Witch Wind

Chapter 394 Traveling Together (Part 1)

Ran Min.

Sima Guang was momentarily dazed.

His fellow disciples were unaware of this. These disciples were about the same age as Sima Guang back then, but they were all monks with magical powers, Dharma protectors, and scripture transmitters. They were wholeheartedly focused on building a solid foundation and were diligently and courageously progressing.

Sima Guang was a young novice monk in the scripture library of Longxiang Temple. He followed his master and read countless copies of the scriptures printed by Wanfo Leiyin Temple, which he then handed over to various branch temples for safekeeping, instructing them to pass them down from generation to generation.

Sima Guang still remembered the look of reminiscence on his master's face as he stroked those ancient books: "Que... remember, this is the root of us cultivators of the Nine Provinces. No matter where we go, we must remember these roots forever."

"While the Dharma is indeed powerful, it is not the root."

“Even the most powerful Buddhist cultivator, if he forgets his own roots, even if he has cultivation comparable to the World Honored One, in this world he is just a lonely ghost, he is... nothing.”

'World Honored One', what a noble title.

In Buddhism, possessing cultivation comparable to the Buddha is an incredibly noble existence. But what if one forgets the teachings of those scriptures and becomes a wandering ghost? At that time, deeply shaken, Sima Guang truly immersed himself in books every day, diligently studying them.

Ran Min, he had indeed seen him in ancient books.

But it didn't leave a deep impression.

I vaguely remember that this person killed a lot of people!

As for whether he was good or bad, the records of Wanfo Leiyin Temple only say one sentence: "Let future generations judge!"
"Ran Min, that Ran Min?" Sima Guang spat out a mouthful of blood, slowly straightened up, and stuck out his round belly. His internal organs, which had just been torn apart, were healing rapidly, and all his intestines were itchy, making him feel extremely uncomfortable.

"Is there another Ran Min in the world?" The burly man stared intently at Sima Guang with deep eyes: "It seems you bald thief have heard of my name."

"Ran Min? There will never be another Ran Min in the world!" A golden light flashed, and Xing Tianli arrived.

He stood in front of Sima Guang, protecting a group of monks behind him. With a wave of his hand, his whole body exuded a rich fragrance of herbs and trees, and a powerful vitality surged within him. Under the impetus of the World Mother Tree's core essence, the three women of Liujing were frantically improving their essence and blood. They didn't know what kind of delicious food they were dreaming about, but they actually let out a silly 'hehe' laugh.

Xing Tianli rolled his eyes, flicked his hand and threw out the weakest of the great yakshas, ​​making him grow to a height of ten zhang, holding a straw mat in his hands, and tossing the three women onto it. Go ahead and snore, cough, they really have no sleeping posture.

"Ran Min?" Xing Tianli looked at the man opposite him with extreme seriousness and curiosity.

Their aura and presence are truly terrifying.

Ran Min was clearly almost two heads shorter than Xing Tianli, but standing in the void, his aura, though not outwardly emanating, exuded a domineering presence that looked down upon all living beings, as if they were nothing but weeds, sweeping in like a tsunami. Xing Tianli, on the other hand, seemed to be half a head shorter than him.

Ran Min looked at Xing Tianli with great interest. He glanced at Xing Tianli up and down and exclaimed, "Your physique is well-developed... Tsk, when I was at your cultivation level, I certainly didn't have your abilities. Hmm, you've killed quite a few people, haven't you?"

Uh, Xing Tianli thought for a moment.

In his previous life, he was a pure hermit who rarely clashed with the outside world; he didn't even kill a chicken.

But as for how many he killed on Tyrannosaurus in his lifetime, I won't go into details. Just consider the March World War alone—haha, the number of natives he killed and then took as his ghost slaves numbered in the trillions.

He nodded and said honestly, "By chance and under duress, I did kill quite a few people."

Ran Min grinned strangely: "That's it. You clearly killed a lot of people, but your aura was weak and loose. You really didn't kill seriously... But I'm different. I killed so many people, and I killed each one of them very seriously. I killed each one of them clearly, honestly, steadily, and with full concentration."

"so!"

Ran Min roared, and an extremely terrifying killing intent burst forth from his body.

This killing intent was almost tangible, like a long sword, slashing wildly at Xing Tianli. In that instant, Xing Tianli even wondered if he had foolishly set up the Immortal Slaughtering Sword Formation and then slashed at himself!
That terrifying killing intent that could slaughter the entire world truly possessed some of the terrifying power of the Immortal Slaughtering Sword Formation!
Xing Tianli gritted his teeth and roared, unleashing boundless purple energy from his purple robe, which surged forth to meet Ran Min's killing intent. With a 'bang', the countless layers of purple energy net released by the purple robe were shattered in one blow, even though he had only unleashed his killing intent and hadn't actually made a move.

The terrifying force slammed into the purple Taoist robe.

The slightly swollen purple robe suddenly collapsed inward, and the immense force landed on Xing Tianli. He lost his footing, let out a muffled groan, and staggered backward hundreds of steps, each step creating a black hole several meters in diameter in the void.

Having finally regained his footing, Xing Tianli stared at Ran Min in horror.

It was merely a wisp of killing intent.

They didn't actually take any action.

With Xing Tianli's cultivation surpassing the pinnacle of the Great Luo realm, with his power surpassing the pinnacle of the Great Luo realm, with his magical power surpassing the pinnacle of the Great Luo realm... Ran Min's mere wisp of killing intent was enough to render him utterly powerless.
Xing Tianli's face darkened.

Ran Min grinned, and then blood gushed from his mouth. His burly body swayed, and he suddenly knelt on one knee in mid-air with a thud. He gritted his teeth, his face contorting violently, and hissed in a low voice, "Get the hell out of here!"

A sharp insect chirp rang out in Ran Min's heart, followed by a grating gnawing sound. Ran Min's physical strength was equally terrifying; his body had truly reached the level of being as hard and flexible as crystal, many times harder and more resilient than steel or diamonds.

Something was gnawing at his heart, and with each bite, a sound like thunderclaps shattered the muscle fibers within Ran Min's heart. Ran Min's face turned pale with pain, and cold sweat streamed down his body. He roared in a low voice, his blood energy mixed with boundless killing intent washing over his body in waves, mainly concentrated around his heart.

Soon, in addition to his heart, the chirping of insects could be heard from his other internal organs as well.

More gnawing sounds followed, accompanied by continuous booming noises, as Ran Min's internal organs were being torn apart and devoured. Ran Min's body trembled slightly, his muscles twitching and writhing violently like a monstrous python turning over.

"Ha, so you couldn't escape." Ran Min gritted his teeth, sparks flying from them. He raised his head and stared straight at Xing Tianli: "However, it's good to meet a group of fellow villagers. Although they're a bit incompetent and useless, cough, cough... Little Taoist priest, have you ever heard of me?"

"Martial King of Mourning, Ran Min. I've heard of him." Xing Tianli took a deep breath. Just now, Ran Min's killing intent had shaken him so much that his internal organs felt like they were turning inside out. Xing Tianli considered it briefly; an ordinary Quasi-Saint simply couldn't do that. This Ran Min had clearly broken through to the Half-Saint realm, and moreover, he had definitely made a very, very long progress among the Half-Saints.

It's not surprising that someone who has been crushed across two major realms was reduced to this state by a mere wisp of killing intent.

Xing Tianli firmly believed that with his foundation and resources, if he could reach the same level as Ran Min, no, even if he was only one or two minor levels below him, as long as Xing Tianli also entered the semi-saint realm, he could also use his aura to make Ran Min vomit blood.

"You've heard of me, haven't you?" Ran Min smiled, actually enduring the dense, popping sounds of flesh and blood cracking within his body, and smiled brightly, even somewhat radiantly, at Xing Tianli: "You are, a junior from Kyushu, aren't you? Hmm..."

This rugged and unrestrained man, who had just been deathly pale, now had a hint of embarrassment on his face, his cheeks flushing slightly: "Ahem, um, what evaluation of Laozi did later historical records give?"

Xing Tianli's eyes widened.

So, senior, shouldn't you be asking everyone if there's any way to get those foreign objects out of your body?
Ha, you actually care about your reputation in history books?
Hey, hey hey.

Isn't it true that people like you who have left their names in history books are all somewhat concerned about their reputation before and after death?
Xing Tianli asked curiously, "You were also guided to Tailan Star, right? Hmm, didn't you rest there for a while? If you can wait until people from later generations arrive one after another, of course you will hear their evaluation of you!"

Ran Min shrugged, spread his hands frankly, and laughed: "My reputation is terrible. I never expected that there would be a whole group of hermit cultivators who went to that...that...Tyran World with me at the same time."

Ran Min's eyes flashed with a fierce light. He muttered in a low voice, "When the land of China falls, the people are treated like pigs and dogs, slaughtered, humiliated, and even cooked and eaten like cattle and sheep... I may not be a good person, but I still led my brothers to do it... Heh, they kill us, we kill them. An eye for an eye is the fairest thing to do."

"Back then, I was just a mortal, a mere mortal. I led a group of brothers and fought against those guys, killing them until the corpses piled up and their clans were almost wiped out."

“These eminent figures, these reclusive cultivators, some of them even have Golden Immortals… yet because they don’t interfere with the bullshit laws of the mortal world, spouting nonsense about ‘following the way of heaven,’ they just watch helplessly as ordinary people with the same blood are slaughtered like pigs and dogs.” “I have no patience to keep them company.”

"They rested in the world of Tailan and obtained higher-level profound cultivation manuals. I had no patience to associate with them. I obtained a copy of the 'Blood Sea Killing Scripture' and a Nine-Turn Golden Pill, which directly gave me the cultivation of a Golden Immortal, so I left."

Xing Tianli was speechless with astonishment.

leave?

Have they left Tyran Star?

With your mere Golden Immortal cultivation, you may be able to traverse the void, but how did you, with your Golden Immortal cultivation, manage to cross that incredibly long void and survive those terrifying natural dangers on the vast starry road?
"Alone?" Xing Tianli raised an eyebrow.

"Alone." Ran Min curled his lip. "I don't want to be with people, and I'm not used to being with people. The kind of person I am is destined to do things alone. Why would I need to discuss things with others? I don't need anyone's help."

With a wry smile, Ran Min said in a deep voice, "However, this time I'll need your help, younger generation... When I die, cough, figure out a way to send me back to Kyushu... Throw me into the Yellow River? Uh, that seems a bit tragic. How about we find a hill with good feng shui next to the Yellow River and bury me higher up?"

The intense gnawing sounds inside Ran Min's body grew louder and louder, and his expression became increasingly grim.

He said softly, "It's really inexplicable. I've killed people my whole life, and now that I'm so old, I'm actually feeling a bit homesick. It's really embarrassing in front of you young people."

Xing Tianli blinked his eyes.

Ran Min stood up with great difficulty, forcefully opened his arms, and said proudly, "So be it, death is death."

He cursed under his breath and muttered, "Hey, what do you think the history books will say about Lao Tzu? A born killer? Ha, ha, he won't be remembered for good, but being infamous for eternity is not bad either."

Xing Tianli coughed lightly: "Your reputation is not exactly infamous... Of course, you must understand that I am just a liberal arts student with not very good grades in my major. As for history, I studied it, but it seems I didn't really learn it... Of course, this is not my fault. Back then, 99% of students of my status were like this."

"Entering the school, yet it feels like not entering at all."

"I've studied the textbook, but it feels like I haven't learned anything at all."

"Ahem, this isn't our fault, ha..." Xing Tianli gave a typical slacker's silly grin: "Perhaps, it was the times that were wrong? Well, of course, that's not the key point. The key point is that back in our time... your reputation among the people was still quite good."

Ran Min's eyes lit up: "Huh? There really are people in the world who understand this?"

He looked at Xing Tianli suspiciously, a fierce glint flashing in his deep-set eyes: "Little Taoist priest, you're not here to spout nonsense and deceive people because I'm about to die, are you? Hmm? 'Liberal Arts student'? A scholar, right? I hate you scholars with your wicked thoughts the most... You bastards who deceive people to death without paying for it, and even use your silver tongue to wreak havoc on the world."

Xing Tianli was so angry that his nose twisted.

How did I, a liberal arts student whose grades weren't particularly good, become a "scholar" who "brings chaos to the world"?

Even if I wanted to, I wouldn't have the ability!

Shaking his head, Xing Tianli walked step by step toward Ran Min.

Ran Min, who had been smiling, suddenly tensed all his muscles as Xing Tianli approached, like a tiger that had spotted its prey and was about to pounce. He slightly lowered his body, his fists one in front of the other, and made an instinctive defensive and killing stance.

Everything stems from instinct.

This guy seems extremely uncomfortable with outsiders getting close... in fact, he's not used to anyone being too close to him at all.

Xing Tianli shook his head and said in a deep voice, "Don't be wary of me. I have inherited the secret techniques of the Witch Temple. You have Gu worms in your body, don't you? Let me see them. Perhaps I can find a way to deal with it. Hmm, your cultivation level is above half-saint, isn't it?"

Xing Tianli looked at Ran Min with great confusion: "With such cultivation, how could you be restrained by Gu worms? Uh, with your cultivation, if you split open your belly, cut off and discard all your internal organs, you could grow a new one in the blink of an eye. How come you are in such a sorry state?"

Ran Min's pupils contracted as he stared intently at Xing Tianli for a long time before slowly relaxing his guard by about 70%, but he still maintained a posture ready to counterattack at any moment.

He said in a deep voice, "When I was cultivating the 'Blood Sea Killing Scripture,' cough, without any guidance, it seems I've made a mistake... uh, how should I put it, my soul and body have completely merged into one, and I can't separate them at all."

"For ordinary body cultivators, losing one of their internal organs would at most result in a significant loss of vital energy."

"But if I did that, I would truly be doomed."

Ran Min stomped his foot angrily, pulled out a fist-sized blood-red gem, and casually tossed it to Xing Tianli: "Take a look, this method should be fine, right? How did I end up in this godlike state?"

Xing Tianli was taken aback.

He took the gem and examined it carefully—he had to be careful. As for Ran Min, his reputation in history was a matter of opinion. Was he a bad person? Was he a good person? There was no definitive conclusion as to whether he was a good person or a bad person.

Even when he was just a mortal, he was so complex and unpredictable.

He has been drifting in outer space for so many years, and his cultivation has broken through to the level of a half-saint. He has suffered so much torment, and his temperament must be even more unpredictable than when he was still a mortal.

If I accidentally got tricked by him, that would be really...

Xing Tianli secretly prepared a leaf from the World Mother Tree. If things went wrong, he would immediately summon the World Mother Tree for help—it was nothing more than squeezing himself out of things afterward, turning stones into gold like crazy, throwing ten thousand gold nuggets the size of planets over there, would that be enough to hire you as a henchman?

Hey, that should be enough.

After briefly examining the ruby, Xing Tianli channeled a wisp of his magic power into it, and instantly a chilling blood-red light erupted, revealing a malevolent and extremely evil cultivation technique within it.

On Xing Tianli's Spirit Platform Purple Mansion, the nine Heavenly Cauldrons trembled slightly, and wisps of holy light floated on the Heavenly Sword Canon, accompanied by a deep sword resonance. Xing Tianli took a deep breath. Good heavens, truly good heavens! This cultivation technique actually originated from the Blood Sea Ruler of the Primordial Nine Provinces.

Blood-path techniques are generally known for their unpredictability and elusiveness.

The highest achievement in cultivating the Blood Path Technique is to become a Blood God Child, transforming oneself into a wisp of blood-red demonic light, a being similar to an invisible celestial demon. It comes silently and goes without a trace, pouncing on a living being and completely plundering its essence, soul, cultivation, and even its innate talents.

This is an extremely high-level demonic cultivation technique.

However, the "Blood Sea Killing Scripture" passed down by the Blood Sea Cult Master seems to be based on the fact that the Blood God Child was too easily restrained by the demon-subduing techniques of the Taoist and Buddhist sects. Often, a single bolt of lightning or fire could severely injure the Blood God Child.

Therefore, this cultivation method forges an indestructible, supreme demonic body in the sea of ​​blood, much like the Vajra guardians of Buddhism.

The evil, the fierce, even one's own immortal soul will become a 'sacrifice,' being forged little by little into the physical body in exchange for terrifying destructive power and an extremely terrifying cultivation speed.

Xing Tianli shook his head slightly and reached out his hand to Ran Min.

Ran Min forcibly suppressed his impulse to punch Xing Tianli, letting him place his fingers on his wrist.

(End of this chapter)