Chapter 344 - 187: Saint Fan of Calamity
"Not good!"
Immoral Taoist shot upright. With a single-handed seal, he pointed at the Wine Immortal Gourd. Instead of advancing, the gourd retreated, about to plunge back into the Dark Star Cluster.
But at that very moment, the void suddenly warped!
Within their field of vision, the entire universe seemed to flip. In the blink of an eye, the scene had changed completely. The vista of the void was gone, replaced by what looked like a Grotto Heaven, but one where heaven and earth were inverted, and everything was upside down.
Looking "up," they saw a boundless continent of black earth, with undulating terrain and clearly defined mountains and rivers.
Looking "down," beneath their feet, was a vast sky, clear as polished jade and without a single cloud. At its lowest point hung a black sun, its light seemingly no different from a golden sun’s, yet it brought with it a strange sense of oppression.
The change was so abrupt that Xuzhuang and the others hadn’t even had time to process Immoral Taoist’s actions before the world outside the Wine Immortal Gourd had transformed. The color drained from all their faces.
Everyone present was either a true disciple of the Taoist Sect or a Primordial Spirit Disciple. They were all experienced cultivators. How could they not realize they had been captured? They had fallen into either a magic treasure, a formation diagram, or some other powerful technique.
The cultivation levels of Xuzhuang, Zhong Shenxiu, and the others were nothing to speak of—some high, some low, but they were all just Nascent Soul Cultivators.
But Jide Taoist and Immoral Taoist, though they hadn’t fully displayed their power, were genuine Primordial Spirit True Men. What kind of Divine Technique could capture both of them at once?
Furthermore, the group hadn’t been returning along their original path. They had no idea how far they’d deviated after leaving the star cluster, yet they had still been ambushed. This must have been planned long in advance. The attackers had come with ill intent...
There was no need for discussion; everyone understood the situation. Immoral Taoist’s face was grim as he performed divination calculations with his fingers hidden in his sleeve. At the same time, Jide Taoist stood up on the Wine Immortal Gourd, cupped his hands toward the empty space, and called out in a deep voice, "Which Fellow Daoist is making things difficult for my martial brother and me? Could there be some misunderstanding?"
"Hand over the Purple Tribulation Pearl Fruit, and you may escape this calamity."
A majestic, imposing voice, like a divine chorus, echoed throughout the inverted world, its layers coming from all directions. Just as they had expected, the attackers were after the Cyan and Purple Tribulation Pearl Fruit!
Immoral Taoist’s brow furrowed, but he put on a calm expression and replied loudly, "My martial brother and I have always been on good terms with others. If a Fellow Daoist were to visit and ask, we would never be stingy with one or two Spirit Fruits to make a friend. If all you want is the Spirit Fruit, why resort to such despicable means?"
"Heh—" A sneer came from the voice, which then said coolly, "If that’s the case, then why haven’t you presented the Purple Tribulation Pearl Fruit?"
Jide Taoist gave Immoral Taoist a slight shake of his head. Just as Immoral Taoist was about to respond, a deafening BOOM resounded. Without another word of disagreement, the enemy had brazenly attacked!
The wind of world-ending destruction howled from the void, from the mountains’ cores, and from the earth’s roots. The inverted world was instantly filled with its roar. In the next moment, the black sun erupted, and raging fire ’fell’ from the ’sky’. In the next, the land shattered, and mountain ranges broke off and plummeted. In the next, thunder boomed and raged. In the next, rootless water flooded the heavens. In the next, all of space was annihilated...
Within a few short moments, this upside-down world was filled with cataclysmic destruction. Caught in the middle, the Wine Immortal Gourd was instantly tossed about like a boat in a raging storm.
"The Final Tribulation Art, the World-Ending Calamity! Son of a bitch, it’s the Innate Demon Sect!" Immoral Taoist’s expression changed drastically as he shouted, "Senior Brother!"
Jide Taoist had no time to speak. He pointed ’upward’, and in the void, flowers bloomed and withered. With each cycle of life and death, the calamitous energy was neutralized. Raging fire, thunder, hurricanes, falling rocks... none of it could get close. His defense was impenetrable.
However, there was no relief on Jide Taoist’s face; it was completely solemn. An auspicious cloud manifested above his head, with more flowers blooming and withering within it. It seemed he was pushing his Magical Power to its absolute limit.
Immoral Taoist shouted to the others, "The attacker is a Primordial Spirit True Man who has survived at least one or two calamities! My Senior Brother and I might not be able to protect you. If any of you kids have a way to escape, go now!"
Without a word, Sima Zongfa took out a jade pearl from his sleeve. He rolled it between his fingers but did not activate it.
The item was imbued with a Primordial Spirit Escape Skill. But Immoral Taoist and Jide Taoist were genuine Primordial Spirit Zhenren, and even they couldn’t break free. Could a simple escape technique possibly be enough to get away?
Perhaps, given his status as a true disciple of Taiyi Palace, the attacker might leave him an escape route. But what if the enemy was utterly vicious and without scruples?
It was, without a doubt, a gamble with his life.
Not only did Sima Zongfa hold back from using the jade pearl, but the faces of the others also grew heavy. In the current situation, it seemed their only hope was to either gamble on the enemy having some reservations, or to rely on Immoral Taoist and Jide Taoist to hold on.
Chang Su’Er asked gravely, "Zhenren, can you break through this Inverted Heaven and Earth?"
Immoral Taoist, who was focusing on casting techniques with Jide Taoist to resist the calamitous energy, heard her and snapped, "If I had a way, do you think I’d be fighting a lunatic from the Innate Demon Sect for fun? Does it look like my life is too comfortable?"
As he was speaking, perhaps because the enemy had found an opening, a stream of black solar flame suddenly broke through their defenses and fell toward the auspicious cloud above Immoral Taoist’s head.
Immoral Taoist’s face changed in terror, as if he’d seen a ghost. He suddenly shouted, "Xu the Kid!"
Xuzhuang’s brow twitched. Before he could react, the Five Qi Heroic Spirit Pouch shot out from his sleeve. It met the black solar flame, and upon the slightest contact, it instantly stirred the five qi to flow. In just a moment, the flame was completely neutralized.
But at the same time, the spiritual light of the Five Qi Heroic Spirit Pouch was damaged. As if letting out a muffled whimper, it flew back into Immoral Taoist’s hand.