Chapter 176 - 131: Refusing to Die

Chapter 176: Chapter 131: Refusing to Die

The Inner Island was off-limits to outsiders, so Xue Nichang couldn’t bring Zi Hua Master inside. She could only have him find a place to stay on the Outer Island and wait.

Zi Hua Master didn’t mind in the slightest. Piloting his lone boat, he soon found one of the Outer Islands.

This was the island most populated by followers of the Demon Dao. An inn stood here, part of a chain that spanned the entire Cultivation Realm. Because its owner’s Cultivation was incredibly high, the inn had become a rare sanctuary of peace.

Zi Hua Master took out his Paintbrush, painted himself a new face, and walked into the inn.

The matter of the Dragon Transformation Bone was highly secret. Even most of the Blood Demon Palace Elders only knew the name, without any specifics.

But as an invited guest, Zi Hua Master naturally knew a bit more.

Years ago, the Blood Demon Lord had chanced upon a massive skull. He had spent all this time trying to find a way to revive it. Ever since Xue Yanluo broke away from the Blood Demon Palace, this task had been passed on to the other heirs.

Whoever could revive the skull would inherit the position of Young Master.

His Magic was perfectly suited for this task. He could paint a body for the skull, then refine the fake into reality and bring it to life.

Zi Hua Master’s Eye Pointing Painting Skill was undoubtedly perfect for the job.

’Dragon Bone? Hah. As if there are any real dragons in this world.’

Although the skull was called a Dragon Bone, pretty much no one knew what creature it actually belonged to. Even Xue Nichang, who had seen it, wasn’t sure. She only said it resembled a Snake Bone, magnified several times over.

Zi Hua Master couldn’t care less whether it was a Dragon Bone or not. The only reason he’d come was for the painting in his hands.

It held far more appeal for him than any Dragon Bone.

Inside the inn, Zi Hua Master unrolled the scroll. The landscape upon it was exquisite, every stroke revealing a master’s flair.

An ordinary person might just call it a good painting, but to someone like Zi Hua Master, who followed a Dao related to painting, it was a priceless treasure.

In Zi Hua Master’s eyes, the landscape on the scroll seemed to come alive.

"To paint the unreal into reality, and the real into unreality. To paint the deviant into the orthodox, and the orthodox into the deviant."

Just as Zi Hua Master was lost in a trance, savoring the profound meaning within the painting, the scroll suddenly changed.

"Hm?"

The ink marks on the Ink-Wash landscape began to shift and reform, eventually coalescing into... a dilapidated little mountain village?

Zi Hua Master frowned.

"WOOF!"

Hm?

’Did I just hear a dog bark?’

’No, that *was* a dog bark!’

A large yellow dog suddenly shot out of the painting, landed squarely on his face, then used it as a springboard to make its escape.

An inky red mark now marred Zi Hua Master’s aged face.

He was stunned for only a few moments before he became overjoyed.

’This scroll has a Spirit? Or maybe... that’s part of the Painting Demon?’

’I’ve hit the jackpot!’

Without a second thought, Zi Hua Master transformed into a gust of wind and chased after the large yellow dog, leaving the landscape painting behind without a care.

That large yellow dog was surely far more valuable than the scroll itself.

The large yellow dog bounded across the water’s surface, with Zi Hua Master in hot pursuit.

He took out his Paintbrush, and an ink-wash wall manifested before the dog. But the creature opened its mouth and effortlessly chewed a hole through it, then dashed away even faster.

"Don’t run... Don’t run!"

Zi Hua Master wasn’t about to let this prize slip through his fingers. He hastily painted a few gusts of wind for himself and, with their aid, rapidly pursued the dog, sending ink-colored ripples across the sea’s surface.

Hundreds of ink-wash ropes materialized, weaving into a massive, all-encompassing net before the dog. Yet, with a single snap of its jaws, the dog devoured all the ropes.

’I can’t get too close?’

The large yellow dog had a terrifying suppressive effect on his Painting Dao. He had to find another way to catch it.

’Let’s try this!’

He was already certain this creature would be incredibly beneficial to his Dao.

The more the large yellow dog ran, the more excited Zi Hua Master became.

BOOM!

A thousand-foot-tall ink tornado materialized from thin air, sucking in everything between heaven and earth. The large yellow dog was caught, trapped by the suction, unable to move. It could only struggle mid-air to avoid being pulled in.

"If I don’t let that mouth of yours touch my art, you’re helpless, aren’t you? Now, be a good boy and let me see what kind of treasure you really are."

"WOOF WOOF!"

Zi Hua Master let out a hearty laugh and sped toward the large yellow dog.

But just as he reached out to grab the large yellow dog, a figure appeared before him and, a step ahead, snatched the dog into his own hand.

Zi Hua Master frowned. "Who might you be, fellow Daoist? That is my dog. Could you please return it? I am willing to offer you a high price as thanks."

The situation was urgent, and Zi Hua Master wanted to avoid trouble. He hoped to see if the promise of wealth could sway the stranger.

But the person didn’t answer Zi Hua Master. Instead, he reached out and clamped the large yellow dog in an iron grip.

CRACK.

The dog’s head was pried open, revealing an empty cavity. But as the man’s hand reached inside, an ink-wash brain materialized, only to be brutally ripped out.

"An empty shell. As tasteless as chewing wax."

The man popped the ink-wash dog brain into his mouth and began to chew, splattering ink. Then, with a look of utter disgust, he tossed the dog’s corpse aside.

The remnant Dao of the Painting Demon had already been consumed by Lu Changyuan’s Five Desires and Six Dust Heart Transformation Technique, leaving behind nothing but an empty vessel. Naturally, this man couldn’t taste anything of value.

Zi Hua Master was about to erupt in fury, but when he looked up and saw the man’s face, he was startled to find the man staring right back at him. Not only that, but the man’s eyes held an undisguised desire.

’Desire... for me? What does he want?’

In an instant, Zi Hua Master guessed the man’s identity. It dawned on him that he wasn’t the one who had truly caught the dog. Scared out of his wits, he hastily took out his Paintbrush, sketched a door, and stepped through.

The man didn’t try to stop him. Perhaps it was because he hadn’t finished chewing and couldn’t be bothered with the fleeing True Master. Or perhaps... he was certain Zi Hua Master couldn’t escape.

"How is there still a Painting Demon here... Someone ate the Painting Demon? My Dao is not a lonely one, after all."

The man turned, squinting toward the main island. "Xue Lie, oh Xue Lie, do you really think no one knows what you’re trying to do?"

Xue Lie was the true name of the Blood Demon Lord.

He muttered to himself, watching the direction in which Zi Hua Master had fled, and revealed a set of pearly, sharp teeth.