Dao Cheng Gui Xian

Chapter 273 Killing the Painter, Breaking Free

On the suspended mountain, floating clouds swirled and churned in the void, indicating that the two patriarchs had clearly not yet determined a victor.

However, judging from the way the floating clouds were sometimes drawn into the void and struggled to break free, it is not hard to see that the founder of the Void lineage had the upper hand.

Upon hearing the painter's cry for help, the sky trembled and a buzzing sound arose.

Suddenly, several void barriers rose up in front of Li Wushou's fist.

The founder of the Kongzi lineage was indeed controlled by the other party, but it seems that it was not the painter who manipulated him?

Li Wushou's expression turned cold, and he was about to recall the Dragon Seed Golden Elixir.

Upon seeing this, the old beggar inside the Three Immortals Pavilion quickly called out, "I'll do it!"

The moment he finished shouting, he opened his mouth and swallowed all the incense smoke in the Three Immortals Hall.

Then he stood at the entrance of the Three Immortals Pavilion and sprayed it outwards.

Suddenly, incense smoke billowed from between Li Wushou's cracked brows.

The solidified void barrier shattered instantly.

The incense smoke dissipated completely, leaving not a trace.

The old beggar had a perfect grasp of the incense offerings.

He was also afraid that Li Wushou might act impulsively and use his near-immortal body again.

The blue-and-white porcelain shard that the painter had just taken out looked somewhat familiar to him.

When they left the Luotou clan in the Land of Misfortune, through the incense stick they left behind, he saw a blue-and-white porcelain doll land on Luotou Mountain and take away the sacred tree planted by Li Wushou.

The other party claims to be from Mount Immortality!

The old beggar had never heard of this force, which meant that the other party's attainment of enlightenment was after the old beggar's, making them a rising star.

But the other party's tone was very arrogant:

May you live as long as an immortal and never grow old.

"Life is more precious than heaven and weighs an immeasurable weight."

The old beggar scoffed at this, saying, "Anyone can brag."

The fact that the other party appeared in the Land of Misfortune and used the power of the Book of Destiny clearly indicates that he is not a person with any backbone and must be one of His lackeys!
Therefore, it is not a good idea for Li Wushou to use his near-immortal body at this time.

He didn't even dare to leave the slightest trace when he used incense.

If the other side notices something amiss, even if they manage to escape, Huazhou will likely suffer.

So, after dissolving the void barrier created by the patriarch of the Void Lineage, the old beggar reminded Li Wushou once again:
"Don't use the Dragon Seed Golden Elixir to strengthen your physical body!"

A glint flashed in Li Wushou's eyes. The old beggar's words were undoubtedly a reminder to him that the painter seemed to be related to that thing.
Or perhaps the faction the other party belongs to is related to that thing?
Just then, the void began to hum again.

It seemed as if the void barrier was about to fall again.

Li Wushou composed himself, deciding that killing the painter was the priority, no matter what.

The six-zhang domain shrank back to three zhang.

Not only did it bind the artist firmly to the spot, it also blocked the void barrier that wanted to fall outside the domain.

Although the void barrier is constantly dismantling Li Wushou's domain, this one breath is enough time!

Li Wushou flashed, and a sonic boom resounded in the void. His physical body tore through the void, causing cracks to appear.

"High Priest, please have mercy!"

Upon seeing this, Liu Qingmei, who was behind him, hurriedly called out to Li Wushou. Her concern wasn't entirely about Bulao Mountain controlling the incense offerings in Huazhou.

Before arriving at Wangxian City, she and the painter first entered Moth Emperor Valley and found the Moth Emperor Painting Wall.

The painter depicted the Moth Queen in the painting and traded Wushi Town with Yunxu Sanren in Haiyuan City.

The people of Wushi Town attempted to revive the Moth Queen, and although they succeeded, the Moth Queen disappeared without a trace.

The two went to Wushi Town to investigate, but failed to find anything unusual.

Fortunately, the experience in Wushi Town proved that the method was feasible.

So the painter painted another moth queen based on the moth queen mural. This time, they selected a city outside Haiyuan City, quickly emptied it, and finally obtained a resurrected moth queen.

But then an unexpected event occurred: the lifespan of this moth queen was decreasing every day, and she could not live for long.

In the end, the painter could only take the moth powder from the other party and refine it into ink.

Although moths cannot survive for long, they can still achieve their goals by continuously consuming and parasitizing moth powder.

In order for the Empress to quickly gain control over the major families of Wangxian City.

The painter painted many pictures in Wangxian City and Weixian Town.

These paintings, made with human heart's blood and moth powder as ink, can depict the person buried deep in the other's heart.

The figures in the painting are connected to the essence of the person being painted, just as the golden dragon the painter just depicted could devour the blood and spirit of the Dragon King. Similarly, the figures in the painting devour the flesh, blood, essence, and soul of the person being painted.

Because the two share the same aura, outsiders can see that the person in the painting is becoming increasingly haggard, but they cannot detect that the person in the painting is consuming the other.

Even cultivators couldn't detect the other party's location.

Because in a sense, the two are essentially one and of the same origin.

As the figures in the painting devour each other, the moth pollen inside the figures hatches and transforms into larvae.

After these larvae are born, their appetite increases dramatically, and the person being painted on will soon die.

After the opponent dies completely, these larvae will quickly spin cocoons. Once they emerge from the cocoons, they will quickly devour all the flesh and blood they see around them.

They originally intended to use this method to force the ancestor of the Fuzi lineage and the five surnames, seven clans, and twenty-four families of Wangxian City to compromise as soon as possible, and quickly return Huazhou to its former state of confusion, so as to avoid any unforeseen complications and attract the attention of the Great Venerable.

These things are all under the control of the painter. Once the painter dies, these things will surely devour everything inside and outside Wangxian before he dies.

Liu Qingmei wanted to slaughter the Suspended Mountain and its prominent families, but she did not want to kill too many ordinary people.

She invited Li Wushou to help her, and she did indeed have the idea of ​​reforming Huazhou.

She was fed up with the days when the Five Clans, Seven Noble Families, and Twenty-Four Families controlled the entire Immortal Path. She wanted to establish a fair channel where those with talent would have a future.

When she left Mount Bulao, the mountain lord had already promised to hand over Huazhou to her to manage after he took it over.

Therefore, these people will also be under her rule in the future.

He cannot die before the artist hands over control of the moth, or the situation will spiral completely out of control.

Li Wushou heard Liu Qingmei's shouts, but he had no intention of showing mercy.

Even if Li Wushou knew that the painter possessed the method to control moths, he would not have compromised to spare the painter's life.

The logic is simple: would an artist honestly hand over the control method while they are alive?
If the other party is alive, they will only escalate their threats even further!
Killing the artist might cause some people to die, but not killing him will also result in death.

Moreover, Li Wushou was not unprepared for these problematic paintings; he had arranged for the old snail and Chi Xiuzhen to leave early on.

These two people might not be able to solve the problem of the person in the painting, but Li Wushou would definitely be more willing to believe them than the painter.

So let's take a gamble. If we win, the people of Wangxian City will live; if we lose, it's their fate!

During this period, the three cities, including Daishan City, were reorganized from the perspective of the old snail.

Li Wushou increasingly felt that everyone has their own destiny, and it was actually very difficult for him to control it.

Even if he can save people temporarily, it will eventually lead to a new cycle.

For example, the children he saved in Daishan City.

These children, having absorbed his bloodline, progressed rapidly and soon, with He Zhen's cooperation, took control of Daishan City.

Because of Li Wushou's influence, these children naturally became the new elites of Daishan City.

Li Wushou can influence them through bloodline control, but what about their descendants?
In the long run, will there be one He family after another?
Therefore, Li Wushou had no interest in Liu Qingmei's so-called reform of Huazhou, and this was not simply because the other party was entangled with the Mi'e Land.

Also, because Li Wushou felt that this was a waste of time.

Even if Liu Qingmei reforms Huazhou, it will become another Suspended Mountain in a few years.

This kind of thing is really meaningless!
So just do as you please.

At that moment, all he wanted to do was kill the artist!
Besides, there is another reason.

Although the Dragon King is currently suppressed by the Heavenly Star Array and the Star Core, he is still under the control of the painter.

The ten ink-like things on its body should be the ten golden pills that the Dragon King swallowed last time.

Li Wushou wasn't sure if this thing could be removed; he hadn't studied it carefully yet.

But the simplest way would probably be to kill the artist, right?

He wanted to spare the Dragon King's life; otherwise, he wouldn't have needed to engage in a physical fight with the Dragon King using a wrestling technique. Wouldn't it have been easier to just smash the dragon's head?
Li Wushou had always had a good impression of the Dragon King.

Even if the other side harbored the intention of using the lives of people on both sides of the strait to coerce the position of the deity, it didn't actually have much impact. Thinking from a different perspective, if Li Wushou were in the position of the Dragon King, he might have acted even more ruthlessly.

Moreover, the Dragon King's Dragon Seed Technique and Dragon Marrow were of great help to him, so Li Wushou could not sit idly by and watch the other party die!
So no matter what, the artist must die!
With a sharp brow and a murderous glint in his eyes, Li Wushou's right fist slammed into the painter's chest like a dragon.

"laugh"

The other person's body was unexpectedly light, as light as ink and water.

There was no muffled thud as I had imagined; instead, there was only the scorching heat of the sun shining on the snow.

"what!"

The painter's mournful wail was as Li Wushou's blood energy surged like giant waves in the sea, relentlessly washing over the painter's spirit. In an instant, the painter's body could no longer maintain its human form and turned into a pool of ink, floating in the air.

The ink writhed violently under the influence of the blood and qi. Upon seeing this, Li Wushou originally intended to use his golden core to swallow it directly.

But on second thought, I decided to do some research first.

Li Wushou was somewhat envious of the other party's ability to make the illusory appear real and the fake appear real.

With a thought, a human skin talisman for capturing gods floated out from the Yin-Yang diagram and stuck to the ink.

The crimson inscriptions moved about, binding the ink, instantly sealing it within the talisman, and then flew back to the Yin-Yang diagram.

The entire action was completed in one smooth motion. By the time Liu Qingmei arrived at Li Wushou's side, the painter had left only a book basket floating in mid-air. Li Wushou thought for a moment, then threw the book basket into the Yin-Yang diagram as well, before turning to Liu Qingmei and saying:
"I apologize, City God Liu, the wind was too strong and I didn't hear you clearly. What did you just say?"

Liu Qingmei glared at Li Wushou with deep, starry eyes, clearly annoyed.

"Do you think I'm begging for mercy for the painter? The Moth Queen's cocoon is about to break, and without the painter's control, everyone in Wangxian City will die!"

The painter is dead, just as Li Wushou guessed. In a sense, the plan of Immortal Mountain to quickly take control of Huazhou has failed.

Although Liu Qingmei felt a little regretful, she also seemed to feel a bit lighter for some reason.

Judging from Li Wushou's attitude, the other party was clearly unwilling to let Mount Bulao overthrow Huazhou.

Is this kind of ending acceptable?

It's a pity for the people of Wangxian City. Although these moths that have broken free of their cocoons can only live for twelve hours, it is enough to turn Wangxian City into a ghost town.

Upon hearing Liu Qingmei's words, Li Wushou thought to himself, "Just as I thought."

His earlier guess has been confirmed!

Through investigation, the bamboo gentleman discovered a strange silkworm room in the bedroom of each person whose portrait was painted.

Li Wushou had once observed the painting of Miss Wan'er in An Chengping's hands, and the ink in it was made by mixing An Chengping's own blood with ink powder.

At the time, he was still somewhat confused, but after discovering the silkworm room, he associated it with the strange moth spirit in Wushi Town.

Upon hearing Liu Qingmei's words, Li Wushou directly confirmed:
"Was that moth in Wushi Town released by the painter?"

Liu Qingmei was taken aback upon hearing this, then asked with a hint of realization:
"Was that really you in the Yin-Yang Taoist robe in front of Moth Emperor Valley?"

After asking their questions, the two fell silent, and an eerie silence descended upon them.

After a long while, a divine soul transmission resounded in Li Wushou's mind:
"I'll go kill some people first! Be careful of Kong Wu; he's not controlled by the painter."

After saying that, Liu Qingmei disappeared from the spot with her hands behind her back.

Regardless of the circumstances, the Liu family members and the guardians who were selected for entry into the Suspended Mountain must die.

The surviving elders of the Yun, Shen, Yuwen, and Lü families initially intended to step forward to stop them, but were persuaded to stop by Li Wushou.

Li Wushou's reason for persuading them was simple: it was all for the good of Suspended Mountain.

If Liu Qingmei wants to kill the Liu family members and the guardians selected for entry, then only these people will die, and their deaths will not shake the foundation of Suspended Mountain.

But if you step forward to stop them, the result will be that you die along with these people.

You are all pillars of the Hanging Mountain. If you all die, the foundation of the Hanging Mountain will be unstable.

The four elders nodded in agreement; the High Priest had seen things clearly.

I almost acted impulsively, causing the foundation of the suspended mountain to loosen. What a sin!

The High Priest's insight is indeed far-reaching, beyond our reach.

Moreover, the High Priest just suppressed the Dragon God with a flick of his hand, and then killed the painter with a single punch. Such power is truly awe-inspiring.

If the High Priest were in charge of the Suspended Mountain, it would surely be even more glorious.

Li Wushou had no time to pay attention to the others.

He had no interest in paying attention to Liu Qingmei's killing spree.

Looking up at the sky, Li Wushou waited for the outcome of the battle between the founders of the Floating and Void lineages, while simultaneously guiding the old snail and Chi Xiu in his mind, informing them of the news he had just received.

The old snail is currently sprinting and searching rapidly within Moth King Valley.

Before confirming with Liu Qingmei, Li Wushou had a general idea that the silkworms in Wangxian City were related to the evil moths in Wushi Town.

But at that time he was unsure whether the moth evil spirits in Wushi Town were related to the Moth Queen.

So he took a gamble and sent the old snail straight into Moth King Valley to search for the Moth King's relics.

After all, when he first met the painter, the painter flew out of Moth King Valley.

So maybe there's some solution left in Moth King Valley.

For this reason, Li Wushou provided the old snail with dozens of coordinates.

Inside were places he had found somewhat strange when he and the shadowy figure hunted Moth King Valley last time.

Li Wushou originally planned to go hunting again after some time had passed.

Now that he had finally confirmed it with Liu Qingmei, Li Wushou urged the old snail to speed up the search.

Meanwhile, in Wangxian City, Chi Xiu finally stood outside the house where Zhu Junzi had disappeared.

Inside the house, the bamboo plant, with its slender, adult-like body, stood motionless, its body covered in fine moth powder.

The cocoons that were originally in the silkworm room or moth nest gathered around the bamboo gentleman, and a large amount of bone marrow essence in his body was being slowly drawn out by these cocoons.

Just then, Chi Xiu received news from Li Wushou.

Chi Xiu now had a better understanding of the situation.

He was somewhat surprised by the painter's skill, but the Moth Queen was a dead deity who could do nothing to him!
After taking in the situation inside, he immediately withdrew his Yin spirit and entered using his Star Body.

Moth powder filled the room, trying to attach itself to Chi Xiu, but was pushed away in all directions by the fluctuating magnetic force.

Moreover, Chi Xiu's Star Body lacks flesh and blood essence, so although these cocoons are strange, they cannot harm him.

As long as you keep your spirit away from these cocoons, the threat they pose to you is almost zero.

Using the magnetic force, Chi Xiu directly gathered the moth powder and cocoons in the house together. With a thought, he shaped these cocoons and moth powder into a ball the size of a human head and floated it beside him.

As the moth powder and cocoons were removed, the bamboo stalks slowly awoke.

The two exchanged a glance, both feeling somewhat awkward. They cupped their hands in greeting, but without exchanging pleasantries, each walked towards the door.

Zhu Junzi set off for Weixian Town outside Wangxian City, intending to reunite with Gongsun Huoyao, who was still stationed there, and to distance himself from the local population as much as possible.

Chi Xiu then used a secret divine method to extract a trace of the Moth Queen's divine aura from the cocoons and moth powder.

After Zhu Junzi flew away, Chi Xiu wandered around Wangxian City.

Guided by the interplay of these divine energies, they continued to search for other moth nests.

The aim is to eliminate as many moths as possible before they emerge from their cocoons.

Having made these arrangements, Li Wushou composed himself and looked up at the battlefield above.

With focused attention, the struggle between the two patriarchs, Fu and Kong, reached a fever pitch.

The patriarch of the Fuzi lineage also noticed his junior brother's abnormality. It seemed that there was a problem with the Nascent Soul stage that the other party had achieved. The method of emptiness should cultivate emptiness and nothingness, but at this moment, the aura on his junior brother's body was very mixed.

It seems the other party has reversed their own path, stuffing many things into their body.

The patriarch of the Kongzi lineage gathered his crystalline form, his entire body filled with countless crystalline surfaces.

The crystal surface, which should have been completely empty, now seemed to be filled with all sorts of things in a small portion of it.

What alarmed the founder of the Fuzi lineage even more was that the dragon body that the Dragon King had just transformed into was also filled into the empty body.

Recalling the scene of the painter manipulating the dragon god, how could the patriarch of the Fuzi lineage not guess that his junior brother had been tricked?
The aura of the patriarch of the Kongzi lineage became increasingly violent and chaotic, and the originally empty Dharma image slowly emerged from the sky.

When Li Wushou saw the image of the patriarch of the Kongzi lineage, he also felt a solemn expression.

The opponent's Dharma form was slowly devouring the Dragon King's mutated dragon body.

An aura of alienation and malevolence permeated the suspended mountain, making the patriarch of the Kongzi lineage appear like a world-destroying demon.

At that moment, Chi Xiu and Zhu Junzi sent messages at the same time.

The cocoon left by the person in the painting has broken!
(End of this chapter)