MOF Chapter 68
by VolareThe unrestrained laughter coming from inside the residence made Xie Yiling’s heart burn with anger, considering Nangong Ci’s current predicament. However, he hesitated to act rashly due to the presence of the Immortal Binding Rope.
After all, that thing could easily suppress Nangong Ci, making it a formidable opponent. Moreover, he couldn’t be sure if that “Great King” had other magical artifacts at his disposal.
The Immortal Binding Rope tightened around him, the veins on Nangong Ci’s neck becoming faintly visible. He wondered why an Immortal item like the Binding Rope would appear here. Could it be that a cultivator carrying the Binding Rope was captured, and it fell into the hands of these bandits?
His pale, cold eyes swept over the ill-intentioned faces, finally landing on a figure who looked like the leader.
Qiusha Luo sat on a high chair covered with tiger skin, his posture arrogant as he looked down at Nangong Ci. His gaze lingered on the immortal robe embroidered with the words “Southern Return” in gold thread.
“So you’re an Immortal Lord from Southern Return,” Qiusha Luo said casually, leaning to the side and propping up his chin. He seemed utterly uninterested in “Golden Core” or “Immortal cultivation.” After a while, he stood up, hands behind his back, and looked at Nangong Ci. “How utterly boring. Let’s just throw him into the mountains as an offering to the Mountain God.”
Nangong Ci’s arms, bound by the Immortal Binding Rope, were numb. He carefully controlled his spiritual power to prevent it from leaking. If he continued to let the Binding Rope devour his spiritual power, even if he managed to escape, he would probably be too weak to deal with the demons. He decided to wait and see where these monsters were taking him.
A group of goblin lackeys, laughing and shouting, escorted Nangong Ci into the deep mountains.
The little demon Xie Yiling was controlling had the original form of a sparrow, making it easy to control. Through the sparrow demon, Xie Yiling discovered that they seemed to be planning to send Nangong Ci to the summit of Steep Cliff Peak.
He pondered this, noting that the Great King had sent out almost all of his subordinates, leaving the residence sparsely guarded. Now might be the time to strike, possibly capturing their leader directly.
No. Xie Yiling quickly abandoned this idea. To ensure Nangong Ci’s safety, he couldn’t take risks.
On Steep Cliff Peak, the wind howled. The goblin lackeys who reached the summit were blown sideways, nearly revealing their true forms.
They put away the sticks they had used to push their captive and turned around, scrambling and rolling down the mountain.
“Hey! The boss’s Immortal Binding Rope!” one of the lesser demons shouted.
“What’s wrong with your brain? How can you be so forgetful?” another lesser demon retorted, shoving him. “The Immortal Binding Rope always comes back on its own, doesn’t it? Let’s go, let’s go!”
Nangong Ci listened as the goblins ran away, sensing an aura of evil lurking in the wind, slowly approaching him.
The approaching entity carried a damp, musty air, as if it had just emerged from the water. Nangong Ci held his breath and tightened his nerves.
“Monster, prepare to die!”
A sharp shout rang out, and Xie Yiling, who had been following the goblins, flew out from the bushes. His eyes were sharp, like ice, as he stared at the strange figure in front of Nangong Ci.
Under the moonlight, the figure gradually revealed a dark shadow resembling a person. Shedding its black mist, it revealed skin and flesh.
The spiritual power contained in Bu Song was as strong as a blade, instantly causing several cuts to appear on the half-human, half-monster creature.
“Immortal Lord, have mercy!”
As Bu Song returned to his hand, Xie Yiling, preparing to fight again, heard this plea. Although wary, he stopped and warned, “Monster, what are you trying to do to Fufeng Daozhang of the Southern Return Heavenly Pavilion?!”
“Southern Return?” The monster paused, quickly denying it. “No, no, no! This humble one wouldn’t dare!”
“Hmph.” Xie Yiling sheathed his sword but remained vigilant, standing in front of Nangong Ci. “Tell me, what kind of creature are you?”
The person bent over, making a respectful gesture. “This humble one was originally a mountain spirit from Nongfeng Mountain, named Feng Nong. I just came here for a change of scenery, temporarily residing here.”
Xie Yiling questioned, “What is your relationship with the demons of Steep Cliff Peak? Why were they bringing people to offer to you?”
Feng Nong looked helpless. “Immortal Lord, I don’t know! Since I came here, that Qiusha Luo always captures ordinary people who are unlucky enough to come up the mountain to collect firewood and sends them to me. But I don’t eat people, so I always have to send those people back myself.”
Listening to his sincere words, Xie Yiling began to discern the truth. “Qiusha Luo, is that the name of the goblin leader?”
“Exactly,” Feng Nong said. “Immortal Lord, although I am a demon, I know a thing or two about survival. If I acted like Qiusha Luo, I imagine you two would be here to take my life today.”
“Alright, I’ll believe you for now.” Xie Yiling finally had a chance to turn and look at Nangong Ci. He raised his hand to untie the Immortal Binding Rope, but as soon as his fingertip touched the rope, he felt his spiritual power being drawn away. He quickly withdrew his hand and asked Feng Nong, “Do you recognize this?”
“I know, I know!” Feng Nong answered almost immediately. “This is the Immortal Binding Rope. It’s said that Qiusha Luo spent some time cultivating the Dao at the Water-Ink Immortal Estate. Later, unwilling to submit to discipline, he escaped. This rope was stolen from the Water-Ink Immortal Estate at that time.”
“So it’s a treasure of the Water-Ink Immortal Estate,” Xie Yiling mused. “Looks like we’ll have to find a time to return it. You,” he pointed at Feng Nong, “can you untie this rope?”
As soon as he finished speaking, Feng Nong immediately took out a magical artifact, the Fuxing Ruler. As the artifact touched the Immortal Binding Rope on Nangong Ci, the golden rope that had been tightly binding him instantly fell to the ground.
Xie Yiling was delighted. At that moment, he truly trusted Feng Nong, bowing to him and saying, “Thank you, Mountain Spirit. We will personally eliminate that Qiusha Luo. We only hope that you will continue to act virtuously in the future and not harm the innocent.”
Feng Nong nodded. “Feng Nong will remember the Immortal Lord’s teachings.” With that, he transformed into a cloud of black mist and disappeared.
The moment he was freed, Nangong Ci felt his strength and spiritual power returning to normal. Xie Yiling stared at him and asked, “Sixth Brother, how are you? When I touched this rope just now, I felt it draining spiritual power. Did it take a lot of your spiritual power?”
Nangong Ci shook his head. “No need to panic, I’m fine.” He picked up the Immortal Binding Rope from the ground and put it into a brocade pouch.
Seeing him put away the pouch, Xie Yiling added, “I didn’t expect that mountain spirit to be so perceptive, saving us the trouble of having to capture him.”
Nangong Ci said, “He feeds on other demons, regardless of whether they’re good or bad, so he still bears some sin.”
Hearing this, Xie Yiling thought: This is simply a case of demons killing each other, which has nothing to do with their immortal sect.
He remembered something. “I heard that Mo City will have a Gathering Festival soon, and merchants from all over will be attending. It’s sure to be lively! Why don’t we take advantage of that time to go to Mo City and return the artifact to the Water-Ink Immortal Estate?”
Nangong Ci thought for a moment and nodded. “Alright.”
The two waited until dusk, guarding outside the residence, observing what would happen.
Qiusha Luo was waiting for the Immortal Binding Rope to return on its own, unaware that the golden rope had already been taken by Nangong Ci and placed in his brocade pouch. The few lesser demons he had sent to the peak to check on the situation had all been killed by Xie Yiling and Nangong Ci on the way.
“Something’s not right.” Qiusha Luo realized that something was amiss and led his demons to personally head to the peak.
As soon as they stepped out the door, two white-robed figures, one on the left and one on the right, stood in front of the residence, waiting like rabbits by their burrows.
Qiusha Luo inwardly regretted his carelessness, but said, “I didn’t expect the people from Southern Return to be so capable, able to escape my Immortal Binding Rope.”
“Your Immortal Binding Rope?” Xie Yiling scoffed. “You’re just a weasel demon who steals and sneaks around. What are you pretending to be, Yama the Great Immortal?”
Annoyed that his true form had been seen through, Qiusha Luo was immediately enraged. “Daring to run wild on my territory, I don’t care if you’re from Southern Return or some other place’s stinky Taoist, you’re all going to die!”
Hearing the order, the many lesser demons transformed into their original forms and surrounded them.
Nangong Ci said, “I’ll take care of these, you deal with him.”
Xie Yiling nodded, thinking that this was a good opportunity to hone the synergy between him and Bu Song. He shouted, “Bu Song! Come forth!”
The black sword flew through the air, and Qiusha Luo gathered a ball of demonic green light in his palm, striking Bu Song with his demonic power.
The sword didn’t waver, firmly piercing towards Qiusha Luo. Taking advantage of his distraction, Xie Yiling struck out with his palm, and Qiusha Luo was forced to retreat, spitting out a mouthful of black, foul-smelling blood.
Bu Song returned to Xie Yiling’s hand.
Qiusha Luo trembled with anger, howling towards the sky and transforming into his original form.
The weasel demon before them was two meters tall, standing upright on the ground, half rat and half wolf, with green eyes and sharp fangs, drool dripping from his mouth. His limbs were strong, and his claws were incredibly sharp. He swept his long tail, raising a cloud of dust.
“My goodness! This weasel demon is truly the second stinkiest! No one dares to claim the first!” Xie Yiling was nauseated by the stench, retreating repeatedly. The smell lingered on his tongue, and no matter how much he spat, it was no use. He had no choice but to endure the strong stench drilling into his nostrils, frowning and shouting, “Ten Thousand Swords Break the Sky!”
Countless black swords pierced the sky, stabbing towards Qiusha Luo, their sword energy strong, carrying a cold and fierce aura.
Qiusha Luo opened his bloody maw and spat out a cloud of green gas. Instantly, a demonic wind howled through the empty mountain village, and yellow sand flew everywhere.
Xie Yiling quickly said, “Sixth Brother, close your eyes!” He reached out and created a barrier behind Nangong Ci.
Nangong Ci slightly tilted his head, his brow furrowed slightly, and said, “Xie Ci, be careful.”
“Alright!” Xie Yiling said, suddenly soaring into the air. He held Bu Song, sternly saying, “Those who fall into evil, those who harm living beings, shall be eliminated!” With that, he slashed down fiercely at Qiusha Luo on the ground.
Sword energy flew through the air, scattering rubble everywhere.
Xie Yiling landed, watching as Qiusha Luo wailed in pain from the attack. His demonic core should be shattered, and his internal organs injured.
Nangong Ci, with his back to him, quickly killed with his sword. Although the lesser demons had weak demonic power, there were many of them, and one could easily be injured if careless.
Xie Yiling pulled Bu Song out of the last lesser demon, grabbing Nangong Ci and quickly leaving the demon’s residence. The white robes of both of them were dirty and tattered, and the smell was unbearable. This was all thanks to those demons, who, even in death, didn’t forget to cling to them, disgusting them one last time.
“Sixth Brother, how about we find a water source to wash up first?” Xie Yiling covered his nose with his fingers, wanting to wrinkle all his facial features together.
“Alright.” Nangong Ci frowned slightly, also unable to endure the stench on his body.
However, there were no rivers near Steep Cliff Peak, and water was extremely important to the nearby residents. Their bodies were covered in the blood of demons, and if ordinary people were to drink it, who knew what the consequences would be?
Therefore, Nangong Ci simply flew his sword, squeezing onto Azurefall with Xie Yiling, who was equally filthy, enduring the ride for two hours until they finally reached the foot of Southern Return Mountain.