paranoianovel Chapter 3 Living Towards Death
Chapter 3 Living Towards Death
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About forty miles from the mountain village, there was an abandoned Taoist temple. Coincidentally, the person in charge of this temple was a bandit who was all talk and no action.
These bandits, accustomed to their pleasure-seeking ways, often descended the mountain to abduct village women. Those women they had grown tired of, they naturally couldn't be released; one can imagine their fate.
Fearing exposure, they dug out the soil beneath the Taoist temple and built an identical one.
During the day, they would chant scriptures and recite Buddhist prayers, but at night they would burn, kill, rob, and commit all sorts of evil deeds.
Fortunately, evil people will always have their own evil people to deal with them.
The cobbler, passing through the area, noticed something amiss and dealt with the entire band of bandits. He then settled down there.
However, his desire to revive his son never ceased. He rearranged the underground Taoist temple according to the feng shui layout of the mountain village.
Every full moon night, this re-stitched Rakshasa must absorb moonlight, or it will rot.
This is why some people have discovered that Rakshasa (demons) roam this place. Master, what do you say...?
Before he could finish speaking, and before the old Taoist could reply...
Fang Hongxuan suddenly jumped up.
With a clang, the finely forged steel blade was drawn and aimed straight at the old Taoist's face.
The old Taoist priest was also quick-witted and dodged the fatal blow at the critical moment.
However, the dust on his left hand was broken in two.
The hundred-times-forged steel blade continued its relentless attack, firmly wedged against the offering table behind the old Taoist priest.
The incense burner exploded with a loud bang, and the foul-smelling incense ash rushed straight at Fang Hongxuan.
He covered his nose with his elbow and reached for his knife. But the old Taoist priest kicked him to the ground with a fierce kick. The old Taoist priest, with a fierce look on his face, was completely different from his previous dignified and otherworldly appearance.
Beneath that withered shell lay bulging muscles!
The old Taoist priest drew his sword, intending to attack, but Fang Hongxuan pulled out a talisman from somewhere and stuck it in front of him.
'Copper Armor Talisman'
The finely forged steel blade slammed into the runic armor, instantly causing cracks to spread across the armor that had been covered in flowing bronze patterns.
The old Taoist priest suddenly kicked Fang Hongxuan's chest with both legs, and with just a few rolls, he created distance between them.
The bronze armor talisman, already overburdened, turned into smoke and fire, and vanished without a trace in an instant.
"Splash!"
Soul-capturing bells, bound by red threads, occasionally flew out from the old Taoist's tattered sleeves, their two arcs resembling rainbows that trapped Fang Hongxuan in the middle.
The eerie ringing of the bell made Fang Hongxuan feel dizzy and disoriented.
The old Taoist priest, whose face was ashen, finally smiled, but the violent cough that followed made his face turn red.
A large pool of black blood flowed out from between the fingers covering his mouth, but the old Taoist priest didn't seem to care and wiped it clean with his robe.
"The Taoist priest is already quite old; how long can he continue with such practices?"
Fang Hongxuan's face was cold and stern. Ignoring his dazed state, he took out a bottle from his waist and gulped down several mouthfuls. Then, a ball of scorching flames burst out of his mouth.
The dilapidated Taoist temple could not withstand such an ordeal. Even though it had just been soaked by a light rain, it was now ignited by sparks, not to mention the clusters of red threads.
The rusty copper bells tumbled down, creating a continuous clanging sound.
With just one move, Fang Hongxuan broke the old Taoist's demonic bell!
"My vital energy is almost completely depleted; if it can't be replenished... I'll lose control..."
Fang Hongxuan suppressed the bloodlust surging within him and stared coldly at the old Taoist: "The corpse refining has caused the corpse poison to attack your heart. You don't have much time left."
"So what? Before disaster strikes, I advise you to mind your own business. Be careful not to lose your life."
"Judging by the time, it should be about time."
The old Taoist priest took a deep breath, an unnatural blush flashing across his face, but his trembling body came to a stop.
He stepped forward with his knife, but said nothing more, only attacking relentlessly.
Before long, Fang Hongxuan was forced to retreat step by step.
"My body feels increasingly heavy; there's something wrong with the incense ash..."
The old Taoist priest fought faster and faster, enjoying the fight more and more.
After another moment of disorientation, Fang Hongxuan was no longer able to dodge the sharp blade.
"Now, it's time to end this."
The sound of metal clashing rang out again, and the finely forged steel blade was sent flying. The old Taoist's excited smile froze on his face.
"Copper Armor Talisman? No... no... it's... Golden Bell Shield!"
The ancient bronze bell's phantom image vanished quickly, and Fang Hongxuan seized the opportunity to kick the old Taoist in the chest.
"Puwa..."
The old Taoist priest could no longer hold his breath, and fragments of his internal organs were coughed up along with the foul blood.
"I didn't expect the Demon-Slaying Captain to possess techniques like the Golden Bell Shield and Iron Shirt... cough cough... I underestimated you..."
Boom!
The charred remains of the building fell one after another, and the surrounding area was already a sea of fire.
Before the old Taoist could say anything more, a pair of sharp hands emerged from his chest cavity, aiming straight for his vital points.
Sharp fingernails easily pierced the old man's chest cavity, crushing his pounding heart.
A gloomy face slowly emerged from the darkness, the old Taoist's eyes gradually dimmed, and with them went his deep doubt and disbelief.
"What a powerful Rakshasa..."
The corpse was casually tossed aside, and the murderous Rakshasa, exuding an aura of malevolence, slowly made his way towards Fang Hongxuan's location.
"It seems that unless I pull out all the stops, things won't end well today." Ignoring the pain, Fang Hongxuan held his knife defensively.
"Living Towards Death"
This is Fang Hongxuan's cheat code. Once activated, the living corpse will be fully revealed, and the cultivation technique he practiced will be reversed.
Originally intended for defense, the Golden Bell Shield has now become an Iron Lady torture device for strangling opponents, and the invulnerable Iron Shirt has become a piercing attack that can easily break through the enemy's defenses.
As his thoughts shifted, the last remaining blood energy in Fang Hongxuan's body gradually dissipated, replaced by the same malevolent aura and resentment as that of a Rakshasa.
The foul-smelling, filthy blood sizzled, and the wisps of white mist on the bluestone slab instantly dissipated.
'Buzz'
Despite his ferocious appearance, the Rakshasa was bathed in Buddhist light, and his fierce claw technique was none other than the Dragon Claw Hand, which was derived from the Seventy-Two Shaolin Arts!
The claw strikes were like maggots clinging to his bones; no matter how Fang Hongxuan dodged, he couldn't escape them.
In just a short while, his body was covered in wounds. The reason was simple: without the Iron Shirt technique, his own defense was far inferior to that of the Rakshasa.
Fortunately, the Rakshasa was not rational.
Otherwise, Fang Hongxuan would have already left.
"Now!"
Taking advantage of a gap in the Rakshasa's attack, it was enveloped by the blood-stained bronze bell. Immediately afterward, a claw lunged straight at the Rakshasa's dantian.
Rakshasa's hardened copper skin and iron bones were rendered useless by these two reversal techniques. Ignoring any counterattack, Fang Hongxuan pulled out Rakshasa's Yin Pill in one fell swoop.
He eagerly swallowed it down, finally calming the frenzied, bloodthirsty thoughts that had gripped his mind.
The Rakshasa, having lost his Yin Elixir, was shredded into mincemeat by the Reversed Golden Bell Shield.
Fang Hongxuan, his body aching all over, could only lean on his finely forged steel sword and hastily escape from Qingfeng Temple, which was almost engulfed by flames.
"It can activate the talent about three times without any side effects. It seems that this inner core containing half a century's worth of cultivation is indeed a rare and valuable item..."
far away
The robust black horse trotted slowly towards them.
Just as Fang Hongxuan was about to make a sarcastic remark, a pagoda-shaped signal firework suddenly lit up the night sky. Upon seeing this, Fang Hongxuan's expression changed slightly.
"An emergency distress signal from the yamen runners!"
Unable to adjust himself, Fang Hongxuan disregarded the pain all over his body, mounted his black horse, and whipped it towards the direction of the signal transmission.
"Hopefully, it's not too late..."