Chapter 969: You Came Too

The original and most basic purpose of a changgui is to lure prey for tigers cultivating in the mountains, providing them with food. Even though Xia Pinming and Liu Xi were once powerful immortal cultivators, at this moment, they were serving the most primitive function of a changgui.

“Fellow Daoists, are you… manifestations of demonic thoughts?”

By this point, Lian Ping’er had realized the gravity of the danger, but she still believed it stemmed from demonic arts, leading her to think the two people before her weren't the ones she knew.

“No, no, no, fellow Daoist Lian, we are not manifestations of demonic thoughts. We are the real Xia Pinming and Liu Xi.”

“Hahahaha, fellow Daoist Lian, we used to be allies and fellow Daoists, and we still will be!”

Liu Xi's smile was as sinister as Xia Pinming's. As he spoke, he even bowed. Unbeknownst to Lian Ping’er, the surrounding light grew dimmer and dimmer, and the cave entrance through which she had come was slowly closing. Yet, she couldn't move her feet; instead, she was dragged deeper into the darkness by an irresistibly powerful suction.

This suction was so strong, yet it had no effect on Xia Pinming and Liu Xi. Lian Ping’er seemed to fall into a daze, watching the two maintain their eerie bowing posture, watching herself being drawn into the darkness, and seeing the immortal spiritual energy gradually leave her body.

At this moment, fear finally appeared on Lian Ping’er's face.

“Changguis! Changguis! You are changguis…”

“Roaaaar!”

A terrifying tiger roar echoed from outside the cave. Inside, the the cave completely dissolved into silent darkness. At that very moment, the arched mountain slowly transformed, gradually regaining its yellow and black stripes, becoming a gigantic, human-faced tiger crouching in the mountains.

Lu Shan-jun shook his head, then, like a cat, raised a paw and licked it with his tongue. He then looked down at a spot in the mountains, where the Old Ox was approaching step by step from that direction.

“Old Lu, did you swallow her?”

“Swallowed her.”

“Aren't you going to chew?”

“No need. Even Lian Ping’er will be afraid.”

The Old Ox rubbed the stubble on his chin, asking with some doubt.

“Wasn't that too easy? I thought of so many ways to deal with this woman, and it's resolved just like that?”

As the Old Ox spoke, Lu Wu's true form gradually contracted, quickly transforming back into the refined and stern Lu Shan-jun.

“She sealed off her own mind and suppressed her magical power. She seemed very afraid of A’ze. I originally thought Lian Ping’er might pull another ‘golden cicada shedding its shell’ trick, but it seems I worried too much.”

Saying this, Lu Shan-jun opened his mouth and exhaled a puff of white mist, which split into three in the air, forming Xia Pinming, Liu Xi, and Lian Ping’er, who had just been turned into a changgui.

Xia Pinming and Liu Xi wore eerie smiles, the satisfaction on their faces clearly expressing a "if I'm ruined, you won't fare any better" sentiment.

“Fellow Daoist Lian, you’ve come too?”

Lian Ping’er wasn't as hysterical as one might expect. Her body trembled slightly, and she kept her head down, silent, as if adapting or confirming. After a long time, she slowly raised her head, revealing a face streaked with two lines of tears.

“Lu Wu, Niu Batian?”

“Indeed, it is us! Hehe, Lian Ping’er, when you decided to act alone, disregarding Brother Beimu, did you ever consider this day would come?”

The Old Ox chuckled as he spoke, his gaze aggressively sweeping over Lian Ping’er.

“I never expected you, Lu Wu, could turn me into a changgui... Had it not been for this, even if I lost a significant amount of vital energy, I could have escaped after dying once. And had I not been injured by Ying Ruoli last time, I wouldn't be in this predicament today…”

Lian Ping’er stopped speaking, realizing she was making excuses for her failure. Instead, she smiled and looked at the Old Ox and Lu Shan-jun.

“We had some misunderstandings before, but we might still be able to continue cooperating in the future. I don't blame you for turning me into a changgui. I will show my sincerity. You two are exceptionally talented. I am willing to introduce you to my Lord; you will surely attain the realm of Celestial Demons. If only, Master Lu Wu, you would release me and allow me to return as a ghost cultivator... Oh, and Brother Niu, Ping’er is still a virgin, and even though I've become a ghost, I am willing to be favored by Brother Niu…”

As she spoke, Lian Ping’er blushed and lowered her head, looking utterly pitiable.

Even at this point, Lian Ping’er had not given up struggling; her persistence was indeed admirable. However, Lu Shan-jun and the Old Ox showed her not a shred of pity, instead watching her mockingly from the side.

“Apologies, but to this Old Ox, you're a bit dirty! Furthermore, your current predicament has nothing to do with anyone else; you brought it upon yourself.”

Lian Ping’er suddenly raised her head, a flicker of indignation in the depths of her eyes. This brute of an ox often sought pleasure in human brothels, doting on women of ill repute, yet he called *her* dirty. Though she understood it was merely an attempt to insult her, it still made Lian Ping’er furious.

“Master Lu Wu... you've diligently cultivated to achieve your current spiritual power, isn't it all for attaining enlightenment? My Lord possesses world-shaking abilities; in the future, when heaven and earth collapse, few will be able to find refuge…”

Lu Shan-jun stopped playing games with Lian Ping’er and simply sneered.

“Kneel, and slap yourself one hundred times on each cheek.”

“You…”

Lian Ping’er's heart swelled with confusion, anger, resentment, and other emotions. Yet, with Lu Shan-jun's command, she immediately began slapping herself. The humiliation was enough to drive her mad.

Only when Lian Ping’er was halfway through the task did Lu Shan-jun lean close and whisper to her.

“As a changgui, you must obey my every command. What you know is not a bargaining chip you can use. Also, I, Lu, have always disliked you.”

“Ah!”

Lian Ping’er finally lost her facade of pitiful helplessness, letting out a resentful and furious shriek.

About half an hour later, the three changguis were re-absorbed by Lu Shan-jun. However, neither he nor the Old Ox had any immediate plans to leave.

“Should we wait here?”

When the Old Ox asked this, Lu Shan-jun said nothing. He simply walked to a nearby stone, sat down, and took out a book of Yellow Springs from his sleeve to read. He held a pen in one hand, seemingly ready to jot down his insights on any intricate points in the book. The Old Ox, after stretching his neck, also found a stone to sit on and began reading a copy of *Twenty-Four Springs*.

Undoubtedly, the two were waiting for A’ze. However, even when the sun's rays pierced through the darkness from the other side of the mountain, Lu Shan-jun and the Old Ox still didn't see A’ze appear.

Lu Shan-jun looked up at the sunlight from the eastern mountain.

“It seems he won't show himself.”

“Perhaps his not showing up isn't a bad thing. Let's go.”

The Old Ox stood up first. Lu Shan-jun didn't insist either. He carefully placed a bookmark made of gold thread onto the page he was reading, then twirled his pen and put it into his sleeve before closing the book. The Old Ox clearly saw that some blank spaces on the open page were already filled with annotations.

It was a while after the two great demons had left that a demonic shadow slowly appeared in the shadows on the other side of the mountain. It was A’ze.

A’ze could sense Lian Ping’er's demise. He felt no frustration or anger about not being able to deal with her himself; instead, a mocking expression appeared on his face. For Lian Ping’er, becoming a changgui was undoubtedly the most vicious punishment. As for the two demons, after witnessing Lu Wu's true form and the soul-subduing power that suppressed demonic arts with his current demonic body, A’ze had no desire to reveal himself.

Some time later, Ji Yuan received several messages from Lu Shan-jun and the Old Ox, as well as a flying sword message from Zhao Yu, the former sect leader of Nine Peaks Mountain and now its True Master. Due to different communication channels, these messages arrived almost simultaneously, truly informing Ji Yuan of the full sequence of events.

It turned out that beneath the Jingxuan Sea Pavilion lay ancient demonic blood, which was the true catalyst for A’ze's descent into demonhood. Ji Yuan also hadn't expected Lian Ping’er to become Lu Shan-jun's changgui. Although many crucial details remained unknown, even to a changgui, due to a vow-like restriction, enough information had been revealed.

“I didn't expect that even in Longsword Mountain and Immortal Haze Island, there would be experts who couldn't stand the solitude. Immortal Haze Island, hidden deep in the clouds; Longsword Mountain, unparalleled in its sharpness. Perhaps it's a case of 'men fear fame as pigs fear getting fat.'”

Ji Yuan had even guessed that the formidable expert Lian Ping’er mentioned from Longsword Mountain was likely the one who left behind the sword mural at Jingxuan Sea Pavilion. This would explain how they could directly ignite the sword qi within it, transforming what was originally a supportive force into an external power that destroyed the formation.

Ji Yuan had remained in the Ju'an Pavilion, partly because he was waiting for a message from Zhao Yu. Lu Shan-jun's message was unexpected.

However, Lian Ping’er's departure was definitely good news. Ji Yuan decided to leave the Ju'an Pavilion, and at the same time, personally take out the last three volumes of the *Yellow Springs* to hand them over to certain individuals himself.