He pinched his fingers together with his hands, and with a thought, two pills flew out from his arms and landed in his mouth. Immediately, a cool spiritual energy was drawn into his mind, and his whole body was calm again.
At this moment, the scene suddenly changed again. He was in a dilapidated temple. Outside, the rain was pouring down, the sky and the earth were dark. He was lying in a corner with his hair disheveled and chains all over his body. Two escorting officials were building a fire to keep warm, wringing out his wet clothes and cursing. Besides these three people, there was also a beggar in the temple. His trouser legs were rolled up, and his legs were covered with pus-filled sores, which smelled terrible. The beggar suddenly walked up to him and said with a grin, "Taishigong, ten years of ups and downs in the officialdom are like a dream. Can you wake up today?"
Before he could reply, the beggar vanished into thin air. Then he reached the mountain gate again. He could vividly remember how he had been accepted into the Tai Chi sect, how his spiritual roots had been tested, how he had been valued by his master, how he had been taught the techniques, how he had cultivated his supernatural powers. One moment, he had failed to break through a bottleneck, his entire body consumed by the infernal qi. Another moment, he had been out battling others, only to be beheaded and ripped open by his opponent.
Taoist Danyang only felt that his consciousness was becoming increasingly blurred, and he could not break through the illusion no matter how hard he tried. He knew that as long as his spiritual platform was lost, he would be trapped in this illusion forever, unable to extricate himself, and would die of madness.
At that moment, without any hesitation, he opened his mouth and spurted out a small black tower. Taoist Danyang drew a line on his wrist with his fingers, and a ball of essence and blood sank into the black tower. The small tower was buzzing, but did not move.
Taoist Danyang had no choice but to bite his tongue, and another large mass of blood and essence merged into the black tower. The black tower, absorbing so much blood and essence, glowed faintly, and it shot out, continuously growing. In a moment, it was five feet tall and three feet square. Taoist Danyang calmed his mind and breath, chanting a series of incantations.
The black tower suddenly thundered with a resounding roar and transformed into a massive tower several dozen feet tall. A myriad of rays of light shone across the sky, and the surrounding scenery instantly melted away like snow in boiling water. Taoist Danyang looked around and found himself back on Lushou Peak. A white fox, seven or eight feet away, was still staring at him intently.
When the white fox saw that Taoist Danyang opened his eyes and his eyes were clear, it knew that the illusion had been broken. When it saw the huge black tower again, it screamed "Seven-Qiao Exquisite Tower!!!" and turned around like an arrow, falling towards the cold pond in panic. With a bang, it broke through the water surface and sank into the water.
Taoist Danyang pointed at the black tower, and the black tower slowly stood above the cold pond. A Big Dipper pattern appeared at the bottom of the tower, covering the entire cold pond. A black light emerged from the pattern, and rune light flickered in the pattern. Then, a mournful cry was heard, and the white fox was pulled out of the cold pond alive. No matter how he struggled, he could not get rid of the black light. Slowly, his whole body was sucked into the bottom of the tower, and the Big Dipper pattern slowly disappeared.
Taoist Danyang waved his hand, and the black tower slowly shrank and flew into his wide sleeves.
With this, the fierce battle finally ended. Taoist Danyang retracted the Meteor Shuttle and landed in the open space in front of Youzhen Temple. Shi Feng hurriedly knelt, "Greetings, Immortal Master!" Taoist Danyang waved his hand, found a large rock, sat cross-legged, and took out several pills, swallowed them, and began to regulate his breathing.
Although the battle had lasted less than half an hour, the use of the Tiangang invisible sword energy had already consumed a great deal of mana, and the loss of consciousness in the illusion had also been significant. In the end, he had even sacrificed his vital energy and blood, using the sect's secret treasure to turn the tide. It could be said to be a tragic victory. Therefore, he did not bother to pay attention to Shi Feng and swallowed three precious pills in a row to recover his vitality.
Shi Feng didn't dare to speak and interrupt, so he could only stand aside quietly. After a cup of tea, he saw that Danyang Taoist's pale face gradually showed a trace of blood. Danyang Taoist suddenly opened his eyes and said hurriedly, "Shi Feng, hide in the hall and don't come out!" Shi Feng didn't understand what was going on. Hearing the Taoist's urgent voice, he hurried to the hall and hid behind the door.
Taoist Danyang looked up at the sky. After a while, a black cloud came roaring from the southern sky. A strange creaking sound came from the black cloud, "It turns out to be Taoist Danyang from Taiji Sect. I'm so sorry!" The voice was like a grindstone on raw iron, very creepy.
"Which Taoist fellow from the Demonic Puppet Sect is the one coming?" Taoist Danyang said in a deep voice.
The black cloud stopped and was quickly absorbed by the person within it, revealing a withered old man in a black robe and jade belt, with pointed cheekbones and a pair of small, gleaming eyes. Taoist Danyang was startled, "It's Elder Wu! After over fifty years of absence, Elder Wu's cultivation has improved considerably."
"No, no, I'm already old, how can I talk about making progress? Fellow Daoist Danyang, on the other hand, has formed a golden elixir in just three hundred years. He's truly a prodigy." Elder Wu spoke politely as he released his spiritual sense to explore the surroundings. Suddenly, his eyes widened. "Hey, the thousand-year-old demon fox in the cold pond has completely disappeared. Could it have been taken away by Fellow Daoist?"
Taoist Danyang was secretly surprised. Sure enough, they came for this item. You know, demon beasts are full of treasures. Their fur can be used to refine weapons, their flesh and blood can be used as medicine. But the most valuable thing about a demon beast is its demon crystal. This item is formed by the demon beast absorbing and exhaling the spiritual energy of heaven and earth. It is like a cultivator's golden elixir, priceless. This white fox has survived the catastrophe of transformation, has gained intelligence, and can speak. Its demon crystal is even more priceless.
Even if fellow disciples saw this kind of treasure, they might kill each other. Moreover, Taiji Sect and Demon Puppet Sect belong to the righteous and evil sects respectively, so they are enemies.
"Elder Wu is also here for this monster." Taoist Danyang did not argue. He knew that Elder Wu was the most suspicious person. Even if he said that the white fox was not in his hands, the other party would never believe it.
Elder Wu exclaimed in delight, "So you've truly succeeded! This demon fox must have been cultivated for a thousand years, right? Your magical powers are truly astonishing." Taoist Danyang ignored the other party's probing words and asked, "How did Elder Wu know there was a demon fox hiding here?"
"What's so strange about this? The aura of the fox demon is so strong. I knew he was practicing here a long time ago, but he was secluded in refining a magic weapon a few days ago, which is why he has been delayed until now." Elder Wu chuckled and answered casually.
Taoist Danyang said, "Oh!" "As far as I know, this white fox was originally cultivating in the Purple Ice Mountains of the far north. I injured it, and the monster fled all the way to Da Cang Mountain, where it hid in this ten-thousand-foot cold pool to absorb the cold energy to heal its wounds. It has only been here for three or four days, so how could it have been cultivating here all this time? Could Elder Wu have made a mistake?"
Elder Wu snorted, "Fellow Daoist, don't try to make excuses. This Da Cang Mountain is the territory of my Demon Puppet Sect. It doesn't make sense for you to seize treasures in my sect's territory."
Taoist Danyang showed no sign of weakness. "Elder Wu, I beg to differ. Da Cang Mountain is not Demon Statue Mountain. It is a desolate and ownerless place. How did it become your sphere of influence? Besides, I tracked this demon fox from the Far North for thousands of miles. Could it be that the Far North is also the territory of your Demon Puppet Sect?"
Elder Wu's eyebrows twitched, and he was about to explode. Suddenly, he thought of something and softened his tone, "Fellow Daoist Danyang, why should we damage the harmony between our two families over a mere demon? How about this: you give me the White Fox Demon Crystal, and the fur, blood, and flesh will be yours, and I will compensate you with 100,000 crystal stones?"
"Thank you, Elder Wu. I don't lack crystals." Taoist Danyang refused outright.
"How about two hundred thousand crystals? This amount of crystals is enough to buy a low-grade magic weapon." Elder Wu obviously did not give up.
"Thank you, Elder Wu, for your kindness. I have a use for this demon crystal, so I will not sell it."
"I'll give you another hundred thousand, Fellow Daoist Danyang. This price is enough for you to buy another demon crystal of the same level."
Taoist Danyang continued to shake his head. Elder Wu's anger welled up. He was narrow-minded and extremely cruel, having committed many murders and plundered treasures. He only tolerated this outburst because Taoist Danyang was also a Jindan cultivator and had a great reputation. If the other party had been a lower-level cultivator, he would have been too lazy to talk and would have finished him off with a single blow.
Elder Wu's face darkened. "It seems you're unwilling to part with me. Well, Fellow Daoist Danyang is renowned, and I, though untalented, must learn a thing or two." With a wave of his hand, four palm-sized tiger puppets flew out of his storage bag, transforming into giant tigers two feet tall in the blink of an eye. Taoist Danyang raised his hand, and the Tiangang Sword soared into the air. "I was just about to ask for your advice!"