ccnovels #503 - Team Member 1
#503 - Team Member 1
Chapter 495: Team Member + 1
Half a day later.
At the site of the previous battle between the two devils.
Wang Ji Xuan stood up, hands behind his back, watching the blood-soaked plump immortal, Mao Mo, with a smile.
Mao Mo lay on the ground, using his own blood to write something on a flattened stone surface.
He was clearly ‘severely injured,’ almost unable to breathe, the surrounding spiritual energy moving away from him, seemingly on the verge of death.
He wrote…
[The Bān Shān Sect’s Dou Qian, an evil villain, intends to refine a formation to slaughter spirits. This poor Daoist exhausted all his strength but could not defeat him. Fortunately, a rogue cultivator claiming to be from the Dark Sect passed by, engaging in a great battle with this villain. This poor Daoist's injuries are too severe, unable to sustain himself. My primordial spirit is collapsing, about to dissipate. At this moment, I have a final treasure protecting me, and I write this matter down, hoping the sect elders will understand!]
With sweeping strokes, Mao Mo filled the entire stone surface in one breath, then lowered his head and coughed up a mouthful of blood.
He lay on the stone slab, breathing heavily, more exhales than inhales.
Wang Ji Xuan moved his feet slightly to the side, seemingly afraid that Mao Mo's blood would splatter onto the soles of his shoes when he died.
In the sky, images of two dark figures clashing fiercely appeared;
These were images processed by Mu Dan, taken from Wang Ji Xuan's previous clash with the lame old Daoist, Dou Qian Dao Ren, only with the characteristics of Wang Ji Xuan's different soul puppet modified.
After a brief battle, Dou Qian Dao Ren was knocked back, letting out a long howl and turning to flee.
The ‘passing Dark Sect demonic cultivator’ decisively pursued, casually releasing a black eagle, which swooped down and swallowed Mao Mo in one gulp, then flew straight towards the horizon in pursuit.
The black aura in the world gradually dissipated, and the boiling spiritual energy returned to calm.
This play could be considered to have come to an end.
Half an hour later.
Near Wang Ji Xuan's first base.
Mao Mo jumped out of a silver-white shuttle, took a light breath, and surveyed this underground cave that had clearly just been opened up with magic.
The cave extended far into the distance.
Mao Mo used his immortal sense to probe forward, quickly discovering that his immortal sense was like a mud ox entering the sea, without any feedback or echo.
He swallowed his saliva.
This rogue immortal, who had been imposing in the mortal world, automatically reverted to his cautious demeanor from when he was in the Immortal Realm.
Drip.
The sound of a water droplet falling came from the corner, creating shallow ripples. Daoist Wang, who had changed into a blue Daoist robe, came with his hands behind his back.
“Old Brother!”
Mao Mo immediately stepped forward:
“I've done everything you told me to! What's next!?
“No, why did you have to leave a blood inscription and do that flashy fighting thing?”
Wang Ji Xuan muttered: “Isn’t that because I’m afraid someone in the Immortal Realm might have the divine ability of temporal reversion?”
“That's true,” Mao Mo frowned, just pondering silently.
Wang Ji Xuan smiled, narrowing his eyes: “Brother, I had no choice, things happened suddenly, please forgive me. I have many secrets, and Brother, you've boarded my pirate ship.”
The corners of Mao Mo's mouth twitched a few times.
He frowned and looked at Wang Ji Xuan: “You… what exactly are you?”
“Qin Zheng,” Wang Ji Xuan said solemnly, “The one who has always been in front of you, Brother, is my main body, essentially just a Mahayana cultivator. It's just that due to some fortunate encounters, I obtained some benefits and have a True Immortal-level puppet clone. It's also true that I was being chased, but the blood feud with my sect was fabricated. I also came to this realm to escape. I happened to meet you guys when I first arrived a few days ago.”
Mao Mo's injuries had not yet healed, so he simply sat down with a thud, found two bottles of pills, and poured them into his mouth.
He muttered softly: “What does this mean? So, what are you planning to do with me? You're not still planning to kill me to silence me, are you?”
“If I really wanted to kill you to silence you, how could I go to such lengths?”
Wang Ji Xuan walked up to Mao Mo, sat down cross-legged with a smile:
“Brother, take out all your storage treasures.”
Mao Mo hugged his little pouch tightly.
Wang Ji Xuan smiled, narrowing his eyes: “I don't want your things, Brother. I'll even give you some of the assets of other rogue immortals. Here, this is Dou Qian Dao Ren's storage treasure.”
Wang Ji Xuan threw over a few rings and bracelets.
Mao Mo was full of hesitation, asking softly: “What exactly do you want to do?”
“Just bring them, I won't harm you!”
“Alright, I'm not your opponent anyway,” Mao Mo sighed, a sense of bitterness rising in his heart, yet he didn't know how to disobey the orders of this young man before him.
Mao Mo took out all his storage treasures, seven in total, two of which were sewn onto his inner robe treasure.
Thus, the scene became somewhat dazzling.
Wang Ji Xuan casually broke the restrictions that Mao Mo had placed on the storage treasures.
This single unlocking technique caused Mao Mo to be slightly surprised.
Casually, Wang Ji Xuan found a few jade talismans that could connect with the Immortal Realm in these storage treasures, destroyed them in front of Mao Mo, and then returned the storage treasures to Mao Mo.
“That's it…”
“Yes, that's it,” Wang Ji Xuan nodded lightly, “I'm more wary of some forces in the Immortal Realm. They are the ones chasing me.”
“Who?”
“Tian Luo and the Dark Sect.”
“Damn… the hounds of the Heavenly Dao…”
Mao Mo frowned tightly, hesitating to speak several times.
Wang Ji Xuan didn't say much, starting to stuff spirit stones and precious materials into Mao Mo's hands, and took two low-grade immortal treasures that had been seized along the way.
Wang Ji Xuan said: “Brother, I sincerely invite you to join my team. My team doesn't have many people right now, and their cultivation levels are far inferior to immortals. If you come to my side, you'll be the number two fighter.”
“Can I refuse?”
Mao Mo smiled bitterly: “And then what?”
“And then, you can't have any contact with the Immortal Realm anymore, and there might be life-threatening dangers on my side.”
Wang Ji Xuan said:
“It's very, very difficult for a rogue immortal to take a step forward. You know your own situation best, Brother, and your losses are great.”
Mao Mo looked utterly despondent.
Wang Ji Xuan continued: “So I dare not promise you that I will definitely be able to help you reach a higher level in the future. I can only say that I have a lot of resources here, plenty of spiritual energy, and in the future, I can even take you to meet a Great Luo Golden Immortal senior…”
Mao Mo trembled three times.
He stared at Wang Ji Xuan, lowering his voice to ask: “Great Luo?”
“Yes, but this senior comes and goes without a trace. He left me here and left, saying he would come back to pick me up after a while.”
Wang Ji Xuan sighed softly, patted the dust off his clothes, stood up, and said gently:
“Come on, Brother, I'll take you to tour my base.”
Mao Mo immediately became interested.
He was actually a little puzzled.
Puzzled as to why Wang Ji Xuan could directly issue orders to him through that primordial spirit contract, but insisted on trying to persuade him with reason and emotion.
He wasn't stupid. He had actually prepared to be a prisoner…
A slight buzzing sound echoed from the depths of the passage.
A silver-white underground vehicle stopped beside the two of them, and the wing doors opened automatically, revealing the simple but technologically advanced interior.
There were only two facing sofas inside.
Wang Ji Xuan raised his hand to invite him in. Mao Mo, a little dazed, squeezed in and sat on the sofa. The moment he sat down, his Dao body felt the comfort of human engineering.
These were details that neither the cultivation world nor the Immortal Realm had valued.
“Oh, my,” Mao Mo shook his body, “It's quite comfortable.”
Daoist Wang smiled, narrowing his eyes, and snapped his fingers.
The underground shuttle slowly advanced towards the first base.
Outside the windows on the left and right, at first, it was just the underground rock layers constantly flashing by, but from a certain moment, these rock layers showed a trace of silver-white.
They crashed into a layer of light film.
Mao Mo seemed to have discovered something, staring at the alleyways that appeared on both sides of the passage, and the dense, countless Immortal Armor Insects within.
Those Immortal Armor Insects were transporting spirit ore!
The shuttle began to slow down.
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Wang Ji Xuan said to the air: “Mu Dan, arrange a welcome banquet.”
A gentle female voice came from all parts of the hull: “Okay, boss.”
With a squeak, the shuttle stopped steadily, automatically opening the wing doors. Outside was a steel structure platform area.
Wang Ji Xuan floated out, inviting with a smile: “Brother, this way please.”
Mao Mo looked around stealthily, his mouth open and unable to close for a while.
This was already inside the base, in a low corner.
Looking up from here, metal corridors crisscrossed, countless houses hung in the air, everywhere one could see the 'mechanical puppets' walking around, and what surprised Mao Mo the most was…
Here, there was no immortal magic!
He didn't feel any spiritual energy fluctuations from those mechanical puppets!
They were unrelated to spiritual energy!
Mao Mo tried to release his immortal sense, but his immortal sense was blocked inside the base, which also allowed him to see half of the base's appearance clearly.
Everywhere was 'steel and iron bones,' and mechanical techniques could be seen everywhere.
“Brother, this way.”
Wang Ji Xuan floated ahead, calling.
Mao Mo rushed forward in two steps, jumped onto the white clouds under Wang Ji Xuan's feet, praising endlessly, the shock in his eyes unable to dissipate for a long time.
“This, this is all your property?”
“Indeed,” Daoist Wang smiled, “Now I can be considered quite wealthy.”
Mao Mo said with emotion: “Is this just quite wealthy? You wouldn't be the young palace master of some immortal palace in the Immortal Realm, would you?”
“Of course not, I'm purely from the Xū Realm, born and raised.”
“Then did you save a Great Luo Golden Immortal in your previous life?”
“That's possible.”
“You're getting all pleased with yourself… Seriously, Brother, your place is really good, amazing. Although I can't say exactly what's amazing, it just feels very amazing. There are many things that don't exist in the Immortal Realm.”
"This is just my front gate," Daoist Wang said leisurely. "Just you wait, my first base is up ahead."
Huh?
Mao Mo immediately became interested and opened his eyes wide to look ahead, following Wang Jixuan into the gate of light that unfolded like a scroll.
He smoothly entered this remodeled sub-space.
A mechanical city with towering spires, filled with mechanical bodies and immortal armored beetles, was reflected in Mao Mo's eyes.
"Oh my god…"
Mao Mo repeated this phrase incessantly, and his whole person became restrained.
Dazed and confused, Mao Mo was led by Wang Jixuan to a welcoming banquet. Zheng Shiduo greeted him with a smile, chatting warmly with Mao Mo, and soon they were calling each other brothers.
After a few rounds of wine and a taste of the dishes,
Mao Mo, slightly drunk, suddenly realized something.
Wang Jixuan was giving him treasures, taking him to visit such a secret place, and hosting a welcoming banquet for him, all of which were implicitly telling him one thing.
He couldn't leave.
Wanting to jump ship would only lead to a miserable fate.
Mao Mo felt a little uncomfortable in his heart, but he didn't dare to say much.
Since things had come to this, he could only turn grief and indignation into strength.
"Brother Mao," Zheng Shiduo winked lightly, "Come to my room later, I'll show you something good."
Wang Jixuan, across the table, frowned slightly, wanting to speak up and remind him, but he was afraid of hurting Lao Zheng's pride.
Lao Zheng shouldn't be messing around, right?
Besides, Mao Mo was at least a Loose Immortal; subduing Lao Zheng would be easy, so there was no need to worry too much… right?
Thinking of this, Wang Jixuan didn't bother to interfere and continued to guide Gao Huating and Red Serpent with their cultivation problems.
…
Fortunately, Zheng Shiduo only took Mao Mo to play billiards and video games.
Seeing that Mao Mo's emotions were stable and his behavior was normal, Wang Jixuan asked Peony to continue observing.
Peony reported, "Boss, the immortal armored beetles have all been recovered, and the underground traces have been initially destroyed. Next, we just wait for people from the Immortal Realm to arrive."
"Yes," Wang Jixuan said, "Logically speaking, such a big thing has happened here. Although they didn't report it directly, people should still come over to investigate."
"Yes, we must be prepared to escape."
Peony said worriedly:
"It's fun to eliminate demons for a while, but there are countless problems after the fight.
"Although our sub-space can be directly closed and taken away, the construction of the base's periphery was not easy, and we are a little reluctant to abandon it easily.
"Moreover, we don't currently have the ability to cross the Void Realm. If we use Tian Luo's methods to travel through the Immortal Spirit Road, we will easily be marked by the Heavenly Dao and can only hide in the outer periphery of this realm."
"It's good to have a way out."
Wang Jixuan comfortably stretched his back:
"Anyway, I've already killed them all, I can't possibly revive them.
"If this guy doesn't cause trouble and lets us develop steadily for a while, that would naturally be the best, but this guy insisted on causing trouble.
"What else can I do?"
Peony puffed out her cheeks: "At that time, we could have joined the other side and plotted a great cause together!"
"Go away, you really want to kill the people of this world?"
"Eh… If we consider the problem from the perspective of maximizing benefits, we actually have a better path to choose."
"What path?"
"When Daoist Dou Qian opens the great formation and refines the creatures of this world, then we can take action. Your alien soul puppet will most likely be restored to its peak, and you yourself can take a step further in demonic cultivation."
Wang Jixuan: …
The Daoist looked up at Peony, his gaze slightly complicated.
Peony was a little uneasy and said softly, "This is just the idea that absolute rationality would choose. Humans are not plants, and your choice is understandable."
"Peony," Wang Jixuan suddenly asked, "If you had the opportunity to choose, would you save ten billion humans, or ignore ten billion humans and continue to execute your established plan?"
"That depends on what the plan is and whether these ten billion humans are beneficial to you."
"Yes, I understand."
Wang Jixuan sighed softly:
"You still need to remember one more thing… Forget it, I won't educate you. In the future, if I'm gone, you can start the self-destruction program and accompany me to the Yellow Springs together."
"That's very romantic," Peony said with a happy smile.