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

Chapter 78 The Mantis Stalks the Cicada, Unaware of the Oriole Behind (Part 1 & 2)
"Communication lost?"

Dark clouds obscured the moon. On the other side, deep in the valley, Yun Che gripped the communication talisman tightly, his brows furrowed.

Just now, he completely lost contact with his fellow disciples. After trying several times without any response, he had a vague sense of foreboding.

He instinctively wanted to call his remaining junior brothers to retreat, but Yuan Chun and the others were already trapped and completely suppressed.

The fat sheep is about to be caught, it would be a waste not to slaughter it, and my bloodthirsty junior brothers would not agree.

"Something has happened to Junior Brother Wang. Quickly kill these fat sheep, or things will get complicated!"

Yun Che pursed his lips and shouted, his meridians and true energy surging wildly. He casually summoned a junior brother to occupy the central palace, and then drew his sword to kill Yuan Chun and the other two.

The misty rain, shimmering with light, and the scattered raindrops mixed with icicles pressed down on Yuan Chun and her two companions, making it impossible for them to lift their heads.

Their skin was icy cold, as if their meridians were about to freeze. The only one who maintained high combat power was that late-stage Qi Refining deacon.

He held a sword, the sword net so tight it barely protected the three people behind him, and his face gradually became ferocious.

"Fellow Daoist Yun, my Treasure Pavilion and Immortal Water Residence are friendly sects, as close as brothers. Why would you resort to such a vicious act?"

"Who are you fellow Daoists? In the black market, you are not the Treasure Pavilion, and I am not the Immortal Water Residence!"

Aside from four disciples who stayed behind to control the formation, Yun Che led the remaining four disciples into the formation. Under the protection of the ice rain, their movements were as agile as the wind, and their auras were difficult to detect.

Four swords came in quick succession, along with a fireball half a person's height, and a waterfall of ice cones.

The steward of Jubao Pavilion was in a great hurry. The sword net barely blocked the swords of the four disciples. The remaining spells were difficult to defend against under the cover of clouds and rain. Seeing that he was about to be seriously injured, Yuan Chun quickly made a hand seal and used several talismans to instantly cancel out several spells.

"As expected of Gao Chuan from Jubaoge, such a quick reaction."

Applause and praise lingered in her ears, but Yuan Chun's face turned pale, and she was panting heavily.

Man Yun and Qing Ru looked around, holding their breath to observe, but due to the interference of the cloud and rain formation, they were unable to sense the enemy's presence at all.

"Lord be careful!"

The deacon twitched his nose slightly and shouted sternly.

Yuan Chun felt a chill run down her spine. When she looked again, Yun Che had already thrust his sword towards her back. At the critical moment of life and death, the steward quickly abandoned his sword, turned around and threw out his true energy, barely managing to repel this deadly attack.

"die--"

Seeing that their deacon had lost his magical artifact, the four disciples unleashed their true energy, soaring into the sky, their flying swords aimed directly at his dantian and throat.

Damn it
The deacon's face was grave. Looking down at his feet, he saw that the soil had turned into a swamp, binding his calves and making it difficult for him to move.

At the same time, the freezing rain made his meridians ache, and his true essence became sluggish, so he could only use 70% of his cultivation.

"roll--"

The steward turned around and looked around, unleashing several high-grade flame sword techniques in succession, barely forcing the three of them back.

Unfortunately, the clouds and rain quickly obscured the figures of the Immortal Water Abode disciples, preventing him from taking any further steps to seriously injure them. He could only remain vigilant in place.

"Damn it. Sect disciples are so troublesome."

The steward felt a pang of unease, knowing that this battle was likely to end badly.

The reason why sect disciples can overwhelm independent cultivators, besides their cultivation techniques and killing methods, is primarily due to their ability to form formations.

With the support of the formation, four Qi Refining Level 6 cultivators were able to kill him, a Qi Refining Level 7 cultivator, without taking any damage.

He had already consumed more than 50% of his true essence, and the three young masters must have consumed just as much.

Without this formation, they could at least scatter and escape, having a better chance of survival. But trapped in this formation, their chances of survival are slim.

"As expected of someone in the late stage of Qi Refining."

Whispers lingered in his ears as the deacon turned and swung his palm strike, only to have most of its power neutralized by the rain and clouds.

He was shocked and tried to stop, but Yun Che, imbued with powerful true energy, swung his sword and slashed, severing his entire right palm.

"what--"

Blood gushed out like a fountain, and the steward's face turned deathly pale. At the same time, Man Yun's screams rang out, indicating that he must have also suffered severe injuries.

With the scent of blood lingering around his nose, the deacon's senses were dulled, and he felt danger everywhere, yet he couldn't perceive the enemy, leaving him filled with dread and uncertainty.

"Fellow Daoist, spare our lives, and we are willing to offer all our treasures to you."

“Deacon Quan, they will not leave any survivors. Begging for mercy is useless.”

Deacon Quan was severely injured and completely disoriented. In addition to his right palm, he was ambushed by several disciples again, leaving him covered in sword wounds and bleeding profusely.

On the other side, Yuan Chun's face was also deathly pale. Her true energy was almost completely depleted, and her five fingers were frozen stiff, making it impossible for her to control the talismans.

Beside him, Man Yun lay limp on the ground, a fist-sized gash piercing his abdomen, revealing his intestines; he was on the verge of death. Qing Ru lay limp on the ground, bearing at least seven sword wounds all over her body. Although not fatal, she was unable to fight due to massive blood loss.

Only Yuan Chun stood alone against Yun Che.

"Sixth level of Qi Refining, able to withstand ten of my moves within the formation, you're not bad."

Yun Che sneered and casually swung his sword, causing countless ice spikes to condense in the sky. The chilling and sinister ice spikes were so powerful that they must be a top-grade technique. If one were hit, one would surely die.

Yuan Chun still wanted to resist, but her true energy was exhausted by the cloud and rain formation, and she drooped her head helplessly.

She wasn't without a sense of crisis, but she only guarded against demonic cultivators and deliberately chose a return route close to Immortal Water Residence. She never expected to be betrayed by a disciple from a friendly sect.

It's a shame that Yun Che, a genius ranked among the top fifty on the Azure Cloud Ranking, would do such a despicable thing as a Tribulation Cultivator.

"If you wait until the Ascension Ceremony, you might have a chance to shine brightly, but unfortunately you'll die in this desolate wilderness!"

Yun Che's eyes were filled with malice as he prepared to unleash an ice spike.

Yuan Chun gripped the talisman tightly, determined to expend as much of her Yun Che True Essence as possible before she died.

"Hahaha, I knew it! What kind of righteous sects are they? How much better are they than us demonic sects?"

"When the snipe and the clam fight, we benefit; let's gladly accept this opportunity!"

Blood mist swirled, and sinister laughter echoed in everyone's ears.

Yun Che frowned slightly. Looking at the cloud and rain formation above his head, he noticed that it was now covered with dense lines of blood. Looking at his fellow disciples outside the formation, he saw that they had fainted on the ground with their eyes closed and their faces ashen.

"Who?"

Yun Che's expression turned solemn. He immediately called for his fellow disciples to gather around him, while gripping his sword tightly and staring at the end of the valley.

"Haha, we are like-minded people, of course."

With a mocking voice, more than ten cultivators dressed in black robes and wearing masks of greed, anger, and ignorance slowly appeared from within the blood mist.

They were as tall as towers, with powerful blood and qi, and surrounded by a murderous aura. As soon as they appeared, they took their positions according to the Bagua, blocking the gates of life and death, while simultaneously hindering the operation of the cloud and rain formation, and began to inscribe the formation patterns.

There were twelve people in total, all of whom were at the sixth level of Body Tempering, with the leader reaching the seventh level of Body Tempering.

魔修
Yun Che's expression changed slightly. He silently took half a step back and gestured to his junior brother beside him to prepare to break through the encirclement.

“Fellow Daoist, who are you? We are disciples of the Immortal Water Abode. This area is all within our sect’s sphere of influence. If you wish to leave here, I will forgive and forget.”

"Thank you for your kindness, fellow Daoist. It's a pity that Xianshuiju is still a righteous sect, and its experience in robbing is still lacking. It was not even aware that it was being followed."

"We're not the only ones who covet your wealth, fellow Daoist."

The leading demonic cultivator wore a Vajra mask with wide-open, angry eyes. He was strong and muscular, half a head shorter than Yun Che, but his powerful muscles seemed to contain immense strength. With just a touch of his toes, he could split the ground and rise up, closing in on Yun Che in an instant.

"court death--"

Yun Che turned and retreated, then thrust his sword upside down, aiming straight for the brow of the angry-looking masked demonic cultivator.

The sword tip was cold, just inches from his brow. The leading demonic cultivator neither retreated nor dodged, but roared fiercely, his voice like thunder, making Yun Che dizzy and restless, as if countless images were surging in his mind.

With his mind in complete disarray, Yun Che knew he was in trouble. He managed to unleash a few water blades, forcing back the demonic cultivator, before vomiting several mouthfuls of blood while breathing heavily.

"The Seven Emotions and Six Desires Technique, the Temple of the Heart Demon?"

Yun Che's mind was in turmoil, as if demonic sounds were entering his ears. He could hardly concentrate, and his chest felt tight and constricted, making it almost impossible for him to perform hand seals or circulate his qi. "It seems that even disciples of righteous sects are nothing special."

Under the impact of boiling blood energy, the masked demonic cultivator, who was the leader, looked as ferocious as a demon. He lightly shook his shoulders, and the frost covering his body was easily evaporated by the scorching blood energy. His junior brothers, who were with him, also set up a formation during the battle.

“If you let us leave, I will gladly give you these four people.”

Yun Che watched helplessly as the faint blood energy filled the valley and covered the cloud formation, his heart sinking to the bottom.

He didn't know the name of the formation, but he could recognize it as a first-grade high-level formation. It should be mainly an illusion formation used to block communication and cut off escape routes. At the same time, the foul-smelling blood mist would also consume his true essence invisibly.

After the battle with Jubaoge, he probably still had about 70% of his true essence left.

It looks like things are going badly for Junior Brother Wang; he's also been ambushed by the Heart Demon Temple.

"Heh, now that things have come to this, do you think you can escape unscathed? Just because your Immortal Water Abode has harmed our sect doesn't mean we're not allowed to rob you?"

The disciples of the Heart Demon Temple chuckled mockingly, and several demonic cultivators, right in front of Yun Che, began to dismember the four disciples who had been drugged and guarding the formation. They directly extracted their souls, stored them in their Zen staffs for refinement, and then divided up their internal organs and heart blood on the spot.

Blood was everywhere, the stench was overwhelming, and the cries of the disciples of Xianshuiju were deafening.

The disciples of the Heart Demon Temple, covered in blood, seemed to be bathed in sweet dew, closing their eyes to enjoy it.

"Without the tacit approval of my Immortal Water Abode, your Heart Demon Temple probably wouldn't have received even half a pill. Now, for such a small gain, you dare to attack us?"

Upon hearing this, the disciples of Xinmo Temple immediately stopped laughing and looked at each other with considerable distress.

Seeing that the robbery and killing at Xianshui Residence was a momentary whim, they forgot about the previous incident.

The leading demonic cultivator scratched his mask lightly, then helplessly spread his hands and sighed, "We are all low-level disciples. Why didn't you say earlier that your family had a share in the black market?"

"Now that the people have been killed, there's no turning back for us."

"There's still room for negotiation, just let us live."

“As you said, the dead cannot testify. Since that’s the case, we can’t let you go back alive.”

The leading demonic cultivator slowly formed hand seals, and his crimson-gold spiritual root rose from the ground, solidifying into a dark red Zen staff. More than ten white bone skulls hung on it, each with a ghostly soul residing within. It was a first-tier superior demonic treasure that combined divine soul and melee combat abilities.

Yun Che's brows furrowed, his face pale. Surrounded by the Blood Mist Array and more than ten disciples of the Heart Demon Temple, he had no chance of escaping.

"Hey, how much spiritual power do you have left, you from the Treasure Pavilion?"

"Ha, even your Immortal Water Abode has met its end. Let's die together."

Yuan Chun sneered, her beautiful eyes bloodshot, her teeth clenched as she felt despair.

Her two companions had completely lost their ability to move, and she herself only had 20% of her true essence left. She couldn't even control her escape light, so it was a dead end.

Her legs went weak, and her delicate body slumped down, kneeling beside Manyun and Qingru. She was prepared to disperse the souls of her two companions before she died, so that they would be spared the torment of soul-refining and spirit-devouring.

"The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind; your Xinmo Temple is truly audacious."

On the other side, in the quiet rift valley, Luo Fanchen gently wiped away the blood. At his feet lay more than ten horribly mutilated corpses, most of them disciples of the Immortal Water Abode, and most of them were demonic cultivators from the Heart Demon Temple who had launched a sneak attack.

The opponent seemed to have a special technique for concealing his breath; if Qiu Yun hadn't been watching closely, he would have almost fallen victim to it.

His fingertips were dripping with blood, his nails were falling off, and the excruciating pain did not disturb his mind. Instead, it made him even more excited and his murderous intent surged.

"Monster, just how much true energy do you have?"

Blood was everywhere, and severed limbs and pieces of flesh were scattered all over the place. The three demonic cultivators were filled with fear, supporting each other and panting heavily.

There were ten of them in total. They originally planned to wait for the enemy to come to them and take down the cultivators from Xianshui Residence and Luo Fanchen in one fell swoop. Unexpectedly, this person's true essence was stronger than they had ever imagined. After unleashing two powerful killing moves in succession, he still had 70% of his true essence left.

The two sides fought for a long time. They tried to form a formation, but were immediately covered by an unknown illusion array, making it difficult to detect each other's aura and putting them in a completely passive position.

What followed was a one-sided massacre.

Both were at the sixth level of Qi Refining, but the opponent's true essence seemed inexhaustible. After unleashing dozens of water blades in succession, when he reappeared, his true essence still showed no signs of depletion. Moreover, he seemed to possess an extremely powerful magic weapon that perfectly countered their inherited magic weapon.

"The Seven Desires Staff is ineffective, and we have no way to get close to it. We can only be consumed by it out of thin air."

The demonic cultivator coughed up blood and murmured, his Seven Desires Staff's attack on the soul was almost ineffective against Luo Fanchen.

Moreover, the ghosts that had been painstakingly refined within the staff were immediately seized by some domineering force as soon as they were released to assist in the battle, almost causing them to faint from the backlash. Of the nine fellow disciples, only two are still alive.

The Heart Demon Temple follows the path of physical cultivation; if one cannot get close to the enemy, one cannot utilize its strengths.

Moreover, the Blood Mist Array, which they considered the foundation of their existence, was completely ineffective against the Seven Desires Staff, making them a natural counter.

"We've hit a tough spot."

The leader of the Heart Demon Temple felt bitter inside. While pretending to show weakness, he secretly activated the backup plan he had already laid on his two fellow disciples, preparing to detonate their dantian to create a way out for himself.

"Fellow Daoist, are you also a demonic cultivator? We are of the same origin, why are you so eager to harm each other?"

"If you, fellow Daoist, are willing to let us leave..."

"Noisy."

Luo Fanchen sneered, summoning the Soul Banner in his hand, which transformed into a sword. As the True Essence of Wood within his body surged, his body turned into clouds and mist.

A chilling wind swirled around, and the Soul Banner pierced through his chest. The leading demonic cultivator from the Heart Demon Temple was slightly startled. In the midst of the excruciating pain, he looked down and finally saw the true form of the Soul Banner. His soul nearly left his body, and he coughed up blood uncontrollably.

"Soul Banner? A Grade-level Soul Banner? My lord, are you a high-ranking disciple of the Heavenly Demon Sect?"

The three demonic cultivators were terrified, losing all will to fight. Ignoring their injuries, they immediately prostrated themselves on the ground, trembling like leaves, every muscle spasming. They kowtowed repeatedly, begging for mercy: "We were blind and offended you, sir!"

Are you kidding me? This is a legitimate sacred religious artifact, and after being sublimated, it will surely become the main banner.

No wonder. Soul attacks and illusion arrays are ineffective against you, no wonder the ghost was easily captured by the opponent. In front of the Soul Banner, the Seven Desires Staff is just trash.

“Your true energy is boundless and inexhaustible. We should have realized your identity long ago, but we foolishly offended you without realizing it. We deserve to die ten thousand times over!”

"Ha, your Heart Demon Temple is under the jurisdiction of the Bodhi Courtyard, yet you recognize the Heavenly Demon Sect?"

"The Heavenly Saint Sect is the leader of the Eight Desolations. How dare we defy the might of Heaven? Your Excellency, with your noble bearing, has traveled to this desolate land for the sake of my Heart Demon Temple? Is your sect willing to accept my Heart Demon Temple?"

Luo Fanchen was slightly taken aback. He had intended to kill the three of them directly, but upon hearing this, he temporarily stopped and narrowed his eyes.

These demonic cultivators mistook him for a demonic cultivator from the Heavenly Demon Sect.

"Ha, your Heart Demon Temple is full of useless trash. Do you think you're worthy of my personal presence?"

We are terrified!

The three kept kowtowing. The Heart Demon Temple was now in danger of extinction, and the Bodhi Academy tacitly approved of this. The Three Corpse Sect seemed to have some connection with the Willow Cave Academy. Helpless, the sect elders had sought help from the Heavenly Demon Sect.

Having received no response to their plea for help, the Heart Demon Temple was almost in despair, which is why they risked trying to contact righteous cultivators to gather resources and maintain the situation.

The Heavenly Demon Sect is located far away in the Desolate Lands. The fact that the orthodox sect of the Holy Religion has come to this desolate place must be for the Heart Demon Temple.

This is the only hope for the Heart Demon Temple; if they anger the master, the consequences will be unimaginable.

"What, you're not going to kill me?"

Luo Fanchen recalled Ling Leng's style of doing things, and his words did indeed have some of the demeanor of a prodigy from the Demonic Sect.

He was still figuring out how to extract information from the group. It was common for members of the Demonic Sect to be double-crossed, and their souls were all restricted. He wasn't confident he could successfully search their souls.

"We have offended you, sir, and we are willing to atone for our sins by entering your soul banner. We only ask that you give my Heart Demon Temple a chance!"

The three knew that offending the Holy Church meant certain death and endless torment.

Without hesitation, they drew their swords and committed suicide. Before Qiu Yun could capture their souls, they transformed into streams of light and entered the soul banner. Only after accepting the imprint of their souls did they reappear in their soul form.

"We are willing to serve you, sir!"

The three men were extremely humble, and their skills were so practiced that Qiu Yun was momentarily stunned.

"Have some sense. I'll ask you questions, and you'll answer them. If you utter any falsehoods, I'll make you wish you were dead."

Luo Fanchen's face remained calm, but he was quite surprised. The awe shown by the vassal demonic sects towards the Heavenly Demon Sect was far beyond his expectations.

(End of this chapter)