Revenge

Holding Chu Xiangxiang's hand, Xu Ying steered clear of the residual fallout crashing down from the magic treasures above. Her gown fluttered as he pulled her along, each twirl sending splashes of water flying. In the sky above Haojing, though the magic treasures were immensely powerful and their Dao methods profound, they could not harm the two of them in the least. Even when shockwaves surged toward them, they were neutralized by the ripples spreading across the cloak on Chu Xiangxiang's back. This cloak contained seventy percent of the super heavenly tribulation's energy, refined by Xu Ying into a treasure of truly astonishing might. Seeing that Xu Ying had no intention of intervening, Chu Xiangxiang quickly asked, "Aren't we going to help? The Son of Heaven of Zhou has helped us a lot." "I have repaid him far more." Xu Ying's gaze was profound as he replied, "If Ji Man cannot even handle a mere angler and needs me to step in, I would look down on him. What's more, this is a debt the Great Zhou Dynasty owes the two siblings. That Chanchan can set aside past grievances and stop her junior brother from causing further slaughter is already an act of mercy." Chu Xiangxiang was puzzled, so as Xu Ying watched the battle, he explained the background to her. Back in the Great Zhou era, the Tiangong Sect was not in its heyday, but its members were all experts of brilliant talent. The Tiangong Sect Master—Zhu Chanchan's master—was tasked with designing and forging the immortal city of Haojing for the Son of Heaven of Zhou. Once Haojing was designed, however, the Sect Master discovered Zhou Tianzi's true objective: to ascend with his entire court. He intended to place the three thousand strongest Great Zhou Qi Refiners in the immortal city and blanket the Yuanshou world in Dao images, holding all living beings hostage to pool the realm's power against the super heavenly tribulation, thereby achieving ascension. Had the Son of Heaven of Zhou achieved his goal, the entire Yuanshou world would have been plunged into catastrophe, every living soul shattered like jade, with no possibility of survival. Thus, the Tiangong Sect Master feigned compliance while secretly resisting, never putting his heart into forging Haojing and stalling whenever possible. Later, Zhu Chanchan's cultivation reached great heights, surpassing her master. Seeing that the girl's skill exceeded even that of the Tiangong Sect Master, Zhou Tianzi used charges of sabotage and embezzlement as an excuse to execute the Sect Master, ordering Zhu Chanchan to continue building the city. Yet the Tiangong Sect Master had taught by both word and deed, long warning Zhu Chanchan that to save the common people, Haojing must never be completed. So Zhu Chanchan dragged her feet just as her master had, forging only bits and pieces of Haojing while incessantly demanding materials and brazenly embezzling them, treating Haojing as mere scrap work. Zhou Tianzi initially intended to kill her and promote her junior brother to heavenly artisan to oversee Haojing's forging, but Zhu Chanchan had grown wise; knowing that teaching an apprentice often got the master killed, she never taught her junior brother much of her true skill. Left with no choice, Zhou Tianzi had to keep using her. When preparations for the Divine Boat of the Other Shore came, Zhu Chanchan and her junior brother forged the vessel, yet on the day of embarkation, there was no place for either of them aboard. Zhu Chanchan had refrained from tampering with the Divine Boat of the Other Shore, merely trapping Zhou Tianzi and his people for three thousand years so they could return alive—she had already done everything within her power. As for what came later, when Zhu Chanchan used the embezzled materials to forge another divine artifact of the other shore, abandoning her junior brother to head straight there herself, that was a grudge solely between senior sister and junior brother. In the sky, Feilai Peak spun with howling winds. All manner of magic treasures flew from the mountain—bells, cauldrons, chimes, drums, rainbow bridges, waterfalls, pavilions, towers, sabers, spears, swords, halberds, everything under the sun! The siblings' mastery in controlling magic treasures had attained heights virtually unattainable by others. The two darted between treasures. The man in the bamboo hat summoned a massive cauldron, inside of which lay a refining field blending water and fire. Inverted like a millstone, it pressed down toward Zhu Chanchan. Within the refining field were thousands of distinct Dao images: fire dragons, fire phoenixes, fire snakes, fire qilin, water gods, hornless dragons, kunpeng, flood dragons, and more, all intertwining in a crucible of water and fire! Zhu Chanchan summoned a bronze bell that pierced through the water-fire domain and invaded the cauldron. Across the bell's outer wall, Dao images of all myriad creatures burst forth. With an ear-splitting clang, it shattered right through the crucible of water and fire. Taking advantage of the opening, Zhu Chanchan charged into the cauldron and struck its inner wall with a palm. Instantly refining the cauldron, she turned it back against the man in the bamboo hat, pressing down upon him together with the great bell hovering over her head. "That bell looks familiar! Lord Bell! Lord Bell!" Xu Ying hastily released Chu Xiangxiang's soft little hand and searched all around, yet caught no trace of the bronze bell anywhere. Realizing something was wrong, he quickly called out, "Seventh Lord, have you seen Lord Bell?" Yet Wan Qi was nowhere to be seen either. Xu Ying's heart skipped a beat, instantly realizing where the bronze bell and Wan Qi had gone. The bronze bell Zhu Chanchan had summoned just now was undeniably Lord Bell! Zhu Chanchan knew her cultivation was lacking compared to the man in the bamboo hat, so she must have asked Lord Bell to help, Xu Ying consoled himself. But a moment later, he stopped fooling himself. That little minx Chanchan must have secretly placed countless imprints on Lord Bell and Seventh Lord, forcing them to risk their necks for her! Over a hundred Great Zhou Qi Refiners swept in forming a battle formation, charging into the ocean of magic treasures to drag the man in the bamboo hat into their trap. From the formation's core, immortal light burst forth—it was an authentic immortal formation! As the light erupted, a Dao image depicting Jizhou soared into the sky, smashing through dozens of colossal magic treasures with ringing clangs to shield the killing formation as it surged toward the man in the bamboo hat. Facing the combined siege of Zhu Chanchan and these Great Zhou Qi Refiners, the man in the bamboo hat did not panic in the least. Far from panicking, he calmly mobilized various magic treasures, parrying their attacks and keeping the immortal formation from closing in. Other Great Zhou Qi Refiners formed formations of their own, beaming with immortal radiance as they plunged into the ocean of treasures. Dao images of Yanzhou, Qingzhou, Xuzhou, and other provinces radiated immortal light as they flew from the formations, sweeping away the myriad treasures in midair with unstoppable momentum. Beyond these, Dao images of the other regions of the Yuanshou world, as well as the four seas, mountain ranges, and rivers, also flew from the immortal formations. The man in the bamboo hat unfolded his hidden landscape, dwelling within the Realm of Xiyi. He summoned treasure after treasure, unleashing their fiercest power to simultaneously resist the immortal formation strikes of the Great Zhou Qi Refiners. When Zhu Chanchan attacked, he traded blows with her on even footing. He could even continuously employ esoteric Heavenly Artisan techniques to shatter Zhu Chanchan's treasures, refining them in a single punch or palm strike to turn them to his own use. Even Grand Preceptor Jiang Qi fell within his attack range! Grand Preceptor Jiang Qi was the backbone of these immortal formations. At that moment, he stood on the Ascending Immortals Platform within the city, holding a whisk and treading the Big Dipper steps as he performed incantations. His Origin Qi formed scattered points of light like stars; as his whisk danced, the points continually shifted and evolved. The maneuvers of the twenty-odd immortal formations in the sky all corresponded to the movement of these points of light. This was the diagram of Haojing's variations. Had Haojing been completed, the three thousand strongest Great Zhou Qi Refiners would have formed thirty immortal formations arranged according to the city's geography, flanking the Son of Heaven of Zhou around the Ascending Immortals Platform. The formation's core was Grand Preceptor Jiang Qi. The immortal formations were extraordinarily intricate, involving diverse Dao images of heaven and earth. As these images circulated within the formations, their combinations formed different provinces or even vaster natural Dao images. Each time a province or Dao image took shape, a dense immortal majesty erupted. And when all thirty immortal formations combined, they would assemble into the grandest Dao image of all—the Yuanshou World Dao Image! That Dao image was the Great Zhou's ultimate weapon to counter the three-thousand-fold super heavenly tribulation! Maintaining thirty immortal formations was an arduous task; only Grand Preceptor Jiang Qi's intellect possessed the capacity to command them all simultaneously. However, many Great Zhou Qi Refiners had already been severely injured by the man in the bamboo hat earlier, leaving them unable to form thirty immortal formations, and therefore unable to create the complete Yuanshou Dao Image. Furthermore, lacking magic treasures and relying solely on their own cultivation and magic power to cast the formations, their strength was drastically reduced. Had Haojing been fully summoned, allowing the three thousand soldiers to unleash the Yuanshou Dao Image, the man in the bamboo hat likely could not have withstood a single strike! Though Grand Preceptor Jiang Qi was hindered by the barrage of treasures hurled down by the man in the bamboo hat, causing the formations' operation to become slightly sluggish and stiff, he had already steadied his footing. Strangling the man was only a matter of time. The magic power of the man in the bamboo hat was boundless, having reached the absolute zenith of the mortal realm; aside from the six Nuo ancestors, none possessed cultivation deeper than his. His magic power reached the human ceiling, and his physical body, strength, Primordial Spirit, divine consciousness, and Yin-Yang Dual Qi likewise touched the mortal limit! Yet as time wore on, the tightening vise of the immortal formations left him less and less room to maneuver, and their threat grew ever greater. He was forced to battle the formations' Dao images barehanded; his hidden landscape destabilized, and his six great cave-heavens shook violently. Worse still, as his exchanges of magic treasures with Zhu Chanchan grew more frequent, he found it increasingly exhausting. He realized it was becoming harder and harder to refine the treasures Zhu Chanchan had taken over. Conversely, the treasures under Zhu Chanchan's control multiplied, gradually turning the tide into an overwhelming rout against him. He knew this was because he had never received the true heritage of the Tiangong Sect. The Sect Master had died early, leaving Zhu Chanchan with the full inheritance to teach in his stead. The methods of forging and refining magic treasures that the man in the bamboo hat practiced had all been taught by Zhu Chanchan; she had been half a master to him. Toward this formidable senior sister, he had felt both respect and adoration. She had seemed like a mountain standing before him, shielding him from peril, and like a babbling brook, serene, clear, and pleasing to behold. He had harbored a tender, nebulous affection for her. Yet that affection gradually curdled into hatred after Zhu Chanchan abandoned him to depart for the other shore. His hatred for his senior sister surpassed even his hatred for the Son of Heaven of Zhou. Though Zhu Chanchan had handed over the Tiangong Sect's texts and the Sect Master's token, without her personal guidance, he had been left to grope in the dark alone. He hated his senior sister for not teaching him the Tiangong Sect's knowledge; hated her for failing to avenge their teacher and instead helping their enemy forge Haojing; hated her for leaving when he needed her most, forcing him to face the world's malice alone. He hated her abandonment, hated the hostility of this world, and when Weixu warped heaven and earth to devour all Qi Refiners, he transferred his hatred for Weixu onto Zhu Chanchan as well. Only by killing Zhu Chanchan could he find release from this hatred. Alas, the Tiangong Sect's texts he had painstakingly practiced over the years still fell a notch short of Zhu Chanchan's mastery. Three thousand years of comprehension could not match those few centuries his senior sister had spent under their master's tutelage. Before her, he felt he would always remain weak—a frail youth. The treasures under his control dwindled while those around Zhu Chanchan multiplied. As her strength rose and his waned, his power declined precipitously. What he wielded were components of Haojing, each possessing staggering might. As Zhu Chanchan took them over, Feilai Peak towered taller and mightier, summoned high into the sky until it pierced straight into the tribulation clouds. Countless arcs of lightning crackled and invaded Feilai Peak, sparks darting across it to ignite the Dao images of every treasure! Seeing this, the man in the bamboo hat felt all hope drain away. Back then, Senior Sister was smarter than me, and today she remains smarter still. I have lived my whole life with caution, yet today, I fear I will die because of her... "Nine Provinces unite to form Shenzhou!" Seizing the opportunity, Grand Preceptor Jiang Qi roared as he circulated his True Yuan. The nine immortal formations in the sky erupted simultaneously, transforming into the phenomena of the Nine Provinces and merging into a grand map of Shenzhou! Boom! Meeting the blow head-on, the man in the bamboo hat was struck so hard his blood surged violently. His hidden landscape took heavy damage, and he could not hold back a spray of fresh blood. Grand Preceptor Jiang Qi spurred another shift in the formation, shouting, "Sunset over Shenzhou, purple clouds fly!" No sooner had the Shenzhou Dao image appeared than another stream of purple qi swept in, slicing into his hidden landscape. A great sun sank into his hidden landscape, battering him until he coughed up blood continuously. At the same time, Zhu Chanchan pressed her assault, seizing every remaining magic treasure he possessed. The man in the bamboo hat grunted in pain. Grand Preceptor Jiang Qi's third formation change followed immediately, materializing as billowing beacon smoke and endless Great Walls. "Beacon smoke rises across Xiliang!" "Expelling the Xianyun, conquering the four barbarians!" A relentless barrage of combined Dao images battered the man in the bamboo hat into a wretched state. Even his six great cave-heavens were pierced through, leaving him in dire peril. He had always been cautious, terrified that getting injured would give other anglers an opportunity, and thus never allowed himself to step into danger. But during the Son of Heaven of Zhou's tribulation, the sight of his two greatest nemeses stirred such hatred in his heart that he lost his composure. Now, regret came too late. The man in the bamboo hat lunged viciously at Zhu Chanchan, thinking, Even if I die, I'll drag this venomous woman down with me! Grand Preceptor Jiang Qi quickly shifted the formation to encircle him, thinking with admiration: Heavenly Artisan Zhu may be mischievous and greedy, but she is peerlessly loyal. Once His Majesty overcomes the tribulation and becomes an immortal of the mortal realm, it will be an occasion of great celebration; he can pardon her crimes and let her forge Haojing in peace. The other Great Zhou soldiers inwardly praised Heavenly Artisan Zhu's loyalty as well. Grand Preceptor Jiang Qi eased the formation's assault slightly, intending to grant Zhu Chanchan the glory of slaying the man in the bamboo hat so her great merit could expiate her offenses. By this point, Zhu Chanchan had fused every magic treasure from Haojing into Feilai Peak. The peak pierced into the tribulation clouds, where countless crackling lightning strikes lit up the tens of thousands of treasures across its slopes, escalating its might to terrifying extremes. The man in the bamboo hat lunged forward, striking out with murderous intent. Zhu Chanchan hesitated and glanced at him, then turned her head away. A sudden fierce gleam flashed in her large eyes. Spurring Feilai Peak, she caused the mountain to swell more towering and immense than ever before. Heavier and heavier it grew, dragging along the churning heavenly tribulation as it plummeted toward Haojing with a deafening roar! On Haojing's Ascending Immortals Platform, Grand Preceptor Jiang Qi's eyes nearly split open at the sight. Realizing Zhu Chanchan's true intentions, he roared in fury, "Heavenly Artisan Zhu, how dare you! Your Majesty, get away—!" Without hesitation, he summoned the Tianzhu Sword. The Heavenly Dao divine artifact erupted with peerless brilliance, soaring skyward to intercept Feilai Peak. Behind Zhu Chanchan, her Primordial Spirit manifested. Bringing her sword fingers together, she aimed toward Tianzhu and whispered, "Grand Preceptor, I'm sorry..." The Tianzhu Sword reversed direction and flew backward. With a sickening shhk, it pierced straight through Grand Preceptor Jiang Qi, carrying his body aloft as it hurtled out of Haojing! Between Feilai Peak and the Son of Heaven of Zhou, no obstacle remained. "Honored Master, your disciple shall avenge you! I will slay our enemy Ji Man to comfort your spirit in Heaven!" Zhu Chanchan cried out in fury, summoning the bronze bell and Wan Qi. On the inner wall of the bronze bell, the Heavenly Dao rune imprints blazed with blinding intensity. Wan Qi opened his maw, revealing a cave-heaven within that also held Heavenly Dao runes. Within the cave-heavens of both treasures, a heavenly tribulation was actually surging!