LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 102 - Trump Card, Luo River
Chapter 102 Trump Card, Luo River
The formation within the Imperial Mausoleum restricted anyone above the level of Starburst Realm from entering. The eight people who had followed Jiang Liuyun into the Great Hall possessed an incredible amount of Divine Energy at this moment. It was completely abnormal, and it was not within the restrictive limits of the formation.
Of course, not all laws were made to be unchangeable. If the people who broke into the Mausoleum were more powerful than those who built it, naturally, they would be able to completely disregard the laws governing the place. Evidently, the eight mysterious characters did not possess such great powers.
What other methods could allow this to happen?
Many sects had tried to circumvent the problem before entering the Imperial Mausoleum, but all of them failed.
With the Secret Key to the River Soldiers in hand, the chances of Mount Shu obtaining the artifact were greater, no matter what effect it really had. The Divine Tool was the chief priority for each sect, and they would never think that it was surplus to their needs. Cyan Luan was a Level 3 Monarch’s Sword. Above that classification was Level 4 Immortal Artifacts, followed by Divine Tools. Each of the latter was at Level 5 ranking and above.
To maintain a firm foothold as the top ranked sword sect of the Cultivation World, and the leader of the forces of good, Mount Shu needed to continually increase its strength. It could not let any opportunity to obtain a Divine Tool slip away from its grasp.
Sending out the largest number of disciples among all the sects, along with its most outstanding talent with the Secret Key in hand was still not enough to let the higher ups at Mount Shu feel at ease. They needed to have more alternative plans in place.
The eight disciples of the Sagittarius Realm were the secret alternative measures taken by Mount Shu.
As such, they had not acted all along the way into the Mausoleum, up until the emergence of the River Soldiers and as the battle neared its end.
Their only task was also probably going to be the last task for each of their lives.
Outsiders would never get to know the sacrifice they had made to enter the Imperial Mausoleum. Each of them had personally shattered the Realm he or she was in and dropped from Starburst to Sagittarius Realm. It sounded simple, but the process was tens of thousand times more painful than self-mutilation.
They would forever lose the ability to improve and their level of cultivation would only slowly devolve, from Starburst back to Psychic, Pre-celestial Realm, before finally turning to Rank 1, 2 then 3 martial artists…
And so on until they became civilians again. All of their lifetime’s cultivation would be returned to Nature.
One would naturally be punished for going against the will of the Heavens and breaking the rules.
Whether the sacrifice of eight disciples at Sagittarius Realm in exchange for the River Soldiers, a Divine Tool, was worth it or not, only Mount Shu could truly know.
At the same time.
The leader of the demons and the 15th disciple of the Demon King, Nan Fengxiu, unleashed her back-up plan as well.
It was a wooden carving of pure gray color.
The wooden engraving was that of a man who was covered in totem signs. His eyes were shut and his body erect. His body was completely hairless and covered by grey lines. Even though his eyes were not opened, he gave off a powerful, not-to-be-trifled-with aura.
Jiang Liuyun of Mount Shu did not recognize the figure, and Li Jianqi should also be unaware of who he was. Wuming was definitely unable to tell who it was, but if the carving was placed in front of Jue Shuo of the Judicature, he would definitely be able to tell from one look that the carving was of the King of the Demons.
Nan Fengxiu’s master, the Demon King, Ye Fanghua.
In the secret files of the Judicature of the Tang Dynasty, Ye Fanghua’s threat level was always classified within the first three tiers. On level of cultivation alone, there were less than three known practitioners who could match his.
What was Nan Fengxiu doing, holding on to a carving of her master at this moment? Was she going to pray?
Of course not.
It was much more sophisticated than that.
After finished reciting an extremely long enchantment, she infused a ray of True Energy into the wooden engraving. In an instant, light shone from within her hand, and a faint looking figure began to rise out of the wooden carving. At first, it did not seem really concrete, but after a few breaths, the others began to realize that the figure looked completely like that of the carving in Nan Fengxiu’s hand!
The vague figure was much taller than ordinary folk; it was three meters tall.
“Ye Fanghua, the Demon King!”
Jue Shuo of the Judicature, who was standing guard over Li Jianqi not far away, exclaimed. He dared not believe his eyes. How could the Demon King appear within the Imperial Mausoleum?
If he so much as stepping foot within the Human World, the entire Cultivation World would have been engulfed in commotion, much less the Mausoleum of the ley lines of sovereignty. At least dozens of sect leaders would have rushed over at top speed, vowing the slay or at least chase him away.
The disciples of the Demon Race, and even a few grotesque demonic beasts were allowed to enter the Human World to seize some resources, and they did not pose a serious threat to the humans, but definitely not Ye Fanghua.
His appearance in the world of the humans would mean war.
Upon hearing Jue Shuo’s exclamation, all of the disciples of the Cultivation World, aside from Wuming, who had the River Soldiers in hand, and Jiang Liuyun, who was lost in his own world, were stunned and took a few steps backward out of instinct.
With the River Soldiers in hand, Wuming felt he had the world in his grasp and that he had nothing to be afraid of.
Jiang Liuyun may not have even heard Jue Shuo.
“Are you really sure that it’s Ye Fanghua, the Demon King?” asked the person standing in front of the black-clad figures from Mount Shu softly, with a serious expression on his face.
“I’m the Deputy Night Timekeeper of the Judicature, and I have the rights to access some secret files. Even though only the Night Timekeeper himself is allowed to read information on the Demon King, I’ve seen his image before and cannot be mistaken,” replied Jue Shuo very confidently.
“Is that possible?”
“The Demon King himself appearing in the Imperial Mausoleum at the ley lines of sovereignty?”
“Furthermore, he entered the Mausoleum successfully? Without being affected by the huge barrier at all? Could the Demon King have entered the Undying Realm?”
The eight figures frowned as they discussed extremely quickly among themselves.
10 minutes later, the wooden carving in Nan Fengxiu’s hand transformed into a plume of green smoke and disappeared into mid-air. The figure of the Demon King, Ye Fanghua, also appeared in front of her, giving off a concentrated and terrifying aura. The others could visibly notice that his powers were within the Starburst Realm, however.
“This is not the real Demon King, at least it’s not his true form!” someone conjectured.
“Mirror image!” someone exclaimed. Within the Demon Race, there was an innate ability that could be used as a shamanistic enchantment to mirror a portion of one’s powers onto a concrete object that could be carried for thousands of miles. Simulating the shadow at the appropriate time would summon the mirror image sealed within that object.
In plain words, the figure before them was most likely a mirror image of the Demon King.
This was the mirror image of the Demon King, however. Even though it was only at Starburst Realm, three Jiang Liuyuns would not even be a match for him. In terms of experience and in a real life battle, the practitioner would be completely dominated.
The eight figures from Mount Shu looked at each other and nodded. This should be their final opponent. The Demon King’s mirror image was worthy of acting as the trump card of the Demon Race.
“I’m afraid today’s battle will be the last one for you and me,” the person leading them said in a low voice, before drawing out the longsword on his back with a flourish. He raised the weapon high above his head and roared, “For the future of Mount Shu!”
“For the future of Mount Shu!” the other seven figures in black shouted the same slogan.
Chen Qing and Zhuo Bufan, who were standing nearby, looked a little strange all of a sudden. Chen Qing’s expression was one of doubt, while that of Zhuo Bufan’s was of anxiety.
In fact, Zhuo Bufan had already recognized the leader of the eight, and he had also deduced their motive of entering the Mausoleum with them, along with their reasons for remaining silent throughout the entire journey, being able to enjoy the best treatment from their sect, and why they would step out to face the mirror image of the Demon King, Ye Fanghua, at this moment.
Zhou Bufan did not wish to face the truth, but he could understand their motive.
Their proclamation had already given him the answers he needed.
What was most strange was that neither the manifestation of the Demon King nor the eight characters from Mount Shu paid any special attention to Wuming, who was currently holding onto the River Soldiers.
“May Buddha have mercy?”
“I shall become a Buddha right here.”
“Killing is instantaneous, and one has to kill to become a Buddha. All of you have to die!”
Wuming held the River Soldiers-transformed Monastic Staff of Killing tightly with both hands, his body completely devoid of any signs of a monk now. In fact, he even seemed a little insane. “As expected, my True Energy levels are continually rising. Sacrificing the Chronometer of Dawn and Evening Drum in exchange for the Divine Tool, River Soldiers, has been completely worth it.”
“I shall kill to improve my level of Cultivation, and use your lives to aid in my quest to achieve Buddha-hood. This is my ‘Heart’s Buddha’.” The originally compassionate monk of the Temple of Six Buddhas was raising the Monastic Staff of Killing high above his head at this moment, his expression one of cold-bloodedness and bloodlust. “Only I am worthy of the River Soldiers, only me!”
The swept his gaze across the entire Hall, finally stopping on Nan Fengxiu. “Demon scum, your kind is not allowed in the Human World. Let me cleanse you on behalf of Buddha.”
He raised the staff with both hands and charged directly at Nan Fengxiu. Gold light covered his body, and he immediately channeled the Diamond Sutra Skill of the Temple of Six Buddhas.
“You are courting your own death!”
“Do you think that obtaining the Divine Tool will make you invincible?”
“Everything is illusory before Master.”
Nan Fengxiu remained rooted to the spot as she looked at the Monastic Staff of Killing in Wuming’s hands, along with the enchantments and Sanskrit chants glowing with a gold light. In fact, she did not even lift her weapon. The few surviving Demon warriors standing behind her also remained completely still, their expression even more resolute than hers. It was as if the appearance of the Demon King’s image was that of the Heavens for the humans. Nothing would stand in his way!
As the River Soldiers drew close, Ye Fanghua’s manifestation finally opened his eyes before sneering, after he had glanced at Wuming. The three meters tall transparent image took a stride forward suddenly.
“Boom!”
One punch!
Just one punch!
Wuming has knocked flying more than 10 meters away, with the Divine Tool in hand. The protective Diamond Sutra skill was instantly shattered into bits. The tough looking barrier was just like pulp to the manifestation of Ye Fanghua.
Wuming was merely at Starburst Realm. Even though he was the Curator of the new generation for the Scriptures Atheneum, and had picked up many skills from scriptures with his exceptional talent, he had not completely mastered any of them. Perhaps, it was even better to say that he had not completely incorporated all of them.
Naturally, it would not hinder him from facing off against normal practitioners. Against the Demon King, however, he could not even withstand a single punch, even though it was only a mirror image of Ye Fanghua’s.
If one was unable to completely incorporate and master the Diamond Sutra, it was no different from being completely defenseless in the Demon King’s eyes.
Wuming shook his bald head and immediately charged at the Demon King’s image again after standing up. This time, he did not use the Diamond Sutra skill again, but instead he chose to activate a meditative chant unique to the Temple of Six Buddhas.
An enchantment floated and circled around the River Soldiers. He swung his staff at his opponent.
“Boom!”
Another punch.
Unsurprisingly, Wuming was sent flying again. His shoulder seemed to have collapsed, and he could not even raise his arm after landing.
“How could this be possible?”
“It should not be like this!”
Wuming muttered to himself as he landed, gazing at the Monastic Staff of Killing in his hands. “With the Divine Tool in my hands, why was I still sent flying?”
Very quickly, the insane look on Wuming’s face turned into one of vengeance, exactly like how Xing Ying looked before his fateful death. It was obvious, however, that the hatred in Wuming was somewhat lesser than that of Xing Ying’s. Perhaps, the disciple from the Five Elements Divination Sect had absorbed away some of it.
“What’s the use of holding the Divine Tool in your hands?”
“You don’t even know how to activate it?”
“Don’t you have a sense of loss?”
“That’s a Divine Tool. Don’t you feel ashamed that you’ve defiled it?”
“Don’t you want to become a Buddha? I’ll give you a chance. Will you take it?”
A voice drifted into Wuming’s ears. It was a little low, but it was thick and dense, as if it came from the mirror image of Ye Fanghua.
“Turn into a Buddha?”
Wuming’s thoughts were somewhat messed up after being engulfed by the hatred within the River Soldiers. He was completely unable to tell what was right, wrong, good, evil, true or fake anymore.
“You can help me turn into a Buddha?” Wuming asked a little uncertainly. His eyes seemed to be drifting a little.
Turning back to Ye Fanghua’s mirror image, one could see the transparent body of the Demon King and the flashing purple glow in his eyes. He seemed to be casting a Hypnotic Enchantment.
“I’m revered by millions of Demons. Of course, I know how to gather faith. With an infinite supply of faith, you’ll immediately turn into a Buddha,” the voice drifted unhurriedly and drifted toward Wuming.
“Gather faith? Help me turn into a Buddha with the power of faith?”
Wuming seemed a little moved by the idea. “There’s no free lunch in this world. What do you want?”
“Give me the Divine Tool,” Ye Fanghua’s manifestation gently exhorted.
The surviving practitioners were all looking in stunned amazement, as they saw the Demon King’s manifestation trying to control the wielder of the Divine Tool. Even though he was only at Starburst Realm level, he was no joke.
The eight figures from Mount Shu nodded to one another and gently shifted their feet as they began setting up their formation. Even though they possessed True Energy levels of Formless Realm practitioners, which was more than enough to deal with the other survivors without the need for a formation, they had not counted on the appearance of the Demon King.
It was logical, but beyond their expectations!
Logically, the Demons would have kept a trump card up their sleeves. Even though Nan Fengxiu was the 15th disciple of the Demon King, she was merely on par with Jiang Liuyun and still not of the level that could be the confirmed owner of the Divine Tool. If the Demon King manifested himself in the Mausoleum, however, it would be enough to ensure that his people would be able to get the River Soldiers.
“Seven Stars Big Dipper Formation!”
With an angry shout, the eight figures in black took up positions corresponding to the Big Dipper and North Star constellations and formed an offensive formation. The eight Mount Shu disciples of Formless Realm power merged their swords into one and stabbed directly at Wuming.
“Impudence!”
Just as the Demon King was about to succeed in confusing Wuming, the sudden intervention of a third-party drove the mirror image of the Demon King mad with rage.
His image was separated from his real self by thousands of miles and in another Realm. No matter how powerful the Demon King was currently, he could not withstand an infinite number of attacks. Furthermore, being at Starburst Realm restricted the amount of techniques he could utilize. He had not used the techniques of this Realm for centuries.
Acting decisively and winning with his wits was the better option!
The Seven Stars Big Dipper Formation swept toward Wuming with an extremely sharp Sword Qi contained within. The manifestation of the Demon King also charged forward, and he made just one punch as usual.
The Big Dipper formation was multi-layered.
The intensity of the Demon King’s punch was that of tens of thousands of mountains.
Both parties changed the direction of their attacks halfway somewhat unexpectedly. None of them struck Wuming, but they attacked the weakest point of each other.
These two parties were basically the only factions within the Great Hall that could still try to seize the Divine Tool for themselves. Winning the battle would determine where the artifact was heading.
There was no warmup or probing.
The Demon King’s mirror image did not possess excess True Energy, not did it bother to probe the opposition. The eight black-clad figures from Mount Shu did not dare to test him, and felt that it was completely pointless to do so. When one faced the Demon King, albeit his manifestation, one had to put in maximal effort.
Even so, one may not win.
“Boom!”
A deafening sound rang out, followed by a shockwave of Spiritual Force. It was overwhelming and intense. An astute observer would have noticed that Wuming, who was situated at the epicenter of the battle, was instantly bleeding from all seven apertures.
Even though he was wielding the Divine Tool, he was merely of Starburst Realm power after all.
Naturally, there was no way for him to survive a clash between the Demon King’s manifestation and the eight Formless Realm disciples of Mount Shu. Both parties were also purposely ensuring that he would not be allowed to live no matter how their battle ended.
A piercing ball of light appeared in the center of the fight.
The shockwave knocked the survivors back by a few meters. Jiang Liuyun was even instantly knocked onto the ground, his forehead hitting the floor.
A huge sound shook the prodigy of Mount Shu out from his daze.
He lifted his eyes to observe the entire Great Hall. From his eyes, one realized that the prodigy had improved his level of Cultivation. Somehow, he managed to do so at the most crucial moment, and in the Mausoleum to boot. The problem that Xing Ying had given him was solved within seconds.
Three things happened while the ball of light had not completely dissipated.
Li Jianqi, who had been in a daze all this while, spun her eyeballs and regained consciousness. She spat out a mouthful of blood, however, and looked terribly pale.
“Your Highness, are you alright? Did you succeed?” Jue Shuo of the Judicature asked softly as he supported her.
Li Jianqi nodded gently in reply. “Leave this place now, I’ve a very unpleasant feeling about what’s going to happen next. Don’t bother about the Divine Tool. None of you are allowed to fight over it, nor can anyone one pick it up even if it fell right in front of your feet.”
In the other direction, the ball of red light that had surrounded Red Ben began to split apart silently. The huge black dragon had completely disappeared, leaving only Red Bean to slowly drift down from the light. She hugged an oil paper umbrella tightly in her chest. Its branch was originally made of green bamboo, and its surface was that of plum blossoms, but both had turned completely black now, and the figure of a dragon could be vaguely seen slowly cruising within the umbrella.
Red Bean immediately stumbled upon landing and nearly tripped. Luckily, Ye Que, who had just returned from his fruitful trip to the altar, hugged her by the waist to prevent her from falling.
“Take good care of me,” she said as she realized it was Ye Que who was hugging her, her lips moving slowly.
“No matter what happens, don’t leave me behind.”
“And my umbrella as well.”
After saying these three phrases, Red Bean tilted her head cleanly behind and instantly fainted, not giving Ye Que any chance to reply. Even as she lost consciousness, both of her hands were still holding onto the oil paper umbrella with dear life, as if the object was more important than her life.
These two incidents were inconsequential to the others, but the third event caught everyone by surprise.
In fact, the moment the River Soldiers emerged, there was a change within the Imperial Mausoleum.
The water level of the entire Luo River outside the Mausoleum had begun to drop. For some inexplicable reason, all of them poured into the Imperial Mausoleum, the suspended empty island, golden royal palace and along the path into the underground cavern and the Great Hall covered with relief sculptures.
Every spot that the water from Luo River touched turned into part of an ocean, leaving no crack in the ground uncovered.