Chapter 96: Thunder Marks
In the age of technology, when the various sects of cultivation intend to pa.s.s down their inner secrets to their disciples, they would also pa.s.s them a manual that would provide simple explanations on the important matters to note in relation to the use of their magical powers. For example, spells would not be able to constrain mobile phones’ signal or lightning rod areas should be avoided when performing thunder conjuration. After all, it was all about pa.s.sing on the experience.
Wen Leyang stood riveted, looking at his unharmed family members with shock and joy. He did not even have the time to say anything when something flashed past his eyes. He could have dodged, but he did not.
Pa! Pa! Pa! Pa!
Fourth Elder Wen stood in front of Wen Leyang with his face as cold as ice. He raised his hand and gave him four slaps. “The whole clan was on the brink of inevitable annihilation. You did not think about revenging and killing the enemy but jumped back here like an imbecile! These four slaps, I did it for the four Wen elders! If there is a next time, you should renounce the name of Wen!” As he was saying this, he scrutinized Wen Leyang with a very complicated gaze, paused for a moment before continuing, “If you also died back then, there will no longer be any Wen Bucao under the heavens…” He didn’t finish his sentence when he abruptly turned and left.
As Fourth Elder Wen turned his head, it obvious that his eyes were red.
Wen Leyang’s cheeks were burning hot, but he felt was warm and fuzzy inside, almost about to melt. He nodded vigorously at the back of Fourth Elder Wen and turned to face the enlightened sword-bearer, who was reapplying his spell. Wen Leyang gave a wicked smile. In the old priest’s eyes, the scar on Leyang’s cheekbone popped out.
The enlightened sword-bearer was also filled with fury. His great Thunder was completely redirected by a lightning rod. If this news ever got out, it would be the laughing stock of the cultivators for at least half a year. When he had first heard the rumor that Ma Heshui of the One Word Palace met his defeat on the Nine Peaks Mountain, he did not believe it. He would never have expected that when he went up the mountain, he had been troubled with fools, his favorite disciple was slapped, his fellow priests were running everywhere, and he, a master, was bullied at every turn.
The sword-bearer’s eyes brightened. Not wanting to waste any more time, he was about to direct his sword to unleash the art of Jilong when a startled cry unexpectedly broke out behind him.
The little old priests had gathered once again behind the sword-bearer. The earth that was already turned by the Death Trademark shook again without any warning. Little packages of earth were rapidly popping up under their feet, which became the sizes of tomb packages in no time. The priests had no idea what was happening. They could only try their best to avoid the earth lumps. One of the Jilong disciples directed his flying sword with a shout and his sword stuck itself into one of the ‘tomb packages’ that was the furthest from him.
Who said that the recluse people had a pure heart? This little priest was definitely a schemer. The ‘tomb package’ which his flying sword stuck into was in the middle of a group of scarlet-robed Sun Dynasty Palace priests.
The sword flashed like lightning. With a gentle ‘pop’, the ‘tomb package’ burst like a soap bubble, followed by screams from the scarlet-robed priests.
Under the thin wall of earth were thousands of poisonous bugs. They formed such a ma.s.s that it was impossible to tell how many types were actually present!
The bugs did not crawl, rush, nor flowed, they gushed out! Just like magma from a volcano, countless poisonous bugs shot into the sky. At the same time, few dozen other earth packages burst open, releasing so many bugs that it covered almost everything. The bugs jumped and flew, forming a dense fog which shrouded the priests behind the enlightened sword-bearer in an instant!
The elites from the Death Trademark sat cross-legged amongst the group of Wen Bucao, with soundless whistles in their mouths. They were blowing on their whistles with a strange rhythm.
Wen Leyang did not waste any time. With a kick of his sole, he flew towards the enlightened sword-bearer like the wind. The old priest’s great sword was currently suspended in the sky and was in the middle of ama.s.sing lightning. It could not dispatch itself to aid its master.
The enlightened sword-bearer Qing Niao showed no signs of panic. He shrunk his body and leaped out of his Taoist robe. He flexed his arms and his green robe shot up into the sky with the wind. Rows of runes appeared in his robe, s.h.i.+ning with a cold light. His robe turned into a giant talisman and wrapped itself around Wen Leyang.
The green robes of every Jilong disciple turned into talismans that were refined over and over for a hundred times and had properties like protection from evil, detoxification, exorcism, and binding demons.
Wen Leyang, who was like an angry leopard rus.h.i.+ng forward gallantly, was wrapped by the robe talisman, becoming a sack in mid-air.
The old priest Qing Niao smiled slightly and made his way back to save his disciples. The sack that was freefalling not far from him suddenly shook in a peculiar manner. The rows of runes shone brighter and brighter until eventually a puff of green smoke arose from within it. The magical robe which was supposed to be imperishable by water or fire or indestructible by magic was now reduced to numerous cloth b.u.t.terflies.
Wen Leyang was covered by the robe from head to toe. He did not have the luxury of thinking. His whole body executed the Faulty Punch and broke through the magic robe coc.o.o.n before he reached the ground. He extended his limbs, bared his teeth and embraced the old priest Qing Niao.
The old priest’s skin and eyes abruptly turned silver white. Countless fine thunder marks came to life under his skin and in his eyeb.a.l.l.s, trailing about frantically.
The reason the Jilong Way became one of the Five Blessings and the head of the true cultivators of the right path was because of two things: The ‘Ninth Heaven Thunder Conjuration’ and a powerful magical item in the hands of its leader called the ‘Unmovable Sun and Moon’s Disaster’.
The enlightened sword-bearer had been trained in thunder conjuration since his youth, directing lightning into his body, with every step filled with trepidation until he finally mastered the art thirty years ago. His life vitality force was the Power of Heaven’s Thunder, which was unleashed the second Wen Leyang pounced on him.
Embracing the old priest, Wen Leyang felt his whole body go numb and his hair rise. It’s as if he was hugging a transformer on top of an electric pole. The force of the thunder flowed mercilessly, detonating numerous explosions within him. Qing Niao was in no better condition, his entire body was attacked by unimaginable great forces of potent poison as if ten thousand alder wood rods were coming at him from all directions.
Both of them uttered a cry at the same time, not wanting to show weakness, spat blood on the other’s face. Wen Leyang was thrown back to where he came from, crying loudly while being sent flying by the great force whereas the old priest Qing Niao fell backward in an awkward position.
The great sword that was in mid-air was connected to its master’s will. It released a creepy long wail before conjuring up hundreds of lightning bolts, which erupted from the boiling rain clouds, arcing towards Wen Leyang.
This time, the lightning bolts did not condense into one but came in all directions like a pouring rain. Save for a few stray bolts which were redirected by the lightning rod, the remaining lightning bolts all went towards Wen Leyang!
The hundreds of lightning bolts formed a flower of lightning, which bloomed majestically on Wen Leyang’s body.
When almost all of the lightning bolts converged on Wen Leyang’s chest, a red shadow also erupted in a strange arc. ‘You’ve Got Me’ bellowed, the metal spikes on its entire body stood up as it chased after the old priest Qing Niao from Wen Leyang’s body.
Wen Leyang had already closed his eyes and accepted his fate.
Unexpectedly, he felt his chest heat up. The scarlet jade knife that the old monk Bu Le had hung around his neck was shaking violently, like a gluttonous soul greedily consuming all the lightning bolts into its blade! The true Power of Thunder was completely absorbed by the scarlet jade knife. However, Wen Leyang could not withstand the immense vibration that came from his chest. He spat out a mouthful of fresh blood and fell to the ground.
As the old priest Qing Niao had traded blows with Wen Leyang, he was suffering almost the same amount of damage as Wen Leyang. It was terrifying that the Poison of Life and Death was transmitted into his body by the punches. The old priest did not even have time to catch his breath before detoxifying himself, worrying that any delay would damage his cultivation. He did not expect that he would see something red in his eye. He felt an excruciating pain in his right eye and he let out a scream and did a somersault while retreating, falling strongly onto the ground.
‘You’ve Got Me’ experienced the recoil from the life vitality and was mercilessly thrown onto the ground.
Wen Leyang, the Jilong sword-bearer Qing Niao, the great sword, and the Buddha’s Light Bug ‘You’ve Got Me’, fell onto the ground at the same time.
Wen Leyang’s long hair, which has been growing for almost a year, stood erect. There was no life in his eyes. His garments were shredded and his blackened skin occasionally gave off puffs of green smoke.
The old priest Qing Niao’s jaw was trembling, trying hard to expel the poison from his body. His left eye was still silver-white due to the thunder mark whereas his right eye was a demonic red. Drops of concentrated blood were continuously flowing out of his eye socket.
The great sword was no longer glowing and was stuck on the ground at a slanted angle.
‘You’ve Got Me’ was having cramps, spasms rising from its stomach towards his terminals at every two seconds intervals.
The priests behind them were also in a bad state. The disciples from the Sun Dynasty Palace were slow to react and had shallower cultivation. They were completely overwhelmed by the countless poisonous bugs. All the life vitality they had inside their bodies were rapidly used up by the endless torrent of poison. They fell lifeless on the ground.
The Jilong disciples were clad in robe talismans. The rows of runes were s.h.i.+ning continuously on their magical robes. As the clawing poisonous bugs pounced on them, they would stiffen and fall off like flakes of bran. A few higher leveled disciples were temporarily free from the poisonous bugs, whereas the less skilled disciples had green smoke rising from their bodies. When their magical robes could withstand the endless poison no longer, the robes were reduced to ashes the moment their charm was broken. The life vitality of the disciples would also be drained in that instant, turning them into a poisoned corpse.
Everything happened at the flick of a finger. The four elders of the Wen family had only blinked and saw Wen Leyang emitting green smoke, his fate unknown. Each of them bellowed at the priests, “Men!” They charged at the enemy furiously.
Every male Wen clansman who was older than twelve gave a unanimous shout in response. They uttered a war cry while they followed their four elders into battle. Skills, as profound as fourth elder Wen’s Poison of Wind, or as shallow as ‘Wen Xiaoxin’s’ little white snake, all struck in an array of styles, releasing the anger from deep within their bones, charging at the survivors from amongst the priests.
The badly-injured First Uncle Wen Tunhai also leaped with bloodshot eyes. His freshly dressed wounds cracked open with a sound. A gush of fresh blood sprayed through the bandages. Wen Tunhai wiped the blood without looking, collecting his own blood in his palms in mid-air and waved his arms! His blood transformed into a freely moving red mist, flying towards the enemy like the wind.
The enlightened sword-bearer who was sitting on the ground undignifiedly gritted his teeth, reached out his hand and gouged out his poisoned right eye, which was beyond hope. He picked up his sword and barely made his way down the mountain when he was struck mercilessly by a rainbow from behind as he was about to reach the entrance to the village.
The sword-bearer Qing Niao let out a cry and spat a mouthful of blood. His entire back was bloodied. His plump body, with the rainbow’s momentum, stumbled down the mountain as he made his escape.
Wen Leyang finally released a sigh, unable to withstand any longer, blacked out and fainted…
A few days later, rumors abound among the true cultivators. It was said that one of the Five Blessing’s Jilong enlightened sword-bearer Qing Niao led his disciples to aid the Sun Dynasty Palace in their quest for revenge on the Nine Peaks Mountain. However, the sword-bearer Qing Niao was forced to retreat after suffering heavy injuries while his disciples and the people from the Sun Dynasty Palace were all annihilated, no man was spared.
The rumors grew in its notoriety, with the gossipers speaking convincingly as if they had witnessed the event themselves. There were those who heard but did not believe or heard and were shocked. There were also those who heard and were simply delighted. For instance, the two leaders of One Word Palace. They have just recently calmed down from the anger of losing third brother Wei. When they heard this news they laughed loudly and celebrated with fireworks and noodles…
Something warm and ticklish, like a dandelion wrapped in a spring breeze, lightly brushed against his face.
Wen Leyang woke up. His mind was still in a mess. The pores on his body were steadily opening and closing. His senses flowed outwards like the tides, slowly propagating around him. He could clearly see all the happenings around him in his mind.
The bed he was lying on was huge…it was the Grand Elder Wen’s treasure bed. A beautiful maiden sat beside the bed, having fallen asleep on his chest. Occasionally, a teardrop can be seen flowing out of the corner of her eyes, silently trickling down his body. A few green silks were blown in by the wind from the outside, playfully caressing his face. A big trumpet was leaning slanted against the table’s leg.
‘You’ve Got Me’ was training diligently…practicing the Carp Flip on his chest.
Wen Leyang took a careful look at himself. This time although his upper body was bare, he had his pants on. He felt relieved.
Outside the house, the four elders of the Wen family were having tea while discussing the purpose of the Jilong way for coming up the mountain and who were they looking for. In their hands, they each held a long scroll listing down the nicknames of the Wen clan.
In a house not far away, Daniang was helping First Uncle Wen Tunhai to dress his wounds. The First Uncle was saying with a serious expression, “I have already cut all ties with those girls…then again, it was all part of the job…”
On the patch of empty ground in the village, the Rainbow Brothers were surrounding Wen Nine and Wen Thirteen, discussing the details of kowtow and becoming sworn brothers. The noses of the fat men were bleeding as they were talking.
Wei Mo was doing mathematics on a green stone slab behind the village. The large stone slab was filled with his sketches. A crooked bloodworm can sometimes be seen wriggling out from his nose.
The village was peaceful. The adults were going about doing their own business, the children were catching centipedes and playing with scorpions…
Wen Leyang inhaled deeply, allowing his stomach to bulge while cradling Wen Xiaoyi’s head. He found it amusing.
Wen Xiaoyi semi-consciously moved, let out a startled cry and abruptly jumped up. Her big eyes looking at Wen Leyang with shock and joy, “You… woke up!”
Like the last time he jumped out of Xiu Er’s mouth, he had the same feelings he felt when he saw Wen Xiaoyi were the same. After being restrained in Mount Emei for ten months, this little lady had grown even more. Her fairness did not reduce even a little but her whole appearance was happier, making her even more endearing.
Wen Leyang snickered without saying a word. He broke out in a fit of coughs, Wen Xiaoyi reacted swiftly and hit him on the back.
Wen Leyang had been coughing non-stop after he sat upright. It was only now that ‘You’ve Got Me’ reluctantly jumped out from his mouth. ‘You’ve Got Me’ started to perform his newly learned Carp Flip on his palm.
The four elders in the yard heard the noise and leaped into the house almost all at the same time. Grand Elder Wen laughed, “Little boy, you’ve woke up? How’re you feeling?” Wen Leyang jumped down from the bed in a hurry.
Wen Xiaoyi worried that he would still have shaky feet and was supporting him on the sides.
Wen Leyang snickered and patted Wen Xiaoyi’s forehead, gesturing to her that he was alright. He took a deep breath, the Poison of Life and Death was still like a cheerful fountain, flowing continuously in his body. His chest did not hurt as much as when he got hurt. He smiled while shaking his head, “Because of you, I’m okay! How long have I been sleeping?”
Wen Xiaoyi answered with a clear voice from the side, “Seven days!”
Wen Leyang let out a long sigh. This time it was a shorter period. No matter if it was the hundred-day Faulty Punch, the belly of the giant frog, the heart of Mount Emei, they all took several months. If he were to go through that a couple more times, his marriage would be delayed.
Grand Elder Wen’s face was an expression of pure joy, continuing the conversation, “I did not do anything. You went through the whole ordeal of thunder and lightning and still made it out alive, you must’ve received something at Mount Emei again, didn’t you?” As he was saying this, he was scanning his bed from the corner of his eye, as if thinking about getting a new treasure bed.
Wen Leyang let out a startled cry, remembering that the hundreds of lightning bolts summoned by the old priest Qing Niao were absorbed by the red jade knife he picked up from Mount Emei. He reached for his chest, the red jade knife was still hanging around his neck. However, on the blood red blade, there were many fine silver-white thunder marks. Wen Leyang seriously thanked his ancestors silently in his heart. He was extremely lucky this time. A trinket that he accidentally picked up saved his life!
Wen Leyang recounted his experience on Mount Emei to his four grandpas. Wen Xiaoyi served tea and water from the side, wearing a joyful and happy face that was both pure.
Wen Leyang was also grateful in his heart. The skill of the enlightened sword-bearer was on another level compared to the Jingpo Wicked Witch or the skinny frog tamer. If it were not for Wen Leyang utilizing his full power of the Life and Death Poison while excavating Mount Emei, he would not have to rely on the scarlet jade knife to absorb the lightning bolts. He would have beaten Qing Niao to a pulp.
The venomous animals reared in the Sickness Trademark were all extremely poisonous. Anyone of them would bring calamity to mankind if they were brought into the mortal world. The Yin Chi is especially evil under the heavens, the Ground-Breaking Toad was also comparable to the Yin Chi. The earth poison that dated back to prehistoric times was also very potent. The terrifying potential of all these poisons are unquantifiable, you could not even measure them if you wanted to. All these had been absorbed into Wen Leyang’s body.
The subsequent training against heaven and man for ten months in Mount Emei has transformed the formerly rigid poison armor into a flexible power.
When Wen Leyang finished his recount of Mount Emei, Grand Elder Wen was astonished. He made clicking sounds, shook his head and smiled, “This is the first time I have heard of such a way of practicing the Faulty Punch!” After laughing for a while, the old man changed the subject and said with a polite tone, “Following the clan rules, us, elders should not interfere with the way a disciple trains. However, little boy, I am curious about one thing, may I ask you about it?”
This had been the way of the Wen Bucao. After they accepted a person as a disciple, the elders shall not interfere with the way a disciple trains. It was because of this that the poison produced by the Wen family had such a great variety.
As the Grand Elder Wen was being polite, Wen Leyang dared not to be impolite. He stood straight and spoke reverently, “Please ask.”
However, Grand Elder Wen kept his silence. It was Fourth Elder Wen who spoke up, “The Poison of Life and Death in your body has the ability to absorb other poisons for your own use. But you have been cultivating poison ever since you came back from Miao Jiang. Why did you stop absorbing poison?”
Wen Leyang coughed, and smiled helplessly while shaking his head, “It’s not that I don’t want to absorb poison, but ever since I jumped out of the giant frog’s belly, I…I have been unable to absorb any poison!”
The four elders looked at each other and gaped at the same time, “What do you mean?”
Wen Leyang pondered for a while, momentarily lost for words, then smiled honestly, “Before this I would completely absorb any poison that came into contact with my body. Fourth Grandpa’s Poison of Wind at the Great Mercy Temple or the earth poison inside the giant toad, they were all the same.” He paused briefly before continuing, “But after coming back from the Miao Jiang…no matter what kind of poison, it would only do me no harm, but it would not be absorbed into my body.”
Wen Lazi’s way of practice was one of its kind, no one knows what the ultimate form would look like. But when it comes to the understanding of poison, if the four Wen elders said that they were only the second best, no one would dare claim to be the best.
The four elders looked at each other. Third Elder Wen said coldly, “After absorbing the earth poison from the giant toad, the poison attributes in this little boy’s body changed again?”
Fourth Elder Wen pondered aloud while he continued on, “As the Corpse Poison of the Yin Chi and the Life Poison from the poisonous bugs intertwined, becoming a poison that can absorb other poisons, there is only one like that under the heavens.”
The four elders have lived with each other for a lifetime and are familiar with each other’s thoughts. Fourth Elder Wen was only in the middle of his sentence when Second Elder Wen continued, “The earth poison inside the giant toad came from prehistoric times and it was also incredible. Although it was absorbed into the body by the Life and Death Poison, it changed its attribute after intertwining with it!”
Grand Elder Wen nodded, laughing while concluding, “The whole saying about ‘chaos remains unchanged no matter what you throw inside it’ is bulls.h.i.+t!” At Miao Jiang, the old monk Bu Le had defined the Life and Death Poison inside Wen Leyang as a chaos of poison, absorbing all and neutralizing all poison. But now the Life and Death Poison inside Wen Leyang’s body had been slightly altered by the prehistoric earth poison, making him unable to absorb poison as he wished.
Grand Elder Wen has just finished his sentence when an extremely awkward laugh came from the door, “What a coincidence, to have heard the conversation just when you’re badmouthing me.”
The four elders of the Wen family inside the room were first startled but immediately started to show signs of happiness. Wen Leyang was the first to run out to meet the smiling bald old rabbit demon Bu Le in an excited tone, “What brings you here?”
Grand Elder Wen led his three brothers out to welcome him, “Welcome, welcome, hahaha.”
An old rabbit demon and four old poisonous things, smiling drily at each other. Their expressions were the pinnacle of awkwardness.
The old rabbit demon was the first to end the straining dry smile, spoke to Wen Leyang with a face full of regret, “This old monk has gone rusty. He did not think that the Sun Dynasty Palace would still bother the Wen clan, even going so far as to seek the help of Jilong…”
Fourth Elder Wen sneakily smiled and said, “There is no more Sun Dynasty Palace.”
The old rabbit demon nodded, adding a trace of graveness in his expressions, “However this time the Jilong has suffered a great loss. The enlightened sword-bearer was also almost killed by you guys. However, they will be back. I rushed here after hearing the news. I will…be on your side!”
The four elders of the Wen family s.h.i.+fted their looks and saluted the old rabbit demon together, uttering only two words, “Many thanks.”
The skill of the sword-bearer was obvious to all. The Jilong had lost many of its disciples this time. Their revenge would most certainly be terrible. Although the Wen clan have survived for two thousand years. However, to fight against one of the Five Blessings who had been leading true cultivators of the Right Path for thousands of years, the odds would be against them. The purpose of the old rabbit demon’s visit was apparent, he came to fight for the Wen Bucao.
Wen Leyang followed suit and saluted the four elders. He straightened his back and asked the old monk, “That enlightened sword-bearer, what kind of person is he?”
The old rabbit demon Bu Le chuckled, “Speaking of his ident.i.ty, he is the second top person in the Jilong way, speaking of actual power, he is the true leader of the Jilong way, speaking of popularity, there might be cultivators who don’t know who the head of Jilong is, but everybody knows the enlightened sword-bearer!”
Wen Leyang was shocked. He had thought that the old priest Qing Niao was a respected person, but he never thought that he would be seen in such high regard.
The old rabbit demon Bu Le saw his strange expression, looked at him through squinted eyes before saying, “Don’t tell me that the one who defeated the ox nose Qing Niao was you…and not the little lady’s big-muzzled blunderbuss?”
Wen Leyang only smiled humbly.
The old rabbit demon was stunned. He slapped his thighs while laughing loudly, “Good man, I’ll have Shan Duan spread the word immediately. You, young man, defeated Qing Niao, I guarantee that you would be famous tomorrow!” As he was saying this he fetched a mobile phone from his pocket to make the call. After a while, he put the phone back, “My line has been barred… lend me your phone.”