Chapter 118: Dragon Essence (Part II)

“Golden Immortal!”

The instant the dragon’s shadow appeared, Celestial Master Zhang’s pupils contracted violently. He retreated at once, while an ancient talisman rose above his head—neither metal nor jade, but engraved with the forms of a dragon and tiger.

The Ancestor of Chimei and the Ancestor of Nether Springs reacted even faster. One blurred into formlessness; the other slipped into the depths of space.

“Roar... die!”

Accompanied by the flood dragon’s furious bellow, the dark-gold dragon shadow crashed straight into the Three-Five Capital Celestial Master Seal.

“Shhh... whoosh, whoosh, whoosh...”

There was neither an earth-shaking tremor nor a deafening roar. It was precisely as the Dao De Jing described: “The greatest sound is inaudible; the greatest form is formless.”

A dazzling aurora rose within the grotto-heaven. The sea below was instantly evaporated, while the sky split open like a spiderweb, black fissures appearing one after another, none of them showing the slightest sign of healing.

A violent spatial storm swept through the entire grotto-heaven. As a gigantic mushroom cloud rose into the sky, the seawater and islands were vaporized in an instant.

“Pfft, pfft...”

Li Yang had hidden himself within space, pushing his Formless Shadow technique to its utmost limit. Yet beneath the sweep of the spatial storm, his body was forcibly reconstituted. Cracks like those in broken porcelain split across his flesh, and crimson blood—shimmering like quicksilver—burst from the wounds.

“Cough, cough...”

Looking at the wounds covering his body, blood pouring from them without end and showing no sign of closing, Li Yang coughed up a mouthful of stagnant blood. His deathly pale face was filled with a bitter smile.

In theory, the divine art known as “Standing Upright, Leaving No Shadow” could render its user immune to every physical attack. Yet he had been jolted out by nothing more than the aftermath of the clash. How could he not smile bitterly?

He had never imagined matters would escalate to such a degree. The energy fluctuations from the battle between the two sides had clearly surpassed the dimensional boundaries of his understanding. They did not even exist on the same plane.

“What a terrible loss...”

Li Yang sighed and drew a Clear-Origin Fruit from his dimensional space, swallowing it in two or three bites.

The instant the fruit entered his mouth, an immense vitality surged through his body. He hurriedly circulated his magical power, expelling the spatial force permeating his flesh. Nourished by that overwhelming vitality, the wounds across his skin slowly contracted, while the trembling of his internal organs gradually subsided and renewed strength returned to them.

“As expected of a spirit fruit.”

Feeling the tremendous life force within him, Li Yang could not help praising it. He had no idea whether this journey had been worth the cost. He had not even obtained a single dragon scale, yet had lost one of the spirit fruits he had acquired with such difficulty.

“Dragon essence...”

As the aurora faded, the Ancestor of Nether Springs and the Ancestor of Chimei both revealed themselves. They stared greedily at the fist-sized crimson dragon essence suspended in the sky.

Then they turned warily toward Celestial Master Zhang, who stood not far away in a battered state.

Compared with Zhang, who had been protected by the Orthodox Dragon-Tiger Talismans, the two of them had clearly suffered far more serious injuries.

Fine cracks could be seen throughout the skeletal frame of the Ancestor of Nether Springs. The Ancestor of Chimei was in an even worse condition: a huge gash had split open his abdomen, and faintly luminous blood seeped from the corner of his mouth. His internal organs had evidently been damaged.

Although Celestial Master Zhang appeared disheveled, with his hairpin shattered, his hair hanging loose, and his Tai Chi Daoist robe reduced to the clothes of a beggar, the spiritual light in his eyes somewhat dimmed, that was all. He had suffered no particularly obvious injuries.

The Ancestor of Nether Springs and the Ancestor of Chimei both knew that their cultivation was slightly inferior to Zhang’s, while their foundations were even weaker than those of Dragon-Tiger Mountain. Given the present circumstances, only by joining forces would they have any chance of contending with the old Daoist Zhang for the dragon essence.

“Move!”

The two exchanged a glance and instantly understood one another. Together, they lunged toward the dragon essence.

“How dare you!”

Seeing the Ancestor of Nether Springs and the Ancestor of Chimei rushing toward the dragon essence, Celestial Master Zhang let out a furious shout. The horsetail whisk in his hand twisted through the air like a nimble serpent and swept toward them.

“Brother Nether Springs, hold back Old Zhang first. We will divide the dragon essence afterward!”

“Five Elements Great Demon God Capturing Hand!”

As a cloud of ink-black energy rose above the Ancestor of Chimei’s head, a skeletal hand blazing with five-colored spiritual light suddenly pierced through space and clawed toward the dragon essence.

“Friend Chimei, I hope you will keep your word!”

The Ancestor of Nether Springs looked at Celestial Master Zhang’s horsetail whisk, then at the five-colored skeletal claw of the Ancestor of Chimei. Hesitation flickered through his mind, and the soul-fire in his eyes wavered uncertainly.

Yet he knew that if he did not join forces with the Ancestor of Chimei now, neither of them would be a match for Celestial Master Zhang. Even if they were destined to turn against each other, this was not the time.

“The Ghost Realm of the Yellow Springs, descend!”

“Crack, crack... sizzle, sizzle...”

Having made up his mind, a dim green radiance spilled from his body. He swung his greatsword downward, cleaving open a void rift several men tall. The fissure forced apart Celestial Master Zhang’s horsetail whisk.

“Crash... hiss...”

“Woooo... whoosh...”

A murky yellow river appeared and vanished within the void rift. Its waters churned, sending enormous waves surging into the heavens. Yellow mist, carried by a sinister wind, poured into the grotto-heaven in an instant.

“Hiss, hiss...”

“Crack, crack, crack... clatter, clatter...”

“Form ranks!”

“Yellow Springs, surge to the heavens!”

Looking at the skeleton soldiers emerging with the ghostly aura of the Yellow Springs like an army marching into battle, the Ancestor of Nether Springs swept his greatsword through the air. As the skeletons changed formation, torrential waters from the Yellow Springs were drawn through the spatial rift.

“Ancestor of Nether Springs, how dare you bring the waters of the Yellow Springs into the mortal world? You are courting death! Are you not afraid that the Underworld will settle the account with you?”

At the sight of the Yellow Springs rushing forth, Celestial Master Zhang’s expression changed dramatically.

The waters of the Yellow Springs came from the dark courts of the netherworld. Everything living that they touched would be transformed into the dead. They were one of the three great rivers running through the underworld and served as one of the foundations of the Netherworld Bureaucracy.

If the river of the Yellow Springs were allowed to flow into the mortal realm, everything in its path would be transformed into the spirit realm. The balance among Heaven, Earth, and Humanity would then be destroyed, and the arrival of the End of the Dharma could very well be accelerated.

“Heh heh heh... The old ancestor cannot be bothered with that today. I am determined to obtain this dragon essence. Besides, I was born in the rift between yin and yang and carved out my own Netherworld Grotto-Heaven. What can the Underworld possibly do to me?”

“What arrogance! An evil heretic dares to run wild? Nether Springs, today shall be your death day!”

“Supreme Lord Lao, teach me how to slay ghosts and grant me your divine arts. Above, summon the Jade Maidens; gather and suppress all evil. When I climb the mountains, the stones shall split. When I wear the seal, my authority shall be manifest. Let the celestial canopy crown my head, let the stars of the Dipper support my feet. On my left, the Six Jia; on my right, the Six Ding. Before me stands the Yellow God; behind me, the Transcendent Seal. When the divine master slays, he fears neither the powerful nor the mighty. First kill the wicked ghosts, then cut down the Night Radiance. What spirit shall not submit? What ghost would dare resist? By urgent command, let it be done!”

Just as the dragon essence was about to be seized by the Ancestor of Chimei, a golden divine radiance burst from the void and swept aside his skeletal claw. A figure wreathed in black qi, clad in a robe embroidered with the procession of a hundred ghosts, and gripping a judge’s brush, rushed into the grotto-heaven.

Standing beside him was the Exalted Immortal Miaohua of the Maoshan Sect.

“Fellow Daoist Qingxu!”

When he saw the figure dressed in a judge’s robes and surrounded by threads of divine light, astonishment crossed Celestial Master Zhang’s face.

If he remembered correctly, the old Daoist Qingxu had died long ago. How could he possibly have appeared here?

“Greetings, Celestial Master Zhang. That girl Miaohua contacted me and said that evil ghosts from the Underworld were causing trouble here.”

“As it happens, this old ghost Nether Springs is one of the Underworld’s most wanted fugitives.”

Facing Zhang’s astonished expression, Old Daoist Qingxu courteously raised his hands in greeting.

“Is that so?”

Celestial Master Zhang glanced at the silent Exalted Immortal Miaohua beside him, then at the righteous-looking Old Daoist Qingxu. He cursed inwardly.

He did not believe for a moment that Qingxu had arrived merely to capture the old ghost Nether Springs. The man had come neither early nor late, but at precisely this moment. Clearly, he too had designs on the dragon essence. Zhang simply could not expose him outright.

“Many thanks for your assistance, Fellow Daoist Qingxu. How about this? The dragon essence belongs to me, while I will give you the dragon corpse as payment. What do you say?”

Celestial Master Zhang knew that since Miaohua had even managed to summon Qingxu, a Daoist officially serving in the Underworld, the matter would not end peacefully unless he surrendered a portion of the spoils.

“Agreed.”

Qingxu knew perfectly well that Zhang had little of his lifespan remaining. If he tried to demand the dragon essence by force, the old Daoist would fight him to the death. Obtaining a dragon corpse was already an unexpected windfall.

Compared with the dragon essence, the value of the corpse was certainly far lower. Yet Zhang had discovered the dragonkind creature, and Zhang had slain it. Being given the corpse was practically equivalent to receiving it for free. Moreover, with the old ghost Nether Springs serving as a convenient scapegoat, the Underworld would find it difficult to question Qingxu about his unauthorized excursion.

“Let this old Daoist assist the Celestial Master in subduing these demons and exorcising these evils.”

With that thought, the judge’s brush in Qingxu’s hand darted through the air. One ghost-slaying talisman after another, each filled with divine radiance, scattered downward like flowers cast from heaven, raining upon the skeleton soldiers standing amid the waves of the Yellow Springs.

“Old ghost Qingxu, do you truly think this ancestor is so easily bullied? Yellow Springs Formation, arise!”

Seeing the Maoshan ghost-slaying talismans descending from above, the Ancestor of Nether Springs swung his greatsword. The waters of the Yellow Springs instantly evaporated into a mass of murky yellow smoke that soared into the sky.

“Five Elements Demon Gods, merge!”

The Ancestor of Chimei waved the banner of the Five Elements Divine Demons behind him. Five streams of differently colored energy immediately shot from his crown into his body, transforming him into a dazzlingly multicolored demon-god with three heads, six arms, and a hideous countenance.

“Hmph. A firefly dares to compete with the sun and moon?”

“Life and death in reincarnation; yin and yang judged together!”

Qingxu saw this and the pages of the book in his hand fluttered violently. With a sweep of his great brush, the laws of heaven surged through the sky, and six enormous black holes emerged within the void.

“Yellow Springs Ghost Gate, hold them back!”

“Great Five Elements Demon-God Annihilation Light!”

Looking at the phantom of the Six Paths of Reincarnation in the sky, the Ancestor of Chimei and the Ancestor of Nether Springs both knew that they could no longer hold anything back. Otherwise, they would surely be trapped here forever. They unleashed their ultimate techniques in succession.

“Rumble... crack, crack, crack...”

A gigantic ghost gate rose within the grotto-heaven, bracing itself against the black holes in the void. A beam of five-colored divine light shot into the sky, sweeping across the heavens of the grotto-heaven.

“If I cannot have it, none of you shall!”

Seeing the dragon essence beside Old Daoist Qingxu, the Ancestor of Chimei hardened his resolve. His three heads and six arms formed seals, and a colossal beam of five-colored divine light pierced through the grotto-heaven, cleaving toward the dragon essence.

“This is bad—the grotto-heaven is about to collapse!”

Seeing the unstable grotto-heaven and the five-colored divine light descending toward the dragon essence, Old Daoist Qingxu gritted his teeth. In the end, he could not bear to give up the dragon essence. He swung his judge’s brush and wrote furiously in the air. In an instant, a golden Eight Trigrams formation emerged overhead and flew to meet the five-colored divine light of the Ancestor of Chimei.

“Crack!”

“The dragon essence...”

Watching the dragon essence swallowed by the spatial fissure, Celestial Master Zhang grew frantic. The horsetail whisk in his hand lashed outward, reaching into the rift and attempting to pull it back.