vstars Chapter 43 Now that Senior Brother Tan Chan has made his move, why should the two of you hide yourse
Chapter 43 Now that Senior Brother Tan Chan has made his move, why should the two of you hide yourse
Tan Chan paused, then slowly turned around. On his fat face, his narrow eyes gleamed with a sharp light, and his smile became even more exaggerated.
"I appreciate your kindness, junior brother. But I can't delay the matter Master entrusted to me."
Xu Changqing seemed not to hear, the phantom of the demonic dragon coiled behind him, its aura subtly locking onto the altar toad. He raised his hand, and the cup of tea that had been hovering forward was moved forward by half a step.
"It'll only take the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, surely that won't interfere with your important business, Senior Brother," he said coldly. "Or is Senior Brother Tan Chan... looking down on me?"
Tan Chan squinted at the cup of tea, making a low gurgling sound in his throat, like swallowing saliva or the low growl of some kind of beast. The bulging cloth bag in his hand suddenly trembled, and a sharp, rapid hiss came from inside, as if something was eager to burst out of the bag.
He suddenly grinned, revealing yellow teeth that were somewhat deformed by his fat: "Haha, what are you saying, junior brother? Since you insist on staying, it would seem too formal for me to refuse again."
As he spoke, he moved his feet and his large, fan-like hand reached for the cup in Xu Changqing's hand.
Just as his fingertips touched the rim of the cup, a dark shadow suddenly shot out, transforming into a gigantic maw, as if it wanted to devour the cup along with Xu Changqing's hand.
Xu Changqing remained expressionless. The tea in his cup reflected the blurry image of the toad, which suddenly twisted and elongated eerily. A thin, curved black shadow, as thin as a bowstring, shot out from the reflection on the cup wall, silently and quickly, leaving only a faint trace.
Tan Chan was prepared, but he did not expect that this attack would be hidden in the reflection of an ordinary cup of tea. His fat body reacted extremely quickly, his fat surging like waves, and a layer of greasy, dark yellow light emanated from his body, instantly forming a thick barrier in front of him.
However, the bowstring-like black shadow was as agile as a snake. It twisted in mid-air and turned into countless tiny threads, like a venomous snake flicking its tongue. It bypassed the oil barrier and burrowed into his pores from all directions.
A chilling, illusory aura, seemingly capable of stirring the deepest fears in one's heart, then spread out.
"A snake in a cup." Tan Chan growled in a low voice, his narrow eyes revealing shock and anger for the first time.
This technique specifically targets the spirit and soul, using illusory thoughts as a guide to transform into shadows for attack, thus bewildering the mind invisibly. It was originally created by the Seven Fiends Dao Ancestor after witnessing the military strategist's divine power, "The Snake in the Cup," and he gained some insight into it. Although he only grasped one or two of its essence, it is still extremely difficult to deal with.
Xu Ming was timid and valued his life, and had always only practiced methods to preserve his life and maintain health. When did he manage to cultivate such strange and treacherous techniques to such a level?
Before he could think it through, he let out a short, sharp hiss. The sound was not like a human voice, but rather like the strange cry of a frog being stepped on by a pond on a summer night.
The enormous, illusory toad behind him suddenly solidified, opened its mouth wide, and inhaled sharply.
The air currents in the courtyard swirled back, pine needles fell softly, and the pond water rippled.
Most of the countless tiny, shimmering shadows that had been drilling in were pulled off course by the suction force of the giant mouth and disappeared into the illusory mouth.
The phantom's abdomen swelled, emitting a dull "gurgling" sound, as if it were digesting these illusory thoughts.
However, a dozen or so shadowy threads still managed to break through the suction and touch the surface of the altar toad's body. His obese body trembled violently, the fat on his face shook violently, and his narrow eyes instantly became bloodshot. All sorts of fears and greedy thoughts surged into his mind like a tidal wave.
"Very well, very well indeed!" Tan Chan chuckled hoarsely, his voice even more raspy and distorted with excitement. "Xu Ming, my good junior brother, I underestimated you! It seems you've gained quite a bit in the past six months!"
He also knew that the pretense of compliance had come to an end, and now it was a matter of life and death.
His obese body moved swiftly, yet his movements were unusually agile, completely disproportionate to his bulky physique. He stomped his feet heavily on the ground, causing the bluestone slabs to crack with a "crack," and his right hand, with its hook-like fingers, swept out with a stench, aiming straight for Xu Changqing's face.
The bag opened, and a dark, sticky mass rolled out. It swelled up as soon as it was exposed to the wind, instantly transforming into a giant toad the size of a millstone, covered in pustules and oozing yellowish-green mucus.
The toad had bloodshot eyes, puffed out its cheeks, and made a strange, muffled croaking sound. It then opened its mouth and spewed out a foul-smelling, dark green poisonous mist that enveloped Xu Changqing.
Wherever the poisonous fog passed, the bluestone slabs hissed and emitted white smoke, and several clumps of wild grass in the courtyard withered and turned black instantly. Clearly, the poison was extremely potent.
Despite being attacked from both sides, Xu Changqing remained calm.
Without moving his feet, he simply spread his sleeves, and a streak of crimson-gold light shot out from them. At first, it was as thin as a hair, but it grew longer in the wind, transforming into a condensed sword light about a foot long, which swirled around his body.
As the sword flashed, the black, venomous claws that had been grabbing at him melted away instantly, like ice and snow meeting the sun. The toad let out a strange cry and withdrew its hand, revealing several deep, bone-revealing bloodstains on its fingertips. Strangely, no blood flowed out; instead, a blackish-yellow, foul-smelling liquid seeped out.
The dark green poisonous mist, swept away by the crimson-gold sword light, vanished quickly like boiling water poured on snow, leaving only a pungent, burnt smell.
"A sword cultivator?!" Tan Chan's pupils constricted sharply, and he exclaimed in shock, his fat face contorted in extreme astonishment. "You...you are definitely not Xu Ming! Who are you?!"
The "Heavenly Void Nourishing Life Method" may be able to nourish life and refine qi, but it is absolutely impossible to cultivate such a sharp and unparalleled sword light.
Xu Changqing did not answer. His sword swirled and hovered in front of him, its crimson-gold light flickering uncertainly, making his handsome face appear grim and murderous.
His gaze passed over Tan Chan and landed on the deep twilight outside the temple gate. He said calmly, "Now that Senior Brother Tan Chan has made his move, why do you two still need to hide yourselves? It seems that the appointment on the ninth day of the fourth month was a trap set specifically for me."
Before he finished speaking, two soft laughs suddenly rang out from the twilight outside the gate.
A deep, resonant voice, with a strange magnetism, seemed to stir the most primal desires in people's hearts: "Amitabha, Fellow Daoist Xuming, how have you been? This humble monk has missed you dearly."
Another voice, soft and melodious yet chillingly sinister, said, "Brother Xu, I have been nurturing this 'Seven Emotions Gu' for you for quite some time."
The twilight, like ink spreading, quietly crept over the threshold of the temple gate.
Two figures, one on the left and one on the right, slowly walked in from the shadows outside the door.
On the left is a fat monk, wearing a half-open apricot-yellow robe that reveals his plump white chest. He has a string of dark prayer beads around his neck, and while he has a friendly smile on his face, his eyes are filled with lewd light. He is none other than the Buddha of Bliss.
On the right was a slender woman dressed in colorful Miao clothing. She had a beautiful face and affectionate eyes, but her lips were an unnatural purplish-black. Her fingernails were long and sharp, painted with bright red nail polish, and wisps of colorful smoke swirled around her fingertips. This was none other than the Poisonous Lady.
The two figures, their auras heavy, formed a triangle with the toad, subtly encircling Xu Changqing in the courtyard. The millstone-sized poisonous toad croaked softly, shifting its body and blocking Xu Changqing's escape route.
The Joyful Buddha smiled with his palms together, his gaze sweeping over Xu Changqing, pausing particularly on the hovering crimson-gold sword light. A flash of surprise crossed his eyes: "Tsk tsk, it's only been a few days, and you've actually switched to sword cultivation? This sword light... so sharp, I wonder which lineage it comes from?"
The Poisonous Woman covered her mouth and chuckled, her voice sweet and seductive: "Who cares which sect it belongs to, that girl's fate is real. Brother Xu, you've kept this from us for so long, it turns out you already had another destiny. But that's fine too, swallowing you would surely taste even better."
Colorful smoke swirled around her fingertips, faintly transforming into tiny, ethereal insects, poised to take flight.