Chapter 217

Tibetan region, the peak of the snow mountain

A temple stands amidst wind and snow, its golden glazed tiles shining brilliantly in the setting sun, revealing a holy radiance. This is the seat of the Tibetan Esoteric Vajra Sect.

The Vajra Sect is the foremost esoteric tradition in the Tibetan region; its Grand Master holds a revered position and is also the present-day Tubo State's State-Protecting Dharma Master.

"Golden Wheel, as I venture into the Central Plains, I fear more misfortune than fortune; from today onward, you shall be my Esoteric Sect's Grand Master. I hope you will avoid arrogance and rashness, and never contend for bravery and victory."

Inside the treasure hall, beneath the esoteric sect's deity statue, a white-browed old lama in a red kasaya, wearing a monk's cap, with a solemn yet kind visage, gazed eastward and let out a soft sigh, then whispered instructions to the young lama before him.

"Master, with your current martial arts, aren't you the best in the world?"

The young lama called Golden Wheel, clad in a red robe, extremely tall and thin, his figure like a bamboo stalk, upon hearing this, could not help but frown and inquire.

The old lama smiled kindly and said: "You have never set foot in the Central Plains, unaware of the hidden tigers and dragons there. If I do not return this time, you may select one of the Dragon-Elephant Prajna Scripture, the Mental Secret Arts, or the Flame Blade to specialize in; our sect's arts are overbearing and clash, so remember not to be greedy for many."

Golden Wheel respectfully performed the eleven-fold salute and said: "Disciple will dutifully follow the master's command."

The old lama gave Golden Wheel a deep look, then turned and walked out of the hall; his red kasaya fluttered in the wind and soon vanished from Golden Wheel's sight.

Jin State, inside the palace, Wanyan Changzhi slowly entered the Great Peace Hall, where he saw Emperor Wanyan Xun slightly closing his eyes, reclining sideways on the dragon throne.

Upon that sinister, pallid countenance, a faint flush of drunkenness seemed to appear.

"Father, how did you come?"

Wanyan Xun slightly opened his eyes, paying no heed to the old man who had entered, and asked casually.

"Hmph, if I don't come again, Jin State will soon be ruined by you, this wicked scion!" Wanyan Changzhi gave Wanyan Xun a cold glance.

"Even if it's ruined, you never lifted a finger to help me." Wanyan Xun muttered discontentedly.

"Pa!"

As soon as Wanyan Xun's words fell, he felt a dazed ringing in his head, and his right cheek burned with pain from the slap.

"I'm not doing this anymore!" He suddenly covered his face and stood up, eyes red, roaring angrily at Wanyan Changzhi: "You refuse to help me kill that old codger! That old codger hits me, and you hit me too! In any case, the state will surely fall—let whoever wants to be emperor be emperor! I abdicate!"

Wanyan Changzhi's face turned livid, he said nothing; after Wanyan Xun had vented his anger and slumped down in dejection, he took two secret manuals from his bosom and placed them on the dragon case.

Phantom Yin Finger? Xuanming Divine Palm?

Wanyan Xun rubbed his cheeks and gave a slight glance.

Wanyan Changzhi said: "It's not that I refuse to help you, but beside Temüjin there are also strong guardians; if I were to leave the imperial city and clash with that person, the disturbance would surely invite great calamity."

"But this time is different; this time there may be turmoil outside, a person of great ability may appear, and if I find the chance I will surely eliminate that person!"

"Really?"

Wanyan Xun's spirit was shaken.

Wanyan Changzhi did not answer him, staring at the secret manuals on the dragon case, he said lightly: "Our Jin people rose in the Changbai Mountains, long suffering extreme cold; these two martial arts were created by my father years ago when he comprehended the chill."

"If my father does not return this time, you should seek out talented clan descendants and pass on this martial art."

Having said that, he turned around; his silhouette instantly became an afterimage and vanished within the hall.

Western Regions, deep in the Kunlun Mountains, a white-browed old monk whose body resembled rotting wood swiftly emerged from a temple; he stood at the mountain gate, gazing eastward, and murmured: "I never expected another Heavenly Human realm expert to appear—I do not know whether it is blessing or calamity."

"Grandmaster Granduncle, do you have some matter?"

Behind him, several monks hurried out from the temple and paid their respects to the white-browed old monk.

The white-browed old monk pondered and said: "The appointment with Master Chongyang has arrived; this poor monk will return to central plains Shaolin for a trip. If I do not come back this time, you shall seal the mountain and close the temple for twenty years."

Having spoken, he did not wait for the monks' reply, but shot himself down the mountain.

In Dengfeng, the sky over Mount Shaoshi had originally been dark, but the blazing, dazzling light amidst the mountains, together with the surging lightning gathering across the heavens, illuminated a radius of a hundred li as if it were broad daylight.

"You truly deserve to die!!"

The old monk's whole body was scorched black, his visage ferocious, blood trickling from his mouth; he desperately dodged another falling bolt of lightning and lunged swiftly toward the flashing silver light.

Niu Dingtian also fared poorly; at this moment his garments were already torn to shreds, completely scorched black, his hair bun utterly disheveled, his hair hanging loose and disheveled over his shoulders.

Facing the golden light pressing down from the old monk, Niu Dingtian's eyes turned slightly cold; he thrust his palm forward, and the blazing silver light burst forth instantly.

A draconic chill instantly surged from his palm, amid the roar of an angry dragon, it shot toward the old monk.

The ordinary Eighteen Dragon-Subduing Palms now seemed to contain the might of heaven and earth, and in his hands they unleashed an unparalleled power.

"Boom!"

The icy dragon shot swiftly into the scorching golden light; the mountain peaks were instantly engulfed by the blazing light, then exploded with a shockwave that shook the earth and mountains.

"Boom—rumble—"

Just then, the tumult below seemed to stir the heavenly thunder once more; accompanied by rolling rumbles, upon the firmament, serpentine-dragon-like lightning swiftly wound and converged at a point.

Seeing this, the old monk's face changed dramatically.

"Here it comes again…"

Niu Dingtian murmured.

This was not like the lightning the old monk had just dodged; rather, it seemed some mysterious bond had firmly locked the two of them, leaving them only able to withstand it head-on.

From afternoon until now, the two have endured five lightning strikes, each stronger than the last.

He also noticed that the technique derived from his breathing method seemed able to devour part of the lightning's power, which is why he dared to drag the old monk into a stalemate here.

Although his bodily injuries were far less than the opponent's, he still suffered greatly, and he did not know how many more waves he could endure.

"Is it you?" As both prepared to withstand the lightning, Wang Chongyang's figure appeared atop a ruined mountain peak, gazing at Niu Dingtian standing in midair, and he could not help but exclaim.

"Master Wang said we would combine all innate forces to exterminate demons—how come only you showed up?"

Niu Dingtian did not look at Wang Chongyang; he kept his eyes on the heavenly thunder, gave a faint reply, then subtly released his sense, and soon detected several auras rushing toward this place from afar.

Since stepping into the Heavenly Human realm, he felt the whole world had seemed to shrink.

Wang Chongyang's expression was complex; he gave no reply, the dragon-slaying youth had become a dragon—whether he remained an evil dragon, he could not guarantee.

Seeing that the heavenly lightning could fall at any moment, Wang Chongyang swiftly darted to a distance and observed the two from afar.

At this very moment, a tremendous boom suddenly came from the sky; two blinding bolts of lightning tore across the firmament, with a crack, like heavenly cleaving swords, they struck toward the old monk and Niu Dingtian.

"Buddha's light shines upon all!"

The old monk glared, eyes wide open; he let out a violent roar, his voice echoing across the peaks; at the same time, mystic qi surrounded his body, protecting him, and golden light blazed forth! 'Hmph——'

Niu Dingtian looked down with contempt, silver light flowing around his body; after invoking the Devouring Heart Method, he did not dodge or evade, throwing an ultimate punch at the lightning.

Boom!!!

In an instant, the lightning collided with the old monk's protective golden light and Niu Dingtian's silver fist edge, bursting forth a blazing radiance, as if two suns had suddenly risen in the ink‑black night.

The next moment, the earth shook and mountains trembled, peaks collapsed, and an intangible yet substantive shockwave shot out, instantly sweeping up broken wood and stones as it surged horizontally toward the surrounding peaks.

When the light faded, both the old monk and Niu Dingtian were scorched black all over, simultaneously flung from the air and crashing hard into the pile of rubble.

"Is… this a celestial being?"

Wang Chongyang, who had fled to a distant place, gazed at the shattered rear peaks, his face horrified as he muttered to himself.

Niu Dingtian's whole body was scorched black, faintly smoking, only his eyes showing two specks of snow‑white; he staggered up from the ground, blood continually spurting from his mouth.

The old monk lay motionless on the rubble ten zhang away, showing no reaction.

"Still not attacking!"

A sudden roar rang out.

Before his words faded, five figures flashed out from behind Wang Chongyang and arrived in an instant.

They were Kuihua Laozi, who had come rushing from a thousand li away, Wanyan Changyi, Master Kuihui, Mr. Meng, and the old lama from the Zang region.

"Pfft—"

Niu Dingtian curled the corner of his mouth slightly and spat out the blood he had been holding in his mouth.

"What do you mean, Daoist Wang?"

Seeing the two surrounding the old monk and the four surrounding himself, Niu Dingtian glanced around, finally fixing his gaze on Wang Chongyang and asked calmly.

"Is it you?" Kuihua Laozi startled, instinctively darting away.

Staring at Niu Dingtian's soot‑black face, his exquisite jade‑like visage filled with disbelief as he exclaimed, "Are you Niu Dingtian? Have you broken through to the celestial realm?"

Niu Dingtian ignored him, painfully raising his hand to wipe the blood from the corner of his mouth, yet his gaze remained fixed on Wang Chongyang.

"Since you, benefactor, have already entered the celestial realm, you ought not linger in this world."

The old lama said softly, palms together.

Niu Dingtian glanced askance, smirking, "Old monk, as long as you shatter the void, I'll leave right now."

Seeing the old lama silent, Niu Dingtian again fixed his gaze on Wang Chongyang and said, "Originally I answered your invitation to join other innate experts in killing this old fiend, but now I've done the whole job myself."

Speaking, he glanced at the wary old lama, Mr. Meng, Wanyan Changyi, and Kuihua Laozi darting away, and said lightly, "You once promised to lend me your full strength once—do you still intend to keep that promise?"

Wang Chongyang and Master Kuihui stood beside the old monk's corpse, seeing that he had stopped breathing, both felt a sigh of relief.

Hearing Niu Dingtian's words, he and Master Kuihui exchanged a glance, then pondered and said, "As long as you, young friend, can leave this realm tonight, I will guarantee the safety of Nine Palaces Mountain for the rest of my life."

Without further explanation, his implication was simply that he did not trust you.

After all, the lesson of past failures was right beside them, the disparity in strength plain to see, and no one wanted a sword hanging over their head that could strike at any moment.

"The Bodhidharma Cave is already destroyed; when it's time to leave, we'll leave naturally." Niu Dingtian said softly.

Wang Chongyang remained silent, saying nothing.

"Still not attacking? Are you all waiting for him to recover his strength?" Mr. Meng suddenly spoke, his azure eyes scanning the crowd.

Niu Dingtian snorted coldly: "You can go ahead and try first!"

Having said that, amidst the astonished gazes of the few, his figure vanished in an instant.

Afterward, a mocking voice echoed through the night, resounding from all directions:

"Old fiend! Still pretending to be dead?"

"Tonight, feel free to suck away—I'll be right here watching the show!"

"Not dead?"

Several people were shocked.

Wang Chongyang and Master Kuihui, nearest to the old monk, upon hearing this instinctively wanted to dodge.

But as soon as they leapt up, they saw a blazing golden light that instantly engulfed their sight. (End of chapter)