Immortality begins with meditation puppets

Chapter 304 Emerging from the Cave to Fight the Old Evil
"In that low building three hundred feet ahead, there are many treasures, and the fragrance seems to come from magical artifacts!"

"That place is instinctively repulsive to me; it carries certain risks and is not advisable!"

"See that treasure pavilion on the right, which is over twenty feet tall? The fragrance here is quite mixed, and there are many treasures inside!"

"Going to retrieve everything from that place carries some risk, so let's proceed with caution!"

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To be honest, Li Hailang was somewhat dissatisfied when Su Qing first sent him to protect his former underlings, Brother 17 and Brother 260.

He was a second-level body cultivator, and although he worked as a thug wielding a stick, how could being a thug for Boss Su be the same as being a thug for his two underlings?

But when the 17th and 260th brothers spoke, everyone, including the fierce witch, the Golden Core Master Wu Dan, and even Boss Su himself, listened to and obeyed them.

He became more open-minded and could better feel the heavy responsibility he bore.

Inside this cave, Brother 17 and Brother 260 are the most important people in this team. He can take bullets for them because Boss Su trusts him. People like Niu Ya and Niu Shisan don't have this kind of luck!
Isn't that a bit too cheap?
Li Hailang pondered whether he should rearrange the seating order with his 17th and 260th brothers and reverse the order of the Heavenly Gang.

The group was led by Su Qing, accompanied by the witch, with the fire phoenix laughing wildly and the demonic cultivators humming and groaning.

More violent, but more efficient, they destroyed houses and temples, released more evil spirits, killed more evil spirits, and naturally gained more treasures.

During the robbery, the demon sect disciples, who were secretly bullied by the rogue cultivators due to the different treatment they received from the Tiger King and the witch, developed a certain friendship with the rogue cultivators.

These rogue cultivators may not be particularly skilled in combat, but each of them has their own unique abilities. Not to mention anything else, Brother Pang riding the pig's burrowing and exploding rats were of great help to them during their exploration of the spirit house.

"Hurry up, finish pushing down this treasure tower, pull off one last job, then we need to get out of here!"

"Why retreat? We're still excited about the treasure hunt!"

"Yes, there's still more than half of the treasure left undiscovered. It's such a waste to leave it here!"

"Brother 260 has spoken. Wait another quarter of an hour, and a great terror that will drive him to despair may occur!"

"That's terrifying? We need to hurry!"

As the treasure tower was toppled, Su Qing and the witch, their faces grave, led Princess Fire Phoenix and Elder Wu Dan, taking the lead and swiftly annihilating the several Golden Core evil spirits within the treasure tower.

After dividing up all the magical artifacts, weapons, talismans, puppets, and other materials left behind by the Fu Dao Sect in the past, which were hidden in this treasure tower, they then proceeded to collect them.

The entire team obeyed orders without question, ending their treasure hunt and fleeing out of the cave in a grand procession.

Soon after they set off, they could feel a chilling aura emanating from the depths of the cave.

That was a fourth-tier talisman paper shimmering with talismanic light; it must be Old Daoist Tong displaying his power.

That was a sky full of red light, with a blood-red pagoda suppressing the heavens; it must be Gao Erqiang using evil magic.

That was Hades holding a treasure mirror. Within the mirror, the gates of the underworld were wide open, and there were thousands of demons, or perhaps Master Lijing was displaying the power of a nascent soul.

That was a towering demonic tree, a behemoth of evil spirits descending upon the world. It was those two evil cultivators from the demonic tree who were summoning the Earth Demon to possess them!
This wasn't the most unsettling thing. What was truly unsettling was the Five Elders Dao Pattern Immortal God Ice, which emitted an extremely strong and icy chill, spreading from the depths of the cave outwards at the speed of a Golden Core cultivator's all-out escape.

Thanks to Brother 260's early warning, the cultivators were now only a step away from the cave entrance.

It was a pity that after the Jade Wall Immortal made his move with the evil runes, he wanted to trap everyone inside and leave no one alive. He even condensed a fourth-order formation outside the cave to isolate everyone inside.

In the blink of an eye, Lai Yiren of the Life-Shortening Team emerged, revealing the true nature of the formation just as it was about to activate. It was none other than the Ten Directions Frozen Soil Formation.

"Once this formation is set up, the entire cave will resemble a block of ice, solidified into one. We are also part of this ice, making it difficult to break through. Not only that, we also have to endure the omnipresent icy energy devouring our bodies. Combined with the Immortal Ice, even a Golden Core cultivator would not be able to survive in this formation!"

Lai Yiren cried out in alarm, for even if he were to wear a cloth covering his body and shorten his lifespan, he would still be unable to see the flaws in this formation.

The only saving grace was that the formation took time to solidify. During this interval, the sealing power of the formation could not trap the two, Su Qing and Princess Fire Phoenix, who were in a frenzy. One of them exhaled the Fire Phoenix Shadow, and the other spat out the Nirvana Crimson Flame.

All of them are hot and yang fire, which are specifically designed to break through yin and cold ice.

The tiger and phoenix worked together to instantly create an opening, allowing the cultivators to escape.

After all the cultivators had left the cave, they looked back and saw that the once spiritually rich cave was now encased in ice and was falling into the ground.

It seemed that the old evil spirit of the Jade Wall wanted to take this cave, including everyone inside, deep underground to be forever lost.

The outcome of the battle between the evil spirits and puppets within the cave and the sect leader, Old Evil, is not something Su Qing and the others can consider at the moment.

After escaping the evil cave, Su Qing saw the witch take out a Soul Fire Furnace. The furnace fire emitted a strange fragrance, but Su Qing and the other rogue cultivators did not react to the fragrance.

However, the demonic cultivators, including Elder Wu Dan, were all shaken by the fragrance. Their eyes glazed over for a moment before regaining their clarity.

It was the Demonic Sect's Soul Cleansing Technique that Shi Lijing secretly gave to the witch before she left.

At this moment, the demonic cultivator elders and disciples no longer had memories of Su Qing killing Huang Song, the demones' origins in the Liu family, and many other things in their minds.

In their memory, Huang Song was killed by the evil spirit Gao Erqiang, and the Happy Old Demon was indeed killed by the witch Dou. However, there was no enmity between the two. It was only because he was a traitor to the sect that the witch fought on behalf of the sect and killed him.

"This is so convenient. No wonder everyone says the Demonic Sect is good at manipulating people's hearts. Now it seems that manipulating people's hearts is nothing. They can directly tamper with memories. The key is that everyone has been made to adapt. Not a single person is dissatisfied!"

Su Qing saw that although the demonic cultivators knew they had just become stupid and had been played like fools, they were used to it and felt that they were lucky to have escaped with their lives. They didn't care that they had forgotten some things they shouldn't have remembered.

But then I thought, the witch will also bring the soul fire into the Soul Palace. When that happens, someone else will reset her stats and forget about her, which wouldn't be fun.

“Fellow Daoist Yun’er, you know, right? You must have been prepared. If you weren’t, then listen to me. Don’t talk to the Demonic Sect about chivalry. Keep your word and don’t go back on your word. Come with me to the Kingdom of a Thousand Islands. Why can’t we find a way out? Why be controlled by the Demonic Sect?”

Su Qing found it amusing to watch the witch play with others, but the thought of others being able to play with the witch made her feel uneasy, so she spoke up to offer some advice.

Fortunately, the witch knew what was going on. Even someone as skilled at licking as him would have a hard time getting her, let alone anyone else.

“Fellow Daoist Liu has condensed a top-grade Golden Core, which is formed by drawing upon the essence of heaven and earth. This ensures a clear mind and eternal control of the spirit. Even if the soul fire is introduced into the Soul Palace, no one can affect her memories or spirit. Tiger King, you need not worry about this.”

Although he spoke softly, Wu Dan beside him heard him clearly. Before the witch could explain, he sighed and said.

"A superior-grade Golden Elixir has such an effect? ​​Elder Wu Dan, why don't you condense a superior-grade Golden Elixir yourself?"

Behind Wu Dan, a demonic sect disciple who had been cleansed several times and seemed to have been brainwashed, spoke up foolishly.

Upon hearing this, Liang Haishun and the other rogue cultivators were all stunned, thinking to themselves that if all the disciples of the Demonic Sect were this dull-witted, then the Demonic Sect would be too easy to get along with!

Elder Wu Dan didn't bother arguing with this disciple, nor could he. Once a person loses power, any Tom, Dick, or Harry will dare to jump out and bite, unafraid of retaliation.

But it seems that the master this disciple has been worshipping has already died in his cave?
I'll still make a note of it!
After the Demon Sect disciples finished their skill reset, Tiger King Su Qing, free from the worry of his beloved demoness being toyed with by others, turned his gaze to the outside of the cave with renewed vigor.

A fierce battle is raging outside the cave.

The Old Evil of Yunshan has been devouring the Yunshan Sect for a thousand years. Generations of cultivators in the Yunshan Sect have been transformed into evil spirits by him. The many rogue cultivators he devoured in the White Cloud Immortal City have also been transformed into his helpers.

A vast horde of evil spirits, like an army, confronted the demon beast army that was guarding outside the cave. They were only prepared to receive the Five Elders Dao Pattern rubbings sent by the Demon Sect and had never thought of risking their lives, which made them an innocent target of the evil spirits.

Although the White-Faced Green Lion King was wronged, ever since the Fierce Tiger King and the Fire Phoenix King entered the cave, all the monsters on the outskirts of the Hundred Beasts Mountain Range have followed his lead.

As the leading lion king and the eldest brother, the Green Lion King had no reason to abandon his demon brothers and run away alone.

At that moment, he was taking out objects that looked like bird eggs from his storage bag. As soon as these strange things that looked like bird eggs but were not bird eggs came out, they transformed into golden lions with small wings.

These golden-haired lions, devoid of intelligence, resembled wild beasts. However, lacking intelligence and needing no brains, their bodies were exceptionally strong, making them as mindless and robust as human body cultivators like Niu Ya and Niu Shisan, full of energy and eager to unleash it. They were demon body cultivators specially bred by the Azure Lion Clan, and in truth, they were half-brothers of the White-Faced Azure Lion King, sharing the same father or mother.

Because they are not very bright, they can only be used as henchmen and thugs for their brothers. They are even afraid that their ferocious nature will make them difficult to control and bring shame to the Blue Lion clan. When they can no longer use them, they are sealed in beast eggs and only released when they are fighting to the death.

Absolutely tragic!

But being stupid and being played by his brothers, though mischievous and miserable, when they actually fell into battle, these golden lions were unstoppable and ferocious, biting anyone they saw. Even evil spirits couldn't withstand their bites.

As soon as seven or eight golden lions at the third-tier body cultivation level entered the battlefield, along with more than ten or twenty demon kings such as the Wind Eagle King, White Crane King, Berserk Ape, and Sharp-Toothed Bull, the demon beast horde suffered heavy losses but was able to hold on for the time being, even though the old evil spirit of Yunshan and the sect leader Bai Mei had not yet appeared.

It can withstand the attack, but not for long!
The demon brothers are bleeding, how can the righteous and fierce Tiger King just stand by and watch?

A tiger's roar can be heard for miles around.

The sound made all the demon beasts tremble instinctively, while the Green Lion King was overjoyed.

"Brother Tiger, it's me, Brother Fierce Tiger, here!"

The Green Lion King sounded like he was about to cry, and in fact, he really was about to burst into tears.

This time, it was acting on the orders of its father, the true king, and originally thought it would be an easy job of gaining merit and preserving its reputation.

Unexpectedly, before the cave was opened, he was brutally beaten by the Tiger King and the high-ranking cultivators of Penglai. After the cave was opened, he was bullied by evil spirits outside.

He was filled with grievances, truly grieved, and he was ready to play all his cards.

He only has one fourth-tier True King skin left unused, which is his father, the sect leader's last trump card to save his life.

Wearing this skin grants it temporary combat power equivalent to a fourth-tier demon king, but it requires a significant amount of its essence and blood to sustain it every moment. Over time, this skin will inevitably deplete its own foundation and resources, so it should never be used unless absolutely necessary.

In the eyes of the Green Lion King, although he had a group of golden lion brothers to help him, that old evil man had not yet used his true methods. When he finally dealt them a severe blow, it would be truly deadly.

Just as it was about to don its skin and fight for its life, the Tiger King brothers arrived, albeit late, much to its delight.

What surprised it even more was that behind the Tiger King brothers, the Fire Phoenix Demon King followed closely, and a group of human cultivators rode pigs and led dogs, releasing puppets and casting spells, carving a bloody path through the evil spirits and joining up with their group of demon beasts!
"A good bunch of cannon fodder!" the Green Lion King and the monsters behind him cheered in their hearts.

"A bunch of good cannon fodder!" Su Qing and the other cultivators were overjoyed as they looked at the many but still numerous demonic beasts that had died.

"Brother Lion!" The Tiger King's eyes were filled with tears.

"Brother Tiger!" The Green Lion King's lion eyes revealed his true feelings.

The lion and tiger reunited, with the lion king taking the central position. Under the tiger king's arrangement, they were surrounded by a group of scattered cultivators for protection.

The Tiger King, however, replaced the Lion King and took over the leadership of the monsters.

Although the group of monsters felt something was amiss, they didn't think it was that bad.

The Winged Tiger Clan is known for its bravery and skill in battle. Whenever there is conflict in the Demon Kingdom, the Winged Tiger Clan is always the first to fight. Therefore, within the Demon Clan, there is also the saying of Lion King and Tiger General.

In this treacherous battlefield, what's wrong with the Tiger King using his racial strengths, taking over the command baton from the Lion King, and leading the demons in battle?
Moreover, the Fire Phoenix Demon Lord, who was somewhat amiss before, seemed to have undergone a bloodline sublimation after visiting the cave, becoming even more like the Fire Phoenix Demon Lord than before. Although he often laughed wildly, which was somewhat eerie, the group of flying beasts still regarded him as their leader, and they all followed the Tiger King's lead. Naturally, the flying beasts dared not object.

Let the eight golden lions lead the way.

The Tiger King risked his life for his brother, the Lion King. With golden light spreading behind him, nine tails appeared, and he had six hands and three spears. With a roar like a tiger and a cry like a dragon, he led his demon brothers and organized a counterattack against the evil spirit army.

With its fierce tiger king as the spearhead, flanked by the iron-eating beast king and the fire phoenix demon king, the demon army swept through the evil spirit army like a whirlwind, routing them and dispelling their evil aura.

"Following Tiger King was the right decision!"

"The Green Lion King wouldn't dare charge like that!"

"Hmm? You can't say that. The Green Lion King himself might not dare to go, but he'll still send his brothers to fight to the death!"

"The Tiger King is also considered its brother?"

"Not just the Tiger King, we are too!"

"Whoever fights for it is its brother? Are the Lion King's brothers so worthless?"

"Because it's worthless, we won't feel bad about risking our lives for it!"

Following the Tiger King in the charge, and fighting desperately for the Lion King, the demon beasts suffered heavy casualties in the first round of the charge, but they managed to carve out a bloody path and were about to break through the Old Evil's blockade.

The dead brothers were considered unlucky, while the surviving brothers were secretly delighted.

When the human cultivators escorted the Azure Lion King to the front of the vanguard, the Azure Lion King looked at the four golden lions covered in wounds and felt a little sorry for them, but he didn't say anything at the moment.

Because the Golden Lion charged ahead and fought the bravest, it deserved to die the fastest and be the most seriously injured.

But it felt this was normal and understandable, while the Tiger King brothers couldn't bear it and, ashamed, bowed to it, saying:
“Brother Golden Lion, you are truly brave. You shouted and roared without ceasing, which led to your being besieged by evil spirits. Although I wanted to help you, I was powerless to save you. I could only watch as they fought to the death. I couldn’t even save their bodies. Please punish me, Brother Lion!”

The Tiger King spoke sincerely. Although some sharp-eyed demon kings clearly saw that the Tiger King seemed to have collected the Golden Lion's corpse, they wisely remained silent under the Tiger King's piercing gaze and amidst the Fire Phoenix Demon King's cackling laughter.

The Green Lion King didn't care about his brothers' lives, let alone their corpses. At this moment, he only wanted the Tiger King to lead the team to escape, and dared not criticize the Tiger King.

"On the battlefield, dangers are unpredictable. Even if Tiger King had hands all over his body, he couldn't take care of too many things. Although it's a pity for the dead demon brothers, the thing Tiger Brother needs to consider right now is how to lead us surviving demon brothers out of the encirclement!"
Furthermore, these human friends are close friends with the Tiger King, and in the upcoming battle, they will need to fight alongside him. There is really no need for them to protect me; having several demon kings protecting me is already sufficient!

There's no need to mourn the departed monsters, but relying entirely on them as scapegoats is also inappropriate.

Since we are all united in this difficult time because of the Tiger King, we should all work together to fight against the evil spirits.

In the previous charge, because the Tiger King charged so fast and urgently, the Lion King didn't have time to give orders and couldn't mobilize the demonic cultivators around him. Therefore, he had no choice but to accept the reality that his demonic beast brothers would take the first shot and fight the worst battle.

The first wave of evil spirits has been scattered by the Tiger King and his demons, so these human cultivators can no longer just stand by and watch.

"Tiger King, rest assured, our Demonic Sect has always had a close relationship with the Demon Kingdom and has long cooperated with them. When we encounter evil spirits again, just watch our methods!"

Because witches are less adept at dealing with humans and demons, and Su Qing is currently disguised as a demon and holding the banner of the demon race, it is not appropriate for her to speak on behalf of a human cultivator.

Therefore, Elder Wu Dan, who was cowardly but eloquent, temporarily acted as the leader of the demonic cultivators and made a guarantee to the Green Lion King on behalf of the rogue demonic cultivators.

Upon hearing this, the Green Lion King nodded slightly. He and the group of people had been cultivating in the back, but they hadn't been idle either. They had managed to extract information about the situation inside the cave from them.

Upon hearing that Huang Song, who had slapped his lion face, was dead, the Green Lion King clapped his paws in delight.

Upon learning that the cunning and treacherous Old Devil Huanxi, who had previously instigated its battle with the Phoenix King, had also perished, he was even more delighted.

Without the interference of these two cultivators, this group of demonic cultivators, who are all talk and no action, seem to be colluding with it and cooperating with it in future smuggling business with the demon kingdom.

Therefore, although it was slightly dissatisfied with the fact that the demonic cultivators did not take action and only made its demon brothers fight desperately.

But now that they had made their promises, the Green Lion King didn't say anything more. He just gave the Tiger King a look, telling him not to be as honest as before. These people were cannon fodder, and they still had to be used.

The Tiger King understood immediately and was about to lead the demons and the others to break through the evil spirits' blockade and escape to heaven in one fell swoop.

But the demonic mountain and strange peaks in front of the demons and cultivators were stained with a layer of evil aura and precious light. They were the evil mountain formed by the old evil spirit of Yunshan, who used the evil spirit of the pavilion in Yunshan Palace to defile the demonic mountain and then merged it with the spiritual vein of the demonic mountain.
"Playing this big, whether it's human or demon this time, we're really going to risk our lives!"

(End of this chapter)