Volume 3: Dao, Dao, Dao… Heaven’s Dao, Earth’s Dao, Human Dao, Ghost Dao— I seek only my own Dao! Chapter 150
by Orluros“Young Master!”
Nie Honglian passed through the wooden steps. Outside the pavilion, under the eaves, lanterns swayed gently, casting a dim glow. In the darkness, the crouched figure carved out the silhouette of a fox shadow upon the wall.
Ooo~
A mournful fox cry rang out. Its emerald eyes gleamed faintly, trailing a ghostly green light as they shifted, gazing toward the broken lattice window. Footsteps and the sound of wind closed in. The scholar curled his lips slightly, revealing sharp fangs, and a low growl, guttural and threatening, rumbled from his throat.
Tap, tap…
The footsteps grew closer, accompanied by shouted voices:
“That man went into the treasure vault!” “…He’s injured—it’s my doing!”
“There seemed to be a little demon that went in with him!”
Eight men, with weaker cultivation, could only rely on qinggong techniques to rush forward. Qi Bingzhang floated down lightly in front of the wooden building using his movement technique. His eyes swept over the wide-open doors and the gaping hole on the second floor. He summoned his Soul-Shocking Bell with a flick.
“You, go in and guard the Mingzun’s belongings!”
In the next instant, one of them leapt, vaulting over the railing onto the second floor and stepping through the shattered breach. The moment his gaze caught a pair of glowing green eyes, his pupils shrank in alarm and he shouted: “Fox—”
Below, the others had barely heard the word “fox” leave his lips when, in their upturned line of sight, their companion—wreathed in green flame—was flung backward from the second floor, crashing heavily into the ground, his robes ablaze.
“Foxfire?!”
The ghostly green fire lit up Qi Bingzhang’s face. He snapped his gaze toward the second floor, but before he could even ring his magic weapon, a dark shadow streaked down with a whoosh. One of the cultivators, who had turned to help extinguish the flames, caught a glimpse—only for his vision to spin wildly.
“Watch out!!”
Only then did Qi Bingzhang manage to shout. The six cultivators turned just in time to see the last of their group being dragged along the ground by a dark figure, disappearing swiftly into the shroud of blackness. A blood-curdling scream followed.
“Impudent demon beast!” “Form the formation!”
The remaining six, wielding their magic weapons, stood back-to-back and formed a circle. They still had some experience dealing with lone fiends. As for Qi Bingzhang, one of them turned his head slightly and murmured:
“He’s stronger than us in cultivation—he’ll be fine!”
Another man nodded. “We’ll hold off the demon beast outside. As for safeguarding the Mingzun’s treasures, he’ll take care of it.”
The six of them murmured quietly, seemingly confident that the fiend was being held at bay. But Qi Bingzhang, not far off, naturally caught every word they had said. The veins on the back of his hand bulged as he gripped the handle of the Soul-Shocking Bell tightly.
…Forget it. No point arguing with them. The priority now is ensuring the Mingzun’s treasures remain safe.
Having weighed his options, Qi Bingzhang strode forward, charging into the treasure vault’s wooden building. Meanwhile, on the second floor, the Toad Daoist, a squat and stubby figure, wobbled and staggered toward the broken railing, raising a small white porcelain jar with blue floral patterns in his webbed hands. The talisman sealing its mouth had already been torn, and misty vapor swirled forth in thin wisps.
“Aura of spiritual resonance… To think you fools would come up with something like this!”
The Toad Daoist looked down at the six below. Stumbling slightly, he hurled the jar downward. Clang! It struck the ground but did not shatter. From the mouth of the jar, the mist billowed out, dispersing into the air.
The six cultivators stared wide-eyed at the jar slowly rolling across the ground.
“We’re doomed… That’s the spiritual essence the Mingzun painstakingly collected…”
Someone looked up toward the second floor. The moment he caught sight of the toad’s figure, he roared in fury, “You filthy toad demon—how dare you!!”
Boom!
Another object came crashing down with a heavy thud, tumbling across the floor. It resembled a piece of Rainflower Jade Rock, and from the cracked opening, a flash of bluish spirit light pulsed like a breath from an unborn infant.
All six froze in place. Five of them turned in unison to look at the one who had shouted “How dare you.” The latter’s face turned even uglier than if he had been crying.
“How was I supposed to know the toad actually dared…”
In that brief instant of distraction, a pair of ghostly green eyes flickered through the darkness. Before the man could finish speaking, a hidden, crouched figure sprang forth like a predator, barreling straight into the group of six.
Riiip—
Splurt!
Robes tore, flesh burst—one man’s face was splashed with fresh blood, his expression twisting in terror as he staggered back.
“Scatter!”
In a flash, someone’s arm flew into the air, severed at the shoulder, his chest torn open as he collapsed backward. Another was struck hard by the body of a companion hurled into him, staggering from the impact. In panic, he turned and fled, only to be struck squarely in the back by a ball of ghostly green flame, launching him into a nearby ornamental rock garden.
Boom!
Stone shattered and scattered, crashing into the pond below, sending up a spray of countless droplets.
Up in the wooden tower, the Toad Daoist turned his head toward the interior of the building. Hearing the urgent footfalls approaching, he waved his webbed hand at Honglian.
“Go, go.!”
He stretched out his long tongue, latching onto the railing, and leapt down. As he neared the ground, his tongue went taut, and his short body bounced twice in midair before he let go of the beam. With practiced ease, he landed steadily and dashed off together with Honglian.
“That damned toad demon!!”
Qi Bingzhang caught sight of the dissipating aura from the shattered jar and the cracked jade-rock below and roared furiously, crushing the railing with a single grip.
“None of you are leaving here alive!”
Ding ding ding—!
The Soul-Shocking Bell rang furiously in his hand. Below, the scholar who had torn through the six cultivators visibly wavered when the bell’s chime reached his ears. Just as he staggered, a pebble came whistling through the air—flung by the toad’s hand from afar—and smacked him squarely on the head.
Lu Liangsheng abruptly snapped out of his daze and looked up toward the second floor.
Ooo~
A low, hoarse fox cry echoed.
In a flash, a blurred silhouette darted forth like a phantom, leaping up the eavespillar. Demonic energy surged from its body as its limbs scurried rapidly upward.
Creaaak…
The pillar shook under the sudden weight. Qi Bingzhang let out a shout, kicked apart the railing, and channeled his qi, colliding head-on with the ascending fox demon. The two tumbled to the ground, rolled apart, and with distance between himself and the treasure vault, Qi Bingzhang withdrew another bell from his sleeve. Now dual-wielding it alongside the earlier Soul-Shocking Bell, he brandished both at once.
—Soul-Shocking, Spirit-Seizing!
The charging fox shadow came to a sudden halt. Crouched, arms slack, blood dripped steadily from his fingertips onto the ground. Hearing the twin bells ring in unison, he thrashed his head wildly, trying to block out the sound.
“Hahaha!!”
Qi Bingzhang laughed maniacally as he shook the bells even harder. The resonating hum of spiritual force spread out with his qi, locking down the scholar’s figure in the distance, his demonic aura frozen in place.
“These twin magic artifacts—formless, colorless—how will you defend against them? Just wait, in a moment, I’ll rip your soul from your flesh and see for myself—are you man or monster?!”
Hrrkk…
Just then, a rough sound gurgled from a throat. Qi Bingzhang had scarcely finished his words when a chill abruptly crept up his spine. His bells faltered as his instincts kicked in—he sidestepped just in time.
Hrrkk—Ffftt!
A jet of black smoke sprayed past where he had just stood, landing with a splatter. The viscous liquid hissed against the stone tiles, corroding them and releasing a noxious smoke.
“Damn that toad!!”
Following the trail of the black smoke, all that could be seen was the Toad Daoist scampering away, webbed feet slapping against the ground as he turned tail and ran with his stubby little legs.
A split second later—
A sudden flash of cold light streaked across the air. Qi Bingzhang turned his head just in time to see the upper body of the scholar leaping into the sky. Catching a flying spiritual sword, he brought it down with a furious roar.
Rip—!
The golden-threaded shoulder of Qi Bingzhang’s Daoist robe tore open. Blood spattered outward. Staggering back over ten steps, he clutched his twin bells, his footing unsteady.
The wind stirred through the central courtyard. The four-cornered pavilion, now ablaze, flickered in the night. In the swaying light, the scholar’s eerie green pupils gradually faded. His disheveled hair hung down over his shoulders, rustling as he walked unsteadily forward.
“Thank you for ringing the bell… It brought me back to my senses.”
Moments later, Lu Liangsheng’s sword—Veiled Moon—let out a clear, crisp hum. It trembled faintly in his grasp.
Up ahead, Qi Bingzhang pressed a hand to his bleeding shoulder. The wound would not stop, and he could barely lift his arm. The strike from the scholar’s sword had wounded not just his flesh—but also his vital essence. Watching Lu Liangsheng stagger toward him, Qi Bingzhang instinctively stepped back.
Gritting his teeth, he suddenly turned and fled. At this point, with his qi and spiritual power in chaos, running was all he could do.
Heehaw—heehaa!
From the direction of the stone gate, a shaggy old donkey came trotting over, a bookshelf strapped to its back. Qi Bingzhang’s eyes lit up with joy. He rushed forward, grabbed the donkey’s reins, and prepared to mount it.
“Don’t let him escape!”
The Toad Daoist waved his webbed hand and called to Honglian to pull the man down. Lu Liangsheng clenched his teeth and quickened his pace.
“Haha! Once the Mingzun returns, you will all die!” Qi Bingzhang stomped down on the stirrup. Amid his wild laughter, the donkey beneath him jolted violently, turned around, and bolted, its hind legs kicking high into the air.
“Urgh…”
Qi Bingzhang’s laughing face froze—and then… a flash of lightning flickered between the donkey’s hooves, followed by a thump as a solid kick landed squarely on his chest.
Clang clang—a pair of bell-like rattles fell to the ground.
His body shot through the firelight, crashing into the burning pavilion. The next moment, with a dull thud, he was skewered upon a broken beam hanging from the eaves.
“Uh Ahhh…”
His swaying body lowered its head to glance at the length of timber protruding from his chest. His head slumped to the side—and he moved no more.
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Orluros’s Vault of Secrets: If you liked the chapter feel free to donate 🙂 and if you find any errors in the translation please mention them in the comments here or in discord
