Chapter 8: Shaking the Head Off

Since his bloody escape from Wangyue Tower, Jiang Wang had not slept soundly once, so this sleep was exceptionally long.

He had many dreams. He dreamed of slaughtering all directions on the Sword Discussion Platform; he dreamed of his cultivation progressing a thousand miles a day, riding the wind and piercing the clouds; he dreamed of the vast, boundless sky, where five streaks of light moved with unparalleled speed, five streaks...

He woke up.

He sat up in silence, leaning against the headboard, unable to distinguish whether the sudden sensation was heart palpitations or grief.

He shook his head, gathering his focus.

Outside the window, night had fallen, yet he was still alone in the dormitory.

Jiang Wang frowned.

It was normal for Du Yehu to drink for days and nights on end, but Ling He was always disciplined; it was impossible for him not to return for the night.

The outer sect dormitories of the Fenglin Dao Academy were rows of connected bungalows. He threw on his robe and went outside. The door to the opposite dormitory was tightly shut, and the surroundings were deathly quiet; there was an inexplicable chill in the corridor.

Jiang Wang stopped a figure walking by. "Junior Brother, have you seen Senior Brother Ling He?"

"Ling He? Haven't seen him," the person replied in an extremely dull voice.

As he spoke, he shook his head.

*Bang!*

His head actually snapped off just like that, falling to the ground and rolling a few times.

He had shaken his head off!

Looking at the headless body that had just been speaking, Jiang Wang felt a chill rise from his tailbone, shooting straight to his crown.

But having been through many battles, he instinctively took a step back, preparing to retreat to his dormitory first, or at least retrieve his weapon.

However, the dormitory door suddenly slammed shut and wouldn't budge! It was as if someone inside was holding the door, refusing to let him in.

At this moment, the headless body turned around, opened its arms, and took long strides, running toward him! The head on the ground suddenly sprang up after rolling a few times, colliding with Jiang Wang even faster than the body! Its long hair was disheveled, its face twisted and hideous, its nose collapsed, and its two eyeballs bulged high.

A midnight evil ghost, a soul-snatching fiend.

"Playing god and acting like a ghost!" Jiang Wang roared, hoping to alert the other outer sect disciples in the dormitories, while simultaneously leaping back.

This was the Fenglin Dao Academy, with Dong A, a cultivator of the fifth rank, presiding. Any disturbance would surely be suppressed! No matter how strange or evil the entity, it would never dare to cause too much of a commotion. If he could escape directly, that was naturally the best strategy.

But the head’s projectile speed was too fast; Jiang Wang had no time to dodge.

So, after retreating a few steps, he suddenly vaulted into the air, channeling one of the only two Dao Origin drops in his Dao pulse into his right leg, then twisted his body and kicked backward in mid-air!

Driven by the burst of Dao Origin, this kick possessed power far exceeding his past.

The images of gods, ghosts, and demons were never just legends. Although Jiang Wang had not yet fully transcended, he had long since witnessed the world of the extraordinary. He had killed men and seen blood; he had long since tempered his courage.

He told himself in his heart: *That is a ball. That is not a head. That is just a ball!*

*Bang!*

The sole of his boot collided decisively with the head. The head shot back at a speed faster than before, crashing into the headless body and sending it stumbling.

A soccer goal!

At the same time, Jiang Wang felt a sharp pain in the top of his foot. It turned out that while kicking, the head had opened its bloody maw and bitten through his shoe, tearing away a piece of flesh!

The wound was faintly turning blue.

Jiang Wang knew it was bad; it was likely the effect of corpse poison or something similar.

But he had achieved his goal of blocking the enemy with an attack, so he didn't hesitate and turned to run.

After running a few steps to the end of the corridor, he was blocked by a transparent membrane of Yuan Qi.

The power was not strong, but it was extremely tough, firmly blocking his path. This was a trap!

Jiang Wang’s thoughts raced. He decisively detonated the last drop of Dao Origin in his Dao pulse, concentrating it on his right shoulder.

He exerted all his strength and slammed his shoulder into it!

"Open for me!!!"

Jiang Wang felt his body lighten as he broke out of the corridor between the two rows of dormitories.

Then he heard the wind, the chirping of insects, the voices of returning outer sect disciples... the sounds of the night.

The silent environment had been broken.

"Senior Brother Jiang Wang, what are you doing?"

"Senior Brother, how did you get hurt?"

Some outer sect disciples who saw Jiang Wang came over to greet him.

Hearing the greetings of his familiar peers, Jiang Wang realized he was out of danger. He turned and rushed back into the corridor, but it was already empty.

The headless body and the head had vanished.

People in the dormitories on both sides pushed open their doors, confused. "What’s going on? Why wouldn't the door open just now?"

Then, a terrified voice screamed: "Dead... someone is dead!"

Jiang Wang was the first to rush into the dormitory where the cry came from, and that was when he discovered the missing headless corpse. He and his head were now lying quietly on the ground, his face still hideous.

The person trembling in the corner was likely his panicked roommate.

The methods displayed by the opponent included at least corpse-driving techniques, which leaned toward the heterodox, and orthodox Water-element Dao arts. Or rather, there was more than one opponent.

Jiang Wang’s thoughts raced, and he spoke decisively: "An evil cultivator has broken into the outer sect at night to commit murder. They possess Dao arts and have already transcended! Their strength should be in the ninth rank. All Junior Brothers, be sure to look after yourselves. Move in groups of five and keep in contact! From now on, seal off the dormitory area; no one is allowed in or out. I am going to report this to the inner sect senior brothers immediately!"

The anxious outer sect disciples suddenly found their backbone and followed his instructions.

Jiang Wang turned immediately and ran toward the inner sect.

The entire east side of the city consisted of the Fenglin Dao Academy and its affiliated industries, but strictly speaking, only the compound in the center of the East District, surrounded by high walls, was the true Fenglin Dao Academy. Outer sect disciples like Jiang Wang lived scattered around the academy.

Compared to the tall archway and the wealthy jade lions in front of the outer sect, the gate to the inner sect was much smaller, barely wide enough for four people to walk abreast. Yet, one could glimpse the exquisite craftsmanship just from the dragon-carved and phoenix-patterned plaque that emitted a faint glow in the night.

In front of the inner sect gate was a small pavilion. In front of the pavilion were only two floating cloud lanterns, and inside the pavilion was only one ice-grass meditation cushion. A handsome Daoist in hemp robes sat cross-legged on the cushion, eyes closed in meditation. This was Li Jianqiu, the inner sect disciple on duty today.

Jiang Wang ran up to this point and bowed hurriedly. "Senior Brother Li, a heterodox evil cultivator has committed murder in the outer sect, and one Junior Brother has already been killed! Please go and take charge of the situation!"

To outer sect disciples, every inner sect disciple who had stepped onto the path of cultivation was like a star. Having been in the academy for so long, Jiang Wang was naturally no stranger to them. And for Li Jianqiu, Jiang Wang—who had defiantly initiated a Dao-Proof Duel and drawn out the Dean himself to notarize it—was naturally no unknown figure. Moreover, as the one on duty, he was duty-bound.

Therefore, he only listened to one sentence before pressing his sword and standing up.

"No need." A majestic voice rang out, causing Li Jianqiu to immediately retract his sword and bow in salute.

Dean Dong A appeared at the inner sect gate, his expression cold and hard, even to the point of being ugly. "I will handle this matter personally."

"Corpse Qi." He looked at the wound on Jiang Wang’s foot where the flying head had bitten him, extended his index finger, and without any other movement, a green thorn condensed.

Only then did Jiang Wang notice that the wound on his foot was already festering and beginning to bleed black blood, and he couldn't help but feel fear in his heart.

"Grade C, Mid-tier Dao art: Poison-Swallowing Thorn. This Dao art is very practical and can be used up to the intermediate stage."

As Dong A explained casually, he tapped his index finger.

Beyond transcendent-tier Dao arts, general Dao arts are divided into four grades and twelve ranks. In the vast ocean of Dao arts, one could not explore them all in a lifetime. Every Daoist cultivator who stepped onto the path of the extraordinary must be clear about what kind of Dao arts suit them best and, through constant combat and exploration, form their own combat system.

The thorn entered the wound on Jiang Wang’s foot, turning black at a speed visible to the naked eye. Within a few breaths, the green thorn had turned pitch black, and the wound no longer showed a blue-black color, but instead flowed with bright red blood.

Jiang Wang hurriedly tore off a corner of his robe to bandage the wound.

Li Jianqiu watched this scene silently, lost in thought.

Only then did Dong A ask, "What happened?"

Jiang Wang recounted the events in the briefest language possible and then offered no further opinion. He believed, and could only believe, that the Dean of the Fenglin City Dao Academy would give him justice regarding his assassination attempt within the academy.

The corners of Dong A’s mouth curled up slightly, and because of his serious expression, this smile was exceptionally chilling.

"Heterodox paths, daring to come to the Fenglin City Dao Academy to cause trouble—this is not taking the academy seriously, and not taking me, Dong A, seriously!"

He unfurled his Dao robe, spread his five fingers, and leaned down to press against the earth!

"Jade Cage!"

Centered on his five fingers, invisible power belonging to the Wood Dao extended in all directions.

Every gate in the entire Dao Academy slammed shut with a boom! And branches sprouted, growing wildly and violently.

The ivy on the courtyard walls shot up like long snakes, intertwining in mid-air.

All wooden objects throughout the Dao Academy underwent strange mutations.

Wooden chairs sprouted branches, wooden windows grew claws, giant trees broke through the soil, and thorns danced wildly!

In the blink of an eye, the entire Fenglin Dao Academy had turned into a green cage under the cover of night!