Chapter 174: Taboo Item 1-01, Niu Lang

Chapter 174 -171: Taboo Item 1-01, Niu Lang

Northeast, on a Forest Peak.

Thousands of Yin Soldiers were being incinerated by the Glowing Fox Fire, writhing in agony.

Daji hovered in mid-air, her eyes filled with a cold indifference.

‘If the Magic I learned wasn’t so ill-suited for large-scale battles, I would have annihilated these Yin Soldiers long ago.’

‘Of course, if I had mastered more Magic applicable to the battlefield, my husband wouldn’t have suffered such a devastating defeat back then.’

The giant-like Prince Heng lay on the ground, staring at the impassive Jiang Chaosheng with eyes full of terror.

He had considered that there might be a gap between him and Mr. Dusk, but he never imagined it would be this massive!

In just a few exchanges, the scythe in Mr. Dusk’s hand had beaten him to the point where he was completely unable to fight back!

“Sp-spare me!”

Prince Heng lay on the ground, frantically waving his hands at Jiang Chaosheng.

Jiang Chaosheng shook his head and sighed, “I originally thought that if you were in danger, the entity behind you would appear to save you.

I didn’t expect your status in the Taiping Dao to be so low that no one would show up even at the moment of your death.”

Prince Heng’s eyes widened.

‘Mr. Dusk… he wasn’t even using his full strength!’

Of course, Jiang Chaosheng hadn’t used his full power; he hadn’t even brought out the Original Sin Desire Snake.

The Scythe of Death had an absolutely overwhelming advantage against Undead Creatures like zombies and Ghost Souls.

If Prince Heng had been a normal human, it might have taken some effort to deal with him. But he was just a zombie—a slightly larger zombie.

Jiang Chaosheng raised the Scythe of Death. “Since you’re a disposable pawn, you’re of no further use to me.”

The Scythe of Death swung down toward Prince Heng.

Prince Heng clenched his jaw, a hint of reluctance in his eyes.

It seemed he still had an ace up his sleeve.

As the scythe descended, Prince Heng, with a pained expression, pulled a Golden Token from his robes and tossed it into the air.

Prince Heng roared,

“This is an Immunity Token, blessed by the National Preceptor and bestowed by the Empress Dowager! You can’t kill me!”

That Golden Token radiated a profound and mysterious energy fluctuation.

It seemed to exude a pressure akin to that of an Emperor.

This pressure would make any living being abandon its killing intent and even wish to submit.

But Jiang Chaosheng remained unmoved. With a swing of his scythe, the Immunity Token was sliced in two, falling to the ground like a pair of discarded iron scraps.

Prince Heng’s jaw dropped in astonishment.

“This is impossible!”

The scythe pierced into Prince Heng’s abdomen. With a slight, forceful slash, black blood splattered everywhere!

Prince Heng spat out a mouthful of blood, his face a mask of despair.

“My life is over!”

Just then, a terrifying pressure descended!

Daji abruptly looked up toward the southwest. The Jing River Dragon King instantly appeared by Jiang Chaosheng’s side, on high alert as if facing a powerful foe.

A faint smile touched the corners of Jiang Chaosheng’s lips.

“I knew something wouldn’t be willing to let you die.”

With the Scythe of Death still embedded in Prince Heng’s abdomen, Jiang Chaosheng looked up toward the southwest corner and said softly,

“Get out here!”

An auspicious cloud appeared in the southwest, instantly drifting over the mountaintop.

Jiang Chaosheng narrowed his eyes to look at the figure upon the cloud.

It was Elder Niu Bizi, dressed in linen robes.

The old Daoist priest clasped his hands in a salute to Jiang Chaosheng.

“Greetings, sir.”

Jiang Chaosheng sneered.

“You’re a little late.”

Elder Niu Bizi gave an awkward laugh.

“I didn’t expect your identity to be so terrifying, sir, that you would be unafraid of the Immunity Token.

You, sir, seem to have a more impressive background than Mr. Li Qinglian.”

After speaking, Elder Niu Bizi took a needle from his pocket and bowed slightly, saying,

“That Prince Heng is but a brute, an insignificant undead thing.

Might I trade this Ghost Gate Needle for his life?”

Code 3-36, the Ghost Gate Needle.

This was a medical artifact used by Li Shizhen.

It specializes in killing the evil souls and demonic spirits that possess mortals, causing them to suffer from sinister, debilitating illnesses.

After saying this, Elder Niu Bizi respectfully held out his open hands.

Supported by his Magical Power, the Ghost Gate Needle floated through the air and landed in Jiang Chaosheng’s hand.

Jiang Chaosheng glanced back and stared at Prince Heng.

Prince Heng shouted,

“Spare me! Sir, spare me! National Preceptor, save me! National Preceptor, save me!”

Jiang Chaosheng looked at Elder Niu Bizi and tilted his head.

“You are also a Taboo Item.

But I can’t sense which one you are.

It seems the Taiping Dao’s ability to block my perception of Taboo Items comes from you.”

This time, Elder Niu Bizi bowed even more deeply and said respectfully,

“I am Niu Lang.”

Jiang Chaosheng’s pupils contracted.

“Niu Lang? The son-in-law of the Celestial Emperor!”

Code 1-01, Niu Lang.

For code numbers beginning with 1, the Taboo Items in this series are living Extraordinary Creatures.

This type of Taboo Item is quite rare.

Code 1-03, the Evil Crow, is also a Taboo Item from this series.

The shock in Jiang Chaosheng’s eyes was not because Niu Lang was ranked number one in the Code 1 series of Taboo Items, but because of Niu Lang’s story.

Niu Lang was the very same Niu Lang from the myths and legends—the Niu Lang of the Niu Lang and Zhi Nv story.

According to folklore, there was a young cowherd whom people called Niu Lang.

Niu Lang was poor and destitute, and he dreamed of having a beautiful wife.

His old ox said to him,

“There are Fairies bathing by the river. If you steal one of their feathered cloaks, she will stay with you.”

Later, just as the old ox had said, he saw a Fairy bathing in the river. After he stole her feathered cloak, the Fairy could not return to the Celestial Realm and had no choice but to stay with Niu Lang.

Over time, the two fell in love. However, the Celestial Emperor was enraged. He sent Celestial Soldiers and Generals to kill the old ox who had devised the plan and to take the Fairy away.

Afterward, moved by the true love between the Fairy and Niu Lang, the Celestial Emperor issued a decree.

Every year on the Qixi Festival, Niu Lang and the Fairy would be allowed to meet on the Magpie Bridge in the Celestial Realm.

Of course, this was just the romanticized version of the story.

The story according to Antique Shop Zero was this:

The Fairy was the daughter of the Eastern Celestial Emperor, and her name was Zhi Nv.

Niu Lang stole Zhi Nv’s feathered cloak, turning her into a mortal.

Niu Lang, who despised the Immortals for enslaving mortals and acting tyrannically, treated Zhi Nv as a servant girl.

One day, the pair of children that Niu Lang had forced Zhi Nv to bear fell ill, and Niu Lang had no medicine to cure them.

Zhi Nv said to Niu Lang, “Give me a single feather from the cloak, and I will turn it into an herb to save the children.”

Thinking that Zhi Nv was the children’s mother, Niu Lang trustingly handed her the feather.

Who would have thought that Zhi Nv would use the feather to create a message and send it to the Celestial Realm.

Immediately after, the Divine Punishment arrived.

The Celestial Soldiers and Generals threw the two children to their deaths and executed the old ox.

To punish Niu Lang, they stitched his soul to the old ox’s corpse, damning him to forever be reincarnated in the path of beasts.

What the Celestial Soldiers and Generals didn’t expect was that the old ox’s physical body possessed formidable Magical Power. Combined with Niu Lang’s own resentment, this actually allowed Niu Lang to cultivate immense Magical Power of his own.

Most interestingly, it was only after Zhi Nv returned to the Celestial Realm that the maternal love deep within her was awakened.

Zhi Nv was filled with regret and self-loathing.

As for what happened next, there were no records in the journal of the Manager of Antique Shop Zero.

All that was known was that the Qixi Festival each year was still the day for Niu Lang and Zhi Nv to reunite.

Niu Lang was human, he was a Demon, and he was also considered the son-in-law of the Eastern Celestial Emperor.

He was not just a Taboo Item from Antique Shop Zero, but also the greatest taboo and secret in all the Three Realms.

In this current age, a Dusk of the Gods, the Extraordinary Level of this Niu Lang—who was not quite human, not quite Demon, and not quite god—was simply unfathomable!