Hearing the sound of human voices coming from inside the cave, Bai Yun unconsciously retreated one step, trembling with fear and asking, "What kind of evil demon are you?!"
"Ha ha ha ha - Is it the little bastard beside the Stone Pit? Remember your grandfather's name. Grandpa is Ma Yuan, the sole immortal of White Bone Cave on Skull Mountain!"
Cai Yun mustered her courage and scolded, "Nonsense! Don't talk nonsense! The White Bone Cave on Skull Mountain has always been my lady's temple. You this ruffian, when the lady returns, I will report to her and have you hacked to pieces a thousand times!"
Ma Yuan's laughter from the other side stopped for a moment, then laughed even more wildly: "Is Shi Jī not here? Fate fate! Grandpa's escape is at hand today!"
Bai Yun and Cai Yun were so frightened that they turned and ran, but their actions were too slow.
A white bone hand suddenly reached out from within the cave, despite being bound by several iron chains with charms. The bone hand's speed was still faster than that of the two boys. It first grabbed Bai Yun, who was lagging behind, lifting him high before slamming him down with force into a pulp on the ground. Then it reached out to grab Cai Yun next, piercing through the chest of the boy and pulling out a heart that was as red as fire.
The bone hand retracted, and as the sound of chewing arose, a large mass of blood light was emitted from within the cave. After a series of explosions, all of the chains inside were broken. Soon after, a tall and fierce old man walked out from the cave, his height less than eight feet.
The old man wore a crimson Daoist robe, with fangs and a massive mouth, and he had a necklace of beads made from skeletons. Other Daoists use feather or jade crowns to tie their hair. This Daoist uses a gold skull to bind his hair.
He was barefoot, and his feet, calves, and exposed arms were covered with thick black hair.
Fire-like tendrils, similar to snakes, curled and coiled out of the old man's eyes, ears, mouth, and nose. The most striking feature was a bone claw growing behind his head.
Ma Yuan's true form is an ancient immortal corpse from the prehistoric era.
He didn't know what the corpse was originally called, and he didn't care either.
The Upper-Celestial Magic allowed him to pass the immortal ascension, but it also amplified the evil within his heart. He had to devour the hearts and livers of living people every day to dissolve the inherent malevolence. He was captured by Shi Jī when he was at his weakest and imprisoned deep within Bai Bone Mountain. Now, he has finally regained his freedom.
Ma Yuan looked around, revealing a sinister smile. After a cup of tea, he left the White Bone Cave with his mouth full of blood.
He is an anomaly of heaven and earth, one who should not exist in the world. Not only should he not have entered the path of Dao, but his very existence was not permitted by heaven and earth. It was Master Tongs Tian's "Education for All" that gave him a chance to become an immortal.
Nu Wa had never seen the appearance of a demon throughout history. Deng Chanyu didn't know what a bottleneck was, and Ma Yuan didn't have such good fortune. His path to becoming an immortal was filled with obstacles, and his heavenly tribulations became increasingly severe with each passing attempt.
With some vague premonitions, he felt that there was no more opportunity for him in the East. His path lay in the West, so at this moment, he decided to leave the White Bone Cave and make a hasty journey to the west.
"The farther west I go, the harder the road becomes."
The divine beast team left Wuzhuang Guan and continued their journey westward for half a year.
The path was no longer discernible, and the surroundings were wild and desolate, with no sign of civilization for thousands of miles. The barrenness of the Western World could not even be compared to that of the Eastern World.
Previously, the phoenix was riding the Youwu, but now as the path grew increasingly treacherous, she simply held the shrunken Youwu in her arms and took each step cautiously, one deep and one shallow.
They arrived at a vast mountain range with an area so large that it was filled with white bones, and the surrounding area was haunted by ghostly flames and deathly aura. On the road, they could often see the skeletons of ancient corpses. The heavy black clouds overhead seemed to be impossible to dissolve, as if something bloodthirsty was hidden within them.
Throughout their journey to the west, they had seen many similar scenes. They were not the Western Two Holy Beings and did not have the responsibility to restore the Western Continent.
"There, I feel there's an opportunity over there!" Kang Hanmou grunted twice and pointed in a direction.
Perhaps it is that when everything goes bad to the worst point, this land is bound to produce some heavenly treasures. The team of divine beasts are excavating the land instead of flying on clouds in fear of missing out on the opportunities.
Led by the old bear, the team ran quickly and finally found what Dong Kang had referred to as an opportunity. According to the identification of Sister Longnv, it was a herb known as Pig Tail Grass that was four hundred years old.
This thing calms the liver and tranquilizes the yang, and harmonizes the intestines and promotes bowel movements. After many years, even if eaten whole, it can slightly help eliminate the accumulated drug residues in the body.
The phoenix, the old bear, Youwu, and Longnv did not need this stuff. Only Dong Kang had to eat it.
The phoenix then saved the seeds and planned to plant them on the Lishan mountain. In the future, she could let Biaozi try something different, and if there were any extras, she could use them to bribe her father's Azure Cow.
"A Feng, there seems to be someone ahead." Youwu pointed in a direction and said.
The team of divine beasts looked in the direction indicated, and saw a young woman sitting on a rock about twenty steps away. Her bottles and jars were scattered on the ground, looking pitiful with tearstains on her face.
"Should we go help her?" Youwu asked with a kind heart.
The old bear seemed to ignore it and continued to walk forward.
The phoenix taught the young Youwu, "In such a poor and wild place, can there really be ordinary women? Don't get involved in trouble. Just bypass the area."
"Oh"
After walking two li, an old woman limped forward from the front.
The old woman waved at them from a distance, "Honorable immortals, have you seen my daughter?"
Youwu looked at the phoenix again.
"False, it's probably just an illusion."
They continued to detour, and the old woman's legs seemed genuinely unwell. After chasing a few steps, her figure quickly disappeared into the surrounding mist.
After walking another mile, the mist in front of them dispersed, revealing an odd old man figure.
The old man was unable to move easily and seemed to be lying on the ground.
"This is probably just an illusion too, right?" Youwu said first.
The phoenix rubbed her eyes, carefully verified it twice, and shouted in alarm: "No good! This is Jinghe Dragon King! Run fast!"
"Finally, I've caught up with you, these little thieves! Stop where you are!"
A figure burst out of the mist, it was the Jinghe Dragon King who had been chasing after them all the way from Changgong, speeding along with a chariot pulled by four wheels since he had sent out the jade tablet!
His eyebrows were raised, his eyes were wide open, and he had not rested for over ten days. His eyes were filled with blood vessels. This four-wheeled carriage was easy to drive on flat ground, but when it entered the mountains, the bumps and jolts were so severe that it was hard to describe for outsiders. His two hands were all blistered from the friction!
The team of divine beasts is traveling for pleasure, enjoying food and drink along the way, but he is determined to seek revenge, and their pace is completely different.
The phoenix "Ah-yao" and didn't want to be involved with this unlucky guy anymore. She hugged Youwu and ran.
Even more scared than the phoenix was Longnv. After all, they were married. When they were in Jinghe, Longnv was an innocent victim who could only cry in private and couldn't resist, but now seeing Jinghe Dragon King's appearance, she was so scared that her liver shook. She quickly followed the phoenix's footsteps.
Dong Kang cursed the Jinghe Dragon King as a "stupid pig" and then followed the main group.
Following the woman and the old woman, the old man who was about to enter the fray looked at them strangely, with three big question marks appearing over his head.
