Chapter 1637: Mountain and Sea Ancient Bronze Verdigris

Following the direction indicated by the Immeasurable Wall, they saw that it was pointing directly at one of the fishing immortal treasures sent by the Guangwu Star Sea.

Bai Shuyue said helplessly, "That's not for you to eat." With that, she briefly explained the current situation of the Shuoxing Sea.

"So, there are many more delicious things like this in that Guangwu Star Sea?" The Immeasurable Wall immediately stirred, and the Black Mountain and White Water that suppressed it momentarily showed a tendency to stop their self-circulation.

Bai Shuyue was quite surprised, "Have you made a breakthrough?"

The Immeasurable Wall replied triumphantly, "Naturally! With my aptitude, how could I not gain anything after being suppressed for so long? Of course, I'm still a bit short of truly transforming into a human, like Senior Chengdao."

The Immeasurable Wall then vaguely shifted the topic to the Guangwu Star Sea: "Be careful. I always have a feeling they aren't good. If you face trouble or are outmatched, don't push yourself. Escaping is the best strategy. Wait until I've completed my cultivation and awakened! Then, no matter what tricks those scoundrels have, I'll suppress them all! Heh, you didn't expect this, did you? I originally thought you'd elevate me after your transcendence, but now it seems I'll be the one guiding you."

Bai Shuyue wasn't offended by this. She simply smiled and replied, "Then let's see who transcends first. With Senior Chengdao assisting my enlightenment, most of the accumulated knowledge within me is no longer useful to me. I'll give it to you for self-defense! I hope you can safely pass this tribulation."

As it spoke, the Immeasurable Wall disgorged a collection of items, including treasures like the Eternal Coir Raincoat, and presented them to Bai Shuyue.

"Remember to be careful of the Guangwu Star Sea!" the Immeasurable Wall reiterated. Then, the Black Mountain and White Water flowed softly once more, and the Immeasurable Wall fell silent.

"Guangwu Star Sea..." Bai Shuyue gazed towards the far end of the star sea, her eyes narrowing slightly. "It seems I'll need to make more preparations." Although she didn't know what the Immeasurable Wall had sensed, Bai Shuyue chose to trust its judgment.

Time flew by, and three years passed in a flash.

On this day, over a hundred True Immortals and two Nameless Immortals from the Guangwu Star Sea arrived, escorting an immortal coffin covered in ancient bronze rust. Leading them was Yuan Shu, who had previously been in charge of negotiations. After exchanging pleasantries, the moment arrived for the much-anticipated event: opening the coffin to unleash its power against immortals.

"Although we don't know what exactly is buried within this ancient bronze coffin, the ripples of Dao Annihilation it generates in the mountains and seas are second only to those caused by that transcendent remnant among all immortal baits. Everyone, do not be careless!"

The Shuoxing Sea had driven a hard bargain during the negotiations, extorting a substantial price. The Guangwu Star Sea was naturally subjected to more pressure as a result. The immortals of the Shuoxing Sea stared intently at the bronze immortal coffin, their expressions grave.

As a slight gap appeared in the immortal coffin, the bronze rust clinging to its surface seemed to come alive. It began to rustle and flow into the coffin. Mysterious chants from ancient times emanated from within the coffin. Upon hearing them, everyone present instinctively felt a profound sense of sorrow and desolation.

"Be careful!"

One of the True Immortals from the Guangwu Star Sea, perhaps too engrossed in listening, was unknowingly tainted by dark green bronze rust from an unknown source. In an instant, he transformed into a bronze figure. His eyes had been corroded hollow, two empty sockets revealing an eerie depth within. The sight was utterly terrifying. More critically, after being transformed into a bronze statue, this True Immortal also began to chant the mysterious and ancient melody. Like a virus, the bronzification rapidly spread.

Ordinary True Immortals were infected instantly upon contact, possessing no resistance whatsoever. Only the Nameless True Immortals fared much better; their mastery of a single Dao path provided strong resistance to this external bronzification. However, this was limited to self-preservation. Even the dense Dao net couldn't fully halt the spread of the bronze rhythm, merely slowing its advance. The mysterious song, now that the ancient bronze coffin was open, gradually echoed throughout the Shuoxing Sea.

Surrounding the immortal coffin, a continuous bronze army began to gather. This bizarre sight caught both the Guangwu and Shuoxing Sea forces off guard.

"Is this the power of something close to transcendence?"

"What exactly is buried in that ancient bronze coffin?"

After their initial setbacks, they slowly began to react. They contracted the power of the Dao net, forming a defensive perimeter with the Nameless Immortals to prevent the bronzification from spreading further. The bizarre power of the bronze rhythm was entirely beyond their understanding of cultivation. They needed time to analyze and formulate a response.

"We can't cover the entire star sea," Bai Shuyue sighed. "That side will have to be abandoned." As she spoke, the Shuoxing Sea had already been starkly divided into two halves. On one side was the Dao net, intermittently flashing with blue light, and on the opposite was the immortal coffin, surrounded by countless bronze legions and dense green shadows.

During the stalemate, perhaps having amassed sufficient power, the ancient bronze coffin underwent another transformation. The dark green bronze rust on the coffin vanished entirely. The coffin fully opened. With a clanking sound, a majestic and sacred bronze war chariot slowly emerged from within. Eight monstrous, uniquely shaped ancient beasts cleared the path. The chariot itself carried no person. Instead, it bore an incredibly intricate ancient bronze tree!

Although it was less than a hundred *zhang* tall, it seemed to embody countless transformations, making its true form difficult to discern. On the ancient bronze tree, every branch and leaf appeared to chronicle the rise, fall, and very existence of an ancient bronze dynasty. The hundred-zhang bronze tree, densely packed with details, bore an incredibly weighty history.

"When the Dark Axe dances, wind and thunder tear asunder."

"When the tortoise shell bursts, the blood-red sun descends..." Billions of the transformed bronze army chanted in unison. Amidst the mournful rhythm, the ancient bronze tree emanated more light and shadows of the past. These were countless ancient bronze civilizations, each of which had flourished to its zenith. Yet, without exception, each was utterly destroyed by terrifying calamities at its final, critical juncture. These world-shattering scenes were none other than the Tribulation of Dao Annihilation!

The Bronze Civilization possessed an unimaginably tenacious vitality; even under the threat of Dao Annihilation, it could maintain a sliver of unquenchable life. This sliver became the nascent spark for the next civilization. Through countless cycles, the branches and leaves on the ancient bronze tree grew increasingly lush, bearing witness to an ever-growing number of bronze civilizations. Yet, without exception, none could truly escape the fate of being consumed by Dao Annihilation. In this endless cycle, no hope of victory was ever seen.

Consequently, the monarch of the last Bronze Civilization chose not to perpetuate this endless cycle. Embracing all traces of the Bronze Civilization's existence, he self-sealed and interred himself within a coffin. He drifted through the Dao Annihilation for countless ages until he was eventually fished out by the Guangwu Star Sea.

"To awaken from dormancy, this is the will of the ancient sages. Today, with your blood, we shall commemorate my awakening."

From the Bronze Civilization's perspective, the Guangwu and Shuoxing Sea immortals were undeniably alien. There was no need for even communication; battle commenced immediately. Although the individual strength of the Bronze Civilization's army was relatively weak, their numbers were virtually endless. From that less-than-hundred-zhang-tall ancient bronze tree, it seemed that beings that had once existed in the mountains and seas could be summoned at any moment. Furthermore, they did not possess true life or death in the conventional sense. Even after being defeated by the Shuoxing Sea immortals, they merely transformed into ancient bronze rust, flowed back onto the bronze tree, and re-formed into branches and leaves. Bai Shuyue and her allies had considered ways to sever this endless transformation cycle. However, the resilience of this bronze power, capable of enduring countless cycles of civilization amidst the extinction of Dao Annihilation, far surpassed Bai Shuyue's and others' expectations. The effort required to completely obliterate them was thousands of times greater than simply defeating them. It often required several Nameless Immortals working in concert to thoroughly dispel the eerie power of "bronzification." It was a thankless task.

After a brief setback, Bai Shuyue's side decisively altered their strategy. They no longer insisted on completely eradicating the bronze. Instead, they focused on eliminating the converted bronze army as much as possible, gradually depleting the ancient bronze tree's power. Converting bronze troops was not without cost for the ancient tree standing on the chariot. At the very least, after the war had continued for half a year, Bai Shuyue observed a noticeable decrease in its transformations.

While the Bronze Civilization was extraordinarily mysterious, the people of Shuoxing and Guangwu had also endured great hardship, surviving the destruction brought by Dao Annihilation. Their underlying strength was not significantly weaker. Furthermore, they were fighting on their home ground. Amidst the stalemate, the ancient bronze tree underwent another transformation. Bronze leaves, piece by piece, withered and fell along with the trunk. Each falling piece transformed into a blurry, colossal figure. These appeared to be the "Kings" of past Bronze Civilizations. Tens of thousands of them stood side-by-side, charging towards the Dao net.

Compared to the bronze army, the ancient bronze kings were noticeably more formidable. Each of these bronze figures possessed its own unique divine ability. All were based on "bronzification," leading to various eerie and evolving transformations. Some of these were almost indistinguishable from the Great Dao of the current era. For instance, "Palm Over Verdure" would instantly freeze the body and soul of anyone struck, as if trapping them in past time and space. Another example was "Chanting Golden Script," which unleashed countless distorted characters that swarmed enemies like dense, crawling insects. Those afflicted would have their memories twisted, causing them to turn against the Shuoxing Sea forces and help the ancient bronze tree slaughter the immortals.

Although the Bronze Kings were not as powerful as the Nameless Immortals, they were significantly stronger than True Immortals. With all of them unleashed at once, Bai Shuyue's side found themselves struggling to cope. More critically, the eight fierce exotic beasts pulling the ancient bronze tree had remained completely still throughout. They merely observed the battlefield with cold indifference.

"Let's bring out the immortal treasures," they decided after a brief discussion.

A saber and a sword. Two streaks of bright light appeared in succession. The illusory forms of the saber and sword enveloped countless vast bronze figures. As they annihilated the bronze figures, they also absorbed all the copper rust they turned into upon destruction. The Dao Sword and Dao Saber, consequently, became stained with verdigris. Yet, their inherent power was not diminished; instead, it gained a mysterious allure.

The army of the ancient bronze tree was instantly swept away, leaving only over a hundred "kings" surviving. The eight ancient beasts, who had been merely observing the spectacle, finally stirred. If the Dao Sword and Dao Saber were relics of other civilizations salvaged by the Guangwu Star Sea from the Dao Annihilation, then these ancient beasts were the mountain and sea relics collected by the Bronze Civilization. Compared to the Dao of the current era, these survivors from the ancient mountains and seas had resisted the Dao Annihilation almost entirely with their own bodies. Even with the Dao net's enhancement, the divine abilities and spells of the immortals seemed to have little to no effect on them.

Under the onslaught and rampage of the ancient beasts, the Dao net nearly shattered. Fortunately, over the past few years, its various sections had been prepared with overload training under Bai Shuyue's direction. This prevented its sudden destruction. The immortals had no choice but to call upon more fishing immortal treasures to engage them. The ancient civilization from the past of the mountains and seas and the surviving star sea civilization of the lower realm gradually entered a stalemate on the battlefield.

The Bronze Civilization was not connected to the mountains and seas. It relied solely on its own strange properties for continuous rebirth. Meanwhile, Guangwu and Shuoxing Sea had the infinite power of the mountains and seas as their backing. As both sides exchanged blows, the infinite power of the mountains and seas ultimately proved superior.

The branches and leaves on the ancient bronze tree gradually withered away. Until only a bare trunk remained. The last Bronze King's face remained calm. He gripped the copper trunk tightly, then fiercely plunged it into his own chest! The ancient bronze tree transformed into antique verdigris, flowing entirely from the wound in his chest into the Bronze King's body. It then branched out and sprouted leaves anew, manifesting as a vibrant tree. Only... unlike the bronze tree that carried the weight of the past, the one now manifest on the last Bronze King represented abandonment and rebirth. The Bronze King's features gradually became clear.

Meanwhile, all other bronze manifestations on the battlefield seemed to lose their source of power and slowly dissipated. All the kings and ancient beasts followed suit. All vanished. The immense pressure on the star sea immortals instantly vanished.

However, Bai Shuyue and the others were alarmed rather than pleased. They stared at the last Bronze King, who seemed to be undergoing an earth-shattering transformation, and an ominous premonition arose in their hearts.

"This is bad! This is a sign of comprehending the Dao and achieving transcendence!" Yuan Shu was the first to react, screaming, "If this cursed thing truly achieves transcendence, we'll all perish!"

The immortals were deeply shaken by his words. Understanding the gravity of the situation, they no longer dared to hold back, unleashing every hidden divine ability, spell, and treasure they possessed. They hurled everything towards the last Bronze King. Bai Shuyue instinctively intended to activate the Dao net to its maximum power as well. But suddenly, she recalled the Immeasurable Wall's earlier warning. With a thought, she held back. She did not unleash her prepared countermeasures.

Having abandoned his past glory and memories, he integrated all the memories of the Bronze Civilization into himself. The last Bronze King was now but a single step from transcendence. Even the Dao Annihilation beyond the Shuoxing Sea faintly sensed it, its waves surging and growing turbulent. Although the immortals exerted all their might to stop him, they couldn't harm him in the slightest. Watching the ancient tree patterns on the Bronze King's body grow increasingly lush, they seemed poised to witness the birth of a new transcendent powerhouse. The immortals couldn't help but show despair. Instinctively, some had already begun to contemplate escape.

In this final crucial moment, Yuan Shu of the Guangwu Star Sea gritted his teeth and hurled a seemingly ordinary bead towards the Bronze King. A brilliant light burst forth, and countless luminous images erupted from it. It was the Dao Chronicle Projection Orb!