Chapter 313: The Way Out
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Nineteen and three of her brothers from the same sect stood side by side behind the big short man. They looked towards the faraway s.h.i.+wan Mountains; everyone’s gaze was shrouded with unconcealable deep shock.
These four people were ordered to protect the big short man who was said to be able to defeat the enemies. At first, the Moon cone nail descendants were indignant, but the words of the five-element demon were the oracle of the immortal master teacher. They could only obey.
The big short man seemed to be shy, but he had been polite so far. He tried to get on their good sides – desperately and fearfully finding a topic to talk about with the Moon cone nail descendants. Only when news from Kong Nuer’s subordinates in the outskirts came, the ten thousand cultivators outside the mountain came in throngs under the leaders.h.i.+p of the peerless elites. The big short man leapt to his feet and started slamming onto the small set of gong and drum tied to his waist.
Although the gong and drum were small, the noise they made was incredible. With that, countless monsters were riled up!
The few Moon cone nail descendants were dumbstruck.
They never expected that. There were monsters which covered the heavens and the earth in front of their eyes who had gathered into a torrent that rushed into the place of the outer fringe, but innumerable evil beasts were still hiding in the mountain.
They also did not expect that the insignificant-looking, unheard-of big short man had the ability to encourage the monsters to harm others with the gong and the drum!
The fat man, Full Moon, heaved a foul breath, “How many evil monsters are there in s.h.i.+wan Mountains?”
The five-element monster turned and chuckled, “In the olden days, the monsters from the mountain had poured out of their nest twice, almost destroying the mortal realm each time. Naturally, their numbers won’t be small! Fighting off more than ten thousand cultivators and activating the place of the outer fringe’s endless punishment at the same time shouldn’t be a problem.”
Full Moon nodded. He silently pointed at the big short man who had his back to them and asked the five-element monster, “This big guy… G.o.d, what’s his story? If he can control the countless monsters here, then isn’t he… unrivalled under the heavens!?”
The big short man immediately turned around without stopping his beating. He revealed a dirty smile towards Full Moon and the others, “I’m not controlling them, neither can I control them. Heaven’s Extent Gong and Earth’s Age Drum could only trigger the savagery of these little things. Once they’re riled up, they would gather to hunt down and kill all the intruders without doing anything else.”
The five-element monster laughed, “That’s enough, that’s enough!”
Full Moon swallowed and asked carefully, “Are we considered intruders as well?”
The big short man shook his head politely, “Anyone who talks to me is fine!”
When the few men were talking, immortal aunt Re had woken up. When she heard about the situation in the mountain, she was greatly shocked. There were two worlds inside the s.h.i.+wan Mountains. Outside the place of the outer fringe, ten thousand heaven-cultivating cultivators of various affiliations were fighting with the monsters as they advanced. Inside the place of the outer fringe, most of the thousands of cultivators had already died. The survivors were hiding from the monster’s pursuit…
Immortal Aunt Re had wanted to say something when her brows raised. She chuckled, “A playful thing!” As she said this, she stretched out her hand. Dozens of blazing flames formed in the air and circled around them. They created a burning net of fire and burned into the ground from her sides!
A m.u.f.fled wail came strongly from below the ground. When the fire net rose from the ground again, a giant pangolin was caught inside it.
The dwarf Taoist priest was trapped within the place of the outer fringe. The pangolin, Po Tu, also came to gather some information. With his cultivation base, he did not detect any danger in this spot at all. He did not even sense that anything was amiss before he came. When he pa.s.sed by escaping into the ground, he was caught by Immortal Aunt Re’s net.
It was purely a coincidence that Po Tu had pa.s.sed by. However, even if Immortal Aunt Re did not notice him, he would have no hope of pa.s.sing through if the others had the slightest intent of killing him.
Po Tu charged inside the fire net. He tried a few times, but his attempts were in vain. When he almost left the ground, Po Tu suddenly howled angrily. The scales on his body erupted with a loud bang. His scales turned into thousands of sinister and sharp blades. Amidst the piercing sounds of rubbing, they finally cut through the fire net. His whitish body was smoother and fairer than a baby’s skin. He tunneled into the ground again and ran for his life.
The five-element monster was too lazy to even move. He looked on from the side with a grin. There were countless monsters running rampant in the mountain, but he was not worried that his location would be leaked.
Full Moon, First and Last Quarter Moons made attacks but they were stopped by Nineteen. Immortal Aunt Re was utterly surprised, but she still chuckled, “I’ve just woken up, so my body is still numb. I can’t even catch a little guy like that.”
After she finished, Immortal Aunt Re looked at Nineteen again.
Nineteen was expressionless. She replied drily, “His life or death matters not, to the entire plan. And… I’ve heard about him a few times before this. We seem to be fated to meet. Just let him go and let nature take its course.”
Immortal Aunt Re still wore her jubilant smile, “The girl from Mingsha Mountain’s Heavenly Moon family has the heart of a Buddha I see!”
Nineteen looked towards a faraway direction. She gave a smile which made the others cringe. Her voice was floaty, “We’ve saved the immortal master teacher’s life, but not the cultivation world!”
A dry and hoa.r.s.e voice containing unspeakable contempt continued Nineteen’s words, “This band of thieves who disobey heaven’s will and kill G.o.ds are digging their own graves!”
Shudou woke up. Her gaze was sinister, but her wrinkle-ridden old face was full of excitement.
Sir Rust also opened his eyes. He opened his mouth and wanted to say something, but in the end, he only managed a sigh.
At that moment, doing the complete opposite, Red Pot opened its mouth wide as it drew a cold breath, “What is… f*cking happening!?”
Behind it, a thousand demon body figurines stood still with blank faces. There were no movements in their eyes, as they looked at their surroundings with blank expressions. They looked at the monsters who howled and charged from every direction. They were getting closer and closer… Red Pot squalled and ordered his subordinates loudly, “Kill!”
Red Pot brought his figurine army out of Black and White Island. When they returned to the eastern land, it heard about the place of the outer fringe. It wanted to kill Wen Leyang, Chang Li, Hanba and Liu Zheng, who were connected to the Black and White Island’s sword immortals, and also kill the one who obtained San Wei’s body…
Its enemies had all gone to s.h.i.+wan Mountains, so of course it wanted to go as well. However, Cone Nail and the others entered the mountain from the west, while it came from the east with its figurine subordinates.
Red Pot came much later than Chang Li and the others, but it had been inside the mountain for a few days now. It had wanted to find an opportunity to a.s.sa.s.sinate Chang Li and the others after they entered the mountain, but the toad would not have expected, even in his wildest dreams, that the monsters would come before his enemies did…
The group led by Chang Li and Cone Nail were fighting for their lives with the monsters. Red Pot was also surrounded by countless monsters with his thousand or so demon body figurines. The five-element monster and the Heavens cone nail descendants waited with stern faces for the endless punishment to rain down on the place of the outer fringe. The true elite of s.h.i.+wan Mountains, the wild burly man, was nowhere to be found. Even when all h.e.l.l broke loose on this mountain, he did not show himself.
At this time, the monsters had already poured out of their nests. They split into two. Some of them ran wildly among the wilderness, hunting the enemies with a bloodl.u.s.t by following their scent. The others continued to form the killing wave and charged into the place of the outer fringe ceaselessly!
There were more and more monsters inside the place of the outer fringe. Since they had failed to hold the exit, the cultivators trapped inside could not help but be killed. Up until now, the only somewhat safe place was the campsite where the World Sect and Qilian disciples were right now.
These few days, Wen Leyang and Chi Maojiu did not seem to get any rest at all. They went back and forth from the campsite and everywhere in the place of the outer fringe. They tried their best to bring back some survivors. At first, it was quite effective. They could bring back about three hundred men every six to eight hours. Additionally, they even found some magic tools which refined medicinal pills. Although the building of the talisman script shop crumbled, the refined treasures were still intact. Despite their effects and powers being not really outstanding, it was undoubtedly a piece of good news to the trapped cultivators.
However, starting from the second night, their results started dropping. The number of men they brought back each time was lesser than the previous time. Their wounds were also more serious.
The skies of the place of the outer fringe had lost its original clearness without anyone noticing. It slowly turned dark and murky; the difference between night and day was not that obvious now. Occasionally, chants of divine songs floated faintly in the air; it was graceful but not merciful.
At first, the group had not thought much about this. On the morning of the fourth day, it was the dwarf Taoist priest who was the first to notice something strange. He found Tu Mi and discussed in hushed tones with her. Their faces gradually turned pale and fearful!
Soon afterwards, Wen Leyang and Chi Maojiu returned. This time, they only brought back three men. Chi Maojiu’s expression was extremely dark. They were almost completely surrounded by monsters. Within the radius of fifty kilometers, there were no living persons other than them.
There were now more than three thousand people in the camp, with more than half of them having sustained some kind of injury. About a tenth of them were on their deathbed.
When the dwarf Taoist priest saw them return, he immediately went to meet them. He looked at Chi Maojiu with a stern expression, “Wen Leyang, I’m afraid the situation is very troubling!”
Foul air enshrouded them; the skies were dark, the boundaries between night and day grew unclear, while the heavenly G.o.ds performed an evensong. These were all premonitions of a great disaster. With the experience of the dwarf Taoist priest, Tu Mi and the others, even if they did not know Kong Nuer’s plan, it was not difficult for them to guess what would happen in the place of the outer fringe.
Wen Leyang was astonished. This was not his first time hearing the term ‘endless punishment’. He wanted to question closely but Chi Maojiu beside him suddenly let out a shrill curse, “We can’t hide any longer! These dog-headed, ghost-faced, no-eggs b.a.s.t.a.r.ds are here!”
His voice barely faded when a rock of a formidable size, followed by a sharp sound that broke the skies, turned and crashed down on their campsite from afar. The Witchcraft Prohibitions spread out around the campsite were triggered. A few giant vines grew with the wind. In the blink of an eye, they turned into enraged divine punis.h.i.+ng whips. Amidst a series of loud cracks, they chipped away at the rock. The giant rock was whipped into fine powder!
The cultivators who had been saved by Wen Leyang and Chi Maojiu over the past few days were all pale-faced. Those who could still move, jumped to their feet and hastily raised their magic weapons. In contrast, the World Sect and Qilian disciples were much calmer. They were in no hurry to get to their feet, but they carried their wounded brothers on their backs, and wrapped them tightly with clothes or ropes. A World Sect young maiden was the most trusted person of Tu Mi. She carried her without a second word. Tu Mi was fat while the young maiden was slender. From afar, they looked like a peac.o.c.k flaunting his plumage.
The disciples of the two sects quickly carried their friends, while some of them even laughed, “When the monster comes later, I’ll turn tail and run. You can act like a s.h.i.+eld.”
The World Sect or Qilian disciples who were fixed to their comrades’ bodies replied with a smile, “Mm. All you can do is run anyway. I’m lying on your flying sword. Let’s see how you’re going to kill the monsters!”
The group of cultivators inside the place of the outer fringe blushed. They hastily picked up the wounded as well.
Dust flew and blotted out the sky. The layers of soil dragons which erupted at the edge of their sights finally became indistinct. The first monster was easily a few meters tall. Its dark purple body was full of muscles as hard as rocks. There was one red horn on its head which gleamed with a glaring light. After running a distance, it stooped down and scooped up another huge piece of land. It howled and chucked it towards them.
Behind it, the black ma.s.s of monsters was like shadows of dark clouds; they could not see the end of them!
The long vines launched their second wave of attacks. They shattered the huge rock tossed by the monster. Although the cultivators in the campsite were unharmed, despair and panic had already filled most of their eyes. Just when they were at a loss, Wen Leyang suddenly exclaimed angrily. He mimicked the form of the faraway monster as he stooped down. The muscles on his not-so-thick arms tensed up as he gripped the surface of the ground in front of him. Amidst shrieks and the sound of cracking soil, a piece of land of the same size was lifted high by Wen Leyang. It danced; it was tossed!
The single-horned monster looked angry. Its gaze was full of disdain. It did not dodge, but led the monster army behind it and ran in a frenzied rage. When the huge rock was about to hit them, the red horn on its head moved. With a ‘pa’, the huge rock was shattered. Then, it let out a skyward howl full of fighting spirit that turned into a hysteric wail! A greyish color, formed by the intertwining of black and white, swallowed its bright red horn in the blink of an eye…
The rock dropped around it. Even if the howling monsters were touched by even a single speck of dust, they would suddenly plant their faces in the ground and die in the blink of an eye!
Little Chi Maojiu waved at the cultivators within the campsite, “Run towards the east. We’ll be right behind you!”
The east was where the exit of the place of the outer fringe stood.
The group of people were shocked. A Witch’s Song that was like the collective sounds of a thousand ghosts crying and ten thousand beasts wailing sounded loudly, but it could not mask Chi Maojiu’s voice, “We haven’t met our reinforcements. Our campsite has been discovered. The monsters are innumerable; there is not even an inch of a safe spot in the place of the outer fringe. Although talk is cheap, I still want to ask all of you, do you guys want to live or die?”
The dwarf Taoist priest answered with a glare, “Of course we want to live!”
Chi Maojiu burst into laughter, “If you want to live, then go towards the way out. Even if you die, die on the f*cking way out!”
A long howl which broke the heavens sounded extremely sharp, but it turned into layers of maddened laughter midway. The dwarf Taoist priest waved at the others. He laughed thunderously, “Follow me. If worse comes to worst, we’ll die on the way out!”
Thousands of cultivators answered loudly. When they took the first step at the same time, they turned around while screaming with tacit agreement. They quickly threw their magic weapons in their hands, flying swords on their backs, and talismans on their chest towards the monsters who were closing in on them! Thousands of magical powers gathered into a dazzling rainbow, which was so dazzling it glared; so bright that it broke the Bridge of Sighs. It struck mercilessly at an angle into the torrent of monsters…
Wails, dirty blood, scales, broken horns, and smashed wings flew everywhere. The group of cultivators then guffawed, turned around, and moved towards a direction that no one could tell if it was a way out or a way to die. Regardless, they leapt towards it!
A wild gust of wind blew past Chi Maojiu. With the Poison of Life and Death raging within his entire body, Wen Leyang was like a sharp sword as he plunged into the torrent of monsters. Everywhere he went, wails shot up towards the heavens. Regardless of their size or strange art, everywhere Wen Leyang went, the strong monsters were merely earth dolls kicked over by an elephant. They flew in all directions. From afar, Wen Leyang was like a scythe that roamed freely in a paddy field.
Other than Tuo Xie, the most amazing poison under the heavens, the toughest body under the heavens, was the most peculiar Faulty Punch!
The glow of burning fire filled the air. Hundreds of fire falcons did not fly in all directions this time, but they formed an enchanting and cold giant fire column behind Chi Maojiu. The silent vital fire let out crackling burning sounds this time. Chi Maojiu lowered his stance; his eyes were bloodshot scarlet. He stared at the monsters who were getting nearer and nearer. He let out an extremely m.u.f.fled long howl from his mouth.
Finally, after a brief moment, a booming loud sound erupted between heaven and earth. The vital fire column behind him exploded with a bang. In front of him, countless cracks appeared. As if they were alive, they emanated towards the monsters amidst cracking sounds!
Without waiting for Chi Maojiu to call him, Wen Leyang rushed back, covered in stench. The brothers looked at each other and laughed. They did not stay any longer, but turned around and ran after the main group.
The monsters were already frenzied and mad. They did not stop the advance. But when they ran into the spot of land filled with cracks, they suddenly felt a searing pain. Then, they realized with fright. The cracks that emanated on the ground, without them knowing, had also emanated onto their bodies.
Very quickly, their shocked eyes were also full of cracks… Then, like porcelain dolls, they shattered.
The huge group of monsters was finally shaken, but it only lasted for a dozen minutes. Their numbers were too great. It was so great that their comrades’ bodies and lives were enough to exhaust the enemy’s magic spell. Even the two best Tuo Xie disciples as strong as Wen Leyang and Chi Maojiu joined forces. They could never hope to stop or cripple this ma.s.s of monsters. All they did was stall them and bought the cultivators some time to run away.
However, this army of monsters was only the tip of the iceberg compared to the numbers of the monsters who were running rampant within the place of the outer fringe…
Ever since they left the campsite, the cultivators did not have any time to rest. What was worth celebrating was, although the monsters in the place of the outer fringe were savage and bloodthirsty, they were not like the monsters outside who utilized their naturally-born strange arts to intentionally seek cultivators. They only formed groups and ran amok. They would only charge when they discovered living people. There was no true coordinated force.
However, even if that were true, with Wen Leyang and little Chi Maojiu, the two peerless elites present, monsters would still occasionally charge into their ranks. There was even a time when the back of their group was swallowed by a huge group of monsters. Every cultivator who fell into the enemy’s hands activated their magical powers which burned jade and stones alike without hesitation. Dying on the way out, albeit meeting their doom, they died without regret!
The monsters in front of them could never be completely killed off. Scouts were useless here. Evil beasts were everywhere. To send out scouts was equivalent to serving meals on a silver platter to the monsters. The group firmly made their way towards the exit. Every step was slow and strenuous, but they never wavered in their direction. Everyone understood, they were walking… on the way out!