Chapter 118: The Test

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“It seems this trip to Nanxi Commandery won’t disappoint me after all.”

Zhong Cangqiu gazed at the two fingers extending from behind Wu Yang, a faint, elusive smile curling at the corner of his mouth. His deep golden eyes flickered with a glimmer of amusement.

Wu Yang looked up at the two fingers holding the Night Fan Sword in his stead. His expression was far from pleased; instead, it grew exceedingly grave.

For those two fingers were covered in white fur.

Inside the Faci Temple on Qingtan Mountain, not long after Cui Dandan left, Wu Yang’s dantian began to involuntarily circulate the “White Ape Heart Sutra,” and there was a subtle difference in the aura flowing through his body’s hundred bones and nine orifices compared to the usual pattern of the sutra.

These differences were not detrimental; on the contrary, they broke through several stubborn acupoints within Wu Yang’s body, deepening his perception of the surrounding energy. This also led Wu Yang to notice the abnormality in Su Yuanbai, who lay unconscious not far away on the ground.

The aura swirling around Su Yuanbai was chaotic and disorderly, violent and savage.

For a moment, Wu Yang forgot Cui Dandan’s warning and rushed to Su Yuanbai’s side. As he had sensed, this chaotic, violent energy was wildly coursing through Su Yuanbai’s body.

Even Wu Yang himself would likely be incapacitated instantly if struck by such savage energy.

Wu Yang was not a physician and could not discern whether Su Yuanbai’s unconscious state was good or bad. After pondering briefly, he hoisted Su Yuanbai onto his back and began descending the mountain.

Thus, shortly after Cui Dandan had left the mountain, Wu Yang was also carrying Su Yuanbai down the path.

Strangely enough, Wu Yang did not feel Su Yuanbai’s weight as burdensome; instead, his own aura grew increasingly dense, and even his sharp gaze became tinged with a layer of ferocity.

This ferocity went unnoticed by Wu Yang himself. On the serene mountain path, he suddenly cast aside the White Ape Mother-and-Child Staff he held in two halves and exchanged defiant words, all without realizing anything was amiss.

But when Wu Yang saw those two fingers covered in white fur, only then did he realize something was wrong.

His back suddenly relaxed as Su Yuanbai, now covered entirely in white fur, stood before him. Su Yuanbai held the Night Fan Sword between two fingers, raising a pair of savage eyes to stare at Zhong Cangqiu.

“Has your consciousness been completely lost?” Zhong Cangqiu asked with a light laugh, observing the white fur mark appearing between Su Yuanbai’s brows.

Snikt.

The Night Fan Sword emitted a misty, clear light, breaking free from Su Yuanbai’s grip. It sliced through Su Yuanbai’s fingers, leaving them bloodied and mangled, and the white fur began to fall.

Zhong Cangqiu’s right hand swiftly opened; the Night Fan Sword returned to his palm. He discarded his luxurious sable fur coat onto the ground without a trace of pity.

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A flash of white light lingered.

Zhong Cangqiu’s reaction was even swifter than the residual light; his left hand gently lifted in midair, and suddenly an earthen wall surged up abruptly from the ground.

After Su Yuanbai crashed through the earthen wall, he was met by Zhong Cangqiu’s deep golden eyes flashing a smile, and his flowing hair gradually shimmering with golden hues.

And the mist-shrouded Night Fan Sword.

Acting on instinct, Su Yuanbai caught the sword with his palm, but as expected, the Night Fan Sword pierced through his hand.

“Your skills should be more than just this,” Zhong Cangqiu said calmly as he released the sword.

The uncontrollable Night Fan Sword immediately lifted Su Yuanbai up and pinned him against the earthen wall he had just broken through, swaying like a flickering candle in the wind.

Zhong Cangqiu raised his gaze to look at Su Yuanbai, whose single hand was suspended on the wall. More precisely, he observed the white fur mark on Su Yuanbai’s brow, which was slowly turning a deep crimson.

Mu Rongyan also noticed the change in the handsome man covered in white fur; the violent, ferocious aura grew vast and menacing. “Young Master Zhong, should we—”

“Take everyone here away. Do not disturb me,” Zhong Cangqiu said calmly, raising his hand to Mu Rongyan.

Mu Rongyan ceased her urging. Gentle streams of water flowed from her sleeves like blue ropes, binding Cui Dandan and Cui Ya, as well as the enraged Chen Chi nearby.

With a light tap of her toes, Mu Rongyan descended gracefully from her purple-black horse. A faint stream of water rose beneath her feet, carrying her backward, along with those she had bound.

The unmanned purple-black horses had already detected the volatile energy dispersing in the air and had fled a great distance.

Yue Yong appeared beside Zhong Cangqiu. “Young Master Zhong, my lord has given instructions.”

“A person whose consciousness has been devoured by demonic energy and acts purely on instinct is not yet a threat to me,” Zhong Cangqiu said calmly, watching Su Yuanbai’s swelling form. “Besides, if I am not mistaken, that mark should belong to the ancient ferocious beast Zhu Yan.”

“Please be cautious, Young Master Zhong.”

Yue Yong offered no further advice and slowly retreated. Though his movements seemed unhurried, a single step took him ten paces away, and after a few more steps, he vanished from sight.

Zhong Cangqiu lifted a finger, and the Night Fan Sword bent back from Su Yuanbai’s palm into his grasp. The blood staining the blade mingled with the mist, causing the water vapor to take on a faint crimson hue.

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“Come, unleash your power. Let me see how much of the ancient ferocious beast Zhu Yan’s strength you can manifest.”

Zhong Cangqiu stepped lightly forward, but before his foot touched the ground, the Night Fan Sword had already landed beneath his feet. As he raised his other hand, the sword’s length rapidly expanded.

The three-foot blade suddenly transformed into a seven-foot sword, wide enough for Zhong Cangqiu to stand upon with both feet.

The Night Fan Sword hovered in the air, settling before Su Yuanbai.

Su Yuanbai’s white fur resembled a bright, pristine carpet. His pierced palm was stained crimson with blood, while his other hand and feet also turned a deep red.

His body swelled beyond the height of the ten-foot earthen wall, protruding conspicuously. Facing Zhong Cangqiu atop the Night Fan Sword, Su Yuanbai bared his sharp teeth, radiating ferocity.

His teeth had transformed into sharp, pointed ape-like fangs.

Yet the only oddity was that every time his crimson crane robe tore apart, it would reassemble itself repeatedly, eventually fully encompassing his enlarged form.

A faint smile lingered on Zhong Cangqiu’s face, but his eyes grew cold and indifferent. The mist around the Night Fan Sword thickened abruptly, revealing numerous golden swords within the vapor.

Each golden sword measured three feet, with wavy water-like patterns and faint bloodstains along the blades.

“If you can’t even withstand this strike, then so be it if you die,” Zhong Cangqiu said calmly, gazing down at Su Yuanbai.

The golden swords fell like a rain of blades.

Puncture after puncture echoed as the golden swords pierced Su Yuanbai’s flesh, leaving indelible wounds.

The flowing blood stained Su Yuanbai’s white fur a deep red.