Hu Yun, despite his seemingly carefree demeanor, was far from foolish. As a master of illusion, he immediately recognized from their initial skirmish that his opponent's appearance bore no trace of illusion or transformation. He deduced that unless the opponent's transformative abilities rivaled those of Mr. Ji, this was unlikely to be Mi Huang's true form, but rather an avatar or a temporary vessel.
Even against a true celestial demon, Hu Yun, with his unique skills, would not shy from a fight. Now, fueled by surging rage, he unleashed his full power to contend with Mi Huang's avatar.
Hu Yun employed his demonic dharma body and movement techniques, even summoning shadow guardians. He wove together illusion and reality, manifesting the ethereal form of an eight-tailed crimson fox that stretched across the sky.
With a flick of his hand, Mi Huang's dharma form extended, transforming into a massive, hairy claw that fiercely met the crimson fox's sweeping tail attack.
"Boom!"
The immense force scattered the clouds and dispersed the rain, while also shaking the mountains, causing Banana Leaf Mountain to tremble violently.
Hu Yun, clad in red, stood sentinel in the sky. The ethereal crimson fox's eyes blazed with fire, and red mist poured from its maw. The landscape it passed over blurred into indistinctness, resembling a rapidly expanding crimson fog or an ever-spreading inferno. Banana Leaf Mountain seemed engulfed in a sea of spectral flames.
Hu Yun chanted softly, his voice resounding in all directions.
"Others may fear you, but I do not! Prepare to die!"
The Illusory Spirit True Fire was one of Hu Yun's signature techniques. While he had cultivated it with great admiration for the power of Mr. Ji's Samadhi True Fire, in certain aspects, his own True Fire was no less potent, and even surpassed, Samadhi True Fire.
It had no physical heat or scorching sensation, yet it inflicted intense burning pain and terror upon the soul. The moment one attempted to resist or flee, the flames would already be searing both body and spirit.
Even Mi Huang's avatar writhed in immense pain. Its serene expression contorted into a gruesome grimace, and its facial skin began to blacken, char, and tear.
"Ugh..."
Mi Huang struggled to control his hands, compulsively clawing at his face and body. The slightest touch peeled away his skin and even flesh.
"Huh?"
Mi Huang's eyes widened, his expression twisting into an even more grotesque mask. He gazed up at the cool, aloof Hu Yun in the sky, his rage boiling over into a chilling laugh.
"Hahahahaha, do you think this is Ji Yuan's Samadhi True Fire? Get lost—"
"Roar—"
A tremendous roar erupted, and terrifying demonic energy burst forth from Mi Huang, exploding outwards in all directions before rapidly coalescing into flames. The inferno surged, as vast and overwhelming as a tempestuous sea.
The Mountain God of Banana Leaf Mountain had only just emerged and hadn't even had time to stabilize his spiritual energy when he encountered a battle of such magnitude, nearly causing his soul to leave his body in fright.
Witnessing such a chaotic battle, how could Mountain God Gong Weng dare to remain outside Banana Leaf Mountain? He naturally fled at once. Even within the valley, the earth-shaking tremors remained distinctly palpable.
Mr. Gao had been frantic with worry, fearing harm might befall the Mountain God. Now, seeing the Mountain God emerge from his earth遁, covered in dust but unharmed, he breathed a profound sigh of relief.
"Gong Weng, what happened?"
The Mountain God, panting heavily, caught his breath before grabbing Mr. Gao and urging him inside, speaking anxiously as they moved.
"Quickly, quickly! You and Lady She must flee at once! An assailant has appeared; it must be that demon, Mi Huang! Immortal Hu Yun is engaging him in battle. There's no time to waste!"
"We'll go find Lady She immediately!"
The two headed towards She Ji's cultivation chamber together but found it impossible to approach, as that entire area was now bathed in golden light.
"Lady She, Lady She! Mi Huang has attacked! My Immortal Hu Yun is fighting him! Please, flee quickly so that Immortal Hu Yun isn't distracted by protecting us!"
Unable to pass, they could only shout from where they stood.
High above Banana Leaf Mountain, beyond the immediate vicinity of Hu Yun and Mi Huang's battle, a storm had materialized due to the terrifying spiritual energy fluctuations. Strong winds and torrential rain lashed down over an area spanning hundreds of miles.
The two combatants outside were oblivious to the golden light emanating from within Banana Leaf Mountain's valley. However, those far beyond the storm could faintly discern a golden luminescence in that direction.
In Desheng Prefecture, within the Wei clan's ancestral home, the patriarch and several elders had yet to depart. They remained indecisive about whether to present a treasure to Ji Yuan.
Just then, a faint light emanated from the secret vault within the ancestral home's Cloud Pavilion, catching the attention of the Wei clan members.
The Wei patriarch and several elders immediately proceeded to the secret vault, only to find the protective enchantments perfectly intact. Oddly, upon nearing it, the sensation vanished entirely, leaving the group to exchange puzzled glances outside the Cloud Pavilion's underground vault.
"Stay vigilant. Let's go inside and investigate!"
Despite the unlikelihood of anyone having gained entry, the Wei clan members remained cautiously vigilant. The patriarch then cast a spell, slowly unsealing the vault's massive door.
The grand red door slowly swung open, revealing rows of ancient display shelves. Each compartment on every shelf shimmered with the flowing light of protective enchantments.
After a comprehensive inspection, everything appeared to be in order, save for one specific location, which had been the primary subject of their discussions in recent days.
The group collectively moved past the final row of display shelves to find a small golden door behind it. While their senses indicated everything within was likely fine, they couldn't be certain without investigating.
The Wei patriarch personally opened the door once more, but this time it required the cooperation of at least two other elders. Only by combining the patriarch's token with the jade pendants of the two elders and performing the correct incantation could the small golden door be opened.
The moment the small door swung open, they were met with an interior bathed in golden light. At the far end, on a wooden platform, a large, originally black casket had been completely transmuted to gold. Golden, thread-like strands of light continuously emanated from it, yet the casket's protective enchantments seemed utterly unaffected.
"What is this?"
The Wei clan members instinctively stepped inside. Suddenly, all the golden light vanished, as if the previous phenomenon had been an illusion. Yet, so many, all cultivators, had witnessed it; a collective hallucination without cause was impossible.
The Wei patriarch and several elders cautiously gathered around the wooden platform, contemplatively observing the black casket in the center, which now appeared entirely unchanged.
"Patriarch, could this be some kind of omen?"
"Patriarch, in my view, our ancestor's wisdom was unparalleled. He must have foreseen this day, but constrained by his lifespan, left this item for us, his descendants. Now that Mr. Ji has reappeared, it is undoubtedly the opportune moment to present this object!"
"Precisely. The recent anomaly displayed by this item is clearly an undeniable sign!"
"Patriarch! Do not hesitate!"
Even the dissenting elders fell silent this time. The Wei patriarch, after much deliberation, finally nodded and assented.
"Very well. With this omen today, we shall no longer conceal it. The Celestial Realm Dharma Assembly is currently underway, drawing spiritual energies from all corners to the heavens, leaving less behind in the mortal world. There is no time to delay. We shall carefully retrieve this item and send it to Juyuan Small Pavilion, taking this opportunity to behold Mr. Ji's visage!"
As the Wei patriarch spoke, all the Wei elders, including himself, felt a subtle surge of excitement.
It seemed as though Mr. Ji had long since vanished from the world, yet countless legends about him persisted. Who wouldn't desire to meet this immortal who stood at the pinnacle of the Dao, this Mr. Ji whom the Wei clan ancestor had yearned for until his dying breath?
Led by the patriarch, the Wei clan members collectively bowed towards the treasure platform.
"By Heaven and Earth and our Ancestor above, we, the descendants of the Wei clan, retrieve this item today solely to present it to Mr. Ji, with no selfish intent whatsoever!"
Having bowed, the Wei patriarch personally stepped forward and gently lifted the black casket. The group then exited the inner chamber, passed through the secret vault, and finally arrived at the entrance of the Cloud Pavilion.
The very moment the Wei patriarch and the others stepped out of the Cloud Pavilion with the casket,
"Whoosh—"
As if released from the Cloud Pavilion's suppression, a columnar beam of golden light shot forth from the casket, illuminating the Wei ancestral home and suffusing it with a golden hue.
"No! Seal it!"
No sooner had the Wei patriarch's words faded than, before he could retreat into the Cloud Pavilion or anyone could intervene, they witnessed a substance, covered in golden patterns, ascend into the sky, carried by the golden light. The black casket had offered no resistance; it had been passed through yet remained completely intact.
Concurrently, within Banana Leaf Mountain, She Ji was abruptly lifted into the air. Two beams of golden light, separated by thousands of miles, surged towards each other from distant points.
"Ah!"
She Ji cried out in surprise as the golden light whisked her away, moving faster than she could ever flee on her own.
This sudden development caused both Hu Yun and Mi Huang, who were locked in battle, to instinctively cease their fighting. They instantly transformed into two streaks of light, giving chase to She Ji at their fastest possible speed.
However, the golden light's speed was astonishing; Hu Yun and Mi Huang found themselves increasingly outpaced. Meanwhile, within the golden radiance, She Ji experienced growing discomfort as the treasure fragment inside her gradually began to force its way out. Finally, after traveling several hundred miles, the fragment fully exited her body and sped away into the distance. She Ji stumbled, flung clear of the golden light, and the golden strands connecting to her body snapped mid-air. A portion continued with the light, while the rest swiftly retreated back into her body.
Hu Yun and Mi Huang, arriving from behind, didn't perceive the exact circumstances, but both witnessed She Ji being thrown clear. Two streaks of red light, one deep and one pale, arrived in quick succession. Mi Huang swept past She Ji, delivering a gentle palm strike that impacted the still-disoriented She Ji's back from a distance.
"Urgh—"
The blow shattered She Ji's demonic energy, causing her to vomit blood. She sailed past Hu Yun's escape light like a broken sack. Hu Yun gritted his teeth, veered, and caught She Ji, but was promptly flung away by Mi Huang.
In an instant, the afterimages of the golden and red lights vanished from Hu Yun's sight.
Concurrently, at the Sun residence in Ning'an County, Sun Yiqiu thrashed on his bed, drenched in sweat, as if caught in a terrible nightmare. His body then began to convulse violently, and with a final kick of his legs, he fell utterly still.
Inside Juyuan Small Pavilion, Ji Yuan suddenly rose from the stone table in the courtyard.
"Master?" "What is it, Mr. Ji?"
Ji Yuan cast a glance at Old Dragon and Lu Shan Jun, then stepped outside Juyuan Small Pavilion. He looked towards the Sun residence, then up at the distant sky.
"Well, I'll be. It actually outmaneuvered all of them!"
"Duke Qin's destiny resides wholly within this object. Come quickly and help me retrieve it; if it escapes, it will be difficult to find!"
Ji Yuan had no time for further words; a powerful intuition compelled him to give chase immediately. Though his magical power was limited, he had comprehended the essence of the Dao, making even a single thread of his power miraculously potent. With one stride, he traversed heaven and earth. Lu Shan Jun and Old Dragon had barely taken a slow step when they perceived Ji Yuan as if separated from them by an insurmountable, celestial distance.
Without a moment's hesitation, both immediately flew off in pursuit. Though they couldn't discern what Ji Yuan was chasing, they could at least sense his current location.
[34 minutes ago] Chapter 1079: Unbroken Past Forty-Eight
[48 minutes ago] Chapter 1078: Unbroken Past
[1 hour ago] Chapter 1077: Unbroken Past Forty-Six
[1 hour ago] Chapter 1076: The Unbroken Past Forty-Five
[1 hour ago] Chapter 1075
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