Penitence: Beast in Trouble

  Zhu Hong flew south for a whole night, until the next morning when the sky was bright, he stopped his sword light. Under his feet was still the vast ocean, in front of him was a small island, on which there was a mountain peak. Perhaps due to being battered by wind and waves all year round, the mountain seemed like a solid rock, its surface not only had no grass growing, but also didn't have any soil or rocks attached to it.

  He flew all night, and just when he was exhausted and his magic was depleted, he landed the sword light on the island to take a break and think about where to hide next. Suddenly, he looked up and saw someone standing at the top of the mountain peak, wearing white clothes, with a cold face, who was none other than his own senior brother Yue Qinbin. He was shocked and his scalp felt numb, so he turned around and wanted to escape westward by riding his sword.

  Yue Qing raised his hand on the mountain peak, and the sea surface began to churn with wind and clouds, waves rising hundreds of meters high, as if two water mountains were converging towards the center. Zhu Hong's sword merged into one, charging westward, the two water mountains converged towards the center, instantly squeezing together, and rapidly solidifying, transforming into a glacier.

  Zhu Hong was frozen in the ice, cold air entering his body, even his bone marrow was about to freeze. He spat out three mouthfuls of true energy, forcibly urging on the Three Primordial Sword, and the red, yellow, and blue sword lights suddenly surged violently. The glacier split into four or five parts, crackling and crashing, shattered ice filling the sky, scattering everywhere, and once again turning into water droplets. However, they did not fall, but instead condensed into fist-sized water thunderbolts that mutually collided and rubbed against each other, rushing towards Zhu Hong like a swarm of bees.

  Zhu Hong suddenly saw so many lightning beads rushing towards him, almost scaring his guts out on the spot. If he was really hit, he would be shattered to the point where not even a single bone fragment remained. In a panic, he quickly formed a hand seal and recited an incantation, using the Taiyi Five Smoke Net that he had stolen from his master years ago.

  A faint five-colored mist rose from his body, connecting into a piece, protecting him from head to toe.

  Zhu Hong saw the surrounding smoke and mist rising, the heavenly thunderbolt striking above, only stirring up a few ripples, completely ineffective. His heart had just calmed down, feeling that using this treasure today was especially effortless and carefree. Just as he was feeling self-satisfied, he suddenly saw Yue Qing appear above his head, also holding a ball of five-colored smoke and mist in his palm, resembling his own Taiyi Five Smoke Net. He couldn't help but feel shocked and fearful: "Elder Brother Yue, you've also refined this ultimate treasure outside of Master's teachings?"

  Yue Qing smiled lightly: "Death is imminent, yet you still don't know yourself. You only think that the magic treasure is powerful and have never been willing to work hard on the orthodox Xuan Gong. Little do you know that the magic treasure is an external object after all. Look at me now, I haven't even released my flying sword, yet I can control your life and death as I please!"

  He pointed his hand, and the surrounding millions of water mines converged to the center, exploding simultaneously with a loud noise. The Taiyi Five Smoke Net that Zhu Hong used to protect himself burst and dissipated like bubbles. Zhu Hong hastily used his sword light to defend himself, but he still couldn't withstand the power of the millions of water mines. His body was blown to smithereens, and the Three-Element Sword lost its luster, falling downwards.

  Zhu Hong's primordial spirit was also injured, and he desperately wrapped himself in a black jade gourd and flew out at high speed.

  "Where are you going!" Yue Qing stretched out his hand and pointed, a fierce flame burst into the air, forming a blazing fire wall that blocked Zhu Hong's path.

  "Master! Master, spare my life!" Zhu Hong knelt in the fire, hugging his calabaza and wailing loudly, "My younger brother's physical body has been shattered, only his lingering soul remains. Please, master, don't push me to the brink of death, let me go and seize a new shell for rebirth..."

  Yue Qing said resolutely: "Since the moment Master En's troops were defeated, people from both factions of Huashan have been eager to eat your flesh and sleep on your skin! Your death was already predetermined! All this is the result of your own evil deeds. Now you come to ask me for help? What's the use?"

  "Master brother, I know I was wrong! Ever since I secretly took Master's Taoist scripture and magical treasure down the mountain, I knew I was wrong. But in a moment of weakness, I used my magic to seal and block Master from summoning me back. From then on, I couldn't turn back."

  "Get out of here!" Yue Qing angrily said, "How magnanimous and generous is our Master? Especially to us disciples, whenever we suffer grievances outside, no matter who is right or wrong, hasn't he always stood up for us? Even the two times we fought against Emei Sect, it was because of the long-standing grudges between our sects. What personal feud did Master have with Qi Xuanming? You often rely on your privileged status and look down on us fellow disciples. You know very well that even if you create a hole in the sky, Master will help you fill it up. If you return the Taizhen Wuyanluo to Master before the duel at Huangshan, perhaps Master won't have to suffer."

  Zhu Hong's face was filled with shame, he raised his palms and slapped himself silently more than a dozen times, crying out loud: "Master! I'm sorry to you! Master! I'm a beast, it was me who killed you!"

  Thinking of his master, Yue Qing's eyes also began to moisten. The sound and appearance of Taiyi Hunyuan Zushi, kind and nurturing, pure teaching, one by one appeared in his mind: "Zhu Hong, Zhu Hong, now that your benefactor is dead, who are you still pretending for?"

  Zhu Hong knocked his head and cried painfully: "Brother Yue, I am truly sincere in my repentance. I am willing to give you Master's Taoist scriptures and magical treasures, then take these three precious swords given by Master to Maoshan to guard Master's tomb..."

  Yue Qing didn't like hearing him say these things, and coldly laughed: "Now no matter what you do, it's all useless. Unless you can bring Shifu back to life, otherwise not just me, but all the senior brothers and sisters of the Wudang Sect will never forgive you!"

  Zhu Hong begged again, even willing to stop searching for a hut and only keep this remnant of his soul guarding the tomb of his master, becoming a guardian ghost, just hoping that Yue Qing would spare his life, but Yue Qing refused.

  Zhu Hong suddenly jumped up like thunder, and scolded loudly: "You surnamed Yue, don't be too arrogant! I've been on guard against you for years, and have also practiced a few earth-shattering magic treasures. Originally, I didn't want to burn both jade and stone because of our past relationship as fellow disciples, but now you're forcing me again and again, it's really hateful! Don't blame me for not cherishing the friendship of our past days as fellow disciples!"

  "Ah? You still have an earth-shattering treasure? Why didn't you take it out earlier, and let me see it too!" He urged the formation to close in on all sides, and the wind and clouds surged between heaven and earth. The surrounding scenery changed rapidly, with oceans, deserts, plateaus, vast plains, giant trees, strange rocks, seas of clouds, and rivers, making one's eyes dart back and forth. His mouth lazily said, "If you really have it, hurry up and take it out. If not, then wait for your doom..."

  "You bastard, Yue! This is all your fault! Today, I'll risk everything and fight you to the death!" Zhu Hong opened the black jade gourd and concentrated his energy into it.

  Yue Qing's expression changed as soon as he saw the gourd transform: "You actually refined the Six-Six True Yuan Gourd, something even our master didn't dare to refine back then!" He hastily adjusted the Qizheng Gate, urged on the Five Elements transformation, and sealed off the formation.

  Zhu Hong maniacally laughed loudly: "If I didn't have something up my sleeve, wouldn't that be letting Master teach in vain? Wouldn't that be letting you bunch of seniors who've lived for years like dogs look down on me?! This gourd is prepared specifically for all of you!"

  As they spoke, a dark and fierce gust of wind howled through the air, black energy shot up into the sky, and many evil spirits appeared.

  Yue Qing knew the ferocity of the Six True Yuan Gourd, and although Zhu Hong had not yet fully refined it, the power contained within was still formidable enough to be beyond the capabilities of ordinary people. He didn't have a treasure on hand that could suppress it, nor could he just let Zhu Hong go. Taking a deep breath, Yue Qing prepared to stake everything on one final gamble, advancing instead of retreating. First, he sprayed a mouthful of true energy onto the Tai Yi Five Smoke Net, using the unique secret method of the Wu Tai Sect to activate it, transforming into a smokescreen that protected himself. Then, relying on the changes in the formation's gate, he quickly closed in on Zhu Hong.

  He thought that if he released this treasure, the other party would not be able to withstand it. He had already seen that after flying for a whole night, he still hadn't been able to leave the Four Gates Mountain area by half a step. The mountain peak where Yue Qing stood earlier was the Stone Cliff Mountain on the south side of the Four Gates Mountain. Yue Qing's own Taoist magic was more powerful than his, and now he was trapped in someone else's formation, so he could only be slaughtered at will. Therefore, he had to use the Twelve Yin Demons from the Six True Primordial Gourd to break through this Eight Gates Inverted Golden Lock Formation. As long as there was a gap, he would immediately rush out, and after finding a suitable body shell and succeeding in seizing it, he would refine several powerful magical artifacts to come back and take revenge!

  He had underestimated the profound skills of Yue Qing, who had been cultivating for three hundred years. Previously, Tai Yi's five-smoke gauze had been taken away by someone using the "Collecting Treasure" technique without making a sound, and now, even though it hadn't undergone refinement, he could still use it with ease, unlike him, who was struggling to control it.

  Six-six true yuan gourd, inside constantly surging black-red thick evil energy, twelve yin demons screaming and howling, wanting to choose people to bite, Zhu Hong is the body of the original spirit, was chosen by the yin demon as the first attack object, one of them opened his mouth, bigger than a room, producing infinite suction force to swallow him into his mouth.

  Zhu Hong was so frightened that his soul flew away: "Spare my life, elder brother! Spare my life!"

  Yue Qing's "Driving Array Method" unleashed a sky full of fire and thunder, blasting the Dark Demon's head to smithereens. Then, with a sweep of his sword light, he took away Zhu Hongyuan's soul.