Chapter 207: Firecracker
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Wen Leyang felt dizzy. They set out to investigate the reason the evil cult followers gathered but ran into a person who hid within a monkey within a dog-headed bird on Tuer town; they tracked the evil cult followers and discovered eight corpse pits and a cleanly-shaven Tutatunte; they chased after the Tibetan people and the evil cultivator into the mountains and ran into an obscure cultivator Hua family and a strange tadpole; they hunted the snow spider with Ji Song and found the empty Kunlun Sect campsite, they also discovered a murder and a great lie told by Guo Huan; they were pursuing the Hua family disciples, the strange tadpole and the unnamed ‘big circle’, and they ran into a group of Tibetan people!
These Tibetan people were the subordinates of the legendary King Gesar. They were corrupted by Foulness after they exited samsara and were subdued by the evil cultivator. They each had profound cultivation bases. They were much faster than Tutatunte. If Tutatunte did not have his ability to sense danger before it happened and escaped before the enemy showed up, he would not have any chance to escape.
Wen Leyang’s body had healed considerably. However, this process meant that his fighting prowess would strengthen gradually. It was not that he needed a whole day to recover, but with every hour that pa.s.sed, his fighting prowess recovered by one-twelfth. Nevertheless, up until now, he had no way of fighting the Tibetan people.
The Tibetan people wore their usual lifeless looks. Other than a hint of malicious Foulness which sparked in their cloudy eyes every once in a while, their faces were expressionless.
If the Tibetan people were like swift and fierce eagles, Tutatunte’s speed could only be a grouse’s. As he squalled and ran, carrying Wen Leyang on his back, the Tuer town’s Tibetan people were already no more than a dozen meters from them…
A rigid yell which sounded like vairocana’s saving Sanskrit scattered pleasantly in the howling wind! The huge Yin’s Error erupted in a ghastly pale in the night sky. It suddenly slashed the Tibetan people!
A series of piercing rubbing sounds sounded hastily.
Without anyone noticing, Yin’s Error’s body-shattering tearing sound had shattered the strong wind’s howl into a million pieces. The Tibetan people did not even manage to wail before they turned into a pile of broken bones and b.l.o.o.d.y flesh. What shocked Wen Leyang the most was that there was uncontainable fresh blood within these Tibetan people’s bodies When every one of them was killed, they were like an exploded blood canister. Tall columns of blood gushed out of them!
What were they trying to celebrate with blood fountains?
Guo Huan had defeated the enemy in one swoop but Tutatunte’s expression did not show signs of calming down. He continued to squall. He carried Wen Leyang on his shoulders and ran for his life!
The loyalty of this African brother was very valuable! He had not run very far when Wen Leyang felt a jolt from the ground. Tutatunte lost his footing and crashed heavily on the ground with Wen Leyang…
Loud crackling sounds could be heard continuously as if the entire snow-covered peak was crumbling. Wen Leyang and Tutatunte could not even stand up, let alone continue with their run.
Wen Leyang looked around him in fear. He asked Guo Huan in astonishment, “Is this an earthquake? Or… an avalanche?”
Guo Huan had just brazenly activated the Yin’s Error. His consciousness was obviously weakened. He panted inside the jade knife, “Young lad, a great calamity is upon us!” His voice barely faded when a white sheet, which covered the heavens and the earth, abruptly barged into Wen Leyang’s eyes!
The mult.i.tude of stars in the sky and the bright crescent moon were utterly swallowed by this savage and vast white sheet. Wen Leyang was stunned for a while before he realized what had happened.
A huge ice cap far away had been flipped over by someone. It was cras.h.i.+ng down on him with the momentum of an avalanche!
The ancient ice on the snow-covered peak was more than a hundred meters thick. The ice cap that was cras.h.i.+ng down on them with a roar had a volume not inferior to an ice mountain. Wen Leyang’s eyes and mind were filled with a boundless brimless whiteness. Even if he was made of steel, if he was. .h.i.t solid, he could only enter the house through the door’s crack after this.
Tutatunte stopped running. He sat on the ground and held Wen Leyang tight. From afar, they resembled the Haier brothers…
“Demon Body Breaking Spell!” Guo Huan’s yell was sonorous and strong. A crisp ‘pa’ sounded from Wen Leyang’s neck. Yang’s Mistake Sun’s blade leaped out. The blazing black glow shattered the huge ice cap into pieces in a flas.h.!.+
Wen Leyang did not even have the time to sigh in relief when he noticed in astonishment that it was not the only chunk of huge ice rock that flew at him! A dozen ancient ice rocks capable of filling a small pond flew consecutively towards them from afar. They came continuously as if there was a hot-tempered giant far away who was tearing the snow-covered peak and would not stop until he crushed them into mashed fles.h.!.+
“Demon Body Breaking Spell!” Guo Huan’s voice made one want to vomit. Yang’s Mistake’s black glow did not diminish as it protected Wen Leyang whereas Yin’s Error Moon’s blade howled and spun towards the direction of the incoming ice caps with a roar. It continuously shattered the ancient ice and shot forward like lightning! A series of explosions were heard on the vast snow-covered peak. The ancient ice shattered into countless huge chunks and planted themselves into the ground in all directions!
It was true that Guo Huan had regained some primordial life vitality these few months but he could only manage to use his magic weapons twice. The first time, he had used it against the white-robed middle-aged man’s low temperature sneak attack and he just used Yin’s Error to kill the Tibetan people while Yang’s Mistake protected Wen Leyang. After he depleted his primordial life vitality, he could only activate the demonic magic power ‘Demon Body Breaking Spell’ which was similar to the devil’s dismantlement. He destroyed his own body to eke out primordial life vitality to activate his treasure.
Moon’s blade shot out with a howl. If he did not annihilate the enemy attacking them, the Haier brothers would be crushed to death sooner or later. As expected, blazing puffs of blood joined together and shot towards the sky like an apocalyptic firework!
After the dozens of ice chunks were shattered, there was no more ice chunks thrown in their way.
The Moon’s blade was like a vulture that was drunk after getting injured. It reeled back. Of course, such a rare treasure would not be harmed so easily. It was Guo Huan that was harmed. Wen Leyang pushed Tutatunte away with some force. He lowered his head and looked at the jade knife, which dangled before his chest. Another two obvious cracks appeared on the knife. It looked as if it would shatter at any time. Guo Huan’s voice came from within the jade knife, “It was the Tibetan people from Tuer town who cast the spell to harm us. There were a total of more than thirty people, now they’re all dead! This knife… can’t hold on much longer. Young lad, go and find my immortal’s cave… immortal’s cave, find… find my split body, quick!” His voice was as rigid as always but his volume was getting softer. Eventually, he seemed to not have the energy to speak, he tried a few times before he finished his sentence.
There were still messy loud sounds around them. Wen Leyang did not quite catch what Guo Huan had said. He wanted to question closely when he suddenly realized that the ice was not raining on them anymore. Why did the crackling sound not stop… Wen Leyang did not have the time to look around him when his body suddenly sank. Amidst the ice shards and snow sc.r.a.ps, which erupted loudly, he fell into a fissure in the ground!
The ice cap, which they were standing on, had an abnormal number of fissures. As it was not very st.u.r.dy to begin with, under the consecutive impacts of the great force, Wen Leyang’s wish was granted. He did not have to break the ice with his Faulty Punch but it had collapsed.
The loud explosion was like coa.r.s.e wooden stakes. They mercilessly wedged themselves into Wen Leyang’ ears. Wen Leyang and Tutatunte hugged into a ball as they fell downwards in wild confusion. Wen Leyang tried to exert force and adjust their falling position but he could not do it due to his injuries. Finally, with a loud bang, they crashed heavily onto the ground,
Wen Leyang clearly felt that his eyeb.a.l.l.s lurched outwards, they almost flew out of their sockets…
Tutatunte got off Wen Leyang with embarra.s.sment. He was lucky he had Wen Leyang break the fall for him. He did not even lose a single tooth.
Wen Leyang tried to exert force and stood up. He did not bother about his surroundings. He pointed upwards and gesticulated to Tutatunte, he wanted him to think of a way to find a path upwards.
Tutatunte was utterly puzzled. They were trying so hard to come down just now and now Wen Leyang wanted to climb up?
Wen Leyang understood what he meant. He shook his head and scolded with a bitter smile, “Careless!” Before this, they could have relied on the jade knife Guo Huan. The white-robed youth was no threat to them. However, Guo Huan had cracked… Wen Leyang had not finished gesticulating when the ice cap shook violently once more. The two dropped down again. Tutatunte was still on top while Wen Leyang was still the human mattress. After they got back to their feet a second time, Wen Leyang started to suspect that his African brother did that on purpose…
This time, beneath them, it was no longer the enchanting ancient ice but frozen soil. The layers of distant brilliant blue twinkled endlessly. Wen Leyang’s heart relaxed. He understood that they had reached the bottom of the ice cap. They were standing on the true peak of Geladaindong! It was the same as the bottom of the ice fissure where they discovered the strange tadpole. They were standing on a crystallite vein.
Tutatunte seemed to have knocked his head during the second fall. He gritted his teeth and ma.s.saged his head.
Wen Leyang exclaimed softly in surprise. With an unknown source of strength, he leaped up suddenly! He had wanted to reach out and take some medicine for Tutatunte but he noticed from Tutatunte’s unintentional glance that the ice surface at both sides was filled with countless densely packed figures!
It was dark outside. The bottom of the ice fissure was also pitch black. Tutatunte did not have Wen Leyang’s eyesight. He had no idea what had happened. When he heard Wen Leyang’s scream, he started searching hastily to look for him.
Wen Leyang grabbed Tutatunte, who was about to touch the ice wall. He lit up the flare that he brought and tossed it on the ground.
He did not have modern equipment with him like Old Gu and Fei Fei but the flares of the Place of Birth, Life, Sickness and Death was no ordinary object. The ember was small but it illuminated nicely. The brightness was not inferior to stage pyrotechnics. It did not have the glaring flash. The ember was as stable as a solid and it burned for a reasonably long time. Wen Buzuo had once said that if he were ever driven out of Wen family because of his nonsense talk, he would steal a box of flares to sell before he left. He could be a millionaire with just a box.
The gentle and ample light instantly shattered the darkness under the ice cap. Tutatunte finally noticed in shock that behind the two sides of thick ice walls stood a few hundred people. They were looking at them with peculiar expressions.
Green robes. Taoist hairstyles. Flying swords slung behind their backs. The people in the ice walls were all Kunlun disciples!
Wen Leyang was not a stranger to circ.u.mstances like this. However, last time it was only a dozen Kunlun disciples, now it was a few hundreds of them! They could all be Kunlun disciples! Wen Leyang pulled Tutatunte and tried his best to position themselves in the middle. They kept a distance of a few meters from both walls. After he searched for a brief moment, he gave up his vain attempt. He wanted to find Liu Zheng but the few hundred people blocked each other’s faces. Other than the front row, he could not make out the details of the people at the back.
The Kunlun Sect disciples all had different expressions. They either smiled or frowned. However, the gaze that shot towards Wen Leyang and Tutatunte had thde same expression. Interesting.
It was as if a child who held an apple in his hand but looked at the pear on the table and thought about switching them.
Guo Huan had no more energy to activate his Yin’s Error Yang’s Mistake but he was not so exhausted that he must immediately fall into a deep sleep to cultivate his spirit. He had been acting dumb the first few months but he knew about the things that happened outside. His raspy voice said, “The strange tadpole! I knew it. The ones who ambushed the Kunlun campsite were these bugs that came and went like shadows.”
Needless to say, these Kunlun disciples were controlled by those strange tadpoles. However, there was one thing that Wen Leyang did not understand. Even if these bugs went against the laws of nature and reproduced into this large number, they could not have controlled every disciple on such a short period of time. The campsite was neat and tidy with no signs of battle or retaliation.
Under the few hundred ‘interesting’ gazes, Wen Leyang only felt unsettled and short-tempered. He wished he could jump and curse. The chattering of his teeth was abnormally clear in the extreme silence under the ice cap.
Their back and front were blocked by the fallen ice rocks. To their flanks were the ice surface. Wen Leyang and the others were trapped. However, even if he had regained his physical strength, he could not climb up the rocks. Even with giant pangolin Po Tu’s cultivation base, he was pulled by the strange tadpole-controlled Kunlun disciples the moment he came into contact with the ice wall. The ice cap was the bugs’ territory!
Wen Leyang could not find a way to get back up the surface. He took a deep breath and relaxed his body. He sat down cross-legged. Tutatunte saw that he had sat down, he quickly imitated him and sat cross-legged as well. However, the African brother was not used to sitting crossed-legged. He could not sit very still and his body kept swaying like a vibrating phone.
Wen Leyang quickly produced the wound medicine and dressed Tutatunte’s wounds strenuously while he said to the jade knife under his neck, “If we can hold out until tomorrow noon, my body will be fully healed.”
Guo Huan grunted and asked, “Then what?”
“Then I’ll break the ice. Liu Zheng had rescued me before at Painting Town. I can’t just sit here while his disciples’ bodies are ravaged by the bugs!” He paused briefly after he finished and squinted his eyes, “Besides, we can’t go up. Let’s give it a try, maybe… maybe it’s a blessing, or maybe it’s a disaster, we can’t know for sure!”
These strange tadpoles contained utmost Poison of Water within their bodies. To Wen Leyang, it was great nourishment. However, if he truly broke into the ice surface, he was worried that he would only be able to pop a few bugs before the others invaded his body and turned him into the walking dead.
Wen Leyang had just finished talking when a hoa.r.s.e and unpleasant sound sounded without warning from a dozen meters above the ice surface, “If you barge in here to kill the bugs, then the Taoist priests will become corpses!”
As he spoke, the white-robed youth carried his badly wounded companion and leaped down from the high ice surface.
Wen Leyang was astonished. He did not have the time to feel shocked and he questioned closely immediately, “These Kunlun disciples aren’t dead?”
The white-robed youth carefully laid his elder in his embrace down on the ground. He nodded towards Wen Leyang. Wen Leyang added another question, “Can they… be restored to their original conditions?”
The white-robed youth seemed to have no more hostility towards Wen Leyang. He smiled and continued to nod. This youth was already snow white in complexion. When he smiled, he looked pure and brilliant. However, when he spoke, even the most beautiful face was torn by his hoa.r.s.e voice, “I think there’s a misunderstanding between us!”
Tutatunte regained consciousness. He stood up in alarm. He arched his body as if ready to pounce on the opponent at any minute. However, his hand that secretly pulled on Wen Leyang’s arm revealed his true intentions. He was ready to bring Wen Leyang and run.
Wen Leyang suddenly realized that his African brother did not scream before the white-robed youth appeared. He turned and looked at him, perplexed, “Tutatunte, how come you’re not sensitive this time?”
Tutatunte was not foolish. Although they did not share the same language, he understood Wen Leyang’s question. He pointed at his injured head shame-facedly, then pointed at the two ice walls. The gazes of all the Kunlun disciples behind the ice walls s.h.i.+fted with his moving finger.
Tutatunte’s ability was not an instinct but a skill refined after many years of training. When he used it, he needed complete focus. He had just knocked his head and saw a few hundred men in the ice, standing upright and looking at him with malicious smiles. He had tossed the bugs, white-robes and whatnot to the back of his mind. Due to his carelessness, he did not notice the other party.
Wen Leyang talked nonsense to clear his own mind up. He turned and looked at the white-robed youth, his face was expressionless, “Your elder had activated his magic powers when we were badly injured without even understanding the situation and nearly got us all killed! You’re saying that this is a misunderstanding?”
The white-robed youth laughed and nodded, “That’s right, it’s a misunderstanding!”
Wen Leyang missed Fei Fei. If that girl was beside him, she could tell if the white-robe was telling the truth with a glance.
The white-robed youth laughed hoa.r.s.ely for a while before he continued, “If I did not wish to talk or if I wanted to ambush you, I need not show myself.”
Wen Leyang smiled with a scorn, “You better think of a way to deal with my Yin’s Error Yang’s Mistake before you even think of ambus.h.i.+ng me!” As he said this, he pointed rudely at the middle-aged man who was lying down. He could not let his opponent know that he could not use Yin’s Error Yang’s Mistake.
The muscle on the white-robed youth’s face twitched. He muttered for a while and opened his mouth slowly. He said straightforwardly, “I knew that there might be a misunderstanding when I saw you kill those Tibetan people.” As he said this, his upper body inclined slightly. His clear gaze looked straight into Wen Leyang’s eyes, “If you don’t want to talk, I’ll leave immediately.”
Wen Leyang forthrightly said, “Let’s talk!” Then, he rummaged in his pocket for a long while. He took out his brand-new cellphone and switched on the voice recorder function. He thought that if he could leave this place, he would let Fei Fei listen to the recording. She would know if the white-robed youth was lying or not.
He had learned from Chang Li’s experience in the Miao stockade village and bought a model with a super long standby time. Although they had been in Tibet for a long time, he simply shut his cellphone off because there was no signal. Now, he learned from Old Gu and switched on his phone and started recording…
The white-robed youth was astonished. He looked on with curiosity, “What is this object?”
Wen Leyang did not have the patience to explain it to him. He shook his head and smiled, “Why don’t you tell me how this is all a misunderstanding! You thought that we were on the Tibetan people’s side but the way I see it, it is more likely that you guys are the Tibetan people’s comrades!”
The white-robed youth knitted his brows and thought for a while. He seemed to ponder from which point he should start talking. Wen Leyang reminded him with a smile, “From the beginning! First, talk about the origins of the Hua family!”
The white-robed youth nodded. He opened his mouth forthrightly, “Our Hua family were originally obscure cultivators in the central plains. We practiced water element magic art for generations. However, a thousand and three hundred years ago, a dozen elite ancestors searched for the heavenly water spirit…” As he said this, the white-robe paused, his gaze had a hint of doubt.
Wen Leyang understood his meaning and nodded, “The heavenly water spirit is the ice soul’s water spirit, that’s what I know. As the Jianggendiru Glacier is the source of the Yangtze River, there should be a heavenly water spirit there. Your ancestors arrived here, found the heavenly water spirit and settled down here?”
Wen Leyang rarely interrupted a person’s statements with this much nonsense but this time, he learned from Wen Buzuo to buy his body time to recuperate.
The white-robed youth shook his head and smiled bitterly, “Almost, but it’s not that simple!”
The Hua family originated from the central plains and cultivated water element magic art. It was unknown how many of their ancestors from generations past have walked all over the world in search of the water element’s utmost treasure, the ‘heavenly water spirit’. They went to lakes, ponds and swamps. They naturally went to the sources of famous and great rivers too but to put it frankly, the ‘heavenly water spirit’ was a drop of water of unknown size. It could never be precisely found if it was mixed in the river. It was the same at the Jianggendiru Glacier. The heavenly water spirit could be the ice shards under their feet or a drop of water that fell off a stalact.i.te. It was not an easy task to find it.
Not only did the Hua family ancestors who came to Geladaindong Peak more than a thousand years ago not find the heavenly water spirit, they were attacked by the strange bugs that resembled giant tadpoles.
The white-robed youth kept talking as he flipped his small fair hands. A fist-sized tadpole was sprawled on his palms. Wen Leyang grinded his teeth. If it were not for his unhealed wounds, he would have popped this abominable thing.
The white-robed youth chuckled, “We call these things ‘firecrackers’.”
Wen Leyang laughed hysterically, “Firecrackers? Hmm, indeed, this thing goes out with a loud bang!”
The white-robed youth reached out and touched the ‘firecracker’. His expression was very gentle. He obviously liked this abominable thing very much. Then, his palms curled slightly. The obedience of the strange tadpole was comparable to ‘You’ve Got Me’. Its body shuddered and crawled back into his sleeve.
Wen Leyang frowned, “You treat this evil thing as a treasure?” As he said this, he squinted his eyes fiercely and pointed at the ice wall, “How do you explain these Kunlun disciples?”
The white-robed youth quickly waved, “Listen, I can explain everything. If the Hua family wanted to enter the world and bring harm, we wouldn’t coop ourselves on Tanggula Mountains for a thousand years! I can explain all this in detail, you’ll be the judge if I’m a friend or foe!”
Wen Leyang nodded. He could not help but ask out of curiosity, “Are these things really bugs? They’re living… organisms?”
The white-robed youth nodded, “Of course they’re alive. From your perception, they contain utmost Poison of Water and can control other people, naturally, you would label it as something evil. But, from our Hua family’s perspective, they’re obedient little babies! You must let me finish, I guarantee that you and I will see eye to eye!”
Wen Leyang felt his hairs stiffened and made a signal for him to continue, “Then put away that obedient baby of yours and continue talking. Your ancestors were attacked by the bugs, then?”
Tutatunte did not understand what the two of them were talking about. He sat at one side and yawned…