Chapter 975: Foul-Smelling Monster

Of course, Ji Yuan also considered that Daoist Zhu might simply trust him, but either way, he certainly couldn't let Zhu Tingtao go after the target alone.

Ji Yuan lightly leaped from the branch, soaring into the air and following the trajectory of the two figures ahead, one pursuing and one fleeing.

The opponent, struck by Zhu Tingtao’s ‘Finger of Rosy Light’ while their back was turned, was certainly injured. However, considering Zhu Tingtao’s cultivation—which surpassed even Ju Yuanzi’s—the fact that the opponent didn't die immediately suggested Zhu Tingtao might have wanted to capture them alive. Yet, their immediate counterattack and successful escape indicated that their cultivation was not far behind Zhu Tingtao’s.

Indeed, Zhu Tingtao had few reservations when he pursued. Regardless of any minor criticisms some individuals within Xianxia Island might have had about Ji Yuan, Zhu Tingtao personally had come to understand the characters of the four fellow Daoists during their collaborative artifact refinement, and he trusted Ji Yuan implicitly.

The figure fleeing ahead, whether human or demon, was certainly malevolent. Their purpose was either to harm Xianxia Island or the phoenix, and Zhu Tingtao was determined not to let them escape.

“You wretch, what is your purpose—”

Zhu Tingtao shouted his question while simultaneously forming a talisman with his hand, launching it as a streak of light across the sky to send a message to Xianxia Island.

At such a critical juncture, Xianxia Island would take any minor incident seriously. What's more, the opponent knew a great deal about Xianxia Island's current mission, including their search for the phoenix and that Zhu Tingtao held a phoenix feather.

‘Whatever schemes the opponent has, with Mr. Ji here, I can use their own plans against them!’

While Zhu Tingtao couldn't fully grasp Ji Yuan's cultivation level, he surmised it was at the peak among all Daoist cultivators throughout history. The Daoist song that awakened Shi Youdao was even more incredible, defying the very understanding of cultivation.

With Ji Yuan present, Zhu Tingtao felt completely at ease. He wasn't actually eager to catch the fleeing figure; his displayed anger was genuine, but his urgency was merely a pretense.

The person ahead ignored Zhu Tingtao's shouts and continuously accelerated. The two figures, one in front and one behind, became two streaks of rosy light, and the terrain they traversed grew increasingly barren and remote.

After flying for a quarter of an hour, covering a considerable distance at their speed, the person ahead finally turned back and responded to Zhu Tingtao with a sneer.

“Zhu Tingtao, if you dare to follow, you might not make it back alive!”

“You wretch, how dare you boast!”

Zhu Tingtao responded directly by casting a spell. He made a few gestures with his hand, shimmering with radiant light, forming a rosy light talisman. After another hand seal, he clenched the talisman in his hand, then struck out with his other palm. Instantly, the talisman transformed into a burst of rosy flames, sweeping forward faster than a gale and morphing into a gigantic, gleaming firebird in the air.

“Chirp—”

The firebird, seemingly a sentient being, flapped its wings forward. With a piercing cry, it extended its sharp claws, wreathed in rosy flames.

The fleeing cultivator looked back, and as their pupils contracted, they quickly channeled their spiritual power, crossing their palms in front of them.

The sharp claws collided with the cultivator. The claws didn't pierce or instantly kill the opponent, but the impact sent the cultivator flying like a streaking meteor, striking a distant hill.

“Boom...”

That strike wasn't a full hit, so it naturally couldn't kill the opponent directly. But before the cultivator could emerge from the hill, the firebird descended with a whistling cry, its flame-wreathed claws already striking towards the hill.

“I'll catch you, you little insect!”

Zhu Tingtao cursed angrily in the sky, watching the giant fire-fowl pierce through the hill with one strike, leaving rosy flames burning wherever it passed. However, the cultivator wasn't caught; they had escaped using an evasion technique and reappeared in the sky.

As the fire-fowl returned to the sky, its sharp beak immediately pecked at the cultivator. The cultivator's hand flashed with radiant light, and they instantly conjured a crescent blade, using a spell to strike it against the pecking fire-fowl's beak.

“Clang...”

The sound, like metal striking metal, reverberated through the surroundings.

Zhu Tingtao slightly frowned. With a flick of his sleeve, he conjured a whirlwind shimmering with metallic light. It rapidly expanded from his sleeve, quickly transforming into a long whip that connected heaven and earth, sweeping towards the cultivator.

At the same moment, Zhu Tingtao himself soared upward enveloped in rosy light. His figure instantly appeared beside the cultivator. The moment the cultivator blocked the fire-fowl's pounce and the whirlwind's sweep again, Zhu Tingtao directly pointed a finger of rosy light at the center of their chest.

“Pffft...”

The cultivator, struck by Zhu Tingtao's finger, emitted a sound like a water-filled balloon being pricked, as they were completely pierced through by a sharp finger of rosy light.

“Wretch, reveal your true form!”

Zhu Tingtao's voice, like thunder, was already employing a decree-like spell. Simultaneously, several feathers fell from the fire-fowl, shooting like arrows at the cultivator and igniting a fierce blaze.

With the booming incantations and their body wounded, the cultivator's body suddenly began to swell with black-purple pustules, growing increasingly bloated.

In an instant, all the pustules burst, splattering foul and putrid pus. Zhu Tingtao had already dodged, but the stench still made him nauseous.

“Chirp—”

The fire-fowl flew past, showering down a deluge of rosy flames. Zhu Tingtao then lightly tapped in the air, doing a backflip and landing on the fire-fowl's head.

The foul odor made Ji Yuan, hidden in the void, subtly frown. His sense of smell far surpassed that of ordinary people and even typical cultivators; to him, this strange smell was not only greatly amplified but also revealed a deeper essence. The current stench was mixed with a scent of decay.

The burst black-purple liquid didn't disperse to the ground. Instead, it reassembled in the air, and after losing its humanoid form, it transformed into a twisted four-legged monster. It looked vicious, but beyond its four legs and a tail, its specific form was indiscernible, and the fierce flames on its body had not extinguished.

“Roar... roar...”

The monster let out a series of roars, and surprisingly, other roars echoed from afar.

“Roar...” “Roar...”

“Zhu Tingtao, hand over the phoenix feather—”

“Or, help me find the phoenix, and I'll share a portion of its true spirit blood with you!”

The sounds came from different directions, seemingly like two people speaking, yet both Ji Yuan and Zhu Tingtao felt that the words originated from a single entity.

“What monstrous demon dares to speak, hiding yourself and not daring to show your true form? The phoenix is a revered elder of my Xianxia Island! How can foul, rat-like creatures like you be allowed to desecrate it!”

Zhu Tingtao's sense of alarm continuously heightened. Could the opponent be a true demon? Yet, while there was a demonic aura, it wasn't strong; instead, a potent, foul-smelling demonic qi was strengthening, seeming to dissipate in all directions rather than concentrating in one spot.

The pus-and-blood monster in front, burning under the true flames of rosy light cultivated by Zhu Tingtao, was shrinking. As it resisted the true flames, it was swallowed whole by the fire-fowl. Zhu Tingtao, however, dared not relax his vigilance, knowing a great enemy was approaching.

At least one thing was good news for Zhu Tingtao: although the opponent knew many things, they probably hadn't located Senior Phoenix.

“Gasp... roooar... gasp...”

The approaching sounds seemed to be a mix of various screams and roars, like the roars of wild beasts combined with strange sounds resembling both crying and laughing.

A moment later, Zhu Tingtao's eyes widened, filled with fury. Over a dozen foul-smelling monsters, similar to the previous one, continuously approached from afar. These clearly had distinct forms: some were covered in feathers, others had scales and armor, some possessed sharp fangs and teeth, and some had claws on their four feet. But in addition to the potent, foul-smelling demonic qi, their bodies were also covered in Xianxia Island's iridescent rosy light and imbued with Xianxia Island's spiritual power.

“You beast, how many Xianxia Island cultivators have you harmed?”

“Zhu Tingtao, hand over the phoenix feather. Cultivation is not easy; do not ruin your future here. The phoenix is doomed, and Xianxia Island will be annihilated. Pledge allegiance to me, and I can guarantee you'll reach the 'Cave Profound' realm and transcend beyond heaven and earth...”

The voice was hoarse and chaotic, yet its meaning was conveyed very clearly.

Zhu Tingtao, exasperated, laughed. The opponent's "admonition" insulted both his state of mind and his intelligence; it was worse than words used by mortals to scare children.

“You evil deviant, when Senior Phoenix attained enlightenment, you probably didn't even exist yet! How dare you covet the phoenix's true blood? Taste the power of the Phoenix True Fire!”

“Screech—”

The fire-fowl beneath Zhu Tingtao suddenly let out an extremely loud cry, the latter half of which even resembled a phoenix's call. Simultaneously, the flames on the fire-fowl intensified, and its feathers stood on end, layer by layer.

“Whoosh whoosh whoosh...”

Countless fire feathers shot out. The fire-fowl beneath Zhu Tingtao vanished in an instant, transforming entirely into innumerable fiery feathers. These feathers, radiating rosy light that illuminated the sky, enveloped the monsters.

Zhu Tingtao slowly spread his hands, forming incantations, like a phoenix spreading its wings. Though not a female immortal, his posture was graceful. All the fiery feathers surged like a tide, yet also swept forth like a gentle breeze.

Boom...

At this moment, all directions were ablaze. A terrifying temperature instantly scorched the sky, as if a fiery cloud had reappeared.

The secret true flame art practiced by Xianxia Island was precisely the Phoenix True Fire. When cultivated to a profound level, it could even rival the true fire emitted by a phoenix itself. Zhu Tingtao's cultivation was extremely high; although his true fire wasn't as potent as a phoenix's own, it was still not something easily endured.

After the true flames ignited, various bizarre screams and cries of pain continuously erupted. But Zhu Tingtao's expression subtly changed as he listened, because many of the screams belonged to Xianxia Island disciples he knew. Was he burning his own fellow disciples?

The instant his mind was distracted, an alarm instantly rose, and a chill went up his spine. The moment Zhu Tingtao turned his head, a long, scaleless snake with an open maw was already poised to bite his nape. His outer protective magical light seemed to be directly corroded, leaving a large hole.

‘Damn it!’

At the same moment Zhu Tingtao forcefully gathered his spiritual power, preparing to take the hit, he felt something strange coiling around his waist. With a start, he glanced out of the corner of his eye and saw golden light radiating from his waist.

Zhu Tingtao instantly vanished from his spot, pulled by Ji Yuan's Immortal Binding Rope to a higher altitude in the sky.