Chapter 3

In the vast wasteland, devoid of human presence, a desolate scene unfolded.

At a glance, the vast expanse of this yellowish-brown land was covered with nothing but weeds and shrubs, and grayish-white stones of various sizes and shapes were scattered everywhere.

The scorching sun hung high in the sky, baking the earth, and the air was filled with yellow dust, swirling about.

Amidst this hazy, yellowish world, a small, frail figure gradually came into view, dashing forward with all her might.

This was a girl of about six or seven years old, wearing a yellow silk robe embroidered with light pink plum blossoms. Her jet-black hair was tied into two buns, and her large, lively eyes sparkled. Her small, delicate nose was complemented by a cherry-red mouth, making her face appear delicate and beautiful.

In her right hand, she tightly clutched a palm-sized rattle drum.

This rattle drum seemed to have been around for quite some time. The drumheads on both sides were slightly yellowed, and they were adorned with patterns of green snakes. The two beads attached to the handles moved up and down, occasionally striking the drumheads and producing a soft sound.

Despite her young age, the girl was quite agile. In a few quick movements, she appeared in an open space in front of a patch of weeds as tall as a person.

Perhaps due to her hurried run, her snow-white forehead was already covered in sweat, and a trail of sweat ran down her left cheek, flowing into her tender neck.

She wiped it away with her left hand, her round, taut face turning red like a ripe apple, but she did not stop for a moment.

"Monster, where are you running to!"

At this moment, a harsh male voice suddenly echoed from a distance behind her.

Hearing this, the girl's body trembled, and her face turned pale. She raised her right hand, which was holding the rattle drum, and gave it a vigorous turn, her lips moving slightly.

The drumhead immediately glowed with a faint green light. As the beads struck the drumhead, a soft sound was heard, and a beam of green light shot out, landing on a cluster of weeds in front of her.

The surface of the weeds instantly glowed with a green light, but the light quickly faded, as if nothing had happened.

The girl continued to turn the rattle drum several times, and beams of green light shot out from the drumheads, landing on the surrounding weeds, causing a series of green lights to flicker.

After doing this, the girl's face turned even paler, but she did not stop to rest. Instead, she hurriedly dove into the patch of weeds in front of her.

Not long after the girl disappeared into the weeds, a cloud of dust rose from about ten paces behind her, and a figure rushed to the edge of the weed patch.

The figure was a middle-aged man in his forties, with a large, muscular build and a bushy beard. He held a bright, shiny saber in one hand, giving him a rather intimidating appearance.

His gaze fell on the small footprints left in front of the weeds, and he was about to charge in with his saber raised.

At that moment, a series of green lights flickered in the weeds ahead, and five or six green snakes shot out, their mouths wide open, lunging at the bearded man.

The bearded man was taken aback at first, but then he quickly drew a talisman from his left hand and slapped it onto his body, causing a white light shield to appear. At the same time, he shook his right arm, and his saber hummed loudly as he swung it forward.

With a hiss, a several-foot-long beam of cold light shot out from the saber, slicing through three of the green snakes, cutting them in half. The remaining two snakes were deflected by the white light shield and were subsequently cut in half by the saber's light.

These green snakes were quickly defeated and revealed their true form, which turned out to be clusters of green weeds.

The bearded man grunted, about to charge into the weeds, but then he paused, his expression changing. He sheathed his saber and stood still.

Behind him, the sound of rustling leaves grew louder, and two figures appeared.

One was a tall, thin young Taoist priest, wearing a gray robe that looked somewhat tattered, and holding a white horsehair duster. The other was a short, stocky man with a horse-like face, a few bruises on his face, and messy hair.

"Are the two of you alright?" the bearded man turned to look at them and asked.

"This monster, being the daughter of a fox demon, is indeed very cunning. I and Daoist Qi were a bit too hasty in our pursuit and accidentally fell for her trick, but it's nothing serious. What I'm more concerned about is why Daoist Yan stopped here. Where is the monster now?" the horse-faced man waved his hand, looking somewhat puzzled.

The bearded man did not speak but pointed to the patch of weeds in front of them, where the small footprints were still clearly visible.

"Why wait? Let's charge in and capture her at once." The horse-faced man, seeing this, was about to rush into the weeds.

"This monster has been on the run for a day and a night, and she must be close to the end of her strength. However, she is skilled in wood-based illusions, and in this patch of weeds, she is like a fish in water. Rushing in recklessly might not be wise." Daoist Qi narrowed his eyes and said.

"Should we just let her escape? This monster, even at her young age, is already so cunning. If we let her grow up, she will surely bring disaster to the world." The horse-faced man hesitated for a moment but then stopped, looking reluctant.

"As righteous cultivators, it is our duty to eliminate demons and monsters. Since we have found this fox demon, we will not let her escape." The bearded man said with a righteous tone.

"From what you say, Daoist Yan seems to have a plan?" Daoist Qi's eyes flickered, and he asked.

"This patch of weeds is quite large. If we three blindly chase in, we will eventually capture the monster, but it will take a lot of effort. I heard that Daoist Feng recently acquired a Fire Cloud Talisman, and Daoist Qi's Wind Summoning Technique is quite advanced. If we work together, this patch of weeds will be completely destroyed, and the monster will have nowhere to hide." The bearded man said slowly.

"The Fire Cloud Talisman... it's not impossible. However, after we catch this fox demon, the fur is mine, and I don't want anything else. How about that?" The horse-faced man pondered for a moment and then said.

"No, the fox demon must be captured alive." The bearded man shook his head and firmly refused.

"What do you mean, Daoist Yan? This Fire Cloud Talisman is a mid-level初级 talisman, and it cost me a lot." The horse-faced man's face darkened, and his voice turned cold.

"Daoist Feng, please calm down. If I'm not mistaken, Daoist Yan is an outer hall disciple of the Blood Blade Sect. The sect recently issued a task: if we can capture this fox demon alive, we can become inner hall disciples and receive a Blood Command Pill and a thousand spirit stones as a reward." Daoist Qi glanced meaningfully at the bearded man and said.

"I didn't expect Daoist Qi to be so well-informed about the Blood Blade Sect. Let's be straightforward. If the two of you can help me capture this fox demon alive, I will share all the spirit stones with you. How about that?" The bearded man said calmly to the two of them.

"Since Daoist Yan has said this, I have no objections." Daoist Qi casually draped his duster over his arm.

"Then let's not waste any more time. Let's act now." The horse-faced man said, pulling out a talisman from his chest, looking at it with a pained expression, and then throwing it forward while muttering incantations.

The talisman immediately glowed with a red light, then exploded, transforming into a cloud of crimson flames that pressed down on the weeds below.

Whoosh!

The weeds, as tall as a person, immediately burst into flames upon contact with the fire cloud.

Daoist Qi, seeing this, chanted "Boundless Heaven" and suddenly swung his duster outward.

Instantly, a loud "whoosh" sound filled the air, and several gusts of white wind appeared, spreading out in a fan shape.

The wind fueled the flames, and the flames spread rapidly along the weeds, creating a raging inferno. Black smoke billowed in the sky, and ash flew everywhere.

The bearded man and the other two watched the sea of fire ahead, their eyes fixed and unblinking.

"There!" Suddenly, Daoist Qi shouted, his body shooting forward like an arrow, heading toward a certain spot. His duster trembled, and the bristles glowed with a faint green light.

The bearded man and the horse-faced man, hearing this, were immediately invigorated and followed Daoist Qi.

About twenty to thirty paces ahead, a small figure suddenly darted out from the burning weeds, clearly the girl who had hidden in the weeds earlier.

However, at this moment, her yellow silk robe was torn in several places, and her fair face was blackened by the smoke.

She had carefully changed direction in the vast patch of weeds to avoid making any noise. Thinking she could finally breathe a sigh of relief when she heard no pursuit, she never expected her pursuers to use fire to force her out.

The girl's face was tense, and her eyes were filled with fear. Without a word, she ran forward frantically, coughing continuously, her steps unsteady.

Before she could escape far, she felt a cool breeze from behind, and a dense mass of green threads appeared, wrapping around her back.

At the same time, a hissing sound came from above, and a large, black net, about ten feet wide, descended from the sky.

The girl's eyes filled with despair, but then she noticed a withered sapling about ten paces ahead. Her eyes lit up, and she bit her tongue hard.

"Got her!"

The horse-faced man, who was the slowest, saw the girl trapped by the bearded man and Daoist Qi and immediately looked overjoyed.

A large mass of green threads stretched out, tightly binding the girl, while the black net also descended.

But at that moment, the girl's figure, unable to move, suddenly glowed with a green light and dissipated, transforming into a withered sapling.

"Wood Escape!" The bearded man and Daoist Qi, landing, looked at the change with a frown.

"There!" The horse-faced man quickly pointed to a spot not far ahead.

The withered sapling there suddenly blurred and transformed back into the girl holding the rattle drum. She glanced back and then turned and ran forward.

"Chase her!"

Perhaps due to the Wood Escape technique, the girl's face was now pale, and her steps were unsteady, causing her to run clumsily. Her speed slowed significantly, and the distance between her and the three pursuers quickly closed.

"Ouch!"

The girl suddenly cried out, tripping over a stone and falling forward, crashing into a grayish-white boulder about ten feet tall and landing heavily on the ground.

"Keep running!"

The bearded man and the other two, seeing this, slowed their pace, forming a triangular formation to gradually encircle her. The horse-faced man licked his lips and said menacingly.

The three had pursued the girl for almost a day and a night, suffering several setbacks along the way. They were naturally filled with resentment, especially the horse-faced man, who had used a Fire Cloud Talisman.

The girl, already small and delicate, now cowered against the boulder, her eyes filled with hatred.

Seeing the girl's expression, the three were not moved. Instead, the horse-faced man took a step forward, raised his hand, and said coldly:

"Even if I can't kill you, I will teach you a lesson today!"

At that moment, something unexpected happened.

With a "crack"!

The surface of the boulder, which the girl was leaning against, suddenly cracked with a sharp sound, and small stones began to fall, landing on her body and hair, making her shudder.

"Huh?"

The horse-faced man, seeing this, let out a light exclamation, his raised hand pausing in mid-air. The bearded man and Daoist Qi also shifted their attention from the girl to the boulder.

"Crack!"

Under the watchful eyes of the bearded man and the other two, the cracks on the boulder's surface spread like a spider web, and several pieces of stone fell to the ground.

"Ah!"

The girl, clearly not expecting this, closed her eyes in fear, covering her head with her hands, and did not dare to move.

With a loud "boom," the boulder finally shattered into pieces, large chunks of stone flying in all directions, landing on the ground and raising a cloud of yellow dust.

The bearded man and the other two were startled, taking a few steps back, but their eyes remained fixed on the boulder.

"What... is this?" The horse-faced man's face changed, and he exclaimed in surprise.

Through the settling dust, it became clear that the boulder was gone, replaced by the figure of an exceptionally tall man.

He was dressed in a green robe, his hair and face covered in a layer of gray dust, as if he had been inside the boulder. His face was ordinary, with slightly dark skin, and his eyes were blank and dull, but he was taller than the bearded man by a head.

This sudden appearance left the girl and the bearded man and the other two completely stunned.

(The "Mortal Immortal World" series has officially started serialization! Today, there will be a launch event in Beijing, so I will be updating three chapters to celebrate. I hope all the fellow cultivators will enjoy and support it!)

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(End of the chapter)