Chapter 498: Old horse gets beaten

Old Ma is fighting over there?

Hmm… that's normal. After all, this place isn't entirely without natives. As a demon dragon, his cultivation method is orthodox, his foundation is deep, and he has reached the eighth rank. There should be nothing in this vicinity that can stop him. Moreover, Li Qi's Qi observation technique doesn't show any signs of impending disaster, so there's no need to worry too much; nothing major will happen.

Let's continue cleaning up the ruins.

——————

Meanwhile, Old Ma was embroiled in a considerable struggle.

A group of people suddenly appeared before him and attacked without a word. Several of the leaders were also eighth-rank Cultivators, likely from the Dao sect, who had just begun to temper their Yang Spirit. Their foundation seemed not very solid, and they called themselves Yang Spirit Practitioners, probably to elevate themselves, or perhaps… they truly didn't know how to classify themselves. But for Old Ma, it was still a difficult battle.

The Yin Spirit and Yang Spirit are essentially the same; both are the Spirit Soul of a Cultivator. At the eighth rank, one condenses the Yin Spirit, and then begins to temper it. When the Yang Spirit becomes pure Yang, that is the time to step into the seventh rank. At that point, the Spirit Soul is indestructible, unwavering in the wind, unharmed by the sun, and undamaged by thunder. It can survive for a long time detached from the Physical Body, and can also use the power of the Nascent Soul to become indestructible, repairing the Physical Body and allowing the Cultivator to attain eternal life, truly stepping into the seventh rank.

However, these so-called 'Yang Spirit Practitioners' have actually only partially Yang-ified their Yin Spirit; they haven't truly achieved the state of a pure Yang Nascent Soul.

But it was enough to fight Old Ma.

Numerous Dao sect spells, various divine incantations, and flying talismans continuously bombarded Old Ma's scales.

Fortunately, although his body was not comparable to a True Dragon, he still had some resistance, and combined with his speed, he did not fall into a disadvantage for the time being. He could even spare a moment to swat a few away with his tail, but the opponent had an eighth-rank Cultivator who always managed to stop Old Ma from continuing his pursuit.

Furthermore, Old Ma himself had no intention of killing, so there were no casualties for the time being.

To be honest, Old Ma was not afraid of them. With his speed, if he wanted to, he could instantly transform into the size of a mustard seed and disappear as a streak of light; they would simply be unable to catch him.

He just wanted to test his current capabilities.

Old Ma's speed was excellent, but like Li Qi, horses are not animals skilled in combat. Even after transforming into a Dragon, he still retained this characteristic; he wasn't very good at fighting.

Just as a clam transforming into a clam Dragon still retains its illusionary abilities, a venomous snake cultivating into a demon dragon, a Kui Dragon, still preserves its venom.

As a Dragon Steed, after his transformation into a Dragon, his official name should be 'Cong,' and he can be called a Cong Dragon. There was once a poem that said: "The Khotan Flower Cong Dragon is eight feet tall, watching clouds without the restraint of a bridle, testing its heavenly stride under the setting sun on a long plain, knowing the four extremes but unable to gallop." This praises the Cong Dragon's foot speed.

Although he knew this, he was still a male creature, and he had just Broken Through to the eighth rank. Now, seeing a few enemies who wouldn't pose a life-threatening danger to him, and the other party had even attacked first…

How could there be such a good opportunity?

So, he immediately swung his tail and engaged in battle with the surrounding Taoists, without even speaking a word.

And behind the battlefield—

"Wang Jushi, why aren't you making a move yet? This demon dragon's Cultivation is profound, almost comparable to a Yang Spirit Practitioner. You are one of the few top experts here, why are you standing idly?" A Taoist next to him urged the Old Taoist.

It was the Old Taoist from before; it seemed his surname was Wang.

"You also know he's almost comparable to a Yang Spirit Practitioner. This Old Taoist has only recently condensed his Yang Spirit, and his foundation isn't deep. How can I intervene in such a battle? It's better to prioritize saving my old life first. Now Daoist Master Liu has already gone to deal with him. He is skilled in fire spells, and this demon dragon must be water-attributed. Using fire to counter water, it won't be difficult to subdue him." The Old Taoist waved his hand, looking indifferent.

"Wang Jushi, since you entered the mountain, you haven't made a single move. I'm afraid that's not quite appropriate…" Someone else said.

"Nonsense! When this old man makes a move is none of your business! If you're impatient, roll up your sleeves and go yourself!" The Old Taoist cursed directly, then lifted his head and went to another side.

He had no intention of making a move. Although he was one of the few with Yang Spirit Cultivation here, he wasn't going to risk his life for no reason. His Disciple was still waiting at home.

Moreover, his purpose in coming here was to repay the teaching and guidance given by Mount Luofu, not to do free labor for these people.

He had lived for two or three hundred years and was quite experienced. He knew very well that although those few Yang Spirit Practitioners were using the banner of repaying Mount Luofu's kindness, their true intentions were definitely not simple.

This time, under a grand banner, they had gathered so many people, almost half of the Taoist temples outside had been called, totaling several thousand people. This was clearly an attempt to pacify this area.

Were those few Yang Spirit Practitioners… trying to use everyone's strength to clear out the mountain spirits and Yin ghosts, and even directly resolve the source of the Yin ghosts, and then occupy this place themselves?

Although there was no evidence, based on his understanding of those few, it was probably close to the truth.

After all, those people claimed to have received 'generational education,' but how many of them had truly entered the gates of Mount Luofu? And how many still genuinely remembered the kindness?

To put it bluntly, among the thousands of Taoist temples on the mountain's edge, only a handful had obtained the qualification of a Named Disciple, and those few were no longer here, having disappeared with the Immortals of Mount Luofu.

Only he had obtained the qualification of a Named Disciple but hadn't yet gone, so the Immortals probably hadn't taken him with them.

This was also… a lifelong regret.

However, even so, he could not collude with those people. This trip was still to drive away those who wanted to steal Mount Luofu's resources.

However, this demon dragon in front of him should not be included in that category.

He could feel that the demon dragon had no malice or killing intent in his heart. Instead, it was the Taoists besieging him who were full of malevolence.

It was precisely because of this that he chose to stand by and watch, not intending to make a move.

The Old Taoist stood calmly in place, his expression composed as he watched the battlefield ahead.

He could naturally see that although the demon dragon was being pushed back step by step, seemingly without the power to retaliate, he had not suffered any major injuries from beginning to end, only bruises, and not even a single scale had fallen.

Moreover, the speed of the opponent's movements showed that he didn't even intend to escape. If he truly wanted to run, that demon dragon would have disappeared in a flash.

This strength, truly worthy of a Dragon.

The Old Taoist sighed.

However, the Old Taoist did not yet know that compared to a True Dragon, a demon dragon was truly too far inferior. His knowledge and vision did not support him in understanding the difference between the legendary True Dragon and a demon dragon.

But that didn't matter. For the Taoists in front of them, a demon dragon was also an extremely troublesome enemy, even a Cong Dragon like Old Ma, whose claws were blunt.

On the battlefield.

The eighth-rank Yang Spirit Practitioner, seeing that he could not harm Old Ma, could only speed up and set up a Formation.

"Faster! Bind this Prodigy's body, place the spiritual talismans, and suppress them above the main hall to control all non-righteous Qi!" The Yang Spirit Practitioner continuously gave orders, his body moving to restrain Old Ma.

Old Ma also tried to resist. He kept letting out low Dragon roars, spitting green lightning from his mouth, and swinging his Dragon tail, struggling continuously among the Taoists who had formed a Formation.

Upon closer inspection, one could see that a Seal had already been set up below with numerous spiritual talismans. Old Ma was trying to break free, but it seemed he was still a bit short of success.

And that eighth-rank Yang Spirit, seeing Old Ma temporarily trapped by the Formation, immediately formed a Mudra with both hands and chanted a spell: "Golden scarf and feathered cloak, precious radiance bearing form, jade wheel turns north, command the crimson soldiers!"

As the incantation was uttered, he picked up a stack of talismans, quickly drew the core symbols on them, lit them, and threw them. Flames surged, and from the smoke, several Heavenly Soldiers suddenly rose!

These Heavenly Soldiers were all tall and mighty, with broad foreheads and wide faces, pure red skin, banners插ed in their backs, crowns on their heads, robes draped over them, colorful armor, and tiger waistbands. They stood tall and proud, holding swords, axes, and halberds, and bravely leaped towards Old Ma, heavily smashing onto his body! They pressed him to the ground.

Old Ma struggled fiercely, with green lightning rolling and exploding continuously. The ground seemed to be experiencing an earthquake. The close combat between the Heavenly Soldiers and Old Ma crushed countless surrounding forest trees, and even huge rocks were ground into powder.

At this moment, another Yang Spirit Practitioner stepped forward from the side. He had been observing the battle until now, but suddenly made a move, lighting several paper figures in his hand and throwing them into the battlefield.

These paper figures had previously been made only of yellow paper, but when they landed on the ground, they had already transformed into several golden giants three zhang tall! They resembled the legendary Golden-Armored Warriors.

When these golden giants stepped onto the battlefield, the intricate combat ended, leaving only brute force. They ran quickly, rushed to Old Ma, grabbed his claws and tail, and choked his throat, completely pinning Old Ma down.

It is often said that to describe great strength, people like to use phrases like 'ten Dragons and ten elephants,' or 'nine oxen and two tigers,' which shows that the strength of Dragons, elephants, oxen, and tigers is enormous.

As a demon dragon, Old Ma's strength was certainly not small, but after those golden giants pinned him down, he was temporarily unable to break free!

He struggled fiercely, but still could not shake the bodies of those golden giants.

The Yang Spirit Practitioner who had scattered the paper figures stroked his beard and said condescendingly, "Accept your fate, you demon dragon. My Golden-Armored Warriors each possess the strength of one Dragon, and you also only have the strength of one Dragon. It's like an ordinary person being pinned down by four or five people; no matter what, they can't break free."

Old Ma didn't believe it. He didn't believe this thing had the strength of one Dragon.

You know, Old Ma himself didn't have the strength of one Dragon.

The strength of one Dragon, that is the power of a True Dragon!

What kind of immense power was that? How could these ordinary warriors compare? It was clear the other party was bragging, so if he struggled, he might be able to break free!

To be honest, Old Ma was already a bit regretful.

He wanted to test his capabilities and thought that even if he couldn't win, he could easily escape with his speed. But he didn't expect the other party to be numerous and powerful. One eighth-rank Cultivator restrained him, while those ninth-rank Taoists took the opportunity to set up the Town Dragon Formation, binding his speed, and then there was the interference from the Heavenly Soldiers…

If it were only that, he could still run away in time.

However, now that another eighth-rank Cultivator had made a move, summoning warriors, he was pinned down all over his body and couldn't exert any force. He truly couldn't even run.

Originally, he could have used the Dragon's ability to transform into a mustard seed size to easily escape from the warriors' hands, but the Town Dragon Formation previously set up by those people had Sealed his transformation ability.

This time, he was truly caught.

The two Yang Spirit Practitioners naturally knew this, so they walked to Old Ma's Dragon head and sternly rebuked him: "Evil beast, you trespassed into Mount Luofu, plundered resources, and even excavated bones, committing a great sin! Do you confess your crime?!"

"Bah!" Old Ma spat directly and immediately replied, "What are you people? I am acting on orders from Sister-in-law… Moonborne Daoist Master of Mount Luofu, to collect these spiritual items. You are nothing but wild weeds from outside, parasites, why don't you release me quickly? If my elder brother comes, none of you will escape!"

He was also quite angry and not afraid.

These people wouldn't be able to kill him for a while. When he called for help, Li Qi would naturally sense it, and these weeds would be easily cut down. However, unless absolutely necessary, he still wanted to solve it himself, so he hadn't called for help yet.

"Evil beast, you commit great wrongs and still spout lies. Moonborne Daoist Master of Mount Luofu? Who here has heard of this person? Furthermore, now Mount Luofu is plagued by Yin ghosts and rampant demons. Where are there any living people left? You are truly beyond saving! Ouyang Zhenren, what do you say?" This eighth-rank Yang Spirit looked to the other side, awaiting the reaction of the Yang Spirit Cultivator who had summoned the Golden-Armored Warriors.

"I don't think he's beyond saving. After all, he's a demon dragon. Although he disrespects Mount Luofu, the death penalty can be avoided, but the living penalty is unavoidable. You, demon dragon, today I shall brand you and lock your Spirit Soul. From now on, you shall guard my Taoist temple for two cycles of sixty years. When your sins are atoned for, you may leave as you please." This Ouyang Zhenren, with an Immortal-like demeanor, said calmly.

These words infuriated Old Ma to no end. He immediately began to curse: "I was walking along perfectly fine, how did you bunch of people suddenly appear and attack me? So this was your intention all along! A bunch of Demon Dao Cultivators, not thinking of Cultivating, not practicing the righteous Dao, spending all day pondering these Evil Path things! It serves you right that your Dao path is cut off at the eighth rank, with no hope of eternal life in this lifetime!"

"Look at your sarcastic appearance, pretending to be Immortal-like. Do you really think this young master can't see your greasy, smelly, impoverished look? You talk such nonsense, trying to trick this young master into being your mountain guardian beast. You don't even know if you're worthy. This old man's Dragon life will crush your dog life until you can't breathe. In the future, you'll have no children, no grandchildren, probably even your disciples and grand-disciples will be completely cut off!"

"Old servant, dog thing, I bet even this Cultivation was obtained through trickery and deception! Do you think you can fool this young master? I've seen the world! You mustn't—"

When Old Ma couldn't speak before, his temper was quite explosive, even having bumped into Li Qi. Now that he could speak, his mouth was even more relentless, with all sorts of insults pouring out, constant foul language, making the Yang Spirit Practitioner's face turn green and purple. He took several deep breaths, and it was even clear that he wanted to curse back.

But after all, he was already eighth-rank, and he still had his wits about him. He knew that thousands of Taoists were watching, and it would be undignified and laughable to engage in a cursing match. Moreover, he might not even win against this foul-mouthed Dragon, and then he would end up covered in mud, which would be undesirable.

So, he continued to rigidly maintain his Immortal-like demeanor, waiting until Old Ma felt satisfied with his cursing and stopped to catch his breath.

Seeing Old Ma finally shut up, the Yang Spirit Practitioner snorted coldly: "Hmph! This evil beast knows his crime but refuses to repent. I shall sever his head; it will also be a Heaven And Earth Treasure, capable of adding several Spiritual Artifacts for all of you present!"

With that, he chanted, took out a talisman, and flung it into the sky. Swish, swish, swish, it transformed into several steel knives, ready to strike!

But at this very moment, the Old Taoist not far away lightly flicked his finger.