Chapter 457: Stealing Heaven, Replacing the Sun

All the surrounding cultivators were unsettled; they saw the massive dharma manifestation behind White Bone appear, and for a moment, light burst forth within the Azure Wander Palace.

Golden runes flowed, like ancient stars twinkling in the void.

White Bone's dharma manifestation was a huge skeleton, every inch of its bones etched with the marks of time, exuding an ancient and weathered power.

In the skull dharma manifestation's eyes, two clusters of azure‑blue flames flickered, as if containing endless wisdom and profundity.

As White Bone's dharma manifestation moved, the air throughout the Azure Wander Palace solidified, and all cultivators felt a heavy pressure.

"Good timing!"

White Bone's dharma manifestation let out a rumbling sound; its huge bone hand swung, and a golden bolt like a meteor from beyond the heavens shot straight at Qin Zixie.

Qin Zixie's face grew solemn; he hastily waved his staff, and green light turned into vines that quickly spread, forming a defensive line.

But that golden bolt, with the force of splitting bamboo, instantly pierced through the layers of vines and bore down on Qin Zixie's true body.

Qin Zixie flickered; the gem atop his staff burst with blinding light, forming a light shield that forcibly blocked the golden bolt's impact.

Yet the impact still made him unsteady, and he retreated several steps.

For a moment, energy surged within the Azure Wander Palace like a raging tide, various lights intertwining to form a grand battle scene.

"Rumble…"

The dharma manifestation of the Immortal Mausoleum's Southern Peak, the Immortal Mausoleum Divine Mountain, stood majestic and splendid, with layers of immortal energy flowing over its body.

Following the Southern Peak's command, the Immortal Mausoleum Divine Mountain, like a real mountain peak, pressed down toward White Bone's dharma manifestation.

"Boom boom boom…"

The Nether Palace Dream Venerable turned into a black shadow, weaving through the battlefield; each appearance brought a deadly attack, and his nether beasts grew even fiercer, engaging White Bone's dharma manifestation in close combat.

"Clang clang clang…"

Jiang Qiang, though injured, still had residual might from the broken Mountain River Bell; he condensed his remaining strength into sound waves that struck White Bone's dharma manifestation's soul.

"Woo woo woo…"

Yao Shuntian then summoned more shaman spirits; they let out earth‑shaking battle cries, colliding with the nether beasts and the Immortal Mausoleum Divine Mountain's power, forming a contest of spiritual power and souls.

"Bang bang bang"

The battle intensified; White Bone's dharma manifestation displayed astonishing combat power, each attack bearing overwhelming force, and even if the Southern Peak and others joined forces, they struggled to gain the upper hand.

Yet they refused to yield; this was not merely a contest of strength, but also concerned the dignity of their respective sects.

The cultivators unleashed their true fire, their eyes nearly bursting.

They began to unleash their hidden trump cards, and the power of sealing divine ability started to surge within the Azure Wander Palace.

A glint of resolve flashed in the Southern Peak's eyes; he knew that if he did not give his all, today would likely end badly, and he would bring shame upon the Immortal Mausoleum.

He drew a deep breath, formed hand seals, and chanted; upon the body of the Immortal Mausoleum Divine Mountain, immortal energy coiled, gradually condensing into a great immortal formation.

Within the immortal formation, immortal spirit power flowed, forming beams of light that shot straight to the heavens, illuminating the entire Azure Wander Palace.

"Ah…"

Seeing this, the Nether Palace Dream Venerable also refused to yield; his figure darted swiftly across the battlefield, each appearance accompanied by the roars of nether beasts.

Under the Dream Venerable's command, the nether beasts turned into streams of black light, colliding with the Immortal Mausoleum Divine Mountain's light beams and emitting deafening roars.

The Netherworld Gate was opened; streams of black qi poured out, forming a huge black vortex that devoured everything around, and various malevolent resentful spirits were led out by an iron chain.

In an instant, the world's killing intent surged; fierce ghosts wailed, and nether beasts howled without cease.

"Clang clang clang…"

Jiang Qiang, though severely wounded, still had unyielding fighting spirit burning in his eyes.

He formed hand seals; the fragments of the Mountain River Bell, under his control, re‑condensed into sound waves, and all the patterns on the bell came to life, hovering as if real around the golden bell and dancing with the sound.

These sound waves differed from previous attacks; they were sharper, more penetrating, and aimed straight at the depths of White Bone's dharma manifestation's soul.

"Whoosh whoosh whoosh…"

Yao Shuntian then summoned his strongest shaman spirit—the Shaman God Spirit.

The Shaman God Spirit possessed immense spiritual power; its appearance shook the entire battlefield.

The Shaman God Spirit let out an earth‑shaking battle cry, colliding with the nether beasts and the Immortal Mausoleum Divine Mountain's power, forming a fusion of spiritual power and souls.

"Bang…"

Facing the combined attack of the four strong ones, White Bone still appeared completely at ease.

The huge skeleton, each of its movements carried overwhelming power.

Golden runes flowed, forming golden rings that deflected attacks from all sides.

White Bone's dharma manifestation further unleashed its sealing divine ability, and a bone sea surged.

Countless skeletons welled up from beneath the dharma manifestation's feet, forming a bone sea; within the bone sea, bone waves surged, clashing with the immortal formation, the Netherworld Gate, sound waves, and the Shaman God Spirit's power, producing a tremendous roar that shook heaven and earth.

Qin Zixie, meanwhile, appeared even calmer.

He lightly waved his staff; green light turned into vines that quickly spread, forming a defensive line, the Ancient Tree Divine Spirit.

The Ancient Tree Divine Spirit took the form of a towering ancient tree; its trunk bore the traces of years, its foliage lush, exuding endless vitality.

Each leaf of the Ancient Tree Divine Spirit was like a blade, slicing space, forming a stark contrast with the surging bone sea of White Bone.

The battle raged on; energy surged within the Azure Wander Palace like a raging tide, various lights intertwining to form a grand battle scene.

At this moment, the cultivators' power was displayed to the utmost.

Their sealing divine ability was not merely the use of power, but also the comprehension and mastery of heavenly laws.

However, at the height of the battle's intensity, Longling's lips curled with a playful smile.

White Bone too was an illusion, something he produced with his innate divine ability, capable of achieving the point where falsehood is indistinguishable from truth.

The divine ability displayed by White Bone was no different from his own; it could adapt to fight enemies on the fly, and he himself needed not lift a finger.

When the enemy is gravely wounded or their spiritual power exhausted, he will seize the moment and strike them down with a single blow.

"Rumble…"

At that moment, the dharma form of White Bone suddenly let out a heaven-shaking roar.

The air throughout the Azure Wandering Palace seemed to freeze for an instant.

"Whoosh whoosh whoosh..."

Immediately afterward, the speed of the golden runes' flow suddenly increased, and White Bone's dharma form began to emit myriad golden lights; these golden lights condensed in midair, gradually forming one after another avatar identical to White Bone's dharma form.

As soon as these avatars appeared, they, like the true dharma form of White Bone, carried the same ancient, weathered power and crushed toward all the cultivators.

In each avatar's eyes flickered azure-blue flames, as if they contained boundless wisdom and profundity.

Seeing this, the cultivators all felt as if facing a formidable foe; these avatars' strength was no different from White Bone's true self, each possessing overwhelming power.

Xianling Nanyue's face turned extremely grave; he could sense the threat these avatars posed, each one enough to make him exert his full strength.

He quickly adjusted the immortal formation; the immortal spirit's power became more surging and mighty, the light beams within the formation grew denser, attempting to block the avatars' impact.

Mingdian Mengzun's black shadow moved faster across the battlefield, his nether beast grew more ferocious, amid the swirling black mist, the devouring power of the Nether Prison Gate grew stronger, attempting to suck these avatars into it.

Jiang Qiang's sound-wave attack grew sharper; he condensed his remaining power to the extreme, the sound waves like invisible swords, pointing straight at the avatars' souls' depths, trying to find a weakness.

Yaoshun Tian's witch god spirit let out an even more earth-shaking battle cry; the witch spirits' power merged with spiritual power, forming mighty spiritual power storms that collided with the avatars' strength.

Qin Zhixie's magic staff waved more urgently; the green light turned into vines like living things, rapidly spreading, attempting to entangle the avatars and halt their movements.

However, White Bone's avatars seemed fearless, their power great enough to ignore these attacks.

Each impact of the golden light beams, each piercing of the sound waves, each collision of the spiritual power storms, the avatars could block with halos formed from the golden runes.

The battle grew more intense; the energy fluctuations within the Azure Wandering Palace surged like a tsunami, wave after wave, various lights intertwined, forming a shocking battle scene. The cultivators' seal divine abilities were exerted to the utmost at this moment, each attack carrying the desire for victory, each defense showing unyielding resolve.

But White Bone's avatars were simply too many, and their power too great.

Even if Xianling Nanyue and others joined forces, they could hardly resist the avatars' all-encompassing crushing.

The cultivators began to feel an unprecedented pressure, and a hint of despair began to well up in their hearts.

And, Longling and Heifeng silently observed all this from outside the illusion, a flicker of triumph flashing in their eyes.

"The cultivators' strength has almost been exhausted.

It's time to end."

Longling spoke softly, a hint of satisfaction appearing at the corner of his mouth.

As he cast a spell seal, a strange fragrance suddenly permeated the illusion space.

At first whiff, this fragrance made the heart and mind sway.

But soon, many cultivators felt their heads spin, as if countless tiny needles were stirring in their brains, causing unbearable pain.

This strange fragrance is a mental attack unleashed by White Bone's dharma form; by disturbing the cultivators' minds, it renders them unable to resist for a short time.

White Bone seized this fleeting opportunity; its avatars moved as fast as lightning, weaving among the cultivators.

In the moment the cultivators' minds were clouded by the strange fragrance, White Bone's avatars had already silently approached them, and in a flash snatched away their storage rings one by one.

For cultivators, storage rings are not only important items for storing magic treasures and elixirs, but also the repository of wealth accumulated over years of cultivation.

The loss of storage rings is tantamount to stripping the cultivators of everything.

When the cultivators awoke from the influence of the strange fragrance and discovered their storage rings had vanished, they began to fall into extreme frenzy.

Within the Azure Wandering Palace, the originally tense and fierce battle scene suddenly turned into chaos.

The cultivators panicked, searching everywhere, hoping to retrieve their storage rings.

But no matter how they searched, the storage rings seemed never to have existed, disappearing without a trace.

Feelings of anger and resentment spread among the cultivators' hearts, and they began to blame each other, chattering incessantly.

"What's going on?

Where are the storage rings?!"

Xianling Nanyue roared, his face full of disbelief.

"There's a thief!

Someone must have taken the chance to steal the storage rings!"

Mingdian Mengzun gritted his teeth, his eyes flashing with angry flames.

"Could this fragrance be some kind of bewitching incense?

Damn, we've fallen into the enemy's scheme!"

Jiang Qiang covered his forehead, striving to ease the pain in his mind.

"Everyone, stay calm!

This fragrance and the loss of the storage rings must be related; we must not let our formation fall into chaos."

Yaoshun Tian shouted loudly, trying to calm everyone down.

However, the cultivators' anger was hard to quell; they began to suspect each other, and some even started blaming the other side.

"I think it's you; you were just nearest to me, you must have stolen my storage ring!"

One cultivator pointed at another and shouted angrily.

"Nonsense!

How could one do such a thing?

You're spitting blood!"

The accused cultivator retorted, and the atmosphere between the two instantly tensed.

"Enough!

Now is not the time for internal strife; we should join forces to find the true culprit!"

Xianling Nanyue shouted loudly, trying to quell everyone's emotions.

But the influence of the strange fragrance has not yet fully dissipated, and coupled with the loss of storage rings, the cultivators' mentality has been greatly affected.

They began to doubt every person, and even began to suspect that this battle itself might be a huge trap.

Outside the illusion, Longling and Heifeng watched all this, a satisfied smile curling at the corners of their mouths.

White Bone's avatar had quietly returned to the side of the White Bone Dharma Aspect, and those storage rings had long been moved by White Bone to a safe place.

"Boss, your plan is flawless; these cultivators are probably already in utter chaos."

Heifeng praised.

Longling nodded slightly.

"Chaos, that is exactly what we need…"

His words carried a hint of slyness.

Longling lightly waved his hand; the mist outside the illusion began to roil, and a mysterious power silently seeped into the Azure Wander Palace.

This power differed from the previous strange fragrance; it was more concealed, more profound, like invisible tendrils, silently influencing every cultivator present.

The cultivators were already restless from the loss of their storage rings; under this mysterious power's influence, their emotions grew even more agitated, and they began to experience hallucinations.

Some cultivators saw what they feared most, others saw what they most desired; these hallucinations made their actions even more disordered and chaotic.

"Everyone, look quickly—it's White Bone again!"

A cultivator suddenly pointed at the sky and shouted, his finger trembling.

Everyone looked up and saw that the White Bone Dharma Aspect's avatar seemed to condense once more, coldly gazing at them.

But this time, these avatars did not attack; instead, they hovered silently in midair, as if waiting for something.

"The storage rings—how are they all in White Bone's hands!"

Xianling Nanyue said solemnly, a flash of clarity crossing his eyes before being swallowed by chaos.

The cultivators' emotions spiraled completely out of control; they recklessly attacked those avatars, hoping to reclaim their storage rings.

But these avatars seemed mere illusions; strikes landed on them with no effect, only driving the cultivators further into madness.

Amid this chaos, Longling and Heifeng silently entered the Azure Wander Palace.

Their figures flickered in and out of the mist, as if blending with the surroundings.

A faint smile touched Longling's lips; his form vanished from the spot, and the next moment he stood behind a cultivator.

A cold light flashed in his hand; with a light sweep, the cultivator felt no abnormality, only a wave of dizziness before collapsing to the ground.

Thus Longling and Heifeng moved through the chaos, silently subduing cultivator after cultivator.

Their movements were extremely careful, drawing no notice from other cultivators.

This battle, from the start, was a scheme meticulously set up by Longling, exploiting the cultivators' greed, desire, and fear to make them kill each other and drain their strength.

And he only needed to strike at the right moment to reap the greatest benefit.

When the cultivators inside the Azure Wander Palace finally realized what had happened, it was already too late; their strength had been utterly exhausted.