nashuaworldcup Chapter 284 The Oriole Succeeds!
Chapter 284 The Oriole Succeeds!
Chapter 284 The Oriole Succeeds!
Behind the valley, where the bone-corroding orchids grow in abundance.
Chen Jinshu's gaze swept past the chaotic battle ahead and then locked onto the gray-black rock crevice in the valley.
Then I saw seven bone-corroding orchids swaying in the cold wind, their petals bone white, and their stamens glowing with a ghostly blue fluorescence.
The three clumps of Netherworld Grass beside them had leaves as thin as needles, with dew-like, chilling essence condensed on their surfaces.
"Qingheng, sense the situation ahead." Chen Jinshu's divine sense stirred slightly.
The hairpin trembled slightly, and Qingheng's voice entered directly into her mind:
"Master, there's a faint aura three zhang northeast of the Netherworld Grass... It's the Shadow Clone Technique left by that gray-robed man! His true form is in front of Youlan!"
Chen Jinshu was slightly surprised upon hearing this, but quickly changed his expression, only to see the figure of the gray-clad man in front of him slowly solidify from the void.
He reached out with his right hand toward the nearest orchid, his fingertips swirling with a gray-black aura that seemed to absorb spiritual energy.
"Just as expected, the mantis stalks the cicada." Chen Jinshu sneered inwardly, his left hand already taking out a palm-sized wooden puppet from his storage bag.
"go."
The wooden puppet instantly swelled to the size of a normal person upon landing, its face bearing a seven-tenths resemblance to Chen Jinshu, except its eyes were dull and lifeless. It leaped out from behind the rock, heading straight for a clump of Netherworld Grass three zhang to the right of the gray-clad man.
The man in gray keenly sensed something was amiss. His gaze paused slightly, and a mocking smile curled at the corner of his lips.
"A trivial skill!"
The next instant, the gray-clad man made a hand seal with his left hand, and a gray shadow shot towards the puppet like an arrow.
Taking advantage of this brief moment, Chen Jinshu formed hand seals, and her body shone with a brilliant azure light. She activated the Azure Wood Longevity Technique to its fullest extent, and her figure transformed into a pale azure stream of light. She first swept five zhang to the west, using a clump of decaying bone bushes to conceal her aura, and then turned northeast, just in time to bypass the guard and restrictions that the gray-clad man had set up around Youlan.
"Aoki Release: Shadow Slash!"
She gave a low shout, and seven emerald green vines flew out from her right sleeve, coiling like serpents towards the Bone-Corroding Orchid and the Soul-Binding Grass.
The gray-clad man who had just confronted the puppet doppelganger finally changed his expression. He had no idea that what he had just done was merely a feint!
"Stay here!" the gray-clad man roared, his black blade slashing back at the blue light.
However, Chen Jinshu had already finished harvesting. As the vines retracted into her sleeves, the seven Bone-Corroding Orchids and three clumps of Netherworld Grass had already fallen into her storage bag. With a light touch of her toes against the rock wall, her figure darted back like a swallow, instantly retreating behind the giant rock where she had been hiding.
'Boom! '
The gray-clad man's blade struck empty air, only sending up a shower of pebbles.
On the other side, the puppet doppelganger withstood the gray shadow's attack, its left shoulder pierced, revealing the texture of the dark wood beneath. But it felt no pain; instead, it used the momentum to charge forward, tearing off a clump of Netherworld Grass and quickly escaping.
The gray-clad man's sinister gaze swept over the puppet, then looked at the giant rock where Chen Jinshu was hiding. Finally, he let out a cold snort, thought for a moment, and then stopped pursuing the matter. His figure blurred again and disappeared into the yin energy.
"That was decisive." Chen Jinshu retracted the puppet and examined the wound on its left shoulder. The surface of the ebony had been corroded with a hole the size of a thumb, but the core Yin Marrow Jade was undamaged.
"The repair will take half a day."
Qingheng materialized from the hairpin, her emerald eyes fixed on the storage bag:
"Master, the yin energy of those orchids is so pure! May I taste some?"
"Let's get down to business first." Chen Jinshu put away the puppet and probed the center of the valley with his divine sense once again.
……
At this moment, in the center of the valley, at the yin meridian node, the standoff had completely spiraled out of control.
Elder Li's black banner unfurled to a size of three zhang (approximately 10 meters), its surface surging with blood-red light, within which countless fierce spirits struggled and roared.
His withered fingers repeatedly tapped the acupoints of the Yin meridians, while he muttered incantations:
"Gather your Yin spirits, all ghosts obey my command! Come forth!"
The ground trembled more violently, and black, sinister energy gushed out like a fountain.
Under everyone's watchful eyes, the yin energy slowly condensed into a three-foot-tall figure.
It was the appearance of a boy, dressed in a tattered black robe, with a pale face and two clusters of eerie green flames flickering in his eye sockets.
As soon as it took shape, it put its hands on its hips and stomped its feet, making a high-pitched and shrill sound:
"You fools! I am absorbing the moon's essence for beauty and treatment, how dare you disturb me!"
Elder Li's lips twitched, and his hand holding the banner trembled.
The nun Yuqingzi behind the male cultivator in green robes coughed lightly, her shoulders trembling slightly.
The boy, completely oblivious to the eerie atmosphere, continued pointing at everyone and cursing:
“Look at you all! One in black robes looks like a funeral procession, one in blue looks like an opera singer, and there’s also a gray rat hiding its head and tail!”
"I cultivated for three hundred years to achieve this exquisite, ghostly skin. Tonight, the moonlight is at its brightest, yet you all dare to interfere!"
It even raised its little hand to touch its face, and a look of heartache appeared in the eerie green ghost's eyes:
"Oh no, oh no, the yin energy is fluctuating so much, I'm going to get wrinkles again..."
Not far away, hidden in a crevice in the rocks, Chen Jinshu was somewhat surprised to see the childlike Ghost King.
I initially thought it was a vicious creature, but surprisingly, it looks rather cute now.
However, when I think about the Ghost King's cruelty, I find him somewhat unlovable.
Qingheng peeked out completely from behind the hairpin, her jade-like face filled with curiosity:
"Master, the Yin energy on its body is so pure! Although it's not very bright, the quality of its ghostly energy is extremely high. If it could be fed to my Green Vine Domain..."
She counted on her fingers: "My domain can last for ten breaths now. If I have this kind of pure Yin energy to replenish it, it might be able to be extended to fifteen breaths! It can also enhance the effect of trapping enemies!"
Chen Jinshu continued, rubbing his forehead: "First, ask it if it's willing to be fertilizer."
"Then I'll go ask?" Qingheng's eyes lit up, and she made a move to fly out.
"Come back!" Chen Jinshu grabbed her and pressed her down. "That's the nascent form of the Profound Yin Ghost King, at least equivalent to a ghost cultivator in the late Golden Core stage. Do you think it's just a weed in the backyard?"
Qingheng pouted and withdrew her hairpin, but still muttered softly, "But it really looks very nourishing..."
In the center of the valley, the dialogue continues.
Elder Li finally snapped out of his shock, and with a flick of his black banner, a crimson light descended:
"You mere ghost, how dare you presume to call yourself king! Today I will refine you into my Ten Thousand Ghosts Devouring Heart Banner, making you the perfect master soul!"
The nascent Ghost King clicked its tongue, waved its small hand, and its surrounding Yin energy condensed into a black shield, easily blocking the bloody light.
"Old man, your banner is poorly crafted. The resentment of the fierce spirit isn't pure enough, and there are too many impurities in the blood-red light! Would you like me to teach you a few moves?"
"You!" Elder Li was so angry that his beard trembled.
The male cultivator in green robes stepped forward, his Demon-Slaying Sword pointing diagonally at the ground, his tone serious:
"Mysterious Yin Ghost King, you are an evil creature born from the Yin veins. If you are allowed to grow unchecked, you will surely become a scourge. Today, the Righteous Alliance is here to give you two choices: one is to voluntarily relinquish your intelligence and return to the Yin veins; the other is to be suppressed under the Evil-Suppressing Tower and suffer the torment of purification for a hundred years."
The nascent form of the Ghost King tilted its head to look at him, its eerie green ghost fire blinking:
"The second path sounds so boring. A demon-suppressing tower? Is it one of those dusty stone towers with chanting going on all day long?"
Daoist nun Yuqingzi softly replied:
"That's right. The entire texts of the 'Qingjing Jing' and 'Duren Jing' are engraved inside the pagoda. Reciting them day and night can purify evil thoughts."
"No, no!" The nascent form of the Ghost King waved his hands repeatedly.
"I'm most afraid of monks chanting sutras! Last time a bald monk passed by and chanted for half an hour, and I had a headache for three days!"
Its eyes darted around, and it suddenly pointed at Elder Li:
"How about this, old man, didn't you want to refine the banner?"
"I can give you a wisp of my soul to be my main soul, but you must agree to three conditions."
Elder Li narrowed his eyes: "What are the conditions?"
"First, on the first and fifteenth of each month, send me the souls of ten young boys and girls as snacks."
"Impossible!" the male cultivator in green interrupted sharply.
"To harm living beings is an unforgivable crime!"
The nascent Ghost King rolled its eyes, even though it had no whites in them:
"Then let's switch to thirty catties of moon essence crystals per month, is that alright? Second, find me a quiet place with abundant yin energy, and no more of these inexplicable fights and brawls are allowed to disturb my beauty treatments."
Elder Li pondered: "Third?"
The nascent form of the Demon King grinned, revealing a mouthful of sharp, fanged demonic teeth:
"Thirdly... hand over that little girl who was hiding behind the rock and peeping. She smells very nice, and I want to eat her."
As it spoke, its gaze drifted leisurely toward the direction where Chen Jinshu was.
Upon hearing this, Chen Jinshu narrowed his eyes and immediately became alert.
Qingheng was so frightened that she instantly withdrew her hairpin, her voice trembling:
"Master, Master... Is it talking about me? I'm not tasty! I'm a spirit of plants, full of fiber, and hard to chew!"
"It's referring to the aura of the Mysterious Female Furnace," Chen Jinshu said solemnly.
The Mysterious Female Treasure Furnace had refined the Yin Soul Pearl and nurtured Yin-attribute spiritual plants for a long time. The Yin-attribute spiritual power it emitted was indeed like a delicacy to ghosts.
Then they saw Elder Li's black banner had turned towards the giant rock, and the male cultivator in green robes and Yu Qingzi also turned their gazes towards it, not to mention the elusive gray-robed man...
"We have to leave!" Chen Jinshu made a quick decision, crushing a third-tier earth-遁符 (earth-遁符) with his left hand and summoning the Azure Phoenix Chasing the Moon Shuttle with his right.
But the next instant, a crack suddenly appeared in the night sky above the valley, which had been obscured by yin energy.
"boom!!"
The bright moonlight cascaded down like a waterfall, shining directly on the nascent form of the Ghost King.
"Ah!!" The nascent Ghost King let out a comfortable groan, its small body stretching out in the moonlight. "Yes, yes, this is it! Pure moonlight! A beauty elixir!"
It greedily absorbed the moonlight, and the yin energy around it solidified at a visible speed, and its body slowly grew from three feet to four feet.
The ghostly green flames swelled to twice their original size, and their oppressive power steadily increased.
Elder Li's expression changed drastically: "This is bad! It's using the moonlight to break through! Stop it quickly!"
The black banner surged with crimson light, and countless fierce spirits swarmed out.
The male cultivator in green robes unleashed a golden sword aura with his Demon-Slaying Sword, while Yu Qingzi threw out forty-nine Demon-Breaking Talismans.
Despite being surrounded and attacked, the nascent Ghost King remained completely calm. It clapped its small hands repeatedly, and its Yin energy condensed into dozens of shields, blocking all the attacks.
"You all do your thing, don't disturb my beauty routine." It even had time to take out a small mirror from its bosom and look at itself.
"Hmm...the skin is much smoother, and the brightness of the will-o'-the-wisp has increased by 20%, not bad, not bad."
Looking at this absurd scene, Chen Jinshu suddenly felt very tired.
She had originally planned to gather herbs in the chaos and then quietly leave, but now she had been singled out by the Ghost King and become the target of everyone's anger.
Moreover, with the blessing of the moonlight, the Ghost King's aura is approaching the peak of the Golden Core stage. If it were to successfully break through, everyone present would be doomed.
"Master, what should we do now?" Qingheng asked in a low voice.
"How about... we actually try to reason with it? Maybe it just wants a little bit of the Yin energy from the Mysterious Female Furnace, and doesn't necessarily want to eat me..."
"You believe in nonsense?" Chen Jinshu put away the Earth Escape Talisman and took out the Star Moon Ancient Qin instead.
The dark black body of the zither appeared on her lap, with seven star-like spots shimmering in the moonlight, and the wood grain of the crescent moon seemed to breathe.
"Qingheng, prepare the Green Vine Domain." Chen Jinshu lightly stroked the strings of the zither, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.
"Since you can't leave, I'll find you some tonics!"
'Ding ding—'
The strings vibrated.
When the first note of the piano was played, everyone in the valley froze.
The Ghost King's nascent form froze in its mirror-like pose, and the eerie green ghost fire slowly turned toward Chen Jinshu.
Chen Jinshu's lips curled up slightly, and the music suddenly became more urgent!
"Zheng—!"
The moonlight surged instantly, transforming into ribbons of light that wrapped around the nascent form of the Ghost King.
Silver runes appeared on the surface of the light band, which were the "Moon Soul Sealing Technique" recorded in the "Zhou Tian Xing Yue Yin"!
"You lied to me?!" The nascent Ghost King screamed and struggled, but the moonlight was both a tonic and a shackle for it; the purer the moonlight, the stronger the sealing effect.
"How could this happen! What have you done, you wicked woman?"
Chen Jinshu remained silent, only playing the zither. In the blink of an eye, the melody changed again, this time to the opening of "Star Falls into the Cold Pool".
The power of the stars fell from the night sky, mingling with the moonlight. The Yin energy surrounding the nascent Ghost King began to dissipate uncontrollably, being purified and absorbed by the power of the stars and moon.
"No!! My skin! My will-o'-the-wisp!"
It screamed pitifully, its body shrank from four feet to three feet, and then gradually became transparent.
Seeing this, Elder Li's eyes flashed with greed, and he aimed the black banner straight at the Ghost King's core.
The male cultivator in green robes brandished his sword to stop them: "Such evil things must be thoroughly purified!"
Chen Jinshu had no time for anything else. Her entire mind was immersed in the music, and beads of sweat appeared on her forehead.
At the same time, drawing upon the power of the stars and moon to seal a peak-level ghost, even with the support of the Star and Moon Ancient Qin, was still a huge burden on her divine sense and spiritual power.
"Qingheng... now!"
"Green Vine Domain! Activate!"
A burst of emerald light erupted from the hairpin, instantly enveloping an area of ten feet in radius.
Countless green vines sprouted from the ground, wrapping around the Ghost King's nascent form, Elder Li, and the male cultivator in green robes!
Then the Ghost King completely lost consciousness, having been completely suppressed by Qingheng's Green Vine Domain and pulled into the Xuanpin Treasure Furnace space.
Seeing this, Chen Jinshu did not linger any longer, his figure transformed into a blue light, and he quickly disappeared.
"Trying to leave?" Elder Li roared, shattering the green vines with the black banner.
But he was a moment too slow. Chen Jinshu had already stepped onto the Azure Phoenix Chasing the Moon Shuttle and transformed into a streak of light, disappearing into the thick fog deep within the Blackwater Marsh.
"Chase!" Elder Li led the Yinming Sect members in pursuit of Chen Jinshu.
The male cultivator in green robes exchanged a glance with Yu Qingzi, then turned and left in another direction. They sensed a stronger fluctuation of Yin energy in the distance, as if a greater calamity was about to occur.
……
One incense stick later, inside a natural cave deep within the Blackwater Marsh...
The Azure Phoenix Chasing the Moon Shuttle descended, and Chen Jinshu staggered to the ground, her face pale.
After continuously playing advanced zither music, activating the Green Vine Domain, and fleeing at full speed, her spiritual power was nearly exhausted.
After swallowing a Rejuvenation Pill, she immediately set up a simple concealment formation.
"Master, are you alright?" Qingheng appeared in human form, her small face full of worry.
"It's alright." Chen Jinshu sat cross-legged to regulate his breathing, keeping his divine sense constantly alert to his surroundings.
She took out the seven Bone-Corroding Orchids and three clumps of Netherworld Grass from her storage bag and examined them carefully.
"Fortunately, the root system is intact, and the yin energy has not dissipated."
Qingheng lay beside him, gazing longingly at the Ghost King Child, who was entangled in a cocoon of green vines, and said with drooling:
"Master, can I taste a little bit of its Yin energy now? Just a tiny bit! I was really tired from activating my domain just now!"
"Hmm... pure yin energy, with a hint of moonlight... it must taste delicious!"