Chapter 930: Wu Zizai

The old man in yellow robes stomped his right foot on the ground. A low, muffled thud echoed as a yellow earth wall, over ten zhang high and two to three zhang thick, shot up from the ground, shielding him.

A resounding crash followed! The dense green wind blades shredded the yellow earth wall into dust, sending clouds of smoke and debris billowing.

The green wind blades struck the old man’s armor, leaving only faint scratches.

Suddenly, countless green thorns burst from the ground, instantly entangling the old man’s feet. Protected by his yellow armor, he remained unharmed by the thorns.

Seizing this opportunity, a blue giant palm, more than ten zhang in size, reappeared above the old man’s head and slammed down forcefully.

Wang Ruyan unleashed her Lion-Scaled Beast and Jade-Eyed Ice Silkworm, which attacked the old man with crimson flames and white ice cones, respectively. Wang Changsheng also released thousands of Gold-Devouring Ants, which transformed into hundreds of golden flying knives and flew directly at the old man.

The old man’s pupils constricted slightly. His right palm glowed with a dazzling yellow light, and a yellow spear materialized in his hand, which he quickly thrust towards the descending blue giant palm.

The ground suddenly glowed yellow, and the soft earth transformed into sand. A fierce wind erupted, sweeping up countless yellow grains of sand to form a tall yellow wall, shielding the old man within.

A series of explosions rang out, leaving the yellow wall pockmarked, but the old man remained perfectly unharmed.

The ground trembled slightly, and countless yellow mists began to emerge.

The old man’s surroundings shifted instantly; he found himself in a vast, boundless desert. Strong winds raged, and beneath his feet lay soft sand, causing his body to sink uncontrollably.

He snorted softly and flew high into the air, his brows furrowed. He realized that his opponents had managed to set up a formation using a magic treasure in such a short time, indicating that their artifact was extraordinary.

A fierce gale roared, sweeping countless yellow grains of sand high into the air. These transformed into yellow sand blades, each about a chi long, and struck the old man from all directions.

And that wasn't all; a low zither melody began to play.

The old man quickly summoned a yellow shield to fend off the sand blades assailing him from all sides. Continuous explosions erupted as the blades struck the shield, leaving only faint white marks.

Ripples shimmered above the old man’s head, and a blue giant palm, over ten zhang in size, suddenly materialized and slammed down forcefully.

His face changed drastically. As he tried to evade, the zither music intensified, and his breathing became shallow. He felt a sudden tightness in his chest, as if something had struck a vulnerable spot.

His vision blurred, and he abruptly found himself on a lush, green peak populated by many mouse demons similar to himself.

"An illusion!" he realized.

*Boom!*

The blue giant palm slammed onto the old man, instantly shattering his yellow armor. A torrent of crimson flames then engulfed him, obscuring his body in a raging inferno.

Hundreds of golden flying knives plunged into the fiery abyss, followed by the dull clang of metal on metal.

A resounding zither note filled the air, and a blue sound wave, over a hundred zhang long, swept out, rapidly coursing through the sea of flames.

A flash of yellow light appeared, and a colossal yellow bead, as large as a small mountain, materialized above the crimson flames, crashing down with immense force.

An earth-shattering crash echoed, sending massive amounts of yellow sand flying.

Wang Changsheng exhaled softly. With a hand seal, the three Mountain-Sea Beads rapidly shrank and returned to his hand.

A large crater now marked the ground, within which lay a pulpy mass of flesh. The old man in yellow robes was dead.

Wang Changsheng had used the three Mountain-Sea Beads to set up a formation. With the coordinated efforts of Wang Ruyan and their spirit beasts, they swiftly eliminated the old man.

Wang Changsheng released his Twin-Eyed Mouse. It let out an excited squeal, its body suddenly expanding into a giant yellow mouse, before pouncing on the pulpy remains of the old man.

From the moment Wang Changsheng and Wang Ruyan launched their attack until they eliminated the old man, less than ten breaths had passed.

The old man in yellow robes was simply too unlucky. With Wang Changsheng and Wang Ruyan both at the ninth level of Core Formation, multiple third-tier demonic beasts, and Wang Changsheng possessing a complete set of magic treasures, the old man was no match for them.

At that moment, a red streak of light appeared before Wang Changsheng, revealing a pale-faced old man in red robes. He gazed at the pulpy remains in the massive pit, swallowing hard, his eyes wide with shock.

He had experienced the might of the mouse demon himself and was astonished that it had been vanquished so swiftly.

With the old man in yellow robes dead, two streaks of green light sped away even faster, heading back the way they came, not daring to linger for a moment.

Wu Zizai breathed a sigh of relief. Cupping his hands, he politely said, "Thank you, fellow daoists, for coming to my aid. I am profoundly grateful. May I inquire your names?"

"My surname is Wang, and this is my wife," Wang Changsheng replied. "We helped you because we are all human. This place is not safe to linger; we should leave quickly!"

By this time, the Twin-Eyed Mouse had finished consuming the old man’s corpse and, feeling drowsy, flew back into its spirit beast bead.

Knowing that this area was a borderland between human and demon territories, where demon reinforcements could easily arrive, they dared not linger and quickly departed.

Half a day later, they returned to the market town. Wu Zizai then invited Wang Changsheng and Wang Ruyan to the Treasure Gathering Pavilion.

"Oh, Senior Wang!" Murong Xue exclaimed in surprise upon seeing Wang Changsheng and Wang Ruyan.

Murong Xue did not dare to conceal anything and recounted the events from half a month prior.

"So that's how it is," Wu Zizai said. "Had it not been for your assistance, I'm afraid I wouldn't have returned alive."

Wu Zizai sighed, his voice filled with gratitude.

"It was merely a small effort, Fellow Daoist Wu, please don't be so polite," Wang Changsheng said with a smile. "By the way, this is the medicinal stone of the third-tier Three-Colored Wind Butterfly that Manager Wang commissioned us to find. He mentioned he would buy it at a high price." Wang Changsheng took out a green wooden box as he spoke.

"Of course, Fellow Daoist Wang, rest assured. I promised you a substantial reward for saving me, and I always keep my word," Wu Zizai replied. "Here is a VIP token from our Skywind Merchant Alliance. With this token, you'll receive a ten percent discount on all purchases at our shops. And these three flying swords are a set of magic treasures, also as a token of our gratitude for your timely assistance."

As Wu Zizai spoke, he produced a green token and three green flying swords, offering them to Wang Changsheng.

"It was merely a small effort, Fellow Daoist Wu, you're too kind," Wang Changsheng said. "We'll gladly accept the token, but please keep the magic treasures. Instead, we'd like to ask you for a small favor."

"Please speak freely, Fellow Daoist Wang; there are no outsiders here," Wu Zizai replied.

Wang Changsheng nodded. "Does your Skywind Merchant Alliance have any Spirit Treasures for Nascent Soul formation available for sale? For instance, Nascent Condensing Pills?"

They already possessed several spirit treasures for Nascent Soul formation. However, one could never have too many; what they didn't need for themselves could be left for their clansmen, strengthening their family's foundation.

"Spirit treasures for Nascent Soul formation? Nascent Condensing Pills?" Wu Zizai repeated. "To be frank, fellow daoists, our Skywind Merchant Alliance does possess such items. However, they are exclusively sold at our grand auctions, which occur only once every hundred years. The next auction is still fifty or sixty years away."