Chapter 418: Town and Wounds

"Damn you to hell!" Mutuo cursed loudly. In the end, he couldn't refuse him, so he activated his golden light and performed hand seals. The red glow on his face momentarily dimmed. After a while, he got a result and said impatiently, "I can't divine this person's whereabouts; how could they be in the East Sea?!"

His crimson face was contorted in a ferocious expression, and two streams of blood trickled from his nose. Mutuo wiped them away with a hand and said through gritted teeth, "You little imp are so paranoid, and you've damaged my cultivation! You'll have to compensate me handsomely when we get back!"

Situ Mo had already fallen into deep thought and paid him no attention. Doubts swirled in his mind, and he pondered, "How is this possible... Was Kong Tingyun truly careless for a moment? The Profound Mountain Sect only has one or two Foundation Establishment cultivators left. Logically, she should have been able to leave safely, meaning her helpers must be more than one Foundation Establishment cultivator..."

Mutuo had to call him three times before Situ Mo finally startled awake. He only murmured, "Mutuo, there might be a trap. Let's retreat a hundred miles, wait for an opportunity, and coordinate with Golden Horn Island. That way, if anything goes wrong, we can retreat in time."

"You, you, you..." Mutuo cursed, "Mount Yuezhou Island isn't far! Kong Tingyun will easily escape! What are you doing?!"

Seeing Situ Mo's determined expression, Mutuo could only say sullenly, "You Southern Immortals are all cowardly fish and turtles, always suspicious..."

The Li family group traveled along the currents, gradually coming to a stop as they neared the Vermilion Lake Sea. They emerged from the water, and Li Yuanjiao dispelled his magic, looking into the distance.

The seawater here had gradually turned a faint jade color, and the seabed was covered with dark red reefs, rich in iron essence. From high above, it appeared as a vast expanse of jade and red, hence the name Vermilion Lake Sea.

Kong Tingyun also looked at the magnificent scenery before them and explained, "Two thousand years ago, this sea was originally called Qunyi. Later, the eighth son of the True Flood Dragon of Confluence was captured here. The dragon clan, on charges of matricide, bound him to a deep sea cliff, forged nine cold iron pillars, and impaled him to the cliff bottom. They then dismembered him, allowing all the demons to devour him."

"Thus, the seawater turned jade overnight, and the sea creatures also transformed, becoming as they are today."

She smiled gently and continued, "Of the True Flood Dragon's nine sons—six of Confluence and three of Verdant Water—only two now roam freely between heaven and earth. All the others have long since perished."

Kong Tingyun paused, then whispered, "Some also say that the dragon clan did this to disperse the Verdant Water's golden essence throughout the entire Vermilion Lake Sea, making it difficult to gather and causing it to transform only into various evil creatures."

Li Yuanjiao pondered for a moment, then asked, "Why... didn't the dragon clan divide it among themselves and form a Golden Core..."

Kong Tingyun, stepping on a cloud, whispered, "The True Flood Dragon died after devouring a Verdant Water Feather Serpent. Their enmity is irreconcilable; even today, dragon kin still devour feather serpents. And that eighth son was precisely a feather serpent!"

"Our True Person speculates that they might be afraid some dragon would swallow the Verdant Water's golden essence and immediately grow feathers, transforming into their enemy!"

"A cursed fate..." Kong Heng chanted a Buddhist epithet and whispered, "Feather serpents and dragon kin originally share the same source, differing only in cultivating Verdant Water or Confluence Water. Yet they kill each other to this extent; it is truly a sin."

Li Yuanjiao seemed lost in thought, having gained some understanding of the Golden Core, and pondered, "Golden Core... is it achieved by acquiring golden essence, or by attaining a certain fruit status...?"

Kong Tingyun, however, spoke up, saying earnestly, "There is one matter I need to trouble you all with."

"That Situ Mo is cunning, and he has a Buddhist Master Zhao as his helper. Since I've been gone for several months, he'll surely know and will definitely ambush me on my way back. I ask that you all first keep your distance from me and conceal your aura..."

Li Yuanjiao immediately understood and was delighted, thinking, "As expected, there's a Buddhist cultivator backing him!"

Knowing that this person was only backed by a Buddhist cultivator and not a Purple Mansion cultivator, Li Yuanjiao felt much more at ease and immediately responded, "I have a concealing artifact. How about I have Kong Heng and my sister follow from a distance, while I conceal myself by your side? That way, we can both hold off the two of them and prevent them from escaping."

"Good!" Kong Tingyun nodded in approval. Li Yuanjiao activated his Profound Rune Bottle, and a profound rune spiritual mist rose from his body. He flew forward with Kong Tingyun, leaving Kong Heng and Li Qinghong behind.

Kong Heng, alone with her, seemed a bit unnatural, chanting a Buddhist epithet with his head bowed. Li Qinghong, however, paid him no mind, instead gazing at the boundless jade and red sea surface. For a moment, such a thought unexpectedly arose in her mind: 'If only Grandfather could also see this magnificent scenery.'

On Li Yuanjiao's side, he was traveling with Kong Tingyun on the wind. She didn't speak, but understood that Li Yuanjiao was casually following by her side. As they sped along, gradually approaching the depths of the Vermilion Lake Sea, she felt some doubt, thinking, "This fellow is surprisingly cautious. If we fly any further, it might be difficult to capture him if a fight breaks out."

Just as she was thinking this, several golden lights emerged from the floating reefs beneath them. A dazzling golden stream of light suddenly rose from the sea surface as Situ Mo burst forth from the sea, his eyes slightly narrowed, staring at Kong Tingyun.

On the sea surface, only water veins circulated; the vast waters were a unified expanse. There was nowhere to plant formation flags, and no spiritual energy or earth veins to anchor to. Few formations could operate in the air directly above the sea. Even if Situ Mo possessed a treasure formation, he hadn't deployed one.

Kong Tingyun feigned a change in expression and said sarcastically, "This place is very close to the two islands! Are you perhaps suggesting that all the guest cultivators on my island are blind?"

The sea surface was vast, and both were direct descendants of immortal sects. They wouldn't give each other a chance to use escape techniques, and a fierce battle would be enough to decide life or death, so a large formation wasn't truly necessary. However, given its proximity to the two islands, Kong Tingyun's apparent fearlessness was understandable.

Situ Mo only stared at her for a couple of glances, as if discerning something, then whispered, "Fellow Daoist... you're quite bold. I don't need to kill you, only severely injure you..."

He spoke to distract her, while secretly performing hand seals to cast a spell. Six incantation seals transformed, his index finger hooked, and the other three fingers pressed together, as the golden blade reappeared in his palm.

"It's that spell!" Li Yuanjiao, who had suffered losses from this spell before, silently pressed his hand to his sword. He then saw the sea below part as a muscular, bald, and entirely crimson-skinned large monk flew out, wielding a staff with both hands, swinging it down towards them.

Kong Tingyun, unhurried, slapped her storage bag, and a golden mountain flew out, pressing down on the monk. This monk, possessing the Vajra Body of a Wrathful-Eyed cultivator, was utterly fearless and sneeringly reached out with his hands to catch it.

Who knew that as soon as he touched the golden mountain, Mutuo's tongue went numb. Of his five facial features, only four remained; his lips had disappeared, and the area below his philtrum was smooth. Greatly alarmed, Kong Tingyun sneered, "This golden mountain has been waiting for a monk like you for a long time!"

As she spoke, she flicked out a jade bead, emitting a dazzling light. It shone on the golden blade, and Situ Mo's spell immediately slowed down. The golden blade buzzed and jumped, trembling continuously like a dragonfly with its tail pinched. Kong Tingyun casually said, "I'd like to see how you're going to severely injure me."

This was Situ Mo's first direct confrontation with her, and he felt a headache, thinking, "I've long heard that the Profound Mountain Sect are all iron turtles, indeed skilled in defense. This Kong Tingyun has an extraordinary background, and her magical artifacts are more powerful one after another; she's truly difficult to deal with."

Sure enough, Kong Tingyun flicked her sleeve, throwing out a pair of black crescent hooks. They resembled two crescent moons, whirling and dancing in the air, attacking him, hissing with jade green smoke.

Situ Mo glanced at them, recognizing that these hooks were not particularly miraculous artifacts. He summoned three golden shields and easily blocked them. Meanwhile, his golden blade spell broke through the jade bead's light barrier, increasing its speed as it darted towards her.

Kong Tingyun was clearly in a dangerous situation, yet she was utterly fearless, which secretly astonished Situ Mo.

Just then, two streams of light approached from afar, one purple, one brown. Situ Mo's expression suddenly changed, and golden light rose from beneath his feet. But a sudden chill ran down his spine; a sweep of his spiritual sense revealed a swath of blue-white sword light.

"Li Yuanjiao! As expected, you've teamed up with her!!"

A cold sweat broke out on him. He no longer cared to figure out how Li Yuanjiao had evaded the Buddhist cultivator's calculations. His golden shields were already defending against Kong Tingyun's artifacts, so he could only perform hand seals and cast a spell, instantly shifting several *zhang* sideways, narrowly dodging a portion of the attack.

"Clang!" With that dodge, he avoided his neck. The sword light from the Cyan Ruler Sword struck his feather robe, emitting a grating sound of magical energy being consumed. Situ Mo's face turned ashen, and he coughed up a round red pill. The pill spun once, then dissipated into smoke.

'That move again!' This must be some kind of shifting technique, specifically designed to counter sword light and magical light. Situ Mo had just dodged the sword and shouted, "Retreat quickly!"

Li Yuanjiao's sword, however, didn't wait for him. With a swift turn, it split into three sword lights, moving flexibly and attacking his upper, middle, and lower vital points. Situ Mo, having suffered a minor loss before, was prepared, demonstrating the extravagance of an immortal sect disciple. He flipped his hand and threw out three talismans, which unfurled into three white rings, blocking the sword lights one by one.

Situ Mo had clearly prepared specifically for this. The three white rings released by these Foundation Establishment talismans were pure white, smooth, and agile. It was unknown what spell they sealed, but although their strength wasn't high, their advantage lay in their flexibility and smoothness, specifically designed to counter the 'Three-Part Moon Streamer.'

But with this delay, Li Qinghong and Kong Heng arrived. Although Situ Mo didn't know who this valiant female cultivator was, he recognized Kong Heng and could guess Li Qinghong's identity. He saw purple light emanating from the female cultivator's eyes, and her jade armor lit up with purple lightning.

Situ Mo only had time to retreat for a moment. Li Qinghong parted her crimson lips, her jade teeth opening and closing, and exhaled a tiny purple light dot. This light dot was perfectly round and instantly expanded to fist-size, shining with white light.

Situ Mo felt a tingling sensation behind him. He knew it was a high-powered spell. His three golden shields, no longer caring about the hooks, rapidly retreated. The golden blade also disengaged from Kong Tingyun and quickly returned to provide support.

Kong Tingyun hastily activated her jade bead to pursue. The monk below watched, both astonished and terrified, not understanding how Li Yuanjiao had evaded his calculations. Yet he couldn't speak and could only desperately push the golden mountain.

Kong Tingyun had to distract herself and glance down. From her sleeve, she pulled out a golden talisman, flicked it with her finger, and it floated gracefully onto the golden mountain.

This Mutuo was also unlucky. He originally possessed many spells, but as soon as he appeared, he was suppressed by this golden mountain. The golden mountain, whose material was unknown, crushed him, making him move slowly and causing his lips and teeth to disappear. Just as he finally managed to push it up with great effort, Kong Tingyun's talisman had already descended.

The talisman shimmered with golden light. Its brownish-yellow body was outlined with vermilion brushstrokes, straight horizontally and vertically, bearing only one large line of text: "Ten million, six hundred fifty-eight thousand catties."

Mutuo felt an overwhelming force surge through his hands. He only managed to let out a cry of despair as the faint jade seawater on the surface parted, emitting rumbling sounds. The golden mountain fell, causing turbulent waves and towering swells, raising hundred-foot waves, and slowly sinking into the sea.

"Boom!" The scene in the sky on this side was no less impressive. A white light exploded in the sky. This peal of thunder was like a mountain collapsing and the earth splitting open. The white lightning drifted, transforming into dense, waterfall-like purple electricity that suppressed everything.

Situ Mo's golden shields were originally on their way back to provide support, but Li Yuanjiao, quick as lightning, blocked them with a single sword strike. The golden blade was also restrained by a spell from Kong Heng. For a moment, he was greatly embarrassed as a golden light quietly emanated from his chest.

"Boom!" Amidst the raging lightning, Situ Mo, looking dishevelled, flew out riding a golden light. Only a thin, eggshell-like golden shield remained on his body. As he rode the wind, five or six streams of light were already approaching from the two islands, creating a standoff.

Situ Mo's golden shields ultimately didn't make it in time, and he directly bore the brunt of this lightning spell. His feather robe was dim, and his chest was covered in blood. Several Foundation Establishment guest cultivators behind him caught him, and Situ Mo said hoarsely, "Go!"

Situ Mo secretly congratulated himself for his caution, but he was even more afraid that the entire market would mobilize and raid his base. He dared not linger for a moment and hastily sped back on his golden light.

The few remaining people dared not delay, fearing pursuit, and quickly departed. The Profound Mountain Sect's guest cultivators also came forward to greet them, and Kong Tingyun laughed, "Excellent, excellent! He wasted a life-saving trump card, and he's not lightly injured either. It wasn't a wasted trip!"

She looked at the somewhat pale Li Qinghong and praised, "I didn't expect little sister to possess such a formidable lightning spell... Truly impressive."

Although the Profound Lightning had been condensed in the lightning pool beforehand, Li Qinghong still expended a great deal of energy. She smiled humbly and said softly, "It's nothing compared to your Golden Mountain, fellow Daoist."

Situ Mo was a highly valued direct descendant of the Drill Gold Sect, so it was naturally impossible for him to be killed instantly. With the aid of opportune timing and terrain, this engagement would set back his progress by many years. Li Yuanjiao secretly nodded, but was more concerned about the monk, and asked, "What about that monk?"

Kong Tingyun replied, "He's not doing better than Situ Mo."

The group descended, passing through the faint jade seawater. They found the golden mountain at the bottom of the sea. Kong Tingyun retrieved her artifact, looked at the bloody mess, carefully examined it, and performed a few spells. She then looked at Kong Heng with some doubt.

Kong Heng understood, stepped forward, and closed his eyes to sense for a moment. He then said in a deep voice, "He went back north."

Kong Tingyun said regretfully, "It's a pity it was in the sea and not on land. He only managed to contact the earth veins too late to fully empower himself, yet he still got away."

"He did get away," Kong Heng said. "This physical body of his is pretty much ruined. Perhaps he already had a backup plan in some northern temple and took over a monk's body, but his cultivation is severely damaged, far worse than Situ Mo's. It will take him at least several decades to recover."

Buddhist cultivators were notoriously difficult to kill, and Kong Tingyun hadn't originally expected to finish him off. She extended a slender hand, and the golden mountain reappeared. She said with a touch of resentment, "The ancestor passed this artifact and talisman down to me specifically to deal with these Buddhist cultivators! He's just the first! Sooner or later, I'll send them all back to their original forms, one by one!"

Li Yuanjiao secretly breathed a sigh of relief and said happily, "Excellent, excellent! With this monk gone, we no longer need to worry about the enemy being in the dark while we're exposed. Situ Mo's threat has been greatly reduced!"

Only Kong Heng, who hadn't exerted much effort from beginning to end, looked quite ashamed. He rubbed his bald head and looked wistfully at the others.