Chapter 154 Inconceivable

After stuffing the blood into the gourd, Huang Wuchang shoved a handful of spirit talismans inside as well and shouted, "These are all the centuries-old fierce ghosts I've captured from all over! Take them as an appetizer and come out to help me!"

An unpleased, aged voice echoed from within the gourd, "If there isn't something good, I will devour you alive, Huang Wuchang."

Though the voice was not loud, it carried an overwhelming and intimidating majesty that struck fear into the heart. This was because it possessed the primal, immense power of a mythical behemoth, yet lacked any of its reckless impatience.

"He dares to devour Huang Wuchang alive?! As expected, the plot only gets truly exciting when Chen Yao and his fellow apprentices show up. Going through these stages all by myself beforehand was so dull and exhausting!"

At this moment, Ye Dong knew that Huang Wuchang had summoned someone formidable.

"Sacrificing cultivation and vital essence? It seems Huang Wuchang is really going all out!"

Chen Yao narrowed his eyes slightly. Even knowing that the newcomer was a formidable enemy, he maintained the calm of a peerless master and a hint of breezy self-confidence.

A column of thick smoke, which could not be blown away by a fan, slowly rose, and a golden wolf demon finally revealed its mysterious figure amidst the black smog.

Chen Yao was no fool either. Seizing the moment before the opponent attacked, he whispered to Xiaobao, "Quickly notify Officer Li and tell the Grand Uncle-Master to come and capture the demon at once!"

Looking startled, Xiaobao nodded repeatedly and sent a reinforcement signal to Officer Li.

"Exalted Wolf Demon, if the enemy weren't so formidable, I wouldn't dare to summon you out!"

Huang Wuchang forced a smile, bowing respectfully as he shouted to the giant golden wolf, "Right now, our enemy is Jiyang of the Zhengyi Sect. He took advantage of the situation by letting us wear ourselves out first, and relying on the Hunyuan Tianji Dragon in his possession, he intends to exterminate the Spirit-Stealing Sect! I beg the Wolf Demon Exalted to save our sect from dire straits!"

As he spoke, his face turned as pale as a sheet of paper, completely devoid of all blood color!

"The Hunyuan Tianji Dragon of the Zhengyi Sect?"

The Wolf Demon grinned, "Good, very good!"

His laughter actually brought with it an icy gale that swept relentlessly toward Chen Yao!

Chen Yao muttered a secret warning to himself, "Good grief, his Diancang Cleansing Heart Gourd truly is a treasure of heaven and earth to actually house a Wolf Demon inside!"

Hearing Huang Wuchang address the Wolf Demon as "Exalted Wolf Demon," Ye Dong couldn't help but worry for Chen Yao!

He vividly remembered Chen Yao's previous explanation regarding the classification of demons.

According to the ancient scriptures, demons were divided into ten categories, and demon-beasts were one of them—the wicked kings evolved from beasts.

For a detailed description of beasts and demons, please refer to Chapter Twenty: Discoursing on Buddhism and Daoism.

"This vastly exceeds our expectations!"

Ye Dong's heart grew icy cold. "I finally understand why Master asked the Grand Uncle-Master to come and assist us—it's because he had already prepared for the worst-case scenario!"

The words Chen Yao had spoken that day quickly flashed through Ye Dong's mind:

"The other day, I received a cry for help from Kongming, so I rushed over to assist. It turned out he had gone to subdue a nocturnal spirit, but ended up provoking a nocturnal demon and was trapped deep in the mountains. It took me a tremendous amount of effort to rescue him, and afterwards, the two of us joined forces to finally subdue that nocturnal demon."

"A nocturnal demon required both Master and Kongming, the Abbott of the Quanzhen Sect, to join forces in order to subdue it. If that's the case, isn't Master currently facing a Wolf Demon, three wolf demons, and a half-crippled Huang Wuchang, putting him at a complete disadvantage?!"

At this thought, Ye Dong clenched his fists so tightly that his knuckles popped. He desperately wished he could lend Chen Yao a helping hand!

"You mere Wolf Demon, you actually dare to covet the Hunyuan Tianji Dragon of my Zhengyi Sect? What sheer delusion."

Instead of showing fear, Chen Yao scoffed mockingly, "Do you really think I'd be scared of you just because you conjured up a Wolf Demon?"

"Hahahaha!"

The Wolf Demon chuckled lightly, and the soundwaves rolled over instantly once more!

"If I remember correctly, Weihan is your master, isn't he?"

Chen Yao was slightly startled and retorted, "What, were you beaten up by my master in the past?"

Hearing Chen Yao not deny it, the Wolf Demon laughed even more heartily. "Indeed, I was indeed beaten up by your master—though that was before I attained demonhood."

He lowered his head to gaze down at the giant Buddha statue and said coldly, "A Buddha statue?! The things I hate most are Buddha statues!"

Raising a hand and bringing down a claw, the giant Buddha covered by the Vajra Subduing Demon Formation was instantly reduced to a pile of rubble!

"Watch out!"

Everyone scrambled to dodge, terrified of being crushed by the falling stones!

"Back then, when I was merely a beast and had not yet attained demonhood, the serene bald donkey and your master, the Daoist Weihan—those two leaders of Buddhism and Daoism—chased me across half of the Central Plains and still failed to subdue me. Yet now, relying on a mere junior like you, you dare to act wild in front of me?!"

"Oh my god, even Grandmaster and Master Jingxin couldn't subdue him when he was still just a monster?!"

Ye Dong couldn't help but swallow hard, staring straight at Chen Yao, who had always seemed omnipotent in his heart.

"Wolf Demon, you have lived for thousands of generations. Do you still not understand the principle that 'each generation of heroes replaces the old, leading the fashion for centuries'?"

Chen Yao's Daoist robe fluttered as he laughed loudly, "For truly magnificent figures, look to the present era!"

Before his voice faded, a giant golden dragon soared into the air, hovering above Chen Yao and letting out a heaven-shaking roar at the Wolf Demon!

The roar of the dragon echoed through the clouds, chilling the hearts of everyone who had already stopped fighting.

"Is this the Hunyuan Tianji Dragon tattooed on Master's body?!"

Filled with immense reverence, Xiaobao bowed respectfully toward the divine dragon.

Far from being afraid, the Wolf Demon laughed happily, "Such a plump dragon! This time, I must savor it properly!"

Chen Yao let out a cold snort, looking up at the divine dragon, "Golden Dragon, that idiot says he wants to eat you. What do you think?"

The Golden Dragon opened its maw and smiled slightly, "No one in this world can eat me except you."

The dragon and the man exchanged a smile, striking a posture ready for a fight to the death against the Wolf Demon and the wolf pack!

"We have achieved the objective of forcing Huang Wuchang to exhaust his true Qi."

Chen Yao transmitted a few sentences to Ye Dong via telepathy. "I leave the rest of the tasks to you, disciple! You must find out Huang Wuchang's ultimate goal in entering the tomb!"

"Ah?! That's Master's voice?!"

Ye Dong stared intently at the golden-radiant Chen Yao, and just as he wanted to say something, he heard Chen Yao continue, "It turns out you have obtained another great fortune; your master is exceedingly pleased. If I meet an untimely end here, you must make Ziyong the successor abbot of the Zhengyi Sect. Later on, I will deliberately let Huang Wuchang escape. Remember to follow closely behind him! Go!"

With that, Chen Yao took the initiative, his spirit talismans fluttering in his hands as he launched an attack toward the Wolf Demon!

Seeing Chen Yao and the Wolf Demon engaged in battle, Huang Wuchang, who was on the ground, was ecstatic. He roared, " Juniors, follow me quickly! Our great cause is about to be accomplished!"

Wenxing, Hengxing, and the others naturally knew that the ultimate objective assigned by Officer Li to everyone was to exhaust Huang Wuchang's true Qi, and then have Ye Dong follow Huang Wuchang to uncover the most vital secret of the Tomb of Eternal Life.

Why was it necessary to deplete Huang Wuchang's true Qi as much as possible? There is no need to rush; Ye Dong will explain it to everyone one by one.

Only a few people remained in their group. Aside from Huang Wuchang's four disciples, Ye Dong, Chen Yong, and a few other mercenaries fiercely loyal to Huang Wuchang, the rest were either dead, captured alive, or had surrendered, and were no longer counted among the active combatants.

Taking advantage of the fierce battle between Chen Yao and the Wolf Demon, they desperately dashed toward the inside of the stone passage. In front of a large stone gate, the group finally came to a halt!

"There's no time left. Let's stake everything on this!"

With a pale complexion, Huang Wuchang gave a low roar and cast out the final golden talisman, aiming to shatter the seal on the stone gate!

As long as this seal was broken, Huang Wuchang's grand plan for the ages would be completed. Elation filled his heart, causing the consumption of his true Qi to become even more severe.

"Ouch!"

Suddenly, Huang Wuchang let out a muffled grunt and violently spewed a large mouthful of blood. This fit of coughing caused him to withdraw the Daoist energy in his hand, and the golden talisman quickly fluttered down to the ground!

"Master, what's wrong with you?!"

Seeing that Huang Wuchang seemed to have suffered an accident, Master Wei hurriedly stepped forward to support him.

"Old man... old man's lower abdomen hurts terribly! Ouch!!"

As it turned out, just as Huang Wuchang was struggling to break through the energy vortex, a sharp, violent pain suddenly struck from his lower abdomen!

"What is going on?!"

Huang Wuchang panicked, feeling the spiritual energy within his body draining away rapidly. He distinctly sensed that the surrounding pitch-black darkness was drawing away his soul power!

Seeing this, Ye Dong felt like bursting into joyous laughter. "It seems Qiqi's 'poisoning plan' has already been activated!"

"Rat-tat-tat!"

Right at that moment, the sound of machine-gun fire erupted from behind them! Startled, Ye Dong quickly ducked behind Huang Wuchang!

"Hahahaha, go to hell, all of you!"

It turned out that Chen Yong, who had always appeared utterly loyal, was holding a machine gun and firing wildly at his fellow companions and Huang Wuchang's group!

"Damn it, Chen Yong, have you lost your mind?!"

Though coughing up blood, Huang Wuchang reacted with lightning speed. Waving a large hand, he used his magic power to shield Master Wei, the other two, and Ye Dong. Retreating while dodging, he cursed angrily, "Chen Yong, do you have a death wish?!"

Seeing the suddenly berserk Chen Yong and the corpses littering the ground, Ye Dong was also utterly shocked. "What on earth is Chen Yong doing?! Why would he suddenly turn on us and start shooting with a gun at a time like this?!"

If not for the magic power bolstering Huang Wuchang, Master Wei and the others would likely have lost their lives on the spot.

"Huang Wuchang, do you feel an unbearable pain in your lower abdomen right now?!"

Holding the machine gun, Chen Yong laughed wildly, "Do you feel the soul power inside your body draining away rapidly?!"

"You!!! How do you know?!"

Huang Wuchang's expression shifted drastically, his eyes filled with shock and suspicion as he pointed at Chen Yong and cursed, "You did this?!"

"If you say it's me, then it's me; if you say it's not me, then it's not me!"

Chen Yong suddenly uttered these words while his machine gun continued firing with a relentless "rat-tat-tat"!

"Chen Yong, you ungrateful wretch, I even saved your life back then!" Master Wei cursed furiously, "You actually turn on us at a time like this?!"

Chen Yong grinned, "He Wei, you always think you're so clever, yet you're ultimately destined to achieve nothing!"

"What?!"

Hearing this, Ye Dong felt a chill in his heart. "This tone of voice... why does it sound so much like..."

Then he heard Huang Wuchang roar furiously, "Chen Yong, what on earth did you do to me?! Did you poison me?!"

"Old thief Wuchang, don't you want to think about whether you've missed drinking the tea your good disciple brewed for you these past two days?"

As soon as Chen Yong said this, Ye Dong couldn't help but swallow hard, staring straight at the sneering Chen Yong. "Impossible, that's impossible!"

"Tea?!"

Huang Wuchang knitted his brows tightly. "I've been brewing my own tea these past two days; there was nothing wrong with it!"

"What, senile so soon?"

Chen Yong burst into wild laughter, "Your good disciple laced the tea you usually drink with a chronic poison! If you kept drinking it every day, nothing would happen. But if you stopped drinking it for even a single day while consuming a massive amount of your vital essence and spirit, the poison's effects would manifest! Once the poison takes effect, the true Qi within your body will quickly be sucked away by the yin energy and terrestrial baleful forces of the tomb! Who would have thought that after dominating ancient tombs for decades, you'd ultimately end up dying inside one yourself?"

"Could it be the Barbarian Tea Gu?!"

Huang Wuchang drew in a sharp breath of cold air, glaring fiercely at Chen Yong before him. "You are just a rough and crude martial man, how could you know the contents recorded in the Three Outer Realms Mantras? Who... who are you?! Exactly who are you?!"

"Ahahahahaha!"

Chen Yong burst out laughing aloud, "It's me, my good master."

"It's him! It's him!"

Ye Dong's eyes widened in sheer disbelief as he exclaimed internally, "There's no mistake, this treacherous smile—even if he were turned to ashes, I'd recognize it! He... he is precisely Qiqi, whom I killed with my own hands!!!"