Chapter 234: Profound Celestial Secret
On the 7th Floor of Huangliang’s Tomb, a spacious cave was nestled within a vast expanse of ice and snow.
A fair-faced youth in a blue Daoist robe was sitting cross-legged inside.
Between his legs rested an ancient Compass, its wooden spoon shimmering with iridescent light as it slowly turned.
Suddenly, the robed youth’s face flushed crimson, and he gagged, spitting out a mouthful of fresh blood.
He opened his eyes in shock and saw that a crack had appeared on the Compass before him.
"How could this be?"
The robed youth murmured in astonishment, then began performing divination with his fingers.
His eyes shot open wide. "A star of destiny falls, a demonic scourge descends... I am to die here? How could this be?"
The robed youth mumbled in disbelief, "Who is that person?"
He immediately resumed his divination. As his fingers danced, a speck of golden light shot forth and moved slowly across the snow, tracing the image of a youth in flowing robes with a massive, jet-black sword on his back.
The robed youth frowned as he looked down at the image. He didn’t recognize the person. "Who is this?"
At that moment.
"First Senior Brother! First Senior Brother!"
A frantic voice cried out.
Xuan Tianji looked up and saw his junior brother, Nan Xuan, hurrying toward him from the distance.
Xuan Tianji frowned. "What’s the matter? Why the panic?"
"First Senior Brother, this is bad! They’re all dead! All of them!"
Nan Xuan said, gasping for breath. He couldn’t help but glance fearfully over his shoulder as he spoke.
"Who is dead?"
Xuan Tianji looked perplexed.
Nan Xuan said frantically, "First Senior Brother, Senior Brother Fang City and Senior Brother Yue Feihan are dead! All the disciples we sent to hunt Dugu Sheng are dead!"
Xuan Tianji’s brows knitted together. "Dugu Sheng may be a genius, but he’s only in the Grotto Heaven Realm. How could so many of our Spirit Transformation disciples all end up dead?"
Nan Xuan said hastily, "You’re right! If it had just been Dugu Sheng, we would have captured him easily. But... but another man appeared out of nowhere and slaughtered them all—Senior Brother Fang City, Senior Brother Yue Feihan, everyone!"
Xuan Tianji’s frown deepened. "Was this man in the Earth Profound Realm?"
Nan Xuan hesitated, then said awkwardly, "No, he’s only at the Spirit Transformation Realm. In fact, his cultivation level didn’t seem to be as high as Senior Brother Fang City’s or Senior Brother Yue Feihan’s."
"What!?"
Xuan Tianji stared at Nan Xuan in disbelief. "Fang City, Yue Feihan, and all the others were killed by someone with a lower cultivation level than them?"
Nan Xuan looked uncomfortable. "First Senior Brother, even though his cultivation wasn’t as high as theirs, his methods were incredibly powerful."
Xuan Tianji frowned. "Who is he?"
Nan Xuan looked bewildered. "We don’t know. None of us had ever seen him before. It’s like he appeared out of thin air. He was someone Dugu Sheng brought with him."
Xuan Tianji’s brows furrowed deeply. "Appeared out of thin air? How is that possible? Who exactly is this person?"
"That would be me."
A clear, magnetic voice rang out at that moment.
Xuan Tianji looked up toward the sound and saw a youth in white robes, fluttering in the wind, standing at the entrance to the cave.
"It’s him!"
Xuan Tianji froze. He glanced down at the ground—the youth standing before him was the exact person from the image his divination had conjured.
The man who was fated to bring him disaster!
Xuan Tianji’s heart clenched, but his expression remained impassive.
Xuan Tianji said calmly, "I wonder if you are aware that the authority of our Celestial Profound Sacred Land is not to be challenged. Anyone who offends our Sacred Land will be hunted to the ends of the earth and killed, without exception."
Shen Daoxing gave a faint smile. "That’s why I came to you. To save you the trouble."
As he spoke, Shen Daoxing casually pointed a finger.
A streak of black light flashed past.
Beside them, Nan Xuan cried out in alarm, "First Senior Brother, be careful! That Demon Soldier he wields is incredibly tyrannical! It even shattered the Heavenly Qian Divine Sword, the supreme treasure of Yuqing Mountain!"
Just then, Xuan Tianji’s figure flickered and vanished. An instant later, the Great Ming Demon Sparrow appeared and slammed down with a crash.
A deafening explosion echoed, leaving a massive crater where Xuan Tianji had just been.
"Interesting!"
With a flash of blue light, Xuan Tianji suddenly appeared in the air above Shen Daoxing. He gave a low shout and slowly extended his palm.
A brilliant beam of light descended, bathing him in a sacred aura.
"Qiankun Borrowing Technique, Great Swastika!"
A swastika symbol emerged from his palm. Spinning with a dazzling golden light, it grew to a tremendous size in the blink of an eye and began to crush down from above.
"Great Ming Demon Sparrow!"
Shen Daoxing gave a single, soft command.
A streak of black light shot forward, slamming into the swastika with a dazzling burst of golden light.
The Great Ming Demon Sparrow now hovered protectively in front of Shen Daoxing.
Immediately, a crack spiderwebbed across the swastika, and with a BANG, it shattered.
With an overwhelming and ferocious aura, the Great Ming Demon Sparrow leaped into the air.
Xuan Tianji was inwardly startled, but he maintained a calm facade. "You have some skill!"
"Celestial Spirit Mirror!"
He shouted, thrusting out his palm. An ancient, ochre mirror materialized, wreathed in a dense yellow light that spoke of its incredible durability.
"Go!"
With a push from Xuan Tianji, the Celestial Spirit Mirror erupted in a dazzling yellow glare and bore down on its target.
BANG!
The Great Ming Demon Sparrow crashed into the Celestial Spirit Mirror. The yellow protective energy on its surface rippled, but it held firm.
But it only held for a moment before the black light of the Great Ming Demon Sparrow intensified dramatically.
CRACK!
The yellow light suddenly shattered.
With a final snap, the Celestial Spirit Mirror shattered and fell from the sky in pieces.
’What!’
Xuan Tianji was flabbergasted, but he maintained his composed exterior. His figure flickered and vanished, reappearing a moment later some distance away.
The Great Ming Demon Sparrow hit nothing but air. It stopped abruptly in the sky, then turned its tip and shot toward Xuan Tianji once more with a WHOOSH.
Xuan Tianji jumped in fright but kept his indifferent mask. "You dare show off such insignificant tricks before me?"
Even as he spoke, he was already retreating rapidly. His hands became a blur as he threw out three defensive Magical Artifacts in quick succession.
He himself was already hundreds of feet away.
But the Great Ming Demon Sparrow became a streak of light, its momentum unstoppable. It carved a graceful arc through the sky.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
The three defensive Magical Artifacts Xuan Tianji had thrown all shattered.
Just as the Great Ming Demon Sparrow was about to strike Xuan Tianji...
Suddenly, a massive shadow appeared in the sky.
DONG!
A deep, sonorous toll echoed.
An ancient, golden bell descended, trapping the Great Ming Demon Sparrow beneath it.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Loud crashes sounded from within the bronze bell, causing it to shudder violently. The Great Ming Demon Sparrow was ramming against its confines, trying to break free.
However, the ancient bronze bell’s golden light flared. A moment later, the vibrations ceased, and the Great Ming Demon Sparrow within went still.