Chapter 603 - 83: Chengxi

On an unnamed island in the Southern Sea Region of Mozhou Road, an intricate Array unfolded a dense web of Rune Lines. A pale green curtain of light expanded, warping the space at the island’s center.

The next moment, eight figures, including Chengxi and Quecai, emerged from the warped space.

"RETCH!"

The moment he appeared, Chengxi doubled over, dry heaving. A grayish-white powder seeped from his skin, making him look like a figure made of sand, ready to dissipate in the wind at any moment.

Next, the storage bag at his waist, filled with various plant seeds, tore open. The seeds spilled out, and upon contact with the dissipating powder, they instantly took root and sprouted, clinging to Chengxi’s body. In the blink of an eye, he was covered in an assortment of flowers and plants.

The other seven were unfazed by the sight. Quecai took out a green crystal and crushed it, activating the Imprisonment Array within. The others flew further south, disappearing over the horizon in an instant.

The Imprisonment Array fully formed shortly after the other six vanished. Quecai shifted into her Wood Spirit Form, immersing her entire Primordial Spirit Consciousness into the Array’s core to lock onto Chengxi’s Primordial Spirit Consciousness and actively suppress it.

More than ten breaths later, the tangled flora on Chengxi’s body fell away. The pained contortions of his face gradually relaxed, and he soon returned to his normal appearance.

"RRRIP!"

Chengxi ripped off his clothes, which had been ruined by the transformation, and took a fresh Blue Daoist Robe from his storage bag to put on.

Quecai asked, "How did it go?"

"It failed!"

"How is that possible? The world’s spiritual energy was more than enough to change the fates of two Third Realm Cultivators! And you sacrificed three hundred years of your life, plus we had the Array we prepared on Mozhou Road!"

Disbelief was written all over Quecai’s face.

Chengxi sat down cross-legged, a bitter smile on his face. "But it’s the truth. Changqing has been cultivating for less than five hundred years, but his foundation is incredibly solid. He’s only one step away from Third Realm Perfection!"

"Even so, it shouldn’t have..."

"Xiao Shan Lord passed a Divine Technique Formation on to him. If I had tried to forcibly alter his fate back there, I’m afraid I would have died on the spot!" Chengxi sighed, a bitter edge to his voice.

Quecai’s eyes dimmed at his words. Forcing herself to accept the reality of the situation, she said, "It’s been so long since anyone in our lineage has advanced to the Fourth Realm. This was our best opportunity. If we miss it, I fear we may never get another one!" After a moment, she couldn’t help but add resentfully, "Changqing has all the luck."

"He earned it with his own skill. Back when Elder Yuxiao was still alive, we never saw someone like him just pop up out of nowhere!" Chengxi regulated the Spirit Veins in his body, then rose and looked at Quecai. "That line of thinking is dangerous. Don’t let yourself be ruled by desire and jealousy. We have no personal grudge against Changqing."

Quecai formed a hand seal, quickly quelling her negative emotions. Looking at Chengxi, she asked, "What do we do now?"

"There’s no need to rush. Since a direct confrontation using the Destiny Disc is useless, we’ll just have to change our methods. All we need to do is disrupt Changqing’s cultivation and buy ourselves a century or two."

"Are you really planning to work with them? Our conflict with Changqing is an internal matter. If we let outsiders get involved..."

Chengxi cut her off. "Do you think Changqing considers us fellow sect members? The Great Dao is merciless. I just reminded you not to be swayed by emotion."

Quecai fell silent.

Seeing her expression, Chengxi softened his tone. "We won’t have to get our own hands dirty this time; we just need to cooperate. Changqing’s word is practically law in the Southern Cultivation Realm right now, but he draws too much attention. And no one likes someone who stands out that much!"

As he spoke, he glanced at the clouds on the northern horizon.

’They caught up this fast?’

His hand seals shifted rapidly, and the Transfer Array beneath his feet activated. The next moment, he and Quecai were enveloped by the array’s light and vanished.

「A quarter of an hour later.」

Dozens of Golden Armored Puppets emerged from the clouds and landed on the island. They paused briefly before scattering in all directions. A moment later, a pall of black mist descended from the clouds, swiftly settling on the ground.

It was Dongcan. His body was currently wreathed in an array of Magical Artifacts, making him look as if he were made of mist. An illusory figure could be seen within the swirling black haze, flanked by two floating, pitch-black greatswords. Where his aura touched the ground, vicious saber marks appeared from thin air.

A Transfer Talisman hovered near him, ready to teleport him away from the area at a moment’s notice.

After confirming the area was safe, his misty form swirled and coalesced, transforming in an instant into a master of the Taoist Family clad in a Blue Daoist Robe. The only things that clashed with this image were the two greatswords still floating at his side.

"Their aura is here!"

A voice called out from the sky as Gan Qi landed beside Dongcan. Shortly after, two more figures appeared on the island’s only hill: Wu Quan and Wu Bing.

Dongcan ignored Gan Qi, stroking the black lizard perched on his neck as he looked up toward the clouds.

An auspicious cloud drifted beneath the cloud cover. Wang Ping and Zi Luan were at the fore, flanked by Monk Mingxin, Ruan Chunzi, Yuan Zheng, and Mengxin. Before they descended, the Golden Armored Puppets that had scattered earlier reconverged at the island’s center, transforming into streaks of green light that flowed into the space between Wang Ping’s brows.

As the auspicious cloud descended, Zi Luan suddenly shot forward, landing in the middle of the island. He swiftly formed a Spell with his left hand, summoning his Heaven-Reaching Talisman. The moment it appeared, his eyes darted around the area. The Wood Spirits of the world bent to his will, revealing the residual Array Runes left on the island.

"A Transfer Talisman?"

Wang Ping landed beside Zi Luan, a questioning tone in his voice.

The question arose because the patterns of these tattered Transfer Talismans differed from the inherited memories he had received upon advancing to the Third Realm. He tried to analyze them with his glowing screen, but it didn’t react, likely because the runes were too fragmented.

"You’re not mistaken. These are indeed from a Transfer Talisman," Zi Luan explained to Wang Ping. "They belong to another branch of the Taiyan Sect’s lineage. I heard my master speak of them long ago. Their use of the Transfer Talisman is masterful; during the war with the Demon Race, they were the allied army’s greatest assassins. When merits were rewarded afterward, they were granted a fine Dao Field in the Southeast Sea Region."

"The leading figure of their current generation is a man named Chengxi. He’s also one of the three senior members of the Daoist Scripture Hall."

As he spoke, he released the hand seal for his Spell. "Just as I thought, they’ve been destroyed. What a shame..."

Ruan Chunzi then added, "I know of this branch of the Taiyan Sect. If it’s really them, then what they used just now must have been the ’Apex Twelve’ Destiny Disc. Legend says their grandmaster used that very disc to curse a mighty expert of the Demon Race, grievously wounding them. He himself died not long after, his lifespan completely depleted."

He said this as a warning for Wang Ping to be extremely careful.

Zi Luan chimed in, "Fellow Daoist Ruan Chunzi is right. That branch isn’t just skilled with the Transfer Talisman; they’re also masters of various Curse Talismans. However, that kind of Talisman goes against the harmony of nature and must be used with Sacrificial Magic, so it was later expressly forbidden!"

At this, Monk Mingxin chanted, "The Saints are merciful." He gazed to the southeast and said, "The story I heard is different from yours. In my version, they were driven to the Southeast Sea Region by your people."