Wei Jiu and Tu Jiuyuan actually had no shadows!
The two people seemed to notice Ranran's gaze and slowly lowered their heads, looking at their own feet. Then, they each revealed a sinister smile.
These two in front of them… were clearly two fakes split off from the Nine-Headed Monster Python!
At that moment, Su Yi Shui waved his hand slightly, and the White Tiger sensed Su Yi Shui's killing intent, roaring angrily and pounced towards the two. The two also fought back.
These fakes fully inherited the power of their originals, even showing some improvements. If it were the previous White Tiger, it probably wouldn't have been their match.
But now, under the boost of Ranran's pill cultivation, the White Tiger's spiritual energy surged. It usually ran wild all over Xishan, enjoying its freedom. These past few days, it was feeling very uncomfortable being cooped up in the inns while they traveled, unable to release its pent-up energy, and its wild nature was about to erupt.
Right now, it was like a big cat finding mice to tease, suddenly finding something fun.
After just a few rounds, the two fakes were scratched and bruised all over.
worms that caused sleepiness. The extremely sinister Fantian Sect seemed unusually gentle towards Xishan people.
No wonder Wei Jiu had always tried to inquire if there were any old connections between Xishan and Fantian Sect, perhaps through marriages or something. Otherwise, why would Fantian Sect "favor" Xishan so much?
Although they now understood that the Fantian Sect seemed to want to capture the people of Xishan alive, their intentions still remained unclear.
Wen Chunhui still had lingering fear and asked, "Is Wei Jiu… dead?"
She remembered Wang Suizhi's statement in the morning, and after Wei Jiu had left and a fake appeared, his original self was likely in grave danger.
Just then, there was another sound at the door.
It turned out Wei Jiu had returned after he fled!
Gao Cang couldn't help but curse, "Damn it, isn't this enough? Why do we have to go through this again? Are they going to let us have lunch?"
The White Tiger let out another roar and pounced towards Wei Jiu again.
Wei Jiu hastily defended himself, cursing loudly, "What's wrong with this beast? Why is it suddenly biting people?"
Just then, his gaze fell on the torn body of Tu Jiuyuan on the ground. He was stunned, and before he could react, the White Tiger bit his arm, causing him to scream in pain.
Ranran noticed that he could feel pain unlike those fakes created from the python, so she quickly stopped the White Tiger and then looked at Wei Jiu.
Wei Jiu didn't care about the blood pouring from his arm. He just looked at Tu Jiuyuan's corpse, his face darkening as he asked "Which of you killed her?"
It was already past noon, so shadow tracking wouldn't work. After Ranran briefly explained what had happened, she said, "She should not be the real Tu Jiuyuan, but a fake created by the snake venom… Where did you go just now?"
Wei Jiu frowned and said, "I just went for a walk in town. This town is too remote. There are hardly any shops around. I wanted to eat outside, but the table at the restaurant was filthy, which killed my appetite, so I came back."
He squatted down and stared at Tu Jiuyuan. Her face, which had accompanied him for years, now looked ashen, her eyes hollow and wide open.
Since the fake had infiltrated Red Flame Mountain, there was nothing surprising about this Tu Jiuyuan also affected by the snake venom replication. The real Tu Jiuyuan was probably killed long ago.
Thinking of this, Wei Jiu suddenly felt very annoyed and was about to walk into the inn.
But Ranran stopped him politely, saying, "It's past noon now, and we can't confirm your true identity yet. So you can't enter this inn right now. Come back after midnight when we can verify your identity… Please have a walk outside for now, Lord Wei."
Su Yi Shui gave a wave of his hand, and the inn's spiritual shield repelled Wei Jiu out forcefully.
The force was so strong that Wei Jiu's money pouch which was hanging at his waist came off and landed squarely into Wang Suizhi's arms.
Qiu Xier was dumbfounded, "Uncle Master Wang, you really have wealth luck today. Without even stepping out, you've made a small fortune! This is so impressive!"
Meanwhile, Wei Jiu, who was forced out, couldn't stabilize himself and fell sitting on the ground. He felt something sticky under him and when he looked down, he realized he had sat on dog excrement.
Even the hand he landed on was also full of it!
Wei Jiu jumped up in anger, cursing Su Yi Shui for being unscrupulous and demanded to go inside the inn to bathe and change his clothes. Unfortunately, the inn's gate remained tightly closed, and until the right time, he wouldn't be allowed in.
At this moment, Wei Jiu recalled the words of the old charlatan Wang Suizhi—"If you step out of this inn today, you might encounter great misfortune."
Now it seemed that the old conman's words had all come true, which was quite eerie.
Later in the afternoon, there was a heavy rainstorm. Wei Jiu took off his coat, threw it on the street, and walked a few steps, only to get soaked immediately. Although he managed to block the rain with a spiritual shield, his clothes were still drenched, and his bad luck was confirmed.
Standing under the eaves, Wei Jiu looked at the distant black tower on Kongshan with a gloomy expression. Yet in his heart, he couldn't help but wonder if his loyal subordinate Tu Jiuyuan was really gone?
When midnight arrived, and his true identity was verified under the lamp's light, Wei Jiu entered the inn wearing thin innerwear, his lustrous hair all disheveled, drastically diminishing the beauty of a demon lord of this generation. He exuded a strong killing intent, almost ready to slay immortals.
The next day, at the breakfast table, Qiu Xier couldn't wait to ask Uncle master Wang if there were any auspicious signs today.
However, Wang Suizhi frowned and looked for a while before shaking his head with regret, "Yesterday's attack was too severe. It still hurts at the back of my head, and I see black spots everywhere. You might have to rely on your own luck."
Xue Ranran nodded and looked at her old disciple with some concern, saying, "You should rest well in the inn today. I've prepared some pills suitable for you to replenish your energy."
Since the two fakes showed up yesterday, it meant their whereabouts were exposed. There was no need to hide anymore, especially since it was bright and suitable for a venture out to the sect's gate today.
After breakfast, Wang Suizhi and Qiu Xier, the two least combat-capable, stayed behind to guard their 'home'. The inn's spiritual shield remained active, so they should be safe inside.
As for the rest, including Wei Jiu and Wen Chunhui, they set off together towards Kongshan.
The warnings Wang Suizhi gave yesterday about dangers everywhere and not going out had been validated. As they left the town, they found that the closer they got to Kongshan, the more the trees and roads were covered in a layer of dark brown mud. It seemed that a torrential black mud rain had fallen near Kongshan yesterday.
Ranran even noticed that the brown-black mud seemed to have a strong acidic smell, corroding and breaking many weak saplings along the way.
They also encountered sporadic travelers who had been burned while traveling at night, lying in agony in the black mud, calling for help.
Ranran quickly cleared a piece of land with her spiritual energy and moved the injured they met along the way to this open space. According to them, it started raining normally yesterday, but at night, a black rain fell, burning them. They had initially sought shelter in a cave, but the black mud started flooding in, forcing them to run out.
Even after the rain had stopped, thunder was still rumbling overhead over at Kongshan.
Seeing this situation, Wen Chunhui's face changed. She had been cultivating diligently for decades and had seen some battles. This scene… why did it seem so much like the Heavenly Calamity her master once described?
It was said that if someone dared to defy the laws of heaven and earth, causing chaos with the Yin and Yang, the anger of the heavenly gods would bring forth natural disasters. First, a torrential black rain would fall, followed by thunderous calamities. At that time, within a hundred miles, there would be no safe place, and even the villages around Kongshan might be affected.
"How… could such signs appear?"
Ranran looked at the black spiritual tower whose construction seemed to be still progressing, and murmured, "Perhaps that unwelcome black tower has attracted the calamity…"
Everyone looked closely and indeed, most of the thunder was concentrated at the top of the tower, as if trying to shatter it. However, something seemed to be shrouding the sky above Kongshan, causing the black rain and thunder to be deflected and scattered around the surroundings of Kongshan.
They traveled swiftly on the wind and finally reached the base of Kongshan. The lightning and thunder were more intense, making it difficult to get closer.
Just then, amidst the thunder and lightning, Ranran vaguely saw several figures hovering in mid-air, looking towards the direction of Kongshan.
At that moment, one of them turned around and glanced at them. Ranran immediately recognized that person… wasn't it the Medicine Immortal!
The last time she saw him was during the Qi Xi Festival. He had appeared as an ordinary clothed commoner, standing by the riverbank steps, resembling a grieving handsome scholar mourning his deceased wife.
But now, the Medicine Immortal wore a vermilion-colored robe, with a touch of vermilion on his brows, emitting a faint golden light, looking like an immortal. It made people recall the vast difference between him and his brother. He had already ascended to the ranks of immortality.
Seeing the group from Xishan, the Medicine Immortal left his companions and landed gracefully in front of them. "You've also come."
Ranran respectfully said, "May I ask, esteemed immortal, what exactly has happened on Kongshan? How did it attract such a calamity?"
The Medicine Immortal's face carried a chilling aura as he replied in a low voice, "Do you know what the tower on that mountain is built of?"
Wei Jiu furrowed his brows and replied, "Isn't it made of black stones?"
The Medicine Immortal smiled wryly and shook his head, "If it were stones, how could it attract calamities? Those charred things… are the burnt bones of powerful cultivators who attempted to ascend through tribulations…"
Whether they succeeded in ascension or not, their bodies would be abandoned during the heavenly tribulations of ascension. These powerful cultivators had indestructible bodies, and unless turned into powder, their bones would remain abnormally hard.
No wonder the Fantian Sect had been scheming to replace all the leaders of the three major sects. Only by completely controlling these sects can they freely dig up the graves of these sects' ancestors for hundreds of years and excavate the skeletons of those powerful cultivators.
Being able to build such high towers, and not just one, means they have also excavated skeletons from unknown mountain peaks…But why would they do such a thing?
Su Yi Shui suddenly spoke up, "Is the Fantian Sect planning to build the Tower of Reversal?"
The Medicine Immortal nodded with a heavy expression. Ranran widened her eyes, not understanding the purpose of this Tower of Reversal.
Wei Jiu, however, had heard something about it and, while shocked, he narrowed his eyes as he spoke, "As the saying goes, even immortals cannot redo their past mistakes. Once certain things happened, they are difficult to change. But there is a way to go against the heavens. It's said that the Tower of Reversal can reverse time, changing things that have already happened… Such a 'regret medicine', actually exists…"
Now everyone looked at each other in surprise. Ranran hadn't expected that the Fantian Sect's plan was something that went against the heavens to this extent.
When she had went against the heavens and changed the fate chart of the secular emperor, she had almost ended up with a scattered soul. Yet the Fantian Sect was even bolder, wanting to change things that had already happened and go back in time.
What kind of regret did this demonic sect want to change?
Building such sinister towers obviously didn't sit well with the heavens. Once the tall towers were completed, connecting heaven and earth, it would likely not only cause great changes in the human realm but also turmoil in the heavenly realm.
No wonder the Heavenly Emperor had sent several immortals to observe, ensuring that the Towers of Reversal would be destroyed.
At this moment, there was a momentary flash of light in the sky, and a thunderbolt snaked down from above like a light sword, striking towards the black tower with a crack, only to be blocked by an invisible light shield outside Kongshan.
After this lightning strike, countless thunderbolts descended one after another, as if connecting the sky and earth together. Ranran and the others were stunned by this scene resembling the end of the world, and even the immortals who accompanied the Medicine Immortal fell silent.
Although they were immortals, they had only recently ascended and were still lower-ranked immortals, so such a scene was not something they encountered frequently.
The thunderbolts continuously struck the light shield, spreading a layer of lightning on it. However, this light shield was formed in a mysterious way. Although it swayed constantly from the strikes, it held firm and didn't break.
After half an hour, the thunderbolts gradually subsided, and the light shield fluctuated for a moment before slowly stabilizing.
*半柱香 :half an incense stick of time
Ranran and Wei Jiu watched in stupefaction, and even the immortals accompanying the Medicine Immortal took a sharp breath. They hadn't expected that not even the Heavenly calamity could break through this light shield. This mission seemed to be in jeopardy, and they were at a loss, unable to come up with any plans.
Su Yi Shui had been focused on watching the thunder strikes on Kongshan, seeming to discover something. He said, "Let me try…"
Finishing his sentence, he leaped into action during a break in the thunder and lightning, arriving at the foot of Kongshan. He pulled out some silver needles and looked up at the thunder and lightning in the sky.
He had noticed clearly that every time the Heavenly calamity passed, there was a momentary weakness in this invisible shield, followed by a strengthening, preparing for the next wrathful thunderbolt.
So he wanted to coordinate with the Heavenly Calamity, looking for this momentary weakness.
However, by doing so, he also placed himself in great danger amidst the thunder and heavenly calamity strikes.
Ranran watched him agilely avoid the lightning, feeling her heart pounding.
She mounted her White Tiger and also entered the thunderstorm, wielding her mechanical staff to help Su Yi Shui divert the lightning.
Su Yi Shui, with a stern face, shouted at Ranran, "Who told you to come in? Get out quickly!"
Those charred bones used to build the tower had experienced the power of the Heavenly calamity.
And this Heavenly calamity was probably too much even for the heavenly immortals. Ranran's reckless entry here, if struck, would likely result in instant death.
But Ranran urgently said, "Don't waste time and delay things, hurry!"
Su Yi Shui glared at her fiercely but knew she was right. Now that she was amidst the Heavenly calamity, it would be too late even if she tried to leave.
Thinking this, he took out a silver needle used for acupuncture in each hand and, as the lightning struck intermittently, continuously shot them at the light shield, while he moved quickly all around, testing for weaknesses in the light shield.
As he suspected, this invisible shield was not unbreakable all the time.
When it was strong, the silver needles turned into green smoke upon contact. But when it weakened, the silver needles turned into powder.
After testing for a while, Su Yi Shui stopped moving around, standing still in one place. He reached out and pulled out a large number of silver needles, continuously throwing them at the light shield, all hitting the same spot. At this moment, the Heavenly calamity's thunderbolts was drawn to the needles hitting the light shield, and struck at the same spot repeatedly. Over time, the light shield at that spot began to dent.
Observing from outside the calamity zone, the Medicine immortal's eyes lit up. He said, "Impressive technique. Although the thunderbolt is mighty, it is randomly scattered in its attack. The silver needles may seem weak, but due to the concentrated spiritual energy at the needle tip, their force is quite significant."
He realized that Su Yi Shui's technique was quite unique, with each silver needle striking continuously at a specific rhythm in the same spot.
Before the light shield recovered from the last strike of the silver needle's spiritual energy, it was struck by the next one. With the continuous strikes of the silver needles, the previous force not yet dissipated and new force was added, gradually damaging the light shield accumulated over time, making it possible to break through.
Su Yi Shui's silver needles gradually decreased, but the number of lightning strikes directed at the light shield increased.
The invisible shield dented more and more severely, finally cracking under a series of thunderbolt strikes.
In a split second, Su Yi Shui, Ranran, and the White Tiger swiftly dashed inside. But the light shield quickly returned to its original state, with no trace of the crack.
At this moment, several robed immortals hovering in mid-air with worried expressions turned to the Medicine Immortal and said, "Those who entered are just ordinary mortals, plus a hairy beast. I'm afraid they won't succeed, right?"
Wei Jiu, who had been watching from the sidelines, heard the words of these immortals and couldn't help but snort coldly, sarcastically saying, "You all have immortal bones and divine muscles, yet you are afraid of getting struck by lightning and unwilling to take risks. So those who entered are mere ordinary mortals, not a single immortal…"
After hearing such sarcasm, the Medicine Immortal just smiled wryly.
Ascension to immortality is not easy, and those who have gone through it know *the terror of Heavenly tribulations, let alone the Heavenly Calamity that can destroy immortal bodies?
*天劫 tribulations 天谴 calamity
So just now, it was evident that the few immortals were cherishing their lives and not easily risking themselves to help.
Wei Jiu spoke the truth, and the Medicine Immortal wasn't angered. However, an elderly white-haired immortal obviously couldn't tolerate this. With a cold snort, he waved the whisk in his hand, and Wei Jiu suddenly flew up into the air, doing a somersault before crashing into the black mud below.
When he tried to get up, he felt like his body was being crushed by a millstone, unable to rise no matter how hard he tried. His head was pressed into the black mud several times, he looked extremely miserable.
Although a demonic cultivator of a generation like him could fight Su Yi Shui for hundreds of rounds, before true ascended immortals, they were like ants, easily crushed with a flick of a finger.
Wei Jiu's fall was extremely pathetic, especially his neck and face, and he instantly screamed in agony from the corrosive black mud.
When the immortal stopped, he angrily stood up, looking at the several immortals hovering above, gnashing his teeth loudly with resentment.
It's no wonder everyone wants to become immortal. This feeling of being above all beings is more satisfying than being an emperor. One day, he too would stand in the clouds and crush these people who dared to belittle him into powder… whether they were mortal or immortal!
Moving from Wei Jiu and his silent vow of revenge, the two who had entered Kongshan rode their White Tiger all the way up and soon reached the halfway point of the mountain.
Su Yi Shui had visited Kongshan often in his youth, so he was very familiar with the terrain here.
When they intruded, it seemed that the followers of the Fantian Sect in Kongshan had sensed something and started searching everywhere.
Just as Su Yi Shui and Ranran hid in a cave on a cliff, a familiar voice sounded above them, "There seemed to be a disturbance in the shield just now. Quick, search carefully, and don't let anyone in!"
Ranran and Su Yi Shui glanced at each other. They both recognized the voice as Mu Ranwu.
They did not expect to find Mu Ranwu also in Kongshan. She seemed to be fitting in well in the Fantian Sect like a fish in water, what kind of benefits had she been given by the mysterious leader.
But since she was here too, it would seem that the following things could be easier.
When Su Yi Shui glanced at Ranran, Ranran immediately understood.
Although this sister from his previous life was a malicious person, but if they could capture her and attach a Truth Talisman to her, she would surely spill many important truths to them.