Lingyuan Immortal

Chapter 972 Deceiving the Master and Stealing the Fortune Diagram God Throne

"Opportunity?"

Qi Yunsu frowned, her ominous premonition growing stronger.

"You mean the opportunity for Fusheng Temple to turn the tide? With your body, corrupted by incense offerings and all show and no substance? Tang Shangyuan, you're deluding yourself. You think you can defeat me? Let's see if you still have the same skills you had back then!"

"Defeat you?"

Tang Shangyuan's smile suddenly widened, twisting and becoming greedy, with a terrifying glint in his eyes.

He suddenly opened his arms as if to embrace the entire world, and his voice rose sharply, like a great bell, resounding through the sky, filled with a bewitching fervor:

"Why should I defeat you? Qi Yunsu, your vision... remains so narrow!"

He surveyed the Three Immortals Valley below, where the energy was boiling and the spiritual energy was in disarray due to the return of the three islands and two peaks to their rightful places. His gaze swept over the astonished and uncertain cultivators from both the Fusheng Temple and the Liangyi Temple, finally settling on the Hunyuan Zhenyun Cong, which was continuously absorbing and gathering the spiritual energy of the two temples.

"Did you see that?" Tang Shangyuan's voice carried a dreamlike, intoxicated quality.

"The signs of the ancestral grotto opening have already appeared. The blessings of life and the two polarities, which have been intertwined for ten thousand years, and whose fortunes are intertwined, are now all converging here. This is a heaven-sent opportunity, one that is rare in all the ages."

His gaze refocused on Qi Yunsu, his eyes now devoid of any trace of affection for their former friend, replaced only by a naked, predatory desire.

"What's the point of determining victory or defeat? What's the point of arguing about who's the best? It's just a waste of luck. Why not... join me in this grand undertaking?"

Tang Shangyuan's withered body suddenly burst forth with dazzling incense light. The light was not pure; it was mixed with the impure thoughts and desires of countless mortals, forming an immense and unparalleled suction force that fiercely enveloped the entire Hunyuan Town Yun Cong and the vast fortunes of the two temples it connected to.

"Help me ascend to the divine throne, and from this day forward... may the incense burn eternally, and may the divine way prosper forever!!!"

These outrageous declarations were like a demonic cacophony, shaking everyone's minds. However, an even more unsettling change followed.

The instant his words fell—

"Buzz!"

The same invisible and intangible strange suction force suddenly erupted from the Hunyuan Zhenyun Cong hanging high in the sky.

This suction force does not act on physical strength, but directly targets the mysterious connection between cultivators and the Dao, and between cultivators and the world—luck and the power of incense offerings!

Qi Yunsu, Luo Feng, Wei Cangdong, Tao Fengbian, Fu Danian... and even all the disciples of the two temples below, regardless of their cultivation level, all trembled violently at this moment.

It felt as if something extremely important was being forcibly ripped away from the depths of my soul, a weakness and panic originating from the very source of life, like blood flowing backward, my soul being torn apart by an invisible hand.

They clearly felt that the fortune they shared with their sect and its traditions, the power of incense gathered from the devout offerings of countless believers, was like a flood bursting its banks, uncontrollably surging towards the Hunyuan Town Yun Cong.

The jade cong was like a greedy transit station, continuously feeding back the immense power accumulated over thousands of years by Fusheng and Liangyi Liangguan into Tang Shangyuan's withered body.

"Ugh—!"

Some disciples with slightly lower cultivation levels clutched their chests in pain, their faces turning ashen, and their aura visibly weakening.

The changes in Tang Shangyuan, who was at the core of the power, were even more astonishing.

His face, which was originally as withered and brittle as rotten wood, was infused with a life-giving spring. His skin became plump and rosy at a speed visible to the naked eye, and even faintly revealed a warm and lustrous luster like jade.

His hunched body stood straight as a pine tree, and an indescribable sense of majesty and holiness began to permeate the air.

What's even more terrifying is its aura. The barrier of its original late-stage Dao Seeking realm was easily broken through like paper, instantly soaring to the peak of the Dao Seeking realm.

Moreover, there is no sign that this upward trend will stop.

The immense fortune and incense power that gathered from the foundations of the two sects were frantically condensing and undergoing qualitative changes within his body, attempting to break through to the higher and more terrifying sixth-order Dao realm, which was even the realm of the divine...

"I see...I see!!"

Tao Feng's eyes widened in fury, and in an instant, he understood everything.

"He never intended to stop the discussion; he was waiting!"

"Wait until the two temples are gathered together, wait until the ancestral cave's celestial energy guides them, and wait until the Hunyuan Town's Yun Cong gathers all the incense offerings and fortune of the two temples here over ten thousand years!"

"This is the moment he's been waiting for! He wants to use my Fusheng and Liangyi Liangguan as sacrifices to help him achieve his so-called incense-burning divine path!!"

Qi Yunsu was also shaken to her core, and a bone-chilling cold instantly swept over her entire body.

He thought more deeply and saw things more clearly than Tao Fengbian.

Incense offerings are not only a source of power, but also a symbol of the existence of the Taoist tradition. They are the foundation for worshipping past patriarchs and maintaining the lineage of the Taoist tradition.

Tang Shangyuan's actions were not only about stealing power, but also about completely seizing the lineage and traditions of the two temples, stealing, covering up, and devouring the names of the ancestors and the essence of the lineage that had been passed down for ten thousand years by Fusheng and Liangyi Temples!

This is a more thorough and decisive blow than wiping out an entire family; it is a true betrayal of one's master and ancestors, a true severing of one's own ties with the natural order!
"Tang Shangyuan—!!!"

Qi Yun's hair and beard stood on end in anger, his hair bristling, and his Yin and Yang energies erupted from his body.

He could no longer care about adjusting his breathing, nor about Chen Mu, who was seriously injured but temporarily out of danger. His eyes were only on the evil demon who was frantically stealing the foundation of the Dao and attempting to become a god.

"You have forgotten your ancestors, stolen the incense offerings of your patriarchs, and usurped the foundation of the Daoist tradition. You have committed this act that defies heaven and reason and is aroused the wrath of both gods and men. This is tantamount to cutting yourself off from heaven and earth and from the Daoist school!"

"Today, even if it costs me my life and the foundation of my Dao, I will utterly annihilate you, this demon, cleanse my sect, and appease the spirit of my ancestral master in heaven!!!"

With a roar, Qi Yun transformed into a streak of Yin-Yang light that tore through the void, charging fiercely towards Tang Shangyuan, whose aura was steadily rising...

High above, Chen Mu suppressed his churning blood and qi, while the dim "Moon in the Water" immortal seed in his Purple Mansion struggled to maintain its last shred of clarity.

His brows furrowed as he reflected that the sudden turn of events before him had deviated from the original purpose of the discussion on the two perspectives, and had even involved the unpredictable path of deification through incense offerings.

Given his current severely injured body and cultivation level at the initial stage of the Dao Inquiry Realm, if he were to forcibly intervene in such a peak duel involving the very foundation of the Dao lineage, it would be tantamount to a mantis trying to stop a chariot. Not only would it be of no use, but he might also be instantly reduced to dust.

His brows furrowed, his eyes deep and unfathomable, and he made a decision in an instant.

He quietly retreated, drifting towards the edge of the battlefield like a falling leaf, his aura concealed to the extreme, temporarily hiding behind the chaotic storm of spiritual energy, observing coldly from the sidelines.

For now, the best course of action is to observe the situation and protect oneself.

Faced with Qi Yunsu's furious and earth-shattering attack, Tang Shangyuan's eerie smile remained unchanged as he reached out and pointed at the air.

"Om-!"

The rich incense energy surrounding him instantly boiled, transforming into a thick, viscous golden sea of ​​clouds, within which shimmered the prayers and thoughts of millions of ordinary people.

This golden cloud, though seemingly peaceful, contains a terrifying power that can dissolve all laws and erode the soul.

Boom! The Yin-Yang Mystic Light crashed violently into the golden clouds of incense.

In an instant, a piercing hissing sound rang out as the Yin and Yang energies collided and annihilated with the incense and prayers.

To everyone's surprise, Qi Yunsu's Yin-Yang Dao principles, which were powerful enough to crush mountains, were tightly entangled by the seemingly illusory golden clouds of incense, as if she were stuck in a quagmire, and her momentum of advancement was greatly reduced.

At the same time, countless chaotic prayers, cries, and desires, like billions of poisonous needles, frantically burrowed into Qi Yunsu's soul through the gaps in the Yin-Yang principles.

Qi Yunsu shouted sharply, and the Yin-Yang Dao Domain suddenly contracted, transforming into a Yin-Yang millstone condensed to its extreme. It forcibly crushed the invading distracting thoughts, tearing a gap in the golden clouds and directly approaching Tang Shangyuan's main body.

Tang Shangyuan's expression remained calm and composed, but a glint of light flashed in his eyes. The black bear beneath him roared and swung its massive, mountain-like claws, which, accompanied by a stench of blood and gore, slammed towards Qi Yunsu.

At the same time, the jade cong in front of him shone even brighter, and more incense power was continuously poured into his body.

Immediately afterwards, he formed hand seals and chanted profound incantations. The golden clouds of incense suddenly surged and transformed into countless phantoms of incense-wielding divine weapons and wearing divine armor. They densely packed together and swept towards Qi Yunsu.

In an instant, the Yin-Yang millstone spun high in the sky, crushing divine weapons. Incense and golden clouds surged, devouring the laws of the Dao. Giant claws tore through the sky, and divine weapons charged forward. Every collision caused the void to tremble and the laws to wail.

Qi Yunsu, with her profound Taoist cultivation and exquisite Yin-Yang Dao, was initially able to gain the upper hand, forcing Tang Shangyuan to fight with all his might. Incense and divine weapons collapsed in large numbers, and the black bear's giant claws were also torn to pieces by the Yin and Yang energies, emitting painful roars.

However, as time went on, the scales of victory began to tip quietly...

Under the frenzied infusion of Hunyuan Town's energy, Tang Shangyuan's aura grew stronger and stronger, getting closer and closer to that critical point.

A faint, yet divine radiance began to emanate from his body, a radiance that made even the laws of heaven and earth tremble.

The golden clouds of incense smoke grew increasingly dense and heavy, and the divine weapons and armor that evolved from them became clearer and more powerful. They even began to vaguely form the prototype of a "divine realm" that was independent of heaven and earth and composed of pure incense smoke and the power of wishes.
On the other hand, every time Qi Yunsu activated the Yin-Yang Dao principles to crush the incense and divine weapons, and every time he resisted the erosion of those all-pervasive distracting thoughts, he was severely depleting his magical power and mental strength.

Even more terrifying, he could feel his connection with the Liangyi Temple lineage being continuously weakened by that strange suction force, as if the source of his power was drying up.

"puff!"

Finally, after enduring Tang Shangyuan's "Golden Light of Blessing" palm strike, which was infused with immense incense power, Qi Yunsu's body trembled violently. She could no longer suppress a mouthful of blood and spat it out. Her protective Yin-Yang Dao Domain flickered, revealing her decline.

"Uncle-Master!" Luo Feng was utterly shocked.

Qi Yunsu's face was pale, but his eyes seemed to burn with fire. He suddenly looked down at Luo Feng, Wei Cangdong, and the audience at Fusheng Hall, who were also pale and unsteady on their feet, and shouted sharply:
"What are you all standing there for?! This fiend has stolen the foundations of both sects and intends to wipe out our lineage. If we don't join forces to kill this demon now, when will we?! Do we have to wait until he fully ascends to godhood and devours you, me, and the ancestral sect together?!"

Luo Feng suddenly realized the gravity of the situation; a profound sense of crisis overwhelmed all his doubts and hostility toward the Fusheng Temple.

He stared intently at Tang Shangyuan, whose aura grew increasingly terrifying and whose divinity was gradually manifesting. Then he looked at Tao Fengbian and hissed, "Tao Fengbian! Your Fusheng Temple has invited a wolf into the house and plotted this far. Do you really intend to just stand by and watch this treacherous and ungrateful demon destroy the millennia-old foundation of our two temples?!"

Wei Cangdong also shouted, "Master Tao, even now, are you still so stubborn? Is this the ending you wanted? Deceiving your master and ancestors, destined for eternal damnation?!"

Tao Feng's body trembled violently, and all the color drained from his face.

He brought not a savior, but utter destruction.

He suddenly looked up at Tang Shangyuan, who stood high above him, exuding a sacred yet cold and ruthless aura. The last glimmer of hope in his eyes vanished completely, replaced by resolute anger and sorrow.

"Uncle-Master Tang!"

Tao Fengbian's voice was hoarse: "Stop now, turn back before it's too late. Don't make another mistake and bring shame to my ancestors and the lineage of Master Zhongfu to an end in your hands!"

Before he finished speaking, Tao Fengbian burst forth with a dazzling golden light of good fortune. Although it was slightly dimmed due to the theft of his fortune, it was filled with the resolute will to protect the lineage and soared into the sky, its target Tang Shangyuan.

"Disciples of Fusheng Temple, heed my command! Follow me... to vanquish evil and uphold justice!!"

Fu Danian could no longer contain himself and roared as he followed closely behind Tao Fengbian.

"Disciples of Liangyi Temple, form an array to assist our Grandmaster Uncle in vanquishing the demon!"

Without further hesitation, Luo Feng exchanged a glance with Wei Cangdong and simultaneously roared out...

In an instant, the disciples of the two sects, who had been locked in a life-or-death struggle and were on the verge of extinction, miraculously set aside their past grievances and united against a common enemy under the threat of this catastrophic disaster and driven by their instinct to protect the lineage of their common ancestor.

High in the sky, the battle situation changed again in an instant.

Qi Yunsu's Yin-Yang Daoist arts are vast and magnificent, like a giant wheel that can obliterate heaven and earth.

Tao Feng's transformation into a golden light of peace and tranquility carried a resolute determination to destroy everything in the process.

Luo Feng and Wei Cangdong worked together seamlessly, their internal energy surging like a dragon and their magical powers flowing like a tide.

Fu Danian was furious, his aura overwhelming.

Furthermore, the spiritual light formed by the disciples of the two temples, like a shower of stars, converged into a torrent...

The incense smoke and golden clouds surged violently, and countless phantom images of divine weapons collapsed and were reborn under the ferocious attack.

The eerie smile on Tang Shangyuan's face finally vanished, replaced by a cold indifference and... a hint of anger at being provoked by an ant.

"Stubborn and unyielding...then...become the provisions for my ascension to godhood!"

The moment he finished speaking, the divine radiance that had been faintly permeating his body suddenly erupted.

In an instant, an indescribable, terrifying pressure swept across the area like a tsunami.

The two sect members below, who were forming a battle formation and charging forward, were struck as if by an invisible giant hammer, and their formation collapsed instantly.

Countless magical artifacts shone with mournful cries as their light dimmed and shattered. Those with weaker cultivation levels didn't even have time to scream before their vision went black, and they plummeted from the sky like dumplings being dropped into a pot, their fate unknown.

Qi Yunsu, Tao Fengbian, and others, who were at the center of the battle and bore the brunt of the pressure, were the first to be affected.

With just one step, divine power erupted.

The allied forces of the two sects, which had been so imposing and united in their hatred of the enemy, crumbled instantly. All the Dao Inquiry True Monarchs were severely injured and forced to retreat, leaving behind a scene of devastation, like a wheat field swept by a hurricane...

High in the sky, only Tang Shangyuan's figure stood proudly.

He tilted his head back and took a deep breath!
"call--!"

Like a whale swallowing the sea, the immense and vast torrent of incense offerings and fortune from the Hunyuan Zhenyun Cong, powerful enough to support the rise and fall of the Daoist lineage for ten thousand years, was swallowed whole by him without reservation.
hum! ! !
The divine radiance surrounding him suddenly became dazzling, almost solidifying. His withered body became completely full, his skin was as smooth as jade, and his white hair turned black in an instant, dancing in the wind, with each strand seemingly flowing with a divine aura.

At the same time, an even grander, more perfect, and closer aura to the sixth-order Dao realm, like a volcano about to erupt, was frantically accumulating and rising within his body.

Above, in the void, the faint image of a golden lotus bloomed, ethereal celestial music drifted in, and auspicious clouds and rosy light descended... These were the signs and omens of the laws of heaven and earth upon the one about to ascend to the divine throne...

……

(End of this chapter)