Chapter 924: Who’s the Oriole??
The small cistern had been accumulating liquid for tens of thousands of years.... Although holy fardark nectar required a large buildup of ordinary fardark nectar, it seemed inconceivable that after all the years of time that had passed, there would be such a small amount. Normally speaking, though it wouldn’t be reasonable to expect the cistern to be overflowing, there should have been tens of times the amount that was present.
Except there was clearly only a small film of the nectar at the bottom of the cistern. No wonder a variety of facial expressions could be seen on Feng Lintao and Lan Yao. After all, they had paid a huge price to get this holy fardark nectar. They had made complicated plans, had hoodwinked each other back and forth, and had carried out devious plots. Though the end result was better than nothing, it was still a far cry from what they had expected.
“It must be the fault of that damned golden rat!!” Feng Lintao growled through gritted teeth. He’d had a bad feeling from the moment he laid eyes on that rat, and though he had been prepared for bad news at the end of the tunnel, that didn’t stop him from feeling absolutely furious.
Unfortunately, there was nothing he could do other than narrow his eyes at the egg in the water.
Lan Yao said nothing, but her expression was steely.
As for Xu Qing, he was also frowning. After looking at the cistern, then the rest of the cave, he glanced back at the passageway. Not giving any hint as to what he was actually thinking, he started walking around the cave as if to look for other items of value.
Feng Lintao sneered at Xu Qing’s behavior. With the exception of the golden rat, Feng Lintao knew about everything that was in this area. Considering that there wasn’t anything present, he didn’t bother keeping an eye on Xu Qing.
Lan Yao glanced at Xu Qing, then focused her gaze on the water. “There’s no time to waste. Maybe there’s not a lot, but it’ll still be useful. As for that egg, I’m guessing that’s what the rat was guarding.”
As the words left her mouth, she hurried toward the cistern. Feng Lintao joined her, and Xu Qing followed. As the three of them neared, something dramatic happened!
The soil around the cistern caved in, and four shadowy figures jumped out. Astonishingly, they turned out to be four enormous puppets that resembled mantises. They were severely withered, and emanated powerful mutagen. What was more, their auras were unstable, and their gazes didn’t contain even a scrap of intelligence. Apparently, they were acting on lingering instinct.
Upon appearing, one attacked Xu Qing, while the other three... all bore down on Lan Yao.
The moment they attacked, Feng Lintao spun, his aura flaring and his cultivation base rumbling as he launched an attack on Lan Yao. There was more! A shadowy form emerged from Feng Lintao’s sleeve, which rapidly shot toward Lan Yao. That shadowy form was an intestine! It was the very same thing they had run into earlier. All of this takes a bit of time to describe, but it happened in the time it takes a spark to fly off a piece of flint.
Xu Qing didn’t have it so bad, as he was just facing a single mantis. But Lan Yao had to deal with three mantises, and as they reached her, they all self-detonated. At the same time, the gruish intestine was wrapping around her, and Feng Lintao had also launched an attack. A huge boom rang out, along with a destructive shockwave, as Lan Yao exploded.
However, before Feng Lintao could manage to look pleased with the outcome, the remnants of Lan Yao’s body transformed into a talisman of animal skin that floated off to the side. Then, fluctuations rolled out as Lan Yao formed anew. It was almost as if she had anticipated that this would happen.
Xu Qing immediately fell back. As he did, the mantis that had been fighting him returned to Feng Lintao’s side.
Lan Yao smiled faintly. “You’re not exactly living up to your word, Fellow Daoist Feng.”
Feng Lintao smiled sarcastically. “Not quite, Fellow Daoist Lan. You’re the one with ulterior motives. Did you really think I wouldn’t notice?”
It didn’t seem he was surprised at all that Lan Yao survived his attack. Turning to the entrance of the passageway, he coldly continued, “You’ve been following us this entire time, Fellow Daoist Yue Dong. Why not show your face? I’ve known all along that you and Lan Yao were secretly working together!”
Feng Lintao’s words caused Lan Yao’s smile to harden, and her eyes to glitter.
“What’s the meaning of this, Fellow Daoist Feng?” Xu Qing asked, his eyes narrowing.
Feng Lintao chuckled coldly as he reached out and pointed toward the entrance of the passageway.
Rumbling sounds could be heard as, astonishingly, a figure flew out of the passageway. It was a woman. She was lithe and beautiful, and though she had a gentle disposition, her eyes were as cold as ice.
“Everyone says that you’re both paranoid and clever, Feng Lintao. I guess they’re right.” This woman was none other than Yue Dong.
Lan Yao, seeing no more need to hide the truth, nodded. “I really didn’t think Feng Lintao would figure out the truth....”
With another person in the mix, Xu Qing blinked a few times, then looked at the Captain in Feng Lintao’s grip. He backed up a few steps to indicate that he didn’t want to be a part of what was happening.
“Lan Yao and Yue Dong of the Devilbird species,” Feng Lintao said. “Although it might not seem like the two of you have much to do with each other back home, I’ve known the truth for a long time. Your relationship is anything but that. And who could ever have guessed that you two, who have such a good reputation, would stoop to doing something as greedy and despicable as this? It seems that you don’t intend to abide by the terms of our agreement, Fellow Daoist Lan.”
Gritting his teeth, Feng Lintao turned to Xu Qing. “Do you see what’s happening here, Fellow Daoist Firedark? I’m afraid I need to ask for further help from you. If you do, I’ll reward you handsomely later!”
Xu Qing didn’t respond. He knew that he was the key to the entire situation. If he helped Feng Lintao, then Lan Yao and Yue Dong wouldn’t be able to achieve victory quickly enough. After all, the golden rat outside would only stay trapped for so long.
Lan Yao laughed coldly. “There’s no need to paint yourself as a victim, Fellow Daoist Feng,” she said. “Do you actually think I believed what you said? I’ve known all along that the deal you made with me was just an excuse. The only reason you told me about the holy fardark nectar was to lure me down here. Your goal in this mission isn’t just the nectar. You also want sacred Devilbird blood.
“It’s possible to enter Revered Ancient, but not leave it, so you clearly have a clever plan in the works! Fellow Daoist Firedark, you’re a smart person. Don’t let yourself be fooled. As long as you refrain from interfering here, everything will work out fine for you. Your Eldest Brother might be captive, but Fellow Daoist Feng won’t dare harm him. If he kills your Eldest Brother, then he knows he’ll be up against all three of us.”
Lan Yao burst into motion, heading right toward Feng Lintao. At the same time, Yue Dong waved her hand through the air, causing a sealing mark to appear and cover the entrance of the passageway to prevent anyone from leaving. Then she took a step toward Feng Lintao. Performing an incantation gesture to unleash a divine ability, she joined Lan Yao in the attack. Within moments, the deafening sound of combat filled the cave.
As the two women pushed Feng Lintao into retreat, he looked grimly at Xu Qing. “Fellow Daoist Firedark, if you don’t do something, I’ll tell everyone your secret! Were you under the impression I don’t know why there’s so little holy fardark nectar here?”
Feng Lintao’s words caused the faces of Lan Yao and Yue Dong to flicker.
Xu Qing’s expression didn’t change at all as he said, “Complete nonsense. I’ve been with you two this entire time. I know you want to drag me down with you, but you could at least come up with a better excuse. Go ahead and say anything you want, Fellow Daoist Feng.
“Just keep in mind that I’m not going to get involved with the situation between the three of you. Since you said you knew all along that someone was following us, then I can only assume that you made preparations to handle the situation, and don’t actually need my help.”
Xu Qing kept backing up until he was at the entrance of the passageway, where he coldly watched the fighting.
Lan Yao’s eyes glittered at this development. As she fought, she chuckled and said, “Thank you for the reminder, Fellow Daoist Firedark. You’re right. This Feng Lintao definitely has more tricks up his sleeve.”
Lan Yao summoned her eight-colored peacock, and Yue Dong formed a body of ice and snow. As the temperature plummeted, she produced a spear of ice that she stabbed toward Feng Lintao. At the same time, five major worlds appeared around her, two of them corporeal and three illusory. That pressure combined with Lan Yao’s eight-colored peacock formed a truly deadly combination.
Though Feng Lintao still seemed calm and collected, and obviously had a lot of magical treasures left, he still fell back. There was nothing flustered about him. In fact, he was sneering.
“That’s fine. Since you people guessed that I have more tricks up my sleeve, I won’t waste any more time here. You’re right, Lan Yao. I do have multiple goals. The holy fardark nectar. Your blood. And I also want Fellow Daoist Yue Dong’s primal yin. All of that will come in very handy in forming my sixth world!”
As he spoke, Feng Lintao kept one hand on the Captain, but used the other hand to pull something out into the open.
It was a vine! It was golden, and sparkled in an extraordinary manner. It was as thick as an arm, three meters long, and astonishingly intelligent. The moment it was out in the open, it erupted with a shocking aura, filling the cave with a tempest. What was more, the vine caused the projection of a starry sky to appear above Feng Lintao. It looked like an endless starry sky filled with infinite heavenly bodies. There was also an amazing vine in it, piercing through the river of stars as it traversed the starry sky.
The vine in Feng Lintao’s hand was covered with innumerable mysterious magical symbols, which all came about naturally. It also had fruit attached to it which looked like stars. It was a truly shocking sight.
When Lan Yao and Yue Dong saw the vine and the starry sky, they were shocked to the core.
Lan Yao even blurted, “A sageheaven god vine! Born in the starry sky, when it matures, it can traverse star systems. Yours is in an infant form! It might be in infant form, but even that’s incredible. How can you possibly have something like that?? Holy Lord Fardark was killed by that vine! And it even destroyed the Fardark holy land? You....”
Although Xu Qing had never seen this item before, he could sense how majestic the vine was, and it caused his expression to flicker.
Feng Lintao looked at Lan Yao and Yue Dong, and then laughed cruelly.
“The two of you don’t need to know how I got it. It will be an honor for you to be killed by a sageheaven god vine. However, the first person to receive such a karmic blessing will be the person I’m holding in my hand. Whenever a sageheaven god vine is used, it requires a living sacrifice.”
Feng Lintao laughed maniacally. He was no longer hiding his true intentions. Though it seemed like he had been holding the Captain as a hostage, the reality was that he’d been keeping him ready to use as a living sacrifice!
As he laughed, he sent some divine will into the golden vine. The vine instantly flared with golden light, and then a mouth opened up at its end, making it look like a snake. It lunged toward the Captain.
However... as it neared, something unimaginable happened!
The Captain’s eyes opened, and they gleamed with unprecedented craziness and greed. He opened his mouth... and bit down onto the vine! Then he inhaled deeply, and the terrifying vine, for some unknown reason, began to tremble. It was as if the vine had encountered an archenemy and wanted to struggle free. However, the Captain’s eyes flared with blue light as he sucked the entire vine into his mouth.
This development was completely and utterly astonishing to everyone present, except Xu Qing.
The Captain suddenly vanished, then reappeared next to Xu Qing, where he burped contentedly.
“The only reason I let myself be captured was that I smelled that vine. I’ve been waiting this whole time for you to take it out! What a long wait!”