novelraw Page 397
Page 397
Chapter 999, The Insect King's Own Trap
"You ever-changing witch, come out here, or I'll wipe out all your fellow disciples who entered the secret realm."
The Insect King threatened, releasing countless soul insects that filled the air with dread.
"Senior Sister Dongfang, please come out quickly! We believe you didn't do it. Please come out and explain yourself to clear up the misunderstanding."
"Yes! Senior Sister Dongfang, please come out! Stop hiding. Let's clear up any misunderstandings."
The Qingfeng Sect, to which Dongfang Ruo belongs, is a mediocre existence among the seven major sects. It is much weaker than the Tianxie Sect, to which the Insect King and Poison King belong. Generally, Qingfeng Sect disciples would avoid people from the Tianxie Sect and would not dare to confront them.
The Insect King threatened the lives of the Qingfeng Sect disciples, causing them to panic. They all shouted for Dongfang Ruo to come out. Normally, they wouldn't have dared to be so bold. Dongfang Ruo's title of "Hundred Transformations Witch" was quite intimidating. If their lives weren't in danger, they would never have dared to go against Dongfang Ruo.
However, no matter how much the Qingfeng Sect members shouted, Dongfang Ruo never appeared. Even Huo Wang and the others began to suspect that Dongfang Ruo was hiding among the Qingfeng Sect members, among disciples of other sects, or simply not here at all.
"Senior Brother Insect King, Senior Sister really isn't here. Why don't we wait until we get out and let the elders handle this matter?"
A disciple of the Qingfeng Sect, steeling himself, spoke to the Insect King.
"Not here?" The Insect King smiled, then quickly turned cold, saying in an icy tone, "Then you can all die."
Endless soul worms charged towards Qingfeng Sect, and in the blink of an eye, people died again.
The Qingfeng Sect only had about ten people, none of whom were very strong. It took only a few minutes for them to be almost completely wiped out, leaving only one male disciple struggling desperately, and it seemed that he wouldn't be able to hold on for much longer.
"Could it be that she really isn't hiding within her own sect?"
The Insect King's expression was not good; he felt like he had been tricked.
"Help! Fellow disciples, help me! I'm innocent!"
"No, I don't want to die! I still have so many years ahead of me! I... I'm still a virgin!"
Yi Shuihan, who was watching the show, had a change of heart. He hadn't planned to get involved in this mess, but the guy's words about being a virgin reminded him of his past life.
With a flick of his finger, a spark was sent flying, which quickly grew larger and transformed into a massive pillar of fire in the blink of an eye. It hurtled towards the dying male disciple, engulfing both the soul worm and the disciple in flames.
The soul insects cried out in agony as they were burned to ashes in the flames, and the male disciple screamed incessantly. However, the flames did not harm him as much as the soul insects. In the end, all the soul insects were destroyed, and the male disciple fell to the ground, covered in wounds, barely managing to save his life.
With this move, everyone turned to look at Yi Shuihan, as if they were watching a good show.
Yi Shuihan, this mysterious person, is someone that many chief disciples respectfully despise, so his strength must be considerable. The Insect King is not someone to be trifled with either. Everyone is eagerly anticipating what will happen next.
"Why did he make a move? Does he have some connection with the Hundred-Faced Witch?"
Fuji's smile froze on his face, his eyes flickering uncertainly.
Disguised as an ordinary disciple, Ouyang Tu was secretly excited. The Insect King and Yi Shuihan were both his enemies, and he was happy to see them clash, hoping they would perish together.
"Are you an accomplice of the Hundred-Faced Witch? Or are you the Hundred-Faced Witch yourself?"
Insect King Yi Shuihan's eyes showed some apprehension. If Yi Shuihan's move just now was really casual, he would definitely not be a match for him. Therefore, he guessed that Yi Shuihan was pretending to be relaxed, but in fact, that move consumed a lot of energy.
As for the Insect King, although he had a good relationship with the Poison King, he was actually just venting his frustrations about the losses he suffered from encountering Ouyang Tu. Revenge was just a side effect, and if things really couldn't be done, he wouldn't mind letting go of his hatred.
It could be said that if Yi Shuihan had acted a little more forcefully at this moment, and then given the Insect King a way out, the Insect King would have been very likely to have accepted it.
Unfortunately, Yi Shuihan didn't care about the Insect King's thoughts. He completely ignored the Insect King's questioning and instead spoke to the maid Shangguan Rou beside him.
"I suddenly feel a bit hot. Quickly get me a fan and fan me. Also, I'd like an iced cappuccino with extra milk, but no sugar this time."
Having served as Yi Shuihan's maid for some time, Shangguan Rou could understand the meaning behind Yi Shuihan's words, unlike the first time when she was completely bewildered when she heard "Cappuccino".
Looking at the insect king, which was already turning green, Shangguan Rou chuckled, then took out a table from her spatial ring and began to make coffee for Yi Shuihan.
The expressions of the others were extremely strange, making the Insect King feel as if everyone was laughing at him.
"You ungrateful animal."
The Insect King's body instantly dispersed, transforming into the form of soul insects. Compared to ordinary soul insects, the soul insects with the Insect King's divided souls were much larger, and their aura far surpassed that of ordinary soul insects. Furthermore, these divided soul insects could also release spells.
Hundreds of ice blades, hundreds of fireballs, hundreds of wind blades, hundreds of poisonous gases, hundreds of sandstorms...
A barrage of spells was thrown at Yi Shuihan, but the expected chaotic bombardment did not occur. Just like the time when Shangguan Rou and Ouyang Tu used their ultimate moves, the dense array of spells stopped in front of Yi Shuihan, making everyone's scalp tingle.
Even the Fire King and Young Master Leng, who had witnessed this scene before, were shocked. They had never heard of or seen such a method before. Even if an ordinary World Realm cultivator were to make a move, they did not believe that they could achieve this level. They would more likely use their superior strength to disperse or deflect the spell.
The power of time is not easy to comprehend; it is extremely rare even at the level of the Great Luo Immortal.
The Insect King wasn't stupid. Upon seeing this bizarre scene, he immediately urged his soul insect clones to scatter and flee. He had a large number of soul insects, and even more soul insects without clones to provide cover. As long as a large number of soul insects with clones didn't die, he wouldn't be seriously injured.
Even though Ouyang Tu's drop of Buddha blood only killed a few hundred insect kings with divided souls, it has almost recovered now, which shows how powerful its ability to preserve its life is.
This time, the Insect King had only himself to blame. He released tens of thousands of spells, which were returned to him intact. Even though he had started to dodge first, thousands of soul insects died, and he was seriously injured in an instant.
"To think that the Insect King was injured so easily, what an amazing guy."
Chapter 1000, Thank you for your guidance, senior.
While others were astonished by Yi Shuihan's strength, he took out a chair, sat down, and savored the cappuccino brewed by Shangguan Rou, who fanned him with a fan.
"It would be even more perfect if there were two more people, one to massage my shoulders and the other to massage my legs."
With his eyes slightly narrowed, Yi Shuihan thought with a hint of insatiable greed.
In fact, if Yi Shuihan really wanted to, he could pull out a large group of people eager to serve him from his personal world at any time. However, that was not what Yi Shuihan wanted. He wouldn't have made someone like Shangguan Rou his maid if he didn't feel indebted to her.
Others might not believe it, but Shangguan Rou becoming Yi Shuihan's maid was not a disgrace to her; in fact, it was a huge gain for her.
Yi Shuihan is a Great Luo Golden Immortal, and he has his own personal world. When he unleashes his power, it is comparable to a Quasi-Saint. With such strength, countless people would want to curry favor with him. Not to mention the other benefits of following Yi Shuihan, when Shangguan Rou cultivates, if Yi Shuihan gives her some pointers, she will not make any mistakes in her cultivation, and her probability of reaching the World Realm will increase significantly.
If Yi Shuihan were in a good mood and bestowed some gifts, that would be even more remarkable. What would it matter if Shangguan Rou's hard-earned foundation were easily restored? She would even take another step forward. If Yi Shuihan were to nurture her with all his might, Shangguan Rou's chances of reaching the World Realm would be over 90%. The remaining 10% failure would be due to her lack of ambition.
Let alone Shangguan Rou, even world-level beings in this world, if they knew Yi Shuihan's strength, would all rush to join him.
"Pretentious, what a scumbag."
Feng Wu looked at the male disciples' envious expressions and said disdainfully. Normally, she couldn't stand this kind of pretentious behavior the most, but she knew she was no match for Yi Shuihan, so she could only curse in secret, not daring to say it out loud for fear of attracting Yi Shuihan's attention.
"Senior, thank you for showing mercy. I am willing to offer a bottle of soul blood to express my gratitude for your guidance."
The Insect King, its aura extremely weak, trembled as it approached Yi Shuihan and uttered words that surprised everyone.
"How shameless! They actually did that. Now it's not easy for the senior to continue attacking him."
"The Insect King is quite powerful, and it's also very quick-witted. I've learned another trick from it."
"As expected of those from the heretical sects, they've even lost all sense of shame."
"Soul Blood, that's a real treasure. It can enhance the soul. It's rumored that long-term consumption of Soul Blood can greatly increase the probability of advancing to the World Realm. It's an invaluable item for the Insect King. With Soul Blood, he can split his soul in a short time and create more Soul Split Insects. What a grand scheme."
The Insect King's "sincere" attitude did have some effect. For Yi Shuihan, the Soul Blood was not a great treasure. But in this situation, one should put oneself in another's shoes. It was nothing to him, but it was very important to the Insect King. The value of wealth can vary in different ways.
One hundred dollars might be a huge sum for a beggar, but for a tycoon it might just be the price of a bottle of water. A beggar giving you one hundred dollars is far more meaningful than a tycoon giving you one hundred dollars. The former is giving away all their wealth, while the latter is just casually tossing away a bottle of water.
"Your comprehension is good; you know that I, your ancestor, am enlightening you."
Yi Shuihan gestured for Shangguan Rou to accept the soul blood, and then said to the Insect King with an air of aptitude for teaching.
This attitude relieved the Insect King; he had passed this hurdle. Although it meant losing money to avoid disaster, at least he had survived.
The loss of Soul Blood truly pained the Insect King. He dared not utter any complaints against Yi Shuihan, but instead felt immense hatred for the already deceased Poison King and the ever-changing witch hiding in the shadows. If the Poison King hadn't died, he wouldn't have used this as an excuse to vent his anger, and if the ever-changing witch hadn't been hiding, he wouldn't have ended up facing Yi Shuihan by some twist of fate.
If the Poison King knew this from beyond the grave, he'd probably be so angry he'd come back to life. "So it's all my fault that I died?"
Compared to the Poison King, another person is actually in a worse situation, and that is Ouyang Tu. If he had the Poison King's intelligence, he wouldn't have lost 2 drops of Futu Blood, and now he can't even keep his talent.
Shangguan Rou's foundation has been destroyed, and she suffered the greatest loss. However, she has turned misfortune into blessing. Now she is Yi Shuihan's maid, and her rise to power is just around the corner. If Yi Shuihan does not take her away from this world in the end, he will still guarantee her a future in the World Realm. If he does take her away, she may even become a saint in the future.
A crisp, clear laugh rang out from the evil faction to which the Insect King belonged.
"The Insect King is truly insightful!"
The voice was full of teasing.
"How dare a disciple of the heretical sect challenge the Laughing Worm King?"
The thought had barely formed when the laughing evil disciple's figure shifted, finally settling on a woman with blonde hair, a voluptuous and sexy figure, and an exceptionally beautiful face.
"The Ever-Changing Witch!"
The Insect King looked at the blonde woman and spoke each word with chilling intent.
"The ever-changing witch is actually hiding in the evil sect. What a clever scheme. She didn't even reveal herself when the disciples of her sect were killed. What a ruthless heart she has."
"Is she now revealing herself because she thinks the heavily injured Insect King is no threat?"
"The Ever-Changing Witch is no weakling either. It's hard to say what the Insect King was like in his prime, but now! Haven't you seen how much weaker the Insect King's aura has become?"
The ever-changing witch, in her various forms, emerged from the evil sect step by step. The evil sect disciples made way for her, not even glancing at her, clearly showing their great fear.
This behavior was despised by disciples from other sects, but they couldn't say anything. If it were them, they would probably have met with a similar fate.
Is this your true self?
Yi Shuihan's sudden question startled Dongfang Ruo, who then smiled charmingly.
"If the Ancestor wants to know, I can find some time to talk to you privately, without holding anything back!"
Her tone was full of allure, and many of the male disciples around her couldn't resist looking at Dongfang Ruo with infatuation.
"Alright, come with me when we go out later!"
Yi Shuihan nodded, but what she said left Dongfang Ruo completely dumbfounded. Heaven has mercy on her; she was just saying it casually.
"How about we find another time?" she said awkwardly, already regretting provoking that old monster Yi Shuihan. Why did she have to be so cheeky as to say that?
Chapter 1001, Gamble
"How dare you! It's an honor for you to be close to your senior, yet you still make excuses. You're showing no respect for your senior."
Before Yi Shuihan could answer, the Insect King spoke loudly, looking indignant, as if Yi Shuihan were his father and his father had been insulted.
"I'm talking to my senior, why are you interrupting? I think you're the one who doesn't respect my senior. I not only respect my senior, but I also admire him from the bottom of my heart. I'm just saying that. If my senior really wants to get closer to me, I'll definitely be willing."
Dongfang Ruo was no pushover either; with a quick glance, she uttered these words.
“I have the utmost respect for you, senior. Otherwise, I would not have offered my soul blood to you. Unlike you, you don’t even dare to let your senior see your true face. This is clearly deceiving your senior.”
The Insect King grasped the key point, and his words caused Dongfang Ruo's expression to change drastically. The Insect King's words were reasonable and well-founded, making it difficult to refute.
The best course of action for Dongfang Ruo now is to reveal her true identity, but this is too demanding for her. Rather than revealing her true identity, she would rather offer something of equal value to the Soul Blood.
Yi Shuihan remained silent from beginning to end, looking like he was watching a show. It has to be said that the Insect King is truly a talent; not only is he powerful, but his verbal skills are also quite formidable.
“Senior, it’s not that I’m unwilling to show my true face, but I’ve made a vow that only my Daoist partner can see my true face. I think you can understand me. If you really want to see it, I’m too weak to stop you. I can only commit suicide after you see it to keep my vow.”
Dongfang Ruo presented herself as a weak woman who had been bullied, which won the sympathy of most of the male disciples. Yi Shuihan and the others dared not say anything, and their eyes were enough to say the truth.
"Senior, please don't believe this witch's lies. Who can confirm whether she swore an oath or not?"
"If you don't believe me, senior, I can make a vow to swear an oath to my inner demons right here and now."
The oath to one's inner demons, if broken, may not seem like a big deal in ordinary times, but when one is at a certain level, inner demons will come knocking and interfere, which is extremely terrifying. For a genius like Dongfang Ruo, breaking the oath to one's inner demons is equivalent to cutting off one's own path to the World Realm.
"No need. I never said I had to see your true face. If I really wanted to, do you think I wouldn't have?"
Yi Shuihan waved his hand to end the topic. His eyes were incredibly deep. When Dongfang Ruo met his gaze, she saw her own true self reflected in them. Terrified, she took several steps back and pointed at Yi Shuihan with a look of horror on her face.
"This is our secret, don't tell anyone, or I'll really only be your Daoist partner."
The slightly frivolous words of Yi Shuihan floated into Dongfang Ruo's mind. Seeing that Yi Shuihan did not speak, she knew that the other party was transmitting his voice, and nodded very unnaturally.
The Insect King was unwilling to accept the failure of his plan to divert trouble eastward, and wanted to say something more, but before he could finish speaking, he was enveloped by a huge pressure, and he staggered and almost fell.
As a wise man, the Insect King rationally kept his mouth shut.
"Why are you all staring at me? Don't you want to leave? If you don't leave, I'm going to be the first one to go."
Yi Shuihan stood up, and Shangguan Rou quickly packed up the things. Then, under the watchful eyes of everyone, Yi Shuihan passed through the gate of the secret realm.
Once Yi Shuihan disappeared, everyone's expressions eased considerably. Yi Shuihan's presence had exerted considerable pressure on them without them even realizing it. With Yi Shuihan around, they would unconsciously keep their eyes on him, paying close attention to his every move, without the slightest distraction.
"Insect King, you have slaughtered all the other disciples of my Qingfeng Sect. I will report this to my sect elders when I get out. See you outside."
Dongfang Ruo said that the third person to walk out of the secret realm was Shangguan Rou.
"Insect King, I think the elders would love to hear about your 'stupid' killing spree just now."
With a smile, Fuji left out these words and led his fellow disciples through the gate to the secret realm. The others didn't say anything harsh, but they all gave the Insect King a knowing look.
Outside the secret realm, the elders of the seven major sects gathered at the entrance. An old man with a jade gourd hanging from his waist suddenly spoke up, "Since we're bored anyway, how about we make a bet?"
"Old drunkard, what do you want to bet? I, Black Butcher, will distribute the winnings to the end. I'm just afraid you can't afford to bet."
"Let's bet on which faction has the most surviving disciples. I'll offer a bottle of Drunken Immortal Wine."
Drunken Immortal Brew is a precious wine made primarily from ten-thousand-year-old jade fruit, combined with thousands of precious auxiliary ingredients, and refined through hundreds of processes over a hundred years. Not only does it have a mellow taste, but it can also improve cultivation. Even those at the World Realm have some use for it, and those at the Heaven-Stepping Realm consider it comparable to a miraculous elixir.