Chapter 262: What Are You Waiting For

At Shijie Zhang's soft command, the nine peaks below rose from the ground, circling her body, drawing upon the spiritual energy circuits in the void, as if the two had merged into one.

"Does Jiushan Sect have a Soul Transformation?"

Xuehe Laozu's face changed drastically; at this moment, he could no longer heed the Holy Ancestor's orders.

The flying sword before him sliced through the void in the blink of an eye, thrusting toward Shijie Zhang, but was blocked by the spiritual energy surrounding the nine peaks, creating a feeling of evenly matched strength.

Seeing this, Xuehe Laozu's face grew even worse.

He waved his hand, and the two flying swords flew back simultaneously, showing a sense of caution.

"Did you truly awaken the original body?"

A face appeared on the surface of the mountain belly of the Ninth Peak.

This face looked extremely like Shijie Zhang, but the tone of voice belonged to the Jiushan Ancestor.

Clearly, the sword strike from Xuehe Laozu earlier had inflicted severe injuries on him, leaving him able only to cling to life by borrowing the mountain body.

"No... the Ancestor has long since dissolved into the Dao," Shijie Zhang sighed softly.

"Then why did you summon the Ancestor?"

"..."

"Me?"

Shijie Zhang nodded.

"No, I'm just borrowing your face; you want me to fight a Soul Transformation?"

With the situation so urgent, Shijie Zhang naturally had no time to explain, saying only, "Forgive me!"

Various circuits intertwined on her body; from the back mountain, four Shanhe True Form Talismans broke through the mountain body and flew into the high sky, illuminating all ten directions.

The spiritual energy circuits within seemed to come alive.

Various spiritual talismans flew out from the Shanhe True Form Talismans, then flew to the nine peaks below, and finally returned into Shijie Zhang's body.

The three seemed to be vaguely merging into one.

The face on the mountain body disappeared again.

As Shijie Zhang, the Shanhe True Form Talismans, and the Nine Mountains merged into one.

In the sky surrounding three thousand li, golden and red radiance inexplicably surged forth.

Looking at this celestial phenomenon.

Qingyun Dasheng slowly turned his head, looking at Tongming Shangren beside him: "Is Jiushan Sect experiencing a Soul Transformation advancement?"

"I saw the situation of that Ancestor of Jiushan Sect before; it's impossible..." Tongming Shangren frowned, extremely puzzled, "That Jiushan Ancestor accidentally embarked on the path of Soul Transformation, but his original body was too special, with extremely deep karmic ties to this world—he dissolved into the Dao long ago."

"Then what about this celestial phenomenon?"

The two exchanged a glance and simply flew toward the direction of Jiushan Sect.

Xuehe Laozu was looking at Shijie Zhang, frowning.

"Soul Transformation? No... it is actually a failed, aberrant path to the Dao..."

"You, at the early stage of Nascent Soul, have actually replaced that extinguished original self with your own body?"

"Zhang Wuyi... Zhang Wuyi."

Xuehe Laozu sighed: "No wonder the Holy Ancestor values you so much..."

Tongming Shangren and Qingyun Dasheng, who had just arrived, exchanged a glance, both faces filled with shock, their expressions conveying only one thought—

Is this something an early-stage Nascent Soul can do?

Shijie Zhang paid no heed to what he said, but instead looked at Tongming Shangren.

Tongming Shangren naturally understood her intention—she wanted to join forces!

Feeling her momentum carefully again, it was actually three parts stronger than his own.

Especially the abundant spiritual energy within the spiritual veins of these Nine Mountains made him unable to help but have his eyelids twitch.

With a change of thought, the treasure mirror reappeared; at this moment, the blue treasure light was three times more dazzling, and streams of spiritual talismans shot out from the treasure light, charging straight at Xuehe Laozu.

As Tongming Shangren moved, Shijie Zhang immediately raised her hand, and the nine high peaks surrounding her suddenly gathered together in layers.

The Shanhe True Form Talisman fell straight to the highest peak among the group of mountains, merging once again with the mountain top, shining brightly on the cliff face.

Shijie Zhang pressed down with her slender hand.

The mountain ranges seemed to hear the command and crashed toward Xuehe Laozu.

At this moment, towering mountains and rugged hills flew toward Xuehe Laozu from the front.

Behind him, Tongming Shangren attacked.

He was not panicked at all; one flying sword went forward, the other backward, meeting the mountain ranges and that treasure light with one strike each, and managed to block both.

But a sudden look of ferocity appeared on Xuehe Laozu's face, as if he were in extreme pain.

"Daoist Zhang, you are truly skilled! Again!"

Seeing the chance for victory, Tongming Shangren shouted loudly, preparing to strike again.

Qingyun Dasheng beside him looked even more horrified.

He saw clearly that previously, Tongming Shangren had barely managed to deal with a single flying sword, yet now, joining forces with Zhang Wuyi, they had caused Xuehe Laozu to suffer a great loss.

Calculating this—

Is Zhang Wuyi actually stronger than Tongming Shangren?

Recalling that Zhang Wuyi originally possessed only the strength of an early-stage Nascent Soul, yet now could, by some unknown method, surpass an old-established Soul Transformation expert.

This talent...

Unheard of!

At this moment, he finally understood, just like Xuehe Laozu, why the Great Self Demon Ancestor valued Zhang Wuyi so much.

"Qingyun! Are you still watching?"

He hadn't expected Xuehe Laozu to actually speak to him.

He glared at Qingyun Shengzu, clearly growing somewhat impatient.

"The Saint Ancestor's deal with you was to stop Tongming Shangren!"

"I stopped him; I was about to talk him away," Qingyun Shengzu said. "Yet you provoked him..."

"..."

Xuehe Laozu's expression shifted twice.

Qingyun Shengzu was indeed somewhat dissatisfied.

After all, he had expended quite a bit of effort, even managing to take the Baixian Alliance without drawing a blade.

Now Xuehe Laozu, being meddlesome, had beaten up Tongming Shangren...

And still wouldn't allow him to resist?

Zhang Shijie and Tongming Shangren were both watching from the side.

Seeing that the two did not seem of one mind, Tongming Shangren rolled his eyes and said, "Daoist Qingyun, you have seen it now—the foundation of the Immortal Sects is beyond your imagination..."

Qingyun Shengzu remained silent.

Those words struck a chord within him.

In the past, Jiushan Sect was obscure and not something he took seriously.

Now, suddenly, a Soul Transformation cultivator had appeared...

That was too terrifying... demonic.

"If you now realize your error and turn back, it is not too late..."

Zhang Shijie also said nothing.

She now understood clearly that this Qingyun Shengzu was a man of many thoughts...

But to be honest, she did not hold high hopes for Tongming Shangren.

"Qingyun!" Xuehe Laozu snorted coldly. "That day, your seven Demon Saints made an alliance with our Holy Sect... Do you now wish to regret it?"

Qingyun Shengzu's face shifted back and forth; clearly, compared to the Great Self Demon Ancestor, the name of the Seven Saints mattered more to him.

He pondered for a moment, then suddenly sighed, transformed into a Golden-Winged Great Peng, and flew toward Tongming Shangren.

Tongming Shangren reached out, recalled his treasure mirror, and engaged him in battle.

Xuehe Laozu smiled, turned his head, and with the two flying swords in his hand linked by spiritual energy, their might was now twice as strong as before.

"Zhang Wuyi... The Saint Ancestor is one who cherishes talent. If you surrender now, I will spare your life."

Clearly, even though he had suffered a setback earlier, now that Tongming Shangren was gone, he was confident he could capture Zhang Shijie.

Zhang Shijie said nothing; the nine mountain peaks merely swirled and gathered before her, showing no sign of stopping.

Xuehe Laozu frowned, looking genuinely troubled: "I do not know what method you use to wield Soul Transformation-level power while only at the Nascent Soul Initial Stage..."

"Your talent is such that even I must admire it."

"But you are now like a three-year-old child swinging a great hammer... How long can you last?"

Hearing this, Tongming Shangren could not help but turn and look, only then discovering that the spiritual energy pathways on Zhang Wuyi's body seemed unable to sustain themselves.

Then he saw Zhang Wuyi's expression: silent, merely gritting his teeth.

He understood then that Xuehe Laozu had not spoken falsely.

Wielding power beyond oneself must inevitably come with a price.

Below, the Sect Master and Uncle Pang exchanged a glance, their expressions even more worried.

But at this moment, the two of them could not help at all.

Suddenly, the Sect Master's eyes lit up, and he transmitted a voice to Zhang Shijie: "Nephew Zhang, you may now take Jiushan and leave."

Originally, they had returned only for Jiushan Sect's spiritual vein.

Now, seeing Zhang Shijie's state, she could actually move these nine giant peaks.

Then why fight here?

Unexpectedly, Zhang Shijie merely shook her head lightly, as if refusing his proposal.

The Sect Master was filled with confusion in his heart.

Seeing her shake her head, Xuehe Laozu also interpreted it as a refusal directed at himself.

He shook his head and spoke: "Stubborn and unyielding, then do not blame me!"

As his words fell, the two flying swords in his hand shot out parallel to each other; the spiritual energy between them merged, forming one red and one black beam of treasure light that struck Jiushan.

Unlike before, the Shanhe True Form Talisman atop the mountain peak flickered with alternating light and darkness, seeming unable to endure.

Zhang Shijie gritted her silver teeth tightly, yet she could not help but reveal an expression of pain on her face.

It seemed Xuehe Laozu's confidence was not unfounded; even now, Zhang Shijie still could not match his full-strength attack.

"How is it?"

Xuehe Laozu, still seemingly wishing to capture Zhang Shijie alive, asked again.

Zhang Shijie said nothing; she merely raised her hand once more, and another flash of spiritual light surged across the nine mountains.

Watching the two clash, Tongming Shangren turned and glanced at Qingyun Shengzu.

That Qingyun Shengzu was truly an interesting person; his figure flashed, transforming into the appearance of a Confucian scholar, and he sidestepped.

It seemed they were simply letting him escape.

"..."

Tongming Shangren's face shifted repeatedly; he clasped his hands in a bow, turned without looking back, and flew toward the distance.

Qingyun Dasheng truly did not strike; he merely stood with his hands behind his back, watching the clash between Xuehe Laozu and Zhang Shijie from afar.

Golden light flickered uncertainly in his eyes, his face bearing a look of contemplation, and he too refrained from intervening in their struggle.

Just as Xuehe Laozu had said.

Zhang Shijie was originally at the early stage of Nascent Soul; the longer time passed, the more strained her control over Soul Transformation power became.

Over time, she fell clearly and unmistakably into a disadvantage.

Xuehe Laozu seemed to still harbor hope of capturing her alive, or perhaps feared her territory, and was even willing to drag things out slowly.

The two fought from sunrise to sunset, then from the moon rising over the willow branches to the first light of dawn; in the blink of an eye, several days had passed.

Zhang Shijie was clearly at the end of her rope, and the light upon Jiushan also gradually dimmed.

Qingyun Dasheng shook his head, seeming somewhat disappointed.

A faint smile appeared on Xuehe Laozu's face as well.

Zhang Wuyi was far too bizarre, and the spiritual power of that otherworldly transformed being who had not yet attained the Dao was truly immense.

Fortunately, time was on his side...

"Xuehe Laozu..." Just as he revealed a smile, Zhang Shijie suddenly spoke: "I am waiting for my junior brother..."

"What are you waiting for?"

Xuehe Laozu was stunned; he saw brilliant light directly overhead, looked up, and found two suns hanging high in the sky; not only that, but a crescent moon and countless stars also filled the heavens.

In the next instant, the shadow of a golden bell appeared amidst the starry sky.

The golden bell swayed twice in the void.

The sky became thick with thunderclouds, and thousands of bolts of Lei Ting fell like raindrops.

Xuehe Laozu had not yet recovered his senses.

Qingyun Dasheng, standing nearby, let out a strange cry: "Lei Chi! A Grotto-Heaven Spiritual Treasure!"

Having spoken, he transformed into the form of a golden-winged great roc, rode a beam of Jin Guang, and fled toward the distance, acting with decisive and clean efficiency.

Hearing these words, Xuehe Laozu's face also changed wildly.

The thunder first shattered the blood river in the sky.

One of Xuehe Laozu's flying swords emitted a mournful cry, as if it had suffered a severe injury.

At this moment, Zhang Shijie also seized an opportunity; the nine mountains before her gathered once more, then slowly shrank, transforming into the shape of a seal; at the base of the seal were precisely the four runes of Shanhe Zhenxing.

This seal spun and pressed down upon the other flying sword; that sword seemed to have no power to resist, unable to move.

Yet the pain on Zhang Shijie's face intensified by threefold.

Clearly, this move exerted immense pressure upon her soul and spirit.

In the blink of an eye, one of Xuehe Laozu's two flying swords was pinned, while the other had already been injured.

In the sky, the Sun-Moon Bell rang again and again, and thunderclouds gathered one after another.

Ten thousand bolts of thunder, dense as a net, struck down at him.

Xuehe Laozu's face changed drastically; his body shuddered, and he transformed into a cloud of blood that scattered, instantly flying in all directions.

He too had fled.

"Zheng Shidi!"

Zhang Shijie called out; that flying sword, seemingly seeing its master flee, struggled desperately, and the seal found it somewhat difficult to hold it down.

Zheng Fa understood immediately, knowing Zhang Shijie meant not to pursue a desperate enemy; with a mere thought, the ten thousand bolts of thunder changed direction and struck the restless flying sword with all their might.

That flying sword was extremely supernatural and still struggled.

With a shift of his mind, Zheng Fa said to Zhang Shijie: "Zhang Shijie, you may release this sword."

Hearing this, Zhang Shijie waved her hand.

The flying sword seemed about to fly away, yet a gateway suddenly appeared in the void, swallowing the sword directly...

From the distance came a wail filled with anger, heart-wrenching pain, yet too terrified to look back.

Below, the Sect Master and Pang Shishu exchanged a glance.

Pang Shishu seemed somewhat incredulous: "This is your disciple?"

"Mm."

"Then you need not write a script; having such a disciple, future generations will never forget you."

Just as their minds were stirred, a figure slowly appeared once more; it was Tongming Shangren, who clasped his hands and said:

"Congratulations to all of you for surviving this great calamity... However, the Great Zizaimo Mo Sect has emerged!"