Chapter 1007: Creation (I)

"Chu Liang!"

Among the crowd gathered atop the Brilliant Mountain of Yin, Jiang Yuebai was the first to spot the figure descending from the sky.

This sudden upheaval had left her helpless. She wasn’t strong enough to fight on the front lines, so all she could do was stand among the other Mount Shu Sect disciples and watch anxiously from afar. But the moment she saw Chu Liang descend, a glimmer of hope reignited in her heart.

Her esteemed teacher, the sect leader, and even Baize had fallen at the hands of the Noble Dharma. None of the immortal sect experts had been able to stop him. And yet, the moment Chu Liang appeared, she instinctively believed that a miracle was about to happen—for no other reason than the fact that he was Chu Liang.

The seven-colored crystal immortal tree was the most powerful legendary artifact Bai Wuxiang had entrusted to Chu Liang. She was an immortal tree born with divine power—one that Chu Liang now called Big Sis.

Chu Liang knew that this immortal tree was a Big Sis because when he first met this tree, he greeted her with a cheerful "Hello, Big Bro Tree!" In response, she pinned him down and slammed him into the ground more than twenty times.

This ancient immortal tree truly lived up to her status as the Divine Ruins Monastery’s treasured artifact. The moment she landed, she struck the Noble Dharma with a fierce opening blow.

Booooooom!

After taking several heavy blows, the Noble Dharma finally snapped out of his initial shock. Gritting his teeth through the searing pain, he turned sharply and tried to flee. But the immortal tree had already extended countless branches, wrapping tightly around him and leaving no way out.

Not long ago, the Noble Dharma had used the Tree of Longevity to bind his enemies. Who would have thought that so soon, the roles would be reversed? Now he was the one being restrained and pounded.

As another flurry of strikes rained down, the Noble Dharma resorted to his old trick. A ball of searing golden light erupted around him and was about to explode. But just then, the deep toll of a great bell echoed through the air, followed by a thunderous crack. A massive shadow came crashing down from above!

The immortal tree’s attack had only been a diversion meant to hold him in place. What the Noble Dharma never expected was that the real killing blow would come from above. It was Chu Liang—or rather, the Demon-Refining Pagoda that he had summoned!

Boooooooom!

"You actually restored the pagoda!" the Noble Dharma exclaimed.

The moment the Noble Dharma saw the Demon-Refining Pagoda, a flicker of fear finally appeared on his face.

After living for so many years, there was no one more afraid of death than he was!

Rumble...

The base of the Demon-Refining Pagoda opened into a deep void. Countless chains surged out from within, weaving together with the immortal tree’s branches to bind the Noble Dharma tightly. A terrifying force pulled him upward, and he was powerless to resist!

Though it had gone through many transformations, this ancient legendary artifact still retained its most fundamental power: the ability to suppress demons!

Staring into that unfathomable abyss, the Noble Dharma realized one thing with absolute certainty. Once he was pulled in, there would be no escape. Even the powerful Demon God could not break free by relying on their own strength, much less someone like him.

So he struggled with all his might, crashing against the divine chains that filled the sky. Golden light surged around his body, letting out a deafening, bone-rattling roar!

The cultivators from the various immortal sects watched as Chu Liang descended from the heavens with the legendary artifact in hand. None of them could hide the shock on their faces.

Everyone always said he was powerful. For years, people had spoken of how he performed one miracle after another, but surely there had to be a limit.

Yet, somehow, he even managed to reforge the Demon-Suppressing Pagoda?

This storyline felt all too familiar. Even after three thousand years, the task of saving the world still fell on the shoulders of the Mount Shu Sect, and once again, it relied on the Demon-Refining Pagoda.

"Aaaarghhhhhhhh!"

The golden light surrounding the Noble Dharma was blinding. It shone so intensely that even eighth-realm experts could not look directly at it. He had clearly exhausted all of his cultivation power. Earlier, when he destroyed the legendary artifacts of the various sects, he had not even used his full strength.

In terms of cultivation alone, he might not have been stronger than Evil Ksitigarbha or the weakened Demon God from back then. However, his superior defenses and battle experience had made him the most terrifying bringer of destruction.

Yet, under the Demon-Refining Pagoda, the Noble Dharma had no power to resist. As the divine chains clanked and roared, he was dragged closer and closer to the base of the pagoda.

...

Cultivators all around the battlefield held their breath. Braving the bone-chilling cold that radiated from the Celestial Portal of the Nine Yin, they silently cheered for Chu Liang.

Among the Eminent Ones nearby, the Imperial Supervisory Commissioner was the first to frown. "The power of the Demon-Refining Pagoda doesn't seem as great as it once was..."

He had never seen the pagoda from three thousand years ago, but if it had truly subdued a fully empowered Demon God back then, it must have possessed the strength to counter a ninth-realm being. As powerful as the Noble Dharma was now, he was only near the Profound Realm. There was no way he had surpassed the Demon God.

Yet, the pagoda was struggling for so long.

The Imperial Supervisory Commissioner’s assessment was completely accurate. The pagoda’s demon-suppressing power had indeed declined.

The Demon-Refining Pagoda had suffered heavy damage in the past, and the Deity Pan’s Bone was only a fragment of what it had been before. Although it had recently absorbed part of the Demon God’s life essence and awakened new abilities, its core suppressive power had been greatly weakened.

Just as the battle teetered in a desperate struggle, a sharp shout rang out from the distance. "The six demon-eliminating treasures!"

Everyone looked up and saw Lu Cang from the Divine Ruins Monastery rushing toward the scene. At this moment of life and death for the mortal world, he had come to support Chu Liang without the slightest hesitation. In his hand, he carried one of the six legendary treasures, the Demon-Restraining Rope.

"Indeed, the six demon-eliminating treasures!" the Weapons Master echoed at once.

Back when the Mount Shu Sect had suppressed the Demon God, it was the combined strength of these six treasures that had secured victory. Others might not be able to help now, but these treasures could.

Lu Cang had arrived with the Demon-Restraining Rope, while the other five were already in the hands of the Mount Shu Sect’s forces.

At once, Di Nufeng brought forth the Demon-Cutting Saber. The Whale-Riding Immortal wielded the Demon-Slaying Sword. Bai Yuxian carried the Demon-Subduing Pestle, and the Azure Dragon held the Demon-Smashing Hammer. Lastly, Chu Liang was channeling the Demon-Refining Pagoda.

All six treasures had gathered, and the demon-suppressing power surged to its peak!

"Haaah!" The six of them struck together, golden light swirling around them!

As an immortal demon, the Noble Dharma was no longer a being those the six treasures were meant to protect. Now, under the combined power of the six converging golden lights, he was dragged several more zhang toward the Demon-Refining Pagoda. He was already terrifyingly close to that bottomless abyss!

It was about to succeed.

However, just as spirits soared and hope surged, the Noble Dharma’s aura suddenly withdrew.

He floated in midair as the winds and clouds around him surged wildly. Countless streams of spiritual power and Dao essence rushed toward him. From the bodies of the frozen dead, faint traces of life force sparkled and gathered, forming a vast current that poured into his body.

Brilliant rays of multicolored light poured down. Mysterious heavenly music echoed in the air. The sun and moon rang like great bells, and Dao essence rumbled like thunder.

"What is that...?"

The cultivators from the immortal sects gasped in shock, unable to believe their eyes.

"It’s the Celestial Portal of the Nine Yin!" someone shouted. "Too many lives have already been lost because of it!"

Only then did everyone realize what had happened. Earlier, the Celestial Portal of the Nine Yin had been damaged, leaving even the Greater-Yin Cult powerless to shut it. With the portal left wide open, a massive surge of frigid yin energy flooded into the human realm.

Of the countless demonic beasts gathered nearby, seventy to eighty percent were killed on the spot. The cold continued to spread in every direction. For ordinary creatures with no cultivation, even the slightest touch of that cold was enough to freeze them to death where they stood.

In recent times, the mortal world had already been torn apart by chaos, like walking through mountains of blades and seas of fire. Countless innocent lives had fallen to natural disasters and human strife. Over the past two days, even with the experts of the immortal sects trying to stop him, the Noble Dharma had slaughtered many more.

And now, with the frigid energy surging out from the Celestial Portal of the Nine Yin, the number of lives lost in the human realm had reached a terrifying number.

That was the threshold for ascending the Great Dao of Longevity!

At this moment, the Noble Dharma fulfilled his grand aspiration and merged with the Great Dao of Longevity.

He ascended to the Profound Realm... once again!

"

Hee-hee-hee...

" A chilling laugh echoed through the air. Though still bound in divine chains, Noble Dharma looked calm and unbothered, as if none of it concerned him.

"You all almost did it... Shame, shame, shame... It still wasn't enough in the end."

...