Cultivation: When you take things to the extreme

Chapter 548: Chapter 331: Kylin

South Observance Continent, at the base of Mount Qilin.

The mountain resembles a qilin, with tigers lying in wait and dragons coiling around, and there’s a fierce miasma swirling about, truly uncharacteristic of any typical mountain terrain.

In the midst of this wild mountain…

“Watching the chess game deteriorates, chopping wood echoes, leisurely walking by the valley’s edge, selling firewood and trading wine, laughing madly, lost in my own joy. The autumn sky is vast, lying with my head on a pine root facing the moon, I awake at dawn. Recognizing the old forest, climbing cliffs and traversing ridges, I wield my axe to sever withered vines.”

“Gathered into a bundle, I sing as I enter the market, trading for three liters of rice. There’s no competition over petty matters, the prices are fair, without clever schemes or calculations, no honor or disgrace, contentedly I extend my life. Wherever I encounter someone, if not an immortal, then a Taoist, we sit quietly and discuss the teachings of Huang Ting.”

In the wilderness, the sound of a Tao song resonates, a melody filling the fragrant courtyard.

Look closely, and you’ll see a mountain woodcutter, carrying a bundle of firewood and singing loudly in the wilderness.

Suddenly…

Two streaks of escape light come piercing through the sky, turning and twisting before descending in front of the woodcutter and transforming into a man and a woman.

The man is handsome, the woman beautiful, each bearing a green and a purple sword on their backs. Even without unsheathing them, the swords emit a spirit light, subtly revealing their sharp edges. Anyone who sees them would surely exclaim, what a marvelous pair of sword-wielding immortals.

The two land in front of the woodcutter, looking him up and down, then speak, “You woodcutter, do you know where you are, daring to chop wood here? Do you have a death wish?”

Seeing them, the woodcutter shows not the slightest surprise, but instead chuckles, “Since I’ve come here to chop wood, of course I know the nature of this place. On the contrary, you two, brandishing your swords with such bravado, are you aware of how perilous these mountains can be?”

“Oh?”

Hearing this, the pair grew interested, “We have only recently arrived here, having heard that Mount Qilin harbors demons wreaking havoc and committing evil deeds. We’ve come especially to slay demons and eradicate evil. Is there more to know?”

The woodcutter shakes his head, chuckles, and explains, “Since you two are newcomers here, naturally you’re ignorant to the dangers of Mount Qilin. You must know there is a monster in this mountain by the name of Sai Taisui, whose original form is that of a Golden-Furred Lion!”

“Golden-Furred Lion?”

Upon hearing this, they are taken aback, “What beast is that?”

The woodcutter smiles and explains, “This creature is an alien among demons, canine in shape, resembling a qilin, a zombie arisen from the dead. It is said that when a living being dies and the corpse does not decay, it becomes a zombie. The flesh shrinks back into the bones, leaving only tendons that grow hair—initially white, which turns black after five hundred years, red after another five hundred, and after another five hundred, the black hair turns to gold. Having survived the tribulations of Return to Void, it becomes a Golden-Furred Lion, and it is most fond of devouring humans!”

“This…”

At these words, the two are astonished, suddenly breaking into a cold sweat and feeling as if the world is spinning around them.

“So you mean to say, this creature is a Return to Void demon?”

“How could we be so rash, so recklessly coming here to exorcise demons?”

“Could it be…”

The pair turn pale, their expressions filled with panic. They look again at the woodcutter, who remains smiling, and they finally understand something, hastily bowing in thanks, “We are grateful for the elder’s warning and rescue!”

The woodcutter shakes his head, not acknowledging the title, simply saying, “You two have ventured out too soon, unaware of the evils within the cultivation realm. Even among the Golden-Furred Lion, your Sai Taisui is no ordinary being. He has cultivated for countless years, now a being of great power, with divine powers extremely formidable. Even the average immortal clan dares not provoke him.”

“Moreover, he has quite a background, being the mount of the Great Mercy Bodhisattva from the West Bovine He Continent. For reasons unknown, he escaped to South Observance, turned demon here, claiming kingship and dominion, doing evil and consuming humans. He also possesses a fearsome magical treasure known as the Purple-Gold Bell, which targets cultivators’ primordial spirits, capable of bewitching people’s souls.”

“The people you encountered before were but demons under its command, using that evil demon’s sorcery to bewitch you both, voluntarily leading you to Mount Qilin to offer up your lives, to become food in the belly of Sai Taisui!”

In a stream of words, he lays out the causes and effects, the whole story.

Hearing this, the two, with mere Nascent Soul cultivation levels, are drenched in sweat and their faces turn ghastly white. They immediately fall to their knees, bowing repeatedly, “We thank the elder for the grace of saving our lives!”

“Ah!”

Facing their bows, the woodcutter merely sighs, looking back at the dark mountains, “Demons exerting cruelty, their cultivation insufficient, how to cope with them, how indeed…”

“Whoosh!”

His words barely finished, a radiant light appears in the distance, a five-colored wheel spinning toward them, a divine sword cutting through the sky, in an instant passing the boundaries and directly entering Mount Qilin.

“This…!?”

The woodcutter is taken aback, staring at the remaining traces of the rainbow, his face filled with astonishment.

Elsewhere…

Mount Qilin, inside the Great Year Mansion, Xiezhi Cave.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

In the vast cave mansion, a demon is seen deeply asleep.

What kind of demon?

Measuring eighteen feet in length, with arms five spans wide, a radiant halo of light sits atop its head, while a fierce aura of killing intent emanates from its chest. Sharp fangs jut out from its mouth like blades, singed hair around its temples emits red smoke, whiskers like sharp arrows adorn its lips, and bristling hair envelops its entire body like layers of felt. Eyes as round as bells scorn the Great Year, resembling neither human nor beast—an anomaly among anomalies.

The cave mansion reeks of foulness, filled with skeletons and skulls, mountains of corpses and seas of blood, utterly reeking of putridity.

The demon, fast asleep, is submerged in slumber.

Suddenly…

“Demon, come forth and met your end!”

“Hmm!?”

At that call, from outside like thunder striking the ear, the demon is startled awake.

The Golden-Furred Lion turns over, sitting up on its bed, those sinister copper bell-like eyes uncertain as they gaze outward. It then rises and steps out of the cave.

Outside the Xiezhi Cave, in front of Mount Qilin, the sky was filled with multicolored rosy clouds that merged into a stretch of auspicious clouds. Atop these clouds stood a person, his head crowned with a Phoenix-Winged Purple Dawn Crown, his body draped in a Five-Colored Rainbow Robe, his majestic eyebrows and bright eyes possessing the countenance of an Immortal, his build as proud as a green pine or sharp sword, his waist bound by a Golden Thread Jade Belted Cloud Dragon Belt, his footsteps clad in Seven-Star Ascending Heaven Shoes; he truly had the imposing manner of a True Immortal!

“…”

Witnessing such a personage approaching, the heart of the Golden-Furred Lion gave a jolt, yet it still mustered defiance and said, “Who are you, divine being, to dare cause trouble on my Mount Qilin?”

With a smile, Xu Yang, holding a horsetail whisk in hand, replied, “Demons commit atrocities, desecrating this Spirit Mountain; I have come to walk the Path of Heaven on behalf of the heavens.”

“Hm!?”

The Golden-Furred Lion’s eyes narrowed, a sense of unease suddenly gripping its heart.

But as a Demon King of this territory, it could not show weakness and still forced itself to say, “We’ll see if you have the ability to back up your words.”

Upon finishing, the Golden-Furred Lion raised its right arm, tossing out an object, which jingled melodiously, emitting waves of mystical Brahma Sound.

Peering intently, one could see flickering purple light—it was a collar with three golden bells attached. Now chiming in unison, they emitted Buddhism’s Brahma Sound, accompanied by billowing smoke and raging flames, instantaneously darkening the skies and sending sand and rocks flying through the air.

It was indeed a treasure of Buddhism, a Medium-Grade Immortal Artifact termed the Purple-Gold Bell and classified as a Sixth Rank, also the Golden-Furred Lion’s trump card.

It knew that anyone with such presence must possess extraordinary abilities, thus it dared not to be careless, using the Purple-Gold Bell from the outset.

“Jingle jingle jingle!”

“Boom boom boom!”

With the release of the Purple-Gold Bell came the Brahma Sound, confounding people’s souls and Primordial Spirits, as well as heavy smoke and raging fires, throwing sand and rocks, burning flesh and blood, and melting tendons and bones.

Yet…

On the five-colored auspicious clouds above, the newcomer swept away with his horsetail whisk, and with a broad wave of his sleeve, the Five Elements began to turn, merging with the Dao of the Void, evolving the laws of heaven and earth, wielding the power of Qiankun.

“Whoosh!”

The Golden-Furred Lion, not understanding the profound mysteries, only saw the multicolored divine light circulating, transforming within the broad sleeve into Yin and Yang fishes, then into a void black hole which first swallowed the smoke and fire, then collected the sand and rocks, and finally, with an air suction from afar, fixed the Purple-Gold Bell in place.

“No good!!”

Witnessing this scene, the Golden-Furred Lion’s face changed color in a flash, and it hastened to channel its mana to retrieve the Purple-Gold Bell.

However, as mana surged forth and Divine Consciousness attempted to beckon, no matter how desperately it called, the Purple-Gold Bell did not budge even a hair.

Eventually…

“Come!”

Atop the five-colored auspicious clouds, the Taoist Man manipulated the Qiankun, pulling with his sweeping sleeve; the Purple-Gold Bell, frozen in the void, could no longer resist, transforming into a streak of golden light that shot into his Qiankun Sleeve, no more traces of the billowing smoke, raging flames, or whirling sand and stones to be seen.

“Ahh!!!”

The loss of its Magical Treasure, the severance of their connection, caused the Golden-Furred Lion to cry out in rage, “Return my Magical Treasure!”

Xu Yang, unperturbed, simply swept his horsetail whisk once more, casting forth a streak of red light, which midway transformed into a blaze accompanied by the sound of thunder, charging fiercely towards the demon.

Great Five Elements Thunder-Fire Divine Light!

A method transmitted through the Five Elements Immortal Sect, encompassing five elements and four laws with nine great Divine Lights. Dustless, during the battle at the Void Spirit Cave Heaven, had used one of them – the Ice Soul Divine Light; with the Five Elements turning, water manifests to its extreme, becoming ice.

And this thunder and fire belonged to the fire element, the Five Elements turning likewise, refining to the utmost extent, becoming the Great Five Elements Thunder-Fire Divine Light, with thunder and fire interplaying, smelting and striking, its offensive power surpassing even that of the Ice Soul Divine Light, which could freeze the void and extinguish all life.

Although he had just learned this method and his Divine Powers were only at an early stage, far from reaching even minor accomplishment and incomparable to Dustless, under the support of Xu Yang’s Integral Completion Cultivation, it was more than enough to deal with the mere Golden-Furred Lion.

“!!!”

As the thunderous blaze bore down upon it, the Golden-Furred Lion no longer cared about the Purple-Gold Bell and drew back in haste, retreating into the Xiezhi Cave, while simultaneously activating the Great Array of Mount Qilin to protect its Great Year Mansion.

It was no joking matter; the opponent had snatched away his Purple-Gold Bell, indicating his profound cultivation and formidable methods. Without his Magical Treasure, how could he contend? Relying on the array and defending the Cave Mansion was the Righteous Path.

However…

“Boom boom boom!”

One sweep of the Five Elements Divine Light, the thunder and fire resounded explosively, shaking Mount Qilin and shattering the array’s Spirit Light.

Above the five-colored auspicious clouds, Xu Yang remained composed, waving his horsetail whisk to send successive waves of Five Elements Divine Light, fueling the array’s fires, consuming the Qilin Great Formation, and bombarding the Xiezhi Cave.

Instantly, the fire surged wildly, thunder roared, and the fifth-rank Qilin Great Formation shattered in a moment, while the average-quality Xiezhi Cave was reduced to char, engulfed in a torrent of fiery red lava. Suddenly, a streak of golden light was expelled.

“Roar!!!”

The golden light burst forth, transforming into an Alien Beast resembling a malicious hound mixed with a Qilin, its body covered with thick fur gleaming with countless golden rays, its feet adorned with lotus flowers which also bore the marks of the Buddhism Sect. It writhed amidst the thunder and fire, letting out a horrifying scream, “Mercy, Immortal, I beg for mercy! The little demon submits, the little demon submits.”

“Having devoured countless humans and wreaked havoc with your slaughter, such heinous crimes are too great to forgive—who could pardon you?”

Xu Yang’s expression was indifferent, his horsetail whisk sweeping once again to add another beam of divine light, pressuring the beast with imminent flames.

“Ahhh!!!”

The Golden-Furred Lion let out a pained howl, roaring, “My master is the Western Great Mercy Bodhisattva, a grand Buddhist figure who has weathered seven Heavenly Tribulations. You detestable Taoist, do you have any idea who you are killing?”

“Boom!!!”

Before the words were finished, the horsetail whisk swept out, sending forth another streak of scarlet Divine Light. The thunder-fires raged even more intensely, swallowing all cursing and wailing.