Fellow Daoist Entrusts His Child: Immortality Begins with Nurturing a Demoness

Chapter 12 Tuogu
A chilling wind swept through, spreading poisonous miasma.

The wasteland was covered with moss, the cave had long been destroyed by the turbulent flow after the spirit explosion, and everywhere you looked there were burning, foul-smelling miasma flames.

Luo Fanchen protected Ling Moxue with his true essence in time. The girl inhaled the poisonous miasma and fell into a coma after taking the antidote. Her face was contorted in pain. After settling the girl down, he shook his head and crawled forward.

It's unclear who won the duel; the most urgent task is to remove the Soul Banner and take Ling Moxue away from the poisonous miasma.

As he crawled forward, a warm current flowed through Luo Fanchen's palms, the wet and sticky sensation soaking into his hands, which turned out to be covered in large patches of blood.

The ground was covered with large patches of spilled sausage, below which were two fleshy legs with rotting skin, extending upwards only to the waist, with the upper body nowhere to be seen.

Just as he was wondering what was going on, a large hand suddenly covered Luo Fanchen's mouth and nose.

Luo Fanchen intended to dodge, but sensing that the person behind him had a weak aura and meant no harm, he did not resist.

He slowly turned his head to the side, meeting Ling Youdao's rotten, pale square face.

"Shh-"

Ling Youdao mouthed a "shh," and Luo Fanchen immediately heard the metallic sound of scales rubbing against each other.

The enormous body of the demonic serpent slithered through the blue smoke, and unless you got extremely close, you couldn't hear a sound.

The serpent's head was blown to pieces, its flesh mangled and bloody, revealing its brain inside. Its skin and flesh were charred and curled up, and it was almost severed at its seven-inch mark.

The snake demon was slightly better than Ling Youdao, but was still severely injured in vital areas. Only with the tenacious vitality of the demon beast was it able to retain some strength.

Because of its weak aura, it was extremely difficult to detect by ordinary means, and Luo Fanchen was almost deceived by it.

If Ling Youdao hadn't covered his breathing, he would have been ambushed by the demon snake and would have been seriously injured, if not killed.

“Fellow Daoist Cao, this snake has been severely injured by me, and its soul poison has entered its body. It is certain to die.”

"I... I left a method inside its body. After it leaves, you can use the soul banner to find its corpse, which may be of some use to you."

"Your Excellency, why have you gone to such lengths?"

Luo Fanchen's expression was complicated, but he remained vigilant, his spirit sword quietly pressed against Ling Youdao's dantian.

"To be honest, Fellow Daoist Cao, who is Mo Xue?"

Ling Youdao had only half a body left, and he should have died long ago after bleeding out, but he miraculously clung to a sliver of life.

Luo Fanchen investigated briefly and was shocked. Ling Youdao had actually turned his mutilated body into a living corpse, burning his three souls and seven spirits to create a moment of rebirth. Once his souls and spirits were burned out, he would be scattered and completely unable to enter the cycle of reincarnation.

Ling Youdao paid the price of his soul being scattered, just to say a few words to him?
“We are not related by blood or marriage, but her father, Ling Leng, entrusted her to me on his deathbed to guide Mo Xue in her cultivation. I, this humble Taoist, will naturally keep my promise.”

"Entrusting her with a child? Fellow Daoist Cao, are you aware of her Heavenly Demon Spirit Puppet physique?"

"Is the county magistrate joking?"

Luo Fanchen raised an eyebrow slightly. The infamous Heavenly Demon Spirit Puppet was widely known throughout the cultivation world, and even ordinary Qi Refining Level 1 cultivators could easily recognize it when examining their meridians.

"Hehe. Fellow Daoist Cao, please don't be offended. I just didn't expect that Ling Leng, who has committed all kinds of evil, could befriend a virtuous person like you."

"Fellow Daoist, do you recognize the Soul Banner?"

"I recognize it."

Luo Fanchen nodded slightly, his vigilance easing somewhat. Ling Youdao's true essence was exhausted, his divine soul was burning, and even immortals couldn't save him; even possession was impossible.

"Since you recognize the Soul Banner, are you going to become my enemy because of this woman?"

"When entrusted with a task, one should be loyal to the person who entrusted it to you."

Luo Fanchen's voice was calm. Now that things had come to this, even if he regretted it to death, what was there to say?

"Fellow Daoist, your word is as good as gold, and your Dao heart is steadfast. You will surely achieve great things in the future, having reached the Foundation Establishment and Core Formation stage!"

Ling Youdao's eyes lit up, and he was generous with his praise.

Luo Fanchen was puzzled and somewhat guilty, unsure how to respond. Ling Youdao, however, used his remaining left hand to grasp his sleeve and said earnestly.

"I see that you lack effective methods, and I wish to lend you a helping hand!"

"."

Luo Fanchen pursed his lips and pondered, not immediately agreeing.

The legacy of a dying person is not easy to obtain. He got into trouble because of Ling Leng's entrustment of his orphan, and the subsequent education and guidance of Ling Moxue made him even more overwhelmed.

I have a daughter.

Ling Youdao looked tired and spoke to himself before Luo Fanchen could respond. Luo Fanchen almost had a shock after hearing only half a sentence.

An ominous premonition arose in his heart. Sure enough, after a moment of pause, Ling Youdao continued, "I have a daughter named Qiuyun, who is a sister to Moxue."

"She was born with a defect in her heart meridian and has been sickly ever since. In order to find a way to save her, I began to study the path of demonic cultivation. However, my heart is not as firm as yours, and I have fallen into the demonic path."

"My soul was scattered because of my own doing, but the only thing I can't let go of is Qiuyun."

"."

Luo Fanchen's lips trembled slightly, and he had an urge to slap Ling Youdao to death.

Did I owe the Ling family something in my past life?
“Fellow Daoist is a man of his word and a trustworthy person. After my death, my daughter will be left alone and will surely follow me.”

"I wish to entrust Qiuyun to you, fellow Daoist, and earnestly request that you find a good remedy to cure her incurable illness. In return, I will dedicate all that I have gained in my life to you."

"No"

Luo Fanchen was about to refuse, but then he thought to himself, "Even if I kill you and interrogate Ling Qiuyun, the inheritance will still go to me."

Ling Youdao smiled bitterly, took out a blood-soaked storage bag from his pocket, and interrupted Luo Fanchen.

“Fellow Daoist, your spiritual root is primarily wood? I happen to have a superior-level wood-attribute cultivation technique that would suit you.”

"In addition, there are other opportunities and soul banners to be given as gifts."

"A great opportunity?"

"After my death, the Soul Banner will recognize Qiu Yun as its master. After you form a contract with her, she will entrust the opportunity and the Soul Banner to you."

Luo Fanchen glanced at the Soul Banner out of the corner of his eye, swallowed silently, and felt his heart beat slightly faster.

The crafting of a high-grade soul banner is extremely difficult, requiring sixteen kinds of first-tier magical materials and the essence and blood of nearly ten thousand living beings. Its value is no less than that of a foundation-building spiritual item.

With the Soul Banner combined with the corresponding inherited method, its power far surpasses that of other magic weapons of the same level. It combines the functions of trapping enemies, killing, searching souls, and flying through the air, and it also has the potential for growth. How could he not be tempted?
As for the so-called opportunities and cultivation techniques, Luo Fanchen didn't take them to heart, considering them merely a pretext by Ling Youdao.

He was terribly deceived by Ling Leng.

"The cultivation technique is in my storage bag. It is protected by a restriction that only Qiu Yun can break. Fellow Daoist, you can check it yourself."

Luo Fanchen was slightly taken aback. He took the storage bag, took out a jade slip and examined it carefully. His expression changed slightly, and his hand holding the jade slip was trembling.

The jade slip is entirely azure blue, with a gilded engraving of a wood-like tree undergoing tribulation. Although the contents are not clearly visible due to the restriction, it is judged to be inclined towards the wood element.

Is this the legendary jade slip for transmitting skills?

This item requires a Foundation Establishment cultivator to inscribe it with their divine sense. It can only be used once, and at the very least, it is a superior-grade magical technique.

"how?"

"It is indeed a superior and wonderful method, and it belongs to the element of wood."

Luo Fanchen tried his best to calm himself down, but his voice still sounded somewhat passionate.

He had long suffered from the lack of advanced cultivation techniques. If he obtained this method, his future cultivation and breathing efficiency would be at least 20% faster.

"This item is worth no less than a Foundation Establishment spiritual treasure, and the Soul Banner is the same. Fellow Daoist, could you please tell me your real name?"

Ling Youdao gripped Luo Fanchen tightly. He originally intended to detonate his soul banner to take Cao Mengde down with him and rid the people of this scourge.

But since Cao Mengde is a trustworthy person, it would be better to entrust Qiuyun to him, which would also be a way to find a reliable person for the young girl.

He deserved to die, but Qiu Yun shouldn't have perished; she hadn't even seen the world outside Yanyun City.

"Brother Dao, please tell me your real name."

Seeing that Luo Fanchen did not respond for a long time, Ling Youdao's tone became more and more urgent, and his eyes were almost pleading.

"Please, fellow Daoist, I beg you."

Ling Youdao's speech became increasingly rapid. If no cultivator regulated Qiu Yun's meridians after his death, the girl would undoubtedly die within seven days at most.

A few breaths later, the light in Ling Youdao's eyes gradually dimmed, and his hand, which was gripping Luo Fanchen's sleeve, became increasingly weak and drooped limply.

Before his hand hit the ground, Luo Fanchen grabbed Ling Youdao's left hand with his own, ignoring the sticky crimson stain on his palm.

"Luo Fanchen".

"In that case, I will entrust Qiuyun to Fellow Daoist Luo."

Upon hearing this, Ling Youdao's dim eyes brightened slightly, and he managed a relieved smile.

(End of this chapter)