Chapter 782 - 412: The Woodcutter
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
To be safe, Tie Dan chiseled open the brain of the demon statue with his sword, split its spine, dissected its belly, shattered it to pieces, chopped it to bits, ensuring the thing could never rise again, and in the process dismantled all its organs for study.
Though this demon statue was made of stone, its internal organs were exactly like a human’s, shockingly realistic, a closer look was truly a bit disgusting.
Unfortunately, even disassembled like this, Tie Dan still couldn’t figure out what this Xuan Nu demon statue was, how it managed to move, whether it belonged to demons, monsters, humans or ghosts.
But the deeper he delved into Daoist skills and the more thoroughly he studied magic, the clearer Tie Dan understood that knowing people and faces doesn’t mean knowing the heart, and what the eyes see often can’t be trusted. In this world, there are too many Yin Yang variations, deceptive beauty, blinding techniques, and soul-bewildering arts among demons.
This kind of young man inherently lacks experience and insight, unable to see or discern clearly, easily deceived and tricked, even possibly ruined. Thus, he only hardened his heart, persisted with his sword, spoke no words, broke through calamities, and fought his way through for a chance.
Simply put, to hell with it, just chop away.
"Pop"
Alright, the demon fetus was excavated completely too, looking like a... ball.
Hmm, a heavy, round stone ball, stuffed inside the demon statue’s belly. Growing like this, you would think it’s a mammal, but could it be that it’s oviparous?
"Wow—wow—wow—"
Suddenly, a sharp squeal, seemingly stifled in the throat, came forth. Tie Dan turned his head to look, only to see that from the neck’s fracture, the ginseng head manifested numerous fresh roots and tendrils, like the limbs of an octopus, struggling desperately to crawl out.
Anyway, it was no longer needed, so Tie Dan let it be, took an axe and hacked away furiously, pulverizing the demon statue into powder, completely destroying the magic scripture in the belly, and then looked at the stone screen nearby.
The demon fetus birthed from the Carefree Demoness statue’s belly was considered a genuine Carefree Disciple by now, right?
So Tie Dan wrapped the stone egg with his robe, held it in his arms, circled around the screen once, blinked, and then saw,
The red building adorned with embroidered chambers reflecting the rosy glow, gauzy curtains hiding verdant shades. Lan incense waning as the golden beast cools, caladium blossoms first illuminating the scarce jade hairpins. Lifting the curtain, inadvertently overhearing the whispers of orioles, leaning against the railing, observing butterflies compete in flight. Long days of embroidered wool picked and rearranged, oblivious to spring’s departure, teasing the gauzy tent.
Wafting fragrances assailed the senses, luring language and oriole songs, drifting through the windows. In the blink of an eye, the scene before him shifted. No longer the remnants of the Demon Sect, ghostly mausoleum. Instead, red buildings and jade tiles, silk drapes like waves, scattered with exquisite silk and satin, seductive clothing and stockings, fragrances overwhelming, vibrant as spring, clearly a woman’s boudoir amidst this.
Looking back, behind him was no longer the collapsing ruins, nor the wordless stele stripped clean by blades, but a Han White Jade screen overflowing with spiritual breath, inlaid with gold and silver.
The screen adorned with blooming flowers, lavishly opening, the floral branches and leaves entirely embellished with gold and silver, though slightly differing from the Linglong Pavilion’s Thousand-Petal Screen, it still showcased the luxurious style of the Carefree Demon Sect. However, from this side, only flourishing blossoms were visible, no true scripture.
Tie Dan’s sharp eyes recognized, in a breath, that True Breath Dao Power still couldn’t be summoned, naturally understanding, he was still amidst the Barrier Restriction, everything before him was illusion, merely dreamy bubbles, Enchanting Illusion Realm.
He suddenly felt something wet flowing from his arms, looking down, he saw the stone egg in his arms turned into a mass of blurred flesh, dripping steaming hot, black blood, like crude oil.
Coldly watching the mass of blurred flesh in his arms, Tie Dan remained silent, letting the black blood coat him, picked up the axe and pushed the door out.
Indeed, outside lay the Brocade Taoist Palace, Leisure Cave Mansion, probably crafted by powerful means, reversing Qiankun, time travel magic, forming the illusion.
At this moment, the morning mist hadn’t dissipated, gazing afar, the distant palaces and Taoist Temples seemed suspended in the clouds like mirages, red eaves piercing the azure haze, with undiscovered dew adorning the glazed tiles. Stone lions at the Mountain Gate’s side covered in moss as armor, the copper rings in their mouths rusted, exuding a cold, eerie glow.
Nine meandering corridors resembled serpentine dragons, ancient pines on both sides with twisted branches like Cang Long extending claws, light filtering through pine needles forming fragmented gold on the ground. Suddenly, the sound of bells and chimes from Three Pure Ones Hall stirred the golden immortal crane perched on the copper bell at the eaves corner, its wings’ vibrations scattering feathers like falling snow directly into the wave-like pine forest.
Just observing the scenery, indeed this place was a feng shui treasure land, a residence for immortals, yet besides its transcendental beauty, incongruously, from the outer courtyard rooms, distinctly came the decadent moans of "uh uh ah ah", echoing amid the foothills.
Well, if it’s not carefree, why call it the Leisure Sect?
But Tie Dan wasn’t in a hurry to find the source of uh uh ah ah, first he picked up the axe and entered the main hall, glanced at the shrine.
The shrine was empty, as if the Faceless Xuan Nu demon statue had run outside itself. But this time, everything was right, so the plaque before the hall Tie Dan recognized.
Colorless and formless, no death or life, Leisure Formless Palace.
Quite straightforward, seems like cultivating without addressing appearances is the trend of Daoist skills these days...
But Tie Dan remembered previously receiving the Faceless Immortal’s inheritance only to be immediately struck by the Kun, not to mention that Xuan Nu demon statue was so sinister, Tie Dan didn’t desire to be formless, nor pregnant, naturally not exploring the various demon scriptures and secret transmissions in this Formless Palace.
So he continued to grasp the axe, stride down the mountain, towards those elegant Taoist residences, hearing only revelry inside the chambers, thus seeking out the chamber with the most intense groaning sound "yiyiya", jumping onto the roof, removing tiles to peer inside.