Chapter 263: Comprehending the Dao Between Life and Death
Silence. The entire altar was deathly still.
Everyone present had their eyes fixed on Fang Linglong.
She was the pillar of the group. At such a critical moment, it was naturally up to her to decide.
Fang Linglong quickly regained her composure. "My suggestion is that we wait and watch for now. Once the hidden enemy makes a move, we'll counterattack."
Yang Min nodded. "That's all we can do. Otherwise, if we exhaust our spiritual power, we'll be nothing but meat on the chopping block."
The others had no objections. Each one gripped their weapon tightly, pacing slowly around the altar.
Even though they had temporarily decided not to act, they still wanted to find a weakness in the barrier.
Fang Mu, however, sat cross-legged on the spot and began reciting the Dao De Jing, intending to comprehend the Minor Fate Technique here.
Ever since he began cultivating, the only person he could rely on was himself. At this point, the only way forward was to comprehend the Minor Fate Technique.
As time ticked by, second by second—
The previously calm altar began to tremble.
A sinister and terrifying voice echoed through the cavern.
"Jie jie jie... another group of delicious offerings. Once I devour your flesh and souls, I shall once again reign over this world. By then, even the Divine Emperor of the Holy Land will be no match for me!"
"Who's there?!"
You Daniu shouted into the cave.
"You brat, my name is not something lowly blood food like you are worthy to know. Just remember—this seat is the Demon!"
Everyone present turned pale upon hearing the word "Demon."
Fang Linglong blurted out instinctively, "Extraterrestrial Demon!"
"Heh."
The demon let out a cold laugh. "Didn't expect this little girl to have some insight. That's right—I am what you people call an Extraterrestrial Demon. I quite like the luck on your body. I'll be sure to devour you last. Jie jie jie..."
As the eerie laughter rang out, crimson blood suddenly welled up from the altar, submerging the bone-white skeletons beneath their feet—and covering everyone's ankles as well.
Seeing this, Fang Linglong immediately pulled out a talisman treasure from her storage ring.
This talisman was a treasure bestowed upon her by the Emperor of Dayuan, imbued with three strikes of his power.
She activated the talisman and shouted, "Ancestor, aid me!"
Clang!!!
A sword beam shot forth from the talisman and struck the eerie green barrier.
The previously indestructible barrier instantly showed cracks.
The others, seeing this scene, brightened at once, thinking: We're saved!
"Break!"
Fang Linglong activated the talisman again.
Another sword beam flashed.
With a loud bang—
The green barrier shattered instantly.
At once, the group flew toward the edge of the altar.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
But just as they reached the altar's edge, they were slammed back by an invisible wall. They looked at the seemingly empty air in front of them, expressions of confusion filling their faces.
"Jie jie jie..."
The demon's laughter rang out again. "Little girl, I didn't expect you to surprise me a bit. But unfortunately, the sword energy in your talisman isn't strong enough. It can break through the first barrier I set—but not the second."
Hearing this, everyone present felt a chill in their hearts.
If even Fang Linglong couldn't break through the Extraterrestrial Demon's restrictions, then there was no hope for the rest of them.
Damn it!
Are we really going to perish here today?
You Dali gritted his teeth. "Senior Sister Qinghe, let's fight this old demon to the death."
Li Bin echoed, "That's right. We're going to die either way—we must not let this demon get what he wants."
"Alright!"
Fang Linglong responded grimly, and those around her also prepared to strike—everyone except Fang Mu, who remained seated in silent cultivation.
Boom!
With a loud explosion, a blood-red barrier appeared atop the altar.
When the group saw the barrier, despair welled up within them.
"Aah!"
A sudden scream drew everyone's attention.
Turning their heads, they saw You Daniu engulfed entirely by the crimson demonic blood.
Though You Daniu's presence hadn't disappeared, he struggled violently. Just as he opened his mouth to cry for help, a surge of demonic blood forced its way down his throat, reducing his voice to a choking mumble.
The others were about to help, only to realize they themselves were in no position to intervene.
Demonic blood surged toward them rapidly, and a powerful force dragged them into the blood pool.
They could only resist using their spiritual power, but within moments, every one of them was submerged in demonic blood, their spiritual energy gradually draining away.
"Jie jie jie..."
The demon's laughter rang out once again. "Struggle. Suffer. Fear. The more you fear, the more exquisite your souls will taste.
Rest assured, I won't let you die too quickly. I'll make sure you experience the deepest terror this world has to offer."
As they listened, a wave of irritation and confusion clouded their minds. Their consciousness began to blur.
Only Fang Mu remained conscious, silently reciting the Dao De Jing that his teacher had passed on to him.
Even so, countless despair-inducing illusions flooded his mind.
Despite reminding himself again and again that it was all an illusion, the pain coursing through his body and soul made it nearly impossible to resist.
The most unbearable was the suffocating sensation—it completely shattered his ability to focus.
As time passed, Fang Mu's awareness began to fade. He continued to recite the Dao De Jing instinctively, over and over.
In his final moments of clarity, he bit the tip of his tongue, forcing himself awake briefly, and resumed the recitation.
As soon as he completed the entire passage, the illusions in his mind instantly vanished, and his thoughts became clear.
Those obscure Daoist scriptures etched in his mind began to take form.
Fang Mu instinctively looked toward the Daoist script. He saw a line of glowing text dancing before him, and at the same time, his teacher's voice echoed in his mind:
"The carrier of fate is qi. The root of qi is life. Unending vitality is motion. That which is dictated by law is destiny."
So this is the Minor Fate Technique?
Fang Mu's heart leapt with joy. The books were right—when caught between life and death, humans can unleash tremendous potential.
He began cultivating the Minor Fate Technique according to the characters he had just seen.
Moments later, Fang Mu opened his eyes, thinking, I've entered the Minor Fate Technique.
That means... I should now be able to use the jade pendant Teacher left me.
With that, he endured the torment ravaging his body and soul, retrieved the jade pendant from his storage ring, and instinctively infused it with his divine sense.
In the next instant, the jade pendant radiated with light, and a figure appeared before Fang Mu...
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