Shushan Earthly Immortal

Chapter 397 Attacking Where They Must Respond, Neglecting One Thing While Focusing on Another (6 words presented, please support with monthly votes~)

It's that fire!

Seeing that the white flames easily burned through his own protective mountain array, Mu Longzhang immediately realized that it was this kind of flame that had melted the nascent soul of the Five Poison Heavenly King!

That thief put flames in his sword, making me lower my guard!

At this moment, the earthen sword fell to the ground and transformed into a giant peak, firmly rooted; the wooden sword transformed into a green vine and disappeared without a trace; the fire sword transformed into a sword furnace, spewing forth flames.

As Mu Longzhang watched the seven-colored flames rapidly spread through the Ailao Mountains, his face turned as green as his dragon robe. Within these flames alone, he could already sense five kinds of malevolent intent, as well as golden yang fire and white strange fire; truly, nothing was beyond their ignition.

The demon's face changed from purple to green, then he endured the pain and waved his sleeve, sending out a string of about a dozen beads. These beads were the size of duck eggs, silvery-white in color, with spiderweb-like patterns on them, and radiating a golden halo.

These beads formed a circle in the air, just larger than the rapidly spreading sea of ​​fire, before falling swiftly and crashing to the ground.

"Boom-boom-boom-"

Lightning flashed and a series of explosions erupted, even more deafening than the battle between the Ink Dragon Dharma Image and the Deng Shuai Dharma Image in the sky. Where the beads landed, the earth rapidly collapsed and sank, cracking open with massive fissures. The void shattered like glass, then reformed itself.

A huge cloud of dust rose from the Ailao Mountains, shooting straight into the sky.

Cheng Xinzhan groaned, and two streams of blood flowed from his nose.

He wiped it away and immediately activated his divine eye to look down. Where the smoke and dust had risen, a massive crater-like hole had appeared, over thirty feet deep, as if the spot where the flames had just burned had been carved away out of thin air. Inside the crater, only a small wisp of the Samadhi True Fire remained of the seven-colored flames, still burning at the bottom. The sword furnace had been blasted flat, lying upside down in the crater, the earthen sword embedded in the middle, showing no obvious external damage, but emitting a mournful cry. Only the wooden sword, which had initially stayed far away, outside the blast radius, had escaped unscathed.

What an amazing lightning strike!

Even Cheng Xinzhan was shocked by such power.

Be wary, he swiftly changed hand seals, and before the Dragon Staff could react, he used the broken fire sword to extinguish the true fire, then flew back through the rising dust. He had only released the true fire to break the great formation, put the earth sword inside, and observe the Poison Dragon Venerable's reaction and methods; he didn't actually intend to burn Ailao Mountain into a sea of ​​fire. Now that both objectives had been achieved, he naturally stopped using the true fire to continue burning the mountain.

The earthen sword suddenly shrank, transforming into its original three-foot size, before disappearing into the earth.

The wooden sword, however, stayed far away, transforming into a yellow-skinned, green-leaved paulownia tree. It concealed all its presence, took root in the ground, and disappeared into the dense forests of the Ailao Mountains.

When the smoke cleared, Mu Longzhang saw that the flames had completely dissipated and the sword was destroyed, and he breathed a sigh of relief.

But the next moment, he felt a sudden pang of heartache, as if his own heart was bleeding. This was because a vast expanse of fertile land had been extinguished, and it would likely be impossible to cultivate vines there for at least sixty years. This was the most spiritually rich area in the Ailao Mountains! At the same time, he was also heartbroken over his eighteen "Mountain-Shattering Sky-Piercing Divine Thunderbolts," precious treasures he had received as a reward when he was crowned king and met the Green Robe. Each use of these was one less he could ever use!
But he was helpless. The flames were raging, and if they weren't stopped, Mount Ailao would become a mountain of flames! But how could he stop them? He had no idea what to do. He really couldn't figure out the power of the white fire. If he used his wood-elemental magic and magical treasures, which he was good at, it might just add fuel to the fire. So it was better to use force against force, use lightning to extinguish the fire, and cut off flesh to heal the wound.

As it turned out, the demon's quick wit was indeed effective. Not to mention the immortal fire, the other aerial fires and evil fires would have been difficult to extinguish without this tactic.

At the same time, Mu Longzhang secretly vowed that he would never let even the slightest thing enter the great formation again!

Cheng Xinzhan put away the fire sword and placed it in his heart palace to recuperate. Since its forging, the sword had never suffered such a serious injury. Fortunately, he often used the sword furnace to refine pills, which gave it a new life and upgraded it. It had also been tempered by four tribulations of lightning and immortal fire. Otherwise, it would probably have shattered just now.

The earth sword was fortunate to have landed on the ground and connected to the Ailao Mountains, where the earth absorbed the force, thus preventing any major damage.

Cheng Xinzhan harbored some apprehension towards the divine lightning, thinking to himself,
"Let's see how many more divine thunderbolts you have left to unleash."

He then took out the "Red Goiter" gourd, opened the stopper, and poured it down as if pouring wine.

This "Crimson Goiter" is of extremely high origin, a naturally occurring treasure specifically designed to contain and generate fire. Previously, while following the mountain demon, it was like a white gem obscured by dust, but since joining Cheng Xinzhan, it has never gone hungry again and has truly begun to shine. Over the years, it has been tempered and nurtured by various flames, including tribulation fire and immortal fire, and is now a semi-immortal artifact. The fire contained within is entirely different in quality and quantity from the fire temporarily placed in the sword furnace earlier.

However, Cheng Xinzhan still held back, not using his full strength. Releasing immortal fire to burn the mountain would be against the natural order, so Cheng Xinzhan did not use it. The fire in the stone would severely damage the earth's veins, making recovery difficult, so he also refrained from using it. But he had no other concerns; killing the demon was his priority, and restoring the land would follow.

Then, the nine-colored nectar was poured out from the "Red Goiter," which were the Red Smoke Evil Fire, the Burning Heavenly Gang Fire, the Smoke Melting Evil Fire, the Ghost Lamp Evil Fire, the Sky Blue Evil Fire, the Heavenly Star Evil Fire, the Rotten Peach Evil Fire, the Burning Soldier Evil Fire, and the Sun Bing Fire. The colors were red, orange, yellow, green, cyan, blue, purple, dark gold, and pure gold, which were colorful and dazzling.

The fiery nectar initially appeared as a thin line, seemingly brewed from a rainbow. Three feet from its mouth, it gradually spread, transforming from a liquid into a fiery mist, radiating a mesmerizing divine light, like a colorful sunset. After falling ten feet, it burst open with a roar, transforming entirely into a raging inferno. Its original nine colors mingled, creating even more variations, forming a vast waterfall of fire.

Such a fiery waterfall is far more than just beautiful to look at. The flames cascade down thousands of feet, scorching the void in their path with waves of heat and distorting spiritual energy. Furthermore, as these malevolent flames intertwine, they emit a unique magical aura, ultimately forming a mirage-like spectacle in the distorted void.

Only saw:

A palace appears in the sky, towering majestically amidst the clouds.

The vermilion palace walls rise a thousand feet high, golden flames roll on the glazed tiles. Ninefold crimson steps spew forth true fire, thirty-six gates exhale auspicious smoke. Lion-like beasts sit and crouch on the eaves, red-bearded dragons coil around the beams and pillars. A firebird spreads its wings, transforming into a rainbow, its falling feathers scattering like fiery lotuses.

A square plaque hangs high above the palace gate, bearing four large characters:

"Liyan Heavenly Palace".

The instigator, Cheng Xinzhan, was also greatly surprised to see the mirage appear in the sky. He never expected that activating the magic weapon would produce such a strange phenomenon. He also vaguely remembered the four characters "Li Yan Tian Gong" (Li Yan Heavenly Palace). Ancient books said that this was the core of the fire department of the ancient heavenly court.

Meanwhile, in the Ailao Mountains, wailing filled the air. Countless vine spirits and tree demons cried out in terror, and the lesser demons and monsters scattered across the mountains in panic. Mu Longzhang's face turned ashen at the sight of this spectacle. The Ailao Mountains were a vast forest; how could they possibly withstand such a fiery torrent?
in spite of?

That won't do. As the saying goes, "Where there's life, there's hope." But now the thieves are trying to burn down their own life! Mu Longzhang has finally reached this point and has secured his place in the world. He also wants to merge with the Dao and become the ancestor of all ages. He cannot give up Mount Ailao.

Flames were flying and were about to strike, but he didn't have time to think about it.

With a furious roar, Mu Longzhang unleashed the remaining twelve "Mountain-Shattering Sky-Piercing Divine Thunders" in succession, causing the void to tremble violently, annihilating spiritual energy, and scattering the flames. Taking advantage of this moment, he fully activated the mountain-protecting array, and countless scale-like vines grew from the ground, including the demonic vines that had just severed their heads to return to the Bottomless Cave to heal their wounds.

These demonic vines unfurled their scales and leaves, intertwining and overlapping, layer upon layer, until finally forming a giant scale umbrella that covered the entire Ailao Mountain.

At this moment, the divine lightning of the Dragon-Bathing Staff had been used up, and the fiery waterfall poured down.

The fiery waterfall struck the scale-like leaves, which first turned yellow, then white, then quickly charred black, and finally turned to ashes. As soon as a leaf withered, the demonic vine would immediately grow a new leaf; as soon as one demonic vine withered, a new vine would grow from the ground.

Under the vine umbrella, Mu Longzhang activated his profound power, and a dark green ball of light flew out from his body.

He is not usually willing to come out of seclusion.

He knew his weaknesses: his fourth realm was not yet stable, his Nascent Soul Dao Domain had not yet been formed, his physical body was fragile, his resources were meager, and he was completely unprepared for the Three Calamities. All of these required time and effort. In fact, his physical body had never left the mountain since he was conceived. Even so, he did not want to send out any avatars; he needed avatars to protect his main body and guard Ailao Mountain.

In previous years, he would often use his avatars to kill, steal treasures, and seek opportunities. But ever since he heard that Xin Chenzi's second primordial spirit, the Mysterious Female Pearl, had been taken away by the Innocent Child, causing him to suffer a great loss of vitality and remain in seclusion, he has stopped sending out even his avatars.

Not only that, after hearing about the Guixuan Temple at Longxiang Temple, the Liandao Temple at Doumu Pavilion, and the Zhuanpang Temple at Wuliang Mountain, he not only had no intention of seeking revenge, but also specially reinforced the protective array of Ailao Mountain and sowed even more vine seeds. It was fortunate he did this; otherwise, how could he have stopped such a nine-colored fiery waterfall today?
But now we can't stay home.

Mu Longzhang dared not gamble on whether the other man's fire would run out first, or whether his own vine seeds would be burned to ashes first.

The dark green light that flew from his body passed through the protective array of the mountain, swept past the two Dharma images that were fighting, and soared upwards against the waterfall of fire. During this process, the dark green light gradually solidified, transforming into a human shape, exactly like the Dragon-Bathing Staff. However, this Dragon-Bathing Staff was filled with dragon might, and its aura was far more powerful than the one in the mountain.

It is the external avatar of the Dragon Staff, forged from the Dragon Vine Staff, the Four Realms Wood Dragon Body.

His eyes were filled with murderous intent; he was truly taking advantage of a tiger's weakness. Even if you possess formidable magic and powerful magical artifacts, can a mere third-realm Taoist really fight a dragon hand-to-hand? Once you kill someone, the fire will naturally stop, and the treasure used to set the fire will be yours!
Mu Longzhang used this to bolster his courage.

Cheng Xinzhan naturally saw it. The reason he made his move at a great height was not only because it was convenient to cast spells from above, but also to guard against the sudden approach of the four realms, so as to prepare a countermeasure.

"go with!"

He made a sword incantation, his eyes flashing with light, gold on the left and purple on the right, and two specks of light flew out of his pupils.

Ten feet away, the two points of light suddenly magnified, transforming into two long purple-gold rainbows. With the momentum of shooting stars chasing the moon and the speed of rainbows piercing the sun, they descended from the sky, flying straight down to strike the demon charging towards them.

Mu Longzhang recognized the golden sword; it was the very one that had killed the Five Poisons Heavenly King! He didn't recognize the purple one, but its aura was formidable. It complemented the golden one, one yin and one yang, and they were not to be underestimated; one should not confront it head-on.

The Dragon-Slaying Staff, however, was a demon native to the Southwest. It lacked effective countermeasures against a large-scale, intangible force like the Nine-Colored Firefall, and had rarely encountered such magical artifacts and techniques before. In the Southwest, straightforward magical artifact battles, such as flying swords, were the most common.

Therefore, he was quite experienced in dealing with flying swords, and since he had cultivated to the fourth realm and become a well-known expert in the world, he naturally had some powerful protective magic treasures. He waved his sleeve and released a burst of azure light, which were nine identical rings, a set of magic artifacts. They looked like women's bracelets, made of jade, and appeared to shatter at the slightest touch.

In reality, this treasure is indestructible; it is the magical artifact that made Mu Longzhang famous, called the "Nine-Linked Golden Strike Bracelet." This object emits a bluish light yet is named "Golden Strike," much like the Golden Elixir, signifying indestructibility. This demonstrates that it is an extremely powerful and potent magical artifact. Legend has it that since Mu Longzhang wielded this treasure, no artifact has ever withstood nine consecutive strikes without shattering.

At this moment, the nine azure bracelets emitted a sharp whistle as they head-on met the flying sword.

"Clouds lock a thousand peaks!"

The enemy wanted a direct confrontation, but Cheng Xinzhan naturally wouldn't let him have his way. He used the Taiyi Splitting Light Sword Technique, changing his sword technique. The two flying swords immediately separated, transforming into golden wind and purple rain, spreading from a point to an area, heading towards the Dragon-Bathing Staff.

"Heh, Emei Sword Technique!" Mu Longzhang sneered, but as mentioned before, he was very experienced in dealing with flying swords. Seeing that Cheng Xinzhan was not going to take the magic weapon head-on, he didn't force it. He wanted to kill Cheng Xinzhan at close range, not necessarily destroy the flying sword. So he recalled the Azure Bracelet, which swirled around him, transforming into an azure whirlwind to protect his body.

The golden wind and purple rain lashed against the blue whirlwind, like rain beating on banana leaves, a cacophony of night rain. It was also like hammering iron, a continuous clanging and banging, sparks flying. Yet, despite the dense wind and the torrential rain, they could not break through the blue whirlwind.

The Dragon Staff continued to soar high.

Cheng Xinzhan was not surprised; this was a master of the fourth realm, not someone so easy to deal with.

He flipped his hand, and a pure white jade seal appeared in his palm. The seal was square, only two inches wide, with a small altar knob divided into three tiers that gradually narrowed. With just a few strokes, it revealed the form and meaning of a mountain altar, looking incredibly tall and exquisitely crafted.

He flipped his palm and pressed down, causing the jade seal to fall to the ground.

The demon heard a whooshing sound and looked closely. He saw a tiny, almost imperceptible seal descending. However, he could sense an overwhelming aura of power emanating from that small seal, even more powerful and heavy than the giant sword from before.

Mu Longzhang had no intention of taking the hit head-on. Although such a powerful magic weapon was extremely strong, it was a rigid thing with no advantage in speed. It was far inferior to a flying sword, so how could it catch up with his dragon body?
"call out!"

With a flash, like a dragon swimming, he disappeared from his original spot, moving a hundred feet horizontally.

"Certainly!"

Cheng Xinzhan counted on his fingers and chanted a spell, uttering a single syllable. The magic seal could not catch up with the demon, but the mysterious curse was something he could not escape.

"Roar--"

Mu Longzhang sensed a magical intent emerging from the void and enveloping him. With no way to avoid it, he opened his mouth and let out a dragon's roar, forcefully dispelling the magical intent.

"That's all."

He responded with a cold laugh.

"May the gods summon Lord Bingling to issue a decree prohibiting this!"

Cheng Xinzhan recited it again, uttering seven incantation words.

Mu Longzhang could clearly feel that the curse was even more inviolable this time. The sense of confinement from the void was stronger, as if the sky had suddenly turned into the earth, and spiritual energy was squeezing in from all directions, making it difficult for him to breathe.

The demon channeled his magic, clenched his fists, veins bulging on his forehead, and then opened his mouth to shout.
"Roar--"

A violent and prolonged high-pitched dragon roar resounded, shaking the void and shattering the curse once again.

"what?"

Cheng Xinzhan looked surprised, then chanted the incantation again, this time uttering ten syllables.

"Commander Deng's decree: Thunderous chisels and lightning hooks, remove the tongue!"

Mu Longzhang still wanted to speak in response, but this time, before he could even open his mouth, thunder suddenly roared in the sky, and a bolt of lightning shot out from the void, striking the demon directly in the face. He felt a numbness in his throat and tongue, his mouth blocked, and he couldn't utter a sound.

"Alas—"

A long, drawn-out whale cry echoed from the sky.

As a result, all the spiritual energy in the sky rushed over, which was the "Whale Absorption" supernatural power that Z specifically used to replenish his magic power.

Once his magical power was replenished, he chanted the incantation again, uttering twenty-six characters directly.

"Once the Celestial Master's Seal arrives, it will remain unmoved through countless eons!"

Mountains press down overhead, true qi locks the form!
"Hurry, by the decree of the Celestial Master, order this to be suppressed!"

A vast and powerful magical intent arose from the void, then enveloped the Dragon Staff like a tidal wave. The Dragon Staff immediately felt itself sinking into mud, its upward speed rapidly slowing down until it came to a complete stop.

At the same time, the Wuyang Seal landed and smashed right on top of the Mulong Staff.

"oops!"

The demon let out a loud cry and fell down, plummeting thousands of feet before regaining its footing.

"Truly skin and bones of copper and iron!"

Cheng Xinzhan looked closely and was quite surprised. This demon was really powerful. He was hit head-on by his own magic seal, but he seemed completely unharmed. His forehead was shiny and swollen, with a little scratch.

The blow to Mu Long's staff left him slightly dazed. He touched his head, then pulled it away as if it were burning his hand, feeling a stinging pain. He released his divine sense to examine the injury, and his three corpse gods immediately flew into a rage. The injury wasn't serious, but the four characters "Mountains and Rivers Unharmed" were perfectly imprinted on it!

At the same time, a sense of familiarity surged into his heart. He suddenly remembered the day the Five Poison Heavenly King was freed. He fought with Ye Yuanjing and was then ambushed by a Taoist priest who used the Five Sacred Mountains Cloud Qi to form a seal on his back. The seal could not be erased, and to this day, he still has the four big characters "Eternal Imprisonment of Demonic Aura" on his back!
"It's you!"

In an instant, old and new grudges surged into his heart. Mu Longzhang was so angry that he unleashed a secret technique.
"Heavenly Demon Split Form Technique!"

The demon charged forward again, and at the same time, a ghostly light suddenly emanated from his body. A blood line split open from top to bottom in the center of his body. Then he opened his left and right hands, as if a huge force suddenly came from both sides, pulling his body to both sides.

"Stab!"

The demon was split in two mid-air, and it truly was torn apart!

However, no blood or organs gushed out from these two halves; only blood gushed from the wounds, making it impossible to see what was inside.

The next moment, the bloody light subsided, and the two halves of the body actually grew another half!
The Dragon-Bathing Staff has become two!

Immediately, the two Dragon-Slaying Staffs repeated their trick, multiplying into four and charging upwards from four directions simultaneously, roaring angrily.

"Let's see how you stop me!"

Cheng Xinzhan watched in amazement, and he also discovered that this incarnation technique was quite profound. It split into four, but the aura of its cultivation level did not split into four. When there were two incarnations, each had about 80% of its original strength. When it was divided into four, each still had 60% of its original strength, which was quite remarkable.

Seeing this, he then produced another magical artifact: a purple robe with wide sleeves and a large front opening.

After the robe was summoned, it quickly grew larger, as if a purple cloud had spread out and enveloped everything. Within the purple cloud, the Tai Chi diagram on the robe slowly rotated, bringing the sun, moon, and star patterns to life and making them shimmer with a hazy magical light.

All four Dragon Staffs were shrouded in purple mist.

Upon seeing this, the four clones flew outwards, and the magic robe followed suit, growing outwards as if there was no end in sight.

Seeing that Cheng Xinzhan had a constant stream of magical treasures and that they hadn't even seen a shadow of him yet, Mu Longzhang was really furious. One of his avatars summoned a dragon-headed vine staff, which grew to be fifty or sixty feet long, and used it to poke at the robes on his head.

But this cloak is a soft object, like silk and rosy clouds, and the Dragon-Washing Staff does not have a sharp weapon like the Blood-Transforming Divine Blade. It is not easy to poke it with just a wooden staff in a short time.
At this moment, the protective array of Ailao Mountain gradually gave way, and the demonic vines emitted a shrill cry, which merged into a piercing tidal wave of sound.

Mu Longzhang naturally heard it, and now he was caught in a dilemma, unable to go up or down, and roared in anger.

Cheng Xinzhan smiled upon seeing this; this was his strategy for dealing with Mu Longzhang.

As the saying goes, misfortune may be a blessing in disguise, and a blessing may be a harbinger of misfortune. A treasure trove is the foundation for a person's survival and a stepping stone to further advancement. If managed well, it becomes a blessed land, untouchable by anyone. But if managed poorly and flaws are exposed, it will become an easy target for attack.

Mu Longzhang's vision was too short-sighted. The vast Ailao Mountain range, bordered by the Babian River to the east and the Pushui River to the west, was not utilized effectively. Instead, he focused solely on developing the timber industry. This was the tragedy of a small, insignificant family, and also a path to his demise.

But just then, as Mu Longzhang was in a dilemma, he suddenly saw a streak of light rushing towards him from the northeast, calling out...

"Brother, do not disturb me, I am here!"

The streak of light was extremely fast, accompanied by the sound of wind and thunder. Its speed was second to none among the experts of the four realms that Cheng Xinzhan had seen. He looked towards the direction from which the streak of light came and recognized that it was the direction of Wumeng Mountain.

"Brother! Help! Help!"

Mu Longzhang's voice was hoarse and exhausted.

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(End of this chapter)