Fellow Daoist! That scoundrel has written a new book again.

第 346

"So, it turns out, the cards I had really were worse than yours..."

Shen Xun said with a soft self-deprecating tone.

He also realized that the Star-Picking Tower allowed him to fight with Zhu Wuyao, simply because they thought there was still a chance for fair competition.

But little did he know that he had already lost.

Zhu Wuyao picked up the wooden carving that had fallen into the dust, wiped it clean, and put it into his storage bag so that it wouldn't get stained with blood when he killed someone with his sword.

He made way for Shen Xun and said:

Go save the person you want to save.

She didn't know how strong Zhang Zhihan was, who hadn't suppressed the spirits of the dead, nor did she know whether Shen Xun, whose consciousness was damaged, could escape unscathed.

Now, we are at a crucial juncture in the two decisive battles.

Zhu Wuyao needs to stand here and stop others from trying to break through the formation.

……

Song Kezi, who had been stealthily hiding in the shadows, peeked out. He looked at Zhu Wuyao, who was wielding a bladeless sword and fighting numbly with the disciples of the Xiaotian Sect. When he saw Shen Xun enter the formation with slightly unsteady steps, he couldn't help but laugh:

"I told you long ago, you'd all be in trouble."

"There's no prize money even if you win this hand!"

"It worked again! It worked again! I'm about to master this divine skill, hahahahaha!"

After saying that, he looked up at Gu Yiguan, who was committing massacres not far away, and then retreated back to his hiding place.

……

Based on the feedback from the die, Xu San'er immediately realized:

"I won the bet!"

"The disciples of the Xiaotian Sect have used up a great deal of their spiritual power, and the pills they sold have taken effect!! They no longer have to worry about being come knocking on their door. They've made a fortune! They've made a fortune!"

How could mass-produced pills have such potent effects?

Before setting off, he guessed that something big would happen on this trip, so he asked Hua Yingting to refine a batch of crudely made pills so that there would be no problem for the time being.

However, if consumed for a long time or if one significantly mobilizes spiritual energy, the flow of spiritual energy will become obstructed.

Therefore, this was a deal that would wipe out his lineage. If Xiaotian Sect hadn't gone extinct, Xu San'er might have been the one to die out. But now, with a large amount of spirit stones lying in his storage bag, he has become the ultimate winner!

……

When Shen Xun had an idea and rushed to save A Li—

Those stories that should have unfolded but were hastily concluded, like embers reignited, ignited for a fleeting moment, and, through collisions with the real world, stirred within the dream world.

Huaying stopped dreaming of what would happen next.

It seems like a story from another time and space has begun.

She should have become friends with He Yiqi.

She was a... aloof and taciturn woman, like the cold wind carrying snowflakes on a mountain. In my dream, I spoke with her about dreams, but how could I possibly express them?

"North Wind City is not safe. Further north lies the territory of the Howling Sky Sect, where the people suffer and nine out of ten houses are empty. Even if you try to escape to the Star-Picking Tower, you will be intercepted halfway and become nourishment for the Myriad Soul Banner, the Soul-Sweeping Pestle, and the Spirit-Extinguishing Bowl."

"Furthermore, the Juque Sect helped cover up the whereabouts of evil cultivators and cover up their flaws."

"To rashly start a war will bring disaster to the people."

"I'm caught between a rock and a hard place; how can I bear this?"

"The Star-Picking Tower may not be perfect, but if its jurisdiction were wider, there would at least be a few more farmhouses with smoke rising from their chimneys."

"If I were to sacrifice myself to wipe out an entire sect, what a delightful thing that would be."

"Unfortunately, I am only a Golden Core cultivator, and therefore cannot act impulsively or start wars without cause."

The strong liquor we drank together, the howling north wind we talked about—all of that was erased with a single stroke.

It turned into smoke and clouds.

And so, nothing happened.

She and she couldn't become friends.

When Hua Ying paused in her dream and began to get to know He Yiqi, the person had already passed away. Thus, only two lines of clear tears remained upon waking, as a tribute to the "old" events in the dream.

Snow blankets the mountains, making summer flowers a rare sight.

"So...it was the wrong time of year..."

When I arrived, he was already dead.

What can be expected? There is no hope of returning.

Hua Yingting condensed a tear at her fingertip and pointed it towards the void. Within this array of prayers, as her fingertip touched the void, the boundary between reality and illusion blurred, rippling outwards with each touch—

Prayer Array, Great Luo Heaven.

Those in the formation witnessed the flourishing of all things.

A woman, separated by reality and illusion, toasted her from afar; the aroma of the wine spread and permeated the years that separated them.

A woman burst into tears, unable to distinguish between reality and illusion.

She rose from the soft couch draped with beaded silk curtains and walked forward in a daze, as if she were about to step into a dream world, to become a person in that dream world, and to keep that belated appointment.

Everyone thought it was a strange sight, and that she should not be disturbed when she had an epiphany in her dream and was at a crucial moment of advancement.

Little did they know that advancing to the Great Luo Heaven was extremely dangerous.

Just as Hua Yingting was about to transform and leave, the tassel on the umbrella that Xiao Qingyu had just bought in Beifeng City suddenly moved without any wind, immediately making him realize that something was wrong with the boundary.

Just as Hua Yingting was about to enter the illusion, he opened the umbrella in his hand.

Forty thousand spirit stones were exchanged for a chance to make a pact, leaving behind a friend of Zhu Wuyao.

There's never been a better deal.

……

Thick fog rose up outside the formation.

The stench of blood assaulted Shen Anzhi's nostrils, making him feel nauseous.

More than 20 years ago, he also witnessed such a massacre.

At that time, he was just a Foundation Establishment cultivator, on his master's orders to patrol the territory. While chasing a rampaging ferocious beast, he passed through a remote village and displayed the abilities of an immortal.

They were warmly received by the local villagers.

An old man walked unsteadily up to him and said:

"Please, Immortal, grant me more time. Our village's deceased prophet once said—"

When the immortals arrive, there may be a catastrophic disaster looming, so we must treat them well to avoid being killed.

Shen Anzhi did not foresee that everyone would face annihilation.

The villagers were filled with fear and anxiety because they believed that the so-called "prophet's" divination was wrong.

But they couldn't resist the villagers' repeated pleas.

According to the villagers, there seemed to be some kind of immortal lineage in this place. Although Shen Anzhi thought it was just a joke, he did not dare to take it lightly.

If it is some kind of evil magic, then if I leave like this, there may be trouble here in the future.

Therefore, Shen Anzhi stayed for a few more days.

He has never been pretentious; when people approach him for a chat, he doesn't know how to refuse, and he is unaware that people's hearts can be as treacherous as the devil's den.

Until his background was thoroughly investigated, and the villagers found out about his realm, his cultivation, and his magic, until everyone no longer held him in the same respect and fear as before.

This secluded village has a tradition, called—

"The Art of Cooking Immortals"

Immortal flesh and bones can prolong life and allow one to seize the immortal's cultivation and refine it into one's own body.

Shen Anzhi didn't know what methods the villagers had used to render him powerless like an ordinary person, his mouth gagged and unable to speak.

“Grandpa, our prophet’s predictions have never been wrong. Rather than waiting for this immortal to intervene and help us avert disaster, we should become self-reliant, seize his cultivation, and seek refuge ourselves!”

"That's right, that's right. It's better to rely on yourself than to ask others for help. I thought immortals were so amazing, but it turns out they're so easy to fool!"

……

The older man, holding a hammer engraved with inscriptions, stepped forward and said to him:

“Immortal Shen, we are sorry. You are a good person, but you cannot stay here forever to help us avoid the annihilation predicted in the prophecy!”

"Sacrificing you alone can save hundreds of our lives!"

As he spoke, he aimed the nail engraved with the inscription at Shen Anzhi's shoulder blade.

He could not speak, but he could see.

When the old man struck the first time, Shen Anzhi saw the horizontal line of cause and effect—

The disaster that wiped out the village originated with him.

"When immortals arrive, a catastrophic disaster may be imminent; therefore, they must be treated with utmost care."

Shen Anzhi began to struggle desperately.