txolops Chapter 79 Viper-Snatching Life Pill
Chapter 79 Viper-Snatching Life Pill
The mud churned, and the yellow dog thrashed about, but sank deeper and deeper.
It raised its head, its tail drooping, its bright black eyes staring at Song Quyou, and let out a low whimper.
Yang Danzi said coldly, "This beast is quite loyal."
Song Quyou frowned, said nothing, but his long sword rang out, and a blue light flowed like boiling water on the blade. His movements were swift and decisive, heading straight for Yang Danzi's neck.
Yang Danzi sneered, his robes billowing, and a large number of paper soldiers and generals flew out, wielding swords, spears, and halberds, and charged towards Song Quyou.
In an instant, paper soldiers and generals surrounded Song Quyou, their weapons clashing fiercely.
Song Quyou slashed horizontally with his long sword, and where the blue rainbow passed, the paper soldiers and generals tore apart.
But after the paper figures that had been broken in two landed, they miraculously pieced themselves back together, wobbled and climbed up, and continued to wield their swords, spears, and halberds with ferocious speed.
Song Quyou flung out paper cranes, which transformed into firebirds that swooped down on the paper figures. However, the purification talisman's fire only burned away evil energy; these paper figures were merely puppets of the talisman and possessed no evil nature whatsoever. The firebirds passed right through them, leaving the paper figures unharmed, and instead, they swung their swords even more fiercely.
"Although I, this old Taoist priest, have committed many evil deeds, this paper figure is made using righteous Taoist techniques. How could it possibly possess any evil or unclean energy?"
Song Quyou swung his sword to parry the paper knives and spears that came slashing at him. The sword blades clashed with the paper blades, sparks flying and the sound of metal striking stone ringing out. Those paper soldiers and generals looked flimsy, but each strike was heavier than a thousand pounds, making his hands go numb.
"Since you have committed so many evil deeds, this purification talisman fire is specifically for punishing you, you wicked person."
As they spoke, the firebirds flapped their wings and flew towards Yang Danzi, who was making hand seals to control the fire snakes.
"You're not stupid, kid, but you underestimate this old man."
Before Yang Danzi finished speaking, a black and red talisman flew out from his sleeve, forming a red shield around his body, preventing the firebird from getting in even an inch, no matter how wildly it flew and crashed.
"I intended to slowly toy with you all, but since that's the case, this old Taoist will show no mercy."
As they spoke, one of the eight fire pythons that was originally charging at Monk Yuande's protective aura suddenly split off, meandering through the air and lunging at the yellow dog that was trapped in the yellow light and unable to move an inch.
As the fire drew near, the yellow dog whimpered mournfully, as if resigned to its fate.
But what was unexpected was...
As the fire python flew through the air, it could not penetrate even an inch. Its body was gradually shrinking, transforming into a bright, thin line of fire that flew into Song Quyou's mouth, down his throat, and into a dazzling flame in his chest.
But how could paper soldiers and paper generals allow Song Quyou to use such magic?
With the paper blade in hand pointed at Song Quyou, he was about to slit his throat, draw blood, break his bones, and split his skull open.
The paper blade came so fast that there was no way to dodge it.
The yellow dog was about to be devoured by the fire python; the flame-devouring technique must not be interrupted.
Song Quyou's hand holding the sword trembled suddenly, and a series of strong winds rose up around him, blowing away and forcing the paper figures back, causing the weapon to miss its target.
Black Charcoal, who was fighting a bitter battle in the rear, was struggling to control eight fire toads by himself. Two of the fire toads took advantage of the break and blew out solid sound waves into Song Quyou's back, who had just shaken off the paper figure.
As the saying goes, two fists can't beat four hands.
The sound wave was about to break through the air, but there was nothing that could be done.
At this moment, a rainbow-colored cloud flew out from Song Quyou's arms, emitting a loud phoenix cry, and flapped its wings to crash into the sound wave, which instantly dissipated.
On the earthen prison, the fire python that pounced on the yellow dog was completely absorbed into Song Quyou's chest cavity, and its fire power vanished in an instant, turning into a crimson fire pearl that returned to Yang Danzi's sleeve.
At this moment, the paper figures surrounded him again, and Song Quyou, who had been absorbing the flames for a long time, puffed out his mouth and spat them out.
A burst of fire blazed in his chest, and a line of fire as thick as a finger swept across his throat, transforming into a crimson flame that resembled a writhing snake, dazzlingly bright.
Where the fire swept past, the paper soldiers and generals didn't even have time to struggle before silently turning into ashes.
Freed from the paper figures' interference, Song Quyou snorted coldly, his longsword gleaming with a sudden burst of blue light. With a flick of the tip, several streaks of sword light swept out like bolts of lightning.
Yang Danzi was greatly alarmed, and two more fire snakes flew away from Monk Yuande's protective aura and approached to protect him.
In an instant, sparks flew everywhere, and the fire snake was severed and mutilated.
At this moment, Monk Yuande felt much less pressure. The golden light shield suddenly expanded outward, pushing away the five fire pythons before dissipating.
A golden Buddha statue in his own likeness slowly rose up behind him. The golden statue was three zhang tall, its entire body was like crystal and red gold, its face was compassionate, and it was majestic without being angry.
With a flick of his finger, the golden statue released a phantom lotus flower that floated down lightly onto the muddy swamp. The lotus took root upon touching the ground, instantly transforming into a radiant sea of golden lotuses that firmly subdued the boiling mud.
Taking advantage of the opportunity, Lu Shusheng gathered his energy and leaped into the air, his toes tapping the lotus flowers one after another. He flew out of the yellow light range, staggered two steps when he landed, and only managed to steady himself by bracing himself with his iron fan.
The magnificent yellow dog now had only its head sticking out of the mud, its ears drooping, and its dark, round eyes looking pitifully upwards.
The golden Buddha extended his giant hand, his five fingers as thick as mountains, and, ignoring the fiery python that lunged at him, grabbed at the yellow dog in the mud.
When the golden palm touched the mud, the swamp churned and retreated like boiling water, and a crack was torn open.
Lu Shusheng reacted quickly, and the iron fan flew out of his hand, turning into a streak of black light that swept into the crevice and landed right under the yellow dog's belly.
With a push, the yellow dog leaped out of the mud, its four paws flying, tumbling and scrambling. Covered in mud, its tail held high, it barked twice at Song Quyou with full strength, then turned and pounced on the eight fire toads.
……
The black charcoal was surrounded by swirling mist, which transformed into a cloud of ink, enveloping the three fire toads within.
The fire toad charged left and right through the dark clouds, its back bumps bursting open one after another, its crimson liquid splashing onto the cloud walls, hissing and scorching several holes, but it could never break through the surging darkness.
The yellow dog, still covered in mud, pawed at the wind as it bit the hind leg of a fire toad, then swung its head and slammed it into another one. The two fire toads collided, exploding into a shower of sparks.
The lark that transformed into a rainbow, with its bright and clear phoenix cry, left a wound on the fire toad each time it flew over the dark clouds, making the fire toad dare not make its sound again, since some fire toads had already broken their vocal sacs.
……
As the sun rose in the east, the valley was seething with murderous intent.
Seeing that everyone was free, Yang Danzi's face darkened, and he had already begun to consider retreating.
With a flick of his sleeve, Yang Danzi summoned back all the remaining fire pythons, which transformed into eight fire beads that swirled around his body.
His withered fingers reached into his robes and pulled out an earthen-yellow talisman. He bit his tongue and spat out a mouthful of blood essence, causing the talisman to instantly glow with intense blood light.
"Trying to leave?" Song Quyou shouted coldly, the tip of his sword pointing diagonally at the ground, the blue light flickering uncertainly, his body turning into a blur as he rushed towards Yang Danzi.
Suddenly, the fire pearls around Yang Danzi blazed brightly. The eight fire toads trapped in the dark clouds transformed into eight discs, broke through the dark clouds, and merged with the eight fire pearls.
At this moment, eight fire pythons emerged from within, their appearance instantly changing, their red scales blazing with flames, their horns resembling molten copper.
At this point, it is no longer appropriate to call it a fire python, but rather a fire dragon.
The fire dragon raised its head, and its eight giant mouths opened simultaneously, spewing out not flames, but blazing white light.
Where the blazing light passed, the pebbles melted into magma, and eight red ravines were carved into the riverbed, hissing and emitting white smoke.
The golden Buddha statue behind Monk Yuande clasped its hands together, and a great chant of Sanskrit arose. Waves of golden light mixed with Sanskrit characters rippled outwards, keeping the scorching light three zhang away.
However, the fire dragon was powerful, and with each ripple of the golden pattern, it was thinned by the blazing light. Fine beads of sweat had already seeped from Yuan De's forehead, his monk's robe billowed without wind, and the pebbles under his feet were crushed inch by inch.
Faced with the blinding light, Song Quyou did not retreat but advanced, reciting the Fire Sitting Mantra, and an invisible Qi floated on his body.
Song Quyou was like a shooting star, crashing into the eight beams of blazing light.
The light was intense and dazzling.
The invisible aura surrounding Song Quyou was burning and hissing, and every step he took forward felt like crashing into a wall of copper and iron.
Although the Fire Sitting Technique could ward off fire, it couldn't withstand the immense pressure from the combined breath of the eight fire dragons. His blood and qi surged in his chest, and he tasted a slightly metallic sweetness in his throat.
The talisman in Yang Danzi's hand had already sunk into the ground, a yellow light flashed, and his body began to slowly sink.
Song Quyou refused to give up. His sword aura pierced through the air, and the long sword in his hand shone brightly with a blue light. A solid blue light pierced towards Yang Danzi's head, which was about to sink into the ground.
In an instant.
Qinghong plows the ground.
All that remained was a piece of Yang Danzi's skin and flesh, stained with a little blood and white fluid.
Yang Danzi used earth magic to escape. Without the fire pearl and his magic power, the eight fire dragons let out a mournful cry, their red scales peeling off piece by piece, turning into a sky full of flowing fire that fell to the ground.
Monk Yuande groaned, and the golden Buddha statue behind him crumbled inch by inch, turning into specks of golden light that scattered into the morning light. He used his staff to steady himself, but a trickle of blood had already seeped from the corner of his mouth.
Lu Shusheng was unharmed, as he was protected by Monk Yuande.
Song Quyou slumped to the ground, his long sword wedged in a crack in the cobblestones, the tip of which picked up a piece of skin with bones and white hair. The metallic taste in his throat finally became unbearable, and he vomited a mouthful of dark blood.
After vomiting black blood, Song Quyou looked back but did not see Yun Que, Hei Tan, or Huang Quan.
Just as he was about to call out, a bird, a cat, and a dog, each dragging a brocade box, rushed out of the cave and came to Song Quyou's side.
The lark transformed back into a crimson rainbow and nestled into his arms. The black charcoal shook off the black mist covering its body, curled up again into the shape of a black cat, and sat quietly next to Song Quyou. The yellow dog shook off the mud from its body, picked up a brocade box, and came to Song Quyou's feet, wagging its tail so hard that the whole dog was shaking.
There were three brocade boxes on the ground, of different sizes and materials. One was carved from sandalwood, one was cast in bronze and inlaid with jade, and the other was made entirely of white jade.
Song Quyou glanced at the brocade boxes on the ground and said, "There are three brocade boxes in total. How about we choose blindly?"
Monk Yuande stepped forward slowly, his staff propelling him forward. His gaze swept over the three brocade boxes, and he put his palms together, saying, "This humble monk has only done his small part. These brocade boxes were obtained by the Daoist's spirit pet. This humble monk dares not take credit."
Lu Shusheng tucked the iron fan into the back of his collar, cupped his hands, and said, "Master is right. If it weren't for the Taoist's yellow dog breaking the trap, the black cat trapping the toad, and the lark protecting us, the three of us would probably have perished in this valley long ago."
Seeing that the two were declining, Song Quyou persuaded them, "The three of us will go into the mountains together to help me fight my enemies. How can we let you two go empty-handed?"
……
After some polite refusals, Scholar Lu sighed and cupped his hands, saying, "In that case, since you have contributed the most, please choose first."
Song Quyou wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and did not refuse. His gaze lingered on the three brocade boxes—one made of sandalwood, one of bronze, and one of white jade—for a moment before he finally reached out and pressed down on the white jade box.
The box felt cool to the touch, smooth as cream, but the patterns were hard to discern; one could only vaguely make out a person on a mountaintop surrounded by clouds.
Lifting the lid reveals bamboo slips covered with tiny characters lying quietly inside.
Song Quyou looked it over, said nothing, and put it into his bosom.
Lu Shusheng cupped his hands in greeting to Master Yuande and said, "Please, Master."
Yuan De still wanted to decline.
Lu Shusheng waved his hands repeatedly and laughed, "Master, you just fought off six fire pythons all by yourself. If it weren't for your golden body protecting me, I would have been reduced to ashes long ago. I haven't even thanked you for this kindness yet, how can I take the initiative? Please go first, Master."
Unable to refuse, Monk Yuande could only put his palms together and thank him, his gaze falling on the sandalwood brocade box.
The sandalwood box, carved with a lotus scroll pattern, was exquisitely detailed, with layers of lotus petals that shimmered with a warm, dark golden hue in the morning light. He ran his fingertips over the copper clasp on the lid and gently lifted it.
On the bright yellow satin lay a strange "dagger," the handle of which was a hideous black Buddha head wearing a crown of five skulls, and the blade was a four-sided, four-edged prism.
Yuan De suddenly put his hands together and said, "Amitabha, this is a Vajra dagger from Esoteric Buddhism, so it can be considered to have a connection with the Buddha, but unfortunately it is difficult to reconcile with my Vinaya school."
Seeing that both of them had made a gain, Lu Shusheng stepped forward and picked up the bronze brocade box.
The box is quite heavy and decorated with snake patterns, which is quite exquisite.
He lifted the lid of the box. Inside the bronze-cast brocade box, there was no velvet lining, nor any jewels or precious stones. There was only a roll of not-too-old parchment lying there alone, with uneven edges, as if the person who cut it was old and weak.
"This is too shabby," Lu Shusheng muttered, taking out the parchment and unfolding it.
The paper was rough, as if it were made of some kind of animal hide, and it was covered with tiny, illegible characters, many of which were blurred by wax.
He leaned closer to look, his brows furrowing deeper and deeper, and he unconsciously gripped the iron fan tighter.
"What's wrong?" Song Quyou asked, noticing his serious expression.
Lu Shusheng did not answer, but quickly scanned the parchment from beginning to end, gasped, and looked up to find his face had turned pale.
"Master, that old Taoist priest is no longer human."
Lu Shusheng spread the charred paper on the cobblestone ground, and the three of them gathered around it.
The parchment was covered with tiny, densely packed characters.
Disorganized, scattered.
But upon closer inspection, it turned out to be a sorcery for achieving immortality.
It states:
I have come across a fragment of the ancient formula "Tai Xu Sheng Xia He Dao Dan" and glimpsed the secret of achieving immortality through external alchemy: the soul and spirit rely on the immortality of the metal element. Now, I have combined the witchcraft and sorcery of the southern border with Taoist alchemy to create my own formula, "Hui Gu Duo Sheng Dan".
……
Legend has it that humans could shed their skin and live forever, but the pain of shedding skin was unbearable for humans, so the technique of shedding skin and living forever was transferred to snakes.
Therefore, the venomous insects of the southern border, with their ability to molt and live forever, replaced the immortal nature of metal, thus inheriting the soul and achieving eternal life.
……
The "Hui Gu Life-Snatching Pill" uses the Hui Gu from the southern border as its guide, dividing the body into three souls that occupy the Gu's body and hide in the Niwan, Huangting, and Qihai. It can also retain a human form and attain longevity.
There is another picture below it.
The picture depicts a Taoist priest sitting cross-legged in a furnace, his meridians replaced by tiny worms, and his Niwan, Huangting, and Qihai acupoints occupied by vipers. The cultivation of Qi is all done by these worms.
……
"That old Taoist priest has gone mad."
Lu Shusheng closed the iron fan, the veins on the back of his hand bulging. "He couldn't find a way to prolong his life, so he turned himself into a Gu corpse."
Song Quyou silently recalled the scene earlier, when he said Yang Danzi was old, and how heavy-hearted he looked; he remembered how Yang Danzi kept wiping his deeply lined face and resignedly talking to himself.
Thinking of this, Song Quyou sighed softly:
"He was afraid of death, so he ran away, but he's already dead."
……