Demonic Cultivator: Immune To Common Side Effects - Chapter 53

Chapter 53: Corpse Puppet Su Mo Overpowers Tranquil Void

If I could seize Tranquil Void’s Cave Mansion while he’s vulnerable, taking advantage of his grievous wounds!

Li Yan’s mind raced, calculating the feasibility of this daring plan.

Daoist Xuan Ye has visited Tranquil Void’s Cave Mansion countless times. Once the mechanisms inside are activated, no outsider can enter.

Numerous strategies swirled through his mind. This was a once-in-a-millennium opportunity.

The gravely wounded Tranquil Void continued to bleed his Blood Qi after losing his head.

Decision made!

Li Yan mounted his flying sword and soared toward Tranquil Void’s Cave Mansion, the Gu Cave, nestled deep within the Red Leaf Forest.

The forest teemed with venomous insects, and the Gu Cave was further fortified by layers of formations and traps laid by Tranquil Void himself, all anchored by a core Mountain Guardian Formation.

Daoist Xuan Ye and Tranquil Void were master and disciple, their relationship… complicated.

Hmm.

In a way, Xuan Ye was Tranquil Void’s drudge, forced to handle all the dirty work. His female disciple was practically a servant to the old Daoist.

Tranquil Void trusted her implicitly, so Xuan Ye knew many of his secrets.

Li Yan, having pieced together these fragments of memory, now understood the cave’s defenses intimately.

He lurked in the shadows, awaiting the return of the headless Tranquil Void.

Soon enough, the headless Old Daoist wobbled back to the Gu Cave Mansion in the Red Leaf Forest, teetering precariously on his flying sword.

Daoist Tranquil Void, now without his head, flew as erratically as a drunken man. He pinched his fingers into a mudra and slowly opened the Mountain Guardian Formation.

Li Yan watched the gap in the Formation widen and took a deep breath. “Go!”

Two Sub Shadows surged toward Daoist Tranquil Void, while Li Yan himself darted straight into the Formation.

Sensing a sudden gust of wind, the headless Daoist Tranquil Void realized something was amiss. “Who’s there?!” His voice boomed from his abdomen—headless, he could still project his voice using the power of his Dantian.

Li Yan flashed past, diving directly into the Gu Cave. Once inside, he needed only activate the mechanism to lock the Formation. This would trap Daoist Tranquil Void outside, unable to reopen it himself!

Li Yan’s plan was clear: seize the cave, seal the Formation, and isolate Daoist Tranquil Void.

Seeing Li Yan rush toward the cave, Daoist Tranquil Void sneered. “So it’s you—that traitorous disciple who deceives his master and destroys his ancestors!”

“You fool, walking straight into my trap!”

Daoist Tranquil Void immediately gave chase.

Holding the Lotus Lamp aloft, Li Yan formed another hand seal. “Golden Body Dharma Idol, arise!”

Two Golden Body Dharma Idols rose from the ground, blocking Daoist Tranquil Void’s path.

“Golden Body Dharma Idols? How intriguing!” Daoist Tranquil Void sneered. “But do you really think you can stop this Grandmaster with your sluggish movements?”

The headless Daoist Tranquil Void channeled power from his abdomen and chanted: “Flesh Gu Technique—Dismember!”

In the next instant, Daoist Tranquil Void’s body shattered into pieces. His limbs and torso separated, bypassing the Golden Body Dharma Idols entirely.

Though the idols intercepted most of the fragments, one severed arm still flew toward Li Yan. A dense concentration of Death Yin Power coalesced in the severed limb’s hand, preparing to strike Li Yan’s back with a deadly “Black Tiger Snatches Heart” technique.

But before the arm could strike, a graceful figure flashed into view!

Bang!

A lithe woman wielding a massive greatsword materialized, her blade colliding with the severed arm. The impact sent dust billowing across the ground, the shockwave rippling outward like a visible wave.

It was none other than Su Mo, the Corpse Puppet summoned by Li Yan!

Though Su Mo’s cultivation base remained modest, her physical body possessed the resilience of a Blood Core Realm cultivator. As she clashed head-on with the severed arm, she stubbornly pinned Daoist Tranquil Void’s limb outside the protective barrier.

Her delicate face contorted in a fierce grimace, every muscle straining as she held the arm at bay. Her feet sank deeper into the mud, inching backward under the relentless force.

At this critical moment, Li Yan had already dashed into the cave. Guided by Daoist Xuan Ye’s memories, he activated the mechanism.

He forcefully pushed the stone button on the wall, and the Mountain Guardian Formation slowly began to activate.

As crimson light surged into the earth, the formation completed its seal.

Outside the barrier, Daoist Tranquil Void’s severed hand was blocked by the Mountain Guardian Formation.

With this, Daoist Tranquil Void’s Cave Mansion had fallen into Li Yan’s hands.

Panting heavily at the cave entrance, Li Yan grinned at the figure outside the barrier.

The Mountain Guardian Formation was exceptionally sturdy. Once activated and locked, even Daoist Tranquil Void in his prime would have taken months to breach it.

Only after confirming his safety did Li Yan smile and clasp his hands in a respectful bow. “Grandmaster, this junior gratefully accepts your Cave Mansion.”

The severely wounded Daoist Tranquil Void retracted his limbs back into his headless torso.

The headless Daoist could only clench his fists outside the barrier, watching Li Yan seize his Cave Mansion.

He feebly slammed his fist against the barrier.

“You ungrateful little bastard! I should have refined you into an elixir long ago!”

“I planned to use you to retrieve treasures from Broken Sword Valley, but who could have foreseen this! You actually learned real skills there!”

Daoist Tranquil Void was now consumed by bitter regret. This kid had seemed so utterly unremarkable at first—just another spare for Xuanwang’s Gu refinement experiments.

Who could have imagined that Li Yan, locked away in the Stone Workshop Hall as a mere retainer, would transform into a Blood Shifting Realm cultivator in such a short time? And then, taking advantage of Tranquil Void’s grave injuries, seize his Grandmaster’s Cave Mansion!

Unthinkable!

The old Daoist Tranquil Void pounded furiously on the barrier from the outside. “Back when Xuanwang fished you out of the mountains, I should have crushed you then and there and tossed you into the Gu Cave to feed the worms!”

Ignoring the old Daoist’s impotent rage, Li Yan picked at his ear as if he hadn’t heard a word. Turning to enter the Gu Cave, he said, “Mo Mo, come with me into the grotto.”

“Yes, Master.”

Su Mo, lugging the Demonic Bone Greatsword—a weapon even larger than herself—hurried after Li Yan.

Li Yan glanced at the loyal Corpse Puppet and smiled. “You must be tired from rushing all this way.”

Su Mo, skipping happily behind him with the greatsword slung over her shoulder, beamed. “Didn’t want to be alone. Wanted to be with Master.”

“Being with Master makes Mo Mo happy.”

She had clearly been dejected when Li Yan left her alone at the Moon Gazing Daoist Temple.

From the moment she awoke, Su Mo had been inseparable from Li Yan.

The sudden separation seemed to trigger severe separation anxiety in her.

Then, half an hour earlier, Li Yan had sent her a voice transmission, urging her to hurry over.

Still sitting idly at the Daoist Temple, the Corpse Puppet Su Mo dashed into the dense forest without hesitation, racing through the Red Leaf Forest to reunite with Li Yan.

Back at her Master’s side, she seemed like a child of just a few years, her steps light and swift, a sweet smile gracing her face.

“Are you really this happy to be with me? You’re beaming. Did anyone notice you on the way?”

Su Mo shook her head and pointed to her chest. “Mo Mo is dead. No breath.”

It was precisely because she existed between life and death that Daoist Tranquil Void had failed to detect her presence.

Thinking about it, a Corpse Puppet like Su Mo, undetectable and imbued with immense power, was practically a top-tier power-type assassin, wasn’t she?

But dismissing these fleeting thoughts, the immediate priority was to plunder Daoist Tranquil Void’s Cave Mansion.

“Let’s go see how many people this old rogue has harmed and how much treasure he’s hoarded here!”

Li Yan grinned widely as he shoved open the stone door to the Cave Mansion.