Mortal's Purple Sky Cave Heaven

Chapter 489 Shocking Change
“Fellow Daoist Nie is right. Besides, this is not the end of the cave.”

Gu Ling looked at a blue stone gate with the words "Tianluo Shangren" written on the plaque above it, suggesting that the core of this cave dwelling was inside the stone gate.

Soon, the three of them used their magic to pick and store the medicinal herbs, and then they arrived at the stone gate.

"What is Tianluo Shangren up to? He set up a secret room here, but there are no restrictions on the door." The man in black robes sneered and slammed his hand down on the stone door in front of him without any politeness.

Suddenly, a black, luminous hand about a foot in size appeared on the stone door and then struck out with its palm.

With a dull thud, the stone door collapsed heavily inwards as if it were made of paper.

Nie Zhaonan and his group naturally went inside and entered a large hall.

The hall was not large, only about seven or eight zhang wide.

Apart from an altar, the entire hall was empty and devoid of anything else.

"What is this?" Gu Ling stared blankly at an unidentified gray wooden box on the altar, somewhat dazed.

Nie Zhaonan also looked over with some surprise and doubt. He subconsciously used the spiritual eye power of his Lingxi Bright Eyes, but he was immediately startled. A strange look flashed across his face, but he quickly returned to normal.

"Calamity-Averting Wood! I'm not seeing things, am I? This is the divine wood from the celestial realm that can weaken the power of heavenly lightning. I never expected that Venerable Tianluo would possess this wood! It's a pity that there's not enough of it, not even enough to refine a single treasure." The man in black robes immediately revealed the origin of the wooden box. Then, his face lit up with curiosity, and he couldn't help but take two steps forward, intending to get a closer look.

Gu Ling also seemed to be intrigued by the contents of the box and stepped forward as well.

However, Nie Zhaonan stood still, not moving an inch, quietly watching the two's actions, his eyes flashing uncertainly.

Noticing that Nie Zhaonan hadn't made a move behind him, the man in black robes turned around in surprise and said:
"Fellow Daoist Nie is not interested in this wooden box? Then let me, Hui, take a look at what's hidden inside."

"Please proceed, Fellow Daoist Hui."

Upon hearing this, the man in black robes nodded, turned around, and with a flick of his wrist, a large, dark hand appeared on the altar, then reached down to grab at the bottom.

Just as the large hand was about to touch the wooden box, a sudden change occurred!
The wooden box, which was originally sealed tightly, suddenly had its lid blown into the sky with a loud bang.

Then, a gray light, too bright for the three of them to see, shot out from the box!

The gray light was incredibly fast. At such close range, even with his powerful cultivation at the mid-stage of the Integration Realm, the black-robed man had no time to dodge. One of his hands was emitting a blindingly bright black light, about to unleash some great divine power, but the gray light struck the black-robed man's face and vanished in a flash.

"Ah!" A bloodcurdling scream escaped from the man in the black robe.

The black light in his hand immediately went out, and then he knelt on the ground with his hands covering his head, his entire face beginning to contort and twitch.

"Possession!" Gu Ling, who was not far away, turned pale and fell silent upon seeing the shocking turn of events.

Without a second thought, she pointed at the man in black robes, and a blue flying knife shot out from his body, slashing fiercely at the seemingly immobile man in black robes, showing no mercy whatsoever!

But at that very moment, the man in black robes let out a low, extremely unpleasant roar. He raised his head, his face covered with a thick layer of gray mist, and his eyes turned completely into a ghostly green. He stared straight at the blue light shooting towards him, without any expression.

Just as the throwing knife was about to flash past him, the man in black robes suddenly waved his hand, and a metallic clang rang out. The throwing knife was blocked by his arm with lightning speed and sent flying.

However, the sleeve on his arm was also shattered into pieces by the flying knife, and the arm was completely exposed.

Gu Ling's eyes twitched involuntarily. She noticed that the arm had suddenly become golden and shiny, covered with long, thick, purplish-red veins, while the palm had become extremely rough, shrouded in gray mist, resembling a ghostly claw, which was incredibly eerie.

Gu Ling's heart sank. It was unbelievable that the black-robed man, with his mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivation, could still have his body possessed in such a short time.

She had some guesses about what that gray light was, or even its origin.

Nie Zhaonan watched the scene unfold from beginning to end, a knowing look on his face. Under the power of his spiritual eyes, he had noticed something amiss with the wooden box, though at the time he couldn't be certain of his suspicions; now, however, he was absolutely certain.

The man in black robes had already stood up unsteadily. He did not immediately attack Nie Zhaonan and the other man, but instead stretched out his hands and looked them over, then carefully examined his own body before suddenly raising his head and laughing strangely.

"Hehehe, after all these years, someone has finally delivered themselves to my doorstep. True dragon blood, this body can barely be used."

"Who are you?" Gu Ling asked, a chill running down her spine.

"You've trespassed into my cave, and you still don't know who I am?" The 'black-robed man' slowly withdrew his gaze, then coldly stared at her.

"Impossible! Master Tianluo should have perished a hundred thousand years ago!" Gu Ling's expression changed, and then she glanced at the wooden box on the offering table, as if she had figured something out, and her expression became uncertain and surprised.

“You’re right, I should have perished long ago. But how could I be willing to let my extraordinary cultivation vanish like this? Even if I become a ghost cultivator, I will not hesitate to abandon reincarnation!” Tianluo Shangren’s face was even more ashen than before, and he said in a sinister tone.

"Your Excellency has quite the spirit. Although reincarnation is ethereal and illusory, I, Nie, cannot reach such a level." Nie Zhaonan's expression was neither sad nor happy, and he shook his head slightly.

Tianluo Shangren's pair of eerie green eyes were extremely cold, staring at Nie Zhaonan without blinking, as if he were a dead man:
"You do have some supernatural abilities. I originally favored your physical body the most, but I didn't expect you to see through some of my schemes. But it doesn't matter. This body is still usable now and is enough to deal with the two of you. If you offer your body willingly, saving me the trouble of taking action, I might as well let you go to reincarnation as you wish."

Nie Zhaonan's eyes turned cold, but his voice remained calm as still water, "Master Tianluo? Your tone is far too arrogant. How dare a mere ghost cultivator be so insolent in front of me? Do you not know what kind of cultivation technique I practice?"

As soon as he finished speaking, extremely faint crackling sounds of electric arcs filled the hall. A gray-white arc of electricity crackled across Nie Zhaonan's body, his aura incredibly powerful, like a heavenly tribulation!
"Chaotic Divine Thunder! Fellow Daoist Nie, you have actually cultivated such an earth-shattering divine power!" Gu Ling felt relieved and a look of joy appeared on her face.

Lightning magic inherently possesses a natural deterrent effect on ghosts and spirits, and the Chaos Divine Lightning, gathering the essence of the five elements of divine lightning, is naturally far more powerful in suppressing them. Upon seeing this, the Heavenly Net Immortal's expression immediately turned grim, his face darkening like still water, and for a moment he remained completely still, filled with extreme apprehension.

“Fellow Daoist Tianluo, you probably don’t have much confidence in dealing with Fellow Daoist Nie right now. In my opinion, how about the three of us call it quits?” Gu Ling suddenly spoke up, making such a suggestion, without any intention of pursuing the matter of the black-robed man being possessed.

Master Tianluo looked thoughtful, but before he could say anything, his expression suddenly changed as he looked behind Nie Zhaonan.

At this moment, Nie Zhaonan was also startled, and with a swift movement of his shoulder, he appeared not far from Tianluo Shangren.

"Hmph, so it really is you human cultivators. Since I've encountered you, none of you will leave alive." A flash of black light appeared at the entrance of the hall, and suddenly a burly man dressed in black armor appeared.

Gu Ling sized up the burly man from head to toe, then suddenly gasped and cried out:
"Black Owl King! It's the Black Owl King of the Yaksha Clan! Didn't you perish under the True Lightning Tribulation thousands of years ago when you were trying to break through the bottleneck of the Mahayana stage? How come you're here? You've also become a Mahayana cultivator!"

“Black Owl King.” Nie Zhaonan frowned slightly, a strange light flashing in his eyes.

Originally, Tianluo Shangren's expression was grim when he saw the black-armored giant suddenly barge in. He was about to ask a few questions when he heard the words "Black Owl King" and "Mahayana cultivator" and immediately stopped, becoming suspicious and uncertain.

"The claim that I successfully broke through to the Mahayana stage and died under the lightning tribulation is merely a trick to deceive your clans. You actually believed it, how utterly laughable. The True Spirit Valley family has cultivated all three—Dharma Body, Divine Body, and Spiritual Body—and there's also the True Dragon Long family whose cultivator was possessed. They are all quite capable, not ordinary Integration Stage cultivators. My trip has not been in vain." The black-armored giant spoke as he glanced at the three, making no attempt to conceal his greed.

Gu Ling's heart sank, and she almost immediately had the idea of ​​running away.

However, she also knew that when facing a Mahayana cultivator, only thinking about running away would only lead to a faster demise. The three of them working together might give them a sliver of hope of survival.

"Alright, I'm too lazy to waste words with you all." The black-armored giant was getting impatient. He stood there expressionlessly and simply raised his hand, pressing it down in the air towards Nie Zhaonan and the others.

With a loud 'boom'!
A dark, misty hand appeared out of thin air, and with a downward press, an immense force acted on the three people, including Nie Zhaonan, without any warning.

After two "plop" sounds, Tianluo Shangren and Gu Ling felt a numbness all over their bodies, and half of their bodies were suddenly pressed into the ground and soil.

Almost instinctively, Nie Zhaonan's shoulder jerked, and at the same time, his skin suddenly turned silvery-white. After a tremor, he stood still as if nothing had happened.

At this moment, Tianluo Shangren and Gu Ling felt their bodies stiffen completely, and their feet completely lost sensation, as if they no longer existed.

The two were both shocked and furious!
"Interesting. You actually managed to block one of my attacks, but no matter how much you struggle, it's like a mantis trying to stop a chariot." The black-armored giant was slightly taken aback when he saw Nie Zhaonan's appearance, but a sinister smile immediately appeared on his lips, and he opened his mouth and spat out a jade fan of emerald green.

The surface of the feather fan was emerald green, inlaid with countless gold and silver runes. As the light flowed, it was vaguely divided into seven layers of flames that enveloped it.

After grabbing the feather fan, Black Owl King lightly flicked it, sending a seven-colored beam of light rushing towards Nie Zhaonan and the other two.

Master Tianluo originally had other thoughts in mind, but in his extreme shock and anger, he immediately used a life-saving measure.

With a loud roar, amidst the swirling gray mist, the top of Tianluo Shangren's head suddenly burst open, and a golden, five-clawed dragon flew out from within, flashing with golden light.

This golden dragon started out no bigger than an inch, but as soon as it flew out of its head, it immediately swelled up to a gigantic size of over ten feet, baring its fangs and claws, and letting out a deep dragon roar at the black-armored giant opposite it.

It's unclear what kind of strange supernatural power the Heavenly Luo Immortal used, but he managed to unleash all the true dragon blood within the black-robed man.

Although Gu Ling did not move, she clenched her teeth and spat out a mouthful of blood essence.

With a 'bang,' the essence of blood scattered in the wind, turning into a cloud of blood mist that rushed towards him and entered his body.

Immediately, an unknown bird's cry rang out, bursting forth with countless rays of golden light, which then quickly condensed into an extremely heavy full-body armor, firmly covering his entire body.

Even his face now had a glossy, earth-yellow mask, revealing only his two aged eyes.

Nie Zhaonan was equally cautious. Without hesitation, he activated the Nine Revolutions True Dragon Technique. His body shimmered with silver light, and true dragon scales emerged, covering his entire body.

The surface of the scales is covered with a thin film, as thin as a cicada's wing, which shimmers with an extremely strange silver light.

Whether it's Tianluo Shangren's golden dragon or Gu Ling's battle armor, both are life-saving techniques that can ignore the suppression of the jade fan and can be activated with a single thought. Their mystery far surpasses that of ordinary supernatural powers and treasures.

Nie Zhaonan's supernatural abilities became increasingly extraordinary. It seemed that the True Dragon Scales had amazing defensive power, but what he relied on most was the thin film on the surface of the scales.

With his current cultivation level, he could only barely activate this spiritual membrane. Even with only one-tenth of the power of the True Extreme Membrane, it was enough to greatly boost his confidence.

The golden dragon raised its head, and after a burst of golden light emanated from its entire body, a golden beam as thick as a bowl shot out and struck the seven-colored light cloud in a flash.

After this attack, the golden dragon seemed to have exhausted its spiritual power, and a blurry figure vanished.

The yellow armor on Gu Ling's body also shimmered with crystal light, and suddenly a giant sword more than ten feet long condensed above his head. It was crystal clear and, in a flash, it transformed into a yellow streak that also struck the seven-colored light.

A deafening roar!
The entire hall was instantly enveloped in a rosy glow, and after a violent tremor, the entire cave exploded.

The earth trembled!
Several beams of light emerged from it and stood in the air on either side.

Standing in the air, Black Owl King witnessed that Nie Zhaonan and the other two were all unharmed. His eyes lit up slightly, and he was pleased rather than angry.
"Not bad. To be able to withstand this attack from me, the three of you must be quite formidable among human cultivators."

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(End of this chapter)