The tall and burly Leyang Tian walked to the door. He looked around outside and chuckled as he asked, “Where are you then? Why don’t you come up here?” His tone of speaking had resumed his original Beijing accent with a skittishness which was readily apparent.
As he spoke, he took a cell phone out from his big pocket. His strong fingers started typing a text message in an extremely agile manner.
The current situation outside was dead silent, the Enlightened San Wei no longer said anything else.
The Little Supreme Leader Liu Zheng then squatted down and ripped opened the clothes on the corpse with one gesture. Following that, he frowned and seemed stunned for a moment. Soon after that he brandished two paper talismans and muttered a few incantations before he shouted loudly, “Taoism code, suppress the evilness, reveal the soul!”
The two pieces of papers made a crackling sound as they vibrated in the air yet they did not fly. They resembled a falcon which could not find its prey and shook its wings in a puzzled yet anxious manner.
Liu Zheng’s expression became even more astonished. He was becoming more and more ghastly pale with time as he once again muttered another incantation. However, this effort was also futile. He finally retrieved the paper talismans with a wave of his hand before turning around with a forced smile at Wen Leyang, “The situation is serious this time!”
Wen Leyang had been actually rather happy in his heart to be able to fight side by side with the disciple of Painting Town. There was a possibility for them to return to Wen Leyang’s good side so when he heard Liu Zheng’s words he asked in reply, “How serious it is?”
Liu Zheng’s answer was curt, “About as serious as a split body.”
Before Liu Zheng’s voice could die away, there was the sound of a thump as the old monk Ji Fei unexpectedly sat on the ground. Shui Jing tried to give him a hand but he failed so he scolded with a low, muffled voice, “What the heck are you doing?”
The old monk Ji Fei completely disregarded his ‘junior brother disciple’ as he stared at the little supreme leader Liu Zheng dully, “It’s r-really as serious as a split body?”
Shui Jing too started to notice that something was wrong. He narrowed his eyes as he considered those words carefully before his jaw suddenly dropped and he pointed at the corpse on the ground, “Split-split-split-split-split…”
Liu Zheng nodded, “There is utterly no soul in the corpse!”
With the sound of another thump, the fat monk too sat on the ground. A tinge of satisfaction flashed through the old monk Ji Fei’s face.
Wen Leyang did not understand the methods and approaches of the cultivation world so he asked Liu Zheng anxiously, “What’s actually going on?”
Liu Zheng’s expression was stern and he had started to prepare the paper talisman next to him. He was bustling about as he answered Wen Leyang, “The Enlightened one outside who had been shot earlier was a split body.”
Leyang Tian had finished texting at this point, his tone of speaking remained relaxed as ever. He kept his hands in his pockets as he asked the rest, “How strong does a cultivator have to be in order to cultivate a body-splitting technique?”
The old monk Ji Fei and the fat monk Shui Jing were helping each other to stand up as he explained, “No one knows how strong the cultivator has to be! Cultivating a body-splitting technique was a supernatural power only found in legends, nobody in today’s world has ever seen it! This body-splitting skill is one-third of a God-level ability. If the person’s purpose was the same as a God-level, whether it’s their battle method, the ability to venture into danger or their cultivation process would all yield twice the result with half the effort. It’s the highest level of achievement for a person engaged in cultivation!”
Wen Leyang frowned but did not speak, he could sense that something was wrong here but he could not pinpoint what it was.
The Little Supreme Leader Liu Zheng informed Wen Leyang reluctantly, “A person capable of cultivating a body-splitting technique, his cultivation base and skill will certainly be no less inferior to the God-level.”
The enemy’s actual power was substantiated in a short while, Wen Leyang’s heart too turned cold with fear.
A grimace filled Wen Leyang’s face as he realized t coincidence here; no matter what happened, as long as it involved Grand Master Tuo Xie, it would immediately lure in a top master cultivator. The cultivation world has recognized the Five Blessings as their esteemed leader all the while. The old demon rabbit had been considered the odd one out but now that he was getting close to the Grand Master’s track, so many other master cultivators who were so powerful that a normal cultivator could only look up to them and were supposed to exist only in legends gradually appeared on the stage! The outstanding demon cat, the mountain elf Guo Huan, the half-human half-ghost Hanba, the Black and White Island’s Sword Immortals, and now even this San Wei here who was capable of body-splitting!
Wen Leyang’s pores opened and closed. His telegnosis ability began to spread out like ripples on a pond and rapidly extended until it covered the entire Painting Town. The range of his telegnosis ability has a limit but that was just enough to fill this huge matchbox here. He had become distracted when he heard about the relationship between Hanba, Mi Xu, and Grand Master Tuo Xie earlier. He only regained his focus when the San Wei’s corpse had been tossed into the room.
Within Painting Town, a dozen policemen and many other waiters were lying down all over the place. It was unknown whether they were dead or alive but there was no trace of the EnlightenedSan Wei anywhere.
The Little Supreme Leader Liu Zheng spoke to Wen Leyang softly, “San Wei is outside right now and there are also nine more Eyang Sect disciples with him… Those nine people have just entered!”
At the same time, Wen Leyang’s telegnosis ability vibrated once as nine Taoist priests, who were dressed in yellow robes, appeared. Their hands were pinched into the sword control gesture and their flying swords were in the air. Their footsteps were as swift as the wind while their movements were even lighter and swifter than a leopard’s. It made one’s eyes confused as their bodies crisscrossed one another in a formation as they surged into the grand entrance of Painting Town.
Liu Zheng explained to Wen Leyang softly, “Every three Taoist priests are in an Iron Fork Conjuration Formation and three small Iron Fork Conjuration Formations made up of nine Taoist priests will form a Nine Provinces’ Gale. This is the Eyang Sect’s mountain-calming protective circle. As long as it is made up in the sum of threes then it can be activated. This formation does not gain victory by using the supernatural power of the flying sword but instead, it depends on the coordination of the cultivator’s body and his Taoist ideology, for the effort to seek harmony between human and nature, such that he can break spells and kill the enemy.”
The Iron Fork Hand Gesture was one of the utmost in strength and incisiveness in the Sect. Once it had been activated, the enemy would end up with a shattered soul. The majority of head priests and erudite priests that prioritized compassion and justice refuses to use such a hand gesture. The Eyang Sect had created the Iron Fork Conjuration Formation based on the Iron Fork Hand Gesture. They then formed the Nine Provinces’ Gale Conjuration Formation using three sets of Iron Fork Formations. Not only was its power extremely formidable, once it was activated against the enemy it would be utterly irreversible.
The Eyang Sect’s disciples who were downstairs suddenly all shouted in rage at the same time. Three out of the nine disciples then dashed ahead before a hissing sound and a muffled bang was heard as a booth seat was smashed to pieces. Simultaneously, three paper talismans shot forward like arrows and firmly pinned themselves onto the debris of the smashed booth seat. A Taoist priest from the formation then let out a muffled shout, “Three powers soul binding!”
Wen Leyang and Liu Zheng looked into each other’s eyes. They did not understand why the Taoist priests would smash the booth seat.
The nine Eyang Sect disciples behaved as if they were being confronted by a formidable enemy. Within their raging shouts, the echoes of threes alternated in a ghastly manner. Their attacks were continuous, incisive yet domineering, smashing repeatedly through the booth seats that surrounded them. Every blow delivered was struck by a group of three, every time they finished delivering the blow they would rearrange their positions. After reforming, they would attack once again in threes. Every time a Taoist priest commenced his attack, he would always be protected by his two companions beside him.
The flying swords’ reflections downstairs were akin to lightning that flashed through the air over and over again. There was almost no pause between each thundering attack as countless paper talismans fluttered in the air along with the dense and piercing sounds of gloomy shouts and conjuration spells. Its mannerism and power were exceedingly shocking. Wen Leyang and Liu Zheng, on the other hand, were getting more puzzled with time. Ever since the nine Taoist priests had entered the scene, they did not seem to be trying to capture the enemy or exacting revenge. It seemed more like they were here to completely thrash the scene, as if they had been risking their lives to fight furniture all along.
It only took a short moment for the nine Taoist priests to completely wipe out the rooms downstairs. Nevertheless, the Taoist priests did not stop as after they were done smashing the furniture, they straightforwardly put up a fight against the air.
Wen Leyang was suddenly enlightened and he asked Leyang Tian, “Is it a witchcraft spell?”
Leyang Tian peered towards him once with a slight discrepancy, before nodding, “Within their eyes, they have already sunk into a fierce and violent battle. Hehe, had Grand Master Tuo Xie passed this down to all of you? It’s called the ‘Metal Chaos Confusion’ spell!”
The nine Taoist priests spared no effort as they fought and killed with ranging eyes. Occasionally, someone would curse in a loud voice, followed by him staggering around as if he had been hurt. His inferior would then dress his ‘wound’ with agile movements, or a streak of talisman to stop the bleeding would be slapped onto his body… But on their bodies, there was nothing other than beads of sweat.
The person who had been most severely injured had ‘lost’ a right arm, but he still persisted and held his sword with his left. He clenched his teeth as he fought on valiantly.
All along, Liu Zheng had only heard of the incisiveness of the Art of Witchcraft yet he had never witnessed it with his eyes. His forehead was covered with cold sweat right now and his gaze was filled with extreme astonishment, “This… Is impossible. Beneath this great formation, their Taoist ideology must be beyond steadfast!”
The Nine Provinces’ Gale of the Eyang Sect was dependent on the steadfast Taoist ideology of the disciples in the formation. Once their formation was built the most difficult part was to resist the temptation from external influences. During the battle between the righteous and evil path over a millennium ago, a group of righteous path cultivators had attacked the evil path sect which was famous for specializing in the Art of Charm. Countless master cultivators had not managed to resist the opposing party’s Art of Charm. In the end, it was the Eyang Sect which was not as well-known back then who had depended on their Nine Provinces’ Gale and killed their way in to finally slaughter the enemy. They had risen to fame ever since.
Now this great formation that was so-called the most steadfast within the cultivation world and the most resistant to being charmed; its nine disciples were in a frenzied formation, trapped in a nightmare.
Leyang Tian was still leaning on the bald door frame as before. He then said to Wen Leyang, “I’ve been operating the Painting Town’s business for a few years now. Not everyone is allowed to come in to cause trouble here. I don’t understand about this ‘Taoist ideology’, I only know that as long as one is human one can be distracted by thoughts. Once one is distracted they can be trapped in my witchcraft spell! The Taoist priest that is capable of body-splitting understands the incisiveness of this place which was why he had not dared to enter here. In turn, he has sent in his disciples and disciple’s disciples to seek their doom, heh!”
The old monk Ji Fei had considered himself to be a part of the Painting Town faction by now. He revealed a face full of warm-heartedness as he reminded Leyang Tian in a loyal and devoted manner, “A person that is capable to cultivate in body-splitting certainly possess an unusual level of cultivation base, you best be extra careful, this Art of Witchcraft here…”
Leyang Tian laughed, “I own only this building here. Once they’ve entered the building, it is out of my control!”
Liu Zheng shrugged as he shook his head, “If he wants to collapse the entire building, I don’t think it’ll be a difficult task for him!”
Leyang Tian, on the other hand, shook his head as he burst out laughing, “If he wants to dismantle and remove the building then I have nothing to say.”
Liu Zheng choked on his words, he was rendered speechless so he could only stare with wide eyes.
Leyang Tian laughed as he patted Liu Zheng’s shoulder, “Why don’t you try to cast a magic spell and slam it on the Painting Town from the outside? Then you’d understand!”
Liu Zheng did not waste time talking nonsense, his hands immediately coiled into the Three Pureness Conjuration Gesture. He muttered a few incantations under his breath. The sky trembled vigorously once as a huge rock fell from it and crashed with a loud bang onto Painting Town’s rooftop!
Leyang Tian was startled as well and he stared at Liu Zheng, “Well done to you!”
Despite the sudden muffled bang, Painting Town had only trembled slightly. If it weren’t for Wen Leyang and the rest’s keen telegnosis ability, they would not have sensed it at all.
Not only Painting Town, but the entire Xintiandi entertainment district and even the neighboring streets’ buildings had simultaneously trembled once. That force had rippled out from that chunk of flying rock and spread continuously through the entire stretch of concrete jungle.
Leyang Tian laughed in a manner that was both proud and relaxed, he turned around and asked Wen Leyang, “Do you know about the ‘Brotherhood of the Same Root’?”
Wen Leyang shook his head.
Leyang Tian did not seem disappointed by that, “All the buildings on this street were branched out from Painting Town’s root! If one were to attempt to tear down Painting Town from the outside, one would need to destroy the entire street!” Of course, Leyang Tian was well aware that no matter how powerful the traps which had been laid down in Painting Town were, once the building had collapsed everything else would also become a wasted ruin. He then used the witchcraft’s mysticism spell of ‘Brotherhood of the Same Root’ to connect Painting Town with the surrounding buildings so that, regardless of any form of external attacks, the surrounding buildings would help to distribute and disperse the force away.
Even though Wen Leyang did not know how the ‘Brotherhood of the Same Root’ spell was cast, for the Art of Witchcraft to be capable of connecting a stretch of buildings like chaining ships into one, this would be enough to drive little Chi Maojiu into tears of rage.
Leyang Tian continued to laugh, “The Taoist priest outside is not considered foolish, he knows that he cannot slam his way into Painting Town so he straightforwardly refuses to waste his strength and effort. When these nine Taoist priests have exhausted themselves in a while, maybe he shall enter then? Once he has entered, he will still be unable to escape from my gunshot. However way that split body of his had died, he shall die however way as well!” As he was saying that, he walked next to the table, picked up the handgun and stuffed it into his waist.
Whether it was Ji Fei, Shui Jing, or the Little Supreme Leader Liu Zheng, these cultivators were both helpless and unwilling to submit in the face of firearms. The fat monk Shui Jing scoffed once, even though that split body whose head had been blasted by the Desert Eagle 9mm was still lying next to his feet, he could not help but defend, “The power of firearms can never stand on an official platform, it’s just a lucky chance it can be used to kill a cultivator!”
Leyang Tian finally lost his interest towards the few almost exhausted Eyang Sect priests who were moaning and fighting hard downstairs. He turned around and looked at the fat monk smilingly, “Lucky chance? The Desert Eagle 9mm’s penetration power can easily go through a one-inch-thick steel plate within ten meters. So tell me, is a cultivator’s skull harder than a steel plate?”
Wen Leyang’s body was much harder than any other ordinary cultivators but if he were to bash his head against a steel plate, it was likely that he would lose. When he had been digging through the cave on Mount Emei, he had utilized the Faulty Punch to converge the strength from his entire body into one point, which was the same principle as a steel drill penetrating rocks and soil.
Shui Jing shook his head and he answered honestly, “It’s unequal on most parts but as long as the cultivator’s self-defense telegnosis ability is not distracted, he can take notice that somebody is pulling out a gun. Before the opposing party even has the opportunity to raise the gun, he will have already been greeted by a flying sword!”
Cultivators with profound cultivation base were typically not afraid of normal firearms. Of course, that was not because their bodies were harder than a steel plate but more to the fact that no one would have the opportunity to hit them at close range. A normal-level cultivator’s telegnosis ability could cover his surroundings in a diameter of a dozen meters; a profound-level cultivator’s telegnosis ability could be spread even further away. He could take notice of any minute movement from a few kilometers away. Once someone was to pull out their gun the cultivator would be able to dodge or attack in a flash.
For something like a handgun which could only be used at close range, no matter how fast the killer could pull out the gun, he was no faster than the cultivator’s counterattack which was as fast as lightning. This was why though cultivators were not known for being invincible to bullets, the attacker usually has no opportunity to even fire the weapon.
Leyang Tian caught on to the fat monk Shui Jing’s topic of conversation and he burst out laughing, “Look, the divine monk had said so too. For a cultivator to not fear firearms, their self-defense telegnosis ability has to remain undistracted. But this unfortunate b*stard here…” As Leyang Tian pointed at the corpse on the ground as he spoke, “When my people had walked over and raised his gun, putting his finger on the trigger, what this cultivator had seen instead was a little maiden waitress who was smiling at him. It was only until the bullet bored into his temple and he had died did he know he was dead!”
Leyang Tian’s last sentence made the listeners erupt into goosebumps.
The fat monk was still unwilling to submit but he was purely unwilling to submit because he was unhappy. Other than a scoff he could not speak of any other principles. The old monk Ji Fei was afraid that his junior brother disciple might offend this chimpanzee that seems to possess a shocking method of witchcraft, the old monk then walked over and pulled the fat monk away. His face was filled with concern as he continued to remind Leyang Tian, “Regardless whether the person outside is the Enlightened San Wei, his ability is certainly impressive. Perhaps his head is cultivated into adequate hardness… The body-splitting skill is usually only less than one-third of the God-level. Tangtang, you ought to be extra vigilant…”
The old monk Ji Fei was willing to sacrifice his goosebumps in place of flattery.
The second time Wen Leyang heard the word ‘one-third’, he was finally enlightened and realized where the problem lies. He pointed to the corpse on the ground as he asked Liu Zheng, “This split body here… The Enlightened San Wei’s abilities were rather impressive but when he was on the Nine Peaks Mountain, Bu Le… the old man of my family had slapped him a dozen times. His supernatural power resembled nothing at the God-level. Even combining three San Wei’s…”
Leyang Tian did not understand what Wen Leyang was trying to say, he chuckled as he spoke garrulously, “Three San Wei’s (Three Wei), which is Jiu Wei (Nine Wei)!”
Wen Leyang scoffed and he shot an evil glare at Leyang Tian. He was thinking in his heart that if the Wind Rain Rainbow were here, Leyang Tian would definitely have a good time fooling around with them. He paused for a while before he continued, “What I was saying is, San Wei is just the way he is even if the God-level ability is the combination of three San Wei’s power, there was still no need for him to act as if he has been confronted by formidable enemies!”
The fat monk Shui Jing nodded in agreement, he was still pointing towards San Wei’s corpse with an unwillingness to submit, “This fellow here had been shot to death by a handgun, how strong can he be!”
Unexpectedly, the Little Supreme Leader Liu Zheng shook his head before using his leg to kick the left arm of the corpse which had been firmly stuck to the body. The fat monk Shui Jing gasped softly in surprise; on the side of the corpse’s ribs, there was a gaping wound which had been slashed diagonally. An ordinary person would definitely not have survived that. The wound had been initially blocked by the arm but Liu Zheng had noticed it when he tore away the corpse’s clothes to launch the soul-revealing spell. No one else has had the opportunity to observe the wound.
“This split body’s actual power was certainly strong. Before he came here he was probably wounded somewhere else, that was why he had not sensed the shot. Otherwise, no one can tell what would have happened.” Liu Zheng’s tone of speaking was earnest yet determined. Leyang Tian peered at that wound once and scoffed incredulously.
“Moreover… That person who had ascended the Nine Peaks Mountain was not necessarily San Wei’s split body. Perhaps that was the God-level.” Liu Zheng’s gaze glimmered as he looked at Wen Leyang after speaking in a low voice.
Wen Leyang said an ‘oh’ of surprise. Ever since he had found out that the Eyang Sect’s Supreme Leader had a split body, he had been prejudiced by his first impression of that person who had embarrassed himself on the Nine Peaks Mountain and got slapped numerous times by the old demon rabbit was the Enlightened San Wei’s split body.
However, what if that unfortunate b*stard had been the God-level?
For having the ability to conceal his actual power perfectly in front of the big and small demon rabbits, and to be attacked multiple times without showing any weak spots; this God-level’s skill was indescribable. He must be stronger than the old demon rabbit by a large margin.
Wen Leyang stared at Liu Zheng in slight astonishment, “Then this Eyang Sect’s Supreme Leader here, who is he actually? And who was it who had injured his split body… Oh, consider that question answered.”
Liu Zheng was rather humble and he chuckled as he said ‘thank you’.
Wen Leyang considered the scenario carefully. He understood the basic situation of what had happened, it has turned out that every Five Blessings’ Sect was remarkable…