Dao Cheng Gui Xian

Chapter 268 The results are announced, the Ink Seed is finished.

"buzz"

The void trembled slightly, and the two patriarchs, Fu and Kong, appeared one after the other on the main seat.

Those who had just sat down rose again and bowed respectfully:
"I've met the ancestor."

Master Fu and Master Kong waved their hands simultaneously: "Please sit down."

These past few days, one of them has been keeping an eye on Moth King Valley in Wangxian City to guard against a counterattack from the Misty Land, while the other has been stationed on the western coast of the Suspended Mountain to prevent the Evil Calamity Island from stirring up a wave of evil spirits.

Fortunately, both of these lines seem to be doing quite well?

The gazes of the two lineage masters, Fu and Kong, swept over everyone present, especially those who were competing for the Evil Calamity Island and the Land of Mystery.

They were also curious about the final outcome.

Seeing that everyone was seated again, the patriarch of the Kongzi lineage went straight to the point:

"Ten days have passed, and the two assessments regarding the raising of the Heavenly God have also concluded. Let's announce the results directly."

Upon hearing this, the crowd below sat up straight, instantly becoming fully focused.

The patriarch of the Fuzi lineage had no objection to this. Regardless of the outcome, it was better to settle this matter sooner rather than later. He didn't really care much about the so-called say of the Suspended Mountain.

If it weren't for the need to give some explanation to the Dragon King, the elders, protectors, and clans under the Floating lineage, he would have even considered directly passing the torch to the founder of the Empty lineage.

In this way, after a period of competition, no matter the outcome, no one had any complaints.

So he directly echoed:

"Then let the elders and high priests who are heading to Evil Calamity Island present the results of their collection of star fragments."

Upon hearing this, the five elders immediately rose and walked to the seats of the two patriarchs, Fu and Kong.

Li Wushou was unaware that the time to verify the star fragments had come so suddenly, and upon hearing this, he immediately calmed his blood and qi.

He had the Heavenly Star Array around his neck, which forced him to adjust it; otherwise, the slightest movement could have caused the cloud chair to collapse.

The adjustment period was short, only two breaths, but it made many of the heads of the families on the North Shore very dissatisfied.

They all thought Li Wushou was putting on airs.

Especially Gongsun Zhangjia, who had one eye removed.

He snorted coldly, wanting to make a sarcastic remark, but suddenly felt a chill in his heart and quickly looked towards his ancestor.

The ancestor stared intently at him with extreme sharpness, and a warning from his soul echoed in his ear:
"If you make another sound, I'll crush your throat."

Gongsun, the head of the household, quickly fell silent, not daring to say another word.

After calming down, Li Wushou stepped forward and stood beside the five elders.

The Floating Void Ancestor, the Dragon God, the Painter, and the girl behind him all turned their gazes to Li Wushou, and then their pupils shrank simultaneously.

They could clearly feel that the moment Li Wushou stood still, the void beneath his feet seemed unable to bear the weight and cracked instantly.

Crushing space—this has already touched the threshold of a Nascent Soul True Monarch.

How can this physical body be so strong?
Even the Dragon God, who was now in the form of a dragon, was astonished. In just ten days, Li Wushou seemed to have undergone another transformation.

Is this the disciple of the Great Lord Zhenhai?
That's truly terrifying!

The founders of the Floating and Void lineages were also somewhat alarmed. Ten days ago, they had only regarded Li Wushou as a junior with some talent, but now they were quite serious.

If they continue to grow at this rate, their competitors will soon overtake them.

Composing himself, the patriarch of the Floating Lineage spoke:
"Take out all the star fragments."

The moment he finished speaking, the founder of the Void lineage pointed into the void.

Li Wushou could clearly sense that a square-shaped barrier space suddenly appeared around them, enveloping them like a box.

This is probably to prevent the magnetic field of the star fragments from disturbing the venue.

With a thought, Li Wushou noticed a Yin-Yang diagram floating above his head.

Then a silver star, about ten feet in diameter, slowly fell from the Yin-Yang diagram and hovered in mid-air.

The moment the silver star appeared, the barrier space that was originally shrouded inside was instantly shattered by the powerful magnetic force.

The patriarch of the Kongzi lineage, who had been calm, suddenly showed a look of astonishment.

He then tapped the void several times, and one after another barrier space appeared, finally trapping the powerful magnetic force in the void.

The patriarch of the Kongzi lineage had a solemn expression, and he uttered a sound of surprise and doubt:

"A destiny star?!"

The founder of the Floating Character Clan was also somewhat incredulous at the sight. He had actually taken out a Destiny Star, and the quality of this Destiny Star was extremely high, even surpassing what he himself had refined.

So exaggerated?

After a moment of surprise, the Dragon King smiled broadly, realizing that his favor had not been in vain.

The Great Venerable's disciple is indeed extraordinary!
If it weren't for the inappropriate occasion, he would have burst out laughing.

After taking out his destiny star, Li Wushou secretly observed the painter Yan Qiubai and the girl behind him.

After a brief moment of surprise, the two seemed to have little reaction, and the painter Yan Qiubai returned to his calm.

The other party seemed to have no interest in incense offerings or destiny stars from beginning to end.

The girl inexplicably smiled, and her gaze towards him seemed to hold a hint of admiration.
This made Li Wushou feel even more strange.

Is it really her?
He slightly activated the Heavenly Gang Formation on his neck, and his Destiny Star slowly floated above his head.

The two patriarchs, Fu and Kong, saw Li Wushou take out his Destiny Star right at the start and then look at the people behind him with anticipation. They couldn't help but wonder if something had happened on Evil Calamity Island and another star had fallen.
But after waiting for a long time, the remaining five elders still stood there like wooden blocks.

The patriarch of the Kongzi lineage couldn't help but urge the five of them on:
"Where are your star fragments?"

Elders Yuwen and Helu clasped their hands in greeting and replied:
"Our star fragments have been handed over to the High Priest."

The founder of the Kongzi lineage didn't react much upon hearing this, which was normal.

It's not easy to create a destiny star of such high quality by pooling the efforts of three people, but it's still barely acceptable.

Then, turning their attention to the three people designated by the Void Vein, if the Floating Vein could create such a destiny star, how could the Void Vein be almost the same?
Just then, Elders Gongsun and Shen clasped their hands in greeting and replied:
"We have also handed over our star fragments to the High Priest!"

"???"

The elder of the Void Clan thought he had misheard. You also handed it over to the High Priest? Have you all lost your minds?
Even the founder of the Fu Zi lineage and the Dragon King thought they had misheard.

At this moment, Elder Yun stepped forward, solemnly clasped his hands in greeting, and replied:

"Reporting to the Ancestor, we are elders of the Suspended Mountain, and we should unite as one to build a prosperous Suspended Mountain together."

This battle between the gods is truly not something we should be involved in, so we handed over all the star fragments we collected to the High Priest.

The High Priest's character is impeccable, his abilities are exceptional, and most importantly, he is wholeheartedly devoted to the well-being of Mount Sumeru and Huazhou. I believe the High Priest will be able to select the best candidate for Mount Sumeru!

"???"

The patriarch of the Kongzi lineage stared in disbelief at the three elders: Yun, Shen, and Gongsun.

Elder Yun's words, in particular, almost made him laugh in anger!
You're not ready to make a move now? You didn't say that when you acquired Hua Ying, where were you before?
You are so selfless, how about I, the patriarch, let you do it?

The founder of the Fu lineage quite appreciated Elder Yun's words.

He didn't believe in Li Wushou's character.

His main belief was that unity was truly in the best interest of Suspended Mountain. Despite the current prosperity of Huazhou, a major upheaval was imminent, and no one knew what the future held.

Before the great upheaval, Xuan Kong Shan must eliminate all obstacles and establish Hua Zhou as the foundation for the arrival of Xuan Kong Shan's main sect in the world. At this moment, internal strife is unacceptable.

Elder Yun truly lives up to his reputation as a respected elder of Xuankong Mountain; his selfless dedication to the public good deeply resonates with me.

Therefore, the patriarch of the Fu lineage immediately praised it:
"Elder Yun, well said! If everyone were like this, how could Suspended Mountain not prosper? The elders are indeed the pillars of Suspended Mountain, which is a blessing for Suspended Mountain."

The five elders bowed slightly and replied:

"We merely trust the High Priest's character and dare not accept the praise of our ancestor."

The patriarch of the Fu lineage stroked his beard and laughed heartily, adding a word of praise in agreement:
"The great priest, possessing the qualities of a celestial being, is able to toil in the air, which is a blessing for the Suspended Mountain."

The crowd below all had strange expressions; something seemed off about the scene.

Things even started to get weird.

But when the patriarch of the Fu lineage spoke, everyone had no choice but to agree:

"It is truly a blessing for the Suspended Mountain."

"."

The Dragon King sat in the chair, his mouth practically twitching from laughing so hard he looked like a crooked dragon king.

He was initially quite apprehensive, but now he was completely relieved. With this destiny star around, who could take away his position as a god?
How can an artist compete if they don't even have a destiny star?
Besides, the other party's lineage cannot possibly exceed one's own.

Given both factors, who else would the Heavenly Decree choose if not me?

Unlike the Dragon King's brimming confidence, Li Wushou stood aside, quietly observing the painter and the girl.

This scene was clearly beyond their expectations. The painter's expression changed slightly as he looked at Elder Yun and the other two, silently made a hand seal, and then his pupils shrank as he glanced at Li Wushou without making a sound.

His own painted infant dissipated, not just from exhaustion of energy, but from being completely shattered!

Painting babies is not something you can do at will.

First, the other party's Dao needs to be able to truly reach the Nascent Soul stage.

If the other party's cultivation method can only reach the Golden Core stage, then the painter will not be able to paint an infant.

Secondly, the person being manipulated by the painted infant must be close to the Nascent Soul stage in terms of cultivation level. The stronger the opponent, the stronger the battle will be when controlling the painted infant.

If it's just the early or middle stage of the Golden Core realm, on the one hand, he would expend more mental energy drawing the infant, and on the other hand, the other party wouldn't be able to control it after drawing it, and might even be drained of energy by the drawn infant and turn into an evil spirit.

After the nascent soul is formed, it needs to be nourished with the heart's blood and the power of the golden core of the person to whom the nascent soul is formed.

In this way, the drawn infant can take root in the opponent's golden core and, at a crucial moment, transform the opponent's golden core into a nascent soul. Although this is false, it is also true, because at this moment the opponent does indeed possess the initial abilities of a nascent soul.

However, it is somewhat inferior to the Nascent Soul realm that I have entered.

There's no such thing as a free lunch, and this method used by painters is no exception.

The painting of the infant spirit is rooted in the golden core. Although it allows the other party to borrow the power of the golden core, it also penetrates deep into the other party's golden core.

The Golden Elixir is something that is related to a person's life. If Hua Ying were to delve into it, it would be equivalent to entrusting one's life and fortune to the painter.

When a normal infant is about to run out of energy, it will automatically gather its last bit of energy and transform it into an ink seed, which will be planted in the user's golden core.

The artist can awaken it at any time and use it as a means to manipulate others.

Although Elder Yun and the other two had used all their painted infants, no ink seeds remained in their golden cores. It was as if the painted infants were destroyed in an instant by a thunderous method during use, without even having time to gather ink seeds.

This rendered his manipulation methods ineffective.

What exactly happened on Evil Calamity Island?
The three Golden Core cultivators who used the Painting Infant technique were enough to put even one of them, a true Nascent Soul cultivator, to fight.

That evil spirit king should only be at this level at most.

Recalling the scene of Li Wushou shattering the void with one foot, and the strange attitude of the five people now.

How could the artist not know that all of this was related to this high priest?
Impressive!
Disciple of the Great Venerable One?

I'm afraid of suspended mountains, but I'm not!
The painter's previously indifferent gaze suddenly turned sharp, and then he looked at Li Wushou without any attempt to conceal it.

Li Wushou noticed the other person's gaze, a smile appeared on his lips, and he exchanged a glance with the painter without caring.

He thought the other party had planned everything.

Now it seems that the other party is nothing special.

The girl behind the other person was more troublesome.

Facing Li Wushou's scrutiny, the girl looked back at him without any hesitation.

Her willow-leaf eyebrows and bright eyes left a deep impression.

Whether it was a misperception or not, Li Wushou felt that the other person's gaze towards him held a stronger sense of appreciation.

The competition to collect star fragments quickly came to an end with the revelation of Li Wushou's star and the strange statements from Yun, Shen, and Gongsun.

This left many who had been looking forward to it feeling a sense of disappointment.

The atmosphere on both the north and south banks of Wangxian City has been extremely tense these past few days, with even the two floating mountain ranges experiencing frequent clashes.

I thought it would be a fierce and brutal battle, but this is what happened?
The patriarch of the Kongzi lineage was unable to contain his anger, and the celestial phenomena above the Suspended Mountain began to become strange and unpredictable.

Seeing that the other person was sulking and not speaking, the founder of the Fu Zi lineage took over the conversation:

"Now that the outcome of the trip to Evil Calamity Island is decided, please, High Priest and the five elders, take your seats. Next, please have the two candidates for Celestial God demonstrate the results of the incense offerings made in the Land of Calamity."

Li Wushou nodded, and with his life star above his head, he directly smashed the barrier space left by the founder of the Kongzi lineage.

It's unclear whether the other party forgot about this barrier space, as it hasn't been removed.

Upon seeing this, the founder of the Kongzi lineage wanted to shout angrily, because if the magnetic force of the Destiny Star left the barrier space, it would definitely disrupt the entire venue.

But the words got stuck in my throat.

He noticed a silver light emanating from Li Wushou's neck, which enveloped his life star, and no one present felt any magnetic interference.

"Hoo~!"

A loud airburst echoed above the floating palace.

As soon as Li Wushou sat down, he looked up and it seemed as if the patriarch of the Kongzi lineage was expelling turbid air from the Suspended Mountain.
However, no one paid attention to this point. After the patriarch of the Fuzi lineage made his announcement, they all turned their attention to the painter.

The Dragon King's incense and dragon pearl had been quietly floating above our heads since the very beginning.

At this moment, the human face, severed limbs, and disordered features on it are constantly writhing and twisting.

The incense sticks, so lifelike they looked almost real, startled everyone present; there were probably thousands of people there.

As everyone's attention focused on him, the artist surveyed the scene and spoke slowly and deliberately:
"I did not perform any incense offerings."

As soon as this statement came out, everyone in the audience was shocked!

"what?"

"They didn't even burn incense?"

The heads of the families on the north bank dared not look at the painter, and each of them turned their gazes to the City God behind them.

But the city gods were just looking at the painters with piety and ignored them.

The Dragon King ignored all of this and snorted coldly, saying:
"Since the painter did not perform the incense offering ceremony, then it's over!"

(End of this chapter)