Turned Red

In the willow grove west of the city, the hum of cicadas grew louder under the blazing midday sun. Qin Xuan sat atop a large boulder, eyes closed in meditation as he regulated his breath and refined qi. Even when an occasional oriole fluttered down onto his shoulder, he did not open his eyes. Concealed in the shadows, the two elders hid all traces of their aura, as if they had never existed. Before long, Lord Gutless, trapped within the mesh net, awakened from his stupor. His six legs kicked wildly as he thrashed about. Yet with his entire store of magic power destroyed by the One Origin Heavy Water Fiend, his two great pincers could not muster an ounce of strength. He could not even snip through the ragged net woven by ordinary fishermen. He cursed in fury, "Qin... Qin Xuan! You brat who deserves a thousand cuts! You ruined my hard-won cultivation! The general manager will never let you off!" Lord Gutless roared continuously, heaping vulgar abuse. What infuriated him even more was that no matter how foully he cursed, the young man before him did not show the slightest tremor in his aura. His entire crab shell turned red with rage. Little did he know... Qin Xuan's state of mind was not truly so detached, nor was he devoid of temper. Lord Gutless's tirade had indeed disturbed his qi refining. At the thought of this crab being one of the Black Catfish demon's lackeys, a fire flared in Qin Xuan's heart, tempting him to strike the creature dead. Yet the moment those tangled stray thoughts arose, the fiend in his Taiyin aperture swallowed them up as nourishment. It was, quite literally, putting a useless crab to good use. About the time it took two incense sticks to burn passed. Suddenly, birds took flight in fright from the tips of the large willows to the west, fluttering toward the distance. Directly afterward, a cloud of incense mist welled up along the horizon—red tinged with azure—carrying the winds of the Divine Way as it surged mightily from the direction of Hawk's Beak Mountain! Within the incense clouds, shadowy figures flickered, numbering around twenty or more. The leader stood nine feet tall, dressed in a green brocade robe, his bell-like bronze eyes gleaming with vitality. It was none other than Mountain God Tan Gang. Behind him followed three mountain-ghost spirit officials, among whom was Tan Chi, whom Qin Xuan had previously encountered near the false tomb. The remaining dozen or so protector deities each held divine armaments, and the air of incense permeated midair. Merely drawing a little closer, an enormous pressure bore down, shaking the river's surface into basket-sized ripples and sending fish and shrimp darting in panic through the waterweeds. Lady Soul Snatcher stood beside Mountain God Tan, twisting her supple waist atop the cloud as her eyes gazed down. With a single glance through the thousands of weeping willow fronds, she fixed her gaze on Qin Xuan. Seeing him all alone, facing the oppressive incense clouds without the slightest hint of fear—not even lifting an eyelid— Eh?! Lady Soul Snatcher caught sight of the large crab in the net, sensing a remarkably familiar aura. As it turned out, before their arrival, Qin Xuan had used magic power to seal Lord Gutless's mouth. Now desperate to survive, the crab could only bulge his stalked eyes wide, staring fixedly at the divine beings. Lady Soul Snatcher frowned upon seeing him and asked, "Lord Gutless?" Unable to speak, the crab demon nodded his head frantically like a pestle pounding garlic. As a great demon who roamed Hawk's Beak Mountain freely, Lady Soul Snatcher immediately sensed something amiss. She extended her divine sense to probe in all directions. However, the two Core Formation elders from Yuansong Temple were ascetic cultivators from the Scripture Tower, masters of tranquil arts. Perched upon the distant willow branches, they gave off not the faintest trace of breath or sound, just like two withered twigs. The scorpion demon could detect nothing. Tan Gang exchanged a glance with Lady Soul Snatcher. Whether Qin Xuan was in Qi Refining or Foundation Building, as long as he had no helpers by his side, they had plenty of ways to finish him off, even if an expert had bestowed true fire upon him for protection. For now, however, the two could not be certain. Mountain God Tan's pupils narrowed slightly. Calculating inwardly, he kept his expression inscrutable. The incense cloud descended slowly to the ground, coming to a halt ten zhang from Qin Xuan. A chilling stillness fell over the willow grove; no one uttered a sound. Mountain God Tan took a step forward. Formidable without anger, his overwhelming presence bent the surrounding willows. Qin Xuan's hair drifted and his clothes rustled loudly in the wind, yet he remained seated without moving. "Mountain God Tan mobilizes with such fanfare—could it be to catch demons?" Qin Xuan pointed at Lord Gutless. "This crab demon was blustering just now, claiming he had many wicked helpers coming to capture me together. I've waited quite a while without seeing a single phantom. Has Mountain God Tan run into any?" Tan Gang maintained the dignified air he wore in the temple and said, "I have not." "Young Master Qin, Lord Gutless belongs to the Lan River Water Palace and holds a divine tablet. In a few days, he will become a divine being among the demon clans. Apprehending him may not be quite appropriate." Qin Xuan replied, "Inappropriate? This scoundrel committed atrocities upstream along the Yishui River and took the lives of many fishermen. Why can he not be apprehended?" Tan Gang shook his head. "He carries the command talisman of the Yishui River God's Mansion. Even if he committed crimes, you should deliver him to the River God nearby. That is the rule." "Bullshit rules." Qin Xuan let out a cold snort. "Evil is evil. Just because someone acquires a divine identity, does that mean he can do whatever he pleases?" Tan Gang fell silent, seemingly weighing Qin Xuan's words. Yet in the very next breath, he said, "Young Master Qin, please hand Brother Gutless over to me." Before his voice finished echoing, the incense qi around him surged violently, and his figure flashed toward Qin Xuan! However, a fiery divine quail with distinct feathers burst forth in an instant, interposing itself between them. Holding the earthenware pot in his hands, Qin Xuan had been prepared all along. Divine beings absorbed burning incense and, through secret arts of the Divine Way, refined it with their spiritual bodies to produce unique incense evil qi. In Mountain God Tan's grasp, this evil qi formed a gigantic axe. As he cleaved downward, the blow seemed aimed at the mesh net. Yet it struck squarely against Mao Yan's Willow Constellation Earth Rock Fire Evil. Boom! The protective shield shook violently! Qin Xuan had already opened the Flowery Pool, multiplying his magic power compared to when the Xieling Sect had attacked him, but the drain was still substantial. Mountain God Tan's assault was even more formidable than that of the Xieling Sect's vice sect master. The instant the giant axe collided with the fire evil, the Divine Quail True Fire flared out, shattering Mountain God Tan's spell. Ignited by the true fire, the incense evil qi burned back toward its source as Qin Xuan channeled more magic power. Mountain God Tan stepped back five zhang to evade it, then surged forward with quick strides, mustering an even stronger surge of incense evil qi to chop down once more! Expressionless, he projected his voice: "Young Master Qin, as the saying goes, immortals are recluses wandering the four quarters, while gods are bureaucrats with defined duties. Hand Lord Gutless over to me; do not breach the rules of the Divine Way." In saying this, he was clearly stating a justification for his actions. This blow was for nothing else than to uphold the dignity of the Divine Way. Yet Qin Xuan could tell that this duplicitous god, eager to shirk blame, was aiming directly at him. He was taking the opportunity to probe Senior Mao Yan's true fire. Nevertheless, Mountain God Tan's three centuries of cultivation through incense was truly no small matter. The axe blade cast an incandescent glow extending higher than the willow treetops, shrouded in miasma-like evil qi as it slammed into the fire evil once again. The mountain ghosts and protector deities all fell back, and colossal waves erupted across three li of the river. Mountain God Tan remained devoid of expression, preparing to deliver a third strike. Although Qin Xuan was confident he could withstand it, doing so was not his objective. He wanted to test Tan Gang, discover the source of his murderous intent, buy time for Master Bear, and set a trap for this cunning god along the way... Taking hits passively was hardly the best course. With a shift in thought, a plan formed in his mind. Before Tan Gang could swing his axe again, Qin Xuan raised the mesh net and chuckled: "Mountain God Tan, since you want this crab demon, take him!" Hearing this, Lord Gutless was both surprised and overjoyed. A soaring malice surged in his heart: *Once I restore my magic power, I will surely return to seek revenge on Qin Xuan! If I cannot kill him, I'll slaughter those around him to vent this hatred!* Yet before Mountain God Tan could reach for him, Qin Xuan hurled him outward. Hot, hotter and hotter! The entire crab shell instantly roasted red. In Lord Gutless's eyes burned a sphere of Divine Quail True Fire—he had turned thoroughly red. Even the magic power Qin Xuan had used to suppress him was incinerated by the true fire. "Ahhh—!" A bloodcurdling scream was cut short. Having lost his magic power, Lord Gutless needed only a brush from the true fire's trailing flame to turn from raw to thoroughly cooked. Giving off the mouthwatering aroma of roasted crab, he sailed right before Mountain God Tan's eyes. Flicking his wrist, Qin Xuan tossed a pre-prepared handful of chopped scallions over the crab shell: "Mountain God Tan, Lord Gutless willingly sacrificed himself. Take him to the River God, and enjoy your feast." ...