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Chapter 879: A Chance for You to Fight
Translator: Sparrow Translations Editor: Sparrow Translations
Everyone who was watching this battle opened their eyes wide. A vibration of supernatural awareness even came from Mount Baiyun of the Great Void Sect, as they were watching this battle intently.
The Lightning Swordmaster, Great Barren Swordmaster, Supreme Radiance Swordmaster and the rest were even more gripped by the intense battle that was going on.
Their emotions were flowing, but these emotions very complex.
As they saw Lin Feng wielding his sword, the dim sword radiance that he produced seemed to put an end to the world.
The Heavens and Earth sounded with a muffled singing voice. It was extremely pathetic as if it was singing the song that signaled the end of the world.
The destructive bow clashed with the Tiangang Sword Star River, but they made no sound.
And right now, silence filled void space. Even the sounds of the battles between Mount Yujing and the Immortal Heaven Universal Sword Formation, Xin Longsheng the Saintly Celestial Sword against the Two Elements of Creation Formation could not be heard.
In the dead silence, the bow tore the Tiangang Sword Star River apart!
Countless Tiangang Sword Stars were destroyed and broke down to form sword formations. After this, the sword formations were crushed and converted into streaks of sword radiance. These sword radiances continued to degrade into sword auras that converted into thinner streaks of sword auras.
Eventually, these sword auras were dissipated and converted to nothing. They ceased to exist anymore.
The immense Tiangang Sword Star River was like a long sword that had been slashed in the middle by another sharper sword.
As the sword was slashed, the top half of it lost its direction and disappeared from the Greater World. But as it crashed in the universe, it caused many luminaries to be destroyed along with it.
The gaze of the Tiangang Swordmaster turned dimmer. In an instant, he seemed to be much older. His huge figure seemed to have become frailer too.
The Saintly Celestial Starry Dao Fruit was also destroyed by Lin Feng. Very soon, the gaze of the Tiangang Swordmaster brightened again. The other half of the sword that remained was summoned in front of the Tiangang Swordmaster to protect him but was destroyed by the destructive bow of Lin Feng.
In the Heavens and Earth, white flowing light spurted out, as if fresh blood from a wound had spilled out. That was the damaged essence of the Tiangang Swordmaster's cultivation.
He held the Tiangang Ancient Sword and retreated. There was a wound on his right hand too. If he did not retract in defense in time, the Tiangang Swordmaster's right arm would have been slashed off by Lin Feng.
The top sword cultivator of Mount Shu and the Grand Celestial World had been defeated!
The Lightning Swordmaster sighed. While he was exhilarated, he felt lost too.
Since the War of the Two Worlds 4600 years ago, when the leader of the Mount Shu Sword Sect was killed, the Tiangang Swordmaster became the top sword cultivator in the Grand Celestial World and Divine Lands.
This elder had achieved fame very long ago. Besides the War of the Two Worlds, he was already very active in the Divine Lands even before most of the Immortal Soul Stage Elders present at Mount Shu now had been born. When the Lightning Swordmaster and the others reached the Immortal Soul Stage, the Tiangang Swordmaster had already challenged the Power-Destroying Catastrophe in Mount Shu. Most of the time, he did not reveal himself.
To the Lightning Swordmaster and the rest, as well as their elders, the Tiangang Swordmaster was a living legend.
In the long life of the Tiangang Swordmaster, he had participated in three War of the Two Worlds and the Righteous-Satanic Grand War during the Middle Ages. He had also gone through countless battles with other great powers in the Divine Lands and killed many powerful cultivators personally. Two of them were in the Cardinal Tribulations Stage, seven were in the Immortal Soul Third Level/Undying Demon Soul Third Level and more than ten of them were in the Immortal Soul Second Level/Undying Demon Soul Second Level.
But this man had been defeated by Lin Feng now.
Void space shook in the distance and revealed a few human figures. Two of them led the rest. They were the Heavenly Master Swordmaster and the Celestial Sword Elder from the Heavenly Master Swordmaster. They were also stunned as this saw this scene. They were so agitated that they were unable to conceal their forms anymore.
Although they were supported by the Great Void Sect to impede the Mount Shu Sword Sect, they did not deny the superior position of the Mount Shu Sword Sect among all the sword sects.
Right now, as they saw the most powerful sword cultivator being defeated by Lin Feng, even the Heavenly Master Swordmaster, Celestial Sword Elder and the rest could not contain their emotions.
All the sword cultivators were now extremely confused. Whereas those from the Mount Shu Sword Sect felt as if the Heavens and Earth had collapsed.
The Grand Moon Swordmaster, Shaoze Swordmaster, and the Guanchong Swordmaster turned gloomy. The Shaoyang Swordmaster also creased his brows. They looked at Lin Feng and the Tiangang Swordmaster in void space and remained silent for some time.
Lin Feng's left hand was placed behind his back, while his right hand wielded the Heaven-Destroying Sword. He twisted his head to look at the Two Elements of Creation Formation and said, "Xin Longsheng, you have not recovered your injuries. You can't persist long in a battle."
"If you continue to fight against the Two Elements of Creation Formation and me, you will be unable to command the Saintly Celestial Sword anymore even if you can escape."
Lin Feng's left hand extended out and he conjured a spell. The Two Elements of Creation Formation retreated and released Xin Longsheng and the Saintly Celestial Sword.
Xin Longsheng's gaze flashed and he stared at Lin Feng. As Lin Feng gestured, the Two Elements of Creation Formation was unleashed again. It converted into a barrier between Mount Shu and Mount Yujing. It replaced Mount Yujing to battle against the Immortal Heaven Universal Sword Formation.
As the two powerful formations clashed with each other, another intense battle was underway.
The Two Elements of Creation Formation brought about the immense pressure to the Cang Ming Swordmaster and the Immortal Heaven Universal Sword Formation.
Whereas Mount Yujing unleashed the Heaven Extreme Universal Light that engulfed the Tiangang Swordmaster, preventing him from moving forward.
Lin Feng looked at Xin Longsheng calmly, "I know that you want to challenge me again just like the time in Xiling City. Right now, I shall give you this chance."
"Without the Great Void Holy Pavilion or the Power-Destroying Catastrophe this time, the two of us shall battle again."
Xin Longsheng's gaze exploded with a shocking radiance and he replied, "Our swords shall battle!"
Lin Feng nodded his head, "Up to you."
Xin Longsheng howled and he placed his sword parallel to his chest. After that, he used his left index finger to run across the surface of the blade of the sword.
The surface of the sword shone with a radiance. It was bright but not intense, slight but not weak, and it also achieved a resonance with the principles of the Great Dao.
The sword gathered the boundless spiritual energy of the Heavens and Earth, converting them to its sword aura. The entire Heavens and Earth seemed to become the sword itself, as it targeted Lin Feng.
As Xin Longsheng wielded the sword, he pointed at Lin Feng. The formless sword mind converted into a radiance that attacked Lin Feng.
In all directions, the sword radiance of the Saintly Celestial Sword was present.
After Xin Longsheng underwent the Cardinal Tribulations, he comprehended this art of swordplay from the Saintly Celestial Sword Qi, the Greater Sword World!
Just like the Tiangang Sword Star River and the Tiangang Sword Star, it was cultivated from the Saintly Celestial Sword Qi after Xin Longsheng reached the Cardinal Tribulations Stage.
The sword of the Tiangang Swordmaster summoned the river of stars, whereas that of Xin Longsheng converted the Heavens and Earth into it. The entire Heavens and Earth became a Sword World on its own, causing anyone who entered it to be killed mercilessly.
This art of swordplay was very compatible with the Saintly Celestial Sword. Once the sword stance was exhibited, Lin Feng would be placed under tremendous pressure. He would feel as if he was meeting an invincible opponent.
It was as if his existence was not tolerated and that he was superfluous in this world. Only with his disappearance would the way of the Heavens and Earth be achieved.
The swords of the Heavenly Master Swordmaster, Celestial Sword Elder, Lightning Swordmaster and the rest had already been drawn. It's as if they were being summoned to attack Lin Feng.
In the entire Divine Lands, all the swords were shaking and flew towards the Saintly Celestial Sword.
Lin Feng looked at Xin Longsheng calmly. The black and white holy light around him became dimmer, till they were almost unable to be seen.
He tapped on the blade of the Heaven-Destroying Sword lightly and the vicious blood light became dimmer. The blood light that covered the Heavens and Earth earlier seemed to have disappeared too.
The blade of the Heaven-Destroying Sword experienced its own change. The clear sword blade now turned blood-red.
It did not reflect any sword radiance but was entirely red on its own.
A streak of ray moved along the Heaven-Destroying Sword. This was a ray that was black and white in color, but both colors were clearly separated. The ray took the shape of a little dot or a bead of water. This ray moved along the blade of the Heaven-Destroying Sword.
As he looked at Lin Feng and the Heaven-Destroying Sword, Xin Longsheng's expression turned serious. The Saintly Celestial Sword in his hand also roared.
Right now, the Heavenly Master Swordmaster, Lightning Swordmaster, Supreme Radiance Swordmaster, Celestial Sword Elder, Great Barren Swordmaster and the rest were more relaxed, having been under pressure from the Saintly Celestial Sword previously.
They watched as the Saintly Celestial Sword and Heaven-Destroying Sword engaged in an intense fight!
Lin Feng's actions were sleek and carefree as if he was not bothered at all by this fight. He swung the Heaven-Destroying Sword as he fought, which made it seemed like he was dancing.
But wherever this sword went, the spiritual energy of the Heavens and Earth that converted into the sword radiance of the Saintly Celestial Sword would be degraded!
The tip of Lin Feng's sword pointed to Xin Longsheng and the Saintly Celestial Sword. As he stepped in void space, he walked forward slowly. The Greater Sword World started to collapse, as if it was walking towards its end, converting to nothingness.
The black and white ray started to turn more and more eye-blinding. As the Heaven-Destroying Sword flashed, the hostile gases in the Heavens and Earth started to become more and more rampant. Life was killed and void space was rushed.
Xin Longsheng roared and held the Saintly Celestial Sword while moving forward too. He also pointed his sword towards Lin Feng's Heaven-Destroying Sword.
In the Heavens and Earth, countless void projections seemed to have been produced. In these projections, Lin Feng and Xin Longsheng held the Heaven-Destroying and Saintly Celestial Sword respectively. The blade of the swords collided repeatedly.
All sorts of spiritual changes and interactions of sword stances left one blur as they watched them.
But eventually, the void projections disappeared. Lin Feng and Xin Longsheng walked towards each other. Both the tips of the swords pointed at each other with only an extremely close gap between them.
This was beyond a challenge between the art of swordplay or mantras. This was a battle that had to be practically fought to determine the victor!
As both parties contacted each other, both spiritual energy and hostile gases were destroyed. Boundless radiances from both swords clashed before dissipating outwards.
In front of all the observers, only bright sword radiances flashed. All images and sounds were destroyed. The bunch of Immortal Soul Stage cultivators felt as if their Immortal Souls were about to be penetrated.
Shi Yu, Liang Pan, and Zhu Hongwu also felt a piercing pain in their minds, just like how an ordinary person felt when he looked at the Sun directly.
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Chapter 880: Whoever You Choose, I Will Defeat Him
Translator: Sparrow Translations Editor: Sparrow Translations
Many of the swords in the Divine Lands were summoned to battle and their blades were starting to crack.
Regardless whether they were here or far away, many of the swords that were of lower quality were cracking severely.
Everyone focused their attention on the battle that was going. But as they watched, they were stunned.
The Heavenly Master Swordmaster, Celestial Sword Elder, Lightning Swordmaster and the Supreme Radiance Swordmaster were a little lost.
In the Heavens and Earth, Lin Feng and Xin Longsheng continued to face each other. Void space separated them, as if their positions had not changed from before and that they had not attacked each other. They were still in the position that they were in before they clashed.
The blade of the Heaven-Destroying Sword in Lin Feng's hands had already regained its original, clear light look. But the blade of it was surrounded by blood-red radiance.
The black and white holy light around him surged, causing countless runes and talismans to surface. These runes and talismans then converted into a glow.
Whereas Xin Longsheng was holding the Saintly Celestial Sword, as he stood quietly in void space. The spiritual energy in the Heavens and Earth gathered towards it, converting into a huge and formless sword that pointed towards Lin Feng.
However, even an ordinary person could spot that the flawless blade of the Saintly Celestial Sword had surfaced with a blood-red crack!
The result of the previous clash was that the Saintly Celestial Sword of Xin Longsheng was damaged by Lin Feng's Heaven-Destroying Sword!
The top sword in the Grand Celestial World, the Saintly Celestial Sword, had been damaged!
After the Saintly Celestial Sword reached the destiny realm, it had been hurt before. When it faced a powerful opponent previously, it was damaged in the process.
But against other swords, it had never lost before. It was invincible.
But today, the Saintly Celestial Sword had lost!
It was hurt by another art of swordplay!
The Heavenly Master Swordmaster and the other sword cultivators stared at the Heaven-Destroying Sword in a daze. They could not regain their awareness for some time.
In their hearts, the divine positions of the Saintly Celestial Sword Qi and Saintly Celestial Sword were slowly falling.
After the top sword cultivator, the Tiangang Swordmaster, had been defeated by Lin Feng, the Heaven-Destroying Sword, which was the top sword in the Divine Lands, had also lost to the Heaven-Destroying Sword!
Xin Longsheng's gaze turned dark and he looked to be fatigued. It's not that he was depressed, but that he had not recovered from his injuries from going through the Cardinal Tribulations. That's why after that clash of swords, his powers reached a new low.
He stared at Lin Feng and said, "I am the one who lost, not the Saintly Celestial Sword Qi or the Saintly Celestial Sword!"
Xin Longsheng had unleashed his fullest powers previously. Even in the face of Lin Feng and the Heaven-Destroying Sword, he managed to give it his all. But after that, his powers were depleted and he could no longer summon the powers of that of the Saintly Celestial Sword to its limits anymore.
"I am beneath you, not that the Saintly Celestial Sword is beneath your Heaven-Destroying Sword!"
Xin Longsheng took in a deep breath and lifted his sword. He flew towards Mount Yujing, which had been resisting the Tiangang Swordmaster.
Lin Feng watched this scene calmly and summoned Mount Yujing to pave a way for him. This allowed Xin Longsheng to deliver the Saintly Celestial Sword to the Tiangang Swordmaster.
Mount Yujing shifted and landed above Lin Feng, appearing subtly in void space.
The Tiangang Swordmaster held the Tiangang Ancient Sword with his left hand, whereas his right hand surfaced with some white light. He had already cultivated his flesh into his Immortal Soul. For normal injuries, one's Immortal Soul could heal it easily.
But now, he was unable to recover from his injuries, as Lin Feng's attack had rocked his foundation. He needed time to recover, but the situation that he was in did not confer him that privilege.
But the Tiangang Swordmaster still used his injured right hand to receive the Saintly Celestial Sword over, while handing the Tiangang Ancient Sword to Xin Longsheng.
The spiritual energy in the Heavens and Earth gathered towards him suddenly. A shocking scene appeared, as the right hand of the Tiangang Swordmaster started to heal.
Whereas the blood-red cracks on the Saintly Celestial Sword started to disappear at a rapid rate that was clear to the naked eye.
As the Saintly Celestial Sword was in the hands of the Tiangang Swordmaster, both parties achieved a resonance quickly.
The Tiangang Swordmaster managed to summon the Saintly Celestial Sword with a different might as compared to Xin Longsheng. The entire Greater World seemed to have been converted into an ocean of stars. Each of the stars was formed from a noble sword mind.
Lin Feng tapped on the blade of the Heaven-Destroying Sword lightly. After the clash with the Saintly Celestial Sword, the blade of the sword shone with a cold radiance now. There was only a very small area of rust left.
That merciless and frightening sword mind was never so immense before. It had surpassed the sword minds of all other magic treasures in the Mahayana realm and even some of the magic treasures in the destiny realm. It had surpassed the incomplete Immortal Dragon City at Xiling City, Life and Death Book and the Higan Golden Bridge!
It could even be said that in terms of offensive strength, this frightening Heaven-Destroying Sword was no longer inferior to the Saintly Celestial Sword. Except for the fact that it was unable to handle the Power-Destroying Catastrophe, the powers of the Heaven-Destroying Sword was no different from a magic treasure in the destiny realm.
In terms of offensive strength and destructive powers, it was even superior to some magic treasures in the destiny realm.
Lin Feng looked at the Tiangang Swordmaster in front of him and laughed, "Mount Shu has the Saintly Celestial Sword, while I have the Heaven-Destroying Sword. No matter who it is, I will battle him."
As he guided his sword, his figure stood tall in the Heavens and Earth and he was ready to challenge the Tiangang Swordmaster.
The Tiangang Swordmaster summoned the Saintly Celestial Sword and exhibited the Tiangang Sword Star River once again. The sword converted into boundless sword radiances that combined with the stars. As they gathered together, they attacked Lin Feng ferociously.
All the spiritual energy in the Greater World started to gather towards the sword radiance, causing the Sword Star River formed from the Tiangang Swordmaster to become extremely immense.
The Heavenly Master Swordmaster, Lightning Swordmaster, Supreme Radiance Swordmaster and other sword cultivators all acted pathetically at this moment. They quickly retreated and returned to their own mountains.
But no one mocked them. That's because if they did not leave, they might be sucked in by the sword mind of the Saintly Celestial Sword. They would then be thrown into the Tiangang Sword Star River to attack Lin Feng!
Even if they could control themselves, their own swords would also be drawn away into the Sword Star River!
Right now, all the ordinary swords in the Divine Lands had already been drawn and sucked towards the direction of Mount Shu. They were about to gather towards the Tiangang Swordmaster and the Saintly Celestial Sword.
Even some Nascent Soul Stage swords started to fly over.
Countless swords in the Greater World were thrown into the Sword Star River, causing the river to shine extremely brightly.
For those who had experienced the War of the Two Worlds 4600 years ago, they were shocked. Such a scene had not been seen ever since that war.
And that time, it was caused by the Saintly Celestial Sword under the command of the then leader of the Mount Shu Sword Sect.
Right now, the same scene was happening again. Countless swords flew, which was a sight to behold.
Lin Feng roared, "While countless swords in the world come from Mount Shu, my sword lies beyond this world." He shook the sword in his hand and all the sword radiance from the sword was retracted. The blade of the sword turned blood-red and the black and white holy light converted into a slight ray that moved along the blade of the sword.
And right now, as the Heaven-Destroying Sword was pointed, the blade of the sword turned from blood-red into a blurry radiance. It was extremely miraculous and could not be described with words.
But wherever the radiance of the Heaven-Destroying Sword went, the corresponding region of the Greater World would be converted to nothingness. In the Heavens and Earth, a slight radiance flashed. After this radiance came into contact with the radiance of the Heaven-Destroying Sword, it became dimmer and eventually, it was extinguished.
Lin Feng waved the sword in his hand and cut the Tiangang Sword Star River apart!
The Heaven-Destroying Sword and Saintly Celestial Sword engaged in an intense battle right now and the victor could not be determined.
What left everyone from Mount Shu terrified was that Lin Feng seemed to be gaining the upper hand.
Even the Tiangang Swordmaster was worried now.
Shi Yu, Liang Pan, and Zhu Hongwu turned extremely serious at this point.
"Lin Feng's powers are indeed exceptional now. The Celestial Sect of Wonders has superseded the Great Void Sect now." Liang Pan shook his head, but his tone of voice remained indifferent.
Zhu Hongwu stared at Mount Yujing, "He has an advantage over the Tiangang Swordmaster. But if he wants to attain victory, he needs Mount Yujing. However, while he can defeat the Tiangang Swordmaster and the Saintly Celestial Sword, he may not be able to kill them."
"His natal magic treasure, which is that bell of his, as well as the Higan Golden Bridge of my unfilial son, may just give him the spark he needs to kill the Tiangang Swordmaster and the Saintly Celestial Sword."
Liang Pan said, "Mount Shu will not concede defeat so easily. He can't suppress Mount Shu with the Two Elements of Creation Formation alone."
As he said, Mount Shu started to jerk violently. The brutal strength caused the Immortal Heaven Universal Sword Formation to become unstable. But the Two Elements of Creation Formation was struck too.
"Oh?" Lin Feng lowered his head and saw that below the main peak of Mount Shu, where the six mountain peaks were, the six mountain peaks had started to rise from the ground and floated in space.
The light beams from these six mountain peaks started to become very cultivated. Under the guidance of these light beams, the six mountain peaks infused into the formation that covered the main peak of Mount Shu above.
During the process of infusion, the mountain rocks of the Shaoshang Sword Peak started to fall off like rain. Whereas the other five mountain peaks did not experience such a situation.
As the mountain rocks fell off, the center of the mountain started to flash with a bright radiance.
The radiance came from a sword radiance that had been concealed for too long, but it was now able to see the light again.
This was the sword radiance that belonged to the Shaoshang Swordmaster originally. Firstly, this sword radiance was infused with the Immortal Heaven Universal Sword Formation. After that, the formation seemed to be boosted suddenly and its powers caused the Two Elements of Creation Formation to be forced backward.
That bright sword radiance exploded continuously as if there was no end to it.
As Lin Feng saw this, his expression did not change. He sensed the Two Elements of Creation Formation before nodding his head in satisfaction.
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Chapter 881: Facing the Power-Destroying Catastrophe Again!
Translator: Sparrow Translations Editor: Sparrow Translations
Through countless years of cultivation, the six mountain peaks of Mount Shu that represented the Mount Shu Six Passages of Sword had become true Sword Peaks, as the sword minds of countless sword cultivators had infused within the mountain peaks.
Regardless of their cultivations, the sword cultivators of the Mount Shu Sword Sect nourished the sword peaks that they were on as they converted the spiritual energy of the Heavens and Earth into their own sword minds.
Today, the six Sword Peaks rose from the ground together. The accumulated sword mind of the Shaoshang Sword Peak was the first to be released, as it was the first to be crushed. They surged into the Immortal Heaven Universal Sword Formation.
As the Shaoshang Sword Peak was crushed and the sword mind of it infused with the formation, it would no longer cease to exist after this battle. If there were any more powerful cultivators from the Mount Shu Sword Sect who survived this crisis, they had to shift the mountain somewhere else and rebuild the Shaoshang Sword Peak. The fire of the Mount Shu Sword Sect would never stop burning as long as the sword mind of it was accumulated again.
And following the progression of the battle, the rest of the five sword peaks were already prepared. They were ready to release the sword minds and auras that they had cultivated to the Immortal Heaven Universal Sword Formation.
The Sword World converted from the Immortal Heaven Universal Sword Formation started to become clearer and realer than ever.
Even the Two Elements of Creation Formation was forced back continuously as the powers of the formation grew. Very soon, it would be unable to resist the Immortal Heaven Universal Sword Formation.
"Zhu Yi, lend me your Higan Golden Bridge for a while." Lin Feng was relaxed as he asked.
On Mount Yujing, a golden bridge landed, as if it was a bow that stretched across the entire sky. It landed within the Two Elements of Creation Formation.
Lin Feng laughed, "Even though I'm not fully compatible with it, it'll still be useful."
As the Higan Golden Bridge entered the formation, the powers of the Two Elements of Creation Formation also increased. This allowed the formation to suppress the Immortal Heaven Universal Sword Formation.
The radiance supplied by the Shaoshang Sword Peak was slowly degraded, until it no longer existed.
The Cang Ming Swordmaster, who controlled the Immortal Heaven Universal Sword Formation, remained expressionless. As he guided his sword spell, the Shaoze Sword Peak that had infused into the formation started to break down, converting into a huge amount of rocks that crashed towards the ground.
It was as if an invincible sword had been drawn out and its radiance that was injected into the Immortal Heaven Universal Sword Formation resisted the suppression of the Two Elements of Creation Formation.
And on the other side, the Tiangang Swordmaster held the Saintly Celestial Sword and looked at Lin Feng silently. He did not talk, but attacked forward.
Lin Feng kept his left hand behind his back, while grabbing hold onto the Heaven-Destroying Sword with his right hand. As they clashed head on, they fought into void space. They seemed like two Gods of the universe that were fighting furiously, causing devastating changes in the universe.
Liang Pan and Zhu Hongwu felt a sense of pity as they looked at Mount Yujing in void space, shaking their heads.
Lin Feng's Mount Yujing was suppressed there. For those who wanted to take advantage of this, they had to proceed with caution and not act recklessly.
"But in this way, he is destined not to be able to kill the Tiangang Swordmaster or the Saintly Celestial Sword. Even if he unleashes his natal magic treasure, he will only be able to win the Tiangang Swordmaster and the Saintly Celestial Sword. If he wanted to kill them, the Tiangang Swordmaster must be unwilling to leave until someone dies."
Zhu Hongwu said in a deep voice, "Even if the Tiangang Swordmaster is killed by him, he will have to pay a huge price."
Liang Pan nodded his head, "Not only is his Mount Yujing cautious of us, it is also wary of those from the Great Void Sect."
"But in this battle, he can only make Mount Shu lose their face. He will not be able to achieve a straightforward victory, unless he has other ploys in mind."
Liang Pan creased his brows, "It's still the same question – why did he bring the battle to Mount Shu?"
Zhu Hongwu's gaze focused, "Saintly Celestial Sword! His target is the Saintly Celestial Sword!"
"When they fought in void space, the Immortal Heaven Universal Sword Formation was not there to drain Lin Feng's powers. Thus, the Tiangang Swordmaster and Saintly Celestial Sword will be in a more precarious position than they are now. But even so, they will still be able to escape. If the Tiangang Swordmaster was willing to sacrifice himself, he could ensure the escape of the Saintly Celestial Sword. But if they came to Mount Shu, the Saintly Celestial Sword will have nowhere to run!"
"But, what is he really going to do? From what it seems now, even if the Saintly Celestial Sword loses, it will still be able to escape."
Both Liang Pan and Zhu Hongwu were perplexed and could not solve this conundrum of theirs. At the same, the Tiangang Swordmaster was also confused over the same question. But to him, it was more pressing to focus on resisting Lin Feng's incessant attacks.
The Mount Shu had already been on the losing end a couple of times. This time, there was no room for failure anymore.
A decisive look flashed across the face of the Tiangang Swordmaster. He wielded the Saintly Celestial Sword with his right hand and fought Lin Feng, while his left index finger straightened like a sword and pointed towards Lin Feng!
A streak of dim, black gas converted into a straight, black line, before shooting towards Lin Feng!
Five Decays of Heaven and Man, Power-Destroying Catastrophe!
Wherever the black gas went, the Heavens and Earth would collapse and welcome the arrival of the apocalypse. This outcome was irreversible.
As Lin Feng saw this, he laughed slightly and streaks of rainbow lights flashed across his virtual entity. They revolved around his body.
The black gas converted from the Power-Destroying Catastrophe penetrated Lin Feng's body, but did not cause him any harm. It seemed as if Lin Feng was only a projection. This attack of the Tiangang Swordmaster struck nothing.
Everyone who watched this battle was stunned as they saw this scene.
If one was targeted by the Power-Destroying Catastrophe before it was unleashed, there was still a possibility to escape.
But once it was unleashed, it could not be avoided just by simply disappearing into void space. This Power-Destroying Catastrophe catalyzed the Five Decays of Heaven and Man in the enemy, causing an extremely destructive force.
At the same time, the person unleashing it would have to undergo the Power-Destroying Catastrophe at.
But the result now was that the Tiangang Swordmaster had undergone the Power-Destroying Catastrophe without inflicting it on Lin Feng.
The Tiangang Swordmaster stared at Lin Feng and saw the figure of Lin Feng subtly appearing in void space. He could clearly spot Lin Feng, but he could not sense him. It was as if Lin Feng's projection did not exist.
During the Scramble for the Ying Sea two years ago, Lin Feng summoned Mount Yujing to avoid the Power-Destroying Catastrophe of the Golden Cicada Master, which was already very shocking to everyone.
Today, the Tiangang Swordmaster saw that Lin Feng was not on Mount Yujing, thus he decided to try this move. But who knew that Lin Feng could actually avoid the Power-Destroying Catastrophe by himself.
Lin Feng remained calm and the streaks of rainbow radiances around him disappeared before re-appearing in void space.
This was the Celestial Sect Teleportation Technique, which was understood by Lin Feng after he figured out the powers of the Black Heavenly Treasure Tree. It contained the miraculous powers of time and space, while infusing the way of the Heavens and Earth. Pure time and space changes wouldn't be sufficient to avoid the Power-Destroying Catastrophe.
When he was in the Immortal Soul First Level, he could only employ this technique only with the help of the Black Heavenly Treasure Tree. But now that he had formed the virtual entity, he could use this Celestial Sect Teleportation Technique on his own. However, the only downside was that the Power-Destroying Catastrophe was very damaging, thus Lin Feng could only use it for a limited number of times in a set period of time.
But the Tiangang Swordmaster would not attack with the Power-Destroying Catastrophe anymore. Lin Feng unleashed the Celestial Sect Teleportation Technique to avoid his attack, but he resisted the Power-Destroying Catastrophe with his own might. Even if he could withstand the attack of the Power-Destroying Catastrophe, it would still have a negative impact on his powers.
Even for a cultivator in the Vipralopa Realm, he wouldn't resist with the Power-Destroying Catastrophe to test whether he or the opponent was more capable of handling it. Although he could recover from it eventually, it would still impact on his battling abilities.
As he battled furiously, there was no time for his powers to be restored.
"This is only the fourth abhijna in the Grand Celestial World that is able to avoid the Power-Destroying Catastrophe." The Tiangang Swordmaster turned dismal. "The only manual that has been passed down is only the Cheng Heaven Great Void Celestial Light, the last spell of the Great Void Nine Heavenly Spell.
The Tiangang Swordmaster believed that the abhijna of Lin Feng should be similar to the Cheng Heaven Great Void Celestial Light, meaning that it could not be unleashed continuously. But before he could confirm that or how many times Lin Feng could endure the Power-Destroying Catastrophe, he would not continue attacking with the Power-Destroying Catastrophe.
As they saw Lin Feng avoiding the Power-Destroying Catastrophe of the Tiangang Swordmaster, everyone was stunned for a moment. Following that, they became silent and looked at the Tiangang Swordmaster who was obviously hurt from undergoing the Power-Destroying Catastrophe.
In void space, the Tiangang Swordmaster did not speak or let out any noise. But his supernatural awareness jerked in the Heavens and Earth, as if the luminaries had exploded.
He combined with the Saintly Celestial Sword, converting into a streak of flowing light that landed towards Mount Shu.
Lin Feng lowered his head to look at the last area of rust on the Heaven-Destroying Sword. In his mind, the rewards attained from the previous three clashes with the Saintly Celestial Sword and Saintly Celestial Sword Qi flashed across. He nodded his head, "I am 80% confident, which should be enough."
At this point, besides the Shaoshang Sword Peak and the Shaoze Sword Peak, the Cang Ming Swordmaster crushed the Grand Moon Sword Peak and Guanchong Sword Peak. The formation stance of the Immortal Heaven Universal Sword Formation became more ferocious and the formation continued to resist the Two Elements of Creation Formation.
As the sword of the Tiangang Swordmaster landed, the Two Elements of Creation Formation created a path for it under Lin Feng's command. This allowed the Tiangang Swordmaster and Saintly Celestial Sword to return to Mount Shu.
At the first instant, the Cang Ming Swordmaster passed control of the Immortal Heaven Universal Sword Formation to the Tiangang Swordmaster.
The Saintly Celestial Sword was guided once again, causing the momentum of the Immortal Heaven Universal Sword Formation to change. Sword radiances shot into the sky and the Sword World expanded, as if it controlled the entire Heavens and Earth.
The Greater World and the Divine Lands were about to be converted into Sword Worlds at this point.
Under the control of the Saintly Celestial Sword, the Immortal Heaven Universal Sword was able to summon its powers to the extreme!
Initially, the Sword Peaks crushed one by one. But now, the remaining Lixiong and Shaoyang Sword Peaks crushed together and two streaks of bright rays were shot into the Immortal Heaven Universal Sword Formation.
The powers of the sword formation were boosted. Under the supplement of the powers of the sword formation, the powers of the Saintly Celestial Sword ballooned too.
The Tiangang Swordmaster swung the Saintly Celestial Sword and the entire Heavens and Earth converted into formless sword radiances, that stabbed towards Lin Feng.
Ever since they started fighting, an unprecedented brutal force was finally unleashed.
This was the brutal force that destroyed the Blood River Daoist and the Immemorial Taotie!
It didn't even appear during the War of the Two Worlds 4600 years ago. The last time it appeared was more than 10 thousand years ago.
But now, it reappeared in the world!
As Lin Feng saw this scene, he nodded his head slightly, "It is indeed brilliant."
"However, you will be unable to escape this time!"
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Chapter 882: Everything is Predestined
Translator: Sparrow Translations Editor: Sparrow Translations
In an instant, Lin Feng felt as if everything in the Heavens and Earth had been converted into sharp and cold sword radiances that came stabbing towards him.
The luminaries in the Heavens, the Earth underneath his feet, the white clouds in the sky, mountains of Mount Shu, creeks and rivers between the mountains, luscious trees and grass.
Even the glaciers and deep seas in the North Polar Sea, swamps in the Southern Wilderness, deserts and barren lands in the northwest and billows in the East Sea seemed to have transcended the barrier of space and arrived here as sword radiances that stabbed towards Lin Feng.
A cement brick from a small village also seemed to have become a sword radiance and penetrated through space, attacking Lin Feng.
The spiritual energy in void space that Lin Feng was in appeared to have become his enemy, even though he was just controlling them earlier. They threatened his life and were about to kill him.
As he took in a deep breath, converting the spiritual energy into his powers, he felt as if his organs were being pierced. The piercing pain seemed both illusory and real.
Lin Feng laughed. As he held the Heaven-Destroying Sword with his right hand, the five fingers on his left hand opened wide apart, as he mimicked a pressing down action towards Mount Shu.
Mount Yujing descended from void space and a radiance revolved around it. The leaves of the Black Heavenly Treasure Tree swayed while Purple Clouds rumbled.
After Lin Feng cultivated the virtual entity and returned to Mount Yujing, a newfound, noble will developed from the countless worlds filled the Black Heavenly Treasure Tree. At this point, the Black Heavenly Treasure Tree jerked and a rainbow, treasure light shone.
Whereas Mount Yujing also started to shake violently, as its size grew!
Lin Feng laughed, "Grow! Grow! Grow!"
Mount Yujing filled the entire Heavens and Earth now and was even bigger in size than the Three Mountains of the Ying Sea!
On the top of Mount Yujing, the Black Heavenly Treasure Tree released a radiance that seemed like a crystal barrier. This radiance combined with the blurry radiance that came from Mount Yujing itself, before infusing within the Heaven-Revolving Purple Clouds once again, revealing white auspicious clouds.
The powers of Mount Yujing was summoned to the fullest and were exerted towards the Immortal Heaven Universal Sword Formation and Saintly Celestial Sword.
At the same time, the treasure lights above Lin Feng's head shone. The sound of a bell rang in void space before a bell broke through space and descended. It was Lin Feng's natal magic treasure, the Bell of Destiny!
The appearance of the bell changed slowly, converting into a pitch-black, stone door. The surface of it was carved with countless sculptures. Amidst an aura of desolation, there was a strong sense of life exuded.
Amidst a boom, the door made a muffled sound, as it opened towards both sides.
A formless, long river was revealed as the door opened to both sides. The river water flowed without stopping, but it was not rushed.
This was the second image of the Bell of Destiny, the River of Time!
The river water flowed around Mount Yujing. As they relied on each other, they complemented each other too.
With the River of Time, the powers of Mount Yujing rose again. It managed to resist the strongest attack that came from Mount Shu.
The Tiangang Swordmaster was expressionless and his sword mind started to focus on one point, pointing straight towards Mount Yujing. He wanted to slash Mount Yujing apart!
The boundaries of the Heavens and Earth distorted, converting into a crack that flashed with a streak of bright, white light. As this crack was stamped on the white auspicious clouds outside of Mount Yujing, it caused the clouds to rumble.
"Lin Feng, I shall take your life." The Cang Ming Swordmaster stood beside the Tiangang Swordmaster and took in a deep breath. After that, he conjured a sword spell before kneeling down on one leg, pointing towards the main mountain peak of Mount Shu underneath him!
Silence engulfed the entire place and only the main mountain peak of Mount Shu could be seen. The outer regions of the mountain started to crack, just like the other six mountain peaks earlier. But the mountain rocks that were displaced did not land on the ground. Rather, they were crushed into powder amidst the radiance of the sword formation.
As the outer part of the mountain started to crush, the mountain peak also converted into a ball of sword radiance. This sword radiance was much brighter than any of the other six mountain peaks earlier.
Besides the Tiangang Swordmaster and the Cang Ming Swordmaster, Xin Longsheng and the other Mount Shu sword cultivators entered the Immortal Heaven Universal Sword Formation too. Not only were they getting protection, they were also boosting the powers of the Immortal Heaven Universal Sword Formation.
As the sword aura and powers of the countless sword cultivators achieved a resonance, they shook void space.
Wherever the Saintly Celestial Sword pointed, the corresponding region of the Immortal Heaven Universal Sword Formation would become extremely brutal. As the sword mind and aura of the main mountain peak of Mount Shu was added to the formation, the powers of the formation reached a new high.
In an instant, all the observers of this battle were in a trance, even for Liang Pan, Shi Yu and Zhu Hongwu.
In front of them, it felt as if the entire Heavens and Earth had disappeared and only a long, white sword was left.
This was the appearance of the Saintly Celestial Sword. It was never so huge before, which seemed as if the entire Greater World had converted into this sword.
It was as if the entire world had become a sword.
Whereas the tip of this sword pointed towards Lin Feng and Mount Yujing!
Right now, Lin Feng looked as calm as usual. He conjured a spell with his left hand and the Higan Golden Bridge exited the Two Elements of Creation Formation. The Two Elements of Creation Formation then combined with Mount Yujing, converting into a true Grand Mountain-Guarding Formation. This formation expanded and protected Mount Yujing at its center.
After that, Lin Feng slapped his palm towards the body of Mount Yujing that was increasingly growing in size.
Black and white Holy Light of Creation surged around Mount Yujing, while light balls after light balls rose from the lights. They were like bubbles that surfaced above an ocean.
Inside these light balls, countless singing voices could be heard. It was as if several divine beings were being awakened and they opened their eyes.
The entire Mount Yujing was like a celestial state, which was a sight to behold. All the Immortal Soul Stage Elders were so awed that they wished that they were on Mount Yujing now.
Whereas the void space around Mount Yujing started to collapse, converting into black and white balls of gases. It was as if the universe had just re-opened and the polars of the universe had been created. After that, the four elements of Earth, Water, Fire and Wind surged. After they settled down, they converted into the images of the Eight Trigrams, evolving the countless changes in the universe.
This magnificent force clashed with the sword radiance of Mount Shu, leading to a stalemate.
Everyone who observed the battle were on their toes. Right now, it was not only the Great Void Sect which reacted to this battle or the Divine Lands that paid close attention to it. Even the Barren Expanses were alerted at this point.
Liang Pan stared in the direction of Mount Shu, "The Higan Golden Bridge has yet to move. Lin Feng's Heaven-Destroying Sword is still around too. We can't make our move now."
Zhu Hongwu was also fixated on the battle, "Mount Shu still holds a slight advantage t this point, but they can't win in the short-term. In this stalemate, Mount Shu has actually lost already."
"The sword mind accumulated from the main mountain peak of Mount Shu will eventually be depleted, causing the situation to be reversed. If the Heaven-Destroying Sword and Higan Golden Bridge joins in the fight, Mount Shu will be defeated. And if the Tiangang Swordmaster is willing to give his life, he may still preserve the Saintly Celestial Sword!"
"What is Lin Feng going to do…"
Before they finished speaking, the expressions of Liang Pan and Zhu Hongwu changed at the same time.
Everyone else was also shocked.
Lin Feng lifted his left hand to support Mount Yujing, before letting go of the Heaven-Destroying Sword with his right hand. He allowed the Heaven-Destroying Sword to float in space on its own.
On his right hand now, there was a sword casket filled with several cracks.
It was the Sect-Returning Sword Casket. Right now, the Sect-Returning Sword Casket was filled with countless blood-red cracks. It seemed to be on the verge of destruction.
The Heaven-Destroying Sword let out a buzzing sound before entering the Sect-Returning Sword Casket on its own. But this time, the Sect-Returning Sword Casket shook, as if it was fearful.
Lin Feng remained calm and threw the Sect-Returning Sword Casket in space lightly. When he caught it again, he was already holding onto the hilt of the Heaven-Destroying Sword.
As he flung his hand, the red light on the surface of the sword casket exploded out. The sword casket was crushed instantaneously!
Everyone from Mount Shu could not bear to watch this scene. But what left all of them more terrified was that when Lin Feng lifted the Heaven-Destroying Sword again, the broken pieces of the Sect-Returning Sword Casket gathered to convert into a streak of long bow that covered the Heaven-Destroying Sword. This long bow then flew towards Mount Shu!
The target of this long bow was not the Saintly Celestial Sword, but the Immortal Heaven Universal Sword Formation!
As the bow flew forward, the broken pieces of the sword casket shook tremendously, as they attempted to break free from the bow.
But in a blink of an eye, the black broken pieces turned blood-red. They also exuded an aura of hostility and ferocity.
The eyes of the Tiangang Swordmaster flashed with a radiance and his calm look changed suddenly.
He commanded the Saintly Celestial Sword to try to stop the long bow, but Mount Yujing started to turn from defending to attacking.
As the blood-red long bow flew towards the Immortal Heaven Universal Sword Formation, the sword formation started to tighten up. The sword formation was like the body of an invincible sword right now, as it was indestructible.
The huge formation revolved and wanted to keep the blood-red long bow at bay.
But the broken pieces of the bow flashed before the entire bow was able to pierce through the Immortal Heaven Universal Sword Formation.
The expression of the Cang Ming Swordmaster changed too. He summoned the Cang Ming Ancient Sword to challenge the blood-red long bow now.
However, Lin Feng guided the Higan Golden Bridge to follow close behind the bow. After the bow penetrated through the formation, the bridge stopped the Cang Ming Swordmaster.
An ominous feeling filled the hearts of everyone on Mount Shu. They felt as if a huge crisis was coming.
Lin Feng's voice resonated in the Heavens and Earth now, "I don't kill at will, but I am not one to be bullied either."
"For those who didn't participate in the attack of the Celestial Sect of Wonders will be spared. But for those who attacked, they will have to pay the price." Lin Feng said, "Those who violate the Celestial Sect of Wonders will come to no good ending."
"Jie Luoshi hurt my disciples, thus he was killed."
"Since the Mount Shu Sword Sect came to my mountain, I made a visit to Mount Shu too."
"Since Mount Shu penetrated through my Two Elements of Creation Formation, I did the same with the Immortal Heaven Universal Formation."
"Since Mount Shu wants to seize my Heaven-Destroying Sword, I shall use the Heaven-Destroying Sword to destroy the Saintly Celestial Sword!"
"Justice has to be served. If it's not served naturally, I shall make all of you do so then."
He conjured a sword spell with his right hand and pointed towards the Immortal Heaven Universal Sword Formation, "Ever since Jie Luoshi left with the Sect-Returning Sword Casket, came to the Celestial Sect of Wonders and I returned to the Greater World, everything that is going to happen will happen!"
"Everything is predestined, including what's going to come next."
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Chapter 883: Crushed Sword Mind
Translator: Sparrow Translations Editor: Sparrow Translations
Lin Feng looked at the Immortal Heaven Universal Sword Formation in front of him quietly and conjured a sword spell with his right hand.
The blood-red bow that pierced through the sword formation went all the way down, towards the white beam of air that seemed like a heavenly pillar at the bottom of the formation.
The blood-red Heaven-Destroying Sword revealed its form and floated amidst the white beam of air. The broken pieces of sword casket that followed the Heaven-Destroying Sword started to spread around, as they floated within the formation.
But what was shocking was that the Heaven-Destroying Sword did not attempt to destroy the formation. Rather, it released a brutal light and hostile gases that spread within the formation.
As everyone watched with stunned looks, the vast beam of air started to turn blood-red gradually!
"Impossible! Even if it's able to sneak into the formation with the help of the Sect-Returning Sword Casket, it should have been suppressed within the formation!" Xin Longsheng was absolutely appalled, which was a rare sight.
The blood-red color of the formation turned brighter and brighter. From the beam of air, it slowly extended towards the entire Immortal Heaven Universal Sword Formation.
The countless swords within the formation started to shake violently at this point.
"Kengkengkengkeng!" The piercing sounds of metal clanging and cracking started to resonate around. At the start, the piercing sound was still bearable. But towards the end, it became extremely deafening.
The countless swords in the Immortal Heaven Sword Formation were starting to be destroyed one by one.
They were all broken into half at their blades. The upper half of the swords would be converted into flowing lights that would eventually disappear, leaving only the bottom half of the swords around.
But these broken swords did not seem to reveal any signs of decadence, nor did they develop any ill intentions towards the force that broke them. On the other hand, they started to cheer, as if their restraints had been removed.
The broken swords expressed their feelings of hatred towards the Saintly Celestial Sword and broken pieces of Sect-Returning Sword Casket above them.
All these broken swords seemed to have their own thoughts and emotions. As they entered a state of fury, they started to destroy the broken pieces of Sect-Returning Sword Casket around them. They converted these pieces to nothing.
After destroying these broken pieces, the broken parts of these swords started to flash with a black radiance. The black light extended and consolidated into sword blades on their own!
Each of the swords seemed to have regained their original look. But it's just that the broken parts were replaced by black light.
Following that, the black lights flashed continuously and caused the swords to turn black completely.
In an instant, the entire Immortal Heaven Universal Sword Formation had converted into a world of intersecting blood-red and pitch-black color.
The formation spells and patterns started to transform tremendously under the influence of the black swords and blood-red beam of air. As a result, its appearance changed completely in an instant. The previous formation patterns had all disappeared.
The formation spells and patterns that flashed with a bright white color previously had turned dark, which was very petrifying.
Hostile gases filled the entire Mount Shu and the Heavens and Earth turned darker at this point.
Initially, as they saw that Mount Yujing, the Bell of Destiny, Two Elements of Creation Formation, Heaven-Destroying Sword, Higan Golden Bridge and Lin Feng were all involved in the battle, everyone watching the battle believed that Lin Feng was susceptible to external attacks. But now, witnessing this frightening scene made them take back what they thought initially.
Lin Feng looked at the sword formation that had changed completely and he remained calm.
Whereas everyone from Mount Shu was shocked. Even the Tiangang Swordmaster and Cang Ming Swordmaster were at a loss for words.
In an instant, the entire Mount Shu was dead silent. But following that, there was a maniacal explosion of emotions.
"Impossible! Impossible! Impossible!" The Grand Moon Swordmaster cried in horror, "This is impossible! This is utterly impossible!"
The Guanchong Swordmaster was in a daze, while he chanted to himself, "How did this happen? How did this happen? How did he do this? How did he do this?"
The Shaoze Swordmaster also opened his mouth, "The Immortal Heaven Universal Sword Formation of Mount Shu has become a property of Lin Feng just like that?! But, why?"
The Shaoyang Swordmaster was trembling, "There's no logic in this. Even if he could attack the sword formation with the broken pieces of the Sect-Returning Sword Casket, even if he could destroy the sword formation, even if he could penetrate the sword formation, how was he able to turn the sword formation into something that belongs to him?"
The sword cultivators of Mount Shu had always been very arrogant. But if someone could overcome their Immortal Heaven Universal Sword Formation, they would not deny it even if they might not be too happy about it.
That's because someone actually did it before.
That was the only time that it happened in the history of Mount Shu. There was no other time when it occurred.
During the War of the Two Worlds during the Middle Ages, the strongest Demonic Emperor of the demon clan, Shenyuan, once overcame the Immortal Heaven Universal Sword Formation. He even killed the founder of the Mount Shu Sword Sect, Ren Changmei.
But Shenyuan only used his powers to overcome the formation. He did not obtain control of the formation just like what Lin Feng did.
Furthermore, Lin Feng managed to do it using the Heaven-Destroying Sword, the archenemy of the Mount Shu Sword Sect!
What was the most bitter pill to swallow was that they didn't even know how Lin Feng managed to do it.
During this process where Lin Feng seized control of the formation, the countless swords in the formation were initially under the command of the Saintly Celestial Sword. But they somehow decided to change allegiance to the Heaven-Destroying Sword without hesitation. Besides, they even treated the Saintly Celestial Sword and Mount Shu like enemies after they turned on them.
Everything in the past seemed to turn illusory now.
The entire Mount Shu could not believe what just happened. Those who were of lower cultivations were at a loss of what to do and fear gripped them. They felt as if something in their minds had crashed onto the ground and converted to powder.
Whereas those of higher cultivations – in the Nascent Soul Stage or Immortal Soul Stage – shook their heads in disbelief. They felt that their values, external perspective and life perspective had all collapsed, and the world that they were in was unreal. They felt like they were in a nightmare.
For some of the Nascent Soul Stage cultivators, their Nascent Souls even left their bodies beyond their control. Their Nascent Souls turned dimmer and surfaced with frightening cracks. They seemed like broken ceramic tools at this point.
Whereas for the Immortal Soul Stage cultivators, their bodies alternated between their Immortal Soul Avatars and human form, as if they had lost control.
Xin Longsheng turned pale and his gaze flashed continuously. He felt as if he could no longer control his state of mind, as countless thoughts flooded his mind.
He even thought of this: "If Junior Jie sees this, his unstable sword mind will completely be crushed…"
His body jerked and his vision shifted between the Heaven-Destroying Sword, Lin Feng and Saintly Celestial Sword. Eventually, it remained on the Heaven-Destroying Sword.
And as Mount Shu was in this mess, a voice came from the sword formation.
"Heaven! Destroying!" These two words were repeated with a pause between them. The voice sounded very indifferent, but soothing at the same time.
After these two words were mentioned, no more sound was heard. Whereas hostile gases started to shoot towards the sky from the sword formation.
The sword formation was now underneath the Tiangang Swordmaster and the Saintly Celestial Sword. Originally, the Saintly Celestial Sword was still gathering the sword aura of the sword formation towards its body.
But now, it was engulfed by the hostile gases. The sword formation combined with Mount Yujing to trap the Saintly Celestial Sword, one from the bottom and one from the top.
At this point, even if the Tiangang Swordmaster or anyone else in the Mount Shu Sword Sect sacrificed their lives, they would not be able to help the Saintly Celestial Sword to escape.
The Higan Golden Bridge burst and landed on Mount Yujing. It combined with Mount Yujing, the Bell of Destiny and Two Elements of Creation Formation to suppress the Tiangang Swordmaster and Saintly Celestial Sword.
After losing the power of the Immortal Heaven Universal Sword Formation, it was obvious that Mount Shu and the Saintly Celestial Sword were in an extremely disadvantageous position right now.
Lin Feng's figure flashed and he had already entered the formation. He extended his hand to grab the hilt of the Heaven-Destroying Sword.
He looked extremely calm right now, "Mount Shu Sword Sect, receive this Heaven-Destroying Sword Formation of mine."
Not only the black and white Holy Light of Creation, Lin Feng's entire powers were converted to the Heaven-Destroying Sword Qi, which combined with the Heaven-Destroying Sword.
His mind was connected to Mount Yujing at this point. As streaks of radiance landed down, they supplemented the Heaven-Destroying Sword.
As he guided the sword, the Heaven-Destroying Sword Formation turned into a black light that flooded the Heavens and Earth.
The hostile gases of the entire Greater World gathered and converted into an all-conquering sword that pointed at the Saintly Celestial Sword!
Right now, everyone watching this scene became at a loss for words. The white sword that the Heavens and Earth converted into earlier had now disappeared. What replaced it was a blood-red sword that was as mighty as the white sword.
In this instant, they could only feel the Heavens and Earth becoming this blood-red sword.
The sword pointed towards the Saintly Celestial Sword that had nowhere to run anymore.
The Tiangang Swordmaster shut his eyes before opening it gradually again. His entire person converted into flowing lights that combined with the Saintly Celestial Sword. AS he combined with the sword, he mustered up the last remaining streak of sword radiance from the main mountain peak of Mount Shu to attack forward.
At this point, all the swords in the world had turned. Amidst the hostile gases, they worked together to overcome the Saintly Celestial Sword that they had once revered.
During the Battle at Xiling City, as the Saintly Celestial Sword appeared, it controlled all swords in the world. As it commanded, no sword would dare to go against it.
In the entire Divine Lands, it was the reason for the existence of other swords.
But there was one exception.
It was the Heaven-Destroying Sword!
The Heaven-Destroying Sword was like a rebel. While it was alone, it faced the almighty Saintly Celestial Sword defiantly.
Was it being a rebel, or was it being a revolutionary?
Even if it went against the entire world, it was unafraid. The king of all swords did not make it fearful, while the criticisms from the rest did not make it submit either!
And today, the situation had changed completely!
The countless swords in the past that had went against it now turned to it. Wherever the Heaven-Destroying Sword went, all the other swords would submit to it now. They wanted to overthrow the almighty king of swords from the past!
The blood-red sword converted from the Heavens and Earth slashed towards the Saintly Celestial Sword suddenly!
A powerful light expanded in all directions and filled the entire universe. In the minds of all the observers, they could not see anything else but the boundless sword radiance of the Heaven-Destroying Sword right now!
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Chapter 884: Heaven-Destroying Prospers, Saintly Celestial Destructs!
Translator: Sparrow Translations Editor: Sparrow Translations
The sword radiance was boundless and filled the Heavens and Earth. This caused the mind of all the observers to feel a piercing pain, which made them unwilling to observe the battle anymore.
For the Thunderclouds Holy Man, Eternal Life Heavenly Spear and the others who were closer, they retreated quickly when the collision occurred, to prevent getting struck by the shockwaves.
A huge amount of boundary powers in the Heavens and Earth was destructed, leaving distorted cracks that shot out bright radiances.
It was as if an entire world on its own had been degraded and walked towards eventual destruction.
After a long while, the sword radiance dissipated. Everyone went to take a closer look, and their breathing paused for a moment.
Although they had a wild guess earlier on, they were still stunned as they saw it with their own eyes!
The Tiangang Swordmaster stood in void space on his own, with countless wounds on his body. The essence of his cultivation dispersed quickly and his injuries were not light.
But the most obvious difference he had now as compared to the past was that his body exuded an aura of lethargy, which was never seen before.
He seemed to turn old and desolate suddenly, just like a sharp sword radiance that had become weak suddenly.
In his hand, he still held the Saintly Celestial Sword. But the sword was only half of what it was originally.
The Saintly Celestial Sword had been broken!
The king of swords in the past had been broken by another sword!
The top half of the sword had disappeared in the Heavens and Earth, converting to nothingness and ceased to exist anymore!
After everything settled down, the Divine Lands was left in a dead silence. But very soon, the clear sound of a sword rang all around.
Sword noises could be heard from where the Heavenly Master Sword Sect was. Following that, a bright sword radiance shone from the mountains.
It was not a sword radiance that existed for real, but it flashed in someone's mind. This sword radiance became brighter and brighter.
The Heavenly Master Swordmaster, Celestial Sword Elder and other sword cultivators all drew out their swords and straightened it parallel to their chests. They congratulated in the direction of Mount Shu, "It's all thanks to Master Lin that the Saintly Celestial Sword has been destroyed."
The Heavenly Master Swordmaster howled before revealing his virtual entity. Countless principles of Great Dao infused into his body and his sword radiance penetrated through the Heavens and Earth, consolidating to form a light projection of a fruit.
In the mountains of the Lightning Sword Sect, an illusory sword radiance and sword mind thrived too. The Lightning Swordmaster and Ben Leizi also straightened their swords parallel to their chests and spoke in the direction of Mount Shu.
"It's all thanks to Master Lin that the Saintly Celestial Sword has been destroyed."
The Supreme Radiance Swordmaster appeared outside of his own sect mountain. The Sun Radiance Swordmaster, Starry Swordmaster and Great Barren Swordmaster also did the same action, as they straightened their swords parallel to their chest.
"It's all thanks to Master Lin that the Saintly Celestial Sword has been destroyed."
Even the Azure Pulse Swordmaster and Tidal Sword Elder from the Vast Sea Sword Sect displayed complex expressions on their faces. They all did the same thing as what the others did.
"It's all thanks to Master Lin that the Saintly Celestial Sword has been destroyed."
On Mount Yujing, beside Wang Lin, the Heavenly Gods-Sealing Banner swayed in the wind. The banner revealed the light projections of two Immortal Soul Stage cultivators. One of them was the Vast Sea Swordmaster and the other was the Intense Flaming Swordmaster.
The both of them sighed at the same time, "It's all thanks to Master Lin that the Saintly Celestial Sword has been destroyed."
In the sky above Mount Shu, countless radiances flashed before they were dissipated. After that, they flashed again. This cycle repeated, as if countless lights were flowing in the entire Heavens and Earth, while countless formless chains were crushed.
The sword sounds and radiances thrived in different regions of the Divine Lands. The sword sounds became louder and louder, while the sword radiances became brighter and brighter. They created a majestic scene in the Heavens and Earth at this moment.
In void space, beside the Tiangang Swordmaster, the figure of the Cang Ming Swordmaster was revealed gradually. He was also hurt badly. As he waved his hand, a sword world revealed a bunch of despaired Mount Shu sword cultivators.
Everyone stared at the Saintly Celestial Sword and were lost for words.
The swords of these cultivators were almost all broken too, as they were only left with half of their original appearances.
Only the Tiangang Swordmaster, Cang Ming Swordmaster and Xin Longsheng looked at everything that was going on in front of them calmly. After that, they looked down.
Over there, there was a frightening will that was awakening!
The Heavens and Earth shook and the radiance of Great Dao seemed to brighten up in space. It felt as if it was shivering in light of this presence that was becoming greater and greater.
In the middle of the huge Heaven-Destroying Sword Formation, Lin Feng stood there peacefully. He held a long sword in his right hand and pointed it towards the sky.
The Heaven-Destroying Sword in his hand was rust-free at this point and had been completely grinded. A divine sword was finally present in the Greater World!
On Mount Yujing, the huge sword casket that belonged to the Heaven-Destroying Sword crushed and converted to ashes!
In the Heavenly Cosmic Ray World, the slovenly elder shook suddenly and the chess piece he held in his hand fell onto the chessboard, disrupting the chess game.
The elder looked outside of the Heavenly Cosmic Ray World and was in a daze for a long while.
Right now, on the blood-red blade of the Heaven-Destroying Sword, there was no longer any radiance on it. The sharp, blood-red radiance had dissipated, leaving the surface of the blade with a blurry radiance. It was as if doomsday had arrived, destiny had reached its end and everything converted to nothing.
Over there, it seemed like the eventual destination of all life. Time, space, matter and spiritual energy were destroyed.
It seemed like as the ultimate sword of destruction had appeared before everything and caused them to destruct. All life could no longer hang on and met their ends.
As everyone sensed the aura and frightening sword mind, they could not help but shiver in fear, "It's like a magic treasure in the destiny realm, but it's like a magic treasure unknown to the Grand Celestial World!"
"There are abhijnas that contained the power to desecrate the Great Dao, but they not exactly super powerful."
"However, this sword was a true sword that could destroy the Great Dao!"
"This sword may have been fully grinded, but it still contains the potential to become even more powerful?!"
Lin Feng lifted the sword and the hostile gases in the Heavens and Earth shot into the sky, forming a beam of gas that went straight into the Nine Heavens. In the middle of this beam of gas, the sky opened and balls of gases revolved, as if there was a huge whirlpool.
The whirlpool expanded rapidly and took up the entire sky.
The entire Grand Celestial World shook. The Higan Golden Bridge, which was the closest to the Heaven-Destroying Sword jerked violently at this point. Streaks of golden radiances descended, and a noble will was displayed from within these radiances. But it developed a sense of fear towards the Heaven-Destroying Sword.
At the border between the Great Qin and Great Zhou Empire, the Immortal Dragon City, Imperial Palace and Great Heavenly Wheels all shook at the same time too.
The Immortal Dragon City converted into a river of time that flowed non-stop. On this river, it seemed like there were many people standing firm, as they supported the dragon city. In the middle of the crowd, the spirit of Emperor Shi appeared subtly.
The projections of everyone who supported the city gathered to form a noble will. That was the will of the Immortal Dragon City. But right now, the Immortal Dragon City was even fearful as it faced the Heaven-Destroying Sword.
The original souls of magic treasures often combined with the Heavens and Earth and rarely revealed themselves.
But right now, all the magic treasures, including that of the Imperial Palace and Great Heavenly Wheels, revealed extremely enormous wills as they were focused on the Heaven-Destroying Sword. They were cautious and fearful.
In a random Middle World, the Emperor of the Dead was expressionless as he looked at the Life and Death Book, which pages kept on flipping. He sensed the fear in the Life and Death Book.
In the faraway Ancient Desolate Galaxy, a vibration was also felt, as if something had awakened.
The boundaries of the Southern Wilderness collapsed suddenly, while the Netherworld surfaced with cracks. Countless disasters raged in the Netherworld Sea. Within it, there seemed to be a giant who opened his eyes and looked in the direction of Mount Shu.
In the Divine Lands, the white clouds that surrounded the Great Void Sect dispersed and a light projection appeared above Mount Baiyun.
There was nothing except for something circular, which seemed to be the surface of a mirror.
As the mirror light was reflected, the entire Divine Lands seemed to have stopped. Regardless whether it was people or things, everything came to a standstill. In the mirror, the reflection of one's self appeared. But it did not reflect one's actions, but a static scroll was shown.
Lin Feng held the Heaven-Destroying Sword and his gaze transcended void space, as he stared at the mirror above Mount Baiyun.
As the hostile gases were shone on by the mirror, they developed a tendency to be degraded. But as the blurry radiance on the Heaven-Destroying Sword was summoned, a destructive sword mind shot into the sky. This caused the frightening sword mind of the sword to gather again.
A long sigh resonated in void space, "Lin Feng, why do we have to come to this stage?"
On Mount Baiyun, Yan Nanlai was perplexed as he stared at Lin Feng through void space.
As the mirror light and sword mind surged, the surface of the Greater World appeared with countless streaks of formless light belts. It was as if the Spirit Sea had descended.
As a radiance flashed, a few human figures landed on Mount Baiyun and came beside Yan Nanlai.
They were the Tai Yi Holy Man and the rest who had escaped from the suppression of the Spirit Sea. All of them were unsure at this point.
The Zheng Yi Holy Man looked at the Heaven-Destroying Sword, "This sword has finally surfaced. Although it's not in the destiny realm yet, it acts like it is. Although the Supreme Heavenly Mirror is yet to recover from its injuries, this sword is still the only one who is able to face the Supreme Heavenly Mirror directly."
The Tai Yi Holy Man shut his eyes and also "looked" at the Heaven-Destroying Sword. After that, he turned his attention to Mount Yujing, the Bell of Destiny, Higan Golden Bridge and Two Elements of Creation before it stopped right at Lin Feng. He sighed too.
"Lin Feng, why does it have to come to this?"
Lin Feng stared at the Great Void Sect Elders and said, "Although I am not entirely in agreement of the working style of the Great Void Sect in the Divine Lands, I admire the fervent that the Great Void Sect has in resisting the demon clan to protect the Divine Lands."
"But if conflicts are always suppressed, they will never be solved. When a conflict is suppressed till its limit, it will only become worse once it explodes out again. The consequences of it will be far worse and the bigger picture will be even more adversely impacted."
"To respect the bigger picture does not mean that it can be a cover for one's actions. True justice should be what we wish to achieve. Since true justice only lies in one's mind, the mind of a person should be the foundation of the bigger picture."
"With regards to today's matter, they owe the Celestial Sect of Wonders justice that has to be redressed. Furthermore, the Golden Cicada Master kidnapped my grand-disciple. Once this matter is resolved, the first thing I will do is to go the Barren Expanses to seek him out."
"If the Great Void Sect insists that what I am doing is going to harm the abilities of the human cultivation realm, I have a solution." Lin Feng said calmly. "When I go to the Barren Expanses, I will kill even more demons."
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Chapter 885: Never the Same Again
Translator: Sparrow Translations Editor: Sparrow Translations
Lin Feng stared at the Tai Yi Holy Man and the rest on top of Mount Baiyun. Silence filled the Heavens and Earth at this moment.
After a long while, the Tai Yi Holy Man shook his head slightly, "Lin Feng, your sword has an ominous feel to it. Its sword mind contains a immense desire for destruction. If this desire grows further, it will possess the ability to destroy the entire world. I believe that when that happens, you will be caught off guard too."
Lin Feng laughed, "Thanks for worrying about me. With regards to my sword, I know what to do."
After he finished speaking, Lin Feng relaxed his right hand and let go of the hilt of the Heaven-Destroying Sword. As he thought of something, the Heaven-Destroying Sword started to rise upwards.
The Heaven-Destroying Sword Formation underneath his feet started to flash and countless swords flew out from it. After leaving the sword formation, the swords fell like rain on the Mount Shu mountains.
These swords had been restored completely, but the radiances on their blades were different from before. Some of the swords landed within the mountains, while most converted into flowing lights that spread in the sky.
Whereas the blood-red beam of air in the middle of the sword formation disappeared and infused with the sword formation completely. The huge sword formation flashed with a black sword light that was filled with a vicious, killing intent.
No other black sword light was seen, but the hostile gases of the Heavens and Earth gathered together and converted into countless black sword radiances that were awe-inspiring.
The River of Time that initially revolved around Mount Yujing landed down and regained the look of the Bell of Destiny. A five or six year old kid stood beside the bell and bowed towards Lin Feng, "Destiny greets Master."
Lin Feng said, "You can stay with this sword formation to continue sharpening the Heaven-Destroying Sword. Proceed on with my secret manual. In this way, both you and the sword formation can increase in powers along with the Heaven-Destroying Sword one day."
The Destiny Kid's goosebumps stood as he looked at the ferocious Heaven-Destroying Sword. After that, he stuttered, "I will follow your orders, Master."
The Heaven-Destroying Sword jerked a little and a light projection flashed in front of the sword. This projection converted into a lady slowly. She was Xuan Li.
But right now, Xuan Li was much different from her 17-18 years old appearance previously.
Her facial features were as charming as ever and she even looked more radiant. But she looked to be older now, around 22 or 23 years old.
Her originally half-white and half-black hair did not seemed to change, but one could sense that she had become more unpredictable, just like the blade of the Heaven-Destroying Sword.
After fulfilling her wish of destroying the Saintly Celestial Sword, Xuan Li looked extremely revitalized. But she remained expressionless and indifferent, as if she was a callous human puppet.
Only when she looked at Lin Feng did her eyes flashed with a little radiance.
Lin Feng smiled slightly and touched the blade of the Heaven-Destroying Sword lightly. The blade let out a slight groan that shook void space.
"Cultivate well."
Xuan Li's lips pursed a little and she nodded her head rigidly. After that, she extended her hand to grab hold onto the Heaven-Destroying Sword.
Lin Feng clapped his hands and the Heaven-Destroying Sword Formation rose. The Destiny Kid combined with the Bell of Destiny, revealing the Door of Life Creation. As the black door opened, white, life of creation gas surged out. This white gas intersected with the black gas from the sword formation, forming a long beam of gas.
This beam of gas covered Xuan Li and the Heaven-Destroying Sword in the middle. Xuan Li sat on her knees in this beam of gas, while she placed the sword on her knees before closing her eyes to meditate.
Lin Feng conjured spells with both his hands and streaks and streaks of mana were injected into the beam of gas. The beam of gas that rose towards the sky gradually.
The sky cracked open and revealed dark void space. The beam of gas entered void space and disappeared.
Lin Feng looked at everyone from the Great Void Sect and said, "The Qing Yi Holy Woman came to the Celestial Sect of Wonders with her projection, while the Supreme Heavenly Mirror seems to be distracted by something. Don't tell me something has happened in the Barren Expanses?"
"Heavenly Charms and Golden Roc obtained a part of the Hades' Dark Mantra at the Cloud Forest World. If they can obtain the experience of the Hades' Emperor, they may be able to feel the changes that your sect and I felt previously. They may be able to motivate the demon clan to cause trouble then."
"I shall make a trip to the Barren Expanses soon. Maybe we can work together."
Although Lin Feng sealed the Heaven-Destroying Sword using the Heaven-Destroying Sword Formation and the Bell of Destiny, he did all this for the sake of improvement of the formation, sword and Bell of Destiny. The temporary retreat was to ensure greater progress in the future.
If there was a need to, he could just unseal the sword. If the result that he wanted was not achieved, he could just try again.
After he finished speaking, Lin Feng paused for a moment, before he arrived on Mount Yujing suddenly. The Higan Golden Bridge and Two Elements of Creation Formation were retreated. The leaves of the Black Heavenly Treasure Tree, before the mountain broke through void space and hid within it.
As for everyone else from Mount Shu, Lin Feng did not make it difficult for them. The Guanchong Swordmaster, Shaoze Swordmaster and Grand Moon Swordmaster might have joined in the attack against the Celestial Sect of Wonders, but they were already battered by Xiao Yan and Shi Tianhao. Lin Feng had no interest in fighting them anymore.
Everyone from Mount Shu was confused, or fearful, or hateful as they saw Lin Feng disappeared with Mount Yujing. But they did not dare to say much.
Some of them saw that the three elders of theirs had heaved a sigh of relief, revealing their intentions not to engage Lin Feng anymore.
Xin Longsheng, Tiangang Swordmaster and the Cang Ming Swordmaster wore complex expressions on their faces now. As they looked at the broken Saintly Celestial Sword, they were silent.
Although they all carried heavy injuries, they were not fearful. On the other hand, they looked weird, as if they were lost, and they descended into silence.
The clouds around Mount Shu had all disappeared right now.
On the top of Mount Baiyun, everyone from the Great Void Sect looked at the Heaven-Destroying Sword, Lin Feng and Mount Yujing escaping into void space and did not speak.
The mirror projection above the mountain had already disappeared. The clouds around Mount Baiyun became thicker again, covering the entire mountain. No sense of aura was revealed anymore.
The Zheng Yi Holy Man stood at the top of the mountain and said, "Let's stabilize the situation at the Barren Expanses first."
The Tai Yi Holy Man sighed and nodded his head. He then disappeared from the top of the mountain with the Zheng Yi Holy Man.
Yan Nanlai didn't move, while the spells in his hands changed.
On Mount Baiyun, a streak of mirror light seemed to transcend the barriers of two worlds and was now shining on a particular region in the Barren Expanses. Following Yan Nanlai's actions, the light became brighter and its aura became more miraculous. The boundary powers became weaker, but they were not degraded completely. This allowed the mirror light to penetrate through them.
The Xuan Lin Holy Man and Cai Fengzhou stepped forward, whereas the Formation-Bursting Drum and the Void Yin-Yang Clock also appeared in front of them. All four of them then disappeared together.
Yun Yuanzhen, the Yu Yuan Holy Woman and Lin Daohan continued to remain on Mount Baiyun along with Yan Nanlai. All of them did not speak.
After a long while, the streak of mirror light settled down.
The figure of the Tai Yi Holy Man re-appeared on Mount Baiyun. He pointed towards the streak of mirror light and it was divided into many other streaks of light that entered void space.
In the next moment, several light projections appeared in front of the Tai Yi Holy Man and the others. They were not real people, but projections of mana.
There were three people leading the pack. One of them was the Zheng Yi Holy Man. Another was an indifferent young lady who looked only 13 or 14 years old, whereas the last person was a charming youth who was around 20 years old. The latter two were the Qing Yi Holy Woman and Xuan Yi Holy Man.
The Zheng Yi Holy Man and Qing Yi Holy Woman were both at the Barren Expanses now. The Xuan Yi Holy Man just experienced the Cardinal Tribulations and retreated to recuperate.
Behind the Zheng Yi Holy Man and the other two, there were a few others. On the rightmost side, there was a young kid who wore a calm expression. He was Kuang Heng, who never revealed himself since the Battle at Xiling City. He was like the Xuan Yi Holy Man, who had just experienced the Cardinal Tribulations.
Beside him, there were the Xuan Lin Holy Man and Cai Fengzhou.
There were two others, one of which who was a middle-aged man in white who was very quiet. He had a refined temperament and was another member of the Supreme Elder Council of the Great Void Sect, elder of the Conservative Faction, Fu Yunkong.
The other person looked excited and carried a few hints of resilience around him. He was also a member of the Supreme Elder Council of the Great Void Sect, elder of the Radical Faction, Wu Mengqi.
Previously, the two of them held the fort at the Barren Expanses.
Beside them, there was a projection of an elder. He seemed a little frustrated and was another member of the Conservative Faction as well as the Supreme Elder Council. He was the Qing Ning Holy Man, who had retreated to cultivate an important divine pill previously. He did not even bother to exit his retreat because of changes in the Barren Expanses. It's only when he was free earlier did the Supreme Heavenly Mirror receive his projection of mana and sent it over.
The Qing Ning Holy Man stood beside two huge figures. They were not projections, but were real people – a man and a lady. But these two people grew two dragon horns even though they had human forms.
The leaders of the Supreme Dragon Roost, the Black Scales Dragon King and Fire Cloud Dragon King. One of them was more inclined towards the Conservative Faction while the other was more towards the Radical Faction.
Besides Yan Nanlai, the Tai Yi Holy Man, Zheng Yi Holy Man, Qing Yi Holy Woman, Xuan Yi Holy Man, Kuang Heng, Xuan Lin Holy Man, Wu Mengqi, Fu Yunkong, Yun Yuanzhen, Yu Yuan Holy Man, Cai Fengzhou and the Qing Ning Holy Man formed the remaining members of the Supreme Elder Council. There was a total of 13 of them.
Whereas the Black Scales Dragon King, Fire Cloud Dragon King and Lin Daohan were also privy to the stuff that the Supreme Elder Council discussed.
The Qing Ning Holy Man creased his brows and asked, "Elder Tai Yi, why are we gathered here? Something has happened with regards to the Spirit Sea?"
Lin Daohan recounted the events of the Spirit Sea clearly as well as what just happened earlier with Lin Feng to him.
After he finished speaking, Yan Nanlai tapped the Supreme Heavenly Mirror lightly, causing a light projection to surface. This light projection presented the entire footage of Lin Feng's battles after he returned to the Greater World.
In an instant, those who were unaware of what happened became silent.
The Zheng Yi Holy Man said, "Today, the Celestial Sect of Wonders has finally become great."
The Xuan Yi Holy Man looked at the light projection and said, "Lin Feng, Mount Yujing, Two Elements of Creation Formation, Heaven-Destroying Sword, Heaven-Destroying Sword Formation and Lin Feng's natal magic treasure all combine together to form a formidable lineup. With such powers, Lin Feng has indeed become great."
"If we compare him to everyone who has ever existed, I believe only the Supreme Heavenly Mirror in its peak state, Hades Emperor, the True Hou that challenged the position of the Hades Emperor and Elder Tai Yi who was not hurt 4600 years ago can defeat him."
"If he can overcome the Second Tribulation of Destiny or the Great Calamity, or even if his sword and bell can reach a higher level, he will become another Hades Emperor."
The Zheng Yi Holy Man said indifferently, "With his current powers and before the Supreme Heavenly Mirror reaches its peak state, there's no way we can stop the Celestial Sect of Wonders apart from starting a full-scale war."
And the result of this war would be countless deaths and injuries.
Everyone from the Great Void Sect turned silent and did not speak.
It's been a long time since such a powerful individual had appeared, one who could tilt the balance of power away from the Great Void Sect.
And today, a new chess piece had emerged, converting into a player that was deserving of attention. He stood in the way of the Great Void Sect now.
From today onwards, the situation in the Divine Lands would never be the same again.
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Chapter 886: Redemption
Translator: Sparrow Translations Editor: Sparrow Translations
Everybody from the Great Void turned towards the Tai Yi Holy Man.
The Tai Yi Holy Man's eyes landed upon the Zheng Yi Holy Man as he heaved another heavy sigh. He wasted no words and explained as simply as he could, "It's not impossible for you to defeat him, but if you wish to kill him – that's another story altogether."
"I only need to trap him. I will unleash the Great Calamity and we will just die together."
His words sent the other elders of the Great Void Sect into a solemn silence as nobody was happy to hear that.
The Tai Yi Holy Man replied, "We shall hope that he's not another Emperor of the Dead, nor another Emperor of Violence. Hopefully, he's not another Ancient Satanic Sect Leader either."
The Qing Yi Holy Woman was calm as she said, "Nobody knows for sure."
"It would have been a lot easier had we been on Mount Baiyun. Outside of Mount Baiyun, unless the Supreme Heavenly Mirror is in perfect condition, we will need a lot more people to be able to trap him," Cai Fengzhou contemplated the options and continued, "However, the Leader of the Celestial Sect of Wonders will still be able to retaliate with his dying breaths, and many of us will perish along with him."
Kuang Heng muttered, "If the Supreme Heavenly Mirror is in its peak condition, we won't need the Tai Yi Holy Man to follow him into the grave."
Yun Yuanzhen sighed and said, "The process of returning the Supreme Heavenly Mirror to its prime condition takes time. The Leader of the Celestial Sect of Wonders also needs time to cultivate the Heaven-Destroying Sword. This is his second time cultivating it – I'm afraid he intends to use it against the Supreme Heavenly Mirror."
Wu Mengqi's brows furrowed into a frown. "This guy is truly ambitious. We'll see who's faster, then." A dash of sinister light flashed through his pupils.
The flash of light seemed to reflect the scenes and images of apocalypse and catastrophe from the Netherworld Sea.
Cai Fengzhou glanced at Wu Mengqi but said nothing. The two of them had the same master and were descended from the same lineage – the Radiant Sun lineage which was also the head of the Four Immemorial Heroes of the Great Void. It was a pity that they had different political views – one belonged to the Conservative Faction, and the other was part of the Radical Faction.
"The use of the Supreme Heavenly Mirror will only slow down the recuperation process." Cai Fengzhou was not too convinced.
The Qing Ning Holy Woman, who was also part of the Conservative Faction, had the same idea. "We can allow him this opportunity to use the sword, as long as we ensure it's against the demons."
Cai Fengzhou sighed once again. "After today, the status quo of the Divine Lands will be changed forever."
Kuang Heng said plainly, "It's just another 'Heaven's Gate Sect'. We just have to use the same methods we used against the Heaven's Gate Sect all those years ago. The Great Void Sect was in shambles back then, and we have flourished ever since."
Fu Yunkong mulled over his words momentarily before he proposed his own opinions. "Nobody will know for sure whether the Leader of the Celestial Sect of Wonders will become like another Emperor of Violence. However, that does not mean that he will become the public enemy of the Divine Lands. In my opinion, even though he is hard-headed and extreme in the way he does things, it's very different from the lawless and brutal nature of the Emperor of Violence and the Ancient Satanic Sect Leader."
"His eventual success may be a good thing for the Divine Lands after all."
Yan Nanlai had been silent all along and he finally spoke his piece. "The teachings that have been passed down from our ancestors clearly states that our mission is to protect the Divine Lands. Even if we may antagonize certain other human parties in the process, these are all just means to an end. The rise of the leader of the Celestial Sect of Wonders, even if it means he will surpass the power of the Great Void Sect, in the end, might mean that he might actually be able to protect this Greater World against the demons better than we can. Is that not a good thing?"
He cast his gaze across the people in front of him. His eyes swept across Kuang Heng, the Xuanlin Holy Man, and Wu Mengqi. The three of them met his gaze fearlessly and showed no signs of backing down.
Ironically, it was the Yu Yuan Holy Woman from the Conservative Faction who contradicted him. "It's too early to be sure. The Great Void Sect has been through the Antiquity Age all the way till today, and we have gone through a lot more than he has. An accurate judgment of the personality of the leader of the Celestial Sect of Wonders will require further investigation and observation."
Yan Nanlai and Fu Yunkong nodded their heads in agreement and said, "That's true."
"We shall wait and see. We will judge him based on his actions and the outcome of his venture into the Barren Expanses," the Tai Yi Holy Man closed his eyes and continued calmly, "If something bad happens, I am willing to sacrifice myself to bring him down. If we let him continue, it will be harder and harder for us to rein him in."
A consensus had been reached, and some of the illusions that were projected into the mountain to participate in the discussion vanished.
Mount Baiyun returned to its original tranquility.
Back on Mount Yujing, Lin Feng had his hands behind his back and was strolling around the summit and eventually reached the Black Heavenly Treasure Tree. His disciples a few others were there to greet him.
"Welcome back, master."
"Welcome back, Sect Leader."
The Supreme Radiance Swordmaster gave Lin Feng a normal greeting before he did it again with even more respect and submissiveness. "Thank you, leader of the Celestial Sect of Wonders, for bringing out the otherworldly sword against the Saintly Celestial Sword to incur the Saintly Celestial Cataclysm."
Lin Feng held him up with one hand before the Supreme Radiance Swordmaster could bow. He chuckled and answered, "Sending the Saintly Celestial Sword into the depths was to tie up my feuds with Mount Shu – you don't have to thank me."
Lin Feng studied him and could tell that there was a unique flicker of flowing radiance in his pupils. It had a different aura, and he could tell upon closer inspection that the Supreme Radiance Swordmaster had advanced his mantras and his level of mastery ever since they last met.
Even though his improvement was still only the tip of the iceberg and required further study and examination, it was comparable to the standard of the Shaoze Sword and was even slightly superior. He was no longer lost in his path like last time – the road he had to take was now clear, and he still had great potential to excavate and develop.
The Supreme Radiance Swordmaster wore a complicated expression as he glanced at the Heavenly Gods-Sealing Banner that Wang Lin was holding. Light shadows glimmered on the banner as two human illusions appeared. The two humans appeared dull and blank – they were the Shaoshang Swordmaster and the Lixiong Swordmaster.
The Shaoshang Swordmaster no longer had the familiar overbearing aura and the Lixiong Swordmaster lost his unique sharpness and solitude. It was hard to tell what their expressions represented as the lights in their eyes flickered dimly as if they were about to extinguish at any time.
The shadows of the Vast Sea Swordmaster and the Intense Flaming Swordmaster shimmered into vision on the giant banner as well.
The Vast Sea Swordmaster practiced the Vast Sea Way of the Sword while the Intense Flaming Swordmaster followed the path of the Flaming Heavens Way of the Sword. They were in the same state as the Supreme Radiance Swordmaster and the Instant Sword of Radiance – they had discovered their true calling and now had clear journeys to travel.
The Intense Flaming Swordmaster lowered his head and said nothing while the Vast Sea Swordmaster loosed a melancholic sigh. "Everyone feels that they are unable to resist the Saintly Celestial Sword, but nobody knows why. Only after the Saintly Celestial Cataclysm did we realize what was going on."
The Supreme Radiance Swordmaster gazed at the Shaoshang Swordmaster and shook his head sullenly. "It's the same for everyone."
"Most of the world's Ways of the Sword came from Mount Shu. Even those who have established their own lineages drew their inspirations from Mount Shu one way or another and simply branched out from them. This caused them to sever their own futures but there was just no turning back."
"Divine Sword Emperor… Divine Sword Emperor… Heh, how can there be an emperor that doesn't call for taxes?"
"How can there be an emperor that lets his subjects call themselves kings and establish their own kingdoms?"
"The Saintly Celestial Sword had been spreading the key meanings of swordplay ever since it was in its infant stages. At the same time, it consolidated the different meanings and forms of swordplay of the world and formed an endless cycle that secured its opportunity to become a destiny-level magic treasure till the point the process was complete."
"Our ancestors had been hooked into the cycle since the beginning of time and had no way out. It was hard to say whether they were feuding with Mount Shu, or if they benefited from Mount Shu instead."
Lin Feng knew better than to respond. The only few who were willing and able to create their own paths were giant entities like the Great Void Sect and the Heaven's Gate Sect and a few other minorities. Most others were assimilated by the Mount Shu Sword Sect – the Immortal Heaven Universal Sword Formation only had a few swords that truly belonged to the Mount Shu Sword Sect themselves.
One could say it was a sword formation, and one could also say it was a sword prison.
The early losses of the Heaven's Gate Sect's Great Nine Heavens Holy Sword and the Great Void Way of the Sword were due to the extraordinary requirements that were unable to be met sufficiently and they lost popularity over time.
On the other hand, the Saintly Celestial Sword and the Saintly Celestial Sword Qi only became stronger. During the chaotic Middle Ages, the Saintly Celestial Sword managed to survive the initial stages of establishing its foundations and solidified its position as the 'Divine Sword Emperor', and eventually drew in more and more unwitting cultivators.
Most of the popular swords and swordplay of the Divine Lands of today originated from the Saintly Celestial Sword.
The Supreme Radiance Swordmaster heaved another brooding sigh. "That may not have been your intentions, Master Lin, but you did annihilate the Saintly Celestial Sword after all and cut off its lifeblood. Otherwise, as long as the cycle of the Saintly Celestial Sword Qi is still there, if the Saintly Celestial Sword comes back to life in the future then we will all be mired in the very same cycle with no hope of reversal."
"Even though Mount Shu and the Saintly Celestial Sword Qi still exists, without the Saintly Celestial Sword, we now have a chance at advancing to the third-level immortal soul stage and we can finally advance our personal mantras. The debris that blocked us in the past are now cleared, and it's all because of your efforts."
Lin Feng shook his head casually and answered, "No need for such talk. We all have to walk our own paths in the end."
"Rather, it was your aid that was timely and I will remember it."
The Supreme Radiance Swordmaster was unrelenting as he shook his head even harder. "That's nothing compared to the favors you have bestowed upon us. Our sects have always had a good relationship, and it's only right that I give you all the help that you need."
Xiao Yan walked up to interrupt the conversation. "Master, Mister Dual Polarity Peak had been heavily injured by Jie Luoshi of Mount Shu, and his opponent was eventually killed by you. I wish to ask you to help him recover. The Virtuous Zen Master was also injured by Jie Luoshi – he had kept the enemies busy even though he was hurt."
Lin Feng pointed a finger towards the Dual Polarity Heavenly Mountain and radiant light immediately started flashing around the summit.
After he extended a helping hand towards the Virtuous Zen Master, Lin Feng turned towards Xiao Yan and laughed, somewhat mischievously, and said, "Seems like your injuries are pretty heavy as well."
Xiao Yan guffawed and answered, "Don't mock me, master. I know the injuries I have sustained, and I also know it's best that I try to recuperate by myself. This will be helpful towards my control of the Penta Fire Lotus."
Lin Feng nodded his head in approval. "Very good. You're a fantastic role model, and you are a great reflection of your position as Eldest Senior."
He surveyed Zhu Yi, Wang Lin, and his other disciples and exclaimed heartily, "Everybody's done well. I am extremely proud of everyone!"
Smiles could be seen on everyone's faces as they bowed down in front of Lin Feng again. "Without you around, we have delegated the various responsibilities and worked together to hold down the fort. Sorry for worrying you!"
Lin Feng turned back towards Xiao Zhener and Gu Peng. "Thank you, both of you."
Xiao Zhener curtsied and answered, "Senior Lin, you don't have to say that. Something happened in the middle world my family is residing in, and that was the reason why my father and the others couldn't head down to help out and only Uncle Peng and I are here. If not for that, then the battle of Mount Yujing wouldn't have been so perilous and hazardous. If you hadn't come out fast enough, the Heaven-Destroying Sword might even have been abducted by the Mount Shu Sword Sect."
Lin Feng dismissed her words and laughed, "You are overstating everything. I will pay a visit to your father soon."
Lin Feng quickly received news that the Purple Clouds Sect and the Thunderclouds Holy Man, the Blue Pavilion Holy Man, the Royal House of the Northern Tribes, the Lightning Swordmaster and even the Great Barren Swordmaster were on the mountain to congratulate him.
Lin Feng already had his hands full before he was informed that the Great Zhou Empire, The Vast Sea Sword Sect, the Intense Flaming Sword Sect and the Samsara Sect were at his doorstep as well – needless to say, they were here for the redemption of their fellow cultivators.
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Chapter 887: Congratulations From Every Corner Of The World
Translator: Sparrow Translations Editor: Sparrow Translations
After Lin Feng departed from Mount Shu, over on the borders of the Great Zhou Empire and the Great Qin Empire, Shi Yu, Liang Pan, and Zhu Hongwu entered states of deep contemplation.
The group of cultivators under the command of their respective empires were also silent as they started to withdraw consensually.
The Immortal Dragon City, the Imperial Palace of Emperor Tai, and the Great Heavenly Wheels shimmered and gradually vanished into the void as the deadlock between the two parties officially came to an end.
Zhu Hongwu descended into the Imperial Palace of Emperor Tai and came before Liang Pan, who was sitting atop the dragon throne. After a moment of thought, Liang Pan glanced at Zhu Hongwu and said, "Hongwu, time is working against us. You have to reach the third-level immortal soul stage as soon as possible."
"Yes, your majesty." Zhu Hongwu's head bobbed up and down as his expression remained unchanged. "I am also beginning to think that we are losing our grasp on the situation. The power displayed by the leader of the Celestial Sect of Wonders has far exceeded our expectations – the Great Zhou Empire has to plan much further ahead now and prepare for the future with greater care."
"Even my treacherous son has also managed to complete the cultivation of a destiny-level magic treasure. I no longer have confidence in taking him down for good. I'll probably still be able to win, but I don't think I can kill him or capture him – unless I sacrifice the Great Heavenly Wheels to maim the Higan Golden Bridge of his and trap him with something so he's unable to escape. Only then will I have the chance to actually kill him."
Liang Pan continued, "You're right. You have to give everything to reach the Way of the Virtual Entity from now on. I will prepare the caves that speed up time and the necessary resources for your breakthrough, and you can delegate them yourself."
Zhu Hongwu placed his fists together and said, "Thank you for your favors, your majesty."
Liang Pan stood up from his dragon throne as light shadows flickered before him and two images appeared. The first was that of the Azure Pulse Swordmaster and the Tidal Sword Elder of the Vast Sea Sword Sect amongst the rest, while the other was that of Shao Qingcheng of the East Heaven's Gate. During Shao Dongtian's venture into Mount Kunlun, Shao Qingcheng stayed behind in Tianjing city and did not return to her sect's Zhu Heaven Pagoda, which was also the reason why she managed to dodge a bullet.
Liang Pan said slowly, "Shao Dongtian and the Vast Sea Swordmaster are imprisoned because of their loyalty towards the Great Zhou Empire. I will not leave them behind. I will send someone down to Mount Yujing shortly to negotiate with the Celestial Sect of Wonders for their release. The lot of you can tag along, and you can withdraw the expenses from the treasury once you've returned."
The Azure Pulse Swordmaster and the others bowed and said, "Yes, your majesty."
Shao Qingcheng heaved a defeated sigh and said, "Your majesty, I think I will sit this one out. I'm afraid my presence may have a negative effect on the negotiations with the Celestial Sect of Wonders."
Lin Feng and Zhu Yi would not go out of their way to shame and humiliate her. However, her presence in Mount Yujing could be misunderstood as insincerity.
Liang Pan nodded his head in acknowledgment but said nothing more as the light illusions dissipated. He turned his gaze towards the far end of the horizon as he muttered under his breath, "Time is really working against us."
The individual appointed to head the expedition to Mount Yujing was Prince Yanliang, Liang Fu, who was in the second-level immortal soul stage.
Of all the powerful immortal soul stage cultivators of the Great Zhou Empire, the most well-tempered one was tasked to negotiate the release of the prisoners in the end.
Upon receiving news regarding the arrival of guests at his mountain gate, Lin Feng's mouth curved into a smile as he let all the negotiators up into the mountain.
There was an awkward atmosphere in the air as everybody met each other on Mount Yujing.
The Thunderclouds Holy Man and the Blue Pavilion Holy Man glanced at a white-clothed young man and asked together, "You're also here, Shen Qifeng?"
The youthful cultivator was known as the Heavenly Cloud Holy Man and was also the direct disciple of Shi Tianfang, the leader of the Samsara Sect. He flashed a faint grin and answered, "I have been imprisoned in your Heaven's Canyon to serve my sentence, and only when Lin Feng flattened the mountain gate of my Path of the Heaven-Born did I get out of my incarceration."
"I have never agreed with the opinions of my master and the others. However, my words don't mean much and I have been sentenced into the Heaven's Canyon as well. There was nothing I could have done."
"Still, they're the seniors of my sect in the end. This is the reason why I've shown up brazenly in the hope that Master Lin will show them mercy."
He placed his fists together and paid his respects to the Thundercloud Holy Man and the Blue Pavilion Holy Man before he continued, "The Path of the Beast's Wu Xusen and Ming Zun of the Path of Hell have offended the two of you in the past, and I shall apologize on their behalf and I do hope you will find it in yourselves to forgive."
The Thunderclouds Holy Man watched him as he lowered his voice. "Who are you representing? The Samsara Sect as a whole, or just the Path of the Heaven-Born?"
Shen Qifeng answered, "The head of the Path of the Asura is our new sect. However, he's injured at the moment and needs time to recover and recuperate – this is the reason why I am here instead."
The head of the Path of the Asura was named Mo Xiuluo. He had been imprisoned by Shi Tianfang a while ago, and only managed to find his escape when Lin Feng swept across the mountain gate of the Path of the Heaven-Born. As the only third-level immortal soul stage cultivator left in the Samsara Sect and juxtaposed with the fact the Samsara Sect was entering a state of decadence, he took the mantle as the next sect leader.
After the death of Shi Tianfang, it was natural for Mo Xiuluo to form alliances with the others, and he was far more desperate than the Great Zhou Empire.
The Thunderclouds Holy Man said nothing more as he mulled over his words while the Blue Pavilion Holy Man engaged in idle chat with Shen Qifeng.
The Lightning Swordmaster, the Great Barrens Swordmaster, the Royal House Priest, the Eternal Heavenly Spear and Liang Fu were standing together.
It was not long before representatives from the Great Qin Empire arrived to congratulate Lin Feng as well. Prince Nanming Shi Zongtang, who was in the third-level immortal soul stage, and Prince Anliang Shi Zongyue were heading the party which included the Sun Radiance Swordmaster of the Sun Moon Sword Sect and the Starry Swordmaster of the Starry Sword Sect.
After everyone paid their respects to each other, the Lightning Swordmaster and the Great Barrens Swordmaster glanced at the Sun Radiance Swordmaster and the Starry Swordmaster and heaved a concurrent sigh. "You guys are here too."
The Sun Radiance Swordmaster answered, "The destruction of the Saintly Celestial Sword by the leader of the Celestial Sect of Wonders returned all swordplay of the Divine Lands back onto the right track. How can such grace be paid back by a simple visit up the mountain?"
The Starry Swordmaster continued with a grimace. "Ever since the rise of our ancestors, our predecessors had always been perplexed about the fact that our sect became stuck after we reached a certain level. Why is it that it seems as if we are being held down by foot irons and our path ahead is completely blocked? Nobody knew the reason."
"Even though we had our suspicions that it has something to do with Mont Shu and the Saintly Celestial Sword, such a thing is impossible to prove and neither could we explain the phenomenon. Only when the leader of the Celestial Sect of Wonders vanquished the Saintly Celestial Sword did the formless shackles lift shatter into pieces. Only when the true law of nature returned did we understand what had been happening."
"I pity the predecessors that came before us. They never understood the reasons and could only watch as the paths in front of them remained blocked."
The Lightning Swordmaster grunted and said, "It's the same for everyone. The Mount Shu Sword Sect had malicious ambitions all along, and they would never have announced this phenomenon. They continued to trick unwitting cultivators to join them and tied up their loose ends at the same time. They managed to complete the number one sword in the Grand Celestial Sword in the process."
The Supreme Radiance Swordmaster shifted next to him and said quietly, "While it is true that the Mount Shu Sword Sect harbored malicious ambitions and intentions, there's another thing to consider. When our ancestors set up our respective sects, they consulted and drew inspiration from the swordplay of the Mount Shu Sword Sect in the end. It made the path of initial growth smoother than it would have been, but the price to pay in exchange for that benefit was far too great. It's hard to say whether who is at fault here."
The Lightning Swordmaster answered coldly, "Is that so? If we knew the truth, who would continue to draw inspiration from their swordplay? Who would continue to learn their ways of the sword?"
The sects that were established over the years generally had a positive impression of the Mount Shu Sword Sect. They thought that Mount Shu was magnanimous and generous. Over time, they started to realize that Mount Shu's behavior was a little too overbearing and unreasonable and started to distance themselves from Mount Shu.
It was also this very fact that incurred such forthcoming public anger after the truth had been revealed.
The Great Barrens Swordmaster muttered cheerlessly, "If we hadn't drawn from their swordplay and attempted to seek our own path instead all those years ago, I believe the swords of our ancestors would have been assimilated into the Immortal Heaven Universal Sword Formation."
"Ignorance is bliss sometimes. We have managed to survive the darkest of days, and we are finally welcoming the light."
The Lightning Swordmaster laughed with a despondent undertone and said, "If not for the existence of the Heaven-Destroying Sword, how much longer would we have to live in the dark? We wouldn't even have known why we were living in such darkness."
"We have finally seen the light, but what about our predecessors and our ancestors? The fourth sect leader, and also my Great Senior Master, was an unprecedented talent and his mastery of the Way of the Lightning Sword was unmatched. He managed to emerge victorious against the Shaoshang Swordmaster of that generation, and at the second-level immortal soul stage, he could survive battles against third-level undying demonic soul stage great demons." (Translator's Note: Great Senior Master refers to someone three generations before.)
"But what happened in the end? He had already attained the second-level immortal soul stage after six hundred years, but he got stuck at the peak and was unable to advance after thousands of years. He grinded it out in caves that sped up time, ventured in and out of the Void Battleground, dived deep into the Ying Sea to challenge the layers of spatial illusions, quested into the Barren Expanses to slay multiple demons and even incurred the lightning strikes of the void onto his own body in the hope of being able to understand. He had gone through so much, and it was all for naught in the end. He perished in the war of the worlds at the hands of a Cardinal Tribulations Beginner stage demon."
The Lightning Swordmaster shook his head. "I am reminiscing the spirit and ambitions of my Great Senior Master. He wanted to become the first in our sect to reach the third-level immortal soul stage. It's quite a pity that he lost his life without knowing the truth and that his hard work would never have amounted to anything at all."
He looked up at the Supreme Radiance Swordmaster. "The opening ancestor of the Sword of Radiance Sect, if memory serves, was also a powerful sword cultivator that managed to beat the Shaoze Swordmaster of his generation. If he knew the truth, would he still have taken the tiny favors and graces from the malicious Mount Shu Sword Sect?"
The Supreme Radiance Swordmaster turned a little doleful and sighed lightly but said nothing more.
The Sun Radiance Swordmaster said quietly, "Even though the intentions of the leader of the Celestial Sect of Wonders had been to simply resolve the feud between them and the Mount Shu Sword Sect, it's unprecedented progress for the likes of us."
The Supreme Radiance Swordmaster, the Lightning Swordmaster, the Great Barrens Swordmaster and the Starry Swordmaster nodded their heads in unison. "That is correct. Whether or not he intended for it to happen, we are beneficiaries of his grace."
The powerful sword cultivators intentionally avoided Shi Zongtang and the others as they shared their thoughts with one another. On the other side, Shi Zongtang and company watched their gathering with shaking heads and heavy sighs.
The Great Qin Empire was up to speed about the recent happenings with the changes of natural law following the Saintly Celestial Cataclysm and the battle of Mount Shu, in addition to the explanation of the Starry Swordmaster and the Sun Radiance Swordmaster.
The Great Qin Empire had never been too friendly with the Mount Shu Sword Sect. Prince Anliang grunted once and said, "They lie and deceive and practice usury – and those not willing to take their high-interest services are chased away and eradicated. Those who have taken these high-interest products, after a certain degree of development, every bit of improvement and 'income' is used to sustain them, and there is no way of withdrawing as well. Unless the entire sect is laid to waste, of course. There is no wonder that even though Mount Shu had been through several devastating events, the Saintly Celestial Sword could return to its original splendor so quickly."
"Without these calamities, I can't imagine what the Saintly Celestial Sword will be like now."
Shi Zongtang chimed in as well. "When I watched the Saintly Celestial Cataclysm, I observed Xin Longsheng and the others and I'm afraid they've been kept in the dark as well. This should be the ploy of the ancestors of the Mount Shu Sword Sect during the Antiquity Age and the Middle Ages passed down from Ren Changmei to a few generations below him."
Shi Zongyue chuckled and said, "Yes, after the 'Holy Ground of Sword Art' had been formed, the successors just have to play along and follow the rules set before them by their predecessors. Does it matter whether they know the truth?"
Shi Zongtang avoided the eyes of the Lightning Swordmaster and the others but turned instead to the Azure Pulse Swordmaster and the other cultivators from the Vast Sea Sword Sect. The Azure Pulse Swordmaster was impassive, but he could tell that they perceived Mount Yujing with inscrutable eyes.
Under the direction of Xiao Yan, Lin Feng's first disciple, the entire company entered the Grand Heavens Pavilion. Nobody from the group of powerful immortal soul stage cultivators dared to underestimate the Xiao Yan before them now, and this even included the third-level immortal soul stage Shi Zongtang.
Xiao Yan was no longer just Lin Feng's First Disciple – he was a powerful cultivator at this point and was at pretty much the same level as everyone else.
"My master will be here shortly. Sorry for the inconvenience and the wait," Xiao Yan was still polite as ever, and Shi Zongtang and the others shook their heads and replied, "It's alright."
The great battle had just ended, and it was understandable that Lin Feng had some family and sect matters to settle, and could not be counted as disrespectful.
Lin Feng was standing on top of the Black Heavenly Treasure Tree with his palms open. There was a grain of sand hovering over his palm.
Yang Qing was on his knees before him while Wang Lin, Yue Hongyan, and Kang Nanhua were heaving faint sighs at the side.
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Chapter 888: Punishments After The Battle
Translator: Sparrow Translations Editor: Sparrow Translations
Lin Feng patiently listened to Wang Lin and the others recount the story as he used his consciousness to feel the grain of sand in his palm.
A stream of green energy was frozen in place inside the grain of sand, like an insect inside amber, yet it was also a line so thin that it was almost undetectable.
Lin Feng started contemplating after a single sweep with his consciousness. "If not for the little girl's pride, the Bell of Destiny's Door Of Life Creation, the Change of Life And Death of the Two Elements of Creation Formation, and the three newest pages of the Life and Death Book will be enough to heal anything. We can find a new physical body for her, and even if that's not possible we can also find some treasure for her to store herself temporarily and plan for the future."
"However, only this tiny piece of the soul is left. No, it can't even be called a remnant piece of the soul anymore, it feels more like a single breath, and to heal from a state like this is near impossible. Even the Emperor of the Dead wouldn't have been confident about this."
Lin Feng continued to deliberate. "Even if she is reincarnated, there won't be much of her consciousness or memories left. It wouldn't be right to say she will be the same person she was."
"If not for Kang Nanhua's spell at the expense of his own nascent soul, there won't even be a remnant soul left at all."
A thought drifted into his head as he mulled over all the information. "Limited chance of success and an unpredictable outcome."
He flicked a finger and a light sphere that was half black and half white glimmered in the sky. It was the Life And Death Netherworld Tao Fruit obtained from Xu Anda, the owner of the Hall of the Dead. No evil soul was currently being cultivated within.
Lin Feng sent the grain of sand into the light sphere before the sphere drifted down in front of Yang Qing. Lin Feng said gradually, "After a hundred years, an opportunity will arise. Perhaps you two will be reunited, but my confidence only stands at fifty percent."
Even though it was a little heartbreaking, Lin Feng insisted on relaying the rationale to Yang Qing and explained all that required explanations.
Yang Qing stared at the light sphere with a crestfallen look before he knelt in front of Lin Feng again. "Thank you for preserving this last inch of hope for me. I am content – as bad as it can get, it can't get any worse than it is now."
"I have caused you trouble and inconvenience."
Lin Feng lifted his hands in the air and Yang Qing was already up on his feet. "I am glad that you're sure about what you want to do in life and the path you shall walk. If you follow down this path that you have chosen and reflect and introspect once in a while, I am confident that you will have a great future ahead of you."
Yang Qing nodded his head and said, "I understand, master."
"But before that, you have to follow me to the Barren Expanses to bring Yuncong back," Lin Feng passed his instructions and Yang Qing nodded his head again. "Yes, master."
Lin Feng watched the Yang Qing of today who was standing right before his eyes. Yang Qing was full of unwavering self-confidence and no longer possessed the self-deprecating attitude of his younger self. Lin Feng began to feel a little sentimental as he muttered under his breath, "Everyone's growing up."
However, Yang Qing's growth and maturation came at a great cost.
Lin Feng turned towards Kang Nanhua. Kang Nanhua was impassive and said nothing.
Based on Yang Qing's personality, suffering such a great loss could only lead to two outcomes. One outcome was that he would grow up emotionally and be 'reborn', in a way. The other was that he would have been completely crushed and traumatized as all will and hope would sink into the depths of the abyss.
There was a thin line between these two extreme consequences. It was hard to grasp, and if there was just a little bit of deviation from the right path, the outcome would have been very different.
Lin Feng's guess was that this 'thin line' was the remnant soul that was left inside that grain of sand.
If not for Kang Nanhua's timely but desperate attempt at protecting the last piece of Fang Ting's soul, the outcome would probably have been very different.
"However…" Lin Feng relaxed his senses as he made a discreet move that was undetectable by the others and his eyes flitted between Yang Qing and Wang Lin.
"What a strange rhythm," Lin Feng started to ponder again. "Can the Lonely Star be passed on or transferred from one to another?"
He expelled the irrelevant thoughts from his head as he surveyed his disciples again. "Even though these are only Potential values and not current ones, if they met some unique and special circumstances their Potentials will change."
"Xiao Yan and the other four have gone through their various processes of transformation. Besides Yang Qing, even Hongyan have already experienced hers. Only Yuanfang and Luo Qingwu have not changed. Perhaps it's just not yet their time?"
As he continued to debate with himself, Yue Hongyan walked up with a green-black poleaxe and asked Lin Feng for his instructions. It was the Royal Extermination Pole-Ax that she had obtained from Zhang Lie.
"This is yours by right. You can keep it," Lin Feng smiled at Yue Hongyan. "Follow your path and straighten your heart and you will get there."
Yue Hongyan was also a lot different from her younger days and her eyes seemed a lot more composed than before. The red-haired young girl used to be like a sharp blade that was drawn time and time again, and between the chilly reflections of the blade, she was easily worn down by time and her experiences. Now, she was like a sheathed blade with a lot more fortitude.
This did not mean that she had lost her edge and her sparkle – when the need arose and the 'blade' had to show itself, she was even sharper and far more intimidating.
Yue Hongyan nodded her head and bowed at Lin Feng. "I will bear your advice in mind, master."
Lin Feng turned back towards Wang Lin and chuckled, "Wang Lin, keep this and study it carefully." He took out the three and a half pages of the Life and Death Book, kept the half page for himself and gave the rest to Wang Lin.
Wang Lin received the gift and immediately started to feel the profound concepts contained within. His eyes sparkled with revelations as he looked up at his master with gratitude. "Thank you, master!"
Lin Feng continued, "Your Pearl of Styx is back in the Gestation level and has returned to its original status as a magic treasure. Even though it cannot be compared to the time when it was at the Mahayana Level all those years ago, it's still a relatively powerful magic treasure. However, it's because of that very reason that you should be careful."
"If you're on Mount Yujing or if you're next to me, then it's alright, but if you're exploring the world alone you have to watch out for the Emperor of the Dead and the Life and Death Book."
Cold light flashed in Wang Lin's eyes as he nodded his head in acknowledgment. "Yes master, I understand."
A few years ago, when Lin Feng crossed paths briefly with Xu Anda in the Celestial Wonders World, he had informed them before that the Pearl of Styx originated from the demonic River Styx Sect and was once part of the lineage of the Emperor of the Dead.
Now that he had beaten Xu Anda, he had a far greater understanding of everything.
The Emperor of the Dead had made preparations long before he was usurped and eliminated. He forcefully reversed the process of death and entered a transcendent state where he was neither alive nor dead and passed through the eternity of time in wait for the opportune moment to fully reincarnate himself.
During this time, the Emperor of the Dead was still aware of what was going on in the outside world and had been discreetly making multiple preparations.
Four people had received his teachings and his mantras, and his eldest disciple was the opening ancestor of the Samsara Sect – the Samsara Priest. The latter integrated Buddhist mantras into the lineage of the Emperor of the Dead and established a Samsara Sect that was neither righteous nor evil and had since been active in the Divine Lands. Even to the day when the Samsara Priest met his demise, nobody knew of this connection he had with the Emperor of the Dead. Subsequently, the Samsara Sect fragmented into pieces and branches, and eventually, the Emperor of the Dead and Xu Anda secretly infiltrated and corrupted the Samsara Sect in recent years.
His second disciple was the opening ancestor of the River Styx Sect – the River Styx Priest. He rose and fell with the demonic River Styx Sect during the great battle between the worlds that ended the Middle Ages.
His third disciple, the Nether Priest, was the most mysterious one and nobody knew what happened to him. Even Xu Anda only knew that such a person existed and had no clue about his whereabouts or anything else about him.
His youngest disciple was the owner of the Hall of the Dead, Xu Anda. However, Xu Anda harbored mutinous thoughts and plotted to betray the Emperor of the Dead. He also wanted to take the Life and Death Book for himself.
In the end, Xu Anda wanted to bury Shi Tianfang inside Mount Yujing, and while Shi Tianfang did 'fall' into the hole, Xu Anda himself was pushed down by the Emperor of the Dead with as much as a lift of the finger.
Wang Lin started thinking to himself, "The Life and Death Book assimilated the Wheel of the Six Paths and finally became a destiny-level magic item. If it had swallowed the Mahayana-level Pearl of Styx as well, it might have become even stronger."
Zhu Yi, Shi Tianhao, and the others walked over and Shi Tianhao gritted his teeth. "Master, since you captured the owner of the Hall of the Dead, we will be able to find the lair, right? You are venturing into the Barren Expanses to find the Golden Cicada Master and Yuncong, and we shall head down to the Hall of the Dead to settle our debts."
Lin Feng explained, "The fact that the Hall of the Dead has existed for so long means that it's probably not so easy to find it. Xu Anda thought he was the smart one and tricked Shi Tianfang, but he had no clue that he the Emperor of the Dead was plotting against himself at the same time."
"When the Emperor of the Dead escaped that day, he was quite aware that Xu Anda and Zhang Enrui had fallen into my hands, so he had no choice but to start his preparations early."
Shi Tianhao continued to grind his teeth. "I'm just afraid that they are still harboring hostile intentions towards my parents and my grandfather."
Lin Feng smiled faintly and replied, "Don't worry, he will take the bait eventually. There's an important lead that we can use, actually."
Zhu Yi, Wang Lin, and Shi Tianhao exchanged looks as they each had their own moment of epiphany. "Master, are you saying that…"
Lin Feng chuckled and cut them off. "All of you can take some time to rest and recuperate. I will enlighten everyone after I host my guests. We haven't seen the Flowing Waves Holy Man, the Kui Cow King and the Spiritual Sea Horse King in a long time, so you guys can go ahead and catch up with them. The Flowing Waves Holy Man wishes to join the Celestial Sect of Wonders and I have already agreed – Zhu Yi, you shall arrange his lodgings for him."
Zhu Yi acknowledged his task and Lin Feng turned towards Yang Qing. "You will have your magic treasures as well, Yang Qing."
Yang Qing smiled softly and answered, "You must be joking, master."
Lin Feng's body shimmered and he was already inside the Grand Heavens Pavilion. He surveyed his guests – Shi Zongtang, the Thunderclouds Holy Man, the Lightning Swordmaster and the Eternal Heavenly Spear and said, "Sorry for the wait, my friends."
Shi Zongtang was humble and repeatedly expressed that it was unnecessary for him to apologize. The Lightning Swordmaster and the Sun Radiance Swordmaster greeted Lin Feng as well. "With your help and the otherworldly sword, the Saintly Celestial Cataclysm has finally happened."
Lin Feng wore a calm expression as he shook his head and pushed the credit away from himself. "I have spoken with the Supreme Radiance Swordmaster before. The Saintly Celestial Cataclysm is a result of my sect settling our debts with the Mount Shu Sword Sect, and there is no need for all of you to thank me."
The group of powerful sword cultivators shook their heads in unison as they insisted on paying their respects to Lin Feng. Nothing much else was said, but one could tell from their expressions that these sword cultivators would remember this favor for a long time.
Lin Feng sat upon the main seat and cast his eyes across his guests and his gaze briefly swept over the Azure Pulse Swordmaster, Prince Yanliang Liang Fu and Shen Qifeng. He said monotonously, "I don't enjoy taking lives. This is the reason why I haven't dished out the maximum punishment for those that have yet to set foot on Mount Yujing. However, minor punishments and prices have to be paid – there is no way they can just tuck tail and leave."
The Azure Pulse Swordmaster and the others nodded their heads and Liang Fu replied, "This is our responsibility and our fault. We will make up for it. Furthermore, your disciple has officially ascended into the immortal soul stage, and the Great Zhou Empire has a gift to congratulate him."
Lin Feng's head tilted downwards faintly as he explained again. "However, those who step onto Mount Yujing with ulterior motives will pay the price for his maliciousness. They will stay inside the Heavenly Gods-Sealing Banner."
Liang Fu felt his heart sink as he heard this remark. He knew that Lin Feng never went back on his word.
It seemed like there was no way he could redeem Shao Dongtian and the East Sea Holy Man.
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Chapter 889: Paying Debts With Land
Translator: Sparrow Translations Editor: Sparrow Translations
Liang Fu heaved another sigh before he made a final attempt. "Do show mercy and forgiveness to the East Heaven's Gate's sect leader, Shao Dongtian and the East Sea Holy Man. The Great Zhou Empire is willing to trade an entire Middle World in exchange for their release."
Lin Feng glanced at him calmly and said, "You can discuss the details of the negotiation with my Senior Disciple."
"However, there are some things that just do not have room for compromise or stepping back."
Liang Fu chewed on his words and said nothing more.
The Vast Sea Sword Sect's Azure Pulses Grandmaster shot a look at Liang Fu but said nothing either as Liang Fu was ultimately the leader of the group.
The Vast Sea Swordmaster had been captured by Lin Feng, but the entire Vast Sea Sword Sect was grateful for Lin Feng's beheading of the Saintly Celestial Sword. Thus, they possessed intensely complicated and mixed feelings and were not able to properly express themselves. The Azure Pulses Grandmaster and the others wanted to wait for the Vast Sea Swordmaster's return before they held a discussion about the next step.
Xiao Yan and Li Yuanfang were responsible for the subsequent negotiations for redemptions.
Xiao Yan was the one that did the overall discussion while Li Yuanfang took care of the tiny details of the arrangement.
The cultivator that came for the Intense Flaming Swordmaster was one of his disciples – a nascent soul stage cultivator, who did not mince his words and was relatively straightforward.
He recognized the punishment and stated that the Celestial Sect of Wonders could have anything that was in his possession in exchange for the release of the Intense Flaming Swordmaster.
On one hand, the Intense Flaming Swordmaster was the pillar of the Intense Flaming Sword Sect. On the other hand, they also wished to express their gratitude towards Lin Feng's defeat of the Saintly Celestial Sword.
Shen Qifeng of the Samsara Sect was also direct and clear-cut with his offers. He made it clear that he was willing to give the Red Lotus Fire, voluminous amounts of resources and exotic herbs, as well as the foundations and influences of the Samsara Sect within two Middle Worlds in exchange for Ming Zun and Wu Xusen.
The reason why he placed the Red Lotus Fire on the table was because he knew that Xiao Yan could control at least five different primordial fires.
He decided not to bring up the fact that Lin Feng had annihilated the immortal soul stage elders of the Path of the Heaven-Born.
Shen Qifeng was tactful and sensitive as he avoided discussing Zhang Enrui and the Heavenly Ghost Priest as well. However, he also wanted to retrieve the Asura War-Blade but that suggestion was irrevocably rejected by the Celestial Sect of wonders.
Once they knew that retrieving Shao Dongtian and the East Sea Holy Man was hopeless, the Great Zhou Empire had no choice but to leave them behind and try their luck with the others. They hoped to bring back the Vast Sea Swordmaster as well as the other immortal soul stage cultivators from the East Heaven's Gate who were captured along with the Zhu Heaven Pagoda. They also wished to take back the various magic items such as the Xuan Heaven Seal and the Zhu Heaven Pagoda.
The Xuan Heaven Seal was arrested by the Celestial Sect of Wonders and there was no way they were going to return it; it was as such with the Yan Heaven Crucible as well.
The Yuan Heaven Emerald Needle was suppressed along with the East Sea Holy Man and redemption was disallowed.
This magic treasure was most sinister and malicious magic treasure out of the Nine Treasures of the Heaven's Gate. It had taken countless lives under the sting of the toxic needle; the Mahayana-level Yuan Heaven Emerald Needle of the olden days had taken the lives of many third-level immortal soul stage cultivators.
Even though it was only a gestation-level magic treasure in its rebirth, the concept of power embodied within was of the same lineage as the Yuan Heaven Emerald Needle of old. A single stream of azure light that was meant to bypass defensive abhijna and went straight for the cultivator's soul – there was nothing it could not pierce, yet it left no trace in its wake. Once it had locked in on a target, it would decay through everything like maggots corrupting the bone and it would never stop.
This magic treasure ended up in the hands of a second-level immortal soul stage cultivator, a man who harbored intentions to ambush and to kill. Such circumstances greatly increased the threat and danger of this magic item.
During the battle of Mount Yujing, Mister Dual Polarity Peak faced off the East Sea Holy Man and this magic treasure. Even though Mr. Dual Polarity Peak was already heavily injured, his foundations were still there and he managed to hold off the East Sea Holy Man and the Yuan Heaven Emerald Needle.
The Supreme Radiance Swordmaster substituted the Dual Polarity Heavenly Mountain afterward and channeled the superior speed of his sword to the highest level possible. He was able to counter the Yuan Heaven Emerald Needle to a large extent and prevented all chaos from breaking loose.
The Virtuous Zen Master and the Flowing Waves Holy Man, who were the two immortal soul stage cultivators under the wing of the Celestial Sect of Wonders, had to take special care when battling enemies with this particular magic item. A single lapse of concentration could lead to irreversible damage from the azure light that was designed to pierce through one's defensive abhijna.
It was the same with the Yan Heaven Crucible, and the Celestial Sect of Wonders rejected proposals to retrieve it as well. This item was unassuming, did not seem like much and was only a gestation-level magic item – but it possessed great potential value.
Instead, it was the immemorial magic item, the metaplasia-level Zhu Heaven Pagoda that was allowed to be redeemed even though this magic treasure was relatively powerful. It was a pity that the day Yin Cangchen was caught, he revealed the original location of the pagoda even though it was eventually shifted away. Lin Feng used his mana and the special effects of the Green Glass Jade Stand and discovered its new location and eventually retrieved the pagoda.
The Celestial Sect of Wonders already had Mount Yujing, which had far superior effects, thus they had no need for that item.
The Great Zhou Empire would definitely be taking extra care in covering the tracks of the pagoda, and they would also choose its new location wisely before they sent it back into the void.
Lin Feng was not too concerned as he had already done it before and was confident that he could do it again. The only difference was that, if the opponent was more prepared than before, he had to expend a little more effort than he otherwise would have.
The Great Zhou Empire and the East Heaven's Gate still wanted to redeem this magic item as the threats they faced did not comprise of just Lin Feng alone. These adversaries generally did not have enough rapport and camaraderie with Lin Feng to request his help to search for the Zhu Heaven Pagoda.
Xiao Yan's final offer was that they would ensure the safe return of the Vast Sea Swordmaster, the various immortal soul stage cultivators of the East Heaven's Gate and the Zhu Heaven's Pagoda in exchange for the proposal that the Great Zhou Empire intended for Shao Dongtian and the Xuan Heaven Seal – the Celestial Sect of Wonders would get an entire Middle World.
The Great Zhou Empire's Dongsheng World was not the same as the two Middle Worlds that were part of the Samsara Sect's offer. The Samsara Sect was sharing in these two Middle Worlds with other powers, and one of them included the birthplace of Luo Qingwu – the Ancient Yuantian World.
The Dongsheng World enjoyed an independent and exclusive existence just like the Celestial Sect of Wonder's Celestial Wonders World and was rich in resources as well.
Xiao Yan's appetite grew so big suddenly that even the typically composed and easygoing Prince Yanliang briefly considered ditching the agreement and turning away. It took great effort to resist that temptation as he held down his temper and continued to haggle and negotiate with Xiao Yan and Li Yuanfang.
However, Xiao Yan and the others had the initiative as they were the ones that emerged victorious in the battle. Liang Fu had no choice but to give more and more as it was imperative that the Vast Sea Swordmaster and the others returned to the Great Zhou Empire in order to keep the morale of the other cultivators up and alive.
The most substantial consideration was that he needed to buy time for the Great Zhou Empire – he had to fight for a window for recuperation and development.
After the conflict in the Ying Sea, the rapid expansion and rise of the Great Zhou Empire had been forcefully interrupted and their circumstance had been going downhill ever since then. If they did not find ways to mitigate their losses and buy time for recovery, their situation could plummet even more to the point of no return.
The Great Zhou Empire shared a consensus after the battle of Mount Shu – they were thankful for the Golden Cicada Master.
The Golden Cicada Master had abducted one of Lin Feng's grand-disciple, and this meant that right after Lin Feng had resolved his problems within the Divine Lands, he was definitely venturing into the Barren Expanses to find his grand-disciple and seek vengeance upon the Golden Cicada Master.
Without this intervention, it was more than likely that the Celestial Sect of Wonders would set their sights upon the Great Zhou Empire. Even though they would not execute something as dramatic as they did against the Mount Shu Sword Sect, they were bound to team up with the Great Qin Empire to pressure the boundaries and sovereignty of the Great Zhou Empire.
Thus, the opportunity arose where the Great Zhou Empire could find ways to pacify the rising tensions between the two parties. At the very least, they had to try their best to prevent the situation from deteriorating even further.
In the end, Liang Fu had to suck it up and accept the terms of negotiation. They were to use the Dongsheng World and all the resources contained within to trade for the Vast Sea Swordmaster and the two others. They added several other treasures and items in exchange for the Zhu Heaven Pagoda and the East Heaven's Gate's younger generation of cultivators.
Liang Fu and company wasted no time after settling the terms of the arrangement and left without looking back. It was the Vast Sea Swordmaster and the Intense Flaming Swordmaster who paid their respects to Lin Feng before they departed as well.
After settling all the terms of negotiation, Lin Feng personally thanked Shi Zongtang and the others for their aid.
Besides expressing his gratitude in person, Lin Feng was not stingy at all. He immediately transferred ownership of the Dongsheng World to the Great Qin Empire, and the two Middle Worlds there were the territories of the Samsara Sect were given to the Purple Clouds Sect.
The Royal House of the Northern Tribes were gifted with the Yan Heaven Crucible, which originally belonged to the East Heaven's Gate. This was an opportune acquisition for the Royal House of the Northern Tribes, as resources were plentiful in their territory and this magic item would ensure that they could convert these materials much swifter, and would undeniably increase their strength.
The Eternal Heavenly Spear and the Royal House Priest were delighted with these gains. It was like relieving an itch deep in their hearts – even if the same choice was given between several magic items of equal value, they would have still chosen the Yan Heaven Crucible.
However, it was only right that it would depend on their own abilities to bend the magic treasure to their will and assume ownership of it.
As for the Sword of Radiance Sect, the Lightning Sword Sect, and the Great Barren Sword Sect, Lin Feng made his own displays of gratitude as well. However, all three parties were insistent on rejecting Lin Feng's gifts as they felt guilty taking anything more from him.
After a few rounds of going back and forth, Lin Feng changed tack and said, "The Saintly Celestial Cataclysm has revealed the truth. I know the few of you have a strong opinion against the Mount Shu Sword Sect, and I'm sure they are aware of this as well."
"Whenever you guys decide to seek out the Mount Shu Sword Sect is up to you. The Celestial Sect of Wonders will not interfere, and if the Mount Shu Sword Sect ever takes up the offense against you, do not hesitate to let us know."
The Supreme Radiance Swordmaster, the Lightning Swordmaster, and the others nodded their heads in acknowledgment before they bent down towards Lin Feng again. "We will forever remember your favors and everything you've done for us. The debts we owe to the Celestial Sect of Wonders, and to you, are increasing and there is no way we can repay everything. We are at your service if you need anything from us."
"You speak far too seriously," Lin Feng waved his hands.
Lin Feng engaged in a discussion with Shi Zongtang, the Thunderclouds Holy Man and the others after the congratulations and whatnot had been settled. The key agenda of their discussion was regarding the growth and development of the Divine Lands in the future, especially during the period of time when Lin Feng would be absent during his expedition into the Barren Expanses.
Lin Feng eventually sent away Shi Zongtang and his other guests before he returned to the Grand Heavens Pavilion. Shadows flickered within the great hall as Xiao Yan, Li Yuanfang, Zhu Yi, Wang Lin and the other members of the Celestial Sect of Wonders appeared at the same time before him.
"Once we have settled everything here, I will prepare for my journey into the Barren Expanses," Lin Feng's eyes paused on Xiao Yan, Zhu Yi, and Yue Hongyan. "Xiao Yan, Zhu Yi and Hongyan – when I'm away, the three of you will assume responsibility and hold down the fort. If there's an emergency or if you need me, do not hesitate to establish communications and I will return as soon as possible."
"I will leave Mount Yujing and the Two Elements of Creation Formation behind. Mount Yujing would not show itself this time, and the Black Heavenly Treasure Tree's will has also returned and will be regularly roaming the void."
"The Two Elements of Creation Formation has all forty-nine grains of the Two Elements Micro-Dust as the eye of the formation and it will be able to channel itself. You guys don't have to bother yourselves with controlling it."
"In that case, the three of you and in addition to Zhu Yi's Higan Golden Bridge, you should be able to hold out in the short term."
Xiao Yan appeared a little stunned. "Master, the Heaven-Destroying Sword, the Bell of Destiny and the Heaven-Destroying Sword Formation are sealed away for refining and cultivation. You're not even bringing along the Two Elements of Creation Formation…"
Lin Feng chuckled and answered, "Do not fret, silly boy. I haven't revealed everything during the battle of Mount Shu."
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Chapter 890: Towards the Barren Expanses
Translator: Sparrow Translations Editor: Sparrow Translations
Xiao Yan's eyes sparkled as he heard Lin Feng's reassuring words. "Master…"
Lin Feng laughed again as he waved his hands and said, "Xiao Yan, you will remain on Mount Yujing to recuperate and cultivate the True Torch of Ksitigarbha."
"You have made a great sacrifice, and if you are able to control the True Torch of Ksitigarbha that Wang Lin and the others brought back, you will have six primordial fires to go along with the immortal soul. Thought you will not be able to channel the Hexa Fire Lotus, during the initial stages of the immortal soul stage, you will be able to control the Penta Fire Lotus."
The others turned to look at Xiao Yan with eyes of both gratitude and compassion. Xiao Yan laughed and said, "That's alright, master, I can still make it in time."
Lin Feng nodded his head and laughed along with him. "You will take your time to study it, and perhaps you will make some unexpected discoveries. It can also be seen as an unprecedented opportunity as well. However, you have to remember that before you ascend to the second-level immortal stage, do not attempt to channel the Hexa Fire Lotus – the destructiveness will blow your own immortal soul to smithereens. You also have to be meticulous when you assimilate the Red Lotus Fire as seven different primordial fires will prove to be a great burden for you."
"Yes, master, I understand." Xiao Yan acknowledged the advice as Lin Feng continued. "You have to thank your fellow juniors. Refine and cultivate with the Two-Phase Rotations Divine Stone like the way I taught you, and even now you still have the opportunity to re-forge and bulk up the strength of your physical body."
Shi Tianhao burst out laughing. "I knew you'd like it."
Xiao Yan guffawed and said, "You have finally done things right."
Shi Tianhao was not upset at Xiao Yan's remark and jokingly squared up against Xiao Yan as everyone shared in the joy and celebratory mood.
"So, you shall stay on Mount Yujing to cultivate." After he was done instructing Xiao Yan, Lin Feng turned towards Zhu Yi. "Zhu Yi, it's time for you absorb all the knowledge and experience everything that you can. Do what you want and what you think is best, and you can cultivate the Higan Golden Bridge as well."
Zhu Yi nodded his head repeatedly and said, "I understand." He knew very well that Lin Feng's departure did not mean that he was shutting himself in. Even though Mount Yujing would not reveal itself easily if Zhu Yi would be able to anchor things down with the Higan Golden Bridge if there were invaders and hold them off until Lin Feng's return. This was one of the reasons why Lin Feng chose Zhu Yi to remain in the Divine Lands.
The hidden meaning behind Lin Feng's words that he could 'do what he wanted' was that Lin Feng gave him his permission to seek out Zhu Hongwu.
Lin Feng then shifted his attention to Yue Hongyan. "You have gained much from your journey into the Southern Wilderness. You shall focus your attention on assimilating the Royal Extermination Pole-Ax, and prepare for breaking through to the nascent soul intermediate stage at the same time."
Yue Hongyan smiled faintly as her sword-like eyebrows became a lot smoother and warmer. "Yes, master."
Lin Feng passed his instructions to Wang Lin, Shi Tianhao, Yang Qing, Li Yuanfang and Luo Qingwu as well. "The few of you will follow me into the Barren Expanses."
All five of them bowed down in acknowledgment. "Yes, master."
Once he was done with all that, Lin Feng passed a Life and Death Netherworld Tao Fruit that he had previously cultivated to Xiao Zhener and Gu Peng. The fruit contained the nether soul of the Prince of Tang, one of the members of the royal family of the Emperor of the Ancients.
The Prince of Tang was already dead, and true reincarnation was also a near impossibility. His fate, whether he was to be preserved or sent into the afterlife, was up to Xiao Zhener and her family members.
The other two Life and Death Netherworld Tao Fruits obtained from the Emperor of the Dead contained the Heaven's Gate Sect's Spiritual Sky Elder and one of the olden Scholarly Sect's Second Sages, Wu Zi.
It was not possible to directly obtain the mantras and the teachings of the Heaven's Gate Sect and the Scholarly Sect, and one could only derive and study it from outside. However, Lin Feng and the others had no intention of doing so and irrevocably shattered the two Tao Fruits and sent their souls into the afterlife.
Before Lin Feng departed the mountain, the Mount Shu Sword Sect finally arrived. The Shaoyang Swordmaster was there and hoped to ensure the safe return of the Shaoshang Swordmaster and the Lixiong Swordmaster, along with the five swords that the Celestial Sect of Wonders had imprisoned – the Shaoshang, Lixiong, Shaoyang, Shaoze and the Grand Moon Swords.
The Celestial Sect of Wonders was not about to return the various divine swords. The Shaoshang Swordmaster, who was part of the group that besieged Xiao Yan, Mister Dual Polarity Peak, and the Virtuous Zen Master, was off limits. Lin Feng was already being magnanimous for not pursuing the issue with the Grand Moon Swordmaster, the Shaoze Swordmaster, and the Guanchong Swordmaster.
The only person that they were willing to return was the Lixiong Swordmaster.
The Shaoyang Swordmaster's attitude, or it could be said to be representative of the Mount Shu Sword Sect's attitude, was a little strange and they also refrained from pushing the limits. They used the 'price' of redeeming two people to exchange for just the Lixiong Swordmaster.
The typically toxic and violent Lixiong Swordmaster seemed a little lost and unkempt as he came down from the Heavenly Gods-Sealing Banner. He wore an inscrutable expression as he departed with the Shaoyang Swordmaster.
It was the subsequent news from Mount Shu that was slightly more interesting.
Xin Longsheng, the Tiangang Swordmaster, and the Cang Ming Swordmaster rebuilt the peaks of Mount Shu and the mountain gate together. Xin Longsheng resigned from his position as the sect leader of the Mount Shu Sword Sect immediately after and meditated at the summit of Mount Shu for a day and a night before he vanished right after sunrise.
The Tiangang Swordmaster and the Cang Ming Swordmaster remained in Mount Shu but returned to reclusion and meditation.
The Shaoyang Swordmaster inherited the position of sect leader and became the first cultivator in the history of the Mount Shu Sword Sect to become the sect leader before the third-level immortal soul stage.
The influence and power of the Mount Shu Sword Sect suffered an unprecedented and irrevocable loss. They sealed the mountain and avoided interaction with the outside world for the time being. Even the Yu Yuan Holy Woman of the Great Void Sect remained on the mountain for only a short while during her visit before she was escorted away.
Over at the Celestial Sect of Wonders, the task of rebuilding the Celestial Wonders World, the Cloud Mirror City, and the Yun Peak Mirror Lake fell to Xiao Yan, Zhu Yi, and the others. After arranging everything else that was necessary, Lin Feng immediately brought Wang Lin, Shi Tianhao, Yang Qing, Li Yuanfang and Luo Qingwu away.
Tun Tun tagged along as the little kid wanted to visit the Barren Expanses.
Lin Feng and company followed the information obtained from Xu Anda when he was inside the Void Battleground and eventually arrived at the Netherworld Emperor's World. They found its location, but all it was a dark, barren and desolate world. It was uninhabited, and even the dark royal palace that was supposed to be there had disappeared.
Wang Lin's eyes sparkled with chilly light as he reached down to sense the flowing energies of this middle world. Shi Tianhao started grinding his teeth and said, "What a sneaky rodent."
Lin Feng contemplated momentarily and said, "After the episode, whether it is the Emperor of the Dead himself or the Hall of the Dead, will spend some time lying low and hiding in obscurity. However, this person's villainous ambitions are still there and he will eventually reveal himself. Whether or not he will bite the hook from the line we cast as bait remains to be seen."
"Since we have cast the same line as that of the Emperor of the Dead, who ends up victorious will depend on our own capabilities."
"Let's go." Lin Feng shook his sleeve and swept everyone up before they left the Netherworld Emperor's World and headed towards the Barren Expanses.In a middle world that belonged in the territory of the Great Qin Empire, there were a great many normal citizens and a handful of cultivators.
There was a sprawling city in the middle with several villages located in the outskirts. Inside one of the small villages, there lived a typical family who farmed for subsistence – everybody had a job to do, both the older generation and the husband and wife.
Over two years ago, the wife had been ten months pregnant and everybody was in a jovial mood as there was about to be a new member of the family. They lit up incenses to celebrate and the other people in the village came down to pay their congratulations.
Everyone was elated and comforted as even though the child was young, he was obedient and intelligent and was as charming as any child could get.
When the child's parents and the grandfather were down working in the fields, the grandmother would attempt to tuck in the child and put him to sleep. "Happy is sleepy, happy is going to sleep, happy is going to sleep."
The little child was nicknamed Happy, and once the child was sound asleep, the grandmother herself would doze off beside him.
His grandmother was fast asleep, but Happy's eyes were wide open. He did not move an inch as his right eye turned a pitch black and a black light illusion shot out inside the room. This light illusion was invisible to the naked eye, and even cultivators below the immortal soul stage would not have been able to see it.
If somebody entered the room, or even if the grandmother were to wake up right now, all they would see was Happy sleeping soundly.
The child nicknamed happy was the incarnation of the Emperor of the Dead. He wore a calm expression as he considered the interactions he had with this earthly family – he could clearly perceive the joys of living and the oppositeness of death, and he fed off both forces to regain his strength.
He was the Emperor of the Dead, and was the dictator of both the land of the living and the land of the dead; he was not just the God of Death that was just slightly murderous.
A few human figures appeared from within the light shadow and everybody was dressed in flowing black robes. The individual taking point had a tall and burly build, but his features were blurry and unclear and was apparently a powerful third-level immortal soul stage cultivator.
Of the sub-halls of the Hall of the Dead and the leader of the Ten Kings of Hell, who was also the most powerful cultivator amongst them, was known as the King Yanluo. He had always been faithful and loyal to the Emperor of the Dead, and when Xu Anda plotted against the Emperor of the Dead, the person he feared the most was also the King Yanluo. When Xu Anda brought the Life and Death Book into Mount Yujing, he had no choice but to leave behind the Mayahana-level Brush of the Emperor of the Dead to watch the house and to monitor the King Yanluo.
By the side of the King Yanluo, there were two other kings that were equally loyal to the Emperor of the Dead – the King Pingdeng and the Cakravarti King. The last person standing beside them had pale skin and a frail look and was the same person that was besieged and eventually killed by Wang Lin, Zhang Lie and the King Chujiang just the other day – the King Wuguan, Sikong You.
Wang Lin's instincts were right after all. Sikong You faked his death and was loyal to a fault towards the Emperor of the Dead as well. He knew something about Xu Anda's mutinous plan, which was the reason why Xu Anda had him put to death before anything. However, everything was within the calculations of the Emperor of the Dead, and Sikong You was instructed to play along.
There were four more people in the group, but these four were kneeling on the ground and facing the floor. The first person was a middle-aged man with a black robe that had golden edges, and he held up a brush with a black stem and a golden tip over his head.
This was the original soul of the Brush of the Emperor of the Dead. He was a magic treasure that was originally cultivated by the Emperor of the Dead and was subsequently passed down to Xu Anda. In the end, he joined forces with Xu Anda in the mutinous plot against the Emperor of the Dead.
The three others beside the Brush of the Emperor of the Dead were the King Chujiang, the King Biancheng, and the King Doushi.
"You will not be sentenced to death – but you will suffer the appropriate punishments." The tiny child, who appeared no older than two or three, started to flip the Life and Death Book and channeled four streams of energy into the four of them respectively, and expressions of agony immediately floated to their faces.
Even though they managed to escape with their lives, the four of them did not seem happy or relieved at all. The punishment dished out by the Emperor of the Dead dictated that a single thought of deviation would lead to their irreversible and painful death without even a chance to resist.
However, this was the best possible outcome and all they could do was express their gratitude.
There were two more members of the Hall of the Dead that were not physically present on the scene but projected illusions of themselves instead.
One individual had full red hair and was an old man with an intimidating aura, while the other was an unassuming white-clothed youth.
The new leader of the Path of Asura, and also the recently appointed sect leader of the Samsara Sect – Mo Xiuluo; the new leader of the Path of the Heaven-Born, the Heavenly Cloud Holy Man, Shen Qifeng.
Both of them appeared serene as the King Yanluo and the others regarded them with gazes that did not contain a single ounce of surprise. The Brush of the Emperor of the Dead, the King Chujiang, and the others also perceived the two of them with bitter amusement – everybody was already aware that Mo Xiuluo and Shen Qifeng had joined the Emperor of the Dead a long time ago.
Xu Anda had plotted against Shi Tianfang maliciously as well, but even till his ultimate demise, he had no clue that both he and Shi Tianfang were within the calculations and the plans of the Emperor of the Dead.
The Emperor of the Dead surveyed his subordinates and said softly, "The Celestial Sect of Wonders and the Great Void Sect are both hoping to continue using the two of you. I am afraid the two of you have to remain in the Divine Lands to play along with them."
Mo Xiuluo and Shen Qifeng bowed down concurrently and said, "It is our pleasure, master."
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Chapter 891: Escape Plan
Translator: Sparrow Translations Editor: Sparrow Translations
Since the end of the Primordial Age, the Grand Celestial World had been separated into two parts and humans one world while demons resided in the other. The human world was named the Divine Lands while the demon land was called the Barren Expanses.
Even though 'Barren' was part of its name, the place itself was not all that barren. The reason for the name was that the flow of spiritual energy in the Greater world was completely unsuitable for human cultivators and were optimal for demons.
For immortal soul stage cultivators, heaven and earth were one and switching around spiritual energies was not too difficult. However, for cultivators that were not yet in the immortal soul stage, activity in the Barren Expanses would prove to be restrained and slightly difficult.
The degree of restraint was not too great. The only difference was that these cultivators would have to take a longer time to assimilate the spiritual energy of the Barren Expanses than otherwise. It would not be too challenging in typical days, but it could be the deciding factor between victory and defeat in the heat of battle.
On the other hand, demons faced similar problems when they were inside the Divine Lands. They were only able to gradually overcome the disproportionate nature of the spiritual energies if they were able to stay inside the Divine Lands for a prolonged period of time.
Lin Feng, Wang Lin and Shi Tianhao were not too affected by the change in environment inside the Barren Expanses. Tun Tun was excited and became active like a fish that just returned into water, but Yang Qing, Li Yuanfang and Luo Qingwu could feel the acute difference in comfort in the channeling of their mana.
The gap was small, but it was distinct.
"The three of you have never been to the Barren Expanses, so it will be a good experience and a form of training and exposure," Lin Feng smiled as he said, and Yang Qing and the two others nodded their heads in response.
Shi Tianhao chuckled and said, "There is not that much of a difference. It will all be fine after you adapt to it."
He had been inside the Barren Expanses more times than anybody else inside the Celestial Sect of Wonders. He was so familiar with this place that he even had a small reputation in the Barren Expanses from his last few expeditions. The active demons around the inter-world passage between the two worlds reacted with fear and apprehension at the news of his arrival.
This fellow was far too fierce and cruel. Not only did he kill demons, he even ate them. Furthermore, he was not too picky or particular about the way his meals were 'served', and this petrified the small demons to the point where they were unsure who was the real demon.
Wang Lin's reputation was the fiercest amongst Lin Feng's other disciples inside the Divine Lands. Since his first entry into the Void Battleground when he was still in the aurous core advanced stage, he had continuously defeated and killed nascent soul stage cultivators and eventually blinded Shi Tianyi in one eye. In the subsequent years, whenever he engaged in battle, his opponents and adversaries mostly ended up dead; Shi Tianyi was one of the rare few that survived after battling Wang Lin.
The last time he was inside the Void Battleground, his hands were once again stained with the blood of his opponents – whoever that possessed hostile intentions towards him or launched attacks against him all wound up dead. Wang Lin was known by many to be the number one butcher under the seat of the leader of the Celestial Sect of Wonders.
However, over in the Barren Expanses, Shi Tianhao's notoriety and infamy was undeniable and unmatchable.
If one were to count seriously, the number of demons that he had killed and eaten to satiate his own desires probably be greater than the number of humans that died in the hands of Wang Lin.
Shi Tianhao surveyed the vast world before him, took a deep breath and stretched his back as his eyes sparkled.
Tun Tun had a similar reaction. The pair were as excited as they could be, and immediately began to search their surroundings with their consciousness at the same time. This spectacle made Wang Lin and the others a little speechless.
Lin Feng laughed as he tapped them on the heads. "We will finish what's important first, then you guys can enjoy yourselves."
Tun Tun swallowed a ball of saliva and said, "Based on the geographical characteristics of the land near us, we are in the land of the Golden Rocs. However, we are still quite a distance away from their ancestral grounds. If we can find a stray Golden Roc, even if can only stare at it, I will already find it tasty."
They took the path of the Void Battleground and broke space-time to enter the Barren Expanses instead of the usual inter-world passage from the Divine Lands – this was the reason why they found themselves inside the hinterlands of the Barren Expanses.
The current leader of the Golden Roc Tribe was named Lei Yuan, and he was also the same Golden Roc Grand Sage who assimilated the Hades' Dark Mantra back in the Cloud Forest World.
A thought flickered in his head as Lin Feng said softly, "Follow me." He swayed his sleeves and too everyone along into the void as he travelled through boundless layers of space with just a few steps.
When they regained their footing, they found themselves before a giant swamp. Shi Tianhao took one look and shook his head immediately, "I've never been to this region before."
Tun Tun inspected her surroundings meticulously and tilted her head as she tried to bring something up from her memory. She hesitated before she attempted a guess, "I think this placed is called the Great Jingyun Swamp. When I was younger, before my physical body was destroyed, my father and I walked past this place before. My father warned me not to get too close, as this was the home of the Nine Infants."
Lin Feng had heard of the legend of a nine-headed strange serpent that had the power to spit both fire and water from its head, and made sounds that highly resembled the high-pitched wailing of an infant – hence the reason for its name. It was an extremely active great demon thousands of years ago, and participated in the most recent war between the worlds.
This demon had no kinsmen and was a lone wolf. However, he was already at the third-level undying demon soul stage all those years ago. He survived the war and retreated into reclusion and rarely showed himself to the outside world.
When news that the Heavenly Charms Grand Sage and the Golden Roc Grand Sage had obtained the Hades Dark Mantra spread, this powerful demon resurfaced in the Barren Expanses.
The Nine Infants Grand Sage was not ranked amongst the Ten Demonic Saints. However, the reason was because he cultivated alone and lived like a hermit and rarely roamed the world. If one were to pick the Ten Demonic Saints based on power and mastery, the Nine Infants Grand Sage was superior to almost all ten of them.
The Ten Demonic Saints was typically used to refer to the ten most active powerful demons in the Barren Expanses, and was not representative of the ten most powerful ones.
Similarly, before Lin Feng's rise to power and the stirring of the Divine Lands, if one were to create a list called the 'Ten Human Saints' by the same method, people like the Tai Yi Holy Man, Yan Nanlai and Xin Longsheng would not be selected. The powerful cultivators that were relatively more active would be people like Emperor Shi Yu, Emperor Liang Pan, Shi Tianfang of the Samsara Sect and Mo Xiuluo, the Royal House Lord and the others; not a single person from the Great Void Sect would have been chosen either.
The Ten Demonic Saints comprised the Heavenly Charms Grand Sage, the Golden Roc Grand Sage, the Purple Sea Dragon King, the Golden Crow Grand Sage, the Taotie Grand Sage, the Qiong Qi Grand Sage, the Tao Wu Grand Sage, the Nine-tailed Heavenly Fox Grand Sage, the Xuanming Grand Sage and the Lu Yuan Grand Sage.
Nine of them had their own kinsmen and tribesmen. The only exception was the Lu Yuan Grand Sage – he was a powerful Lu Yuan with a tiger's head and primate's body. His eyes could see through the Sun and Moon and he roamed the world alone.
The Lu Yuan Grand Sage was also the most upsetting and problematic one off them all. He was wild and untamable, and was violent and belligerent by nature. He obtained satisfaction and contentment from battling other great demons and he craved improving his own masteries through combat. At the same time, he was smart about picking his opponents as he chose those who were slightly stronger than he was yet not too much, and was the reason for his infamy and notoriety in the Barren Expanses.
His power was still formidable, however. Back in the day, before the Golden Roc Grand Sage had obtained the Hades' Dark Mantra, the Lu Yuan Grand Sage challenged both him and the Purple Sea Dragon King and both battles ended up in a draw.
The reputation of the Ten Demonic Saints was in a state of decadence. The Golden Crow Grand Sage ventured into the Divine Lands a long time ago and ended up being imprisoned by Lin Feng. The Qiong Qi Grand Sage joined under the wing of the Golden Roc Grand Sage, and the hated and despised Lu Yuan Grand Sage had been missing for many years.
However, the Heavenly Charms Grand Sage and the Golden Roc Grand Sage reappeared in the world packing a more powerful punch and started turning the heads of all the demons in the Barren Expanses. Even though the Purple Sea Dragon King, who was ranked on the same level as them, was relatively more low-profile, nobody in the Barren Expanses or the Divine Lands dared to underestimate him – the Purple Sea Dragon King had the Immemorial Celestial Dragons behind him.
The dragons inhabited in the Black Sea, which was one of the Grand Celestial Seven Seas. Many powerful dragons lived like hermits inside the Black Sea and seldom came out; the Purple Sea Dragon King was their representative to deal with certain issues inside the Barren Expanses.
Despite their low profile, ever since the Hades Beast Tribe completely vanished without a trace, the dragons had become the most powerful race in the Barren Expanses, and possessed influence and power superior to that of even the alliance of the Phoenixes and the Divine Parasol Trees.
In recent years, it was not just the Divine Lands that had been stirred up by the Celestial Sect of Wonders. The Barren Expanses had their share of disharmony and conflict as the dragons started to develop ambitions and they wanted to come out of their seclusion.
At the same time, other great demons like the Nine Infants Grand Sage were becoming more and more active.
The circumstances inside the Barren Expanses were changing rapidly as well, as they did inside the Divine Lands and nobody dared to blink.
However, with Lin Feng's current level of mastery, he was not too concerned about the Nine Infants Grand Sage – unless, the latter had managed to become the Infants Emperor, who had the power to dominate the entire Barren Expanses. Then, Lin Feng would have to be careful.
The void flickered in front of them as a tall human figure walked out from within. The figure had white-colored scales but his physical features and characteristics were exactly the same as Lin Feng's. The only difference was that the scaled human had two white horns on his head – dragon horns.
It was Lin Feng's Thunder Dragon Avatar, and its eyes flashed with lightning of four different colors and shook the eight barrens.
When the Spirit Sea returned to the Greater World, the Thunder Dragon Avatar moved towards the Barren Expanses at once and Lin Feng's original body dealt with the issues inside the Divine Lands.
Lin Feng used to leave marks on the souls of the relatively more outstanding disciples in the Celestial Sect of Wonders, but that was a long time ago. Xiao Yan, Zhu Yi and the others were in the immortal soul stage now, and this task was naturally passed down to them and Lin Feng no longer needed to bother himself.
The Thunder Dragon Avatar had followed the marks into the Great Jingyun Swamp. He was not too hasty to act as Zhou Yuncong's light was still burning bright and displayed no signs of weakening or extinguishment. All he did was monitor, and laid in wait for the original body to show up before they rained hell upon the enemy together.
Lin Feng's original body exchanged looks with the Thunder Dragon Avatar and nodded in silent unison before the Thunder Dragon Avatar vanished into thin air and Lin Feng's original body immediately descended into the Great Jingyun Swamp.
The lake water separated naturally and did not obstruct Lin Feng's advance at all.
He continued forward and reached the bottom of the lake in no time, and it was at this moment that a certain being in the murky depths of the lakebed jerked awake – in the next moment, it was already staring at Lin Feng who had arrived before it in no time with a rather astonished look.
It was a strange serpent with nine necks growing from its torso, and the mouths of the snake heads were overflowing with Yin Water and Yin Fire. The Yin Water tainted the swamp a pitch-black color, but what was more insidious was the fact that the Yin Fire was unaffected by the water as it raged in the middle of everything.
The nine mouths of the serpent made shrill sounds that resembled the wailing sounds of infants – it was the Nine Infants Grand Sage.
Even though he had been living like a hermit inside the Barren Expanses, he still recognized Lin Feng with just one look.
He wasted no words as the nine serpent heads howled in unison and a colossal magic formation glimmered beneath him; countless mystical and ancient runes shimmered into vision.
Lin Feng's eyes sparkled a little and his gaze effortlessly saw through the light layer formed by the mystical runes.
He immediately realized that the Nine Infants Grand Sage wanted to send away the tiny world beneath his feet to somewhere else, along with himself.
This third-level undying demon soul grand sage seemed to be a guardian for this world of consciousness.
Lin Feng swept the area with his psychic senses as his facial expression grew a little strange. "Heh, nice escape plan."
Zhou Yuncong was not inside the small world, but Lin Feng discovered something else that caught his attention.
The Golden Cicada Master had discovered the mark that Lin Feng had left on Zhou Yuncong's soul some time ago, and used his own esoteric methods to remove the marking.
Even though the Golden Cicada Master tried his best to overestimate Lin Feng's abilities, he never expected that Lin Feng's abhijnas were equally unique – the soul mark that had been removed was transferred onto something else that the Golden Cicada Master held dear. Due to the effects of the Golden Cicada Master's execution of his own spell, the transfer was far too obscure and discreet and the Golden Cicada Master was unable to detect.
The outcome was that Lin Feng's expedition to search for his sect's disciples turned up nothing, and he ended up blockading the Nine Infants Grand Sage and that special treasure.
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Chapter 892: The Golden Cicada Master's Hidden Secret
Translator: Sparrow Translations Editor: Sparrow Translations
The Golden Cicada Master was an immemorial great demon and was already at the Vipralopa Stage. The extent of his powers was extolled as boundless and all-powerful, but what made Lin Feng relatively more concerned was his natural abhijna, the Golden Cicada Shell Escape Technique. It was a truly irritating spell.
It was especially so because the Golden Cicada Master was adept in Buddhist mantras and studied the Bright Space Samsara Technique. Using that with the Golden Cicada Shell Escape Technique led to a combination that was even more difficult to deal with.
From Lin Feng's perspective, this bastard was a cicada but he was more like a cockroach.
This person's mastery was indeed formidable. When Lin Feng was still in the first-level immortal soul stage, the mana trace that he had imprinted on Zhou Yuncong's soul was forcefully removed by the Golden Cicada Master. The Golden Cicada Master still underestimated Lin Feng in the end, however, as the mana trace that was a removed from Zhou Yuncong's soul was discreetly transferred onto a magic treasure in his possession.
"This treasure doesn't belong to the Nine Infants Grand Sage – the original owner is that old cicada. I can still find him using this treasure as a lead."
Lin Feng extended his mana as he continued to contemplate and instantly sealed off the Great Jingyun Swamp so that the Nine Infants Grand Sage had no way of escaping.
He reached out with his hands and effortlessly grabbed the small World of Consciousness in his hands. He left the Nine Infants Grand Sage to Wang Lin, Shi Tianhao and the others.
The ferocity of this great demon was not to be underestimated. When he realized he was backed into a corner, his body started to transform as the void twisted out of proportion along with his body. His body seemed no larger than it was, but in reality, it was far more colossal than before – without twisting space, even the entire Great Jingyun Swamp would have been unable to contain him.
Seven of the nine snake heads opened their bloody mouths. However, instead of spitting out Yin Fire and Yin Water, they started to flicker with the radiance of the stars. Strange glyphs and runes glimmered within each head, with a brilliance that resembled the stars in the heavens.
Wang Lin exchanged a look with Shi Tianhao and muttered, "Oh? This demon has cultivated seven stars?"
In the path of demonic cultivation, once the demon reached the undying demon soul stage, it would have never-ending life and a powerful demonic soul.
If the demon was able to form the Original True Spirit, also known as the second-level undying demon soul stage, it would be able to use the Original True Spirit as a foundation to cultivate and assimilate the stars in the heavens above. The demon could direct the power of the stars into its body and its strength would continually increase.
Once the first star had been completely assimilated, the demon grand sage would attempt to channel the other stars in the sky and integrate the assimilated star with its undying demon soul. Successful integration would allow the great demon to form the Syncretic Star Soul and he would ascend into the third-level undying demon soul stage.
With the Syncretic Star Soul after the first star, third-level undying demon soul stage demons would be able to start assimilating more and more stars.
These demons would experience increased strength and power with every star they assimilated.
There were clear distinctions between the qualities of strength of different stars. Therefore, it did not necessarily follow that a large volume of assimilated stars meant the demon would be undefeatable; one had to pay attention to the type of stars assimilated.
The seven stars cultivated by the Nine Infants Grand Sage were similar in quality and characteristics. In this case, the combination of the seven stars produced an optimal effect and greatly boosted his demonic powers.
From the looks of it, if he were able to cultivate nine stars with every head as a respective host, his demonic powers would ascend to another level and he could possibly have the ability to attempt the tribulations.
The Nine Infants Grand Sage recognized Lin Feng at once and naturally did not hold back at all. His first move was a somewhat all-in-or-nothing stance as he channeled all seven stars that he had assimilated – vast energies disturbed and stirred up space-time.
"Third Senior, help me direct the formation," Shi Tianhao muttered under his breath as he stepped forward to meet the great demon. Wang Lin nodded his head calmly as he glared at the Nine Infants Grand Sage with cold eyes.
His two disciples were responsible for toying round with the Nine Infants Grand Sage while Lin Feng's attention shifted to the small world of consciousness that he had just retrieved.
There was a gargantuan magic formation hidden within the tiny world. This magic formation appeared sinister as it rolled with flickering Buddhist light and even emanated some wood fragrance. Buddhist chants could be heard from within as well, but the formation patterns permeated with demonic energies.
There was a rectangular object with four triangular extensions on each side in the center of the magic formation. They resembled four thin wings of a cicada, and they congregated at the tip and formed a pyramid-like structure.
Thick golden mist obscured the wings of the cicada and there was no way one could see what was placed within the four-sided pyramid.
"Eh?" Lin Feng felt his heart skip a beat as he turned towards Shi Tianhao and his epic battle with the Nine Infants Grand Sage. The combined release of the seven stars gave the great demon an advantage, but Lin Feng was not so concerned about that. What caught his attention was the fact that, during the climax of the battle, a figure flickered into vision and teamed up with the Nine Infants Grand Sage against Shi Tianhao.
It was a tall monk-like figure. He looked ancient, had a Vajra-like expression as he held onto a monk staff, and had a row of prayer beads hanging around his neck; what was insidious was the fact that the necklace of 'prayer beads' was formed by nine skulls of different races.
Buddhist light shot out from the top of the monk's head and condensed into a giant Buddha spell body on top of a lotus flower. The lotus flower had a wheel and a throne that was supported by eight horses, and the buddha had Cintamani beads on his right hand and a bell on his left – it was the Ratnasambhava of the Five Dhyani Buddhas.
This was an authentic and representative mantra of the Buddhists – the Ratnasambhava Mantra. The monk was able to form the buddha spell body, and was in the second-level golden form stage. However, its consciousness and movement was perfectly synchronized with the Nine Infants Grand Sage, thus it was clear that it was one of the great demon's avatars.
This was similar to the five Buddha avatars of the Golden Cicada Master. The Nine Infants Grand Sage was one of his followers, and eventually studied Buddhist mantras as well and ultimately cultivated a buddha avatar for himself.
Higher level monks practicing the Five Tathagata Mantras of the Compass would have delicate differences between each other as their cultivation would have incorporated his or her own understanding of Buddhist teachings and the way of life.
The Nine Infants Grand Sage's Ratnasambhava Mantra, even though it was not entirely the same as that practiced by the Golden Cicada Master, Lin Feng could tell with a single look that both originated from the same lineage.
In a certain sense, one could say that the Nine Infants Grand Sage was a disciple of the Golden Cicada Master.
"Interesting," Lin Feng chuckled before his attention returned to the four-sided pyramid inside the tiny world before him.
His eyes sparkled as he easily pierced through the barriers erected by the cicada wings and his vision x-rayed into the pyramid.
There was a golden bowl positioned inside the pyramid; Buddhist light and demonic energies coexisted within it.
The cicada wings trembled as a light illusion shimmered into vision above them. It was a grey-cloaked young monk – the Golden Cicada Master!
He was powerless in stopping Lin Feng's entrance through the cicada wings, but Lin Feng's actions alerted him nonetheless.
The Golden Cicada Master stared at Lin Feng and smiled faintly, "Master Lin, I have not showed the respect I should have, do forgive me for that. Your grand disciple is safe and healthy, and you can rest easy."
Lin Feng glanced at the Golden Cicada Master and replied, "Save your words for when we actually meet. I will find you very soon."
The Golden Cicada Master said, "May I kindly request that you do not cause too much trouble for the Nine Infants Grand Sage. He is here under my instructions to protect what is mine, and has nothing to do with the issue of your grand-disciple, and neither does he know where I am."
Lin Feng said no more as he waved his hands above the cicada wings and the Golden Cicada Master's light illusion vanished in an instant. However, Lin Feng did not destroy the cicada wings or damage the magic formation.
He was meticulously observing the golden bowl inside the pyramid. He realized that there seemed to be a golden Nirvana Samsara rotating continuously inside the golden bowl.
There was a human figure inside the Nirvana Samsara, and Lin Feng recognized him immediately – it was the Marquis of Jinghuan, who had been defeated and killed by Xiao Yan inside the Ying Sea!
He had the old look of short hair and an expression of hard-headedness, yet it seemed like he was trying his best to resist the agonizing grind of the golden samsara. However, he was an extraordinary individual after all and it appeared as if he managed to understand the golden samsara's concept of power and was gradually reducing the direness of his circumstance.
Lin Feng watched on with amusement. To the best of his knowledge, the Marquis of Jinghuan had connections with many different sects and families; he was the bastard son of Liang Pan, the emperor of the Great Zhou Empire and thus received many privileges and benefits from them; he was discreetly supported by the Radical Faction of the Great Void Sect; he was also collaborating with the Golden Cicada Master in secret.
He even managed to obtain the lineage of the last emperor of the Human Emperors of the Antiquity age – the Emperor of Violence, even though it was incomplete.
During the battle of the Ying Sea, Xiao Yan destroyed the Divine Armor of the Emperor of Violence and blew his physical body and his nascent soul into smithereens – his various avatars followed into the depths as well. The Golden Cicada Master's avatar, the Ratnasambhava Monk, had intentions to save him but retreated as he was nearly trapped by the Great Zhou Empire himself.
From the looks of it, the Golden Cicada Master had done something to Liang An's body way before any of that happened, and he probably did so without pure intentions of any kind.
It was likely that the clandestine support provided by the Golden Cicada Master had ulterior motives from the very beginning.
Lin Feng carefully observed the golden samsara and realized that this golden samsara seemed to be taking something out from the remnant soul of the Marquis of Jinghuan.
He extended his consciousness and connected with the golden samsara. Immediately, multiple disconnected and disorganized flashbacks and pictures appeared in his mind.
There was a high-spirited middle-aged man with the demeanor of a ferocious predator that stood tall and magnificent between heaven and earth. There was a kingly aura about this man, and he also exhibited overwhelming qualities of avariciousness and the desire to despoil – he was like the demon love-child of a dragon and a wolf.
This man held a golden bowl in his hands and was using his mana to study it.
The golden bowl flickered with golden light, but in the middle of it all was a region that resembled a black howl.
This region was deathly quiet and tranquil, yet it seemed to embody a frightening existence. Both the middle-aged man and even Lin Feng felt chills run down their spines at the sight of it.
The middle-aged man gazed at the darkness within the rays of golden light. The inscrutable expression in his eyes flowed with fear, curiosity, reverence, desire and greed – an inexhaustible list.
There seemed to be a sparkle of light in the abyss of the darkness, but was obscure and difficult to make out.
However, Lin Feng could feel the self-conscious aura from inside, and it was one of omnipotence and boundless power.
Lin Feng had a revelation. "So it's like this… But, what's up with the Marquis of Jinghuan? Could it be the incarnation of the Emperor of Violence? Yet it doesn't seem like it – it feels more like an outsider watching the Emperor of Violence and that golden bowl…"
During the process of his own reasoning, the thoughts of the Marquis of Jinghuan flowed into Lin Feng's mind as well. Besides the usual outrageous greed and rapacity, Lin Feng smiled at the thought that this man was still dreaming of taking his revenge on Xiao Yan.
Lin Feng chuckled as he connected his consciousness to Xiao Yan, who was still on top of Mount Yujing. Xiao Yan was a little confused as his own consciousness connected to that of the Marquis of Jinghuan and Xiao Yan's image immediately glimmered in the Marquis of Jinghuan's thoughts.
After a moment of shock, Liang An grinned wryly and said, "I bet you didn't know I am still alive. You can't kill me! You weren't able to do it the last time, and the next time we meet, I will definitely send you to hell – and when that happens, all your women and all your treasures will belong to me!"
"Even though I am currently trapped by the Golden Cicada Master, I have already discovered the way out. That's not all – once I am able to escape, I will be able to draw power from the Golden Cicada Master's set-up and ascend to the immortal soul stage. I will find the opportunity to seek my vengeance upon the Golden Cicada Master after I execute you. Unless, you spend your entire life under the protection of your master, or you shall be the stepping stone for my rise to power!"
Xiao Yan appeared stunned at his outburst but recovered in an instant before he sputtered a giggle and retrieved two items from his pocket that resembled torn clothes.
The Marquis of Jinghuan's eyes turned red the moment he saw these two things and he exploded again. "You… you…"
Xiao Yan laughed again mockingly as he held one piece in each hand and waved it in front of the Marquis of Jinghuan – they were the remains of the Divine Armor of the Emperor of Violence.
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Chapter 893: The Traumatized Marquis of Jinghuan
Translator: Sparrow Translations Editor: Sparrow Translations
Xiao Yan both remnant pieces of the Divine Armor in his hands shook them in front of the Marquis of Jinghuan mischievously. The Marquis of Jinghuan flew into a rage and even started vomiting blood – that magic item was precious treasure that aided him in his rise to power and the anchor of his previous life.
At the same time, this magic item was the closest to his heart. The connection and feeling he had with the Divine Body Armor was vastly different from the rest of his magic items. He felt a deep spiritual link with it, and this link seemed to only become stronger as he rose through the levels of mastery. The martial ways of the Emperor of Violence that he had derived and learned through the Divine Body Armor only became more and more complete as well.
It was as if the two of them were integrated as one being.
This also gave the Marquis of Jinghuan a great boost in his ambitions. He felt as if he was the true owner of this magic item, and felt as if he was very likely to be the incarnation of the Emperor of Violence. He wanted to resolve the regrets of his previous life and return to the Divine Lands to dominate the world.
The Marquis of Jinghuan did not use this magic item easily because the damage suffered by the Divine Body Armor previously was far too severe. Instead, he stocked up on large amounts of materials and resources and injected them into the magic treasure in the hopes of returning it to its former glory as soon as possible.
Never did he expect the Divine Body Armor to be laid to ruin by Xiao Yan's Quad Fire Lotus and the Yin Yang Burning Heavens Formation. To him, this pierced his heart, and he even felt in that instant that Xiao Yan's destruction of the Divine Body Armor was even harder to accept and more heartbreaking than his own death.
And now, Xiao Yan was waving the pathetic remains of the Divine Body Armor before his very eyes and this infuriated him to the point where he nearly let himself go and was almost swallowed whole by the golden samsara.
The Marquis of Jinghuan recovered and regained his concentration as he ground his teeth and glared at Xiao Yan. "Xiao! Yan!"
"Good, you are very good! You think you've won? When I'm in the immortal soul stage, I will incorporate your nascent soul, your physical body and your own soul into the Divine Body Armor. Surely it will be restored to its original glory in no time!"
"I will keep a single stream of your consciousness so that you can see how I integrate your soul into the Divine body Armor, so that you can see how I use it to roam and eventually sweep the world!"
"There will come a day when you will see clearly how all your mantras and abhijnas will become mine. I will personally execute everyone in the Celestial Sect of Wonders, I will murder all your juniors and I will make you watch as I steal all your women!"
Xiao Yan laughed coldly at his continuous outburst with a spark of ferocity in his eyes. He chuckled again and said, "Oh? I'm sorry to tell you, but you will never realize your dream. My physical body has already been assimilated into my immortal soul."
"You can't escape! You…" the Marquis of Jinghuan stopped talking abruptly and he looked like he had just seen a ghost. "You… What did you just say? Your immortal soul?!"
Xiao Yan smiled and replied, "What's the problem?" He flashed his Taijitu on his forehead and blinded the Marquis of Jinghuan momentarily as a Taijitu completely formed by roaring flames shimmered in the void. A terrifying power seemed to surge through the void, and even thought the Marquis of Jinghuan was merely watching, he could already feel the agonizing burn in his remnant soul.
The Marquis of Jinghuan drew a cold breath and held it there for a long while, before he spit it out and exclaimed, "Impossible!"
"Inside the Ying Sea, you were only in the intermediate nascent soul stage, and you haven't even formed your cosmic form!"
"Only two years have passed since we last met in the Ying Sea. Don't tell me you shut yourself in a cave that can speed up time because that is ineffective. Even if it's effective, how long can you shut yourself in for? How much faster can the caves of the Celestial Sect of Wonders speed up time? A thousand times?"
Xiao Yan chuckled and answered, "Yo, is your skin that thick? You have a host of magic treasures, yet I still beat you to the point of no return even though I was only in the intermediate nascent soul stage. It's amazing you are still dreaming of seeking me out for revenge – you really should wake up."
"Actually, I should be thanking you. After our battle, I ascended to the advanced nascent soul stage and cultivated my cosmic form."
The Marquis of Jinghuan's face was puffed. "Xiao Yan, you… you…"
"You what you?" Xiao Yan interrupted him with a mocking laugh and said, "Let me just give you a heads up – three of my juniors have reached the immortal soul stage as well, so you should just forget about them."
The Marquis of Jinghuan's eyes were popping of their sockets. "How is… that possible?"
If it was just Xiao Yan himself, it was still acceptable that he probably just got inexplicably lucky. However, when he heard that Zhu Yi, Wang Lin and even Shi Tianhao were all in the immortal soul stage, the Marquis of Jinghuan was dumbfounded.
Xiao Yan grinned and watched him with an amused look. "You don't seem like you're doing very well. You should worry more about yourself – if not, your soul may shatter into a million pieces before you even reach the immortal soul stage."
"I will be blunt. Even if you reach the immortal soul stage, you won't even be a match for one of my hands – save it." Xiao Yan looked him up and down as the corner of his lips curled upwards. "Even if I am only in the advanced nascent soul stage and you are in the immortal soul stage, you are still no match for me. If we are both in the immortal soul stage, I would be picking on someone much weaker than me and that doesn't interest me at all."
"Perhaps, if you can explode into the third-level immortal soul stage before I finish cultivating the virtual entity, then I will be interested in fighting you again. Still, it doesn't seem like you have that capability."
The Marquis of Jinghuan was already shaking with rage inside the vacuum created by the golden samsara. His lips quivered as he glared at Xiao Yan but his tongue was tied into a knot.
At this point, he had completely lost it and his remnant soul could no longer resist the pressure of the golden samsara. Vast volumes of light rushed out from his body and the golden samsara absorbed every inch of it.
Lin Feng did not pay attention to the conversation between Xiao Yan and the Marquis of Jinghuan. His eyes were glued to the golden bowl this whole time, and he made even more discoveries as while his consciousness was connected to the golden samsara.
The Golden Cicada Master wanted the memories of the Marquis of Jinghuan in his previous lives. Due to the fact that these memories were from past lives, it had become murky and obscure, using the Soul-Searching technique would have been insufficient to draw such clear levels of information even for an individual as powerful and adept with Buddhist mantras as the Golden Cicada Master.
He could only nurture the Marquis of Jinghuan and let him cultivate Buddhist mantras while he did something to him discreetly. He waited for the right opportunity to complete his plan and extract everything he needed.
The fearsome middle-aged man that seemed like a combination of a dragon and a wolf in the memories of the Marquis of Jinghuan was the last human emperor of the Divine Lands during the Antiquity Age – the Emperor of Violence. Even though his portraits and light illusions were rare, Lin Feng had seen some before.
This golden bowl did not belong to the Emperor of Violence. Originally, it came from the Buddha and was not just another normal Buddhist treasure. The black region inside the rays of golden light flickered with the aura of a human figure, who possessed such mastery of Buddhist mantras that it could be nobody else but the Buddha himself in the history of powerful Buddhist cultivators.
It was apparent that this golden bowl was connected to the Buddha, and nobody knew how the bowl ended up in the hands of the Emperor of Violence. The Emperor of Violence used esoteric methods to cultivate it and attempted to break the mystery of the Buddha's venture into the Death Sea.
The black region in the center of the rays of light embodied an aspect so terrifying and petrifying that it resembled the last breath of the world, where all beings returned into nothingness and integrated back with the Buddha. Both Lin Feng and the Emperor of Violence had the same guess – this was the mysterious Death Sea.
The Golden Cicada Master's plan was similar to that of the Emperor of Violence. He wanted to break the mystery of the Buddha's trip into the Death Sea from which he never returned. He wanted to understand the most inexplicable and enigmatic one of the Grand Celestial Seven Seas – the Death Sea.
The golden bowl was something that belonged to the Buddha himself back in the day. It was likely to have been passed down to his disciples as a clue that gradually established a connection with the Death Sea.
However, the Golden Cicada Master was unable to use the usual methods to unravel the mystery within the golden bowl ever since the effects of the Emperor of Violence. He did not want to break it open forcefully as he was afraid this could adversely affect the authentic powers of the golden bowl, and eventually devised another plan centered around the Marquis of Jinghuan.
At this point, Lin Feng completely understood the foundations of the Marquis of Jinghuan.
He glanced at the Marquis of Jinghuan and shook his head. "He's not the incarnation of the Emperor of Violence. He is born from a stream of the Divine Body Armor's original soul; this stream incorporated itself into a human soul. He exists with the sole purpose of fixing the magic treasure."
The image from the memory of the Marquis of Jinghuan that depicted the Emperor of Violence cultivating the golden bowl actually belonged to the Divine Body Armor of the Emperor of Violence.
His words rang loud in the mind of the Marquis of Jinghuan. His entire body trembled and he did not even bother to recognize the origins of this statement as he roared, "That's not possible!"
"Impossible! If the original soul of the Divine Body Armor is reborn, then the magic treasure itself will be nothing but an empty shell. It's impossible! It's not possible… I am not, I am not…"
The Marquis of Jinghuan was despondent. Even though he vehemently denied that possibility and continued to deny Lin Feng's words, the pressure of the golden samsara combined with the destruction of the Divine Body Armor put things in perspective. As fate would have it, his connection with the Divine Body Armor became more intimate and he could see his true self with unprecedented clarity.
The Mahayana-level magic treasure managed to escape certain calamity by incorporating itself intot he soul of a human, and the magic treasure itself became an empty shell.
The Divine Body Armor had been a single step away from becoming a destiny-level magic treasure and its original soul already rarely showed itself. Gradually, it became more of a willpower of an area in the world with formidable vastness. Following the defeat of the Emperor of Violence, the Divine Body Armor also suffered irrevocable damage from the Great Heavenly Wheels. Thus, it tried to find a way to branch out a bit of its original soul to be reborn into a human in the hopes of restoring the magic treasure back to its former glory.
The fusion of this strand of its original soul and a human soul was not a pure rebirth. Therefore, it could not be said that the Divine Body Armor had truly escaped a certain demise. Still, it was a combination of two entities into one with shared memories of previous lives and could not be considered to be entirely distinct either.
Even though the soul belonged to a human, it established a mystical but intimate connection with the Divine Body Armor and created a sense of duty to repair the Divine Body Armor.
It was apparent that this kind of rebirth was not limited to one generation. It continued for generation after generation till now, embodied by the Marquis of Jinghuan Liang An. He continued to repair the Divine Body Armor, and this was the real reason why the Marquis of Jinghuan felt so close to the Divine Body Armor as if he was born to be its rightful owner.
He used to think that he was destined to be a kingly figure to resolve the regrets of his past life and dominate the world once again. He never expected himself to simply be a magic treasure's tool to repair itself. Put more bluntly, he was only half an avatar created by the magic treasure.
This discovery sent the Marquis of Jinghuan into a daze as he felt his world collapse around him and everything did not make sense anymore.
"That's impossible… I'm not…" the Marquis of Jinghuan shook his head stiffly. His eyes appeared empty as images surfaced in his head.
Even though he was Liang Pan's bastard son, he was the most powerful individual amongst the younger generation of cultivators from the Great Zhou Empire. His luck was unrivaled, and he had escaped by a hair's breadth from great calamities and subsequently encountered unprecedented opportunities; he only became more powerful with every experience.
The Great Void Sect, the number one holy ground in the Divine Lands, favored him as well and supported him in secret.
He embodied the martial ways of the Emperor of Violence, Emperor Tai, the Great Void Sect and even the Great Thunderclap Temple.
He was young but he conquered everything that he was tasked, and became the number one figure in the younger generation of the Great Zhou Empire's military.
He possessed multiple magic treasures and had a host of nascent soul cultivators that knelt before his feet as if he represented the word of the divine emperor.
He took in many beautiful girls into his private residence and enjoyed the wondrous earthly desires. The place that had the highest concentration of beautiful ladies was not the Royal Palace of the Great Zhou Empire or that of the Great Qin Empire – it was the Marquis of Jinghuan's backyard.
Everything that he ever wanted in the world was within his grasp. Even though some were temporarily out of reach, he was overflowing with self-confidence that he would eventually get everything he desired.
What was originally incredibly clear and was his entire world suddenly illusory and surreal.
Everything about himself, including the meaning of his own life, was transformed into a single duty – to repair the magic treasure that he had viewed to be his own tool all his life.
It turned out that he was the tool instead.
In an instant, the Marquis of Jinghuan felt as if his world was virtual and he was inside a dream.
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Chapter 894: Everybody In The Barren Expanses Knows You Have Arrived
Translator: Sparrow Translations Editor: Sparrow Translations
The Marquis of Jinghuan had suffered losses at the hands of the Celestial Sect of Wonders time and time again; he had been executed by Xiao Yan and reborn from a close shave with death; he was currently trapped by the Golden Cicada Master who harbored hostile intentions towards him. Before this moment, the Marquis of Jinghuan treated everything as training and part of the grinding process towards his destiny.
No matter how challenging the obstacle was, he only had to cross the hurdle to the rest of his life and he would be able to soar ever higher.
However, at this very moment, everything in his memory became hazy and surreal as if not a single minute in his past had been real, as if everything was but a dream.
After a long moment of feeling faint in spirit and mind, he exploded once again. "No! That's impossible! Everything is an illusion created by the Golden Cicada Master, and they are not the memories of my past lives!"
"Even if it's real, I am the master of my fate and I can change everything!"
"That's right, everything is different now, and the Divine Body Armor has been completely destroyed. My connections with my past lives have been cut off. From now on, I will be the captain of my soul, I will make decisions for myself and I will no longer have anything to do with that damned Divine Body Armor! You cannot influence me anymore!"
He was no longer concerned about the person that laid the Divine Body Armor to ruin, the person that he hated the most – Xiao Yan – as the whole issue had been thrown to the back of his mind.
"Everything will be different! When I escape this trap, I will reverse my fate and assume control of my destiny! I will turn everything back!"
The Marquis of Jinghuan's eyes flushed red. "The Immortal Royal Flag, the Ancient Royal Sword, the Great Ice Moonlight Ruler, the God-slayer Puppet… I will take back everything that belongs to me in time!"
"The Supreme Heavenly Mirror, the Immortal Dragon City, the Imperial Palace, the Saintly Celestial Sword, the Great Void Holy Pavilion… One day, every single one of these treasures will belong to me!"
"Yan Mingyue, Long Ye, Xiao Zhener, Hu Yanyan, the Black Phoenix… One day, all these beautiful ladies will be in my arms!"
"The Golden Cicada Master, Xiao Yan, Liang Pan, Zhu Hongwu, Shi Yu, Yan Nanlai, Kuang Heng, Xin Longsheng… Even the leader of the Celestial Sect of Wonders, Lin Feng, will bow before me one day!"
The Marquis of Jinghuan repeated the same words over and over again. "One day, one day! The day will come… Ugh!"
His words became stuck in his mouth and he could no longer finish the rest of his sentence as he stared in shock while the golden samsara surrounding him began to dissipate. However, instead of being able to escape the prison, his soul was withering away along with the samsara.
A haze of terror came over the Marquis of Jinghuan as he instantly realized that the Golden Cicada Master's Spell was coming to an end.
Initially, the end of the spell would mean that he would just be trapped inside the golden bowl. However, due to his own incessant resistance, the effects of the ritual had been altered.
If the Golden Cicada Master did not stop him, there was a real possibility that he could have been reborn using the spell; he could even have ascended to the immortal soul stage.
The only problem was that he was in serious distress and was no longer in control, which caused something else to happen to the spell that he was not expecting.
The Marquis of Jinghuan's remnant soul was about to be integrated into the golden bowl. Even though he was not technically dead, he was as good as dead as he would be bound to the golden bowl for his lifetime. He would not become the soul of the golden bowl and would not assume control over it. Rather, he would simply be tied to the item and he would even have to obey the orders of the golden bowl's owner.
"NO! No! No…" The Marquis of Jinghuan was finally facing true fear. The integration with the golden bowl restored his soul with bedazzling speed, with the only caveat being he would be stuck at this level of mastery forever.
The moment his connection with the outside world was restored and his senses were working again, the first thing he saw when he opened his eyes was Lin Feng. Before he could open his mouth, Lin Feng swept his sleeves and retrieved the golden bowl, and all that was left were the agonizing cries of the Marquis of Jinghuan which never came out of his throat.
Lin Feng kept the golden bowl once he perused the image of the Emperor of Violence studying the golden bowl. He never really paid any attention at all to the Marquis of Jinghuan. For him, this was a prize for his disciple as a result of his labor. He was aware of the Marquis of Jinghuan's situation; he just didn't care.
Once he was done with exploring the golden bowl after returning to the mountain, he would bestow this entire gift and the person along with it to Xiao Yan and let him play with it as he wished. The only problem was that Xiao Yan himself may not be interested anymore.
Perhaps the golden bowl would be thrown to the younger generation of disciples? Lin Feng couldn't care less as this bastard would never see the light of day again.
He pocketed the golden bowl and the cicada wings that were used to set up the formation. Lin Feng studied them for a moment and nodded with satisfaction. Even though finding the Golden Cicada Master was still relatively difficult, the latter would not be able to escape as easily this time.
He turned his head to the other side and noticed that Shi Tianhao and the Nine Infants Grand Sage were in the climax of their battle. The great demon was truly formidable, and his demonic powers were actually impressive and powerful enough to hold back Shi Tianhao, would had only recently ascended to the immortal soul stage.
Demons did not typically use magic treasures as their original demonic form was the most powerful weapon in the arsenal – especially so if they were already in the second level immortal soul stage. When their connection with heaven and earth got stronger, the power of their true form was far superior to humans at the same level of mastery.
The cultivation of the virtual entity and everything after was in the pursuit of, in a way, forming one's own heaven and earth. This heaven and earth still paled in comparison to the Greater World.
However, just like how normal humans used different tools and weapons to fight off ferocious and predatory beasts, human cultivators were able to use magic treasures. Humans that had magic items in possible no longer needed to fear great demons of the same level of mastery. Sometimes, the chemistry established between the humans and their magic treasures vastly amplified their powers and would render them superior to the great demons at the same level of mastery.
Of course, there were the few powerful human cultivators that had the ability to overcome great demons of the same level of mastery without any magic items whatsoever. Some were even able to defeat great demons of a higher level of mastery – still, this was just the minority.
The individual who would emerge victorious still depended on the actual situation and the varying circumstances and could not be generalized.
However, Lin Feng's disciples were generally the kind to get much more excited and motivated when faced with powerful opponents. Furthermore, Shi Tianhao had ample experience engaging in battle with demons. His battle with the Nine Infants Grand Sage was perilous, but the Nine Infants Grand Sage also had to pay special attention in their battle.
In reality, the Nine Infants Grand Sage was quite astonished. He recognized Lin Feng, but his understanding of Shi Tianhao was limited. The battle of Mount Shu in the Divine Lands shook the heavens and the great demons of the Barren Expanses were disturbed – they could not avoid paying attention to the event even if they wanted to.
On the other hand, obtaining information regarding the entire process of the battle at Mount Yujing was relatively more challenging for the great demons. The Nine Infants Grand Sage was shaking inside as he realized that Shi Tianhao was only in the first-level immortal soul stage and was fearsome enough to hold his own against a third-level undying demon soul stage great demon.
Wang Lin gripped the Heavenly Gods-Sealing Banner in one hand and simply stood quietly by the side. His gaze alone already heaped pressure onto the Nine Infants Grand Sage, let alone Lin Feng, who was on the other side as well. Even if Lin Feng wasn't looking this way, the Nine Infants Grand Sage could feel his innards knotting up.
Lin Feng had retrieved the golden bowl and was now looking this way – the Nine Infants Grand Sage's heart sank to the bottom.
"We will capture him first for you guys to practice. Now, we have to search for the Golden Cicada Master," Lin Feng smiled faintly as he stretched his finger out like a sword and shot out a stream of Heaven-Destroying Sword Qi.
Shi Tianhao backed off immediately and the Nine Infants Grand Sage tried to escape as well but the grey patch of sword radiance was already before him. The power of the sword was the epitome of ferocity and felt like it could eradicate everything. The Nine Infants Grand Sage was the typically fearsome one, but even he felt a chill run down his spine.
The Nine Infants Grand Sage let loose a shrill howl as the seven stars started moving concurrently as they gathered to defend.
Lin Feng moved forward casually with movement that seemed neither slow nor fast but appeared before the Nine Infants Grand Sage in the blink of an eye – and pierced through one of the stars!
Even though the stars had been cultivated by the Nine Infants Grand Sage and was fused with his demon soul, stars were ultimately stars, and the vastness of their powers was beyond reckoning. Still, Lin Feng pierced through the stars as if they were butter and they instantaneously withered away, much like a dying flame that was extinguished after moments of flickering.
The star that was taken down provided no obstruction whatsoever, and Lin Feng reached forward and tapped one of the snake heads of the Nine Infants Grand Sage.
The true form of the Nine Infants Grand Sage was formidable, and his defensive capability was a force to be reckoned with as well. Shi Tianhao and his various offensive moves such as the Final Holy Light or using the full force of his physical body to channel the Stone Sword only left faint wounds on the demon's body.
Lin Feng's strike tunneled right through that head as the radiance of the sword continued downwards and all the way into the long neck.
The other eight heads of the Nine Infants Grand Sage cried out agonizingly. There was a tiny and bloody spot on the head that had been skewered, but it felt as if its life had been taken away as it drooped down like a limp rope.
The force of Lin Feng's sword was still flaring. If he let the radiance of the sword continue on its ravaging path, he would have pierced right through the Nine Infants Grand Sage's intestines – if that didn't kill him, he would definitely be severely injured.
Lin Feng channeled the sword with his right hand and made a grab with his left hand. In the next moment, the head avatar cultivated by the Nine Infants Grand Sage was securely in his grasp.
"Even though I have no clue why you physically connect your original body with your avatars, it's good for me as I can capture everything at the same time," Lin Feng said plainly, "I am able to understand and see through most of the profundities of the Golden Cicada Master's Buddhist mantras and the connection to his demon form. However, there is still one more thing I am unsure about and I can use you to figure it out."
"I am showing you mercy. I can cut off eight of your heads as I only need one – you should settle down."
The Nine Infants Grand Sage fell into silent deliberation for a long while before he passed a message with his consciousness. "I don't know where my master is."
"I don't need you to know," Lin Feng replied indifferently as he captured the main body and all the avatars of the Nine Infants Grand Sage. Subsequently, he took Shi Tianhao, Wang Lin and the others out of the Great Jingyun Swamp.
Lin Feng studied the Buddhist avatars of the Nine Infants Grand Sage while he analyzed the connection between the cicada wings and the golden bowl in an attempt to find the Golden Cicada Master.
The more he understood about the Buddhist avatars cultivated by demons, the more he would understand about the Golden Cicada Master.
There were definitely human cultivators or demonic grand sages in the Vipralopa Stage that were superior in battle prowess to the Golden Cicada Master. However, in terms of escape spells and other deceptive techniques as well as the combination of Karma and the way of the Samsara with innate special abilities, the Golden Cicada Master was undoubtedly one of the few most outstanding cultivators in the same level of mastery.
In other words, amongst cultivators of the same standards, the Golden Cicada Master was one of the hardest to kill.
Some were possibly able to defeat him. However, defeating him did not mean that they were able to end his life. In order to kill him, one had to have unique mantras that were specifically designed to counteract the Golden Cicada Shell Escape Technique, or one had to be far stronger than he was. If not, it was highly likely that he would be able to escape with his life.
The problem was that the Golden Cicada Master was already in the Vipralopa Stage, and there were hardly anybody superior to him in power in the first place.
For Lin Feng, such an opponent was not that difficult to deal with – he was simply irritating.
As he flew, he received a voice-projected message from Tun Tun's father – the Taotie Grand Sage.
"Master Lin, the Golden Cicada Master has spread the news of your arrival throughout the Barren Expanses. Everybody in the Barren Expanses knows you have arrived, and I think there will be a few great demons who are going to seek you out."
Lin Feng chuckled in response. He had predicted such a circumstance from the moment he failed to stop the Golden Cicada Master from escaping. From his perspective, this was not too bad as it facilitated his search for the Golden Cicada Master.
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Chapter 895: You Explode, I Explode
Translator: Sparrow Translations Editor: Sparrow Translations
"I am aware of that. Thank you for your efforts – I need you to help me spread a piece of news as well."
Lin Feng was still grateful that the Taotie Grand Sage was willing to blow the whistle for him, and cut off his connection with the Taotie Grand Sage after everything had been settled while he continued to sense the golden bowl in his search for the Golden Cicada Master.
He was not too surprised to find himself nearing the outskirts of the Lingyuan Mountains.
The Lingyuan Mountains was considered the holy ground of the Barren Expanses; it was extremely suitable for demons to cultivate, and the demons that inhabited this region were the Ancient Ape Demons.
The Ancient Ape Demons were a powerful race that was second only to the Immemorial Celestial Dragons. Much like the dragons, the ape demons were a collection of different branches and breeds such as the Extreme Spiritual Divine Monkey, the Crimson Gorilla Ape Demon, the Heavenly Demon Ape, etc.
In the infant years of the Antiquity Age, the leader of the dragons – Emperor Jue, Xuan Shang – met his demise along with several powerful draconic cultivators and the dragon race descended into unprecedented weakness. The Ancient Ape Demons rode the tides and rose to power following the fall of the dragons and gradually became the new-era demon race to dominate the world.
During the middle of the Antiquity Age, an Extreme Spiritual Divine Monkey was born into the tribe that went by the name of Extreme Spirit Shen Yuan. His power was unrivaled and reigned supreme over all else; he was one of the three most powerful demons over the course of history – the Emperor of Extremity, also known as Shen Yuan.
This was during the era of the Emperor of Extremity, Shen Yuan, and the Ancient Ape Demons reached the peak of their power and influence and dominated the entire Grand Celestial World.
The Ancient Desolate Galaxy had fallen into the hands of the humans during the beginning of the Antiquity Age, and it was the Emperor of Extremity that took it back from them. The gap in power between the demons and the humans during the battle for the Galaxy was the most conspicuous in the history of wars between the two worlds, and was the battle with the most obvious winning side.
In the next war between the worlds during the Middle Ages, the Emperor of Extremity perished and the Ancient Ape Demons gradually descended into a path of decadence. Eventually, they were overtaken by the rise of the Hades Tribe and the dragons that had been nurturing and saving their energies all this time.
In the past few thousand years, the Ancient Ape Demons had been living like hermits inside their ancestral ground, the Lingyuan Mountains, much like the dragons residing inside the Black Sea. Only in the recent years did they resurface in the world in force and participated in the furor within the Barren Expanses.
The Golden Cicada Master had gained his reputation relatively early and had already become an active demon during the Antiquity Age. The demon emperor that ruled the Barren Expanses was the Shen Yuan, and the Golden Cicada Grand Sage was one of great demons under his wing.
This layer of connection meant that the Golden Cicada Master would naturally choose a place near the Lingyuan Mountains to hide; he was familiar to the inhabitants as well as the geographical layout.
However, he was not about to get too close to Lingyuan Mountains. The current dictator of the mountain was a Heavenly Demon Ape that was not on good terms with him and even chased the Golden Cicada Master down the mountain many years ago.
Still, he was still familiar with several individuals from the Ancient Ape Demon tribe despite being exiled from the mountain. This was the reason why he was still able to find somewhere near the Lingyuan Mountains to seek refuge in and hide himself.
Even though the Golden Cicada Grand Sage of today was in the Vipralopa Stage, he was alone after all and it would be extremely difficult to challenge the Heavenly Demon Ape and his leadership.
This old cricket had always been cunning. He knew that Lin Feng would be able to detect his location and wanted to use someone else to take care and get rid of him – he wanted Lin Feng to disturb the hornet's nest.
Even though that Heavenly Demon Ape was not too friendly with him, the Ancient Ape Demons were on even worse terms with the humans. The demon apes were not likely to form an alliance with Lin Feng against him, and they were more likely to execute Lin Feng before anything else once they saw him.
When Shi Tianhao was in the Barren Expanses several years back, he had been ambushed and besieged by several Six-Horned Divine Monkeys. The episode ended with him killing a few of them, and one of them was in the advanced demonic lord stage. This Six-Horned Divine Monkey was one of the up-and-coming young prodigies of the ape tribe and was heavily favored by the elders.
This stirred up quite a furor inside the Lingyuan Mountains. Both Lin Feng and Shi Tianhao were aware of this, and thus they took special care in their expedition to the Lingyuan Mountains.
Of course, the Golden Cicada Master had to be prepared for the unlikely but possible scenario where the apes in the Lingyuan Mountains teamed up with Lin Feng temporarily against him. This was the reason why he exposed Lin Feng's tracks and his location to draw the other great demons to Lingyuan Mountains to mess with Lin Feng.
The dragons were currently the most powerful tribe in the Barren Expanses, and had an influence superior to that of even the Ancient Ape Demons. Without discussing the other demon tribes, Lin Feng had already antagonized the dragons.
Initially, it was because of the camaraderie between the Celestial Sect of Wonders and the Great Qin Empire. The Great Qin Empire's destiny-level magic treasure, the Immortal Dragon City, was built based on one of the elder ancestors of the dragons – the Ancestral Dragon Cang Ning – and this was an intense humiliation for the dragon race.
During the last war between the worlds, the Great Qin Empire's usage of the Immortal Dragon City was discovered by the dragons and the latter made the Great Qin Empire their prime target. If not for the reinforcements from other powerful human cultivators, Xiling City would have been razed to the ground.
The Immortal Dragon City, which was still incomplete, was severely damaged in the process and the Great Qin Empire had to invest in voluminous amounts of resources and materials to repair and restore it.
Even the dragons inside the Supreme Dragon Roost of the Great Void Sect had something against the Great Qin Empire for this very reason.
The Celestial Sect of Wonders had associated themselves with Jieyu and Baiguang for a very long time so those two dragons were able to correct their mentalities about the rapport the Celestial Sect of Wonders had with the Great Qin Empire. However, the intense hatred from the dragons in the Barren Expanses towards the Great Qin Empire extended towards Lin Feng and his disciples as well.
In the end, somebody had spread the news of Lin Feng's cultivation of the Red Dragon King to forge the Thunder Dragon Avatar after the conclusion of the Ying Sea conflict. There were already powerful dragons in the Barren Expanses that had expressed their intentions in seeking vengeance for his transgression, but the only problem as that Lin Feng had been inside the Divine Lands this whole time. They were afraid that they would be ambushed and overwhelmed by a host of powerful human cultivators and temporarily repressed their desire for revenge.
Today, Lin Feng was inside the Barren Expanses and it was only natural that they would seek him out.
Despite how complicated the situation had become, Lin Feng was in a relatively jovial mood. There were going to be dragons going up the Lingyuan Mountains, and he was definitely going to encounter ape demons as well, but all this was beneficial towards his efforts in discovering the Golden Cicada Master's hiding place.
The Golden Cicada Master was highly aware of this as well. There were banes and boons for everyone, and the person to get the last laugh depended on one's abilities and intelligence.
The common understanding was that there was a constant conflict between the two worlds, between humans and demons. However, since the Primordial Age, it was more accurate to say that conflict existed between hundreds of races, or perhaps even thousands.
Even though they were all demons, they were still distinct after all and the only things they shared was a similar method of cultivation and the common hostility towards humans. Throughout the Antiquity Age, the Middle Age and then the Modern Age, the concept of demons standing together started to develop.
However, if one were to truly discuss the mutual grudges and feuds between the demons, it would probably be even more acute than the conflict between the great human powers.
For the humans, the demons were treasures per se as many magic items and their embryos were forged from the original forms of demons.
On the other hand, consuming the immortal soul and the flesh and blood of human cultivators was also extremely nutritious and invigorating for powerful demons after digestion as well.
For powerful demons, consuming and cultivating the flesh and souls of other demons was equally beneficial.
Not only demons like the Taotie were able to swallow and consume other demons. Demon tribes frequently invaded and fought with one another, but the only difference was that most demons were just not as efficient at digesting and consuming other demons as the Taotie.
The Golden Cicada Master's flesh and soul was alluring for many powerful demons due to the authenticity of his natural talent.
The special ability, the Golden Cicada Shell Escape Technique, even though it was not comparable to Lin Feng's Celestial Sect Teleportation Technique or the Great Void Set's Cheng Heaven Great Void Celestial Light in terms of being able to completely avoid the Power-Destroying Catastrophe, it still had its profundities and its own unique aspects.
The Golden Cicada Master was in the Vipralopa Stage and had completed the Alpha Tribulations. Juxtaposed against his innate talent, the Golden Cicada Master could withstand the greatest number of instances of the Power-Destroying Catastrophe amongst others of the same level of mastery. Even those that were more powerful than him may not be able to survive through more instances of the Power-Destroying Catastrophe.
From the perspective of the Golden Cicada Master, his most powerful weapon was to channel the Power-Destroying Catastrophe against his opponent to see who can withstand more instances of it. This was his forte, but the only problem was that even though he was able to resist the Catastrophe, it was ultimately an agonizing experience. Therefore, he would not typically resort to this method that would damage himself even though he eventually overcame his opponent.
During the rule of the Emperor of Extremity, the Golden Cicada Master had yet to experience the Tribulations, so others consuming his flesh and soul was not that attractive yet so nobody really cared too much about him.
However, the Golden Cicada Master was in the Vipralopa Stage now and instantly became a thousand times more delicious.
If powerful demons in the peak of the third-level undying demon soul stage consumed his flesh and blood, they would greatly increase their chance of success and safety in experiencing the tribulations.
Powerful demons that went through an instance of the tribulation and survived it would also be able to recover in an extremely short period of time after digesting his flesh and blood, and their demonic powers would be restored to its peak condition in no time.
Still, third-level undying demon soul stage demons couldn't do anything to the Golden Cicada Master and they could only dream of consuming his flesh. However, he was not able to defend himself against other great demons in the Vipralopa Stage who wanted to capture him for the benefit of their subordinates. This was the reason why the Golden Cicada Master had been careful about covering his tracks and removing himself from the radar of the others and revealed himself only when necessary as he wanted to avoid being poached and hunted by the other great demons.
This demon's uncanny ability to escape was extraordinary, and he was a meticulous individual by nature. This were the only reasons why he managed to stay alive until now.
Therefore, Lin Feng was not too upset about the Golden Cicada Master exposing his presence inside the Barren Expanses, and he had a simple plan in response.
"If you expose me, then I shall expose you too."
He was going to spread the news as well that he was here to find the Golden Cicada Master and he already had a lead in his possession. At the same time, he would make the rough location of the Golden Cicada Master public.
While he ran the risk of conflicting with other powerful demons, these demons would also be able to help him sniff out the old cricket from his hiding place.
As they proceeded forward, a uniquely-shaped mountain range appeared in front of them.
The summit of the mountain and the slopes leading up to it were a pure white color and were shiny like crystals. Upon closer inspection, one could see that the surface of the mountain was covered with strange white jades that radiated brilliantly and exuded enchanting spiritual energies.
The bottom layer of the mountain was a patch of fiery red. Streams of heat surged into the sky, as if the mountain was surrounded by a sea of a fire or even a moat of boiling lava.
This wasn't real fire but a concentration of ores. The fire-type spiritual energy was overbearing as the vein of ore reached all the way up to the surface; it was a relatively exotic and high-quality ore, and existed in abundance – the vein of the Chi Lian Flaming Copper.
The Chi Lian Flaming Copper and the Matte Glowless Metal and the Evil-Warding Purple Gold amongst the other ores were known as the Six Mystical Metals. They were the optimum materials for the forgery of tools, and this was especially true for weapon-type magic treasures.
This vein of Chi Lian Flaming Copper beneath their feet was not the biggest one, but it was probably the vein with the best quality in the entire Grand Celestial World.
The white jade on the mountain and the Chi Lian Flaming Copper at the foot of the mountain gave Lin Feng all the clues he needed. "We have reached the Xiaocizhi Mountain."
The Xiaocizhi mountain was located due West of the Lingyuan Mountains, and was the roost of the Crimson Gorilla Apes of the Ancient Ape Demons.
In the war between the worlds during the Middle Age, the Mount Shu Sword Sect had attempted to mine the Chi Lian Flaming Copper before and set up an ambush. The ancestor of the swords, Ren Changmei, used the Saintly Celestial Sword to slay the tribe leader of the Crimson Gorilla Ape Demons. However, their assault on the Xiaocizhi Mountain drew out most of their forces and their own gate was left relatively unguarded - the Emperor of Extremity launched an invasion of his own on Mount Shu and almost annihilated the entire sect.
The Crimson Gorilla Apes had always been one of the more powerful breeds amongst the Ancient Ape Demons. The current Crimson Gorilla Grand Sage was the number two figure in the entire tribe of Ancient Ape Demons.
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Chapter 896: A 'Warm Welcome' For Lin Feng
Translator: Sparrow Translations Editor: Sparrow Translations
Lin Feng had no intention to be high profile but did not attempt to mask his own aura as well. He used his consciousness to sweep the area as he proceeded forward to search for the Golden Cicada Master.
The moment he stepped into the territory of the Xiaocizhi Mountain, the white and red mountain trembled and a giant light illusion shimmered in the upper parts of the mountain.
That illusion was shaped like an ape with a white-colored head and red-colored limbs. The combination of colors was similar to that of the Xiaocizhi Mountain itself, and the four limbs in contact with the ground resembled raging flames.
It was colossal, so big that it seemed like it bore the weight of the heavens upon its shoulders. It had red eyes that flickered with green light as they trained themselves on Lin Feng.
Lin Feng matched his gaze and muttered, "The Crimson Gorilla Grand Sage, indeed. Judging by the ripples of his mana, he should have already begun experiencing the tribulations – but I can't tell whether he has completed the Alpha Tribulations."
Legend had it that when the Crimson Gorilla Apes showed themselves, the world would descend into war. At this moment, Lin Feng could already feel that instigating aura permeating the air that provoked all the living souls in the world to fight against each other.
This concept of power was similar to that of the Asura War-Blade; there was a tiny difference: The Asura War-Blade seemed to incite cruel murder while the other was purely belligerent.
However, the instigating aura exhibited by the Crimson Gorilla Grand Sage was a lot more dense and powerful compared to the Asura War-Blade, and could not be compared on the same level.
The Crimson Gorilla Grand Sage stared at Lin Feng and said, "Are you the leader of the Celestial Sect of Wonders from the Divine Lands, Lin Feng? Are you here for the Golden Cicada Master?"
Lin Feng smiled plainly and replied, "Since you already know who I am and why I am here, do you have any information you can provide for me?"
The Crimson Gorilla Grand Sage's mouth separated as he revealed rows of shiny white teeth. Even though it was just a light illusion, there seemed to be heatwaves emanating from that all-swallowing gaping mouth that scorched the immediate vicinity around the Xiaocizhi Mountain.
"Even though you haven't participated in the War of the Two Worlds before, you are ultimately still human. The Crimson Gorilla Apes have never been on good terms with the humans."
The Crimson Gorilla Grand Sage passed a voice-projected message, "However, the humans we hate the most are the cultivators from the Mount Shu Sword Sect. Your destruction of the Saintly Celestial Sword and the flattening of Mount Shu, while it stemmed from personal feuds, is still a piece of good news for us and makes us feel good."
"The Golden Cicada Master is adept at covering his tracks. Even with the rough location that you have provided, it may still be challenging to find him. I also intend to draw the flesh and blood of this 'old friend' to feed my juniors."
Lin Feng answered coolly, "My eradication of the Saintly Celestial Sword was purely to settle the feud between myself and the Mount Shu Sword Sect, nothing else. If you have already found the Golden Cicada Master and you have news for me, I may be able to save some time. If you haven't or you can't provide me with anything, then all I have to do is spend a little more time and effort."
"The Golden Cicada Master abducted one of my grand-disciples when I was shutting myself in. The sole purpose of my expedition into the Barren Expanses is to claim him back and pay back this debt."
The main benefit of the flesh and blood of the Golden Cicada Master was to help powerful demons resist the Tribulations and did not have the same effects. However, even though Lin Feng was not interested in that, it did not naturally mean that he was about to hand him over to the demons to make them stronger.
The Crimson Gorilla Grand Sage was aware of this as well. In the end, the outcome would be determined by their own intelligence and capabilities. Furthermore, the Golden Cicada Master was not a clay doll and dealing with him was extremely difficult to accomplish.
"The Six-Horned Divine Monkeys and the Crimson Gorilla Apes branched from the same lineage. Your disciple executed some of the disciples of the Six-Horned Grand Sage, yet I cannot be bothered to put my life on the line to fight you for revenge. However, I need to provide the Heavenly Grandmaster Grand Sage with an explanation," the Crimson Gorilla Grand Sage continued, "Your reputation precedes you, and I have heard that you are the number one figure in the recent rise of powerful cultivators in the Divine Lands. Even though I am nothing much, I wish to challenge you to a duel."
"The Azure Sky Dragon King will be here shortly. If you emerge victorious against me, I will stop him for you to aid you in your efforts to find the Golden Cicada Master. When you do find him, you will have full priority in whatever you need to do. However, if you lose, once you find the Golden Cicada Master, you will take back your grand-disciple but you will have to hand the Golden Cicada Master over to me."
The Six-Horned Divine Monkeys were very close to the Heavenly Demon Apes, but were not known to have much dealings with the Crimson Gorilla Ape Demons. The Crimson Gorilla Grand Sage was not about to battle Lin Feng to the death over the death of one junior from the Six-Horned Divine Monkeys tribe.
The outcome of the battle aside, if he requested for Lin Feng to hand over Shi Tianhao, it would irrevocably lead to a battle to the very end.
The Crimson Gorilla Grand Sage made it clear that even if he won, he would not make an attempt on Lin Feng's life. To him, the flesh and blood of the Golden Cicada Master was far more valuable and important.
Lin Feng's epic reputation in the Divine Lands did not come about by talk or conversation; he built every single block of it with his fists. Even though he did not usually venture into the Barren Expanses, his notoriety was equally well-known within the Barren Expanses.
No matter what, the conflict between the demon world and the human world had been raging for so many years. Even if some demons had never seen Lin Feng before and knew nothing of his real power, they were still roughly aware of the power of other entities like the Mount Shu Sword Sect, the Saintly Celestial Sword, the Imperial Palace, the Immortal Dragon City and the Great Void Holy Pavilion.
If the current leader of the Ape Demons – the Heavenly Grandmaster Grand Sage – was here, and their location of battle was at the main peak of the Lingyuan Mountains, which was also their ancestral ground, the Crimson Gorilla Grand Sage would perhaps have spoken in another manner. However, the Heavenly Grandmaster Grand Sage was on a crusade against the Great Void Sect's Mount Taihua and was still absent. The Crimson Gorilla Grand Sage was all by himself and was not about to risk his life against Lin Feng.
The Azure Sky Dragon King was the tribe leader of the Azure Dragons who belonged to the Immemorial Celestial Dragons that roosted within the Black Sea. The Azure Dragons were closely related to the Thunder Dragons, and the Azure Sky Dragon King immediately hurried forth once he received news about Lin Feng's arrival within the Barren Expanses.
Lin Feng could gauge the rough location of the Golden Cicada Master with the golden bowl; the Golden Cicada Master himself was also able to estimate Lin Feng's location as well. If not, because he kept running and had to watch his back, yet he had to deal with the ambushes and poaching from people like the Crimson Gorilla Grand Sage at the same time, he would have been trapped a long time ago.
To the best of the Crimson Gorilla Grand Sage's knowledge, the Azure Sky Dragon King was just a scout and the front-liner – there were more powerful dragons following behind.
Quite a handful of great demons were giving Lin Feng a 'warm welcome' upon discovering his arrival in the Barren Expanses.
Once he finished his speech, the giant ape illusion that enveloped the entire Xiaocizhi Mountain howled into the air and the heavens split apart in an instant.
For people like him and Lin Feng, spatial distance was no longer important. Their abhijnas could extend across thousands of miles at whim, and they could possibly fill up the entire galaxy with just a thought.
The Immortal Dragon City seemed like a long city wall that was only a million miles long that spanned across the void. However, if there was the will to do so, its length could extend beyond space and even time without end.
In their eyes, the concept of height and length had lost its meaning most of the time.
The Crimson Gorilla Grand Sage's howl separated the heavens and revealed the darkness of the void. The four claws of the giant illusion stepped on invisible steps as he climbed upwards. Fire blazed below his limbs and left fiery footprints that materialized in the void without dissipating at all.
Lin Feng watched that seemingly inexistent staircase appeared to rise to new heights. It felt as if the Crimson Gorilla Grand Sage climbed ever so high, as if he was above the universe itself and observing the world below.
"Is he trying to see who can climb higher?" Lin Feng continued to watch as he raised an eyebrow.
To many, this was a competition that appeared to mock himself, and that others would laugh at him just because he was a primate.
However, humans mocked them because humans saw themselves as superior to monkeys. The story of the "Monkey who wore a crown and pretended to be a human" came from this.
For a great demon like the Crimson Gorilla Grand Sage, it was hard to say who was the superior race, and thus it was hardly inappropriate for him to engage in such a competition.
On the other hand, he was extremely serious about dueling Lin Feng and wanted to use the mantra he was most adept in to increase his winning chances.
Lin Feng was naturally aware of the Crimson Gorilla Grand Sage's train of thought and was not about to mock him. However, this did not mean he was going to follow the rules set by the Crimson Gorilla Grand Sage in this competition.
He had no intention of capturing the Crimson Gorilla Grand Sage and torturing the information out of him. That was too time-consuming, and the Golden Cicada Master would just be snickering at the side.
Lin Feng was not about to keep a low profile in his venture into Barren Expanses and return to the Divine Lands without stirring up a scene. However, he had to find Zhou Yuncong before anything else; he could even let himself go and journey through the world of demons.
Even though he knew Zhou Yuncong was alive and well, the abduction by the Golden Cicada Master of an aurous core stage cultivator could not possibly bode well. The Golden Cicada Master wanted to cause trouble for him – but how could Lin Feng let him get his wish?
He glanced at the invisible staircase beneath the feet of the Crimson Gorilla Grand Sage and the fiery footprints again and immediately understood what was going on.
The duel was inclined towards a competition of who was better at controlling space and time and the changes in abhijna as well as a competition to see who could climb higher. Furthermore, if Lin Feng started moving now, the fiery footprints that condensed in the void below the Crimson Gorilla Grand Sage would hinder Lin Feng's progress.
Rising through the sky and stepping through the void seemed easy enough – even aurous core stage cultivators and demonic commander stage demons could do it. However, their movement across the void could not be compared with the movement of the Crimson Gorilla Grand Sage on the same level.
The Crimson Gorilla Grand Sage continued upwards, and every step seemed to transcend space and time. The sophistication of it all made it feel like he was roaming the universe above the heavens, and treading along the long river of time.
Even Immortal Soul Stage Third Level cultivators and Undying Demon Soul Third Level demons were unable to achieve this. They would not even be able to make the first step, and could only glare as their efforts proved futile, let alone engage in a competition with the Crimson Gorilla Grand Sage.
The scars of the fiery footprints that were condensed in the void for a prolonged period of time embodied the force of the Crimson Gorilla Grand Sage's feet. They were like nocked arrows, but if the true power of any footprint was released, heaven and earth would crumble under its sheer strength.
The Crimson Gorilla Grand Sage wanted to have a friendly competition and did not want to fight for real. However, to Lin Feng, friendly competition and fighting for real were not so different.
He stood at the same position calmly without moving a single inch, but reached out with his right hand and grabbed at the invisible staircase beneath the feet of the Crimson Gorilla Grand Sage.
In the next instant, the space all around began to twist out of proportion and a formless hand seemed to lock itself upon the staircase beneath the feet of the Crimson Gorilla Grand Sage – it was the mantra derived from Lin Feng's Fences of the Heavens technique, the Heaven Arrest.
Once his grip on the staircase was secure, Lin Feng's eyes grew ever so tranquil, much like the never-ending flowing river of time.
However, the tides of time seemed to grow slower and slower, and appeared as if time itself was going to freeze in place.
The formless hand fixated upon the invisible staircase suddenly released a layer of hazy and chaotic radiance that extended outwards with unstoppable speed. Everything else became hazy and blurry, as if the world was but gray and white.
The Heaven Extreme Universal Light!
When Lin Feng reached the Immortal Soul Stage Second Level, his original body was finally able to unleash the power of this mantra that embodied the great and eternal principles of the transformation of time.
The staircase beneath the Crimson Gorilla Grand Sage began to shake and tremble once it was fixed in place by the Heaven Arrest supported by the Heaven Extreme Universal Light and it even appeared as if it was about to dissipate into real nothingness.
The Crimson Gorilla Grand Sage's blood-red eyes flooded with green light as the light illusion of the giant gorilla that was climbing above heavens suddenly started to materialize – he had revealed his true form!
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Chapter 897: Beyond The Way Of The Sword
Translator: Sparrow Translations Editor: Sparrow Translations
A giant formless hand grabbed onto the invisible staircase beneath the feet of the Crimson Gorilla Grand Sage as hazy layers of the Heaven Extreme Universal Light continued to permeate the surrounding area and showed no signs of stopping. Everything that came into contact with this blinding radiance lost all color.
The rolling clouds in the skies above stopped moving and hovered in the air like pieces of stone.
The sparkling starlight above the void froze in that moment in time, as if the starry sky transformed into a man-made painting.
On top of the Xiaocizhi Mountain below, the smooth and shiny white jade grew dull and slow as the hot steam from the vein of Chi Lian Flaming Copper transformed into streaks of dust and smoke while the withering trees growing from within became fixed in place.
The only thing that was moving between heaven and earth was the invisible staircase beneath the feet of the Crimson Gorilla Grand Sage.
Enveloped by the Heaven Extreme Universal Light and contained by the Heavens Arrest technique in a vice-grip, the originally formless staircase started to tremble violently and even started to disintegrate and shatter into a million pieces.
"Leader of the Celestial Sect of Wonders – impressive!" Green light flooded the vermillion eyes of the Crimson Gorilla Grand Sage as he howled into the sky. The colossal gorilla light illusion ascending into the heavens gradually materialized into solid form as a formidable and overbearing aura started to permeate outwards.
The true form of the Crimson Gorilla Grand Sage was a lot smaller than before. He was just a gorilla with a white-colored head, and was only about a hundred feet tall.
However, the explosive power was terrifying. It felt as if he alone could tear apart the skies above with his physical body.
Even though Shi Tianhao, Wang Lin and the others were covered by Lin Feng's mana, they were able to watch the entire process. Shi Tianhao's eyes sparkled as he looked at the Crimson Gorilla Grand Sage up and down.
Among Lin Feng's disciples, Shi Tianhao's physical body was the strongest. Even Xiao Yan at the Immortal Soul Stage, who re-forged an immortal soul-level physical body using the Two-Phase Rotations Divine Stone, was inferior in terms of physical prowess.
Shi Tianhao was only in the Immortal Soul Stage First Level, but he possessed enough power to challenge most of the Immortal Soul Stage Third Level cultivators and Undying Demon Soul Stage Third Level demons.
However, his power paled in comparison to the physical power of the Crimson Gorilla Grand Sage.
The Crimson Gorilla Grand Sage revealed his true form and loosed an ear-splitting roar as he stepped downwards with his limbs and re-stabilized the formless staircase.
The fiery footprints on the staircase started to detonate in an attempt to blast Lin Feng's Heavens Arrest technique and the Heaven Extreme Universal Light.
The original plan was to use the fiery footprints to hinder Lin Feng in case he chose to climb up the staircase instead. However, he could count himself lucky if he was able to protect the staircase and no longer be bothered about anything else.
Lin Feng quietly observed the strength of the Crimson Gorilla Grand Sage and nodded his head subtly. "He hasn't completed the Alpha Tribulations. However, he has recovered to his peak condition from the last time he attempted a Decay Tribulation."
"If my estimations are correct, this demon is not too far from completing the tribulations. He probably needs to survive about one or two more instances of the Decay Tribulations to finish the process."
"This demon is still holding back a little, but there is enough information to make a rough guess."
"Without his true form, he's about the same as the Cang Ming Swordmaster without his weapon. After revealing his true form, he is far more powerful than the Cang Ming Swordmaster equipped with the Cang Ming Ancient Sword." Lin Feng continued to deduce in his mind. Even though he had never directly battled the Cang Ming Swordmaster before, the Cang Ming Swordmaster had attempted to stop him when Lin Feng was converting the Immortal Heaven Universal Sword Formation into the Heaven-Destroying Sword Formation. Lin Feng used the Higan Golden Bridge to intercept him, and was relatively informed about the prowess of the Cang Ming Swordmaster.
As for the Tiangang Swordmaster and the Saintly Celestial Sword, Lin Feng was a lot more familiar. "Without considering the problem of the Power-Destroying Catastrophe and just by comparing mana and abhijna, this demon's true form is comparable in power to the Tiangang Swordmaster with the Tiangang Sword. He is also able to put up a fight against Xin Longsheng and the Saintly Celestial Sword, but he will be no match against the Tiangang Swordmaster if the latter used the Saintly Celestial Sword."
His thoughts were rolling but his hands never stopped moving as the Heaven Extreme Universal Light continued to arrest the formless staircase in mid-air.
At the same time, streaks of seven-colored light radiance flickered and encircled his body.
These seven-colored light circles flowed towards the giant and invisible hand and started interacting with the Heaven Extreme Universal Light.
The Celestial Sect Teleportation Technique was called a "Teleportation Technique", but was not simply such; it was a spell that combined the elements of space and time and controlled it to the maximum possible level, while integrating the other natural laws within.
Lin Feng once used this spell to avoid the Power-Destroying Catastrophe, but there was a limit to the number of times he could use it. However, using it again to dodge the explosions of the fiery footprints from the Crimson Gorilla Grand Sage was a lot simpler.
The seven-colored light circles churned and meandered and the explosive forces of the fiery footprints missed their targets.
The Crimson Gorilla Grand Sage's eyes widened. "Not just the art of transforming space, and more than the art of manipulating reality – even the White Jade Dragon, who is at the same level of mastery as me, cannot dodge this spell so easily even if he used his natural talent."
The strength of the Celestial Sect Teleportation Technique was more than just a defensive spell – it formed a spiritual connection with the Heaven Extreme Universal Light and channeled more power onto the Heavens Arrest spell as Lin Feng continued to shake the invisible staircase beneath the feet of the Crimson Gorilla Grand Sage.
Lin Feng's eyes were calm as they radiated with bright colors and innumerable runes floated into the void and stacked their powers onto the formless hand that had the invisible staircase in an iron grip.
The countless numbers of runes leaned in onto the colossal hand as they released layers of blinding light – it almost felt as if the formless hand had transformed into one that was formed from radiant light.
The myriad of runes and glyphs surged around within the layers of light and transformed into small magic formations that undulated as they connected into one long string. The final product, a giant magic formation, imprinted itself onto the giant formless hand.
Life and Death, Illusion and Reality, Heaven and Earth, Eternity and An Instant, Yin and Yang, Light and Darkness.
Six different concepts of power that were opposites of each other glimmered at the same time on the giant hand – they were the Six Forms of Creation and Destruction from Lin Feng's Two Elements of Creation Formation.
Lin Feng had studied and understood the changes and the various techniques in handling the Two Elements of Creation Formation to the highest possible level, and was able to integrate it into his personal mantras; he was able to convert the magic formation into a spell at whim, from the Two Elements of Creation Formation to the Two Elements of Creation Spell.
Li Yuanfang watched on with enlarged pupils from within Lin Feng's protective mana and was immediately enchanted.
Powerful cultivators who were adept with magic formations no longer needed the right geographical location or the help of magic items to set up magic formations and they were able to do so at whim. However, magic formations set up hastily were definitely inferior in power to magic formations that were meticulously erected.
This category of magic formations did not typically include powerful magic formations that were used to protect mountain gates. The reason was because these magic formations typically needed a geographical advantage and had to channel the power of heaven and earth to possess incalculable volumes of power.
Because of this very reason, the Celestial Sect of Wonder's Two Elements of Creation Formation and the demons' Nine Luminaries Heaven-Crushing Formation were so valuable.
To convert powerful magic formations like the aforementioned into spells required a high level of mastery. Besides that, the cultivator needed to have good control over his or her mana and mantras, while possessing the highest possible level of mastery with regards to the magic formation.
To the best of Li Yuanfang's knowledge, there had been less than five people who were able to channel the power of powerful magic formations such as the Two Elements of Creation Formation at whim since the beginning of civilization. In their current era, there was nobody else but Lin Feng.
The Tai Yi Holy Man of the Great Void Sect was able to convert the Seven Lights Defense Formation into the Seven Lights Defense Spell, and that was already an unrivaled performance that shocked the entire world. However, the Seven Lights Defense Formation was inferior in power to the Supreme Yin-Yang Void Formation or the Two Elements of Creation Formation.
Overall power and battle prowess aside, Lin Feng was undoubtedly superior in terms of his mastery with magic formations.
Li Yuanfang watched everything unfurl before his eyes and suddenly began to feel dizzy and dazed.
"Polar reversal of the six changes, go!" Lin Feng's cool voice echoed between heaven and earth. The changes of the Two Elements of Creation Formation that were attached to the giant hand immediately unleashed vast power caused by the sudden reversal of its elements.
The invisible staircase that was re-stabilized by the Crimson Gorilla Grand Sage started to tremble violently once again, as if it would fall apart at any moment.
The Crimson Gorilla Grand Sage was positioned at the very top of the space-time staircase as he stared staright down at Lin Feng.
"That's it. Legend has it that during his invasion of Mount Shu, even though he made use of a lot of magic treasures, and he also dodged the Tiangang Swordmaster's Power-Destroying Catastrophe using the seven-colored light circles, he used swordplay to battle against the remainder of the swords of the Mount Shu Sword Sect."
The Crimson Gorilla Grand Sage heaved a heavy sigh. Even though he had yet to give his all, he knew that Lin Feng was holding back as well. Besides the other hidden techniques that Lin Feng had under his sleeve, there was another trump card that everyone in the Grand Celestial World knew he possessed – the Holy Light of Creation.
The act of stabilizing the space-time staircase did not fully display the power of the Crimson Gorilla Grand Sage's true form. In a real battle, there were a lot more variables and things he could do.
However, in the case of a real showdown, Lin Feng would have struck with his Heaven-Destroying Sword Qi.
"Leader of the Celestial Sect of Wonders – you are powerful, I admit defeat," the Crimson Gorilla Grand Sage shook his head subtly as he resolved to give up this endeavor. In the end, if both parties used full strength, he would still lose to Lin Feng. If Lin Feng shattered the staircase and dragged him down from the void, that would be truly embarrassing.
With that exclamation, the Crimson Gorilla Grand Sage wasted no time and withdrew the formless staircase.
Lin Feng followed suit and withdrew his various mantras with a swing of his sleeve and the giant sparkling hand dissipated.
The true form of the Crimson Gorilla Grand Sage vanished as well, and the giant gorilla light illusion reappeared once more on the summit of the Xiaocizhi Mountain and gazed upon Lin Feng, as another Crimson Gorilla Ape Demon leaped out from its mouth.
This demon ape was in the Undying Demon Soul Stage Second Level, but seemed a little listless at this moment.
The Crimson Gorilla Grand Sage said, "Seems like I made a fool of myself. This is one of my kinsman, and he was the one that provided the obscure hiding place for the Golden Cicada Master to reside in before this. However, the Golden Cicada Master retreated to someplace else not too long ago."
"I inspected that location myself, and came back with some leads." As he spoke, a light shadow surged out of one of the Crimson Gorilla Grand Sage's pupils and drifted before Lin Feng.
The light shadow was intangible and radiated with faint light. Lin Feng glanced at the light shadow and noticed that it was a trace of the Golden Cicada Master's mana.
The Golden Cicada Master was in the Vipralopa Stage, and it was unlikely that the Crimson Gorilla Grand Sage would have been able to grab onto his tail. However, with Lin Feng in close pursuit, the Golden Cicada Master had no choice but to keep moving around and carelessly left a trace behind from all that hastiness.
The Crimson Gorilla Grand Sage was unable to find the Golden Cicada Master with this trace. However, Lin Feng had the golden bowl and the cicada wings, and along with this new clue, he was well on his way to find the Golden Cicada Master.
Lin Feng pocketed that light shadow and was about to speak when his heart skipped a beat. He turned his head into the far end of the horizon as the entire patch of sky flashed an azure green.
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Chapter 898: Continuous Success And Improvement
Translator: Sparrow Translations Editor: Sparrow Translations
Lin Feng watched the far end of the horizon as the sky became an azure green color.
It was not just flickering green light or the clouds and mist that turned green – everything in the world was no exception, and the green color actually came from within every single object.
The sky was green; the earth was green; the trees and their branches and leaves were all green; the mud was green; the air was green; the rolling clouds were green, and even the light rays beaming down from the sky were green.
The sparrows that flew across in the skies above were no exception. Their claws, feathers, beaks, eyes and everything else were completely green. A fearsome tiger bounding across the ground suddenly had green fur, and even his patterns were green, except it was a little darker than the rest of its body.
There seemed to be an invisible line separating the world into two. One was normal and all the colors were right, while the other was completely doused in green.
And now, this green-colored world was bearing forward towards Lin Feng.
A cluster of clouds hovered within the azure green world, and a formidable draconic aura permeated from inside. It possessed an unassailable dignity, as if this being was destined to be the ruler of the world and was looking down at his subjects.
The Crimson Gorilla Grand Sage watched the same scene as the corners of his mouth curled upwards to reveal rows of white teeth and started to laugh soundlessly.
In terms of real battle prowess, he was on roughly the same level as the arriving party. However, in terms of display and dramatic effect, the first impression given by the oncoming entity seemed sacred as if he was born from the sky while he just appeared like the leader of a group of thugs.
The arriving party was a powerful individual from the Immemorial Celestial Dragon Tribe – the Azure Sky Dragon King, tribe leader of the Azure Dragons. He was also a great demon in the Cardinal Tribulations Beginning Stage.
The Crimson Gorilla Grand Sage turned towards Lin Feng and said, "I lost the duel, and I am a man of my word. I kindly request that you sit back for a moment while I chase this azure dragon away."
A divine-like voice came out from the rolling clouds. "Step aside, the Crimson Gorilla Grand Sage, as this has nothing to do with you. Do not interfere with the affairs of the dragons."
The Crimson Gorilla Grand Sage chuckled and replied, "Azure Sky Dragon King, do remember that you are in the ancestral ground of the Crimson Gorilla Ape Demons – Xiaocizhi Mountain, and this isn't somewhere you can just order people around."
His previous competition with Lin Feng was friendly and not a real battle, therefore he refused to draw upon the powers of his ancestral ground and finished the duel using his own personal mantras and abhijna.
The Xiaocizhi Mountain was the ancestral ground of the Crimson Gorillas, and they had inhabited and nurtured it for a very long time to the point where they even had defense mechanisms resembling the mountain defense magic formations of the humans.
Outside of the Xiaocizhi Mountain, there was nothing he could do to the Azure Sky Dragon King and vice versa. However, a battle within the boundaries of the Xiaocizhi Mountain gave him a geographical advantage and the confidence that he could repel this irritating dragon.
The rolling clouds in the green-colored world trembled and emanated emotions of anger and fury while the Crimson Gorilla Grand Sage watched his adversary with a cold smile.
During the Antiquity Age when the Emperor Jue perished in the battle, many powerful dragons died along with him and the dragon race fell into a state of unprecedented decline. The Ancient Ape Demons took the opportunity to gain power and influence and eventually replaced the dragons as the ruling demon tribe of the Barren Expanses.
The winds of karma came full circle as the Emperor of Extremity met his demise in the Middle Age. Voluminous numbers of ape demons perished in the great battle between the worlds while the dragons had been recuperating in seclusion. Gradually, the dragons overtook the ape demons and pressed them back down.
Due to the rise to power of the Hades Tribe, the dragons were never able to regain their supremacy. However, they were never on good terms with the Ancient Ape Demons ever since the beginning of the Antiquity Age.
The relationship between these two powerful tribes had always been tense. The Crimson Gorilla Grand Sage and the Azure Sky Dragon King had encountered each other multiple times before and both parties had their victories and defeats and developed a personal feud.
The Azure Sky Dragon King and the Crimson Gorilla Grand Sage were about to erupt into another war of words, but Lin Feng furrowed his brows and said, "I appreciate your thought, the Crimson Gorilla Grand Sage, but I don't have time to stick around – I still have to search for the Golden Cicada Master."
He turned towards the Azure Sky Dragon King and said, "The Red Dragon King wanted to trigger the Illusory Sea Tides in an attempt to hinder me from claiming the Yingzhou Celestial Mountain. I had no intention to take his life, but he was too stubborn and continued messing with me so I ended him."
"There are many powerful individuals amongst the dragons, and they are free to find me to seek vengeance for the Red Dragon King. However, you are definitely unable to do that."
The Azure Sky Dragon King roared from the clouds. "Leader of the Celestial Sect of Wonders – such outrageous words."
The green world started to expand outwards with explosive speed and bore down towards Lin Feng. However, the Azure Dragons' unique spell, the Azure Green Draconic Flame was nowhere to be seen.
The flames of the Azure Dragons were similar to the dragon flames of the Fire Dragon Tribe. They were different from the other fires of the world, and were not Yin nor Yang. The dragon flames were specially designed to dispel the abhijna and mana of other cultivators, and behaved like parasites as they were incredibly difficult to extinguish.
The ancient Heaven's Gate's supreme treasure, the Yuan Heaven Emerald Needle of the West, was forged with an array of concepts and principles – one of them was inspired by the draconic fire of the Azure Dragons. Even though it was different, they were still related in some sense due to this very fact.
In terms of similarity of function, the dragon flame was more closely related to the Blood River Primordial Water and the River Styx Primordial Water.
The Azure Sky Dragon King's Azure Green Draconic Flame was completely refined into the realm of light, and wherever the green world enveloped, no other action was required as the mana and abhijna of his adversaries would be naturally dispelled.
In this world, if his adversaries wanted to unleash their abhijna and mantras, they would be erased from the face of the earth even before the thought was complete. It felt as if his entire pool of mana was arrested and he couldn't cast a single spell or abhijna.
This was a world that was completely filled with Azure Green Draconic Flame.
Lin Fenng shook his head lightly but said nothing more. He made a sword-like gesture with his right index and middle finger as specks of sword radiance flickered on his fingertips – the Heaven-Destroying Sword Qi.
However, the Heaven-Destroying Sword Qi was a little different from what it used to be – it was no longer a dark and gloomy gray color. Rather, it was similar to when the Heaven-Destroying Sword was completely unsheathed, and everything was a mishmash of chaotic brilliance, as if the entire destiny world was approaching its end.
It was a stream of sword aura that embodied the true meaning of apocalypse and the destruction of the world. Wherever the sword radiance touched, everything in the world was annihilated and returned to nothingness, all beings in the world would draw their last breaths and descend into hell.
Lin Feng's sword strike, which possessed that single dot of chaotic sword radiance, slashed through the special world of the Azure Sky Dragon King like a knife on butter!
The Azure Sky Dragon King exclaimed in shock as he realized that his special world that could arrest all mana was unable to inhibit and dispel Lin Feng's Heaven-Destroying Sword Qi. Instead, it was Lin Feng's Heaven-Destroying Sword Qi that dispelled his azure green world!
Even the azure green world, which was specially designed to dispel all forms of mana and spells, would be sent on the path to destruction when touched by the sword radiance.
Lin Feng and the Heaven-Destroying Sword Qi faced no obstruction whatsoever in their progress forward as the Azure Sky Dragon King's special world could not put up any form of meaningful resistance. In the blink of an eye, the sword radiance was before the patch of rolling clouds.
The Azure Sky Dragon King roared into the sky again. The dragon roar was so loud that it shook the heavens, and the shadow of a giant being suddenly flashed inside the clouds. Vast auras of demonic power and lifeblood expanded outwards and it felt as if heaven and earth was transformed into a furnace.
The Azure Sky Dragon King did not dare to underestimate Lin Feng's sword strike and immediately revealed his true form. Even though his physical being could not be seen through the patch of clouds, the vast energy released was enough to prove everything.
The green world solidified suddenly and attempted to trap the Heaven-Destroying Sword Qi like an amber.
The Heaven-Destroying Sword Qi paused from the new obstruction but continued forward, and the energy from the sword sliced open the green clouds.
The green clouds dissipated and the Azure Sky Dragon King finally revealed himself. He was an enormous Azure Dragon that spanned the heavens, with a bull's head; a deer's horns; a prawn's eyes; an elephant's ears; a serpent's neck; a fish's scales; a phoenix's talons and a tiger's paws.
The scales shimmered as an aura of draconic supremacy permeated the skies as they turned an azure green color.
A streak of azure light floated towards the ground from the sky like a leaf drifting in the wind – it was a single dragon scale.
The Azure Sky Dragon King glared at Lin Feng with his dragon eyes. He had revealed his true form, but still ended up at a disadvantage.
He let loose a long roar into the sky and said, "Leader of the Celestial Sect of Wonders – I have lost a move to you today, but more powerful beings from the dragon race will find you soon enough."
Lin Feng's expression was calm but white and black divine light flickered in both of his eyes. "I will be waiting. However, I have something urgent to tend to now and I can't stick around to chat idly with you. If you don't leave now, you never will."
He had a strange feeling in his heart, as if he saw through fate and perceived that single moment of truth. It felt as if the Golden Cicada Master's plan was nearing success, and he really had to hurry up.
The Azure Sky Dragon King stared into Lin Feng's eyes that still flickered with divine light. He deliberated momentarily before he turned around into the void and the azure green world gradually receded.
Heaven and earth returned to its original tranquility and harmony. The sky, the earth and the soil and all things in between regained their original color and splendor.
The Crimson Gorilla Grand Sage did not say anything after Lin Feng finished his sentence as he watched Lin Feng withdraw his sword quietly. He could feel that something was amiss, and his plan to find the Golden Cicada Master by making use of Lin Feng and eventually ingesting the Golden Cicada Master's flesh and blood seemed to be falling apart.
Lin Feng made no comment about the retreat of the Azure Sky Dragon King. He flicked his finger and the light shadow he just obtained from the Crimson Gorilla Grand Sage descended into the golden bowl. The cicada wings enveloped golden bowl as innumerable runes and glyphs undulated within.
Lin Feng raised his eyes towards the sky as he stepped forward and instantly vanished on the spot.
The Crimson Gorilla's light illusion that was enveloping the Xiaocizhi Mountain disappeared as well and the invisible staircase revealed itself once again. The Crimson Gorilla Grand Sage was positioned at the very top and dived into pursuit behind Lin Feng.Back in the Divine Lands, there was a pavilion inside Mount Baiyun. There was nothing inside it and no tables or chairs could be seen, except for a few simple prayer matss.
There was a person sitting on top of each prayer mats, and they formed a circle around each other. Some were real people while some were mana projections.
One projection seemed like a cold young lady that was not even fourteen years old, while another appeared like a handsome youth around the age of twenty – they were the Qing Yi Holy Woman and the Xuan Yi Holy Man, who belonged to the ranks of the Four Great Elders of the Great Void.
There were other light illusions and real people before them, and they were the other members of the Supreme Elder Council of the Great Void Sect: Cai Fengzhou, Yun Yuanzhen, the Yu Yuan Holy Woman and the Qing Ning Holy Man.
Everybody sat around each other in a circle but all was quiet as everyone closed their eyes. Another youth that seemed extremely normal and typical, who was clad in a green cloak, entered the pavilion and the Qing Yi Holy Woman and the others finally opened their eyes and turned together towards this youth.
"Please sit down, Daohan." The Qing Yi Holy Woman was the first to open her mouth – the youth was Lin Daohan. He greeted everyone on scene before he sat down on a prayer mats and crossed his legs as well.
Everybody else remained silent while Lin Daohan started softly, "There's been news from the Barren Expanses. The Leader of the Celestial Sect of Wonders defeated the Crimson Gorilla Grand Sage in a friendly competition at Xiaocizhi Mountain and forced back the Azure Sky Dragon King with just one swing of the sword. If the rumors are true, his power and his mana are stronger than he was back at Mount Shu."
"Even his mastery of the sword has improved as well. During the Saintly Celestial Cataclysm, besides the fact that he had finally finished refining the Heaven-Destroying Sword, his own swordplay has also continued success and improvement. After the destruction of the Saintly Celestial Sword, if he ventured up Mount Shu again for a fight, I don't think a single person can take him on even if he is unequipped."
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Chapter 899: In-Depth Analysis Of The Celestial Sect Of Wonders
Translator: Sparrow Translations Editor: Sparrow Translations
Once he was finished, the Qing Yi Holy Woman replied slowly, "Daohan, do discuss the conclusions you've had over the years. Xuan Yi Junior and Qing Ning Junior have shut themselves in recent years, and they have a limited understanding of the Celestial Sect of Wonders."
"Yes, Grand Senior Aunt." Lin Daohan bowed faintly before he turned towards the Xuan Yi Holy Man and the Qing Ning Holy Man. "From the looks of it, the Celestial Sect of Wonders has great ambitions, but it is a little too much to compare him with the Emperor of Violence, the Emperor of the Dead or the Ancient Satanic Master. Rather, he is more comparable to another Tian Dikong or another Sword Ancestor."
"Mount Shu has been broken, and from the recent displays of his prowess, they are gradually surpassing that of the Heaven's Gate Sect of old. This is especially true considering the leader of the Celestial Sect of Wonders has always been mysterious and unpredictable, and I have been doing my best to overestimate him as much as I could."
The Qing Ning Holy Man was calm as she replied, "Then we should handle this like how Junior Kuang has described to me, like how we dealt with the Heaven's Gate Sect and the Mount Shu Sword Sect all those years ago."
"However, from what I hear, the disciples under the Celestial Sect of Wonders seem to be extremely talented. What are the exact details?"
From the perspective of the Great Void Sect, what were prodigies and talents to most others were nothing near the sort in their eyes. The reason was because any of the disciples from the Great Void Sect were probably as talented and prodigious and anyone.
This was especially true for the Qing Ning Holy Man and the other members of the Supreme Elder Council. They had seen a great many prodigal talents from their own sect and they were probably numb to it, let alone to those from the outside world?
Lin Daohan was known to be stoic, but a faint smile seemed to flicker across his face that typically showed no expression at all. "I don't wish to hide anything from you, but I admit my inferiority to Xiao Yan, Zhu Yi, Wang Lin and Shi Tianhao even during the time I ascended to the immortal soul stage."
Once he said this, the Qing Ning Holy Man's eyes sparkled. "Oh? Then they must really be from another world. Throughout my entire life, the only person that is stronger than you at the same level of mastery is our Tai Yi Senior Uncle."
Even though the Qing Ning Holy Man was a generation below the Tai Yi Holy Man, the Qing Yi Holy Woman and the Xuan Yi Holy Man, he joined the sect relatively early and plied the trade under the guidance of the respectable Chun Yi Holy Man. In terms of the total amount of time he spent within the sect, he had probably been here longer than both the Qing Yi Holy Woman and the Xuan Yi Holy Man.
The Qing Ning Holy Man used to be one of the primary figures in the Great Void Sect that turned heads with his otherworldly talent. However, most of his attention was channeled towards the forging of pills and medicine; this elder was not just the supreme practitioner in forging pills within the Great Void Sect, he could be said to be the number-one individual in the entire Divine Lands.
Lin Daohan nodded his head and said, "I have already seen the light remnant left behind by Qing Yi Senior Uncle during the coordinated invasion of Mount Yujing by the various parties."
"During that battle, all four of them attained the immortal soul stage one after another and showed formidable displays of battle prowess. Zhu Yi also completed the refining of the white jade pillar he had retrieved from the Yingzhou Celestial Mountain and successfully forged the destiny-level magic treasure Higan Golden Bridge."
"Amongst the four of them, Zhu Yi along with the Higan Golden Bridge in his possession, is possibly the most powerful person under the wing of the leader of the Celestial Sect of Wonders."
"If magic treasures are not considered in the equation, and just based on personal mantra and mana, all four of them were able to combat against Immortal Soul Stage Third Level cultivators even though they had just ascended into the Immortal Soul Stage First Level – that is just incredible."
"If Xiao Yan, the eldest disciple, can form the Fire Lotus from five different primordial fires using that fusion technique of his, he should be the most powerful one."
Lin Daohan continued without stopping. "From my own estimations, even if he has mastered the Penta Fire Lotus, Xiao Yan will probably only be able to use it once. However, amongst the various Immortal Soul Stage Third Level cultivators that stepped into the mountain that day, perhaps only The Hallmaster can survive that single strike – and even then, he will be heavily injured. The outcome of such a hypothetical battle will most likely be that both parties will eventually sustain severe injuries, or if the Hallmaster risked his own life, he could possibly force the issue and take Xiao Yan down for good."
"Amongst the other powerful cultivators, if Jie Luoshi had been on the right track towards swordplay, the two of them will end up perishing together if they fought each other. However, according to the condition he displayed on Mount Yujing, there is only an eighty-percent chance of having the outcome I just mentioned – there is a twenty-percent chance of him being unable to defeat Xiao Yan and of him meeting his own end instead."
"If we discount the Samsara Priest's talismans and we discuss about his personal mastery, Shi Tianfang can only hope that his Mantra of the Rebirth of Samsara will not be broken and he may come back to life afterwards. There is no chance that he will be able to resist, while there is only a fifty-percent chance that he will reincarnate afterwards."
"Shao Dongtian and Zhang Enrui will be struck down in an instant if we only consider personal mantras and mana – they basically have no chance of survival at all."
Lin Daohan flicked his fingers and displayed two light illusions as he spoke. Two images appeared before everyone – one was an image of Xiao Yan channeling the Tri Fire Lotus for the first time when he flattened the Yu Family's ancestral ground while he was still in the advanced aurous core stage, and the other was an image of Yan Mingyue bearing witness to Xiao Yan channeling the Quad Fire Lotus during the battle inside the Ying Sea while he was in the intermediate nascent soul stage two years ago.
The Qing Ning Holy Man glanced at the images and his eyes turned solemn. He nodded his head and said, "What an explosive abhijna. He seems to have a natural flair for such destructive force, even though he will lose all vitality himself after just one strike. However, if he is indeed able to channel the Penta Fire Lotus in the immortal soul stage, his strength will be as you said – perhaps even stronger."
Yun Yuanzhen chimed in from the side. "Even without this spell, he will still be able to put up a fight and possibly defeat Shao Dongtian and Zhang Enrui with his other mantras, even though he will have to sustain heavy injuries. There is also a chance that he can kill one of them; under such circumstances, he can decide to channel this spell with his injuries and kill the other one as well, but that would lead to his own demise."
"In other words, if it's a continuous one-on-one battle and under no other special circumstances, he will be able to take two Immortal Soul Stage Third Level cultivators into the grave along with himself."
The others in the circle nodded their heads in agreement.
Lin Daohan continued, "Even though Zhu Yi rely purely on his own mantras and mana to fight, based on his performance in the nascent soul stage and the standard at which he can channel the Higan Golden Bridge, his true battle prowess is actually very similar to Wang Lin, Shi Tianhao and even Xiao Yan. It's also likely that the three of them are superior to Xiao Yan without the power of fusing the primordial fires together."
"The difference is that their mantras are not as explosive as those of Xiao Yan. It's not difficult for them to defeat Shao Dongtian and Zhang Enrui, and even Shi Tianfang isn't that much of a challenge either. However, they're still weaker than Jie Luoshi and The Hallmaster."
"Of course, it's not easy for The Hallmaster or for Jie Luoshi to defeat them, and it's almost impossible for these two to kill any one of them either. Under normal circumstances, the three of them are also unable to threaten the lives of Jie Luoshi or The Hallmaster."
He paused momentarily before he kept going, "Wang Lin's situation is a little more unique. Due to the nature of his mantras and abhijna, he has an advantage going into battle against The Hallmaster or Shi Tianfang compared to the other three. If my observations are accurate, he's capable of defeating Shi Tianfang and he will hold The Hallmaster to a draw."
"Besides that, for the very same reason, he is also the hardest one to kill amongst the four of them. Even though he has yet to have a chance to prove it, he is probably a master at faking his own death or at rebirth."
"Shi Tianhao possesses two types of the Holy Light of Creation. The Final Holy Light is better offensively, while the Origin Holy Light bestows him with incredible regenerative powers. Therefore, if he isn't outnumbered and it's a continuous one-versus-one situation, the real standard of his powers can easily exceed our estimations."
Lin Daohan paused again. "In my opinion, rather than Lin Feng himself, Wang Lin has the potential to become the next Emperor of Violence or the next Emperor of the Dead, or even the Ancient Satanic Master."
"If not for the fact that Lin Feng is anchoring things down from above, it's almost impossible to predict what this person might do next."
The Yu Yuan Holy Woman answered sharply, "Are you trying to say that we should be grateful towards Lin Feng? Do not forget who nurtured Wang Lin in the first place. If Lin Feng has been paying attention, Wang Lin would never have lived so long ever since he joined the sect."
"Furthermore, Lin Feng is a voracious man himself, and perhaps his ambitions are just not as great or as dark as that of Wang Lin. Otherwise, having just one disciple like that can still be said to be an anomaly – but what if there are two?"
"Shi Tianhao is not that much better than Wang Lin. The only difference is that he's not as cruel or belligerent – in fact, he's much more lawless."
"The eldest disciple, Xiao Yan, may be slightly better but not by much. Watching at him reminds me of…" the Yu Yuan Holy Woman stopped abruptly and interrupted her own sentence.
However, everybody on scene knew exactly what she was trying to say – the reason was because they were thinking the very same thing and a forced smile appeared on Cai Yunzhou's face.
The circle of Great Void Sect elders saw a faint resemblance to someone in their past.
They saw the shadow of the leader of the Four Immemorial Heroes of the Great Void and the most powerful cultivator in the history of the Great Void Sect after the Great Void Holy Man himself – Wen Chiyang!
His level of mastery was very close behind that of the Great Void Holy Man. When the Great Void Holy Man and the Buddha ventured into the Death Sea, there were hardly anybody amongst the powerful cultivators overlooking the Divine Lands that had been able to overpower the Holy Demon Emperors of their respective eras with their own individual powers.
Even though the demon emperor of his era was not an extremely powerful one like Emperor Jue, of Extremity or the Hades Emperor, the formidable power of the Wen Chiyang was frightening and he firmly secured his place in the hall of fame in the entire history of the Divine Lands.
However, from the perspective of his elders, Wen Chiyang was one of the most belligerent figures in history and gave his elders a great many headaches to the point that his successors were unsure of how to judge him.
Yun Yuanzhen smiled faintly and said, "In conclusion, amongst the four most outstanding disciples under Lin Feng, Xiao Yan remains to be judged and we will monitor him further. The one was can be sure about is the son of Junior Meng, Zhu Yi, and we are sure that he has a great future ahead of him. He has the potential to become a crucial pillar of the Divine Lands."
The Qing Yi Holy Woman said plainly, "If the Tiangang Swordmaster made his move that day, I only intended to protect Xiao Yan and Zhu Yi."
The Xuan Yi Holy Man contemplated for a moment before he spoke, "The four of them ascended into the immortal soul stage on the same day. Even though it could have been due to the pressure heaped upon them by the Anti-Celestial Alliance, I think it's too much of a coincidence."
"I'm not so sure about the others, but from the light images that I have seen depicting the battle of Mount Yujing, Shi Tianhao seemed to have ingested some kind of pill before he reached the immortal soul stage."
Everyone turned towards the Qing Ning Holy Man as they digested this statement. The Qing Ning Holy Man's eyes flickered black and white as he nodded his head slowly. "I have noticed what you speak of, but I haven't been able to understand it yet."
"It shouldn't be a pill that can bring advanced nascent soul stage cultivators directly into the immortal soul stage as that's just against natural law. It is something that the Grand Celestial World cannot possibly tolerate. However, it's very likely to be something beneficial for breaking the bottleneck, or something that increased the likelihood of doing so."
Everyone nodded their heads at the same time. "Even if that's the case, the effects of this pill can be considered to be divine and out of this world."
The Qing Ning Holy Man continued, "I need to interact with Lin Feng to understand the nature and the recipe for this pill. If this pill really has that effect, with the right materials and resources, it can have unimaginably powerful and beneficial effects."
Cai Yunzhou forced out another laugh. "It seems as if there is no more discussion regarding our relationship with the Celestial Sect of Wonders."
"That's not up to him anymore. This matter will not be taken lightly by Senior Tai Yi," the Qing Yi Holy Woman said calmly, "I'm more concerned about something else – about the true level of mastery of Lin Feng."
The circle descended into deep thought upon hearing her words.
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Chapter 900: The Great Void Sect's Grand Plan
Translator: Sparrow Translations Editor: Sparrow Translations
After the Qing Yi Holy Woman was finished, the Xuan Yi Holy Man, Cai Fengzhou and the others started to contemplate by themselves.
Yun Yuanzhen looked towards Lin Daohan after a while and asked, "Daohan, I recall Mingyue saying that you've attempted to derive the leader of the Celestial Sect of Wonders' true level of mastery?"
Lin Daohan nodded his head and answered, "In hindsight, it was a little impetuous."
Yun Yuanzhen shook her head slowly and said, "I don't think you were being hasty."
"Looking back, the rise to power of the Celestial Sect of Wonders wasn't simply because of the ever-increasing strength of the Celestial Sect of Wonders. Lin Feng himself has been improving this whole time as well, and there is also an issue with his avatars and his original body. Otherwise, this upwards path seems a little too precipitous and abrupt."
"I believe there is a junction or a node amongst all this. I think this must be the Heavenly Cart Peak Sword Conference, or it could be the battle of Xiling City. After this junction, the person that appears before the world should be Lin Feng's original body."
Thoughts continued to spin in her head as she continued, "The possibility of it being the latter is greater. However, from our observations over the recent years, the strength of Lin Feng after the battle of Xiling City was a far stronger than he was back during the battle itself when he crossed paths with Senior Kuang, Senior Xuan Lin and Xin Longsheng."
"This is especially true in light of the battle of Mount Shu. It's quite obvious that he is a lot more powerful than he was during the battle of Xiling City."
"While there is still a possibility that Lin Feng was holding back during the battle of Xiling City, I am more inclined towards the conclusion that he has grown stronger after the battle of Xiling City."
The Qing Yi Holy Woman and the others listened quietly and nobody interrupted him.
Yun Yuanzhen took a deep breath and said, "Therefore, I believe that the estimations we made regarding Lin Feng before are mostly erroneous."
She turned towards the Qing Yi Holy Woman. "Just as master said, I am equally concerned about the true mastery of the leader of the Celestial Sect of Wonders."
"Just by looking at his Immediate Disciples, besides those that have yet to reach the immortal soul stage, the fact that Xiao Yan, Zhu Yi, Wang Lin and Shi Tianhao can hold their own against Immortal Soul Third Level cultivators even though they're only in the Immortal Soul First Level is a little unthinkable."
Yun Yuanzhen shook her head in silent admiration. "Daohan remarked that he was inferior to them when he was in the first-level immortal soul stage – then there is nothing else to be said about me."
Cai Fengzhou and the others nodded their heads in unison. They harbored similar views and all shared an honest consensus about this.
"It's a fact that Xiao Yan and the three others are unprecedented prodigies. However, for them to be as powerful as they are today, it's probably unlikely that it's entirely because they are naturally talented."
Yun Yuanzhen's expression turned contemplative before she continued slowly, "This outcome should also be related to the mantras they practice."
The recollection of his conversation with Yan Mingyue the other day surfaced in Lin Daohan's mind as he listened:
"During the battle outside Shazhou City, Pang Jie was no match for him at all. However, after Junior Pang unleashed the Six Appearances Sword, Lin Feng stopped using his own powers and channeled a magic formation to defeat the Six Appearances Sword and Junior Pang."
"I'm not sure if this is enough to conclude that his own personal mastery was insufficient to defeat Junior Pang and the Six Appearances Sword, or if this simply means that he ran the risk of revealing his true level of mastery?"
"His level of mastery was most likely to be in the Immortal Soul First Level. The second-most likely possibility is that he was in the advanced nascent soul stage, while it's almost impossible that he was in the Immortal Soul Second Level. It's virtually impossible that he's in the Immortal Soul Third Level."
"Big Senior, what if our estimations are wrong and what if this person's level of mastery is far greater than the first-level immortal soul stage?"
"I will be very happy. The Mount Shu Sword Sect will have found themselves a powerful adversary."
"And if he's not yet at the Immortal Soul First Level?"
"If that's the case, that only goes to show that the mantras that he practices are superior to the mystical mantras of the Great Void Sect!"
The details of his discussion with Yan Mingyue were still vivid in his memory. Even though he could already confirm that it was only one of Lin Feng's avatars back then, from the progress of Xiao Yan and the others through the intermediate nascent soul stage, then to the advanced nascent soul stage, and eventually to the Immortal soul First Level, and their extraordinary prowess proved the superiority of the lineage of the Celestial Sect of Wonders.
The Qing Yi Holy Woman spoke slowly, "This is the reason why I am highly doubtful that he is at the Vipralopa Stage. However, his mantras and abhijna are extremely powerful which is coherent with his fearsome displays of battle prowess – he is able to defeat the Tiangang Swordmaster, the Crimson Gorilla Grand Sage and the Azure Sky Dragon King without revealing his personal Dao Fruit."
"The Power-Destroying Catastrophe that he channeled in Xiling City could have been a coincidence, and doesn't prove that he has finished the Alpha Tribulations."
Cai Fengzhou's eyes grew solemn. "If that's the case, then what could his level of mastery be?"
The Qing Yi Holy Woman and Yun Yuanzhen shook their heads together. "That's still a mystery as we are still unable to see clearly. In the end, nobody knows whether he's been giving everything he has. At least, we are able to confirm that when he destroyed the Saintly Celestial Sword in Mount Shu, he was holding back as he wanted to use pure swordplay to defeat it."
"Up till today, he has enjoyed relative autonomy and we have never seen him enter an extremely dire situation. This is the reason why his true strength is seemingly bottomless; it's like we are staring into a deep swamp, we think we've seen the bottom of it but it goes down a lot deeper."
The Yu Yuan Holy Woman said, "During the battle of Xiling City, Senior Uncle Zheng Yi wanted to test his limits but was unable to execute his plan properly. In hindsight, that was probably our best opportunity. It's a pity that something happened in the Barren Expanses and Senior Uncle Tai Yi, Senior Uncle Xuan Yi and you were preoccupied and even our sect leader and Junior Wu had their hands tied."
Cai Fengzhou glanced at her and said, "Junior Wu wasn't able to fight anyone in the Divine Lands. At least the situation wasn't dire to the point where there was no other choice."
"Furthermore, if we had let Junior Wu fight someone in the Xiling City, would we not have forced the hand of Shi Yu and the Immortal Dragon City?"
The Yu Yuan Holy Woman nodded her head and apologized, "I have misspoken."
Yun Yuanzhen turned towards Lin Daohan. "Daohan, do you remember the time when you planted a seed inside the Celestial Sect of Wonders? It's time to activate it."
Lin Daohan matched her gaze with bottomless eyes but said nothing.
Yun Yuanzhen had an equally composed expression and stared into Lin Daohan's eyes for a moment longer before she said quietly, "The sect leader and Senior Fu's idea is far too dangerous."
She did not mention the Tai Yi Holy Man, but everybody on scene was aware.
Lin Daohan continued to ponder but still said nothing. The Qing Yi Holy Woman directed another question at him and said, "Do you trust a person that you don't know the background of?"
The Qing Ning Holy Man continued slowly, "We don't need the complete set of Lin Feng's mantras and lineage – a small portion will do."
"The mantras of the Celestial Sect of Wonders are extraordinary, and possibly superior to those our own sect. It's likely that theirs is similar to ours – profound and has high requirements for talent and natural ability – and it's unlikely that they are anything close to being normal."
"If we can obtain just a portion of his teachings, we will be able to trace their origins and it will be enough for us to figure out the identity of Lin Feng."
The Xuan Yi Holy Man and Cai Fengzhou fell into silent contemplation again as the Yu Yuan Holy Woman chimed in. "In order to prevent unexpected outcomes in the future, we have to know what we're dealing with."
Lin Daohan's eyes were trained on the Qing Yi Holy Woman and he did not even look at the Qing Ning Holy Man, the Yu Yuan Holy Woman or Yun Yuanzhen. The Qing Yi Holy Woman said calmly, "You can take your time to make a decision. You can consult Senior Tai Yi and our sect leader before deciding on what to do."
"You don't have to tell us about whatever you settle on in the end, and the ultimate outcome of everything."
"You only have to take the problem the Yu Yuan Holy Woman and I have proposed to the sect leader and to Senior Tai Yi. Ask them, are they willing to trust someone they don't know the identity of? If we wish to avoid unexpected circumstances, should we not know exactly what we're dealing with?"
Lin Daohan shook his head softly and answered, "You misunderstand. Our mantras have been touted as the most powerful ones within the Divine Lands and even throughout the entire Grand Celestial World. Yet, we are all aware that our sect is still probing forward and meandering through the laws of nature and the principles of the world and we are far from perfecting our mantras."
"If this helps us climb to the next level, my master and I will be happy to proceed. We don't have to steal the mantras of the Celestial Sect of Wonders, but they may still be useful after all. Whatever can provide inspiration for the mantras of our sect will be beneficial."
"However, the aim of everything should be to empower ourselves, to make ourselves stronger so that we can continue to protect the Divine Lands and fight against the demons."
Lin Daohan's expression was still calm. "If we don't further aggravate the tension between us and the Celestial Sect of Wonders to the point of no return, and we will be able to avoid grinding down the power of the human race, then I will be happy to do it. The seed that I planted back then is for this very reason as well."
"However, if doing so will incite violent conflict between us and the Celestial Sect of Wonders, the demons will profit for free. Therefore, I think this matter requires further consideration."
"If the gains from thieving the mantras of the Celestial Sect of Wonders can offset the damage, and will benefit us more than the losses that we will incur in a violent conflict with them, then it is still worth it to execute the plan."
The Qing Yi Holy Woman nodded in agreement. "You can make the decision by yourself."
Lin Daohan bowed faintly and said, "Yes, Senior Grand Aunt."
The Qing Ning Holy Man spoke his piece as well. "We can think through this slowly. Before everything, the prescription of the pill takes precedence and may provide us with immediate benefit."
The Yu Yuan Holy Woman shook her head instead and said, "I'm more concerned about the Heaven-Destroying Sword. This sword is as ferocious as it gets, and the apocalyptic energy that it possesses should not be allowed to exist. We are running the risk of accommodating something that has the potential to turn against us in the future."
" Lin Feng has set his sights on us. In an attempt to combat the Supreme Heavenly Mirror, he has been stubborn enough to fully unleash the sword and even wants to refine it. He could be the first to fall prey to the toxic feedback from the sword, and when control of the sword is lost, the Divine Lands will be the second to suffer its wrath."
The Qing Ning Holy Man said, "I've said this before, and my stand remains unchanged. We can create an opportunity for Lin Feng to remove the seal from the sword before its due, and only if it's used against the demons."
"If he insists on not using the sword, then it becomes a good opportunity for us to test his personal limits."
Lin Daohan, the Xuan Yi Holy Man and Cai Fengzhou frowned faintly at the same time. "Isn't that a little inappropriate?"
Yun Yuanzhen smiled and said, "With this sword on the frontlines, we will obtain valuable time to repair the Supreme Heavenly Mirror to its original splendor and power."
The Xuan Yi Holy Man and Cai Fengzhou started to ponder as Lin Daohan's eyes seemed to sparkle before they returned to their original composure while all three of them said nothing more.
After a long while, Cai Fengzhou was the first to speak. " Lin Feng is not a fool. He will definitely be aware of what we are trying to do, and this will only exacerbate the tensions between us. Other things like obtaining the prescription for the pill are off the books as well. If we start off our interactions like this, we may end up in a violent situation with no way of turning back."
The Qing Yi Holy Woman said quietly, "You are right – Lin Feng is not stupid. In fact, he's an extremely intelligent individual. This is the reason why he has been in reclusion before he's reached a certain level. It's quite simple if we wish to hold him down – all we have to do is maintain the superiority of the Great Void Sect against his."
"If he wants to strengthen the sword, then so be it. We just have to compete with him to see if the Supreme Heavenly Mirror can recuperate faster or his Heaven-Destroying Sword will ascend to the next level more quickly," the Qing Yi Holy Woman's light projection stood up from the prayer mat she was sitting on. "We have underestimated him this whole time, and that will not happen again."
She turned towards Lin Daohan. "What's the situation like with the Emperor of the Dead and the Hall of the Dead?"
Lin Daohan answered, "The Emperor of the Dead intends to instigate a conflict between us and the Celestial Sect of Wonders while building up his own power and influence. There shouldn't be any substantial action from him in the near future. However, we don't have a lot of leads if we wish to locate him."
The Qing Yi Holy Woman nodded her head. "The threat that he poses probably isn't as great as the Celestial Sect of Wonders at this point in time. However, he's far more likely to become one, so we have to pay attention to him while monitoring the Celestial Sect of Wonders at the same time."
Lin Daohan bowed and acknowledged, "I understand."
Back in the Barren Expanses in a faraway land, a strolling Lin Feng finally stopped in his tracks and flicked his fingers. Several streams of mana surged out and the golden bowl with the cicada wings flew up into midair and transformed into dancing streaks of golden light.
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Chapter 901: Covering Up The Truth And The Loophole
Translator: Sparrow Translations Editor: Sparrow Translations
In the vast lands of the Barren Expanses, Lin Feng stopped in his tracks and began casting various spells while the golden bowl and the cicada wings transformed into golden light and spiraled in midair.
The trail of the golden lights' movement seemed messy and disorganized, but there were a lot of concepts embodied within and eventually formed an enormous and complicated pattern in the sky.
Lin Feng flicked his fingers and thick purple energy completely enveloped the giant complicated pattern formed by the golden light.
The golden pattern flickered incessantly as if it was colored with a layer of purple. Streaks of formless waves undulated and expanded outwards with the pattern at its center and traveled far and wide and eventually dissipated between heaven and earth.
Lin Feng's consciousness followed the expansion of these waves and extended outwards like a blanket in an attempt to search for the Golden Cicada Master.
The Crimson Gorilla Grand Sage emerged from the void and settled down as he watched Lin Feng execute the spell. He studied it for a moment before he thought to himself, "The leader of the Celestial Sect of Wonders possesses such complex and profound mantras that are far superior to my own. If I were the one with the golden bowl and the cicada wings, while I can make my own attempt at finding the Golden Cicada Master, my chances of success are far worse and I will be easily shaken off as well."
Lin Feng's consciousness continued to expand with himself as the center of it all as he probed everything around him.
A path shimmered and appeared through the void between the oscillations of the formless waves of light. This path meandered through space and continued to extend forward.
This path was extremely strange as it had so many kinks and turns inside that no natural law could explain it. In other parts, once it had extended to a certain area, it would turn backwards towards the starting point.
Towards the middle, the road made a sharp right-angle turn before it made another right-angle turn. If one combined both turns together, it was as good as turning back towards the point of origin.
This was just a small section of a long and stretched-out road, and this turning and twisting road that was formed by the purple light continued to display this strange pattern.
This circumstance came about because this path went through layers of space and the result was transformations in inexplicable ways.
Lin Feng and the Crimson Gorilla Grand Sage watched on in silence. They were not too eager to follow down this path and patiently waited for the entire road to fully reveal itself to the very end.
Over the entire process, Lin Feng's consciousness had been searching his surroundings at the same time and his heart suddenly skipped a beat. "Oh? Why is here as well?"
He had discovered that there was a battle raging somewhere over the horizon.
The two parties engaged in furious battle was a large ape who had black fur all over except for a green-colored face and a green-colored chest. Between huffs and puffs, gusts of Yin wind billowed across the heavens like thin strands of black thread.
However, everything that these Yin winds that resembled strands of black threads touched became lifeless and lost all vitality even though there was no conspicuous physical change. It felt like these things experienced an extreme chill that came out from within and extended all the way out.
The Nine Nether Draught, which was part of the Four Grand Primordial Winds, was similar in quality to the Xuanming Primordial Water which was part of the Six Great Primordial Waters – they were both items of extreme coldness.
In stark contrast to the outside-in effects of the Xuanming Primordial Water, the Nine Nether Draught was the complete opposite. The Nine Nether Draught targeted the souls of living beings and froze them first before it corroded the physical body and shell.
A person frozen by the Xuanming Primordial Water would become like an ice statue. However, if one was frozen by the Nine Nether Draught, one would lose all vitality and become like a clay puppet.
Both items had their own unique applications and special and distinct methods were required to counter them as well, and both were also considered exotic items of the world.
The Nine Nether Draught's originated from the Netherworld Sea of the Grand Celestial Seven Seas and did not show itself easily. Even if a crack appeared in the Netherworld Sea and several drafts were released, they were also in small amounts.
The Nine Nether Draught of the Netherworld Sea was incredibly dense and unbelievably violent; It blanketed the entire region and threatened to freeze everything it came into contact with. The calamity it would bring had a shared fame with the Nefarious Spectral Primordial Fire, the Blood River Primordial Water and the Avici Infernal Gale.
Outside the Netherworld Sea, there was a race amongst the Grand Celestial World that could channel the power of the Nine Nether Draught – it was one of the branches of the Ancient Ape Demons, the Nine Netherworld Ghost Monkey tribe.
The black monkey with the green face that was discovered by Lin Feng's consciousness and was spitting out the Nine Nether Draught was a monkey king that had already formed the demon soul.
To the best of Lin Feng's knowledge, the leader of the Nine Netherworld Ghost Monkey tribe should also be a grand sage-level demon, and was known as the Nine Netherworld Grand Sage. However, due to the fact that he did not typically show himself to the world, nobody knew the true level of his mastery.
Lin Feng had never come across a Nine Netherworld Ghost Monkey before, and it was the first time that he had seen a live one. Rather, it was this monkey's adversary that Lin Feng was more familiar with – it was the disciple of the Ethereal Mountain that he had met with a few times before, Chu Yang.
For some reason, he was also inside the Barren Expanses.
Strictly spoken, the Lingyuan Mountain range inhabited by the Ancient Ape Demons was quite a distance from the inter-world passage between the Divine Lands and the Barren Expanses. The position that Chu Yang was in, for a human cultivator, was considered to be extremely deep into the Barren Expanses.
He was not here to hunt demons and had been careful throughout his entire journey. He used the Southwest You Heaven Sword from the Great Nine Heavens Holy Swords of the ancient Heaven's Gate Sect to mask his movement to avoid clashing with demons.
Great demons were not too concerned about a puny aurous core stage cultivator such as him, and most demon commanders and demonic lord stage demons were not able to see through his spell and he ended up travelling to the Lingyuan Mountains.
"It's a pity that the Creation Heavenly Crystal is embedded under the mountain, and I will definitely provoke this monkey if I wish to retrieve it. If not, I will be able to thieve it discreetly and leave without anybody knowing about me." Chu Yang faced the Nine Netherworld Ghost Monkey before him calmly. He wanted to carry out his operation as discreetly as possible, but in order to obtain the object he came here to retrieve, he had no choice but to provoke his current opponent.
Faced with the ferocious Nine Netherworld Ghost Monkey in front of him, Chu Yang's eyes flashed with cold light.
He had always been relatively relentless, but he typically held back his abilities in order to protect the secrecy of his movement.
However, once his hand had been forced, he would give his all to defeat and murder his adversary and kept no prisoners.
"This is the region of the Nine Netherworld Ghost Monkeys. If I dally, I will only attract more demon monkeys." The cold and ruthless expression in his eyes vanished, and only unwavering focus was left.
His sword changed stance all of a sudden and sharp streak of blinding sword radiance surged into vision. Raging flames were unleashed from within, and resembled that of the rising Sun.
The vast spheres of light itself resembled the bright sun in the sky and blanketed the world in an instant, barricading himself against the gusts of Nine Nether Draught directed towards him.
The scorching heat made the demon monkey grind his teeth. "This isn't the real Grand Sun Primordial Fire – yet the concept of power is exactly the same as that of the Grand Sun Primordial Fire! One strike of the sword and he has unleashed the pet technique of the Golden Crows, the Grand Sun Primordial Fire Technique. What kind of swordplay is this?"
The Heaven's Gate Sect had been laid to ruin for a long time, and there were not that many people even in the Divine Lands that could recognize Chu Yang's Southeast Yang Heaven Sword.
Great demons that had been through the Antiquity Age would have been able to recognize the background of this strike. However, this particular demon ape had only been around for less than a thousand years, and he was naturally unable to recognize this.
Chu Yang's longsword was raised high above his head like the sun in noontime. The sword radiance continued to light up the entire area, while the pale-golden light streaks returned to its initial tranquility and quiet warmth.
However, the demon monkey did not dare to underestimate the power of this move and the 'sun' in the sky that was bright but not unbearably hot. Chu Yang used this move to break his Nine Nether Draught, even though Chu Yang was only in the aurous core stage and he was already in the demonic lord stage.
Of course, neither Chu Yang nor the Nine Netherworld Ghost Monkey realized that everything they were doing fell into Lin Feng's eyes.
Lin Feng grinned as he watched Chu Yang's every move. "Not bad, not bad. It's no longer immature, but the complete lineage of the Great Nine Heavens Holy Sword Technique."
In comparison to the incomplete lineage of the Heaven's Gate Sect passed down to the East Heaven's Gate, Chu Yang's Great Nine Heavens Holy Sword Technique was a lot more organized and mature. However, it seemed as if he had only obtained this technique from his mentors but not the other mantras and abhijna from the Heaven's Gate Sect.
"But…" Lin Feng's eyes furrowed a little as he realized something was wrong.
Chu Yang was completely unaware, but nothing escaped Lin Feng's eyes. On top of the Nine Netherworld Peak that was the ancestral ground of the Nine Netherworld Ghost Monkeys, there was clearly an Undying Demon Soul Third Level Ghost Monkey quietly observing Chu Yang without expression.
For someone to possess such a level of mastery, there was no question that it could only be the tribe leader – the Nine Netherworld Grand Sage.
The Nine Netherworld Grand Sage shot a cold look at Chu Yang but shifted his attention elsewhere as one of his kinsman was handling the issue. He retracted his gaze and shifted it across the void, and it appeared to be in Lin Feng's direction.
Lin Feng also seemed like he stared back through the void, but the Nine Netherworld Grand Sage's eyes was clearly a little empty and without focus. He was unable to see Lin Feng's actions, and neither was he able to detect or register anything – rather, it felt as if he seemed to know there was somebody in that direction that required him to be on guard.
The Nine Netherworld Grand Sage was simply getting ready in silence. He did not dare to send his vision through the void towards Lin Feng's location, as that would directly trigger Lin Feng's attention. This was equivalent to antagonizing Lin Feng on his own accord, and Lin Feng would have immediately detected the hostility when he swept the area with his consciousness.
The current situation arose because Lin Feng took special care to watch the battle between Chu Yang and this Nine Netherworld Ghost Monkey. If not, there was a possibility that he would have missed the strange behavior of the Nine Netherworld Grand Sage.
"He may not be on guard against me, but that might seem too much of a coincidence," Lin Feng thought to himself. "If he's really warding against me, what's the reason for it?"
"Just because I'm a human? If he wants to ward off against humans, he might as well sweep the area with his consciousness. This region belongs to the Ancient Ape Demons anyway, and such low-key behavior suggests that he's trying to cover something up."
His train of thought stopped here as his eyes closed into a squint and refocused on the path formed by purple light before him.
The speed of extension seemed to be slowing down, and it felt as if the path was reaching its termination point.
Lin Feng watched the path as it gradually grew longer and released Shi Tianhao, Wang Lin and the others with a shake of his sleeve. "Go towards the south. That area belongs to the Nine Netherworld Ghost Monkeys, so you can probe around over there."
He turned towards Luo Qingwu and laughed, "You can try to understand Chu Yang's previous sword strike. This will be beneficial towards your mastery of the Heaven-Given Six Unity Sword Mantra in a inter-disciplinary manner."
Luo Qingwu glanced back at her master with a rather surprised look. "Master, are you referring to the Ethereal Mountain's way of the sword?"
She had invented the Heaven-Given Six Unity Sword Mantra herself after studying and drawing inspiration from the Great Celestial Way of the Eight Trigrams that belonged to her family. With Lin Feng's guidance, she developed a new branch of swordplay that was drastically different from the normative ones in the Divine Lands.
This sword technique was extremely unique. The concept of the sword was intricately connected with her Pure Yin Being as well as with her own understanding towards swordplay. She was able to perfect this sword technique as she rose through the levels of mastery, and even though she had only just begun practicing the Four Appearances Heaven Cleaving Script, she had basically invented another abhijna – the last sword of the Heaven-Given Six Unity Sword Mantra was the only part that was yet to be completed.
There was a direct relationship between the difficulty of understanding, the challenge of practicing it and the formidable force of this sword technique.
Lin Feng understood the doubt in Luo Qingwu's question and smiled, "Of course not."
Luo Qingwu blinked a little and replied respectfully, "Yes, master."
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Chapter 902: The Great Nine Heavens Holy Sword
Translator: Sparrow Translations Editor: Sparrow Translations
Faced with the Nine Netherworld Ghost Monkey King, Chu Yang unleashed a strike of the Southeast Yang Heaven Sword and transformed into something that resembled a real sunburst and entered a standoff against the demon.
The Nine Netherworld Ghost Monkey king squinted his eyes a little and murderous lights flickered in his eyes. Suddenly, he extended a paw and drew a circle in the void.
His body vanished into thin air, and it felt as if he took only one step before he appeared right in front of Chu Yang.
With that circle he drew in the air, the space around Chu Yang's body began to distort as well. The sword radiance that resembled sunlight started to twist and tear apart.
The Southeast Yang Heaven Sword combined elements of offense and defense together. The sword radiance could be released outwards to strike the enemy, and could be retracted to seamlessly encircle the practitioner in layers of sunlight with himself safely protected in the center.
The Nine Netherworld Ghost Monkey King, as a demonic lord stage individual, was able to understand and manipulate the secrets and qualities of space just like a human nascent soul stage cultivator could. However, even if he could shoot through the void to attack, he had to deal with Chu Yang's defensive sword radiance, and the latter appeared like a porcupine that was rolled up in a prickly ball.
The circle that the demon monkey drew in the sky broke apart the void near Chu Yang as well – he went for the source of the problem to counter Chu Yang's swordplay, and made it clear that a demonic lord stage demon could forcefully take down an aurous core stage human cultivator.
Chu Yang grinned at the sight as his sword stance transformed precipitously. The warm radiance permeating the skies disappeared, and only a shadow with dim but strong lights glimmered in its place; it had a deceptive quality that confused onlookers.
The eyes of the Nine Netherworld Ghost Monkey king widened in an instant. In the perception of his consciousness, it was as if Chu Yang had vanished into thin air and was nowhere to be seen.
In the next moment, the dim shadow flew away with incredible speed and even rubbed shoulders with the Nine Netherworld Ghost Monkey king. Chu Yang had escaped the area of effect of the Ghost Monkey king's assaults just like that.
He glided towards a location a slight distance away from the battleground and the Chu Yang's figure resurfaced from within the dim shadow, looking calm and composed. He had changed the Southeast Yang Heaven Sword into the Southwest You Heaven Sword and he himself transformed into a discreet shadow that pierced through the void, and even the abilities of the demonic lord stage Nine Netherworld Ghost monkey to bend space were unable to trap him.
He turned around to see the Nine Netherworld Ghost Monkey king, who was just getting ready to pounce towards him yet again. Chu Yang simply chuckled to himself, sheathed the longsword and turned around to leave.
The Nine Netherworld Ghost Monkey king immediately realized what was going on and grew infuriated. He was just about to dive into pursuit when he felt a sharp pain at the top of his head and his whole body started to shiver.
There were traces of green light shooting out from the top of his head, and they came from a small hole the size of a needle.
However, this tiny hole seemed to leak out the life of the Ghost Monkey King and he felt like his life was swiftly coming to an end.
The Ghost Monkey king's body continued to shiver as he looked inwards into his own body and discovered that even the top of his soul had a similar hole.
His demon soul had this very same hole and his essence was continually draining outwards.
The Nine Netherworld Ghost Monkey king could even feel his own consciousness disappearing with terrifying speed. "How can this be? When… When did this happen?"
An aurous core stage cultivator defeating and killing a demonic lord stage demon was not something completely unheard of, but this outcome was definitely rare and hard to come by. The Nine Netherworld Ghost Monkey king never thought he had to face something like this himself.
He was drawing his last breath before the Nine Netherworld Ghost Monkey king had an epiphany. "Yes, it happened when he rubbed shoulders with me."
With that, the Nine Netherworld Ghost Monkey king crumpled onto the ground like a ragdoll.
This harrowing scene fell into the eyes of Lin Feng, Wang Lin, Shi Tianhao and the others who had been watching in silence this whole time. The epiphany that the Nine Netherworld Ghost Monkey king had in the last moments of his life was something that Wang Lin and Shi Tianhao immediately saw through.
Shi Tianhao tilted his head to the side. "Third Senior, do you think it's similar?"
Wang Lin answered softly, "The Yuan Heaven Emerald Needle, and the dragon flames of the Azure Dragons."
Behind him, Yang Qing, Li Yuanfang, Luo Qingwu nodded together in agreement. "The concept of power is very similar, but it has been transformed into swordplay and can be considered a class on its own."
Luo Qingwu perceived the entire process of Chu Yang's Southwest You Heaven Sword, and him using the Yuan Heaven Sword of the West to turn the tables and kill the Ghost Monkey king instead. She mulled over it for a moment and said, "So that's the reason. No wonder master told me to study his swordplay, and it will be beneficial towards my cultivation of the Heaven-Given Six Unity Sword mantra."
"Still, it's just the Heaven-Given Six Unity Sword Mantra. As a develop further, everybody will have come up with different moves…"
She was deep in thought when Shi Tianhao asked, "Little Junior, what do you think of this man's swordplay?"
Luo Qingwu giggled. "Don't mock me, little senior. Even though I'm focused on swordplay, I am far inferior to you and Third Senior. You are much more knowledgeable about swordplay than I am."
Shi Tianhao shook his head and said, "I have my own understandings and principles about swordplay. However, they tend towards master's Heaven-Destroying Sword Qi, and is drastically different from yours. You came up with your own all by yourself, and master will only give you pointers about the foundations and process of your own understanding and will not influence it in any other way."
"Your cultivation of the Heaven-Given Six Unity Sword Mantra and the Great Four Appearances Saint-Slaying Sword may be inspired from other forms of swordplay, but your concept of swordplay is ultimately independent from all the other forms of swordplay in the world. Studying and learning is just a means to an end, and not the mantra itself."
Luo Qingwu was no longer smiling and was not hasty to respond. She chewed on his words momentarily before she opened her mouth. "He has already obtained the true lineage of that form of swordplay. However, his display of his skills shows that he's just beginning on his path."
"During the Spiritual Conference of Mount Kunlun, he did a good job of hiding his true powers. This lineage of swordplay belongs to that of the Heaven's Gate's Great Nine Heavens Holy Sword, yet this is something that we already know. It shares an origin with the swordplay of the soul of the Spiritual Sky Elder of the Heaven's Gate Sect who was cultivated in the Life and Death Netherworld Tao Fruit of the Emperor of the Dead."
Luo Qingwu continued, "One can only say he has reached a certain level of success when one has reached Spiritual Sky Elder's level with the Great Nine Heavens Holy Sword. However, if one wishes to reach the peak of the mantra, there's still more to be done."
"However, even though his cultivation of the technique is only in its infancy, it's already extremely powerful."
Wang Lin said quietly, "The Celestial Treasure Wheel and the Great Heavenly Mantra are the fundamentals of the Heaven's Gate as a sect. On the other hand, the Great Nine Heavens Holy Sword is a great invention by the Heaven's Gate Sect afterwards to make themselves more powerful."
"Perhaps it has never been able to surpass the Celestial Treasure Wheel and the Great Heavenly Mantra. However, it has its own authenticities and belongs to another path. Along with the Great Heavenly Mantra, they widened the horizons and brightened the future of the immemorial Heaven's Gate Sect."
"Allowing this form of swordplay to continue in its development could possibly have beneficial feedback effects for the Great Heavenly Mantra and cause the latter to improve as well. The invention of this form of swordplay by the members of the Heaven's Gate Sect may have considered this possibility."
Shi Tianhao laughed and interrupted, "Too bad the Heaven's Gate Sect met with an early demise. If the Great Nine Heavens Holy Sword was perfected and shown to the world, they might have been the ones to trigger the Saintly Celestial Cataclysm instead."
Li Yuanfang chimed in as well. "If his secret is revealed, he will fall under the radar of the Great Zhou Empire."
Yang Qing carried on the conversation, "He has friendly ties with us anyway. We will protect his secret for him, and if the Great Zhou Empire causes trouble for him for this very reason, we will be there to protect him."
Li Yuanfang and Luo Qingwu nodded their heads in unison and said, "That's the right thing to do."
Chu Yang was the one who gave them the avatars that they had obtained that were exactly the same as their original bodies but only slightly weaker in mastery.
Approximately one year ago in the Greater World, Chu Yang roamed the world and managed to obtain a special magic item called the Soul-Printing Stone by chance. The stone could help cultivators below the nascent soul stage to forge an avatar that looked almost exactly the same as their original bodies.
Mantras and abhijna could be replicated perfectly, and even the channeling of consciousness, the mana energies and physical appearances were completely similar. This avatar was also able to rise in mastery with the original body. However, the level of mastery of this avatar would always be lower than the original body by one level and this avatar would never be able to reach the immortal soul stage.
Even though that was the unfortunate truth, these avatars would still come in useful if used appropriately.
Chu Yang hoarded nine of these Soul-Printing Stones in total. He used one for himself, and during the calamity of the Ethereal Mountain, he managed to deceive Li Botao.
He gave half of the remaining eight stones to Wu Yunliang. Wu Yunliang had protected his secret this whole time, and was not in a hurry to pass them down to his more outstanding disciples in the aurous core stage. Yunliang waited till after the battle of Mount Shu before he retrieved them for usage.
Chu Yang passed the other half to the Celestial Sect of Wonders. Of course, the ulterior motive in his young heart was to gift one to Luo Qingwu.
When Mount Yujing revealed itself and Xiao Yan and the others were making preparations for the impending battle, Luo Qingwu and Li Yuanfang had used one stone each. They were not about to participate in the battle directly, and intended to channel the power of the Yin-Yang Sea and the Two Elements of Creation Formation to preoccupy their adversaries.
The avatars that were slightly lower in mastery provided support from the side. Combined with Zhu Yi's Soaring Dragon Spell, the final effects were relatively impressive.
Dao Yuting was gifted one as well but was not too hasty to use it. She was on standby to replace Yang Qing, but the latter eventually returned to the mountain and there was no need for her to put herself in harm's way.
There was yet another stone that was meant for Yang Qing. However, Yang Qing returned to the mountain as a nascent soul stage cultivator, and no longer needed that anymore. The Celestial Sect of Wonders had two more Soul-Printing Stones, and intended to bestow them upon the younger generation of disciples as an award to the most outstanding ones.
Shi Tianhao laughed and said, "Let's protect him right now." His gaze followed Chu Yang and immediately noticed that there was a vast blanket of power surging forth from the region of the Nine Netherworld Ghost Monkeys, and it was coming dangerously close to Chu Yang.
It was clear that Chu Yang did his research on the geographical layout of his surroundings before embarking on his journey, and was meticulous in picking his path of retreat as well.
He retrieved what he came for, and ran towards the region belonging to the Crimson Gorilla Ape Demons after murdering the Nine Netherworld Ghost Monkey king.
In the history of the Ancient Ape Demons, the Nine Netherworld Ghost Monkeys were never on good terms with the Crimson Gorilla Ape Demons. The two breeds could be said to have the worst relationship amongst all the other branches of the Ancient Ape Demons.
In normal times, the Ghost monkeys that would have come after him would probably still be in ones in the demonic lord stage, and he would even have a chance to escape in the ensuing chaos.
However, Chu Yang was clearly not in luck as the circumstances were special on this very day.
The Nine Netherworld Grand Sage overlooking the entire mountain was not the threat. In truth, he paid another look at Chu Yang after the battle but realized that there was something off about the entire thing and returned his attention towards Lin Feng's direction; he was not too concerned about the in-fighting of his kinsmen.
Besides the Nine Netherworld Grand Sage, there were many other undying demonic soul stage demons who were on guard this whole time. With their level of mastery, no matter how insidious chu Yang's Yuan Heaven Sword was, there was no way his trick would have been able to kill a fellow tribesman and escape their detection at the same time.
Wang Lin discreetly covered for Chu Yang, which was the reason why several other great demons reacted the moment that Nine Netherworld Ghost Monkey king perished in battle.
Another Nine Netherworld Ghost Monkey, who was already in the undying demonic soul stage, leapt out from the top of the Nine Netherworld Peak and lunged towards the human that dared to murder his tribesman!
This Ghost Monkey was named the Black Freeze Grand Sage, and was initially paying attention towards the far end of the horizon with his tribe leader. However, he suddenly realized that his tribesman was unable to take down a lowly aurous core stage human cultivator. Instead, he was killed and instantly riled him up.
Chu Yang's Southwest You Heaven Sword was profound and mythical, but the gap between him and his adversary was just too great and the Black Freeze Grand Sage caught up to him in no time.
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Chapter 903: Yi Zi And The Huangtian Supreme Master
Translator: Sparrow Translations Editor: Sparrow Translations
The demonic energies exerted pressure like the heavens weighing down on his shoulders and Chu Yang could feel his entire body turning numb.
The Black Freeze Grand Sage was not even deliberating channeling the power of the Nine Nether Draught. Just by letting the aura of his demonic energies run amok, Chu Yang could already feel as if his whole body and soul was freezing up.
"This feeling… A demon in the undying demonic soul stage?" Chu Yang's heart sank as a shadow flickered in the deepest corners of his soul.
It seemed like a long sword when observed close-up, except half of it was material and the other was just a light shadow. It existed as both an illusion and in tangible form, its true physical form was not completely revealed, and it was just hovering in the middle of Chu Yang's soul.
The shadow of the sword was forty-five percent tangible and fifty-five percent light projection.
"It's a pity that I didn't have time to assimilate the Creation Heavenly Crystal. If I did, my chances would have been slightly greater…" Chu Yang was acutely aware that the gap between himself and his opponent was simply too big. Even if he unleashed his entire arsenal and did his best, he would still not be able to escape.
Still, Chu Yang was able to remain calm and search for a solution so that he stood a chance to survive.
There were just some doubts in his mind. The location where he had retrieved the Creation Heavenly Crystal and where he defeated the Nine Netherworld Ghost Monkey king was conspicuously far from the Nine Netherworld Peak. Was his luck that bad, that he encountered another Nine Netherworld Ghost Monkey in the undying demonic soul stage just like that?
Even if that demon was paying attention to him, unless the ghost monkey he just killed was a direct relative, it did not make sense for a grand sage-level Nine Netherworld Ghost Monkey to chase him down personally. This Grand Sage could have simply dispatched several other monkey kings who were more powerful than the one that came before, and that would have been a more natural response as well.
Was his luck really that bad?
He thought to himself with rather despondently as he prepared for the final struggle. He knew he had no hope of hurting his adversary. Instead, he wanted to channel all his energy on the Southwest You Heaven Sword in the hopes of being able to escape as quickly as he could.
Chu Yang could not be bothered about watching his back anymore. His consciousness no longer swept behind him, let alone his eyes – that would only waste his time and energy and reduced his chances of being able to get out alive.
Yet at this moment, there was another gigantic black ape looming behind him. He had a bronze face and terrifying-looking teeth as his gaping mouth huffed and puffed with chilly air – he was dangerously close to Chu Yang.
At this very instant, the void suddenly trembled and a human shadow stepped out from within and smiled as he sauntered forward towards Chu Yang and the Black Freeze Grand Sage.
It was a youth in a purple robe and a golden fur coat on the outside. He was tall, lanky and had an elegant demeanor that made him relatively handsome as long black hair extended below his shoulders and down his back.
He appeared in front of the Black Freeze Grand Sage the moment he arrived at the party. The Black Freeze Grand Sage felt a flash before his eyes and saw the purple-clothed youth reaching out with one hand and all five fingers extended as he made a grab at him.
The movement appeared slow and not too quick, but the Black Freeze Grand Sage found himself unable to dodge. In the next moment, his gargantuan physical body was immobilized by just one of the youth's hands!
The youth re-extended his fingers and the space around him started twisting out of proportion. He was not trying to reduce the size of the Black Freeze Grand Sage – instead, he was compressing the space all around him.
The Black Freeze Grand Sage was initially frozen by shock but grew furious immediately after and violent energy started surging around his body. The physical strengths of the Nine Netherworld Ghost Monkeys were not considered their forte amongst the other breeds of the Ancient Ape Demons. However, that was just relative to the other ape demons and the truth was that the physical strength of the Nine Netherworld Ghost Monkey was actually considered quite strong compared to the other demon races.
What he did not expect was that he was completely unable to move under the vice-grip of the youth. When the youth added some power to his grip and pinched a little, the Black Freeze Grand Sage could feel his skeleton crackling as if they were about to shatter.
"Who's this guy? What demon has a human form like this? Can humans have such a powerful physical body?" The Black Freeze Grand Sage was overcome with both terror and fury as he howled into the sky and voluminous gusts of Nine Nether Draught were unleashed into the sky, and the rolling winds immediately surged towards the youth with a blanketing effect.
When he howled into the air, his eyes flickered with insidious lights at the same time, and a strange hologram of a giant monkey roaring towards the sky seemed to appear in midair as well. The physical body of the Black Freeze Grand Sage himself appeared a little slow and a lethargic.
He had unleashed the trump card of his entire arsenal of abilities. The Nine Netherworld Ghost Monkeys unlocked a natural talent once they reached the undying demonic soul stage – the Nine Netherworld Soul-Splitting Roar!
This roar was targeted directly at the soul of the adversary, and integrated into the Nine Nether Draught to amplify its power. It was a powerful spell, and a single roar would instantly shatter the souls of almost every single human and demon below the immortal soul or the undying demonic soul stage all around.
Even humans in the immortal soul stage or great demons in the undying demonic soul stage ran the risk of sustaining heavy injuries to their respective immortal souls or their demonic souls.
This spell was channeled from the soul, and was therefore designed to target the soul as well. No matter how powerful the physical body, the protective capabilities against such a spell would be highly limited.
Spells of the soul were typically countered by the Yang energies of powerful martial way cultivators. However, at the level of the Black Freeze Grand Sage, the power of his natural talent was no longer something that could be dispelled purely by the Yang energies of martial cultivators.
Even when his own body was compromised, he was still able to pose a significant threat to his adversary's soul and could result in an outcome where both parties ended up heavily injured.
This ear-splitting roar was not simply meant for the youth in the purple robe – the Black Freeze Grand Sage wanted to take this opportunity to put Chu Yang down as well.
The purple-clothed youth in the golden fur coat chuckled with amusement as the hand grabbing on to the Black Freeze Grand Sage sparkled with uncountable strikes of purple lightning. In the middle of it all, a petrifying purple-green lightning snake slithered and meandered.
He swiftly increased the pressure on his palm and the sounds of bone cracking could be heard, and the Black Freeze Grand Sage's body immediately became twisted out of shape from the pulverizing force. The violent lightning strikes caused so much pain that the Black Freeze Grand Sage cried out agonizingly and there was no way he could proceed with the Nine Netherworld Soul-Splitting Roar.
A howl that would have left even immortal soul stage cultivators in consternation and terror was cut off right when it just started like scissors on a piece of string, and all that's left were sharp echoes that resonated between heaven and earth.
The strange light illusion of the giant monkey roaring towards the sky came into contact with the dancing lightning streaks and was dashed into pieces in an instant.
The purple-robed youth turned towards Chu Yang as he held on to a dying Black Freeze Grand Sage. "What are you doing here in the Barren Expanses? You're so deep into the region as well."
The youth was Shi Tianhao, and Chu Yang heaved a sigh of relief. However, a strange feeling shot up from the bottom of his heart, as if he was lost. This feeling came from nowhere, and even Chu Yang himself was perplexed and unable to fathom.
He shook his head and dispelled the irrelevant thoughts from his head as he clasped his hands together and paid his respects to Shi Tianhao. "Thank you, Elder Shi. I will never forget this favor."
When Xiao Yan, Shi Tianhao and the other two ascended into the immortal soul stage and after them grand display of their extraordinary powers during the great battle of Mount Yujing, the collective title of 'Four Heroes of the Celestial Sect' started going around and drew more and more respect from the entire world.
However, the four of them had no intention to flatter themselves with such titles, and there was no information being passed around regarding their Daoist Names within the Celestial Sect of Wonders.
This was the reason why there was a myriad of nicknames given by the outside world. Gradually, these names started tending towards the same popular one.
This wasn't something completely unheard of. The Xuan Lin Holy Man of the Great Void Sect was a title given by the outside world, and was not his Daoist name within the Great Void Sect.
There was still some discussion regarding Xiao Yan and Wang Lin's title, but Shi Tianhao's and Zhu Yi's were already widespread and everybody had come to a silent consensus as well.
When he participated in the state examinations while he was in the aurous core stage, he had been lauded by the sages and was even halfway there himself. When he reached the immortal soul stage and with the Higan Golden Bridge by his side, the title of 'Yi Zi' officially circulated the Divine Lands and became publicly recognized.
Due to the fact that Shi Tianhao's residence was called the Wasteland Valley as well as the fact that the Great Qin Empire had given him the title of 'Marquis of Huangtian', he was given the honorary title of 'Huangtian Supreme Master' after he ascended into the immortal soul stage. At times, he was also referred to as the 'Huangtian Holy Man'.
Outside of the Great Qin and the Great Zhou Empire, there were some people who referred to him as the Huangtian Emperor or simply as the Huang Emperor. However, those names were only popular for a short period of time and quickly died out.
However, many nosy individuals purported that it was only a matter of time before Shi Tianhao would be called the Huangtian Emperor. He was only in the Immortal Soul First Level, but he possessed immense and disproportionately powerful strength and this title was bound to come if he followed the current trajectory.
This was similar to the Sky Emperor and the Thunder Lord in the olden days, and that was still during the rule of the Human Emperors.
Shi Tianhao had never given his approval or his objection towards the names given to him by the outside world. This was the reason why people referred to him as the Huangtian Supreme Master in their private discussions, but addressed him as 'Shi Holy Man' or 'Elder Shi' in front of him as they were unsure of his attitude towards this matter.
It was also natural that there were many cultivators below the immortal soul stage who referred to him as their senior.
'Senior Shi' was only thirty years old, and the people that called him that included old-school nascent soul stage cultivators that were thousands of years old.
Chu Yang's place of birth, the Ethereal Mountain, was completely reliant upon the Celestial Sect of Wonders at this point. The people from the Ethereal Mountain therefore typically followed the habits of the other members of the Celestial Sect of Wonders and addressed Shi Tianhao as 'Elder Shi'.
"I am here in the area controlled by the Nine Netherworld Ghost Monkeys to search for a particular treasure. It's unfortunate that as I approached the outer regions of their circle of influence, I provoked an undying demon soul stage Nine Netherworld Ghost Monkey and he immediately lunged in pursuit." In front of Shi Tianhao, Chu Yang did not even attempt to hide anything and explained the matter to the best of his ability.
He could tell that Shi Tianhao was not just passing by, and it was very likely that Shi Tianhao had seen him unleash the Great Nine Heavens Holy Sword Technique, so he was very honest. "The immemorial Heaven's Gate Sect was laid to ruin at the hands of Shenyuan, the Emperor of Extremity, and some of their exotic treasures became the spoils of wars of the Ancient Ape Demons. I obtained a lead and followed it all the way to see if I could get lucky."
Shi Tianhao held onto the Black Freeze Grand Sage as he glanced towards the Nine Netherworld Peak on the edge of the far horizon and laughed. "Your lucky doesn't seem to good." Chu Yang laughed awkwardly as he heard these words.
In the sky beyond the horizon, a giant shadow of a Nine Netherworld Ghost Monkey that was far more powerful than the Black Freeze Grand Sage started to materialize. His eyes resembled the ghost lights inside the house of Hades, and were staring straight towards Shi Tianhao.
It was the Nine Netherworld Grand Sage.
The capture of the Black Freeze Grand Sage who was in the undying demon soul stage meant that the Nine Netherworld Grand Sage could no longer hold back anymore.
He was not too hasty to act, however, as he immediately recognized Shi Tianaho and he could already feel the bitter taste in his mouth. He was originally guarding against Lin Feng, and his disciples appeared before him in the end. It wasn't because he was afraid of Shi Tianhao, but engaging in a battle with Shi Tianhao would undoubtedly draw Lin Feng's attention.
However, his heart froze a little as he suddenly realized that even Lin Feng's disciples were already extremely difficult to deal with.
Another purple-robed youth stepped out from beside Shi Tianhao. He had a calm and plain expression, and a very normal demeanor; the salient characteristic that attracted people's attention was the white hair that stretched out behind him.
Wang Lin's eyes were calm as they pierced through the void and watched the Nine Netherworld Grand Sage who was located beneath the Nine Netherworld Peak – he wondered to himself: what was the secret hidden beneath this place?
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Chapter 904: Pig! Pig! Pig!
Translator: Sparrow Translations Editor: Sparrow Translations
The eyes of the Nine Netherworld Grand Sage darted between Wang Lin and Shi Tianhao as his face remained expressionless.
Even though he was a Undying Demon Soul Stage Third Level great demon, he was currently outnumbered two-to-one, and the two people in front of him were also extremely difficult to handle, even though they were both only in the Immortal Soul Stage First Level.
Still, he was unafraid – the Nine Netherworld Peak was the ancestral ground of the Nine Netherworld Ghost Monkeys, and if the two powerful cultivators before him forced his way up the mountain, he was confident of repelling them and sending them running with their tails tucked between their legs.
Furthermore, the Nine Netherworld Peak was located in the same range as the Lingyuan Mountain. When things got serious, the entire Ancient Ape Demon tribe would be provoked and brought to attention.
The only thing that distressed the Nine Netherworld Grand Sage was that he ran the risk of attracting Lin Feng's attention, and that would truly mean trouble.
The Black Freeze Grand Sage had been captured by Shi Tianhao, and despite his worries, he had no choice but to get him back before anything else – otherwise, he would have no face to call himself the tribe leader of the Nine Netherworld Ghost Monkeys.
Thoughts continued to spin in his head when the Nine Netherworld Grand Sage suddenly realized that Wang Lin's eyes were not looking at him. Instead, Wang Lin was quietly observing the Nine Netherworld Peak.
Alarm bells started to ring in the Nine Netherworld Grand Sage's heart. "Can it be that the leader of the Celestial Sect of Wonders has already noticed?"
He was still thinking to himself when a large lightning bolt thundered down from the heavens and struck towards the summit of the Nine Netherworld Peak!
This lightning bolt was composed of four colors – a combination of red, yellow, green and blue, and seemed extremely sinister.
Every color of lightning resembled strings that were intertwined around each other, and the four colors came together to form a single lightning bolt. Even so, each streak was still distinct from each other and were easily told apart.
On top of this four-colored lightning bolt, black and white lights flickered and surged towards the Nine Netherworld Peak with unstoppable force.
The Nine Netherworld Grand Sage howled into the sky and stirred up a squall of Yin winds in the region above the summit of the Nine Netherworld Peak. The clouds turned dark gray, and everything resembled part of a vast ghost town that belonged to the underworld.
Streaks of the Nine Nether Draught resembled thin black threads of light and condensed around each other to form a giant sphere of black light that enveloped the entire Nine Netherworld Peak.
Almost at the very instant that the black sphere of light was formed, the lightning bolt crashed down from the heavens and slammed against the top of the light sphere. In the next moment, the sphere of black light trembled violently as the threads of black light crumbled and the entire sphere began breaking apart.
The Nine Netherworld Grand Sage was full of disbelief. "What level of mastery is this guy at? Even the Thunder Beast Angmao's Nine Heavens Divine Thunder is not as powerful as this!"
The Nine Netherworld Grand Sage dared not underestimate his foe and unleashed his true form and loosed another deafening howl. His eyes even started to bleed, and these drops of blood transformed into pale light specks that drifted upwards and eventually formed various glyphs and runes that were all incorporated into the light sphere enveloping the Nine Netherworld Peak.
The light sphere radiated once more, but the four-colored lightning bolt that flickered with black and white light had a power that seemed endless. The four colors continued to spiral around one another to continue producing power and repeatedly blasted the Nine Netherworld Grand Sage, who was at this point already trying his best to protect his ancestral ground.
While the Nine Netherworld Grand Sage was doing all he could to sustain the light sphere, he suddenly felt a pair of eyes gaze upon the Nine Netherworld Peak below him. This gaze seemed to pierce through the layers of rock and protective demonic powers and drilled downwards as it probed the insides of the mountain.
"He still has power!" The Nine Netherworld Grand Sage grimaced. "He will definitely find out with a sweep like this."
That piercing gaze paused momentarily when it reached a certain area and was immediately withdrawn – even the frightening lightning bolt was gradually retracted as well.
Thunderclouds condensed in the heavens above, but even these thunderclouds dissipated swiftly as well, as if whatever just happened was just some sort of illusion.
Shi Tianhao and Wang Lin's eyes sparkled at the same time as they lunged towards the Nine Netherworld Peak side by side.
The Nine Netherworld Grand Sage was expressionless. Even though he felt grim and slightly downcast, there was no way he was going to sit around and do nothing and allow Shi Tianhao and Wang Lin autonomy in his mountain. In the next moment, he directed another demonic abhijna at the two of them.
The true form of the Nine Netherworld Ghost Monkey tribe greatly boosted their powers. However, this type of demons did not rely on their true form to incorporate and channel the vast powers of heaven and earth but typically used them to further the strength of their demon soul.
This was not related with day-to-day cultivation, and was purely used as a technique for battle.
This meant that the Nine Netherworld Ghost Monkeys had a stronger demon soul compared to other demons during battle. As they unleashed their mystical spells, they were more agile and able to mix reality with illusions and were highly deceptive with their offensive, which made them a lot more unpredictable for their opponents.
The Nine Netherworld Grand Sage transformed his demon soul into clouds of rolling black mist that re-enveloped the Nine Netherworld Peak. Streaks of Nine Nether Draught billowed around inside the thick black mist; instead of blowing them away, the winds seemed to boost its density.
Wherever the black mist spread to almost became a dead zone. Besides the Nine Netherworld Grand Sage and his kinsmen, almost anybody else below the third-level undying demonic soul stage who stepped into the black mist would find their souls frozen and left with an empty shell.
However, the Nine Netherworld Grand Sage very quickly realized that he had encountered a remarkably tough opponent.
Wang Lin stepped across the void with a calm look on his face and a casual disposition, as if he was strolling along a green meadow.
However, streams of gloomy and pale-yellow water flooded around his body. The undulating streams of yellow water eventually morphed into a long River Styx that flowed continually but was deathly silent.
The black mist and the Yin winds that came into contact with the River Styx immediately shook and quiver.
The black mist became discolored and cleansed while the Yin winds that resembled black threads of light broke apart as well, almost becoming real black threads.
The all-cleansing River Styx Primordial Water, which was something that nothing would never want to touch, met its match as well. Whatever stream of yellow river water that was mixed into the collapsing black lines were swiftly turned frozen, as if they were turned to ice.
The fierce Nine Nether Draught and the fearsome River Styx Primordial Water continued to clash against one another. However, it was because of this that the black mist and the Yin winds were unable to obstruct Wang Lin's path forward.
A seemingly normal-looking stone bridge that was made by dark bluestone shimmered beneath Wang Lin's feet. Its surface was riddled with thick algae, and it enjoyed a quiet existence over the rolling river and exuded an ancient and desolate aura, as if it had been there since the beginning of time.
It was Wang Lin's Narakade Bridge. The raging River Styx Primordial Waters splashed against the Narakade Bridge and caused the entire bridge to throb as if it had come alive. The bridge took Wang Lin and surged through the Yin winds and the thick black mist.
Wang Lin walked along the bridge calmly as a black-colored great hall that was so large it resembled a sprawling city appeared above his head.
When streaks of the Nine Nether Draught crashed downwards, the black hall flickered and repelled the assault of the Nine Nether Draught with the layers of radiating light.
There was only composure and calmness in Wang Lin's eyes. It was very different from the cold and murderous look that he had when engaging in battle with his opponents before the immortal soul stage. However, this composure was equally terrifying and still sent chills down others' spines.
The Nine Netherworld Grand Sage was not afraid, of course, but he could feel a headache coming as he started to realize that Wang Lin's mantras and abhijna seemed to be designed to counter the natural talent of the Nine Netherworld Ghost Monkeys.
Under the circumstance where the River Styx Primordial Water cancelled out the effects of the Nine Nether Draught, it appeared as if there was nothing he could do to Wang Lin.
He attempted to attack Wang Lin with spells of the soul, but hit a wall once again – faced with spells of the soul, Wang Lin was even more masterful than Shi Tianhao.
In terms of strength and power, the Nine Netherworld Grand Sage in his true form was far superior to Wang Lin who had just ascended to the immortal soul stage not too long ago. However, his mantras and abhijna seemed to be playing into Wang Lin's strengths, and appeared to be directly countered by the latter as well.
In that moment, the Nine Netherworld Grand Sage that had roamed the Barren Expanses for countless years started to develop a feeling like a tiger preying upon a porcupine – there was just nothing he could do and he had no clue where to chomp down on.
Furious roars from the Nine Netherworld Grand Sage could be heard from within the rolling black mist as specks of light sparkled from within.
This was the sparkle of starlight, and was not formed by mana – this was real starlight!
The Nine Netherworld Grand Sage finally channeled the stars that he had assimilated, and wanted to use his own body as to hurt his adversary.
Wang Lin's face did not change at all as he watched on and he said quietly, "Heaven-Sealing Lord, please show yourself."
A cold-looking youth in black clothes appeared beside Wang Lin's body in an instant. He was holding a giant purple banner in his hands that swayed grandly in the wind as layers of light shadows flickered on the surface – this the original soul of the Heavenly God-Sealing Banner, also known as the Heaven-Sealing Lord.
This magic item was now at the Mahayana-level after continuous improvement from Lin Feng, and was now able to imprison Immortal Soul Stage Third Level cultivators. However, if unreleased, the banner was only able to contain one Immortal Soul Stage Third Level individual.
After reaching the Mahayana level, the Heaven-Sealing Lord was now able to enjoy full autonomous movement, and gained control over his original form, the Heavenly God-Sealing Banner. However, his personality was a little cold and indifferent, therefore he voiced no objections whatsoever when Lin Feng instructed him to tag along with Wang Lin.
Even though Wang Lin was only in the Immortal Soul Stage First Level, after witnessing the strength of Wang Lin's mantras and abhijna, the Heaven-Sealing Lord was perfectly fine with following Wang Lin in his travels. This was especially true as he decided that Wang Lin's personality was complementary to his own, and would not disturb him under normal circumstances and this pleased him immensely.
The Heaven-Sealing Lord glanced at the Nine Netherworld Grand Sage when he showed himself and said nothing more as he slapped the stem of the Heavenly God-Sealing Banner. Light shadows flickered on the surface of the flag, and the immortal soul of the Hallmaster, Xu Anda, flew down.
Xu Anda glared at Wang Lin and the Heaven-Sealing Lord but decided against wasting his words as well. Between the changing gestures of his hands, he had already cast a host of spells that stirred up the black mist formed by the Nine Netherworld Grand Sage.
Besides the fact that he had no magic treasure in possession, his level of mastery and his mantras were completely intact and was considered one of the most powerful cultivators of the Immortal Soul Stage Third Level.
Even if he was unequipped and had to fight with his bare fists, Xu Anda was not disadvantaged at all against the true form of the Nine Netherworld Grand Sage. This meant that the Nine Netherworld Grand Sage had no energy for other things anymore, and could only watch with his eyes wide open as Wang Lin proceeded forward through the black mist and into the deeper regions of the Nine Netherworld Peak with the Narakade Bridge beneath his feet.
Alarmed howls could be heard from deep within the black mist. The defense mechanisms of the ancestral ground of the Nine Netherworld Peak had been triggered and appeared to block Wang Lin's path.
At this point, Shi Tianhao reappeared on the Narakade Bridge and arrived before the Nine Netherworld Peak with a mischievous look on his face as he teamed up with Wang Lin against the defense mechanisms of the Nine Netherworld Peak.
The Nine Netherworld Grand Sage was incensed. "That greedy pig – why is he not back yet?"
The thought had just crossed his mind when Shi Tianhao and Wang Lin paused in their tracks and extended their consciousnesses outwards at the same time. Immediately, they felt a vast aura speeding towards them from the far end of the horizon.
They turned back as the skies at the edge of the horizon split open and an immense being barreled out from within. This being grunted and grunted as it lunged towards the Nine Netherworld Peak and charged towards Shi Tianhao and Wang Lin.
This being's physical size was clearly larger than the Nine Netherworld Peak and had a snarling face with two sinister-looking tusks that extended from the top of its snout. Its entire body was purple and riddled with blue patterns that flared with raging flames while he made growling sounds that resembled the deep booms of thunderclaps.
That ferocious bluish-purple demonic fire was the Nefarious Spectral Primordial Fire of the Seven Legendary Primordial Fires!
This being was also very obviously a pig!
Shi Tianhao and Wang Lin didn't laugh but were slightly taken aback. "The Fengxi Fire Beasts? Did these demons not become extinct after the Middle Age?"
It appeared identical to a wild boar, but it had a size so great that it stepped all over heaven and earth. It also had a body that blazed with the Nefarious Spectral Primordial Fire, and it was a great demon that once roamed the Primordial Age, the Antiquity Age and the Middle Age fearlessly, and was known as the Fengxi.
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Chapter 905: The Path Leading Into The Trap
Translator: Sparrow Translations Editor: Sparrow Translations
The Nefarious Spectral Primordial Fire was ranked amongst the Seven Legendary Primordial Fires. Legend had it that this evil primordial fire came from the deepest abysses of the underworld, and was as overwhelming as it could be.
Just like the Nine Nether Draught and the River Styx Primordial Water, this fire originated from the Netherworld Sea.
In the Netherworld Sea, besides the Nine Nether Draught that sought to freeze heaven and earth and the River Styx Primordial Water that worked to cleanse all things, there was this brutish bluish-purple flame that wanted to annihilate everything.
In terms of pure and straightforward destructive force, the Nefarious Spectral Primordial Fire was superior to the Nine Nether Draught and the River Styx Primordial Water.
As the supreme fire of destructiveness, even the other six primordial fires paled in comparison.
Since the beginning of time and throughout the course of history, the only race in the Grand Celestial World that could naturally assimilate and manipulate the Nefarious Spectral Primordial Fire was the Fengxi race.
This was the reason why they were also known as the Fire Beasts. Similar to the Thunder Beasts Angmao and the Dark Beasts Mingdu, these were demon races that were able to exhibit a certain power to the highest possible level. They marginalized the Phoenixes, who had been living in reclusion ever since the Primordial Age, while the already active Fengxi were touted as the kings of fire and were conspicuously more powerful than the Golden Crows.
However, this powerful race of demons gradually disappeared during the Middle Ages and were never seen again in the long years afterwards. This was the reason why the Grand Celestial World and even the demons in the Barren Expanses concluded that this race had become extinct.
After the extinction of the Fengxi, the Nefarious Spectral Primordial Fire lost its reputation as well and disappeared along with them. No other human or demon was able to manipulate and control this demonic fire till the birth of Xiao Yan, and this incredibly destructive primordial fire was known to the world once again.
The Fengxi's trotters vibrated and rushed behind Wang Lin and Shi Tianhao in the blink of an eye. The hysterical power of this charge caused the void near the Nine Netherworld Peak to shatter into pieces, and even the black mist of the Nine Netherworld Grand Sage receded a little to make way.
This beast, from the moment he revealed himself, had already placed his true form on full display and possessed such overbearing ferocity that even Xu Anda frowned at the sight.
This demon was in the Undying Demon Soul Stage Third Level, just like the Nine Netherworld Grand Sage. However, his mantras and mana were relatively stronger and the true form of this beast would give even the Hallmaster Xu Anda a headache under the current circumstances.
Wang Lin exchanged a look with Shi Tianhao. "His standard is similar to the Nine Infants Grand Sage, but possesses slightly more destructive power."
"Of all the Undying Demon Soul Stage Third Level great demons that we have seen before, only the Golden Roc Grand Sage during the Cloud Forest World episode can defeat him."
"Tsk, the Golden Cicada Master has managed to recruit a host of grunts," Shi Tianhao shook his head as he spoke, "Third Senior, you should continue attacking the mountain – leave this pig to me."
He gripped the Stone Sword in his hands as he finished his sentence, and his eyes were sparkling with excitement as well. "I will never be able to fight to the death with Eldest Senior. It's a rare opportunity to meet an opponent that can channel the power of the Nefarious Spectral Primordial Fire!"
He stepped forward slowly, and a domineering aura permeated outwards explosively. Even though his physical size was a lot smaller than the Fengxi before him, that violent aura seemed determined to hold its own against that of the Fire Beast, and made Shi Tianhao look like a fearsome miniature beast from the Primordial Age.
A human and a beast clashed together, and the entire world around seemed to quiver.
The aftershocks of the epicenter of the clash rippled outwards and even Wang Lin, Xu Anda and the Nine Netherworld Grand Sage had to deal with them with care.
The Fengxi that had charged forward crazily and possessed an aura that seemed like it could crush the entire world abruptly stopped in his tracks as he lost all forward momentum, and even shifted his position backwards a little. There was suddenly a deep sword gash on his forehead, and blood gushed out from within.
The Fengxi was a little stunned to the ground before he grew uncontrollably furious and blood shot into his eyes.
Shi Tianhao was sent flying from the force of the clash and the Stone Sword fell out of his hands. However, Shi Tianhao still had a large reserve of energy and regained his footing as he grasped the Stone Sword in his hands once more with just a single move.
He stared at the Fengxi before him with intense enthusiasm. "Both his offensive and defensive capabilities are superior to that of the Nine Infants Grand Sage, and the Nefarious Spectral Primordial Fire is also more powerful than the Yin Water and the Yin Fire of the Nine Infants Grand Sage as well. However, his regenerative abilities are not as good even though his hide is naturally thick and tough. The only thing is, it's hard for him to recover when he gets injured."
The Fengxi shot back a death stare as the tyrannical aura once again exploded outwards that seemed like it was going to annihilate the entire world. Bluish-purple flames raged all over his body and made him look extremely sinister and frightening.
This was especially so when the already terrifying Nefarious Spectral Primordial Fire started to flicker with specks of starlight.
The reason why he revealed his true form the moment he appeared was because that was how he had always done things.
The truth was that before he clashed with Shi Tianhao, he didn't expect his opponent to be so ferocious and held back a little.
At this point, it was apparent that this Fengxi's ferocity had been completely unleashed by Shi Tianhao.
"I'm not in a good mood. I need to feast on you to fill my stomach." Brutal violence and heartless coldness coexisted in the bloodshot eyes of the Fengxi.
The Fengxi Race's favorite food was one of the Six Mystical Metals, the fire-type metal of the highest quality – the Chi Lian Flaming Copper.
He had been eyeing the vein of Chi Lian Flaming Copper beneath the Xiaocizhi Mountain, which was also the ancestral ground of the Crimson Gorilla Ape Demons, for a very long time. Every time the thought occurred to him, he would crave it so much that he would start drooling.
However, he was afraid of the Crimson Gorilla Grand Sage and this was the reason why he had been able to suppress the desperate craving and appetite that made his blood boil.
In normal days, it was relatively impossible for him to camp out near the Xiaocizhi Mountain and wait for the Crimson Gorilla Grand Sage to leave before he attempted to sneak inside. This time, he found a rare opportunity to hide himself near the Xiaocizhi Mountain, and the Crimson Gorilla Grand Sage was also absent as he had followed Lin Feng to find the Golden Cicada Master. This Fengxi could no longer control himself anymore, as he snuck into the Xiaocizhi Mountain and prepared for his grand feast.
When the Xiaocizhi Mountain had just appeared before his eyes, he received news that the Nine Netherworld Peak was under attack and was obliged to return; one could naturally understand his dejection and his wrath.
Before he knew it, he experienced a single lapse of concentration. Besides being able to vent his anger, he ended up being slashed on the forehead by his opponent, which infuriated him even more.
Little did he know that there was yet something that could instigate him even more. He watched the sparkle in Shi Tianhao's eyes as the latter exclaimed, "Pig demon, you look extremely appetizing as well!"
The Fengxi Grand Sage was shell-shocked. When he recovered, no words could describe his wrath and fury anymore as he grunted and charged at Shi Tianhao once again. There was not a drop of fear in Shi Tianhao as he lunged forward with excitement, and it felt as if he was a lot more enthusiastic than his opponent. "Come, come, come! I haven't been plagued by such cravings in a long time! If I can slaughter you, I can eat you for a very long time."
Shi Tianhao was engaged in furious battle with the Fengxi, and Wang Lin kept himself busy as well and went all out against the Nine Netherworld Peak.
When the defense mechanisms of the ancestral ground of the Nine Netherworld Peak was triggered, the power of the Nine Netherworld Grand Sage was boosted as well. The mystical connection between himself and his ancestral ground made things a lot harder for Wang Lin and Xu Anda.
Wang Lin remained expressionless as he thought to himself, "The boost in strength to demons when they're in their own ancestral ground is fairly obvious. This is only the Nine Netherworld Peak – if we were near the main peak of the Lingyuan Mountains, the forbidding mechanisms may be even stronger."
There was a lot of activity at the Nine Netherworld Peak, but there was no reaction whatsoever from the Lingyuan Mountains and the other places.
There was a pale wall of light that acted like a curtain and enveloped the entire Nine Netherworld Peak with meticulous care. It was careful not to obstruct the natural flow of spiritual energy to and from the Lingyuan Mountains in order to avoid attracting the attention of the demons on the main peak of the Lingyuan Mountains.
However, as time passed by, someone was bound to detect and realize that something was wrong. After all, the Lingyuan Mountains had always been the lair of the Ancient Ape Demons. Even if the Heavenly Grandmaster Grand Sage and the Crimson Gorilla Grand Sage were absent, it was inevitable that other powerful ape demons would find out after a prolonged period.
In the void over the horizon, Lin Feng placed his hands behind his back as he watched the completed path before him with a faint smile on his face. However, he was not too hasty to step onto it.
The Crimson Gorilla Grand Sage stood beside him but his eyes were trained in the direction of the Nine Netherworld Grand Sage with an expression of faint amusement. "Min Zhao must be out of his mind. If his kinsmen were the ones cooperating with the Golden Cicada Master, it's relatively explainable as they could have been enchanted or bewitched in some way. As the tribe leader of the Nine Netherworld Ghost Monkeys, the Heavenly Grandmaster Grand Sage will rain hell upon him for his alliance with the Golden Cicada Master."
"It seems like the Golden Cicada Master promised to help him resist the tribulations. Heh, how can that be so easy?"
Lin Feng glanced towards him from the corner of his eye. "So, are you interested in travelling to the Nine Netherworld Peak?"
The Crimson Gorilla Grand Sage finally opened his mouth to laugh and he was straightforward with his speech. "In normal days, I would have been glad to do so. However, finding the Golden Cicada Master is far more important."
Lin Feng smiled plainly and replied, "I have to make a trip to the Nine Netherworld Peak, however."
The Crimson Gorilla Grand Sage eyed the path in front of them that was formed by light as his eyes rolled a little in his sockets. "Are you trying to say that this path is actually leading us into a trap? And the Nine Netherworld Peak is the Golden Cicada Master's real hiding place?"
Lin Feng answered, "The Golden Cicada Master himself is not there, but that place is extremely important to him."
The Crimson Gorilla Grand Sage continued to enquire. "Have you known this all along? Then why did you insist on waiting for the path to complete itself? Why didn't you head towards the Nine Netherworld Peak as soon as you could?"
Lin Feng made a gesture with his right hand and pointed towards the flickering path in front of him before he made a few steps through the void in the direction of the Nine Netherworld Peak. The path before him started to extend as well and followed in tandem with his own progress.
Wherever he had been to was the path itself.
"We need to cast the line to catch the fish." Lin Feng spoke quietly as he placed his hands behind his back and continued forward.
The Crimson Gorilla Grand Sage watched the path that continued to extend in the opposite direction from where Lin Feng was walking. He immediately nodded his head and followed behind Lin Feng towards the Nine Netherworld Peak.
In the Nine Netherworld Peak, the bloody battle was still ongoing. Because of the mystical supportive effects of the ancestral ground of the Nine Netherworld Ghost Monkeys, the Nine Netherworld Grand Sage and the Fengxi Grand Sage were not disadvantaged at all, and it was apparent that the tides were turned in their favor.
This was especially true for the Fengxi Grand Sage. He was more powerful than the Nine Infants Grand Sage in the first place, and the release of his full force made his edge over Shi Tianhao conspicuous; he was just unable to convert his advantage into a clear victory within such a short period of time.
With the gradual passage of time, the mind of the Fengxi Grand Sage that had previously been clouded from all the rage and the emotions became clear and rational. His eyes darted around Shi Tianhao's body as a thought surfaced in his head.
He finally recognized Shi Tianhao and Wang Lin. "Damn it! We're in trouble!"
"I've been fooled by Min Zhao, this bastard. He mentioned that there was an invasion, but didn't mention who the invaders were to deceive me and lure me here."
"The two disciples of the Leader of the Celestial Sect of Wonders are here, and the secret of the Nine Netherworld Peak will be irrevocably exposed. Lin Feng himself should be well on his way here."
"Master's plan has already failed. Even if he were to rush here, it will still take some time. If Lin Feng is faster, I might be captured and I'll end up with a fate like Third Junior."
"I won't even be able to think about feasting on this little bastard anymore. Instead, I will become a barbecued pig and end up in his stomach."
"I should just get the hell out of here." His thoughts stopped here as flames started raging all over and enveloped his entire body.
Shi Tianhao thought he was about to fight for his life, but upon closer inspection, he realized that the Nefarious Spectral Primordial Fire was starting to scorch the body of the Fengxi Grand Sage, and the Fengxi Grand Sage himself cried out agonizingly as his flesh and skin were burnt to a crisp.
In the next moment, the gargantuan body of the Fengxi Grand Sage continued to immolate himself, and once his flesh and skin were burned away, his white skeleton lit up as well and instantly vanished into nothingness – everything had been destroyed by the Nefarious Spectral Primordial Fire.
This sudden change of events dropped a bombshell on Shi Tianhao. Wang Lin, Xu Anda and the Nine Netherworld Grand Sage were struck dumb as well and all four of them were rendered speechless.
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Chapter 906: Rescue
Translator: Sparrow Translations Editor: Sparrow Translations
The light screen enshrouding the Nine Netherworld Peak not only prevented communication with the outside world, but also sealed off the opponent's escape routes.
Even though Lin Feng's Thunder Dragon Avatar already scanned the surroundings with his supernatural awareness and confirmed that a secret spell ceremony was underway inside the Nine Netherworld Peak, all his efforts would go to waste if he were to be cut off now without assuring that his opponent would not seize the chance to slip away.
But as he gazed at the Fengxi that set itself ablaze, Lin Feng did not halt its advance, suddenly realizing that the secret spell his opponent summoned was very intriguing.
The Thunder Dragon Avatar hid amidst the void, its eyes seemingly flickering with endless cycles of raging thunderbolts as its irises reflected a particular image. A formless road seemed to have opened inside the burning body of the Fengxi Grand Sage, stretching all the way beyond the light screen.
Traversing through layers upon layers of the great void, far in the distance, a holy light suddenly kindled inside a small valley as if to receive the formless path. As Lin Feng shifted his vision there, he noticed a fat monk in a kasaya sitting below the valley, glowing with a splendid ring of treasure light. He exposed his chest and nipples, flaunting his massive belly like an obese brute.
Above the fat monk's head floated the shadow of a Buddha with two diamonds in his right hand and a bell in his left hand, sitting on a treasure throne lifted up by a Sangsang Bird with a humanoid body and long antlers. He brimmed with the purity of the Full Circle of Life, and was indeed the Amoghasiddhi Buddha Spell Body.
The fat monk himself seemed like a respectable monastic, dignified and holy. Putting his status as a monk aside, he still looked like a refined and proper gentleman. However, his eyes occasionally flickered with faint hints of cunningness and indolence.
Lin Feng looked at the fat monk and made up his mind. He did not prevent the monk's holy light from receiving the formless path, and allowed the entire path to be completed.
He then watched as the Fengxi Grand Sage himself was engulfed by the raging Nefarious Spectral Primordial Fire. The fat monk in the distant valley was also set ablaze along with the Amoghasiddhi Buddha Spell Body above his head, the violet flames also being the Nefarious Spectral Primordial Fire.
The ferociously overwhelming magical flames cackled over the silent Buddha Spell Body with devastating intensity. Progressing into the Vipralopa Stage is certainly an agonizing process that requires the Spell Body to undergo severe hardship. However, while the fat monk appeared to be in pain, he seemed to be strangely relieved, as if finally putting his mind at ease.
Very quickly, the fat monk and the Amoghasiddhi Buddha Spell Body above his head was swallowed by the Nefarious Spectral Primordial Fire, burnt to a clean crisp. However, the fire did not cease and instead continued to burn with vigor. Soon after, a wavering shadow appeared amidst the violet inferno, twisting to reveal an incomparably massive body which occupied the entire valley and crushed all the rocks to bits.
A gargantuan boar appeared where the valley once stood. It had a hideous head with two huge tusks extending from its jaws. Its entire body was purple and dotted with blue blotches, with the Nefarious Spectral Primordial Fire blazing around it.
It was the Fengxi from before. He actually incinerated his own Buddha Spell Body avatar in order to fake his own death and escape. The Fengxi Grand Sage gazed at his surroundings and let out two grunts in satisfaction. Then, he disappeared from sight in a flash.
Lin Feng observed the entire spell-casting process and hence gained a deeper understanding of the Buddhist Spells of the Golden Cicada. As for this pig that slipped away just in time, Lin Feng had no intention of pursuing him, and simply shook his head in amusement then refocused his attention on the Nine Netherworld Peak.
There, Shi Tianhao and the rest were all flabbergasted. The astonished expressions strewn on Wang Lin and Xu Anda's faces disappeared in a flash as their eyes turned solemn. Despite knowing perfectly well, they did not stop the Fengxi Grand Sage from casting his spell. The Nine Netherworld Peak took precedence over all other matters. They could not help it if their opponent escaped suddenly and abandoned the Nine Netherworld Peak.
"My meal!" Shi Tianhao became even more depressed but could only direct his rage at the Nine Netherworld Grand Sage.
After an initial phase of shock, the Nine Netherworld Grand Sage's heart sank. With the Fengxi Grand Sage gone, he was doomed - he now has to face the combined assault of Shi Tianhao, Wang Lin, and Xu Anda by himself.
Under such circumstances, even if he had the backing of the Nine Netherworld Peak as his ancestral ground, he still faced immense pressure. All he could do was to withdraw and defend until the Golden Cicada Master came to his aid. Unfortunately, before the Golden Cicada Master even arrived, Lin Feng and the Crimson Gorilla Grand Sage had already appeared.
The Crimson Gorilla Grand Sage cracked a huge grin and chuckled, "Min Zhao, do you intend to resist until the very end?"
The Nine Netherworld Grand Sage glanced at the Crimson Gorilla Grand Sage and pursed his lips. He immediately waved his hands in defeat as it was already completely meaningless to continue the battle. He was protecting the Golden Cicada Master only to snag some benefits from him, and would never follow the Golden Cicada Master down a path of darkness. He was blinded by greed and played the wrong move. If the fact of him harbouring the Golden Cicada Master had not been exposed, he would still be rejoicing. But with the cat out of the bag, he has now deeply offended the Heavenly Master Grand Sage, the current leader of the Ape Clan.
If he continued to struggle, the second-in-command of the Ape Clan, the Crimson Gorilla Grand Sage, may not necessarily slaughter him, but he would not be able to avoid a world of pain.
The Nine Netherworld Ghost Monkey Clan and the Crimson Gorilla Ape Demon Clan are not to be messed with, and judging by the situation at hand, the Crimson Gorilla Grand Sage was prepared to fire an attack. Stubbornly pressing on with the fight would only result in him suffering a greater loss.
And now with Lin Feng right before his eyes, he would not engage in an internal conflict with the Crimson Gorilla Grand Sage. If he continued to offend the Crimson Gorilla Grand Sage, the latter might use the excuse of eradicating the black sheep to attack him in a fit of pique. Furthermore, with Lin Feng himself present, the Nine Netherworld Grand Sage still needed the Crimson Gorilla Grand Sage's help after admitting defeat.
Upon watching the Nine Netherworld Grand Sage surrender, the Crimson Gorilla Grand Sage's spirits were naturally lifted. He turned around and saw Lin Feng calm and composed, gazing back at him in silence.
After noticing the illuminated path stretching out behind Lin Feng, the Crimson Gorilla Grand Sage did not say much either and landed on the Nine Netherworld Peak straightaway. "Min Zhao, hand over the things that the Golden Cicada Master left you. Things can still be turned around, I don't wish to destroy your Nine Netherworld Peak."
The Nine Netherworld Grand Sage looked dismal and let out a long roar. The massive Nine Netherworld Peak beneath him gradually split into two halves.
The mountain itself did not actually break apart. Instead, the enormous peak morphed into a black shadow that still retained the shape of a mountain but was teetering on the border of the void. The shadow diverged neatly downwards from the summit and revealed a golden small world within.
Inside the small world, a few human figures were moving about. Among them, four monks looked upwards at Lin Feng and the Crimson Gorilla Grand Sage, and simultaneously belted a Buddhist chant.
Among the four monks, one was senior in age, an old sage with two long white brows; one wore an expressionless face that strangely radiated with a rich glow of holy Buddhist light; one was a cheery young monk; one was skin and bones, calm without a trace of anger and extremely tan.
They were the Golden Cicada Master's four Dharma Avatars: the Amitabha Monk, the Amoghasiddhi Monk, the Ratnasambhava Monk, and the Acalanatha Monk.
Besides the Vairocana Monk in the Golden Form, all the other Dharma Avatars of the Golden Cicada Master were present. They formed a circle with an altar placed in the center. A young man sat cross-legged on the altar, seemingly having lost his consciousness. He was the person whom the Golden Cicada Master abducted previously, Zhou Yuncong!
Above Zhou Yuncong's head flickered a certain shadow almost indiscernible by the naked eye. It brightened and dimmed at random, but one could vaguely make it out to be Zhou Yuncong's soul.
The Ratnasambhava Monk sighed, "We were so close, so close."
The Acalanatha Monk appeared composed as usual and said calmly, "This was a risky move to begin with."
The Amoghasiddhi Monk's face was void of emotion. "In the end, we did reap some rewards, but it's a shame that we couldn't complete the task."
The aged and frail Amitabha Monk lifted his head and gazed at Lin Feng, "The Leader of the Celestial Sect of Wonders certainly made a good move."
The Golden Cicada Master has never lacked determination. Back when Shi Tianhao first announced his appearance and saved Chu Yang from the Black Freeze Grand Sage, his various Dharma Avatars connected their minds and collectively decided to halt their secret spells and flee with Zhou Yuncong. But they quickly realized that communication with the outside world had been cut off, and even communicating with the Golden Cicada Master himself was extremely difficult. They figured that Lin Feng was indeed already eyeing them and had surrounded the entire region around the Nine Netherworld Peak.
Lin Feng looked at them and shook his head before stretching out a hand and grabbing the golden small world. The small world was already being squeezed by Lin Feng's fingers in the center of his palm. He fiddled gently with his fingers and instantly shattered the small world. With a sweep of his mana, Lin Feng lifted the altar up.
He scanned across the altar with his Supernatural Awareness and sensed a message spinning incessantly within the altar. His gaze wavered slightly, dawning upon what was going on. He inspected the altar and realized that the secret ceremony had not fully ended and the message was not completed, but Lin Feng stopped the ceremony nonetheless and delivered Zhou Yuncong's soul back into his physical body.
Yang Qing appeared beside him and received Zhou Yuncong while Lin Feng averted his vision back down to the four monks.
The monks did not struggle or resist, and merely sat peacefully at their original positions. If the Golden Cicada Master himself was present, they would still have a fighting chance, but the difference between Lin Feng's mastery level and theirs alone was too disparaging that resisting would be futile. Even if they wanted to use Zhou Yuncong as a hostage for bargaining, they would just be humiliating themselves.
The Amitabha Monk's body abruptly lit up with rays upon rays of holy Buddhist light. Above his head floated the Amoghasiddhi Spell Body, with two diamonds in his right hand and a bell in his left hand, sitting on a treasure throne lifted up by a Sangsang Bird with a humanoid body and long antlers. The Amoghasiddhi Spell Body ignited with lightning speed. He did not demonstrate the Rise To Nirvana Spell nor the Nirvana Samsara, instead forsaking this avatar to allow the Golden Cicada Master himself to appear, like what the Fengxi Grand Sage did.
Lin Feng cracked a faint smile and did not stop the monk, most certainly awaiting the Golden Cicada Master's arrival.
He could vaguely make out a ravishing young monk in grey robes amidst the splendid holy glow. It was the Golden Cicada Master himself. He heaved a light sigh which reverberated through the air.
The Amitabha Monk gazed at Lin Feng and similarly let out a gentle sigh. With that, the holy Buddhist glow quickly dissipated and the burning of the Amoghasiddhi Spell Body forcefully stopped.
Upon watching the scene unfold, Lin Feng asked faintly, "Didn't you hope that I would visit the Barren Expanses myself? And didn't you prepare a grand ceremony to welcome me? If that's the case, why are you unwilling to grant me an audience after I've accepted your invitation?"
The Acalanatha Monk, Amoghasiddhi Monk, and the Amitabha Monk remained silent. Only the Ratnasambhava Monk smiled and replied, "You are too kind. It was a little rude of me to even invite such an esteemed guest like you. Now that you've actually arrived, I'm naturally shy to meet you."
Lin Feng laughed. "You're such a schemer. Don't you feel that it's a shame for all your plans and preparations to go to waste like this?"
With that, he reached his hand out, grabbed the golden path advancing continuously behind him and tugged at it with tremendous force.
The entire void tremored. Lin Feng grabbed the golden path like a rope and yanked it towards himself as if an entire portion of the world has been pulled closer to him.
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Chapter 907: The Golden Cicada Master's Allies
Translator: Sparrow Translations Editor: Sparrow Translations
With a tug, the path constructed by light rays traversing the void was forcefully yanked backwards like an actual rope. At the opposite end of the path, an unbelievably heavy object seemed to be dragged along with it. The weight could not be described in words - it could not be compared to another tangible object nor measured with numbers. It was as if an entire portion of the heavens and the earth was being towed.
With this, the faces of the Golden Cicada Master's four avatars became gravely sullen in unison. "I didn't feel that he possessed such formidable Abhijina and mana in the Ying Sea. It's no wonder that he bulldozed through Mount Shu and severed the Celestial Sword. It seemed strange and irrational at first, but I now see how he did it."
Even the gaze of the Crimson Gorilla Grand Sage grew somber as he looked at Lin Feng. He inhaled a breath of cold air, "At least I did not fight until the bitter end when I battled him previously, or else he would really have sent me crashing down from the void."
A cold sneer resounded from the end of the path. "If he wants to fight, then face him head-on, Golden Cicada Master!"
A haunting black region suddenly appeared amidst the void like a separate dimension altogether. A painfully foul and revolting stench drifted from within. Lin Feng only encountered such a pungent smell when he was exposed to the Blood River Primordial Water, but the Blood River Primordial Water was in limited quantities, unlike what he was faced with now - the entire world was utterly rancid.
The Crimson Gorilla Grand Sage looked over and instantly furrowed his brows. "It's the Black Loch World where the Xiangliu lurks!"
It was indeed a slice of the Middle Worlds that Lin Feng pulled over with the golden path! The world was covered in an apocalyptic blanket of soot, entirely barren. Everywhere was pitch-black swamps without any signs of life, and clouds of black smog swirled above the swamps, emitting terribly pungent smells.
To Lin Feng and the Crimson Gorilla Grand Sage, the black smog was nothing but a foul stench, but in actual fact, this was a noxious fog with extremely lethal poisons. If cultivators of lower mastery levels are exposed to this smog, they would be instantly poisoned to death. Even human cultivators who have already reached the Immortal Soul Stage or Demon Grand Sages who have acquired the Undying Demonic Soul have to deal with this smog with utmost caution. A slip of carelessness could easily kill them.
A giant monstrous snake lay coiled on the black swamp. The leviathan had the body of a serpent and the head of a man. He looked quite similar to the Nine Infants Grand Sage, but the latter's nine heads were all resembled the heads of snakes, while the demon sitting in front of them now had nine faces that were no different from normal human faces. Each of these nine faces looked menacingly vicious, incomparably ferocious and frightening, all opening their gaping mouths and spitting out thick clouds of poisonous smog and viscous black liquid.
This was the Xiangliu Grand Sage that invaded a great section of the Middle Worlds and transformed his domain into an endless world of swamps covered in toxic wetlands, where all other forms of life cannot exist.
Lin Feng looked the Xiangliu Grand Sage with great interest as he sensed his way through the Black Loch World using the golden path of light.
"No wonder this fiend is hated by all. Humans loathe him, and even other demons cannot stand his presence, forced to leave the Barren Expanses and seek other places to reside in. This is the reason why. There isn't even a blade of grass left."
Lin Feng scanned the area with his Supernatural Awareness and realized that the Black Loch World occupied by the Xiangliu Grand Sage was already drained of most of its spiritual energy, turning into a complete wasteland where even the Interworld Powers have become so brittle. This was probably the result of the Xiangliu Grand Sage corroding the place day after day, year after year.
His Abhijina and mana cannot be mentioned in the same breath as the Crimson Gorilla Grand Sage, but the Xiangliu Grand Sage managed to melt the Black Loch World temporarily, proving that his strength should not be underestimated.
However, once Lin Feng took a sweeping glance across the Xiangliu Grand Sage and determined the opponent's true abilities, he directed his attention towards the figure in the void beside the Xiangliu Grand Sage. It was a handsome young monk dressed in grey, smiling at Lin Feng. If he wasn't the Golden Cicada Master, who else would he be?
He stood silently on the void among clouds of heavy black smog. He did not possess a holy light cloak nor demonic energy waves, and yet he was completely unaffected by the blanket of poisonous smog that flooded the Black Loch World.
A ferocious White Tiger crouched beside the Golden Cicada Master, its eyes glowing with an icy cold and otherworldly shimmer, void of emotion. Its entire body emitted a faint, wavering light like the shine of a metallic coat. It was akin to the stars in the night sky, mysterious and unpredictable yet exuding a frigid chill that sent shivers down people's spines. This demon was also unfazed by the Xiangliu Grand Sage's toxic fog, albeit less at ease than the Golden Cicada Master.
Upon noticing this tiger demon, Lin Feng and the Crimson Gorilla Grand Sage was slightly taken aback. "It's actually a pure-blood White Tiger?"
Shi Tianhao, Wang Lin, Yang Qing, and the others all glanced over in shock. Even the usually apathetic Xu Anda and the downcast Nine Netherworld Grand Sage was drawn to the spectacle. The tiger demon's appearance was even more dumbfounding that the Fengxi that fled.
White Tigers are much rarer compared to the Fengxi. Even though there are mixed-blood descendants like the Gengjin Tiger Tribe, pure-blood White Tigers have always followed a single line of ancestry, which included both the continuation of the bloodline and the passing down of their powers.
Every generation consists of a single cub, male or female, which bears the next pure-blood White Tiger cub after mating with another demon breed, regardless of which tribe the mate is from. Subsequent births after the pure-blood firstborn would only produce mix-blood offspring. Only if the pure-blood firstborn dies before the parent, would the older generation have a second chance of bearing another pure-blood cub, and all births after this second pure-blood cub would again produce mix-blood offspring.
Tribes that share this unique trait include the equally renowned Blood Red Sparrow Tribe and the Xuanwu Tribe, while the Great Dragon Tribe of the Immemorial Celestial Dragon Tribe have different characteristics.
According to legend, a star would fall when a White Tiger roars. Pure-blood White Tigers are born with immense levels of Demonic Abhijina.
For most demon tribes that already possess such formidable strength from birth, advancing in cultivation would become a more arduous task. The higher the starting point, the harder it is to raise one's mastery level. They would have to persevere until they attain the Undying Demonic Soul before they experience the same growth rate as other demon tribes. Those in the Taotie Tribe like Tun Tun are burdened by these circumstances. She was born with a mastery level at the Beginner Demonic Lord Stage, but further cultivation proved to be an uphill task.
However, those in the White Tiger Tribe are different. They seemed to have been blessed with riches like beloved pets specially moulded by the heavens. They are born with great amounts of power yet, unlike Tun Tun, they can cultivate however they wish and even advance at a faster rate than other demon tribes.
There was a period of time hidden in the long Primordial Age, when the three tribes - the White Tiger, the Blood Red Sparrow, and the Xuanwu Tribes - were secondary in power only to the Immemorial Celestial Dragons, and they surpassed all others like the Immemorial Ape Demons, the Fire Beast Fengxi, and the Thunder Beast Angmao.
However, the complications of a pure-blood lineage troubled these three tribes and cursed them to small populations that were unable to grow and prosper. The pure-blood Xuanwu Tribe even became completely extinct by the end of the Primordial Age.
Pure-blood White Tigers had not appeared on the Barren Expanses for a very long time, hence even Lin Feng's interest was considerably piqued when one finally resurfaced before him. At the same mastery level without any special treasures or additional boosts, the White Tiger boasts one of the most formidable combat abilities of all the major demon tribes.
Lin Feng glanced at the White Tiger Grand Sage and realized that this White Tiger's mastery level was at the Cardinal Tribulations Beginning Stage, but just like the Crimson Gorilla Grand Sage, he was not far from completing the Beginning Stage for good. He seemed to be left with just one or two Decay Tribulations.
The Crimson Gorilla Grand Sage looked at the White Tiger with an incredibly serious gaze. Despite having never crossed swords with him in real life, with everyone at the same mastery level, he certainly would not stand at an advantage against the White Tiger Grand Sage in battle.
The White Tiger Grand Sage gazed at Lin Feng with piercingly cold eyes. He met Lin Feng's eyes with no intention of backing down. He was the one who uttered that sentence to instigate a duel between Lin Feng and the Golden Cicada Master.
Lin Feng turned to the Golden Cicada Master in curiosity and asked, "Are all of them the allies that you recruited to support you in battle?"
The Golden Cicada Master grinned. "You've crashed down the gates of Mount Shu, severed the Celestial Sword, and even scared the Great Void Sect into retreating. With such formidable strength, I obviously need to gather a few friends to help me out. The Nine Infants Grand Sage and the Fengxi Grand Sage may have already attained the Syncretic Star Soul, but they can only try their moves on your disciples. Asking them to lend me their strength against you would really put them in a terrible position."
Ever since Lin Feng returned to the Greater Worlds, all of his battles - regardless whether it was the Battle of Mount Yujing, the Battle of Mount Shu, the capture of the Nine Infants Grand Sage after he arrived in the Barren Expanses, the defeat of the Crimson Gorilla Grand Sage, or forcing the Azure Sky Dragon King back with a single sword - made the Golden Cicada Master realize that those worthy of participating in his battle against Lin Feng must be great demons minimally in the Cardinal Tribulations Beginning Stage.
However, such powerful demons are short in numbers even in the Barren Expanses. The Golden Cicada Master paid a huge price just to convince the White Tiger Grand Sage and Xiangliu Grand Sage to come to his aid. And in spite of this, according to his estimations, he still did not have a confident chance of winning Lin Feng.
After the Battle of Mount Shu, Lin Feng used the Bell of Destiny and the Heaven-Destroying Sword Formation to seal the Heaven-Destroying Sword away in front of everyone, but he still possessed Mount Yujing and the Two Elements of Creation Formation Spell.
Mount Yujing was concealed in the turbulent flow amidst the void, with no one knowing its precise location. If it was still resting in the Kunlun Mountain Ranges in the Divine Lands, then it would be difficult to summon it at will. But if it was teleported to the Barren Expanses along with Lin Feng, it can descend down anytime.
Even though there was nothing above Lin Feng's head, who could ascertain that Mount Yujing was not right beside him? Furthermore, even if it did remain in the Divine Lands, Lin Feng could still unseal the Heaven-Destroying Sword if he was cornered into a life-threatening situation.
Hence, the Golden Cicada Master arranged his chess pieces in such a formation, planting an ambush in the void using the Xiangliu Grand Sage's Black Loch World. If he did not want Lin Feng to see through his schemes, his ambush attack had to be changed to a head-on assault.
Lin Feng sized the Golden Cicada Master up and the corners of his lips curved up into a light smirk. He thought to himself, "I have no intention of activating the Celestial Sword, and I left Mount Yujing back in the Divine Lands, but you would have no way of knowing this. You would have to accommodate these possibilities in your plans when facing me. However, this lineup you prepared here seems a little flimsy even for an ambush. Does this mean that you've prepared other tricks up your sleeve?"
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Chapter 908: Big Senior, Master Has Been Captured by the Humans!
Translator: Sparrow Translations Editor: Sparrow Translations
The Golden Cicada Master looked at the Crimson Gorilla Grand Sage and smirked, "Haven't seen you for a while."
The Crimson Gorilla Grand Sage cracked a smile. "Golden Cicada Master, isn't this because you hid yourself away from old friends like us?"
The Golden Cicada Master grinned, "Do you wish to band together with Sect Master Lin and make me suffer? Sect Master Lin is much stronger than you. You may not glean many benefits from collaborating with him in the end."
The Crimson Gorilla Grand Sage was not frustrated when he heard this. He rolled his eyes and glanced over at the White Tiger Grand Sage and the Xiangliu Grand Sage, and replied, "That can't be helped. I'm not like these two either, who only have themselves to tend to. I have many mouths to feed back at home, and if I want my children and grandchildren to be well-fed too, I'm afraid taking the safe route is not enough. I'll have to take a few risks myself."
He may assert this now, but both Lin Feng and the Golden Cicada Master knew well enough that when things do get ugly on both sides, the Crimson Gorilla Grand Sage would most likely just spectate the fight from the sidelines and pick up any leftover scraps at the end.
The Golden Cicada Master shook his head, "I may be willing to sacrifice myself, but I can never satisfy the bottomless pit of my greed."
The White Tiger Grand Sage ignored the Crimson Gorilla Grand Sage and fixated his eyes solely on Lin Feng, who was literally being eyed by a ferocious tiger. Even the Xiangliu Grand Sage was itching for a brawl.
Instead, it was the main star, the Golden Cicada Master, who shook his head after gazing at Lin Feng. "It's still too early to be restless, you two. The Earth Dragon King has already made plans to abandon Mount Taihua and join us. Let's wait until he arrives before we chart out our plans."
The White Tiger Grand Sage and the Xiangliu Grand Sage both frowned, but since the leading man himself refused to make a move, they naturally had to stay put as well. The Golden Cicada Master let out a soft grunt and the path of light connecting the Black Loch World and the Greater Worlds began to contort, seemingly about to tear and crumble at any second.
Lin Feng twitched his eyebrows. "Why are you in a hurry to leave now?"
He tightened his grip on the path of light. Lines and lines of talisman patterns fluttered and flickered across the void amid the rosy light rays and settled on the path of light, which firmed up and became compact again.
The rainbow-coloured light rays from the Celestial Sect's Teleportation Abhijina traced the path of light and stretched out rapidly, locking onto the Black Loch World securely. At the same time, the bleary and surreal Heaven Extreme Universal Light also extended all the way to the Black Loch World, seemingly pausing time in that portion of the Middle Worlds. The toxic smog drifting in the air became stationary sculptures, while the choppy, rolling black marshes became as stiff as hardened, sturdy earth.
Then, Lin Feng tugged at the path of light forcefully one more time as if pulling an actual rope, about to drag the entire Black Loch World out of the void into the Greater Worlds!
The faces of the White Tiger Grand Sage and the Xiangliu Grand Sage crumpled in anxiety. They finally ascertained how truly frightening Lin Feng's Abhijina was.
As he witnessed this extraordinary sight, the Golden Cicada Master let out a soft sigh. "I originally made all these arrangements for a battle against the Leader of the Celestial Sect of Wonders, but now it seems as if I can only use them to escape."
Judging solely by the Abhijina and mana demonstrated by Lin Feng at the moment, the Golden Cicada Master would not lose faith in winning, especially with the White Tiger Grand Sage and the Xiangliu Grand Sage supporting him. But after considering the possible presence of Mount Yujing and the Celestial Sword, he did not intend to continue his duel with Lin Feng without ample confidence.
Having made up his mind, the Golden Cicada Master did not hesitate any longer. He blinked his eyes which flickered with a lustrous golden glow.
A giant cicada silhouette faded in and out of view in the void above him. It was so colossal that even the gargantuan serpentine body of the Xiangliu Grand Sage that spanned across the entire Black Loch World could not match the cicada's immense size.
A deafening chorus of shrill cicada chirps ruptured through the skies, giving off the atmosphere of an impending apocalypse.
The nine human heads on the Xiangliu Grand Sage all opened their gaping mouths wide and let out a thunderous howl that shook the entire Black Loch World.
This portion of the Middle Worlds looked like a giant black egg from the outside, and large air bubbles began bulging up on some parts of the surface while other areas began caving in to form vast depressions. The entire surface became extremely uneven as it continued to alter and deform.
Lin Feng was not exactly bothered by the Golden Cicada Master's cacophony of cicadas. Beside him, the Crimson Gorilla Grand Sage's face turned slightly pale as he scanned his surroundings, suddenly feeling light tremors from Mount Lingyuan, the ancestral ground of the Immemorial Ape Demon Tribe.
It was not just the Nine Netherworld Peak occupied by the Nine Netherworld Ghost Monkey Tribe, nor the Xiaocizhi Mountain of the Crimson Gorilla Ape Demon Tribe. The whole Lingyuan Mountain Range was quaking!
Lin Feng took a sweeping glance across the Lingyuan Mountains below him and pondered to himself, "Could it be one of the forgotten treasures from the Royal Holy Abyss secretly hidden by the Golden Cicada Master that triggered these changes in the Lingyuan Mountains? But it does not seem to be controlling the mountains nor boosting the energy of the ape tribes' ancestral ground. It just seems to be using the powers emanating from a certain area of the mountains to accomplish something. In spite of this, it's still genuinely shocking, but this would only be possible without the current Master of the Ape Tribes, the Heavenly Grandmaster Grand Sage, sitting on Mount Lingyun. The Golden Cicada Master would have no way of succeeding if the Heavenly Grandmaster Grand Sage was still nestled on Mount Lingyun's main peak."
Lin Feng took one glance at the Crimson Gorilla Grand Sage. "Even if it was the Crimson Gorilla sitting atop Mount Lingyun's main peak, the Golden Cicada Master should not be able to do anything reckless of this sort. But seeing how he just succeeded, it seems that nobody knew he was hiding such a trick after all."
As he mulled over this, Lin Feng watched as the Black Loch World before him gradually changed its appearance. The barren world blanketed in dense clouds of toxic smog and swamps of black waste slowly burst with radiant holy light that cloaked the whole of the Middle Worlds.
The black swamps and rolling smog disappeared amidst the brilliant holy light, replaced by a multitude of Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, Arhats, Gaté and monks all meditating on a Sukhavati, reciting Buddhist scripture pristine bed of golden earth.
The chorus of singing and chanting reverberated through the heavens, and in the middle of the Sukhavati filled with boundless joy and peace sat a massive Buddha. His Abhijina and mana flowed through the skies and lands. The slits between his fingers contained countless coexisting Buddhist realms, each pursuing Nirvana.
At the same time, large amounts of demonic energy gushed upwards to the heavens across the Lingyuan Mountains and the Greater Worlds where Lin Feng and the Crimson Gorilla Grand Sage were in, forming a huge alternate dimensional space. In that instant, Lin Feng and everyone on Mount Lingyuan seemingly departed from the Barren Expanses and entered an isolated world.
In this isolated dimension, the columns of demonic energy morphed into numerous giant demon monkeys that shrieked at the skies in unison, a scene reeking of pure anarchy. Furthermore, this world was strangely linked to the pristine Sukhavati formed from the Black Loch World.
Then, the serene and joyful Sukhavati blended with the world of the Lingyuan Mountains overflowing with demonic energy, creating a strange and distorted world that was made up of both a chorus of Buddhist chants and a cacophony of demon screams. Such a combination instantly produced a mysterious and bizarre power that bound Lin Feng and the Crimson Gorilla Grand Sage.
In the centre of the Sukhavati, the Golden Cicada Master sat cross-legged with his hands joined together as he looked at Lin Feng calmly with dignity and majesty.
The Nine Netherworld Ten-sided Dual Garbhadhātu!
This was originally prepared by the Golden Cicada Master to ambush Lin Feng.
Lin Feng remained composed as usual, not being too bothered by the sudden activation of the Nine Netherworld Ten-sided Dual Garbhadhātu as he scanned the area with his Supernatural Awareness. Although he could not fully grasp the abstruseness within, he still held a rough understanding of its resulting effects.
"I see. If I stepped on that path at first and proceeded towards the Black Loch World, the Golden Cicada Master would have unleashed his secret weapon the instant I entered the Black Loch World through the Inter-World Passage. This way, I would have been imprisoned between the two realms. Under those circumstances, my Celestial Sect Teleportation Technique would be subjected to restrictions and I wouldn't be able to escape the Alpha Destiny Tribulation. Furthermore, with the spatial dimension being in complete chaos, I would need time to summon either Mount Yujing or the Celestial Sword."
"He knew all along that without the confidence of defeating me by just using his Abhijina, he needed to force me to undergo the Alpha Destiny Tribulation, a smart move indeed. After all, this is his strongest suite and the battle method with the highest chances of victory. Only a handful of cultivators can match his strength in the Vipralopa Stage, much less surpass him."
After comprehending the Golden Cicada Master's strategic arrangements, Lin Feng seemed as relaxed as ever. He looked up, then down, carefully taking in all the profundities of the Nine Netherworld Ten-sided Dual Garbhadhātu. "But if he deploys it now, he can't achieve its intended effects. At most, I'll have to leverage the distortion energy of the dual worlds to free myself and escape."
Just as expected, under the bending of space between the two realms, the path of light gripped in Lin Feng's hands quickly cracked and fissured, about to disintegrate.
Without uttering a word, the Crimson Gorilla Grand Sage immediately rushed to Mount Lingyuan's main peak. Lin Feng on the other hand, remained where he stood and beheld the sight before him without taking any action to block the attacks. His attention was instead focused on the space above the demon world morphed from Mount Lingyuan.
The monk can flee but the temple cannot flee with him. Lin Feng still had the hints of the Golden Cicada Master's whereabouts at his fingertips. The Ape Tribes have also prepared for subsequent attacks. It would no longer be easy for the Golden Cicada Master to summon this spell a second time.
Furthermore, Lin Feng put an abrupt stop to the Golden Cicada Master's secret spell ceremony and used his Mana Fences to cut off communication between the Golden Cicada Master and his Dharma Avatars, hence receiving many messages that his opponent did not. Even though the Golden Cicada Master plotted painstakingly for so many years, he would still peek his own head out for these things no matter how cautious he was.
Lin Feng was pretty intrigued by the peculiar changes happening on Mount Lingyuan. It was such a rare opportunity after all. The Heavenly Grandmaster Grand Sage and the Crimson Gorilla Grand Sage would certainly not welcome any outsiders investigating their Ape Tribes' own ancestral grounds. After this incident, the Heavenly Grandmaster Grand Sage would most likely dread the Golden Cicada Master even more.
"Hm?" Lin Feng's eyes sparkled. He opened one of his palms and grabbed the void. Strange streams of light landed in the center of his palm.
At this moment, the Nine Netherworld Ten-sided Dual Garbhadhātu suddenly collapsed and utterly destroyed Lin Feng's binds on the Black Loch World. The dual realms broke off from each other as the Sanskrit chorus fell silent, revealing the Black Loch World's original state before it disappeared into the void.
Mount Lingyuan returned to the Greater Worlds. In the instant when the dual realms collapsed, a ray of light shot out from Mount Lingyuan and traversed layers of the void before reaching the Black Loch World. One could vaguely make out a tiny disc in the Golden Cicada Master's hand.
"Sect Master Lin, we'll be fated to meet again." The Golden Cicada Master's voice faded away into the void.
Lin Feng gazed at the Black Loch World and the disc on the Golden Cicada Master's hand. He chuckled softly, "Why would we rely on fate to meet again? We'll see each other very soon."
Just as Lin Feng and the Golden Cicada Master confronted each other, near a lush verdant spiritual mountain far away from Mount Lingyuan, the void split open and a giant pig covered in violet demonic flames burst out from the crack.
Without even scaling the peak, the burning pig started yelling at the spiritual mountain. "We're in trouble, Big Senior! Master and Third Junior have been captured by the humans!"
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Chapter 909: The Monkey
Translator: Sparrow Translations Editor: Sparrow Translations
This spiritual mountain was in the far east of Mount Lingyuan, an isolated island off the coast, but it brimmed with spiritual energy and was an amazingly fertile paradise.
But this island paradise was like an appearing and disappearing mirage over the sea. Ordinary people would not be able to spot it easily, making it somewhat similar to the images on the Ying Sea.
The Fengxi Grand Sage had received the treasure from the master of the island and could hence navigate his way around and locate the place with ease.
He screamed at the top of his voice as he charged out of the void and bounded towards the spiritual mountain in the middle of the sea. "We're in trouble! We're in trouble! Big Senior, Master has been captured by the humans!"
On this mountain, he did not dare to be presumptuous. The violet demonic flames enveloping him had vanished, and his body rapidly shrank in size. His originally colossal figure that towered over the spiritual mountain had been reduced to the size of a regular elephant.
As he yelled, he heard a sluggish voice coming from the spiritual mountain that interrupted him in annoyance. "Leave him to die."
The Fengxi Grand Sage opened his mouth wide, not daring to say anything else. He landed on the mountain and entered one of the tunnels, advancing along the path before being quickly greeted by an enormous pavillion with unassuming and shabby architecture.
A huge stone altar stood in the center of the main hall, and on it lay a resting figure, not rising even when the Fengxi Grand Sage charged in.
The Fengxi Grand Sage's ferocious and terrifying disposition became much gentler when speaking to this back-facing figure. He did not dare to raise his voice, and approached the figure in trepidation. He whispered lightly, "Look, Brother Monkey. He's still our master ..."
"Master?" The figure chuckled and finally sat up. He straightened his back and stretched his waist before turning around. He stared straight at the Fengxi Grand Sage with a forced smile plastered on his hairy face.
He was not particularly big with the average height of an ordinary human, but he was certainly no human. He was unmistakably a demonic monkey, but unlike the Crimson Gorilla Ape Demons, Nine Netherworld Ghost Monkeys, or the Six-Horned Divine Monkeys, he resembled any other ordinary monkey.
As the Monkey turned around, the Fengxi Grand Sage became even more cautious. He bowed on all fours and cracked a wide smile on his green, tusked face.
The Monkey looked at him and chuckled, flaunting his fangs. "You fool. You should know that after that old trickster gave us this, our master-disciple relationship was already severed."
He lifted his furry paws and peeled through his scalp to reveal a golden hoop.
Upon seeing it, the Fengxi Grand Sage widened his grin and muttered awkwardly, "Master was certainly unfair, really unfair."
The Monkey waved his hands and replied, "That is why, him getting abducted by humans is everything that I can wish for. It would be best if he's eaten. If there comes a day when I'm finally rid of this accursed thing, the first thing I'll do is to settle this score with him."
Although the Monkey's tone was relatively mild, his words sent uncontrollable shivers down the Fengxi Grand Sage's massive body.
With that, the Monkey stared at the Fengxi Grand Sage with his interest greatly aroused and asked, "What kind of humans abducted him? That old fox is incredibly sneaky. He manages to slip away every time I want to find him."
The golden hoop on his head was planted by the Golden Cicada Master who laid a curse on it. Both the Monkey's demonic soul and original form would be subjected to total control at the Golden Cicada Master's whim and fancy, causing excruciating pain that only the Golden Cicada Master himself can stop. The Monkey has no way of resisting.
However, the curse is only effective once in a limited period of time. Hence, after the Monkey regains his strength and begins hunting the Golden Cicada Master down for revenge, with the latter unwilling to enter a scuffle, the Golden Cicada Master would hide himself until the period of time expires before revealing his whereabouts, driving the Monkey insane.
That being said, the Monkey has a stubborn and savage temper. Despite being puppeteered by the Golden Hoop Incantation, he would not succumb to the Golden Cicada Master willingly or obey his orders. Even though the Golden Cicada Master can restrain him with the Golden Hoop Incantation, he cannot kill him, hence the Golden Cicada Master usually avoids him entirely.
The Monkey was ridiculously frustrated, but as long as the Golden Hoop Incantation was in place, he was helpless against the Golden Cicada Master. After failing with multiple attempts, he no longer actively seeks out his nemesis and simply throws him to the back of his mind. Both seemingly intend to avoid each other the best they possibly can.
Watching as the Monkey glared at him with exuberant energy, the Fengxi Grand Sage hesitated for a moment before sputtering, "Actually, Master was not captured by the humans. It was his four Dharma Avatars that fell into the hands of the Celestial Sect's Leader ... Ouch!"
The Monkey knocked on his head before he could even complete his sentence. "You idiot, don't say such misleading nonsense. You made me rejoice for nothing."
The Fengxi Grand Sage felt as though his skull was about to be shattered, but still did not dare to howl in pain. The Monkey was already moderating his strength - if he actually wanted to use greater force, the Fengxi Grand Sage's brains would have been reduced to a pile of minced meat.
"Brother Monkey, Brother Monkey, don't be annoyed. I'm really here to feed you information." The Fengxi Grand Sage snickered, "Think about it. The opponent this time round is so formidable. If Master wants to deal with him, he has no choice but to have you join the battle as well."
He peered up at the Monkey and uttered meekly, "Master hasn't used the Golden Hoop Incantation at all recently."
The Monkey flipped his eyelids. His expression remained unchanged, calm as ever, but it concealed an overbearing aura of obstinance that could bend anyone into submission.
"So what? Even if he wants me to fight, must I obey his wishes? Have him curse me to his heart's content, I won't listen to him anyway. If he can't curse me to death, I'll join his opponent in making him suffer."
The Fengxi Grand Sage withdrew his neck. "But Third Junior is also in the hands of the Leader of the Celestial Sect of Wonders."
The Monkey finally wavered a little and looked at the Fengxi Grand Sage. "Is that true?"
The Fengxi Grand Sage nodded frantically. The Monkey probed further, "Is the wound on your forehead also due to the Leader of the Celestial Sect of Wonders?"
"It was gashed by his disciple." The Fengxi Grand Sage replied aggrievedly.
The Monkey stared at him for a moment before he cracked another forced smile. "This wound did not harm your core essence. Even though your self-healing abilities pale in comparison to Third Junior, the wound should have healed by now. Did you carry your wound all the way back just to convince me to seek vengeance for you?"
The Fengxi Grand Sage smiled submissively. "Brother Monkey, I forgot about this. I was in a hurry to meet you and completely forgot about the wound on my forehead."
He rolled his eyes and exclaimed indignantly, "Brother Monkey, you don't know how presumptuous the members of the Celestial Sect of Wonders are. But even if they don't show Master any respect, they would at least save you some shame, wouldn't they? I already proclaimed your name yet they still attacked me and seized Third Junior."
"The Celestial Sect's Leader still said, feel free to find your Brother Monkey if you dare, I'll capture you both and then, it'll be enough for me to whip up a feast with you three - a roasted pig, snake soup, and monkey brains! Isn't this infuriating?"
The Monkey looked at the Fengxi Grand Sage and sneered, "Continue cooking up that tale of yours. Even if others don't know you, do you think I wouldn't know what sort of fool you are? You could have fled before the Celestial Sect's Leader even showed his face, running away before even knowing how he looks like."
No matter how thick the Fengxi Grand Sage's skin was, he was still considerably frazzled by these comments. His blackish-purple face flushed beet-red. "Brother ... Brother Monkey, how can you say such things?"
The Monkey scratched behind his ears and flicked his nails. "Third Junior, Fourth Junior and you have all told me about the Leader of the Celestial Sect of Wonders. If the rumours are true, you would have been captured in a few seconds if trash like you actually encountered him. Would you even have the chance to spout nonsense to the likes of him?"
The Fengxi Grand Sage grunted, "But Brother Monkey, Third Junior's capture and my injury at the hands of his disciples are all completely true. I'm afraid Master can't escape unscathed either. We can only depend on you to salvage the situation for us ... Ouch!"
As he said this, the Monkey took another good knock on his head and said, "You only want to spectate at the sidelines and scavenge some leftovers from the Golden Cicada Master, don't you?"
The Fengxi Grand Sage chuckled sheepishly and grunted, "Even outsiders like the White Tiger and Xiangliu have a share, yet us disciples don't have anything. Master is really unfair about this."
Upon noticing the Monkey peering at him from the corner of his eyes, the Fengxi Grand Sage scrambled to elaborate, "Even if we don't have ample confidence to overcome the Cardinal Tribulations, this thing here should at least give us some assurance."
"It's your business whether you want to find the Golden Cicada Master. I couldn't care less." The Monkey finally stood up on the stone altar and jumped down, strolling out of the cavern leisurely. "If the Leader of the Celestial Sect of Wonders did in fact capture Third Junior, then I'll find him and demand Third Junior back."
The Fengxi Grand Sage tailed him and replied smilingly, "Brother Monkey, I certainly wasn't lying when I told you how obnoxious the Leader of the Celestial Sect of Wonders was. He rampaged lawlessly through the Lingyuan Mountains and did anything he pleased. I don't wish to say this but your comrades are really worthless, allowing a human to run amuck through their own ancestral grounds. That Crimson Gorilla Grand Sage might have incredible mastery levels, but he's like a meek servant tailing behind the Leader of the Celestial Sect of Wonders, greatly humiliating the entire Immemorial Ape Demon Tribe."
The Monkey continued on, laughing nonchalantly when he heard this. "Those with true capabilities can flaunt them wherever they go, what's so surprising about that? But after hearing what you said, I'm becoming more interested in meeting him."
Amidst the laughter, the Monkey arrived outside the cavern and tapped the ground of the spiritual mountain gently with his foot, vanishing in a somersault with the Fengxi Grand Sage following behind hurriedly. But at this moment in time, on the summit of the Nine Netherworld Peak in the Lingyuan Mountains, Lin Feng stood amidst the void with his eyes lightly shut, seemingly reposing.
Beside him, Shi Tianhao, Wang Lin, Yang Qing, Li Yuanfang, Luo Qingwu and Tun Tun formed a circle. In the center of the circle, the emerald Grand Moon Primordial Water had transformed into a ball of water that shielded Zhou Yuncong inside.
Yang Qing appeared tense, but heaved a sigh of relief after a while. "His mental state is just a little weak and requires our protection for the time being, otherwise he may not be able to control his own Yang Incinerating Entity, which may easily cause his body to ignite spontaneously."
Lin Feng stood at a side, not opening his eyes, having already examined Zhou Yuncong when he delivered his soul back into his physical body. His examination was much more thorough, not only inspecting Zhou Yuncong's bodily conditions but also checking whether the Golden Cicada Master had left any hidden marks or played any crafty tricks.
There was indeed nothing out of the ordinary. However, by putting a stop to the Golden Cicada Master's secret spell ceremony and seizing his altar, Lin Feng has harvested a considerable amount of rewards.
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Chapter 910: The Silent, Pondering Lin Feng
Translator: Sparrow Translations Editor: Sparrow Translations
The harvest that came most intuitively to mind was his numerous sariras.
Back when the Great Thunderclap Temple was destroyed, a large number of sariras fell into the hands of the Great Zhou Empire while several sariras got dispersed to other areas, and the Golden Cicada Master had collected a considerable portion of those.
The Golden Cicada Master naturally could not use those sariras as ingredients to craft treasures with ease like Liang Pan or Zhu Hongwu, but the sariras in his possession were still properly preserved. If Lin Feng paid closer attention, he might even have sensed the incense remnants.
This time round however, the Golden Cicada Master only deployed them to establish his battle formations but Lin Feng rounded all of them up and collected everything that he had.
Previously during the scuffle for the Three Mountains of the Ying Sea, Zhu Yi had gathered a batch of sariras from the Monk Da Kong. After he delivered them back to the Great Thunderclap Temple and replanted them in the soil, Lin Feng received a kasaya from the System. This kasaya was not a magic treasure but nonetheless possessed certain defensive properties, its greatest use being to spread the values of Buddhism and guide people into meditation to comprehend its practices.
Lin Feng originally intended to give the kasaya to the Virtuous Zen Master but he persistently declined. According to its description, this kasaya can protect and nurture any sariras that Lin Feng finds in the future.
Lin Feng was not actively searching for sariras and just brought the kasaya along. Now that he found some coincidentally, he quickly took out his kasaya and gathered the sariras securely. Following that, he refocused his attention on the secret spell ceremony that the Golden Cicada Master held previously.
Lin Feng interrupted the ceremony right before the verge of completion. While it failed to reach its maximum power, the information he gained up till now was already substantially rewarding. Multiple images flashed through his mind which coincided with what Lin Feng thought about previously. He nodded in succession, "This means that the direction of my previous guesses was spot-on. I just never would have imagined that things would actually turn out this way."
Lin Feng recalled the images that went through his mind. He could vaguely make out a figure amidst the dark void, but it was extremely wispy and completely unidentifiable. The dark void itself was dead silent, concealing a dreadful terror, akin to a place off the edge of the world where nothing returns from.
Lin Feng has already witnessed this scene once through the golden bowl and the former memories of the Marquis of Jinghuan. This eerily silent abyss of darkness was the Death Sea - the most mysterious of the Grand Celestial Seven Seas.
The figure floating on the Death Sea was more arcane than the shadow of the Buddha earlier. Needless to say, that figure was most likely the Founding Grandmaster of the Great Void Sect - the person who plunged into the Death Sea with the Buddha, the Great Void Holy Man.
Lin Feng gazed quietly at the drifting figure and noticed a round mirror surfacing beside it.
The Supreme Heavenly Mirror was still in the Divine Lands, hence this was obviously not the same mirror. If Lin Feng's prediction is correct, this would probably be the Great Void Holy Man's earliest portable treasure - the Supreme Yin Yang Mirror.
This treasure was not created from a Magic Treasure Embryo, but was instead developed step-by-step from a magic treasure in the Gestation Realm. Back then, it was already very close to achieving the Destiny Realm. Until today, many still believe that this treasure is the one closest to achieving the Destiny Realm among all the late-developing magic treasures.
However, with the subsequent emergence of the Supreme Heavenly Mirror, most of the Great Void Holy Man and the Great Void Sect's energy and resources were poured into the Supreme Heavenly Mirror, hence interrupting the Supreme Yin Yang Mirror's development.
Following that, the Great Void Holy Man plunged into the Death Sea and brought this magic treasure along, otherwise it might actually achieve the Destiny Stage if he continued to leave it behind at the Great Void Sect for too long without it experiencing much adversity.
In the dark void, the supposed Supreme Yin Yang Mirror floating beside the wispy figure suddenly shattered, morphing in streams of light and disappearing. But under the mana veils of the blurry figure, the rays of light did not extinguish into the Death Sea but instead seemed to be struggling to break free from the Death Sea.
Upon witnessing this sight, Lin Feng dawned upon a realization. "He's indeed doing what the Buddha did, leaving behind clues regarding the Death Sea for future generations. But with how mysterious and unpredictable the Death Sea is, these clues are merely insignificant bits of the whole picture."
Lin Feng thought to himself, "There are many things that the Golden Cicada Master already knows. The golden bowl of Buddhism is in his possession, and he has picked up the clues left by the Great Void Sect. He definitely occupied himself thoroughly having lived from the Primordial Age until now. He most certainly knows about the Great Void Sect's Supreme Yin Yang Mirror, it's just a matter of how much information he actually gained."
Lin Feng turned his gaze towards Zhou Yuncong, who was still cradled in the veil formed from Yang Qing's Grand Moon Primordial Water. He shook his head and chuckled, "Interesting, this is really interesting."
As he mulled over this, a shadow flashed past his eyes. The Crimson Gorilla Grand Sage reappeared before him, but this was merely his Demonic Soul's Shadow Projection. His actual being was not present. With the Golden Cicada Master causing a total upheaval with the Nine Netherworld Ten-sided Dual Garbhadhātu, the entire Immemorial Ape Demon Tribe has been considerably shamed. The Crimson Gorilla Grand Master would definitely have to hold his reign over the main peak of Mount Lingyuan to prevent the Golden Cicada Master from exploiting any openings. When such unexpected situations arise, even the Heavenly Demon Ape Tribe that stands guard over Mount Lingyuan's main peak cannot argue against having the Crimson Gorilla Grand Sage as the temporary ruler of the mountain. Everything else can wait until the Heavenly Grandmaster Grand Sage returns.
The Crimson Gorilla Grand Sage naturally could not work directly with Lin Feng to capture the Golden Cicada Master, but he nonetheless projected his Demonic Soul as an avatar here, which was certainly an intriguing move.
With all hell breaking loose, the Heavenly Grandmaster Grand Sage could very well return to Mount Lingyuan earlier. On the other hand, the Crimson Gorilla Grand Sage's thirst for the Golden Cicada Master's blood was no longer representative of his Crimson Gorilla Ape Demon Tribe alone, but has instead expanded to an issue that impacts the whole of the Immemorial Ape Demon Tribe.
The Crimson Gorilla Grand Sage's split avatar greeted Lin Feng by joining his hands. "Please pardon me, Sect Master."
Lin Feng was not bothered at all. "No worries. Do whatever you want."
He quickly took out his golden bowl again and prepared to continue his search for the Golden Cicada Master. But before he summoned his spell, Lin Feng suddenly noticed something and turned around, gazing far into the horizon. A magnificent and mysterious ray of light shot across the sky in a graceful arc and instantly landed in front of him after traversing a seemingly endless void.
Strangely enough, a monkey appeared before Lin Feng's eyes. The monkey was not large, standing upright at around Lin Feng's height, and he looked exactly like any other wild monkey roaming the hills and forests except for his incredibly bright pair of eyes.
Yet, he did not exude any form of dominance, leading Wang Lin and the rest to raise their eyebrows in confusion. The Crimson Gorilla Grand Sage began sizing up this monkey uneasily.
After the Monkey steadied himself, he scanned his surroundings briefly before landing his gaze on Lin Feng. He smiled, exposing his fangs. "Are you the Leader of the Celestial Sect of Wonders?"
Lin Feng observed the Monkey curiously. Even though the Monkey did not emanate much demonic energy, he still emitted a fairly strange aura. Lin Feng had not had this feeling ever since he returned to the void - not against the Swordmaster Tiangang, the Saintly Celestial Sword, the Great Mount Shu Formation, the Crimson Gorilla Grand Sage, nor the Azure Sky Dragon King.
He did not even sense such a confounding aura when he faced the Golden Cicada Master. If Lin Feng had to name one occasion, the Supreme Heavenly Mirror shooting across the sky did give him a similar sensation. It felt clearer and stronger back then but it vanished in an instant without any lingering effects.
But as he stared at the Monkey up close, Lin Feng suddenly felt that particular sensation tugging at his heart again, as if activating a warning alarm in his heart.
Lin Feng's interest was piqued. He nodded, "Indeed I am."
Upon hearing this, the Monkey immediately cracked a wide grin. "That's great. I have no qualms about your feud with the Golden Cicada Master, but my junior is in your custody. Let him go at once."
Lin Feng appeared puzzled for just an instant, but that expression quickly faded without anyone noticing. He could easily infer that the Monkey was referring to the Nine Infants Grand Sage, but ...
Lin Feng sized the Monkey up, but then remembered the Dharma Avatar created by the Nine Infants Grand Sage, the fleeing Fengxi Grand Sage, and the Golden Cicada Master, which rendered him temporarily speechless.
As his mastery level increased day by day and his status climbed higher and higher, Lin Feng had not experienced such a feeling for a very long time. But at this moment, he was indeed overwhelmed by an impulse to just stare blankly at the sky. "Could this be the day that I too received a wrong script?"
Lin Feng glanced at the Monkey and said gravely, "Wukong, you're being mischievous again."
"Huh?" The Monkey was taken aback and stared at Lin Feng in confusion. "What do you even mean?"
Lin Feng broke into laughter and shook his head, then looked at the Monkey again. "Your junior may be abiding by the Golden Cicada Master's orders, but it's only a matter of his loyalty and allegiance. He did not provoke me intentionally, so I never wanted to claim his life anyway. But you barge in here with such audacity, barking and demanding me to let him go. Who do you think you're trying to command?"
The Monkey nodded and cracked a smile on his hairy face. "Barking? What a joke. Even if you do let my junior go, I'll still want to battle you to see just how good you are."
With his voice still trailing off, the Monkey already charged towards Lin Feng in a flash! In that instant, his power surged violently as demonic energy charged up into the heavens, leading Lin Feng to cast a sidelong glance at him. This Monkey was a great demon that has completed the entire Cardinal Tribulations and achieved the Vipralopa Stage! And judging from his Abhijina, his combat abilities should be extremely formidable. Even Lin Feng felt slightly odd, wondering how the Golden Cicada Master managed to tame this Monkey to be his disciple.
"Could it actually be the Golden Hoop Incantation?" Lin Feng asked himself teasingly.
Despite his pondering, Lin Feng was definitely not slow in reacting to his assailant's attack. His palms were as sharp as swords and as he sliced them outwards at the void, he activated the Fences of the Heavens and formed a shapeless barricade that blocked the Monkey's Path.
He did not expect the Monkey to continue his advance, charging through the void straight for the spatial barricade. But in this process, his body abruptly transformed - not turning bigger or smaller, nor exposing his true form, but instead rapidly evolving into a dragon!
He had the head of an ox, antlers of a deer, eyes of a prawn, ears of an elephant, neck of a snake, talons of a phoenix, and the paws of a tiger. It exuded the true majesty of any dragon except for its lack of dragon scales. It was a virtually transparent White Jade Dragon.
Its enormous body danced around as if alternating between dual realms in the void, mystifying and allusive.
Borrowing the terrifying innate Abhijina from a tribe as powerful as the White Jade Dragons, the Monkey transformed himself into one and penetrated straight through the spatial barrier formed by Lin Feng's Fences of the Heavens.
Once he crossed the barrier, the White Jade Dragon disappeared momentarily but reappeared as his original monkey form and continued charging towards Lin Feng.
Everyone onsite was flabbergasted while the Crimson Gorilla Grand Sage's jaw almost dropped. "The Ten ... Ten Thousand Mantra Ape?!"
Lin Feng's eyes lit up and yelled almost simultaneously with the Crimson Gorilla Grand Sage. "So he's the Ten Thousand Mantra Ape?"
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