novelraw Chapter 6: You and I Are Both Puppets
Chapter 6: You and I Are Both Puppets
The fight has started!
Hong Yang was extremely excited.
This was the first time in his life he was witnessing immortals fighting.
From the ancestral hall here, he couldn't see the situation at the inn entrance, but he could hear the increasingly loud commotion from over there.
Sword lights flashed across the sky one after another, and from time to time the sounds of villagers falling to the ground could be heard.
At Grand Uncle's command, the villagers grabbed hoes and sickles and surrounded Bai Yuhang completely but these ordinary people had no ability to fight back against the cultivator's flying sword.
Sword light flew up, and heads fell to the ground one after another.
"You evil demon! How dare you wantonly slaughter the common people of my village? This old man swears not to let this rest!"
Grand Uncle hid in the back, shouting loudly.
Bai Yuhang was almost amused by this anger. This ability to turn the tables and falsely accuse was truly used by him with consummate skill.If you weren't commanding from behind, who would dare charge forward?
Moreover, after I've killed so many people they still fight to the death without retreating. You're telling me these are ordinary villagers? Calling them elite fierce soldiers wouldn't be excessive!
If it were a greenhorn fresh from the nest, they might really be intimidated by this old scoundrel, feeling guilty with weak hands and feet but I'm a grand Golden Core realm cultivator. How could I be confused by such ghostly talk from you lot?
When dealing with Medicine Master remnants, one must strike decisively. Even if you cut off their heads, you might not necessarily kill them.
Bai Yuhang was currently holding back somewhat in his attacks. It wasn't because he had any compassion for these Medicine Master remnants. Upon careful observation, he'd discovered that there were still quite a few elderly, weak, women, and children in the village who looked like normal people and hadn't become controlled puppets.
He couldn't very well kill these innocent people as well.
Of course, it was best not to let the other side notice his thoughts. Otherwise they would inevitably take those innocent people hostage. These evil demons and heretics had never had any bottom line to speak of.
Thinking of this, Bai Yuhang made a show of retreating.
First feign defeat, lure that old fellow and his accomplices out of the village, then annihilate them in one stroke. Even if a few fish slipped through the net afterward, they wouldn't be a threat.
Seeing that Bai Yuhang wanted to escape, Grand Uncle's heart immediately became anxious.
After great difficulty catching a lone cultivator, this was a once-in-a-millennium opportunity. If he could capture him alive and extract his vital blood to refine spirit pills, forget extending life by a hundred years, even stepping into the immortal gate in one stride might not be impossible!
Thinking of this, he raised the peach wood walking stick in his hand and heavily struck it against the ground, shouting loudly, "Fellow junior brothers, follow this old man in forming the Eastern Yi Wood Grand Formation!"
With these words spoken, the other seventeen elderly people in the village over a hundred years old suddenly straightened their spines and raised their heads. Their withered skin expanded and filled out at a visible speed. In just a few breaths they had recovered to the peak state of their youth.
A vibrant green light rose from within the village. The thirty-six ancient trees distributed at various positions in the village grew branches wildly. In an instant they connected into a sky-covering net, wrapping the entire Songlin Village so tightly not even wind could pass through.
Bai Yuhang's expression changed slightly. He thought to himself that this was bad.
He'd been somewhat overconfident.
What Medicine Master remnants were these? He'd clearly poked into a nest of thieves!
Although the situation within Yun County was complex, he'd never heard of Medicine Master remnants entrenched on such a scale. This time, if it weren't for traveling extra distance to search for his family's disciple, he really might not have discovered the abnormality of this place.
Thinking of this, he immediately decided to hold back no longer and resolve the battle as quickly as possible.
Bai Yuhang leaped into midair. Two light wings spread out from his back, and a full twenty-four flying swords burst forth.
"Wow..."
Hong Yang pressed tightly against the window, watching the overwhelming sword lights outside and couldn't help but exclaim in admiration.
"Xiao Chen, Xiao Chen, look! A sword immortal! This is the legendary sword immortal!"
Li Qiuchen lay flat in the corner, curling his body into as small a ball as possible.
"Get down quickly! Aren't you afraid a flying sword will shoot over and skewer you?"
"How could that be? That sword immortal must have heard my call for help!"
Hong Yang excitedly shouted, "He definitely knows we're here. Once he defeats Grand Uncle..."
Whoosh...
A sword light pierced through the ancestral hall, grazing past above his head. The sharp sword intent scraped his face painfully. Unable to maintain his balance, he fell to the ground on his backside.
Hong Yang immediately deflated.
Only at this moment did he realize that whether Grand Uncle could win or not was hard to say, but in this level of battle, he, a little kid, was as humble as an ant, unable to withstand even the aftershocks of both sides' combat.
With a loud crash from overhead, the roof of the ancestral hall was directly ripped off. Grand Uncle's robust figure fell from midair, smashing through the ancestral hall before barely steadying his footing.
Yes, robust.
Even yesterday, Hong Yang couldn't have associated this word with Grand Uncle.
Yesterday's Grand Uncle was still a decrepit old man on his last legs, but Grand Uncle now had transformed into a mighty appearance, twelve chi tall with clearly defined muscle blocks all over his body.
More terrifying than that horrifying musculature were the dozens of eyes embedded on his entire upper body and both arms.
Hong Yang was scared stupid.
People only had two eyes and one nose. What normal person would grow a body full of eyes?
But Li Qiuchen, hiding in the corner at this time, felt a trace of blood-connected intimacy from those eyes.
Those were... the eyes of Li family clansmen?
He'd actually transplanted the Yin-Yang Dharma Eyes that Li family members had cultivated successfully onto himself?
The old thing really played fancy tricks!
At this moment, Grand Uncle's entire body was covered with eyes. He completely couldn't be recognized as human anymore. Quite a few of the eyes had been blinded, flowing with foul-smelling bloody tears.
He scrambled up awkwardly, glared viciously at the dazed Hong Yang, and reached out to grab Yingcao's corpse beside him.
"No!"
By the time Hong Yang realized what he was going to do, it was already too late.
Grand Uncle grabbed Yingcao and pulled hard. The young body was easily torn open by him, but bizarrely not a single drop of fresh blood flowed out.
It was just a skin. The flesh and blood inside had long been devoured clean by the "spiritual root."
Grand Uncle reached into the broken remains and pulled out that blood-colored spiritual root, shoved it into his own mouth, chewed it carelessly a few times, stretched his neck to swallow it down, licked his lips with lingering satisfaction, then turned his gaze toward Hong Yang beside him.
"Useless thing!"
From the expression on his face, it could be seen that he was very disappointed in Hong Yang.
It wasn't disappointment in Hong Yang's mischief and rebellion, but disappointment that he still hadn't grown a spiritual root even now but now there was no choice left.
Sword light poured down from the nine heavens like a waterfall.
Just as Grand Uncle reached his hand toward Hong Yang, Bai Yuhang's flying sword also followed closely.
Sword light flashed, instantly severing Grand Uncle's arm.
Bai Yuhang emerged from the sword light, blocking in front of Hong Yang.
In this exchange just now, he too had suffered heavy injuries. Fresh blood had almost dyed the front of his robe red, and strange tender shoots grew from the wounds on his body, greedily tearing and devouring his flesh and blood.
"Don't be afraid."
Despite this, he still said to the two children behind him with an unchanged expression, "Find somewhere to hide."
With these words spoken, the ropes binding Li Qiuchen and Hong Yang broke inch by inch, restoring their freedom.
Grand Uncle roared loudly. The dozens of eyes all over his body simultaneously looked at Bai Yuhang. In an instant, countless tiny wounds burst open on Bai Yuhang's body at the same time. Taking advantage of this opportunity, he rushed forward, grabbed Bai Yuhang in a bear hug, and charged out of the ancestral hall.
Hong Yang was still immersed in the terrifying scene, unable to extricate himself. At this time, Li Qiuchen had already stood up and exchanged a glance with the Crayfish General who had secretly untied his own ropes.
"Now?"
"Wait a bit more."
"The fight's gotten to this point and you're still waiting? Were you reincarnated as a thousand-year-old turtle spirit? You can endure even this?"
"Wait!"
Li Qiuchen's tone was definite.
"Wait... wait for what?"
Hong Yang came back to his senses and hurriedly asked, "If we don't run now, what are you waiting for?"
"Don't you want to avenge your parents?"
"I do, but Grand Uncle has already turned into that ghostly appearance. Even the sword immortal can't deal with him. What can we... ah no, what can we three do?"
Hong Yang felt very wronged.
"Then follow me. To Grand Uncle's house."
"Huh? Why?"
"To take back what belongs to us!"
The village was already in ruins. Walls had collapsed, houses had fallen. Ancient trees had been uprooted one after another. Corpses lay everywhere, a scene of devastation.
Sword qi crisscrossed back and forth across the sky, slicing countless branches and vines into fragments, but in the next moment those tree branches and roots grew back again. Even the villagers who had been killed, the fatal wounds on their bodies were also rapidly healing.
This would be a long war of attrition.
Bai Yuhang's flying sword was indeed sharp, but facing these endless evil demons and heretics that couldn't be killed no matter what, who knew how much longer he could hold out.
Grand Uncle's own residence hadn't been spared either. It had long been affected by the flames of war and collapsed into a pile of ruins.
Li Qiuchen found the secret door in the bedroom with practiced familiarity. He grabbed the pull ring and yanked upward with force, opening the secret chamber in Grand Uncle's house.
The secret chamber was piled full of gold, silver, and treasures. These were all wealth plundered from merchant caravans that had passed through Songlin Village in the past.
The inn in town was a black shop.
This mountain path didn't have many travelers to begin with. The mountain guests and merchant caravans that passed through here all more or less carried things that couldn't be put on the table.
If the target was tough, then naturally they'd let it be. But if there was an opportunity, for instance if someone was injured and suffered losses, making Grand Uncle feel there was an opening to exploit, then both people and goods would be devoured directly.
Besides those treasures, the secret chamber also held a three-chi-tall bronze pill furnace. A medicinal herb smell faintly emanated from inside. Who knew what kind of pills were being refined?
On the other side, a bookshelf against the wall was stuffed full of various books.
"Songlin Village hides many secrets. Some things everyone knows but doesn't say. Some things... even Grand Uncle himself might not be clear about."
Li Qiuchen pulled out a blue-covered book from the bookshelf. On the cover were clearly written three characters: "Jingyunzi."
Jingyun meant auspicious clouds, propitious clouds. When auspicious clouds appeared, sweet dew descended.
He'd heard villagers say before that the given name of that Li family ancestor was Li Jingyun.
This was the Li family's inherited cultivation method. Back then Yingcao had stolen it and given it to him, but Li Qiuchen had politely declined.
Because...
"In the village, as long as you begin cultivating, no matter what cultivation method you practice, you'll become a puppet."
"Grand Uncle is too evil."
"No, Grand Uncle is also a puppet."
"Huh?"