Chapter 146: Rampant Killing Aura and the Gourd Devours Souls
Chapter 146: Rampant Killing Aura and the Gourd Devours Souls
“It’s the Earth Spirit Fire Vein, a supreme treasure spirit!”
Four venerable, white-bearded Taoist elders swept the area with their divine senses and instantly discerned Yuan Kong’s true objective. Even these cultivators, profound in their practice, couldn’t help a surge of excitement!
“Heh! Nine Bends Yellow River, Primordial Chaos Golden Chalice!”
The Monster Saint seized their brief distraction. He surged his Zhenqi, causing the Primordial Chaos Golden Chalice to erupt with golden light. Nine streams of yellow energy twisted through the air, transforming into divine dragons. They conjured visions of turbid yellow sand and roaring floodwaters, charging furiously in all directions!
The four Taoist elders felt their flying swords tremble violently, almost pulling free from their control, as if yearning to be swallowed by the golden radiance! Their expressions instantly changed!
During the Monster Saint’s previous charge onto Kunlun, he had wreaked havoc only within Kunlun Palace. The elders of Langfeng Summit hadn’t witnessed his power firsthand. Though the Sect Leader had later warned of his fearsomeness, they hadn’t taken it seriously. Now, face-to-face, they realized the truth of those words!
“Vile demon beast!”
Qian Hua roared furiously. The Azure Dragon Primordial Spirit above his head instantly merged into his flying sword. Starlight exploded. The Seven Mansions of the Eastern Azure Dragon – Horn, Neck, Root, Room, Heart, Tail, Winnowing Basket – flashed and vanished one after another. The light of the sun, moon, and five planets flared once before coalescing into seven spinning stars, each as large as a bushel measure. Enveloped in roaring sword qi, they descended!
Qian Bing, Qian Huo, and Qian Wu, the other three elders, also manipulated the flickering of their respective Three Manifestations. Their four distinct powers intertwined, weaving an immense net of crisscrossing sword aura Qi that crashed down overwhelmingly!
“Kunlun Sect techniques! Besides this one trick, show me what other wonders you possess!”
The Monster Saint sent the Primordial Chaos Golden Chalice spinning upwards. Golden light gathered, forming a fist print the size of a hammer. Several streaks of black light emerged from his Mud Pill Palace, attaching to the fist print before detonating violently skyward!
Crash! Boom!
The sword net woven by the four elders resounded with unbearable cracking noises, like fine porcelain fracturing as it hit the ground!
“The Five Directions Five Elements Breaking Restriction Technique!”
Qian Wu’s face blanched, his voice filled with horror as he recognized the Monster Saint’s divine ability!
Originally, Heaven and Earth were boundless Chaos. After Pangu opened the world, establishing Yin and Yang, the Three Powers, the Four Symbols, and the Eight Trigrams, the myriad laws and order came into being. The Five Directions Five Elements Breaking Restriction Technique originated from Kunlun’s supreme divine ability, the “Chaos Formula”. It sought a return to essence, shattering all established order to revert everything to Chaos. It was the natural counter to all magical arts, divine abilities, formations, and spiritual artifacts!
Alas, the Breaking Restriction Technique was merely a partial expression of the “Chaos Formula”, incomplete. It could only shatter illusions, not truly recreate Chaos. Yet, even wielded casually by the Monster Saint, it was more than enough to obliterate the Four Symbols Sword Formation!
“The demon beast is terrifying! In mere days, it has already obtained the formula from Qianyuan and cultivated it to the peak of the ninth layer!”
The four elders shared identical shock. Though their formation was broken in seconds, they didn’t panic. Instantly channeling immense Zhenqi, they first sealed the four cardinal directions before launching their assault anew!
When the Monster Saint infiltrated Kunlun Mountain, he absorbed one strike from the restriction-breaking hand seal and was struck by a sword Qi slash. Though he had nursed his wounds, many internal injuries remained unhealed. Now, he forcefully called upon the power of the Primordial Chaos Golden Chalice, straining to push the “Five Directions Five Elements Breaking Restriction Technique” to its ninth-stage limit to shatter the sword formation. Inside him, it was like mountains and seas clashing; his vital essence and blood surged violently, threatening to burst!
“Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!”
Four more figures landed on the scene. They were Qian Ling, Qian Tai, Qian Guang, and Qian Fu – four more elders of Xuanpu Hall!
“Demon beast, you escape not today!”
Qian Tai’s swarthy face flushed crimson as he bellowed. Great Purity True Embryo Qi densely blanketed the area, setting down layer upon layer of seals as it surged inward. He activated his Work of Creation Cauldron Art. Innumerable vortexes of pure light spun wildly throughout the space, joining forces with the Seven Stars Ancient Sword Qi!
“The Kunlun Sect wastes no effort!”
Whether it was Mu Yuan, Xing Yuzhu, or the three grey-clad figures, all were utterly stunned. Eight Primordial Spirit elders acting in concert! Even a celestial immortal descended from heaven would likely struggle!
The observers huddled their Zhenqi tightly, retreating to a corner, struggling to withstand the fierce, howling storm of chaotic energy blasts!
“Argh!”
Even the habitually fearless Monster Saint couldn’t help but show alarm.
“Primordial Chaos Golden Chalice, Conduit the Earth Veins! Earth Spirit Essence, Heavenly Demon Possess!”
The Monster Saint roared. The Primordial Chaos Golden Chalice exploded with golden radiance. Instantly, the mountains shuddered, the earth quaked, fire burst forth, and all manners of Primordial Qi raged. A fire dragon and a silver dragon erupted from fissures in the ground, twisting upwards, then plunged into the golden chalice!
In an instant, wielding supreme magical power, the Monster Saint forcibly devoured the gold and fire Earth Veins, desperate to break through!
Mu Yuan’s Great Sun Fire Curse was instantly blasted away. Yuan Kong staggered backwards.
“Only the biggest fist rules! Despite our pains, we lack fate with these Earth Veins!”
Mu Yuan sighed inwardly, watching the gushing spiritual veins, feeling deeply regretful.
“Earth Vein spiritual Qi!”
Qian Guang and his three companions cried out in astonishment. As one, the eight grey-bearded elders blasted their magical power towards the spirit qi coiling sinuously through the air!
“We absolutely cannot let the demon steal another vein! Otherwise, slaying him today becomes uncertain!”
The eight shared the same thought. Great Purity True Embryo Qi and Seven Stars Ancient Sword Qi crisscrossed and contended with the Primordial Chaos Golden Chalice, fiercely snatching at the spiritual veins!
Explosions of chaotic spiritual qi and Zhenqi ricocheted wildly like daggers across the chamber. The juniors shielded their faces, trembling, desperately trying to evade!
“BOOM!”
The tall, thin man among the three grey-clad figures, possessing the lowest magical power, was the first to crumble. A brilliantly shining Sky-Piercing Halberd shot skyward, hovering above his head, flickering like a candle flame in the wind!
CRACK!
A rain of blood sprayed forth. The man’s physical body exploded into pieces. The halberd’s radiant light flashed brilliantly once, then dimmed profoundly.
“This halberd… such heavy killing intent! What is its origin?”
When Mu Yuan had clashed with the tall, thin man previously, he felt the halberd’s aura was thick with the killing spirit of the battlefield, tempered through countless bloody battles. The killing aura contained within could shake a cultivator’s Dao heart. Now that its owner died, though the halberd’s light dimmed, its innate ferocity intensified immensely. Unrestrained, it diffused outwards, conjuring vivid scenes of slaughter and combat within Mu Yuan’s mind.
Countless cries of despair, shouts of frenzy; flesh exploded, limbs flew apart, blood flowed enough to float shields, all life trampled into ruin…
At this very moment, the eight elders’ combined Zhenqi and sword Qi slammed thunderously into the coiling dragon-shaped Earth Vein Qi. Everyone heard the anguished roar of a True Dragon. The Primordial Chaos Golden Chalice hung stubbornly mid-air, seemingly locked in fierce combat with the eight!
The two Earth Veins manifested before them. One, red as fire, its normally ethereal and insubstantial spiritual Qi now condensed into a tangible, flowing substance like magma, flames dancing atop its surface, radiating intense heat felt even at a distance. The other vein shone pure white as jade, lustrous and dazzling, resembling a river formed of liquid mercury, flowing endlessly from head to toe.
These two Earth Veins, forcibly extracted by the Primordial Chaos Golden Chalice, broke free from the earth’s core magnetism. They coiled like divine dragons, yet their opposite ends were violently torn at by the opposing forces! Silver light erupted, crimson radiance burst wildly!
“A fine weapon! Such potent killing aura suits me perfectly!”
The Monster Saint gestured. The halberd flew into his hand. A slight heft confirmed that while its material was mediocre, it contained concentrated military killing intent of unparalleled density. He couldn’t fathom how much battlefield carnage, cruelty, and slaughter had been gathered to forge so deadly a weapon.
In the Monster Saint’s grip, the halberd became like a tiger freed from its cage, a flood dragon broken loose! It rang out with a metallic chime. A thick divine light radiated. Two curved talismanic characters twisted into being upon the shaft: “八荒” – Eight Desolations.
“Excellent! Sweeping the Eight Desolations! Slaughtering the Four Directions! Truly worthy of the Eight Desolations Divine Halberd! Yet, what a pity!”
Currently, the Monster Saint relied entirely on the Primordial Chaos Golden Chalice to counter the eight formidable Primordial Spirit elders. Even so, the backlash assaulted his entire body. The killing aura within this Eight Desolations Halberd was rare indeed! Yet its maker lacked the proper method, using only common refined iron, preventing it from ascending to the rank of a divine weapon.
The Monster Saint’s divine sense flowed through it, instantly triggering several formations embedded within. He casually flung the halberd skyward, triggering furious detonations!
Golden fragments exploded outwards. Thick, visible black smoke billowed forth. Countless avenging ghosts and malevolent spirits, with wild hair and blood-soaked bodies, materialized and roamed erratically. An eerie chill and savage murderous Qi saturated the air, rushing like a torrent towards the eight elders!
The Eight Desolations Divine Halberd had been in the Monster Saint’s grasp for less than a breath, yet he detonated it, releasing the concentrated battlefield slaughter Qi inside to assail the eight enemies!
“Manifest the Four Symbols Gods! Seven Stars Sword Classic! Great Purity Natural Presence! True Embryo Cauldron Furnace!”
The Monster Saint poured forth his utmost strength. One side, he devoured Earth Vein Qi to amplify his might. The other side, he churned the released murderous Qi into a maelstrom engulfing the entire chamber, instantly placing the eight elders in dire peril!
Baleful killing Qi, brutal and tyrannical, extinguished existence, sweeping away life and vibrant energy!
The eight elders likewise exerted their fullest power. Immense Zhenqi, profound sword Qi – all plunged forcibly into the Earth Vein Dragon Forms coiling like True Dragons. Above their heads, a starscape unfolded! It divided into the four directions, mapping the Twenty-Eight Mansions. At its center spun an enormous Dantian Cauldron furnace! It rotated rapidly, erupting pure light, pulling the surrounding stars downward to form an all-encompassing barrier!
Zhenqi, sharp as arrows, screamed violently inward. Xing Yuzhu’s Eternal Art held its defenses firm as a mountain, unmovable as mountains and seas shifted. It just barely held. The two remaining grey-clad men roared in despair and fled heedlessly outwards!
The arrow-like Qi shafts tore through them instantly. Their bodies became riddled with bloody holes. Before the shorter man could reach the cavern entrance, he detonated into bloody mist! Their leader bit through his tongue tip, spurting a mouthful of blood. A crimson shadow flashed. He vanished under a bloody cloud!
Yuan Kong unfurled his kasaya like a canopy. He transformed himself into a trail of fire, withdrawing beneath it. Thwip! Thwip! Constant tearing sounds indicated the golden kasaya had been shredded beyond repair!
Mu Yuan’s Water Restriction Escape Sword shattered mere moments after activating. Eighteen pieces of talismanic script flashed briefly. Iron fragments sprayed wildly. Chest crushed as if by a giant mountain, Mu Yuan acted instinctively. His Black Water Gourd shot forth from his Dantian! Its mouth spun open. The Great Art of Yin-Yang Soul Shackling and Qi Sealing arrayed above it spun fiercely, voraciously inhaling the chaotic energies storming towards him! Mu Yuan himself hid beneath the gourd… safe, for now!
Imperceptible to anyone engaged in the fierce combat, a core of dense, multi-colored light, like inextricable fog, separated from each Earth Vein under the intense clash between the eight elders and the Primordial Chaos Golden Chalice. These glowing cores drifted free. Caught amongst the countless, radiating shards of explosive Qi, they, too… were swallowed into the vortex within the Black Water Gourd!