Chapter Forty-Two: Jade Nectar and Golden Elixir, Pears of Harmony and Fiery Dates

Splash!
A pitch-black figure burst out of the water.

Roar! Roar!
A deafening howl split the sky, and the small boats beneath the people were torn apart instantly.

Bang! Bang! Bang!
The shadow darted forward in a blur.

"Careful!" Lu Qian shouted urgently to those on the periphery.
Even as his warning echoed, the dark figure leapt high, its crimson maw gaping wide, and a massive, barbed red tongue lashed out.

Clang!
The Xuanyuan Blood Armor was struck and sent flying, its weapon tumbling to the ground.
In a flash, the tongue coiled around the armored man and yanked him back. A sickening crunch of chewing followed,
the supposedly invulnerable blood armor easily pierced, its wearer's head swallowed whole in a single gulp.

"What monstrous strength!"
Lu Qian summoned the Five-Slaying Yin Talisman Sword.
A streak of green light slashed through the air, whistling as it pierced the wind.

Clang!
A resounding peal like a great bell rang out as the Five-Slaying Yin Talisman Sword was deflected.
The blade, wreathed in ghostly fire, buried itself deep in the ground, black smoke curling up as if a hot knife had sliced through tofu.
Yet the sword, famed for melting gold and smelting iron, had been easily blocked.

Now, the shadow stood revealed before all.
Its skin was ashen and rock-like, its stature towering at ten feet. It had a long neck, a narrow head, razor-sharp fangs, and a tongue that hung past its waist.
But most striking of all were its hands—each bore tiger claws as long as daggers.
Fresh from the stagnant waters of millennia, it exuded a stench of rot and decay.

"Abomination!" Jia Dao roared in fury, a flash of black light sweeping over his face and shrouding him from head to toe.
He thrust out his right hand, gripping the air with force.

Crash!
The ground split beneath the creature's feet, and a giant black hand seized its legs.

"Aaargh!"
The monster howled, slashing with its tiger claws and shredding the ebony grip.
It lunged toward the group in a blur.
The Xuanyuan Blood Armor guards were as fragile as paper before its advance.

"What sort of creature is this?"
"If I’m not mistaken, it’s an Ao Yin," Lu Qian said gravely.
The Classic of Divine Marvels records: "In the western wilds, there dwells a figure, human in shape, clad in rags knotted a hundred times, with hands like tiger claws. It preys on lone travelers, devouring their brains, its tongue extending more than ten feet. Its name is Ao Yin."

The Classic of Divine Marvels is an ancient pictorial chronicle passed down by immortals,
cataloguing all manner of supernatural beings.
Ao Yin is one such entity described within.
Born with tremendous strength and a body impervious to water and fire,
its most notorious trait is its craving for human brains.

Even as Lu Qian spoke, a bloodcurdling scream rang out as another Xuanyuan Blood Armor was decapitated and consumed.
Sheets of white paper combusted, sending ghostly green fireballs crashing into the Ao Yin.
The beast howled in pain, its blood-red eyes turning on Lu Qian as it charged.

Jia Dao retreated several paces, unleashing another spell. Twin pitch-black spectral hands burst from the earth, grasping the Ao Yin’s legs.
"Comrades! Now, strike!"
Lu Qian nodded, flinging out eight slips of white paper.
Eight golden-armored guardian talismans emerged from the smoke,
each wielding blade, spear, sword, or halberd that gleamed coldly as they hacked at the Ao Yin.

Meanwhile, Ma Heng finished his incantation, his demeanor transforming utterly.
His eyes were wild and vengeful, scanning side to side with a gaze that seemed to belong to an old crone.
Whoosh!
Ma Heng exhaled a breath of green mist,
which instantly expanded and filled the air, engulfing the Ao Yin.
The monster’s expression went slack, as if confronted by some unspeakable terror.

"Now!" A flash of murderous intent passed through Lu Qian’s eyes as he drove his true energy into the Five-Slaying Yin Talisman Sword.

Buzz! Buzz! Buzz...
The sword trembled violently, spewing a baleful green fire.

Boom!
The force gouged deep furrows into the earth.
The sword shot forth, forming a pillar of ghostly green fire
that streaked straight into the mist!

"Aaargh!" Sensing mortal peril, the Ao Yin’s eyes regained their focus and it tried to flee,
but the eight paper guardians clung to it with unyielding grip.

Splat!
The green fire pillar blasted through the Ao Yin’s chest,
the searing flames instantly cauterizing the wound so not a drop of blood was spilled.

"Such a deadly Yin fire—this man is more formidable than he appears," Jia Dao thought warily.
He had assumed Lu Qian’s strength lay in alchemy; he hadn’t expected such ferocity in spellcraft.
With his own early-stage cultivation, he doubted he could withstand such a blow.

A gaping hole had been burned through the Ao Yin’s chest, leaving it standing dazed, its fate uncertain.
"Ao Yin’s body is formidable, but its mind is weak," Lu Qian mused.
Ma Heng’s mist must have been some mind-bending sorcery.
Thoughts raced through his mind even as he feigned exhaustion.
With the Ao Yin’s fate uncertain, he had no desire to risk finishing it off.

Glancing aside, he saw Jia Dao half-kneeling, Ma Heng swaying unsteadily—both looking as if they could barely stand.

"A pack of old foxes," Lu Qian thought bitterly, and proceeded to cough violently, as if about to cough up his very entrails.

"You go and check!" Jia Dao forced a cough, his expression awkward—likely regretting his lackluster performance.

"Yes, sir!"
The remaining three Xuanyuan Blood Armor guards knelt in obedience.
They were all conditioned with secret arts,
ready to obey Jia Dao’s orders without hesitation—even unto death.

"By rights, the Ao Yin shouldn’t attack for no reason," Lu Qian pondered.
Its nature is cautious, preying only on solitary travelers,
and it would flee from any formidable resistance.
Yet despite repeated clashes, this beast hadn’t retreated.

What had driven the Ao Yin to such frenzy?
Could it be the stagnant water it had drunk for millennia?
At that moment, an explosion thundered across the sky.
Following the sound, they saw a pillar of white fire erupt from the earth,
shooting skyward like a beacon.
This white flame was none other than Netherworld Fire.
But none had time to dwell on it now.
At the pillar’s heart stood a plant:
its leaves lush and green, at its apex a single fruit—round, brilliant red, nearly conical, shining with shifting hues, clearly no ordinary treasure.

"Roar!" The Ao Yin suddenly howled, eyes blazing scarlet, and with a sweep of its hand sent the three Xuanyuan Blood Armor guards flying,
lunging toward the pillar of fire.

"Fire Date!" Lu Qian cried out in astonishment.
At last, he understood the Ao Yin’s aggression—it was after this fruit.
The True Declarations: On the Rhythms of Fate records: "Jade nectar and golden syrup, pear of union, fire date—these are medicines of ascension, not to be compared with mere golden elixirs."
Ranked sixtieth among the seventy-two earthly treasures.

Almost as soon as he recognized the treasure, Lu Qian sprang into motion, leaping toward the Fire Date.
The other two did the same, ignoring even the rampaging Ao Yin behind them.
In the face of absolute gain, their fragile alliance shattered.
Ma Heng, having been at the rear during the earlier battle, was closest to the Fire Date.

"Daoist Li Lin, Daoist Jia Dao, you handle the monster—I’ll secure this, and we’ll split it afterward,"
Ma Heng shouted as he ran, a fine down of hair sprouting on his face as his speed increased even further.
There was only one fruit; talk of splitting it was an obvious lie.

"Daoist Li Lin, I’ll help Ma Heng—you must hold the line!"
Jia Dao, being second closest, had the best chance.
With the Ao Yin less than twenty meters away, the optimal move was to kill the beast first;
otherwise, even if they seized the Fire Date, escape was unlikely.
Yet human nature is such that, in the face of profit, even the most crucial alliances are forgotten.

"Very well! Comrades, leave everything to me!"
Lu Qian shouted with righteous fervor, his figure towering in that instant.
From his bag of holding, he drew an iron crossbow.

Thunk! Thunk!
Two bolts shot out—aimed not at the monster, but at the backs of his two companions.

"Ah! Don’t you dare!"
"Hmph! Li Lin, you wretch, I won’t forgive you!"
Two howls of pain erupted.
Though both men were seasoned enough to avoid fatal wounds, suffering only grazes, the delay was enough.

Lu Qian had already darted ahead, swallowed a fire-resisting pill, and with swift hands seized both the Fire Seed and the Fire Date,
leaping onto the remains of a boat and fleeing into the distance.