Chapter 731: The Defeat of the Chi Jin Mountain Lord

Mu Tuo, a divine-blood warrior of the Divine Tree lineage, now studied Nan Shan Bo with serious attention; he seemed vaguely familiar with this man, as if he had met him once before, yet the elder in his memory had not been so vigorous, his aura and demeanor subtly different.

But after careful scrutiny, Mu Tuo still hesitated and asked: "Are you the Sage Nan Shan Bo?"

"I never expected a direct descendant of the Divine Tree lineage would recognize me," Nan Shan Bo smiled. "Yet as a divine-blood heir, taking advantage while two mountain lords are exhausted—this is not the act of a mighty warrior, but of a scavenging wolf or vicious dog in the wilds. Your behavior brings shame upon the Divine Tree lineage."

"Once this spreads, the loss to the Divine Tree lineage will far exceed fifteen Chi Jin Mountain mines."

Mu Tuo's gaze shifted slightly; he said seriously: "The Divine Tree lineage and the Chi Jin Mountain Lord have always maintained friendship. Today, as the Chi Jin Mountain Lord falls, I come to aid him—not merely for Chi Jin, but because you, Sage Nan Shan Bo, are a respected elder. Must you now fight me?"

If he simply turned away now without action, the Divine Tree lineage would truly be shamed; if he could repel the enemy and save the Chi Jin Mountain Lord, gaining fifteen Chi Jin mines, the criticism would lessen.

Moreover, combat had already begun—he was wounded by the black gold arrows, and the Divine Tree lineage's prestige had already been damaged; only the blood of this warrior, Da Yi, could cleanse it.

Nan Shan Bo sighed: "Do you not understand? Your actions will only draw powerful enemies upon the Divine Tree lineage. The Chi Jin Mountain Lord, as a regional lord, has held Chi Jin Mountain for years; his defeat was inevitable, just as the Divine Tree lineage too shall one day fall—it is the unchangeable law of heaven and earth. Even if you save the Chi Jin Mountain Lord, you will have angered a far stronger mountain lord."

"This is the path to calamity. You should never have meddled in the struggle between mountain lords."

Mu Tuo now roared: "The deed is done, Nan Shan Bo. If you mean to aid the other side, strike now—defeat me, sever my head. If you cannot, then leave, Sage."

He did not wish to strike Nan Shan Bo.

Killing a revered sage would cause the Divine Tree lineage to be reviled; he only wished to drive Nan Shan Bo away, to prevent his interference—and the battle was not yet over; he had no time to waste.

The longer it dragged, the weaker the Chi Jin Mountain Lord's fire calamity would grow, and the worse his own wounds would become—this worked against him.

"It seems even the divine-blood warriors of the Divine Tree lineage have one day abandoned warrior dignity, their minds blinded by Chi Jin. You hold a thriving great city, inherit the divine tree born from a god's death—and yet you are still devoured by greed. I can already see the day when Da Yi shall raise his bow and shoot down the sun from the divine tree, erasing the direct descendants of the Divine Tree lineage from this world, ending the divine blood of your ancestors from flowing upon this ancient land."

At this moment, Nan Shan Bo spoke with solemnity, uttering a prophecy.

"Nan Shan Bo!" Mu Tuo's hair bristled with rage; he shouted loudly, trying to stop this famed sage from speaking such words.

For a sage's prophecy nearly always comes true; no one knew why—perhaps their wisdom could glimpse the future, or perhaps their insight could precisely judge what was to come.

But this prophecy concerned Shenzhu City; Mu Tuo would not allow such a prophecy to spread from today, or Shenzhu City would know no peace again.

Without hesitation.

Mu Tuo gripped a spear forged of red gold in his other hand; golden seals upon his body, like leaves, blazed with brilliant gold light; he instantly surged toward Nan Shan Bo, determined to leave this sage buried within the Chi Jin Mountains, so the prophecy could never escape.

"Reckless and short-sighted divine-blood warrior," Nan Shan Bo narrowed his eyes, watching Mu Tuo charge; he merely swung his wooden staff.

In an instant, heaven and earth echoed with the bellow of a beast, as if the earth dragon turned, or the sky collapsed; in the blink of an eye, boundless cosmic energy converged, forming a gale, a colossal wave, crashing toward Mu Tuo.

At this moment, heaven and earth trembled like a curtain.

Yet Mu Tuo's eyes widened—he had already reached Nan Shan Bo's face, yet now he was receding further and further from him.

The entire world was pushing him away.

This power was irresistible—even he, a divine-blood heir, could not resist it.

"Nan Shan Bo!" Mu Tuo's form rapidly retreated; he roared in fury, swinging his red gold spear, unleashing unimaginable power, his entire body radiating endless golden light like a blazing sun.

Yet even so, his form could not halt—it continued swiftly receding.

In mere moments, Mu Tuo vanished from all sight, all the way to the horizon's end.

Nan Shan Bo still watched him depart with narrowed eyes; he had not killed this Divine Tree warrior, only given him a small lesson.

Yet this scene filled Li Yi, Jiang Mingtian, Xiang Xiangzi of the Sanhua Realm, and Xuan Yuezi with inexplicable dread.

For Mu Tuo was himself a mountain lord-level powerhouse.

And he had been sent away without resistance? Unable to even fight back?

If he could send Mu Tuo away, Nan Shan Bo could kill him—this was unquestionable for any cultivator.

"He must be a Dao-attained one," Xuan Yuezi could not help but speak. "The power of heaven and earth is under his control; his seemingly simple technique conforms perfectly to the principles of nature."

Xiang Xiangzi beside him nodded in deep agreement.

Who would have thought this old man was a hidden powerhouse? One move, and he had instantly removed this divine-blood warrior from the battle.

"Da Yi, continue your battle between mountain lords," Nan Shan Bo smiled. "The Divine Tree warrior has been sent away; he will need three days and three nights to return, so do not worry."

"Thank you for your aid, Nan Shan Bo," Li Yi said immediately.

"I should be thanking Da Yi for his teachings," Nan Shan Bo replied, then turned and slowly flew toward Chishan City.

As he landed.

Nearby merchants and warriors all gazed at this powerful, wise elder with deep respect.

Li Yi himself was stunned—he had never imagined that one phrase—"Those who consume qi become divine and long-lived"—could produce such a formidable figure. Indeed, an elder who had lived eight hundred years possessed truly profound depth.

Thanks to Nan Shan Bo's aid, the Divine Tree warrior withdrew.

The battlefield's situation shifted once more.

The next instant.

Li Yi, Jiang Mingtian, the beast Qiongqi, Xuan Yuezi, and Xiang Xiangzi all fixed their gazes on the suppressed Chi Jin Mountain Lord, Huohuo.

Huohuo bore the Heavenly Dao Seal, as if carrying countless mountains; after fierce combat, his strength was severely depleted. Now seeing the outcome sealed, he was filled with grief and fury.

As one of the Thirty Mountain Lords, he controlled twenty Chi Jin mines, possessed wealth rivaling several great cities—yet today he was defeated by two female mountain lords.

He refused to accept it; he roared again, attempting to unleash his peak strength from this exhausted body.

And in desperation, Huohuo succeeded.

His invincible body turned crimson and scorching hot; the blazing flames within him began to fade, and every ounce of power hidden within his ancient bloodline was fully excavated.

Power surged forth once more.

But it was not enough—not nearly enough.

His earlier losses had been too great; even though he had surpassed his limits and unleashed power beyond his peak, his current state was far too weak.

"Boom!"

The massive Heavenly Dao Seal trembled, as if a giant had lifted an entire mountain range.

"This is his dying lunge," Xiang Xiangzi snorted, stomping the ground again.

The power of ten dragons and ten tigers erupted, attempting to suppress the Chi Jin Mountain Lord Huohuo.

Yet the Heavenly Dao Seal still shook, as if about to be overturned.

"Da Yi, end this swiftly," Xuan Yuezi cried out.

She did not fully understand the nature of people in this world—if they possessed techniques to exhaust their lives and unleash overwhelming power, it would be dangerous.

Li Yi heard this and without hesitation, seized the Bao Yue Bow, drew the string, and loosed an arrow.

A golden arrow instantly tore through the sky, striking Huohuo precisely.

*Crash!

The high-grade magic treasure arrow was useless; it shattered upon impact with Huohuo's red gold armor, and even its residual shockwave failed to shake his massive frame.

"Use the Shuixing Spear," Xiang Xiangzi threw the mid-grade Dao artifact Shuixing Spear to him next.

Li Yi immediately understood Xiang Xiangzi's intent.

Firing the spear like an arrow might kill the Chi Jin Mountain Lord; though this might destroy the Shuixing Spear, taking the life of a mountain lord was worth it.

He reached out, caught the spear, and drew the bow again.

The Shuixing Spear, now like a colossal arrow, aimed directly at Huohuo's head—the only spot unprotected by red gold armor; strike there, and he would die instantly.

Meanwhile,

The beast Qiongqi lunged forward, biting down on Huohuo's body; as the mountain lord-level beast unleashed its power, Huohuo was subdued once more, and the trembling Heavenly Dao Seal ceased its shaking.

"Li Yi, now!" Jiang Ming said.

Li Yi's eyes glowed; power from his bloodline infused the Shuixing Spear; in an instant, countless lightning bolts coiled around it, and his entire spiritual power poured into the red gold spear, causing the Dao artifact to blaze with its final, unique radiance.

In an instant,

The Bao Yue Bow fired the Shuixing Spear like an arrow.

Before a blink could pass, the spear vanished from sight; when it reappeared, a thunderous crash erupted from Huohuo's body.

Countless silver lightning entwined; the divine radiance of the Shuixing Spear blazed, accompanied by torrents of searing, blood-red fluid splattering across the earth.

The Chi Jin Mountain Lord Huohuo, suppressed by the Heavenly Dao Seal, torn by the beast Qiongqi, and utterly drained of strength, could not dodge or block the Shuixing Spear fired by the Bao Yue Bow.

Though he had stretched out his hand to block it, the spear still pierced through his palm, drove through his invincible skull, and completely transpierced his head.

Even as a divine-blood heir with boundless vitality, at this moment, Mountain Lord Huohuo reached his end.

"Ahh!"

He let out his final roar, eyes bulging; as his strength rapidly dissipated, his massive frame could no longer hold up, crushed outright by the Heavenly Dao Seal.

Boundless divine light erupted, his body exploding like molten lava.

Only his red gold battle armor and the red gold axe-axe remained intact upon the ground.

Blood and bone were forever buried within Chi Jin Mountain.

Thus,

The battle between these mountain lords finally ended.

The Chi Jin Mountain Lord Huohuo was defeated.

All who witnessed this moment were speechless.

But the Mountain Lord of Chishan City was the first to react.

From this day forward, the Chi Jin Mountain Range would welcome a new mountain lord.

"We won! Da Yi truly won! Wonderful!" Heng, a merchant-lord, widened her eyes, having watched Da Yi shoot down a Thirty Mountain Lord with his bow.

Hard to imagine that Da Yi, who had recently fled in terror from the Northern Wasteland's divine-blood warrior Da Ze, now, in a flash, had seized Chi Jin Mountain and become a regional lord.

Though aided by others, Li Yi's own strength as a mountain lord was undeniable.

(End of Chapter)