Chapter 361 - 101: Five Flames Divine Thunder
The sect’s fields must also be used to plant these spiritual medicines in large quantities.
This was a strategic resource.
In less than a hundred years, the number of Life Talisman and Life Soul Cultivators in the Yinluo Sect would surely skyrocket, allowing them to rival giants like the Rakshasa Sect, the Nine Nether Demon Sect, and the Nine Truths Sect.
As for Taiyue Mountain, once the Yinluo Villa’s power grew, they would naturally move more Spirit Mountain Blessed Lands over from other places to expand the sect’s territory.
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In just over a month, news of Fang Cheng slaying the Blood Feather Sect Leader and the Corpse Venerable Elder while piloting a Bronze Battle Armor—a type of Tier Three Mechanical Battle Armor—had spread throughout the major powers of the Human Race. Even the three great Sacred Lands of the Demon Race had heard of it.
Within the Ghost Market of the Celestial Traveling Immortal Pavilion, intelligence regarding the Yinluo Villa, both true and false, was being traded back and forth.
「Nuhai.」
「Within the underwater palace.」
The Sea Emperor’s Palace Prince Consort, Chi Konglie, sat ramrod straight. A burly, armored Demon Cultivator stood beside him.
"So, the three sets of Mechanical Battle Armor that the Red Flame Immortal Palace lost are in this man’s possession," Chi Konglie said, his expression icy and his eyelids drooping.
"It is," the burly Demon Cultivator replied woodenly.
"The Yinluo Villa... Any other news?" Killing intent flashed in Chi Konglie’s eyes, but his expression remained patient.
The burly Demon Cultivator replied, "There are also rumors that the Star Moon Treasure Umbrella, which appeared when Ascendant Lingji’s Hundred Treasures Hall emerged, likely fell into this sect’s hands."
Chi Konglie’s expression shifted slightly. "In that case, the Rakshasa Sect must also have a significant grudge against this Yinluo Sect."
With a calm and serious expression, the burly Demon Cultivator answered, "The Rakshasa Sect has not yet verified whether this is true or not."
"We’ll find out if we test them," Chi Konglie sneered, pulling two gourds from his storage pouch and tossing them to the burly Demon Cultivator.
He continued, "This Five Flames Divine Thunder was created by the Sea Emperor in a moment of leisure. During Nuhai’s once-in-a-millennium black rain, he used a profound Mystic Sect technique to gather the thunder and fire from the sky and condense it. He only managed to collect ten gourds’ worth. They were originally intended for his children to use as protection against meddlesome Human Race Cultivators when traveling."
"I earned the Sea Emperor’s favor back then and was gifted this treasure, but I’ve never had a use for it. Take these two gourds of thunder and fire to Taiyue Mountain for me. All you need to do is toss them at their mountain gate."
The burly Demon Cultivator carefully put the two gourds away and nodded to accept his orders.
Chi Konglie added a warning, "This Divine Thunder is the essence of the five flames, a rarity in this world. The Sea Emperor used a Supreme Mysterious Method to contain and condense it. Once activated with Demon Power, it will detonate instantly. Its power is immense, rivaling even a Fourth-rank Talisman. Be extremely careful."
This burly Demon Cultivator was a Tier Three Demon King that Chi Konglie had subjugated. Though not from Sea Emperor Hall, his innate Talent Divine Techniques were unique; he excelled at Flying Escape and stealth, making him one of Chi Konglie’s most capable and trusted subordinates.
"Rest assured, my lord." The burly Demon Cultivator gave a slight nod. He then took his leave of Chi Konglie, exited the underwater palace, and headed straight for the surface.
In less than the time it takes to burn an incense stick, he burst out of the vast, surging waters of Nuhai. His tall, burly figure hovered in the air. After getting his bearings, his form blurred, transforming into a brilliant streak of cyan demonic light that tore through the sky. Faster than a clap of thunder, swifter than a bolt of lightning, he vanished over the horizon in the blink of an eye.
It was late at night by the time the Demon King reached Taiyue Mountain.
He was a decisive individual. Hiding far off in a sea of clouds, he shrouded the two gourds in Demon Power and hurled them across the distance toward the majestic Taiyue Mountain.
From afar, the two gourds looked like mere specks of dust. They trailed a faint demonic light, like two thin threads stretching toward the sky above Taiyue Mountain.
The next moment.
The Demon King decisively activated the spell. Without a backward glance to see the result, he immediately fled at top speed in the opposite direction.
As the two thin threads of demonic light reached the space above Taiyue Mountain, they seemed to strike an invisible barrier and suddenly flared!
The two gourds exploded, unleashing thousands of fiery blossoms that rained down from above. In an instant, Taiyue Mountain was engulfed in a sky full of sparks and crackling thunder light.
Blinding radiance filled the heavens. Flames seared the sky and lightning flashed. The attack slammed into Taiyue Mountain’s Mountain Protection Array, forcing its defensive barrier to appear—a massive, inverted bowl shimmering with multicolored starlight, covering the entire mountain.
Under the assault of the fiery thunder, the starlight barrier billowed like the tide, covered in dense ripples. The roar of wind and thunder filled the air as the very mountain shook and the ground quaked.
The commotion was so great that the Taiyi Sword Sect, over a hundred and fifty miles away, instantly sensed it. Numerous Cultivators soared into the sky, positioning themselves high in the firmament to observe the distant spectacle.
All they could see was the sky above Taiyue Mountain, filled with a blinding conflagration that reached the highest heavens. A thousand layers of flame and ten thousand bolts of thunder light radiated a brilliant, deadly glow in every direction.
And in the dead of night, the entire Taiyue Mountain resembled an erupting volcano, its incandescent glow illuminating the area for dozens of miles in every direction, brighter than day.
Beneath the onslaught of the Five Flames Divine Thunder, the starlight of the Grand Array roiled ceaselessly, yet it remained exceptionally resilient, firmly protecting Taiyue Mountain.
At the mountain’s peak, an enormous Treasure Umbrella unfurled. Its canopy, inlaid with over a thousand radiant pearls, released thousands of dazzling beams of spiritual light. Countless runes flowed across its surface as it integrated seamlessly with the Mountain Protection Array.
Before the Netherworld Daoist Palace, Fang Cheng stood with his hands clasped behind his back, gazing up at the sky.
Cai Li, Xun Yuanchu, Sun Fuguo, and the others had all emerged from their Cave Mansions to gather there.
The other Elders were busy directing the startled Disciples and restoring order on the mountain.
"Quite a move," Fang Cheng remarked nonchalantly. He turned his head to Sun Fuguo. "Master, can you sense who is responsible?"
Sun Fuguo’s brow furrowed slightly. "The perpetrator has likely fled far away. There’s no trace of them within a radius of dozens of miles."
Fang Cheng nodded. He had sensed the same thing.
The power of the Five Flames Divine Thunder had not yet dissipated outside. On the mountain, besides Fang Cheng himself, only Sun Fuguo could venture out to search by relying on his Fourth-rank Magical Artifact, the Bone Daoist Palace. However, he would also have to fend off the fiery thunder, which would consume an immense amount of Magical Power. The potential reward wasn’t worth the cost.
A sharp glint flashed in Fang Cheng’s eyes. He glanced at the unfurled Star Moon Treasure Umbrella and said, "It seems someone is eager to probe our sect’s true strength. But this works out perfectly. It gives us a chance to solve this problem once and for all."
With that, he took two foot-tall statues from his storage pouch: one of a Buddhist Cultivator and the other of a Female Cultivator.
Sun Fuguo and the other two looked on with curiosity. The two statues were cast entirely from bronze, their facial features, expressions, and even the patterns on their clothing all rendered with lifelike detail.
The statues were covered in dense, inscrutably profound Spirit Patterns. A vast, abyss-like aura was hidden deep within them. Though its power was not yet unleashed, it was enough to make one’s scalp tingle and a chill creep into their heart.
"Senior Sister, Sect Leader, I’m entrusting these two sets of Mechanical Battle Armor to you for now. Refine them as soon as you can. I estimate it won’t be long before the Rakshasa Sect comes knocking."
Fang Cheng said slowly as he handed the Mechanical Battle Armor to Cai Li and Xun Yuanchu.
Cai Li and Xun Yuanchu took the armor curiously, their faces filled with astonishment as they examined it closely.
Once this battle armor was refined, the Yinluo Sect would gain two more powerhouses with Life Soul Battle Power.
Including the Mountain Demon on the rear mountain, they would have a total of five combatants with Life Soul Battle Power.
Xun Yuanchu remarked, "I’ve heard that refining Tier Three Mechanical Armor is far more difficult than forging an ordinary Third-tier Magical Artifact. It’s said to be one of the Red Flame Immortal Palace’s most guarded secrets. Seeing it today, it is truly as exquisite and mysterious as the rumors say."
The four of them waited a while longer until the Five Flames Divine Thunder outside finally began to dissipate.
When they looked out again, the forests and vegetation surrounding Taiyue Mountain had vanished completely. In their place was a stretch of blackened, scorched earth, crisscrossed by rivulets of crimson magma, like a scene from Purgatory.
For dozens of miles in every direction, with Taiyue Mountain at the center, not a single trace of life remained!
The power of just two gourds of Five Flames Divine Thunder was utterly terrifying.
Fang Cheng ordered the mountain gate to be temporarily sealed. An eerie silence fell over Taiyue Mountain. Only the multicolored Starlight Array remained, enveloping the peak, an indestructible bastion between heaven and earth.
「Hundreds of miles from Taiyue Mountain.」
High in the firmament, an auspicious cloud lay hidden within a vast sea of clouds.
The tall, burly, and armored Demon King sat cross-legged upon the cloud. Before him floated a water mirror.
The mirror displayed the scene of Taiyue Mountain’s surroundings.
’The Prince Consort’s guess was right, it really is the Star Moon Treasure Umbrella! It’s a shame we wasted two gourds of Five Flames Divine Thunder just to test them...’
The Demon King muttered to himself, a hint of disapproval in his tone regarding Chi Konglie’s wastefulness.
He reached out and snatched the water mirror. As demonic light suffused it, the mirror shrank to the size of his palm, becoming a sparkling, translucent crystal.
Next, he took out a Talisman and blew a breath of air onto it. The Talisman immediately swelled in the wind, transforming into a great eagle half the height of a man. It had golden eyes, a red beak, and steel-like claws. Its body was pure black without a single discolored feather, giving it a majestic appearance.
After appearing, the great eagle let out two squawks at the Demon King before it began to preen its feathers, striking a graceful pose.
The Demon King tossed the water mirror to it and commanded, "Take a trip to the Rakshasa Sect for me."
The great eagle caught the water mirror in its beak. With a powerful flap of its wings, it soared into the air and flew off toward the distant sky.
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