379: Chen Yuan plots to kill the Fang family (56K monthly ticket request)

The great sun hung in the sky, the vast mountains teemed with rampant growth, a stark contrast to the continuous snowfall in Shu, as if they were two different worlds.

Somewhere, a bottomless cliff spanned several miles, resembling the gaping maw of a giant beast, a sight that startled birds.

Between the cliffs, dense, crimson vines, like iron chains, stretched across the chasm, adorned with sharp thorns. Among them grew a vibrant, fiery-red flower, shaped like a sunflower, reaching three to four zhang in height.

At this moment, a black fierce bird, two zhang in size with wings like profound iron, passed over a certain part of the cliff. Suddenly, the vines abruptly came alive, like the tentacles of a giant octopus, whistling through the air.

They shot out like sharp arrows towards the black fierce bird, sealing off the Void Realm.

The black fierce bird was startled, letting out a sharp cry. Its two black, iron-hook-like talons grabbed and snapped two of the flying crimson vines.

At the same time, the black iron feathers on its wings stood on end, and it suddenly flapped them, like two sharp blades, crashing through and severing vine after vine, attempting to Break through the blockade.

But the thorny, fiery vines were simply too numerous and dense. Eventually, the vines wrapped around the screeching great bird, and countless sharp thorns pierced through the gaps in its iron feathers, embedding themselves into the bird's body.

Soon, the violently struggling and screeching great bird seemed to be poisoned; its eyelids drooped in a daze, its struggles slowed, and its body became stiff.

“Pfft!”

A vine as thick as a thigh pierced through the great bird's belly, then, like a constricting python, dragged the great bird into the cliff, bringing it before the fiery-red great flower that resembled a rising sun.

The great flower suddenly split open, revealing a row of black fangs. With a wide gulp, it swallowed half of the great bird, feathers and blood splattering. The poisoned great bird's muscles were still twitching, emitting a mournful wail.

At this moment, on the edge of the cliff, the previously empty Void Realm rippled. Then, several figures, appearing as if condensed from water, flew out one after another, landing on the weed-strewn cliff edge.

“Ninth Zhonglang, aren’t we going deeper into the Ten Thousand Mountains? Why are we still heading north?” a rough voice asked.

The Ten Thousand Mountains are located at the southernmost tip of Shu. Going deeper naturally means heading further south.

As the words fell, the four transparent figures revealed themselves: Chen Yuan and the Taisui Mountain Three Taibao!

Just an hour ago, after Chen Yuan found out where they had fallen, he met with the Taisui Mountain Three Taibao and made a decision.

The four of them immediately abandoned the night ferry. As for the Huanlong Clan and the North Sea Dragon Girl, they remained in Chen Yuan’s Hutian Space to continue recuperating.

It was Huyan Qing of Mount Tai Sui speaking, his messy eyebrows furrowed in confusion. He was currently the most agreeable of the three with Chen Yuan, always speaking his mind.

Chen Yuan watched the hunt on the cliff. The Ten Thousand Mountains were indeed teeming with demons. He flicked his finger, sending out an invisible Qi force!

“Bang!”

The Qi force directly struck the fiery-red demon flower, which had turned its head. In an instant, the demon flower burst apart, turning into powder, and the vines, as if drained of their essence, withered at a visible speed.

“Killed Thousand-Hand Demon Lotus, Luck +21.”

Chen Yuan's gaze sharpened, then he turned his head and slowly answered Huyan Qing's question, “We are now in a foreign land; we must be wary of others.”

“Wary of whom?”

“Is Ninth Zhonglang referring to the Fang Family Old Ancestor?” It seemed that Yu Qilin Jin Yushan understood.

“Exactly!” Chen Yuan’s gaze was deep as he nodded, “This person was acting suspiciously on that night ferry. Previously, in Qingshan County, Chen had a conflict with his Fang Family. I imagine if he had the chance, he would mercilessly kill Chen.”

Upon hearing this, the Taisui Mountain Three Taibao exchanged glances, agreeing that Chen Yuan was not wrong.

This was also one of the reasons why the three of them were willing to follow Chen Yuan and abandon the night ferry after they fell in.

That Fang Family Old Ancestor was old and cunning, with a dark mind. He had previously tried to snatch their people and then used his seniority to put the three of them in a passive position. The predicament they were now in was all thanks to that old fellow.

“Ninth Zhonglang is right. That old fellow is extremely cunning. If I could beat him, I would have long since smacked his shameless old face.” Huyan Qing agreed heartily, snorting through his nose, then squinted his large eyes and said angrily, “With your strength, Ninth Zhonglang, plus the three of us, we could actually kill that old fellow.”

“Why should that night ferry benefit that old fellow? He’s probably ecstatic now that he sees us gone.”

“Naturally not. We are currently in a completely unfamiliar place, and it’s very likely we are being hunted by those demons. The Fang Family Old Ancestor, with his half-step Dragon Tiger strength, cannot be dealt with quickly. He might even escape. Once we truly make a move, the commotion would be significant, akin to snatching chestnuts from the fire. I suppose this is Ninth Zhonglang’s consideration!”

Yu Qilin Jin Yushan immediately retorted, then turned his gaze to Chen Yuan.

Chen Yuan let out a scoff, his eyes filled with a cold smirk, “That night ferry might indeed hide something good, but Chen knows not to force things without certainty, especially given our current predicament.”

“Lest we lose both the wife and the soldiers!”

With that, he didn't dwell on the topic. His single hand formed a sword finger and wiped his brow. The Dharma Eye between his brows opened, golden light flowing.

Chen Yuan’s sword finger, within the Dharma Eye, conjured three golden lights, transforming them into three golden light clusters the size of pills, which he sent towards Huyan Qing and the other two, where they hovered before them.

“This is Chen’s Eye Divine Ability. This golden light can conceal Qi and detect. From now on, even if that Fang Family Old Ancestor has the Divine Ability of Void Realm Imprint, he won’t be able to capture our Qi, and our whereabouts won’t be exposed. Of course, this can also block the detection of some powerful demons, allowing us to cross the Ten Thousand Mountains more smoothly.”

Chen Yuan’s words indeed enlightened the three of them. This Ninth Mountain Zhonglang General, when searching for the Human Demon, had sought out the Fang Family Old Ancestor. That Fang Family Old Ancestor had already demonstrated this Divine Ability in the Qingshan County inn, capable of capturing a person’s Qi to track them.

Their whereabouts might indeed be fully within the other party’s sight!

However, the three of them were somewhat puzzled. This Ninth Mountain Zhonglang General possessed great skill, and with the three of them, they were not afraid of that Fang Family Old Ancestor. It seemed unnecessary to be so wary. But they didn't ask further, only feeling that this Zhonglang General was cautious in his actions and didn't want that Fang Family Old Ancestor to spoil things, especially since their current situation was still unknown.

This also made the three of them trust Chen Yuan even more; caution prevents major mistakes!

The three had witnessed Chen Yuan’s third eye. Now, looking at the golden pills floating before them, they had no doubts and lightly touched the objects with their fingertips.

Soon, the golden pills transformed into golden liquid, rapidly spreading from their fingertips. In one or two breaths, golden light covered their entire bodies, then receded, as if nothing was there.

“Good stuff!” The three closed their eyes, carefully sensing the changes in their bodies. They felt themselves covered by a thin golden film, and then sensed each other’s Qi, discovering the effect was surprisingly good.

“Alright, then let’s turn back, take a detour, and head south from here!”

“Now that the Restrictions of the Ten Thousand Mountains have been lifted, the demon races are stirring, sending troops to the battlefield. They have their own teleportation channels; let’s see if we can find such an opportunity!”

“Depart!”

Chen Yuan’s plan was very simple.

Heading south, deeper into the Ten Thousand Mountains, was to avoid the likely encirclement and interception. At the same time, he had received news from the front lines, knowing that the demons of the Ten Thousand Mountains were stirring, reopening teleportation channels to deploy Demon Soldiers. He wanted to see if he could find an opportunity to teleport back.

He was a man of action and wasted no words. His feet shifted, and his figure quickly vanished in the rustling mountain wind.

Seeing this, the Taisui Mountain Three Taibao exchanged glances, let out a low shout, and their figures suddenly became illusory, then transformed into three elongated streams of light, chasing after him.

Soon, this flying cliff became quiet again.

Meanwhile, two hundred li to the Southwest, beneath the greenish-golden Zegeng Water, in the “stranded” night ferry, only a group of Fang Family members remained.

At this moment, the Fang Family Old Ancestor sat cross-legged on the deck at the bow of the night ferry. His turbid eyes shot out three feet of cold light. Amidst the flickering light, a series of images jumped in the darkness, like rapidly flipping paper drawings, with several small figures on them.

It was Chen Yuan and his group!

“They’re heading north. It seems they plan to go all the way north and leave the Ten Thousand Mountains!”

“Why didn’t they wait for us?”

But not long after, the images abruptly ceased.

The points of light in Fang Shiqing’s eyes flickered out, and his eyes became turbid and dim again.

“What’s going on?”

“Old Ancestor!”

“How did they disappear?”

“…”

A commotion came from behind, a pair of anxious eyes. It was the remaining Fang Family members.

“Old Ancestor!” Fang Tangjing stepped forward, a hint of worry on his face. That Ninth Mountain Zhonglang General had left, and even the Taisui Mountain Three Taibao, who were originally with them, had followed. Now, only they remained here.

After learning that this was the Ten Thousand Mountains of Shu, teeming with demons, he had wanted to leave with Chen Yuan and his group. Of course, that was just wishful thinking.

“That Ninth Zhonglang used some means to evade detection. This old man has also lost his sense of them.” Fang Shiqing coughed, but he didn’t seem surprised. If that Zhonglang General didn’t even have this ability, he truly would have overestimated the other party. As he spoke, his emaciated body slowly stood up.

Fang Tangjing quickly stepped forward to support him, his eyes narrowing, “Old Ancestor, that Chen fellow and his group suddenly concealed themselves. Could they have encountered a demon pursuit?”

Fang Shiqing clenched one hand into a fist, placed it to his mouth, and gave a muffled cough, his old eyes glinting. "Who knows? But it's good that they left, haha. Those demons want to capture them, what does that have to do with our Fang Family? It just gives this old man time."

"Then Old Ancestor, what should we do next?" Fang Tangjing asked.

Upon hearing this, Fang Shiqing turned around and looked at the night ferry, which was shrouded in mist with its cabin door tightly shut. A nearly fanatical fervor glowed in his cloudy eyes. "The things in this ship are what this old man is determined to get. Now that they've left, of course, we need to find a way to open this ship, go inside, and find what this Old Ancestor wants."

Fang Tangjing, however, felt uneasy and opened his mouth. "Old Ancestor, we are currently here and don't know the situation outside. Perhaps I should lead some people to scout ahead."

Fang Shiqing cast a sidelong glance at him with his cloudy eyes. "You are quite considerate, but time waits for no one. This ship is strange and has developed sentience. This old man needs your help to open it together. Furthermore, this mist can block Qi, so there shouldn't be much of a problem. Just send others to act as hidden sentinels outside."

At this moment, this Fang Family Old Ancestor only thought of entering this ship. When Chen Yuan and the others were present before, he did not act rashly. He hadn't expected that this Zhonglang General was not interested in this ship and was eager to leave, which coincidentally benefited him.

His lifespan was nearing its end, and he would not let go of any chance.

As he spoke, his gaze fell on several members of the Fang Family. "You, you, and you, the few of you go out and monitor for any disturbances outside. Conceal your Qi well and do not do anything unnecessary."

Fang Shiqing pointed out the heads of several branches, all at the third layer of Dao Fruit, and gave his orders.

Then, with a sweep of his hand, a dragon-head cane struck outside the ship, and the white mist was parted by an invisible surge of Qi, opening a passage.

The head of the Third Branch could only brace himself and step out, accepting the order.

"Begin!"

After doing all this, Fang Shishqing looked at the large ship, the wrinkles on his face twitching, and his cloudy eyes shining brightly.

"The rest of you, set up Restrictions nearby as an extra safeguard. Tangjing, prepare to act!"

"Yes, Old Ancestor!"

The others could only forcefully suppress their unease at being in the heart of the demon territory. They roused their spirits, shouting in unison, arranging themselves in formations. True Qi surged from their bodies, and spiritual light flickered.

Immediately following, streaks of spiritual light from the Restrictions were unleashed, floating above the large ship.

This process took about a quarter of an hour.

And when it was almost done, Fang Shiqing and Fang Tangjing, having adjusted to their optimal states, focused their gazes and began to act.

Fang Tangjing suddenly clapped his hands together in front of his chest. A green sword edge appeared with a ringing sound, condensing into being. Various unknown patterns were etched upon it, and white cold Qi swirled around the blade, freezing the Void Realm with a harsh sizzling sound.

"Go!" Fang Tangjing's expression turned stern. He clapped his hands, and the sword edge rang out, growing against the wind to become a great sword ten zhang long, shooting directly towards the cabin door. The Human Race Martial Armory's Qi surged with the sword's ringing, erupting in an instant.

Meanwhile, Fang Shiqing raised his palm, and a lamp with black flames flickering flew out, spinning around a zhang in front of him. He opened his mouth and blew, and a surge of Qi transformed into a swirling wind, carrying the black flames and forming a black line of fire that surged forth, scorching the ship.

As these actions took place, the previously silent great ship, and the white mist upon it, began to change.

Seeing this, the wrinkles at the corners of Fang Shiqing's eyes creased upwards.

It's working!

And just as the Fang Family Old Ancestor was about to enter the ship and forcefully cast spells to attack, outside the ship, the three Fang Family heads who had been sent out as lookouts hadn't run far. The three of them were positioned two to three li away in three different directions in the Zegeng Water where the ship was beached. They all concealed their Qi, performed invisibility techniques, listened attentively in all directions, and cautiously observed this area of Zegeng Water.

Above, sunlight streamed into the water, giving it a beautiful, jade-green hue. The deeper one went, the less sunlight there was, and the water's color turned dark and eerie, giving off a chilling sensation.

In this body of water, various strange giant creatures roamed. There were fish monsters that glowed all over, with human faces and fish bodies, two claws growing from their bellies, and measuring three to four zhang in length. There was also a massive creature with a fish body but a snake head, five to six zhang long, with two fins like paddles, moving incredibly fast and rampaging through the water, hunting the aforementioned fish monsters, like a overlord of this water!

Until, from the depths of the eerie water, a huge shadow appeared, quickly rising from beneath the surface. It directly knocked the rampaging snake-headed fish monster out of the water, then opened its gaping maw, and crimson blood quickly stained the water.

A huge monster also emerged from the water. It had a fish body ten zhang long, covered in greenish-gold scales, horns on its head, but also a pair of wings, and feathered fish tail!

This scene was fully taken in by one of the Fang Family heads. His eyelids twitched slightly as he recalled what the Zhonglang General had said about the origin of this place before leaving.

"Zegeng Water, there is a beast, named Gǔdiāo. Its form is like a Gǔdiāo but with horns..."

He wasn't very familiar with the demons of the Ten Thousand Mountains, but he had seen similar demons during the great battle that night. Could this be a Gǔdiāo?

This person's guess was actually not wrong. This was the first form of the Gǔdiāo. In fact, demons like the Ten Fiends, which possess Bloodline Legacy, can have various forms depending on the degree of their Bloodline Awakening. Just like the Fei Yi, its first form is a bird's body, its second form has both a bird's body and a snake-like appearance, and its third form is a winged great snake.

The Gǔdiāo's Bloodline evolution is largely similar!

Although this Gǔdiāo was fierce, it only had the Qi of roughly a Heavenly Gate Dao Seed.

The Fang Family head was naturally not afraid. What made him panic was the appearance of such a Ten Fiend demon here, so he silently prayed that he wouldn't encounter such a powerful Vicious Beast.

Soon, the fish-bodied Gǔdiāo in its first form flicked its tail and quickly swam away as if playing in the water. Seeing this, the Fang Family head felt a slight sense of relief.

But just then, out of the corner of his eye, he glimpsed a golden light in the dark water below.

This golden light was extremely dazzling in the darkness and quickly became even more brilliant.

The next second,

"Boom!"

There was a thunderous roar.

The water surface for several li around violently trembled, instantly raising giant waves tens of meters high!

Accompanying this was the Fang Family head, who was flung out of the water by the immense shockwave, his eyes filled with horror, crying out in alarm.

Because he had been discovered!

"Not good!"

No sooner had he spoken than he heard a sharp shriek, capable of piercing metal and cracking stone, roaring out.

Similarly, two li away, the Gǔdiāo from before was also shaken out of the water by the tremendous roar. However, its massive fish body had shattered scales and profusely bleeding, and as its pale yellow pupils scanned, it discovered the Fang Family head.

"Human Race!"

The demon let out a piercing shriek from its throat, echoing far and wide.

Soon, the surrounding mountains echoed with astonishing demonic roars.

"Quick, kill it!"

Several cries of alarm arose, and the other two Fang Family heads also appeared from other directions in disarray, shouting urgently.

Then, three streams of light shot straight towards the Gǔdiāo, attacking it.

"Bang!"

"Bang!"

"Bang!"

In less than a few breaths, the injured Gǔdiāo was struck down by the three of them in a lightning-fast kill.

"Damn it!"

"What on earth is going on?"

The faces of the three Fang Family heads were extremely grim. Even if they had acted, it would have been useless. The huge commotion here had already alarmed the surroundings. The roars of beasts in the surrounding mountains rose and fell, rapidly approaching this location.

"Go tell Old Ancestor quickly!"

The three's expressions changed drastically, and then they plunged directly into the water.

Not long after, this area of Zegeng Water boiled. In the water, giant creatures converged towards this spot, and in the surrounding mountains, towering demonic figures shook the mountains, gathering here. Pairs of ferocious and varied demonic eyes scanned the great waves that fell like heavy rain, then roared and leaped into the great river.

After a short while, explosions rumbled beneath the water, demonic roars howled, the great river surged, and streaks of blood rose from the depths of the riverbed.

"Bang!"

"Bang!"

"Bang!"

Beneath the water, waves exploded, and streaks of light flew out, revealing the panicked faces of the Fang Family members. Then, giant beasts erupted from the river, revealing their ferocious forms and surrounding them.

"Old Ancestor!"

The Fang Family members cried out urgently.

Only to see that the Fang Family Old Ancestor among them had an extremely gloomy expression at this moment.

"All of you, die!"

The black lamp flames in his hand flared dramatically, and his entire withered body erupted with astonishing ferocity. The black flames, like a Buddha's wrathful fire lotus, swelled and rapidly exploded towards the surrounding demonic figures.

Demons let out miserable shrieks, quickly swallowed by the black flames.

The Fang Family Old Ancestor went on a killing spree, causing the mountains within a dozen li to tremble.

But very quickly, an astonishing, piercing shriek rang out across the sky, and a huge shadow could clearly be seen rapidly approaching from the distant horizon!

A silver Gǔdiāo spread its wings in the sky, its pupils glinting with fierce light.

"Human Race Martial Armory!"

"So you were here!"

"Send the Demon Soldiers!"

Meanwhile, the Fang Family Old Ancestor below, with his fierce eyes, stared directly at this Gǔdiāo, then shot towards it like a roaring cannonball.

He was so close to opening the ship, these damned demons!

On the other side, a hundred li southeast of this location, on a mountaintop, several illusory figures looked towards the Southwest.

"What happened in the Southwest?"

"That looks like the direction we came from!"

At this moment, roars echoed continuously here, and demonic figures shot into the sky, streaking towards the Southwest.

As they spoke, several gazes turned towards one person.

Chen Yuan looked into the distance and smiled. "No need to guess, I did it!" (End of chapter)