Chapter 70: Zhu Que Appears

When the groan that materialized from nowhere exploded in her ears, Hua Changxi sensed a formless, terrifying power rising from beneath the stone cave.

It instantly scattered the clouds beneath her feet, causing her to lose her balance and plummet from high above, crashing heavily onto the ground.

"Ah~"

Ignoring the pain, Hua Changxi stared wide-eyed, watching in shock and horror as golden spiritual light floated up from the underground within the stone cave at a speed visible to the naked eye.

The spiritual light grew denser and more abundant, rapidly converging toward the cave's opening at the top, carrying a terrifying force that made the entire stone cave tremble.

'Rumble-rumble~'

When the density of the spiritual light reached its peak, the stone cave could no longer withstand the formidable power it carried; it began to shake, and with a 'clatter-clatter,' countless fragments of rock started falling.

The stone cave was collapsing, disintegrating!

Suddenly, the surging spiritual light blasted the cave entrance open. Hua Changxi saw the Buddha hand that had suppressed the Monkey King fall down, landing on the ground with a 'pat.' It did not shatter, but cracks appeared upon it.

Meanwhile, outside the cave, witnessing the sudden violent tremors of the stone structure, both Jiang Guanyun and Jiang Gaoheng displayed expressions of gravity and alertness.

The Mountain Spirit was so frightened it dared not struggle: "We're going to die, we're going to die! The fairy moved the Buddha hand; the Monkey King is coming out."

Hearing the Mountain Spirit's words, Jiang Guanyun's brows knitted together. He had not taken the wild girl's shouting earlier to heart, utterly disbelieving in any Monkey King; even if one existed, it should have long since turned to ash.

Yet at this moment, feeling the ground beneath his feet begin to shake, Jiang Guanyun hesitated and halted his refinement of the Mountain Spirit.

"Second Brother, let us leave this place first."

Jiang Guanyun dared not linger. Gripping the Mountain Spirit, he turned to depart when a deafening 'crack' echoed; the spiritual light, having gathered increasingly within the cave, finally burst it open and leaked out.

Centered on the stone cave, the dense golden spiritual light swept outward like a mushroom cloud explosion, engulfing all directions.

"Flee~"

A terrifying shockwave rushed at them. Jiang Guanyun possessed no power to resist and was directly blasted away by the force.

If he, at the Infant Transformation stage, fared so poorly, how much worse for Jiang Gaoheng, who was merely at the Qi Sea stage? Before he could even react, the shockwave struck and killed him instantly.

Riding the force of the blasting shockwave, Jiang Guanyun flew swiftly away toward the outskirts of Mount Wuzhi. Upon sensing his second son's aura vanish, his blood and qi churned, and he spat out a mouthful of fresh blood.

Seizing this moment of unstable aura, the Mountain Spirit desperately broke free from his restraint and fled without looking back toward the direction of the Third Peak.

Seeing the Mountain Spirit escape, Jiang Guanyun was furious enough for his hair to stand on end and his eyes to split. Unwilling to lose the spirit just like that, he intended to give chase, but upon looking toward the stone cave where spiritual light gathered and shot straight into the clouds, churning the entire Mount Wuzhi until it seemed unstable, he faltered.

Seeing this, how could Jiang Guanyun dare hesitate? Gritting his teeth, he decisively turned and flew outward.

The instant the spiritual light diffused out of the stone cave, every living being on Mount Wuzhi felt that chilling aura. All cultivators on the outskirts of Mount Wuzhi simultaneously and unanimously flew out of the mountain's range.

"What exactly is happening inside the mountain?"

Outside Mount Wuzhi, cultivators from various factions, whether standing on flying swords, riding clouds, or aboard flying artifacts, all hung high in the mid-air, watching the Third Peak of Mount Wuzhi with grave expressions.

"What are those surging, converging lights?"

At this moment, the Third Peak of Mount Wuzhi was shrouded in弥漫 ing and surging spiritual light, which showed a trend of expanding outward.

Soon, the spiritual light covered the entire Third Peak and began spreading toward the Second and Fourth Peaks.

"Fairy."

Although the stone cave had collapsed, the original space within it remained intact. Hua Changxi lay on the ground, staring blankly at the scene unfolding before her eyes.

She had not expected her actions would cause such a massive disturbance.

It was larger than she could have imagined, and beyond her control.

She had only intended to save the Mountain Spirit and kill that old Daoist priest, but judging by the current situation, it felt as though the entire Mount Wuzhi was about to suffer disaster.

"Fairy, run quickly~"

Hua Changxi turned to look at the Mountain Spirit not far away, her face bitter.

Did she not want to run?

She did; she desperately wanted to.

But an invisible force had locked onto her, rendering her completely unable to move.

"Fat child, run quickly; do not worry about me."

Seeing the Mountain Spirit appear ready to approach, Hua Changxi hurriedly stopped him: "I seem to have been locked onto by the Monkey King; do not come in."

Hearing this, the Mountain Spirit's face filled with terror. At this moment, he was truly frantic; if the Monkey King's domain continued to expand, Mount Wuzhi would be destroyed.

"Fairy, where is the Buddha hand?"

Hua Changxi paused for a moment, then quickly scanned her surroundings: "In the northeast direction. Do you see it? A golden palm print the size of a hand."

The Mountain Spirit looked in the direction Hua Changxi indicated and saw the Buddha hand. His expression became sorrowful, his eyes reddening: "I only just cultivated my spiritual body, only just manifested a human form. Wu~"

Seeing him cry at such a time, Hua Changxi shouted in anger and urgency: "Stop crying and run!"

The Mountain Spirit looked at Hua Changxi with large, teary eyes: "Fairy, you must come to Mount Wuzhi again in the future. I will let you confer legitimacy upon me again."

Sensing something amiss in these words, Hua Changxi hurriedly asked: "What are you going to do?"

"I am the Mountain Spirit; I cannot allow Mount Wuzhi to be destroyed."

After speaking these words, the Mountain Spirit gave Hua Changxi no chance to react. With a 'whoosh,' he rushed toward the Buddha hand, transforming into a stream of five-colored spiritual light that merged into it.

Immediately afterward, the Buddha hand began to shine brilliantly, slowly levitating into mid-air.

Watching this scene, Hua Changxi's mind went somewhat blank.

The next moment, she saw five-colored spiritual light erupt from underground, surging upward even faster than the convergence of the golden light.

At this moment, the cultivators outside Mount Wuzhi were stunned by the sight before them.

Across the entire Mount Wuzhi, countless streams of five-colored spiritual light continuously emerged from the earth,弥漫 ing, rising, and expanding.

Within moments, they surrounded the golden spiritual light that was still spreading outward.

"Roar~"

A roar thick with intense anger erupted from within the golden spiritual light. Next, the golden light began to twist, and in the blink of an eye, a colossal entity condensed, standing upright.

Upon seeing that colossal entity, everyone fell silent.

Hua Changxi, at the very center of the spiritual light, felt the most intense shock; it was a phantom giant monkey formed of spiritual qi, vaster than a mountain range.

Monkey King...

She actually released the Monkey King!

But wasn't she immune to the Monkey King's domain? Why was she locked onto by the Monkey King?

"Dong~"

An ancient, resonant Buddhist bell toll rang out above the clouds; then, the sea of clouds churned, five-colored spiritual light gathered in the high sky, and the next moment, a giant hand capable of covering mountains, condensed from the five elements' spiritual energy, formed in the high air.

Seeing the giant hand appear, Hua Changxi breathed a sigh of relief, yet when she glanced at the Buddhist hand floating not far away in mid-air, slowly rising, and saw the cracks upon it, a strong sense of unease welled up in her heart.

The Buddhist hand had developed cracks; could it still suppress the Monkey King?

The giant monkey leaped over the sea of clouds, the giant hand blotting out the sun and sky.

This scene was visible from afar; not only did those near Mount Wuzhi see it, but people in other prefectures and counties of Qingzhou Province saw it as well.

"Roar~"

The instant the giant hand condensed, the giant monkey let out an angry roar that seemed to split the clouds and shatter stone, then struck out with a fierce punch, attacking the giant hand viciously.

At the same time, the giant hand swept down toward the giant monkey; that terrifying power, which seemed destined to annihilate everything, made everyone's blood run cold.

The cultivators watching around Mount Wuzhi once again flew backward in unison to avoid being caught in the aftermath.

"Bang~"

The giant monkey and the giant hand collided violently; intense waves of spiritual energy swept outward, and the horrifying pressure forced everyone to retreat further.

At this moment, a figure rushed out from within Mount Wuzhi.

Everyone focused their gaze and realized it was Jiang Guanyun, the ancestral elder of the Jiang family.

As soon as Jiang Guanyun fled the bounds of Mount Wuzhi, he could no longer suppress the chaotic surging spiritual energy; he spat out several mouthfuls of fresh blood in succession and plummeted straight down from the sky.

Witnessing this scene, the various factions' eyes flashed with light, both assessing the danger level of Mount Wuzhi and secretly plotting to seize the Jiang family's assets.

"Bang~"

"Bang~"

The giant monkey and the giant hand clashed again; one sought to shatter the giant hand, the other to crush the giant monkey.

Perhaps because she stood directly beneath the giant monkey, at the very center of the storm, Hua Changxi was surprisingly unaffected by the backlash.

It was also at this moment that Hua Changxi noticed the power locking onto her had vanished; without a second word, she scrambled up quickly, intending to flee the place.

Having moved away from the stone cave, Hua Changxi dared not run wildly through Mount Wuzhi where spiritual energy was churning; instead, she found a small hill and hid behind it.

Seeing that each strike between the giant monkey and the giant hand made them both appear more illusory, Hua Changxi prayed incessantly in her heart that the giant hand would scatter the giant monkey first.

However, contrary to her wishes, after the fifth collision between the giant monkey and the giant hand, cracks appeared on the giant hand.

The cracks opened, and the spiritual energy dispersed.

The giant hand became unstable, growing increasingly illusory under the giant monkey's bombardment.

"What should I do?"

Hua Changxi grew somewhat anxious; if the giant hand were scattered, nothing would remain to suppress the expansion of the Monkey King's domain. Although she did not know the consequences, she felt they would not be good.

If the Monkey King's domain continued to spread outward beyond the bounds of Mount Wuzhi and affected the common people, she truly dared not imagine what would happen.

"Mountain Spirit, why didn't you tell me clearly that moving the Buddhist hand would cause such a huge commotion?"

"What should I do now?"

Hua Changxi's gaze suddenly turned toward the location of the stone cave; there, the cracked Buddhist hand was still slowly rising, seemingly suppressed, its ascent extremely sluggish.

"Is the Buddhist hand trying to return to its original position?"

But the stone cave was already gone.

Hua Changxi felt both fear and urgency; she feared she had committed an irreparable catastrophe, for regardless of anything else, it was she who had moved the Buddhist hand.

"Boom~"

Under the giant monkey's attack, the giant hand became even more illusory, while the cracks upon it grew larger and larger, becoming increasingly unstable.

"Forget it; while the giant hand can still block the giant monkey, I'll help push the Buddhist hand upward and see what happens."

Gritting her teeth, Hua Changxi flew back to the stone cave, grabbed the Buddhist hand, and attempted to rush upward; unfortunately, she had underestimated the Monkey King's oppressive pressure inside the cave, and her ascent speed was barely faster than that of the Buddhist hand itself.

"Roar~"

The giant monkey sensed what was happening inside the stone cave and became furious; it punched the giant hand with one fist while hurling the other straight down toward Hua Changxi.

The instant the monkey's fist smashed down, Hua Changxi could no longer ride the clouds upward; she crashed to the ground, and with no chance to escape, she watched helplessly as the giant fist descended, instinctively unleashing fire lotuses in an attempt to block the monkey's punch.

Flower after flower of fire lotus was unleashed; although each was easily scattered by the monkey's fist, they ultimately slowed the descent of the blow.

Seeing that the fire lotuses were effective at hindering the attack, Hua Changxi could only continue unleashing them relentlessly.

Fire lotuses consumed vast amounts of spiritual energy; feeling her internal spiritual energy depleting rapidly, Hua Changxi gritted her teeth and imitated the Monkey King, unleashing fire lotuses with one hand while absorbing spiritual energy with the other.

Fortunately, she had previously arranged a Spirit Gathering Array inside the stone cave, and being a spiritual energy black hole herself, she could absorb any amount of spiritual energy; at this moment, this truly proved a tremendous help.

Outside Mount Wuzhi, all cultivators watched the battle within the mountain with trembling hearts.

At first, it was merely a duel between the giant monkey and the giant hand, but at some point, a massive amount of fire spiritual energy began condensing beneath the giant monkey's feet, while flower after flower of fire lotus continuously surged toward the giant monkey.

"Fire lotuses... the villain who killed members of my Cui family and Jiang cultivators used precisely these fire lotuses."

"That person is truly a cowardly rat and a mere ant; knowing only how to sneak attack, she ran to strike from the shadows while the giant monkey was blocked by the giant hand. Why doesn't the giant monkey just kill her immediately?"

Regarding Cui Cheng's furious curses, the other factions paid no heed, their expressions all extremely grave.

A member of the Asura Gate, looking down on the Cui family, snorted coldly: "Shut up quickly; you had better pray the giant monkey gets suppressed, otherwise... Qingzhou is definitely finished."

Cui Cheng choked on his words and couldn't help but glance toward his own family head.

After hesitating briefly, the Cui family head flew over to the Taisu Palace contingent: "Daoist Qingyun, what did the Asura Gate mean by those words just now?"

Daoist Qingyun's expression was currently extremely grave: "That giant monkey must be a demonic beast suppressed within Mount Wuzhi; regardless of its past, having been suppressed for endless years, it must be filled with absolute malice toward the outside world. Once it breaks free, it will undoubtedly become an evil spirit bringing disaster everywhere."

The moment his words fell, a tremendous boom echoed as the giant hand was shattered and scattered by the giant monkey.

Seeing this, everyone's complexion changed drastically.

Hua Changxi's face was equally filled with horror; seeing the giant monkey hanging upside down and looking at her, she felt as though her heart had stopped beating.

"Am I going to die?"

Seeing the giant monkey's hand crashing toward her, Hua Changxi sensed the breath of death; exerting all her strength, she poured all her spiritual energy into a Fire Lotus, then swung the Fire Lotus out with tremendous force.

After the Fire Lotus rushed toward the giant monkey, Hua Changxi continued absorbing spiritual energy while constantly injecting more into the Fire Lotus.

Knowing she was no match for the giant monkey, Hua Changxi closed her eyes unwillingly, completely transforming herself into a conduit connecting the Fire Lotus and the fire spiritual energy, maximizing the absorption and transmission of spiritual energy.

Outside Mount Wuzhi, everyone only saw the giant monkey lower its head to smash down between its own feet, whereupon a magnificent Fire Lotus soared up, blocking the monkey's fist.

The giant monkey quickly shattered the Fire Lotus, but just as it continued smashing downward, the Third Peak became enveloped in sky-filling red fire spiritual energy.

The fire spiritual energy rapidly condensed and churned, as if something were about to coalesce from within it.

"Kree~"

A melodious and resonant bird cry echoed through the clouds.

The moment the bird cry rang out, for an instant, Hua Changxi felt as though she had transformed into fire spiritual energy, rushing toward the giant monkey.

Before the stunned crowd, a fire bird radiating colorful aurora light flew out from the churning fire spiritual energy and charged at the giant monkey.

"Roar~"

The giant monkey let out a roar of unwillingness; watching the fire bird shatter its body, it despairingly turned into points of light and vanished into the air.

The fire bird easily shattered the giant monkey, flashed across the sky in an instant, then dove headfirst back into the Third Peak of Mount Wuzhi, disappearing from sight.

At the moment the fire bird appeared, countless people were startled.

In Jingcheng, at the Imperial Astronomical Bureau's Star-Gazing Platform, Director Yuan watched the southern direction with a shaken expression as the Emperor Star manifested.

"How can this be?"

"Spiritual energy has only just begun to revive, yet the Emperor Star has already appeared?"

In the Hanlin Academy's Historiography Institute, Historian Shi Yishi looked excitedly at the pure white scroll and white jade brush formed from condensing spiritual light upon his desk.

Carefully and cautiously examining the paper and brush, Shi Yishi's eyes gleamed with tears of excitement: "How many years has it been? The Shi family has finally waited until this day to once again record the Legend of the Four Spirits."

Shi Yishi composed himself, hurried out of the room, and looked up toward the south.

"Is this realm opening being led by the south?"

At the Medical Bureau, Clinic No. 1 on Second Street, Apothecary Tong was explaining pill-refining techniques when Gu Jinfan, while everyone else listened intently, suddenly stood up and dashed out of the room.

"What is happening?"

Looking at the sky-filling aurora light in the direction of Qingzhou, Gu Jinfan's face was filled with disbelief.

"The Jiang family possesses the bloodline of external cultivators, seized Mount Wuzhi, and yet they can still receive the blessing of the Heavenly Dao?"

"That's not right; in my previous life, the Jiang family also obtained Mount Wuzhi, yet there were no such heavenly and earthly anomalies."

"Has something happened over in Qingzhou?"

"I returned too late and lack powerful supporters; otherwise, I would have intervened in this struggle for Mount Wuzhi no matter what."

"The Jiang family's ancestor is a Nascent Soul realm expert, arguably the strongest combatant in the entire Four Spirits Realm now; I cannot contend with them, nor could I win, so not wishing to watch Mount Wuzhi fall into the Jiang family's hands, I did not go to Qingzhou."

"But now, it seems something has changed."