Linglong

Great Sage Tianpeng soared into the air, lightly flapping his wings. The golden-winged peng bird shimmered all over with brilliant golden radiance. As his feathers vibrated, waves of gold rippled forth, showering down a rain of glittering golden light. His two talons were as vast as canopies, their tips glinting with a chilling gleam, their sharpness far surpassing that of any blade or sword. The overbearing might of a demon race great sage was on full display. Across the circular platform, Old Man Hunmo sensed it and raised his eyes to look over. Though his vision was obstructed by the flames, he could perceive Great Sage Tianpeng's rapidly climbing aura, and deep wariness surfaced in his eyes. He hesitated no longer, raising a hand and lightly tapping the back of his head. The light behind his head warped and grew dim. Then, an illusory shadow emerged from over Old Man Hunmo's shoulder—precisely the ghost spirit he had nurtured. The ghost spirit rolled its white eyeballs, staring unblinkingly toward the center of the circular platform. At this moment, Old Man Hunmo's lips moved slightly, whether chanting an incantation or communicating with the ghost spirit. The ghost spirit suddenly grinned and gave a shrill cackle. Its body whirled rapidly, transforming into a wisp of pale ghostly qi. Like a nimble serpent, it shot up to the crown of Old Man Hunmo's head with a flash, then plummeted, entering his body through the Baihui acupoint. Old Man Hunmo's body trembled slightly. His face turned ghastly pale, and a sinister chill instantly seeped into his aura. He seemed to have just stepped out of the netherworld, cloaked entirely in ghostly qi. Whoosh... whoosh... Gusts of eerie, chilling wind blew across the surroundings, pervasive and freezing cold. A bizarre scene unfolded. Old Man Hunmo's body grew darker and darker, as if the ambient light was being inexplicably sucked away, enveloped by a mass of shadow of unknown origin. The shadow became heavier and more distinct, while Old Man Hunmo's actual body grew hazy and indistinct. In the end, the shadow nearly solidified into substance, taking the shape of a humanoid figure standing right behind Old Man Hunmo, yet pressed tightly against his back. At this moment, Old Man Hunmo himself faded into insignificance; everyone else's gaze was drawn to the shadow. The facial features of the shadow were seventy percent Old Man Hunmo and thirty percent the ghost spirit, its expression grim and laced with sinister ghostly malice—deeply discordant and profoundly eerie. The shadow bent down, reaching out to grasp the chain. Simultaneously, Great Sage Tianpeng swooped down from the other side, extending his talons to grip the other chain firmly. Beside each of them were several demonic helpers. Clatter! Old Man Hunmo and Great Sage Tianpeng exerted their strength together. Both ends of the chains snapped taut. The other fiends and demons had long been alerted. One after another, they unleashed their finest abilities, striking the designated spots with supreme precision and in orderly fashion. The ancient restrictions within the platform were subjected to constant bombardment, and the seal was no longer as solid as it had been at the start. This jolt provided the optimal moment. Great Sage Tianpeng gripped the chain tightly, his wings flapping furiously. Every single feather on his body bristled as he let out ear-piercing shrieks. Not to be outdone, Old Man Hunmo strained with all his might. The dark shadow on his back contorted, on the verge of collapsing, yet its arms grew thicker and thicker, like two black pythons coiling relentlessly around the chain. Clank! Clank! Clank! Link by link, the chains were forcibly hauled upward. Whoosh! The flames surged violently. In an instant, a pillar of fire soared into the sky. The radiance was so dazzling that none dared look directly at it, everyone squinting against the glare. Yet the delight on everyone's faces deepened, their movements never pausing for an instant. The roaring flames even showed signs of bursting free from the hollow. Deep within the circular platform, flames danced in wild frenzy, and the power of the seal grew increasingly chaotic. At the bottom of the flames, at the ends of the chains, a shadow gradually emerged. As the chains were hauled up inch by inch, the silhouette of the shadow became clearer and clearer—a sharply defined, colossal object comparable in size to a multi-story pavilion! Peering through the tumultuous spiritual fire, Old Man Hunmo caught a vague glimpse of the treasure's outline below. His eyes narrowed slightly, and suddenly remembering something, his expression changed drastically. Rumble! Whether some mechanism below had been triggered or the seal's breaking point had been breached, Old Man Hunmo and Great Sage Tianpeng suddenly felt the chains in their grasp lighten abruptly. A muffled boom suddenly echoed from the depths of the hollow. It sounded like thunder, and the earth shook. The circular platform shook violently. Even without their pulling, amidst the raging flames, the chains rattled clamorously as a streak of rainbow-colored flowing light broke free from its restraints and shot out from within the hollow like a grand rainbow, exceedingly dazzling and brilliant! Before anyone had time to admire the rainbow, their expressions changed drastically. The moment the multicolored light burst forth, the boundless flames, having lost their restraint, rushed skyward, instantly punching through the thick clouds and mist above. A blast wave of flames swept outward, scouring in all directions! The upheaval occurred without warning. Standing far too close to the hollow, they bore the brunt of it, facing the full force of the fiery shockwave. Though the fiends and demons all held trump cards in reserve and had prepared various means to contend for the treasure, the flames within the hollow had accumulated untold years of energy. Now that it was all released at once, the sheer fury of the fiery blast wave was terrifying to the extreme. The flames carried a might that could incinerate the heavens. The dreadful concussive force closed in within an instant. None doubted that if they did not dodge or evade, they would be reduced to ashes. At this juncture, not even Old Man Hunmo or Great Sage Tianpeng dared to brave the fiery wave to rush in and seize the treasure; both instantly retreated with great haste. A succession of loud bangs rang out continuously. The circular platform was abruptly engulfed in a sea of fire. Amidst the flames, flashes of strange light appeared one after another as the demons and fiends displayed their abilities to withstand the wave of fire, but they could manage nothing more than protecting themselves as they fell back continuously. At the center of the sea of fire, the rainbow soared into the air as fast as a shooting star. Only when the two chains pulled taut, arresting its ascent, did its momentum finally halt. As the rainbow light rippled and shifted, it revealed the treasure within. It was actually a Linglong Treasure Pagoda! *** Midway through the deep valley. After obliterating the weasel, Qin Sang became even more cautious. Yet thereafter, he discovered no further watchers, nor did they run into any demonic traps. With the weasel dead, Demon King Huangmei would know something had happened at the entrance of the valley. The demons and fiends would surely be on guard, which was disadvantageous for their plans. Having come this far, however, turning back was out of the question. Qin Sang and Liuli did not hesitate, resolving to press deeper inside. As expected, the deep valley was heavily fortified with restrictions, rife with peril at every step. Even with the guidance of the Yang Puppet Crystal pinpointing the fiends' location, they still could not travel quickly. Swish! A fierce gust of wind assailed them head-on. Qin Sang's expression remained completely unchanged. With a slight thought, the Jinchen Sword suspended above his head trembled, slashing out over a dozen arcs of sword light in an instant. With a resounding bang, the ambusher was struck dead-on by the sword light and knocked back several zhang, revealing its true form—yet another monster manifested from beast bones. Only then did Qin Sang notice that eight stone pillars had risen from the ground around them without him realizing it; three were broken, while the remaining five were intact. Upon each pillar originally crouched a ghostly creature carved from beast bone, looking vicious and sinister to the extreme. Along the way, Qin Sang and Liuli had encountered various beast bone formations in succession. The monsters in each bone formation were different—dragons, beasts, yakshas, and more—a veritable riot of demons, entirely unprecedented. Every beast bone formation was exceedingly wondrous and subtle, broadening Qin Sang's horizons. Not all of these bone formations were intact; some, like the one before them, were badly damaged. Qin Sang had also spotted numerous fresh marks, indicating that the bone formations were not indestructible. However, that pack of fiends and demons had not been kind enough to clear them all out; leaving obstacles behind served to hinder any pursuers. Qin Sang and Liuli were already adept at handling the monsters' ambushes, but they still had to beat the monsters back into their original forms to extricate themselves, or they would end up surrounded by endless waves of them. The first monster's ambush had failed. Immediately following, four gray shadows materialized around Qin Sang and Liuli, lunging frantically at them. Swish! The Jinchen Sword trembled, multiplying into thousands of swords. At the same time, Liuli's phoenix-shaped treasure sword turned into a stream of blue light, darting swiftly among the radiance of the Jinchen Sword, cooperating to slay the monsters. The two needed no words; their swordsmanship meshed seamlessly, keeping the monsters from getting anywhere close. Suddenly, a thunderous roar echoed from deep within the clouds and mist, followed by violent tremors through the ground. The monster that had just been knocked away struggled to its feet, only to stagger and nearly fall flat on its face. Qin Sang and Liuli's expressions shifted slightly. Exchanging a glance, both saw the gravity in each other's eyes. "What did those demons do inside? Has the treasure already emerged?" His thoughts moving like lightning, Qin Sang held back no longer. The surrounding sword light dimmed, transforming into a sword formation. Just then, Qin Sang and Liuli both felt an intuition and raised their heads together, gazing up into midair. The sky was shrouded in swirling clouds and mist, blotting out the sun. Within their vision, it should have been nothing but an expanse of white. Yet at this moment, a rainbow appeared, radiant with shimmering hues. From their position, though it appeared somewhat hazy, it was clearly visible. Within the rainbow light, the silhouette of an exquisite treasure pagoda faintly revealed itself. Seeing this pagoda, Liuli's expression did not change much, but Qin Sang felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity. Suddenly recalling something, his face filled with astonished disbelief. He immediately probed his divine sense into the Qianjun Ring and found the item. Whoosh! Two streaks of light flew out—two crystal-clear miniature pagodas. They were none other than the Seven-Tier Stupa and the Seven-Tiered Pagoda that Qin Sang had obtained from the Jinghai Sect and Xuantian Palace, respectively! Qin Sang's action caught Liuli's attention. Seeing the two miniature pagodas floating before Qin Sang, Liuli could not help but freeze, subconsciously glancing back up at the delicate treasure pagoda in the sky. Both had seven tiers, both flowed with dazzling colors, magnificent and exquisite! Though only the silhouette could be seen, it was obvious that the three pagodas were practically identical. The two in Qin Sang's hands looked like versions of the Linglong Treasure Pagoda shrunk countless times over. If one were to say there was no connection between these three pagodas, no one would believe it. Yet the Linglong Treasure Pagoda had been hidden here all along, only reappearing in the world because of whatever those demons had done inside. How could Qin Sang possess treasures related to the Linglong Treasure Pagoda? Liuli shifted her gaze to Qin Sang's face, only to find him looking equally surprised and bewildered. They actually had a connection to the stone tablet space! The Seven-Tiered Pagoda had been treasured in Xuantian Palace's treasury, which made some sense. But the Seven-Tier Stupa was something he had obtained from the Jinghai Sect—why would it have a connection to Xuantian Palace's holy ground as well? Previously, no matter how Qin Sang tested them, the two small pagodas showed no reaction whatsoever, and just moments ago, they had lain quietly within the Qianjun Ring without the slightest abnormality. Now, the moment he took them out, Qin Sang immediately realized something was off. Without any action on his part, the two miniature pagodas floated up on their own, their radiance growing brighter and brighter, giving off an unprecedented, bizarre ripple that seemed to resonate in harmony with the Linglong Treasure Pagoda in the sky. Between the two small pagodas themselves, there was also a mutual attraction; having drawn slowly closer, they began to spin rapidly around one another. Bang! Bang! The monsters were still madly assaulting the sword formation. Qin Sang had no time to pay them heed. Watching the activity of the two small pagodas, he maintained a degree of vigilance. They spun faster and faster, forming a vortex of light in the air. The next moment, the vortex of light dissipated abruptly. Right before their eyes, the two miniature pagodas merged into one, becoming a single stupa pagoda! Atop it rested a precious orb emanating a faint multicolored halo, identical to that of the Linglong Treasure Pagoda. The body of the pagoda trembled gently, as if wanting to tear through the void and fly toward the Linglong Treasure Pagoda. Qin Sang was quick of eye and deft of hand. Though he still did not understand the cause of this transformation, he grabbed the stupa pagoda, feeling waves of pleasant coolness in his palm. An astonishing scene unfolded. When he gripped the stupa pagoda and the multicolored halo enveloped him and Liuli, the monsters that had been furiously attacking the sword formation suddenly calmed down. Stripped of all hostility, they retreated to the stone pillars, sitting cross-legged once more as they returned to lifeless silence. The stone pillars sank into the ground, and the beast bone formation vanished. "This..." Qin Sang looked at the stupa pagoda in his hand, then up at the Linglong Treasure Pagoda in the sky, gaining an inkling of understanding. Without hesitation, he barked, "Let's go!" Liuli's reaction was equally swift; she immediately recalled her sword and flew forward. The two sped like lightning, disappearing into the depths of the clouds and mist in an instant. Whoosh! Whoosh! Two streaks of light sped through the deep valley. Though the deep valley covered a considerable expanse, to Nascent Soul cultivators, such a distance was trivial, not to mention that they had already traveled nearly half of the way. Had it not been for the ancient restrictions and beast bone formations holding them back, they would have reached the circular platform long ago and encountered the demons. Now, shielded by the stupa pagoda, they encountered not the slightest obstacle. Holding the stupa pagoda, Qin Sang seemed to have become the master of the deep valley. Every ancient restriction they encountered along the way melted away silently upon touching the multicolored halo as if it were nothing. Below ground was utterly peaceful, not a single beast bone formation springing forth. However, Qin Sang could currently only passively receive the protection of the stupa pagoda; he did not know how to employ it for anything else, and time did not permit him to investigate it in detail. In the blink of an eye, Qin Sang and Liuli drew rapidly close to the circular platform. Qin Sang, who had been experimenting with the stupa pagoda's other functions, sensed the staggering fury generated by the erupting fiery wave. Pulling his attention back, he looked ahead. Aided by the Heavenly Eye Butterfly's divine ability, Qin Sang finally saw the circular platform and its surroundings. The clouds and mist around the circular platform had melted away, and a vast area had been turned into a sea of fire. Two massive chains extended from the circular platform, holding fast to the base of the Linglong Treasure Pagoda. From here, he could see even more clearly: the Linglong Treasure Pagoda was identical to the stupa pagoda in his hands, down to every single pattern carved upon its body! Qin Sang swept his gaze across the area and found the assembled demons scattered in disarray, looking thoroughly wretched. Seeing this scene, Qin Sang could deduce what had happened earlier. At this moment, Qin Sang also came into contact with the escaping aura of the flames. When this aura brushed against the halo, it parted and flowed to either side, completely unable to harm them in the slightest or even impede them at all. The two moved as if walking through an uninhabited land! The surprise in Qin Sang and Liuli's eyes grew ever deeper. "An opportunity!" Qin Sang looked up at the entrance to the Linglong Pagoda, and the thought surfaced unbidden in his mind!