Longzang

Chapter 158 No martial ethics
Although the Great Shaman was severely injured, he still disregarded the magic of the young masters and ladies, focusing all his efforts on fighting Wei Yuan. The withered branch instilled in him an indescribable fear; had it not been for the immense shadow suppressing him, the Great Shaman would have risked severe damage to his Dharma body to break free from the branch.

Unexpectedly, a bunch of fragmented Taoist techniques fell on him, and the Great Shaman suddenly screamed in agony. He felt pain that penetrated his very soul from each of the Taoist techniques!
He was both shocked and furious. Could it be that all these people were chosen ones? If they were truly chosen ones, how could they only have such limited abilities?

The Great Shaman had already discerned that Wei Yuan's current strength was largely due to later enhancements, and such a terrifying enhancement could not last. The snake, being the most resilient, had originally planned to endure until Wei Yuan's enhancements dissipated before attempting a sudden escape. However, now, struck by so many magical attacks, its avatar was in considerable pain and unstable; the spot on the python's head pierced by the withered branch showed signs of disintegration.

He screamed desperately, "Phantom, save me!"

A sweet, cloying voice rang in Wei Yuan's ears: "Little brother, this isn't good! Why don't you let him go, and we'll leave right away?"

A figure completely wrapped in a robe appeared to Wei Yuan's side, seemingly there yet not there, elusive and uncertain. A patch of water appeared above its head, and a shadow moved back and forth within the water.

The second great witch!
Before she could say another word, the shadow above Wei Yuan's head suddenly solidified, and the mountain-like pressure instantly rendered her unable to move!
Meiying never expected that Wei Yuan still had the strength to suppress her! Although it was only temporary, it was still terrifying upon closer inspection.

Wei Yuan twisted the withered branch with force, and the Blood Python Great Shaman let out a miserable scream. A clear hole appeared in the Blood Python's huge head.

The phantom dared not be negligent, and with a burst of all its magical power, it immediately broke through the suppressing shadow.

However, at that moment, a bright but silent blade flashed, and a cut suddenly appeared on her lower body. Even the body hidden under the robe was cut open, revealing pale flesh with a hint of pink.

The phantom was shocked. Her body vanished instantly and reappeared dozens of feet away. However, another blade of light appeared and cut another gash on her body.

She was stabbed twice before she could see her opponent clearly.

She was a petite girl with straight black hair, simply tied back. She had large eyes, and her small face held a hint of bewilderment. In her small, white hands, which seemed to glow, she gripped an eight-foot-long sword, its blade radiating an aura of destruction.

Despite being dozens of feet apart, she leaped to the front of the phantom, her long sword flashing with a mournful light, opening another wound on the phantom's body!

The phantom flashed dozens of times in an instant, but the little girl, bouncing and hopping, remained by her side, the flashes of blade light flickering on and off, impossible to shake off. In the blink of an eye, several more wounds, some deep and some shallow, appeared on the phantom's body.

In this round of intense fighting, Phantom realized that the girl was only at the mid-stage of the Foundation Establishment realm. Her sword and movements were incredibly powerful, but limited by her cultivation, she could only inflict minor injuries. However, Phantom's counterattacks were easily neutralized by the girl, clearly demonstrating that her combat skills had reached an unbelievable level.

The Phantom regained its composure, its figure flashing a hundred times every breath while continuously casting various curses on the girl. In the blink of an eye, the girl's speed slowed down by half a point. In this way, although the Phantom was gradually accumulating an advantage, it couldn't defeat the girl in a short time. It could only shout, "Blood Eye, hold on for a while!"

The phantom was entangled by the suddenly appearing girl, and the blood python was immediately in dire straits.

With every breath, a small part of his Dharma form would be destroyed. That withered branch was an absolute celestial object; after destroying the Dharma form, it directly absorbed the destroyed part, essentially making that part disappear permanently. This was achieved over a period of time measured in decades and with the power of countless blood sacrifices!
Bloodshot Eyes was filled with terror as he desperately cried out, "Where is that human Dharma Avatar who infiltrated? Tell him to come and save me immediately!"

Another Dharma Image has infiltrated? Wei Yuan's heart skipped a beat, and then his senses were triggered. Someone was already standing in front of the Hall of Merit and had reached out to push open the hall door.

But at this moment, Wei Yuan calmed down and suppressed the blood python that was struggling desperately. The hole around the withered branch gradually expanded.

The young masters and ladies were still frantically throwing out their poorly crafted Daoist techniques, but since they were all currently blessed by Wei Yuan's extraterrestrial luck, each technique could actually injure the Blood Python's avatar. Although each strike didn't cause much damage, the cumulative effect was still somewhat significant.

The person in front of the Hall of Merit was clearly more interested in the Hall of Merit and Qingming than in saving Blood Eye. After all, with two immortal objects in front of him, few people could resist such temptation.

He was a young man who appeared to be indulging in excessive drinking and womanizing, yet he also exuded a rotten stench. He appeared out of nowhere in front of the Hall of Merit, and no one knew how he had arrived at the very core of the realm. Wei Yuan, the Lord of the Azure Netherworld, was completely unaware until he pushed open the hall door.

The young man smiled, reached out and pushed open the hall door, and stepped into the Hall of Merit.

However, the scenery before his eyes changed. The Hall of Merit disappeared, and a doorway appeared in front of him, standing alone in the open space.

The young man sneered and said, "I have studied formations for seventy years. What can a mere illusion formation do to me?"

He reached out and knocked on the door, and a text immediately appeared on it.

This method of using formations to protect key locations is very popular among major clans and even immortal sects. This text is generally a hint for entering the secret chamber. After all, the purpose of such formations is to deter outsiders with ill intentions, not to completely prevent people from entering or leaving. Furthermore, whether or not it is explained, the principles of formations remain the same despite variations, so the young man is also fearless.

He looked closely. He saw the words appearing on the door:

A comet (its weight and speed are a certain) approaches an Earth (its weight is a certain, and it remains stationary) along the following path. Question: Will the comet collide with the Earth?
The young man was stunned! He recognized every single word in the text, but when put together, he couldn't understand a thing.

He paused for a moment, then tentatively asked, "Won't we collide?" With a creak, the door opened.

The young man was taken aback again, then laughed and said, "I thought it was something else, but it was just a charade!"

Amidst a loud laugh, he pushed open the door and entered.

Upon entering, the scenery changed again, and the door behind him had vanished. The young man looked around and found himself surrounded by nothing but a vast emptiness.

His expression changed drastically. The surroundings were no longer an illusion; this was the real void! The door from before wasn't a portal, but a teleportation array!
The young man dared not act rashly again. A single misstep in the void could lead to complete disorientation, with no idea when he would find his way out. Clearly, the person who set up this formation would not save him.

At this moment, a planet appeared in front of him, and a melodious yet malicious voice sounded beside him: "Please fly along the comet's trajectory indicated by the sign at the entrance. You will arrive at the Boundary Stone Azure Netherworld in one hundred breaths. Note that if you deviate from the trajectory by more than five degrees, you will be lost. Please find your own way back."

The young man's face was extremely pale. He had broken countless formations in his life, but he had never seen such a formation before.
Our ancestors' teachings have always emphasized leaving a way out in dire straits, implying that one can escape unscathed. Doesn't this person fear having no descendants if he sets up such a formation?

He barely suppressed his agitation and began to carefully observe his surroundings, trying to deduce the formation. But as he calculated, his expression grew increasingly grim.

This is the true void. The formation created a gap in reality; entering through that door transports you into the void. The entrance back to the original human realm is where Qingming is located, which is also the entrance to the formation. That's where he just entered.

The entire void was empty, and the entrance could not be sensed at all. The only solid ground was that planet, which was actually a refined stone. But that solid ground was meaningless; even if you went up there, you wouldn't be able to find an exit, so it would be a waste of time.

Besides, according to ancestral calculations, that planet is the location of the Death Gate, and he would never want to go up there unless absolutely necessary. Actually, going up there wouldn't be anything wrong, it's just that it feels awkward.

It seems that to get out, we really have to follow the comet's trajectory. But is that trajectory really calculated? Shouldn't it be drawn by hand?
Just when they were caught between a rock and a hard place, a figure suddenly appeared on Earth, with four immortal swords floating around him. It was Zhang Sheng.

Standing on Earth, Zhang Sheng said slowly, "Fourth Elder has come from afar, and I have not yet fulfilled my duty as host. Since you are here, there is no need for you to leave."

The young man sneered, "A mere Foundation Establishment cultivator dares to utter such boastful words!"

Zhang Sheng smiled faintly and said, "You are not the first, nor will you be the last, to say this in front of me. However, all those who say this have become Zhang Tiangong, and you are no exception."

The Fourth Elder, enraged, laughed and said, "Fine! Then I'll see just how powerful the Dao Foundation of the Primordial Beginning Palace really is!"

On the battlefield, Wei Yuan finally subdued the beings of that instant, and the enormous shadow above his head vanished. But the blood python's entire head had completely disappeared, leaving only its body still struggling instinctively.

Without the blessing of all living beings, the strength of all human cultivators instantly plummeted back to its original level. However, in that short period of blessing, the Witch Clan had already suffered heavy casualties, with more than 20,000 dead and wounded, and almost all of their vanguard cannon fodder had been wiped out.

After the extreme outburst, everyone was nearly exhausted, and many people couldn't even hold their swords and knelt down.

Seeing an opportunity, the bear-man on the high platform beat the human-skin war drum again, and a large number of retreating witch soldiers turned back to fight. At the same time, a large number of soldiers from the central army also joined the attack.

However, just as the Wu Clan army returned to their positions, the beings in the Azure Netherworld rose up once more. Countless human cultivators who had been weak and collapsed on the ground leaped up again and slaughtered the Wu Clan!

This battle once again left the Wu tribe in a bloodbath, utterly routed. Then, large numbers of humans, weakened once more, collapsed, gasping for breath. This time, even more fell than before.

The bear-man was still not satisfied and beat the war drum made of human skin once more. The witch army launched a counterattack, only to be met head-on by the third wave of the "Instantaneous Beings," and was instantly routed. This time, the bear-man dared not beat the drum again, and some members of the witch army's rear guard began to secretly flee.

In truth, the Azure Pool was already empty, and the Instantaneous Beings technique was no longer viable. However, Wei Yuan intentionally ended the Instantaneous Beings technique prematurely, provoking the Witch Clan to launch a counterattack and deliver a crushing blow. After this happened twice, the Witch Clan was terrified and dared not test the waters again.

The Phantom was still locked in combat with the small girl wielding an eight-foot-long sword. Although she had gained the upper hand, she couldn't win and couldn't break free from the entanglement. Suddenly, she screamed, "How long are you going to keep going?"

The scream brought forth a figure in the air. This person was also completely shrouded in a long robe, and the scream seemed to have caused an ancient tree to sprout from above their head. The ancient tree vanished in a flash, and this hidden third great shaman's gaze shifted back and forth between the withered branch in Wei Yuan's hand and the entrance to the Hall of Merit, showing no intention of making a move.

At this moment, the doors of the Hall of Merit opened, and Zhang Sheng walked out of the hall, carrying the head of the old man who looked like a young man.

The bugle call finally sounded, and the remnants of the Wu tribe retreated like a tide.

They won? Amidst the mountains of corpses and seas of blood, human cultivators crawled out of the trenches, and wounded cultivators slowly rose from the piles of corpses. They looked around in a daze, and after a moment, bursts of cheers and shouts erupted!
The fortune of the vast land had been completely exhausted, but now wisps of pale blue aura appeared, eventually condensing into thirty-three strands of blue aura. Among them, one strand was pure blue, unlike the others, and was also thicker and more solid than the others, comparable to the fortune bestowed by the shadow of the moon.

(End of this chapter)