Chapter 219

Xiangxi, Taoyuan County

Suddenly appearing heavenly thunder and the fiercely entwined blazing light in mid‑air caused great panic among the people below.

But this commotion only flashed past above the county seat, then rushed toward the suburbs.

Master!

Chief Hong!

You guys, look over there!

On a mountain peak, Zhu Zi Liu gazed at the lightning flashing swiftly toward them from afar, he cried out in alarm to Master Yi Deng and to the visiting Beggar Sect chief, Hong Qigong.

Yi Deng and Hong Qigong seemed to have already sensed the sound; as Zhu Zi Liu's words fell, the two of them led several people quickly out of the stone chamber.

Upon seeing a scene in the distant mountains, both of their faces changed drastically; Yi Deng reacted, hurriedly looking at their disciple Wu San Tong: 'Wu San Tong, quickly go inform the novice monks in the temple—if the disturbance reaches here, make sure they take utmost care to avoid danger!'

'Yes, Master!' Wu San Tong, though their expression was somewhat listless, dared not delay; they bowed to the master and replied, then hurriedly ran to the temple.

'Brother Seven, would you like to come with me to check the situation?' Yi Deng's expression grew solemn as they gazed at Hong Qigong.

Hong Qigong did not hesitate; hearing a faint dragon's roar from the distant clash, they solemnly nodded and said in a deep voice, 'The old beggar has exactly this intention!'

Having said that, they and Yi Deng, as if sharing a tacit understanding, both darted down the mountain.

Half of the river beneath a waterfall had been scorched by golden light to near boiling, steam rising and spreading; the other half was completely frozen into ice, exuding an intensely cold chill.

'If we don't leave, we'll die here!' Feeling the soul‑crushing pressure, the old monk's heart filled with shock and fear; as they exerted their energy, they couldn't help shouting loudly.

Shaolin Temple lies over a thousand li from Taoyuan County; a heavenly‑tier expert can reach it in an hour, yet even at that speed they cannot outrun the thunder above.

At this moment the purple lightning in the sky grew denser, as if it might strike at any instant; they felt a prickling sensation on their back, and their scalp began to go numb.

'Old ghost, you're too tense.' Niu Dingtian unleashed an ice dragon, a flicker of amusement crossing their eyes as they chuckled, 'I told you—if you want to leave, I'll guard your retreat; it's you who won't.'

The old monk's face stiffened, their fury reaching its peak.

Yet they dared not continue draining Niu Dingtian, so they forced a smile and said, 'If you want my power, just say so—why not meet palm to palm? Whoever takes whose strength, let's decide by ability.'

'Fine, as you wish.'

Niu Dingtian withdrew their power; the blazing light they had emitted faded completely, leaving only the bone‑chilling cold rising from the ice beneath their feet.

The old monk likewise scattered their golden light, wasted no words, and thrust a palm toward the ice surface, arriving there in an instant.

'Boom!'

When the two palms met, only a boom was heard; centered on their hands, an invisible vortex instantly formed, from which a terrifying suction force surged.

'You really know the North Darkness Divine Skill!' Feeling the maddening suction from their palms, the old monk's countenance grew increasingly ferocious.

Then they began to sneer: 'I learned your elder brother's North Darkness Divine Skill when it was first created—what gave you the nerve to show off your petty skills before me?'

As they spoke, golden light flashed in their eyes; a strange power suddenly welled up inside them, abruptly breaking the deadlock of suction between the two.

Niu Dingtian's brow twitched, surprise welling up; they tried to muster strength to break free, but found their palms as if clamped in iron vices, their power beginning to leak out.

As power flowed into the old monk's body, a cold chill rose all over them, even forming large ice crystals on their snowy white eyebrows.

'How does this compare to the yin energy you once cultivated?' Niu Dingtian let their yin internal energy seep out, gazing at the old monk before them with a teasing glint, half‑smiling as they asked.

The old monk's lip twitched; they said nothing, enduring the bone‑deep cold, and increased the suction once more.

But soon afterward, their face suddenly grew grave; when they finally felt their internal power not entering but instead leaking out, they could not help but change color in shock, crying, 'How can this be?'

"Let go!!" The old monk reacted, shouted angrily, then hastily loosened the door latch, and exerted force to break free.

But as soon as the latch loosened, not only did his palm not detach, his internal power surged like rivers flowing into the sea, and he could no longer contain it.

"This isn't the North Darkness Divine Skill!" Feeling his body rapidly go limp, the old monk was shocked and horrified, and he couldn't help but roar:

"You brat, you're playing me! You dare to play me! This isn't the North Darkness Divine Skill! The North Darkness Divine Skill couldn't possibly have this power!"

Niu Dingtian also ignored him, slowly closed his eyes, fully activated the devouring technique, feeling the immense power surge into his body, and he felt his pores all over his body relax and expand.

"It was indeed called North Darkness before, but from now on it won't be." Niu Dingtian continued to channel his power, eyes closed, saying: "From now on, call it Heaven-Swallowing."

As he spoke, he felt an unprecedented mighty power flowing into his body, sensing the fullness within, seemingly trying to make the old monk give up, and he added calmly: "You don't need to beg; I've waited all night for you to absorb my power—you should know I won't let you off."

The old monk's eyes filled with despair, his body went limp on the ice, his face full of reluctance and anger: "Why, why did you toy with me just now? Why did you let me feel proud in front of my senior brother's martial arts? Why didn't you just absorb me directly earlier?"

Niu Dingtian smiled, opened his eyes, looked at the old monk, and said meaningfully: "My power is extremely cold, yours is extremely yang; you say why I didn't just absorb you directly?"

"Why?"

The old monk strained to lift his head.

"Naturally, I was worried about indigestion." Niu Dingtian said softly: "Better to neutralize beforehand than suffer like you just did."

"You……"

The old monk, hearing this, flew into a rage, but could barely speak; he weakly spat: "I truly regret it—I regret that when you first went to Shaolin, I didn't rush out of my cave and suck you dry!"

"You're just overconfident in your own strength; weren't you waiting for me to perfect the Arhat Subduing Demon Skill before coming to you personally?" Niu Dingtian said lightly. "That martial art isn't bad either; when you ascend, I'll refine its final layer well, let it be passed down, so your old ghost's painstaking effort won't be wasted."

"I, I'm dead, you, you won't survive either." The old monk's mouth twitched into a strange smile; he strained to raise a finger, trembling, pointing toward the sky.

He silently calculated the time; the next bolt of lightning seemed imminent.

He also felt his heart race at the purple lightning; he didn't believe Niu Dingtian could withstand this strike, and even if he did, how many more could he endure afterward? In the end, one would die first, the other later; they wouldn't be long before meeting again.

As this thought arose, the old monk seemed to feel less resentful.

Seeing this, Niu Dingtian glanced at the old monk calmly, his eyes tranquil, and said softly: "Do you know why I led you to the Peach Blossom Spring?"

The old monk's heart sank slightly, a bad premonition rising.

"There, that's where the spiritual spring is." Niu Dingtian raised his hand, pointed above the waterfall, and said calmly.

Afterward, in the old monk's astonished gaze, both were instantly engulfed by a vast white chill; the next moment, he lost consciousness.

Above the firmament, purple lightning twisted like a coiling dragon, winding and surging, entwining tumultuously.

Below, the river gave rise to water dragons that emerged from the water, controlled by an invisible force, flying toward the ice where Niu Dingtian stood, tightly coiling around him.

The water dragons condensed into ice, forming a huge ice ball, exuding an intensely cold, rich chill; the surrounding temperature instantly turned freezing and piercing.

The ice ball grew larger and larger, gradually reaching the height of the waterfall ahead. As the cold within the ice ball continuously surged forth and grew stronger, the river froze completely, and the waterfall gradually solidified into ice, forming a spectacle like an icefall carved from white jade.

Niu Dingtian sat cross-legged at the center of the ice ball, silver light flowing around his body, continuously releasing yin cold air outward, increasing the ice ball's hardness.

He prepared to use this to resist another wave of thunder.

At the same time, Yi Deng and Hong Qigong, who had rushed to above the waterfall, looked down at the scene and were successively startled.

"This..."

Yi Deng looked toward the riverside thatched hut where his disciple usually lived; it was now filled with white frost, resembling an ice house.

Hong Qigong furrowed his brows tightly, gazed at the thunder and lightning in the sky and the ice ball below, and said in a low voice: "Such a sight has never been seen before; I don't know whether it is a blessing or a calamity."

"Boom—"

"Crackle!"

At that moment, the purple lightning in the sky grew ever more violent; a muffled thunder rumbled, and bolts of lightning struck one after another at the huge ice ball.

Under the bombardment of thunder, the ice ball showed tiny cracks, but then a surge of cold air burst from within, and the cracks were quickly sealed by freezing.

"Is it him?"

Hong Qigong exclaimed in surprise.

Lightning struck the ice ball; the surface's hazy cold air suddenly dispersed, and through the flawless ice ball he could faintly make out the figure inside, causing him to startle.

"Boom!!"

Suddenly, the air's qi condensed sharply, and an extraordinarily thick bolt of lightning struck straight down; the ice ball instantly shattered, and countless ice fragments flew scattering.

"Damn heaven!"

Niu Dingtian cursed angrily, his figure also revealed from within; he spat fresh blood, obviously seriously injured.

"Really this guy!"

Yi Deng and Hong Qigong exchanged a glance, looking at Niu Dingtian's tattered clothes all over his body, their faces filled with disbelief.

Thereafter, he hesitated not at all and flew down, wanting to lend a hand.

However, just as he leapt down from the waterfall, an invisible force pushed him back, followed by a resonant voice clearly reaching his ears: "Don't approach, I can handle it!"

Before his words faded, Niu Dingtian again circulated his power; the surrounding cold air gathered once more, silver radiance encircling his body, brilliance flowing, and actually formed a layer of ice armor around him.

At that moment, the sky above suddenly became silent; thunder ceased, electric light vanished, leaving pitch darkness, only exuding a feeling that made one's heart palpitate intensely for no reason.

"Could there really be a deity?"

Niu Dingtian's eyelids twitched wildly.

The feeling was as if a mighty will were holding back sky‑high anger.

Suddenly! His heart gave a sudden jolt, and the hairs all over his body stood on end.

Run!!! The thought just arose, and Niu Dingtian's figure instantly vanished, desperately flashing toward the cave's location.

"Let me report peace to Xiangyang..."

"Boom!"

Before he finished speaking, a thunderous force as if coming from beyond the nine heavens arrived instantly, blasting the mountain where the cave was located to pieces in an instant. (End of chapter)