Shuisheng was utterly dumbfounded by the scene.
He hadn’t expected that a desperate shout from him would produce such an astonishing effect.
Rubbing his bald head, Shuisheng said, “Uncle Master, why do they seem a bit scared of me? Am I that ugly? Or are they charmed by my handsomeness?”
Master Longmei snapped irritably, “Stop talking nonsense and get moving.”
“Oh~”
Shuisheng quickly took a couple of steps forward, then glanced back to see Master Longmei still standing in place. Puzzled, he asked, “Uncle Master, why aren’t you coming?”
“Old man, hurry up!” Ye Qiu shouted loudly.
To their surprise, Master Longmei remained rooted to the spot and said, “The Grandmaster stated that if a disciple of Mount Longhu seeks this place, they must pass the three trials relying solely on their own strength, without any external help. Otherwise, all efforts will be in vain.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means that if I want to find the Heavenly Master’s Sword, I must rely on my own abilities to get through the three trials.”
“You two go ahead!”
“What about you?” Ye Qiu asked.
“Don’t worry, this humble Taoist has a clever plan,” Master Longmei replied calmly, exuding confidence as if he had everything under control.
“Then be careful,” Ye Qiu said before quickly heading to safety with Shuisheng.
Master Longmei stood his ground, watching the Soul-Devouring Ants draw closer. Following Ye Qiu’s example, he bellowed, “Get lost!”
However, the ants didn’t retreat—instead, they kept advancing towards him.
He then mimicked Shuisheng, roaring at the ants, “Get out of the way!”
Still no effect.
“I knew it—I’m different from them.”
Master Longmei swiftly pulled several flame talismans from the sleeve of his robe and flung them out.
Whoosh!
Flames erupted instantly.
A horrifying scene unfolded.
The fire engulfed the Soul-Devouring Ants, yet they remained unscathed, as if they felt nothing, continuing their march towards Master Longmei.
How could this be?
Master Longmei’s expression darkened. He pulled out a thunder talisman and tossed it forward.
“Boom!”
A bolt of lightning struck down, hitting the ants.
This time, it did kill quite a few of them, but their numbers were simply too overwhelming—thousands upon thousands kept closing in on him.
Gritting his teeth, Master Longmei掏出一大把雷符 (pulled out a handful of thunder talismans) from his sleeve and threw them all out.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
A barrage of lightning crashed down.
At least a few thousand Soul-Devouring Ants were blasted to death, but tens of thousands more kept advancing towards him.
“Damn it, Grandmaster, are you trying to kill me on purpose?”
Master Longmei cursed loudly.
From a distance, Shuisheng watched in panic and pleaded with Ye Qiu, “Doctor Ye, think of something quick—save my Uncle Master!”
Ye Qiu gripped the Emperor’s Sword, Chixiao, ready to charge in.
But just then, Master Longmei’s hands flashed through a series of rapid seals in front of him. With a loud shout, he declared, “Heaven and Earth are boundless, Qiankun lends its power—Escape!”
Whoosh—
Master Longmei’s figure vanished from the spot without a trace.
Where did he go?
Ye Qiu was stunned.
Shuisheng’s jaw dropped, and he cried out, “Oh no, oh no, Uncle Master’s been eaten by the ants!”
Thwack!
A sudden knock landed on the back of Shuisheng’s head.
Shuisheng spun around to find Master Longmei standing behind him, completely unharmed.
“Eh? Uncle Master, how did you escape?” Shuisheng asked in shock.
“I’m the head of Mount Longhu—how could I die so easily?” Master Longmei said smugly, brimming with pride.
Ye Qiu was also surprised. In that fleeting moment, Master Longmei had disappeared, and even he hadn’t sensed the old man’s presence.
Glancing up, Ye Qiu noticed the Soul-Devouring Ants weren’t pursuing them. He asked, “Old man, what technique did you just use?”
Master Longmei grinned. “The Art of Escape!”
“The Art of Escape?” Ye Qiu was startled. “Qimen Dunjia?”
“Not bad, you’ve got some knowledge,” Master Longmei said, clearly pleased. “Mount Longhu possesses many secret arts, and the Art of Escape is one of them.”
“If you know the Art of Escape, why didn’t you use it last time in the capital against those Forbidden City folks?” Ye Qiu asked.
Master Longmei replied, “Back in the capital, I hadn’t yet mastered the Art of Escape. I only learned it after returning to Mount Longhu this time.”
“Besides, using the Art of Escape against enemies isn’t very effective—it’s mainly for fleeing.”
Ye Qiu suddenly recalled that the legacy left by the Ye family’s ancestor also included Qimen Dunjia.
“It seems I’ll need to find a chance to learn the Art of Escape. With this escape technique in my arsenal, even if I can’t beat those Forbidden City bastards in the future, I’ll at least be able to get away.”
Seeing Ye Qiu fall silent, Master Longmei assumed he was awestruck by the technique and asked, “Little rascal, want to learn the Art of Escape?”
“No thanks.”
Ye Qiu knew Master Longmei too well—this old man was shameless and loved taking advantage of others.
Offering something unprompted? Either he’s up to no good or he wants something in return.
“Don’t reject me so quickly. I’m doing this for your own good,” Master Longmei coaxed earnestly. “You’ve got so many enemies out there, all itching to see you dead. If you master the Art of Escape, even if you’re cornered, you’ll be able to save yourself.”
“You, doing something for my good?” Ye Qiu sneered. “I don’t buy it.”
“Little rascal, you’ve got to trust me. I’m a dying man—what bad intentions could I possibly have?”
Master Longmei’s tone shifted as he chuckled slyly. “Of course, the Art of Escape is a secret technique of Mount Longhu. It can’t be casually passed to outsiders.”
“I’d be willing to teach you, but there’s a condition.”
Ye Qiu shot him a glare. “I knew it—you old codger never has good intentions.”
“I’m genuinely being kind here,” Master Longmei insisted. “Little rascal, all you have to do is promise me one thing: after I die, look after Shuisheng for the rest of his life.”
“That’s it?” Ye Qiu was sceptical.
“That’s it,” Master Longmei affirmed. “I can even swear to it.”
What’s the point of an oath? You’re already half-dead anyway.
Ye Qiu grumbled inwardly.
At that moment, Shuisheng chimed in from the side, “Uncle Master, using secret arts consumes a lot of vital energy. You’re already injured—will using the Art of Escape cause any problems?”
“Don’t worry, I’m fine… ugh—”
Before Master Longmei could finish, a jet of blood spurted from his mouth, narrowly missing Ye Qiu.
In an instant, his face turned ashen, his breathing weakened, and his body swayed unsteadily.
Ye Qiu quickly steadied him and asked, “Old man, how are you holding up?”
“I’m not dead yet,” Master Longmei managed a weak smile before coughing up another mouthful of blood and passing out.
“Uncle Master, Uncle Master…”
Shuisheng called out anxiously several times. Seeing no response, he turned to Ye Qiu, tears streaming down his face. “Doctor Ye, please, save Uncle Master!”
Ye Qiu pressed his palm against Master Longmei’s back, channeling a thread of innate true qi into him. After a while, with no sign of the old man waking, he checked his pulse.
The next second, Ye Qiu’s expression turned gravely serious.
His innate true qi had failed!
