Chapter 43 - 43: Phantom
The Demon Cultivators, who had freed up their hands, immediately shifted their target and launched an attack on Yuntai Zhenren, intensifying the pressure on him. Unable to contain himself, Yuntai Zhenren shouted, “Fellow Cultivators, why have you stopped? It’s clear that these thieves are here for the magical equipment in the exhibition. We cannot let them succeed!”
The Golden Core experts exchanged glances but still remained motionless.
“What grudge does Fellow Daoist Yuntai have with the Demon Sect?” Huyan Lie, the leader of Scorching Sun Sect, asked in a deep voice.
“1 am merely a rogue cultivator. What grudge could 1 possibly have with them?”
Yuntai Zhenren’s expression looked like he was unjustly accused.
It was at this time that the leading Golden Core demonic cultivator finally spoke up, “I am afraid you all are unaware that this Yuntai old man is a traitor of our Black Water Palace. He used despicable means to steal our sacred item and fled here.”
“Fellow Daoists, please do not believe in the words of these demons. The cultivation techniques I practice are all pure orthodox cultivation techniques!”
Master Yuntai hurriedly explained, panic evident in his voice.
“The righteous path?”
The leading J indan Stage demonic cultivator smiled coldly and intensified the force of his attack, forcing Yuntai Spiritual Master to retreat step by step.
Observing that the righteous path no longer trusted him, the Grand Cloud Immortal’s face contorted with anger.
“Old Yuntai, today is the day you die!”
A pitch-black murderous aura soared into the sky, shrouding the sky above the mountain peak like dark clouds. The overwhelming pressure caused the expressions of the persons present to change.
At that moment, Yuntai Zhenren finally ceased hiding. His face twisted into a ferocious expression as he roared. Dark streaks of black gas appeared on the surface of his skin, forming a layer of strange tattoos.
“One day, you will definitely regret this!”
Yuntai Zhenren roared in anger, and an apparently solid black baleful aura emanated from his body, taking on a terrifying form.
Witnessing this spectacle, the faces of the Golden Core experts turned pale at once.
“Hiss ~ Yuntai Zhenren is truly a devil!”
“The last time we encountered him at Grand Cloud Mountain, I felt that something was off about this old guy. Now, looking at him, he truly is not a good person.”
“Since it’s an internal conflict within the demonic path, why don’t we seize this opportunity to eliminate them all?”
“It’s just a pity that the Scorching Sun Sect’s exhibition had to be interrupted.”
Huyan Lie waved his hand with curiosity, “If we can exterminate this group of demons in one swift stroke, all these will be worth it!”
Jindan experts from all sides joined the battle again, but this time they regarded Yuntai Zhenren as their enemy.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The fierce battle raged on for nearly two hours. With Yuntai Zhenren’s Qi word mantra, Yuntai Zhenren’s breath became chaotic on the spot and the demonic cultivators seized the opportunity to pummel him. With a piercing scream, Immortal Yuntai’s body exploded into strange black mucus.
Upon witnessing the black sticky liquid, the demonic cultivators swarmed forward like starving wolves, scrambling to absorb the black sticky liquid into their bodies, completely disregarding the attacks from the righteous path.
At the foot of the mountain, although Cheng Xu’s vision was obscured, he had a general idea of what was happening.
To put it in simple terms, Master Yuntai was actually a traitor of the Black Water Palace, who had stolen the sacred object of the Black Water Palace through some despicable means, leading to several attacks from the Black Water Palace.
“It seems that the black sticky liquid is the so-called sacred object of the Black Water Mystical Palace.”
Observing the scene where the fiendish cultivators were frenziedly snatching the black sticky liquid, Cheng Xu couldn’t help but be amazed.
“I wonder what the hell that black sticky liquid actually is?”
After the demonic cultivators fought over the black sticky liquid, they ceased their battle and started retreating, while the righteous path big shots chased after them.
Seeing that the chaos on the mountain was gradually subsiding, Cheng Xu finally felt relieved and hurriedly ascended up the mountain.
He had only taken a few steps when a strange black shadow suddenly appeared in the vision of the Ten Thousand Arts Evil Eye. It was floating down the mountain in a state of panic.
Upon closer inspection, Cheng Xu recognized the shadow as Yuntai Zhenren.
“?!”
Good heavens, so this old thing wasn’t dead yet. It was just that he had employed some unknown method to actually slip away from under the watchful eyes of the various experts.
Cheng Xu attempted to read the data of the virtual image of the Immortal Yuntai.
“Ding!”
Cheng Xu was shocked when he saw that the reading was successful in an instant.
It became evident that the virtual image of Immortal Yuntai had no firewall at all.
This further confirmed Cheng Xu’s suspicions, and he immediately activated the Ten Thousand Arts Evil Eye to cast a wave of mental attack.
In the next second, the floating Yuntai Zhenren writhed in pain, resembling a vampire being scorched by the blazing sun, emitting wisps of white smoke. “Who is it?”
“How do you fare, Senior Yuntai?”
Cheng Xu emerged, his pair of pitch-black eyes giving off an innocent appearance.
“That disciple of Perfected Yuntai?!” Master Yuntai exclaimed in disbelief.
“Yes, it is I.”
“You can see my incorporeal spirit body?” Yuntai Zhenren questioned in disbelief.
Cheng Xu’s grin turned wicked. “Senior, where are you rushing off to? Aren’t you going to stay and have a chat with me?”
Yuntai Zhenren’s expression wavered, but he feigned calmness and said, “A mere Foundation Establishment brat intends to obstruct this old man’s path?”
Having anticipated his bluff, Cheng Xu immediately employed the Poison Ivy Technique to ensnare him, then accompanied it with the use of the White Flame True Technique to burn him.
Ever since he read the data of the virtual image, Cheng Xu had known that the current Yuntai Spiritual Master was nothing more than a paper tiger.
This was because there were no cultivation techniques or skill data present in the phantom’s information.
“Brat, 1’11 kill you!”
The combined damage from the flames and poison made Master Yuntai scream relentlessly. Unfortunately, he was no longer the Yuntai Master of old and could not resist at all.
“Ding!”
“Data intrusion detected. Would you like to intercept it?”
Cheng Xu was slightly taken aback but chuckled inwardly anyway.
It seemed that the virtual image of Yuntai Zhenren possessed considerable abilities, even capable of launching a spiritual attack on him. Presumably, it probably sought to possess something.
Unfortunately for it, it had encountered Cheng Xu, and luck was not on its side.
Having failed to invade Cheng Xu’s mind, Yuntai Zhenren was shocked. He turned around and attempted to flee but was easily caught up by two flying swords.
Cheng Xu brandished his sword and chased after him, using the Cloud Sword Technique.
Witnessing the surging sword Qi, Yuntai Zhenren panicked, “No, no, no, don’t ~ Little friend, let’s talk!”
“We can talk later.”
Cheng Xu relentlessly employed the Cloud Sword Technique to beat it, battering it until it was weakened. He then took advantage of the situation to pull it into the sword in his hand and firmly locked it in the sword. Only then did he feel satisfied.
“Little friend, I implore you to spare me.”
Being sealed within the flying sword, Master Yuntai lost all trace of arrogance.
Regrettably, Cheng Xu paid him no mind and stowed the flying sword in his storage bag.
There was no rush; he would release it later.
Once he finished, he hurriedly returned back to the mountain.
The exhibition had been reduced to ruins, and many Scorching Sun Sect disciples were cleaning up the aftermath.
His master, Perfected Yuntai, had been inquiring about Cheng Xu’s whereabouts from the Scorching Sun Sect. Upon seeing Cheng Xu safe and sound, his eyes turned red. “Brat, where on earth have you been? I thought you…”
“I apologize for causing you to worry.” Cheng Xu guiltily explained, “I merely wanted to find a place to test my flying sword. Unexpectedly, I experienced a sudden revelation during the process. So, I took the opportunity to comprehend the Cloud Sword Technique.”
“I see.” Perfected Yuntai heaved a sigh of relief. “It’s good that you’re fine ~ It’s good that you’re fine. You are a fortunate individual, kid. You just managed to escape the clutches of the demonic path.”
At that moment, Bai Ci’er, who had been waiting for her master, Perfected Luoyue, to return, also rushed over joyfully.
Upon seeing Cheng Xu safe and sound, her previously worried heart finally eased.
When she learned that Cheng Xu had comprehended the Cloud Sword Technique, she grew even more elated. “I never expected Junior Brother Cheng to have grasped the Cloud Sword Technique so quickly. By the time the various sects convene, 1 reckon that you’ll have reached the second or even third level.”
Cheng Xu smiled but remained silent.
After another half a day passed, the righteous path experts who had gone to chase after the demonic cultivators returned one by one. From their expressions, it was evident that they had not managed to exterminate those demonic cultivators.
Following the upheaval, the Magical Equipment Exposition was prematurely brought to an end..