Chapter 791: Painting Saint

Their claws were long and incredibly sharp. When they opened their mouths, they revealed a set of sharp fangs, making them look horrifyingly grotesque. Their legs bent, and with a light leap, they sprang several *zhang* high, charging towards Wang Tianwen and his two companions.

The white mist churned and surged, punctuated by loud roars and glimpses of firelight. Two evil cultivators at the Foundation Establishment stage emerged from underground. A chilling, malevolent aura emanated from them, giving them an air of profound wickedness. There were over a dozen zombies in total: two copper-armored zombies and the rest were iron-armored zombies. Iron-armored zombies were equivalent to cultivators in the Qi Condensation stage, while copper-armored zombies were on par with those in the Foundation Establishment stage.

Wang Tianwen and his two companions frowned, each casting spells to confront the zombies. It appeared they had been discovered by the evil cultivators.

Without hesitation, Wang Tianwen summoned a metal sphere, which transformed into a colossal golden-armored guard. The moment the golden-armored guard appeared, its right foot glowed yellow. It stomped heavily on the ground, instantly unleashing a powerful gravitational force. The dozen or so zombies let out a series of strange roars, finding it incredibly difficult to move even a single step.

"I'll hold back these monsters; you two help Fellow Daoist Yang escape."

As Wang Tianwen spoke, he produced a crimson jade brush and gestured in the air. A crimson fire sparrow materialized, flapping its wings as it lunged towards their adversaries. His two companions, meanwhile, summoned their magic tools and attacked the valley. More crimson fire sparrows materialized in succession, each radiating intense heat as they flew towards the enemy.

Confucian cultivators typically wield the Four Treasures of the Study against their foes, while some specialized Confucian cultivators employ poetry, prose, and songs. Each crimson fire sparrow that struck a zombie erupted into a raging inferno, engulfing the bodies of the dozen or so zombies.

The two Foundation Establishment stage evil cultivators exchanged glances and nodded. They each summoned five weapons: three black bone blades and two black bone swords, which fiercely slashed towards Wang Tianwen. As the black bone blades and swords approached within ten *zhang* of Wang Tianwen, the golden-armored guard opened its mouth and spewed forth a vast cloud of golden light mist. This mist enveloped the weapons, instantly freezing them in place, suspended motionless in mid-air.

Wang Tianwen then brought forth a shimmering red poetry collection and began to recite the verses within. The characters on the poetry collection instantly flared with light, and countless red characters flew forth, transforming into dozens of crimson ropes that sped towards the dozen or so zombies. The dozen or so zombies bared their fangs and roared skyward, attempting to evade, but they felt an invisible mountain pressing down on them, rendering them immobile.

Evil cultivators were not wealthy; otherwise, they wouldn't resort to ambushing passing merchants. The zombies they refined were significantly inferior in defensive and offensive capabilities compared to those produced by true demonic sects. The crimson ropes tightly bound the dozen or so zombies. With muffled sizzling sounds, surging flames enveloped their bodies, eliciting horrifying screams. The iron-armored zombies were incinerated into dust, leaving no trace. The armor on the copper-armored zombies also showed signs of melting.

Realizing the dire situation, the two evil cultivators attempted to flee. A loud whooshing sound pierced the air as a crimson giant sword, over ten *zhang* long, shot forth, directly targeting them. They hastily summoned a black shield and a small black umbrella for protection. Wang Tianwen's gaze turned cold. With a quick incantation, the crimson great sword shone brightly, effortlessly breaking through their defenses and piercing their bodies. The poetry collection Wang Tianwen had summoned was a top-grade magic tool, enhanced with third-tier Lihuo Crystal, making its power immense.

After dispatching the two evil cultivators, Wang Tianwen performed another incantation. The crimson great sword circled once before slashing down towards the valley.

A thunderous roar echoed! With a mighty crash, the white mist dissipated, and the red-robed elder and his group emerged from their predicament. Several streaks of light shot rapidly skyward.

"Trying to escape? All of you shall remain here," the red-robed elder roared. He opened his mouth, and a crimson short ruler shot forth. It blurred, multiplying into ten, then a hundred, fiercely slashing towards the retreating streaks of light. Several screams rang out as a few evil cultivators were pierced through by the dense crimson ruler shadows, plummeting to the ground. By this time, the two copper-armored zombies had also been incinerated into dust.

Wang Tianwen put away his puppet beast and magic tools, then strode towards the bodies of the two evil cultivators. He collected their belongings and then stored their corpses. According to the regulations of the Myriad Immortals Bureau, the corpses of evil cultivators could be exchanged for contribution points. There had been five Foundation Establishment stage evil cultivators, but their cultivation levels were not high. Had they not been trapped by the formation, the red-robed elder would have dealt with them much sooner.

Inside the valley was a cave, filled with a vast quantity of bones that exuded a powerful malevolent aura. There was also a large hoard of gold, silver, jewels, antiques, calligraphy, and paintings, along with numerous poetry and literary classics.

"Oh, this is the Eight Horses Painting by the Painting Sage," he exclaimed.

The red-robed elder held a blue scroll in his hand, his expression one of great excitement. The painting depicted eight galloping steeds, rendered so vividly they seemed to come alive. The signature read "Lu Xi."

Upon seeing the characters "Lu Xi," Wang Tianwen's expression shifted. He pressed, "Fellow Daoist Yang, isn't the Painting Sage Senior Wu? This Eight Horses Painting is certainly well-done, but the signature is Lu Xi." Wang Tianwen had previously slain several evil cultivators, from whom he had obtained a folding fan bearing Lu Xi's name.

The red-robed elder smiled. "Fellow Daoist Wang, you might not be aware, but 'Painting Sage' is merely a title, not a specific person. Senior Lu Xi was a Great Confucian scholar from over a millennium ago, holding the top position among the Eight Sages of Meishan. He was exceptionally skilled in painting. The Emperor sent emissaries multiple times to invite Senior Lu to serve in court, but he consistently declined, choosing instead to live in seclusion in the mountains. Few knew of his existence. My ancestor was a student of Senior Lu and studied with him for some time. Otherwise, I too would not have known of his existence."

"The head of the Eight Sages of Meishan? A Great Confucian? Was he a high-level cultivator?"

"If he had merely been a Foundation Establishment cultivator, the Emperor of the Great Yan Dynasty would never have sent emissaries to invite him."

The red-robed elder nodded. "Senior Lu was a Nascent Soul cultivator, without children. However, no one knows where he underwent his final spiritual transformation. For many years, numerous individuals have sought Senior Lu's cultivation cave, but whether any have succeeded, I cannot say."

A young woman in a red dress smiled. "Senior Lu is the Painting Sage. Perhaps he painted the location of his cultivation cave within one of his works, leaving it for a fated individual, especially since he had no descendants."

"That may be so," the red-robed elder conceded, "some have indeed tried, but without success. Among us, Fellow Daoist Wang, Fellow Daoist Li, and Fellow Daoist Sun practice Confucian cultivation methods, so this Eight Horses Painting is yours." The red-robed elder said generously. The Eight Horses Painting was merely a painting. As far as he knew, before Lu Xi embarked on the path of cultivation, he was just an impoverished scholar in the mortal realm. An error during his spiritual root examination had caused him to only begin cultivating in his twenties. This Eight Horses Painting was clearly an early work of Lu Xi, making it impossible for it to conceal the location of his cultivation cave.

Nevertheless, as it was a work by a Nascent Soul cultivator, the red-robed elder kept it. Upon returning, he intended to find someone to create a few copies.

The cave was filled with a massive pile of bones, from which a malevolent aura soared. If left unchecked, malevolent spirits could easily emerge. Therefore, they set the cave ablaze, left the area, and returned to report their findings.