Chapter 33: The Peerless Cursed Sword: Slaying Foes, Kin, and Self Alike (Part I)

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The group continued onward through the mountain forest. The closer they drew to the depths of Cloud-Prison Mountain, the more difficult their progress became.

Not only had the trees grown denser, but poisonous insects and ferocious beasts appeared with increasing frequency. Fortunately, there were two masters among them whose physical bodies had attained sainthood. The aura of life they naturally radiated was enough to frighten away the surrounding beasts and venomous creatures.

The creatures of the jungle followed the laws of nature and possessed instincts far keener than those of ordinary beings.

Even without having to worry about poisonous insects and wild beasts, simply making their way through the forest had left everyone covered in mud, crushed leaves, and rotting vegetation. They looked thoroughly bedraggled.

Even Tao Zihong, who was carrying supplies on his back, now had stains all over his Daoist robe. Only Yi Beidou, dressed in athletic clothes, still looked exactly as he had at the beginning.

Anything that landed on him—debris, grass, leaves, and the like—was instantly repelled, unable to cling to his clothing.

“Master, our compass has stopped working!”

A female Maoshan disciple holding a compass spoke up. The needle was spinning wildly and refused to settle.

“Indeed. It seems we are nearing our destination. The surging energy of the earth’s veins has disturbed the magnetic field. I shall set up a small Five-Thunder Formation to restore order. Once we determine our direction, we can continue onward.”

Tao Zihong nodded as he spoke.

“There is no need for such trouble. Just follow me.”

Yi Beidou spoke at that moment.

The magnetic field was in chaos, making it difficult to activate any electronic equipment, but it could not affect his mind or instincts.

The Heavenly Demon’s perception had already shown him the way.

Only then did everyone notice that Yi Beidou’s attire seemed to contain no compass or other navigational device at all.

“Do you possess the ability to lock onto a soul across a thousand miles, guided by your true spirit in the unseen world?” Tao Zihong asked.

“Something like that.”

Yi Beidou nodded.

“Then we shall trouble you to lead the way, Mr. Yi.”

Tao Zihong clasped his hands.

The Maoshan disciples exchanged glances. They looked at their own bedraggled appearances and cumbersome equipment, then at Yi Beidou, who still appeared as though he had merely stepped out for a morning run. Even the devices they carried could no longer tell them which way to go, yet he continued forward as naturally as before.

Relying on neither equipment nor assistance, needing only his physical body, he could tread across the world, pass through perilous mountains and rivers, fear no danger, and find anything he wished to find.

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This was something even their master could not do.

At that moment, they truly understood the meaning of the word “freedom.”

Following Yi Beidou, they continued on for nearly half an hour. The mist in the mountain forest gradually grew thicker and heavier.

“Do... do any of you feel... that something is wrong?”

The farther they went into the dense fog, the more the Maoshan disciples sensed that something was amiss.

Without realizing it, their breathing grew hurried, their hearts began to race, and their legs trembled. Even their teeth chattered uncontrollably, while cold sweat poured from their bodies.

In their eyes, the fog surrounding them seemed to twist and change shape, sprouting claws and fangs like demons from the depths of hell. An indescribable horror lurked within its depths. Their bodies’ instincts roared at them, warning them not to advance—for ahead lay the Eighteen Levels of Hell, from which there could be no escape.

Baleful energy. The air was saturated with terrifyingly dense baleful energy.

Though all of them possessed considerable cultivation, and two had even reached the Soul-Seizing and Spirit-Usurping realm, they still found it difficult to keep their minds steady beneath that overwhelming tide of killing aura.

“All right. Everyone stop here.”

Tao Zihong raised a hand and halted several of his disciples.

“This is a Heavenly Fiend Daoist Domain formed by combining the principles of feng shui with the energy of the earth’s veins. You are not yet qualified to approach it. If the baleful energy infects your spiritual senses, you may lose your minds.”

As the disciples stared at him in confusion, Tao Zihong continued. Then he looked toward Yi Beidou ahead of them.

“That man would not establish a Daoist Domain without reason. This matter does not concern us—it concerns you. We shall wait here for now.”

Yi Beidou nodded and turned his gaze toward the dense fog, which seemed almost solid with baleful energy.

The next moment—

Boom!

His eyes narrowed. The blood within his body surged, and his physical potential erupted completely. The terrifying, pure killing intent of his Heavenly Demon body exploded outward.

Tap, tap!

The Maoshan disciples were standing too close. It felt as though grenades had detonated inside their minds, and they instinctively retreated. One female disciple, weakened by her cultivation and burdened by her luggage, lost her balance and nearly fell onto the ground. Fortunately, Tao Zihong caught her by the arm.

Yi Beidou strode into the depths of the fog, and everyone witnessed an unbelievable sight.

Wherever Yi Beidou passed, the dense fog within three meters of him parted of its own accord, as though an invisible Daoist Domain surrounded his body.

Only after he had walked some distance away did the fog close again behind him.

“Master, what exactly is this...?”

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The disciples stared until their mouths went dry. They had believed their master to be practically an immortal, yet this peer of theirs who had suddenly appeared seemed scarcely human at all.

“This fog formed because the magnetic field of the baleful energy was violently agitated, causing the moisture in the mountains to condense under the influence of that aura. As this man circulates his blood and vital force, his own life magnetic field extends several yards beyond his body, disrupting the formation’s magnetic field. The moisture naturally disperses wherever he passes, and all evil forces retreat before him.”

Tao Zihong spoke in a solemn voice. He could accomplish the same thing, but never with Yi Beidou’s ease and composure. He would have to mobilize his blood and vital force, manifest his Dharma body, and activate his Thunder Garment before he could barely compare.

“This man possesses a Heavenly Demon body. The moment he attains the Dao, he already possesses a Dharma body—something ordinary people can scarcely hope to equal. And that is not all. For such an existence to attain sainthood is something rarely seen throughout the ages. I wonder what cultivation method he practices. Not only is his physical body transcendent, but his spirit also possesses the divine ability to receive the summons of his true soul. If he does not die, his future achievements will be impossible to measure. Could the world be about to produce another ‘Sect Patriarch’?”

Tao Zihong sighed.

“Could he surpass the predecessors and open up a realm never before seen?” the others could not help asking.

“His talent is extraordinary, but so too are his tribulations. Of the three tribulations of Heaven, Earth, and Man, he has attained the Dao through the Heavenly Demon and defied the will of Heaven, thereby passing through the first two. Yet the Tribulation of Man is the most terrifying. When mankind gives rise to murderous intent, the earth overturns and the heavens are turned upside down. Given the present circumstances, who can say with certainty what will happen?”

Tao Zihong shook his head.

Elsewhere—

Boom!

Yi Beidou advanced step by step into the mist. The baleful energy grew increasingly intense. After he had gone several dozen meters deeper, the surrounding fog suddenly seemed to boil. It whirled rapidly like dragons and serpents, surging madly toward him.

It twisted space and perception, confusing all directions.

Yet no matter how violently the baleful energy surged, the Daoist Domain surrounding Yi Beidou remained unchanged, and his sense of direction was never disturbed.

After another several dozen meters, he took one step forward, and the view before him suddenly opened up.

A cave stood not far away. Before it rose a massive boulder, upon which a tall man sat cross-legged.

The man had unkempt hair and a scraggly beard. He was utterly disheveled, with three sinister features etched across his face, as though destined to bring ruin upon his relatives, friends, siblings, and parents. Yet his eyes resembled Yi Beidou’s—calm as deep water and profound as an ocean abyss.

A long sword, sheathed in an ancient and unadorned scabbard, was planted in the ground before him. Golden threads coiled around the sword in layer upon layer. Some wound around the nearby trees, some vanished beneath the earth, and others twined around the man’s fingers and wrists.

Of the baleful energy condensed into fog throughout the forest, three parts originated from the earth’s veins, three parts from the man, and the remaining four parts came entirely from that long sword.

It was a truly vicious sword.

“I heard from the Killing-Heart Buddha that a Heavenly Demon has attained sainthood in this world. Now that I have seen you, I understand that the rumors were true—you are indeed extraordinary.”