Wandering the Four Seas - Chapter 148: The Might of Dead Silence

Su Ye drew his antique bronze sword and instinctively pulled the female Daoist cultivator behind him.

"Do not..."

Before he could finish, the female Daoist pushed him aside.

"Have no fear, I shall do my utmost to keep you safe."

Though interrupted, Su Ye felt neither anger nor annoyance. Wielding the disguised Primordial Sword, he quietly unfurled his Ten Directions Dream Domain.

The dense fog all around was exhaled by a mist demon, carrying hidden demonic miasma and evil toxins that suppressed the Qi seas of ordinary cultivators.

The female Daoist evidently realized this as well. Her expression grew grave, as if sensing an impending doom, and she asked softly, "Young cultivator of the Jade Mystery Sect, has your sect... fully prepared yourselves for the death that may descend at any moment?"

While casting spells to locate the true body of the mist demon, Su Ye replied, "Every sexagenary cycle when we sweep away demons, countless cultivators make the ultimate sacrifice. The Merit Stele erected within our sect exists precisely for this reason."

"As long as you are prepared to die, that is enough," the female Daoist said, her voice tinged with a hint of resolute determination. "Otherwise, should you be frightened out of your wits by the prospect of death, this poor Daoist would still have to help you preserve your dignity."

Hearing the parting tone in the female Daoist's words, Su Ye knew that if he were in his true identity, he could casually toss out a few heroic remarks. But now, masquerading as an outer courtyard disciple of the Jade Mystery Sect, he ought to act the part.

"Senior, what magical treasures do you possess?" Ever since he embarked on the path of immortality, Su Ye had been well-versed in the utilization of spiritual treasures.

"Only the sword in my hand, alongside a Universe Mirror that suppresses nightmares." The female Daoist knew nothing of alchemy or artifact crafting. She was a pure sword cultivator, and her purse was decidedly light.

Su Ye summoned his string of Buddha-bone prayer beads and handed them to the female Daoist before him.

"The evil energy here is far too heavy. Wear these prayer beads. They will guard your sea of consciousness and prevent the malignant miasma from invading."

A turbulent ripple crossed the female Daoist's eyes, and she inwardly marveled at the lavishness of an alchemist. Yet the longstanding prejudice between Buddhism and Daoism remained difficult to cast aside.

Growing impatient, Su Ye raised his voice slightly. "Do you not remember the words of Senior Lin?"

Hesitating for a moment, the female Daoist extended a hand covered in calluses and accepted the prayer beads, which radiated a dense, boundless Buddhist aura.

"I owe you a favor. Once we emerge from this mist, I shall surely repay it."

Su Ye calmed his mind to sense the fog. The heaven and earth were vast, transformed into an unbroken expanse of white—without beginning, without end, and without bounds.

The female Daoist gently tapped Su Ye with her sword hilt and murmured, "There seem to be no fiends within this fog; it is merely a spell designed to trap people."

Compared to Lin Taixuan, the female Daoist's spiritual insight was truly mediocre. Su Ye deduced that the other six Daoists were likewise trapped within the fog, though amidst such boundless mist and miasma, it was exceedingly difficult to perceive anyone else's aura. There was neither demonic energy nor spiritual breath.

The faint golden glow emitted by the Buddha-bone prayer beads unexpectedly became the sole lighthouse within the thick fog.

A spiritual feather condensed from pure energy drifted downward.

The female Daoist's eyes lit up, and the words "Senior Brother Lin" instantly rushed to her lips.

Then, Su Ye sensed a wisp of elusive, murderous intent.

The antique bronze sword flashed like a startled swan, horizontally blocking in front of the female Daoist. With a crisp clang, a few sparks of shattered demonic fog violently burst forth.

A fiend whose body shifted unpredictably like a cascading waterfall suddenly materialized before the two of them.

The mist demon's two crimson eyes blazed with frenzied irritation. Its mouth was shaped like a jagged crack, and its two pale, elongated arms each possessed five sharp claws stretching a full foot long. The long claws rippled like water while its crimson eyes stared down at the two figures standing within the demonic fog.

"Clearly weak beyond compare, yet you possess such formidable Buddhist treasures," the mist demon's voice sounded as surreal as a dream. "She shall not die; you shall die first."

Su Ye turned on his heel and fled.

The female Daoist never expected Su Ye to be so cowardly. The prayer beads clenched in her hand were left with no time to be shoved back to him.

Seeing the mist demon chase after Su Ye, she hurriedly moved her feet, intending to rescue her low-cultivation companion. But the boundless, beginningless, and endless thick fog instantly swallowed her up, severing any perception of the Daoist and the demon.

---

Like a ribbon of colored silk, the mist demon danced and swooped through the air, fiercely pursuing the panicking Su Ye as he fled. Its body blended seamlessly into the surrounding environment, making it nearly impossible for the naked eye to discern. It quietly diffused outward, forming a cage that trapped the escaping prey.

"Stinking brat, you have nowhere left to run. Obediently surrender your soul."

Su Ye stopped and spun around, a radiant smile on his face and not a trace of fear in his eyes.

"You..." Looking at Su Ye's glowing fingertips, the mist demon's crimson eyes contracted to the size of pinholes.

"With outsiders present, I couldn't fully stretch my limbs," Su Ye said in a clear, resonant voice. "Closing the door to beat the dog makes it all the more satisfying."

Sensing Su Ye's aura, the mist demon noted that despite the array's enhancement, his strength had not increased by much. Its arrogant laughter sounded akin to ragged breathing.

"Hufu-hufu... Backbone like yours always crunches quite crisply when eaten." The mist demon's form abruptly lunged forward, barking harshly, "Go and die!"

The antique bronze sword spun and slashed horizontally, suddenly surging with blazing flames. A crescent arc cut through the air, bringing forth nine sword-Qi lotuses wreathed in drifting fire. They instantly blossomed in an explosion of color, painting brilliant fireworks against the pristine white backdrop.

The mist demon had never once taken Su Ye seriously, but by the time the Buddhist might descended upon it, escaping the perilous trap was already impossible.

"You despicable wretch!" Roared the mist demon, its voice shrill and filled with resentment as its very foundation was scorched by the Buddhist power.

Su Ye retrieved his sword.

Reversing the cosmos, turning righteousness into evil.

A black sphere brimming with deathly stillness materialized within his palm.

Sensing the despairing, dead silence contained within the black sphere, the mist demon's pupils shrank violently, and it scrambled in panic to flee backward.

Its ribbon-like body carelessly tumbled right into the blazing, righteous ring of fire.

Imprisoned by the Buddhist might, it could no longer move.

With stern, wrathful eyes, Su Ye left a trail of afterimages behind him as he violently kicked off the ground, leaping directly in front of the mist demon. He pulled his elbow back, accumulating formidable strength.

"To serve the Master of the Underworld is to be my mortal enemy," Su Ye declared in a ringing voice. "Having your soul scattered to the winds shall be your final destiny!"

Amidst his shouted battle cry, a mighty palm strike slammed into the mist demon's head, driving the boundless, ultimate stillness straight into its sea of consciousness.

The mist demon's body instantly fractured, beginning its collapse right from the skull.

"No... spare me... have mercy..."

Su Ye withdrew the Great Luo Fire Canopy, standing firmly on the ground as he coldly watched the fiend struggle and perish.

Within mere breaths, the tyrannical ultimate stillness completely reduced the early-realm Elemental Spirit fiend into fine dust, leaving nothing behind.

Su Ye was astonished by the sheer destructive might of the ultimate stillness, while inwardly imposing a strict restraint upon himself: Unless executing fiends and demons, he must never again employ such a tyrannical technique that left no path of retreat.

With the mist demon's demise, the power sustaining the pervasive fog and miasma began to rapidly wane.

"Daoist Su, is that you?" The female Daoist's voice rang out from not far behind.

Before Su Ye could reply, a robust voice chimed in:

"Daoist Su, Junior Sister Chen, are you both unharmed?"

Following the sound, he discovered that the six Daoists who had entered the city first were now merely a few paces away from him.

Meanwhile, the female Daoist had walked up to his side, her tone carrying a hint of vexation:

"The next time you encounter a fiend, absolutely do not run around blindly, otherwise this poor Daoist would have had no way to rescue you."

In her heart of hearts, she simply refused to believe that Su Ye possessed the capability to eliminate the mist demon. Naturally, the credit for resolving the crisis was assigned entirely to the omnipotent Senior Brother Lin.

Gathering the group, Lin Taixuan spoke: "The Red霞 (Rosy Cloud) Fiend has already occupied this city. Though it appears to span merely a few miles, it is infinitely vast. From this moment onward, we must maintain our utmost vigilance to avoid falling into another encirclement."

"What cultivation base does the Red Rosy Cloud Fiend possess, and what are its abilities?" Eager to glean intelligence concerning the Master of the Underworld, Su Ye could not resist probing.

Chen Mu intended to deliver a few sarcastic remarks, but upon catching Lin Taixuan's warning glance, she hurriedly swallowed the words on the tip of her tongue. Nevertheless, her opinion remained unchanged:

*Su Ye trying to understand the Red Rosy Cloud Fiend is entirely superfluous. Completely useless.*