Chapter 707: Penglai

"Huh?"

Brother Qian Chen had already partially consecrated the ancient bronze sparrow; through the magic treasure's resonance, he sensed that though the young Nascent Soul elder's body had been pierced through and his Nascent Soul shattered, a faint flicker of fire still protected his spiritual soul—he was not yet dead!

Within his Nascent Soul burned a flame, its glow soft and hazy.

Brother Qian Chen's spiritual sense discerned it was a fragment of a Tianfu True Talisman, capable of substituting death and preserving life—far more mysterious than the Hidden Immortal Talisman of Fengwen Tower.

The immortal talisman still trembled, stirring faint ripples in the void, as if attempting to draw his remaining soul away—but his spiritual soul and body had been nailed fast to the void by the ancient bronze sparrow spear, utterly immobile.

"His bone age does not exceed a hundred years!"

The Baicao Mountain Soul Transformation elder stroked his long beard, staring at the pierced corpse of the Penglai Nascent Soul elder, murmuring: "To attain Nascent Soul at such a young age—and even compel a Penglai Soul Transformation elder to protect him—his identity must be no ordinary one."

The Ao clan's ancient dragon's expression shifted slightly: "The Star-Extending Lifespan Immortal Talisman! He is a core scion of the Xu family!"

"Damn it… damn it! You will all die!"

The faint soul-fire of the Penglai Xu scion radiated waves of extreme fear and fury, his soul-flame surging with intense hatred and venom—how dare a mere offshore hermit, a backwater warlord, lay hands on him!

Even a mere Core Formation cultivator dared fight him to the death…

In Penglai, a single thought of his would summon a starship to obliterate these people!

What use were Soul Transformation cultivators? Core Formation were mere ants… Now, how many starships could even a Soul Transformation match? When Penglai's war artifacts were unleashed, they could sweep the offshore realms!

Even a Primordial Spirit True Immortal—the Xu family possessed several puppets capable of battling Primordial Spirit cultivators!

Yet it was these very ants he despised who had nailed him to the ground, leaving his corpse exposed…

"You seem to be cursing me in your mind."

Brother Qian Chen tilted his longsword, his eyes glinting coldly: "You truly believe this mere immortal talisman can save you?"

"It cannot protect you—I say so."

The Penglai Soul Transformation elder tensed, forming a hand seal; seeing Brother Qian Chen's casual, dismissive demeanor—showing no regard for his warnings or Penglai—he grew more cautious: "Yingzhou Pavilion means nothing to Penglai! Even if you destroy it, there is still room for negotiation. But if you kill him, there will be no retreat left!"

"He is the direct son of a Primordial Spirit True Immortal. If you lay hands on him, you break the rules. Even a Primordial Spirit True Immortal will not hesitate to strike at your kin!"

"Ha!" Brother Qian Chen laughed at this.

The only kin I, Brother Qian Brother Qian Zhuzhu, have is the Supreme Dao Xie Xie Zushi. Call me father, I call you Golden Finger Grandpa—we each have our own terms. Go try finding him?

Even this body's original family, in Northern Wei, is a prominent lineage.

The Longxi Li clan possesses several spirit treasures to stabilize their ancestral fortune. Never mind whether you, a single Primordial Spirit True Immortal, could even cross from Penglai to Northern Wei—how would you slaughter a great clan under the watchful eyes of the Jade Void Palace, the Northern Celestial Master Sect, and the Buddhist orders?

Even if you made it, can you even match the Li clan's depth of power?

"The Xu family? Just a dog the First Emperor once raised that turned on him!"

Brother Qian Chen curled his lips in a cold smile: "You've seized Penglai Continent and now think yourselves imperial blood? Have you forgotten this is the Daoist era?"

"You—"

The Penglai Soul Transformation elder fell silent. Only because the Earth Immortal Realm had declined could Penglai stand equal to the Daoist sects; in the Heaven Realm, where great ones were as common as dogs, Penglai was but a lowly foot soldier!

Daoist, Buddhist, Demon, and Divine paths are the Three Great Teachings of the Multiverse, universally revered. What are Penglai's dragon clans? Only able to boast against a few Daoist sects within the Earth Immortal Realm.

Had the Heavenly and Mortal Realms not been severed, and had the Ascended Ancestors not been unable to descend, Penglai would still be cowering—how dare it act so brazenly now?

He lowered his voice, warning: "Since you know he is a descendant of Xu Zu, you should understand you cannot afford to provoke him! The mainland and offshore have long declined, no longer the mighty force they once were. Penglai has accumulated deep strength—its power now far surpasses the mainland!"

"If the Xu family is enraged, they can lash out across the mainland, drowning it in blood!"

Brother Qian Chen casually wrote a fragmented talisman on his sleeve, then nodded: "Enough. I've deciphered the brushwork of that immortal talisman… now you may die."

His gaze carried the detached indifference of Supreme Non-Attachment; within his body, sword bones seemed to howl, and staggering sword qi erupted from his form…

This made many Soul Transformation elders question his identity as a sword cultivator.

It was his primordial sword embryo vibrating—causing countless swords within ten thousand li to tremble and submit…

Brother Qian Chen stood poised in empty air, surveying all directions, displaying the pride of a sword cultivator, as he watched the Penglai Soul Transformation elder desperately burn the primordial essence of his puppets—each essence surged skyward, piercing the void, forming a mysterious array diagram. He gritted his teeth and roared: "You dare!"

"I dare."

Brother Qian Chen extended his left hand sideways, his long hair, loosely bound by a hairpin, whipping wildly in the wind as he growled: "Spear, come!"

The spear nailed to the ground transformed into golden-red divine fire, soaring upward like a Zhu Que, its wings flaring wide, unleashing flames as blazing and rolling as a great sun.

It burned away the remaining power of the immortal talisman, along with the Xu scion's spiritual soul.

Wild flames swept behind him, engulfing heaven and earth; in Brother Qian Chen's hand reappeared a spear forged from flame and bronze.

Master Sima Shi, hidden among the crowd, turned sharply and whispered: "It's him!"

The Penglai Soul Transformation elder raged: "Do you know… you've destroyed your only shield!"

The Soul Transformation elder no longer held back—he activated Penglai's forbidden technique!

He burned his own primordial essence, while the essences of each puppet surged skyward; the Nascent Souls embedded as puppet cores screamed as they were utterly drained, even the immortal mountain beneath them burned its spirit veins. Streams of spiritual energy shot upward, flooding into the void array diagram.

The Penglai Soul Transformation elder himself stood within the protection of the array, in a state of invulnerability.

The array diagram covered the sky above, spanning roughly dozens of li, shattering the void and connecting this space to another array dimension.

Above, as if heaven had ruptured, a colossal void opened, and the barrier of space shattered—a finger, cast in gold, every vein and pattern vividly lifelike, pressed down from the void!

This golden finger stretched hundreds of zhang long, massive as a giant starship; three knuckles slowly emerged from the void, its patterns like deep ravines…

Forged from bronze, each inch brimming with incomparable might—just this single finger carried an unstoppable aura.

"The Qin Golden Man!"

Brother Qian Chen looked up and sighed.

Unlike the Golden Man in Jin Ling Cave Heaven, though still towering, now rusted and corroded by Yu Jiuyou,

this Golden Man of Penglai remained in its prime, meticulously maintained by the entire continent's resources, and painstakingly consecrated by Daofangshi Xu Fu himself.

From this single finger alone, one could glimpse the terrifying artifice of the ancient Qin Daoists!

Every inch of the Golden Man was forged from Daoist alchemy using countless heavenly treasures; even the material of this single finger could forge tens of thousands of magic treasures. The fingerprint upon it was itself a terrifying array, like a celestial pillar crashing down, capable of suppressing the void across tens of thousands of li.

The Golden Man's fingerprint sealed the void; once locked by this finger, Brother Qian Chen could not even evade…

This sight utterly stunned everyone…

Penglai's forbidden technique had summoned a legendary supreme treasure—not a phantom, but a true fragment of it. In ancient times, this treasure had waged war across the world, destroying countless great worlds, even rivaling gods, immortals, and sages. Even this single finger could crush a Primordial Spirit.

The Master Jiuchuan Hermit far away was utterly horrified!

He stood at the pinnacle of this world, yet still could not bear the weight of this finger—Penglai's depth of power had reached a level that made the entire offshore realm tremble.

Only the dragon clan, though grim-faced, still spoke: "Penglai has the Qin Golden Man, but our dragon clan has means to counter it! Only Shaohqing and Penglai are worthy of our dragon clan's attention!"

"Penglai cannot be insulted!"

The Soul Transformation elder drew the finger downward, its pressure like heaven collapsing.

He stared at the Golden Man's finger, his wild hair flying, his body withered from drained essence, yet still standing like a celestial god, shouting at Brother Qian Chen: "You forced me to use Penglai's forbidden technique—today you will be crushed to dust, a warning to all: Penglai cannot be defied!"

"Even a single finger can crush the world!"

Brother Qian Chen said calmly: "When the Qin fell, its supreme treasures scattered. The Twelve Golden Men, the Qin's state treasures, vanished. I suspect two were stolen by Xu Fu! Today, it is confirmed—the Golden Men are in your hands!"

"Using stolen Golden Men to put on a show of power—Xu Fu is truly a villain! And Penglai dares to be so arrogant!"

The Penglai Soul Transformation elder sneered: "How dare a mere ant speak of heavenly might?"

"Our Penglai forbidden technique has lain dormant for tens of thousands of years. The Earth Immortal Realm has forgotten the might of the Golden God! Today, you are honored to be the first offering since the Golden God last moved. You should feel privileged!"

"Fool!" Brother Qian Chen looked up calmly: "Why don't you think further—if the Golden Man were truly invincible, why would Xu Fu dare not use it more?"

"The Qin has become a taboo. The Mirror of Heaven beyond the Southern Gate watches the Earth Immortal Realm… if the Golden Man appears, heavenly punishment follows! What you summoned is only one finger—I have nothing to fear!"

The Penglai Soul Transformation elder, his life essence spent, sacrificed dozens of Nascent Soul puppets and drained the immortal mountain's spirit veins—yet could summon only one finger of the Golden Man.

But even this single finger's appearance had already violated the taboo!

Infinite heavenly lightning wove into a net, appearing and entwining around the golden finger.

Above, the silhouette of a gate appeared, towering ten thousand zhang, radiating overwhelming power; upon it hung a divine mirror that released a single ray of light, locking onto the Golden Man. Infinite thunder erupted—each bolt capable of severely wounding a Soul Transformation.

The thunder originated from a rod of iron whip in the void, its slight motion radiating boundless divine might.

The dense net of lightning struck the Golden Man's finger, exploding in brilliant firelight; the Golden Man, which had been preparing to manifest further limbs, froze—only the single finger continued its crushing descent.

Hearing Brother Qian Chen and the Penglai Soul Transformation's exchange, many were stunned.

The information revealed was too vast: Penglai's ancestor was none other than the legendary Daofangshi Xu Fu, who journeyed beyond the sea to seek lost worlds, stealing the Qin's foundations and possessing two Golden Men!

One Golden Man was nearly invincible. With two, no wonder Penglai dominated the offshore and claimed a whole continent!

Many offshore cultivators now felt their scalps tighten, sensing Penglai as invincible—yet after the silence, Brother Qian Chen's words and the descent of heavenly punishment exploded in their minds.

The Qin has become a taboo!

A taboo set by the Heavenly Court, forbidding the Qin relics from emerging!

No wonder such a mighty Qin, invincible in its final years, mysteriously collapsed! No wonder Qin relics have long remained hidden…

The Heavenly Court imposed punishment, forbidding the emergence of Qin relics—thus the Golden Man's descending finger had lost nearly half its power…

Yet even so, it could still easily crush a Primordial Spirit!

The Penglai Soul Transformation elder, reeling from heavenly punishment's backlash, his life flame flickering like a candle in the wind, rasped: "Even if the Golden Man's appearance invites heavenly retribution, Penglai can still crush you, this ant, with one finger!"

Facing the crushing pressure from heaven, Brother Qian Chen glanced at the divine mirror above the phantom gate, thinking: "Had the Heavenly Court not been watching, I could summon a far stronger Golden Man right now and see whose is mightier!"

"With Zhu Zhu Jiuyin, I am confident I could fight two—even if Xu Fu joined in—I'd summon Shaohqing!"

"But the Heavenly Court still watches. I must preserve my trump cards for them—I cannot reveal them yet!"

"The 129,600 Wisdom Pearls are complete, but the Dew-Collecting Silver Tray has not yet reassembled—I cannot fully reflect the dream or condense a phantom Dao Fruit…"

"Very well… it is time to reveal a little of my hand."