The Immortal’s Poison

Shui Jing was still feeling slightly confused. His two sparse brows were almost knotted together, "Kong Nuer instructed the descendants of the heaven's cone nails to connect the place of the outer fringe to the Shiwan Mountain. What was his purpose of doing so?"

The monk was considered to be not too foolish. At least he understood that the descendants of heaven's cone nails would never come here by themselves to shift or expand the place of the outer fringe. Their doings here were all led by Kong Nuer. 

Wen Leyang's thoughts had already completely shifted. He no longer lingered around the North borderland. He brought along the fat monk Shui Jing and they walked towards 'Shudao's Linen Suits'. On the way, Wen Leyang spoke softly, "I have an idea about Kong Nuer's purpose, but I cannot be sure if I am correct."

The fat monk scoffed. He wished that he could stomp his feet. He had completely forgotten that Wen Leyang was his titular master teacher. He roared impatiently, "Speak now!"

Wen Leyang did not take it seriously as well, "Kong Nuer cast three beyond incisive magic formations. Whether he was suppressing evil creatures or blasting at the chaos' giant egg, it was meant to help him gain the vigorous life vitality force."

The fat monk nodded, "Yes, regardless of whether it was a split body or the god level body, the person still possesses the same virtue by calling it some act of suppressing an ancient monster. In the final analysis, it is still for his own benefit."

Wen Leyang did not acknowledge the fat monk's commentary and continued, "The Black and White Island's magic formation was broken by the grand master Chang Li at the spur of a moment. The Desert Rebel Mountain's magic formation was destroyed by the grand master Tuo Xie…"

The fat monk understood the essential parts of the sequence of events, "The big mustache man on the wasteland was killed by you. Thousands of Landhopper died on the Yin's eye. That magic formation was ruined too!"

Kong Nuer did not expect a group of his descendants of the heaven's cone nails and his split body - the big mustache man, to be defeated by the opposing party in the battle of the Goddess Peak. His seemingly clever plan turned out to be a foolish one instead. Not only did he fail to capture Chang Li, on the contrary, but he also lost his final magic formation!

The fat monk continued to laugh and said, "The ancestral grave of this Kong Nuer person's geomantic/feng shui omen is not auspicious. Three of his great formations were all destroyed by our people from the Tuo Xie Sect!"

Wen Leyang too could not refrain himself from laughing. The moment he recalled the destruction of wasteland's magic formation was his contribution, he felt rather proud.

The fat monk Shui Jing was even prouder. That Goddess Peak meeting was organized by him. His contribution to the prime success was when the descendants of the heaven's cone nails and the big mustache man were executed.

The master teacher and disciple laughed in a shy manner. They made a mental preparation in their hearts, if someone were to credit them for this event's success, they would immediately act modestly. After a while, Wen Leyang spoke once again. He refocused the topic of conversation, "Do you know what the boundless spiritual vitality of these three great formations was meant for?" He did not wait for the fat monk to answer before he continued, "He did it in order to resist the god's punishment so that he could remain in the mortal world!"

A few years ago, Chang Li, Hanba and Zhui Zi figured this out from the jade talisman that was left behind by the split body Third Brother. Kong Nuer designed the great formation in order to stop himself from ascending into heaven as an immortal, so he could remain in the mortal world."

Wen Leyang inhaled a deep breath. He made a very solemn expression on his face. He could not conceal the pride in his eyes from solving a conundrum regardless, "The three great formations were destroyed in succession. Kong Nuer lost the support he needed to resist the god's punishment, yet he still wanted to continue to remain in the mortal world…"

Before he could finish his sentence, the fat monk Shui Jing suddenly widened his eyes. He was suddenly enlightened, "The descendants of the heaven's cone nails secretly connected the place of the outer fringe with the Chaos Great Order… to help Kong Nuer arrange a new great formation. In order to receive the mighty force of life vitality he had to be capable of resisting the god's punishment!" Upon saying that, he paused for a moment, "They murdered every person who was cultivating in the magic art of position, in order to conceal the truth of this matter."

Wen Leyang nodded, "Kong Nuer is going to ascend to heaven as an immortal soon. That is why for the past few years, he couldn't care about looking for trouble with the grand master Chang Li!"

He still did not know where the descendants of the heaven's cone nails hiding, or the reason Kong Nuer refused to perform the act personally. He knew even less of how this new magic formation was arranged and operated, but his prediction was correct this time. 

Every single clue was chained together. The scheme of Kong Nuer and the descendants of the heaven's cone nails were completely exposed there and then!

This was the first time Wen Leyang had ever deduced such an important matter. The fat monk Shui Jing who was even more foolish than him was by his side to serve as a contrast. 

Both of them increased their walking speed unknowingly. They rushed toward Shudao's Linen Suits. After they figured out Kong Nuer's purpose, the act of searching for the whereabouts of the descendants of the heaven's cone nails became even more urgent and important. 

It did not take long before the both of them rushed back to the 'Shudao's Linen Suits'. What appeared amusing to Wen Leyang was little Chi Maojiu was not participating in the study of the longevity lock's witchcraft spell. He was imitating the dwarf back in the beginning. He sat in a dark corner of the shop with his arms around his knees. 

Chi Maojiu realized that they had returned. He immediately jumped up and inquired closely, "How did it go, did you manage to extract any information there?"

Without waiting for Wen Leyang to speak, the fat monk Shui Jing seized the opportunity to explain the entire scenario that they had figured out. He did not miss out on any part of the analysis. He explained in a well-grounded and reasoned manner.

Little Chi Maojiu did not expect that. They had only gone out for a day's time. They had almost clarified the entire sequence of events in this entire matter. 

Wen Leyang waited for the fat monk to finish speaking. He patted on the fat monk's shoulder as he laughed maniacally, "You did not even miss out any part of the explanation!"

Shui Jing laughed in a rather courteous manner. He was about to make modest remarks when Wen Leyang spoke, "Then I shall request the master to go through the trouble once again, and immediately convey this message to the family."

The matter was very important. They would need to inform the few demon immortals at home regardless. In case Wen Leyang failed to locate the descendants of the heaven's cone nails here, how should they put a stop to Kong Nuer's scheme afterward? They would still need to refer to Chang Li for a decision.

Shui Jing left while shaking his sleeves. It was only then Wen Leyang asked Chi Maojiu, "The witchcraft prohibition spell on the longevity lock has already been cracked?"

Chi Maojiu wiped his palms on his clothes shyly, "Uh… I did not examine the prohibition spell properly beforehand…"

Chi Maojiu stayed in the shop to crack the witchcraft spell on the longevity lock. After he had examined the spell, he discovered that the prohibition spell on the golden lock was not considered complicated. However, in order to crack the spell, one must fulfill one important condition – it must be done by the bloodline of the Painting Town, by Leyang Wangle personally.

Leyang Wangle's body possessed the witchcraft power inherited from Lue Luo's lineage. Yet, his skill at launching the witchcraft spell was too weak. In order to crack the prohibition spell, he would first need to learn the approach to launch a witchcraft spell from little Chi Maojiu before he could do anything else. 

Chi Maojiu heaved a sigh helplessly, "Think about the child's name and also the design of the witchcraft spell on this longevity lock. It is not that difficult to figure out Leyang Wen's ulterior motive!"

An important affair took place in the Painting Town. Leyang Wen would rather send someone to bring the child. He ran into the depth of a mountain yet, he still refused to seek help from the Nine Peaks Mountain. 

If Leyang Wangle did not have the opportunity to cultivate a top-quality Art of Witchcraft, there was no way he could come to realize an approach to crack the prohibition spell just by depending on himself. 

Leyang Wen did not expect that the child would meet the vicious and sinister Ma Zi.

Wen Leyang was feeling slightly suffocated. He shook his head after a while, "The matter regarding the child… we shall discuss further after we have returned to the mountain!" Upon saying that, he diverted the topic of conversation and laughed as he spoke, "Why are you not at the back? Is it cooler here in the shop's hall?"

Chi Maojiu laughed too. He was beaming with joy as he answered, "This swindle shop has rather impressive businesses!" He failed to crack the witchcraft spell. He was idling around with nothing else to do. So he was bustling about as he dealt business in the shop. He was having a good time at it. Shudao's Linen Suits was albeit not in the North borderland, but it was in a good location. In addition to the shop's intentional mysterious design, customers came in and strolled around every once in a while.

"On the other hand, there has been earthquakes in the place of the outer fringe frequently these days. The walls behind the house have cracked into two streaks of fissures. I am free, so I strengthen the walls a little." Chi Maojiu was speaking, when someone came into the shop. It was a young lad with modern attire stepped over the entrance in a haste. He appeared to be a frequent customer. He was looking everywhere for someone. His gaze did not stop for a moment on Chi Maojiu and Wen Leyang. He regarded them as customers too. 

Chi Maojiu immediately became high spirited. He asked in an ambiguous tone, "Can I help you?"

The young lad was stunned, "Where is Ma Zi, and the blind man? Has the shop… changed hands?"

Chi Maojiu learned the knack of doing business from the dwarf. His face was expressionless. He completely disregarded the young lad's question. He spoke in an icy cold tone, "Tell me what you need. If you are not buying anything then scram."

The young lad was extremely anxious. He hastily waved his hand in denial, "My uncle made a deal with Ma Zi, he had paid the deposit earlier…"

All of a sudden, a series of muffled thunder arrived loudly. The loud noise capable of turning one deaf, muffled the young lad's words in the blink of an eye. 

Chi Maojiu pouted his lips. He gazed into the eyes of Wen Leyang before he scolded loudly, "There is an earthquake every day. How are we going to run our business here!" Both of them possessed exceedingly strong hearing. It was not the sound of thunder that came from the sky, but the enormous pressure that radiated from the mountain rocks, tearing the air apart ferociously!

Before his voice died away, the ground suddenly leaped. Shiwan Mountain once again pulled at the place of the outer fringe, causing an earthquake!

The earthquake this time was much stronger than earthquakes Wen Leyang had experienced previously. The entire place of the outer fringe was jumping and dancing wildly!

The ground was boiling. Countless enormous soil waves rolled and attacked from afar. The tough surface of the ground turned soft yet fragile. The cobblestone road was like a card in the gale, tossed and abandoned mercilessly. Streaks of gigantic fissures tore through the soil ferociously within the muffled sound of hoarse squeaks and revealed savage smiles…

No one was sure when exactly the crystal clear sky had turned into a murky dark yellow. The sounds of screams, curses and incantations on the street connected into a messy stretch. Many shopkeepers were leading their workers. They hastily launched magic spells in order to strengthen the walls of their own shops. Some were leaping about continuously like an agile dragon. They used pieces of Thick Earth divine talisman to pin onto the walls and roofs rapidly. Some arranged themselves into a formation that surrounded the walls in an attempt to use the magic formation to seal the force of the earthquake. Others were urging their Taoist magic conjuration gestures to summon the protection of the enlightened person…

There were even more people covering their heads and fleeing for their lives. The cultivators in the place of the outer fringe did not possess profound cultivation power. The thought of depending on their cultivation base to withstand such mighty and vigorous powers of heaven and earth was not too different from a mantis trying to stop a chariot!

It only took a moment's time before buildings collapsed everywhere. Dust and stone chips exploded into the sky. There was only the 'Shudao's Linen Suits' that remained standing strong! The vast courtyard seemed to have sprouted and taken root. It grew in between heaven and earth. No matter how the ground tossed and turned, there was no way it could be detached. 

From afar, 'Shudao's Linen Suits' seemed to have turned into a dragonfly that was perched onto a raging dragon's body. It was turning with the force. It was slim and graceful, yet tough and tensile.

Wen Leyang was about to lose his balance soon, let alone the ordinary cultivators on the street. The immortal-like cultivators turned into bottle gourds that were rolling on the ground. Some of their heads were covered in blood. They were in a wretched condition…

Seven or eight minutes later, the ground regained its prior calmness. It left behind rubble and debris that stretched, and streaks of terrifying fissures that crisscrossed messily. 

On the nearby streets, there were only Shudao's Linen Suits that was considered the only intact building. 

Wen Leyang ran outside. He looked to his own shop again, it appeared just like the Weeping Buddha's ghost temple in the land of evil spirits in the Miao stockade village. The house that was in perfect condition seemed to be suddenly twisted by the giant god's huge hands ferociously. Even though it had not collapsed, there was an unspeakable hideousness and ghastliness. 

The young man from earlier, hastily ran away after the earthquake occurred. He should be from the place of the outer fringe. How could he care about buying something under the influence of a great disaster? His entire thought was devoted to returning to his house. 

Chi Maojiu did not succeed in the trade. He was brooding slightly. After he realized that his house was the only building that had not collapsed, his expression became prideful again, "I had only used the power of witchcraft spell to seal this shop. I did not expect that the enormous quake would be here so soon! You cannot see from the surface, but every brick and tile in the Shudao's Linen Suits are entwined and wrapped around by layers of red vines. It's so fine it's indistinguishable, the building is beyond sturdy."

At the muffled sound of a bang, Shudao's Linen Suits collapsed…

Their neighbors simultaneously revealed a rather joyous gaze. 

Wen Leyang was too lazy to pay attention to the shop. He was slightly concerned. He looked afar the place of the outer fringe, then he asked little Chi Maojiu softly, "What do you think, shall I go to the Shiwan Mountain and ask the wild burly man who is continuously moving the spiritual rocks, to suppress the evil caves?"

Chi Maojiu was feeling piteous to the swindle shop, he answered without thinking, "Ask him about what?"

Wen Leyang too did not know which question he should ask. The method adopted by Kong Nuer was to use the magic formation to suppress the great demons or evil creatures, such that he could extract the boundless life vitality. Kong Nuer was seeking to obtain from the place of the outer fringe and Shiwan Mountain. He may not necessarily be attempting to harm the wild burly man.

He wanted to look for the wild burly man. It would be good even if he were to only remind the wild burly man to be careful. 

Chi Maojiu was an intelligent person from a young age. He pondered for a while before he understood Wen Leyang's thinking. He patted on Wen Leyang's shoulder and laughed, "Whatever we think of, the few demon immortals outside can naturally think even clearer than us. Even if there is a necessity to look for that wild burly man, it may not necessarily be you!"

Wen Leyang was relieved. Little Five and the wild burly man seemed to be closer. If she were to bring the demon immortals to search for him, the result would still be the same. 

The two were discussing when Wen Leyang suddenly gave out a 'huh' in surprise. In the distance, Shui Jing, Ji Fei, Leyang Wangle who was sent away earlier, along with the blind man had returned.

Shui Jing started shouting loudly from afar, "The entrance to the place of the outer fringe has collapsed again. Before the new entrance is found again, the people from the outside cannot enter. The people on the inside cannot go out as well!"

When the fat monk made his way to the exit, there was no earthquake. He coincidentally bumped into Ji Fei who brought along the child and blind man. The two monks exchanged a few words upon meeting each other when the strong earthquake happened. The new entrance collapsed once again. 

This stretch of 'Rely on the fate of Ishvara, the land of Caturapramanah', was the only place of the outer fringe in the mortal world. A huge amount of magic power was needed to open up this stretch of sky and land here. It was supposed to be an abstruse location that was widely divergent to the outside world in the aspect of its position, space-time, boundary line or barriers. 

Wen Leyang wanted to use his Faulty Punch to rip out an opening, yet he did not know how he should do it. Even if he were to come up with a way to take a look outside, perhaps he would end up in outer space. Or maybe he would be in the Jurassic…

Chi Maojiu was greatly startled, "So you are saying that… no one can leave now?"

Shui Jing was not too concerned. He spoke as if he was taking charge of everything, "There are sects with legacy of millenniums here. They are decent indigenous people. Sooner or later they will find an exit. Even if the back is blocked, there is still the Shiwan Mountain in front. We will find a way out anyhow, we only need to wait patiently for a few days!"

Wen Leyang had been maintaining contact with the few demon immortals for a long time. He learned that there was no need to be worried or anxious about something that was beyond his control. He stretched out his hands and carried Leyang Wangle.

The old monk Ji Fei too did not wait for the others to ask. He took the initiative to speak first, "My trip to the outside this time... I did not manage to meet Hanba and the daughter!"

The old monk brought along the captives and an old friend. They left the place of the outer fringe about a day ago. When they arrived at the agreed location, they did not manage to meet Hanba. The old monk waited for a while, then he strolled around. There was still no news from Hanba, so he immediately walked out to the highway and made a call to the Nine Peaks Mountain. 

At this point, Ji Fei's expression turned solemn. He spoke to Wen Leyang, "Something happened at home! Just as we were fighting with the blind man and Ma Zi, giant earthquakes and landslides happened in the depth of Qinling Mountains. The Yin's eye was completely covered!"

Wen Leyang and Chi Maojiu gazed at one another in fear. Before they managed to ask, the old monk Ji Fei waved his hand and interrupted them, "At the same time, Seven Maidens Mountain of the mid-Shu State and Crow Ridge of Southern Sichuan were attacked!"

The two Tuo Xie's disciples simultaneously screamed out 'no'!

Four years ago the Painting Town was massacred by someone, leaving behind only the baby Leyang Wangle. Recently the Nine Peaks Mountain was blasted by the Thunder Magic Art. They were almost completely annihilated. The Qinling Mountains Yin's eye, Crow Ridge, Seven Maidens Mountain were all struck by a disaster within one day.

The old monk Ji Fei hastily waved his hand to comfort the two young infuriated masters, "They still did not know about the situation on the Yin's eye. Since Hanba and daughter were not there, they lost that stretch of corpse-forming land. As for Crow Ridge and Seven Maidens Mountain, they were similar to when the Wen family was attacked. Someone launched a magic spell to blast at them from afar, but the strange part was the magic spell had already taken form at the time. The imposing mannerism and shocking powers were astonishing. Even the Nine Peaks Mountain could sense that, yet in the end the matter was left unsettled. The attack suddenly dispersed off. Some people were injured, but they did not suffer a great loss."

It was only then Chi Maojiu exhaled a long breath. He was more relieved now, but his expression was still as tyrannical as a poisonous snake. 

Wen Leyang asked Ji Fei in a lowered voice, "Was it Red Pot?"

Ji Fei shook his head, "They still did not know that yet. Ever since we left the village, the demon immortals released Red Pot. Zhui Zi was assigned to follow its tracks. After the disaster took place, there was still no news from Zhui Zi."

Chang Li had given the order of summoning the other two family's leaders and inner disciples to gather at the Nine Peaks Mountain. The rest of the disciples scattered into the mountain forest. Unlike the disciples of Miao Bucao, the two families of Miao and Luo each managed many generations. The nearby mountain forests contained secret strongholds for concealment. 

The three families of Wen, Miao, and Luo acted harsh and unreasonable for two thousand years. They did not expect that they would be in such a difficult position!

The old monk Ji Fei traveled here and there. He spent more than a day's time. He was in a haste to pass the message to Wen Leyang. He could not care to send back the rest, so he brought them to rush back. Unexpectedly, they were just in time for the strong earthquake. They did not manage to leave after their return.

The Yin's eye was Hanba and daughter's native home. The father and daughter immediately sensed something happened to their home, so they rushed back.

The master cultivators from the Temple of Great Mercy had already departed. The small demon rabbit was rushing over to Mount Putuo to take the place of Hanba, but the exit was sealed right now. Their effort to come over was futile. 

The old demon rabbit on the other hand brought along a group of master cultivators to the Seven Maidens Mountain. The split body of San Wei from Eyang Sect too gave in to A Dan's tantrum. He brought along his trusted disciple to the Crow Ridge in order to guard the repeated attacks from the enemies. 

The old monk Ji Fei spoke at last, "The grand master Chang Li left word that we ought to stay in the place of the outer fringe calmly and investigate the whereabouts of the descendants of heaven's cone nails. Liu Zheng has already arrived on the highland. He will come rushing back immediately after he picks up his disciples, Hanba will return to the Nine Peaks Mountain after he goes to the Yin's eye. There is no need to worry about the actual power at home."

Wen Leyang nodded, he pondered for a moment. He truly could not come up with a better way, so he instructed the two monks, "When you are inquiring about the whereabouts of the descendants of the heaven's cone nails, do pay attention to the exit for the place of the outer fringe. We cannot be disconnected from the outside world for too long."

The two monks mumbled 'yes, yes' repeatedly. Anyone could see that Wen Leyang was purely speaking nonsense there. 

Meanwhile, a series of messy footsteps echoed. A few people were running towards them. The leader was the young lad who came before the earthquake. Behind him were two brawny men lifting a stretcher. The casualty was wrapped in a blanket. There was no way to see his appearance. There was also a wealthy-looking, middle-aged fat man. The fat man's outlook was a ball of kindness. Yet there was anxiety between his brows that could not be concealed.

The fat man ran in front. The moment he realized that the 'Shudao's Linen Suits' had collapsed as well, he slapped his thigh anxiously. His face was filled with sorrow, "It is over! It is truly over!"

The young lad saw the blind man, he came dashing over swiftly!