Journey to the West: Treasure Vase of the Great Dao-Chapter 396 - 173: The Great Fire

"But as long as Xing Xian succeeds in shape-shifting, she will be able to bring people in from the outside, and we won’t have to suffer here anymore," Elder Eighteen said, his tone carrying a hint of longing.

"Haha, I can’t wait, I haven’t had a full meal in years," Ling Kongzi said with a big laugh.

The five of them looked at the Scholar as if he were a delicious dish, nearly drooling.

They emitted a spine-chilling laughter, step by step approaching the Scholar, yet at this moment, the Scholar’s face showed no signs of panic or fear.

A smile appeared on his face, as he looked with interest at the five demons drawing near.

"Could it be that the Scholar has gone mad from fear, why else would he start laughing?" Master Skyward exclaimed in surprise.

"Humans are indeed enigmatic creatures; who knows what they are thinking!"

Hearing this, Master Skyward said no more but extended his arm, the branch-like tentacles densely attacking the Scholar.

"Just don’t kill him. If the human dies, the Yang Energy dissipates, and I’d have to wait for the next one," Xing Xian said with a playful laugh, her voice unfortunately the kind that could only haunt men’s nightmares.

However, as their branches neared the Scholar, suddenly, flames burst from the void, landing upon the branches. A tiny spark fell on them, instantly turning into a roaring blaze, rapidly spreading through their entire bodies.

A heart-piercing pain erupted, causing all five demons to scream in agony; they thrashed their bodies frantically, raising clouds of dust in an attempt to extinguish the flames. Xing Xian even leapt up and dived into the river inside the cave dwelling.

Yet, it was all in vain, the flames did not die out but burned even more vehemently, the fierce blaze charring their bodies, even crackling noises began to sound, the noise of wood burning thoroughly.

The Scholar simply watched the screaming demons around him, his expression neither sad nor pleased, as if he couldn’t hear the unbearable screams or see the five demons, each of a different form, engulfed in flames—his gaze was cold, as if he were looking down on a bunch of ants.

"You’re no ordinary human, who are you, and why do you assault us?" Elder Eighteen asked, enduring the pain. He still found it hard to believe that the seemingly harmless human Scholar had suddenly become powerful enough to easily kill them.

"Wasn’t it you who invited me in? Otherwise, how could I have found such a hidden Cave Heaven!" Lu Yu said, his lips curling into a slight smile; this Scholar was none other than Lu Yu, who had come to Thorn Ridge.

Elder Eighteen was stunned on the spot, the pain on his body seemingly unfelt, realizing that he had inadvertently brought such a calamity here.

"Elder Eighteen, you truly are the biggest fool under the sky, bringing disaster right into our midst," Ling Kongzi yelled out in agony, struggling in the flames and blaming Elder Eighteen for the mistake.

Startled, Elder Eighteen screamed aloud, "A high personage such as yourself, foregoing dignity and masquerading as the weak, have no morals at all!"

"Morals?" Lu Yu murmured to himself, then said, "You dare speak of morals with me."

Xing Xian had been kneeling on the ground, pleading, "Please spare me, High Immortal, I am willing to be as a beast of burden, just begging for your mercy to save my life."

Lu Yu sneered, "If I spare you, would the countless tormented souls beneath you agree? They probably begged you just as desperately."

Upon hearing this, Xing Xian fell into complete despair. She let out a hysterical roar, ignoring the raging fire on her body, and violently charged at the Scholar. Little did she know, Lu Yu slowly extended his palm, gently blew, and a fierce wind suddenly arose in Cave Heaven, fueling the fire even more, making the flames on the five demons burn much more vigorously.

The Great Wind stirred the flames, creating popping sounds mixed with the pitiful screams of a few demons, echoing incessantly in this small Cave Heaven, making it eerily lively.

Soon, the screams grew fainter and eventually were barely audible. With a gentle wave of his hand, Lu Yu made the roaring flames vanish into thin air. If not for the lingering smell of burning and increased temperature in the air, no one would believe that a towering inferno had just occurred.

This chapter is updated by freēwēbnovel.com.

Lu Yu stepped forward slowly. Five demons had now vanished as though they had never left. He pointed gently into the void, and the space rippled like water, spreading ripples around. Lu Yu took a step forward, turned his head back, and had already exited the grotto, with the cliff inscribed with Wood Immortal Hermitage reappearing in front of him. Enjoy more content from novelbuddy

"Quite a clever design, but it’s all form with no substance, useless against me," Lu Yu muttered to himself as he casually walked to the back of the cliff.

He saw five straight towering trees, but now the once lush trees looked wilted, and their trunks bore visible burn marks.

Sensing Lu Yu’s approach, the five trees shook their branches frantically, shedding countless leaves.

Such commotions naturally did not hinder Lu Yu’s steps. He slowly walked up to the trees and saw the grim white skeletons buried beneath, not knowing how many years these demons had been wreaking havoc here, resulting in so many corpses; sadly, their cultivation technique was incorrect, stranding them in constraints and unable to shape-shift even after so many years.

"Found you," said Lu Yu softly. He drew the Sword of State and swung it forward, unleashing a sweeping Sword Qi that made the five trees tremble and frantically sway their branches, yet still unable to escape their fate.

The sharp Sword Qi instantly chopped the trees, and shocking crimson blood spilled from the cut surfaces.

Seeing this, Lu Yu gently shook his head and said, "The Way of Wood is the principle of natural vitality; it’s a pity you chose not the path of righteousness, fantasizing about shortcuts, not realizing that such techniques harm others and yourself. Even if you could shape-shift, Heavenly Thunder is not so easy to withstand."

This was the fate of wild demons, without guidance, they often took the wrong path; after all, compared to the slow progress of day and night cultivation and moving Spiritual Energy, eating humans to increase Mana was much faster.

"However, such good timber, it would be a pity to waste it here; better to take it back to make use of it. I could add a few decent pieces of furniture to my grotto."

With that thought, Lu Yu summoned the Treasure Vase, and with a slight focus of his mind, the branches of the five chopped trees rose into the air and flew into the Treasure Vase, disappearing from sight.

Lu Yu’s eyes lowered, with lightning flashing within, and he smiled and said, "People often say: ’Remove the problem from the root.’ Indeed!"

It was then that Lu Yu, through Dharma Eye, saw the souls of five demons lurking in the roots of the trees, prompting such a remark.