usatvline Chapter 145 Don't Have a Flash of Idea
Chapter 145 Don't Have a Flash of Idea
Returning to the snake cave in Changqing County, the strange seal on the snake cave uses a mix of Taoist and Buddhist methods, one after another. It is truly a miracle that such a hodgepodge of seals can function properly without exploding and has sealed the snake cave for so many years.
In response, Jian Feidao and the others suspected that this thing was also related to the transmigrator. The fact that the arrays were mixed together and did not repel each other and could still function normally was just like the work of the transmigrator.
Anyway, after research by Master Li and his junior brother, they said they had never seen a way of combining Buddhist and Taoist formations like this before. Because there are all kinds of monsters in this world, there are also all sorts of ways to cultivate, but this is really too unorthodox.
In the past, this world was sifted through like a sieve by illegal transmigrators. Jian Feidao and others all felt that there was a high probability that this snake cave was a relic left behind by transmigrators.
However, apart from Liu Qingyuan, the rest of the transmigrators were all here to cause trouble. They didn't know what harm the seal on the snake cave was. At most, it would make the spiritual energy in Changqing area thinner than other places, but it would benefit the local people more.
Leaving aside the giant snake in the well, let's just talk about the ordinary snakes inside. They're not supernatural, but there's no shortage of venomous snakes. The harm that such a large group of venomous snakes would cause to the surrounding residents is unimaginable. Too many snakes would also affect the local ecosystem.
Even though it has been partially destroyed, the seal has not allowed the venomous snakes to escape, which doesn't seem like something an illegal transmigrator would do.
"Taoist Master."
Ren Pingsheng called out to Master Li and pointed with his cane at Guan Songsheng in the distance.
"How could your master let Master Guan travel alone?"
During their time with Guan Songsheng, they fully experienced his incredible luck in "easily getting into trouble." When they went to check the formation in the snake cave, he was the only one who stepped on a poisonous snake and got bitten when everyone was fully prepared to enter. When they patrolled along the sealed area, he was even scratched by a monkey in the mountains.
Anyway, whenever an accident happens, it is definitely related to this Taoist Master Songsheng. If you say he has a good life, he is always the one who suffers bad luck. If you say he has a bad life, he always manages to trigger some special information and have some unexpected gains when he is unlucky. The complexity of his luck is such that even Cang, who can see the secrets of heaven and predict fate, could not give an accurate evaluation after looking at Guan Songsheng. In the end, he could only say that he has a really tough life.
Every accident has turned out alright, this person is indeed resilient, but also has suffered many misfortunes. I really don't understand how this person has lived so long... No, the hardest time for this person was when he was born. He was born in a coffin, the mother was dead, but the fetus in her womb was still alive. Just as the coffin was about to be closed, a passing Taoist priest discovered him and rescued him.
To survive like that, one has to admit that one is incredibly resilient; it's almost understandable.
"Back when Song Sheng wanted to wander like us, he was the first to object, saying that the boy had a special destiny and that it was easy for him to get into trouble traveling alone."
Master Li looked at the figure of one of his junior brothers in the distance. The other was jumping around again, as if he was hiding from something. He probably angered the monkeys in the mountains again, Master Li thought. The monkeys in the mountains were very intelligent and also very vengeful. If you offended them once, they would fight you every time you saw them.
“The people in our sect were all picked up by our master on his travels. They were of varying ages when they joined the sect, but only Songsheng joined right after he was born. Our master raised him like a son. When he agreed to let Songsheng travel, no one believed it at the time.”
Wandering, that sounds nice, but it really means drifting around and having no fixed abode. Luckily, they know some magic, so they don't actually have to live a life of wandering.
Although they had means of communication, it wasn't always as timely as it had been with the mandrill. Guan Songsheng was also prone to accidents, and it was entirely possible for him to die on the road while traveling alone.
"But according to my master, Song Sheng's biological father is no ordinary man. Only by letting him travel outside can he have the opportunity to recognize his ancestors and return to his clan. As you have all seen, Song Sheng has a powerful transformation skill. He can transform into birds, beasts, flowers, fish, and insects at will, which is more powerful than many monsters."
It is rare for a child to be born from a coffin, and even rarer for the fetus to survive. Guan Songsheng not only survived by sheer luck, but also grew up to be a healthy adult. Apart from a little bit of yin energy that he was born with, he looked no different from a normal person.
Of course, that doesn't include that strange luck.
But Guan Songsheng's survival wasn't simply due to his toughness; it was also due to the bloodline provided by his unknown biological father, which gave him a vitality far stronger than that of ordinary people.
"Besides children born from the union of humans and demons, there is another situation where the father is a deity. There was a case where an unmarried woman became pregnant after seeing a strange sight. After the child was born, it ascended to heaven on a cloud, while the mother, though left in the mortal world, never had to worry about food or clothing for the rest of her life. Whatever she needed, her family would have plenty of it. Judging from Song Sheng's complicated fate, he is more likely to be in this situation."
In general, pregnant women don't suffer too much in this situation. Guan Songsheng may have encountered some kind of accident, and his birth mother didn't make it through childbirth and died from complications.
"Senior brothers, stop chatting and come help me out!"
When Guan Songsheng saw that Ren Pingsheng and his senior brother had noticed them, he was quite happy, thinking that the other side would come over to help him out of his predicament. However, the two of them not only did not come over, but also stood at a distance and started chatting.
After watching him jump around and hide for a long time without seeing a single animal, it seemed that he wasn't hit by something thrown by a monkey. In addition, the person involved sounded really anxious, so the two stopped discussing Song Sheng's background and moved closer to take a look.
It turned out he wasn't dodging any projectile, but a bright green praying mantis... Hmm? A praying mantis?
The mantis was the same size and shape as a regular mantis, and its whole body was emerald green, like jade. Because of this color, Ren Pingsheng couldn't help but glance at his walking stick.
"...What have you done this time?"
Master Li was speechless. A grown man was being chased around by a praying mantis. Where was his whisk? Where were his spells? Where were his transformation techniques?
However, this mantis does look quite extraordinary; it is extremely fast, and when it flies, you can only see a blur.
"I don't know what I did to offend it, but it turned into a snake, and then it suddenly jumped out of the grass and chased after me."
Guan Songsheng felt wronged. After witnessing the scene inside the snake pit and being bitten by a venomous snake, he felt that there must be something hidden between such a large seal and so many snakes, but no one had found any clues yet.
Then a brilliant idea struck him. Since the seal here was set up for snakes, he could also become a snake and walk around the seal a few times. Perhaps he could discover details that he wouldn't have noticed as a human. So he immediately transformed into the venomous snake that had bitten him and put his plan into action.
Before the plan could be carried out, just as he transformed into a snake and approached the seal, a jade-like mantis suddenly sprang out of the grass, charging towards him with the imposing aura of Guan Yu, who had overcome five passes and slain six generals. This mantis seemed to have a grudge against snakes; despite being a tiny insect, the force with which it struck was absurdly powerful.
Realizing that this mantis was unusual, he immediately transformed back into human form. However, the mantis continued to chase and attack, and its offensive became even more intense. In the end, he could only dodge and run back to find someone to help him.
Given the mantis's size, a flick of the wrist would have been enough to send it flying, but unfortunately, the little creature was too fast, leaving afterimages as it attacked, making it impossible to dodge in time.
Seeing Guan Songsheng's pleading expression, Ren Pingsheng swung his cane and struck the mantis directly. A small, emerald-green shadow was sent flying, suddenly growing larger mid-air, and by the time it landed, it had already taken on a human form.
"Good strength."
Ren Pingsheng couldn't help but praise it. Although he had just fought a small praying mantis, he could feel the force rebounding when they made contact, which felt somewhat like the clash of swords.
This indirectly demonstrates the immense strength of the praying mantis. No wonder Guan Songsheng had no chance to retaliate. However, the kid was quite adept at dodging; despite the powerful attacks, he barely got hit. He was incredibly lucky.
"Who are you, and why are you protecting the snake demon?"
The humanoid form of the mantis looked very young, perhaps only a teenager. Its voice and appearance were indistinguishable between male and female. It wore a tight-fitting outfit with a weapon resembling a curved blade strapped to each wrist, resembling the two forelegs of a mantis.
To be honest, Ren Pingsheng felt that this outfit was somewhat out of place with the overall style of Liaozhai, and the other person's appearance was more like that of a martial arts character.
"This young friend is not a monster, but a cultivator with a relatively special constitution. Let's not make things difficult for him."
It seems the other party mistook Guan Songsheng for a snake demon and beat him up; it's quite a strange thing that the mantis is fighting the snake.
Ignoring Ren Pingsheng's orders, the man raised an arm, pointing the blade of his curved sword at Guan Songsheng. Judging from his expression, he clearly wanted to attack, but refrained from doing so because of the strength Ren Pingsheng had just displayed.
He was sent flying with a single blow, and he had to balance himself in mid-air to land safely. His opponent just waved his emerald green cane. If the fight started again, his side would have no advantage.
"I saw him transform from a snake into a human with my own eyes. Gentlemen, do not be deceived by the snake demon."
“My junior brother is proficient in the art of transformation and can transform into any animal; he is not a snake spirit.”
Master Li also joined in the explanation, saying that the mantis spirit seemed to have a deep-seated hatred for snakes. To prevent his junior brother from being attacked further, he kicked Guan Songsheng, signaling him to quickly transform into another animal.
Guan Songsheng was born with yin energy, which made him look different from normal people. Especially in the eyes of cultivators, this yin energy always made others mistake him for a demon. In addition, his overly smooth transformation technique caused many misunderstandings.
He was very proactive in clearing up these misunderstandings, immediately changing his appearance to various creatures like sparrows, foxes, and bees—basically, anything to stop them from treating him like a snake and beating him up.
"It's not a venomous snake demon..."
Watching the man in front of her change shape repeatedly, yet his aura remained unchanged—just as he had when he transformed from a snake into a human—the mantis demon lowered his knife with a hint of suspicion.
Judging from the speed at which this person can transform, it is indeed not something a demon could do. Even a fox spirit needs to recite an incantation to transform herself, but this person can transform as easily as she wants. It is truly amazing.
"It wasn't a snake demon that escaped; I'm sorry for offending you."
"...You just believed that? You seem even more naive than Jian Feidao."
Ren Pingsheng was somewhat surprised to see the mantis spirit bowing so decisively. He had thought that the communication would take some effort, given the other party's aggressive demeanor, but it turned out that the person in question was fine after changing their appearance a few more times.
This kid is too naive; he's the type who would help someone count money even after being scammed. He could team up with Jian Feidao from when he first appeared.
Why Jian Feidao in the early stages? Because he also learned to play the innocent while secretly being cunning later on. Although he can't compare to someone who's full of malice, he at least learned how to fish for enemies, how to finish off enemies, and how to play support with his keen insight.
"No, I think it's fine."
Guan Songsheng thought it was good that the other party was doing this; at least he wouldn't be beaten up by a praying mantis anymore.
"Do you have a grudge against the snake demon?"
"We have no enmity, but it is our duty to not let any venomous snake escape."
Duty? The only thing around here that can prevent venomous snakes from escaping is the seal on the snake pit. Is this mantis demon related to the seal? If so, why has it only appeared now?
Ren Pingsheng turned to look at Guan Songsheng.
"Your destiny is indeed special. Let the master examine you again when we get back."
A sudden flash of inspiration led to the appearance of a mantis spirit connected to a venomous snake and a seal. Guan Songsheng is simply blessed with the special luck of a protagonist. Just who is his biological father, that he could give birth to such an exceptional son?
……
The formation that seals the snake cave has a very special function: it hides the existence of the snake cave. If it hadn't been accidentally destroyed and the entrance to the snake cave hadn't been revealed, the locals probably would never have known that there was a cave in the mountains full of snakes.
Now that the snake cave has been revealed, the terrain of this area has also changed. When the snake cave was hidden before, it is now unknown whether the local people felt like they were being led astray when they passed by it. Judging from the location where the cave has been revealed, it can only be said that the entrance is cleverly designed, with all sides completely dark, as if trying to block out all the light.
"A completely Yin configuration fosters the growth of demonic creatures..."
Cang stood at the entrance of the cave, facing a dense vine. As they patrolled along the seal, they discovered that the vines at the entrance had no roots. They grew from top to bottom around the entrance, but had no roots in the soil. Every time they grew back after being cut, they were actually growing out of thin air.
The cave's peculiar location, completely shaded on all sides, with rootless vines, an abandoned well inside, and an unknown, possibly very large, space below the well, makes the entire cave seem as if it were created out of thin air.
This heavy yin energy should have encouraged the snakes in the cave to cultivate, thus giving rise to several new snake demons. However, most of the spiritual energy in the mountain was absorbed by the formation, and the yin energy also suppressed the snake demons' power. As a result, apart from the giant snake in the well, none of the other venomous snakes became spirits.
Cang did more than just play the zither and drink tea on Laoshan Mountain. The more he studied the seal on the snake cave, the more he felt that its method was unlike anything that would exist in this world. Although Master Li and Guan Songsheng were not from Laoshan Mountain, as natives, they were still Taoists with considerable cultivation, and they also said that they had never seen a similar formation.
"It seems we need to ask again."
"String Master, we have brought a clue."
Ren Pingsheng and his group walked over, followed by a child who looked to be only a teenager, dressed in a tight-fitting outfit with a curved sword on his arm, which looked somewhat out of place with the local style of Liaozhai.
"This young friend Shi Lang knows a little about the seal."
Stone mantis, also known as stone lang, is a very straightforward name for a praying mantis.
"...A mantis spirit?"
Why does this mantis spirit look so strange?