*Boom!*
*Boom!*
*Boom!*
...
Rumbles echoed ceaselessly from Dishou Mountain. One could clearly see the mountain constantly swaying, its tremors growing more violent by the second and shaking the surrounding earth and mountains.
The aftershocks traveled far, rippling through more than half of the legacy abode.
Most striking of all were the five-colored clouds encircling the mountainside. Their expansion was accelerating, spreading across the mountain, threatening to eventually engulf Dishou Mountain entirely.
To the naked eye, the various spiritual lights within the clouds clashed fiercely with one another; they were the true source of the tremors.
This was because the Five Elements Coronet, which served as the core of the seal, had been detached. That the Five Elements Divine Restrictions had coexisted and sustained the mutual generation and cycle of the five elements for so many years had everything to do with the Five Elements Coronet.
Without the spirit treasure governing the five elements, the seal lost its balance, and internal conflicts intensified abruptly.
Qin Sang's true body, hiding inside the seal, felt it most clearly. The power of the seal was descending into greater chaos; the Five Elements Divine Restrictions already showed signs of spiraling out of control, their restrictive power expanding outward.
Inside the seal, the qi was in utter turmoil.
Qin Sang could leave the stone hut, but he dared not step out of the seal and leave Dishou Mountain just yet.
He did not know whether the two Deity Transformation cultivators could still spare any attention or if they had kept a sliver of their divine consciousness fixed on Dishou Mountain. They clearly had not gone all out yet, and making reckless moves now could easily expose him.
The best opportunity would come only when the battle reached its fiercest climax.
If things continued this way until the Five Elements Divine Restrictions completely collapsed into imbalance, it would inevitably trigger an earth-shattering explosion, destroying Dishou Mountain along with it.
The cultivators outside the mountain dared not draw any closer to Dishou Mountain, nor did they have the ability to resolve the crisis of the seal.
Terrified by the horrors of the demonic body, some weighed their options and chose to withdraw to avoid being caught in the crossfire—the aftershocks of a battle between Deity Transformation cultivators were not something they could withstand.
There were also bold individuals who viewed this as a heaven-sent opportunity.
Wealth and fortune were found in danger!
If the sky collapsed, the Deity Transformation experts would hold it up. If they could suppress the demonic body, all would be well. But if even Deity Transformation cultivators were no match for the demon, the cultivation world would face an apocalyptic catastrophe, and hiding anywhere would lead to the same doom.
They might as well seize the time while the titans fought to scavenge treasures across the Wuxiang Immortal Sect to strengthen themselves; perhaps that would buy them a little more time to survive in the future.
This was especially true for the descendants of the Wuxiang Immortal Sect—no matter which side won, they would have to scurry into hiding anyway.
Harboring such thoughts, the cultivators ceased watching the Deity Transformation battle intently. Avoiding the battlefield, they scattered in all directions like stars across the sky. Cultivators began appearing across the mystical realms, halls, and pavilions of the Wuxiang Immortal Sect.
For a time, the legacy abode buzzed with activity. Diverse spiritual lights flared everywhere, presenting a scene as dazzling as a tapestry woven with blossoms.
The Azure Fox Saint King and Saint Huiguang had no time to pay attention to what was happening below; suppressing the demonic body was their most pressing concern.
A bright moon shone upon the demon.
Water and sky merged into one.
The Azure Fox Saint King's strike was formidable from the outset. The vortex of spiritual water transformed into a cage, exuding an uncanny suction. The moonlight converged, pouring down upon the demonic body and growing denser by the moment until it formed a thick armor of light. Like shackles, immense layers of pressure weighed down upon the demonic body, seeking to pin it in place.
Soon, the terrifying figure of the demonic body was nearly obscured, engulfed by spiritual water and moonlight.
Yet none present felt any joy, for the demonic qi within the watery moon showed not the slightest sign of being suppressed. Instead, it battered relentlessly against the cage of water and moonlight, each impact fiercer than the last, and the towering demonic intent radiating from within made their hearts tremble with dread.
The battle array had just formed.
Saint Huiguang sat at the center, undisputedly serving as the core of the Meditative Arhat Array.
The others spread out, surrounding the demonic body.
The halos behind their heads shone with increasing brilliance, making them resemble Buddhist disciples who had been touched and converted to the dharma. At the center of each halo, the illusory silhouette of a Buddha faintly materialized, loosely carrying a hint of Saint Huiguang's divine presence at a glance.
In truth, within the Meditative Arhat Array, their minds were connected to Saint Huiguang's. Their qi and aura were unified by the battle array; crude though this linkage was, it was far better than fighting alone as a scattered mob.
As the core of the array, every move of Saint Huiguang could be perceived by the others. Through this connection, one by one, they discovered that something seemed slightly amiss with his aura.
It seemed as though... he was carrying injuries!
Everyone present was sharp-witted. Connecting this to the Five Elements Pill and prior rumors, they could deduce that Saint Huiguang had surely run into danger and suffered injuries while exploring Wuwang Hall, which explained why he had been trapped for so long.
This also explained why Saint Huiguang could not go all out and insisted on keeping them behind. Fortunately, the Azure Fox Saint King appeared to be in good shape, so they would not be forced to bear the brunt of the ancient demon's terrifying might directly.
Just as Saint Huiguang brought out the Five Elements Pill to incentivize everyone, the demonic body's counterattack abruptly turned ferocious.
From the center of the vortex of spiritual water, a colossal wave suddenly surged, erupting outward from within the vortex. The monstrous wave shattered even the flying swords circling nearby.
The suspended lake manifested from spiritual jade suddenly caved downward by dozens of zhang, as if the heavens were about to collapse.
Sensing this immense power, the cultivators outside the mountain shuddered in terror.
As the giant wave erupted, a five-colored pillar of light shot out from the center of the vortex, instantly dyeing the moonlight into five colors and streaking along the beams directly toward the bright moon.
This moon was no ordinary celestial body, but a divine ability manifested by the Azure Fox Saint King. If shattered by the Five Elements Coronet and allowing the demonic body to break free of its cage, subduing it later would be all the more difficult.
The power of this Five Elements spiritual light was noticeably stronger than any before it—the strength of the demonic body was still climbing!
Following the Five Elements Pill, Saint Huiguang had promised a few more benefits, but seeing this, he closed his mouth, chanted a Buddhist moniker aloud, raised his right hand, and pressed down with his palm.
"Amitabha!"
At this moment, the demonic body's instinct still had not abandoned the thought of devouring the Poison King, and Saint Huiguang's Fahua True Wheel needed to protect the gray cocoon.
A Bodhi Bead had appeared in his palm at some point. The Buddhist bead gleamed with a reddish-gold hue, carved on its surface with a dignified, solemn Buddha statue. The moment it was deployed, the chanting of scriptures reverberated through the realm.
Although none could make out the exact scriptures, everyone felt an inexplicable sense of gravity, knowing this must be a supreme treasure for subduing demons.
*Whoosh!*
The Bodhi Bead transformed into a beam of reddish-gold light.
Simultaneously, Old Devil Fan and the others sensed the mental prompt transmitted by Saint Huiguang. Pinpointing the exact moment to strike, they unleashed their long-prepared divine abilities and magic treasures.
With his Ten Thousand Illusion Serene Lotus damaged, Old Devil Fan had no choice but to summon that yellow bronze alms bowl once again.
Yue Lingtian drove the three-legged round cauldron to invert, aiming the cauldron's mouth at the center of the vortex as Xuanhuang light surged in and out.
Mo Xingdao exhaled a breath of mysterious qi that came and went without a trace.
Daoist Hegao wore an indifferent expression as flowing jade smoke shifted in myriad forms.
Only Qin Sang's avatar had the weakest cultivation. Considering this, Saint Huiguang had placed him where the pressure was lightest. Even so, that was only relative. The avatar summoned the Snow-Treading Divine Saber; its saber qi condensed into snow, yet he found it exceedingly strenuous.
Hurriedly, he swept a hand over his head to manifest a giant hand of mysterious qi, only then barely steadying his ground.
Secretly, the avatar had already formed an incantation gesture, ready to unleash the Ice Soul Divine Light at any moment.
Though they inherited different lineages and wielded entirely distinct abilities, under Saint Huiguang's guidance within the Meditative Arhat Array, they managed to coordinate seamlessly.
In an instant, diverse, marvelous lights dazzled across the battlefield. The attacks of the group merged one after another into the stream of light formed by the Bodhi Bead, pooling their combined might into a force like thunder and intercepting the five-colored pillar of light before it could strike the bright moon.
It was precisely at this moment that the avatar spared some attention to contact Mo Xingdao.
Mo Xingdao glanced at the avatar with a strange look in his eyes. With a mere mid-Nascent Soul cultivation, this man was the weakest among them, yet somehow had the audacity to covet the Five Elements Pill.
His expression stirred slightly, and just as he was about to reply—
An inhuman, shrill shriek suddenly rang out.
The Azure Fox Saint King's expression changed drastically. She had time only to utter a warning of "Be careful!" before her jade fingers flicked repeatedly. Opening her delicate lips, she hastily exhaled a breath of orchid-like fragrance into the spiritual water.
After this, her face turned pale for a moment.
In an instant, the giant waves of the suspended lake froze solid, as if turned to ice. The lake water became clearer, resembling a mirror suspended in midair.
Yet the shrill shriek of the demonic body pierced straight through the suspended lake. Streaks of five-colored light could be seen violently erupting from the center of the vortex, throwing the lake water into utter turmoil in an instant.
Crisp cracking sounds rang out incessantly as visible fissures fractured the lake water. The center of the vortex in particular seemed on the verge of collapsing, laying bare the figure of the demonic body.
Saint Huiguang's eyes opened wide in anger. Carrying its lingering momentum, the Bodhi Bead plunged downward straight toward the demonic body.
Sensing the threat, the demonic body jerked its head up. Its eyes were filled with madness and brutality. Emitting a low growl, the jade tablets upon the Five Elements Coronet flared simultaneously, firing five beams of brilliance.
As the five beams were about to collide with the Bodhi Bead, they did not merge into a five-colored pillar of light.
Seeing this, Saint Huiguang had an ominous premonition. He let out a low shout and raised his hand to cast a Buddhist seal toward the Bodhi Bead. At the same time, the five beams snapped shut, unleashing a potent binding force.
The Bodhi Bead's luster dimmed. Fortunately, Saint Huiguang had acted in time; the bead shuddered violently, broke free by force, and shot back.
To witness such terrifying demonic might left everyone pale with shock.
"With the strength this demonic body has displayed, we dare not confront its edge head-on. Never mind capturing it alive—even killing it would demand an immense price, unless we separate the demonic body from that five-colored coronet, or you and I risk severe injury."
Her breath ragged, the Azure Fox Saint King hurriedly stabilized the suspended lake while the demonic body was distracted by Saint Huiguang.
She transmitted her voice to Saint Huiguang, her tone grim.
Saint Huiguang remained silent.
The Azure Fox Saint King said coldly, "These few people are not enough. Summon all the Nascent Souls below, form a battle array, and take turns wearing the demon down."
Her tone was callous, showing utter disregard for how many lives might be lost.
Saint Huiguang swept his gaze downward.
It was not that he was unwilling, but that he truly could not.
First, those people were a disorganized rabble and might only serve as nourishment for the ancient demon. Second, they were all exceedingly alert; seeing that things looked bad, they had already fled far from Dishou Mountain.
If he tried to conscript them by force, they would scatter and run. Who would be foolish enough to come here and court death? It was only because Old Devil Fan and the others were cornered that they could not escape.
Even the monster kings who had received the Saint King's orders were hesitating, stopping and starting as they deliberately dragged their feet.
In such circumstances, only the disciples of Ganlu Zen Monastery would obey his commands without question, but none of them were here.
As they spoke, Saint Huiguang and the Azure Fox Saint King adjusted their strategy. Rather than rushing to suppress the demonic body, they shifted to searching for its flaws, waiting until its sanity was eroded away by the Demonic Voice of the Heavenly Dao—perhaps then an opportunity would arise.
A spirit treasure that had developed an artifact spirit, combined with the innate might of an ancient demon, was even more terrifying than anticipated.
With the tension easing slightly, Mo Xingdao breathed a sigh of relief and replied, "If Fellow Daoist has the confidence to obtain the Five Elements Pill, we can discuss it. Provided that I can make it out alive and take the Spirit Consonance Immortal Fruit with me..."
He could not hide the bitterness in his expression.
Under these circumstances, the Spirit Consonance Immortal Fruit was undeniably a source of peril. Who knew how many eyes were fixed on it, or how the old bald donkey planned to deal with him afterward?
In the end, he might have to use the fruit just to save his own life.
Of course, if the old bald donkey kept his word and allowed him to leave with the fruit, he would be more than willing to trade it for the Five Elements Pill, which was of far greater benefit to him.
Hearing this, the avatar gave a slight nod. He understood Mo Xingdao's predicament as well. Laying the groundwork now was enough; they would have to escape with their lives before considering the trade.
The battle grew fiercer, laying bare the terrifying might of the demonic body.
The avatar remained exceptionally calm. The stronger the demonic body was, the more valuable what he was about to offer would be.
Before long, the avatar suddenly looked up toward Saint Huiguang.
"Does Senior recognize this object?"
At the same time, frigid qi converged above his head, manifesting a black iron chain.
The others, wholly focused on dealing with the demonic body, were startled by the avatar and looked over one after another.
Upon seeing the iron chain, Saint Huiguang's expression hardened, and he cried out in surprise:
"The Demon Binding Rope!"
*Indeed, someone in Zhongzhou recognizes this treasure!*
The avatar felt slightly relieved.
Saint Huiguang's eyes flashed with brilliant light. "You possess a Demon Binding Rope?"
The Demon Binding Rope was an ancient treasure specifically crafted to counter ancient demons. With it, the chances of capturing the demonic body alive would increase dramatically.
The avatar hesitated for a moment before saying, "Junior has indeed encountered a Demon Binding Rope, but it was damaged. Furthermore, it requires a special spirit array to complement it..."
Before the avatar could finish, Saint Huiguang interrupted impatiently, "Back then, the Wuxiang Immortal Sect obtained a damaged Demon Binding Rope and the Demon Subduing Array meant to accompany it from the Immortal Palace. Although they set about repairing it, improper application led to the Demon Binding Rope being destroyed by the ancient demon. If your Demon Binding Rope is not severely damaged, this poor monk possesses the method to repair it."
*So the Wuxiang Immortal Sect restored it before.*
Qin Sang's avatar stirred inward, then sighed, "Regrettably, the Demon Binding Rope is severely damaged, and its fragments were reforged into other treasures. It cannot possibly be repaired in the short term."
Even if it could be repaired, the Meteoric Iron Divine Whip was not here; he had left it with his nominal disciple to study.
These words caused an uproar among the crowd, everyone inwardly cursing Qin Sang.
The avatar acted as if oblivious. Hesitating for a moment, he manifested another object. "Since Senior knows of the Demon Binding Rope, do you know of another treasure belonging to the same lineage, one a rank higher than the Demon Binding Rope?"
What he manifested was none other than the Demon Sealing Stake!
The Demon Sealing Stake had been refined into banner poles to craft the Ten Directions Yanluo Banners, sealing the Nine Nether Demonic Fire and accompanying him for many years. Now, he was actually preparing to offer it up in a trade!
Although it had been split into demonic banners, its internal restrictions had not been destroyed; by drawing out the soul qi, it could easily be restored.
"The Demon Sealing Stake!"
Possessing vast knowledge, Saint Huiguang recognized the treasure at a glance.
Now that it was revealed, the avatar hesitated no longer. With a swipe of his hand, the Demon Sealing Stake snapped into two halves. He declared with righteous solemnity, "This treasure has also been damaged, but it is broken in only one place. If Senior possesses a repair method, it may resolve the pressing crisis at hand. Junior is willing to contribute this treasure to suppress the ancient demon for the sake of all living beings under heaven!"
However, as he spoke, his gaze was fixed on the jade bottle containing the Five Elements Pill in the old monk's hand.
"From which sect does Benefactor hail?" Saint Huiguang reined in his delight, his eyes narrowing slightly.
"Junior is a descendant of the Xie Clan of Fudu Commandery in Zhuo Prefecture. Elder Lu Zhang of Mount Bunian is my close friend."
Chapter 1681