“You should be out of jade talismans now, right?”
Tang Hao rolled his eyes again. He flicked his wrists again and refilled his hand with jade talismans. There were at least three dozen of them in total.
The freak’s expression froze and his eyes grew wide.
Tang Hao threw everything at the freak.
The freak did not take it head-on but instead dodged aside.
“Kekeke! You must be finally out of jade talismans now!” The freak cackled.
Tang Hao nodded. “Yup, I’m totally out now!”
“Haha! It’s your turn to die now, filthy kid!”
As the freak cackled, his body flashed and both of his claws slashed at Tang Hao, smelling of blood and gore.
Tang Hao’s expression was grim.
The freak was indeed very strong. The aura he emanated was much stronger than his, and he was indeed out of jade talismans.
Tang Hao narrowed his eyes and electricity coursed through his eyes. He pushed his palm outward and fired two bolts of lightning.
Boom! Boom!
The lightning bolts hit the freak and exploded.
The freak fell backward with a grunt. His arms were struck by lightning and were slightly charred, but the damage was not serious.
“F*ck!” Tang Hao could not think of anything else to say.
“This guy is indeed strong! I’ve finally met a worthy opponent!” Tang Hao mumbled.
It was his first time facing down a challenging opponent ever since he embarked on the path of cultivation.
‘Looks like the descendant branch has powerful individuals!’
The freak became angrier when he heard Tang Hao’s mumbling.
Who was he?
He was none other than Wang Changsheng, the original terror. Even the Mao Mountain ancestral teachers could not kill him and only seal him up.
Back in his glory days, his name inspired fear. The mere mention of him could shut up crying babies.
He finally broke free of his seal a few hundred years later but was looked down upon by a young kid. That kid even considered him ‘a worthy opponent’.
‘Have I declined by so much?’
Chapter 233 - You’re Shameless
Wang Changsheng was feeling frustrated standing there.
He was also a little confused.
‘This isn’t right! How is this kid’s level of cultivation so high? He’s in the late period of the State of Qi Channeling, but he has a solid foundation and a strong reserve of qi.
‘He looks to be about eighteen years old! That’s impossible!’
Even Wang Changsheng himself was not at that stage of cultivation when he was eighteen.
‘Has the times changed? Has it become easier to cultivate now?’
“Hey, kid! How old are you?” Wang Changsheng could not curb his curiosity.
Tang Hao rolled his eyes. “That’s none of your business!”
Wang Changsheng was shocked and became immediately angry. He was once again looked down upon by the kid.
“Prepare to die, kid!” He roared. He pounced at Tang Hao once again. This time, his claws were enveloped in an eerie light.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The lightning and the eerie light clashed at each other and sparks flew. Shockwaves of energy blasted their surroundings.
Tang Hao was becoming more and more worried as the fight went on.
“Dammit, this guy is pretty good!” Tang Hao mumbled. He was almost at the limit of his stamina.
Wang Changsheng was livid when he heard that.
‘Dammit! He’s looking down upon me again!’
“You’re forcing my hand, you filthy kid!” Wang Changsheng roared. He stopped his attack. Then, his mouth opened and spewed black smoke, which turned into malicious ghosts and flew toward Tang Hao.
The malicious ghosts had centuries of cultivation. They were not typical pushovers.
Tang Hao fired lightning bolts at the ghosts, but there were too many of them. He managed to eliminate about half of them before his qi reserves were almost depleted.
Wang Changsheng retracted the malicious ghosts when he sensed that Tang Hao was almost exhausted.
“You’re almost done for now! I’ll finish you myself!” He cackled with glee.
His body flashed again and prepared to dash.
Just then, he saw Tang Hao flick his wrist, and a spherical, marble-like object appeared on his palm.
Wang Changsheng’s body stiffened when he saw that. His eyes almost popped out of their sockets.
What was he seeing?
‘A pill? A f*cking alchemical pill?’
Back in his days when he ran rampant, alchemical pills were incredibly rare items.
Tang Hao tossed the pill into his mouth. The pill dissolved and replenished his qi reserves.
“That’s not enough!” He mumbled. He flicked his wrists and two more pills appeared on his palm.
Wang Changsheng’s eyes opened even wider when he saw that.
‘Two pills? Plus the other one earlier, that’s three alchemical pills!
‘The kid has three alchemical pills!’
Tang Hao felt a lot better after taking two more pills. His qi reserves were almost full again.
Tang Hao was a little reluctant to take the pills though. Qi Restoration Pills were hard to make and he only had six in his inventory. He had instantly depleted half of his supply.
“You… You shameless kid!” Wang Changsheng roared when he sensed the qi returning to Tang Hao’s body.
“You’re the shameless one, walking around naked!” Tang Hao retorted. Then, he glanced condescendingly at his crotch.
“You…” Wang Changsheng was livid.
He was the biggest villain in his era, and he had never been humiliated like that before.
“Warrrgh! I’ll kill you, you filthy kid!”
Wang Changsheng was irrationally angry. He roared again and pounced at Tang Hao.
Tang Hao was starting to feel exhausted after fighting for a while. The monster was a lot stronger than him.
Bam!
After another clash, Tang Hao flew backward and fell onto the ground. He was becoming flustered.
“Weren’t you acting arrogant just now, you filthy kid? I’d like to see you laugh now!” Wang Changsheng walked over with a sinister grin on his face.
“Die!” He roared. He lifted a palm, and a beam of eerie light shot out toward Tang Hao’s face.
Tang Hao’s expression changed.
The eerie light seemed potent. Tang Hao was exhausted and he did not think he could take the hit. He got back to his feet again and retreated hastily.
Wang Changsheng grunted condescendingly. He lifted his hands and beams of eerie light poured forth at Tang Hao.
Tang Hao managed to dodge a few beams, though eventually he was caught off guard by a beam that was aimed at his chest.
In the moment of dire emergency, he flicked his wrist. The black mirror appeared in his hand and he positioned it in front of his chest.
He had tried studying the black mirror but could not make any headway. The only conclusion that he found was that it was incredibly sturdy. Even jade talismans could not damage it.
That was why he thought of using the mirror to block the attack.
The beam of eerie light hit the face of the black mirror.
However, the black mirror was unscathed after absorbing the entire beam.
Wang Changsheng was stunned.
Then, he fired several beams of eerie light again.
Tang Hao waved around with the black mirror and absorbed all the beams.
“What the hell is that?” Wang Changsheng was agitated.
“I don’t believe that the damned thing is so powerful!” He roared, then fired a beam of eerie light straight at the mirror.
Once again, the beam was wholly absorbed into the mirror.
Wang Changsheng’s eyes bulged when he saw that.
He lifted his hands again and planned for his next attack.<
br />
Suddenly, the black mirror trembled violently and emitted an ear-piercing shriek.
Then, it trembled again and flew out of Tang Hao’s hands.
The face of the mirror was covered by a dazzling light as brilliant as the sun.
It struck terror into whoever saw it.
The mirror trembled again as the light grew in intensity.
Wang Changsheng cowered when he sensed the sheer grandeur of the mirror’s light.
The black mirror trembled again and fired a blinding beam at him. It penetrated his chest.
He cried out in agony.
He turned around and ran away.
Soon, he was nowhere to be seen.
The brilliant aura faded, and the black mirror resumed its original appearance and fell on the ground.
Tang Hao was dumbfounded as he stood there.
“Is this mirror some sort of Artifact?” Tang Hao mumbled as he walked over and picked it up.
He fondled it again, but the mirror did not react.
“This is so weird!” Tang Hao mumbled.
Soon, he stashed the mirror away. He had an emergency at hand, and he could study the mirror when he had free time.
He leaped onto the flight of stone steps and ran up toward the peak.
He saw plenty of dead bodies of Wang family descendants, but no Taoist masters.
Tang Hao was relieved when he saw that.
He was halfway up the mountain when he reached a plaza with a crumbling Taoist temple in front of him. Dust and sulfur still lingered in the air.
Evidently, there had been a terrible battle not too long ago.
Tang Hao looked around and found no one.
“This is weird! Where is everyone?”
He circled the place once more. He found nothing and prepared to leave.
He suddenly heard a creak from the middle of the plaza.
Tang Hao was surprised. Turning around, he saw an opening at the base of the statue in the center of the plaza.
Someone came out from it. He was Shabby Taoist Master.
Chapter 234 - Back to Province Z
Shabby Taoist Master looked shabbier than ever. His clothes were tattered and his face was charred.
He stuck half of his body out of the opening and was shocked when he saw the figure in the distance. He narrowed his eyes and looked closely, and breathed a sigh of relief when he discerned who the figure was.
Then, he beckoned at Tang Hao while looking worried.
“Fellow Cultivator Tang, come here quickly! Don’t stand out in the open. There’s danger!”
Tang Hao walked over curiously. “What danger?”
“Sigh! It’s a long story. Come in here quickly and I’ll tell you about it.” Shabby Taoist Master retreated within the statue as he spoke.
Tang Hao followed him inside.
The statue was immense, and the space in the base was about the size of half a room. An oil lamp illuminated the interior.
Tang Hao could see a hole on the ground with a ladder leading down.
There was a wide-open space at the bottom and it was decorated lavishly like a palace. Many people in Taoist robes were sitting there, and many of them were injured.
They turned to see the new visitor that Shabby Taoist Master brought.
Many of them were suspicious when they saw the teenager.
Someone stood up and quickly walked over. It was the scoundrel Trendy Taoist Master.
He did not look trendy though. Instead, he looked pathetic with his tattered clothes.
“You’re here, Fellow Cultivator Tang!” He came over and waved excitedly at Tang Hao.
“Taoist Master Xuan Yang!” Tang Hao greeted him with a smile.
“You’re safe here, Fellow Cultivator Tang! This subterranean palace was built by the founding teachers of Mao Mountain. It’s protected by defensive formations and will keep everyone inside safe from all harm.”
Shabby Taoist Master sat down and looked dejected.
“Back then, our founding teachers built this subterranean palace as a final measure to protect all Mao Mountain disciples. It has only been used a handful of times since then. I didn’t expect that we would be forced to use it again today.”
“Don’t you have any foundation cultivators on Mao Mountain?”
“There are, of course, but they’re meditating in seclusion and cannot leave their abodes! The whelps from the Wang family must have known about this, and that’s why they’re so brazen,” Shabby Taoist Master explained.
“Is that so!” Tang Hao replied, “Why is Mao Mountain so badly hit though? I thought I only saw dead bodies of Wang family descendants outside!”
“We thought we could hold it for longer, but we had a traitor in Mao Mountain who broke the seal and released that villain Wang Changsheng.”
Tang Hao was shocked when he heard that. “The villain is out of his seal?”
“Isn’t that so! That’s why I told you that it was dangerous. Let me tell you, that villain is incredibly cruel. You might have a strong cultivation base, Fellow Cultivator Tang, but you’ll be in grave peril when you meet him!”
Tang Hao did not doubt that. Wang Changsheng was an ancient evil from the Ming dynasty after all!
“How is the situation outside, Fellow Cultivator Tang?” Shabby Taoist Master asked.
“I didn’t see anyone except for some Wang family descendants on my way here. He was quite powerful, and I was nearly defeated.”
Shabby Taoist Master furrowed his brows. “Looks like that they’re still prowling around! We won’t be able to leave here anytime soon!”
“Oh, right! That guy was incredibly weird too,” Tang Hao continued.
“How so?” Shabby Taoist Master was curious.
“He didn’t wear any clothes, and he appeared to be castrated. His cultivation base was higher than mine and he had a weird appearance… We fought a while and I managed to drive him off!”
Shabby Taoist Master heard that and stared slack-jawed at Tang Hao. His eyes slowly opened wide.
The Taoist masters around them were also equally shocked.
They were dumbstruck when they heard the end of Tang Hao’s story.
Tang Hao was surprised to see them react like that.
“What’s going on, Taoist masters?”
Shabby Taoist Master’s mouth was still wide open. He could not close it.
“F… Fellow Cultivator, did you… actually… drive him away?” Shabby Taoist Master stammered.
“Yes! I was nearly defeated though. Fortunately, I had an ace up my sleeve,” Tang Hao said.
Shabby Taoist Master laughed bitterly. He still could not believe that was true.
However, he knew that Tang Hao had no reason to lie.
“Fellow Cultivator, that was Wang Changsheng!” Shabby Taoist Master said with a forced smile.
“Ah?” Tang Hao was shocked.
He had not considered that before. He thought that the freak was from the descendant branch.
“No wonder he’s so powerful!” Tang Hao muttered.
Then, he became suspicious.
An ancient evil like Wang Changsheng should be in the State of Foundation Establishment. However, he could sense that he was only in the late period of the State of Qi Channeling.
‘Right, his powers must have weakened from being sealed for so long,’ Tang Hao thought.
The Taoist masters came to their senses and exclaimed in surprise as they regarded Tang Hao.
“He fought off Wang Changsheng? Just who is he?”
“Look at him. He has a high cultivation base! No, he’s unfathomable!”
The Taoist masters exclaimed in surprise or doubt.
A few people walked urgently from one corner of the subterranean palace. One of them was Taoist Master Qing Yun whom he had seen before.
“Did you fight off Wang Changsheng, Fellow Cultivator Tang?” Taoist Master Qing Yun asked him incredulously.
Tang Hao nodded. “He ran away. I don’t h
ave any reason to deceive you!”
“I believe you!” Taoist Master Qing Yun said and breathed a sigh of relief.
Then, he turned to look at the old Taoist masters next to him. “Fellow brothers, this young cultivator Tang Hao has about the same cultivation base as me, and he is more proficient in martial arts. The freak should be weakened by a lot after fighting with us, so it’s possible that he was driven off!”
The old Taoist masters examined Tang Hao and nodded.
They could sense Tang Hao’s level of cultivation.
At the same time, their eyes flashed with incredulity.
Fellow Cultivator Tang was too young!
“Heroes start young! We’re the old ones!” An old Taoist master shook his head and lamented.
“Yes, we are old!”
The old Taoist masters with snow-white hair felt emotional.
“Alright, let’s leave this place! The villain shouldn’t be coming back soon. We ought to tidy up the place and clean up the stragglers,” an old Taoist master said as he surveyed the subterranean palace.
The Taoist masters stood up and went toward the surface in a single file.
They cleaned up the debris and buried the dead bodies.
Tang Hao knew that Wang Changsheng would not return after being badly injured, though he stayed on Mao Mountain just in case there were other attacks. He said goodbye to the Taoist masters the next afternoon and left Mao Mountain.
He got into his car and started driving back to Province Z.
Chapter 235 - A Grand Spectacle
He drove to Mao Mountain as fast as he could, but there was no such hurry on the return journey.
He slowly drove on the road back to Province Z.
His expression was grim as he drove.
Wang Changsheng was indeed a powerful enemy. If the black mirror had not shown its powers, his life might be at risk.
Wang Changsheng was badly injured and must be hiding somewhere to recuperate. He should not pose a danger in the near future, but it was hard to say once he was back at full strength.
He furrowed his brows and felt a headache.
Wang Changsheng was a future menace. There were more pressing matters to be worried about.
The Mightiest Little Peasant c1-799 Page 107