Chapter 2 Stone Brother

"Stone Brother!"

Just as the bearded man and his two companions were still somewhat stunned, a crisp, surprised voice suddenly rang out.

The little girl had somehow turned over and scrambled up, and was now tightly embracing the tall youth who had suddenly emerged from the giant rock.

The girl was naturally petite and delicate, her head only reaching the tall youth's waist. At this moment, her small, fair hands were clinging tightly to the youth's thigh, most of her body turned sideways to hide behind him, while her big, watery eyes stared at the tall youth, rolling around incessantly.

The bearded man and the others were taken aback again at this, exchanging glances involuntarily. Their gazes fell once more on the tall youth, and seeing that after hearing the girl's call, his face showed no expression, still staring blankly ahead, the three of them immediately looked suspicious.

The girl's heart tightened. Her small hands, clutching the youth's thigh, shook incessantly as she called out again in a tearful voice:

"Stone Brother, Le'er has finally found you! ... These bad people want to catch Le'er, Stone Brother, help me beat them!"

This time, the tall youth seemed to have heard the girl's call, as his head slowly lowered a little.

The girl looked up to meet the tall youth's gaze, only to see his eyes empty and hollow, and her heart skipped a beat.

But this scene, as it fell upon the eyes of the bearded man and his two companions, made their hearts leap.

They had already released their spiritual sense to scan the tall youth, but found not the slightest trace of magical power on the person before them. There were two possibilities for this: one was that he was truly an ordinary mortal with no cultivation at all; the other was that he possessed a special secret technique or magical artifact to conceal his magical power.

Given the eerie manner of the youth's appearance, coupled with the girl calling him "Stone Brother" repeatedly, the three vaguely felt that the latter was more likely, and that he might even be a demonic being himself.

The Daoist surnamed Qi draped his horsetail whisk over his arm, his gaze shifting back and forth between the tall youth and the little girl, his eyes rolling around as if lost in thought.

The horse-faced man had also withdrawn his right hand, and without realizing it, stepped back to stand beside the bearded man and Daoist Qi. His left hand, hidden in his sleeve, secretly gripped something, while his eyes stared fixedly at the little girl.

"May I ask how you are called? I am Yan Cheng of the Blood Blade Society, joining these two fellow Daoists in capturing this fox demon. If you have nothing to do with this matter, please take your leave." The bearded man exchanged glances with his two companions and then asked in a probing tone.

Hearing this, the little girl became extremely anxious, looking up at the tall youth with a pleading expression.

The tall youth slowly raised his head, glanced woodenly at the bearded man, and said not a word.

A flicker of anger passed through the bearded man's eyes, but he did not flare up. Instead, he repeated his previous words, raising his voice a little.

The little girl opened her mouth slightly but said nothing. However, the small hands gripping the youth's pants were covered in fine cold sweat, making her palms feel damp.

The tall youth still showed no reaction at all.

"This person is so suspicious; there must be something wrong with him. Instead of wasting time here, why don't we..." The horse-faced man leaned slightly sideways, moving his lips as he transmitted his voice to the other two.

"In these ten thousand miles, anyone who can remain so calm upon hearing the name of the Blood Blade Society is either a cultivator of immense power or a true fool. Regardless, he is shielding a demon first, so even if we kill him, no one will say anything. Of course, the decision is yours, Fellow Daoist Yan." The Daoist surnamed Qi squinted his eyes and transmitted his voice to the other two.

"Is it that you look down on us three!" The bearded man nodded slightly, his gaze turning cold. He weighed the saber in his hand and suddenly let out a loud shout.

The shout was loud and clear, echoing across the wilderness, causing the nearby air to hum and buzz.

Hearing this, the little girl's face showed fear. She unconsciously let go of the youth's pants leg and grasped the rattle drum tightly with one hand.

The tall youth, as if deaf, still showed no response to the bearded man's words.

"Fine, since you insist on keeping company with that demoness, then... attack!" A flash of ferocity flickered in the bearded man's eyes. The saber in his hand suddenly emitted a dazzling white light, impossible to look at directly. With his other hand, he suddenly raised it.

A black light flashed and flew out. It spun in the air for a moment, then transformed into a large black net that descended.

The little girl was greatly alarmed and quickly retreated a few steps, but unfortunately, the distance was too close, and it was too late.

The large net pressed down like a black cloud and then suddenly closed, trapping both her and the tall youth inside. At the same time, a cold light appeared within the net, and on each knot emerged silver hooks, glinting coldly and appearing extremely sharp.

The little girl let out a scream, opened her mouth, and spat a ball of blood mist onto the rattle drum in her hand, while twisting her wrist.

Dong!

A crisp sound came from the rattle drum. Green light flickered on the girl's body, and her figure blurred and dissipated, transforming into a piece of dead wood.

Plop!

Over ten zhang away, the little girl's figure flickered into view, then fell to the ground. Her hands and feet were all cut by the barbs of the black net, leaving over a dozen wounds from which blood gushed out.

She rolled over and barely managed to get up, but after taking only one step, she collapsed again, weak all over, her face pale, gasping heavily.

At this moment, the bearded man paid no further attention to the little girl, who was now at his mercy. Instead, he formed a hand seal with one hand, and the black net enveloping the tall youth suddenly tightened.

At the same time, a sound of breaking air came from the side. The Daoist surnamed Qi leaped into the air, flicked his wrist, and shot out over a dozen green beams—actually over a dozen crystalline flying needles that shot like lightning toward various parts of the youth's body within the net.

"Be careful!"

The little girl, unable to get up, could only scream again at the sight.

Ding ding ding!

A series of metallic clinks sounded. The green flying needles, upon touching the tall youth's body, all bounced off, as if they had struck stone.

"How is that possible?" The Daoist surnamed Qi, who had landed lightly, exclaimed involuntarily.

Even if he were truly a stone, these flying needles should have easily pierced through it.

"Swoosh"

A golden light suddenly shot out from beside the Daoist, flashed, and firmly embedded itself in the tall youth's throat.

"Heh heh, hit by my Golden Bee Awl, even if you don't die, it'll be hard..." The horse-faced man on the other side slowly lowered his raised arm, sneering coldly.

But before he could finish, with a "boom," the golden awl embedded in the youth's throat exploded by itself, its fragments falling down as specks of golden light.

"Impossible!"

The horse-faced man's expression was as if he had seen a ghost.

The bearded man also stared fixedly at the tall youth, his face full of disbelief.

The hooks in the black net, which could easily tear iron, hung on the youth's body but could not penetrate his skin at all.

Just as the three were horrified, the youth, after the series of attacks, finally showed some reaction.

He slowly lowered his head, looked at the things hanging on his body, and seemed to find them somewhat bothersome. With a movement of his arm, his ten fingers simultaneously grabbed the black net wrapped around him.

Rip!

After bursts of spiritual light erupted on the surface of the black net, it tore apart like paper, falling lightly to the ground in two pieces.

The horse-faced man and the Daoist surnamed Qi, seeing this, nearly popped their eyes out.

Not far away, the little girl's mouth was wide open, oblivious even to the severe pain on her body.

"You... you dare to destroy my magical artifact!" The bearded man, witnessing this, roared in fury, his heart bleeding.

This black net was a precious treasure he had borrowed at great expense from a friend in the society. To have it destroyed here today for no reason filled him with shock and rage.

Gnashing his teeth, the bearded man stared at the tall youth. He pinched two fingers together, and a purple talisman appeared at his fingertips. He tossed it with one hand, chanting an incantation. The talisman immediately shot out, flying to hover above the tall youth's head.

With a "puff," the talisman shattered, transforming into a dense black leaden cloud.

Accompanied by the sound of thunder, a flash of light appeared within the black leaden cloud, and a silver arc of lightning as thick as a bowl's rim struck down from the black cloud.

With a loud "boom,"

the thick bolt of lightning struck the tall youth directly. Countless arcs of electricity scattered and bounced, blasting the surrounding ground apart and leaving shocking black pits.

The little girl, frightened by the thunder, closed her eyes. Somehow summoning a bit of strength, she pushed herself back a few steps with her hands, narrowly dodging several residual lightning bolts.

When she opened her eyes, still shaken, her mouth opened and closed, and she nearly bit her tongue.

The tall youth stood quietly on the pockmarked ground, but there was not a single scratch on his body.

Though horrified, the bearded man did not stop his movements. He quickly muttered an incantation and formed hand seals.

"Bind!"

Another silver arc of lightning fell from the sky, then suddenly changed, intertwining and twisting to form chains of lightning that swiftly wrapped around the tall youth, binding him tightly.

"Fellow Daoists, what are you waiting for!"

The bearded man growled, holding his saber horizontally before him. A layer of red light appeared on the blade. He lunged forward, slashing fiercely at the tall youth's face with both himself and the blade.

The horse-faced man, initially surprised that the lightning could not harm the youth, was overjoyed at this sight. He formed a hand seal, and his body instantly turned into a gust of wind, disappearing from where he stood.

The next moment, a whirlwind swept up beside the tall youth, and the horse-faced man emerged from it. In his hand appeared a black iron ruler, its surface shimmering with a few white runes, as he swung it with a foul wind toward the tall youth's shoulder.

The Daoist surnamed Qi's eyes flickered. He did not rush out after the other two, but instead took two steps back and waved his hand. A ball of blood light rose from his sleeve, swiftly circled in the air like lightning, and silently struck the back of the tall youth's head.

Although the three attacked at different times, their coordination was seamless, clearly not their first time working together.

The tall youth's gaze was dull, standing motionless as if he hadn't seen the attacks coming.

Seeing this, the bearded man's eyes flashed with joy, and he added even more strength to his slashing strike.

But the next moment, he suddenly felt his wrist tighten, caught in a grip like a steel vise. Not only could his saber not descend any further, but his forward momentum also came to an abrupt halt, unable to advance another inch.

The tall youth had extended an arm, his fingers like hooks firmly grasping the wrist holding the saber, his movements so fast they were almost impossible to see.

The bearded man tried with all his might to pull back, but it was as if rooted to the spot; he couldn't budge the youth's arm at all. His heart first turned cold, but then a cruel smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.

"Bang"

"Puff"

The horse-faced man's iron ruler and the blood-colored mass released by Daoist Qi almost simultaneously struck the tall youth's shoulder and the back of his head. One emitted a dazzling black light, while the other shattered like porcelain, turning into a thick cloud of blood mist that enveloped the youth's entire head, emitting a pungent, nauseating stench.

"Haha!"

The horse-faced man had just burst into laughter when the next moment he felt his fingers grow hot. An indescribable, surging force erupted from within the tall youth's body, traveling through the iron ruler and into his own body.

"No!"

The horse-faced man showed a terrified expression. He only had time to utter one word before his body was involuntarily sent flying backward. After landing far away, accompanied by a series of cracking sounds from within, countless bones broke, and blood mixed with fragments of internal organs sprayed from his mouth.

His entire body was like a tattered, hole-ridden sack, completely devoid of life.

"Impossible! You... ah..."

The bearded man was greatly shocked, but before he could take any remedial action, the five fingers gripping his wrist merely shook, sending waves of strange vibrations that instantly shattered every bone in his body. The pain was as if he were being cut into a thousand pieces, causing him to let out a most miserable scream.

With a "swoosh,"

the bearded man was involuntarily lifted into the air and hurled violently toward a large rock not far away.

"Boom!"

Amidst the man's screams, his entire body exploded against the rock, turning into a splatter of meat paste.

This entire sequence of actions was like lightning, happening in an instant.

Having witnessed all this, the Daoist surnamed Qi turned ashen. He suddenly spun around, frantically slapping five or six talismans of various colors onto himself while sprinting back the way he came.

But he only managed a few steps before feeling the air around him tighten. Several protective spiritual lights on his body flickered and went out. Then, with a "bang," his entire body, like a toy, was crushed out of thin air by some invisible giant force, turning into a rain of blood and flying flesh.

With a "whoosh,"

the thick blood mist enveloping the tall youth's head turned into wisps of blood threads that seeped into his mouth, revealing his wooden face once again.