Cultivation: When you take things to the extreme

“What?”

Nie Hailong’s expression changed, and before he could speak, a piercing wind noise came through his earpiece.

“Whoosh!”

With the biting wind, the scene shifted abruptly, revealing vast darkness, and it was the deep wilderness.

“This is…”

“Jiuqu Mountain!”

Nie Hailong’s gaze sharpened, filled with uncertainty: “He didn’t go to Wuyuan Town?”

“Could it be a two-pronged strategy with the Martial Frenzied Rascal?”

Nie Hailong’s brow furrowed deeply as he immediately opened up the page for “Martial Frenzied Rascal”, but found no new videos or live broadcasts.

This plunged him into confusion.

Such a big incident had occurred in Wuyuan Town, yet this “live broadcast” had focused on Jiuqu Mountain?

Could it be that he was unaware of the events at Wuyuan Town?

Impossible, given the other party’s control over the network, how could they not know about the situation in Wuyuan Town?

Knowing but not going, instead heading to Jiuqu Mountain…

“A diversionary tactic!”

“A feint to the east but attacking in the west!”

Nie Hailong’s eyes hardened, and he suddenly realized: “Wuyuan Town is merely a decoy; the real target of the Black Lotus Sect is Jiuqu Mountain!”

Having said this, he immediately instructed the helicopter pilot: “Turn around, turn around immediately, full speed to Jiuqu Mountain!”

“Yes!”

…

Jiuqu Mountain, with its quiet wilderness and boundless darkness, seemed no different from any other day.

Suddenly, a mass of clouds rolled in, intertwined with lightning and thunder, plunging deep into the heart of the mountains.

In the flash of lightning, an old and ruined mansion came into view, its green bricks and white tiles sinisterly cold — it was the Black Sect stronghold laid to waste months ago by the Martial Frenzied Rascal.

The stronghold had been destroyed, the mansion turned to ruins, and outside there were blockade lines arranged by federal authorities, indicating that it had been dealt with.

Now, the whole mansion, hidden in the night, seemed to be engulfed by the black tide of the Demon Abyss, with only its vague contours visible in the flashes of lightning.

“This is…”

“Jiuqu Mountain?”

“Why have we come back here?”

The audience was also surprised and uncertain upon seeing this.

The Taoist Man, without a word, descended from the thunder clouds and landed within the mansion.

The camera followed, the scene shifted rapidly, revealing scarlet runes, like blood, painted on the green bricks and white walls, covering the entire expanse of the mansion’s ruins. There were also twisted piles of flesh scattered about, like offerings placed everywhere.

“What is this…!”

The viewers were even more horrified at the sight.

The Taoist Man remained silent, horsetail whisk in hand, as he walked into the courtyard.

In the courtyard, the runes covered the ground like writhing insects, with heaps of flesh abound as if it were a setup for a sacrificial altar.

“Gurgle!!”

As the Taoist man stepped forward, an eerie sound emerged from the pile of flesh, like the beating of a heart or the chewing and swallowing of teeth and gums.

With this strange noise, the altar of flesh began to vibrate, its surface covered with a dense array of curse inscriptions, resembling the spots on a toad.

Finally…

“Whoosh!”

Bone and flesh burst apart, and filthy blood splattered everywhere. A bizarre corpse body flipped out from within, walking towards the Taoist man with a stiff and twisted posture, as if to embrace him in its blood-soaked arms. Along the way, bursts of queer sounds echoed, akin to the croaking of countless toads in the fields.

“What the heck?”

“What is this?”

“Silent Hill?”

“Do we really need something this gross in the middle of the night?”

“This is just too anti-human… bleh!”

Seeing this scene, everyone in the live-stream was astounded.

That corpse body, though called a corpse, was not actually a human body at all. Instead, it was formed from an assortment of various limbs, flesh, and internal organs, severely challenging one’s mental tolerance.

However, the Taoist man’s expression did not change as he watched the horrifying and bizarre corpse advancing towards him. Eventually…

“Bang!”

A loud noise echoed as the bizarre corpse flew away, crashing into the broken walls and ruins behind, causing the manor’s ruins to tremble.

“?”

“???”

“What just happened?”

“Boss, aren’t you gonna use any spells?”

Seeing the Taoist man kick the strange corpse away with a single kick, the people in the live-stream room were somewhat confused.

“Thud! Thud! Gurgle! Gurgle!”

At that moment, from within the ruins, another eerie sound could be heard. The terrifying and twisted corpse once again propped itself up, crawling indefatigably towards the Taoist man.

Indeed, crawling. Perhaps feeling that a normal posture was not enough to exhibit its horror, the corpse awkwardly propped itself up on its limbs, crawling towards him with an extraordinarily bizarre stance like a human spider.

Xu Yang, upon seeing this, decisively stepped in four vertical and five horizontal lines, with his feet pressing the Nine Halls Eight Trigrams, moving forward with another kick.

“Boom!!”

A thunderous sound rang out, stirring the vacuum with thunder.

The Taoist man took a heavy step, like the collapse of a mountain, crushing the bizarre corpse into the ground.

This was…

Gang Step!

Rewarding good intentions with a sacrifice to the Five Sacred Mountains, upholding righteousness and suppressing evil with a stomp across the Nine Provinces.

This Taoist step method, walking in four vertical and five horizontal lines, in combination with Nine Halls Eight Trigrams, was traditionally called Yu Step, also known as Gang Fight Step, capable of Gathering Qi, Expelling Evil, and Demon Suppression. It aids in summoning gods, calling upon spirits, inviting generals, and is a method of combat.

To put it more simply, it’s like “enchanting” one’s body with Spiritual Energy and divinity to enhance killing power against demons, evil spirits, and other malign entities. It can also call upon the power of the Heavenly Court Netherworld and the righteous gods of the five directions to strengthen oneself.

Xu Yang was now doing the former, Gang Fight Step with Gathering Qi and wielding the Spell, building up the power of Demon Suppression.

In the mundane world, Yuan Spirit is sparse, and a Cultivator’s Mana diminishes with each use, unless one is willing to consume Spirit Stones or channel thunder to replenish it. Even Xu Yang couldn’t use many powerful spells without such means.

Fortunately, against this small Corpse Demon, there was no need for such powerful spells. A fusion of martial arts and magic, the Gang Step Thunder Fight was sufficient.

Xu Yang stomped down heavily upon the Corpse Demon’s chest, setting off thunderbolts that blasted in all directions.

“Bang! Bang! Bang!”

Under the Heavenly Gang Thunder Fight, the Corpse Demon reacted violently. Its twisted limbs flailed wildly as a large amount of filthy blood sprayed from its body. Dark incantations eerily emerged, wriggling towards Xu Yang’s feet like tadpoles returning to their nest.

However…

“Bang!!!”

Xu Yang retained his composure, lifting his foot again for another forceful Gang Fight Step. The entire manor shook, with a myriad of cracks appearing on the blue stone bricks and even disintegrating into gravel, forming a giant web-like pit beneath the Corpse Demon.

In that webbed pit, the Corpse Demon struggled violently under Xu Yang’s foot, unable to move. The converging black incantations, attempting to corrode, disintegrated the moment they touched the Heavenly Gang Thunder Fight.

“…”

“…”

“…”

In the live-stream room, everyone watched as the slender and ethereal Taoist man, with his celestial bearing, trampled this Corpse Demon—which was several times his own size and radiated horror—beneath his feet, experiencing an indescribable sense of awe and shock.

This scene… wasn’t quite right, was it?