Chapter Fifty: The Taoist Priest of Mount Mao

This person’s bearing clearly marked him as a young Taoist. Zhou Yi saw that the little Taoist wasn’t carrying a fire gun and felt no fear. “No need to run anymore; only one of you has a bit of skill left.”

Zhou Yi stopped, and the little Taoist had already reached the two of them. “Boundless Heaven, don’t make me act—surrender now, or face my hand.”

Baozi’s eyes widened at this. “Where did this scruffy Taoist come from? Don’t make me use force—surrender now, and spare yourself!”

Zhou Yi covered his mouth and laughed; it was obvious the little Taoist had just left his temple and couldn’t even distinguish between humans and monsters.

The little Taoist frowned at Baozi’s words. “A sharp-tongued demon, are you? Watch as I subdue you!” With that, he thrust his sword straight at Baozi.

The little Taoist already possessed blue aura cultivation, while Baozi was only at the peak of the Demon Suppression stage, a whole realm below. Naturally, Baozi was no match for him.

Zhou Yi quickly summoned his fire aura to block the coin sword. “Brother Taoist, wait! We are human.”

The little Taoist hesitated at Zhou Yi’s explanation. “Don’t try to deceive me. I’ve practiced Taoist arts for ten years—I can tell the difference between humans and monsters, and you three are definitely monsters.”

Zhou Yi rubbed his forehead at this. If modern internet slang were allowed in the book, he would have cursed at the little Taoist.

“May I ask which sect you follow?” Zhou Yi asked helplessly.

“Don’t try to confuse me—watch my talismans!” The Taoist pulled out a handful of talismans from his robe and, without caring for their purpose, flung them at Zhou Yi.

Zhou Yi caught one; it carried a pure yang spiritual energy. Yellow paper, painted in cinnabar—the talisman was real, and this Taoist was no ordinary charlatan.

These monster-suppressing talismans were useless to Zhou Yi. Seeing them drift down, he wanted nothing more than to kill this lunatic on the spot.

“Let’s go. He’s crazy,” Zhou Yi said, turning away.

“These talismans are genuine. Neither of us can draw talismans—we lack the proper seals. Picking them up is perfect for us,” Baozi said, scooping up two talismans with a grin.

“Throw them away. Talismans drawn by others won’t work for us, and we don’t know the incantations to activate them,” Zhou Yi replied. No sooner had he spoken than the talismans in Baozi’s hand ignited spontaneously, filling the air with a faintly pungent scent.

Zhou Yi looked again—where was the Taoist now? The talismans on the ground transformed into a magnificent tiger and a green dragon. The dragon had four claws and was over thirty feet long; its roar shook the earth.

The tiger was nearly twenty feet in length, massive in form. The dragon’s roar was followed by the tiger’s growl, and both beasts, summoned by the Taoist, charged at Zhou Yi and Baozi.

The two were shocked and quickly dodged aside.

“Run!” Baozi shouted, channeling his spiritual energy as he leapt away.

But no sooner had Baozi leapt than he was knocked back. The magnificent tiger, seeing Baozi return, roared and lunged to bite.

Zhou Yi was entangled by the green dragon and had no time to help. Distracted, Zhou Yi was struck by the dragon’s claw, which tore his shirt and left three bloody marks across his chest, blood pouring forth, pain overwhelming him as he cried out.

The dragon pounced again, its tail sweeping Zhou Yi aside. No wonder Baozi couldn’t escape earlier—the Taoist had formed an array at the moment he scattered the talismans, trapping the two inside.

Zhou Yi was thrown against the array’s boundary, suffering injury anew.

There was no time to think—Baozi was still beneath the tiger, having narrowly dodged its lethal strike. Now the tiger was about to bite down again.

If it landed, Baozi’s life would be lost. Critical moment—ignoring his own wounds, Zhou Yi gathered his spiritual energy and lunged at the tiger.

He crashed into the tiger, feeling its rough fur and a pungent odor, as lifelike as a real beast.

His forceful tackle stunned the tiger, letting Baozi escape.

Baozi scrambled up, but the green dragon was already attacking again. Both possessed spiritual energy, but fighting the Taoist’s conjured beasts was beyond their strength; the struggle was perilous.

“Brother Taoist, have mercy! We are not monsters!” Zhou Yi shouted desperately.

“Nonsense! Even if you’re not monsters, you’re villains. Didn’t you kill the woman from the Eight Alleys?” the Taoist replied angrily.

Xunfeng, who had been squatting nearby and not helping, suddenly sprang into action at the Taoist’s accusation, tackling him to the ground.

Since Xunfeng hadn’t helped before, the Taoist paid little mind, but now caught off guard, he was easily brought down by Xunfeng.

It turned out that the conjured dragon and tiger depended on the Taoist’s spiritual energy. With him subdued, the array dispersed. Zhou Yi and Baozi were freed and saw Xunfeng still pinning the Taoist down.

“Xunfeng, let him go,” Zhou Yi called out just in time.

The Taoist was somewhat crazed, but his Taoist arts were profound. Since they were unharmed, Zhou Yi decided not to pursue matters. The Taoist was young yet highly skilled, likely a core disciple of some sect. To vent anger and provoke a sect would be unwise.

Moreover, the Taoist’s insistence on hunting monsters and demons showed his character was not bad. Zhou Yi didn’t want to kill the innocent.

After Xunfeng released him, the Taoist brushed the dust off and stood up. “Oh, you really aren’t monsters. Boundless Heaven, I misjudged you.”

Baozi glared. “Damn you, filthy Taoist, you nearly got me killed!” Baozi, after spending much time with Zhou Yi, often referred to himself with such bravado.

“Boundless Heaven—I am not filthy,” the little Taoist replied, knowing he was in the wrong and correcting Baozi without anger.

With this, Zhou Yi and Baozi’s rage abated somewhat. “May I ask your name and where you practice?” Zhou Yi inquired.

He asked to see which sect the Taoist belonged to. If it was a minor sect, he’d have no qualms about seeking revenge. If the little Taoist was from a major school, he’d have to swallow his pride and wait until his own skills grew before settling the score.

Having spent much time together, Baozi understood Zhou Yi’s intentions. Hearing his question, a cold smile crept onto Baozi’s face.

“Boundless Heaven, my Taoist name is Mu Chen, disciple of Mount Mao,” the little Taoist intoned.

Hearing this, Zhou Yi and Baozi realized they couldn’t avenge themselves today. Yet revenge comes in degrees—killing is one, beating is another.

They exchanged a glance, reading each other’s thoughts. Together, they rushed at Mu Chen.

Mu Chen has arrived—what a lively scene indeed.