Chapter 107: Zhang Lingzong! Lord of the Stars, Sovereign of the Dipper

The thirteen zodiacs begin with humanity.

The former Human Zodiac was named Li Linglong; she was not only the wife of the Grand Spirit King but also bore him a child—a rarity, another who had cultivated the Divine Demon Sacred Embryo.

“Throughout history, of ten Daoists in the world, nine bear the surname Zhang, one the surname Li,” Jin Maori said in a low, heavy tone.

“Li Linglong… she was truly exceptional, worthy of the title ‘Immortal.’”

Of the thirteen zodiacs, the Human Zodiac was the most mysterious; even the other twelve did not know her true identity, her name being taboo, known only by the title ‘Immortal.’

“What a pity… she became attached. Once a person is attached, they have weaknesses,” Jin Maori’s voice turned cold and chilling.

“How dare you defy your superior?” Wang Tao’s expression hardened slightly.

Ten years ago, the Human Zodiac perished in the battle at Longhu Mountain; she had heard whispers of it, but now it seemed the Thirteen Zodiacs had played a role.

“As the Human Zodiac, she married a man… and that man had an extraordinary origin…”

Here, Jin Maori let out a cold smile: “What Grand Spirit King? Hiding his face, too cowardly to reveal his true name!”

“Yet one who cultivates the Divine Demon Sacred Embryo cannot be an unknown. Who else could make the Human Zodiac bear his bastard child—how could such a man be ordinary?”

As he spoke, Jin Maori’s smile grew colder.

“Back then, he gathered a band of powerful figures, swept through the seven southeastern provinces, undefeated and unrivaled—there must have been traces left behind…”

“Ten years ago, after that night, Chen Long kept investigating until he finally learned the man’s name…”

“His surname is Zhang… the Zhang of Longhu Mountain.”

“Zhang Lingzong!” Jin Maori spat out the three characters through clenched teeth.

“The Zhang family of Longhu Mountain!?” Wang Tao’s gaze sharpened, his expression turning strange.

“After the Great Daoist Cataclysm, wasn’t this lineage already cut off? How could it still exist after so many years…?”

“Indeed…” Jin Maori’s face showed a flicker of confusion.

“But if he wasn’t from the Longhu Mountain Zhang family, how could he have reopened the Longhu Mountain gate ten years ago and taken out that object from within?”

Jin Maori’s voice was heavy as clashing weapons.

“No matter who that man truly is… his life and his son’s are of utmost importance—especially that bastard child…”

“The Divine Demon Sacred Embryo… in one lifetime, two have cultivated this method… his Divine Demon Sacred Embryo differs from Zhang Lingzong’s.”

“The Human Zodiac… she left behind a nightmare…”

Jin Maori’s voice trembled slightly, causing even Wang Tao to show an unusual expression.

The thirteen zodiacs begin with humanity; even though that woman perished ten years ago, the pressure and terror she left behind still linger.

Perhaps precisely because of this, even after ten years, they went to such great lengths—to steal the North Star Divine Cultivation, seize the Divine Wrath Battle Robe, and confirm the fate of father and son. But most crucially, they sought the object Zhang Lingzong had taken from Longhu Mountain ten years ago.

That object was tied to the Great Daoist Cataclysm eighty years ago.

“Xiao Wenhe, you’re not going to hand over the Divine Wrath Battle Robe, are you?”

Jin Maori stared expressionlessly at Wenhe, whose breath was faint.

“We Daoists seek immortality, yet we carry death in our hearts… you may as well kill me,” Wenhe said coolly, her tone utterly cold.

“Cui Siye gave you the Divine Wrath Battle Robe, thinking it would be your talisman?”

Jin Maori smiled, but his smile was mocking.

“Back then, I followed that Great One—I know the secrets of the Divine Wrath Sect better than you.”

The Great One Jin Maori mentioned was naturally the Three Corpses Daoist; among the Thirteen Zodiacs, he was among the oldest, having witnessed the Three Corpses Daoist’s glory in his youth.

The greatest under heaven, truly worthy of the title—his knowledge encompassed all Daoist arts, his heart embraced the teachings of the Three Schools.

“I guess… the Divine Wrath Battle Robe is on your person…”

Before he finished speaking, Jin Maori’s fingernails, sharp as blades, lightly sliced open Wenhe’s clothing, exposing her pale, graceful body to the air.

“The most divine is the most sinister; from evil, wrath is born.”

“Recite the Ancestor’s name, behold the Divine Wrath Battle Robe!”

Jin Maori murmured incantations, forming hand seals, slowly extending his fingers.

Hum…

As his spirit observed, starlight rained down; Wenhe let out a soft moan, her skin gradually becoming translucent…

“This is…” Wang Tao’s gaze sharpened—he saw Wenhe’s skin come alive, rising and falling as if breathing, while rings of light emerged, aligning with the stars above, forming a celestial map.

“This is the Divine Wrath Battle Robe!?” Wang Tao mused.

The object resembled a kind of skin—precisely, the skin of some unknown creature—that had enveloped or fused with Wenhe’s original skin.

“The Divine Wrath Sect’s treasured artifact… the Ancestor said this robe was the robe of the North Star Lord, stolen and fallen to the mortal realm…” Jin Maori’s gaze grew distant, murmuring softly.

“The North Star Lord… a deity… since ancient times, who has ever seen a true immortal?”

Temples and shrines abound in the mountains, yet gods and buddhas are never seen; many legends are merely borrowed names of immortals.

Today, the Pure Yang Limitless Realm is already a lost legend; who among those who cultivate Dao and seek immortality can purify all yin impurities from their spirit to achieve Pure Yang Limitlessness!?

“Xiao Wenhe, even if you obtained this treasure, your cultivation is too low to wield it.”

As he spoke, Jin Maori extended a finger; Wenhe floated gently and landed on the ground ten paces away, surrounded by seven lit lamps.

“Rise!”

Jin Maori uttered a low command, and the seven lamps blazed with fierce fire.

“The Seven Stars of the North, Great Deities of the Central Heaven.”

“Ascending to the Golden Palace, treading Kunlun below.”

“Regulating the cosmic order, governing Heaven and Earth.”

“The Great Kui, Greedy Wolf; the Great Gate, Lucky Storage…”

…

Jin Maori chanted the North Star Divine Spell, stepped the Heavenly Gang, and formed the Finger-Star Seal; the flames of the seven lamps grew brighter.

In a haze, his spirit seemed to rise like a great sun, radiating light, its torrent of true yang merging into the Divine Wrath Battle Robe.

“Youxi…” Wang Tao remained silent.

Youxi Jin Maori—truly a master of stellar and constellation arts; he had mastered the North Star Divine Cultivation of the Worship of Stars Sect in a short time. Now, with the Divine Wrath Battle Robe, he could shift stars and alter constellations, foretell heavenly fate.

Hum…

Indeed, the surface of the Divine Wrath Battle Robe shimmered with starlight; even Wenhe tilted her head upward, her eyes filled with a sky of stars.

The seven lamps, bathed in the robe’s starlight, grew even brighter; in a haze, they seemed to transform into seven great stars, mirroring the Northern Dipper…

The Northern Dipper is the foremost of all stars; once it turns, the heavens’ stars shift accordingly.

Hum…

At that moment, in Jin Maori’s eyes, countless stars began to shift, moving according to some hidden law into their proper positions…

The star patterns shifted, all energies stirred—in an instant, past and future unfolded.

Instantly, the stars above danced and flashed in Jin Maori’s vision like countless data points.

These data points represented the lives, deaths, fortunes, misfortunes, rises, and falls of all beings.

“Aaahhh…”

Crimson blood seeped from Wenhe’s body; burdened by the Divine Wrath Battle Robe, she endured unimaginable agony. The skin grew ever more alive, each inch writhing, the flickering starlight like surging blood, threatening to assimilate this living being.

“You have too much nerve!”

Suddenly, a cold voice rang out sharply, followed by a violent gale that surged forth like blades, slicing toward Jin Maori.

Boom boom boom…

Tombs shattered and collapsed, the dust stirred up swept away by the fierce gale.

“Xun Wind Corpse Liberation Technique!?”

Wang Tao’s brow lifted; he stepped sideways, placing himself before Jin Maori. His palms extended, each palm’s center writhing with a mouth. Facing the gale like swords, the two mouths slowly opened and bit down—there came a sharp “crack,” as if weapons shattered.

Immediately, the piercing gale shattered, accompanied by a chilling, gnashing sound.

“Bai Buran, we meet again.”

Wang Tao murmured softly, a seductive smile appearing on his delicate, almost feminine face.

His palms writhed; the gnashing sound grew even more eerie.

“Hai Zhu!”

Bai Buran frowned, looking at Wenhe, still moaning in pain. “You shouldn’t have come tonight,” Wang Tao said in a deep, masculine voice.

“I haven’t killed anyone in a long time.”

Bai Buran said nothing more; he formed hand seals, and the gale surged, coalescing in his palms into a three-foot-nine-inch sword shape, glowing with characters: Chou, Yi, Ding, with inner patterns of sun and moon, outer forms mirroring sun and moon.

“The Xun Wind Corpse Liberation Technique of Zhenwu Mountain.”

At that moment, a cold voice drifted from behind Bai Buran.

The Xun Wind Corpse Liberation Technique was a Daoist art equal to the Five Thunder Orthodoxy; legend said it gathered wind into a sword, aiding corpse liberation—once it severed the flesh, the spirit would depart.

This technique had always been a secret not passed down in Daoist circles, ranked as the supreme corpse liberation method.

“You are…”

Bai Buran turned to see a tall, slender man walking from the corner, his shoulders empty—no arms.

“Wu Qilu, Wu Ma!” the man grinned.

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“Wu Ma, Youxi, Hai Zhu…” Bai Buran’s expression grew grave—he had not expected three of the Thirteen Zodiacs to gather here tonight.

“Bai Buran, it seems you won’t be leaving alive tonight,” Wang Tao’s lips curled into a seductive smile.

“Bite, exhale wind!”

Before he finished speaking, Wang Tao’s body drifted like a ghostly wind, sweeping toward Bai Buran; at the same time, his crimson lips parted, spewing a gale as sharp as clashing blades—identical to Bai Buran’s own wind technique.

Hum…

Bai Buran slashed through the air with his wind sword; a thunderous explosion erupted, scattering brilliant sparks across the ground, and the You wind blade instantly shattered into fragments.

“One talisman—sword kill!”

Suddenly, a casual voice echoed from behind him. Bai Buran’s face darkened; in his peripheral vision, a falling leaf drifted before Wu Qilu, its talismanic runes glowing, then instantly transforming into a blade of light that shot toward him.

“Daoist divine art—everything becomes a talisman!”

Bai Buran’s heart lurched; the wind sword in his palm shot skyward, snapping behind his back.

Boom…

With a deafening crash, the wind sword shattered outright, vanishing together with the talisman blade; the ensuing gale blasted Bai Buran backward.

“It’s over!”

At nearly the same instant, Wang Tao’s voice came from behind Bai Buran—his slender, pale hand had already settled on Bai Buran’s shoulder. His speed was too swift, as if merged with the wind; now he opened his mouth, as if savoring a delicacy, and bit toward Bai Buran’s neck.

Boom boom boom…

At that moment, a heavy rumble echoed, followed by brilliant lightning tearing through the night, striking Wang Tao directly.

“Five Thunder Orthodoxy!?”

Wang Tao’s face twisted; both hands shot out, and the mouths on his palms spat a torrent of Gang wind, like a jet engine propelling him backward, dodging the furious, violent lightning.

Boom boom boom…

The lightning struck the earth, carving a massive crater. From the swirling dust, Bai Buran stepped out slowly.

“Senior Bai, it’s been a long time.”

A melodious voice drifted through the night.

Bai Buran looked up and saw a radiant girl in a Daoist robe, stepping down through a cascade of starlight—it could only be Xia Weisheng!

“True Martial Mountain, Xia Weisheng!?” Wu Qilu’s gaze darkened; he recognized her.

“You’ve got impeccable timing,” Bai Buran said, rolling his wrists.

“Fighting two Zodiacs is still too much.”

“What are they doing?” Xia Weisheng’s beautiful eyes lifted, immediately noticing Jin Maori and Wen He nearby.

“Whatever it is… it won’t be good,” Bai Buran shook his head.

“I see…”

Hum…

Before the words were out, a ring of arc-light rippled around Xia Weisheng; her form flashed like thunder, moving with extreme speed.

“So fast!”

“Burial Talisman—Earth Swallows Life!”

Wu Qilu stood motionless. Suddenly, the ground beneath everyone trembled violently, then collapsed downward as if the earth itself had crumbled.

Xia Weisheng lost her balance; surging soil surged upward like a giant mouth, swallowing toward her.

“Thunder Shock!”

Boom boom boom…

Xia Weisheng clenched her right hand lightly; a streak of arc-light exploded, blasting a gap through the surrounding earth.

“Dual Talismans—Dual Pole Slash!”

At that moment, a cold voice came from behind Xia Weisheng.

“Bai Buran, with me here, how dare you divert your attention?”

Wang Tao clung like a parasite, instantly closing the distance to Bai Buran.

“Fangs—Thunder Shock!”

The next instant, a faint, brilliant streak of lightning glowed in Wang Tao’s palm, directly enveloping Bai Buran’s vital point.

Boom boom boom…

Two thunderous crashes echoed; smoke rose from opposite directions across the graveyard—the battle erupted, evenly matched.

“Little Wen He, accept your fate—no one can save you…” Jin Maori’s voice echoed in Wen He’s mind.

“I let you live this long only to nurture the Divine Demon Robe… You should have died with your brother, your parents.”

Jin Maori’s face showed no mercy.

Cui Siye was already gone—he was his brother, the one he once loved and revered most…

If even he was dead, no one else had reason to live.

“The most divine of spirits, the fiercest of demons—through this body, I offer myself to the starlight. Heaven and earth blaze bright, sun and moon…”

At that moment, Wen He whispered softly; her breath was faint to the extreme, yet her eyes burned with unyielding defiance—even in her final moment, she would fight to reclaim the Divine Demon Robe.

“You want mutual destruction?” Jin Maori sneered.

Before the force of destiny, even life and death are beyond control—how much less this foolish notion of mutual destruction!?

“The Divine Demon Sect has always been a single-line lineage,” Jin Maori said calmly.

“Sister Wen, I’ll help you!”

At that moment, a casual yet profoundly discordant voice rang out under the cold moonlight.

Jin Maori stood still, looked up—and saw a young man appear behind Wen He.

“Master Jin, you don’t sell fruit anymore—you’ve turned to crime.”

“Zhang Fan!?” Wen He, hearing the voice, murmured dazedly: “Run away—otherwise you’ll dissolve too.”

Wen He’s voice trembled more; she felt her flesh, bones, even her internal organs dissolving into the starlight of the Divine Demon Robe.

“I have a spell—I can try,” Zhang Fan whispered, his broad palm already resting on Wen He’s shoulder.

“Primordial Dao Mother, Celestial Emperor of All Stars.”

“Lord of the Stars, Sovereign of the Dipper Court.”

“Celestial Qi of the Middle Heaven, Nine Emperors Supreme.”

…

The incantation rose; the casual voice echoed above the graveyard, growing ever grander in the listeners’ ears—until it seemed countless voices chanted the supreme name. Above, the seven stars of the Big Dipper blazed fiercely, bathing the figure in radiant light.

“This is…”

“Lord of the Stars, Sovereign of the Dipper Court!”

“Heavenly Mother’s Heart Spell!!!”

“He actually mastered it!!!”

At that moment, Xia Weisheng leapt out of the battle, gazing toward Zhang Fan’s direction, her lovely face filled with disbelief.

(End of Chapter)