Chapter 122: The Black-Robed Demon Sage
Chapter 122: The Black-Robed Demon Sage
Though Mu Yuan had grasped the mystery of the ancient heavenly tribulation, a few doubts still lingered in his heart. However, these doubts vanished the moment the Heaven’s Might Atmosphere violently surged into his body!
For cultivators, refining Yang was far more difficult than condensing Yin. Beyond the Nine Heavens, the Heaven’s Might energies were chaotic and diverse; one had to select the type best suited to oneself and capture it to refine. But in ancient cultivation, the Heaven’s Might descended automatically. Moreover, this passive cultivation didn’t draw in only the suitable energy; instead, dozens or even hundreds of types of Heaven’s Might surged down together, pulling along thunder, fire, and lightning energies, making it extremely domineering!
Instantly, Mu Yuan understood why so many ancient cultivators perished beneath the heavenly tribulation! The Heaven’s Might he had summoned was incredibly chaotic—at least twenty different types charged down like untamed wild horses, disregarding everything. Like swarming flies, they violently flooded into his meridians. Despite the massive Primordial Qi devoured by the Five Great Curses and his Clear Water True Qi reaching an unfathomable thickness, he couldn’t bear it in that moment. First, several delicate and intersecting Yin meridians gave way under such violent Heaven’s Might, shattering immediately!
“No wonder ancient people defending against heavenly tribulation needed Protective True Qi and activating magical treasures! So this is why, this is why!” Mu Yuan was greatly alarmed. He realized that if he held anything back now, not only would he fail to deceive his way into obtaining the Eternal Art, but his life would be forfeited right here!
The moment this thought surfaced, he could think of nothing else. He instantly released all the Zhenqi he had locked away with the Great Art of Yin-Yang Soul Shackling and Qi Sealing. With a furious roar, he soared into the sky!
The area became a scene of destruction. Berserk Heaven’s Might energy mixed with thunderfire ran rampant. Every Demon Beast within a ten-mile radius was instantly killed. Even the other cultivators gaped, dumbfounded, unsure what upheaval had just occurred!
“Heavenly tribulation! It’s a cultivator’s heavenly tribulation!”
Records of heavenly tribulation weren’t known to all. Master Long Yin and the Square-scarf Scholar, though the most potent Human Cultivators present, were from scattered sects, entering cultivation through rare immortal opportunities—they lacked heritage and naturally didn’t know! The Peacock Demon King was formidable, but only a demon. In terms of knowledge, he likely wasn’t superior to those two. As for those on the city wall tower, they might not even understand the mysteries of Condensing Fiend and Refining Yang. Among the gathered crowd, only Tie Ling, a disciple of the prestigious Weapon Armor Sect, knew of the existence of ancient heavenly tribulations!
Although resolved to unleash everything and resist with full strength, Mu Yuan dared not reveal his magical treasures before so many eyes. He flew directly up into the Nine Heavens to escape their observation, finally freeing himself to act without restraint!
He knew nothing about surviving the tribulation. Fortunately, his body had been tempered incredibly tough by the Dragon King’s Dynamic Force, and he carried the Five Great Curses. His injuries in the chaos were minor. Without preparation, he’d likely have been blasted to nothing in an instant!
Despite this, the Five Great Curses, absorbing countless refined essences, were shattered within that brief flash, scattering into a large mass of Primordial Qi. The curses themselves were incredibly solid, refined to the point of being able to erode Spiritual Sense. Given time to recover, they would reassemble!
Mu Yuan channeled Zhenqi to push off the ground, riding wind and clouds. He shot high into the sky in an instant. The roiling vortex of Heaven’s Might energy, thunder, and fire slowly ascended with him, never straying. Onlookers saw deafening thunder, crisscrossing lightning bolts like countless electric snakes winding across the sky, dyeing the chaotic Heaven’s Might in dazzling, riotous colors. It was a terrifyingly spectacular sight, yet they couldn’t peer within the spectacle itself!
The combatants all instinctively stopped fighting, staring dumbfounded at this celestial phenomenon!
“Good gracious! What sin did this Daoist Brother commit to invite such thunder and lightning? Boundless Heavenly Honoured One!” The Daoist on the wall tower who had invoked the “Divine Summoning Art” to welcome the Thunder Lord’s possession had already returned to normal. His two summoned lightning dragons were long dispersed by the rampant Heaven’s Might and drawn into the heavenly tribulation. Now, he stared thunderstruck at the chaotic storm of thunderfire and lightning raging Beyond the Nine Heavens!
“HAHAHAHA!” The Peacock Demon King suddenly burst into wild laughter. “You humans always accuse us Demon Beasts of wreaking havoc! Yet here you are, inviting thunder and lightning yourselves! How can you still preach?!”
Master Long Yin chanted a Buddhist invocation, “Monster, cease your slander!”
After a moment of stunned silence, both sides resumed their fierce battle. Mu Yuan, however, was beyond concern. As he flew, the Primordial Five-Colored Mirage Light sprang into existence around him. Colored mirage glitter enveloped his body, repelling the swirling Heaven’s Might atmosphere, thunder dragons, and lightning snakes!
The chaotic and diverse Heaven’s Might churned wildly, raging like dragons and snakes across the air, saturated with fierce lightning energy. Its domineering force pressed down relentlessly. Before long, Mu Yuan’s protective Divine Light began to waver, showing signs of collapse. Mu Yuan was terrified. The dispersed mass of the Five Great Curses abruptly reassembled nearby, merging into a continuous stream of colored light that rushed towards him!
By now, Mu Yuan was thousands of feet above ground, enveloped amidst the clouds. The rolling Heaven’s Might atmosphere trapped him like a giant cylinder. Within it, the Heaven’s Might boiled like water, sometimes transforming into ferocious monsters seeking to devour him, other times morphing into swarms of shrieking insect parasites trying to burrow into his body!
Mu Yuan strained his Divine Light, controlling the curse energy to protect himself. It still felt insufficient. Those violently surging lightning strikes, as fierce as wild beasts, were more explosive than the Heaven’s Might itself, rivaling any Flying Sword or axe blow. Every impact shattered bursts of dazzling light. Mu Yuan felt dizzy and disoriented. He hurriedly summoned the Minghe Immortal Sword. A stream of stars flowed around him, finally bringing slight relief!
Mu Yuan truly found himself in a dilemma. He had already trained his True Solar Heaven’s Might. But this self-invited chaotic tide consisted of numerous intertwined energies, even more difficult to separate than Heaven’s Might Beyond the Nine Heavens. Must he absorb them all into his body?
“Never mind that! First, I must transform all my internal Clear Water True Qi into Heaven’s Might Fiend Force. Let’s see if that causes this chaotic Heaven’s Might to scatter on its own!”
Thoughts raced through Mu Yuan’s mind like lightning. In a flash, he conceived a plan. Since the Heaven’s Might Atmosphere had been attracted by his own flourishing Zhenqi, why not transform the Zhenqi itself? Perhaps he could dissolve this calamity.
Within his Dantian and meridians, the fused Zhenqi of True Solar Heaven’s Might and Mystic Wind Yin Fiend began to slowly infiltrate his Clear Water True Qi. Like dyeing a piece of white cloth into a desired color, the droplets of Clear Water True Qi gradually began shifting towards Heaven’s Might Fiend energy!
The Clear Water True Qi within Mu Yuan had grown to an astonishing level. He had slaughtered countless beings on the battlefield of primal beasts, all devoured by the Five Great Curses and fed back into himself. His power was immense, near bursting. How long would this painstaking transformation take?
Just as Mu Yuan focused entirely on resisting the chaotic Heaven’s Might and converting his Qi, a Black-robed figure suddenly appeared on the distant horizon—utterly without any warning, as if born from the very fabric of space, unnervingly abrupt!
A gust of Heaven’s Might wind lifted the hood covering the figure’s head, revealing a pale, withered face. The man gazed towards the zone of Heaven’s Might disturbance, a flicker of nostalgic emotion passing over his features. “How many years has it been since I’ve seen a cultivator enduring heavenly tribulation? Unexpected that someone could still provoke it now… rare indeed!”
The Black-robed man moved. In the next split second, he stood beside Mu Yuan. The violently raging Heaven’s Might energies, thunder, and fiendish auras seemed to have no effect upon him. He moved with the calm leisure of a stroll in a courtyard.
“Young man, doing it this way will not succeed!”
The Black-robed man’s voice scraped like brass cymbals clashing—peculiarly and painfully sharp. Yet within the booming thunder, it rang out with abnormal clarity, as if spoken right beside his ear. The sound displayed no obvious power, yet it drowned out even the thunder itself!
Focused entirely on his Qi conversion, Mu Yuan was shocked by this sudden voice. Opening his eyes, he saw the figure robed in black, seemingly devoid of any Zhenqi aura. Fear struck him first. Setting aside all other thoughts, he respectfully asked, “Senior, I dare to ask for guidance.”
The Black-robed man emitted a hoarse laugh, speaking slowly, “The Heaven’s Might energies summoned by the heavenly tribulation—you must take them all as they come. Trying to mend the pen after the sheep are gone is too late. Even if you convert all your Zhenqi now, it will be futile!”
Mu Yuan frowned. This momentary distraction almost allowed a furious lightning bolt to breach the starry flow created by the Minghe Immortal Sword. He hastily concentrated his mind, the star light surging once more. Before he could question further, the Black-robed man vanished!
In the next instant, the Black-robed figure appeared beside the Peacock Demon King. The Square-scarf Scholar and Master Long Yin were at that moment locked in fierce combat with the Demon King. The duo combined had begun to gradually overpower the Water Soul Pearl. All three were startled by this sudden apparition at their side. Upon recognizing him, a smile appeared on the Peacock Demon King’s face!
“Your humble servant pays homage to the Demon Sage!” Ignoring Master Long Yin and the Square-scarf Scholar, the Peacock Demon King bowed deeply in mid-air!
This Black-robed man was none other than the mysterious Monster Saint—the ultimate source of the demonic plague afflicting the Hundred Thousand Mountains!
The Black-robed man gave a slight nod. His right hand lifted gently. What had been skeletal fingers suddenly became as smooth and white as jade. An eerie glow emanated from his palm. His hand trembled slightly, instantly conjuring a sky-full of palm shadows that enveloped Master Long Yin and the Square-scarf Scholar!
Hearing the Peacock Demon King’s address, both men felt a chill of terror, their spirits reaching peak alertness—like porcupines sensing threat. As the “Monster Saint” moved, they both bellowed simultaneously.
A majestic Vajra Dharma Form and a dazzling Flying Sword shot forth, simultaneously flying out! While summoning these defenses, both men themselves fled towards the distance!
They knew their own cultivation could never rival the “Monster Saint”. Yet, they never imagined he would personally appear on the front lines! Every city along the border between the Hundred Thousand Mountains and other nations was being attacked by Demon Beasts. Out of a thousand possible locations, how did this “Monster Saint” choose this exact spot?
As despair and lament over their miserable luck filled their hearts, two palm shadows descended. Ignoring the Vajra Dharma Form and the scholar’s Flying Sword entirely, the palms pressed down against the crowns of their heads!