Wet viviparity

Chapter 923 Star Lord, Offerings
When the seven stars drifted to the breach outside the Glazed Palace, the entire breach began to break open, exposing most of the Glazed Palace inside the stars.

The Seven Stars were now completely exposed to the molten glass courtyard, falling together with large fragments of starlight and dust.

Through these seven stars, each no bigger than a fist, one can see a treasure trove of different shapes and landscapes—streams, mountain walls, yellow hills, earthen cliffs, cemeteries, and so on.

Zhu Tao's heart pounded. He hadn't expected Ling Xuzi's divine general's true method to be so mysterious. He actually used the replica of the Big Dipper here as a medium to summon the real power of the seven stars.

This application of the true methods of the Xuanmen has reached a level where even a single flower or leaf contains the profound Daoist principles in one's hands.

The seven stars fell in the shape of the Big Dipper, and the true brilliance of the Big Dipper spread out from them. Among them, the fourth star, Tianquan, shone the brightest, and was unusually bright among the seven stars.

Despite the oppressive power of the starlight, Zhu Tao's Five Virtues Divine Smoke remained firmly in place. This Five Virtues Divine Smoke was not refined using any real human method, but rather, thanks to the blessing of his mother, the Fire Phoenix, he obtained it from the Heavenly Divine Method—the Divine Scenery of the Virtuous Birds—from one of the three-colored divine birds of the Heavenly Mountains.

Zhu Tao was ambitious from a young age and had a strong desire to seek the Dao. Only after he had refined the Divine Scenery and Five Virtues Divine Smoke did he leave the world to gain experience and become a disciple of Tianteng Mountain.

Amidst the vast expanse of the Big Dipper's radiance, spanning hundreds of acres, Zhu Tao's demonic body curled up, tightly enveloped by the Five Virtues Divine Smoke. Then, the divine smoke expanded into a suspended sphere, with billowing smoke surging and bursting in various places, accompanied by continuous explosions.

The aftershocks from the very prelude to this divine display had already destabilized the starry sky, causing hundreds of stars to shift their positions simultaneously.

Among the seven stars, where the starlight was most intense, Ji Ming transformed into a black plum blossom that slowly bloomed, spewing out a chilling aura. As soon as it approached the five-colored divine smoke sphere, it was absorbed by the infinite heat and vibration within, and crystal-clear ice flowers floated in the star space.

This silent battle was only the prelude, but some stars were already shaken by the battle and fell from the starry sky, shooting into the sea like meteors, leaving behind boiling bubbles hundreds of feet long, and crashing into various parts of the Dragon Palace.

Chaos reigned outside the Dragon Palace, and the old Dragon King's eyes, hidden behind his long dragon eyebrows, revealed a look of surprise.

Although the pinnacle of the five realms of the Fetal Spirit can move rivers and shake mountains, to shake the entire universe of stars formed from the three thousand six hundred and eighty-two treasure chambers, one needs not only great magical power but also means that exceed one's current level.

He wasn't surprised that Zhu Tao possessed these qualities, as Zhu Tao was a junior he paid special attention to. However, it was truly unbelievable that Ling Xuzi could fight Zhu Tao to a standstill with just his primordial spirit and not show any signs of defeat.

Watching the meteors hurtling towards the bottom of the sea, the old dragon thought to himself, "Fortunately, I have already moved most of the rare treasures among them, otherwise I would have skinned them alive. No, how can I be so calm? Wouldn't that reveal my true intentions?"

The old dragon immediately feigned great anger, pounding his chest and saying, "The treasures accumulated by the Dragon Palace over countless years have been destroyed and left here; it truly pains me to death!"

He was about to step forward to suppress Ling Xuzi and Zhu Tao when he was persuaded to stop by the other immortals and gods.

"Old Dragon Lord, don't worry, we will restore it for you in time." With that, the great immortals cast a spell together, stopping the falling meteor and reinforcing the seabed starry sky. The pillars and archways of the Dragon Palace that had been knocked down were all restored one by one.

Ji Ming, who was immersed in the power of the Big Dipper, was suddenly pulled to a place of ice and snow.

He, who was not of mortal body, couldn't help but tremble here. As he pursed his frostbitten lips and looked ahead, a blurry divine figure appeared there—the Xuanming Divine Form with a human head and a bird's body.

"Greetings, Star Lord!"

Ji Ming immediately raised his hands in a salute and said, “I am delighted that you have been able to comprehend the wonders of the divine form and borrow the vast power of the Big Dipper. However, you are not below the ranks of the Big Dipper immortals after all, and your past worships were not sincere. Therefore, this time I will only lend you a little bit of the wonders of the Big Dipper, and I cannot lend you more.”

As the snow intensified and the divine figure gradually disappeared, the lingering voice echoed: "From now on, when you worship, do not be distracted. Enter a meditative state and forget yourself. This time of complete concentration, free from external interference, is also an offering. If you have any manuscripts or scriptures that have been used to create new methods, especially those discarded scriptures that were proven to have failed before they were perfected, they are even better offerings and will surely make you rank among the immortals of the Big Dipper."

"Wait, don't cut off my Big Dipper magic power yet! I'm in the middle of a battle!" Ji Ming shouted as he returned to the real world.

"You stingy star, I will never worship you even in my next life."

Ji Ming cursed inwardly, but unexpectedly a huge explosion occurred in the starry sky, and hundreds of stars fell into the Dragon Palace at the same time. At this moment, everyone and every god was shocked, and Zhu Tao was no exception. He was almost blown apart by the Bingding Disaster Ashes inside the Divine Smoke Sphere.

Once this thing explodes, the friction between the parts creates countless sparks that explode inside, and no one or any animal affected will survive.

Even he had to be extremely careful when using it, making sure he didn't get even a speck of it on himself. He had really fought Ling Xuzi to the death, otherwise he would never have used this extremely risky trump card.

Ji Ming never expected that his mere muttering would enrage the Star Lord. Before he could even worry about the consequences, he spotted a chance to escape in the star space. Seeing that Zhu Tao and Zen Master Caihu were both stunned by the sudden tremor, he used the power of the Big Dipper he had summoned to help Qian Shou'er escape and charge forward.

The Zen Master Caihu, standing on the altar, was the first to regain his senses. With a slight movement, he was already behind Thousand Hands, who was pulling ice mist and frost fragments as he rushed into the starry sky.

All that could be seen was Qian Shou'er carrying the Seven Stars on his back, and within the Seven Stars, a black plum blossom bloomed. Just as the Zen Master rushed close, the plum blossom turned, and the sword light on the petals followed suit, circling around and piercing right in front of him.

"How dare you!" Seeing Lingxuzi lose his composure and attack him first, a fierce glint flashed in Zen Master Caihu's eyes. He laughed loudly, no longer holding back, and grabbed the sword in his hand, the clanging sound echoing in his palm.

When he struggled to shatter the sword light, he looked ahead and saw no Thousand Hands. Only the Seven Stars floated in the radiance, blocking his path with their mysterious shapes.

"Step aside."

Zhu Tao had finished preparing, and a trail of black smoke suddenly surged from the surface of the smoke ball, instantly forming a towering peak that shot straight into the seven-star radiance. Instantly, the dust within the smoke rubbed together and exploded amidst the seven-star radiance, displaying a dazzling array of colors and a thunderous roar that shook the seabed, seemingly causing the entire Dragon Palace to tremble.

After a puff of ash, Zhu Tao appeared, his body pale and bloodless. His sunken eyes stared at the extinguished glow, where there was not a trace of anything left.

"All wiped out?"

The Zen master's clasped hands trembled, and he widened his eyes.

"Oh no, we've made a huge mistake."

Zen Master Caihu felt a chill run down his spine. Even if he were to take action without any restraint, he had no intention of killing Lingxuzi. Did he really think that the Taiping Patriarchs were easy to mess with?

At this moment, he disregarded everything else, and dispersed into a large circle of Buddhist rainbow on the spot, disappearing instantly, leaving Zhu Tao standing there gazing at that spot of starry sky.

(End of this chapter)