Chapter 115: Perilous Predicaments

The mountain rocks on both sides blurred into streaks of light as the burly man fled at such a breakneck speed that the landscape became unrecognizable. This reminded him of the scene he witnessed when his master brought him back to the sect from Rotten Peach Mountain after he first opened his meridians with the True Sha.

Feeling the sharp pain in his shoulder, he reined in his wandering thoughts and calmed his mind, his brain racing through countless strategies to escape. Sword arts, talisman arts, incantations, thunder arts, wind arts, the Five Elements—he possessed a vast array of techniques, but his opponent’s cultivation realm was so high that all his subtle methods seemed futile.

Contemplating the suppression of his cultivation, a flash of inspiration struck him. He conceived an unconventional plan; whether it would work or not, he had no choice but to treat a dying horse as a living one.

He suddenly opened his mouth and spat out a beam of bright light toward the front.

Shang Sansi immediately sensed it and reached out to grab it, but he grasped only empty air, as if nothing were there.

Yet, suddenly, a range of cloud-capped peaks appeared before them, and atop these peaks stood a magnificent, golden heavenly palace.

"An illusion? Mirage clouds? You brat, do you actually think you can trap me with an illusion?" Shang Sansi laughed heartily.

However, at that moment, in Shang Sansi's eyes, several points of light flickered within the cloud-top heavenly palace. One of the lights descended from the clouds, suddenly expanding in mid-air. It manifested the "Law of Heaven and Earth" supernatural power, transforming upon landing into a god that stood between heaven and earth.

This deity was dressed in resplendent attire, wearing a golden pearl crown and a vermilion robe embroidered with intricate, swirling auspicious clouds and the constellations of the Mao Mansion.

It was none other than the Star Official of the Mao Mansion.

Beneath the giant statue, the two men looked like mere ants; the nebulae on the Star Official’s robes appeared both real and ethereal. The Star Official’s head reached into the highest reaches of the sky, indistinct, yet when he lowered his gaze, his eyes burned like suns suspended in the void.

Shang Sansi swallowed hard.

The ancient divine might and the true essence of solar fire radiating from the Star Official did not look like a mere illusion!

Could it be the passing manifestation of a Golden Core cultivator?

He shook his head quickly; such a coincidence was impossible.

Then, three more lights descended simultaneously, transforming into three giants on the other side of the two men.

The center giant wore a purple official robe, a sea of brilliant purple resembling heavenly pillars or a waterfall of thunder. High above, a pair of golden pupils were hidden within the clouds. Beside him stood two other deities in full armor, the scales of their armor clashing like rolling thunder. One held a mallet and the other a mirror, resembling Heavenly Kings, their silver electric eyes hanging high above the clouds.

As the three stood their ground, thunder and lightning wove into a net behind them.

It was as if they had rashly intruded upon a heavenly kingdom. Shang Sansi’s high-speed flight slowed involuntarily.

Another flash of brilliant light descended, transforming into a golden Qilin upon landing!

The Qilin had green scales and golden horns, manifesting in the sky like the sun rising from a turquoise sea. Though its scales were scarred, revealing its golden flesh and jade bones, its fighting spirit soared to the heavens. It lowered its gaze toward Shang Sansi with chilling murderous intent, its massive golden horns disappearing into the clouds like a swimming dragon.

Shang Sansi’s heart skipped a beat.

The final point of light fell, causing the earth to tremble and the mountains to shake.

This time, it was not merely an illusion. As the final deity appeared, the Western Kunlun Mountains actually swayed in a way that was almost imperceptible!

This last god was dressed most casually, in a plain bright yellow robe, hands clasped behind his back, eyes cast downward. The god stood between heaven and earth, and even the Western Kunlun Mountains seemed to bow at his feet.

As Shang Sansi met the god’s downward gaze, it felt as if all the mountains of the Northwest were collapsing upon him.

The six venerable gods stood on either side, each radiating authentic Daoist resonance: the bright solar essence that illuminated all, the thunderous essence that cleared away demons from the nine heavens, the proud and tyrannical golden immortality, and the true spirit of the Earth element that held the power of life and death.

The six gods stared down at him.

"Ah!"

He screamed. He knew these were illusory images; he didn't even know the names of these ancient gods, so how could they truly exist in the world? But just as a mortal would feel awe upon seeing a massive statue in a temple, the presence of these six gods, radiating such authentic essence, made him—a practitioner of the Third Realm who had only just touched the corner of the laws of heaven and earth—feel as if he were facing true deities.

He tried to shout to dispel his unease, but his mind was shaken, and his grip on his technique faltered.

Seeing that it had worked, Cheng Xinzhan immediately seized the opening, exerting his full strength. Fire, thunder, and wind surged beneath his feet, carrying him as he fled rapidly toward the south.

"Heh."

Cheng Xinzhan had gone to great lengths, using the "Yangming Cloud Hall Gang" to manifest his inner-landscape gods, but it had only bought him a moment of respite. Shang Sansi soon recovered and chuckled; he did not believe this brat could escape his grasp.

Furthermore, he guessed that the origin of the six gods must have been ancient images recorded by the mirage clouds, containing the essence of the Dao, which this lucky brat had managed to obtain.

He moved, rising to give chase, rapidly closing the distance with Cheng Xinzhan.

Seeing him pursue, Cheng Xinzhan once again cast the "Zhao" light incantation. Borrowing the bright light, he instantly split into hundreds of mirage-cloud illusions, then employed his self-taught Thunder Splitting Sword Art, creating dozens more. Simultaneously, he released his bamboo body from his meridians, using two souls to control it, prepared for the worst-case scenario of abandoning his fleshly body.

Hidden among hundreds of illusions, he threw almost all the accumulated thunder-fire talismans behind him and detonated them, filling the sky with thunder and flames.

When the light faded, Shang Sansi was momentarily dazed by the sea of thunder and fire and the hundreds of clones.

"Evil spawn!"

A thunderous roar that shattered the wind and snow came from the south. At the same time, a sword light like a heavenly river ignited in the south and flowed northward.

The sword light rose into the sky, crossing the northern front line before falling to the earth, transforming into a true torrent of sword energy. The torrent crushed countless demonic disciples, grinding them into dust; the white snow on the ground turned red as if algae had bloomed.

The sword energy torrent surged northward, aimed directly at Shang Sansi.

Ying Jingsong’s speed was no slower than the sword light. His sword-eyes caught sight of the fleeing Cheng Xinzhan.

Seeing the truly vast sword light, Shang Sansi was even more shaken than he had been by the gods Cheng Xinzhan had manifested. His expression changed; he had to capture this brat before the Third Realm sword cultivator arrived, forcing him to hold back.

Shang Sansi hoisted his Bone-Locking Hammer. The semi-finished treasure glowed with ghostly fire, and as his thoughts shifted, the ghostly fire erupted from the skull, turning into a sea of flame that pressed toward the hundreds of clones ahead.

The dozens of mirage-cloud clones lagging slightly behind were immediately burned into nothingness.

"Fool!"

At that moment, a voice suddenly echoed from the peak of Kunlun. A dark, profound light descended from the sky, transforming into a sea of light that extinguished the ghostly fire instantly. The profound light then condensed into a ball and struck straight at Shang Sansi.

Shang Sansi was furious. "Beiyin! An enemy of the righteous path is before us; instead of helping me, you want to kill me?!"

The profound light did not reply.

It traveled faster than the sword light and was about to fall upon Shang Sansi’s head. With no choice, Shang Sansi had to abandon Cheng Xinzhan and attempt to dodge to the side.

However, Shang Sansi, who never liked to lose, would not let Cheng Xinzhan go so easily. He cast hundreds of ghost talismans, which shot toward Cheng Xinzhan’s hundreds of clones like a flock of sparrows.

This was a unique secret technique of the Five Ghosts Sect. Each ghost talisman carried a wisp of Shang Sansi's consciousness. Anyone planted with these talismans whose mental power was weaker than that wisp would be controlled and turned into a puppet. This move was infallible against low-realm cultivators.

After casting the talismans, Shang Sansi moved to dodge the profound light, but he suddenly discovered he could not move. A blood-red light, he knew not from where or when it had appeared, shrouded him, locking away all his magic power.

He was terrified.

He was not a newcomer to the Third Realm; he had spent hundreds of years tempering himself in it. To be restrained like this—this had to be the skill of a Fourth Realm perfectionist or even a Fifth Realm master!

At the very least, he believed that even his master, currently assaulting the Fifth Realm at the sect, would find it difficult to achieve this!

If there was a high-level cultivator of such a realm on Western Kunlun, it could only be one person.

The Blood God Sect Leader.

Shang Sansi never expected that by merely trying to capture a righteous disciple, he would offend the Blood God Sect Leader to such an extent!

He was even more shocked that the Blood God’s realm was so high; separated by such a distance, a single thought of his had locked away his magic power.

"Senior! Spare me!"

He shouted, feeling regret for the first time.

But the profound light had already arrived, striking squarely on the top of the immobilized Shang Sansi’s head.

In the chaotic battle of flickering profound light, heaven-filling thunder and fire, flying ghost talismans, and hundreds of clones, no one noticed a faint, imperceptible shimmer of light detach from the profound light, chase down one of the ghost talismans Shang Sansi had cast, and shatter it. This particular talisman had been aimed at Cheng Xinzhan’s bamboo body.

The light shattered the talisman but did not vanish; instead, it merged directly into Cheng Xinzhan’s bamboo body.

The profound light wrapped around Shang Sansi, instantly turning him into a block of ice that plummeted to the ground.

At this moment, Ying Jingsong’s sword light arrived, striking the ice block directly.

The newly formed ice shattered instantly, and the sword energy sliced through Shang Sansi, splitting him in two.

However, a Golden Core radiating ghostly fire was revealed in Shang Sansi’s split torso. Golden radiance erupted, spanning several feet, enveloping the two halves of his body, which then fused back together.

By now, Cheng Xinzhan’s true body and bamboo body had flown behind Ying Jingsong. He said, "Mountain Master, this disciple is unharmed."

Hearing this, Ying Jingsong finally let out a sigh of relief. But beyond his lingering fear, his rage grew even hotter. He launched another sword strike, aiming directly at the Golden Core, the sword energy even more concentrated than the last.

However, the profound light blocked the strike for Shang Sansi, and then a cold mist split off to wrap around Shang Sansi again, turning him back into a block of ice.

The profound light manifested before the ice block, taking the form of a young man—none other than the Palace Master of Beiyin.

Beiyin shielded the ice block behind him and smiled, bowing to Ying Jingsong. "Sword Immortal, your sect's disciple is unharmed. You have already slashed hundreds of my demonic sect's disciples and struck this fool, damaging his Golden Core origin; your anger should be abated. Let us leave it at that. Shall we each return to our camps?"

Ying Jingsong did not answer. Seeing Huo Jingyan arrive, he whispered to Cheng Xinzhan, "Good child, follow the Academy Master directly back to the main camp. Do not show your face again."

That this child could escape from a Third Realm cultivator truly shocked him.

With that, the furious Ying Jingsong raised his sword and struck at Beiyin.

Although Beiyin had just extinguished the other demon's fire, his act of protecting him made him an enemy as well.

Beiyin chuckled, unfazed. He cast a brilliant, colorful light, primarily cyan and purple, which wove and diverged into infinite hues. When the light met the sword energy, it was not cut through, but rather wore the sword energy away.

"The Northern Star Aurora Heavenly Gang?" Ying Jingsong was surprised.

This Heavenly Gang of the extreme north was famous, but because its traces existed between the virtual and the real, it was rarely captured or refined.

Beiyin nodded with a smile. "Sword Immortal has a keen eye."

"Perfect. Let us see if the legendary 'Northern Star Aurora Heavenly Gang' that can erode all things can wear down my 'White Tiger Sky-Splitting Sword Gang'."

In Ying Jingsong’s hand was a magic sword named "White Autumn." The sword hummed like a tiger's roar as a blast of sword energy was unleashed, transforming into the shape of a white tiger. Upon leaving the blade, the white tiger tore through the void, vanishing into the unknown, only to reappear from another part of the void and strike at Beiyin.

Beiyin failed to dodge in time, losing a lock of his hair.

The two Third Realm cultivators began to clash. Cheng Xinzhan, having narrowly escaped death, took advantage of the chaos to retract his bamboo body into his physical form, gathered his mirage clouds, and met up with Huo Jingyan, departing rapidly.

At the same time, the sound of a conch shell came from the southeast camp—the signal for Third Realm cultivators to enter the fray and for First and Second Realm disciples to withdraw.

Huo Jingyan brought him back to the camp. Upon returning to his own Daoist temple for the first time since the mountain assault, Cheng Xinzhan immediately sat cross-legged and said to Huo Jingyan, "Academy Master, please guard me."

Huo Jingyan nodded, his expression filled with concern.

Cheng Xinzhan immediately calmed his breath and looked inward. He sensed that foreign objects had entered both his physical body and his bamboo body.

A moment before.

In the inner landscape of his physical body, within the void of the Purple Palace, a ghost talisman had intruded. Sensing the location of Cheng Xinzhan’s soul, it immediately latched on.

At that time, only the Tetal Light and the Seven Souls were in the Purple Palace. However, Cheng Xinzhan’s tempering of his spiritual soul had begun at the very start of his practice—meditating on the Palace of Light, the Thunder Ministry, the Ming Imperial Mausoleum, the Three Mountains and Five Peaks, not to mention his numerous inner-landscape gods. Later, he had practiced the "Secret Decree of Longevity Fetal Origin Manifesting Spirit" from the Mingzhi Mountain secret techniques. The spirituality and power of his Three Souls and Seven Souls far exceeded those of the First Realm.

Now that an alien entity had invaded his body, the "Swallowing Thief" among the Seven Souls was immediately alerted.

The "Swallowing Thief" transformed from a ball of spiritual light into a divine beast with a human face and a tiger’s body, with nine long tails growing from the tiger’s rear. The human face on the tiger’s head was identical to Cheng Xinzhan’s, but it was covered by a ferocious bronze mask.

This was the manifestation of "Lu Wu."

The "Swallowing Thief" let out a roar and lunged at the ghost talisman.

The talisman had lost contact with the caster and had never encountered such a spirited soul; it seemed bewildered and was pinned under the claws of the "Swallowing Thief." However, the ghost talisman was, after all, the condensation of a wisp of a Third Realm cultivator’s thoughts. Though the "Swallowing Thief" could guard against it, it could not destroy it.

It was in this situation that Cheng Xinzhan’s bamboo body returned to his physical form, and his two souls returned to the Purple Palace.

Seeing this, he immediately meditated on the Palace of Light and the Thunder Ministry. The "Swallowing Thief" released the ghost talisman. Just as the talisman tried to flee, the two thunder-fire divine palaces descended, instantly shattering it into fragments.

The "Swallowing Thief" had been waiting; it devoured all the fragments, and the previously ethereal "Lu Wu" manifestation became several times more solid.

With the ghost talisman handled, he checked his bamboo body.

The "Swallowing Thief" also sensed something, looking toward the Golden Mansion.

Previously, he had kept his bamboo body in the Heart Mansion, but when it entered his body just now, the inner-landscape god of the Heart Mansion had shown signs of resistance—something that had never happened before. This must have been caused by the foreign object that had struck the bamboo body earlier.

He had temporarily placed the bamboo body in the Golden Mansion. Now, with the "Swallowing Thief" leading the way, he hurriedly sent his consciousness to investigate.