Chapter 291: The Wrath of the Sages
Playing hardball? The disciples of the three religions were shocked. Few people except the Sages could escape unscathed from four Sages-to-be and over 40 Zenith Heaven Golden Immortals in the Untainted Land. Yet Kong Xuan was saying that it was just a warm-up for him. How fearsome would he be if he was playing hardball then? The disciples of the three religions weren't willing to believe this to be a fact. They rather he was just kidding. Otherwise, it would mean their disaster was impending.
Xuandu and the other three Sages-to-be looked at Kong Xuan gravely, who was able to defend himself against their siege. They were appalled by Kong Xuan's words. Even if it was somewhat unbelievable, they didn't dare to be optimistic. Kong Xuan, being in his current realm, had no need to lie at all. This meant their upcoming battle would even be more difficult.
They just wondered why Kong Xuan fought with them for so long. Was he trying to test their strengths? Or perhaps he was mocking them? That wasn't Kong Xuan's way. So what was his true purpose and his so-called 'playing hardball'? Could he perhaps be concealing some amazing Magic Skills besides his Divine Five Colored Light? The four of them wore solemn expressions. Medicine Buddha turned to the Western Religious Sect disciples behind him and worried for them. Kong Xuan's attack wasn't something they could easily defend against. His expression changed greatly when he considered this. Was Kong Xuan biding his time in the fight just so he could get back at the disciples of the three religions?
Being experts at Secondary Stage of the Sage-to-be Realm and equipped with Spiritual Treasures and Magic Skills, the four of them could protect themselves even if they couldn't defeat Xuandu. That wasn't the case for the disciples of the three religions. Being Zenith Heaven Golden Immortals, they might not be able to ward off Kong Xuan's attack even with Spiritual Treasures.
Medicine Buddha looked at Kong Xuan who stood in the center and said coldly, "You're really shrewd, Kong Xuan, but your behavior is disgraceful. My juniors, please withdraw immediately. This fight isn't something you can handle." Xuandu and the other two immediately understood his point but their realization came a little too late.
Standing on the Red Lotus of Fire, Kong Xuan wore a gentle smile. "Isn't it a little too late to realize my plans? I was only planning to kill you after finding the flaws in your Magic Skills. Who knew these disciples of the three religions would serve themselves up to me on a platter? I naturally wouldn't be holding back." His smile fell and, in that instant, he was full of killing intent.
He held his Five Colored Glaze Fan and his body gleamed with five streaks of flowing light - green, yellow, red, black, and white. The green, black, and white light transformed into the physical bodies of the Taoist Wood, Taoist Water, and Taoist Gold. They were three of the Five Phases Separations that Kong Xuan divided. The yellow and red light transformed into two feathers instead, which was the original appearance of Kong Xuan's Divine Five Colored Light. The five feathers were something he owned since birth.
His four opponents paled. Just three of Kong Xuan's Five Phases Separation was enough to change their situation. Since they couldn't see through the Separations' cultivation at all, that meant they were at least at the Late Stage of the Sage-to-be realm. This meant they were facing four masters of such a realm. Though each of them also had their Separations, the Separations had weak cultivation. Even the best among the Separations had nearly similar cultivation as theirs. Looking at the pale-faced three religious disciples, Kong Xuan said placidly, "You're right, Xuandu. I've indeed abandoned my natal Magic Skill, the Divine Five Colored Light. But I forget to mention I don't need to use the five colored lights together. Their power is weakened if I use them individually but they're still three times more powerful than the power of the Divine Five Colored Light. So you all have to be careful."
He and his Three Separations instantly jumped into action and five streaks of light in green, yellow, red, black, and white lit up their surroundings. Its power was three times stronger than the Divine Five Colored Light. Though it was just a single beam of light, its power was so intimidating that the expressions of the disciples of the three religions changed dramatically. There was even fear in their eyes.
The disciples of the three religions went all out and summoned their Spiritual Treasure to fend off the attacks. Though they risked getting their treasures snatched by Kong Xuan, it was better than losing their lives. Besides, there was also a defect in the single beams of Divine Five Coloured Light. They couldn't attack other Spiritual Treasure except those with corresponding properties. This was an opportunity for them to save their lives. Even so, Kong Xuan was still a Sage-to-be expert. His single light wasn't something that everyone could ward off. A sharp cry resounded and more than ten beams of spiritual lights shot up to the sky and disappeared into the void. Their names were obviously now on the Investiture of the Gods. The surviving disciples couldn't help but lament the loss of their companions.
The Sages-to-be turned pale. All the disciples of the three religions were injured. The disciples at the Realm of Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal were considered elites in the three religions, yet a dozen of them had died at a time. This was a huge price to pay. Except those on the Investiture of the Gods and the four of them, the other disciples were also injured. How could they continue to defend against Kong Xuan's attacks?
Kong Xuan promptly stopped after making one strike, not because he had a change of heart but simply because there was no chance. The entire Untainted Land changed drastically with the angry roars, frightening all living creatures there. It was the wrath of the Sages. Laozi, Honored Lord of the Origin, Jieyin, and Zhunti were enraged by the killing and wounding of their disciples.
The three religious disciples also felt their masters' anger. Kong Xuan was also on alert. Seeing this, Xuandu and the rest led their juniors to go into retreat. It wasn't the place of Sages- to-be to be involved in the upcoming battle. Any mistake could end up killing them. If they wanted to live, they better keep away from the center of the storm.
Laozi wore a gloomy expression atop Mount Shouyang. Among the four Sages, he felt the least anger and cared little about the death of his several Zenith Heaven Golden Immortals of the Tribe of Humanity. He only cared for Xuandu. But Kong Xuan's reckless murder of his disciples was clearly an attempt to humiliate him and this filled him with rage.
Over on Mount Kunlun, Honored Lord of the Origin was the angriest of them all. Never mind the other disciples, even one of the well-known Twelve Golden Immortals from his Clan of Enlightenment had fallen. This disgraced him greatly. The one who died was the Perfected Person Yellow Dragon, who was unfortunate in many ways. He was a member of the Dragon Tribe who became an apprentice under Honored Lord of the Origin, but he had always been his master's least favored disciple.
Honored Lord of the Origin disliked the Demon Tribe and saw that disciple of his as no different than someone from the Demon Tribe. Thus, he awarded Perfected Person Yellow Dragon with few spiritual treasures. That eventually doomed his disciple when he faced Kong Xuan's attack. He was, in fact, responsible for his disciple's death due to his unfair treatment.
But he wouldn't think this way, merely finding Perfected Person Yellow Dragon useless and hating Kong Xuan for his death. Kong Xuan's one attack landed more than ten people on the Investiture of the Gods, with disciples of the Clan of Enlightenment in the largest number. Could the Clan of Enlightenment be considered inferior to the Tribe of Humanity and the Western Religious Sect? This was what infuriated Honored Lord of the Origin the most. He was anxious to kill Kong Xuan himself to save face.
Jieyin and Zhunti were more distressed than angry. Their Western Religious Sect incurred a huge damage in losing several Zenith Heaven Golden Immortals. In these years, Zhunti had overcome the odds and bring in these disciples, carefully cultivating them. Now, several of them had suddenly died. This bound to sadden Jieyin and Zhunti.
The wrath of the four Sages was earth-shaking, stunning all living creatures in the Untainted Land. However, they were also surprised that Kong Xuan killed more than ten elites of the three religions at once. Though he had a good teacher Minghe, it took courage for him to kill the disciples so simply and cleanly. Even if Minghe could ward off the Sages of the three religions for him, it wouldn't be a walk in the park to be at the receiving end of the hatred of the Sages. If he were to be careless, his soul would probably be disintegrated. After all, his master couldn't possibly watch him closely at all times.
Chapter 292: The Advent of the Sages
The disciples of the three religions stared at Kong Xuan who was suspended in the mid-air. In their resentment was a hint of admiration, particularly Guang Chengzi who had the deepest thoughts. He was once given a severe warning by Liu Er, Kong Xuan's senior. Back then, Liu Er was fearless even in the face of Honored Lord of the Origin and so was Kong Xuan now in the face of the four Sages. Guang Chengzi thought it was impossible for him to do so even with his master backing him up.
Two streaks of flowing light shot across the sky just then, aiming straight at Kong Xuan. Everyone in the Untainted Land knew this meant the Sages had started making their moves. The Three Treasure Jade from Honored Lord of the Origin occupied one beam of light, while the Magical Tree of Seven Treasures from Zhunti occupied the other. Both no longer cared about looking as if they were bullying the weak. They wanted nothing more than destroying Kong Xuan to the point that his soul disintegrated.
Kong Xuan looked solemn when he saw the two magic weapons charging at him. Attacks from the Sages were not anything to be joked about. With a wave of his sleeve, he raised the Wuji Apricot Flag, one of the Primordial Flags of the Five Regions. The flag originally belonged to Minghe's Self-centric Separation, Musen, but his Hegemonic Body of Martial Arts already had a strong defensive capability. Further, the use of such a supreme defensive treasure might even hinder Musen from practicing his Martial Arts. Thus he gifted the treasure to Kong Xuan for self-defense.
The disciples of the three religions were stunned to see the appearance of the flag. Most of them probably knew its history. Honored Lord of the Origin's protective supreme treasure was a peerless defensive treasure called the Natural Cloud Realm Flag, one of the Primordial Flags of the Five Regions. They never thought Minghe would gift such an amazing treasure to Kong Xuan. Besides Xuandu who received the Floating Flame Flag from his master, Laozi, the other disciples were envious of Kong Xuan.
Though the Wuji Apricot Flag was unmatched in its defense, the one using it was a mere Sage-to-be. How could Kong Xuan resist the fierce attacks from the two Sages? The barrier made up of 10,000 gold lotuses from the Wuji Apricot Flag was instantly crushed. Kong Xuan spat out blood and his face paled, having been seriously injured.
Just as he was about to be hit by the two treasures, the Red Lotus of Fire under his feet suddenly shined with great brilliancy. Gradually, the illusionary shadow of a twenty-four grade Red Lotus of Fire appeared to cover him. The shadow shook slightly when the two treasures hit it, but managed to ward off their attacks.
Just then, two figures appeared in the sky and the disciples of the three religions bowed at them, greeting them. They were none other than Honored Lord of the Origin and Zhunti. Both their attacks were hindered by the illusionary shadow of the twenty-four grade Red Lotus of Fire. They naturally knew who was responsible for such a move.
They looked at Kong Xuan, their killing intent flaring. The wrath of the Sages was like a turbulent sea and he was like a boat in that sea, possibly capsizing at any moment. Honored Lord of the Origin glanced at Kong Xuan before looking around, saying indifferently, "Minghe, show yourself now that we're all here."
A black-clothed Heaven and Earth Taoist, Minghe's Good Separation, suddenly emerged out of the Void. He went to Kong Xuan and injected some supernatural power inside him, and he instantly looked better. Heaven and Earth Taoist raised his head to look at Honored Lord of the Origin and Zhunti, saying coldly, "You're not deserved to be called Sages. If you want a fight, I'll play along. It's too shameless of you to bully a junior."
Honored Lord of the Origin became even angrier. "He killed my disciples without mercy. Am I wrong to take revenge on him? The fall of the Shang dynasty and the rise of the Zhou dynasty is in accordance with the heaven's will. Our Clan of Enlightenment disciples are assisting an enlightened ruler, while Kong Xuan is aiding a tyrant and obstructing the army. He is rebelling against God, so he'll die to fill the vacancy on the Investiture of the Gods."
Heaven and Earth Taoist sneered. "Don't use God's will as an excuse. It's not your place to interfere with the affairs of our Blood Sea. So what if we rebel against God? We can do it anytime if we want to. So what if we injure your disciples? If we feel like it, we can kill one or two each day. Why? Are you angry? Do you want to strike us? Go on then, we'll play along."
Honored Lord of the Origin was fuming and Zhunti also wore a solemn expression. Though Heaven and Earth Taoist was speaking to the former, he was dropping the latter a hint. His words were unreasonable, but so was many things in the Untainted Land. In the end, strength was everything here. Minghe had the strength to do so. So did his disciples. Therefore, they could behave recklessly. Kong Xuan wounded and killed more than ten elites at once, but so what? The three religions weren't allies with the Blood Sea in the first place. Worse, they were enemies. But it would not be easy for the Sages to kill Kong Xuan who had Minghe's protection. Judging from what happened earlier, Minghe had evidently taken preventative measures to protect his disciple's life.
It was true that Minghe's disciples, whether the second or third generation, were gifted with a Red Lotus of Fire. Though the lotuses differed in grade, Red Lotus Taoist had imbued each one with three supernatural powers to resist three fatal attacks. That was what protected Kong Xuan earlier.
Zhunti took a deep breath, trying to suppress his anger. He said coldly, "I don't want to talk crap with you. Since Kong Xuan has wounded so many of our people, you must give us an explanation. Otherwise..." His words were full of fury and killing intent, carrying even menace.
Zhunti was also aware that it was impossible to make Kong Xuan pay with his life. Heaven and Earth Taoist could just take Kong Xuan and leave anytime. Moreover, Minghe would not allow Kong Xuan be in trouble. Under the current circumstances, he could only seek a less-than-ideal alternative and claim for indemnity. Those dead disciples were fortunately on the Investiture of the Gods, so they were not truly dead.
How could Heaven and Earth Taoist not sense the implications of Zhunti's words? Even if they were Sages, anything could be negotiated as long as they were provided enough benefit. That was what happened during the selection of the Three Royals and Five Emperors. But Minghe was now strong enough that he didn't have to concede. Heaven and Earth Taoist sneered and said, "You were the ones who said the life and death of a person are predestined during the signing of the Investiture of the Gods. You can only blame the death of your disciples on their lack of skills and no one else."
Zhunti was so enraged that he could not swallow his anger any longer. He had made a concession, yet Heaven and Earth Taoist still showed no compromise. Did Heaven and Earth Taoist really think that he was afraid of him and dared not to kill Kong Xuan? When a Sage lost his temper, the countenance of heaven and earth would be altered and killing intent would be generated. All of a sudden, terrifying black snowflakes condensed from killing intent swirled between heaven and earth. Just then, a domineering voice suddenly echoed in the air. "Zhunti, if it's a fight you want, it's a fight you'll get. It just so happens that there isn't a victor between us the last time. Now we can complete our fight." Someone suddenly appeared beside Heaven and Earth Taoist and Kong Xuan. It was Musen, Minghe's Self-centric Separation.
Musen was full of fighting intent, sweeping away the black snowflakes between heaven and earth. He was no weaker than Zhunti. The sight of him surprised and terrified Honored Lord of the Origin. From his momentum, Musen was obviously going to break through the Early Stage of The Origin Realm. It would not be long before he would make another breakthrough. When that happened, Minghe would become even more powerful and harder to deal with.
Their fight hadn't even started but the collision of their momentums had overshadowed heaven and earth. Even the disciples of the three religions could not stand the Sage's and the Origin's pressure. Never mind the ordinary people who had all fallen on their knees. If these two truly fought again, it would spell disaster for them. How could they withstand the aftermath of a battle between the Sage and the Origin? Perhaps not even the three religious disciples were capable of that. Honored Lord of the Origin stared at the two and suddenly calmed down. He was now irrevocably involved in the current situation. If they really fought, the three religious disciples and ordinary people were bound to suffer disasters. Moreover, he might not be able to defeat them. Laozi did not show up despite his rage. Jieyin was absent as well, yet Zhunti was here. Since the two of them were one, the presence of one was the presence of both. What Honored Lord of the Origin could not determine was Laozi's stance.
Chapter 293: The Next Battle
Few people could leave Honored Lord of the Origin in awe of their strength, but Tongtian and Laozi were one of them. Together, they were referred to as the Three Pure Ones. Honored Lord of the Origin was no match for Tongtian and his God-killing Sword Formation, and couldn't see through the cultivation of Laozi and his Map of Taichi. But to fight against Tongtian Sect Leader, he had no choice but stick to Laozi.
After Kong Xuan murdered a dozen disciples of the three religions and a handful from the Tribe of Humanity, Honored Lord of the Origin thought that would compel Laozi to come. However, the latter hadn't done anything except getting enraged. That confused him for he couldn't figure out Laozi's intentions. Was Laozi enduring in silence or does he have other objectives? The calmer he was, the more confused Honored Lord of the Origin became.
But he didn't have the mood to think about it now. The battle between Zhunti and Musen was about to break out anytime. Their fight would definitely devastate the disciples of the three religions and the generals and soldiers of Western Zhou. The latter had finally managed to gain an advantage in its campaign against the Shang dynasty and this fight would ruin all their efforts. Yet Honored Lord of the Origin couldn't bring himself to persuade Zhunti to stop the battle. This time, he was here to demand an explanation for his dead disciples. If he persuaded Zhunti to stop, wouldn't that mean he was afraid of Minghe? Being so sensitive about his reputation, he would never do it. He felt as if it had now become impossible for him to stop halfway through his plan.
Laozi suddenly appeared in the Heaven and said, "Everyone, this is the Battle of Gods Investiture. It's something that the Master laid down. We've agreed that life and death are decreed by fate. If you fight now and affect the God Deification Ceremony, then it would be your sin. Please go to the Chaos if you want to battle it out." His persuasion was precisely what Honored Lord of the Origin needed to save face.
Honored Lord of the Origin snorted at Heaven and Earth Taoist and said, "Tell Minghe that I won't just leave this matter at that." He then turned to the disciples of the Clan of Enlightenment. "You all must carefully aid the Western Zhou dynasty. I expect no failure. Guang Chengzi, you're the eldest brother and it's your responsibility to look after your juniors. I'll momentarily lend you this Spiritual Treasure."
He waved his sleeves, leaving a beam of white light to fall on Guang Chengzi's hands. He soon turned away and left. Seeing this, Zhunti suppressed his rage and waved his hand, giving Medicine Buddha a spiritual treasure as well. He harrumphed at Musen before turning away. He knew it wasn't the right time to fight Minghe. Otherwise, it would be Tribe of Severity that would benefit from their battle.
Guang Chengzi and Medicine Buddha were startled at the spiritual treasures on their hands. They were the Natural Cloud Realm Flag and the Emerald Lotus Flag among the Primordial Flags of the Five Regions. Kong Xuan was now wounded and his Divine Five Colored Light was incomplete. Equipped with such treasures imbued with the Sages' Spiritual Thoughts, they might be able to block Kong Xuan's attacks if they were careful.
Dipamkara was the only one among the four present Sages-to- be to look pale. Though Laozi didn't come, Xuandu most definitely possessed many magic weapons of his own as the sole inner disciple. Now, even Guang Chengzi and Medicine Buddha had their own spiritual treasures. He was the only one without any. Honored Lord of the Origin had always favored his other disciples. He could only bury his frustration inside his heart.
Seeing that the Sages had left, Heaven and Earth Taoist spoke to Kong Xuan. "Since you're badly wounded this time, you must heal them properly. Leave the rest to your junior to handle." He left with Musen as soon as he was done talking. Their reason here was to block the Sages but that had happened, they had no reason to stay. After all, they couldn't possibly raise their hands against the young ones of the three religions.
After watching them leave, Kong Xuan ordered his army to withdraw and return to the Pass. Bo Yikao had no choice but to follow suit, deciding to visit the Pass Gate for a challenge in the future. As for the remaining Zenith Heaven Golden Immortals' disciples, most of them were wounded and needed time to heal. They also needed to discuss strategies to reach the Pass. Kong Xuan's injury was a splendid opportunity for them.
Kong Xuan sat cross-legged in the hall inside the Pass, looking pale. His supernatural power enveloped his body, clearly mending his wounds. Black Tortoise was seated next to him. He glanced at Kong Xuan and said, "Are you alright?" The furious attacks of the two Sages weren't to be underestimated. Though Kong Xuan's physical body wasn't hurt, his state of mind was affected when he used his Wuji Apricot Flag to ward off the attacks. His condition was probably not too good.
Kong Xuan finally spat a mouthful of foul air after some time. "I was careless. The attacks of the Sages were indeed extraordinary. I don't stand a chance against them with my strength. I'm afraid my soul would've been destroyed if Master hasn't taken precautions to save me. My state of mind is currently impaired, so I can use only half of my strength. It's now up to you to deal with the rest."
Black Tortoise was relieved to hear that and patted his chest. "Don't worry. I'll let the disciples witness my power. If I have the chance, I'll definitely kill some of them to avenge you. I'll also like to see Honored Lord of the Origin and Zhunti feel some heartache over their deaths. I'd like to see if they have the nerve to make a move."
Kong Xuan left him with an advice, saying, "Be careful. You have the same cultivation as Xuan Du and the other three, but they all have Magic Skills and weapons. Besides, Honored Lord of the Origin and Zhunti also left them with the Primordial Flags of the Five Regions. Xuandu, as Laozi's sole inner disciple, would definitely have supreme treasures for protection. Please be careful."
Black Tortoise nodded. He wouldn't behave as he did because he had now regained memories of his previous life. Since he was reincarnated as a human, he had seen a great improvement in his cultivation but lacked the chance to fight. Now that he was given the opportunity to fight Xuandu and the other three Sages-to-be, his blood began to boil. His fighting intent was partly visible. He might be inherently lazy, but he was a warrior, an indomitable warrior.
...
In the camps of the Western Zhou dynasty, Bo Yikao, Ji Fa, Xuandu, Dipamkara, Guang Chengzi, Medicine Buddha, Shen Gongbao, and Jiang Ziya were seated inside a huge tent. Most of the disciples of the three religions were away resting and recovering from their wounds, but the fact was that the eight of them were enough to discuss strategies for breaching the Pass.
Seeing how solemn Xuandu and other three Sages-to-be appeared, Bo Yikao said, "Thank you all for your ferocious battle with Kong Xuan. Since he's injured, he wouldn't be your match. As long as we defeat the Army of Five Elements under him, we can break the Pass and march into the heartland of the Shang dynasty."
The expressions of Xuandu and the other three didn't improve and this puzzled the rest. Ji Fa couldn't help asking, "You all look so solemn. What troubles you?" Noticing the confusion on their faces, Xuandu answered, "We don't have to worry about Kong Xuan since he's injured and can't show his full strength. But Black Tortoise, his junior, is also with him. He has many military exploits in the Untainted Land and his cultivation is no less than ours. I'm afraid our upcoming battle will be just as ferocious."
Jiang Ziya frowned and pondered for a long time, but couldn't recall anything about Black Tortoise. He turned to Guang Chengzi and asked, "I've cultivated for a long time but didn't hear much about the Untainted Land. All I know is that Black Tortoise is Minghe's third disciple, who hasn't pulled off anything shocking. Why are you so afraid of him?"
Guang Chengzi replied, "It's said that Black Tortoise Taoist is the Primordial Mazinger's reincarnation, materialized by Exotic Beast Black Tortoise of the Untainted Land who propped up the heaven back then. He followed the Martial Ancestors of the Human Tribe to practice martial arts and gained the Golden Body of Martial Arts, which is comparable to a primordial spiritual treasure. He uses only his human body for defense. Moreover, he's one of Ancestor Minghe's disciples. He would definitely have a spiritual treasure for self-protection. If we want to defeat him, we must first break his defense." Could a human body be comparable to a primordial spiritual treasure? Shen Gongbao and Jiang Ziya were stunned to hear that there was someone like that in this world. They were well aware of the power of such a treasure. How terrifying would Black Tortoise's body be then? No wonder Xuandu and the other three showed not even the slightest hint of happiness even if Kong Xuan was injured. Their next opponent wouldn't be an easy-going person either. If Minghe's two junior disciples were already this powerful, how much more impressive would the eldest senior be?
Chapter 294: Laozi's Scheme
Honored Lord of Origin headed straight for Mount Shouyang, Laozi's residence, immediately after leaving Golden Chicken Mountain. Fuming, he said, "Brother, Minghe is getting more and more arrogant. He allowed his disciples to kill our Tribe of Humanity and Clan of Enlightenment disciples. He's looking down on us both. At this rate, we'll end up becoming the laughingstock of the Untainted Land."
Laozi replied, "You should understand now isn't the time for us fight Minghe. Our priority should be the Battle of Gods Investiture. If we fight now, the one who reaps the most benefit will be someone else." He was evidently referring to Tongtian Sect Leader.
Though Honored Lord of the Origin understood this, he just couldn't let it go. "I get your point but Minghe is free of constraints. If he cooperates with Tongtian, what do we do then? Even if we team up with Jieyin and Zhunti, I'm afraid our victory isn't likely."
Laozi's expression changed and he thought for a moment. "Like Minghe, Tongtian is inherently haughty. I don't think they'll cooperate, but we still have to be well prepared for all possibilities. It's not impossible to stop Minghe from joining the Battle of Gods Investiture, we just have to start with Liu Er."
Honored Lord of the Origin asked doubtfully, "Liu Er? What can we do to him? Moreover, Minghe had taken precautions for his three disciples. If we set a trap for Liu Er, we'll irritate him and our efforts will just backfire." Whether it was the past or present, he couldn't read Laozi's mind.
"You should be aware of Liu Er's background. He's Liu Er Macaca Mula, one of the Four Monkeys of Destruction. He's a direct descendant disciple of Minghe and is on the same Way of Rakshasa. Except for his obsession, he had divided his Good and Evil Separation. He used the Origins of the other three of the Four Monkeys of Destruction for his separations."
Honored Lord of the Origin was startled to hear this. It was impossible for him to miss Laozi's point now that he had said as much. However, it was truly beyond belief. He cried, "Liu Er wants to divide his Three Separations with the Origins of the rest of the Four Monkeys of Destruction. He wants to merge his Three Separations into one and transform it into the True Body of Rakshasa to actualize the Realm of Origin." He was nevertheless still shocked. Rakshasa? The Way of The Origin? How long had it been since Liu Er started cultivating? But he was already standing on the threshold of actualizing the Realm of Origin. In the Untainted Land, many Primordial Mazingers couldn't even reach that realm in their lifetimes. Currently, only Zhen Yuanzi and Hongyun held the most hope to do so. Now it seemed that Liu Er would be joining their ranks.
Even so, it wouldn't be an easy feat to divide Three Separations. In the Untainted Land, only Hongjun and Minghe had successfully divided their Self-centric Separations. Not even Laozi, the head of Three Pure Ones, could do so. Liu Er might be talented, but it wasn't certain that he could pull it off.
Honored Lord of the Origin began to envy Minghe's disciples for the first time. Guang Chengzi, the disciple he was most proud of, had just stepped into the Way of Sage-to-be. Minghe's chief disciple, on the other hand, had learned the Way of the Origin. Though Liu Er's hope of actualizing the Realm of Origin seemed minuscule, at least he had something that he could strive for.
Laozi looked at Honored Lord of the Origin somewhat absent- mindedly and said, "During the reign of the Three Royals and Five Emperors, God Farmer's daughter was kidnapped by one of the Four Monkeys of Destruction. It's the Red-Bottomed… Horse Monkey." Laozi's expression changed a little, but he continued, "The monkey ended up falling into Minghe's hands later. Liu Er might have used the monkey's Origin for his separation. But I don't know which monkey was divided for the other separation. But at this point, Liu Er only needed the Origin of the last of the Four Monkeys of Destruction."
When the Red-Bottomed Horse Monkey was mentioned, Honored Lord of the Origin's expression also changed. There wasn't another reason for it. Though he knew it was the Demon Tribe that kidnapped God Farmer's daughter, he didn't know the specifics of the incident. The secrets of heaven were hidden back then and only Minghe, who saw the kidnapper, knew. The other person who knew was naturally the initiator.
Honored Lord of the Origin looked at Laozi, feeling a little fearful. He didn't think it would be Laozi who plotted such a sensational event. What was his purpose? He couldn't guess and neither did he have the need to. It was useless to discuss it now. It was likely the reason why Laozi's expression changed earlier.
But what did this had to do with him? Laozi definitely wouldn't tell him the full story. To him, however, what they needed to do now was restrict Minghe and prevent Liu Er from actualizing the Realm of the Origin. He asked, "Do you know where's the last of the Four Monkeys of Destruction? If we can catch the monkey, we'll be able to block Liu Er's path and thereby restrict Minghe."
Laozi shook his head. "I don't know. The secrets of heaven had been hidden since the beginning of Cultivation Tribulation. Perhaps Minghe is looking for the monkey's whereabouts. Moreover, even if we found the monkey before him, we can only make a deal with him. It's impossible to threaten him with it."
Honored Lord of the Origin's expression changed and he said urgently, "We can bargain with Minghe with the last monkey and make sure he doesn't interfere with the Battle of Gods Investiture. But in that case, Liu Er will actualize the Realm of the Origin and strengthen the Blood Sea. If that happens, we would be no match for Minghe even if we can suppress Tongtian."
With Minghe, his Three Separations, and the Puppet of Origin, Liu Er's success would mean the Blood Sea would have six Origins. There were only seven Sages in the Untainted Land. Goddess Nvywa had a neutral stance and Tongtian had fallen out with the rest. Even if Houtu escaped trouble after the Cultivation Tribulation, there would only be five Sages including Jieyin and Zhunti.
Laozi naturally knew what worried Honored Lord of the Origin, but this was the only way to prevent Minghe from teaming up with Tongtian. Laozi could only say, "I know your concerns but this is our only bargaining chip with Minghe. But even if Liu Er gets the Origin of the last monkey, he still has to divide his Self-centric Separation before he can actualize the Realm of the Origin."
Honored Lord of the Origin looked at Laozi, still feeling anxious. If everything could always go his way, then what did he have to worry about? What weirded him was Laozi's certain confidence, as if he had some unknown trump card in his hands. But Honored Lord of the Origin didn't know what it was.
Laozi naturally had his trump card. He was, after all, the head of Three Pure Ones. But he wouldn't use it unless he had no other choice. His trump card would shock the world once it was revealed and he wasn't willing to see such a scene. He didn't even think of using it when Minghe passed the tribulation the last time. Laozi glanced at Honored Lord of the Origin with an unnatural look in his eyes, but the moment passed quickly and unnoticed by the latter. …
Having just walked out of the Jadeite Palace, Minghe had no idea of the scheme of Laozi and Honored Lord of the Origin. He couldn't help smiling after learning that Kong Xuan had killed more than ten Zenith Heaven Golden Immortals of three religions. Honored Lord of the Origin didn't retaliate simply out of his fear of Minghe. They didn't know that both Minghe and his Evil Separation were cultivating in the Jadeite Palace and had no time to attend to something else. They had wasted a big chance indeed.
Since Tongtian had been settled, Minghe began to anticipate the end of the Battle of Gods Investiture. He was no philanthropist. The reason he wanted a deal with Tongtian was for a more profitable return and he never thought of taking part in the Battle of Gods Investiture himself either. It was Laozi and Honored Lord of the Origin who thought too much. He wouldn't spare any effort for things that don't profit him.
Minghe headed straight for the Chentang Pass after leaving the Golden Turtle Island. The tribulation this time would be a great opportunity for Liu Er to actualize the Realm of the Origin. If Liu Er missed this chance, the danger of him actualizing would multiple. He only lacked the Origin of the last monkey of Four Monkeys of Destruction at the moment. Though Minghe had searched for the monkey time and time again, there was still no news about it. If it fell in the hands of some other Sage, things wouldn't look good for them.
Chapter 295: Minghe's Wish
High above the clouds, Minghe looked down at the beautiful rivers and mountains of Untainted Land, and many thoughts came to his mind. After tens of thousands of years, great changes had taken place. When he traveled to this world, he was excited, confused and cautious. Despite having tens of thousands of years' cultivation, he never forgot his preexistence. Everything about his preexistence affected him until he separated his Self-centric Separation – that was when he really grew.
Minghe now could keep calm in the face of danger and he encompassed the profundity and essence behind the Tao. He pursued the supreme Great Way instead of the original self- protection. Immortal life was good, but it made people feel empty. At first, he just wanted to leave behind a good reputation in Untainted Land. But now, his legends had spread everywhere across Untainted Land. His former wish had already come true, thus he was satisfied.
When the mysterious Chaos displayed in front of Minghe, he was moved. Where did the Chaos come from? How did it make 3,000 Rakshasas? How many worlds existed in the Chaos? Whether was there a same powerful world as Untainted Land? Minghe was curious about all of these. However, he was most curious about whether the Chaos was boundless or had a boundary. If it had a boundary, where was it? What did the world outside the boundary look like?
All of these were full of infinite temptations to Minghe. When the Cultivation Tribulation was over and Liu Er actualized the Way of Rakshasa, Minghe would travel to the Chaos. With Liu Er staying to guard the Blood Sea, he could leave without worries. As the young eagles could not always be sheltered, they must learn to soar. Otherwise, the vast sky would never belong to them.
In General Military Office of Chentang Pass, Liu Er was teaching Nezha, with the sleepy Li Jing sitting next to him. Liu Er taught the supreme Way of Celestial Immortality. He started from the Earthly Immortals, and now he talked to the Tao of Zenith Heaven Golden Immortals. Since Li Jing only had the cultivation of the Black Immortal, he could not understand the Great Ways higher than the Black Immortal. As a result, he looked listless.
Suddenly, Liu Er's ears moved. Looking at the sky, he was a bit surprised, and then he said, "Well, the lesson is over. Nezha, Li Jing, you'd better have a good understanding of what I've said!" After saying that, he stood up and continued to say, "Nezha, your Master Ancestor is coming, so get ready and don't be naughty!"
Master Ancestor? Nezha was very curious when he heard it. He took Liu Er as his master, but he had never seen his Master Ancestor, Minghe before. Nezha heard it from his father Li Jing that all his Magic Weapons were given by his Master Ancestor at his birth. Now he could meet his Master Ancestor, which made Nezha look forward to it. Meanwhile, he was wondering what his Master Ancestor would give him this time.
When Li Jing heard what Liu Er had said, he suddenly felt wide awake. Nezha's Master Ancestor was coming, that was, Ancestor Minghe was coming, which made Li Jing excited. During his early study, his master, Immortal Du'e told many stories of Ancestor Minghe to him. Minghe was the first to actualize the Realm of Origin and the only one who did not fear the Sages. Thus, Li Jing would surely be excited to see Ancestor Minghe in person.
…
Over Chentang Pass, Minghe had just arrived when he saw Liu Er lead Nezha and Li Jing to greet him at the General Military Office. He could not help smiling as Liu Er's talent was getting more and more powerful. Although Minghe did not deliberately cloak himself in invisibility, Liu Er had been aware of his arrival before he arrived. It seemed that Liu Er's cultivation had improved a lot over the years.
Minghe stepped off the cloud and saw Liu Er kneel and said, "Master, your disciple greets you." When Nezha saw Liu Er kneel and greet Minghe, he followed suit. "Master Ancestor, Nezha greets you." Nezha knelt, but he was restless and secretly looked up to peek at Minghe several times. As for Li Jing, he quietly knelt on the sidelines and did not dare to be as rude as Nezha was being.
Minghe looked at the three kneeling in front of him. Li Jing had nothing to do with him, so Minghe did not care about him. Nezha was naughty, but it was his personality, thus Minghe did not care too. However, Minghe frowned when he saw Liu Er. Liu Er's cultivation had reached the Peak Level of Sage-to-be. Although he did not separate his Self-centric Separation, few people in Untainted Land had higher cultivation than him.
It was good that Liu Er greatly improved his strength, but Minghe was not happy. Liu Er had already returned to his nature, and it would have been possible for him to separate his obsession if he could comprehend the Core of Thoughts. However, Liu Er, who knelt in front of Minghe, now suppressed his nature. Was it because of being a master? And then Minghe said, "Liu Er, how is your Enlightenment of obsession?"
Upon hearing that, Liu Er answered, "Master, I'm so ignorant that I fail to comprehend my obsession with years of Enlightenment. I'm unworthy of your teaching." He was depressed to say that he once had brainwaves and was close to the Enlightenment of his obsession but eventually failed.
Hearing what Liu Er had said, Minghe sighed softly. Although Liu Er was smart, it seemed too difficult for him to comprehend his obsession. Without the obsession as a human being in his preexistence, even Minghe could not separate his Self-centric Separation. Maybe Minghe had to lend him a hand.
Minghe peacefully said, "Get up!" Then the three got up together. Liu Er looked ashamed while Nezha looked at Minghe eagerly, winking and thinking of something. Li Jing was trembling with fear, respectfully standing by and not saying anything. Although Minghe had completely concealed his vital force, his unique temperament was powerful enough to deeply shock Li Jing's State of Mind. Minghe understood Liu Er's shame. As the eldest disciple of the Blood Sea, although Liu Er behaved in having fun in his daily life, he understood the pressure that was on his shoulders. As a result, he always showed his strength, whether in front of Kong Xuan and Black Tortoise or in front of all living beings of Untainted Land. he must show his strength, as it was closely related to not only his dignity, but also the dignity of Minghe and the Blood Sea. No one else would experience such pressure.
Seeing Nezha looking at him eagerly, Minghe couldn't help but smile. He did not expect that the incarnation of Ling Zhuzi had the potential to be a miser. Looking at his eyes, Minghe naturally knew what Nezha was thinking. Nezha's temperament was still not fully mature, so the primordial spiritual treasures might just be fun toys to him.
Minghe reached out and then a huge seal appeared in his hand. Looking at the huge seal, Minghe was filled with feelings. The huge seal was named Zhenyue. Although it was only a Mid Grade Primordial Spiritual Treasure, it was his first primordial spiritual treasure and had been by his side for many years. Minghe had never used it, but it also borne his memories.
After Minghe separated the Self-centric Separation Musen, he handed the seal to Musen. Afterwards, Musen got the Kongtong Seal, and then the seal was no longer in use. Now it was good to give it to little Nezha. Looking at the eager look on Nezha's face, Minghe smiled and said, "Little Nezha, I give the Zhenyue Seal to you as a meeting gift!"
Upon hearing those words, Nezha excitedly accepted the Zhenyue Seal from Minghe said, "Thank you, Master Ancestor." Although Nezha thanked Minghe, his eyes never left the Zhenyue Seal. Li Jing looked at Nezha in admiration. Things given by Minghe surely would be good. He could not help thinking why he had no such a generous Master Ancestor.
Minghe looked at the elated Nezha and couldn't help smiling. He was as elated as Nezha was when finding all kinds of Spiritual Treasures. Minghe continued to say, "Nezha, the seal is so powerful that you can't play with it randomly. You'd better well Convert it." The Zhenyue Seal was used by Musen and was embedded by the Martial Arts of The Origin. What's more, being injected with a little Merit, it could kill people without causing Karma, which was suitable for the little devil incarnate like Nezha to use.
After ordering Nezha, Minghe looked at Liu Er and lightly said, "Liu Er, come with me." After saying that, he went to the peach orchard Liu Er had planted outside the Chentang Pass. Minghe was very clear about Liu Er's characteristics. The abundant Spiritual Air in the mountain forest outside the city must be the result of what Liu Er had done. Otherwise, there would not be such a Mysterious Sign in the ordinary mountain forest.
After hearing that, Liu Er ordered Nezha and then followed up. Minghe was silent all the way. He did not blame Liu Er, but was thinking of helping Liu Er to comprehend his obsession. The method was just a sudden idea and Minghe never used it, so he was not entirely sure if he would succeed. It could work if he tried it now. If not, he would only lose some Merit, which he could afford to.
Chapter 296: Liu Er Comprehended His Obsession
In the peach orchard, Minghe and Liu Er sat on the ground. Minghe waved his hand to envelope the place with the Power of Infinity to keep others from snooping around. Even the Way of Heaven and Hongjun were unable to poke their noses inside. The next thing was to be cautious about what came next. At the moment, a figure was separated from Minghe, and that was Red Lotus Taoist. With Red Lotus Taoist around to guard them, Minghe felt more at ease.
Minghe reached out, and a Crystal Ball appeared in his hand. That was his most important Magic Weapon, Magical Tao Mirror. It was thanks to the Magical Tao Mirror that Minghe improved his cultivation so quickly. Although the Magical Tao Mirror consumed a large amount of gold, the return was equivalent the output. Now it was used to help Liu Er, and whether it would succeed or not depended on Liu Er's Fate.
Looking at the Crystal Ball in Minghe's hands, Liu Er was puzzled. The Crystal Ball didn't look special at all. But for the faint vital force of the primordial spiritual treasure on it, Liu Er would consider it a mortal thing. However, judging from the look of Minghe, the treasure must be extraordinary. Otherwise, Minghe would not conceal the secrets of Heaven and keep the Evil Separation guard aside.
Minghe noticed that Liu Er was puzzled, so he said, "Liu Er, the treasure is called Magical Tao Mirror, a Primordial Spiritual Treasure I refined in my early years, but it has neither attack power nor Defense Strength. It has only one function, which is to help me achieve a rapid Enlightenment of the Way of Heaven. Now, you may understand why my cultivation improves so rapidly."
Liu Er was shocked by the words. He never thought that his master could refine such a powerful Spiritual Treasure that could help him achieve the Enlightenment of the Way of Heaven. Only this function was unique. With such a Spiritual Treasure, it was no wonder why Minghe was so cautious. However, there was still one thing that Liu Er did not understand, that was, what did Minghe want to use this treasure for? Could it be to help him to comprehend obsession?
Minghe continued to say, "Liu Er, you haven't been aware of your Core of Thoughts, so it's difficult to comprehend your obsession. But time is running out, and this Cultivation Tribulation is a good chance for you to actualize. If you miss this chance, it will be more dangerous for you to transform into Rakshasa in the future, so you must comprehend your obsession as soon as possible. Now, let me help you."
After saying that, without waiting for Liu Er's reply, Minghe pointed between Lie Er's eyebrows with a finger and shrank backwards, directly pulling the Original Spirit out of him. Minghe said, "Liu Er, now I'll send you into the Magical Tao Mirror, hoping that you can comprehend your obsession within the reincarnation of ten thousand generations."
Finishing the words, Minghe directly injected Liu Er's Original Spirit into the Magical Tao Mirror. After that, he took out a cloud of Golden Light of Merit and continuously injected it into the Magical Tao Mirror. The Magical Tao Mirror got the sacrifice of Merit, radiating soft white light and presenting a colorful scene of the Starry Sky. However, in this infinite Starry Sky, numerous virtual worlds were hidden there, including Liu Er's reincarnation of ten thousand generations.
In the reincarnation of the world, Liu Er's Original Spirit of memory was completely sealed off. In the reincarnation of ten thousand generations, he would constantly play a variety of roles – as a human being, a demon, an immortal, a devil, a God, or a Buddha. All these identities would bring different experiences to Liu Er, but Minghe did not know what Liu Er could actually comprehend. Looking at the constant decreasing Golden Light of Merit, Minghe was not distressed. Now, the Merit was of no use to him. If it could help Liu Er comprehend obsession, it would be worth it. Besides, it would not consume too much Merit. In the virtual world of the Magical Tao Mirror, ten thousand generations was only a fleeting moment. As for the number of generations of reincarnation Liu Er would go through before he came out, Minghe was not sure either.
Every time Liu Er went through one reincarnation, the seal of his Original Spirit would be temporarily lifted and he could comprehend the achievements in that reincarnation. If he comprehended his obsession, he could jump out of the reincarnation and leave the Magical Tao Mirror. Otherwise, he would continue the next reincarnation until he comprehended the obsession. However, it was dangerous to do so. Even if Liu Er's cultivation had reached the Peak Level of Sage-to-be, so many memories of reincarnation at a draught were likely to change his temperament.
Therefore, Minghe set the time limit of the reincarnation at ten thousand generations for Liu Er. By the end of the reincarnation, even if Liu Er could not comprehend his obsession, Minghe would pull him out of the Magical Tao Mirror. These memories would not affect Liu Er, but make him feel like a misfit for a while, just like films. In the virtual world of the Magical Tao Mirror, Liu Er was a human being in this generation. After suffering childbirth, old age, sickness, and funeral as a mortal, he began to expect immortality. However, this wish did not come true upon his death. After leaving that virtual world, Liu Er evaluated his experience in this world and slightly changed his outlook.
In the next generation, Liu Er was a demon, struggling to survive among the encirclement and suppression of humans and immortals. He began to long for strong power to control his own destiny. He did not want to live a life of oppression like the fish between the fishmonger's knife and chopping board. Unfortunately, God was not cooperative. Liu Er finally died in a struggle with the humans and immortals. But at least, he died without regrets.
In the next generation, Liu Er was an immortal···
When the 6744th generation was over, Liu Er suddenly burst into laughter. Many scenes flashed across his mind. That was his experience before he was accepted as Minghe's disciple. A little monkey stole the skills of others everywhere in order to pursue the Great Way. To stay alive, he had to hide from place to place. At that time, he focused on the Great Way, defiant and daring to do anything to achieve that. Liu Er's life did not change until he met Minghe. He had a famous master and learned supreme transformation exercises. His Spiritual Treasures were so precious that all living beings of Untainted Land admired him. Besides, he admired the power of Minghe so much that he considered Minghe as his role modelm and was bent on going on following Minghe's footsteps. However, he began to rely on Minghe unconsciously, even on his road towards actualization.
When Liu Er stopped laughing, an extremely firm look appeared in his eyes. His obsession turned out to be the Great Way he had pursued. Now the Great Way was in front of him, but he had lost his enterprise and relied on his master Minghe instead, which was somewhat ironic. However, it was reasonable as well.
Since Liu Er had become the Minghe's disciple, everything went well for him. His transforming exercises were given by Minghe, his Spiritual Treasures were given by Minghe, and even the way of actualizing was told to him by Minghe. However, Liu Er never thought whether it was what he wanted. Now he even needed help from Minghe on actualization. Also, what kind of the Great Way did he want to pursue?
Thinking of this, Liu Er felt that the Three Flowers in his Original Spirit were beginning to sway, which was the omen to separate his obsession. Then the sky and earth were spinning round before he could react, and his Original Spirit returned to his body before he recovered himself. Liu Er hastened to suppress the urge of separation because it was not the time. He needed the Origin of the last one of the Four Monkeys of Destruction.
After Liu Er recovered his senses, he looked at Minghe, suddenly getting up and bowing. "Master, thank you for everything you have done for me all these years. I've been relying on you for so many years and have even forgotten my original intention of being your disciple. I have failed to live up to your expectations." His words were full of guilt, which made Minghe very gratified.
Minghe looked at Liu Er and smiled. That was true. Liu Er was too bold to eavesdrop his teaching, and all he wanted was to pursue the Great Way. Now Minghe paved the way for him, but also made him lose his own Core of Thoughts. It was time for him to fly high. Otherwise, he would not make great achievements on his journey of pursuing the Great Way.
Now that Liu Er had already comprehended his obsession, what he needed was the Origin of the last one of the Four Monkeys of Destruction. Although Minghe could not predict where it was, Minghe had an intuition that it should appear in the Battle of Gods Investiture, thus Minghe said, "Liu Er, since you've already comprehended your obsession, go help your younger brother!"
Chapter 297: Black Tortoise's Going Fighting
For the time being, it was calm in Golden Chicken Mountain. At this time, many three religious disciples were injured. Xuandu, Dipamkara, Guang Chengzi, and Medicine Buddha were busy curing wounds for the junior brother apprentices. So, they had no time to attack Impregnable Pass in Golden Chicken Mountain. However, they were not very worried about Kong Xuan's wound. After Kong Xuan was struck by two Sages, he was finally rescued, but his State of Mind was impaired. The injury in State of Mind was not easy to recover, especially since it was caused by the Sages.
Actually, they were not idle. Bo Yikao, Ji Fa, Jiang Ziya, Shen Gongbao and others negotiated over how to deal with Kong Xuan's Army of Five Elements. Kong Xuan and Black Tortoise could be handled by three religions disciples, but Kong Xuan's Army of Five Elements was still needed to be dealt with by themselves. Although three religions' disciples were infinitely resourceful, they did not dare not to slay recklessly and create trouble, especially not during the Cultivation Tribulation.
In the camp, Bo Yikao, Ji Fa, Shen Gongbao, and Jiang Ziya got together and discussed the matter of Amy of Five Elements. Jiang Ziya was proficient in military tactics and tactical formation, so he spoke first, "Two young gentlemen, Formation of Five Elements is quite common in all formations, so it's not difficult to make a breakthrough. However, Kong Xuan had a profound understanding of the art of the five elements. Thus, the key to the breakthrough is to learn how strong the power of his Army of Five Elements can display through Formation of Five Elements."
Bo Yikao and Ji Fa suddenly were enlightened. From Kong Xuan's Divine Five Colored Light, it could be predicted that his understanding towards the art of the five elements was second to none. The Army of Five Elements was disciplined by Kong Xuan alone. All soldiers were battle-scarred and ever-victorious. It was thus obvious that the fighting force of the Army of Five Elements was extremely amazing.
After hearing Jiang Ziya's words, Shen Gongbao slightly frowned and said, "Brother Jiang, when the senior brother apprentices fought with Kong Xuan, three religious disciples pooled efforts to sustain the shock to protect officers and soldiers of our Western Zhou Dynasty. Have you ever noticed that a Formation of Five Elements showed up to work in concert with the Army of Five Elements to withstand the impact? Therefore, if we want to break through the Army of Five Elements, we need to work both ways and break through the Formation of Five Elements inside the Pass first." Jiang Ziya immediately knitted his brow and felt awkward. "I agree with Brother Shen. But, Kong Xuan and Black Tortoise were both inside the Pass. So, it's a little difficult to rush into the Pass and damage Kongxuan's Formation of Five Elements. Unless they are lured away from their base, there is no chance at all."
Shen Gongbao replied, "Since Kong Xuan has been injured, he is unlikely to fight, and only Black Tortoise will fight the three religious disciples. If Xuandu, my Senior Brother Apprentice, and other three persons can defeat Black Tortoise, everything will go well. But if Black Tortoise is as strong as Kong Xuan, his Senior Brother Apprentice, and he can defeat the four persons by himself, it'll be impossible to defeat Kong Xuan just by senior brother apprentices, even if Kong Xuan has been injured."
After learning of the two possibilities mentioned by Shen Gongbao, Bo Yikao, Ji Fa, and Jiang Ziya all looked solemn. In the case of the first possibility, it would be not bad. But the in case of the second possibility, it would be hard to deal with. If they spent more time, it would be more unfavorable to them, because millions of soldiers would consume huge amounts of resources. Moreover, they were youths of hot blood. If it lasted too long, it would harm the morale of the troops. Therefore, they could only depend on the four Sages-to-be of the three religions. Many days later, Bo Yikao, Ji Fa, and three religious disciples came to the Press to challenge again. Those millions of soldiers stayed in the rear area and watched the battle from afar. It would be a great loss if they were affected by the aftermath. Thus, they might as well wait until Black Tortoise and Kong Xuan were defeated. And then, they went to exterminate the Army of Five Elements and invaded the Inner Pass.
On the city wall, Kong Xuan and Black Tortoise saw that three religious disciples came to look for trouble. Kong Xuan said with a smile. "My junior brother apprentice, although you have never fought in Untainted Land, disciples of the three religions did fear you. Still, you'd better take it seriously. These disciplines are not threats to you, but those four Sages-to-be are crafty. Do not be tricked by them. "
Black Tortoise said with a smile, "Senior Brother Apprentice, please rest assured. I'll be cautious. I won't lose our master's face. Please stand on the city wall and watch me deal with them." Then, he jumped down from the city wall and went to three religious disciples. He was alone, but he was fearless. Although there were many three religious disciples, only a few people's cultivations were as same as his. Many people were not necessarily useful. Bo Yikao and Ji Fa could not believe their own eyes when they saw Black Tortoise, who looked like a youth in his twenties. And, he was idle and did not have the profile of a Sage-to-be. Previously, Guang Chengzi mentioned that Black Tortoise's human body was comparable to the primordial spiritual treasure. They thought that Black Tortoise might be a husky fellow. It was totally beyond their expectations.
Xuandu saw Black Tortoise's presence and went out of the formation. He said, "Black Tortoise, my Taoist friend! Since we departed in the Feast of Peaches, we haven't seen each other for a long time. I never expect that we'd meet like this. Everything is fate. I heard that your Golden Body of Martial Arts is really amazing, so I want to fight you. If I win, can you and Kong Xuan go away?"
Black Tortoise laughed and said, "No problem! But, you need to be sure that you are able to defeat me. If you want to fight me together, I'll have no objection. I just want to see the laws of martial arts of three religions. Let's begin!" He held out his hand to tell Xuandu to come over as if he did not care about Xuandu.
All the disciples of the Tribe of Humanity were furious. In the Tribe of Humanity, Xuandu was Laozi's only self-imparting disciple. Moreover, he was friendly and sociable. Thus, he was respected by the disciples of the Tribe of Humanity from the heart. Now, they saw that Black Tortoise looked down on Xuandu, so they were uncomfortable. As they were about to complain, Xuandu stretched his hand and stopped them. Undoubtedly, Xuandu's cultivation was directly handed down from Laozi.
Xuandu stretched out his hand and held Sword of Yin and Yang. As he raised his hand, a current of Sword Aura was sent out. Sword Aura was quick and forceful as if it could strike through Heaven and Earth. His power was much stronger than before when he combated with Kong Xuan. During this period, Xuandu's swordsmanship had improved. For such quick and forceful Sword Aura, a master at the Secondary Stage of the Sage-to-be Realm must treat it with care.
Though Sword Aura was fierce, Black Tortoise just laughed it off. Confronted with such powerful Sword Aura, Black Tortoise had no idea to avoid or defend but stand still and bear the strike. To him, it was negligible. When Sword Aura fell upon Black Tortoise, Bo Yikao, Ji Fa, and three religious disciples were startled by a loud sound of "ding-dong".
After Sword Aura disappeared, Black Tortoise stood still without a scratch. His body emitted beams of faint golden light. The three religions disciples took a deep breath and doubted if it was Golden Body of Martial Arts. It was really creepy that Black Tortoise was sound and safe after being struck by Xuandu. It was no wonder that Xuandu and others dreaded Black Tortoise so much. It was not easy to damage such a creepy Golden Body of Martial Arts.
However, the three religious disciples also discovered that the soft golden light emitted from Black Tortoise was not common but Golden Light of Merit, which was owned by persons with merits of heaven. It was rumored that Golden Body of Martial Arts was refined by combining Martial Arts with Golden Light of Merit. Sure enough! No wonder only several ancestors in the Human Tribe had refined. After all, the key to the cultivation of Golden Body of Martial Arts was merits of heaven. It was really extravagant!
To strive for a little merit of heaven by assisting Human Sovereign, three religious disciples spared no effort. They originally planned to promote cultivation with merits of Heaven. Black Tortoise used merits of Heaven to cultivate Golden Body of Martial Arts so extravagantly. However, they were just confused about where and how Black Tortoise gained so many merits. Since Three Royals and Five Emperors, there were no merits of Heaven. Did he merely depend on his preexistent merits, which was acquired by supporting the sky?
Chapter 298: Eliminating Karmic Obstacles
Merit is a special reward given by the Way of Heaven, to people who have contributed to Untainted Land. It also could be called as Jack of all trades and master of none. It could be used to promote cultivation, eliminate Karmic obstacles, improve the power of Magic Weapon, and even kill people without being affected by Karma when one's merit achieved a certain level. If one's merit built up to a certain level comparable with Human Ancestors and Three Royals and Five Emperors', the Sages would not dare to kill the person.
In Square Mountain, Jieyin and Zhunti were watching the battlefield in Golden Chicken Mountain. When they saw Golden Light of Merit being emitted from Black Tortoise's Golden Body of Martial Arts, the two Sages' eyes grew wide. Even the eternally sour-faced Jieyin changed his look and exclaimed, "Minghe was really shrewd. He asked Black Tortoise to support the sky in that very year. Thus, Black Tortoise not only acquired merit for supporting sky but also created lasting merit in this present life."
Looking at Golden Light of Merit on Black Tortoise, Zhunti showed a sort of eagerness. He actualized and sanctified with merits for Sect Creation and Great Aspiration. Among the Sages, he originally had the lowest cultivation, which was equivalent to Goddess Nvywa's at most. But now, his saintly body was blown out by Minghe, and then his Evil Separation was damaged. Although his Evil Separation resumed gathering together, its cultivation had all gone.
Zhunti rarely used Evil Separation, so it would not matter whether or not it was damaged. Unfortunately, his original body was blown out by Minghe. It not just related to disgrace, but also to strength. Goddess Nvywa had retired into Wahuang Heaven for many years. She devoted herself to practice. Now, Zhunti was not sure whether he was well-matched in strength against Goddess Nvywa.
Zhunti never expected that his cultivation was the lowest among all the Sages. He attributed this to Minghe. So to speak, Minghe was his devil inside. As a Sage, Zhunti also could have a private demon. Now, his private demon was weak and lurking. But if it got out, it would cause chaos in the West.
When he saw Black Tortoise, Zhunti wished that he could have Black Tortoise's merit. With the help of a lot of merits, Zhunti could recover soon and even make further progress. Sadly, he was just thinking. When Untainted Land developed to this stage, it would be difficult to obtain merits of heaven. Looking at Black Tortoise's figure, Zhunti was struck by a thought. When Goddess Nvywa mended the Sky, she left one colorful stone and threw it casually into Untainted Land. After the Sky was mended, Merit appeared from heaven. Half of the Merit came to Untainted Land. Obviously, it chased the last piece of colorful stone.
Originally, the colorful stone was a rare spiritual product. And, it obtained half of the merit for mending the sky. So, it was probably to gain wisdom. Most important was that it was as same as Black Tortoise. Black Tortoise could acquire lasting merit for supporting the sky with his four limbs. The last piece of colorful stone could also obtain an endless supply of merit for the other colorful stones blending into the sky. If he could take the colorful stone back or accept a creature born from it as his apprentice, he would benefit a lot.
...
While Zhunti slipped into the reverie, Minghe went into action. A spiritual mountain was hidden in Untainted Land. It would become the well-known Mountain of Flowers and Fruits. But now, it was not yet the time to be presented, so it was hidden by the Way of Heaven. Between mountain streams, a colorful spiritual stone was absorbing the essence of nature, including the sun, the moon, and the stars. Undoubtfully, it was the last piece of colorful stone left after the sky mended.
At that moment, a figure suddenly appeared beside the colorful stone. It was Minghe, who just left Chentang Pass. In those days, Minghe took away the Origin of Wise Monkey in the colorful stone, while Goddess Nvywa was refining stones to mend the sky. Self-preservation is the first law of nature. But, Minghe and the colorful stone still had forged Karma. Luckily, he held back a trick during those days. Otherwise, he could not find this place when the colorful stone was hidden by the secrets of heaven.
Minghe stood beside the colorful stone and gently touched it. Sun Wukong, the Monkey King, had become a distant memory. Sun Wukong was extremely powerful in Journey to the West, but he was actually a poor guy. He thought that he was invincible. In reality, he was just a pawn of Buddhism Eastward Movement.
Minghe carefully sensed the stone fetus born from the colorful stone. He shook his head. After losing Wise Monkey's Origin, the colorful stone still gave birth to a stone fetus. But the stone fetus was too small and weak, and it had limited potential. If not for merit for mending the sky, it would have only limited success, even if it actualized the Way of Celestial Immortality. So, it would not be much better with the merit for mending the sky.
Minghe looked at the colorful stone and said to himself, "I took away your Origin for my apprentice, so I owed you. Today, I'll change your fate. But, your future totally depends on your natural gift and fated chance. I hope that you won't be framed up all your life, like Sun Wukong in mythology. I hope that you can get rid of predestination and be yourself."
Minghe stretched his hand and three Third-Grade Red Lotuses of Fire appeared. All of a sudden, fire of the Chaos burned the three lotuses to crimson liquid. And then, the crimson liquid slowly condensed into a Sixth-Grade Red Lotus of Fire. As the Sixth-Grade Red Lotus of Fire initially took shape, Minghe endowed it with endless forbidden formations at full speed with the other hand, until it was fully formed.
Minghe looked at the Sixth-Grade Red Lotus of Fire in his hand and nodded with satisfaction. Although it was refined by him, it was not inferior to his fostered one. Moreover, some forbidden formations and magical effects were arranged by him in it. At a certain time, the stone fetus could naturally get the thing in the Red Lotus of Fire, which was sealed by Minghe. It could be counted as his first gift for the stone fetus. Meanwhile, it was fundamental to protect him.
The second gift was the Origin of Chaos. The main reason why Sun Wukong in Journey to the West was so powerful was that he had a good background. Since the stone fetus had lost the Origin of Wise Monkey, it would be necessary to complete his Origin, to ensure that he had the same gift as Sun Wukong. Although only a little the Origin of chaos was consumed, it was no less than the Origin, which was seized by Minghe.
When he completed the arrangement, Minghe glanced at the newborn stone fetus. He finally said, "I hope you won't let me down." And then, he went one step further and entered the Void. The ambient restored calm, but the colorful stone swallowed and spat Spiritual Air between Heaven and Earth 10 times faster than before.
...
In Square Mountain, Zhunti was deducing the last piece of colorful stone. But due to the secrets of heaven, he failed to figure out its position. In despair, he had to give up temporarily. He considered that he failed was because of the chaotic secrets of heaven under the influence of Cultivation Tribulation. Therefore, he planned to find out the colorful stone's position again after the Cultivation Tribulation ended.
Zhunti suddenly throbbed in his heart. Somehow, he did not draw any conclusion after counting on his fingers. He immediately became cautious. He guessed if anyone was framing him up. At present, only disciples of the Western Religious Sect could do that. Did Minghe or his disciples try to trap them again? Or Sect Leader Tongtian, who had not yet appeared?
Anyway, Zhunti would never allow others to kill disciples of his Western Religious Sect. Previously, Kong Xuan had killed his several excellent disciples, who were at the level of the Da Luo Golden Immortal. At the thought of it, he was heartbroken. He seemed to have made a particular decision. A flash of light came out of his body. He left Square Mountain quietly and went to Untainted Land directly.
Jieyin glanced at Zhunti and bit his tongue. He knew that Zhunti was committed to expanding Western Religious Sect. As long as Western Religious Sect was not expanded, Zhunti would not calm down. Since becoming the Sage, Jieyin had advanced a lot in cultivation, while Zhunti ceased to advance. It was because Zhunti dedicated himself to Western Religious Sect that Jieyin could be relieved to practice.
Sometimes, Jieyin also felt that Zhunti went too far. However, he could not speak up as he was not qualified to say anything. For Western Religious Sect, Zhunti had paid much more than Jieyin. That the powerful and influential sect was almost all his work. Therefore, Jieyin could only support Zhunti silently, whether he was right or wrong.
Chapter 299: Black Tortoise Fighting With Xuandu
In front of Golden Chicken Mountain, Black Tortoise touched his chest and grinned widely. "Xuandu, your swordsmanship is really good. But, your understanding of Law of Yin and Yang is not thorough. Although the Aura of Sword of Yin and Yang is quick and forceful, I can handle it with no difficulty. You'd better show your specialty and not do stupid things to tempt me. Feel free to play any tricks and use your magical weapons!"
Confronted with Black Tortoise's challenge, Xuandu remained calm. As he brandished his sword, a black-and-white spiritual dragon headed for Black Tortoise. Black Tortoise immediately threw a punch. Instead of any supernatural power, he shook the dragon with his body. His fist looked slow but was as heavy as Mount Tai. As a result, the dragon was punched with much force.
When the Aura of Yin and Yang dispersed between heaven and earth, a golden light flashed across the sky and went straight towards Black Tortoise. Before he could react, Black Tortoise was tied up. Black Tortoise looked at the golden rope around his body and slightly knitted his brow. He was suddenly enlightened that this was Xuandu's kill shot, and the black-and- white spiritual dragon was just a trick. When they saw Black Tortoise being tied up, three religious disciples got excited. Beyond their expectations, Black Tortoise was captured by Xuandu just in two rounds. Xuandu was indeed highly skilled. Xuandu looked at Black Tortoise, beaming with delight. "Black Tortoise, my Taoist friend, it's the Golden Cord given by my master. It can change size as you choose, so it's not easy to get rid of it."
When he saw that three religions' morale lifted, Black
Tortoise quirked up the corners of his mouth. "The Golden Cord is indeed a good magic weapon. But, it's just a low-grade primordial spiritual treasure." Black Tortoise took a deep breath, and then he exhaled severely cold air. All of a sudden, the Golden Cord was frozen. Black Tortoise exerted his force, and the Golden Cord was immediately broken with a click.
At the sight of this, three religious disciples were stunned. Unexpectedly, a primordial spiritual treasure was destroyed like this. When he saw that those disciples were slack-jawed, Black Tortoise said with a smile, "Although the magic weapon is good, it's not indestructible. Xuandu, you're so naive to think that you can win me just with such a magic weapon. If you have some other powerful magic weapons, please go ahead."
When he saw that Black Tortoise destroyed the Golden Cord without striking a blow, Xuandu immediately frowned. Rather than show pity on the Golden Cord, he was frightened by the Cold Air displayed by Black Tortoise. Surprisingly, it could freeze a low-grade primordial spiritual treasure and disable the magic weapon in an instant. So, Its magic skill was unimaginable.
Through this event, Xuandu felt that they had underestimated Black Tortoise. Originally, he thought that Black Tortoise's Golden Body of Martial Arts was already hard to deal with. But now, Black Tortoise displayed the other powerful magic skill. It was already hard to deal with Black Tortoise, as he had such two powerful magic skills, let alone other magic skills. What was even more frightening was that he might have some spiritual treasures.
At the thought of that, Xuandu suddenly felt that it was more difficult to deal with Black Tortoise than Kong Xuan. However, since there was no turning back now, he had to bite the bullet. Although the magic skill displayed by Black Tortoise was powerful, it was slow. Moreover, it could be effective only in close combat. Therefore, he would be free from danger, if he was far away from Black Tortoise to keep off the Spiritual Treasure. Xuandu waved his left hand, and an oil lamp appeared on his palm. It was Eight Wonders Palace Lantern, which was the Earth Lantern. Yuxu Colored Glaze Lamp was the Heaven Lantern. Coffin Lamp was the Human Lantern. All three lamps were known collectively as Heaven, Earth, and Human Lanterns. In the lantern, the purple fire was Sky-burning Purple Fire. It could burn the sky and boil the sea, which was not inferior to those top fires, such as Nanming Fire and Red Lotus Fire.
As activated by supernatural power, Eight Wonders Palace Lantern would release endless Sky-burning Purple Fire, as if firebirds flew to Black Tortoise. However, the three religious disciples watching the battle in the rear were a little scared when they saw the purple fire all over the sky. Although the fire did not move to them, its high temperature deeply impressed them with its strong power.
Looking at the purple fire coming, Black Tortoise gave a dirty look. Whether in preexistence or this life, the magic skills he practiced and the divine laws he understood were water-related. He naturally disliked fire. As Black Tortoise waved his hand, bottomless water rose from the level ground to collide with Sky- burning Purple Fire. A blanket of fog immediately pervaded between heaven and earth. Xuandu's Sky-burning Purple Fire was powerful, but Black Tortoise's water was unusual. It was Moonlight Holy Water, one of Three Light Holy Water. Although Three Light Holy Water was a miraculous medicine for curing the wound, Sunlight Holy Water, Moonlight Holy Water, and Starlight Holy Water were fatal poisons, if they were respectively used. Moreover, each kind of water was comparable with Sky-burning Purple Fire.
As the three religious disciples were gradually covered by the fog, Xuandu changed his look. The fog looked normal, but the place it passed by was barren. Xuandu packed up Eight Wonders Palace Lantern and took out Mutton Fat Jade Bottle, a new magic weapon. He opened the bottle to absorb the fog, to prevent it from spreading further.
Black Tortoise could not help sighing with emotion. Although he fought with Xuandu just a few times, Xuandu had changed many magic weapons. Xuandu was worthy of Laozi's unique self-imparting disciple. Black Tortoise doubted if Xuandu had some other magic weapons. Now, Xuandu had launched attacks for several times. And then, it was Black Tortoise's turn to make an attack. Black Tortoise did not like taking a beating.
Black Tortoise moved a bit and his martial force burst out. A huge black tortoise suddenly leaped up. It was The Way of Martial Arts, which he obtained through the enlightenment of his preexistent body. "Ho!" Black Tortoise shouted and threw a punch. The Way of Martial Arts turned into flowing light and shot on Xuandu. The place it passed by was all covered with ice.
Confronted with Black Tortoise's powerful attack, Xuandu was unhesitating. As he waved his hand, a crimson flag flew off him. It was Floating Flame Flag, one of the Primordial Flags of the Five Regions. It immediately released red light all over the sky to protect Xuandu. Although Black Tortoise's fist was powerful, it could not break through the defense of Floating Flame Flag.
Black Tortoise failed to hit Xuandu, but the fact that it was able to force Xuandu into using Floating Flame Flag was great. As a result, all Primordial Flags of the Five Regions gathered here, including Kong Xuan's Wuji Apricot Flag, Xuandu's Floating Flame Flag, Guang Chengzi's Natural Cloud Realm Flag, Medicine Buddha's Emerald Lotus Flag, and Black Tortoise's Xuanyuan Water Control Flag. Most likely, it was the first time that the Primordial Flags of the Five Regions got together since heaven was separated from earth.
Black Tortoise waved his hand and a black flag appeared on his palm. It was Xuanyuan Water Control Flag, which was sent by Minghe. Black Tortoise's Golden Body of Martial Arts was amazing on defense, so Minghe originally planned to give him a powerful spiritual treasure for attacking. However, Black Tortoise asked for Xuanyuan Water Control Flag. The flag was of water type, so it could help him understand the Divine Law of Water.
Moonlight Holy WaterXuanyuan Water Control Flag was a supreme spiritual treasure for defense. But, it was different when it was in the hands of Black Tortoise. With the flag, Black Tortoise understood how to control the magic skills of Sunlight Holy Water, Moonlight Holy Water, and Starlight Holy Water. Sunlight Holy Water could consume blood essence, flesh, and bone. Moonlight Holy Water could corrode souls of Original Spirit. Starlight Holy Water could kill Spiritual Thoughts of Veridical Soul. If the three divine water were mixed up, there would be inexhaustible power.
As Black Tortoise shook Xuanyuan Water Control Flag, three kinds of divine water spurted out and turned into three water dragons. The water dragons rushed to Xuandu and three religious disciples behind him. At this time, Black Tortoise attacked both Xuandu and the onlooking disciples. He wanted to see how three religious disciples could protect their lives against his attack. Xuandu changed his countenance. He activated Floating Flame Flag to get in the way of the water dragon, which was transformed by Sunlight Holy Water. As for another two water dragons, it was beyond his grasp. But at that moment, Guang Chengzi and Medicine Buddha also joined the fight. Moonlight Holy Water was warded off by Natural Cloud Realm Flag. Starlight Holy Water was warded off by Emerald Lotus Flag. Only Dipamkara looked pale and was rooted to the spot.
Looking at Primordial Flag of the Five Regions in Xuandu, Guang Chengzi, and Medicine Buddha' hands, Dipamkara was envious. As a Sage-to-be, Dipamkara was shabby in comparison with three other people. It was said that the West was poor, but Medicine Buddha's spiritual treasures were more than Dipamkara's. When he saw the three people who warded off Black Tortoise, an idea started becoming clearer and clearer in Dipamkara's mind.
Chapter 300: One Vs. Four
After Xuandu, Guang Chengzi, and Medicine Buddha teamed up to stop the attack, Black Tortoise looked serious. He was clear about the power of Primordial Flag of the Five Regions, especially his Xuanyuan Water Control Flag, which had an amazing defense. Even if his Golden Body of Martial Arts was given a full play, its power was far away from that of his Xuanyuan Water Control Flag. Similarly, it was not easy to break through the defense of Primordial Flag of the Five Regions.
Actually, Black Tortoise understood that it was virtually impossible to defeat these three by himself, and the biggest obstacle was those three Primordial Flags of the Five Regions. However, Black Tortoise did not withdraw. As Kong Xuan said, Black Tortoise had experienced a few battles in the preexistence and this life. Thus, there was a rare fighting intent in Black Tortoise's heart, since he now had an opportunity to fight those who had the same cultivation as him.
As Black Tortoise revealed his fighting intent, Xuandu, Guang Chengzi, Medicine Buddha, and Dipamkara, who came up after a while, looked at each other. Obviously, the four of them intended to deal with Black Tortoise together. Whether it was Black Tortoise's Golden Body of Martial Arts or Xuanyuan Water Control Flag's defense, no one could break through alone, especially since Black Tortoise had other spiritual treasures.
While fighting Black Tortoise, the four people also could thoroughly act with boldness. Kong Xuan's Divine Five Colored Light was too abnormal because it could take all magic weapons of the Five Elements. In the world, there were very few magic weapons within the Five Elements. Therefore, they could only make attacks with laws of martial arts to deal with Kong Xuan. While battling Black Tortoise, they did not care about this. They only needed to prevent Kong Xuan from interfering.
Guang Chengzi launched an attack first. He threw a huge seal to Black Tortoise. The seal was his most powerful magic weapon. It was Smashing Seal, the Highest Grade Postcelestial Merit Spiritual Treasure. Because it was blended with a small piece of the relic of Mount Buzhou, its power was well-matched to an ordinary primordial spiritual treasure. Its power was rare in primordial spiritual treasures.
And then, Xuandu, Dipamkara, and Medicine Buddha also started to take actions. In contrast with the previous fight against Kong Xuan, the four people became much more powerful. They completely consumed all kinds of spiritual treasures, and even Dipamkara also took out Eternal Spiritual Treasure, Coffin Lamp, his eternal spiritual treasure, to release endless netherworld ghost fire. At the sight of the gloomy and horrible scene, people were panic-stricken.
It was Dipamkara's fault. Although Dipamkara was a guest of Zixiao Palace, his spiritual treasures were few. As an apprentice to Honored Lord of the Origin, he was given only one Mid-Grade primordial spiritual treasure. Worse still, he consumed the treasure for separation. Thus, only the Coffin Lamp was presentable among his remaining primordial spiritual treasures.
Faced with Xuandu and three other people's attacks, Black Tortoise put away his Xuanyuan Water Control Flag. He shouted, "Golden Body of Martial Arts, show up!" All of a sudden, Black Tortoise became bigger and was glittering like a golden man. He directly met the four people head-on with a simple magic skill of martial arts. It looked a little crazy.
Black Tortoise was certainly aware of how crazy it looked. However, the defense of Xuanyuan Water Control Flag was really amazing. For Black Tortoise, it would be much easier to withstand their attack only with its defense. However, it went against his original intention. Thus, he intended to fight enemies only with Golden Body of Martial Arts and Magic Skill of Martial Arts. Meanwhile, he planned to practice and improve his martial arts skills.
Black Tortoise also knew that it was a little dangerous to do so. Golden Body of Martial Arts possessed strong defense, but it was not indestructible. Sooner or later, his Golden Body of Martial Arts would be broken by Xuandu and other three people with their cultivation and magical weapons. Black Tortoise proceeded without hesitation. He was lazy by nature, but he did not want to lag behind Liu Er and Kong Xuan too much.
Above the walls, Kong Xuan looked at the lunatic Black Tortoise below. A relieved smile appeared on his face. In terms of talent, Black Tortoise was not inferior to him. But all the time, Black Tortoise had not focused on cultivation. Now, his fighting will and conviction were stirred up, so Kong Xuan was very happy for him.
Beyond the clouds on the distant horizon, Minghe sensed that a strong fighting intent was rising from Golden Chicken Mountain. With a gratified smile, he said to himself, "Good boy. Your fighting spirit is finally aroused. Meanwhile, you're aware that you lag behind your two senior apprentice brothers, so you did a really good job on working hard to catch up. Please continue fighting with abandon!" In front of Golden Chicken Mountain, Black Tortoise battled Xuandu, Guang Chengzi, Dipamkara, and Medicine Buddha alone. Confronted with attacks from the four people's spiritual treasures, he was not at a disadvantage. Black Tortoise resisted with Golden Body of Martial Arts and Magic Skill of Martial Arts, without conceding an inch. The three religious disciples were startled. Meanwhile, all living beings of Untainted Land witnessed the formidable Blood Sea.
After forcing Black Tortoise back, Xuandu looked more solemn. Not because Black Tortoise's Golden Body of Martial Arts was abnormal, but because he suddenly discovered that Black Tortoise's martial momentum became stronger and stronger, rather than weaker and weaker, after fighting for so long. Did Black Tortoise use their forces to practice his martial arts?
At thought of that, Xuandu was shocked. Since now, Black Tortoise had not used any defensive spiritual treasures. He just fought with them with Golden Body of Martial Arts and Magic Skill of Martial Arts. So, he must practice his martial arts. If he further improved his martial arts, it would be more difficult to deal with him.
Then, Xuandu decided to spare no efforts. He presented a Jade Talisman in his hand. It was not a primordial spiritual treasure, but it was refined by Laozi himself and called as Grand Pure Holy Talisman of Origin. Xuandu threw the Jade Talisman in the air and shouted, "Yin and Yang Dust Formation, rise up!" All of a sudden, the formation had been arranged and Black Tortoise was covered up.
When Guang Chengzi and other two people saw that, they also joined in, but they were confused. Xuandu explained, "Have you found out that Black Tortoise has fought with us with Golden Body of Martial Arts and Magic Skill of Martial Arts? In doing so, he can practice his martial arts. If we keep fighting like this, he might have made a breakthrough before we broke through his Golden Body of Martial Arts."
The three people's expressions changed a little. Xuandu saw that and continued to say, "At ordinary times, that's ok. But now, we aim to suppress the Shang Dynasty, so it's not suitable to get excessively entangled in the fight. We must break through this as soon as possible, to avoid accidents." The three other people also nodded. Originally, they did not plan to determine the winner through the battle against Black Tortoise.
When the four of them were going to leave, Xuandu suddenly changed his look. Dipamkara asked, "Xuandu, my Taoist friend, what's wrong with you?" Xuandu heaved a sigh, saying, "It's too late. Black Tortoise has made a breakthrough. I'm afraid that he'll get rid of Yin and Yang Dust Formation soon. Ask the Western Zhou Dynasty's army to lay siege to the city rapidly. Make sure to break through the Pass before Black Tortoise got out of the formation. My three Taoist friends, will you take the trouble to deal with Kong Xuan? I'll be in charge of this formation, so I'm occupied."