Chapter 596: The Sun and Moon Lose Their Light

Lianhuafeng seemed born in the heavens, majestic and awe-inspiring.

Baihong Xianweng rode the clouds, retreating rapidly; he flicked his sleeve, and a dozen golden needles shot out like raindrops toward the approaching figure.

The female Daoist on the opposite side swung her dust whisk left and right, first knocking away two golden needles, then whipping them back to coil three more; her right sword danced flawlessly, deflecting several needles instantly—yet as the remaining needles closed in, she flicked her wrist, revealing a silver ring encircling her left wrist.

The silver ring shot forth, splitting into two, then four; in the blink of an eye, a dozen rings the size of cart wheels spun through the air, slamming into the golden needles.

“This is…”

Baihong Xianweng recognized it at once—it was the artifact of a celestial immortal once known as “Lingzhi Sanren.”

It was said that during the last Heavenly Strife, Lingzhi Sanren sided with the former Tianweng, aiding the Holy Saint Immortal against the Southern Kuniang Shenjun—yet Kuniang Shenjun’s side had Lin Zhen as an ally; could it be that after his defeat, this artifact fell into Lin Zhen’s hands?

Several clashes in the sky jolted him back to awareness!

The rings shattered the needles, sending them flying; the Five Elements Immortal with the sword drew ever closer.

Baihong Xianweng retreated with all his might!

Poor old Xianweng—he had always roamed freely above the Nine Heavens, sipping fine wine, feasting on exquisite dishes, nectars and celestial fruits; when summoned by Tianweng or Tian Di, his tasks were rarely difficult, and even in battle, he merely lent his strength to some Zhenjun or Wushen descending to purge demons, relying on the subtle interplay of magical arts—always with Zhenjuns and Wushens standing at the front. How had he ever faced such a plight?

Even the white clouds beneath his feet were tranquil, comfortable spiritual clouds—how could they match the speed of this thundercloud?

He was about to be caught—

The female Daoist’s face was expressionless, yet her gaze was fiercely resolute.

At that moment, a spear wreathed in divine fire stabbed from behind, grazing his shoulder before lancing toward the female Daoist.

She swiftly pulled back her sword to block.

“Clang!”

Her precious sword bent!

The force of the spear sent her flying backward, her feet tearing free from the thundercloud.

With a sudden whoosh, the thundercloud vanished—then reappeared beneath her feet, instantly reattaching.

The spear retracted swiftly!

The junior sister stabilized her stance and looked up; the shaken Baihong Xianweng turned back as well—there, a mile away, Zhuming Shenjun stood with both hands gripping the spear, gazing across the distance.

The spear had come from his hands.

Yet he glanced only once; as he lowered his eyes, a great sword slashed toward him.

Spear met great sword!

Zhuming Shenjun was instantly flung far away, smashing through row after row of peaks deep within Yishan.

Even as he flew backward, he thrust the spear forward—still, a fire dragon, spanning an immeasurable distance, lunged toward Third Senior Brother.

Third Senior Brother chose to sidestep.

The spear grazed his sword’s blade, passing before his eyes; the divine flames blazing upon it reflected in his gaze, radiating searing heat.

The next instant, the spear swept horizontally!

The immense force flung Third Senior Brother flying, carving a circular arc several miles wide, smashing through the peak of Tiandoufeng—the mountain giant locked in combat with Grand Defense Shenjun did not pause.

Then suddenly, a voice rang out—

“Transform into a dragon!”

The spear before him softened, rippling like waves; only then did he realize—it had truly become a red, fire-wreathed dragon.

“Now it’s this Daoist’s turn!”

Third Senior Brother raised his sword upward, slashing wildly; his sword qi blazed like frost, clearing the path ahead, then released twelve beans that transformed into towering armored giants, each raising swords to strike the Shenjun ahead.

Zhuming Shenjun was startled.

Not just him—even the other Shenjuns were taken aback.

This technique posed a grave threat to them, the Zhenjuns and Wushens.

He turned his head; his gaze pierced the sky to where a Daoist stood atop a high mountain.

One Shenjun immediately drew his bow and loosed an arrow—

“Boom!”

A pale-blue streak of light, crackling with thunder, shot toward the handsome Daoist atop Lianhuafeng.

Yet the Daoist remained calm, raising one finger—

“Transform into a dragon!”

Though the divine arrow surged with unstoppable force, it twisted mid-flight, becoming a writhing dragon—losing all aim and trajectory, it slammed into Lianhuafeng.

The cliff face collapsed, rocks cascading down.

Seventh Senior Brother wasted no time; he flicked his sleeve, summoning the arrow from afar into his own sleeve.

Suddenly, another roar rang out—

“Immortal, watch my staff!”

A bare-chested Zhenjun swung a demon-subduing staff through the air, charging toward him—it was Qinzhen Shenjun, come from the west.

“Transform into a dragon!”

The Daoist pointed, and his body sank into the mountain.

A roar echoed—the demon-subduing staff in the Zhenjun’s hand transformed into a dragon, still clutched by its tail, then slammed heavily onto Lianhuafeng.

Divine light erupted, boundless divine power pouring down from above.

The entire Lianhuafeng began to shatter.

The power of a Zhenjun was plain to see!

“Cough… cough…”

The Daoist emerged from a nearby Lianrui Peak, grievously wounded, spitting blood—yet he still raised his sleeve.

“Come…”

The dragon that had just broken free from Qinzhen Shenjun vanished instantly, appearing within his sleeve.

“Immortal, return my staff!”

This Qinzhen Shenjun, summoned by Zi Di and ordered by Miaoming Di Jun from the west, instantly became a streak of light, flying barehanded after Seventh Senior Brother.

He spun and punched—boundless thunder erupted.

Seventh Senior Brother spat out a breath, turning it into spring breeze.

Thunder met spring breeze in midair, dissolving into divine radiance; in an instant, petals of every color rained down from the sky.

Such beauty—if it were a Shenjun under Zi Di’s command, he would have ignored it—but Qinzhen Shenjun paused, lifting his head to stare.

When he came to his senses, the Daoist had already vanished into the distance.

There, Qingmiao Shenjun, accompanied by his subordinates Shenyi and Liu’er, battled a Bai Luan and a Jingwei, holding his own; as the Daoist passed underground, he pointed and uttered, “Transform into a dragon”—and Qingmiao Shenjun’s golden knife became a golden dragon.

The golden dragon writhed wildly, trying to escape; the Shenjun gripped its tail tightly, refusing to let go.

Then a shower of black feathers shot toward him; as he blinked, the Bai Luan snatched the dragon from his grasp.

“How dare you!”

Qingmiao Shenjun roared in fury, his eyes blazing with golden light.

Golden light erupted continuously, forcing the black Jingwei to fold its wings in defense, then blasting it dozens of miles away; Qingmiao Shenjun turned to the Bai Luan Daochang, his golden light sweeping across the sky—white feathers rained down, each transforming into a Bai Luan, only to be instantly shattered by the golden rays.

As Qingmiao Shenjun prepared to slaughter without mercy, a voice rang from the sky—

“Shenjun, Zi Di is tyrannical and lawless, devoid of virtue; the people have turned against him. I have persuaded the Eastern Qinghua Di Jun to withdraw his Zhenjuns from battle—please cease as well?”

It was the voice of Jian Tian Fu Mo Di Jun.

Qingmiao Shenjun froze.

Long ago, Jian Tian Fu Mo Di Jun was still a mortal; when Dong Wang Mu caused chaos below, the Holy Protecting and Preserving Zhenjuns went to fight her, and the four cities beyond Modushan teetered on collapse.

The Tianweng divine line had no spare forces; western spirits had no temples there; northern armies had already marched south, so northern spirits could not come to aid; southern spirits were guarding another city. The Nan Tian Shi in charge of Jiguang County exhausted every means—calling to heaven brought no answer, calling to earth brought no reply—until he bypassed Tianweng and Eastern Qinghua Di Jun, sending his Shenyi Shenjiang to reinforce.

Thus, a bond formed between them.

Later, Nan Tian Shi became Jian Tian Fu Mo Di Jun; now both dwelled above the Nine Heavens, their bond deepened further.

Qingmiao Shenjun pondered, and his golden light dimmed.

“My golden knife has been taken; I cannot continue.”

With that, he transformed into divine light and soared upward.

He could not break off combat and return east now, but he rose to the clouds above, adopting a posture of watching from above.

His gaze fell downward, directly upon Danhuo Zhenren releasing several crimson fire dragons.

Opposite him stood another Daoist, also a alchemist, who drew forth a potent alchemical furnace; he opened it, aimed it at the fire dragons, and sucked them all inside.

He had just closed the furnace when a voice rang out—

“Dao friend, open the furnace!”

The furnace reopened.

Xuanming Zhenren grabbed two Shenjiangs by the arms and tossed them directly into the furnace.

Yunzhong Xianren, summoned by Tianweng, was chasing him; he dared not linger, vanishing in a blink—leaving only these words:

“Yunzhong Dao friend, we sat together drinking and watching spectacles two hundred years ago—why are you chasing me now?”

“Dao brother, do not blame me—it is Zi Di’s command!”

“Zi Di purges demons and monsters—can your immortal crane escape?”

“That is precisely why I came!”

Had these two known each other before?

Qingmiao Shenjun shifted his gaze farther, seeing Qing Mu Niangniang battling a Daoist who rolled up his sleeves and pant legs, resembling an old farmer.

Qing Mu Niangniang held a green jade hairpin—a jade ruyi; when she raised its tip, lightning and thunder flashed; when she lowered it, countless green wind blades filled the air; when she pointed left, green light coiled into ropes from all directions, binding the Daoist; when she pointed right, green flames erupted upon her body.

It must be said that the Green Mother Empress is quite formidable.

Yet that Daoist was also extraordinarily powerful; facing the Green Mother Empress, he did not lose ground—instead, he used the other silver ring from Lingzhi Sanren’s pair to counterattack, trading blows evenly.

“Senior Brother!”

Someone shouted from afar all of a sudden.

Telepathic transmission technique?

Qingmiao Zhenjun followed the voice and saw it was the sword-carrying female Daoist—she and the eight-tailed white fox were by far the strongest among those opposing the Nine Heavens.

At this moment, she held aloft a great seal and pressed it down upon the void.

Suddenly, spiritual light rippled outward.

From Qingmiao Zhenjun’s perspective, those spiritual lights seemed to form a seal, inscribed with six ancient characters: “Edict: Halt Wind and Thunder.”

Under this edict, wind and thunder ceased instantly!

Thus, the thundercloud beneath the female Daoist lost its power, her speed diminished by a third, and half of the four divine abilities within the Green Mother Empress’s jade scepter were nullified.

The farmer-like Daoist seized the opportunity without hesitation, flinging his silver rings, which multiplied into countless rings the size of carts, clearing his path, while he himself transformed into a gentle breeze and vanished abruptly into the vast sky.

Qingmiao Zhenjun saw at once that the Green Mother Empress was in grave danger.

Although these several Zhenren of Yishan had cultivated to true immortality, they achieved it during chaotic times and seemed to have prepared long ago—their battlefield experience and combat skills far surpassed those of ordinary immortals, though still fell short of true jun and martial gods.

As expected—

The Green Mother Empress turned her jade scepter upside down and right side up, yet no lightning flashed, no green wind blades emerged—she had lost her composure. Seeing the silver rings spinning toward her, she could only swing the scepter leftward, and countless green ropes materialized out of thin air, wrapping tightly around the rings.

Whoosh! A gentle breeze stirred her hair!

The Daoist appeared behind her and raised his hand to strike downward—using his Daoist body, he performed the act of a true jun and martial god.

The old immortal was terrified and hastily raised his jade scepter to block.

“Boom…”

Such a precious artifact was reduced to dust.

Behind them, sword lights clashed again; a massive eight-tailed white fox flew past, and the entire Lotus Peak rose from the ground, transforming into a giant two hundred zhang tall. Seeing this, the Great Defense Divine Lord likewise grew, expanding from his original thirty-zhang form to nearly two hundred zhang—both seemed to reach heaven and earth, filling the mortal realm; each punch shook the heavens, each step caused the earth to tremble.

The stone spire forest of the Western Sea Gorge was toppled in swathes; the sword qi swung by the Long Snake Divine Lord sliced through the midsection of Tiandoufeng and emerged from the other side.

Farther out, beneath the Yishan Mountain God, the Green Lion, White Elephant, Tu Dragon, and Black Bear—the four guardian deities—along with several guardians from Fengshan, twelve Dragon Lord Bean Soldiers, and numerous heavenly soldiers and divine generals were locked in fierce combat.

It was as if heaven cracked and earth shattered, sun and moon lost their light.

Even Qingmiao Zhenjun, upon witnessing it, could not help but gasp.