Chapter 992: Fighting For The Remaining Items (II)

The shadowy figure that flew off was Feilian, the celestial beast raised by Huang Hanshan, the master of Thunderbolt Stronghold. It was swift as lightning and fiercely aggressive.

During the battle with the Noble Dharma, the sects in the Terrestrial Ten, which lacked legendary artifacts, hadn’t stood out much. Even so, they had participated. And now that a legendary artifact had appeared, they were determined not to fall behind again.

Just as Feilian was about to deliver the East Sea Chrono Wheel to its master, a golden beam of light suddenly shot down from the sky and enveloped the beast.

With a loud clang, Feilian slammed into the golden barrier. It flipped in midair, blood spraying as it spun, completely dazed.

The golden radiance came from the Divine Mirror of the Eight Trigrams, which had trapped Feilian in place. Moments later, a wave of Eminent Ones surged forward. The battle for the Celestial Cosmic Ring had already ended, and now nearly every ambitious powerhouse had turned their sights on the East Sea Chrono Wheel.

"Everyone, listen to me! The situation is still unstable. Stop fighting among ourselves!" the Imperial Supervisory Commissioner stepped forward, hoping to calm the chaos and restore some order.

But with a supreme treasure right in front of them, who would bother giving him face?

A good reputation had its uses, but could it be wielded like a legendary artifact?

Sword Saint Li Ba struck again. With a thunderous slash, he shattered the golden radiance of the Divine Mirror. Feilian, still dazed and bleeding, found itself surrounded by scorching gazes filled with greed and murderous intent.

In that instant, it made the wisest decision of its life. Without a second thought, it tossed aside the East Sea Chrono Wheel and took off, fleeing with its tail tucked firmly between its legs.

In the very next instant, countless divine lights rained down on the spot where it had just been!

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

Chu Liang’s search for the Ancient Nameless Buddha’s body had yielded nothing. By the time he returned to the ground, the scene had already descended into chaos. The same immortal sects that once stood together to protect the nine provinces were now fighting over a single legendary artifact, tearing into one another and causing great chaos.

Chu Liang looked up at the sky and let out a long sigh. "

Haaaaaaa....

So this is human nature, huh?"

"There’s no need to get all philosophical," a voice said nearby.

Feng Chaoyang stood with his arms crossed, nodding toward the fray with a lift of his chin. "You Mount Shu Sect folks were the most eager. Your teacher already grabbed the Celestial Cosmic Ring and went home."

He hadn’t joined, of course. It wasn’t a matter of choice. He simply wasn’t strong enough. Only those who had reached the eighth realm had the right to compete for legendary artifacts. As for them, the younger generation, they weren’t even qualified to set foot on the battlefield.

"Heh... is that so." Chu Liang said as he gave an awkward smile. "That’s kind of embarrassing."

His teacher had moved too fast, leaving him no chance to stand on the moral high ground and point fingers at anyone.

But that didn’t matter. As long as they secured a legendary artifact, he could afford to be shameless.

While the others fought over artifacts, Chu Liang turned his eyes toward the Tree of Longevity. The Noble Dharma had refined it for hundreds of years. Even with much of its vitality and spiritual energy leaking away, it remained a massive and imposing spirit plant.

Several cultivators had already rushed forward, chopping at its branches in hopes of taking a piece home. But the Yang Wood was far too tough. Ordinary tools could barely leave a mark.

Chu Liang’s eyes shifted, and a thought came to him.

Why chop it down?

With a flick of his wrist, he brought out Tuntun, who had reverted to her baby maggot form. He gently placed her on the bark of the fallen tree.

"Go on. It’s my treat. Eat as much as you want," he whispered.

Then, after a pause, he added, "Just don’t get caught."

...

Earlier...

The Noble Dharma had only just died, yet people were already carving up the legacy he left behind. The speed of it all was shockingly ruthless.

Even so, the righteous immortal sects were already a step behind.

The greatest treasure had already been taken.

Back when Chu Liang used Deity Pan’s Bone to pierce the Tree of Longevity, Grand Ancestor Wuchao had already sensed the tide turning. After devouring Evil Ksitigarbha’s life force, the Noble Dharma had used that power to refine the tree into something nearly indestructible, yet even that had been broken through.

Without hesitation, Grand Ancestor Wuchao dissolved into a thick pool of dark matter and seeped into the ground.

The Noble Dharma had hidden his ninth-realm corporeal body deep within the roots of the Tree of Longevity. Only a handful of trusted subordinates knew of its location.

Grand Ancestor Wuchao happened to be one of them.

Had Noble Dharma still been at the height of his power, Grand Ancestor Wuchao wouldn’t have dared set eyes on seizing that ninth-realm body, not even if he had ten thousand lives to spare. But when he guessed that the Noble Dharma was about to fail, he decided that he had to make plans for himself.

When the righteous sects came crashing down with overwhelming force, what would he have left to stake his claim on the path ahead? That ninth-realm body might be just the leverage he needed.

Grand Ancestor Wuchao tunneled deep into the earth, slipping smoothly through the gnarled roots of the Tree of Longevity. A thick darkness spread out from him, slowly rising to support the body hidden within, wrapping it in a cocoon of shadow.

There were some difficulties along the way.

That body did not truly belong to the current Noble Dharma. It had once been the vessel of the Ancient Nameless Buddha, a being of pure light and divine radiance.

As the Dao Master of Chaos, Grand Ancestor Wuchao embodied the essence of extreme darkness. The instant he touched the body, it was like flesh meeting flame. A sharp hiss escaped him as a wave of searing pain coursed through his being.

After several failed attempts, he was forced to strip away his chaotic spiritual energy and reveal his true form. Dozens of long, squid-like tentacles uncoiled from him and slithered forward, wrapping tightly around the ninth-realm body. Only then did he manage to move it.

The body was unimaginably heavy. Dragging it felt like shifting mountains and tearing down ridges.

The noise he made was far from subtle. Fortunately, the Noble Dharma was already on the verge of death and had no strength left to deal with him.

Dragging the body behind him, he burrowed through the earth, following the course of a great river as it wound its way to the sea. After several twists and turns, he finally returned to the Ruins of Return in the South Sea. Only when he reached those pitch-black waters did he finally feel at ease.

This was his territory now. Here, he held full control. Even if the Noble Dharma came in person, he would not be able to find him.

Grand Ancestor Wuchao returned to his lair and laid the body of the Ancient Nameless Buddha down. Only then did he finally take the time to examine it closely.

Unlike the body of the Heaven-Devouring Bug which the Demon God had possessed, this was the actual body of a ninth-realm being. It was a body forged through hundreds and thousands of trials, tempered again and again, and only formed after one had proven their understanding of the Dao and stepped into the Profound Realm.

The Ancient Nameless Buddha’s eyes remained shut, and his expression was calm and solemn, as if he were simply resting in a deep sleep. The smooth surface of his head shimmered with a gentle, compassionate light. Each strand of hair gave off a faint glow, carrying a brilliance that felt nearly divine, with the spiritual energy within fully restrained and sealed.

Of course, the body of the Ancient Nameless Buddha did not have much hair to admire in the first place.

With only a bit of refinement, even Evil Ksitigarbha’s body could be transformed into the True Form of Ksitigarbha. That was why Grand Ancestor Wuchao believed that if he managed to refine this body, it would become just as powerful as the greatest legendary artifacts.

Although this body clashed with the nature of his power, there was no way to know what might happen when absolute darkness collided with absolute light. What if some kind of miraculous reaction occurred?

Without further hesitation, he acted on that thought.

His eyes gleamed with insatiable greed as he poured his spiritual energy into the body once more. A sharp sizzle erupted as black currents surged outward, and streams of bubbling haze and murky light spread through the surrounding waters, clouding everything around him[1].

"Argh!" Grand Ancestor Wuchao cried out in pain.

Grand Ancestor Wuchao gritted his teeth. He let out another cry, but he didn’t pull back. Instead, he pressed forward with even greater force.

Here in his own territory, he no longer needed to be cautious. He had already made up his mind to confront this radiant force head-on. To refine the body, he would first need to strip away the traits that resisted control.

What Grand Ancestor Wuchao failed to notice was that as layer after layer of dark spiritual energy surged into the body, something within the murky haze began to stir. The Ancient Nameless Buddha, who had appeared to be in a deep and unshakable slumber, slowly... opened his eyes.

"It’s done?" Grand Ancestor Wuchao murmured as he felt the resistance vanish. He raised an eyebrow, slightly surprised.

That was far easier than he had expected.

But before he could withdraw his spiritual energy, a hand burst out from the churning darkness and clamped down tightly on his head.

Boooooooom!

1. This is a bit different from raw. Raw mentioned smoke. However, he should be under the water... so if he is under the water, how does smoke happen? ☜