Chapter 17: Underestimating the Taoist Master

Chen An chuckled slyly, his expression oddly lecherous, yet the faint and elusive smile in his eyes suggested he was far from simple.

Qin Changsheng’s mouth twitched at the corner, and he could only sigh. He truly handed Chen An five hundred spirit stones.

“It’s a bit less than expected, but once I have more money in a few days, I’ll invest again, Brother Chen.”

Chen An was genuinely surprised by this.

“To be honest, Brother Changsheng, I’ve approached so many people. Most treated me like a beggar and offered only a couple of spirit stones at most. You’re the only one willing to hand over five hundred.”

Taking Qin Changsheng’s five hundred spirit stones, Chen An led his stubborn donkey forward.

Qin Changsheng didn’t understand why Chen An seemed distant after accepting the spirit stones.

But since everyone had moved on, he no longer cared.

Night fell swiftly, and the caravan set up camp in a mountain valley.

Qin Changsheng noticed Chen An had disappeared.

As he pondered where Chen An might have gone, a gust of wind swept through. A wave of drowsiness rose from within him, and everyone around—regardless of their cultivation level—fell to the ground in unison after this breeze passed.

“...”

Suppressing the sleepiness, Qin Changsheng sensed danger. Seeing so many people collapse, he didn’t want to stand out and quickly dropped to the ground himself, clutching the little fox to his chest and covering its nose. He prepared to play dead.

Sure enough, before long, no one in the caravan remained standing.

Everyone had fallen, without exception, regardless of strength.

Qin Changsheng didn’t understand why he hadn’t succumbed, but faced with such a situation, his first thought was that a demon was involved.

Just as he contemplated whether to burn his life essence to flee, the sound of hooves echoed.

Where the yellow wind blew, a youth riding a donkey appeared slowly.

The youth wore a tattered Taoist robe, and the donkey stubbornly tried to veer left while the youth struggled to pull it right.

The scene looked as comical as during the day, but among those lying on the ground, it became eerie and frightening.

The youth sighed.

“I went around and only one person invested in me, the Taoist...”

“Somehow, people just look down on me.”

His gaze grew cold and filled with a deadly aura.

The donkey let out a sinister snort, and during the youth’s speech, it suddenly dashed toward where Qin Changsheng’s horse lay.

The youth’s lips twitched. “They’re all dead, and you don’t even spare the corpses? What a pervert!”

The donkey raised its hindquarters, trying to go forward but was forcefully pulled back to the right by the youth. The donkey trembled with anger, snorting yellow wind from its nose, clearly furious.

“If I devour their souls, the Taoist will breakthrough. You stubborn mule, wait until I’ve absorbed them before acting up, alright?”

The donkey quieted down.

Mounting the donkey, the youth began walking toward those lying on the ground.

With each step, souls rose and flew into his wooden sword.

Then, those whose souls had been absorbed rose again in a strange manner.

Qin Changsheng’s scalp tingled with fear.

Even Nascent Soul cultivators couldn’t resist this youth’s devouring.

It was hard to believe that the young Taoist who had asked him for investment during the day could become so terrifying at night. The once clear yet sly expression had turned cold and bloodthirsty.

As he walked, the fallen rose one by one.

They looked ordinary.

That was the most frightening part.

Qin Changsheng had seen their souls absorbed by the wooden sword, yet they rose as if nothing had happened.

Moreover, they acted as though nothing was wrong, going about their business.

This eerie method posed a greater threat than the white-robed man had.

Qin Changsheng now faced a dilemma: continue to play dead or attempt to flee.

If he played dead, his soul might still be absorbed. What could he offer the youth then?

But if he ran, it would alert the Taoist youth, who might single him out first.

What to do?

A difficult choice.

Fortunately, the youth did not immediately try to devour him. Instead, he began absorbing from those with higher cultivation first. After devouring over a dozen Nascent Soul cultivators, the youth’s aura soared, and he actually broke through to the Nascent Soul stage.

The youth clicked his tongue. “I’m rich now, haha, truly wonderful.”

Qin Changsheng was puzzled. The youth was only at the Nascent Soul stage, yet he had easily incapacitated so many. Such power should at least be at the Divine Spirit stage or even a Saint.

But after devouring so many, he was still only Nascent Soul?

The youth circled the group, having absorbed nearly everyone, then slowly approached Qin Changsheng.

Looking down at him lying on the ground, the youth clicked his tongue again.

“So young, yet only a few years of lifespan left. Brother Changsheng, you’re really down and out...”

“Should I devour you too?”

Raising his wooden sword, the youth hesitated, seemingly unsure whether to kill Qin Changsheng.

Holding his breath, Qin Changsheng silently gathered his strength, ready to launch a surprise attack, knowing he might not survive if the youth struck first.

The atmosphere froze in tension.

Just as Qin Changsheng prepared to act, the youth sighed.

“Luckily, I’m a man of principle. I’ll spare you for now...”

“After all, you were the first to invest in me. Without a witness, who would know that I, the Taoist, once dreamed of becoming the supreme immortal emperor when I was down and out?”

Clicking his tongue, the youth burped, bored, and jumped off the donkey. Tossing the reins aside, the donkey happily ran behind Qin Changsheng’s horse’s corpse, beginning to frantically... move.

The youth watched disdainfully. “Beasts are beasts, no principles at all. They don’t even hesitate to mess with corpses. Why not find some living ones instead?”

“But I, the Taoist, have standards. I don’t kill those who suit my taste...”

Saying that, he found a flat spot, spread his tattered robe on the ground, and lay back, limbs sprawled, drifting into sleep.

Snoring soon followed.

Lying still, Qin Changsheng’s heart was a jumble of emotions.

He had never expected that his survival hinged on giving the Taoist youth those five hundred spirit stones.

Those who had looked down on the youth were all devoured by his wooden sword...

This fellow did have some principles, though not many.

What kind of luck was this?

Just out of the tiger’s mouth, and into the wolf’s den.

Truly...

Qin Changsheng couldn’t help but complain. Since beginning his cultivation path, he had encountered countless unexpected disasters: Nangong Ruoxi shattered his mundane life and dragged him into the tangled alliance of the Backing Sect; the appearance of the white-robed man; and now this strange Taoist youth.

Thankfully, the five hundred spirit stones had saved his life.