanging from the southeast eaves.

"Hiss! Mortals, don't try anymore. Even officials who haven't lit the lamp of their hearts can't resist the temptation of that dragon's aura."

After discussing for a while, another sixth-rank official, Wei Zhong, also tried to climb the tower.

He charged further than the royal guards, his blade flashing as he slashed down countless dried corpses, relying on brute force to fight his way to the twelfth floor.

Finally, they were pushed back down by the dense, surging mass of corpses above.

“Yin——!”

Just then, a clear and melodious dragon's roar suddenly rang out from the top of the tower.

Wang Cheng crouched down and looked behind him, only to find that the sun had set and the moon had risen; it was already midnight on the first day of the second lunar month.

Stimulated by the upcoming "Dragon Raising Its Head" celestial phenomenon, Yunxiao accelerated its transformation, and a rapidly changing human figure was reflected in the white cocoon of light.

This also means that Yunxiao has reached her weakest and most powerless moment.

"Oh no, the dragon girl is about to escape."

[West Lake Boat Girl] Tang Miaofu didn't know how long the transformation would take, and finally couldn't hold back any longer, so she took matters into her own hands.

With a twirl of her body, as a shower of peach petals fell, she had changed into a light pink gauze dance dress, holding a golden plate of papaya, and standing barefoot.

Then she raised her long legs and began to dance gracefully.

Her gauze dress was as light as smoke and as thin as a cicada's wing, undulating and fluttering with her movements.

The gauze dress is adorned with lotus flowers and sutra scroll patterns embroidered in gold thread. As the body twists and turns, the light flows back and forth on the gauze dress and the skin like ripples of water.

With a light touch of her bright red toes, she stood on the first eaves corner.

A long red ribbon was tied to her crystal-white bare feet, making her appear to float up as if she were stepping on a red cloud.

With each jump, the gold bells adorning the delicate gold chains on her ankles jingled like drops of clear spring water falling onto a jade plate.

Her arms stretched out gracefully, her fingertips like orchids just beginning to bloom, or lotus petals gently opening. It was truly a sight to behold, with pearls swirling and stars trembling, and flower vines shaking and dragons and snakes moving.

The swallow-shaped plate and the papaya in her hands not only didn't get in the way, but actually became her perfect props.

Every smile and frown was captivating. Upon seeing her dance, no matter if you were a man or a woman, even a boneless earthworm would transform into a holy sword of physics and stand at attention in salute.

Even the strings of corpses hanging from the eaves all wore expressions of undisguised fascination, and all the raised claws were put back down.

Wang Cheng's "Rare Goods for Sale" technique revealed the secret of this dance in a single glance:
The last emperor of the Yunmeng Empire, Emperor Huizong of Borjigin, Toghon Temür, indulged in pleasure and had sixteen palace maids, including the Three Saints, the Wonderful Musical Maiden, and the Manjushri Maiden, perform the "Sixteen Heavenly Demon Dance".

A scene of national ruin emerges: "Who can question the Heavenly Demoness, who can sing the Jade Tree of Chen Palace?"

Even when fleeing for their lives after the fall of their kingdom, "the felt carts were filled with heavenly magic, while only the orioles carried flowers from the imperial garden."

Even the ruler of the Yunmeng Empire, the most powerful empire in history, was captivated by this extraordinary technique, "Sixteen Heavenly Demon Dance."

**Note:** This dance targets the five senses; only by blocking out the five senses can one resist it.

Wang Cheng quickly closed his eyes and used only his "eye in his mind" to perceive, and everything around him turned into black and white lines.

He then tried spending a hundred incense coins to buy a "dried fish" skin from the Nine Dragons Hook and Rope. The skin, which had been drained of dragon energy, actually concealed his true dragon-like appearance.

He quietly attached a grappling hook to himself and slid down the side of the tower.

"The Heavenly Demon Dances, the Feast Begins, with Camel Hump, Horse Milk, and Goat Fetuses. Crystal Plates Emerge from White Scales, and Tortoiseshell Mats Are Carried by Swans!"

If you're willing, then come and kill me. Hehehe.

At this moment, Tang Miaofu was like a bewitching concubine who had captivated the king, her beautiful peach blossom eyes were so charming that even the hardest heart would melt into tenderness.

He easily broke through the second, fourth, eighth, twelfth, and sixteenth floors.

She was about to reach the well and seize the dragon girl.

Suddenly, he saw a corpse hanging down from the bottom. Perhaps he was so lustful in life that he was now not only obsessed but also incredibly audacious, actually reaching out to touch her smooth calves.

In the past, even an old beggar wouldn't have been a problem, but a rotting, dried-out corpse? Forget about it.

He turned his head away with a look of disgust, preparing to climb the tower from the other side.

In an instant, alarm bells rang in my mind!

First, I heard a low shout: "Beautiful lady, take off your clothes!" Then, out of the corner of my eye, I saw a flash of cold light in the corpse's hand—a lightning-fast [Swift Draw Slash]!
She had witnessed this tactic before with Pu Shouyan, a vassal of the Japanese and a fake Japanese leader.

Even with full concentration, a speed of seven steps is as fast as a ghost and impossible to resist, let alone an ambush or sneak attack.

The West Lake boatwoman's perfect body was cleaved off by Wang Cheng's extremely cruel blade. In her hasty dodge, a section of her jade-like leg, along with her delicate foot adorned with golden bells, flew into the air.

"what--!"

Tang Miaofu screamed in agony, her bewitching Sixteen-Day Demon Dance instantly failing her, and she nearly fell from a height of tens of meters.

The claws of the surrounding corpses surged from all directions, eager to devour this alluring bait.

She heard that mocking voice she hated so much again:
"I'm sorry, I already said that I really do read the Spring and Autumn Annals."

Then, with another slash, he cut off the boatwoman's arm.

Tang Miaofu let out a shrill scream like a female ghost:

"Wang! Fu! Gui—!"

At this critical moment.

A deep purple divine light, imbued with the might of a dragon, shot down from the Jiulong River and landed on the fishing hooks and corpses outside the iron tower.

Pu Shouying's somber voice rang out:

"The decree is hereby issued!"

In the center of the purple light, a dragon pearl the size of a fist transformed into a purple sun disc, from which nine illusory rivers burst forth, connecting the earth's veins, the Nine Dragons River's water dragon veins, and the East Sea eye at the junction of the sky and the sea.

Looking up at the sky, it was already past midnight. The "Nine Dragons Spitting Pearls Formation," created to drain the energy of the East Sea dragon, was already in accordance with the celestial signs on the second day of the second lunar month, poised to unleash its power.

(End of this chapter)