novelHire Chapter 856.7: Taotie Emerges, Upper Realm Shakes
Chapter 856.7: Taotie Emerges, Upper Realm Shakes
..."Tsk! What manner of demon is causing trouble here!"
The Mountain God of Kunlun, Shiqing, materialized from a flash of cyan light.
He held a great spear formed of rock, its shaft wreathed in Immortal Qi like flowing ribbons. With his head held high and chest puffed out, he had already adopted an attacking stance, ready to give the "howling" great demon a taste of his spear.
But when he clearly saw the colossal figure that blotted out the sky and sun, his expression couldn't help but change.
"My dear mother..."
Judging by the Demonic Energy he sensed from afar, he knew this had to be a great demon. But try as he might, he had never calculated that this "great demon" would actually be the King of Fierce Beasts—Taotie.
Sensing his gaze.
The giant beast also turned around.
Boom——!
Its four limbs stamped the ground, causing the earth to tremble violently.
Cracks spread like spiderwebs, churning up clouds of dust that filled the sky.
It turned its head, the mane on its neck bristling like raging black waves. The airflow around it was pulled by its imposing aura, transforming into howling winds that whipped sand and stones, crackling and popping.
The moment those crimson-gold eyes locked onto him, Shiqing felt his legs go weak, his heart turning half-cold.
The Well of Heaven had only just opened, the passage between heaven and earth had just been established. How could he encounter a Taotie at its peak so early?
This was like the final boss that should only appear in the late game suddenly showing up in a newly opened beginner's village.
Shiqing's mentality was a bit shattered at this moment.
Never mind that he was only here through Divine Descent.
Even if his true body were here, he probably wouldn't be a match for Taotie.
"I wondered who it was! Just a mangy little god dares to call this king a demon?!"
Muscle Tyrant stared coldly at Shiqing, instantly discerning his identity.
Though there was Immortal Qi on his body, it wasn't pure. Though there was divine light behind his head, it wasn't concentrated. He was merely a mountain-protecting demigod, and only a wisp of true spirit descended through Divine Descent.
Then there was no need to be polite.
Just kill him directly!
As the thought crossed its mind, it raised its sharp claw and swatted directly at Shiqing.
It was just a casual, effortless strike, yet it already stirred the winds and clouds across the sky. In Shiqing's eyes, it blotted out the heavens and earth, leaving him no opportunity to dodge.
In his desperation, he immediately activated a Divine Ability, transforming in an instant into a giant the size of a mountain, composed of rock and stone.
But Taotie's giant claw also grew larger as he grew.
Especially blotting out the sky and sun.
He remained utterly insignificant.
Shiqing pushed upwards with both hands with all his might, his eyes wide with strain: "Hold... hold it!"
Boom——!
The moment the giant claw descended, mountains crumbled and the earth split.
The stone giant Shiqing had transformed into had its arms shatter the instant they touched the sharp claw. A shower of stone fragments mixed with pale cyan Immortal Qi scattered through the air.
His roar caught in his throat. His entire rocky body, like stones crushed by a compactor, disintegrated layer by layer from head to toe, without even a chance to resist.
His true spirit shot out from the pile of rubble, the size of a grain of rice. With a terrified wail, it desperately fled towards the horizon—that was his last chance for survival. If he could escape back to the Upper Realm, this wisp of true spirit could be preserved, and he wouldn't suffer a fundamental injury.
But would Muscle Tyrant give him that chance?
It lifted its head, its bloody maw suddenly opening wide. A terrifying suction force instantly erupted.
The fleeing true spirit was pulled as if by invisible threads.
It was forcibly dragged back, flying straight into its mouth.
"Crunch." A faint chewing sound was heard.
Muscle Tyrant smacked its lips, a flicker of satisfaction in its crimson-gold eyes: "Tsk, the true spirit of a demigod is much finer than those Demonic Souls, has a bit of chew to it."
In a few quick bites, it devoured Shiqing's true spirit.
It shook its head contentedly, its dark golden scales gleaming with a cold light under the sun.
For Muscle Tyrant, the fight just now was merely a casual gesture.
But it knew that this one swat and swallow had already alerted the Upper Realm.
Though the mountain god was weak, he was a registered proper god of the Upper Realm. The destruction of his descended true spirit would not go unnoticed by the Upper Realm.
Even if the Upper Realm failed to notice, the mountain god's main body, suffering the Backlash from the shattering of his true spirit, would inevitably inform the other immortals and gods of its appearance in the Lower Realm.
The team to capture it would arrive before long.
To avoid causing trouble for Chen Huaian, Muscle Tyrant did not linger.
Its four limbs shook, and its massive body shot into the sky.
A pair of wings formed from gathering black demonic clouds gave a powerful flap, stirring up clouds of dust. In the blink of an eye, it was already a hundred miles away.
However, it was in the exact opposite direction from where Chen Huaian had left.
"Farewell..."
Muscle Tyrant prayed silently in its heart.
Perhaps the next time they met, Chen Huaian would have successfully infiltrated Lingxiao and become a Divine Immortal in the heavens?
And none of those good-for-nothings would suspect a thing. That would be best, and its mission would be accomplished.
...
At the same time, in the Upper Realm.
"Pfft——!" The Mountain God of Kunlun, Shiqing, who was sitting cross-legged in meditation, suddenly turned pale and spat a mouthful of old blood onto the stone wall before him.
"Upper God! What's wrong, Upper God!?"
Several minor immortals nearby, seeing Shiqing spit blood, hurried forward to check on him. Among them was none other than the 'Great Immortal Stone Pine' that Zhang Yibai and Gu Changsheng had summoned for the first time.
"Cough, cough... I, I'm fine..." Shiqing forced himself to sit up.
The true spirit he had descended to the Lower Realm had been swallowed whole by Taotie. At this moment, his foundation was severely injured, his immortal power had regressed. How could he be fine?
It was just that he had more important matters to report.
...
Lingxiao Palace stood majestically at the edge of Shiqing's vision.
The palace complex stretched continuously, its flying eaves and bracket sets intricate and imposing, grand in scale to the extreme.
Yet its entire body presented a somber, profound black, as if carved from a single piece of night, making anyone who glanced at it feel a sense of oppression.
He was just a minor, insignificant god. Without any special business, he generally wouldn't come to a place like this.
Moreover, there was no position for him within this palace.
As soon as Shiqing reached the palace gate, the heavy bronze doors slid open silently, leaving a gap just wide enough for one person to pass through.
The aura flowing from within was a mixture of millennia-old sandalwood, cold Immortal Qi, and a faint, elusive scent of something decaying in the shadows.
He took a deep breath, his expression solemn, and stepped inside.
Lingxiao Palace was even more vast and boundless inside. Giant pillars supporting the hall soared into an invisible ceiling of darkness, their surfaces entwined with lifelike carvings of golden dragons.
On both sides stood civil and martial Immortal Officials. They were impeccably dressed, possessing an immortal air, but upon closer inspection, one could notice some subtle abnormalities—some officials wore a faint, rigid smile at the corners of their mouths that never faded;
Some, when their eyeballs moved, carried a slight, unnatural stiffness unlike that of living beings;
Others, though standing straight, cast shadows on the ground that twisted unnaturally.
The entire hall was terrifyingly quiet. Only Shiqing's own somewhat hurried and unsteady footsteps echoed, seemingly amplified countless times.
"Oh? Isn't this our Kunlun Mountain God, fellow immortal Shiqing?"
A slightly shrill voice broke the silence, carrying a hint of deliberately feigned familiarity and teasing, "Why so... hmm, travel-worn today?
Even your divine light has dimmed. Could it be that the incense offerings in the Lower Realm are poor, and you're going hungry?"
The speaker was an immortal lord standing at the front of the civil officials' queue.
His face was pale and beardless, holding a jade tablet, with a standard smile on his face.
But that smile did not reach his eyes, instead making his overly bright eyes appear even more hollow.
Shiqing recognized him. He was "Smiling Immortal" Yao Jin, who oversaw some human fortunes and misfortunes.
At this moment, Shiqing could detect a faint, malicious sense of schadenfreude beneath that perfect smile.
He had no time to dwell on it, nor the strength to argue. He quickly walked to the foot of the imperial steps.
Without regard for decorum, he fell to his knees with a "thump," his voice trembling with suppressed emotion: "Your Majesty! Your subject, Kunlun Mountain God Shiqing, has urgent matters to report!"
The figure seated high upon the Nine Dragon Mystic Jade Throne was shrouded in a blurry, dark golden divine light, its specific form unclear. One could only feel a vast and heavy pressure, as if the entire sky had collapsed, weighing on the hearts of every immortal in the hall.
That was the current Heavenly Emperor.
"Speak." A flat, utterly emotionless voice came from within the divine light, as if from the depths of the underworld.
Shiqing lowered his body further, his words rushed and constrained: "Reporting to Your Majesty, your subject was entrusted by the current Leader of Kunlun to descend to the Lower Realm to assist with matters.
But I discovered... I discovered that near Mount Kunlun, the foundations of the nine Demon Sealing Pagodas seem to show unusual activity.
Their positions may no longer be in their original locations! The sealing spiritual light is chaotic and dim, showing signs of loosening!
Your subject... your subject's wisp of true spirit in the Lower Realm perished just now while investigating this matter!"
As these words were spoken, the deathly silence in the great hall was broken. There was an extremely faint collective intake of cold breath and the rustle of sleeves and robes rubbing together.
Although the immortal officials still maintained their solemn stance, the air clearly grew heavier and more uneasy.
The Demon Sealing Pagodas concerned a great secret. If there were truly changes, it was no small matter.
Shiqing caught his breath, feeling those ambiguous gazes on his back. Steeling himself, he uttered the name that made even his true spirit tremble: "Furthermore, your subject's wisp of true spirit encountered... the ancient Fierce Beast—Taotie in the Lower Realm!
This beast's ferocity is overwhelming! Your subject... your subject dared not oppose it, and my true spirit was swallowed whole by it in one bite!
Your Majesty, Taotie appearing so early is definitely not a good omen!"
"What?!"
"Taotie?!"
"How is that possible?! Wasn't it already sucked..."
"How could a Taotie at its peak appear in the Lower Realm at this time?"
This time, the palace could no longer maintain absolute silence.
Suppressed exclamations and murmurs rose from the crowd. Though not loud, they were like undercurrents beneath ice, surging with panic and horror.
The appearance of Taotie was no good thing.
If not dealt with promptly, it would bring great trouble to the Upper Realm.
But who to send to deal with Taotie once again became that oft-discussed, yet difficult-to-solve problem.
...