Chapter 175: Natural Bane
The Thousand-Serpent Island was a spiritbeast lair, and the island itself was swarming with countless sea serpents.
At the moment, there were a group of guests on the Thousand-Serpent Island.
They resided in a palatial complex within a valley, but their luxurious accommodations couldn't keep them from showing trepidation wherever they went. Venomous snakes slithered all around them—over their eaves, their wells, and even their bedframes.
The guests didn't dare move around; instead, they huddled together.
"Tang, you'd better not provoke these sea serpents!" one of them called out.
Tang's face contorted. "When have I ever provoked these sea serpents? Stop saying that! It's hardly as though I enjoy causing trouble!"
If Xiao Nanfeng were present, he would immediately recognize Tang as the demonic spy who had attempted to kidnap him with the help of a paralytic poison. Instead, Xiao Nanfeng had turned the tables on him, which caused a significant fiasco in conjunction with Zhao Yuanjiao's investigation.
"What do you mean, you don't enjoy causing trouble? You're disaster incarnate, a calamity!" the person beside him said.
Tang grew furious. "Don't slander me!"
"Who's slandering you? Have you forgotten why you were sent to the Taiqing Immortal Sect? It's because everyone who teamed up with you died, and no one wanted to work with you anymore! That's how you ended up as a spy in the Taiqing sect—and then you caused a large number of them to die, too! We've lost a tremendous amount of progress in infiltrating the Taiqing sect."
Tang frowned. "As I said, it's not my fault! Each time, I tell them not to risk it, but they never listen to me. In the Taiqing sect, I told them not to be in a rush to deal with Xiao Nanfeng, but they insisted—and now they're dead. When we finally broke out of prison, I tried to persuade them to leave Xiao Nanfeng be and to escape from the island, but they insisted on seeking revenge. In the end, they all died while trying to catch him. It's not my fault that they refused to listen to me!"
"You cursed them!" the first speaker asserted.
Tang sighed. "It doesn't have anything to do with me."
"You're an omen of calamity. Stay away from me!" one person beside him shouted.
Everyone distanced themselves from Tang.
Tang looked at them angrily. Are you all crazy? Why do you keep throwing around false accusations?!
Just then, a voice called out from close by, "An omen of calamity? I don't believe it."
Everyone turned to find a cloud of black fog not too far away. Within the cloud was a man with dark blue skin, his eyes scorching and radiating killing intent.
"Elder!" Everyone bowed respectfully.
The Pestilence Sage suddenly turned his gaze toward Tang. "They call you an omen of calamity who brings misfortune to your companions: ridiculous. I cultivate the ghostly arts, and no sinister or macabre affair could be novel to me. I alone chart my fate, not the heavens above. The more extreme the curse, the more it shall enhance my cultivation. Are you an ill omen for your companions, Tang? Curse me, then."
Tang stiffened as he bowed. "Sage, I could never hope to surpass your divine might."
"Haha, haha!" The Pestilence Sage laughed in satisfaction.
Just then, a boom suddenly rang out nearby as a giant golden serpent was sent flying toward the cultivators.
The golden serpent smashed through a large portion of the palatial complex. Behind it was a monk whose body was radiating with golden light. There were still chains on the monk's body, as though he had just emerged from captivity.
"Pestilence Sage, help me stop him! I'll summon the other golden serpents immediately!" the giant golden serpent cried out.
"You really are weak, aren't you? Forget it. I'll deal with him myself," the Pestilence Sage said disdainfully.
By then, the radiant monk had closed in on the serpent. His eyes grew cold. "The Pestilence Sage of the Taiqing Demonic Sect? You're allied with these demons? I'll eradicate all of you today and cleanse the land!"
The radiant monk sent a palm strike at the Pestilence Sage, who smirked and met the palm with one of his own.
The two palms struck each other with equal strength. The next moment, however, the radiant monk gasped. "What? A spiritual palm strike?!"
The Pestilence Sage's hand had curled into a claw, somehow penetrating past the radiant monk's palm and thrusting into his body. Though his physical body remained uninjured, an expression of intense horror appeared on his face.
Blue light emanated from the radiant monk's body—his spiritual avatar, which the Pestilence Sage was extracting from his physical body.
"Stop it!" the radiant monk shouted.
However, it was too late. His spiritual avatar had been sucked into the Pestilence Sage's mouth.
"No! Don't eat me, don't!" the radiant monk's spiritual avatar yelled.
With an aborted scream, the spiritual avatar was swallowed whole by the Pestilence Sage. His physical body fell to the ground in a plume of dust.
"Is he dead?" the golden serpent asked in shock.
The Pestilence Sage swallowed. Black smoke roiled from his body as he gave the serpent a sinister smile. "I've eaten his soul. How do you expect him to survive?"
The golden serpent's eyes widened in fear.
"No need to thank me. Find your king quickly. I don't want to wait here for too long," the Pestilence Sage continued.
Still in shock, the golden serpent nodded, swallowed up the radiant monk's body, then slithered off.
"Sage, you're truly amazing! Would you be willing to accept me as your disciple?" Tang asked.
"We can discuss that more after matters here are accomplished," the Pestilence Sage replied. He looked disdainfully at Tang, without any inclination to take him on as a disciple.
"Elder, what are we doing here at the Thousand-Serpent Island?" one cultivator asked curiously.
"These serpents didn't succeed at their task, so I'm naturally here to interrogate them. The plan was to kill Zhao Yuanjiao, so why is he still alive? It's been a few months since then. Why haven't they continued attacking him?" the Pestilence Sage asked.
"I heard that Zhao Yuanjiao has been hiding on Taiqing Island, and there hasn't been an opportunity to strike," one cultivator murmured.
"And so what? Zhao Yuanjiao's been weeding out troublemakers among the blackguards. If this drags on any longer, he'll be able to make them into his own elite force," the Pestilence Sage warned.
"Of course, Sage. I was a spy on Taiqing Island, and I'm well aware of Zhao Yuanjiao's capabilities. He's a deep schemer, and we'll have to deal with him early before he can grow into his own." Tang nodded.
"Exactly right, Tang. However, I've gathered this group of sea serpents not just to deal with Zhao Yuanjiao, but also Xiao Nanfeng."
"What? Xiao Nanfeng?" Tang blanched.
"I've just received news that Xiao Nanfeng has become the seniormost Ascended disciple and enjoys a particularly elevated reputation within the Taiqing Immortal Sect. I've been tasked to take him down as well. Tang, you're familiar with Xiao Nanfeng, aren't you? You'll lead the way when the time comes."
Tang stiffened. "We can't, Sage!"
The Pestilence Sage cocked his head at Tang.
"Sage, I fully agree with your decision to take down Zhao Yuanjiao, but I'm worried about Xiao Nanfeng. There's something strange about him," Tang immediately added.
Everyone stared at Tang. That was what they all said of Tang; this was the first time they had heard Tang say that of someone else!
"It's true!" Tang stressed. "He was already able to break a cursed effigy apart while in mid-Acquisition. While in an illusory realm with him, I saw him take down a cursed effigy that even Elder Ku was stymied by. Despite how careful I am, he's managed to foil me multiple times. Furthermore, I've since discovered that, except for me, all those who opposed him have died—even Ma Shan and the others, who were far stronger than he was to begin with! There's something strange about Xiao Nanfeng. It's better to stay away."
"Weren't you the one who cursed them?" one of the other cultivators asked.
"Not by me, but by Xiao Nanfeng!"
The other cultivators clearly didn't believe Tang.
"Sage, I strongly recommend that we avoid Xiao Nanfeng. If he's around, we have to leave. Otherwise, calamity will befall us all. Please believe my intuition!"
"Are you crazy? I, the Sage of Pestilence, avoiding a puny Ascension-realm cultivator?"
"Please, Sage, you have to believe me!" Tang cried out.
Everyone stared at Tang. You might have lost to Xiao Nanfeng a few times, but how could he have traumatized you so severely? The Pestilence Sage could easily take down even Spiritsong-realm cultivators, let alone an Ascension-realm one!
"Oh? I wouldn't have been interested in him if not for how you're building him up. Such calamity is perfect for advancing my cultivation. I'll have to take on Xiao Nanfeng myself," the Pestilence Sage replied.
"Please, Sage, there's no need! There's really something wrong with him!"
"Not enough to best me," the Pestilence Sage replied.
Just then, a sea serpent shouted, "An intruder! All serpents, prepare to face the enemy!"
Countless sea serpents slithered toward the outskirts of the island.
Another voice could be heard from afar. "Croak, Warble, strike now! All disciples, charge ahead with me, Xiao Nanfeng! Kill these sea serpents!"
"Kill!" an ear-splitting shout rang out from all over.
The Pestilence Sage, Tang, and the other cultivators blinked. Xiao Nanfeng... was here?
"He's really here? Something is strange about him, isn't it?" someone cried out.
"Is it really Xiao Nanfeng? How convenient!" the Pestilence Sage exclaimed.
Only Tang stiffened. "Xiao Nanfeng's as sinister as ever. Sage, please, we have to flee. Something's wrong!"
"Silence! Accompany me to take down Xiao Nanfeng. I'd like to see just how ominous someone has to be for an omen of calamity like you to be so scared." Despite Tang's repeated pleas, the Pestilence Sage was unbelievably excited.
"Understood!" everyone chorused.
Tang frowned in worry. The last few times he had gone up against Xiao Nanfeng, the others around him had been equally cocksure and confident—and now they were all dead.
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