Chapter 243: Celestial Phenomenon (4K)

At this moment, however, An Ruoming's figure was concealed, and he slipped into the Taoist temple.

His entire body's tendons and bones underwent changes, even his vital energy was altered.

Ordinary Taoists would find it difficult to detect the changes in him.

After crossing the Western Mountain Temple, being familiar with the route, he directly avoided several patrol teams composed of green-robed female Taoist nuns, then passed through several courtyards, finally arriving beside a side hall.

Beside the side hall there was another independent courtyard, which had its own sentries and female servants in Taoist robes and elderly maids.

The owner of the house appeared to be of extraordinary status.

An Ruoming hid in the shadows, and after seeing everyone leave, his figure appeared beside the window.

"Who is it?"

It seemed he sensed his presence, and a slightly startled voice came from inside the window.

Although somewhat startled, that figure's voice was extremely gentle and melodious, Wu Nong's soft words made one's heart involuntarily rise with many beautiful fantasies upon hearing them.

"Your Majesty, it's me!"

An Ruoming's expression was somewhat cautious, yet deep in his eyes there flickered a rolling heat, and he couldn't help but step forward a few paces.

Upon hearing An Ruoming's voice, that somewhat startled figure seemed to calm down slightly, but then a faint voice came out.

"General, you should not enter this place again; if someone sees you, both our lives will be forfeit, and we will implicate our families."

Upon hearing this, An Ruoming raised his eyes and clasped his fists toward the inner room: "Your Majesty, for your sake, even if it means stepping into this place, or swords and flames, I would not fear!"

He paused slightly, his eyes revealing resolve as he spoke.

"Your Majesty, let me take you away from this place; we will flee to distant lands and begin anew!"

Upon hearing this, the figure inside remained silent for a long time, then spoke faintly after a moment.

"General, why do you do this to yourself? You still have a bright future ahead; there is no need to ruin your splendid prospects for me, this long-ill and ominous person!"

He paused slightly, then she said: "We also cannot escape; the Emperor possesses the world, and there are countless talented people—how could he possibly allow us to leave!"

Upon hearing this, An Ruoming's face lit up with joy, he took a deep breath, and softly said toward the surroundings.

"Your Majesty, I will find a way for this matter; as for your illness, Your Majesty, you must not worry—I am also thinking of a way and will surely make your condition improve!"

An Ruoming's eyes shone with eagerness; he heard from the inner woman's voice a change in her attitude, which made him overjoyed.

They had known each other for four or five years, yet her attitude had never changed until now, when she finally relented, making him overjoyed beyond expectation.

An Ruoming was about to step into the pavilion, but at that moment, continuous coughing came from inside, the coughs filled with intense weakness and frailty.

An Ruoming could no longer bear it and stepped into the room.

"I never expected An Ruoming to be involved with Consort Song!"

At this moment, on the mountain beside the Western Mountain Temple, a figure stood proudly, as if merging with the bright moon in the heavens, his figure treading the void, looking down upon the mountain below.

Zhang Jian operated the Yin Yang Refinement Form Technique; the highest realm of this technique is to embody the Yin Yang Divine Aspect, to control Yin Yang for one's own use. As the founder of this technique, Zhang Jian had already cultivated it to this extent.

He wore the Yin Yang Dharma Aspect, and at this moment he seemed to tread upon the moon.

In his gaze, beneath the extinguished lamp light, two figures leaning close and cherishing each other had nowhere to hide within his vast Yin Yang Spirit Consciousness.

Even the Dragon and Tiger Qi of this place could not conceal his spirit consciousness's penetration.

Consort Song is not one of the Four Consorts, but one of the Nine Concubines; she is the eldest daughter of the Marquis of Feicheng, rumored to be beautiful and lovely, and greatly favored by the Emperor Jingwu.

However, several years ago, Marquis Feicheng Song Ding Shan fell out of favor with the Emperor due to forming factions for private gain, and gradually lost his favor.

Recently, he contracted a serious illness, coinciding with the Empress Dowager's grand birthday; Emperor Jingwu simply sent him to the Western Mountain Temple to recuperate, to avoid offending the Empress Dowager, and to recover from his illness.

However, this time An Ruoming has been targeted; those watching him are not only him, but also a group of people.

Zhang Jian's eyes sank in thought; An Ruoming bears the Greedy Wolf Destiny, whose master is exceptionally fierce and violent, lawless and unruly, prone to change, and not easy to control, but Zhang Jian is confident he can suppress him.

This is precisely an opportunity.

If he can subdue this commander of the Divine Strategy Army, he may play a crucial role in the larger scheme.

……

At this moment, beside the Western Mountain Temple, there were two other figures gazing afar toward the temple's direction; both Taoists were very cautious.

They are cultivators of the Golden Maiden Sect.

They have been surveilling An Ruoming all this time; now they have finally found a clue, followed him to the foot of the Western Mountain Temple, and watched him change his attire and enter the temple.

The two Taoists dared not approach closely due to fear of the profound cultivation of the Pure Moon Taoist within the temple, and could not know exactly who An Ruoming was secretly meeting, but this gain already satisfied them greatly.

"This General An possesses greed, anger, ignorance, and hatred—all five poisons—so there is no worry about being unable to control and use him for oneself!"

"This Greedy Wolf Star Master is truly audacious to the extreme, daring to touch the Emperor's concubine; it is fortunate to have such a weakness, thus saving us much trouble!"

The other Taoist also slightly nodded, his eyes faintly smiling, and he said to the other Taoist.

"This matter should still be reported to the Elder, to be handled by the Elder; after all, he is a commander, and only when the Elders act can there be absolute certainty!"

His eyes fluctuated: "We continue to observe others; that general who has condensed the White Tiger Star Aspect also needs investigation, to see if we can find a weakness for our use!"

Another Taoist with flowing beard and hair slightly nodded.

"Actually, you don't need to investigate; I know his weakness!"

Just then, a faint voice sounded in the void.

The two Golden Maiden Sect Taoists in the forest heard it, their faces changed instantly, and they suddenly looked around; however, under the lovely moonlight, the void all around showed nothing unusual, the insects in the forest and the night birds still chirped, as if that figure was merely an illusion.

This change immediately made the two Golden Maiden Sect Taoists tremble with fear.

The leading Taoist hastily clasped his hands and said: "May I ask which senior is joking with us? I am Zhao Yuan Song, disciple of the Plum Flower Venerable of the Golden Maiden Sect! Please, senior, reveal yourself!"

The two Golden Maiden Sect Taoists were wary, but their hearts gradually sank into the valley.

For cultivators active outside, the thing they fear most is encountering an existence of higher cultivation than themselves.

If the speaker's voice is that of a Yin Yang Venerable.

Then they are in danger today.

The unease in the hearts of the two Taoists became real; under the moonlight, a figure broke through the void and appeared.

Zhang Jian's expression was cold and indifferent as he glanced at the two Golden Maiden Sect Daoists; with a flick of his finger, a dense and intense Yin Spirit divine awareness surged forth, pressing upon the hearts of the two Daoists.

The overwhelming Yin Spirit divine awareness suppressed them, causing the faces of the two Daoists to change color.

The two Daoists exchanged a glance, sensing the terrifying malice contained within the divine awareness.

The two Daoists no longer harbored any hope of luck; they were determined to escape this place and bring back today's discovery to the Golden Maiden Sect.

"Attack!"

The leading Daoist wore a cold expression and shouted harshly, while the other Daoist suddenly emitted a unique spiritual fluctuation from his entire body; his Golden Core went berserk in an instant, blazing like a proud sun, and above his head, a faint special Dharma Sword seemed to condense into form.

A power that tore through the void burst forth from within.

That was a Dharma treasure.

Contained within the Dharma treasure was a peculiar Yin Spirit power, which transformed into countless sword lights forming a net that flew toward Zhang Jian.

This power had already surpassed the limits of the Golden Core, containing part of the marvelousness of the Yin Spirit realm.

This was a strike from a great cultivator of the Yin Spirit stage.

Zhang Jian's eyes flickered slightly; it seemed the two Golden Maiden Sect Daoists were not ordinary, actually possessing a trump card bestowed by a Yin Spirit Venerable.

If he had encountered an ordinary Yin Spirit Venerable, this sword strike might have bought him a chance at survival, but facing him, it had no effect whatsoever.

Zhang Jian stood with his hands behind his back, countless threads of lunar yin essence condensed around him, like the full moon descending; in an instant, his form transformed into a milky white radiance that shattered the sword qi, his vast mana converging into a single finger, faint ice crystals appearing, and in an instant, he pressed it deep into the glabella of this Golden Core Daoist.

At this moment, the Golden Core Daoist stared at him with wide eyes, his pupils filled entirely with shock and disbelief.

In the next instant, countless fierce silver lights burst from his hundreds of apertures, instantly turning into a block of ice, though his soul had already been shattered by the Yin Yin Refinement Method.

Meanwhile, the other Daoist surnamed Zhao was terrified, and simultaneously, a golden talisman appeared in his hand; the golden talisman fell upon his body, transforming into a dazzling golden light.

His form instantly fled into the void.

His speed was truly pushed to the extreme.

Zhang Jian raised his head slightly, astonished at this scene, inwardly musing that the two Daoists of the Golden Maiden Sect were indeed wealthy, each possessing means bestowed by a Yin Spirit Venerable.

This was the foundation of those immortal Daoist sects.

However, relying on such means to escape from his grasp was obviously impossible.

"Escaped?"

In the void, at this moment, the Zhao-surnamed Daoist's body was surrounded by six pairs of golden light wings, behind him seemingly appearing the form of an ancient strange beast, his form racing like wind and lightning; seeing nothing unusual behind him, his heart eased slightly.

The talisman in his hand was called the Golden Light Six-Wing Talisman, crafted by a senior of the Golden Maiden Sect who slew a Yin Spirit-level strange beast known as the Six-Winged Golden Butterfly in the depths of the barbarian wilds, refining its soul and spirit; it was exceedingly precious.

The Six-Winged Golden Butterfly was naturally adept at illusion, but its greatest strength lay in evasion techniques; the six wings, when flapped, possessed the ability to tear through space, and among many flying strange beasts, it could be called the ultimate in speed.

He had obtained this talisman with great difficulty, as a precaution.

He had never expected to actually use it.

"It's just a pity for my junior brother, but having discovered such important information, it is not a meaningless sacrifice…… My junior brother's vengeance will also be taken up by the sect elders!"

This Daoist's thoughts turned, but in an instant, his expression changed.

Yet he saw a cyan stream of light arrive from behind, arriving first despite coming later, in an instant appearing as if shifting through the starry sky from starlight, blocking his path in an instant.

"Kill!"

His eyes widened, a ferocious expression appearing on his face, behind him seemingly countless strange echoes and golden light gathering, but in an instant he saw that pair of hands, white as jade, point into the void, as if countless ice crystals spilled from his fingertips, instantly sealing the void, drawing the incoming golden light into a vast cold current, and in an instant, his mana poured forth, immediately shattering his true form into ice crystal fragments.

Only a golden talisman remained, drifting down from the void, instantly falling into Zhang Jian's hand; within it seemed a faint Yin Spirit divine awareness attempting to revive, but in an instant it was absorbed and refined by Zhang Jian's Yin Spirit light.

Zhang Jian frowned as he watched this scene.

He felt a faint sigh in his heart; although he had comprehended the great power of the Yin Yin Refinement Method, his own constitution actually did not greatly suit this technique.

His spiritual root attribute leaned toward yang rigidity.

Being able to condense the Yin Spirit manifestation to this degree was entirely due to his abnormal comprehension, allowing him to reach this extent.

Fortunately, he had not placed great expectations on this technique, merely holding the idea of using it if usable, even just to disturb others' vision.

After dealing with the two Golden Maiden Sect Daoists, Zhang Jian did not leave; his form transformed into a lovely moonlight, descending from the void.

His form was graceful, his entire body emitting a completely different aura from before.

In the Literary Arts Institute, he was usually concealed by the air of books.

But now he was ethereal, transcendent, standing with hands behind his back in the void, under the moonlight appearing as a Daoist not of this world.

A true high-level cultivator!

Zhang Jian did not wait long; merely a moment passed before he met the person he had been waiting for.

Zhang Jian gazed toward the depths of the forest, and from afar saw a figure swiftly descending from the Western Mountain Observatory into this grove, arriving at his feet in an instant.

That was indeed An Ruoming.

But he soon saw on the treetops, a hazy silver-light figure standing in the void.

He appeared as if the silver moon hung in the sky!

Transcendent, elusive!

Upon seeing Zhang Jian's presence, An Ruoming's expression visibly changed slightly, especially upon sensing the profound, bottomless, transcendent aura on him, his expression shifting.

He restrained his aura, slowly retreating, but in an instant his expression changed again, and Zhang Jian's figure reappeared before his eyes.

He immediately changed direction again, but it had no effect.

At this moment, An Ruoming's heart also rang with alarm bells, his qi and blood gradually gathering, when a faint, indifferent voice came from above his head.

"General An, toward your benefactor, is this really your attitude all along!"

An Ruoming's face grew slightly cold:

"Benefactor? This general does not know you; please, sir, make way!"

At this moment, starlight flowed around An Ruoming's body, a vast aura communicating with the tiger talisman on him, faintly a vast dragon-tiger aura condensing from his entire body; under the protection of this dragon-tiger aura, the Greedy Wolf star pattern on his head almost became substance, as if transforming into a vast starry wolf-headed divine person, possessing immense power.

With such a military secret technique on him, An Ruoming showed little fear.

Zhang Jian saw this scene, slightly astonished, but did not mind, merely speaking calmly.

"General An, you can refuse to acknowledge your benefactor!"

"Would you not save your beloved, or let your beloved and you fulfill your wish of flying together as a pair?"

His gaze fell upon An Ruming, and at this moment An Ruming's expression suddenly changed, as if his reverse scale had been touched, his vast dragon and tiger aura surged straight into the heavens, and the starlight above his head suddenly transformed into a giant wolf that devoured toward the direction where Zhang Jian was.

In the void, Zhang Jian watched this scene, his eyes slightly fluctuating.

He could see that the giant wolf star formation condensed by An Ruming at this moment was quite mysterious, its power immense.

In the hands of this celestial-human peak martial general, An Ruming actually exerted a power capable of affecting a Yin God Venerable.

This was quite exaggerated.

A peak celestial-human martial general at most equals a cultivator at the peak of Foundation Establishment in the Measuring Life realm.

Yet now he could cross two realms and display part of the Yin God's mighty power, which is quite considerable.

But in Zhang Jian's eyes, it was still far short—the mighty power had arrived, but the giant wolf's movement was simply too slow to bear looking at!

He raised one palm, and starlight flowed along the palm.

In an instant, the giant wolf of starlight, several tens of zhang in size, bursting in the void, froze midair.

Starlight Binding Divine Technique!