My Master’s Daoist Heart is Unstable - Chapter 12

Chen Miao took a deliberate step forward, his gentle and refined aura unwavering. The sudden movement startled the waterfall of hair, causing it to recoil half a step.

“So… you’re just going to abandon your companion like that?” the malevolent ghost asked, her voice thick with suspicion.

“Weren’t you the one who told him to stay behind?” Dian Chao retorted, his gaze lazy as he looked at the nagging mass of hair.

If I agree, you’re unhappy. If I refuse, you think it’s only then that things make sense, right?

Chen Miao watched the hair silently, his eyes showing no trace of fear, remaining as calm and clear as a mirror.

The malevolent ghost suddenly sensed something was wrong, but before her thoughts could fully form, Chen Miao spoke.

“I’ve already delivered myself to your doorstep. You can hand over the cultivation method and the spiritual herb to my companions now.”

The malevolent ghost fell silent for a moment, not immediately agreeing. Instead, she turned to test Li Shangyuan and Dian Chao. “So… we have a deal?”

The hair looked at Li Shangyuan and nodded.

It turned to Dian Chao and nodded again.

Finally, it focused on Chen Miao and nodded once more.

In an instant, the waterfall erupted, splitting into dozens of sharp, pitch-black pythons that shot straight up into the air. A tide of frigid ghostly energy crashed down upon them.

Chen Miao had already retreated the moment he sensed the malevolent ghost’s first move, his figure drifting back to Li Shangyuan’s side with impeccable timing.

“You… you’re colluding to toy with me?!” the malevolent ghost’s voice suddenly turned sharp and piercing, dripping with venom. “In all my life… I have always hated liars the most!”

Before her words even faded, the suspended strands of hair writhed frantically, carrying a mournful yin wind as they surged toward the three men from all directions.

The trio remained motionless. Li Shangyuan raised both hands, activating the Thousand-Layer Array. The moment the barrier formed, he flicked his sleeves, sending all the array flags flying into position. They each took their place at the array eye, rooting themselves firmly.

Dozens of hair strands slammed into the barrier’s wall of light, instantly igniting with blue flames. The fire surged back along the hair, spreading rapidly.

Sheltered by the barrier, the three men watched the scene with calm detachment.

Dian Chao had always been curious about her, and her words only deepened his intrigue. Finally unable to restrain himself, he seized the lull in the confrontation and called out, “Why do you hate liars so much? Were you deceived in your past life? How did they trick you?”

The two exchanged a silent, knowing glance before turning their gaze to Dian Chao.

He really knows how to twist the knife, they thought.

The malevolent ghost shrieked. Instantly, a wall of dense, matted hair materialized from thin air, severing the blue-flamed sections at the root without hesitation.

The charred, curled clumps of hair fell away, releasing a sickening stench of burnt flesh and decay.

But in the next heartbeat, the severed ends regrew, restoring the wall to its original state.

“Do you truly believe…” the ghost sneered, her voice dripping with icy derision, “…that this mere formation could ever hold me?”

Dozens of hair tendrils converged toward the center, merging with the impenetrable wall. In an instant, they became one, making the barrier even denser and darker. Up close, the countless strands writhed and twitched like living creatures.

The three companions exchanged grim looks. It was clear now: this ghost would not be dealt with easily.

Suddenly, the solid ground beneath their feet turned soft and slippery, like stepping into a patch of rotting flesh. Then, the flesh began to writhe irregularly.

Their expressions shifted in horror as they looked down.

The ground was gone!

The earth had transformed into a bottomless, churning abyss of thick blackness. From this boiling void, countless fine, tangled strands of hair erupted like silkworms breaking from their cocoons, emitting a dense, rustling sound that made their scalps crawl.

In an instant, their footing vanished, replaced by a roiling sea of writhing hair.

Only then did they realize the truth. From the moment they had entered this area, something had been wrong. What ground? The surface they had been walking on was never soil at all, but a part of the malevolent ghost’s own body!

No wonder it had appeared inside the formation so suddenly. A formation could only keep things out, but how could it stop something that was already inside?

Two figures moved in perfect unison, stepping to either side of Li Shangyuan to protect him.

It was a familiar feeling of helplessness, a recurring sense of powerlessness they had faced time and time again.

Li Shangyuan sighed silently, just as his Master had done time and again.

Dian Chao, spread too thin to protect Li Shangyuan himself, untied the Golden Bell from his waist and hurled it forward. The bell instantly turned transparent and expanded, enclosing Li Shangyuan in a steady, protective dome.

Chen Miao, wielding his flute to skillfully slice through the encroaching strands of hair, frowned briefly at Dian Chao’s action before quickly returning to the fight.

The malevolent ghost had lost her patience. Her temptations had failed, and now they were colluding to mock her. Very well, she decided, she would simply devour them all.

As Dian Chao watched the severed hair strands relentlessly reform, a surge of competitiveness flared within him. Hmph, I refuse to believe it’s indestructible!

He raised his right hand, and the Chaomu Sword flew into the air, shattering into thousands of silver threads that wove themselves into a massive net. It swept down, ensnaring the hair and shredding it to pieces.

But before Dian Chao could even catch his breath, the strands had already recombined and regenerated.

Damn it, it won’t stay cut!

Li Shangyuan’s heart trembled at the sight. If this continued, they would be worn down to death.

No, we have to find another way.

Chen Miao, his Jade Flute now transformed into the Green Sword, fought back the hair as he retreated to Li Shangyuan’s side.

“The Heavenly Dao is constant, yet all things have flaws,” Chen Miao suddenly declared. “Since this malevolent ghost dwells in this world, she must have a weakness. We need to find it first.”

Li Shangyuan knew he was right, but the problem was that the ghost never showed herself, attacking only with her hair. How could they possibly find her weakness?

As Chen Miao spoke, the malevolent ghost seized the opportunity, coiling her hair into a hollow ring and swooping down to trap him.

“Chen Miao, watch above!” Li Shangyuan shouted urgently.

But Chen Miao seemed to have anticipated the move. Without even looking up, he gave his wrist a subtle flick. The Green Sword’s blade, once crisp and rigid, suddenly softened and flowed like a living stream of green silk.

The Green Silk surged outward, instantly enveloping the descending ring of hair and binding it tight in multiple coils.

Then, with a nearly imperceptible movement of his finger, Chen Miao struck.

Clang!

The Green Silk solidified back into a sword, its tip now skewering the struggling ball of hair. The sword shot past Li Shangyuan’s right side and slammed into the trunk of the unnaturally lush giant tree in the center of the clearing.

“Nooo!” the malevolent ghost shrieked, her voice a piercing blend of terror and fury.

In an instant, the dancing strands of hair froze mid-air. The next second, they abandoned their assault on Dian Chao and Chen Miao, surging madly toward the giant tree. They twisted into a massive pillar of hair, thick as a black dragon, and shot forward with astonishing speed to intercept the Green Sword. The hair coiled tighter and tighter around the blade, trying to choke its movement and drag it back. Simultaneously, another pillar of hair slammed into the ground, using the leverage to yank the Qingjian Sword away just as it was about to pierce the tree trunk.

The hair wrapped the sword completely, constricting with crushing force. The Green Sword emitted a faint, sharp hum, the prelude to its true power.

Hidden behind his back, Chen Miao’s fingers merely flicked within his sleeve. The sword instantly fell silent, allowing the hair to bind it.

Seeing the hair tighten further, both Dian Chao and Li Shangyuan looked at Chen Miao with concern. If a cultivator’s natal magical treasure was damaged or broken, they would suffer a devastating blow to their vital energy.

Sensing their worried gazes, Chen Miao turned his head slightly and shook it. “It’s alright,” he said softly. “She can’t easily harm my sword.”

Li Shangyuan felt a wave of relief.

Seeing that it couldn’t destroy Chen Miao’s treasure, the malevolent ghost’s fury intensified. Though it no longer tried to break the sword, it refused to let go, keeping the blade tightly bound.

Consumed by rage, the ghost split the remaining hair into hundreds of razor-sharp strands. They stretched taut as bowstrings, their ghostly energy surging.

With frenzied desperation, the hair lashed out at the three cultivators.

Without his natal magical treasure, Chen Miao struggled to hold his own. Dian Chao, already fighting off the hair strands surrounding him, had to constantly divert his attention to block attacks for Chen Miao.

Inside the Golden Bell Light Shield, Li Shangyuan was temporarily safe. He focused his gaze and suddenly noticed that the carpet of hair strands beneath their feet had silently retreated, urgently merging back into the main hair pillar.

When did that happen?

It was… the moment Chen Miao’s sword struck the tree!

A sharp glint flashed in Li Shangyuan’s eyes. He immediately sent a mental transmission to Chen Miao and Dian Chao: “There must be something inside the tree. She recalled all the hair just to block Chen Miao’s sword. Whatever is in there must be her weakness!”

Chen Miao, who was fighting the hair strands with an ordinary magical sword with his back to Li Shangyuan, felt his wrist twitch almost imperceptibly upon hearing the message.

Close call. I almost went too hard and destroyed the ghost.

A faint, fleeting smile touched the corners of Chen Miao’s lips.

Not bad. He’s not as slow as I thought.

“But right now, Chu Cheng and I are completely tied up,” Chen Miao said, his voice laced with just the right amount of helplessness.

Dian Chao, who was parrying attacks from the left, right, above, and below while simultaneously protecting the treasureless Chen Miao, was already at his breaking point. His mental reply crackled with irritation: “Stop talking! This damn thing is like sticky taffy! Just figure something out!”

“Damn it, I have the Golden Bell’s protection. You two, keep that malevolent ghost busy for a moment,” Li Shangyuan declared, his voice low and resolute.

He immediately braced his hands against the Golden Bell and began inching toward the massive tree.

Seeing this, the malevolent ghost let out a piercing shriek. It instantly tore away most of its hair, abandoning its attack on Chen Miao and Dian Chao just to stop him.

Clang—

A crisp, clear ring echoed as the Chaomu Sword sliced through the hair, cutting it short.

“Your fight is with us, Hair Ghost!”

The ghost ignored them, lashing out again, only to be blocked by Chen Miao on the right. Its attacks grew increasingly frantic and disjointed.

Li Shangyuan drew closer and closer to the giant tree.

Five steps, four steps, three…

“No—”

A sharp, ear-splitting scream ripped through the air. All the hair retracted wildly, attempting to completely engulf Li Shangyuan before he could touch the trunk.

Just two steps from the tree, Li Shangyuan stopped abruptly. He whipped out a talisman, his hands forming a rapid seal. A Fireball Technique enveloped the talisman as it soared toward the trunk.

The trunk exploded violently, revealing what lay hidden at its core.

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