Chapter 976: The Wrath of Evil Ksitigarbha (II)

The bronze wheel rose into the air, not to be handed over to the Celestial Master but to spin rapidly in place. A swirling beam of light burst forth and struck him directly, causing his lifespan to drain away at a terrifying pace.

The Azure Dragon was not the Dao Master of the Great Dao of Infinity and could not use the artifact the way Daoist Cangsheng once had. Even so, the Chrono Wheel was a top-tier divine treasure. The power of this artifact was still overwhelming in his hands.

Seeing that the Azure Dragon could not be swayed and showed no intention of yielding, the Celestial Master gave up on using the disciples of the Penglai Supreme Sect as hostages. His figure sank swiftly downward and disappeared from sight, dodging the fate of being struck by the Chrono Wheel.

On the other side of the battlefield, the Elder of Mount Lu had already made his move. Waves of black earth surged upward, nearly burying the master of the Dark King Sect alive.

At the start of the battle, the two powerful cultivators of the Penglai Supreme Sect clearly held the upper hand.

But just then, a massive golden hand suddenly fell from the sky and slammed into the Chrono Wheel with a thunderous crash that shook the heavens.

"Dharma! You thief!" the Azure Dragon roared in fury.

This was exactly how the Noble Dharma had once stolen the Celestial Cosmic Ring. That day, he had taken it from the Azure Dragon’s own hands. And today, the Azure Dragon would never allow the same scenario to repeat itself.

The Chrono Wheel spun furiously, releasing blinding beams of light that shot toward the Noble Dharma in the sky. His lifespan began to drain at once, surging out of him in great torrents like a river bursting its banks.

But the Noble Dharma did not let go. His golden hand gripped the edge of the Chrono Wheel with all its strength and pulled upward, trying to tear the legendary artifact away by force.

The Azure Dragon would never allow him to succeed. His celestial qi surged to its peak as he channeled the full power of the artifact. The cost was severe. Even for a divine beast, losing lifespan at this rate was almost impossible to withstand.

Yet, the Noble Dharma stood firm. He did not retreat a single step.

Just as the standoff reached a breaking point, a sharp streak of cyan light suddenly shot through the sky from a distance.

"You dare, old thief?!"

The thing that pierced the clouds and arrived with thunderous speed was none other than the Mount Shu Sect’s Vessel of God!

After the attack on the Celestial Pivot Pavilion, the sects in the Divine Nine and the Terrestrial Ten cooperated more closely. The repeated disasters had made the immortal sects more alert than ever. In order to avoid being picked off one by one, they agreed to establish a system of mutual assistance.

It was impossible to expect all the sects to relocate and gather in a single place. Crossing great distances could easily result in tragedies like the one at the Celestial Pivot Pavilion, where their forces were sent elsewhere only for their home to be attacked.

To prevent something like that from happening again, the Imperial Supervisory Bureau came up with a new idea. Sects that were located near each other would team up and help each other out when needed.

Each sect would establish its own rapid response force.

After the Celestial Pivot Pavilion was destroyed, the remaining few survivors took temporary refuge at the Celestial King Sect. With two legendary artifacts guarding the sect, the Celestial King Sect would not have to worry.

In the Southern Regions, the Great Astral Sect, the Mount Shu Sect, and the New Penglai Sect[1] formed a mutual aid pact. If any one of them came under attack from evil forces, the other two would respond at once. Because they were located near one another, even if the others were also attacked, reinforcements could still arrive in time.

Since the Mount Shu Sect had both an existence on the brink of ascension and a legendary artifact, they bore the responsibility of being the first to send aid.

In the Northern Regions, the Endless Sword Sect and the Greater-Yin Cult had long been allies, so it was only natural that they supported each other.

However, there was a problem. The Greater-Yin Cult could not move their legendary artifact. That meant while they could defend their own territory, it would be difficult for them to send reinforcements or lend the artifact’s power elsewhere.

Fortunately, the Endless Sword Sect was located closer to the center and not far from the Capital of Yu in the Central Region. This made it possible to include the Capital of Yu in the mutual aid network as well.

As for the Fog-Hidden Mountain of Immortals in the East Sea, they became isolated ever since the Penglai Supreme Sect relocated. They were surrounded by water and cut off from the mainland. If they were attacked, it would be impossible to send help in time. Just as Enlightened Jiuyi began to worry, the monks from the Buddhist Cloud Monastery stepped in to offer their support.

The Buddhist Cloud Monastery moved their floating cloud directly over the East Sea, drastically reducing the straight-line distance to the Fog-Hidden Mountain of Immortals. It now felt as if the monastery had moved in right upstairs. From their new position, the monks only needed to glance downward to see the Fog-Hidden Mountain of Immortals.

The only downside was that the Fog-Hidden Mountain of Immortals would have to put up with poor sunlight for a while.

Against cunning madmen like the Noble Dharma and the forces of the Celestial Charm Sect, the righteous immortal sects often found themselves powerless. Their enemies hid in the shadows, while they stood exposed in the light. Even with overwhelming strength on their side, it was frustrating when they couldn’t even find someone to fight.

None of them had wanted such a system, but in a time of chaos and uncertainty, this mutual-aid network had become their only way to survive.

The ones arriving to reinforce the New Penglai Sect were Mount Shu Sect’s rapid response unit, led by Daoist Yan at the helm of the Vessel of God. Standing proudly at the prow was the awe-inspiring Di Nufeng.

Di Nufeng looked down at the Elder of Mount Lu and shouted, "Old geezer! Are you not dead yet?!"

The elder quickly threw up both hands and cried out loud, "Aren’t you here to help us?!"

Di Nufeng looked up and finally spotted the real enemy. It was the Noble Dharma’s ethereal form floating high in the sky.

"Ah," she muttered in realization. Then, she shouted, "Yan Zi! Ram him to death!"

Even without her command, the Mount Shu Sect’s Vessel of God was already charging forward. Sword qi surged from its hull as it tore through the void, moving so fast that the space around it cracked apart.

Booooooom!

This time, the Noble Dharma could no longer withstand the attack head-on. He raised his other hand and summoned a radiant defensive artifact, the Celestial Cosmic Ring.

Under the fierce impact, the ring trembled and hummed loudly, nearly flying out of his grasp again.

The apparition of the Noble Dharma hovered up high in the sky as he went forth and gripped the massive ring and swung it with all his strength!

Boom!

However, instead of striking an enemy, he smashed it against the Chrono Wheel. The Cosmic Ring and the Chrono Wheel collided with overwhelming force, shaking time and space itself. The world grew hazy as everything around them trembled.

While everyone was still reeling from the shock, the Noble Dharma pulled back, appearing to be retreating.

"Trying to escape?" Di Nufeng shouted.

She burst into flames and transformed into a blazing phoenix. A torrent of fire shot through the sky as she gave chase.

The Noble Dharma tossed the Celestial Cosmic Ring into the air. With a sharp whoosh, he dove through the opening. He vanished, and the ring disappeared the next instant.

Using the artifact’s power to tear through space, he once again escaped by teleporting.

"Tch, ptoo!" Di Nufeng spat in frustration. It was a crude gesture, but the only way she could vent her fury.

Just as she was about to look down for any leftover small fry to vent her anger on, she noticed the Azure Dragon's complexion change. He was now radiating a devilish qi!

It turned out the Noble Dharma hadn’t struck at random. It had all been part of a meticulous plan. When the clash sent violent shockwaves through the Chrono Wheel, it disrupted the Azure Dragon’s foundational qi, throwing his cultivation into chaos.

At that critical moment, a streak of black light quietly slipped into the Azure Dragon’s body.

In the past, the primordial spirit of Ksitigarbha could freely enter and exit the bodies of cultivators on the brink of ascension, taking control of them with ease. But this was no longer Ksitigarbha at his peak. What remained now was only a weakened shadow of his former self.

He had needed every layer of preparation and the perfect moment of distraction to complete the possession.

As devilish qi surged around him, the Azure Dragon reached out and grabbed the Chrono Wheel, as if preparing to take it away. But then, golden flames blazed once more in his eyes, clashing violently with the red glow of the invading demonic aura.

"Raaah!" the Azure Dragon roared. In the final instant before the golden light faded completely, he drove his palm hard into his own chest.

Boooooooooooooom!

The blow landed with brutal force, and the Azure Dragon coughed up blood. But with it, the primordial spirit of Ksitigarbha was violently expelled from his body.

The severely wounded Azure Dragon fell from the sky, and Evil Ksitigarbha seized the moment to snatch the Chrono Wheel from his hands.

But before he could escape, a blaze of fire came crashing down from the sky. Di Nufeng, still searching the ground for someone to vent her fury on, saw it all unfold. Like a ravenous tiger, she dove straight down, grabbed Evil Ksitigarbha by the neck, and slammed him hard into the earth.

Evil Ksitigarbha burned with rage.

In the past, he had fought evenly with cultivators of the ninth realm. Only those on the brink of ascension or wielding legendary artifacts could endure even a few of his strikes. Never before had a mere eighth-realm ant dared to pin him to the ground!

Just as he was about to obliterate the ant, he growled, "I’ll ki—"

Boom!

A punch crashed straight into his face, cutting him off mid-sentence and slamming his head into the earth. The blast of Samadhi True Fire that followed scorched his skin, intense enough to make even Evil Ksitigarbha feel searing pain.

He recognized this flame. Back in the Capital of Yu, and again at Mount Shu, he had crossed paths with the eighth-realm cultivator who used it. If it hadn’t been for his absolute advantage in power at the time, he would have been burned, which was why he remembered this fire so well.

The chances of a celestial devil being killed by Samadhi True Fire were low but not zero!

"You ant..." Evil Ksitigarbha was so enraged that it felt like his chest might explode.

Booooooooooom!

Another punch landed, slamming into his neck and snapping his head back at a twisted angle.

He growled through clenched teeth, "You dare—"

Boooom!

Another punch slammed into his clenched jaw with such force that it broke apart. His teeth could no longer fully close.

He wanted to throw her off and finish her, but the Mount Shu Sect’s Vessel of God hovered overhead, brimming with sword qi and ready to strike.

Unwilling to face them both, Evil Ksitigarbha let out a furious roar. With the last of his strength, he flung Di Nufeng off and fled underground in disgrace.

Before leaving, he turned and glared upward with venomous hatred, trying to memorize her face so he could one day return and kill her in the cruelest way imaginable.

But before he could even open his eyes, a flaming foot came crashing down from above, accompanied by a farewell that was anything but gentle.

"You little bastard, still trying to run?!"

Boom!

At last, black-gold blood splattered through the air.

1. The Penglai Supreme Sect’s new name. Not a typo. The author started calling it New Penglai, so we decided to translate it as the New Penglai Sect, since the lower islands are gone. ☜