Chapter 273: You’ve Lost Your Minds!
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A devastating force swept across the heavens and earth in an instant.
Before Hua Tu could even get close, he was thrown into the air by the gale generated from the explosion. Meanwhile, Wu Ying Zi and the other three who were closer to the blast center didn’t even have the chance to escape. They were reduced to ashes in mere moments.
The shockwave severely affected even the likes of Ghost Hag and her group. Their defensive artifacts shattered, and each of them sustained injuries. One particularly unlucky Nascent Soul elder lost half an arm, with a gaping wound that bled profusely as he struggled to withstand the aftermath of the explosion.
Ghost Hag’s face darkened with rage and disbelief.
She had never imagined that the companions she brought would not fall to the demonic beasts but instead perish due to infighting. Just as they were on the brink of escaping the Dragon Pool Mountain Range, disaster struck at the last moment.
A foreboding sense of doom crept into her heart.
The explosion’s shockwaves were so massive that all the demonic beasts within the mountain range were now rushing toward their location. If they didn’t flee immediately, they would surely be surrounded and torn apart.
In a hoarse voice, she ordered, “Don’t just stand there—move!”
The moment her words fell, her figure vanished and reappeared hundreds of miles away. Her hunched form betrayed a hint of panic.
The remaining Nascent Soul cultivators, realizing the urgency of their plight, abandoned their curses and hurried to follow her.
As soon as they left, Yu Zhao appeared at the epicenter of the explosion.
In her left hand, she held the Fleeting Life Mirror. With her right hand, she brought her index and middle fingers together, lightly twisting them in midair before pressing them into the yang side of the mirror.
The previously colorless mirror rippled like water, and soon countless tiny light particles spewed out from its surface. These dots coalesced into a faint shadow.
Draped in a violet Daoist robe, with a sinister face and a massive crescent moon scythe in hand, the shadow took form, revealing the figure of Old Xie.
Satisfied, Yu Zhao pricked her finger and pressed a drop of blood onto the center of Old Xie’s forehead.
The stiff features on Old Xie’s face came alive instantly.
“Go,” she said softly.
Old Xie let out a ghastly screech, brandishing his crescent moon scythe. With an awkward stride, he began to move forward. Gradually, his movements became smoother and more natural, his speed increasing as he charged ahead.
Yu Zhao’s eyes curved with delight.
She hoped they would enjoy the surprise she had meticulously prepared.
…
Far away, Hua Tu, who had been flung into a patch of forest, was unscathed thanks to his exceptional physical defense. After crashing through several large trees, he finally came to a halt. However, the memory of the explosion still sent chills down his spine.
Remembering how the fox demon had asked him to block the humans earlier, he couldn’t help but hesitate. But his growing fear was quickly drowned out by anger.
The Dragon Pool Mountain Range was their domain! These cultivators not only trespassed but even dared to abduct their young. Such disrespect could not go unpunished. If he allowed them to escape today, the entire demonic race would be ridiculed tomorrow.
He, Hua Tu, a future Beast King and a proud Three-Eyed Leopard, would never allow their dignity to be trampled!
Slamming his four limbs into the ground, he charged toward Ghost Hag and her companions. As he ran, a golden light began to course through his body, gathering at his forehead. The vertical line on his brow writhed ominously, radiating danger.
Meanwhile, Ghost Hag, in the midst of teleporting, sensed an impending crisis. She reached into the void and summoned a massive skull three times her height to shield herself.
At that moment, Hua Tu appeared above them. With a thunderous roar, the vertical line on his forehead split open, revealing a pitch-black eye.
“ROAR!!!”
From this third eye, a beam of black light shot toward the skull. The impact shattered the skull into countless fragments with a deafening explosion.
Before Hua Tu could revel in his success, ghostly apparitions surged out of the fragments, their ghastly faces rushing at him with ferocious howls.
Startled, Hua Tu fired another black beam from his third eye, obliterating several spirits. But more continued to swarm him. Realizing he was outmatched, he hastily retreated, the spirits pursuing him relentlessly.
Unfazed, Ghost Hag continued her escape, showing no concern for Hua Tu. The Nascent Soul cultivators following her also ignored him as they sped past, leaving the chaotic scene behind.
…
At the rear of the group, a Nascent Soul cultivator called Blood Demon, who had only recently formed his Nascent Soul, lagged behind due to injuries from the explosion. He deeply regretted getting involved in this mess. He had no personal need for demonic beast cubs for his cultivation, so why had he allowed himself to be persuaded by Ghost Hag?
Just as he was brooding, a chilling sensation crept up his back. An unusual aura was closing in at an alarming speed. Extending his divine sense, his face paled as he stammered, “O-Old Xie?!”
“What nonsense are you spouting?” grumbled a nearby cultivator, who was also a victim of the earlier explosion and harbored a deep grudge against Old Xie.
“It’s Old Xie! He’s chasing us!” Blood Demon’s voice trembled.
“What are you—wait, WHAT?!” The cultivator’s expression turned from irritation to shock.
Old Xie had self-destructed right in front of them. How could he possibly still be alive?
“See for yourself!” Blood Demon yelled as he pushed himself to accelerate, overtaking his companions. Whatever Old Xie was now, he wasn’t about to be left behind!
When the other cultivators finally saw the figure gaining on them, their disbelief turned to dread as a cold sweat broke out across their bodies.
“It really is him…” someone muttered, their voice shaking.
“No, it’s not Old Xie!” Ghost Hag snapped, her tone commanding. Her words momentarily reassured the group; she was, after all, the strongest among them and their leader for this mission.
But skepticism lingered.
“If it’s not Old Xie, then what is it?” one of them questioned, the resemblance too uncanny to ignore.
Just then, a familiar voice echoed from behind.
“Ghost Hag, wait for me! Blood Demon, Thousand Silk, slow down!”
The unmistakable voice of Old Xie caused everyone’s composure to waver.
“You’ve lost your minds!” Ghost Hag shouted. “No one could have survived that blast—not even me!”