Dao Lord: Starting from a Top-grade Golden Core

Xuzhuang’s brow furrowed slightly. With a single thought, the Taiyi Rainbow Sword shot out from his gourd. Its light split and converged, unusually transforming into five sword phantoms. They circled and linked, their five energies flowing as the sword light formed a radiant wheel. It descended, trapping all the long, gray-white serpents inside.

This was the Little Five Elements Sword Array, a technique he had acquired from the Langhuan Pavilion. While not an exceptionally powerful Sword Array, it was perfectly suited for the occasion. Once the serpents were trapped, Sword Qi erupted, raining down on them.

The thousands of long serpents seemed to possess no intelligence, only instinct. As the Sword Qi of the Little Five Elements Sword Array cut through them, slaying them by the hundreds, they instantly coiled into a tight ball to withstand the assault.

The scene was quite revolting. Xuzhuang frowned, and just as he was about to have the Sword Array shred them to pieces, he heard a sudden RUMBLE!

"Hm?" Xuzhuang grunted in surprise. He felt the power of the Heaven and Earth Lock suddenly blast open, and Wang Jiao had already broken free.

’This is...?’ Xuzhuang raised an eyebrow. He wasn’t particularly surprised that Wang Jiao had managed to escape. Although he had used the Innate Tai Su Qi Grand Capture, he hadn’t deliberately poured extra Magical Power into the technique. And Wang Jiao was, after all, a triple-refined cultivator at the grand completion stage of the Nascent Soul realm; it was only natural that he had a few tricks up his sleeve.

However, his spiritual sense detected a peculiar aura. It was somewhat similar to the Small Annihilation Skill that Zhong Shenxiu had comprehended from the Daoist Scripture given to him by Master Yu Bo, yet the finer details seemed to be different.

After breaking free, Wang Jiao showed no intention of counterattacking. Instead, he shot up and fled in a streak of light, trying to break out.

But Wang Jiao was still a long way from being able to come and go as he pleased in front of Xuzhuang.

Xuzhuang stomped his foot, and an aquatic light surged forth. With a RUMBLE, as if a flood dragon were churning the sea, he summoned monstrous waves that crashed toward Wang Jiao one after another. It was just enough to slow his escape, and the power of the Heaven and Earth Lock instantly descended again, seeking to bind him.

Forced into a corner, Wang Jiao could only resort to the same trick, allowing Xuzhuang to witness his Daoist skill once more.

Wang Jiao raised his arm and waved. Yin and Yang energies suddenly swirled together, seemingly creating a formless, chaotic vortex from thin air. Like a great grindstone, it instantly pulled in all the primordial qi, dust, and even the power of Xuzhuang’s Divine Technique, grinding it all into nothingness.

’Anyone who can cultivate to this level must have had some fortuitous encounters.’ Xuzhuang nodded to himself. Wang Jiao’s technique also seemed to be based on a Yin Yang Dao Skill, which gave him a bit of inspiration and piqued his interest.

Wang Jiao’s abilities were certainly not poor, but he was hardly a threat to the current Xuzhuang. In fact, his mastery of a Yin Yang Dao Skill made him seem like the perfect whetstone, delivered right to Xuzhuang’s doorstep for him to test his own techniques.

Xuzhuang slowly raised two fingers. In just a breath, a faint light of thunder began to flicker at his fingertips.

The Yang Thunder was domineering and fierce, as if wielding immense force, capable of destroying all creation with a single strike.

The Yin Thunder was supple and vast. Its light was tranquil, yet it concealed a surging undercurrent.

Zhong Shenxiu had drawn upon the profound principles within the Daoist Scripture from Master Yu Bo, independently deducing a Cultivation Method to master the Small Annihilation Skill.

Xuzhuang, however, focused only on the clashing transformations of Yin and Yang. He borrowed the principles of the Shenxiao One Qi Heaven-Smashing Thunder Method, intending to create a thunder skill that would perfectly complement his own Yin Yang Dao Skill.

With Xuzhuang’s mastery of the Dao, having both principles to draw from and a method to follow, this new technique was already on the verge of being realized.

And after receiving guidance from True Monarch Guangcheng, Xuzhuang’s understanding of the transformations between Yin, Yang, and thunder had deepened considerably. By drawing upon his comprehension of the Heaven-Opening Yang Thunder and the World-Ending Yin Thunder, he had enhanced the power of his own Yang and Yin Thunders. Because of this, his personal Yin Yang Thunder Skill was finally starting to show signs of success.

As he channeled his Magical Power, the twin bolts of Yin and Yang lightning at Xuzhuang’s fingertips grew increasingly brilliant, gradually revealing a terrifying might.

Wang Jiao’s attention was instantly drawn to it, and a profound sense of danger washed over him. But he was already hard-pressed by Xuzhuang’s Innate Tai Su Qi Grand Capture and Water Divine Light, struggling to defend himself and unable to respond to this new threat.

’Is this the end for me?’ As Xuzhuang slowly curled his fingers, despair filled Wang Jiao’s heart. Just as he thought he was about to perish, he suddenly noticed something.

Unbeknownst to him, Xuzhuang’s Heaven and Earth Lock and Water Divine Light had already eased their assault and pulled back.

At that same moment, however, Xuzhuang flicked his hand to cast the spell. Wang Jiao had no time to think. He formed his own hand seal and instantly unleashed all of his Magical Power, summoning the Yin and Yang energies to form a vortex of annihilation before him.

The next moment, nearly a hundred bolts of black and white lightning shot forth, but in an instant, they seemed to merge into a single streak that struck the vortex-like grindstone.

Yin Thunder, Yang Thunder, Yin Thunder, Yang Thunder... Now tranquil, now violent, the Yin and Yang lightning flickered alternately on its surface, being steadily ground away. Wang Jiao’s technique was truly profound; it seemed he had managed to withstand Xuzhuang’s Thunder Skill.

However, this illusion lasted for only a moment. Like a silver needle piercing thick fabric, the lightning instantly tore through the vortex and struck Wang Jiao.

In that single instant, not even a flicker of spiritual light shone from Wang Jiao’s body. Not only his Nascent Soul and physical body, but every Magical Artifact, Magical Robe, storage pouch, and treasure he possessed was annihilated by the lightning, turning into a wisp of flying ash.

The remaining members of the Seven Friends of Huangshan Lake, imprisoned by Xuzhuang and unable to move an inch but with their consciousness intact, stared in utter disbelief.

𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

Wang Jiao, who claimed he could grind any tangible thing between heaven and earth to dust, and who had repeatedly demonstrated his miraculous Yin-Yang vortex grindstone before their very eyes, had been so effortlessly defeated by Xuzhuang. His death was so absolute it was as if he hadn’t put up any resistance at all, causing not even the slightest ripple.