Chapter 839: Did We Take a Wrong Turn?

It was the Noble Dharma.

Being a human who had reached the status of Eminent One, the Noble Dharma had lived in seclusion for years atop the Holy Mountain of the Northern Regions. He was known to be the oldest living human in the world.

No one could say for sure how old he was. What people did know was that it had been five hundred years since he rose to fame and went into seclusion.

His disciple from five hundred years ago had founded the Monastery Tower. His disciple from two hundred years ago had established the Night Saber Sect. As for him, he had remained peacefully atop the Holy Mountain, calmly observing the chaos and changes of the world.

Some had even speculated that the Noble Dharma was already dead, and that the disciples of the Holy Mountain were simply keeping it a secret. But in this moment, those rumors were completely dispelled.

The Noble Dharma was very much alive, and his combat strength remained at its peak. With a single strike, he had forced back three masters of the Heavenly Origin Realm. Stealth attack or not, who else could have accomplished such a feat?

Over on Mount Shu, Baize was holding off three opponents on her own. As someone on the verge of ascension, she stood at the pinnacle of the eighth realm, preparing to step into the Profound Realm.

And with that single strike, the Noble Dharma had proven that he might not be any weaker than Baize after all.

Lin Poyun flew into a rage. Though he had never met the Noble Dharma in person, there was deep-seated hatred between them.

Back then, when Lin Poyun had been competing for control of the Great Dao he now commanded, he had severed all goodness from himself and forged a body of pure evil. That was how he had earned the acknowledgment of the True Form of Ksitigarbha. Through the use of this legendary artifact, he competed with his teacher, Xuan Yinzi, for the control of the Great Dao of the Profound Darkness and won.

However, it also left him with a single fatal flaw—the body of goodness that he had severed away.

He couldn’t kill that form of goodness. However, when he severed it, that form of goodness had been a mere mortal and should have perished after just a few years.

Who would have thought that his severed form of goodness had been taken in by the Noble Dharma and taught until it reached the seventh realm and became an Eminent One?

When they had been fighting for the Breath of the Yellow Springs, the Noble Dharma had sent that severed form of goodness out to deal with the matter, completely thwarting his plans.

There was no way this was mere coincidence. Of all the places between the south and the north, why had the form of goodness he had severed chosen the Holy Mountain of the Northern Regions to seek guidance?

This was clearly the Noble Dharma’s doing—a calculated move aimed at him!

However, Lin Poyun could do nothing about it. As long as his severed form of goodness remained on the Holy Mountain, he couldn’t act recklessly there.

If this form of goodness encountered his current self, a being of pure evil, his soul would immediately fall into chaos and confusion, triggering an internal conflict. Even the True Form of Ksitigarbha could not save him.

The fact that the Noble Dharma held this trump card made Lin Poyun gnash his teeth in anger. And now, the old man dared to step in and fight for the Celestial Cosmic Ring as well? It would have been fine if it had happened once, but it happened again. This completely ignited Lin Poyun’s fury.

"Old thief, your life is mine!" Lin Poyun let out a thunderous roar.

Simultaneously, the True Form of Ksitigarbha unleashed a force that made the thunder rumble. This attack was more than twice as powerful as the blow he’d dealt to the Azure Dragon earlier. This attack was meant to obliterate the Noble Dharma completely, both body and soul!

Hovering in mid-air with the Form of the Heavens and Earth, the Noble Dharma’s face appeared like that of a kind old man. However, his body was that of a massive thousand-armed golden Buddha. As the True Form of Ksitigarbha’s strike came at him, he did not falter in the slightest.

He was still clutching and pulling the Celestial Cosmic Ring back with one hand, while the countless golden arms instantly extended forward to intercept the incoming palm of the True Form of Ksitigarbha.

Though their sizes were similar, their sturdiness was worlds apart. Under the attack of the True Form of Ksitigarbha, the Buddha’s thousand arms crumbled upon contact, erupting in one deafening explosion after another.

Rumble! Crackle! Boom! Boom! Boom!

Though the Noble Dharma was unable to completely stop the attack from the Form of Ksitigarbha, they were enough to slow its momentum and give him enough time to pull the Celestial Cosmic Ring to his side.

On the other side, the Azure Dragon wasn’t about to let its sect lose the legendary artifact without a fight. It unleashed a deafening dragon chant, sending a wave of green light slicing through the air like a blade. The Noble Dharma met the attack with perfect composure, using his Transcendent Form to absorb the blow head-on.

Schkk!

His hundred-zhang form was instantly sliced in half, tumbling from the sky and crashing onto Mirage Mountain below.

Rumble, rumble, rumble!

The crash nearly shattered what remained of the floating Mirage Mountain. Thunder rumbled in all directions, and the East Sea roared with towering waves!

That half of the Transcendent Form clearly possessed divine abilities. If not, there would not have been such a violent explosion!

The explosion’s overwhelming force obscured everyone’s divine sense and vision.

The Noble Dharma disappeared into the skies above. When the dust cleared, only the endless, clear sky was left.

The only one left was Lin Poyun, watching helplessly as the legendary artifact, just within his grasp, was taken away.

A roar of furious frustration escaped him. "Celestial Cosmic Ring!!!"

...

"If the islands of the Penglai Supreme Sect were invaded by a powerful enemy, wouldn’t the Celestial Cosmic Ring be in danger?"

Back when Daoist Cangsheng had been fighting for control of the Celestial Cosmic Ring, he had hurriedly teleported it back to the Penglai Supreme Sect.

At the time, he had made that decision mainly because the Mount Shu Sect’s Vessel of God had appeared so suddenly. Unfamiliar with the airship’s power, Daoist Cangsheng had been caught off guard, and the Celestial Cosmic Ring was struck and sent falling.

He had made that decision also because members of various immortal sects had started arriving, and he believed the war would soon end. To avoid any risk, he sent the artifact back home.

Who would have thought that thieves would have already appeared at home?

If that had not happened, he would not have rushed to leave, nor would he have restarted the fight. The affairs of the world were sometimes just this strange and unpredictable.

Yang Buwei had warned him that the Penglai Supreme Sect might face a great crisis because of Chu Liang, which was why Chu Liang should be killed as soon as possible.

However, it was precisely because of this warning that Daoist Cangsheng took such action today, ironically plunging the Penglai Supreme Sect into a state of catastrophe.

And it was indeed Chu Liang who had brought with him the Vessel of God, which had changed the fate of the Mount Shu Sect.

If it was not because of Chu Liang, this legendary artifact would never have existed.

Burning with anxiety, Daoist Cangsheng could only rush back to Penglai as quickly as possible, hoping to make up for the losses he had caused.

Daoist Cangsheng’s beard and hair stood on end, his robes billowing as his cultivation power surged to its peak. He shouted, "Ahhhhhhhhhh!!! I trade one year of my life for a hundred years of your decay!"

Rumble!

The East Sea Chrono Wheel spun wildly, unleashing the terrifying power of the Great Dao of Infinity. Not even cultivators at the Dao Attainment Realm dared to touch it.

This was a level of power rarely exhibited by the Chrono Wheel. Using this legendary artifact as a medium, the Dao Master of Infinity could make extremely unfair trades.

By sacrificing a year of his own lifespan, he could cause his enemy to age a hundred years.

Normally, Daoist Cangsheng would never resort to such a self-harming divine technique. But today, he had been pushed to the brink and could no longer afford to hold back.

In an instant, waves of Dao essence surged toward Venerable Wen Yuan, leaving no room for escape!

All Venerable Wen Yuan could do was use the Dao essence of Primordial Chaos to block the incoming spiritual energy. But sooner or later, that defense would be breached.

Even though his cultivation level was slightly higher than Daoist Cangsheng’s, the overwhelming advantage of a legendary artifact was something that couldn’t be overcome.

Thankfully, the Whale-Riding Immortal aboard the Vessel of God reacted just in time. Channeling immense power, he once again used his ship-riding technique to slash at the Chrono Wheel of the East Sea.

So far, their understanding of the Mount Shu Sect’s Vessel of God remained limited. They had only uncovered two powerful functions: the first was using it as a ship to propel forward while activating Shattering the Void, and the second was wielding it as a sword to deliver full-power slashes.

With the attacks enhanced by the Great Dao of the Cloud of Determination, this slash became nearly unstoppable!

Boom!

The massive bronze ship surged forward with an unstoppable roar, slamming into the East Sea Chrono Wheel and knocking it askew with a single blow.

Daoist Cangsheng had no choice but to withdraw the Dao essence he had aimed at Wen Yuan and redirect it toward the Whale-Riding Immortal standing atop the legendary artifact.

But before he could unleash an attack, Lu Jiuwai, equipped with the Xuanhuang Battle Armor, descended from the heavens with a mighty crash!

Boom!

With a single punch, Lu Jiuwai nearly drove the Chrono Wheel into the ground. Daoist Cangsheng swiftly stabilized his spiritual energy, struggling to maintain control over the artifact.

If he lost control of this legendary artifact again, he might really have to atone for it with his life. Ironically, the attack unleashed by Lu Jiuwai helped Daoist Cangsheng achieve his goal.

Daoist Cangyun and Daoist Cangqiu of the Penglai Supreme Sect had just been knocked down into the sea of clouds. Now, all three were gathered beside the Chrono Wheel.

Without hesitation, Daoist Cangsheng activated the Chrono Wheel, instantly tearing open a rift in the void with the power of the legendary artifact, creating a path to a hidden realm!

Venerable Wen Yuan tried to intervene, but Daoist Cangsheng channeled his Dao essence with great force. The flow of time around Wen Yuan abruptly changed, slowing him down. In the end, it was too late to stop them.

Boom!

As the vortex from the shattered void widened, all three of them finally managed to escape.

Only the Elder of Mount Lu remained. He had not been knocked into the sea of clouds and had instead fallen next to the Chrono Wheel earlier. He was still struggling to fight against Baize.

At this moment, he simply couldn’t make it to the rift in the void. He could not reach it in time.

As he watched his sect leader and fellow disciples leave from below, he could only cry out, "Wait for me! I’m not up there yet!"

Whoosh!

There was a flash of brilliance in the sky.

Daoist Cangsheng did not bother waiting for the Elder of Mount Lu. Without looking back, he dragged Daoist Cangyun and Daoist Cangqiu through the rift, finally returning to the Penglai Supreme Sect to reinforce the people at headquarters.

However, the moment they landed, all of them froze.

"Sect Leader..." Daoist Cangyun said slowly, "are we... at the wrong place?"