Chapter 419: Chapter 137: Da Feng, Zaochi, Palm Leaf Fan
"Boom!"
Dozens of zhangs long, the Black Water Mysterious Snake hit the ground head-on, dizzied by Ashuren’s sudden and forceful strike.
Even for the rugged body of a Devil Cultivator, it couldn’t take Ashuren’s full-powered hit lightly—especially since it hadn’t anticipated an attack from Ashuren.
Among those present, the likelihood of Ashuren taking action was the smallest, for he had ties with the Fire House Buddha Hell, whose reputation was notoriously bad, ranking alongside the Devil God Sect as one of the two great contemporaneous evil forces.
Yet Ashuren was the first to act.
The ground trembled without pause, and the Xuan current surged, engulfing the Black Water Mysterious Snake’s head.
At this moment, You Mountain Lord still had the power to counterattack, his dozens of zhangs long body possessed tremendous vitality.
Ashuren didn’t press his advantage; having landed a successful hit, he kicked off again and soared into the air.
The Holy Infant King in mid-air clenched his fists, pounded his nose fiercely twice, and from his eyes, mouth, and nose, burst forth blazing True Fire like a cloud of flames descending from the heavens.
Water and fire clashed, and when the fiery cloud landed on the black water, it immediately produced thick black smoke; fueled by the water, the fire grew more intense.
The fire Qi that the Holy Infant King usually wielded was intense enough to rival Jiang Li’s Innate Fire Qi in purity and intensity. Yet now, the True Fire he spat out far surpassed his usual fiery breath, claiming that nothing could not be burned, swiftly turning a hundred zhang radius into a sea of fire.
The Xuan current stirred by the Black Water Mysterious Snake turned into black oil, fueling the True Fire’s ferocity, completely enveloping the serpentine body. Numerous surviving Devil Cultivators caught in the flames wailed in agony, wishing for death to end their suffering.
"Holy Infant brat!"
A roar came from within the sea of fire—the Black Water Mysterious Snake’s body thrashed wildly, attempting to break free from the flames, only to be met with a Sword Light descending from the sky like lightning, piercing through the raised snake head and delivering the final blow.
Jiang Li had acted too.
Those who came with the Black Water Mysterious Snake acted one after another, each lacking Martial Virtue—both sneak attacks and kicking someone when they’re down—relentlessly denying You Mountain Lord any chance of retaliating.
The monks on the city wall were stunned; they hadn’t even made their move when the enemies started to fight amongst themselves, and they witnessed one life already being lost.
However—
The flames raged on, consuming the serpentine body, which rapidly disintegrated to the point of vanishing.
Just then, a hundred zhangs away, a light flickered, and an elaborate talisman appeared, revealing You Mountain Lord’s human form in that spot.
"A Nine Profound Body Replacement Talisman, You Mountain Lord’s wealth is indeed considerable," Rashamon Lady said with a laugh.
The Nine Profound Body Replacement Talisman, also known as the Death Replacement Talisman, could block a fatal strike at a critical moment and transport the user’s body to a certain distance. Though it couldn’t have a decisive effect like a Fourth-Grade Killing Move, capable of blocking only one strike and unable to heal wounds or overcome its own limitations.
If the severity of the attack exceeded the talisman’s limit, then even if the user is moved, they will be transported as nothing but a corpse.
But in a critical moment, this is equivalent to a second life.
Of course, these points are not the focus.
The key is that the Nine Profound Body Replacement Talisman is exceptionally rare, stemming from before the End of Dharma, and it is believed that no one in the current era can craft it. Moreover, it is said that the Taiping Sect possesses a few such talismans, and in theory, they cannot be seized.
For in the process of being taken, the talisman would almost certainly be used up.
Just this single Nine Profound Body Replacement Talisman is enough proof of You Mountain Lord’s identity.
"You—"
You Mountain Lord’s gaze was dark, his green, serpentine eyes seemed as if they could drip water, fixating on the group of traitors, "What is the meaning of this?"
The four acted in turn; not seamlessly in concert, but their rhythm was unquestionably pre-arranged. As the convener, You Mountain Lord found himself ousted and now faced the encirclement and execution by the four.
"What is the meaning?" the Holy Infant King, holding a red spear, said, "Naturally, it is to eliminate the traitor."
"You Mountain Lord, you are from the Taiping Sect, right?" Rashamon Lady added.
Jiang Li, holding his sword, spoke calmly, "By the Great Venerable’s decree, any from the Taiping Sect may be killed on sight."
Ashuren landed on the ground, spreading all four arms, spitting contemptuously, "I despise traitors the most."
Each of the four had their own reasoned justifications, not revealing the slightest slip.
As important members of the Desolate God Sect, wasn’t it natural for them to eliminate traitors for the sect?
And with the Great Venerable recently ordering action against the Taiping Sect, catching one of the Taiping Sect’s spies was a significant achievement. Even shared amongst many, it was not insignificant.
The mere fact that You Mountain Lord was a person of the Taiping Sect was sufficient reason for them to take action.
Although, in truth, no one knew whether the others were acting to share in the merit of eliminating a traitor or specifically targeting the Taiping Sect.
Even now, it was unclear just how many identities and faces these people had.
When it came down to it, only Lawless Freedom, who had a grudge against the Taiping Sect, could be considered the most "pure".
Between speaking, four Qi mechanisms, either visible or hidden, locked onto You Mountain Lord, with killing intent spreading in the shadows, attempting to keep this Taiping Sect undercover agent right here.
The Devil Cultivators brought by You Mountain Lord had suffered numerous casualties in the previous clash, and with the Holy Infant King setting a fire, about seventy to eighty percent perished, with the remaining few frantically fleeing.
More crucially, four fifth-grade combat powers surrounded him, each possessing the power to threaten You Mountain Lord. Four of them striking together was merely a replay of the previous scene.
It seemed You Mountain Lord’s escape was inevitable.
As the killing intent looked about to explode, You Mountain Lord’s forehead showed signs of cold sweat, but his complexion remained calm, his mental state unshaken.
Suddenly, a violent wind swept in, the clear moonlight obscured by a shadow, as a huge silhouette appeared above.
"Buzz!"
The atmosphere wailed as the violent wind swept through, swiftly forming a hurricane that enveloped everyone in the sky.
At the same time, the ground shook as a huge figure nearly two Zhang high charged through, breaking through the strong winds, heading straight for Ashuren.
"Zaochi!"
Ashuren called out the name of the comer, revealing a sinister smile. His four arms came together, not retreating but advancing, charging at the huge figure.
"Boom!"
When the two collided, it was like two small hills smashing together, the shockwave from the impact breaking through the hurricane, forming wave after wave of tumult.
Da Feng, Zaochi, among the Nineteen Demons who attacked Lu King, the one whom You Mountain Lord had invited but had not shown up, now suddenly emerged halfway.
With one above and one below working seamlessly together, they indeed deserved to be the daring assassins of Lu King.
Observing their stance, it was the same as You Mountain Lord’s, likely his backup plan.
You Mountain Lord had invited the Holy Infant King and others because he suspected they had other forces backing them up, naturally also considering the possibility of them turning against him, thus setting up backups.
But even You Mountain Lord did not expect that those he invited would make the first move, striking swiftly and harshly. Had it not been for the Nine Profound Body Replacement Talisman, You Mountain Lord would now be a dead snake.
On the ground, Ashuren and Zaochi collided fiercely, fighting brutally against each other.
In the sky, a massive bird covering half the sky dove down with the wind, its body resembling a fierce predatory bird, yet its head appeared dog-like with a human face, looking bizarre and ferocious. Its brown long feathers, like iron cast, shimmered with a metallic luster.
As its wings flickered, the fierce Gang Wind whirled like blades, blurring everything around.
In an instant, it felt like a thousand blades slicing through the body, striking Jiang Li with resonating clangs.
The wind raised by Da Feng was no different from a natural hurricane, with barely discernible Qi fluctuations within it. Even with the protective layer of the Five Vile Qi around him, Jiang Li could do nothing against it.
His entire body was slashed by wind blades, the Gang Wind dispersing the three figures in the air, making it difficult for the three to join forces.
However, Jiang Li had a thorough understanding of the situations of the other two.
He discerned the traces of the wind, the blurry visions restoring clarity in his eyes. He saw the Holy Infant King holding a red spear, its tip burning with True Fire, like a red tassel, setting aflame wherever the spear wind passed, even coloring the Gang Wind with flames.
’The Holy Infant King’s Dao Fruit must be none other than the Red Child. His choice of such a name aligns with his Dao Fruit, making it easy for him to demonstrate it,’ concluded Jiang Li internally.
Elsewhere, the Seductive Daoist Rashamon lady was drifting with the wind, showing no sign of panic.
This Daoist nun, who apparently coveted Jiang Li’s body, remained extraordinarily calm, unaffected by the Gang Wind. Drifting along, she slightly opened her mouth and from it, she drew out an object, then with a wind-facing palm thrust, it transformed into a gigantic Palm Leaf Fan.
"Palm Leaf Fan!"
Jiang Li, seeing this, immediately urged his Innate Wind Qi.
And the Rashamon, holding the fan that was taller than a man and resembling a banana palm, swung it forward with all her might.
"Boom!"
The erupting sound of the wind was more deafening than the sound of Heavenly Thunder; heaven and earth were shrouded in vastness, with Jiang Li’s eye power struggling to see the surroundings at this moment.
The sky seemed to transform into an ocean at that moment, and the wild wind was the most tumultuous wave, surging towards all directions.
Jiang Li did not know if the Rashamon’s Palm Leaf Fan possessed the power even Sun Monkey couldn’t contend with, but he knew he was now like Sun Monkey, helplessly being swept away by the straight-on blow of the Palm Leaf Fan.
To this wind force, everyone in the vicinity was like fish caught in a current.
’This is unscientific, how can fifth-grade summon such strong wind power...’ Jiang Li noticed, with his ability of "Wind Control," the trajectories of the wind, yet he still couldn’t stop himself from being carried away.
The Gang Wind raised by Da Feng was demolished, with nothing but a torrential Wind Force dominating the heavens and the earth.
The vast landscape dashed past on both sides, Jiang Li shot away like a meteor, towards the distant horizon.