Chapter 128: Golden Core as the Source, Shifting Through the Void
Chapter 128: Golden Core as the Source, Shifting Through the Void
“Young man, if this goes on, you three will probably be killed by that old monster sooner or later!”
Longevity Patriarch’s ancient-sounding voice buzzed within Mu Yuan’s Dantian, suddenly offering a glimmer of hope to the anxious cultivator!
“So, you have a plan?”
Longevity Patriarch chuckled, “A plan isn’t impossible, but it depends on whether you’re willing to pay the price?”
Right now, with their very lives hanging in the balance if they couldn’t find a solution, worrying about cost was pointless. Mu Yuan immediately agreed, “Tell me!”
While they spoke privately, the battle raging above grew fiercer. The Divine Mists Decree talisman transformed into a lightning dragon, radiating an aura of annihilation, tyranny, and ferocity, tumbling through the vast starry sky. The two phantom dragons shattered countless streams of Primordial Qi, shaking Heaven and Earth, terrifying all beings!
However, the dimming talisman made all three realize this stalemate wouldn’t last much longer. Soon, they would truly be like fish on the chopping board, at their enemy’s mercy!
“Who could have imagined this fiend is so powerful! Even the Divine Mists Decree talisman gifted by our Patriarch can’t subdue him. What can we do?”
Lin Fangjing worriedly watched the battle unfold in the starry sky above and sighed, her voice tinged with frustration.
Watching the fierce clash of the two phantom dragons, the trio understood clearly that the pressure they had endured before was merely an appetizer. Their opponent had obviously been toying with them, holding back his full power at the start. But ultimately, death was coming!
Master Kongming chanted a Buddhist invocation softly, also at a loss. His cultivation was actually inferior to Mu Yuan’s; it was only his profound Buddhist techniques that had prevented instant death. Yet, facing Five Yin Patriarch’s overwhelmingly brutal power, any cleverness was useless. Raw force triumphed over skill! Without immense Magical Power as a foundation, even the most astonishing Divine Ability had no chance.
The talisman’s power waned visibly. Besides the starry dragon battling the lightning beast in mid-air, the starlight from all directions began relentlessly pressing towards them. It wasn’t swift, but deliberate, instilling a sense of slow, inescapable death and despair!
To resist this overwhelming pressure, all three rallied their Divine Abilities and Magical Power once more. Mu Yuan still relied solely on his Primordial Five-Colored Mirage Light and the Five Great Curses. Even so, it was barely holding.
Lin Fangjing, having already achieved Elixir Formation, naturally held out better than the other two, even without the talisman’s support. A crescent blade emanated a frosty gleam in front of her, bolstered by the Heavenly Rectitude Thunder of the Celestial Stem, shimmering purple, its light flickering intensely.
Master Kongming struggled visibly. The brilliant lamp above his head had long since retreated into the three-eared bronze cauldron. Thick tendrils of rainbow-hued illusory smoke, as heavy as boiling oil, poured forth. Engulfed by the lamp’s radiance, they burst into flame, transforming into an immense vortex of Primordial Qi to support his weakened defenses.
The protective auras surrounding the three groaned under the pressure of the dazzling starlight. Creaking noises sounded, like glass or porcelain on the verge of shattering!
“You know Ancestor is a spirit born of the Immortal Divine Tree. As soon as I choose, I can return instantly to the Divine Tree’s side and leave this place!”
Longevity Patriarch’s voice sounded again, laced with amusement.
“Then what are you waiting for?! Quickly!” Mu Yuan yelled, frantic as the pressure intensified with the lightning dragon’s fading glow. The orbs of light formed by the Five Great Curses were showing signs of collapse, swaying and distorting like unstable water bubbles!
“For Ancestor to return alone is simple. Taking you along, however, is difficult. Haven’t you heard? Carrying a mortal is as heavy as hauling hills. Though you cultivate the Dao, your mortal flesh remains, your Primordial Spirit unformed. Ultimately, you are still mortal. The tiniest trace of you weighs as heavy as mountains and peaks. How could I carry that?”
Longevity Patriarch chuckled carefreely, explaining without concern.
Mu Yuan, channeling frantic torrents of Zhenqi into his Primordial Five-Colored Mirage Light, felt the three layers of Divine Light swell and pulse erratically like a bellows in a kitchen, producing a loud whooshing. Hearing this explanation only fueled his fury.
“Then why are you bragging?!”
Longevity Patriarch explained patiently, “Yet, you are a cultivator who practices Qi Refinement, Condensing Fiend and Refining Yang, blending the intent of Heaven and Earth, understanding Yin and Yang. If you are willing to pay the cost, to burn your Primordial Qi, there is a possibility I can take you out of here!”
“How?” Mu Yuan demanded.
Longevity Patriarch continued, “But it would likely mean exhausting, even crippling, your Zhenqi completely. See that fat-headed Monk? Seize him by surprise. His Buddhist Yuan (energy) would serve as fuel for the spell. You contribute a substantial portion yourself. The cost… it would severely damage your Primordial Qi roots. Your future hope of reaching the Primordial Spirit stage would become vanishingly small, almost impossible!”
Hearing this, Mu Yuan hesitated for a moment despite maintaining his Zhenqi circulation. He thought it over. “That Monk and I are strangers, but he is a true disciple of the Buddhist Sect. How could I sacrifice another to save myself?”
Longevity Patriarch laughed darkly. “Monk not suitable? How about the beauty? She’s achieved Elixir Formation. Use her Golden Core as the source. Ancestor can even take both of you out. Not difficult. Worst case… that big, dumb fellow inside the gourd looks usable too!”
“Pah! Pah! Pah!” Strangely, despite the dire circumstances, Mu Yuan found himself laughing at Longevity Patriarch’s remarks. “How do you sound so unlike the venerated, immortal tree spirit of the Kunlun Mountains? More like a cunning merchant, haggling over prices!”
Longevity Patriarch’s young face adopted a look of ‘suit yourself’ and fell silent.
Mu Yuan also went silent. Murdering Kongming was absolutely out of the question. Though a cultivator removes obstacles on the path to Eternal Life, this Monk had done him no harm. Suddenly, inspiration struck. He felt turbulence within his Black Water Gourd. Waves of Primordial Qi surged, and a luminous Golden Core suddenly floated into his view. “What about this Golden Core?”
The pill in Mu Yuan’s hand was the treasured core he had obtained after slaying the Rhinoceros-Demon. He had simply tossed it into the gourd and forgotten it until Longevity Patriarch mentioned the core.
“Oh?” Longevity Patriarch exclaimed in surprise. “You possess a Golden Core? That’s truly rare. If you fail to form your own core, you could absorb this one… purify the impurities, fuse it into your being… and instantly become an Elixir Formation cultivator!”
Mu Yuan snorted derisively. “If I can’t form my own Golden Core, what use is extending my lifespan? I might as well seek wealth and comfort as a mortal!”
Longevity Patriarch laughed approvingly. “Good! Good! With this Golden Core, Ancestor has the confidence to take you out. Adding one more person is no real issue. Taking three… that would be troublesome. They’d need to contribute extra energy themselves. So… shall it be the Monk or the beauty?”
“You’re burning an entire Golden Core just to take two people?! That’s wasteful!” Mu Yuan cried out.
Longevity Patriarch “hmph”-ed loudly. “Don’t underestimate it! This is a life-saving secret technique applicable anywhere in the vast cosmos. As Ancestor wills it, no Restrictions or spells can block the return to Kunlun. Look at this star array – layer upon layer, countless seals! And still you complain!”
“Then take Lin Fangjing from Shenxiao Dao. I don’t know that Monk. As long as it’s not by my hand, let fate decide his end!”
Longevity Patriarch laughed heartily. “Such grand aspirations! Truly, it pays to be born a beauty!”
Mu Yuan ignored the jibe. He immediately sent a quiet message to Lin Fangjing, explaining the plan. She was fully occupied resisting the crushing pressure. In the time it took him to speak, the lightning dragon formed by the Divine Mists Decree talisman collapsed further. Its once ten-thousand-zhang long body was reduced to a mere thousand zhang. Suppressed completely by the starry dragon, its dissipation was imminent!
Upon hearing Mu Yuan’s proposal, Lin Fangjing cast him a deeply strange look, but nonetheless nodded her agreement.
Mu Yuan immediately said to Longevity Patriarch, “Perform the spell!”
Even the Primordial Five-Colored Mirage Light, under the immense pressure, was beginning to falter. Yet, Mount Shu’s divine techniques truly proved their power. Even in such dire straits, the Divine Light continued to cycle and flow, sustained solely by Mu Yuan’s desperate willpower. Indeed, it seemed to bulge and expand!
Longevity Patriarch grinned. He opened his mouth wide and swallowed the Rhinoceros-Demon’s Inner Pill whole. His body flooded with brilliant, flowing light as he chanted a complex string of incantations. His physical form started to fade, becoming transparent.
Mu Yuan turned his senses inward. He saw the swallowed pill float erratically within Longevity Patriarch, finally settling in his Dantian. Already there, a cyan, perfectly formed Golden Core spun continuously!
The Rhinoceros-Demon’s Inner Pill was covered by the glow of Longevity Patriarch’s core. Instantly, vast streams of pure Primordial Qi, crackling streaks of lightning, and bands of colorful light gushed forth, flooding into every part of Longevity Patriarch’s being!
“Through all directions, beyond all limits… Traverse the cosmos’ edges, reach the four corners and wild borders… Void Shifting! Travel the Great Thousand Realms!”
As Longevity Patriarch finished the long, complex incantation, Mu Yuan and Lin Fangjing felt an inconceivably immense force seize them. Before them, a gigantic rift tore open. Within it, winds howled, light surged, a chaotic maelstrom roared! Without hesitation, both were plunged inside!
The change happened in a flicker. Five Yin Patriarch, firmly in control, enjoying watching his prey’s desperate struggle, was utterly unprepared. Seeing the duck fly away right before being eaten, he roared with infuriated disbelief. The sight of the spatial rift made him blanch in realization. “Void Shifting!”
Deprived of their companions now, Monk Kongming stood alone against the overwhelming assault. Unstoppable power crashed in from every direction. The multi-colored shield formed by his incense-infused energy shattered instantly. He only had time for a desperate plea, “Take me…”
His cry was abruptly cut off. The furious starlight swallowed him whole. A series of sharp cracking sounds echoed briefly from the luminous torrent, then fell utterly silent.
Mu Yuan and Lin Fangjing knew nothing of the aftermath. Trapped within the spatial rift, they were tossed within a tempest of turbulent forces that threatened to tear them apart. They clung to their defenses, shielding themselves desperately, as Longevity Patriarch’s triumphant laugh echoed in their ears. Suddenly, the tumult vanished. Brightness returned. They found themselves elsewhere.
Steep cliffs towered over them. Lush green trees encircled the spot. Bright moonlight shone down through thin, silken mist.
Tall, straight trees stretched high into the sky all around. A cool breeze swept through, making branches sway and rustle softly. Insects chirped intermittently in the quiet wilderness. The distant murmur of flowing water reached their ears.
Suddenly, a crisp cracking sound came from Mu Yuan’s Divine Light. The three layers of his Primordial Five-Colored Mirage Light pulsed outward. Instantly, a fourth layer formed around them! The light danced with shifting colors, surging around his form. The immense pressure endured during their escape had propelled Mu Yuan’s Primordial Five-Colored Mirage Light to the fourth level!