This time, Zhuo Qingyan and Li Qingshuang also followed Gu Zhao to Shanzhou. Although women and children were generally not brought along on military expeditions in ancient times, the two women were clearly no fragile ladies. They were far more valiant than even Hua Mulan and Liang Hongyu.
Furthermore, at the Daluo Palace headquarters, Taoist Ming Chong was keeping watch alongside Yunyang and two other youths, assisted by several Guardian Star Officials with profound Dao Practice. With the Dragon King of Ten Thousand Spirits in the neighboring Pingjiang Prefecture, their home base was absolutely foolproof.
***
Shanzhou, Cloud Heaven Cliff, Daluo Temple.
"Did Taoist Jing Chun and Taoist Yan Qi cross paths with that King of Wutou?" Gu Zhao heard about this the moment he arrived.
Taoist Yan Qi said in a deep voice, "That King of Wutou is different from the Fierce Ghosts of the Central Plains. I have no idea how he cultivated his Divine Techniques, but he actually managed to refine over ten thousand strands of resentment into his head without going insane."
Through the descriptions of Taoist Yan Qi, Taoist Gao Yue, and the others, Gu Zhao gained a general understanding of the King of Wutou’s abilities. In terms of Dao Practice, it wasn’t exceedingly high—roughly between two and three thousand years. He was inferior to the Mo Lake Ink Flood Dragon from back then, putting him on par with the Netherfire Sect Leader from Yongzhou. However, he possessed an extraordinary Divine Technique: he had refined the lingering Divine Souls of over ten thousand people into his own Sea of Consciousness and Divine Soul. Once unleashed, it would form a Spiritual Attack composed of over ten thousand different emotions and memories.
It was only because the old Taoists all practiced Taoist Cultivation Techniques, keeping their minds as tranquil as still water and their Divine Souls stable, that they were unaffected. Otherwise, being struck by these ten thousand thoughts would have severely damaged their minds. Even so, they were inevitably affected. Even top-tier old experts like Taoist Jing Chun and Taoist Yan Qi found their hands tied when facing the King of Wutou.
"When our Divine Souls were affected, he was able to retreat calmly," Taoist Gao Yue explained. "The first time, he didn’t know how formidable we were and suffered a wound. After that, he refused to give us any opportunity to set up an Array."
The most powerful old Taoists of the Daluo Palace, such as Taoist Yan Song and Taoist Ming Yu, were either stationed in Wanling Jiangbei or the Southern Border Mountains. Taoist Gao Yue and the others were slightly weaker and couldn’t trap the enemy immediately.
But with Gu Zhao here, things were different. As the Palace Master of the Daluo Palace, his Dao Practice had already surpassed five thousand years and was rapidly approaching six thousand. He was the number one expert of the Daluo Palace. Furthermore, as an existence who practiced Taoist Cultivation Techniques and could fight above his level, crushing a mere King of Wutou with two or three thousand years of Dao Practice would be as easy as flipping his hand.
"Snowballing is so satisfying!" Gu Zhao couldn’t help but sigh in admiration sometimes.
As he recruited more and more old Taoists, his speed of acquiring Evil Qi also increased. Now, even without deliberately practicing breathing exercises, he was cultivating at nearly the maximum capacity of his body’s limits. Moreover, the Five Thunders Order in his Sea of Consciousness continued to emit the true essence of Thunderbolts—as if descending from the highest heavens—helping him refine his Divine Soul.
Therefore, Gu Zhao still didn’t plan to personally deal with the King of Wutou this time. Instead, he intended to leave the majority of the Evil Qi to Taoist Gao Yue and the others, aiding them in advancing further.
"But the problem is..." Gu Zhao raised the question. "Where is he now? We can’t just wait for him to continue attacking Daluo Palace disciples, right?"
Taoist Jing Chun suddenly spoke up, "He is currently in Zhao Yue Mountain."
"Oh?" Everyone turned to look at Taoist Jing Chun in unison.
Taoist Jing Chun revealed a faint smile. "I planted a Fengdu Far-Catching Talisman on that fellow, and he didn’t notice."
In this world, there was a type of Magic that allowed for long-distance sensing. When Gu Zhao first transmigrated, he encountered a Golden Wind Divine King who could remotely sense Incense and Candle Divine Statues. Naturally, Taoist Sect records also contained this kind of Magic. Although they had limitations regarding distance and range, they were fundamentally similar.
However, this type of Magic was not omnipotent. To experts, it was very easy to sense and subsequently dispel. Take the King of Wutou, for example. Even if Taoist Gao Yue from the Qingwei Sect were to plant a Thunder Seal inside his body, it would severely clash with the Yin Qi within the King of Wutou, making it easily detectable and removable. But Taoist Jing Chun was different. He practiced the Beiyin Fengdu Technique. In terms of pure Yin Qi alone, his Cultivation Technique was even more sinister and gloomy than what the King of Wutou practiced.
That day, when he and Taoist Yan Qi returned to Shanzhou, they had crossed paths with the King of Wutou. Although the King of Wutou’s Dao Practice was indeed higher than theirs, Taoist Jing Chun and Taoist Yan Qi were no pushovers. Using the Taoist Divine Prison Soul Suppressing and the Five Elements Great Evasion to trap the enemy, they were more than capable of stalling the King of Wutou.
Consequently, the King of Wutou resorted to his old tricks. By unleashing Ten Thousand Ghosts Soul Searching, he made it difficult for the two old Taoists to counter, allowing him to break free and escape.
However, Taoist Jing Chun took the opportunity to plant a Fengdu Far-Catching Talisman on him. This Talisman was mixed within the Ten Thousand Ghosts’ Resentment, seamlessly and silently embedding itself deep within the King of Wutou’s Sea of Consciousness.
"That King of Wutou never noticed my Talisman," Taoist Jing Chun sneered. "It shows that he either hasn’t mastered this Magic or he has gone down a crooked path."
It was evident that the enemy’s success and downfall both relied on this very Divine Technique.
Taoist Xu Xing scoffed and shook his head. "Refining the lingering thoughts of ten thousand ghosts into his Divine Soul without first purifying and transcending them, nor properly smoothing and sorting them out... Instead, he just left all those ghosts chaotic and bloated. Sure, the power is immense, but once he suffers a backlash, it will end in his physical death, the erasure of his Dao Practice, and the utter destruction of his Divine Soul."
Gu Zhao chuckled in amusement. "In other words, even if I hadn’t come, you all could have taken him down."
Shanzhou already had True Martial Mountain’s Taoist Gao Yue and Taoist Xu Xing, as well as Lao Mountain’s Taoist Xu Ning, Taoist Huai Yi, Taoist Tai Xian, and Taoist Xuan Yong. With the addition of Taoist Jing Chun and Taoist Yan Qi who came as reinforcements, they had more than enough people to form an Eight Trigrams Array and seal off the world. Although the King of Wutou was formidable, he absolutely couldn’t break through this Array.
"That’s hard to say. After all, that Ghost has nearly three thousand years of Dao Practice and keen senses. If he spots us and flees far away, we might not be able to trap him," Taoist Jing Chun said, shaking his head.
"In that case, let’s head out!"
***
Moon Mountain, Canyue Valley.
The King of Wutou was currently confronting the Zang Yue Monarch.
"I have no grievances or grudges with you, so why have you come to attack my home?" the Zang Yue Monarch asked.
"I remember you having ties with the Lady of Illusion Flower."
"So what?"
"She was killed by the Daluo Temple, yet you remain indifferent?"
"You’re quite the hopeless romantic."
"She promised to bring the Wutou Divine Sect into the Central Plains. The Daluo Temple destroyed the Illusory Flower Hall, so they must answer for it."
"Then go find them! Why are you looking for me?"
"Although the Daluo Temple doesn’t have many experts, they have plenty of people. I need you to help me stall a few of them."
"In your dreams!"
The King of Wutou didn’t know the inside story of the Daluo Palace. He assumed the Daluo Temple at Shanzhou’s Cloud Heaven Cliff was the entirety of the opposing faction’s forces. But the Zang Yue Monarch knew very well that there was an even more terrifying Daluo Palace in the neighboring State Mansion. Although he had some ties with the Lady of Illusion Flower, it absolutely wasn’t enough to warrant throwing his life away for her.
"That’s not up to you," the King of Wutou sneered. "You’re nothing but a mere thousand-year Fierce Ghost. Once I subjugate your Divine Soul, we’ll see what you have to say."
The Zang Yue Monarch’s eyes flickered. Before he could speak, auras began to rise from all eight directions of the valley. The auras were pure, thick, and brimming with righteousness—as if they were the absolute nemesis of sinister, evil Ghosts.
The King of Wutou’s expression drastically changed. Without a second word, he flew up to escape. But before he could fly even thirty feet, a giant palm formed in the sky and crashed down with a deafening noise. This giant palm, formed by condensed clouds and gathered energy, didn’t appear massive, but it locked onto the King of Wutou. No matter how he shifted his position, he remained completely enveloped beneath it.
BOOM!
The King of Wutou was blasted right out of the sky.
In the next moment, a young man dressed in cyan clothes appeared on the cliffside overlooking Canyue Valley. At the same time, eight old Taoists swiftly took their positions. Each wielding a Magical Treasure, they set up the Eight Trigrams Array, trapping the King of Wutou, who had already been injured by the giant palm’s strike.
"Activate the Array!" the old Taoists shouted in unison.
The Eight Trigrams Array sealed off the world. Immediately after, streaks of Thunderbolts, clouds of smoke, Sword Qi, Divine Prisons, and Divine Light descended abruptly.
Right on the heels of that, the Zang Yue Monarch’s voice crying for mercy rang out from within the Array. "Wait a minute! I’m innocent!"