togophonebook Chapter 7: Generating clever ideas
Chapter 7: Generating clever ideas
Iron Bone King's pupils contracted; the golden flames gave him a feeling of dread.
Before he could react, he hastily crossed his arms to block.
The True Fire Finger struck the iron-gray mane on its forearm, and with a bang, a ball of golden flame exploded, engulfing its entire arm.
"Ahhhhh—"
The Iron-Bone King let out a shrill scream, staggering back several steps and frantically swinging his arms, but how could the True Fire of the Sun be so easily extinguished? Not even a wisp.
The golden flames clung to the flesh, burning ever brighter, filling the air with a burnt, acrid smell.
It was a ruthless creature after all. Seeing that it couldn't extinguish the fire, it grabbed the burning flesh on its left arm and tore off a large chunk of skin and fur, leaving it bloodied and gruesome on the ground.
Flesh and blood were separated from the body, and the true fire burned the flesh and blood to ashes in the blink of an eye before going out. However, the torn wounds were so deep that the bone was visible, and the sight was too gruesome to bear.
"Good, good, good!" Ironbone King said three times, his eyes flashing with ferocity. "If I don't tear you apart, I'm not Ironbone!"
It roared and its demonic aura surged, its body suddenly swelled up, its iron-gray mane stood on end, and the bone spikes on its tail opened up like a ferocious iron lotus flower.
Lu Changgeng's expression was solemn.
The water-form avatar can only exert less than 20% of the power of the original body. In addition, it just used the "Scattering Flower Step" and consumed a lot of magic power. The True Fire Finger, a killing move, can only be used twice more at most.
However, this demon is on guard and may not give him the chance to use the True Fire Finger at close range.
Enraged, the monster seemed ready to fight to the death. He hatched a plan to lure it to the Cleansing Spring.
Once there, with the original body nearby, and the added power of magic, spring water, and the true fire of the sun, subduing this monster would be a piece of cake.
As spirits and demons, the larger their physical form, the more powerful and profound their magical power, and naturally, the more difficult it is for them to break through to higher realms.
If Lu Changgeng's true form were to expand, it would be more than twice the size it was before, and the entire Cleansing Spring would serve as a storage container for his magical power, making it incomparable to the Iron Bone King before him.
Of course, this is also one of the reasons why he has been unable to make further breakthroughs.
Just as he was pondering this, a voice suddenly came from deep within the dense forest.
"Master, stop!"
The sound wasn't loud, but it had a natural penetrating power.
The Iron-Bone King shuddered, and the surging demonic energy abruptly stopped.
A woman slowly walked out of the dense forest.
She was tall and slender, wearing a dark green dress. Her face was pretty, but her eyes were slightly upturned and her pupils were strangely vertical.
What's most striking is her hair, which isn't hair at all, but countless fine, emerald-green vines, each tipped with tiny white flowers. They sway gracefully as she walks, emitting a faint, fresh scent of grass and trees.
With a vine whip wrapped around his waist, he walked barefoot on the fallen leaves in the forest, his steps so light that they made no sound.
Behind him stood two plant spirits who looked like maids, their hands clasped respectfully at their sides.
Transformation? No, that's not right!
Lu Changgeng narrowed his eyes slightly. He had already sensed other demons in the shadows, but he hadn't paid attention because of their low cultivation level. He hadn't expected it to be a female demon.
The woman's aura was very complex. She was neither a pure demon cultivator nor a traditional immortal. Instead, she seemed to be some kind of plant spirit who had obtained a fragmented immortal inheritance and cultivated a strange magical power that was somewhere between a demon and an immortal.
His cultivation level wasn't high; he was only at the initial stage of the Concentration Realm, a step below even the Iron Bone King.
But when the Iron-Bone King saw her, a hint of ingratiation appeared on his ferocious face, and he quickly went to greet her, ignoring the wound on his arm.
"Madam, what brings you here? I can handle this little matter."
The woman ignored him, her vertical pupils scrutinizing Lu Changgeng's water-form avatar. After a long while, she spoke, "Your true form is not here, as you are a water-based being. To be able to fight my husband with your avatar without being at a disadvantage suggests you are at least at the peak of the Spirit Condensation realm."
She paused slightly, her tone neither humble nor arrogant, "I don't know where my husband has offended you, Your Excellency. I apologize on his behalf."
Before Lu Changgeng could speak, Ziying suddenly let out two soft cries. Her eight legs still clung tightly to the Earthly Fruit, and she peeked her little head toward the water-shaped incarnation, as if she were complaining.
Although Zi Ying's cultivation level wasn't very high, she was quite clever and quick-witted, and knew that this crimson water-shaped person had come to help her.
The woman looked at Ziying, then at the Earth Element Fruit on the low tree, and nodded as if she suddenly understood.
"So it was for the Earthly Origin Fruit." She turned to the Iron Bone King and said, "My lord, what if we give the Earthly Origin Fruit to this fellow Daoist? We, husband and wife, can seek other opportunities."
The Iron-Bone King's expression changed: "Madam! I've waited three hundred years for this fruit..."
"Three hundred years is not a long time for us." The woman's tone was calm but carried an undeniable air of authority. "Besides, you can't beat them."
These words made the Iron Bone King's ferocious face turn a deep liver color, but he dared not refute them, and could only grunt and turn his head to the side.
The woman stepped forward and gave a slight bow to the water-shaped avatar: "My name is Teng San Niang, and this is my husband, Tie Gu. Since your spirit pet obtained this Earth Origin Fruit first, then it is its good fortune, but..."
"It's not a spirit pet, it's my junior sister," Lu Changgeng interrupted.
"Ah... I know my mistake." She looked surprised, then paused, her gaze falling on Zi Ying. "But this little one doesn't know how to control his spiritual energy yet. If he swallows the Earthly Essence Fruit like this, he might not be able to withstand the medicinal power and could even explode. My true form is a thousand-year-old spiritual vine that has cultivated to the Dao. I can use my herbal spiritual techniques to protect this little one. How about I protect him from the side? It would be a good deed. What do you think?"
"Madam, you..." King Iron Bone was alarmed upon hearing this. Sending fruit was one thing, but why was he personally protecting the Dharma? He had never received such treatment even after cultivating together for hundreds of years.
Teng San Niang only glanced at him, and the Iron Bone King fell silent, seemingly somewhat afraid of her.
Lu Changgeng observed this thoughtfully, then nodded slowly after a moment of silence.
Although he himself is spring water, his entire body is filled with the energy of the true fire of the sun. If he were to protect the Dharma, it might cause Zi Ying to explode even faster.
This Teng San Niang speaks with perfect tact, turning a conflict into a friendly one in just a few words.
"This humble Taoist has always been unwilling to get involved in karma. Since this is a good deed, I wonder what kind of return gift Madam Teng would like to give?" The water-shaped incarnation cupped his hands.
Teng San Niang smiled slightly, like the first melting snow of spring: "I have no other wish than to get to know you, immortal, and become acquainted with you so that we may meet again in the future and you and my husband can take care of each other. That would be enough."
Hmph, who would believe that!
These powerful demons at the Nascent Soul level and above are all highly intelligent; if you actually believe what they say, you won't even know how you died.
Lu Changgeng guessed correctly; Teng Sanniang was indeed lying through her teeth.
She had acquired immortal techniques in her early years, so she recognized the immortal spiritual energy on Lu Changgeng and Ziying from afar, which was much purer than that on her!
This instantly sparked her interest.
An ordinary-looking little spider can cultivate the aura of authentic immortal techniques, which means that there is a master behind it or that it has an immortal lineage.
She knew which was more important, the Earthly Fruit or the Earthly Fruit.
After saying that, she seemed to have something difficult to say, and hesitated to speak.
Upon seeing this, Lu Changgeng's mind raced. Here she comes! Let's see what she's up to.
"If there is anything that Miss Teng needs my help with, please speak freely."
"I am ashamed." Teng San Niang bowed gracefully, seemingly having learned mortal etiquette, and said, "When I was seeking the Dao in my early years, I found a tattered book in a desolate cave. It seemed to be a method of immortality, but I have been unable to enter it for a long time. I hope that you, immortal, can give me some guidance."
These words were half true and half false, and Lu Changgeng had long since noticed that she possessed some immortal qualities. Upon hearing this, he began to ponder.
This was called a request, but it was actually a benefit offered to him. He could get a celestial technique for free, even if it was incomplete. Was this vine demon really that kind?
His mind raced, and then a thought suddenly popped into his head.
What he lacks most right now is not any particular method, but the nourishment that comes from female cultivators bathing.
Teng San Niang is a female cultivator, although she is only a plant spirit at the initial stage of the Qi Condensation realm. But she is still a woman. If we could let her soak in the Cleansing Spring...