Shangyuque

Chapter 180 The Savage Elephant Slams Down the Melon Immortal, the Candlelight Frog King Joins the Attack, and the Half-Immortal Venerable Wang Yulou...

On the distant horizon, the cloud-formed giant was relentlessly hammering Gua Zhenren, but Wang Yulou had no interest in watching them anymore.

Under the influence of his innate supernatural power, the huge gray tortoise shell was as if coated with a protective shield, protected by a faint blue layer.

The Great Annihilation Immortal Sound is difficult to block with conventional methods, but the greatest strength of a tortoise-type great demon like Stone Ancestor lies in its defense.

The Great Destruction Immortal Sound's attack was extremely terrifying, but under the protection of the powerful and powerful demon Shi Zu's tortoise shell, Wang Yulou and Lin Ying were not harmed at all.

Even those Foundation Establishment cultivators who fled with Wang Yulou survived under the protection of the Stone Ancestor.

However, some problems must be faced eventually. The aftershocks of the Great Annihilation Immortal Sound continued to fly towards the back of the group, and Stone Ancestor awkwardly explained to Wang Yulou via telepathy.

'Wang Yulou, would you believe me if I said I suddenly transformed from a lowly demon into a powerful demon because I ate too well while following you?'

Suppressing his unease and the chaotic thoughts in his mind, Wang Yulou took a deep breath and said.

I believe you!

Who is Shi Zu?

The great demon of Drip Cave, Cui Dingyi's master, once met Wang Xianzhu and gave him one of his eggs, which later hatched into the little stone turtle that Wang Yulou kept by his side.

But how did the baby stone turtle hatch?
How did it advance to the middle stage of the Miscellaneous Demon Realm?

Why does the little stone turtle eat so much? It seems to never get full after eating all kinds of spiritual food.
Many things that Wang Yulou hadn't noticed before, now seemed incredibly problematic when viewed together.

Why did Crane Lao San suddenly break through to the Lesser Demon Realm, a level he hadn't had the chance to reach for many years?

Also, when Yuan Zhengju went to Hewan Fishing Port to discuss the Iron Dragon attack, why was that woman able to notice Yuan Zhengju's arrival even before Wang Yulou realized it?
Cultivators have such powerful memories that Wang Yulou was able to recall every little detail of his time with Bai Xiaoyu.

How did they first meet?
After Cui Dingyi's death, Wang Yulou, who had just entered the real arena of interest in the cultivation world, reshaped the governance structure and organizational system of Hewan Fishing Port, and ordered Qin Churan and Zhang Xuewu to summon all the Qi-inducing cultivators in the fishing port to the Demon Control Platform.

Wang Yulou was quite certain that it was the first time he had met Bai Xiaoyu.

She appeared suddenly and was accepted by Wang Yulou as a matter of course. Then, she even became Wang Yulou's Daoist partner.

Looking back on the past in the Dripping Cave, all those details that may have been overlooked or were impossible to notice are now clearly revealed.

Qin Churan had previously reported to Wang Yulou the number and cultivation level of the Qi Refining cultivators in Hewan Fishing Port, including four cultivators at the late stage of Qi Refining.

When Wang Yulou reorganized the personnel appointments and organizational structure of Hewan Fishing Port, the number of late-stage Qi-inducing personnel suddenly increased to five—with the addition of a new white fish.

What's frightening is that Wang Yulou was completely unaware that something was wrong.

If Bai Xiaoyu is truly that person, or their incarnation, then the magic seal that the Red Carp Immortal placed on himself is understandable.

When Wang Yulou first arrived in the Western Sea, he was burdened with a lot of pressure and couldn't see where the road ahead lay. He only knew that he had become some kind of unknown pawn and a price to pay.

Only now does Wang Yulou realize that he was actually the focus of attention of many great cultivators back then.

why me?
Wang Yulou couldn't quite understand it.

Everyone knew in their hearts whether Shi Zu's cultivation level came from eating. Now that it no longer needed to hide it, it transformed into a small stone turtle and perched on Wang Yulou's shoulder.

"Yu Lou, this..." Senior Sister Lin wanted to ask, but Wang Yu Lou just shook her head. She immediately understood that this was not the time to ask.

Other Foundation Establishment cultivators simply assumed that Stone Ancestor was a trump card prepared by Wang Yulou, a True Person of the Mangxiang lineage, to stand firm amidst the dangers of the front lines, and naturally did not ask any further questions.

On the distant horizon, the Immortal Venerable Mangxiang was still brutally slamming Gua Zhenren, using violence to demonstrate what kind of strong person is qualified to put into action the ambition of "my fate is in my own hands, not in the heavens."

But Wang Yulou had no time to look over there; he was communicating with Shi Zu telepathically.

'Did you consider the timing before you suddenly appeared?'

Timing, occasion, and stance—these are all frustrating yet essential details that must be considered.

Wang Yulou doesn't have the strength of a mad elephant, and he can't slam down a powerful cultivator like Gua Zhenren at the peak of the Purple Mansion realm. Therefore, he needs to obey the order, the various kinds of order that even he has to obey now.

"After you were all blasted to death by the Great Destruction Immortal Sound, it would be even less opportune for me to come out again."

If a powerful cultivator from the Red Light District asks, I'll just say I'm leaving the Dripping Water Cave to seek an opportunity for enlightenment in the greater world. That reason should be sufficient.

The little stone turtle's tone was slightly weary; having followed Wang Yulou for so many years, it had stubbornly pretended to be a fool for just as long.

It's tough. It's tough being a human, it's tough being a cultivator, and it's tough being a demon.

Good days belong to great cultivators and the strongest beings in the world. The illusions created by those lower-level cultivators will all turn into fragile bubbles when they lose all possibility of advancing further.

"Can't you find the opportunity to attain enlightenment in this vast world?" Wang Yulou asked.

Shi Zu felt nauseous. He hadn't spoken for many years, but now he was finally able to communicate with someone, and the person he was communicating with was Wang Yulou, that nasty person.

If a single word is spoken carelessly, Wang Yulou will seize upon the hidden meaning within it.

It's uncomfortable, it's really uncomfortable.

'Don't ask, don't ask, I can't say anything.'

The little stone turtle shook its head like a rattle drum, indicating that it was keeping its mouth shut.

A drop of water, a symbol of loyalty!
It's not just cultivators who are striving to live; demons are doing the same.

'Okay, I understand.'

Shi Zu really wanted to ask what he had figured out, but in the end he didn't dare to ask any further.

Its master is the Water Immortal Venerable. As the Water Immortal Venerable's little lover, Wang Yulou is roughly equivalent to half an Immortal Venerable to beings like Stone Ancestor who were born in the Water Immortal Venerable's grotto.

Even a great cultivator's dog can be seen as an extension of the great cultivator's control; isn't a Celestial Venerable's little lover just a half-Celestial Venerable?
Of course, this half-immortal is only limited to the level of the beings born in the Dripping Water Cave.
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"You killed hundreds of millions of lives in the Red Lantern City, including tens of millions of mortals and tens of thousands of cultivators."

"Old melon, why do you think I won't make a move? Or do you think you can outmaneuver me?"

The monstrous elephant, which transforms into a giant of clouds, fights in a very unorthodox way.

He was immune to most of Gua Zhenren's attacks, and he had ample experience in dealing with the remaining attacks.

Mangxiang's cultivation of the Formless Dharma has reached the limit he can reach, and his various developments are countless.

Mang Xiang mastered at least several dozen, if not a hundred, branching techniques similar to Returning to the Origin and True Nature, and the Lesser Formless Sword.

Moreover, Mangxiang is an ancient demon who is proficient in both ancient and modern methods. The ancient methods he has mastered are very powerful, and the cave he has built is more than 1,800 miles in circumference, only slightly less than that of the Water Immortal.

It can be said that his accumulated combat experience and combat prowess were one of the important reasons why he dared to continue trying to achieve the Golden Core despite failing five times.

Such a reckless person wouldn't be afraid of even three Gua Zhenren, let alone one.

"Mangxiang, you've become so fond of pretending now, huh? What tens of millions of mortals?"

Before you opened your Purple Mansion, you slaughtered all your relatives in your clan, all for the sake of refining the precious elixir.

The formula for Zhou Fujiao's Blood Marrow Rejuvenating Pill was also given to him by you.

Now you're putting on an act, ha, how ridiculous!

Although the four-legged Gua Zhenren was being overwhelmed by the giant formed from clouds, it still had the strength to exchange barbs with the Mang Xiang.

Moreover, this frog, Gua Zhenren, is very cunning. Although it was just arguing with Mang Xiang, it also used its supernatural powers to make everyone within a radius of thousands of miles hear its revelation.

The Blood Marrow Treasure Elixir can increase the success rate of opening the Purple Mansion, but the price is sacrificing your entire family!

Just like the Pirate King telling later pirates that his treasure was hidden at the end of the Grand Line, once Gua Zhenren utters these words, who knows how many ambitious people will embark on the path of sacrificing their entire clan to achieve enlightenment.

"Old man, don't try to pin this on me. You killed so many Red Lantern disciples, you have to pay the price." Mang Xiang wasn't angry. He just calmly increased his attack, while pretending to be a good person who wanted to seek justice for the Red Lantern disciples who were killed.

Well, this is just basic practice for high-level cultivators. They have no scruples when it comes to their own people or those involved in the situation.

However, as one of the current actual controllers of the Red Lantern Group, Mang Xiang must make some kind of gesture and statement internally so that the Red Lantern Group can better maintain stability internally.

The logic here is that without the red light, the elephant won't die, but it will be put on the defensive.

This is similar to a special kind of "you can't bow your head until you lose" law. In short, the patriarch never reached the point of being the only one who was supreme.

Even a Golden Core cultivator with divine light emanating from his floor tiles might be stronger than the patriarch.

Although Shenguang's time in attaining enlightenment was short and his accumulation of knowledge was insufficient, his cultivation level was still a notch higher.

Mangxiang is an ancient creature, thousands of years old, with profound accumulation, but it is certain that it has not yet attained the Golden Elixir.

Therefore, it is actually very difficult to judge their strength.

"You owe your ancestors for eighteen generations, Mangxiang, you really like to pretend, you hypocrite!"
Don't forget, you were the one who went to our Heavenly Serpent Sect's Heavenly Serpent Valley to kill people first, and you were the one who broke the rules first.

You even came up with a ridiculous reason to start a war, ha, a disciple went missing, how laughable!
Today I killed more than 10,000 cultivators from the Red Lantern Cult, which is not enough, far from enough.

I'm telling you—this is just the beginning.

The two immortals were arguing loudly in the sky, while the disciples of the Heavenly Serpent Sect, their faces flushed with excitement and fervor, rushed toward the front-line defensive node of the Red Lantern.

After Gua Zhenren's Great Extinction Immortal Sound Plow swept through, these defensive nodes were deserted.

Just as some people were about to discover Wang Xianmao, the wild elephant in the sky finally couldn't hold back any longer.

Of course, this has nothing to do with Wang Xianmao; it's simply that Mang Xiang is planning to get involved.

Let it be a civil war; it's better if it happens.

He didn't stop at all and instantly grabbed Gua Zhenren's left hind leg.

The Mangxiang, with his profound knowledge of the Wuxiang method, was so good at hiding his true intentions that Guazhenren realized that the Mangxiang had actually stopped earlier!

“You killed the disciples of the Heavenly Serpent Sect, I killed the disciples of the Red Lantern Sect, we’re even, Mang Xiang.”

Gua Zhenren uttered a harsh remark that wasn't harsh at all, then kicked his legs and easily broke free from the cloud giant's restraints.

It turns out that this True Person of the Heavenly Serpent Sect did not want to fight an internal war. He intervened simply to prevent the Heavenly Serpent Sect from appearing too weak or at a disadvantage.

The Formless Method is good, but it's very bad at keeping people. If Master Gua wanted to leave, Mang Xiang wouldn't have been able to keep him with the Formless Method alone.

However, the Mangxiang Society teaches more than just the Formless Method.

As the colossal demon king, as large as a mountain, made its full-scale advance towards the Heavenly Serpent Sect, Mang Xiang coldly withdrew his supernatural powers and transformed into a streak of clear light.

The true form of the monstrous elephant is a vast and boundless energy!
How could Gua Zhenren possibly outrun a raging elephant whose true form is a wisp of qi?

After easily catching up with Gua Zhenren, the clear light transformed into ropes that wrapped around Gua Zhenren's legs.

Bitter!

Gua Zhenren has realized that something is wrong.

It has been too long since anyone has attained enlightenment in the form of a wild elephant. From the Heavenly Serpent to the Mountain-Turning Flood Dragon, no one knew beforehand just how strong the wild elephant truly was.

After all, Mangxiang isn't the kind of person who likes to flaunt his strength.

In fact, as a capable subordinate of the Frog King, Gua Zhenren has been practicing Taoism for over five thousand years, and his strength is not much inferior to that of Qiu Mile.

The problem is that when there is a 20% difference in strength between the great cultivators, it becomes a matter of life and death when it comes to actual combat.

It may seem like only a 20% difference, but that 20% difference can crush the weaker party.

It's a very simple principle: every great cultivator who has reached the Purple Mansion realm is capable of fighting.

"Die!"

The voice of the Mangxiang Immortal Venerable seemed to come from the cold wind of purgatory, icy and piercing, yet it contained the great cultivator's unwavering belief in achieving enlightenment.

Like the coldest winter chill, everyone who heard it felt a pang of unease. Even though they were thousands of miles apart, Wang Yulou instinctively shivered.

Gua Zhenren didn't want a civil war; he just wanted to retaliate against the Red Lantern Gang and demonstrate the strength of the Heavenly Serpent Sect.

But the mad elephant never feared civil war.

At his level, fear would mean certain death.

Cowards have no right to attain enlightenment!

With the civil war underway, his path to achieving the Golden Core might actually become easier.

The crisis is dangerous for lower-level cultivators, but for those like the Wild Elephant who take and have others bear the consequences, it also presents an opportunity.

Just as Mang Xiang was about to kill Gua Zhenren with all his might, the world around their battlefield was opened up by a great cultivator.

Two black portals appeared in mid-air. From the first portal, a pink tongue emerged and hurtled straight toward the savage elephant with the force of thunder.

From the second portal, a blazing red flame, transformed into the shape of a phoenix, carrying boundless power, also rushed straight towards the savage elephant.

Frog King and Candlelight joined forces.

The former is the demon god of the Heavenly Serpent Sect, and the latter is the demon god of the Red Lantern Sect.

They joined forces to stop Mangxiang from killing Gua Zhenren and starting a civil war.

Mang Xiang knew perfectly well that he couldn't possibly kill Gua Zhenren despite the interference of these two—he could, but it would be far too stupid.

He was in charge of his own path to enlightenment. The sky above Wang Yulou had collapsed, but there were Mangxiang and Dishui there. The former didn't care, but Dishui did.

But if Mangxiang can't withstand the pressure and goes too far, all his years of hard work will be in vain.

Therefore, Mangxiang had never let anyone know his true strength for a long time. So, when faced with the possibility of killing Guazhenren at his fingertips, Mangxiang stubbornly held back.

You can't kill indiscriminately, or you'll spoil the dish!

However, Mangxiang is not a subordinate of Frog King and Candlelight; he is a powerful figure in the Red Lanterns, forming his own faction.

Therefore, even though he couldn't kill Gua Zhenren, Mang Xiang didn't stop. Only after tearing off Gua Zhenren's left hind leg did he belatedly stop his pursuit.

"Mangxiang, you shouldn't have such a bad temper."

The Frog King casually remarked to the Wild Elephant, then took the Melon Master into his own cave and protected him.

The Frog King didn't have any particular feelings of hatred towards the Mangxiang; it simply believed that the Mangxiang didn't need to go to such extremes.

You can't really fight our Heavenly Serpent Sect forever, can you?

Gua Zhenren killed someone just to 'even things out,' was it really necessary to break its leg?
Three-legged toads are ugly and bring bad luck!

Zhuzhao didn't say a word and disappeared into the world once again.

Far removed from the world, outside the cycle of reincarnation.

This is Zhuzhao, this is the immortal venerable one.

(End of this chapter)