Chapter 148: Profound Emperor Wood Sovereign Art

When the group stepped into the underground hall, apart from Yan Taibai, Shi Die, the father and daughter True Shi Zhenren, Zhuo Ruting, and the sisters Fan Jingmei were all shocked by everything in the hall.

This hall was not small, being a full twenty to thirty zhang in width and length.

The entire hall had only three portals; the entrance counted as one, and there were two semi-circular portals leading to unknown places. Moreover, the hall was not dim; on the contrary, it was very bright. The main reason was that night-luminescent pearls were embedded in the ceiling of the hall, and there were various Restrictions on the walls, with spiritual light flickering, making it very beautiful.

Besides these, what attracted Yan Taibai's gaze the most was a corpse beside a pool of water. A small emerald-green arrow was nailed into the skull of this corpse, and this was the greatest goal of Yan Taibai's trip: the Golden Thunder Bamboo.

Compared to Yan Taibai, the others naturally did not know the identity of the small emerald-green arrow; instead, they all cast their gazes onto a three-colored lotus in the pool.

This lotus had not yet bloomed; it was currently just a bowl-sized flower bud, and it emitted a radiance of green, red, and yellow.

And what was most eye-catching, making the four of them blush with excitement, was that a few inches above the colored lotus was a delicate and exquisite seven-colored rainbow, shimmering and extremely gorgeous.

At the same time, the pool water itself was not the clear water one usually sees, but a type of extremely viscous white milky liquid, which faintly emitted a pungent, exotic fragrance.

This caused the faces of the others to flush with red, appearing incomparably excited, wanting to step forward to pluck it, but with a cold snort, they instantly sobered up.

Once again, they all looked toward the sound in unison and saw Yan Taibai's slightly solemn expression.

"If you want to court death, you can go ahead and take it."

Yan Taibai warned coldly.

"We wouldn't dare. This is Brother Yan's item; how would we dare to take it?" True Shi Zhenren hurriedly apologized with a smile.

In reality, they were outsiders here, and Shi Die also carefully hid behind her father, True Shi Zhenren.

Zhuo Ruting and Fan Jingmei were fine; as sisters, they naturally understood Yan Taibai. After exchanging a glance, Fan Jingmei parted her lips slightly to ask.

"Brother Yan, is there a problem with the precious flower?"

Hearing this, True Shi Zhenren was somewhat enlightened. He hurriedly looked carefully at the three-colored lotus, and his divine sense also probed toward the pool.

"This is not a Seven-Colored Lotus, it is a demon python!" True Shi Zhenren said with a horrified change in expression.

At the same time, he felt some relief at Yan Taibai's reminder, and his heart was filled with much more gratitude toward Yan Taibai.

"In that case, is this why this fellow Daoist fell here?"

At this moment, Zhuo Ruting's gaze fell upon the white bone corpse and she said.

"Correct. And, it doesn't count as having fallen, right, Fellow Daoist Xiao, Xuangui Shangren?"

Yan Taibai smiled faintly and looked toward a slightly dark corner of the hall, which was exactly where one of the portals was located.

"Unexpectedly, after so many years, someone still remembers this old man. Tsk tsk tsk, it seems you are not an ordinary Golden Core Stage Cultivator. Interesting, truly interesting. As long as you offer your body to this old man, I guarantee to let them leave alive, how about that?"

A sinister voice echoed through the hall, causing True Shi Zhenren, Shi Die, Zhuo Ruting, and Fan Jingmei to instinctively huddle toward Yan Taibai, seeking protection.

"Want our bodies? Heh! Fellow Daoist Xiao really dares to ask. I originally wanted to spare your life, but now it seems there is no need at all."

Yan Taibai chuckled, saying this without any fear.

"Oh! You want this old man's life?"

With a creak, ghostly green flames appeared in the large eye sockets of the white bone corpse beside the pool. As if resurrected, it slowly stood up.

This caused the inexperienced Shi Die's cheeks to turn pale and bloodless in a "swish," but she did not panic much; instead, she stared fixedly at Yan Taibai.

Because she believed that for Yan Taibai, this was absolutely no problem at all.

"Who exactly are you?"

Xuangui Shangren Xiao Cha took the small emerald-green arrow nailed into his skull, held it in his hand, and laughed sinisterly.

"Who am I?"

"Heh! That is not important. What is important is that because of your words just now, you must die!"

Yan Taibai chuckled. The smile on his face turned cold, killing intent surged from his eyes, and golden sword Qi swirled endlessly in his hands. The diffusing sword intent and sword momentum caused the temperature of the entire hall to drop suddenly, and golden sharpness flickered in the air.

Afterwards, the ghostly green flames in the pupils of Xuangui Shangren Xiao Cha's corpse jumped for a moment, and then he hurriedly said.

"Wait a moment, this old man spoke out of turn just now, I hope fellow Daoist will forgive me."

"Forgive? If it's just forgiveness, forget it. You should first take out something that can move me!"

Yan Taibai chuckled and said.

"I can't come here for nothing, after all!"

"What the fellow Daoist says is absolutely correct. This is the 'Mysterious Yin Scripture' that this old man cultivated. It records various Demonic Path secret techniques and divine abilities. I believe it will be of no small use to you."

As he spoke, Xuangui Shangren Xiao Cha made a "crack" sound and snapped off one of his own ribs, which was white as jade and only a few inches long.

"Not enough. Is there more?"

Yan Taibai took the "rib" into his hand, glanced at it, and shook his head.

The golden sword Qi in his hand became increasingly sharp and substantial.

"This old servant is willing to serve the master for life, only begging the master to forgive this old servant's crime of speaking out of turn."

Seeing this, Xuangui Shangren Xiao Cha immediately fell to his knees with a thud, acknowledging him as master and calling himself a servant.

"Serving for life is unnecessary; I am not lacking in that. You should just die."

Yan Taibai's smile did not fade as he directly pronounced the death sentence for Xuangui Shangren Xiao Cha.

However, before the words had even faded, Xuangui Shangren Xiao Cha did not hesitate in the slightest and struck directly.

The item he used to strike was the Golden Thunder Bamboo Small Arrow in his hand, which shot directly toward Yan Taibai.

But a scene that horrified him occurred: facing such a perilous attack, Yan Taibai simply gripped the void with his palm.

Instantly, a golden giant hand appeared directly in front of him, grabbing the incoming Golden Thunder Bamboo Small Arrow.

When the golden giant hand vanished and the Golden Thunder Bamboo Small Arrow appeared again, it was already in Yan Taibai's hand.

"Not bad, it is indeed a good thing."

Yan Taibai's mind stirred, and he directly erased the mental mark within the Golden Thunder Bamboo Small Arrow, causing Xuangui Shangren Xiao Cha to let out a muffled groan and be forced to abandon the corpse to flee for his life.

But the next moment, the golden sword Qi that Yan Taibai had been building up for a long time made a "whoosh" sound, and the sound of breaking air erupted.

With a "bang," it shattered the black ball of light that Xuangui Shangren Xiao Cha had transformed into, causing it to vanish into smoke and ending everything.

"Alright, the strong enemy has been eliminated. You all should go out first! You can no longer help with what follows. Rest assured, after we return, your rewards will certainly not be lacking."

Yan Taibai chuckled and gave the order.

"Understood."

Hearing this, whether it was True Shi Zhenren and his daughter Shi Die, or the sisters Zhuo Ruting and Fan Jingmei, they all had no choice but to leave.

After the four of them left the great hall, Yan Taibai headed toward the pool, completely ignoring the demon python inside, and then reached his hand into it.

Suddenly, the progress value for 【Hundred Poisons Immunity】, which Yan Taibai had long been looking forward to, finally reached one hundred percent.

This had been the longest one yet, and as for what good things he would obtain, Yan Taibai was even more expectant.

(【Hundred Poisons Immunity】 completion 100/100, reward: "Green Emperor Wood Emperor Art").

Once this reward appeared, Yan Taibai was both surprised and delighted, yet also incredibly worried.

After all, the cultivation difficulty of this "Green Emperor Wood Emperor Art" was on par with the "White Emperor Golden Emperor Slash"; Yan Taibai knew all too well what that meant.

It was another Glutton, a "Glutton" capable of swallowing the heavens and the earth; even though Yan Taibai knew the information about Biling Island, he estimated it still wouldn't be enough for the "Green Emperor Wood Emperor Art" to eat.

But things had reached this point, and there was no choice left; in any case, having it was far better than not having it.

And after Yan Taibai memorized everything about the "Green Emperor Wood Emperor Art," he then cast his gaze upon the "Golden Thunder Bamboo" he had obtained.

This "Golden Thunder Bamboo" was truly worthy of being an existence that had stirred up a storm of blood throughout the Chaotic Star Sea.

A mere single piece—no, half a piece of Golden Thunder Bamboo contained energy of three attributes: metal, wood, and thunder; most importantly, it was endless and self-replenishing, and it was thunder-attribute energy, which meant the Evil-Warding Divine Thunder was even more so.

It could be called one of the most valuable items in the entire Human World, but wanting to rely on this half-stalk of Golden Thunder Bamboo to successfully cultivate the "White Emperor Golden Emperor Slash" was purely wishful thinking.

Therefore, he still needed to successfully cultivate the "Green Emperor Wood Emperor Art," then force-ripen the Golden Thunder Bamboo, and cultivate the "White Emperor Golden Emperor Slash," complementing and helping each other.

As for the seedlings of the Golden Thunder Bamboo, Yan Taibai had long ago ordered Zhou Yuan to purchase them and plant them in Yan Taibai's cave dwelling.

After the matter of the Golden Thunder Bamboo was resolved, Yan Taibai left this underground hall.

And when he returned to the surface, besides True Shi Zhenren, Shi Die, Zhuo Ruting, and Fan Jingmei, there were two more people.

One was short and withered, with a face full of black pockmarks and incredibly ugly, and the other was a middle-aged man with a pale complexion, his entire body radiating a cold, sinister aura of demonic energy.

"Senior Ji Yin of Ji Yin Island, Fellow Daoist Wuchou, your arrival is a great honor, and I apologize for failing to welcome you properly. I wonder what business brings you two here?"

Yan Taibai smiled and cupped his hands.

"I dare not accept the title of Senior. I wonder, Fellow Daoist Yan, what people did you see in that underground hall? What items did you obtain?"

Ji Yin Old Monster said straight to the point.

"Is this what you are referring to, Fellow Daoist?"

Hearing this, Yan Taibai immediately took out the rib bone that Xuangui Shangren Xiao Cha had given him from his Storage Bag and smiled.

"Indeed. I wonder if you would be willing to trade it with this old man? Any conditions are negotiable."

Seeing the rib bone and sensing the familiar aura from it, Ji Yin Old Monster immediately spoke up in a rush to promise.

"Including both of your lives?"

In Yan Taibai's hand, there appeared once again the Golden Sword Qi that made people's eyes narrow and feel incredibly wary.

"Fellow Daoist Yan, this item belongs to my sect?"

Seeing this, as the Ji Yin Old Monster who had witnessed with his own eyes how Man Huzi had fallen, he could only bite the bullet and say coldly.

"Therefore, it must be exchanged for your life; this is also what I promised that Fellow Daoist Xiao below."

Yan Taibai smiled and said with profound meaning.

"You actually know his background?"

Ji Yin Old Monster panicked and said sharply.

"Whether I know it or not is irrelevant; it just so happens I can use the item he left behind to execute you."

Yan Taibai chuckled, and the Golden Thunder Bamboo Small Arrow refined from Golden Thunder Bamboo appeared in his hand; the Golden Sword Qi and the pale golden thunder arcs echoed each other, exuding and diffusing a terrifying aura.

And facing such a scene, Ji Yin Old Monster had only one choice: to flee for his life.

He didn't even care about Wuchou beside him, directly wrapping himself in Mysterious Yin Demonic Qi and turning into a cloud of demonic mist, heading toward the distant horizon.

And Wuchou, who had been abandoned, while cursing internally, also fled at the fastest speed of his life.

But it was already too late; as Yan Taibai spat out the word "Go," the Golden Thunder Bamboo Small Arrow and the Golden Sword Qi in his hand split into two, rushing toward the master and disciple to kill them.

"Ah!"

With a shrill scream, Wuchou, who had been slower to run, was directly pierced through the body by the Golden Sword Qi, split in two, and died completely.

Following closely behind was Ji Yin Old Monster, who was likewise pierced through the chest by the Golden Thunder Bamboo Small Arrow, destroying his Nascent Soul.

Killing the master and disciple in a single move, this scene left the sisters Zhuo Ruting and Fan Jingmei horrified, yet their eyes were also filled with brilliant colors and deep affection; after exchanging a glance, they made up their minds to win Yan Taibai over.

And True Shi Zhenren and his daughter Shi Die were likewise terrified, but compared to True Shi Zhenren, Shi Die felt more admiration for Yan Taibai; the affection in her eyes was no less than that of the two women, Fan Jingmei and Zhuo Ruting, beside her.

After all, a Nascent Soul cultivator was the absolute top-tier cultivator in the entire Chaotic Star Sea.

Yet in Yan Taibai's hands, they were no different from ants; how could this not shock them? Although it had to do with the Golden Sword Qi bestowed by a Spirit Severing Stage expert in Yan Taibai's hands, it was still a part of Yan Taibai's own strength.

This kind of situation could not be found a second time in the entire Chaotic Star Sea.

A second Golden Core Stage Cultivator. Precisely because of this, they were filled with love for Yan Taibai; even if it were only as concubines, they were perfectly willing.

After exterminating Ji Yin Old Monster and Wuchou, Yan Taibai also took the Storage Bags and Life-Bound Magical Treasure of the master and disciple into his hands and began to examine them.

There were many good things; just the Spirit Stones alone amounted to over one hundred thousand, and there were quite a few materials and medicinal pills.

After taking the materials, Spirit Stones, and medicinal pills he needed, Yan Taibai gave the rest in the Storage Bag to Fan Jingmei and said.

"There are still many good things in here; you all can divide them yourselves!"

"Many thanks, Brother Yan."

Seeing this, Fan Jingmei was overjoyed, then bowed respectfully to express her thanks.

Zhuo Ruting, True Shi Zhenren, and Shi Die followed suit.

And Yan Taibai no longer concerned himself with them, directly taking out the Heavenly Moon Divine Boat and entering it.

Seeing this, the group naturally boarded the boat one after another, with Fan Jingmei and Zhuo Ruting taking charge of steering it, flying toward the direction of Heavenly Star City.

Along the way, the few of them also finished dividing up the items inside the Storage Bags of Ji Yin Old Monster and Wuchou.

Yan Taibai, meanwhile, stayed in his room to study the Mysterious Yin Scripture and the Golden Thunder Bamboo, completely unconcerned with matters outside.

……

Inside a side chamber of the Heavenly Moon Divine Boat, after hearing Fan Jingmei's words, Zhuo Ruting's face flushed like a rosy cloud and was filled with worry as she spoke.

"Senior Sister, must we really do this?"

"That is only natural. As long as we can cultivate together with Brother Yan, there is hope for the Nascent Soul in the future. You should be clear that if it weren't for Brother Yan, with the aptitude of us two sisters, it would be impossible to reach Golden Core in our entire lives. Now, not only have we reached Golden Core, but we are also still so young."

Fan Jingmei's delicate face was like a flower as she said.

(End of this chapter)