At this moment, in the forbidden grounds of the Taiyi Sect, Chao Yangzi, Feng Chu, Chao Xiangzi, and others had infiltrated. The disciples guarding the forbidden grounds had all been dealt with by them. Following the directions provided by Yun Changdong, they located this underground cave. It was no wonder the guards were so lax; the immense pressure emanating from the fierce beast below was not something ordinary individuals could withstand. Even though the beast was asleep, its overwhelming blood qi and pervasive, monstrous resentment meant that anyone with a weaker cultivation or mortals would feel unwell. In severe cases, they would be possessed by the resentment and tormented to death. Scattered everywhere were white bones, and it was evident that the age of these remains ranged from five to ten years old, which corroborated the account given by the magistrate of Qiming Town.
"Damn it, the Taiyi Sect truly uses children for sacrifices. Look at these bones; this has been going on for a long time, and they've piled up like a mountain!" Feng Chu's heart felt like it had been struck by a fist, a dull ache in his chest, his voice hoarse. When Yun Changdong had spoken of it, he had maintained a degree of skepticism, but seeing this, he wished he could annihilate the Taiyi Sect!
"Beasts!" Even Chao Yangzi's usually serene face could no longer remain composed. Such a scene of utter brutality ignited his fury! His Qilin, residing within his spiritual pet pouch, could no longer be suppressed. The surging blood qi and the all-encompassing resentment caused the Qilin, known as a creature of auspiciousness, to awaken prematurely.
"That thing is awake!" Chao Xiangzi warned.
Suddenly, the ground beneath them began to shake violently, as if the earth itself was crumbling. The intense tremors roused the fierce beast slumbering underground. It opened its massive eyes and slowly extended its head from the cave entrance, directly facing Chao Yangzi and the others! As the beast's head emerged, its colossal body was revealed to be surrounded by piles of white bones, having devoured countless lives, far more than they had initially imagined.
Feng Chu thought of the nearby villages and towns at the foot of the mountain. Could it be that those ordinary villagers were being raised by the Taiyi Sect as food for this monster? The thought made Feng Chu feel like he was going to vomit. In his millions of years of existence, he had never encountered such a deranged cultivator. Was it truly a case of "the longer you live, the stranger you see"?
"This is a Guiche!" Chao Yangzi exclaimed suddenly!
"What? This fierce beast is a Guiche?"
Feng Chu could hardly believe it. During the ancient wars, this malevolent creature had been driven to the underworld and shot, yet it hadn't died? How then had it come to this world?
Indeed, as soon as the words left his mouth, the cave rumbled and shook, and another eight heads emerged. Due to the darkness and confined space of the cave, the creature's ferocity was fully unleashed. Its sharp, bird-like beaks pecked at the cave entrance, loosening the hard, massive stones, which then tumbled down, sending dust billowing everywhere. It was impatient to break free. The souls of the individuals before it carried an enticing aroma. It had been years since its last meal. While the souls of young children were sweet and pure, they could not fill its stomach, and its demonic power increased slowly. However, the souls of these individuals were different; devouring them would surely restore it to its peak!
"This beast thinks of us as delicious snacks; it's drooling!" Feng Chu's gaze towards the beast was filled with annoyance.
"Hmph, does it have that many heads to spare?" Chao Xiangzi scoffed dismissively.
"Yikes, Qingyin, your repressed attitude is back? You never used to say a word!" Feng Chu looked at Chao Xiangzi in surprise. Ever since he had recovered his memories, he had rarely spoken, acting like an invisible person!
"This young master does not fart; it truly degrades my refinement!" Chao Xiangzi retorted unyieldably.
"Wow! Your old, rigid personality is back? Were you stimulated by this beast?" Feng Chu became instantly excited.
Chao Xiangzi recalled being entangled by an eight-legged beast in the deep sea and being saved by their Venerable One. At that time, their Venerable One was still Yue Ju, before his memories had returned!
"What are you two wasting time talking for? Hurry up and act!" Chao Yangzi had already drawn his Qingfeng Sword, and thirty-six streams of sword energy shot directly at the Guiche.
"Alright! Let's get to work!" Feng Chu also became serious. The Guiche had only three heads exposed currently, limiting its movement. It was the perfect opportunity!
The three unleashed their respective divine abilities, and for a moment, golden light blazed intensely, illuminating the entire cave with the brilliance of their sword light!
"Master, let me out!" The Qilin could no longer contain itself and transmitted its voice to Chao Yangzi.
"You won't be left out! Go!" Chao Yangzi waved his sleeve, releasing the Qilin!
Roar, roar, roar! As the Qilin appeared, its body rapidly expanded to three zhang. It spewed forth raging flames, and the Guiche let out a shrill cry, its voice piercing and unpleasant. After listening for a while, their souls felt as if they were being pulled apart. Chao Yangzi and the others quickly used their spiritual energy to protect their ears, isolating the sound. On the head of one of the birds, its feathers were caught off guard and ignited by the Qilin's fire. Another head immediately spewed black water to extinguish it. At this moment, the Guiche was enraged and spat out a viscous, black liquid. The Qilin knew its potency and ascended to evade it. The liquid splashed onto the cliff face, hissing ominously, and actually corroded a large hole through it!
The Qilin lunged forward several times, but its sharp claws could not penetrate the Guiche's scales.
"Qilin, this Guiche has devoured countless people and lost its divine nature, becoming like a demonic entity. Its body is now as hard as vajra, and you cannot harm it!" Chao Yangzi saw the Qilin engaged in close-quarters combat and, fearing it might rashly injure itself, quickly called out a reminder. Even several sword energy attacks had failed to injure this fierce beast, demonstrating the formidable strength of its physical body!
The Qilin roared up at the sky, unwilling to accept this. The Guiche was once a defeated opponent of his Qilin clan, and to be unable to deal with it today was truly infuriating!
The two beasts were locked in a stalemate. The Guiche feared its Qilin fire, and it, in turn, was wary of the Guiche's black viscous liquid. It had accidentally come into contact with it earlier, and its toenail had been corroded, causing a dull ache that couldn't heal quickly!
"Qingyin, we cannot deal with this malevolent creature. See if you can seal it. I don't know how things are on the Venerable One's end, and it's not convenient to tangle with it further," Feng Chu transmitted to Chao Xiangzi during a pause in his spellcasting. This Guiche, nurtured by someone with malicious intent, no longer possessed corresponding techniques to counter it. The dense, ink-like resentment pervading the air constantly affected them. Most importantly, this place had been sealed by someone's array, creating a domain for the Guiche. Within this confined space, the Guiche was invincible, and the power of their techniques was greatly diminished. It seemed they had all fallen into a trap, deliberately waiting for them. Although the Guiche could not defeat them, prolonging the fight could lead to unforeseen changes!
"Mm, you hold it for a quarter of an hour, and I'll try!" Chao Xiangzi had also noticed. His sword could not be unleashed either. However, this array was targeted at the Guiche, and they had stumbled into it by accident. It appeared that the Taiyi Sect, who intended to control the Guiche, would soon suffer a backlash. This Guiche's appetite was growing larger and larger; no wonder they dared to scheme for the divine beast, the Nine-tailed Fox. They probably intended to use the Nine-tailed Fox's soul to appease this wicked creature!
"Second Brother, if you cannot seal it, see if you can find a way to break this domain wall and lure this beast out, then deal with it!" Chao Yangzi unleashed his Qingfeng Ten Styles, a piercing radiance like the sun piercing the horizon, which only managed to injure the eyes of one of the Guiche's heads. Only three heads had emerged from the Guiche, indicating that something deep within the cave was also restraining it.
"Brother, that is not advisable. Once this creature is unleashed, mortals within a hundred-mile radius will have their souls harvested, resulting in countless deaths. This would incur karma. I must set up an array to trap it, and then, when I have the time, I will destroy it!" Chao Xiangzi's expression became grave as he examined the array's core. They had been careless. They were originally here to check the forbidden grounds to see if any children had been sent here, so they could rescue them. They had not expected to encounter this malevolent creature. This Guiche, which was fond of consuming young children and absorbing their souls, how could it deserve any mercy?