Chapter 96: Scare Mosquito

In Li Changshou's view, this Tianxian elder, controlled by the blood mosquito, was quite cautious overall. When he saw the five people below, with only two of them displaying True Immortal strength, the elder still sent the Peng demon ahead to scout. After the five and the Peng demon were all knocked out, the elder even deployed his treasure from afar, testing an attack that didn't hesitate to eliminate his own ally, the Peng demon.

Unfortunately, the elder couldn't maintain his caution in the end. If he had stayed in the air, giving Li Changshou no chance for a sneak attack, Li Changshou might have been forced to reveal his true form and quickly finish him off. But this person was slightly lured down from the sky, ignoring the principle of "do not enter the woods lightly," and charged straight ahead in pursuit. A hundred miles of caution ruined by one moment of haste; a thousand miles of caution lost due to a lack of attention to detail. This Tianxian puppet of the blood mosquito was both hasty and careless.

In the woods, the three paper daoists hidden within the tree trunks had been waiting for a long time, ready to strike at any moment. Li Changshou's mind raced as he controlled the four paper daoists at close range—one fleeing, three lying in ambush. As the elder approached the trap, he seemed to sense the danger, his eyes showing a hint of hesitation. Ahead, the Shen Zi No. 1 paper daoist was flying low through the forest, spitting out a mouthful of blood, his aura even more chaotic, as if he could no longer hold on.

The Tianxian elder decisively gave chase, charging through the air right to the edge of the ambush zone. Li Changshou remained unhurried, deciding to play it safe and wait for the perfect opportunity. Opportunities aren't just something you wait for—they can also be created proactively. Li Changshou preferred taking the initiative over being passive.

The Shen Zi No. 1 paper daoist sped forward another dozen or so zhang, then suddenly turned around, his face filled with determination, brandishing his duster as he charged at the Tianxian elder, as if ready to fight to the death. The Tianxian elder smirked slightly, the poison-warding pearl on his head glowing brightly; he summoned his treasure seal and raised his spiritual treasure long sword, slashing out a sharp sword beam dozens of zhang long.

To end the fight quickly, Li Changshou had decided to take a small loss and trade one for one with the Tianxian elder. Using one Shen Zi paper daoist to exchange for a Tianxian's life was indeed a loss compared to using poison. The Shen Zi No. 1 paper daoist shifted sideways, barely dodging the sword beam, but ignored the treasure seal hurtling toward him; as the seal was about to strike, the elder's lips curled into a cold smile, and a patch of emerald ripples suddenly appeared around him.

Ambush! The Tianxian elder's mind jolted in alarm, but it was too late—he was enveloped by the emerald waves. The elder's yuan shen was bound by the great array, leaving his immortal body completely immobilized. Trapping array: Bi Shui Prison. Seize the moment! The micro array bases had little spiritual power left! From a hundred zhang away, two more ritual array disks were ejected from the tree trunks, their attached micro array bases scattering instantly, forming an array in the blink of an eye. Three arrays overlapped without interfering with each other. This type of small killing array, which could only be used once in a short time and required over a hundred precise adjustments each use, was directly deployed by Li Changshou in two instances.

Glimmers of cold light flashed in the woods. Countless blade beams shot out, all slashing at the elder. A pool of pitch-black sludge suddenly appeared under his feet, while the green pearl above his head shone brilliantly. The elder's numb face showed a trace of panic, and he barely summoned his immortal power to resist the surrounding attacks. But even the first killing array left him severely wounded. The elder's immortal power barrier and his immortal robes held for less than a breath before being shredded by the chaotic blade beams. Blood sprayed everywhere; after the cold light erupted, the elder was covered in wounds, his aura faint and weak, already gravely injured.

Suddenly, a obscure dao rhyme surged from the elder's brow, quickly spreading through his body. His eyes instantly turned cold and vicious. Li Changshou immediately noticed this detail and felt a shock in his heart. Mosquito Daoist?! It was almost certainly him. However, Li Changshou had considered this possibility before. He didn't panic at all, continuing with his plan as the three paper daoists burst from the tree trunks, seizing the moment while the trapping array still held, rushing toward the heavily wounded Tianxian elder. Even if you were a Da Luo Golden Immortal, or some fierce figure from the Hong Huang wilderness, in this situation, with only a wisp of divine sense, once the elder was killed, you'd be like a clever woman without rice—powerless.

At that instant, deep underground, the unconscious Lan Ling'e had a jade hairpin in her hair flickering gently with treasure light, as if something inside was about to burst out. This jade hairpin was a simple treasure Li Changshou had refined two months ago and given to Ling'e, who liked it so much that she even wore it to sleep.

In the woods, at the point where the three arrays overlapped, the dao rhyme on the Tianxian elder grew stronger, and strands of blood light exuding powerful pressure emerged from his body. But a blood-stained palm struck from the side, its blood-colored curse mark glowing brightly as it bypassed the elder's head and smashed into the poison-warding pearl. The pearl was sent flying. Without its protection, the black water below immediately took effect, instantly dissolving the elder's feet and lower legs.

At that moment, far away in Xi Niu He Zhou, Wen Jing Dao Ren, who was lying sideways on her bed, furrowed her brows slightly. Just as Li Changshou had anticipated, she was too far away and had only sent a wisp of divine sense. But even so, she had lost? Before Wen Jing Dao Ren could withdraw her divine sense, the three figures with different appearances and builds had already surrounded the elder, positioning themselves in a triangular formation. They moved in perfect unison, right hands forming sword fingers pressed against their left wrists, left palms thrust forward. In the center of each palm was a curse mark like a flame, and the three marks ignited simultaneously.

Sanmei True Flame erupted at full power, instantly engulfing the elder's form. The already gravely wounded Tianxian elder was burned beyond recognition in an instant. Li Changshou suddenly sensed something. The paper daoist facing the elder, who resembled a middle-aged daoist, spoke coldly:

"Hum! Regardless of what kind of demon you are, today you will be exterminated by me!"

With that, the three paper daoists channeled all their immortal power into Sanmei True Flame, furiously directing it at the elder. Because of the Mosquito Daoist's divine sense arrival, Li Changshou skipped all extra steps, using the true flame to forcibly melt the elder's yuan shen, turn his immortal body to ash, and evaporate that wisp of blood qi in an instant. Finally, the dao rhyme that had made Li Changshou's heart tremble faded away.

In the darkness, Li Changshou let out a breath but didn't dare relax, immediately proceeding with the follow-up of scattering the ashes and performing super degree rites. The words he had said earlier weren't just casual remarks. "Regardless of what kind of demon you are" was to imply to the Mosquito Daoist that he didn't know her origins; deliberately using "by me" was to set up a false lead. Li Changshou didn't know if his words would have any effect, but saying them was better than doing nothing.

Gazing at the few specks of ash floating in the woods, Li Changshou felt a bit helpless. This matter... How many years had it been since he had passed his tribulation? And here he was, indirectly facing off with the Hong Huang fierce beast, the Mosquito Daoist, through puppets and paper daoists. The Hong Huang wilderness was indeed more dangerous than he had imagined.

Deep underground, that jade hairpin swayed slightly in Lan Ling'e's dark hair, settling in more securely. Lost... She had actually lost?! The queen's divine sense had personally descended, accomplished nothing, and been burned to ash just like that?! And who was that "by me"? In Xi Niu He Zhou, near Ling Shan, in a certain cave dwelling, Wen Jing Dao Ren suddenly opened her eyes, her expression somewhat irritated, and waved her hand. "Get out!" The two maidservants kneeling nearby didn't dare breathe, quickly standing and retreating with their heads bowed.

Wen Jing Dao Ren adjusted her silk skirt and sat up cross-legged, her heart stirred with waves of emotion. Who was this person? Moments ago, she had been watching the chaos at Du Xian Men. When she realized the puppets she had gathered were faltering, she felt some dissatisfaction. The puppets that should have steadily overwhelmed Du Xian Men were inexplicably on the verge of being destroyed; in the end, this scheme would only cause some casualties to Du Xian Men without shaking their foundations. Though displeased, she hadn't paid it much mind—it was just a minor plot that hadn't required much effort.

As the main battlefield was about to fall, Wen Jing Dao Ren lost interest in watching further. A thought crossed her mind, and she shifted her divine sense to check on the Tianxian she had sent to kill Du Xian Men's disciples, wondering if he had eliminated them all. As soon as her sight arrived, she saw the Tianxian elder trapped in an array and bombarded by a killing array. It was utterly miserable! How were all the puppets she found this time so useless! In a fit of anger, Wen Jing Dao Ren decided to take control of the elder herself. But before she could make a move, as soon as her divine sense entered, she was directly burned to ash by those three "True Immortal" daoists.

Something was off—they didn't seem like real beings; perhaps some kind of divine ability or creation? The person behind this must be a master! Unbidden, an image of that flame mark appeared before Wen Jing Dao Ren's eyes. It was a scene her divine sense had captured, and she couldn't suppress it. Who exactly was this person? 'Could it be someone like me, using puppets to scheme against Ren Jiao?' Wen Jing Dao Ren snorted inwardly, forcibly erasing those images, and a charming smile played on her lips. This Du Xian Men was becoming more and more interesting.

"Hmm? Is it you?" Suddenly, Wen Jing Dao Ren's brows furrowed as a man's voice echoed strangely in her heart. She heard him say, "Someone has actually obscured your heavenly secrets? No wonder I couldn't figure out who you were halfway through." Who?! Who was speaking?! Wen Jing Dao Ren trembled, her hands quickly forming seals, blood light surging around her as she extinguished the voice. But before she could investigate, her vision blurred, and an incredibly profound dao rhyme enveloped her; in that instant, Wen Jing Dao Ren felt an emotion she hadn't experienced in ages... A pure, primal fear from the depths of her yuan shen!

In a haze, Wen Jing Dao Ren seemed to see a mist, but at the same time, a water curtain appeared before her, shielding her form. She knew this was a manifestation of the Great Dao, and the water curtain was a saint's technique hiding her heavenly secrets. As for the mist... She couldn't see through it at all. Beyond the water curtain, in the mist, a blurred silhouette approached, distorted by the curtain. Wen Jing Dao Ren vaguely made out that the figure was raising its left palm, where two faint black-and-white auras chased each other endlessly, containing profound truths.

"Tsk." She heard that voice again, laced with a hint of amusement. "Even borrowing a bit of power from Teacher's Tai Ji Tu, I still can't figure out who you are. It seems you're under a saint's protection." Through the water curtain, the figure twisted and shifted, but Wen Jing Dao Ren felt a chill in her heart. She was locked in this illusion by some dao rhyme and couldn't break free. The voice continued warmly, "I am Xuan Du, the eldest disciple under Tai Qing Dao De Tian Zun. Fellow Daoist, you've harmed my Ren Jiao inheritance for no reason, with malicious intent and despicable methods, but this time, for the sake of the saint behind you, I'll let it slide. If you dare target my Ren Jiao again—even this unassuming Du Xian Men—your master uncle might not be able to protect you."

With that, the figure outside the water curtain chuckled lightly and slowly dissipated along with the mist. Wen Jing Dao Ren's vision cleared, and she found herself back in her cave dwelling. She looked down at her hands and sensed her own Great Dao; both were trembling uncontrollably.

Far away, to the northwest of Du Xian Men and ten thousand li distant, Xuan Du, who had been standing on the clouds with his eyes closed in concentration, slowly opened them. "Senior Brother, how did it go?" The old daoist beside him asked quickly.