Chapter 361: Encounter

Meng Qi and Jiang Zhiwei followed Zhao Heng down a narrow mountain road. The pitch black or dark green plants along the road were also covered with the faint light of Buddha. The pure and solemn glow intertwined with the feeling of filth and depravity, making it difficult to distinguish them from each other.

At the end of the road was a valley. Ruan Yushu was seated on a huge rock in silence, her snow-white robes giving her an air of purity. She sometimes emitted puffs of magic air as mystical music played, and in other times, a dark light surrounded her as shrill screaming filled the air.

It was the same for her exquisitely perfect face. It sometimes appeared cool and noble, and bizarrely bewitching in other times. Her attractiveness was soul-stirring.

“She has something to protect her and counter Primogenitor Devil’s Awareness! Let’s go help her now!” Meng Qi said.

He picked up his pace and directly headed for Ruan Yushu like a gust of wind.

Jiang Zhiwei and Zhao Heng followed closely behind him, flanking Meng Qi’s left and right. They didn’t try to go around in other directions. After Meng Qi had attracted all the attention, they would quietly approach and strike. Ruan Yushu’s zither attacks had a wide-ranging influence after all. They didn’t have any choice but to take it head on to get close to her!

The Ruan family had a secret technique—while playing most of their tunes, they could choose a particular target to influence. Thus if they had teammates on the field, they wouldn’t have to worry about accidental injuries. However, the current Ruan Yushu was on the brink of turning into a demon. She would definitely indiscriminately attack her enemies.

Her breath condensed, suppressing the magic air around her. She placed her hands on the zither and calmly strummed it.

Meng Qi felt flustered the moment the zither music hit his ears. He felt as if his feet were tied to heavy, immense boulders and his movements became sluggish. The same went for Jiang Zhiwei and Zhao Heng.

Meng Qi was able to temporarily free himself from the zither’s influence after shutting off his Ear Acupores. He instantly closed in on Ruan Yushu.

Clang!

Ruan Yushu’s gentle strumming became frantic. The sounds of slaughter exploded in Meng Qi’s Vital Spirit and his soul felt like it was being hammered. It made him dizzy.

He slowed once more and this time he felt as if his body was stuck to something. It swayed in the abnormal airflow around him.

Hammering, sticking, tugging, spinning—it was the Eight Non-human Sounds! His breath would be cut off after taking eight steps and he would instantly die!

He felt a slight burn at his mid-brows as he projected his spirit outwards. Meng Qi began running the “Supernatural Power of Shaking Heaven and Hitting Earth”. His entire being seemed to be an embodiment of the heaven, looking down at the vicissitudes of life, the joys and the sorrows, the never-ending cycles, and the vast and endless. An indifferent and merciless feeling spread. The Eight Non-human Sounds lost a lot of its effectiveness against him.

He had used a spiritual technique to counter her mystical notes!

Jiang Zhiwei, whose Vital Spirit was not as powerful nor as strong as Meng Qi’s, focussed on the swordwill in her heart and advanced in a firm and unyielding manner. It was as if she was breaking through layer after layer of shackles created by the zither sounds.

Zhao Heng’s Seven Acupores first bled a little under the effect of the Eight Non-human Sounds. His expression then immediately turned serious and something like a golden spot appeared on his mid-brows. The yellow glow gradually overflowed and turned him into a god that had descended upon the world, unaffected by the zither tune.

He hadn’t used a spiritual technique. Meng Qi had heard of it before. It was the Immortal-suppressing Yellow Seal from the Book of Shocking the World. It made use of one’s sincerity and uprightness to protect his Vital Spirit.

They closed their distance until they were in a dangerous position. Ruan Yushu’s zither tune changed again, now appearing like a glittering lake under the moon that reflected radiance in tranquility. A twinge of sadness and sweetness pervaded the air. It brought with it peace from the heart and an ice-like serenity.

The sound seemed to freeze even the heaven. Meng Qi’s mind slowed a little and he felt an irresistible, tranquil coldness rise from the bottom of his heart. His Vital Spirit was about to become an ‘ice sculpture’.

The Guanghan Curse? Meng Qi suddenly recalled that Ruan Yushu had exchanged points for that Exterior-level zither score. He never would’ve guessed that he would be the first to get a taste of the technique after she had mastered it!

Jiang Zhiwei’s mind slowed down as well. Her sword was still piercing holes through layers of ice, but alas, her Vital Spirit was still not as strong as Meng Qi’s. The distance between the two grew wider.

Nevertheless, she still pushed forward. Enemies like these were frustrating to her because she couldn’t hit them and was also unable to use her Exterior-level moves to fight back. It all depended on how well her Vital Spirit and genuine Qi could hold out. If the enemy had been manageable, she would long have activated her Precious Weapon. Its Sword Qi would have spread over ten miles and wounded her enemies from afar. However, in such a case, she couldn’t control its power. It would have been easy to kill Ruan Yushu. It was her last resort and she wanted to abstain from using it as much as possible.

Zhao Heng was also walking increasingly slowly. The gold spot at his mid-brows turned clear as if it had been frozen.

The gas dragon behind him gathered. He was finally in the position to make a long-range attack and he hoped to affect Ruan Yushu with it.

He threw a punch and the gust of wind from the force was as strong as a dragon, launching from the opposite side.

Ruan Yushu continued to strum her zither. As each finger flicked up, bursts of Sword Qi shot out—primitive, vigorous, heroic, lively, agile, and unpredictable. They surged through the air, hurtling at the gas dragon, and interweaving into a net.

Swoosh! Ruan Yushu kept playing and their coldness within grew stronger. The gas dragon was dispersed, but the gust of wind still hit her. She resembled a fairy with her long hair dancing in the air and her sleeves billowing.

Ruan Yushu’s hands suddenly stopped for a moment as if she were about to play the 12 Magical Sounds of Langhuan.

Meng Qi couldn’t stop her in time as he was still a distance away from her. Hence, he decided to give his Heaven Inflicted Pain a shot!

Right then, Ruan Yushu’s breath changed. The air of magic spread again, suppressing the demonic feeling. Her eyes seemed to turn clearer and her hands stopped moving. However, the black light didn’t seem to budge at all and stubbornly tried to gain the upper hand.

A sudden idea hit Meng Qi and he shouted at the top of his lungs.

“Dried dragon fish!”

Ruan Yushu froze and her hand on the zither paused. The air of magic rose some more, bringing greater brightness.

It worked! Meng Qi began dashing madly at her, hollering as he ran.

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“Steamed lamb, steamed bear’s paw, steamed deer’s tail, roasted duck, roasted chicken, roasted goose, salty duck in thick gravy, soy-sauce chicken, bacon, steamed crab, stuffed pig’s bladder, three kinds of lobster, dried pork, sausages, assorted platters, smoked chicken, white bellies, steamed pork stuffed with eight delicacies, glutinous rice stuffed duck, stuffed wild chicken, stuffed quail, assorted platter in thick gravy, goose in thick gravy, prawns in thick gravy, braised prawns, stir-fried shrimp, mountain chickens, rabbit breast meat, silverfish, braised duck kernel, braised duck strips, shredded chicken…”

The puffs of magic air rose more and more as Ruan Yushu’s eyes grew clearer and brighter. Her hands on the zither stopped.

When he had reached a certain distance from her, Meng Qi activated Buddha’s Lamp. Its light spread out, illuminating and casting its glow on countless corners. It enveloped Ruan Yushu, causing the black light to stagnate. He then swiftly drew in close and used his supernatural power.

This time, he saw the concrete image of him calling out the names of all the foods he had shouted. He saw himself drooling and finally, footing the bill…

With the double suppression of both the protective treasure and Buddha’s Lamp, he easily helped Ruan Yushu defeat Primogenitor Devil’s consciousness. He then made her take out the Filth-extracting Pill and consume it to expel the filth in her body.

Jiang Zhiwei was elated to see Ruan Yushu saved. She quipped, “Y’know, little monk, just now you really sounded like, like…”

She burst into laughter mid-sentence.

“… a waiter calling out the names of dishes,” Ruan Yushu said, spitting out the filth and finished her sentence in all seriousness.

Meng Qi gave a dry laugh. He didn’t fuss about it, changing the topic instead. “Let’s hurry up and find Senior Brother Qi. We can’t afford any delay.”

Their top priority was saving Qi Zhengyan. Ruan Yushu quickly got up and followed her teammates, hugging her zither as she ran. The dark green jade pendant on her split into two halves.

They had just run out of the valley when someone approached them from the front. He was wearing a green robe, had a calm and steady disposition, and his face was expressionless. They realized with a start that it was Qi Zhengyan!

“Senior Brother Qi, stop!” Initially overjoyed, Meng Qi immediately called for the man to freeze.

Later, he noticed that Qi Zhengyan’s eyes were clear and there wasn’t a drop of filth on him. Meng Qi doubtfully asked, “Primogenitor Devil’s Awareness didn’t possess you?”

Qi Zhengyan saw that Meng Qi and the others didn’t seem possessed either and replied seriously, “The Book of the Chaos has been cultivating an alien kind of power from between heaven and earth since the accumulation of gas. It allows for communication between the inside and the outside. My Vital Spirit has special abilities too. Back when Primogenitor Devil’s Awareness tried to possess me, my Rosy Afterglow Swing burnt and exterminated it.”

The Rosy Afterglow Swing was a fire-type weapon.

“I see…” Meng Qi had never practiced the Book of the Chaos and was thus unsure if it was really the case. Playing it safe, he said, “Senior Brother Qi, I’m worried that there are still remnants of the Primogenitor Devil’s Awareness around. I’d like to flash Buddha’s Lamp at you. We’ll also stand in its light at the same time so you can be assured that we’re not possessed either.”

Qi Zhengyan paused before replying, “Okay.”

The bluish-white lamp grew larger and shone its light on them, casting its warm and pure glow on their hearts. Qi Zhengyan’s body was engulfed in a layer of radiance. There wasn’t a speck of filth or black gas on him. The same went for Meng Qi and the others.

There wasn’t any problem! All their comrades were saved. Meng Qi felt all the tension in his body disappear as he filled with joy. With a serious expression, he told Qi Zhengyan,

“Senior Brother Qi, smile.”

Qi Zhengyan didn’t know what Meng Qi was trying to do, but seeing the latter’s solemn attitude, he thought that they were trying to see if he had been possessed by the Primogenitor Devil’s Awareness. Hence, he forced a smile on his face.

“Your smile is as rigid as ever! You really haven’t been possessed!” Meng Qi suddenly broke into a radiant smile, revealing his pearly-white teeth.

“Pfft!” Jiang Zhiwei, who had been doubtful before, couldn’t hold back her laughter. The corner of Ruan Yushu’s lips seemed to curl up a little and Zhao Heng’s face twitched. If their positions had been swapped, he would definitely have beaten Su Meng into a pulp!

The corner of Qi Zhengyan’s eyes twitched. Meng Qi took a step back.

“The Demonworld Fragment is changing. We have to hurry back to the entrance and try to kill another evil spirit along the way. Then we’ll have enough Demonic Crystals to leave this place as soon as possible!”

These were words from an experienced man. Qi Zhengyan repressed his feelings within. Using the mountains and rivers as landforms, they figured out the direction they should be heading in and hurried along the edge of the gleaming light.

…

Military Star and Matriarch of the West stealthily landed outside the Skyscraping Palace. They didn’t burst in, lest they got ambushed.

Deep in the Demonworld Fragment, Bluecloud Progenitor only left the cave after the terrifying creatures were long gone. She began making her way toward the entrance.

She suddenly realized that the faint Buddha light beside her was vanishing!

No, not vanishing! Rather, it was contracting toward a specific spot. The Buddha light had almost condensed into a colored glaze and the Devil Qi was so dense at its core that it seemed to be alive, baring its fangs threateningly.

The monster’s frightening breath seemed to be escaping from within.

“What’s going on?” Bluecloud Progenitor suspected that things in the Demonworld Fragment had reached a critical point. She gritted her teeth. Since she still had a life-preserving item left, she hurried over to the location to find out what was going on. Otherwise, they might not even have a chance to make up for things later on!

…

Meng Qi and the others stopped dead in their tracks. The grave expressions on their faces stemmed from a hard-to-restrain inner fear.

There was a monster standing in front of them!

It was a mummified corpse, not rotting but it had lost all moisture. The corpse wore a yellow frock and a large, red cassock. Half of its body was as black as ink, while the other half was shining like colored glaze.

The two halves weren’t completely separated. Rather, they were entangled with each other. Sometimes the brilliant glow suppressed the other side, and sometimes the Devil Qi gushed out. It was incredibly petrifying.