Daoist Competition

Master Chun Bai excitedly said, "Senior brother, since we’ve acquired the treasure, why not return to the mountain now?"

Mao Wuwei, however, waved his hand, saying, "Why the rush? Acting so hastily—are you afraid others won’t know you’ve found a heavy treasure?"

Master Chun Bai slapped his forehead, saying, "I was careless, junior brother."

Mao Wuwei pondered for a moment, closed the lid of the box, gathered it up, and stowed it in his sleeve, thinking to himself, "I have this Treasure Bead here. I wonder what He Yizhu and Chen Yuan found; it shouldn’t be any lesser, should it?"

As he was thinking, suddenly his sleeve trembled, and an unexpected change occurred. It felt as if his chest was struck by a heavy blow, forcing him to stagger back a step, almost choking. He thought to himself that something was wrong, and with just a single thought, his figure suddenly transformed into a flight of light retreating backwards, while simultaneously summoning a Protective Treasure Light to shield his entire body.

Looking again with focused attention, he saw that the attack had come from that green bead, which now followed him like a shadow. It was relentlessly colliding against the outside of the Treasure Light, madly striking with a fierce clamor, seemingly trying to break in.

Only then did Master Chun Bai react, throwing a small seal from his hand. With a loud crack, it bounced back into his hand, missing a small corner. His heart ached; in contrast, the Jade Bead remained unscathed.

Mao Wuwei shouted, "Junior brother, don’t use the Dharma Treasure. Combine spells with me to capture it!"

The bead seemed to realize it couldn’t succeed, suddenly hopping backwards, attempting to soar skyward.

Mao Wuwei wouldn’t let it escape, and the two brothers spun the Gang Cloud above. Together, they summoned their Mana, reaching out to seize it in midair.

But the power of the Jade Bead was immense, struggling continuously. In mere moments, they felt a bit overwhelmed. Mao Wuwei promptly decided, "Junior brother, we can’t let it go. Follow me to release the Nascent Soul."

Master Chun Bai responded, and the two shouted in unison. With two loud booms, a light shot up from above their crowns. From the smoke, two Nascent Souls with flickering Green Light emerged, each about a zhang high, adorned with Light Bells, standing on White Clouds.

With the Nascent Souls out, their Mana surged. They chanted the spell, and dazzling rings of light descended from their bodies, enveloping the Jade Bead, gradually suppressing it.

About a quarter of an hour later, the bead finally ceased to move. However, the two dared not relent their vigilance, carefully capturing it and placing it in a copper bowl, sticking several sheets of talisman paper on it, and storing it in a Sleeve Bag. Only then did they relax.

A flicker of a figure, Master Chun Bai rushed to Mao Wuwei’s side, urgently asking, "Senior brother, are you hurt?"

Mao Wuwei pointed to his chest, where a piece of his dirty, tattered robe was torn, revealing an inner layer of black soft lining, "Thankfully, the Swollen Horn Clothes held it off, I’m not dead."

Earlier, the sudden attack caught him off guard, with barely any time to react. Without this unseen Protective Treasure garment, his life might have been in jeopardy.

He rubbed his chest, saying, "This bead seems sinister, not a legitimate path. Did you see any anomalies below?"

Master Chun Bai showed a look of trepidation, saying, "I was just about to tell you, over ten thousand mummified corpses were found below. It’s unclear which sect they belonged to."

Mao Wuwei’s expression turned solemn, but after a while, he suddenly laughed heartily.

Master Chun Bai wondered, "What are you laughing at, senior brother?"

Mao Wuwei, somewhat schadenfreude, said, "I was thinking, this treasure is hard to acquire here; won’t the treasure in the underground palace be even harder? If Chen Yuan and He Yizhu aren’t careful, they might suffer losses too."

At the same moment, a sharp whistle arose above the Gen Position Dragon Pillar. A Green Light flew from the ground, pierced the sky in an instant, and vanished without a trace.

He Yizhu, with a somber face, looked at several mummified corpses beneath. Beside him, the disciples of the Kuxin Sect were still in shock.

The Kuxin Sect excels in alchemy, particularly using elixirs as spells but falls short in adaptation compared to Qingxuan and Fengxiang sects.

When the Treasure Bead was extracted, caught off guard, it took the lives of several disciples and an elder. Although attempts were made to capture it afterward, it was ultimately a step too late, and it escaped.

Just then, a rumbling sound came from the north, and an elder reminded, "Sect Leader, the prohibition on the Kan Position Dragon Pillar might also have been lifted."

He Yizhu exhaled and then stomped fiercely, saying, "Let’s go!" Instantly, a traveling light appeared, soaring into the sky and away.

Chen Kingdom’s Nanwu Mountain, Gantang Temple.

Zhang Boyant stood atop a high pavilion, his eyes gleaming with Green Light, continuously surveying the surroundings.

This was the highest point of Gantang Temple, offering a view of the entire Mountain Gate.

Over the past half-month, the miasma that once covered the area inexplicably weakened, and there were signs of it continuously dissipating.

The whole sect was overjoyed; even he had stopped making Detoxification Pills several days ago. Yet he did not feel at ease, instead sensing lurking dangers, as if shrouded by a sinister, ominous atmosphere, unsettling anyone who came close.

Under the urging of Shang Junqing from the Fengxiang Sword Sect, the entire sect’s cultivators continuously worked day and night to refine the underground prohibition.

Seeing the situation, it seemed that the forbidden array might be dispelled within the year.

Zhang Boyant thought to himself, "I cannot stay here for long. Tomorrow, I must take my leave, return to the Mountain Gate, and report the matters here to the Pavilion Master."

Just then, an unusual feeling arose in his heart. Looking up, he saw clouds churning in the Extreme Sky, followed by a sudden whirlpool opening, from which a Green Light broke through the clouds, descending directly below.

Before it reached the ground, suddenly there was a shout from within the Mountain Gate. A shadowy sword light flew up, colliding with the Green Light in midair with a thunderous crack. The sword light recoiled, yet the Green Light only veered slightly, unabated, crashing through a grand hall into the underground, leaving only a heap of shattered tiles and stones.

...

...(To be continued. If you like this work, please visit Qidian.com to give recommendations and monthly votes. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please read on m.qidian.com.)