Those crane feathers came so suddenly and so fast!
“Uncle Crane! No!!”
Shen Luohe's face paled dramatically, and he shouted out. However, the white crane completely ignored him. It let out a sharp cry as the feathers under its wings stood on end. Fierce gales erupted, transforming into thousands of tiny, razor-sharp blades that sliced through the air with immense power. Carrying the crushing weight of Mount Tai, they shot straight toward Nan Zhi!
“Ting! Ting! Ting!”
“Ting! Ting!”
Nan Zhi did not retreat a single step, raising the Fish-Dragon Guillotine in front of her. For a moment, the fierce gales howled, accompanied by crisp clanging sounds. Sharp feather arrows grazed past her ears, shaving off only a few strands of her hair.
The invisible gales materialized into a tangible force, trapping her inside. The bamboo pavilion collapsed with a resounding crash, and the small bamboo splinters transformed into thousands of sharp needles, pointing directly at Nan Zhi's throat. Danger lurked in every direction!
So strong!
This white crane was at least at the late-stage Foundation Establishment!
It was far stronger than that Golden-Winged Flying Centipede!
Nan Zhi was utterly astonished. Yet, despite the clear intent to kill, she felt no desire to retreat or beg for mercy. Instead, a surge of intense Will to Fight rose within her—
【Hiding Art】!
【Five Elements Techniques】!
【Thunder Curse】!
A speck of light flared beneath her feet. In the next instant, Nan Zhi's figure vanished. Thousands of vines erupted from the ground, weaving into a massive wall of wood and vines that firmly blocked the crane feathers for half a breath!
Half a breath was more than enough.
“Gaaah! Gaaah!!”
Low rumbles of thunder echoed in the sky. The white crane's feathers puffed up as it craned its neck and let out a loud cry, thrusting its long, sharp beak downward in a powerful peck!
Instead of retreating, Nan Zhi advanced. She leaped into the air, twisting her waist. With electricity crackling wildly in her hand, she brought the Fish-Dragon Guillotine slashing down with furious force—
“Clang!!”
“Gaaah!”
“Fellow Daoist Nan!”
Shen Luohe's face turned pale. His paper fan flew from his hand, and he was on the verge of summoning his natal dharma treasure to save his friend at all costs!
One must understand that this white crane had been raised by Daoist Qinglong since it was a hatchling, fed daily with heavenly treasures, spirit herbs, and immortal elixirs, forcing its cultivation all the way to Foundation Establishment Level 7.
Its body was as heavy as a mountain, and its beak was as sharp as steel, capable of biting a chunk out of even an ordinary magic treasure, let alone a mortal body!
Yet, in the next second, he froze on the spot.
He watched as the crane's beak pecked down. Though partially blocked by that uniquely shaped, bizarre saber, it still landed squarely on Nan Zhi's forearm.
However, there was no gushing blood, nor was her arm severed. There was only a very faint, shallow white mark.
It looked as if she had merely been pecked by a newborn chick.
On the contrary, the white crane suffered a massive setback. A powerful Thunder Curse crashed down upon it, leaving its sharp beak charred black. Even the white feathers around its head were scorched soot-black, clumping together in messy, soot-covered patches—
Its eyes went vacant, and it stumbled forward a few steps.
It seemed utterly unable to believe what had just happened.
For a moment, Shen Luohe did not know whether to marvel at his friend's extraordinary constitution or to gloat over the white crane's self-inflicted misery.
This white crane had relied on its sharp beak to bully countless people in the past.
Now, it had finally met its match and suffered a humiliating defeat.
But...
“You've established your foundation?”
Shen Luohe's eyes flickered with a hint of complexity. After a brief moment, they returned to calm, filled with nothing but pure, sincere well-wishes:
“Congratulations. Xijian and I will also catch up as soon as possible and reach Foundation Establishment soon.”
There were millions of cultivators in the world. Some were brilliant, stepping into Foundation Establishment in just a few months; others were uniquely blessed, receiving the empowerment of an immortal, achieving instant enlightenment, and becoming immortals on the spot.
The path he had to walk was simply his own Dao.
Walking his own Dao well was more than enough.
In the end, all paths led to the same destination.
Nan Zhi nodded to him, ignored the troublemaking white crane, and turned to bow to the scruffy Taoist cradling the wine jar:
“Fourth-class arrest officer Nan Zhi under the Northwest Circuit Demon Suppression Monastery greets the Temple Master.”
“No need for such formalities. Crane Servant's test has already proven that you, little girl, do not carry any heavy evil karma. If you did, the one who struck just now would have been me.”
The scruffy Taoist lay beneath the collapsed bamboo pavilion, completely unbothered by the bamboo splinters covering his face. He casually wiped the seal of the wine jar, tore it open, and gulped down several mouthfuls:
“Was that lightning magic you used just now? It doesn't look like you have a formal lineage... How many Foundation Establishment Pills did you use to establish your foundation?”
Nan Zhi had not expected Daoist Qinglong to see through this as well, so she honestly admitted:
“I have no formal master. I learned my lightning magic by chance, and it took two Foundation Establishment Pills to establish my foundation.”
“A woman's body belongs to yin, which naturally poses a disadvantage when practicing yang lightning magic. However, you have a unique constitution and harbor a righteous spirit, which makes your lightning magic even more powerful.”
Daoist Qinglong lifted his eyelids and said with a chuckle:
“Those brain-dead fools can't read a person's heart, but do they not even recognize lightning magic? There's no need to even inspect you with the Xiezhi Mirror to know the truth.
When the Yin Yang Road suddenly fell into chaos that day, I heard there was a second-class demon suppressor with you?”
“That day, it was like this... and like that... The evil monk Huiyuan was cunning. Taking advantage of the opening of the Gates of Hell, he sacrificed the souls of the Yin Yang Road in an attempt to open the Witch Coffin and bring disaster upon the mortal realm.
Your subordinate and second-class demon suppressor Xu Zi had originally entered to investigate a case involving human traffickers, but we never expected to be dragged into such a terrifying catastrophe.
If my colleague hadn't... fought to the death to cover my retreat that day, your subordinate would have long since perished in the Yin Yang Road. How could I have turned this disaster into a blessing and reached Foundation Establishment?”
Nan Zhi told a mixture of truth and lies about what happened that day, omitting certain details of the truth:
“Because that evil monk saw that I had ruined his grand plan, he pursued and tried to kill me repeatedly for many days. He even framed me for betraying the Demon Suppression Division. Your subordinate could not bear to strike back at my former colleagues, so I could only flee in distress. Out of concern for my family and the desire to clear my name, I have come specifically to pay my respects to the Temple Master, seeking justice and clarity.”
“In truth, this Master had some doubts from the beginning.”
Daoist Qinglong wiped his face, leaving a glistening sheen of wine on his beard:
“I lost my son in my early years, and the two personal disciples under my tutelage both speak highly of you. They said that you were willing to run around for the wronged soul of a wine-selling woman whom you had never met and had no connection to, proving you possess a chivalrous heart and noble spirit.
I might not trust others, but I know my own disciples' judgment of character is never wrong.
Seeing you use lightning magic today, with Crane Servant also testing you, naturally proves that the evil treasure capable of slaughtering cities and destroying worlds is not in your possession.
Tomorrow, I will send a message by flying letter to state your case, explain the truth, and clear your name. As for that second-class demon suppressor...”
He looked over, his weathered eyes seemingly able to pierce through Nan Zhi's heart. “Where is she now?”
“She was of demon origin. That day, she was wounded by that evil object and reverted to her original form, remaining inside the Yin Yang Road.”
Nan Zhi's heart skipped a beat as a sharp, stinging pain shot through her palm—it was the wisteria, which had been hovering between life and death, warning her.
She immediately concealed any information regarding this half-dead vine.
“Is that so?”
Daoist Qinglong let out a yawn and lazily rolled over:
“That is indeed a pity.”
He lay on his back amidst the bamboo splinters, and it was hard to tell how much he had actually absorbed. Before long, loud snores echoed as he fell fast asleep on his own.
Your sense of relaxation is really a bit too much.
Nan Zhi: “...”
Standing to the side, Shen Luohe let out a sigh of relief and shot her a look. She immediately nodded.
The two of them were about to leave one after the other, but they had not expected the white crane standing nearby to suddenly snap out of it. With eyes full of tears, its long beak clamped onto the hem of Nan Zhi's skirt, refusing to let go:
“Gaaah! Gaaah! Gah gah gah gah!”
【Pay up! Pay up! Pay up!】
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