Killing Dao Fruit
Chapter 459 - 456: Head of the Bull, Crow Army

Chapter 459: Chapter 456: Head of the Bull, Crow Army

Just as Wang Yuan was racing towards Liangzhou to the southwest, in a village near the official road on the south bank of the Heavenly Barrier River.

"This is our village.

Little girl, you are so young to be traveling alone, and with the current chaos of war, it’s very unsafe!

Now that the heavy snow has blocked the roads, why not stay in our village for a couple of days, and wait for more people to pass by before hitting the road together?"

A middle-aged man dressed as a woodcutter with a load of firewood on his back walked ahead.

Following him was a little girl wrapped up tightly in a long padded coat, her feet in fluffy deerskin boots, and a woolen scarf around her neck.

It was none other than "Self-Reliant" Shen Xiaoyu, whose appearance had changed drastically!

Over the past two months, Shen Xiaoyu’s life was evidently much better than before.

Her skin was still a bit dark, but she was much more well-nourished compared to when she had no regular meals, and there was a hint of youthful charm showing through.

With sufficient nutrition, she was growing well, and one could at least tell at a glance that she was a girl.

During this time,

she had been relying on the "Deceit Object·DemonSuppression Sword" to accept various tasks similar to "Jianghu Assassination Order" in the "Cloud Tower Ghost Market".

In the tasks issued by the Ghost Market, from eradicating traitors and evil-doers to subduing demons and exorcising spirits... nothing was excluded.

Among those was a task at the top of the list and the most difficult one: "To execute the illegitimate son of Great Yan’s former Empress Dowager Su Yuru—the current Ming King of ’No-Life Dao’."

It was said that several waves of elite assassins had already perished in pursuit of this task.

Although intelligence related to it was continuously updated and available for purchase by interested assassins, the task had yet to be completed.

Shen Xiaoyu, fearless as a calf is of tigers, did not mind trying her luck on her journey south.

The higher the difficulty of the task, the greater the reward offered by the "Cloud Tower Ghost Market".

With the rewards earned from slaying "Weird" creatures, she had solved her problems of food and clothing.

Her especially warm coat and scarf were designed by the owner of the Ghost Market.

Of course, there were plenty of novel snacks in the Ghost Market, but being a fisherman’s daughter, Shen Xiaoyu’s favorite was still the simplest dried fish.

’The recent tasks have all gone smoothly.

I should be able to save up enough silver soon to buy a book of "Mystical Department Taoist Skill" from the Ghost Market, allowing me to cultivate to the level of a "Yellow Seal" like the "Parasitic Shell".

Then I can take back my father!’ Shen Xiaoyu clenched her small fists and silently cheered herself on.

Accept tasks, earn money, and buy all kinds of supplies from the "Cloud Tower Ghost Market".

The harder you work, the more you consume, and so the deeper your bond with Boss Wang becomes.

By this time, Shen Xiaoyu had already established a very stable relationship with Wang Yuan... one of exploitation and being exploited.

Although there was a distance as high as seven or eight stories between them, it was still a very good beginning.

A cause for celebration.

So her luck was getting better and better.

Just like now...

Shen Xiaoyu looked up at the somewhat malformed and ghastly white "Bull Skull" hanging on the flagpole at the entrance of the village and suddenly stopped in her tracks.

"Hah, I was only intent on hastening my journey, but I didn’t expect to stumble upon an unexpected windfall here."

"Eh? Little girl, why aren’t you walking? It’s getting dark; come inside with Uncle and get warm."

The "woodcutter" up ahead noticed that Shen Xiaoyu had suddenly stopped and had not crossed the boundary marked by the bull skull.

He instinctively turned back to look at her.

A flicker of eagerness and impatience barely concealed beneath the slight greenish glow at the bottom of his eyes.

Shen Xiaoyu paid him no heed and continued assessing the village, where not many lights were on, the shapes moving vaguely inside a few houses near the village entrance.

There were also two healthy oxen tied up next to the fence.

Her lips curved into a smile:

"Heh, Uncle, no need to rush. Allow me to perform a little trick for the villagers here."

Without waiting for a response, she formed a mantra with her hands and chanted aloud:

"Spirits and elves, your names unknown, I command the Five Ghosts, come to my altar. Those who follow will prosper; those who resist will suffer. Assist me on my path, aid me in reaching truth.

Command you to transport, hasten without delay; those who defy my order will be cut to dust and fray!"

This was precisely the "Yellow Department Taoism·Five Ghosts Stealing Heart Technique" she had purchased during the "Cloud Tower Ghost Market"’s clearance sale when a large number of items from the Ghost Path were discounted.

The practicing method: Procure the skulls of five beheaded thieves, preferably master thieves. Write the names of the Five Ghosts on them.

Perform the ritual on Five Gui Days, standing on Kui Gang, chanting the spell seven times, and burning five Five Ghosts Talismans.

Consume a bowlful of Talismanic Water made from the burned talismans to create a "Dharma Guide", and the Magic is achieved.

From then on, if the ear hears, it can inquire; if the eye sees, it can take; if there are future events, it can foretell; success or failure, fortune or doom, it can predict.

Of course, the most important ability is "stealing hearts", which allows one to directly listen to the thoughts of sentient beings and monsters!

The smaller the difference in Taoist Ability with the target, the clearer the sound; if there is a gap of a huge realm, one cannot hear anything.

Taboo: Since the Five Ghosts died due to theft, those who cultivate this Magic must not steal ill-gotten gains again, otherwise they will suffer retribution from the Five Ghosts, losing a random body part to their thievery.

Manager Tao had obviously screened these magic techniques when clearing out the stock, not letting out any practice that harmed the nature of heaven.

The last time she dealt with the "Mosquito Poison" at Lujin Inn, Shen Xiaoyu had made serious preparations, and it took a stakeout to gather the three conditions required to draw the "DemonSuppression Sword".

Now with the aid of these Five Ghosts, she could save herself a lot of effort, and the practicality of the "DemonSuppression Sword" instantly increased by several notches.

Of course, entering the inner world of monsters is naturally extremely dangerous.

During this process, one could be easily corroded by the other party if not careful.

Following the principle of how "Knowledge" spreads, once caught up by the other party, one could become contaminated into a lower-grade monster or demon oneself.

Ending up no better than becoming a Sword Slave of the "DemonSuppression Sword".

Having received the empowerment from the Five Ghosts, Shen Xiaoyu looked up and locked gazes with the hollow eye sockets of the bull’s head, and the scene before her eyes changed in an instant.

The blazing sun seemed to scorch the earth, drying up seedlings, withering trees.

A slightly deformed young boy wandered into a strange village while escaping drought, asking for water.

But he had absolutely no idea that the villagers, who had long since run out of food, were looking at him, muttering to themselves:

"This is a bull!" "This is a bull!"...

Everyone claimed the young man was a lost bull.

When he tried to run, he was captured, slaughtered, and eaten, leaving only a skull behind.

Then, the villagers attached horns to the skull, proving it belonged to a bull, to alleviate their own guilt for cannibalism.

In the end, it was buried at the entrance of the village.

Then strange events suddenly befell.

The villagers started to accuse each other of being the bull, and within ten feet of that skull, if three people consecutively identified someone as the bull.

That person would indeed turn into a bull, gleefully eaten by the others.

Until there was no one left alive in the village, the skull of the Deceit Object had passed through many hands.

The last one to possess it was indeed the "Woodcutter"!

Meanwhile, the hatred from the young man repeatedly hit Shen Xiaoyu’s heart, but she easily fended it off with her incredibly strong nerves.

The next moment, she abruptly opened her eyes and reached for the golden hilt at her waist, shouting at the skull:

"This object is a ’Deceit Object·Head of the Bull’, its Obsession is the ’hatred’ of being eaten by its own kind, the Taboo: within a ten-foot radius, no three people should identify anyone as a bull!

Buddha, open your eyes, let the sword subdue the demon!"

Clang——!

The eyes of the Buddha cast in copper on the sword scabbard suddenly opened.

Shen Xiaoyu swung her arm, brandishing the sword, and the golden sword light flashed momentarily, splitting the human skull, disguised as a bull’s head, on the flagpole into two halves.

It fell to the ground, completely devoid of its spirit.

"Deceit Object·DemonSuppression Sword":

Find the opponent’s "Body", "Obsession", "Murder Taboo" - these three prerequisites.

Recite it out loud, and you can unsheathe the "DemonSuppression Sword" and kill it in one strike!

Shen Xiaoyu hasn’t yet encountered her limit of what can’t be slain.

Taboo:

"Firstly, it only works on ’Weird’, can’t even kill the most ordinary rabbit.

Secondly, if it fails once, the body and mind will be corrupted by the "DemonSuppression Sword" and become its controlled Sword Slave, then be slowly devoured by it during the process of demon suppressing and ghost slaying."

And this time, Shen Xiaoyu had clearly won again.

The next moment, the two healthy bulls confined in the pen and eating hay instantly reverted to human form.

They became two dazed, strong merchants.

They were the victims before Shen Xiaoyu’s arrival.

The "Woodcutter"’s words about "gathering enough people before setting off together" clearly had an implication.

"Halt! You impudent one!"

At the same time, seven or eight men with wickedness in their eyes, wearing matching black headcloths, and holding swords and knives in their hands, streamed out of a few houses at the village entrance.

They shouted angrily at Shen Xiaoyu:

"Who is this little wench daring to meddle in affairs that aren’t her concern?!"

"We, the ’Crow Army’, are gathering rations here, and even if we can’t have beef today, the delicate and tender taste of ’Not Envious of Sheep’ is even more exquisite!

We’ll start with you!"

"To your death!"

Before the collapse of the Dragon Energy in Yunjing City, the notorious ’Crow Army’ had begun to operate widely in the heartland of Great Yan.

The most terrifying aspect of them was that they never prepared normal food but always consumed whatever was available wherever they went.

And what did they consume? It’s obvious!

It was said that they had the backing of a mysterious Taoist Sect behind them, which is why they were so bold and unchecked by others.

Looking at this group of soldiers who swarmed up in a disorderly manner and without any strategic approach, Shen Xiaoyu was unafraid.

Although the "Abnormal Power" of the DemonSuppression Sword could only be used to slay weird entities, it was still a sword, and how could one walk the Jianghu without learning some swordsmanship?

Taking advantage of the moment when they all came out of the narrow village entrance and gathered together, Shen Xiaoyu shouted coldly:

"Take my Moluo Secret Technique—Laido Slash!"

With her right hand on the sword and her left hand suddenly flipping up the hem of her cotton jacket, she pulled out a thick, black... three-eyed firearm!

In the eyes of these astonished and terrified Crow Army soldiers, she violently pulled the trigger.

Boom——!

A loud explosion.

This group of riffraff, who didn’t even have Daoist Soldiers, instantly fell into a pool of blood, with even the faint whines of the few survivors growing weak.

This three-eyed firearm was a top-quality item obtained from the ’Cloud Tower Ghost Market’, produced by Dushuo Mountain, and enhanced with Department Taoism effects, utilizing Iron Sand for increased power.

It was specifically provided to the outer circle individuals with a clear reputation.

Boom! Boom!

Shen Xiaoyu’s expression unchanged, she continued to fire two more shots at the ground to completely eliminate all survivors.

Five gusts of chilly wind immediately pounced on the bodies, expertly rummaging through the spoils of war.

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