Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

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Chapter 168: Second Taboo

Blood bloomed like fireworks, staining the pristine white walls.

The legs of the two cultists were a mess of mangled flesh, the injuries identical. Especially their right legs, which were twisted at horrific angles, bones snapped and protruding pale through torn skin. 

They clutched their abdomens in confusion as blood streamed through their fingers. It looked like someone had opened them up. Beneath them, a massive pool of blood quickly formed.

And yet, it was as if they didn’t notice.

As the blood drained, the two seemed to turn into statues. Their pupils dilated, and even their eyelids ceased to blink. Fang Xiu, wearing a pleasant smile, silently watched.

In less than a minute, the gray hue overtook their faces, and the last glimmer of life disappeared from their eyes.

Silence fell over the corridor.

“A d-death taboo?” Yan Yan swallowed hard and nearly choked on his own spit.

He had been watching Fang Xiu the entire time. Fang Xiu hadn’t cast any spells. Those two had truly triggered a taboo.

“Doesn’t seem like a death taboo.”

Jiao Jiao looked at Fang Xiu with cautious eyes. “From their state, it looks like they bled out rapidly… It’s probably just a standard taboo.”

A standard taboo with the strength to rival a death one. Unless someone wore advanced healing or life-preserving magic weapons, almost no one could survive that.

“I will repay all Guishan Sect followers in kind.”

Such a heaven-defying taboo could exist only because of its narrow scope—it worked exclusively on the Guishan Sect members.

While Jiao Jiao was still thinking, Fang Xiu and Bai Shuangying had already begun looting the blood-soaked corpses. Fang Xiu worked fast and clean, stripping their magic weapons in an instant. As expected, both of them had identical-looking spatial pouches.

Bai Shuangying, meanwhile, casually snatched up the lingering souls and devoured them without a trace of care. His expression resembled someone forcing down leftovers rather than enjoying a gourmet meal.

Song Zheng asked bluntly, “Fang Xiu, are you carrying an E?”

“You could say that.”

Fang Xiu lifted the pile of magic weapons and dodged the question. “I wouldn’t drag you all into this without reason. I know all three taboos of this ritual.”

Yan Yan finally recovered. “Damn, you could’ve said so sooner. Scared the hell outta me.”

Then he frowned again. “Even if you know the taboos, what about all those Immortal E’s out there—?”

Fang Xiu smiled. “Which is exactly why I need your help. Come on, let’s talk payment.”

At this point, the difference in experience became obvious. The mushroom trio glanced around without concern. Lu Yang was more focused on the two fresh corpses and didn’t seem to care what Fang Xiu offered.

Jiao Jiao sighed. “We’re willing to help proactively for free. But if you want full command over me and Yan Yan, that will cost you.”

“If the ritual succeeds, I’ll grant two wishes.”

Fang Xiu said it plainly.

Jiao Jiao: “…What?”

“I’ll do everything I can to ensure you finish the ritual. And regardless of how many you’ve already completed, this one can count as your final one.”

“The original offer was ‘eight rituals, one wish’. I’ll make it two… Is that a fair enough deal?”

Fang Xiu delivered it with polish. Were his hands not covered in blood, he’d have passed for a top-tier salesman.

Yan Yan: “Huh?! Two wishes? What are you, King Yama going undercover?”

“Well, I’d love to say, ‘Trust me,’ but odds are you wouldn’t.”

Fang Xiu turned and shouted down the empty corridor, “A’Shou Jie, what do you think—?”

A’Shou, hiding nearby: “…”

“Just look outside! The Guishan Sect is practically looting the entire Disaster Relief Tower!”

“And check out these lovely friends of mine. Most aren’t even trained in metaphysics! Giving them one more wish within personal karmic bounds won’t cost the Underworld that much.”

A’Shou felt a surge of suffocation.

She had just finished fighting off another karmic migraine from Bai Shuangying. Thankfully she had taken a Heart-Stabilizing Elixir beforehand or she might’ve been contaminated again. These two bastards were clearly up to something, and she knew it.

…But it was an offer she couldn’t refuse.

At this point, all she had to do was show up and promise a few nobodies one more wish. That would boost Fang Xiu’s credibility immensely and rally everyone against the Guishan Sect.

A’Shou wished she were stupid. Someone oblivious to the big picture. But her rational mind always ended up pushed to the brink. Fang Xiu would corner her with the best possible solution that was just barely within her limits, every single time.

With a long sigh like a funeral song, the bloodstained wedding robe fluttered as A’Shou descended gently in front of the group.

The others didn’t recognize her, but Yan Yan did instinctively. His knees buckled, and he nearly collapsed, caught at the last second by Jiao Jiao.

“Ghost Immortal? …The Tower’s warden is here?”

His voice wavered. “Outside—outside—”

“I’m aware of the Immortal Es,”

A’Shou said formally. “The Guishan Sect tampered with this space. It’s currently cut off from the Underworld.”

“Your flesh-bound magic weapons follow protocol. Unless the E here is resolved, or turns into an Immortal E—you can’t return to the Tower. Not even I can override that.”

Jiao Jiao: “Can’t you kill the intruders? They broke the rules first!”

Another headache.

The girl had nailed the issue. Just looking at the Guishan Sect made her sick.

These people wielded Immortal Es. If they could sneak in, they could sneak out. If she acted officially, Cen Ling might just go scorched-earth, sending his followers to scatter with the Immortal Es in tow. It was like opening a drawer full of cockroaches—if even one escapes, the infestation spreads.

In her opinion, if most Immortal E’s were lost, Bai Shuangying’s unstable seal would be the least of their problems. The mortal world would descend into chaos.

It was better to hand this job off to a pest extermination expert like Fang Xiu.

Before she could answer, Fang Xiu spoke up.

“It’s not that bad yet.”

He cut her off cleanly.

“There’s no need to overthink it. You all just have to answer one question: Is it worthwhile to fight alongside me in exchange for ‘going home immediately’ and ‘two wishes’.”

The mushroom trio and Lu Yang nodded like bobbleheads. Yan Yan was too busy staring at A’Shou, his fox tail bristling like a frightened cat.

Jiao Jiao locked eyes with Fang Xiu. “Understood. You’re in charge.”

A’Shou nodded solemnly at the side.

Fang Xiu extended a bloody spatial pouch and smiled brighter than ever.

“Simple. All you need to do is…”

……

Ten minutes later.

Xiao Tian and Jiao Jiao, disguised by witchcraft, took on the appearance of the dead cultists and hurried toward the central garden. 

They wore the original bloodied clothing; Jiao Jiao even mimicked a leg injury and hobbled convincingly.

“I heard Cen Ling watches his teammates closely,” Xiao Tian whispered. “You sure they won’t notice?”

Earlier, Bai Shuangying had simply attached two red threads to them and said they were good to go. Xiao Tian had been too distracted by his face to ask how the spell worked.

“Probably fine.”

Jiao Jiao didn’t elaborate. The moment Fang Xiu paid her, the nature of this battle changed.

A professional never asks too many questions.

……

At the central courtyard, the Immortal E distribution was nearly complete.

Over a hundred people crowded the small garden. Everyone’s pouch was stuffed to bursting, and the air was thick with yin energy.

“What happened?” Seeing two people covered in blood, Cen Ling frowned, concern appearing on his face.

“Some of the sacrifices caused trouble… cough…” Jiao Jiao said. “Didn’t expect them to be so difficult.”

Cen Ling thought for a moment and pulled a stone pestle from his robe. “This Immortal E has healing properties. Take it. You’ll need it for treating the wounded after the E is resolved.”

“I’ve got extra elixirs too. Don’t be shy,” Uncle Hou called cheerfully nearby.

Xiao Tian and Jiao Jiao gritted their teeth and “tainted” their Immortal E’s. Since they arrived last, most of the Immortal E’s were already gone so it wasn’t enough to fill their spatial pouch.

And speaking of spatial pouch, theirs wasn’t as good as Fang Xiu’s. His had no weight at all. These ones were so heavy they’d pull your pants down, so everyone wore them on their chest like satchels.

Cen Ling looked around in satisfaction and walked to the center of the garden, seemingly planning to give a speech. All eyes turned to him.

Xiao Tian and Jiao Jiao exchanged a quick glance and nodded subtly.

Xiao Tian gripped her hairpin. Jiao Jiao held a potion bottle in each hand. Then she smashed the bottles together, releasing a thick cloud of smoke that instantly filled the area.

In the chaos, unsure if they were under attack or had triggered a taboo, people scattered. Then—

“No water? This’ll do!” A call with a thick accent sounded and Xiao Li’s boat flew out of the window and hovered on the surface of the smoke.

Inside, Xiao Li swung a sickle, bouncing off the deck like a cannonball. Even with the Immortal E’s, the cultists couldn’t react fast enough to his boosted strength. 

The spatial pouches were snatched en masse and tossed into the cabin.

Song Zheng stood beside the wooden monk. He pointed wherever there was killing intent, and the monk summoned defensive water screens. 

When magic came their way, Song Zheng would sneer and press on his arm. The bottom of the boat would float up into the air and rush away diagonally. It was clearly an anomaly given to him by the Underworld.

Compared to the Guishan Sect members crowded in the small garden, the tiny wooden boat was far more agile.

From a window, Bai Shuangying watched, amused. It looked like a fisherman casting his net.

But the fun didn’t last. Cen Ling quickly responded. He calmly touched a wall and golden characters flowed upward and merged into a glowing cage in the sky.

Another anomaly skill.

Wind whipped through the cage, dispersing Jiao Jiao’s smoke. All eyes locked onto the wooden boat.

“You’ve got guts, stealing from my family,” Cen Ling said coldly. “Kill them.”

……

Upstairs.

Yan Yan paced by the window, fox eyes fixed on Jiao Jiao below.

“Fang Xiu, what do we do?”

“Even if they grabbed most of the pouches, the cultists still have Immortal E’s on them! We can’t take them all in one go!”

“Let me help! They can’t hold out forever!”

Fang Xiu shook his head.

“Come. Watch the show. Count to ten. They’ll give us the Immortal E’s willingly.”

“I’m seriously counting. One, two…”

……

In the courtyard, all eyes were on the wooden boat.

Song Zheng’s Murder-Intent Seismoscope shrieked nonstop. He frantically used his anomaly to lift the boat higher.

The wooden monk and boatman worked together to erect a spherical water barrier.

“Three, four…”

The cultists started to rally. Under Cen Ling’s lead, spells and taboos targeted the boat.

In the shadows, Xiao Tian snuck behind Uncle Hou. Her hairpin slashed across his back, drawing blood.

Whether due to the chaos or Xiao Tian’s luck, Uncle Hou didn’t notice the shallow cut.

“Five, six…”

She flung the hairpin upward. Fang Xiu caught it cleanly, licked the blood from its tip, and pointed at Cen Ling.

“Seven, eight…”

“Second taboo: With the blood of an outsider, your ties to your kins are severed.”

Suddenly, all the cultists except Cen Ling froze. Their attacks stopped. They looked at each other in panic, clearly confused.

“Nine, ten…”

“Uncle Hou, can you hear me?” Fang Xiu opened the window and waved out. “How are you feeling?”

Then he pointed and flicked his finger downward.

Once again, blood sprayed. This time, only their legs were broken. The garden echoed with cries of pain.

Uncle Hou stood tall amidst the chaos, shaking his head wildly. He saw his own expression on every face. There seemed to be hundreds of twisted versions of himself. He was horrified that he didn’t dare to breathe.

“What did you do—!?”

Before Fang Xiu could answer, the furious Cen Ling charged toward the window surrounded by the brilliance of magic.

Unfortunately, as soon as he touched the window, he was knocked away by Bai Shuangying’s sleeve and fell back with his magic.

Simple. You triggered the taboo.

Not that I’m going to tell you.

Fang Xiu smiled. “You really did treat them like family.”

“I used Uncle Hou’s blood to overwrite their ‘identities’. Now they’re all ‘him’. A hundred versions of him, and none of them trust you.”

“Are you confused about the current situation? Is the pain from your leg distracting you?”

Fang Xiu called pass Cen Ling to the hundreds of people downstairs. “Hand over the Immortal E’s, or kill Cen Ling.”

“Do that, and I’ll spare your lives.”

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