Chapter 846: Sea Urchin Beast

Guangdong Ren nodded and said nothing more.

Two days later, they arrived at the foot of a thousand-zhang-tall peak. The peak was sheer and bare on its upper half, resembling a sharp sword. Not far away, there was a cave entrance several zhang wide.

"The Heavenly Moon Golden Lotus is inside," the old man in golden robes said. "There's a fourth-rank sea urchin beast in there, but it hasn't transformed into human form, so you can rest assured. However, we still cannot be careless. I've prepared a set of fourth-rank formations, the 'Shutu Demon-Locking Formation'. Four fellow Daoists will control the formation. For a while, this demon won't be able to escape. Once we pick the Heavenly Moon Golden Lotus, we'll leave immediately." As he spoke, he took out formation flags and a formation plate, and began setting up the formation.

Generally, fourth-rank demonic beasts transform into human form, but not all of them can. Demonic beasts with impure bloodlines find it difficult to transform throughout their lives and have more difficulty advancing. Those with pure bloodlines might transform later, but once they do, their divine abilities are much greater.

Wang Ruyan, Guangdong Ren, the young woman in the blue dress, and the man in the red robe controlled the formation. Wang Changsheng, the old man in golden robes, and the man in the green robe went to collect the spiritual medicine. Wang Changsheng and the man in the green robe were at the seventh layer of Core Formation, while the old man in golden robes was at the ninth layer.

After the formation was set up, the old man in golden robes took out a golden wooden box. He opened it to reveal a lump of dark, black mud emitting a peculiar smell. "This is spirit-isolating mud," he explained. "It can mask your scent. Fellow Daoists should apply it to avoid being detected by the sea urchin beast. After all, it's a fourth-rank demonic beast, so it's better to be cautious. Of course, if any of you have other methods, that's another matter." As he spoke, he smeared the black mud on his face.

Wang Changsheng and Wang Ruyan exchanged glances. Neither of them applied the spirit-isolating mud. It's always wise to be wary of strangers; they weren't about to trust others casually, especially since they were all unacquainted beforehand and didn't know each other's true nature. Guangdong Ren also didn't apply the mud, nor did the Azure Moon Twin Fiends. The old man in golden robes and the young woman in the blue dress didn't press the issue; they themselves had applied the mud.

"Prepare to hide. I'm going to lure it out," the old man in golden robes announced. He took out a fist-sized red object and placed it in the center of the formation, igniting it. Wang Changsheng and Wang Ruyan retreated to a corner. Wang Changsheng's body glowed with yellow light as he and Wang Ruyan burrowed into the ground. The old man in golden robes frowned slightly but said nothing, instead casting a spell to conceal himself. The Azure Moon Twin Fiends conjured a blue fan, releasing a large swath of blue mist that enveloped them both. Guangdong Ren, meanwhile, summoned a white orb that spun above his head. With a flash of white light, he vanished completely. They all hid far away, as being discovered by a fourth-rank demonic beast was no small matter.

After a while, a low roar echoed from inside the cave, and a massive, unusual beast crawled out. Its body was covered in yellow spines, resembling a giant sea urchin. It had a golden tail about a foot long and a very small head. The sea urchin beast's eyes constantly darted around as it surveyed its surroundings, but it found nothing unusual. A series of hissing sounds pierced the air as dense yellow spines flew from its body, shooting out in all directions.

With a flash of spiritual light, the Azure Moon Twin Fiends and Guangdong Ren reappeared, conjuring their magic treasures to block the yellow spines. An eerie roar rang out, and countless yellow earth spikes erupted from the ground, thrusting at Guangdong Ren and the other two from all directions. They were already on guard and had long since activated their protective spiritual shields, so they remained unharmed.

The sea urchin beast curled into a ball, transforming into a yellow sphere about a zhang in diameter, and rolled rapidly towards the Azure Moon Twin Fiends. The man in the green robe frowned slightly. With a flick of his right hand, a long blue saber flew from its sheath into his grasp. He swung it through the air towards the approaching yellow sphere. With a loud whoosh, a thirty-zhang-long blue saber aura shot forth, creating a fierce gust of wind that kicked up a large amount of dust. With a dull thud, the blue saber aura struck the yellow sphere, leaving only a shallow mark and a long groove in the ground. He failed to injure the sea urchin beast, but he did slow it down. Seizing this opportunity, they swiftly ran back the way they came.

The yellow sphere glowed intensely, soaring into the air and smashing violently towards the Azure Moon Twin Fiends. Just then, a red saber aura, over ten zhang long, shot out and fiercely struck the yellow sphere. The red saber aura also left only a shallow white mark on the yellow sphere. By this time, the Azure Moon Twin Fiends and Guangdong Ren had already fled a hundred zhang away. The yellow sphere seemed to give up and rolled back the way it came.

Just then, the old man in golden robes and the young woman in the blue dress reappeared, both with grave expressions. They hadn't expected the fourth-rank demonic beast to not pursue Guangdong Ren and the other two. They exchanged glances and nodded to each other. The old man in golden robes took a golden gourd from his waist and tossed it into the air before him. He then cast a spell. With a loud whoosh, a large quantity of golden sand shot out, transforming into a colossal golden sword over ten zhang long, which struck fiercely at the sea urchin beast. The young woman in the blue dress took a blue gourd from her waist and tossed it into the air. She also cast a spell, and with a loud rush of water, a large amount of pungent black liquid flew out from it, forming a massive black python that lunged at the sea urchin beast with its maw wide open. This black liquid was Profound Yin True Water, specifically used to corrupt magic treasures. It was highly corrosive; not to mention magic treasures, even a third-rank demonic beast would be reduced to a pile of bones if immersed in it.

The golden greatsword struck the sea urchin beast with a dull clang, and the black python bit down on it, releasing a large plume of green smoke. The sea urchin beast's surface was corroded with pockmarks and pits. Enraged by their assault, the sea urchin beast's body glowed intensely with yellow light, and countless yellow spines flew out, striking at the two of them.

The old man in golden robes slammed his right hand towards the air, and a golden giant palm several zhang in size appeared out of nowhere to meet the attack. Boom! The golden giant palm shattered the incoming yellow spines, unleashing a powerful wave of air that kicked up a large amount of dust. Seizing this excellent opportunity, the two swiftly ran into the distance.

The sea urchin beast let out a roar, transforming into a gigantic sphere that rolled rapidly towards them. Just as the yellow sphere approached the burning red object, countless yellow mists surged from the ground, forming a sea of yellow fog that enveloped the yellow sphere.

Wang Changsheng and Wang Ruyan emerged from underground, their expressions calm.

"Rumble!" Continuous roars filled the air, and the ground trembled slightly.

"Alright, you control the formation and trap this demon. Fellow Daoist Yang, Fellow Daoist Wang, let's quickly go and collect the Heavenly Moon Golden Lotus," the old man in golden robes urged, leading the way into the cave. Wang Changsheng nodded and followed with the man in the green robe, Wang Changsheng taking up the rear. What Wang Changsheng didn't see was the slight movement of the green-robed man's lips and the old man in golden robes' lips; the two were clearly communicating via sound transmission. What *they* didn't see was Wang Changsheng's mouth curving slightly into a sneer.