Could it be that I am the cruel villain?
Chapter 384 - 245 Moon and Shadow_2

Chapter 384: Chapter 245 Moon and Shadow_2

With a slight exertion of force, he tossed the treasure bead high into the air. At this moment, the Pearl of the Celestial Lake hung aloft like the moon, draping Ying Ling’s graceful figure entirely in the moonlight.

Soon, another slightly illusory shadow appeared behind him. With a knife in one hand and a claw in the other, it pounced towards him.

"What kind of spell is this!?"

Thump!

Seeing the fist and claw stabbing towards him, the youth took a deep breath and, without dodging, threw a punch directly at it. The sheer wind from his punch caused Ying Ling’s thin veil to flutter noisily.

"No wonder he dares to speak so arrogantly; he does have some skills."

"How is it that the Cen Family Village is no longer fiddling with those vile bugs but has begun to delve into body cultivation instead?"

"If two shadows aren’t enough, how about I, the leader of this wretched woman, stoke the fire a bit more for you?"

She sneered coldly.

Women sure hold grudges.

Turning sideways, the thin veil and the close-fitting undergarment outlined what could be called a perfect curve, but indeed no skin was exposed. Most of the disciples from the Joyful Sect who were out in public were simply named for the sake of reputation, creating a sensation.

The proper legacy disciples would never easily let their Primordial Yin or Yang dissipate. Once dissipated, the source must be firmly possessed, and only mutual supplementation and assistance could make the cultivation technique reach its highest effectiveness.

Indeed, disciples of the Joyful Sect increase their cultivation speed through unions with others; however, this is just one step in their cultivation process. Moreover, the cultivation paths of the Joyful Sect are numerous and complex, with some requiring the cultivator to remain pure and abstinent, while others indulge in pleasure.

But to the outside world, they are never seen as decent; it’s said that the sect’s male cultivators welcome all women, and their female cultivators are promiscuous. The rumors are as unflattering as they can be, but after all, they are cultivators.

If they truly indulged in the pleasures of the flesh, how could they break through to the next realm?

Ying Ling also harbored reservations about this but couldn’t lash out. The remarks made by Cen Zhuangzhuang just now were akin to lighting a keg of gunpowder, especially since the Southern Border, as a foreign power, was always hostile at the border.

Naturally, Ying Ling couldn’t be expected to show any kindness to him.

"No, miss, wait, listen to my explanation, that’s not what I meant. I just thought you looked particularly like... that lady who was pushed out of the brothal when I went out with my brothers last time..."

"You!"

Her delicate palm clenched into a fist.

The hint of anger in her eyes disappeared; instead, she fell silent, not uttering a word, allowing the Pearl of the Celestial Lake to float above. These two shadows were the Joyful Sect’s secret weapon, high-level Daoist spells that could only be activated with the Pearl of the Celestial Lake.

She drew her hands behind her back, and after rotating the Emei Piercers three times in her palms, she gripped them tightly. She landed on tiptoes without making a sound. Had Cen Zhuangzhuang not been watching the woman standing on the rooftop with his own eyes, he would have been completely unaware of her presence.

With a fierce punch, but after all, a shadow is just a shadow; even if the punch landed successfully, it would only dissipate the illusion for a few seconds before it reformed. This nearly made Cen Zhuangzhuang’s eyeballs pop out.

"Is this the Daoist skill of the Joyful Sect? How can it be beaten?"

He was still entangled with the two shadows, one of which was obviously stronger, while the other was slightly weaker. Still, they managed to give him a rough time. The next moment, he was startled, bringing his hands together.

"Ha!"

Black light formed a protective aura, and strange patterns emerged on his skin, but the discordant, piercing sound that immediately emanated from his body was like the clanging of a hammer on metal.

Clang—

Birds in the distance took to the sky, frightened off in all directions.

"Break!"

With a cold and sharp cry, the youth staggered several steps backward, his face flushed. It was clear he had held his breath, but the attack had not injured him; this is the resilience of body cultivation.

"Hmph, you do have some skill. How about this?"

Snap!

A snap of the fingers.

The shadows around him moved even more bizarrely, dazzling to the eye. Just by looking an extra moment, one could easily fall into it. The disciples of the Joyful Sect excelled at creating illusions and hiding in shadows, using the environment to their advantage in combat.

The nature of their magic treasures also provided a glimpse into this.

Other people’s magic treasures are either extremely powerful weapons or highly functional items that can buff themselves, or even turtle shells, similar to Buddhist Bells in terms of defense type treasures.

Only Joyful Sect disciples possess these kinds of treasure beads.

They are extremely concealable, able to influence the environment, or capable of creating illusions...

Ding-ling-ling!

A faint sound pierced the ears.

Despite its inconspicuousness, Cen Zhuangzhuang noticed the sound of a bell seemingly coming from the woman’s body. In the dark night where visibility was poor even with moonlight, he could barely make out a small and exquisite bell hanging at Ying Ling’s waist.

His body continued to move backward, the dagger grazed past the neck, while another shadow raised its leg to fiercely smash down. Upon closer inspection, it was revealed that the shadow’s feet were also made of blades.

Clang!

He raised his hand, and his staunchly protective arms blocked the attack without budging. Ying Ling herself aimed for his back heart, but the bull-like strongman didn’t even dodge, arching his back forcefully, and the patterns that had receded from his face covered his body again.

"Roar!"

The momentum was like a rainbow, numbing one’s ears.

Mouth wide open, a breath of turbid air erupted from it, black as ink. Although he wasn’t facing her, Ying Ling still instinctively dodged, and unexpectedly the exhaled turbid air instantly climbed onto one of the shadows.

In an instant, it was covered in black fog, spread over the body, and finally devoured it completely, dissipating into Spiritual Energy. The youth had spat out a Gu Worm!

"Hmph."

"People from the Southern Border are still so revolting, only using these underhanded tactics unfit for the public. Fine, this lady will have a good time with you."

She tossed her left hand, switching the Emei Piercer for a Ring Blade.

Initially, she was slightly angry and wanted to teach this insolent boy a lesson, to mind his own business, thinking she could end the fight with a crushing defeat. The gap between Peak of Core Formation and Mid Grade may not look big, but for them, top disciples, it represents two different concepts.

To put it colloquially, it’s a difference in foundation. You’ve just entered the mid-stage of Core Formation because you’ve only now accumulated enough Spiritual Energy, while I’m at the Peak of Core Formation because I’ve reached this realm years ago and might breakthrough at any moment.

The disparity is indeed significant. In her estimation, she might take him down after a few encounters, but the result was somewhat unexpected.

Chills at her back!

She instantly turned around to catch the dagger in her palm. For Cen Zhuangzhuang, he could completely resist the attack with his body, the confidence of a Body Cultivator. He swung his hand, and the other hand actually directly caught Ying Ling’s slender wrist.

The moment he confirmed his grip, the youth shouted low, naturally showing no mercy if the other party wanted to kill him. A fist as big as a casserole smashed down fiercely!

A momentary expression of astonishment appeared.

The fist passed through the body; the Ying Ling in front disintegrated into smoke at the punch, and even the sensation of grasping her wrist disappeared, assuring him it wasn’t his own illusion because the stabbing pain in the palm wasn’t fake, evidence of grasping a blade.

Without hesitation, he turned back and swung a punch. The shadow that was in front of him a moment ago condensed into the actual Ying Ling. She lowered her center of gravity, and her slender jade leg kicked up from below, while the other leg hooked around Cen Zhuangzhuang’s knee.

Her combat experience was indeed rich. Facing such a steadfast Body Cultivator, she had to break his balance first to harm him. The youth, unsteady on his feet, was directly kicked high into the air, and then that flurry of dazzling blade light made the youth’s eyes turn red.

Spiritual Energy was stimulated, and the Protective Gang Qi covered his entire body in an instant. He actually planned to withstand it with his flesh and blood, and shouted loudly.

"Condense!"

Boom——

Landing.

The woman’s figure also vanished.

He immediately got up from the ground, staggering out of the pit, standing up with even his eyes a bit blurry, nearly fainting, shook his head, and found that the vest had been cut open, revealing the dark and terrifying muscles underneath.

Veins bulged, dark patterns crawled over his entire body, with one shallow wound each on the left chest and back neck, not very deep, no excessive blood oozing out, but undoubtedly, that was a broken defense.

And the woman who had just fought with him had already left, and even the bright moon hanging high in the sky had been taken away, leaving only the woman’s ethereal voice by his ear.

"When we get to Dongliang City, I won’t be merciful."