Chapter 5

The spear-light arrived in an instant; the Pure World White Lotus actively protected its master, the light curtain fell; Qi was struck by the spear-light and flung ten thousand li, falling among rocks.

When that person tore open space, the World-Separating White Jade Node's mana was bolstered, pure light surged, and it slashed at the spatial rift; the rift instantly expanded several times.

The figure had just entered when it was forced to flee from within, and its appearance became quite disheveled.

That person's anger flared to the extreme.

Damn it, if not for the timely reaction, I would have almost been dragged by the spatial storm in the rift who knows where.

If the landing point were still in the wilderness, it would be fine—at most it would be transmitted to some forbidden land, or to a great god's Dao Chang.

If dragged into Chaos, when could one return, or whether one could return at all, would be unknown.

After all, in Chaos there is no direction at all; aside from various chaotic currents, there is basically nothing.

Moreover, those chaotic currents are extremely dangerous.

Turbid qi corrupts the flesh, pure qi is incomparably sharp, yin and yang qi destroy one's primordial spirit, cloud qi scrapes bone and slices flesh, and the five elements' qi specially shatters the spiritual light of magic treasures…

A few swipes and one's life would be left in Chaos.

The most worrying thing is whether there will be transformation; not knowing what one will turn into makes it hard to guard against.

If transformed into nothingness, one must not touch it; wherever it touches, it will be turned to nothing together.

Thinking of the recent danger, that person felt a surge of fear, yet had no time to spare; four figures had already appeared in the remaining rifts.

Suddenly myriad auspicious clouds appeared between heaven and earth, thousands of streams of propitious qi, fragrant scents wafting; seeing a Daoist, he came holding a bamboo staff.

"Shen Ni, you dare come to the Eastern Continent, aren't you afraid of losing your life here?" the Daoist said, bewildered.

"Great god, there's no need to worry why this beast has come; just seize it first, and if there are doubts, ask later."

A middle-aged man with a somewhat simple and honest appearance wore a long robe adorned with a qilin treading clouds pattern; in his hand he held a great seal, and a apricot-yellow small banner was unfurled.

"The qilin fellow speaks sense; this rascal usually hides in the Bei Fang Continent, rarely venturing out and leaving no trace; today he has fallen into our hands, which is the calamity he deserves."

The speaker wore a crown of pearls from the Coral Lake, a robe of purple-gold, shoes of auspicious clouds, a golden dragon soaring on the robe, sword-like brows and starry eyes, his sharpness fully revealed.

Another wore a robe of hundred-bird feathers, splendid and luxurious, with a phoenix feather pin fixing his hair; his manner was gentle, yet he also nodded in agreement.

Clearly they approved of detaining him; if there were questions, they could seize him first and discuss later.

Shen Ni's expression was grim, especially seeing the four had tacitly surrounded his retreat, leaving only the west open.

But he dared not go that way, fearing that if he went there and two more great gods arrived, he would truly never return.

Qi slowly flew back.

"I may not know why you're running, but since you're an enemy, stopping your purpose is enough."

Qi thought: If you don't provoke me, I may not necessarily help you succeed; but if you provoke me, I will surely cause you to fail.

Qi dared not stand in the empty direction; seeing the bamboo-wielding Daoist and the qilin standing in the Bei Fang position, he stood behind them.

He kept his altitude low, to prevent Shen Ni from becoming enraged and dragging him down.

Shen Ni's face darkened a bit more, while the others showed a hint of smile, their eyes carrying a touch of admiration.

They could see that Qi's strength was inferior to theirs, but his magic treasure was not bad, making him a combat force as well.

Although they did not lack such a combat force, they displayed their attitude, proving Qi was on their side.

Moreover, the matter arose because of Qi; although they did not come for this reason, they ultimately helped Qi.

If Qi were to flee alone, they would have no objection, but in the end they would not be pleased.

Only those who stay to face a strong enemy together can become fellow Daoists.

Seeing this, the person with the gentler aura spoke:

"Young friend, you have great courage; I am Yuan Feng, chief of the Nan Fang Phoenix Clan; after the battle, if you wish to wander the wilderness, you may come to Cangwu Mountain to discuss the Dao with me."

"I am the chief of the qilin clan; if you do not disdain, you may address me as Shi Dao Friend; if the opportunity arises, please sit and discuss the Dao on Qilin Cliff." The honest man laughed.

The gold-robed man, seeing the two speak, then said:

"I am the primordial ancestor of the dragon clan; we are both innate divinities, able to walk the Dao together; you may address me as Dao Friend."

"My Dao Chang is by the Eastern Sea; if you come, call my name at the shore of the Eastern Sea, and someone will receive you, so we may discuss the Dao together."

He also gave Qi a look hinting to give his name quickly, not to wait for the Daoist to introduce himself first.

"My name is Qi; I come from the Yunmeng Great Marsh, just entering the wilderness, intending to go to Mount Buzhou; my Dao Chang lies within the marsh, fortunate to be esteemed by the senior elders; if the opportunity arises, I will surely visit and impose."

"Excellent."

The Daoist, seeing this, seemed quite pleased and laughed again:

"I am the humble Daoist Hongjun; if you are interested, you may find me on Jade Capital Mountain to discuss the Dao together."

The three all sighed, not daring to speak.

At the same time, Shen Ni's expression grew ever worse, but he remained silent, secretly gathering strength.

Seeing this, Qi waved the World-Separating White Jade Node; pure light smashed toward Shen Ni, interrupting his gathering of power.

The four saw this, smiled satisfied, and thought inwardly that this new Dao friend truly gets things done!

Without further words, each of them flashed with divine light on their bodies.

Yuan Feng swung his arm; the five-elements divine light swept over, directly shattering Shen Ni's counterattack motion.

Shen Ni, enraged, thrust his spear at Yuan Feng; the killing qi easily broke through the five-elements divine light and rushed straight at Yuan Feng.

Seeing this, the primordial qilin moved his banner; suddenly myriad golden lotuses appeared between heaven and earth, all evils retreated, and the killing qi dissipated.

He then raised the great seal in his hand and hurled it at Shen Ni.

The seal swelled in the void like a great mountain; Shen Ni saw this, again aimed his long spear at the seal and struck it, sending it flying.

The pearl on the primordial dragon's headdress suddenly flew up, directly crashing into Shen Ni.

Upon contact, Shen Ni's protective spiritual light shattered at once; his flesh was cracked, turbid and killing qi gushed out, corroding the pearl's outer shell and revealing the inner bright pearl.

Instantly, brilliant light blazed ten thousand zhang, and the sound of surging waves seemed to emanate from within the pearl; the pearl was clear as glass, empty inside, yet gave the sensation of seas and rivers.

Seeing this, the Daoist praised: "From today onward, this Chaos Pearl may be renamed the Ancestral Dragon Pearl."

Ancestral Dragon humbly replied, 'Old Ancestor, you overpraised.'

Yet he had no intention to refute.

Primordial Phoenix and Primordial Qilin felt a hint of envy, yet said nothing.

He simply struck even more ruthlessly.

God-defier had no choice but to flee west as they wished, not daring to rend space, fearing being struck midway and falling into Chaos.

Qi did not follow; his speed was relatively too slow, and his strength was somewhat weak. Though his treasures were strong, they were ultimately external objects.

Afterward, they journeyed toward Mount Buzhou for about another two hundred years; Primordial Phoenix first sent a message to Qi, letting God-defier escape.

But his physical body was almost completely shattered; without ten aeons, recovery would be impossible.

Even with heavenly materials and earthly treasures, two or three aeons were needed to recover.

Before his body fully recovered, he absolutely dared not re-enter the Eastern Continent; he had Qi remember the time and travel at ease.

Ancestral Dragon and Primordial Qilin also sent messages shortly thereafter, with little difference in content.

Ancestral Dragon even sent news of God-defier's miserable state, his physical body covered in cracks.

(End of Chapter)