Chapter 1608: Six Six

The bone plate of the frontal bone was exposed, broad and flat, with a blurry pattern on it.

Its body was round and mighty, with bulging muscles, covered in a layer of spiny, crimson scales. If He Lingchuan were here, he would probably think its scales resembled a durian husk.

But the spearhead scraped against the opponent's thick, glossy scales, sending out a shower of sparks, and then snapped with a crisp crack.

With life and death hanging in the balance, he could no longer afford to hesitate, thrusting the demon-subduing pestle forward to block, or else his head would have been bitten off.

Fortunately, Ashmona was immensely strong. Although it didn't pierce the creature through, it pushed it back ten feet, away from Cao Wendao.

Only then did everyone clearly see what the new arrival looked like.

He could see nothing but a mouth full of interlocking fangs.

He quickly stuffed medicine into his mouth, then, pulling out a blue ice crystal from somewhere, he crushed it, gritted his teeth, and forcefully pressed it into the wound!

With a soft hiss, like a hot iron plunged into cold water, the ice crystal turned into a gel, significantly reducing Cao Wendao's pain.

Yet, his expression remained tense; he couldn't relax.

Wei Yishan still found out.

Ashmona, looking at him then at the demon-subduing pestle in his hand, swayed and split into three.

He surprisingly created three more "Ashmonas," making a total of four. They split up to attack the Bat Fiend Puppet, the Ghost Ape, and the newly appeared Number Sixty-Six, while the last one helped Cao Wendao up and ran off.

This happened without any warning.

Dong Rui paused, then lightly slapped his own mouth. "What am I blabbing about! Chase them!"

He was so pleased that the realization slipped out, scaring the opponent away!

The Bat Fiend Puppet immediately climbed higher, no longer bothering with the earth puppets, and flew straight to pursue Cao Wendao.

That said, Dong Rui wasn't actually annoyed, because—

Ah hahaha, he had driven off the Master of Red Lodge!

He himself had gotten carried away in the fight and almost forgotten the primary survival rule for fiend puppeteers:

If the situation is unfavorable, turn and run.

Cao Wendao's disciples were all lying incapacitated, and the fiend puppets he had summoned had been dealt with by Wei Yishan. Only his primary fiend puppet, Ashmona, showed no signs of defeat. However, the current situation was Wei Yishan's forces outnumbering his, and he had even summoned a brand-new fiend puppet.

Cao Wendao had largely figured out the tactics of the Ghost Ape and the Bat Fiend Puppet, feeling he still had a chance. But Number Sixty-Six was a completely new arrival with unknown characteristics, and it didn't look like a pushover. Cao Wendao didn't have enough time to analyze it.

The worst part was that Dong Rui had suddenly deciphered Ashmona's secret. The next step would be to directly target its vital weakness!

So Cao Wendao had completely lost hope. Why would he stubbornly stay? He needed to retreat immediately.

He hadn't forgotten that He Xiao was nearby; the longer he delayed, the harder it would be to escape.

Ashmona had barely carried him thirty to forty feet when a flash of fire suddenly appeared directly ahead. Number Sixty-Six sprang out of the flames, attacking Cao Wendao's face once more.

Its running speed wasn't slow, but it certainly couldn't match Ashmona's. How did it manage to arrive first despite starting later?

Only Dong Rui and the Ghost Ape, standing further back, could see clearly. Number Sixty-Six had spewed out a ball of fire mist ahead—a mixture of flame and dense smoke, indistinct and shadowy. An ordinary person approaching it would be burned to a crisp.

But Number Sixty-Six charged right into it. The next second, it appeared directly in front of Cao Wendao and Ashmona.

Dong Rui clenched his fists, so excited he was almost dancing. "This isn't teleportation... Ouch!"

He had accidentally pulled his shoulder injury again.

But this was spatial folding, Number Sixty-Six's innate ability.

Number Sixty-Six had been in its egg for several years. Although Dong Rui had repeatedly nurtured it, he couldn't confirm whether its modification would be successful or if its innate abilities would be retained before it hatched.

Ashmona silently pushed Cao Wendao aside and engaged Number Sixty-Six in battle. Neither of them could genuinely injure the other.

Ashmona's body could reassemble and was impervious to harm, while Number Sixty-Six was heavily armored. As long as its eyes and nose weren't hit, Ashmona couldn't break its defense.

Years ago, when it was still a Child-Devouring Ghost Beast, He Jing had taken it deep into the Panlong Ruins in search of clues about the Great Square Pot.

Given such an important mission, would the Heavenly Palace have chosen a weak ghost beast for him?

If it hadn't refused to respond to summons in the Panlong Ruins, the outcome of He Jing's battle might have been different.

Number Sixty-Six suddenly spat out another ring of fire mist, shook off Ashmona, and plunged into it.

It was going to intercept Cao Wendao.

Ashmona, without hesitation, actually charged in after it.

But just as half its body was inside, the fire mist ring vanished with a "poof."

The front half had passed through, but the back half hadn't, so it was decapitated.

Spatial cutting.

"Roar?" The Ghost Ape's fur bristled at this sight. If it had followed in, would it still be alive?

Fortunately, Ashmona was immortal. In a flash, its body crawled up and went looking for its head.

The Ghost Ape passed by and, with a crunch, stomped its head into fragments.

Cao Wendao had only run a few steps when the Bat Fiend Puppet arrived like a flash of lightning, intending to give him a fatal blow.

But the man, taking advantage of the momentum, rolled onto the ground, which suddenly surged, and a large mouth appeared out of nowhere!

The Flounder-Skin Eel surfaced.

While the battle raged fiercely above ground, two giant beasts were also fighting below.

The Flounder-Skin Eel, receiving its master's command, rushed forward with all its might to retrieve him.

The Bat Fiend Puppet quickly flipped over, not daring to dive down further, lest it throw itself into the fish's mouth.

With a snap, the fish's mouth closed, and the Flounder-Skin Eel submerged underground with Cao Wendao.

The Snail Toad pursued, attacking several times, but the mucus on the fish's skin was too slippery for its frog tongue to stick. Only once did it manage to pierce the tail, but the Flounder-Skin Eel broke free.

The advantage of fiend puppeteers lay in their diverse methods; once they decided to run, few could stop them.

In the past, He Lingchuan had pursued Dong Rui twice, and both times he had escaped.

Inside the safe confines of the fish's mouth, Cao Wendao also let out a long sigh of relief.

Wei Yishan's fiend puppets were indeed powerful, yet none possessed overly extraordinary abilities. So how did he lose?

Was it the fiend puppets' excellent autonomous fighting, or Wei Yishan's superb hidden command?

The last fiend puppet that appeared had a rare spatial cutting ability; he seemed to recall hearing about it.

And its appearance—red horns and a red tail—was truly somewhat familiar.

A thought flashed through his mind, and Cao Wendao slapped his palm. He remembered:

He had seen it in the Heavenly Palace!

It was a ghost beast cultivated by the Heavenly Palace, one of the most successful specimens. He had even personally fed it and had a deep impression of the protruding bone plate on its forehead.

But that ghost beast didn't look like this back then!

How could Wei Yishan get his hands on a Heavenly Palace ghost beast? Had there been another traitor in the Heavenly Palace, selling off ghost beasts?

Looking at its appearance again, after Wei Yishan acquired it, he not only modified it but largely reverted it back to its original form?

What exactly was this person doing, what exactly did this person want?

No, no, the question should be: What hidden connection does the Great Emperor of Nine Hells have with the Heavenly Palace, and what exactly does the Great Emperor of Nine Hells want?

All at once, Cao Wendao had countless associations, each seemingly layered with infinite possibilities.

Wei Yishan and these fiend puppets were a significant discovery, no less important than Xiao An! As long as he reported it in detail upon his return, his re-entry into the Heavenly Palace would be imminent!

Moreover, this battle had given him many insights and inspirations. If he thoroughly pondered them afterward, his research might advance another level!

Cao Wendao pressed his injured shoulder, secretly gritting his teeth.

Wei, just you wait; he would soon make a comeback!

About sixty-six meters away.

Instead of immediately summoning the Snail Toad to pursue, Dong Rui pulled a dry tobacco pipe from his robes and rubbed it vigorously twice:

"Now! Explode for me!"

"Explode! Explode! Explode!"

With each pronouncement of "explode," a thunderous roar erupted from underground.

Six consecutive blasts tore through the ground, sending dust and smoke soaring halfway to the sky.

Such a violent commotion could be heard even by the guards at the East Gate of Tianshui City, indicating its immense power.

If the Ghost Ape hadn't been so steady on its feet, it might have been unable to stand from the tremors. Number Sixty-Six blinked blankly, watching the towering smoke plumes.

This smoke was even denser than what it produced.

Dong Rui grinned, unable to close his mouth. "It really came in handy! I'm truly brilliant!"

He won, he won! Cao Wendao was finished.

It was an insidious fire poison, seemingly inconspicuous but incredibly dangerous. If he ignored it, the flames would spread and intensify, burning through meridians if they entered, and through organs if they reached the lungs. Before long, he would be consumed entirely.

Just then, Dong Rui suddenly snapped his fingers. "I understand!"

His face lit up with a look of sudden enlightenment. He pointed at Cao Wendao again. "I've figured it out! You mentioned 'living beings' earlier just to mislead me! That thing is hidden inside your demon-subduing pestle!"

Its features were more ferocious than a fierce tiger's, with a slightly longer muzzle and a round, protruding nose that resembled a dragon's snout.

All in all, it looked very much like a creature that had burst forth from purgatory.

"Phew!" Dong Rui exhaled, nodding repeatedly. "It's finally out, excellent, excellent!"

The monstrous creature that had burst forth from Ashmona's belly was, of course, Number Sixty-Six, the fiend puppet that had been reluctant to show itself. Although it still looked somewhat strange, Dong Rui found its strangeness quite harmonious; its facial features, physique, and proportions all conformed to his consistent aesthetic.

Cao Wendao quickly sprang to his feet, clutching his shoulder with a low cry. The blow from Number Sixty-Six had nearly shattered his shoulder, and now blood flowed profusely. The pain was as if someone had set fire to the wound. He looked down and saw a faint red glow emanating from the wound, with dark smoke occasionally rising.

But it had a bushy, large red tail; short whiskers beneath its jaw; and a crest of black and red top-hair standing erect on its forehead, like a rooster's comb, giving it a completely rebellious look.

It was a size larger than a leopard, resembling a lion or tiger in form, but with sharp, dark red horns on its head that curved backward, extending past its ears. Its brow bones protruded, connecting with the horns.

No wonder, no wonder Ashmona could repeatedly be shattered and reassemble; its vital weakness was not in this body at all.

Cao Wendao gave him a cold glance, his voice hoarse. "Stop them!"

In the blink of an eye, Ashmona arrived.

On the way, he casually pulled down a vine. With a light shake, the vine transformed into a sharp spear with a spiral tip.

The creature indeed bit down on the demon-subduing pestle, but its left claw, resting on his shoulder, still brutally tore away a large chunk of flesh!

Cao Wendao was also knocked down.

He grabbed the spear and plunged it violently into the uninvited guest's back.

The rage of being ruptured from within made him strike with full force.

After the Immortals Vanished.