Chapter 236 - 134: 1 Yuan of Magical Power Overcomes All; Celestial Permanence Teeters Before the Storm

Chapter 236: Chapter 134: 1 Yuan of Magical Power Overcomes All; Celestial Permanence Teeters Before the Storm

Xuzhuang shook his head, preparing to transform the Innate Tai Su Qi Grand Capture into a Detention Dharma Ball. He intended to suppress Jiang Chengzi’s Nascent Soul and the object that housed it, dealing with them later. But suddenly, his heart lurched, and he shot backward, covering several miles in an instant.

A deafening BOOM erupted from within the grasp of the Innate Tai Su Qi Grand Capture. The giant hand shattered, and a wave of destructive aura and dissipated primal energy swept outward like a tsunami, making Xuzhuang’s robes snap and his wide sleeves flutter.

Xuzhuang activated his Dharma-eyes, peering through the gale. As expected, a dim, dark light shot out from within. It wobbled as it rose a few dozen feet before splitting open mid-air, from which a perfected Nascent Soul shaped like a Zhenren leaped forth. At the same moment, a fragment of what appeared to be a jade artifact lost all its spiritual light and fell from the sky.

Xuzhuang’s eyes narrowed as understanding dawned on him. ’So, Jiang Chengzi destroyed his magical artifact to shatter the Innate Tai Su Qi Grand Capture and escape with his Nascent Soul. In that case, maybe this fight isn’t over just yet... there might be a sliver of suspense, after all.’

Although Jiang Chengzi had lost his body and destroyed a magical artifact, his decisiveness suggested he might not be out of the fight.

However, to Xuzhuang’s surprise, the instant Jiang Chengzi’s Nascent Soul escaped the artifact fragment, its form seemed to evaporate, shrinking rapidly. It then transformed into a streak of rainbow light with astonishing momentum and shot away in the opposite direction at incredible speed.

Xuzhuang’s expression grew serious. ’I didn’t expect Jiang Chengzi to channel all that decisiveness into running away.’

A Nascent Soul, unbound by a physical body, could already use Flying Escape at extreme speeds. Jiang Chengzi had, without a moment’s hesitation, begun burning his Nascent Soul’s very source energy to fuel his escape, instantly reaching an unbelievable velocity. He was nearly twice as fast as Xuzhuang at full speed. For a moment, it seemed Jiang Chengzi had made a clean getaway.

Even if it was just his Nascent Soul that escaped, allowing him to return to the Celestial Permanence Grotto Heaven to command the grand array would render Xuzhuang’s victory here meaningless. That was an outcome Xuzhuang could not permit.

Seeing Jiang Chengzi cover dozens of miles in the blink of an eye, Xuzhuang steeled his resolve. He turned over his hand, revealing a thin silk kerchief. ’To think I’d have to use this before the competition involving the Immoral Taoist,’ he mused.

Xuzhuang had always been proud, but he never let his pride get in the way of necessary caution. The opponents he faced in this battle were all perfected Nascent Soul cultivators, and leaders of an entire sect at that. They would surely have no shortage of magical artifacts and secret treasures.

Although he was absolutely confident of victory, he had still brought along trump cards like the Five Qi Heroic Spirit Pouch. Now that it was time to use it, he felt no regret. ’What’s the point of having a treasure if you can’t use it? It might as well be a pretty decoration.’

Without another moment of hesitation, Xuzhuang spat a breath of Magical Power onto the Five Qi Heroic Spirit Pouch, activating the five strands of Qi within. Pointing toward Jiang Chengzi’s distant figure, he barked, "Freeze!"

——

Down in the arena of the Celestial Waterfall Dharma Assembly, the fight had reached its fiercest point. With a single blast of his Fire Divine Light, Meng Fusheng had instantly killed two of the five Celestial Permanence Sect members and wounded another. Since one of the dead, Elder You, had been a Nascent Soul Second Layer cultivator, the pressure on Meng Fusheng was drastically reduced.

The three remaining members of the Celestial Permanence Sect were enraged, yet they fought with their hands tied. They were terrified that Meng Fusheng might have another devastating technique like the Fire Divine Light up his sleeve. Not daring to press their advantage, they resorted to a battle of attrition, hoping to exhaust his Magical Power.

This played right into Meng Fusheng’s hands. Leveraging the superior Magical Power reserves of his Three-Element Elephant Body, he expertly held his ground. The fight dragged on for quite some time, yet he never once fell behind.

However, this state of affairs was clearly not to the liking of the Celestial Permanence Sect members. Li Yi, in particular, was growing impatient. He shot a look at his two companions, and they suddenly began unleashing a flurry of killing blows, pressing their attack relentlessly.

Just as Li Yi was about to force Meng Fusheng into a trap and expose an opening, a cataclysmic BOOM, as if the heavens were collapsing, echoed from above. Everyone’s heart clenched, and they all instinctively looked up. Through the dense layers of clouds and mist, they could only make out a diffusion of white Qi, unable to discern any details.

Meng Fusheng’s eyes widened in shock, and he nearly cried out. ’That’s the Innate Tai Su Qi Grand Capture! Could Junior Martial Uncle Xu...’ he thought, aghast.

Meng Fusheng still couldn’t quite believe it, but his face had lost its composure. The Celestial Permanence Sect members hadn’t been able to see what was happening, but when they noticed the change in Meng Fusheng’s expression, they were overjoyed.

Li Yi breathed a sigh of relief. The terrifying power of Meng Fusheng’s Fire Divine Light had given him a serious scare. If that Divine Talisman had been crafted by Xuzhuang, he would have truly feared for Jiang Chengzi. Luckily, it now seemed there was no cause for concern.

He was just psyching himself up to end the fight quickly when he heard Elder Wang behind him ask uncertainly, "Is that...?" Another person had already cried out in alarm, "The Sect Leader Jade Seal!"

Li Yi stared blankly upward. Sure enough, a fragment of a jade artifact was spiraling down. Though its spiritual light was dim, as Celestial Permanence Sect Members, how could they fail to recognize what it was? They were instantly horrified.

How long had it been since Jiang Chengzi flew up to intercept him? The five of them hadn’t even managed to defeat one opponent, yet their sect’s guardian magical artifact was already shattered? This...

What happened to Jiang Chengzi?

Just as this shocking question surfaced in all three of their minds, five colors suddenly erupted in the sky. A divine radiance streaked across the heavens, covering a hundred miles in a moment, seeming to form a constantly flowing ring in the air. Finally, all the light retracted, condensed into a single point, flashed once, and then vanished.

A moment later, the clouds parted on their own. A white rainbow emerged, and a handsome, extraordinary Daoist in white robes materialized in the air. His gaze swept across the arena below before he gave Meng Fusheng a slight nod. "Nephew Meng," he said calmly, "you’ve done well."

Meng Fusheng replied with delight, "Thank you for your praise, Junior Martial Uncle Xu! How did your battle go?"

Xuzhuang simply smiled, his gaze landing on Li Yi and his companions. "Surrender and you will live," he said coolly.

Hearing this, any trace of hope vanished from the three men’s hearts. Their faces went deathly pale, as if the sky itself were falling. It wasn’t just them; every spectator on the viewing platforms was utterly stupefied.

Jiang Chengzi—the brilliant leader of his generation of the Celestial Permanence Sect, the man who had driven even He Haojun from the sect, the designated heir to the Grotto Heaven, a Nascent Soul Third-Level Cultivator—had been defeated by this person in a matter of moments. It was simply unimaginable.

After a moment of trembling lips, Li Yi forced himself to speak. "If we surrender, what are your intentions for the Celestial Permanence Sect?"

Xuzhuang replied serenely, "Your virtue is not equal to your station. Naturally, you must relinquish this domain. Whether you retreat to a state capital or a commandery city, my sect has no desire to hunt you to extinction."

Li Yi gave a bitter laugh. "Sir," he said with difficulty, "the Celestial Permanence Sect was founded by an Earth Immortal Ancestor Grandmaster. We have been a blessing upon this land for ten thousand years. The entire Celestial Permanence Domain is named for our sect..."

Xuzhuang replied impassively, "If you resist to the death, then annihilation is your only other path."

His words sent a shockwave of terror through the crowd. The members of the other three major sects, in particular, looked grim. Even some of the Dragon Image Sect elders were visibly displeased.

Venerable Youming of the Westyi Sect frowned repeatedly. His faction had been wary of Jiang Chengzi’s status before, and now they were intimidated by Xuzhuang’s might. After a moment’s deliberation, he summoned Venerable Deming to his side and gave a few quiet instructions. Venerable Deming bowed, then hurried down from the Jade Platform and left the assembly grounds.

The other two sects made similar moves. Yang Bijie took note of this, silenced the murmuring elders of his own sect, and looked back toward the arena.

Li Yi was deeply conflicted, but in the end, he heaved a great sigh. "The sect raised me and gave me everything. I cannot surrender. My only choice is to fight to the death."

Hearing this, the elder with the broken leg rallied. "That’s right!" he roared. "It’s just death, one way or another. Let’s fight!"

On the other side, the elder who had managed to survive the initial Fire Divine Light attack had a conflicted look on his face. In the end, he said nothing, but simply summoned his magical artifact.

Xuzhuang took it all in with a faint smile. "Good. I will grant you that respect. Make your move."

The three men exchanged a look. The grimness on their faces was replaced by shared smiles. With a unified shout, they launched themselves into the air!

With one hand behind his back, Xuzhuang plucked a small, silver sword from the pin in his topknot. He held it before his eyes, admiring it for a second, then gently flicked it with his finger.

"Sever!" At Xuzhuang’s quiet word, a brilliant platinum sword-light flashed through the air, instantly carving a rift through the celestial clouds that had been roiled by the preceding fights!