Chapter Eighty-Eight: The Green-Robed Ancestor
Jiang Liu, using the alias Ding Yin, lived in seclusion at Ciyun Temple, rarely appearing in public, only meditating and practicing in the meditation room.
A few days later, I heard that Zhu Yao, the Iron Palm Immortal of Laoshan, Yu Chi Yuan, the Thunderbolt Hand of Dongting Mountain in Taihu Lake, Jiangsu, Lin Chengzu, the Grass Flying on the Grass in Cangzhou, Di Yin'er, the Flowing-Haired Suanni of Dazhuzi Mountain in Yunnan, Shi Yuzhu, the Female Kunlun of Yunmu Mountain in Sichuan, and Mang Toutuo of Bao'en Temple on Boyu Peak in Guangxi had arrived.
There are also four sword immortals from Wudang Mountain: the first is Zen Master Yougen, the second is Zhuge Ying, the third is the Mad Taoist, and the fourth is the Canglang Taoist Suixinyi.
Jiang Liu was very interested in the flying sword technique. Taking someone's head from a thousand miles away and flying on a sword was such a cool move that he naturally wanted to study it. Moreover, he had previously been beheaded by Qi Lingyun with a flying sword, and he both loved and hated this sword immortal's methods. As the saying goes, "Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated." Learning flying swords was naturally also to break other people's flying swords.
He took out the strange beast "Unicorn God Lin" obtained from Jiuhua Mountain and exchanged it with the sword immortal Canglang Yushi from Wudang Mountain for a copy of "Compendium of a Thousand Swords" and pure Wudang flying sword cultivation techniques, each getting what they needed.
The cultivation of flying swords, while not universally known, is certainly widely spread. Each school has its own sword-controlling techniques, some strong, some weak, but all ultimately lead to the same goal. The most important thing is to have a superior flying sword. Jiang Liu's Thunder Tribulation Peach Wood Sword can serve as a flying sword, but Jiang Liu is a beginner and not yet capable of killing with it.
Having acquired the mythical beast "Unicorn God Lin" at will, he felt he had made a fortune, as its hide and teeth were excellent materials for crafting magical artifacts.
That day, just as night fell, Jiang Liu was sitting cross-legged in his meditation room, refining the Thunder Tribulation Sword with his true essence. Suddenly, he felt a powerful surge of yin energy rushing towards him from afar. As a cultivator of thunder magic, he was most sensitive to this kind of yin and evil energy.
Pushing open the door, I saw a dark cloud covering half the sky, obscuring the bright moonlight. The withered trees in winter seemed to be dancing wildly in the cold wind.
"Such strong Yin energy! It seems that the Green-Robed Ancestor has arrived."
Jiang Liu muttered something to himself and headed towards the main hall.
The main hall of Ciyun Temple was brightly lit, and a group of sword immortals and cultivators were present. In the center was a burly man, clearly from Emei.
The wind howled outside the hall, and the walls of the hall creaked eerily. A gust of cold wind blew by, and the flames of the thick, tallow candles flickered and turned an eerie green.
Although they were all accomplished cultivators, their hair stood on end. They knew that someone with extraordinary strength had arrived, and they didn't know whether it was auspicious or ominous. They all prepared their swords and magical treasures to observe the situation.
Jiang Liu stood at the end, his heart clenching. He secretly pondered the strength of this green-robed ancestor and discovered that it had definitely surpassed the realm of "refining essence into qi" and reached the level of an Earth Immortal.
Just as he was making his calculations, a beam of green light struck down, and a deep pit appeared on the bluestone floor of the main hall. The first thing to emerge from the pit was a human head the size of a basket, with hair and beard tangled up like a messy nest of weeds, and a pair of bright green eyes that darted around.
Everyone was startled by this strange man and was about to draw their swords to kill him when the golden-bodied Arhat Fayuan and the pink-faced Buddha Yude, who were quite knowledgeable, quickly stopped them, shouting, "Don't panic, don't panic! This is a senior expert who helped us break through Emei..."
Jiang Liu secretly watched the strange man emerge from the deep pit. His head was as big as a bucket, but his body was short and thin. He wore a green robe and was less than three feet tall. He was extremely ugly.
Upon seeing this ugly sight, one person burst out laughing.
The old monster glanced at him, his eyes blazing with murderous intent, and the laughing man immediately stopped. But it was too late; the old monster flicked his finger, and a green flame shot towards the man like lightning.
The man who had been laughing was suddenly terrified and tried to flee, but the green light seemed to have eyes, and it cut through the air and entered his brain.
The man was still fleeing, about to disappear into the night, when he suddenly collapsed to the ground. He twitched a few times and then stopped moving, clearly dead beyond any doubt.
Then, the green light shot out from his nostrils and landed back in the old monster's hand.
Upon closer inspection, everyone recognized it as a Gu worm. This Gu worm was quite unremarkable in appearance, somewhat resembling a mole cricket or a bullet. Its entire body was covered with a layer of dark green carapace, and two long antennae on its forehead danced incessantly, like the osprey feathers worn by Lu Bu on the stage, exuding an aura of dominance.
"Little darling, you're full, but I'm still hungry!" The old monster spoke in a soft, baby-like voice.
"The Hundred Poison Golden Silkworm Gu!" Fa Yuan looked at the Gu worm in the old monster's hand and hurriedly bowed and clasped his hands, saying, "We were unaware of the arrival of the Ancestor and failed to greet you from afar. Please forgive us."
"Hehehe..." The old monster strode over, and no one dared to stop him. He then sat down on the central prayer mat with a swagger, with the golden statue of Buddha behind him.
It seemed that the supernatural powers had been withdrawn; the ghostly sounds around had ceased, and the candlelight still shone brightly.
Upon hearing Fa Yuan reveal the name of the Gu worm, the group of cultivators already knew the origin of this old monster.
However, Fa Yuan still solemnly introduced, "This ancestor is none other than the Green-Robed Ancestor of Yinfeng Cave in Baiman Mountain! He has cultivated boundless magical power and commands a million demonic soldiers. He is the founder of the Southern School of the Demonic Sect. In the past, in western Yunnan, the ancestor fought against the Poison Dragon Venerable and displayed many miracles. His arrival today is by no means accidental. I wonder what teachings the ancestor has for me?"
The Green-Robed Ancestor chuckled and said, "After that year, I reconciled with Venerable Poison Dragon. After returning to the mountain, I went into seclusion to cultivate and have already achieved great success. A few days ago, I received a personal letter from Venerable Poison Dragon, saying that you are going to fight the Emei Sect again. He has important matters to attend to and cannot be in two places at once, so he asked me to come and lend you a hand."
Everyone was overjoyed. Fa Yuan then said, "Thank you for coming to help, Ancestor. With your arrival, Ancestor will naturally become our leader! The three immortals and two elders will die and disappear tomorrow."
The green-robed patriarch shook his enormous head, quite pleased with Fa Yuan's flattery, and said, "Breaking through Emei? What's so difficult about that! Over the past few decades, I've refined a magical treasure called the Hundred Poison Golden Silkworm Gu..."
As he spoke, he stroked the Gu worm on the back of his hand and laughed, "You have already witnessed some of the power of my mother Gu, but if I release it along with the offspring Gu, it will be like tens of thousands of wasps, covering the sky and the earth. No matter how skilled a sword immortal is, if bitten by the Golden Silkworm Gu, he will die from the poison attacking his heart within an hour. Although the Emei Sect has capable people, what is there to fear?"
Everyone was overjoyed upon hearing this. They were well aware of the Green Robe Ancestor's supernatural abilities. As the founder of the Southern School of the Demonic Sect, he was already incredibly powerful. Now that he had spent decades refining the Hundred Poison Golden Silkworm Gu, he would surely reach even greater heights and increase his strength significantly.
Only the burly man tied to the ground was secretly alarmed and couldn't help but sigh.
Hearing the sigh, the Green-Robed Ancestor spotted the burly man bound on the ground and asked, "Who is this man?"
Fa Yuan explained, "This man is Qiu Lin, the Divine Eye disciple of the Emei Sect. He's incredibly audacious, secretly coming to my Ciyun Temple to inquire about things..."
Before he could finish speaking, the Green-Robed Ancestor cackled, "It's been quite a while since I've eaten human hearts. Since this person is from the Emei Sect, then please treat me to a bowl of human heart soup!"
Chapter 89 Waiting for the Right Opportunity
Fa Yuan was stunned for a moment, and everyone else was also taken aback. Although most of them were from evil sects, they had never seen anyone eat human flesh.
Although somewhat disgusted, Fa Yuan still ordered the monk Zhitong to bring a basin of cold water so he could cut open his chest and remove his heart. Knowing he was doomed, the divine-eyed Qiu Lin stopped struggling and coldly watched how these demons would proceed.
Jiang Liu stood among the crowd, observing coldly.
To show his sincerity, Zhitong actually took action himself. Jiang Liu shook his head inwardly. What kind of person was the Taiyi Hunyuan Ancestor? His direct disciple had actually fallen to such a state.
The monk Zhitong placed the basin of cold water beside Qiu Lin and took a sharp dagger. He aimed it at Qiu Lin's chest and stabbed him under his armpit. With a swift movement, the tip of the dagger pierced through, and a large heart fell into the basin.
The heart was presented, and the green-robed patriarch opened his blood-red maw, chewed the heart twice, but it wasn't enough. He reached out and grabbed the corpse, then sucked the blood from the wound, eating the whole thing, including the intestines, liver, lungs, and stomach.
After eating and drinking his fill, the Green-Robed Ancestor tossed aside the corpse in his hands, his eyelids drooping, revealing a faint green light, as if he were drunk. With his hands hanging down, he sat cross-legged on the futon and fell into a deep sleep.
Everyone was speechless, especially the four sword immortals from Wudang Mountain and Shi Yuzhu, the female Kunlun from Yunmu Mountain, who almost lost control and slashed with their flying swords.
Nothing happened that night.
Jiang Liu knew he was no match for the Green-Robed Ancestor. Even if he managed to seize the upper body, he would have to be extremely careful, as the Gu worm was incredibly dangerous and a single misstep could cost him his life. Therefore, he became extra cautious and rarely left his meditation room.
Two days later, Fa Yuan convened a meeting in the main hall, and Jiang Liu secretly thought that his opportunity had arrived. Upon arriving at the main hall, Jiang Liu looked around and immediately noticed some unfamiliar faces, clearly the helpers who had arrived in the past few days.
As for the plan Fa Yuan mentioned, Jiang Liu didn't care. He had never intended to help Ciyun Temple. He would simply disappear without a trace once the Green-Robed Ancestor was killed.
As night deepened, the crowd in the main hall was arguing noisily when a gentle breeze suddenly blew by, causing the dozen or so thick candles, each as thick as an arm, to flicker incessantly.
At the end of the candlelight, a poor Taoist priest appeared, barefoot in straw sandals, with a large red gourd on his back and a golden ruyi hook sticking out at an angle.
Jiang Liu naturally recognized this man; he was none other than the renowned Drunken Taoist of the Emei Sect, a disciple of the Long-Browed Immortal. Seeing him come alone into this dangerous place, he couldn't help but secretly admire the man's courage.
Just as Fa Yuan was about to speak, the Drunken Taoist had already bowed to the crowd, displaying the demeanor of a great sect, and said, "Fellow Daoists, I have come on the orders of our sect's founder, the Three Immortals, and the Two Elders to ask you some questions. May I ask who your leader is? Please invite him out for a discussion?"
Upon hearing this, Fayuan, holding his staff, said sternly, "Our current leader is the Green-Robed Ancestor. However, he is a distinguished guest of my Ciyun Temple, and someone you can persuade to come. Speak quickly if you have anything to say. If there is anything unreasonable, I'm afraid you will have a hard time leaving after coming here."
The Drunken Taoist laughed heartily for a while, then berated the Wutai Sect members, and finally said: "...Now the Three Immortals, the Two Elders and our fellow Daoists have all gone to the Yuqing Temple in Bixie Village. On the night of the fifteenth of the first month next year, either your sect will go there, or we will come to your door to learn from you and decide the life or death, and see if evil survives or righteousness prevails! If any of you have the ability, just wait until the night of the fifteenth to have a showdown."
Surrounded by enemies, the drunken Taoist remained calm and composed, not taking them seriously. He then said, "The message has been delivered; I'm off!"
Just as he was about to turn and leave, a strange laugh echoed from the main hall. The green-robed patriarch, shaking his large head, extended two long, thin bird claws and slowly rose from his seat. The patriarch, once still, was ready to devour someone.
In the pitch-black night, a streak of golden light shot out, followed by a voice echoing through the darkness: "Fellow Daoist Drunkenness, these monsters are utterly unreasonable. You've said your piece, why aren't you leaving? What are you waiting for?"
"Don't let him escape!"
Before the words were finished, the golden light transformed into a rainbow and vanished once more. In that instant, the Drunken Taoist was nowhere to be seen at the entrance of the main hall.
Then, the green-robed patriarch let out a long roar, grabbed a handful of things from his waist, and scattered them into the air. Ten thousand golden stars appeared in an instant, like a kaleidoscope, moving with lightning speed through the air.
Then the Green-Robed Ancestor also disappeared without a trace.
Jiang Liu squinted and looked up at the sky. He saw a golden light in the foreground, followed by ten thousand golden stars that were chasing after it at lightning speed.
"The time is ripe!" Jiang Liu muttered to himself, and then took a step to catch up. However, he was not yet proficient in using a flying sword, nor did he possess the supernatural power of flight, so he could only chase after it quickly on the ground.
After chasing for a considerable distance, Jiang Liu looked up and suddenly saw ten thousand red threads flying up behind the ten thousand golden stars, faster than the stars themselves. In the blink of an eye, they had caught up with the ten thousand golden stars. The Green-Robed Ancestor seemed to have encountered a formidable foe and tried to escape, but his retreat was cut off by the red threads.
"It seems that the Green-Robed Ancestor has already fallen into the trap set by the Blissful Child..." Jiang Liu muttered to himself, but approached with extra caution.
After a brief pause in the air, the myriad red threads collided head-on with the myriad golden stars. A series of squeaking and screeching sounds followed, and the myriad golden stars fell to the ground like a rain of meteors. Then came a strange howl, and ghostly wails and howls echoed all around, the sounds were mournful, and a thick, gloomy fog descended.
Although Jiang Liu couldn't pursue on his sword, he was still quite fast and arrived in the first instance. He saw thousands of green flames on the ground gradually gathering in the center. The green flames rose higher and higher, then suddenly dispersed. In the light of the green flames, the enormous, grotesque face of the Green-Robed Ancestor appeared, extremely ugly against the green light.
After the Green-Robed Ancestor appeared, he took out a white paper banner from his person, on which were drawn seven skulls and seven naked witches. As soon as the banner was waved, Jiang Liu felt dizzy and extremely uncomfortable.
Just as he was about to wave the banner continuously to kill the enemy, a ball of five-colored light, about ten feet in diameter, suddenly struck the banner, breaking it in two. At the same time, the five-colored light disappeared, and then a golden light like a bolt of lightning descended from the sky, circled the green-robed patriarch once, and cut him in two.
With a flash of golden light, it flew back.
Jiang Liu's eyes lit up; the Green-Robed Ancestor had finally met his end.
Suddenly, a streak of green flames flew up from the northeast, heading towards the ancestor with lightning speed, before disappearing into the southwest.
Jiang Liu was overjoyed and chased after the trail of green flames. The Green-Robed Ancestor was broken in two and had very little strength left, while the trail of green flames must be his disciple, Xin Chenzi.
Jiang Liu knew he couldn't defeat the Green-Robed Ancestor, but he was very confident he could escape from Xin Chenzi, even if he couldn't defeat him.
Leaving CD, the green flame plunged into the mountains, clearly unaware of Jiang Liu's pursuit. While others would use swords or supernatural powers to create illusions during a chase, Jiang Liu relied solely on his physical body to run wildly on the ground, managing to evade its senses. After running for hundreds of miles, the green light clearly ran out of steam and landed on a distant cliff.
A one-armed giant appeared and then disappeared into a cave.
Jiang Liu ran at full speed for hundreds of miles in one breath, reaching his limit. Only when the night was fading and the east was turning blue did he head towards the direction where the green light fell.
Chapter 90 Fight against Xin Chenzi
Xin Chenzi, the one-armed Wei Hu, was the eldest disciple of the Green Robe Ancestor. He once had one of his arms chewed off by the Green Robe. Later, seeing his loyalty, the Green Robe imparted all his skills and techniques to him, making him the most powerful figure among the disciples of Baiman Mountain.
This person is extremely patient and fearless. His purpose in making his move today is to seize the Green Robe Ancestor's Mysterious Pearl.
Jiang Liu was currently in a warm valley in the middle of a snow-capped mountain. The surrounding scenery was both majestic and secluded. Backed by towering mountains, there was a clear stream flowing down the slope in front of him, its murmuring waters mingling with the sound of the pine trees.
Xin Chenzi disappeared in the upper reaches of the stream, and Jiang Liu could see a cave entrance from afar. Jiang Liu hadn't yet witnessed Xin Chenzi's abilities, so he naturally wouldn't rashly rush in. He set up a Heavenly Thunder Array at the cave entrance and then guarded it.
Just as the lightning array was being set up, a series of extremely unpleasant screams came from the cave, seemingly filled with endless rage and overwhelming pain, sending chills down one's spine.
After a day of torment, Jiang Liu couldn't bear to listen anymore and thought to himself, "What kind of hatred is this? Even the Green-Robed Ancestor has met his end!"
Another night passed, and Jiang Liu was meditating and cultivating by the stream. He had completed a full cycle of the "Purification Mantra," swallowed a trace of the essence of the Eastern Sun, and used the sun to cleanse his body and the moon to refine his form, but his cultivation was progressing slowly. He then took out the Thunder Tribulation Sword, nurtured it with his true essence, and practiced flying sword techniques according to the sword-training methods.
At this moment, a one-armed man appeared at the cave entrance. He was tall and thin, dressed in a manner that was neither Buddhist nor Taoist, and was barefoot, but his eyes were bloodshot and extremely violent.
"What kind of demon dares to set up an array in front of your grandfather's cave? How dare you!"
As he spoke, he swung his one arm and slapped the stream with his palm, instantly causing the water to spin like a topspinning top.
Suddenly, a whirlpool appeared on the stream, spinning rapidly. A water dragon suddenly emerged from the whirlpool, almost draining the stream dry. Its whiskers and scales were clearly visible. It flew several meters high, menacing and baring its fangs and claws, roaring angrily at the river not far away. It truly seemed to be a water dragon.
Xin Chenzi let out another clear whistle, and suddenly a large tree next to him burst into flames. A fire dragon shot out from the flames, stirring up sand and stones, and darkening the sky.