Mushroom Man

Chapter 149 The Abbess's Last Words: My Name is on the Demon-Slaying List
"Hey, don't even mention it. I got drunk the other day and slept for three days and three nights."

"I woke up to find out that such a big thing had happened."

Wu Liang raised an eyebrow, having anticipated this, and immediately began to spout nonsense, a string of gibberish.

"I'm incredibly curious, tell me quickly what happened..."

The three of them, however, had no suspicions and did not think much of it.

Lu Renjia, one of the three, cleared his throat and said, "Oh, sir, you don't know this!"

"That day, eight rays of light shot into the sky. The legendary Formless Celestial Venerable was born, and the commotion he caused turned the entire Western Regions upside down!"

"Now everyone knows that the legendary Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation, Wuxiang Tianzun, will live a second life in this era."

"All the righteous mushroom masters in the entire Western Regions have united, intending to plow the entire Western Regions three feet deep, in order to find those eight Wuxiang successors."

"I heard that they wanted to nip it in the bud to prevent the Wuxiang Heavenly Venerable from making a comeback."

As soon as he finished speaking, Lu Renyi picked up the thread and added his own words.

"Not only orthodox mushroom masters, but also demonic mushroom masters from the Western Regions and even mushroom masters from outside the Western Regions have all gotten involved."

"It is said that the North Sea, the Eastern Lands, and the Southern Wilderness have all heard about this, and a large number of mushroom masters are rushing to the Western Regions."

"Judging from their expression, it seems they intend to block those eight Wuxiang successors in the Western Regions and intercept their Wuxiang inheritance."

"The official roads leading from the Western Regions to the North Sea and the Southern Wilderness are now completely blocked by the group of mushroom masters who want to seize the Wuxiang Token."

"Any mushroom master who wants to leave the Western Regions will be targeted by that group of crazy mushroom masters. It's terrifying!"

Upon hearing this, Wu Liang remained outwardly calm, but inwardly his heart sank.

Things were much more serious than he had imagined...

Both the righteous and demonic factions of the Western Regions have set their sights on these disciples of the Formless Sect.

Everywhere I looked, there were enemies!

That formless celestial being wants them to be enemies of the world!

At this moment, Wu Liang felt as if the entire Western Regions were now shrouded in an invisible net.

There was nowhere to escape, nowhere to hide.

Under these circumstances, could a mere second-tier mushroom master really leave the Western Regions, cross the North Sea, and reach the Eastern Lands amidst this inescapable net?
However, this is not the worst news...

Lu Renbing quickly picked up the conversation, and his words almost made Wu Liang lose his composure.

"Sir, you don't know..."

"The commotion this time has even alarmed the immortals in heaven!"

"In less than a day or two, quite a few people have seen mushroom fairies flying around in the sky."

"It is said that the Wise Immortal has already taken action to deduce the background and whereabouts of the eight successors of the Formless Sect."

"Furthermore, the foundation of three lineage holders without form has been made public."

"Now they've been listed on the Demon Extermination List, and their Demon Extermination Orders are everywhere."

As soon as he finished speaking, Wu Liang had a bad feeling.

"Oh?"

"The Demon-Slaying Ranking?"

Lu Renjia was very sensible. He took out three Demon-Slaying Tokens from his pocket and handed them to Wu Liang.

"Almost everyone has one of these now, sir, take a look."

"If we could catch them, we'd be set for life!"

Wu Liang took it and glanced at it.

As luck would have it, the very first Demon-Slaying Order was issued to him!

Little devil Wu Liang!
The portrait is clear, the subject is fair-skinned, and has a somewhat sinister air about him.

Ranked 100th on the Demon Slayer List, with a second-stage cultivation level, he last appeared in Cimu River, Zhaodi Town.

According to the above...

Before her death, a woman named Master Wen activated the "Last Word Mushroom," which allows one to leave a final message, and transmitted the child's information to the Buddhist community.

The will revealed in great detail the voice, appearance, background, and name of Wu Liang, this little devil.

And the crimes committed by the little devil, all his deeds in Zhaodi Town.

For example, he used his first-level cultivation to seize the body of the Void Realm, and used his second-level cultivation to manipulate a group of fourth-level and even fifth-level mushroom masters.

They murdered Buddhist monks, harmed three mushroom growers, and wreaked havoc in Zhaodi Town, resulting in the deaths and injuries of hundreds of mushroom growers.

They massacred Wu Xingzhe and subjected Wen Shitai to slow slicing.

Heinous crimes, ruthless methods, the name of a demon is well-deserved!
After receiving the last words, the Buddhist sect quickly made them public through the hands of the Wise Immortal, making them known throughout the world and earning them a place on the list of demons to be exterminated.

Without exception, all those listed on the Demon Extermination List are utterly wicked.

The top one hundred were all wicked villains who brought calamity to their regions and caused immense suffering to the world, and most of them were at the fourth or even fifth level of cultivation.

Wu Liangneng, with his second-stage cultivation, ranked 100th, a feat that is rare even in a century. The other two Wuxiang successors did not receive such treatment.

Clearly, while the transmission of the Wuxiang lineage played a part, the greater contribution came from Master Wen's dying words.

"Wen, Shi, Tai..."

Wu Liang murmured to himself, a barely perceptible cold glint flashing in his eyes.

He truly hadn't expected that even though Master Wen was already dead, she would still cause him such a huge problem.

Who would have thought that Abbess Wen had hidden a mushroom with a last message?

Of course, if that were all, it wouldn't have made him so angry.

After all, the fact that Wu Liang was the successor of Wu Xiang was exposed was something he had long anticipated.

You should know that even without Master Wen's dying words...

For beings like Zhidao Guxian, it wouldn't be difficult to deduce these things from the clues he left in Zhaodi Town.

What truly angered him was that Master Wen had fabricated and exaggerated charges against him.

For example, the chaos in Zhaodi Town resulted in the deaths of hundreds of mushroom growers.

Aren't all of these things done by Master Wen herself?
But that's alright, since having too many lice doesn't make you feel itchy.

Since others call him a demon, then he'll just be a demon.

However, what he couldn't stand was that if he was a demon, why did he have to add "little" to it?

Is he not even as good as that deceased Abbot Shanren?

"Hmph, I'll get rid of that 'little' word sooner or later." Wu Liang collected his thoughts, then turned his expression and continued to look at the other two Demon-Slaying Orders.

The people on these two Demon Extermination Orders were clearly just like him, unlucky souls whose true natures were laid bare.

First, the man of a thousand faces.

Specific name and appearance are unknown.

He was a lecherous and amorous man, a notorious womanizer.

He was at the peak of the third stage of cultivation and ranked 156th on the Demon Slayer List.

It was last seen in the Valley of Heartlessness, but then encountered a once-in-a-century windstorm from the east, west, north, and south in the Western Regions, and its whereabouts remain unknown to this day.

Secondly, it's all for nothing.

He was plain-looking and unremarkable.

He was once a beggar, and he stole wherever he went, never leaving empty-handed.

He is at the initial stage of the third level of cultivation and ranks 250th on the Demon Slayer List.

Finally, he appeared at the Lotus Temple, intending to steal a lotus flower from the temple's sacred pond, but was discovered and fled.

"The Thousand-Faced Man, you've come all this way for nothing..."

“A flower thief and a petty thief are actually both disciples of the Formless lineage, just like me.”

Wu Liang's eyes flickered, and he put down the Demon-Slaying Order.

He looked at the third young master of the Lu family and nodded in satisfaction.

"Very well, I've figured out what's going on now."

"These silver liquids are a reward for you..."

After speaking, Wu Liang kept his promise and immediately distributed the three drops of silver water to the three people.

The three young masters of the Lu family were all grinning from ear to ear after receiving the silver.

Just by asking a few questions, one can receive silver as payment; this deal couldn't be more profitable.

"Sir, I've noticed you've been looking at this Demon-Slaying Order for quite a while. I suppose you're also interested in the successor of the Formless One?"

"Hehe, then this old man will have to be careful these days..."

"I've heard that there's a successor of the Wuxiang lineage near Bajiao Mountain."

"Otherwise, how could our Bajiaoshan be so lively lately, much more chaotic than before?"

Lu Renjia chuckled and spoke.

what?
Are there any successors at Bajiaoshan?

Upon hearing this, Wu Liang was startled.

His first instinct was that his whereabouts had been exposed.

However, Lu Renyi quickly picked up the conversation and dispelled his idea.

"you do not say!"

"The old man had too much to drink and probably didn't notice."

"When the eight rays of light shot into the sky that day, one of them was near our Bajiao Mountain."

"Unfortunately, when the people came to their senses and went to look for it, they couldn't find a single hair."

"I reckon that Wuxiang successor has already run away. Don't actually think about it, sir."

"What kind of successor of the Formless lineage? It's not something we first-stage mushroom masters can even dream of."

Sunset glow...

Wu Liang breathed a sigh of relief, but his mood did not improve as a result.

The appearance of rosy clouds at Bajiao Mountain only indicates that it was not because he had revealed his whereabouts, but because there was another successor of the Wuxiang lineage here.

This was undoubtedly terrible news for Wu Liang.

He came to Bajiao Mountain to avoid disaster.

As luck would have it, a successor of the Wuxiang lineage also emerged from Bajiaoshan.

Doesn't this mean that Bajiaoshan, like Zhaodi Town, is now attracting the attention of the Mushroom Fairy?
Of course, Bajiaoshan may not have a Zhaodi Town, which is just as prominent.

After all, the rosy light only appeared in this vicinity, and it might not necessarily be from the people of Bajiao Mountain.

Wu Liang took a barely perceptible deep breath.

He had no interest in chatting with the third young master of the Lu family any longer, so after exchanging a few casual words, he sent them away.

After the three left, Wu Liang's expression turned gloomy, and he stopped trying to pretend.

"Just out of the tiger's mouth, into the wolf's den."

"This Bajiao Mountain is not a place to stay for long; we must leave this troublesome place as soon as possible."

"We can no longer stay in the Western Regions; we must find a way to get to the North Sea or the Southern Wilderness..."

Wu Liang stroked his chin, having made up his mind.

I just learned that Bajiao Mountain is now located on the western border, and is closest to the boundary wall leading to the North Sea.

If he were to leave the Western Regions, he would certainly not choose the more distant Southern Wilderness.

Therefore, the next step was to try every means to get to the North Sea, and then from the North Sea to the East.

However, there's definitely no way to get ahead through official channels now.

In other words, Wu Liang needed to find another way, avoid the Mushroom Master, and take an unorthodox route to the North Sea.

But where can we find such unorthodox methods?

Putting aside the question of whether there was a route, given Wu Liang's abilities, it would be impossible for him to traverse mountains and rivers alone.

To travel in the wild, one needs at least a third-stage cultivation level.

Otherwise, if Wu Liang were to encounter a mushroom beast, he might very well die.

"It seems that if I want to leave Bajiao Mountain, I need to improve my strength first and properly manage my dantian."

"Furthermore, I need to make up for my lack of offensive capabilities, and I'm afraid the silver I have on hand will not be enough."

Thinking of this, Wu Liang glanced at the cart full of slaves, his gaze turning slightly cold.

"Ha ha……"

"Fine, I guess I'll have to become a slave trader for once..."

(End of this chapter)