Chapter 148: Three-Headed Hellhound

"Master, according to my shadow clone's reconnaissance, the undead bone beast in the village ahead is crystalline and thoroughly translucent, like mutton-fat jade, and is merely a step away from dematerialization," Ying Feng said in a deep voice.

Hearing Ying Feng's words, Qing Xu felt a shock in his heart. While he was not entirely familiar with undead bone beasts, he had a slight understanding of the Bone-Refining Secret Method. Those who practice this secret method can transform into bone fiends—their bodies ash-gray and devoid of life. Through relentless, day-and-night bitter cultivation, once they cross the threshold, their entire bodies turn a translucent white. Upon reaching a minor success, they become like luminous jade, smooth and round like congealed fat. Continuing from this stage, the jade-like luster gradually fades until it finally dematerializes without a trace; only then is it considered complete.

"What manner of fierce beast was that undead bone beast in its lifetime? What is its current cultivation level?" Undead bone beasts and bone fiends share some similarities; their cultivation and strength fundamentally depend on their status in life. That is the general rule. However, there are also some uniquely talented rare beasts harboring the bloodlines of ancient, prehistoric desolate beasts in their bodies, who can unleash terrifying power by stimulating their full potential through secret methods.

"To all appearances, that undead bone beast is merely the most common low-grade fierce beast—an Iron-Backed Wolf. Yet the strength of an Iron-Backed Wolf barely reaches the peak of Earth Immortality, at most touching the early stage of Sky Immortality. Even an Iron-Backed Wolf King could never reach the realm of Profound Immortality, let alone Taiyi True Immortality. What is strange is precisely this: that undead bone beast possesses strength reaching the half-step Daluo realm, which is considerably stronger than this subordinate," Ying Feng could not help but feel utterly perplexed when speaking of the undead bone beast in the village.

"The bones of an Iron-Backed Wolf? Possessing the terrifying strength of a half-step Daluo Golden Immortal?" Outwardly, Qing Xu remained deep in thought and calm as composure itself, but within him, churning waves raged uncontrollably. This matter was far too unusual.

"Oh? That's right, this undead bone beast radiates a biting, freezing chill. Even Taiyi True Immortals and Profound Immortal Ghost Kings seem to struggle immensely when facing this freezing cold. Even by joining forces, they could not defeat the undead bone beast, and this freezing chill played an indispensable role," Ying Feng's mind was ill at ease at this moment. He prided himself on having a comprehensive, if not exhaustive, understanding of the eighteen layers of hell in the Netherworld, and could broadly be considered "learned and knowledgeable." Yet the undead bone beast in the village before him completely baffled him.

"A freezing chill? Could it be *Her*?" Qing Xu thought of the ice-sealed forbidden tower in the Tongue-Pulling Hell and a wisp of valley-orchid fragrance. He was almost certain that this undead bone beast was the masterpiece of the female cultivator who had arrived ahead of them.

"Who on earth could it be? The defenses of the forbidden tower are hardly weak; to call them impregnable and teeming with experts would be no exaggeration. Yet before *Her*, they were as good as non-existent—shattered like dry wood in a gale, utterly devoid of the slightest resistance. The Bone-Crushing Swamp was likewise a mere joke. The dignified ancient Shadow Clan expert at the peak of Taiyi True Immortality was frightened into a shrinking turtle under a single display of might, utterly without temper. And now, she has refashioned and refined the low-cultivation Iron-Backed Wolf into a half-step Daluo-tier undead bone beast. Such daring and means can truly be called profound and unbridled!" At this moment, Qing Xu also felt a surge of curiosity toward the unknown female cultivator, eagerly wishing to lift her veil of mystery and investigate the truth. Yet since he could not even catch a glimpse of her shadow, such a notion was naturally an extravagant hope.

"A half-step Daluo?" Setting aside the curiosity in his heart and pondering his current predicament, Qing Xu couldn't help but feel a touch of amusement.

Previously, Qing Xu and his party utterly lacked the strength to fight the numerous scissor-wielding imps, Profound Immortals, and Taiyi True Immortal Ghost Kings in the village head-on. But the situation was different now. With the undead bone beast—a tireless, consumption-free half-step Daluo—acting as the vanguard, he could play the role of the mantis stalking the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind. Once the undead bone beast eliminated all the ghost cultivators and nether spirits, they could join forces to slay it.

Ying Feng was at the peak of Taiyi True Immortality, and the Black and White Impermanences were at the mid-stage of Taiyi True Immortality. Cooperating with the merit spiritual treasure, the Nether-Yin Scepter, the two of them working together could battle those at the late or peak Taiyi stage. Add to that Qing Xu and Little Kunlun, and this lineup could hardly be described as weak. Dealing with a full Daluo Golden Immortal might still be somewhat arduous, but a half-step Daluo would be quite effortless.

Ying Feng, skilled at reading expressions, perceived Qing Xu's thoughts through the changes in his countenance and immediately urged him with anxiety: "Master, you must not! An undead bone beast with the strength of a half-step Daluo is not something we can contend with. Its regenerative power is terrifyingly ancient, and it suffers no fatigue. Once we fall into a deadlock, we won't even be able to extricate ourselves and retreat. It will exhaust us to our deaths!"

"It is no matter. The Samadhi True Fire of the Daoist Xuanmen naturally restrains the Bone-Refining Secret Method." Qing Xu was filled with absolute confidence. All of this was well within his control; he always plotted and then moved—how could he not have considered every angle thoroughly?

"Samadhi True Fire? Master knows the Samadhi True Fire?" Ying Feng was filled with extreme astonishment, and it was no wonder. Primarily, the Samadhi True Fire was an authentic Daoist Xuanmen secret method, with cultivation techniques possessed only by those under the Three Pure Ones. Even in ancient times, very few people knew it.

The conditions for cultivating the Samadhi True Fire were quite lenient; as long as one reached the Golden Dan realm, it could be formed. It was the fire of the inner elixir and the source of fire arts for immortal cultivators. Even upon attaining the Immortal Dao and acquiring the mystical fires of Heaven and Earth, those fires were merely evolved from the Samadhi True Fire. In essence, it remained the Samadhi True Fire. By now, Qing Xu had already begun initial cultivation of the Profound Pole Heavenly Fire, and his own Samadhi True Fire possessed no small amount of might.

"This poor Daoist is a disciple of Primordial Heaven, of authentic Pangu descent and the Xuanmen orthodox tradition. How could I not know the Samadhi True Fire?" Qing Xu was somewhat proud. This was also the influence of his fellow junior disciples—there was simply no helping it, as it was a common malady of the "Second Generation of Saints." The saints viewed the Primeval World as a chessboard and all living beings as pawns; most of their disciples were arrogant, looked down upon others, and always regarded the Heavenly Dao as number one, Hongjun and the Six Saints of the Heavens as number two, and themselves as number three. If not for Qing Xu retaining his memories from a past life, he likely could not have remained immune to this vulgarity.

Looking at Qing Xu with a trace of envy, Ying Feng had only cultivated the Twofold True Fire back in the Golden Dan realm, and even that was considered fortunate. Those rogue cultivators universally possessed only a Singlefold True Fire; without great affinity and great fortune, it was impossible to obtain the cultivation method for the Twofold True Fire. At a glance, the gap between them might not seem large, but in reality, it was as vast as heaven and earth. The inner elixir fire cultivated in the Golden Dan realm could be said to be the starting point of the fire source, which directly affected subsequent development.

"Master, all the Profound Immortal Ghost Kings have perished, and among the Taiyi True Immortals, only two are struggling with severe injuries and are on the verge of perishing." The shadow clone faithfully conveyed the battlefield situation within the village to Ying Feng.

"Very well, let us go!" Giving the call, Qing Xu and his party headed toward the village. A distance of several hundred miles took only a moment beneath their feet. As they drew closer, boundless and earth-shattering ghost power and nether-undead energy filled the universe. They intertwined yet remained distinctly separate, though the ghost power was clearly at a disadvantage, retreating step by step under the pressure of the undead energy in a rout resembling a collapsing mountain.

Boom, crash, creak, roar, wailing...

When Qing Xu's party arrived before the village, the sounds and movements finally reached their ears.

For a half-step Daluo to slaughter alongside numerous Taiyi True Immortals, Profound Immortal Ghost Kings, and thousands of lesser ghosts—if this were placed out in the Primeval World, it would likely be normal for tens of thousands of miles to be reduced to scorched earth. But the Netherworld was different. Ghost cultivators, nether spirits, and undead bone beasts left surface destruction that was not overly massive, yet their lingering aftermath was formidable. Much like the atomic bombs of his past life, the explosion's direct force was secondary; the true terror lay in the nuclear radiation, which persisted for decades. The beings of the Netherworld were much the same.

Walking forward slowly, they found spiritual essence scattered everywhere, all of it thoroughly shattered and ruined. Yet Qing Xu did not pass it by; after all, even the meat of a tiny ant is still meat. When they reached the central plaza, the undead bone beast and the two Taiyi True Immortal Ghost Kings came into view. The two ghost kings had green faces and tusks, manes of emerald-scruffy hair, and purple-black, burly physiques with bulging muscles. One wielded a steel fork while the other took up a large axe; both weapons were forged from ghastly green phosphorus fire, specializing in harming spiritual bodies and souls, and corroding the flesh and blood of living beings. The undead bone beast appeared quite ordinary—merely the skeleton of a giant wolf standing about three meters tall. The only unusual feature was perhaps the bone-hue that bordered on dematerialization.

The two Taiyi True Immortal Ghost Kings shifted, dodged, leapt in coordination, and fought desperately. Yet the undead bone beast showed not the slightest fear or defensive posture, pressing the attack with its full might. Qing Xu saw it clearly: amidst the attacks of the two Taiyi True Immortal Ghost Kings, even when the undead bone beast occasionally had a few bones scattered or shattered, it immediately reassembled them, recovering instantly. This was precisely the terror of the Bone-Refining Secret Method; even reducing the undead bone beast to fine powder would not kill it.

"Superior Immortal, please save this humble one's life!" The two Taiyi True Immortal Ghost Kings had kept their eyes on all six directions and their ears open to all eight sides, discovering Qing Xu's party the moment they arrived. Seeing the leading Qing Xu arrayed in yin-yang Daoist robes, possessed of solemn dignity, surrounded by the immortal wind and Daoist aura, with his brow wreathed in purplish-golden vapor, they grasped at him like a drowning person clutching a straw, desperately crying out for rescue.

"One is at the mid-stage of Taiyi True Immortality, and the other at the late stage of Taiyi True Immortality. Subduing them for my own use wouldn't be bad. Unfortunately, I lack the leisure right now, and besides, these two ghost kings were previously leaders of a medium-sized faction—how could they easily lower themselves to servitude?" Understanding the stakes involved, Qing Xu abandoned any thought of recruitment. Refusing to offer rescue, he stood with Ying Feng, Little Kunlun, and the Black and White Impermanences to watch as mere spectators.

What is despair? It is precisely when a tiny glimmer of hope has just been born, only to be mercilessly shattered an instant later. At this moment, a bone-chilling cold gripped the hearts of the two Taiyi ghost kings. The dawn of heaven had just appeared from within hell, only to vanish immediately. Was there anything crueler in heaven and earth?

There is no grief greater than the death of the heart. Knowing they had no path to survival, the two Taiyi ghost kings plunged into madness in that instant. Their two brass-bell-like green eyes stared fixedly at the undead bone beast. With a roar, they abandoned all defense and launched a full-strength assault against the undead bone beast. Evidently, they wished to drag this chief culprit down with them in death.

Boom! Smash!

Roar!...

Amidst the heart-rending roar of the undead bone beast, the steel fork and the large axe, carrying the two ghost kings' pent-up fury and all their remaining power, smashed and cleaved down upon its skull. Under this single blow, the two ghost kings perished first; their ghost power dissipated, and their spiritual essences shattered into pieces. Meanwhile, the undead bone beast also disintegrated into scattered fragments of bone under this fierce onslaught, with the largest pieces being no bigger than a thumb.

Mutual destruction?

Under normal circumstances, this would indeed count as mutual destruction. But the regenerative power of the undead bone beast was far too terrifying. The bone fragments scattered all over the ground reassembled and recovered in the blink of an eye.

The restored undead bone beast turned its gaze upon Qing Xu and his party.

Just as the situation was on a knife-edge, a sudden change occurred once more. From the sky to the left of the village, a fierce beast bounded over at great speed. It was the size of a small calf, pitch-black all over, possessing three heads, four legs, and a single tail. Resembling a hunting dog, it gave off a contradictory sense of both brutality and sanctity.

"A three-headed hellhound?" Just as Qing Xu was trying to make sense of the situation, the Black and White Impermanences transmitted a piece of information, allowing him to understand the origin of the matter.