Deception and Trickery
Translator: CinderTL
While Tai He and Xiao Chan were locked in a fierce battle, Hao Kong maneuvered around the battlefield and arrived at the other side of the market.
With a single exhale, a fiery red figure flew out from his mouth.
The fiery figure instantly expanded, transforming into a Fire Phoenix with a wingspan of several dozen zhang.
The Fire Phoenix spread its wings, which resembled a vast expanse of red clouds.
As its wings flapped, clusters of crimson flames condensed beneath it, resembling blooming Fire Lotuses.
The Fire Lotuses radiated scorching heat, descending like a fiery rain that densely poured down onto the market below.
Xiao Chan, who was entangled with Tai He, grew both anxious and furious upon witnessing this scene.
He wanted to intervene and rescue, but he was too preoccupied and unable to act. He could only shout loudly.
"Everyone, retreat!"
The ten Golden Core stage monks from Mixed Yuan Temple, who were setting up the formation, immediately stopped controlling the formation and swiftly retreated, rapidly distancing themselves from Jie Mountain Market.
The temperature of the fiery rain was extremely high, causing the entire area to become scorching hot.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
Countless flames crashed down into the market.
Shops and houses within the market, whether they had defensive formations or not, were instantly set ablaze.
The raging fire soared into the sky, turning the market, which spanned over ten li, into a sea of flames.
The fiery rain did not target the ten Golden Core stage monks from Mixed Yuan Temple. Except for two who were unlucky and slightly injured by the flames, the others all escaped unscathed.
However, the entire Spirit Offering Formation was engulfed in the towering inferno.
The Spirit Offering Formation instantly disintegrated, and the Formation Flags and the formation patterns carved throughout the market were all reduced to ashes under the intense heat.
"Hahaha..."
Tai He laughed heartily.
"Xiao Chan, it seems that your temple's Zen Master Fayan cannot be revived. Hahaha... You actually chose the Nirvana Ground within the territory of our Nine Palaces Sect. You were practically seeking your own doom!"
Xiao Chan, while activating his kasaya, coldly stared at Tai He.
"Tai He, don't be too complacent. Mixed Yuan Temple is determined to reclaim Jie Mountain."
Back when Zen Master Fayan entered Nirvana, Jie Mountain and the entire Yishi Ridge were under the control of Mixed Yuan Temple.
Moreover, at that time, the Nine Palaces Sect was still a righteous sect. Although their relationship with Mixed Yuan Temple wasn't particularly good, it wasn't as hostile as it is now.
"Hmph! Still dreaming of reclaiming Jie Mountain? Keep dreaming..."
Before Tai He could finish his sentence, bursts of Buddhist light suddenly surged from beneath the ground.
This Buddhist light appeared somewhat strange, lacking the usual aura of vast brightness, and instead carried a sinister and eerie feeling.
Under the impact of the Buddhist light, the flames in the market were instantly extinguished.
"Boom!"
Suddenly, a loud rumble came from beneath the ground.
The earth shook.
It was as if a giant beast was about to burst forth from beneath the surface.
The ground suddenly split open, and countless rocks shot into the sky.
Amidst these rocks, there was also a human figure.
This person was half-human, half-corpse.
The left half of his body had a somewhat human form, though emaciated, it still carried the aura of a living person. The right half, however, was like a desiccated corpse, appearing extremely eerie.
Especially his face—the left side had flesh, while the right side was a deathly gray, with dry skin tightly clinging to the skull. His eyeball protruded abnormally, with blood vessels clearly visible on its surface, giving the illusion that it might burst at any moment.
The blackened teeth, faintly visible between the shriveled lips, added to the terror and sinister aura.
The half-corpse stared coldly at Hao Kong, emitting a sharp, piercing voice.
"Those who disturb my resurrection shall die!"
Before the words even faded, he lunged fiercely toward Hao Kong.
Seeing this figure appear, Xiao Chan's face lit up with joy.
This half-human, half-corpse figure was none other than Zen Master Fayan, whom he had painstakingly helped to resurrect.
However, a trace of disappointment soon flickered in Xiao Chan's eyes.
Fayan's Nirvana sacrificial ritual had been forcibly interrupted, and his cultivation and strength had not reached the expected peak. At this moment, he was only at the mid-stage of the Nascent Soul realm.
This was far from the late-stage Nascent Soul he had anticipated.
Fortunately, although the sacrificial ritual had been interrupted, it could still be resumed.
As long as the Si family members were still alive, they could find a safe place to continue the sacrifice, though the effects would be somewhat diminished.
Thinking this, Xiao Chan glanced at the giant flying ships.
At this moment, the Si family members on five of the ships were still alive.
Under Xiao Chan's direction, these ships were moving away from the battlefield.
"Zen Master Fayan, do not worry! The Si family members are still alive and will surely help you break through to the late-stage Nascent Soul," Xiao Chan shouted.
Fayan held a ten-foot-long iron staff in his hand.
The staff was entirely golden, with a lifelike horned dragon coiled around it.
Fayan raised his hand and threw the Horned Dragon Staff into the air.
The staff rapidly expanded in mid-air, transforming in an instant into a massive golden pole, a hundred feet long and several feet thick, with golden flames swirling around it.
With a piercing sound of tearing through the air, the Horned Dragon Staff, carrying the force to split mountains and sever rivers, thrust fiercely toward Hao Kong.
Hao Kong inwardly cursed, 'This is bad.'
He had interrupted Fayan's sacrifice, and it was clear that Fayan now harbored a deep grudge against him.
Fayan's attack was unmistakably a killing blow.
With a thought, Hao Kong summoned a shield, which suddenly appeared in front of him.
At the same time, the Fire Phoenix above his head opened its beak and spewed a torrent of scorching flames, rushing straight toward the Horned Dragon Staff.
The flames collided with the staff, but it was like a mantis trying to stop a chariot.
The flames were easily dispersed, turning into a rain of fire that scattered in all directions.
The Horned Dragon Staff, undeterred, continued its relentless charge toward Hao Kong.
Hao Kong, while channeling all his energy into the shield, swiftly moved toward Tai He.
"Boom!"
The Horned Dragon Staff struck the shield, like two mountains colliding, and the violent shockwaves immediately swept in all directions, as if the sky itself was trembling.
The shield, under the immense force of the staff, lost control and slammed into Hao Kong.
Hao Kong immediately spat blood, his body flying backward like a kite with its string cut.
Fayan, seizing the advantage, pursued relentlessly, the Horned Dragon Staff continuing to thrust toward Hao Kong.
Just as Hao Kong's life hung by a thread, he suddenly felt his body lighten.
Someone had used their spiritual power to stabilize his out-of-control form.
At the same time, a poisonous dragon formed from green mist emerged from behind Hao Kong, charging straight toward the Horned Dragon Staff.
The poisonous dragon collided with the staff.
The dragon instantly disintegrated, turning into a cloud of green toxic mist.
The Horned Dragon Staff was also knocked back, flying away.
Hao Kong was pulled to safety by Tai He using his spiritual power.
Tai He suddenly produced a silver talisman in his hand.
As he infused it with spiritual power, cracks appeared on the talisman, from which blinding silver light erupted.
Under the illumination of the silver light, the figures of the two gradually became illusory until they completely vanished.
Fayan, who had been in seclusion for six hundred years, had clearly never seen such a talisman and was momentarily stunned.
He stared at the spot where the two had disappeared, his eyes flickering with anger.
"They actually managed to escape."
Xiao Chan's reaction was completely different.
The reputation of the Minor Teleportation Talisman had long spread throughout the Immortal Cultivation World.
That Tai He would use the Minor Teleportation Talisman to escape was something Xiao Chan had anticipated.
Watching Tai He and Hao Kong being teleported away, Xiao Chan showed no trace of disappointment on his face. Instead, a cold smile appeared.
Thinking of escaping?
It's not that easy!
Mixed Yuan Temple had been preparing for this day for many years.
If it weren't for the opportunity provided by Zen Master Fayan's revival, luring a Nascent Soul cultivator from the Nine Palaces Sect to the designated location would not have been an easy task.
How could they let such a perfect opportunity slip away!
(End of the Chapter)
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