Chapter 24: The Forbidden Art!

Beneath the moonlight...

With a dull thud, an empty Coca-Cola bottle came flying through the air and struck the very top of Ye Lan’s head.

Hearing a miserable shriek, a small bump instantly swelled up on Ye Lan’s forehead.

Sitting in front of his computer with a wronged expression, Ye Lan looked at the esteemed audience in the gallery with eyes brimming with tears. That gaze was completely filled with overflowing love.

At that moment, an anonymous member of the audience directly raised a fist the size of a sandbag, opened his mouth, and cursed in a deep, angry voice:

"At a time like this, what the hell are you still moon-shadowing about?! Just start fighting already! Go crush that old bastard Xiang Haitang!"

Hearing this, Ye Lan could only pout aggrievedly and cut to the chase: "Descriptions of the scene and atmosphere are still necessary, you know!"

To return to the main point:

The moonlight was mottled, and the air was thick with blood and slaughter. Suddenly, the surroundings of the turquoise pool became exceptionally lively!

To the left, Xiao Yulou, whose entire body was weak and limp, glared with wide-open eyes, cold sweat pouring down as he worried anxiously in vain.

In the center of the arena, Xiang Yunjiao desperately manipulated a swarm of wasps to fend off the surrounding snakes, insects, rats, and ants. Even the pitch-black, gluttonous fur-ball was using underworld soldiers with three heads and six arms to combat the bizarre six-armed corpse.

As for the most miserable and useless one of all, it had to be none of our dear Gu Mo!

Just because of a careless remark about "where's that firecracker coming from," this fellow had been pinned down relentlessly by that sinister and vicious old bastard Xiang Haitang using the flying-head sorcery.

Those blood-drenched internal organs and blood vessels were wrapped around Gu Mo's neck as tightly as giant pythons.

At a glance, Gu Mo's once relatively handsome face had swollen to a dark purple hue. Under extreme oxygen deprivation, the blood vessels in his eyes were practically bulging out. Furthermore, red-headed centipedes the length of a forearm were crawling all over his entire body.

Even though Gu Mo stretched out both hands and clawed desperately at his neck, the blood vessels, windpipe, and internal organs hanging beneath Xiang Haitang's flying head only tightened their grip.

As filthy, cold-blooded creatures, the countless red-headed centipedes covering his body continuously bit and tore at Gu Mo's flesh. The Bruce Lee-style jumpsuit, stained with deep red blood, had already become riddled with holes and was on the verge of falling apart!

What was most infuriating was that every single one of those carefully raised red-headed centipedes was immensely poisonous. Along with the deadly venom, a specialized anesthetic was injected into Gu Mo's body.

As the prey being devoured, because of the special effect of the anesthetic, Gu Mo couldn't feel any pain at all. Only in this way could those red-headed centipedes slowly consume Gu Mo's body bit by bit. Just thinking about it made one's scalp tingle and hair stand on end!

Abruptly, Gu Mo felt his blood vessels throbbing as he sensed the arrival of the Grim Reaper.

Why wasn't it a soul-receptive emissary or the deities of Impermanence, Black and White?

Firstly, the netherworld had marched to the city gates and fallen into complete chaos a month ago.

Secondly, if the two revered Envoys of Impermanence had come, Gu Mo, the husband of the King of Hell, would definitely have been able to preserve his life. Wouldn't that have made things utterly boring?

Thirdly, Ye Lan hadn't figured it out yet, so we'll leave it unmentioned for now.

...

"Hehehe!"

On the verge of losing consciousness, Gu Mo heard Xiang Haitang's extremely sickening and greasy voice.

Xiang Haitang let out a few smug, sinister chuckles, suddenly widened his bloody mouth, and lunged forward to take a ferocious bite at Gu Mo's tender neck!

In the split second of a lightning flash, a dark shadow suddenly darted past, and a heavy blow landed squarely in the mouth of the voodoo sorcerer Xiang Haitang. A flavor of absolute, electrifying pungency instantly exploded inside his mouth.

Spit!

The voodoo sorcerer Xiang Haitang abruptly opened his mouth and spat, lowering his gaze to see that what had just been inside his mouth was actually a clean cloth shoe full of foul sweat.

In an instant, Xiang Haitang, reduced to nothing more than a flying head, glared with furious eyes straight at Xiao Yulou.

And that wretched Taoist priest was actually standing in the open space, whistling indifferently while lowering his head, using his right hand to pick at the dirt under the nails of his left hand. What was most exasperating was that Xiao Yulou was even shivering all over, rhythmically tapping his toes.

"You old goat, do you want to die first?"

With an angry roar, Xiao Yulou immediately put on an expression of complete ignorance, widened his eyes, and asked in astonishment.

"Huh? What the hell does it have to do with this poor Taoist? I was just admiring the moon! What on earth does Senior Xiang want to do?"

It was merely a clean cloth shoe, smelly though it might have been. The physical damage was negligible, but the psychological insult was immense!

For a moment, the voodoo sorcerer Xiang Haitang was so enraged that smoke billowed from his seven orifices and fury consumed his heart. However, the internal organs wrapped around Gu Mo's neck loosened their grip considerably.

A breath of fresh oxygen, accompanied by a foul and repulsive stench, poured directly into Gu Mo's throat. No matter what, Gu Mo was finally able to steal a breath of air.

Catching his breath, the voodoo sorcerer Xiang Haitang immediately widened his angry eyes, bared his teeth, and snapped back in retaliation.

"You yellow-haired brat, you have the guts to do it but not the guts to admit it, eh?"

Hearing this, Xiao Yulou slowly put his hands behind his back, cast a fierce glare at Xiang Haitang, and then secretly groped around inside the wide sleeves of his Taoist robe.

Outwardly, however, Xiao Yulou still maintained an honest and obedient appearance, speaking respectfully and harmlessly.

"Senior Xiang, no matter what, you are a person of considerable cultivation. How can you lower yourself to the same level as a junior?"

After a brief pause, Xiao Yulou's belly full of malicious schemes instantly began to surge like raging waves.

"Besides, how can Senior Xiang be certain that this clean cloth shoe belongs to this poor Taoist?"

Xiao Yulou truly deserved to be the pinnacle of wretchedness!

This acting, this taste, and this demeanor—awarding him a Golden Horse Award for Best Actor wouldn't be an exaggeration at all!

...

Hearing such childish quibbling, Xiang Haitang instantly arched his eyebrows, glared fiercely, and burned with a frenzy of rage.

"Taoist priest, if you want to die first, this old man will grant your wish!"

As soon as his voice trailed off, the voodoo sorcerer Xiang Haitang immediately changed his target, releasing Gu Mo's neck and flying rapidly toward Xiao Yulou.

Cough, cough~

Gu Mo, having temporarily saved his petty life, immediately knelt on the spot, gasping heavily for the precious oxygen.

With a whoosh!

The voodoo sorcerer Xiang Haitang flew at high speed using his flying-head sorcery, the internal organs hanging beneath the flying head swaying wildly like wind chimes.

Along the way, it left a trail of dripping blood, appearing exceptionally terrifying!

Suddenly, Xiao Yulou, dressed in a black Taoist robe, felt his sphincter tighten and his stout body shudder in fright. Beads of sweat the size of soybeans burst forth like bamboo shoots after a spring rain.

Xiao Yulou's fumbling movements inside the sleeves of his Taoist robe intensified even further.

Seeing the rapidly flying head already within arm's reach and rushing straight at him, Xiao Yulou's fingertips suddenly brushed against two cold porcelain jars.

At the most critical moment, amid the flash of lightning!

Xiao Yulou abruptly flicked one hand, hurling the porcelain jars in his grasp like hidden weapons with all his might.

Two crisp cracking sounds were heard.

Xiang Haitang's flying head was squarely struck right in the face, and a pungent, repulsive odor instantly dispersed the surrounding air. The other porcelain jar also landed solidly on Gu Mo's head.

Sizzling, sizzle, sizzle~

The flying head struck by the porcelain jar suddenly let out a hysterical scream amidst thick clouds of smoke.

Ah, ah, ah~

In the blink of an eye, the smoke drifted away, and the surrounding snakes, insects, rats, and ants hastily fled the battlefield. Even that terrifying three-headed, six-armed corpse fell flat on its back onto the ground.

It was as if the fierce battle before had been nothing more than a nightmare and had never happened at all.

Taking a closer look, Xiang Haitang's flying head, trailing a series of digestive organs, was soaked in a foul-smelling pool of green, viscous liquid and no longer moved at all!

Amidst the terrifying shrieks, Gu Mo, who had been knocked dizzy and disoriented, was stunned for a moment before reaching out to wipe the orange-yellow liquid from his face and sniffing it right in front of his nose.

"What the meow, you mangy Taoist actually splashed your piss on me! And it's so damn yellow!"

Hearing this, the immortal-looking Xiao Yulou merely smiled faintly, then suddenly trembled all over and collapsed straight onto the ground.

Seeing this, the Xiangxi girl Xiang Yunjiao immediately galloped toward Xiao Yulou with large strides, catching the collapsing Taoist in her arms. Hidden inside the wide sleeve of this wretched Taoist priest was unexpectedly a piece of Xiangxi Miao embroidered headscarf.

To think that Xiao Yulou, a thoroughly wretched fellow, had long since stolen Xiang Yunjiao's intimate personal item. Of course, stolen along with it was Xiang Yunjiao's heart...

"Master Xiao! Master Xiao!"

After a few shouts and gentle shakes, Xiao Yulou, with his pale complexion, finally managed to slowly open his eyes, but with a faint smile, he promptly fell fast asleep once again.

Meanwhile, Gu Mo, having clawed back half his life, also slumped to the ground. The exhausted gluttonous fur-ball saw this and burrowed back into Gu Mo's pocket to fall fast asleep.

After a long while, Gu Mo, having freshened up slightly, hoisted the half-dead Xiao Yulou onto his shoulder and headed back toward the small courtyard.

After the three of them departed, half a ferocious, riddled human head suddenly surfaced from that pool of green slop.

Upon closer inspection, the Xiangxi voodoo sorcerer Xiang Haitang was actually not dead!

A sentence dripping with bone-deep, boundless hatred echoed forth.

"Hmph~ that old goat turned out to be a virgin boy! Once this old man fully recovers, I'll come back for your dog lives!"

...

As the scene shifted, Gu Mo, sitting by the bedside, looked at Xiang Yunjiao with great perplexity and asked,

"Fair maiden, what is your name? Why did you appear here?"

Hearing the question, Xiang Yunjiao sighed as well and replied,

"My name is Xiang Yunjiao, and I belong to the Wumiao tribe of Xiangxi. I came to Beihuang Town specifically to hunt down Xiang Haitang!"

Hearing this, Gu Mo's mind was instantly flooded with a surging wave of questions.

"Ah? You're also from the Xiangxi tribe? Since you both share the surname Xiang, why is there such deep, irreconcilable hatred?"

Over the next few minutes, Xiang Yunjiao recounted the whole story amid sighs.

A clueless Gu Mo nodded calmly.

"Oh, right!"

Suddenly, Gu Mo asked with a puzzled expression,

"How can Xiang Haitang still harm people even when his head and body are separated?"

Hearing this, Xiang Yunjiao stood up and paced back and forth as she explained,

"The flying-head sorcery is also a taboo art of the Xiangxi tribe!"

A terrified Gu Mo instantly felt his sphincter tighten and his stout body shudder in fear.

"What the heck? A taboo art? Why doesn't Fourth Master Xiang know this trick?"

Upon hearing the moniker of Fourth Master Xiang, Xiang Yunjiao instantly knitted her brows tightly and glared coldly at Gu Mo.

"How do you know about Fourth Master Xiang?"

Blurted out without thinking, Gu Mo was left speechless in shock, his heart feeling like "fifteen buckets fetching water—seven up and eight down" as he frantically weighed his options:

'We're completely screwed! This Fourth Master Xiang originally belonged to the Xiangxi witchcraft faction. Why on earth did I bring up that dead ghost of an old bastard in front of this Xiangxi girl?

Am I pig-brained?

What if that dead ghost old bastard had some blood relation to Xiang Yunjiao? I'm definitely going to die under a Miao saber!

What should I do? Should I roll the dice and take a gamble?'

Thinking of this, Gu Mo let out a sigh and recounted the events that had taken place at the turquoise pool. Of course, according to his story, Gu Mo and Xiao Yulou were merely passing by, and Fourth Master Xiang had perished together with Tang Xianshan of the Tang Sect.

To his surprise, Xiang Yunjiao didn't show much emotional fluctuation upon hearing this.

"A sinister person—good riddance that he's dead!"

Hearing this, Gu Mo let out a huge sigh of relief inwardly. 'Thank goodness my luck is high enough; I somehow managed to bluff my way through!'

Following that, Gu Mo had a flash of inspiration and quickly pressed on with his questions.

"Fair maiden, what exactly is the flying-head sorcery?"

Xiang Yunjiao replied with an expressionless face, speaking slowly,

"Sorcerers use incantations and self-cast sorcery to enable their heads to detach from their bodies and fly, thereby enhancing their sorcery powers.

When first practicing the flying-head sorcery, the sorcerer must find a secluded place to meditate and cultivate in solitude. At midnight, they begin practicing the flying-head sorcery. It is divided into a total of seven stages, and each stage must last for forty-nine days before it can be considered a full success.

To master this taboo art is essentially going against the heavens, and it is very easy to lose one's life!

During the cultivation period, the sorcerer must suck blood every night without interruption. If there is an interruption, all previous efforts are wasted with no chance of starting over.

Within three hundred days of practice, the sorcerer's head will fly out at night to suck blood, dragging along its digestive organs—flying out with its intestines and stomach, sucking the blood dry of any living creature it encounters, whether cat, dog, or human—and will only return to the body once its stomach is filled with fresh blood.

With each stage mastered, the digestive organs hanging beneath the flying head will disappear bit by bit. When all the organs completely vanish and only the flying head remains, the cultivation is deemed successful!"

Hearing this, Gu Mo finally understood.

Since Xiang Haitang's flying-head sorcery was still attached to quite a few digestive organs, that old bastard's cultivation clearly hadn't reached perfection yet!

Just as Gu Mo was deep in thought, the Xiangxi girl Xiang Yunjiao continued,

"Once mastered, the sorcerer's power will increase dramatically, and they will no longer need to consume fresh blood. However, the most tragic victims at this stage are pregnant women.

Because by this time, the sorcerer no longer needs mere blood, but instead must feed on the fetuses in pregnant women's wombs."

Hearing this, Gu Mo was so terrified his jaw dropped, and his worldview utterly collapsed.

"What the heck? It's that demonic? Is the Xiangxi tribe really that destructive to nature?"

As soon as these words left his mouth, Xiang Yunjiao cast a sidelong glance at Gu Mo and continued,

"The Xiangxi tribe is also divided into righteous and evil factions. The righteous faction raises golden cicadas and bees, while the evil faction naturally raises all sorts of venomous insects!"

After explaining this, Xiang Yunjiao said in a deep voice,

"Legend has it that fetuses are condensed from yin and yang vital blood; the more they consume, the more they can prolong their lives and the stronger their magical powers become.

Every forty-nine days, the sorcerer must feed on a fetus. This stage is practically the most terrifying nightmare for pregnant women. However, throughout history, sorcerers who achieved complete success have been vanishingly rare.

Because this kind of taboo art is inherently crooked and demonic, righteous figures from all sects and factions join forces to hunt them down!"

Hearing this, Gu Mo dutifully acted as a loyal listener, simply nodding without interrupting further.

Afterward, Xiang Yunjiao let out a slow sigh, looked at the furnishings in Xiao Yulou's room, and continued,

"When performing sorcery, a sorcerer must not be hindered by anything. If dawn breaks and the flying head has not returned to the sorcerer's body, the sorcerer will dissolve into a pool of blood and never be reincarnated."

At this point, Gu Mo asked with great curiosity,

"Then what are sorcerers most afraid of?"

Hearing this question, Xiang Yunjiao smiled faintly and said,

"Actually, there are many ways to break the flying-head sorcery...

Anything possessing extreme yang and rigid energy can cause harm to a sorcerer.

The most effective method is to take the five venomous creatures (centipede, venomous snake, scorpion, toad, gecko), place them in a jar, and bury them underground at a crossroads. After two hours, the five venomous creatures will kill each other off.

Retrieve them after two hours, grind them into powder, and mix them with corpse fat and vital blood. Splashing this mixture onto the flying head will break it."

Despite this bizarre explanation, Gu Mo was still somewhat bewildered.

"Then why did Brother Xiao manage to deal with the flying-head sorcery using just a single porcelain jar?"

At the mention of this, a blush suddenly crept onto Xiang Yunjiao's face.

"Th-that... that was Master Xiao's... virgin boy urine!"

Hearing this, Gu Mo was suddenly struck with astonishment. He turned his head to look at the sleeping Xiao Yulou and cried out in disbelief,

"What the heck? This mangy Taoist is a virgin?"

...