Dao Cheng Gui Xian

Chapter 226: Burao Mountain, Ehuang Valley
Not long after Li Wushou left

After about half an hour, the mist above Wushi Town Square rippled.

A cloud of smoke suddenly emerged from the void; this cloud of smoke was milky white and thick, quite different from the pervasive fog.

The moment it burst out of the void, two eerie lights flashed through the clouds and smoke, like the eyes of a deity overlooking the entire Wushi Town.

After searching for a long time, a puzzled murmur echoed in the void:

"The entire city is annihilated, all living souls have perished. That thing should be ready by now, but why can't I smell its scent?"

Milky white clouds drifted back and forth along Wushi Town several times, then murmured once more:
"Wu Junzheng is also missing. Even the inscription array in Wushi Town has been sealed off by the other party. If he escaped, it's not like we wouldn't be able to sense his presence unless he was completely devoured."

Yunyan pondered for a moment, her emotions inexplicable.

"Let's confirm with Immortal Mountain. I've given them the town they wanted, even sacrificing a Golden Core cultivator. I hope it really works out."

As the murmur ended, the mist in the sky rippled, and the clouds and smoke slowly gathered and disappeared into the void in the blink of an eye.

About twenty miles northeast of Wushi Town
The rolling mountains lay prostrate in the gray mist, exuding a sense of mystery.

This place is a rare colorful spot in the Land of Calamity, covered with all sorts of beautiful flowers. Various butterflies and insects nestle among the flowers and trees to rest.

This is Ehuang Valley!
Ehuang Valley straddles the border between the Mi'e Land and Wangxian City, and is said to be the place where the ancient goddess Ehuang was enshrined as a deity.

Many legends about Ehuang circulate in the land of bewilderment, and after Huazhou was established in the suspended mountain, these legends also spread to Wangxian City.

Although it has been confirmed by many sources that Ehuang has already perished, both the Mi'e Land and Wangxian City strictly prohibit people from worshipping Ehuang.

Needless to say, all the incense offerings in Wangxian City originate from Xuankong Mountain.

The reason for the misery was simply out of fear, because in the many legends about Ehuang, she was not a benevolent goddess.

The enemy had wreaked havoc on the land countless times, but was eventually wiped out by a united front!
Within Ehuang Valley, peaks rise one after another, and mountains stand in abundance.

Furthermore, shrouded in mist, even some cultivators who rely on the Ehuang Valley for their livelihood would find it difficult to fully understand it.

Not long after the milky white clouds dissipated over Wushi Town.

A buzzing sound suddenly rang out beneath a quiet cliff in Ehuang Valley.

The pervasive fog was cleared away, leaving a vacuum, so that one could see clearly the steep, sheer cliff face standing tall amidst the clouds.

The cliff face is entirely grayish-brown, smooth as a jade plate, and is now shimmering with a soft, ethereal light.

Upon closer inspection, these eerie lights were not the luster of minerals, but rather the glow of strange insects. Their bodies were as black as ink, shimmering with a dark luster. They were arranged in an orderly fashion on the cliff face, head to tail.

The faint light connected to form lines, resembling streaks of ink.

If you look at the cliff face from a distance, you'll see that these insects have created a bizarre picture on the smooth surface.

The image shows a mysterious altar with a statue of a god standing on it.

The statue has a human body and a moth's head, with a pair of huge wings outstretched behind it, and a dark cloud hovers directly above it.

A crowd of people gathered around the altar, devoutly worshipping the statues on it.

In front of the group, there were nine long tables arranged in three rows in a triangular pattern, with a person lying on each table.

Somewhat strangely, a swarm of worms was gathered on the stomach of each humanoid figure, slowly wriggling, as if these people's stomachs were raising a lot of worms.

Just then, a somewhat hoarse voice echoed in front of the cliff.

"Yunxu Sanren sent word that Wushi Town has been completely devoured, and even that little golden core is gone."

The voice was flat and emotionless, but it was probably that of an older man.

As soon as she finished speaking, another clear female voice rang out. Judging from the voice, the other person was not very old, perhaps around sixteen or seventeen. However, she seemed to stretch while speaking, and her tone carried a hint of mature laziness.

"Oh? So it seems to have been successful?"

The hoarse voice that had spoken earlier did not reply immediately. After a moment of silence, it slowly responded:

"It should have succeeded; I sensed the signs of revival, but then it seems to have faded."

"Gone?"

The woman's voice murmured a sentence, tinged with a hint of doubt.

The hoarse voice followed up with an explanation:
"Yes, it's gone! Yun Xu didn't see anything when he went to Wushi Town. I just checked the mark, and it has disappeared."

Upon hearing this, the bottom of the cliff fell silent again. After a long while, a rustling sound came from the darkness, as if someone was getting up.

"In that case, let's go check out Wushi Town, what do you say?"

A clear female voice rang out again, this time with a touch more solemnity; the hoarse voice calmly replied:
"It's the Holy Maiden! The Mountain Lord instructed that you are in full charge of this matter, and you should do whatever he says."

"Hehe. Is Master Yan a little emotional?"

A silvery laugh echoed below the cliff, then the woman's voice abruptly shifted, taking on a chilling tone as she continued:
"It's normal to have emotions, just don't get in my way!"

"Yes! Holy Maiden!" The hoarse voice responded again, but this time the tone was a bit stronger.

After they finished talking, the two slowly emerged from the darkness and disappeared into the valley.

Looking back at the cliffs, the mist once again enveloped the cliff face.

However, the black insects that used to crawl all over the cliff face had long since fallen off, and the eerie mural had vanished without a trace, leaving only a smooth cliff face standing in the mist.

After leaving Wushi Town, Li Wushou headed straight for Ehuang Valley.

This time, he did not summon the Paper Goddess to help him drive the sedan chair.

The other party was being harassed by Chen Gou'er, who was devouring the evil corpse in various ways.

In front of the Paper Goddess was a large pile of bottles and jars, and the corpse of the evil spirit was divided into three equal parts and placed to one side.

Chen Gou'er's, the old beggar's, and Li Wushou's.

She divided them very carefully and displayed them openly.

The Second Master is on his way. If the First Master and Third Master were to eat to their hearts' content, the evil spirit meat might be gone before the Second Master even arrives at his destination.

Surely the Second Master couldn't have gone through all that trouble only to eat two abdominal limbs, could he?

The rich, fleshy texture made Chen Gou'er eat with great enjoyment, and he didn't pay any attention to the Paper Goddess's actions.

The old beggar, however, gritted his teeth as he ate, thinking to himself, "This rotten crap! I'm the boss here! And this is how they betray me?"
Li Wushou was focused on studying the black human skin golden pill, and he traveled very fast along the way.

The mountains rose and fell in a continuous range. By the time Li Wushou reached the foot of the mountain, the fog between heaven and earth had thinned considerably.

The road beneath our feet is riddled with ruts, and looking up, the end of the road winds through the misty mountains; this is a key passage in and out of Ehuang Valley.

There are many such main passages in and out of Ehuang Valley, but they lead to other towns or cities.

In the Misty Land alone, there are more than a dozen towns and cities surrounding Ehuang Valley.

As he approached Ehuang Valley, Li Wushou's calm mind began to stir with excitement.

This is the place he chose to form his core!

Ehuang Valley has a unique terrain, with towering mountains inside, far from human habitation. Once inside, you can find a secluded valley, which is a natural retreat.

Once I successfully form my core, I can easily cross Ehuang Valley to enter the territory of Wangxian City.

Composing himself, Li Wushou prepared to head into Ehuang Valley.

Suddenly my mind went blank. Was there someone in the sky?

On the surface, he walked calmly into Ehuang Valley, but in secret, his gaze pierced through layers of mist and cautiously explored the air above.

Several hundred meters in the air, two figures stepped on a dark cloud and floated out of Ehuang Valley, flying towards the direction from which Li Wushou had come.

The two figures were about the same height, one male and one female.

The man, who appeared to be in his forties or fifties and was somewhat thin, was surrounded by the scent of incense.

He wore a dark black long robe, had shiny black hair, a goatee, and carried a bookshelf on his back, looking like a schoolteacher.

At first glance, the woman did not appear to be practicing any spiritual cultivation.

Wearing a plain-colored long dress with lotus leaf patterns, she stood with her hands behind her back, looking about sixteen years old, graceful and exuding the aura of a young girl.

Her face was as radiant as the first rays of dawn, without any makeup, her skin as smooth and flawless as jade, and her eyes, like twinkling stars, nestled beneath willow-leaf eyebrows. At first glance, she seemed no less beautiful than Tiger Girl!
Moreover, both of them possessed an indescribable aura; Tiger Girl exuded absolute confidence, while this woman carried a hint of majesty between her brows.

What surprised Li Wushou even more was that these two people did not have cloud patterns on their foreheads, and were actually from outside the Misty Land like him.
The two looked relaxed and carefree, showing no sign of the vigilance and tension that comes with venturing deep into the mysterious land.

When did it become so easy for outsiders to enter the Land of Misfortune?
Li Wushou had no intention of meddling in other people's business. After taking a few more glances at the woman's face, he quickened his pace and headed towards Ehuang Valley.

Little did he know that while Li Wushou was observing his opponent, the two people in the sky also saw him.

The woman standing above the inky clouds watched Li Wushou, dressed in a Yin-Yang Daoist robe, disappear into the Moth King Valley, and suddenly let out a soft murmur:
"Huh?"

The man beside her glanced at the woman with some confusion, then followed her gaze towards Li Wushou.

This young man had cloud-like patterns on his forehead. Although he was wearing a Taoist robe, he didn't even have a topknot on his head. He was no different from most wandering Taoists who had no roots in the Misty Land.

Aside from his handsome appearance, his physical body and vitality seem to be quite good, which is worth the Holy Maiden's attention.

He had just unconsciously revealed some emotions and was admonished by the Holy Maiden. He knew how much the Mountain Lord valued the other party, and was thinking about how to ease the atmosphere.

So he asked softly, "Holy Maiden, should we take him?"

Before he could finish speaking, the saintess beside him withdrew her gaze, waved her hand, and said:

"It's nothing, I mistook someone for someone I knew. Let's keep going. Once we've confirmed things in Wushi Town, we'll head to Wangxian City!"

"Yes! Saintess!"

(End of this chapter)