Chapter 543: The Yin Spirit Bows to Me

Under the bright sunlight, a gentle southern breeze blew, causing the dense branches and leaves of several large weeping willows before the temple to rustle softly with a soothing sound.

Floating clouds drifted lazily at the edge of the sky, bathed in clear, crystalline light.

Upon hearing this, the slovenly old Daoist narrowed his eyes.

Frowning, he scrutinized the young Daoist standing with hands clasped behind his back in the courtyard for a long while, before finally chuckling darkly and teasing deliberately:

"What? With your status, you value a junior so highly, yet he is not even of your own lineage; are you finally going to follow your Seventh Uncle's methods and begin selecting a Calamity Seed?"

After saying this, the slovenly Daoist pursed his lips.

As if recalling some past event, he clapped his hands, shook his head, and said:

"It's just that your Seventh Uncle is by no means an easy person to deal with.

That damn old macaque is vindictive, commits every evil under heaven, and truly deserves to be executed by all!

It was this fellow who secretly sabotaged me at the Ten Thousand Heavens Assembly back then, causing this old Daoist to lose face terribly before the Heavenly Emperor and numerous immortals and gods; and the reason I have repeatedly sought the position of Lord of the Heavy Spring Prison in the Netherworld without success is actually because the macaque worked against me behind the scenes.

This old Daoist does not mean to instigate trouble, but Kan Li, even though you and the macaque come from the same sect, you must still guard against him to some extent when acting.

Do not think that just because you two share some friendship now, the macaque will show any mercy if a dispute arises between you one day!"

"A dispute? Given Master Master Kongkong's way of doing things, if he were to completely tear off masks with my lineage, it would certainly concern the opportunities of the Great Dao..."

Daoist Kan Li mused thoughtfully:

"If it were you, would you show mercy when striking me down?"

The slovenly old Daoist paused for a moment, then after a brief silence, spread his hands honestly and said:

"Impossible, absolutely impossible to show mercy!"

Seeing this, Daoist Kan Li could not help but clap his hands and laugh loudly.

After laughing for a while, Daoist Kan Li shook his head and explained:

"Master Master Kongkong's lineage is of no use to me; although he has forged a new path in the way of the Calamity Immortal, no matter how ingenious his ideas may be, they ultimately deviate from the Five Zheng Fa once transmitted by our Ancestor.

As for that Demon Master, when I previously went to deliver the Tablet of Deliverance from Suffering, I sat and discussed the Dao with him once; this person..."

Daoist Kan Li shook his head, leaving the remaining words unspoken.

The slovenly old Daoist gave him a meaningful look and spoke:

"I have also heard of Chen Chen Yushu's reputation in recent years; he is currently very prominent, praised by Elder Mu Sou as the outstanding talent who best grasps the true intent of the macaque's Calamity Immortal path!

From your words, it seems you do not quite approve of the path Chen Chen Yushu intends to take, and after meeting Chen Chen Yushu once, you have become even more firm in this belief?

Then your rare attention to Chen Heng this time... it seems you intend to ruin Chen Chen Yushu's arrangements and allow the Human Calamity to fully mature?"

Daoist Kan Li smiled faintly and did not answer.

"To speak honestly, I am not surprised that you harbor such thoughts...

After all, you are the disciple who received the true transmission from Duke Yin Mu; like teacher, like student, heh!"

A hidden divine light gleamed in the slovenly old Daoist's eyes, resembling two ancient heavenly blades slowly unsheathing, ready to split open the Daoist Kan Li before him and examine every one of this person's thoughts clearly.

At this moment, he abandoned his previous lazy and unrestrained demeanor.

An indescribable majesty slowly emerged upon his face, causing several young tigers that had been playing and frolicking nearby to fall silent as winter cicadas, motionless.

The slovenly old Daoist spoke slowly:

"Back when the macaque created the 'Classic of Rearing Humans' and thoroughly perfected his lineage, countless immortals and gods turned their heads to take notice.

Because the Calamity Immortal Ancestor remained in seclusion and did not appear, Duke Yin Mu, in great anger, took several of your uncles to Douyu Heaven to fight the macaque; although neither side could overcome the other in that battle, it still dealt a blow to the macaque's prestige within the Calamity Immortal Sect."

"Eldest Uncle-Master and Master Master Kongkong have always been on bad terms; this is known to everyone in the world," Daoist Kan Li said.

"I fear it is not merely a personal grudge; the Calamity Seeds and Human Puppets within the macaque's methods, along with various notions such as 'all living beings are like horses and cattle,' differ vastly from the true transmission bestowed by the Calamity Immortal Ancestor."

The slovenly old Daoist chuckled darkly:

"I know that Duke Yin Mu is a person who cannot tolerate even a grain of sand in his eye; when he boldly attacked Douyu Heaven back then, aside from his discord with the macaque, was he not also defending our orthodox lineage and purging internal traitors?

This is a struggle over the orthodox lineage; with the Calamity Immortal Ancestor not appearing, who can stop it?!"

Daoist Kan Li's expression remained unchanged.

"Actually, ever since you attained the Dao, I have been waiting, wondering when you would make a move against Daoist Master Kongkong; today, Kan Li, you have finally revealed a hint of your intentions to me!"

The slovenly old Daoist patted his chest at this moment.

He hurriedly leaned his head forward, raised a finger, and swore an oath:

"Whenever you prepare to deploy troops, give me a definite word.

As long as it involves making a move against the macaque, no matter who it is, this old Daoist will go to help bolster the scene!"

Daoist Kan Li glanced at him with a smile that was not quite a smile:

"Do not recklessly fan the flames; although Eldest Uncle-Master has some grievances with Master Master Kongkong, I once owed the latter a favor, so it would be better if you do not interfere in the affairs of my sect."

The slovenly old Daoist muttered:

"This old Daoist knows your thoughts; given our years of friendship, there is no need to be so secretive!

However, since you are unwilling to speak plainly to me, so be it..."

While the two were speaking, within the Huang Lao She Ji Map, Chen Heng happened to dodge the deadly smoke emitted by Yin Yin Wuji, then flicked his sleeve and pointed a finger, causing a bolt of Lei Ting to smash through the atmosphere and rush straight toward Yin Yin Wuji!

The slovenly old Daoist's gaze shifted; after paying attention and watching for a while, he nodded slightly and spoke to Daoist Kan Li:

"With Yin Yin Wuji's capabilities, you granting him the Water of Cosmic Light and the Qi of Primordial Nether Darkness in Yuqi Heaven, while partly done out of respect for that person from the Wenhuang Sect, was certainly not entrusting the wrong person; congratulations.

But since you also value Chen Heng, what kind of fortune do you intend to bestow upon this junior?"

Daoist Kan Li smiled:

"It was merely a sudden whim; this matter is not urgent, let us just wait and see what happens later."

The slovenly old Daoist raised an eyebrow.

Just as he was about to speak, Daoist Kan Li waved his hand to interrupt him, saying:

"Speaking of which, you are the one truly burdened with a huge pile of troubles, so you should not waste time pondering my affairs."

"Back then, you privately stole the Taiping Scripture and descended to the lower realm; those immortals and gods of the Zhengxu Dao Court hate you to the bone, wishing nothing more than to flay you alive and eat you raw. Now that Ji Liu Huan has ascended the throne, the pursuit of you has intensified considerably; I hear even the Fire Dragon Master is personally leaving seclusion to capture you."

"After all, the Taiping Scripture concerns the Taiping Heavenly Net, that innate supreme treasure."

"I advise you to hide your true body more securely; if they drag you out, not even I can save you."

The slovenly old Daoist folded his hands behind his back and laughed loudly:

"Back then, I shattered my form and bones, dividing myself into trillions; not even I know where my true body and the Taiping Scripture ultimately went."

"I am aware that the Eight Sects and Six Clans have invited this young Imperial Prince, Ji Xiu, for this affair; my dilapidated temple, I fear, cannot be stayed in much longer, but so what? This is merely an avatar of mine; even if they capture it, these people will be unable to extract anything through interrogation!"

Speaking to this point, the slovenly old Daoist seemed to think of something; unable to help himself, he clasped his hands and laughed again, extremely delighted, casting all his previous thoughts completely out of his mind.

Daoist Kanli was also accustomed to this fellow's consistent style and felt no surprise.

He simply turned his gaze back toward the Dan Yuan Grand Assembly; after a long while, he faintly retracted the light from his eyes.

"The fortune of the Six Clans, breaking the tribulation to ascend as immortals?"

He spoke softly, a smile of great interest on his face:

"This single character 'tribulation' is truly profound and unfathomable."

At the same moment, fires erupted everywhere, blazing and oppressive; rolling clouds of deadly smoke spiraled around the sky, lingering for a long time without dispersing!

The originally azure sea surface was now covered by a layer of brilliant bloody qi.

As far as the eye could see, there was only rising clouds and surging mist, waves crashing like mountains; it was as if countless volcanoes were collapsing with a boom, causing the spiritual tide to surge repeatedly in chaos and disorder.

And all manner of thunderous noises mixed together, making it impossible to tell whether the sky was hanging above or the earth was spinning below.

One only felt as though placed inside a gigantic whirlpool, bewildered and dizzy, at a complete loss!

Jia Xiu had actually already activated his Dun Fa, moving far away from his previous standing position.

But alas, the battlefield of those three truly covered an excessively vast area, forcing him to twist his body once more to dodge again.

"Jin Dan True Persons... can they actually fight to this extent?"

At this moment, Jia Xiu looked back; the last shred of fighting spirit in his heart was completely ground away, leaving only a bitter smile.

The blood souls, gathering like locusts, were continuously swept away by the smoky qi; no matter how hard these fearless fierce spirits tried, they could only circle in the outer ring, finding it difficult to break through to the area around Yin Yin Wuji.

And all manner of magical treasures, striking down in succession, were likewise continuously blocked, finding it difficult to truly hit their mark.

Seeing this, Lu Rong's mind stirred slightly.

He did not forcibly clash with the myriad-calamity deadly smoke; after using the bronze bell above his head to block briefly, he withdrew temporarily, while a sword light, in silent concert with him, split the empty air and arrived, stretching across in front of Yin Yin Wuji.

"Divine Water of Cosmic Light..."

Lu Rong frowned subtly and seized the opportunity to activate his Yuan Zhao Zhen Fa Eyes.

At this time, Yin Yin Wuji was already fiercely battling Chen Heng; dense firelight interwove into a net, pressing down layer by layer, only to be broken open layer by layer by Yin Yin Wuji.

Both possessed immensely powerful physical bodies; relying on their indestructible Dharma bodies, their offensive moves were broad and sweeping, extremely sharp and fierce!

And after exchanging another palm strike with Chen Heng, Yin Yin Wuji glanced at Lu Rong in the distance, then suddenly leaped high into the air.

He took up that banner crafted from the Return-to-Void Flag, shook it twice, and then fiercely activated the "Divine Spirit Heavenly Phenomenon Array" sealed within the formation.

In an instant, a wisp of black fog drifted out from the banner's surface, causing a beam of yin light to shine down from the heavens as well, scattering generously.

And in just a few breaths, Yin Yin Wuji's figure, like a single grain of millet, was suddenly engulfed by the overwhelming black fog and miserable qi, becoming invisible; even sensing with spiritual awareness, it was difficult to detect the location of his qi mechanism.

And that patch of turbid, radiant heavenly phenomenon also surged violently, spreading continuously in all directions, with the momentum to swallow a hundred li, as if intending to envelop the entire Wang Yang within it!

Penetrating the divine and reaching the spiritual, sensing the heavenly phenomena—this is the Divine Spirit Heavenly Phenomenon!

The Divine Spirit Heavenly Phenomenon Array sealed within this banner crafted from the Return-to-Void Flag has extremely broad functions; it can trigger mountain collapses and earth subsidence to be used for attacking cities and capturing strongholds, or it can emit golden winds and fierce fires to attack enemies or protect oneself.

And Yin Yin Wuji, by activating this array now, caused rolling black fog to spread, surging high into the sky, merely intending to disrupt the situation in the field so that Lu Rong would be unable to use his Yuan Zhao Zhen Fa Eyes to calmly pry into his underlying capabilities.

Although it was difficult to conceal everything completely, it was at least somewhat useful.

The reputation of this supreme great divine technique of the Blood River, Yin Yin Wuji had also heard of in ordinary times; it was indeed extremely formidable.

Now that Lu Rong had activated such a great technique, there was a chance he might see through something; this was something Yin Yin Wuji did not wish to see...

Chen Heng casually raised his hand and struck; although this caused large sections of the billowing black fog to collapse, Yin Yin Wuji's figure was nowhere to be seen within it, and that empty space closed up again in merely a few blinks of an eye.

"What a fine formation banner."

Seeing this, Chen Heng felt no surprise either; he simply made a vague grasping motion, and the Dun Dun Jiesuo appeared gripped in his hand.

As a streak of blue light flashed by, the vast black fog that had been about to surge before Chen Heng suddenly trembled, and then half of it vanished into thin air.

And in the clear world hundreds of zhang away, the area was suddenly covered by a patch of yin wind and miserable qi, within which one could not see one's own fingers even with an outstretched hand.

"Good!"

Seeing this scene, Lu Rong nodded subtly in approval.

And while he was nodding, Chen Heng had already engaged Yin Yin Wuji in combat.

After fighting for several dozen exchanges, a sword light suddenly fell from the sky, bursting forth from an oblique angle with an unpredictability beyond gods or ghosts; in an instant, it slashed through the Shu Luo Dou, heading straight for Yin Yin Wuji's face!

Ding—

This strike, which seemed certain to succeed, fell on empty space.

Just as the flying sword was about to reach his body, starlight like rippling water surged once more in the depths of Yin Yin Wuji's eyes.

Heaven and earth suddenly fell silent—

And the flying sword was actually forcibly frozen in mid-air; though clearly separated from Yin Yin Wuji by less than half a zhang, it could not advance an inch.

Although it lasted only an instant, the flying sword, mysteriously restrained, continued its killing rush forward.

But merely this momentary gap was already sufficient for Yin Yin Wuji to activate his Dun Fa and dodge this strike.

Divine Water of Cosmic Light—

This divine water possesses the tremendous capability to command time and manipulate the sequence of events.

When still, it can bind flying light and lock the rushing sundial, causing the dust of an instant to halt its shadow.

When moving, it can also compress sixty years into a single blink, making a thousand autumns exist only within the turn of an eye and a single thought.

It can truly be said to expand and contract at will, with mysterious responses that are endless!

With Yin Yin Wuji's current cultivation, although it is difficult to achieve all the aforementioned feats, as both his realm and magic power are insufficient.

But if it is merely to simply cause time to pause slightly, or to bless oneself with the Divine Water of Cosmic Light, allowing one's movements to surpass lightning, this is not a difficult matter.

Relying on this mysterious divine water, Yin Yin Wuji fought two opponents alone yet did not fall behind in the slightest.

Even when Lü Rong used the Zai Yuan Fa eyes to pinpoint the timing and coordinated with Chen Heng to unleash divine abilities several times, they were all blocked by Yin Yin Wuji.

After fighting for several thousand more exchanges, Chen Heng suddenly shifted his offensive stance, actively breaking the joint formation, and his sword light encircled both Yin Yin Wuji and Lü Rong within it.

This action caused many onlookers outside to stare in blank astonishment.

Not long after, accompanied by an earth-shattering boom that exploded across the sea surface, ten thousand rays of light burst forth, furious gales roared, and whirlpools of various sizes formed one after another; the three individuals, who had just played their final cards, were all disheveled and spitting blood.

The Northern Dipper's Death Note and the Great Desire Demon True Light eroded and dissipated against each other.

As for the Dragon Calamity Soul-Slaughtering Arrow, under Yin Yin Wuji's relentless empowerment regardless of cost, it struck squarely into Chen Heng's chest and abdomen.

"Go!"

Yin Yin Wuji was likewise pierced through the chest by Chen Heng's sword; he endured the injury, roared, and surged forward, and after Lü Rong forcibly cleared a path with his blood soul, he exchanged a blow directly with Chen Heng.

Blood light splashed in the air, and dense killing intent flowed horizontally!

When the fierce light dimmed slightly, only Yin Yin Wuji was seen with his right arm shattered into pieces; he staggered backward, nearly falling from the clouds.

The Black Gold Divine Spear, which had been in his palm, had by now transformed into a rainbow of light that pierced through Chen Heng once again.

Lü Rong shouted loudly, his Dharma eyes radiating divine light.

He repeatedly activated the Di Jin Zhen Fa, and a full four blood pills whistled as they flew out, striking Chen Heng consecutively in the hair's breadth of a moment.

Upon seeing Chen Heng's body sway and finally plunge headfirst into the sea bottom, Lü Rong finally exhaled a breath of relief; supported by his Blood Spirit Child, he avoided further disarray.

At this moment, Lü Rong felt countless overlapping shadows before his eyes; his vision was blurred, as if he could not clearly see the situation even a li away.

He wiped before his eyes, only to find his hand covered in fresh blood.

Whether it was Chen Heng's final fearless fighting style, or the fact that just now, while maintaining the Zai Yuan Fa eyes, he had consecutively unleashed four strikes of the Di Jin Zhen Fa.

All of these caused Lü Rong immense consumption, his spirit and flesh barely able to sustain him.

However.

Chen Heng's behavior...

At this time, Lü Rong forced himself up; he seemed to sense Yin Yin Wuji's gaze, and the two exchanged a distant look, falling into silence together for a moment.

Meanwhile, outside the arena, upon witnessing the scene of Chen Heng's corpse plunging into the sea and his qi vanishing completely.

The multitude of cultivators who had come to observe the ceremony immediately erupted in an uproar; most faces bore an indelible look of horror, and sounds of discussion rose chaotically from all sides.

A Tang Tang Yi Pin Jin Dan, a Dao Seed capable of operating Dharma at the sixth realm!

Could such a figure actually fall at the Dan Yuan Assembly?!

If this matter spread, let alone listeners refusing to believe it.

Even those of us who witnessed it with our own eyes feel as though we are in a dream, our hearts and minds surging with turmoil.

"Something is wrong..."

Wei Wei Lingjiang calmed her spirit and focused her mind, gazing forward.

After a long while, she spoke softly, shook her head slightly, and her tense knuckles slowly relaxed.

"Good trick."

In another place, Gu Yi also exhaled a breath and smiled inexplicably.

Yin Yin Ruohua, standing beside her, initially did not understand, but afterward, seeing that neither Yin Yin Wuji nor Lü Rong in the arena displayed any relaxed expression, but rather an even thicker sense of vigilance.

She seemed to realize something as well, and her eyes flickered.

At this moment, within the Huang Lao She Ji Map, there was only silence.

Before long, suddenly the sound of Tao Po Po water arose from the void, though no one knew exactly where it originated.

That sound grew louder and louder, finally turning into a rumbling, surging noise, as if wild waves and rushing torrents were rolling eastward in a vast and mighty flow, causing ten thousand streams to resonate and a hundred ridges to respond in unison!

In an instant, a pitch-black long river with neither head nor tail mysteriously squeezed out of the void, hanging heavily in the mid-heavens.

Within the black water, countless living souls roared in fury, baring their fangs and brandishing their claws.

Various grotesque and tragic scenes appeared, as if ghosts and gods from the underworld's Jambudvipa had descended into this world; the surging sounds of killing shook the Xudu Xudu Tianyu, chilling people to the bone and striking terror into their hearts!

But as the black water gently parted, a human figure slowly emerged.

Seeing that figure stroll forward, the dense mass of fierce and stubborn living souls seemed suddenly to have their throats choked; they bowed down uniformly like wheat being cut, neatly parting a path from the middle, as if subjects were kowtowing to their lord and father, their demeanor respectful and not a single sound uttered.

"Let us stop here."

At this moment, a voice faintly echoed from the depths of the black water:

"Two gentlemen, please."