Wen Leyang was soft-hearted. It was not a problem for him to go all out in the heat of battle, but he could not bring himself to do something like interrogating. Hence, he did not follow little Chi Maojiu.
Ji Fei and Shui Jing were self-proclaimed, well-experienced men, so they did not regard anything as too gruesome. They ran over and wanted to help Chi Maojiu out. In no time, the brothers came running back with limp limbs. The brother’s face was paler than the other.
Another moment passed before little Chi Maojiu came back. He said to Wen Leyang, “Mulou is very stubborn. It’ll be better to interrogate the three of them at once!” As he said this, he waved towards the mass of black vines and brought the fat man and his nephew along.
The others only knew now that the two subordinates of Mulou had all their orifices filled by the vines, but they had not died.
This time, the others waited for a long time. Little Chi Maojiu did not return. Occasionally, a wail that could only be heard when a beast was chewing on its own claws came from behind the wall. Everyone felt their skin crawl. Ji Fei and Shui Jing could take it no more. The brothers ran out to find out about the place of the outer fringe’s exit.
About a whole day had passed before little Chi Maojiu finally turned around the dilapidated wall. He waved his hand, looking slightly tired. The few bloodied vines behind him immediately came back to life. They churned up the soil and rocks. They buried their torture site in the blink of an eye.
The doll immediately ran over. He supported Chi Maojiu’s arm in all apparent seriousness. Chi Maojiu did not wait for Wen Leyang to ask before he spoke, “These arbiters of Wuhuan are only a few small fries. Although they know quite a lot, they weren’t very useful!”
Like the Heaven’s cone nail disciples, the ancestor of Wuhuan Mulou had also worshipped Kong Nuer as the immortal master teacher and followed him. However, in terms of abilities, the line of Wuhuan was much weaker than the Heaven cone nail sects. Naturally, their ranks were much lower.
Chi Maojiu stretched out a hand and counted for Wen Leyang, “Besides Kong Nuer, the most powerful elites are, of course, the two split bodies of the heavily-mustached man on the wasteland and Desert Rebel Mountain. The next would be the group of Heaven’s cone nail elites and his personal disciples. In addition to that, there was another sect or two whose abilities were not weaker than the Heaven’s cone nail, such as Wu Dudu’s group, which you guys have killed on Mount Hua’s Ending Cave. Below them was the level of Wuhuan Mountain cultivators.”
Wen Leyang grunted once. Mulou seemed to have died out of his madness. He could not even officially attack, but his abilities would not be too much weaker than the giant pangolin Po Tu. If he was compared to the current cultivation world, the ordinary sects fell far behind.
Four years ago, the Heaven cone nail descendants had been completely defeated on Goddess Peak. Only the three sword immortals Shudou, Rust, and immortal aunt Re were left. Not long after, the immortal master teacher sent an oracle through a spiritual crane again for everyone to rush to Mount Putuo. There would be an arbiter of the immortal master teacher who would instruct them by that time.
Wen Leyang was astonished. He could not help but to confirm, “The arbiter of the immortal master teacher?”
Kong Nuer’s fake disciple was the heavily-mustached man’s split bodies, because his original body’s memories were altered by some Art of Devilry. His true disciples were the formation protecting disciples of the line of Black and White Island.
Chi Maojiu nodded, “That’s right, the arbiter of the immortal master teacher!”
This time, the ones who went towards Mount Putuo were not only the few Heaven’s cone nail descendants, but every descendant of every cultivator who had followed the immortal master teacher before this had gathered here. The immortal master teacher’s arbiter had also shown himself, but what made everyone feel strange was that this immortal master teacher’s disciple was not a human, but a five-element demon body.
A five-element demon body is the embodiment of the extremes of the five elements, metal, wood, water, fire, and earth.
When he said this, little Chi Maojiu paused. A tinge of suspicion rose on his face, “The body of the immortal master teacher’s disciple and the five elements are perfectly balanced, but his movements and actions are unusually rigid and awkward. He does not look like a good fortune to the world. Mulou and the others had privately discussed this. They reckoned that this immortal master teacher’s arbiter’s dharma body had been shattered by someone else. He escaped with only his primordial spirit and his body was remade by the immortal master teacher.”
Since he had a demon’s body, if his abilities had reached a certain level, he could release the demonic Prohibition set on the Heaven’s cone nail descendants by Chang Li. Shudou, Rust and immortal aunt Re would hence be rescued. Not only that, the Moon cone nail descendants who had been missing for a few thousand years had also appeared, bringing with them a few blades of the centipede grass and officially rejoining the group.
As for whether the other Heaven’s cone nail descendants and that five-elements demon suspected the Moon cone nail’s descendants, Mulou’s level was too low and he had no way of knowing.
At that moment, the golden monkey and Qin Zhui were already captured by some elites of the immortal master teacher.
The five elements demon only gave an order to a few Heaven’s cone nail descendants. Then, he brought some men and three Moon cone nail’s descendants. They escorted the golden monkey and left Mount Putuo. The descendants of the other three Heaven cone nail’s families led the others and Qin Zhui into the place of the outer fringe.
Mulou did not know where the five elements demon went and for what purpose. They had only followed the orders of Shudou Rust and the others after they entered the place of the outer fringe. First, they were involved in killing the seven old shops in the northern borderland, then, they put on disguises and changed their faces for four years. They went explicitly after those who wanted to know the truth. As for what the others were doing, they did not know.
As for Qin Zhui, Mulou had completely no idea that he had already escaped.
Wen Leyang could not help but ask, “Those who entered the place of the outer fringe with Mulou… are they still here?”
Little Chi Maojiu shook his head, “He’s only minding his own business. He does not know about the others. Mulou’s words ended here. That’s why I said that he knew quite a lot, but most of what he knew was useless!”
Wen Leyang was speechless. They could basically guess all this already. Mulou’s testament only straightened the entire story even more so. Overall, there was almost nothing that was useful.
This time, Kong Nuer’s motives for amassing his subordinates were neither for Chang Li nor Nine Peaks Mountain at all. That was why that demon gave orders to imprison the golden monkey and Qin Zhui. It was a protective talisman, and also a bargaining counter to be used against the Tuo Xie disciples after this scheme.
The blind man had prepared a few cups of hot tea out of nowhere. He intended to serve them, but he hesitated when he walked up towards them. He was worried that Chi Maojiu would suspect him of poisoning the drink.
Leyang Wangle looked pitiful as he pulled on Chi Maojiu’s arm. The child was extremely fond of the blind man.
Chi Maojiu chuckled as he took the cup. He released the Witchcraft Prohibition he had cast on the blind man in his stride, “You defended the child the last time, so you could be counted as the benefactor of us Tuo Xie disciples.”
The blind man was so shocked that he almost breathed his last. He stammered, “As long as the few gods… don’t look upon my trespasses…”
Chi Maojiu shook his head and cut him short, “But we still have a few things to ask from you as a favor. We won’t harm you. The Prohibition is only to prevent you from running away, as we don’t mean too much harm.”
The blind man was no fool. He had known long ago what these Tuo Xie disciples had captured him for, but he dared not complain. He nodded with slight hesitation, “I do know something about ordinary Buddha’s Light Bugs, but that magic bug on Nine Peaks Mountain had swallowed the true fire contained within the divine army immortal swords. It’s truly special…” When he said this, the blind man seemed to regain his senses suddenly. He hastily cursed and swore that he would give it his all.
Wen Leyang chuckled, “Just do your best and leave the rest to the heavens. Don’t stress yourself out too much!”
The blind man was a low-level cultivator with no backers. Of course he had thought about going to Nine Peaks Mountain to help ‘You’ve Got Me’ break out of its cocoon and affiliate himself with the Tuo Xie disciples after this. However, it was common knowledge that the bug had swallowed the giant sword’s true fire. This incident greatly exceeded the blind man’s understanding of the Buddha’s Light Bug. If he went up to Nine Peaks Mountain and caused ‘You’ve Got Me’ to die by accident, that would be a great problem.
After going through so much trouble to capture a prisoner, the testament they obtained was not that useful. Wen Leyang was quite gloomy. He discussed it for a little while longer with little Chi Maojiu. They truly could not think of a better way to find the Heaven’s cone nail descendants. They also did not know if their killing of Wuhuan’s Mulou would alert those people.
Ji Fei and Shui Jing came back with drooping heads. Many were looking for a new path to go in and out, but there seemed to be no news yet.
A few violent quakes had occurred in rapid succession in this short span of time, especially the final time round. It almost flattened the entire place of the outer fringe. Even the cultivators who had done business for a few generations here knew that they could not stay here any longer, let alone those who had just arrived. There were about ten thousand people in the place of the outer fringe, and most of them were anxious to leave.
Wen Leyang had learned to not fret over something he could not control. At first, he stayed perfectly calm, but he never thought that a month had gone by in the blink of an eye, but they still had yet to find the new exit!
The cultivators who were stuck inside the place of the outer fringe were more and more anxious. The streets were filled with cultivation disciples who would fight with their magic weapons at the slightest disagreement. More people joined the ranks to search for the exit and hoped to find a way out of this bloody place.
This place of the outer fringe was created by a cultivator’s life vitality, but in the end, it was nurtured within the world. No matter what, there would be an exit which connected to the world somewhere; it would not be as cruel as a tied balloon. However, what puzzled everyone was that after the first great earthquake, under the collective strength of everyone, they only spent two days before they found the new exit. However, this time, the ones searching for it were far greater in number. They spent more time, but their efforts were futile.
The people within the place of the outer fringe were anxious, and the entire cultivation world was also flustered. Without a path to go in or out, the place of the outer fringe seemed to have disappeared. Who knows how many elite disciples from various sects were still in there? In no time, the lonely and cold Mount Putuo quickly livened up. Who knows how many cultivators came to investigate? Shadows that shot past like the wind could be seen everywhere.
There was no need to mention the people on Nine Peaks Mountain. Chang Li had come herself and brought Mumu along with her, but she also could not find the place of the outer fringe. Within this one month, it was unknown how many cultivators had the worst of luck. Anyone who met Chang Li would be pommeled without exception. Under the full force of the cat demon’s rage, even seeing someone else angered her.
This day, Wen Leyang was discussing some thoughts about applying poison with the blind man out of boredom. The brothers Ji Fei and Shui Jing came running back with excited expressions. They had not even reached them when the monks laughed and shouted, “We’ve found the exit! Come follow us, quick!”
The group of people were overjoyed. They immediately followed the two votarists and ran towards the depths of the place of the outer fringe. A huge crowd had already gathered on the streets, almost everyone looked happy and were chatting merrily. The blind man was even somewhat sentimental along the way. The place of the outer fringe which had been passed down for more than a thousand years would soon become an empty city now.
Chi Maojiu, on the other hand, was quite happy. He chuckled and said to Wen Leyang with a low voice, “It’d be better if it turns into an empty city. It’ll be much easier to look for those people!”
Wen Leyang was not as optimistic. He hugged the child and smiled bitterly, “Maybe the Heaven’s cone nail descendants had left long ago! After we get out of here, I want you to bring them back to the family first. I’ll go into Shiwan Mountains to find that beastly burly man. I can only rest easy after I tell him to be more careful!”
The few of them talked as they followed the crowd towards the exit. However, soon after, the two votarists who led the way suddenly gave an ‘eh’ at the same time! In front of them, ten thousand heads gathered and moved – it was unknown how many cultivators had gathered. They cursed and made a loud ruckus.
Old Monk Ji Fei turned around and told Wen Leyang, “The exit is in front!”
The fat monk scolded, “Are you all out of your minds!? What are you doing waiting here but not moving!?”
His voice barely faded when a howl that was unsure whether it was a surprised exclamation or a curse suddenly erupted from the crowd in front of them. They scattered backward like a receding wave. Many of them even got their protective talismans ready.
Wen Leyang, the others, and the cultivators behind them did not know what had happened. They did not step back but moved forward instead. They rushed to the front in one go. The entire crowd immediately turned into a complete mess. Amidst the clangor and pushing, some cursed while others wailed. Lights of all colors flickered. The sound of magic weapons shooting across the skies was as sharp as a falcon’s screech and as dull as the thump of a giant rock which fell on the ground…
Wen Leyang stood side by side with Chi Maojiu. They shielded their four companions between them. After they squeezed a few steps forward, their vision brightened up quickly. A handful of cultivators’ corpses was seen with an array of clothes strewn on the ground, with their flying swords stuck in the ground beside them!
Looking forward, a dozen men formed a line and blocked the way. Among them, there was a one-eyed man who had a flying sword in front of him. He slowly got rid of the dirty blood on the blade by shaking it off. It was obvious that he had killed the few cultivators who were now lying on the floor.
Ji Fei was a man well-versed with the workings of this world. Within the few steps he took to get here from the crowd, he had roughly heard what had happened. He said to Wen Leyang, “The exit is behind these men. They had sealed it and would not allow anyone to leave.”
His voice was extremely soft and their surroundings were noisy, but they were still heard by the one-eyed skinny man who had just made the kill. An eye that was colder than a venomous snake’s quickly locked onto Ji Fei’s face!
Old Monk Ji Fei did not show any weakness and returned the stare. He pulled little Chi Maojiu over and scolded the skinny man as he pointed to him, “If you look at me any longer, I’ll have him poke your single eye until you go completely blind!”
At this time, an old man beside the one-eyed person opened his mouth, “This exit is connected to the depths of Shiwan Mountains, and right into the lair of ghosts and monsters. We mean no evil; we’re only worried that if everyone went out recklessly, you would all throw your lives away in vain!” His voice was sonorous like metal hitting gold; loud and booming. It silenced the clamor of the crowd in an instant.
Amidst the cultivators who barred the way, a seductive young married woman also said with a giggle, “The few master teachers of my family had already gone in beforehand. Soon, they’ll be able to kill off all the demons, and by that time, everyone will know of your good intentions.”
The young married woman’s voice was sweet. There was no sign that she was using any force, but her words struck into the depths of every cultivators’ eardrums.
They had just finished when a dissatisfied curse rose from the crowd behind Wen Leyang, “Good intentions? If you guys have good intentions, then why did you kill them!?” Immediately, a hundred cultivators chimed in. When he saw that the crowd which had just quieted down was starting to get noisy again, the one-eyed man quickly yelled, “Execute!”
The flying sword in front of him flashed like lightning. The cultivators who looked at the one-eyed man felt their vision go blurry for a second. The flying sword seemed to have disappeared but when they looked closely, it was still in its original spot. However, on the blade, a string of blood droplets had appeared again.
After a moment, a wave of surprised exclamations rose from among the crowd again. The head of the cultivator who questioned them just now fell onto the ground, but his body still stood straight…
The one-eyed man then spoke with a heavy southern Fujian accent. It was quick and fast like a machine gun, as he scolded, “These demon people wanted to put all of you in danger. They should be executed for those thoughts!” As he said this, his one eye returned onto Ji Fei’s face.
Ji Fei’s body shook and he dared not utter another word. However, little Chi Maojiu took a step forward and shielded the old monk. He looked at the one-eyed person and said drily, “If you look at me any longer, I’ll make you go blind!”
The old monk’s heart was almost won over by little Chi Maojiu’s loyalty…
