Hundreds of Mandi Kingdom experts stood below, silent. Each summoned their spirit weapons. In an instant, hundreds of gleaming blade pellets rose into the air. Countless streaks of blade light surged toward the nostrils of the Bat God statue like crashing waves.
The Spirit Cultivators combined their formations, and the power they unleashed together was truly shocking!
Back then, Prefect Bashan had fought alone against eight hundred grassland troops on the plains. His Spirit Cliff Celestial Barrier formation had been broken several times, but that was because among the troops were several grassland experts at the Celestial Being realm and Life-and-Death realm.
Although the military experts Bangongcuo brought this time were all Spirit Cultivators, the strongest among them were the four Witch Kings who had cultivated to the Celestial Being realm and Life-and-Death realm. These four Witch Kings did not act, so despite the massive scale, it could not compare to the battle against Prefect Bashan.
From the nostrils of the two Bat God statues, the two white bats flew out in haste. Each opened its mouth, and circular sound waves crashed downward. The divine art they unleashed was a sound wave technique, but strangely, when the waves reached one's ears, no sound could be heard.
Countless curved blades in the sky were struck by the sound waves and clattered to the ground. The hundreds of military experts below were thrown into chaos by the silent waves.
Suddenly, the head of a Mandi Kingdom soldier grew larger and larger, then exploded with a bang. After that, bangs rang out without end as the heads of soldiers swelled and burst open, blood spraying everywhere. It was a horrifying sight.
The two white bats dove from the sky, charging into the army, their mouths emitting continuous sound waves.
Suddenly, a Witch King snorted coldly. He took out a white banner and shook it toward the two white bats. The bats' primordial spirits instantly wavered, and they tumbled from the sky, falling into the army.
The other soldiers felt the pressure in their minds vanish abruptly. They hurriedly controlled their blade pellets, and countless curved blades slashed down toward where the white bats had fallen. Clang, clang, clang—the sounds rang without end!
After one wave of blade rain, everyone recalled their curved blades. The blade pellets in the air spun rapidly as the blades flew back and merged into them.
The place where the two white bats had fallen had been carved into a pit by countless curved blades. Even the rocks had been ground to dust.
Two Mandi Kingdom Spirit Cultivators stepped forward, about to check if the white bats were dead. Suddenly, dust and smoke filled the pit. The two white bats burst from the dust, their flesh wings flapping. They shot like lightning to the heads of the two Spirit Cultivators. Their speed was so fast that the cultivators had no time to react. The bats seized the two cultivators and fled.
Another Witch King saw this and hurriedly shook his shoulders. Golden light blazed from behind him, dazzlingly bright, forming two pairs of golden wings. He spread his wings and took off in pursuit of the two white bats.
The Witch King transformed into a bird-headed human figure with six arms. In his hands he held a vajra, which he smashed toward the two white bats. Thunder rumbled. The bats, carrying the two cultivators, were slowed considerably and caught up to. They had to drop the two cultivators, then sped up again and left the Witch King behind.
The Witch King used his vital energy to form a giant hand and caught the two cultivators. But he saw that their blood had been drained dry, and they were dead.
The two white bats broke free. Each stood on a large tree, mouths agape. Soundless waves erupted from their mouths again, throwing the pursuing troops into chaos.
A Witch King summoned a mirror and held it aloft. Its light fell upon the two white bats, and they immediately fell from the trees.
Whoosh—
Blade light rained down, slashing toward the spot where the white bats had fallen. One of the Witch Kings shifted, transforming into a golden giant with an elephant's head and a human body. He lifted a boulder as large as a hill and smashed it down onto the spot where the bats had fallen.
Another Witch King's primordial spirit manifested behind him. Vital energy formed into a giant palm, which pressed down and shattered the boulder. The earth shook violently, and trees flew in all directions!
"They should be dead now, right?"
Before anyone could let out a sigh of relief, the army charged toward the spot. But before they arrived, the two white bats rose into the air again, wobbling as they flew into the forest. They were still not dead.
A Witch King shook the white banner once more. The bats' primordial spirits were struck again, and they fell. Then blade rain fell again, along with countless attacks.
After one wave of attacks, the two white bats rose again. Though their bodies wobbled, they still were not dead.
"Quite impressive."
Bangongcuo was surprised. These two white bats truly had tough skin and thick flesh. Even the most famous spirit weapon of the grasslands, the blade pellet, could not wound them. The ones who had managed to hurt them were the Witch Kings from the Loulan Golden Palace.
The fact that the white bats had withstood the attacks of several Witch Kings and still lived was beyond his expectations.
"Dragon Fatty, do you still think you can take on these two white bats?" Qin Mu, who had already walked deep into the forest, said to Dragon Qilin with a smile.
Dragon Qilin snorted. "They are strong, but aren't they still being beaten half to death?"
The Mandi Kingdom soldiers had already rushed into the mountain forests of the Nether Valley, pursuing the two white bats. The bats were severely injured, sometimes flying up and sometimes falling into the forest.
The Mandi Kingdom Spirit Cultivators spread out and searched in all directions. Just then, rustling sounds suddenly came from the forest. A Mandi Kingdom Spirit Cultivator warily activated his blade pellet. The pellet spun around, and tiny curved blades flew out from it, orbiting the pellet. The blades flickered, growing larger and smaller.
The rustling sound suddenly stopped. The Spirit Cultivator still dared not relax. He cautiously moved forward. The tiny curved blades multiplied, their glow flickering.
He walked into an orchard. Trees were heavy with fruit—red apples the size of fists.
The Spirit Cultivator carefully entered the orchard. Then he heard rustling behind him and quickly turned his head, but saw nothing. Yet the rustling came from in front.
He whipped his head forward. Still nothing. But the sound came from behind again.
He was quick-witted. Remaining calm, a curved blade appeared quietly before him, gradually growing larger. Its surface was bright as a mirror, reflecting what lay behind.
On the trees behind him, the apples were turning their "heads." On their backs were faces—with noses, eyes, and mouths—watching him with eerie grins.
The Spirit Cultivator's blood ran cold. Every curved blade in his pellet shot out, slashing at the apples in all directions!
Whoosh—
The red apples suddenly flew from the trees. Leaves scattered. Countless red apples surged toward him. The Spirit Cultivator was indeed formidable. Blade light fell like a downpour, splitting open countless apples. In an instant, the ground was littered with apples sliced in half, their fragrance filling the air.
Yet one apple rolled in from the ground, dodged the blade light, and lunged at his leg, biting down.
The Mandi Kingdom Spirit Cultivator felt a numbing sensation in his leg, and the entire limb went numb. Then half his body followed. He tried to swing his blade to cut the apple from his leg, but his head was also paralyzed, and all his curved blades clattered to the ground.
The other apples flew up and hung back on the trees. One by one, they turned their heads and looked at the cultivator lying on the ground, grinning eerily.
The Spirit Cultivator could not move. His heart pounded violently. He felt his face itch terribly, and then he saw another face growing on his own.
That face squeezed out from his skin, complete with nose and mouth. It gasped for air and laughed, "Got you, got you!"
The face twisted and grew outward. In moments, a new head emerged, connected to his neck. Then an upper body formed and began crawling forward.
The Spirit Cultivator felt searing pain. He opened his mouth to scream but could make no sound. The apple-man was using two arms to crawl out, dragging his body. Its crawl was swift. More of its body grew from within him.
At last, the two separated completely. The one who had grown from inside him looked exactly like him but was stark naked. It picked up a curved blade from the ground, stabbed it into his chest, then stripped off his clothes and put them on.
"Heh, I'm free—"
The apple-man grabbed the blade pellet and skipped away. The other apples slowly turned their faces and watched him with envy.
Piercing screams echoed through the forest. The Mandi Kingdom Spirit Cultivators who had entered the Nether Valley forest encountered all manner of bizarre and inconceivable dangers.
Among them, some encountered strange insects—translucent, like jade, yet able to dart nimbly through the air. With a whoosh, they burrowed into their nostrils, then settled in their brains, controlling their bodies to kill others.
On the trees, there were also leeches hidden in the dewdrops on leaves. They were incredibly tiny. When a Spirit Cultivator walked past, dewdrops fell onto him. At first he felt nothing unusual, only that his body grew heavier and heavier, his head spinning.
On his back, a huge leech was clinging to him, writhing and sucking his blood. After a moment, the leech grew a face and limbs. It still clung to him, looking exactly like him—as if he were carrying another person.
The Spirit Cultivator's vital blood was drained completely, and he collapsed dead. The leech-man then ran off in delight.
In an instant, this peaceful forest became fraught with killing intent. As the Mandi Kingdom army barged in, the killing intent was triggered, and those who had invaded the forest perished one after another!
Though the Mandi Kingdom Spirit Cultivators possessed great abilities, here, no matter how powerful their arts, they could not guard against everything!
Qin Mu walked through this forest with extreme vigilance, using his Bodhi Saha True Body to protect himself and Dragon Qilin. Along the way, they remained safe.
Just then, he saw a monk sitting under a tree. The monk sat cross-legged. He had been dead for who knew how long, yet his body had not decayed. Behind him was a Bodhi tree, its sacred trunk radiating brilliant light—clearly transformed from a wondrous treasure.
"This eminent monk's Bodhi Saha True Body was stronger than mine, yet he still died. The Tathagata Mahayana Sutra cannot suppress the dangers here!"
Qin Mu's blood ran cold. He immediately dispersed his Bodhi Saha True Body. He held his hands flat before him, fingertips interlocked, and gently slashed—one hand holding up the sky, the other pressing toward the ground!
Dao Sword, First Form: One point pierces and connects all motion; within the Two Polarities, Yin and Yang reverse!
His two hands transformed qi threads into swords. Incredibly complex calculations unfolded. Sword light formed two Taiji diagrams—one above, one below—shielding him and Dragon Qilin at the center!
The sword light flashed ceaselessly. The Taiji diagrams rotated, Yin and Yang shifting in endless change. Then, from the edges of both diagrams, sword light poured down!
"Not a stupid ox after all."
From the Bodhi tree came a rustle. Two white bats hung upside down from the canopy, their bodies covered in wounds. One of the bats coughed up blood, spitting out bloody phlegm. In a weak voice, it said, "This bald donkey broke in here more than ten years ago, relying on Buddhist blessings. He thought he could pass through safely, but he was killed by tree worms."
"Tree worms?" Qin Mu was slightly startled.
"They are seeds of a tree. The seeds are lively little worms that lurk underground. When they encounter a person, they burrow in through his ** and take root in his muscles. This bald donkey's muscles have been eaten away, leaving only skin. The tree worms have already taken root and sprouted inside him."
The other white bat extended a claw and cut a line on the monk's scalp. Immediately, vibrant green burst forth with a pop, emerging through the monk's skin and forming a small tree crown.
"This is the tree worm, though it has nearly grown into a tree."
The cleverer of the two bats blinked and said, "Stupid ox, we are injured. If you can protect us, we can guide you through and help you avoid the dangers here!"
Qin Mu smiled. "Fellow Daoists, I am actually a herbalist, skilled at healing. Why don't I treat your injuries, and once you recover, you protect me?"
The two white bats exchanged a glance, then dropped from the Bodhi tree to the ground. They looked at him in surprise. "A bull-headed doctor? Do you people from the Yinghuo family have doctors among you? Aren't you always pointing your bull noses at the sky, breathing fire and cursing people?"
Qin Mu pointed his bull nose at the sky and snorted two jets of flame. "How about my proposal?"
"Deal!"
The two white bats agreed readily, thinking, "We'll wait until the bull-headed doctor heals us, then we can turn on him!"
Qin Mu's eyes flickered. He thought, "While treating them, I'll slip in some poison. These two will have no choice but to obey and protect me!"