Daoist Competition

Fang Zixing hadn’t been cultivating for long, when he heard a vibration from the sword ball, emitting a clear sound that echoed through the skies. He suddenly opened his eyes and shouted, "Who is spying nearby?"

A woman’s laughter, as crisp as silver bells, sounded in the clouds. Miss Shan stepped out from the clouds and said, "True Master Zhang, I’ve been waiting for you for a long time."

As she appeared, Zhao Xiong also swayed his body and stepped out at the same time.

Holding a golden melon hammer in his hand, he stood there laughing uncontrollably, his figure several feet tall and shaking nonstop, looking extremely fierce and evil.

Miss Shan knew Zhang Yan was hard to deal with, so she gently blew, and a pink mist rose from her cloud-like hair, revealing a Nascent Soul surrounded by red light, holding a flower branch, with a Feather Robe and golden silk belt, flowing gracefully in the wind.

However, at this moment, Zhang Yan appeared calm, as if not at all surprised by their appearance.

Seeing his expression, Miss Shan frowned slightly, feeling a surge of unease rising from somewhere in her heart.

Seeing Zhao Xiong still laughing loudly, making her somewhat irritated and confused, she couldn’t help but shout angrily, "You brute, you have the strength, why not go forward and take action quickly! What are you laughing at here?"

Zhao Xiong’s eyes flashed with fierceness, he said, "Alright, let’s act!"

He raised the golden hammer high, then roared, mustering all his strength, and suddenly smashed it directly onto Miss Shan’s Nascent Soul Protection Light!

With a loud noise, the red glow shattered more than half in an instant.

Miss Shan had not expected Zhao Xiong to attack her, and was instantly stupefied, both shocked and angry, "Zhao Xiong, are you mad..."

But as soon as she met Zhao Xiong’s gaze, she shivered. His eyes were ice-cold, lacking the usual lecherous and lustful look.

Just as she spoke, the second hammer fell again with a "bang" sound, the Protective Treasure Light could no longer withstand it and shattered instantly, turning into threads of smoke and dust.

Miss Shan screamed and only then began to panic, trying to retreat, but by then it was too late.

Zhao Xiong suddenly inhaled, and the Gang Wind within a hundred feet gathered towards him, and Miss Shan felt her body wrapped in a violent current, unable to move even half a step, her hands and feet paralyzed, her beautiful eyes filled with frantic terror.

Zhao Xiong, as a Power Dao Practitioner, excelled in close combat. He was just a few steps away from Miss Shan, leaving her no chance to fight back. He let out a fierce laugh, and with both hands raised the golden melon hammer, bringing it down onto Miss Shan’s head.

With a cracking sound, blood splattered, and Miss Shan’s head split like a rotten melon, dying without a sound.

Zhao Xiong let out another shout, grabbed the delicate corpse and Primordial Spirit, crushing them together.

After killing Miss Shan, he tossed the golden melon hammer and fell onto the clouds, kowtowing, "Little demon Zhao Xiong pays respects to True Master Zhang."

Zhang Yan had been coldly observing as they fought, and seeing him kneel, said, "Are you the one who delivered the message that day?"

Zhao Xiong repeatedly kowtowed, "It is indeed the little demon, indeed."

Zhang Yan smiled faintly, "In the letter, you said you three are under that person’s tutelage, so why come to assist me?"

Zhao Xiong punched his hand and said furiously, "The True Master doesn’t know, when we apprenticed, it was only to a statue, we haven’t even seen that person’s face. They just said we are Registered Disciples, and only Jin Tanggong and Miss Shan thought they had found a high branch. But I, Old Zhao, never took it seriously. Over the years in the sect, the three of us have only done some arduous errands, but suddenly last year, they said there is a Dharma Treasure to help us elevate our cultivation. It was urgent, so I suspected some trickery, and didn’t want to comply, but feared that refusing would endanger my life, so I had to agree."

He looked full of sorrow, "The little demon once received a Life Incense from an Alien Person to see my lifespan, and after using the Dharma Treasure to elevate my cultivation secretly went to check, only to find the Life Incense was greatly shortened, not only that, it decreases daily. At this rate, the little one won’t have many years left, clearly, they want us dead. Since they are unkind, don’t blame me for being unjust."

A person not knowing how long they can live is one thing, as it can be ignorant and fearless. But knowing makes one increasingly afraid of death.

Watching the Life Incense every day made Zhao Xiong uneasy, realizing there was no future in that sect, he thought of seeking refuge with Zhang Yan in hopes of finding a way to survive.

Zhang Yan pondered for a while, and asked, "Is Yu Gu Shi Shu here?"

After a while, Yu Gu True Spirit lazily emerged, "What does the nephew need from me?"

Zhang Yan clasped his hands and said, "You must have heard what this person said earlier. I wonder if you know about the Dharma Treasure?"

Yu Gu True Spirit chuckled and said, "Nephew, you are asking the right person. This little demon is not lying. It is indeed a strange treasure taken by that person back then, called ’Fate-Knowing Transformation Bamboo’. It can help three to five people elevate their cultivation and break through the cultivation Gate within a hundred years. But this is not the Right Path. Those who use this treasure will only have seven or eight years to live, so it can’t be of great use."

This Dharma Treasure in the Mingcang Sect was for those cultivators who couldn’t break through their realm and were nearing the end of their lifespan, to slightly enhance their Primordial Spirit before reincarnating, increasing the chances of enlightenment in the next life.

Zhang Yan’s thoughts turned quickly, vaguely guessing some of that ruthless person’s intentions.

Although he showed the Heroic Festival Fish Drum, that person seemed to fear it was a trap set by Sect Leader Qin. Yet, unwilling to give up, he quickly enhanced the Three Demons’ cultivation to let them try to seize the Heroic Festival Fish Drum.

If successful, that’s best; if not, it doesn’t matter much. After all, it’s just a few unimportant demon cultivators dying.

Realizing he had only a few years left, possibly even less than expected, Zhao Xiong was distraught, pounding his chest and wailing, "Jin Tanggong must be hiding below. The little demon is willing to lead the way for the True Master and smash his dog head, only pleading for the True Master to save my life!"

...

...(To be continued. If you like this work, please visit Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for recommendations and monthly tickets, your support is my biggest motivation.)