Chapter 89: Cannot Be Killed

The fact that Wei Tunyun could tell Moon the Black was a demon was hardly surprising, given his cultivation. And now he was clearly using some sort of spell to force the demon to reveal its true form.

Elsewhere, that would have been of little consequence. But this was Chang'an. Once Moon the Black lost his reason after reverting to a fox demon and began wreaking havoc through the city, it would truly mean certain death.

Watching Moon the Black writhe in agony on the ground, Lu Xin felt his eyes splitting open with rage. Within his body, two vortexes of power whirled in violent upheaval, while the righteous fire of the Dao flickered on and off as though it might be extinguished at any moment.

Wei Tunyun did not see the changes within Lu Xin's inner realm. He clutched the Yang sisters in both hands, sneering coldly. With his cultivation, he truly had no need to care about anyone present.

"Wei Tunyun, let them go. If you want to kill or cut me down, I, Lu Xin, will take it all!"

"Hahahaha! This steward has no interest in killing people. Do you think the court is like you wandering scoundrels of the rivers and lakes, with nothing in your eyes but blades and blood? Boy, what I want, you know perfectly well. Tell me where the Yin Yang Wandering Immortal Sword is, and I will release them at once."

"The Wandering Immortal Sword is not in my hands."

"Hmph. Still stubborn at death's door. You think that if you keep your mouth shut, you can escape this disaster? Don't forget, this steward's soul-seizing and spirit-questioning art can still prise everything from your lips!"

Wei Tunyun's voice was fierce and savage. As his words fell, he pointed at Moon the Black. A shriek of agony rang out, and Moon the Black was fully forced back from human form into his fox-demon body. His pupils burned red, and he crazily slammed against the barrier formed by the talismans. Yet even with the fox demon's true body and monstrous strength, he remained powerless before Wei Tunyun's spell.

"If the court is filled with corrupt dogs like you... then the Great Tang may not be far from ruin."

Yang Xiu's throat was trapped in Wei Tunyun's grip, and each word cost her dearly. But she could feel Moon the Black's pain, and fury blazed in her eyes. Wei Tunyun only curled his lips and flung her hard to the ground.

"Don't think that because you're from the Miao region, I won't dare kill you. Little girl, she's your younger sister, isn't she? If you don't want her to die, then speak up for me and find out where the Yin Yang Wandering Immortal Sword is. As for whether you live or die, that depends on whether you're willing to tell the truth. Of course, with the four of you at your present level, unless I remove the barrier above this place, even if I let you go, you probably still won't get out."

As he spoke, Wei Tunyun slowly released his other hand. Once Yang Qin was free, she lunged forward to fight again, but Yang Xiu called her back. Looking up, they saw a faint purple radiance above the magistrate's office, like an invisible dome covering the entire compound. Outside the gate lay the bustle of the streets, yet inside, not a sound could be heard.

"Miss Yang Xiu, tell him."

Lu Xin knew full well how terrifying a master of the Returning to Mystery realm could be. The four of them together were no match for Wei Tunyun in even a single exchange. If they kept fighting, they would only be throwing their lives away. In his eyes, no matter how mighty the Wandering Immortal Sword might be, it could not compare to the lives of Moon the Black and the others. Yet after hearing him, Yang Xiu showed no sign of yielding, not even bothering to turn her head.

"Ever since ancient times, my people of the Miao region have never betrayed a friend. Steward Wei, he truly does not know where the Wandering Immortal Sword is. If you truly have the ability, why not try to pry open this young lady's mouth instead!"

Yang Xiu's gaze was savage, and her cold laughter did not cease. Then she rose into the air, sliced open her own wrist with a blade, and let a great spray of blood fall. Seeing this, Yang Qin's pupils contracted sharply, her expression one of shock. Yet she did not hesitate in the least and slashed open her own wrist as well. As their blood scattered downward, both women shut their eyes and rapidly chanted a spell of unfathomable obscurity.

Woooooo...

Like the moaning of wind over barren mountains at night, a piercing and eerie cry rang in everyone's ears. The sisters' blood, after falling to the ground, did not soak into the earth. Instead, along some peculiar path, it flowed toward the same place.

After a brief moment, the swarm of poisonous insects that had been frozen and fallen to the ground all shattered their ice shells and revived within a dense crimson glow. More than that, each insect seemed to have gorged itself, swelling to more than ten times its original size. In Lu Xin's eyes, the insects before had been smaller than ants, impossible to make out at all. But now, every leg on each insect could be seen clearly. They were flying creatures with three pairs of wings, hard shells across their backs, and tiny spines covering their legs, black all over and gleaming with a cold luster.

"Blood Gu secret art! How can these insects' bodies contain the power of an exorcist?"

Seeing this sudden turn, Wei Tunyun, who had remained calm and composed throughout, finally changed color. The enlarged venomous insects were now each the size of a thumb, and every one of them was emitting some bizarre cry. A single voice would have meant little, but when hundreds and thousands of such cries merged together, they could pierce the eardrums in an instant. At that moment, apart from Wei Tunyun, all the exorcists of the Spirit-Summoning Temple clutched their ears in pain. Blood streamed continuously from each person's ears. Even Liu Zhi, whose cultivation had reached the sixth level of the Seeing Emptiness realm, was no exception.

Not only that, but after reviving, the insects surged once more toward the magistrate's gate. Wei Tunyun then produced two talismans, struck them outward through the air, and exhaled sharply. The talismans instantly transformed into two flying dragons, one of ice and one of fire. The diameter of their bodies was as broad as a grinding wheel. They plunged into the swarm of insects, shaking their heads and tails as they roared endlessly. Soon, large numbers of insects were slapped down from the void. But to Wei Tunyun's astonishment, those that fell to the ground flapped their wings again in less than two breaths and rose once more, utterly unharmed.

What's more, there were simply too many of them. They covered the sky above the gate like a dense black veil, blotting out all sight. Taking advantage of the chaos, the Yang sisters rushed toward Lu Xin and Moon the Black, trying to break the seal of the talismans.

"Stubborn fools. You deserve death!"

Although Wei Tunyun could not see, he could easily sense everyone's movements. Enraged, he pinched a seal with his left hand, and the two flying dragons suddenly burst apart. The forces of ice and fire fused instantly, forming a colossal wind pillar. Then Wei Tunyun produced a flying sword from the air and thrust it into the pillar, whereupon thunder rumbled and surged. The wind pillar began to spin at high speed, and its tremendous suction instantly swept every insect into it.

Boom!

With a crack of thunder, the wind pillar suddenly contracted inward, as though space itself were collapsing, and then vanished completely into the void. Along with it, those hundreds and thousands of insects disappeared without a trace.

At that very moment, Yang Xiu had just broken the talismans Wei Tunyun had left behind and rescued Lu Xin. But on the other side, Moon the Black's fox-demon true form was still rampaging wildly within the barrier, and Yang Qin could not even draw near.

Perhaps truly angered now, Wei Tunyun no longer wasted words. In the blink of an eye, he was behind Yang Xiu. A single palm strike sent her coughing up blood and collapsing into Lu Xin's arms. At the same time, Wei Tunyun's flying sword came to rest at Lu Xin's throat.

"Miss Yang Xiu?"

Seeing the young woman in his arms spurt blood and then fall instantly unconscious, Lu Xin let out a furious roar. At that moment, he was completely unaware that a sharp sword was already resting against his neck. In that instant, the two vortexes of power within his inner world surged with great force, all of it absorbed by the righteous fire of the Dao. Then the fire split in two, and Lu Xin suddenly spread both hands wide, whereupon two flames appeared in his palms.

The wrath of the Buddha, the Red Lotus Karmic Fire, burning through the boundless worlds!

The cultivation art recorded in the Sutra of the Burial of the Righteous and the Secure was a path of fire, and like the Earth Treasury Sutra of the Inextinguishable Buddha Mountain, it borrowed the power of the fire essence between heaven and earth. Water is yin, fire is yang, and none is more fierce. Within the Great Tang, Buddhist doctrine was divided between the southern and northern traditions. One preached the burning away of all roots of goodness; the other, compassion for all living beings.

And the teaching of the Earth Treasury Sutra held that the Buddha created the Western Pure Land, and likewise created the eighteen levels of Hell. When the Buddha is without wrath, all beings rejoice. But if the Buddha is enraged, the Red Lotus Karmic Fire erupts from Hell and consumes all beings across the boundless worlds.

At this moment, Lu Xin's fury had reached its utmost limit, his soul splitting and transforming into true fire as he broke through.

Sensing the sudden surge of power in the boy, Wei Tunyun froze for an instant. Then he saw the boy press his palms together, endless fire manifesting in his pupils. As his hands pushed outward in unison, a lotus of fire, blazing in the midst of the sky, grew larger and larger.

"Red Lotus Great Compassion Seal!"

The distance between Wei Tunyun and Lu Xin was far too small, and he had been utterly unguarded. The boy's sudden eruption caught him off balance. More strangely, despite the breakthrough, the boy was still only at the second level of the Seeing Emptiness realm. With that little power, he should have been able to cast only minor talismans. Yet the boy's methods had clearly far surpassed his current realm.

Wei Tunyun felt an extraordinarily powerful force, and there was no time left to defend. He could only withdraw his flying sword and retreat in a flash. After that one strike, Lu Xin sat down heavily while still holding Yang Xiu, utterly exhausted.

That palm strike had indeed surpassed the realm he ought to have possessed. Even Lu Xin himself did not know how he had managed to unleash it. In truth, he had seen the Red Lotus Great Compassion Seal two years earlier. At that time, in a burial ground somewhere in Yue Prefecture, the Moonlight Bodhisattva, Hui Jing, had used this technique against Zhou Dian. It was a kind of Buddhist incantation.

"Hahahaha... Interesting. Truly interesting. Boy, what exactly are you? A body full of Buddhist arts, and even now you have broken through. To tell the truth, even this steward is beginning to feel alarmed. Perhaps killing you now would spare me much trouble in the future."

Looking at Lu Xin collapsed on the ground, Wei Tunyun suddenly narrowed his eyes, his sneer deepening. Lu Xin could clearly feel a sharp killing intent fall upon him. Just as Wei Tunyun was about to raise his flying sword, a jade talisman suddenly descended from above the magistrate's office and placed itself, neither偏 nor askew, directly against the sword tip.

"No killing. Return to the temple at once!"

"Master?"

The voice from within the jade talisman made Wei Tunyun's face change in an instant. Right now, he was at the peak of his anger. Yet someone was ordering him to put down his sword at this moment. How could he not be shocked?

"This is an order. Return immediately!"