Undying Life

Chapter 142: The Terrifying Demons

Where Zhongshan and his companions stood was the summit of a high mountain.

Below them to the west was a square, with a massive stele inscribed with the words "Tai Dan Sect" on its side. To the north lay the Tai Dan Sect, shrouded in mist, its interior indiscernible, clearly protected by an illusionary formation.

And directly south of the Tai Dan Sect was the square that Zhongshan and the others could see.

"Master, according to what you've said, disciples of the Tai Dan Sect rarely leave the mountain gate. Why are there so many out today?" Zhongshan furrowed his brows, directing his question to Tianxingzi.

"The Tai Dan Sect has a rule: once every ten years, disciples must travel the world. They must return no sooner than a month later. Without this rule, they would be wholly devoted to alchemy and would hardly ever leave the mountain gate. With this outing, there are now no more than fifty people left in the Tai Dan Sect," Tianxingzi explained, gazing down below.

"Did the demons choose today because of this?" Zhongshan frowned.

"The mountain defense formation of the Tai Dan Sect is as strong as that of the Kaiyang Sect. Even with only fifty people guarding it, it's difficult to breach," Tianxingzi said.

Just as Tianxingzi finished speaking, a strange figure appeared in front of the Tai Dan Sect.

The conversation between Zhongshan and Tianxingzi came to an abrupt halt. The figure was strange, the most peculiar kind of figure clad in black robes.

Zhongshan saw a figure that seemed human yet not quite human because it was wrapped in a black robe, flat as a board.

The distance between the two shoulders was less than the width of a palm, and the head seemed flat, only about a finger wide. In other words, the distance between the left and right ears was only about the length of a finger, with the entire head squeezed toward the center, flattened. From Zhongshan's angle, he could just make out the faint outline of the head through the black robe. It looked like the head of a fish, with two eyes on either side, protruding while fixated on the array in front.

Was this a person?

Zhongshan widened his eyes. How could a person look like this?

If it weren't for seeing his two legs and two arms, Zhongshan would never have believed he was human. This wasn't a human, it didn't feel like one at all. A flattened person? Like a plank stood upright.

Zhongshan swallowed hard; was this the demon? It was too strange, too terrifying; any ordinary person would be terrified at a glance. A flattened person?

"What a strange demonic art," Ni Pusa couldn't help but sigh.

Demonic art? To turn a person into this appearance?

Tianxingzi, on the other hand, clenched his fists, feeling a slight trembling throughout his body, his eyes fixed on the demonic figure below, neither human nor ghost.

Zhongshan took a deep breath, seeing such a bizarre demon for the first time.

But, it wasn't over yet. Zhongshan suddenly saw the flattened demon's figure shimmer slightly.

"Hum~~~~~~~"

Zhongshan immediately rubbed his eyes, looking incredulous. Behind the flattened demon, with a single flicker, two more figures suddenly appeared, two figures exactly like the demon. Two more demons?

Zhongshan stared intently because he found that the two demons that appeared later were absolutely identical to the previous one, whether it was their clothes, their flattened shapes, or even the face that could no longer be called a face, with a mole on it, all exactly the same.

How could this be? Even after Zhongshan rubbed his eyes, there were still three demons, three identical demons. Before Zhongshan could regain his senses, the demon in the distance moved again.

With a slight sway, three more identical demons appeared. With another sway, in the blink of an eye, there were nearly a hundred demons on the square below, each with the same appearance, incredibly bizarre, as if they were all the same person.

"Why do this group of people all look the same?" Zhongshan exclaimed in utter astonishment.

"No, this isn't a group of people; it's just one person," Ní Púsà shook his head.

Within the rune array, their voices naturally couldn't be heard.

"One person? How could this be just one person?" Zhongshan exclaimed in amazement, his eyes wide.

"It is one person. It's just that due to practicing 'demonic arts,' he has created so many clones. The technique of 'Myriad Shadows of Heaven's Power' is truly extraordinarily demonic," Ní Púsà said coldly.

Tianxingzi, however, remained silent, his eyes fixed on the figure below, watching silently.

The lead demon stared coldly at the array before him, while the ninety-nine demons he had conjured up behind him rushed towards the Tai Dan Sect's array.

Zhongshan saw that when the original ninety-nine figures reached the array, their forms faded and then vanished like a puff of smoke.

"Breaching the array?" Ní Púsà exclaimed in amazement.

This demon was too strange. After creating ninety-nine clones, all of them actually charged into the array in such a casual manner, as if the array didn't even exist.

"Yes, it's him, it's him, the one who intruded into the Kaiyang Sect without warning. It's him," Tianxingzi's face flushed red, his voice trembling with rage, as if he were choosing his prey.

Hearing Tianxingzi's words, Ní Púsà's eyes narrowed, and with a turn of his hand, a phantom-like compass appeared, glaring angrily at the last demon outside the array, as if he were about to strike at any moment.

"Smack!" A hand fell on Ní Púsà's shoulder.

Ní Púsà's expression turned annoyed as he turned to look, only to see Tianxingzi grabbing his shoulder, his eyes bloodshot, exuding a murderous aura between his brows, as if he were restraining himself, preventing Ní Púsà from taking action.

Ní Púsà waited for Tianxingzi, but Tianxingzi shook his head.

"What are you doing?" Ní Púsà snapped angrily.

"Wait a little longer. I want to wipe out his entire clan," Tianxingzi said through gritted teeth, restraining his anger.

Wipe out his entire clan? Zhongshan frowned as he listened from the side. Indeed, Tianxingzi was also a ruthless person.

Hearing what Tianxingzi said, Ní Púsà's initial anger subsided. He had originally intended to obliterate the demonic figure, but upon hearing Tianxingzi's words, he realized he had been too direct. Tianxingzi wanted to wait for the demon to reveal his true intentions and maximize the vengeance for No Worries.

Suppressing his anger, Tianxingzi and Ní Púsà both stared down below.

Ever since he saw this demon, Zhongshan had a strange feeling, especially when the demon multiplied into a hundred. At that moment, Zhongshan's feeling grew even stronger. Zhongshan recorded the demon's peculiarities with the memory crystal given to him by his master, intending to study it carefully when he returned.

The demon stared at the array before him. Suddenly, his eyebrows, on both sides, furrowed sharply. Immediately, he surveyed his surroundings, as if he sensed someone spying on him.

After a while of scanning, he didn't see any figures; all he saw was a black snake swimming in the distance.

Pointing his finger, the distant black snake exploded with a bang. As if shaking off his doubts, the demon turned his gaze back to the Tai Dan Sect's array.

Just then, from the distance, four figures flew in from the sky.

All four were dressed in black robes and landed behind the demon, showing utmost respect.

"Shadow Sect?"

Tianxingzi spoke each word slowly, as if his teeth were clenched, his eyes filled with a chilling murderous intent, a murderous intent that seemed to permeate the heavens.

Hearing Tianxingzi's words, Zhongshan frowned. Shadow Sect? One of the Five Great Immortal Sects?

"Master," Zhongshan looked at Tianxingzi with some concern.

But Tianxingzi, at this moment, gently opened his eyes, smiled slightly, and the previous overwhelming anger seemed to dissipate into thin air.

"Don't worry," Tianxingzi reassured Zhongshan calmly.

Seeing the sudden calmness of his master, Zhongshan became even more nervous instead of relaxing. He stared at Tianxingzi and suddenly asked, "Master, do you intend to eradicate the Shadow Sect along with this?"

Hearing Zhongshan's question, Tianxingzi's eyes lit up with a burst of murderous intent, and the temperature around them suddenly dropped.

Staring at Zhongshan, Tianxingzi took a deep breath to calm his anger, and said to Zhongshan, "Indeed, you've figured it out. I want to eliminate not only this demon but also the entire Shadow Sect. The demon is actually the former patriarch of the Shadow Sect, Shadowless..."

Although Tianxingzi's anger surged, when Zhongshan pointed it out, he revealed a hint of sorrow.

Seeing his master like this, Zhongshan became even more worried. He sensed that something was wrong and couldn't help but recall his master's tone from over two years ago when he talked about arrangements for the future. Zhongshan's worry intensified.

"Master, when you destroy the Shadow Sect, please take your disciple with you," Zhongshan earnestly requested.

Looking at Zhongshan, Tianxingzi could feel Zhongshan's good intentions. However, he still shook his head. "Your cultivation level is too low."

"No, Master, in the past three years, I have reached the ninth level of Innate. If there is real danger, I can summon the peak Golden Core stage Great Wolf with all my strength. Even if I can't resist, I still have a chance to escape," Zhongshan said firmly.

Staring at Zhongshan for a moment, Tianxingzi's eyes flashed with a hint of admiration and warmth in his heart.

"Alright, I will take you with me when the time comes," Tianxingzi took a deep breath and said.

"Yes," Zhongshan nodded. Even though he knew there would be danger, Zhongshan still chose to go, not for any benefit, but for his master, for Ling'er's father, for Tianxingzi.