Longevity Chronicles-Chapter 373 - 266: The Twelve Immortals Demon Suppression Array, Tao Qian’s Magical Duel on Huang Jing Road_2

"Had retreated the True Inheritor of the Evil Sect, slain the Ogre Li Qingpan... a real knack for showmanship. Had it not been for my Heavenly Immortal Dao having some manpower in Demon City, keeping busy for an entire day, seeking news from the Changchun Society, I would have been truly fooled by this fellow."

"The matter of the Evil Sect's True Inheritor and Lian Yulou is clearly a scheme devised by the Ninth Prince; that fellow merely stumbled upon good fortune."

"As for Li Qingpan? This unlucky ghost was injured at the core by the Tianjiang Immortal; if it were up to me, a surprise attack would surely be a fatal blow with no difficulty at all."

"When it comes to showmanship and boasting, with a Heavenly Immortal Daoist like myself present, how could a Mixed Dragon Demon have its turn?"

"Although this Zhang Baisui lad is born with poor talent, hopeless to take over the foundation of the Nine Lamps Mansion, destined to die before his father, he had, after all, the title of Young Master. It's about time I subjugate him and eliminate the hidden concerns brought to my Heavenly Immortal Dao by that bastard Zhu Quanfu earlier."

"Well then, the timing is just right. Let's see how I display some Divine Power to not only humiliate this Dragon Demon but also thoroughly subjugate Zhang Baisui and these practitioners of heresy and heterodoxy."

"Where the heart of the people goes, all will obey me, making matters much easier to handle."

Huang Jing Daoist made up his mind and immediately spoke before Tao Qian could.

"Young Master is too kind with his praise."

"Compared to the extraordinary military exploits of Mr. Jin, I, Huang Jing, am truly not worth mentioning."

As soon as he uttered these words, there was an immediate stir of whispers inside and outside the main hall.

The hall was filled with old pros who had mixed in these circles for many years, many of them were eccentric, but none were foolish.

Hearing the second sentence, they immediately guessed what Huang Jing Daoist intended to do.

There would be a good show to watch!

In an instant, apart from a few who were genuinely simple-minded.

Most of those from the heterodox paths, Demons and Ghosts, raised their heads at this moment, looking towards the banquet in the main hall in various manners.

The likes of Copper Claw Granny and Black Donkey Immortal Child within the hall even showed an expression of great interest.

They had long been disgruntled with this Zhang Baisui lad, who was riding on Tao Qian's coattails to snide remarks.

Now, at last, there came an opportunity to slap back.

Zhang Baisui, to his credit, wasn't stupid either. Once he heard Huang Jing Daoist's words, he guessed what was coming.

Just about to open his mouth to stop it, Huang Jing Daoist preemptively continued:

"The Divine Power of Mr. Jin has been a topic of much admiration among myself and other Daoist friends throughout today, and we've all grown calluses over our ears from hearing of it."

"However, when coming to Demon City, the Residence Master of the Nine Lamps once advised me, saying the Young Master, in his youthful ignorance, might be deceived when recruiting Guest Elders and could easily be misled."

"Mr. Jin mustn't misunderstand, I'm not insinuating you."

At this point, Tao Qian had to forcefully suppress the urge to chop this old cucumber with a cold strike.

Naturally showing a hint of anger on his face, he then asked:

"Oh, does Huang Jing Daoist have any guidance?"

"I dare not presume to instruct, only abiding by the tasks of the Lord of Nine Lamps, I wish to exchange a few pointers with Taoist friends."

"Spar? Or do you plan to engage in a real fight with me?"

"Do not be angered, friend, how could my old and frail body withstand a battle with a member of the Dragon Clan? Let's opt for a spar instead, something light, to avoid damaging the amicability between us."

Tao Qian and Huang Jing Daoist's exchange,

To the others, including Zhang Baisui, it was apparent that the Dragon Demon known as "Jin Lin" was provoked.

And Huang Jing Daoist's outward demeanor was truly remarkable.

Even before the fight, he seemed to have gained the upper hand.

One could see him, that dwarfish figure with sallow skin, actively floating up and landing in the spacious courtyard.

Then he called over many Demon Cultivators from the Zhang Mansion to bear witness, ostensibly.

Surrounded tightly, the scene was incredibly lively when Huang Jing Daoist declared:

"As for a spar that does not damage friendliness, I happen to have an idea."

"I presume the esteemed Daoist friends here are all aware that I, Huang Jing Daoist, cultivate the 'Jade Emperor Heavenly Immortal Origin Scripture,' belonging to the Incense Fire Dao."

"Thus, I am not only frail in body, but also unskilled in Thunder Skill, unfamiliar with Five Elements, ignorant of swordsmanship, nor proficient in capturing techniques, or Escape Techniques... Rather, it's in the art of Arrays that I've done some research."

"Not like this, I shall arrange a 'Twelve Immortals Demon Suppression Array' here," said the Daoist, "and you will actively try to break through it."

"If within an hour, you can break out of the array, you will be considered the victor."

"If you cannot, then you will have lost to me."

"How about it?"

Huang Jing Daoist let out these words as well as the setup for the duel.

Many Demon Cultivators in the field secretly grumbled in their hearts: This Old Ghost Huang, while expressing concern about others causing a stir, is the one who actually digs one pit after another, saying that this and that won't work; how did he manage to attain the Cultivation of the Cavernous Mystery Realm and expand the Heavenly Immortal Dao's territory step by step within Ancient Qin Province?

Those who knew the details of the array even showed a look of eager anticipation.

Like Copper Claw Granny and Black Donkey Immortal Child, this group of over a dozen Transcend Mortality Cultivators began communicating with each other through voice transmission.

"Old Ghost Huang is as crafty and cunning as ever, clearly being a realm higher than this Dragon Demon and yet so cautious, always intent on setting traps."

"It's normal though; the battle record of this Dragon Demon is indeed extraordinary. We have all heard of Li Qingpan's reputation. Even if he was injured, facing a Transcend Mortality Devil, he shouldn't be so easily crushed to death. This Jin Lin must also possess some special ability; he is no ordinary creature."

"Twelve Immortals Demon Suppression Array? Hah, the name was changed rather quickly; last time I heard, it was still called the Demon Suppression Array. The twelve Evil Gods bred by Huang Jing Daoist after years of painstaking effort, yet he gave them an immortal name."

"If Old Huang really sets up the array and then lets someone try to break through, not to mention a Dragon Demon in the Transcend Mortality Realm, even a genuine Cavernous Mystery Cultivator who enters it would probably not be able to come out."

"One hour? Even if it were an entire day, a month, they would still be trapped to death inside."

"Old Ghost Huang is deliberately slapping faces here; I heard that previously, when people from the Heavenly Immortal Dao came to protect the Young Master, they actually abandoned him during Li Qingpan's assassination attempt... Although the Young Master isn't of much use, he still knows how to complain. Because of that incident, the Heavenly Immortal Dao paid a heavy price to maintain its position in front of the Lord of Nine Lamps."

...

Tao Qian naturally could not hear all these transmitted discussions.

But from the expressions on the faces of these Demon Cultivators around him, he could infer quite a lot.

By all means, he should refuse.

Heh!

If the one setting up the array were his Aunt Yunhua, then he would indeed immediately refuse.

Just some practitioner of the Incense Fire Dao, also cultivating a messy heresy and heterodoxy?

"With the skills I possess, and my abnormal soul, along with that item given to me by Aunt Yunhua, if I cannot break this so-called Twelve Immortals Demon Suppression Array within an hour, then I might as well return to the Mountain Gate and not bother transcending any ordeal."

Having made up his mind, Tao Qian spoke out.

"Huang Jing Daoist, set up the array."

"Good!"

Huang Jing Daoist was clearly waiting for Tao Qian's agreement.

Once he got a response, the nauseatingly yellow-skinned Old Ghost immediately cracked a grin full of wrinkles, his breath reeking as he bared his yellow teeth and let out a low shout; twelve rays of bright light shot out.

In the blink of an eye, they settled in the courtyard.

Among the Demon Cultivators, quite a few sharp-eyed ones clearly saw that within those twelve streams of brilliance were twelve particularly lavish, intricate flags with treasure light flowing over them.

Each was embroidered with the image of an immortal, although they were not any of the officially recognized ones by the Daoist community but were Evil Gods concocted out of thin air by Huang Jing Daoist leveraging the power of the Heavenly Immortal Dao and the influence of Nine Lamps Mansion within Ancient Qin Province.

This approach had its advantages and disadvantages: the downside was that these Evil Gods were merely nurtured with the power of incense and could not be compared to real Immortal Gods in terms of mana or Divine Power.

The advantage, however, was that it was simple: These Evil Gods, having been created by him, of course, obeyed him completely.

To create these "Twelve Immortals," Huang Jing Daoist had poured in almost half a lifetime of effort.

The array itself was also one of his proudest creations.

Previously, the Old Ghost had been all humility, but as soon as he had this array in place, he finally showed a bit of his true colors.

He gestured with his hand, signaling to Tao Qian that he could enter the array.

At the same time, he began to speak, as if introducing and boasting:

"I should inform Mr. Jin, this array, though named Demon Suppression, has some specific arrangements targeting the Devil Clan."

"If you are too deeply ensnared, don't fiercely resist. Just call out 'I surrender,' and I will have the Twelve Immortals let you out of the array."

"If you struggle too much, you might endure the punishment of skinning and muscle extraction, and that would be quite unseemly."