Senior sister, stop working and go home for dinner.

Chapter 62 Words on the Deathbed

A clear and resonant Taoist name, like a thunderclap from the heavens, suddenly shattered the noisy battlefield!

Immediately afterwards, a streak of purple-gold lightning tore through the night sky, carrying the might of heaven, and struck with perfect accuracy toward Shi Haisheng, who was about to take the opportunity to launch a sneak attack on Chen Anran!

Shi Haisheng was horrified and hastily gathered all his black energy to resist.

"boom--!"

The lightning exploded, charring his entire body black, sending him flying backward, and most of his evil energy dissipated.

Amidst the smoke and dust, Zhang Nanshan appeared, his feet treading on the void, a whisk in hand, and a large gourd on his back, gracefully descending.

Zhang Nanshan's beard and hair stood on end, his usual carefree and unrestrained demeanor completely gone, replaced by an awe-inspiring majesty. The white jade whisk in his hand shimmered with a clear light, echoing the enormous vermilion wine gourd behind him, exuding a breathtakingly powerful aura.

"Shi Haisheng!" Zhang Nanshan's voice boomed like thunder, his gaze sharp as lightning. "This old Taoist priest still harbored a sliver of doubt, but I never imagined you would actually dare to commit such a beastly act! You've been pretending for centuries; today, it's time to peel off your mask!"

Shi Haisheng staggered to his feet, wiping the charred blood from the corner of his mouth. His face was a mixture of madness and rage: "Zhang Nanshan! You didn't leave?! What does this have to do with your Longhu Mountain? Leave at once, or I'll pretend I never saw you today!"

"Ha!" Zhang Nanshan sneered, pointing his whisk at the three unconscious women, Su Wan and the others. "Harming fellow practitioners, cultivating evil arts, and killing living beings! Every single one of these acts crosses the bottom line of my righteous path, and everyone has the right to kill you! How could this old Daoist tolerate you!"

He said no more, flicked his whisk, and chanted: "Five Thunder Generals, Fire Chariot General, soaring through the sky and crashing to the ground, driving thunder and rushing clouds, with thousands of troops, commanding divine soldiers, raise the flag and summon them swiftly, without delay! So be it!"

In an instant, dark clouds gathered in the night sky, lightning flashed wildly, and the majestic power of heaven locked onto Shi Haisheng!

Shi Haisheng's expression changed drastically. He knew the power of the Five Thunder Orthodox Method of Longhu Mountain. Moreover, Zhang Nanshan's cultivation was comparable to his at his peak. Now, he had been injured by Chen Anran with the power of an Arhat and then ambushed by Zhang Nanshan with a thunder technique. He had already suffered serious internal injuries.

Escape! We must escape immediately! As long as we're alive, we can always rebuild!

The moment this thought arose, Shi Haisheng lost all desire to continue the fight. He bit his tongue sharply, spitting out a mouthful of blood essence. This blood essence was not bright red, but rather had an eerie dark gold hue. The blood essence instantly ignited, transforming into a dense, blackish-red evil aura that enveloped his entire body.

Seeing this, Chen Anran knew exactly what he was up to.

"They are not furnaces! They are people!" Chen Anran's eyes were bloodshot. Taking advantage of the fact that the power of the Arhat had not completely dissipated, he pushed off with his feet and rushed towards Shi Haisheng!

"You want to emulate Han Paopao? Are you even qualified?!"

"boom--!"

Chen Anran's punch, burning with the last of his Buddhist light, slammed hard into the black mist and evil energy hastily laid out by Shi Haisheng.

The golden light and the evil energy collided and eroded each other violently, producing a hissing sound. Shi Haisheng grunted, and using the impact, his figure transformed into a blood-red shadow, fleeing at an astonishing speed into the dense forest behind the mountain!

"Where do you think you're going!" Zhang Nanshan's beard and hair bristled, and he pointed his whisk into the air, causing the thunder that had been brewing in the sky to crash down!

"Snap!"

A bolt of purple-gold divine lightning, as thick as an arm, tore through the sky and precisely caught up with the fleeing blood shadow!

"ah--!"

Shi Haisheng let out a shrill scream and collapsed to the ground. The blood shadow instantly dimmed, and the charred and tattered cassock and splattered blood could be vaguely seen.

The power of the Arhat within Chen Anran receded like a tide, and a strong sense of weakness instantly overwhelmed him, making him almost unable to stand. However, he still persevered and quickly walked to the edge of the pit with Zhang Nanshan, watching the dying Shi Haisheng warily.

As Shi Haisheng saw the two approaching, he made a hoarse, bellows-like sound in his throat, and a twisted, eerie smile spread across his face, from which blood continued to gush out.

"Cough cough... I... never thought... this old monk... would be defeated... by... the two of you..." he said haltingly, his eyes fixed on Chen Anran, filled with mockery and schadenfreude. "But... you... think... this is the end?"

Zhang Nanshan frowned, lightly flicking his whisk. "You wicked monk, even on the verge of death, you still dare to spread your heretical teachings?"

"Demon talk? Heh heh... Hahahaha!" Shi Haisheng coughed up several mouthfuls of black blood, but it was as if he had heard the biggest joke in the world. His laughter was hoarse and shrill. "Zhang Nanshan... is your Longhu Mountain... innocent? Back then... in the struggle for resources... how many times did you resort to assassination...?"

He stopped looking at Zhang Nanshan and refocused his gaze on Chen Anran.

"Young friend Chen... do you think... killing this old monk... will protect... your... beautiful senior sisters?"

Shi Haisheng's smile grew increasingly ferocious, tinged with a vengeful pleasure.

"This old monk...is merely...taking his leave first...that's all..."

"You have no idea... what the 'Ice Purity Jade Snow Technique' means to those... sleeping old monsters!"

"Spiritual energy has fully recovered... The shackles of heaven and earth... have been broken... Those... those... who... sealed themselves in secret realms... barely clinging to life... the... patriarchs of various sects... will... awaken one after another..."

"They...are older...more ruthless...and...hungrier than this old monk!"

"At that time... even if this old monk isn't here... there will be... others!... Which of those old fogies wouldn't want... to use this supreme cauldron... to extend their lifespan... and break through their limits?!"

"The Hidden Cloud Sect...cannot be defended! You...Chen Anran...cannot be defended either!"

"They...are destined to be...everyone's...prey! Hahahaha—cough! Cough cough cough!!"

The laughter stopped abruptly.

Shi Haisheng's head tilted limply to one side, the madness and resentment in his eyes frozen, and his breath ceased completely.

Shi Haisheng died and his spiritual practice ceased, but his last words left Chen Anran with a heavy heart.

He originally thought that by dealing with Shi Haisheng, the sect's biggest crisis would be resolved. Little did he know that this might just be the prelude to an even greater storm.

The night wind blew, stirring up the ashes on the ground.

The square was deathly silent, with only the faint chirping of insects coming from the distant mountains and forests.

Zhang Nanshan remained silent for a long time, then slowly sighed. With a flick of his whisk, a talisman flew out and landed on Shi Haisheng's corpse, instantly turning it into ashes and completely annihilating it.

He walked over to Chen Anran, took out a cigarette case, lit one for each of them, and then took a deep drag. "Keep a calm mindset, there's still a long way to go."

Chen Anran took the cigarette, his fingers trembling slightly from exhaustion and unease. He took a deep drag, the pungent smoke filling his lungs and bringing a false sense of calm.

"Master Zhang, is what he said... true?" Chen Anran asked in a hoarse voice, "Those sleeping old monsters... the 'Ice Pure Jade Snow Technique'..."

Zhang Nanshan exhaled a string of smoke rings, gazing at the rising smoke with a complex expression: "Although Shi Haisheng has entered the demonic path, his knowledge is not shallow. What he said... is probably not untrue."