Chapter 196: Using the Dao as Supreme

His Primordial Spirit ascended, seated upon the Purple Star, solemn and majestic, clad in a twelve-tasseled crown, shining like a great star, high in the central heavens; like a Human Emperor descending to the mortal dust, he descended upon the Sixth Heaven as the Demon King and Ghost Emperor, ruling over all ghosts within the banner and operating the cycle of reincarnation.

The Fifth Layer, the Tribulation Heaven of Thunder, is opened!

The Sixth Layer, the Human Emperor Heaven, is opened!

Lin Xian sat with solemn dignity, walking through the sea of thunder; at times he was like a Huo Qilin treading the Heavenly Dao, at others like a Heavenly Venerable wielding thunderous punishment; every movement manifested the power of thunder, displaying the five colors of red, cyan, black, white, and yellow.

It seemed he was not undergoing a tribulation, but rather ruling the heavenly tribulation from on high, transforming into a Thunder Emperor to drive the lightning, rewarding good and punishing evil, slaying demons and subduing devils; the three old fiends, despite their vast abilities, felt utterly stifled.

Their powerful spiritual sense was completely suppressed before the God-Subduing Whip, unable to exert even the slightest effect.

Their natal magic treasure, refined over four thousand years, was not worth mentioning compared to the Human Emperor Banner.

Finally, their decayed flesh had become that of living corpses, instinctively fearing the thunder, terrified of even a single spark touching them.

"Think you can escape!" Lin Xian's eyes shifted as he roared like the Thunder Duke; the beating of drums and shocking thunder shook the universe, connecting his heart, liver, lungs, spleen, and kidneys to the Fifth Heaven of the Other Shore; amidst the dragon's chant and tiger's roar, a bolt of heavenly thunder was actually nurtured within his Dao Palace, obeying his command as effortlessly as an arm moves a finger, and struck down upon the three old monsters.

"Not good!"

The faces of the three old fiends turned pale; they had never taken seriously the thunder techniques unleashed from the Four Extremities Secret Realm, but now, with Lin Xian situated within the heavenly tribulation, small thunder could guide great thunder.

That strike of the Five Thunder Orthodox Method acted exactly like a signal flare, pointing the way forward and summoning the heavenly tribulation to kill.

"Great Lord Heavenly Tribulation, please enter; this humble one will guide you; the living corpses are over there!"

"Fight to the end!" The three old fiends roared in fury; facing the majestic heavenly might, they still refused to await death; blood-colored, jade-green, and black, three strands of divine intent surged upward like three vast oceans, transforming into a tsunami that crashed against the heavenly tribulation.

"The majesty of a King!" Within the Shengcheng, countless people changed color, instantly chilled to the bone; if they faced such a killing move, they were destined to turn to ash and vanish along with the mountains, rivers, and earth.

Boom, boom, boom; without any surprise, the heavenly tribulation swept away everything like tearing through a sheet of white paper, annihilating the ocean-like divine intent and directly aiming to reduce the three old fiends to ash.

The majestic might of heaven cannot be offended; even a young Great Emperor must struggle to cross within a thunder tribulation, let alone three old monsters whose lives had withered.

Three bolts of lightning, like white silk, fell down as if to destroy the world; one old fiend closed his eyes in despair, murmuring, "Back then, Old Jiang Taixu looked down upon the world; we were hunted by him until there was no path to heaven and no door to earth; we fled into the Undying Mountain, found the Yellow Spring Pool, mistakenly ate the Nether Nether Grass, and became beings half-human and half-ghost; our flesh was completely destroyed, and our cultivation could no longer advance even an inch."

"We thought this time was a hope for life, a chance to avenge our hatred, never expecting to be buried beneath the heavenly tribulation..."

When a man is near death, his words are kind; the three old fiends no longer shouted about killing and fighting, but sighed, recalling their entire lives.

Those in the Shengcheng who heard these words suddenly realized; the fact that the three old monsters had not died for four thousand years was not due to their own cultivation, but because they had consumed the Nether Nether Grass.

The Nether Nether Grass is a spiritual object rarely seen in the world; it possesses toxins that cause rotting, yet also contains the essence of undying substances; two completely opposite medicinal forces were gathered within one body.

Their spiritual sense had been nourished, but their flesh had become nearly like rotting corpses; it could be called a strange transformation.

"Life contains death, and death contains life... perhaps transplanting a few stalks of Nether Nether Grass could perfect the Wheel and Sea Secret Realm."

"In the future, when exploring the Undying Mountain, we will still need a few guides to lead the way."

Lin Xian's mind moved; he shook the Human Emperor Banner in his hand; instantly, ghosts cried and wolves howled, and ten thousand spirits surged past; standing atop the sea of thunder, he declared loudly, "Three fellow Daoists, why do you not yet enter the banner? Do not miss the hour of reincarnation!"

The three old fiends, originally in a desperate situation, were stunned; then, exchanging glances, they could not help but reveal a bitter smile; they had struggled their entire lives, not only failing to kill Old Jiang Taixu, but now having to act as accomplices to a tiger.

After all the twists and turns, the Human Emperor Banner had actually become their only hope.

How tragic, how ridiculous.

"Those who recite my true name shall see eternal life within reincarnation." Lin Xian shook the great banner and shouted loudly, "I am the Holy Master of Ye Tianxuan; why do you not yet appear before me?"

If they were the geniuses of the current age, full of blood and vitality, young and vigorous, they would rather choose death than become Lin Xian's puppets and act as accomplices to a tiger.

However, these three old fiends, half-human and half-ghost for four thousand years, had refused to dissolve into the Dao and die; they had long lost the spirit that once allowed them to roam freely across the Eastern Barren; the saying 'the older one gets, the more one fears death' referred precisely to people like them.

Even if the grand cake Lin Xian painted was illusory and intangible, with no glimpse of a chance for life, it was still better than being struck by heavenly thunder until one's soul scattered.

"We bow to the Holy Master!"

"Praise Ye Tianxuan!"

The three old monsters let out a long whistle; their powerful spiritual sense immediately detached from their flesh and rushed into the Human Emperor Banner; instantly, plumes of black smoke were stirred up, as if ten thousand ghosts were wailing, yet also as if various gods were roaring.

Hearing this, the cultivators in the Shengcheng trembled in both legs, shivering until they nearly grew red hair; they had truly never witnessed such a scene before.

"Wu wu..."

Three ghostly faces appeared upon the Human Emperor Banner; strands of yin energy rose into the air, desolate and eerie; blood rain began to fall from the azure sky, as if some taboo had been touched.

"Toying with life and death, blaspheming souls..." Some old cultivators felt chilled with fear; thinking of their own old age, they could not help but feel sorrow like a rabbit mourning a fox, saying, "What kind of evil sect is Ye Tianxuan, to actually refine such a magical tool?"

"Excellent, excellent; tools possess no good or evil, only people are righteous or wicked; the Human Emperor Banner is a dwelling for heroic spirits; everyone entered the banner voluntarily."

Lin Xian said solemnly, "I have not forced anyone; are these words not true, three senior predecessors?"

The three yin spirit imprints within the Human Emperor Banner trembled, as if nodding in agreement.

Yes, yes, Holy Master Lin had never forced them; they had volunteered to sacrifice themselves and merge into the Human Emperor Banner.

They were willing, contributing their spiritual sense and faith to add bricks and tiles to Holy Master Lin's path to becoming an Emperor.

"Praise the Holy Master!"

"Loyal! Faithful!"

Streams of faith and mental power gathered, hanging behind Holy Master Lin's head, transforming into a brilliant divine halo; seeing this, countless cultivators felt their teeth ache and could not help but inhale a sharp breath of cold air.

"This Ye Tianxuan is even more unorthodox than the Buddhist sects of the Western Desert," many muttered secretly.

"Wait, the three old monsters have died, so why has the aura of the Extreme Dao Emperor Weapon not disappeared?" Some sharp-witted cultivators suddenly shivered, saying with trembling voices, "There is someone else behind the scenes!"

The one wielding the Extreme Dao Emperor Weapon was not merely the three King-level divine intents; there was an even stronger entity.

Who exactly is the mastermind behind the scenes who wants to kill the God King? A Great Accomplished King, a Half-Saint, or perhaps a Sage from legend!

"It is said that God King Old Jiang has already cultivated to the Saint Realm, but is simply running on fumes; what if he revives?"

The leaders of certain major powers, understanding the fear of Emperor Weapons, suddenly changed expression drastically: "At that time, would it not be two Saints wielding Emperor Weapons clashing? Hundreds of millions of miles of mountains and rivers would sink, and the Shengcheng along with all living beings within it would be beaten into Dao ash."

The power of an Extreme Dao Emperor Weapon far exceeds human imagination; normally, when the Saint Masters of various Holy Lands make a move, they can only revive a sliver of Emperor Might; it is merely the aura of the Emperor Weapons colliding.

However, a Saint can provide energy to the Emperor Weapon, awakening the deity within and unleashing a trace of true Extreme Dao power; that is a true battle of Emperor Weapons.

A clash between two Great Emperor Weapons could truly sink the land of the Eastern Barren!

Seeing the three old fiends taken away by the Human Emperor Banner, the person behind the scenes cursed them as trash, then immediately exerted their full strength to unleash divine power, causing the Emperor Weapon hidden in the shadows to surge with majestic might; only a 'plop' sound was heard.

An old woman clad in five-colored feathered robes, yet aged to the extreme, fell from the azure sky; there was a bloody hole in her chest, with blood gushing forth; she had been nearly pierced through, clear from front to back.

"Taixu... brother." The old woman, on her last breath, still remembered to warn him, shouting loudly, "The Twin Kings of the Central Region have come to seek revenge against you; you must be careful!"

The crowd was shocked; she was familiar with God King Taixu, a major figure from four thousand years ago, while the Twin Kings of the Central Region were even more famously formidable.

Over four thousand years ago, the Twin Kings of the Central Region shook the world; the elder brother was named the Sun Monarch, and the younger brother was named the Night Monarch; they were twin brothers, and when the two acted together, they were invincible under heaven.

The Sun Monarch was the only great enemy on Old Jiang Taixu's path of cultivation; the two fought and slaughtered each other in a life-and-death battle; ultimately, Old Jiang Taixu narrowly won by a single move and survived.

The Sun Monarch was already dead; the one who came must be the Night Monarch; he had come to avenge his elder brother!

"Fairy Caiyun!"

God King Old Jiang Taixu, who had originally sat calmly as if fishing, changed expression drastically; he stood up and said, "How could she enter? Wasn't the Shengcheng sealed?"

"The Wan Chu Holy Land possesses a Shengcheng Stone Token, which allows one to traverse the void and ignore the blockade of Emperor Weapons."

The Old Jiang family Saint seemed to recall something and said in a deep voice, "There are nine Divine Tokens that are one with the Shengcheng; in the past, this city hung high in the Nine Heavens, suppressing the Life Forbidden Zone; former Great Emperors and Great Accomplished Sacred Bodies all guarded the pass here."

"Possessing such power is not strange; legend has it that in the Desolate Ancient era, the Shengcheng was a node in Great Emperor Void's formation."

"I must go save her," God King said with utmost firmness.

"Very well, give her all your Holy Fruit and Divine Spring," the Old Jiang family Saint said with a calm expression; "This way, the act will be more realistic, and we can fish for a bigger catch than the Night Monarch."

"Kill!"

God King Old Jiang Taixu shouted loudly; draped in old clothes that were nothing but skin and bones, he shot up from the Dragon Transformation Pool to go support Fairy Fairy Caiyun, feeding the Divine Spring to her lips.

"Taixu, you really didn't die..." Fairy Fairy Caiyun was incomparably excited, yet unwilling to let Old Jiang Taixu see her current appearance, full of wrinkles; turning her head away, she said, "You need the Divine Spring more; do not waste it on this old hag like me."

"I am now an old man myself," Old Jiang Taixu sighed deeply; "Four thousand years ago, I did not take you with me; four thousand years later, if you die, what meaning is there in my living?"

"Let us share the Divine Spring; we do not seek to be born on the same day, but we seek to die on the same day."

Fairy Fairy Caiyun trembled and nodded through tears; drinking the Divine Spring together with God King Taixu, her white hair turned black, her body became crystalline, and she recovered several aspects of her youthful, unparalleled elegance and world-shocking beauty.

"Since ancient times, beauties are like famous generals; heaven does not allow them to show white hair in the human world..." Seeing this scene, the Imperial Uncle of Great Great Xia in the Shengcheng could not help but sigh: "Who in this world can avoid death? No matter how unparalleled your elegance or how you dominate the world with beauty, in the end, you are just a red-powdered skeleton."

"What a pair of desperate lovers; today, this King will be a good person to the end and send you both to the afterlife together, so you may have companions on the road to the Yellow Spring."

Some sighed with sympathy, yet others were iron-blooded and ruthless, saying with extreme coldness, "Old Jiang Taixu, no matter what a generation's genius you were, in the end, you will ultimately turn into a handful of yellow earth."

"Night Monarch, you are unworthy; your elder brother was worthy of being called a hero of his generation." Although God King Old Jiang Taixu's white hair hung loose, his figure was incomparably tall; his voice rang like a great bell as he shouted, "When he died, you were hiding in the shadows, shivering with fear; back then, out of respect for the Sun Monarch, I spared your life."

"Now that you have injured Fairy Caiyun, I demand you pay with your life!"

"The one who must die, Old Jiang Taixu, is you." The Night Monarch, having his scars sealed for four thousand years exposed, flew into a rage and shouted loudly, "In your battle with my elder brother back then, did you use the Emperor Emperor Hengyu Furnace to defeat him?"

"The Great Dao is heartless; the path to Emperorhood is paved with white bones." Old Jiang Taixu said with a calm expression, "My battle with the Sun Monarch was a fair fight in pursuit of the Dao; even in death, I have no regrets; if your elder brother were standing here today, he would absolutely not borrow the Dragon Pattern Black Gold Cauldron to kill me."

What? The Emperor Weapon in the shadows is the Dragon Cauldron of the Yaoguang Holy Land? Countless people felt unable to breathe, swallowing hard with difficulty; this involved a collision between two Great Holy Lands, and there might truly be a battle of Emperor Weapons.

"Shut your mouth; you are not worthy to mention my elder brother; today, I will kill you in his stead!" The Night Monarch was stubborn; since he had been exposed, he simply stopped pretending.

He ordered the Yaoguang expert in the shadows to unleash the Dragon Pattern Black Gold Cauldron to restrain the Emperor Emperor Hengyu Furnace, while he himself donned Saint Armor and wielded a Saint Spear, intending to forcefully kill Old Jiang Taixu to comfort his elder brother's spirit in heaven.

"Old Jiang Taixu, you are old and weak, while I have ample life span!" The Night Monarch laughed wildly; "I hold two Saint Weapons in my hands, while you are unarmed; submit to execution obediently."

"I am a God King; even without a weapon in hand, do you think I cannot kill you?" God King Old Jiang Taixu sighed; suddenly, the surroundings were filled with light, resembling a Pure Land.

Within the Pure Land, clusters of gorgeous peach blossoms fell; accompanied by a sigh, the falling flowers resembled tears and rain, dancing piece by piece as if beams of ascension light were struck out, piercing through the human world!

"The Sigh of the Divine Spirit..." A peach blossom pierced through the Night Monarch's brow; the Saint Weapon in his hand clattered to the ground; he stepped backward, his eyes filled with disbelief, murmuring, "What realm is this?"

Four thousand years ago, he was already a Great Accomplished King; now, his achievements participated in creation, with one foot stepping into the Saint Dao realm; if given time, it was not impossible for him to completely leap into the Saint Realm.

Coupled with two Saint Weapons and the assistance of one Emperor Weapon, the Night Monarch believed killing a weakened Saint was a certainty.

Yet in the end, he was killed by Old Jiang Taixu; with such a casual strike, the Night Monarch was annihilated in both form and spirit, proving to be even more powerful than he was four thousand years ago.

"The God King's Extreme Realm sublimated, tempering the Divine Spirit Blood, only then could he unleash this peak strike."

Lin Xian, having just finished undergoing the heavenly tribulation, rushed over hastily, used the Human Emperor Banner to snatch the Night Monarch's head, and then wailed in utter grief, "Next, I fear there are only ten chances left to unleash such earth-shaking cultivation base."

God King Old Jiang Taixu's expression was strange, yet he still cooperated immensely, coughing; with white hair hanging loose and his body hunched, he coughed up several strands of Dao blood and sighed, "I am running on fumes; now briefly revived, I can make at most three moves before I sit in meditation and pass away."

(End of Chapter)