Chapter 102: Claiming the Banner
Chapter 102: Claiming the Banner
Having vanquished Hu Jia, Mu Yuan put away the gourd on the ground. The silver-white gourd looked exquisite, shaped like carved white jade. The Seven Slayers Demonic Smoke was nothing to Mu Yuan. Partly because Hu Jia’s Seven Slayers Demonic Smoke hadn’t reached its full power, and partly because the Seven Slayers Sect’s techniques were beneath him. He casually handed it to Zha Yun’er!
“This gourd holds some power,” he said. “Your only weapon is the Frostlight Hooks; your techniques are too limited. With this, you won’t lack Divine Abilities when facing others later.”
Zha Yun’er pouted. Though she disliked the dark, billowing appearance of the Seven Slayers Demonic Smoke, she found the gourd quite beautiful. Taking it, she immediately asked about Zha Feng’s recent situation!
At the mention of Zha Feng, Mu Yuan felt a pang of guilt. Since bringing Zha Feng to the Longevity Palace, he’d essentially neglected his duties as a master. Zha Feng had been taken under the wing of Cang Qing Zi to learn spells. Now, he could only offer Zha Yun’er vague, insignificant replies!
“Oh, Brother Mu, that man earlier mentioned he has several fellow disciples also out hunting infants to cultivate evil techniques. Why don’t we track them down and rid the world of them?”
Mu Yuan sighed inwardly. He couldn’t very well say he was too busy or preoccupied. He agreed with her plan. However, the vastness of the Southern Wildlands stretched before them, and finding other Seven Slayers Sect disciples seemed daunting.
They traveled through mountain ranges, passing several villages marked by the disappearances of infants. Following this trail, they eventually discovered signs of the others. Zha Yun’er was thrilled, and Mu Yuan himself breathed a small sigh of relief. Two days later, they found what they were looking for.
On a mountainside, four Seven Slayers Sect disciples were surrounded by three figures. One face among these three struck Mu Yuan as familiar – it was the Monk Yuan Jue he’d met before!
“Huh? What’s that Monk doing here?” Mu Yuan wondered, curious. He held back an eager Zha Yun’er and they concealed themselves, watching the conflict unfold below.
These four Seven Slayers Sect disciples were clearly more powerful than Hu Jia had been, yet they were still no match for their opponents. Yuan Jue himself seemed even more formidable than before. His Infinite Void Great Hand Seal glowed with a pristine, multicolored brilliance, blanketing the area, shimmering with contained fire and radiant light. The monk himself stood serenely apart, merely manipulating the massive hand seal remotely. He held his palms together in a pious gesture, his expression compassionate and calm.
Mu Yuan recalled from their previous encounter that both Monk Yuan Neng and Monk Yuan Jue were at the Condensation of Evil Energy stage. Now it seemed Yuan Jue might have advanced to the Refining Celestial Yang stage. The origins of the other two, a man and a woman, were unknown to him. They wore magnificent robes, shimmering with gold and silver embroidery. Their noble features carried an innate aura of arrogance. They wielded no magical artifacts or Flying Swords; instead, they conjured two distinct palm seals, crackling with lightning and blazing with dazzling light.
Cornered by these three, the Four Seven Slayers Sect disciples were hard pressed. They too wielded small silver-white gourds. Four billowing streams of black smoke coiled and merged, taking the horrifying shape of a colossal demonic visage. Its eyes, large as lanterns, shot forth demonic light, and tusks protruded grotesquely. Drool continuously dripped from its maw – actually condensed moisture drawn from the air by the thick Demonic Energy – making it even more terrifying!
Several streaks of yellow light, mixed with sparks, flickered in and out within the encroaching blackness. They darted and whipped with incredible agility, yet each time they tried to surge outward, they were beaten back by the combined force of the attackers’ palm seals!
The opulently-robed man then spoke with a light laugh, “Monk Yuan Jue, no need to waste time with these fiends. Let’s finish them quickly so we may attend to serious matters!”
Yuan Jue chanted a Buddhist phrase. “The benefactor speaks wisely. Allow this humble monk to hold our flanks. We shall witness the great Kunlun methods of our two friends as they subdue these evil creatures!”
“They’re Kunlun Sect disciples!” Mu Yuan was startled. Kunlun Sect had long stood as the unchallenged leader of the Cultivation World, the greatest sect under heaven. They occupied the vast Kunlun Mountains, a land rich with Grotto-Heavens and blessed grounds. Their disciples numbered in the tens of thousands, mastering an endless stream of profound Divine Abilities. Naturally, Kunlun disciples carried themselves with supreme confidence and imposing manner.
As soon as Yuan Jue finished speaking, the resplendent man guffawed loudly. He strode midair, taking seven steps in an instant, leaving staggered afterimages. Without any obvious exertion, the flying palm seal he controlled erupted with blinding, amplified radiance. High above, dark clouds suddenly gathered as Yin and Yang energies clashed. Thunder boomed deafeningly, and fierce lightning bolts sizzled wildly through the gloom. Dozens of heavenly thunderbolts rained down, converging onto his palm seal and forming strange, writhing patterns of lightning. With a resounding crash, it slammed down upon the foe!
The female Kunlun disciple followed suit. Her Jade Pivot Divine Thunder Seal intertwined with his. The pervasive Seven Slayers Demonic Smoke was instantly torn asunder, blasted apart in a riot of bright, exploding sparks and flares. Streaks of bright energy resembled soaring dragons and coiling snakes. Loud, brittle cracking sounds echoed as the few streaks of golden light flashing within the dark currents – Flying Swords – plummeted from midair, clattering metallically as they struck the ground.
The two Kunlun disciples had invoked Supreme Clarity Purple Palace Immortal Thunder to power their Jade Pivot Divine Thunder Seals. In almost a single exchange, they shattered their opponents’ Flying Swords. Such staggering might astounded not only the concealed Mu Yuan but also the observing Monk Yuan Jue!
The four Seven Slayers Sect disciples looked at each other in panic. As one, they roared with desperate fury. Ignoring the hidden backlash wounding them from their shattered swords, they poured every ounce of power into their Seven Slayers Demonic Smoke. Glutinous black currents surged forward like intertwined, coiling dragon-snakes, thickening into near-substance as they entwined the oncoming Jade Pivot Divine Thunder Seals. Unleashing such a violent attack visibly strained the two Kunlun disciples; their faces paled slightly. Yet, their thunderous might persisted, bolts striking like electric dragons, relentlessly smashing through waves of encroaching darkness!
The four disciples seized this moment. With their swords destroyed and their demonic smoke expelled at full force, they had gambled everything on this chance to escape! They shot upwards in four different directions.
Monk Yuan Jue chanted a long Buddhist phrase. His Infinite Void Great Hand Seal suddenly expanded infinitely, transforming into a glazed, shimmering dome encapsulating the entire mountaintop space. The four fleeing Seven Slayers cultivators slammed into the barrier of colored light and found it unnervingly resilient. Like crashing into thick sponge, they were forcefully bounced back!
Shock overcame them; they hadn’t anticipated how strong this monk truly was. This momentary reprieve sealed their fate. The pursuing Jade Pivot Divine Thunder Seals, crackling with power, had now shattered through their last defenses. The two Kunlun disciples were visibly panting; sustaining such immense Divine Abilities even briefly seemed to take its toll. But it was too late. The terrifying forces of thunder and lightning were nearly upon the trapped fiends!
Monk Yuan Jue tightened his focus. The swirling mass of energy, sparks, and brilliant light contracted inward against the dome. Outside, the Infinite Void Great Hand Seal locked them in. Inside, the Jade Pivot Divine Thunder Seals convulsed with contained destruction. Utter panic seized the four disciples. They frantically threw every technique they could muster, but escape remained impossible. One among them, a man with a large mole on his cheek, gritted his teeth viciously. “Brothers! There’s no escape! With death inevitable… I ask my fellow disciples to sacrifice yourselves for this older brother!”
The other three had no time to grasp his meaning. The man with the mole suddenly produced a pitch-black, sinisterly long Soul Banner. It was densely inscribed with vermilion talismanic script, radiating an aura deeply chilling and unmistakably unorthodox. With a fierce wave towards his three brothers still struggling desperately, agonized screams ripped the air!
Before their very eyes, the three men contorted terribly, transforming mid-air into disgusting, bubbling pools of crimson blood. The Primordial Qi, vital energy, and cultivated power within them roiled furiously. Faces sculpted by Spiritual Sense floated above the blood pools, mouths open wide in silent, eternal shrieks, contorted features expressing pure anguish. With a powerful suctioning force emanating from the fluttering Demon Banner, these spectral human visages and their associated energies were violently wrenched off the blood, sucked directly onto the banner surface! They merged with its fabric, solidified into captive souls!
These three men had been at the Condensation of Evil Energy stage. The sheer accumulation of their Primordial Qi and vital essence, fused into the banner, instantly exploded outwards as a massive wave of intense, choking black Demonic Energy! The inscribed talismanic script on the banner writhed like frantic, living tadpoles. Fuelled by this immense surge of Primordial Qi, they coalesced. Suddenly, an enormous, clawed hand erupted violently from the Soul Banner’s surface! With a single, immense crash, it tore a gaping hole right through Monk Yuan Jue’s Infinite Void Great Hand Seal dome!
Yuan Jue staggered noticeably. The swirling halo of colored light behind his head churned like turbulent water as he fought desperately to stabilize his technique and maintain his defenses. Meanwhile, loud crackling, snapping sounds erupted as the Jade Pivot Divine Thunder Seals collided thunderously with the monstrous claw. The Kunlun male and female stumbled back, visibly struggling to endure the backlash. The dark clouds overhead dissolved instantly. The electric radiance flickering across their Jade Pivot Divine Thunder Seals dimmed significantly.
The giant claw, strained by the colossal impact against the Divine Thunder Seals, recoiled swiftly and vanished back into the Soul Banner. Yet, the damage was done – the protective dome was breached! The mole-marked disciple seized this slim opening. Dark aura flared beneath his feet as he shot towards the breach, riding a wave of yin wind, determined to flee!
The moment that disciple had revealed the Soul Banner—Mu Yuan felt a jolt of recognition. Its form and aura closely resembled the Soul-Gathering Banner held by Chu Yunfei! A flicker of interest sparked within him. Fortune, or misfortune, favored him; the escaping man charged straight towards the patch of forest where Mu Yuan and Zha Yun’er were hidden. There was no moment to waste!
This fleeing disciple had absorbed his three brothers’ vital essences using the Demon Banner. He had summoned that colossal claw to shatter the three Divine Seals. Utterly drained, the Demon Banner was now safely tucked away within his robes as he focused solely on accelerating his escape across the sky. Mu Yuan, concealed among shadow and leaf, concentrated fiercely. One precise strike was needed—instant death for the foe, immediate claim of the Soul Banner. If those Kunlun disciples closed in, securing the Banner would become near impossible.
As the man hurtled closer, Mu Yuan readied six Sword Pills within his palms. The Black Water Gourd hung at his waist, its dark aperture humming faintly, prepared. Just as the escaping disciple passed directly overhead, Mu Yuan acted!
Six streaks of chill light streaked skyward with deadly speed!
The two Kunlun disciples and Monk Yuan Jue were already giving chase, but they were still a considerable distance behind. Mu Yuan unleashed a formidable sword technique from the outset. His Six Harmonies Sword Pills transformed into six brilliant, emerald-hued meteors. Ice-cold intent radiated from them, layering on intense, pulsing viridian light. The fleeing Seven Slayers cultivator, frantic and solely focused on escape, paid no attention to his surroundings. He had no defense prepared. The six sword-light streaks pierced through his Zhenqi defenses after just a few passes. They tore through his body multiple times in rapid succession! Blood sprayed wildly mid-air.
Before the falling body could drop far, Mu Yuan unleashed the waiting Black Water Gourd! The Great Reincarnation Sword Formation of the Heavens, refined through the Yin Cold Ice Evils, excelled at capture. The icy Flying Swords whirled forth with unnatural swiftness, forming a spinning prison of glinting metal. A distinctive whoosh echoed as the formation, with its captive trapped firmly within, retreated instantly back into the dark cavity of the Black Water Gourd!
Inside this Gourd, the Great Reincarnation Sword Formation of the Heavens functioned as an ingenious contained dimension – size infinitely adaptable. Mu Yuan’s goal was two-fold: Kill the target instantly and secure the Soul Banner, leaving no opportunity for contesting ownership or intervention. While the Six Harmonies Sword Pills were lethally swift, immediately ending the life of a fleeing, desperate foe, especially after he’d consumed three comrades’ energies with the Demon Banner, proved challenging enough to cause a crucial delay. Mu Yuan saw the Kunlun duo closing the gap at lightning speed; they would be upon him in moments. Hesitation wasn’t an option. He bypassed the sword pills’ finishing blow and simply absorbed the critically wounded man directly into the Gourd’s space.
The Longevity True Qi radiating from Mu Yuan was undeniably orthodox Longevity Palace energy. Right now, his entire figure glowed clearly with an aura of deep jade, rippling like water. Within the time it took for that single decisive move, the two Kunlun disciples arrived before him. Seeing Mu Yuan effortlessly capture their quarry, they exchanged sharp, suspicious glances. Monk Yuan Jue, however, recognized the energy signature, and a faint flicker of relief mingled with surprise appeared on his kindly face. “Ah, so it is you, Fellow Daoist!” he exclaimed.