Chapter 873: The Azure Lotus Observatory That Emphasizes Balance

Seeing Pei Feng's cheek injured, fresh blood smeared half of her exquisite face, Wu Tie's sanity vanished instantly.

Thunder, thunder filling the sky.

Thunder, unfathomable thunder.

Thunder, ever-changing thunder.

All kinds, all attributes, encompassing everything; any thunder that cultivators in the world could imagine, had seen, or merely heard of in legend, poured down from heaven and earth upon the three Azure Lotus Observatory Daoists.

This thunder technique was grand and magnificent, its momentum terrifying.

Fire-attributed thunder encompassed all kinds of heavenly fire, earthly fire, divine fire, and spiritual fire, from true solar fire to white bone phosphoric fire, leaving nothing out.

Earth-attributed thunder likewise contained Wu and Ji earth, both innate and postnatal earth-element yuan energy, and also earth-attributed terrestrial gravity, yuan magnetic divine light, and all kinds of unimaginable earth-attributed transforming powers, all included within.

Wood-attributed thunder was Jia and Yi wood, swift and pure, lively and active, or vast and endless. Moreover, it carried all the subtle wonders derived from wood attribute—deadly poison, decay, withering, rebirth, and so on—entirely entrusted to the thunder as it crashed down.

Following that were metal-attributed thunder, water-attributed thunder, and thunder corresponding to the other three thousand great Dao.

At this moment, it was as if the Pangu Sage had been reborn, and in his fury he turned the entire heaven and earth into a world of thunder.

Moreover, condensed thunderlight formed birds and beasts, flowers, birds, insects, fish, as well as rivers, mountains, and flora; furthermore, countless golden-armored divine soldiers and warriors wielded divine weapons forged from various thunderbolts, pouring down from the high heavens.

There were also coiling thunder dragons, spreading-wing thunder phoenixes, and city after city formed of thunderbolts, accompanied by earth-shaking detonations, rolling up fierce gales that swooped down from the heights.

"Heavens… this guy, could he have comprehended the three thousand great Dao? How is that possible? Is he not human?"

The monarchs and prefects of the Sui Dynasty, along with countless civil and military ministers, were all men of profound learning and deep foundation; their own cultivation was extremely formidable, and their vision extremely ruthless.

They saw that within the sky-filling thunder, the three thousand great Dao of Mu Dalu were actually all encompassed within.

But how could that be?

Now in the Sui Dynasty, the nominally top genius, King Yin Feng Shang, had entered the Dao only through the three hundred sixty great Dao principles; and even with Feng Shang's talent, his grasp of thunder technique was merely ordinary—he could at most release seven or eight attributes of thunder technique, any more would exceed his limits.

How could it possibly be like Wu Tie, as if he had turned the entire heaven and earth into a thunder pool and poured it straight down?

Xiahou Wuming quickly glanced at the floating molten furnace grinding the Soft Spring Monster Sovereign, as if he had found the answer, and slowly nodded, saying: "Originally, Wu Tie still has in his hand… a world-shaking thunderbolt spirit treasure."

Only this explanation, only this explanation could convince Xiahou Wuming himself, and convince everyone.

Xiahou Wuming also didn't believe that a single person could actually fuse all the heavenly and earthly great Dao into thunder technique!

How could human strength possibly achieve this?

This, perhaps only a 'sage' transmitted as 'eternally undying, everlasting' could possess such divine ability?

"Legend has it that the earth beneath our feet has undergone several shatterings and reunions… when this world was first opened, a batch of the most primordial, most primal 'ancient treasures' was born between heaven and earth."

"That is the true primordial innate spirit treasure, completely different from the so-called ancient treasures and innate spirit arms we speak of today."

"This melting furnace, could it not be a primordial innate spirit treasure?"

"In Wu Tie's hand, could there not also be a primordial innate spirit treasure of thunder attribute?"

"Only this explanation……"

"Otherwise, how could King Yin Feng Shang have fallen into his hands? And at the same time subdued, there is even the Red Lotus Temple Smiling Buddha!"

"Otherwise, how could this sky-filling thunder be explained? All manner of heavenly and earthly mysteries turned into thunder… heh, heh, surely it's not that Wu Tie is a sage reborn?"

Wu Tie acted with extreme speed; Xiahou Wuming and the Sui Dynasty's civil and military ministers also, at their utmost speed, found for themselves the most 'reasonable' explanation.

They each forced a relaxed laugh, stubbornly dispelling the heavy doubts and fears piled up in their hearts.

Though it sounds lengthy when spoken, it was actually just a flash of lightning and stone fire.

As the cries of alarm from Xiahou Wuming and company just rang out, the three elderly Daoists of the Azure Lotus Observatory had already met Wu Tie's thunder technique. Myriad Transformation Calamity Hand, directly opposing Wu Tie's furious thunder, fully activated the terrifying thunder.

In the blink of an eye, the three elders were submerged by the thunder.

In terms of Dao foundation, Wu Tie is stronger than they are.

In terms of magical power, Wu Tie is stronger than they are.

In terms of realm, Wu Tie and they are generally both at the perfected tenth heaven of the Divine Manifestation Realm.

However, the difference between a Divine Manifestation Realm tenth heaven entered via the three thousand great Dao and one entered via hundreds of great Dao is like the difference between a great year and a small hen.

The three thousand great Dao endlessly cycle, mutual generation and restriction, deriving infinite changes and infinite power from one another.

Although the Myriad Transformation Calamity Hand is marvelously mysterious, the three Daoists' cultivation is also truly astonishing; with a wave of their hands they wiped out one, two, three or four thunderbolts, followed by five, six, seven, eight… dozens, hundreds, thousands of thunderbolts crashing in, shattering the Myriad Transformation Calamity Hand and smashing directly into their bodies.

Terror was useless, roaring was useless, cursing was even more useless.

The three Daoists, with six arms, in fierce contact with the endless thunder, instantly exploded into six thin strands of azure smoke.

Wu Tie coldly snorted; Blood Prison, Pei Feng letting out a long whistle to the heavens, Annihilation Divine Light and Black Demonic Flames flared again, sweeping across heaven and earth to attack Feng Rong.

Thunderlight flashed rapidly; the earth-shaking thunderclaps shook the ground of Sui Du, constantly cracking and exploding; the three Azure Lotus Observatory Daoists cried out in unison, a azure vapor shot up from their heads, countless clusters of azure lotus the size of water jars burst forth like popcorn, layer upon layer piling on their heads into a sea of azure lotus.

Alas, the disparity in strength was too great, too great.

The Primordial Scripture finally brought Wu Tie its due reward.

Crushed, crushed, all-around crushing; Wu Tie at this time still had the cultivation of the Divine Manifestation Realm, yet he produced the effect of a Venerable-level old monster bullying Divine Manifestation Realm youngsters.

Countless azure lotuses instantly shattered, and the thunderbolt directly pressed down upon the heads of the three Daoists.

The three Daoists roared again; at least thirty-six defensive spirit treasures on their persons surged up, combining into a huge overlapping Yin-Yang Eight Trigrams cloud-banner spiritual light that crashed toward the boundless thunder above their heads.

Merely a slight contact, and the Yin-Yang Eight Trigrams cloud-banner spiritual light suddenly sank downward.

Countless thunderbolts exploded upon the cloud-banner spiritual light; the three Daoists were like fruit in a juicer, blood spurting from their seven orifices, and their pores continuously exuding sticky blood mist—the scene instantly became gruesome to the extreme.

Streams of spiritual light flickered; suddenly, hundreds of solemn-aura Daoists appeared around the three Daoists.

These Daoists quickly formed a Grand Yin-Yang Formation; streams of pure, vast magical power swiftly poured into the Yin-Yang Eight Trigrams cloud-banner spiritual light above their heads, gathering the power of hundreds of Sovereign Divinity–level masters, who jointly withstood Wu Tie's terrifying thunder technique.

Wu Tie coldly snorted; he grabbed with his right hand, pinched, and then released downward.

The sky-filling thunderclouds instantly collapsed to an area of several dozen mu; the thunder plasma within the clouds nearly condensed into substance, ultimately forming a thunderbolt seal several hundred zhang in diameter, which slowly pressed downward.

"Not Venerable-level…… yet, yet, yet……"

Xiahou Wuming let out a hoarse cry.

Wu Tie's move forcibly condensed the sky-filling thunder into a thunderbolt seal; clearly he had not yet reached Venerable-level cultivation, yet he already bore the semblance of a Venerable-level old monster.

This situation, this scene—how terrifying!

In the Sui Chao, such a thing has never occurred before; it is even unheard of.

A cultivator of the Divine Manifestation Realm possessing power above that realm? How could that be? It's like a group of carp fighting over food, when one carp suddenly grows dragon claws and slaps a competitor with a single claw.

Everyone is fair; they're just ordinary carp, none have yet leapt the Dragon Gate—what gives you the right to have dragon claws?

Several elderly Daoists of the Azure Lotus Observatory who had formed arrays couldn't help but utter words from the heart: "Utterly devoid of heavenly conscience!"

On the Thunder Seal that Wu Tie had forged with all his strength, coarse, rugged, unrefined Grand Dao patterns emerged one after another, and each solemn, tightly structured pattern seal was tightly interlocked upon the patterns.

It can be seen that there are still many gaps between these Dao patterns and talismanic seals, and the connections are not very tight, as if separated by a layer of misty light and watery shadows. It is easy to imagine that once these gaps disappear, once this misty light and watery shadow condenses, then this thunder seal will be fully formed.

Wu Tie would then be able to officially step into the 'Venerable' rank above the gods.

With a single thunder seal, the spiritual light of the Taiji Eight Trigrams cloud banner formed by hundreds of Daoists violently trembled and fluctuated, faintly showing instability.

Especially the dozens of ancient treasures composing the cloud banner's spiritual light, upon being struck by the aura of the thunder seal, all the spiritual treasures violently stirred, as if they wanted to betray their current master and rush toward the thunder seal.

Putting it in an inappropriate way.

Likewise, in sensing the great Dao of heaven and earth, these Daoists of the Qinglian Observatory are merely common folk within the great Dao.

And the Venerable cultivators who have condensed the great Dao seal are the official officers of the 'heaven and earth' government office within the great Dao.

When the people see officials, they naturally submit and obey.

Wu Tie's half-formed thunder seal is still some distance from the true great Dao seal; it cannot be called an official, but rather a half-official 'minor clerk'. Even so, facing the Daoists of the Qinglian Observatory, this thunder seal already shows an overwhelming momentum.

Finally, a few innate spiritual treasures with the shallowest foundation and weakest power, with a 'yingying' cry, broke free from the Taiji Eight Trigrams cloud banner's spiritual light and rushed straight toward the descending thunder seal that was crushing down; after circling the thunder seal for a moment, they headed straight for Wu Tie.

Wu Tie casually grabbed a few spiritual treasures in his hand and then casually threw them into the great Dao furnace.

Rather than waving around all these strange and exotic spiritual treasures, it is better to rely on a fundamental supreme treasure to crush all directions; that is the meaning of a natal supreme treasure.

Thus Wu Tie unhesitatingly merged these innate spiritual treasures that had defected to him into the great Dao furnace in one go; with a point of his right hand's five fingers, the power emanating from the thunder seal became ever more magnificent, and the purple thunder light illuminated the entire sky.

Within the cloud banner's spiritual light rose a clanking, mournful wail.

The remaining dozens of spiritual treasures had already 'seen' how the companions that had defected to Wu Tie fared; they dared not move recklessly, and could only follow the Qinglian Observatory's Daoists in resisting Wu Tie with resigned determination.

Yet they could not control the fear and awe in their hearts; while expending all their strength to release power to resist the thunder seal, they unconsciously let out hysterical mournful cries.

The thunder seal finally pressed down slowly upon the vast cloud banner's spiritual light.

With a tremendous boom, the Taiji Eight Trigrams pattern on the cloud banner's spiritual light was crushed to pieces, the cloud banner shattered, the spiritual light pulverized; hundreds of Qinglian Observatory Daoists sprayed countless bolts of thunder and lightning from their bodies, their limbs twitching, spewing black smoke as they fell straight down from the sky.

Except for a dozen or so Daoists with the highest cultivation who barely managed to stay aloft, the other several hundred Qinglian Observatory disciples were severely wounded by Wu Tie's single strike.

These dozen or so Daoists had not yet devised any countermeasure when Blood Prison and Feng Peng rushed over.

Blood Prison's exterminating divine light shattered their all‑body defensive secret treasures, and the surging demonic flames directly engulfed them. Several Daoists of astonishing cultivation let out shrill howls; under the scorching of the black demonic fire, their bodies rapidly withered and shrank, their Dao foundations continually burned away, and their cultivation, which had been at the peak of the tenth heaven of the Divine Realm, dropped five or six levels in the blink of an eye.

"Stop!" a small, wholly jade‑white pagoda descended from midair, followed closely by a bald‑headed Daoist with a goatee on his chin and a strong smell of alcohol on his person, who fell down from the air.

"I am the mountain‑guarding Daoist of the Qinglian Observatory, Drunken Buddha… I have met Your Highness, Prince Wu Tie." The small pagoda enfolded Feng Rong and Wa Qingluan and their entourage beneath it, emitting a white light as smooth and lustrous as a jade bi; no matter how the exterminating divine light and world‑ending demonic flames burned, they could not shake this white pagoda in the slightest.

Wu Tie raised his eyebrows and stared in astonishment at this Daoist.

This mountain‑guarding Daoist of the Qinglian Observatory, Drunken Buddha, is in fact a great power who has already half‑stepped into the Venerable rank.

His entire Dao resonance and magical power had almost condensed into a lump of diamond‑like jade, with no leakage whatsoever; despite the frantic attacks of Wu Prison and Feng Peng, his aura could not be shaken in the slightest.

"Feng Peng, Blood Prison, please step back." Wu Tie said in a deep voice: "Drunken Buddha Daoist, I have heard your name from Qingfeng."

Drunken Buddha Daoist clasped his hands in salute and said with a solemn laugh: "Your Highness has cultivated the three fundamental divine abilities of our Qinglian Observatory; you owe our Qinglian Observatory a debt of gratitude."

Wu Tie replied coldly: "The 'Pangu Classic', the 'Wan Hua Classic', and the 'Wan Jie Classic' are the stakes I won in a wager… where is there any talk of owing a favor?"

Drunken Buddha laughed: "Really, you don't owe anything? If it weren't for Qingfeng meddling in the middle, how could Your Highness have obtained so many benefits from the hands of Fenghun and Bailu? And to add an unpleasant point, if Qingfeng had joined forces with Fenghun and Bailu that day, Your Highness might have survived unscathed, but Your Highness's many subordinates and relatives…"

With a slight smile, Drunken Buddha whispered: "So, Your Highness owes our Qinglian Observatory a great debt of gratitude."

Wu Tie closed his mouth, fell silent for a while, then asked Drunken Buddha in puzzlement: "This Feng Rong fellow is clearly no good person; in my view he is far inferior to Feng Shang… Why does the Qinglian Observatory help Feng Rong?"

Even before today's battle, Wu Tie knew that when Feng Rong ascended the throne, the maternal uncle of Feng Shang—namely the Faceless Buddha of the present three Buddhas of the Scarlet Lotus Temple—had broken out of the Scarlet Lotus Temple, seeking an explanation.

As a result, Drunken Buddha led a group of Qinglian Observatory masters into action, severely wounding the Faceless Buddha, shattering his golden‑body dharma form, and forcing him to retreat back to the Scarlet Lotus Temple to recuperate.

This is also the main reason Feng Rong can sit securely on his throne; otherwise, if the Scarlet Lotus Temple threw its full strength into a counterattack, even with assistance from the White Lotus Palace, given the White Lotus Palace's internal situation of numerous mountain strongholds, it could not protect Feng Rong's stability.

Wu Tie was very curious: could the person in charge of the Qinglian Observatory have an affair with that alluring Wa Qingluan?

Otherwise, why would the Qinglian Observatory intervene to help Feng Rong?

No matter how you look at it, in terms of the qualifications and ability to become a divine emperor, Feng Shang is far superior to Feng Rong.

"Balance!" Drunken Buddha said solemnly: "Feng Shang is too strong, and the Scarlet Lotus Temple is also very strong… an overly strong divine emperor, combined with a strong Scarlet Lotus Temple, is disadvantageous for our Qinglian Observatory."

"Therefore, our Qinglian Observatory has always needed only a divine emperor who is not strong enough."

Wu Tie's face twitched; the Qinglian Observatory, it seems, is dedicated to maintaining balance within the Sui dynasty!