Chapter 78: Taowu

Spiritual qi that rained from the sky was a type of reward offered by heavenly law to yao cultivators whose cultivation had reached great heights. At the same time, it was also a form of repayment by Heaven and Earth. The more the spiritual qi repaid, the stronger the yao cultivator.

The Kunpeng tapped his claws and replied nonchalantly, “I was born a fiend, so I don’t understand the worries you auspicious beasts have for the nation and citizens. Anyway, in my opinion, before the yao beast has done any wrong, no one has the right to decide whether he lives or dies. Do you know what I dislike the most about you auspicious beasts?”

Gong Fu saw the hint of mockery on the Kunpeng’s face, as well as his contempt towards heavenly law.

“That you do things thinking you’re always right in the name of concern for the nation and all living creatures,” The Kunpeng laughed coldly. “Since he was born in this world, there is meaning in his existence. If he is an auspicious beast, it will be the fortune of all; if he becomes a fiend, then it will be time for you auspicious beasts to worry.”

Spiritual qi descended on his palms, seeping into his skin bit by bit and nourishing the flesh beneath the skin. Gong Fu gazed at the sea silently, his hands behind his back.

“Besides, since you’ve asked this question, it means you’ve already made a decision in your heart,” The Kunpeng patted the melon seed shells on his body. “You question only because there is hesitation in your heart. If you really have the intent to kill, why ask such a question to a fiend like me?”

If he couldn’t do it, then he ought to honestly admit to it. What pretentiousness – insisting on finding a way out through a fiend.

“You’re right. Even if he wants to annihilate the Heavens and Earth, I will protect the land beneath my feet even if I have to resort to destroying my body of dragon bones,” Gong Fu was about to leave when he saw the tide rise suddenly beneath his feet. His complexion didn’t look very good.

“This smell…” The Kunpeng muttered. “It’s the Taowu.”

Savagery was second nature to the Taowu. It ate both humans and yao, and was unbridled in its conduct. If there was a ranking of the level of savagery among the ancient fiends, the Taowu would definitely be within the top ten. The Kunpeng, Taowu, and Oujiang weren’t the same kind of yao – the Kunpeng regarded himself as a principled bad guy, while the Taowu was bad in an extremely casual manner, without any reason to speak of.

The pitch-black seawater roiled continuously. Zhuang Qing looked at the gigantic strange beast beneath him that had emerged from the sea. He stroked Fu Li’s smooth fur. “Fu Li, you just advanced and your cultivation base isn’t stable. Leave this place first.”

Fu Li leaped out of his embrace and transformed into his human form. Apart from his complexion being a bit on the pale side, there wasn’t much difference between how he looked now and how he usually looked. He shook his head. “No, neither of us are a match for him. There’s no point in you remaining here on your own.”

Looking out at the fiercely churning sea, Zhuang Qing tightened his grip on the sword in his hand. “There is a rumor that the Taowu has extraordinary divine power and fears only the Vermilion Bird.” He turned towards Fu Li. Under the glow of lightning, his handsome, inclined face was overly fair. “I remember you have the Vermilion Bird’s fan, perhaps it can block one or two blows.”

The Vermilion Bird’s fan was just a fan at the end of the day, not the Vermilion Bird.

What was more, with his and Fu Li’s cultivation base, it was impossible for them to defeat the Taowu. At this juncture, they would delay as long as they could. For every additional minute and second, the people on land would be a bit closer to safety.

In this not-cold autumn night, not only did the human world’s security department receive an emergency notification, the cultivation world’s Yao Union as well as the various large sects also received the management bureau’s emergency notification.

The ancient fiend Taowu has appeared, please evacuate everyone at the coastal areas.

Taowu?

The cultivators who had lived more than a hundred years in peace couldn’t imagine how terrifying this great yao had to be for the management bureau to send out an emergency notification. After seeing the notification, some yao cultivators with little courage turned into their original forms and fled without even thinking.

Compared to the human body, it was their actual forms that were more advantageous when fleeing.

Peng Hang, who had come to Linhai City in pursuit of a criminal, had worked overtime till midnight. After much difficulty, he found the time to return to the guesthouse for a bath and change of clothes. Driving the shabby Alto car he had borrowed, he hadn’t gone far when he saw cats and dogs running past occasionally along the main road. Birds were also flying chaotically in all directions.

Clang.

A huge crow banged into his car. Instantly, a crack appeared on his windscreen. Peng Hang stared at the windscreen, flabbergasted. Was it a bird or a shot put that had banged into him?

What was even weirder was that the bird responsible for damaging his car was actually completely f*cking fine. Climbing up, it took off with a flap of its wings.

Bringing the car to a stop at the roadside, Peng Hang saw a dog carrying a snake race past, as well as a wolf and fox run past together. It was his first time realizing that the coastal areas had so many mystical endangered animals.

“Ai, young man,” A knock sounded on the window by the driver’s seat. Peng Hang looked out and saw an elderly man with a head full of white hair standing outside.

Why did an old man suddenly pop out in the middle of the night?

Peng Hang pulled a jacket over his police uniform before opening the car window. “Uncle, why are you still out when it’s this late?’ Although public security within the country was good, taking a tumble in the middle of the night was a serious concern.

“Youngster, I see that you’re righteous, dignified, and have an extraordinary imposing presence. You’re someone who has accumulated virtue over several lifetimes. Listen to a word of advice from this uncle – leave this place tonight.” The old man was all smiles. “Something major will be happening tonight.”

“Uncle, did you run into some trouble?” Peng Hang adjusted his jacket. “When you encounter trouble, you should go to the police immediately.”

The old man shook his head. “Foolish.”

Peng Hang was baffled. He was an elite police officer with countless solved cases. How was he foolish?

The old man seemed to want to say a bit more, but a sudden clap of thunder rang in the sky, frightening the old man so much that his expression changed drastically. Turning, he dashed into a tiny alley at such speed that Peng Hang doubted his eyes.

This old man ran at even faster speed than him?

Lightning flashed in the sky. Peng Hang had an inexplicable feeling that there was something strange about this night. He lit a cigarette, holding it in his mouth. Seeing several mice scuttle out of the sewer, he drove towards the highway without looking back.

He hadn’t been to Linhai City many times and didn’t know if there was some special situation going on tonight or whether Linhai City’s animals just had that much character. There was a faint feeling in his heart that something wasn’t quite right. He took out his phone and filmed a video to send to a friend who researched natural phenomena.

But no matter how long he waited, the video just couldn’t be sent, possibly due to the weather or unstable signal.

Cursing, Peng Hang peeled off his jacket and returned to the guesthouse with a feeling of uneasiness. Linhai City wasn’t considered a particularly developed city, but because the natural scenery wasn’t bad, there were still many tourists who came to the place to play although it wasn’t yet the Mid-Autumn Festival.

Peng Hang just reached the guesthouse’s main entrance when he saw a family of three hastily leaving the guesthouse with their luggage. The family seated themselves in a family car parked at the side. He wasn’t sure if he had seen wrongly, but there seemed to be many tiny animals crammed in the car. But before he could take a careful look, the car had already left through the gate.

Possibly because he had seen many fleeing animals, this family of three gave Peng Hang the feeling that they were running for their lives in a flurry.

He had met this family of three before. The woman was gentle, the child was polite and cute, the man was steady and reliable; it was a very warm family. Why would such a family leave the guesthouse in the middle of the night without consideration for the child?

Raising his head, Peng Hang glanced at the constantly thundering sky filled with lightning. He furrowed his brows.

At sea, the Taowu watched the continuously churning clouds and opened its mouth, releasing an explosive laugh.

“Heavenly law, it won’t be so easy to eliminate me!” His mouth gaped open. Sharp teeth glinted in the icy light, resembling numerous sharp-edged knives. His pale skin had a strange red tinge to it and there were many scars on his body, as if it had been split open by something before healing.

Seawaves raged. The Taowu’s true form finally emerged from the water in its entirety.

“It is rumored that the Taowu is formed from the resentment of the world. It has a ferocious and stubborn personality. In addition, he possesses a miraculous ability to revive from death as long as time continues to run and Heaven and Earth’s resentment is not severed,” Fu Li looked at the flickering rays of lightning in the sky and swallowed. “Which was why he was given the name of Taowu.”

“The Taowu isn’t only vicious, it also has boundless offensive capabilities. During the ancient times, it was known by the dauntless title of ‘undefeated in battle, unstoppable attacks’.” Gong Fu appeared behind the two people. His gaze landed on Fu and he smiled. “Congratulations on a major advancement in your cultivation.”

“Gong Fu daren, why are you here?” Fu Li noticed the Kunpeng behind Gong Fu and was amazed. “Kunpeng daren?”

“What?” The Kunpeng said with a stiff face. “I can’t come watch the excitement?”

The Kunpeng had only waited for the fight to end when Oujiang appeared, yet he now took the initiative to make an appearance. This could be said to be very rare.

“At this point, I think you won’t only be able to watch the excitement but also participate in it,” Fu Li pointed at the Taowu on the surface of the sea. “For example, fighting with him?”

The Kunpeng glared at Fu Li silently.

“Gong Fu?” The Taowu discovered Gong Fu’s presence. He spread his two wings and flew into the sky, meeting Gong Fu and everyone’s gazes at the same level. He let out an abrupt mocking laugh. “An auspicious beast with a fiend, how ridiculous.”

All of a sudden, he retracted the smile on his face. “Useless fiends like you should just be eaten by me. You’ll at least have some use then.”

Gong Fu’s expression turned exceedingly ugly. He had discovered that the Taowu’s aura was extremely chaotic, as if… the current Taowu was born from devouring another great yao’s yao force.

“You merged with another great yao?” Gong Fu was in disbelief. “Are you crazy?!”

“Despite being fiends, those useless trash actually want to shun the world or lie dormant at the bottom of the sea. Since they no longer have any use, why shouldn’t they become a part of me? They won’t go to waste that way,” The Taowu replied as if this was only right and proper. “What’s wrong about that?”

The ancient great yao had disappeared in great numbers within a short span of time. At that point, Gong Fu had merely assumed that they had gone into hiding. Now that he was faced with the Taowu, he couldn’t help wondering how many had gone into hiding and how many had been devoured.

“Kunpeng, despite being a fiend, you actually mixed around with Gong Fu. What a disgrace to the fiends,” The Taowu smiled evilly. “I saw through your improper thoughts a long time ago. As I expected, you’re a traitor.”

“What f*cking traitor, when was I in the same group as you?” The Kunpeng cursed, his hands on his hips. “Laozai will play with whoever I like to play with. Who are you to order me, Kunpeng daren, around? Don’t regard yourself as unequaled in the world just because you swallowed a few scraggly yao. If you’re so impressive, why hide at the bottom of the sea for so many years. Back at the Sanwei Mountain, weren’t you quite grand and prideful? What are you doing running to the sea? Don’t you find it embarrassing?”

“Shut up!” Thinking about how he had been forced by the Fenghuang and Vermilion Bird five thousand years ago into feigning death to flee, as well as the days of hiding all over the place without daring to show himself, the Taowu felt that this was the greatest shame and humiliation in his yao life. “Kunpeng, we haven’t met for a few thousand years and that mouth of yours is still as detestable as always.”

“What a coincidence. I also feel like your appearance has become more and more disgusting,” The Kunpeng glanced at the movement at sea. “Today’s matter is between us great yao, all you little yao who aren’t up to standard can scram to the side.”

The Kunpeng intended for Fu Li and Zhuang Qing to make a run for it first.

“Nobody will be leaving today,” The Taowu understood the Kunpeng’s intentions with a single glance. “For you to protect these little yao, there’s definitely something special about them.” His gaze landed on Fu Li’s hands. He suddenly flew into a huge rage. “The Vermilion Bird’s fan!”

Fu Li looked down at the vermilion-colored fan in his hands, a contemplative look on his face.

This fan had been given to him by Sister Pheasant. It had been given the name of Vermilion Fan because it was red in color. It was said that the fan contained the fire spirits of the Five Elements and was capable of beating back evil spirits. He didn’t have the opportunity to use this fan in the past and whenever he did use it, every person who recognized the fan called it the Fan of the Vermilion Bird.

The Vermilion Bird was one of the four divine beasts. It controlled the direction South and seven constellations, as well as the fire element of the Five Elements. It guarded the Southern areas of the earth and there were many records related to it in the course of human history. The Vermilion Bird’s totem had even appeared among the many tools of the human imperial household.

Fu Li had heard many stories of the Vermilion Bird from Elder White Ape. At that time, he had asked White Ape where the Vermilion Bird went. White Ape hadn’t answered him and merely got him to go to Sister Pheasant to learn magic.

He hadn’t understood at that time. When Oujiang brought up the Vermilion Bird, he had been busy pressuring the green pythons raised by Oujiang and hadn’t thought much of it.

Now, he suddenly felt doubtful. Where exactly did the vermilion fan given to him by Sister Pheasant come from? He had asked Sister Pheasant back then whether she had made it. She didn’t deny it, but she also hadn’t admitted to it.

Now that he thought carefully, had Sister Pheasant’s feathers been this red and bright?

“I hate that smell on you the most, I’ll eat you first!”

The Taowu rose up abruptly. His wings unfolded. Seawater morphed into blades of ice, forcing the Kunpeng and Gong Fu away. He rushed directly at Fu Li. Fu Li, who had just advanced, was completely incapable of evading the Taowu’s attack.

“Fu Li!” Transforming into a golden dragon, Zhuang Qing forcibly took the ice blades’ attack, slicing open a long bloody streak along the flesh on his back.

He was very quick, so quick that he appeared to be a vestigial ray of light. Before the Kunpeng and Gong Fu reacted, he had already unhesitatingly swung his tail onto the Taowu’s large, savage, and gaping mouth.

Dragon blood splashed onto Fu Li’s face. He looked at the golden dragon shielding him with wide eyes. Gold suffused his black pupils.