The Immortal’s Poison

The giant pangolin Po Tu had just emerged from the earth, when it was unceremoniously pulled back into the ground almost just as quickly. Its exit had been more stunning than its entrance.

‘Up to old tricks I see…’ Wen Leyang thought to himself as he stood stunned. The giant pangolin had put on this act once back in the Gold-Consuming Lair.

Wen Leyang, head lama Rangjung, and ugly man Qin Zhui seemed shocked by the abrupt turn of events. Upon landing, they ceased their fighting and stood in silence. Each staring at the ground, not knowing what to make of it.

The ground was flat and even, not a single crack was to be found.

The giant pangolin had used its magic powers to dig a tunnel into the mountains and burrow through the ground. Hence, no matter where or how he tunneled, when he left the site, the ground would be restored to its original condition. There wouldn’t be any gaping holes left in the ground.

A furious howl drew everyone’s attention back to the present. The dwarf Taoist priest was furious. His eyes looked like they were about to pop out at any moment. He casted a series of spells and struck the ground mercilessly. The soil roiled and turned with a deafening bang, but the giant pangolin did not emerge!

After the dwarf Taoist priest finished his frantic trashing, he howled again in a high-pitched voice. He stared daggers at Qin Zhui… and pounce towards Wen Leyang. “Sly thief! You have already took so much from the Immortal Sect and yet you do not stop. You vicious little demon!”

Wen Leyang was stunned. He sidestepped and evaded the incoming dwarf Taoist priest. He frowned and asked in return, “You recognise me?” His face had been rearranged by Xiao Sha and should be unrecognizable. His bones have been remoulded by the Poison of Life and Death and his magical powers should have increased by leaps and bounds. Both his appearance and his spirit were different from when they last met. The disciples of the Qilian Immortal Sect should not have been able to discern his true identity.

The dwarf Taoist priest got ready to charge again, but head lama Rangjung gave out a loud growl, like a provoked grizzly bear. “Stop! There is evil at work here!” As he said this, he stood straight and his body flexed. His fat body was like a huge mountain, standing firmly between Wen Leyang and the Taoist priest.

Giant pangolin Po Tu, which was covered in an armor of scales, had penetrated Wen Leyang’s psychic shield with no problem and grabbed his feet before he could react. It was apparent that the grave wounds, which had been inflicted by Chang Li, had healed completely.

When old demon rabbit Bu Le was still a kit, Po Tu was already the Divine Beast of the Immortal Sect, famous for his ferocity. Back at the edge of the stone forest, it was Cone Nail who had managed to pull Po Tu away. What beast was pulling it now? It mattered little what kind of creature did it, it must have been something more powerful than the Divine Beast.

The dwarf Taoist priest sneered at the head lama. “You’re right. This little demon here is its accomplice!” As he said that, he gestured and directed one of the flying swords towards Wen Leyang and Qin Zhui. However, the head lama shook his head. “That’s impossible!” As he said this, he turned his round and plump head towards Wen Leyang and asked, “Who are you really? Why are you truly here? Where did the people of this town go?”

From his choice of words, it seems as though he did not regard Wen Leyang’s group as evil cult followers. He seemed to have forgotten that a fierce battle had just took place. Wen Leyang let out a cry of surprise. He reached out and easily knocked the flying sword that flew towards him aside on the ground with his fingers. He frowned and asked, “What are you guys doing here?”

The head lama tried to appear relaxed as he smiled but he was losing his patience. Watching the two parties continue to attack each other, even with him standing between them, was like them playing badminton across a net. He howled at them furiously, “Will you only stop when all of us are dead, even when facing the threat of a great evil?”

The dwarf Taoist priest released his control over the sword. He asked the head lama with a pale face, “The ones who harmed the Divine Beast of the Immortal Sect, was it truly not them?” While he talked, his cold gaze locked onto Qin Zhui’s face. Qin Zhui thought that the Taoist priest was looking at him. He met the gaze and shook his head, “Of course not! We weren’t the ones who attacked first!”

“Of course I attacked first. Should I have waited until after you’ve played your tricks and brought havoc onto my Immortal Sect for another two thousand years?” The dwarf Taoist priest answered through gritted teeth. He paused before continuing, his anger rising up as he scolded loudly, “The Qilian Immortal Sect originally had no grudge against you but since two thousand years go, you’ve given us so much trouble and you can’t even seem to stop now. Even if the Qilian Immortal Sect were to disappear off the face of the earth, what good would that do you?”

Wen Leyang and Qin Zhui looked towards each other, they were confused. Upon seeing that the two parties have stopped attacking each other, head lama Rangjung instructed the two parties seriously, “Please don’t cause any more trouble! Just wait for me here! I have a plan to rescue the citizens and kill the demon!” Following that, he leaped into the town and flitted between the houses. His movements were so swift that it was hard to keep track of him.

Even Gu Xiaojun understood that the situation was unusual. He quickly walked up to Wen Leyang’s back and asked in a low voice, “Who are they? What’s happening?”

Wen Leyang smiled bitterly and shook his head. He heaved a long sigh in attempt to calm himself. He shook his head slowly at the dwarf Taoist priest, “I am not responsible for all that has happened in the last two thousand years. Back in the Gold-Consuming Lair, you were all gravely injured and were in no condition to fight. If I had wanted to cause you trouble, I would not have waited until now. Divine Beast Po Tu had assisted me in looking for Grand Master Chang Li back in Shanghai, I only have gratitude towards it and have absolutely no intention of harming it.”

The eyebrows of the dwarf Taoist priest knitted together. His gaze was still locked on Qin Zhui. “Then why are you guys here? You’ve even tried to disguise yourself, weren’t you going to ambush us?”

Qin Zhui felt uncomfortable under the priest’s stare. He silently picked up his feet and went to stand beside Wen Leyang. When he noticed that the dwarf Taoist priest’s gaze did not move, he sighed in relief, assured that the priest was not looking at him.

Wen Leyang shook his head quickly. “There’s been a misunderstanding here.” Then he called Xiao Sha to rearrange his face back. He looked earnestly at the dwarf Taoist priest. “Please answer me this. Why have the Immortal Sect disciples traveled here? When Master Rangjung returns, we can join forces and rescue the Divine Beast.” When he finished, Wen Leyang glanced towards Gu Xiaojun.

Gu Xiaojun nodded while wearing a serious look on his face. Finding the underground demon would not only mean saving Po Tu, but it might also give them clues as to why the Tibetans had wanted them to stay behind. He understood that the beast which had pulled the pangolin away was not something that would be easy to beat, but if lama Rangjung were willing to take action, together with Wen Leyang, Qin Zhui, and the Qilian disciples, they might just stand a chance.

The dwarf Taoist priest sneered scornfully without even a second thought. “Preposterous!” They could never hope to defeat a beast that could snatch away Po Tu.

Despite the odds, Wen Leyang’s smile was confident and warm. He nodded vigorously at the dwarf Taoist priest. “You need not worry. As long as master Rangjung leads us to that beast, even if I have to fight tooth to nail, I will save Divine Beast Po Tu!”

Qin Zhui laughed in a heartless manner from the side “What if the pangolin is dead? How will we save it then?”

Wen Leyang glared at him. “Then we will take revenge.”

Seeing the confidence on Wen Leyang’s face, the dwarf Taoist priest was hit with a sudden realization. Joy appeared on his face, which quickly turned into doubt. Behind this Tuo Xie disciple, there was still the demon cat Chang Li. This boy had so much confidence, there had to be another expert teaching him. That expert might just be the rumored short man from two thousand years ago.. There was no mistake, this person was a great enemy, but this great enemy was also the one who could help him rescue the Divine Beast now.

Wen Leyang waited patently. The Taoist priest lowered his head. He looked rather anxious, then suddenly happy, which turned into an angry frown. He was in lost in his own thoughts.

Gu Xiaojun grew impatient and coughed lightly, awakening the dwarf Taoist priest from his daze. The Taoist priest hesitated briefly before slowly gave them the story.

After having been tragically defeated in the Gold-Consuming Lair, the Qilian Immortal Sect’s dream went down the pipeline. They had no hopes of restoring their name or a way to seek revenge. The dwarf Taoist priest had lost his spirit and dismissed his disciples. Many of them left. Only thirty or so loyal disciples refused to leave. The dwarf Taoist priest allowed them to stay by his side. They decided to leave Mount Qilian and traveled across the world in search of inner peace.

The giant pangolin Po Tu had never been one to withstand loneliness. Upon returning to the mountain, it discovered that the disciples had decided to move on. It was happy to lift its tail and follow them.

Magic practitioners do not care for worldly possessions. Everywhere the dwarf Taoist priest looked, the world was in chaos. He had sought to find inner peace, but he got aggravated instead. Giant pangolin Po Tu had been all over the world in the few thousand years of its existence. In an effort to help the disciples, it had led them to the Tibetans plateaus.

As expected, on the Tibetan plateau, the Qilian disciples were attracted by the azure sky above their heads, the fragrant soil under their feet, the cool and fresh air, and the lofty snow-capped mountains that went as far as the eye could see. Although there was no accumulation of heaven and earth’s Primordial Spirit Energy like back on Mount Qilian, the pure appearance of nature spoke to their souls. Hence, they stayed and had been in Tibet ever since.

By chance, the Qilian disciples had met the head lama Rangjung. Although the two parties had different beliefs, they were both Cultivators of Heaven. They each had their own specialty in the knowledge of nature. They became fast friends. As head lama Rangjung was also a wanderer with no place to call home and nowhere to go, he decided to take on the role of tour guide to the Immortal Sect. He led the Qilian disciples and the giant pangolin Po Tu across the plateau.

To reach the sacred Lake Namtso, one usually can only go between April to September. The rainy season on the plateau would usually seal off the land. However, the lama and the Taoist priests were no ordinary people, they were not held back by such things. There was also a different sense of enjoyment of seeing Namtso during the rainy season. It was at this time that they had passed by the town, on the way to Namtso Lake.

Gu Xiaojun and the others looked at each other. They shook their heads with a bitter smile. They now understood that the head lama Rangjung and the Qilian disciples’ passing was a mere coincidence. They were not the ‘enemies’ mentioned by the town’s Tibetans after all! Qin Zhui saw the group shaking their heads, he too hung his head. Qin Zhui’s gave off an air of solemness and remorse. Qin Zhui’s look reminded Wen Leyang of his two silly uncles.

The dwarf Taoist priest snorted coldy as he commented, “If I had known it was you earlier, I would have taken a detour! You’re are only a underling. If we had wanted to take revenge, we would have looked for Chang Li or Tuo Xie instead!”

Wen Leyang smiled. Although the dwarf Taoist priest’s words sounded cold and hard, he was a man who could clearly distinguish between kindness and hatred. In the Gold-Consuming Lair, not only had Wen Leyang spared the lives of the Qilian disciples, he had even saved the life of the giant pangolin and the dwarf Taoist priest.

Qin Zhui was dissatisfied with his explanation. He stared at the Taoist priest as he questioned, “Then why did you guys attack us after barely exchanging two sentences? If it wasn’t my powers of Hide the Force…”

The dwarf Taoist priest’s gaze was like electric. It shifted from the empty space beside Wen Leyang onto Gu Xiaojun’s face. “You asked for it!” When the Qilian disciples attacked, they were aiming for Wen Leyang, Qin Zhui had stepped in to intervene of his own volition.

Gu Xiaojun felt an itch on his face from seemingly being stared at the cross-eyed priest. It’s uncomfortable to have someone look at your face while they talked to another person. Old Gu laughed as he shook his head and tried to bring back the topic, “Immortal, please continue!”

After Wen Leyang’s powers had improved, the area which he was able to cover with his psychic ability had also widened greatly. Before the dwarf Taoist priest had noticed him, he had already detected the presence of the Qilian disciples. However, the giant pangolin Po Tu had been following behind the dwarf Taoist priest! Wen Leyang had been foolish to think that the other party would not notice him earlier. He did not expect that when he was searching the town in vain and chatting with Gu Xiaojun and the others, Po Tu’s psychic ability had already locked in on them in the town. Their movements had already been discovered by the Qilian Immortal Sect.

While Wen Leyang had changed his appearance, his voice did not change. Po Tu had recognised him immediately. However, Po Tu’s intention was to look the other way but Wen Leyang who had noticed them said ‘the enemy is here’. To top it all off, he had made Qin Zhui put on a disguise as well.

Qin Zhui had trained at the edge of the Gold-Consuming Lair before but had never met the Qilian disciples. Though, the Qilian disciples knew of him. Wen Leyang had made Qin Zhui put on the disguise to prevent any misunderstandings but than plan had backfired on him. To the other party, they had thought that these five people, including Wen Leyang, were purposely waiting to ambush them.

Fei Fei was hit with a sudden realization. She understood now why these people had adopted the attitude of, ‘I know you’re telling a lie but I do not want to expose you, I want to see you put on a show till the bitter end’, when they had first arrived at the edge of the town.

Fei Fei had also mistook their expressions, thought they had regarded them as evil cult followers. The misunderstanding just got deeper and deeper.

Even though giant pangolin Po Tu thought well of Wen Leyang, it could not let Wen Leyang harm its people. It had not intend for matter to get so out of hand. Po Tu had only wanted to grab hold of Wen Leyang, give him a good scolding, and let the matter slide.

Head lama Rangjung had not wanted to involve himself in their conflict either. He had came up to say a word or two. Upon seeing that he could not resolve the matter, he stepped back. However, the head lama quickly noticed a powerful monster inside the town and had moved to stop the two parties, which Wen Leyang had mistook as wanting to harm Qin Zhui… It was only after Po Tu had been pulled away by the unidentified being, that the two parties stopped their fighting.

The incident was not complicated but if they had not talked through it, nobody would have stood a chance of understanding it alone.

The coming of the Qilian Immortal Sect on the Tibetan plateau had been a pure coincidence. Wen Leyang would have never thought. The dwarf Taoist priest would also never have thought that Wen Leyang’s phrase of ‘the enemy is here’, would carry such a strange and complicated premise.

The five people of Wen Leyang’s group finally understood the situation but the dwarf Taoist priest was still in doubt. After relaying his own story, he questioned in a sharp voice, “Then why are you guys here? What was that beast that has captured my Immortal Sect’s divine beast?”

Wen Leyang and Gu Xiaojun looked to each other. They wondered whether they should tell the other party about their own affairs. Suddenly, a red shadow flew in front their face. Head lama Rangjung had already scouted the town and returned to their side. His expression was grim as he looked straight at Wen Leyang with bright eyes. “This is no ordinary demon. Where did the townspeople go? Why are you all here? Please tell us only the truth!” As he said this, he gave an unexpected bow towards the five of them.

The dwarf Taoist priest took note that the head lama did not mention any rescue plan upon his return, only asking after the group instead. He was at a loss on what to do and his face flushed red with frustration. Master Rangjung quickly stretched out a meaty palm and held on the Taoist priest’s shoulders lightly. “When the moon is in the middle of the sky and our shadows directly beneath our feet, only then can we break the town to find that evil demon.” As he said this, he pointed at the slowly climbing moon. It was only halfway up the sky now.

Calmness returned to lama Rangjung’s voice. Every word he spoke was composed and steady, like the earth, making one feel at peace.

The dwarf Taoist priest sighed. “The Divine Mountain Guardian Beast is in grave danger, how can I not worry?” While he talked, he motioned for his knife again and looked like he wanted to lead his disciples into digging a big hole.

Lama Rangjung held on firmly the Taoist priest’s shoulder. His calm voice was full of confidence. “I have some knowledge about the demon’s origins. Your divine beast is safe for now.”

Fei Fei also tried to console him. “Master Rangjung is the skywalker of the plateau, no one knows this place better than him. If he says it’s fine, then it’s fine. May the Immortals rest easy. We will think of a plan together to face that monster!”

The dwarf Taoist priest was stunned, he gritted his teeth and nodded in agreement. On the side, Gu Xiaojun pulled Wen Leyang away from the group and asked in a low voice, “If the lama turns out to not be a good person, can you handle him?” As he said this, he paused briefly and said in a cold voice, “I mean… kill him so that he doesn’t talk!”

Gu Xiaojun was not too worried about the Qilian Immortal Sect since the their background was much simpler. However, he did not let his guard down against the lama Rangjung, which he knew nothing of.

Wen Leyang answered confidently as he chuckled, “Don’t worry. That will be a piece of cake!”

Although the answer was meant to be satisfying, Gu Xiaojun’s face was still full of doubt as he said seriously, “I know that you don’t usually brag. Now, during this crucial moment, please don’t start…” From what he had saw from the battle just now, Wen Leyang could not gain the upper hand even after having went all out. Old Gu was uncertain where Wen Leyang got his confidence.

Wen Leyang coughed. In his heart, he mused that he must be thought of foolish. He just smiled and shook his head, “Just tell the truth to the lama and have Fei Fei observe his expressions. If anything goes wrong, I will attack and dispose of him immediately!”

Gu Xiaojun chose to believe him as he nodded. “Alright, that was my plan as well. The important thing is to let Fei Fei have the chance to observe the lama!”

In this confusing muddle of mutual suspicion and strange happenings, having a comrade such as Fei Fei on their side was truly a blessing.

After Gu Xiaojun and Wen Leyang had finished their discussion, they returned to the group. He did not hold back. He told them everything, he started from when the evil cult followers had gathered in the country. He only kept the governmental background of him and the siblings from them. He told them they were from a non-governmental organization specifically dealing with the occult. This was because most people from the magical realm were unwilling to have any ties with government bodies.

The head lama did not interrupt but his expression turned grim. A deep anger and terror could be read upon his face. Fei Fei’s gaze never left the lama’s face for even a second. Finally, she shook her head at Gu Xiaojun, “No problems here.”

Qin Zhui watched as the head lama lowered his head in silent thought. He was burning with impatience, he moved in to ask, “Lama, what exactly is this monster under the town?”

Master Rangjung lifted his head and looked towards them. He ignored Qin Zhui’s question and instead mentioned the town. “This town is not a gathering place for evil cult followers. It’s a place where loyal people had sacrificed their lives in hopes of being lifted up to heaven!”

When he said this, the five people in Wen Leyang’s group were puzzled. Tuer Town had mysterious origins and its inhabitants were eccentric. They guarded the holy land of the Tibetan Buddhism Sect and yet did not believe in Buddha. Even the nearby inhabitants regarded them as rebels. However, lama Rangjung were now saying that they are good people?