Chapter 176 – Sword of Taotie, Third-Realm Ferocious Weapon

[Name: Ferocious Beast Dao Fruit (Taotie)]

[Type: Special Item]

[Effect: A special Dao Fruit containing the fate power of the ancient ferocious beast Taotie. After consumption, one can obtain the Taotie Bloodline and awaken a special fate. It can also be integrated into compatible Magic Treasures to serve as an artifact spirit, forging an ancient ferocious weapon.]

[Side Effect: After use, easily influenced by Taotie’s greed]

“Brother Lu, I’ve done it!”

Not long after Lu Chen completely imprisoned Taotie in the underground prison.

Diting hurriedly ran to Lu Chen’s side to claim credit.

The surrounding Four Symbols Seal had been completely repaired by Diting using his Innate Nine Qi.

With this sealing array in place, as long as no one else comes to destroy it.

Taotie won’t be able to escape again in the short term.

However, this was also because Lu Chen had completely suppressed Taotie earlier.

Preventing it from having any energy to deal with Diting.

Otherwise, it wouldn’t have been easy for Diting to repair the Four Symbols Seal.

Hearing Diting’s words, Lu Chen patted Diting’s head and praised: “Well done, you’ve worked hard.”

Diting raised his furry head proudly and said: “No problem! This woof is the great Leader of the Bright Moon Woof Woof Sect!”

As if remembering something, Diting suddenly asked: “Brother Lu, do you think sealing the ferocious beast Taotie with such effort counts as a great achievement?”

Lu Chen was momentarily stunned, not quite understanding why Diting would say this.

So he curiously asked: “The Four Fiends are beasts that bring chaos to the world. If what you said earlier is correct, then sealing them should indeed count as a great achievement.”

“What’s the matter? Is there something you want to obtain from the Shanhai Bureau through this?”

Diting scratched his ear and said in a slightly ingratiating tone: “That’s right, Brother Lu. Do you think with this achievement, the Imperial Court could grant me an official position?”

An official position?

Lu Chen looked at Diting’s little white dog appearance, feeling a strange sensation inside.

Because if the Shanhai Bureau really granted him an official position because of this.

Wouldn’t that make him a literal “dog official”?

This “dog official” wouldn’t be an adjective, but a genuine noun.

With some curiosity, Lu Chen inquired: “Diting, why are you so eager to become an official?”

Diting replied: “Haven’t I been bullied enough by other strange beasts? I’m thinking that when we go outside, I absolutely can’t let others bully me anymore.”

“If the Imperial Court grants me an official position, then I’ll have the court as my backing. If anyone dares to bully me, I can just ask the court to send reinforcements!”

Hearing this, Lu Chen’s expression turned peculiar.

He wanted to laugh but couldn’t bring himself to do so.

Because considering Diting’s experiences and his special cultivation method.

Lu Chen felt that after going outside, he would indeed offend many people.

Unfortunately, having never interacted with other Cultivators in the Mountains-Seas Realm before, his understanding of the outside world still remained in ancient times, lacking clear awareness.

Imperial Court?

Such feudalistic dregs had long disappeared!

So Lu Chen looked at Diting, who was watching him with expectant eyes, thought for a moment and said: “I can’t really say about becoming an official. After all, the current Human Race world might be somewhat different from what you imagine.””So whether a mythical beast from the Classic of Mountains and Seas can become an official, I cannot give you a definitive answer.”

“But if you insist, perhaps you can discuss it with the cultivators of the Shanhai Bureau later. I believe they will give you a satisfactory response.”

Upon hearing this, Diting nodded somewhat disappointedly.

After all, it sensed the evasiveness in Lu Chen’s tone.

This matter of becoming an official probably wouldn’t be so easy.

However, its disappointment didn’t last long before it quickly recovered.

Because it suddenly remembered that Lu Chen, with whom it had formed a contract, was a formidable figure capable of suppressing even a vicious creature like Taotie.

Following such a formidable master, wouldn’t it be able to swagger around everywhere in the future, fully indulging in its role as a dog relying on its master’s power!

As the saying goes, even when beating a dog, one must consider its master!

With my master Lu Chen here, who would dare touch me!

Following such a master, my future… is bright!

Thinking of this, Diting suddenly threw a couple of punches into the air, shouting one word in its heart… exhilarating!

Watching Diting suddenly go wild with joy beside him, Lu Chen’s face was filled with question marks.

It was just that his mastery of the ‘Innate Nine Qi’ wasn’t sufficient yet, preventing him from using it to hear others’ inner thoughts.

Otherwise, he would surely be speechless at Diting’s current train of thought.

After all, what mythical beast starts imagining being beaten up before even going out?

This persecution complex of yours is truly a bit severe.

Shaking his head at Diting, who was already lost in its own mental euphoria, Lu Chen decided to leave it be for now.

Because he needed to carefully consider how to use this newly acquired ‘Ferocious Beast Dao Fruit (Taotie).’

Generally speaking, the best way to use this Dao Fruit would undoubtedly be to consume it himself.

Because that would mean Lu Chen could obtain Taotie’s terrifying devouring ability.

Don’t be fooled by how Taotie was completely suppressed by Lu Chen earlier.

That was because before coming, Lu Chen had gathered considerable intelligence about Taotie through Diting and the Three-Legged Golden Crow.

Thus, he formulated a strategy that completely countered it.

If it were someone else, even if their cultivation surpassed Taotie’s,

as long as they couldn’t kill Taotie in one go, or their cultivation wasn’t strong enough to directly suppress it,

preventing Taotie’s recovery speed from keeping up with the damage inflicted by the cultivator,

then ordinary cultivators’ spells and Divine Abilities wouldn’t just be ineffective against Taotie.

They might even become nourishment for Taotie’s growth, fueling its development.

In this regard, Taotie is like an enhanced version of Mu Xiaoye.

After all, for Mu Xiaoye to absorb life force, the key is for her Phoenix Calamity Fire to burn the enemy’s Physical Body.

If it only burns the enemy’s spells or Divine Abilities, as long as the opponent severs that portion of Spiritual Power, Mu Xiaoye can at most cause them to waste a large amount of Spiritual Power, without being able to use the enemy’s power to restore herself.

But Taotie is different. Whether it’s spells, Divine Abilities, Magic Treasures, or Magical Artifacts,

as long as Taotie devours them, they can all become nourishment for its growth.

Extremely greedy, and extremely domineering.

Therefore, for ordinary cultivators to deal with such an ancient Vicious Beast is truly no easy task.

It was only because Lu Chen had enough methods and had recently comprehended the Sword Domain: Mountain of Corpses Sea of Blood,

a special Sword Domain highly effective against Vicious Beasts.

Otherwise, he might have had no choice but to turn and flee with Mu Xiaoye.Though Lu Chen greatly coveted Taotie’s Fate: Devour Heaven and Earth, considering Taotie’s inherently vicious beast nature, he felt consuming this Dao Fruit would be a poor choice. While Lu Chen pursued power, he refused to become its slave—he would not lose himself in blind pursuit of strength. Moreover, he sensed that if he consumed the fruit, Taotie’s terrifying greed and desire might subtly influence him. It would be unclear whether he was controlling Taotie’s power or being controlled by it. Without hesitation, Lu Chen decisively ruled out consuming it himself.

Thus, the only option left was to fuse it into a Magic Treasure. Coincidentally, Lu Chen possessed a highly suitable second-realm Spirit Treasure—the Bloodthirsty Spirit Sword—that could fuse with the Ferocious Beast Dao Fruit. This approach offered far greater benefits than personal consumption. By using Taotie’s Ferocious Beast Dao Fruit to enhance the treasure, not only would its power increase, but the key advantage was obtaining a new third-realm Spirit Sword in advance. This would serve as the core Spirit Sword for the “Immortal-Slaughter Sword Formation.”

To meet the core requirements of the four sub-formations within the “Immortal Slaughtering Sword Formation,” one needed both a Dao Integration Realm Sword Domain and a Spirit Sword of at least the third realm. The primary use of a Sword Formation for Lu Chen was enabling him to deploy multiple Sword Domains simultaneously. Currently, despite mastering both the “Righteous Azure Lotus Sword Domain” and the “Mountain of Corpses Sea of Blood Sword Domain,” he could only maintain one at a time.

However, with a compatible third-realm Spirit Sword, things would change. Although Lu Chen had the third-realm Spirit Sword “Ink Dragon,” it was incompatible with the Righteous Azure Lotus Sword Domain and could not act as the core for the “Fiend-Trapping Sword Array” represented by that domain. Meanwhile, the Shangqing Cloud Sword, suited for the “Fiend-Trapping Sword Array,” remained at the second realm. This left Lu Chen stuck with a Dao Integration Realm Sword Domain and a third-realm Spirit Sword but unable to unleash a true Sword Formation.

Upgrading the Bloodthirsty Spirit Sword to the third realm would resolve this entirely. As the sword was highly compatible with the Mountain of Corpses Sea of Blood, Lu Chen could use it as the core to deploy the Sword Domain: Mountain of Corpses Sea of Blood via the Sword Formation. This would allow him to simultaneously wield both the “Righteous Azure Lotus” and “Mountain of Corpses Sea of Blood” Sword Domains. Though the combined effect was unknown, even a simple “1+1=2” outcome would become one of his strongest trump cards.

After weighing the pros and cons, Lu Chen quickly made his decision. He drew out his Bloodthirsty Spirit Sword and the Ferocious Beast Dao Fruit (Taotie), which resembled a vertical eye. Under Diting’s astonished gaze, Lu Chen merged the two. Instantly, the Bloodthirsty Spirit Sword trembled as if infused with a Soul, releasing a terrifying ferocity. Its appearance transformed markedly—the previously dried-blood black-red hue gradually brightened to a vivid crimson.However, the change in color was not the key point.

The most crucial aspect was the junction between the hilt and the blade of the Bloodthirsty Spirit Sword.

At this very spot, a bizarre vertical eye slowly emerged.

This eye appeared identical to the one previously seen on Taotie.

Or rather, it was the source of Taotie’s power… the eye beneath its armpit.

Perhaps influenced by Taotie’s vicious aura,

the newly formed weapon spirit of the ‘Bloodthirsty Spirit Sword’ seemed extremely restless.

Just by looking at it, Lu Chen could sense its intense desire to devour.

This craving was so strong that it even targeted Lu Chen—the very creator who had brought it into existence.

Given these circumstances, continuing to call it the Bloodthirsty Spirit Sword no longer seemed appropriate.

Its true designation should be the ‘Gluttonous Fiend Weapon’.

‘Fiend Weapon’ was a specialized term for such unique Spirit Treasures.

Unlike ordinary Spirit Treasures, these artifacts possessed traits of betraying their masters or carrying severe side effects due to various reasons.

They were special Spirit Treasures that Cultivators both loved and hated.

In a sense, Ancient Fiend Treasures could also be considered a type of Fiend Weapon.

But the Ancient Fiend Treasures Lu Chen had encountered before were clearly not on the same level as this Gluttonous Fiend Weapon before him.

Yet, since even the true Taotie had been subdued by Lu Chen, how could a mere Spirit Treasure pose a challenge?

Thus, facing this Gluttonous Fiend Weapon that dared to rebel against its creator, Lu Chen let out a cold snort.

Immediately, the terrifying Mountains of Corpses and Seas of Blood reappeared around him.

At this sight, the Gluttonous Fiend Weapon seemed to recall some unpleasant memory.

It halted mid-air, trembling uncontrollably.

Though it was merely a Spirit Sword, both Lu Chen and Diting could perceive unmistakable fear radiating from it.

With just one confrontation, Lu Chen had completely tamed this violent ancient Fiend Weapon.

“Come here.”

Hearing Lu Chen’s command, the Gluttonous Fiend Weapon shakily flew before him.

Lu Chen grasped the hilt with one hand, and information about its functions quickly surfaced in his mind.

[Name: Gluttonous Fiend Weapon]

[Grade: Third Realm Spiritual Treasure]

[Effect 1. Devour Heaven: Can consume all spells, Divine Abilities, Magic Treasures, etc., upon contact and reflect them back to the user.]

[Effect 2. Consume Earth: Greatly enhances the speed of absorbing surrounding heaven and earth Spiritual Power during use.]

[Special Effect · Insatiable Greed: Can continuously upgrade the Fiend Weapon’s grade by devouring rare treasures, Cultivators, living beings, etc.]

[Side Effect: Taotie’s soul harbors extreme greed. If its desires are not satisfied, the user will suffer backlash from the Fiend Weapon.]

The effects of the Gluttonous Fiend Weapon were largely similar to those of the Vicious Beast Taotie.

Its core abilities stemmed from Taotie’s unique destiny · Devour Heaven and Consume Earth.

The method to enhance this Fiend Weapon was straightforward:

simply provide it with sufficient ‘nourishment’.

However, Lu Chen had no intention of feeding the Fiend Weapon excessively in the short term.

At his current strength, suppressing a Third Realm Gluttonous Fiend Weapon was still manageable.

But if the Fiend Weapon were to reach the Fourth Realm,

subduing it would no longer be so easy.

Moreover, the current Third Realm Fiend Weapon was more than sufficient for his needs.

With this in mind, Lu Chen commanded the Gluttonous Fiend Weapon to transform into a sword pellet and stored it in his Storage Bag.

Before sealing it away, Lu Chen sternly warned the weapon not to touch anything else inside his Storage Bag.Although the Gluttonous Fiend Weapon greatly coveted the elixirs and other rare treasures in Lu Chen’s storage bag,

out of fear for Lu Chen, it didn’t dare to resist his commands in the slightest.

But don’t be fooled by its current obedience—once Lu Chen showed any weakness, the weapon’s rebellious nature would inevitably surface.

Such was the nature of a fiend weapon: a double-edged sword, dangerous to both its wielder and enemies alike.

However, Lu Chen already had some ideas on how to completely resolve this issue.

But this plan could only be implemented after he reached the Golden Core Stage.

Meanwhile, shortly after Lu Chen subdued Taotie,

the seals on the other Three Fiends in the Mountains-Seas Realm all began to fail.

Sealed Land of the Fiend Taowu.

“Xiao Gao, are you even competent? How could you fail at guarding a simple seal for the Shanhai Bureau? You’re utterly useless!”

In the valley where Taowu was sealed, a creature with a bloated body—resembling a tiger yet not quite a tiger, like a pig yet not quite a pig—was taunting Scripture Master Gao Riping of the Shanhai Bureau, who lay severely wounded nearby after being beaten half to death by three members of the Black Lotus Sect’s Twelve Earthly Branches.

Though Taowu had fully emerged from the sealed land,

it didn’t leave immediately. Instead, it turned its gaze toward the three Black Lotus Sect members: Rooster, Monkey, and Dog of the Twelve Earthly Branches.

Looking at the trio, Taowu’s chubby face showed a hint of impatience. “Hey, what’s the deal with you three? Why did you suddenly release me?”

Hearing this, Monkey and the others exchanged glances before Rooster stepped forward to reply, “Respected Vicious Beast Taowu, we three would like to invite you to join our Black Lotus Sect and together achieve unparalleled greatness.”

Upon hearing this, Taowu waved a paw dismissively while fiddling with the phone in its hand, scoffing, “What crap is this Black Lotus Sect? Never heard of it! Do you really think you’re worthy of talking about ‘great achievements’ with me?”

“Also, do you have some misunderstanding about me? Who told you I was unhappy here?”

“Scram, scram! Don’t disturb me while I’m playing games with Xiao Gao.”

With that, Taowu walked over to Gao Riping’s side and let a drop of its essence blood fall onto Gao Riping.

The previously dying Gao Riping, after absorbing this drop of essence blood,

not only recovered from his original injuries but also saw his strength increase further.

Witnessing this scene, not only were the Twelve Earthly Branches members like Rooster astonished,

but even Scripture Master Gao Riping of the Shanhai Bureau was somewhat surprised.

After all, though he had heard before coming that Taowu was different from the other vicious beasts—

while the others constantly sought to break their seals, Taowu actually enjoyed staying here.

This was because the Shanhai Bureau had reached some unknown agreement with Taowu,

not only regularly providing it with large amounts of snacks but also delivering many external gaming consoles and other electronic products to its sealed land.

These entertainments kept Taowu thoroughly amused, with no desire to leave.

Moreover, Taowu would occasionally have its guards play games with it,

showing none of the demeanor expected of a vicious beast.

Classic of Mountains and Seas Bestiary · Taowu: ‘Zhuanxu had an unworthy son who could not be taught, would not listen to reason, became stubborn when admonished, and grew arrogant when left alone. Proud and cruel, he disrupted the heavenly order, and the people of the world called him Taowu.’Although the Four Fiends of antiquity each had their own distinct personalities—Taotie with his greed, Hundun with his chaos, Taowu with his arrogance, and Qiongqi with his pure malice—if one had to choose the least terrible among them, it would undoubtedly be Taowu.

The fundamental reason it became one of the Four Fiends lay in its deeply ingrained arrogance, looking down upon everyone equally. To it, killing humans or other living beings was no different from a person stepping on ants on the ground. Initially, Taowu only committed evil deeds out of sheer boredom, simply to pass the time. After all, the Four Fiends were born of heaven and earth, their Lifespan as eternal as the cosmos itself. With such an endless stretch of time, it had to find something to occupy itself.

But this didn’t mean Taowu enjoyed these acts. It just couldn’t find anything more entertaining to do. However, as eras changed and technology advanced, Taowu once discovered a game console belonging to the guardian of the Sealed Land at the time and became utterly obsessed with it. Using this as leverage, it struck a deal with the Shanhai Bureau: as long as the Bureau could provide it with such entertaining gadgets, it would not only refrain from escaping but would occasionally even assist the Bureau with minor tasks.

At first, the Shanhai Bureau didn’t trust Taowu’s words. But after a century of observation, they found that Taowu was actually telling the truth. Thus, Taowu gradually transformed from one of the ancient Four Fiends into a reclusive Vicious Beast that never left its Underground Prison, preferring to hole up and play games for millennia.

Leave? It wouldn’t dream of it! With delicious food and fun games here, why would it ever go out? Times had changed, and the present-day Taowu was no longer the arrogant ancient Vicious Beast that saw the whole world as its plaything. Now… it just wanted to stay home and enjoy its games!

Seeing that Taowu showed no intention of leaving with them, Rooster and the others exchanged glances and had no choice but to activate Plan B: forcibly taking Taowu away. But now, it seemed this wouldn’t be easy either. They never expected Taowu’s first act upon emerging would be to save Gao Riping and its so-called “jailer,” with whom it should have been mortal enemies. Strange, utterly strange! This scene was nothing like what they had imagined.

Noticing the three still hadn’t left, Taowu’s gaze gradually turned icy. It was already irritated enough at being dragged out of its home in the middle of gaming, and now these pests weren’t even scramming? Did they think it was giving them face? Did they truly believe its title as one of the Four Fiends was just for show?

As Taowu stared at Rooster and the others standing their ground, a terrifying aura erupted from its body. “Not leaving? Then don’t bother leaving at all.”

Sensing the aura emanating from Taowu, Rooster and the others were shocked to discover… it was actually at the Peak of the Golden Core Stage! Weren’t the Four Fiends supposed to be perpetually Sealed, their cultivation suppressed to the lowest levels? Why was Taowu an exception? Didn’t the Shanhai Bureau fear it might break free?

“The situation has changed—retreat!” Without hesitation, Rooster immediately turned and fled. The other two followed suit without a second thought.

Watching them, Taowu declared arrogantly, “Thinking of running now? Too late!” With those words, a dreadful pressure completely enveloped the trio…

(End of Chapter)