Disguised as the Golden Sack Island cultivator named Situ Er, Ewu flew swiftly on the wind. Halfway there, he encountered someone—a man in a golden robe, at the Foundation Establishment Realm, clearly a guest cultivator from Golden Sack Island.
Though Ewu had used specialized spells and blood qi to create a perfect disguise, it was not flawless before a Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator, especially if that cultivator specialized in perception techniques. Without any delay, Ewu hurriedly used the title from Situ Er's recent memory, saying urgently, "Master Zong, do not delay! Report back to the island at once!"
Ewu continued, "A monk and a cultivator are fighting up ahead, struggling over something that is shining like gold! They have taken the fight to the ocean floor, and it is a matter of life and death! Please, honored guest, alert the lord immediately!"
This Master Zong had dispatched five or six scouts earlier, with the person Ewu was impersonating being the first to return. Hearing this, he did not dare linger. He quickly replied, "Understood! Point me in the direction; I will go ahead and keep watch while you return to report."
Ewu had planned for every reaction, ready to adapt as needed. Casually, he pointed the guest cultivator in a direction, then continued on his journey to the island. Landing at the edge of Golden Sack Island, he spotted a rough-looking monk flying toward him.
"Senior Brother!"
Ewu was momentarily startled; his disguise might pass before a Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator, but fooling Mutuo, a fellow Master Monk, would be far more challenging.
However, Mutuo only cast him an impatient glance and snapped, "What is going on?!"
Only then did Ewu recall that Mutuo's physical body had been shattered, rendering him unable to recognize people accurately. Holding back a grin, he swiftly conveyed the message, prompting Mutuo to grow tense. The monk immediately flew off to find Situ Mo, while Ewu waited cautiously outside the formation.
Inside the hall, Mutuo, who was now dripping in sweat, feeling both furious and alarmed, exclaimed urgently, "Situ, get me three or four guest cultivators at once!"
Situ Mo, having overheard the conversation between the two earlier, merely frowned in suspicion.
"Could it really be true? It sounds too good to be true... I suggest we send someone to check it out first..."
"No!"
Mutuo, still visibly shaken, sighed, "Thank the heavens you had the foresight to act carefully! The person just now was no longer Situ Er! He was actually my junior brother! He must think my physical body is too damaged to see through his disguise, but he does not know that the Master taught me the secret technique of Blood Mask ... I recognized him the moment I saw him!"
"Your junior brother...?" Situ Mo repeated. Ever quick-witted, he grasped the situation instantly. Speaking in a low voice, he asked, "What do you intend to do?"
Mutuo said urgently, "Stop wasting time squabbling! If we delay too long, that sly bastard will grow suspicious. Just bring a few guest cultivators with me, and I will lure him into the formation..."
"Rubbish!" Situ Mo cut him off sharply, "Do you think he will walk into the formation willingly? You are better off taking a few guest cultivators with you and setting an ambush around him!"
Mutuo paused, momentarily stunned, realizing that Situ Mo's reasoning made perfect sense. If this were truly a trap and he were anxious to escape, he would not needlessly call others into the formation; doing so would only arouse Ewu's suspicion and might cause him to abandon the plan.
Without stopping to praise Situ Mo, he hurriedly called four guest cultivators to join him and sped out on the wind.
As Situ Mo watched the group leave, he felt a slight pang of realization, thinking to himself, So it was the Wrathful Dao lineage's ambush after all. I knew this was too good to be true...
He took a couple of steps forward, just reaching the edge of the formation, and calculated, "With Mutuo and the four guest cultivators... There is no way this Ewu can escape. I should still exercise caution and refrain from leaving the formation recklessly..."
Taking a step back, he stood within the gleaming formation, watching the outside in silence.
Mutuo, now outside the formation, was flanked closely by the four guest cultivators who guarded him tightly. The disguised Ewu, posing as Situ Er, grinned and said excitedly, "My lord, come with me!"
Mutuo nodded, moving forward on the wind toward the north, preparing to strike. The four men at his side subtly edged closer to Ewu.
The four guest cultivators, all at the Foundation Establishment Realm, displayed no change in their expressions, but their actions were telling. After flying only ten li, Ewu finally sensed that something was amiss, his mind suddenly alert. Noticing this, Mutuo, who had been watching carefully, shouted out a single command.
"Attack!"
All four guest cultivators sprang into action instantly. Golden, radiant artifacts flew from their hands, weaving a blazing web in the sky as they launched their assault on Ewu.
These artifacts were all of the Golden Tang Gate, but their techniques varied wildly, chaotic and unrefined—clearly, these guest cultivators were originally Eastern Sea cultivators who later joined Golden Sack Island. Their power, however, was nothing extraordinary.
"You damned dogs!"
Ewu reacted quickly, forming a hand seal that emitted light. Golden flames ignited around his limbs, and a three-headed, six-armed figure materialized behind him, each hand wielding a short staff or hatchet.
Seeing this, Mutuo burst into laughter and sneered, "With me here, do you still think you can escape using some escape spell? You really spared no effort, even bringing a treasured artifact to bait me... Now, it seems you have lost both your plan and your prize!"
Though his aura was weak, Mutuo effortlessly cast a hand seal that shot a beam of light forward. Without further motion, the light blurred the shadowy figure behind Ewu. With a cold smirk, Mutuo declared pridefully, "I am the true head of Qinling Temple!"
With his inheritance intact, Mutuo had little difficulty breaking Ewu's spell. He called the four Golden Sack Island cultivators to close in on Ewu while he kept his distance, merely interfering with Ewu's spells from afar.
"...So Senior Brother held back a trick or two when he passed down the teachings!"
Surrounded by his opponents, Ewu remained calm, cursing bitterly under his breath and responding coldly, "Do not underestimate me, Senior Brother!"
Golden light flowed from his hands as he drew two long staves, each intricately etched with golden patterns. He crossed them together with a loud clang, deflecting the four incoming attacks.
With a fierce stance, he swung the staves at his attackers, ignoring the weapons piercing his body. His eyes glowed with golden light, heating the air around him in visible waves.
The physical bodies of Buddhist cultivators resembled clay; when the weapons pierced through his body, no blood emerged, instead, the wounds sealed with a sticky resilience after each strike. Nonetheless, Ewu's ferocity made the guest cultivators hesitate, not wanting to sustain injuries that could disrupt their cultivation. For now, they moved cautiously, making sure they did not get too close.
Of course, none of them expected to capture the monk immediately. Without employing their full Immortal Foundation abilities, they tested each other's strengths.
The flashes of light clashed constantly, creating violent explosions in the sky. Mutuo's eyes gleamed with greed as he cast a glance at his junior brother, Ewu, and muttered, "If I devour your body, I can cut down decades of recovery time!"
Ewu sneered, assessing the battlefield. He had several backup plans and felt certain he would not die here. At most, he would have to surrender this Master Monk's body to Mutuo. For now, his only thought was to escape with minimal losses.
You may escape, but can that artifact on you escape as well?
Mutuo, sensing Ewu's intentions, smirked to himself. He coughed, spitting out blood, then wiped the corner of his mouth. Examining the dark red blood in his palm, he suddenly froze.
"What is going on...?"
A chill spread across his face, and blood began to drip steadily. Turning his head slightly, he felt as if his left eye were about to burst, his remaining vision filled with overwhelming golden light.
This golden light seemed to stretch across the sky, vast and penetrating, though barely visible if he tried to look directly at it. A searing pain pricked his face, filling him with dread.
"This damned traitor has backup!"